TRIAL OF A HERO

BY

AIDAN CROSS

22/05/99

PART 21

Moments later, the heroic warriors were inside the dark, foreboding underground lair of Whiplash. The fires burned with intensity, and evil demons were scattered around all sides of the cavern, hissing and spitting poison, their eyes shining in the darkness.
She-Ra was caught tight in Whiplash's tail. He smashed her on the ground violently, before letting her drop, bruised and half-dazed.
"You made a mistake passing through here!" he laughed, his reptilian fangs dripping blood, which trickled down his scaly, dark green skin. "No doubt you fools have come to find out what connection we have with the murder, haven't you? Well you shall find out nothing- not when my pets have dealt with you!"
A slimy, serpent-like demon with glowing eyes shot out from a wall, and coiled itself round Man-At-Arms. "Hold on, Duncan!" the Sorceress called. "I can deal with this creature!" she held out her arm, but before she could fire, found herself caught by the grip of a huge green demon, appearing from nowhere and grasping her in its grotesque, yellow claws.
"I'll save you, Sorceress!" shouted Extendar, and shot out his arms and torso to reach her. But the head of a red, dragon-like demon emerged from the wall, spitting poison into his eyes, then reaching out its claws and striking a blow. He fell heavily to the ground.
"Now to bring Kraal my latest victims!" laughed Whiplash. He picked up the body of She-Ra, and carried her past the flames, up the steps which led to the portal to the Realm of demons.
"You fiend!" shouted She-Ra. "What are you doing here anyway?!!"
"I had better explain myself, Princess of Power." He hissed. "I am Whiplash, servant of Skeletor. Here in my lair, I keep all my deadly pets from the Realm of Demons. When I capture someone above ground, I take them here, and deliver them to Kraal, Ruler of the Realm of Demons. He is one of the most dangerous Gods in the universe, and makes short work of my victims once I have delivered them to him. Sometimes I kill them myself- in which case I simply leave them here, so my demons can eat their flesh." he looked over menacingly at a heap of decaying skulls and bones, in the darkness close to the steps. "And since you are still alive, She-Ra, I shall deliver you to Kraal! He shall be impressed with my capture of the most powerful woman in the universe! Maybe if you are lucky, he will even spare you and make you his servant!"
"You can never pass me to the Realm of Demons!" She-Ra said, struggling to get free.
"I am afraid there is no escaping me!" laughed Whiplash, and shouted "Kraal! I bring you a most dignified victim!"
In the light of the portal materialised the evil face of Kraal, God of all Demons, his fangs dripping blood, his eyes blazing with fire.
"Kraal, this is She-Ra, the Princess of Power herself! It is my pleasure to deliver her to you!"
"Excellent work, Whiplash." Replied the deep voice of Kraal. "She shall be the next to face the wrath of Kraal! Pass her through the portal, to the dimension of her doom!"

At the other side of the cavern, the Sorceress struggled to get free from the grasp of the great demon. It looked all set and ready to devour her. But at the top of the steps, Whiplash was about to deliver She-Ra to the Realm of Demons and his God Kraal- she had to stop him!
As she struggled, she kicked the demon in the right eye, and it screamed aloud and loosened its grip on her. "She-Ra!" she called, and fired a bolt from her right hand, hitting Whiplash on the back. He stumbled back, loosening his grip on She-Ra. He looked round, and laughed. "You think you can stop me this easily, Sorceress? You are sorely mistaken! Your beloved Princess is set to meet her doom- at the hands of my almighty God!"
"She-Ra!" the Sorceress called. "Your sword! Use it! It can react against Kraal's magic!"
Struggling her arms free from the demon's grasp, the Sorceress gripped tight hold of her head, and concentrated on her mind power. She had to transmit as much of her power as possible into the sword! She-Ra's power, combined with that of the sword and the Sorceress, could put an end to Whiplash's scheme!

Whiplash passed She-Ra towards the portal, which began to suck her in. All that She-Ra could see was the demonic face of Kraal, blazing fire into her eyes. But she felt a pulsating feeling on her back. It had to be the sword! Kicking violently, she reached her arms free from Whiplash's grasp, and pulled out her sword, which was glowing intensely.
"Your sword can not help you in this case!" laughed Whiplash as She-Ra was sucked closer to the portal.
"That's….. what….. you….. think!!!!!" said She-Ra, transmitting all her mental power into the sword. The jewel began to glow bright red. And she thrust it towards Kraal's mouth! As the energy from the sword reacted with the energy of Kraal, a huge explosion emitted from the portal, and Whiplash fell back heavily, right down the steps, and She-Ra tumbled to the ground! The face of Kraal was blocked out by the intense flames roaring from the portal. She-Ra's sword had been too powerful for Kraal to handle, which had caused the explosion! Before she could be engulfed by the flames, She-Ra leaped up and rushed down the steps, over the fallen body of Whiplash, towards her friends. The evil demons scattered about the cavern in terror at the sight of the fire, and the Sorceress, Extendar and Man-At-Arms broke free.
"Quickly- we must escape before the fire gets us!" shouted She-Ra, and together, the four warriors began to run from the cavern, as the flames grew larger and larger.
"Kraal! Hold the fire back!" shouted Whiplash as the heroic warriors fled. But the cavern suddenly went up in a huge burst of flames, and Whiplash ran for his life, collapsing to the ground helplessly a few metres from the cavern- safe from the fire, but badly injured and worn out.
The heroic warriors ran intensely through several caverns, before stopping to gasp for breath. They panted hurriedly as they recovered from the shock of the fire.
"I think we're safe from Whiplash and the fire now." said Man-At-Arms, "but we must press on! First I shall call Teela back at the city to inform her of our progress!" he punched in Teela's code on his wrist-radio.
"You're through to Teela." came her voice.
"Teela!" panted Man-At-Arms. "This is Duncan- we're through to Snake Mountain! How is your campaign going?"
"Still strong, but we'll just have to wait until our appeal in the square tonight, to see if we're successful!"
"We're just steps away from finding the killer." said Man-At-Arms. "The name of the killer is-"
Just then, a long, skinny, green arm emerged from the shadows and cut off Duncan's wrist-radio with one punch. Then the creature gripped hold of Duncan, Extendar and the Sorceress all at once, and entangled them in its long, green arms.
"Ssssqueeze!" shouted Duncan.
She-Ra watched as her friends were caught in the grip of this thin, sharp-toothed snake creature. They had entered Snake Men territory!

PART 22

Ssssqueeze stood there hissing, as he curled his arms tighter and tighter round Duncan, Extendar and the Sorceress.
"Don't think you can hold them for long, scale face." said She-Ra, holding out her sword. "For I doubt if you are as strong as the power of Grayskull!"
Ssssqueeze tightened his grip on them even more. The warriors struggled, but could not break free of the snake man's grip.
She-Ra quickly ransacked her mind for a way to save her friends. She could easily slice those long arms off with her sword….. but Grayskull forbade her from inflicting serious damage on any living creature except when totally necessary. She knew that if she tried firing at him, he would only squeeze them so tight that their breath could be cut off. What could she do?
"I think it'ssss time to give these warriors to Ssssnake Face." hissed Ssssqueeze. From out of the shadows stepped the zombie-like Snake Face- aside him was the Snake Men's ruler- King Hiss.
"So, these fools have invaded us from underground then? Then we shall teach them a lesson- that no-one who invades Snake Mountain this way can escape alive. Snake Face- deal with them!"
The gruesome snake man moved closer to the warriors, and unleashed the long, red tentacles from his hollow eyes and mouth. The Sorceress, Extendar and Man-At-Arms were instantly turned into stone statues. Ssssqueeze let go of them, and said "And now for She-Ra!" He thrust out his arms, ready to grab her- but she quickly fired a bolt from her sword at him, so he fell back against the rocky wall.
"You….. can….. not….. escape….. me!" hissed Snake Face, in his hoarse, whisper-like voice. He thrust out the tentacles from his face, but She-Ra thrust out her sword and said "I think you have forgotten a bit about me!" She blocked Snake Face's gaze, and the effect was backfired….. turning him- and King Hiss- into stone!
With them out of the way, She-Ra quickly spun round, and fired gentle blasts from her sword at the stone forms of Duncan, The Sorceress and Extendar. They quickly reverted to normal.
"You won't lasssst long!" hissed Ssssqueeze, jumping to his feet, ready to thrust his arms out at them.
"Against all four of us? I don't think so." mocked She-Ra, as she and the other warriors quickly switched into battle pose.
"Erm….. I guess not." said Ssssqueeze. "Go on then."
As the heroic warriors turned away from him and ran through the dark cavern, She-Ra laughed "He has to be one of the most feeble warriors I've ever seen, giving in that easily!"
"Well let's just hope that they are as feeble!" called Man-At-Arms, as he noticed Tung Lashor and Kobra Khan blocking their way.
They ground to a halt. "Face your doom, suckers!" hissed Kobra Khan.
"No- face YOUR doom!" shouted Extendar, growing to full size and leaping forward, knocking the Snake Man back and smashing them each against the walls, rendering them both unconscious.
"Yep, they were as feeble." Extendar said as he shrank back to normal size. "Now let's move on!"

The heroic warriors ran as fast as they could through the network of tunnels, until they reached the ground floor of Snake Mountain. There were several different routes which they could take- but which would be the best?
"Which way?" said Extendar.
"I don't know!" replied Man-At-Arms. "Let's just choose one at random!"
Suddenly two dark figures leaped down from the ceiling, in front of the warriors. The first was a spider-like creature, with four skinny black arms and legs- Webstor! The other was a shadow ninja, his face concealed by a black hood- Ninjor!
"How about facing us first?" laughed Webstor.
"Most happy to!" said She-Ra, hurling herself forward at Webstor. He gripped hold of She-Ra's sword with his upper two arms- and gripped hold of She-Ra herself with the lower two! Then he began to ascend on his rope. "Now you die!" he laughed, as he rose to the ceiling.
Quickly, the Sorceress took action. She transformed to Zoar, the fighting falcon, and flew up to the ceiling. Then she cut right through Webstor's rope, and Webstor began to fall to the ground, still clutching She-Ra and her sword! So Zoar swooped down and took hold of the sword in her claws. Then she quickly let go of it, and She-Ra caught it as she fell. "Sword to vaulting pole!" she shouted, and the sword glowed and became a vaulting pole, which She-Ra touched to the ground before she could hit it, and vaulted over safely to the ground. Her sword reverted to normal, and the Sorceress reassumed her human form.
"Well fought, Sorceress!" congratulated She-Ra.
"More than can be said for Webstor." said the Sorceress, looking down at the fallen, unconscious body of the spider warrior.
"Anyway, we may have won- but we gotta help Duncan and Extendar!"
They looked over at their companions, who were doing battle with Ninjor. Man-At-Arms was knocked back by a karate chop, stunned, while Extendar had grown to half his full height, countering the ninja warrior's blows.
"Allow us to help!" said the Sorceress, as She-Ra and herself raced forward, both crashing into Ninjor at once, blowing him off his feet and into the wall….. and the wall slid aside, revealing a hidden doorway.
Recovering, Man-At-Arms got to his feet and joined his friends. "That must be a secret passage! Let's take that route." he said.
"Yeah, maybe Faker's hidden inside it!" said Extendar, shrinking to normal size. "Come on!"
The warriors leaped over the fallen body of Ninjor, and into the dark passage. They climbed up a huge flight of spiral stairs. Snakes occasionally thrust out of the walls, but they posed no threat, as She-Ra simply cut them away with her sword. They made their way hastily up the stairs, hoping that their quest was coming to an end.

Up in the chamber of Snake Mountain, Skeletor was rejoicing with Evil-Lyn and Faker. "Thanks to you, Faker, He-Man has now been imprisoned for over a week!" he said. "And the attacks by our forces on the city have caused greater damage each time. Later on, we shall attack the city- and maybe this time, I shall steal the crown of Eternos!"
"Or I shall steal the crown….." hissed Faker, silently, "once He-Man is dead….."
Suddenly they heard the sound of rapid footsteps. Skeletor looked round. The footsteps seemed to be coming from behind the hidden door in the right hand corner, behind which lay the secret passage to his throne room! "Who's in the passage?!" he snarled. "Evil-Lyn, take a look!"
The evil sorceress ran over to the hidden door, and cast her hand sideways, opening it with her magic power. She ventured into the dark passageway….. and was shocked to see She-Ra, Man-At-Arms, the Sorceress and Extendar approaching! She quickly ran back to Skeletor, and said "It's heroic warriors! Somehow they have uncovered our secret passageway!"
Shocked, Skeletor leaped to his feet. "Heroic Warriors?! By the Fires of Sumason….. Faker, you must hide!"
"Right away!" replied Faker, running through to Comtech's laboratory, so he could hide in the scanning machine. He was through the door just before the heroic warriors burst into the chamber, ready for combat.
"Okay then! Where is he?" demanded She-Ra.
"Where is who?!" snarled Skeletor, banging his havoc staff on the ground in anger.
"You know who." said She-Ra. "We're here to find FAKER, the being who you used to frame He-Man! Now where are you hiding him?!"
Skeletor's mind shot into a state of panic. How on Eternia had they found out? But he knew he had to cover up for the scheme. "What do you mean? Faker? How could I have used him? He met his death years ago!"
"We know he didn't!" said Extendar. "You can stop lying now, Skeletor- for the Elders of Eternia revealed us the truth, so there is no denying it!"
Blast it, thought Skeletor. He had to kill these puny warriors before they could foil the greatest evil scheme ever. "Evil-Lyn- kill them!" he shouted, and the evil sorceress leaped in front of them, thrusting out her force field to paralyse them.
She-Ra thrust out her sword, and said "You're making a mistake using that force field with She-Ra!" and she backfired it on Evil-Lyn, who was instantly paralysed by the effect of her own magic.
"Okay, Skeletor, now WHERE ARE YOU KEEPING HIM?!!" demanded She-Ra, as the heroic warriors rushed up angrily to the Lord of Destruction.
"No matter where in this building you look, you will not find Faker!" growled Skeletor. "Now face your doom, 'heroes'!" He fired a bolt from his havoc staff at the warriors. She-Ra smashed it aside with her sword of protection. Extendar grew to full height, and Man-At-Arms pulled out his laser pistol. And they engaged themselves in the fight with the evil Lord of Destruction.

As the warriors sprung into combat, the Sorceress concentrated on using her mind to track down where Faker was being kept. She quickly took on the form of Zoar, and followed her mind signal. It led her into Comtech's laboratory! She burst through, shocking Comtech, who shot up from his computer, shouting "What's that bird doing in here?! You shall not escape!" He quickly fiddled with the keys on his computer, and shot a laser beam at Zoar as she darted through the air, all over the lab. He fired laser after laser at her….. but she just kept on dodging them. She was too quick for him! But he could not let her discover Faker. He concentrated harder and harder, firing in every direction she flew in! She could not win!

But the Sorceress could sense, in her mind, that Faker was hidden in the scanning machine. So she must trick Comtech into revealing him! She flew closer to the machine, darting through the air around it….. and Comtech fired in that direction. So she dodged every blast, over and over again, until he missed his target fatally….. and hit the scanning machine, which blew open, revealing the muscular blue form of Faker.
Reverting to her human form, the Sorceress said "Now we have you, Faker! Now to expose the real killer!"
"But…. But how did you find me out?!" stammered Faker.
"Just come along!" shouted the Sorceress, raising her arm, ready to fire at him.
"I can beat you, you feeble wench!"
"Can you now? Remember Castle Grayskull….. four years ago?"
Faker clenched his teeth with embarrassment at the memory. Even if he could beat the Sorceress now, he did not want to face fighting with her again! So he looked over at Comtech, and said "Quickly, Comtech- we must destroy the heroic fools before they can capture me!"
"Right away." said Comtech, jumping down from his computer console, and firing a bolt from his wrist blaster at the Sorceress. She jumped aside, just as a blow from Extendar knocked Skeletor flying back into the lab.
Skeletor got to his feet, and his eyes lit up with rage. "Blast it! Faker has been found!"
"And soon he will be found guilty- of killing Lord Marlach, and framing He-Man!" said She-Ra. "Quickly, Extendar- get hold of him!"
The cyborg thrust out his torso and arms, and gripped tightly hold of Faker.
"Now we have him!" said She-Ra. "Quickly- we must get back to the city!"
The heroic warriors turned and rushed out of the chamber, Extendar gripping Faker tightly. They ran down to the vehicle bay, and leaped into a Fright Fighter. Man-At-Arms took the machine off to pilot it to Eternos. Faker struggled to break free from Extendar's grip- but the Sorceress managed to hold him in place by reaching out her arm to fire at him each time he almost broke free.
And they jetted off wildly, in the direction of Eternos!

Skeletor swished his arm through the air, freeing Evil-Lyn from the force field. Then, together with her and Comtech, he ran down to the vehicle bay- only to see the heroic warriors piloting a Fright Fighter in the direction of Eternos.
"No! We must not let them expose Faker! This scheme can not be foiled!"
"Then we must take action." said Evil-Lyn. "We must beat the heroic warriors to Eternos!"
"We must do that at once." said Skeletor. "Evil-Lyn- assemble the mercenaries. They may have Faker- but we will ensure that He-Man stays in prison! Quickly- get the army together!"

PART 23

At twenty-one o'clock, as evening fell over Eternos, Teela and the protesters began their appeal in the city square. Nearly the whole group of campaigners were there- the rest were all protesting outside the Court and prison. Most of the heroic warriors had joined them, along with the King and Queen. On the balconies of the Arcology, shimmering against the evening sky, were people waving banners and signs.
"I'm pretty damn frustrated just now." Teela said to Ram Man. "My father called me earlier saying he knew the name of the killer, but something cut him off before he could tell me. Whatever it was, it must have damaged his wrist-radio, because I haven't managed to get in contact with him. If he'd managed to tell me, I could have used it as evidence!"
"Never mind." said Ram Man. "Knowing the court, they'd probably accuse you of making it all up. But we've been doing really well, so hopefully they'll release He-Man tonight anyway!"
"He's gotta be out of that jail." said Teela. "He HAS to be!"

Over in the corner of the square, Rio Blast and Blastar were desperately trying to persuade the Law chief to urge the court to reconsider.
"The Court's decision is the Court's decision." he replied. "We don't have much influence over it. I'm afraid we're not in a position to help."
But the people all around the Square were waving their banners like mad, shouting "FREE HE-MAN! JUSTICE TO ETERNIA! SET HIM FREE!" The square was in a complete state of chaos, and the whole source was He-Man's supporters.
Teela stood atop a large stage, which had been set up specially for the appeal. "We are here tonight," she began, "to demand the freedom of Eternia's greatest champion- He-Man. We have over 10,000 names of Eternian citizens, who want our hero freed this instant! It is obvious that he must have been framed! Think of all the good things he has done in the past- and think of how it just does not make sense that he would kill someone out of the blue! We urge the court, SET HE-MAN FREE!"
"SILENCE!" came a shout, echoing through the whole street. The crowd fell as silent as possible, as Jarik approached, carrying a microphone. With him were several court officials, carrying a portable viewscreen.
"Clear a space." Jarik ordered the crowd, and the crowd cleared a small aisle, for Jarik to approach the stage. Several crowd members booed and jeered at Jarik and the court officials, as they approached the stage, carrying the portable viewscreen.
Jarik ascended the steps to the stage, where he could address the whole crowd. The court officials positioned the portable viewscreen on the small props table on the stage.
"So, you want He-Man freed." said Jarik, through the microphone. "You believe that the Eternos Court has actually reached a false verdict."
A huge cheer ran through the crowd, and cries of "We want He-Man out!" could be heard.
"Well, I'm sorry you seem to want He-Man out that badly, but I must inform you that the Eternos City Court has absolutely NO intention, whatsoever, of releasing He-Man. As far as we are concerned, there is no doubt that he is a convicted murderer, and so therefore should remain in jail. We advise you to disband at once, as your campaign is of no use to you."
A huge jeer ran through the crowd. Thousands of people booed Lord Jarik at once, and Teela threw him an angry glance. Then out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of an evil Fright Fighter, descending a few streets away. She whispered to Ram Man "I saw a Fright Fighter. The evil warriors might be attacking."
"Don't worry." said Ram Man. "The forces are all ready for possible attacks."

Ignoring the booing from the crowd, Lord Jarik flicked a switch on the viewscreen, and said "Here we have proof that He-Man was the murderer. And if you might be disturbed- don't look away, because then you'll still be afflicted by your ridiculous belief that he is innocent."
Further boos came from the crowd, as the screen flickered on. The scene of He-Man approaching Lord Marlach as he opened the Arcology appeared on the screen. Then followed the familiar sequence of He-Man stabbing Marlach to death, then simply leaving the scene of the crime.
"Satisfied now?" said Jarik. "For this, as we know, is complete proof that He-Man is the killer, and it is proof enough for us to retain our decision."
He was met with further hissing and booing, from the angry faces of the crowd.
"Do you want me to play the video again?!" he snapped angrily, as Teela shook her head in fury. "Do you not realise that the Court has made the right choice? Well you better had, and you should disband at once for your campaign is doing nothing to change our decision! For the last time- He-Man is guilty!"

Then, a deep voice, seeming to come from empty air, said "He-Man is innocent!"
"Who said that?" asked Jarik, looking around him.
"I." came the voice again, as a mysterious light appeared in mid-air. The crowd watched, dumbfounded, as the light descended, and out stepped several spiritual forms, of elderly men in long robes. They stepped onto the stage to join Jarik, bright white light surrounding them.
"Wh… who are you?" stammered Jarik.
The leader of the spirits stepped forth. "I am He-Ro."
Each member of the crowd gasped in amazement. Could this really be He-Ro, the man who had saved their world….. so many thousands of years ago?!! This was too amazing to be true….. but looking into his face, he looked just like the old portraits depicted him- only slightly older!
"You….. you can't be He-Ro." said Jarik, flinching back. "He-Ro has been dead for….. thousands of years. No, you can't be….."
"I may have died many years ago….." said He-Ro- "But I have always been here in spirit. I emerge only at times of great crisis- and this is a time of VERY great crisis. For our great hero of legend has been imprisoned, for a murder that he did not commit."
"Are you saying….. He-Man is innocent?" gasped Jarik, as the members of the crowd smiled with triumph and amazement.
"Yes." said He-Ro. "May the Elders unleash the sphere of truth!" he commanded, and the Elders behind him raised their arms, as the glowing sphere of truth appeared in mid-air, and floated into the center of the stage.
The crowd, Jarik, Teela, and Ram Man watched in amazement, as an image appeared in the sphere. It was an image of He-Man, stabbing Lord Marlach to death outside the Arcology. It was the same scene as was shown on the video, only from a different angle.
"So? It….. erm, still shows the same thing." said one of the officials.
"It is not over yet." said He-Ro.
As they watched, they saw that unlike the video, the sphere followed He-Man's progress as he left the scene of the crime. He walked on, until a few streets away, he was approached by an evil Fright Fighter. The crowd gasped. So Skeletor must have something to do with it! They watched on, and they saw He-Man crossing his sword over his body….. and his skin turning blue, his hair bright red! And Skeletor beamed down from the Fright Fighter, as the blue He-Man said "I have done it, Skeletor." and Skeletor replied "Excellent work, Faker. Now we have won! We have finally destroyed He-Man!"
And the image faded.
Everyone in the square, but especially Jarik and the officials, was struck dumb with amazement. An air of excitement ran through the crowd, and Teela smiled in triumph as Jarik stammered "So….. so He-Man ISN'T the murderer!"
"Here is your murderer!" came a shout, and then came Man-At-Arms making his way through the crowd, followed by the Sorceress, Extendar and She-Ra. And he was gripping hold of the blue He-Man, as seen in the sphere!
The crowd cheered wildly, as if in ecstasy, as Man-At-Arms dragged the blue He-Man up onto the stage before them all. "This is Faker- the man you're REALLY looking for!"
"So…." stammered Jarik, embarrassed, "so we were wrong. Well, er… I guess there's only one thing to do… let's get this Faker guy in jail- and GET HE-MAN….. OUT!!!!!"
The crowd went wild with triumph. At last the truth had been unveiled! As Rio Blast and Blastar, together with the law chief and other lawmen, dragged Faker off in the direction of the jail, Teela smiled in triumph, and went over to He-Ro. "Thank you, He-Ro." she said. "You've….. you've done brilliantly."
"It is my pleasure, Teela." said He-Ro. "But it is all thanks to your father, and the Sorceress, She-Ra and Extendar, that Faker has been exposed."
Teela went over and hugged her father. "Well done, Father." she said. "You're brilliant!"

A few streets away, a muscular figure came striding out of Eternos jail….. as another figure, identical but for his blue skin, was dragged in! A huge crowd rushed to greet He-Man on his return to freedom, as The Sorceress, Man-At-Arms, Teela, She-Ra and Extendar appeared teleported before him!
He-Man rushed up to Teela, and hugged her. "Thank you Teela!" he said. "Thank you for all you've done!"
Teela blushed faintly. "The real hero is….. well, he's approaching now!" she looked up, and saw He-Ro and the Elders descending upon them. He-Ro held the Sword of Power in his hands. "Here, He-Man!" he said. "I am proud to present you with this sword that you still deserve!"
He-Man took hold of the sword, held it above his head, and shouted "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!"
A huge flash of light erupted from the sword, as He-Man's strength flooded right back.
Sy-Klone approached the crowd, and said "Well, I was wrong about Skeletor. But at least you're free now!"
"You're forgiven, Sy-Klone!" said He-Man. "Now that Faker's been jailed, we can….."
He was cut off by a terrifying siren sound, as the Collector appeared in the night sky overhead! It beamed down a huge band of evil warriors, led by Skeletor, his eyes blazing bright red with anger!
"So! We are too late! Faker has been jailed! But it is not all over for us yet. Tri-Clops and Blade- you've had lots of experience with escaping from prison. Free Faker!"
A loud chant ran through the crowd of evil warriors of "FREE FAKER!" It was like another campaign!
"Well, if you want Faker free-" He-Man said, "You'll have to fight me first!" he was joined by the Sorceress, She-Ra, Extendar, Teela, Sy-Klone and Man-At-Arms. The citizens sprung aside as the street erupted into combat!

PART 24

Silently as possible, Tri-Clops and Blade slipped away from the fight, and smashed a window into the jail. They ran through several corridors….. until they reached Faker's cell. Blade slashed the bars with his swords, leaving the way open for Faker to come free.
"No jail can hold me for long!" said Faker. "And now to enact my long-awaited revenge on He-Man!"
Quickly, Faker, followed by Tri-Clops and Blade, ran through the corridors and leaped out through the smashed window, into the street. He-Man was fending off Beast Man and Spikor- but Faker stepped in their way, and thrust his sword in front of He-Man.
"Faker!" exclaimed He-Man.
"Yes, it is I." said Faker. "That jail could not hold me for long. Now do not try to run away- your death is fast approaching. He-Man, I challenge you to a final battle!"
He-Man held out his power sword. "I accept."
The two enemies, one flesh-coloured, one blue, became immersed in mortal combat.

Throughout the streets of Eternos, the clashing of metal was heard, as Faker and He-Man's identical swords countered one another. Citizens leaped aside in terror at the sight of the two almost identical warriors battling violently against one another.
"Come on, He-Man!" shouted Fisto. "You can do it- and I'm always here to give you a hand!"
Faker kicked He-Man violently across the street. "Ignore the cheering of your foolish friends…. I shall be the true victor!"
As He-Man picked himself up, he knew the city could be badly damaged if they continued to battle within its streets. He must lead Faker away! He sprang away from him, down several streets.
"Go for it, He-Man!" shouted a man at the end of one street.
He-Man looked round- it was Quinn from Marxall, the fisherman who had helped He-Man battle Faker three years ago!
"Quinn! I never expected to see you again!"
"I knew the murderer was Faker all along!" Quinn said. "You bet I was amongst those protesters- an' I'm as glad as the rest you're out! Now kick his butt like you did in my home town! And me and my cutlass are always here to help!"
Although He-Man knew that Faker would come after him any second, he still managed to smile. "I'll call if I need you!" he said.
Spotting Faker a few yards off, He-Man continued to inch away.
"Come back, you coward!" shouted Faker. "Don't tell me you're scared, 'most powerful man in the universe'!"
He-Man couldn't care if he looked like he was scared- he had to lead Faker out from the city. He soon came across an empty Fright Fighter. It was the one that Duncan had used to take Faker to the city. He leaped into the cockpit, and took off. Knowing Faker would follow him, he piloted the Fright Fighter away from the city, until he found a barren, secluded spot- a small, rocky and dusty valley. He touched the vehicle down. It was not long before Faker arrived on the scene.
"Now….." said Faker, his eyes blazing red as he brandished his gleaming sword, "I shall have my revenge! Revenge, on the man who knocked me down that abyss! The only man I need to destroy in order to take over this planet! For six years, I have waited for revenge on you, He-Man! And now I shall have it!"
"You know, Faker….." said He-Man, "You haven't changed a bit. Though I haven't seen you in three years, you're still just as over-confident as you were then. And if you remember, although you may be almost as strong as me….." he threw a massive punch into Faker's face, "I AM STILL STRONGER!"
Faker fell back, onto the dusty ground. But he picked himself up again, and charged forth. "You shall kneel at my feet before you die!"
But He-Man simply thrust Faker over his head.

The two enemies battled on and on in the light of the twin moons of Eternia. Their swords clashed repeatedly against one another, as they fought on and on into the night. And as He-Man looked into the light of the moons, then down onto the beaten form of his enemy, he knew the battle was coming to a close. He charged forward at Faker, struck his blue chest with a mighty blow from the power sword, and sent Faker flying back.
Faker's head hit the rocks heavily. He lay there for several moments, before He-Man slowly approached him.
"So, Faker." he said. "Do you surrender now? Do you realise, that you can never possibly be a match for the power of Grayskull?"
Slowly, Faker staggered to his feet, and stumbled across the rocky valley. His head was hung low, his eyes shining to the ground with sadness. His body looked weak and badly beaten. He had lost. For the final time.
Faker staggered over to a tall, leafless tree, and pulled away a crooked twig. Fixing his eye tightly on the twig, he set it alight, and held it across his chest. Then he turned to He-Man.
"He-Man….." he said weakly, "I….. I am….. no match for you. I have tried….. in vain to beat you….. once again. My mind has been fuelled for six years….. with my thirst for revenge upon you. But….. I shall never be able to have that revenge. I have trained….. with the sole aim of beating you….. but it was all in no use. Even….. framing you for murder did not work. I killed….. thousands of people….. to prepare for killing you. And now….. for my last victim."
"There is no way you can kill me now." said He-Man, holding his sword across his chest to protect himself from the flame.
"Not you….." said Faker, "me."
He spread the burning twig across his chest, and touched the flame to his blue skin. Slowly, the flame spread across his chest….. over his torso….. over his legs….. until his whole body was consumed by flame. He-Man watched as Faker's blue skin turned a coal black as the flame ate away at his flesh. He fell to the ground, and slowly his skin began to crumble away, until there was nothing left of him but a heap of black ash on the ground.
The fire died down. Faker was no more.
He-Man stood there, in the center of the rocky valley, bathed in the light of the twin moons, in the gentle breeze of the summer wind. The breeze slowly swept the ashes of Faker away….. into the wind.
Then He-Man turned around, and took one glance at the beautiful mountains ahead of him, silhouetted against the dark skies. Time to head back to Eternos. He entered the cockpit of the Fright Fighter, and took off, the greatest and most dangerous experience of his whole lifetime drawn to a close.

PART 25

He-Man landed the Fright Fighter in a street in Eternos. He was greeted by the sight of his warriors battling vigorously against Skeletor, led by his faithful sister, She-Ra. He jumped out from the Fright Fighter cockpit, and joined his warriors, who erupted into a cheer on seeing him alive. Drawing the power sword, he said "Care to face me, Skeletor?"
"He-Man….." hissed Skeletor, "You are still alive! And what of Faker?"
"Faker is dead." He-Man replied.
"Faker has been 'dead' before and come back….."
"No, he really is dead this time. I saw him burn himself away. Your scheme, as dangerous as it may have been, has been foiled. Once again, the masters of the universe are victorious."
Skeletor's eyes lit up with rage. "You have defeated me again and again, He-Man….. throughout six years. And now you have foiled the greatest evil scheme ever! And no doubt you believe I should give in. But no, the Lord of Destruction shall never give in! Someday, He-Man. Someday, I will come up with an even greater scheme! Before long, He-Man, I will cause the true downfall of Eternia!!!!! So for now, my army shall leave you. But keep watching out….. as I'll be back!"
With that, he teleported his whole army away in a cloud of smoke. Once he was gone, He-Man was surrounded by a huge crowd of his friends and companions, overjoyed at his release from jail. In the middle of them all, were King Randor and Queen Marlena.
"I'm….. so glad you're free." said Marlena.
"It is a joy to have you free again, He-Man." said King Randor. "And it just proves that no matter how bad an effect Skeletor's schemes have on us, the power of Grayskull can always overcome them. Now if you do not mind, I would like to hold a celebration for you at the palace."
"It is an honour, fa….. er, Your Majesty." He-Man said. "Let's get to it!"

The hall of the Royal Palace was filled with joy and exuberance as the heroic warriors held their celebration of He-Man's freedom. The whole army was there, all hailing He-Man with admiration. He-Man was pretty tired after this experience….. but he was overjoyed that he was in the clear, and had had many more supporters than he realised. He thanked She-Ra, Man-At-Arms, The Sorceress and Extendar for all they had done to get him out.
"Well, we would never have got you out without the help of He-Ro!" said Man-At-Arms. "We had actually dismissed the possibility of Faker being the killer, shortly before! So we have the power of the ancients to thank!"
"We also have Varlon, of the Skar-Vins' underworld to thank." said the Sorceress. "Although the Skar-Vins were once deadly enemies, it was Varlon who helped us to get to Snake Mountain underground!"
"Then I am eternally grateful to him as well." said He-Man. Then he turned to Teela, and smiled. And she smiled back. She had clearly noticed his admiration for her.
"And I want to thank you." said He-Man. "You did brilliantly with your campaign. I mean….. I couldn't stop thinking about you when I was in jail. You are a real heroine."
"Well….. thank you." said Teela. "You're….. well, you know you've….. I've never said it before, but….. hey, can we go somewhere private?"
"Sure we can." said He-Man. He turned to the others. "Excuse us a second." he said, smiling at Man-At-Arms. Man-At-Arms smiled back. At last Teela was getting what she deserved, after all her work!
Up on the balcony, He-Man and Teela sat together, looking over the magnificent spectacle of Eternos City, the towers illuminated by the twin moons and the gleaming stars. It was an exquisite sight. And in the center of it all was the Arcology, its laser beam circulating above in the night sky.
"The Arcology really is beautiful." said Teela. "Loads more people are going to live there, now you've been cleared. And I'm really pleased you were."
"You were a great help." said He-Man. "And not just in this case….. every adventure we've ever had together, you've helped me a lot. I really appreciate that."
Teela blushed. "Thank you." she said.
"And….. you know how I was feeling really stressed before the murder? Obviously, I felt much worse when I was put in jail. But thinking of you seemed to ease my mind a lot….. just knowing what a great friend you are made me feel so much better in jail. I owe many good things in my life to you."
She smiled. "The same here." she said. "And you know….. Prince Adam said something very similar to me, before he left for his break. It's a shame he hasn't been around to see all this, but….."
"Don't worry." said He-Man. "He knows everything. I'm pretty sure of it." He smiled at her. "There's a lot that Prince Adam hasn't told you. and there's a lot that I would love to tell you, but….. I just can't."

She looked into his eyes. She could see his love for her in them….. just how she had always seen it in Prince Adam's eyes. "So….. what can't you tell me, then?"
"Let's just say….. let's just say I'll tell you another time." and he winked at her. "Or maybe Prince Adam will."
Suddenly, it struck her. She realised just what he was trying to get across. Yes, that had to be it….. or could it?! She would have to wait, hoping that she was right! "OK He-Man!" she smiled. "I'll wait for it!"

His mind filled with delight, He-Man sat closely at Teela's side, looking over the beautiful gleaming towers of Eternos. Teela had nearly got it- and he could not wait for the right day to come! But for now, this beautiful starlit night was just what he needed, easing his stress, and reminding him of the magical world Eternia was, and how no matter what schemes the forces of evil came up with….. the masters of the universe would always win.