A/N: This is a long one, but I didn't think anyone would mind...

Teela

I opened my eyes slowly, taking in the vaguely familiar surroundings. Soft blue walls, billowing white curtains blowing in the breeze, a checkered blue and red quilt...I sat up abruptly as I realized I was in my old bedroom in the palace, right off of my father's room in the Royal Hall. For a minute I was thoroughly confused, thinking I had to be mistaken, but I knew from the fact that the fifth brick up from the floor, seven over from the window that it was my old room. The brick had a chip in it from when Adam and I had thought we could carve our names into the palace walls. We quickly found out that it wasn't going to work, but not before my father found the pieces and dust on the floor and made us explain it.

A wan smile touched my lips as I rested my eyes on that brick for a few moments, the memories of our friendship warming my heart. Then my mind returned to the present-or at least the immediate past of yesterday. I pulled my knees to my chest and dropped my forehead there, mulling over what I had said, Adam's reactions, and his abrupt departure not once, but twice yesterday. And that last time he had definitely been livid at the interruption. I had hoped to find him again after the battle was over, but my father had informed me that Adam had already retired for the night. Probably to avoid me, part of me insisted.

I couldn't think of anything other than another woman that would have kept Adam from claiming our marriage. Unless his parents hadn't approved because I wasn't of noble birth, and he just didn't want to tell me, but that didn't sound like them. After all, Queen Marlena was an alien, but the king married her anyway. There was something else I was missing. I just knew it, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I sighed, realizing I was focusing on Adam's secret because I was trying to avoid thinking about his reaction. He had forgiven me. I didn't know what to make of it. I couldn't imagine that he had really been able to really think through the shock, much less figure out how he was feeling. Unbidden, a memory came to mind. I had been around a group of would-be soldiers as a young girl, and when we saw Adam and Cringer, we set about teasing the young prince about his cowardly cat. Adam was understandably hurt and angry, but he was fine when we met up later that day. So much so that I was really confused and I went to Father's workshop to talk to him about it….

"Why the long face, my daughter?" Father stared at me a moment, then went back to tinkering with his latest invention, knowing I was more likely to talk if we were both half-occupied with something else.

"I did something kind of mean to Adam today, Father. I feel badly about it."

"Have you apologized?" He gestured for a wrench and I handed it to him.

"Yes, and he said he forgave me."

"Then what is the problem?"

"I...I was really mean, Father. How could he forgive me so easily? What if he hasn't really forgiven me?"

At that, Father stopped what he was doing and looked me square in the eye. "Forgiveness is a choice, Teela. You can allow bitterness and hatred to take root in your heart, but in the end it is only hurting you. If you choose to forgive someone, you are choosing to let go of those negative feelings. In the end it frees you."

I nodded slowly. "I think I understand. But how is it so easy for him?"

Father smirked slightly. "First of all, Teela, who said it was easy? Adam was in here shortly after your encounter, and we had a conversation similar to this-no, he didn't tattle on you, in fact, he didn't even tell me what friend had hurt him. But secondly, Adam loves you dearly. You are part of his family. I don't think he is capable of harboring a grudge against a family member. And finally-and this is most important, dear heart-sometimes you have to make that choice to forgive more than once. If Adam starts feeling angry towards you again over how you treated him, he will again face the choice whether or not to forgive you. Sometimes it is a long process, a choice that has to be made over and over, until it takes root in the heart."

His words echoed in my mind. I glanced up at the ceiling in utter confusion and frustration. How could I have forgotten those words over the last nine years? Why had I let my anger over Adam's perceived rejection build up so? I blew out a hard breath. Self-preservation, that's how. I hadn't wanted to love him because I didn't want to get hurt when he found out I had had an abortion, because I expected him to reject me.

But he hadn't. He had uttered words of forgiveness. And I knew Adam was honorable. He might have been a womanizer-even though I still didn't believe it, I never could figure that part out for sure-and he might have been evasive, as he still was. But when he spoke directly, he honored what he said. So although he might have to make that choice again and again until the anger was gone, and it would take time, I knew that he was going to do it because of the things he had said to me the night before. He had chosen forgiveness and he wasn't going to veer from that decision. I had faith in that.

I unfolded my legs and stretched out, then climbed out of the bed. It was rather bright in the room, and a glance at the clock informed me that I hadn't slept this late since my last hangover. My head didn't feel quite as bad as it did when I had a hangover, but this was running a close second. My eyes, I found as I entered the bathroom and gazed in the mirror, were still puffy from the emotional storm of the previous night-well, more like this morning, since Adam and I had talked after midnight, and then Skeletor had generously sent his goblins to interrupt.

I frowned as I thought about that. Adam had said it was the third time. Obviously Skeletor had attacked him and Ham earlier in the day. As far as I knew, there had been no other attacks, but apparently Adam had somehow been involved in one. Could it have been when he ran out earlier in the evening, when we had been trying to talk in the garden? If so, how had he known and where did he go?

My brow furrowed as I stepped into the shower. A better question was, if he was apparently leaving to go fight, then where had he been last night? I had gone down believing he would be there, but instead He-Man was there…wait...

I suddenly found the water droplets on the shower wall extraordinarily amazing. I watched as they chased each other down to the floor to join the stream steadily flowing into the drain. I finished washing my hair, then shook my head, hard. I had been thinking about something important. Really important. And now I couldn't remember what it was.

My mind went back to He-Man and I relaxed. That was it, that's what had me so unsettled. He'd been so angry when he was fighting the goblins. I had never seen him act so...forcefully, I guess the word would be. He wasn't violent, just every action was stronger and the restraint he was usually so careful to use seemed to be missing. I have to admit, I had thought for a second he was angry at me because I didn't see the anger until after I got there, but when we spoke, he seemed okay. I supposed he and Adam both had a lot to work through now that they were back. For his sake, I hoped He-Man's return was going more smoothly than Adam's, but I certainly wasn't optimistic, given his frustration levels last night. I wondered suddenly if Adam had told him about us, but that couldn't be. He hadn't had enough time to do so.

As I dried my hair a few minutes later, I recalled the events earlier in the day, Adam leaning against the wall, obviously in pain and weakened yet still determined to protect Ham. I still had trouble reconciling the idea that Adam, the one who ran from every battle, had run into the hall to save the little brother he had only just met a few days ago. My stomach twisted again at the realization that Adam truly believed that every life was precious-even that of a little child whose sole purpose had been to replace him as king. A shudder ran through me and I had to remind myself once more that Adam was going to forgive me. Though I had to acknowledge that didn't mean we would ever get back to wanting a life together.

As thoughts often do, mine tumbled around a little as I sought to calm my suddenly churning stomach and make the underlying guilt go away. Skeletor had mentioned a connection between Adam and He-Man. That made sense in a way. They were never together, and they disappeared at the same time from a spell that was meant for He-Man alone. How else could Skeletor's spell have affected Adam?

My hair suddenly caught my attention and I reached up to touch it, marveling at the texture and the fact that it was so thick it took hours to dry. It fell past my shoulders, dripping water onto the floor and I idly stared at the tiny puddles it was creating for a moment, then thought about how the marbled tiles on the floor were making fascinating designs. I wondered why I hadn't ever seen that dragon in there before.

Blinking hard, I looked back up at the mirror to see the confusion in my own eyes. What had I been thinking about again?

As I exited the bathroom, I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sight of a man lounging on the loveseat opposite my bed.

"Father!" I scolded. "You scared me to death!"

He raised his eyebrows. "You look fine to me, dearest." I growled at him, but he just grinned shamelessly, then waxed serious. "Thank you for staying here last night. I would have worried about you traveling back to your home with Skeletor being so active all of a sudden."

I sat down in the plush chair that was placed at a right angle to the loveseat. "I was too tired to be bothered anyway," I admitted. "But why do you think Skeletor's been so active lately?"

My father pursed his lips thoughtfully. "He has been gaining momentum. Stratos even commented to He-Man as much, saying that it must be frustrating to Skeletor that He-Man has returned to rejuvenate everyone."

With a face that probably mirrored Father's, I leaned forward intently, a small thrill of adrenaline going through me. "Do you think he has something in mind, and He-Man being back has forced him to step up his timetable?"

Father cocked his head slightly to the side as he considered the idea. "That is a possibility, Teela," he said, a slight note of pride in his voice. He always sounded that way when I thought of something before him. "It would explain last night's attack especially. There wasn't much of any other reason for the goblins to attack."

"Was there another attack earlier?" I asked as casually as I could manage.

"Hm?" my father replied absently. "Oh, yes, Grayskull was attacked earlier in the evening."

"Three times in one day," I said softly. Adam had known about the attack on Grayskull. Somehow, he had something to do with responding to it. And for some reason, he didn't want me to know about it. I tilted my head, wondering suddenly why Adam and Adora both had blond hair when their parents were red-headed and brown-haired. Of course the king had grayed a lot in the last decade. Once Adam had disappeared, he seemed to age more quickly. Until Adam had returned, in fact, there had been a slight stoop to his shoulders, but in the last few days that had disappeared. It amazed me how much he loved Adam, how it took Adam's absence for him to realize it.

"Teela?" my father prompted.

Startled, I looked up to meet his gaze. "What?"

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "I asked if you and Adam had had a chance to talk last night, in between all of the excitement."

"Oh." I swallowed hard, glancing at the door, almost afraid Adam was about to burst in. "Yes. Sort of."

Father's sharp brown eyes didn't miss my glance or my uneasiness. "Queen Marlena asked to spend some time with Adam alone this morning. I don't think either of them will be socializing with anyone else anytime soon."

I gulped as I looked at my lap. That was even worse. What if Adam told her of what I had done? What if she banned me from the palace? Or from the country? Even the planet. My breath started coming in quick gasps and I willed myself to stop and to take a deep, calming breath, blowing it out slowly. I had managed to tell Adam. Now I had to tell my father. I set my jaw and raised my head.

"You're ready to tell me what you wouldn't the other day," he said quietly, watching my face.

I nodded and in a halting voice, began the story all over again. In spite of the fear I had held that he would not forgive my action, I think it was my inaction that troubled him the most-that is, the fact that I didn't come to him with the news that I was pregnant. The overall disappointment on his face was, if possible, worse than Adam's. Perhaps because Adam had only had a couple of days to contemplate possibilities. The idea that I had gotten pregnant and aborted the baby never even crossed his mind, I don't think, so he was just too shocked to really react. My father...well, he was Man-at-Arms. He considered every possibility, and he was ready to discuss it.

"Why didn't you come to me?" he asked. His tone was cautious. He managed to withhold the disappointment from his voice, even though it was all over his face, but the underlying hurt was too strong for him to hide.

"I was so ashamed," I whispered. "And you loved Adam so much. I couldn't bear the thought of how disappointed you were going to be, with both of us. At first I didn't even believe it. I thought I was late from the stress of him and He-Man both being gone. Then, when I couldn't deny it any longer, I just thought I'd wait until we found him and we'd tell you together. But then we didn't find him. And I was afraid of the consequences."

"Such as?"

I shrugged, staring at the wooden slats of the floor, noting idly the way the wood's golden grain chased and swirled. "That I would be banished. That he would be disowned. That no one would believe me." I swallowed hard. "That the male soldiers would no longer respect me, and the women would think that all my talk about being strong and not having relations with other soldiers was bogus, and it would hurt the morale of the Guard. That I would have to resign my post. That people would think I was just another notch in Adam's belt. That I got pregnant on purpose and had something to do with his disappearance. That you and I were angling for the throne."

Father regarded me silently for a moment while I struggled to keep my breathing even, waiting for his condemnation. "You convinced yourself that nothing good could come of it," he finally said.

I shrugged again, unable to relate how terrified I had been-and still was-of disappointing him.

He sighed heavily. "Teela." I refused to lift my gaze until he spoke my name a second time, then I reluctantly looked up, glancing away almost immediately. "Teela," he said even more firmly. Finally I met his eyes steadily. "My girl, you have fought a long and often lonely battle against the sense of abandonment that resulted from your mother giving you up. I understand that. But have I ever given you cause to doubt my love for you?" I shook my head, emotions swelling at the realization that he understood my fears even better than I had. "Did you really think that I would disown you, or remove you from your post over your actions?" Of course I would have been forced to resign for the safety of the baby, but he left that unspoken. We both knew that already.

My eyes welled with tears again. Stupid, salty, waterworks. But his gaze forced me to respond. "I feared you would leave me," I whispered. It was stupid. I knew that in my head now, nine years later, but at the time, I was so emotionally distraught, and the idea that my mother had abandoned me, Adam had rejected me, even He-Man had left...of all those who remained, Father meant the most to me and I was suddenly, irrationally afraid of losing him too. That fear had made me vulnerable. "Then I met a seer in the marketplace. He knew I was pregnant, even though I hadn't told anyone."

"A seer?" Father asked sharply. "What seer?"

I shrugged. "I don't remember his name," I replied. "Stray Lock, Street Tock...or something like that. He told me that I would be rejected, and it would all be for naught because the child would be taken from me anyway." I hadn't told Adam that part; I was afraid he would go launch a manhunt for the old seer. The man had been so kindly, if a little confusing in some of the things he said. He had obviously just wanted to help.

My father was still stuck on the name. "Street Lock?" he muttered.

His murmuring sparked my memory. "Oh! I remember now. Stre'elok." My father's brow furrowed. "Does that name mean something to you?" I asked, puzzled at his reaction.

Father shook his head. "No. Getting back to the topic at hand…" He raised up one hand and waited until I placed my small hand in his, then he tugged me onto the couch beside him. "Dearest. You have struggled with all of this on your own for so long. First you kept quiet about what happened between the two of you, then the pregnancy, then the abortion...Teela, you have let this take command of your life. You must realize that there are many people who love you, who are willing to help you. I am proud of you. You have taken a huge step towards healing by talking to me, and, I assume, to Adam. Now you need to continue on that road. You need to take your life back."

I nodded. He was right. And after being afraid for the last nine years, I finally felt ready for whatever was to come.

Father blew out a heavy breath. "I want to be honest, Teela. I am terribly disappointed that you didn't come to me. I am upset with both of you for making a poor choice to begin with, and I am saddened about the loss of your child." His voice was so factual as he listed these things, though not uncaring, and I could tell I was right-he had already considered all of this as a possibility. If not before Adam returned home, then within the last week. Father continued on, "That child was a life. It had a right to live. But you are my daughter, and I still love you, even though I am upset with you. Do you understand me?" I nodded wordlessly again, both hurt and comforted by what he said. "Good. Now there will most likely be legal repercussions, Teela. I will talk to Adam to see if he will consider-"

"Adam absolved me, Father," I interrupted quietly.

His eyes widened. "Already?"

"Yes," I affirmed. "There were no witnesses, though." I bit my lip and looked away. I was having second thoughts about whether Adam could really go through with the whole idea, actually, or if he would change his mind and publicly denounce me. After all, he had spoken vows of love to me that night, only to renege on them the next day. My mouth twisted. I never thought he would be someone who would do something like that. In a way, it didn't make sense, and the more I thought about him, the less sense it made.

Father stroked his mustache as he considered his next words. There was a silence in which he stared at me appraisingly. At first, curious, I met his gaze, but I couldn't hold it; I still felt ashamed. He blew out a deep sigh spoke of reluctance, and the words that came out of his mouth next were spoken very hesitantly. "You should know, Teela, that Adam did seek permission to claim your marriage." He paused as I looked back at him in disbelief. "It was denied him."

"What?" I stared at him, my body going rigid. I was suddenly glad to be sitting down because I wasn't sure my legs would support my weight. "If that's true, why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I didn't know he had asked," Father replied soberly. "I wish I had."

The wind went out of me. "The king and queen denied me?" I asked softly, hurt down to my marrow by that thought.

Again there was a hesitation, then, very slowly, my father shook his head. My eyebrows drew together. "Then who-" I broke off as the truth dawned on me. "My mother." It was the only logical conclusion. After all, my father knew her, and had promised that one day I would as well. But that meant… "Adam knows who my mother is?" I whispered, stunned.

Father's face was tinged with regret, no doubt wondering if he had just made things worse for Adam. "I've said too much already," he said with a slight shake of his head.

I shot up off the couch. "How long?" I demanded.

"Teela," Father began, but I interrupted again.

"How long did he know, Father?"

He sighed again. "He learned of it shortly before he disappeared."

"Define 'shortly,'" I said evenly, crossing my arms.

Father signed once more. "A few months."

"I can't believe it," I grumbled, pacing away a few steps, then whirling around again. "He knew how much I wanted to know about her!"

"He was sworn to secrecy, as I was," Father stated emphatically. He stood and took a step towards me. I just continued to stare at him. "Teela, I knew this would upset you, but I think you need to know that Adam's intentions were true, and right now, that is more important than keeping him out of hot water for knowing who your mother is!" He placed an arm around me. "Remember that everything he does is because he loves you, Teela. He has since he was a young boy, and I think he still does."

A swirl of emotions met that statement-confusion and excitement included. I still felt riled, but I really just didn't want to be mad at Adam anymore. I'd had enough of it over the last nine years. I remained stiff for a moment, then relaxed into his embrace and rested my head on his shoulder, wondering when this stupid, crazy emotional ride was going to end.