Note: Nooooooo! I watched He-Man on Netflix a few nights ago and went back today for more inspiration. They remove He-Man (1980's version) from the instant view list! Son of a …
BTW Thanks for the reviews and as for Althea seeing Adam's sword, JustLucky05, I already considered it.
Chapter 2: The Dovah
Previously on Earth's Magic:
Althea sat up and taking a tight grip of her cane, lifted it above her head and said, "Faal Dovahzii Lahney!"
"liss Slen Nus!" the dragon warrior shouted.
(Ruins of Terra)
He-Man found the Earth woman on the other side of the now destroyed Keep, placed safely behind some boulders. Appearing tired and defeated, she said, "Here to help out the worthless cripple?"
"I am here to help, "said He-Man as he knelt down next to the woman, "You are not worthless. If you were, that guy wouldn't have tried so hard to kill you."
A tired 'Ha' escaped Althea, who then said, "Well that's one way to look at it. By the way, my name's Althea."
"Pleased to meet you, I am called He-Man, "said the champion, "Need a lift?"
Althea sighed and replied, "I'll have to take you up on that offer…my knee brace broke and I can't really get around without it."
He-Man easily picked up the young woman and then started to walk towards the camp, "Let's get you to some friends of mine."
Exhausted, Althea laid her head on He-Man's broad chest. A few moments later, she laughed tiredly. "I must be tired. Here I am being carried by a half naked, more than healthy looking male and I all I can think about is how good a shower and a clean bed sounds."
(Camp)
As He-Man approached the camp, he could hear the Queen clearly.
"I am your Queen, "Marlena stated firmly as she glared at Man at Arms, "My son, your Prince, is in there. I demand that you let me…"
"He-Man! Thank the Anc ients, "said Man at Arms seeing the hero approach.
"He-Man?!" said Marlena as she turn. Seeing Althea in his arms, "Who is that?
"Your Majesty, Man at Arms, "the hero said as sat Althea down on one of the portable chairs, "Meet Althea from Earth. Do you think that could help her out? I … need to go check on Prince Adam."
"Of course, He-Man, "replied the Queen as she picked up one of the water canteens and headed over to their new guest.
"Ah, Duncan, "said He-Man, "Can I have a private word with you?"
As the Queen concentrated on making Althea more comfortable, He-Man and Man at Arms walked a little ways away to make sure that Marlena would not overhear them.
"What is it, He-Man? "said Duncan in a low voice.
"Try not to let Althea talk about Earth until we get back to the palace, "He-Man said as he looked towards the two women, "She has some information that will definitely upset the Queen."
"Oh?"
"The Horde is on Earth."
(Scene Change: Next Day, Royal Palace)
Althea walked into the royal dining hall, not really sure if this was the right place. Wearing a new, more durable looking knee brace she found walking a little easier but still needed to use her cane. Wearing dark blue pants and shirt given to her by one of the servants; she looked around wondering if this was such a good idea.
"Althea, "greeted Queen Marlena, "I'm so happy you agreed to join us for lunch. Please sit here next to me. I want to hear all I can about what is now happening on Earth."
"Thank you, "Althea said shyly, "Your…Majesty?"
"Oh just ignore the titles for now. I know better than anyone that they are rarely used on Earth and will take time to get use to. Sit, "said the Queen.
As Althea sat down, Adam entered the room and greeted his parents with a 'Mother' and a 'Father' as he sat down.
"Are my eyes deceiving me?" said King Randor, "My son is actually on time? "
"Well, huh…yeah, "said Adam not bothering to look at his father as the twiddled around with a napkin.
Althea gave Adam a thoughtful look and then turned her attention back to the royal couple as Randor said, "While we wait on the food to be served, tell us a little about yourself."
"Well, as you know my name is Althea Strom. I grew up in a small town in South Texas and studied Archaeology at the University of Texas, "Althea said and then took a nervous sip of water, "My studies were cut short due to…an invasion."
"Invasion?" gasped the Queen.
"Strange creatures, armies of armored soldiers and vehicles seemed to literally appear out of nowhere. Blasted everything they came across. That's how I messed up my leg…" Althea paused to take a sip of water. She continued knowing they were now more interested in hearing about the invasion than about herself, "Fortunately, the initial invasion was the worst of it. Surprisingly, all the armed forces across the world were actually able to work together to fight them off. There are even rumors that someone was able to sneak in a nuke or two onto the largest airships. The war appeared to be over in a few months."
"You said appeared to be over, "said Adam.
"I was helping out at a dig sight, when a small group of same kind of armored soldiers appeared and basically chased me to Eternia, "Althea sighed and she closed her eyes, "There have been more than a few strange attacks in the last few months. Most seem to think that they were they were some terrorist attacks or something similar. I now believe, the attacks were made by the invaders looking for something."
"Do you know who these invaders might be?"prompted Randall.
"They called themselves the Horde."
"Those beasts?!" growled Randor as the Queen's face paled and brought a shocked hand to her face.
"You know of them?"asked Althea.
"They attacked Eternia years ago and even kidnapped my daughter shortly after we forced most of their forces off our planet, "answered the King.
Adam then spoke up to add, "Adora, my sister, was recently…rescued and is now leading a rebellion against the Horde occupation on Etheria"
"Do you have any idea why they attacked your dig site?"asked Man at Arms as he sat down at the table.
"Not sure, but I have a few guesses, "Althea answered and then looked at the Queen, "Queen Marlena when you left Earth it was believed that magic did not exist."
"True, "said the Queen.
"Earth does have magic. For some reason it has been dormant for centuries, "said Althea, "When the Horde invaded they used both machines and magic. Their use of magic seems to have awakened some of Earth's magic."
"Are you certain? "whispered the Queen.
With an ironic smile Althea said, "A few people seem to have develop abilities due to magic's return. I'm one of those 'lucky' people. I can … detect magic. Because of this I was 'asked' to help find magical artifacts that could be used in case of another invasion. That is another reason my archaeology studies were cut short, I was needed more for what I can sense than what I could know. That was why I was at the dig site. It was my job to look over the place to see if I can sense some magic. Then the researchers and student volunteers would dig the stuff up. I would then get a closer look at the artifacts to find out which ones had magic." Althea frowned and continued, "It was because of me that the site was attacked. Devon needed me to find and open that portal."
"Seems kinda strange that guy went through all that trouble to open a portal only to blow it up," said Adam.
"Well…he didn't blow it up, "said Althea, "I did. He couldn't really see what I doing since it only I could 'see' the key bindings. Somehow I was able arranged the portal's key bindings to allow it to open, but if anyone returned through it would destroy itself. It was the only way I could think of to stop him and enable the students to get away."
Adam looked shocked and asked, "But what about you?"
"I figured I was already the same as dead, "she answered with a shake of her head and a shrug, "At least this way I either stopped him or at least slowed him down."
Servants carrying trays walked into the dining room and started serving the food. "Well the food is here, "announced the King, "Let's talks about something a little more enjoyable while we eat."
As they ate, Althea remained silent but occasionally glanced over to Adam as she listened to the conversation around her. The one called Teela, a Captain or something, walked in and sat down next to her father. "Sorry I'm late, I had to see about replacing some of my equipment and it took longer than expected."
The King nodded and continued to chat with his wife about some court drama from last night. Apparently, some noble's son was caught spending time with a rival noble's daughter.
"Adam, don't forget you have training this afternoon, "Teela said loudly just before taking a bit and then added after swallowing, "Don't be late and don't you dare 'forget' like last time."
"Aw come on Teela, "said Adam, "Give me a break. It's not like I'm ever going to be as good a fighter as you and the others."
"Well you might be, if you ever bothered to practice,"Teela said with a angry look.
Adam not being a good fighter struck Althea as strange, until she took in what else was said about Adam. Being late or not showing up. Not wanting to fight yet having that magical sword. With the exact same magic as the one that He-Man used.
": Ah…the boy is wise to keep his power a secret. It protects his love ones and himself:" the now familiar voice in her head said, ": Perhaps you should warn him that his sword's magic is a means someone can determine his secret:"
"Althea, "said the Queen in a concerned voice, "Are you alright?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Spaced out for a moment there, "she answered and then turned to look at Adam, "Adam is there any chance you can show me around? I kinda got lost just trying to find the dining room."
"Sure, "said Adam with a smile, "How about after we eat? We'll make an afternoon of it…"
Teela glared at the prince and said, "Adam! You have…"
"Let the boy show his guest around, Teela, "interrupted Teela's father, "You know it won't hurt for him to miss one day and I could use your help re-designing the training field. The soldiers are starting to find ways around the obstacles that were not intended."
With a frustrated sigh, Teela said, "Yes, Father."
(Few Hours Later)
"And here we are at the palace library, "said Adam opening the large doors to allow Althea to enter the room, "You should be able to find a few books to enjoy during your stay."
"Definitely, "said Althea with a smile as she walked past the bookshelves and glanced down them to make sure that there was no one else in the room.
Curious, Adam asked, "Are you looking for something?"
"Just making sure we are alone, "said Althea as a serious look came over her face, "There's something I need to talk to you about and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want anyone to hear."
"Oh?"
Althea turned to face Adam and said, "Remember when I said I can detect magic? Well I can actually 'see' it and get some ideas about what type of magic it is. That sword you have hidden on your back, it's the same one He-Man used yesterday isn't it?"
Adams face paled as he took a step back in shock and said, "What sword…I'm.."
"Look Adam, I'm trying to help!, "said Althea, "I can see that sword's magic bright as day on your back. It has the exact same aura as He-Man's sword. You might want to see about finding some way to better mask it in case someone else with a similar ability gets a good look at it."
"I don't know what you..,"Adam stopped mid-sentence and got a far-away look. After a few seconds he said, "I gotta go. We'll talk more about this later." The prince then raced out of the room.
"Huh?" said a confused Althea.
": He has been summoned by someone:" the voice said, ": Most likely this 'He-Man' is needed somewhere:"
"Reeeeally?"
(Outside of Castle Greyskull)
"He he he heeee" Skeletor cackled as he stood not far from Castle Greyskull, "He-Man should be here any minute now. Prepare yourselves!"
Beastman snarled as he jumped onto the back of his gryphon. The gryphon flew up and then down into the crevasse surrounding the castle. Evil-Lyn smirked as she swept her cape around herself and vanished.
Skeletor took a few steps and summoned a stone pedestal. He then pulled out a large crystal and placed it on the pedestal. Saying a few strange words, Skeletor held his hand just above the crystal. The crystal started to glow a dark purple. Seeing this Skeletor cackled again and muttered, "All is now ready."
Battlecat's roar filled the air, and Skeletor turn to see his long time adversary. "Skeletor!" said He-Man as he pulled out his sword, "Whatever you are doing, it's over."
Unseen, a form glided down and landed on one of the trusses spanning across the partial bridge to Greyskull. Lighting flashed, showing the dragon warrior that He-Man met at the Ruins of Terra.
Down below, Skeletor said, "Oh I don't think so He-Man. NOW!"
Evil-Lyn appeared and held up a crystal similar to Skeletor's. Beastman flew up from the crevasse and did the same. Purple beams raced from Skeletor's crystal and raced to Evil-Lyn's and Beastman's. Then an additional beam ran from Evil-Lyn's to Beastman's, creating a triangle that surrounded He-Man and Battlecat. From the beams, a faint purple wall rose and created a three sided pyramid.
Battlecat roared and tried to attack Evil-Lyn, only to be knocked by the purple wall.
"He he he he!" Skeletor laughed, "Now I have you and soon you will be sent to the darkest regions of the Neath…
"FUS!"
A force shoved Beastman's gryphon to the side, breaking his connection and causing the pyramid to shatter with the sound of breaking glass.
"You moron!" yelled Skeletor,"Get back in place!"
"I don't think so, "said He-Man just before punching Skeletor in the face. As the villain fell back, he accidently knocked his crystal off the pedestal. It landed hard on the ground and shattered.
Beastman growled as he ordered his gryphon to attack.
"FUS!"
Once again the gryphon was knocked to the side, nearly causing Beastman to fall off. "Who the Blazes is doing that?"demanded Evil-Lyn as she sent a magical bindings to hold down the attacking Battlecat.
A strange laugh caused Evil-Lyn to look up and see the winged woman sitting on her perch. "Maar dreh paysul.."the woman shook her head and then said, "I can do this all day."
"Dovah?" Evil-Lyn said as her face paled more than normal.
"Dovahzii, to be more accurate, "said the woman as she stood up and then glided down to face the witch, "I am curious how you know of my kind?"
Evil-Lyn stepped back, away from the dragon warrior and said, "I know…enough to DESTROY YOU!" Evil-Lyn then sent a flash of extremely bright light into the woman's face, blinding the 'Dovahzii' and forcing the woman to cover her eyes. Evil-Lyn then raised her staff to cast a more destructive spell. Battlecat broke free of his bonds and jumped onto Evil-Lyn, causing her spell to miss.
"Enough of this, "said Skeletor as he fought He-Man, "Retreat my minions! Our victory will have to wait for another day."
Evil-Lyn and Skeletor vanished as Beastman flew off on his gryphon.
"Sahlo, nivahrrin vokul VITH!" growled the dragon warrior as she attempted to recover her sight.
"I don't think I need a translation for that line, "said He-Man as he walked over to the woman, "You alright?"
The partially blind glare the woman gave him made He-Man cough through a laugh and say, "Sorry, standard question."
"Please forgive me, He-Man, "the dragon warrior sighed, "I'm just frustrated at my own carelessness."
He-Man got the same faraway look that Adam had earlier. The jaw bridge dropped as he turned and gave the dragon warrior a strange look. "The Sorceress would like to speak with you."
The woman thought about the invite and then nodded, "Perhaps this 'Sorceress' is the one we need to speak with."
He-man indicated with his arm for the woman to go ahead of him, then he and Battlecat followed her across the bridge.
Once inside, the Sorceress stood with her arms crossed and said, "Welcome He-Man and you as well Dovah."
"The Dovah are long dead, Sorceress, "said the dragon warrior, "I am just…a memory of what they once were. At most, a Dovahzii...Spirit of the Dovah"
"If you don't mind, who are the Dovah?" asked He-Man.
The Sorceress sat on her throne and activated her monitor. A flight of dark-green dragons flew across the screen.
"There are many breeds of dragon, He-Man. One breed, the Dovah, had the most unusual power. Their power was in their Words, "said the Sorceress as one of the dragons in the monitor could be heard saying 'Yol Toor Shul' as it breathed fire.
"It made arguments..interesting, "said the dragon warrior with a grin.
"They didn't tire from their use of this strange magic, didn't seem to need an external source of power or components as most magic users do, "continued the Sorceress, "Physically, they were not as strong as other dragon breeds but this Voice they had made them a powerful. Another difference they had from most dragons was their fondness for Humans."
"We considered the Humans as our younger siblings, "said the dragon warrior, "They alone could learn to Speak as we do. For most this was difficult and only after years of practice could they learn to Speak a single Word, but that alone made them unique among the mortal races. Occasionally a rare human would be born with the ability to Speak as easily as any Dovah. These humans we considered as one of our own, a true Dovah only in human form."
The image of the monitor changed, to that of a muscular man in the same type of armor as the woman wore. However, he carried a sword similar in appearance to He-Man's instead of staff but it also had a Nordic dragon motif decorating it.
The dragon warrior continued, "We did not care to interfere too much in Human affairs, but these human Dovah were a different matter. We saw to their training, showing them the ways of the Light and providing them armor to…provide what they were missing due to being born human."
The male dragon warrior on the monitor spread his wings and then flew off as the monitor went dark.
"What happened to the Dovah, "asked He-Man.
"The Darkness came, "was all the woman said.
"Tell us, Dovahzii, "said the Sorceress, "What brings you to Eternia and where have you been all these years?"
The Dovahzii laughed ironically and said, "When the Dovah started to die off and it became obvious that there were too few of us left, desperate measures were taken. A single dragon Dovah volunteered and sacrificed himself to…record the memory and spirit of the Dovah into a single scale. That Scale was given to the last known human Dovah for safekeeping. It was hoped that this final gift of the Dovah would be used to fight off the Darkness and bring back at least the memory and the teachings of the Dovah. It didn't go exactly as planned." The woman sighed as she tiredly leaned on her staff, "This last human Dovah was killed by the Darkness shortly afterwards. He had placed the Scale onto his sword, which as per the custom of the times, was buried with him and there the Scale slept."
"Until it was dug up at an archeology dig…you are from Earth, "said He-Man as he figured something out.
"Now you know my secret, your Highness, "said dragon warrior, "As I know yours."
The Sorceress stood and quickly tried to cast the spell of forgetfulness on the woman. "Spaan Hadrim!" Spoke the Dovahzii before the spell could be completed. The Sorceress looked dismayed as she fell back onto her throne.
"Now that was completely unnecessary, "growled the Dovahzii as she glared at the Sorceress, "I have absolutely no intention of telling anyone or use his secret. And I allowed him to figure out mine in all fairness! In return I would thank you NOT to meddle around with my mind." The woman sighed sadly and added tiredly as she turned to leave, "I get enough of that already. If you want to speak with me, He-Man, I'll see Adam back at the palace."
(Scene Change: Royal Palace, Library)
Althea sighed as she flopped down onto a comfortable looking chair that faced towards a large window. She leaned back and closed her eyes to consider what happened today.
": Well, that went over rather well:" said the voice.
Althea thought back to the voice, "Oh shut up! You are the one that did most of the talking."
The feel of a sigh and the voice said, ": I did not mean to … :"
"Look, I know what you doing is for the greater good, "Althea sent, "But can you now give me a little time to get use to it all? It's not like I'm going to get to Earth anytime soon and I need to find someone to teach me at least the basics of magic. That Sorceress could have been the perfect teacher, but now…I think we burned that bridge."
": Why do you need a teacher? I can..:"
"You know the Voice and dragon magic, "Althea interrupted, "I have human magic, which I have no idea how to control beyond the instinctive level. Frankly I'm surprised you were able to help me bring up that shield."
": You are correct. I have never heard of a human Dovah that also had human magic and in my pride I forgot that it is not the same:"
A throat being cleared pulled Althea from the inner conversation and brought her attention to the nervous looking prince sitting on a chair not far from hers.
"Hello, Adam, "said Althea with a raised brow.
"Sorry about what the Sorceress tried to do earlier, "Adam said as he leaned forward and grasped his two hands together, "Due to her position, she is sometimes a little over-protective."
"You have nothing to apologize for, Adam, "Althea said with a half-smile, "It wasn't you trying to mess with my mind. I am happy to see that you are now hiding your sword better."
Adam laughed nervously and said, "Huh..yeah."
"Look, I have no interest in that power that I saw in that old castle and you can tell the Sorceress that, "said Althea frankly, "It's way too 'bright' for me in there so 'bright' it was almost painful. Until I have better control over my more human magical abilities, I rather not go inside that place at all."
(Scene Change: Snake Mountain)
"We had He-Man just where I wanted him!" Yelled Skeletor as his eyes flared as he sat on his throne, "Who was that strange woman?! "
Evil-Lyn smirked as she considered telling Skeletor what she knew, when his next words quickly made up her mind. "Evil-Lyn,"said Skeletor in a sly voice, "You call that female 'Dovah.' Who or what is this Dovah?"
Evil-Lyn crossed her arms and said, "The Dovah is a long extinct breed of dragon that I read about in some old scrolls. The woman seemed to be one of those special warriors, also called Dovah, which the dragons trained in their special magic. It was that unique magic that the woman used to knock Beastman around."
"Hey!" spat Beastman, "She didn't knock me around!"
"Tell me more, "said the now very interested Skeletor.
To be continued….