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femslashficlets2020-05-30 04:11 pm
hipsquare) wrote in femslashficlets2020-05-30 04:11 pm
[TAROT TABLE] the road [She-Ra]
Title: the road
Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Pairing: Shadow Weaver/Castaspella (implied)
Rating: T
Prompt: 13. Death - A costly loss - sometimes, but not always, the death of someone.
Word Count: 1000
Summary: In the halls of Mystacor, Glimmer thinks of Shadow Weaver. Castaspella happens upon Glimmer and joins her in sharing memories.
Notes: Spoilers for the finale of She-Ra season 5.
In the halls of Mystacor, Glimmer peered up at the statue of Light Spinner that stood anew and polished. Restoration of Light Spinner’s statue had been a project some of the older sorcerers had begun to work on after Shadow Weaver’s death. As if all of her sins of the past had been absolved, she was now hailed as one of the ‘heroes’ that aided Etheria’s restoration to peace.
Even as a victim of Shadow Weaver’s manipulation herself, she felt like it paled in comparison to what Adora and Catra had been through their entire lives, and so Glimmer mourned Shadow Weaver privately. Even if their time together had been short-lived in those few months, Shadow Weaver still taught Glimmer many things of value.
Glimmer couldn’t forgive Shadow Weaver for what she’d done to her, or her father, or Adora and Catra. But she could still pay thanks and say goodbye to her, couldn’t she?
Her father was away somewhere in the castle, talking to familiar old sorcerers from when he was a child. He’d not wanted to pay tribute to Shadow Weaver, which Glimmer could understand. What she did to him, and when he was only a child… Glimmer told him that she was fine when he probed about how she was holding up, yet her heart weighed heavy. She could not peel her eyes away from Light Spinner’s veiled, stone face.
“A bit ridiculous, isn’t it?”
A voice broke Glimmer out of her thoughts. She jumped a little in response to hearing it reach her ears. She’d first thought it was her father. She didn’t want to explain why she was staring longingly at Light Spinner’s statue… but the voice was female. Familiar.
Aunt Casta.
“Sorry! Did I give you a fright?” Castaspella asked, pressing her hands together in apology. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Aunt Casta,” Glimmer breathed before she smiled. “It’s fine. I was wondering where you went off to… I thought you were still with dad.”
“Oh, yes. I was visiting some of the elders with Micah. Old sorcerers who have been here since we were children,” Castaspella said before stepping next to Glimmer and glancing up at the statue alongside her. “Before I decided to make my way here. I must say, I wasn’t too surprised to see you here.”
The smile on Glimmer’s face faded, if only slightly. Glimmer was sure she’d find that smile sad if she could see her own reflection.
“Yeah…” Glimmer sighed, pausing before she spoke again. “I told dad that I was… okay. After her death. And I am. I’m just… I don’t know, sad?”
Not even Glimmer herself could pinpoint her feelings, exactly.
It seemed that Castaspella understood. She put her hand on Glimmer’s shoulder. When Glimmer glanced at Castaspella from the corner of her eye, she saw an expression that surely reflected her own. Downcast, melancholy; unable to pry her eyes away from the statue of the woman who had cursed their family with her toxicity.
“I understand. I also have mixed feelings about her.” Castaspella smiled slightly. She looked to Glimmer, and Glimmer hurriedly directed her gaze elsewhere. “So does your father, though he doesn’t want to admit as much. They were so very close when Micah was a child.”
“Yeah…” Glimmer’s voice trailed off. Finally, after a moment’s hesitance, she glanced back at Castaspella. Their eyes connected. “But… Aunt Casta, I didn’t know that you knew her very well… aside from what she did to dad.”
Castaspella chuckled, but she didn’t sound happy or amused. It was more of a pitiful laugh, and Glimmer couldn’t pinpoint whether it was directed at Shadow Weaver, or at herself.
“The impact that woman had on our family… Micah was broken up for years after she used him to cast the Spell of Obtainment. Traumatized,” Castaspella said, her eyebrows creasing inward towards her forehead, the look in her eyes hardened. “That he was able to bounce back was a miracle. But your father is a strong man. Just as you are a strong woman,” Castaspella said, looking down at Glimmer. It was only when she looked at her that the smile returned to her face.
Glimmer smiled back, albeit hesitantly.
Castaspella looked back to the statue.
“It was hard, admittedly. So much of the focus was on Micah. I felt as though our parents — your grandparents — didn’t care about what she put me through. Of course, that wasn’t true! But when I was younger, and didn’t know better, that’s what it felt like to me.”
Castaspella’s eyes softened. Glimmer’s lips parted, but Castaspella spoke before Glimmer had the chance.
“I looked up to her, too. Light Spinner. And I loved her… very much.”
The look on Castaspella’s face was undoubtedly mixed, as if assaulted by every emotion at once. She looked agonized, yet reminiscent at the same time. Like she was recalling wonderful memories alongside the terrible. More than all else, it looked like she was remembering someone she truly did love, once upon a time. There must have been more between them, so much more that Casta wasn’t ready to yet unpack and display.
Glimmer reached out to her, if only to let her know that she was there. Even if her love deferred from Castaspella’s own.
“Aunt Casta…”
“Yes, it’s ridiculous. Refurbishing her statue, hailing her as a hero…” Castaspella reached back out to Glimmer and clasped her hands. “But what isn’t ridiculous is missing her. Mourning her. We are allowed to have that, after all that she put us through.”
Glimmer’s lips tilted into a slight smile, one that Casta returned. She squeezed Castaspella’s hands.
“Shall we get going, then?” Castaspella asked tenderly.
Glimmer looked at Light Spinner’s statue. Castaspella did, too. Maybe this goodbye wouldn’t be the last they needed to give, but it was a definite beginning to the road of healing for them.
“Yeah…” Glimmer said warmly before she looked back to her aunt. “Let’s go find dad.”
They departed the halls together.
Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Pairing: Shadow Weaver/Castaspella (implied)
Rating: T
Prompt: 13. Death - A costly loss - sometimes, but not always, the death of someone.
Word Count: 1000
Summary: In the halls of Mystacor, Glimmer thinks of Shadow Weaver. Castaspella happens upon Glimmer and joins her in sharing memories.
Notes: Spoilers for the finale of She-Ra season 5.
In the halls of Mystacor, Glimmer peered up at the statue of Light Spinner that stood anew and polished. Restoration of Light Spinner’s statue had been a project some of the older sorcerers had begun to work on after Shadow Weaver’s death. As if all of her sins of the past had been absolved, she was now hailed as one of the ‘heroes’ that aided Etheria’s restoration to peace.
Even as a victim of Shadow Weaver’s manipulation herself, she felt like it paled in comparison to what Adora and Catra had been through their entire lives, and so Glimmer mourned Shadow Weaver privately. Even if their time together had been short-lived in those few months, Shadow Weaver still taught Glimmer many things of value.
Glimmer couldn’t forgive Shadow Weaver for what she’d done to her, or her father, or Adora and Catra. But she could still pay thanks and say goodbye to her, couldn’t she?
Her father was away somewhere in the castle, talking to familiar old sorcerers from when he was a child. He’d not wanted to pay tribute to Shadow Weaver, which Glimmer could understand. What she did to him, and when he was only a child… Glimmer told him that she was fine when he probed about how she was holding up, yet her heart weighed heavy. She could not peel her eyes away from Light Spinner’s veiled, stone face.
“A bit ridiculous, isn’t it?”
A voice broke Glimmer out of her thoughts. She jumped a little in response to hearing it reach her ears. She’d first thought it was her father. She didn’t want to explain why she was staring longingly at Light Spinner’s statue… but the voice was female. Familiar.
Aunt Casta.
“Sorry! Did I give you a fright?” Castaspella asked, pressing her hands together in apology. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Aunt Casta,” Glimmer breathed before she smiled. “It’s fine. I was wondering where you went off to… I thought you were still with dad.”
“Oh, yes. I was visiting some of the elders with Micah. Old sorcerers who have been here since we were children,” Castaspella said before stepping next to Glimmer and glancing up at the statue alongside her. “Before I decided to make my way here. I must say, I wasn’t too surprised to see you here.”
The smile on Glimmer’s face faded, if only slightly. Glimmer was sure she’d find that smile sad if she could see her own reflection.
“Yeah…” Glimmer sighed, pausing before she spoke again. “I told dad that I was… okay. After her death. And I am. I’m just… I don’t know, sad?”
Not even Glimmer herself could pinpoint her feelings, exactly.
It seemed that Castaspella understood. She put her hand on Glimmer’s shoulder. When Glimmer glanced at Castaspella from the corner of her eye, she saw an expression that surely reflected her own. Downcast, melancholy; unable to pry her eyes away from the statue of the woman who had cursed their family with her toxicity.
“I understand. I also have mixed feelings about her.” Castaspella smiled slightly. She looked to Glimmer, and Glimmer hurriedly directed her gaze elsewhere. “So does your father, though he doesn’t want to admit as much. They were so very close when Micah was a child.”
“Yeah…” Glimmer’s voice trailed off. Finally, after a moment’s hesitance, she glanced back at Castaspella. Their eyes connected. “But… Aunt Casta, I didn’t know that you knew her very well… aside from what she did to dad.”
Castaspella chuckled, but she didn’t sound happy or amused. It was more of a pitiful laugh, and Glimmer couldn’t pinpoint whether it was directed at Shadow Weaver, or at herself.
“The impact that woman had on our family… Micah was broken up for years after she used him to cast the Spell of Obtainment. Traumatized,” Castaspella said, her eyebrows creasing inward towards her forehead, the look in her eyes hardened. “That he was able to bounce back was a miracle. But your father is a strong man. Just as you are a strong woman,” Castaspella said, looking down at Glimmer. It was only when she looked at her that the smile returned to her face.
Glimmer smiled back, albeit hesitantly.
Castaspella looked back to the statue.
“It was hard, admittedly. So much of the focus was on Micah. I felt as though our parents — your grandparents — didn’t care about what she put me through. Of course, that wasn’t true! But when I was younger, and didn’t know better, that’s what it felt like to me.”
Castaspella’s eyes softened. Glimmer’s lips parted, but Castaspella spoke before Glimmer had the chance.
“I looked up to her, too. Light Spinner. And I loved her… very much.”
The look on Castaspella’s face was undoubtedly mixed, as if assaulted by every emotion at once. She looked agonized, yet reminiscent at the same time. Like she was recalling wonderful memories alongside the terrible. More than all else, it looked like she was remembering someone she truly did love, once upon a time. There must have been more between them, so much more that Casta wasn’t ready to yet unpack and display.
Glimmer reached out to her, if only to let her know that she was there. Even if her love deferred from Castaspella’s own.
“Aunt Casta…”
“Yes, it’s ridiculous. Refurbishing her statue, hailing her as a hero…” Castaspella reached back out to Glimmer and clasped her hands. “But what isn’t ridiculous is missing her. Mourning her. We are allowed to have that, after all that she put us through.”
Glimmer’s lips tilted into a slight smile, one that Casta returned. She squeezed Castaspella’s hands.
“Shall we get going, then?” Castaspella asked tenderly.
Glimmer looked at Light Spinner’s statue. Castaspella did, too. Maybe this goodbye wouldn’t be the last they needed to give, but it was a definite beginning to the road of healing for them.
“Yeah…” Glimmer said warmly before she looked back to her aunt. “Let’s go find dad.”
They departed the halls together.