A/N: I started working on this short story before I even finished "Into Etheria." However, as stated in the summary, this is a one-shot having nothing to do with my other stories. I have seen many fanfic stories where Adam and Teela somehow wind up together, yet I'm not sure that would have happened had the original MOTU series continued. I've seen very few fanfic stories where Adam and Teela do not get together, and of those I've seen, even fewer, if any, deal with what that meant to the two of them. So I wanted to write this just to explore what might have happened if Teela had taken her place as the Sorceress. Hopefully I've done a halfway decent job.
You'll notice that contrary to my other stories, I sort of ignore the side issues that naturally come into play--Adam's relationship with his father, for example. The battle scenes here are almost non-existent as well. After all, this is a short story...
Thanks to littlellamagirl for beta-reading for me, since there isn't enough battling in this story to keep my son interested!
For the boring disclaimer: I own none of these characters, they are all property of Mattel or somebody like that. And unfortunately, I don't make any money off of this either...sigh.
Now get the tissues ready, and enjoy...
"Adam."
At the solemn note in his mentor's voice, the Prince of Eternia's hand froze. Cringer, his pet tiger and partner, licked his chops at the sandwich Adam hastily put down as he stood.
"What is it, Duncan?"
"Teela has been summoned to Grayskull."
Sorrow welled up in Adam's heart at that simple statement, but he didn't show it. He had had years of practice at keeping his emotions hidden, even from Duncan.
"So it's time already?" he asked rhetorically.
The king's Man-at-Arms nodded, his own dark eyes saddened at the burden that would be placed on his daughter that day.
"D-does that mean the Sorceress is going to die soon?" Cringer asked in a wavering voice, still eyeing the sandwich on the table before him.
Adam frowned. "I don't know, Cringer." He looked to Man-at-Arms. "Has Teela left yet?"
Duncan shook his head. "She's packing a few things to bring with her, just to get her through the next few days. All she knows right now is that the Sorceress needs her."
Adam glanced around the palace grounds as he pulled out his sword. "Well, in that case, I think He-Man and Battle Cat are going to pay the Sorceress a quick visit. By the power of Grayskull!"
Duncan watched, amazement filling him as it always did when he watched his charge transform into He-Man. Adam was now a well-muscled man himself, so it wasn't the increased muscular build that was so noticeable. But the automatic tan, the light blond hair turning golden, and the sudden change in wardrobe from a pink tunic and purple pants and boots to a coridite harness and furry, barbarian-like shorts that barely covered anything…it still amazed Duncan, even after fifteen years. Now that Adam was older, too, He-Man actually appeared slightly younger than the prince, the light laugh lines fading with the sword's magic. But nothing was more amazing than the change in his voice, which now boomed deeply.
"I have the power!"
Then he turned the sword on Cringer, whose courage increased as quickly as his size with the sword's magic. An armored helmet and saddle appeared on the great beast, and Battle Cat stood in Cringer's place.
"Come on, Cat, let's go see the Sorceress," He-Man said. Duncan caught the concern in the hero's undertone and smiled sympathetically at him. He knew the Sorceress was like a second mother to He-Man.
"I'll see you there, lad," the old warrior said.
He-Man shook his head. "I'll be gone before Teela gets there," he said. "This is going to be hard enough. I don't want her to start asking questions of me before she's ready to hear the answers."
"Greetings, He-Man," the Sorceress said as he entered Grayskull.
He-Man's blue eyes assessed her face rapidly. "Duncan said you've called for Teela," he said by way of returning her greeting.
The Sorceress inclined her head. "Yes. It is time for her to take her place here."
"What does that mean for you?" her champion asked quietly.
"It means that in spite of how young Grayskull makes me appear, I am growing old and tired," the Sorceress answered, amusement and understanding mingled in her voice. "By summoning Teela here now, I will have a little time with her before I must leave Grayskull."
After all these years, He-Man was used to listening carefully to how she phrased things. "Before you must leave Grayskull, or before you die?" he asked, his tone still quiet. His jaw was tight with concern.
The Sorceress shook her head. "The Sorceress I replaced was alive only through the Castle's magic, He-Man. She had been the guardian for a thousand years, while the Castle was hidden. When I took her place, it was past time for her to die. It is not my time to do so, but now that the Castle is no longer hidden, it needs a guardian who can fight the evil that threatens it. I am simply getting too old for it."
"But you're not any older than Duncan," He-Man protested. The Sorceress smiled at him.
"Did it ever occur to you that perhaps Duncan is growing tired as well?" she returned. Her smile grew at the dumbfounded look on his face; apparently the thought had not occurred to him. "Your father is also getting on in years; I sense he is almost ready to turn over the throne to you."
A bark of harsh laughter escaped He-Man. "I doubt that. I can't be in two places at once, and thanks to Skeletor, my father is in no way confident that I'm ready to actually show up for my own coronation." The Sorceress gave him a sympathetic glance that he ignored. "Speaking of which, I've got to get going."
"You aren't staying to greet Teela?" the Sorceress asked in surprise. "I thought that was why you came."
He shook his head and smiled warmly at her. "No, I've learned what I came to find out. Have Teela send for me when she has need of me…or when she's ready to talk to me again." He inwardly shuddered at how furious she would be at him for keeping secrets from her.
"I think you ought to be the one to tell her who you are," the Sorceress said, frowning. That he would want her to do so had evidently never occurred to her.
"Before or after she learns to use Grayskull's power?" He-Man asked dryly. He cocked his head, hearing the whine of the Wind Raider. "Come on, Cat, it's time to go."
Teela felt a tightness in her stomach she couldn't explain. Something warned her that her entire world would change if she stepped into Castle Grayskull this time. She heard a roar, not too far away, and recognized Battle Cat's cry. Somehow it gave her the courage to walk forward, her father silently following her.
"Hello, Teela, Duncan," the Sorceress said, her voice smooth and peaceful. "Thank you for coming."
Teela smiled. "You're welcome, Sorceress. I don't understand what it is you need from me, though. You certainly seem fine."
The Sorceress led the two of them into another room Teela had never seen, with several comfortable cushioned chairs and a small table.
"Please, sit down," she said. "Teela, the time has come for the next Sorceress of Grayskull to take my place." She searched her daughter's face. "Do you remember, Teela, the time Skeletor sent me to another world?"
"Of course," Teela answered immediately. The ball in her stomach grew tighter, but she didn't show the stress she was feeling. "The Spirit of Grayskull summoned me here to fill in for you. I still don't understand why."
"Because you are the next Sorceress, Teela," the older woman replied softly.
Teela's lips parted and her eyes widened. "What?"
"You are the one destined to take my place," the Sorceress repeated.
"But I don't have any magical powers," Teela protested. This couldn't be happening. She was Captain of the Guard. She was depended on at the palace. They needed her. She was Adam's bodyguard. Who would protect him if she didn't?
"Neither did I when I came here," the Sorceress responded with a small smile.
Teela swallowed hard, her green eyes shimmering. "But why me? I'm not-"
"Because you put others and your duty before yourself," the Sorceress interrupted. "You are a woman of courage, strength, and integrity." She hesitated ever so briefly, then added, "And you are my daughter."
Teela felt as if her entire body had frozen. "Your…daughter?" she repeated, her voice faint.
"Yes, Teela," the Sorceress said. She looked to Duncan, who nodded encouragement at her. "I could not raise you here; it was too dangerous." She went on to tell Teela how she had attempted to raise her in the mountains, but Mer-Man had nearly captured the two of them. Duncan had saved them, winning her trust. "So I asked Man-at-Arms to raise you in the safety of the palace," she concluded.
Teela was so shocked she couldn't feel anything at first, but as the Sorceress told her story, the shock wore off. Teela had matured a lot over the years, and learned to control her temper somewhat, but when she was set off, her explosions were as fiery as her red hair.
"How could you not tell me?" she demanded of them both. She stood and whirled on Duncan. "Especially you!"
"I told you what I could, Teela," he reminded her gently. "It wasn't my secret to tell."
"You should have told me anyway!" she yelled at him. "Do you know how many nights I cried myself to sleep, feeling as if something were missing?" Duncan grimaced, his eyes burning at the thought of his little girl sobbing in her bed.
Teela whirled back to the Sorceress, her hands coming up as she clenched them. "And you! All these years you've been right here, and you never told me? All the times I spoke to you about my mother, and you never said a word! You-you-" Her mother's eyes stared back at her, accepting, loving, and Teela's hands dropped as her anger began to fade. "You really are my mother." It was a statement, because Teela knew the truth in her heart. "I knew. Somehow, I feel I already knew."
The Sorceress and Duncan exchanged glances. Teela felt that way because she had known once, when she had gone to see the oracle, but the Sorceress had wiped that from her memory. That, the Sorceress decided now, was a secret best kept at the present time.
"And now you want me to stay here and take your place. Immediately," Teela said, her eyes betraying the incredulous feelings within her. "Walk away from my duties, the people I love…"
"Those who matter most will know where to find you, Teela," the Sorceress countered. "This may seem like a lonely existence, but Grayskull is often frequented by visitors…some of them more wanted than others," she finished dryly.
Teela couldn't help but smile slightly at that, knowing the Sorceress was referring to Skeletor. But she sobered quickly as she saw her dreams of a husband and children fade away. She was thirty-two, and didn't even have a boyfriend right now, but she'd hoped that someday…
"You may yet have that, Teela," the Sorceress said, reading her mind. "I couldn't keep you here because your father died, but had he lived…things may have been different." She smiled sadly.
Teela felt her eyes fill with tears as she regarded this woman who had obviously sacrificed a lot for Eternia.
"Did you miss me?" she whispered. Her mother rose and kneeled in front of Teela.
"Every second of every day," the Sorceress answered, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I watched you as often as I could."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Teela asked, her voice still hushed with emotion.
"You would have been in constant danger," the Sorceress replied. "The enemies of Grayskull would have used you to gain entrance to the castle. And I would have been powerless to stop them."
Teela gazed into her mother's loving eyes and her heart melted. "Mother," she whispered. She reached for the Sorceress, who threw her arms around her daughter.
"I love you, Teela," she said into the warrior's ear.