Author's note: Since there is so much conflicting lore in this universe, I am mostly basing this story on the Filmation series and its spinoff series with some bits of other lore thrown in such as Skeletor being Randor's half-brother and Duncan being Teela's birth father and the timeline is mostly based up on the "Timeline of Eternia" on the Grayskull Wiki. Fair warning, while there will be some action scenes, this is mostly a romance and family story and several later chapters will be M-rated. I have loved this universe for forty years, but this is my first attempt at writing a fic for it, so I ask for a little kindness, though I am not opposed to criticism as long as it's constructive. Thank you.

King Randor and Queen Marlena sat in the throne room with Man-at-Arms poring through Eternian law books nearby. "Did you find it yet, Duncan?"

"No," Duncan replied with a sigh. "I don't wish to speak out of turn, Your Majesty, but I'm hoping I don't find it. As your advisor, I'm advising you not to do this. It will only make matters worse."

"How much worse could it be?" Randor was desperate to do some damage control after another court session had come and gone without an appearance from his irresponsible son. They had checked his room and it appeared he had been out all night for the second time in a week and still hadn't returned to fulfill his royal duties. To add to that were rumors and giggling among the courtiers that the prince had been seen kissing a local farmer's daughter.

"I wish you weren't determined to do this," his queen despaired. "Perhaps you should give our son a chance to explain himself." While she'd never confirmed it with Prince Adam, she was sure that her son was also Eternia's mysterious champion, He-Man. She'd dropped several hints to Adam in recent years, hoping he would confess his secret to her so she could at least be there for him to help share his burden.

"We have to put a stop to this, Marlena!" Randor pounded his fist on the arm of this throne in his anger. "Adam must learn to take some responsibility and behave in a manner befitting a crown prince."

Duncan handed the king the open law book in his hand. "Here's your blasted law, but do you really think forcing him into a marriage he doesn't want will help the situation?" he questioned skeptically.

"What else would you suggest? What's your solution?"

Duncan hung his head. He knew the only solution was for Adam to share his dual-identity with his father, but that was not a decision he could make. It was Adam's secret to share or not share as he saw fit. He sighed and said, "I'm afraid I don't have one."

"Then this will have to work," King Randor decided.

Before Randor could go on, Duncan added, "I must tell you that I share the queen's sentiment that you should simply ask Adam for his side of the story before jumping to conclusions and especially before you made a hasty decision that may just make things worse."

As if Duncan hadn't spoken, the king continued as he perused the law book. "I knew it was here. My father once told me about it when I was a boy." He paused to read for a moment and then said aloud, "This is exactly what I was looking for. It says here that the heir to the throne must marry and produce their own royal heir by the age of twenty-five."

"But he's only twenty-two," Marlena protested.

"Then that should give Adam plenty of time."

"Give me plenty of time for what?" Adam asked as he entered the throne room.

"To do what you must to fulfill your royal duties as the heir apparent," his father replied.

"Listen, Father, if it's about me missing Court this morning, I can exp-"

"Explain?" Randor completed for him. "I heard all about it from the courtiers this morning, the flooding disaster in the farming community that He-Man stopped while you were busy taking advantage of one of the local farm girls."

Adam's eyes widened in surprise, "That's not at all what happened. Nothing happened there. I would never-"

"Just like 'nothing happened' when you were literally caught with your pants down with Princess Rhea the last time she visited Eternos?"

"Okay, I admit that I tried to wriggle out of that one, but this time I promise you there was nothing going on." He'd only slept with Princess Rhea one time because it had happened after one of his particularly heated fights with Teela. He admitted that he wasn't proud of the fact that he'd tried to lose himself in one redhead as a means to temporarily forget about another.

Randor pounded his fist on his throne again. "Don't lie to me! There were witnesses who saw you kissing her!"

Shaking his head, Adam defended himself. "You've got it all wrong! First of all, she kissed ME, not the other way around and secondly, it was a kiss of gratitude because I saved her from drowning, nothing more!" The truth was that she had wanted more after nearly drowning, but he'd rebuffed her advances. How could he explain what had happened to get out of hot water with his father and still maintain his secret? He had to try though.

"Look you already know that Skeletor attacked the dam and the irrigation system that brings water to the farmers in the hopes of decimating the farming community to starve us out. What you don't know is that while He-Man was using his superior strength to repair the dam, unknown to him, the girl you're talking about had gotten caught in the flooding and was carried down the river and you know I'm a strong swimmer growing up around a lake as I did, so I jumped in and rescued her." He felt guilty for lying to his parents again, but this time it was at least partially true. In his He-Man form, he had repaired the dam, but he'd also made a mistake in transforming back to Prince Adam too soon believing the danger to be over. He'd only done so in order to make his presence known there so the people would see their prince as a leader. He knew that he'd already been in trouble with his father a few days ago for being out all night, again battling evil as He-Man, and he wanted to do something to make his father proud of him again. But he was wrong. By the time he'd heard the girl screaming for help, it was too late for him to turn back into He-Man in time to save her so he has just reacted on instinct and jumped in after her. "She was grateful to me for saving her and kissed me to thank me. That's all it was."

"If that's all it was, then why are you just now returning?"

"I…uh…" Now came the time that he'd have to blatantly lie because he couldn't tell his father that he'd been at Castle Grayskull discussing his worries about what Skeletor might be planning next with the Sorceress and that they had only just concluded a strategy session for He-Man. "I was just so tired after that, I stopped on my way back and took a nap under my favorite tree by the lake. You know the one." He turned to show his father the debris in his hair from diving into the river, hoping that would convince him. "Look, I've still got grass in my hair to prove it."

"Or it's from taking a tumble with the farm girl," King Randor said accusingly.

"No, Father, I swear!"

"I'm sorry, Son, I don't believe you. This isn't the first time I've heard of your exploits gallivanting with various women in the kingdom. You are a prince and heir to this throne and you must behave more responsibly. What if you impregnated one of these women? I can't allow that and have you repeating my father's mistake. There must be a legitimate heir to the throne after you."

"Father, I swear-" He started to defend himself again, but stopped when his father held up a hand to silence him. What was the use anyway when this was partially his own fault for portraying himself as a pampered prince and a bit of a womanizer, even though nothing could be further from the truth? Sure, women flirted with him a lot and there had been more than one he'd even been attracted to in return. And sure, he wasn't a virgin anymore, but in the handful of times he'd had sex, he'd always regretted it afterwards because it was never with the right woman, the one he truly loved.

"I'm sorry, but your irresponsible actions leave me no choice but to act." He returned his attention to the book and read the law out loud.

Adam gasped as he heard the wording of the mandate. "Marriage? And a royal heir? But, Father, I-"

"Randor, please don't do this, I beg of you," Marlena pleaded with her husband. "Don't make Adam settle into a marriage he doesn't want just because you're angry with him."

"Are you questioning my authority?"

"Yes," she stated angrily, "And at this moment, your sanity!" She stepped down from her throne and stormed out of the room.

"Father, please listen to her and don't make me do this. I don't want some arranged marriage to someone I barely know. I'd rather marry for love like you and Mom did."

"No one said anything about an arranged marriage," Duncan put in with a pointed look aimed at the king. "And the law doesn't say anything about it either, simply that the heir must be married and have produced an heir by age twenty-five, which by my math, still gives Adam three years."

"Less than that because Adam will be twenty-three just six months from now. But you're right on one thing, Duncan, there is no law stating that it must be an arranged marriage, however, there is a provision in the law that states if a suitable partner cannot be found within a reasonable amount of time prior to the deadline, the monarch may choose one."

"But it's also vague on that point as it doesn't specify what is considered a reasonable amount of time. Is it a year, two years? Certainly, it wouldn't be as early as you're making it now?"

"So, I'll just have to decide for myself what that time limit will be," Randor replied decisively.

"Please don't, Father. If you insist on doing this, can't you at least give me a chance to choose my own bride, someone that I actually know and care for?"

Duncan shot the prince a knowing look. He already knew quite well the woman Adam had in mind; it was his own hotheaded daughter. He also knew Teela shared his feelings so there was no issue there, but he worried about all the ramifications of the potential union because Teela was still unaware of Adam's secret life as He-Man. If Adam were to seriously pursue her, he'd have to come clean with her, but he feared with his daughter's fiery temper, that would only drive them further apart, not closer together. "I have to say, I'm on Adam's side," he put in. "You should give him a chance to try to work this out on his own."

Randor, seeing the pleading look in his son's eyes, and hearing his best friend agree, he relented. "Very well, I will allow you to try, but only for so long. Since the deadline for you to furnish the kingdom with an heir is two and a half years away and we must have time to plan a wedding, I will give you until your twenty-third birthday. If you haven't begun at least serious courting with someone of your choosing by then, you'll begin courting a woman of my choosing."

"But that's only six months away," Adam protested loudly.

"Then you'd better get busy. And I don't mean by sulking in your room. You have your training session with Teela soon, but after that, I want you focused on your task."

"Yes, Father," he replied reluctantly.

"You're dismissed."

After leaving the throne room Adam wandered aimlessly around the palace grounds, lost in his own thoughts. He knew his father was right in saying it was time for him to grow up and settle down, at least from his perspective, but the king didn't know everything about his life and there was no way Adam could tell him.

He paused in his wandering when he heard the sound of Sky Sleds above him. Somehow without realizing it, he'd landed himself in the palace courtyard. He looked up and couldn't help smiling when he saw Teela putting the Royal Guard through their drilling exercises, outpacing them as usual.

His heart swelled watching her, marveling at just how skilled she was for someone so young. While she may not match the strength he had as He-Man, she was more than a match for him in experience, but… as Adam, she far outshined him, soundly beating him in his lessons with her.

He reflected on his father's words about finding a suitable partner. He sighed as he gazed up at his childhood best friend and said to himself, "I already have."

Adam had known deep within him that when the time came for him to marry and have a family of his own, there was no one else in the world that he wanted to do that with than Teela. She was everything he desired in a partner. She was smart, resourceful, brave and while a little hot-headed and impulsive, she was also kind, thoughtful and giving. Surely, his father couldn't disapprove of his choice in future brides.

He let out another sigh when he thought about just how complicated the whole thing was when it should be simple. After all, he was in love with the woman of his dreams at a time when his father was on his case about planning for his future. In any other circumstances, he should be able to just tell her how he felt about her, court her like a normal man courting the woman he loved and move forward from there, but how could he when he'd been keeping secrets from her for years? That was aside from the fact that he was pretty certain that she was in love, or at the very least infatuated with, his stronger alter ego, He-Man.

He'd lost count now of how many times he'd fantasized about winning her love as bumbling goofball, Prince Adam, then revealing his secret to her only to have her be overjoyed that she could have her two favorite men in one, but the fantasy was far from what he knew the reality to be. With her quick temper, she was more likely to knock his lights out for lying to her, despite the fact that he'd done it to keep her safe when anyone who knew the truth could be at risk just by knowing.

Adam's thoughts turned to those who already knew his secret and were good at keeping it. What he really needed was to have a heart-to-heart with one of them and explain his predicament, but there weren't really any good choices.

There was Man-at-Arms who'd been a mentor and almost like a second father to him his entire life, but he was also Teela's adoptive father and quite protective of her. How do you bring up that kind of topic? "Hey, Duncan, I need a bride and an heir to the throne, so how do you feel about me impregnating your daughter?" He shook his head at that ridiculous thought.

The next option, The Sorceress, was even worse because she was Teela's biological mother. While he had no doubt she'd be supportive as she had once been in a similar situation, wishing to have a family when the magical guardian of Grayskull was supposed to remain unattached, but then being unable to care for her only child as a widow and still manage her duties to the castle. That was the whole reason she'd given baby Teela to Man-at-Arms to raise to begin with. To make that situation even more complicated, Teela herself was unaware of their family connection or that she was the heir to that title and all the power and responsibility that came with it. But that was just one more reason he believed he and Teela were perfectly suited for one another. They were both destined to be guardians of the power of Grayskull, just in different ways.

The third option, Orko, was the only one who had no familial ties to Teela, but Adam didn't feel he could offer any guidance that might assist him in his quest. Orko would be thrilled, of course, and encourage him to reveal his feelings to her, but then again, Orko, was also known for being reckless and immature, even if his heart was always in the right place. He definitely couldn't seek his advice and hope to come away with anything useful given Orko's proclivity for finding or creating trouble when he was only trying to do the right thing. Besides, even if they weren't the case, Orko was away in his home dimension of Trolla visiting his girlfriend, Dree Elle.

"That's me too, "Adam mumbled. Or at least that was how people saw him, the reckless, immature Prince of Eternia, who was always in trouble and never seemed destined to follow in his father's steady footsteps. It was his own fault though for carrying on the charade to protect his secret identity.

"I'm just out of options," he grumbled. He wished that he could just come clean with his parents so they'd understand that their demands were too much when he had so many other things to worry about. His father was adamant that Adam must not only be married, but have produced a royal heir before his twenty-fifth birthday and while that was still over two years away, it might take longer than that for Teela to forgive his lies, especially when his father had only given him six months of that time to begin the courting process.

The one consolation he had in all this was that his mother had protested King Randor's mandate as had Duncan. What he'd really wanted to do was yell at his father that it was HIS future to decide, not the will of his father, and certainly not some archaic law regarding marriage for heirs to the throne, but what could he have said to make his father see him differently when their whole relationship was built on a pack of lies?

Adam turned his attention back to the guard training maneuvers and once again found himself grinning like an idiot watching Teela best her trainees time and time again, wishing for the umpteenth time that he could just be a normal man in love with a normal woman. "Why does this have to be so complicated?" He lamented.

He was startled out of his musings by a voice behind him. "You know, it doesn't have to be as complicated as you're making it when you could just tell her how you feel about her," his mother suggested with a gesture to the leader of the troops. "That would solve everything."

"Sure," he replied sarcastically. "If she didn't already have a huge crush on He-Man and even that's assuming she didn't beat me up for getting fresh with her."

"Oh, I don't know, Adam," she drawled his name pointedly. "I believe you have the power to defend yourself."

Adam eyed her warily. He'd often wondered if his intuitive mother had figured out the truth about him. He'd suspected that she had by subtle hints that she'd dropped in the past. Now he was almost certain of it in the way she put extra emphasis on the phrase he used to transform into He-Man. But how could he confirm this with her? If he was wrong and it was just wishful thinking on his part, he'd give away the truth and potentially make her a target unnecessarily, but if he were correct…

"Mother, you know, don't you?"

"Know what?" she questioned as she tried to keep her expression blank. She'd often wished her son would just confess his secret to her as she felt it must be quite the difficult burden for him to bear alone. However, she wasn't going to push him into it. She wanted it to be his decision to come clean.

Adam sighed. "Don't play dumb, Mom. You know what I mean. I think we've both known for awhile that you know He-Man's true identity and that I know that you know and you know that I know you know, you know?"

Marlena laughed and replied with a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"UGH! It's me, alright! I'm He-Man and you know it!" he blurted out.

"Now, was that so hard, my son?"

"You did this on purpose," he scolded as he looked away from her and leaned on the courtyard wall gazing up at Teela again.

"No, Adam, I just wanted you to tell me on your own." She joined her son in leaning on the wall and followed his longing stare. "As for Teela, I think you might be surprised by the depth of her feelings for you."

"Only when I'm He-Man," he grumbled. "As Adam, she sees me just like Dad does, a royal goof, unworthy to be the future king, just a lost cause."

"I don't believe that's true," Marlena countered gently. "Teela is the Captain of the Royal Guard and has many important duties, but she regularly makes time to keep training with you, keep you in shape and make sure that you can handle yourself. She wouldn't do that if she believed you were a lost cause."

"Yeah, but she doesn't see that I already can handle myself. She only sees how brave and strong He-Man is while I'm just a coward. But it's my own fault for putting on that big weakling act to protect my secret."

"So, why don't you tell her? If you're so sure that she loves He-Man, why not share that secret with her? I know she's a bit hot-tempered, but if you show her that you're not really cowardly after all, it might prove to her that she can trust you with her heart."

"I can't," he moaned. "If I do that, then I'd only be winning her heart by being her hero, He-Man, when what I want more than anything is for her to love me as Adam, the man who's been her best friend for our whole lives."

"I wasn't suggesting that you tell her you're He-Man right away. I mean, if you hope to marry her someday soon, you will have to tell her eventually because a relationship cannot hope to survive when there are secrets between two people. But maybe you should start by sharing the secret of your love for her? Figure out what her feelings for you are in return and then tell her about He-Man."

"The secret's my biggest problem, but not my only problem," he lamented. "You know, I once asked her who she liked better, He-Man or me? And she told me that she wished she could find a man that's a little of both, He-Man's courage with my wit. So, how do I get her to appreciate me as a person, without the bravery of He-Man? And if I show her that I'm everything she says she wants by revealing my secret as He-Man to her, then how will I ever know if it's me she loves and not just He-Man?"

"You could try asking her out on a real date for starters and use that wit that she loves so much to woo her."

"But what if it's not enough? What if she still wants He-Man's bravery or at least wants it more?"

"Don't you think just taking the chance would be enough to prove your – and I mean, Adam's, not He-Man's – bravery? It takes a tremendous amount of courage to open up your heart and risk having it damaged. BUT if you don't take the chance, then perhaps you really are the coward you pretend to be, just something to think about."

They watched the guard maneuvers in a comfortable silence for awhile as Adam contemplated his mother's words. Was he a coward for not confessing his love to Teela? Maybe he was, he knew that all the things he'd said to his mother were true. He was afraid of many things regarding the Captain of the Guard which was why he'd never shared his true feelings with her, but that was out of self-preservation because as Prince Adam, he could never be his true self with her without risking her figuring out his secret identity. Did protecting his heart make him a coward?

The silence was broken by Marlena commenting, "She really is a remarkable woman, isn't she?"

"That she is," Adam happily agreed.

"I can't speak for your father, but I'd be quite honored to have her as my daughter-in-law." She paused for a moment and then offered, "I have another suggestion. Perhaps you could show Teela who you really are."

"Didn't we already discuss this? I can't, not without knowing if she loves me as Adam," he argued.

"I know, but I didn't mean, He-Man, I meant you. To be honest, she doesn't know Adam, not the real Adam anyway. She's only seen glimpses of him, the bravery you showed when you brought your sister home, the selfless acts you've performed, the love you have for your family and friends. Show her that side of you and see what happens. For instance, in your training session today, maybe don't let her beat you so easily. Don't pretend to be lazy or that you've been neglecting your studies again or that you don't care about her lessons. Let her see your strength as the prince you are for a change."

She turned away to leave him alone with his thoughts, but his solitude wasn't to last as Teela landed her Sky Sled right beside him and said in a chipper tone, "Ready for training?"

"Do I have-" he began out of habit, but then stopped himself as he remembered his mother's last bit of advice, "Sure, Teela, how about some more hand-to-hand combat training?"

"You're on!" She said excitedly. "But we'd better go to the training room for that where there are mats on the floor to protect you for when I wipe the floor with you."

"Don't bet on it!" he thought with a smile. "Sure, Teela, but go easier on me than you did last time. I think I still have a concussion from last time." He rubbed his head dramatically.

"Oh, come on, you big baby," she teased as she playfully punched him on the arm. "I never hit you that hard."

"Oh, but you do, my love," he thought. Every time he was near her was a hard hit straight to the heart. "Maybe not, but it still hurts," he replied. Boy, does it ever, he added in his mind, knowing Teela hadn't picked up on his double meaning. Still, he dutifully followed her into the training room, hoping that this would be the turning point between them.