CHAPTER TWO
"The Secret of the Soceress"
His feet smashed onto the ground as He-Man surged forward. He was tired and hungry, but didn't care. He drank from his cantina and continued North. Grayskull would be hard to get into, but he had another idea first.
He-Man figured that Hordak would have dozens of troops keeping an eye on Grayskull just in case. There was no doubt in his mind that Hordak could not gain access to it, but He-Man was leaving nothing to chance. So He-Man diverted his course by just so much. He headed more Northeast than North.
He-Man didn't want Hordak to know he was on the planet yet.
As sunset began to creep in, He-Man paused for a few moments near the bank of a small pond. He sat down and pulled off his helmet. He wasn't quite ready to get rid of the armor. Plus, it would allow him to remain in secret.
The hero reached over to a small tree and pulled off a small, apple-like fruit and took a big bite. He was hungry, all right. He-Man paused and leaned against the tree as he rested. A few minutes were all he needed.
Just as he was about to completely relax (at least, relax as far in the state he was in), he heard the sound of people approaching. Not just any people, he realized, but Horde Troopers.
He-Man pulled his helmet back on and rolled into the brush. The Troopers passed by.
"Units 457-460 have been destroyed near the ruins of Eternos."
"Probably the rebels."
"Maybe. Though my memory files seem to process different. It was said they were last seen closer to the Desert."
"I don't know. It's been a long time since we've seen an attack like that."
"Not too long."
"No. Process it. The rebels tend to only blow stuff up. This person - or persons - went to a lot of trouble slicing and dicing."
"Maybe it was Snake Mountain."
"Ha! Good one! They would never break their treaty with . . ."
And then they grew farther away from He-Man's hearing. He paused until he was sure they were gone. Then, he filled his cantina, grabbed another melon and ran as hard as he could.
The rest of the night passed without incident and He-Man just kept moving towards his destination. He knew he was closer as the vegetation grew less and less. He then arrived at a pass between two mountains. He-Man leapt down into the middle of the pass.
It was early morning now and He-Man was growing impatient for his return to Grayskull - and more importantly, answers.
He stuck close to the edge of the mountain until he reached a familiar spot. He pulled out his communicator and pressed a few keys. He then pointed it at the rock wall and pressed the 'SEND' key.
A part of the rock wall opened slowly, revealing a thick, black, secondary door. A green light flashed out of it. A few seconds later, the door opened swiftly.
"He-Man?" came a whispered voice.
"Gwildor!"
"It is you!" shouted the small, red-haired genius.
He pulled the hero inside his home and shut both doors. He-Man looked around. The old lab had grown quite a bit and was a lot more cluttered.
"You're here! You've come at last! Hordak has . . ."
"Yes," He-Man replied swiftly and grimly. "I know. We must get to Castle Grayskull. Hordak hasn't breached it yet, has he?"
"No," Gwildor said. He pulled out his greatest of all inventions - the Cosmic Key. He began to input the correct calculations.
"So much has changed."
"Tell me about it," answered Gwildor. "Okay, calculations are set. You are the only that can activate it, though. A new security precaution."
"Very wise," He-Man replied. He pressed the initiation button on the Key. A burst of blue energy erupted before them, followed by a portal of the same color.
"To Grayskull!" shouted Gwildor.
"Indeed. To Grayskull."
The pair then entered the shimmering portal.
The end of the portal deposited both He-Man and Gwildor on the floor of the Castle. He-Man stood immediately. Behind him was the closed drawbridge of the incredible Caste Grayskull. Before him and Gwildor were two large, wooden doors that were criss-crossed and reinforced with metal.
He-Man took no time in stepping forward and opening those two doors. He and Gwildor entered into the main throne chamber of Castle Grayskull. It was dark - darker than he had ever seen it. But this darkness made a figure stand out.
The Soceress wore a light, completely white dress. She stood by her throne, lighting candles. She paid little to no heed of their entrance.
"Soceress!" He-Man shouted, marching forth.
She turned around slowly. "So . . . you have returned at last."
He walked up to her and bowed before the woman in white. "Great Soceress, I have returned from my victory afar."
She placed her hand on his head. "Indeed you have. Stand up, He-Man, and give me your sword. There is much to be done."
He-Man stood and unsheathed the Sword of Power and handed it to her. The Soceress held the mighty blade her hands and studied it. She then lifted it high above her and whispered the words of Grayskull as she did so.
The sword then flashed brilliantly for a moment, then returned to normal. She handed it back to He-Man.
"You are weary. Return, He-Man, to Prince Adam. Five years have you worn the mask of He-Man. Take it off and restore yourself."
He-Man nodded and lifted the sword. "May the power - RETURN!"
Power and energy fumed around He-Man and his sword. In a flash, He-Man felt weaker and a lot more timid. Prince Adam stood now in his place.
"How do you feel, Prince Adam?"
"Refreshed. Weaker. But still . . . strong. Here. In my heart. Stronger than ever before."
The Soceress nodded and walked towards Gwildor.
"My Soceress," bowed Gwildor.
"Great inventor. Stand up. Prince Adam and I have many matters to discuss. I believe you know where the kitchen is. If you would please prepare some food. This warrior and Prince is weary and needs to recover."
"Of course, my Soceress."
Gwildor walked off into a corridor. The Soceress watched him leave, then turned back to Adam. She stood silent, studying him.
"Much has happened."
"I know," Adam replied. "Where are my parents? And my sister? Where's Man-At-Arms and - "
She raised her hand to silence him. "Much has changed. Much has happened. Come with me."
Adam followed her as she walked into one of the tower rooms. Inside, there was a fireplace and two chairs. Adam saw a window, but it was drawn shut.
"Can you please tell what has occurred?" asked Adam, growing more impatient and more concerned by the second.
She paused and looked to the window. With the wave of her hand, the window opened, revealing the outside. Dark clouds mostly filled the sky, but there were many breaks of sunshine.
"Long has it been, it seems, since you have been here. To understand what has happened now, you must first understand what happened many years ago. You were once told that only two swords were forged, correct? The Sword of Power and the Sword of Protection. It seems now that it is time to reveal the truth to you. There were four swords forged, not two. Those two only represent the goodness of the universe. The other two represent the evil of the universe. The Sword of Darkness and the Sword of Deception."
"Four? Why was I never told?"
"Because there was never reason too. You see, the Sword of Darkness was stolen by Keldor. Keldor is the brother of Randor. Your father."
"So that would make Keldor my uncle?"
"Yes. And moreso, the power of the two swords is much different than you and Adora's. These two swords bring the transformation over time, making them stronger and much more evil. In time, Keldor became Skeletor."
Adam's jaw dropped. "What . . .? My uncle . . . my father's brother . . ."
"Is Eternia's greatest enemy, yes. Skeletor kept the sword he had stolen from Grayskull. It had completely poisoned his mind, body, and soul. But there is still the fourth sword . . ."
"And what happened to it?" asked Adam, now on the edge of seat.
"I know not. Skeletor had tried to grasp it as well when he stole the Sword of Darkness. Man-At-Arms and I were able to stop him, but the Sword of the Deception fell into the Never-Ending Pit that lies before Grayskull. I thought it gone forever."
"Except . . . ?"
"Except I was wrong. It must have ended up on Etheria. And much worse, into the hands of Hordak. He used it against She-Ra and the Great Rebellion. Hordak blackened the sky and made the entire planet nearly barren. I know not what he had done to that poor world, but apparently he learned of your departure. He came to Eternia a year after your exile began. His forces attacked harder than any other we have seen."
It was at this point, Gwildor arrived with a tray of muffins and three cups of some sort of juice. "Here you go."
"Thank you," Adam replied, taking a muffin and a juice.
"Soceress?" asked Gwildor.
"I hunger not, nor do I thirst."
Adam paused for a moment and looked outside. He could see Horde troops outside the Castle. They were far enough away, but still worried him.
"How did it happen?" he asked at last.
The Soceress looked to Gwildor.
"Well, you see," began the small scientist, "when Hordak and his Horde first arrived, we were able to fight him off for nearly a year. But our forces continued to be worn-down as his continued to multiply. During his campaign against Eternos, Man-At-Arms ordered me to teleport King Randor and Queen Marlena away."
"And where did you send them?"
"Where else? Earth! The only problem is is that when Hordak and his forces finally crushed Eternos, the Cosmic Key was damaged. I've been working on trying to recover the lost calculations for Earth, but it has been difficult."
"Great," moaned Adam. He paused in thought, thinking about his parents. He looked back at Gwildor. "What happened to the Defenders?"
"They fell when Hordak took the Great Towers," said Gwildor.
"What?! That means - "
"The power of the Ancients belongs to Hordak now," the Soceress finished. "Yes, Adam. He has become very powerful. Not strong enough to take Castle Grayskull, though. Nor has he tried very hard."
"What about Snake Mountain? King Hiss?"
"I don't know," Gwildor answered. He looked to the Soceress.
"King Hiss aided Evil Lynn in forging a peace treaty with Hordak," answered the Soceress. "As long as Hordak doesn't attack Snake Mountain, there will be peace between the two. But King Hiss cares little for this matter. He left Snake Mountain almost immediately after the treaty was signed."
"Well, he won't be much help to us," Adam scoffed. "I heard something about a rebellion?"
"Yes," Soceress replied. "The Defenders that were not captured by Hordak have formed a rebellion. They are doing the best they can, but even they are limited."
"Where are they?"
"The Desert."
He-Man nodded. "Then that's where I'm heading."
"Should I prepare the coordinates, Prince Adam?" asked Gwildor, lifting the Cosmic Key.
"No. Soceress, is there anything here that I can ride? A steed?"
"Yes. The robotic Stridor."
"Good." Adam walked down the stairs, followed by the Soceress and Gwildor. He reached the main throne room. "Gwildor, stay here. Soceress, where is Stridor?"
On cue, Stridor rode out from one of the many long corridors. Opened up a compartment on the robotic horse and placed his armor inside.
"Fight well, Adam."
"I shall," he told her. He then pulled out the Sword of Power and looked at it for a moment. Then, he lifted it up high into the air.
"By the power of Grayskull . . ." he shouted. A strike of power flashed and exploded from the sword. Where Adam then stood, there was now He-Man. ". . . I HAVE THE POWER!"
He-Man sheathed his sword and jumped onto Stridor.
Outside, fifteen Horde troopers stood around, watching the surroundings and the Castle itself. It was getting dark now and nothing was really happening, as usual. One of them was tinkering with a communications unit, but other than that, there was no excitement at all . . . until they heard the clang of the drawbridge drop.
Stridor let out a robotic whine as He-Man jumped out. The great warrior pulled out his battle-axe and slashed off four robotic heads. He deflected a few beams of energy with his shield, sending the beams right back from their origin. Eight were gone already.
He-Man then leapt off of Stridor and bashed his shield into two of them. He then spun around to face the other five, who had their weapons set on 'kill' and aimed right at He-Man.
He-Man grinned.
***
Twenty minutes later, at the Central Tower, now the home of Hordak. A Horde Trooper was ordered to awaken his master.
"Master Hordak . . ." asked the Trooper.
Hordak sat up from his bed. "What is it?"
"You had better come look at this."
The villain snorted and threw on his robe. By his side was the Sword of Deception. He stomped down the corridors.
"This had best be damned important."
"It is, sir," said the robot.
Hordak finally reached the Command Room. A large, blank screen stood before him. "Okay, what is it? Show it to me."
"This a communications link that was set-up at Castle Grayskull. Watch."
The screen clicked on. Hordak watched as the Horde Trooper on the screen adjusted the device. A large clang was then heard, followed by the sound of weapons fire. There was a brief pause, then a second volley of weapons fire. Finally, the Horde Trooper in front of the screen fell the ground. The communications unit did so too.
For a minute, it just sat there, recording nothing but the dirt. Then, a large male hand picked up the unit. The face of the man was then revealed.
"Good evening Hordak. In case you've forgotten who I am - it is I. He-Man. Defender of Eternia. I don't care how big your army is or how powerful you are, your regime is over now. I will defeat you and liberate my home once again. You're done for."
The screen went black. Everyone stood there is sheer shock silence and looked to Hordak. Hordak said noting and just starred at the screen. Then, his eyes grew red.
"FIND HIM! KILL HIM! BRING ME THE HEAD OF HE-MAN! NOW!!!"