Teela cautiously entered Grayskull, bemused at her own ability to open the bridge. Teelana stood at the entrance - her body language was uncharacteristically nervous.
"Hello – I'm sorry to have waited so long to see you," Teela told her awkwardly.
"I understand," the other woman replied and Teela saw that it was true.
"I just came by to let you know that you will be missed at my wedding tomorrow. I do understand why you can't come. Adam told me you're powerless outside the castle and if you were outside, his first duty would be protecting you." She smiled sadly. "I kind of need him to be Adam tomorrow and not He-Man... he wishes you could be there too, for what it's worth."
"Adam is like a son to me, Teela" Teelana said with a sad smile and then she realized how cruel that must sound to the daughter she had only recently acknowledged. "I suppose I have a tighter relationship with him than you. I'm truly sorry for that."
"By necessity. I believe that now, and as I said last time – if my living here meant replacing you one day – it's hard for me to regret growing up as I did."
"I'm happy for you, Teela. This life you've chosen, while difficult – will bring you great joy. That's not a prediction using magic – I know Adam loves you as much as you love him, and I find it hard to believe that you can go wrong with that kind of love."
Teela smiled, swallowing the lump in her throat, suddenly wanting to hug the lonely woman. Her mother was smaller in stature to her, and she felt oddly protective of the older woman.
"I'm – concerned about our mission," she confessed. "I'm terrified I'll lose him..."
Teelana gripped Teela's hands tightly remembering her own painful loss.
"I know. Remember. Adam has faced terrible odds in the past. You both have. I believe you will succeed, but truth be told I'm afraid of losing him too – and you. I know it's hard to believe, but I love you both... and not just for the services you've provided me all these years."
"I haven't provided you any services."
"No? You have fought many battles to protect this castle. In doing so, you protected me."
She processed that information with bemusement. She had protected her own mother unwittingly.
"Wow. I never thought about it that way. You've certainly protected me as well."
"My duty is to the world. But where you and Adam are concerned, it has never been a duty. It's been an act of love. Even when I had to rescue you as children and you risked your lives foolishly."
"What are you talking about?" Teela smiled at her mother, knowing full well that she and Adam had behaved foolishly over the years.
"I have a lengthy list. How long do you have," teased her mother. "I'll start off by mentioning 'tornado gulch'."
Teela reddened in embarrassment.
"Oh Elders, that's how we survived? You helped us?"
"Yes. But I didn't tell the King, Queen or Duncan. I figured my close involvement in your welfares might seem strange to the King and Queen and I'd already expected much secrecy from Duncan. I was tempted to scold you two myself. What were you even thinking?"
Teela grinned, remembering the forbidden rock formation that they had raced heedlessly down using what Queen Marlena termed skateboards. Teela and Adam had built their own boards and testing them on the natural rock formation was the ultimate sought after thrill.
"Well, it took us many painful hours to limp our way home that day," she smiled, remembering how Adam had refused to go ahead and get help even though he was less injured than she. He had stuck by her through it all, even as the night had grown cold. "That was lesson enough. I suppose we were injured worse than we knew, and you healed us?"
"I didn't heal you all the way because I didn't want you to get the idea you were invulnerable. You both seemed to think you were anyways." She shook her head fondly. "You were sweet kids, but you both had a bit of a crazy streak to you which has obviously made you great warriors."
"I suppose. But now I'm worrying about my future children," she laughed. "If we both have that streak - "
"I promise to tell you when they do crazy things behind your backs."
"We lied to the King and Queen that day," she said, embarrassed.
"All children have their moments, Teela. The important thing is you didn't go there again."
"So tell me more?"
"I'd love to, Teela. Why not come in and get comfortable?"
Icy rage engulfed the champion as he faced Skeletor, Beast-man and Triclops for the first time since witnessing his sister's abduction. His cohorts detected it and gave him odd looks. He forced himself to push back the anger and not allow it to control him. Bad enough that Beast-Man was evoking rage in his heart about Teela. He was gratified that Beast-Man feared him too much to taunt him directly about what he had done to Teela. Even Evil-Lyn seemed subdued about it, but He-Man assumed that Skeletor was behind that. He-Man wasn't sure how Skeletor had felt about Evil-Lyn's deviation from the original plan of enslaving the villagers at Lee. Skeletor had never shown himself to have rapist-like tendencies, and it was possible that even he had his limits.
Later, Stratos and Fisto approached the Prince privately.
"What was that all about," Stratos asked without any hesitation after Adam closed his door, ensuring privacy.
"Yeah. I know... " Adam shook his head feeling ashamed of his lack of control. He hadn't hurt anyone, but it wasn't acceptable for He-Man to get that angry.
"You didn't answer the question," Stratos pushed. Fisto looked over at his friend uneasy by the pressure the Avion was applying to the Prince.
"I'm sorry Stratos... I can't discuss it."
Stratos inhaled and then nodded. He understood the need for secrecy.
"You can't be like that around him – you'll lose focus, old friend."
"You're right," he told them. "I'm sure I'll hear it from Duncan later," he said with a sheepish grin.
"I wanted to break Beast-man in half for what he did to Teela," Fisto growled. "You certainly weren't alone in your anger."
Adam nodded, unable to speak about that subject without getting angry.
"How is she," Stratos ventured.
"Well – she seems fine," Adam said. "But she's an expert at hiding things -it's not always clear what she's feeling – "
"Right. You suffered years of blindness regarding her feelings for you," Stratos chuckled trying to break the tension. "I'm talking about when you two were teenagers. Everyone else saw her feelings for you and yours for her."
"Someone could have told me," Adam complained. "She was unreadable to me."'
"Come on, it was more fun that way," Stratos answered him. "But really, I didn't want to risk angering Duncan. I'm sure you know why."
"Yeah. I do...he's downright scary when he's angered..." Adam trailed off remembering once again his own near loss of control this day and his eyes grew cloudy with regret.
"Don't over think it, Adam," Fisto told him. "You didn't put her in added danger today – they already suspect He-Man of loving her – nothing you do or say will make a difference."
"I guess," Adam said distractedly. "Thanks for trying!"
"Are you nervous about tomorrow," Fisto asked him. "All those eyes on you. Of course you're used to it by now."
"I … am concerned. It's an opportune time for our enemies to attack. If they attack while I'm actually going through the ceremony with her - I'll have to leave and transform."
"She'll understand."
"I know," he sighed. "But it adds a whole new dimension to the problem of this secret. Obviously he isn't coming to my wedding, and I suppose that will look odd – even more so if he suddenly shows up."
"Well, maybe not. He-Man wouldn't be able attend one royal wedding without having to attend them all – else he risk alienating other kingdoms and making them fear where his allegiance lies. And – he's not going to want to endanger people either with his presence."
"Yeah. I guess it sounds good, but it's all a lie, and that never feels right."
"But it's for the greater good. So..."
"Right – so I just do it and deal with it. I know, Fisto. You're right."
"I'm amazed at your commitment to protecting others, Adam," said Stratos. "I always have been."
"Somebody gives you a magic sword that makes it easy to fight – it's not really much of a sacrifice," he grinned. "I have it easy. It's all of you who can't heal so easily that risk more."
"But you risked losing your family – your father, at least – and Teela. You lost their respect in order to protect them."
"It may have seemed that I suffered, but I always knew they loved me."
"Even Teela?"
"I thought she loved me like a brother," he laughed. "It all seems crazy now."