"What was that all about," Teela questioned as she entered the room and started to close the door behind her.
"Leave it open," Adam told her.
"Okay-ay," she replied in a confused tone, but did as he requested. She approached him where he was still lounging on his bed. Cringer had long ago fallen asleep beside him, bored by the conversation between father and son. "Is everything okay? I was expecting you to come to my room tonight now that we're finally home and can be ourselves again."
"I know and I expected to as well, but I can't now." He blew out a long breath and then dove into the whole story, ending with, "So, I think it's best if we wait until we're married to make love again just to keep my father off my back."
She patted her abdomen dramatically. "Don't you think it's a bit too late for that?"
"But not everyone knows that," Adam repeated his father's words. "Father's worried because of what Marius did, but also because one of the housekeeping staff found your underwear in my room and now, a bunch of them are gossiping about us, including the guards you supervise."
"I can handle them. I'm their captain, after all," she reminded him.
"Are you sure? What if my father's right and they really believe you only got that position because of your association with me? What if they no longer respect your authority because they think you're some kind of fallen woman or worse, think that you trapped me into marrying you?"
"Well, we both know the truth, so what does it matter?"
"It matters because I love you too much to see your name being maligned or your reputation tarnished. You've worked too hard to get where you all to have it all destroyed in a moment of blind passion. It also matters because I'm the Crown Prince and people are always watching my every move and with our wedding coming up in less than a week, that extends to you. Just as I am, you're going to be under constant scrutiny simply by marrying me."
"Don't you think you're being just a little overdramatic?"
"No, I don't." He reached for her hands, holding them gently in his as he leaned forward and brushed a feather-light kiss on her lips. "I love you, Teela, and I'm not about to let anyone hurt you in any way. Besides, our wedding is only six days away. We can wait that long, right? I mean, we already waited years for each other, didn't we?"
"I guess so. I just don't know how we're going to go about our daily lives with our training and all the other time we spend together and still keep my hands off you."
"I'm going to take the temptation away," he replied resolutely. He told her of how much he longed to tell his father the truth, but had hesitated because of Adora. "So, I'm going to take a trip to Etheria to discuss it with her face to face. It'll be nice to deliver her wedding invitation in person anyway."
Teela's eyes lit up. "Hey, maybe I could go with you."
"What? No."
"Why not? We could just say we're going so I can get to know my future sister-in-law better. It's the perfect solution. You can do what you need to do and we can be together away from the prying Eternian eyes."
"Etheria is a dangerous place," he warned.
"I know that, Adam, but I'm also a trained warrior," she pointedly reminded him.
"A pregnant one," he fired back. "As much as I'd love to have you by my side, it's too dangerous for you to go with me."
"I can handle myself," she argued. "In case you've forgotten, I beat you all the time in our training sessions."
"Listen, I'll agree on one condition."
"What's that condition?"
"When it comes to any fights that might come up, I insist that you treat me as your prince, not your future husband. That means that any order I give, I expect you to follow it."
"Done," she readily agreed.
"Are you sure? I mean, any order. If things get dicey and I tell you I tell you to run away, I expect you to run away and I mean it! This is not negotiable. I won't let you risk your life as you've done in the past."
"I get your point and I agree. How soon can we go?"
"Anytime we're ready. We just need to go to Castle Grayskull and get your mother to open a portal. But I think it would be best to let someone here know where we're going first so no one worries about us." He hurried to catch his father before he retired for the night, Teela keeping pace with him as he ran through the halls of the palace. They didn't find the king, but did find the queen just as she was reaching their room. He quickly explained their plan and that they'd only be gone for a day or two.
"Of course, Son," Queen Marlena said. "It's a good idea to talk with your sister about all of this before telling your father. Plus, she doesn't yet know about your engagement. It would be lovely to have her here for your wedding so perhaps you could even bring her back to Eternia with you. I'll let your father know where you're going, but I'll just tell him you wanted to share your happy news with her in person and persuade her to leave Etheria long enough to celebrate your marriage. As stubborn as he can be, even he should understand that." She turned her attention to Teela. "And I'll see to it that your father knows where you are as well so he won't worry about you."
"Thanks, Mom," Adam replied gratefully with a kiss to his mother's cheek.
When they stepped through the portal to Etheria, Adam immediately knew something was wrong. They could barely move through the fierce winds ravaging the planet and a downpour that was worse than the one they'd seen on Eternia a week ago. Within moments, they were both freezing and soaked to the bone within seconds. "We should go back," he shouted over the wind, but just as the words were out of his mouth, the portal closed behind them.
"Too late!" Teela replied.
Adam reached for her hand and gripped it tightly to keep her with him as they fought against the weather. "Come on, we have to find Adora. She can contact the Sorceress to create a new portal to get us home again." That was assuming Adora could get through to the Sorceress. He wondered if this was why she'd said there was a bad connection.
Clinging tightly to each other, they slowly made their way to the Whispering Woods. They arrived amid a flurry of activity, though the weather didn't seem to be affecting the magically protected woods. Adora and Glimmer were handing out tents and sleeping bags from the supply cart while Bow and Madame Razz were helping people get settled into them. "Sis!" he called to get his twin's attention.
"Adam!" Adora cried excitedly at seeing her brother. "Glimmer, you're on your own for a minute." She said as she ran to embrace her brother. She released him and gave a nod to Teela. "Hello, Teela. It's nice to see you again."
"Likewise," Teela responded as the two women shook hands.
"It's so good to see you, brother! But I'm afraid you've come at a bad time."
"I can see that." Adam gestured to the raging storm outside the woods. He lowered his voice to a hushed tone. "Is this about the message the Sorceress sent you the other night?"
She hesitated in answering with Teela present. "I-"
"It's okay," Adam whispered. "She knows everything."
"Oh, I see," Adora replied. "How did this happen?"
"Maybe this will answer your question." He pulled the wedding invitation from his pocket. "It's a little soggy because of the weather, but you should still get the point."
Adora's eyes lit up as she read. "You're getting married! Oh, that's wonderful news!" She embraced Adam again. "Congratulations, Adam!" She then turned and hugged Teela as well. "And to you, my new sister!" she gushed. While she was happy for them, she was afraid she was going to have to disappoint them. "I wish you both the best, but I'm afraid I won't be able to attend. Not unless we can figure out a way to get to Hordak's atmosphere-disrupter and destroy it. That's why there are so many people here right now. We're trying to gather as many people as we can, particularly those with magical abilities to try to get us through the storm to the Fright Zone. Even She-Ra hasn't been able to get through the strong winds and Swift Wind keeps getting blown off-course every time he tries to fly."
"What if He-Man helped?" Adam suggested.
"I can help too," Teela chimed in. "I've been learning some things in my lessons with my mother and while I'm not as powerful as she is yet, I have learned how to tap into my magical ability."
They began walking back toward the others. "Well, we were going to try to launch a new assault in the morning. Maybe with your help, we can finally beat this thing and I'll be able to make it to the wedding after all."
Castaspella walked up to them and questioned, "There's a wedding? Who's getting married?"
"We are," Adam and Teela replied in unison.
"You're engaged?" Casta questioned in a disappointed tone.
"Yes," he beamed at Teela.
"Just a few days from now," Teela chimed in. She didn't at all like the way this woman was looking at her prince. She put her arm around him, leaned her head on his chest and added in a possessive tone, "Come this Saturday, you'll be all mine, forever."
"I already am," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers up her spine. He then turned to Castaspella to make it clear that he was a one-woman man, "Casta, I don't believe you've met my bride, Teela. She's Captain of the Guard on Eternia and has been my best friend since we were small children."
"Well, congratulations, you lucky, lucky woman," she purred. "I suppose I should kiss the groom…for luck, you know."
As she moved forward, Teela stepped fully in front of Adam and snapped, "Back off, Sister!" Castaspella stepped back in a huff while Adora chuckled. "You think this is funny?"
"A little," Adora replied mirthfully. "Poor Casta has had a little crush on my dear brother here since she first saw him. She even once brought him here against his will just so she could meet him face to face."
"Oh, that's not creepy at all," Teela snorted sarcastically.
"I don't know, it was a little flattering," Adam admitted. At seeing the fury in Teela's eyes, he quickly added, "But it was always you that I wanted, my love." He shot a teasing grin her way, "Even if you do beat me up every day in our training sessions."
"Only because you don't practice," she countered.
"So, Sis," he changed the subject. "If Castaspella's here, why can't you just have her teleport you to the Fright Zone? She's done that before."
"We already tried that too," Casta answered. "It seems Shadow Weaver has cast a spell that's blocked the ability for anyone to teleport there after what happened last time."
"That's unfortunate."
Princess Adora glanced into the now-empty supply cart. "Glimmer, are there anymore spare tents for my brother and his fiancée?" Adora asked.
"I'm sorry. I've given them all out."
"Well, then, we'll just have to share, I guess," Adora said. "Casta, how about you share with Glimmer and Teela can share with me and that will leave one for my brother. It will also give me a chance to get to know my future sister-in-law better."
Teela caught Adam frowning at that suggestion. "OR," Teela suggested. "You can share with whomever you like and I'll just share with Adam. I mean, we are engaged. It's not as if we haven't shared a bed before, especially when we've known each other our whole lives." She shot a pointed look at Castaspella.
"Really?" Adora questioned with an arched eyebrow her brother's direction.
"Not now, Sis," Adam hissed at her. "You know that actually sounds good to me," he replied to Teela's suggestion as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He knew he risked incurring his fiancée's wrath if he didn't agree, but he didn't mind as it would give them some private time together that they would no longer have on Eternia until after their wedding.
"Okay, fine," Adora nodded. "Glimmer and I will share and Casta can keep her own tent. The important thing is that we all get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow." She clutched her brother's arm and whispered for his ears only, "But I want some details on how this all came about."
"Another time," he promised as the tents were re-distributed now that a decision had been made.
Adam and Teela set up their tent on the edge of the campsite where they could still hear if there was trouble, but far enough away that they would have a little privacy and crawled in it together. "Still only one sleeping bag," Teela commented. "I guess we'll have to share that too."
"It's not a bad idea anyway to preserve body heat just like during that storm on Eternia," Adam said.
"Yeah, well look how that turned out."
"I think it turned out just fine," he replied as he took her in his arms and kissed her firmly.
She responded to his kiss enthusiastically and gave a little squeal as his hands moved downward to cup her bottom. "We should get out of these sopping wet clothes," she suggested in a sultry tone that made his nerves quiver.
"Right, and warm each other up," he agreed. "We wouldn't want to catch cold."
They quickly stripped off their wet things until there was nothing left, and were in each other's arms again, touching and kissing, teasing and groping. He lowered her to the sleeping bag and covered her body with his own and when he entered her, she cried out his name.
"Shh, there are still people up outside. We'll have to be as quiet as we can," he told her.
"Adam," she hissed through clenched teeth as he began to move. Would she ever get enough of this? Would she ever tire of feeling how full he made her when he was inside her? She wrapped her legs around him and urged him deeper into her, longing for that sense of completion that she could only get with him. The four long days of their tour had felt like a lifetime without him sharing her bed.
Adam puffed and grunted. While he'd told Teela they needed to be quiet, he was struggling with it himself while feeling her soft, pliant body beneath his, her hips pushing up against his to meet him every time he thrust into her, her long legs around him driving him on. "Teela," he gasped his name in her ear as he felt himself overcome by sensation and erupted within her.
'Adam," she sighed as she felt his warm seed spilling into her setting off her own release. She let out a small "oof" when his spent body collapsed atop hers. As with the first time they'd made love she cradled him in her arms as they came down from their high.
They lay there for a long time, holding each other, limbs entwined. When his heart had stopped pounding and his breathing returned to normal, he commented contentedly, "Does it get any better than this?" He pulled out of her and rolled to his side, pulling her with him to lie on his chest.
"Oh, heavens, that was incredible," she gushed when she could finally breathe somewhat normally again. "I think that was the best yet."
"Just wait," he promised. "We're going to be together for the rest of our lives and I'm never going to stop finding new ways to please you."
"Good. You just remember that when I'm fat and swollen in a few months and not desirable anymore."
"You'll never be undesirable to me. I've wanted you for too long for that to ever happen and now that I have you, I'm never going to let you go."
"Good. I'm never letting you go either." They shared a series of long slow kisses as they held each other.
He kissed her once more and pulled her closer. "Now, we should get some more sleep. Tomorrow's going to be rough."
"About that. I have an idea that may help."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Well, you know how we learned in science class that severe thunderstorms are created when warm, moist air on the ground rises up to meet cool, dry air above, right?"
"Right. So?"
"Well, you already know that I've been doing some more advanced training with my mother and I was telling her about the storm and being cold and all that. So, she showed me this thing I could do to warm myself up if something like that ever happened again."
"I don't know. I thought we warmed each other up pretty well that day all on our own without magic." He grinned at her.
"Oh, stop. I'm being serious."
"So am I. I suddenly wasn't cold anymore after we curled up under that blanket together."
"Okay, neither was I, but that's beside the point. The Sorceress taught me how to tap into the power of Grayskull to generate heat if I ever needed it again. She thought it might be useful since you and I always manage to find ourselves in some weird predicament or other."
"And you think that will help?"
"Well, I would need She-Ra to do it, or more accurately Swift Wind because I can't fly like my mother can, at least not yet anyway."
"I'm not sure I like the sound of this. Isn't it risky riding a horse while you're pregnant?"
"It shouldn't be this early on, but I promise if I feel any kind of discomfort, I'll stop. But anyway, what I was thinking is if I could get high enough up above the storm clouds, I might be able to use that heat thing to warm up the air and disperse them or at least enough for you…or He-Man, rather to get through it to the Fright Zone."
"I'm not sure how I feel about this. I don't want you putting yourself or our unborn children in any danger."
"Well, what's your plan then?"
"I don't know. I just thought that even if She-Ra can't get through alone, maybe she and I together could."
"And if you can't? When we were fighting our way through it, it seemed like this storm was getting worse and worse just like the one on Eternia did. People could be hurt or dying out there in this mess."
He sighed, knowing she was right and they really didn't have a better plan. "You promise you'll be careful?"
"Of course, I will."
"Fine. Then I'll talk to my sister about it in the morning. See if she can get you up there on Swift Wind. Maybe I can help from the ground too."
"How?"
He told her the rest of the details about the time Hordak had used the moon mirror to summon him to Etheria and had then opened a portal to the Doom Dimension with it. "She-Ra has the ability to transform her sword into whatever she needs at the time and in that moment, she turned it into a rope and we used it to keep ourselves from being sucked into the portal even though it was so strong it was pulling huge pieces of machinery into it."
"But how does that help if you're on the ground and she's up in the air?"
"So, we switch places. You and I ride up on Swift Wind and she stays on the ground to steady him. I'm sure she'd rather keep her sword with her anyway, no matter what form it's in."
"You couldn't just use a regular rope?"
"I don't know that it would be strong enough with these severe winds, but even in an alternate form, our swords are nearly indestructible. I think this plan just might work."
"See? Aren't you glad I insisted on coming along?"
"We'll just see how it goes tomorrow before I answer that." He had to admit that Teela had come up with a reasonable plan, but he still couldn't deny that he was worried for her safety. Even if she was right and it was safe enough for her to ride his sister's steed, could channeling that much magic through herself be harmful? Surely not if the Sorceress was letting her do it in their training sessions; he knew she'd never let any harm come to her daughter.
The next morning, they shared their plan with Adora, including Teela's connection with Castle Grayskull and the Sorceress and she agreed. "But can you channel the power of Grayskull from here?" She then lowered her voice avoid being overheard. "I know Adam and I can transform using our swords as a catalyst, but you don't have such a thing."
"I don't need it. All I need is to establish a mental link with my mother," Teela answered.
"I was connected to her through the crystal in my sword a few days ago, but it didn't last and we could barely hear each other over the storm."
"But I have a connection that you don't. I'm the next guardian of Grayskull and share a blood link to the current one. I was already able to connect with my mother this morning and told her of our plan. She seems to think we can pull it off."
"That might be just what we need."
"I can help too," Casta interjected as she walked up to them. "My teleportation abilities may not get us into the Fright Zone, but it might be able to get Teela and Swift Wind above the storm clouds to break them up."
"Well, we had planned to have He-Man ride up there with her to keep her safe," Adam argued. He didn't want to be separated from Teela on the off-chance that something could go wrong.
"But Casta might be onto something," Adora countered. "If she rides up on Swifty with Teela, then He-Man can stay on the ground with She-Ra and have the strength of both of them to help steady them."
Adam was torn. He knew that Castaspella had a crush on him and was upset to learn that he was getting married. He didn't believe she'd hurt Teela, but after the way their initial meeting had gone he wasn't sure he completely trusted her with his fiancée whereas he knew he could protect her as He-Man. He started to protest again, but Teela spoke first.
"That sounds even better to me honestly. It'll get the job done quicker and then Adam and I can get back home to finish planning our wedding."
"The question is, Casta, can you do a multiple teleportation, get Teela and Swift Wind up into the clouds while He-Man and She-Ra stay on the ground?"
"I don't know. I've never tried it before, but I'm willing to give it a try."
"Then it's all settled. Now, we just need to go find He-Man and She-Ra to make this work," Adora said. "Adam, why don't you come along to help me locate them?"
"Sure thing, Sis. Teela, why don't you join us as well?"
"Spirit, come!" Adora called to her horse.
The three of them walked off together with Spirit following behind and as they did, Adam noticed a glowing light emanating around his sister's clavicle. "What's going on there, Sis? Have you developed some other new power that I don't have?"
"No, it's a magical artifact," she explained as she picked up the glowing part of her locket. "It was a gift from Sea Hawk so we could always keep each other safe and find one another when we're apart. He has the other half. The glowing means he's in some kind of danger. Once we get out there in this storm, his will probably start glowing as well. I'm worried about him because he's probably out there on the ocean somewhere being tossed around by this storm, but there's no way we can get to each other in this mess.
"We'll get through it," Adam promised.
Teela asked her fiancé, "Why did you want me to tag along? You're just going to transform, right? You don't need me for that."
"No, but I wanted to talk to you before we get started. I want you to remember the promise you made last night, if you feel at all like-"
"I promise, I'll stop," she agreed and gave him a quick kiss. "Now, let's get this started."
Adam and Adora raised their swords to begin the transformation. Teela stood back and watched in awe. She knew now that Adam was He-Man, but it still took her breath away watching the transformation, even more so with his sister beside him going through her transformation simultaneously.
Once it was complete, they walked back to the campsite with Teela and She-Ra riding Swift Wind and He-Man walking beside them. "Okay, here we are," She-Ra called.
"We're ready," He-Man added. "Adam and Adora told us the plan, so let's get this done." He nodded to his sister who gracefully slid from her steed's back, turned her sword into the required rope while Adam helped Castaspella mount Swift Wind behind Teela and tied the rope securely.
She-Ra gave a brief speech to the group rebels detailing the plan and concluded with, "Adam and Adora have gone on ahead to the edge of the woods to be ready when we break up this storm and everyone knows their jobs. Once we're able to get through this storm, it won't be long before the Horde knows and attacks. The rest of you will take out any Horde troopers who try to stop us from getting to the Fright Zone. Ready, Casta?"
Casta nodded. "Ready." This was the biggest job she'd ever done as she was attempting to teleport to two different places at once. She closed her eyes to visualize the two separate destinations and the change was instantaneous. He-Man and She-Ra were on the ground still holding on the rope when they felt it being sharply tugged. Together, they tugged back with all their might. "Maybe I should've brought Battle Cat with me. He could've helped too."
Above them, hovering above the storm cloud, Teela was suddenly a nervous wreck, wondering why she'd suggested this in the first place. Practice behind the walls of the castle with her mother there to ground her was one thing: This was something else entirely. She was trying to screw up her courage when she felt her mother's mind touch hers. " Mother?"
" Concentrate, my daughter," the sweet voice of the Sorceress sounded in her head. " You can do this. Let Castaspella ground you."
Teela nodded. "I need your help," she reluctantly said to Casta. "I need someone with magical abilities to ground me."
"I knew that. Why do you think I suggested I be up here with you?"
"Here goes nothing," Teela said and much like Casta had done earlier, she closed her eyes to focus herself on the task at hand.
On the ground, He-Man and She-Ra still pulled with all their might to keep Swifty from being blown off-course. "Nothing's happening except that these winds are getting stronger! What's taking so long?" He-Man was worried that it wouldn't work and Teela would be hurt in the process.
"Be patient, brother!" She-Ra shouted over the wind as they both struggled to stay upright. "This storm is a monster!"
Up above, still feeling the magical link with her powerful mother in her mind, Teela used all her mental energy to tap into the power of Grayskull and pushed heat from her hands downward with all her might, slowly replacing the humid air with dry, hot air. It was beginning to work as she could see small pieces of the huge storm cloud dissipating, but the storm was so powerful, it was wearing her down. "Can't…do…this…" She panted.
She felt Casta's hands on her temples, adding her own energy to the mix. Teela pushed harder, the heat from her hands becoming more powerful until finally the entire mass of clouds broke up and began to drift away, leaving behind a quiet misty rain, but there was no time to congratulate herself on her accomplishment as a stray bolt of lightning struck close to Swift Wind's chest armor that Teela had been leaning against. Her body spasmed as she lost consciousness and slumped against Swift Wind's neck. If it hadn't been for Castaspella still holding onto her, she'd have plummeted to the ground.
He-Man and She-Ra were knocked down in a heap when the forceful winds stopped. "They must've done it!" She-Ra exclaimed excitedly.
"But where are they?" He-Man questioned as he picked himself up and then offered a hand to his sister who scanned the gray sky above them.
"Look! There's Swifty now!" She pointed as she saw her winged unicorn flying toward them carrying Casta and Teela. "But he doesn't seem to be flying very well."
"Teela's not moving at all," He-Man said in a worried tone.
As Swift Wind landed, He-Man rushed to the aid of his fiancée. "What happened to her?" He demanded of Casta as he lifted Teela from Swift Wind's back and cradled her in his arms. He leaned his head against her chest and breathed a sigh of relief to find that she was still breathing.
Casta nearly fell off trying to dismount and once she did, she lost her balance and fell to the ground. "The power of the storm was too much…for both of us. I did my best to protect her…for you, Prince Adam, but then…lightning struck."
"Prince Adam?" He questioned with a wary look at Casta, but had no time to dwell on it when his sister shouted his name to get his attention.
"Lay her on the ground, He-Man, quickly," She-Ra told her brother.
He gently laid Teela on the ground and She-Ra quickly went to work with her healing abilities, but then shook her head in frustration. "It's not working! I can't heal her."
"Try again….please," He-Man pleaded. He couldn't lose her now, not when he was finally happy. "Maybe you can use her abilities to tap further into the powers of Grayskull.
"Let…me…help," Casta panted as she crawled toward the unconscious woman. She placed one hand in Teela's, the other in She-Ra's. "Use the power of Mystacor as well."
"No, Casta, you're too weak yourself," She-Ra argued.
"Must try," she forced out insistently. "Teela saved us all."
She-Ra put her free hand in Teela's creating a three-way connection and tried again. She felt both Casta's and Teela's weakened power emanating from her. She felt something else too, but couldn't quite put her finger on what. She concentrated harder, visualizing the abyss of Grayskull and imagined drawing that power into herself, visualizing the burns healing and let out a gasp when Teela's eyes fluttered open. He-Man rushed to Teela's side. "Teela."
"Adam, you naughty boy," she grinned at her brother.
"She-Ra!" He gestured toward Castaspella.
"Oh, don't worry about her. She's known for ages. She figured it all out the last time she worked with us against the Horde. That's why she called you 'Prince Adam' a moment ago. She grew up learning magic and knows all about Castle Grayskull and our magical legacy."
He shook his head and turned his attention back to his future wife while She-Ra tended to Swift Wind's injuries. "Teela, are you alright?"
She nodded weakly. "I'm okay. I'm just lucky that it wasn't a direct lightning strike. I feel like I could sleep for a week, but I'm okay."
When he still looked worried, She-Ra assured him, "And so are your unborn babies."
"That's why you called me a naughty boy," he said. "But how did you know?"
"I don't know for sure, some kind of family connection, maybe? I just know that I sensed it when I used my healing power on her." She patted her steed and said, "There you go, Swifty, good as new."
They were interrupted by the sound of shouting. They turned their attention to the noise. The rest of the rebels had caught up to them now that the storm had broken.
She-Ra took charge immediately. "Quickly, you have to get Casta and Teela back to camp so they can rest. He-Man and I will go to the Fright Zone to destroy that machine."
"No, I'm not leaving her side," He-Man shook his head.
She pulled her brother away. "You have to," she hissed at him and continued in a harsh whisper, "You're not her future husband in this form. She's engaged to Prince Adam, not He-Man. Besides I may need you since you've already destroyed one of these things on Eternia."
He looked from his fiancée to his sister and was truly torn on what to do. He wanted to be by Teela's side while she recovered, but he knew his sister was right that she might need his help when there was nothing at all he could do to aid in his future queen's recovery.
"Go," Teela made the decision for him and as if reading his mind, added, "I'll be alright and you can't help me anyway. But you can help your sister."
"I'll be back soon," he whispered to her. He wanted to kiss her goodbye, but knew he couldn't with everyone gathered around, so he reluctantly left her side, trusting the others to care for her.
Fortunately, with two of them fighting, the Horde troopers were quickly disposed of, the atmosphere-disrupter destroyed and Hordak was left cursing both of them as they took off on Swift Wind's back before he could catch them. He-Man couldn't help laughing, thinking that it was all because of that invention that his life had taken the turn it had.
"What's so funny?" his sister inquired.
"I'll tell you about it on the way back to camp."
As He-Man and She-Ra rode Swift Wind from the Fright Zone back toward the Whispering Woods, he outlined everything that had happened over the past week that had led him to where they were now up to the prior evening's conversation with their father.
"So, Mom figured it out on her own and now you want my blessing to tell Dad as well?"
"Yes," he answered. "For two reasons: First because I want our father to really know me. You're different. You don't really have much of a separate persona as Adora versus She-Ra. As the former Force Captain of the Horde, you were already established as a warrior and She-Ra…well, everyone knows She-Ra is a badass warrior woman, but me…" He sighed. "At home on Eternia, I'm just goofy Prince Adam, the lazy, cowardly prince who disappears the moment trouble arises."
"I think I understand," She nodded. "What's the second reason?"
"Well, I've been thinking a lot since Teela and I got together and it's been such a relief to finally share my secret with her when we've been so close our whole lives. I hated keeping the huge secret from her and I don't want to continue to put Mom through that. She and Dad have been married for over two decades and it's not fair to ask her to keep a secret like this from her own husband. I just feel it's better if it's all out in the open and I'd like to do that before the wedding."
She shrugged. "I don't know why you're asking my permission. You're the one who told me when I first discovered my powers that I shouldn't tell them my secret in the first place, but you never really told me why. I simply accepted it because you're my brother and I trusted you."
They reached the edge of the woods, She-Ra guided Swift Wind to the ground and they dismounted. "I suppose we should change now before we head back to camp so no one worries about where Adam and Adora are," He-Man suggested.
"I concur."
They raised their swords and spoke in unison, "Let the power return!" In a flash of light, they were both transformed into their other forms. They walked into the woods with Spirit following behind them.
"The reason I asked you for your consent is because it affects you too. If father knows about He-Man, he'll surely figure out about She-Ra as well."
"I understand that, but it really doesn't matter to me one way or the other if they know. You know I love them, but I don't have the same bond with them that you do, so I think you should just do what you feel is right."
"Then I'm going to tell him as soon as I get back to Eternia. I just hope he's not too angry with me for keeping it hidden for so long."
"Then I'd better go with you to help ease the blow," Adora offered. She glanced down at her necklace, breathing a sigh of relief that the glowing had stopped.
"How would that help?"
"Well, he's not as likely to yell at me as he is at you because I was gone from their lives for so long. Mom and Dad are usually just so excited to see me that they accept whatever happens when I'm on Eternia and don't look too closely at the fact that their daughter also disappears every time there's trouble."
"Sure, the king would never yell at the long lost princess," he grumbled.
"Maybe if I'm there, he won't yell at you either," she said hopefully. "Or maybe I could defend you if he does."
"Or maybe he'll just yell at us both," Adam laughed. "You don't know our father like I do."
"Well, if he yells, then we'll just yell back twice as loud," she joked.
"You're really okay with doing this? I mean, I know you're worried about Hawk too."
"No, he's fine now," she indicated her locket. "Besides, you've had my back in some of the fiercest battles I've been involved in. Why shouldn't I back you up on what's sure to be the worst battle yet?"
"You're amazing!"
"Besides, I need to be there for your wedding, don't I? How many times is my only brother going to get married? I bet once the initial explosion is over, they'll be too thrilled to have their daughter home and their son happily married, they won't even dwell on the secrets we've been keeping, especially when they kept secrets of their own."
"I just hope you're right, Sis."
"Will you just trust your big sister!" she scolded.
"You're not going to let me forget that now that you know you're the first-born, are you?"
"Never," She grinned at her brother.