**** Disclaimer in 1
****** Sorry this took so long, the holidays are hell. Thanks for all the
input so far. As always all reviews are appreciated. Enjoy this next chap!
CHAPTER 14: GRAVE DANGER
He-Man's eyes narrowed in anger. The muscles in his mighty arms tensed and flexed as he tightened his grip on his sword and stared down the blue monster ahead of him. His eyes flashed, his blood boiled, his lips curled around his gritted his teeth.
Anything Skeletor could have said at that moment would have made him angry. However, what he did say made He-Man furious, almost homicidal with rage.
He wanted revenge...he could taste it in his dry mouth. Revenge for all the wasted years of battle, for the misery he inflicted on his home and the people he was charged with protecting. For killing his wife, leaving him a widower and his child motherless. For causing the Sorceress to sacrifice herself, leaving Teela orphaned and teacherless. All of those things and more.
His stomach knotted as his conscience fought against the thoughts swimming around in his mind. This inhuman creature, standing before him, staring him down with his lifeless red eyes, had caused more destruction, more pain, more death to the people of Eternia than the worst plague in history. He had been vanquished and came back, and vanquished again and came back, and vanquished a third time to the depths of the hells, and still came back.
A thought crossed He-Man's mind: "Unless someone destroys him for good...he'll keep coming back."
For a split second, the warrior who had always been the champion of goodness and fought for that which was right, considered doing whatever it took to kill his enemy and found several ways to justify it.
Across from He-Man, Skeletor's wretched face seemed to curl in a defiant sneer. He knew what the hero was thinking and it amused him to know that one who seemed so righteous had a dark side. He considered what Torac had told him years ago and a devious plan formed in his mind.
"I shall use He-Man's dark side against him," he thought. "His quest for my destruction will lead to his own."
The stare-down continued for several minutes. He-Man didn't even notice the Defenders arrive and take up battle positions behind him. He didn't notice Man-At-Arms bark orders at them to ready their weapons. He didn't notice She-Ra take her defensive stance, Sword of Protection, shield and all. All he saw was Skeletor's eyes..and he watched them intently, waiting for the slightest flinch.
Skeletor wasn't going to give him that much. For so long, he had watched the hero's life from the depths of his hellish prison. He knew, after all those years of blind stupidity, who He-Man was and what he was capable of. That insight was a lingering gift left from the blast that cursed Sorceress had dealt him. But most importantly, Skeletor knew what it would take to destroy his enemy, and he wanted to enjoy every second of it.
Skeletor didn't say another word. He merely raised his scaly left arm and readied his demons.
Man-At-Arms stared at the army ahead of him. In all his years, he had never faced such an enemy. These were not human, not your ordinary monsters. These were the vilest demons from the pits of the hells, and he wondered nervously if mere mortal weapons could destroy them.
"May the gods be on our side," he said quietly.
Next to him, Zodac didn't flinch.
"They are, my old friend," he said flatly. "I just hope it's enough."
*******
Teela felt like she had been waiting forever.
She was still bound in chains, sitting in the dark alone. She blinked, trying to focus on anything that might have been in the room, but could not.
Her heart ached. Her nerves were shot. She felt as if she might explode. It wasn't because of her trial, though. It was because something inside told her that Castle Grayskull was in grave danger.
Not just the castle.
Adam too.
She sighed and fidgeted in her binds. She knew even if Zodac were there, he could do nothing to help her friends. He could only protect Grayskull and that was all. He wouldn't protect the others fighting for it.
"I need to get back," she thought to herself. "I must help them."
She shed a tear in frustration. She wanted to be in battle, by Adam's side. Fighting for the sake of Eternia, just like they had in the past.
But the past was only a memory and Teela wondered if she would ever see the man she had loved her whole life again, even if it was only in the form of friendship.
"WE HAVE MADE OUR DECISION!!!"
The booming voices of the Counsel made Teela snap her head up in attention as a light appeared over her. She squinted, having sat in the dark for so long, and let her eyes readjust to the light. She held her breath in anticipation.
In unison, the Counsel continued.
"WE CHOOSE TO FIND YOU NOT GUILTY.."
Teela exhaled, relieved at the verdict.
"HOWEVER.."
Teela's stomach dropped.
"WE FEEL YOU MUST PROVE YOUR LOYALTY TO THE SECRETS OF GRAYSKULL!!!"
She sat in confusion, but remained quiet as the Counsel laid out their deal for her.
******
The advisor watched from her perch at the standoff down below. The tension was immeasurable and she shuddered at it.
She stared at Skeletor, who seemed ambivalent to her presence. She could see what his thoughts were. His focus was entirely on He-Man. He had no idea she was there.
If she were allowed to fight, she would have an advantage.
She clutched her fists in determination. She could not interfere. She would not.
But as much as she tried, her willpower to stand idly by and watch started slipping away. Lives were at stake. The fates of Eternia and possibly the universe itself were at stake. She also knew the boy's future was at stake.
After what seemed to be an eternity of inner conflict, she concluded that she would not get involved unless absolutely necessary. Consequences or not, she could not let anyone die.
She stared at He-Man's back, hoping that she would be able to keep her advantage for the time being.
*****
On the ground below, He-Man waited for Skeletor to make his move. Around the evil lord, his army of demons growled, snarled, and drooled. Some of them dripped with slimy excretions. Others, even more monstrous, seemed to take pleasure in the anxiety that consumed the atmosphere. They fed off of it. Loved it. It made them more powerful and they writhed in evil excitement.
Skeletor waited. His fingers twitched a little as he held his arm in the air. He meant to win this battle, the final battle in the long war against these do-gooders. For all of their interference, for years and years of battle..he was going to make them all pay. Starting with their warrior prince.
The veins in his wrists protruded. His knuckles locked down in a fist as he pointed a razor sharp fingernail at the waiting prize.
"TAKE THEM!!!!!!!!! DO NOT STOP UNTIL GRAYSKULL IS DESTROYED!!!!!!!" he bellowed maniacally into the air.
At that moment, the full forces of the powers of good and evil broke loose into Armageddon.
*******
Adacan slowly came to and opened his eyes. As he woke up he could hear thunder booming outside.
He sat up and looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. His head throbbed and he rubbed his temples as if that would take the pain away. He looked around again. He thought he had heard his father before but did not see him.
"Must've been dreaming," he muttered and he slowly stood up.
His attention was diverted to the thunder outside. He ran his hands through his hair as he wondered when the storm would pass.
Then he heard the yelling.
And the screaming.
"What is going on out there?" he thought to himself as he started walking down the hall towards the jawbridge.
"Adacan...you must do something.."
His mother's voice rang out in his head. His eyes widened.
"Help them..."
He remembered hearing his father's voice.
"Dad," he gasped as he broke into a run for the door.
*****
The portal opened a half-mile away from the fighting and Teela walked out of it, relieved to be free. Her relief was quickly replaced with fear as she broke into a run for the castle, seeing plumes of smoke fill the air. Clutching her serpent staff she remembered the deal she had made moments ago with the Counsel.
"YOU WILL RETURN TO ETERNIA WITH NO MAGIC, ONLY YOUR WITS AND WARRIOR TRAINING," the Counsel had told her. "IF YOU CAN SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND THE CASTLE WITH NO MAGIC, YOU MAY RETURN TO YOUR ROLE AS THE SORCERESS. IF YOU CANNOT, YOU WILL MEET YOUR FATE AT THE HANDS OF YOUR ENEMY."
Teela knew it was the only way she could help the Defenders. She just hoped her combat skills weren't lost in her pursuit of her magic. Her mouth dropped when she saw what she would be up against.
"By Eternia," she whispered befuddledly. "How can we win this?"
A legion of demons seemed to engulf the land surrounding the castle. She saw Zodac in the distance standing defensively in front of the jawbridge, firing at oncoming monsters as well as being fired upon. The titan blocked each attack with flexibility, but she had never seen him look so concerned.
In front of him, She-Ra, Ram-Man, Buzz-Off and Stratos, along with the other Defenders, fired and slashed away at countless numbers of demons. Teela watched as Ram-Man picked two of them up and threw them into the abyss, only for the demons to rise up and knock the thick-headed soldier to the ground.
Nearby, she saw her father, mace in one hand, stun ray in the other, blasting away with everything he had. He looked tired but determined. She knew he would give his life for the castle and her. For that, she never admired him more.
But she was also not going to stand by and let her father have all the fun.
With a running start and a few leaps in the air, Teela was suddenly standing by her father, deflecting the oncoming charges of demons. He glanced at her and smiled as he kept firing. She smiled back and nodded her head.
"What took you so long?" he asked in a casual yet concentrated tone as if he weren't fighting off the worst the hells had to offer.
Teela blushed a little but maintained her focus on the green eyed, saber- toothed monster charging her. With a quick slash of the wrist, she knocked the demon back 20 feet.
"Long story," she exhaled and deflected another demon's attack.
In the distance, they saw a fleet of Windraiders, sky sleds and attack traks come swooping in.
Man-At-Arms kept his concentration ahead of him.
"The Royal Guard," he said confidently. "Randor must have found out what was going on and sent his army."
The melee went into full throttle as the guard joined in. In the center of it all, amidst the screaming, shooting, and killing, was He-Man and Skeletor.
The two circled each other like angry wildcats, growling, muscles flexing, taking the occasional swipe at each other.
"This ends here, Skeletor," He-Man snarled as he lunged at his arch-enemy.
The evil overlord dodged his competitor's swipe and struck him in the back with his havoc staff. Despite the strong impact, He-Man only flinched and kept standing. He lunged again, this time locking his sword with the magical staff. Sweat poured down his determined face as it stood inches away from the foul breath of Skeletor.
Skeletor chuckled evilly.
"I will not be defeated so easily," he seethed quietly, taunting the warrior. "You see, your wife and the Sorceress are not here to protect you this time.Prince Adam."
He-Man's eyebrow cocked up and he broke away from the deadlock. He gripped his sword with both hands and pointed the blade towards Skeletor, who looked down upon him and laughed.
"I will destroy you, your highness. But first I will destroy your family."
Skeletor raised his havoc staff to his left and fired a powerful blast. He- Man watched in horror as the shot hit She-Ra in the back and sent her flying into a group of demons, all of whom seemed to pounce on her as she hit the ground.
"No!" he turned to help his sister, but was hit in the chest by another shot from Skeletor. The blast sent him flying backwards and he struck a tree, so hard it snapped the trunk in two.
The warrior sat dazed and shook his head. He looked up and saw Skeletor laughing triumphantly. To his left, he saw Ram-Man and Stratos charge the demon soldiers surrounding She-Ra, seconds later, the Princess of Power emerged and rejoined the fight. Apparently no worse for the wear.
"I'm alright!" she yelled to her brother as she flipped another monster over her shoulder into the abyss.
He-Man breathed a sigh of relief. But his relief faded fast when he saw the jawbridge start to lower.
******
"What in the name of the elders?" Zodac yelled as he ran from below the lowering jawbridge. "What's going on?!?"
He looked up at the advisor who stood crouched on the edge of the tower, looking intently on what was transpiring.
Skeletor sneered as the jawbridge came to a "thud" on the ground.
"I have a special surprise for you warrior," he cackled.
He-Man stood up and watched as the dust cleared from the castle entrance. The sight of blonde hair made his eyes widen.
"Adacan!" he yelled as he raced towards the bridge. "Go back inside now!"
*****
Adacan couldn't see anything through the clouds of dust, but he could hear his father yelling at him. He didn't know what was going on and was scared. He stepped back as if to go back inside.
"No Adacan.. you must help them," his mother's voice rang out in his head.
He stopped and stared as his mother appeared in the cloud of dust in front of him with her arms outstretched.
"Mom?" he whispered and started to walk towards her.
*****
He-Man stopped dead in his tracks. He no longer realized that a war was being fought around him. He didn't see his friends fighting with all they had. He even forgot Skeletor was there.
All he saw was Erin. Alive. Standing in the middle of the bridge, holding her arms open to their son.
He fell to his knees. "Erin?" he breathed as the color drained from his dirty face.
The ghost turned and smiled at the warrior. She held her arm out to him, beckoning him to her. He stood up and walked towards her, as if in a trance. Adacan stayed on the bridge and looked on in confusion.
The boy narrowed his eyes.
"Dad?" he asked himself perplexedly.
He-Man reached out and touched his wife's hand. It was cold, but it was real. So help him it was real. He felt his heart beat rapidly as he stared at her. Her features were exactly as he had memorized them. She even wore her wedding dress underneath a light blue cloak. The air smelled like her perfume.
"My love," she whispered.
It sounded like her. He-Man came closer to her and touched her face, oblivious to the fight around him.
"Erin?" he asked again, tears forming in his eyes. "But.. I thought...you were dead? I saw you die.."
Skeletor cackled loudly and broke He-Man's trance.
"And so you will watch her die again He-Man!!"
Skeletor raised his havoc staff and aimed at the couple. He-Man stood in front of the ghost and shielded her with his body. His teeth gritted, he held his sword up in front of them.
"Over my dead body Skeletor!" he roared.
The ghost smiled deviously as she started to pull a long sword from her cloak.
*****
The advisor watched in terror as the ghost pulled the sword up over her head and prepared to run it into He-Man's back. The warrior, so focused on Skeletor in front of him, had no clue what was about to happen.
The advisor didn't hesitate any longer.
"Damn the rules," she thought and teleported herself down to the bridge.
*****
Adacan watched in confusion as his mother held a sword over her head and prepared to strike.
"Why is she doing that?" he wondered. The answer quickly dawned on him. "She's going to kill father!"
Adacan cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted: "Dad! Look out behind you!"
He-Man turned as the ghost started to bring the sword down and looked up with wide eyes.
A blast of light blinded him though and sent the ghost flying backwards. As his vision returned, he saw the Erin laying on the ground, motionless. He looked up and saw the advisor lower her arm.
Nearby, Zodac shook his head remorsefully.
"That was very stupid," he thought to himself and then continued fighting.
He-Man looked at the advisor in anger and raised his sword to charge her when Adacan stepped out from behind her.
"Father, look!" he yelled as he pointed to the figure on the ground.
He-Man stopped and turned. The figure on the ground started to change shape. Instead of his wife, a familiar nemesis lay bleeding on the ground.
"Evil-Lyn?" He-Man asked himself out loud.
The witch was out cold, possibly dead. Adacan and He-Man wore the same sad and confused expressions as they both realized they had been tricked, Erin had not come back from the grave. Evil-Lyn had played them for fools.
Skeletor saw his chance and raised his havoc staff again towards the distracted warrior. He snarled as he fired a shot with more power than he had ever dealt before.
"It's over, warrior!" he yelled triumphantly as the lightning blot flew at He-Man.
He-Man turned in time to see a falcon staff dart in front of him and absorb the blast.
Skeletor gritted his teeth as the advisor pulled her hood back.
"We meet again, Skeletor," the advisor said defiantly.
He-Man was confused. He heard two voices speak but saw only one person. His attention was quickly diverted to his child who stood in the doorway in shock.
"Adacan, back inside now!" he yelled, but the boy didn't move.
As if on cue, She-Ra jumped over to her brother's side and ushered the child back into the castle.
"I've got him!" she yelled reassuringly. "He's okay! Watch your back!"
He-Man nodded and returned his attention to the match up in front of him. He didn't know why she was doing this, but he knew the advisor was on his side. He picked up his sword and stood next to her protectively.
Skeletor stared intently at the advisor.
"You cursed woman, when will you just die?!?" he bellowed.
The advisor smiled curtly, her green eye and blue eye flashed. Her two faces switched and melded into each other so her appearance was never defined.
"Don't you mean 'You cursed women?'" she retorted.
CHAPTER 14: GRAVE DANGER
He-Man's eyes narrowed in anger. The muscles in his mighty arms tensed and flexed as he tightened his grip on his sword and stared down the blue monster ahead of him. His eyes flashed, his blood boiled, his lips curled around his gritted his teeth.
Anything Skeletor could have said at that moment would have made him angry. However, what he did say made He-Man furious, almost homicidal with rage.
He wanted revenge...he could taste it in his dry mouth. Revenge for all the wasted years of battle, for the misery he inflicted on his home and the people he was charged with protecting. For killing his wife, leaving him a widower and his child motherless. For causing the Sorceress to sacrifice herself, leaving Teela orphaned and teacherless. All of those things and more.
His stomach knotted as his conscience fought against the thoughts swimming around in his mind. This inhuman creature, standing before him, staring him down with his lifeless red eyes, had caused more destruction, more pain, more death to the people of Eternia than the worst plague in history. He had been vanquished and came back, and vanquished again and came back, and vanquished a third time to the depths of the hells, and still came back.
A thought crossed He-Man's mind: "Unless someone destroys him for good...he'll keep coming back."
For a split second, the warrior who had always been the champion of goodness and fought for that which was right, considered doing whatever it took to kill his enemy and found several ways to justify it.
Across from He-Man, Skeletor's wretched face seemed to curl in a defiant sneer. He knew what the hero was thinking and it amused him to know that one who seemed so righteous had a dark side. He considered what Torac had told him years ago and a devious plan formed in his mind.
"I shall use He-Man's dark side against him," he thought. "His quest for my destruction will lead to his own."
The stare-down continued for several minutes. He-Man didn't even notice the Defenders arrive and take up battle positions behind him. He didn't notice Man-At-Arms bark orders at them to ready their weapons. He didn't notice She-Ra take her defensive stance, Sword of Protection, shield and all. All he saw was Skeletor's eyes..and he watched them intently, waiting for the slightest flinch.
Skeletor wasn't going to give him that much. For so long, he had watched the hero's life from the depths of his hellish prison. He knew, after all those years of blind stupidity, who He-Man was and what he was capable of. That insight was a lingering gift left from the blast that cursed Sorceress had dealt him. But most importantly, Skeletor knew what it would take to destroy his enemy, and he wanted to enjoy every second of it.
Skeletor didn't say another word. He merely raised his scaly left arm and readied his demons.
Man-At-Arms stared at the army ahead of him. In all his years, he had never faced such an enemy. These were not human, not your ordinary monsters. These were the vilest demons from the pits of the hells, and he wondered nervously if mere mortal weapons could destroy them.
"May the gods be on our side," he said quietly.
Next to him, Zodac didn't flinch.
"They are, my old friend," he said flatly. "I just hope it's enough."
*******
Teela felt like she had been waiting forever.
She was still bound in chains, sitting in the dark alone. She blinked, trying to focus on anything that might have been in the room, but could not.
Her heart ached. Her nerves were shot. She felt as if she might explode. It wasn't because of her trial, though. It was because something inside told her that Castle Grayskull was in grave danger.
Not just the castle.
Adam too.
She sighed and fidgeted in her binds. She knew even if Zodac were there, he could do nothing to help her friends. He could only protect Grayskull and that was all. He wouldn't protect the others fighting for it.
"I need to get back," she thought to herself. "I must help them."
She shed a tear in frustration. She wanted to be in battle, by Adam's side. Fighting for the sake of Eternia, just like they had in the past.
But the past was only a memory and Teela wondered if she would ever see the man she had loved her whole life again, even if it was only in the form of friendship.
"WE HAVE MADE OUR DECISION!!!"
The booming voices of the Counsel made Teela snap her head up in attention as a light appeared over her. She squinted, having sat in the dark for so long, and let her eyes readjust to the light. She held her breath in anticipation.
In unison, the Counsel continued.
"WE CHOOSE TO FIND YOU NOT GUILTY.."
Teela exhaled, relieved at the verdict.
"HOWEVER.."
Teela's stomach dropped.
"WE FEEL YOU MUST PROVE YOUR LOYALTY TO THE SECRETS OF GRAYSKULL!!!"
She sat in confusion, but remained quiet as the Counsel laid out their deal for her.
******
The advisor watched from her perch at the standoff down below. The tension was immeasurable and she shuddered at it.
She stared at Skeletor, who seemed ambivalent to her presence. She could see what his thoughts were. His focus was entirely on He-Man. He had no idea she was there.
If she were allowed to fight, she would have an advantage.
She clutched her fists in determination. She could not interfere. She would not.
But as much as she tried, her willpower to stand idly by and watch started slipping away. Lives were at stake. The fates of Eternia and possibly the universe itself were at stake. She also knew the boy's future was at stake.
After what seemed to be an eternity of inner conflict, she concluded that she would not get involved unless absolutely necessary. Consequences or not, she could not let anyone die.
She stared at He-Man's back, hoping that she would be able to keep her advantage for the time being.
*****
On the ground below, He-Man waited for Skeletor to make his move. Around the evil lord, his army of demons growled, snarled, and drooled. Some of them dripped with slimy excretions. Others, even more monstrous, seemed to take pleasure in the anxiety that consumed the atmosphere. They fed off of it. Loved it. It made them more powerful and they writhed in evil excitement.
Skeletor waited. His fingers twitched a little as he held his arm in the air. He meant to win this battle, the final battle in the long war against these do-gooders. For all of their interference, for years and years of battle..he was going to make them all pay. Starting with their warrior prince.
The veins in his wrists protruded. His knuckles locked down in a fist as he pointed a razor sharp fingernail at the waiting prize.
"TAKE THEM!!!!!!!!! DO NOT STOP UNTIL GRAYSKULL IS DESTROYED!!!!!!!" he bellowed maniacally into the air.
At that moment, the full forces of the powers of good and evil broke loose into Armageddon.
*******
Adacan slowly came to and opened his eyes. As he woke up he could hear thunder booming outside.
He sat up and looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. His head throbbed and he rubbed his temples as if that would take the pain away. He looked around again. He thought he had heard his father before but did not see him.
"Must've been dreaming," he muttered and he slowly stood up.
His attention was diverted to the thunder outside. He ran his hands through his hair as he wondered when the storm would pass.
Then he heard the yelling.
And the screaming.
"What is going on out there?" he thought to himself as he started walking down the hall towards the jawbridge.
"Adacan...you must do something.."
His mother's voice rang out in his head. His eyes widened.
"Help them..."
He remembered hearing his father's voice.
"Dad," he gasped as he broke into a run for the door.
*****
The portal opened a half-mile away from the fighting and Teela walked out of it, relieved to be free. Her relief was quickly replaced with fear as she broke into a run for the castle, seeing plumes of smoke fill the air. Clutching her serpent staff she remembered the deal she had made moments ago with the Counsel.
"YOU WILL RETURN TO ETERNIA WITH NO MAGIC, ONLY YOUR WITS AND WARRIOR TRAINING," the Counsel had told her. "IF YOU CAN SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND THE CASTLE WITH NO MAGIC, YOU MAY RETURN TO YOUR ROLE AS THE SORCERESS. IF YOU CANNOT, YOU WILL MEET YOUR FATE AT THE HANDS OF YOUR ENEMY."
Teela knew it was the only way she could help the Defenders. She just hoped her combat skills weren't lost in her pursuit of her magic. Her mouth dropped when she saw what she would be up against.
"By Eternia," she whispered befuddledly. "How can we win this?"
A legion of demons seemed to engulf the land surrounding the castle. She saw Zodac in the distance standing defensively in front of the jawbridge, firing at oncoming monsters as well as being fired upon. The titan blocked each attack with flexibility, but she had never seen him look so concerned.
In front of him, She-Ra, Ram-Man, Buzz-Off and Stratos, along with the other Defenders, fired and slashed away at countless numbers of demons. Teela watched as Ram-Man picked two of them up and threw them into the abyss, only for the demons to rise up and knock the thick-headed soldier to the ground.
Nearby, she saw her father, mace in one hand, stun ray in the other, blasting away with everything he had. He looked tired but determined. She knew he would give his life for the castle and her. For that, she never admired him more.
But she was also not going to stand by and let her father have all the fun.
With a running start and a few leaps in the air, Teela was suddenly standing by her father, deflecting the oncoming charges of demons. He glanced at her and smiled as he kept firing. She smiled back and nodded her head.
"What took you so long?" he asked in a casual yet concentrated tone as if he weren't fighting off the worst the hells had to offer.
Teela blushed a little but maintained her focus on the green eyed, saber- toothed monster charging her. With a quick slash of the wrist, she knocked the demon back 20 feet.
"Long story," she exhaled and deflected another demon's attack.
In the distance, they saw a fleet of Windraiders, sky sleds and attack traks come swooping in.
Man-At-Arms kept his concentration ahead of him.
"The Royal Guard," he said confidently. "Randor must have found out what was going on and sent his army."
The melee went into full throttle as the guard joined in. In the center of it all, amidst the screaming, shooting, and killing, was He-Man and Skeletor.
The two circled each other like angry wildcats, growling, muscles flexing, taking the occasional swipe at each other.
"This ends here, Skeletor," He-Man snarled as he lunged at his arch-enemy.
The evil overlord dodged his competitor's swipe and struck him in the back with his havoc staff. Despite the strong impact, He-Man only flinched and kept standing. He lunged again, this time locking his sword with the magical staff. Sweat poured down his determined face as it stood inches away from the foul breath of Skeletor.
Skeletor chuckled evilly.
"I will not be defeated so easily," he seethed quietly, taunting the warrior. "You see, your wife and the Sorceress are not here to protect you this time.Prince Adam."
He-Man's eyebrow cocked up and he broke away from the deadlock. He gripped his sword with both hands and pointed the blade towards Skeletor, who looked down upon him and laughed.
"I will destroy you, your highness. But first I will destroy your family."
Skeletor raised his havoc staff to his left and fired a powerful blast. He- Man watched in horror as the shot hit She-Ra in the back and sent her flying into a group of demons, all of whom seemed to pounce on her as she hit the ground.
"No!" he turned to help his sister, but was hit in the chest by another shot from Skeletor. The blast sent him flying backwards and he struck a tree, so hard it snapped the trunk in two.
The warrior sat dazed and shook his head. He looked up and saw Skeletor laughing triumphantly. To his left, he saw Ram-Man and Stratos charge the demon soldiers surrounding She-Ra, seconds later, the Princess of Power emerged and rejoined the fight. Apparently no worse for the wear.
"I'm alright!" she yelled to her brother as she flipped another monster over her shoulder into the abyss.
He-Man breathed a sigh of relief. But his relief faded fast when he saw the jawbridge start to lower.
******
"What in the name of the elders?" Zodac yelled as he ran from below the lowering jawbridge. "What's going on?!?"
He looked up at the advisor who stood crouched on the edge of the tower, looking intently on what was transpiring.
Skeletor sneered as the jawbridge came to a "thud" on the ground.
"I have a special surprise for you warrior," he cackled.
He-Man stood up and watched as the dust cleared from the castle entrance. The sight of blonde hair made his eyes widen.
"Adacan!" he yelled as he raced towards the bridge. "Go back inside now!"
*****
Adacan couldn't see anything through the clouds of dust, but he could hear his father yelling at him. He didn't know what was going on and was scared. He stepped back as if to go back inside.
"No Adacan.. you must help them," his mother's voice rang out in his head.
He stopped and stared as his mother appeared in the cloud of dust in front of him with her arms outstretched.
"Mom?" he whispered and started to walk towards her.
*****
He-Man stopped dead in his tracks. He no longer realized that a war was being fought around him. He didn't see his friends fighting with all they had. He even forgot Skeletor was there.
All he saw was Erin. Alive. Standing in the middle of the bridge, holding her arms open to their son.
He fell to his knees. "Erin?" he breathed as the color drained from his dirty face.
The ghost turned and smiled at the warrior. She held her arm out to him, beckoning him to her. He stood up and walked towards her, as if in a trance. Adacan stayed on the bridge and looked on in confusion.
The boy narrowed his eyes.
"Dad?" he asked himself perplexedly.
He-Man reached out and touched his wife's hand. It was cold, but it was real. So help him it was real. He felt his heart beat rapidly as he stared at her. Her features were exactly as he had memorized them. She even wore her wedding dress underneath a light blue cloak. The air smelled like her perfume.
"My love," she whispered.
It sounded like her. He-Man came closer to her and touched her face, oblivious to the fight around him.
"Erin?" he asked again, tears forming in his eyes. "But.. I thought...you were dead? I saw you die.."
Skeletor cackled loudly and broke He-Man's trance.
"And so you will watch her die again He-Man!!"
Skeletor raised his havoc staff and aimed at the couple. He-Man stood in front of the ghost and shielded her with his body. His teeth gritted, he held his sword up in front of them.
"Over my dead body Skeletor!" he roared.
The ghost smiled deviously as she started to pull a long sword from her cloak.
*****
The advisor watched in terror as the ghost pulled the sword up over her head and prepared to run it into He-Man's back. The warrior, so focused on Skeletor in front of him, had no clue what was about to happen.
The advisor didn't hesitate any longer.
"Damn the rules," she thought and teleported herself down to the bridge.
*****
Adacan watched in confusion as his mother held a sword over her head and prepared to strike.
"Why is she doing that?" he wondered. The answer quickly dawned on him. "She's going to kill father!"
Adacan cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted: "Dad! Look out behind you!"
He-Man turned as the ghost started to bring the sword down and looked up with wide eyes.
A blast of light blinded him though and sent the ghost flying backwards. As his vision returned, he saw the Erin laying on the ground, motionless. He looked up and saw the advisor lower her arm.
Nearby, Zodac shook his head remorsefully.
"That was very stupid," he thought to himself and then continued fighting.
He-Man looked at the advisor in anger and raised his sword to charge her when Adacan stepped out from behind her.
"Father, look!" he yelled as he pointed to the figure on the ground.
He-Man stopped and turned. The figure on the ground started to change shape. Instead of his wife, a familiar nemesis lay bleeding on the ground.
"Evil-Lyn?" He-Man asked himself out loud.
The witch was out cold, possibly dead. Adacan and He-Man wore the same sad and confused expressions as they both realized they had been tricked, Erin had not come back from the grave. Evil-Lyn had played them for fools.
Skeletor saw his chance and raised his havoc staff again towards the distracted warrior. He snarled as he fired a shot with more power than he had ever dealt before.
"It's over, warrior!" he yelled triumphantly as the lightning blot flew at He-Man.
He-Man turned in time to see a falcon staff dart in front of him and absorb the blast.
Skeletor gritted his teeth as the advisor pulled her hood back.
"We meet again, Skeletor," the advisor said defiantly.
He-Man was confused. He heard two voices speak but saw only one person. His attention was quickly diverted to his child who stood in the doorway in shock.
"Adacan, back inside now!" he yelled, but the boy didn't move.
As if on cue, She-Ra jumped over to her brother's side and ushered the child back into the castle.
"I've got him!" she yelled reassuringly. "He's okay! Watch your back!"
He-Man nodded and returned his attention to the match up in front of him. He didn't know why she was doing this, but he knew the advisor was on his side. He picked up his sword and stood next to her protectively.
Skeletor stared intently at the advisor.
"You cursed woman, when will you just die?!?" he bellowed.
The advisor smiled curtly, her green eye and blue eye flashed. Her two faces switched and melded into each other so her appearance was never defined.
"Don't you mean 'You cursed women?'" she retorted.
