Chapter Text
(I know the artist got into trouble for glorifying sl*very, but the fanart really struck me so I decided to give it a different direction in this fanfic. Hope you enjoy :) )
The town wasn't on any map Catra owned.
Not that she owned many maps.
Or much of anything, really.
The frontier settlement sat at the edge of nowhere, tucked between dry hills and dense forests, a place people only found when they were running from something—or someone.
Which suited Catra just fine.
The dusty road stretched behind her as she passed beneath the wooden gate, cloak pulled low over her face. She'd spent the last week sleeping in abandoned barns, stealing food when she had to, and avoiding questions whenever possible.
It wasn't paranoia if people were actually looking for you.
The town itself seemed ordinary enough.
A blacksmith.
A stable.
A tavern.
A handful of market stalls.
Nothing worth remembering.
Catra was already planning to rent a room, steal a meal, and disappear before sunrise.
Then she noticed the crowd.
Nearly half the town had gathered in the central square.
People stood shoulder-to-shoulder, talking loudly, pointing toward something in the middle.
Curiosity wasn't usually worth the trouble.
Still.
Catra found herself drifting closer.
The crowd parted just enough for her to see.
And suddenly she forgot why she'd come to town at all.
A wooden platform stood in the center of the square.
On top of it stood a woman.
No.
Not a woman.
A legend.
Tall.
Golden.
Beautiful in a way that almost seemed unreal.
Long blonde hair moved gently in the wind.
Golden armor gleamed beneath the afternoon sun.
A massive sword rested before her, its tip planted firmly into the wood.
And around her neck...
A chain.
The iron collar was thick enough to secure a wild animal.
Several lengths of chain connected it to metal rings bolted into the platform.
Catra blinked.
Then blinked again.
Nobody else seemed bothered.
A farmer leaned against a fence while discussing prices.
Two merchants argued over contract lengths.
Children ran past the platform without paying it any attention.
As though seeing She-Ra chained in the middle of town was completely normal.
"What happened to her?" Catra asked the man beside her.
The man looked confused.
"Hm?"
"The chains."
"Oh."
He shrugged.
"Nothing happened."
Nothing happened.
As if that explained everything.
Catra stared.
The man followed her gaze.
"Those are required."
"Required?"
"Wouldn't do to have her wandering off."
He said it casually.
Like discussing a fence post.
Catra looked back toward the platform.
She-Ra hadn't moved.
Not even slightly.
She stood perfectly straight.
Hands resting atop the sword's hilt.
Expression calm.
Eyes fixed somewhere far beyond the town.
“There is an ocean so dark down below the waves,
Where you watch while these dreams gently float away…”
The strangest part wasn't the chains.
It was her face.
No anger.
No fear.
No resentment.
Nothing.
Just quiet acceptance.
Something twisted uncomfortably inside Catra's chest.
A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Current contract expires at sunset!"
An older man climbed onto a nearby crate.
Judging by the ledger in his hands, he was clearly in charge.
"The next rental period begins immediately after!"
The crowd stirred.
People began discussing numbers.
Days.
Tasks.
Payment.
Like an auction.
Like a marketplace.
Like She-Ra was a tool.
Or livestock.
Or a cart horse.
Catra felt vaguely sick.
"What exactly is this?" she asked.
The man beside her laughed.
"You've never seen a service station before?"
"No."
"Really?"
He pointed toward the platform.
"That's She-Ra."
Catra resisted the urge to tell him she knew who She-Ra was.
The entire continent knew who She-Ra was.
The legendary warrior.
Defender of Etheria.
The woman who ended wars.
The woman who saved kingdoms.
The woman chained to a wooden platform.
"If your village has a monster problem, rent her."
"If your roads aren't safe, rent her."
"If you need construction work done, rent her."
The man shrugged.
"Depends what you need."
As though discussing farm equipment.
Catra stared at him.
Then looked back at She-Ra.
She still hadn't moved.
Hadn't spoken.
Hadn't reacted to anything around her.
For a moment she wondered if she was even listening.
The older man opened his ledger.
"Next contract?"
A merchant immediately stepped forward.
"Three days."
Another raised his hand.
"Five."
A third offered more money.
Catra barely heard them.
She couldn't stop looking.
The sunlight caught in blonde hair.
The relaxed grip on the sword.
The chain around her neck.
Beautiful.
That was the first thought.
Not heroic.
Not powerful.
Beautiful.
The second thought arrived immediately after.
Lonely.
Before she could think better of it, Catra pushed through the crowd.
The bidding stopped.
Several people turned to look at her.
The keeper raised an eyebrow.
"Can I help you?"
Catra glanced at She-Ra.
Their eyes met briefly.
Blue.
Clear.
Empty.
Like a sky without birds.
Without hesitation, Catra asked:
"How much?"
The keeper named a price.
It was ridiculous.
It was most of what she had left.
Catra paid anyway.
The coins hit the ledger one by one.
Silence spread through the crowd.
The keeper counted them.
Then nodded.
"One day rental."
He closed the ledger.
"Contract accepted."
Several townspeople exchanged curious looks.
One woman called out:
"What do you need She-Ra for?"
Another laughed.
"Big job?"
Catra opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because she genuinely had no idea.
The keeper unlocked the chain from the platform.
The heavy links rattled softly.
She-Ra stepped down.
The movement was smooth.
Practiced.
Automatic.
The keeper handed Catra the chain.
As casually as handing over a horse's reins.
For a second Catra simply stared at it.
Then she took it.
The metal felt cold.
Wrong.
She-Ra stood beside her.
Waiting.
The crowd quickly lost interest.
Another day.
Another customer.
Nothing unusual.
Catra led her away from the square.
Through narrow streets.
Past the market.
Toward the small cabin she'd rented earlier that morning.
Neither spoke.
The silence stretched nearly the entire walk.
When they finally reached the cabin, Catra unlocked the door and stepped inside.
She-Ra followed.
The room was small.
One bed.
One table.
One chair.
A fireplace.
Nothing impressive.
The door closed behind them.
For the first time all day, they were alone.
She-Ra stood quietly near the entrance.
Still holding her sword.
Still waiting.
Finally she spoke.
Her voice was calm.
Polite.
Professional.
"What task have I been hired to perform?"
Catra looked up.
The question caught her completely off guard.
She opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Tried again.
Nothing.
Because the truth sounded ridiculous.
I saw you standing there.
And I wanted to look at you longer.
Nobody spent an entire day's wages for that.
Nobody rented the most powerful woman in Etheria for that.
She-Ra waited patiently.
Catra searched desperately for an answer.
Any answer.
None came.
Minutes passed.
Neither moved.
Eventually Catra noticed something strange.
Very strange.
She-Ra hadn't shifted her weight.
Hadn't sat down.
Hadn't looked around the room.
Hadn't spoken again.
She was simply standing there.
Exactly where she'd stopped.
Exactly where Catra had left her.
Waiting.
As though she'd been paused.
As though she only existed when someone told her what to do.
And suddenly Catra couldn't shake the horrible feeling that if she remained silent long enough...
She-Ra might stand there forever.