Chapter 8

-Kingdom Of The Snows, Etheria –

Glimmer and Luna, along with the Eternian King's corps of engineers, met Princess Frosta and her troops to assist in the rebuild of some of the unofficial Ice Queen's infrastructure and storehouses damaged by The Horde during battle.

The newly reunited lovers playfully exchanged glances as they shoveled snow and disposed of debris clearing the village's roads to allow for a newly rebuilt economy and trade to resume.

They stopped for a quick thirty-minute break, sipping water from their thermoses.

"So…umm…after our talk yesterday it's apparent you'd given it some thought," she acknowledged, her gaze surreptitiously flitting to him as she swiped a sweaty brow.

Hawk leaned an elbow on the shovel's handle, his eyes moving over her.

Even in this rough war-torn setting, even dressed in troop fatigues, snow boots, and a knit cap pulled low, she was beautiful. Captivating.

He made note of the nuances she possessed that made his love for her soar; the innocence, her violet eyes leaving him spellbound shifting under her lashes changing color with her mood, the vulnerability in spite of her strength as Rebellion Leader. He nodded.

"I had time alone to walk through it all. And your gentle approach yesterday floored me making it all the more clear. Evaluating our relationship with new eyes I realized it took guts all those weeks ago to admit your role in the breakdown of our relationship. Meanwhile instead of acknowledging my part, I acted like an ass focusing on what you did to me and how quickly you fell for the Eternian Prince," he scoffed. "And to tell the truth, I'm no angel in all of this. Of all people, Bow educated me on the differences between sex and love."

His shoulders slumped, he shook his head. "I nursed a bruised ego. I should have rejoiced when you came around but instead, I made it all about me. And…I wanted to punish," his guilty gaze wandered the billowy snow drifts.

Concerned, the princess pressed her lips together. Spearing her shovel into the snow, she approached him.

"You had a right to be angry over how I treated you, Luna, for how dismissive I was. It was wrong of me. You loved me all along," she said, her cheeks warming, her eyes drifting to the workers in the distance.

"Indeed, I did. And I acted like a petulant child."

Her head snapped back to him. "Yeah, there is that," she teased.

They shared a laugh.

"Cut me a little slack though, Pink. He's intimidating! Especially knowing that he's…," he glanced about before leaning forward, "The Defender Of The Secrets Of Castle Greyskull", he whispered. "I mean, Hera! What chance does a normal guy like me have against someone like that: a tall, blond, freakishly good looking hardbody of a prince who's annoyingly good at everything and super arrogant?" he spat, perturbed.

Eyeing his slightly off aura, Glimmer snorted to lighten the mood. "It sounds like you have a crush on him."

Luna's brows flew up. "What? No, I…I'm just saying—"

She came closer, cutting him off as his eyes followed her. Leaning in she wrapped her arms around his neck, their eyes locked.

"Don't forget who you are, the feared and formidable Captain Sea Hawk, son of The Falcon and Pirate of the Doon Seas. You can guide a ship through the mightiest of tempests with your eyes closed and mock the winds as they try their level best to defeat you. Commanding your crew, you singlehandedly intercepted The Horde's supplies as your very first act as a member of the Rebellion. That made me so proud."

Silent he stared down at her, she smiling and tilting her head.

"Don't sell yourself short comparing yourself to others, honey. There is only one Luna Sea Hawk. And don't you ever forget it."

Appreciative, he grinned as their lips met in a searing kiss.

"Hey! Break's over, you guys!" Frosta shouted angrily a few yards away. "Light Hope needs us to finish this TODAY!"

Breaking the kiss, their heads snapped to the frowning blue-haired ruler, her arms folding at their gall. Glimmer glanced back at him, her hand cupping the side of her mouth.

"She's only mad because her so called fiancé is a disappointment in the bedroom," she joked under her breath.

Amused, he quirked a brow. "How do you know?"

"Her love aura is on life support," she grinned with a shrug.

"Are you talking about me?" the blue haired princess demanded.

-The Crown Prince's Beach Bungalow, T'Allarma, Eternia -

Gaping, Adora toured the elaborate surroundings' overstuffed couches, hardwood floors, decadent kitchens, floor to ceiling picture windows, beautiful bathing chambers and stately bedrooms. Closing her eyes she turned her face toward the sparkling cerulean ocean, the open windows allowing the fragrant tropical breezes to waft through her long thick tresses making them dance about wildly. Opening her eyes she whirled.

"How?"

Confused, Adam knit his brow. "How?"

"Yes," she replied, eyes wide.

"You mean…how did the house survive the invasion, or how did someone like me end up with it?"

She shook her head for clarity, "I mean, how is this even possible?"

"Still unclear, Sis."

"Oh," she replied. Settling and collecting her thoughts, she approached him. "How can Mom and Dad be so wealthy as to own places like this throughout Eternia's many regions? I mean…the Palace alone was over the top, but I thought that was the only dwelling they owned."

Understanding, her brother closed his eyes and nodded. "To break it down a bit, I own this house from the income generated by the territories appointed to The Heir, T'Allarma being one of them. But technically it's Dad's Kingdom so yeah, he owns everything."

Gob smacked, his sister slowly shook her head.

"The lands have been handed down over millennia, Adora. If you want to go back to how it all began, T'Allarma belonged to Queen Veena," he shrugged.

Shaking her head, Adora's eyes moved about the open-air living room. "Hera…," she whispered, her sapphire gaze settling on the white sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters just beyond them. Studying her, Adam titled his head.

"Do you want to go for a swim?"

She snapped her head to him. "Do you even have to ask?" she replied.

Gesturing, he coughed a laugh. "There's your room, Sis. My valets unpacked your things and put them away. Extra suits are hanging in the closets—"

Euphoric, Adora rushed him throwing her arms around her brother squeezing him tightly, Adam wearing a surprised smile, tightening the embrace. He pulled back and looked at her.

"I know you're disappointed over being forced to stay here, but we'll have to manage—"

Snorting a laugh she gave him a playful little shove before running excitedly to the guest chambers, Adam wearing a lopsided grin, shaking his head.

xxx

Eyes closed they lie on their backs, the snowy white linens of the beach cabana billowing in the warm gentle breeze gently drying them after an hour of splashing about in the cool refreshing waves. She suddenly turned to him.

"So how does Teela feel about you owning her village?"

His eyes popping open, he snapped his head to her. "We never really discussed it. I guess it is what it is. That kind of sucks."

Furrowing her brow, Adora propped herself onto an elbow. "While touring the Northern Territories, no one confronted me over my administration and why I'm justified in owning it," she said, her tone pensive. "It doesn't seem fair. Do people get upset at having a monarchy ruling over them?"

He folded his arms and crossed his ankles. "Some do, yes. So far, the majority are okay with it. Mom and Dad are fair and give the provinces some level of freedom to self-manage but the governorship lies solely with Dad," he said, his eyes meeting hers. "Sounds kind of hypocritical of us when you think about it."

"How?"

"The Horde?" he hinted.

Adora gave an acquiescent nod. "Okay but they were dictators, murderers, pillagers," she countered. "They oppressed and meted out injustice with such ferocity, the Etherians had no voice, no dignity…no freedom whatsoever."

His gaze finding the water, considering her counter point Adam shrugged.

"Tell me, how did our ancestors acquire these lands?"

His eyes on the water, he replied, "There was in-fighting amongst the tribes," he explained, "Feudal wars broke out, conditions worsened, famine and disease ran rampant. D'Vann and Veena Greyskull's estate was the only one functioning and thriving despite what was happening around them. They were eventually viewed as wise and noble leaders in their community, villagers seeking their guidance for everything from politics to agriculture. Their counsel always seeming to settle disputes across the lands, citizens appointed the couple as governors and slowly, others joined the community of provinces after seeing the results of their management. Over time, people began to mismanage their holdings leaving Greyskull to eventually bail them out by buying their land and taking it over."

"Didn't anyone challenge their leadership, confront them for acquiring property in this manner?" she asked.

He nodded. "They did. It got pretty violent. In trying to unseat him they found out the hard way that it was a bad decision, especially when they resorted to going after his children," he said deadpan.

Aghast, her lips parted. "They didn't."

"They did," he replied, "They discovered however that he was talented with a sword." He looked at her. "He kicked ass. People fuckin' died. After that, no one went near him or his family."

"And Veena?"

"She came from a long line of sorceresses, so they backed off from her, too. She had a temper," he snorted.

Adora smiled. "Don't tell me; she had red hair and green eyes."

"Yes."

They chuckled, Adora suddenly waxing sober. "This feels a little strange, Adam."

He furrowed his brow. "What does?"

"You're describing history as if you were there…like, a firsthand account."

He blinked at her, his eyes going distant before shifting past her.

"Is this He-Man recounting this or is it you?" she asked half joking, half serious.

He frowned. "It's me." he snapped, hot.

Adora put up her palms in mock surrender before lying back down. "Just asking," she teased, her brother squinting suspiciously at her.

A few moments of silence went by.

"So, when did the Power Sword come into play?"

Narrowing his gaze, he looked away taking a deep breath. "As told to me on the night of my twenty-first birthday, Horde Prime and his slimy little brother started this shit," Adam replied, his gaze wandering the ocean's waves. "The Omnipotent One felt D'Vann needed help getting those assholes off this world so The Power Sword was crafted…in the Heavenlies," he stated with air quotes. "Once he fended them off, he was anointed king and gained the trust and respect of the ancient Eternians. And here we fuckin' are."

"Explain the, here we fucking are part."

"The Protection Sword was subsequently created and through the ages, Greyskull's descendants inherited the Power and the Protection Swords to either defend or protect…not both," he replied.

Her eyebrows flew up. "Meaning?"

He looked at her. "We're the first set of twins in Eternian history to wield The Swords at the same time."

Struck, her lips parted.

"Remember when Hordak captured us and babbled on about how having us together fulfilled some sort of prophecy?"

She nodded.

"It was related to that; an ancient prophecy about twins from 'Twin Worlds' Eternia and Terra having the gift to the keys of power. We were called for such a time as this because both Eternia and Etheria were in trouble."

Adora's mouth dropped open. "By Horde World—!"

"Not anymore," he shot back with a grin.

Silence as she mulled over Greyskull's history…her history. She looked at him. "Speaking about my former Guardian, let's talk about this forgiveness thing, Brother."

His eyes went to hers.

"If I forgive that wretch of a cyborg and our creepy uncle for what they did to our family, how do I know they'll eventually be punished for what they've done? Isn't me letting go just letting them off the hook? I mean...maybe I can forgive Uncle Keldor but I want Hordak to burn in Hell for what he's done!" she spat, her features darkened.

Adam took a deep breath and sat up. "It's not up to us to punish, Sis. We're supposed to Protect and Defend but ultimately, final judgement belongs to God."

She frowned up at him. "Then what do you call all this killing we've done? Isn't that judgement?"

He quirked a brow. "Self defense and being called to battle to protect others is one thing. Going out and arbitrarily serving as self-appointed judge, jury and executioner in answer of another's sin," he used air quotes, "Is quite another and frankly, I'm not qualified to pass judgement on anyone."

Confused, Adora tilted her head.

"I've got issues, major issues as a result of my past. Others have their own struggles for whatever reason. My job is to resolve the storm inside of me. This is my responsibility," he explained, "Not attempting to actively fix someone else. Although I've forgiven my fosters for what they did, I acknowledge I have unresolved rage that manifests in different ways; like flying into full meltdown, abusing alcohol, shutting down emotionally, or wanting to remove Malek's head for what he did to Teela—"

"What?"

"Admittedly, that last part was a fantasy that I entertained way too long," he replied with a crooked grin, "But he did something unthinkable to my girlfriend and I uhh…basically wanted to take him apart on the spot but I stopped somehow. I did manage to put him in a headlock and throw his ass out of the house," he shrugged and tilted his head in long thought.

"So maybe resorting to violence was wrong," he snorted a laugh. "I'm called to fight and defend, not to execute street justice. I was—am, out of balance, and I need to work on that."

Silence.

"But I digress," he added comically. His eyes bore into hers.

"Adora, carrying unforgiveness keeps you locked to the offender indefinitely. After a while, the burden changes you. It's like a malignancy that eats you up inside until there's nothing left. You become bitter and unrecognizable to yourself and others," he explained. "I personally don't want to surrender my power to someone not worth it, you get what I mean?"

Pensive, her eyes went distant. Reluctantly, she nodded.

He gave a single shrug. "I mean shit, you end up obsessing about them, having nightmares…what they did, the damage they caused, blaming them for who you've become in life. When I was a kid, I used to dream I was chained to gray stone walls. Thought it was Greyskull, hell, even thought it was Eternia but in actuality, it was probably fuckin' Ernest."

He studied her, her features somber, her thoughts racing.

"Bitterness builds up over the years, Sis. Did I tell you that I nearly killed my foster father when I was ten?"

Distraught, her eyes snapped to him. "Ancients, no."

"He broke into my chambers and tried to kidnap me but didn't know I knew martial arts. Had him on the floor flat. Beat his ass to a pulp. I was covered in his blood."

"Hera," she whispered, her brow knit. "What stopped you?"

Adam's eyes locked with hers. "Teela."

She blinked in confusion. "She stopped you? How? In the middle of a brutal assault?"

He nodded. "Told me her father was on the other side of the door ready to arrest him…take him to trial, etc," he waved a hand.

"She got through to you."

Another nod. "As only she can, yes."

"I see," she said interlacing her fingers over her abdomen in thought.

Taking a deep breath, Adam lay back down.

"Had I kept going I would have probably become like Horde Prime or Hordak…or Uncle Keldor. And there were already too many similarities between Uncle and me to begin with. All that bitterness shit...," he trailed off.

Another pause of silence as they listened to the seagulls, the breakers crashing.

"I black out. At times get seriously pissed...I'm working on that. I sense The Omniscient One is around. I've discovered that once I was willing to change, he began to help me. So…I continue the work."

Adora's gaze glued to his pensive profile she turned to the ocean, her thoughts reeling at her brother's experiences, his insights, his self-reflection.

His personal growth.

I don't know. Maybe there's something to this forgiveness thing? her mind matriculated.