Disclaimer: He-Man and MOTU (2002) characters are the property of Mattel and Cartoon Network.

Rating: R

Warnings: Upcoming violence and NCS.

Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,

Tears from the depth of some divine despair

Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,

Thinking of the days that are no more.

Alfred Tennyson (Excerpt from Retrospection)

Pain. It seeped into her skull and stung every piece of bone or flesh. Pain. It coursed down her body, creating raw, stabbing sensations at every limb. Darkness was all she could make out, at first. A dim light glowed in the distance and grew brighter with each passing second. This place was unfamiliar to her. Where was she?

She shivered at the bitter cold, rubbing her numb fingers together, then moving on to her arms in attempt to alleviate the soreness. Memories were starting to flood back of the recent battle. It felt only hours ago that she was on the battlefield, fighting off the horde that was descending toward Grayskull. Then, something hard had hit her in the back of the head, causing her to temporarily pass out. Upon waking, her vision had dulled, making out small shadows only, but could sense that someone with strong arms was carrying her. She had presumed it was He-Man before succumbing to darkness once more. Unfortunately, she knew the thought was wrong now. How foolish she had been, lying passively in those arms, who ever they belonged to. It was obvious now. She was trapped in a cell, presumably in Snake Mountain. She hoped against it.

"Poor, little Teela," a voice mocked. "Aw, what's the matter girl? Did you get a nasty bump on your head?"

Evil-Lyn. There wasn't any doubt in her mind now. Skeletor was holding her prisoner. The girl gazed in the direction of the voice, shielding her eyes when an intense light beamed over them. A smirk grew as she spotted the black and blue mark on the witch's face. Her proud handiwork.

"Not as bad as the one I plastered on your face," Teela remarked, smiling coyly. "It really does suit you. The mark seems to have improved your wretched appearance."

"Why you insolent brat!" Evil-Lyn spat.

The witch spun her staff, sending a wave of energy soaring toward Teela. The force struck the girl face first into the stone wall, producing a spurt of blood from her mouth. She fell in a heap to the floor, wiping furiously at the fluid trickling down her mouth. How humiliating, to be tossed around like a rag doll and not be able to stop it. The previous battle had left her weak, unable to dodge anything Evil-Lyn threw at her, and the bars near the archway would ensure more torment. Now, she could barely hold herself up. She wasn't getting out on her own.

"I'm going to enjoy tearing you limb from limb you miserable---" Evil-Lyn began.

"Evil-Lyn!" another voice boomed. Skeletor appeared from the darkness, eyes glowing a furious red. "I don't recall giving you permission to play with the prisoner!" The scarlet glow intensified. "It should have been me to draw first blood! Not you, witch!"

"I was just--" Evil-Lyn stuttered.

"Just get out! Now!" Skeletor barked, pointing his staff toward the tunnel. "If I need your assistance I will summon you! In the mean time, go and help the others with the battle against the Masters!"

The witch turned away in a huff, muttering something inaudible under her breath. Teela turned her gaze to Skeletor, racking her nails against the hard surface as rage ignited within her soul. A low laugh boomed from Skeletor.

"Why have you brought me here?!" Teela snapped.

Skeletor gave a disgusted sigh. "Is it not obvious, girl?"

"Oh, don't tell me you're trying to ensnare He-Man in a trap," Teela moaned. "That will never work. His intelligence greatly exceeds yours, Skeletor."

Skeletor's hand clenched in a tight fist and he menacingly stalked toward the cell door, causing Teela to limp back. He stopped, though, appearing to change his mind.

"No, no," Skeletor replied. "No traps. Of course, I first thought of setting up a trap for that miserable man, but it seemed too cliche. Besides, He-Man and the rest of the Masters are probably expecting an ambush. A different idea has come to me. In the end, I may even let you go without a fight."

"What are you talking about?" Teela inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I was thinking to myself: what would cause He-Man the most pain and misery?" Skeletor answered. "Then, you came to mind. After all, so many people are fond of you and I know how much it would upset them knowing that you were in my grasp." He unlocked the door, taking a small step inside. "I could kill you. That would certainly cause everyone agony beyond belief, but that seemed too easy. No, I need to do something that is unimaginable, something that would shred He-Man apart inside and you, as well."

"What do you mean?" Teela asked.

It hit her then. She slowly backed away, trying to crawl into a crevice, or anything for that matter, to get away from the demon before her. Yes, she understood now, understood what he was planning to do. Fear entered Teela's mind, causing chills to filter down her spine. Nausea came next and sweat was soon forming in droplets on her brow. A spark seemed to flicker in Skeletor's eyes and a grim smile formed.

"Whatever is the matter?" Skeletor cooed, feigning concern. "Why has fear come over you, dear girl?"

Teela growled, "I do not fear you!"

"I beg to differ!" Skeletor shot back. "Your eyes betray you, Teela! I can see terror flickering in them!"

"I am not afraid!" Teela screeched, standing back up. Dizziness swept over her head, but she fought it off. "I can fight you and win!"

Skeletor's laugh echoed throughout the cavern. "You?! Fight me?! Don't be foolish! You are nothing but a little girl and weak one too! I could kill you with one smack to the face, snapping your tiny neck in an instant!" He approached, stretching out his hand, trying to run it across her smooth check. Teela batted it away and continued to back up. "I won't do that though. You are worth more alive than dead."

"Stay away from me!" Teela yelled. "I will fight you!"

"Good," Skeletor chuckled. "It will make this a more enticing experience."

Skeletor launched himself at her, attempting to slam his full weight into the girl. She leapt to the side, narrowly missing the oncoming body, using her knee to deliver a sharp blow to Skeletor's abdomen. The open door came in the corner of her eye, and she ran toward it. However, she had forgotten that Skeletor still possessed the Havoc Staff. A blast echoed and pain, once again, seeped into her form. She fell, momentarily paralyzed. Her green orbs gazed up at Skeletor and then averted toward the window, looking for any sign of help. He-Man, her father, or the Masters would storm through any second and aid her. But there was only the whistling wind and the stench of fumes from the molten lava.

"I don't know what is more pitiful," Skeletor snickered. "How incredibly weak you are or that you actually believe He-Man and those accursed Masters will save you! They won't be showing up any time soon, dear girl, for they are busy elsewhere with my servants. By the time they reach Snake Mountain, it will be too late for you."

She shook her head. He had to be lying. Someone would come for her; she knew deep down someone would come through. The sentence kept repeating over and over in her mind. Someone would come. Someone would come. But harsh realization dawned on her. No one was coming.

Skeletor advanced.

To be continued....