A/N: I know it was a crappy thing for me to do to keep you hanging the way I did in the last chapter. :P So without further adieu...and away we go...
Chapter 23
Cuddled underneath a comforter and reading a book, Adora's eyes suddenly jerked up from the page to stare off unseeing, Greyskull's urgent summons hitting her in the face like ice water.
"Duncan—"
Jumping to her feet, the book and blanket hit the floor as the Princess stood in her salon, her left hand reaching behind her back unsheathing the Protection Sword.
"For The Honor…Of Greyskull!" her deep voice bellowed.
Instantly, her chambers came alive with ethereal power, swirling from her ancient Weapon's tip.
xx
Adam took a sip of coffee as Frosta enjoyed butterscotch mousse and talking about her kingdom when the Prince's eyes went wide, his skin chilling goosebumps.
Suddenly on alert he straightened, Frosta stopping and eyeing him. She knit her brow.
"What is it?"
"My sister just transformed…," he said quietly.
She took a sharp intake of air. "What…what do we do? Should we help out?"
Pensive, the Prince squinted, his eyes trained on the wall behind her.
"I didn't receive instructions from the Castle. We wait."
Frosta blinked in confusion. "So you two aren't always called together?"
His eyes met hers. "No. For reasons unknown, we're individually summoned to certain situations. But there are also times when a problem calls for our specialty."
Confused, she frowned. "Your...specialty?"
He held her gaze.
"I'm The Defender. My sister is The Protector."
Her lips parting in understanding, she nodded.
xxx
She-Ra sprinted through the Palace halls, surprised staff freezing and jumping out of the way of this statuesque Warrior Goddess, her gold winglet headband glimmering in the light, her long blonde locks whipping behind her.
"Teela! Where is your father?" she shouted aloud.
"He was in the workshop two seconds ago…," came the worried reply.
"I checked. He's not there—"
"He's in the courtyard now! Something's wrong…I can't send a portal. Please! Hurry, She-Ra!"
"Fuck—"
With lightning speed, She-Ra bolted around a corner and charged down another hall, staff unable to identify the sudden blast of fiery wind blowing past them sending them to the floor.
"Sorry—," she said behind her shoulder.
The wrought iron gate blew open as her boots skidded to a stop in the middle of a snowy deserted courtyard, the cold wintry air crystallizing her labored breaths, the frigid, moonless night sky watching above her.
She heard Spirit bray in the distance.
"Spirit? Are you alr—?"
A blast caught her right shoulder blade flipping her over and sending her hard to the ground.
+she-ra look out!
Another blast followed, the Warrior rolling away as it hit the ground blowing the heavy bricks to powdery pieces.
x
Adam angrily kicked his chair back and jumped to his feet, Frosta's eyes looking up at him in confusion.
"What happened?"
His eyes distant, silently he clenched his jaw balling his fists. Her eyes on him, she shifted her gaze to his hands.
"I know that body language," she mused worriedly. "At Mrs. Stoley's, you always had that murderous look in your eye and balled your fists when you were about to tear someone apart."
x
Successive blasts made She-Ra jump and flip out of the way while simultaneously whipping out her Sword, forcefully batting them back; 9-10-11-12, the merciless onslaught suddenly ceasing. In the odd silence that followed, the Blonde Warrior glanced about.
Where are the guards? Are Mom and Dad okay?
A man dressed in sweats suddenly stumbled from the darkness, injured and confused. Her eyes went wide.
"Duncan!"
He fell to his knees and crumpled to the ground, bloodied and shaken as she sprinted and knelt by him, her hand on his arm.
"Can you hear me?" she asked worriedly, her brow knit.
Barely able to breathe, he began mouthing something.
+she-ra!
Another blast came at the two, on her knees, She-Ra twisting and blocking the sorcery straight back at its originator, a scream echoing in her ears. She turned back to Man-At-Arms.
"Hang tight."
He nodded awkwardly.
Jumping to her feet, she squared her bare shoulders against the darkness.
"Cowards hide in the shadows!" she bellowed angrily. "Show your face! Regardless, your ass is mine," she growled.
Her fiery sapphire gaze squinted at movement.
Glowing red eyes suddenly opened and peered at her from the midst of the eerie darkness, the Blonde's mouth falling open.
"Shadow Weaver?"
The crimson witch levitated from the periphery clutching an arm injured by She-Ra's ricochet.
"I've come for Keldor," she hissed.
"Why?" the Warrior demanded.
"I…I need his strength—"
"Tough shit. You're not getting him."
The two women glared at one another, She-Ra rolling the Sword's handle in her left clutch just itching to slice this woman in half.
Weaver suddenly waved a heavy palm, the MasterBlaster materializing between them.
"Trade," she ventured. "You hand over the King's brother. I return this to you."
The younger woman stared down at it.
"You know he's nothing but trouble. You'll be glad to be rid of him," she said. "And you know you cannot rescue your friends without this," she taunted, gesturing at the weapon, her voice dripping with arrogance.
Silence.
How did she know that?
"Give me KELDOR," the Horde witch insisted.
Conflicted, thoughts raged through She-Ra's mind.
She didn't care much for her uncle, but she needed the Blaster to find Orko and the original Sorceress; if she's even still alive.
Slim chance of that, though. Skeletor had made certain of it when he broke from the Fourth Dimension.
Weaver tilted her head, her gaze narrowing. "I see you are much conflicted, Child."
At the familial term, angry, She-Ra jerked her eyes back to the woman.
"Your thoughts…your…emotions…," she trailed off.
Realizing her error, blocking the invasive telepathy the Blonde squeezed her eyes shut.
Too late.
"You…"
Opening her eyes, She-Ra slowly raised her Weapon.
"You are…Force Captain Adora?" the woman stated incredulous.
"Fuck you. So what if I am?"
The witch stood in stunned silence, She-Ra quirking a brow, her shoulder bleeding.
"So if He-Man is your brother, then Prince Adam...is He-Man," she deduced. "Skeletor knew this and kept it hidden. The bastard," she spat.
Shit! the Blonde's mind blurted at the witch's revelation.
Switching tactics, Weaver looked at her. "Don't you remember, Child? I was a mother to you," she stated softly, levitating closer. "I raised you as my own with Hordak, your loving and adoptive father. Remember? The walks by the lake…the training…me ever ready with a listening ear? We fed and clothed you..."
Confused, She-Ra's mind began to cloud and then—the knives.
Pain seared through her head, she wincing and putting a hand to her temple.
The dark witch stretched a hand toward her. "Take my hand, Adora. You can trust me. You were always my favorite."
"God…help me…"
Battling the powerful witchcraft, the Princess' mind suddenly cleared, the pain stopping abruptly, her eyes popping open.
Her eyes jerked up to meet the older woman's now startled gaze at the broken spell.
"Nice try, bitch—"
The Princess of Power lunged forward bringing the Sword down axe style when Weaver dodged it, whirling and sending a blast of sorcery at the Warrior's exposed back; She-Ra draping the blade over a shoulder blind-blocking it from behind, the energy ricocheting off the broad blade.
Weaver slipped a shoulder back as the sorcerous energy went careening past her slamming into the side of the gymnasium, rocking it to its core. She reached out another palm sending a blast at the Blonde, the younger woman whirling and volleying it back in a powerful forehand, the blast sailing over the woman's cowl and crashing into another building.
The sound of shouting voices and rushing boots met them as the two battled; Weaver shooting double-palmed sorcery at the Warrior as the Blonde clutched the Blade to her chest and kick-hopped into a butterfly flip, the blasts missing her and crashing into something behind setting it ablaze.
The courtyard buildings on fire, Man-At-Arms watched helplessly from the brick-laden ground as She-Ra whirled batting another blast back at the woman, her own sorcery slamming into her, the woman screaming in pain.
Shadow Weaver suddenly vanished, armed guards pouring into the courtyard as shouts of "get the hoses!" reached her ears.
Sheathing the Sword behind her back she rushed to Duncan, medics already surrounding him as he blinked heavily, struggling with every wheezing breath.
"Please help him! He's got serious internal injuries. I can't teleport. It'll kill him!" the Sorceress pleaded.
"Damnit," Greyskull's Warrior spat as everyone glanced up at her.
"Take him to the infirmary," she ordered. "I'll meet you shortly."
"Yes ma'am!" they shouted and moved.
"Hey!" she barked.
Surprised, they all whirled around.
"The King and Queen?"
"When we heard the cannons, we made them go to the safe room," Remy answered. "They umm…weren't too thrilled about it, Ma'am. They're worried about their children."
She nodded. "I'll contact Adora and Adam. Don't worry, they're safe." Her gaze dropped to a rapidly deteriorating Duncan. "Get him out of here. Now!" she commanded with a gesture.
"Yes ma'am!"
Scooping him up onto the gurney, they rushed off.
Still recovering from his own injuries, Cringer slowly slinked through the chaotic courtyard, his golden gaze worried as men and women rushed about, putting out fires and barking orders. She-Ra's eyes met his. She shook her head.
"It's not as bad as it looks, Cat."
The tiger snorted.
*that certainly sounds familiar
The woman gave a crooked smile, Cringer's gaze shifting beyond her.
*uh oh
She-Ra frowned. "What?"
The Eternian tiger gestured with his head as She-Ra whirled around, her gaze landing on a terrifying and hopeless sight.
Having sustained a hit by a stray blast of Weaver's magic, the MasterBlaster had burned to a cinder.
"SHIT!"
+great
+hey wasn't eternia supposed to be safer than etheria?
Annoyed, the Princess' eyes narrowed at Spirit's stinging observation.
Troubled, Randor stood with arms crossed over Duncan's infirmary bed, his dear friend of over twenty-five years connected to IV's and machines, the sounds of the EKG pulsing in the background.
Worried, Marlena clasped her hands and held them to her lips as Adam, Adora, and Frosta stared pained at the unconscious man.
"Thank you for healing as much of the damage as you could manage, Daughter."
The Princess shifted a downcast glance to the King. "Yes, Sir."
Adam and Frosta, still dressed in their dinner attire stared at an intubated Duncan as the man struggled for breath, Adam sensing her feelings and turning to his sister.
"It's not your fault you know."
Her eyes flashed. "How is it not, Brother?
"Did you cause his injuries?" he asked pointedly.
Adora's eyes went back down to him. "No. But I forgot about the Blaster. And I could have dispensed with that witch and gotten him to the infirmary a lot sooner."
"Hordak and Weaver are responsible for this shit. Our job right now is to make sure Duncan gets better—" emotional, his voice cracked.
Frosta glanced up at him and reached for his hand, squeezing it in support.
"There's more."
All eyes shifted to Adora.
"I'm afraid I sort of blew it," she confessed.
Marlena frowned. "Blew what?"
She took a deep breath. "In my anger and in the frenzied chaos, I neglected to guard my thoughts."
Silence as everyone watched her.
"Shadow Weaver figured out my identity and by association, yours too, Brother."
The Queen gasped, Randor's features darkening in anger. Adam however waved it off.
"She would have figured it out sooner or later anyway."
Frosta whipped her head to him.
"Kind of cavalier of you, isn't it, Adam?"
Another shake of his head. "Whatever."
Adora watched her brother.
"Right now, all I care about is Duncan," he stated, his gaze misting. He cleared his throat. "Teela?" he reached out telepathically.
No response.
He glanced about the room, sapphire landing on sapphire.
"Will you watch over everyone, Sister?"
Grave, she nodded.
Releasing Frosta's hand, he abruptly headed for the door.
"Where are you going? The Snow Princess shouted after him.
Without so much as a backward glance, he left.
"WHAT?" Hordak blew up. "BY HORDE WORLD—!"
Annoyed, Weaver wearily glanced up at him. "Shall I repeat it?"
"No!" he shouted with a dismissive wave, shaking his head.
They were in the Fright Zone infirmary, Weaver getting bandaged up by an attendant from her battle with Greyskull's Warrior Princess. Hordak began to pace, his hands clasped behind his back.
"So Skeletor was hiding it. No wonder that day he called He-Man family," he snorted with a growl. "Sniveling snake!"
A knock at the door-jamb startled them, their heads snapping to the entrance, the attendant still working.
Commander Catra stood frozen, her cat-like gaze eyeing them. Regaining her composure, she entered.
"I simply came to check on you, Shadow Weaver," she purred. "Where did the injury come from?"
The older woman's glowing eyes narrowed. "Wouldn't you like to know—"
"She snuck to Eternia to retrieve the MasterBlaster and Keldor!" Hordak blurted out unwittingly.
The woman's eyes brightened. "Is that a fact?"
Shadow Weaver's eyes narrowed angrily.
"Yes," he barked, still pacing, distracted.
"And…why would the all-powerful Horde Witch require a nobody like Keldor?" she fished.
"Because she needs him for—"
"Silence!" the witch barked.
Insulted, Hordak frozed and trained furious crimson orbs at the woman sitting on a gurney. "You dare command me to silence?"
"Yes!" she snapped, "Especially when you are about to reveal everything to Prime's mole, you idiot!"
His fanged jaw dropped, his eyes cutting to the younger woman, now decidedly uncomfortable.
"Mole, you say?" he asked, his tone now coy.
Straightening, she stood at attention, clasping her hands behind her back. "I am no mole, Madame," she insisted, her jaw clenched.
Figuring it out, she focused on Hordak. "So, Weaver is sick and needs Keldor, somehow."
Furious, Hordak began to growl.
"Isn't he also known as Skeletor, a very powerful Eternian wizard?"
Weaver seethed as putting it together, Catra took a sharp intake of air.
"So he is your host! That is why you are sick! He hasn't been to Etheria in quite some time—"
"Breathe one word of this to Prime and I will destroy you!" Hordak bellowed.
Feigning surprise, Catra put a hand to her chest. "Me? Why, I'd never betray you, my lord. You promised me gold and my own kingdom if I allied with you. Prime has promised nothing but fear! Consider it; if your brother knew you were back on Etheria, wouldn't you two be dead by now?"
At the logic, the warlord had no choice but to accept her words as truth, Weaver however still doubtful sensing duality.
"I leave you to heal, Shadow Weaver," she gestured with her head. "And you, Hordak. I'll notify you as soon as Prime completes the movements from Meridien. Agreed?"
He squinted at her. "Fine."
With an innocent smile, nodding, Catra left.
Turning the corner, the grin grew wider.
In the dark wintry frigidity of Evergreen Forest, Greyskull's façade loomed like a ghost in the moonless night beyond the foggy abyss, Adam standing opposite on the promontory.
Seeing him, the drawbridge immediately lowered, the Prince traversing it. He made his way through the winding eerie gargoyle lined halls to an empty Throne Room.
"Teela?" his voice echoed in the empty stony chambers.
No reply.
Scanning the room he narrowed his gaze, his eyes falling on a dark hallway, the normally lit sconces dim and forlorn.
He made his way through the gloom, up the ancient cracked stone stairs and to a closed door; a sliver of dim flickering candlelight slipping underneath the wooden door. Turning the knob, he opened and stepped through, his eyes settling on her back.
The Sorceress sat hunched over head bowed on the side of the bed, her shoulders heaving.
Adam's heart sank, a lump forming in his throat as he struggled to swallow.
Quietly approaching, he gently took a seat beside her, his gaze locked on her beautiful profile now marred with acute distress, tears running down her cheek. Straightening, she swiped at her tears and turned to him, her normally confident emerald gaze now bloodshot and clouded with a profound loss of hope and despair. Heart heavy, he furrowed his brow.
"Geez, Tee. I'm not sure what to say."
"Why do I have to lose everything? Everybody? Everyone I love?" she blurted tearfully, snorting and swiping at her nose.
His heart breaking all over again, he looked at her. "Who did you lose?"
Incredulous, she gawked at him.
"Come on, Adam! My mother, you, my father," she counted off with fingers. "I suppose your sister and parents will be next and I just sit here Guardian of this damn Castle unable to do anything about it!" she screamed. "All of you are going to die, just like my mother!"
Adam's brows flew up. "Huh? We're all dying? Did Greyskull reveal the future to you?"
Teela wearily nodded, sniffling and wiping her tears.
He frowned. "Could it be a metaphorical vision or was it just all of us outright fuckin' dead?"
His tone unintentionally comical, she couldn't help but snort a laugh, he giving a small smile.
"Adam," she groaned.
"No seriously," he pressed. "I think it may be bullshit."
Shocked, Teela straightened, her eyes wide.
"You're calling Greyskull's visions…bullshit? Damn, Adam, do you want to die right now for your insolence?"
It was his turn to snort a laugh. "Not really," he said sarcastically. "But in all seriousness, remember what Greyskull did with Uncle Keldor's sorcery restraints?"
Blinking, she slowly shifted her gaze to the stone window.
"Umm…yeah? But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Could those visions simply be a possible future?" he suggested. "Your mother used to tell me that she could see several hundred future paths for Eternia, none of them set, all dependent on our outlook whether it's negative or positive."
Listening, Teela settled quiet.
Adam shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe that's what's going on? Since becoming He-Man I've noticed Greyskull does things...," he trailed off unable to find the right words.
She frowned. "Does things? What do you mean?"
"Little things like sabotaging something to see how I'd handle it."
Her eyes went wide.
"How many times did the Masters and I struggle with that asshole Beastman? Not to mention Trap-Jaw, Tri-Klops and the others. Every time we got the upper hand, something always managed to go wrong. And it always involved the Castle." He shook his head. "Hard to explain..."
She went pensive.
Sighing, Adam pursed his lips, his gaze going to the window. "Maybe a lot of this is to test our character? I don't know."
"Wait." Realizing something, she went on alert. "What happened to the MasterBlaster?"
"It's gone, babe."
She gasped. "I didn't…I missed that. I was too busy watching over She-Ra and Daddy…," she trailed off.
"Burnt to a crisp," he elaborated, a hand running over his face in frustration. "We've got to come up with something else to find Orko," he eyed her.
"So…you believe your mother's…dead?" he asked delicately.
Teela nodded. "I can't sense her at all. Odd knowing that she'd spent centuries in this castle communing with Greyskull's Spirit and the Omniscient One."
Confused, they sat in protracted silence.
"So what do we do about this damn Blaster being destroyed?" Teela suddenly mused aloud.
A name entered their thoughts, the two snapping their heads to each other.
"You've got to be kidding me," she stated.
"What the hell did I just finish saying?" Adam replied throwing his hands in the air.