CHAPTER 3: CONFUSION AND EXPLANATIONS
There was an unusual feel to Grayskull. The halls were typically quiet, but at the moment, the castle almost sounded as if it were dead. There wasn't even the sound of footsteps as Adam walked through the dark and mystical place.
He had been very surprised that the Sorceress spoke to Adacan using telepathy and not him. He felt his son was too young to start taking on magic from Grayskull and he meant to find out from the Sorceress why she chose to speak to the child and not to him directly. He would almost have been offended if he weren't already confused.
Not only did that confuse him, been he wondered what the deal with this now extinct vortex was. He didn't like the way is appeared and then suddenly disappeared.
On top of all that, his wife could very well be carrying their second child, and he didn't even have time to celebrate because of all these weird events.
Adam entered the Sorceress's main chamber and looked up at the woman sitting on her throne. Or, hunching, was actually the word for it. She was slumped over and looked as if she wasn't able to move at all.
"Sorceress, are you alright?" Adam asked her uneasily.
She gave no response except a wave of her hand. Adam started walking the steps towards her throne when she straightened up slowly. She looked exhausted, her skin was dull and there was no light in her eyes. Adam thought that she, like the castle, seemed dead.
"I am not dead, Prince Adam," she spoke softly, reading his mind. "Not yet anyway, but I feel as if that time may be growing near."
Adam walked further up the steps to help the woman who had been like a surrogate mother to him on many occasion.
"What do you mean?" he asked her. "How could you be dying?"
As he got closer, the Sorceress put up her hand to stop him.
"Adam, please," she whimpered. "There is little time. You must prepare the Defenders for a great battle."
Adam looked confused.
"Battle?" he asked her. "What battle? What's going to happen?"
The Sorceress' head tilted to the side, as if she had trouble holding it up. Mustering up what strength she could, she projected the image that answered Adam's question on a nearby wall.
Adam mouth opened as the image showed Skeletor and his remaining legions attacking the castle, with more strength and force than ever.
"No!" Adam yelled. "Tell me Skeletor hasn't returned! How is that possible?"
He watched the image closer and was stunned at what he saw: Rather than the Sorceress fighting from the walls of the castle, Teela was there, dressed as and acting as the Sorceress. He tried to speak but found no words. Instead he looked at the Sorceress questioningly.
"You knew what her destiny was Adam," the Sorceress said slowly, fighting for each word. "I have summoned Man-At-Arms to bring her to me tomorrow. She will know everything, she will have to for the fight she is about to face."
Adam knew what that meant, Teela would discover that the Sorceress was her mother and that he had been He-Man all along. She wondered how his best friend would take it. The image on the wall disappeared.
"When is this battle supposed to take place," he asked the frail woman.
She sighed deeply and shook her head.
"I do not know for certain, but very soon," she replied. "That is why the Defenders must be ready, this will be a fight like no other you have known."."
Adam folded his arms.
"They will be ready, but will Teela be ready to fight in your stead?" he asked her, wishing he didn't have to. "If Skeletor has become as powerful as you say, we will need all the magic that Grayskull can give us."
The Sorceress looked at him with sad eyes.
"No," she explained. "She will not be. She won't have enough time to learn how to master her magic. That is why you must protect her from any harm, no matter what the cost. Her very existence will be magic enough to protect the castle when I'm gone. But if something happens to Teela, not even He- Man will be able to stop Skeletor from taking Castle Grayskull and destroying Eternia. Many will suffer or die or both if that happens. It would be catastrophic."
Adam didn't like the picture the Sorceress was painting, but he agreed. There really wasn't anything he wouldn't do for his friend, of course he would protect Teela with everything he had.
"You have my word, Sorceress," he told her. "Nothing will harm Teela, on my life, I promise you that."
The Sorceress put her head down and took another deep breath.
"It won't be that easy, Adam," she said slowly. "Protecting Teela will mean the sacrifice of someone else's life. Someone close to you."
Adam's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?" he asked, more confused than ever. "That one of my friends will die? Tell me who and I will make sure that doesn't happen!"
Again, the Sorceress shook her head.
"I don't know, I am too weak to see who it will be," she said. "The only thing I can tell you is it will be up to the fates. Every action taken in battle, will lead up to someone's death."
Adam was furious but tried not to take it out on the dying enchantress.
"I can't let that happen!" he roared. "You know that!"
The Sorceress lifted her head and looked at him with as much intensity as she could muster. She remembered what Zodac had told her many years ago.
"There are no options here," she explained. "You do not have a choice or a say in this particular event. Destiny may be fallible, but what the fates have decided, will be."
She lowered her head again.
"I'm tired," she breathed. "Please go and prepare for battle. Skeletor will not be easily defeated. Tomorrow, you will need to accompany Man-At-Arms as he brings Teela here."
Adam nodded and turned to leave.
"Despite what you say," he lowered his head. "I won't, I can't let anyone die."
With that he turned and started to leave the castle.
Man-At-Arms sat in his workshop alone. The lights were off and the setting sun created on orange, dim light in the room through the window.
Memories of the day the Sorceress begged him to take Teela and raise her as his own raced through his mind. As did memories of the day first day she learned to walk, say "Dadda," pick up a sword, use it to fight, became Captain of the Royal Guards and then a General. Now, she would know the truth and he became scared for her.
He rubbed his eyes. He knew this day would come, but had dreaded it for so long. Although, biologically she was not his, she was as much a part of him as any child could be to their parent.
To top it off, the woman he had secretly loved for many years was dying, and he was powerless to do anything about it. Although they never spoke of their feelings, he was certain in his heart, the Sorceress felt the same love for him.
More light poured into the room as Teela opened the door and walked in.
"Father, are you in here?" she asked.
For a second, Man-At-Arms considered not saying anything. If he didn't tell her about Grayskull, maybe he wouldn't have to lose his child.
But he knew such things were not for him to decide.
"I'm here," he said from his desk and he flipped the lights on.
Teela saw her father was visibly distraught and walked over to him.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. "Is everything okay? You missed dinner so I was worried about you."
She put her hand on his shoulder and he reached up and held it for a second.
"Tomorrow morning, I need you to accompany me to Castle Grayskull, it's an extremely important mission," he explained. "We must leave at the crack of dawn. And no one can know of this mission."
Teela looked confused but shrugged.
"Alright father," she said. "I'll meet you here, but what's at Grayskull that's so important?"
Man-At-Arms shook his head.
"All will be explained tomorrow," he said waving his hand, the same way the Sorceress had done earlier to Adam. "Until then, I can't answer any questions."
Teela straightened up. She hated it when her father didn't fill her in on important matters, but he seemed so unhappy, she didn't want to fight about it.
"As you wish," she said, turning to leave. "I will see you in the morning then."
As she walked out the door, Man-At-Arms straightened up and called to her.
"Teela, wait," he yelled as he stood up and walked over to his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder while tying to fight back the tears. "I want you to know, that I am and always have been very, very proud of you."
Teela smiled but was caught off guard by her father's sudden acknowledgement of admiration.
"Thank you," she said. "I love you very much, father."
With that she hugged him tightly and left the room.
Even from down the hall, Adam could see the healer leaving his bedroom. He picked up the pace to his room and opened the doors quickly. Erin was standing in front of the window in her silver robe he had given her for her birthday. The setting sun highlighted her face and brown hair beautifully.
Something was not right, though, and he could feel it.
"Erin?" he asked. She didn't even turn around. "Erin, is everything all right?"
Erin nodded but said nothing. He walked over to her and started to wrap his arms around her but she pulled away and walked to the other side of the room.
"What is it," he asked her. "Are you still feeling ill?"
Erin finally looked at him over her shoulder. Her eyes were unhappy.
"I was wrong," she said softly. "I'm not having a baby. I'm sorry, Adam. I knew how important it was to you."
His heart dropped. Of course he was disappointed by the news. He walked over and hugged his wife tightly. He hated seeing her so sad.
"The healer said all the tests came out negative," she continued. "And they don't know why I suddenly became so ill. I'm so confused. I was so sure that I was going to have a baby."
She pulled back and sat down on the bed. As if some ray of enlightenment hit him, everything made sense to Adam.
"I think I know what's wrong," he said sitting next to her on the bed. He knew he was going to have to handle this very delicately. "You see, Man-At- Arms discovered a portal, much like the one that brought you here, in the wastelands. It must have had some physical affect on you."
Erin looked at him with confusion.
"A portal?" she asked. "What was a portal doing there? I was no where near the wastelands today."
Adam ran his hands through his hair. He knew she wasn't going to take this well.
"It wasn't here for you," he explained. "Skeletor's back. He must have used it."
Erin eyes widened in fear. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"The Sorceress said he is back with more strength and force than ever," he continues. "I must prepare the Defenders for a great battle."
His eyes dropped and he took a deep breath.
"She also told me one of my friends would die."
Erin closed her eyes tightly. This was a nightmare and she prayed she would wake up soon. She dreaded the thought of her husband battling Skeletor as it was, let alone this new, stronger Skeletor.
"Are you sure, is she sure?" she asked, hoping that he would take back everything he just said.
Adam put his arm around her.
"That's what she said," he said softly. "But you know as well as I do that I can't let one of my friends die."
Erin looked over to the bookcase. She had moved it back before she went on her run earlier. Was that why Adam has taken out the power sword, she wondered.
"When is this fight?" she asked him, obviously worried.
Adam shook his head and stood up. Erin could see the power sword on his muscular back.
"I don't know, except for soon," he replied. "I have to go contact the Defenders and speak with Man-At-Arms. Will you be okay if I'm gone for a little bit?"
She felt like protesting but knew she couldn't.
"Yeah," she said. "I'm going to check on Adacan, I think he's with you parents."
Adam leaned over and kissed her softly on the mouth. "I love you," he whispered.
Erin looked at him lovingly. "You had better," she grinned. "Because I love you too."
He smiled and they walked out of the room, holding hands. As they walked down the hall, Teela watched them from behind.
"I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered to herself.
She and Adam hadn't spent much time together, but she was honored when he appointed her to the rank of General. However, other than for business matters, they never really talked anymore and this hurt her feelings.
She sighed as she wondered if the man who had been her best friend his entire life had forgotten about her altogether.
There was an unusual feel to Grayskull. The halls were typically quiet, but at the moment, the castle almost sounded as if it were dead. There wasn't even the sound of footsteps as Adam walked through the dark and mystical place.
He had been very surprised that the Sorceress spoke to Adacan using telepathy and not him. He felt his son was too young to start taking on magic from Grayskull and he meant to find out from the Sorceress why she chose to speak to the child and not to him directly. He would almost have been offended if he weren't already confused.
Not only did that confuse him, been he wondered what the deal with this now extinct vortex was. He didn't like the way is appeared and then suddenly disappeared.
On top of all that, his wife could very well be carrying their second child, and he didn't even have time to celebrate because of all these weird events.
Adam entered the Sorceress's main chamber and looked up at the woman sitting on her throne. Or, hunching, was actually the word for it. She was slumped over and looked as if she wasn't able to move at all.
"Sorceress, are you alright?" Adam asked her uneasily.
She gave no response except a wave of her hand. Adam started walking the steps towards her throne when she straightened up slowly. She looked exhausted, her skin was dull and there was no light in her eyes. Adam thought that she, like the castle, seemed dead.
"I am not dead, Prince Adam," she spoke softly, reading his mind. "Not yet anyway, but I feel as if that time may be growing near."
Adam walked further up the steps to help the woman who had been like a surrogate mother to him on many occasion.
"What do you mean?" he asked her. "How could you be dying?"
As he got closer, the Sorceress put up her hand to stop him.
"Adam, please," she whimpered. "There is little time. You must prepare the Defenders for a great battle."
Adam looked confused.
"Battle?" he asked her. "What battle? What's going to happen?"
The Sorceress' head tilted to the side, as if she had trouble holding it up. Mustering up what strength she could, she projected the image that answered Adam's question on a nearby wall.
Adam mouth opened as the image showed Skeletor and his remaining legions attacking the castle, with more strength and force than ever.
"No!" Adam yelled. "Tell me Skeletor hasn't returned! How is that possible?"
He watched the image closer and was stunned at what he saw: Rather than the Sorceress fighting from the walls of the castle, Teela was there, dressed as and acting as the Sorceress. He tried to speak but found no words. Instead he looked at the Sorceress questioningly.
"You knew what her destiny was Adam," the Sorceress said slowly, fighting for each word. "I have summoned Man-At-Arms to bring her to me tomorrow. She will know everything, she will have to for the fight she is about to face."
Adam knew what that meant, Teela would discover that the Sorceress was her mother and that he had been He-Man all along. She wondered how his best friend would take it. The image on the wall disappeared.
"When is this battle supposed to take place," he asked the frail woman.
She sighed deeply and shook her head.
"I do not know for certain, but very soon," she replied. "That is why the Defenders must be ready, this will be a fight like no other you have known."."
Adam folded his arms.
"They will be ready, but will Teela be ready to fight in your stead?" he asked her, wishing he didn't have to. "If Skeletor has become as powerful as you say, we will need all the magic that Grayskull can give us."
The Sorceress looked at him with sad eyes.
"No," she explained. "She will not be. She won't have enough time to learn how to master her magic. That is why you must protect her from any harm, no matter what the cost. Her very existence will be magic enough to protect the castle when I'm gone. But if something happens to Teela, not even He- Man will be able to stop Skeletor from taking Castle Grayskull and destroying Eternia. Many will suffer or die or both if that happens. It would be catastrophic."
Adam didn't like the picture the Sorceress was painting, but he agreed. There really wasn't anything he wouldn't do for his friend, of course he would protect Teela with everything he had.
"You have my word, Sorceress," he told her. "Nothing will harm Teela, on my life, I promise you that."
The Sorceress put her head down and took another deep breath.
"It won't be that easy, Adam," she said slowly. "Protecting Teela will mean the sacrifice of someone else's life. Someone close to you."
Adam's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?" he asked, more confused than ever. "That one of my friends will die? Tell me who and I will make sure that doesn't happen!"
Again, the Sorceress shook her head.
"I don't know, I am too weak to see who it will be," she said. "The only thing I can tell you is it will be up to the fates. Every action taken in battle, will lead up to someone's death."
Adam was furious but tried not to take it out on the dying enchantress.
"I can't let that happen!" he roared. "You know that!"
The Sorceress lifted her head and looked at him with as much intensity as she could muster. She remembered what Zodac had told her many years ago.
"There are no options here," she explained. "You do not have a choice or a say in this particular event. Destiny may be fallible, but what the fates have decided, will be."
She lowered her head again.
"I'm tired," she breathed. "Please go and prepare for battle. Skeletor will not be easily defeated. Tomorrow, you will need to accompany Man-At-Arms as he brings Teela here."
Adam nodded and turned to leave.
"Despite what you say," he lowered his head. "I won't, I can't let anyone die."
With that he turned and started to leave the castle.
Man-At-Arms sat in his workshop alone. The lights were off and the setting sun created on orange, dim light in the room through the window.
Memories of the day the Sorceress begged him to take Teela and raise her as his own raced through his mind. As did memories of the day first day she learned to walk, say "Dadda," pick up a sword, use it to fight, became Captain of the Royal Guards and then a General. Now, she would know the truth and he became scared for her.
He rubbed his eyes. He knew this day would come, but had dreaded it for so long. Although, biologically she was not his, she was as much a part of him as any child could be to their parent.
To top it off, the woman he had secretly loved for many years was dying, and he was powerless to do anything about it. Although they never spoke of their feelings, he was certain in his heart, the Sorceress felt the same love for him.
More light poured into the room as Teela opened the door and walked in.
"Father, are you in here?" she asked.
For a second, Man-At-Arms considered not saying anything. If he didn't tell her about Grayskull, maybe he wouldn't have to lose his child.
But he knew such things were not for him to decide.
"I'm here," he said from his desk and he flipped the lights on.
Teela saw her father was visibly distraught and walked over to him.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. "Is everything okay? You missed dinner so I was worried about you."
She put her hand on his shoulder and he reached up and held it for a second.
"Tomorrow morning, I need you to accompany me to Castle Grayskull, it's an extremely important mission," he explained. "We must leave at the crack of dawn. And no one can know of this mission."
Teela looked confused but shrugged.
"Alright father," she said. "I'll meet you here, but what's at Grayskull that's so important?"
Man-At-Arms shook his head.
"All will be explained tomorrow," he said waving his hand, the same way the Sorceress had done earlier to Adam. "Until then, I can't answer any questions."
Teela straightened up. She hated it when her father didn't fill her in on important matters, but he seemed so unhappy, she didn't want to fight about it.
"As you wish," she said, turning to leave. "I will see you in the morning then."
As she walked out the door, Man-At-Arms straightened up and called to her.
"Teela, wait," he yelled as he stood up and walked over to his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder while tying to fight back the tears. "I want you to know, that I am and always have been very, very proud of you."
Teela smiled but was caught off guard by her father's sudden acknowledgement of admiration.
"Thank you," she said. "I love you very much, father."
With that she hugged him tightly and left the room.
Even from down the hall, Adam could see the healer leaving his bedroom. He picked up the pace to his room and opened the doors quickly. Erin was standing in front of the window in her silver robe he had given her for her birthday. The setting sun highlighted her face and brown hair beautifully.
Something was not right, though, and he could feel it.
"Erin?" he asked. She didn't even turn around. "Erin, is everything all right?"
Erin nodded but said nothing. He walked over to her and started to wrap his arms around her but she pulled away and walked to the other side of the room.
"What is it," he asked her. "Are you still feeling ill?"
Erin finally looked at him over her shoulder. Her eyes were unhappy.
"I was wrong," she said softly. "I'm not having a baby. I'm sorry, Adam. I knew how important it was to you."
His heart dropped. Of course he was disappointed by the news. He walked over and hugged his wife tightly. He hated seeing her so sad.
"The healer said all the tests came out negative," she continued. "And they don't know why I suddenly became so ill. I'm so confused. I was so sure that I was going to have a baby."
She pulled back and sat down on the bed. As if some ray of enlightenment hit him, everything made sense to Adam.
"I think I know what's wrong," he said sitting next to her on the bed. He knew he was going to have to handle this very delicately. "You see, Man-At- Arms discovered a portal, much like the one that brought you here, in the wastelands. It must have had some physical affect on you."
Erin looked at him with confusion.
"A portal?" she asked. "What was a portal doing there? I was no where near the wastelands today."
Adam ran his hands through his hair. He knew she wasn't going to take this well.
"It wasn't here for you," he explained. "Skeletor's back. He must have used it."
Erin eyes widened in fear. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"The Sorceress said he is back with more strength and force than ever," he continues. "I must prepare the Defenders for a great battle."
His eyes dropped and he took a deep breath.
"She also told me one of my friends would die."
Erin closed her eyes tightly. This was a nightmare and she prayed she would wake up soon. She dreaded the thought of her husband battling Skeletor as it was, let alone this new, stronger Skeletor.
"Are you sure, is she sure?" she asked, hoping that he would take back everything he just said.
Adam put his arm around her.
"That's what she said," he said softly. "But you know as well as I do that I can't let one of my friends die."
Erin looked over to the bookcase. She had moved it back before she went on her run earlier. Was that why Adam has taken out the power sword, she wondered.
"When is this fight?" she asked him, obviously worried.
Adam shook his head and stood up. Erin could see the power sword on his muscular back.
"I don't know, except for soon," he replied. "I have to go contact the Defenders and speak with Man-At-Arms. Will you be okay if I'm gone for a little bit?"
She felt like protesting but knew she couldn't.
"Yeah," she said. "I'm going to check on Adacan, I think he's with you parents."
Adam leaned over and kissed her softly on the mouth. "I love you," he whispered.
Erin looked at him lovingly. "You had better," she grinned. "Because I love you too."
He smiled and they walked out of the room, holding hands. As they walked down the hall, Teela watched them from behind.
"I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered to herself.
She and Adam hadn't spent much time together, but she was honored when he appointed her to the rank of General. However, other than for business matters, they never really talked anymore and this hurt her feelings.
She sighed as she wondered if the man who had been her best friend his entire life had forgotten about her altogether.
