I got some nice feedback from my one-shot "After He-Man" so I decided to expand a little on that story.
Adam woke up to find the sun already streaming through his window. He stretched and lost himself for a few moments thinking about yesterday's chance encounter with Teela in the hallway leading to Man-at-Arms' lab, which had led to a few stolen moments in a nearby storeroom. They'd agreed not to tell anyone about them yet, to let themselves get used to the idea of being together before allowing the rest of the world to impose its expectations and pressures. The secrecy made their snatched times alone together – and the quick but meaningful glances they exchanged when around others – all the more exciting.
Adam, you must come to Grayskull. Your sister needs you – and He-Man – to come to Etheria now. The Sorceress's voice jolted Adam out of his reverie.
Yes, Sorceress, I hear you. What's wrong? The Sorceress hadn't communicated with Adam since He-Man had returned from taking Skeletor to the Frozen Territories.
Come and I will explain. Hurry. Adam sighed. Some things never changed, including the Sorceress's cryptic summonses.
He quickly pulled on clothes and tossed a change of outfit and some essentials into a satchel. He nudged the tiger sprawled out on his rug with a toe. "C'mon Cringer, the Sorceress needs us."
Cringer opened an eye. "Before breakfast?" he whined.
"We'll get some food on our way out. C'mon big fella, we need to go."
Cringer, groaning, pulled himself to a stand as Adam called to Teela on his wrist com. "I'll explain on the way, but can you give me a ride to Castle Grayskull? I'll meet you at the Wind Raider in 10 minutes."
Teela replied in the affirmative, keeping her voice professional. She was good at keeping up her public role as his bodyguard, Adam had to admit, even though in private they often teased each other about how now it was she who needed to guard herself from his body (and vice versa) when their interactions got too heated.
Cringer and Adam quickly walked to the informal dining room where they usually took breakfast. His parents were just finishing and looked up in surprise as Adam grabbed a plate of food and unceremoniously plunked down across from them. "The Sorceress has asked me to come to Castle Grayskull so she can send me to Etheria. Adora needs me," he said, then started shovel the eggs on his plate into his mouth.
His parents frowned. "Why does she need you?" Randor asked first.
"I don't know, but when the Sorceress asks for something, I'm not inclined to say no," Adam mumbled through his full mouth.
Marlena nodded, but Randor still looked irritated. "How long will you be away? And who is going with you?"
"I don't know, but she did say He-Man would go as well." Adam could see his father relax a little upon hearing that Eternia's champion would accompany his son.
"Well, it's not like we can refuse the Sorceress – or your sister," Randor finally said. "Please tell Adora we love her and if she needs additional help, we're now in a situation to provide it." He paused. "And please convey to He-Man our appreciation for all he's done for Eternia. We never had the opportunity to thank him properly and, if he's willing, I would like to hold some sort of ceremony to let him know how much we are in his debt."
"I will, Father," Adam said, standing. "I hope I'll be back sooner rather than later." He grabbed the piece of toast left on his plate and whistled for Cringer, who was still slurping the last crumbs off his plate.
Teela was waiting by the Wind Raider. "It's been 15 minutes," she said with a tone of disapproval.
"Cringer took two extra minutes to actually move this morning, and my father took three minutes longer than I expected to sanction this trip," Adam explained with a smile as he climbed in after Cringer. Cringer gave him a reproachful look before curling up in the back seat.
"Well, we'll have to make it up in flight time," Teela said, climbing into her seat and powering up the Wind Raider. They zoomed out of the hangar and Teela focused on clearing Eternos before talking again. "So why does the Sorceress need you?"
"It's Adora, actually. I think the Sorceress's function is only to open a portal to Etheria."
Teela frowned, just as his parents had, although her eyes never left the controls and the flight path in front of them. "Are you going alone? I should go with you. I am one of your bodyguards."
Adam turned and studied Teela's profile. Her jaw was clenched a little, but her slightly upturned nose, her delicate jawline…she was beautiful, even if he didn't feel she was ready to hear him say it. "He-Man's going too," he finally said, waiting to see her reaction.
"Well, I guess that's better than nothing. And tell He-Man thank you for everything he's done – I think he vanished before anyone could tell him that."
Adam wondered at how that was the first thing everyone thought of when they heard He-Man's name – guilt at not having given him enough thanks. Adam knew he should be happy that everyone remembered He-Man's contributions, but he still didn't feel comfortable with it. "I don't think he fought to get accolades or even thanks, I think he's probably just relieved that it's over."
Teela nodded thoughtfully. "But it's still nice to know that people appreciate you, even if it's not why you did what you did."
This wasn't the conversation Adam wanted to have right before being separated from Teela for an indefinite amount of time. He shifted in his seat so his whole body faced her. "I appreciate you."
Teela gave him a quick glance and a conspiratorial smile. "And I appreciate you. I just wish it hadn't taken so long for me to realize it."
"We were busy for a few years there," Adam said, putting out a hand and brushing her cheek.
"Yes, amazing how saving the planet from a maniacal sorcerer and his legion of evil henchmen can distract a person," Teela replied lightly. "Here we are."
The ride had been much too short, Adam thought as they landed. He picked up his satchel and turned to prod the sleeping Cringer, then decided Cringer could stand to nap another minute. He turned back to Teela, who was looking at him with a mixture of concern and longing, and pulled her to him. They indulged in a brief kiss, then Adam sat up and swatted Cringer. "Wake up!" he called as he pushed open the door.
Grumbling, the tiger followed him. "Thank you, Teela," they cried as Adam slammed the door shut and Teela waved. She watched them until the jawbridge came down, then waved as she took off.
Adam waved back from the castle's entrance, then turned to go in.
"You smell like her," Cringer remarked as they entered Grayskull's shadows.
"Shhh," Adam replied quickly. "We can talk about that later."
The Sorceress was in the throne room waiting for them. "So, what's happening on Etheria?" Adam asked as he entered.
The Sorceress gave him a small smile. "Nothing Adam and He-Man cannot handle."
Adam looked at her. "Anything else?"
The Sorceress shook her head. "Good luck." The portal opened and Adam and Cringer walked through.
Even with a blindfold on, Adam would know when he was on Etheria and which region he was in. The Whispering Woods' mix of woodland and flower scents, the Fright Zone's choking smog, Spikeheart's minerals that seemed to hang in the air. Something about Etheria made smells stronger, more noticeable, more a part of their place. And right now, Adam knew the portal had taken him to Mystacor Forest, with its spicy evergreen and orchid underpinned by a scent that Adam only could describe as "magical mist."
As Adam looked around to orient himself, Adora emerged from a nearby thicket.
"Is Casta ok?" Adam asked immediately.
"Fine," Adora answered. "But there's an incursion at a village near the edge of the forest."
"Lead us to it, sis."
The "incursion" seemed to be well in hand by the time Adora and Adam reached the village, with Castaspella and several other magical residents short-circuiting the slave transport and the Horde's soldiers being rounded up. Adam turned to Adora. "Why did you think I – or He-Man – was needed for this?"
Adora smiled. "I didn't say you were needed to help handle this. I think you need to have a talk with Casta."
Adam stared at her. "What?"
"Don't try to say something hasn't happened between you and Teela. When I visited last month, the sparks between the two of you were enough to start a fire on the dining table. How no one else has seen it and confronted you yet, I don't know." Adora crossed her arms. "So I think it's unfair to Casta to have her keep believing that sweet Prince Adam one day might return to her. She really has missed you these past several months, you know."
Adam groaned. Much as he hated to admit it, Adora was right. After Skeletor's defeat, Etheria had faded into the background as he settled into his new role as Eternia's responsible, mature Crown Prince, running from duty to duty. And when he'd noticed that Teela was looking at him with new eyes, Casta had faded too. He felt like a cad.
"She never thought anything serious was going to happen, did she?" Adam asked, running a hand through his hair and once again feeling like the indecisive, gadabout prince whose persona he'd adopted for so many years.
"I don't think she allowed herself to go there except in daydreams, but I think some formal closure would be nice. Plus, I'm tired of having her ask when you're going to visit again."
Just then, Casta saw the two of them at the forest's edge and, with a cry of joy, hurried over. "Adam! What a wonderful surprise!" she exclaimed as she launched herself into his arms.
Adam gave her an awkward hug and pulled back. "Casta, it's been a while," he started lamely.
"Yes, when I heard that Skeletor finally was defeated I thought you'd have more time to visit," Casta looked up at him through her thick eyelashes.
She was quite pretty, Adam thought, but found that he wasn't drawn to her like he had been in previous visits. "Yeah, we had a lot of cleanup work to do afterwards. Say, do you want to take a walk?" Adam offered what he hoped looked like a genuine smile and his arm.
"Of course, I think everything's under control here," Castaspella replied. "Right, Adora?"
Adora, who had been studying a vine growing up a nearby tree, jumped. "Sure, Casta, I'll go make sure that everything's taken care of," she said, visibly relieved to have an excuse to escape. Adam swore she almost ran out to the village.
"Let's walk back to the palace," Casta said to Adam, tugging on his arm.
They spent a while catching up on what had happened in their respective kingdoms in the past few months. Casta was particularly interested in the spells the Sorceress had put on Skeletor, although Adam freely admitted he really didn't understand them. It seemed that the Horde had been quiet for the past several months, which worried some and made others think that perhaps they'd reached a tipping point and Hordak and his minions were becoming more reluctant to expose themselves. Casta was of the latter camp and Adora of the former.
Finished with their recaps, they walked in silence for a few minutes until Cringer, who had been quietly following, broke in. "Adam, I'm hungry. When are we going to get some lunch?"
Adam and Casta laughed. Some things never would change. "Perhaps we can move a little faster," Casta admitted and, murmuring some phrases under her breath, made a flying carpet appear under their feet. "Sit down!" she cried as it started to levitate.
Cringer whined and Adam took the opportunities to drop Casta's arms and grab the big cat around the neck. "Don't worry, I've got you," he said reassuringly, but Cringer continued to tremble until the carpet set down in a courtyard in Mystacor Castle.
Adam stood and, as always, looked around in admiration. While Eternos Palace was horizontal, Mystacor Castle was vertical, but Adam felt at home in both their sprawling expanses. Knowing the castle's powers, Adam steered his mind from wishing for anything and to how he felt. The castle was a place of calm and happiness, he realized, but more than anything, for him it had been a place to escape – from his father's harping and Teela's sniping, the pressures of being He-Man, from Skeletor and the Horde.
Castaspella, who had gone to talk to a servant when they landed, walked up to Adam. "I asked them to set up lunch on a table in the courtyard," she said in her sweet voice.
Cringer rubbed against her legs and she bent down to scratch his ears. "So, what's the occasion that brought you here today?" Casta looked up at Adam.
Adam decided beating around the bush wouldn't help anyone. "Adora thought it was high time I paid a visit."
"Oh." It obviously was not the answer Casta was hoping for. "Well, I'm glad you're here, not matter what the reason." She went back to petting Cringer.
Adam knew she wouldn't push it further. Casta never pushed him – she liked and accepted him for what he was. But was that what he needed now? Teela would always push him, he realized. She would challenge his thinking, argue with him when she thought he was wrong, and tell him when he needed to improve. She'd known him so long, and so well, that she probably knew better than him what he was capable of. Casta…Casta liked the sweet prince who came and romanced her, telling her she was beautiful and tenderly making love to her all night. He supposed he was an escape for her too, from the war that was raging throughout Etheria.
"Casta…." Adam started.
She stood. "Let's eat first." They moved to the table, where servants were putting out food. Adam dipped some bread in herbed oil and waited for Casta to indicate she was ready to talk.
After slowly eating a few berries, she turned back to him. "It's over, isn't it?" she asked softly.
"Yes." Adam answered in a voice just as soft. "But that doesn't mean what we had wasn't important to me."
"But now you are looking ahead," Casta said with a sigh. "I understand. It was ok to play and pretend the rest of the world didn't matter for a few hours, because there was a good chance we wouldn't survive the next day. But now you – we – need to look ahead and not just plan for a few hours, but for our whole lives."
Adam smiled. Castaspella was a rare woman. "Yes, and my focus has to be on Eternia now. My father is giving me more responsibilities and I'm wholly consumed with taking us forward and leaving battles behind." He leaned forward and took her hand. "I don't know if what we shared was love, but it was special, and I think it fulfilled a need for both of us. And I still want very much for you to be happy."
Casta blinked a few times and brushed the back of her free hand across her eyes. "I always knew this would happen. After all, how can rulers from two different worlds be together for more than a few nights? This was never going to be forever but…still…"
She took a deep breath and looked at Adam. "I want you to be happy too, and for that you need to be with someone on Eternia."
Adam took both her hands. "And I hope you find someone here on Etheria who will recognize your many qualities and make you as happy as you deserve."
They sat there for a while, holding hands and smiling sadly at each other, until Adora strode into the courtyard. She raised an eyebrow and indicated she could leave, but both Adam and Castaspella waved her over.
"It's ok, Adora," Casta said at the same time that Adam said "It's all right, sis."
Adora sat down and took a piece of bread. "Good, because I'm hungry."
The three talked and joked through the rest of the meal and Adam realized that Adora had appeared at the perfect time to transition him and Casta from ex-lovers to friends. He smiled gratefully at his twin, who smiled back in acknowledgement.
Following lunch Castaspella invited them stay the rest of the afternoon and even the night, but Adora insisted that they were needed elsewhere. After their farewells at the gate, Adam turned to Adora. "Where are we going next?"
"We aren't going anywhere. But He-Man and She-Ra are going to visit Frosta."