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nineteen: bearing gifts
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An SOS from the Sorceress? This just kept getting better.
Adam groaned and smacked himself on the forehead. "Of course! I should've known."
Father was busy adjusting the Wind Raider's course while coordinating with Ram-Man and Mekaneck via communicator, so it fell to Teela to ask, "Known what?"
" 'A magician's dying spell is their most powerful'," Adam explained, scowling. "That's what Orko said, right? Hordak's not dead, exactly, but his body was destroyed outside Castle Grayskull. Practically on its doorstep."
Teela remembered her vision of Shadow Weaver putting the whammy on Count Marzo. All his places of power have been destroyed, he'd snarled, and she'd wheezed That is not true. Her stomach sank further. "It's his last place of power."
"Looks like we'll need He-Man after all!" Adam said to Father.
"No," Father said.
Adam slouched down, scowling even harder.
Teela didn't have time to puzzle over this latest weirdness. She knew Father would have a battle plan in place by the time they reached the castle, but she wanted to see how much she could predict. And it never hurt to have some battle plans of her own, for when everything inevitably went pear-shaped mid-fight.
The five of them were the first of the Masters to arrive at Castle Grayskull; not surprising, given that they'd been en route to the palace. They landed on the dirt in front of the drawbridge, and Teela hopped out with a distinct feeling of deja vu.
She'd touched down in the same spot a few hours earlier. Full of hope. Full of happiness. And with a friend.
How quickly things changed.
By unspoken command, everyone gathered around in a circle, and Father began laying out his plans. "Ram-Man, you'll be here. Mekaneck, you'll be in the sky until Stratos and Buzz-Off arrive..."
Teela, the Sorceress' voice said in her mind, drowning out Father. Adam. Your presence is needed inside.
Apparently Father had gotten the same message, because he grunted and said, "Whatever it is, hurry back," before returning to the briefing.
Teela looked at Adam, who shrugged - but who also looked curious. What did the Sorceress need them for?
They crossed the drawbridge and walked into the perpetually deep shadows of the gate, where the Sorceress was waiting for them. It was hard to see her face in the dim light.
"Follow me," she said.
Wasting no time on social niceties, Teela observed.
The Sorceress turned and began walking away, farther into the gloom, but paused when Adam called out, "Hey!"
Teela looked at him. The Sorceress didn't.
"Is Teela right? Is Adora my sister?" Adam asked.
The Sorceress lifted off the floor with a graceful sweep of her wings and flew away, her falcon staff lighting the darkness around her.
Adam sighed. It was resigned, but in a way that suggested I should've known better. "That's her favorite answer," he told Teela, grinning a little.
Teela made a noncommittal hum. The Sorceress had saved her life once, and she wanted to like the woman, but… Maybe it wasn't her fault. Maybe you lost your people skills after you'd been shut up by yourself in a castle for a few years.
They followed the Sorceress through the twisting, dark corridors, going ever deeper into the heart of the castle. Teela was not a fan of the gargoyle motif; it seemed unnecessarily spooky. She also didn't like not knowing where she was going or how to get back.
At least there weren't any Twiggets whispering at her from the shadows.
Adam, darn him, strolled along comfortably. Of course – he'd been here before, at least once. Probably more than once, if he knew what the Sorceress' "favorite answer" was. But how many times? And why?
Teela stole glances at him as they walked, wondering.
Finally, the Sorceress touched down gracefully on a section of floor that looked exactly like every other section of floor, but something prickled at the back of Teela's neck.
"Here? Are you sure?" Adam asked the Sorceress, apparently surprised.
The woman's face was still difficult to see - this time hidden by the falcon headdress as she tipped her chin down. "There is something we must retrieve."
With that, the Sorceress struck the stone floor with the butt of her staff - tap, tap, tap - and suddenly they weren't standing on a floor but a descending lift.
And they were descending into…
"Whoa," Teela said, trying to take it all in.
Infinite chamber. Crystals. Blue-white light.
"Yeah, it's pretty amazing," Adam agreed, hands in his pockets, not even slightly fazed.
"It looks like the Crystal Castle," Teela said without thinking – and as soon as it was out of her mouth, she realized it was the truth. "I mean, the colors are different – actually it's all different – but… somehow it's... the same?"
Both she and Adam looked toward the Sorceress, who was gazing into the distance, her back to them.
So. No answers forthcoming, then.
The lift glided to a stop at the edge of one of the crystal platforms, and both Adam and the Sorceress disembarked. Teela followed suit, still trying not to gawk and still failing miserably. They crossed to the large pillar of blue-white crystals sprouting from the center of the platform and extending upwards to eternity.
"Remain here," the Sorceress said. Ordered, really, but nicely.
Teela and Adam stayed put, while the Sorceress moved to the platform's far edge and lifted her hands. Magic hummed around her falcon staff and did a fancy little lightshow in the air before a large, flat sword case floated up from the depths and into her outstretched arms.
Adam made a weird noise, but when Teela looked, she couldn't read his expression.
The Sorceress turned to face them again. The sword case was floating slightly above the Sorceress' palms. It was also glowing: pale gold, with little ephemeral swirls of bright glitter moving through the aura like shooting stars.
"Teela. Step forward," the Sorceress said.
With another glance at Adam - honestly, what was going on with him? - Teela walked over to the Sorceress. She meant to get a good look at the woman's face while she was up close like this, but there was something about the sword case that drew all her attention.
I know you, she thought. Which was stupid. She'd never seen the thing in her life.
The case's latch clicked free as she drew near, and the lid slowly lifted, revealing the sword resting inside.
"The Sword of Protection," the Sorceress intoned, extending her arms in Teela's direction. "Queen Veena's own blade."
Adam looked at the Sorceress, then the sword, then Teela, then back again. "It's for... Teela?"
"It has not been carried into battle since the days of Veena herself," the Sorceress said to Teela, as though Adam hadn't spoken. "You will carry it today."
Teela stepped closer to examine the sword. It looked like… a sword. A finely made sword, with exquisite damascene work along the length of the blade, and a large jewel set in the guard, which was further embellished with a design that might have been a flame, or might have been a flower.
But it was just a sword.
I know you, she thought again.
She reached into the case and picked it up. As her hand closed around the hilt, there was a flare of – something – in her chest, and gold sparkles danced at the corners of her vision. She shook her head, and the sparkles disappeared.
Just a sword.
"So does it, um, you know, do anything?" Adam was asking the Sorceress.
Teela tilted the sword, the chamber's light dancing on the blade, watching the jewel in the guard as it shifted from deep heart's-blood red to a pink so delicate it was almost clear.
Just a sword.
A sword as old as Castle Grayskull. A sword carried into battle by a woman with wings.
Just an Eternian sword with an Etherian stone.
"It does whatever it needs to do," Teela said to no one in particular, still caught in the shimmering, ever-shifting colors of the jewel. Then she blinked, coming back to herself, and looked at the other two. "To – to protect people, I mean."
"Indeed," the Sorceress said. She closed the case and sent it away, back into the fathomless depths from whence it came. The move, of course, shielded her face from Teela's sight. "Its wielder must do the same. It is not an easy burden to carry."
"Yeah, okay, so... how long is she going to carry it?" Adam asked. "And does this mean she can learn, uh, other secrets? About I dunno, other swords? Maybe?"
They were interesting questions, and part of Teela wanted to hear the answers. Most her attention was stuck fast on the sword, however. There was a sheath in her hand that she didn't remember picking up, but she slid the sword into it and looped the leather strap over her shoulder. The sword settled easily against her back. It felt almost warm.
But that was probably her imagination.
The Sorceress made no reply for a long moment. Then she said, "We must return to the castle," and walked briskly towards the lift.
Adam caught Teela's eye and mouthed, Favorite answer, while rolling his eyes. She huffed a laugh despite herself.
The journey in reverse was no less breathtaking, although it seemed to go a little faster. Maybe the Sorceress was less worried about people falling off on the ascent.
Castle Grayskull seemed exactly as they'd left it: dark, gloomy, spooky, lots of gargoyles.
The only difference was the unfamiliar weight on Teela's back. She adjusted the leather strap, more out of nerves than discomfort. A magic sword was nice and all, but she didn't think it would be enough to stop Hordak.
The Sorceress either read her mind, or was thinking along the same lines, because she said over her shoulder, "Hordak cannot be defeated if Adora is on his side."
Adam looked troubled. "He needs her that much?"
"She is his ultimate revenge," the Sorceress said gravely. "Adam, you must face her. Teela -"
"I'm going to protect him," Teela said. Rude of her to interrupt, but the Sorceress wasn't anywhere near her chain of command, and anyway, hadn't she just been given a Sword of Protection? Seemed like the blanks filled in themselves.
Since the Sorceress was still keeping her face concealed, it was hard to tell if she'd been offended, especially she went on in exactly the same tone, "You must go now. There are preparations I must make, and our time grows short."
"Right," Adam said. "Don't worry about us - I know the way out."
He gave Teela a little push, she made a face at him, and when she looked back at the Sorceress, the woman was gone. No wingbeats. Just… gone.
"She didn't want me to see her face," Teela said as they trekked back to the drawbridge gate. "And last time I was here, she wouldn't let me see her at all. Does she not trust me?"
"Nah, she's always mysterious," Adam said. "It's nothing personal."
Teela didn't buy it, but like so many other things, she couldn't put her finger on why. Aggravating.
Another long, winding stair brought them to the ground level. The gate stood open ahead, and if she squinted through the brightness, she could see her father was still briefing the Masters, because more had arrived. Stratos. Roboto. Man-E-Faces. A few others she couldn't make out.
She wanted to get out there and get ready, but then Adam said, "Teela," in such a solemn voice that it made her stomach sink all over again.
"What?" she said.
He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, opened it again, closed it again, looked up at the distant ceiling, and then blew out a heavy breath, frustration radiating.
Teela raised an eyebrow.
Adam pushed a hand through his hair and said, "Look, I know the Sorceress said to protect me, but… I don't want you to. I don't need it," he went on in a rush. "Magic sword or not. I mean, I'm not a bad fighter. I'm better than you think, and I've got - uh, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that Adora won't expect. So you can stay with Man-At-Arms and the Masters. Help them. I'll handle her on my own."
She stared.
Because that was the single most stupid thing she'd ever heard, and once while she was being held captive she'd had to listen to Clawful and Whiplash try to figure out how to unlock a cell door for the better part of thirty minutes. Emphasis on try. Eventually Tri-Klops had unlocked it for them.
And how dare he say he didn't want her to protect him! She was his friend! He was the first person she was going to protect, after Father. And he didn't need her -? Ha! He must've been napping through her report earlier. Regular Adora would mop the floor with him; mind-controlled Adora would put a sword through his guts in two seconds.
How dare he.
In the few seconds before she exploded - in the few seconds where she was still struggling to put her rage into words - Adam gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder, then jogged towards the gate.
Ditching her. Because he didn't need her. How dare he -
But as quickly as it had come, her anger suddenly fizzled away, like golden sparkles at the edge of her vision. She took a deep, shuddering breath, feeling the warm, comforting weight of the sword on her back.
She didn't actually want to yell at him. She wanted to… she wanted to protect him.
She was running after him before she knew it. "Adam, wait!"
He slowed and then stopped, turning to face her as he did. A question waited, unspoken, in his expression.
"I'm coming with you," she declared.
That surprised him - probably because she wasn't yelling at him. "Why? You don't have to. It's okay, really."
Idiot. She stepped closer, one hand going to her staff and the other settling itself, of its own accord, on his forearm. "Because I have to protect you, Your Highness," she said, deliberately making her voice light. "I swore an oath and everything."
He gave her a half-grin, though it quickly faded into seriousness. "But you don't have to. This is my fight. I mean, I'm – um – I mean, King Grayskull was my ancestor, after all."
"Well, I'm no Queen Veena," she said, "but I have a magic sword, and I'm going to keep you safe."
She meant it. Elders, she meant it, and a part of her was startled by that intensity. She was going to fight beside him until her last breath – whether he liked it or not.
Adam was staring at her, blue eyes unreadable. Somehow her hand on his arm had dropped, and now their fingers intertwined.
"Don't sell yourself short, Teela," he said. His hand tightened around hers and he added, soft and sincere, "I think you'd be a great queen."
She leaned forward and kissed him.
It was impulsive, and dumb, and since she'd never really kissed anyone, just a clumsy quick press of her lips to his. She felt it reverberate through her body, from her toes to the top of her head, before she drew back.
Teela met his eyes for a moment, and then she had to let go of his hand and look away, face flaming. There was a lot she could have said, but what came out was, "I – I think you'll be a great king."
Adam made a small noise in his throat. Teela risked a glance; he was equally scarlet. Their eyes caught, and suddenly it was all she could do to bite back a wide, foolish grin.
He didn't even try. It was the same brilliant smile he'd thrown her way all her life, except now she recognized the warm feeling in her chest for what it really was.
"Yeah," he said, buoyant, "but I'm no Grayskull."
She scoffed. "Don't tell me you're scared."
"What, me? No way." He rubbed the back of his neck, ducking his head and grinning up at her through a blonde fringe. Sheepish and hopeful and charming, wheedling treats out of the palace cooks. "But, you know, if you are, maybe I could give you a kiss for good luck or something."
There was a clock ticking in the back of her head, reminding her that at any moment they were going to need to be in position to receive their guests, but there was also a fierce song lighting her blood, telling her Yes, right now, you must.
Easiest choice ever.
"I guess so," she said, feigning nonchalance and doing a horrible job of it. "I mean, we might as well."
This time he met her halfway. This time her head tilted sideways, just slightly, and her eyes closed and her hands hovered stupidly for a moment before she settled them on his waist. His hands landed on her upper arms, hesitant and – perfect.
And his mouth – whew. Elders. She felt like an idiot, going all these years without even trying to kiss him once. If she'd known what it'd be like – how soft and warm his lips were, how lightning would whip across her skin and settle, seething, in her gut – oh, she would've done this a long time ago.
And then her communicator squawked to life and her father's voice said, "Teela! Where are you?"
She and Adam jumped apart as though Father was physically there, and she fumbled for the communicator button as though she'd never used the darn thing before.
"We're on our way out," she said, a little breathless. Definitely not sounding like a kid caught stealing treats from the kitchen.
"Hurry," Father said, curt. "Things are happening."
Well. That couldn't be good.
Teela looked at Adam. He looked at her, then at the gate, one hand going for his sword, though it dropped again before he touched it. Instead, he reached out to her, and she took his hand.
"Don't worry," Adam said. His fingers squeezed hers. "Everything's gonna be fine."
He meant it. He believed it.
But all Teela heard was Grayskull's deeper voice, saying in her first vision, Do not despair. All will be well.
Grayskull had meant it. He'd believed it.
And look at how that had turned out.