A/N: Sorry for the slow updates, y'all, but we're down to one computer and the homework of the high school junior kind of takes priority over fanfic. (Darn!)
"He-Man!" Teela exclaimed as he and Orko entered the castle late the next morning. "What happened to you?" His hair was abnormally mussed, and he was covered in dirt and dust. He looked weary as well, his brow slightly furrowed as if he were forcing his eyes to remain open.
He-Man frowned, furrowing his brow even more, evidently not pleased with her concern. Teela crossed her arms and stared at him balefully, resisting the urge to tap her foot. If she wanted to be concerned, then she would be.
"Skeletor's friend Monteeg tried to capture me to train for his army," he answered succinctly. "We beat them, though, right Orko?" He glanced at Orko for confirmation.
"We sure did!" Orko agreed excitedly, floating closer to Teela. "Even after he got hit with one of Monteeg's magical electric bolts, He-Man still managed to rip the dome off and set all of Monteeg's warriors free! You should have been there, Teela!" He flipped around backwards.
"Orko," He-Man said in a warning tone.
"You got hit? Are you all right?" Teela asked, her tone more frantic than she expected. She barely managed to keep her hands tucked under her arms; she had the sudden urge to touch Adam and make sure he wasn't hurt.
"I'm fine," He-Man replied easily, meeting her gaze. "I'm going to shower and then get something to eat. Monteeg arrived at the palace before I ate breakfast; I'm famished."
"I'm going to go back to the palace and tell Man-at-Arms about Monteeg," Orko called, waving as he floated back towards the drawbridge. "See you later!"
Teela relaxed slightly, relieved that He-Man seemed to be okay. But she kept her eyes on him as he moved towards the stairs. Was it her imagination, or was he moving a little more stiffly than usual?
He-Man bit back a groan as he sank into a chair, his sandwich before him on the table. The normal stun beams Skeletor used didn't have side effects to speak of. They worked on the nerves—they traveled up to the spinal cord and brain, shutting down all the nerves along the way, and when they wore off, the nerves were working properly. There were few side effects.
Monteeg's attack had been sort of electrical, as Orko had said. It had caused He-Man's muscles to spasm, using his own great strength against him. He felt almost like Adam again—as if he had gone through one of Teela's strength-training regiments for the last two days.
He-Man took a bite of his sandwich, and almost immediately wanted a drink—which was still on the counter. He stared at the cool, clear glass of water longingly, wishing he had enough magical powers to levitate the thing to him instead of having to get up again.
Teela walked in and caught him staring at the glass. He-Man flushed slightly and started to get up to get it, but Teela waved a hand. "I'll get it," she said in a friendly tone. She set it down before him within seconds, her eyes sympathetic and knowing. "That blast Orko mentioned left you sore, didn't it?"
There was a note in her voice that said she expected him to lie to her, but He-Man didn't see the point of denying it. "Not as sore as one of your workouts," he quipped instead, hoping to brush aside the topic.
Teela sat down across from him, put her elbows on the reddish-brown table, and propped her chin in her hands. "Is that something that's happened often? Having aftereffects from a fight like this?"
He-Man took a long drink, thankful for the cool relief of the water, then shook his head as he set his glass down. "No."
"So why was this different?" Teela's tone was still light, curious. The Sorceress entered and joined them at the table, eyeing He-Man. Teela nodded to her but continued speaking to He-Man. "Because you don't have your sword?"
The way Teela was trying to understand his world touched him. He-Man only wished he could understand things better himself. "Indirectly," he admitted slowly, thinking through the morning's activities. "When I reverted to Adam things like this usually disappeared. Plus I might not have gotten hit to begin with if I'd had my sword." He briefly summed up what had happened.
Teela shuddered. "Sounds painful." The Sorceress frowned in agreement.
He-Man shrugged it off. "The worst part was Skeletor laughing the entire time. Fortunately Orko conjured up some buckets and landed them squarely on Skeletor and Monteeg. It gave me enough time to recover." He scowled. "But I can't help but wonder if it gave Skeletor a new line of thinking—how to use my own strength against me."
The Sorceress had been listening intently. Now she stood, seeming distracted. "Excuse me, please," she murmured. He-Man nodded and exchanged shrugs with Teela.
"So since I've already done my hero duty for the day," He-Man said, standing and stretching a bit gingerly, "what do you say to an afternoon at the beach, Teela?"
"Really?" Teela asked, her face lighting up. "But I thought we were staying here."
He-Man guffawed slightly. "My dear lady," he said in an exaggerated hoity-toity tone, "why stay indoors when we have access to the most gorgeous beach in the universe?"
Teela choked back a laugh, and He-Man's heart lightened. He was thankful to Duncan, the Sorceress, and his parents for allowing him this opportunity to repair his relationship with Teela. He knew that was the reasoning for them allowing Teela accompanying him here—perhaps it had even been the reason Marlena insisted on an escort to begin with, for all he knew. He and Randor still had a ways to go yet as well, but for now, Adam was content to concentrate on his childhood friend.
"I didn't know Eternia boasted the best beach in the universe," Teela finally said in a challenging, haughty tone, only the twinkle in her eyes revealing that she was teasing.
He-Man smirked. "Who said anything about Eternia?"
They packed a few snacks and drinks, a change of clothes in case they needed them, and towels. He-Man arranged for the Sorceress to re-conjure the gate to bring them back by dinnertime. Then, after changing into swimsuits, He-Man led Teela through a maze of hallways and doors, stopping at one that looked like a strange bird with water dripping off of it, down onto an indefinable lump.
"And this goes where?" Teela asked, a bit nervously. Granted, he walked around barely clothed all the time, but over the years she'd gotten used to seeing him in his normal get-up. The way he looked now, dressed in Adam's plain black swimming trunks and his entire torso completely bare, his eyes sparkling expectantly…it was making her stomach churn and her mouth dry up. She didn't like feeling so off-balance.
He-Man smirked at her. "Trust me, Teela." He pulled open the heavy door, its creak echoing off of the stone walls around them.
His simply statement sent a completely different swirl of emotions through her. She had trusted him, totally, completely, without any restraint. And he had deceived her. A fresh sense of betrayal lifted her chin and carried her past his offered arm. From the corner of her eye she could see his face shift from anticipation to disappointed hurt. She tried telling herself she didn't care, and that if she had hurt his feelings he deserved it anyway, but the words rang hollow in her mind and her heart. Teela sighed, hating the situation with renewed passion.
Her thoughts faded when she stepped out of the portal. Before her was a beach of the whitest, finest sand she had ever seen. It begged her to take off her shoes, and she did so quickly, burying her toes in sand that felt almost like soft silk to her feet. She sighed in pleasure, then looked out over the water. The ocean—and it must have been one, for there was no other land she could see-was crystal-clear. She could see the fish swimming in it, the plants growing in it, and the incredible rock and coral formations that made the ocean floor a rainbow of color.
Her irritation forgotten once more, she turned to He-Man, only to stop short before she said anything. Somehow, this was such an Adam thing to do, to share such a beautiful spot with her. In her excitement, she had forgotten that it was He-Man next to her, not Adam. Seeing He-Man there instead of Adam, even though they were one and the same, made her breath catch.
He-Man had been staring at her when she turned, and now their gazes locked. Teela wondered if he could see the surprise in her face. Who was she kidding? He could read her like a book. With an effort, she turned back to the view before them. "This is beautiful, He-Man," she said softly.
He cleared his throat. "Like I said, it's the most gorgeous beach in the universe." He began walking closer to the water, and Teela followed.
"Have you come here a lot?" she asked.
He-Man shook his head. "A few times," he said, bending over to spread out a blanket. "The magic on this planet has a healing effect, and a calming effect as well. I've come here when the stress had me wound so tight I thought I was going to break in two."
'Because of me.' Teela tentatively put a hand on his arm as he straightened up; he froze and looked at her.
"Don't say it," he warned, a smile playing about his lips.
Teela's eyes welled with tears. She had been going to apologize again, and somehow he had known. "But it was my fault, wasn't it?" she whispered barely loud enough to be heard over the ocean waves.
"It wasn't just you and my father," He-Man said gently, taking her hand in his. "It was all the nobility, the stress of knowing every day that if I failed just once to stop Skeletor, all of Eternia would suffer. Most of the time, my friends and allies shared the burden, but a few times here and there, the responsibility just seemed overwhelming."
Teela swallowed hard. He was right. They had all tried to help him, but he was right. They had depended upon him so much over the years…perhaps more than they had had a right to.
Looking at him now, Teela saw an earnestness to his gaze that made her realize something. All these things he had been telling her…she suddenly understood what he was trying to do. He was answering her every question, spoken and unspoken, with complete honesty. For the first time in the last six years, he was opening up to her. She was starting to know the real Adam.
"While we're here…" she hesitated. He-Man raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Can I call you by your real name today?"
He-Man's face softened. "Just today," he agreed. "It's a bad habit to get into." He held her gaze for a moment, then proceeded to stretch out on the blanket, groaning softly.
"Aren't you going swimming?" Teela asked in surprise.
"Later," came his mumbled response, his eyes already closed. "The sun here heals as well. For now, I'm just going to let it soak away all the soreness."
Teela gazed at him for a moment, drinking in the sight of his perfectly sculpted body. Shaking her head slightly, she decided to go for a swim. She could certainly use it.
Teela had never seen water so clear, and she spent nearly an hour exploring the sea life. When she finally looked towards the beach again, her jaw dropped. He-Man was playing in the sand.
Okay, she reflected as she glided closer, stopping when she was still waist-deep, playing was the wrong word. He was sculpting. Or at least trying to. As Adam, he had been pretty talented at just about any art medium. But judging by the frustrated look on his face as he stood and waded into the water, Teela wondered if that was still the case. The sand replica of the palace looked pretty good to her from this far out, but Adam always had been pretty picky.
Shaking her head as she tried to come to terms with the vision of He-Man playing in the sand, Teela waited for him to reach her. As he drew near, she realized that if she hadn't caught him looking frustrated a moment ago, she wouldn't have known anything was wrong. His entire face had cleared. She clenched her fist. Obviously, now that his tension over the situation was easing, he was falling back into his habit of hiding his emotions. And as much as she appreciated his honesty in his answers, it wasn't enough. She wanted to know all his feelings as well.
Her thoughts crashed to a stop. Where had that desire come from? Forcing away her wayward thoughts, Teela smiled at him, inwardly determined to learn to read his moods and refusing to examine the reason for that too closely. "Couldn't get the castle the way you wanted, huh?" she asked in a teasing tone.
If He-Man was surprised at her question, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply shrugged and gave a lopsided smile. "Some days you have it, some days you don't," he answered lightly.
Something about his answer bothered her, and Teela stared hard at him for a minute.
He-Man raised an eyebrow. "Do I have a pile of sand on my head or something?"
Teela swallowed hard, guilt hitting her again as she realized what was bothering her. His flippant answers. He had always given them, as both He-Man and Adam. The difference had been her reaction. With He-Man, she laughed or ignored them as the situation called for. But with Adam, she had always gotten angry, harsh, judgmental.
"I'm going for a swim," she said thickly, turning and diving before he could stop her. As her sure, steady strokes sliced through the water, Teela reflected on the revelation she had just had, and another one hit her. Although their actions had been the same, He-Man had usually been brushing off either a question about Adam or a close call with death. Adam, on the other hand, had been ducking questions about why he had missed training or run from a fight.
Before she could analyze her thoughts any further, something wrapped itself around her ankle and dragged her down under the water.
Teela's abrupt departure baffled He-Man, but if she was feeling half as mixed-up as he had been feeling, then he understood. The frustration he had felt on the beach had caught him by surprise; it had snuck into his chest when he couldn't get his hands to be gentle enough to add the details he wanted on the sand castle. He had begun wondering morosely if he would even be able to bake at all now. His great strength could only be controlled so much.
He swam after Teela at a leisurely pace, just to keep her in sight. He didn't know what creatures lived in this ocean. A mischievous smile touched his lips. Neither did she. He dove under the water and sped up, catching up to her easily. Then he reached up and grabbed her ankle and tugged, dragging her down into the water. He didn't worry about her gasping in water from the surprise; Teela was far too good a swimmer and warrior to make that mistake.
His actions earned him a foot square in the chest. He let go of her immediately as his air whooshed out of his chest, and he broke the surface at almost the same time she did. Teela tried to glare at him, but wound up laughing instead.
"Adam!" she scolded half-heartedly. "I could have drowned!"
He-Man couldn't help it; he waggled his eyebrows at her a bit. "I wouldn't let that happen, Teela. I would just have had to give you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation," he teased. His own joke backfired on him as a flood of heat accompanied that thought, in spite of the cold ocean water around him. He-Man's smile faded as their gazes locked.
"I'd like to see you explain that one to my father," Teela said, sounding a little breathless and looking a tad pink herself.
That reined in He-Man's wayward thoughts. The idea of his mentor as an angry father was chilling. But he refused to let Teela see his runaway emotions. "I'm sure he'd understand me saving your life," he said casually. He began swimming back to shore, not looking to see if Teela was following.
Randor paced the kitchen in Grayskull. The Sorceress had assured him that Adam was due back at any moment, and he was anxious to speak with his son. Duncan had answered a few questions for him, but he found that his old friend was right—he needed and wanted to get the answers from Adam himself.
Randor sat down at the table, drumming his fingers. He thought of Duncan's explanation of the differences between He-Man and Adam—that Adam had not lied about who he was, but instead exaggerated aspects of his personality. Duncan felt that Adam's role as a fun-loving prince helped him deal with the stress of being Eternia's champion. He had also indicated that Adam's lack of confidence was genuine; that like Cringer's cowardice, Adam's self-doubt disappeared with Grayskull's magic.
"I never knew Adam doubted himself so strongly," Randor had said quietly.
"His determination to do the right thing, his courage, overshadowed it," Duncan had explained. "I think the Sorceress and I may be the only ones who truly knew how much he doubted Adam's abilities. He never doubted He-Man's; in fact, if anything, as He-Man sometimes he is too confident."
Randor folded his hands. He was looking forward to understanding more about his son. A heavy footstep sounded in the hallway. Randor stood quickly as He-Man entered the kitchen, a deep red towel still draped around his shoulders from his afternoon at the beach. "Your Majesty, the Sorceress told me you were in here. Is everything all right?" He-Man asked in a concerned voice.
Randor didn't answer right away. He studied He-Man for a minute, and the hero nonchalantly returned his gaze. It was, in some ways, so hard to see his son in the man before him. "Yes, He-Man, everything's fine," he finally said. "I'm sorry to have concerned you so. I simply wanted a chance to talk with you without having to watch every word we say."
"Ah." He-Man slid into a seat at the table, and Randor sat at a right angle to him. "You have questions, Sire?" The Sorceress had placed food on the table already, and He-Man selected a banana, peeling it halfway down, just as Adam always had.
"You look much more relaxed," Randor observed, almost reluctantly. He hated to admit that it was better for his son to be at Grayskull. He wanted him to come home.
"Teela and I went to beach on another world. Its sun has magical healing powers, so regardless of how you feel when you go, you always feel great when you get back," He-Man said with a grin.
With that grin on his face, Randor could almost see Adam in the man before him. But it bothered him that it was so hard to do so. "The Sorceress told me you were involved in an altercation this morning," he commented, grasping for conversation. "Were you injured?"
He-Man quickly shook his head. "No, Sire. Simply sore from a magical attack." He settled back in his chair slightly, though he still gave the appearance of being ready to leap up at a second's notice. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but while you are known for your diplomacy and tact, I have the distinct feeling you're beating around the bush. What is it you truly wanted to talk about?"
"I-" Randor removed his crown and placed it on the table in front of him. He-Man's use of his formal titles, rather than "Father," was making it even harder to reconcile the fact that this was Adam before him. Randor scratched at his head and ran a hand through his hair, struggling to find the words. "Ancients, but this is hard." He looked up and caught He-Man's expectant eye. "I just wanted time with you. I keep trying to see Adam in you, so I can think of you as Adam and stop feeling as if I've lost my son. But I spent so much time chastising Adam over the years that I stopped seeing him as…I just stopped seeing him. I stopped seeing you. All I saw was the act you put on. I lost you long ago." Randor realized he was close to babbling, and stopped as he straightened up.
"Father." The low-spoken word caused Randor to freeze as He-Man slid from his chair onto his knees in front of Randor. "You never lost me. We just had…obstacles, between us."
Randor heaved a sigh of self-loathing and was about to reply when his eyes met He-Man's. The rest of the man before him seemed to fade away. He-Man's normal mask was gone, and in his eyes were reflected the love he held for his family, the insecurity he held deep inside where he hoped no one would see it, and the longing of a son for his father's approval and love. This was Adam.
The air was suddenly charged with emotions, and Randor felt as if his heart would break from it all. He put a hand on He-Man's shoulder—Adam's shoulder. "We did. But I love you, son. I hope you knew that."
"I knew," He-Man assured him, not breaking eye contact. But in spite of his words, Randor could see the insecurity fade, and a warm glow of acceptance replace it. Adam had needed to hear the words. Far more often than Randor had ever said them.
"When I think of all the times I reprimanded you for being late or missing appointments," Randor groaned. He drew a hand over his face, partly to give them both a little space from the intensity of their own emotions.
He-Man moved back into his seat. "You did what my father and king should have done," he said quietly.
"I did what the king should have done," Randor half-agreed. "Your father should have tried a bit harder to find out why his once-reliable son suddenly became unreliable." He didn't wait for Adam to respond, but instead leaned forward. "I want to make up for lost time. What hobbies do you still enjoy as He-Man? Are they the same as Adam's?"
He-Man hummed lowly to himself as he entered the castle two days later, feeling somewhat bemused. He had spent the morning fishing with his father, enjoying a light, casual conversation the likes of which they had not engaged in for…oh, at least five years. Randor had brought along Duncan's disrupter, and proceeded to pepper He-Man with questions. He had truly listened, never once speaking in a judgmental tone. It was the most time, and the best time, Adam had spent with his father in years. He felt more at peace than he had since taking on the responsibility of the Power Sword.
He found Battle Cat sleeping heavily on the thick carpet of his room. Taking care not to disturb the cat, He-Man went in search of Teela, wanting to tell her of his morning. He smiled to himself. The urge to share everything with her seemed foreign, after years of hiding so much from her. It lightened his heart further, the fact that he was regaining footing with both his father and Teela. He whistled as he searched the castle, finally coming upon Teela and the Sorceress bent over a book.
"Good afternoon, ladies," he greeted them cheerily. His grin faded as they both looked up somewhat guiltily, only half-heartedly returning his smile. "What's wrong?" he asked, his senses immediately on alert.
"I have something for you, but I do not want to raise false hopes when you see it," the Sorceress said, straightening. "Your sword is gone, and what I am about to give you cannot replace it or duplicate its power—at least not for you. Hold out your hands."
He-Man obeyed, and the Sorceress wiggled her fingers. A sword exactly like his appeared in his hands, and his heart lurched with hope in spite of the Sorceress' forewarnings. As he examined it, he noticed a jewel embedded into the sword. He lifted an eyebrow; surely that would weaken the sword. What purpose could it serve?
"What is this?" he finally asked.
"A sword that was meant for the second guardian of Grayskull, someone long lost to us," the Sorceress said sadly. "Teela and I were looking into Grayskull's history. Unfortunately, you cannot call on its power, but it will serve the purpose of being a weapon that could help you, until Duncan and I can come up with something more suitable for you. I-"
The Sorceress stopped in mid-sentence. While she had been speaking, He-Man had grasped the hilt and waved it a few times, testing its weight. It was a bit lighter than his own, although it looked to be the same size. He wondered about the intended owner, and as that thought crossed his mind, the sword began to glow. The tip rose almost of its own accord and began to pull him.
"Uh, Sorceress?" he said. "What's going on?"
The Sorceress' green eyes were as wide as Eternia's two moons. "By the Ancients," she murmured. "I never even thought…your connection…could it be?"
"Could it be what?" He-Man asked, instinctively allowing the sword to pull him along Grayskull's hallways.
"How foolish of me!" the Sorceress exclaimed, hurrying after him. "I could have given this sword to you years ago, if only I had known!"
"What's going on?" Teela demanded, jogging after them.
"Beats me!" He-Man called as the sword pulled him along faster. It suddenly stopped in front of a double-headed doorway with large claws protruding outward. The doors opened and the glow faded. The tip fell to the ground, the sword now lifeless in He-Man's hand.
"After all these years," the Sorceress murmured, staring at the doorway. "All this time wasted." She turned to He-Man. "You must go through this portal and find the one for whom this sword is destined. The fate of the very universe may depend on it. And you must leave immediately."
"With or without Battle Cat?" He-Man asked automatically, sheathing the sword. The Sorceress' request was nothing new.
"Wait a minute," Teela interjected before the Sorceress could answer. "The fate of the universe? What's going on? Who does this sword belong to? And where does this portal go? How do we even know it's safe?"
"I'm sorry, Teela, but I cannot answer any of your questions," the Sorceress replied gently. He-Man watched the exchange with some amusement. "This door has never opened before, so I have no idea where it leads. And I cannot answer the other questions until He-Man finds the one for whom the sword is destined." She turned to He-Man. "I think it would be best if Battle Cat went with you." She closed her eyes briefly.
"I'm going too," Teela said, stubbornly crossing her arms. "You can't just send the Prince of Eternia onto some unknown planet without his bodyguard." The Sorceress opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow at Teela.
"She's not. She's sending Grayskull's defender," He-Man pointed out in an even voice, although Teela's attitude was still tickling his funny bone for some reason.
Teela glared at him. "Same difference. I'm still going."
He-Man shrugged lightly as Battle Cat came trotting down the hall, obviously having been summoned by the Sorceress. "Suit yourself."