The king's nature preserve surrounded the palace, miles of weird looking twisting trees in every direction. The king hunted there when game was in season. Sometimes me and Adam came with him, and we talked. As I wandered past `The Old Lady of the Forest' (an ordinary tree that resembled a person) and `The Lovers' (a pair of conjoined oaks) I got to thinking how guarded our conversations had been.

I pushed the thought aside. No use crying over spilled milk now.

As I neared the palace gates, I noticed a squatty figure in a helmet and armor approaching me. "Duh hi, Teela."

The man had no neck. His catchphrase: "I'm not stupid, but I am kinda slow."

I put up a pleasant, enthusiastic facade. "Hi Ram Man!"

Ram Man has occasionally made passes at me, but I just played them off. Even though I'd never want him to be the father of my children, he was still a nice guy.

I never told my opinions about him to his face. Sometimes I think Lynn is better than me because at least she was honest. Well, maybe not honest, but truthful about things that count. She always lets people know what she truly thinks about them, and I hardly ever do. Which is more cruel? Thinking someone loves you when they don't, or hurting someone's feelings in order to give them closure?

"I'm learning how to read," he said with pride. "Duncan taught me how to read the Princess and the Pea."

"That's great." I was actually depressed to see a man at that age being so slow to comprehend literature.

"I also know how to add and subtract. Multiplication is a little hard for me to understand, though."

I roll my eyes, trying not to think about Ram Man multiplying.

He adjusted his helmet. I wish he'd throw the thing away, or maybe use it for a waste receptacle. It did nothing to conceal his mental deficiencies. The top looked like a trash can lid, the front opened in such a way that squeezed his rotund features together in an unflattering way, and the plates blocked all peripheral vision. I've seen him without it, and he actually looks nice. I thought some day I'd hide the helmet.

"Adam wants to marry you. Did you know that?" He suddenly looked embarrassed. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?"

"It's okay Rammy. I already know."

"Duh, I think you'd be great for each other. Did you say yes?"

I was tempted to respond in the affirmative so he'd leave me alone. Mostly. "He...hasn't officially proposed to me yet."

"Oh." He frowned. "Rules."

Please go away, I thought.

It took him awhile to notice Lynn. "Duh hey! What is she doing here!"

"She's my sister."

He didn't question this at all. "Oh. I guess that's okay then."

People cheered when I brought my captive through the palace gates. They thought I'd somehow bested Lynn, and was taking her to prison to await punishment.

The grounds of Castle Eternos are always populated by strange individuals. The day I brought in Lynn, I got greeted by a see-through robot, a muscular mutant with a head that changed faces, a winged bee man, a man made of moss, an elephant headed guy, and a bunch of other strange characters.

Mekanek, one of He-Man's allies, had a robotic extension that allowed his neck to extend to incredible lengths. I saw the shock on his face before anyone else could turn their head.

Fisto was there. Bulky guy with a giant chrome plated gauntlet and overdeveloped right arm. I'd asked mother if he were my biological father, but she visibly shuddered at the suggestion. With a violent shake of her head, she had told me, "No." But as a person who would never speak ill of anyone, she felt it necessary to follow it up with, "That is not to say that he isn't a nice man."

Royal guard members have a standard uniform. Women wear gold bikini like outfits like mine, with a helmet. Men like Duncan wear gold plate armor, helmet, loincloth and green leggings.

Lieutenant Dian, a woman who works alongside me in the guard, wanted to take Lynn off my hands, but I declined.

Adam had been outside, playing Badminton with the face changer. When he saw who I brought in, he missed the birdie. "Teela! You've captured Evil Lynn?"

"I turned myself in," Lynn answered.

The prince marched up to us. "But...why? How?"

"Long story," I said. "Let's just say something's changed."

Cringer, who had been lazily sunning himself near the Badminton set, got up and joined Adam. "Mm, Evil Lynn? What are you doing here?"

Lynn smiled at the big cat. "Hey, cutie. I'd pet you, but..." She indicated her handcuffs.

Adam, who had been gawking, now stared at my sister even more. "Are you certain this isn't a clone of some kind?"

Cringer sniffed my prisoner. "She smells the same!...Always was nice to me!"

Adam...seemed to be..reappraising her.

This made Lynn smirk. "I do have a thing for animals."

I gave her an apologetic look. "Look, `Sis, I don't like the idea of putting you in the palace dungeon, but until I explain a few things to everyone, I-"

"I understand," she interrupted.

Adam gave me a questioning look, but I didn't tell him anything. "Lynn, if you need anything, anything at all, don't be afraid to ask. I'll make sure to stay by your cell as much as possible."

"There's only one thing I want right now."

I swallowed, giving her a nod.

Her gaze caught Adam's, and, oddly enough, lingered there for a moment. When she looked away, I almost thought I saw a trace of a smile.

Surely not! I thought to myself.

Our prison lay along the castle wall, and down an underground corridor. The cells are tough enough to hold a pissed off yeti or a fire breathing dragon. Lynn wasn't getting out of there without my help.

I spoke with some guards, got her assigned to a cell. As the triple reinforced Coridite/Eternium steel door swung open, I gave my sister another hug.

"Stop," she muttered. "I'm not comfortable with..." But then she blurted, "Never mind, it's okay."

The guards were staring. Reddening a little, I waved them on, let them lock my sister up.

"Teela?" I heard my surrogate father saying behind me. "What?"

I took a deep breath. "Duncan, uh, can we go somewhere and talk?"

He paled. "What's this `Duncan' stuff all of a sudden?"

"Sorry," I stammered. "`Dad.' Look, uh..." I cocked a thumb at the guards.

Duncan cleared his throat. "Let's go to my laboratory."

`Dad's' lab was a museum of strange and interesting devices, ranging from the useful to impractical or downright dangerous, from magical amulets to futuristic space gadgets. The man never stopped inventing, even when a device came close to destroying the world.

Today's experiment was a machine that cooked sliced bread and toasted it while playing music. Not his best work, but not every invention is a winner.

Duncan pulled out a couple of stools not occupied by wires and pieces of equipment, gesturing for me to sit.

I could tell he wanted to tell me something, but wasn't sure how much I knew, or how much he should tell me. "I suppose it isn't a secret that I'm not literally your father."

"No..."

He leaned back on the stool, crossing his arms. "And you know Adam's secret."

I thought about that one time we thought Adam had been buried in an avalanche, and He-Man was just standing around, lazily tossing rocks, pretending to search for his alter ego while everyone else was worried sick. When the rocks had been cleared, we actually thought he'd been kidnapped by Skeletor's scaly minion, Whiplash.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out."

"So...would you mind explaining how you managed to bring Evil Lynn into our dungeon without a fight?"

"We're sisters," I said.

Duncan's eyes got really big. "You're what?"

"The Sorceress is my mother. I don't know my father, but Lynn and I have the same mom."

He rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. "This does seem to explain some of her motives."

"Really? How so?"

"Evil Lynn-"

"Lynn."

"Lynn...she seemed to be avoid fighting you at times. When she did fight you, her intent seemed rather to injure than to kill...and then there were some of her more poorly thought out schemes...It was like she were just...making excuses to see you."

I frowned, thinking about it for a moment. His point seemed a lot more valid than I would have liked to admit.

Adam and his pet tiger strolled into the room. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"I was just telling Duncan that the Sorceress is my mom, making Lynn my sister."

Adam stared. "Are you absolutely sure?"

I nodded. "She's been keeping the secret a long time. As He-Man, you hang around her and that castle all the time. I'm surprised she never told you."

The prince scowled. "No...It seems she's kept it as a secret from me too." He reached for his sword. "Speaking of secrets, I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I showed you..."

Duncan waved his hands frantically. "Not in here! The last time you did that, the electromagnetic frequency reduced my whole inventory to inoperative scrap!"

"So you use the sword," I muttered.

"...Yes. It is the source of my power."

"It makes my nose itchy every time he does it," Cringer complained.

I told my companions about my plans to help Lynn.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Duncan asked. "She's betrayed us more times than I can count..."

"I've always believed there was good in her," Adam said. "My sister Adora always tells me how powerful love can be against the forces of evil..."

`Father' stood up. "Teela, are you comfortable discussing the matter with our team?"

I swallowed. "As long as it's not the whole palace guard, I'm fine with it. You can hardly keep a secret around Lieutenant Dian. Of course, before we begin, I need to ask Lynn's permission..."

My sister was a little hesitant, but still agreed to a full disclosure, provided we helped her.

In the privacy of an alcove, Adam allowed me to see how he changed into He-Man. The transformation was amazing, powerful bolts of lightning everywhere. He pointed his sword at Cringer, and be transformed into the mighty Battlecat.

Unfortunately, like with Duncan's machinery, the lightning had some unforeseen side effects. This time, it affected me.

Before I could get away, a bolt hit me, and I transformed into a bird, squawking and flying around the corridor. I didn't know what was going on until I found myself lying naked on the floor, and He-Man was handing me my uniform. My whole body felt like it were vibrating. I decided not to hang out with him while he changed after that.

Adam and his `Heroes of Eternia' gathered in the training room, discussing Lynn's problem, and our plans to help Keldor. Nobody liked the idea of going into Snake Mountain, or allowing Lynn to walk freely among us, but stopping Skeletor once and for all, and peacefully, did interest them.

We ended up gathering outside her cell, rather uncomfortably allowing her into the hallway, though still in cuffs, we could talk without feeling threatened.

She laughed at our plans, telling us about the hidden entrances she used when Keldor was angry at her, a path through a swamp and sewer.

Once we'd gotten a good plan established (Duncan and Orko would provide a distraction with a bunch of fake soldiers) we got everything prepared.

We'd set off at nightfall, as Keldor generally expected He-Man to make his attacks in broad daylight.

A few hours later, we marched into the forest, sweeping the area ahead for hidden enemies with night vision goggles and magic snoopers.

I pointed to Lynn's handcuffs, which hadn't been removed. I pointed to them. "I think it's safe to take those off."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Duncan asked.

"Yes, dad. She knows enough to destroy us and all Eternia, but mom trusts her, and I trust her."

"As you wish..."

Before he could touch her cuffs, Lynn was throwing them aside with a laugh.

Rammy backed away. "Duh I just remembered I...had something to ask Mekaneck."

The long necked man's goggled face appeared from between the branches of a nearby tree. "Yes?"

Ram Man reddened. "Duh I meant...someone else." He slipped into the woods.

I sighed in relief.

It was a noisy group, well, except for us strong and silent types at the front of the line. I tried to get mom to join us on this adventure, but she, through our telepathic connection, said it would leave Grayskull vulnerable to attack, and He-Man in a weakened state, so she stayed where she was.

Behind me, I heard a familiar muttering sound, and branches toppling, obviously Moss Man messing around with a pine tree, probably pruning. The green guy always seemed to be picking up the rear, or rather, slowing it down. Our gardens and nature preserve are so tidy and picturesque because he does nothing but talk to the plants and fix damaged branches, so he kept doing that while we marched. Father and He-Man kept having to call him back to the group.

Nearby, Rammy talked to Fisto, the latter seeming to be very annoyed at the former's presence. The way Fisto clenched that giant metal fist, I figured he was tempted to knock the short guy to the ground. Arakna, Fisto's skull faced spider pet, likewise seemed eager to bite Ram Man's face off, but Fisto held his temper. For the moment.

Well, if worst came to worst, our elephant headed Spout Snout could spray them both like a fire hydrant.

Mostly, though, I heard the green tiger ahead of me muttering complaints about being tired and wanting buttered biscuits.

Me and He-Man kept silent because we had a lot on our minds.

The woods ended in a steep hill I used to go sledding on when I was a kid. No snow now. I wouldn't be able to sled without one of Duncan's inventions.

"I thought about bringing Half Track," he said. "But it can only hold so many, and the nature of this mission makes me thing we should try to look as unthreatening as possible."

Lynn laughed. "And bringing your whole army isn't?"

Duncan seemed to sink beneath the face protector on his gold suit. "I've been thinking about that. I believe the best plan is to separate into small groups and file into Snake Mountain a little at a time."

"Divide and conquer," Lynn mused.

"You got a better idea?"

Her silence indicated she didn't.

The village of Po lay below us, row upon row of quaint little houses looking like a scene from a Thomas Kinkaide painting.

As we marched down the slope, Lynn materialized a deck of cards from somewhere (probably her bikini or her boots, I don't want to think about it) and she instructed me to pick a card.

I drew a four of diamonds, and when she took it in her hand, the card transformed into a black butterfly and fluttered away.

That made me smile. I thought about how it may have been some kind of attempt to make up for lost time, but I decided not to make judgments like that without fully understanding the situation. I misjudged her too much already.

I looked up ahead. A glowing red dot flickered on the horizon, our first glimpse of Snake Mountain. A few miles, and we'd be there.