The ever gray sky on the dark hemisphere was giving way into the reddish dusk, in the kingdom of Efesto the black fortress were royalty resided stood high over the plane while several volcanoes erupted around it.
Prince Nadir, heir to the throne, was called to a meeting with his father, King Samir. It had been years since he had seen his father in person but heard several rumors that claimed he had gone insane long ago. Samir had not left his wing on the fortress for over five years now, alienating himself from his subjects and his family. Nadir suspected it might have something to do with the murder of his favorite mistress. His mother, Queen Lavinia, had been blamed for the crime and banished from the kingdom.
When he opened the door to the luscious room the king inhabited, the prince could barely hide his shock and disgust.
In a very large bed with sheets embroidered in gold, lay the King now turned into an obese mass so large it barely kept his form. Several dishes of delicacies were scrambled across him while at least 12 beautiful women covered in precious stones danced and frolicked around his large frame. Three advisors worked in small desks signing the documents and treaties only the king should have access to, it seems that his most important assignments had been relegated to a group of underpaid men. No wonder the kingdom was in ruins, miners were on the verge of a revolt because of their extreme poverty, hunger and high taxes, most of which probably went to support his father's debauchery. The man was probably the living embodiment of uncontrolled greed.
Clearing his throat Nadir asked: -"Did you sent for me father?"-
-"Yes mi son, you have grown so much! You look just like I did at your age"-
*If I ever look the way you do at your age I'll put my own sword to my heart in order to end the humiliation* He thought while fighting his nausea, yet instead merely responded: -"Thank you father"-
-"I summoned you because I have great news; we are finally going to conquer Ishteurea!"-
-"Huh?"- It was all the prince could muster, his father was talking nonsense. For many years the kingdom of Efesto, laid over sterile land, craved for the opportunity to conquer the neighbor kingdom of Ishteurea located on the light hemisphere. After all the small peaceful kingdom had one of the most fertile lands ever conceived and few soldiers, but its peacefulness was caused for the mere reason that Ishteurea was located in a small valley surrounded by the southern ice mountains, there was little need for an army when the kingdom was guarded by the tallest mountains on Eternia who were reigned by the most dangerous snow storms.
-"Yes you heard me! I have managed to obtain several ships that will carry our great army to that pesky little land and we shall conquer its reaches once and for all! Our kingdom will finally rise and become the largest nation in the dark hemisphere."-
*There is no doubt that he is insane now* Nadir though sadly.
-"Father your kingdom is in havoc, our national treasure is almost empty and your people, our people are beginning to rebel. Now it is time to focus on our own land instead of going to war with another"-
-"Nonsense!"- The impatient king hollered –"Those meaningless commoners will not do anything I don't allow them to, a few public beheadings will settle the matter you'll see. Besides, all of our detractors will eat their words as soon as we conquer Ishteurea"-
The prince had only one last argument against his father's lunacy before he made a disastrous decision and ended many innocent lives –"There might be a peaceful way to settle this matter, Princess Lena is the heiress to the throne and single, if I married her our kingdoms would unite without the need for a war"- The prince had in fact coveted the heart of the lovely Lena for a long time now, she was smart and brave, destined to be a great queen.
-"Unite!? That would mean compromising our ideals to adjust to their demands. We are a proud race of warriors forged from the volcanoes that embraced our land we shall never compromise with those weaklings. I will conquer them and you can keep both princesses if you want, but keep in mind that you can only marry an Efestian for only our race is worthy of our royal blood. Now go to our troops at once, you shall lead my army into combat at the break of dawn."-
…..
Adam saw the valley of Ishteurea in the distance, the only way to fly there was with good weather in the summer season, otherwise the cruel snowstorms would easily ravish anything that came in its path. Nonetheless the valley was blessed with a microclimate that was actually worm and stable throughout the year. By his side king Randor was talking to Teela about the upcoming treaties between kingdoms. He prayed that this meeting would go as planned; his upcoming marriage depended on it.
Being stuck with both the king and Teela during a delicate foreign mission was his private idea of hell but at least Man at Arms came with them.
Duncan was glad that both the welcome reception and its subsequent party were boring and uneventful, that meant things were going well. But he couldn't help notice the anxiety and trepidation hidden in Randor's face.
-"Is everything all right sire?"- He asked quietly
The king barely removed his eyes form his upcoming daughter in law, the rumors of her beauty were no exaggeration. Her cinnamon colored skin glowed like polished bronze and her raven long tresses framed a face of pure exotic beauty, but perhaps her highest trait were her mesmerizing emerald eyes.
-"Nobody can deny mi son has chosen a very beautiful woman to be his bride, but is it possible that it is all he saw?"- Randor could hardly blame a hormone filled young man for falling at the feet of a belle without even thinking that there are many traits a queen must possess, being beauty the least important.
-"She is known to be very kind, always helping her people and working in charity"-
-"Yes Duncan but is she smart enough to manage a kingdom?"-
The Man at Arms sighed, Randor was very observing when he wanted to and it was true that Ariadne often behaved absent minded. Fortunately Adam had explained him the cause of her traits.
-"It appears that being the younger sister she doesn't have to be heiress and therefore doesn't need to manage the pressure of ruling her kingdom, everyone expects very little of her. Her father, older sister and mother are very smart people. It is likely she never had the chance or need to prove her faculties"- If anything Duncan believed that is what brought those two together.
Ariadne had often been ridiculed for her foolish and naïve behavior which made her look stupid, so she identified with the young prince often hassled for his cowardice. She was the one that always defended Adam in front of the other nobles believing he was a frail person that avoided every form of combat, as a pacifist, she could support that position.
Randor merely nodded as a response while Duncan grinned. He thought about the young couple, perceived as the cowardly prince and the stupid princess, knowing that both youngsters hid enormous potential and would one day prove everyone wrong.
Speaking of potential, his daughter was graciously strolling through the ballroom. How could she look so peaceful in this boring party? Especially when her impetuous personality would much rather face an army of snake men in a forgotten wasteland than hear yet another speech by a dull noble. Then he remembered something she told him that morning when he commented on how much she changed, her response was: "I haven't really changed father I merely became good at hiding who I really am". The sorrow in her eyes when she said that broke his heart; he wished he knew what to do about it.
Fatherly pride aside, he believed Teela was as beautiful as Ariadne if not more. Sadly many young nobles noticed that and he had now a long list of suitors asking for permission to court her. Mekanek often joked about how his hand cannon and combat artillery might not be enough to fend off all the young men hovering around her.
Yet what concerned him more was the fact that Teela had become a very private and lonely person in these last times, the more she exposed herself to court life the more she withdrew from meaningful relationships. To make things worse she seemed to have an altercation with Adam to the point he threatened her to kick her out of the palace.
Truth be told, few people would consider a large retirement fund with honors as anything more than a blessing. The chance of living a life without need for work sounded more like a prize than a punishment but for her, he might as well be banishing her from her own land. Part of him really wanted to help those kids make amends but with a wedding on the horizon the situation was much too delicate and Adam was losing his patience after all those years of rejection, one wrong word from either side and all would end in disaster.
He couldn't help thinking that had he handled better the situation during the war, Adam and Teela would still be friends and Randor might still hear the word "father" from his own son's lips. Had he worried more about Adam's feelings and less about protecting his identity the emotional wreckage that followed the war might had been a lot milder. On the other hand, the revealing of He-man's true identity might have caused them to lose the war, now it was too late to do anything about it anyway.
Then without any warning the grounds of the palace begun to tremble, debris fell from the walls, the floors cracked and many laser blasts rained from the sky.