I just made an account to share this idea I had for a story. I hope some of you will find this interesting. Let me know what you think!
Breaking Walls
A single tear. That was the only hint at the emotion that hid just beyond the surface. A single tear that glistened as the bright Eternian sun shined on her face after her torturous escape from Snake Mountain. A single tear that she wiped away so no one could see how much this had affected her. A single tear that she could never shed again.
He-Man piloted the Wind Raider, but he was hardly paying attention to what he was doing. Something was wrong. He didn't know what, but Teela wasn't acting like herself and it frightened him severely. He had tried to talk to her earlier. As soon as Battlecat had let out his enormous roar that shattered Snake Mountains' eerie silence, she had screamed until he had found her chained to the wall in an almost empty room. As soon as he had broken her free, she had fallen into his arms, hugging him desperately.
When she had finally pulled herself together and he had questioned if she were all right, she had straightened her posture, said she was fine, and then walked away. She hadn't spoken a word since. It was so unlike her. She had been in dire situations before. Skeletor and Evil Lyn had captured her before, but never had she ever acted like this afterward. Never.
"Teela, what's wrong?" he asked softly. He had asked that question several times and still he got the same reply.
"I'm fine, He-Man. Just a little shaken, that's all."
Not knowing what else to do as He-Man, he remained quiet. If she wouldn't talk to He-Man, maybe she would talk to her father or perhaps even Adam.
As soon as they arrived in Eternos and landed safely, Teela pulled on her mask of indifference. She wore it daily as Captain of the Royal Guard. She used it to treat every soldier equally. She didn't want to show favoritism. Now she used it as protection. She didn't want her father or anyone else to see. She didn't want them to know.
Stepping out of the aircraft, Teela said loudly, "Thank you for the rescue, He-Man. You always show up just in the nick of time." She tried her best to smile brightly at the hero, but she didn't know if she had done a good job. He-Man stared at her worriedly and began to walk towards her.
When he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, she stated forcibly, "I'm fine, He-Man. Stop worrying. You saved me. Nothing catastrophic occurred."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded and smiled again. "Now, if you would excuse me. I need to find Adam. I want to make sure he's okay." She stopped herself from running into the palace. She had to act normal. She just had to.
Adam sat on his bed and wondered what he should do. He had just changed back into his true self after jumping into his room through the window. Teela had stated earlier that she was going to look for him, so he had wanted to give her the opportunity to find him as soon as possible. Only now, he wasn't too sure if she had stated the truth. It had been five minutes since she had left He-Man, and normally her first place to look for him was his bedroom. Had she lied? If so, should he look for her? Or, did she need some space? Not knowing what to do, he decided to simply leave his room. If he saw her, he would approach her and if he didn't, then he wouldn't.
Opening his door and stepping into the hall, he was surprised to see Teela opening her bedroom door.
It seemed as though the Ancients wanted him to do something, so he complied.
"Teela, you're back," he said gratefully. He approached her slowly and flashed her a genuine smile. "Are you okay?"
Teela had turned away from her door to look at him and he was surprised. Her face contorted into several different expressions. At first, her eyes had widened in shock. Clearly, she hadn't expected him to be there. Then, her face became expressionless, and now she was fighting to hold that look in place. The only problem was her eyes showed an unbearable pain and they were tearing up.
"Teela?" he questioned worriedly. He reached out a hand towards her and she stepped back abruptly.
It broke his heart. Something was definitely wrong.
But before he could do anything or question her, her demeanor changed. She slouched almost as if some kind of metaphysical weight were pushing down her. Quickly, faster than his eyes could process, she rushed towards him and wrapped her arms around him. She sobbed against his chest and literally cried.
He squeezed her tightly and bent his head to rest his cheek against hers. "It's okay, Teela. It's okay," he whispered as she started sniffling. She was trying to pull herself together. She was probably embarrassed and wanted to put back on her façade that everything was fine, but he wasn't going to let her.
He pulled back slightly and tried to look at her face, but she wouldn't let him. She turned her head to the side. Quickly, he kept an arm around her waist as he escorted her to his bedroom. Opening the door, he led them inside and walked her to the bed. They both sat down and he faced her.
"Teela, tell me what happened," he said. "What's wrong?"
The room fell into silence. He waited patiently, but it didn't do any good. Within a minute, she shook her head despite her shaking body and whispered, "Nothing, Adam. I'm sorry that I broke down like that. I don't know why I did. I guess my adrenaline is still flowing from the fight. Nothing happened. Nothing."
Determinedly, he pulled her back into his arms and whispered, "Don't lie to me, Teela. If you don't want to talk about it right now, we won't, but don't lie to me. Let me be here for you."
Teela tucked her head under his chin and then in a barely audible whisper said, "Can you just hold me for now and not talk, Adam? Please?"
He nodded slowly. "I'll do whatever you need." He scooted back on his bed and tugged her along with him. He rested his back against the bedframe and she cuddled to his side. He held her tightly and was resolved to stay there all day if he had to. He was determined to be there for her and he was going to find out what happened. He had to.
