Author's Note--I would like to start out by letting everyone know this fic is a fanfic of a fanfic. I was inspired by Evelyn CMB's description of the change in Skeletor and Lyn's life and their journey to find their way back to a life of goodness. I PMed her a good while ago and asked her if I could she would mind if I could pick up this angle of her story and run with it. She not only said yes, but she also allowed me permission to reference her stories "Adam's Strength," "Discoveries," and "Into Etheria/A Brother's Forgivness" freely in mine. I even PMed her to ask her to ask her son to allow me a one-time reference to the Syriaks. She contacted me back with a yes.
Even the title of this story came from a review of her story "A Brother's Forgiveness/Into Etheria" by Preistess Helene. I PMed her and asked her to use the title. She said yes.
In other words wonderful reader's, I have not referenced anything in anyone's stories or even reviews without seeking an obtaining their permission first. I would like to thank MistWalker for being my Beta and cheering me on as I attempt my first fanfiction.
I have tried to stay true to the Classic MOTU. I know it's cheesy and silly sometimes, but that is the only version of MOTU where I can imagine Skeletor and Lyn being redeemed. In the 2000 series, the characters are so commited to evil I just couldn't imagine the change. So be warned. If you can't stand the thought of Skeletor being changed for the good. If you don't like the idea of finding that Skeletor is a person with a soul and a conscience rather than a icon of evil, don't read.
If you liked where Evelyn CMB was headed with these characters, then welcome to my new world of Carina. Pull up a comfortable chair, pour yourself a nice cool soda, water, or glass of juice, and enjoy your reading. I tried to stay true to the vision she started. I can't promise I got everything right. But I made every attempt to show Skeletor and Lyn "stumble thier way into the light."
Oh yeah, and I don't own Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, the Horde, Adam, or any other aspect of the MOTU universe. I make no money from this. Seriously guys, this is just a grown-up version of playing and making up stories with all of those action figures that I had as a girl and (blushing) still buy. So please don't sue me. I would have to stop collecting figures, and I really want the new She-Ra figure. :o)
Chapter 1—Outcasts
Two exiles stood overlooking the green expanse of lush canopy that spread out for miles around. They halted their week-long trek here, at the edge of a cliff that dropped off in an almost perfect 90-degree angle. Winds whipped wildly at Skeletor's cloak. The menacing storm racing toward them chilled what should have been a pleasant tropical night.
"Are you sure you cast your spell correctly, Lyn?" he snapped at the shivering form of his traveling companion.
"Of course I am," she retorted, returning his frustrated tone with interest. "But if you doubt my abilities so much, you can cast the spell yourself."
Skeletor clenched his jaw together to stop the angry reply that sprang so easily to his mind. Seeking the resistance movement on this world would be hard on his own. He hated, truly hated, to admit it to himself, but he needed Lyn's help.
'No, not need,' he corrected himself, 'I want her help.' Irritation turning to disgust, he thought, 'when did I start getting so soft?'
Unbidden, memories of the moment he faced his destiny in the limbo between life and death surfaced within him. Skeletor remembered all the talks he had with Prince He-Man while in an Eternian prison. He recalled how Adam, though close to death, stood in defiance to admit that he was He-Man. Just to save his pathetic father's life. No, Prince Adam wasn't soft, and he valued his friends.
'More than that,' acknowledged Skeletor reluctantly, 'he respected them.'
He ground his teeth for a moment as he squared his shoulders determined to do what was right, no matter how unpleasant it was.
"I'm sorry, Lyn," he said softly.
"What?" said Lyn, her jaw dropping. She had never heard Skeletor apologize. Not ever.
Skeletor groaned inwardly. 'No wonder good is so much stronger than evil if even a simple apology is this uncomfortable. It would take less inner fortitude to go up against a dozen raging Syriaks,' he thought sourly.
"I know you did your best," Skeletor plowed on, determined to get through this unpleasantness as soon as possible.
"If this resistance movement were easy to track, they'd have been defeated long ago."
Lyn's eyes widened at Skeletor's words. She had been noticing evidence of his change of heart during the last several weeks traveling on this new world of Carina. But to hear these words come from Skeletor when he was so obviously irritated stunned her.
Lyn gave Skeletor a quick nod of acceptance. She looked out again into the sky as it took on the crimson and lavender hues of a Carinan sunset.
"We need to find somewhere to set up camp."
Skeletor nodded. "There were some rock formations we passed near the river. They will serve as cover with some minor alterations."
Silently, Skeletor and Lyn trudged back toward the river.
Skeletor stood between several rocks determined to use as little magic as possible to reshape them into a decent shelter. After all, one never knew who might detect the surge of power, and attention was one thing Skeletor wanted to avoid.
Skeletor focused his power within himself and directed it through his staff with a precision and economy bought by decades of discipline. Slowly, the stones morphed as if they were living creatures stretching for one another's embrace.
A rough roof formed above Skeletor as he continued rhythmically tapping his Havoc staff on the ground beneath him. The gaps between the trio of monolithic rocks began to seal themselves to form a crude cave. Crude but sufficient.
Such careful control along with a three-day hike and little food cost Skeletor. He leaned against one of the newly formed walls and allowed himself to slide to the ground. He sent forth a pulse of magic from his staff. "Good," he thought, "Lyn's warning spell is holding." Secure in the knowledge that no one could enter the camp without his knowledge, Skeletor quickly fell asleep.
A tingle of power from the warning spell caused Skeletor to awake with a jerk, Havoc staff raised.
"Well," Lyn smirked, "if you feel that way, I'll just take my fish and go."
"Ah, so you did catch something," Skeletor said, laying his Havoc staff to the side, "Excellent."
Lyn placed her catch in the stone pit she and Skeletor had prepared earlier, and as her wand passed over the fish, steam rose and scales dissolved.
"There you go, Skeletor, gutted, scaled, and cooked to perfection." she said a tad smugly.
"Very tasty," Skeletor commented after taking his first bite.
Lyn nodded and hid her surprise as best she could. A compliment?
'This is getting a little too weird,' thought Lyn.
They spent the rest of the evening in silence until each fell into a fitful sleep.
"How's my little blue boy," the man said swinging his son, Keldor, in his arms.
"Papa!" Keldor cried hugging his father, "I've missed you so much!"
"Oh, and I've missed you too," the brown-eyed man continued, hugging his son even more tightly. "Now, tell me, Keldor," he said leaning back to look into his son's midnight-blue eyes, "have you been a good boy?"
Keldor nodded enthusiastically as his mother came laughing and running through the cottage door to her husband's side.
"Miro! I didn't expect you for three days!" Keely exclaimed and then kissed her beloved.
"My father let me out of the Carnican's trade talks early. So what else was I to do, but rush to the most beautiful wife on Eternia and my son, Keldor the Good," he said embracing his wife, his son still in his arms.
"Keely, love, I long for the day when I can finally convince my father that this foolishness about 'forming a profitable and fitting alliance' is useless. Then, I can bring you and my little prince home to the palace where you both belong."
"Well, if you keep offending potential allies in the manner you did the princess of Relanan, there will be no one left to marry, and your father will just have to accept us poor commoners."
Miro blushed, "Ah…you heard about that, huh?"
"Yes," Keely said suddenly sounding stern. "Do you really think that was 'princely' behavior?" Then unable to continue her ruse she began to giggle.
"Really, Miro."
Miro smiled at his wife as he reached out his hand to stroke her face. "There's nothing common about you Keely."
"No,"groaned Skeletor waking.
Lyn stirred on the other side of the cave grabbing her wand. "What is it Skeletor?" she whispered, crouching low—ready to attack.
"Nothing," he snapped, then dropped his head into his hands.
Lyn cocked her head to the side. This was the fifth time in two weeks that Skeletor woke up this way.
"You're having nightmares," Lyn stated.
"Worse," grumbled Skeletor, turning away from Lyn to lie down, "memories."
For a few moments Lyn stared at Skeletor. He never showed fear—frustration, anger, and impatience, yes—but never fear.
Lyn pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms about her legs. She rested her forehead on her knees.
Fear—it was her constant companion ever since Teela used that blasted Sword of Truth. She saw her heart laid bare in all its wretchedness and knew she had to change. She even wanted to change. If only she knew how.
She looked up at Skeletor and wondered if he felt as lost as she did.
The only thing Lyn knew for sure was that she and Skeletor could fight.
"I hope fighting for good will be enough," she thought miserably. "I don't have anything else."
Lyn swiped angrily at a tear she had unwillingly shed and lay back down determined to sleep.
"This village looks promising," Skeletor muttered as he approached the open gates. "Close enough to the city to get wind of rumors, but far enough away that the Horde presence here should be minimal"
"Yes," agreed Lyn, "and it would be nice to have a hot meal not prepared by me for a change."
Skeletor fingered the bag of gold at his waist. It was becoming light much too quickly now that he had started this annoying habit of actually paying for what he needed rather than simply taking it.
He and Lyn had been fortunate to find a small gold deposit shortly after arriving on Carina and were able to use their magic to call it from the ground. They were even able to shape it into Horde credits, but the supplies they needed for the location spell Lyn cast were expensive and hard to find. Their reserve was quickly dwindling.
Skeletor pulled his hood lower making sure his face could not be seen and strode through the gate, Lyn at his side.
The streets were empty and the buildings surrounding them were worn down. Lyn slowed as she saw a woman turn a corner onto the street.
"Excuse me," Lyn asked. "Could you tell me where the nearest inn is?"
The woman jumped—dropping her parcels; then scrambled to pick them up, avoiding eye contact even as Lyn offered her a package she'd dropped.
The woman snatched the package away and, with a furtive glance at the strange woman and her cloaked companion, ran in the opposite direction.
"That went well," said Skeletor dryly.
"Apparently they don't like strangers," Lyn said conversationally.
"She must have been overcome by my gallantry and charm," said Skeletor, mock concern coloring his voice. "I'll have to be more careful."
Lyn chuckled, "Right, Skeletor, you do that."
"She came from that direction." Skeletor pointed at a street to the left.
"She had parcels. If that direction leads to a marketplace, we can find an inn from there."
Skeletor nodded and led the way. "Keep a close watch. That infernal woman may have notified a member of the Horde."
They strolled through the crowded booths getting fearful glances from the occasional shopper or vendor, but, for the most part, were ignored.
Skeletor had just begun to relax when he heard screaming.
"You liar!" bellowed a sweaty, greasy-haired baker. "You bear the traitor's mark! And now you want to steal the bread I work honestly for!"
"I need it for my sister," the boy sobbed, tears streaming from his dark brown eyes. "She's sick."
"So there are two of you!" roared the baker. "Someone get a trooper!"
"No, mister, please," begged the ragged boy.
"If you'd been a good boy, you and your sister would have gone with the troopers the moment your traitorous parents were brought to justice, but, no, rather than allowing the Horde to honor you with a chance to earn an honest education and living in the workhouses where you don't burden us hard-working, loyal citizens, you steal my bread!" The baker's face was quickly changing from a blotchy red to a deep crimson.
Skeletor felt a white-hot rage coursing through every inch of his body. In one fluid movement, he incinerated the baker's booth with a single blast of his Havoc staff.
"Unhand the boy, you obnoxious ogre," growled Skeletor, "or the next pile of ashes will be you."
Stunned, the baker released the boy.
"What have you done?" hissed Lyn.
"Good," Skeletor snapped as he turned to look at her.
The baker took advantage of Skeletor's momentary distraction to round the corner.
"Troopers!" the baker yelped.
"Great," muttered Lyn.
Skeletor reached his hand out toward the boy, now weeping inconsolably.
"Come with me," Skeletor said—almost gently. "We need to get out of here."
Lyn, Skeletor, and the boy raced back toward the gate. The trio was less than twenty feet from freedom when the child pulled away from Skeletor's grasp.
"What are you doing?" Skeletor demanded.
"My sister! Please help me. The troopers will take her."
"Blast! Skeletor, we don't have time for this," warned Lyn. "I can hear the troopers now."
"Please, mister, she's sick. Please help her," pleaded the boy.
"Where is she?" asked a very annoyed Skeletor.
"This way," the boy said, dragging Skeletor into a dark alley. Lyn sprinted in behind them.
The fugitives followed the boy as he jumped, wove, and slid through a maze of trash-filled alleys. Light fell around them in broken fragments from the holes in the dilapidated portico above them.
The boy stopped by a section of the outer wall surrounded by refuse containers the size of sky sleds. The boy ran behind one, motioning for Skeletor to follow. The wizard muttered angrily as he squeezed through the tight corridor between the rusting bins.
Skeletor bent down as the boy pulled back a dirty cloth to reveal a toddler with matted hair and sunken filth-covered cheeks. He laid his hand on the child, healing the illness he sensed in her.
"Now how do we get out of here?" snarled a winded Lyn.
"This way," said the boy, pulling Lyn toward a rusted metal slab leaning against the back wall. Skeletor scooped up the sleeping child and followed as the boy struggled to push the heavy weight aside. Lyn helped the boy push the lid to the right to reveal a small hole in the village's stone boundary.
"Through here," whispered the boy as he slid through the hole.
Skeletor passed the girl through the gap and followed, straining to force himself through the tiny opening. Lyn emerged to see Skeletor blast four Horde robot troopers to bits.
"You could have done that more quietly," Lyn accused.
"One of those dratted troopers ran back to alert the others before I was able to stop him. I wanted to leave a message for anyone following us," Skeletor retorted. "Here, boy," he said taking the girl from her brother. She began to stir "Oh no, you don't," Skeletor said placing his hand on the child's back. "You're going to sleep until we get out of this." The girl stilled with a contented sigh as his spell flowed through her.
Lyn and the boy were running toward a clump of trees. Skeletor made it to the trees just as the troopers rounded the city wall.
"Curse it all! They saw us," warned Skeletor as he sped to match Lyn's sprint, grateful that she hadn't just transformed into a fireball and left them behind.
"Why don't you just teleport us out of here?" Lyn huffed.
"Teleportation can be traced. You know that. I will if I have to. But I'd rather not leave a trail of magic behind that can be traced to us."
The sound of the troopers crashing through the underbrush was getting closer, and the boy was beginning to tire. Lyn grabbed his hand to keep him with them.
"I don't think we have a choice," Lyn spat, panic now evident in her voice.
Skeletor veered toward a thick copse of massive trees.
"Here, hold her," he said passing the sleeping girl to Lyn. "Boy, can you climb?"
The lad was too winded to speak, but managed a weak nod. He stepped into Skeletor's cupped hands to be boosted up to the nearest branch. Lyn didn't hesitate. Making a sling of her cloak, the sorceress secured the toddler to her and reached for the nearest branch.
Skeletor gave Lyn a boost. Then, jumping to the nearest branch, he followed the others into the thick, green foliage. Finding a branch the size of a seat in the Collector, Lyn settled down against the large trunk. Nearby, the boy lay sprawled across the natural platform formed by several thick branches. Skeletor appeared soon after, settling down next to Lyn.
It could have been ten minutes or eternity and Lyn wouldn't have noticed as she held the girl close to her for fear that she would make a sound. Barely breathing, all four were as motionless as stone.
Troopers passed beneath the area and continued on. Still, no one moved. Stiff and sore, they remained in their perches when sun began to set.
"We'll wait till dark to go down," Skeletor whispered, shattering the silence that had lingered for the last several hours.
Lyn nodded and shifted uncomfortably. She'd lost count of how many times her arms had fallen asleep while holding the child. Twice she had to renew Skeletor's sleep spell to keep the toddler quiet.
Skeletor was the first to descend from the tree. The others followed quickly behind. The twin moons of Carina were rising, bathing the forest in a gentle silver glow.
Skeletor motioned for them to follow him as he led the exhausted band away form the city and back into the unsettled regions.
