Pure Intentions? Chapter 41
Having heard and felt the explosion that demolished the Prince's bedroom, the Villa's butler ran frantically up the double helix marble staircase to check up on his Highness and his special guest. He got there at the same time as the bubble left the room. Without hesitation, he used the room's communication system to call the Palace. Using the private number Adam had given him, he reached Man-at-Arms.
"They're both gone?", Duncan exclaimed his cinnamon mustached twitching with concern, once the butler informed him of the invasion.
Going to the gap in the wall, the butler was able to see his Highness and the Captain floating away from the Manor. "Yes, Sir!", he responded despondently.
"What direction are they traveling in?", Duncan asked having already called for the King and Queen as well as Adora and her Etherian friends.
"In the direction of Snake Mountain", was the simple reply.
"Don't touch anything", Duncan instructed gruffly. "We'll be there as soon as possible."
"Off course", the butler replied as he left the room, closing the door behind him. Going downstairs he informed the rest of the house staff that the King and Queen would be arriving shortly.
Arriving at Snake Mountain, the Prince and Captain were unceremonialy imprisoned in one of Skeletor's cells, the bony thatched door locking in place with a loud thud. The three evil goons left Adam and Teela immediately upon depositing them in the prison, despite Teela's vehement threats and curses. Wanting to keep his cowardly appearance, Adam remained passive and quiet throughout the entire ordeal. Now was not the time to show their captors his bravery. Especially, since he was without his Power Sword. Adam wondered if Teela noticed that the sword was left behind.
He didn't have long to wait as her first words to him when they were alone were, "Hurry up and change so that we can get out of here!"
"Can't happen", he informed her.
"Why not!", she demanded.
Standing from his seated position, Adam came to stand in front of his bodyguard so that he could drop his voice to a bare whisper as he uttered, "The Power Sword is back at my grandfather's Manor." "He-Man won 't be coming to our rescue today."
"You can't be serious?", she questioned him nervously.
"Unfortunately, I am", he uttered as he plopped down next to her. "Without the sword on me, I can't even communicate with the Sorceress." "This is serious, Tee."
"No shit", she exclaimed. Seeing that he was serious, Teela kept her mouth shut for several minutes. The silence between them was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. After twenty minutes of neither speaking, Teela wondered, "You mean to tell me we are truly stuck here."
Nodding, Adam stood up to go examine the bony door. Fiddling with the lock, he was amazed that it was truly locked. In many of his forays into Snake Mountain's dungeons as He-Man, he had found that Skeletor's minions would often forget to lock the doors, making his rescue of the prisoners inside much easier. At this moment, Adam wished he had the brainless Beast Man or overly confident Evil-Lyn to deal with. Stephania and her father were proving to be far more formidable threats than he had given them credit for.
Coming to stand behind him, she asked "Any luck?", her voice hopeful.
Shaking his head no, he reached behind him to grab her hands. Tugging, he pulled her closer so that he could wrap her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry", he stated. "I shouldn't have let my guard down."
Turning her head, Teela nuzzled her cheek into his broad muscular back. Inhaling, she breathed his intoxicating scent which immediately quickened her blood. Breathing deeply, she uttered "It's not your fault Adam." "You and I should have gone after Stephania ourselves today rather than depend on your sister."
"Adora is more than capable", Adam stated in her defense.
Dropping her arms from around his waist, Teela maneuvered her body so she was in front of him. Tilting her head upwards she stared into his troubled blue eyes. "Stephania was our problem, not Adora's, Casta's, or Glimmer's", she stated matter-of-factly.
"I didn't want her anywhere near you", he replied "that's the only reason I agreed to our parents' scheme."
In a very different tone from their conversation not even a half hour ago, Teela replied "Thank you for trying to protect me."
Sarcastically, Adam answered "I used to be able to do that."
Surprised at his sarcasm she questioned his response. "What do you mean?"
"From the day of my birthday ball, all I've done is put your life in danger", he explained.
"My life has always been dangerous, love", she reminded him tenderly.
"Not like this, it hasn't." "It's because I made the decision to publicly show others what you mean to me that your life has had such an upheaval", he stated despondently.
"So are you saying, you don't want us to court?", she questioned him.
Lowering his head, he kissed her sweetly before shaking his head. Releasing her lips he answered, "What I'm saying is that I have to do a better job of keeping you out of harm's way."
"You mean, we have to do better to protect each other", she stated matter of factly. Then with a self-assured grin she added, "I'm still your bodyguard, after all."
"Yes you are", he acquiesced. Walking away from her, he took hold of the bony cell door once again as he asked "How do you suppose we rescue each other from this predicament?"
"We can't blast our way out of here", Teela stated. "I don't even have one weapon on me."
Looking down at her, Adam almost smiled at the comical stance Teela held. She stood with arms and legs spread wide, the bed sheet she was covered in barely covering her body. He himself was in no better state wearing only pajama bottoms and the gauge around his ribcage. Both were barefoot. If it wasn't for the molten lava that ran around the base of Snake Mountain they would also have been dealing with immense cold as the dungeon's walls were weeping with dew.
"Forget about weapons, we aren't even properly dressed", he said mirthlessly.
"Ha Ha", she uttered without really laughing. Teela then began pacing aimlessly around the cell as she tried to think of a way out. Suddenly her face lit up like a firecracker. Reaching up into her hairline, Teela pulled loose a hairpin that was holding back her long bangs. "Here", she uttered as she handed the clasp to him.
Adam's eyes lit up as he saw they had some sort of tool to aide in their escape. Walking over to the door, he carefully insert the bobby pin into the lock tentatively feeling around for the release mechanism. Round and round he rotated the pin, unable to find the lever needed to give them freedom.
"Shit", he exclaimed angrily as he gave another jingle of her hairpin within the lock, hoping he could loosen it. When the door didn't budge, he hung his head dejectedly.
Three hours later at the Manor
Randor, Marlena, Duncan, and Orko stormed into the bedroom Adam and Teela were taken from. Walking to the gaping hole in the wall, Duncan peered outside in the direction he knew the Prince and Captain traveled in as he scratched his head wondering about this newest abduction. It wasn't even a full 48 hours since he had rescued Teela from the Rock People's lair and his daughter was missing again. Pulling his head back into the room, he turned to face his Sovereigns as they waited further in the room.
"Well at least we know that they were both taken", Duncan stated to them.
Joining him by the window, the King addressed his long time friend. "What do you think they want with them this time?", he asked after looking out the crack in the wall himself.
"I don't have the faintest idea", Duncan answered. "I don't know if they were after Teela and Adam is just collateral or vice versa", he mused aloud
At his words, the Queen sat on the bed taking in the rumpled sheets and the overall disheveled shape of the room. Her keen eye, caught that certain linens were missing from the room. "They must have put up a fight", she noted.
"Knowing Adam and Teela, they definitely didn't go willingly", the King added. "At least, we know they are safe." "He can turn into He-Man at any time and free them", he stated with pride, just as Orko floated into the room. Until that point, the floating Trollan was tasked to check the manor for any magical spying devices. Having found none, he joined the Royals and Man-At-Arms in the Prince's bedroom.
Spinning around on top of the massive bed in the middle of the room, Orko's large eyes landed on a shiny metal object leaning up against the wall. Making a beeline for the object, Orko let out a loud gasp when he realized what he was staring at.
"Ummm, Ummm", he tried clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. Pulling on his collar with one hand, he pointed madly with the index finger of his other hand towards the metal object. "Umm, Umm", he cleared his throat again.
"Not now, Orko", Duncan yelled which was his typical reaction to Orko. Man-At-Arms always had a way of downplaying Orko's anxieties, this being one of them. The King, Queen, and Duncan had started exiting the room to find the butler, each immersed in their own thoughts to give Orko much attention.
Not knowing what to do to gain their attention, Orko started wildly flapping his arms up and down. Taking deep breaths he again attempted to gain everyone's attention to no avail. He couldn't form any words, no matter what he tried. As Duncan and the Monarchs started making their way down the stairs, Orko became frantic. He had to let everyone know what he found. Without a second thought, he grabbed onto the sword holding it point outwards extended from his body. The weight of the sword was so intense, poor Orko couldn't control what happened to him next. His hands trembled from the effort it took for him to hold the sword aloft. With a loud harrumph, Orko tumbled over himself, the momentum of the weight's sword and his floating magic carrying him out of the room. Revolution after revolution, round and round, Orko and the sword went down the stairs right after the King and Queen until with a louder 'thwack' he landed on top of the Duncan.
Instantly, three angry voices cried his name annoyed at his faux pas. It was the Queen who righted herself first and noticed that Orko was hold Adam's Power Sword, recognizing it instantly.
"Adam's sword", she exclaimed. "He left it here", she cried despondently.
Her words instantly caught her husband's and Duncan's attention. Standing up, they dusted themselves off, before Duncan lifted poor Orko off the floor. With eyes wide, he noticed that the Queen's words were exact. Sure enough, Orko was holding none other than Adam's Power Sword. Immediately, the worst scenario's fleeted through his mind. If Adam didn't have his sword on him, he was unable to turn into He-Man, protect Teela, or contact the Sorceress.
"Do you think they know?", asked Randor alluding to Adam's secret.
Catching his drift, Duncan shook his head in the negative. "Grayskull's power shields Adam's secret from those that would harm him or use him to enter Grayskull", he answered.
"So Adam left the sword here on purpose?", asked the Queen as she reached over to give Orko a hand. Although Duncan had lifted Orko of the floor, no one had thought to relieve him from the sword's weight. Taking hold the Power Sword, the Queen held it pointing away from everyone as she waited for Duncan to answer. "Perhaps he left it here to protect it from falling into Skeletor's hands?", she offered.
"No, I don't think so", replied Duncan acerbically.
"Why don't you think so?", asked the King.
"Whenever Adam wears the sword, it is always invisible." "Even I who have always known Adam's secret don't see the sword when it is sheathed on his back", Duncan clarified his mustache twitching as he was trying to ascertain why and how the sword was left behind.
"Does he wear it on his back while he sleeps?", asked the Queen.
Shaking his head in the negative, Duncan gave his wordless reply.
"Then what was Adam thinking?", asked the King the annoyance in his voice evident.
Recalling the messy state of the bedroom, the Queen quickly deduced what Adam and Teela were doing that prevented him from wearing the sword on his back. Whether Duncan or Randor knew it, the Queen was sure that Adam was following his father's order to give them grandchildren. Biting her lip, Marlena decided to keep that fact to herself wanting to spare Adam and Teela any embarrassment that may come along with needed to explain to their fathers that they were caught with their pants down.
Literally.