C. Cowboy: Sorry for the wait, but here's the next chapter. And I believe you'll see it was worth the wait. First off I'd like to wish Mystryfann a happy belated birthday! Now, on with the story. Note: the dream at the first does serve a purpose. You see in the near future. Read and review please!
Chapter 6: Rebirth
"T-Teela…" Adam moaned as he set up. He looked around and found himself in the palace courtyard. "Teela? Father? Mother?" Adam yelled looking around.
It took him a moment for him to notice the palace was in ruins, "What…" He asked in shock and jumped as he heard an evil laugh from inside the palace. "Who said that??" Adam commanded reaching for his sword.
"ADAM! HELP!!" Teela's voice rang from the palace.
"Teela!!!" Adam yelled and ran into the palace and when he reached the thrown room the sight made him gasp in terror. Lying on the ground was his father, mother and fellow Defenders…dead.
"Oh Prince Adam… come this way!" Came the familiar voice further in the palace, filled with anger he dashed after the voice. He ran into the next room, and saw Teela standing with a large man standing between them. The man was really tall, and Adam could tell by seeing his back he was extremely built. He wore black armor and a long flowing black cape, which contrasted his golden blond hair.
"Get away from her!" Adam commanded raising his sword.
"What you going to do?" The man asked with a chuckle, "Transform into He-Man?" Without another word the man brought his large black sword down on Teela striking her down.
"TEELA!!!" Adam yelled in fear and anger running toward the man. In a flash the man spun around and caught Adam's sword in his and smiled evilly at him. "Who are… what??" Adam asked his anger turning to shock. Adam looked into the man's cold blue eyes, and despite black unshaved stubble it was He-Man.
"W-Who are you…" Adam asked in utter shock.
He-Man threw Adam hard on the ground. "Let me show you." He-Man said raising his sword over his head, "LET THE POWER RETURN!" and in a flash of light Adam was face to face with himself. "I'm you."
"It… It can't be… I'd never do that! Never!" Adam stuttered sprawling on the floor.
"Are you sure about that?" The other Adam asked before laughing in a manner that would put Skeletor to shame.
"NOOOOO!!!!!!" Adam yelled setting up quickly.
"Calm down Adam, you're alright." Marlena soothed gently touching his face.
"Mother?" Adam asked calming down, realizing he was in his bedroom, "It… was just a dream…" it then clicked what had happened in reality, "What happened… Where's Teela?"
Marlena looked down sadly, "I'm sorry son, Skeletor… took her… to Castle Grayskull… and he's probably taken control of it by now."
"Has Father sent any rescue missions or at least sent someone to check out the situation?" Adam asked laying back down.
Marlena just stood up sadly, "Maybe you should speak to your father about that, son."
Adam slowly got up and dressed and made his way to the throne room, and found his father, mother, Ramman, Stratos, Man-e-faces, Orko, and Makenek apparently staring at each other.
"Adam! You're ok!" Orko yelled with glee while latching on to the young prince's leg.
"Yes, I'm fine Orko…" Adam stated sadly, "Well… As fine as I could be considering the circumstances."
Adam then looked up to his father, "So what are we going to do? We can't just let Skeletor have Teela and Castle Grayskull."
A few moments later…
"WHAT???" Adam exclaimed in utter shock and disbelief.
"Son, calm down. You have to understand…" King Randor reasoned.
"Yes I understand perfectly, FATHER! You plan on letting Skeletor keep Teela, and have his way with Grayskull, and till he comes out, WE ARE JUST GOING TO SET HERE ON OUR ASSES!!!!!!!!!"
"Adam… lower your voice, it's not as bad as you make it out," the King continued to only make Adam madder and madder.
"Father, you know Skeletor isn't going to come out of that castle till he learns its secret and takes its power. And by then he'll have both the Sorceress AND Teela dead! And once he has the Power of Grayskull we won't stand a change against him!" Adam argued.
"Adam!" The King yelled now angry himself, "Castle Grayskull is almost impenetrable! We would all be killed if we tried to raid it!"
Adam looked around the room at the Defenders, "Do you agree with him??" and to his disappointment, all of them lowered their heads in shame.
Adam quickly turned his back to the room, "Well then I'm going to stop Skeletor and save Teela and the Sorceress… With or without your help."
"Adam wait!" Randor pleaded, " It's suicide!"
Adam stopped and looked up toward the ceiling, "You used to call me a coward, but now I see… none of you had any right what so ever to call anyone a coward…" he took one last look at the Defenders, "I misjudged you…" He then looked coldly at his father, "I misjudged all of you." He turned his back again and started out the door, "Goodbye."
Marlena watched her son march out of the throne room, then turned and gave her husband at angry glare.
"Adam…" Randor sighed staring at the floor.
Meanwhile in Castle Grayskull…
Skeletor set on the throne with Teela and the Sorceress standing between Merman and Trapjaw. "Even without his powers, Adam will come along with the Defenders and he will defeat you, Skeletor." Sorceress stated boldly.
Skeletor laughed evilly. "Adam can do nothing, Sorceress! He cannot save either of you. All the little prince can do is stand back and watch as I destroy you both, as he watched Tri-Klops destroy Duncan's life!"
Teela looked down sadly and Sorceress's eyes widened in shock and fear. "Wha… what do you mean?"
"Oh?" Skeletor asked with humor in his mechanical voice, "you haven't heard, Sorceress? You've probably been too busy searching for a way to help Prince Adam's predicament that you wasn't paying attention to what had happened at the palace. Is that correct, Sorceress?" Skeletor asked rubbing his hands together.
"What… what has happened?" Sorceress ask, her voice shaken with fear.
"Why don't you see for yourself, 'Teelina'?" Skeletor asked. He chuckled when he saw the Sorceress flinch at the name.
She looked up at him and then at Teela, and let out a deep sigh. She brought her trembling hand up and opened a magical window into the past, and gasped in terror at what she saw. "D-Duncan… no…"
The window showed Man-At-Arms jumping between Adam and Tri-Klops' blast.
Sorceress quickly closed the window, "It… cannot be… It cannot be…" She whispered as a tear slid down her face. The realization finally set in, and the great Sorceress of Grayskull dropped to her knees in sobs.
"Sorceress!" Teela gasped going down to her side.
"Now that I have informed you, Sorceress," Skeletor began, "I will inform you, my dear Teela." Skeletor reached into a pouch and pulled out a parchment, "Let me read a excerpt from Man-At-Arms' last will and testament. Lets see…"
Skeletor unrolled it, "AH here it is… 'To my darling daughter Teela…." Skeletor read out loud, "You have been raised to think your mother had died and I had hoped to be able to tell you that it is not true that your mother is still alive and for me to be there with you when you met her, I am so sorry… Teela, your mother is none other then…" Skeletor stated causing the Sorceress looking down sadly and Teela listening completely, "Teela your mother is none other then… Teelina, The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull!"
"W-what?" Teela asked her eyes widening in shock. Teela slowly looked down to the Sorceress' tear-filled eyes. "Is…what he says true, Sorceress?" Teela asked disbelief and also a faint hint of hope in her voice.
"…. Yes…" Sorceress whispered, "During the final months of the Council, Your Father, Duncan and I… we… 'Shared' a night together. When you were born… we had planed after peace had been restored to Eternia and when the secret of Grayskull no longer needed protecting. We would reunite… and be a family…but now… I see it was only… but a dream… I am so sorry Teela… I hope you can forgive me… and your father for… keeping this from you…"
"My mother's… alive…" Teela whispered to herself, "My mother's alive!" Teela gasped as she hugged the Sorceress.
"I've…. Waited so long for this, my daughter…" Sorceress sighed hugging her back.
"Oh, isn't this sweet?" Skeletor mock-sighed, "I think I'd get cavities, if I still had teeth." He said rubbing his now metal jaw.
"Now, Sorceress," Skeletor said standing, "If you would like to keep what family you have left, I suggest you showing me to the secret of He-Man and Castle Grayskull's power."
"SKELETOR!" Clawful yelled running into the room.
"What is it?" Skeletor growled, "It better be important."
"Someone's coming!" Clawful gasped backing away from Skeletor slightly, "It's… Prince Adam I think."
"So…" Skeletor said stepping down the steps from the throne, "The young fool took the bait."
Skeletor stood before Teela and the Sorceress and chuckled, "Now Sorceress, I know the Orb is in this castle. Show it to me…" He ordered as he grabbed Teela and placed the Sword of Grayskull to her neck, "Or do you have little value for your daughter's life?"
Sorceress glared at him, before lowering her head sadly, "follow me."
"Mother… no…" Teela whispered sadly as Skeletor shoved her to follow the Sorceress.
"The rest of you stall the wannabe hero until I take the power, then I'll kill him myself." Skeletor ordered as he and Teela followed the sorceress deep into Castle Grayskull.
Meanwhile outside Adam slowly made his way toward the castle gate, with the Teela's sword in hand.
"Here we go…" Adam groaned as Grayskull's drawbridge opened and Skeletor's minions stormed toward him.
Adam dashed forward and at first he held his own quite well, but the numbers quickly began to become over-whelming.
Adam slashed at Clawful with his sword only to be hit in the chest by Whiplash's tail. Adam flew backwards and hit the ground hard. As he fought back to his feet, a missile from Trapjaw hit about a foot from his feet and sent him flying again, and knocked back down by a blast from Evil-Lyn.
"T-Teela…" Adam gasped slowly getting back to his feet, and wiping some blood from his lip. His eyes finally refocused to see Clawful running toward him. Adam braced himself, and waited for the pain. He heard the thud of two bodies colliding, but felt no pain and he was still standing up. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled to see Ramman standing over a KO'ed Clawful.
"You ok?" Ramman asked.
"Yea!" Adam said happily.
"You really think we'd miss this party?" Stratos asked soaring overhead firing two missiles at Trapjaw.
Makenek and Man-e-faces ran up past him and locked up with Whiplash and Evil Lyn.
"You…came…" Adam breathed in disbelieve.
His smile quickly faded as he saw Panthor leaping toward him, but in a green flash Panthor hit the ground with a sickening thud with a small, yet vicious Eternian Tiger standing over him baring his fangs.
"Come on, Son." King Randor said stepping up beside Adam, "They can handle things out here, lets go stop Skeletor, and save your girlfriend!"
Adam face turned a bright red, but shook it off and the father and son entered the dark castle.
Meanwhile in the Crystal Chamber, deep in the heart of Castle Grayskull…
"Now where is the power of the Council?" Skeletor asked irately.
Sorceress looked down sadly before pointing her hand toward a crystal pillar, which magically opened to hold a crystal orb.
Skeletor threw Teela to the floor and walked toward the glowing orb, "Finally…"
Skeletor placed his clawed hand on the orb and raised it over his head, "By the power of Grayskull!"
In a flash of light, Skeletor transformed, he stood twice his old size, and he now had on bright red armor with the 'He-Man' symbol on his chest, a long flowing black cape, and a bright red horned helmet. His once bone and metal face was now renewed with a flesh covered demonic face. "I HAVE THE POWER!"
"Amazing!" Skeletor sighed, looking at his new body, "I have never felt so… so… powerful…"
"You haven't won yet, Skeletor!" Sorceress snapped, "That orb is no different then the Sword of Grayskull, it only taps the power, the True Power of the Council you can never reach! It is in…" Her sentence was cut short as Skeletor shot an energy blast from his hand at her.
The blast connected and in an instant, the Sorceress was turned to a stone statue, "Hush. I have more then enough power to do as I wish." Skeletor growled, "And my name is Keldor."
Keldor then turned his attention to the frightened Teela, "Now my dear, would you like to join your parents? Or would you like to wait for me to send your new boyfriend before you?"
"Back off, Skull Face!" came a voice from the stairs.
"Ah!" Keldor mock-gasped turning toward the voice, "Prince Adam! And King Randor! So nice of you to join my victory party!"
"You haven't won yet, Skeletor!" Adam growled running toward him with his sword drawn.
"ADAM! NO!" Randor yelled a moment too late as Adam swung his sword at Keldor; only to be broken in half as the Sword of Grayskull sliced it like butter. Adam gasped as his own power sword was placed at his neck.
"You've gotten in my way for the last time, He-Man." Keldor hissed sliding the sword down his chest slightly braking the fabric of his shirt, and also his skin.
"NO! Please…" Teela begged, "Please spare him!"
Both Adam and Keldor looked shocked at Teela.
"Please… He's all I got left now… please… don't… please…" she begged tears in her eyes.
"Bah!" Keldor Scoffed, "If you want the little prince so bad, you can have him…" He said removing the sword from his chest.
Adam then turned to run to Teela and they both opened their arms to hug one another, but just as Adam was about to reach her, he stopped and gasped. Teela looked down at his chest and her eyes widened in fear. The Sword of Grayskull was now passing through his chest.
"You can have him in the afterlife." Keldor finished with an evil smile.
ADAM!" Teela yelled, as Keldor jerked the sword from his body and threw it down to the ground.
"T-Teela…" Adam gasped as she held him.
"No… not again…Adam…" Teela gasped between sobs.
Adam opened his eyes and saw the sword at his side, "T-Teela… help me," he asked gripping the sword in an attempt to hold it over his head.
With Teela's help Adam held it directly above his head, "By… B-BY THE POWER OF…"
"Oh no you don't!" Keldor yelled blasting the blade making it shatter into dust.
Adam eye's shot wide in shock then glazed over in defeat as he looked at the broken handle in his hand, "no…it's really… over now… I'm… I'm sorry… I'm so… sorry Teela…" Adam whispered as his world began to go dark.
Adam…
"Wha…" Adam stuttered looking around finding himself in a dark tunnel
Adam… you promised…
"What… Duncan?" Adam asked looking up and seeing his old mentor.
"Adam, what are you doing here?" Duncan asked walking toward him.
I'm…dead?" Adam asked fearfully
"No… not yet anyway. You're on the boarder." Duncan informed.
"Oh." Adam said not comforted.
Adam…don't… please…
"Who's…who is saying that?" Adam asked looking for the source of the faint voice.
"You know who it is." Duncan stated looking down at the young prince. "Listen carefully."
Adam…please don't… please don't leave me alone…"Teela…" Adam stated finally recognizing the voice.
"Have you figured it out yet?" Duncan asked
"What?"
"This is your chance, Adam." Duncan informed, "Do you know what you would live for?"
"I…don't know…"
No… Stay back… Haven't you done enough!"Teela!" Adam gasped, "She's in trouble!"
"Yes she is." Duncan stated glaring at him, "What are you going to do about it. Eternia needs He-Man, and my daughter needs Adam. What are you going to do about it?"
"I know…" Adam stated in realization, "I know what I'll live for…"
"And that is?" Duncan asked his smile beginning to grow.
"Teela." Adam stated, "I'll live to protect her. She's what I'll live for!"
"I knew you'd figure it out, son." Duncan said proudly, "Now I think you know what you have to do…or should I say what you have to say."
Adam nodded, but then looked sadly at his mentor, "I've missed you Duncan."
"You have no reason to, Adam." Duncan said placing a hand on his shoulder, "I'll always be with you, and watching you. So you BETTER take good care of my daughter."
Adam nodded, then slowly closed his eyes, "Goodbye, Duncan, thank you for everything."
"Remember what you learned, and be careful, you will receive more power then anyone has before, use it wisely…" Duncan said as he and Adam's surroundings began to fade away.
Teela eyes stayed wide in terror as Keldor began to stalk toward her and Adam's body. A part of her told her to run, but she refused to leave Adam's side. "Stay back, Keldor!" Randor said standing between the monster and his son and Teela.
"T-Teela…" Adam muttered coming back to.
"Adam!" Teela exclaimed forgetting the danger for a moment, excited that Adam was still alive. "Save your strength, Adam…" Teela soothed only to be cut off by Adam squeezing her hand gently.
"I've figured it out…" Adam gasped between painful breaths, "I know what it is I'll live for…"
Adam?" She asked confused.
"It's…you…" Adam gasped looking into her eyes.
He then closed his eyes, and gripped the broken handle tight, I'll live for you, Teela." Adam stated as his body gave off a bright glow.
"What in Eternia's name?" Randor asked as all three in the room stared in awe.
Adam slowly rose into the air, and his wound closed. His eyes slowly opened as he gripped the sword's handle out in front of him. He then pointed his hand toward the Sorceress and in a flash of light she was returned to normal, and dropped to the floor; knocked out, but all right.
Keldor then rushed him but Adam simply knocked him away with his energy alone.
Keldor looked up at him and what the Sorceress said to him before he turned her into stone returned to his mind: That orb is no different then the Sword of Grayskull, it only taps the power, the True Power of the Council you can never reach! It is in… "It's in you… The Council hid its power in the infant prince, how…devious." Keldor realized as Adam raised the handle above his head.
"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!!!!" Adam called out as a blinding flash filled the room.
When the light let up both Adam and the sword was changed. The Sword was transformed, it was the same shape, but now the handle and hand guards were solid gold, and the blade itself was clear crystal. And holding it was a bigger more powerful He-Man.
"I HAVE THE POWER!!!!" He-Man called out swinging the now reborn Crystal Sword before him, and taking a battle stance. He then pointed the sword at Keldor, "One must stand. One must fall. This is the end of the road, Skeletor." He stated coldly.
Then in Keldor's hand a sword just like the old Sword of Grayskull appeared and he held it out in front of him. "Let this be our final battle."
To Be Concluded…