There is the new chapter. Sorry for the wait but my beta was in vacation in July and August, and after that, it was me who was in vacation. But now my vacation is off, and i hope to post the next chapter sooner than this one. Good reading.

Chapter 6: Teela's Choice

That morning, Miro woke up with a big smile on his face. His plan had worked, and soon he wouldn't ever wake up alone. After all, she was just a woman like the others. Sure, she was more beautiful than most of the others, and she seemed to have the worst temper he had ever seen, but she was just a woman. He had
never thought about a woman after she had satisfied him. He didn't want to marry, and after seeing the woman his father had chosen to take the place of his
own mother, that wish had lessened even further. He didn't like queen Marlena. She was just an obstacle between him and his father. But his dislike for her was nothing in the face of the hate he felt for his "brother". This "Adam" had all the opportunities that Miro hadn't. Adam had been raised by both of his parents, and the people of Eternos liked him even though he had proven himself to be a coward. Miro couldn't understand why so many people loved that poor excuse for a prince. Even the Masters didn't want to talk badly of him. But soon things would change, Miro would make sure of it.

His smile vanished when he saw who was waiting for him at the training grounds. There, his brother was speaking with his bodyguard. How dare he come between Miro and what he wanted! Miro wouldn't let this pass! So he went to the two young people smiling and talking, and made his presence known. Both of them lost their smiles when they saw him, and if he was happy to see that his brother wasn't happy to see him, Miro was also displeased to see that the woman he wanted as a mistress was looking at him with dislike. Fortunately, his brother seemed to have understood that his presence was unnecessary, and Adam began to take his leave. But Miro was stunned to see Teela stop Adam. She asked Adam if he wanted to train with her and, much to Miro's distaste, Adam agreed whole-heartedly. That morning was hell for Miro.

The Sorceress hadn't been able to look at her daughter for a long time, and now, she dreaded seeing her. It bothered the Sorceress to see that not all of her feelings had died when she became the Sorceress. She had never been good at understanding her own feelings. Even during her marriage, it had been her husband who had made all the decisions and taken all the initiative. She was happy to be all alone, and only his love had made her love him. When he had left her, she was not sad, she had always known that one day he would leave her alone again. What she hadn't expected was to become pregnant, but after the shock of the news had passed, she had been as happy as she could be to wait for the baby. It had broken her heart to leave her baby in the care of Duncan, but soon, she had understood that her choice was the best for her and for her daughter. She would have been a horrible mother. She had no patience with children, and her role as the Sorceress had to take first priority.

She was happy with the way Duncan had raised her daughter, but sometimes the Sorceress regretted the fact that her girl was not more like her. Her daughter let her feelings guide her choices. Teela didn't tend to think much before she acted. In this aspect, she was a lot like prince Adam. Both of them were so different, yet so alike in the important things. They both were ready to die for their freedom, and they both had the same code of honor. Sometimes, it worried the Sorceress when she looked at them. If she could have, she would have ordered to Duncan to send his daughter far away from the prince. But she would never have found the right answer to the questions that such an action would raise, so she didn't say anything.

The Sorceress looked at her mirror and what she saw made her curse. She couldn't leave her daughter in the palace! She regretted that she had let so much time pass before checking on her daughter. How was it possible that one of them was in the palace? She had believed that the last one had been killed forty years ago. Her daughter was in danger! She had to warn Duncan immediately!

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Three days had passed since the first morning when Miro had found Teela and Adam together. And each morning was the same. He couldn't get her alone for a minute. It was like she was doing her best to avoid being alone with him. She always found someone to come with them, but more often than not, she forced him to spend time with his brother. Miro had tried, at first, to make fun of his brother, but Teela, in return, had made fun of Miro. So he had stop. He didn't understand why he couldn't make her do what he wanted, and it was the same with Adam. Why couldn't Miro manipulate them? His own mother had had the same power, and he had inherited it when she had died. And he knew that his power worked. His father and the Masters were good examples of that. He had not bothered to manipulate the servants of the palace, and he never saw the queen for an extended period of time, so he couldn't use his power on her.

Earlier that evening, Teela had left him in order to do some work, or at least that was what she had said. But he didn't believe her, and had tailed her. Miro's hate for his brother had increased when he watched her knock at Adam's room. Adam had opened the door with a bright smile and let her enter. Miro had come to the door and tried to eavesdrop. He'd paled when he had heard Teela squeal like a young girl. He had gone to his room without saying a word. This time, Adam had gone too far. Miro needed to kill him. A plan formed in his mind and he grinned maliciously.

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Like almost every evening, Teela came to Adam's room to converse with him. She really loved this hour of the day, when she could just be herself. She didn't try to read Adam's mind when they were alone like this. She had promised herself to be patient with Adam. He would tell her his secret when he was ready. So she just enjoyed spending time alone with him, and she felt some relief when he would laugh with her. But she really hoped that he wouldn't tickle her like he had yesterday. She really hoped that no one had heard her cry, because she was almost sure that they would have gotten the wrong impression. It wasn't like the idea bothered her a lot, but with Miro in the palace, she didn't know how he would react.

He had been very cold with her this morning, and had not tried to spend time alone with her today, which was a relief to her. Each time they were alone, she felt like he was trying to order her to do things she didn't want to. She resisted him with all of her will. No one could order her around, not even her father or the king. The only ones she was ready to obey, and even then only if they had a good reason, were Adam and He-Man. He-Man because he was the leader of the Masters, and because she knew that his priority was to keep her safe. For Adam, she didn't know why she was willing to obey him, or at least she wanted to believe so.

She had think a lot about her relationship with He-Man, or at least what little of a relationship they had. Of course, no one could live up to the standards he set, which was why she had some feelings for him. He was perfect in every way, no one could be compared to him. At least, that was what she had always believed. But, as of late, she found that she wasn't so sure anymore. Obviously, on the fighting plane, he had no match, but in the realms of kindness and wisdom, she now thought that Adam could definitely measure up. At first, that idea had made her laugh, but not anymore. Adam hid his abilities very well. And she couldn't understand it. If only he would show his father the side he showed her during their evening discussions, she was sure that the king would be less harsh on his son. But it was as though something or someone had forced him to put on an act around everyone, except for her, and only until recently. She regretted even more what she had said to him during the last years, but she couldn't let her past mistakes interfere with her future. And a little voice in her told her that Adam would have a big place in that future.

A week later, the king, his two sons, and Teela went to the city to see the people of Eternos. This visit was scheduled to happen two weeks before the king made his "grand tour". This year it had been Adam's turn to make the tour as the heir apparent. Of course, it had been planned for Teela to go with him. But with a new prince in the palace, the citizens of Eternos had wondered if their prince would do it, or if their king would choose his first son to make the tour. Most of the people wanted prince Adam to come to them. They didn't know this "Miro", but the palace servants didn't say a lot of good things about the new prince, contrary to their opinions of prince Adam. That was why the place was full of people this morning. They had come to show their attachment to younger prince, and show his father that he couldn't replace the prince they had watched grow up with another prince who suited him better.

It had all happened in a matter of minutes. The first thing that had happened was Miro getting slightly hurt by a tiny stone. In fact, this stone was a bullet. The king had come to his eldest son's aid immediately, exposing Adam to the sight of the shooter. And if it had not been for Teela's quick reflexes, one of the two princes might have been killed. She had seen the man, and her eyes had gone wide when she had seen who his target was. It was not Miro, like everyone thought, but Adam. Without thinking, she had run to him and tackled him off the platform. The prince and his friend had fallen right in amongst the crowd. Teela had expected the crowd to run away, but what had happened had stunned her. Instead of running, the people had come closer to them and formed a shield from their bodies protecting their prince. In the confusion, the man had tried to run away, but some citizens had stopped him. They had taken him prisoner, and only after that did the crowd let Adam and Teela breathe again.

Of course, after that the meeting had come to an end very quickly. The four of them had left the city to return to the palace. The king had not said a word during the trip, but Teela and Adam were really aware that the king was beyond furious. What worried them was that they didn't know if the king was livid at the shooter or at them. As soon as they landed, the king sent his eldest son to the infirmary to check his wound. After that he ordered Adam and Teela to come with him to his study. Exchanging worried glances, they followed the king.

As soon as the door closed, the king asked Adam what he had done to force that stranger to try to kill Miro. The accusation was so unfair that Adam didn't know how to answer. In fact, it was not Miro who was the target, but him. Adam had understood it. But, apparently, his father hadn't. The lack of answer from his son angered the king even more. He told Adam to go to his room and come to him only when he had a satisfactory answer. Teela began to follow Adam when the king stopped her.

"I'm most displeased with you, captain," Randor began. "You have failed in your duty."

"I'm sorry, my king," she countered, "but I am sure that I have done my duty."

"How?" Randor demanded. "Your charge is injured!"

"I believe that I have done my duty. Prince Adam is still alive. My first duty is to him and him alone."

With that she left the king's study, missing the startled expression on the king's face.

To be continued.

So? What do you think? I have more and more fun at writing this story. Next week: The story of Miro's mother.