A/N: Hi all! Sorry for the delay. In addition to the whole NaNoWriMo challenge, both of us were dealing with illnesses in November. (Sometimes it's scary how our lives coincide.) Hope you enjoy this chapter, and we'll try to get back on track now. :-)
The Faceless One looked out over the balcony where his beloved Anne used to stand out and watch the trader caravans travel over the ocean of sand. He sighed sadly. The dream haunted him. Lyn's words, "I serve good now," echoed through his mind, taunting him. He dragged his hand down the place his face once was. 'Brooding will do no good. It's been a long day. I need sleep. That is all.'
Lyn walked through the corridors of her childhood home. She saw the balcony where her mother always sat, her embroidery in her lap. She ran her fingers over the telescope her mother had used to guide Lyn as they scanned the stars together. "I miss you, Mother," Lyn whispered, as she looked out into the night sky.
"I miss her too," the Faceless One said, seeming to suddenly detach himself from the shadows.
"Father?" Lyn said, turning quickly.
"Hello, Daughter," he said, his tone unyielding. "I didn't expect to find you here." There was a slightly questioning tone to the final word.
"I can't seem to stay away," she answered softly. Lyn turned out to face the night sky once more to hide her tears in the darkness. "I miss you," she whispered to herself, not expecting her father to hear it and hoping he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes.
The Faceless One didn't know what to say in the presence of Lyn's obvious pain. He missed his wife as well, but he didn't discuss things like feelings and loss. His duty was to guard the stone until the day the prophesied one arrived and the stone would serve the purpose for which it had been formed.
Lyn signed sadly as she recalled what she'd seen of her father's pain during her time in the Waters of Truth and the way he dealt with it. Throwing himself into duty. She remembered the Waters revealing that facing their hurts together was the only thing that could have bridged the chasm of hurt and resentment that separated them. Lyn ran her fingers over the smooth stone railing and took a deep breath. 'I'm probably just dreaming again. And since that's the case, I guess there's no risk.' Lyn quickly wiped away her tears and turned to face her father.
"I owe you an explanation. I need you to know why I turned from your guidance."
"I-" began the sorcerer. He was planning to stop her, but he could not. How many times had he stared off this self-same balcony wondering where he went wrong with Lyn? "I am listening," he finally said softly.
Lyn straightened her shoulders and looked up at her father. His lack of face disconcerted the few people who happened to stumble across the citadel, but Lyn saw the curves and outlines of what, to her, was her father's face. She smiled just a bit when she remembered sitting in his lap as a girl and running her hands all over his cheeks and the bump that must have once been his nose before he took the position as guardian of the Ram Stone. He may have been faceless to all others, but to Lyn his face was simply different, and looking into it now she felt like she was finally finding her way home.
"I know you were deeply hurt when Mother died," Lyn began. Her father flinched at her words but continued to listen. "And I understand now that you threw yourself into your work even deeper as a way to deal with your pain. I didn't understand that then. All I knew was that I'd lost my mother and you had become distant with me. I-I thought you blamed me for her death."
"Never," interrupted the Faceless One. "Not for an instant."
Lyn looked up at her father. "I know. Now. But when you began pushing me so hard to pursue my training to take your place as guardian, I felt you were trying punish me for letting Mother die." Her father looked as if he were about to interrupt, but Lyn held up her hand. "I know better now. I think you were trying to help me deal with my pain the only way you knew how. Immersing me in work the way you did for yourself."
"I only wanted you to find peace in something greater than yourself, Daughter."
"And I never thanked you for that. Thank you."
"It obviously wasn't enough," he replied sadly.
"I misunderstood it. I thought you were pushing me so hard because you didn't trust me. And I missed my days of laughing and playing with you and Mother. I missed being a family. It seemed to me after Mother died that I wasn't your daughter anymore, I was your apprentice."
"No," Lyn's father protested. He stepped forward in a fluid motion and laid his hand on Lyn's cheek. "I am sorry, Lyn. I never meant for you to feel that way."
Lyn nodded and wrapped her arms around her father. She sighed into his chest as he held her close to himself for the first time in over twenty years. "Then we started fighting…you kept explaining to me that good people don't look out for themselves first, and I felt I could never please you, and I felt so alone. I wanted adventure and freedom, and I decided I couldn't ever be good like you—I wasn't strong enough to be unhappy forever, and I thought that was what my life of service would cost me. All chance of happiness."
"I never meant to make you feel you could never be good enough. I only wanted you to be strong so I could be sure you were safe when I was gone. I feared for you." The sorcerer's voice broke. "I wanted you to be happy, my Lyn," he whispered in her white hair.
"I am now," Lyn replied, pulling back to look her father in the face. "And I swear to you that I am serving and forever will serve good. I have changed, and I am truly sorry for all the pain I've caused us both."
"As am I-"
"Father," interrupted Lyn.
"Peace, Lyn. Listen to me. I am sorry I ever left you, even for a moment, in doubt of how much I love you."
"I love you too," Lyn murmured.
"As I do you, dear Lyn, but it would be easier to hear if you freed your face from the pillows first," chuckled Keldor.
"Keldor?" gasped Lyn as she rolled over to look up into his bemused face.
"And just who else are you expecting to tell I love you to as you lie in our bed?"
Lyn smirked and threw a pillow at Keldor, who ducked away, chuckling again. "You can tell me all about it over breakfast," he said as he padded into the bathroom. "I can't wait to hear."
Lyn leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her legs and placing her chin on her knees. "I love you too, Father," she whispered sadly. "If only it weren't a dream."
Teelana smiled gently to herself as she glided down the palace hall towards the throne room. She wasn't sure why she felt so happy in the midst of all the turmoil surrounding the palace, but for the moment she felt certain that everything would turn out all right. Rather than examine that feeling too closely, she just held onto it, reveling in the temporary reprieve. She paused near a flower arrangement to bend down and take a deep breath. The scent of the honey roses seemed even sweeter today.
The sound of voices had Lana's feet suddenly glued to the floor, causing her peace to flood out of her. She straightened up as if in slow motion, recognizing Keldor's and Lyn's voices, but feeling as if she couldn't move. The two of them turned the corner, evidently having just come from the throne room. Lana swallowed hard. So far she had avoided meeting them alone. It looked as if her luck had just run out.
Keldor nodded to her. "Good day," he said.
"Good day," Lana murmured as they reached her.
Keldor started to continue on, but Lyn held back, causing him to pause as well. "You're Teela's mother, right?" Lyn asked curiously. "I'm Lyn." She held out her hand, and Lana had no choice but to take it.
"My name is Teelana. My friends call me Lana," she responded.
Keldor stared at her. He knew that smooth, melodious voice. Her face seemed vaguely familiar as well. "This may sound foolish, but don't I know you from somewhere?" he asked.
"I suppose I remind you of Teela," Lana dodged.
Keldor stopped short. She was hiding the truth. It was obvious to him now. He was sure he had met her before.
Lyn narrowed her eyes at Lana in suspicion. "I think Keldor is right, I'm sure I've met you before now. Where?"
Lana forced her face to remain placid. "I knew you both as Skeletor and Evil-Lyn," she admitted, "just as many Eternians do." She prayed fervently that they wouldn't push the matter further.
Keldor's jaw dropped. There was something about the way she had said his former name that brought an image of Grayskull to mind. He suddenly saw the woman before him in a feathered outfit of white, blue, and orange.
"Sorceress?" Lyn whispered before Keldor could say anything.
Keldor grew two shades paler before Lana's face. "I am so sorry. So very sorry for all I have done to you," he apologized, his voice barely more than a whisper.
"As am I," Lyn added in her own soft voice.
In spite of herself, Lana's face grew hard. "You have done more than you know," she hissed angrily at Keldor. "Your misguided attacks on Grayskull I could excuse. Your attempts on Teela's and Adam's lives were miserable failures. But what you did manage to take from me..." She stopped, shaking slightly. She really hadn't wanted Keldor to know how much he had hurt her. "Excuse me," she said harshly. Spinning away, she strode down the hall in the direction from which she had come.
Keldor watched her go, feeling miserable. "What do you think that was about?" he asked Lyn.
"Your guess is as good as mine, but apparently I didn't do it," Lyn replied in a slightly stunned voice.
"No, I did," Keldor agreed sadly. "And it must be truly wretched." He turned toward his room and began to walk distractedly toward it. "Pardon me, Lyn. I require a cleansing," he breathed.
Malick stood atop on of the northernmost turrets of his new home: Castle Grayskull.
He held his feathered cloak tightly around him against the chill of the evening breeze.
The red and violet light of the sunset was brilliant and vibrant, especially, he thought with a sigh, when compared to the flat gray stone of this fortress of untold power.
He still couldn't be sure what he was thinking. He had just made a decision he couldn't take back. A decision that would bind him for the rest of his life to this place. The Sorceress had left him to his own thoughts for a while after he emerged from the well of power that forever changed him. Once he emerged as a falcon and she had calmed him, she had seen the realization in his face. That he too felt the paradox felt by any guardian of Grayskull the power and strength within these walls and the unerring knowledge of his eventual powerlessness outside of those same walls.
'She must have seen it on my face: the feeling of being trapped. Perhaps she felt the same way,' Malick thought with a rueful chuckle. 'Perhaps she still does feel that way.' Whatever the case, she had encouraged him to return to his falcon form and to fly. For the first time in his musing, Malick smiled without touch of pain. As a boy he used to dream of flying. He had never managed to do it as a magician—some things were more difficult to master than others. Fortunately, he had learned to use flying machines early and even had a flying belt for a time as a child…but nothing could compare with what he'd just experienced. Flying was even more fantastic that he'd ever imagined. Soaring above the earth and sailing along the wind currents was one of the most amazing experiences he'd ever had.
Malick didn't know how long he'd been standing on this turret, but the sky had taken on the pale silver of dusk just as the Sorceress climbed up a nearby stairway to join her new colleague.
"Did you enjoy your first flight?" the Sorceress asked as she walked to see the last fiery rays of the sunset beside Malick.
"It was beyond words," he answered turning to face her with a grin. "I suppose it's time to start preparing for this great battle you have foreseen."
Serena nodded. "It will not be hard to prepare you with all of your expertise with magic, but you will find that Grayskull's power does take some getting used to."
"Of that I have no doubt," said Malick. The two guardians of Grayskull re-entered the fortress just as the sun dipped completely beyond the horizon.
Adam gazed down at the still form of his son. Josiah's vitals were gradually growing weaker—so gradually that if it weren't for the chart next to the bed showing the slow but steady decline, it might not have even been noticed. For nearly five days now, Adam and Teela had stood vigil with their son, rarely leaving the room. Adam had tried to bring up the idea of going to see the Oracle at the Crystal Mountains to ask it if there might be a cure, but at Teela's panicked look, he had tracked down Fisto and sent him and Hawk instead.
'Delegating,' Adam thought. 'Guess I have to get used to it.' He didn't particularly care whether he delegated anything or not at this point; his thoughts were only of his son. Damien's offer entered his mind again, and Adam resolutely pushed it away, sending up a short but heartfelt prayer to Good instead. 'Please, please help him. Heal him.'
As if conjured by his thoughts, Fisto and Hawk entered, and Adam turned expectantly. Teela stood and joined him, grasping his hand so they could strengthen each other. "Anything?" Adam asked simply.
Fisto shook his head sorrowfully. "I'm sorry Your Highness, but the Oracle…it said only that events must work themselves out, and this future cannot be told." He hesitated. "It also said something about He-Man, I think."
"He-Man?" Adam asked sharply. "What about He-Man?"
"It said that Eternia's champion must follow the path of righteousness, and not be duped by the forces of evil," Fisto answered, his brow furrowed. "It said to warn him of danger."
"Actually, it never said 'him,'" Hawk corrected. "I supposed it could have been talking of She-Ra."
"Perhaps," Adam murmured, but he doubted it, and from the look on Teela's face, she was thinking the same thing. "Thank you both for trying."
Malick bent his head over the large book, reading though the massive section that instructed him on techniques that would allow him to open even greater channels of power. The power within the castle astounded him, and Malick shuddered as he recalled how many stories he'd heard of He-Man saving Castle Grayskull from Skeletor's clutches.
'I really don't know what would happen to any of us if He-Man had lost any one of those battles.' Shaking his head to clear it of that worrisome thought, Malick stood and stretched. He looked down at the table where lay the great book. 'I hope I have understood this well enough. I am to cast this spell on myself this evening at moonrise with the Sorceress' help.'
"Hello, Malick," called the Sorceress from the entrance to the library. "Are you ready for a break?"
"That would be good," Malick replied as he made his way through the full bookshelves to the arched stone doorway where the Sorceress was waiting for him.
"I have a meal waiting for us in one of the upper chambers," Serena informed her apprentice.
"I thank you, Sorceress. I feel as if I could eat a dragosaur at the moment."
"We will be working side-by-side for quite a long time, Malick, so I suggest when we are alone you call me Serena."
"Serena," repeated Malick. "A lovely name. And fitting for one as composed as you seem to be."
Serena smiled. "Thank you," she said as she gestured up a stairway. They walked up the wide stone steps together.
"So, Serena," questioned Malick, "how long have you been the Sorceress of Grayskull?"
Leading the way into the oddly bright room within Grayskull's walls, Serena answered him, "Not very long. I have only finished my apprenticeship a little over two years ago."
"Two years?" Without thinking Malick walked ahead to the table and pulled out a chair for Serena.
Serena smiled at the gallant gesture—for its kindness as much as the fact that Malick seemed unaware of exactly how chivalrous this small deed seemed to her.
Malick pushed Serena's chair in and walked over to his. He chuckled as he saw the fine meal set before them. "I suppose when you have as much power at hand as what I saw within that latest chapter I've been reading, conjuring this is as easy as snapping your fingers."
Serena laughed and with a snap of her fingers a chilled bottle of wine appeared on the table. "Ta-da!"
Malick laughed as he poured the wine, first for Serena and then a glass for himself. "To many good meals to come."
Serena smiled and raised her glass. A small clink ended the toast. The two ate in a companionable silence for the first few minutes.
"It is a very good meal," commented Malick appreciatively as he finished his soup. He speared a forkful of the main course and mmmed as he savored the rich steaming pasta.
"I'm glad you like it. This has been a favorite meal of mine for years. Comfort food."
"This pasta is of Phantos, isn't it?" Malick asked.
Serena nodded and took another delicate bite of her food.
Malick stared at her for a few seconds, a puzzled look on his face. "Pardon me for asking, but how did a Phantos pasta become one of your favorites? It's not often we on Eternia trade for Phantonian foods. Not with photanium being so essential for our defenses." Feeling suddenly awkward at questioning her, he looked back down at his plate.
Serena patted her mouth with her napkin. "I was born on Eternia, but I lived on Phantos most of my life. I only came back to Eternia a few months before I took up my post here."
Malick looked up again, his interest piqued. "Why did you come back to Eternia?" He stopped for a moment and looked uncomfortable. "Please forgive me. I do not mean to intrude."
Serena cut him off with an upraised hand. "It's quite all right. We will be working together for a very long time, Malick. It will do no harm for us to learn more about each other."
Malick nodded, relieved that she did not find his curiosity rude.
"As for your question," Serena continued, "I came back to Eternia with Queen Elmora during Prince Adam's trial."
"Wait a minute," interrupted Malick. "You're that Serena? The one who was the prosecuting attorney?"
"I was," she admitted, blushing slightly.
"Then how did you end up here?"
"It was rather odd as I think back on it. It was during a very dangerous time for Eternia's champion. I happened to be nearby when Teela was summoned, and I asked to come along. I wanted to help. It was a surprise to all of us when Castle Grayskull rejected Teela and accepted me."
"Teela?" asked Malick, his eyes wide and his fork clattering to his plate. "As in Teela, Teela? Princess Teela?"
Serena forced herself to relax. Although she had not meant to share that with him, there was no harm in his knowing. He would know the entire history of this castle should they succeed in the upcoming fight, and if they did not win…no, she refused to even consider that.
"Yes, Princess Teela was thought to be the next sorceress of Castle Grayskull."
"Why Teela? I went to university with her. She had absolutely no interest in anything magical. She wanted only to be a warrior. Why would she have been thought to be the next sorceress?"
Serena smiled just a bit. Malick's reaction was so astonished. She could only guess how he would react when he learned the secret of He-Man and She-Ra. "It is not one's magical abilities that makes one a candidate as guardian of Grayskull, but one's willingness to sacrifice their life in service to the greater good. But your question is still reasonable." Serena took another sip of her wine, then went on to explain Teelana's relationship to Teela. Malick was silent for a long time after that, mulling over all he had learned. Finally he spoke again.
"I don't understand. When your first spoke with me about becoming a guardian of Grayskull you warned me of the fact that I would live the rest of my days within its walls and that for the majority of the time we would maintain the castle in hiding."
"That is correct," Serena said. "But there are two types of duty for those who serve in our posts. Grayskull appears to the people only when there is a time of great trouble, or great need. It was the attempted return of Morgoth the Terrible that signaled the beginning of such a turbulent time in Eternia's history once more. And as always, one came to bring forth and channel this castle's resources into defeating the evil that had attacked. This sorceress expends more energy and must fight each and every day of her life to make sure that the castle and its secrets are kept safe. Often times with one or both of its defenders."
Malick drew closer in his seat. What little remained of his meal was now forgotten as he leaned even closer toward Serena's story.
"It wears one down quickly. Most times that evil is put down before this guardian is released from their service, but no matter how many active guardians there are during a trying time, there will always be one that helps as the battles draw to a close and the final fates are decided."
"This great battle you spoke to me of?" guessed Malick.
"Yes. If the battle is won, then the one who was trained just before the fate of Eternia has been decided will bring the castle back into obscurity and transform it and its champions to legend. This one will guard the castle in a strange place outside of time until the castle is needed again. And this one will train the new sorceress or sorcerer when the castle is once again called for."
"And we are the ones to see the Castle fade back into the mists of myth and legend?" Malick asked. "Provided we survive the great battle that comes."
"When we survive," corrected Serena with more certainty than she felt. "Yes—although this is the first time in the Castle's history in which two caretakers will be responsible."
Malick bit his lip, troubled. "What is this great battle, Serena?"
"It goes back to the very formation of the Castle itself. Long ago the Elders foresaw the coming of a great and powerful force called the Horde. They knew that they would need a great concentration of the good magics of this world to defeat the magic and technology of the Horde. They also knew that if somehow we could turn back the Horde on Eternia, events would be set into motion that would lead to the final destruction of the Horde. There was only one problem. The Elders didn't realize that there must be a balance. And pulling so much good power into one place created an equally powerful source of evil magic in another part of the planet."
Malick's jaw dropped; he instinctively knew what she was talking about. "Snake Mountain. That is where the evil source is."
"Yes. Over the great span of time, evil has used that place as a staging ground. Though it has changed and developed over the years it remains a source of great evil." Serena leaned forward, her voice dropping and her eyes burning with intensity as she continued. "Now, though, evil has overreached itself. Evil itself seeks to conquer our world, and it will attempt to do so from this place. We are at a crossroads, Malick. If we and the Champions of Grayskull succeed, we will be able to destroy this dark blot upon our world completely. If we fail, we will lose our world to evil."
Malick leaned back in his chair. "So no pressure, huh?" he asked weakly.
Serena laughed ruefully, leaning back as well. "I know. I'm sorry I dragged you into this…" She began to pick self-consciously at the feathers in her skirt.
"Don't apologize," Malick interjected. "I almost lost my soul to Evil, and it was my Kareem who saved me, by offering herself in my place." Malick's eyes grew bright. "I took up this post in honor of her memory and I can think of no better way to spend my days than protecting others from Evil, just as she was willing to protect me, even to the point of giving her life for me. I do not regret making this choice."
Serena looked up. She had known this about Malick, but his sincerity touched her. Inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then perhaps," said Serena, "we should cast the spell I had you studying today. Then we can begin your instruction in the many secrets of Castle Grayskull."