Epilogue
Bow lay in his bed as he stared at the starless sky from his window. It had been nearly a month sense use short escapade with Zed. Earlier today he had honestly thought that he had gotten over the Horde Prince, yet he couldn't help but feel that he had made the wrong decision. Unable to sleep he got up from his bed and moved to his workstation several open books scattering where he would have been making inventions. He knew he shouldn't have listened to Zed's words when they argued in the forest but he did, and started to ask questions about Brightmoon and the rest of the world. The worst of it all was that Queen Angella was getting suspicious of taking the books out of the castle library.
'You're a good boy Bow, and I trust you very much.' Her words echoed in his mind. 'Don't try to do something that would make me have to question that. I know it would make Glimmer very upset.' He wished that he could convince himself that she meant that she expected him to keep the books safe and return them. Though there was so much warning in her words he knew that it was the topics that he was looking up that bothered her more than the fact that he was reading from the library.
His eyes fell down to a book open to an illustration of the harpies that lived in the forest by Darkedge. It depicted to harpies a female with her dirty russet colors, and a small feathered male ,colored and bright yellows and blues. Though didn't see any creature like that when they were in the nest of the harpies, his mind began to whirl when the same page stated that when two harpies mated, they did so for life. He closed the book remembering the paint screams of Hunga and the other feathered women. He didn't want to jump to conclusions about what happened to the dread harpies and made them so hostile.
He moved his attention to history book apparently when the Princess alliance was formed there was a similar organization called the Brothers of Peace. Where the male heirs gathered in neutral territory to help each other with problems that plagued their kingdoms, but was disbanded over a thousand years ago and any attempt to reestablish it had led to a violent scuffle between two or more kingdoms. He wondered what Glimmer and Adora's plan for the princes of Etheria, surely the kingdoms that they ruled would also be a great help in the fight against the Horde. Kingdoms like Vargon , BlueMountain, and Erelandia and their inhabitants all had their strengths that could be useful in the fight against the Horde. He knew from personal experience that Prince Orwall used all his powers to protect caravans and run supply routes to independent communities to out of the way for the rebellion to provide aid to.
Then with a weary look Bow close that book as well, and began to organize the books into stacks of what he had read and hadn't and what he felt like he needed to read again. Every question he asked from the books he either got no answers or answers he sure weren't correct. He rubbed his face with his hands tormented by his inability to sleep.
He then moved back to his bed but, not to lay down and said he reached under his bed and pulled out the woven box is Zed had created. Placing it on the desk he examined the woven cube, the way it was made there was no way of opening the box without destroying it completely. Because of that and his own fear of what could be inside a key part of opening it for as long as possible.
Taking a stray arrowhead, he began to rip off the side of the cube insides lay a stack of peculiar looking papers. He picked up the first paper in the stack which happened to be folded in opened it up, it was a letter, from Zed.
Bow.
I don't have the time to write down every thought that's coming into my head at this moment. So, I should start off with I'm sorry, though I know you do not prefer to be apologized in words. However, I must because there's a chance I might not ever be able to speak to you again.
I also don't understand why you didn't pick the crown either. You could have had everything you wanted though you found it somewhere in your heart to keep giving it to me.
Thank you for that.
Still, you have a deep desire to free your world from the Horde. While I do not know the full extent of the crown's capabilities it seems that I can easily create paper. Along with this letter is a series of schematics that while under the influence of the crown I didn't quite understand, but I hope you can use them to get an edge over Hordak. Perhaps if you make them appear completely incompetent in conquering your world, he will be forced by my father to leave. Though it won't guarantee it will be the end of the Horde trying to claim your realm, you'll be finally given opportunities where you can feel like the hero.
May your future be filled with many victories, Zed.
Bow that the letter fall to the floor, while it was written in a rush he wasn't sure what to think about it. Gingerly he reached into the stack of papers and pulled out one of the schematics, it appeared to be a mechanism to create a shape shifting weapon. Interested he pulled out another and another until he was pouring over the pieces of paper intensely.
.
Zed stared out at the sea of glittering lights before him, it was a familiar and welcoming site though it brought him no joy. Everything on the Velvet Glove made him feel cold and numb, as he was expected to feel.
This was his normal, this is how it had been. If wanted to do what was right for his people.
He cut his reflection in the window seeing his now short comeback hair that revealed his pointy ears. He turned away from the window at the sight of him, focusing on the door to his father's throne room. He stood straight, kept his hands behind his back, and thought of nothing.
The door slid open and old familiar face greeted him "Good Sir?" A calm voice crackled from the speaker beneath a giant screen that projected a smiling snake like face.
"Dylamug." He answered the robot, as he shook it's wire thin hands. While one of the older models of artificial life on the ship, Dylamug was a master of etiquette and never produced a battle strategy that resulted in defeat.
The face on the screen shifted to allow the corners of the face's eyes to wrinkle "Horde Prime is ready to see you." The robot pulled its spidery hand out of Zed's "He is eager to hear from his only child." Then gave a brief chuckle.
Zed nodded "Thank you, Dylamug." Watching as the robot will stomp out a site before looking at the door.
His father is chambers smelled of exhaust as is a thick wall of clouds filled with electrical sparks concealed his father's throne. Without turning his head, he glanced around to see that he was completely alone, while this was also to be expected in made Zed dread what was to come. He watched the shadow of Horde Prime shift in his place his towering body pulsing with the technology of the Ancients and their First One relative.
The moment Zed stepped foot on the viewing platform "My son." The Horde Dictator called to him with a venomous gravel.
Zed smiled and responded with "Greetings father, how was the Tropica System."
"Still as stunning when I found it a five hundred years ago." Horde Prime leaned forward extending his arm out extending his mechanical hand out to the viewing platform in which Zed stood "I must remember to take you with me next time."
Zed looked at the hand of his father, hanging there like the second platform "Thank you, father." He said as he moved almost like he had been programmed to stepped over the railing and, sat in the center of the mechanical hand.
For no matter how tall or strong the Horde Prince got, he always fit in the palm of Horde Prime's hand. It was as much of a comfort to him as it was a terrifying fact.
With a single fluid movement Horde Prime raised Zed closer to the swirling wall of clouds "How was your stay with Hordak on Etheria?" The sound of Horde Prime's breathing audibles under a steady electric buzz "He sent, quite an interesting report about your behavior."
Zed flinched he wondered exactly how Hordak spun the tale of his return to the Fright Zone. Certainly, needing to be rescued and found not wearing his uniform was enough to be a large stain on his record. "You go warned him that I might becoming rebellious, sorry to inform you of your correct."
"No son you are actually quite obedient." Horde Prime's answer startled Zed "You see I lied to him about my concerns so he would become suspicious of you, therefore making use suspicious of him."
Zed felt like he had been stabbed, it wasn't the first time his father had used such a tactic. Sometimes Horde Prime required him to do things that he could not communicate to him, many of his greatest successes were set up well in advance by his father. Though there was something foul about him doing so while Hordak was involved.
Horde Prime curled his fingers slightly brushing the pointed tip of his thumb against Zed's face "Tell me what did you see on Etheria?" His words were punctuated by a motorized growl.
The Prince's mind whirled information that he could tell his father. He had multiple complaints and concerns that he could voice about his experience in the Fright Zone alone. Zed had also noticed he cannot discern where the Monstron the Velvet Glove's twin ship had landed, if it had been crashed or damage Hordak was required to inform Horde Prime. It being that outside of Horde World and specialized planetary bases, the Horde Ships had the necessary components that allowed Horde Prime to be at his full strength.
Though he knew that is not what the Horde Overlord had asked of him. He asked for information on Etheria, where the status on the planet's conquest or something else he was uncertain.
"Silent?" Horde Prime voice shifted taking on a more unfavorable tone "I sense that something has damaged you. Speak."
"Father, Etheria was the frist realm I've seen that hasn't been fully conquered." He tried to suppress his body from shaking, one misspoken word and return the acquisition of the planet would become a bloodbath "Seeing how my uncle operate, make me question things."
"Questioning the Horde?" Horde prime's fingers curled more around Zed, making the young man feel like he was being squeezed into an ever-shrinking cage.
For a brief moment Zed wondered if his father was going to crush him. Though he was sure that would not be the case and looked up to the shadow of his father's face. "No. Myself, my place with the Evil Horde." It was a confession as honest as he could muster.
There was a growing noise like a computer on the verge of overheating "I see in your eyes it is more than that. You are questioning yourself because you saw something, or done something that does not fit with your prior knowledge of how things are." Even though horde prime never raised his voice it was clear to Zed that he was becoming angry.
Zed could only look down at the palm he was trapped against, concentrating on the metallic grays and blacks of the repurposed artifacts that made up his father's body. Whenever sick or injured his father referred to him as damaged and punished somebody, he felt was at fault for letting it happen. Knowing this did not ease his nerves in the slightest. He remembered rumors he was told about when he was just a toddler that, his father wanted to sentence an orphan to death for giving him a minor wound. Whatever happened to that orphan? He weakly wondered.
The sounds of his father's anger subsided as the grip around Zed loosened "Perhaps, you have your doubts, because you are afraid to speak your mind." Then with his other hand, Horde Prime used a finger to force Zed to look up at him "You must overcome every fear and contradictory thought, if you ever wish to take my place." Then with a low whisper stated "Therefore, it would be in your best interest to tell me everything you experienced on Etheria."
Zed knew that he had a promise to keep though the pain of every rebellious action and traitorous thought he had was a heavyweight in his father's presence. He would not lie to his father, though it would require him to omit large swaths of details of his involvement on Etheria. His only hope that the consequences of what he told his father would only prevent the spread of destruction and death on Etheria.
(AN: Well. This is all I had planned for this story. If there's enough demand or if somebody generally wants it, I could try to make a sequel, sense I watched the old show I know of a couple other characters and princesses that I could try to adapting if anybody's interested. Also, thanks to everybody who reviewed and read this story, even if you hated it because I tried to adapt things from the old show before the new creators got around to it. Once again, if you have any thoughts or questions just leave a review.)