Chapter Three- Loyalty

Adam awoke and his first thought was his form. He sat up and held up his hands: They were human. He got up and saw a cell door; that meant he was locked in. Of course. Skeletor probably sees me as a valuable slave, pet, or weapon and he doesn't want me escaping. Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to tell anyone what he's done to me. But, wait…I may not be able to, but I bet He-Man could.

He went up to the door and looked up and down the corridor through the barred window. No guards. Perfect. He stepped back, drew his sword from its hidden sheath, and said, "By the Power of Grayskull!" Nothing happened. He tried again, and still nothing.

Why isn't it working? I've transformed in Snake Mountain before. Skeletor doesn't know my secret, but it's possible that either the spell or something I've done under its influence is preventing me from becoming He-Man. He replaced his sword and sat down, noticing some food and water had been left for him. As he started to eat, he thought, I can only hope that someone notices I'm missing and will start looking for me. Snake Mountain will probably be the first place they'll look after searching the palace.

Meanwhile, Skeletor and his Evil Warriors were in his Throne Room, seated in their Council Seats. "My warriors, I have heard through some spies that our closest village has been utterly demolished. The villagers will have to live elsewhere and I've heard some have perished when their homes collapsed on top of them."

Evil-Lyn laughed in delight. "How wonderful. This is better than the last time Adam terrorized a village."

"It is, but his next time needs to be different and more devastating. He needs something more than destroying villages."

"And so he will, Skeletor. I read the spell again and it said that on the full moon, he will automatically transform and be completely out of control of what he does. Naturally, he will obey you, but otherwise he will do what he wants with no conscience to get in the way nor will he remember what he did."

"Yes…yes, that's perfect!" Skeletor exclaimed. "And what's more, the full moon is tonight. I say, we let Adam return to the palace and when the moon rises, he will transform and run wild through it. If all goes well, he might kill someone and that will prompt him to come to me."

Adam saw Beast Man slide a food tray into the cell and close the door. He waited to hear the click of the lock, but it didn't come. He blinked. Did he forget to lock the door? He went up to the door and pushed on it lightly. The door slid open silently. Wow, he did forget. Now's my chance to escape. He stole out of the cell and silently left the confines of Snake Mountain without setting off any alarms. He was also unaware that Skeletor and his warriors were watching via the view screen.

It took Adam hours to reach the palace and the first person he met was Teela. "Adam, where have you been? It's not safe to be wandering around anymore."

"How come?"

"There's a vicious two-legged wolf attacking villages. It wrecks everything in sight and I heard it attacked a village near Snake Mountain and some people actually died."

Adam paled at this news. Some people had died in last night's attack? He knew it had been last night as he didn't really remember that night except in a vague manner. "Teela, I wasn't wandering around. I was in Skeletor's dungeon and I just escaped hours ago."

"Skeletor's dungeon? Oh, Adam, that's awful. Come on. I need to report the attack to your parents. They were worried about you, by the way."

"I'm sure they were. I was afraid I wouldn't see them again," he said as they headed for the Throne Room.

"Well, you're back and you can stay in the palace until that wolf is caught."

Adam didn't answer as they walked. He wanted to tell Teela that he was the wolf, but thanks to Skeletor's control, he couldn't. They entered the room, Teela first. "Your Majesties, look who I found," she announced as Adam entered.

Randor and Marlena stood up as Adam hurried forward and up the stairs into his father's arms. Adam hugged his father, relieved to be home. He never wanted to leave his friends and family again, but he knew it was only a matter of time before Skeletor would call him for another destruction mission. If only he could become He-Man, he'd be able to tell Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress everything; perhaps even find a counter spell.

He gave a quick hug to his mother and as he stepped down to approach Man-At-Arms about how he couldn't change to He-Man, he noticed moonlight spilling into the room through a nearby window. He felt a bubbling in his stomach that quickly felt more like a burning sensation. He doubled over at the feeling which naturally alarmed everyone. Adam somehow knew what was happening, but was in too much pain to warn them to stay back: He was transforming without receiving an order to do so. Was the full moon the cause? He felt his fur, claws, tail, paws, and face change as he took on his werewolf form, as well as a feral, primal feeling surfacing in his mind, overwhelming his human mind and conscience. He was a werewolf and he felt a need to destroy and kill.

Teela gasped as Adam's change completed itself. "Adam's the wolf who's been destroying the villages?"

"It would seem so," Man-At-Arms said, stepping closer to his daughter. "But I've got the feeling he was not doing it of his own free will."

"Skeletor."

"Exactly."

Marlena approached the werewolf her son had become, who was still in a doubled-over position. It seemed to her that Adam regretted attacking those villages even though he had no control over it, as Man-At-Arms suggested. "Adam, it's going to be all right. You're still my son and I will always love you." She reached out to touch his furry shoulder.

Suddenly Adam whirled around to face her, snarling. His eyes were now gold wolf eyes and they locked onto Marlena with no hint of recognition. His hands gripped her shoulders before his head lanced forward and clamped onto her throat. He pulled back, severing the jugular and ending Marlena's life. He let out a triumphant howl as her body tumbled to the floor. He heard the gasps from the others and turned to focus on them, growling and snarling. His sounds sent them running from the room with him following at a leisurely pace, certain that they couldn't escape him. He will kill them all. That certainty ended when a heavy steel door barred his path. He howled in anger and pounded on the door with his fists and then his claws. He succeeded in wrenching the door into two pieces and sprinted down the hall on his hands and paws, the scents of his prey still in his nose. He followed it to another metal door, but no matter how he pounded or clawed it, it would not bend or break.

He snarled in frustration and stormed through the palace, breaking or shattering anything he came across. Once his frustration had passed and he had nothing left to destroy, he ran outside, stood up on his two legs, and headed for Snake Mountain due to some instinct that told him that that place was his home.

Skeletor looked up from his view screen as the sound of howling reached him. He had been watching Adam's actions and was pleased when he saw the queen murdered. The king, Teela, and Man-At-Arms escaped, but no matter. Adam's murder of Marlena might touch off a search to find the prince and possibly imprison him for his crime. But I will not let that happen. Adam is the perfect servant, especially during the full moon. Hmm, I wonder if Adam is vaguely aware of what he's done. Most likely not, just as Evil-Lyn said. Once he's changed in the morning, I might inform him that he killed his mother. If I say it right, Adam will ask for my protection, and I'll provide it if he swears to obey me.

Adam awoke to see a dungeon door. So, he was back at Snake Mountain. He had no memory of how he got back there; all of last night was a blank. Did Skeletor order me to return to him like last time? Wait, I remember feeling a burning sensation that I somehow knew was me transforming…and it was in front of everyone! What will they say next time I come home? There's no way I can explain it because Skeletor's ordered me to tell no one.

The cell door opened and Skeletor was at the door with a tray in one hand. "Ah, you're awake," he said as he slid the tray across the floor.

"Skeletor," Adam said, loathing lacing his voice.

The blue-skinned villain tapped his staff's end against the floor. "You will address me as Master or Master Skeletor. Is that understood?"

Adam clenched his fists for a moment before unclenching them and saying obediently, "Yes, Master."

"That's better. No doubt, you remember nothing about last night."

"Nothing, Master."

"Ah, I thought as much. Last night was the full moon and I saw you in my view screen transform in front of your friends and family. You killed the queen, chased the others, and wrecked the palace before coming here. It was delightful to watch." Skeletor laughed at the memory.

Adam reeled at the news. He killed his mother? "No. That can't be true, Master."

"Oh, but it is. Tell me, what would happen if you were to return to the palace?"

Adam paused for a moment before saying slowly, "I'm not sure, Master. Either, they will try to break the spell or they'll imprison me for what I've done." Adam knew, deep down, that Skeletor wouldn't lie about anything evil that had occurred. So, he was forced to conclude that he had committed murder. Also, he was horrified to find that it was getting easier to call Skeletor Master.

"I imagine the latter would happen. Of course, in order to do that, they have to come here and capture you. I will leave you now so that you can think in peace." Skeletor stepped out, the door closing and locking behind him.

Randor paced in front of his guards with Teela and Man-At-Arms in the forefront. He never imagined he would have to arrest his own son, but murder was murder regardless of who committed it.

Man-At-Arms stepped forward. "Your Majesty, do you really want to do this? It's likely that Adam's under a spell cast by Skeletor. He would have no control over what he does."

"I know, Duncan, and I believe Skeletor is responsible, but I cannot allow my son to go unpunished, even though I love him." He turned to the guards. "To your ships. We head to Snake Mountain."

As the guards headed to the hangar, Man-At-Arms headed for the Wind Raider. He intended to make sure that Adam didn't end up in the dungeon for killing Marlena. He didn't deny that Adam killed, but if Skeletor laid this curse, then Adam didn't know what he was doing. I need to help Adam and hopefully the Sorceress will know how to release him from the spell. Man-At-Arms turned the Raider on and set course for Castle Grayskull.

"Man-At-Arms. What brings you to Castle Grayskull?"

"It's Adam, Sorceress. He's in trouble."

"I sensed something was amiss a couple of days ago when a village near Snake Mountain was attacked. I tried to contact Adam to tell him, but I could not."

"Yes, I believe Skeletor cast a spell on Adam. It makes him become a wolf and do whatever Skeletor order him to do."

"Oh, my," Sorceress gasped.

"There's more. Last night, Adam changed in the Throne Room and he killed the queen. He then chased use, but the door we were behind protected us. Then he wrecked the palace before leaving. Now, the king wants Adam arrested for murder and is headed to Snake Mountain with the guards as we speak."

Adam was coming to an unpleasant conclusion as he sat in the cell. He had tried to change to He-Man after Skeletor had left, but still nothing. He was certain that his murder had deemed him unworthy of the power. If so, then in a way, he had also killed He-Man. He also knew that he was looking at a life sentence in the dungeon for murder; a sentence he was not interested in serving.

In order to avoid the dungeon, I would have to fight not only the guards, but Man-At-Arms, Teela, and my father. There's no way I can fight all of them and win. One of them would certainly capture me. The only way to win would be to use magic, but I don't have magic. Skeletor does, though, but it means I would have to ask for his help. No, I won't ask for help. I should own up for what I've done and face my punishment. But, a part of me doesn't want to face punishment; it prefers freedom.

He heard footsteps approaching his cell before the door opened to reveal Skeletor on the other side. "Come, Adam. There's something I want you to see."

Curious and hearing the command in his master's voice, Adam followed him to his Throne Room where his henchmen were gathered. Skeletor activated his view screen to reveal King Randor and all his guards outside Snake Mountain! Adam was stunned to see that his father had brought the entire army with him.

"Skeletor, return my son or we will level Snake Mountain!" Randor demanded.

Skeletor's voice magically sounded outside. "Why should I return him? He came here on his own."

"It pains me to say it, but Adam is to be imprisoned for murder. Adam, if you can hear me, please surrender. If you refuse or try to fight, the guards have orders to kill."

Adam paled at this revelation. The guards would kill him if he fought back? He didn't want to die and he didn't want to lose his freedom, either. There was only one thing to do, as hard as was. He faced Skeletor before dropping to one knee. "Please, Master. I don't want to surrender and I don't want to die. Help me, please."

"Is that so? If I help you, will you give me your undying loyalty to serve me?"

Adam's mind raced. Serve Skeletor? No, I can't do that! And yet, as a wolf, I already have. But, that was unwillingly. To swear loyalty now, it would be willingly. However, what choice do I have? All this went through his mind in a second before he bowed his head, still on one knee. "Yes, Master. I give you my word that I will always serve you."

Skeletor raised his staff. "Done. Now, to send Randor and the guards away." Using his staff, Skeletor first conjured a whirlwind to send the king and the army back to the palace and then placed a protective screen around Snake Mountain.

"You must rescue Adam and bring him to Grayskull. I may have a way to break the spell. I will consult my books right now." The Sorceress stood from her throne.

"I'll go now. Thank you, Sorceress." Man-At-Arms left Grayskull and flew to Snake Mountain to see no sign of the king or the army. He did, however, see the protective screen that covered every inch of Snake Mountain. Does this mean that Adam's still there? he wondered. If he wasn't, there wouldn't be a screen here. With a sigh, he headed home. He needed to find a way to get through the screen and he decided to study protective screens in order to understand them and devise a device to break through it.

He went straight to his workshop and was soon joined by Teela who told him what happened at Snake Mountain. "I don't know if Adam's with Skeletor or if he's a prisoner," she concluded.

"Adam would never be with Skeletor," Man-At-Arms stated. "It's likely that he's still under Skeletor's control. I intend to create a device to break the protective screen, rescue him, and bring him to the Sorceress so that she can break the spell." I hope.

Teela had to admit that she liked that plan far more than arresting the prince and throwing him in the dungeon. "I'll help you."