Chapter Four
"Let me see if I have this straight," said Teela. "You want me … to kill HE-MAN?"
"That is correct," said the old woman alias Evil-Lyn.
"WHY?" Teela asked, cocking an eyebrow in puzzlement. "What'd he do to YOU?"
"It's not so much what he did to ME … as what he did … to my village," said the old woman.
"OK," said Teela. "What'd he do to your village … if anything?"
"He destroyed it," the old woman lied. "He destroyed it … and killed a great many people." The old woman paused. "Men, women, children … young, old."
Teela's eyebrows shot upwards in disbelief. This is HE-MAN we're talking about here, she thought. HE-MAN!
"Why would he do such a thing?" Teela asked. "Of course, this is assuming he DID it…"
The old woman shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows?" she replied. "Madness … possession … it could be any number of reasons."
"I don't believe you," said Teela firmly, shaking her head. "It's not the He-Man I know…"
"You're young, child," said the old woman softly. "There's a side of him you've never seen … a DARK side."
"The He-Man I know would give up his sword before he'd kill someone…"
"Would he?" the old woman countered. "How much do you REALLY know about him?"
"If what you say is true, how come I'VE never heard anything about it?" Teela asked. "If He-Man truly DID go on the rampage, surely word would've gotten out by now."
"It's my word against He-Man's," said the old woman. "The word of an old woman … versus that of Eternia's Champion." The old woman paused. "People are afraid. To speak of it would mean incurring … his Wrath."
"If what you say is true, is it really necessary to KILL him?" Teela inquired. "Would it not be better to ARREST him … as opposed to killing him?"
The old woman smiled, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "One does not simply 'arrest' … the Most Powerful Man in the Universe," she said with a chuckle. "There's not a prison cell in the universe that can contain him."
"Shokoti couldn't kill him … Hordak couldn't kill him … Skeletor and his minions can't kill him," Teela interjected. "What makes you think I CAN?"
"He'll never suspect one of his closest friends," said the old woman. She then stroked Teela's jaw and said, "Please … do this for me … For your mother."
"I'll think about … what you said," said Teela.
The old woman kissed Teela on the cheek and said, "I must go…"
"WAIT!" Teela cried. "Why did you leave me?"
"For lo these many years, I've been living on the run…" said the old woman.
Teela knitted her eyebrows in confusion. "From HE-MAN?" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"Not from He-Man … from his friends," said the old woman. "He has powerful friends. Friends … who would think nothing of killing you to protect him."
Teela couldn't believe what she was hearing. The old woman's tale was becoming ever more bizarre with each passing moment.
"I didn't want you in that life," the old woman continued. "I gave you up … to protect you." The old woman paused. "I must go … "
"Mother..."
"You mustn't tell anyone about me ... or our meeting."
"I promise…"
The old woman kissed Teela on the cheek once more and said, "Let us meet here again … in a fortnight."
"I will…" Teela promised. She stared dumbstruck as the old woman turned and walked away into the night.