I know I usually go back and forth between "Noticing Adam" and this story and that the former was next in line for an update, but this story called to me more, so you're getting another chapter of this right now. Don't worry, though. I've already started the next chapter of "Noticing Adam." It will be posted sometime this week, as well.

In any case, I hope you enjoy and thank you for those who responded to my last chapter. Your comments were appreciated and very inspirational!

Against Nature Chapter 11

Adam buried his head in his hands as he sat in the back of the AttakTrak. When he looked up, he cringed at the sight of the Royal Guard making the patrons of Madelia line up so the guard could get their names as they came out of the club. His face contorted into a look of almost pain when he realized this was his fault. Madelia had existed for years—at the very least since his father's and uncle's early adulthood years—and in the span of two nights, he had managed to bring the club to a screeching halt. He had no doubt it was being shut down and he also had no doubt that some citizens would even be arrested.

At that moment, it seemed like the Elders wanted to confirm his ideas, because several guardsmen suddenly stepped out of the club's entrance with hand-immobilizers on multiple individuals. They were the ones selling on the Black Market, so he knew the arrests were justified by law, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had perpetrated a huge offense against the people of Eternos.

He dropped his head and ran his fingers through his hair before burying his face in his hands again. Because he was hunched over, he didn't know anyone was approaching the AttakTrak until the vehicle suddenly opened. Adam looked up to see King Stefen climbing into the back with him as Man-at-Arms watched silently.

Duncan then turned his attention to the prince and said softly, "I'm very disappointed in you."

Adam grimaced and dropped his head again. He felt an arm slip around his shoulders and looked over at his uncle.

"I'm sorry, Adam," whispered Stefen. "I should have never brought you to Madelia in the first place. I shouldn't have even snuck you out of the palace at all. I'm so sorry."

Adam smiled miserably at his uncle, trying to make light of the situation, and started to respond, but Man-at-Arms interjected, "That's enough talk. We can save all of this for the palace in the presence of King Randor. He wants to see you both immediately."

Duncan climbed into the AttakTrak as Teela came out of Madelia. It was then that Adam noticed Ashlyn, Daniel, Rob, and Phil were just now getting in line to have their names recorded.

"Why are we getting their names?" he asked Duncan.

When his mentor stayed silent, the prince sighed. "Are you going to ignore me?" he cried.

He was still answered with silence.

Prince Adam shook his head again and looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry, Man-at-Arms," he mumbled finally. "I didn't drink anything or get near any illegal substances. I danced and talked. That's it. I didn't break any of my promises."

Duncan finally turned around in the front seat and said, "I thought you were going to stay away from this place."

"I never said that," the prince said melancholically.

Duncan turned around and agreed, "No, I suppose you didn't."

Silence enveloped the AttakTrak again, but this time it was interrupted by Teela getting into the vehicle. "Well," she said sarcastically, sitting behind the control panel, "wasn't this a marvelous way to spend my night? I thank you for the opportunity, Adam."

The prince stayed silent. He watched as Ashlyn finally reached the guard taking everyone's names. As soon as she spoke with him, the man gestured that she could go. Immediately, she stepped out of the line and turned towards the AttakTrak. Adam didn't know if she could see him, but she gave a little wave, pointed at her chin, and held it high.

Adam smiled: message received.

=)=)=)

Adam took a deep breath as he stepped out of the AttakTrak and stared at the palace doors. To steal a phrase from his mother, he knew all hell was about to break loose. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that his father was angry. It was the middle of the night and he was awake, waiting for his son to be brought home from an illegal bar. He knew the king was going to be more than angry; he was going to be livid, irate, or enraged…any adjective that took anger to the next level. He wasn't looking forward to dealing with this. The truth was he had never really given his father a reason to be angry at him before, ever. Sure, he disappointed him with his antics to keep his identity as He-Man a secret, but he had never done anything that would make his father ashamed of him. He knew that had probably changed tonight.

But…he was going to take Ashlyn's silent advice. He was going to keep his chin up and his head held high. He went to Madelia willingly, so he was going to take the punishment like a man. His father would have to respect that at least.

Prince Adam followed Man-at-Arms and Teela to the throne room with King Stefen right beside him. The doors were already open so they merely walked into the room. The scene they came upon was one he had never seen before: his mother was sitting on the steps of the throne pleading with his father to sit down. As for his father, he was pacing rapidly back and forth in front of her.

"Your Majesty," Man-at-Arms called out.

Immediately, Randor turned towards them as Marlena stood. The king glared at his brother and took several steps toward him, but the queen quickly grabbed his hand and stopped him. When he looked back at her, she shook her head and motioned towards Man-at-Arms.

"Your report," requested Randor.

Man-at-Arms nodded at Teela and she stepped forward. "Prince Adam and King Stefen were found in a location we now know is called Madelia. It is a club located on the west side of the city in the warehouse district," she answered.

"What were they doing?"

Teela looked at Adam briefly before turning back to the king and replied, "King Stefen was socializing with a woman at the bar while Adam was on the dance floor…kissing an unidentified female at this time."

Randor shifted his eyes to his son and asked, "Who was she?"

Adam didn't hesitate or look down. He faced his father calmly and responded, "Lady Ashlyn."

Randor immediately shook his head at his son disapprovingly, but then he turned his attention to his brother. "And, what about you?" he questioned. "Explain yourself. Why did you take my son to this Madelia? And, what in the world were you doing with some woman in a bar? Does your wife and queen approve of such conduct?"

King Stefen didn't answer. He remained quiet and simply stared at the High King.

Randor turned his back to everyone but spoke with a loud, booming voice. "King Stefen, I hereby banish you from the city of Eternos. You are not allowed to step foot into my kingdom nor go near my son again."

"Father!" cried Prince Adam, shocked to hear the king's words.

"Adam," warned Marlena sharply. The prince grew silent.

The king still faced in the opposite direction and remained quiet for several moments, but when he spoke again, he was calmer. "I want you to pack your bags and head back to Dyperia tonight. I want you gone before morning."

"Brother…" King Stefen finally spoke.

"Do not speak to me!" growled Randor. "I have no desire to hear your excuses or anything else you have to say. For the past twenty years, you have made a habit of not coming to see me or my family. I am merely asking for you to do so again. I don't want you disrupting my life any more than you already have."

King Stefen stared at his brother's back for a few moments and then turned to Adam who looked incredibly upset. Tears seemed to be gathering in the young prince's eyes. "Do not blame yourself, Adam," he said.

Randor immediately spun around and looked at his son. He calmly walked in front of Adam to block Stefen's view of him. The glare he gave Stefen warned that he had better not speak with Adam again.

Stefen looked into his brother's eyes and he saw the pain that Randor was trying to hide. His face was undeniably red, but it wasn't all from anger, even though he knew that was partially the cause. Randor's eyes shimmered brightly and Stefen was sure tears were the culprits. Taking a chance on the knowledge that his brother obviously still cared about him, he said, "Okay, I will go, Randor. But I'm afraid I can't follow your instructions verbatim. I cannot go to Dyperia."

"What?" asked Randor, suddenly confused and curious. "Why ever not?"

"Liana and I are…separated," he answered, looking at everything but Randor. He heard several gasps from everyone but continued. "As you know, the kingdom was her father's, so she is the true heir to the throne there. I came here because I had nowhere else to go and Eternos is the only other place I could ever imagine myself calling home. But don't worry, brother, I will find some place outside your kingdom to settle down and you'll never hear from me again."

King Randor closed his eyes and shook his head slowly several times. When he reopened his eyes, he commanded, "Just go to your bedchambers and stay there for the rest of the night!" More calmly, he added, "I'll…come speak to you in the morning."

Stefen nodded and left the room without looking back.

As for Randor, he followed his brother with his eyes and gestured for Teela and Man-at-Arms to follow him. As soon as he could no longer hear anyone's footsteps retreating down the corridor, he turned to his son.

=)=)=)

"Are you crazy?"

Ashlyn ran through the streets on her way to the Royal Palace. "He's in trouble. I know he is and I'm partly the reason," she explained, looking back at him momentarily.

Daniel continued to follow her and finally grabbed her arms just as the gate to the palace came into view. "They're not going to let you in there!" he exclaimed. "It's the middle of the night, and undoubtedly, he's already speaking with the king. It wouldn't be wise to interrupt them right now. Why don't we let everyone calm down before we try to redeem ourselves for any wrongdoings?"

Tears slipped down Ashlyn's face as she turned into her brother's arms and hugged him.

He held her tightly and whispered, "Ash, I hate that this has happened, but you must realize it was inevitable. He's a prince and…well, he's not meant to, you know, hang out with people like us, especially at this time of night. It was only a matter of time before he got caught. It was fun while it lasted, but things have to go back to the way they're supposed to be."

Ashlyn pulled away from her brother and cried, "What's that supposed to mean? Adam won't stop speaking with us just because this happened!"

Daniel sighed and said forcefully, "I know you like him, Ashlyn. I saw you on the dance floor. You were swept off your feet by a prince like all girls dream about, but it's time to face the facts and get your head out of the clouds. He is royalty and you are one of his subjects. He has plenty of princesses and duchesses after him. Why would ever he settle for anything less?"

Ashlyn looked up at the palace and replied softly, "His father didn't marry royalty. He married someone from another planet."

"So you do want to pursue a relationship with Prince Adam? I'm afraid it's only going to lead to heartache if you do."

"I don't know," she answered, "but I do know that Adam isn't like the rest of them. He's a normal guy who just happens to be a prince, and he likes it that way."

Daniel grabbed Ashlyn's hand and started pulling her towards their home. As they walked, he addressed her last statement. "Unfortunately for Prince Adam, I don't think it matters how he views himself. It's how his father and even his people view him. He doesn't have the luxury of being a normal guy despite what he wants."

Ashlyn didn't agree.

=)=)=)

"What were you thinking?" asked Randor as he stared at his son. He shook his head for what seemed like the millionth time and said, "No, don't answer that! Clearly, you weren't!"

Adam simply stared at his father as the king continued to speak and started to pace again. "I should have trusted my instincts this morning. I should have listened to Man-at-Arms. Ancients, I should have listened to myself from the very beginning! I had a feeling the whole time that something wasn't right!" The king suddenly turned to Adam and inquired, "You were at the club last night, too, weren't you?"

Now that he was given permission to speak, Adam nodded and replied, "Yes, I was."

Randor nodded and went back to pacing. "And, that is where you undoubtedly met those people."

"Yes."

"And, you did something during that time that made you sick. What was it?"

Adam lowered his eyes and answered, "I drank too much alcohol." He wasn't going to add that he might have gotten high. He didn't want to get Ashlyn and the rest in any trouble.

Randor stopped pacing and Marlena gasped. "You know better than that!" she stated firmly.

The prince turned to his mother and said, "I didn't mean to. I didn't realize how much I drank throughout the night."

"Throughout the night?" questioned Randor, realizing in all probability that when he saw his son in the morning, he was just getting to the palace.

Marlena stood up, ignored her husband's question, and went to her son. "You're not supposed to be drinking at all, Adam—you're a minor. And, even more importantly, you shouldn't because your body is like mine. Eternian liquor is much stronger than what Earthlings drink. It affects us more intensely, so you probably didn't have that much to drink at all."

Adam nodded and quickly turned his attention back to his father as he heard the king clear his throat. He was glaring at his son. "I hope you realize how disappointed I am in you, Adam," he said distinctly, annunciating each syllable with precision to show the severity of his words.

Adam started to lower his head, but he remembered Ashlyn's actions outside Madelia and raised it again. "Yes, sir," he replied.

Randor continued, "And, you…" He trailed off with a groan as he thought about what he was going to do to teach his son a lesson.

Marlena quickly jumped in and supplied, "And, you are grounded! Your father and I are going to need a little time to think about what your punishment should be, but until then, you are to go to your room for the rest of the night and then meet us for breakfast in the morning. You're not to go anywhere else! Am I understood?"

"Yes, Mother," he replied.

"Do I need to station a guard at your door to ensure that you will do as I have asked?" she questioned.

"No, ma'am."

Randor stepped in and said, "Actually, I think we should do that anyway. Obviously, our son now has the habit of sneaking out. This is a perfect way to discourage that. Part of your punishment is that you will have a guard with you at all times."

Adam's jaw dropped. "At all times? Father, that's…I don't want a guard with me every moment of the day!" He quickly realized that a constant guard would make his obligations as He-Man a lot harder to do.

"And night," the king clarified. "The guard can wait outside your bedchambers or the lavatory when you're in there, but everywhere else, a guard will be with you."

"Dion," he then said. The sentinel currently stood at the door. He was never too far away during his shift.

"Yes, sire?" he replied, stepping forward.

"You are charged with keeping tabs on Prince Adam until morning." Randor turned back to Adam and addressed him again. "And, in the morning, until I figure out who I will pull for this duty and when, Captain Teela will be with you throughout the day. She is your bodyguard after all."

Adam groaned at the mention of Teela. He didn't know what he was going to say to her after everything she had seen. He wished wholeheartedly that she hadn't seen anything at all.

"And, you're not to see those people anymore either."

Immediately, Adam's eyes shot to his father's. "What?" he gasped, sure he hadn't heard him right.

"You heard me," Randor answered coolly. "I knew I didn't like the looks of them when we met, and I have no doubt they are partially the reason why you snuck out. I bet they even encouraged you to do it. We don't need to invite trouble into our lives, Adam, and that's all they'll bring."

Adam shook his head and complained, "But you don't even know them and they didn't do anything wrong! I'm the one who chose to go out last night! They didn't even know me, then!"

"Do you think that really makes things better, son? The facts are these kids were in Madelia during all hours of the night. I can tell they make a habit out of it. That's not exactly the qualities of fine moral youths."

"But Father, they aren't kids! They're over twenty-one, so they have every right to be out late if they so choose!"

"In an illegal bar?" The king started to look angry again. "They're lucky I'm not arresting them!"

"You'd be arresting hundreds of individuals if you did! A lot of people were there!"

Randor shrugged and quipped, "You act like that's a problem. We have the capacity; it can be done."

Adam's jaw dropped. "Would you arrest me, too?" he asked heatedly. "I was there, and it was my decision to be there! If you arrest them, you would have to do the same to me!"

Randor frowned and said, "Is that what you want your punishment to be?"

Marlena immediately got between them and said, "All right, that's enough, you two. Adam, you know you are the one who brought all of this on yourself, so do not backtalk your father."

"I wasn't…" Adam began.

"I don't want to hear it," she interrupted. "Just go to your room and we'll discuss this in the morning."

"But I don't want you blaming other people for my decisions. It's hardly fair that Ashlyn…"

"Adam. Room. GO!" snapped the queen with eyes that fairly blazed at him as the furrowed her brow.

The prince knew that tone and look—she meant business. He immediately sighed and stomped down the hall without another word.