I made an account on this site so I could write and post an idea I had. Well, it's an idea a lot of us have but I wanted to include it in the eighties version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. I will admit I got distracted by the wonderful fan fiction that is already on this site, so my writing was delayed. Now I've decided it's time to share my story. I hope someone will find this of interest. Please read and review. As you all know, comments encourages an author to keep going.

Lies, Betrayals, and Secrets

Words hurt. It was a fact he had always been aware of, but the thought had solidified when he turned eighteen. After that time, more than one person had hurled insults his way. Some of them he could ignore, because he knew they were things he had led them to believe and that the truth was opposite, but sometimes he felt the words more deeply.

Like today.

The day had started out as any other. He had woken up and spent the morning with his family. Breakfast and court had always been a part of his morning routine. Well, when he didn't have to be He-Man. When he had woken that morning, he had honestly believed it would be a good day. A warm breeze had filtered into his room from the open window, giving his room a comfortable feeling as he rose from bed to get ready. The sun had been shining and not a cloud had been seen anywhere. Now he would be leery of those days from now on.

After court had finished, Adam had gone with Man-at-Arms to play He-Man once more. The Sorceress had contacted him to let him know trouble had been occurring in the Sands of Time. Skeletor had set up residence in the Temple of the Sun. A lot of rituals occurred in that place that brought power to many things and people, so neither she nor he wanted to ignore Skeletor's presence even if he wasn't currently hurting anyone.

The battle had been quick. He had gone in through the front doors and questioned Skeletor why he was there. Skeletor had told him it was none of his business and a fight had ensued. It ended when he had finally cornered Skeletor and he had disappeared with his voice still resonating in their ears, "Another time, He-Man, another time!"

Because of that encounter, he had forgotten that he had promised to meet with his father and a few visiting diplomats that afternoon. Instead of meeting that obligation, he had gone into the courtyard, found a nice shade, and fallen asleep.

That's where he had been when his father's booming voice had woken him up.

"There you are!" he had said.

At that time, he had been sleepy so he hadn't been sure why his father had sounded so angry.

"Have you been here the entire time?"

When he nodded unknowingly at the fate he had condemned himself to, King Randor began to give him the scolding of his life:

"By the Ancients, Adam, I don't know what I'm going to do with you sometimes! There are times when I see you try to act like a prince, but more times than not, I see you make a complete fool out of yourself, which in turn makes a fool out of me! Do you know how embarrassed I was when you didn't show up to that meeting today? It's obvious you don't care! Well, I do, young man. I'm tired of people calling you carefree and lazy and even a sloth and a coward. Nothing you do anymore counters their opinions of you! You are my son, and instead of being a disgrace to that fact, you should try more than you do…"

He didn't want to remember anymore. It had been more of the same. He knew his father had every right to think he was a disgrace to the family. It was what he led everyone to believe. So, now all he could do was mourn the naivety that he had once had, that his father would never be one of the people who hurled insults at him. Yes, he knew his father would get onto him, but he never thought he would see the day when the King of Eternia used his talent of speech to hurt him. And, he had. Badly.

Walking through the Evergreen Forest now, he didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do. It wasn't like he could turn around, go back to Eternos, and tell King Randor that he was He-Man. It might solve their current problem, but it would bring so many more.

What he really wanted was for his father to accept him, to tell him that he supported him in whatever he did in life, no matter who he was. He knew he would never hear those words. It was pointless to wish. His father had made his opinion of his son all too clear today: he was a disgrace to his father's good name. He was a disgrace to the family, the only one to have been such a disappointment.

Tears swarmed to his eyes and slipped slowly down his cheeks. Yes, words hurt, especially when they came from the ones you loved.

He sat down on an old log and contemplated what he was going to do now. How could he fix the situation? How could he heal his father's wounds as well as his own without telling him his secret? What could he do to get the people to respect him without accidentally revealing that he was He-Man? He didn't know if any of it was possible.

As he sat there, he felt the wind shift in direction and he looked up at the sky to see it darkening in the distance. He stared at the lightning that popped at the ground. Storms build and can cause a lot of destruction, but they would eventually die away. His storm would, too. He knew that, but the only problem was he didn't want his relationship with his father to be broken in its wake.

As the thunder boomed and the lightning popped as the storm got closer, he heard a voice say, "It would be wise to seek shelter. It looks like a bad storm is approaching."

He stood rapidly and turned to look at the man who had spoken to him. He took a cautious step back, because for a split second he had thought that the man was Skeletor. He had blue skin like Skeletor, but his face was as fleshy as anyone else's. He looked like a normal man aside from it being blue. He had long, black hair that came to about three inches above his shoulders and he also had a mustache and beard, but they were trimmed far thinner than his father's was.

He looked familiar to Adam, but he didn't know why. He was sure had never seen him before. Maybe it was the similarities to Skeletor. They had a similar physique, too.

"Yes, I guess I should be getting back to the palace."

"Palace?" questioned the stranger. "Do you mean Eternos? That's quite a long walk back. You'll never beat the storm. Would you like to come with me? I have a place nearby to keep us dry."

Adam stared at the man for a moment, deciding whether it would be wise. It was probably safer than staying out in the storm. The lighting and the rain was constant in the distance. "Okay. Thank you."

The man smiled lightly and said, "Come. This way."

The man led him towards the storm and off of the main trail he usually travelled by when going through the forest. In fact, they were no longer on a path at all. "Do you know where you're going?" he called to the man who was slightly ahead of him.

"Of course I do," he replied with a slight chuckle in his voice. "We're almost there."

No sooner than the stranger had said those words, they came to a strange hut that was made from several large limbs from trees and various leaves from the forest. "Are you sure that will withstand the storm and keep us dry?"

"I'm positive," the man said confidently. He gestured for Adam to follow him and went inside the hut. Looking up at the sky and feeling several rain drops touching his face, he realized he didn't have much choice. He followed him inside and was surprised to see that there was a door to shut. The man did that very thing as he said with glee, "Welcome to my little home away from home."

Adam looked around and saw two chairs and a fire in the middle of the hut. How the thing wasn't filling up with smoke or catching on fire, he didn't know. Just as he began to contemplate it, the stranger said, "Please, sit."

He took a seat in the chair offered and watched as the man sat beside him. "So, this is your home away from home," he repeated, realizing that he had been rude when he had not replied to his host earlier. "Where are you from?"

The stranger got a faraway look in his eyes and answered, "I could name several places, but the original place was Eternos."

Adam raised an eyebrow for a moment. The man said it with a touch of sadness and a touch of anger. It was a strange paradox and he wasn't sure if he should question the man on it. Clearing his throat a little, he asked, "Do you have family there?"

The man, who was around his father's age, nodded and replied, "Yes."

Adam sat there for a moment and tapped his fingers on the arms of his chair lightly. This was starting to get uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," he stated suddenly, "I should introduce myself. I'm Prince Adam of Eternia. I'm from Eternos, too."

The man turned only his eyes toward him and announced calmly, "I know who you are, Prince Adam. I've known the entire time."

Hearing alarm bells going off in his mind, he began to stand when the man replied, "In fact, I know much about you and your family. I lived in the Royal Palace once a long time ago."

Adam sat down and asked, "Who are you?"

The man shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

The man sighed and looked up at the roof of his hut as the main part of the storm finally hit their location. He then turned his entire body towards Prince Adam and said, "I'll make you a deal with you, Prince Adam, since we're probably going to be here for a while. You tell me why you were so upset earlier and so far from the palace and I'll tell you who I am and why I no longer live there. Deal?"

Adam listened to wind howl outside and the thunder rumble. He knew the man was correct when he claimed they would be there for a while. He then turned his attention to the man and answered, "Only if you promise not to repeat what I have to say." He decided he did want to talk to someone even if he wouldn't get too specific.

"I promise, and do you make the same promise?"

"I do."

The man smiled and exclaimed, "Then, we have a deal. Tell your story, Prince Adam."

He shrugged and spoke honestly. "I really don't have much to say. I disappointed my father today. I missed a meeting because I was tired and slept through it. He's upset with me. I suppose I can't blame him."

The man hummed a little with a nod and said, "So, Randor is still the bastard he always was?"

At that, Adam shot out of his chair. "Okay, that's it! Who are you?"

The man also stood. He walked right in front of Prince Adam, looked him square in the eye, and said, "I'm your uncle. My name is Keldor and I'm your father's brother."

Adam gasped and Keldor smiled a little. "I know this comes as a surprise and if you allow me, I will keep my side of the bargain and tell you my story."

Adam didn't know if he believed this "Keldor." His father had never told him of a brother named Keldor, but he would listen to his tale before he made his decision. He watched the man warily as he sat back down and once again jumped at the man's next words.

"You and I are a lot alike, Adam, and that's why Randor and I didn't get along."

END OF CHAPTER ONE

I hope you liked this chapter. I also want you to know that this story is not a sole telling of Keldor's story. That will actually only take a short while. The real story is what Adam and Keldor do after the story is told. I hope someone will be interested in finding out what that is.