CHAPTER 4: TRUTH BE TOLD

The crack of dawn came as uninvited guest through the window in Adam and Erin's room. The Princess turned over in her sleep and reached over to touch Adam's face, only to find it wasn't there.

She opened her eyes and stretched. Across the room, Adam was preparing to leave. He buckled his belt and walked over to the bookcase to retrieve the sword of power. It was still early but she knew it wouldn't be long before Adacan would be awake either.

"Today's going to be rough, isn't it?" she asked her husband as she sat up and yawned. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Adam pulled the sword out of its hiding place and sheathed it on his back. He shook his head and looked at his wife. Even with messy hair and no makeup she was the most beautiful woman he knew. He sat down on the bed and kissed her nose.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea," he told her soothingly. "This is going to be a tough day for Teela and if I were in her shoes, I don't think I would want an audience. Besides, if something happens, I want to be sure that you and Adacan are safe within the palace walls."

In the back of his mind, he thought about what the Sorceress had told him and didn't want her anywhere near the place where this supposed great battle would someday take place.

Erin's eyebrows furrowed and she looked down.

"What about you?" she asked. "What if something happens? What are you going to do? I hate it when you say things that make me wonder if you're going to come back at all."

Adam reached for her hand and squeezed it. With the other hand he cupped his wife's face and tilted it so his gray eyes could look into her blue ones.

"I promise you that I will come home to you at the end of this day and every day after," he said smiling, his eyes sparkling with adoration. "Trust me."

Erin nodded and hugged Adam tightly. Just then a little hand opened the door to their room and a little blonde hellion jumped on the bed between them.

"Wake up!!!!!" he yelled as he jumped into his mother's lap.

Erin laughed as she gave her son a bear hug. She looked at Adam who was tickling Adacan's feet and smiled.

"Maybe when you get back tonight, we can work on giving this guy someone to play with," Erin said suggestively with a slanted grin.

Adam leaned over and kissed Adacan on the head and his wife passionately on the mouth.

"You've got a deal," he said. "I better get going."

As he stood up to leave, Adacan waived his arm furiously.

"Bye Daddy! I love you!" the child yelled loudly enough for the whole palace to hear. Erin smiled and mouthed the words, "Me too."

Adam smiled as he opened the door. "I'll be back later."

Man-At-Arms watched out the window of his workshop as the sun rose. He pondered what the events of the day would hold for his daughter and how she would take the news that would certainly change her life forever.

In his hand he held a picture of her and Adam when they were children playing in the garden. When that photo was taken, he did not know that things would turn out this way. He had hoped that it would be his own daughter that Adam would have married and that she wouldn't have to carry the weight of such astronomical responsibilities on her shoulders for the rest of her life as the Sorceress did.

He found out later, while Teela was away at academy, what the future held for her. And as much as he wanted to shield her from it, he knew the future of the planet depended upon her role as the new Sorceress of Grayskull.

Water started to glisten the wrinkles under his wise eyes but he fought to hold back the tears. He needed to be strong for Teela's sake.

The door opened behind him and Adam walked into the room.

"Where's Teela?" he asked, looking around. "Isn't she ready?"

Man-At-Arms faced the Prince and shook his head.

"She'll be down shortly," he said clearing his throat. He put the picture in his desk drawer. "I don't want to rush her."

Adam put his hand on his friend's shoulder. He had no idea what it must have felt like for the aged warrior. Just the mere thought of having to turn Adacan over to such responsibilities made Adam's stomach turn.

"Duncan, if you need to talk..." Adam was cut off as Teela walked into the room.

Her fiery red hair was pulled up in a top ponytail as it always was and her green eyes looked a little fatigued. She looked surprised to see Adam there.

"Adam, what are you doing here?" she inquired.

Man-At-Arms started walking towards the door and he looked at his daughter. All he wanted to do was lock her in her room forever but he knew that wasn't the answer.

"He's coming with us," he told her. "He has an important role in this mission."

Snake Mountain seemed alive again with a renewed sense of evil. It was much homier than the fiery walls of the dimension of phantoms in the eighth circle of the four hells that Skeletor had been banished to seven-years ago.

He sat on his throne now, stroking Panthor's back rhythmically. He was not the same Skeletor. He was much bigger and more powerful than before, thanks to the spirit of a condemn sorcerer named Torac, a fallen messenger of the elders who had become well versed in dark magic. Torac showed Skeletor how to feed of the evil inherent in every thing, whether or not it was predominant.

"No matter how good someone or something is, there is always a touch of darkness in them," he had told Skeletor.

He had been a good instructor so Skeletor repaid him by draining all his power and opening the vortex back to Eternia. He even managed to cast a spell that would drain that cursed Sorceress of her power upon his re- entry.

Around him, his minions looked apprehensive. He leaned forward in his throne.

"What, no welcome back party?" he hissed. Even his voice sounded more demonic than before.

Evil-Lyn straightened up and pointed her wand to the wall. An image of Teela, Man-At-Arms and Prince Adam traveling in a Wind Raider to Castle Grayskull appeared.

"I was thinking more of a welcome back 'funeral,'" she scowled. "With your new power, not even He-Man can stop us now."

Skeletor stroked his chin and looked at the image. He spent many years trying to figure out how to make them pay for banishing him to that horrid place. Now, it seemed that he would get his chance.

"There's something else you should see," Evil-Lyn interrupted his thoughts as she changed the image.

Skeletor's eyes glared bright red as the image of that cursed woman who dared take him on seven-years ago sat in the palace playing with a blonde brat.

"I thought she was dead!!!!!!!!" he yelled standing up from his throne.

His minions jumped a little, except for Evil-Lyn who just smiled.

"She's very much alive and married to Prince Adam actually," she explained, the smile never leaving her face. "The child is their son, Prince Adacan."

Skeletor started to sit down again. The grip on his havoc staff tightened to a point where it almost broke.

"I swear the gods will cry when I am done with that woman!" he yelled, louder than before. "Evil-Lyn, you WILL bring her and that brat to me. Once we are done with Grayskull, I am going to torture her to the point where she will welcome death! I will show her son what it means to cross SKELETOR!!!!!!!"

Evil-Lyn nodded and disappeared from sight. Skeletor looked at his remaining troops.

"The rest of you pathetic oafs, prepare for battle," he roared. "We attack Grayskull now!!!!!"

The jawbridge of Grayskull was already open when the Wind Raider landed. The three entered the castle and began heading for the Sorceress's main chamber. Adam got the same "dead" feeling he had the day before as he walked through the stark ruin.

Finally they reached the throne room and found the Sorceress, still slumped over to the side.

"Sorceress!" Teela yelled running up the stairs to help the mystic woman.

The Sorceress raised her head and put her hand up. Teela stopped as the Sorceress stood, leaning all of her weight against her falcon staff, and walked slowly down to her.

"What's wrong?!?" Teela beseeched for an answer. She had always been very protective of the Sorceress but never really knew why.

At the foot of the stairs, Adam and Man-At-Arms just looked at each other as the Sorceress slowly descended.

"Teela," she said slowly. "I have asked Man-At-Arms and Adam to bring you here for a reason. You have a great responsibility ahead of you and the time has come for you to learn of it."

Teela walked back down the stairs to where her father was. For some reason, she did not like where this was going. The Sorceress finally reached the bottom and started to walk towards them when she stumbled forward. Adam jumped to catch her.

"Thank you, Adam." She said, breathing deeply. She looked up at Teela who had a great amount of concern on her face.

"Teela, for many years, Man-At-Arms and I have known what the future held for you and now the time is here for you to claim your birthright," she explained to the confused General.

She waived her arm and the image of the Sorceress handing a baby to a young warrior appeared. Teela recognized the warrior as her father, when he was young. She was awestruck.

"You must take care of her," the image of the Sorceress said to the young Man-At-Arms.

"She is your child," the warrior's image replied. "But I will raise her as my own, she will always be loved and protected."

Man-At-Arms looked down. Adam put his hand in his shoulder reassuringly. Teela just stared with her mouth open. The Sorceress continued.

"You are my own child, Teela," she said, still having to take deep breaths. "I had to give you to Man-At-Arms in order to protect you. My responsibilities here limited my ability to take care of you so I gave you to someone I trusted and who I knew would give his own life for you."

Teela looked at Man-At-Arms who was still looking down. She reached over and took his hand.

"You, you are my mother," she gasped. "All this time and you never told me. Why???"

This time Man-At-Arms spoke.

"In order to protect you," he said. "If the forces of evil ever learned of your lineage, they would have stopped at nothing to destroy you and the Sorceress. I protected you and He-Man protected Grayskull, it was the only way."

Teela was still in shock.

"He-Man?" she asked perplexedly. "Did he know about this too?"

Adam cleared his throat and looked at Teela as Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress both looked at him.

"Tell her," the Sorceress prodded.

Teela looked at Adam with confusion. "Tell me what?"

Adam looked at her with as much understanding as he could. He knew this next part was going to be rough. "Yes, Teela. He-Man knew all along."

Teela cocked an eyebrow. "And exactly how would you know that?" she demanded.

Man-At-Arms nodded. "You told her, now show her," he also prodded as Teela grew more impatient.

Adam released his grip on his friend's shoulder and stepped back. Teela watched in confusion as Adam drew his sword high in the air and yelled: "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!"

The room filled with blinding light, yet only Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress looked away. Teela stood transfixed as the man she had known all of her life was consumed in bolts of light. Then in a flash, He-Man stood in the very spot, holding the same sword Adam was half a second ago.

"I HAVE THE POWER!!!!" he roared as he held the sword across his chest.

The light faded, but the anger in Teela's eyes burned right through Adam.

"You're He-Man?" she yelled. "You were He-Man all of this time and you never told me?!? You knew the Sorceress was my mother and you never told me?!?!? HOW COULD YOU??????"

He-Man looked at the Sorceress as Teela shook with rage. Man-At-Arms put his arm up to calm his daughter.

"He was bound to secrecy, just as I was," he explained. "We both wanted to tell you many times, but understand we couldn't until the time was right. Adam had to keep his secret in order to protect his family and friends."

Teela was still shaking, visibly not taking the news well.

"Why are you telling me now?" she asked through gritted teeth as tears formed in her eyes. "Why is now the right time?"

The Sorceress held her hand out to her daughter, who reluctantly took it. She didn't know how Teela would react to what she was about to tell her next, but she figured it wouldn't go over so well.

"Teela, I'm dying," she explained softly. "And now you have to take your place as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull."

Erin sat in Adacan's playroom and watched her son draw on a big, blank sheet of paper. She couldn't tell for sure, but it almost looked like he was drawing a castle.

"Whatcha drawing there, sport?" she asked as she leaned forward to tickle her son.

The boy kept drawing but squirmed nonetheless.

"Stop it mommy," he said in an annoyed tone. "I'm drawing the Castle graveskill, I mean Grayskull, and you're making me mess it up."

Erin's smile faded. Her son had never been outside the palace walls, let alone to Castle Grayskull. She did not like the idea of her child, who was only five-years-old, knowing about the secrets within the castle. She and Marlena had long talks in the past about how frightened the Queen became for Adam every time he went into battle, whether he was He-Man or not.

She was not prepared for her own child to have a similar destiny. Especially now that she knew Skeletor was back.

"Where did you see Castle Grayskull?" she asked him carefully.

The child kept drawing. "When I close my eyes," he said nonchalantly. "The bird woman shows me."

Erin was becoming so nervous about this new information that she felt desperate to tell Adam. She looked at his nanny sitting on the other side of the room.

"I have to go on an errand," she said standing up. "Please don't let him from your sight until I or his father get back. That's an order."

The nanny nodded and looked back down at her book. As Erin walked out of the room, neither of them noticed the purple mist floating in through the window.

Erin was running down the hall to her room when she heard a shrill scream. A shiver shot up her spine as she realized where it came from. She turned on her heel and bolted towards the room she had just left.

She flew open the doors as three guards joined her to find Evil-Lyn standing in the middle of the room, holding her sleeping son.

"No!!!" Erin yelled as she lunged for her child. On the floor lay the nanny, unconscious, possibly even dead.

Evil-Lyn laughed wickedly and floated out of the window.

"Since he seems so fond of Castle Grayskull, I think I'm going to give him a tour," she cackled. "So he can see the insides of it, right before I kill him!"

Erin jumped to the window and would have almost fallen out if a couple of the guards hadn't grabbed her.

"Give me back my son!" she demanded. "Take me instead, please don't hurt him!"

Evil-Lyn faded in the distance.

"Meet us at Grayskull," her voice trailed off. "Perhaps there we can do an exchange."

Erin bolted towards her chambers and Jerry was now wildly trailing her.

"What's going on?" he barked loudly. "Where's the kid?"

Erin didn't answer him. She just ran to her room. Seconds later she emerged in training clothes carrying a stun laser ray. She may not have been very good with the combat training she received by Teela, but she was an excellent shot and she was counting on that.

She looked at the guard standing outside her door.

"You, go power up a Wind Raider for me, NOW!" she commanded before looking at her dog whose head was cocked to the side in confusion. "Jerry, go tell the King and Queen that Adacan's been kidnapped and I'm going to Grayskull to get him."

Jerry snorted.

"Hell no," the rottweiler said. "You're not going anywhere, Adam's there, I'm sure he can handle it. Besides, he said he wanted you to stay here."

Erin looked at him with pleading eyes. "I have to go, that witch has my son! Please help me, go alert Marlena and Randor."

Jerry just huffed and stood to walk away. "Whatever you say, but be careful."

Erin took off in a fast sprint down the hall and out the door to the guard's landing field. The guard she had instructed a minute ago had the Wind Raider started and its engine was roaring.

"I put it on autopilot to Grayskull for you," he said saluting her. "Please be careful your highness."

Erin nodded. She had never gotten used to being treated like royalty.

"Thank you," she said as she took off. On the ground, Marlena came running out, obviously too late to stop her.