Once again, thanks for the interest. I hope you enjoy this chapter, as well!

The Sacrifice Chapter 3

Adora knew something was wrong the moment she saw the Horde spy bat flying in circles outside the Whispering Woods. Her mind flashed back to the last time she had seen one. She had been in the same location where it was now with Bow and Glimmer making various plans, including who would go to gather supplies for the Rebellion. Bow had shot the flying camera from the sky, thinking it would be fun because usually the Horde put bombs in them just in case anyone tried to tamper with it.

Oh, it did blow up, but not before falling to the ground and delivering a message cube. The message had been horrible then and she knew if the spy bat had a similar offering, it would be horrible again. Hopefully, it had nothing to do with her brother, but she now had a feeling that she couldn't shake, that it would have something to do with Adam.

Quickly, she lowered her binoculars and climbed down from her post.

Almost immediately, Bow ran to her side. "It's about time!" he exclaimed. "I thought you would never come down!"

"The only reason I am is because I have to go to the edge of the Whispering Woods," she replied. She started to walk away, but Bow grabbed her hand.

"Why? What's going on, Adora?" he asked.

She sighed and replied, "I saw a spy bat circling there. It should be gotten rid of, but…"

Bow finished her thought, "…it might have bad news from the Horde."

"Exactly."

Without saying a word, Bow lifted his finger for her to wait, went into his nearby tent, and came back in a matter of seconds. He now had his bow in his hand. "Well, let's go," he said stepping past her to lead the way.

"You don't have to come," she replied. It would probably be better for her if he didn't. Bow always wanted to jump in head first when it came to battling the Horde, so it was always a challenge to get him to do otherwise.

"I want to, so come on."

=)=)=)

Adam shook his head slowly, trying to clear the sluggishness that was now overtaking his body. That was a mistake. Almost instantly, the room spun and he found himself dropping to one knee. He braced himself with one hand against the glass, like he had done as He-Man before and tried to remain awake. He knew he had to be alert for the moment Adora arrived. To do this, he thought about what happened earlier…"

=)=)=)

"Before you leave, may I speak with you for a moment, son?"

Adam cringed as he heard his father's voice. His words had formed a question, but his tone implied something else entirely. It was a command, and he knew he was in for it. Bowing his head submissively, he mumbled, "Yes, sir."

He walked in front of his father and lifted his eyes to see King Randor watching everyone else. He turned to look and realized his father was merely waiting for everyone to leave the room before he ripped into him. Sighing, he lowered his head again and waited for the inevitable moment to arrive.

When it did, he was surprised at how the conversation started. "I really wish you wouldn't slouch like that, Adam—it's unbecoming of a prince."

Immediately, he straightened his back, but he kept his head down.

He heard his father sigh and he could almost see the king roll his eyes even though he wasn't looking at him. "Son…lift your head. You're a prince—you should never cower from adversity or ridicule no matter who it's from."

He lifted his eyes to meet his father's. He didn't know how to reply to that. He had always been submissive to his father, even when he was a kid. He had always bowed his head when being scolded. It wasn't that he was scared…well, maybe he was to a certain degree, but not in the way his father meant. The truth was he thought it was an act of respect since his father was the king, so the words upset him a little, but he remained quiet.

King Randor merely nodded once approvingly when their eyes met. Adam hadn't seen that gesture in a long time, unfortunately.

"What was that in court today?" his father finally asked after he folded his hands behind his back.

He wanted to cringe, but he knew to do so now while his father was being a little sensitive to his supposed cowardice was not a wise move. Instead, he shrugged and explained softly, "Teela and I were having a discussion. She misunderstood what I was trying to say and she said something that shocked me. I didn't yell out intentionally, Father, I assure you."

King Randor shook his head and turned away. "Why were you even speaking in the first place?" he questioned. "Adam, when I'm addressing the court or they are speaking with me, the Prince of Eternia should be paying attention. You will one day rule and the people must know that you care about them and their lives. If you don't, dissension could spread throughout the kingdom and planet. You don't want that to happen, do you? It would be a horrible way to end our family's legacy."

"Of course, I don't want that!" Adam exclaimed.

Marlena stepped down from the throne and heard the tail end of their conversation. "Randor, no one thought Adam was being inattentive. I saw the whole affair. When Teela and Adam began talking, we were still taking a break. He was just so involved in the discussion that he hadn't realized the proceedings had started again. It was an honest mistake."

"And, how many 'honest mistakes' does he have, Marlena?" he asked her a little harshly while he turned to look at her.

"He is just a boy," she defended.

"Mother, Father," Adam pleaded with a horrified expression, "please don't fight over me!" He didn't want his parents fighting because of something he had done. He felt guilty enough for all the things he caused because of his secret.

"'Just a boy?'" his father repeated. "By the Ancients, Marlena, he is twenty-years-old! He's a man!"

Marlena folded her arms across her chest and replied, "He wasn't raised like you were, Randor, and you know that! You told me several times before and after we had the twins that you did not wish for Adam to have the strict, royal upbringing that you did! On Earth, yes, twenty is considered adulthood technically, too, but everyone recognizes they're still young and able to make mistakes. They're not even allowed to do certain things legally that older adults can. These young men and women are not expected to be perfect and mature beyond their years."

Randor looked at Adam briefly before he turned back to Marlena and stated firmly, "Just because I didn't want to be as hard on him as my father was on me does not mean I wanted him to be raised with a soft hand either. He's not an Earthling, Marlena, and…"

"What does that mean?" she snapped, angrily. Now, they knew she was upset. "Are you trying to say that Earthlings are weak or soft? Might I remind you that your wife is an Earthling…"

"Marlena, that's not what I meant…"

"…AND your son is an Earthling just as much as he is an Eternian, if not more so."

"Please!" Adam tried again.

Both parents turned to look at him.

"Please, stop fighting! I can't bear to be the cause! I'll do better, okay? I promise I won't cause anymore distractions in court again!"

"You need to improve more than that," his father replied, and the queen glared at her husband.

Adam stepped closer and squeezed his mother's hand. "I will. I promise you, Father. Now, please, may the subject rest?"

Marlena squeezed his hand back and nodded. She then turned to Randor and said aloud, "For now."

Adam knew that meant she planned on discussing the issue further with his father in private, and he could tell when he looked at his father that the king knew it, too. King Randor shook his head after his wife walked away and then scrutinized him for a second before walking away, as well.

=)=)=)

That was the last time he had seen his father and mother, and undoubtedly, they knew he was missing by now. His father probably thought he had run off somewhere to have fun and that very conversation would be sticking out in his mind. He would probably be disappointed, believing that his son was a disgrace and would never change. Even Teela probably believed he was hiding to avoid her.

He breathed deeply as much to calm himself as to keep himself awake. It was getting harder and harder by the second and he didn't know what to hope for. Should he hope for Adora to come to rescue him, or should he hope for her to stay far, far away? Just like he didn't want to cause any problems between his parents, he didn't want to cause any problems for Adora and the Rebellion. They had enough as it was.

Closing his eyes and trying to steady himself, a wave of faintness hit him. He begged himself to stay conscious for just a little while longer, but he honestly didn't know if he could.

=)=)=)

Adora and Bow rode Spirit and Arrow to the edge of the Whispering Woods within a relatively short period of time. The short journey had been made in almost complete silence, because both knew bad news was more than likely imminent. When they both dismounted, Bow lifted his bow and shot the spy bat much like he had before.

As she suspected, it dropped to the ground without a big explosion. Bow motioned for her to stay where she was as he ran over and grabbed the visible message cube from the bat's belly. He then ran over to her and made her kneel with him behind a big rock.

After the explosion had occurred and they uncovered their ears, they both stood.

Without waiting for Bow to comment, Adora grabbed the message cube. She knew it was addressed to her even if her friend hadn't read the inscription yet. As soon as the box touched her fingertips, it lit up and Hordak's face could be seen within it and he spoke.

"Greetings, Ex-Force Captain Adora, as a courtesy to a former member of the Horde, I thought I would inform you of some information that has just come to light." He laughed sadistically, and Adora wrinkled her brow with worry. "It seems that your brother has taken an unexpected trip to Etheria, hahaha. He is staying here with me in the Fright Zone, as you can see." The cube then showed Adam barely keeping his eyes open in a glass box and Adora recognized it instantly. She gasped. The Plunder Room. The Magnabeam Transporter. She had almost had her brother taken away from her once by those means…

"Oh, no! Brother!" she shouted in complete horror.

"If you wish to see your brother free, come to the Fright Zone alone. If I catch even a glimpse of She-Ra or anyone else by ground or in the skies, I will put the Magnabeam on full capacity and drain Prince Adam. You know what it is capable of. I may not have enough willpower from the prince to send the Whispering Woods to the Valley of the Lost, but the results of that action will be nonetheless pleasing if you cross me, I assure you."

Adora stumbled back and leaned against the stone that she and Bow had hidden behind earlier. She could tell Hordak meant his words. She had never seen someone drained at full capacity. They hadn't even done that to He-Man, because they had been afraid he would overload the machine, but Adam…he didn't stand a chance.

She could see from what her brother was wearing that he had been taken from Eternia at night and that he more than likely didn't have the Sword of Power on him. "Oh, no," she mumbled again as tears swam to her eyes.

"You have two hours to get here, Adora. Don't be late or Adam will suffer the consequences." Hordak laughed loudly before the message cube started shooting shocks out of its crevices.

Bow immediately grabbed it and tossed it into the air before it exploded.

Once it did, Bow pounded his fist in his open hand and said determinedly, "We'll get your brother back, Adora, and I will go with you."

Adora shook her head and countered adamantly, "No, Bow, you have to stay here. If Hordak sees you, he might hurt Adam and I couldn't bear that. I must go alone."

"But Adora…"

"No," she stated firmly. Before he could say anything else, she whistled for Spirit, jumped onto the animal, and took off towards the Fright Zone. She didn't look back to see what Bow was doing, because her mind was too consumed with thoughts. She already knew her brother was weak—she could tell that from the picture. So, how would he go free when she arrived?

She also debated about reaching out to the Sorceress, but she realized the woman might want to send reinforcements. That could end disastrously—she couldn't and wouldn't risk her brother's life at all. Life had been so cold and lonely without him when she had been a member of the Horde, and now that she knew him, now that they had strengthened their bond with one another, she couldn't imagine life without him. It was unconceivable.