Adora woke to a darkened room in unfamiliar surroundings. She couldn't remember the last few hours or how she got to where she was. She started to sit up but paused when she heard the rustle of fabric and someone moving.
"How are you feeling?"
A familiar voice. Mother, she thought.
"What happened?" Adora asked, avoiding the question. It wasn't a question she was prepared to answer at the moment.
The Queen of Eternia stepped forward and snapped on a light near the bed. Adora could clearly see now that she was in her brother's bed chambers but her memories of actually getting here were fuzzy and confused.
"Adam and He-Man brought you home," Marlena answered. "Adam came to get us as soon as you arrived in the palace. He said you were injured?"
The queen sat down on the edge of the bed.
Adora sat up and encircled her mother in a tight hug. "Oh, Mother!" was all she could get out before she could speak no more because of the tears. Marlena did what any mother would do and rubbed her daughter's back soothingly, making calming noises.
Adora, who grew up in the Fright Zone, was unaccustomed to being mothered but found the comfort to be... well very comforting.
When Adora had finally pulled herself together, she extricated herself from her mother's embrace. Wiping her eyes on the tissue she was handed Adora gave a rueful smile. "I'm sorry," she said.
"What for?"
"I don't think I've cried this much in years!" Adora didn't meet her mother's eyes. "Now suddenly I'm a soggy mess."
Marlena reached out a hand and smoothed her daughter's hair. "Oh my daughter, you have every right to be a soggy mess!" She laughed a little but without humour. "You've just been torn from everyone and everything you've known. And now you have to deal with the grief of that loss, plus an injury that could very well cripple you for life. Of course you have every right to cry."
At that, Adora sniffled a little more. "You sound like you know how I feel, but you don't!"
"Of course I know exactly how you feel, my dear!" Marlena paused though and realised that maybe her own daughter was unaware of her mother's origins. "The same thing happened to me less than 30 years before; remember I came from another planet."
Adora smiled ruefully. "Tell me the whole story, Mother. We were interrupted the last time you told it."
"Of course." Marlena continued to smooth her daughter's hair, enjoying the contact. "I come from a planet called 'Earth' and I crashed here quite by accident in my spaceship. Your father came across the wreck and saved me but my ship was unfixable. I was trapped on an alien world in a culture that was very different to the one I came from. It was a very rocky transition."
Adora had snuggled closer to her mother as she talked, enjoying the contact and the comfort. Allowing herself for once in her life to need and accept the comfort.
"If it wasn't for your father," Marlena continued, "I would have had a very hard time indeed. He welcomed me in, explained everything and very quickly we fell in love and got married."
"At least I have family here," Adora said, wondering if maybe she should be more grateful.
"Yes, you do," Marlena agreed. "But you have still lost everyone you've known and cared for."
They continued talking quietly.
At the door King Randor, a tall and imposing brown haired man, turned to his son and gestured them out to the hallway. "It's going to be a rough transition, son. I hope we can count on your help."
"Of course, Father," Adam replied as they walked away leaving the women to their conversation. Adam knew, though, that the transition would be harder than most people realised, for Adora had lost not only her ability to become She-Ra but she'd also lost the love of her life: Seahawk.
Life was going to be very different for Adora from here on out: no more living rough in tents and on the run from an invading force because Adora was part of the royal family of Eternia. The long lost princess who'd been kidnapped shortly after birth and missing for nearly twenty years. Adam, called on by the Sorceress, was sent to find someone. To deliver the Sword of Protection to this person with no idea that the person he'd been sent to find was his missing, and unknown, twin sister.
For Adam, finding his twin was a relief to the burden he carried. Finding someone who knew exactly what it was to carry that burden. Of alter identity, of sacrifice. Oh, a few people knew about his dual life as both He-Man and Prince Adam. They helped him ensure that the Prince appeared to be too lazy, too clownish to ever be considered as He-Man's secret identity. But no one really knew what it felt like, day in and day out to be considered a fool and coward and knowing that he was entirely the opposite.
Adora knew. And with Adora all pretence of fool could be dropped. She saw him as he was on the inside: smart, caring, reliable, and strong. Just as she was, though her upbringing was considerably harsher. And now, Adora needed him like no other time and Adam was determined to be there for her as his twin transitioned to becoming the royalty she was born to be.
The morning brought some challenges of its own. Adora woke gasping with the remnants of a nightmare. It had been so real that she called out in desperation.
"Hordak-!"
The sound of her voice shattered the dream and the princess shook her head thoroughly as she sat up. Hordak was gone. It was over. Etheria could return to the way it was always meant to be. The price was so high, but one she would gladly pay again if it meant the people she had helped enslave finally had their freedom.
Shaking her head, Adora decided the best course of action would be action. Move forward. Get on with the day. Learn to be a part of the family she barely knew. It was time to get up.
Easier said than done, she realised as she tried to swing her legs off the bed. Her left leg was as useless as a log. Staring at it intently, she could move it but it was floppy and unfeeling. The problem was, her bladder was entirely the opposite and Adora knew she had to find a way up and to the washroom fairly soon.
She grabbed her leg and put in to the side and prepared to stand. Slide and twist and she was standing at the side of the bed, using it for support. She looked around the room and located the en suite. It was across an open expanse of floor.
Never one to give up, Adora took a few steps while using the bed for support. It was slow going but if she were careful, she could make it. All too soon, she passed the end of the bed and she was forced to balance on her own. She decided to hop. At least she was barefoot which gave her better control.
Hop. Pause. Hop. Pause. It was ridiculous but the bathroom was getting closer. Hop-
The bedroom door opened and Adam poked his head in surprising Adora. Instead of pausing, she hopped again in surprise and overbalanced.
Adam, with the skills gained from many battles, immediately assessed the situation and burst in through the door and was by his twin's side before she could fall.
"Hey, sis. Easy."
It was so nice to have someone to lean on. A new feeling entirely. "Thanks, brother."
Adam switched to her left side and balanced Adora out. They shuffled towards the bathroom. "Mother was going to come by and check in on you but she was held up by palace business." Adam informed her as they walked. "Did you have a good night?"
"I'm not used to sleeping in such luxury, brother, but it was good to be home."
At the door, Adam released his sister and she paused briefly before heading in. "I'll be waiting out here for you, Adora. Just yell when you're ready."
The door closed and he was alone.
Adam had a lot of guilt in so many ways. Why he was fine and his sister was once again deprived of everything that meant something to her. Why she was the one who had lost both her incredible alter identity and her mobility at the same time. It seemed like, right from birth, the ancients had decided to make life very difficult for his sister and that curse continued.
It wasn't long before Adora was done and refreshed and ready for a helping hand. Adam helped her to a nearby chair and she had just settled in when there was a knock at the door. It was Man-At-Arms, the resident inventor, with a pair of crutches.
"Good morning, Princess." He said as he walked in. "Adam told me about your problem and I've come with a temporary solution to help you get around." He waved the crutches slightly. "And I think I may be able to help return your ability to walk. At least artificially."
Adora brightened. "Thank you, Man-At-Arms!"
She struggled to rise and Adam quickly pulled her back to her feet. Man-At-Arms handed her the crutches, already correctly sized for her height, and Adora was soon swinging her way around the room and laughing.
"I never knew how much I valued my freedom until I lost it!"
Her grin was infectious and both men grinned back. Man-At-Arms pulled out an imaging device from a pocket. "If you could hold still for a moment, Princess, I will take some measurements of your leg. I think if I put together an exoskeleton, you should be able to walk with no problem."
Task completed, Man-At-Arms excused himself and left. The twins were alone for barely a moment when there was another knock at the door. The queen, their mother, had arrived.
Marlena was carrying a bundle of what looked like cloth. She smiled, enjoying seeing her children together. Adult children, but nonetheless it was a joy and a dream come true to have her family in one place.
"Adam," the queen smiled, "I believe your father is looking for you."
Adam cringed a little. "I'd better go." On his way to the door, he paused and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Thanks, Mother. I'll see you at lunch."
The Queen smiled and turned to Adora. "I've brought you some clothing. Maybe something more appropriate for the princess of Eternia."
She shook out her bundle which turned out to be a dress of blue. Adora had never worn a dress in her life. She was a warrior to the core and didn't know how to react. Marlena had anticipated this and had chosen her daughter something more practical and knee length. She had also chosen out boots that were flats, knowing that Adora's injury would make wearing her customary heels more difficult.
The clothing was laid out on the bed.
"I'll leave you to get changed and refreshed, my daughter. When you're done, we can meet in the dining hall for midday meal."
"Midday! What time is it?" Adora had assumed it was morning, but now she wasn't so sure. The light was different enough on Eternia that she couldn't immediately get a sense of the time of day.
"It is nearly lunch time," the queen smiled. "You were exceptionally tired. We did not want to disturb your sleep."
The queen patted her daughter on the shoulder and turned to leave. "Welcome home, Adora."
Adora sighed and looked at her new outfit. To be honest, she never cared about what she wore. Her focus had always been on battles, supplies, outsmarting the Horde and so many more important things than clothing. She did understand where her mother was coming from though.
She had changed and was just struggling with putting the boot on her left foot when there was a noise at the window. Before the princess could get her crutches in place to investigate, Adam's head appeared quickly followed by the rest of him. He leapt in and immediately crouched down.
"Adam! What are you –"
"shhhhhh!" Adam interrupted. "I'm hiding."
Peering over the ledge, he breathed a sigh of relief. No one had noticed him.
"Sometimes I get tired of being hounded all the time."
Adora had resumed trying to put her boot on a leg that wouldn't cooperate. She only grunted. This wasn't news to her. She knew that between the demands of royalty and the demands of being He-Man, champion of Eternia, Adam's free time was very limited. More than most people realised.
Adam saw her struggle and quickly pulled the boot on and handed his sister the crutches. Though she was grateful, being dependant was quickly getting old. She swung herself towards the door, intent on getting some food. As she reached for the door handle, she found Adam in her way.
"Brother!" She exclaimed, knowing she was hungry, tired of struggling and just feeling put out. "I don't need you hovering over me. I am fine."
In spite of her outburst, Adam stood in her way. He folded his arms and looked serious. "Well, of course you're not fine, Sis. How could you be? But do you know what? You are surrounded by people who love you. Who want to help you and take care of you. I don't think you've ever had that before. Not like this. We are family, Sis, and I will be there for you no matter what!"
Adora sighed and slumped a little. "I'm sorry, Adam. I just don't feel like myself right now." She leaned forward so that her forehead was resting on his chest.
Adam pulled her into a hug. "I know, sis. You have to find a new normal but you don't have to do it alone."
The moment was brief; Adora was determined not to dwell. She straightened up and put a smile on her face. "How about we get some food?"
The twins headed out to the dining room together chatting comfortably.
Later on, fortified with family time and food, the twins waited at the drawbridge of Castle Grayskull. The Attack Track was behind them. Adora was leaning on her crutches. She was still not happy about her infirmity. A visit to the palace physicians had yielded no answers, no hope and left her depending on others for help. Being vulnerable. Those were not feelings she was used to. People like that were quickly disposed of by the Horde and she learned early in her life to be strong and act stronger.
Adam was beside her, letting Adora have her independence but ready to help if needed. Adora was calm and seemed resigned to her fate but he knew that she was still in shock. A whole day earlier, her life involved her friends and the battle on Etheria.
The drawbridge opened and they entered slowly. Inside the Sorceress was waiting for them. She was unruffled and calm.
Instead of meeting in the great hall, where there was no chairs, The Sorceress lead the group to a side room Adam had never noticed before. It contained three comfortable chairs and a fireplace. A quiet study with books and a carpet. It was incredibly homey. Adam knew that Castle Grayskull had many mysteries and secrets. This room, clearly, was one of them.
The trio sat down.
"Princess Adora," the Sorceress began, "I would like to try and heal your leg again. Or at the very least, reduce your infirmity."
At Adora's nod, the Sorceress knelt before her, hands on the leg and closed her eyes. At first nothing happened and then the Sorceress's hands started to glow. The glow extended slowly and suddenly there was a loud CRACK in the room. Both women were thrown apart with the Sorceress landing on the floor on her back and Adora opposite with the chair on its back underneath her.
Quickly Adam pulled the Sorceress to her feet and then turned to his sister. She was already sitting up, looking stunned. A quick movement by Adam and both the chair and the woman were back in their place.
"I am so sorry, Adora." The Sorceress sounded out of breath.
Adora touched her head briefly. "What happened?"
"The magic that has crippled you is incredibly powerful. It resisted my efforts in a way I've never seen." The sorceress composed herself, losing the slightly haggard look and once again became serene. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do at this moment to help you."
"Man-At-Arms is working on something to help Adora with her mobility," Adam offered. "Hopefully she won't need crutches for long."
"There's no way to tell, but I promise I will consult the elders and look into the archives for you both."
Adora shifted slightly, already weary of bad news and yet needing to know more. "Can you tell me more about what's happened? Why am I unable to reach Etheria? What went wrong?"
"The Fates were cast hundreds of years before you were born. A prophecy foretold of amazing twins coming. Twins that were more powerful than ever known. But there was a catch: part of the prophecy never revealed outside of this castle. For the twins would be separated: one to Eternia, one to Etheria. One hero for each world and no more. Etheria is so very different from our world and our space. For a moment, its time moved at the same rate as Eternia's but it does not do so any longer with your departure. Time has sped up again and your friends are much, much older now."
"In the space of a day!" Adora gasped.
"Yes, Princess. And that is precisely why we cannot reach out to the world any longer."
"Sorceress…" Adam began thoughtfully, "Can –"
There was an incredible boom followed by another.
"The Castle is under attack!" The Sorceress touched her forehead lightly, eyes closed. "Skeletor and his henchmen are out front! We need He-Man!"
Adam was already standing and reaching for his sword.
"By the Power of Grayskull!"
The light show was amazing. Adora watched silently both in awe and sadness. Missing her ability to jump to the aid of her brother.
"I'm going to throw out the welcome mat for old Bone Brain. I think he wants to come inside!" He-Man quipped. "Wait here, Adora. I won't be long." He rushed out to take care of the evil wizard.
The Sorceress took her falcon form and flew from the room. Heading to the highest tower to send magical aid to He-Man.
Adora sat in the room by herself for a moment feeling utterly useless.
But only for a moment. Adora, now princess of Eternia, formerly rebel leader and even earlier, force caption, was not used to sitting by the sidelines and feeling sorry for anyone. She grabbed her crutches and got up, determined to see if she could help in any way.
The booming shook the room briefly making it harder for her to swing around to the door. Then it got quiet before one last bang shook the castle so hard that everything that wasn't nailed down rattled hard. Adora ended up painfully on her knees almost within arm's reach of the door. She was just struggling to her feet when He-Man bounded back, clearly full of energy from the fight. He easily helped her up, gave her a quick hug and set her to rights again.
"Well, Skeletor came to his senses fast! His latest trick came undone." He laughed. "I'm going to escort you back to the palace though, Sis. His henchmen could be around and we don't need any trouble."
The sorceress appeared out of nowhere. "I agree, He-Man. Skeletor gave up too easily. There's something more going on. I need time to unravel his latest magic and see what he was really up to."
"Yes, it's not like old Bone Brain to just cut and run when I show up! Let me know if he comes back again."
"I will, He-Man. And thank you."
The twins walked out. Amazingly enough the Attack Track was still sitting out front untouched.
"Are you sure Skeletor hasn't tampered with the Attack Track, Brother?" Adora was wary, knowing the tricks of the Horde. They would never leave something like this without a bomb or booby trap. It was odd that it was just sitting there off to the side. The damage around it, burn marks on the grass and small craters near the bridge to the Castle, was obvious.
He-Man walked around the outside, checking under and over. There were no signs of forced entry or anything wrong. He shrugged when he returned to front. "Seems fine to me, Sis, but maybe I'll have Duncan scan it from the palace to make sure."
He called Man-At-Arms on his wrist receiver.
In Snake Mountain, meanwhile, Skeletor was listening at his receiver. His latest attempt to gauge the strengths of Castle Grayskull gave him lots of new information to work with. And just for fun he had slipped a little listening device, the tiniest one he had, into the Attack Track. And now… now he was hearing the conversation of a lifetime. Adora, the princess, was calling He-Man "brother"! And he was calling her "sister"! This was certainly interesting. It could only mean two things: He-Man was another prince of Eternia, his identity hidden, or He-Man was something else entirely.
Skeletor was intrigued. Perplexed. Excited. The possibilities were endless. He leaned forward to listen more intently.
Duncan cleared the Attack Track for bombs and traps and told the twins to head home. They climbed in, ready to go. Adora closed her eyes briefly, suddenly feeling so tired.
He-Man entered in their destination and let the Track do the driving.
"Long day, huh, Sis?" He leaned back and watched his sister.
"Uh huh. It's a lot to process." She sighed. "And I have to get used to being a princess with all that that entails."
He-Man chuckled. "I'll help you there, Adora. Or at least where I can! I know the best hiding places for when things get too busy and too demanding."
Adora smiled and reached for his hand, wanting to feel his warm touch. An anchor.
"Thanks, Brother. We can hide from Teela together." She smiled. "But you're going to have to straighten up a bit; I don't want to be the good twin making you look bad. I don't think I can slack off quite like you manage!"
Skeletor gasped. It became quite obvious what was going on and he knew exactly what to do with this information.