Disclaimer: The characters depicted here are the property of Filmation, Mattel, and (I believe) Mike Young Productions. They do not belong to me. I'm not making any money from this story.
Just a few notes before we get started. First off, this is a "what if" kind of story that just sort of came to me one day. As such, while I've tried to stick as close to canon as possible, there are some things that have had to be changed. The first is that Chakra, Adora's caregiver while she was in the Horde, does not exist. I think you'll see why as the story progresses. So, sorry to anyone who is a big Chakra fan. Also, for the purposes of this story, let's pretend that the events of "The Secret of the Sword" happened during the second season of "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe", rather than after; specifically, immediately after the MOTU episode "The Origin of the Sorceress."
A Family Divided
Chapter One
It all happened so quickly.
One minute she was walking toward her babies' cribs, rejoicing in the news that the evil forces had been defeated. In the next minute, the door to the nursery was blasted open. A blue arm reached out of the dust caused by the explosion and wrapped around her waist, pulling her off the ground and away from the now-screaming infants. Her own shriek was cut short by the hand that descended upon her mouth like a blanket; bony fingers burrowed into her cheeks, and an all-too-familiar cackle filled the room.
The dust was beginning to clear, and as she twisted and writhed against Skeletor, she saw another figure emerge from behind the cadaverous villain. This second being walked past the evil warlord and his captive toward the cribs.
"Hold her," he ordered, fixing Skeletor with a menacing glare.
His face was visible then, and the mother began her shrieking anew. The creature swiftly approaching her children was Hordak, leader of the evil army that had just been defeated by her husband and his forces.
He descended upon one of the cribs and picked up the infant inside. He smiled wickedly down at the wailing, wriggling baby, pulling the bundle closer to his metal-plated chest.
"These children have a great destiny," he said above the woman's muffled screams, "And I will be the one to control it."
Rage filled the mother, and a sudden burst of energy shot through her veins. She bit down on the hand over her mouth, then drove the heel of her shoe into Skeletor's foot. Instinct and nauseating pain loosened his grip, and the woman pulled away.
She lunged at Hordak, desperate to pull her child from his grasp. She could hear voices in the distance, rapidly approaching footsteps in the hallway. Hordak's attention was momentarily redirected to the sound of what promised to be Eternian soldiers. She threw herself over the empty crib just as Hordak raised a gloved fist.
Masculine voices suddenly filled the room, ordering the defeated warlord to cease and desist. He paid them no heed; instead, he opened his fist to reveal a ball of golden light that, once released from the prison of his fingers, expanded to a circumference large enough to accommodate Hordak, the baby in his arms, and the woman who had just managed to catch a corner of the rose-colored blanket covering the infant.
Blinding light assaulted her eyes, and she could barely make out the shadowy figures of her daughter and the monstrous creature holding her. The screams of both her children filled her ears; she thought she heard a familiar voice yelling her name before her world shimmered into oblivion.
"Marlena!"
Duncan hurled himself toward the horrifying tableau, but he was too late. The trio disappeared into the swirling light, leaving Duncan to grab at empty space. The king's man-at-arms raced to the window and looked down at the ground below, praying to all the deities he knew that the ball of light had not been what he thought. Several seconds passed with no sign of the abductor and his victims.
"You!" he turned and barked at the two-dozen soldiers standing, weapons raised, in the room. "Spread out! Search the palace!"
"General Debben," he addressed a bronze-skinned man, "Gather as many soldiers as you can to search the city. Hordak cannot be allowed to leave Eternos!"
The men swiftly exited the room, Duncan fast on their heels. He was just about to run across the felled door when…
Duncan!
He stopped; this voice could not be ignored.
Sorceress, he answered back telepathically, Hordak has-
I know. Her voice vibrated with tension and anguish.
We have soldiers on the search. I must join them.
You needn't bother. There was now a note of hopelessness in her words. It was a dimensional portal that Hordak opened.
Duncan dragged a hand across his face as a groan of despair escaped his lips.
Do you know where he has taken them?
Dared he hope?
No, she answered so softly that the response barely registered in his psyche.
What do I do now, he questioned this most powerful of women.
Make sure the other child is secure.
He nodded.
You must inform Randor of what has occurred, and then bring him to Grayskull.
He groaned again. How was he supposed to tell his friend that-
A soft sound- barely imperceptible above the pounding of his own heart- drew his attention to a figure that he had heretofore forgotten. One of the soldiers had managed to shoot a bolt of laser fire at Skeletor, knocking him into a wall and then into unconsciousness. Now the second party in Hordak's plan was beginning to stir. Duncan strode across the room, placed himself between Skeletor and the second crib, and aimed two laser guns at the villain's heart.
"Where are they?" he roared at the now-conscious man, "Where has he taken them?"
Skeletor's expression of confusion and pain rapidly shifted to one of amusement.
"Can you be serious?" he laughed up at Duncan. "Do you actually believe that I would tell you?"
It took every ounce of Duncan's self-control to refrain from firing both guns.
"You might as well," he said after several calming breaths, "After all, he betrayed you, did he not? He took away your victory."
"He did betray me," Skeletor admitted in a voice tinted with anger, "but I've still won."
"How do you figure that?" Duncan asked through clenched teeth.
"I am victorious in the knowledge that my brother just lost two members of the family he holds so dear."
"Why, you-" Duncan snarled.
"Now, old friend," Skeletor almost seemed to smile, "I know you'll be busy telling Randor that his wife and daughter are forever lost to him, but please do remember to give him my regards. I would do it myself, but I'm afraid I won't be sticking around."
He raised a hand, and Duncan found himself suddenly unable to move. He then raised his other hand; the paralyzed soldier watched as a nauseatingly familiar glow began to surround Skeletor.
"It turns out," the azure villain said as he rose from the floor, "That my treacherous tutor is not the only one who can teleport at will."
With that, Skeletor was gone. As the light faded, so did the numbness in Duncan's limbs. He roared in frustration, the sound filling the empty room.
Not quite empty, though. Duncan became aware of a whimpering that emanated from the crib behind him. He turned and looked down into the blotchy face of a day-old baby boy. Tears shimmered in his blue eyes, mirroring those that clung to his cheeks. He stared up at Duncan with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation.
"It's okay," Duncan managed to soften his voice, "It's alright, Adam."
He lifted the infant from his crib and held him against his chest, wrapping the blue blanket tighter around the small body. A clean, subtle scent found his nose, and Duncan inhaled deeply. Soap. He drew a shaky breath as he imagined Marlena bathing her children for the first time, blissfully unaware of the evil that awaited them all. Another image assaulted his brain—that of his queen being swallowed by mystic light.
"Duncan!" A voice called from the hallway.
Randor- king of Eternia, and victorious leader of the battle against the Horde- raced into the room. His face, flushed from running, paled quickly at the scene before him.
"What happened?"
Duncan closed his eyes and sighed. Could anything be as difficult as what he was about to do?
"Randor…"
The king's brown eyes darted across the room, taking inventory. Adam was there. Adora was probably in her crib. That left-
"Marlena," he choked out, "Where's Marlena?"
"Perhaps you should sit down, my friend." Duncan gestured toward a chair that had somehow managed to escape destruction.
"I do not want to sit down," Randor answered in a voice suddenly crisp and taut with anxiety, "I want you to answer my question. Where is my wife? Where is Marlena?"
"Hordak and Skeletor broke in," Duncan said slowly, his gaze intent on the king's face, "I do not know what happened between the time the alarm sounded and the time we arrived, but when we got in here, Hordak was holding one of the infants- Adora- in his arms. Marlena lunged for him, no doubt in an attempt to recover the baby. We ordered Hordak to stop, but were unable to fire due to the risk of hitting either the queen or Adora. Hordak managed to open a dimensional portal, and within seconds disappeared with both Marlena and your daughter."
Randor stared at his oldest friend in disbelief.
"A portal?" he managed after almost a minute, "To where?"
"I know not," Duncan answered, "The Sorceress contacted me telepathically immediately after the attack. She does not know where Hordak has gone, but she wishes both you and I to come to Castle Grayskull immediately."
"Yes," Randor murmured almost to himself, "Yes, of course. She's the Sorceress of Grayskull, the most powerful woman on the planet. She has the power of the Ancients at her fingertips. She'll find Marlena and Adora in no time."
"How is Adam?" the king asked suddenly, "Here, let me take him."
Duncan passed the quiet child to his father. Randor cradled the baby in his arms and spoke softly to him.
"I bet you want your mommy, huh, and your sister, too. That's what all those tears are about, isn't it? It's okay, little one. We're going to bring them back to us."
Randor looked straight at Duncan then, daring him to say otherwise. Duncan, remembering the hopelessness in the Sorceress's voice, stared at the floor.