Trial of a Hero

by Aidan J S Cross

He-Man faces his most challenging and unbelievable threat ever, when out of the blue, he is arrested- and charged with MURDER!! Can it be? Read on and prepare to be amazed!

2. Part 2

TRIAL OF A HERO

BY

AIDAN CROSS

5/22/99

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PART 6

"It's all a mistake." He-Man said plainly. "I would never dream of committing murder."
"You can't deny that when thousands of people saw you stab Lord Marlach to death." the man replied. "So you might as well just confess the whole thing."
"I cannot confess to something I didn't do." said He-Man. "In fact, I didn't even know Lord Marlach had been murdered."
"You know you're only proving your own guilt by saying things like that?"
"Why?" said He-Man, puzzled. "What does that prove?"
"There's no way you could escape knowledge of Lord Marlach's death. It's been all over Eternia for the past few days, ever since the ceremony."
"Listen, I've been busy doing my usual patrol of Eternia. I rarely visit news stations or anywhere. There's no reason why I should have known, no matter how widespread the news is. And I wasn't even at the ceremony."
"There's no use in lying." said the man. He looked at He-Man with a cold, blank glare, his face expressionless, and He-Man was seriously beginning to dislike him. "If you weren't at the ceremony, where were you two days ago?"
He-Man pondered, trying to ransack his mind for an answer. He KNEW he had to lie partially here- otherwise he would give away his secret identity. But the time he took to reply did him no good. For the Lawman said "See- you're desperately trying to think of a lie. By trying to lie, you're only proving you're guilty, so you might as well just admit it."
"I'm telling you, I did nothing!" He-Man said, his tones almost becoming harsh with frustration. "I was patrolling the farmlands, near where those men reported me. I knew nothing of the murder of Lord Marlach, and I'm just as saddened by his death as the rest of Eternia is. If I'd committed this killing, I would confess, but since I didn't, ther's no way I can."
The Lawman just shook his head. "I'm afraid there's no way you're gonna convince me." he said. "All this you've been telling me sounds pretty lame so far. So I order you to just tell me the truth. It won't make your punishment any worse."
He-Man struggled desperately to stay patient, yearning for one of the lie-detector machines that his sister's friend, Carlos, used. "Listen here." He-Man said. "I've defended this planet for six years with the power of Grayskull. When I was given these powers by the Sorceress, I was told that to kill any living creature with intention and no need, no matter whether they're good or evil, is to abuse the power of Grayskull. After spending so long stopping Skeletor from killing innocent people, and making sure that as little evil as possible is wreaked upon this world, why would I suddenly change my mind and kill someone for no reason? It just doesn't make sense."
"Well, normally it wouldn't, but when thousands of people have actually seen you do it, it's down to you to tell me why. Because you HAVE abused the power of Grayskull- and there's no denying it. So just tell me why you did it."
"Will you never understand?!" said He-Man, almost losing his temper with this man. "I'm not usually one to lose my temper, but I don't understand how you can be so convinced that I'VE killed someone. I have had a reputation for being the most noble and heroic man on this planet for the last six years. I'd never have thought that anyone could ever believe that I would kill someone!"
"Well, I wouldn't have believed it usually….. but like I've already said, thousands of people saw it, so there's no doubt that you killed Lord Marlach."
"Well whoever they saw, it wasn't me! Several years ago, I did think I'd killed a man. And this was by accident- I thought I'd knocked a structure down on someone without meaning to. And do you know what? I felt so guilty that I threw my power sword down the abyss of Grayskull and decided to give up all my power. It was only when I realised I'd been tricked by Skeletor that I went to retrieve it! So after that incident, why would I ever kill someone intentionally?!"
The Lawman just shook his head yet again. "You tell me." he said. "You can't deny that you have killed someone."
"Just listen to me, please!" said He-Man, throwing his hands down on the table before the Lawman. "I speak with all honesty. Actually-" he took his sword out from its sheath, and held it vertically downwards across his chest- "I swear upon the power of Grayskull. I had nothing to do with the murder of Lord Marlach- when the ceremony took place, I was very far from Eternos City, on patrol, and could not have been more shocked when the villager I tried to save screamed when he saw me approaching. While I was being flown here on your aircraft, I had no idea what it was all about, and was aghast when you told me I'd been arrested for murder. So I've been arrested out of the blue. I'm not trying to deny that the murder of Lord Marlach took place, neither am I trying to deny that people may have mistaken the murderer for me. But I can tell you- upon all the power of Grayskull- that I did not kill Lord Marlach, and would never even dream of doing so."
He-Man looked back up at the Lawman. Surely he must be convinced now.
And as the Lawman simply shook his head again, He-Man slammed his sword down on the table in frustration. "What's wrong here?" he demanded. "I hate to lose my temper, but I don't understand any of this! What makes you so convinced I'd betray the power of Grayskull in such a way?!"
"Well, from what we've heard, you were feeling pretty stressed in the period before the killing. It makes sense to assume that the pressure led you to flip your lid."
"That's nonsense, I-"
"And anyway, just you try denying it after this." he opened a small door in the wall and called to someone in the next room. "Bring us the video disk, will you?"
A man came in with a video disk and gave it to the Lawman. "The whole killing was captured on film by a cameraman called Mendoc." he said. "So this is how we know that you committed this murder." He slipped the disk into a slot in the wall, and a latch opened from the ceiling. A viewscreen came down, and on it appeared the image of Lord Marlach standing outside the doors of the Arcology. Then He-Man watched in horror as a figure that was totally identical to himself appeared on the screen, marching towards Lord Marlach. The figure pulled out the power sword, stabbed Lord Marlach repeatedly until he lay dead on the ground, and then left the scene.
"So, what do you have to say for that?" the Lawman asked.
"I'm telling you, whoever that was, it was not me." He-Man said. "I'd remember if it was. Someone has somehow assumed my exact form and has framed me for this crime. Whoever it was is not me."
"Oh, come off it!" said the Lawman. "What are you trying to tell me now, that that was an impostor?!"
"Yes! Have you not heard of all the different things Skeletor can do in the depths of Snake Mountain? He did actually once create an evil version of me-" he remembered his battles with Faker, who was long dead by now, "so he could quite easily do the same thing again! Don't look to me for the solution to this crime. You should just get over to Snake Mountain right away and see what Skeletor knows about it."
The Lawman just shook his head again. He-Man almost felt like punching this bastard- although that would only make the man even more convinced he was a murderer. "I'm still not convinced." the man said. "No matter what Skeletor might be capable of, the way you've acted in this interview just shows your guilt, if you ask me."
"Nonsense!" said He-Man. "I've done nothing-"
"It's clear you're gonna deny it no matter what proof there is, so I'm afraid you're gonna have to be tried for murder." He slid the door open, then called to two guards standing nearby. "You might as well take He-Man down to the cells." he said. "I'll arrange the trial while you're at it. And I'll keep this 'sword of power' away from its owner. Now that it's become nothing but a murder weapon."
The two guards saluted him, then gripped hold of He-Man's arms, and dragged him down several long flights of stairs, until they reached the ground floor. He-Man felt incredibly frustrated, angry, and depressed all at once. If people all over Eternia believed he was a murderer, surely that would mean that all his close friends, his parents, even Man-At-Arms and Teela, must think the same! Why did this have to happen just as he was enjoying his break to such extremes ?

Outside Law HQ, Man-At-Arms, Teela, and Extendar were desperately awaiting signs of He-Man. None of them were convinced of his guilt.
"He must have been under some kind of evil spell." Teela was saying. "Because his eyes….. do you remember that time when Skeletor turned him into a rampaging beast with the magic of the Tower of Terror?"
"Yes, I remember that battle." said Man-At-Arms. "I had to go to the plain of Joritrea to destroy the tower."
"His eyes were so cold and staring then. I'm sure that Skeletor must have unleashed some kind of magic like that on him again- as the way his eyes were….. it instantly reminded me of that time." she shuddered at the memory.
"He's not guilty. Simple as that." said Extendar, staring daggers at a banner across the street with "JAIL HE-MAN" written on it. "I'm amazed that so many people are convinced he's turned against us."
"They probably just want something to make a fuss about." said Man-At-Arms. "I must speak to He-Man about this, because I feel as though there's a voice in my head that's trying to tell me he IS guilty. I have to see for myself that it isn't true. Hopefully, by the time he comes out of questioning, he'll have convinced the Lawmen that it's all an evil scheme." He took a quick glance through the main door, and saw two guards, dragging He-Man between them. "Look- there he is!" he shouted. "We must go inside and see him!"
The three warriors ran through the main doors and into the building. They instantly rushed up to He-Man, as he was dragged along by the guards. "He-Man!" cried Teela. "Please tell me it wasn't you….."
"Don't worry." He-Man said. "It wasn't me. I have no memory of the killing. And I've been worried sick that you've all turned against me."
Teela gazed into his handsome, brown eyes. This was the normal He-Man, the man she had known and loved for six years. "Don't worry, He-Man. I know you'd never commit murder. I knew it couldn't have been you! So you can come free now?"
"I'm afraid not." said He-Man. "That video taping of the killing has got the Law convinced I'm a murderer, and I can't seem to change their minds. I'm gonna have to be tried."
Man-At-Arms, Teela, and Extendar looked at one another in shock. It couldn't be! How could the Lawmen truly believe He-Man was a murderer?! "But you can't be tried….. they know you'd never kill anyone….."
He-Man shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I hope you will help me in Eternos Court….."
"Come on! Stop telling these people lies!" said one guard, in a harsh and rough voice, and the two of them dragged He-Man away from his friends, and down to the cells.
Man-At-Arms, Teela and Extendar made their way out of the building. They looked at each other in dismay. "This can't be happening." said Man-At-Arms. "You can tell by just speaking to him….. he's so noble. He would never commit murder."
"I don't understand this." said Teela. "I know it can't have been him- and if it was, he'd have been under an evil spell. But we'll stick up for him, won't we Father? We won't let He-Man get convicted of a murder he didn't do?"
"Of course we won't, Teela!" said Man-At-Arms.
"We'll help He-Man through every step." said Extendar. "We shall make sure that He-Man receives JUSTICE! He-Man is no killer- and we must prove it!"

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PART 7

Later that day, in the Royal Palace of Eternos, Man-At-Arms stood on the balcony, with Extendar, Teela, and the King and Queen. He held his mini information system in his right hand. An announcement shortly came through.
"Lawmen today have been questioning at Eternos Law HQ the hero-turned-murderer, He-Man, about the fatal stabbing of Lord Marlach two days ago at the Royal Ceremony, which was cancelled immediately after the killing. Their report is that He-Man refuses to confess to the crime, yet there is no doubt that he is fully guilty of the murder. A motive has not yet been established, but it seems most likely that He-Man had been feeling stressed after constant battling against the forces of evil, which caused him to spin out of control and kill Lord Marlach. A trial will begin at Eternos City Court in two days time."
"Why's everyone so convinced He-Man's turned into a cold-blooded killer?" said Teela, hanging her head. "Don't they find it strange that he'd suddenly murder someone out of the blue?"
"Well, from what I've seen, it's mainly the poorer folk who think he's guilty." said King Randor. "I actually spoke with some of the other lords in Eternos today, who were all very close to Lord Marlach, and not one of them believed He-Man was guilty. They were all pretty sure he was under a spell by Skeletor."
"That sure is a relief." said Extendar. "At least it proves we're not the only people who'll be sticking up for He-Man. How about you then, King Randor? Do you think He-Man's turned against us?"
"Absolutely not!" replied King Randor. "I may have seen He-Man- or at least someone who looked like He-Man- stabbing Lord Marlach to death, but there is no way I could ever believe that this man, who's saved my kingdom countless times, and for whom I have always had the highest respect, would simply commit murder! I agree with the Lords, that it will be a spell of Skeletor's that caused He-Man to do it. Or maybe someone cast some spell that made them look exactly like He-Man. I am not sure, but I will not accept the views of anyone who says that He-Man is a murderer!"
"I feel just the same." said Queen Marlena. "He-Man is no murderer. And we must fight to clear his name."
They looked down into the beautiful streets of Eternos, bathed in the evening sun, beaming down from the orange skies.
"The murder is the talk of the place out in the city." said Teela. "You barely hear anything else mentioned."
"It really annoys me, you know." said Extendar. "I was in the square today, and around the Arcology there are all these lunatics waving signs saying 'He-Man should be executed' and crap like that. I wanted to hit them….. but I knew that would be against my duty as a heroic warrior."
"Believe me, I'd respect you no less if you DID hit them, Extendar." said King Randor. "For although my tendencies have never been violent- I would find it a struggle stopping myself from hitting them. It has always sickened me to hear anything said against He-Man." He shook his head sadly, and gazed out into the night. "I never dreamed that any problems like this would ever befall Eternia. And whoever is REALLY behind all this- we must make sure that they pay dearly for what they have done."
"We will, King Randor." said Teela. She gazed over the balcony, and shook her fist tightly. "We'll see to it that they pay!"
They stood silently on the balcony, gazing into the evening skies for several moments. Then Extendar turned to Teela, and said "Come on, Teela. Let's see what the other warriors think. If they're turning against He-Man, everything could be lost."
Extendar and Teela left the balcony, and went inside the palace. The court magician, Orko, was floating in circles around one room, looking like a red sheet with a large orange hat on top, flitting like a ghost around the room.
"He wouldn't kill anyone!" Orko was saying. "I know He-Man! He's way too respectable. He wouldn't kill anyone!"
"Let's hope we can convince the court of that." said Extendar, lowly.
Wandering the palace, Extendar and Teela eventually found a whole gathering of other heroic warriors on another balcony. They had all come to the palace amidst all the talk of the murder.
They were all assembled in one big crowd, talking silently amongst one another. By the grim looks on their faces, it was obvious what they were talking about.
Sy-Klone stepped forth from the crowd, when he saw Teela and Extendar. "Hi, you guys." he said. "You're lucky you've come at a quiet moment. We've been gathered here about six hours, and we've actually argued over it several times."
"What's the general view amongst you lot?" asked Teela.
"Well, most of us are pretty much unsure." said Sy-Klone. "Some of us are sort of going with the theory that He-Man flipped his lid through stress."
"Damn, so even our forces are turning against He-Man!" said Extendar, angrily.
"Calm down, Extendar, it's not that bad." said Sy-Klone. "None of them hate him or anything, they're just wondering. But I personally think that if He-Man did kill Marlach, then he'd have been under an evil spell. I couldn't imagine He-Man committing murder, even if he was under stress. It's against the power of Grayskull and the oath of the heroic warriors- he'd never do such a thing. But not everyone's quite sure. Stratos was actually called back to Avion earlier to help break up a fight amongst his birdmen about whether He-Man's guilty or not. But I'm damned sure He-Man's innocent. You bet I'll be at the trial to defend him."
"Well we believe Skeletor's behind it all." said Teela. "We should get a force down to Snake Mountain to see exactly what's up."
"Yeah, me, Rio Blast and Buzz-Off were thinking about going down there tomorrow to see what Skeletor knows about it. We'll see if we can get anyone else to go with us-" "Howdy partners, what's up wit' you today?" said Rio Blast, emerging from the crowd towards Teela and Extendar. "I was so absorbed in all the conversation that I never noticed you guys! And before you ask- He-Man's not guilty. Not a chance."
"We know he's not guilty." said Extendar. "Are you going to go to Snake Mountain tomorrow and see if Skeletor has anything to do with it?"
"I sure am." said Rio. "Sy-Klone and Buzz-Off are comin' with me, and I'm gonna see if we can get anyone else to come. And you bet that even if we find nothin' at Snake Mountain, I'll come and defend He-Man at the trial."
"Would you be able to do anything to help the Lawmen see the light, Rio?" asked Teela. "After all, you do have a position in the Eternos Law Force. You could quite easily help out."
"I could do, but you gotta remember I've only a small position. I have no say in the way they run, I just patrol and make arrests. But I'll try and do what I can. My old mate Blastar is comin' over tomorrow, so he could be able to help us too."
"Blastar? Who's he?" asked Extendar.
"Just an old partner of mine, from the Starband Marshals." said Rio. "He's been workin' as a lawman on another world for a while, but since the news about the murder seems to have spread through all the galaxies, he's picked up the word and since he's met He-Man before, he's comin' tomorrow to help out. Maybe me and him could change the Law's mind, I don't know."
"Then Blastar sure is welcome here." said Extendar. "I look forward to meeting him. We might join you at Snake Mountain tomorrow, if we don't have things to do in the city."
"We'll meet after Blastar's arrived then, and see what we can do. Anyway, I'm shiftin' off to bed now, I'm worn out after all this chaos. See you tomorrow, partners."
"I think I'll follow in his footsteps and go to bed." said Sy-Klone. "I'll leave this lot to argue the night away. See you guys tomorrow."
Sy-Klone and Rio Blast departed, and Extendar and Teela left the quiet group of warriors on the balcony, to go for a quiet walk in the Royal gardens.
"We must make sure He-Man's name is cleared." said Teela. "Maybe the Sorceress will be able to help."
"The Sorceress? Ah yes, she sure will!" said Extendar, his eyes lighting up. "I'll look forward to seeing her for help." he looked up to the beautiful skies of Eternia as they darkened, and the twin moons grew brighter and brighter in the darkness. Then he extended his arms, then his legs, then his neck, then his torso, and towered above Teela, raising his arms to the skies as if reaching out to grip both the moons.
"Upon the twin moons of Eternia," he said, in a firm, deep and enticing voice, "I swear to clear He-Man's name, and bring the hero of Eternia to justice. It is not right for the forces of evil to make our hero look so bad in the eyes of the ordinary Eternian. And with all the blood in my body….. all the scientific elements that make me what I am….. I shall fight to expose the true killer. The forces of evil have bestowed upon us a scheme that could cause the downfall of Eternia….. but we shall not let it happen. We shall strive to end their scheme….. as the masters of the universe."

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PART 8

As the sun rose over Eternos City the next morning, denizens continued to roam the streets making scenes about the murder of Lord Marlach. But above all the chaos, a spark of glowing light hovered across the morning sky. As it reached the Royal Palace, it began to descend, much to the delight of the small group of heroic warriors on the balcony.
"Here he comes." said Rio Blast, to Teela, Extendar, and Sy-Klone as they gazed up at the strange light. It plunged lower and lower through the morning breeze, until it softly hit the balcony. The glow subsided, revealing the figure of a man wearing a green cowboy hat, a red band over his eyes, and a blue suit with lasers attached to the sides, sitting in a small space shuttle.
"Howdy, Rio." he said.
"Pleasure to see you again, Blastar." said Rio, shaking his hand. Blastar stepped out of his shuttle to greet the warriors.
"My friends," said Rio, "I'd like you to meet Blastar, my old mate from the Starband Marshals. Blastar- I'd like you to meet Teela, the captain of the Royal Guard- and a magnificent warrior."
Blastar shook Teela's hand. "Pleased to meet you." he said, in a voice more gentle than Rio's, but dignified and charming. "You sure do look very beautiful."
"Why, thank you." replied Teela.
"And this is Extendar-" Rio continued, "he's one of our finest warriors- and he can grow to the size of, uh….. well, a pretty big guy. And this is Sy-Klone- who we on Eternia know as the Human Tornado."
"Great to meet you." said Blastar. "I've heard many yarns about you throughout the universe, so it's a pleasure to see you in the flesh. I'm afraid I'm not as powerful as Rio, as he has all those built-in lasers- mine are just attached to my costume, but….."
"Don't underestimate yourself, Blastar." said Rio. "Your lasers sure pack a punch!"
"Well, I hope so." said Blastar. "I've defeated loadsa intergalactic criminals with 'em. I've met He-Man before, when he saved me from a spell by Skeletor, and now I hear he's being accused of murder, I've come to help prove his innocence as best I can."
"We're glad to have extra help on our side." said Extendar. "It seems most people in Eternos think he's guilty."
"We wanna go to Snake Mountain today, and see if Skeletor has anything to do with it." said Sy-Klone. "He could have framed He-Man for the crime!"
"Then let's not waste time." said Blastar. "We'll set about our tasks right away!"

Shortly afterwards, Rio Blast and Blastar stood outside Eternos Law HQ, talking with the Law boss.
"I know I've never had much of a say in the way we run," said Rio, "but I think all this about He-Man being guilty is jumping to conclusions a bit soon. We reckon there's some evil spell behind it all. I hope the Law still believes that no-one's guilty unless proven, so I just wanna make sure you keep this business under control."
"We'll take it into account." said the Law boss. "Many of our recruits tend to treat people as though they are guilty, whether or not it's proven. But we still have plenty of recruits who share your views about He-Man's innocence. We don't have much control over what people believe in the city, but….. we'll make sure no riots or anything start."
"Thanks very much. And remember to call on me and Blastar if you ever need help."
"I will, Rio."
"We're goin' over to Snake Mountain in a second to see what we can find out. We'll let you know if we find anything."
"Thank you. Good luck."

The Law boss went back inside the building, and Rio and Blastar returned to their friends, just outside the palace. "He's gonna keep it under control," said Rio, "but they can't promise to keep full control over people's actions in the city. He'll make sure it doesn't get out of hand, but can't stop all this crap about 'execute He-Man' and all that."
"Well, we heroic warriors have more responsibility than the law, so we will stop this chaos." said Teela. "Let's be going."
Just then, the gates of the palace opened, and a large, bee-like creature with bright yellow wings stepped out, with a tall and muscular warrior by his side, with a beard and a giant metal fist.
"Buzz-Off! Fisto!" exclaimed Extendar. "Great to have your help!"
"We'll have the real killers exposed in no time." said Buzz-Off. "Come on then, let's leave for Snake Mountain!"
"Hey! Don't forget me!" came a voice from nearby, and they looked around to see Ram Man, hopping towards them on his springy, green legs. "Let's get on the Battle Rams and cruise down to Snake Mountain before Skeletor can do anything else to frame He-Man!"

In the main chamber of Snake Mountain, almost all of the evil warriors were gathered, in celebration of Faker's success in framing He-Man. The cloaked figure of Skeletor, his red eyes blazing with evil glee, stood above them by his throne, with Evil-Lyn, King Hiss- and Faker himself, holding his sword across his blue chest, its blade stained with the blood of Lord Marlach.
Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, and King Hiss each held a shining, golden drinking cup in their hands. They drank from them, and then held them aloft.
"I offer a toast-" said Skeletor, "to Faker- my own creation- who has landed He-Man in the position of most hated man on Eternia." Slowly, the three evil warriors closed their glasses towards one another, and as they touched, a loud chime was heard from the mystic metal the glasses were made from, echoing throughout the whole of Snake Mountain.
"You have done well, Faker." Skeletor said. "Now everyone is turning against He-Man- even his closest friends. Once He-Man is convicted of the crime- as he will be, with the video as proof- he will be jailed, and without him, the heroic warriors will stand no chance against my power. Then I will sit on the throne of Eternia- and spread my evil all over this planet- and I shall even be able to take Castle Grayskull for myself! And all thanks to you, Faker. You have thought up the greatest scheme ever."
Faker smiled lightly, so lightly that the smile was unnoticeable to the crowd of evil warriors below. He had thought up the greatest scheme ever- but once Eternos had fallen, Faker would dispose of Skeletor and take Grayskull and Eternia for himself. But for now, he would keep quiet about that.
"When we battle the heroic warriors, Faker-" said Skeletor, "you must stay hidden. For if anyone finds we have an evil version of He-Man on our side- even if you appear blue at first- that will instantly give away our scheme."
"I will, Skeletor." said Faker.
The crowd of evil warriors talked quietly, but excitedly, amongst themselves. All were in awe of Faker's marvellous scheme which had almost caused the downfall of He-Man.
Just then, Comtech entered the room and approached Skeletor. "My computer tells me that He-Man's trial will take place tomorrow at Eternos City Court." he said. "Many witnesses of the murder will attend."
"Excellent." said Skeletor. "We shall wait eagerly for the conclusion. Once He-Man is found guilty, we may begin our attack."
"Skeletor!" called a voice from the crowd of warriors. Skeletor looked round to see that the mercenary Blade was holding one of his swords in the air.
"Speak, Blade."
"Why don't we just strike right away? There's always the chance that He-Man will be found innocent, so maybe we should strike before they can find anything out, while He-Man's still being held!"
"No, Blade, we must not strike this quickly! We shall see how the trial progresses. If there are any signs that He-Man may be found innocent, we shall strike. Whatever happens- we shall win."
"At this rate, we'll definitely win." said Evil-Lyn. "Even the heroic warriors are turning against He-Man."
Just then, the whole room shook violently as the evil warriors heard a rumbling sound from outside.
Quickly Evil-Lyn took out her crystal ball. In it, she saw several heroic warriors outside Snake Mountain. "Er….. maybe I spoke too soon." she said. "Several heroic warriors are attacking Snake Mountain."
"So, some still support their old hero, then?" said Skeletor. "Well, they are fools to attack Snake Mountain. They are no match for our army! Warriors- attack!"

Outside the mountain, Teela, Extendar, Sy-Klone, Rio Blast, Blastar, Fisto, Ram Man and Buzz-Off were assembled. "If there's no way we can get in unseen," said Fisto, "that blow of my fist should alert them."
"It sure has." said Teela, as Tri-Clops, Webstor and Whiplash appeared on the rope bridge.
"Are you warriors out of your mind?" called Whiplash. "I thought it was against your code to attack an enemy's base without good cause!"
"We do have good cause, scale face!" called Sy-Klone. "We're here to find out how you framed He-Man for murder!"
Whiplash just laughed. "So, you think we framed He-Man, do you? Well, in fact we're hoping that he'll get free, just as much as you are. Because now that he's turned evil, he would make a superb recruit to our army!"
Whiplash quickly turned and winked at Webstor and Tri-Clops. "Just act as convincingly as you can." he hissed.
"You're not fooling us." said Teela. "We know Skeletor must have something to do with this crime!"
"If only he did!" said Webstor. "For He-Man would make a superb ally!" he raised his four thin, bony arms above his head. "We hope that He-Man shall be freed- we need him on our side!"
"I've had it, let's attack them!" said Extendar.
"Wait, no…" said Sy-Klone, holding him back.
"What's up with you, Sy-Klone? Are you out of your mind?"
"No, it's just- what if they are telling the truth? Webstor and Whiplash seem pretty honest to me."
"When can an evil warrior ever be honest?!" said Teela. "Stop being so gullible, Sy-Klone, and let's sort these goons out!"
"STOP!" came a loud, deafening shout as Skeletor appeared on the rope bridge, along with Evil-Lyn, King Hiss, Trap Jaw and Two Bad. "Do you fools want something from me?"
"We wanna know how you framed He-Man for murder!" called Extendar.
"FRAMED?!!" said Skeletor, and threw his bony head back in laughter. "I should have known you'd come up with some kind of nonsense like that! Accept, my hated enemies, accept that your old 'hero' has turned against you! He has become as evil as anything in Snake Mountain!"
"Thanks to a spell of yours, no doubt!" said Ram Man.
"Spell? I have tried spells before to get He-Man on my side, and failed. Why would I try again? The old muscle-bound fool WAS pretty stressed when I last fought him. And that's why he went and flipped his lid. Just remember to tell him at the trial that he's most welcome to join my army!"
"Don't try that- we know you have something to do with it!" said Teela. "Come on, warriors. We must make our way inside- see if we can find anything!"
Tensing their muscles, the band of heroic warriors rushed towards the mountain.
"Quick- I can get us inside!" said Extendar, extending his limbs, neck and torso until he was almost as tall as Snake Mountain. "Cling to me- all of you!" he called, and each heroic warrior leaped towards the tower of power and grabbed onto his huge body.
Then Extendar reached his left foot inside the hollow window towards the top of the mountain, reached through, then grasped hold of the peak and forced his right leg inside. Then, slowly, he shrank his body back to normal size, and as his limbs slipped down the mountain side, each of the warriors leaped through the window.
Once they were all inside, and Extendar had shrunk to his normal size, Teela said "Now we can search the place for clues- but we can't expect to get through without a fight."
"No, in fact, how about a fight now?" came a gruff and hoarse voice, and the warriors spun round to see a white-haired creature dressed in black armour, with a hook for a right hand.
"Karg!" Teela exclaimed.
"I'm glad you still remember my name." Karg hissed. "Feel free to search the mountain as much as you like. For you will find nothing of interest. In fact, I can even guide you through the place, if you like!"
"Maybe we should let him guide us." said Sy-Klone. "You never know, if the evil warriors are telling the truth-"
"What's up with you, Sy-Klone?" snapped Teela. "If we were mad enough to let him guide us, he'd only lead us into a trap! We've gotta fight to get past him!"
"Fine then." said Karg. "But nevertheless, you will find nothing." he backed off slightly as the heroic warriors came rushing towards him. Ram Man was all set to spring towards Karg, but Karg quickly flicked a switch on his armor, which sent a freeze ray springing from his hook, which hit Ram Man in mid air. The mighty warrior froze, then crashed to the ground heavily.
"You don't think you're any match for us on your own, do you?" said Teela.
"No….. but maybe with some of my companions!" Instantly, Strongarm and Saurod sprang out from the shadows towards the warriors. Before they could react, Teela, Extendar and Fisto were smashed across the room by Strongarm's mighty metal arm, while Blastar, Rio Blast and Buzz-Off were caught in a shower of sparks from Saurod's mouth.
"You're not gonna get me so easily!" said Sy-Klone, spinning around rapidly until he was merely a blur, and flying right over their heads. But as he spun through into the next room, Comtech emerged from the shadows, and summoning all the electric energy from his machinery, sent an electric fireball shooting from his hands, hitting Sy-Klone as he spun and knocking him to the ground.
As Sy-Klone lay still, Comtech took out a small control panel, fiddled with the buttons, and sent a computer signal into Karg's mind.
*Faker is hidden inside my scanning machine.* said the computer voice which Karg heard in his head. *The machine looks unused at present, so it will not be suspicious to the heroic warriors even if they see it.*.
Quickly, Karg sent a signal from his mind into Comtech's panel. *Excellent work, Comtech. Now we must try to convince them that we have nothing to do with the murder.*.

With one mighty thrust of his legs, Extendar broke past Strongarm and Saurod.
"Quickly, you deal with Karg!" he called to the other warriors. "I'll take a look inside Comtech's lab!"
The technician barely reacted. "Feel free to look inside my lab." he said flatly. "You'll find nothing in there."
Extendar leaped inside Comtech's lab, and took a glance at each machine. He emerged moments later, and said "Just a load of computer stuff. Nothing of any help."
Then Comtech, unseen, walked over to the scanning machine, and winked.

Skeletor made his way through the dark, dusty corridors of Snake Mountain, banging his staff heavily on the ground. In the hope of fooling the warriors, he shouted "I will not have people looking through Snake Mountain for something I do not have! We must get them out of here at once!"
Up in the chamber, Sy-Klone said "Did you hear that, Teela? It seems there isn't anything here at all!"
"He's bluffing, Sy-Klone." said Ram Man, recovering from Karg's freeze ray.
"Actually, maybe he is telling the truth….." said Buzz-Off, "he was out of our range just then."
"What are you guys on about?!" said Teela. "How can you believe-"
"Believe what, warrior woman?" said a deep, gruff voice. Teela spun round to see Skeletor and a whole host of evil warriors enter the chamber.
"Skeletor! You'll pay for this-" said Blastar, rushing towards Skeletor, firing his lasers.
"So, Blastar! We meet again!" said Skeletor, blocking the bolts with the eyes of his havoc staff.
"You're not gonna keep this secret for long!" said Rio Blast, bringing out all the lasers in his body. But before he had the chance to fire, Beast Man and Spikor leaped upon him, and as Beast Man's claws and Spikor's spikes scraped his body, they completely cut off his attack.
"STOP!" shouted Skeletor. "There is no use in trying to fight us. You will find nothing in Snake Mountain that corresponds with the murder of Lord Marlach. We have proof, however, that we did not frame He-Man for the crime." He glanced at Evil-Lyn. She took out her crystal ball, and created an illusion in the sphere. But it was all her own creation….. the event seen in the ball was created by her own magic.
The image was of Skeletor sitting on his bone throne, before being approached by Tri-Clops, holding a miniature information system. "Listen to this!" Tri-Clops was saying, as an announcement about He-Man killing Lord Marlach came through over the system.
"He-Man? A murderer? This is too good to be true!" said the image of Skeletor.
And with that, the image faded from the crystal ball.

"You see?" said Skeletor. "Does that not prove that we didn't frame He-Man for the crime?"
"Well….. I guess so." said Buzz-Off.
"No!" said Teela. "You can bet it'll be some trick….."
"You'll never give up your ridiculous accusations, will you Teela?" said Skeletor. "Now leave this place at once! We have no time for fools like you, looking for things we don't even have! Leave at once or I will destroy you!"
"We're not leaving-" said Teela, "I still think-"
"No, we must leave." said Sy-Klone. "Let's just accept- Skeletor has nothing to do with it. And we're no match for the whole army anyway. Let's go."
"But-"
"No, we gotta go." said Sy-Klone. "I still think He-Man's innocent, but let's face it- here isn't the place to look."
Reluctantly, Teela turned away and followed Sy-Klone and the other warriors. Before they descended down the rock face, out of the window, Teela looked back, scowled, and muttered "I'm not fooled. You'll hear from me again."
As the heroic warriors left, Skeletor turned to Evil-Lyn. "Congratulations!" he said. "They had no idea that your crystal ball can now conjure up false events. Now they believe we had nothing to do with it!" Then, as Faker emerged from Comtech's lab, Skeletor said "And well done to you, Comtech. You successfully kept Faker hidden. Now we shall have no more trouble with those infernal warriors- and when they tell the court what they saw here- He-Man will be found guilty in no time."

Later, that evening, Teela and Extendar were down at Eternos Law HQ. A guard led them to He-Man's cell, and opened the door.
"Teela!" exclaimed He-Man, who looked weak and exhausted. "You wouldn't believe how lonely it is down here!"
"He-Man….." Teela began, "I will defend you in the name of Grayskull at the trial tomorrow. I am only allowed to speak to you briefly- but I must tell you what I have found. Today I went with Extendar and some other warriors to Snake Mountain- and we found nothing. Skeletor denies framing you, and Evil-Lyn showed us this image in her crystal ball of Skeletor being surprised when hearing of the murder."
"But we're damned sure it was fake." Extendar said. "Luckily I don't think it can be used as evidence….. but we will fight to save you."
"Sy-Klone's got himself convinced Skeletor isn't to blame." said Teela. "Rio Blast, his mate and Ram Man are still suspicious- but Sy-Klone's absolutely convinced Skeletor had nothing to do with it. And Fisto and Buzz-Off are just unsure. But you have our support, He-Man, and that of my father. We will clear your name. I promise."
"Thank you, Teela. I….. I couldn't be more grateful….."
Teela reached forward to hug him. But the guard stepped in her way, and said "Hey you, you can't go within ten inches of a murderer! Now get out of here, before he can tell you any lies!"
Teela threw out her fist, about to hit the guard in the face. But then she realised the trouble she'd be in for it, and instead, just scowled at him, and muttered "Bastard."
Then she looked back at He-Man, as the guard dragged her and Extendar out, and she said "I'll free you, He-Man! I swear it! Skeletor won't get away with it! I'll free you in the name of Grayskull!"
"Get out of here!" yelled the guard, as the cell door clanged shut.
Teela turned her back to the cell door, and slowly made her way out, Extendar by her side.
"I'll free him….." she muttered, "He is no killer….. he's innocent!"

---

PART 9

He-Man was led into Eternos City Court by two Lawmen. Gripping his muscular arms tightly, they took him through many corridors, until they reached a flight of stairs. They ascended the stairs, which led to what looked like a remarkably small room. But as they reached the automatic doors, which pulled aside as they approached them, He-Man saw that this room was actually a small box in the wall of an extremely large room….. Eternos City Courtroom. The Lawmen ushered He-Man inside, roughly, and the automatic doors slid shut behind him. He then heard a humming sound, and a red beam materialised between the two doors, locking them tightly. He-Man was now trapped within this small box….. the box of the accused.
He sat down, and looked out onto the huge courtroom before him. The room was bright and sparkling, the walls made from shining blue metal. There were many other boxes in the walls, all around the place, in which important officials were seated. A very large box, placed on the ground, had a sign in front of it saying 'Witnesses'. And there were many people inside this box, who had witnessed the murder. There were several large viewscreens around the room, presumably to screen video evidence. Although most of the people in the courtroom were seated in boxes in the walls, there were also plenty of seats covering the ground. There was a section where several other important officials sat, and another, larger section for visitors. In a box in the right-hand corner of the room was a computer system, with a man seated in front of it. This must be the verdict machine. Information from the trial would be typed in by the man, and the computer would decide whether He-Man was guilty or innocent. The wall to He-Man's right had only one box- a very big box, in which there was a huge desk, with a middle-aged, smartly dressed man sitting at it. This man had to be the judge.
Looking down at the ground, He-Man saw that there were more and more people entering the court, and sitting on the ground seats. And a sensation of trust and hope came over He-Man when he saw Man-At-Arms, Teela and Extendar amongst the visitors. THERE were some people who at least believed in his innocence. And then he noticed Sy-Klone….. Ram Man….. Fisto….. Buzz-Off….. Rio Blast, with Blastar at his side, then Stratos- accompanied by several other birdmen….. more and more heroic warriors were entering to see their leader's trial. But would they defend him? Teela had implied that several were unsure…..
He would find out soon. For when the courtroom was almost completely full, the Judge flicked a switch, and a beeping sound filled the courtroom, and the people fell silent.
As the sound of the people's voices faded, the Judge began to speak.
"Good morning, people of Eternia." he said, in a solemn and formal voice. "I am Judge Stardak, and today I bring to trial a man who is believed to have stabbed to death Lord Marlach of Eternos, at the Royal Ceremony held at the Eternos Arcology, on the 3rd day of the 23rd week. I shall hand the doings over to the nobleman Jarik of Eternos, who shall do the majority of the questioning throughout this trial. If anyone who is not being addressed wishes to speak at any point, please may they raise their hands rather than speak out loud, and wait until they are permitted to speak. Lord Jarik- I hand things over to you."
Jarik stepped up from one of the seats, and took out a microphone. He was a man of about 35, dressed in a business suit. He turned, and looked up at He-Man's box. Through the microphone, he said "Defendant- your name please."
"He-Man." He-Man replied solemnly.
"You were called He-Man as a child?"
"Well….." He-Man fumbled through his mind for an answer, "Yes. I was brought up in a mountain tribe, so I was trained to be a warrior from birth." He was instantly struck with guilt. So the first thing he had said on this trial had been a lie. Damn, what a great way to begin, he thought. But then, he had to lie to keep his other identity secret. Most people believed the mountain tribe story by now, anyway- he'd used that story for years, whenever anyone asked him of his origins.
"And do you swear, He-Man, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I swear upon the honour of Grayskull." He felt pretty bad about saying this, when he had already told a lie.
"He-Man- you are here today to be charged with the stabbing and murder of Lord Marlach of Eternos. Do you plead guilty, or innocent?"
"Innocent."
"Thank you very much, He-Man."
Jarik turned to address the court in general. "The overall description of events suggests that He-Man approached Lord Marlach as he opened the Eternos Arcology, and simply stabbed him brutally to death, then left the scene. The witnesses in the witness box, and all the available persons who were present at the scene of the crime, have been interviewed separately prior to the trial, and their versions of events are all very similar." He turned to the witness box. "Do any of you disagree with what I have just said? If so, please raise your hands."
None of the witnesses raised their hands. "Very good." continued Jarik. "So the description of the event as we have it is accurate. A video recording of the event also proves your description. Is there anything else that any of you wish to add to the report?"
One woman raised her hand. "Speak, Madam." said Jarik.
"The most unusual thing about the event was that He-Man looked much more evil than usual. His eyes were much darker. You could see the thirst for murder in them….. which is something that none of us have ever seen in He-Man before."
"Thank you, Madam. Your words shall be taken note of."
He-Man gave a half smile. He was pretty sure he'd be found innocent. The whole thing would be handled slowly, without arguing, and it would eventually become clear that something evil was to blame.
Just then, one of the visitors, a man unknown to He-Man, raised his hand. Jarik pointed to him. "You wish to speak?"
"I have a question- I would like to know why none of the heroic warriors did anything to stop He-Man from killing Lord Marlach?"
"Can any member of the heroic warriors answer this man's question?"
Stratos raised his hand, and Jarik permitted him to speak. "I wanted to do something to stop him the whole time." he said. "But I just….. couldn't. My body had gone rigid with shock….. my mind just would not let me believe that the hero of Eternia was killing someone before my eyes. I tried to act….. but I just couldn't."
"Then your reaction is much similar to the majority of the witnesses." said Jarik. "Were any other heroic warriors present at the time of the murder?"
Man-At-Arms, Teela, and Extendar raised their hands.
"You may speak." Jarik said to Duncan.
"I felt much the same as Stratos. I simply could not believe what I was seeing, and this prevented me from being able to act."
"Same here." nodded Teela in response.
"Me too." said Extendar. "I almost ran towards him….. but the crowd around me was so thick that I could not make it."
"Thank you, heroic warriors." said Jarik. Then he turned back to He-Man. "He-Man- you are pleading innocent. Yet everybody who was present at the scene of the crime is unanimous that they saw you kill Lord Marlach. How do you explain this?"
"I have absolutely no memory of doing anything of the sort." He-Man said. "I believe that the evil forces on Eternia are somehow responsible. Maybe someone managed to take on my exact form with a magic spell. Or maybe the killer was in fact a magical creation. Whoever it was- and however much they may have LOOKED like me- I swear that it was not me."
"Then where were you when the murder took place?"
"I was on patrol around Eternia, a long distance away from Eternos. I didn't even know of the killing when it took place."
"Well, there are no reported sightings of you anywhere else at this time. You were next seen near the village of Tarin, where a group of men caught you and reported you to the law. It is thought that you attempted to commit a second murder here, as you ran towards a drowning villager."
"I saw the man drowning, and I ran towards him to save him. I had no intention to hurt him."
"Yet the men say that you appeared to be about to attack him."
"They imagined it!" said He-Man. "I was running to save him, and I see no reason why I should have been trying to hurt him, when I have been saving people from situations like this for six years."
"There's a perfect reason why you'd have been trying to hurt him- you just killed Lord Marlach, didn't you?" shouted an angry voice from the other side of the court.
"Please!" shouted Jarik. "Speak only when permitted. This trial is intended to be taken slowly, without arguing. Now onto the motive. We all know of how He-Man has been famous all over Eternia for six years, for saving the planet from the evil forces which plague it. He has been seen as a noble warrior for as long as we have known him. Eternia may have been overtaken by evil by now, were it not for He-Man. In fact, I believe that He-Man would be the last person whom any Eternian would expect to commit a murder. If anyone here disagrees with this, may they raise their hand."
No hands were raised. He-Man saw many heads nodding around the courtroom.
"Then it is agreed. However, the description of the case states that He-Man had become exhausted from the constant pressure of fighting and defending Eternia, so that levels of stress accelerated, to the point that it caused He-Man to lose control and stab a man to death with no real motive." Jarik turned to face He-Man's box. "He-Man- do you confirm this? Were you feeling stressed in the weeks before the murder?"
"I was indeed." said He-Man. "That's why-" he caught himself in mid-sentence, before he could say he had taken a break- that would blow his secret. It was making him feel so guilty, having to lie about his identity when he had sworn to tell nothing but the truth. "I….. had become largely stressed by constant battling against Skeletor. Having been defending this planet from him for six years, I was beginning to fear that I may never be able to rid Eternia permanently from this warlord- and I was indeed on the verge of breakdown."
"So does that not provide a reason why you might flip your lid, and kill someone?"
"No. That's the simple answer- it does not. I was on the verge of breakdown, but stress could never cause me to kill someone. When I was the power of Grayskull, I swore never to abuse it. And the thought of any innocent person losing their lives to murder has always sickened me. I would never even dream of killing anyone- even with my stress levels at their highest."
"Then let us see how a close acquaintance of yours may describe your stress." He turned to the visitors. "Duncan of Eternos- please stand up."
Man-At-Arms got to his feet.
"Duncan, you are the Royal Man-At-Arms and have been so for more than 20 years. And I believe you are also one of He-Man's closest friends."
"Well, yes, if not THE closest." replied Man-At-Arms. "I help him in his battles many times. I have not been able to fight as much since sustaining serious injuries, but I still help him a lot."
"Then how would you describe He-Man's condition in the weeks that preceded the murder?"
"He was under a heavy load of stress. The constant pressure of having to defend Eternia was wearing him out, and he was on the verge of breaking down. I advised him many times to take a rest. Luckily there were no serious crimes by the evil warriors in the few days before the murder, so He-Man did get a rest and I didn't see him those days."
He-Man looked down at his friend in sympathy. Man-At-Arms was having to do just what He-Man had to- partially lie to protect He-Man's secret identity. Man-At-Arms must feel guilty about it too. Because of course, he knew that He-Man had gone for a break as Adam….. but he just could not tell the court and blow the secret.
Jarik continued to question him. "Duncan- do you feel that He-Man's pressured state would lead him to go overboard and kill someone?"
"Absolutely not." replied Duncan. "Firstly, He-Man would never dream of killing anyone- it's completely against his oath to kill anyone intentionally- even an evil person. His level of stress was never so bad that it could drive him mad or anything. And secondly, He-Man had had a brief rest before the murder, so I should think that by then, he would have been feeling much better."
Jarik turned back to He-Man. "Do you confirm this, He-Man? Had your level of stress got better before the murder?"
"Much better." replied He-Man. "I mean, I was still on patrol, but there was no danger- I felt a million times better."
"Are you sure of this? Nobody had seen you in the few days before the murder. Therefore, perhaps you were in fact only feeling more stressed, which drove you to kill Lord Marlach?"
"No." said He-Man. "Not at all. I tell you, I felt much better, and even if I had been feeling worse, I'd never have killed anyone."
"I must remind you, He-Man, that thousands of people say they saw you commit the murder. There is no proof to back up your claim that you felt better before the killing."
"And I must say-" said a man sitting amongst the important officials, "when you asked He-Man if he had been feeling stressed, he said 'That's why' and then stopped and said something different. Does that not suggest that he was about to say something that would give away his guilt?"
"Absolutely not-" said He-Man, "I was just going to say that's why I needed to rest."
"This whole thing seems more suspicious to me." said another of the officials. "In fact, I have sat through many trials before, and many of them have been trials of murderers. And the majority of the murderers have denied their guilt, which was later proven- and they have acted in much the same way that you have."
"I tell you-" insisted He-Man, "I am innocent. Once I did think I had killed a man, when I thought I knocked a statue down on him. I felt so guilty that I decided to surrender all my powers, and I dropped my sword down the abyss of Grayskull! It turned out I was tricked by Skeletor, but why would I actually intentionally kill someone after this incident? I felt so guilty about abusing the power of Grayskull!"
"He has abused the power of Grayskull! He's a killer!" shouted another man.
"Let us handle this quietly, please!" said Jarik. "It is not verdict time yet. We must investigate further before making any conclusions."
Just then, Teela raised her hand. He-Man felt his heart warm, knowing that she would defend him with all her determination.
"Speak, Teela." said Jarik.
"He-Man is no killer." Teela said. "I have known him for as long as my father has- and pretty well, too- and I know he'd never kill anyone. He is the most just, honest and noble man I have ever met."
"That is the opinion of many people here-" interrupted Jarik.
"No! Let me continue."
"You will do as the court asks-" called the Judge.
"No I won't." said Teela. "Free speech is allowed on Eternia, is it not? And I insist, I have never known anyone more worthy of respect than He-Man. Nobody is perfect, but He-Man is the most damn closest to perfect that I have ever met. He has sworn to protect this world from all evil, and never to abuse the power of Grayskull. Even if he had killed Lord Marlach under stress, he would not be pretending he was innocent! He would feel so guilty that he would confess all and surrender his powers to Grayskull! He would simply NEVER kill anyone! Even under the greatest levels of stress! And I am telling you- I saw this murder take place before my eyes- and I was as shocked as all the other people present. But the person I saw was not He-Man! His eyes were dark….. evil….. bloodthirsty, like the eyes of a killer! Not at all like the eyes you see now. Just look at He-Man. Does he look like a murderer? Can those noble, honest eyes belong to a killer? His eyes were the complete opposite at the time of the killing- and if you asked me If I had ever seen his eyes like that before….. yes, I have. And that was several years ago, when Skeletor inflicted an evil spell upon him, which turned him into a rampaging zombie. He damaged several buildings under this spell, as some of you may remember….. but it was all under an evil spell. When the spell was broken, he did not remember anything that had happened. So why should this not be the result of an evil spell? If the killer WAS He-Man, he would have been under the influence of evil magic, that prevented him from remembering afterwards! And if it wasn't- Skeletor could definitely create an evil illusion of He-Man with his magic! The man in that defendant box is not the right man. You should get over to Snake Mountain right away, and put SKELETOR in that box!!!" She shook her fist in determination, and the entire courtroom burst into applause.
As she sat down, Duncan and Extendar patted her on the back, and Duncan said "Good stand, Teela.". He-Man was consumed in admiration and love for this girl- she had done him so much good. If she could help prove his innocence, he would love her for eternity- not that he wouldn't anyway.
"Well, I appreciate your defence of the accused, Teela." said Jarik. "Perhaps the person we should be looking towards is Skeletor. So let us examine the evidence and see what we find. Firstly, may we take a look at the sword of power."
A man brought He-Man's gleaming power sword forth to the evidence desk, and Jarik took hold of it. "This is the sword of power- the sword apparently forged thousands of years ago by the Elders of Eternia. It is this which is responsible for He-Man's power, and he uses it to battle against the forces of evil. But now, has this sword become a murder weapon? It has no blood stains. But does that prove anything? He-Man could easily have wiped away the blood."
"There's nothing really to suggest that the sword is or isn't a murder weapon." said one official. "Only that everyone says that's the same sword he killed Lord Marlach with, and the sword on the video definitely does look like that."
"Then let us take a look at the video." said Jarik. "Firstly, would Mendoc of Eternos step up?"
A young man stepped up from the witness box. He must be the man who filmed the murder, thought He-Man. He was fairly short, with curly black hair and a red shirt.
"Mendoc," said Jarik, "you are the man who caught the killing of Lord Marlach on film. You are an experienced cameraman, we understand?"
"I am." replied Mendoc. "I film many important events so they can be shown on viewscreens all across Eternia. Eternia just wouldn't be the same without me."
He-Man shook his head at the young man. Now this was just what he needed- someone who boasted about how skilled he was.
"So you had gone to film the ceremony, I believe?"
"Yes, and while filming Lord Marlach opening the Arcology, I caught He-Man on film, killing him. Thanks to me, you have complete proof that He-Man is the murderer."
Down on the visitors seats, He-Man saw Teela, Duncan and Extendar glaring angrily at Mendoc. He was pretty sure he saw Teela mouthing "What a creep".
"If this is definite proof, we shall view the video of the killing right away. If anyone feels they may be disturbed by the sight of the murder, I advise them to look away. Now may we please view it."
At that moment, each of the many viewscreens around the courtroom flickered into action. And on them, He-Man saw the same sickening video he had been shown at Law HQ. The image of the Arcology being opened by Lord Marlach….. the cheering of the crowd….. then the sudden appearance of the fake version of himself. He found it difficult to watch it himself, as the evil being who had somehow taken on his exact form brutally stabbed Lord Marlach to death, without warning, and then simply left the scene.
As the video sequence ended, the screens all turned off, and He-Man scanned the many faces in the courtroom. He saw expressions of shock, people covering their faces in horror, others shaking their fists in anger, and others just shaking their heads and looking plain sceptical.
Jarik turned to address the entire court. "I think there is no doubt that that was He-Man." he said. The group of officials, and many other people around the courtroom, nodded their heads in complete agreement.
But Teela's hand was raised. "Hold on a minute." she said. "That may have looked pretty much like He-Man, but how can we be sure it was him? No offence, but you lot just aren't experienced with handling the evil warriors of Eternia. You've only dealt with simple criminals before. But this case is different- because it is obvious that the evil warriors are to blame. You don't know just what sort of things they can do. Like I made clear before, they could have cast an evil spell on He-Man that made him kill Lord Marlach, and then forget the murder. Or they could have just created some evil replica of He-Man to do it for them! Just use your brains and think about it! Skeletor would do anything to rid himself of He-Man, so he could take over Eternia- and if he can not destroy He-Man in a fair fight, why not try framing him for a crime, so He-Man can be jailed and Skeletor can take over Eternia? It's blatantly obvious that this is the evil work of Skeletor, and He-Man should be freed at once!"
Jarik paused. He-Man's heart pounded against his ribs with hope- Jarik seemed to be taking Teela's words seriously. He-Man felt even greater relief when Jarik said "You seem to have a point, Teela. You are right that we in the court have never had to deal with magical cases, or evil warriors before. So maybe we should be taking a closer look into what the evil warriors might have to do with it."
Extendar raised his hand. "And you must have noticed the change in He-Man's eyes. If he had committed the murder intentionally, why would he be looking so innocent now? You'd see the guilt in his eyes."
"Excuse me," said one official, "but if you ask me, He-Man is showing guilt. As my friend said before, murderers often act the way He-Man has today- and since He-Man shows no guilt in his eyes, all it indicates is that he is not ashamed of his crime. He has turned evil- and must be dealt with at once."
"Nonsense!" shouted Man-At-Arms.
"Insult a court official and you risk being put in contempt!" called the Judge.
"Please, let us keep order!" called Jarik. "A courtroom is no place for arguing. I am not saying He-Man is definitely innocent, but maybe we should be seeing what the evil warriors might have to do with it."
Just then, Sy-Klone raised his hand. "Speak." Jarik said, pointing to him.
"The evil warriors have nothing to do with it." Sy-Klone said. "A group of us heroic warriors went to Snake Mountain yesterday to see what they knew, and Evil-Lyn showed us-"
"Stop! Who is Evil-Lyn?"
"She's an evil sorceress who helps Skeletor. Anyway, she has a crystal ball which can show you events from the present or past, and it showed Skeletor being told of the murder by his spy, and he didn't know anything about it. So although I think He-Man is probably innocent, the evil warriors have absolutely nothing to do with it."
He-Man covered his head with one hand in dismay. Now this was going to BLOW all his chances of hope!
"Then it's proven, isn't it." said one official. "He-Man is guilty."
"It….. definitely does seem proven." said Jarik.
The court burst into an uproar, and there were shouts of "He-Man is a killer! Jail him!" which conflicted violently with Teela, Duncan and Extendar's shouts of "Sy-Klone, you fool! What is wrong with you? The evil warriors hoaxed it! He-Man is innocent!"
Amidst the uproar, Judge Stardak flicked a switch and silenced the court with the beeping sound. "Well, from what we have learned today, it really does seem as though the defendant is guilty. Let us hear what the computer verdict is so far."
The man in the computer room called out "The computer says that He-Man is guilty."
Extendar, Teela and Duncan leaped to their feet, shouting "No! It's wrong! You can't….."
"Silence, you three!" Judge Stardak shouted, "Or I will put you in contempt of the court. From what we have seen, He-Man seems guilty, so I shall call the case off for the rest of the day and we shall resume tomorrow at the same time. Duncan of Eternos- I order you to return the power sword to Castle Grayskull. The weapon is not intended for use by someone who is evil, so you must take it back at once."
Reluctantly, Duncan went over to the evidence desk, slowly picked up the sword, and put it in his belt.
"Now if you would all leave for today, and we shall continue the case tomorrow. In the meantime- Good Journey."
He-Man sank his head into his arms, over the bench. So that was it. He was going to be convicted of murder, and there was no stopping it. Those bastard officials were completely determined that he had to be guilty, and now Sy-Klone had gone and made things even worse by falling for a trick by the evil warriors.
He-Man looked over the courtroom, and shook his head in sadness as the many people left, most of them completely convinced he was a bloodthirsty killer. How was he going to be proved innocent now? Just when things had been getting better for the first time in ages, the evil warriors had gone and made them even worse. He-Man wondered if perhaps he WOULD reach breakdown soon. But he remembered that if he had no hope, things would never turn out for the best. He had to keep faith that somehow, he would be proved innocent in the end. And that faith was largely fuelled by the sight of Teela, standing directly below him, whispering "Don't worry, He-Man. I will get you out. I swear it!"

---

PART 10

Man-At-Arms, Teela and Extendar reached the Royal Palace. They settled down on one of the large balconies, as they watched the crowd of heroic warriors coming down the street, returning from the trial.
Man-At-Arms looked over the street, and shook his head sadly. "Well, day one of the trial was a real disaster." he said.
"It's all Sy-Klone's fault." said Teela. "Damn it, I was just getting the court convinced that it was the work of the evil warriors, and then Sy-Klone goes and ruins it. I'm gonna be having words with that guy later."
"I don't know how he can be fooled by such an obvious hoax." said Extendar. "It's clear that Evil-Lyn must have conjured up that image so we'd think they weren't to blame. Now he's gone and blown it."
"Well, as stupid as it may have been of him to speak out about that, you mustn't be too harsh with him." said Man-At-Arms. "Evil-Lyn's crystal ball is known amongst the warriors for showing actual events, not imaginary ones. She has used it to spy on us several times- in fact, I don't think I have any memory of a time when it has conjured up an imaginary event. That's probably just a power that we didn't know about- but still, Sy-Klone was just going by what he knew."
"Maybe so," said Teela, "but still, when Whiplash and Webstor were lying to us, he believed they were being truthful. It baffles me how easily fooled he can be at times."
"Who can be easily fooled?" came a voice behind them. They looked round to see a group of heroic warriors emerging onto the balcony- and Sy-Klone was amongst them.
"What on Eternia did you think you were doing, Sy-Klone?" snapped Teela, walking towards him. "How can you be fooled by an obvious hoax? Don't you realise that Evil-Lyn would have conjured up that image in her crystal ball to make us think they had nothing to do with it? You've fallen for an evil trick, and if He-Man gets thrown in jail, it could be all your fault!"
"Whoa, slow down Teela." said Sy-Klone. "I was just saying what I saw. I mean, Evil-Lyn has always used that crystal ball to show actual events, hasn't she?"
"Maybe so- but who's to say it can't conjure up false events too?"
"I don't know- but I'm just pretty sure the evil warriors had nothing to do with it. Just from the way they were acting."
"Damn you, you idiot!" snapped Teela. "You're just too gullible. They were putting on an act to try and fool us. Now you've gone and got the court even more convinced that He-Man's guilty! You have stuck up for the evil warriors in court- which is unforgivable for a heroic warrior! You don't deserve to be in the army after what you've done!"
"Teela, please, calm down!" called Man-At-Arms, rushing over to her, laying his hand firmly on her shoulder and holding her away from Sy-Klone in case she lost her temper. "I know you're angry about everything that's happened, but we must try to take it easy. Sy-Klone may have made a mistake, but saying he doesn't deserve to be in our army is going too far. Now just listen to him and see things from his point of view."
"Just listen, Teela-" began Sy-Klone, "I didn't mean to do us or He-Man any bad. And it's not like I believe He-Man's guilty or anything- I'm totally convinced he was framed. But I can tell you in all honesty that I don't think Skeletor has anything to do with it. I could be wrong, you never know- and I'm sorry if I am wrong- but you've gotta remember that there's other evil forces on Eternia besides Skeletor. There are some smaller armies, which don't usually pose much threat, but still get in our way from time to time. And it's not too rare to come across evil sorcerers, who enact the occasional scheme upon us. I think it's more likely that someone like that has used a magic spell to take on He-Man's exact form, and then framed him. I think we should look elsewhere for the solution to our problem."
Teela fell silent for a few seconds. Then she said "Alright- I'm sorry I lashed out at you like that. It's just that it makes me furious how Eternia's greatest hero could be seen as a murderer by so many people, and I'll do anything to prove his innocence. Now I still think you're wrong….."
"Well, you never know." said Buzz-Off. "Maybe we should try looking somewhere else. I mean, we don't know for sure that Evil-Lyn's crystal ball wasn't truthful, do we? We get annoyed about the court jumping to conclusions about He-Man- so let's not go jumping to conclusions ourselves."
"I still think Skeletor's probably to blame-" said Teela, "but you're right, there's no proof that they were hoaxing it. Maybe we should look somewhere else….. but where? We hardly know any other evildoers' bases….. how are we ever going to sort this out?"
"There's one definite way we could sort it out." said Man-At-Arms. "See the Sorceress about it! She could help us much better!"
"You're right!" said Extendar. "She'll be of way more help to us than anything else on Eternia- so let's get to Grayskull right now!"
"And I need to go anyway," said Man-At-Arms, "as the Judge asked me to return the sword of power." He tapped on the sword in his belt. "Even though of course, it is no murder weapon. Anyway, come on, Extendar."
"Wait-" said Teela, "Can't I come? I wanna help He-Man just as much as you two do."
Man-At-Arms looked his daughter in the eye. He wanted to take Teela with him- but unlike him and Extendar, Teela did not know that He-Man was also Prince Adam. Talking to the Sorceress about the case would be likely to involve mentioning Adam's break….. so it would be risky to take Teela with them. Yet how would he be able to explain to her that she could not come, when she wanted to defend He-Man so badly?
"I'm sorry, Teela." he said. "I know how much you want to help He-Man- but I feel you'd be able to help even more by staying here. While Extendar and I discuss it with the Sorceress, you could go on patrol and see if you find anything."
"Well….. you know I'd prefer to come with you."
"Of course I do, but you must stay here. You'll still be able to help….."
"You can come and help me and Blastar!" interrupted Rio Blast. "We're gonna sort things out in the city a bit, and talk to the Law and stuff. We could do with some backup!"
"Oh….. alright then." said Teela. "But you will tell me what the Sorceress can do, won't you, Father?"
"Of course I will, Teela." said Man-At-Arms. "I'll fill you in on everything she tells us. Extendar and I shall leave now. Good luck in the city, Teela."
"I hope the Sorceress can prove He-Man's innocence." Teela said. "Good journey, Father."
Man-At-Arms and Extendar left Teela with the other warriors, as she prepared to set out with Rio and Blastar. They went over to the vehicle bay, boarded the Attak Trak, and set off for Castle Grayskull.

The heroic warriors were unaware that their every movement was being watched by Skeletor through his orb. "The fools!" he hissed to a small group of evil warriors- Faker, Evil-Lyn, King Hiss, Beast Man and Tri-Clops, who were by his side. "They are going to Grayskull to get the Sorceress' help. But even she will be of no use to them. For Evil-Lyn, King Hiss, and myself have placed a magical mind barrier around Snake Mountain, which will prevent the Sorceress from seeing Faker in her mind's eye. So for once, she will be completely unable to help them."
"Who knows?" said King Hiss. "Maybe the Sorceress herself believes He-Man's guilty. After all, only a select few heroic warriors are TOTALLY sure that he is innocent."
"I know the Sorceress well enough." said Skeletor. "She would never believe He-Man to be a killer. But nevertheless, she will still be powerless to stop our scheme. We cannot see for sure, since the magic of Grayskull prevents my orb from spying on the interior of the castle- but I am entirely convinced she will not be able to help them."
"Skeletor!" said Faker. "I think this is the longest I've ever lasted in years without killing anyone. Can we fight soon? I nearly raped the Sorceress once- can I just get inside Grayskull and trick her before killing her?"
"No, Faker." Skeletor replied sharply. "As I have said many times, you must remain hidden- or our scheme will be blown out into the open."
"But what if I just go in when she's alone? I'll go in the same form as He-Man, pretend I've been freed, and then just slash her to death. I've gotta kill someone!"
"For the last time, no!" Skeletor bellowed, as his red eyes lit up in rage. "Do you not remember what happened the last time you fought the Sorceress? The incident you told me about the other day?"
Faker thought back to the time he had defeated her in Grayskull….. and had her lying helpless on the ground. He shuddered, and gripped his face with his hand as he remembered how she had suddenly sprung up and almost beaten him unconscious, having been faking her helpless state the whole time. No, he did not want to risk THAT again! What a NIGHTMARE that had been….. he hadn't even expected her to be able to fight physically!
"Er….. I remember." he said. "I shall stay away from the Sorceress."
"If you want to slaughter someone, go and slaughter the Orc slaves in the mines." said Skeletor. "Our time to strike has not yet arrived. And now since He-Man has had the sword taken from him, his energy may begin to drain. After all, we've never known for sure just how the sword gives him his power! Our victory is not far off, Faker….. but for now, we must bide our time. Once He-Man has been jailed….. we may strike."

The Attak Trak made its way over the rugged terrain towards Castle Grayskull, the colossal, magical fortress of mystery and power. As they approached the abyss which surrounded the ancient castle, the jaw bridge creaked open before them, and the warriors got out of the vehicle and went over the jaw bridge and into the mouth.
As they entered the dark fortress, the jaw bridge raised magically and slammed shut behind them. In the light that seeped in through the windows, they made out the beautiful figure of the Sorceress coming towards them. She looked as exquisite as ever, dressed in her falcon headcrest and costume, her long, feathered wings embracing her body as they flowed to the ground. Extendar's eyes lit up in admiration as she approached them.
"Greetings, my friends." she said, in her soft, gentle voice. "There is no need to tell me why you are here- I am aware of the dismal event which has befallen Eternia."
"Yes, and as you may have heard, the courtroom judge ordered me to return the sword of power to Castle Grayskull." said Man-At-Arms, taking out the gleaming sword from his belt, and handing it to the Sorceress. "He says it doesn't deserve to be used by a murderer. But we all know He-Man can't possibly be guilty of murder….. it's just, how do we prove it?"
"It is a difficult task." said the Sorceress, leading Man-At-Arms and Extendar through to the throne room, where she put the sword on a metal stand by the throne. "But we must do our best to prove He-Man's innocence. And especially since I don't just think He-Man is innocent- I know he is."
"Of course!" said Extendar. "You're always aware of what form He-Man is in!"
"Exactly, Extendar. When Adam calls on the power of Grayskull to become He-Man, the power is absorbed from the depths of the abyss, and from the many hidden chambers in the castle. I always hear the energy as the transformation occurs, or see it illuminating the abyss. And when he changes back to Adam, I see the energy return. And at the time the murder was committed, he was in the form of Adam. So there is no doubt that the murderer was not him."
"If only we could give that evidence to the court!" said Man-At-Arms. "But there's no way we could- it would give away Adam's secret. He must feel pretty bad, having to lie in court to protect his secret identity. But even if we did tell that to the court as evidence- they would probably still disbelieve us, since we have no way of proving it."
"But if we got the Sorceress to speak for us in court," said Extendar, "surely they'd believe her! Why would the ever-just and powerful Sorceress of Grayskull tell lies?"
"Well, just remember that most of the officials will do anything to make He-Man sound guilty." said Man-At-Arms. "I don't know why they're so determined he has to be guilty."
"You are right, Duncan." said the Sorceress. "Speaking out in court would be hard, even for myself. Remember that many of these officials see their positions as positions of power- which begins to corrupt their minds. In some ways, they are no better than the evil warriors. And there is no way that we can tell the court anything that will give away Adam's secret. So unless the gods come and help us, the only thing we can do is try to find who the true killer is, and expose him."
"Well, we're pretty sure Skeletor has something to do with it." said Extendar. "Yet some of the other warriors are totally convinced he hasn't. We tried searching Snake Mountain for anything to prove it, but we had no success. It only made things worse, because Evil-Lyn showed us some fake image in her crystal ball that got Sy-Klone convinced Skeletor was innocent. It showed Skeletor being surprised at the news of the murder, but I'm damn sure it was a fake."
"It most likely was." said the Sorceress. "Evil-Lyn's powers of magic grow stronger by the day. But I, too, sense that Skeletor has some connection with the case, and we must find out exactly what it is."
"It will be pretty hard." said Man-At-Arms. "We could really do with Zodac to come down and tell us the real killer."
"Maybe we should ask him for help?" said Extendar.
"Extendar, no-one can ask Zodac for help." said the Sorceress. "He only acts when he feels it is completely necessary. If we are lucky, maybe he will come and help us- but in case he doesn't, we must search for the killer ourselves."
"Can you visualise who the killer is with your magic, Sorceress?" asked Extendar.
"I am afraid not." said the Sorceress. "Some kind of evil spell prevents me from seeing close enough in my mind's eye. So all I can get is a blurred image of the killer, which is so distorted that it is unrecognisable."
"How do we search for the killer, then?" said Extendar. "Skeletor- or whoever is behind it all- has obviously taken pretty heavy precautions to try and depict himself as innocent."
"What we need," said the Sorceress, "is a tremendous amount of HELP. We have already had one visitor from another world to help us- Blastar, of the Starband Marshals. And since we need more help, I know the very person who we should look to. I shall enlist the help of He-Man's twin sister- She-Ra."