Eternal Foe
Chapter 12
Teela breathed a sigh of relief when the all the ships moored safely at the docks. She saw all the archaeologists, the soldiers and labourers and amongst them Melaktha. The party hit the walkways looking tired and bedraggled; no doubt they slept little, constantly looking over their shoulders fearful of another attack.
Melaktha came straight to Teela. "Captain, am I ever so glad to see your stern countenance once again."
Teela could not help but chuckle, she was about to serve the old scholar a reprimand for not heeding her original warnings. Then she thought about what they all had been through in the last few days.
"And I too am pleased to see you again." She instead settled for a warm greeting.
Melaktha looked about hopefully. "I say, can you perhaps tell me where I might find He-Man? I do so wish to express my gratitude, without him I am afraid we would have been doomed."
Teela rolled her eyes. "He is off fetching Prince Adam from a fishing excursion near Northrock."
"The irrepressible Prince Adam, as carefree as ever." Melaktha said warmly.
"Yes.our future king - carefree." Teela responded sarcastically. "Here we are, beating of walking snakes emerging from the ground and he goes fishing."
"Now, now captain it does not do to speak ill of the members of our monarchy." Melaktha reprimanded.
Teela smirked "I don't speak ill of our monarchy, only Adam."
"Prince Adam!" Melaktha corrected sternly.
"Trust me Melaktha, if PRINCE Adam had even heard my words he would have taken it as a compliment. He's not the brightest kid."
"Hmm, I wonder.?" Melaktha stood there with an infuriating grin on his face.
"Wonder what!?!" Teela wanted to smack that look off his face.
"Oh nothing, it just seems you are harsher on the prince than is his due."
"And what's that supposed to mean!!!" Teela demanded to know.
For an answer the annoying old academic walked away without a word, chuckling insanely to his self. Teela fumed, were all men born with the ability to infuriate?
Retuning to the residence Teela found He-Man talking with Chancellor Theregin. Teela looked the might champion over, now here was everything a prince was supposed to be; intelligent, brave, selfless, tall, muscular and good-looking. Now Randor and Marlena were fine looking people, where did they go wrong with their son?
Theregin saw her approach first. "Captain, how fare you this day?"
"Fine thank you Chancellor, and yourself.?"
"Very well thank you Captain. I am most relieved for the safety of the Vaneda crew."
"As we all are Chancellor." Teela turned to He-Man. "And might I inquire as to the health of Eternia's Champion."
He-Man's smile was so broad that it broadcasted insincerity. "Why certainly, the health of Eternia's Champion is good, Eternia's Champion is pleased to report.Captain."
Teela's smile became even broader than He-Man's as she pondered whether she could outrun him right after kicking him. "Oh that is gracious news," she responded, "and what of the crown prince?"
He-Man dropped the disingenuous smile. "He is fine, I sent him immediately to Eternos, so that he might warn the king of the threat that has arisen."
Teela mulled that over a moment trying to find fault with his logic. He irked her and now she wanted revenge. It annoyed her even more when she could not think of a rebuff.
Chancellor Theregin looked at He-Man and Teela bemusedly, "My pardons, but I have state matters to attend to," he said unconvincingly, "farewell then He-Man, I hope your journey is fruitful."
"As do I Chancellor and thank you. And please give serious thought to my suggestion, if the Snake Men do beach here they may cause untold damage."
"I will Sir, though it will be difficult to convince others of the magnitude of the threat I will try.I promise you that." Theregin nodded to Teela and left.
"Where do you think you're going?" Teela asked.
"Where we discussed - to Snake Mountain."
Teela folded her arms. "Aren't you forgetting.someone?"
He-Man made as though he were thinking something through, "No, I don't think so."
"Well then let me put it differently, you're not going without me!"
He-Man made the same face. "No, I don't think so."
"Listen, there's no way you can take on the Snake Men by yourself, you showed that at Vaneda. If you get into a confrontation you need someone to watch your back, you saw for yourself I can keep up with those freaks!"
The sudden sobriety on He-Man's face stunned Teela a moment. He was looking at her in a way she had seen from others; sizing her up, judging her. She held her head up defiantly, arms still crossed.
After a few moments He-Man spoke, "I suppose you can at that, you're not like others." he trailed off. "Anyway, I must go pack the rest of my things, if you intend to tag along you'd better do the same."
He-Man strode off to his apartment leaving Teela standing there confused. Why did he become so serious? She got the feeling as he looked her over he was recalling something, but what? And exactly what did he mean when he said she 'wasn't like others'?
Teela thought about the history of Gephantide he revealed to her upon their arrival, for all of He-Man's attributes, informative was not one of them. Usually when he was asked a question about a task he had been sent on the response would be 'uh, I don't know'. Had he always been holding information back? Or had he recently come into new knowledge.
She was certain of one thing; before they reached their destination she would nag the answers out of him.
He-Man sat down on the luxurious bed within the apartment Theregin had provided. He suddenly had a headache.
"Secrets, it always come back to secrets." He said to no-one. Teela had not realised the truth of her argument, her ability to fight equally to the Snake Men came not of training and instinct, but of something greater.
Her performance was driven by precognition, a gift inherited. He-Man's suspicions that Teela had begun channelling supernatural forces were confirmed by what she had told him of her dreams. But it made no sense. At the time Teela was conceived neither of her parents possessed such abilities.
Her parents, neither of which she knew. She had been told most of the truth about them but for one thing. He-Man understood why Man-at-Arms had kept it from her, he understood all too well. He had kept his life secret so as not to endanger those close to him. In the same way that is why Teela's heritage could not be revealed, lest she become a target.
But surely it was her right to know of her mother's existence? He-Man thought it over, he knew, no matter how much he had come to resent secrets, that this was not his to tell. There was more than one person's life to consider, as much as he felt Teela had a right to know, likewise her mother had a reason, very good reasons, for discretion.
Knowledge could be a gift or curse and it was fickle about which it could be at any given time. There were just too many damned secrets.
Chapter 12
Teela breathed a sigh of relief when the all the ships moored safely at the docks. She saw all the archaeologists, the soldiers and labourers and amongst them Melaktha. The party hit the walkways looking tired and bedraggled; no doubt they slept little, constantly looking over their shoulders fearful of another attack.
Melaktha came straight to Teela. "Captain, am I ever so glad to see your stern countenance once again."
Teela could not help but chuckle, she was about to serve the old scholar a reprimand for not heeding her original warnings. Then she thought about what they all had been through in the last few days.
"And I too am pleased to see you again." She instead settled for a warm greeting.
Melaktha looked about hopefully. "I say, can you perhaps tell me where I might find He-Man? I do so wish to express my gratitude, without him I am afraid we would have been doomed."
Teela rolled her eyes. "He is off fetching Prince Adam from a fishing excursion near Northrock."
"The irrepressible Prince Adam, as carefree as ever." Melaktha said warmly.
"Yes.our future king - carefree." Teela responded sarcastically. "Here we are, beating of walking snakes emerging from the ground and he goes fishing."
"Now, now captain it does not do to speak ill of the members of our monarchy." Melaktha reprimanded.
Teela smirked "I don't speak ill of our monarchy, only Adam."
"Prince Adam!" Melaktha corrected sternly.
"Trust me Melaktha, if PRINCE Adam had even heard my words he would have taken it as a compliment. He's not the brightest kid."
"Hmm, I wonder.?" Melaktha stood there with an infuriating grin on his face.
"Wonder what!?!" Teela wanted to smack that look off his face.
"Oh nothing, it just seems you are harsher on the prince than is his due."
"And what's that supposed to mean!!!" Teela demanded to know.
For an answer the annoying old academic walked away without a word, chuckling insanely to his self. Teela fumed, were all men born with the ability to infuriate?
Retuning to the residence Teela found He-Man talking with Chancellor Theregin. Teela looked the might champion over, now here was everything a prince was supposed to be; intelligent, brave, selfless, tall, muscular and good-looking. Now Randor and Marlena were fine looking people, where did they go wrong with their son?
Theregin saw her approach first. "Captain, how fare you this day?"
"Fine thank you Chancellor, and yourself.?"
"Very well thank you Captain. I am most relieved for the safety of the Vaneda crew."
"As we all are Chancellor." Teela turned to He-Man. "And might I inquire as to the health of Eternia's Champion."
He-Man's smile was so broad that it broadcasted insincerity. "Why certainly, the health of Eternia's Champion is good, Eternia's Champion is pleased to report.Captain."
Teela's smile became even broader than He-Man's as she pondered whether she could outrun him right after kicking him. "Oh that is gracious news," she responded, "and what of the crown prince?"
He-Man dropped the disingenuous smile. "He is fine, I sent him immediately to Eternos, so that he might warn the king of the threat that has arisen."
Teela mulled that over a moment trying to find fault with his logic. He irked her and now she wanted revenge. It annoyed her even more when she could not think of a rebuff.
Chancellor Theregin looked at He-Man and Teela bemusedly, "My pardons, but I have state matters to attend to," he said unconvincingly, "farewell then He-Man, I hope your journey is fruitful."
"As do I Chancellor and thank you. And please give serious thought to my suggestion, if the Snake Men do beach here they may cause untold damage."
"I will Sir, though it will be difficult to convince others of the magnitude of the threat I will try.I promise you that." Theregin nodded to Teela and left.
"Where do you think you're going?" Teela asked.
"Where we discussed - to Snake Mountain."
Teela folded her arms. "Aren't you forgetting.someone?"
He-Man made as though he were thinking something through, "No, I don't think so."
"Well then let me put it differently, you're not going without me!"
He-Man made the same face. "No, I don't think so."
"Listen, there's no way you can take on the Snake Men by yourself, you showed that at Vaneda. If you get into a confrontation you need someone to watch your back, you saw for yourself I can keep up with those freaks!"
The sudden sobriety on He-Man's face stunned Teela a moment. He was looking at her in a way she had seen from others; sizing her up, judging her. She held her head up defiantly, arms still crossed.
After a few moments He-Man spoke, "I suppose you can at that, you're not like others." he trailed off. "Anyway, I must go pack the rest of my things, if you intend to tag along you'd better do the same."
He-Man strode off to his apartment leaving Teela standing there confused. Why did he become so serious? She got the feeling as he looked her over he was recalling something, but what? And exactly what did he mean when he said she 'wasn't like others'?
Teela thought about the history of Gephantide he revealed to her upon their arrival, for all of He-Man's attributes, informative was not one of them. Usually when he was asked a question about a task he had been sent on the response would be 'uh, I don't know'. Had he always been holding information back? Or had he recently come into new knowledge.
She was certain of one thing; before they reached their destination she would nag the answers out of him.
He-Man sat down on the luxurious bed within the apartment Theregin had provided. He suddenly had a headache.
"Secrets, it always come back to secrets." He said to no-one. Teela had not realised the truth of her argument, her ability to fight equally to the Snake Men came not of training and instinct, but of something greater.
Her performance was driven by precognition, a gift inherited. He-Man's suspicions that Teela had begun channelling supernatural forces were confirmed by what she had told him of her dreams. But it made no sense. At the time Teela was conceived neither of her parents possessed such abilities.
Her parents, neither of which she knew. She had been told most of the truth about them but for one thing. He-Man understood why Man-at-Arms had kept it from her, he understood all too well. He had kept his life secret so as not to endanger those close to him. In the same way that is why Teela's heritage could not be revealed, lest she become a target.
But surely it was her right to know of her mother's existence? He-Man thought it over, he knew, no matter how much he had come to resent secrets, that this was not his to tell. There was more than one person's life to consider, as much as he felt Teela had a right to know, likewise her mother had a reason, very good reasons, for discretion.
Knowledge could be a gift or curse and it was fickle about which it could be at any given time. There were just too many damned secrets.