Interludes
A/N: If you have not read "Stumbling into the Light"by Little Llama Girl, you need to do that before reading this story. If you don't, you won't know what a "Truth Sworn" is, or why Keldor has changed so much…and as confusing as some of the scenes in this story could be, the next one, where Keldor returns to Eternia, will confuse you even more. I promise it is worth the read…just check out the reviews if you don't believe me.
Now then, this story is different, as it is a collection of scenes, short stories, chapters, etc., by both me and Little Llama Girl. There is no huge underlying storyline, no mighty climax, but there is a lot of light-heartedness, tenderness, emotion, and some action. The scenes take place mainly on Eternia and Carina, with a couple of side trips here and there.
As we prepared to bring Keldor back to Eternia, we realized that a few loose ends had to be tied up and a few things needed to be started, without the structure of an entire book…although this seems to be growing into one (more than 30,000 words at last count)! Plus, there were little scenes we wanted to write, which we thought you all would want to read…like Keldor's and Adam's reactions when they find out they're going to be fathers. :-) And finally, Little Llama Girl absolutely insisted that I owed Adam one heck of a honeymoon for all the torment I put him through, LOL! I had a few requests here and there, so I've incorporated them as best I can. In fact, you could almost say that all the Eternia events in this first chapter were requests!
-Evelyn CMB
Eternia
The ballroom was a swirl of color. Floor-length gowns and royal robes twirled about on the dance floor. There was barely room to move between the dancers and those who were simply enjoying the music. It was even worse around the food that had been set to one side of the room. Laughter echoed off of the walls, and joy emanated from the crowd gathered. It was a celebration like the kingdom had not seen since the day Prince Adam had brought Princess Adora home from Etheria. Skeletor was gone, Hordak was dead, and the Crown Prince was finally settling down, both with the woman he loved and with his responsibilities. Even with the defection of Baron Hutch, the people of Eternia had not felt so optimistic about their future in a long time.
Off in one corner, Fisto nudged Stratos as Mekaneck approached them. Nearby, Ram-Man munched happily on a dryosaur leg in one hand, with a goblet of wine in the other.
"Hi Mek. Do you know where He-Man is?" Stratos asked casually. "I haven't seen him all day."
In response, the hero extended his bionic neck and looked around the royal ballroom. He spotted Prince Adam and the now-Princess Teela swaying gently to the music, seeming lost in their own world, and smiled to himself. He had always suspected Teela would end up with He-Man; he was glad he had been wrong. Adam was good for Teela; he brought out her more feminine side, and somehow gentled her temper. Remembering he was supposed to be looking for He-Man, Mekaneck swept his gaze around the room, stopping at each dark blond head.
"He's not here," Mekaneck told the others as he lowered his head. "Maybe he had to skip out early. There may have been trouble at Grayskull."
"Do you think we should check?" Ram-Man asked, the leg of meat in his hand almost forgotten.
Fisto shook his head. "I don't think there's any trouble. I think he just couldn't stand to see the woman he loves marry someone else."
"He said himself he was trying to get them together," Mekaneck objected.
"I'm not sure that he was telling the truth," Stratos said reluctantly. "Perhaps he was just trying to save face."
"Duh, what's wrong with his face?" Ram-Man asked around a mouthful of food, confused.
"He means that He-Man didn't want anyone to know how much Teela's rejection hurt him," Fisto explained, a tad impatiently.
"Oh," Ram-Man said. He scrunched up his face as he thought. "I didn't know He-Man and Teela were ever an item."
"Well...they weren't, I guess," Fisto admitted. "But the looks between them..."
"There could have been something there," Mekaneck agreed. "But Teela has chosen Adam, and we all know He-Man will respect that. If he's not here to support two of his closest friends, it's not because he's hiding and licking his wounds. I'm sure there's a better reason than that." Stratos relaxed.
"I agree," Ram-Man said firmly. The determined look on his face and the challenge in his eyes told the others it was time to drop the subject.
Teela, former captain of the guard and now Princess of Eternia, stood nervously in front of the mirror, examining her reflection. Her red hair spilled down around her shoulders in soft waves. The white night dress with spaghetti straps molded itself to her curves and hung far above her knees. Her green eyes were huge with anticipation, almost frightened.
This is Adam, she reminded herself. Your husband. But it didn't help. She knew that more than their declarations of love, more than their wedding, this night would change their lives forever.
Teela reached out for her toothbrush and noted with mild surprise that her hand was shaking a bit. Calm down, silly, she scolded herself, irritated.
She was halfway through when there was a soft knock at the bathroom door. Toothbrush still in her mouth, Teela opened it and nearly gasped at the smoky look Prince Adam gave her. He had stripped down to shorts, and his chiseled physique made her stomach twist.
"I got lonely," he teased her with a lazy, lopsided smile.
Teela flushed pink and turned back to the sink, fully intent on finishing quickly. Adam lifted her hair and began trailing kissed along her neck and throat, his hands exploring her body as she completed her task. By the time she had rinsed her mouth out, all she could think about was turning around to meet his hungry mouth. Adam easily lifted her into his arms and carried her to bed.
"I love you," he said softly as he set her down gently, his blue eyes full of emotion. Teela reached up and tucked his blond hair back, her nerves forgotten.
"I love you too," she replied, her own voice thick. His mouth claimed hers once more, and she was lost in feeling.
Teela woke slowly, her limbs feeling as if they were molded to the bed. Gradually she became aware of an unfamiliar feeling—that of a warm body pressed against hers. She opened her eyes and looked into the vivid blue gaze of her new husband.
"Good morning," Adam said huskily, lightly tracing her cheek with his finger.
"Hi," she returned throatily. She blushed slightly at the memory of their night. He had been so incredibly gentle with her, in spite of his own passion. Her hand explored the contours of his chest as she gave him a teasing smile. "You know, if I didn't already know you're He-Man, I'd know now."
"Why is that?" Adam asked, running his hand through her red hair. He settled onto his back and drew her in close to him, her cheek on his shoulder.
"Remember when Skeletor built the dimensional gate, and it blew up?"
Adam frowned lightly. Skeletor was almost the last person he wanted to think about on his honeymoon. "Yeah," he said, drawing the word out slightly.
"He-Man carried me halfway back to the palace," Teela reminded him.
"I was so relieved you were okay, I didn't want to let go of you," Adam admitted sheepishly, planting a kiss on her forehead.
"I felt cherished," Teela said on an almost-whisper. "Just like I do now."
Adam smiled and shifted so he could meet her tender lips. "I do cherish you," he told her. It was the last thing either of them said for a while.
"Come on, Adam, let's go for a swim," Teela pleaded. Located on the lush tropical seashore of Eternia, the royal family's vacation home was beautiful and cozy. Honey brown wooden walls, plush, comfortable rugs, overstuffed soft furniture…everything one needed to relax. After nearly two days of not leaving the house, however, Teela was feeling a bit wound up.
"You've got to be kidding," Adam protested in a lazy voice, his eyes half-closed. He opened one eye and tried to keep from grinning. "Haven't we had enough exercise?"
Teela blushed furiously at his suggestive teasing. "Well, if you can't keep up with a girl…" she retorted.
Adam stretched and pulled himself out of the beige chair. "I thought I was keeping up with you pretty well," he said huskily as he wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled her ear.
"Adam…" Teela said, her voice drifting off.
"Hm?" He started placing kisses along her neckline where he knew it was most sensitive. Teela tilted her head to the side for a moment, flooded with desire, then resolutely pushed at his massive shoulders.
"Adam, if I don't get out of this house, you're not going to like me in the morning," she warned.
"I know, but I'll still love you," he quipped with a lopsided grin. He relented as she put her hands on her hips. "All right, Captain, let's go."
After putting on their swimming clothes, they strolled down to the beach, hand-in-hand. Teela stole glances at Adam, not used to seeing him in such casual attire. He wore a plain light blue, button-down shirt, only he hadn't buttoned it at all. She could see his sculpted muscles and the scar Damien had given him. It was still red and angry-looking. Unconsciously, she squeezed his hand. Adam glanced at her and smiled, thinking she looked gorgeous with her red hair spilling down around her shoulders. He pulled her to a stop and reached out to run a hand through it, his eyes capturing hers.
"Don't you think we've walked far enough?" he asked teasingly, moving his mouth towards hers.
"We're going swimming, remember?" Teela replied breathlessly. His hand cupped her face for a second and then paused, making her yearn for his kiss.
"Yeah, that's right," he answered, his voice low. Teela barely caught the twinkle in his eye before he scooped her up. She squealed as Adam ran into the ocean, still carrying her, and dove, taking them both under. Her own mischievous streak surfaced, and she slipped away from him underwater. She swam off until she was sure he couldn't see her anymore.
Adam came to the top first and glanced around. "Teela?" he called. "Teela?" He swallowed hard when there was no response. He knew she could handle herself easily in the water, but still…
Cold hands came down on his shoulders and pushed him under. Still underwater, Adam turned and grabbed Teela's waist, dragging her back down. Her arms went around his neck and their lips met again as Adam slowly brought them back to the surface.
"I guess I deserved that," he mumbled against her lips, smiling. He felt her lips tighten into a smile as well.
"Yes, you did," she agreed easily.
Carina
Keldor sat bolt upright in his bed, breathing heavily, his blue skin covered in thin film of sweat. His wife Lyn pushed herself up from their bed to sit beside him. She ran her ivory fingers up and down his tensed back, tracing the intricate white tattoos that marked him as a Truth Sworn.
"What is it?" his wife asked, a slight edge to her voice.
"Aren't you supposed to add, 'if you wish to tell me,' to the end of that question, dear Lyn," Keldor snapped. The former Master of Snake Mountain was trying to avoid admitting the answer to Lyn's question, yet as a Truth Sworn he had a desperate need to share the truth whenever it was asked of him. He looked into his wife's eyes, his irritation was clear in the expression he wore on his face—the face that was restored after his time within the Waters of Truth.
"I have added that phrase to the end of that question every night for the last week. Ever since you've started having nightmares—again," Lyn stated, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned to look into her husband's midnight blue eyes. "And I understand why adding that little group of words to any of our conversations with other Truth Sworn is important. So they have the freedom to refuse answering any question they wish to avoid—to respect their privacy. But you are my husband. And there are certain things you don't have a right hide from me anymore. So I ask you for the truth, bonebrain. What is bothering you?"
Keldor gritted his teeth as for a split-second he entertained the thought that he would just refuse to answer. The need to tell the truth burned within him. Keldor could feel his stomach begin to twist uncomfortably as his body, mind, and spirit began to react to his need to speak the truth —a need hardwired into his very essence when the Waters of Truth purified and restored him.
Realizing that denying what was happening was not going to be worth the pain in the long run, Keldor finally spat, "Blasted witch, I'm dreaming of what will happen when I return to Eternia. I know the Truth has dictated that we will be going back but…"
Keldor turned and angrily threw his legs over the side of his bed. There was a slump to his shoulders, and he began to rub the back of his neck.
Lyn crawled over the rumpled sheets and blankets until she was sitting behind her husband. She began to knead the tight muscles of his shoulders.
Keldor sighed as he leaned back to enjoy his wife's ministrations.
"You know if I knew you were so good at massages, when we were at Snake Mountain, dear Lyn, you would have been doing little else."
Lyn chuckled. Sliding her arms around his waist, she leaned in toward his ear and whispered, "If I knew how good you were at other things…" Lyn stopped for a moment as she moved one hand from his waist to his ear to shift his midnight blue hair away from his neck. She began to kiss and nip her way down the side of his throat. "I'm not sure we would have left your bedchamber…" she murmured, not slowing her attention to his neck.
Keldor chuckled and moved back to sit up against the golden wood headboard. Lyn crawled over to his side and let Keldor pull her onto his lap.
She trailed one hand down his bare chest as the other hand pushed his hair back from the, as of yet, unattended side of his neck.
Keldor sighed as he drew her against him. Lyn nuzzled his ear. Letting her fingers graze his neck, she once again stopped at the strange circular scar that looked as though it had been burned into Keldor's neck.
Keldor's hands were making wide sweeps up and down her back as he contentedly breathed in her scent.
"I still don't understand why you still have this mark on your neck. The Waters healed all of your other scars." Lyn began to trace the strange jagged marks within the ornate circle that was almost as large as the palm of her hand. "What caused this?"
Feeling Keldor tense, she added quickly. "If you wish to tell me."
Keldor calmed himself. He learned shortly after becoming Truth Sworn that his desire to be private and keep his own counsel would never be completely under his control again. If a person sincerely wanted the truth and asked him a question, he was compelled to answer—as was any other Truth Sworn. Only those six little words tacked on the end of a question allowed him freedom to answer or not without a consequence for withholding the information.
Just allowing him the freedom to avoid answering the question, set him at ease. Still enjoying the feel of his wife in his arms, Keldor answered, "It's the mark of my master during my time of enslavement among my mother's people, the Alma'odela."
"The Alma'odela?" Lyn asked, pulling back to look at Keldor.
"The blue elves from the Vine Jungle," he clarified. "I was captured by them as a boy after my mother died…" Keldor faltered a moment. He wasn't being completely honest, and he knew it. He took a deep breath and continued. "After she was murdered."
"What happened?" Lyn gasped, her voice filled with concern. Then added in a whisper, "If you wish to tell me," as she traced her fingers over the intricate white tattoos that flowed down her husband's face.
Keldor looked into her vivid lavender eyes and realized that there was still so much about each other they did not know. As he looked into her face, he knew she was correct earlier. There were so very many things that he didn't have a right to keep from her. This was just the first of many things he would share with her as they started their new lives together.
"It all started about a week before my father was supposed to come take us home to his Palace in Eternos. I entered our cabin and found my mother collapsed on the floor…"
Eternia
"Keldor?" Adam called out. Snake Mountain was just as dark and inhospitable as ever. It was also dead silent. Skeletor had to be here somewhere, but he wasn't showing himself yet. "Keldor!" Adam yelled again. "Where are you?"
Skeletor's maniacal laugh rang out from everywhere at once. "Looking for your lost uncle, Prince He-Man? You'll never find him."
"Skeletor!" Adam shouted. "What have you done with Keldor?"
The only answer was Skeletor's laugh.
Hands shook him awake. "Adam!" Teela said forcefully. "Adam, wake up!"
"I'm awake," he muttered, brushing away her hands. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, his heart still pounding. Teela propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him.
"What was that all about?" she demanded.
"Just a dream," Adam replied, smiling to reassure her. But Teela wasn't having it.
"No more secrets, remember?" she asked, her face hesitant. Adam looked closely and realized that his honest answer meant a lot to her. He mentally cursed the secrets he had been forced to withhold from her over the years, as well as those he had voluntarily held close.
"It was just a dream that Skeletor had Keldor, or at least knew where he was," Adam answered, reaching up to touch her cheek gently with his fingertips. "He was back to his old evil self, laughing at me as I searched for Keldor in Snake Mountain."
Teela's eyebrows rose. "Do you think that's a possibility?"
"Not really," Adam answered immediately. "I think he would have told us if he had known who Keldor was. By the time he left Eternia, he was already searching for a way to make up for all the wrongs he had committed."
"But maybe he's already returned and is up to his old tricks," Teela suggested. "Your instincts are usually pretty good."
"No," Adam said, shaking his head. He pulled himself up in the bed, propping pillows behind him. The maroon-and-wine-colored bedspread had fallen off almost completely; only the lightweight sheet was left, and he tugged at it half-heartedly. Teela snuggled in close to him.
"Why are you so convinced he's changed?" she asked softly.
"He helped rescue me and my parents from Hordak, didn't he?" Adam countered, his voice rumbling in her ear because her head was now resting on his bare chest. "And he helped us against the Horde's invasion."
"I know he was stunned by the fact that you were willing to give your life for him, but I just can't understand how he changed so fast." Teela raised herself up to look her husband in the eye. "You had all those conversations with him. What did he say?"
"Teela," Adam groaned. "Do we really have to talk about Skeletor on our honeymoon?"
"Yes," she said in a bossy voice. Then, batting her eyes in an exaggerated fashion that had Adam chuckling, she added, "Please."
"All right," he answered, though he was still reluctant. "The first time I went down to his cell was the day after it all happened. I just couldn't believe that he'd given up so easily after I'd spent my entire adult life fighting him. I had to prove to myself that he really was there. We didn't say much that time. But having spared Skeletor's life, I felt compelled to go talk to him again, to try to help him understand why I did it, so I went down again…"
Past Eternia: Royal Dungeons
"What do you want, you sniveling excuse for a prince?" Skeletor snapped at Adam.
"I just thought I'd see how you were faring down here," Adam said with a shrug, feigning an easiness he wasn't feeling. The truth was that he didn't really know why he was down here or what he should say. "Your trial's set for next month."
"I suppose you'll have me executed," Skeletor muttered, crossing his arms belligerently.
"After I just risked my neck to give you a second chance?" Adam said with a bark of laughter. "I don't think so."
Skeletor stood abruptly and charged the door, his face as close as it could get to Adam's without going through the bars. The prince stood with one thumb hooked through his belt, still calm. "Why did you do it?" Skeletor asked, his voice distressed.
"You heard what I said to Zodac," Adam said patiently. "All life is precious, Skeletor. Even yours."
"But why would you trade your life for mine? You should want revenge on me for all the pain and misery I've caused you and your cursed family," Skeletor snapped, his eyes glowing red.
"And what would that get me?" Adam asked reasonably. "I would have left you there, returned to Eternia, and hated myself for what I'd done."
"Why?" Skeletor demanded. "You would have been rid of a thorn in your side!"
"It is not my place to decide what value your life has," Adam tried to explain. "Everything happens for a reason, Skeletor. You may very well have a purpose for good in this world."
"Never," Skeletor swore.
"Haven't you ever loved anyone, Skeletor?" Adam asked, one eyebrow raised, expecting the villain to immediately deny it.
To his surprise, Skeletor whirled around as if to hide his face. Adam waited. "What does that have to do with anything?" Skeletor finally asked, his voice a mere whisper and his back still to the prince.
"Because if you have loved or ever do love, then your life is worth living," Adam replied. He hesitated, then turned to leave.
Skeletor waited. When he could no longer hear the prince's footsteps, he drew all the magical energy he could to himself and heaved it at the far wall, where it was harmlessly absorbed. Up the hall, Adam heard the echo of the blast and stopped in his tracks, his adrenaline kicking in automatically. He listened hard for a few moments, but there was only silence. Reassured that Skeletor hadn't escaped, he continued on, wondering what part of the conversation had irritated Skeletor so much.
Skeletor's breath came hard and fast as frustration and anger coursed through him. Unexpectedly, the memory of his mother and father surfaced. He sat down heavily in the center of the cell, violently glad that he had no eyes to cry with.
The next day, Skeletor called for Adam. It took him half a day to convince the guard that he should call the prince down, so by the time Adam arrived, Skeletor was already worked up, his eyes glowing red. Adam stood outside the cell door warily, not entirely confident the cell was going to hold Skeletor if the villain decided to try to escape. Seeing the way anger was emanating from the former Overlord of Evil, Adam decided that the shock of the whole experience had finally worn off. Skeletor's words proved it.
"You pathetic prince! It was all a trick, wasn't it?" Skeletor shouted, his eyes glowing more brightly with every word. "You and that cosmic entrapper set me up!"
This was the reaction Adam had been expecting from Skeletor all along. "Sure Skeletor," he said in a friendly yet sarcastic voice, picking up the taunting as he did so easily as He-Man. "I knew that if you thought I was willing to die for you, you'd have second thoughts about all the evil you'd done in your life. I can foresee the future and I'm a mind reader." He stared at Skeletor, whose eyes slowly dimmed as he realized how foolish the idea sounded.
"Maybe that wasn't the reason, but you knew you would come back!" Skeletor snapped. "You knew all along!"
Somehow Adam felt this was the crux of the matter, and he couldn't answer sarcastically this time. "No, I didn't."
"Yes you did!" Skeletor raged. "Admit it!"
Adam's blue eyes pierced Skeletor's anger as he answered. "I swear by Grayskull that I didn't know, Skeletor."
The villain stared back at the prince for a moment, his anger very slowly dissipating. He knew one thing about He-Man; the man was as honorable as could be. He simply didn't lie. But still… "Swear on your parents' lives," he challenged, grasping at a last straw.
"I swear it," Adam responded without hesitating. "By their lives, by my own life, by all that is good. I didn't know I would be sent back."
Skeletor seemed to deflate; his shoulders hunched and he turned away from Adam. "Leave me," he said in a hopeless voice.
Present Eternia: Royal Family's Vacation Home
"All of our conversations pretty much went that way," Adam told Teela now, his hand rubbing her bare arm lightly. "He'd start out belligerent, angry, yelling at me, demand some sort of answer…since he already knew I was He-Man, I could be honest with him, and I was. It felt like Grayskull's wisdom was guiding me—although now I know it was Good--because I usually managed to say something that diffused his anger or poked a hole in his logic." Adam shook his head. "But it wasn't until he showed up on Etheria to help save me and my parents that I really thought that some of what I said had maybe gotten through to him." He grinned at her. "More likely though, he was driven by a purely selfish need to stay out of Blazes."
Teela chuckled in agreement, thinking that sounded exactly right. She pushed herself up to get closer to his face. "Thank you for telling me," she murmured huskily, lightly brushing her lips against his.
"Well, they say honesty has its rewards," Adam whispered back teasingly. "Know of any?"
"I can think of a few…."
Teela sighed as she finished packing their clothes. It had been a glorious ten days. She wished with all her heart that it didn't have to end, that they could just stay here forever. She glanced out the window and smiled as she saw Adam coming back down the beach, the wind blowing his blond hair away from his handsome face. Ever since Good had spoken to him in the cave, he had taken to going for early-morning walks. Teela smirked at that—a year and a half ago, if someone had told her Adam would voluntarily gotten out of bed early in the morning, she'd have laughed hysterically. But he had told her that he felt a need to talk to Good and listen for His voice. 'I guess he doesn't want to be forced into a cave again in order to learn to listen,' Teela thought with a silent laugh. 'I'll have to remember that when we're old and he's stopped listening to me.' She hummed as she put the last of the bags near the door, doubting that Adam would ever stop listening to her.
'Back to reality,' Adam thought to himself wistfully as he approached the small house. He wished he could freeze this moment as Teela opened the door, a smile lighting her face and desire in her eyes.
"The bags are all packed," she said, her eyes traveling the length of him. She swallowed. She didn't care much for his wardrobe normally, but he hadn't put on his typical long-sleeved white shirt yet this morning. Instead, his pink tunic showed off his powerful biceps and hung open in the front, exposing the hard muscles of his stomach and chest. Her breath caught in her throat as their eyes met.
Adam froze as Teela reached out a tentative hand to trace first the scar on his chest, then the one on his stomach. "You have to stop collecting these," she said softly, stepping towards him. She pressed her lips to his chest, as her hands found the remaining two scars on his left arm and his upper right chest. Adam shivered at the desire that raced through him.
"I'll try to stop," he promised huskily. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her in the house, kicking the door closed behind him.
"What are you doing?" Teela teased him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Delaying the inevitable." He kissed her thoroughly. "I'm not ready to go back yet."
"Oh good. I'm not either."