Chapter V: The Dilemma
The Masters sat in Man-at-Arms' workshop, conversing in somewhat hushed tones. They spoke of Skeletor and the recently improved attacks upon Grayskull, and how to possibly combat them.
Buzz-off was saying, "If we're going to fight off Skeletor, we need to know who he's getting his plans from. I think it's obvious that he isn't thinking of them himself."
"But then who could be doing it?" Mekaneck asked. "It's not as if Skeletor has a pile of brilliant strategists with him at Snake Mountain. If he did, he'd have beaten us by now."
Man-at-Arms looked thoughtful. "Buzz-off is right," he said, resting his head in his hand. "We need to figure out where the ideas for his attacks are coming from. Does anyone have any ideas, any thoughts?"
The room grew silent very quickly. Finally, Stratos questioned, "Have there been any recent abductions of great thinkers or planners? Maybe Skeletor is blackmailing someone into thinking up ideas for him."
Within the caverns of Snake Mountain, the minions of Skeletor gave a collective laugh as they watched the scene, courtesy of one of Tri-klops' Doomseekers.
"And I thought Clawful was dumb," Whiplash commented, his tail pounding on the floor in his mirth. "He's nothing compared to those dupes."
Clawful bristled and turned towards the ex- Caligar, but before he could say anything, a sharp voice barked out of the shadowed throne behind them.
"Take care whom you insult, Whiplash," Skeletor called out in a demanding tone. "At least Clawful has realized that there is no glory in being a hero. Unlike those Eternian fools."
From the shadows above them, a regal and elegant voice called out, "Quiet, all of you. I want to see if they can figure it out." Lady Moria's amethyst eyes whirled slowly in the darkness, and a light breeze made her hair flutter around her face.
"Why bother?" Skeletor questioned. "You know they aren't going to."
A slow smile slid across the Dereskian Queen's features. "That is hardly the point, Skeletor. Now please, be quiet."
The lower portions of the cavern grew silent.
Beside the great throne, Evil-Lyn hid a smile. If nothing else, at least her mother inspired a surefire way to get the rest of the idiots to clam up.
All within the room turned their eyes back to the projection. He-man was in the middle of saying something.
"-hat someone is helping Skeletor, but, since none of us know who that is, we could ask someone who might," finished the blonde 'hero.'
Man-at-Arms let out a sigh. "If you're thinking of the Sorceress, He- man, I've already asked her. She doesn't know anything about who might be helping Skeletor."
Moria smiled softly in the darkness. This is an interesting development, she thought privately. Teelina knows very well who is aiding Skeletor. Now, why would she be keeping secrets from her own teammates? How very out of the ordinary. And to not only be holding secrets, but to actually be denying knowledge? My, my, I must be rubbing off on her. She smiled as she regarded the projection, an inaudible chuckle in her throat.
The Masters all hunched over dejectedly. "I guess we'll just have to figure it out in time," Buzz-off said.
Silence filed the chamber for a moment, before Teela interrupted it. "Wait a minute," she proposed. "Something's not right here."
"You got a point there," Ram-man said. "There's nothing right about someone helping Skeletor." He nodded his square head to emphasize his point.
The only female in the room shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean. When did Skeletor start getting these new battle attacks? That battle when I was injured, right?" The other Masters nodded their heads like obedient puppies. "That's what I thought," the redhead continued. "What else happened that day?"
Man-at-Arms replied, "I tried to capture Evil-Lyn but the.. The Dereskian Queen!"
"She appeared the very same day that Skeletor started improving his tactics. Sounds a bit convenient, doesn't it? Almost too convenient," Teela observed, connecting the dots for those who were not able to realize. "She's been helping Skeletor from the start." The redhead spit out, a venomous tone to her voice.
A deep chuckle emanated from Lady Moria's little cavern. "Bravo," she said aloud, making the others in the room look at her oddly. Inwardly, Moria commented to herself, I seem to have underestimated that little snipe of Teelina's. Apparently, she does have a brain.
Smiling, the Dereskian slowly slid into the floor. Evil-Lyn looked up into the corner of the room, and saw what her mother was doing. Her eyes widened in shock. "Nëintára!" she screamed, but it was too late. Lady Moria had already disappeared. With a look of horror on her face, the younger Dereskian hesitatingly turned back to look at the projection.
As she feared, her mother's form began to rise out of the floor of the workshop.
Cries of alarm went up from the various minions around the room.
"Is she crazy?!"
"What does she think she's doing?!"
"She'll be killed!"
"She'll be arrested!"
"She's gone mad!"
"She's a genius," Evil-Lyn said softly, realizing what her mother was up to. The others regarded her confusedly. "If she's stalling them, they won't be able to concentrate on anything else. Such as, say. our next plan," she explained.
A moment of silence filled the room. Then, "Oooohhhhhh."
Scoffing, the young Dereskian turned her attention back to the screen. Be careful, Morämé, she thought to herself, knowing instinctively that, somehow, Moria could hear it.
The 'Masters' seemed oblivious to the Ancient Dereskian's presence, and they continued to talk in slightly hushed tones.
Teela was still speaking. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Skeletor's techniques just 'happen' to improve the same day the Dereskian Queen just 'happens' to appear? Like I said, it's way too convenient."
"Teela," He-man interjected, sighing. "What you say does make sense, but we have no way of actually proving that it's right."
The redhead looked incredulous. "We don't need proof. I'm right. I know I am, He-man. Who else could be helping Skeletor if not the Dereskian Queen?"
"Who else indeed." A clear, highly cultured voice cut through the air like a warmed knife through butter. The Masters turned and looked with wide eyes and open mouths at the elegant form of Lady Moria Vadorian.
The Dereskian stood there almost nonchalantly, her right hand resting on her hip and her back against the wall. Her white hair billowed around her face, soft and feathered-looking.
All around the room, jaws were open and eyes were wide. Several 'Masters' looked as though they wanted to say something, but no words were heard.
Lady Moria smiled secretly. "I congratulate you for figuring it out, Teela," she said, her tone quiet but easily understood in the silent room. "After all, it only took you four months."
Teela's eyes grew angry and she got to her feet quickly. Her eyebrows narrowed. "How did you get in here?!" she practically screamed.
"Shhh," Moria hushed, a wicked glint in her eyes. She gestured briefly towards her ears. "Not so loud, dear. I'm not deaf, you know."
The redhead began to almost shake out of her anger; she grabbed her staff and extended it, preparing for a fight. "Only someone with the activation code can get through the doors to this room. How the hell did you get in?!"
The Dereskian's smile widened. "First of all," she began, her tone well on its way to being hypnotic. "I did not come through the doors, I came through the wall. Secondly, you can sit down, dear; I'm not here to fight you. And thirdly, there are Nine Hells. Do take care to mention them all when you choose to swear by them."
At that point, Teela began to slowly notice that she was the only one who had moved since the older woman's appearance. She looked around nervously at the other Masters. They all seemed to be frozen in place. The redhead bent over the form of her 'father.' "Father?" she asked, tapping him on the shoulder. Duncan did not move. Teela's eyes widened in first anger and then slight fear. She whirled to face the older woman.
"What did you do?!" she exclaimed, brandishing her staff in her hands.
Lady Moria feigned ignorance. "I?" she asked, touching her chest with her hand. "What makes you think I've done anything?"
"Because I'm the only one moving," Teela spat out angrily, gesturing towards the other Masters.
"Oh, that," Lady Moria laughed. "I wanted to keep this just between us. You know, have a little heart-to-heart." She raised her hand, and a small sphere of amethyst light shot out from her fingers. She rolled it along her slender fingers, manipulating it to be no more than a toy in her hands.
Teela regarded her somewhat nervously, gripping her staff tightly. "W- why?" she asked timidly.
The Dereskian approached slowly, smiling, the orb still in her hand. She gestured around the room at the 'frozen' collective. "Because of all these so-called 'Masters of the Universe,' you are the only one with at least half a brain."
The young girl bristled in her anger and thrust her staff in the direction of the Dereskian woman. "The Masters are not idiots!" she screamed angrily.
Moria's eyes flashed brightly and she extended her index finger slowly. The cobra staff flew out of the redhead's hands and clattered dully against the wall. The elder woman smiled at Teela's frightened look. "You have no reason to fear me, Teela. May I call you Teela?" The female Master nodded slowly. Lady Moria continued. "Also, for the record, dear, I did not call your beloved 'Masters' idiots. I simply said that they lacked much brainpower."
In Snake Mountain, the evildoers crowded around the screen anxiously. They all loved every second of this, although a few of the boys complained about Moria's lack of outright fighting.
"What do you mean 'they?'" Teela questioned angrily, her now empty hands forming tight fists. "I'm a Master too, after all."
A smile came across the face of the Ancient Dereskian. "True enough, little one. However, I did say that you were the only one with a brain. It must come from your mother's side of the family, like your other better qualities. After all, you look very similar to her."
The Eternian froze for a moment. "What do you know of my mother?" she asked after a moment, her tone less angry and more inquisitive. Lady Moria smiled secretly but said nothing. "How do you know I look like her?" Teela pressed.
Lady Moria slowly came forward. The younger woman backed up one step, but that was it. The Dereskian slid the very tips of her fingers through Teela's red locks of hair. "I just don't see much of Man-at-Arms in you."
The younger girl shook her head to get Lady Moria away, and she backed up, taking a defensive pose. "Don't touch me!" she shrieked, looking over her shoulder at her staff again and longing to knock off the older woman's head with it.
Lady Moria sighed exasperatedly. "I had hoped to avoid physical confrontation with you, but it appears that is the only thing you understand." She moved the fingers of her right hand ever so slightly, and Teela's staff reappeared in its owner's hands.
The small orb in the Dereskian's hand grew, split into two, and then transformed into twin long and elegant swords, very similar to the style of a katana, only longer. The handles were black in color, with an elegant netting of wire at the end, which encompassed twin black, silver and amethyst stones. There were symbols of silver inlaid all around the handles, and symbols of black on the blades themselves, which Teela could not read. The weapons were the same twin blades that the Dereskian Queen had wielded in the War of Three Days, but of course Teela did not know that.
The young girl's eyes widened when she saw the weapons, gleaming in the flashing lights of Man-at-Arms workshop. "Whoa." she exhaled, eyeing the extremely deadly looking swords.
Moria looked down at her weapons and collapsed one of them into the amethyst orb again. "It doesn't seem fair for me to 'fight' you with two weapons to your one," she said, eyes flashing.
Teela looked at her almost confusedly. "Why do you say 'fight' with such sarcasm in your voice?" she asked, perplexed.
The elder woman smiled secretly but said nothing. She merely beckoned for Teela to come at her with her free hand.
The Eternian needed no second calling. Indeed, she felt a sudden rush of hatred for the older woman. She ran towards the Dereskian, not caring where this hatred came from, not caring that she was going up against a creature of legend, and not caring that she would probably break something of her father's.
Moria, in her own right, knew that it was dangerous for her to be fighting with Teelina's brat, as she did not want to break the unwritten law. However, she also knew that there was no other way for her to explain to Teela what needed to be explained. The Masters needed to understand, and there was apparently no other way that Teela was willing to learn. She would simply have to tread with care and see that she did not hurt the redhead.
Within Snake Mountain, everyone watching slowly crept up closer to the projection screen, wanting to get a good view of the upcoming battle. Evil-Lyn simply scoffed at the 'men', and continued to stay where she was, watching everything through her own crystal ball.
Moria stood stock still as Teela charged, her staff aimed to strike the head. The elder woman waited until the redhead was nearly upon her, and then deftly jumped out of the way, tumbling up into the air and spinning in an almost ethereal fashion. She landed deftly on the floor, her hair billowing around her head, sword raised.
Teela paused in her attack to look upon the older woman. Lady Moria's face was expressionless, her eyes evocative. The Dereskian Queen was rather attractive, Teela decided; her face was very well defined. And those eyes! So hauntingly memorable as to linger in one's mind for years after one had seen them, Teela thought idly, and then shook her head. This was not the time to be thinking those thoughts.
The younger woman fought with the Dereskian Queen for the better part of an hour. Somewhere along the way, Teela began to realize that, even though Lady Moria was not really fighting back, she was still winning. About halfway through their fight, Moria had closed her eyes. Teela had thought that for sure this meant she was giving up, but Moria continued to evade every blow that Teela aimed, and not a one ever came close to meeting its mark. After a while of parrying, flipping over each other's heads, blocking thrusts, and spinning in the air, the workout was taking its toll over the redhead's body. She panted and gasped for breath, sweat falling down into her eyes and making it difficult to see. Throughout it all, Lady Moria was as cool and calm as ever, her face expressionless, and her eyes closed. Not even physical stress could break her taciturn nature.
In one last effort, Teela swung her staff high over her head and brought it down hard. The amethyst eyes flashed open, and, in one stroke, Lady Moria brought her sword up faster than Teela could see what had happened. When the Dereskian had finished with her move, however, there were two pieces of staff in her hands instead of one. Moria moved her fingers in the slightest of movements, and the redhead flew against the wall. She hit it gently, softly, not even hard enough to jar her already sore muscles.
The Dereskian approached slowly, sword in hand. She regarded the redhead curiously, and then brought her weapon up, the tip of the blade a mere millimeter from the young girl's tanned throat.
"Do you yield?" the elder woman asked gently, her tone soft and almost caressing.
Teela's eyes filled with fear, but she closed them, and stuck out her throat for easier access. "Never," she spat out, opening eyes that were once again filled with hate.
The elder woman nodded slowly and brought her sword back to prepare for the final strike. The young Captain of the Guard closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable. It did not come. Teela cracked open one eye.
Lady Moria's sword had once again become the orb, and had fused back into the Dereskian woman. The Ancient gently slid a hand, pale and elegant, down Teela's check, caressing it slowly. "I admire your courage, Teela," she said softly, smiling. "But it is misplaced. I could not kill you."
The younger girl flinched at Moria's touch and her eyes widened at her words. "Why not?" she asked confusedly.
The Dereskian Queen smiled softly. She turned away and leaned against the wall. "Because that would break the last promise I ever made to your mother." Before her words could fully sink in, Lady Moria Vadorian had faded into the wall; leaving behind a very confused and somewhat outraged Teela.
Around her, the Masters were slowly coming out of whatever funk Moria had set them in.
Teela shook her head, thinking perhaps she had fallen asleep or something. But her staff was in halves, cut clean through, as only a very sharp sword would do.
"Uhh." Ram-man exhaled, holding his head. "My head.. What happened?"
Man-at-Arms shrugged his shoulders, trying to restore circulation. "I have no idea," he said confusedly. "Does anyone else?"
The male Masters all murmured 'no's'. Teela was silent, before whispering almost inaudibly, "I do."
Duncan regarded her carefully. "Teela," he exclaimed. "What happened to your staff?"
The young girl was silent for a moment. "The Dereskian Queen was here," she answered softly. "She put you all under some sort of sleeping spell, and then she.talked to me. I fought her. and. she won." Teela's voice was very soft, her tone low, almost as if she herself could not believe what had happened. "She spared my life." The Masters all drew inward breaths, unbelieving.
"Father," Teela continued, looking at Man-at-Arms. "She said she knew my mother. She said that I looked like her, and that she had. she had promised my mother she wouldn't kill me.. Did she?"
Man-at-Arms did not answer. He was silent, and he bent his head down to look at his feet.
Teela looked at him, disbelieving. "She knew my mother?" she asked with uncertain shock.
Again, Duncan said nothing. The young girl looked into the faces of the other Masters, but they were all averting her gaze or else looking as perplexed as she. "The Dereskian Queen. knew my mother," Teela more stated than questioned, one or two tears threatening to fall.
Man-at-Arms looked up somewhat uncertainly. "Teela." he began, but stopped, unsure of what to say.
The redhead looked from one empty face to another, and her jaw tightened. She nodded, not allowing the tears to fall, and then she fled the room. The other Masters did not follow.
Within Snake Mountain, the legion of evildoers continued watching the screen, and laughed at the redhead's retreating form. The projection went blank, and they remained laughing.
"Did you see her face?" Whiplash chuckled, his tail beating on the floor.
"Absolutely priceless," Tri-klops commented, resetting the switches on his Doomseekers.
Skeletor laughed quietly and darkly in his throne. "Very amusing. I shall have to congratulate Lady Moria when she returns."
At his side, Evil-Lyn smiled widely. Well done, Mother, she thought privately. Then her laughter filled the caverns along with everyone else's. ***********
Moria herself had returned to her private chambers, and was in the process of getting ready to cleanse her body in her bathing room. As she soaked in her bathtub, letting the Dereskian hot springs do their work on her somewhat sore muscles, she felt a familiar tickle in the back of her mind.
She opened her mind and smiled softly. *Trying to get my attention, Teelina?* she asked, her mind voice amused.
*Spare me the pleasantries, Moria* returned the Sorceress angrily. *You broke the unwritten law.* she accused pointedly.
*I most certainly did not.* The Dereskian answered softly. *I talked to your little brat, yes. I 'fought' with her, if you could call it fighting, but I did not hurt her in any way, shape or form, and I told her no secrets whatsoever. Therefore, I have not broken any part of our law.* She dunked her head in reality, letting the hot water seep into her long hair.
*You told Teela about me!*The Sorceress exclaimed, her mind-voice nearly shaking in her rage.
Lady Moria resurfaced and squeezed the excess moisture from her hair. *I did not. I only told her that she looked like her mother, which is true enough, and that I had promised you not to hurt her. That's all.* Her mind voice was calm where Teelina's was not, and she smiled softly.
They talked for a bit longer, until Teelina was satisfied that no part of the unwritten law had been broken. Lady Moria dried herself off and changed into some more comfortable clothing, and then wrote and sketched in her books for the rest of the evening and into the morning. When all was said and done, it had been a rather successful day.
The Masters sat in Man-at-Arms' workshop, conversing in somewhat hushed tones. They spoke of Skeletor and the recently improved attacks upon Grayskull, and how to possibly combat them.
Buzz-off was saying, "If we're going to fight off Skeletor, we need to know who he's getting his plans from. I think it's obvious that he isn't thinking of them himself."
"But then who could be doing it?" Mekaneck asked. "It's not as if Skeletor has a pile of brilliant strategists with him at Snake Mountain. If he did, he'd have beaten us by now."
Man-at-Arms looked thoughtful. "Buzz-off is right," he said, resting his head in his hand. "We need to figure out where the ideas for his attacks are coming from. Does anyone have any ideas, any thoughts?"
The room grew silent very quickly. Finally, Stratos questioned, "Have there been any recent abductions of great thinkers or planners? Maybe Skeletor is blackmailing someone into thinking up ideas for him."
Within the caverns of Snake Mountain, the minions of Skeletor gave a collective laugh as they watched the scene, courtesy of one of Tri-klops' Doomseekers.
"And I thought Clawful was dumb," Whiplash commented, his tail pounding on the floor in his mirth. "He's nothing compared to those dupes."
Clawful bristled and turned towards the ex- Caligar, but before he could say anything, a sharp voice barked out of the shadowed throne behind them.
"Take care whom you insult, Whiplash," Skeletor called out in a demanding tone. "At least Clawful has realized that there is no glory in being a hero. Unlike those Eternian fools."
From the shadows above them, a regal and elegant voice called out, "Quiet, all of you. I want to see if they can figure it out." Lady Moria's amethyst eyes whirled slowly in the darkness, and a light breeze made her hair flutter around her face.
"Why bother?" Skeletor questioned. "You know they aren't going to."
A slow smile slid across the Dereskian Queen's features. "That is hardly the point, Skeletor. Now please, be quiet."
The lower portions of the cavern grew silent.
Beside the great throne, Evil-Lyn hid a smile. If nothing else, at least her mother inspired a surefire way to get the rest of the idiots to clam up.
All within the room turned their eyes back to the projection. He-man was in the middle of saying something.
"-hat someone is helping Skeletor, but, since none of us know who that is, we could ask someone who might," finished the blonde 'hero.'
Man-at-Arms let out a sigh. "If you're thinking of the Sorceress, He- man, I've already asked her. She doesn't know anything about who might be helping Skeletor."
Moria smiled softly in the darkness. This is an interesting development, she thought privately. Teelina knows very well who is aiding Skeletor. Now, why would she be keeping secrets from her own teammates? How very out of the ordinary. And to not only be holding secrets, but to actually be denying knowledge? My, my, I must be rubbing off on her. She smiled as she regarded the projection, an inaudible chuckle in her throat.
The Masters all hunched over dejectedly. "I guess we'll just have to figure it out in time," Buzz-off said.
Silence filed the chamber for a moment, before Teela interrupted it. "Wait a minute," she proposed. "Something's not right here."
"You got a point there," Ram-man said. "There's nothing right about someone helping Skeletor." He nodded his square head to emphasize his point.
The only female in the room shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean. When did Skeletor start getting these new battle attacks? That battle when I was injured, right?" The other Masters nodded their heads like obedient puppies. "That's what I thought," the redhead continued. "What else happened that day?"
Man-at-Arms replied, "I tried to capture Evil-Lyn but the.. The Dereskian Queen!"
"She appeared the very same day that Skeletor started improving his tactics. Sounds a bit convenient, doesn't it? Almost too convenient," Teela observed, connecting the dots for those who were not able to realize. "She's been helping Skeletor from the start." The redhead spit out, a venomous tone to her voice.
A deep chuckle emanated from Lady Moria's little cavern. "Bravo," she said aloud, making the others in the room look at her oddly. Inwardly, Moria commented to herself, I seem to have underestimated that little snipe of Teelina's. Apparently, she does have a brain.
Smiling, the Dereskian slowly slid into the floor. Evil-Lyn looked up into the corner of the room, and saw what her mother was doing. Her eyes widened in shock. "Nëintára!" she screamed, but it was too late. Lady Moria had already disappeared. With a look of horror on her face, the younger Dereskian hesitatingly turned back to look at the projection.
As she feared, her mother's form began to rise out of the floor of the workshop.
Cries of alarm went up from the various minions around the room.
"Is she crazy?!"
"What does she think she's doing?!"
"She'll be killed!"
"She'll be arrested!"
"She's gone mad!"
"She's a genius," Evil-Lyn said softly, realizing what her mother was up to. The others regarded her confusedly. "If she's stalling them, they won't be able to concentrate on anything else. Such as, say. our next plan," she explained.
A moment of silence filled the room. Then, "Oooohhhhhh."
Scoffing, the young Dereskian turned her attention back to the screen. Be careful, Morämé, she thought to herself, knowing instinctively that, somehow, Moria could hear it.
The 'Masters' seemed oblivious to the Ancient Dereskian's presence, and they continued to talk in slightly hushed tones.
Teela was still speaking. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Skeletor's techniques just 'happen' to improve the same day the Dereskian Queen just 'happens' to appear? Like I said, it's way too convenient."
"Teela," He-man interjected, sighing. "What you say does make sense, but we have no way of actually proving that it's right."
The redhead looked incredulous. "We don't need proof. I'm right. I know I am, He-man. Who else could be helping Skeletor if not the Dereskian Queen?"
"Who else indeed." A clear, highly cultured voice cut through the air like a warmed knife through butter. The Masters turned and looked with wide eyes and open mouths at the elegant form of Lady Moria Vadorian.
The Dereskian stood there almost nonchalantly, her right hand resting on her hip and her back against the wall. Her white hair billowed around her face, soft and feathered-looking.
All around the room, jaws were open and eyes were wide. Several 'Masters' looked as though they wanted to say something, but no words were heard.
Lady Moria smiled secretly. "I congratulate you for figuring it out, Teela," she said, her tone quiet but easily understood in the silent room. "After all, it only took you four months."
Teela's eyes grew angry and she got to her feet quickly. Her eyebrows narrowed. "How did you get in here?!" she practically screamed.
"Shhh," Moria hushed, a wicked glint in her eyes. She gestured briefly towards her ears. "Not so loud, dear. I'm not deaf, you know."
The redhead began to almost shake out of her anger; she grabbed her staff and extended it, preparing for a fight. "Only someone with the activation code can get through the doors to this room. How the hell did you get in?!"
The Dereskian's smile widened. "First of all," she began, her tone well on its way to being hypnotic. "I did not come through the doors, I came through the wall. Secondly, you can sit down, dear; I'm not here to fight you. And thirdly, there are Nine Hells. Do take care to mention them all when you choose to swear by them."
At that point, Teela began to slowly notice that she was the only one who had moved since the older woman's appearance. She looked around nervously at the other Masters. They all seemed to be frozen in place. The redhead bent over the form of her 'father.' "Father?" she asked, tapping him on the shoulder. Duncan did not move. Teela's eyes widened in first anger and then slight fear. She whirled to face the older woman.
"What did you do?!" she exclaimed, brandishing her staff in her hands.
Lady Moria feigned ignorance. "I?" she asked, touching her chest with her hand. "What makes you think I've done anything?"
"Because I'm the only one moving," Teela spat out angrily, gesturing towards the other Masters.
"Oh, that," Lady Moria laughed. "I wanted to keep this just between us. You know, have a little heart-to-heart." She raised her hand, and a small sphere of amethyst light shot out from her fingers. She rolled it along her slender fingers, manipulating it to be no more than a toy in her hands.
Teela regarded her somewhat nervously, gripping her staff tightly. "W- why?" she asked timidly.
The Dereskian approached slowly, smiling, the orb still in her hand. She gestured around the room at the 'frozen' collective. "Because of all these so-called 'Masters of the Universe,' you are the only one with at least half a brain."
The young girl bristled in her anger and thrust her staff in the direction of the Dereskian woman. "The Masters are not idiots!" she screamed angrily.
Moria's eyes flashed brightly and she extended her index finger slowly. The cobra staff flew out of the redhead's hands and clattered dully against the wall. The elder woman smiled at Teela's frightened look. "You have no reason to fear me, Teela. May I call you Teela?" The female Master nodded slowly. Lady Moria continued. "Also, for the record, dear, I did not call your beloved 'Masters' idiots. I simply said that they lacked much brainpower."
In Snake Mountain, the evildoers crowded around the screen anxiously. They all loved every second of this, although a few of the boys complained about Moria's lack of outright fighting.
"What do you mean 'they?'" Teela questioned angrily, her now empty hands forming tight fists. "I'm a Master too, after all."
A smile came across the face of the Ancient Dereskian. "True enough, little one. However, I did say that you were the only one with a brain. It must come from your mother's side of the family, like your other better qualities. After all, you look very similar to her."
The Eternian froze for a moment. "What do you know of my mother?" she asked after a moment, her tone less angry and more inquisitive. Lady Moria smiled secretly but said nothing. "How do you know I look like her?" Teela pressed.
Lady Moria slowly came forward. The younger woman backed up one step, but that was it. The Dereskian slid the very tips of her fingers through Teela's red locks of hair. "I just don't see much of Man-at-Arms in you."
The younger girl shook her head to get Lady Moria away, and she backed up, taking a defensive pose. "Don't touch me!" she shrieked, looking over her shoulder at her staff again and longing to knock off the older woman's head with it.
Lady Moria sighed exasperatedly. "I had hoped to avoid physical confrontation with you, but it appears that is the only thing you understand." She moved the fingers of her right hand ever so slightly, and Teela's staff reappeared in its owner's hands.
The small orb in the Dereskian's hand grew, split into two, and then transformed into twin long and elegant swords, very similar to the style of a katana, only longer. The handles were black in color, with an elegant netting of wire at the end, which encompassed twin black, silver and amethyst stones. There were symbols of silver inlaid all around the handles, and symbols of black on the blades themselves, which Teela could not read. The weapons were the same twin blades that the Dereskian Queen had wielded in the War of Three Days, but of course Teela did not know that.
The young girl's eyes widened when she saw the weapons, gleaming in the flashing lights of Man-at-Arms workshop. "Whoa." she exhaled, eyeing the extremely deadly looking swords.
Moria looked down at her weapons and collapsed one of them into the amethyst orb again. "It doesn't seem fair for me to 'fight' you with two weapons to your one," she said, eyes flashing.
Teela looked at her almost confusedly. "Why do you say 'fight' with such sarcasm in your voice?" she asked, perplexed.
The elder woman smiled secretly but said nothing. She merely beckoned for Teela to come at her with her free hand.
The Eternian needed no second calling. Indeed, she felt a sudden rush of hatred for the older woman. She ran towards the Dereskian, not caring where this hatred came from, not caring that she was going up against a creature of legend, and not caring that she would probably break something of her father's.
Moria, in her own right, knew that it was dangerous for her to be fighting with Teelina's brat, as she did not want to break the unwritten law. However, she also knew that there was no other way for her to explain to Teela what needed to be explained. The Masters needed to understand, and there was apparently no other way that Teela was willing to learn. She would simply have to tread with care and see that she did not hurt the redhead.
Within Snake Mountain, everyone watching slowly crept up closer to the projection screen, wanting to get a good view of the upcoming battle. Evil-Lyn simply scoffed at the 'men', and continued to stay where she was, watching everything through her own crystal ball.
Moria stood stock still as Teela charged, her staff aimed to strike the head. The elder woman waited until the redhead was nearly upon her, and then deftly jumped out of the way, tumbling up into the air and spinning in an almost ethereal fashion. She landed deftly on the floor, her hair billowing around her head, sword raised.
Teela paused in her attack to look upon the older woman. Lady Moria's face was expressionless, her eyes evocative. The Dereskian Queen was rather attractive, Teela decided; her face was very well defined. And those eyes! So hauntingly memorable as to linger in one's mind for years after one had seen them, Teela thought idly, and then shook her head. This was not the time to be thinking those thoughts.
The younger woman fought with the Dereskian Queen for the better part of an hour. Somewhere along the way, Teela began to realize that, even though Lady Moria was not really fighting back, she was still winning. About halfway through their fight, Moria had closed her eyes. Teela had thought that for sure this meant she was giving up, but Moria continued to evade every blow that Teela aimed, and not a one ever came close to meeting its mark. After a while of parrying, flipping over each other's heads, blocking thrusts, and spinning in the air, the workout was taking its toll over the redhead's body. She panted and gasped for breath, sweat falling down into her eyes and making it difficult to see. Throughout it all, Lady Moria was as cool and calm as ever, her face expressionless, and her eyes closed. Not even physical stress could break her taciturn nature.
In one last effort, Teela swung her staff high over her head and brought it down hard. The amethyst eyes flashed open, and, in one stroke, Lady Moria brought her sword up faster than Teela could see what had happened. When the Dereskian had finished with her move, however, there were two pieces of staff in her hands instead of one. Moria moved her fingers in the slightest of movements, and the redhead flew against the wall. She hit it gently, softly, not even hard enough to jar her already sore muscles.
The Dereskian approached slowly, sword in hand. She regarded the redhead curiously, and then brought her weapon up, the tip of the blade a mere millimeter from the young girl's tanned throat.
"Do you yield?" the elder woman asked gently, her tone soft and almost caressing.
Teela's eyes filled with fear, but she closed them, and stuck out her throat for easier access. "Never," she spat out, opening eyes that were once again filled with hate.
The elder woman nodded slowly and brought her sword back to prepare for the final strike. The young Captain of the Guard closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable. It did not come. Teela cracked open one eye.
Lady Moria's sword had once again become the orb, and had fused back into the Dereskian woman. The Ancient gently slid a hand, pale and elegant, down Teela's check, caressing it slowly. "I admire your courage, Teela," she said softly, smiling. "But it is misplaced. I could not kill you."
The younger girl flinched at Moria's touch and her eyes widened at her words. "Why not?" she asked confusedly.
The Dereskian Queen smiled softly. She turned away and leaned against the wall. "Because that would break the last promise I ever made to your mother." Before her words could fully sink in, Lady Moria Vadorian had faded into the wall; leaving behind a very confused and somewhat outraged Teela.
Around her, the Masters were slowly coming out of whatever funk Moria had set them in.
Teela shook her head, thinking perhaps she had fallen asleep or something. But her staff was in halves, cut clean through, as only a very sharp sword would do.
"Uhh." Ram-man exhaled, holding his head. "My head.. What happened?"
Man-at-Arms shrugged his shoulders, trying to restore circulation. "I have no idea," he said confusedly. "Does anyone else?"
The male Masters all murmured 'no's'. Teela was silent, before whispering almost inaudibly, "I do."
Duncan regarded her carefully. "Teela," he exclaimed. "What happened to your staff?"
The young girl was silent for a moment. "The Dereskian Queen was here," she answered softly. "She put you all under some sort of sleeping spell, and then she.talked to me. I fought her. and. she won." Teela's voice was very soft, her tone low, almost as if she herself could not believe what had happened. "She spared my life." The Masters all drew inward breaths, unbelieving.
"Father," Teela continued, looking at Man-at-Arms. "She said she knew my mother. She said that I looked like her, and that she had. she had promised my mother she wouldn't kill me.. Did she?"
Man-at-Arms did not answer. He was silent, and he bent his head down to look at his feet.
Teela looked at him, disbelieving. "She knew my mother?" she asked with uncertain shock.
Again, Duncan said nothing. The young girl looked into the faces of the other Masters, but they were all averting her gaze or else looking as perplexed as she. "The Dereskian Queen. knew my mother," Teela more stated than questioned, one or two tears threatening to fall.
Man-at-Arms looked up somewhat uncertainly. "Teela." he began, but stopped, unsure of what to say.
The redhead looked from one empty face to another, and her jaw tightened. She nodded, not allowing the tears to fall, and then she fled the room. The other Masters did not follow.
Within Snake Mountain, the legion of evildoers continued watching the screen, and laughed at the redhead's retreating form. The projection went blank, and they remained laughing.
"Did you see her face?" Whiplash chuckled, his tail beating on the floor.
"Absolutely priceless," Tri-klops commented, resetting the switches on his Doomseekers.
Skeletor laughed quietly and darkly in his throne. "Very amusing. I shall have to congratulate Lady Moria when she returns."
At his side, Evil-Lyn smiled widely. Well done, Mother, she thought privately. Then her laughter filled the caverns along with everyone else's. ***********
Moria herself had returned to her private chambers, and was in the process of getting ready to cleanse her body in her bathing room. As she soaked in her bathtub, letting the Dereskian hot springs do their work on her somewhat sore muscles, she felt a familiar tickle in the back of her mind.
She opened her mind and smiled softly. *Trying to get my attention, Teelina?* she asked, her mind voice amused.
*Spare me the pleasantries, Moria* returned the Sorceress angrily. *You broke the unwritten law.* she accused pointedly.
*I most certainly did not.* The Dereskian answered softly. *I talked to your little brat, yes. I 'fought' with her, if you could call it fighting, but I did not hurt her in any way, shape or form, and I told her no secrets whatsoever. Therefore, I have not broken any part of our law.* She dunked her head in reality, letting the hot water seep into her long hair.
*You told Teela about me!*The Sorceress exclaimed, her mind-voice nearly shaking in her rage.
Lady Moria resurfaced and squeezed the excess moisture from her hair. *I did not. I only told her that she looked like her mother, which is true enough, and that I had promised you not to hurt her. That's all.* Her mind voice was calm where Teelina's was not, and she smiled softly.
They talked for a bit longer, until Teelina was satisfied that no part of the unwritten law had been broken. Lady Moria dried herself off and changed into some more comfortable clothing, and then wrote and sketched in her books for the rest of the evening and into the morning. When all was said and done, it had been a rather successful day.