Hutch's castle, unlike Sully's, was set on a hill a short distance from the town. There was a thick forest lining the road, a mixture of light-colored evergreens and deciduous trees with broad, dark green leaves. The trees were draped with woody vines covered in dark red oval leaves with jagged edges. The trees grew high, tall and thick, the brown of their bark barely visible behind the foliage that crowded the road. Small unruly bushes were scattered amidst the trees filling every clear patch of earth. It felt as if they were passing through a strange shifting hallway with sky as the roof, a passage perfect for an ambush, Hawk couldn't help but note as he and Adora walked. Their feet crunched on the gravel that had been laid in an attempt to even out the rocky road, Hawk's gait slightly uneven due to the large bruise on his leg from the crash the day before.
"I never realized Adam hated to fight," Hawk said. "I knew he didn't care for it, but…"
"He hopes every fight will be his last," Adora said with a small smile. She sighed. "It's ironic that he wants his sword back when he feels that way, really. But for him, it's all about protecting the innocent."
There was an odd note in her voice Hawk couldn't place. "And you?" he asked quietly, reaching for her hand.
Adora shook her head slightly as she squeezed his hand. "I was raised differently than Adam; I was trained to fight. At heart, I don't want to, but it's all I've ever known." Her blue eyes grew troubled as she added, "And in a way, I feel as if it is penance for all the evil I've done in my life."
"You never talk much about your time in the Horde," Hawk commented gently.
Adora lowered her head slightly. "I'm not proud of it, Hawk," she answered.
"But it wasn't your fault they kept you under a spell," he pointed out.
Adora smiled at him. "You and Adam keep pointing that out, and maybe I'll believe it someday. I know it, really, but some days…" Her voice trailed off.
"You said Hordak kept you from knowing that the Horde was evil," Hawk recalled innocently. He wanted to better understand this woman he had asked to marry him. He knew she was strong, good, and loving, but he knew very little about her past. "How did that work, Adora? Did you just not know the difference between right and wrong?"
Adora's chin went up slightly. "No, my caretaker, Shakra, was careful to teach me what was good and what was evil. And once those lessons were learned, Hordak never could convince me that I should do something evil. He tried though." Her voice nearly broke on the last sentence.
"What happened?" Hawk asked.
"He wanted me to run a simple errand in a nearby town," Adora said, leaning into him as they walked up a hill. "The thing was, he wanted a particular item—I don't even remember what it was—and he didn't plan on paying for it. When I asked him for the money, he told me not to worry about it, that I was to tell the storekeeper it was for Hordak personally, and if that didn't work, to just take it anyway." She swallowed hard. "I worried over it the whole way there. The storekeeper didn't believe a ten-year-old girl, of course. He refused to give it to me. Hordak expected me to follow his order and simply take it; I had enough training to be able to do so. He turned nearly purple when I returned empty-handed."
Hawk dropped his arm slightly so that his hand rested on Adora's shoulder, and he rubbed it lightly as she continued. "He swore at me up and down, hit me several times, and said that I was to do whatever necessary to fulfill his orders. He knocked me down when he hit me, and I stood back up, crying, and told him that I would never commit an evil act such as stealing."
Fury raced through Hawk at the thought of Hordak hitting a ten-year-old girl. "That scum-sucking barnacle waste," he hissed. Adora smiled slightly at his immediate support. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Hawk could ask a question without growling. "What did Hordak do then?"
Adora gave a small huff. "That was the first time I openly defied him. I guess that and the fact that hitting me hadn't gotten through to me sort of made him realize that in spite of his efforts to raise me to be evil, he wasn't going to be able to change who I was. He sent me away for a while, to Beast Island, for 'training.'" Hawk narrowed his eyes at the sarcasm in her tone. Adora wrapped her arms around her midsection, but didn't leave Hawk's embrace. "When I returned to the Fright Zone, I never heard another word about the Horde doing anything evil. Everything was worded differently, focused on the Horde being the rightful rulers of Etheria, being benevolent, caring…" her voice trailed off. "All lies. And he began forcing those lies to be taught in schools all over Etheria. My defiance caused him to try to brainwash an entire generation."
"But it didn't work as well as he'd hoped," Hawk deduced.
"No, it didn't," Adora confirmed thankfully. "Light Hope's magic helped keep the truth burning in most of the children's hearts. But even his magic couldn't protect me from Shadow Weaver's spells, which were strengthened during my time at Beast Island. By the time I left there, I believed that the rebels were the ones who were evil." Her voice dropped. "Worse, I believed that it was acceptable, even right, to enslave those who opposed the Horde."
Hawk's mind raced rapidly over her words. He had a thousand questions, and he wasn't sure he should ask any of them. He stopped walking and pulled her closer to him. Adora nestled against his chest, focusing on the here and now and reminding herself it was over.
"Tell me about Beast Island," Hawk's voice rumbled in her ear.
Adora froze. She hated thinking about that month. It had been much worse than she was disclosing. Hawk rubbed her back lightly. "Adora, nothing you say can change the way I feel about you," he said softly. "I just want to understand what you've been through."
Adora didn't speak for a moment, then she began to tell the full story in a faltering voice. "Hordak was furious, like I said…"
"No one disobeys me, Adora," Hordak snarled at her. The young girl trembled at the ferocity in his voice and his glowing red eyes. "You will pay for your disobedience."
The evil ruler grabbed her by one arm and half-dragged her out of the throne room. She had no idea of what he might be about to do, but she was terrified. Adora began to cry, "Please don't hurt me. Where are we going?" Suddenly Shakra appeared out of nowhere.
"Lord Hordak, what are you doing with Adora?" she demanded. She landed a restraining hand on his arm.
"Silence, you hag!" he roared at her, shoving her roughly out of the way. "I'm sure this is all your fault." The older woman fell against the wall, and slid down, as limp as a rag doll.
"Shakra!" Adora screamed, sobbing aloud now. Hordak's hand was squeezing her arm terribly, and she had never been so frightened of him.
"Shut up," he growled at her. "After some time on Beast Island, you will never dare defy me again, Adora."
"Beast Island?" Adora gasped, horrified. She started struggling, pulling back and trying to wiggle out of his grasp. She'd never been out of the Fright Zone before, but she had heard stories of how the criminals who went there were put into cells all alone, and sometimes bad things happened to them. She didn't know the specifics; the adults usually kept quiet about it.
They reached the launch pad, where Shadow Weaver was already waiting. Hordak roughly shoved Adora in to a seat on his personal ship. "Stay there," he snarled. Adora gingerly held her sore arm, sobbing quietly, and didn't dare move as the ship rose into the air.
"By the time we got to Beast Island, a lot of the fight had gone out of me," Adora admitted, tears pooling in her eyes. "I was put into a cell cut off from everyone I knew—the few friends I had, Shakra, even Hordak and Shadow Weaver—for a whole week." She took a shuddering breath, recalling the small barren square room of cold stone. There hadn't been a bed, just a hard bench with one worn blanket. There was only a tiny window high up to allow minimal light in, and the door to the cell had been solid except for a slot through which her food had been delivered twice each day. The stark surroundings had been depressing enough, but she'd even had to relieve herself in the same room in which she slept. Adora rubbed her fingertips, recalling the bruises and cuts she'd had from clawing at loose rocks in a futile attempt to find an escape.
"An entire week?" Hawk asked in horror. "A ten-year-old girl?" His arms tightened around her, and he blinked back the tears burning in his own eyes.
"It was devastating," she whispered. "When Shadow Weaver returned, I ran to her. I didn't care that she'd been one of the ones who put me in there. I just wanted contact with someone." In hindsight, Adora realized that Weaver had probably cast some sort of additional spell at the moment she had hugged her, to bind her to the witch and Hordak further. At the time, though, all Adora had known was that she was ready to do almost anything to return to her "family" in the Fright Zone. Anything was better than the isolation.
"After that initial hug, Shadow Weaver withheld any physical display of affection," Adora continued quietly. "We spent three weeks together, where she gave me intense instruction—brainwashing, I know now. She showed me how the people were uncultured and primitive before the Horde arrived. How the technology had helped them. She showed me images of past battles where the rebels had destroyed homes, and killed thousands of Hordesmen. Then she showed me images of Hordak helping people, and dozens of attempts on Hordak's life. Once I had accepted it all, we returned to the Fright Zone."
"By the First Ones," Hawk whispered. He was unconsciously rubbing Adora's back now. "I wish Hordak were alive so I could kill him myself." Adora winced, thinking he wouldn't appreciate knowing she still loved Hordak anyway, in spite of the way the villain had treated her. "What happened when you got back?"
"I was desperate for someone's love and approval," Adora answered, her voice hoarse and low. "I did whatever I could to please Hordak. I outfought every other warrior in training, aced all of my exams, and never questioned him again." She smiled mirthlessly against Hawk's chest. "But I was still honest, and I still refused to harm others. Only now I thought that was something that was also true of the Horde itself." Unknown to Adora, it was at this point Hordak gave up on trying to change her, and simply focused on building her loyalty to him in small and large ways.
The two of them held each other for a long time. Hawk couldn't bear to ask her anymore; he wasn't sure she could handle telling it, and he knew he couldn't handle hearing it. His anger against Hordak had never been so strong. He could tell Adora didn't harbor that same anger, but he knew someone who had. For now, Hawk let the silence grow as he tried to absorb what she had revealed. It was the most Adora had ever told him about her time with the Horde, and he suspected that there was more she wasn't quite ready to share. Maybe a lot more.
Miro swore under his breath, then immediately apologized to the Ancients. He limped over to a fallen log and sat down heavily, propping his foot up quickly. Of all the times to catch his foot on a root and twist his ankle. He ground his teeth in frustration. It might even be sprained. He listened carefully, hoping he could hear the gurgle of water that would lead him to a cold stream to dunk it in.
At the sound of the familiar screech, he looked up in surprise. He hadn't seen the falcon in a few days. He had thought he was beyond her territory. She settled on a tree branch less than twenty feet from him.
"I've done it this time," he told her, slowly heaving his leg off of the log. "Randor has asked me again and again to carry a communicator with me. I kept putting him off, not wanting him to be able to track me down, and now, when I desperately need to get back to the palace-" He broke of and gestured to his ankle with frustration.
"I should have called for a ride," he admitted, frustration clear as he ran a hand through his white hair. "But no, I wanted time to think through this whole thing." He shook his head. "Adam getting Lady Amanda pregnant. I don't know what to think about that." The falcon screeched as if in indignation, and Miro stopped, a slightly amused smile on his lips at the sight of her feathers puffing out. He had to admit to himself that he didn't know his grandson all that well. His first inclination was to defend Adam, but…Miro shook his head. He had seen many men, whether good, wise, or strong…many of them had succumb to a woman's charms. He didn't know Adam well enough to know if that could be the case, but if he was any judge of character, the rumor wasn't true. He certainly hoped it wasn't.
Miro glanced up at the falcon. "I don't suppose you can point me to a nice cold stream, can you?"
To his surprise, the falcon shrieked twice, then flew a short distance into another tree, turned, and waited. When he didn't move right away, she screeched again, shifting her weight from foot to foot impatiently. Miro shrugged. "Well, the last time I followed you I found another clue to my son's whereabouts, so I guess I'll try following you again."
"Has everyone gotten settled in their rooms?" Hutch asked cheerfully, his hazel eyes sparkling. Hawk resisted the urge to cringe. The man's constant upbeat nature really grated on his nerves.
"Yes, thank you," Adam replied for all of them. He was more mentally at ease that evening than he had been in quite some time. He hadn't realized how much his resentment had built up. Physically, however, he was sore everywhere, as he was sure most of the others must be as well. Hawk, he noticed, had been limping slightly on the leg that had been trapped the day before. Adam suspected the leg was more tender than the pirate was willing to admit. Only Adora, healed by her sword, was no worse for their mishap. We should have had She-Ra heal us all, Adam thought ruefully. We'd be a sorry lot if the Specter decided to attack.
The hall in which they sat had clearly seen better days. Small cracks were appearing in the walls. The light redwood table before them was full of nicks and scratches. Faded paintings of long-gone noblemen adorned the dark gray walls. Yet the overall atmosphere was cheerful. Hutch's few servants seemed far happier than those at Duke Sully's castle. They joked with their master, clearly enjoying their relationship with him rather than scurrying about, waiting for a sharp word. Overall, though the conditions were less suitable, the group found the baron's home far more welcoming.
"Baron Hutch, Sully's son Beau showed us cave that he said was actually a network of caves, running through the mountains," Teela said, getting right to business. "Do you think it's possible the Specter is using them as a base for his operations?"
Hutch nodded immediately, flushing red. "I must be a fool for not thinking of it before, but that would make perfect sense. No one would dare go after him in there." He muttered under his breath to himself, "Daft dimwit."
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Duncan asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Eh? Oh, nothing, just frustrated with myself for not considering that before, Man-at-Arms," Hutch hurriedly explained. "I could have taken a party there and investigated, rather than dragging you all out here. Although I am glad of a chance to get to see you all again, I seem to have made you targets of some kind." His gaze lingered on Adora, and Hawk tensed.
"It's nothing we haven't dealt with before," Adam replied lightly. He caught Hawk's glower and nudged the pirate with his foot. "Hawk and Adora had an interesting conversation with a few folks back in Bereathia. Have you ever heard of the Specter giving away the money he steals?"
Hutch laughed. "That's a good one, Adam."
Adam didn't crack a smile. "I'm serious, Hutch."
The baron stared at him in disbelief. "You are?"
"Yes," Adora chimed in. "We came across two people who had devastating circumstances, and without some kind soul dropping off money just in time, they would have lost everything."
Hutch shook his head. "I've not heard anything like that here in Myrna, and believe me, the people could use it. This ground is no good for farming, except for over in Rock Haven, and mining is uncertain work. There are times when we hit a lode and life is good, but when we've gone a long stretch as we have the last few years…" He shrugged. "I'm sure you can see for yourself the results," he added with a careless wave of his hand. For the first time, his voice lost some of its cheerfulness, taking on an almost wistful tone.
"I see," Adam said slowly as he took in what Hutch indicated, which was the entire room as well as the meal before them. There was enough for everyone there, but certainly not the bountiful variety they were used to at the palace. And, Adam realized for the first time, the meat was a type of venison, which would be in plentiful supply in this area regardless of the time of year. "Hutch, I believe Duncan may have an invention that could be of use to you. It would take him some time to construct it, but it could make several areas of Myrna suitable for farming."
Duncan realized the prince was referring to the rock softener he had developed several years ago. After Evil-Lyn had tried to use it on the walls of Castle Grayskull, they had locked up both the prototype and the plans. The prototype was no longer usable. But with Skeletor, Evil-Lyn and many of the other evil villains defeated, it might be safe to build a new one.
"Yes, I think Adam's right," he said slowly. "It would take some time, but we could have some land ready for the next planting season."
Hutch grinned, his white teeth gleaming between his mustache and beard. "That would be wonderful, my friends!" he exclaimed.
"And in the meantime, if you need anything for your people, let me know," Adam added.
Hutch leaned back in his chair and beamed at everyone. "And my mother said a questionable friendship with the prince would never pay off," he joked.
Adam chuckled. "I remember that!"
"Care to clue the rest of us in?" Adora asked, her curiosity piqued by her brother's laughter.
Adam shook his head, reddening slightly. "Not really, sis."
"Oh, come now, Prince Adam, it wasn't your fault you were led astray by a conniving older nobleman," Hutch ribbed him. Adam held up his hands.
"Oh no. I haven't told a soul in thirteen years, I'm not going to do it now. We promised each other," Adam said. Guilt was all over his face.
Hutch waved a hand. "Adam, really, a promise made that long ago, don't be ridiculous." Adam and Teela exchanged smirks. "Besides, I had my fingers crossed."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Hawk muttered under his breath. Hutch didn't hear him.
"Let's see, I was seventeen, and you were what, just barely twelve?" Hutch asked Adam. Adam shook his head again.
"To quote an old saying of my mother's, Hutch, I'm pleading the fifth."
"Your mother and her sayings," the baron grumbled with a grin on his face. "She's more fun to listen to than a symphony orchestra."
Adora laughed. "I'll tell her you said that, Hutch." The baron flashed his teeth at her again. Hawk crossed his arms, feeling decidedly belligerent.
"As I was saying," Hutch continued, "Adam and I were bored to tears. Man-at-Arms had banned us from his workshop, Cringer was refusing to come near me, and the future captain Teela was busy training." He winked at her, and Teela found herself blushing.
He's an incorrigible flirt, Hawk thought, frowning darkly. Adam kicked him under the table again, and Hawk arranged his face into a more pleasant look—after throwing the prince a sour glance. Adam grinned, though he was still a bit pink. The promise had been between Hutch and himself, and it was before they had been caught, so there really wasn't a reason to keep it a secret any more. But while the whole thing still struck his funny bone, he felt guilty about it as well.
"Anyway," Hutch continued grandly, "Adam had figured out how to make a great present, but he hadn't actually given it to anyone yet." Adam snickered at his description, causing his friends and his sister to look at him with raised eyebrows. The prince gave up trying to stay out of it.
"I figured out how to make a stink bomb that would go off when someone opened a box, but wouldn't actually hurt them," he admitted sheepishly.
Duncan's eyes were as wide as the Eternian moons. He knew exactly where this was going now. "That was you two?" he asked incredulously.
Adam's face flushed again. "'Fraid so, Duncan."
"You did it to my father?" Teela asked in disbelief.
"N-no," Adam answered, nearly choking on his own laughter and embarrassment now.
"We chose our victim much more carefully," Hutch informed them all in a mock-serious tone. "He had to be someone, first of all, that we didn't like. He had to be someone who could be sent away from the palace, because dear Adam came up with a winner—the smell lasted for a whole week."
"Adam!" Adora gasped, her hand going over her mouth. She had heard he was much more mischievous in his youth, but she had no idea he had been this bad. Her brother's face was now redder than when Frosta had draped herself all over He-Man. Even his ears and neck were brightly flushed.
"Furthermore," Hutch continued, "he had to be someone no one else liked either, so if we were discovered, the punishment would be less severe. That left us with only one person." He grinned at Hawk. "Captain Sea Hawk, I bet you're a clever sort at figuring this stuff out. Who would be your guess?"
Hawk narrowed his eyes. Hutch knew he hadn't been on Eternia long enough to know many people. He was picking on him deliberately. "I'd say it was Duke Sully."
"We have a winner!" Hutch announced, his hazel eyes shining with delight. There was a mixture of gasps and laughs.
"I remember that now!" Teela exclaimed. She turned to Adam with an accusatory look on her face. "You never told me that was you!"
He shrugged guiltily. "Hutch and I promised each other we wouldn't tell anyone anything, so even if one of us got caught, the other wouldn't. Unfortunately, Hutch's mother found us laughing right after Sully opened it. We were watching from one of the balconies."
"Ah, but my mother disliked him even more than we did," Hutch said, his voice booming off of the walls as darkness fell and the electric lights came on. "When we owned up to what we'd done, she suddenly had to go to the bathroom."
"She was in there for a really long time," Adam recalled with a lopsided smile. "And there were the strangest noises coming from there."
Hutch laughed outright. "That there were! When she came out, I received a very long lecture about setting an example for younger children and being a true friend to the prince rather than a questionable one. But I swear she had to stop four times to gather herself together again."
Adam shook his head. "We caused some real trouble together, you and I," he said, grinning at Hutch. "And the older we got, the worse we got."
"So what happened to the dangerous duo?" Adora asked wryly, propping her chin in her hand.
"My father died five years ago, and my mother shortly after," Hutch said, his voice sobering for the first time all evening. "I had to get serious." With an effort he straightened up and gave a mock-glare to Adam. "But he got boring first. He turned eighteen and had no time for fun anymore."
Adam grinned and shrugged self-consciously. "We all have to grow up sometime, Hutch. I just had to do it before you."
Hutch chuckled. "And I'm the older one. Well, now, onto other things. What are your plans for the investigation the next few days?"