"Teela's Story"

By thew40

The story takes places between "Fallen Hope" and "Half-Hearted Smile"

Part One – Dreams

One

Alone in the darkness of her room, Teela daughter of Duncan did sleep. The late summer heat dwindled slightly when the sun fell, but there was still no cool comfort to be found in the small, secret fort in the pale moonlight. Teela slept in her underwear, but the sheets were still contorted around her body. One arm laid on the ball flesh that stood out on her midsection; the other was haphazardly hanging partially off the bed. She slept on her side, as lying on her stomach was now impossible.

Her red hair was a tangled mess around her gentle face. She had decided a few years ago to let it grow out, but it hadn't been properly cared for since the Second Horde War had begun. Teela's chest rose and fell in the slow breaths of the night. Her unborn baby kicked and punched a little within her womb. A small window let in a stream of moonlight and it lit of a small section of her fine skin.

Teela slept soundly as her body pumped blood and hormones to ensure the rest of her slumber would be safe and that the baby within her would grow to term as a healthy and normal child.

Teela slept.

And dreamed . . .

Two

It started as memory.

He-Man lifted her up from the rubble. The past few days had been hard on him. Skeletor's scheme had convinced Eternia's chief defender that he had killed an innocent man. It was a horrible plot that stung He-Man to the core. But, in the end, all was well. And with the truth revealed, He-Man saved the day.

He held Teela in his arms, her arms around his muscled body. They both had bright smiles and walked towards the beautiful sunset.

"Let's go home," she told him, giggling a little. It felt good to be carried by him. He was so warm and powerful. But her stubbornness prevailed. "Uh, He-Man . . ."

"Yes Teela?"

"You can put me down now."

In her eyes, she could see that he deeply about her. So unlike any other man. He was so happy she was alive. And that Skeletor was defeated. And that no one was killed.

He continued to carry her.

"If you don't feel up to walking, I can carry you back. It's no trouble, you know."

She didn't understand why, but in her memory, she did. He needed her to be with him. To be close to him.

But still, she had prevailed, not understanding this at the time. "He-Man, I'm fine. Trust me."

He laughed. "I trust you, but to be on the safe side maybe I should carry you part of the way."

"What good would carrying me part of the way do?" she asked playfully.

He continued to carry her. "I don't know. I just thought . . ." And this was important, because this was where memory divided and became her dream.

Suddenly, they were in the southern lands of Eternos, just off the main road, in the field of long grass where she tried to convince him to tell her he loved her.

"I just thought . . ." he continued, ". . . we'd lay here and make love."

Her stomach started to churn nervously as he pressed his lips against hers, tongues shooting between them. They broke and Teela suddenly looked down. Her flat belly had exploded and became pregnant as she was in the real world. Her face was an expression of panic and shame. She looked to He-Man as a defendant looks to a judge. Teela found in his face a comforting smile.

"I'm sorry," she tried.

"It's all right, my love," he responded and ran his hands through her red hair. She closed her eyes and was lowered down to the ground, laying on a bed long grass. When she opened her eyes, once more, however, He-Man was still standing.

She looked to him, concerned and scared.

"But I'm not here anymore, sweetheart," He-Man stated gently. He stood up and walked over to her left. The landscape behind him was a wide field of twinkling, spinning stars.

"No . . . He-Man . . ." she pleaded with desperation.

But he vanished. Tears filled her eyes.

However, in his place was Adam, fully clothed.

"Sorry Teela," Adam apologized with a sad grin and glom expression. "I'm not here either. You missed out."

"I'm sorry . . ." she sputtered, crying.

Adam started to fade away and as he did, her pregnant belly swelled massively. It looked as though she was full term with quadruplets.

"What's happening?" she cried, panicking. The star field was gone suddenly and everything was dark. She then felt a cold, slimy hand cross her mammoth belly.

"But, my dear," a horribly familiar voice cooed, "I'm still here."

Teela sputtered and she tried to cry out. She tried to sit up, but felt sudden snakes wrap around her arms and legs. She could then feel dozens of snakes writhing across her legs and arms. The hand moved ever forward and she watched as a snake closed around her neck.

The fingers of the hand transformed into five small snakes and that flicked their tongues against her tight belly flesh. A figure appeared right at the edge of her feet. It was King Hiss, snakes dripping from his body.

"I'm ssssstill here, my dear," he told her assuringly.

Teela tried to scream with all might.

Three

She did so.

Her once peaceful slumber was interrupted by a horrible, fright-filled scream. She was in cold sweat, red hair clinging to her brow. Her body trembled, her eyes wide, her lips parted. There was a rushed knock on the door.

"Is everything all right in there?!" came the concerned voice of Clamp Champ.

Breathing hard, she prepared to reply. She glanced down at her belly and suddenly had an irrational fear. But the little guy inside kicked, alleviating that fear.

"Yes, yes," she returned.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes . . . it was . . . bad dream. Carry on."

"All right," Clamp Champ replied after a length. "Sorry to disturb you. Good night, ma'am."

Teela nodded, despite the fact he couldn't see her. She returned her attention to calming down . . . and then started bawling her eyes out. Her emotions had been outta whack since she had discovered she was pregnant. Hormones too.

She heaved herself out of bed and steadied herself. She then walked to the small bathroom and started the water in the sink. Teela splashed the cold water onto her sweat-drenched face and then toweled it off. After doing her toilet business, Teela returned to bed, wrapping her pregnant body up in the thin sheet. Not because she was cold (and she wasn't) but out of comfort. Security.

That nightmare had been the worst. She had plenty of them since her body's hosting of Serpos' daughter, the bitch goddess Vipera. They reached their breaking point when He-Man and Adam left for Primus. But nothing had gotten to her as much as this nightmare.

Outside her small bunker, beyond the walls of the fort, the Second Horde War waged. In her mind, she battled emotions of guilt and uncertainty in everything in her life.

And just when Teela was so sure she wouldn't fall back asleep again, her eyes closed, fingers clutching the sheet, and she entered into a deep, dreamless slumber.

Four

Two days later, Teela stood on top of a nearby hill, gazing out at the vast horizon. She wore a dress that danced around her pregnant body in the warm breeze. Her green eyes were staring out at a Wind Raider, which was slowly making its descent. Only one of three left in the aftermath of Eternos' all-out destruction, it carried with it the only Heroic Warriors still in service – Stratos, Clamp Champ, and Mekaneck. Gwildor remained hidden in his lab; Lubic was guarding the secret cavern that housed a vast number of civilians; and no one had seen hide or hair of the Sorceress since He-Man left. All of the others were in the Fright Zone, captives of Hordak.

She walked over to the Wind Raider as it sat down thirty feet away from her. They had left the morning after her dream to do a sweep of some of the old kingdoms that had been abandoned. As they had been since not long before the Horde invaded, they were empty. It was one of a number of mysteries, which included why Etheria had gone completely black except for the speck that was the Fright Zone and why the Sorceress was hiding from them.

"Anything to report?" she asked, still the domineering figure she always was.

"Nothing. Both the Bear and Cat kingdoms are empty," Stratos replied.

"We need to be more careful, though," Mekaneck grunted. "The Horde almost spotted us."

"Agreed. Keep your patrols short," Teela told them, nodding along. "In fact, I think it would be best to just send one of you from now on."

"A good idea," Clamp Champ agreed. "Now, any good food?"

Teela laughed bitterly. "There hasn't been any good food in months. But there's shit that's better than rations."

"Anything's better than rations," grumbled Mekaneck, who was now following Clamp Champ to the fort.

Teela smiled and then turned to Stratos. He was staring at Teela with an unknown expression. It was sometimes very hard to read the Avion simply because of his goggles. Usually, it was understood. But today it was hormonal, moody day and today, she could be set off at any minute.

"What?" she snapped, harsher than she meant.

"We've been talking," Stratos said darkly.

"Oh? And who is 'we?'" Teela responded, annoyance heavy in her voice.

"Clamp Champ, Mekaneck. Gwildor and Lubic. All of us."

"And what was this discussion about?"

Stratos crossed his arms and took a deep breath. He shifted his weight, obviously uncomfortable talking to her about this.

"We all feel its best for you to retire."

Teela rolled her eyes. She had known this was coming for a while. It didn't make things any easier, of course, simply because she hated the idea of it.

"You've got to be kidding me," Teela groaned.

"No. I am not," Stratos answered sternly. "We all feel as though it would be a good idea for you to step back in your role as Captain and concentrate on the baby. It's what's best for you and - "

Teela snapped. Her face felt hot and there was a stubborn fierceness in her voice that she had gotten from her father. "Since when do YOU know what's best for me!?" she cried. "I am the only authority left of Eternos! The King and Queen are exiled! Princess Adora is missing! Adam is on the other side of the universe! The rest of the royal families are all prisoners in their dungeons! My father – the Man-At-Arms – is a prisoner of the Horde and maybe DEAD! I am all that's left!"

Stratos grimed, his mouth a thin line on his face. But after a few seconds of tense, heart aching silence, he softened and sighed loudly.

"You're more like your father than you realize," he told her.

She let out a loud huff of air. "I can't step down, Stratos. I just can't. These people need their leader."

"I can lead them. Mekaneck and Clamp Champ can lead them."

"It's been months since I've seen combat, Stratos," Teela told him. "I'm not in a hurry to see it again soon, not with the baby on its way. But . . . I can't bring myself to stepping down. They need someone they can see and know is there for them."

"If we lose, it's not because you're not here. Back at the cavern, you can be safe. You can be an icon to those people, giving them hope." Stratos reached forward and took her hand. "You're a damn good leader, Teela," he said, then put his hand on her belly, "but now it's time to prepare for being a mother."

Teela nodded and drooped her head. "I . . ."

But she had nothing to say. A part of her suddenly seemed to realize that there was another reason she didn't want to step down. Concentrating on the baby meant that she would have to start thinking about how she messed things up by sleeping with John. She was scared about what her father would think, what He-Man, Adam, and the King would think . . .

The uber-moody and hormonal day came crashing against her again. Tears started to bud. Stratos hadn't seen her cry since she was she 11. Teela had prided herself on doing her best to never let anyone see her like this. But she couldn't help it now. Her fingers were at her brow, shielding her red, wet eyes from view. It was futile, but she hated crying in front of anyone . . .

Two huge arms wrapped around her and she was pressed against the soft, down feathers of Stratos' chest. He said nothing as he held her, tears wetting his coat of feathers. At last, Teela withdrew herself from Stratos. She rubbed her eyes harshly, embarrassed and quite upset.

"Oh Ancients, I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Nothing to be sorry about. When Delora was pregnant, she would start crying at the drop of the hat," he told her with a light chuckle.

"You're right, though. I should stand down. Start taking care of the baby and getting ready for it to show its face."

Stratos rubbed her shoulders roughly, but with care.

"We really think it's the best decision."

Five

Once more, Teela slept, tangled up in her sheets, eyes twitching beneath the lids. Once more, she dreamt.

A voice cried out from behind her and Teela spun on her heel faced Castle Grayskull.

"Turn your back to evil and embrace the good!" the voice shouted.

Teela looked down and saw something that surprised her. The Sword of the Ancients, the blade she had used to battle the Dark Cloud, the Spirit of Evil, and Hordak. It would have been used to fight off Vipera, had it not also been thrown into another dimension. It was standing on the top of Point Dread now, she could see it plain as day.

And that's when it hit her . . .

Teela awoke, the bright sunlight pouring through her window. She needed to find it. The one thing that could help in the battle against the Horde.

The Sword of the Ancients.