Adam knew his father was right; he did need sleep. And it wasn't as if he hadn't tried to sleep. He just couldn't. The choice Hordak had forced him to make played over and over in his mind like a recorder. Adam sighed heavily, knowing he might indeed need drugs to help him sleep.
He was sitting down, his back against a tree in an area he had frequently escaped to in order to nap—or become He-Man. The gurgling stream sang to him, reminding him of the time Teela had been on the verge of figuring out his secret, and he had dumped her in the water to distract her. A smile touched his lips even as a few tears fell. Adam closed his eyes and put his head back against the tree, quickly falling into a light doze where images flew through his mind. For the moment, they were good ones, memories of lighthearted times he and Teela had shared.
Teela hurried through the woods. She had checked one of Adam's favorite spots already, but only because it had been closer to the palace than this one. She had a feeling that this was the one at which she'd find him. She broke through the trees and halted as she caught sight of Adam, appalled at how awful he looked. Her eyes filled with tears and a hand covered her mouth lightly. He had lost weight, his handsome face taking on a haggard look, and the shadows under his eyes were evident even from here. There was a dejected slump to his posture that she'd never seen before. She had to swallow several times before she could speak.
"Adam," she called softly, moving forward a few steps.
Adam started awake at the sound of his name, thinking the Sorceress had been calling him. Out of habit he looked around for Zoar, freezing as he caught sight of Teela. Hope, then disbelief coursed through Adam, followed by despair.
"Great," he muttered, rubbing at his face with his hands. "Father's right. I'm so exhausted I'm hallucinating."
Teela approached as he talked and heard the last part. She knew they would laugh about it one day, but right now it worried her.
Teela kneeled down next to Adam as he dropped his hands from his face. She touched him gently and said, "I'm not a hallucination." Taken by surprise, Adam's whole body jerked. His breathing quickened; she could see the hope and doubt warring in his eyes.
"Teela?" he whispered. 'I must be going insane…or someone could be impersonating her. Like Evil-Lyn.'
"It's me, Adam," Teela assured him. "Orko turned the collar into a teleportation device just before it exploded—and, well, you know Orko's magic. It took both of us to another dimension. That's why no one could find Orko, and even the Sorceress couldn't connect with me."
Disbelief still lingered on Adam's face, but now it was mixed with awe. He reached out with one hand, hesitantly, and touched her face just with his fingertips. She was really there, warm and in the flesh. As she usually did, Teela closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. That one move convinced Adam it wasn't a trick—and if it was a hallucination, he never wanted to sleep again.
"By the Ancients," Adam breathed. "Teela…"
Suddenly they were clinging to each other, tears mingling as they kissed. Adam's hands stroked her face over and over.
"I-I thought…we all thought-" he said brokenly.
"I know," Teela hushed him, putting a finger to his lips. "I know."
"I'm so sorry," Adam told her, his blue eyes full of a curious mixture of joy and pain. "Ancients, Teela, I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."
"It's okay," she assured him, laying a hand on his face. "You did the right thing, Adam. Hordak didn't leave you any choice."
A shudder ran through him. Teela watched him carefully, knowing that with all he'd been through, this could very well be the last straw. Her sudden appearance could literally send him into shock. But his breathing remained steady, and he certainly seemed okay as he suddenly pulled her onto his lap. Teela squealed in surprise, but there was no answering laugh from Adam. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her as if he couldn't get close enough. Teela returned the embrace wordlessly.
"Do your parents know you're alive?" he asked hoarsely.
"Yes, and so do yours and half the guards in the palace."
"Good. Because I'm not letting go of you any sooner than I have to." Adam's voice broke again, and he pressed his face against her chest. Teela bit her lip, worried about him, but she simply held him with one hand and stroked his head with the other, her fingers playing with his hair.
Adam fought to get himself under control, but it had all been too much. The fight with his sister, believing Teela to be dead, the torture Hordak had put him through, the lack of sleep and food…. And now Teela was back from the dead. He finally gave in and allowed the tears to come.
Though she couldn't see Adam's face, Teela could feel the tears and his shuddering breaths. It seemed to last forever; Teela knew she'd never seen him cry so much. She murmured soothingly to him, trying to comfort him, her own eyes filling with tears as well. This couldn't be her Adam, her He-Man, sounding so broken. Then she remembered how she had felt when she thought he had died, and she knew it was. He loved her that much.
Eventually Adam seemed to regain control. His breathing steadied and he lifted his face to hers.
"I love you," he whispered softly. His reddened eyes searched her face almost desperately, as if he still couldn't believe she was there.
"I love you too," Teela answered, her eyes dark with concern. "Adam, are you all right? My father told me-"
"Don't," Adam interrupted almost pleadingly. "I don't want to think about it, Teela. You're alive, and you're safe. That's all that matters right now."
Teela regarded him steadily and realized that for once, Adam needed her to take charge. He might have pulled himself together again, but she wasn't sure it would last long. She tried to get up, but Adam wouldn't let go.
"Adam, we need to get back to the palace." He shook his head, still staring at her. "But you need some sleep," she added. "You look awful, Adam."
"Gee, thanks," he answered drolly. He did lean back against the tree, though.
"Sorry," Teela said, blushing slightly. "But you look as if you haven't slept or eaten in a week."
"Hordak gave me the worst food he could find, and as little of it as he could," Adam responded. Teela caught a glimpse of the coldness her father had described. "Not that it mattered. I wasn't hungry anyway."
"And sleep?" she prompted softly.
"I haven't," Adam answered honestly. "At least, not much. Every time I try, I re-live it." A haunted look entered his eyes. Teela wondered if he re-lived the entire experience, or just her "death."
"Well, I'm here now," Teela assured him, reaching out to play with his hair again. She stared deep into his eyes and they became lost in each other for a few moments.
Adam didn't want to go to sleep; he was half-afraid he'd awaken later to find her gone. But eventually he couldn't fight it any longer. As a peace he hadn't known in more than a week slipped through him, Adam's eyes began drifting closed. Teela smiled when he finally fell asleep. She started to slip off of his lap, but even in his sleep his arms tightened around her. Teela sighed in contentment. It might not be the most comfortable position, but she didn't care. She was back with Adam where she belonged.
Adora smiled at the pair sleeping beneath the huge tree. It was such a relief to see them together again. She called in to Duncan to let him know she had found them, then walked over to the couple.
"Teela," she said softly.
Teela's green eyes snapped open, though she didn't move. "You scared me," she hissed at Adora, returning the princess' smile. She eased slightly away from Adam, moving her tingling arm gingerly.
"Sorry," Adora apologized. "I see you found him."
Teela's smile faded as she gazed at Adam. "Yes. He looks awful. How's his chest?"
"Your father patched it up again yesterday," Adora answered, also staring at her brother. "Catra's whip tore it."
"What happened after I left?" Teela asked her. "My father didn't seem to know many details—or he just wouldn't say much. He did say Hordak ordered Adam around, forced him to destroy homes, and tortured him. But he wouldn't be any more specific."
"Adam won't talk about it at all," Adora said, chewing her lip a little. "Neither will my parents. I-"
"No," Adam suddenly mumbled. "Teela!" His voice choked as he saw her destroyed again in his dreams. The women fell silent and looked at Adam. His eyes snapped open and focused on Teela for a few seconds.
"I'm here Adam," she said softly. "I'm okay. I'm alive. I'm okay."
As his eyes drifted shut again, he sighed her name. Teela and Adora remained silent until his breathing grew regular again. The sound of a vehicle reached their ears, and Duncan appeared in an Attack Track, the king next to him. Teela's eyes widened in surprise, and she carefully extricated herself the rest of the way from Adam's arms.
"Father's been extremely worried about him," Adora offered quietly when she saw Teela's face.
"Adam," Teela said, shaking him gently. "Adam, wake up. It's time to go home."
Adam could hear Teela, and he struggled to open his eyes. It felt as if he were fighting his way through mud, though. He felt strong, gentle hands pulling him up, helping him walk, but it all felt surreal. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time.
"Easy, son," came his father's voice. Randor and Man-at-Arms eased him into a reclined seat in the Attack Track. "Will he be all right, Duncan?"
"Teela's back," Duncan replied simply. "Once he gets some sleep, he'll be better than he has been in the last week."
"Teela? Teela!"
"Kill the old man or she dies, He-Man."
"Adam, save me! Adam!"
"Teela! No!"
Adam awoke in his bed and sat up, his heart pounding. "Oh Ancients," he choked out. As the horror of the dream faded, he remembered being out by the stream. Teela had appeared to him. Hope flared in his chest. She had seemed so real. But then common sense kicked in as he vaguely remembered someone helping him into the Attack Track.
'It was a dream,' he thought miserably. 'She wasn't really there. I fell asleep out there, and Duncan must have found me and brought me back.'
Adam's heart ached as he lied back down, staring into the darkness. It was still the middle of the night. He must have slept for nearly six hours, but it didn't feel that way. He tried to go back to sleep, but the memory of Teela's death returned, mingled with the vision of her touch by the stream. For more than two hours he tossed and turned. Finally he gave in. He couldn't get rid of the idea that maybe it hadn't been a dream. Maybe Teela really was back, safe and sound. He decided to take a shower and wash the grit off of his face. Then he'd go to her room and prove to himself she wasn't there.
Teela awoke to a pounding on her door. She glanced out the window as she scrambled out of bed, noting it wasn't even dawn yet. She pulled a robe on quickly and yanked the door open, half-expecting a guard to be reporting some sort of attack. Instead, Adam stood there, relief, fear, and surprise mingled on his face.
Without a word, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Even shocked as she was, Teela practically melted in his arms, returning the kiss hungrily. They broke apart; Adam rested his forehead on hers and cupped her face in his hands.
"It wasn't a dream," he said hoarsely. "When I woke up in my room, I thought it had all been a dream." It was only when he had found her door locked that he thought that maybe it hadn't been a hallucination after all.
Teela smiled, hoping to reassure him. "I'm really here, Adam." She stepped away and glanced up and down the hall, realizing they were still standing in her doorway. "Let me get dressed, then we can talk."
Adam's face flushed red and he stepped away. "You're right. Sorry."
Teela smiled cheekily at him. "That's okay. When the rumors start flying, you'll just have to marry me." She closed her door with a chuckle, leaving Adam standing there with his mouth open.
Eventually Adam managed to close his mouth, and a grin took over. "That can be arranged, Captain," he murmured. "That can definitely be arranged."
Teela hurried to pull her hair into something halfway decent, thankful she had taken a shower last night. She frowned at herself in the mirror as strand after strand refused to cooperate. Her hands were shaking slightly as she tried to pin it up.
"Whatever possessed me to say that?" she muttered to herself. "He's going to think I'm trying to hint." She froze for a second. 'Am I? Am I really ready to commit myself to Adam, Prince of Eternia, and He-Man, Champion of Grayskull?' Her quickening heartbeat gave the answer. Of course she was.
When Teela opened her door a few minutes later, her composure was back in place. Adam's gaze never left her as he offered her his arm.
"I apparently slept through dinner yesterday, and I'm starved," he told her. "Care to join me for an early-morning raid on the kitchen, Captain Teela?" For the first time since Hordak had kidnapped them, he actually wanted to eat.
Adam's teasing formality brought a smile to Teela's face. She inclined her head regally, replying, "Why thank you, Prince Adam, I would be honored."
"So tell me again what happened," Adam requested as they walked through the quiet halls. "I'm afraid I don't remember much of what you told me yesterday." It was a testimony to how exhausted he'd been, they both knew, but neither said anything about it.
Instead, Teela repeated her story again, this time describing the planet she and Orko had found themselves on, and how Elmer and his friend had helped them get back to Eternia. They had finished eating their breakfast by the time she was done answering Adam's questions. The entire time, Adam couldn't take his eyes off of her. He was ecstatic that she was back, but it still felt somewhat unreal. He frequently reached out to squeeze her hand or touch her arm. Teela seemed to understand, and smiled back at him in reassurance.
"I guess now you understand how I felt when you were hit with Kaspanya's spell and on your deathbed, or when Adora stabbed you, or when Skeletor had just about beaten you to death, or when you let Skeletor blow you up?" she teased him gently.
Adam winced. Maybe he deserved that to some small extent. They had had a lot of scares in recent months.
"Adam, I'm only kidding," Teela said, exasperated. Then she softened her voice as she studied him. He was still exhausted, she could see. She supposed that one night of sleep couldn't undo all he'd been through. "Even when I thought Skeletor had blown you up, I still had the sense that you were with me, somehow, and it only lasted an hour. This must have been far worse for you."
Adam could only nod as he stood and held out his hand. Teela took it and he pulled her into his arms again.
"Don't you ever do that to me again," he scolded her. Teela smiled, remember saying those same words to him on more than one occasion. She pulled away to look into his eyes, and was relieved to see him smiling as well.
"I did sense you once," she suddenly recalled.
"You did?" Adam's eyebrow quirked. He went still. "I remember now. I was kind of out of it at the time. I got this vision of you and Orko in front of a campfire, and you looked up and called my name. Then it faded."
"That happened," Teela affirmed.
"If only I'd known," Adam groaned. "I thought I was imagining things." They began walking, heading for the gardens by unspoken mutual consent. It was already dawn, and they both wanted to steal as much time together as they could before the rest of the palace awoke.
"What do you mean you were out of it?" Teela quizzed him.
Adam shrugged. "It was all like a bad dream after I thought Hordak killed you." He didn't explain about the haze of pain and exhaustion he'd been in, or the hit to the head he'd allowed.
"So are you going to tell me what happened after Hordak tried to blow me up?" Teela asked casually after a few minutes of silence.
Adam shrugged. "There's not much to tell. Hordak bossed He-Man around, and he had to obey so he didn't blow up my parents. Serena and Skeletor worked with She-Ra to find them and change their collars into teleportation devices. They fought their way out, and most of the bad guys got away again." There was a trace of bitterness to his voice at the end, and Teela cast him a concerned glance.
"That's the most grossly understated summary I can imagine," Randor said, meeting them in a cross-hall. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, son, but your voice carried down the hall."
Adam shrugged nonchalantly. "That's okay." He was always careful when he walked these particular halls. They did have incredibly good acoustics, for some reason. His eyes wandered up the stone walls as he reflected on that.
Randor studied Adam for a moment. "He-Man hasn't come in for a debriefing yet."
"What?" Adam's startled gaze flew to his father's face. "He-Man's not a member of the royal guard. He's not required to do debriefings."
"The man just went through Blazes," Randor said firmly. Teela's eyes grew wide as she looked from father to son and back again, sensing a sudden tension in Adam again. "I want to know what kind of shape he's in before he returns to Etheria."
"Teela's back now; he's fine," Adam asserted, crossing his arms. The movement tugged at his raw wound, but he didn't flinch. His voice and face had hardened.
"Well, I'd like to take your word for it, Adam, but I still want him to see Duncan and Teela for a debriefing," Randor countered, his posture relaxed.
Adam frowned. "You wouldn't have required this from him six months ago," he practically growled. Teela's eyes widened. Maybe Adam's father was right to be demanding this. Adam didn't normally speak in that tone to the king.
"You're wrong," Randor disagreed. "I required you to do a debriefing after Skeletor held us captive. I'm simply applying the same principle here. I've never seen He-Man go through anything like he did in the Fright Zone. Maybe you think it's an everyday occurrence for him, and I'm sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. But I would require this of anyone who went through that horror. Your mother and I went through debriefings with Duncan yesterday, and I expect He-Man to do so today. Is that understood?"
Adam stared wordlessly at his father for a moment, conflicting emotions raging within. His choice of words and his defeated tone told Randor more than Adam realized. "Yes, Sire."
"Good," Randor said with a nod. "Please let He-Man know Duncan will be ready for him after lunch. Captain, I want you there as well." With that he strode away.
"Your Majesty, I think this is a mistake," Duncan said, shaking his head. "He-Man knows the importance of discussing battles, catastrophes, and any other crisis. He always comes to me when he's ready to talk about it. To force him to do so now will only place additional stress on him."
"He plans to leave for Etheria tomorrow," the king argued. "I'm worried that by returning there so soon, he'll do something he'll regret, Duncan."
"He didn't kill Hordak before, why would he do it now?" Duncan asked reasonably.
Randor shook his head. "Duncan, I was there. What I told you yesterday only covers half of it. Marlena and I weren't around him the entire time. I need to know my—that He-Man is all right."
Duncan relented at the king's obvious concern. "Very well, sire. I'll be ready."
He-Man lowered his sword and stared at it for a moment, dreading this debriefing. It was not only the official record of what had happened; it was an unofficial prescreening to see how a soldier was dealing in the aftermath of a battle or major crisis. Although He-Man had never been required to do one, he and Duncan had done them informally for years. Duncan always allowed He-Man his space. He knew to wait until the hero was ready to talk, and then he wrote down only what they would need to prosecute the evil villains in the future.
He-Man fiddled with his sword, twirling it as his thoughts raced around. He hadn't been He-Man since he returned to Eternia. First he hadn't wanted to become Adam because he hadn't wanted to lose control of his emotions; once he'd gotten home, he hadn't wanted to become He-Man. He had found that being Adam had allowed him some distance between what he'd done and what he'd failed to do. Now the memories flooded him, seeming perfectly clear…especially the sight of Teela's tear-filled, courageous eyes just before Hordak blew her up. Even the fact that she was alive couldn't keep the horror of that memory at bay.
He-Man squeezed his eyes shut for a minute, then sheathed his sword with a sigh and went to report in. 'I might as well get this over with.'
"So there was nothing you could do to rescue them." Duncan's voice was factual as he made a few notes.
He-Man shook his head slowly. "Not that I could figure out," he said, his voice low. "There must have been something I was missing."
"And you couldn't escape yourself?"
"Hordak said he would blow one of them up if I left the Fright Zone without him." He-Man's voice was flat.
Duncan frowned. Teela listened in quiet horror as her father led He-Man through the entire experience again. He-Man's voice was neutral and he stated only facts—where the king and queen were held, what demands Hordak made, what the consequences were when He-Man didn't follow his plan exactly. Teela winced when he blandly stated he had received fifteen lashes for apologizing to the man whose house he'd destroyed.
Duncan studied He-Man carefully as he answered the questions. He sensed that something was off. Adam was being very factual, which in itself was unusual. He normally told Duncan every detail and the emotions he experienced without prompting, even if it meant discussing whether an action had been the correct one. He never took credit for things going right; rather, he insisted it was Grayskull's power. But he normally was quick to accept responsibility when he thought he had failed. And he was careful to examine his own motives in things, not wanting to abuse his power. Adam just wasn't one to close himself off as he was doing.
Teela cringed when he described the fight with the Red Knight. She noted that He-Man downplayed his own noble efforts to take on the punishment Hordak had promised for his parents, and the ways in which he tried to help the families whose homes he had helped destroy. She knew about them from reading the reports from the rest of the royal family during the last hour.
Teela saw her father frown again at his notes. Duncan stared intently at them for a moment, then looked up at He-Man. The hero met his gaze calmly, but his eyes were empty of emotion. Teela had been surprised that He-Man showed none of the weight loss that was evident in Adam. But the exhaustion still lined his face.
"What about the fight you had when you were leaving the Fright Zone?" Duncan asked abruptly.
He-Man's eyes narrowed. "Skeletor and She-Ra arrived to help. There were eight of them against three of us, but we won. Leech and Scorpia were taken into captivity by the rebellion. The rest of them got away. What else do you want to know?" His tone went from a monotone to almost defensive.
"How close did you come to killing Hordak?" Duncan challenged. Teela's lips parted involuntarily, but she managed not to gasp.
Something unfamiliar flared across He-Man's face, then was gone. "I only knocked him out," he replied evenly.
"That doesn't answer the question, lad," Duncan pointed out. He knew all of Adam's tricks, and he wasn't about to let him evade the question. "How close did you come to killing him?"