The Horde Invades

Prince Adam and Princess Adora were eighteen-year-old twins. The two were the only children of King Randor and Queen Marlena of Eternia and were each other's best friend and confidante. The two looked very much alike; they had the same golden blond hair and bright blue eyes, inherited from their late paternal grandmother, Queen Adeline.

Teela, daughter of their father's best friend Duncan, was also their friend, though lately everyone was thinking that the relationship between Adam and Teela might turn into something more. She was also eighteen, a month younger than the twins. Her family had their own suite within the massive Royal Palace of Eternia, which meant that she and Adam were never too far away from each other. Teela had red hair like her mother and a temperament to match.

Adam was good-natured and fun-loving. He tended to want to have as much fun as he could get away with, as he explained it, before he had to take on more and more responsibility. Adora, the younger twin by ten minutes, sometimes seemed like an older sister to him, as she tended to be more responsible. She knew that should something happen to Adam and he had no heirs, she would be next in line for the throne of Eternia. She obviously wanted for nothing to happen to her beloved twin, but she believed in being prepared. Adora didn't mind having fun, but she believed that there was a time and a place for it.

One afternoon, the three teenagers were in the courtyard at the Palace, enjoying the sunny early-spring day. Adam was sitting between the two girls, laughing and joking with them. Mostly he was flirting with Teela, whom he was currently courting; eighteen was the marriageable age on Eternia. Teela and Adora had been introduced to Eternian society together only last month, but Adora wasn't exactly happy with her choice of suitors. She did want to eventually marry and have a family, but she didn't feel ready just yet. She also wanted to make sure that a potential husband wasn't just after a title and wealth; after all, her father was king of the entire planet.

"So you don't like Count Marzo, do you, Sis?" Adam teased.

"I wouldn't marry him if he were the last man on Eternia," Adora said. "I don't really see any hurry to get married. You and Teela will likely be parents within a few years. I just don't want someone to marry me just because my father rules the entire planet."

"I'm sure you'll find someone," said Adam. "I mean, you're a beautiful girl, you're smart, and all that-"
Suddenly, the trio saw what looked like flyers in the air. "What is that?" Teela asked, pointing.

Some palace guards suddenly appeared. "Your Highnesses-Teela-into the palace at once! We're being invaded!" one of them said, his tone extremely urgent.

"Who's invading?" Adora asked. As far as she knew, Eternia didn't really have any enemies. Sure, there were evil people around, but they were dealt with.

"An army known as the Horde, Your Highness," another guard replied as they ushered the trio inside.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, the twins, along with Teela, were kept inside. The Palace sat on top of a huge hill, and down below, in the plains, was where the major battles were taking place. It had been whispered throughout the centuries that there had been a sister world, Etheria, and it turned out that the leader of this army, Hordak, was from Etheria.

Adam and Adora were sitting in the solar together one evening. They'd been on edge, along with the rest of Eternia, for the past couple of weeks, worried about their father, who had never had to deal with an invasion of this size. No doubt Teela was worried about her own father, who was at King Randor's side. The twins were playing chess and trying, without much success, to concentrate on the game. Teela was in her family's suite with her mother.

Suddenly, a woman with light red hair and green eyes, dressed in a green dress, came into the solar: the twins' mother, Queen Marlena. "Adam, Adora, the war is over, the Horde is defeated-and your father is all right!" she told them joyfully.

The twins ran into their mother's arms and hugged her. They were about ready to head into the great hall when there was suddenly a loud explosion and immediately after that, a huge hole in the wall. In stepped a grotesque-looking man the twins recognized as the Horde leader, Hordak.

"You think you can defeat the Horde?" snarled the man, who had chalk-white skin and red eyes-from what the Eternians had heard, the results of genetic modification. He was wearing what appeared to be a jet-pack and he had one of his robot troopers with him. "I am going to take your heirs, as revenge!"

"Run!" Marlena called to her children.

Adam ran down the stairs, calling for help. Adora screamed as Hordak caught her by the arm. "Mother!" she cried.

Marlena took Adora's other arm. "Let go of my daughter, you brute!" she commanded.

"Go after the prince," Hordak commanded the robot as he took out a stun pistol and stunned Marlena.

"Let me go!" Adora cried.

"I have plans for you, girl," Hordak said as he pressed something to Adora's neck.

For Adora, the world went black.

Adam ran as fast as he could, away from the robot trooper, which was shooting stun beams at him. He was calling out for the guards as he ran.

Finally some guards appeared, and they destroyed the robot. "Mother-Adora-solar," he gasped, out of breath. "Hordak's up there!"

"Get the Prince to safety," one guard barked to another. "Get our men to the solar immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

A guard led Adam to the library, where Teela was sitting with her mother. Apparently Teela had been going through her lessons as a way to keep her mind off the battle. "Adam, what's going on?" she asked.

"Mother and Adora are in the solar and Hordak was after them!" he said, unable to sit down. He was restless. His mother and sister were in danger and he could do nothing to help them.

"The guards will rescue them," Teela said as she stood up and hugged Adam.

Adam and Teela sat together with Teelana for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally Duncan came into the room, looking upset. "Father, what's going on?" Teela asked.

"The Queen is recovering in the infirmary," Duncan replied. "But Adora-Hordak escaped into a gate with her, and the gate closed immediately afterward-he took the gate maker with him. We have no way of getting to her." He sighed. "At least, not at the moment. There's no guarantee he even took her to Etheria."

King Randor came into the room. He went over to Adam, who stood up, and hugged his son. "We'll get Adora back. Duncan's going to do what he can to try to find your sister," he said.

"Father…what will they do to Adora?" Adam asked.

"I don't think I even want to guess, my son," Randor said sadly. "All we can do is hope that she's safe."

"I'll have my fellow scientists at work, trying to locate Etheria," Duncan promised. "From what I understand, when our ancestors first came here from Earth, there were two different gates. This may have been the first gate between Eternia and Etheria to ever have been constructed."

"Yes, please, Duncan," said Randor, his tone almost pleading. "The sooner we can get my little girl back, the better."

Adam hunched forward in his seat and placed his hands over his face. Normally he didn't cry, but his shoulders shook with his sobs. He'd been unable to save his beloved twin sister, and thought went through his head about what might be done to her.

"We'll get Adora back, son," Duncan said gently as he placed a hand on the lad's shoulder. "Hordak won't get away with this."

"I want to see Mother and make sure she's all right," Adam said as he stood up and brushed the tears from his eyes.