I should take this opportunity to thank my beta reader, CatslynW. She has had a great deal of influence on the final form this story took. She sat next to me, often reading over my shoulder as I typed, and saying things like "How is Randor reacting to this?" and "Where's Cringer? You forgot Cringer again!" And she's the reason I'm writing fan fiction at all, since, after I repeatedly said I wasn't interested, she basically dared me to by saying that I couldn't come up with any decent ideas anyway. This is the story that came out of that.

Chapter 5

The next attack on the castle's environs was routed before Adam or his father could do much more than look up. Adam's mother had dinner served for the three of them in Adam's room, and they were eating when a hoarse cry rent the air. Randor leapt up from the table, turned toward the door - and stopped. Adam could see that he didn't want to leave his queen and his heir alone in the room under these circumstances.

He went to the newly hung door and ordered the two guards on duty outside it into the room, then left at a run. Adam's heart sank, watching him go out of sight.

His mother put a hand on his and squeezed. He tried to smile at her, but he knew it wasn't a convincing effort. With her in the room, not to mention the two guards, he could hardly become He-Man and rush off to protect his father, so he lay back in his bed, ignoring his food, till his father returned.

Marlena leaned forward as he entered the room. "What happened, Randor, did Tri-Klops attack someone?"

Randor's face was a study in impotent fury. "No," he said disgustedly. "Lady Asala's maid caught sight of Whiplash creeping through the garden and screamed. That treacherous Caligar fled before the guards could catch him."

"But is he gone?" Adam asked.

"Oh, yes. The masters gave chase." Randor slammed his fist down on the table. "What are they playing at?" he demanded. "Are they testing our defenses?" His eyes grew worried. "If so, they're finding them sorely lacking."

Adam raised an eyebrow and tilted his head at his father. "You know, Father, maybe that's a plus."

"What?" Randor exclaimed, staring at him.

"What do you mean?" his mother asked him in more measured tones.

Adam looked back and forth between their faces and spoke in a small voice. "I just thought that if they show us all the holes in our defenses, it means we can," he shrugged, and made a vague pushing gesture, "you know, plug them up."

Randor opened his mouth, then closed it, looking at him thoughtfully. "That's very good thinking, Adam. As long as we manage to deflect all of the attacks," he added ruefully. "But we must finish our dinner."

All three of them spent the next half hour pushing their food around on their plates, eating little. Adam's mother nagged at them both to stop playing with their food and eat it. The second time she said this to his father, Randor responded, "I will if you will."

His mother's eyes dropped to her plate, and they sat quietly after that, waiting. Adam gradually became aware that his last dose of pain killers was wearing thin. He didn't want to take any more of the mind-numbing drugs, so he tried to ignore the pain in the hopes that his parents would forget.

It was a vain effort. Even if his parents forgot, he should have known that the healer wouldn't. Healer Dorgan came in with a draught of something that was bound to taste vile, followed shortly by Man-at-Arms, come to report on the pursuit of Whiplash.

Adam shook his head at the healer, turning to listen to Man-at-Arms' report. His father, though, held up a hand, forestalling Duncan's words. "Take your medicine, Adam," he said. Adam gave him a pleading look, but his father wasn't moved. Adam drank the bitter stuff and lay back as the servants came in and took away the dinner plates.

"We ran him off, but he went to ground and eluded us in the caves."

Randor asked a few more questions, but Adam lost track of the conversation quickly. He struggled to keep his eyes open for awhile, but when the cracks on the ceiling began to dance, he admitted defeat.

A commotion jarred him out of sleep deep in the night. It sounded like a skirmish was taking place just underneath his windows. Adam dragged himself to a sitting position, disregarding the discomfort in his leg. The drugs were doing a good job of dulling the pain, but they dulled his mind, too. He hoped that He-Man could shake the haze off more successfully.

He was straining desperately to reach his sword when something grabbed his arms and pinned him against the bed.

Alarmed, he fought back against his attacker. He heard a voice speaking urgently, but couldn't make sense of it. Whoever was holding him down could not be moved, no matter how he struggled. If only he were He-Man! Then he could break free.

Of course, if he were He-Man, he wouldn't be in bed.

The meaning of the words suddenly penetrated.

"Adam, stop struggling! Adam, it's me. Adam!"

He sagged back against his pillows. "Father?" he asked blearily.

"Yes, yes. You're all right, Adam, you're safe."

He shook his head. "Got to get my sword. Got to . . . have to fight."

"No, Adam, no." Randor was bent across him, holding him down. Adam tried to blink the film out of his eyes with no success. "Son, there are others who can fight. You must stay here, in bed."

"No, must fight. He-Man . . ."

Randor sat down on the side of the bed, still leaning on both Adam's arms. "Adam, you really must steady down. You can't keep launching yourself headlong into battles you can't win. He-Man is a great hero, but you can't take him as your example. No one can live up to his level of prowess."

Adam blinked confusedly up at his father. "But -"

"Adam, I'm quite serious -"

"Randor?" Man-at-Arms' voice came from the door. "There's no point in trying to reason with him right now. He's on medication and half-asleep." He walked over and looked down at Adam's face. "He's probably not getting one word in three. Stop him now. Lecture him later."

What was Man-at-Arms saying? Lecture never! He needed his sword. His eyes strayed to where it hung in its sheath on the bedpost.

"You're right, Duncan, but there is one more thing I can do now." He stood up and Adam lay back, gasping, too weary now to reach again for the sword. Randor took the sword and wrapped the harness around the sheath. "I'm going to take this to my room. Perhaps if it's completely out of his reach, he won't try so hard to join the fighting."

"No!" Adam cried. "Don't! I need my sword!" Randor paused at the door and looked back at him with an expression Adam was incapable of deciphering in his condition.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Then he turned away and left the room.

"Man-at-Arms!" Adam cried desperately. "Stop him. Get my sword! Someone's attacking. . ."

"We drove off the attack, Adam. Tu-Bad will be licking his wounds for some time, I think." Adam lay back, exhausted. "It's time for injured young princes to go back to sleep."

As if Duncan's words had the power of magic, Adam's eyes clouded over again, and he fell back to sleep.

The next morning, Adam and Teela made a desultory attempt to return to their studies, but neither could concentrate. Cringer had managed to find space on Adam's bed to settle down in, and he was lucky enough to be able to sleep. Teela, who'd chased after Tu-Bad the night before, kept yawning, and Adam's mind kept wandering onto strange, drug-induced tangents. He spent a lot of time trying to decide what shape the new cracks on his ceiling formed. Was it a lopsided horse, or a cat seen from underneath? Or maybe - a knock at the door distracted him from this contemplation, and he looked over, eager for a diversion. Maybe Orko could come in and do some magic.

Teela rose and opened the door. There came a sound of feminine voices, one very quiet and sweet, and Teela's. He found himself considering the fact that he preferred the assurance in Teela's voice to the almost timid voices of some of the other ladies at court. His mother always sounded assured. . .

"Lady Asala is here to see you, Prince Adam," Teela said formally. He looked up at her face, confused. He didn't want to see any courtiers, especially not that one, but he couldn't find a way to say it that didn't sound rude.

Lady Asala came into the room, followed by another woman he recognized as her maid. What was her name? Fenella, a questing thought supplied. Lady Asala came up beside the bed and curtsied.

Cringer came awake suddenly and went into a crouch. He growled up at Lady Asala, who drew back in alarm. Startled, Adam reached down and tried to get Cringer to relax. "It's okay, boy, Teela's here, and Lady Asala is no threat."

He gazed up at the lady, who gave him a nervous smile. "I just wanted to apologize, your highness, for all the confusion I caused."

Adam sighed, hand on Cringer's back. The big cat was still very tense. "Don't worry about it," he said, trying to seem more pulled together than he really felt. "We all make mistakes."

A peculiar smile crossed the woman's face, and she glanced aside, as though to make sure that Teela had, indeed, closed the door. When the door clicked shut, she looked back down at him with that strange expression. Then she leaned close to Adam's face and said, "Some of us make more than others!" With that, she stood up sharply and flashed a blue-colored gem in Teela's face. Teela's eyes grew alarmed - but her face went totally blank.

Asala - if it was Asala - turned back to Adam. He opened his mouth to yell, to call for his guards. She made a slight gesture, and he felt his throat go numb.

Cringer made as if to leap on her, but she held out a hand, palm-first, at him and let a bolt of power fly at the cat. Cringer reared back, falling across Adam's legs, then slid off the bed headfirst. Adam started to cry out, both in pain and in concern for his pet, but his voice made no sound.

He glared up at the woman who could not be Lady Asala.

"Your harpy is immobilized, Prince Adam," she said with a caressing sound in her voice, bending to tap him gently between the eyes. "Your voice is frozen, your guards are unsuspecting, and everything is going according to my plan." Looking aside, she said, "Beastman, ready the stretcher."

Tuned up 02/02/09 with help from Delora2047