Author's Note: This is the sequel to Adam's Strength. If you haven't read that one, you might want to do so before starting this one, as some references in here could be confusing.
"Slow down, Adam," Cringer complained. He followed Adam deep into the forest to a hidden glade, where the prince promptly raised his Power Sword.
Teela, Captain of the Guard and longtime friend of Adam's, smirked in satisfaction. She wasn't far behind. Adam had given her the slip twice in the last week, but she was too good for him to keep doing it now that she was learning his escape routes. Her eyes picked up his trail, leading into the forest ahead of her. A flash of lightning seemed to blast part of the woods. As she neared the woods, she heard a voice call out, followed by a mighty roar. The light faded. Teela didn't even realize she'd stopped walking as she observed all this. Suddenly fear gripped her heart, and she broke into a run.
"Adam!" she called. "Adam!" In her haste she lost his trail. She skidded to a halt, just as a hand grabbed hold of her arm. She swung around, her other arm ready to strike. He-Man grabbed it quickly.
"Teela, it's me!" he said in surprise. "What are you doing out here?"
"I was—I thought I saw Adam come in here," she said, breathing hard. "I saw a flash of light, and heard a roar, and I thought he might be in danger."
He-Man paled slightly when he realized how close she'd come to witnessing his transformation. "He's fine, Teela. That was Battle Cat you heard roaring. And the light was just from my Power Sword."
"How do you know Adam's fine?" she argued. "Where is he?"
"Teela, trust me, he's fine. I don't have time to argue with you. Skeletor is attacking a small village and taking people as his slaves. I have to get there and stop him. I could use your help." He mounted Battle Cat and waited for her decision, hand outstretched.
Teela hesitated, wanted to stay and look for Adam. Ever since he'd been almost killed two weeks ago, she hardly let him out of her sight. And He-Man hadn't exactly answered her question. He-Man is a mystery because he must be, she remembered the Sorceress saying. She took He-Man's hand and swung up behind him.
She watched his back muscles ripple in front her as they rode. She never could understand why a warrior would have so little armor, but it never seemed to have a negative effect on He-Man. In the fights he got into with Skeletor, armor probably wouldn't do much good anyway, she supposed.
She knew she loved this man in front of her, even though she knew very little about him. She knew that he was good to the center of his being, that he was honorable, noble, genuine, and caring about everyone. The hard part was that those were the same things she loved about Prince Adam. She loved Adam's fun side and He-Man's iron determination and strength. She closed her eyes for a moment. I love them both, she realized with a start. She opened her eyes and saw they were coming up on the village. What a time for such an epiphany.
The battle lasted less than ten minutes. Skeletor was there with Beastman and Evil-Lyn, but no one else. After He-Man destroyed the slave transports and defeated Beastman, Evil-Lyn and Skeletor retreated. Teela actually enjoyed the battle. It was fun seeing He-Man back in form, handling the bad guys easily, and it was even better to be fighting alongside him.
"Well, that was…too easy," He-Man commented, his eyes narrowed as he searched the horizon. Teela had to agree.
"What do you think they're up to?" she asked him.
"With Skeletor, it could be anything," came his reply.
"Well, witch, did you place the spell on him?" Skeletor asked eagerly as they headed back to Snake Mountain.
Evil-Lyn laughed. "Yes, Skeletor. By this time tomorrow, He-Man will be the most hated man in the universe."
Teela and He-Man stayed to help the villagers clean up the mess, and Teela promised them to speak with the king about sending in men to help rebuild the homes that were destroyed. As they worked, He-Man noticed the village began to grow quiet. Glancing around, he saw fearful glances being thrown in his direction.
"Teela?" he said in a low voice. She looked at him questioningly. "Am I growing fangs or something? These people look like they're terrified of me."
She glanced around. "They do look frightened. But why would that be?" She approached one of the men who seemed to be staring at He-Man. "Sir, is something bothering you?"
"He-Man can break a person in two with his bare hands," he whispered. He clasped his hands together nervously. "I'm afraid to do something that might anger him."
The next man agreed hastily. "I heard that one time when he got angry, he dropped a wall on someone and killed him."
Teela snorted. "Skeletor tricked him into hitting that wall, and the person under it was a goblin in disguise, made to make everyone think He-Man had killed someone. He's never killed anyone. He even saves the lives of people he doesn't like." The men shook their heads, still muttering under their breath. Teela walked back to He-Man, who was standing there uncertainly, not wanting to scare anyone any more than he apparently already had.
"We'd better go," she said to him quietly. "I don't know what's gotten into them, but they truly are afraid of angering you."
He-Man's jaw dropped. "Why on Eternia…?" Teela shrugged, and the two of them mounted Battle Cat, Teela re-iterating her pledge to ask the king to help the townspeople. They looked relieved to see He-Man leave.
"That was the oddest thing I've ever seen," Teela commented. "Do you think Skeletor might have cast a spell on them?"
"That's a very good possibility," He-Man agreed. Closing his eyes for a moment, he reached out to the Sorceress.
Sorceress, can you hear me?Yes, He-Man. What can I do for you?
I think Skeletor may have placed a spell on a small village near the Widgets' fortress. Teela and I helped them defeat Skeletor, and suddenly they began acting as if they were terrified of me.
I will go there as Zoar and investigate immediately, He-Man.
Thank you, Sorceress.
He and Teela were approaching Evergreen Forest. Battle Cat halted, and Teela slid down.
"I have to get going, Teela. If I see Adam, I'll send him your way."
"Thanks, He-Man." Teela looked as if she wanted to say something more, but stopped. "See you around."
He-Man watched as she disappeared into the forest, then went the opposite way. His mind was still trying to absorb what had happened. He couldn't figure any other reason the villagers would be afraid of him. Hopefully Zoar would be able to stop the spell. He lifted the Power Sword.
"Let the power return!" In a flash, he and Battle Cat were back to Adam and Cringer. He circled around and came at Teela from a completely different direction.
"Hey Teela, beautiful day for a walk, isn't it?"
"Adam, where have you been?" Teela demanded.
"What's the matter?" he responded. "Did I miss something?"
"Yes," she snapped, and proceeded to tell him all about it as they walked back. Adam only half-listened, still upset about the villagers being so fearful.
"…they were looking at He-Man like he was an evil warrior or something," Teela complained. "After all he'd just done for them!"
"Why would they act like that?" Adam wondered aloud.
"I think it's some sort of spell Skeletor put on them," Teela answered. "I felt so terrible for He-Man. He looked so hurt…so lost."
Nice going, Adam, he reprimanded himself. He-Man's not supposed to be as sensitive as you are about that stuff. He's strong, remember?
"I wish we knew more about him," Teela said thoughtfully. Adam gulped. He hated these types of conversations, trying not to lie but still hiding his secret. "Do you think he has any family, Adam?"
"Everyone has family, Teela," he answered vaguely. "Even if you're an orphan, you had to have parents to start with."
Teela's eyes widened. "You think he's an orphan?"
"I didn't say that," Adam objected. "I was just making a point."
Teela stared at him. "You're not curious about him at all, are you?"
Adam shrugged, striving to appear nonchalant. "Not particularly. I'm just thankful he's around."
Teela stopped short. "But that's not like you. You know something about everyone, from the maids to the royal guard to our childhood friends. You care about people and make sure you know what's important to them. Why is He-Man an exception?" Her green eyes pierced their way through his blue ones until he was sure she could read his mind.
"I already know what's important to He-Man," he answered, trying not to squirm under her gaze. His mind raced for a truth he could use. "Protecting the innocent."
Teela waved her hand. "Everyone knows that. I'm talking about him as a person. Come on, Adam. I've never seen you two together, but if you've spent five minutes with him, you know something about him I don't. It's just your way. So tell me. What is it that's important to He-Man?"
Looking into her beautiful face, covered with concern for He-Man, Adam spoke the truth from his heart. "You are." He watched as her eyes grew larger, and her lips parted. After a few seconds, anger lit her face, and she whirled away from him.
"That's not nice, Adam. You're mocking me."
"No I'm not," he protested. "I'm serious." She turned back to him, confusion and hope at war on her face. Tears stood in her eyes. "Teela, what's wrong? What did I say?"
"It just confuses me more," she whispered. "I can't talk to you about this, Adam. Let's get inside the palace. I need to see my father."
"Sure, Teela." Cringer cast worried glances at them as they continued on in silence. She always talks to me, Adam thought. Always. What just happened? Adam didn't realize it, but his face held the same hurt expression He-Man's had worn earlier. Teela glanced at him through her eyelashes, and was shocked by the similarity she suddenly recognized. Then Adam seemed to pull himself together, and he was just Adam again, the twinkle in his eye firmly back in place.
They parted ways once inside with barely a good-bye. Adam was deep in thought as he turned a corner, and bumped into King Randor.
"Father! I'm sorry, my mind was elsewhere," he apologize quickly.
The king glared at his son. "So what else is new? Your constant daydreaming is quite well-known around the kingdom, son." Adam's face flushed bright red. "You'd think the experiences of the last few weeks would have taught you to be more aware of your surroundings."
"Yes, Father," Adam said meekly. Here he thought he and his father had made great strides recently. It looked as if he'd been wrong.
King Randor stared hard at him. "Straighten up, Adam. Take criticism like a man. I can't believe you actually stand there and say nothing in your own defense."
"I didn't want to be disrespectful," Adam replied, allowing anger to straighten his backbone and enter his voice.
Randor backed up and physically shook himself. "Well, that's, that's very good, son," he said brusquely, seeming embarrassed. "If you'll excuse me…" he walked off.
"What was that all about?" Cringer asked, looking up at his master. Adam's mouth was slack with surprise.
"I have no idea," he answered slowly. Feeling numb, he walked on. Further down the hall, he and Cringer ran into two pages, Thad and Marion, who were fighting.
"Hey, take it easy," Adam called. He ran over and pulled them apart. "What's going on here?"
"What do you care?" Thad asked. "You're just a snotty prince. You don't care about us little pages."
Adam blinked. He'd been accused of many things--cowardice, laziness, being too friendly with the staff--but never snotty or uncaring.
"Yeah, you think you're so special," Marion added, "just because you're the prince. You don't even do anything. You just laze around here while your father and He-Man do all the work."
"Now that's quite enough," Duncan's voice came from behind Adam. "You will not talk to your prince that way. Both of you go to your rooms until further notice."
They hung their heads. "Yes, sir," they said at the same time.
"Have I stepped off into an alternate universe?" Adam asked incredulously. "First an entire town acts as if He-Man is meaner than Skeletor, then Teela doesn't want to talk to me, Father yells at me for no reason, and now Thad and Marion, two of our best pages, insult me! Are you next, Duncan?"
"Well, I did need to talk to you-" Duncan broke off and a change came over his face as Adam turned to him. His eyes suddenly got hard, his mouth twisted, and with hate in his voice, he said, "Yes, as a matter of fact I am next. How dare you tell Teela she's important to He-Man?"
Adam took an involuntary step back from his mentor. "I spoke only the truth, Duncan," he said carefully. "She was pushing me for information about He-Man, saying how out-of-character it was for me to not know something about him, and I gave an honest answer."
"You had no right to toy with her emotions like that," Duncan hissed, taking a step towards Adam. Adam took another step back, right into the wall. Duncan's fists were clenched. Adam looked around wildly for help, not wanting to get into a fight with Duncan, and his eyes met Cringer's. His pet understood; he pushed his way in between the two men, raised himself up on his hind paws, and put his front paws on Duncan's shoulders.
"P-Please don't hurt Adam," he whimpered. "He can't help it if he's in l-love with Teela."
"Cringer," Adam gasped. Man-at-Arms stared at the cat for a moment, confusion on his face.
"I-I'm sorry, Adam," he said. "I don't know what came over me." He walked away, shaking his head and muttering to himself.
Adam sank to the floor and hugged Cringer. "What on Eternia possessed you to say that?"
"Well, it's true, isn't it?" When Adam didn't answer, Cringer changed the subject. "What's going on around here, Adam?"
"I don't know old friend, but I think I'm going to go hide in my room for a while and try to figure it out there. I can't take another confrontation," Adam admitted.
"M-Me neither," Cringer answered.
Teela walked the hallways aimlessly for a while. Her talk with her father hadn't helped. She'd told him what Adam had said, which seemed to upset him a little, and she couldn't bring herself to tell him the rest.
Eventually she wound up on a balcony, one hidden from most people by the vines and curves of the walls. She leaned on the railing and stared off over the palace, trying to sort out her feelings.
How can I feel this way about two men who are so different? she wondered. Then again, she had to admit that at times He-Man was as witty—or maybe corny was the better word—as Adam. Adam had proven that he had the same inner strength He-Man had, as well as the same iron will…at least about some things, like living.
I just don't understand why he insists on pretending to be a coward, she thought. Why does he run from fights? Queen Marlena thinks he's keeping a promise. What sort of promise could be worth all the criticism and ridicule he puts up with from his father and me?
Just then, the queen herself came out onto the balcony, looking startled to see Teela there. "I'm sorry, dear, am I disturbing you?"
"No, not at all Your Majesty. I was just thinking," Teela answered.
"About anyone I know?" Marlena asked with a sly smile.
Teela actually blushed. "Is it that obvious that I'm thinking about a man?" Or two, she added silently.
"Only to me, my dear. I don't think the men around here are all that observant." Marlena studied the young woman before her. "You know, Teela, if you ever need to talk, I'll be happy to listen."
Teela was silent for a moment. She desperately wanted to talk to another woman, but she had very few friends at the palace. Yet how could she talk to Adam's mother?
"Is it Adam or He-Man?" Teela looked up in shock.
"How did you know?" she asked in disbelief.
"Teela, love, I've watched you grow up," Marlena replied somewhat mysteriously. "So which is it?"
"Both," Teela admitted. Marlena's eyes widened and her heart raced. Was Teela saying they were one and the same person? Marlena had long suspected, but never asked. Did Teela know? Her thoughts halted as Teela went on.
"I love them both so much, Queen Marlena, that I can't even believe it. I've known for a long time that I cared for He-Man, but this thing with Adam…" her voice trailed off. "I'm so confused. How can I love them both?"
Marlena nodded, bringing her focus back to the conversation. "Teela, you and Adam took each other for granted for a long time because you grew up together like brother and sister. It never occurred to either of you to think of things differently. I'm not sure what happened, but Adam stopped taking you for granted some time ago. For you, that happened only a few weeks ago, when he almost died." They shared a pained look at the memory.
"I told myself that I was so upset because he was my best friend, and because I failed in my duty, but I was wrong," Teela said slowly. "I've always had more respect for He-Man because I saw him as being more courageous, and stronger. It wasn't until Adam was…was hurt that I saw those things in him. The more I think about it, the more alike they seem, and I don't know what to do."
"Take your time," Marlena suggested. "It will work out with time, Teela." She gave the redhead a hug, and left her to her thoughts.