So, I wasn't planning on updating this fic so soon, but it turns out I couldn't stand leaving you guessing as to what happened for so long, so here is the answer. (Obviously I just posted one last night, so make sure you don't miss it.) I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Noticing Adam: The Uprising Chapter 19

King Randor's mind kept replaying what had happened earlier again and again. He was very worried. It was clear to him that Adam was very traumatized and whatever had happened at the Fright Zone was working its way into his son's dreams. Even worse, it was obvious that when Adam was awake he tried everything imaginable to forget about whatever had occurred, which, as a result, was causing him to react in his dreams in the first place. The king knew this avoidance of pain or trauma could be detrimental to Adam's health and wellbeing. What had happened recently on Eternia was proof enough of that…

He now knew that Adam had a tendency to bottle things in. That was one of the things he had learned about his son while they were feuding. While the king knew that he was guilty of the same habit, he also knew he was nowhere near as bad as Adam. When things got too overwhelming, he would go to someone to talk it out: he would go to Marlena or Duncan. In his earlier years when it had dealt with Adora's kidnapping and the twins' separation, he had even gone to the Sorceress for help and advice.

But Adam?

Randor realized Adam never really had that luxury. Sure, he could go and probably had gone to Duncan and the Sorceress, just like he did, but something told him that it was different for Adam because those two individuals were his son's mentors, the people who were trying to strengthen his resolve to fight against Skeletor and to make him a great warrior for the planet. When Randor had gone to them, he went to them as their equal or even their superior. That was quite a different situation from Adam's, because he didn't have to worry about their judgments. He was the king, after all. But Adam would have felt differently. While the king knew the Sorceress and Duncan had undoubtedly made themselves available to hear his son's problems, Adam probably thought he had to work those things out on his own, to prove that he was growing and understanding his task as He-Man a lot more as he got older. After all, Randor had done the same when he was a prince and his father had been king. He hadn't liked going to King Miro about any of his problems, because he had wanted the then King of Eternia to be proud of him and to not worry about the future when he took control. He could see Adam being the same way towards them.

All he knew for sure, though, was that he needed to get Adam to open up. If the past told him anything, it was that Adam would keep this bottled up until it exploded. And, whatever this was, it would probably reach an even higher boiling point soon.

He reached out to grab his son's hand and whispered, "Please, Adam, let me in." As soon as he was through muttering that prayer, he heard a voice from outside the tent.

"Soon, it won't matter. If Adam doesn't go back before sunrise, his cover is going to be blown."

The king gritted his teeth together. He didn't recognize the voice, but he didn't care who it was! He was going to set the record straight! He flew out of his chair and walked outside. He saw Teela, Adora, Glimmer, Bow, and Cringer nearby as he slapped the tent flap down when he walked through the hole.

Each person in the group looked startled at his arrival and Randor knew it was probably because of his demeanor, but he couldn't control himself. He looked at Cringer and said, "Go inside and keep Adam company. If he wakes or gets agitated, come get me immediately."

"Yes, sir," Cringer said and immediately went to his master.

When the king turned around to face the group again, his eyes settled on Bow, the only male of the group. He was obviously the person who had made the earlier comment. He glared at the Rebel and stated firmly, "Let me get a few things straight right now since you are all here and discussing Adam."

The group widened their eyes; they were obviously surprised at either his tone or his words. Randor wasn't sure which, and he didn't really care.

"I know my son and daughter are here to help you free Etheria. I am resolved to help you, as well. I do not condone slavery or any of the suffering that the Horde has caused you and your people, but I won't lie to you either. My main motivations for being here now and assisting you are Adam and Adora: I want my children back home on Eternia and safe with me. This war that you are going to have with the Horde is a means to an end that I want. Now, that being said, I heard your earlier comment, Bow, and I do not appreciate it. I don't give a fat damn if Adam's cover is blown. All that matters to me right now is his wellbeing. He has seen something truly horrific that has unsettled him deeply and I will not subject my son to even further pain by making him go back to the Fright Zone before he's ready! Do all of you understand me?"

Everyone nodded immediately. Then, Bow said softly, "I did not mean anything by what I said, King Randor. I was just making the observation. I don't think Adam should go back in the state that he's in now either."

Randor nodded and replied, "Good, then we're all in agreement." The king turned around to walk back to the tent when Cringer ran outside.

"He's awake!" the tiger exclaimed and ran back inside. Quickly, Randor, Teela, and Adora entered the tent and ran towards the bed.

=)=)=)

Adam placed a hand on the back of his head and rubbed it a little as he sat up in bed. It felt sore, but he wasn't quite sure why. He watched slightly startled as his family entered Adora's tent and began to run the short distance to the bed.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked, slightly joking. "Where's the fire?"

Almost instantly, Teela sat on the bed, wrapped her arms around him, and exclaimed, "That sounds like my Adam!" She then kissed him and worked her tongue into his mouth hurriedly.

Adam was somewhat embarrassed because he knew his sister and father were witnessing this, but he felt the urgency in Teela's actions. It seemed like she needed this desperately, so he gave in, pulled her close, and kissed her back. When they pulled away from each other, they stared into one another's eyes until they heard King Randor clear his throat.

They blushed as they turned their attention to the king.

"Sorry," they both muttered.

Randor shrugged and replied, "No need to apologize, I understand. Forgive me for interrupting, but I'm afraid I must." He walked closer to the bed and sat in the chair in front of them. Teela backed off slightly to give the king more room as he reached out and squeezed Adam's hand. "How are you feeling, son?" he asked softly.

Adam could hear the concern in his father's voice, but he wasn't sure why it was there. He had just woken up and there was nothing scary about that…

Then, he paused. It was at that moment when he realized he shouldn't be waking up at the Rebel Camp. He should be at the Fright Zone. He gulped roughly and looked down at the bed. "It…it really happened, didn't it?" he mumbled to himself.

When he had woken up with only Cringer in the tent earlier, he had taken one look at his tiger and came to the conclusion that he had just awoken from a horrible nightmare. He immediately pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and dismissed them. But now that he knew they were real, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Adam?" he heard his father question frantically. "Son?"

He knew his father wanted him to answer his question, but he couldn't. He knew he was hyperventilating and he felt like he was about to pass out. He wheezed uncontrollably to try to get some air into his lungs.

Immediately, King Randor jumped up from his seat, pushed Teela out of the way, and sat in front of him. He grabbed his shoulders and said, "Breathe with me, Adam."

Tears slipped down Adam's cheeks as the memories of what had occurred flashed in his mind, but he kept his eyes on his father. He watched the king breathe in deeply and slowly, so he did the same. Randor then held it for a couple of seconds and then let it out slowly. Once again, he followed suit. Both of them repeated this process several times before Adam finally felt himself calming down. When he finally did, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to clear his mind of all thoughts altogether.

His father wouldn't let him. "Adam. Adam. Talk to me, son," he demanded; "Tell me what happened."

He opened his eyes and wiped at the tears that slipped down his cheeks. He looked away from the king and whispered softly, "I…I did something horrible, Dad." He cringed at the sound of his own voice. It sounded weak and afraid. It almost sounded adolescent. He breathed through his nose slowly to hold back the emotions that were trying to break free to the surface.

He felt his father place his fingers on his chin and made him turn his head to face him. "What did you do?" he asked when their eyes met.

Adam shook his head and looked down at the mattress.

Randor sighed and said, "You don't have to name the deed right now, Adam. Just tell me as much as you can about what happened at the Fright Zone. Start with what happened when you left Eternia."

The prince looked up at his father as his mind rushed back to that moment. He wish he knew then what he knew now, and those were precisely the words Adam used when he began his tale:

"I wish I knew then what I know now…"

Adam watched the Horde Trooper leave with the prisoner that was designated as his sparring partner. He was deeply concerned with the possibility that Hordak wanted to teach him how to kill someone by actually doing it. He knew he was supposed to make everyone believe that he was a true Hordesmen, but he knew he would never be able to follow through with that. He was the Champion of Eternia, after all—there was absolutely no way he could take a life intentionally, ever.

Shaking his head, he turned back to the task at hand. Hordak wanted him to assign the new prisoners their duties and where they were going. He did not like this assignment whatsoever, but he knew he had to do it.

He looked at the next person in line as he stood before them. He was a young man with brown hair and green eyes. He appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years of age and he looked scared to death. It was obvious he wasn't a warrior at all. Glancing at Hordak, he asked, "How about we…keep him here in the Fright Zone? He can work as a groundskeeper?"

Hordak lifted his brow and remarked, "A groundskeeper? We don't have the need for such things, Adam. You know that." He put his hand on his shoulder and said, "You still have a soft heart, son. You will need to harden up a little when it comes to these rebels."

Knowing that he needed to show a little more ruthlessness to keep Hordak's suspicions away, he turned back to the prisoner, took in his appearance again, and then stated, "He won't be a good miner because he is too weak. Perhaps he can be taught to be a backup sparring partner. Surely, when we need a new one, he'll do for the short time it will take to find another."

Adam hated this idea wholeheartedly and he knew that if he were really on the side of the Horde, his words would have been the same as signing the boy's execution order, but he had every intention of setting him free before that happened. He'd think of something. As Adam contemplated just how he could do it, a commotion brought him back to reality.

An older gentleman with brown hair and eyes worked his way through the crowd. "NO!" he yelled. "Devin is NOT a fighter! He'll die! Please, let me take his place and send him elsewhere!"

"This must be the boy's father," Adam concluded. He actually reminded him a little of his own father. Before he could respond, Hordak laughed heartily. It seemed that he was truly amused by the man's pleas. His glee sickened Adam.

"We won't be changing our minds," Hordak stated. "If Devin cannot fight, he had better learn. Good choice, Adam." Hordak then looked the older man up and down a few times before stating, "He can go to the Etherian Mines."

"Please!" the man yelled as another trooper came to get him. "Please, let my son come to the mines, too! He's barely seventeen, still a boy really. He has a long life to live! Please!"

Hordak groaned at the man's words and glared at the trooper who was holding him. "Take him away. I do not want to hear his whining."

Hordak then turned his attention back to the line, but a resounding "no" was shouted.

Adam looked at the father and saw that he had broken free. He was currently running towards his son. The prince knew if he didn't do something now, something horrible would occur. He turned beseeching eyes to Hordak as the Horde leader morphed his arm into a weapon. When Adam saw that Hordak's weapon of choice was a freeze cannon, he stopped himself from objecting. He thought that freezing the father would be the easiest and safest way to end all of this, but unfortunately, that wasn't what happened.

At that moment, all of the prisoners started fighting back against the Horde Troopers. Adam turned startled eyes back to Hordak and saw that he was changing the weapon into something else now: it was his blaster cannon! Realizing that this weapon could potentially kill someone and he was pointing it at the father, Adam cried out, "Oh, Ancients, no! Please don't hurt him, Hordak! He's just protecting his son!"

The Horde leader's response was to merely glare at Adam for a brief second. Then, he replied, "I have to send a message to get these Rebels back under control. You'll learn from this, son, trust me."

"NO!" he shouted in reply. "He's just being a father! Please!" As he stared at Hordak, he knew he wasn't getting through. He stepped in front of the cannon and tried to stay there to stop him from shooting. Eventually, Hordak got frustrated, rushed at him unexpectedly, and knocked him to the ground. When Adam looked up, he saw that Hordak was in the air now using his rocket boosters and aiming at the man. There was no chance of stopping him now, so Adam got to his feet rapidly and started yelling at himself as he ran towards the father. He needed to help the man! He had to stop this! This was all his fault! He just had to stop this!

Then, he heard the cannon fire just as he got within six feet of the man and his son. The blast was loud and blood seemed to dispense from the ceiling, almost as if it were raining. In a moment of disbelief, Adam wondered if the man had exploded, but then he saw that the father was still in front of him, but there was a sizeable hole in his chest. The man was dead; there was nothing anyone could do for him now.

His son, Devin, began to yell in despair when he realized what had occurred, but a trooper grabbed him and began to take him away.

As for Adam, his momentum from running carried him forward, so he collided with the body as it dropped. He immediately wrapped his arms around the father as he fell to the floor and yelled in complete disbelief and shock. He sat up eventually, held the dead man to his body as he heard the son continue to yell, and began to cry repeatedly as he rocked back and forth, "I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

=)=)=)

Adam was sobbing as he finished telling the story. "It's my fault," he cried. "Don't you see? I am the one who caused this! I suggested making Devin a sparring partner! I thought at the time that I would be able to set him free, but instead, I killed his father right in front of him! I obviously didn't think things through. I should have known something like this could happen! It's like I shot him myself!"

Everyone in the room wiped tears from their eyes as they heard Adam's words. King Randor pulled his son into his arms and tried to soothe him. "Adam, it's not your fault."

The prince shook his head adamantly. He wasn't hearing any of it, but Randor continued anyway.

"You couldn't have foreseen anyone's reactions. You were doing what you thought was best. I wish Devin's father would have realized that the Rebellion would have come eventually to rescue everyone since such a great quantity of people were captured. He made an error in judgment, but people do crazy things when it comes to their children, I know that, so it's not your fault."

Adam shook his head frantically and cried, "No, I'm the one who made the error in judgment! Me! And, my mistake got someone killed!"

Randor rocked Adam back and forth in his arms and whispered, "You didn't do anything wrong, son."

"Yes, I did…and I'll never forgive myself."