Chapter XXII: The Altercations
Moria was making one of her rare appearances in Snake Mountain, standing, as she usually did, in one of the high alcoves of the cave-like walls, high above the proceedings. She wasn't paying much attention to what was going on. Her thoughts were a few miles away, dwelling currently in the gray walls of a skull-shaped structure in the Light Hemisphere.
Whenever her daughter moved or spoke, however, Lady Moria's attention was immediately grabbed. She watched every movement, every gesture, heard every slight change in tone and every pause for breath. One who did not know would swear that she was obsessed. As it was, Moria paid rapt attention to what her daughter did and said, mainly because being with her was still very much a novelty.
Even after the eighteen months they had been together, and the very successful dinner party that had taken place last evening, Lady Moria was still reveling in her daughter's presence.
As it was, not much was occurring in the Mountain. Skeletor eventually dismissed everyone... barring Moria.
"Lady Moria, if you wouldn't mind coming down," he commanded rather than requested.
Breaking out of her most recent reverie, the Ancient Dereskian looked down slowly, noticing everyone else's exit as she vaulted from her post and landed nimbly on the floor. "Yes, Skeletor?" she asked slowly, her voice feigning respect to the self-termed 'Overlord of Evil.'
Skeletor sat in his throne, his talon-like fingernails digging into the chair to try to control his suppressed rage. "I've learned that you and your daughter took it upon yourselves to visit the Palace of Eternia last evening."
Moria feigned ignorance. "Did we?" She hid a smile at his visible rise in anger. "Yes, of course we did."
The evil overlord struggled to remain in his chair, the urge rising to take Lady Moria's pale throat between his fingers. "And why, pray tell," he said through gritted teeth, "did you not tell me?"
The white haired woman smiled softly. "I do not recall you asking," she replied calmly. "Nor do I remember agreeing to tell you everything I intended to do before I did so. In fact, I do not remember ever promising you anything."
Skeletor was speechless for a moment, as if amazed that anyone, even Moria, would dare say such things to him. He rose from his chair, his eyeholes burning red as he clutched at his havoc staff, clawing divots into the wood. "You will regret such words!" he screamed, firing a blast at her.
It never got to her. Moria's amethyst eyes flared, becoming pupil-less as a sudden fierce wind arose. The gale engulfed the blast and absorbed it, the yellow flames quenched by the swirling wind of amethyst light.
The former Eternian raised his staff in defense of the wind, and was pushed backwards into his throne, forcing him to sit again to prevent injury.
The sudden gale slowed, and then dissipated as Moria's eyes returned to normal. She exhaled softly, regaining her detached attitude as quickly as she had lost it, if she even had. "I would not suggest trying that again, Skeletor," she said calmly.
He inhaled sharply, his eye sockets flashing red in anger... hidden behind a thick veil of fear. Skeletor had forgotten exactly how powerful Moria was. He immediately vetoed physical confrontation with the Ancient woman. He slowly released his staff and tried to get a hold of his temper. Carefully, he began, "You should have let me know of such an expedition to the palace. It could have been carefully planned and proved useful to me."
Moria smiled gently, eyes flashing as she recognized that this had morphed into a verbal conflict. She suppressed a laugh, knowing that Skeletor had even less experience at this sort of battle than a physical one, and that he had an even greater probability of loosing this type of skirmish. "That is just it, Skeletor. My daughter's and my 'expedition' to the palace had nothing to do with you. We went in order to represent our nation, which you are not a member of. It did not make sense to inform you of the situation, as my daughter and I were the only ones who could claim a legitimate excuse."
Skeletor fought down a roar. "In the future... I must command that you inform me of such exploits."
The white-haired woman laughed, knowing already that she had won. She inspected her fingernails calmly. "And what exactly makes you think you have any control over what my daughter and I do?"
The Overlord of Evil replied in the flattest of possible tones, "Evil-Lyn is my second-in-command, and must therefore do as I order."
Moria could not hold back a laugh. "Not even I can control what my daughter does when she gets in certain moods. What makes you think that you can?"
Faltering for words, Skeletor paused. "...She and I are..." he trailed off, trying to find the proper way to say what he wished.
"Lovers?" Lady Moria supplied, a smirk on her pale face. She chuckled gently at his shock. "Love is the most uncontrollable emotion of them all. People can be in love, share the same bed, the same hopes and dreams, even do the same things, yes. But one can never truly 'own' the other. My daughter is her own mistress, and you know that even more than I do." She smiled gently, her eyes not unkind.
Skeletor took a breath, knowing he had lost this battle, and returned to his earlier statement, altering it. "In the future, when you are so busily planning raids and entrances into Eternian palaces with your child, would you kindly consider letting me know?!" His tone grew angrier at the end, and he had to visibly pull himself back from attacking her again.
The Dereskian smiled gently. "Of course," she said, bowing, out of habit rather than respect. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to." She winked an amethyst eye, and slid into the floor before he could even growl a protest.
Once she was out of sight, Skeletor howled loudly and fired blast upon blast of yellow light at the spot she had been standing, watching with smug satisfaction as scorch marks appeared on the cave floors.
..............
In Castle Grayskull, Teelina knelt upon her throne, her head in her hands as if suffering from a massive headache. Outwardly, she appeared as she always did: calm, collected, refined, prophetic and cool. Inside, she was a mess. Her mind was a jumbled mixture of conflicting emotions, thoughts that could begin a war in her aching head, and strange desires that coursed through her body, sending tremors of need down her spine with every breath, every stray wisps of wind that reminded her of a certain white-haired woman. There were far too many such breezes for her liking.
She sighed raggedly, her fingers sliding through the fabric on her turquoise and gold headdress, leaning back in her throne. She was trying to understand why the elder woman had such an effect on her, but found that the question had no answer that she could find. It seemed somewhat simple to her at times: Moria was an adversary, the one assisting Skeletor in the conquest of the power that she, as Sorceress, guarded. But then it grew complex again. Moria was not an enemy; she was a victim, left alone after her entire people were destroyed. The Sorceress sighed. They had been her people too, the Dereskians. Which, in some bizarre way, made Moria her queen. Add to the mix the fact that Moria was a far-too-seductive beauty in her own right who sent shivers down her spine anyway, and Teelina had nothing short of a seething mass of mixed emotions.
Sighing raggedly, the Sorceress held her head in her hands. She sat there for a long while, trying to make sense of her splitting mind.
...................
A lone figure stood outside Castle Grayskull, considering his options. Duncan, for his part, couldn't believe what Adam had told him. He knew that the Sorceress had been acting strangely, yes, but to even conceive that it was because she was aiding Lady Moria was... utterly preposterous. Still, Adam remained adamant in his urge that Man-at-Arms at least question the Sorceress about the scene he had walked in on.
And thus he stood outside the gate, waiting before calling out for admittance as he would have usually done. He told himself that this was nonsense, that Adam must have been mistaken in what he had seen... and heard. Shaking off his doubts for the time being, he called upon the Jawbridge to open, stepping upon the thick wooden planks when it did. He entered quickly, making his way through the corridors, bypassing the illusions and mirages with ease as he made his way to the throne room.
Inside, the Sorceress' eyes snapped open, and she quickly took flight, not wanting to have to deal with a confrontation with Man-at-Arms as well as her conflicting mind.
Duncan came upon the throne room slowly, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting of the newly-emptied chamber. He closed his eyes to block out their adjustment, and listened. He picked up the sound of rustling feathers not far behind him, heading in the opposite direction. Man-at-Arms' eyes snapped open, and he raced off, knowing instantly where she was going. He knew he would have to hurry if he wished to catch her.
Teelina flew, her white wings whispering in the air as she tried to escape, though not from Man-at-Arms alone. Nor did she flee only from the ever- increasing web that Moria spun around her. She flew more from herself than either of them.
As she descended into the crystal chamber, he caught up with her, leaping onto the stone platform that floated over the seemingly endless sea of crystals. "We need to talk, Sorceress," he began, as he had many times before.
"I have nothing to discuss," she said somberly, simply, as she vaulted from the platform and transformed. She slid easily into her falcon form, flying above his head and screeching as she did so.
Duncan cried out at her retreat. "Sorceress!," he called. She turned in an arc above his head, coming to rest atop a far away pillar of crystal. "I only want to discuss last evening," he finished calmly, walking slowly towards her.
Teelina hesitated, torn between the decision to fly away and that of landing beside him. This was not a subject she wanted to speak of, but an explanation of her behavior needed to be given. The main factor of her reluctance was the fact she had no answer to give. Eventually, she flew down, returning to her human form and leaning upon the staff that had reappeared with her. "What of it, Man-at-Arms?"
It was Duncan's turn to hesitate. "Adam... said he saw you...sharing a moment of intimacy with the Dereskian Queen," he finished quickly, hoping not to be struck down by lightening for even uttering such words.
The Sorceress said nothing, looking away and beginning to walk back to the platform. She was not ashamed of the kiss itself, she was amazed to discover, instead, she was feeling guilty only that she had been seen.
A stifled silence filled the room as Duncan processed what her refusal to say anything meant, not sure whether to vomit or scream at her violently. He opted for the latter. "By the Elders, Sorceress!" he began, causing her to turn and look at him sadly. "Why her?!" he almost screamed, repressed rage threatening boil over.
"If I knew, I would tell you!" she bit back suddenly, all of her conflicting emotions suddenly building in pressure, desperately needing to be released.
The rage of the Sorceress only matched Duncan's own and he cried out loudly. "You don't know?! Sorceress, a kiss is a consensual act! That you are lonely, I could understand, but to choose the Dereskian Queen-" he shuddered visibly. "Dear Gods of all people why her?! How can you not know?!" he growled, his tone deepening.
"Because I don't know why, Man-at-Arms!" she almost spat back at him, anger giving way to desperation as tears threatened to run down her green-marked face. "When I am alone, in meditation, sometimes everything seems so clear: Moria is the enemy, the one who has been aiding Skeletor in his conquest of my home, and not to be trusted." Teelina took a deep breath and leaned her head against her hands. "But... at other times... when I'm alone... or ... when she's here, and those hypnotic amethyst eyes are staring into mine... it all fades away... and I don't care about any of that.... All that seems to matter is her.... And there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it... and sometimes I'm not sure I want to...." She sighed raggedly, stifling a sob with her right hand.
Duncan was torn between concern for his crying friend or disgust at what she had just said. He swallowed roughly, trying to clear his mind of the image of anyone, especially someone he knew, being intimate with a creature straight out of nightmares. "Sorceress," he began slowly, walking near her calmly. "Surely she must be casting some sort of spell over you, something that can get through the barriers of Grayskull, something that-"
"No!" Teelina interrupted, her eyes pleading but her tone firm. "If it were a spell, I would know it. My essence is tied into Grayskull itself. There is nothing that goes on in this castle I am not aware of, especially spells and incantations. Even if Moria were able to cast anything, it would stand out like a drop of blood on the snow. The Dereskian Collective and the power of the Elders are not compatible."
Man-at-Arms stopped and looked at her. "Then what do you think she's doing? If her mere presence inspires such a flux of feelings in you, of all people, she must be doing something."
"Of course she is..." Teelina sighed raggedly. I hope she is...she thought inwardly, closing her eyes. Oh Elders I hope she is.... "But Moria's methods are... her own. I cannot attempt to guess what she is doing or how she does it, and that includes her aiding Skeletor, if, and I do say if, she is."
He looked at her, eyes wide with disbelief. "You doubt it's her that's helping him?"
"No," replied the Sorceress softly. "She helped him at first. Now... I think she just watches.... She always watches...." Teelina's mind began to drift as it had so often in the past few days.
Duncan managed to regain her attention after a short time, but the conversation dwindled. Nothing else of any real use or necessity was said, and after a time, a very concerned Man-at-Arms took his exit, leaving the Sorceress alone...but not really.
............
As Duncan took his exit, he boarded his sky-sled and returned to his workshop, his brow set low with concern. On a whim, he went looking for Adam, and found him, as usual, napping in the stables.
Not too gently, he shook the prince awake. "I'm worried about the Sorceress," he said bluntly as Adam rubbed sleep from his eyes.
Slowly, the prince of Eternia stretched out, stifling a yawn. "Why's that?" he asked. "Is the spell that the Dereskian Queen has over her hard to break?"
"According to her, there is no spell," Man-at-Arms replied coolly, freezing Adam in mid-stretch. "I'm inclined to believe her, except that she keeps acting... very peculiar. She will be talking and then break off all of a sudden, and her eyes go blank. I think we might need He-man's help in this."
The future king nodded. "Right," he replied, slipping his sword out of the sheath, raising it above his head."
"By the--"
"Father!" Teela cried out, bursting into the stable out of breath. "Skeletor's forces are moving through the north woods. He's making his way towards Grayskull!"
Man-at-Arms' face mask extended. "Gather the other Masters!" he ordered, flashing a look at Adam. "Go find He-man. Quickly!"
Adam nodded, and raced off with Teela as she went to ring the alarm bell. Separating from her and everyone else, the prince finished his transformation, and appeared shortly after in the palace square along with the rest of the Masters.
..............
Hidden among a grove of trees in the North woods just beyond Grayskull, the Dereskian Queen smiled at her daughter. "And so it begins," she said softly, laughing as Evil-Lyn winked back at her.
Moria raised herself into the air, landing on a high bough of a tall tree, her laughter echoing through the forest and fading into the distance.
From below her, Evil-Lyn flashed a grin at Skeletor, raising her staff as he raised his. "Thus begins the end!" He cried, and they brought their staffs down, enveloping the whole forest in a flash of yellow and purple light.
.............
Within Grayskull, the Sorceress cried out suddenly, the vision of the burst of power from the woods entering her mind. She instinctively raised a force field, using whatever strength she could muster until the Masters arrived. Looking into the view screen in her throne room as the North woods were quickly flooded with light, she hoped it would be soon.
Very soon.
Moria was making one of her rare appearances in Snake Mountain, standing, as she usually did, in one of the high alcoves of the cave-like walls, high above the proceedings. She wasn't paying much attention to what was going on. Her thoughts were a few miles away, dwelling currently in the gray walls of a skull-shaped structure in the Light Hemisphere.
Whenever her daughter moved or spoke, however, Lady Moria's attention was immediately grabbed. She watched every movement, every gesture, heard every slight change in tone and every pause for breath. One who did not know would swear that she was obsessed. As it was, Moria paid rapt attention to what her daughter did and said, mainly because being with her was still very much a novelty.
Even after the eighteen months they had been together, and the very successful dinner party that had taken place last evening, Lady Moria was still reveling in her daughter's presence.
As it was, not much was occurring in the Mountain. Skeletor eventually dismissed everyone... barring Moria.
"Lady Moria, if you wouldn't mind coming down," he commanded rather than requested.
Breaking out of her most recent reverie, the Ancient Dereskian looked down slowly, noticing everyone else's exit as she vaulted from her post and landed nimbly on the floor. "Yes, Skeletor?" she asked slowly, her voice feigning respect to the self-termed 'Overlord of Evil.'
Skeletor sat in his throne, his talon-like fingernails digging into the chair to try to control his suppressed rage. "I've learned that you and your daughter took it upon yourselves to visit the Palace of Eternia last evening."
Moria feigned ignorance. "Did we?" She hid a smile at his visible rise in anger. "Yes, of course we did."
The evil overlord struggled to remain in his chair, the urge rising to take Lady Moria's pale throat between his fingers. "And why, pray tell," he said through gritted teeth, "did you not tell me?"
The white haired woman smiled softly. "I do not recall you asking," she replied calmly. "Nor do I remember agreeing to tell you everything I intended to do before I did so. In fact, I do not remember ever promising you anything."
Skeletor was speechless for a moment, as if amazed that anyone, even Moria, would dare say such things to him. He rose from his chair, his eyeholes burning red as he clutched at his havoc staff, clawing divots into the wood. "You will regret such words!" he screamed, firing a blast at her.
It never got to her. Moria's amethyst eyes flared, becoming pupil-less as a sudden fierce wind arose. The gale engulfed the blast and absorbed it, the yellow flames quenched by the swirling wind of amethyst light.
The former Eternian raised his staff in defense of the wind, and was pushed backwards into his throne, forcing him to sit again to prevent injury.
The sudden gale slowed, and then dissipated as Moria's eyes returned to normal. She exhaled softly, regaining her detached attitude as quickly as she had lost it, if she even had. "I would not suggest trying that again, Skeletor," she said calmly.
He inhaled sharply, his eye sockets flashing red in anger... hidden behind a thick veil of fear. Skeletor had forgotten exactly how powerful Moria was. He immediately vetoed physical confrontation with the Ancient woman. He slowly released his staff and tried to get a hold of his temper. Carefully, he began, "You should have let me know of such an expedition to the palace. It could have been carefully planned and proved useful to me."
Moria smiled gently, eyes flashing as she recognized that this had morphed into a verbal conflict. She suppressed a laugh, knowing that Skeletor had even less experience at this sort of battle than a physical one, and that he had an even greater probability of loosing this type of skirmish. "That is just it, Skeletor. My daughter's and my 'expedition' to the palace had nothing to do with you. We went in order to represent our nation, which you are not a member of. It did not make sense to inform you of the situation, as my daughter and I were the only ones who could claim a legitimate excuse."
Skeletor fought down a roar. "In the future... I must command that you inform me of such exploits."
The white-haired woman laughed, knowing already that she had won. She inspected her fingernails calmly. "And what exactly makes you think you have any control over what my daughter and I do?"
The Overlord of Evil replied in the flattest of possible tones, "Evil-Lyn is my second-in-command, and must therefore do as I order."
Moria could not hold back a laugh. "Not even I can control what my daughter does when she gets in certain moods. What makes you think that you can?"
Faltering for words, Skeletor paused. "...She and I are..." he trailed off, trying to find the proper way to say what he wished.
"Lovers?" Lady Moria supplied, a smirk on her pale face. She chuckled gently at his shock. "Love is the most uncontrollable emotion of them all. People can be in love, share the same bed, the same hopes and dreams, even do the same things, yes. But one can never truly 'own' the other. My daughter is her own mistress, and you know that even more than I do." She smiled gently, her eyes not unkind.
Skeletor took a breath, knowing he had lost this battle, and returned to his earlier statement, altering it. "In the future, when you are so busily planning raids and entrances into Eternian palaces with your child, would you kindly consider letting me know?!" His tone grew angrier at the end, and he had to visibly pull himself back from attacking her again.
The Dereskian smiled gently. "Of course," she said, bowing, out of habit rather than respect. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to." She winked an amethyst eye, and slid into the floor before he could even growl a protest.
Once she was out of sight, Skeletor howled loudly and fired blast upon blast of yellow light at the spot she had been standing, watching with smug satisfaction as scorch marks appeared on the cave floors.
..............
In Castle Grayskull, Teelina knelt upon her throne, her head in her hands as if suffering from a massive headache. Outwardly, she appeared as she always did: calm, collected, refined, prophetic and cool. Inside, she was a mess. Her mind was a jumbled mixture of conflicting emotions, thoughts that could begin a war in her aching head, and strange desires that coursed through her body, sending tremors of need down her spine with every breath, every stray wisps of wind that reminded her of a certain white-haired woman. There were far too many such breezes for her liking.
She sighed raggedly, her fingers sliding through the fabric on her turquoise and gold headdress, leaning back in her throne. She was trying to understand why the elder woman had such an effect on her, but found that the question had no answer that she could find. It seemed somewhat simple to her at times: Moria was an adversary, the one assisting Skeletor in the conquest of the power that she, as Sorceress, guarded. But then it grew complex again. Moria was not an enemy; she was a victim, left alone after her entire people were destroyed. The Sorceress sighed. They had been her people too, the Dereskians. Which, in some bizarre way, made Moria her queen. Add to the mix the fact that Moria was a far-too-seductive beauty in her own right who sent shivers down her spine anyway, and Teelina had nothing short of a seething mass of mixed emotions.
Sighing raggedly, the Sorceress held her head in her hands. She sat there for a long while, trying to make sense of her splitting mind.
...................
A lone figure stood outside Castle Grayskull, considering his options. Duncan, for his part, couldn't believe what Adam had told him. He knew that the Sorceress had been acting strangely, yes, but to even conceive that it was because she was aiding Lady Moria was... utterly preposterous. Still, Adam remained adamant in his urge that Man-at-Arms at least question the Sorceress about the scene he had walked in on.
And thus he stood outside the gate, waiting before calling out for admittance as he would have usually done. He told himself that this was nonsense, that Adam must have been mistaken in what he had seen... and heard. Shaking off his doubts for the time being, he called upon the Jawbridge to open, stepping upon the thick wooden planks when it did. He entered quickly, making his way through the corridors, bypassing the illusions and mirages with ease as he made his way to the throne room.
Inside, the Sorceress' eyes snapped open, and she quickly took flight, not wanting to have to deal with a confrontation with Man-at-Arms as well as her conflicting mind.
Duncan came upon the throne room slowly, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting of the newly-emptied chamber. He closed his eyes to block out their adjustment, and listened. He picked up the sound of rustling feathers not far behind him, heading in the opposite direction. Man-at-Arms' eyes snapped open, and he raced off, knowing instantly where she was going. He knew he would have to hurry if he wished to catch her.
Teelina flew, her white wings whispering in the air as she tried to escape, though not from Man-at-Arms alone. Nor did she flee only from the ever- increasing web that Moria spun around her. She flew more from herself than either of them.
As she descended into the crystal chamber, he caught up with her, leaping onto the stone platform that floated over the seemingly endless sea of crystals. "We need to talk, Sorceress," he began, as he had many times before.
"I have nothing to discuss," she said somberly, simply, as she vaulted from the platform and transformed. She slid easily into her falcon form, flying above his head and screeching as she did so.
Duncan cried out at her retreat. "Sorceress!," he called. She turned in an arc above his head, coming to rest atop a far away pillar of crystal. "I only want to discuss last evening," he finished calmly, walking slowly towards her.
Teelina hesitated, torn between the decision to fly away and that of landing beside him. This was not a subject she wanted to speak of, but an explanation of her behavior needed to be given. The main factor of her reluctance was the fact she had no answer to give. Eventually, she flew down, returning to her human form and leaning upon the staff that had reappeared with her. "What of it, Man-at-Arms?"
It was Duncan's turn to hesitate. "Adam... said he saw you...sharing a moment of intimacy with the Dereskian Queen," he finished quickly, hoping not to be struck down by lightening for even uttering such words.
The Sorceress said nothing, looking away and beginning to walk back to the platform. She was not ashamed of the kiss itself, she was amazed to discover, instead, she was feeling guilty only that she had been seen.
A stifled silence filled the room as Duncan processed what her refusal to say anything meant, not sure whether to vomit or scream at her violently. He opted for the latter. "By the Elders, Sorceress!" he began, causing her to turn and look at him sadly. "Why her?!" he almost screamed, repressed rage threatening boil over.
"If I knew, I would tell you!" she bit back suddenly, all of her conflicting emotions suddenly building in pressure, desperately needing to be released.
The rage of the Sorceress only matched Duncan's own and he cried out loudly. "You don't know?! Sorceress, a kiss is a consensual act! That you are lonely, I could understand, but to choose the Dereskian Queen-" he shuddered visibly. "Dear Gods of all people why her?! How can you not know?!" he growled, his tone deepening.
"Because I don't know why, Man-at-Arms!" she almost spat back at him, anger giving way to desperation as tears threatened to run down her green-marked face. "When I am alone, in meditation, sometimes everything seems so clear: Moria is the enemy, the one who has been aiding Skeletor in his conquest of my home, and not to be trusted." Teelina took a deep breath and leaned her head against her hands. "But... at other times... when I'm alone... or ... when she's here, and those hypnotic amethyst eyes are staring into mine... it all fades away... and I don't care about any of that.... All that seems to matter is her.... And there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it... and sometimes I'm not sure I want to...." She sighed raggedly, stifling a sob with her right hand.
Duncan was torn between concern for his crying friend or disgust at what she had just said. He swallowed roughly, trying to clear his mind of the image of anyone, especially someone he knew, being intimate with a creature straight out of nightmares. "Sorceress," he began slowly, walking near her calmly. "Surely she must be casting some sort of spell over you, something that can get through the barriers of Grayskull, something that-"
"No!" Teelina interrupted, her eyes pleading but her tone firm. "If it were a spell, I would know it. My essence is tied into Grayskull itself. There is nothing that goes on in this castle I am not aware of, especially spells and incantations. Even if Moria were able to cast anything, it would stand out like a drop of blood on the snow. The Dereskian Collective and the power of the Elders are not compatible."
Man-at-Arms stopped and looked at her. "Then what do you think she's doing? If her mere presence inspires such a flux of feelings in you, of all people, she must be doing something."
"Of course she is..." Teelina sighed raggedly. I hope she is...she thought inwardly, closing her eyes. Oh Elders I hope she is.... "But Moria's methods are... her own. I cannot attempt to guess what she is doing or how she does it, and that includes her aiding Skeletor, if, and I do say if, she is."
He looked at her, eyes wide with disbelief. "You doubt it's her that's helping him?"
"No," replied the Sorceress softly. "She helped him at first. Now... I think she just watches.... She always watches...." Teelina's mind began to drift as it had so often in the past few days.
Duncan managed to regain her attention after a short time, but the conversation dwindled. Nothing else of any real use or necessity was said, and after a time, a very concerned Man-at-Arms took his exit, leaving the Sorceress alone...but not really.
............
As Duncan took his exit, he boarded his sky-sled and returned to his workshop, his brow set low with concern. On a whim, he went looking for Adam, and found him, as usual, napping in the stables.
Not too gently, he shook the prince awake. "I'm worried about the Sorceress," he said bluntly as Adam rubbed sleep from his eyes.
Slowly, the prince of Eternia stretched out, stifling a yawn. "Why's that?" he asked. "Is the spell that the Dereskian Queen has over her hard to break?"
"According to her, there is no spell," Man-at-Arms replied coolly, freezing Adam in mid-stretch. "I'm inclined to believe her, except that she keeps acting... very peculiar. She will be talking and then break off all of a sudden, and her eyes go blank. I think we might need He-man's help in this."
The future king nodded. "Right," he replied, slipping his sword out of the sheath, raising it above his head."
"By the--"
"Father!" Teela cried out, bursting into the stable out of breath. "Skeletor's forces are moving through the north woods. He's making his way towards Grayskull!"
Man-at-Arms' face mask extended. "Gather the other Masters!" he ordered, flashing a look at Adam. "Go find He-man. Quickly!"
Adam nodded, and raced off with Teela as she went to ring the alarm bell. Separating from her and everyone else, the prince finished his transformation, and appeared shortly after in the palace square along with the rest of the Masters.
..............
Hidden among a grove of trees in the North woods just beyond Grayskull, the Dereskian Queen smiled at her daughter. "And so it begins," she said softly, laughing as Evil-Lyn winked back at her.
Moria raised herself into the air, landing on a high bough of a tall tree, her laughter echoing through the forest and fading into the distance.
From below her, Evil-Lyn flashed a grin at Skeletor, raising her staff as he raised his. "Thus begins the end!" He cried, and they brought their staffs down, enveloping the whole forest in a flash of yellow and purple light.
.............
Within Grayskull, the Sorceress cried out suddenly, the vision of the burst of power from the woods entering her mind. She instinctively raised a force field, using whatever strength she could muster until the Masters arrived. Looking into the view screen in her throne room as the North woods were quickly flooded with light, she hoped it would be soon.
Very soon.