Chapter Twelve: "Day of the Bonding"

"So, did you hear the news about Snout Spout?"

Moss Man blinked. "No. What happened?"

"Found his family," He-Man answered.

"No kidding."

"Yeah. Now, they're moving to Eternos to be with him."

"Huh. Go hose nose."

The pair was walking along the outer wall of Eternos. Repairs were nearly complete, which was something that put everyone at ease. It was gorgeous day and the night that would come would be filled with stars. Perfect for what He-Man had planned.

"So, you want Inferno Logs?" Moss Man asked.

"Yes. Are you sure this is okay?"

Moss Man smiled. "Trees like being burned after they die. It's a way of returning to the earth from wince they came."

He-Man nodded. "Alrighty. I appreciate this, Moss Man. I do."

"Well, I'd still like to know what you're up to, but I'll do it."

He-Man slapped him on the back. "Ha! See you tonight, Moss Man, don't forget!"

Moss Man walked grinned and walked off. He-Man took a deep breath and then saw that Teela that was approaching him. An inner part of him cringed. He had been avoiding Teela ever since he and Kathryn had hooked up (as Adam) and this was going to be hard.

"He-Man, I'm glad I finally found you," she greeted.

"Teela, hi. How have you been?"

"I've been . . ." she began, then sighed. "Okay. I've been okay. He-Man, we need to talk."

He-Man nodded. "Okay."

"Listen, this isn't easy for me. It isn't. But . . . I need to know. More importantly, I need you to know." She touched his hand. "I love you, He-Man, and I've loved you for a very long time. You know that by now. And . . . I just need some resolution."

He-Man took a deep breath. "Teela, I . . ."

"Do you love me?" The words came out like a shotgun, snapping from her mouth, pointed right at him. Her eyes bore into his, searching for an answer that she couldn't find.

"I . . . Teela, I can't." A half-truth. The simple fact was that he didn't. Not after falling in love with Kathryn.

"Duty," she breathed.

"Yes."

"I understand duty, He-Man. I'm a soldier. I've spent my entire life around warriors and soldiers."

"Then you also understand that I am a living, breathing target. I saw you almost die once and I can't watch it happen again."

"I survived that."

"Just barely."

"I tougher than you think I am! Damn it, He-Man! I love you! This shouldn't matter!" Teela cried and stomped her foot in frustration.

He-Man kept his cool. "It does matter. There are too many enemies out there that'll see us together and -"

"WHO!?" she demanded. "Skeletor's gone! Marzo's gone! Hordak's on another planet! And King Hiss doesn't care!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" He-Man shouted, growing angrier than he realized.

Teela frowned, lower lip trembling. "It matters to me."

He-Man took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I'm sorry, Teela. I know how much you love me . . . but I can't love you back. It's time we both deal with this and move on."

"Fine." Teela nodded slowly and looked away. "Fine."

The Captain walked off, leaving He-Man alone in the courtyard. He could hear her sobbing and now heard her boots pick up speed as they pressed against the ground.

She needed a friend.

He-Man looked around and saw that the courtyard was empty. He slipped behind one of the tall statues of King Vulnar the Bold.

"LET THE POWER RETURN!" he shouted.

The Sword of Power glowed brilliantly for a moment and a pulse of energy passed through He-Man's body. Suddenly, the pulse retreated into the Power Sword and He-Man was Prince Adam once again.

Adam emerged from behind the statue and listened carefully. He could no longer hear Teela, but he had a feeling he knew where she was. He rushed into the Palace and into the residential wing. Adam went to the door of her quarters and could hear her crying within.

He knocked.

"Teela!"

"Who is it?" came a somewhat startled voice.

"It's Adam. I saw you rush up here crying. Are you okay?"

"Yeah . . . I'm fine."

Liar, Adam thought. "I'm coming in anyways."

He walked in. Teela looked up from a chair, startled. "Adam, leave me alone."

"Teela . . . what's wrong?"

Adam shut the door. Much to his surprise, Teela didn't fight him on this. Instead, she honked her nose into a handkerchief.

"It's . . . it's He-Man. He and . . . I . . ." She wiped a few tears away from her eyes. Adam sat down across from her. "You put your heart on the line, Adam, and you get hurt. It's part of life. It's a shitty part of life, but it's a part of life all the same. I just . . . I thought I was stronger than this!"

Adam nodded, but didn't say anything. He had a feeling that she just needed to get it off her chest.

"He doesn't love me. And if he does, he can't. He's too afraid of me being hurt, but Adam . . . doesn't he know that I don't care!? Doesn't he know that I'll love him anyways!?"

Adam frowned. "Probably, Teela, but that doesn't mean that he still not afraid."

Teela began to cry harder. "I knew what was he was going to say. I knew it. I was expecting it, but I thought I would be better at . . . at . . ."

Teela bawled her eyes out. Adam reached forward just as she did. He held her, his best friend, as she wept over a broken heart . . .


That evening, He-Man lifted logs and tossed them upon the pile. He was a good mile away from Eternos, near the same band of mountains that stood southwest of the city. Once enough of the wood had been piled, he struck with a match and set it all ablaze.

He-Man then pulled out his communicator.

"CODE RED! CODE RED!" he yelled into it. "ALL HEROIC WARRIORS REPORT TO MY COORDINATES IMMEDIATELY! REPEAT: ALL HEROIC WARRIORS REPORT TO MY COORDINATES IMMEDIATELY!"

Within three minutes, they all arrived in a fierce rush. Man-At-Arms, Man-E-Faces, Mekaneck, Ram-Man, Stratos, Buzz-Off, Fisto, Moss Man, Roboto, Sy-Klone, Rio Blast, Extendar, Snout Spout, Clamp Champ, Rotar, Gwildor, Orko, Stonedar, Rokkon, and Pelicor.

"What's the emergency?" asked Orko.

He-Man smiled. "There is none. Have a seat."

The Heroic Warriors looked around and saw that there were seats for everyone to upon. They all did, gathered under the rising moons, all settled around the blazing bon fire.

"What's this all about?" Fisto asked.

"Fellowship," He-Man answered simply. "It's about brotherhood. It's about teamwork and the team that works. It's about . . . all of us. Gentlemen, many of us have been around for years. Many of us are brand new. Some of us are exiles, some of us are accidents. Some of us were chosen to have our powers, while others were cursed. Some of us are here out of choice while others have no other.

"But despite the differences in seniority and background, we are far more than just a few warriors. We are more than just heroes, my friends. We are great. We are powerful. We are brothers. After what happened during the conflict with the Spirit of Evil, there has been a lot of regret. A lot of hurt. A lot of broken bonds. Well . . . tonight we reforge those bonds."

He-Man pulled out his Battle Axe.

"This is the Battle Axe of Grayskull. It is a weapon older than all of us here combined. It has served me many times in the past - just as all of you have. That is why this Battle Axe is about to be re-christened."

He-Man shoved it into the burning fire, right beneath the Inferno Logs. When he pulled it out, everyone had gathered around. The Battle Axe was white hot. He-Man picked up a hammer and chisel and began to pound the initials of all the Heroic Warriors down along the center. He-Man dipped it into water, steam rising from the bucket.

He-Man then raised into the air.

"Behold the Battle Axe of Grayskull!"

The Heroic Warriors shouted.

"Behold the Battle Axe of Eternos!"

The Heroic Warriors shouted once more.

"BEHOLD! THE BATTLE AXE OF THE HEROIC WARRIORS!"

The roar from them was thunderous.

After they all calmed down, Duncan began to pass along some drinks and some food. He-Man sipped at his ale as jokes were told, along with old war stories, and comments on the past few months. After about an hour, He-Man spoke up.

"I think it's time to do something not everyone is going to be comfortable with," He-Man said. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while. All of us here . . . we wear helmets and costumes. We have names that define our abilities, but we all have real names. And other than a select few, nobody knows the others name. I think it's time we end that. I think it's time we look inside ourselves and out upon our colleagues and decide if it's time to realize that if we trust each other enough to work together like we do, then it's time to reveal ourselves completely. I won't force anyone to if they don't want to, but I will encourage all of you."

A long moment of silence followed in which they all looked at each other, as if gauging their bonds of trust.

"Some of us don't have real names," Pelicor said. "My name is Pelicor, all the same. I trust you people. It's been hard . . . but I do."

"The same for me," Rokkon followed up. "Rokkon is my name, however, I would gladly trust any of you with my life."

"And mine as well," Stonedar echoed. "In the year that I have been a part of your time, I have found myself trusting each and everyone of you."

"I never thought I would be in your ranks," Gwildor spoke. "But I suppose even inventors get to team-up with legends every so often."

Orko cleared his throat. "I know I'm not technically a Heroic Warrior, but to be with you guys and to help you guys when the going gets tough . . . it's a big honor."

A few of them muttered thank yous, as if not knowing what else to say. There was a long moment silence, and it was broken by one word . . .

"Samuel."

Everyone looked where it came from. It was Ram-Man. "My name is Samuel, son of Dooku."

"My name is Michael," said Mekaneck.

"Joshua," Man-E-Faces told them.

Fisto: "Matthew."

Clamp Champ: "Keith."

Snout Spout: "Henry."

Extendar: "Jonathan."

Rotar: "Daniel."

Sy-Klone: "Roland."

Rio-Blast: "Jonas."

Stratos and Buzz-Off exchanged smiles. "If we had real names to share, we would," Buzz-Off said.

"However, we echo your sentiments of trust and appreciate all of it," Stratos followed.

"Affirmative," Roboto added.

"What about your real name, He-Man?" asked Pelicor suddenly. "Surely, you weren't named that."

He-Man felt a strange urge to reveal the truth of it all to them. That he was Prince Adam. That he was chosen to be the champion of Castle Grayskull. A quick glance from Duncan told him otherwise, but still . . .

"Nah," Ram-Man said - Samuel said. "It'll spoil the mystery."

He-Man nodded and that was the end of it. He-Man then lifted his mug. The others stood with him.

"Gentlemen, I propose a toast!" he declared. "May we Heroic Warriors stand always for good! For justice! May we protect the light from the dark! May we be the guardians of the power of good! May we always remain . . . Masters of the Universe!"

And they all drank to that.

THE STORY ISN'T DONE YET! CHECK OUT "JUST ANOTHER DAY - BOOK THREE: LEGACY" COMING SOON!


AUTHOR'S NOTE: There's going to be a little hiatus simply because I have too many projects to handle right now. Don't worry, though, the story isn't finished yet! W