Sorry it took a little while to get this out. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Also, for those of you who read "Teela's Visitor," I posted two chapters close together—one being yesterday—so make sure you don't miss it since it didn't move on the list at all from the last posting. As usual, thanks for those who read and those who comment. It's greatly appreciated. Now, on with the story…

Noticing Adam: The Uprising 22

Adam stared into Teela's eyes as she begged him to show her that he still wanted to be with her. As a man and her boyfriend, Adam heard that primal call and wanted very much to give into that desire. Since they had gotten together, they had rarely had a moment to be together and do all the things that a courting couple should do. He wanted nothing more than to show her just how much she meant to him, but…he knew he was being manipulated. As a prince when he heard her words, he heard the strategy behind them. Teela was playing the part of a neglected girlfriend so she could convince him to stay in the Whispering Woods for a few hours more, probably until Adora or someone else found a way to keep him there. He wasn't naïve enough to believe any differently. The only question was if he was going to allow her to continue her ploy.

Placing his hand softly on her cheek, he stared into her eyes as he bent his head closer to hers. "I know what this is," he admitted.

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

He touched his lips to hers lightly and when he pulled away, he explained, "You may feel neglected and you may very well want me to show you that I still want to be with you, but your reasons are to simply keep me from the Fright Zone."

He pulled away completely and stared at her blankly. He wanted to see her reaction.

She didn't show any repentance. She merely watched him for several moments before conceding. "Okay, so does that mean you're going to leave right now and go back to the Horde?" She asked the words sadly, and Adam knew there was honest pain there.

Closing his eyes, he whispered as soft as air, "No…at least not for now."

Leaning forward again, he kissed her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him tightly. Without any further encouragement, Teela, moaning in delight, ran her fingers up his back and into his hair. The kiss lasted for several long moments and when they finally parted, she grinned at him.

He smiled back and said, "You certainly can manipulate me, but I find that I love it when you do."

=)=)=)

Duncan followed King Randor into his workshop and immediately shut the door. He watched the king stand in the middle of the room and look around as if he were making sure no one else was present. He could tell his friend was nervous, which in turn made him extremely anxious as well. Trying to calm himself, he approached Randor determinedly and performed his duty without question: "What can I do to help you, Your Majesty?"

His question wasn't immediately answered. Instead, Randor looked just past his man-at-arms' shoulder and began to speak in general about things. "War is an ugly thing, Duncan. It's dirty and uncivilized, and good people find themselves doing things they never thought they were capable of doing." He finally paused to look at his friend. "When it comes to war and you're protecting your loved ones, can you go too far?"

At that moment, Duncan knew Randor was questioning him like this because he was on the threshold of making a decision. He was probably contemplating whether or not he should do whatever plan he had come up with. This discussion was important, because it would be the last piece of information the king would use to make his choice. Letting out a shaky breath, he said, "I suppose you can. If innocent die—mothers and children, for example—that would be pretty abominable, wouldn't you agree?"

The king nodded. "What if…a king decided to simply stop the problem by wiping them out completely and unexpectedly?"

Man-at-Arms raised his brow significantly. His eyes bulged as he realized what Randor was asking. He cleared his throat nervously and asked, "Are you talking about…killing them? Are you suggesting that we blow up the Fright Zone?"

Randor turned pain-filled eyes to his friend. "I don't know, Duncan. What else am I supposed to do? The Horde...they're all soldiers! They know what they're getting themselves into. They're not protecting their homes and livelihoods. They are on a planet that's not theirs by any means. They kill and enslave people. They…"

"Randor," Duncan stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder, "have you thought about this clearly—the ramifications if we make such a step?"

"I've done nothing but think about it," he admitted. "I know the drawbacks. They have prisoners in the Fright Zone. What if we don't get them all out? And, of course, I do realize how this action would affect Adam. The boy is just…so innocent. I know it would hurt him to see his father do something like that, but Hordak is the one who introduced him to that side of war. He started it! He murdered people in front of Adam recently, Duncan! Adam is so distraught and he blames himself! And, now he's trying to go back to the Fright Zone to subject himself to more of that villainy. It's changing who he is, Duncan! I know it is and I don't like it. The only way I see to stop the Mighty He-Man this time is to ensure that there is no Fright Zone for him to go to."

Duncan's jaw dropped at Randor's news. It took him a few moments to gather himself and his thoughts again. He squeezed the king's shoulder and asked, "I understand how you feel, Randor. I love Adam like a son, and I have often been amazed at the boy's innocence and purity of heart. But, like you already said, he will be devastated if you do this. That will change who he is, too—to see his father act in such a way, a man that he admires and wishes to emulate. You have to think about that. Besides, have you contemplated the bigger picture? Remember, Hordak is part of a larger military group."

The king sighed. "Yes, I know. Those have been my hesitancies. I don't know how much damage my actions might do to Adam mentally, especially if he gets it in his head to feel responsible for it. And, I realize Horde Prime might want to seek revenge, but I have come to understand that he is not very fond of Hordak. I question if he would even bother."

Duncan nodded as he rubbed his chin in deep contemplation. "Are you willing to take that risk?"

Randor sat down at his workbench and exclaimed, "Well, I have to do something! I'm losing Adam and I don't want to stand by and watch it happen!"

Duncan sat beside him and stared ahead of him. It was obvious he was thinking long and hard about what King Randor said. Finally, he shook his head and said, "Perhaps Adam's experience with the Horde was a good thing."

Randor snapped his head towards Man-at-Arms. "What?" he exclaimed, completely flabbergasted.

"Don't you see?" Duncan questioned. "We have sheltered Adam his entire life. Yes, he is an amazing lad when it comes to his empathy and kindness for others, but he has a lot to learn about the real world, Randor, and he will be Eternia's king one day. He will have to protect the kingdom as a king and not necessarily as He-Man. It's possible he will run across situations like yours and he needs to know that the other side is not as noble as he is. As horrible as it was, he needed to see that villainy in action. It's one thing to hear about it or read about it, but when you see it, there is no way to deny that it's happening and I think it puts everything into perspective. I know you wanted to keep that from him, my friend, but you can't without seriously crippling him."

Randor nodded and admitted, "It almost killed him when he did see it. You should have seen him, Duncan. He was so distraught. He had turned himself into He-Man when he returned to the Rebel base—he did it simply so he wouldn't have to feel the blood-soiled clothes against his skin. He was covered in it and he hadn't cried like that since he was a boy. As a matter of fact, I don't think he ever cried like that. And, he had nightmares while he slept. I don't want him to go through that again!"

Duncan blew a steady breath from his lungs and replied, "I'm going to be honest, Randor. If you do this, I think it will have irreversible effects on Adam. Yes, what Hordak did probably will, too, but we're talking about you here. You're the boy's father. If you kill people so easily and in such a great quantity at once…he's going to see that and he's going to reflect on the pain of those who died. He's going to remember that moment for the rest of his life. And, it can affect his future decisions in several ways. It could be positive, but it could be negative. Regardless, one thing is for certain: once a person kills someone, it's easier to do it the second time, and if Adam feels responsible for your actions and he sees his father doing it…there's a chance it will become an option for him that He-Man had never allowed himself to have before. Is that a good thing?"

Randor stared at the ceiling and shook his head. "I've thought about all of this, Duncan. That's why I came to you. Marlena and you are my sounding boards, you know that, and that's why I wanted to know your thoughts. So, truly, instead of guiding my decision, what do you think?"

The soldier stared at nothing and admitted, "It would probably very well end the war on Etheria, but it will cause other things to happen. Horde Prime might try to seek his revenge on Eternia and Adam probably will lose more of that innocence that I know you want to protect. Hordak killing someone is one thing; his father doing it is quite another."

"So, you think I shouldn't?"

He shrugged and sighed. "You're the king, Your Highness. I'm just a soldier. You were born, raised, and trained to make decisions like this. As king, you have to make decisions for the entire planet, not just Adam, not just an army, but for everyone. I've never had to do that, so that gives us different perspectives. You have made plenty of decisions before that I wouldn't have done and you have always come out on top." He chuckled. "I will follow your orders, my king, and be by your side every step of the way."

King Randor nodded as he stared at his hands. "Will you come to Etheria with me for a short time to help us?"

Duncan nodded, even though he didn't know what he was agreeing to. What had Randor decided?

=)=)=)

Teela pulled Adam back into the Rebel camp. She was thrilled that he allowed her to do so. She hadn't expected it, especially after he had figured out that she was trying to trick him, but she had hoped. Regardless, he was smiling now as she intertwined their fingers together on both hands and practically dragged him along with her fast and exuberant walk.

As soon as they hit the center of camp, she saw Adora stand. She had been sitting with Bow and Glimmer on a log near a large campfire. Teela could tell she was about to head towards them, so she shook her head hurriedly. She then continued to pull Adam along and he followed her right into her tent. As she untied the flap to let it hang closed, she saw Adora's knitted brow and knew his sister wasn't happy that she had managed to bring Adam back to camp only to keep him away from everyone...but Teela knew Adora knew her game plan, so she believed wholeheartedly that the princess shouldn't be surprised. Quickly, she dismissed that line of thought from her mind-she wanted to focus only on Adam.

As soon as they were alone and out of sight of everyone, she exclaimed, "Finally!" When their lips met, Teela pushed on him so she could make him walk backwards to the bed. When the back of his legs hit the frame, his knees immediately buckled and he fell down. The happenstance didn't bother her at all. She merely followed him down and covered his body with hers.

Adam pulled away for a moment, clearly startled that she had done so, but quickly recovered. He chuckled and went back to kissing her once more.

The questions that had been niggling the back of her mind on the way to camp had now faded into the background: how long would she be able to keep him there and could she convince him to stay? Those questions did matter, but as his lips devoured hers, she realized she did need this. Maybe Adam knew that and that's why he gave in so easily despite knowing that she was trying to trick him…

=)=)=)

Not that longest chapter in the world, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Let me know what you think, please!