Eternal Foe
Chapter 7-Silent Betrayal
Life always seems to turn out that way; when you think you know all there is to know, when you think that no more secrets lie hidden from you, something happens to disabuse you of that notion. No-one knows all; an eternity seemed an inadequate amount of time to try to learn everything.
Adam rubbed his temples; a headache had plagued him since emerging from Grayskull. Too much knowledge in too short a time; he had experienced centuries of history in a few short days and the secrets he had learned as a result threatened to overwhelm him. There were too many secrets that begged the question what else did he not know that was important?
He had seen the warlord Hordak raise his armies and cover the lands in war. Everyone knew of the Horde War more than twenty years ago, but they didn't know that it was Hordak's second attempt at dominion; the first took place nearly a thousand years before. Hordak, scourge of the Horde War was older than history itself.
He also witnessed The Council of Elders, the representatives of the Twelve Gods on Eternia of whom Hordak claimed membership. He had also seen a man that had very much reminded him of his father, the called the man 'He-Ro', it seemed his title more than his real name by the way his fellow council members addressed him. There was a very elderly man who bore the honorific 'Eldor' in reverence of his wise manner. He even recognised Zodac.
Zodac's presence was not that of the body of the council but as an overseer, a silent chairman, an enforcer of the Council's statutes. Then there was the one they called King Mekasha, the Serpent King. Dressed for battle in his masterfully-crafted green-tinged mail covered by a solid, sterling silver breastplate bearing the mark of the serpent; Mekasha's eyes darted about fitfully never resting on one spot for long, always evaluating his peers.
Adam had noticed the Snake King's fingers also twitched restlessly as though eager to grab on to something. He would later find out what; the Snake King's sword, the Crimson Singer, a sword a match in power for Adam's own Power Sword. Adam witnessed the power of the Singer soon thereafter.
Hordak dissolved the Horde's membership from the Council, effectively spelling its end. Many of the other members, knowing Hordak's design retreated to their respective nations to fortify their defences and mobilise their armies. Only a few former council members allied in full to face this threat - Injaira of S'Bledse, He-Ro of Aohre, Morod of J'Dange and Eldor of the Il Grando.
Hordak had only one ally, Daggress of Y'Nago, queen of a race of spellcasters. She had a cruel beauty that she was not shy to flaunt, straight black hair reaching past her well defined curves. Black lips and fingernails, clad in black silk contrasted against alabaster skin, she looked like a cruel queen of fable.
From the sly glances Daggress cast Hordak many times over Adam deduced they were connected beyond a military alliance. That seemed rather perverse; Hordak was not the classical beauty. He had a greenish pallor to his hairless skin, with that exception he very much resembles a humanoid bat: His head tapered sharply to a pointed chin, he had pricked bat-ears and a marsupial snout.
Hordak, Daggress, Mekahsa, He-Ro, Injaira, Morod and Eldor came to be the key players in the war that followed. Hordak's and Daggress' combined armies and magics soon overwhelmed the besieged planet. Mekasha, as mistrustful as ever fought his own front, his success emanating from the terrible bloodlust of The Crimson Singer. The vanquished former members of the council fled back to the Eldor alliance seeking both a means to stop Hordak and regain their lands.
A plan was formulated; the Alliance would construct two fortresses: One would imprison any who entered, removing them from the world of mortals. The other fortress would house the artefact destined to be wielded by the future king, one who would prevent the predicted destruction of the world.
The first fortress, Eternia, was built constructed upon the lush green field of Derren-Ma; a land, that for all its beauty was largely uninhabited. A rumour was propagated, that Fortress Eternia was the fabled castle of the Elders. Mekasha, the greedy Snake King immediately marched upon the Fortress, also known as the Three Towers eager to claim the power of Eternia for his self. Hordak however, did not put faith in the rumours the shattered Council would never have allowed word to escape.
Adam saw the fall of King Hiss upon the grasslands, imprisoned by his own avarice. He then saw Eldor retrieve the Crimson Singer from He-Ro and implanted the sword into an exposed boulder at the mouth of the Lion Tower. "So long as the Singer sleeps within this rock, Mekasha will never ravage the lands of Eternia," he declared.
When Adam had emerged from the doorway he had begun to leave the library. He stopped, wondering how many more answers lay behind the other doors. Would he have time? He decided to satisfy his curiosity, what could more knowledge hurt? At least he would not be clueless when another situation eventuated and so he entered the second room in the corridor. He did so another ten times until he had been through all twelve rooms.
What he had discovered left him feeling angry, betrayed, sick and vengeful all in one anarchic emotion. He had witnessed the history of Eternia unfold in its entirety; but beyond that he had seen his own family history play out like a cheesy stage play. He had learned the secrets of a great many of those whom he loved dearly.
When finally he did emerge from the library the Sorceress looked at him questioningly and he understood why. For the time he took she must have realised he been privy to more than one stage of history. And for the first time he saw the enigmatic Sorceress in a different light. He had always regarded her as a distant and sad looking woman but a presence to be respected and perhaps even feared a little. What he saw now was a lonely woman, a wife and a mother, who had given up all for her one chance at revenge.
He had looked at the mysterious Zodac. A few days ago this entity was a ghost, another Grayskull enigma. Now, Adam saw a man that had unselfishly sacrificed himself so that he could one day present the Sword of Grayskull to the prophesied King in a time that was far removed from his own.
As Adam walked the hallway to the Jawbridge the Sorceress had implored him wait; he still possessed the second sword, the Sword of Honour as it had been revealed. Adam shook his head. "You know why I must keep this for now," he said firmly. She regarded him a moment before nodding her head. She knew.
Now, here he stood on the path leading back to the Il Grando Pass. The world was a different place to the one he knew four days back. In that world he was the heroic champion fighting the Evil wizard. But in this world a far greater threat loomed than Skeletor, or Mekasha. In this world Adam was plagued with more doubts than before; doubts borne of secrets.
Secrets. One could live an eternity and still not unveil all the secrets the world hid from them.
Chapter 7-Silent Betrayal
Life always seems to turn out that way; when you think you know all there is to know, when you think that no more secrets lie hidden from you, something happens to disabuse you of that notion. No-one knows all; an eternity seemed an inadequate amount of time to try to learn everything.
Adam rubbed his temples; a headache had plagued him since emerging from Grayskull. Too much knowledge in too short a time; he had experienced centuries of history in a few short days and the secrets he had learned as a result threatened to overwhelm him. There were too many secrets that begged the question what else did he not know that was important?
He had seen the warlord Hordak raise his armies and cover the lands in war. Everyone knew of the Horde War more than twenty years ago, but they didn't know that it was Hordak's second attempt at dominion; the first took place nearly a thousand years before. Hordak, scourge of the Horde War was older than history itself.
He also witnessed The Council of Elders, the representatives of the Twelve Gods on Eternia of whom Hordak claimed membership. He had also seen a man that had very much reminded him of his father, the called the man 'He-Ro', it seemed his title more than his real name by the way his fellow council members addressed him. There was a very elderly man who bore the honorific 'Eldor' in reverence of his wise manner. He even recognised Zodac.
Zodac's presence was not that of the body of the council but as an overseer, a silent chairman, an enforcer of the Council's statutes. Then there was the one they called King Mekasha, the Serpent King. Dressed for battle in his masterfully-crafted green-tinged mail covered by a solid, sterling silver breastplate bearing the mark of the serpent; Mekasha's eyes darted about fitfully never resting on one spot for long, always evaluating his peers.
Adam had noticed the Snake King's fingers also twitched restlessly as though eager to grab on to something. He would later find out what; the Snake King's sword, the Crimson Singer, a sword a match in power for Adam's own Power Sword. Adam witnessed the power of the Singer soon thereafter.
Hordak dissolved the Horde's membership from the Council, effectively spelling its end. Many of the other members, knowing Hordak's design retreated to their respective nations to fortify their defences and mobilise their armies. Only a few former council members allied in full to face this threat - Injaira of S'Bledse, He-Ro of Aohre, Morod of J'Dange and Eldor of the Il Grando.
Hordak had only one ally, Daggress of Y'Nago, queen of a race of spellcasters. She had a cruel beauty that she was not shy to flaunt, straight black hair reaching past her well defined curves. Black lips and fingernails, clad in black silk contrasted against alabaster skin, she looked like a cruel queen of fable.
From the sly glances Daggress cast Hordak many times over Adam deduced they were connected beyond a military alliance. That seemed rather perverse; Hordak was not the classical beauty. He had a greenish pallor to his hairless skin, with that exception he very much resembles a humanoid bat: His head tapered sharply to a pointed chin, he had pricked bat-ears and a marsupial snout.
Hordak, Daggress, Mekahsa, He-Ro, Injaira, Morod and Eldor came to be the key players in the war that followed. Hordak's and Daggress' combined armies and magics soon overwhelmed the besieged planet. Mekasha, as mistrustful as ever fought his own front, his success emanating from the terrible bloodlust of The Crimson Singer. The vanquished former members of the council fled back to the Eldor alliance seeking both a means to stop Hordak and regain their lands.
A plan was formulated; the Alliance would construct two fortresses: One would imprison any who entered, removing them from the world of mortals. The other fortress would house the artefact destined to be wielded by the future king, one who would prevent the predicted destruction of the world.
The first fortress, Eternia, was built constructed upon the lush green field of Derren-Ma; a land, that for all its beauty was largely uninhabited. A rumour was propagated, that Fortress Eternia was the fabled castle of the Elders. Mekasha, the greedy Snake King immediately marched upon the Fortress, also known as the Three Towers eager to claim the power of Eternia for his self. Hordak however, did not put faith in the rumours the shattered Council would never have allowed word to escape.
Adam saw the fall of King Hiss upon the grasslands, imprisoned by his own avarice. He then saw Eldor retrieve the Crimson Singer from He-Ro and implanted the sword into an exposed boulder at the mouth of the Lion Tower. "So long as the Singer sleeps within this rock, Mekasha will never ravage the lands of Eternia," he declared.
When Adam had emerged from the doorway he had begun to leave the library. He stopped, wondering how many more answers lay behind the other doors. Would he have time? He decided to satisfy his curiosity, what could more knowledge hurt? At least he would not be clueless when another situation eventuated and so he entered the second room in the corridor. He did so another ten times until he had been through all twelve rooms.
What he had discovered left him feeling angry, betrayed, sick and vengeful all in one anarchic emotion. He had witnessed the history of Eternia unfold in its entirety; but beyond that he had seen his own family history play out like a cheesy stage play. He had learned the secrets of a great many of those whom he loved dearly.
When finally he did emerge from the library the Sorceress looked at him questioningly and he understood why. For the time he took she must have realised he been privy to more than one stage of history. And for the first time he saw the enigmatic Sorceress in a different light. He had always regarded her as a distant and sad looking woman but a presence to be respected and perhaps even feared a little. What he saw now was a lonely woman, a wife and a mother, who had given up all for her one chance at revenge.
He had looked at the mysterious Zodac. A few days ago this entity was a ghost, another Grayskull enigma. Now, Adam saw a man that had unselfishly sacrificed himself so that he could one day present the Sword of Grayskull to the prophesied King in a time that was far removed from his own.
As Adam walked the hallway to the Jawbridge the Sorceress had implored him wait; he still possessed the second sword, the Sword of Honour as it had been revealed. Adam shook his head. "You know why I must keep this for now," he said firmly. She regarded him a moment before nodding her head. She knew.
Now, here he stood on the path leading back to the Il Grando Pass. The world was a different place to the one he knew four days back. In that world he was the heroic champion fighting the Evil wizard. But in this world a far greater threat loomed than Skeletor, or Mekasha. In this world Adam was plagued with more doubts than before; doubts borne of secrets.
Secrets. One could live an eternity and still not unveil all the secrets the world hid from them.