CHAPTER NINE
"Honor and Remembrance"
There was a sudden, brisk breeze in the regularly warm air and Peacekeeper found herself wrapping her jacket closer around her body. Her eyes gazed forward to King Adam, who had a surprisingly happy smile on his face.
"Peacekeeper!" he exclaimed. "What have you found out?"
She grinned slightly and stepped before him. "Not much more than I did back when I worked in the Light-Zone."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember the old riot? The one that Count Marzo started?"
"Yes."
"Well, it turns out that Tri-Klops had received a nasty blow to the head in the aftermath. It resulted in his eyes becoming severally damaged - basically unable to produce the energy beams he had used in battle. The odd thing is, though, that Tri-Klops started to refer to the three eyes as viewing different time frames. The one is his past, then second is his present, and the third is the future."
"Is it true?" asked Adam, sitting down upon a bench.
"No," Peacekeeper replied, sitting down next to him. "No, it's not. You see, when his visor broke, it sent some sort of surge into his brain. Every now and then, it causes him to hallucinate."
Adam nodded and Peacekeeper continued on. It was then, though, that he lost attention. Teela was walking out of the Palace and across the courtyard. Her head was hung low and there was certain air about her that told Adam that something was very wrong . . .
". . . after the hallucinations started, it seems that - "
Adam raised his hand and stood up. "Excuse me, Peacekeeper. Teela? What is it?"
Her frown deepened and Adam was surprised to find her arms wrapping around him. Tears were flowing freely from Teela's eyes, touching upon his shirt. "Teela?" he asked once more. "What's wrong?"
Teela pulled away and composed herself. "Adam, it's your father."
A sudden feeling of dread fell upon Adam's chest. "What? What's happened?"
"Oh, Adam . . ." she moaned. "I'm so, so sorry. Your father, he's . . . he's dead."
***
White flower pedals were flowing across Eternos as the crowd gathered for the mourning of the death of King Randor, King Stephan, and Queen Johanna. Adam walked with his mother and Adora behind the casket of Randor. Meanwhile, Edwina, Dell, and Jeremy all followed the casket of Stephan. Likewise, Michael was close behind Johanna's casket.
Only the royal family was allowed to enter the graveyard, all other visitors watching on monitors placed all across Eternos. Adam was a bit surprised by the turnout.
'Old hands' the likes of Man-E-Faces, Mekaneck, Ram Man, Buzz-Off, Fisto, Oroko, Dree-Eel Moss Man, Roboto, Sy-Klone, Rio-Blast, Snout Sprout, Extendar, Clamp Champ, Rotar, Gwildor, Glimmer, Bow, Fluterina. They were joining 'newbies' such as Talon, Exo, Poet, Man-At-Arms, Stinger, Tail, Snowball, Pebble, Peacekeeper, Horn and Nell. Leaders like King Jade, Lizard-Man, Mer-Man, and a few others had gathered as well. All them took their place behind the graveyard gates, with Duncan and Teelana.
The royal family spoke a few words, about each member that were apparently killed in the line of battle last night.
But all Adora could think about was the past . . .
Adam grinned back at Adora as she waited in the shadows. "Okay, everyone!" he told them. "No peeking!"
Teela, Randor, Marlena, and Man-At-Arms all had their eyes covered. Adam was almost floating with excitement. She wasn't surprised - as his twin sister, she was feeling the same way. But there was deep feeling, bubbling through the happiness. Sadness . . . and anxiety? Would they even remember her? Would they love her? What if they didn't? Would they hate her?
"Okay, Adam," said Randor. Her father. This man was her father. The only one she could even come close to referring to in that position was Hordak. "We've done as you've asked. What is this surprise you've promised us? Are you going to keep us waiting all day?"
Adam smiled and turned to her. "Come on," he whispered. She nodded slowly and walked across the Throne Room floor. Her knees felt like Jell-O, her shoulders felt heavy. Adora was about to meet her parents for the first time since she was an infant.
She glanced at her brother, who was still smiling. Adora called upon her strength to bring up, but it didn't last long.
"Okay!" Adam yelled. "You can open your eyes now!"
Teela was first and Adora remembered a slight bit of jealousy. "Who is that?" she asked.
Man-At-Arm's jaw dropped and she suddenly remembered that he had chased after Hordak. Other than the Sorceress, he was the last one to see her before now. "By the Ancients . . ." he muttered.
Adora turned, finally, to her parents. They had just removed their hands and looked down at Adora with strange curiosity.
Randor talked first, eyes just now catching sight of her. "It's about time - " he started but stopped immediately. Marlena's eyes grew wide
For a second, they didn't seem to realize who this was. Adora's heart pounded. Who were these people to her? Who was she to them? Would they love her? Would they even know her?
After a second that lasted a lifetime, Marlena spoke. She gasped. "Adora!"
That was all it took. She ran towards Marlena, a name escaping her lips. "Mother!" The two embraced.
Randor immediately held the two into his arms as Marlena continued to say her name, tears falling down across her cheeks.
"You're home," said Randor as Adam came to join them. A few more words were spoke, causing Adora's heart to open up and accept these people as the family that she did, truly belong to.
Randor slung his arm around Adam's shoulder. "Adam," he said with a smile, "I want you to know that you've made me the happiest man . . . on all Eternia." He hugged him again, then turned to the entire family. "The royal family is whole once more. And by the Ancients, I swear that nothing shall separate us again."
It was those words that pounded it in for Adora. She was home, at long last.
Adora pulled herself from the memory and wiped a newly formed tear from the corner of her eye. She looked to Adam, who was doing the same thing.
Adam tried to give a smile to his sister, but it came out all wrong. Teela was sitting next to him, holding his hand and trying to reassure him. It was doing little good, considering how upset she was. Adam looked to her and spoke something to her.
Teela tried to pay attention, but a memory was starting to clear up in her mind.
The sixteen-year-old Teela snapped her staff out, hearing it clang against the staff of her opponent. It slid around and clanged again. Stratos blocked her again.
"Watch out!" ordered her father, who was watching over this training session.
She tried to heed his advice, but the much larger and much faster Stratos shot in and smacked at her feet. Teela lost her balance, which resulted in Stratos shooting her staff from her hand and having his sticking right in her face.
He laughed. "A good try, Teela."
Teela shoved the staff out her face and stood up. "Yeah, well, that's all this ever is, isn't? Just one big stupid game!"
The young woman stomped off, embarrassed by the fight. Why was she being sent up against people like Stratos, who were older, more experienced, faster, and stronger? She should be fighting someone like Adam -someone with her size and her age group.
After a while of sitting alone on the other side of the Palace, a shadow fell upon her. She looked up - and was shocked to see King Randor.
"Sire!" she shouted, shooting up from the bench.
"I saw what happened," he said in an apologetic manner. "I was wondering if I could give you few pointers?"
Teela felt very vulnerable and open all of a sudden, but nodded in compliance. "Of course."
"Here," he said, handing her a staff. He produced a second one and prepped himself. "Advance, Teela."
She did so, the two staffs snapping against each other. It was only a few seconds into it that Teela felt the same frustration that she had earlier. Apparently, Randor sensed this and began to speak to her.
"Don't let yourself get frustrated, Teela. That's wasting energy," he told her, blocking her staff. "Instead, concentrate and focus on the task at hand. Ignore the details of the person you're fighting. Some day, you might be fighting against someone with far more experience than you. Ignore that experience and concentrate on finding their weakness and exploiting it."
His words touched her, and Teela found herself searching as she blocked. That was when she found Randor's vulnerability. Her staff shot at his wrist, causing his staff to fall to the ground. She kicked it away, then followed through and knocked Randor to the floor.
Randor laughed. "Good job, Teela!" Teela smiled and helped him up. "It's nice to know you listen to me sometimes!" he exclaimed with a wide grin.
She nodded, but didn't say anything.
"I'm listening to you now," Teela whispered. "Now more than ever."
"What was that?" asked Adam.
"Nothing, sweetie. Nothing to worry about."
It was at this point that the funeral ended and everyone started out of the royal graveyard. Adam and Teela met up with Duncan and Teelana. The four spoke softly to each to each other, but Duncan was thinking of a small part of his life . . . a part from the past . . .
An explosion filled their vision. Duncan held his laser to his chest and allowed himself to fall back into the trench.
"Damn it!" he shouted. "They've got missiles!"
"Duncan!" yelled Randor, running along the trench. "The Horde Troopers are moving in! We need more time! If we can get back to Eternos, then we can still stand a chance against them!"
Another explosion roared, noting the onward march of Hordak's forces. "Right! I've got an idea! An EMP should knock out their circuits for a few minutes!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah! I need back to one of our Battle Tanks!"
"I'll come with you!"
"No, sire! It's too dangerous! You can make it back to Eternos!"
Randor shook his head and shoved his friend out of the trench and back towards a lone Battle Tank. "This is an order! You rewire the Battle Tank and I'll cover you!"
Duncan grunted, but pulled open a panel on the Battle Tank and went to work. After a few minutes of heavy fire, Randor gasped.
"I see him," he muttered.
"Who?"
"Skeletor," Randor replied. Duncan sighed. He was one of the few people that knew that Skeletor was, in fact, Randor's own brother. "I have a clear shot, too. I could take him out of his misery. I could end this. That would leave Hordak without his right-hand man."
Duncan gulped as he watched Randor position his weapon. But he never pulled the trigger. He loosened his grip. Randor said nothing, but Duncan knew the truth. As twisted as Keldor had become, he still couldn't kill him. Randor still loved his brother.
"Don't worry about it, sire," Duncan assured him. "I've got the Electro-Magnetic Pulse ready."
Randor grinned. "You know, Duncan, when this is all over, you're getting a promotion. I'm making you the next Man-At-Arms."
"Sire, if we make it through this at all, I'm going to grow a mustache."
Randor smiled at his friend, then Duncan flipped on the EMP. And as Horde Troopers began to shut down across the battlefield, the pair laughed.
They didn't stop until they returned to Eternos.
Duncan sighed and hugged Marlena. "I'll see you back at the Palace, Marlena," he told her. She nodded and then hugged Teelana.
"Are you coming back with us, Mom?" asked Adora.
"In a few minutes, darling," she replied. "I need to say good bye to your father."
"Of course."
Marlena wandered back into the graveyard, her eyes resting on the stone casket, which was marked with a statue of King Randor. She suddenly remembered how their love first blossomed and held onto the memory.
"We have your ship in storage," Randor said to Marlena as he approached her in the courtyard.
"Thank you," she answered. "Though I doubt it'll do any good. It's not like I can get back home."
Randor frowned at this response. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"I suppose not. This is a brand new world, full of some many new things. New peoples, new species. But, you know, it's so strange . . ."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Despite the things that are so different, there are some things that are the same."
"Like what?"
"Like . . ." she began, but paused to look for the right word. ". . . like love, for example."
"Love? What do you mean by that?" he asked. She suddenly noticed that the king was turning a bit red in the face.
"I mean that I can be an entire galaxy away from my homeworld, but I can still manage to fall in love."
He smiled, trying to act innocent. "And just who might person be?"
"King Randor," she presented, "I love you. I've loved you since you pulled me out of the spaceship."
Randor grinned at her. "The funny thing is, Marlena, that I love you too. From exactly the same moment."
The two moved closer and closer, until the embraced, lips pressing together in a deep devouring form. After they broke, Marlena grinned and looked up at her love.
"Ask me again if it would be such a bad thing if I stayed," she told him.
"'Would it?'" she quoted. "'No Randor. It would be a bad thing if I left.'" Her fingers ran across the stone memorial, eyes closed. "Good bye, my love."
As she stepped away, Marlena passed by King Adam. She squeezed his hand, and offered a small smile. "Are you coming, son?"
"In a moment. I was hoping for a quiet minute alone with . . . Dad."
"Of course."
Adam stepped up to the statue and sighed.
"Father," Adam said, walking up to Randor. He and Marlena had just returned to Eternia from Earth.
"Hello Adam!" Randor greeted, embracing his son. "You've done such a great job filling in for me while I've been gone."
Adam mustered a smile, but was more than ready to tell him the truth. "Father, I need to tell you something."
"You're He-Man?"
Adam was shocked. "Uh, yeah. How did you know?"
"Your mother and I had four years to figure it out on Earth. She already suspected. As soon as I realized it, it all made perfect sense."
"Then you're not made at me for lying?"
"Mad?! Ha! No, Adam, I'm not mad. I'm proud."
"Proud?"
"Proud that you had the strength within you. Releasing it as He-Man proves to me now why it seemed that you avoided confrontation."
"I'm sorry, father."
Randor smiled. "Son, I'm proud. I always have been. Before and after I found out about you and He-Man. I love you, boy."
"I love you too, Dad."
Adam sighed and nodded. Before he left the graveyard, he looked back at that statue. "Don't worry, father. I won't let you down. Good bye."