A/N: Hi y'all. I hope you are still enjoying this story. Today is another dual update so chap 5 follows. I'm getting PMs from some of you concerned over Teela and Adam's relationship...I don't think you're going to like the next chapter :( but hang in there with me! If you have time please review. I honestly don't know whether it's good/bad unless you tell me LOL :P Reviews are LOVE! :D

Chapter 4

"Please forgive my son's tardiness, Johan. He arrived with me this morning…," King Randor searched for words as he attempted to explain Adam's disappearance.

King Johan, a jovial, slightly rotund bearded man with dark hair, greying temples, and eyes that sparkled good-natured mischief clapped Randor's back. "No need to explain, my friend. He is a healthy young man in a new city. Young people do this all the time. My daughter for example; she thinks kingdom business is positively boring. She takes after her mother," he reassured with a smile as the two sat down to dinner.

Randor's smile faded. "May I offer our condolences to your family for the loss of your lovely wife, Queen Sonja."

Johan dropped his gaze and nodded. "Thank you, Randor. She and Marlena were very close. She thought the world of you and your family."

"The feeling is mutual, my friend."

Johan smiled then grew serious. "Speaking of lost loved ones, I certainly do miss your father, King Miro," he began. "He was a great warrior in his time." He eyed Randor. "There is still no trace of him after all these years?"

The younger king sadly shook his head. "No, my friend. He was last seen on Anwat-Gar. We finally gave up the eight year search after Adam turned two years old."

"I see."

The two monarchs began dinner just as a beautiful young woman with waist length raven black hair and striking amber eyes entered the dining hall.

"Sorry I'm late, father. My friends and I got held up at the market," she explained breathlessly.

Johan gestured towards his beautiful daughter. "King Randor, you remember Eva'Na?"

Randor rose from the table and inclined his head. "Of course! My dear Princess, how you have grown. You've become such a lovely young woman; just like your mother," he remarked with a warm smile.

She blushed and curtseyed, a shy smile forming across her lips. "Thank you, your Majesty. It is so good to see you again!" She glanced about the room. "Where is Adam?"

"Here I am," a voice called out from behind her making everyone's head turn.

Adam strode into the hall, stopped at the table just opposite of Eva'Na and bowed to the two monarchs.

"Please forgive me, King Johan. I had some urgent business to take care of," he stated as he slid a glance at his father. Randor sent him a look that said, We'll talk later.

Johan's daughter beamed as she studied the Prince's handsome profile.

"Quite alright, my boy," the King replied. "You remember Eva'Na of course," he gestured to his daughter.

"Yes I do, your Majesty." He turned towards the young woman. "It's been too long, Eve," he bowed and kissed the back of her hand.

She giggled and blushed as she curtseyed, her eyes bright with amusement. "After all these years I cannot believe you remembered my Earthen name, Adam."

"Our wives had a sense of humor," Johan interjected as he turned to Randor. "Marlena named your son after the first man on Earth and, using the Eternian translation, Sonja named our daughter after its first woman," he shook his head. "Such comediennes. No one thought to name our kids after the first humans on Eternia. I wonder why?"

"Could the reason be that the first Eternian man and woman were named 'Yubnakooluck' and 'Sharioveenya-Na'? Randor smirked.

Johan squinted in jest. "Good point. Adam and Eve are much easier to pronounce."

The room burst into laughter as Adam politely held a seat out for Eve then finally took his own.

Although the High King of Eternia and his son were on an official visit to the western kingdom of Hamaya to strengthen political and militaristic ties, the evening passed in warmth and laughter as everyone enjoyed dinner and talked of Hamaya's past, present, and future.

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After they bid each other good night, they all retired to their quarters for the evening.

"Son, may I see you in my chambers?"

Great. "Yes, Sir," Adam answered, a twinge of dread in his voice.

He followed his father into his chambers as the King shut the door behind them. Taking a seat on the couch, Adam waited for the outburst. It was surprisingly anti-climactic as Randor calmly approached and sat in the adjacent chair.

"Where were you, son?" his eyes registered confusion. "You didn't tell Johan's guards that you were going out," he noted.

Adam stared at his father. "I got word that someone needed my help, Father," he answered.

His father's eyebrows shot up. "Who's in trouble, Adam? And what type of help did they need from you? Is it a woman?"

The Prince simply stared without a response.

"Never mind. I have my answer." Randor furrowed his brow and blew out a frustrated breath. "What happened to us, son? Secrets and distrust?"

His son knit his own brow, his steady and tormented blue gaze fixed on his father's resolute hazel ones.

The atmosphere thick with tension, Randor shook his head. He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. Realizing that he and his son had built walls of animosity between them rivaling the former Mystic Wall, he knew now was the time to begin opening up; to chip away at these hindrances and rebuild their relationship one brick at a time.

"Son, I never told you that I was engaged to be married before your mother entered the picture, did I?"

Adam's eyes widened then narrowed. "No, you didn't," he answered, a bit anxious about what could possibly come next.

Randor sighed. "Her name was Tensii. She was beautiful, intelligent, poised. But in the end, devious. We were introduced at my 19th year celebration." He cast a knowing glance at his son. "At nineteen, you think you know everything," he muttered. Adam quirked a silent amused eyebrow.

He continued. "She was the daughter of King Ethbaal of Assynthia, a mighty warrior king from a proud people located in the far eastern region. It was instant attraction; her long dark hair, olive skin, and violet eyes drew me into her. She was elegant and charming and had me from the beginning." He stopped and dropped his gaze to the floor.

Adam remained silent as he let his father gather his thoughts.

"Before Father went missing, he had always held the belief that Eternos must build an alliance with Assynthia as their strengths lie in the abundance of gold and their military power. For obvious reasons, Eternos would benefit greatly through an arranged marriage. So the Council aggressively campaigned for us to marry.

"For the next several months, we made multiple visits and spent more and more time together, even sneaking out at night to…," Randor shot a nervous glance at Adam. "To…make love. We were not yet married but felt our love was beyond formal declarations. Besides, we knew we would marry the following year as it was all arranged by our respective governments."

Upon hearing the clandestine activities of his prim and proper father, Adam's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I gave her my love, my trust…my whole heart. It was bliss. That is, until she became pregnant."

Adam straightened excitedly in his chair as his eyes widened in disbelief. "Pregnant? You mean I have a sibling somewhere?"

Randor tore his eyes from the floor and met his son's shocked ones. "No, son. But you would have had a sister if Tensii had not…miscarried."

Adam's shoulders slumped in sadness. He studied his father's downcast features as stormy emotions played across his face reliving the anguish of his past. He knit his brow as his heart ached for his father's loss. Suddenly, he understood his father's anxieties over his and Teela's former relationship; over the complexities of love and its intoxicating influence on rational thought.

His father blew out a breath and locked gazes with him.

"Without going into too great a detail, it turned out that Tensii had no intention of merely serving as queen of puny albeit wealthy Assynthia. Rather, she had set her sights on becoming queen of all Eternia." He eyed his son. "Marriage to the newly crowned High King had its advantages so she simply intended to seduce me."

He glanced away and gazed at the wall over Adam's left shoulder. His jaw clenched as his eyes turned cold, hard. Adam practically held his breath as he waited for his father to continue.

"The relationship was a lie. She never loved me. It was all a means to an end. She simply craved power and influence over the entire planet and she would scheme and manipulate her way into that role by any means necessary. So she sought to solidify her position by becoming pregnant. Once news got out that she was carrying my child, the heir to the throne, nothing and no one would get in her way."

Adam slowly shook his head in dismay, totally unaware his father had experienced anything as remotely gut wrenching as this.

"Needless to say, her ruse was discovered by one of my trusted advisors. He overheard her talking with her assistant and once the Council got wind of it, they made arrangements to have her sent away immediately. Angry over hearing of her possible dismissal from Eternos, Ethbaal arrived from Assynthia and demanded an explanation threatening war. I wanted my daughter growing inside of her so I attempted to negotiate a peaceful end to the entire debacle."

Randor's eyes, now heavy with emotion, began to glisten with unshed tears.

"Ethbaal's threats were deemed treasonous. He was tried for treason and summarily sentenced to the gallows. His people rose to defend their king but our allies in the Five Kingdoms stood against them subduing the uprising. Two months later, Ethbaal was finally executed for treason.

"The real reasons for her father's indignation; the baby and her impending exile, were quashed and never made public. The stress of the situation proved too much and Tensii lost the baby."

Randor leaned forward heavily in his chair and brought his hands up, rubbing his eyes and running his hands over his face, a sniffle and a faint sob escaping his throat. Adam's own eyes filled with tears as he stood and knelt by his father's chair, rubbing his back quietly as he tried to process what he had just heard.

"Why did you never tell me this, Dad?"

His father straightened and fixed tired eyes on his son's empathetic ones.

"I'm from a different era. You…you just didn't discuss those things, son. That's how Father dealt with difficult situations." He stopped and looked at the wall again, a strange little smile crossing his lips. "Ironically, that philosophy doesn't deal with problems at all hence his eventual disappearance."

Adam sent him a confused look. "Grandfather Miro willfully disappeared because he didn't want to face issues? That doesn't sound like something he'd do. I never met him but I grew up hearing stories about him from the members of the Council." Adam looked sheepishly at his father. "You never really talked about him around me, Father."

Randor met Adam's confused blue gaze. "I know son and I'm sorry. There's more but we don't have time to discuss it tonight. One day however, I promise to share it with you," he said cryptically.

Adam's eyes narrowed. He recognized the tone in his father's voice. "What are you about to tell me, Father?"

The King, emotionally exhausted, locked gazes with his son. "I'm assigning the Captain of the Royal Guard as your new bodyguard, son. You disappear without telling a soul. I'm sorry but I must."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Adam groaned as he stood to his feet. "Please don't do this to me, Father! It'll make an already complicated situation way more complicated."

"Oh?" Randor's eyes went round in mock anticipation. "And what complicated situation are you referring to, son?"

The Prince's eyes narrowed in frustration. "Touché."

Randor gave him a tired yet victorious smile. "In eight days, we will be back in Eternos and Rowan will report for duty. He is tasked not to let you out of his sight."

Adam exhaled loudly. "Fine," he stated sharply. "Good night, Father," he said flatly knowing it was pointless to argue. He crossed the floor to the door and turned to look at his father once again, still in his chair and wearing a You made me do it look on his face. Randor shrugged in torn resignation.

His son shook his head, turned the knob and stepped into the hallway closing the door behind him.

"Unbelievable!" Adam's muffled outburst was heard through the door as he made his way to his own chambers.