Adam laid against Cringer with a groan. The tiger stayed perfectly still, not wanting to hurt Adam. The prince put a hand to his stomach. The stitches had come out several days ago—thanks to that wonderful rapid recovery rate of his—but he was still sore, and he'd taken a blow there during the rounds that morning.
"Cringer, next time those two gang up on me, remind me to walk away," he told his friend. A shadow fell over him and Teela sat down next to him, her legs crossed.
"We wouldn't have been so tough on you if you'd bothered to defend yourself," she told him pertly. She eyed his hand, which still covered his stomach. "You didn't re-injure yourself, did you?"
"No, you and Duncan did that for me," he complained half-heartedly.
"Why don't you just use the sword?" she asked, her brow wrinkled in concern.
"I try not to use it for my own benefit," Adam explained. "I do if I'm hurt badly enough, but I should be able to handle a few bruises and sore muscles."
"Oh," Teela said, picking at the grass. She wondered if that was the truth, or if he was avoiding using the sword. She'd found it odd that he hadn't transformed at the same time She-Ra had yesterday. Teela had tracked him down to talk to him about something else, but now she wasn't sure it was the right time. She was silent for a moment.
"What is it, Teela?" Adam asked. "I can tell something's bothering you."
She kept picking at the grass. "This isn't the time to discuss it, Adam. You're tired, sore, and…it's just not the time."
Adam laughed outright. Teela's head shot up.
"What's so funny?" she demanded.
"Teela, not to sound condescending, but welcome to my life," he answered, still chuckling. "The only difference between now and a few weeks ago is that you know I'm tired and sore and that all's not right in my world." His voice sobered some on the last words, but he was still grinning.
Teela's mouth dropped open, and then she closed it. He was absolutely right. She let out a rueful chuckle.
"Well, there is one other difference," she added. Adam quirked an eyebrow at her. "You're not hiding how you feel from me any more."
"True," he acknowledged with a nod. At least, not physically, he added silently. He straightened up so they could talk. If he kept on reclining against Cringer, he might fall asleep.
As if reading his mind, Teela suddenly switched her position so she was on her knees, leaning towards him. Her eyes were intent on his face. "So why have you been avoiding me, Adam?"
"I've been avoiding everyone, Teela," he replied automatically, caught off-guard by the question.
"Adam, you're so used to giving your vague answers I think you do it without even realizing it," she complained. "Look, I know you've been having a hard time dealing with Darren's death. I know you've been keeping to yourself the last few days. But for six and a half years, you held part of yourself back from me. A few months ago, we started to regain the closeness we used to share. Now that I know your secret, we should be growing closer, but we're not. You've pulled farther away from me than ever. Call it woman's intuition, but I think it's more than just the whole thing with Darren. What's going on?"
Teela had leaned in closer and closer to Adam as she spoke, and her voice dropped lower. Her vivid green eyes were full of concern and something else Adam was afraid to name. As he stared at her and took in her ivory skin and flawless, beautiful face, Adam found himself going against what he knew he should do. He knew he should walk away, answer her, tickle her…anything but what he did.
He slowly reached up and cupped her face with one hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Teela's eyes widened in surprise, then drifted closed. They slowly leaned towards each other, and their lips met for the first time, ever so gently. The kiss deepened; then Adam reluctantly broke away, his breathing haggard. Remorse filled him. He'd just crossed an impossible line. They couldn't go back, nor could they move forward.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he said hoarsely. He glanced behind him and saw that Cringer had thankfully fallen asleep.
Teela's temper flared. "Why not?" she demanded.
"For the same reason I've been avoiding you," Adam admitted. "Friendship is all we can have, Teela."
"Who said I wanted more?" she asked defensively, pulling back. Adam let her go. It would be easier to let her be angry than to have her push for answers. Unfortunately, he got both. "And why couldn't we be more than friends?" she added. "Because I'm not royalty?"
"Teela, you know me better than that," he chided her gently. She frowned at him.
"Then why?"
"I…I can't tell you," he admitted.
Her eyebrows furrowed as her mouth dropped open. "Another secret?"
"You asked me that we have no more secrets between us, Teela, remember?" Adam took a breath as she nodded. "I couldn't promise you that, and I still can't."
"And it's something else you can't tell me."
The corner of his mouth tugged up a bit. "Well, it is a secret." At her glare he sighed. "It's not my place to tell you, Teela. You'll know someday, but I can't tell you."
His words sounded familiar enough that they struck a chord in her memory. Teela's lips parted. "You know who my mother is," she whispered.
Adam started at her insight. At his reluctant nod, anger welled up inside of her. He knew who her mother was, and had never even hinted at it.
"How could you keep that from me?" she hissed at him. "How, when you know how much it means to me?"
"Teela, it's not my secret to tell," he said, his face strained. "I'm sorry. I can't break that trust."
Teela stood up and walked away, struggling to compose herself. His honor was part of what she loved about him. She couldn't expect him to break from that because of her. She would think less of him if he did. She'd known her father was keeping it from her; why was she surprised Adam also knew?
Adam stood as well but let her go, hoping she'd calm down some. He wandered down to the stream, absently throwing rocks in it. He was surprised when she returned in less than a half-hour.
"So what does that have to do with us?" she demanded as if she hadn't left. She was still angry.
"There's more." While she'd been gone he had decided to tell her as much as he could. He took her hands in his; she didn't pull away, but his words, his tone—suddenly she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. "You have a very special destiny, Teela, one that is far larger than you and I. You are going to be very important to Eternia. I can't stand in the way of that."
Teela tightened dug her hands into his, not meaning to hurt him, but needing to release her anger and confusion in some way. "That can't be true."
"It is."
"What could possibly be that important?" she asked.
"I can't tell you," Adam said, shaking his head. "Nor can I risk being the cause of you turning away from that destiny."
"Isn't that my decision to make?"
"Yes," Adam agreed, "but until you know your past, and the possibilities of your future, I have to make the best decision I can, so that when you are faced with that choice, you make the right decision for Eternia." The sadness in his gaze cut through her anger.
"How do you know all this stuff?" Teela demanded, near tears now.
"One of the perks of the job," he answered quietly, a touch of sarcasm lacing the words.
"And this…destiny of mine, there's no way around it?" she asked desperately. She was grasping at straws. She knew that if this destiny was as important to Eternia as Adam was describing, she would accept it.
"Nothing's written in stone, Teela," Adam repeated the Sorceress' words. He tugged her into his arms, and she buried her face in his chest. "I'm sorry, Captain," he whispered.
"Me too," came her muffled reply.
They clung together as if they were about to be torn apart any second. Adam gave a soft sigh. Teela would embrace her destiny to be the next Sorceress of Grayskull, just as he had accepted his own to become He-Man. They would fight side-by-side, but they would never be together in the way they both wanted. He knew it in his heart, and just as he had accepted his troubles caused by his dual identities, he accepted this.
Duncan and Marlena both noticed the tension between Adam and Teela that night. They were polite to each other, but avoided each other's eyes. They talked to anyone else but each other. Duncan cast a questioning glance at Marlena, who shrugged. Orko and Randor were oblivious, as usual.
Duncan didn't have long to wait to find out what was going on. As they left the dining room, he asked, "Teela, is everything alright between you and Adam? You both seemed…a little tense tonight."
"Everything's fine, if you discount the fact that Adam kissed me, apologized for it, and told me we can't have more than friendship," she summed up shortly.
Duncan bit back a groan "He actually said that?"
"Pretty much," Teela admitted, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. "Did you know that he knows who my mother is? Of course you did," she answered herself. Her throat grew tight. "He wouldn't tell me a thing about her, of course." She glanced at Duncan and saw the irritation in his face.
"He didn't tell me he knew who she was, Father," she hurriedly defended Adam. "I sort of guessed that." A tear escaped, and she sniffed, wiping it away quickly. "Then he said I have some sort of special destiny. He said he couldn't stand in the way of it." Her temper flared briefly. "Like it's his decision alone." Her temper faded quickly and another tear fell.
"You do have a very special destiny, Teela," her father admitted. "And you must remember who Adam is. He is not only the prince, he is also He-Man. His own happiness will never come before the good of Eternia. If he believes you are needed, he has to do what he thinks is right."
"I know," she whispered. "I'm not mad at him. It's not his fault. It's just that I love him, Father. And I always thought I would be the one by his side. Now that will never happen."
Duncan pulled his daughter to him and held her tightly. "You don't know that, Teela. No one does."
Adam stood on the balcony overlooking the kingdom, watching the sun set. He needed this perspective tonight. He needed to remember that there was a reason for all of the sacrifices he made every day.
He wished he had someone to talk to, but the only ones who knew of Teela's destiny were Duncan and the Sorceress. Somehow he couldn't imagine telling either of them that he'd messed up his friendship with Teela by kissing her.
"Adam?"
He turned to find Marlena approaching, her green robes flowing about her. "Good evening, Mother."
"Good evening, son. Is everything alright?"
Adam didn't answer immediately. "It's something to do with Teela, isn't it?" Marlena asked. She stood beside her son, gazing out towards the sunset. "It wasn't very long ago I stood out here with her as she fretted over her feelings about you and He-Man."
"Oh?"
Marlena smiled at his tone, not knowing she was about to make him feel worse. "She was in love with both of you, and couldn't understand it. I told her to take it slowly."
Adam's heart skipped a beat. Teela already loved him. While part of him rejoiced that she returned his feelings, he also panicked. How would that affect her choice when she was presented with her destiny?
"Adam? You look like I just hit you with a brick," Marlena said in concern.
He leaned on the railing and dropped his head into his hands. "I did something really stupid today, Mom."
"You most certainly did," came Duncan's voice. Adam's stomach tightened. Obviously Teela had told him what had happened. He turned to face his mentor, who was about as angry as Adam had ever seen him.
"I can accept you kissing my daughter, Adam, since I know how you feel about her. But telling her that you know who her mother is? That she has a special destiny? What were you thinking?" Duncan demanded. "Don't you realize she could figure it out, just as she figured out your secret?"
"All I did—" Adam stopped. "You're right, Duncan."
"Does someone mind clueing in the queen here?" Marlena asked, half-amused. She was thrilled Adam had finally done something about his feelings for Teela.
"Actually, Duncan's questions just summed it up pretty well," Adam said ruefully. "Except that I also told Teela we can't be more than friends because of her destiny."
"Which is…?" Marlena queried.
Both Adam and Duncan shook their heads. "Never mind," Marlena sighed. "You two have more secrets that a set of parents at Christmastime." The men exchanged confused glances, which Marlena ignored.
"Are you sure this destiny has to stand between you two?" she asked her son sadly. She so wanted to see them together. She already loved Teela like a daughter.
"As sure as I can be," Adam answered. "No one knows the future for sure, Mother."
"Then isn't it worth a chance?" she asked reasonably.
Adam shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "As the prince of Eternia and guardian of Grayskull, my duty comes first. As much as I want her by my side, one day, Teela will be needed elsewhere."
The next morning, Randor tracked Adam down, finding him in a private corner of the royal library. Adam held a book in front of him, but he'd read the same page five times and still didn't know what it said. He'd given up and had been just staring into space for close to an hour.
They were the only two there; Randor locked the door to make sure they weren't disturbed and approached his son, a mixture of determination and hesitation on his face. Adam waited watchfully as his father sat down. Randor wasn't a patient man, and knowing that he had been wanting answers for some time, Adam had been expecting this. But the king surprised him.
"I know you have to work through this somewhat on your own, Adam, but keeping yourself from your family and friends won't help," Randor said quietly. "I've watched you the last few days. You've cut yourself off as completely as you can without being obvious about it. You need to be talking about what happened, not burying it inside." He sat back and waited patiently for Adam's response.
"I can't," Adam said, his tone also serious and low. His father had caught him off-guard; he'd expected Randor to question his secret, not open up this discussion.
"Why? Because you're afraid of losing control of your emotions?" Randor challenged softly. He saw the surprise in Adam's face before he hid it, and he sighed heavily. "Son, you and I are more alike than you know," he said somewhat sadly. "Please, talk to me."
Adam hesitated, but couldn't deny his father's request. Randor was truly trying to help. The trial had resulted in a new level to their relationship; for the first time since he was a teenager, Adam had found that he wanted and needed his father's support during the trial. He still did—and he didn't resent that fact at all. He also sensed that Randor needed this.
Adam had no idea how right he was. Randor had seen that everyone around Adam seemed to know his secret, whatever it might be, and he did not. He needed to know that he and his son still had a relationship beyond king and prince, as Marlena had challenged. He needed to know if his son still needed him.
"I know that what we saw revealed by the Sword of Truth should have helped," Adam said slowly, "and it did at first. But I still see Darren's face when I pick up a sword. I've always hated fighting, Father." He paused slightly and turned downcast eyes at the table. "I suppose that's not what you want to hear."
Adam felt a firm hand on his shoulder, and he looked into his father's eyes. "Adam, if you liked fighting, I would be concerned that you would lead this kingdom into war when you took over. Instead, I am reassured that you are a man of peace, and will do whatever you can to avoid war. That's nothing to be ashamed of," the king said, pride in his voice. "As for remembering that fight every time you pick up a sword…that will pass, Adam. Eventually, it will fade or you will accept it and move on."
Adam swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting his voice for a minute. "Thank you, Father," he finally said.
"Adam…" his father said uncertainly. Here comes the inquisition, Adam thought, steeling himself. "I know I'm tough on you, but I hope you know that you can always talk to me. About anything." His voice and face left no doubt as to the meaning of his words. Adam didn't pretend to be ignorant about it.
"I will, Father," he answered. "When the time is right." He silently asked his father to trust him in return, and the king seemed to get the message.
"Good. Well, if you need anything, Adam, please let me know." With that, his father left the room, Adam thoughtfully staring after him.
Duncan insisted that Adam train with Teela in the private room again later that morning. He wanted to see for himself where the prince stood; he saw that Adam wasn't quite as hesitant as he had been the day before, but he was still slow in his reaction times.
"Maybe if I didn't ache all over from the beating you gave me yesterday, I wouldn't be so slow," Adam returned mildly when Duncan brought it up. "Excuse me. My father's expecting me at a trade negotiation this morning."
"He may be telling the truth, Father," Teela said as she put away her sword and shield. "I found him lying out by the stream yesterday, and he looked like he was in pain."
"Maybe, but I think there's more to it," Man-at-Arms mused. He told her what had happened the day the trial ended. "He hasn't become He-Man in over a week, but he still looks stressed. He should be out there tracking Skeletor down and finding out how he managed to impersonate He-Man so well. Instead, he's not really doing anything."
Teela's eyes narrowed. "You think he's avoiding using the Power Sword."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Adam was just coming out of the trade meeting, his stomach growling audibly, when Teela ran down the hall. "The Widgets have signaled for He-Man! We have to go, now!"
Adam followed her into an empty room. I swore to protect the innocent, he reminded himself. He raised the Power Sword and hesitated for only a fraction of a second before calling on Grayskull's power. He caught Teela staring at him as he finished.
"What?" he asked self-consciously.
She cast about for a reason to be staring. "Your scars are gone," she answered. She didn't want to tell him that he'd surprised her with his willingness to become He-Man. Like Duncan, she'd been afraid he would try to get out of it.
"Hidden," He-Man muttered. He put a hand to his stomach as he deliberately tightened his muscles. There was a lingering soreness, but it shouldn't hinder him. "Let's go!"
Together they ran for a Wind Raider. Duncan was already there, and Orko floated over just as they were ready to leave.
"I hope we get there in time," He-Man said. "I've got a funny feeling about this." His voice was tight, and Teela and Duncan exchanged worried glances.
I hope he's ready for this, Duncan thought, feeling anxious himself.
The Widgets' fortress seemed deserted when they arrived. An eerie silence hung over the place. The main door hung open, and there wasn't a guard in sight.
"I don't like this," Teela said uneasily, swatting at a fly buzzing around her head.
"Me neither," He-Man agreed. He half-heartedly shooed away a fly that landed on his shoulder. "Where are the Widgets?"
A blast of magic came from behind them, enveloping Man-at-Arms and turning him into a bee. He-Man and Teela swung around, swords at the ready, Teela swallowing the instinctive cry that rose as she saw her father's fate.
"That's what happened to those wretched Widgets!" Skeletor said gleefully. "The same that will happen to you, I'm afraid!" He-Man leapt in front of Teela, blocking the shaping staff's shot with the Power Sword.
"The shaping staff," He-Man said. "Great." He glanced around. They were completely surrounded by Evil-Lyn, Whiplash, Beastman, and Trap Jaw.
"Get them, you fools!" Skeletor cried. He-Man kept one eye on Skeletor as he blocked Evil-Lyn's blast, directing it towards Whiplash. Whiplash ducked, but it ricocheted off of a piece of metal and hit Beastman, knocking him unconscious.
"Good enough for me," He-Man muttered. "One down, four to go."
Teela, meanwhile, had blocked Trap Jaw's laser with her shield. Knowing her sword would be useless against his metal-eating jaw, she fired her freeze ray at him and Whiplash, hoping to keep them busy. Orko conjured up a bucketful of marbles that spilled out at Evil-Lyn's feet, but she wasn't dumb enough to move. She kept her feet still and continued to fire off blasts at He-Man, while Skeletor did the same with the shaping staff. Finally, one of Teela's freeze rays caught Trap Jaw, and a deflected ray from the shaping staff turned Whiplash into a large yellow flower with glowing eyes.
Teela took her place by He-Man's side and watched Evil-Lyn and Skeletor. Neither of them seemed concerned, and that bothered her. Normally Skeletor would be yelling at his minions by now, she thought.
"Well done, He-Man," Skeletor said sarcastically. "Let's try something a little different, shall we?" He pointed the shaping staff at a small rock. As it rose into the air, it grew larger and larger. Evil-Lyn continued to blast magic at them, preventing He-Man and Teela from getting close enough to Skeletor to stop him.
"Run Teela!" He-Man cried out.
She grabbed his arm. "Not without you!"
"No! I can't!" He looked around as the rock continued to grow, reaching the size of a large mountaintop. Teela followed his gaze and saw the flower that was Whiplash, as well as the still forms of Beastman and Trap Jaw. The rock would crush them, and Skeletor wouldn't care.
"GO!" He-Man commanded. He re-sheathed the Power Sword. Teela knew there was nothing she could do help him if she stayed. She ran beyond the shadow of the giant rock and used her communicator to call for help.
The boulder came rushing down, and He-Man caught it, driven to one knee by its speed and weight. He struggled against it, muscles burning. Skeletor kept the shaping staff on it and continued to grow it larger and larger. It pressed against the walls of the fortress, threatening the Widgets' home.
Orko tried to get the staff away from Skeletor by using a spell, but instead he made another staff—really just a simple walking stick—appear in Skeletor's other hand. It was enough to distract the villain and cause the ray to break off.
"You little worm!" Skeletor shouted. He pointed the shaping staff at Orko, who dodged the first blast, but not the second. He dropped to the ground, taking on the appearance of the legless creature Skeletor had intended. Teela appeared nearby and shot a freeze ray at Skeletor, which he deflected with his hand. He and Evil-Lyn both attacked Teela, and she dove behind some rocks for cover.
Sweat poured down He-Man's face; his legs began to tremble. "By the power of Grayskull," he whispered, and felt the sword pulling extra power to him. With a final heave, he tossed the gigantic boulder out of the fortress. He immediately fell to one knee again and steadied himself with the opposite hand. He scanned the area and saw Teela behind Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, who were now focused on him.
"Whoops," he said as they let out simultaneous blasts. He leapt into the air, somersaulting over them, and swung around to meet them, sword in hand. Teela popped up and shot off a freeze ray, finally catching Evil-Lyn off-guard. The witch froze in position, anger twisting her otherwise beautiful face.
"This is far from over, He-Man," Skeletor grinned. He levitated some rocks and started them flying at the hero. He-Man sliced through them or deflected them easily. Teela tried to help, but Skeletor raised one hand and encased her in chains.
"Stay out of this, woman," he sneered. He continued shooting rocks at He-Man, gradually making them larger with the shaping staff.
I can't keep this up forever, He-Man realized. His arm was tiring. He switched the sword to his other hand, a rock catching him in the left shoulder as he did so. His breathing became labored as the rocks continued to increase in size and number.
Suddenly, Skeletor pointed the shaping staff at the ground around He-Man, and a split appeared in the ground. As He-Man dropped down, the walls immediately started closing in on him. He shoved against them with all his might, but the strain quickly became apparent.
Teela finally understood what Skeletor was doing. Skeletor doesn't know it, but he really could wear me down…eventually, Adam's voice rang in her mind. Skeletor had figured it out, at least to some degree.
I've got to get loose, she thought. Somebody, help us!