A/N: In response to a review, just a reminder this is based on the 1980's MOTU. There was no indication in that series as to Fisto's origins or his age, and it was never hinted that he was Duncan's brother.
For all of you who are impatient readers...good news. I've finished the story, and it's in the final editing stages. I should be posting a chapter about every 4-6 days or so until it's done. There are 27 chapters total and an epilogue. For those of you whose hearts just stopped...yes, it's almost over. ;-)
Teela entered Grayskull with trepidation that she sought to bury far beneath the saucy veneer she wore. She had had a lot of time to reflect over the last nine days, and she realized that although she might not agree with her mother's decision, she did understand it. She herself had chosen her duty over her friendship with Adam, very nearly abandoning his friendship when he began acting cowardly instead of seeking to find the reasons behind his "fears." She was beginning to understand that she had been on the same path as Adam, Duncan, and the Sorceress—allowing her duty to overshadow all of her relationships. Teela knew her duty was important, but she wasn't about to go through life regretting lost chances.
She also knew that if she were going to go to Etheria with Adora, then she had to set things straight with her mother first. There was no guarantee she'd survive a war to return and take care of it later.
The Sorceress was waiting at the bottom of the steps that led to her throne. "Hello Teela," she said warmly, but Teela could hear the slight undercurrent of uncertainty in her voice.
"Hello Mother," she said quietly.
That simple statement led to tears from the Sorceress. Teela's eyes widened; she had never seen the Sorceress show much emotion. She typically was warm, serene, and understanding. Now the tears fell in a slow but steady stream.
"Teela, I asked Man-at-Arms to raise you because I thought you would be safer at the palace, and happier with other children to play with," the Sorceress explained, making no move towards Teela. It seemed odd that she was now giving the explanations she had not tried to offer the last time they had seen each other, but perhaps she knew that Teela was now ready to hear them.
"I know," Teela said, her own eyes filling, "but I wanted my mother. You knew that. How could you stay away?"
"I thought I was doing the right thing," the Sorceress said in a broken voice. "I thought I was protecting you and giving you a normal childhood." She took a step towards Teela and half-raised a hand. "I would change it if I could."
"But you can't," Teela said rhetorically. The Sorceress dropped her hand, a soft sound escaping her that sounded like a strangled sob. Teela reached out and grabbed her arm before she could turn away. "We can't take the past back. But we can move forward."
The Sorceress' eyes locked onto Teela, a light of hope entering them. Teela gave a wavering smile and slipped into her mother's arms, accepting the love she had longed for all her life.
The Sorceress felt as if her heart were overflowing with all the love she held for Teela. "Oh my dear, dear daughter," she murmured. Reluctantly she pulled out of their hug, studying Teela with an underlying anxiety.
"What? What is it?" Teela asked warily, tensing.
"There is one last thing you should know," the Sorceress replied. She put a hand on her daughter's arm, wincing at the tension she felt there. "Teela, when I am no longer able to serve as the Sorceress of Grayskull-"
"I'm to take your place, aren't I?" There was no joy in Teela's voice. Like Adam when he had become He-Man for the first time, there was only a reluctant acceptance.
The Sorceress' eyes widened. "How did you know?" Surely Adam hadn't broken his word. Duncan certainly couldn't have either.
Teela shrugged. "I had to fill in for you before. I didn't understand why then, but it makes perfect sense now." She trailed off. She looked away for a minute, then back to the Sorceress. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
"There is always a choice," the Sorceress countered. Her gentle smile turned slightly mischievous, hoping to lighten Teela's mood. "It seems to me that you would take kindly to the idea, if only to continue working with Adam. The two of you are rarely apart."
To her chagrin, Teela's face fell. "I-I don't know if I want to be that close to him on a regular basis," she said lowly, turning away slightly. "I think he and I view our relationship very differently."
An awkward silence descended. "You're in love with him," the Sorceress finally stated, knowing it was true.
Teela nodded. She sniffed, then straightened her shoulders and turned back to the Sorceress, her chin raised. "He doesn't feel the same way. Or maybe he does but he's too cowardly to admit it," she amended.
The Sorceress sighed. "He is a rather single-minded man, Teela. As Adam he talked with me of marriage occasionally. His primary concern is the safety of others, so-"
"I know," Teela interrupted, her tone harsh. She swallowed hard.
The Sorceress gave her a reassuring hug. "Maybe he'll come around, Teela." She frowned over Teela's head. Had she misread him? She had been sure he harbored strong feelings for Teela, not as a sister, but as a lifelong partner.
"But if I'm stuck here, and he's king, that wouldn't work anyway," Teela said morosely.
The Sorceress rubbed her back, gave her a squeeze, then stepped away. "Silly little logistics never stopped love," she said with the warmest smile she could muster.
Teela crossed her arms, her lip stuck out morosely. "I guess not, but stubborn men do," she muttered.
After testing of one of Duncan's inventions, He-Man and Duncan walked out to the training grounds where a small crowd had gathered. Marlena and Randor were there, along with Ram-Man, Fisto, Stratos, and several guardsmen. In the center of the training arena, Adora and Teela were dueling. The two were incredibly talented, and although their fighting styles were obviously different, they were evenly matched. Neither broke form as the duel went on for more than ten minutes.
"How long have they been going at it?" He-Man finally asked Fisto.
"Nearly a half-hour, and neither one has scored a point yet," Fisto answered. He glanced at Stratos, then back at He-Man, his mustache moving as if his mouth were twitching. "I'm surprised it took you this long to show up."
"What do you mean?" He-Man asked, one eyebrow raised. "Was I supposed to have something to do with this?"
"Well, we heard the winner gets to keep you," Fisto joked with a grin.
He-Man's mouth dropped open, then he laughed. He couldn't help it. If Fisto knew how truly outrageous that statement was...he shook his head. "I suppose that came from the ball the other night."
"Well, we all thought you and Teela would eventually get together," Stratos said noncommittally. He-Man's eyes widened. "We were pretty surprised to see you paired up with the Princess, but I guess we shouldn't be. No one would be more deserving of marrying into the royal family."
He-Man nearly choked on his laughter; he met Duncan's eyes and found his mentor having the same issue. "Well, as much as I appreciate the compliment, I'll let Fisto have Adora." The orange-haired man's mouth dropped slightly in shock. He-Man continued, focusing on keeping a straight face, "I'm not marrying anyone. I'm not much of a family man."
Marlena frowned at him, evidently overhearing his comment, but fortunately, Teela scored a point at that moment, drawing everyone's attention back to the match. A cheer went up from the crowd as the women retreated to the sides to grab a brief drink. While Randor, Marlena, and Fisto went to talk to Adora and Duncan and Stratos to Teela, He-Man stayed where he was. He couldn't afford to draw any more attention to a relationship with either woman at this point.
His eyes, though, had a different idea in mind. They drifted over to Teela as she dabbed at her face and neck with a wet towel. His breath quickened involuntarily, and his heart jumped when she glanced his way and met his eyes for a few seconds. Then she picked her sword back up and went back into the center of the arena.
The attraction hadn't faded. The memory of that kiss was still emblazoned on his mind, and He-Man had trouble pulling his eyes off of her. He cleared his throat as Duncan came back over. "Let me know who wins, Duncan."
Man-at-Arms raised an eyebrow. "You're not staying?"
He-Man shook his head, hoping his face wouldn't give him away. "I'm going to take Battle Cat and head out on patrol."
Duncan looked as if he wanted to press the issue, but instead he merely nodded. "All right. See you tonight."
"You wanted to see me, Your Highness?" Teela asked, entering Queen Marlena's "office." It had certainly been intended to be an official office, but Marlena in her wisdom had detected that occasionally a softer atmosphere was needed in negotiations. As a result, rather than tables and chairs there were sofas and throws. Her desk was surrounded by plants. Teela had always loved the room, but had a hard time thinking of it as an office or even a study.
"Yes, Teela," said Marlena, putting down the papers she had been reviewing. She rose regally from the desk. Teela raised an eyebrow. The royal airs were firmly in place; she couldn't help but wonder why.
"Let's sit over here." She gestured to the sitting area.
Teela obediently took a seat in one of the large, comfortable chairs, her fingers circling around the flowered pattern. It was a relief to sit down, actually. She was sore from her duel with Adora the day before. Normally training duels went to five points. After two hours, with Teela leading three points to two, they had agreed to call it a draw.
Teela's mind came back to the present as the long pause registered with her. She looked up to find the queen studying her. Teela fought the urge to squirm under her gaze.
"I understand you intend to go through with your request for a leave of absence to accompany Adora to Etheria," Marlena finally said. She was frowning lightly, her hands firmly clasped in her lap.
Teela cleared her throat. She had suspected the king and queen would not take kindly to her request to accompany Adora to Etheria. "That's right," she said. "How did you-"
Marlena sighed. "Your letter is on my desk, Teela. One of the maids claimed you left it open on your dresser, and as she moved it to dust under it, she accidentally saw the phrase 'one-year leave of absence.' Rather than read the entire letter, she brought it directly to me."
Teela felt a flare of anger that someone had read a personal letter, but she knew she had left it out on her dresser that morning. She had wanted to re-read it one more time, to make sure her arguments were irrefutable. "So much for privacy," she muttered.
Marlena raised an imperious eyebrow. "Our staff are trustworthy, Teela. They report anything like this to me, and only me. Not even Randor receives such reports. It is part of my position as queen to keep tabs on everything I can, especially goings-on within the palace that you, your father, and Randor do not have time to deal with."
Teela's eyes widened. She hadn't known such a responsibility existed, much less that the queen was responsible for it. A thought occurred to her. "So does that mean that the fact that Adam is He-Man-"
"That is no longer a secret!" interrupted a familiar voice.
Teela's stomach turned over as Skeletor and Evil-Lyn became visible, seeming to step out of the room's outer wall.
"Skeletor!" Marlena gasped, rising to her feet. Teela did as well, placing herself between the queen and the villains. She pulled out her staff and took a defensive position. "How did you get in here?"
"Magic, my dear queen," he chuckled happily.
"That and we've been waiting here for hours," Evil-Lyn said darkly. She laughed, an evil smile lighting her face. "So it's true. He-Man is really the cowardly Prince Adam!"
"No!" Teela denied desperately, panic quickening her breath. "You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Oh really?" Skeletor queried. He leaned his havoc staff forward and a small image of Teela and He-Man appeared, so close together they looked as if they were about to kiss. Teela's face flamed.
"I can't do this," He-Man's hoarse statement echoed as he stared at her. He stepped back. "We grew up together. You're like a sister to me."
Teela nodded slightly. "And you're like a brother to me, Adam," her quiet voice replied.
The image in the havoc staff faded. "Your own words have doomed He-Man!" Evil-Lyn laughed.
Angry with herself, Teela pulled out her staff and whirled violently it in front of her, hoping for a shot at the two of them. "Run, Your Majesty! Warn He-Man!"
Marlena moved to obey, but Evil-Lyn attacked Teela as Skeletor went for the queen. Teela managed to deflect the blast towards Skeletor, then swung her staff at Evil-Lyn as she kicked sideways at Skeletor.
She missed both and swung around to see the queen sagging against the wall, one arm lifeless at her side. Without further thought she flung herself towards the queen, using her staff to push the hidden panel that opened the safe room. The door slid open and Teela shoved Marlena inside, then she turned to face her attackers once more to give it time to close. She planted her staff on the floor and swung around it, kicking out at the two villains, twisting her body upwards to avoid another magical attack. The door finally slid shut as she landed back on her feet.
"You'll never get her now," she asserted. "That door is impenetrable, even to magic."
"So who needs her?" Skeletor asked, his chest heaving as he stared at Teela. She swallowed hard as he and Evil-Lyn approached. Belatedly she realized that she should have gone into the safe room with Marlena. She had let her anger get the better of her; she had wanted a shot at these two. Now she could only hope help would arrive in time.
Randor studied He-Man. His son was distracted, more so than Randor had ever seen him. "He-Man, have you heard one word I've said?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
He-Man looked up sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but no. I'm afraid my mind is…wandering."
"So I noticed," Randor said dryly. "Care to talk about it?"
He-Man started to shrug, then tilted his head slightly to the side, examining Randor. "Father, you and Mother love each other very much." Randor nodded his agreement, his eyes darting around the electronic maps in the room automatically as Adam addressed him. This was where they attempted to keep track of the border changes and centers of political power. It wasn't as safe as his office was from eavesdropping. "Have you always?"
"Since the day I lifted her out of her spaceship," Randor said, a nostalgic smile curving his mouth.
He-Man shook his head slightly. "Since I turned eighteen, my life has been nothing but my duty to Grayskull and to the people of Eternia," he said reflectively. Randor winched inwardly, knowing he had put much of that pressure on He-Man. "I don't see where love like that fits into my life." He looked up at Randor. "How did you do it?"
Randor pursed his lips for a moment, surprised by the conversation. He had noticed the attraction between He-Man and Teela; one would have to be blind not to see it. However, he had not expected his son to be struggling with his feelings.
"It wasn't easy," Randor answered, drawing his words out as he recalled that time in his life. "Duty, Adam, dictated that I marry another noble, or at least a woman of Eternian descent. Marrying an alien was counter to many people's wishes. It cost us some alliances during those first crucial years after I became king."
He-Man leaned forward, his entire focus on Randor. "But you did it anyway."
Randor nodded. "The love I had for your mother was not something that should be denied." He paused, looking deep in thought. "In fact, I think it made me a better king. I love my people, but it is the love your mother and I share that has taught me selflessness. You can do all the right things for your people, but without love, they mean very little. And I believe there is a danger of becoming cold and callous if you refuse to allow true love into your life."
He-Man dropped his eyes as if lost in thought. After a short silence, Randor spoke again. "Adam…your sense of duty is borne of a strong love for your people and your planet, and that is to be commended. But throughout your life, you will have friendships and love that will enrich you and make you a better person, a better hero, a better king. You mustn't let those relationships go because of duty. You have always been a good friend to others. Don't lose that."
"It is not friends I worry about," He-Man said, almost to himself. His brow furrowed. "A wife, children…they would make perfect targets for my enemies. I don't think I want to take that risk. I can't."
Randor could certainly understand where his son was coming from, but that didn't mean he agreed with it. "You need to have faith that your family will be safe," he said firmly.
He-Man shook his head. "Like Adora was?" he challenged softly, his jaw twitching slightly.
Randor's stomach twisted at the statement; though he knew Adam was truly searching for answers, not trying to be cruel, the question still hurt. He cleared his throat. "She's back with us now, where she belongs," he said earnestly, his voice gaining conviction as he spoke. "Adam...there are few things in this world that cannot be taken from us. Three that you can always hold on to are faith, hope and love. You need to have faith that all will be well, because you fight on the side of goodness. Even should trials come, even though there is despair and even death, you should hope for a better day, and have faith that it will come."
"I do," Adam said, his brow furrowed, "but-"
"There is no 'but,'" Randor insisted. He felt an urgency to make his son understand. "Having faith also means trusting that your loved ones will always be with you, regardless of whether they are here in the flesh. Adam, without love, there is nothing. YOU are nothing. Love is what makes life worth living. Don't throw away what you could have with Teela because of your duty. Your love will only make you stronger."
"Teela?" He-Man's mouth dropped open. "But I-"
"Your Majesty!" A guard burst through Randor's door, his face flushed with exertion. He offered a half-bow to the king. "My apologies for the interruption, Your Majesty, but the queen's safe room was activated. We have guards there already, but there is no response from her, and no one is in the office. In addition, there are signs of a struggle."
Randor was up out of his seat and moving towards the door before the guard had finished, He-Man on his heels.
Fisto and Mekaneck were in Marlena's office, looking worried, along with several guards. Duncan was there as well; he turned as Randor and He-Man entered the room. "You'll have to break it down, lad," he said to He-Man.
"You built that to withstand even my strength," He-Man protested almost automatically. "I helped you test it!"
"And now I'm telling you that we're getting a reading that someone is in there, but there's no response," Man-at-Arms snapped at him. "The queen and Teela are both missing. We need to know if they're in there or not, and whether they're okay."
The others in the room had fallen silent, surprised at both He-Man's initial refusal and the force of Duncan's outburst. He-Man stared at the door for a moment, considering what he might do. The door slipped down from above, so…he knelt down and shoved his fingers under the door, tearing up the floor in the process. He closed his eyes for a moment and thought of his mother and Teela, possibly injured or in danger. He felt an adrenaline rush that was nearly equal to Grayskull's power; with a grunt, he heaved upwards, his muscles straining to the max. Slowly, the door began to give way. He lifted it only four inches before his muscles began to burn.
"Let me help." Fisto reached his large metal hand down and grabbed hold next to He-Man. Together, they forced the door upwards. When there was enough room, Duncan slipped inside and deactivated the safety mode, enabling the door to open completely.
Marlena was the only one inside. Randor lifted her gently and placed her on a couch in the sitting room. He-Man felt as if he might explode with worry for Teela as they waited for her to regain consciousness.
"I should go to Snake Mountain now," he hissed to Duncan.
"We don't even know if it was Skeletor," his mentor replied, though his own hands tightened into fists.
As if in answer, Marlena stirred and moaned slightly. She raised one hand to her head as her eyes slowly opened. "Randor," she whispered. "Skeletor."
"Does he have Teela?" the king asked, though his face said he was worried for his wife.
"I don't…I don't know," Marlena said, despair in her voice. "She shoved me into the safe room before I collapsed. He knows." Her eyes searched out He-Man, and his heart twisted as she stared at him. A tremor hit He-Man's stomach at her words. She couldn't possibly mean-
"Hush now, my queen," Duncan urged her, taking her pulse.
Just then, another guard ran into the room, waving a letter. "He-Man, this just came for you! One of Skeletor's robots brought it in." He handed He-Man a rolled parchment that was magically sealed; it opened as soon as He-Man touched it.
"By the Ancients," He-Man whispered, feeling his face drain of color as he read it. The guards stared at him curiously, but Fisto, apparently realizing something important was afoot, ushered them out the door.
"What does it say?" Randor demanded. He rose to his feet. Duncan began to motion to Mekaneck and Fisto to leave, but He-Man didn't bother to wait.
"'My dear He-Man—or perhaps I should say, Prince Adam,'" He-Man read aloud. His stricken eyes met Randor's. "Skeletor knows who I am."