Hello again! Thank you to everyone that has commented~ you keep me motivated to try to finish this! Also, thank you to everyone who reads this tale of mine, whether or not you post a comment~ I appreciate you all! All mistakes are mine, as I am the only one who has proof-read this. Hope you enjoy...

The next month passed quickly for Teela, even though her schedule had been changed significantly. After her visit with Darius a few days after they had returned from Aragnor the queen had informed her that, other than her magical training with Jevren, Teela was now permitted to make her own schedule depending upon how she was feeling that day. This left the princess of Eternia with more free time than she could remember having since she was a small child, but it also meant that she was getting to spend lots of time with her mother, which made both of them very happy.

The Winter Festival was due to start the next day, and Queen Marlena had told her that she was to inform her if she felt she needed a break from the activities that were scheduled for the royal family. With her due date just over a month away, everyone knew that she needed as much rest as possible so no one would think less of her for taking much needed breaks.

She and her mother had gone shopping that morning after breakfast with what seemed a whole regiment of plain-clothed royal guards staying close to them, and they had purchased several gender neutral items for the baby, including toys, clothes, and an adorable wooden rocking horse.

Teela grinned sheepishly at Sargent Jensen as he took the rocking horse from her to place in the vehicle her father had insisted they use to travel into the city. "I'm sorry you got stuck running errands with me," she said to him. "Not the most plum assignment, I know."

Sargent Jensen took the bag she was holding, as well. "I actually volunteered," he told her, smiling at her look of surprise. "I am honored to be guarding the princess and the future heir to the throne."

"Thank you," she said softly, watching as he jerked his head to indicate that another guard should watch over her while he carried the items to their vehicle.

"I need to go pick out some fabric for the new clothes Xenia is making for me," Teela told her mother. "Apparently I'm going to need some outfits that will make it easier to nurse the baby."

"All right," Teela'Na said, smiling warmly at her daughter. "Let's head over to the fabric dealer's shop."

They spent nearly an hour looking at fabrics and just talking about anything and everything, before Teela finally settled on six that she really liked. After arranging to have the bolts sent over to Xenia at the palace, they left the shop.

"We should head back to the palace so we're not late for the noon meal," Teela told her mother. "Adam might feel the need to come looking for us."

"Your father would likely come with him," her mother said, laughing softly. "He may seem gruff and stern, but he's a big softie at heart."

Teela laughed, too, and they made their way to the transport.

Sargent Jensen helped them both into the vehicle before climbing in as well, and the guardsman driving set off for the palace.

As soon as the princess and her mother were safely away, the other guardsmen in the city headed back to the palace as well.

When they arrived back at the palace they were greeted by Man-at-arms and Prince Adam, who helped the ladies from the vehicle. Several pages took the day's parcels from the guardsmen, and hurried off to take them to Adam's and Teela's suite.

"How was your shopping trip?" Adam asked, kissing his wife and placing an arm around her lower back.

"It was productive," Teela said, smiling at him. "We got some things for the baby, and I found the fabrics I liked for the new clothing Xenia is going to be making for me."

Duncan greeted his wife with a kiss to the cheek and they joined Adam and Teela. "It's nearly time for lunch, are you ready to head to the dining hall?" he asked.

"I'm ready," Teela said, looking to her mother, who nodded.

"Then let's go," Adam said.

The couples made their way to the dining hall and joined the king, queen, Orko, and Cringer for the meal.

Orko was his usual talkative, enthusiastic self, and his magic trick actually worked out for a change, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. Especially Man-at-arms.

As soon as everyone was finished eating, they all headed towards their respective suites for the afternoon rest period.

Adam and Man-at-arms had a meeting with the king after the rest period before the afternoon court session started, while Marlena and Teela'Na were going to review the final plans for the Winter Festival to be sure that everything was ready.

Adam and Teela made their way to their suite and changed into comfortable clothing, taking turns using the lavatory, and then settled into the large bed.

Teela placed her hand on her enlarged abdomen. "Okay, you," she said to the baby within, "this next month is going to be busy, and probably a little bit stressful, so I really need you to cooperate and behave yourself. No coming early, no keeping me awake at night, and no using my bladder as a punching bag, okay?"

Adam grinned at her and chuckled.

She was rewarded with two strong kicks and she laughed. "Well, at least don't come early, okay? I guess the other things are pretty unreasonable of me to ask."

Adam leaned over and kissed her belly. "Listen to your mother," he said to the baby.

She received another strong kick and sighed, closing her eyes and falling asleep quickly.

Adam smiled warmly at her, picking up his book from the night table and opening it to the page he'd left off on, placing one large hand on her abdomen so that he could feel their child moving.

XXXXXXXXXX

After breakfast the next morning, the royal family made their way to the Great Hall to formally receive all of the visiting monarchs, dignitaries, and the members of the Eternian royal court. The king and queen were seated on the thrones that had been placed at the head of the Great Hall, and Adam and Teela were seated on smaller thrones that were placed to the right of the king.

As the herald announced each person, couple, or family, they would then move to the bottom of the dais the thrones were placed upon and bow or curtsey accordingly, before moving to stand amongst the crowd on either side of the room.

"Duncan, Eternia's Man-at-arms and Duke of Equestra, and Teela'Na, Duchess of Noella, his wife," the herald called out as Duncan and Teela'Na moved to the bottom of the dais. Duncan bowed, while Teela'Na curtsied gracefully, and then they made their way to the right side of the room.

Teela glanced over at her parents and bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling at the saturnine look her father wore. She knew he had tried to persuade the king not to make them attend in a formal capacity, no doubt using his duties as Man-at-arms and his role in maintaining the kingdom's security to try to talk him out of it, but King Randor had been adamant. As a result, her father was wearing his dress uniform, while her mother was dressed elegantly in a dark green woolen dress that was similar to the one that Teela was wearing.

The rest of the kingdom's nobility was presented, and then King Randor stood and held his hands up for silence.

"I would like to thank you all for coming, and welcome you to this year's Winter Festival," he said, looking out at the crowded hall. "My family and I invite you all to attend the formal banquet and ball we are having this evening at sunset to kick off this year's activities. You should have all received an itinerary of this year's events, so feel free to choose those that most appeal to you, and enjoy yourselves as we celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring!"

Recognizing that they were now free to leave, many of those attending left the hall, including Man-at-arms and Teela'Na.

Teela knew her father would go to his suite and change back into his regular uniform and armor so that he could resume his duties.

King Randor and Queen Marlena stood, so Adam also stood and took his wife's hand to help her to her feet.

"You both have the rest of the morning free, but you'll be expected to join us for the noon meal with the rest of our guests," King Randor told them. "We've decided that since there are so many people attending this year, we will have lunch here in the Great Hall."

"Yes, Sire," Teela and Adam both replied.

King Randor and Queen Marlena left the Great Hall with Adam and Teela following behind them, and Adam took Teela's hand as they made their way through the palace to their suite.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, as they sat on the sofa in their sitting room.

"Okay for now," she said, smiling at him. "I know your parents are going out of their way to try to give me as much time to rest as possible, and I really appreciate it."

"You're carrying their grandchild," he grinned at her. "They're going to do everything they can to make sure you and the baby are okay. I think they may like you more than they do me right now."

Teela chuckled and lay her head on his shoulder.

"Do you need anything?" Adam asked.

"No," Teela replied. "I'm just enjoying getting to sit here with you for a little while."

Adam smiled and kissed her knuckles.

They sat back to relax and just spent some time discussing names for the baby. They had previously managed to narrow it down to two names for each gender, but they wanted to get it down to one name for each, since the baby was due in just over a month's time.

They managed to narrow the boys' names down to one before Teela had to excuse herself to use the lavatory. When she returned, it was time for them to make their way to the Great Hall for lunch. Teela was surprised at how much had been accomplished in just a few hours.

The Great Hall now had huge tables set up, each with pristine white linen tablecloths and high-backed chairs. They were set with fine china, silver, and crystal, as well.

Adam led Teela to the table at the very front of the hall, where the dais and thrones had been earlier. They greeted the king and queen and then he held her chair for her while she took her seat, before he sat beside her to her left, which put him immediately to the king's right.

Her parents arrived a moment later, and the hall began filling up quickly after that. The king glanced at his chronometer, and then he motioned for the servants to begin serving the noon meal.

XXXXXXXXXX

During the second week of the Winter Festival, He-Man was needed when a large quake damaged the Timor Dam. If the dam were to break a large portion of the Fertile Plains would be destroyed, along with the crops that fed most of Eternia, and at least one city would be completely submerged under water.

The royal family was attending one of the sporting events just after lunch when Man-at-arms came to let them know about the tremor and the danger to the dam.

Adam glanced at his wife before looking to his father, who nodded his head in understanding, before he and Cringer took off to find a place that they could transform.

King Randor asked Man-at-arms to put someone else in charge of their security and to go assist He-Man at the Timor Dam, so Duncan did so quickly.

Teela looked at her mother and Queen Marlena, seeing the same worry in her mother-in-law's eyes that she was sure were in her own.

The next couple of hours were difficult for Teela, as she had to continue to sit and watch the sporting event, even though her mind was on her husband and father.

When the event finally ended, King Randor awarded the winning team with their medals and spoke briefly to the crowd before dismissing everyone.

They all stood after that and began making their way to the transport that would take them back to the palace.

"How are you feeling Dear?" Queen Marlena asked her, once they were safely inside the transport.

"A bit tired," Teela replied, "but I'm more worried about Adam and Father."

King Randor nodded, his brow furrowed slightly. "To think of all the years that I treated him so unfairly..." he said, shaking his head.

"He understood," Teela'Na assured him.

Randor gave her a tight smile in thanks, sighing once more.

When they arrived at the palace, Queen Marlena looked at Teela. "Go and rest dear, until it's time for dinner. We'll all be eating in the Great Hall again."

"Okay," Teela replied, leaving the hangar bay and making her way to her suite.

She changed into something more comfortable, used the lavatory, and then settled onto her bed. She knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep until Adam and her father returned, but she could at least rest for a little while.

She heard someone out in the sitting room a few minutes later and stood, hoping it was Adam. Making her way to the door of her bed chambers, she blinked when she saw her mother and the queen, talking softly at the end of the hallway. "Mother, Marlena, is something wrong?" she asked.

Teela'Na smiled at her. "We're still trying to finish up the nursery, remember?" she asked. "Your child is due in just over two weeks, and it's still not completely ready."

Teela blinked. "Oh... I nearly forgot," she said, laughing lightly. "With everything else that's going on, it didn't even cross my mind."

Queen Marlena smiled sympathetically at her. "Don't worry, we'll have it ready by the time your child arrives."

"I don't want you to see the items I brought with me or it will give away the baby's gender," Teela'Na said, looking at her pointedly.

Teela tilted her head and frowned in confusion.

"Go and rest, and we'll let you know when we're finished," Queen Marlena said gently.

"Okay," Teela said, turning and going back into her room.

Queen Marlena smiled at her and closed the door as she went to rejoin Teela'Na in the sitting room.

Teela sighed, placing her palm on her extended abdomen, and closed her eyes.

Part of her wanted to know whether the baby was a boy or a girl, but the other part of her wanted it to be a surprise. She'd made it this far, so she thought it wouldn't be right to find out so close to her due date, and Adam might be a little annoyed with her if she suddenly changed her mind this late in the game.

She smiled at that. He'd be more than a little annoyed, she'd bet.

The chronometer on the bedside table beeped and Teela's eyes snapped open and she looked at it in surprise. She had actually managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours without realizing it.

Turning off the annoying contraption, she stood and made her way to the lavatory. After using the facilities and washing her hands, she changed into clothing suitable for dinner with the royal court, brushed out her hair, and touched up her makeup before making her way to the Great Hall.

XXXXXXXXXX

Teela stirred when she felt her husband climb into bed and she sleepily looked at the chronometer, seeing that it was nearly two hours past midnight, before turning over and putting an arm around him. "Is everything okay?" she asked groggily.

"Yes," he replied. "He-Man managed to shore up the dam and divert the water that had escaped into a nearby ravine, but then he was needed to help Man-at-arms and the team of engineers to repair the dam, and that took quite a while. Duncan finally declared the dam to be safe, so we started home just before midnight."

"Hmm... that's good," Teela replied. "Good night."

Adam smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Good night."

When they awoke the next morning Teela didn't even remember the conversation from the night before, so Adam had to tell her again what had happened.

"Your father's new invention, the rock softener, was what saved the day," he told her after he had repeated what he'd told her that night. "He softened a whole bunch of boulders, and then we filled in the hole and the crack in the dam with the soft rock, and then he used the machine to harden it again and it was as if the damage never existed."

"How did you manage to keep the water from getting out of the hole while you plugged it up?" she asked him as they walked towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

"After He-Man shored it up with a huge log, the engineers opened the spillway so that the water level dropped enough to keep it from leaking anymore. Fortunately for us, the damage was close to the top of the dam so it didn't take very long for the level to drop enough for us to repair it."

Teela nodded and they joined everyone for breakfast, stopping to greet the king and queen, with Adam filling them in on what had happened the previous day before they took their seats.

About halfway through the morning meal Teela felt something odd and she placed her hand on her abdomen, frowning as she tried to figure out what the sensation was.

Her entire abdomen had just gotten a really tight feeling and it was now solid. After a few moments it passed, so she shrugged it off and finished her breakfast.
About twenty minutes later, as they were sitting in the transport that was taking them to the day's sporting event, it happened again.

Queen Marlena noticed the look on Teela's face and the frown she wore. "Is everything all right, dear?" she asked her daughter-in-law.

"I-I'm not sure?" Teela replied, more as a question. "This happened during breakfast, but I don't know what it is."

At this, everyone's attention turned to the princess.

"What happened?" Adam asked worriedly.

"It's like my whole abdomen got this tight feeling. It's a bit uncomfortable, but it doesn't really hurt, and it was hard as a rock for a few minutes, and then it slowly relaxed... almost like a muscle tightening, and then relaxing," she said, looking at her mother, and then the queen.

Marlena looked at Teela'Na and they smiled, before returning their attention to Teela.

"It sounds like you're having contractions," her mother told her.

"Contractions!" Adam exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Should we go back to the palace and contact Darius?"

"Relax, Adam," his mother said gently. "It's likely just false labor; her body is getting her ready for the real thing."

"If they get any stronger or closer together, you need to let us know right away," Teela'Na told her daughter. "But likely they'll stop on their own in a little while."

Teela, eyes wide, nodded.

Adam, however, wasn't entirely convinced. "Are you sure?" he asked hoarsely.

Marlena laughed and winked at the king, who was smiling widely, no doubt remembering his own panic when Adam was born. "We're sure."

Adam sat back down, but kept his eyes on his wife for the remainder of the short journey. As the family settled into the royal box to watch the game being played that day, Adam kept looking at his wife in concern, occasionally asking her how she was doing.

Teela kept track of the contractions, noting that they were around twenty minutes apart, and that they all felt about the same. After nearly two hours, they stopped all together and she relaxed.

When the game ended and King Randor had given the medals to the winning team, the family made their way to the transport that would take them back to the palace.

"How are you?" Queen Marlena asked her once they were settled in the transport.

"I'm okay," she replied, smiling. "The contractions have stopped."

"You're likely to experience them off and on until you actually go into labor," Teela'Na told her.

"So how will I know that they're the real thing?" Teela asked.

"They will get stronger, longer, and closer together," her mother replied. "When they're about five minutes apart, you need to contact Darius."

"Or if your water breaks," Marlena said. "Then you need to contact him right away, even if you're not having contractions."

"How will I know if my water breaks?" Teela asked, eyes wide.

"You'll know," Marlena and Teela'Na said in unison, and then laughed as they looked at each other.

"You can't miss it," Marlena assured her.

Teela nodded, wondering how she would know when she was really in labor and hoping that she could make it through the whole process.

XXXXXXXXXX

Teela had more contractions off and on for the next two days, but they always stopped after a few hours and never got any closer together, though they were starting to get a little stronger and more uncomfortable.

She and Adam had to go see Healer Darius on the third day, so she told him about the contractions, and what her mother and the queen had told her.

"They're absolutely correct," he assured her. He then gave her some other instructions and told her that he was going to talk to the king and queen because, with her due date so close and with her already experiencing contractions, it was time that she take it easy until the baby came.

"What do you mean?" Teela asked.

"I mean, my dear, no more public appearances, no more attending sporting events... nothing," he told her. "You are to rest as much as possible. I still want you to exercise a couple of hours a day, but I want you to walk the halls of the palace or the private gardens to get it. I don't want you away from the palace anymore; you're getting too close to delivery."

"But I still have two weeks until my due date," Teela protested.

"And you've already started dilating," Darius said. "You could literally have this baby any day now."

Adam's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. "Any day?"

Darius smiled indulgently at him, nodding. "Any day. Trust me, you need to enjoy getting to rest as much as you can now, because once the baby arrives you won't be getting much rest for awhile."

"Okay," she sighed.

"Trust me, my dear, this is not a reflection on you or your capabilities," Darius assured her, patting her knee. "I treat all my expectant mothers this way."

Marginally reassured, Teela nodded as Darius told her he wanted to start seeing her every other day now, to track her progress.

"I'm guessing that the baby will probably arrive before the end of the Winter Festival, or just shortly after it ends," he told her. "I'll be very surprised if you actually make it to your due date."

Teela blinked and bit her lip. If that were the case, then she and Adam would be parents in less than two weeks' time. She took a deep breath to try to calm the sudden panic she was feeling at the thought.

Darius left them alone and Adam helped her from the exam table.

"Wow," he said quietly. "We're about two weeks away from having a tiny human to take care of. Are you as terrified as I am?"

Teela looked at him and nodded.

Adam pulled her into his arms and hugged her. "We'll have a lot of help," he told her. "My parents, your parents, and Darius will be there to guide us through it. We'll be fine."

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Teela asked, laughing softly.

"Both?" Adam asked, chuckling and shaking his head. He released her and they left the infirmary and made their way to their suite.

"I have to go to my office for a little bit," Adam told her. "I'll come back and get you before lunch... unless you'd rather eat here in our suite?"

"No; I'm fine with eating lunch with everyone else," she told him.

Adam nodded and kissed her forehead before he left her alone.

Teela sat on the sofa and smiled when Cringer came up to her and lay his head on her knee. She scratched the great cat behind the ears, sighing. "What do you think of all of this?" she asked him.

"Mreow," Cringer answered, licking her hand.

Teela chuckled and continued to scratch him behind the ears for a few minutes, until Cringer licked her once more and ambled out the door.

Sighing, she stood and left the suite, hoping her mother wasn't busy.

XXXXXXXXXX

When they reached the Great Hall for lunch, King Randor and Queen Marlena stood and they each took one of Teela's hands.

"Are you feeling all right, dear?" Marlena asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Teela replied, glancing at Adam in confusion.

"Darius told us that you could go into labor any time now," Randor said, "and that you're supposed to be resting as much as possible. Are you sure you feel up to eating here with all of us?"

Teela smiled. "I'm sure," she answered. "But I'm afraid I'm no longer allowed to attend the afternoon sporting events."

"We understand," Marlena said. "You and the baby are much more important than any silly games."

"Thank you," Teela said.

"You let us know if you need anything," Randor told her. "Anything at all."

Teela, eyes wide, inclined her head. "Thank you, Sire."

They released her and Adam put his hand on her lower back, helping her to be seated in her chair before he took his own. He was smiling bemusedly at her. "I told you they like you better," he whispered.

Teela mock-glared at him and elbowed him lightly in the ribs before she sighed. "I'm not made of glass," she groused quietly.

Adam chuckled softly. "We know that," he assured her, "but you're carrying the future heir to the throne... that's kind of a big deal."

"I guess," she sighed.

Adam smiled and turned his attention to Man-E-Faces and Orko, who were the entertainment for the afternoon meal.

After lunch was over and everyone had been dismissed, Adam helped Teela to her feet and they made their way to their suite.

"I'm going to lie down for awhile," Teela told him.

"All right," Adam said, kissing her gently. "I'm going to go get some paperwork from my office and then I'll settle down out here to work on it."

"You're not going to attend the afternoon sporting event?" she asked in surprise.

"Of course not," he replied. "I want to be close to you in case you go into labor. So unless He-Man is needed for some reason, I'm staying close by."

Teela smiled and nodded before she went to their bed chambers to lie down.

She had only been lying down for about half an hour when she started having contractions again. Sighing, she started timing them as Darius and her mother had told her to.

Twenty minutes went by between the first and second, but only fifteen minutes went by between the second and third, and the third one was much stronger than the second. She decided she needed to do the breathing exercises that Darius had taught her, since that one was actually a little painful.

Fifteen more minutes passed until the next contraction and it was also very strong.

"Adam," she called when the pain had subsided enough.

Adam hurried into the room, eyes wild at the pained sound of her voice. "What is it? Are you all right?"

Teela nodded, trying not to laugh at her nearly panicked husband. "Calm down," she told him. "I just wanted to let you know that I've started having contractions again."

"How far apart are they?" Adam asked, sitting beside her on the bed with wide eyes.

"About fifteen minutes," she told him. "And they're pretty painful."

Adam took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves. "Okay," he said, taking her hand. "What can I do?"

"Help me time them and just be here," she told him.

"I can do that," he told her, taking another deep breath and releasing it slowly.

They sat for a few more minutes before Teela took a deep breath.

"Here's another one," she told him, glancing at the chronometer. "Still fifteen minutes apart," she said through clenched teeth. She tried to concentrate on breathing, the way Darius had taught her.

Adam winced as Teela squeezed his hand, trying to remain quiet and let her concentrate on her breathing, all the while keeping an eye on the chronometer.

After nearly a minute, Teela relaxed and took another deep breath, releasing it slowly and looking at him wearily. "Sorry," she said.

"Don't apologize," he told her, kissing the top of her hand.

The contractions got about ten minutes apart before they finally stopped altogether, two and a half hours after they had started.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked, brushing her hair from her forehead as she settled back down on the bed and closed her eyes.

"I'm exhausted," she told him. "That takes a lot of energy."

Adam gave her a sympathetic smile, nodding. "Get some sleep," he told her. "I'll have them send dinner up in a few hours."

Teela nodded and snuggled under the blanket Adam placed over her. In just a few minutes, she was sound asleep.