AN: I began to get frustrated with all of the inconsistencies in the official Skeletor origin stories, from the early minicomics, the cartoons, the DC Comics version, none of them tell a clear tale. So, I took the aspects that I liked from each and I pieced them together to make this, which is hopefully a coherent and organized origin story that makes some sort of sense.
Prince Adam loved when his father taught him about the royal family history. Every once in a while, when the mood struck him or when things were rather dull around the palace, King Randor would recall a particular event, and, when among the right company, would tell the story with such intricate detail and voice that Adam had no choice but to listen. On this day, however, the story which the King told shocked Adam into disbelief.
"I've never told you..." the King began, his familiar storytelling manner seeming somehow more stiff than usual, "...about my brother Keldor..."
Prince Adam's eyebrows raised in surprise, "You have a brother?"
King Randor smiled sadly, "Had a brother, yes, I did. A half-brother, anyway. He was three years older than I was. He was a... a half-blood," he choked out the final words as if they tasted bitter in his throat, "Half Human, half Gar."
"A Gar?" Adam's astonishment grew with each word, "I thought they were mostly gone from Eternia before you were born?"
"They were," Randor said, "There was only a small colony just outside of the kingdom's borders when I was a child, that was all that was left of them, besides Keldor."
"...What happened to Keldor?" Prince Adam asked.
King Randor looked at his son, a look of regret and burden. He took a deep breath, and then began his tale.
o
Two swift, loud knocks sounded from the door to the royal bedroom of the Prince of Eternia. It was obvious who they belonged to, but just to make sure, "Yes, who's there?"
"Captain Randor, at your service!" came the cheery reply, "Do you have time for guests, my Lord?"
A hearty chuckle was the response, "You know I always have the time to see my favorite brother!"
The door opened, and Captain Randor stepped into the room, a big grin on his face. Across the room, Prince Keldor, heir to the throne of Eternia, turned to face his brother with a grin just as big.
"How goes the war effort, brother?" Keldor asked, extending an arm in greeting, which Captain Randor took enthusiastically.
"We've driven back the beastmen!" Randor exclaimed, "We've reclaimed the whole Northeastern quarter of the forest!"
Keldor's grin widened, "This- this is great news!"
"Before too long, the entire forest will be at peace again!" Randor turned towards the window, overlooking the palace courtyard and the expanse of valleys and farmlands beyond, "Just imagine, brother, by the time you're king, peace on Eternia will be in sight. Like the light at the end of the tunnel."
Keldor sat back in a desk chair, his gaze dulled in thought, "Yes, it will be quite a few years until I am king."
"Ah, to be king," Randor thought aloud, "So much power in that, so much... respect."
"Jealous, brother?" Keldor smirked.
"Oh, no, no..." the Captain spoke absently, "It will be a glorious time, you've trained for this your whole life! You'll be a marvelous king. Foreign relations will be great, just think! No king in the history of Eternia has been a half-blood before!"
Captain Randor's back was turned, otherwise he would have seen the smile vanish from Keldor's face. Randor knew he hated that word, why did he say it? Why?!
The prince's smile returned shortly, "Well, you'll still be captain of the guard. You'll still have plenty of power and respect to your name..."
"Yes..." Randor hadn't noticed his insult, he was still lost in his visions, "Peace on Eternia... Together, we can make it happen, my brother."
Just then, another knock came at the door. Keldor asked who it was.
"King Miro wants to see Prince Keldor and Captain Randor at once, sir."
Randor turned to look at his brother, and Keldor stared back in confusion. The King never requested audience in the evening. Ever. The two brothers gathered themselves and walked through the bedroom door.
o
"Father, you requested us?" Randor spoke as he and Keldor stepped into the throne room where King Miro sat. The old King studied the brothers as they approached. His gaze was heavy, the entire atmosphere of the room was solemn. Keldor could feel a lump in his throat.
"Randor, Keldor..." the old King began, "I have called you here because I have made a decision that affects the both of you. This decision was not easy for me, so pay close attention."
"What is it, father?" Randor asked.
"...I have just met with the palace healer..." King Miro said, the words weighed heavy on his breath, "I... my time in this world is very limited, I'm afraid."
"Oh... father, no!" Randor exclaimed. Keldor was speechless.
"And thus, I have made a choice," Miro continued, "Not for myself, but for the benefit of the kingdom... Randor, you will be the heir to the throne of Eternia."
"What?" Keldor's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Father, what are you saying?" Randor asked.
"I know what I said, and I meant it!" King Miro responded, "Randor will be king of Eternia when I am gone, and you, Keldor, will take his place as captain of the royal guard!"
Keldor couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could his entire life, his years of training, really be rendered meaningless in mere seconds like this? "B-but father, why?"
"I will be blunt," Miro said, "I haven't the time to dance around. Keldor, you are unpredictable. I have seen your anger overcome you many times, it is unfit for a king to rule with his anger."
Randor looked to his brother, concerned. Keldor was starting to tremble.
"And," the King continued, "I must consider the community as well. You are, after all, a half-blood."
Keldor broke, "And whose fault is that?! I didn't ask to be born this way!"
"It is what you are! No citizen will respect a blue skinned king!"
"My blue skin is all because you couldn't keep it in your royal pants long enough!"
The King rose, staring death into Keldor's eyes, "Leave my sight! Leave my palace!"
"So this is how you treat your firstborn son!" Keldor spat.
"You are no son of mine!" The King's face twisted with rage, "You are nothing to me, Keldor. You were never destined to be king! Never!"
Keldor shook in anger and hatred, he looked ready to leap at his father and tear his throat apart. He didn't. He whirled around and marched out of the throne room. Randor stared at where he had been for a long moment. Soon he felt his father's hand rest on his shoulder.
"It is for the best, my son." King Miro said, "You do understand."
Randor fixed his father with a look of deep conflict and shook his head.
"Son, you were always destined to be the King of Eternia. Always."
Randor shook his head again, "But..." He backed away slowly and turned to run after Keldor.
o
The door to the royal bedroom of the former Prince of Eternia swung open with a loud bang, and Keldor stormed through. He placed his head onto the nearest wall and hid his tears of rage with his fists.
"He can't do this to me!" he whispered, "I'm the rightful heir to the throne, he can't just take my life away from me!"
He spun around suddenly and with a growl he backhanded a lamp off of his study desk. It landed and smashed on the floor. With another growl Keldor upturned the entire desk, sending papers, pens, ink, all cascading to the floor and into the opposite wall. With a crash, a reading chair sailed through a window. Another howl of rage and the bed mattress was torn to shreds and bouncing off of a wall. A sidetable barely missed Randor's head as it flew out the doorway. Randor cowered behind the doorframe, locking eyes with his brother as he turned to tear another chair to pieces.
"Please, brother," Randor tried to reason, "He- he's not in his right mind!"
"Nobody in this ancients-forsaken palace is in their right mind!" Keldor shouted.
"H-he doesn't know what he said, he-"
"I know what he said!" Keldor interrupted, "I know what he said, I know what he did! He just took my life away from me! I mean nothing to him, after twenty years of training to be king, he's thrown me away like garbage!"
"Brother..." Randor tried.
"I have no brothers!" Keldor shouted one last time before pushing his way past Randor and down the long hallway. Randor landed on his back, staring regretfully after the former Prince of Eternia.
o
"...And that was the last I had seen of my brother as I knew him." King Randor finished.
Prince Adam could barely comprehend what he had just heard. It felt to him like a whole reality had opened up that he had never known before. He had an uncle who had been the true heir to the throne, Keldor. He wondered for a moment how Eternia would be if Keldor had become king instead of his father.
"...As you knew him?" Adam found himself asking.
"Yes..." Randor said, "I met him again only a few years later, but he wasn't the brother that I knew," Randor looked to his son's intrigued face and smiled, "But, that is a story for another time, my son. It is getting late, and you have an appointment in the morning."
"Aww..." Adam frowned, then smiled "Goodnight father."
"Goodnight, Adam." Randor said, following his son with his eyes as he strode off to his bedroom, the conclusion of his story already in his mind.