A/N: I am totally posting this because of you guys. I didn't realize that the last chapter was going to cause such a reaction, but after knowing all you A/T fans for all these years, I really SHOULD have known! So since I felt kind of guilty for leaving you all hanging like that, I'm posting this one right away. I only have another one or two solid chapters and then I get into some bumps, so no promises on when the rest gets up, but I really am trying to finish this up sooner rather than later. Y'all are saints for putting up with the slow posting on this, and I really appreciate all of you who are still reading it-and the reviews, of course!

Teela

The sun hit my eyelids and pulled me out of a very sweet dream. I didn't remember much, just a feeling of utter contentment, being held, and an echo of my name in a deep masculine voice. I felt safe and loved-feelings I associated with both Adam and He-Man, though obviously what I felt for Adam ran much deeper. I snuggled into my pillow, trying to recapture the dream, and heard the voice call my name again. It wasn't either one of their voices, but rather something in between.

My eyes popped open as I suddenly realized they both had the same way of saying my name. Most people pronounced it as "Teel-a," but the two of them said it as "Tee-la." It was a subtle difference, but Adam had been the only one who said it like that until He-Man came along. It made me wonder about the reason that it was only the two of them who said it like that. It wasn't as if they were raised in the same family or went to the same school, or grew up together. My brow furrowed as I tried to puzzle it out, to no avail. Finally I shrugged and chalked it up to coincidence.

I glanced at the clock and gasped. Adora was going to arrive in a half-hour, and I wasn't even out of bed yet! Cursing the fact that I had forgotten to set my alarm, I rolled out of bed and began rushing through my morning routine. On the upside, at least I didn't have time to dwell on the fact that I had decided to tell Adora the truth about everything this morning. I was nervous enough without fretting over it.

It turned out that telling Adora was both easier and harder than I had thought it would be. The story came out in bits and pieces as we sparred. Not being from Eternia, she was used to being around different values, but she was still astounded, and more indignant that I had been prepared for.

"You were an idiot," she said flatly. "Your father and my parents would do anything for you."

I sighed. "I know, but I can't go back and change it now, can I?"

"I suppose not," Adora agreed as she swung her sword at me. I blocked it easily and made a thrust of my own. "It doesn't seem like you, though."

"Well I wasn't exactly feeling like myself," I said defensively. "Between the hormones and Adam and He-Man being sent off to who-knows-where, I was a mess."

"Well next time you have a problem, come talk to me. Don't do anything so stupid," Adora admonished me.

A small smirk touched my lips. "I'll try. Assuming I'm still around, that is." I swung at her again, but my statement had upset her concentration, so the sword actually made contact with her arm.

"Ow!" she exclaimed. She shook her arm in a futile effort to get rid of the pain.

"Are you alright?" I asked, feeling guilty already.

"Don't change the subject!" she snapped. "What did you mean, if you're still around?"

Darn. I had forgotten that she wouldn't necessarily know the law about this. Sometimes I forgot that she had only been on Eternia a little over a year and a half. She had adapted so well it was easy to forget. "Adora, the punishment for what I did is exile," I explained shortly.

"For an abortion?" she exclaimed, clearly distressed by the idea.

"It's a life," I reminded her.

Adora shook her head. "That's not how it worked on Etheria. Unwanted children were aborted frequently. Even those who were born, if they were unable to walk, blind, deaf, deformed...they were sometimes killed immediately by the Horde. If parents wanted to keep them, they would have to hide them."

"What do you believe?" I asked her. We both walked towards the cottage to grab the rags we needed to clean our swords.

Adora tilted her head. "I'm not sure. I mean, that's how I was raised. After I became…" She hesitated a second, then continued, "...part of the rebellion, I started thinking more about the value of life. It became obvious to me that it was wrong to kill someone just because they were not 'normal,' but an unborn baby…" Adora shrugged, her face suddenly troubled. "Is that really a live person, Teela?"

"We are taught that the soul becomes a part of the child at conception," I replied. We were quiet for a minute as I reflected on that. I had indeed been taught that an unborn baby was a human being. But more importantly, I believed it. I had tried to justify the abortion by claiming it hadn't felt like a baby, but it didn't change the fact that I did believe it. To assume it didn't have the right to life just because it was under my protection was wrong, and once again I was pierced with the guilt of my own decision.

"I still don't know what I think about it," Adora said, frowning. "It just seems like exile seems harsh." We finished cleaning our swords and headed inside for drinks.

"But in this case, the child was also the heir to the throne," I reminded her. "Adam tried to absolve me, but my father explained to me that only the king can do that, and your father holds tight to the law. I'm just hoping I can be here until after Adam's welcome-home party." The celebration had been rescheduled and was now about a month away. I was kind of hoping Adam was going to invite me as his escort. Well, not kind of. I was definitely hoping. You could say I was expecting it, actually.

"We'll see about that," Adora muttered hotly. I couldn't help but smile to myself. The law might be against me, but it was really nice to have the royal family in my corner.

Two days later I stood in front of my mirror fiddling repeatedly with my hair, trying to figure out what to do with it. "Get a grip, Teela," I told myself. "It's just a picnic."

But it was more than that. This was the family picnic that the group had planned almost a week earlier when I dined at the palace, before they all knew the truth of what I had done. Adora had convinced me the day before that the invitation included both Father and me, or if it hadn't at dinner, it did now. I was waiting for the wind raider with Adora and Cringer in it; my father had flown separately with Queen Marlena and Prince Abraham.

Finally I just piled my hair on top of my head and used a few clips to hold it in place. A few tendrils escaped but I tried not to worry about them. The jade green sleeveless shirt I wore matched my eyes, and I unbuttoned and re-buttoned it to varying lengths, trying to figure out what showed off my figure the best but was still respectable. After a few minutes I shook my head, sure that I must be losing it. I couldn't remember when I had been so nervous last, but then, it's not every day the Prince declares he is courting you while you're waiting for his father to banish you from the kingdom.

The sound of the wind raider reached my ears and I hurriedly grabbed my satchel and the dragonberry iced tea. It was the one contribution the family was allowing.

Adora eyed the satchel as I jumped in. "There's no food in there, is there?" she asked teasingly. "I don't want to get food poisoning."

I stuck my tongue out at her as we took off. Then I turned to pat Cringer on the head. "Hey Cringer."

The big cat was lying on the seat, his paws over his yes. "Tell me when it's over, Teela."

I chuckled. Some things would never change.

I noted with some surprise that there were guards all around the perimeter of the area the family had selected for their picnic. When I had been part of the guard, my father or I had usually been considered enough protection, although I had often questioned the wisdom of that. I wondered briefly what the situation with Skeletor would be like if He-Man had not disappeared and I hadn't resigned from the Guard.

Adam approached the wind raider and gave his sister a hug as she jumped out. Then he came around and met me. He took my hand and bowed to me, then kissed the back of my hand. My mouth curled into a self-conscious smile. "My lady," Adam said softly, his eyes meeting mine. I felt a thrill go through me.

"I don't know whether I think you two are adorable or disgusting," Adora teased good-naturedly.

"You're just jealous," Adam joked back. He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm and offered his other arm to his sister, who took it with a giggle. It warmed my heart to see the twins interacting like this. It so easily could have been different, had one of them been more self-centered or power-hungry. Or if I had continued to bad-mouth Adam to Adora, I realized guiltily.

Adam drew my attention back to him as he arched an eyebrow at Cringer. "Lead the way, my good cat."

Cringer offered a harrumph, raised his head in the air and strode away towards the amazing food spread. One thing I had to say for Eternia's royal family: they could picnic with the best of them. I had attended "picnics" put on by some of the nobles or other royalty, and usually they were huge spreads put on tables, with tents and tables and chairs put out as well. They required hours of preparation and set-up and inconvenienced their personnel and anyone else who happened to be in the area.

This was nothing like that. A few blankets-beautiful ones that most people would love to have on their beds, but they were blankets nonetheless-were spread out. One had food on it and it was absolutely covered. Sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, tarts, cookies...more food than we could possibly eat. My mouth watered when I spotted my favorite sandwich, layered with meat, cheese, and vegetables, covered in Chef Alan's special sauce.

The king and queen waited regally near the water's edge-well, sort of regally. The king had donned pants and a tunic today, rather than his royal robes, and their crowns were nowhere in sight. I shouldn't have been surprised; he and Adam had come out to fish, after all. Recalling that, I glanced around with a smirk, thankful for the brief distraction. "So does this mean you didn't catch any fish?" I asked Adam teasingly.

He glanced at me with a smile of amusement. "Oh, I got my fish. Don't you worry about it."

Again I wondered exactly what he meant-the fish or me. A second later a pang of disappointment hit me when I smelled fish cooking over an open fire. To my surprise, the fire pit was in front of the King and Queen. I had thought they were waiting on me, but they were actually watching the fire and turning the fish. King Randor bent over to do just that as we drew closer.

"Ah, good, you've arrived," he said, straightening up. He looked me square in the eyes and I swallowed hard at the reservation there. It was so different from the warm welcome he had given me the other day.

"Good timing," the Queen agreed as she waved. Looking behind us, I saw my father and Ham hurrying along. "Adora, would you take Ham and Cringer for a walk, please?" She looked at me sympathetically and I realized I had been set up somehow. Adam placed a hand on top of mine, which was still holding his arm, and pressed lightly as my father came up on my other side.

I missed Adora's reply as Adam leaned closer to me and whispered, "Relax. I'm not sure you're going to like what they have to say, but they love you." He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

Queen Marlena nodded to Adora as she and King Randor turned to me. My anxiety grew; we stood there silently until the three were safely out of earshot. I tried to concentrate on the bubbling water or the crackling fire, but all I could think was that they had brought me out here to give me a last meal with them all before they banished me.

"Teela," King Randor began in his best at-court voice, "it has been brought to my attention that you have committed a crime against Eternia and against the throne. The laws in this matter are very clear. They call for you to be banished from the kingdom immediately and permanently."

I looked from his stern face to Queen Marlena's more sympathetic one. I found some hope in her, as she didn't seem quite as disappointed as the king. She even offered a small smile. "I understand, Your Majesty," I said quietly, bowing my head. "I committed an unforgivable act against a life and against the Royal Family."

"You did," he acknowledged, and to hear him agree with the idea that it was unforgivable left me hollow inside. "However, Teela, there are other circumstances to consider. First of all, you were grieving the loss of Prince Adam and He-Man." I dared to look up at him, listening intently. "Second of all, you were falsely encouraged to have the abortion by a sorcerer of unknown loyalties."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked sharply.

With a sigh, I explained about Stre'elok once more. Adam closed his eyes as if trying to shield himself from something-maybe he just didn't want to look at me. I wasn't sure.

"Your father and I realized something important about this Stre'elok," the king continued. His eyes narrowed and the first hint of anger colored his face. "It could be an anagram for Skeletor."

As stunned as I was, it was hard not to notice Adam's reaction. He suddenly tensed under my hand and anger practically poured off of him. Looking up, I spotted his jaw muscles clenched tightly, his nostrils flaring as he sought to keep his temper under control. I swallowed hard, intimidated by the sight in spite of myself.

"But we don't know that for sure," Father interjected, drawing my attention back to the matter at hand. "It is just a theory."

"So Skeletor could have wanted to get rid of my baby to end the royal line?" I asked, my brow furrowed.

Father nodded. "That's one possibility and the most likely. But he could also have just been seeking a way to get rid of you. Your departure left a huge hole in the Royal Guard that King Randor is still struggling to fill."

I mulled over that a moment. The idea had merit, I supposed. Shaking off those thoughts for the moment, I gazed back at the king. "So what does all that mean for me?" I asked quietly.

King Randor cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "Your father did some research and discovered that when there are extenuating circumstances, an abortion can be pardoned on a case-by-case basis. Unless it involves the heir to the throne. Even I cannot pardon that crime based solely on circumstances, Teela. That law was part of one put into effect to keep the royal family from forcing women to have abortions."

"I see," I murmured, my heart and face falling.

"Without the law, if a less honorable member of the royal family were to sleep around irresponsibly, he might force a woman to have an abortion to avoid an 'illegitimate' child," my father added. I thought I heard Adam growl next to me. "Or, if the king and queen did not approve of the heir's choice for a spouse…"

"We get it," Adam said shortly. I nodded.

"However," King Randor continued in that wise voice he used so well, "the law does allow me to offer a pardon if extenuating circumstances exist and…" he hesitated for a few torturous heartbeats, then continued, "the one in question makes every effort to right the wrong that has been done."

He paused a moment to let those words sink in. I shook my head in confusion. "I can't bring the child back. How can I possibly make it right?"

"It is not exactly about making it right, because you are right, you cannot do that," Marlena told me, her soothing voice calming my frustration. "It is about your willingness to make it right-proving that you are willing to do what is best for the kingdom and for those you have wronged."

"It is also about bringing forth a life in honor of the one that was lost," King Randor explained. He shifted uneasily from foot to foot. "Again, Teela, this is awkward, but it is the law."

I felt as if I were reading a book far too advanced to understand, and it was getting irritating. "What does that all mean?"

Adam placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to him. His face was flushed slightly, his eyes tender. "It means that in order to stay in Eternos, you would have to pledge to have my child."

I couldn't even tell you how he sounded when he said those words. He could have been shouting them with joy for all I know. I heard the words. I understood the meaning. There was a roaring in my ears and my vision started to fade. I fought against it, taking deep, slow breaths as I dropped my gaze and stared at Adam's chest in front of me. His hands tightened on my shoulders-not uncomfortably, just firmly-and I knew he realized I was close to passing out.

"Breathe," he encouraged me softly.

Once my vision cleared, it took me a moment to gather the courage to look up at him. He regarded me warily. I opened my mouth to ask questions but my mind seemed to have ceased functioning. He pulled me to him, gave me a quick hug, then turned us both back to his parents.

King Randor cleared his throat. "Please allow me to explain the law, Teela, so you know your options. It states only that you have to make the pledge. There is no time expectation on it, so you can take your time in making your decision. Even if you decide to agree, you can wait for as long as you want, up until you are past the child-bearing age. If you have not followed through on your pledge by then, at that point you would be officially banished. The law also does not-" he looked at my father, then to Adam, then back at me- "it does not require you to marry Prince Adam in order to bear his child."

"You mean I'd have to be his concubine?" My voice went higher with each syllable. The royal family hadn't had concubines in over 200 years. I knew it was still considered acceptable among most of the nobility, but-

"I would never do that to you," Adam replied fiercely. He practically yanked on my arm to get me to face him. His blue eyes were almost burning and my breath caught. "Teela, I know I haven't been back long, but what I feel for you has only grown stronger in that time." He offered a slight lopsided smile. "Well, since I remembered where we left off, anyway." He reached up and cupped my face slightly with one hand, and my breath caught at how cherished the gesture made me feel. "I refuse to rush this, to rush us, but I have no doubt of where this is going."

We stared at each other for a moment as my thoughts tumbled around. They had found a way around the banishment. The depth of their loyalty and love astounded me. Plus, I didn't have to make the pledge right now. I had time. It was a gift, and I was overwhelmed with it. My more impulsive side wanted to make that pledge immediately, but Adam's determination to do this slowly this time, to give us both time to be certain we knew what we wanted, sort of held me steady.

"You need to understand something, my dear," Father spoke up, and I turned back to him. "We talked about trying to change the law, but in addition to opening the door to the very abuse it was created to guard against, that would make all of this very public. The reason this has been done out here, in privacy, is for your sake. If you accept the royal family's offer, then this will remain a private matter. If you do not, then the King has pledged to keep the reasons behind your banishment as quiet as possible. The nobility will only know about this if you choose it."

"But again, you may take your time in making that decision," Queen Marlena repeated. "You and Adam have the right to determine together where to go from here, and we will not force you to rush into anything."

I couldn't contain the tears any longer. Any doubt that I had that this family loved me and supported me as if I were their own was wiped away as Father spoke. I was moved beyond words; all I could manage was a deep curtsey, my head bowed as much as I could manage as I whispered a heartfelt, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"There will be none of that, my dear," the king protested gruffly. He took my hand and raised me to stand, then embraced me. The next thing I knew, I was in the middle of a group hug with Adam and his parents. Then another voice broke in: "Yay, group hug!" and we were nearly toppled over as Adora and Ham ran in to join us. Even Cringer wormed his way in, until we were all laughing together. I felt like I'd come home.