Sorry that this took so long to post. Believe it or not, a main phone line was cut a few miles from my home, so I didn't have any internet access (or a landline phone) for quite a while. Because of that, I have two versions of chapter twenty-one that takes the story in two slightly different places. Strangely that "slight" made the chapters seem mighty different, though. Haha! Blame the telephone company for giving me so much time to over-think things. I re-read the first one several times and was like, "Ah, let's rewrite this." So, this is what came as a result.
Teela's Visitor Chapter 21
He sat up in bed hurriedly and felt his heart pounding. Not caring at that moment about anything else besides Teela, he ran his eyes frantically across the room to find her. He didn't see her until he glanced down at his side.
There she was, sleeping peacefully beside him on his bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He could have sworn he had heard her yelling for him, but he quickly realized it must have been a dream…a horrible dream that was more than likely inspired by Skeletor's evil imaginings. Fortunately, he couldn't remember what the dream had been about.
After sitting there for several minutes trying to ease away his unsettled feeling, he lay back in bed and turned to face Teela. She gave him all the inspiration he needed to forget about everything but her. She was wearing one of his t-shirts and she was unbelievably cute: the collar was so large that her right shoulder was completely bare and she had to roll up the sleeves so her hands wouldn't be covered. He had the urge to lean over and kiss her shoulder, but he stopped himself. He didn't want to wake her up—she looked so peaceful and beautiful. He could stare at her for hours.
But instead, he looked down at himself and blushed. It was at that moment that he realized he was still undressed—he had fallen asleep waiting for Teela to emerge from the bathroom. At least he had his blankets thrown over him, so he was somewhat covered. Feeling awkward because he had never slept naked before, he got out of the bed carefully so he wouldn't wake up Teela and strolled to his closet. He grabbed one of his usual nightwear pieces and slipped it on over his head. He debated on whether he should take a shower but decided against it because he didn't want to wake her up and the water surely would.
Climbing back into bed, he lay on his side facing her and continued to simply watch her sleep. He couldn't believe his luck. He knew long ago that Teela was the love of his life, but he had also come to the sobering conclusion after He-Man had come into existence that they would never be together. He had believed she would never be able to see him in a positive light, because she had gotten into the habit of comparing him to He-Man. He had known that he would always fall short as Adam…
But now, he knew differently. She loved him. She loved him so much that she was willing to sleep by his side to make sure he was okay after he had a particularly hard day. She loved him so much that she was willing to give up some of her responsibilities with the Guard. She loved him so much that she allowed them to express their love in ways that neither one of them had experienced with anyone else.
He smiled as he thought about their earlier actions. She never ceased to amaze him and he had learned today that Teela was quite the seductress. If she had used those charms on him when she had first wanted to make love, he knew he would have given in right then. It was a good thing she decided to wait, though. Who knew that decision would lead to such a…pleasing alternative?
He blushed as he remembered Teela's touch. They had only been together for a short time and they were certainly new to the business of lovemaking, but she already knew how to touch him to drive him wild. And, he seemed to know what she liked, too. She hadn't really said just like he hadn't told her, but the moans and quivers that ran through her body earlier told him that he had done a good job.
He smiled at himself as he felt a burst of male pride swell in his chest. He never knew he could be so…primitive. He had listened to other men in the past brag about their sexual prowess and their skill to please women. He had always believed their behavior to be a little barbaric, but now he understood to a certain degree. Oh, he wouldn't go bragging to everyone like they did, but it did incredible things to his ego to know that he was able to please her as much as she did him. He laughed a little to himself quietly as he thought about himself being He-Man: he was supposed to be a barbarian, after all. It fit.
A hum brought him out of his thoughts, and he watched as Teela moved and stretched a little beside him. "Adam," he heard her mumble.
He wasn't sure if she was awake or not, so he scooted closer and stared at her face. Suddenly, a hand reached out from underneath the covers and rested on his hip. She opened her eyes and whispered, "I could hear you thinking."
He raised his brow, unsure of how to respond. Was she joking or was he projecting his thoughts accidentally? A blush settled on his face as he remembered exactly what he had been thinking…
She stared at him for a few moments and must have seen his worry or embarrassment, because she grinned suddenly and said amusedly, "I'm just playing. I felt your eyes on me, so I knew you had to be thinking about earlier."
She scooted closer to him, so he slipped an arm around her and held her close. "Yes, I was," he admitted. "I was thinking about how unbelievable it all seems. I never thought I'd be able to touch you or be with you and now that it's happening…"
"It's like a dream," she finished.
He nodded. "Yes, and it's one I don't want to wake up from."
She kissed him lightly on the lips and whispered, "You won't. I promise you that."
She snuggled beside his chest and mumbled, "Get some sleep, Adam. We have a big day tomorrow."
He grinned as he tightened his hold on her. "Yes, ma'am," he whispered teasingly. With Teela actually in his arms, he hoped it would keep any potential nightmares away. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
=)=)=)
The next morning he opened his eyes to sight of Teela watching him. She had her head propped up by her arm and she was just staring at his face. He smiled and whispered, "Good morning."
She returned the soft smile and greeting. "Good morning."
They gazed at each other and Adam's smile morphed into a full-fledged grin.
"What?" she asked clearly amused.
"Oh, nothing," he replied. "I'm just happy that you're here. I like seeing you as soon as I wake up."
She reached out, grabbed his hand, and intertwined their fingers. "I do, too," she admitted softly. She scooted over and rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.
He could get used to this. In fact, he wanted to but he knew it was nowhere near the right time for that. As a matter of fact, spending the night with one another was one of their courting rituals, but they were in no way doing it correctly and it was meant to be done only one time before they were married. He grinned as he thought of all the protocols they had to follow. Despite the fact that all the eyes of the people would be on them constantly, he was actually looking forward to courting Teela openly and experiencing all of the things he had read about. They just had to get things started by announcing their relationship…and that would happen today.
He grinned as he tightened his arms around her even more and glanced down at the top of her head. "Are you ready for our big announcement?" he questioned.
She nodded and turned her head to kiss the center of his chest. "Yes," she answered, "but I'm a little unsure about what will happen at court today. It wasn't in chapter one of that books of yours."
He scooted up to rest his back against the headboard, so she sat up to face him. "Court will start as it normally does," he answered; "Father will make his announcements. If anyone has anything to address with him, they'll do so. Half way through thereabouts, he'll stand and tell everyone he has a big announcement to make. Then, he'll tell them. We might have to walk to the center of the floor before him or something, but he'll tell us what to do."
"So…should I wear a dress? I mean, this is the day that everyone learns we're courting, but the court is going to know something is up if I show up in a dress instead of my uniform." She looked a little worried.
He shrugged. "It's up to you. I don't care either way, but if you do decide to wear a dress, don't worry about them knowing something is up. Let them ponder and drive themselves crazy." He leaned towards her and kissed her softly.
She grinned. "What will you be wearing?"
"Probably my normal apparel," he answered with a shrug. Then, he smiled and said, "Well, I might wear a darker tunic for the occasion. I hadn't really thought about that aspect of things until you just brought it up."
She rolled her eyes and snapped playfully, "Typical. Well, I need to get up and get ready for the day. I'm sure King Randor has expectations even if you don't, so I can't look like a slob during this announcement."
"That's impossible," he replied.
She laughed a little and exclaimed, "Well, I'm glad you think so, but you're biased!" She leaned forward, kissed him, and got out of bed. She grabbed her uniform off the floor and headed for the bathroom to change.
=)=)=)
Teela had decided not to join them for breakfast so she could get ready for court, which would have taken place shortly thereafter. He had found that out from Man-at-Arms when he had sat down in front of him in the dining room.
From that point forward, time seemed to slow down significantly. He kept groaning and glancing at the chronometer on the wall once they had gotten into the throne room. After the fifth time of him doing this, his father called out, "Court will get started soon enough, son. You're driving us crazy with all of the noises you're making over there."
He folded his arms in front of him and blushed a little. "I'm sorry, Father. I'm just ready for Teela to get here and for court to start so we can get this over with."
"I don't doubt that," he replied. He looked over to Man-at-Arms and said, "Duncan, we might as well let the courtiers in."
Adam looked around and spoke rapidly, "But Teela's not here, yet!"
"She'll be here when the time is right," stated Randor with a wink to his mother. Adam knew at that moment that his father must have gotten to Teela at some point and told her when to show up. His father planned on making this into a bigger spectacle than it needed to be. He expected as much, but he wished it hadn't included keeping him away from Teela for so long.
As he had predicted, court happened pretty much the same way he had told Teela it would. His father had made several random announcements about things throughout the kingdom and then opened the floor for questions if they had any. Afterward, the courtiers were free to mingle with each other if they so wished.
He had been going from group to group greeting people for almost half an hour before his father finally stood and cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention. He held his hands up and said, "Friends, now that we've all socialized and said our hellos to everyone, I have a very important announcement to make, and of course, we wanted you to be the first ones to know."
He swallowed nervously as he looked for Teela. She still hadn't arrived.
Everyone was silent waiting for the king to tell them whatever he had to say. Instead, he turned to Adam and said, "Son, come to the throne, please."
As he approached, his mother and father descended the steps and met him at the bottom. He raised his brow at his father and whispered, "If we're going through all of this for just the courting announcement, what are you going to do when I get engaged?"
Randor laughed and replied softly, "Oh, it will be better than this, trust me."
He shook his head a little and turned around to face the crowd. He stood beside his father and searched for Teela one more time with no luck. He then turned his attention to his father as he spoke.
"I am very happy to announce the courtship of my son." There was a gasp and all of the women in court started whispering to themselves hurriedly. Randor held a hand up and the room silenced instantly. He smiled at his son and continued, "Prince Adam of Eternia has chosen to court a remarkable young woman that I have watched grow up right alongside him, and I have no doubt that she will make a fine princess and future queen."
He widened his eyes at his father. The short speech made this seem like an engagement more than anything else. The king suddenly turned to him and said, "Tell us who you have chosen, son."
He faced the crowd and stated confidently without missing a beat, "Lady Teela, Captain of the Royal Guard and Daughter of our Man-at-Arms."
More gasps were heard but they were suddenly drowned out by the sounds of the throne room doors opening loudly. Everyone turned around to see Man-at-Arms holding the door open. Standing in the threshold was Teela, and Adam found himself gaping at her right along with everyone else.
Teela looked like a princess. Literally. She was in a sleeveless light green dress, and it was so light that it was almost white. The bodice was tight on her torso but the skirt flowed out to the floor from her waist. Her long auburn hair was down but her bangs were held out of her eyes by a diamond-studded tiara that sat on the crown of her head.
He was suddenly glad he had chosen a fancier tunic and a pair of breeches instead of his usual ensemble. He would have definitely looked underdressed if he hadn't…and he was still lacking a little. His tunic was the rich red one he had told Teela about and his breeches were loose and a dark gray color.
"Well, go get her, son," his father whispered in his ear, breaking him out of the stupor Teela's presence had put him in.
The courtiers parted down the middle for him as he approached Teela. She grinned at him as he stepped forward and grabbed her hand which was covered by an extremely long white glove that went to her elbow. He smiled and whispered, "You look breathtaking, so beautiful."
"Thank your parents," she whispered back.
"I figured," he mumbled. He turned to face the court and tucked her hand around his arm as he led her to the front of the room.
Once they stood beside his parents, his father smiled brightly and announced, "Tonight we are going to have a royal ball to mark the occasion. All of you are invited to join us, of course."
The crowd started clapping enthusiastically. His father turned to him and winked before heading back up to sit on the throne. That was the sign that the announcement was over, so the courtiers took that opportunity to approach to congratulate them. Soon enough, the group dispersed and they all went back to the normal spots. Even Adam and Teela found themselves standing next to Man-at-Arms, but instead of commenting on politics like they usually did, they talked about themselves, the announcement, and the upcoming ball.
"Well, that was easier than expected," she mumbled softly. "All I had to do was show up in this."
He ran his eyes down her body in the most unnoticeable way he could manage. He knew Teela saw, though, since she was looking straight at him. "You do look amazing," he replied. "I definitely wasn't expecting it."
"But you like it, right?"
At that moment, he realized he no longer had to hide his feelings for Teela in public, so he brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek and answered, "I love it." He then bent and kissed her softly. The kiss was more than a mere meeting of the lips. Instead, Adam pressed his lips to her firmly and ran his tongue over her bottom lip lightly. When she opened her mouth, he pulled away with a grin. He wouldn't put on that much of a display for the courtiers, but oh, he enjoyed Teela's response and the fact that she hadn't cared who saw them.
"I want you so much right now," he whispered in her ear as softly as he could. He didn't want Man-at-Arms to hear since he was standing right beside them.
She grinned wickedly and asked innocently, "Want to find a corner or an unoccupied balcony?"
His eyes almost protruded from his head and she laughed loudly. He suddenly knew she was teasing him and he smirked at her. "You better not play around like that. What if I had taken you up on your offer?"
"And risk your parents or the courtiers finding us? No, I don't think I had to worry about that," she replied smugly.
"Oh, really," he said, nodding a little and looking around. He then smiled innocently at her and mumbled, "To be continued." Before she could question what he meant, he asked casually, "So, I wasn't expecting a ball, but I think it's a nice surprise. What do you think?"
She shrugged. "Well, you know I'm not one for fancy social gatherings, but I suppose I'll have to get used to it. Besides, something tells me it's going to be a lot better now that I'll be on your arm instead of watching you dance with every woman in the room."
He smiled brightly and exclaimed, "Why, Teela, I do believe you sound a little jealous!" He leaned in closer and questioned softly, "Did you not like me dancing with other women?"
"Of course, I didn't," she replied as she glowered at the mere memories. "I often wished it had been me on those dance floors with you."
He pulled her into his arms and whispered, "You should have told me, Teela. I would have been attached to your hip all those nights if I had known."
She chuckled a little and stated, "But I think everything turned out for the best." She pulled back and stared at him. "This day, this moment, made it all worth it."
He brought one of her gloved hands to his lips and kissed it softly before motioning with his head for her to follow him. He led her to a nearby balcony that was attached to the throne room and saw a few couples out there. He cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me. I need to have a private word with…Lady Teela, but I can't leave the party. Would you be so kind as to give us a few minutes alone?"
The courtiers bowed or curtseyed and replied, "Yes, Your Highness." They went back into the throne room hurriedly, and as Teela stepped forward to go to the railing, Adam grabbed and held her to him. He leaned against the wall beside the throne room entrance so they wouldn't be seen.
She raised a brow questioningly in response to his actions, and he explained with a grin, "How about that? I found an unoccupied balcony. Continuation begins."
The widening of her eyes told him she realized what he was talking about.
She glanced around to obviously see if anyone was nearby as he moved her hair from her neck and began to kiss and suck on her skin just below her ear. She moaned a little and complained half-heartedly, "Adam, don't you think we're being just a tad bit impulsive? We might get caught any second."
He pulled back slightly and said, "You're the one who basically challenged me to do this. I guess that means I've won our little competition."
She narrowed her eyes. "What competition?"
He grinned, knowing he had her. Teela was very competitive and he knew it would be hard for her to admit defeat even if they both knew this was a ploy on his part to get on her nerves. "Oh, you know, keeping our word. You suggested that you wanted to find a corner or a balcony, and now that I've gotten one for us, you're backing out. That's not the Captain of the Guard that I know."
She narrowed her eyes even more but then said, "Fine. If you want to play it that way…" She quickly wrapped a hand around his neck to bring his lips to hers. She kissed him relentlessly, rolling her tongue around in numerous locations which left him breathless and wanting more. She then pressed her body to his and smiled as she gripped his backside teasingly. "Mmm, I don't miss the fur-pants a bit."
He moaned as he raked his lips down her throat and started kissing her skin above the neckline of her dress, but he suddenly stopped when he heard his father's voice. He tightened his hold on her and held a finger up as she opened her mouth to speak. Then, they could hear the conversation easily. They could tell his father was on the other side of the wall near the balcony entrance with someone from court.
"It is not my place to dictate my son's life. I refuse to do that," his father stated to whomever he was speaking to. He sounded slightly apologetic, which shocked the prince.
"Randor, we have been talking about this for quite some time. You liked the idea of merging our kingdoms."
Adam's jaw practically hit the floor as he recognized the voice: it was King Moraius from Morainia. The monarch had come to supposedly renew their peace treaty, but Adam hadn't realized that the king had any other interest in Eternos that day until now. He glanced at Teela as she looked up at him worriedly. "What are they talking about?" she whispered.
He shrugged because he didn't want to answer, but he knew. Merging their kingdoms could be done by three means: simply handing it over, taking it by force, or a marriage between the heirs of each kingdom. It was obvious his father and Moraius had plans for him to court and perhaps marry Princess Janice. He shook his head and paid attention again when he heard his father's reply.
"I never said that. What I said was if Adam liked Janice, I would have no problem with the union and merging our kingdoms. I told you I wouldn't oppose it—that's a big difference."
"Randor, you were willing to set up a meeting between the two of them. Adam likes Janice. I know he does. He's just confused, because he has the opportunity to live out one of his childhood fantasies. Captain Teela is a beautiful girl and I can see why he's infatuated by her, but they're from two different worlds. The union won't last. He would be much happier with someone of his own stature."
He heard his father clear his throat, and when he began to speak, Adam was shocked to hear that his father actually sounded a little angry. Moraius was one of his best friends, but of course, so was Man-at-Arms, and Teela was his daughter.
"My son met your daughter when he was nineteen and she was sixteen. I'll admit Adam spoke favorably of Janice when he came home from picking up those energy crystals. He spoke of her intellect and how no one had recognized how smart she was until He-Man and he had pointed it out to everyone. That's mainly the only things I heard about her from him. She hadn't transitioned out of that adolescent phase when they met. I'm sure Adam saw her as a very mature child. That's what I had gathered from our conversation. Now that Janice is a little older, I can see that she's grown and very much matured into a beautiful young woman that Adam might very well have looked at differently if he had seen her a few months ago, but he has already chosen to court Teela. And, as for them being from two different worlds, I resent that. Teela and Adam grew up together. She was never been treated inferiorly, and that's obvious from this very union. Adam loves her. He's loved her for many years, I suspect, so I am going to give them my full blessings. I already have."
"But Randor…"
"There's nothing else to discuss."
"Yes, there is! You don't hear the chatter yet, but I do. There are many people who are upset that Adam didn't choose among the aristocracy. I think they will try to cause problems for the young couple. Why not try to save Adam the heartache?"
Adam kissed Teela on the forehead when he saw her eyes swell with tears. He whispered, "I love you and I don't care what anyone says. I won't let them tear us apart." He silenced when he heard his father's response.
"Do you honestly believe that Adam will care about what those people think? He is my son, remember. I didn't care what any of you said about Marlena! Don't forget this family has been through this before and we persevered. Adam and Teela have even better odds because they will have Marlena and me beside them every step of the way. I appreciate your concern in this matter, and I am honored that you favor a union between our children, but I won't tell my son who he can and can't court. He's made his decision, so I'm going to support him. I'm sorry, Moraius."
No reply came. Instead, Adam heard the sounds of someone walking off rapidly. He stepped to the entrance and pulled Teela to his side. His father was standing alone sideways in front of him, shaking his head. The king saw the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. He gasped as he turned and saw them. "Adam! Teela!" he exclaimed, worriedly.
Adam smiled at him and said quickly, "Thank you, Father. It means a lot to Teela and me to know that you're on our side if anyone has a problem with our relationship."
Randor stepped onto the balcony with them and sighed. "I wish you hadn't heard that. I was planning on handling any problems that arose and I still plan on doing that. I just want you two to focus on your courtship. I want you to have fun getting to know one another better and I want you to forget about everyone else and their opinions. I'll handle it."
Teela grimaced slightly and replied, "We might not be able to forget it. I'm sure they're going to let their opinions be known somehow."
Randor shook his head and stated, "The only person who has complained so far is Moraius. He says others have, but no one has come to me. He's just upset because he had gotten set on the idea of Janice marrying Adam." He looked at his son and then back at her. "But even if others do complain, which probably some will, don't let them ruin this time for you. Ignore it. I'll handle all of the official nonsense that they toss our way. Just live your life and enjoy yourselves."
Adam nodded and thanked him once more. When the king walked away, Adam escorted Teela back into the throne room.
"So, which one is Janice?" she asked casually, but Adam could tell she was still a little upset. Regardless, he knew he had to point her out. Otherwise, it would drive her crazy. He scanned the room hurriedly and soon pointed to his left. "See the girl with the yellow and brown dress standing next to a guy wearing similar colors."
She gulped audibly and whispered, "Yes."
He continued, "That's Janice and her brother." He studied Teela as she studied Janice and he could tell she didn't like what she saw. He looked back at Janice and saw immediately what his father had been talking about earlier. Yes, she had finally matured into a beautiful young woman. She still had her blonde hair and pale complexion that matched his, but she had grown taller…and filled out in certain places.
He cleared his throat a little and whispered, "Yes, she's a pretty girl, but she doesn't hold a candle to you, Teela. I don't love her. I never have and I never will. I love you and only you."
She turned to face him and nodded once in acceptance. He took her hand and placed it around his arm to escort her from the room. "Come," he stated with a brief kiss to her temple, "let's leave. We'll see these people tonight, so I'm sure Father won't mind if we slip out now. I want to spend a few hours with you alone."
They left the throne room, and Adam fervently prayed to the Ancients that what they had heard hadn't affected Teela negatively. He didn't want to lose her and he didn't know what he would do if he did.
When they turned the corner and were no longer in sight of the throne room, Teela quickly turned towards him, pushed him against the wall, and brought her hands around his shoulders to pull him to her. They kissed each other like their lives depended on it…
=)=)=)
I'm not sure if the chapter is that good, but I'm sure you will let me know one way or the other. Unfortunately, I'll be going back to work this coming Monday, so my writing might slow down significantly. Don't worry, it will still be regular but all my stories won't be coming out back-to-back like it was for quite a while there. I hope to get a few more chapters out of my stories over the next couple of days. Of course, I am currently preparing to go back to work, too, with paperwork, etc., so we'll see. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!