CHAPTER 11: Coming to terms...
Outside Castle Grayskull..
The Defenders waited outside while Erin and the Sorceress were inside going over the extent of Erin's powers.
It seemed like hours. He-MAN was so frustrated he wanted to tear the jawbridge off with his bare hands, go storming in there, grab Erin and run.far.where the reality of her fate wasn't real.
He sighed and held back a tear because he knew there was no such place.
This girl, that made him feel alive again, would die and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Teela walked up to He-Man and put a hand on his back. He looked at his friend and forces a smile.
"You like her don't you," she asked him.
He-Man blushed. "She's a nice person. I feel sorry for her."
Teela smiled. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but I think she may have a thing for Adam, they seemed pretty close after dinner. But that's not to say she couldn't like both of you, I mean, every girl has hormones."
He-Man chuckled. "Yeah, I kind have picked up on that whole Adam thing."
If only Teela knew, he thought. But inside, his world was turning. He had found something, someone that he wanted to hold the rest of the world back for and he would lose her so that his mother would live.
It wasn't fair.
The jawbridge opened and Erin walked out, but she was different. At first HE-Man didn't recognize her.
She had a radiant glow about her and seemed to float more than walk. Her clothes were different too, instead of the training uniform, she now wore a tunic made of glittering material that was tied at the waist with a red scarf. She looked illuminant, breath-taking.
"You guys ready to go," she asked as she approached the dumbfounded group.
No one spoke, until Man-At-Arms broke the silence.
"Yes, and if the Sorceress was correct, time is of the essence."
Erin looked at He-Man than at the Defenders.
"Let's do this," she urged. This time she didn't need the attack trak, this time she rose into the air and started to fly in the direction of Snake Mountain.
Jerry looked at He-Man and grunted.
"She's risking everything, what are you prepared to do for her?" he barked at the huge man.
He-Man looked at the dog, and smiled confidently. He decided he wasn't about to give up and if need be, he'd fight death for her.
"Whatever it takes," he responded as he jumped onto Battle Cat's back. "Let's go!"
At Snake Mountain..
Evil-Lyn felt dizzy. She placed her hand against the wall of Skeletor's chamber.
"She's discovered her power," she told her master. "Our plan is right on track."
Skeletor cackled.
"Excellent, prepare for the attack!" he commanded his minions. "You better change Evil-Lyn. I'm sure our new friend will want to see her mommy!"
He laughed hysterically. "And as soon as she does, I will use her power to destroy Grayskull!"
Downstairs in Marlena's cell..
The Queen paced back and forth. She couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was going to happen, but she just couldn't tell what.
"Hey flea-bag!" she yelled to the monsterous guard outside her door. "What's going on up there?"
Beast-Man started to laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
The Queen wanted answers so she continued to press her captor.
"I'm going to die anyway, right, so enlighten me to the greatness that is Skeletor, what's he got planned?" she prodded. "C'mon, doesn't the condemned get a last wish?"
Beast-Man snorted, he didn't see the harm in it. In a few hours he would be playing tug-o-war with her intestines anyway. Who would she tell at then?
"It's perfect," he started. "You're new friend is the source of great power and she doesn't even know how to use it. Skeletor is going to use that power to break into Snake Mountain and become immortal. Then it's lights out for everyone, including He-Man."
Beast-Man was feeling pretty proud of himself. In his arrogance, he didn't see the Queen hide in the shadows of the cell.
"Is that so," she said. "Well, I must be going now. See ya fangs!"
She wondered if Beast-Man was stupid enough to fall for this trick. "What?" he yelled as he turned around and looked into her cell. He looked down and saw a pile of dirt on the ground.
"She dug a hole!" he yelled as he grabbed the keys to unlock the door. "She didn't get far I can still smell her.."
Beast-Man entered the cell and ran to the hole. As he did, the Queen, holding a huge rock, smacked him on the back of the head. The ogre crumpled onto the floor. She reached down and grabbed the keys.
"He was that stupid," she said to herself as she carefully looked out the door.
The coast was clear, and the Queen started down the hallway.
"I've got to warn the others.." The thought raced through her head over and over. "I can't let Skeletor hurt them..."
Outside Snake Mountain hours later...
Erin landed at the base of the dark mountain. She was ahead of the others, so she had to wait.
She hated waiting.
She was beginning to feel a little faint. The Sorceress told her to expect that. She looked at the timer the Sorceress gave her. Twenty hours left, and that was only if she didn't use too much power at once. If she did, it was all over.
She tried not to tear up. She kept thinking about Adam, Jerry, Marlena, and all of her new friends. She wished she had more time to explore this new place. She wished she could have more time to find out about her father.
She wished she had more time with Adam.
Couldn't think about that now, she thought and scolded herself for getting distracted.
She also knew her ability to fly was fading along with her life, and from that moment on, she would have to make use of her other powers, even though she was still unsure of what they were.
Crashing sounds came from behind her as He-Man and the Defenders caught up.
"Some flowers, a little paint, this place wouldn't be so bad," she joked with the others. He-Man forced a smile and Erin knew he wasn't doing to well with everything that was happening.
This time, she winked at him and then looked at Man-At-Arms.
"What's the plan, Duncan?" she asked.
Man-At-Arms sighed and looked around. He was certain this was a trap.
"Everyone needs to keep their wits about them," he urged. "This is most certainly a trap and I don't like the idea of walking right into it."
He turned to Teela, and Stratos.
"You two enter through the hidden entrance that our spies discovered here," he said as he pointed from a map projected by the Wind Raider. "From there, you'll travel to the prison cells where the Queen is being held. If she's not there, lay low and wait for my instructions. If they don't come, that means I've been captured or killed. Get out of here and get back to the castle to rally our army."
The two warriors nodded and headed off in the direction Man-At-Arms had told them.
"Ram-Man, Buzz-Off, Mekaneck, you three will head off any attack from out here. Make sure there's no ambush waiting for us out here once we've got the Queen and are safely out."
The three nodded and walked away if separate directions.
The Man-At-Arms looked at He-Man and Erin. He-Man had told Duncan that Erin had discovered his secret identity earlier outside of Grayskull.
The older man looked at the two with sadness in his eyes. "You two know what needs to be done," he said.
He-Man put his arm around Erin's shoulder and looked at his friend. "Duncan, can you give us a minute?"
Man-At-Arms nodded and walked a few feet away.
He-Man turned and faced Erin. He looked into her sad eyes and nodded as if he were reading her mind.
"I'm scared too," he soothed her. "We could try something else, you know, the Sorceress is trying to find another way as we speak, maybe..."
Erin placed a finger on his mouth. He took her hand, kissed it and held it against his face.
"There isn't another way," she said. "It has to be like this. What's left of my life has to count for something."
She smiled as she squeezed his hand.
"There's a truth in love," she said wisely. "I have the truth about my father, and I feel as if he's loved me all this time. What's more, I found that I was always able to love him, I just never let myself."
A tear rolled down her cheek and sparkled as it touched her lips.
"Then I realized love, like truth, will set you free, and I feel like I could fly to heaven right now.." She knew that physically she couldn't though, as she felt the life draining from her a little more with every word.
He-Man pulled her into a tight embrace, tighter than the one they shared at the palace. He didn't want to let her go. Warrior or not, hot tears streamed down his face too.
Unable to get past the moment, the two kissed for what they both knew would probably be the last time. They stood there, tasting the salted tears on each other lips and just held on for what seemed like ages and no time all at once.
If there were any other people on Eternia, or in the Universe for that matter, at that moment, they wouldn't have known it.
Finally the broke, and He-Man brushed a strand of hair off of her face as he gazed into her eyes.
In the distance, Man-At-Arms didn't want to interrupt them, but he had no choice. Jerry stood at his side and whimpered a little.
"This isn't fair," he snorted. "This is the first time I have ever seen her this happy."
Man-At-Arms looked at the rottweiler and shook his head.
"I could say the same for Adam," he replied sadly remembering how devastated the young man was when he learned that no matter what he felt for Teela, it could never-ever be.
It had been along time since he had seen his pupil look at someone that way and Man-At-Arms wondered if the loss of her would be to great for the young warrior to bear.
The time broke into his thoughts and he approached the two as they parted from each other's arms.
"Okay, let's get to work," Man-At-Arms said abruptly. "Erin my dear, it has been a pleasure..."
Skeletor's chamber..
Skeletor sat in his throne waiting. He knew she was coming, he felt it in every bone he had. Which meant his face was starting to hurt a lot.
He knew Evil-Lyn was in position and ready, he knew Tri-Clops was also in position and ready.
Most of all, he knew Trap-Jaw was in position with his special surprise for the group.
"One they won't soon forget," he chuckled to himself.
Outside Castle Grayskull..
The Defenders waited outside while Erin and the Sorceress were inside going over the extent of Erin's powers.
It seemed like hours. He-MAN was so frustrated he wanted to tear the jawbridge off with his bare hands, go storming in there, grab Erin and run.far.where the reality of her fate wasn't real.
He sighed and held back a tear because he knew there was no such place.
This girl, that made him feel alive again, would die and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Teela walked up to He-Man and put a hand on his back. He looked at his friend and forces a smile.
"You like her don't you," she asked him.
He-Man blushed. "She's a nice person. I feel sorry for her."
Teela smiled. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but I think she may have a thing for Adam, they seemed pretty close after dinner. But that's not to say she couldn't like both of you, I mean, every girl has hormones."
He-Man chuckled. "Yeah, I kind have picked up on that whole Adam thing."
If only Teela knew, he thought. But inside, his world was turning. He had found something, someone that he wanted to hold the rest of the world back for and he would lose her so that his mother would live.
It wasn't fair.
The jawbridge opened and Erin walked out, but she was different. At first HE-Man didn't recognize her.
She had a radiant glow about her and seemed to float more than walk. Her clothes were different too, instead of the training uniform, she now wore a tunic made of glittering material that was tied at the waist with a red scarf. She looked illuminant, breath-taking.
"You guys ready to go," she asked as she approached the dumbfounded group.
No one spoke, until Man-At-Arms broke the silence.
"Yes, and if the Sorceress was correct, time is of the essence."
Erin looked at He-Man than at the Defenders.
"Let's do this," she urged. This time she didn't need the attack trak, this time she rose into the air and started to fly in the direction of Snake Mountain.
Jerry looked at He-Man and grunted.
"She's risking everything, what are you prepared to do for her?" he barked at the huge man.
He-Man looked at the dog, and smiled confidently. He decided he wasn't about to give up and if need be, he'd fight death for her.
"Whatever it takes," he responded as he jumped onto Battle Cat's back. "Let's go!"
At Snake Mountain..
Evil-Lyn felt dizzy. She placed her hand against the wall of Skeletor's chamber.
"She's discovered her power," she told her master. "Our plan is right on track."
Skeletor cackled.
"Excellent, prepare for the attack!" he commanded his minions. "You better change Evil-Lyn. I'm sure our new friend will want to see her mommy!"
He laughed hysterically. "And as soon as she does, I will use her power to destroy Grayskull!"
Downstairs in Marlena's cell..
The Queen paced back and forth. She couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was going to happen, but she just couldn't tell what.
"Hey flea-bag!" she yelled to the monsterous guard outside her door. "What's going on up there?"
Beast-Man started to laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
The Queen wanted answers so she continued to press her captor.
"I'm going to die anyway, right, so enlighten me to the greatness that is Skeletor, what's he got planned?" she prodded. "C'mon, doesn't the condemned get a last wish?"
Beast-Man snorted, he didn't see the harm in it. In a few hours he would be playing tug-o-war with her intestines anyway. Who would she tell at then?
"It's perfect," he started. "You're new friend is the source of great power and she doesn't even know how to use it. Skeletor is going to use that power to break into Snake Mountain and become immortal. Then it's lights out for everyone, including He-Man."
Beast-Man was feeling pretty proud of himself. In his arrogance, he didn't see the Queen hide in the shadows of the cell.
"Is that so," she said. "Well, I must be going now. See ya fangs!"
She wondered if Beast-Man was stupid enough to fall for this trick. "What?" he yelled as he turned around and looked into her cell. He looked down and saw a pile of dirt on the ground.
"She dug a hole!" he yelled as he grabbed the keys to unlock the door. "She didn't get far I can still smell her.."
Beast-Man entered the cell and ran to the hole. As he did, the Queen, holding a huge rock, smacked him on the back of the head. The ogre crumpled onto the floor. She reached down and grabbed the keys.
"He was that stupid," she said to herself as she carefully looked out the door.
The coast was clear, and the Queen started down the hallway.
"I've got to warn the others.." The thought raced through her head over and over. "I can't let Skeletor hurt them..."
Outside Snake Mountain hours later...
Erin landed at the base of the dark mountain. She was ahead of the others, so she had to wait.
She hated waiting.
She was beginning to feel a little faint. The Sorceress told her to expect that. She looked at the timer the Sorceress gave her. Twenty hours left, and that was only if she didn't use too much power at once. If she did, it was all over.
She tried not to tear up. She kept thinking about Adam, Jerry, Marlena, and all of her new friends. She wished she had more time to explore this new place. She wished she could have more time to find out about her father.
She wished she had more time with Adam.
Couldn't think about that now, she thought and scolded herself for getting distracted.
She also knew her ability to fly was fading along with her life, and from that moment on, she would have to make use of her other powers, even though she was still unsure of what they were.
Crashing sounds came from behind her as He-Man and the Defenders caught up.
"Some flowers, a little paint, this place wouldn't be so bad," she joked with the others. He-Man forced a smile and Erin knew he wasn't doing to well with everything that was happening.
This time, she winked at him and then looked at Man-At-Arms.
"What's the plan, Duncan?" she asked.
Man-At-Arms sighed and looked around. He was certain this was a trap.
"Everyone needs to keep their wits about them," he urged. "This is most certainly a trap and I don't like the idea of walking right into it."
He turned to Teela, and Stratos.
"You two enter through the hidden entrance that our spies discovered here," he said as he pointed from a map projected by the Wind Raider. "From there, you'll travel to the prison cells where the Queen is being held. If she's not there, lay low and wait for my instructions. If they don't come, that means I've been captured or killed. Get out of here and get back to the castle to rally our army."
The two warriors nodded and headed off in the direction Man-At-Arms had told them.
"Ram-Man, Buzz-Off, Mekaneck, you three will head off any attack from out here. Make sure there's no ambush waiting for us out here once we've got the Queen and are safely out."
The three nodded and walked away if separate directions.
The Man-At-Arms looked at He-Man and Erin. He-Man had told Duncan that Erin had discovered his secret identity earlier outside of Grayskull.
The older man looked at the two with sadness in his eyes. "You two know what needs to be done," he said.
He-Man put his arm around Erin's shoulder and looked at his friend. "Duncan, can you give us a minute?"
Man-At-Arms nodded and walked a few feet away.
He-Man turned and faced Erin. He looked into her sad eyes and nodded as if he were reading her mind.
"I'm scared too," he soothed her. "We could try something else, you know, the Sorceress is trying to find another way as we speak, maybe..."
Erin placed a finger on his mouth. He took her hand, kissed it and held it against his face.
"There isn't another way," she said. "It has to be like this. What's left of my life has to count for something."
She smiled as she squeezed his hand.
"There's a truth in love," she said wisely. "I have the truth about my father, and I feel as if he's loved me all this time. What's more, I found that I was always able to love him, I just never let myself."
A tear rolled down her cheek and sparkled as it touched her lips.
"Then I realized love, like truth, will set you free, and I feel like I could fly to heaven right now.." She knew that physically she couldn't though, as she felt the life draining from her a little more with every word.
He-Man pulled her into a tight embrace, tighter than the one they shared at the palace. He didn't want to let her go. Warrior or not, hot tears streamed down his face too.
Unable to get past the moment, the two kissed for what they both knew would probably be the last time. They stood there, tasting the salted tears on each other lips and just held on for what seemed like ages and no time all at once.
If there were any other people on Eternia, or in the Universe for that matter, at that moment, they wouldn't have known it.
Finally the broke, and He-Man brushed a strand of hair off of her face as he gazed into her eyes.
In the distance, Man-At-Arms didn't want to interrupt them, but he had no choice. Jerry stood at his side and whimpered a little.
"This isn't fair," he snorted. "This is the first time I have ever seen her this happy."
Man-At-Arms looked at the rottweiler and shook his head.
"I could say the same for Adam," he replied sadly remembering how devastated the young man was when he learned that no matter what he felt for Teela, it could never-ever be.
It had been along time since he had seen his pupil look at someone that way and Man-At-Arms wondered if the loss of her would be to great for the young warrior to bear.
The time broke into his thoughts and he approached the two as they parted from each other's arms.
"Okay, let's get to work," Man-At-Arms said abruptly. "Erin my dear, it has been a pleasure..."
Skeletor's chamber..
Skeletor sat in his throne waiting. He knew she was coming, he felt it in every bone he had. Which meant his face was starting to hurt a lot.
He knew Evil-Lyn was in position and ready, he knew Tri-Clops was also in position and ready.
Most of all, he knew Trap-Jaw was in position with his special surprise for the group.
"One they won't soon forget," he chuckled to himself.