Teela looked up in disbelief as He-Man turned and started to walk away. Adam rarely left her alone when she asked. Usually he argued with her until she revealed what was bothering her. Then she remembered he was still feeling the effects of Hordak's machine. She opened her mouth to call to him just as he stopped a few feet away and stood there, visibly trembling in the moonlight. Her anger melted somewhat as she realized how conflicted he must be feeling. Unless…
"Did the Sorceress order you to come after me?" she asked suspiciously.
"No," He-Man rasped, turning back to her. A warm feeling eked its way into her heart. He made his way towards her, his first step heavy and slow, but his movements becoming more normal as he reached her.
"I don't want to talk to you," Teela informed him archly as he sat beside her.
"Okay," he replied, seeming unfazed by her haughty tone. "I'll just sit here in case you need protection or something."
"Protection?" Teela repeated in irritation. "You came out here to protect me?"
"That and to apologize," He-Man said, half-turning to her. The moon cast odd shadows on his face, hiding his eyes from her. "I'm sorry, Tee. Really, really sorry."
Teela didn't answer at first. She felt so betrayed by everyone, she couldn't seem to process his apology, to figure out if it was sincere or if she even cared if it was sincere.
"For keeping another secret or for that kiss?" she finally asked, needing to be clear.
"For hurting you," he responded, laying a warm hand on her arm. He dropped it quickly, turning back to the water.
That didn't really answer the question, but then his answers often didn't answer the questions posed to him. She tried another one anyway. "How long have you known?" she asked, also facing the pond again and tossing in another rock.
"About a year," answered He-Man. He said nothing else, perhaps realizing she was too stunned to absorb much more. Or maybe hiding something else. Teela wrapped her arms around herself tightly, an ache in her chest at the thought that there might be another secret.
They sat there in silence for a while. Teela still couldn't move past the sense of betrayal to even attempt to absorb the news that her mother was the Sorceress or figure out how mad she should be at Adam. 'The Sorceress is my mother. All these years, right there, and she never said a word. Didn't she care? Why didn't Adam or Father ever say anything? They knew how I longed to know my mother. How could they be so callous?'
Tears began sliding down her face. She clenched her hands until her fingernails dug into her palms. How dare they? How dare they keep so many secrets? How could she trust any of them ever again?
He-Man's arm wound its way around her shoulders, offering comfort as he had so many times during the years of their friendship. She made a halfhearted attempt to pull away, but he didn't budge. Before she quite realized it, she was in Adam's arms, crying softly against his chest. He held her and murmured unintelligible words of comfort, stroking her hair. Slowly a feeling of being protected, even cherished, eased the tension in her body.
"You're going to rust my breastplate if you don't stop all this crying," He-Man chided her teasingly when she had calmed down some and began hiccupping instead of weeping.
Teela didn't lift her head, though a weak half-smile tugged at one side of her mouth. She punched at his stomach. "Don't tease me right now, Addie."
He eased his arms off of her and leaned back. "So do you want to talk about it?"
A deep sigh escaped her. She pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them, shivering because she missed the warmth of his arms.
"I probably don't feel much different than you do, finding out your parents have been lying your whole life and that you have a sister," she said matter-of-factly, watching him from the corner of her eye, feeling a strange kinship for a few seconds.
He-Man stiffened slightly and what she could see of his face became void of emotion. "I'm just glad to have her back, that she's made my parents happy," he said in an even voice. "Are you saying you're just happy that your mother is still alive and well?" He tilted his head as he studied her.
"Oh come on!" Teela exclaimed, exasperated. "You're fine with the fact that your parents have lied to you for the last twenty-four years? You aren't the least bit angry?"
As her voice faded, He-Man dipped his head down, his gaze falling back to the water. "It's no less than I've done to them," he answered quietly. "I have no right to be angry."
"This isn't about what's wrong or right," Teela snapped. She heaved herself to her feet and began pacing. "It's about feelings. Maybe you aren't angry, but I am. You want to know how I feel? Furious. Betrayed. Nearly every person I thought I could trust has been lying to me. Most of all you. First the whole He-Man thing, and now this!" She waved her arms around emphatically.
He-Man was suddenly before her, the moonlight reflecting off of the pond against his face, making his eyes glitter. "Maybe you should be the angriest with me," he agreed in a hard, low voice. "But it seems to me that Duncan and the Sorceress were the only ones to know all three secrets."
"Ha! You are angry!" Teela crowed triumphantly, with a twisted satisfaction that he must understand at least some of what she felt.
"Of course I am!" He-Man admitted, frustration lacing his voice for the first time. "But I can also accept that they did what they did with the best of intentions at heart. I am He-Man because of the decisions they made, decisions that required my parents to keep a painful secret and all but give up on their daughter. If it were not for my parents, Duncan, and the Sorceress, I might be angry, vindictive, vengeful…everything I fear becoming, or worse."
"Oh give me a break," Teela snapped. "Stop making excuses for them!"
"I'm not! I'm trying to see things from their perspective!" He-Man said flatly.
"Well, we can't all be perfect men like you, now can we?" Teela sneered at him.
He-Man went very still. "I never said I was perfect," he countered, sounding hurt. "And you of all people know that."
"You could have fooled me!" Teela huffed, her hands going to her hips. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it occurred to Teela that with his willpower still recovering from Hordak's attack, He-Man would be more honest with her now than he ever had been. Perhaps it was that nearly-subconscious knowledge that drove her next words. "You always take charge when you show up. You're the center of attention. Your opinion is always the one everyone goes along with. And obviously, you know just about everything. I bet there's some other secret you know that I'm not privy to, isn't there?"
"Of course there is!" He-Man answered in a voice that was raised but not yet yelling.
"State or Grayskull?" Teela asked quickly, pressing her advantage.
"Both!"
"Does one of them involve me?"
"Yes!"
As his shout faded into the night, the two of them stood there, mere inches apart, their eyes locked. Teela felt a twinge of remorse that she had goaded him on, but she was tired of the secrets, tired of trying to sort through the lies that had become her life somewhere in the last month.
"Were you ever going to tell me?" Teela cringed inwardly at the sound of her own voice. Instead of coming out hot and angry like she preferred, it seemed to resound with all the hurt and uncertainty residing in her heart.
"No, probably not," He-Man admitted heavily. "It wouldn't have been my place. The Sorceress would have-" He broke off abruptly.
"My mother again," Teela said bitterly. "I shouldn't be surprised."
The lack of willpower was telling on him. He-Man couldn't believe the anger Teela had stirred up, and the way answers were flying out of his mouth before he could stop them. He had always hated lying; obviously his ability to cleverly hide the truth on things so that he could avoid lying and still keep secrets…well, that ability had left with his willpower for some reason.
"We need to get back," he said shortly. It had been a long day, and it was now past midnight, judging by the two moons. He needed to get his mouth and his emotions under control, but right now, he couldn't. He hoped some rest would help.
"Forget it," Teela replied flatly. "I'm not going near her."
"That's a lousy attitude to have," He-Man observed crossly. "Maybe if you'd listen to her side of-"
"You have no right to even suggest that to me!" Teela shrieked at him. "You can't possibly understand how I feel! You knew who your parents were growing up, and then when you didn't even need her, my mother became your second mother! You had it all! You-"
"I did so need her!" He-Man interrupted. Fury clenched his fists tightly. "You have no idea what it's like to have your best friend and your parents suddenly think you're a worthless, irresponsible coward who needs a bodyguard. People who were once my friends looked at me differently. Some of them would have spit in my face if I weren't the prince! If it weren't for Duncan and the Sorceress, I would have-"
He-Man clamped his mouth shut and turned away, drawing in sharp breaths. He had never come so close to revealing the thoughts he had held close during those dark times.
"You would have what?" Teela demanded from behind him.
Drawing on what little willpower he had, he answered shortly. "Forget it."
"Tell me," she ordered.
He-Man felt weary down to his marrow. He let out a long sigh, wondering if he could stall long enough to do away with the overwhelming urge to open up to her. 'Blast Hordak's machine.'
"Adam, tell me," Teela said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Please."
Her voice had changed, become softer, and He-Man was powerless to resist any longer. "I would have found a way out," he answered reluctantly.
"What do you mean?" Fear entered Teela's voice, and he knew she knew exactly what he meant. When he didn't answer right away, she demanded, "Were you actually contemplating suicide?"
He-Man shrugged carelessly. "It was one of the many options I was thinking about," he admitted lowly. "Finding someone else to wield the sword, surrendering my power, making Adam disappear somehow." He let out a soft snort. "There's poetic justice for you. Now Adam really is gone."
"But why?" Teela whispered, coming up alongside him. "Why would you ever have even thought about it?"
"There were just days I felt I couldn't go on as both Adam and He-Man," he answered candidly. He ran a hand through his hair. "Cringer and Orko helped, but it was Duncan and the Sorceress who saved me. They probably never even knew it, but their steady guidance and their faith in me…it got me through." He glanced down at her. "So yes, I'm loyal, and yes, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. And I still think you should do the same."
There was a long silence. "I'll think about it," Teela finally answered, her voice quiet. "But for now, I want to go back to the palace. I think I'll stay there tonight."
Adora closed the door to "her" room quietly as she let herself out. Her life had taken such a dramatic turn in the last day, she reflected as she walked softly down the hallway. It felt as if she were walking in someone else's body, looking at the world through their eyes. A few days ago she had been confident, self-assured, and held an inner fortitude she had believed to be unbreakable. Now she was unsure where to even go to get to breakfast, and she felt as if she were an intruder in someone's home. Yet somehow, even with all that, deep inside something insisted she belonged here.
Her steps slowed as she came to an area where the stone wall was obviously newer than the rest of the hallway. Hesitating a second, she glanced up and down the hall then opened the door slowly, peering in carefully. Adora swallowed hard, her stomach twisting as she took in the sight of the mostly-rebuilt walls around the room, and the wide opening that remained opposite of her.
So this had been Adam's room before he had become He-Man permanently and before the being they called Skeletor had decided to try to decimate He-Man in his sleep. Adora realized now that if he had succeeded, she never would have known that her entire life had been a lie. She never would have known her real family. For a second, she almost wished she was still oblivious because in some ways that had been easier, but the thought was fleeting. She had never been truly happy in the Horde, never felt as if she really belonged there. It was hard knowing the truth, but she was thankful she did. She already loved her family dearly.
Adora let the door close just as the door to the room next to Adam's opened. Teela exited, her eyes looking as if she hadn't slept much, though her uniform and her hair were in perfect order. Adora couldn't help smirking just a touch. She had a feeling that she and Teela had much in common.
"Good morning, Princess," Teela greeted her formally.
"Teela, please call me Adora," Adora returned. She smiled with a raised eyebrow. "I don't suppose you could show me where to go to get some food?"
"Sure," Teela replied noncommittally.
Adora fell into step beside her, wondering how long the Captain of the Guard was going to keep her at an arm's length. She hadn't had much interaction with Teela, but the woman struck her as hard to befriend. Not that she herself had had much practice.
"I didn't know you had come back to the palace," Adora said, grasping slightly for conversation. "I thought you were staying at Grayskull."
Teela's face flamed the color of Spirit's mane. "There was a certain occupant there I didn't want to deal with," she muttered.
"Adam?" Adora asked automatically, her voice rising in surprise.
"No." Teela chewed her lip for a moment, seeming to deliberate over her next words. "I found out last night that the Sorceress is my mother," she finally said, her voice barely audible.
"You just found out last night?" Adora repeated incredulously.
Teela nodded. "What a month, eh?" she asked dryly. "First I find out the guy I grew up with is actually Eternia's greatest hero, then we learn Adam had a twin sister but the Sorceress, my father, and Adam's parents never told us, then I find out not only who my mother is, but that she's been alive and well and right in plain sight all along." She blew out a light breath, a chagrined look gracing her face for a moment. "I guess it's nothing compared to finding out your whole life was a lie, though." She gave Adora a sympathetic half-smile.
"That's exactly what I was thinking this morning," Adora admitted, a feeling of camaraderie stealing over her. She blushed, realizing how that must sound. "Not the comparison, just-"
"Don't worry, I understand," Teela interrupted, her green eyes gaining a spark of amusement. "We've both had a lot of surprises, Adora, but at least I know the secrets kept from me were done by people who love me and wanted to protect me." She bit her lip again. "I'm sorry-"
"Don't be." Adora stopped Teela's words and tugged on her arm to stop her physically as well. Teela turned to face her, dark circles under her eyes testifying to her fatigue. "You're right. I spent my whole life trying to earn the approval of the people I thought had saved me when my parents abandoned me. Instead I find out they stole me from two loving people who wanted me more than I can even comprehend." Adora rubbed her arms against a sudden chill. "I've been thrown into a new world, with new people who say they love me, and I actually have to fight against the urge to run back to the Fright Zone and hide in my room," she admitted so softly that Teela was leaning forward, evidently trying to hear her better. "Isn't that awful?"
"I don't think it's awful," Teela assured her, reaching out to grasp Adora's hand. She squeezed it reassuringly. "I think it's probably perfectly normal. I am simply overwhelmed with all the changes in my life, and it felt good to get back into my own bed last night, just to have that reassurance of the familiar again. And the new knowledge I am faced with is nothing compared to what you're dealing with. You're a brave, strong person Adora."
Adora smiled self-consciously as Teela let go of her hand, turned, and began walking again, presumably to where the food was. Adora followed, thinking Teela hadn't been so difficult to befriend after all. Apparently, they had a lot more in common than she had realized.
Marlena and Randor canceled all of their meetings to spend the day with their long-lost daughter. During breakfast, conversations picked up from the evening before, with both parents and daughter peppering each other with questions about their lives. After breakfast, they moved to the sitting room in the king and queen's royal suite, the damage from Skeletor's missile having been repaired within a few days of the attack, with the exception of a few stones that still needed to be replaced in the wall between the suites.
At one point as they were chatting, Adora's brow furrowed lightly. "Perhaps we should go back to Castle Grayskull. I feel badly that Adam isn't here to share this time with us."
Marlena smiled, looking pleased with Adora's observation. "We'll head over to Grayskull after lunch, Adora. The Sorceress wasn't sure how long Adam might sleep this morning, and we wanted some time alone with you anyway."
"You did?" Adora asked warily, her muscles tensing. She suddenly wanted He-Man with her. Him she knew she could trust, even if she was still naturally suspicious. She barely knew her parents. She had really seen nothing to testify to their character.
"We thought you might have questions for us that you would rather ask us in private," Randor said, studying her.
"Like what?" Adora asked blankly. She hoped her parents didn't think she was dense, but she couldn't imagine what she might want to ask.
"Like why you were taken instead of him," Marlena said quietly, her eyes looking moist.
"Oh," Adora breathed. "I guess I hadn't really had much time to think about that yet. The Sorceress sort of showed us the gist of what happened. She seemed to think Skeletor held you captive while Hordak stole me, and that they just hadn't had a chance to get Adam when Man-at-Arms came in."
Marlena twisted her hands, averting her gaze for a moment. "That's not entirely accurate. I hadn't mastered the knack of nursing twins," she said in a reminiscent tone. "I had to feed you one at a time. You were a little smaller than Adam—he was firstborn-and you had to eat more frequently. So I had just finished feeding you. I put you down in the cradle and picked Adam up. Just then, Skeletor used his magic to transport himself and Hordak into the room. Hordak grabbed you and I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping for help. Skeletor tried to take Adam from me, and it was all I could do to fend him off until Duncan arrived." Tears spilled down the queen's face. "I didn't have a chance to fight to get you away from Hordak, Adora. I'm so sorry."
Adora's heart broke for her mother. As hard as her own life had been, it was nothing compared to the guilt and pain Marlena had experienced. "You did all you could," Adora said, tears welling in her eyes. She placed a hand on her mother's. "I'm not angry with you, Mother. I don't blame you."
Marlena smiled through her tears and laid a gentle hand on Adora's cheek, her eyes seem to drink in Adora's face. "You are as compassionate and forgiving as your brother," she said. Adora smiled and ducked her face a bit. "And as modest too, I see," Marlena added impishly.
Adora chuckled lightly. "I did notice He-Man seemed to have trouble accepting praise for finding me," she agreed with a look to her father. "I wondered about that."
Randor did not return her smile. "He is used to receiving praise from me as He-Man," he said gruffly, "but not as Adam. Before I knew the truth of his identity, I'm afraid I didn't think very highly of your brother." His face was slightly flushed with embarrassment.
Adora's mouth dropped open at this admission. "I've never even known him as Adam," she said slowly. "Was he really so different from He-Man?"
"He tried to be," Randor said, scratching at his beard. "Knowing the truth now, it's easy to look back and see the similarities between them, the inconsistencies in what he said, but before we knew, I fell for his act, hook, line and sinker." He shook his head in disgust with himself.
Marlena stood and went to a bookshelf to pick up a framed picture. She stared at it for a moment, an odd expression on her face. "I miss his goofiness sometimes," she said in a tight voice. "Adam acted more clumsy than he actually was, and it almost always made us laugh. That's one thing He-Man doesn't do that Adam did."
"It's just as well," Randor countered firmly. His face invited no argument. "A future king should not act in such a manner."
"Adam was more of a flirt as well," Marlena went on, not acknowledging her husband's comment as she sat back down. She handed the picture to Adora. "This is what Adam looked like."
Adora studied the picture wordlessly for a moment. There were a lot of physical similarities between He-Man and Adam, though there was a carefree look on Adam's face that she had not yet seen on He-Man's. In looking at Adam's eyes, she had no doubt that inside they were one and the same. His eyes were kind, and full of laughter, but there was an undertone of determination.
"He does seem lighthearted in this picture," Adora admitted. She tilted her head at her father. "And you had trouble with that."
Randor sighed, nodding. "His secret meant he disappeared at odd times. He seemed to be unreliable. Therefore, in my eyes, He-Man could do no wrong, and Adam could do no right." He wiped a hand over his face, and Adora caught a glimpse of how deeply he still regretted his attitude towards Adam.
"That's an exaggeration, dear," Marlena protested. She gave him a look that said she loved him, and Randor's expression turned to one of gratitude. The exchange was subtle, but their love for each other was not. Adora swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat as she watched them.
"Perhaps," Randor admitted grudgingly. "But I was much harder on him than I should have been."
Although that had been before he had known the truth, Adora felt a need to understand what Randor did want out of his children. "And what do you expect of me?" she asked nervously. "Since I have the same problem Adam has with the dual identity-"
"What?" Randor's eyes snapped to her face. Marlena's hand went to her chest.
"I-I have one of the swords of Grayskull," Adora said, looking from one to the other. She frowned at their dismayed expressions. "Did I say something wrong?" She twisted her hands in her lap uneasily.
"We didn't know there was another sword, much less that you would bear it," Randor grumped. "Who do you become? She-Woman?"
Adora laughed, relaxing slightly as she took in the undercurrent of pride in his voice. "Not that bad. She-Ra."
Randor shook his head. "That Sorceress seems to have a bad habit of putting my children in danger," he growled.
"I'm relatively sure that Adora is safer being She-Ra than being herself," Marlena said mildly.
"Besides, it was Adam who brought me the sword," Adora pointed out, inwardly smiling. Randor might growl a lot and he might be demanding, but she already understood that he had a kind heart, much like his son. "And without it, Shadow Weaver's spell might never have been broken."
Randor sighed. "Well, just do an old man a favor and let your brother handle things for a while, would you?"
"My heart jumps into my throat every time I look at you," Marlena agreed. "Let us get a little more used to you being here before you go leaping into danger, Adora."
Adora chuckled lightly, shaking her head a bit at the notion of someone worrying over her. She wasn't sure if she should feel offended about it, but for the moment she found it amusing. "All right. I'll try to stay out of trouble for a while."
Had it not been for the fact that the day had been extremely trying physically as well as emotionally, He-Man might never have gone to sleep. Instead, he fell asleep as soon as he collapsed into bed under Battle Cat's watchful eye. He slept solidly the rest of the night, waking only as the mid-morning sun's rays caressed his face through the open window.
Immediately the sense that something was wrong weighed on him. He had been captured…there had been that horrendous machine…then the blond…
"Oh," He-Man breathed. He slid his legs over the side of the bed and held his head in his hands for a moment. He had a sister. A fellow guardian of Grayskull. Adora. His parents, Duncan, and the Sorceress…they had lied to him for the last twenty-four years about her very existence. But slowly he realized that although he was eager to get to know his sister, the negative feelings were not originating from anything to do with her.
Teela. He had kissed Teela. "Ancients, blast it all," he groaned. "Of all the idiotic things to do…" He sat there for a while, then stood. Battle Cat raised his head and stared at his partner. "You don't need to say it, Cat," He-Man informed him as he made his way to the bathroom. "I'll be lucky if the Sorceress doesn't send me to a random planet today."
"That's if Duncan doesn't get to you first," Battle Cat growled, a cat-laugh coming from deep in his throat.
"That's not funny," He-Man said darkly.
"Your mother told me that she told you the truth." Duncan's voice interrupted Teela's concentration, and the battle bot's ray nicked her shoulder.
"Ow! Darn it Father!" She stormed over to the bot and jabbed the off switch.
"I'm sorry, my daughter," he apologized, looking truly contrite. He observed her as she began putting away her weapons. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"About the fact that you've never been honest with me a day of my life?" Teela asked sarcastically. "Not really, no." She jammed the sword back into the rack then grabbed a towel and began rubbing ferociously at her neck.
"What about what happened between you and He-Man?"
Teela's stomach turned over slightly. "Nothing important happened, Father." Except that her entire world had been rocked, twirled, and sent soaring with one kiss. "He's been deceptive from the very start. I don't want a relationship with anyone who can deceive me that easily."
"It was never easy for him," her father corrected her. "It wasn't easy for any of us."
"Yeah, right," Teela snorted. "You and my mother were the ring leaders of the whole thing."
"Teela…" Duncan waited until she stopped and looked at him. When she did so, Teela started slightly. She had never seen her father look so old and defeated. "Teela, sometimes as parents we do what we believe is best for our children, not what we would want to do."
"What the Blazes is that supposed to mean?" Teela demanded, crossing her arms.
"What your mother wanted to do was raise you herself," Duncan answered, his black eyes holding her captive with the sincerity there. "But she was attacked; she couldn't keep you safe. You were almost taken from her. If I had not arrived when I did, you would have been killed. She asked me to take you back to the palace and raise you here, where you would be safe."
Although Teela felt appeased that at least her mother had actually wanted her, she still shook her head. "You and she have lied to us for years under the guise of protecting us," she said, seething. "What you have taught me all these years, what you have said, is that the truth is of utmost importance. What your actions say, Father,is that the ends justify the means. And it's a sad concept you passed onto He-Man. I can't trust a single one of you."
"You can trust us. We love you. You can trust us to do what is best for you," Duncan said weakly, his face stricken at her words.
"No, I can trust you to do what you think is best for me," Teela retorted. "And you don't have that right."
"As your father, I disagree," Duncan protested, his brow furrowing in irritation.
"I'm not a child anymore," Teela snapped. She didn't wait for her father to respond, but whirled around on her heel and marched off, her chin held high.