Adam held the training blade in his hand and swung it lightly. It felt so odd to be holding a sword again. Especially one that wasn't the Power Sword. He looked up as Keldor approached, and his uncertainty must have shown on his face, because Keldor turned away quickly.
Keldor paused to stretch and twist, enjoying the feel of strength and readiness within his limbs. It had been a while since he had sparred with anyone. Manipulations aside, he was looking forward to this. He only hoped that Adam could gather his resolve by the time he finished his stretches.
Adam's gaze fell to the sword in his hand again. His muscles weren't protesting the swings. He hadn't felt a twinge of soreness or tightness during his warm-ups, and he felt…normal. Not weak, like he constantly half-expected. His jaw clenched. There was no reason he couldn't handle this. "Ready?" he asked Keldor shortly.
Keldor grinned and nodded. "I'm always ready for a good fight."
Adam eyed him suspiciously as they moved into the center of the training ground. Keldor was far too cheerful about this whole thing. He pursed his lips thoughtfully. He was starting to get the distinct feeling that he'd been set up. He shrugged it aside. The how and why didn't matter. What mattered was the duel before him. He had no intention of losing.
The two of them circled each other warily for a moment, the familiarity of facing off almost eerie. Neither was inclined to make the first move. Finally Adam broke the silence, though he still didn't attack.
"I suppose I should explain my statement from the other day," he said, trying to test Keldor's motives. He'd been feeling like an ungrateful wretch since the words had slipped out.
Keldor shrugged. "If you wish." He swung his blade toward Adam's side.
Adam blocked the swing and circled around as easily as if he were participating in a dance from a long-ago dream. He had to admit that he had been uncomfortable around Keldor since he told his uncle that his greatest mistake had been saving his life. As much as it irked him, he had to clear the air.
"I didn't want to leave," he said, knowing he wasn't saying anything Keldor didn't already know. He jabbed forward, and Keldor knocked the sword aside. The shield in Adam's left hand felt awkward and heavy; he briefly debated chucking it as they continued to swing and parry.
"But I am grateful for the risk you took," he added sincerely. He swung at Keldor's side.
Keldor grunted his acknowledgment even as he ducked Adam's blow. "You suffered greatly and you were tired." Keldor pivoted on his right heel and turned back to knock Adam's sword away from Keldor's head.
"If I had known the peace we both felt in that place when I was in the midst of my exhaustion and pain the day I saw your father presented, and then been drawn back here, I would have resented it as well. Even if it meant returning to my father." Keldor swung for Adam's legs. "Life is painful. And seeking that pain when you've tasted peace is never easy."
Keldor flushed. He hadn't wanted to say this much as Randor or his father was looking on, but he knew Adam needed to hear that Keldor understood where Adam had been. Where he was now.
Adam jumped over the swing. "Yet you had no doubts about coming back now," he said thoughtfully. "You're still trying to do penance for your sins, aren't you?" He stumbled back a step, the weight of the shield throwing him off. It was causing him to put too much pressure on his left leg. He frowned at the shield, then tossed it aside in a frustrated motion.
Keldor shrugged and then refocused. "I suppose. I know intellectually that I can't replace the lives I've destroyed, or undo the pain I've caused, but I can't not try."
Keldor met Adam's latest blow with a resounding clang. "But what I have learned is that as long as I have breath and in whatever state I'm in, I have the capacity to bring good to those around me, and that is more important than any expectations I have for myself." He jumped away from Adam's backhanded swing. "Who knew I could become philosophical?"
Adam grunted his response. He was starting to tire, but he noticed with satisfaction that Keldor wasn't gaining any ground on him. Then another thought occurred to him. "You aren't taking it easy, are you?" he demanded as he whirled away from a strike and his own blade hummed through the air.
"Not one bit," Keldor said as he barely missed the blow from Adam's sword. "I said I wanted a fair fight."
Adam was inclined to disbelieve Keldor, but he knew the Truth Sworn couldn't possibly lie and fight like this at the same time. Which meant he was holding his own against Keldor. It was a miracle, and Adam knew he owed that miracle to the man before him and to Good who had spared them both.
With renewed energy, Adam went back after Keldor. For another few minutes, their blades flashed in the sunlight. Neither scored a point on the other, and no one went down.
Marlena whispered to Randor, "You put him up to this didn't you?"
Randor gave a quick nod.
Marlena smiled. Her husband's instincts concerning their son were getting better every day.
"Time!" Teela called from the sidelines. "First round's over fellows."
Adam and Keldor broke apart, both breathing heavily. Exhaustion was starting to set in for Adam; he hated to admit it, but he had to forfeit the rest of the match. His left leg felt especially weak, and his arms were trembling slightly. He was stronger than he had thought, but not strong enough for the three agreed-upon rounds.
Lyn tossed a towel to each of the men, noting that Adam had sat down rather heavily while Keldor was merely leaning against a post. She met Keldor's eyes and knew immediately that he had recognized Adam's lack of endurance as well.
Adora brought water bottles to both men, and squeezed Keldor's hand as she left. 'Thank you,' she sent. He nodded shortly, his mind on trying to figure out a way to bow out gracefully without insulting Adam.
"Sire!" yelled Fisto, running over to the small group. He skidded to a halt and gave a half-hearted bow to Randor. "Sire," he repeated, "Hutch and that fake He-Man are leading an attack on the palace!"
"What?" Adam immediately forgot his fatigue and rose to his feet. "Where?"
Randor glanced at Adam, a satisfied smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth although his mind was on the potential danger to his people. "Yes, Fisto, please explain yourself."
"The Western Gate," Fisto replied. "They'll be just outside within fifteen minutes."
"I'd better go find She-Ra," Adora exclaimed. She hurried off.
Adam watched her go, a longing filling him. He clenched his fists. Maybe he couldn't fight as He-Man, but he could still help. He looked at Teela. "Let's go find a real sword," he suggested quietly.
Fisto arched an eyebrow as Adam and Teela walked away, but he wasn't surprised that Adam was ducking out once again. He was surprised at the mixture of relief and pride on Randor's face, however.
Keldor pulled his true sword from its scabbard and turned looked to Fisto then to Randor. "I want to help."
Lyn pulled her staff. "As do I."
Randor nodded his agreement, and unlike the last time they had volunteered to help, Fisto raised no concerns. Then Fisto caught sight of Adam and Teela returning, Teela with the Sword of Truth in hand, Adam with a nondescript blade. The Captain of the Guard stared at Adam as he drew near, She-Ra joining them as well. Fisto continued to stare until Adam raised an eyebrow.
"Are we waiting for someone else, Captain?" Adam asked a bit drolly.
"Uh, no, Adam, I mean, Your Highness," Fisto said, gathering himself as he spoke. He turned and followed Adam as the small group headed to the Western Gate, bemused by his prince's sudden determination to fight.
"There it is!" Faker called to his followers. "The Royal Palace! Now is the time to rid ourselves of Randor's evil family forever!" The crowd following him cheered riotously. The group of about three hundred men ran straight at the gate, but their steps faltered and stopped when the gate opened to them, revealing a small group in the way—led by Prince Adam.
"Faker," Adam said, grasping a sword in front of him, "stop this now, before someone gets hurt."
"You see?" Faker cried. "I told you the truth! He stands with Skeletor!"
Adam glanced at Keldor, who literally stood at his left side. Keldor shook his head. "I will never be free of my past," he ground out not quite low enough for Adam to miss. Lyn leaned in closer to Keldor and began pouring power into her staff, her eyes glowing with a brilliant light.
"Keldor has changed his ways and serves Good now. Who do you serve, Faker?" Adam challenged. On his other side, Fisto clenched his giant metallic hand. "Ex-baron Hutch?"
"My name is He-Man, you cowardly prince!" Faker snarled. "Now get out of my way. We have an appointment with the king."
"Not with those weapons in your hand you don't," Fisto countered, yelling loudly so that everyone gathered could hear him. "Drop them and you may have a peaceful audience with King Randor."
She-Ra jumped down from the high window overlooking the gathering and landed directly in front of Faker. "People of Eternia, I know my brother, and this is not He-Man. If you wish an audience with King Randor, Prince Adam and Captain Fisto can arrange it. Your arms and anger are not needed."
"They lie!" Faker yelled, punching a hand into the air. "They seek to imprison us!" He launched himself at She-Ra, who bent over and tossed him behind her. He landed at Adam's feet and grinned maliciously. "You're mine," he said softly. Before Adam could react, Faker rose up and landed a hard uppercut on Adam's jaw, sending the prince soaring backwards. With that the people attacked, surging forward nearly as one.
"Try not to hurt them!" She-Ra called frantically. "They're probably under a spell!"
Keldor blasted a sleep mist from his hands as Lyn released a brilliant flash of light, temporarily blinding the masses. Hawk took advantage of the momentary confusion snatch the arms from the protestors closest to him.
Adam struggled to his feet, then was forced to duck as Faker took another swing at him, this time with a sword. Adam raised his own sword and within seconds, the two were engaged in a duel in which they took note of few others.
A group of men and women fell asleep from Keldor's spell, but the others behind them grew angry. Several arrows came soaring through the sky; Lyn cast a simple spell that brought forth a breeze which stopped them. Then a magical blast came forth from the crowd, hitting Lyn squarely in the stomach.
"NO!" Keldor screamed as she went down. He threw up a shield and focused on sending healing magic to his wife, all the while praying that their unborn child was safe.
Hawk and Fisto looked at each other, and without speaking a word, they charged through the crowd together to find the wizard who had hit Lyn. They pushed against the arms that sought to restrain them, but it was slow going as they desperately tried to fight back without hurting anyone.
"You must listen!" She-Ra shouted. Suddenly the sound of sky sleds boomed above them.
"It's about time they showed up," groused Fisto as he continued to fight his way through the crowd.
Buzz-Off and Stratos swooped in. Stratos dropped Ram-Man down beside She-Ra.
"Duh, what's goin' on with these people?" Ram-Man asked She-Ra.
"Faker has them convinced he's He-Man," She-Ra said tightly. "Try not to hurt them, Rammy."
"Faker?" The squat man half-turned. "Hey look, it's He-Man! But why's he fighting Prince Adam?"
"That's not He-Man, that's Faker!" Keldor snapped, overhearing him.
Teela had been semi-hidden; the plan was for her to use the Sword of Truth to reveal Faker for what he truly was. Adam was working back, trying to draw Faker clear of She-Ra. Teela raised the sword to use it on Faker-then she saw Lyn go down. For the first time, her battle instincts seemed to abandon her. All she could think about was Lyn's unborn child. Teela re-sheathed the sword and scrambled to her, knocking one of the royal guards over in her haste.
Keldor was sending a healing spell towards his wife, Teela could see as she bent over Lyn. She put an arm about Lyn's shoulders and eased her to a sitting position, determined to get her out of the area. Stratos was suddenly on the other side. "I'll help you," he said.
As they lifted Lyn, Teela felt a sliding along her back. She couldn't see behind her without dropping Lyn, but she twisted her head anyway, using her peripheral vision as best she could. "The sword!" she exclaimed, seeing it floating in mid-air, seeming to dance and sway to the roar of the battle around them. "She-Ra!"
She-Ra glanced over at Teela's yell and saw the Sword of Truth floating away. She cursed under her breath; they couldn't afford to lose that sword. She narrowed her eyes, wondering where Marzo and Hutch were. They had to be here. There was too much magic in use for these to be simple townspeople and farmers.
With a mighty leap, She-Ra soared through the air and grabbed onto the sword. Whatever spell had taken hold of it was broken by the contact, and she fell a few dozen feet to the ground. Unfortunately, Teela was nowhere in sight, no doubt having gotten Lyn headed in the direction of the infirmary. She-Ra sheathed her own sword and, holding on tightly to the Sword of Truth, turned back to the crowd.
Adam was tiring rapidly now; the rush of adrenaline that had sustained him was gone, and his arms were beginning to tremble. He managed to continue to meet Faker's every thrust, but he was acting only defensively now, and as soon as he made one mistake, he was done for. No sooner had the thought formed than he took a step back and his leg seemed to give out from under him. He twisted to keep the sword up defensively as he went down and caught sight of Faker's triumphant sneer.
"You're done, Prince," Faker growled, bringing his sword back for a hard blow. "You're no match for me."
"Actually," Fisto said, his huge hand grabbing hold of Faker's sword, "I thought he was doing fairly well."
Without letting go of the sword, Faker whirled around and yanked it from Fisto's grip. Fisto's eyes widened slightly. He had not expected this fake He-Man to be as strong as the real thing. He briefly wondered how Adam had managed to fight him on his own for the last ten minutes.
"You leave my friends alone," Ram-Man said as he soared through the air. His metal head landed in Faker's side with a sickening crunch.
Faker fell to the side, holding his ribs because they now felt weak, but not feeling any pain. As a magical being, he felt no pain.
"Thanks, Rammy, Fisto," Adam gasped as Fisto gave him a hand up.
Faker also climbed to his feet, spotting She-Ra handing Teela the Sword of Truth as he did so. "Time to go, boys!" he called. "The royal family has abused us enough!"
Keldor had stood quickly as Stratos and Teela guided Lyn away from the battle. "Evil magic from darkest heart," Keldor shouted, "may your evil be revealed and show where you are." A rippling of lightning blasted above the crowd, causing the mob to surge away from the gate, leaving only Faker and a few of the first attackers within the gates. Keldor pushed the people to the side with a blast of wind from his staff as the lightning gathered over the cloaked magic user. Keldor gritted his teeth and aimed a blast of ice at the villain's feet, wishing for nothing more than to freeze the mage solid.
The two battled magically for a few moments, but at Faker's call to retreat, Keldor grew desperate. He wanted to capture that mage. He used every ounce of power to blast ropes around the mage's arms-only to see the mage go up in a blaze of flames.
"Skeletor killed that villager," someone cried.
The villagers began to panic and run away from the gate. Between the incinerated villager and Faker's call, the mob dispersed within moments. Adam leaned against the wall and slid down slowly, exhausted, as he watched them run.
"Did you see what Keldor did?" Buzz-Off demanded, landing next to Adam.
Adam waved a hand. "I'm sure it was Hutch or Marzo in disguise, Buzz-Off," he assured him. "There seemed to be magical attacks going on."
Keldor fell to his knees a good ten feet in front of the others. He shuddered at the thought of how this new trick would hurt his family. Because of him. And the baby. 'Lyn, are you okay? The baby?' Keldor sent in a panic.
'I'm fine,' Lyn sent back weakly. 'Ramos doesn't see anything wrong, and I can sense no damage within me.'
"Adam, are you all right?" She-Ra asked, reaching a hand down to him. Adam stared at a few seconds, wishing only that he could rest a while longer, then took it and got to his feet once again, favoring his left leg slightly.
"I'm fine, She-Ra," he said, leaning over with his hands on his knees, breathing hard. "Just tired."
"As you should be," Fisto commented. "You fought well, Adam. In fact, I'm surprised at how skilled you are." He reddened, realizing he had said too much.
Adam snorted. "I barely survived."
"You fought a full round with Keldor before this battle," She-Ra reminded him. "Your endurance may be lacking, but your strength and skill have returned."
Adam shrugged self-consciously, choosing to dwell on their words later. He glanced at Keldor, who was just rising to his own feet. "Is Lyn all right?"
Keldor nodded. "As is the child." He looked into Adam's eyes with his haunted midnight blue ones. "It was a mage. I promise you the fire you saw was a teleportation spell. I killed no one." 'I'm hurting them again Truth. When will I ever stop hurting them?' he thought to himself miserably.
"I can use the Sword of Truth to prove it," Teela offered half-heartedly, starting to raise it.
Adam reached out and deliberately pushed it back down. "That's not necessary," he said quietly. His direct gaze met Keldor's. "I believe you."
Keldor nodded his appreciation, then cleared his throat. "I will more than likely need your help at whatever inquiry is to be made about my actions, but until that time I request permission to join my wife in the hospital wing."
"Of course."
At Adam's response, Keldor turned away, thankful of an excuse to escape before his emotions got the better of him. He realized that he now had something he had never expected to have, never even dared to hope for.
He had Adam's complete trust.
"And that is exactly what happened, Randor," Keldor explained, running his hand through his hair.
"I'm sure you understand why Teela must use the sword of Truth to verify what you said. The scribes will record this issue so all may know the truth of what happened." Randor raised one eyebrow, waiting for Keldor's acknowledgment. He spoke the truth, but he also needed to be sure for himself. Skeletor would have blasted the mage out of revenge for the blow to Lyn. He wasn't sure that Keldor was above such an action.
Keldor nodded. He tapped his fingers irately on the desk as he felt the glow of the Sword of Truth around him. Keldor did not want to be in this room giving a statement to the fact that he did not burn an innocent villager to death. He wanted to be in the hospital wing with Lyn. Even though she had assured him via telepathy that she and the babe were fine, that did not change the fact that he wanted to be with her. He sighed. He would have been there but for the fact that he had felt compelled to come give Randor and Man-at-Arms his account of the occurrence immediately. He had re-traced his footsteps, requested Teela to come with him, and here they were.
The scene finished before Keldor fully realized it had begun. He saw little of the vision but he did see clearly disappearing through the flames Baron Hutch.
"Oh, that brute!" exclaimed Teela angrily.
"And Hutch was behind both the attack and the 'burning villager,'" Randor concluded. "Clerks, do you have what you need to complete your reports?"
"Yes, Your Highness," replied the elder of the two court clerks.
"Good, then file this report and have a copy of this circulated to every township and village as soon as possible. We must quell any rumors we can before they start." Randor stroked his beard, deep in thought.
The two men bowed and left the chamber. Keldor stared at Randor expectantly. After a moment the king seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts. "You may go. And I hope all is well with Lyn."
"Thank you," Keldor said as he raced out the door. He had just forced himself to slow to a jog when he literally bumped into Jonas.
"Just who we were looking for," said Jonas, reaching out a hand to help steady both himself and Keldor. Antaris chuckled.
"I'm not sure I like the sound of that," stated Keldor warily.
"It's nothing serious, Keldor," assured Antaris. "Merely an idea that struck us."
"I will listen to whatever you have to say, but let's walk and talk. I need to check on Lyn," Keldor said.
Jonas and Antaris nodded and started down the hall beside Keldor.
"We attended the trial of two of your former allies. Beastman and Tri-Klops," informed Antaris.
"And it occurred to us that they seemed unusually willing to admit their guilt and accept their punishment. Why do you think that is?" asked Jonas.
"They have expressed a desire to change to both Lyn and myself," Keldor explained. Inwardly he sighed. He couldn't help but feel he should have visited them more already, guided them more in their quest to know the truth of their evil ways and how to change. At least it wasn't too late to do so, he reminded himself.
"Do you suppose you could say anything to sway King Randor into sentencing them to exile on Carina?" asked Antaris, his tone casual. It didn't fool Keldor, however. Antaris never brought up an idea unless he felt it was important. "Their skills would be incredibly helpful in our jungle home. And there would be no one better to show them the path to reform than you and Lyn."
Keldor shook his head sadly. "You assume I will end up back on Carina."
"You will," said Antaris, full of confidence. "It has been revealed to me that not all of the pleas supporting you, nor any of the pleas against you will in the end see you free to return to your home. Your fate will be decided with one simple truth. And that truth will lead you back to Carina."
Keldor guffawed under his breath. "I can't wait to see that one," he said dryly. He met Antaris' gaze. "I will speak to Randor. I can make no promises, but I will try."
"That will be more than enough," said Antaris with a satisfied smile. The two Carinians parted ways from Keldor, leaving the partly bemused and partly annoyed blue mage to go see his wife.
It was more than an hour after the battle, and there were guardsmen all over the grounds finishing the clean-up. Adam had spent a good part of the first half-hour simply trying to find the strength to do more than stand, then helped with the clean-up as well. Now that it was nearly finished, he made his way towards his wing of the palace, planning to get ready dinner or collapse onto his bed. He wasn't sure which yet.
Ram-Man was sitting on a bench near the training yard, staring at it and sniffing. Adam hesitated, catching sight of the squat man, whose shoulders were slumped in a dejected fashion. Hawk's words ringing in his mind, Adam set his jaw and approached Ram-Man. He wasn't surprised to see tear trails on the man's face.
"Hey Rammy," Adam said gently as he eased himself down beside his friend.
"Hi, Prince Adam," Ram-Man returned in a subdued voice. He rubbed at his nose.
The two sat in silence for a moment. Adam felt incredibly awkward, but he knew Ram-Man needed a friend. Obviously seeing Faker had triggered another round of grief for the short man. "It's hard to believe He-Man's gone, isn't it?" Adam finally asked.
"Yeah," replied Ram-Man. "I really miss him." There was another long silence.
"Remember when the two of you battled the Belats together?" Adam asked suddenly.
Ram-Man grinned with trembling lips. "Yeah. He-Man couldn't get through the forcefield on his own. He needed me ta help him." There was a strong note of pride in his voice as he spoke. For several minutes the two reminisced about battles He-Man and Ram-Man had fought together.
"You know," Adam commented with a sidelong glance at Ram-Man, "you weren't just a good fellow warrior to He-Man. You were a good friend. He really appreciated your loyalty over the years."
"You think so?" Ram-Man asked somberly. "I sorta feel like I let him down. I didn't know much more about him than anyone else did."
Adam looked Ram-Man in the eye. "You were there for him when it mattered."
"Not at the end, though," Ram-Man countered, his eyes growing bright. "I did let him down."
"No you didn't," Adam argued. "It was his choice to surrender his power, Rammy. He knew his time here was growing short, remember? He knew he wouldn't be around once I was king."
"He did warn us about dat," Ram-Man agreed slowly. His black eyes searched Adam's face. "You two talked a lot more den I realized."
"No one feels his loss more keenly than I," Adam admitted frankly, surprising them both.
"But if you was such great friends, how come I never saw you together?" Ram-Man asked.
Adam let out a breath, wishing he could be completely honest with his friend. "I can't explain that, Rammy," he finally said.
"Oh, okay," Ram-Man said good-naturedly. He smiled at Adam. "Thanks for stoppin' to talk to me. It was almost like He-Man was here with us for a minute."
Adam smiled back, his own eyes mirroring the underlying sorrow in Ram-Man's. "Yeah, it was, wasn't it?"
Keldor rubbed his thumb over the back of Lyn's hand while they both waited for the last of Ramos' tests.
Noticing the distracted look on Keldor's face, Lyn assured him once again, "We're both fine. I put up with the scans for your peace of mind, Keldor. But our child and I are perfectly healthy."
Keldor nodded, though the worry never left his eyes.
"Where are the children?" asked Lyn. "Still with Miro?"
Keldor chuckled at that. "They are going to be utterly spoiled by the time they get back to Carina, if my father keeps up his constant attention and flow of gifts."
Lyn groaned good-naturedly. She was about to speak when the communicator on Keldor's tracking cuff fizz into life.
"Keldor, I need you to come to the throne room now," Randor said in a tone that did nothing to mask his frustration.
Keldor's brow furrowed. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it," he said wearily. "But I'll be right down."