Before He-Man: Or, Four Solstices and a Commission

All the story updates this week (thanks hooked and Evelyn CMB!) inspired me to get moving on this story, which has been sitting in my computer for too long. While the 1980s series did have Christmas specials, they always bugged me as being a little too out of step with Eternian culture, so I opted to have Queen Marlena graft Christmas onto Winter Solstice (a holiday I think Eternia might have celebrated) rather than introduce a new holiday.

Adam and Teela spent the last moonless night before the Winter Solstice on the North Terrace. The night was mild and the sky was clear, perfect for stargazing, Adam thought as he adjusted the telescope's focus, trying to find the Blue Star. A cloudless, moonless night with the telescope finding their favorite constellations was an item on the to-do list they'd started compiling a few days ago, when Teela had received her acceptance letter from the Academy, and Adam was happy they'd accomplished one item so quickly. Pondering out loud whether the new tapestry in the formal dining room clashed with the carpet while he scanned the western sky, Adam found the star and tweaked the focus again. "Teela, I found it! Want a look?" he asked but heard nothing in response. He realized that he'd been talking for several minutes without any reply. Looking up from the eyepiece, he saw Teela was on the far end of the terrace, staring down into the city with her back to him.

"Tee, what's up?" he asked, walking over to stand next to her and gently bumping his shoulder against hers.

"Nothing." She paused, then sighed. "Everything. I mean, I've known for a while that after Academy I may get posted anywhere in Eternia, but it just became real in the past few days that I may never come home again. Or live in the same place as my father, or you, or anyone else I know." Her voice started to quaver, but she kept her eyes trained on the city. "I may spend the rest of my life in the middle of the Sands of Time or off at the Weather Station with strangers!"

Adam, who himself was wrestling with the idea of life without his best friend, didn't know what to say. He put his arm around her shoulders, noting in the back of his head that he must have had a growth spurt because he finally was the taller one.

Teela shrugged off the arm. "And I don't want to say anything to Father, but what if I fail out of the Academy? Or they decide I'm just not tough enough? Or maybe I realize I'm not tough enough and come running back? I'd never be able to live with myself. I've spent my whole life working for this. What else am I good for? Not a trade or marrying and having babies."

Adam moved in front of her and looked her in the eye – yes, he definitely was taller now – and put on an expression that he hoped was reassuring. "There is no one in Eternia who is more ready for this than you. You've worked towards this your whole life. You've learned combat and flying from the king's own guards, you've learned engineering from Eternia's top inventor, and you've learned history and military strategy and geography and languages from the prince's own tutors. And, hey, occasionally you even beat the prince in sparring or marksmanship." Teela gave him the stink-eye, as "occasionally" was a bit of an understatement. "And you are the toughest person I know, and you will excel at whatever you decide to do, even if you find the Academy isn't what you want to do and you decide to move to a swamp and grow turnips and have 12 children."

Instead of smiling as Adam had hoped, Teela's face crumpled a little more. "Except I'm acting like a little girl, afraid of everything, right now. I've spent most of the last two days trying not to cry every time someone asks me how excited I am to finally go and fulfill my dream." She grimaced. "I need to pull myself together."

"Well, consider tonight your time to get out all your doubts and fears. I'm here to listen."

"You really are a good guy, Adam, even if I'll never admit that again after tonight." She sat down on the wall, dangling her feet over the edge, and Adam sat next to her, staring out over the city. It looked magical tonight, the roofs shining silver in the clear winter air and the light of the stars. They sat together in silence, shoulder to shoulder.

"What else do you need to get out?" he finally asked her.

Teela turned toward him, pulling a leg up on the wall and folding it in front of her, then looked down shyly. "Well, there's one thing I've been thinking about but didn't want to say anything to you but maybe I guess this is the time."

Adam stared at her in confusion.

"What I mean is, can you kiss me? I want my first kiss to be with someone I like and trust, not some random guy at the Academy."

Adam suddenly felt light-headed and all coherent thoughts left his head. Teela? Wanted to kiss him? No, she wanted him to kiss her. She likes him? What does that mean? Why is she looking at him like that, with a combination of hope and fear and embarrassment? Adam snapped back into the moment and realized she was waiting for him to act. He swung his legs back to the garden side of the wall – the last thing he wanted to do was lose balance and cause them to fall over the wall during the kiss – and scooted closer to her. He realized that he had no idea how to proceed. He leaned forward, almost losing his balance, then placed his hands on Teela's shoulders, drawing her toward him. Her eyes closed. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, though, he pulled back.

Teela opened her eyes and looked at him with hurt and confusion as he stared at her, his hands still on her shoulders.

"Tee, let's save it for the Solstice party. Isn't the superstition that the person you kiss at midnight always will be part of your life?"

Teela's expression immediately transformed from hurt to happy. "Yes! Good idea, Adam!" Simultaneously realizing how intimate their position still was, both hurriedly pulled back.

"I guess I should be getting to bed," Teela said a little too loudly, swinging her legs to the ground. "See you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Adam said to her retreating back. He found himself a little disappointed that their moment hadn't lasted longer.