New Beginnings

Castle Bright Moon's restoration took a month. The castle was purged of all Horde items, though some things were salvaged as the technology could prove useful. The rest of the kingdom would take a while longer, as homes had been damaged or completely destroyed during the battle. The people who had lost their homes were cared for by others, mainly the rebels. Sea Hawk and Adora chose to stay for the time being; they would be heading back to Eternia the beginning of April, so they could prepare for Adam and Teela's wedding. The rebels had scored a major victory and this promised to be the turning point in their war against the Horde. Adora had already told the rebels what secrets she knew about them and she wouldn't really be needed here anymore.

As soon as the castle was restored, Bow and Glimmer were married in the ball room, on the dais that was at one end. Adora stood with her husband and watched as her friends said their vows to each other. Glimmer was wearing a white wedding dress trimmed with purple and gold, and Bow had on a deep blue tunic. King Micah and Queen Angella, dressed in their finest, stood nearby at the bottom of the dais and watched as their daughter got married to the man she loved. When Glimmer became Queen of Bright Moon, Bow would be King Consort.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the officiant told the couple. "You may now kiss your bride, Bow."

Bow, who tended to be something of a show-off, dipped Glimmer as he kissed her. The guests stood up and applauded, and a few whistles could be heard. Adora laughed as she watched the spectacle. Bow was a good friend, but not the type of man she'd really want to marry were she still single. He and Glimmer were suited to each other.

As soon as the kiss was over, Bow and Glimmer walked together down the steps of the dais, signaling the start of the dance that was to follow. Adora, who was dressed in a strapless blue formal gown that brought out the blue of her eyes, turned to Sea Hawk, who was dressed in a green formal tunic.

"May I have this dance, Princess?" he asked her.

"Of course," she said, smiling, as she took his hand and laid her other hand on his shoulder. His ribs still needed a bit of time to heal fully, so she was careful. At least his head injury seemed to have healed completely; scans had showed no abnormalities.

The mood in the ball room was festive; the people were celebrating their freedom from the Horde, the restoration of Castle Bright Moon, and the wedding of their princess. So much had happened in the past few months. Adora couldn't help but think that had she not been abducted, all this would likely never have happened. Micah and Angella might well have been dead by now. Bright Moon would still be under the thumb of the Horde.

Micah and Angella had invited Sea Hawk and Adora to stay in the castle until they went home to Eternia. Sea Hawk's crew had been invited as well, and they were also having a good time. Some of them had wives they had been able to reunite with, and these women were also having fun, dancing with their husbands. The crew and their wives had decided to go to Eternia, where they could live in peace.

"I got the loveliest lady in here," Sea Hawk told her as he gazed into her eyes. "I'd been wondering if your father would've wanted to have it out with me for marrying you right off the bat."

"My father is reasonable, as you found out," Adora reminded him.

After a few dances, Bow and Glimmer went over to where a huge wedding cake was sitting in a corner. Everyone gathered around and watched as the couple kissed each other over the top of it—a bit difficult, given the height, but it was accomplished, and the guests applauded.

The guests lined up and the cake was served. Sea Hawk and Adora sat on a bench outside the ball room and ate their pieces. There were times when Adora wished that she and Sea Hawk would have had a huge wedding like this, and that her parents and twin brother had attended, but her circumstances had dictated otherwise. At least there had been that celebration when she was reunited with her family, and she was happy with the man she was married to, and that was what counted.

Over the next few weeks, work continued on the restoration of Bright Moon. It was now three weeks after the wedding, and Adora was sitting on the balcony outside the room she shared with Sea Hawk, who was helping with the building. His ribs were now fully healed and he'd been itching for something to do.

"There you are."

Adora looked up, saw Glimmer standing there. "Hello, Glimmer," Adora said to her friend.

"Adora, I have good news—Bow and I are going to have a baby!"

"Oh, Glimmer, that's wonderful!" Adora said as she stood up and hugged her friend. At the same time, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her, as she hadn't conceived again since her miscarriage. She pushed it away, wanting to be happy for her friend. "When are you due?"

"Late in November," Glimmer replied. She grinned. "Bow's happy. Now I have to deal with him treating me like I'm some fragile doll."

Adora had to smile at that. It sure sounded like Bow. "Did you tell your parents?" she asked.

"Yes, they're really happy, the line is continuing. I'm their only child, after all," Glimmer said. "Bow says he wants a lot of children, just to be sure."

"Nothing wrong with that," said Adora.

That evening, Adora was sitting on the bed she shared with Sea Hawk, lost in thought. It had been four months since her miscarriage. She had been told that she should still be able to have children, so why hadn't she conceived another child yet? Then again, Sea Hawk had been healing from his injuries. But four months and nothing? Surely there wasn't anything wrong with her or her husband, if they'd been able to conceive before.

The door opened, and Sea Hawk came into the room. "You all right?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

"Hawk, I still want to have a baby," she said. "Glimmer's already going to have one."

"As I recall, you conceived when we got married," Sea Hawk reminded her. "The doctors said you're fine."

Adora sighed. "I don't know if there's something wrong with me and no one's found out what yet."

"Maybe you just need to relax," Sea Hawk suggested. "Maybe your body is still healing up, I don't know. What I do know is that I love you just the same."

The first week of April, Sea Hawk, Adora, and the crew got ready to head to Eternia. They would head for the Growling Sea and wait for the gate to open; they had already consulted with Duncan, who had found a way to put in the coordinates and enlarge the gate so Sea Hawk's ship could fit through. They should find themselves in the Harmony Sea, not too far from the Palace of Eternia.

The crew headed for the ship first to get it ready, and a few days later, Sea Hawk and Adora sailed down the Singing River in a barge with Sven and another crew member. They had to use caution, because the Fright Zone wasn't too far away. Hordak was furious, to say the least, at having lost Bright Moon, and no doubt he'd want revenge. His grip on Etheria had loosened considerably, and more and more people were emboldened.

As the river widened, Adora looked out to the west. At that point the land there was brown and choked with smog, as was all land immediately surrounding the Fright Zone. She shuddered, then she felt her husband's strong hands on her shoulders.

"I'm glad I saved you from that," Sea Hawk said quietly. "You sure you still want to visit on occasion?"

"Yes. Bow, Glimmer, and the rest are my friends," Adora replied. "And I do want to keep tabs on things."

"It doesn't matter to me one way or the other," Sea Hawk said offhandedly.

Before long the river emptied out into the Growling Sea. The barge headed east, away from the Fright Zone. Sea Hawk's ship was docked at a small seaside town not too far from where they were now. The barge was also carrying supplies for that town.

"Two more weeks and my brother will be married," said Adora. "We grew up with Teela. I always knew they'd end up together."

"You never imagined you'd end up with someone like me," Sea Hawk teased.

"I'm glad I did. You wanted me even before you knew I was a princess, where on Eternia everyone knew and wanted a shot at me," Adora recalled. "Had I chosen a man from one of Eternia's royal houses, I could never be sure if he actually loved me for myself or because my father rules Eternia."

Finally, the barge docked, and Sea Hawk, Adora, and the crewmen boarded Sea Hawk's ship. At the appointed time, the portal for Eternia appeared, and they sailed through it.

Almost as soon as Adora came home with her husband, she was whisked into the whirlwind surrounding the preparations for Adam and Teela's upcoming wedding. Two weeks was just enough time to make clothing for Adora and Sea Hawk; everything else had been done.

Finally the big day arrived—Adam and Teela's big day. All of Eternia had been given a holiday, as its prince and heir to the throne was getting married. There was a huge banquet hall in the palace, and that was to be the venue for the royal wedding.

Adora and Sea Hawk woke up early and started getting ready. They showered and dressed in their finery, and while Sea Hawk combed his hair and beard, Adora sat at her vanity and combed, then brushed, her shoulder-length golden hair. Adora was to be matron of honor, and Sea Hawk best man, a custom her mother had brought with her to Eternia.

Sea Hawk picked up a diamond-and-sapphire tiara from the vanity and gently placed it on her head. "You look beautiful, Adora," he said. "I daresay you look even more beautiful than the bride."

Once they were ready, they headed for the banquet hall. There would be no breakfast in the dining room today, as brunch would be served at the wedding, and no doubt the bride and groom would be too excited to eat anything.

There were a couple of rooms off the banquet hall. Sea Hawk went into the one reserved for the men, Adora into the one for the women. Queen Marlena, Teelana, and Teela were already in there, as was Adora's cousin Edwina, who had red hair, piercing blue eyes, and a bit too much make-up. Adora didn't care much for Edwina, as she was terribly arrogant, but she was family. Edwina seemed to have a crush on Count Marzo and seemed to be jealous that he liked Adora. The princess supposed that every family had its members like Edwina.

Edwina, though, seemed to be behaving herself this time. Of course, the fact that Randor had threatened to banish his own niece from the palace once might have had something to do with it. Adora found herself hoping that Edwina did land Marzo, and the two of them could leave her alone, as Edwina had had a few snarky comments about Adora marrying "some sea-dog." The fact that Adora had married a pirate—and on the day she'd met him, no less—seemed scandalous to Edwina, who had never bothered to consider her younger cousin's circumstances. The thing was, Edwina herself was no stranger to scandal.

"I am so nervous," Teela said as her mother helped her with her make-up.

"You'll be fine, Teela," Adora assured her friend. "You may have the entire planet watching you, but you'll be fine."

"I'm talking about tonight," Teela said quietly.

"All I can say is—take it slowly," Adora told her. She knew her brother—he would be gentle. Still, she'd never really thought of him being intimate with a girl, and she knew that he never had; he'd been saving himself for Teela and their marriage. It was strange, though, to think about one's sibling having that experience.

Adora's experience had been rather unusual, as she and Sea Hawk had gone from strangers to lovers in less than a day. He'd been very gentle with her, though he'd been a bit nervous himself since she was the only woman he'd ever been with and had been concerned about possibly hurting her. All in all, the experience hadn't really been bad, certainly nowhere near a nightmare, and that was likely because they'd taken things slowly that night.

She never regretted marrying him. The alternative had been to risk being caught and abused in horrible ways by the Horde. And she certainly hadn't wanted to be a kept woman.

Finally it was time to get things started. The music could be heard playing in the banquet hall. There was a knock on the door, and Teela opened it. Duncan was standing there. "Ready to go?" he asked her.

As Adora marched down the aisle on the arm of her husband, she noticed Adam standing at the altar, dressed in white and looking a bit nervous. She gave her twin a gentle, reassuring smile as she and Sea Hawk took their places in front of the altar.

The other members of the wedding party made their way down the aisle, and as Teela entered on the arm of her father, the guests in attendance stood up and the musicians played a wedding march. Adam focused his blue eyes on the young woman he'd grown up with, the woman who would be his wife, and eventually his queen.

Adam held his hand out, and Teela took it. Duncan sat down next to his wife, who had tears of joy in her eyes. Adora knew that Duncan and Teelana considered Adam like a son, and now he would be their son-in-law.

Adam and Teela said their vows and exchanged rings. Then they were pronounced husband and wife. At the same time, Teela was named as Princess Consort of Eternia.

That night, Adora lay in Sea Hawk's arms. She couldn't help but think that her brother and new sister-in-law had likely just experienced the same thing, though they were new at it. "Do you think you could get used to palace life, Hawk?" she asked as she lightly kissed his lips.

"Of course, as long as I'm married to a princess," he said. "Your father doesn't mind the two of us going out on my ship and exploring. I have the best of both worlds here."

One morning a few weeks later, Adora woke up feeling nauseous. The churning in her stomach told her to get out of bed and into the bathroom immediately, which she did, getting there just in time. Immediately after she threw up she felt better—and she recalled experiencing this before.

As she rinsed her mouth at the sink, Sea Hawk came in. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said. "Hawk—I think I'm pregnant."

A grin broke out on his handsome face. "I told you to give it time, now why don't we get cleaned up and go see the palace midwife?"

Peering into the bedroom and checking the clock, Adora saw that they had an hour before breakfast. Her father didn't like for the family to be late—but if she were to see the midwife and get it confirmed, she was sure he'd excuse their tardiness.

The two of them showered and dressed, then went down the corridors to the infirmary wing. They were entering the midwife's chamber when they saw Adam and Teela emerge. "Teela—are you-?" Adora asked.

"She sure is," Adam grinned. "Now what brings you two here?"

"Adam, I believe you're going to be a father and an uncle," Adora grinned. "Why don't you and Teela wait out here, and we can give our parents our news together?"

King Randor looked up at his twin children and their spouses as they entered the dining room. "You're late," he said, not sounding particularly angry, but not exactly pleased.

"Well, Your Majesty, Adora and I had to see the midwife," said Teela as the four of them sat down.

Marlena's eyes widened. "Do you mean to tell me?"

"Mother, you and Father have two grandchildren on the way. I'm due on the seventh of January, and Teela is due on the twelfth," Adora said with a grin.

Randor grinned broadly. His son and daughter were going to provide heirs. And no doubt he was wondering what it would be like to be a grandfather.

Adora felt relaxed and more able to be happy for her brother. They had been born together, and now they were going to be parents together. She could hardly wait to find out what being a mother would be like.

That's it for this story! But there will be more stories to come!

Seriously considering signing up for . I'd be writing stories and using my own characters—but with elements from some of my fanfics.