**Disclaimer in One. I don't claim any rights to MOTU or POP, this is just
for fun.
***Feedback, good or bad, is always appreciated. I know this seems a little long so far, and in all honesty, I'm only about half way through the story so please, bear with me. Thanks all!
CHAPTER 21
The green tiger lay lazily by Damas' tent and popped open an eye as the two approached the campsite. Slowly, he rose up from his back haunches, stretched out his front legs and sauntered over to the rock when Damas plopped down and sighed in frustration.
Behind him, Shadow Weaver hovered above the ground, her arms crossed and the green flames of her eyes flickering in anger.
"That was the most foolish thing you have ever done!" she hissed at him. "You could have been killed!"
Damas waived his arm in dismissal and shook his head. He didn't want to hear this from her. She was a witch, not a warrior. She had no concept of honor and victory so what did she know of his intentions.
Still, he had never seen her like this before. She was actually shaking and at first, Damas had chalked it up to anger. But now he thought differently. Now he recognized the scent coming off of her.
She reeked of fear. This puzzled the General.
"What could she possibly have to be afraid of?" he thought, amused that even the most wicked and vile sorceress known in the history of all Etheria was scared of something.
But what was it?
He scratched the cringer on the head and walked over to his tent, reached in and grabbed a canteen of water. After a few hearty swigs, he put it back and pulled out his maps. Weaver still hung back, still fuming from the General's lack of regard.
Perhaps she feared punishment from Hordak, Damas considered. His father would indeed be very annoyed with the witch if he were to fall into the hands of the enemy and fail the mission. But Damas knew that as angry as his father would be with Weaver, he would receive ten fold the punishment for failing to obey orders.
And with what given time he had left to finalize plans for the assault on Grayskull, he had to focus. Randor would have to wait until another time. Next time, Damas would finish the job.
"If I wanted an lecture from you witch, I'd have asked for it," he said curtly as he checked over ammunition plans. "Granted, it was a setback time wise, but not so much of one that I won't be prepared for our mission. Speaking of which, where in the hells have you been?"
He waited for Shadow Weaver to respond but instead she just glared at him. After several minutes, the green flames narrowed.
"I was investigated the forest surrounding Grayskull," she hissed again. "Trying to determine what we will have to work with."
Which was partly true, she had been near Grayskull for a time, trying to get a feel for its magic. If Damas were to succeed here, she would have to find a weakness in Grayskull's power. Above all else, she had to figure out a way to protect Damas from succumbing to it.
However, she had been closer to him than he realized. She watched him from afar, seeing how he reacted to his birthplace-even if it didn't remember it as such. The scene in the market had been most troublesome to her. As he screamed in pain, she tried to get into his mind, to subdue his memories and for the most part, she was sure she had succeeded. For the most part.
Still, she would take no chances from here on out.
Damas looked at her, shook his head and chuckled.
"What we have to work with?" he said lightly. "By Hordak this is going to be a long day."
As far as he was concerned, Weaver was useless. He was still alive, and would have gotten out of the palace by himself if so needed. In fact, he felt it would have been a lot easier to get out of the palace than it was to get into it. Randor's men were not fools by any means, but they were not the type of warriors Damas was used to going up against.
Well, with maybe the exception of the redhead. For a woman, she could pack quite the punch. In different circumstances, she could be of use to the Horde. Unfortunately, her loyalties belonged to a coward and that could end up costing her.
Damas sighed. For some unexplainable reason, he really did not want to have to kill her. He frowned at the memory of the events that had taken place just hours ago.
Something tugged at his stomach, a feeling of uneasiness about the whole situation. When he was captured, he expected to be interrogated and tortured. Instead, well what happened was definitely not expected.
He shook it off. Hordak had warned him that Eternia would play tricks on his mind and he was right. Damas was proud that he had heeded his father's warning but made a mental note to keep what had happened to himself. The way Weaver had been shaking, he got the distinct impression she wouldn't be too eager to make any reports to Hordak about it either.
So for the time being, what had just transpired was in the past. He had work to do.
*********
Teela's head hurt. A LOT. She slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings. After a few seconds she figured out where she was.
The infirmary.
"Great," Teela breathed as she slowly started to pull herself up. Soon she felt strong arms behind her back, supporting her wait.
Man-At-Arms smiled softly and stood next to his daughter's bed. She looked at him and smiled back.
"How long have I been here?" she asked.
Man-At-Arms started to explain when the glass door opened behind him and Calen walked through. She moved to salute the Captain but he put his hand up and shook his head, as if to say "At ease."
Teela smiled weakly as her father kept talking about what the healer had said. But she knew her body; she knew she was okay, minus the massive headache she now suffered.
In the room next to hers, she saw the Queen, fast asleep. The King sat protectively beside her as Adora looked on.
"This is not good," she thought to herself as she turned her attention back to her father. But then, the memory of what had just occurred flashed through her mind and knocked her roughly back to reality. Teela closed her eyes and tried to focus on them, desperately trying to come to grips with what had just transpired.
"Oh God, Adora....." she thought to herself. She looked again into the other room and watched as Adora wiped a tear away. She turned and for a split second the two women's eyes locked.
Teela felt all the blood drain away from her face as the realization hit her harder than she had hit the wall.
Those eyes. She had looked into those eyes before she had blacked out. Those eyes were angry and tormented but they were the same stunning blue eyes. Then she remembered what the Queen had said.
She turned to her father.
".....find that scoundrel and lock him up forever. That Hordesman will wish........."
Even though she herself couldn't believe it, every instinct in her body told her that her heart was right about this one. She had to tell him.
"Father, wait!" she blurted out.
*********
Adora and Calen barged into the infirmary where Teela, the Queen and the fallen guardsmen were taken. Randor was already there, by the Queen's bedside, holding her hand.
Adora fought back the tears that came flooding to her as she saw the bruises on her mother. But the healer had said she had only a knock on the head and would be fine. Still, this was her mother. Her kind, loving mother and someone was responsible for putting her here. Adora made a mental note to find that person.
In the next room, Man-At-Arms was helping Teela up out of her sickbed. Calen squeezed Adora's hand and went to talk to his lieutenant. Adora approached her father's back and put a hand on his shoulder.
Randor didn't budge. The princess could feel the anger radiating from him, she let the tears form in her eyes but wiped them away quickly.
She looked into the other room again, only to have see Teela staring back at her. Wide-eyed and pale as a ghost.
"I wonder if she's okay?" she thought to herself.
"I want that monster found," Randor seethed as Adora returned her attention to him. "I want him found and I want him imprisoned in the deepest, dankest, darkest cell in the dungeon. He will pay for this atrocity."
Adora was a little taken off guard by her father's ferociousness. He was a fair man who put more emphasis on rehabilitation than punishment. She had never seen him so angry.
But in her mind, she wanted to agree with her father. This Hordesman, the one who did this, would wish he had never set foot on Eternia when she was done with him. Or rather when She-Ra was done with him.
She looked into the other room again and something caught her eye. It was the expression on Calen's face. She had never seen it before. It was then that she noticed the look on Duncan's face. He too seemed bewildered. Confused, she went to the adjoining door and opened it.
Just as she stepped through, she heard Teela's voice. And what Teela said made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
"I know it sounds crazy but I saw his eyes!" Teela blurted out. "The Queen called the prisoner 'Adam.' Don't you see, father? The Hordesman is Prince Adam!"
***Feedback, good or bad, is always appreciated. I know this seems a little long so far, and in all honesty, I'm only about half way through the story so please, bear with me. Thanks all!
CHAPTER 21
The green tiger lay lazily by Damas' tent and popped open an eye as the two approached the campsite. Slowly, he rose up from his back haunches, stretched out his front legs and sauntered over to the rock when Damas plopped down and sighed in frustration.
Behind him, Shadow Weaver hovered above the ground, her arms crossed and the green flames of her eyes flickering in anger.
"That was the most foolish thing you have ever done!" she hissed at him. "You could have been killed!"
Damas waived his arm in dismissal and shook his head. He didn't want to hear this from her. She was a witch, not a warrior. She had no concept of honor and victory so what did she know of his intentions.
Still, he had never seen her like this before. She was actually shaking and at first, Damas had chalked it up to anger. But now he thought differently. Now he recognized the scent coming off of her.
She reeked of fear. This puzzled the General.
"What could she possibly have to be afraid of?" he thought, amused that even the most wicked and vile sorceress known in the history of all Etheria was scared of something.
But what was it?
He scratched the cringer on the head and walked over to his tent, reached in and grabbed a canteen of water. After a few hearty swigs, he put it back and pulled out his maps. Weaver still hung back, still fuming from the General's lack of regard.
Perhaps she feared punishment from Hordak, Damas considered. His father would indeed be very annoyed with the witch if he were to fall into the hands of the enemy and fail the mission. But Damas knew that as angry as his father would be with Weaver, he would receive ten fold the punishment for failing to obey orders.
And with what given time he had left to finalize plans for the assault on Grayskull, he had to focus. Randor would have to wait until another time. Next time, Damas would finish the job.
"If I wanted an lecture from you witch, I'd have asked for it," he said curtly as he checked over ammunition plans. "Granted, it was a setback time wise, but not so much of one that I won't be prepared for our mission. Speaking of which, where in the hells have you been?"
He waited for Shadow Weaver to respond but instead she just glared at him. After several minutes, the green flames narrowed.
"I was investigated the forest surrounding Grayskull," she hissed again. "Trying to determine what we will have to work with."
Which was partly true, she had been near Grayskull for a time, trying to get a feel for its magic. If Damas were to succeed here, she would have to find a weakness in Grayskull's power. Above all else, she had to figure out a way to protect Damas from succumbing to it.
However, she had been closer to him than he realized. She watched him from afar, seeing how he reacted to his birthplace-even if it didn't remember it as such. The scene in the market had been most troublesome to her. As he screamed in pain, she tried to get into his mind, to subdue his memories and for the most part, she was sure she had succeeded. For the most part.
Still, she would take no chances from here on out.
Damas looked at her, shook his head and chuckled.
"What we have to work with?" he said lightly. "By Hordak this is going to be a long day."
As far as he was concerned, Weaver was useless. He was still alive, and would have gotten out of the palace by himself if so needed. In fact, he felt it would have been a lot easier to get out of the palace than it was to get into it. Randor's men were not fools by any means, but they were not the type of warriors Damas was used to going up against.
Well, with maybe the exception of the redhead. For a woman, she could pack quite the punch. In different circumstances, she could be of use to the Horde. Unfortunately, her loyalties belonged to a coward and that could end up costing her.
Damas sighed. For some unexplainable reason, he really did not want to have to kill her. He frowned at the memory of the events that had taken place just hours ago.
Something tugged at his stomach, a feeling of uneasiness about the whole situation. When he was captured, he expected to be interrogated and tortured. Instead, well what happened was definitely not expected.
He shook it off. Hordak had warned him that Eternia would play tricks on his mind and he was right. Damas was proud that he had heeded his father's warning but made a mental note to keep what had happened to himself. The way Weaver had been shaking, he got the distinct impression she wouldn't be too eager to make any reports to Hordak about it either.
So for the time being, what had just transpired was in the past. He had work to do.
*********
Teela's head hurt. A LOT. She slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings. After a few seconds she figured out where she was.
The infirmary.
"Great," Teela breathed as she slowly started to pull herself up. Soon she felt strong arms behind her back, supporting her wait.
Man-At-Arms smiled softly and stood next to his daughter's bed. She looked at him and smiled back.
"How long have I been here?" she asked.
Man-At-Arms started to explain when the glass door opened behind him and Calen walked through. She moved to salute the Captain but he put his hand up and shook his head, as if to say "At ease."
Teela smiled weakly as her father kept talking about what the healer had said. But she knew her body; she knew she was okay, minus the massive headache she now suffered.
In the room next to hers, she saw the Queen, fast asleep. The King sat protectively beside her as Adora looked on.
"This is not good," she thought to herself as she turned her attention back to her father. But then, the memory of what had just occurred flashed through her mind and knocked her roughly back to reality. Teela closed her eyes and tried to focus on them, desperately trying to come to grips with what had just transpired.
"Oh God, Adora....." she thought to herself. She looked again into the other room and watched as Adora wiped a tear away. She turned and for a split second the two women's eyes locked.
Teela felt all the blood drain away from her face as the realization hit her harder than she had hit the wall.
Those eyes. She had looked into those eyes before she had blacked out. Those eyes were angry and tormented but they were the same stunning blue eyes. Then she remembered what the Queen had said.
She turned to her father.
".....find that scoundrel and lock him up forever. That Hordesman will wish........."
Even though she herself couldn't believe it, every instinct in her body told her that her heart was right about this one. She had to tell him.
"Father, wait!" she blurted out.
*********
Adora and Calen barged into the infirmary where Teela, the Queen and the fallen guardsmen were taken. Randor was already there, by the Queen's bedside, holding her hand.
Adora fought back the tears that came flooding to her as she saw the bruises on her mother. But the healer had said she had only a knock on the head and would be fine. Still, this was her mother. Her kind, loving mother and someone was responsible for putting her here. Adora made a mental note to find that person.
In the next room, Man-At-Arms was helping Teela up out of her sickbed. Calen squeezed Adora's hand and went to talk to his lieutenant. Adora approached her father's back and put a hand on his shoulder.
Randor didn't budge. The princess could feel the anger radiating from him, she let the tears form in her eyes but wiped them away quickly.
She looked into the other room again, only to have see Teela staring back at her. Wide-eyed and pale as a ghost.
"I wonder if she's okay?" she thought to herself.
"I want that monster found," Randor seethed as Adora returned her attention to him. "I want him found and I want him imprisoned in the deepest, dankest, darkest cell in the dungeon. He will pay for this atrocity."
Adora was a little taken off guard by her father's ferociousness. He was a fair man who put more emphasis on rehabilitation than punishment. She had never seen him so angry.
But in her mind, she wanted to agree with her father. This Hordesman, the one who did this, would wish he had never set foot on Eternia when she was done with him. Or rather when She-Ra was done with him.
She looked into the other room again and something caught her eye. It was the expression on Calen's face. She had never seen it before. It was then that she noticed the look on Duncan's face. He too seemed bewildered. Confused, she went to the adjoining door and opened it.
Just as she stepped through, she heard Teela's voice. And what Teela said made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
"I know it sounds crazy but I saw his eyes!" Teela blurted out. "The Queen called the prisoner 'Adam.' Don't you see, father? The Hordesman is Prince Adam!"