Against Nature Chapter 36

As far as embarrassing situations went, this wasn't the worst encounter Prince Adam had ever faced, but he did believe it was one of the most nerve-wrecking. What would his father's reaction be when he answered? He realized he had no idea! Oh, he knew King Randor liked Teela well enough. After all, she was the Captain of the Guard and the king had chosen her to be his son's personal bodyguard. He wouldn't have done that if he had any qualms about Teela's character. Still, that didn't mean he thought she was a good match for his son romantically...

It was well known throughout the planet and all the kingdoms that princes were not accustomed to courting or marrying their bodyguards. It was practically unheard of. The thought that comforted him and gave him some hope that their relationship would be accepted was the fact that kings were not accustomed to marrying aliens from faraway planets, either, and yet his father had done it.

Meeting the king's eyes steadily, he swallowed the lump in throat and answered, "I'm courting Teela, Father."

The immediate reaction was one that he had expected. There was a moment of surprise, but then Randor's expression transformed into one that shocked the prince: he looked almost…pleased?

"Well now, Adam, this is good news."

As soon as those words left the king's mouth, Adam's jaw dropped open. "It is?" he question after a few seconds of silence.

The king laughed a little as he finished walking to the table and pulled out a chair for Marlena. "Of course," he answered. "I mean, you do agree, right?"

Adam turned his eyes to Teela who was staring at him. "YES!" he said immediately. "I just…didn't think you would be so…okay with the news."

"And, why wouldn't I be?" Randor said, sitting down. "Teela is the daughter of one of my closest friends, and I dare say she is a better choice than some other girls I've seen around here recently."

Those were all the words the king needed to say for Adam to understand his father's reaction completely. From the very start, King Randor had made his opinion of Ashlyn well known, and evidently, his father was happy that particular relationship seemed to be a thing of the past.

His gut reaction was to defend Ashlyn, but he quickly realized that would just start an argument that there was no point in having. He had already told Teela that Ashlyn was a thing of the past, so to speak. Of course, he knew he would have to talk with Ashlyn about everything and it wouldn't be pleasant, but at least he knew from their last discussion that she would be expecting it. That didn't mean she would like it, though...

Regardless, he smiled at his father and muttered, "I'm glad you approve."

Before he could say anything else, though, his father grinned at Teela and said, "Well, I hope you don't mind that I borrow your boyfriend today."

Teela's immediate response was to blush.

As for Adam, he almost sputtered the juice he was drinking across the table. He could tell that his father was trying to tease them, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember anything they were supposed to do together that day. Before he could question him, Teela responded, "Of course not, Your Majesty. Our...relationship won't change much, I assure you."

Adam wanted to tease her himself now by saying that he hoped that wasn't true and then wiggling his eyebrows at her, but his father sidetracked him by stating, "That's good to hear. Adam, I was hoping you would consent on accompanying me into Eternos today. Obviously, I'm going in disguise, so you'll have to do the same, so we won't be recognized. I looked over the day's itinerary this morning and didn't see anything that couldn't be pushed back."

Surprisingly, his father seemed a little nervous suggesting this, so Adam was anxious to discover what they would be doing together. "Sure, Father," he said as enthusiastically as he could muster. "Sounds fun."

=)=)=)

Adam stood in front of his mirror and stared at the white tunic and beige pants he had on. He looked nothing like his usual self. The tunic was sleeveless and while the neckline dipped down as much as his ordinary tunic, he didn't wear anything underneath: it was a pullover tunic and not one had to close with a belt. Also, he had actual pants on instead of tights. The ensemble was completed with a pair of dark brown boots on his feet and a matching hat on his head.

He wasn't sure if he looked ridiculous or not, but he wanted to give himself as much of a disguise as possible since he was doing this for his father.

He stepped into the hall and immediately heard a laugh that he recognized. He glanced over to the right to see Teela leaning against her doorframe with her arms folded across her chest. Self-consciously, Adam looked down at himself before holding his hands out with a shrug. "Is it horrible?" he asked.

Teela shook her head in amusement as she straightened and walked towards her prince slowly. "No, it isn't horrible. I'm just not used to seeing you dressed so…plain."

He scratched the back of his head nervously, which left a couple of strands kinked as he brought his arm back to his side. "I used to dress 'plain' all the time," he countered.

"When you were a child, yes," she agreed, "but in your adulthood, you sure did conform to the courtier look."

Adam wasn't sure what to make out of Teela's comments. Was she merely making observations? Was she teasing him? Was she complaining about his normal attire or this one? He didn't know. "Well, that's what I am," he mumbled, looking down at the ground. He couldn't believe he was this self-conscious right now. Truth be told, if he had never become He-Man, this—minus the hat—would be something very similar to what he would have chosen for himself. Growing up as a child, he had never been into fashion and showing off, but in his desire to separate himself from He-Man, he knew he had to make that change.

Teela must have heard the anxiousness or uncertainty in his tone, because she quickly closed the distance between them and placed her index finger under his chin. "Hey," she stated firmly, "I'm only teasing. You look fine in this and what you wear every day."

Adam smiled then and replied, "I just don't want to mess this up. I have a feeling Father has something planned, so I don't want to be recognized, but I don't want to go too far either. I don't want to be so 'mysterious' that I draw attention."

Teela looked him up and down and assured him, "You look fine. I would tell you, but I must admit you might draw attention no matter what you wear."

When he raised a quizzical brow, she smiled and said, "Well, you are a muscular blond-haired man with blue eyes. Those characteristics tend to stand out in a crowd and it's all wrapped up in one nice large package in you."

Adam felt a heat rise to his cheeks and then throughout the rest of his body. This was the first time Teela had spoken so forthrightly about his looks, and he could tell she approved. It made him feel shy and incredibly…he wouldn't go there right now. He was about to go out with his father, so his mind couldn't be focused there or he'd make a fool of himself.

Taking a deep breath, he looked back at Cringer who had followed him out of his room. "I'm afraid you have to stay here, Old Friend. You're too noticeable, sorry."

Cringer smiled and replied, "That's okay, Adam."

Undoubtedly, the feline was thinking he would get out of turning into Battlecat if any unfortunate circumstances arose. What he probably didn't realize was that being in the presence of his father made his running off to transform all the more unlikely. Of course, he would find a way if he had to.

Taking a sudden deep breath, Adam mentally forced himself to calm down. Here he was, thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong. What he actually wanted to feel was a little excitement: his father and he hadn't gone out into the city one-on-one since he was a boy, so he was looking forward to it despite not knowing what was on the agenda. Regardless of what they did, he knew it would be more relaxing than the things he had done with King Stefen and Ashlyn. He knew he wouldn't have to worry about upholding a model decorum for royalty, because his father would never put them in a situation where that standard would be trying. Perhaps he could enjoy a relaxing evening as himself with his father…That desire almost seemed too much to wish for, but he was going to try it nonetheless.

Just as he took a step in the direction of the throne room, Teela stepped in front of him and slipped her arms around his waist. "I wish I could go with you today."

Adam sighed as he slipped his arms around her, as well. Jesse would be accompanying them at a close distance whereas several guards, who would be casually dressed, would spread themselves throughout the city. His father had undoubtedly already made plans, so they knew where to go.

"I wish you could, too," he mumbled before kissing the top of her head, "but I'll take you out soon enough."

Teela pulled back and narrowed her eyes slightly. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I know," he agreed but didn't apologize.

They squeezed each other one last time and then pulled away from one another. Adam bowed before her as he brought her hand to his lips to kiss it gently. He then proceeded to the throne room while Teela blushed profusely before making her way outside.

=)=)=)

I know this wasn't the longest update in the world, but I want to update multiple fics today, so I'm spreading the creativity around, so to speak. I'm setting things up for Adam and Randor's big day on the town and yes, some pretty interesting things are going to occur during that time, so this was a decent place to stop before getting into all of that. Anyway, I hope you're still interested in the story and I hope you let me know what you think!