Hello again! I'm finding it too difficult to come up with chapter names so I've decided to quit trying. Lol If you think of one, send me a PM and if I like it I may use it (with your permission, of course). I posted another chapter just a day or so ago; just a head's up so you don't miss anything. Thank you to everyone who takes time to review! I really do appreciate all of you! On we go...
"What makes you think that I'm He-Man?" Adam asked, hoping he looked incredulous instead of panicked, like he felt.
"I heard you and Man-at-arms talking after Skeletor attacked the palace a few weeks ago," she told him impatiently. "Elven hearing," she shrugged when she saw his confused look. "Look, we don't have time to play games; we need to go now. I'll open a portal and you... do whatever you do to become He-Man."
Adam sighed, knowing she was right. "The Sorceress is gonna kill me," he muttered before looking up at Jevren. "You're right, but you have to keep it a secret and the Sorceress of Grayskull might decide to take your knowledge of it."
"She won't be able to," Jevren said, shaking her head. "I'm a mage."
Adam groaned and shook his head. "Let's go; we can talk about it later."
"What should I tell everyone if you're not back by dinner time?" Teela asked.
"Tell them that Jevren came via a portal and took me back to Eternia to help with an emergency and we'll be back as soon as we can," Adam said as he kissed his wife. Moving away from the two women, he pulled his sword from the scabbard and raised it in the air. "By the power of Grayskull!"
Even though she had witnessed the transformation a few times now, Teela was still in awe as she watched her husband become the strongest man in the universe.
Jevren's eyes were wide and she blinked when the transformation was complete.
"By the Elders," a voice said from the doorway and the three looked over to see Rain and Vlacan standing there with wide eyes and opened mouths.
"Of course," Rain said softly. "It all makes sense now..."
He-Man swore under his breath as Jevren opened a portal. "Teela, can you...?"
Teela nodded. "Go. And be careful. I love you."
"I love you," he said and preceded Jevren through the portal.
"What's happening?" Rain asked when the portal was gone.
"Skeletor is attacking Grayskull," Teela told her. "He's brought an army of robots and they're overwhelming the Masters so Jevren came to get He-Man. She overheard him talking to my father a few weeks ago when Skeletor attacked the palace and knows his secret."
"I can understand why his identity must remain a secret," Vlacan said softly. "If our enemies ever got wind of this..." he frowned deeply. "Rain, we must swear to keep this knowledge to ourselves."
"Absolutely," she said with a nod. "All of Adam's family and friends would be in terrible danger if Skeletor found out."
"The sorceress of Grayskull will ultimately decide whether or not to allow you to keep the knowledge," Teela told them. "She guards it very closely."
"What shall we tell everyone if Adam doesn't return before dinner?" Vlacan asked.
Teela told them what Adam had said and then she sighed and sat heavily in the chair near the sofa. "I hate that I can't fight at his side any longer."
Rain sat on the edge of the sofa closest to her and took her hand, nodding sympathetically.
"Until I have an heir, I am not permitted to go and fight, either," Vlacan sighed. "My father was very angry with me for engaging the Gorgantus that attacked us on your second day here." He sat beside Rain on the sofa.
"How did Adam become He-Man?" Rain asked. "I never could understand how the boy we grew up with would run away from battles, but this explains it so well; he never really was running away."
Teela told them the story that Adam had told her after she had figured out his secret as they waited for him and Jevren to return.
When there was only thirty minutes left before dinner, Teela sighed and stood. "Are your parents having a special dinner with the court to welcome my aunt and uncle?" she asked Vlacan.
"Tomorrow night," he replied. "Tonight it is to be just family and friends so that they can have an opportunity to talk with them more personally."
"We should get ready for dinner then," she said to Rain.
Rain nodded and stood.
"I'll be back to escort you to dinner soon," Vlacan told Rain, cupping her face in his palms and kissing her tenderly before leaving them alone.
Teela smiled at the tenderness he displayed to her cousin and when he was gone, the two women moved to their rooms to get ready.
When they arrived in the dining room and Queen Elevren saw that only Teela and Rain had arrived with her son, she gave Teela a concerned look.
"Please tell me Prince Adam is not in bed with another headache, dear," she said.
Teela gave her a small smile and shook her head. "No," she replied as she took the seat Vlacan held out for her and nodded her thanks to him. "Jevren arrived by portal and took him to Eternia with her to help with an emergency situation there. They will return as soon as they can."
"What emergency, if I may inquire," King Vlancar asked as he leaned forward in concern.
"Skeletor and his forces are attacking Castle Grayskull with a large number of robots and they were overwhelming the Masters," Teela replied. "Adam went to help."
"I am quite surprised that King Randor allows his only child and heir to fight on the front lines," King Vlancar said. "Until Prince Vlacan has an heir of his own, he is not supposed to engage any of our enemies."
Teela considered how to answer the question without insulting their hosts. She was very fond of the royal family of Aragnor and she didn't want to anger the king and queen or hurt Vlacan's feelings. "I understand your view on the subject your majesty," she said. "King Randor also worries for the safety of his son, but he feels that in order to be a good king in the future, Prince Adam must truly understand what it means to protect his people and his kingdom by fighting for their safety and freedom. When Adam became of age he was required to name an heir until he married and had a child of his own. If anything happens to him before he and I have a child, the person that he has named as his heir will take his place in the line of succession."
King Vlancar looked thoughtful at this. "Who did he name as his heir, if I may be so bold as to ask?"
"Originally he chose my father, who is King Randor's man-at-arms," she replied. "Just after he recovered from the spell he was under, however, he changed his will and named me to be his heir. He also has made arrangements with our chief healer that, if anything should happen to him before we have a child, I will be artificially inseminated so that I can still have his child and provide an heir to the kingdom. Forgive me your majesty, but wouldn't Princess Jevren be the next in line for the throne if something were to happen to Prince Vlacan?"
"Yes, she would," King Vlancar replied. "But she is to be queen of the elves one day and I feel it may be too much for her to be queen of two kingdoms that are so very different. It is difficult enough for Queen Elevren to rule the elves and still remain here as my queen."
Teela nodded her understanding. "I can not imagine how difficult that would be," she said.
"I manage," Queen Elevren said, smiling. "It helps that Vlancar handles the day to day decisions here and that I trust my regent to make the day to day decisions for the elven kingdom. I only have to deal with emergencies or difficult decisions."
Teela nodded once more and they shifted the conversation to lighter topics, as the king and queen turned their attention to Rain's parents and getting to know them better, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Dinner was nearly finished when Adam and Jevren entered the dining room, both looking exhausted and a little frayed around the edges.
"May we join you?" Jevren asked.
"Yes, of course you may," Queen Elevren exclaimed as she stood to hug her daughter and lead her to a seat beside her. "How did it go in Eternia? Are you all right?"
Jevren nodded to Adam, who took his seat beside Teela after giving her a brief kiss.
"It was a difficult battle, but we managed to defeat the robot army and send Skeletor and his underlings scampering back to Snake Mountain once more," he replied before taking a long drink of the wine set before him. "Thank the Elders Jevren discovered the secret to shutting down the robots or we would probably still be engaged in battle."
"Were there any casualties?" Teela asked.
"Buzz-Off received a broken wing and Ram Man a broken leg, but Jevren healed them both before we left them, so I'm certain they will be fine," he answered her and gave Jevren a grateful smile.
"I'm glad that you are unharmed," King Vlancar said as he looked at Adam first and then smiled at his daughter. "Both of you."
Adam and Jevren had barely finished their meals when a servant entered the dining room and bowed to the king and queen.
"Forgive me your majesties," he said, "but King Randor is on the communications link and wishes to speak with Prince Adam."
King Vlancar stood and nodded to Adam. "By all means," he answered. "We shall see you all at breakfast tomorrow."
Adam bowed respectfully to the king and queen and he and Teela made their way to the communications center to speak with his father. "Jevren cast a spell that made everyone at the battle believe that I was there fighting beside He-Man," he said softly as they moved through the palace corridors. "I'm sure your father is going to be wondering how that's possible when he speaks to the Sorceress and finds out that it wasn't her that did it. Jevren also said that if I was fighting in the battle, I wouldn't be all neat and clean afterwards, so she fixed my appearance after I transformed back into myself so that I would look like I'd been in the fight."
"Having a sorceress on our side who knows your secret could really come in handy," Teela grinned.
Adam smiled and nodded in agreement as they entered the communications center and he thanked the man at the console as he opened the link with King Randor.
"Adam," Randor said in relief when he saw his son. "I heard you were at the battle today and that you fought well. I wanted to see for myself that you are all right."
"I'm fine Father," Adam replied. "Tired, but otherwise well."
"I'm glad that you are okay," Randor said with a small smile. "Teela, how are you?"
"I am doing well, your majesty," she replied with a curtsey to him. "Thank you."
"Any chance the two of you are expecting a child yet?" he asked hopefully.
Adam and Teela exchanged a look and Adam sighed softly. "No, Father," he said.
"Well, I'm sure it will happen soon enough," he said. "Your mother and I are looking forward to your return at the end of the week. How are things going in Aragnor?"
"Wonderful," Adam replied. "Lord Desek and Lady Gwendolyn arrived this afternoon and they are getting to know the royal family. I am certain that Lady Laraina and Prince Vlacan will be engaged by the next full moons."
"Do you think that they are a good match?" King Randor asked.
Adam and Teela grinned at each other and then at the king.
"They were made for one another Father," he said assuredly.
"That's good to hear," King Randor smiled. "We shall see you in a few days."
"Goodbye Father," Adam said.
"Goodbye Adam; Teela," Randor said.
Teela smiled at him as the connection was severed.
"Shall we head to our suite?" Adam asked as he held his arm out to his wife. "I really am exhausted."
Teela took his arm and they left the communications center, once again thanking the young man in charge before heading towards their room.
They prepared for bed while Teela spoke to him about her conversation with Rain and Vlacan after they had walked in on his transformation and also about her discussion with King Vlancar during dinner. After they had crawled under the blankets, Adam wrapped his arms around Teela from behind and pulled her close to him, nuzzling her neck before settling in and closing his eyes.
"I love you," he said softly.
"Mmmm," Teela murmured, "I love you, too; good night."
"Night," Adam said sleepily.
He was very nearly asleep when a voice in his head roused him with a start.
'Prince Adam!' the Sorceress' voice called to him. 'Man-at-arms is here and he said that you were at the battle fighting alongside He-Man and the Masters, but he was confused as to how that was possible. When I checked, I found that there was a spell cast upon him to make him believe it to be so. Do you have any idea how that is possible?'
Adam groaned softly and sighed. 'Princess Jevren overheard me~ as He-Man~ talking with Duncan a few weeks ago when Skeletor attacked the palace and she knows my secret. She is the one who came and took me to Eternia in the first place and she cast a spell to make everyone that was at the battle think that 'Adam' was there fighting alongside He-Man and the Masters.'
'How did she overhear your conversation? You and Duncan are usually more discreet than that.' the Sorceress said in his mind and he could hear the censure in her tone.
'She is half elf and has exceptional hearing,' Adam replied. 'I had no idea we had been overheard until she arrived in Aragnor and took me to Grayskull to fight the battle today.'
'I see,' the Sorceress replied pensively. 'And she is a sorceress? That will make it impossible for me to remove her memory of the knowledge of your secret, I'm afraid.'
'I trust her,' Adam said. 'She's already proven that her knowledge can be useful. She came to get me via a portal and she made the others think that I was there as myself so that we wouldn't have to make up excuses for my absence. She also made sure that I looked like I had just come from a difficult battle after I transformed back into Adam when we arrived in Aragnor.'
There was silence for several moments before the Sorceress sighed. 'I see. I take it that you are not opposed to her having this knowledge, then?'
'No, I'm not,' he replied. 'And in case you weren't yet aware, Prince Vlacan and Teela's cousin, Laraina, walked in while I was transforming today and they know the secret, too. Vlacan is a sorcerer and Rain is to be his wife and they have both sworn themselves to secrecy.'
'How did I lose control of this situation?' the Sorceress' voice said in his mind, sounding none too pleased.
Adam raised both eyebrows at this.
'We will talk more when you return to Eternia,' she told him and then she was gone.
"Good night to you, too," Adam muttered before he kissed the back of Teela's head and settled in to sleep.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Three days later, Adam and Teela stood before the transport that would carry them back to Eternia to say their goodbyes to their new friends and family.
Teela accepted hugs from everyone and Adam shook hands with King Vlancar and Lord Desek, and accepted the hugs from Queen Elevren, Rain and his new 'Aunt Gwen'. Jevren was back in Eternia with the Masters, so at least they would see her when they arrived home.
Teela smiled as Adam and Vlacan shared a brotherly 'man hug' and then they finally boarded the transport that would take them back to Eternia.
"I'm really going to miss it here," Teela sighed as she and Adam looked out the window at the passing scenery of Aragnor.
"I am, too," Adam said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "I haven't felt this comfortable being myself in years."
Teela turned in her seat and put her arms around him, hugging him. "I'm sorry for how terribly I treated you before," she said.
"I know," he assured her as he kissed the top of her head. "It's forgiven and forgotten."
Teela smiled up at him and they kissed tenderly before settling in for the long journey back to Eternia. She was surprised when she woke up and found herself lying in the bed in the chambers aboard the transport two and a half hours later. She sat up and stretched before climbing out of the bed and moving to the main cabin where she found Adam sitting at a table reading something.
He looked up when she sat across from him and smiled. "Did you have a good nap?" he asked.
Teela nodded. "I had no idea I was that tired," she told him sheepishly. "Did you sleep at all?"
"For a little over an hour," he nodded. "Are you hungry?"
"A bit, but I can wait until lunch time," Teela assured him. "What are you reading?"
"The report I wrote for my father about our trip and my thoughts and views on the royal family of Aragnor and how I think an alliance between our kingdoms can best be served," he told her.
Teela looked surprised. "When did you write that?" she asked.
"I've been working on it a little at a time since we arrived in Aragnor, but I finally finished it and put it all together the way I wanted it last night," he told her. "After we..." he trailed off and then gave her a lecherous grin, "well, I couldn't fall asleep so I figured I might as well do something productive."
Teela blushed at the reminder of their activities the night before and then she smiled at her husband. "Your father is going to be surprised," she told him.
"Gotta keep him on his toes," Adam grinned.
"You're going to ruin your bad reputation if you keep being responsible like this," she teased. "I mean, showing up at battles, writing reports, acting like a crown prince..."
Adam laughed with her and shrugged. "I'm going to be twenty-one in a few more months and I'm now a married man. It's time I started showing that I've matured and stop acting like I'm just a lazy gadabout. It's what people would expect and, as long as I don't act too much like~" he looked about to be sure they wouldn't be overheard before continuing and lowered his voice, "like my alter ego, I should still be able to maintain the secret."
Teela took his hand and smiled softly at him. "I wish I had known it sooner," she said wistfully. "I should have been helping you instead of being a part of the problem."
Adam shook his head. "You weren't supposed to know, remember? It's okay."
Teela nodded and dropped the subject. "May I read your report?"
Adam smiled and handed it over to her and then poured them each a glass of wine while she read it over.
When she finished reading it, Teela looked at him and nodded in approval. "This is very good," she told him. "Your father is going to be impressed."
"I hope so," Adam sighed softly. "I sometimes think that nothing I do is ever good enough for him."
Teela gave him a sympathetic look, but didn't reply.
"We have a couple of hours until lunch time," Adam said as he took the report back from Teela and stowed it in a drawer near the table. "What would you like to do until then?"
Teela looked thoughtful for a moment and then she gave him a slow, seductive grin. "Why don't we make better use of that bed?"
Adam returned her grin and stood, pulling her to her feet and leading her to the bed chamber, grateful that they no longer needed to use the sheaths and could rely solely on the pills Teela was taking. He didn't want to have to explain if a maid mentioned it to his father.
