Part 5

Part 5

"Where is that boy?" said a nervous King Randor as he walked through the highly decorated throne room. "The dignitaries will be here any moment."

King Randor paced back and forth on the red carpet leading to the throne. Then finally he turned towards the throne and moved forward towards the steps. His feet stammering up the steps made a sound that echoed through the deserted hall, and reaching the top he turned around to sit on his throne. His body slumped back as he said to himself, "What am I going to do with that boy? He's never here on time. It's almost like he lives in his own little world."

His eyes lifted as he thought he heard a door shut. "Who's there?" His face turned as he glanced at all of the shut doors. He sat up and surveyed the room, but he didn't see anyone else there. His hand lifted to push the button on his intercom.

"Teela, this is King Randor in the.." His hand lifted off the button and slammed back on the intercom. "Nothing in here ever works when Man-at-Arms is gone. Why did Orko have to show him Trolla at this time of year anyways."

He suddenly sprung up from his throne as he heard a creak in the room. "All right, that's enough. This is no time to be playing jokes on the king." His face turned back and forth looking around the room. He still couldn't see anything.

"Orko, is that you? Are you back from Trolla?"

His eyes explored the room extensively to no avail. The room was filled with prestigious decorations. He edged toward the steps. "Prince Adam?"

He stopped his progression forward. His body then turned around again, and he slumped down his throne again. "I'm just too nervous. That boy is driving me nuts."

A hand pervading from a black cloak slowly came from behind the throne. The king sat with his eyes closed trying to relaxing. The hand then pressed hard against his mouth pressing his head against the throne.

The king's eyes shot open and his body straightened in the chair. He tried yelling, but he couldn't. His body was wriggling all over trying to get up.

A second hand came from behind the other side of the throne. This one was approaching much quicker and with a long knife. King Randor tried to yell as loud as he could, but the knife dug into his chest scraping against his ribs.

The knife retracted back and entered again. The king still struggled as the knife entered him. A river of blood flowed down off of the thrown. The hand pulled back again, and the knife entered again plowing deeper in the bloody chest.

The king now slumped down in the throne, and the hands disappeared behind. The river of blood ran off the throne and combined with the red carpet.

§ § §

He-Man stepped off of the sky-sled and hustled into the command quarters to get Teela. He opened the door, but no one was there. "Teela," He-Man called, but got no answer. He shut the door and headed towards Teela's room.

He walked through the hallways of the palace and arrived at Teela's door. He-Man entered and saw Teela changing clothes. "He-Man!" Teela yelled more surprised than ever at He-Man's arrival.

"Whoa, sorry Teela." He-Man said backing away from her door wanting to smile, but overwhelmed with the sense of urgency. Teela quickly through something on and came to the door.

"I thought you weren't coming to the summit."

"I'm not. The killer's here inside the palace."

"I know, He-Man."

"You do? How did you.."

"She's in the dungeon with the other two, He-Man. You were there."

"No, Teela. She's gone."

"What? No alarms went off or anything."

"Teela, she's Evil-lyn. We never should've left her down there." He-Man said putting his hand on her shoulder. "We need to go to the Command Center and turn the security walls on so no one can get in or out."

"But He-Man, all the dignitaries will be here soon for the summit."

"We don't want them here with a killer on the loose, do we?"

§ § §

He-Man and Teela entered the Command Center. Teela took a seat at the master control deck. "I wish my father were here to do this."

"Don't you remember how?" He-Man asked.

"Yes, I think so. It's this button right... here." Teela said as she pushed the button. A light then came on indicating the security walls had been activated.

"Okay, Teela. Let's go find Evil-lyn. You go towards the other bedrooms, and I'll search the throne room area."

"All right."

"And be careful." He-Man added as Teela headed toward the other rooms opposite of He-Man's direction.

§ § §

He-Man walked down the deserted hallways leading to the throne room. He figured everyone else in the palace was getting ready for the summit just as Teela had been. He paced on towards the door through all the decorations that would all be a part of his future.

His hand lifted the handle of the door, and it creaked as it swung open. He-Man entered and moved through more decoration hanging from the ceiling. As he pushed away the final decoration his eyes gazed up at the throne, and his heart fell to the floor.

"Fatheeerrrrrr!" yelled He-Man as tears fell from the eyes of the most powerful man in the universe. No one was there to hear his cry or feel his pain as so many times before.

He ran to the throne and embraced his father, the King of Eternia, not wanting to let go. "Why you?" He-Man said.

Wiping the tears from his face, He-Man picked up his father and carried him out of the room. He solemnly walked through the halls of the palace carrying its ruler in his arms.

He made his way past the servants who all fell to their knees at the site. He-Man turned a corner heading towards the bedrooms. Teela was standing right in front of him.

"Oh, no! He-Man. It can't..." Teela said astonished.

He-Man didn't even stop to acknowledge her though. He moved on without pause down the hallway. Coming to a stop in front of his mother's room, he walked in. A scream that must have been heard over all Eternia pervaded from the room.

He-Man stood there silently holding King Randor in his arms as his mother wept on the body of her husband. He wanted to say something to his mother, but he wasn't Prince Adam. His mind was telling him to be strong. He had to be strong for the people.

Part 6

The Sorceress stood before one of the eyes of Grayskull. The images had stopped coming after He-Man left. She could feel nothing coming from the Eternian Palace. Her face looked to the stars hoping someone else could be watching over her hero.

She stepped away from the window knowing it was doing know good worrying about him. She then walked to the top of northern tower as she had done earlier that day. Looking across to the palace she could see the flashing red lights on the walls of the palace.

"It's happening," whispered the Sorceress to herself. Knowing she could do nothing else but hope, she started back down the stairs to her room. As her feet passed from step to step she saw the eerie green glow again.

"I remember. It's not her!" said the Sorceress as a look of horror painted on her face. She rushed up the stairs again and leaped off the tower as she transformed into the flying bird once more.

§ § §

Queen Marlena stood in the deserted room in front of the platform on which laid her husbands body. A black veil fell over her face and a single candle burned on a small round table in the middle of the room. Night had fallen in Eternia along with one of its greatest leaders.

A gentle, cool breeze flowed through the window, and the candle flickered every time but never extinguished. Queen Marlena broke from her stare as the door opened. A person covered in a black cloak entered.

"Thank you for coming, priest." Queen Marlena said welcoming him in.

The priest sauntered over to the body. "Have you done this before?" asked Queen Marlena.

The priest shook his head yes.

"What are we supposed to do now?" she asked.

The priest shook his head yes again.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The priest shook his head no.

"Who are you?" asked Queen Marlena backing up towards the door.

The priest then quickly raised an arm bearing a knife. The Queen screamed as the arm embraced her and the knife carved into her back. She was then picked up over the shoulder.

The supposed priest then lifted her above his head and sent her tumbling out into the Eternian night. A curdling yell came from the queen's flailing body until she hit the solid ground outside splattering a blanket of red across it.

§ § §

He-Man stood inside the Eternian temple staring at the mystic altar before him. He drew his sword and laid it before him as he kneeled down. His whole life was now changed completely in a matter of minutes. In the morning Adam would become King of Eternia as part of the custom ritual.

He had never felt more alone. The Sorceress had not contacted him after he left, and he couldn't find Teela anywhere. His head was bowed in silence as he wasn't even sure if there was even a purpose for him being there.

His eyes opened as he was readying to stand up, and he saw on his sword a single red droplet. Before he could move again another red drop fell from above onto the sword. His hand grasped the handle of the sword as He-Man backed away from the altar.

His eyes widened half with disbelief and half with terror as he saw the source of the droplets. Hanging from the ceiling was the body of Evil-lyn with a spear through the heart and blood running from her mouth. "It's not her," He-Man said astonished.

Not wanting to see anymore, He-Man turned towards the door and sprinted out. He stepped out into the palace garden only lit by the light of the Eternian moons. He started moving back towards the main palace, and then froze in his footsteps as he heard a scream.

Before trying to figure out anything else, he just started running towards its source. Frantically running through the flowers and trees spotting the garden. His sword in hand ready to strike with the most rage he had ever felt.

Another scream came from the castle.

He-Man broke through the last tree in the garden and looked up to the palace. "Noooooo!" yelled He-Man as he ran as fast as he could towards his falling mother.

He-Man came to his mother on the ground and couldn't look at her. Not stopping to mourn over her death he flew to the stairs leading up the palace. His legs bounded up the stairs skipping two or three at a time.

He flew around the corner into the hallway where the bedrooms were situated. "He-Man! What happened?" Teela questioned almost being ran over.

Breathing hard, He-Man embraced Teela who was dressed in a robe. "Get back in your room, Teela, and lock the door."

"But I can help. I've fought Evil-lyn before." Teela argued looking into He-Man's desperate face.

Pulling Teela slightly away from his body so he could look into her eyes he said, "It's not her, Teela."

"What do you mean, He-Man? You caught her, and she escaped, and... and."

"I know Teela, but I just found her hanging from the temple ceiling."

Teela had no words left to say to He-Man as she laid her head down on his chest. "I need for you to go to your room now Teela. Whoever or whatever it is is just between them and me now."

Teela nodded in agreement as she turned from He-Man heading towards her room. He-Man reached up his hand not wanting to let her go, but he knew he must stop the killing.

§ § §

Zoar sailed through the ebony night sky towards the flashing red lights on the walls of the Eternian palace. Outside the palace were large parades of people gathering in the capitol for the annual summit. The people locked outside of the walls had no idea what was going on inside.

Flying over the top of the walls, Zoar noticed an opened window at the top of the throne room. Swooping down over the top of the building she slipped through and slowed down towards the red carpet heading towards the throne.

The Sorceress's feet gently touched the carpet as she now again walked as a human being. Her eyes glanced around the well decorated but empty room. "He-Man? Is anyone here?"

No one answered he lonely calls.

She moved timidly across the throne room floor. She glanced around the room quickly as the images of green passed through her mind. Her face then turned towards the throne of King Randor.

More images of green passed into her head.

She stumbled backwards not wanting to see any more. Then a tear ran down her cheek as she saw the blood at the bottom of the throne running into the carpet. Her eyes moving up she saw an image of the king - lifeless and stained with his own blood.

"Poor Adam," wept the Sorceress stepping backwards but somehow not able to take her eyes from the image before her from her mind.

A black covered hand then grabbed the Sorceress from around the waist and another pressed a green-glowing knife to her throat and a too familiar voice said, "It's time for you to join Tellan."

"No," gasped the Sorceress but not fighting back. "But how did you..."

"Let her go now!" came a powerful voice from across the room.

"He-Man. Just in time for the big show," said the voice from under the black hooded cloak.

He-Man paused in his steps as all the anger in his body suddenly turned into surprise and utter confusion. His jaw dropped as the hand with the glowing knife reached back and dropped the black hood. "Surprised, He-Man?"

"Teela. Why...how...?" He-Man tried to ask but not yet able to comprehend what was happening.

"You want to know why I killed the king and queen or those two foolish villagers," Teela said keeping her distance from He-Man dragging the feeble Sorceress along with her. "It's really quite simple He-Man. Timiña and Lianna were just practice for the king and queen."

"How could you be so sick?" He-Man questioned.

"Don't get too hasty, He-Man. That wasn't all," said Teela still pacing around the throne room with the knife held tight against the Sorceress's neck. "Timiña was also sleeping with one of my best officers in the Eternian army. She quit after Timiña broke it off. People like that don't deserve to live."

"That was no reason to do what you did, Teela." He-Man said with the anger returning to his face.

"No, He-Man." Teela said in a voice of abruptly increasing madness. "My father, Tellan, died because of the king, and the Sorceress left him to die."

"Teela, no," the Sorceress said as the knife around her neck pressed closer. "Randor didn't know."

"What? What does the king have to do with your father's death, Teela?" He-Man said backing the pressure off of Teela a little bit.

"My father was killed in a battle before I was born. He was fighting along side Randor when he told him to get another neutron shell. Randor dropped it, and it went off some how."

"It was an accident then Teela." He-Man said immediately approaching Teela.

Teela moved backed quickly dragging the Sorceress with her, and her voice rose much more. "No. How did Randor know to move away so quickly to avoid the blast? He had no way of knowing, and the Sorceress had her powers. She knew he was out there, and she did nothing!" Tears of rage and sadness fell down Teela's face.

"Teela, that is not how it went," came her mother's pleading voice softer than usual from the glowing knife pressing at her neck. "You've been mislead by someone, and I know him, Teela. He can't be trusted."

"What do you know about trust, Mother?" Teela said holding her more aggressively as He-Man watched helplessly. "Father trusted you, and you weren't there for him.

"I couldn't Teela. I can't change the paths of the Universe. You have to trust me now Teela. Give the power back to him and forget him."

"Forget him so I can do what Mother? Become the Sorceress of Grayskull," wailed Teela as she pulled her mother with her circling with He-Man as he watched. "I've never wanted to be the Sorceress. I'm a warrior. I can't just sit in that castle all day. I can't be alone."

"You won't ever be alone, Teela. I'll be there," begged He-Man jumping on his chance to help and free the Sorceress.

"You He-Man. You're not my love He-Man. You never have been. I would be stuck in the horrid castle away from Adam. Adam is my love, and Adam isn't in Grayskull. He'll be king, and I'll be abandoned in Grayskull."

He-Man couldn't believe it. Teela loved Adam not He-Man. "Teela, you don't have to do this. I am Adam."

"Don't try to fool me now, He-Man. I'm not dumb."

"Listen to him, Teela," said the Sorceress's growingly weak voice.

He-Man then stopped moving and planted his feet steadily as he lifted his sword straight into the air. Teela froze and tightened her grip. "Let the power return," boomed the voice of He-Man.

A beam of light shot from the sword and returned. Teela flashed her eyelids quickly as the light blinded her. As her sight started to come back to her she closed her eyes not believing what she saw. "Adam?"

"Yes, Teela. It's me," came Prince Adam's comforting voice. "Now let the Sorceress go and give back this power to whoever it is that deceived you."

Teela's arms loosened and the Sorceress fell to the ground. "I can't Adam. I don't know where he is."

"Who is it, Teela?" questioned Adam eagerly awaiting the answer as the emotionally drained Teela stood motionless in her black cloak holding the knife which was glowing green and rivers of tears flowing from her eyes.

Adam's body whipped around as one of the large doors to the throne room swung open as another figure in a black cloak with the ominous green glow pervading from it entered the room.

"Who are you!" Adam yelled as he quickly backed away from him towards Teela and the Sorceress. The figure walked closer, but Adam couldn't see his face from under the black hood, and Teela still said nothing. Then the Sorceress's head rose from the ground looking at the figure. "It's...Zodac."

The man's arm quickly flew up removing his hood and showing his face. "Yes. That is right Sorceress." He started walking closer as Teela, frightened by his appearance, was backing away. "And Teela. Didn't I tell you to make it short and quick?"

Still sobbing, Teela didn't answer.

"Yes, short and quick. Just like when I killed your father."

Teela froze and stood up with a new strength. "What? But you said..."

"I had to. He was getting too close to the Sorceress and the cosmic balance was being disrupted. I didn't know I was too late that time though," replied Zodac as he started walking closer to them from across the room. Adam was bent down at the now unconscious Sorceress's side. "I was too late, because you had already been created. That is why I came back. I thought maybe these people would catch you, but I misjudged your abilities as a mad psychopath."

Teela's arm rose as she said with power, "You bastard." She flung the knife at Zodac's head with as much energy as she had left. Zodac arm raised and a green blast shot from it crumbling the knife to the ground.

"Teelaaaa!" shouted Adam's voice from the Sorceress's side.

Another blast came from Zodac's hand headed straight towards Teela. Adam was sprinting for her, but was seconds too late as the blast went straight through her as Adam dove and caught her in his arms.

"Noooooo!" yelled Adam as he looked into the face of his only love. Setting her body on the ground he quickly pulled out his sword and stood up saying, "I have the power!"

He-Man then approached Zodac who was now floating in a mystic green cloud. "I have now secured the cosmic balance He-Man. Teela was never meant to be the Sorceress of Grayskull."

"Who are you to say she wasn't!" yelled He-Man up to the God-like figure.

"No reason to be angry at me He-Man. I have done the universe a favor."

"Now I will do it a favor!" yelled He-Man charging towards the floating Zodac.

"I'm afraid not," said Zodac as he vanished into the mystic green cloud.

He-Man ran through the dissipating green cloud and fell to his knees with tears running from his face. He had never felt weaker then he had at that moment, but yet his future seemed clearer than ever.

He stood up and walked over to the awakening Sorceress. Bending over he lifted the frail body in his arms. Walking away from the events of that night he held the Sorceress close to him and said, "I'll take you home. Grayskull will take care of us."