A/N: For those of you who get the automatic notices of updates, the story here's the same. It was just a footnote at the bottom that changed.
"You did what?" Teela demanded. Adam winced at her raised voice. He had been telling his family and friends gathered about what had happened. Teela was not happy to hear about his offer to take Skeletor's place.
"After all the evil crimes Skeletor has committed, why would you do such a thing?" Mekaneck asked.
"You didn't see what would have happened to him, what Blazes is like," he defended himself. "There was fire, and the people there were clearly in agony. I couldn't hear them, but their mouths were open as if they were screaming at the tops of their lungs." Adam shuddered at the memory. "I couldn't condemn anyone to that, not even Skeletor."
"But to surrender your own life? That's the dumbest thing I ever heard!" Orko argued. Then he remembered who he was talking to. "Oops. Sorry," he mumbled, hands over his mouth--or at least, where his mouth would have been if it weren't covered with his scarf.
"Adam's compassion is one of his greatest strengths," Duncan asserted in the prince's defense.
"Can I continue?" Adam asked impatiently. A series of nods rounded the table, and he continued on, knowing perfectly well what was coming next.
As he expected, Randor practically jumped out of his seat. "A test?" he roared.
"Like with the Star Seed?" Orko asked.
"That's right, Orko," Adam answered, nodding. He turned to the others. "A few years ago, Skeletor got hold of an extremely powerful object called the Star Seed. We later learned from Zodac that it was a test, to make sure that He-Man could resist the temptation to use his power or any other for his own purposes."
"Well what was this a test of?" Teela asked, irritation coloring her voice and making her face flushed.
"A lot," Adam answered, his voice serious, his eyes reflective. "It was a test of loyalty to my vows…and a test of faith." He didn't explain further.
"Zodac has a lot to answer for," Randor said, his voice tight. "He put the entire universe and my son at risk for a test! What if something had gone wrong? What if Skeletor had won, or you had made a different decision?"
Adam shrugged. "What if I had chosen to use the Star Seed to shape the universe to my will?" The others, not as familiar with the Star Seed's power, gaped at him. He nodded. "Oh yes. It is that powerful. And I was tempted. If I had done it, who could have stopped me?" There was no arrogance in his voice or face; it was a fact that almost no one could have stopped him.
"So what are you saying?" Orko asked, confused.
"I'm saying that we don't need to understand it," Adam replied quietly. "We just need to accept that we're part of a larger picture, and that good will win out in the end."
Marlena looked at him, her head tilted to the side. "What are you not telling us, Adam?"
He hesitated, unsure of how to explain it. "I met Evil itself one time—do you remember, Teela?'
"Yes, when it came to claim Malick's soul," she answered.
"Today I met its antithesis," Adam said quietly. "I met something of pure goodness. It was love, joy, peace all at once...I can't even begin to describe it." The others waited until it was clear he wasn't going to explain it any further.
"When you are ready to talk about it, I think all of us would like to hear more," Randor said gently.
"Someday, perhaps," Adam answered, his gaze distant. He stood. "If you all would excuse us, I'd like to talk with Stratos and Mekaneck."
"I still can't believe you're He-Man," Stratos said, shaking his head. Mekaneck, sitting next to him at the table, nodded.
"Just keep it to yourselves for now," Adam requested. "It doesn't seem like Skeletor told anyone, and I'd rather not make the targets on my back or my family's backs any bigger than they already are."
The two nodded. "It makes a lot of sense, you know, now that I think about it," Stratos said thoughtfully. "It seems amazing, but it explains so much about you."
"I'm relieved," Mekaneck admitted. "I really thought Teela was cheating on you with He-Man. I'm glad she's just cheating on you with you." The three of them laughed.
"Well, thank you both for your concern and your friendship," Adam told them both. "It means more than I can say."
Skeletor looked up at the sound of footsteps outside his cell. Adam stood there, watching him.
"So it's true," Skeletor said without heat. "You did come back."
"Yes," Adam acknowledged quietly. The two stared at each other for a moment.
"Did you know that would happen?" Skeletor finally asked.
Adam shook his head. "I knew only what you knew."
"I still don't understand why you did it," Skeletor admitted, sounding a bit frustrated.
"Well, I hope you figure it out before it's too late," Adam replied. He made to leave, then paused. "You seem different, Skeletor."
The villain looked up with a touch of the old fire in his face. "Don't expect me to spill my guts to you, Prince He-Man."
Adam held up his hands. "I don't. But if you ever want to talk, all you have to do is ask." He turned and walked away. Skeletor placed his face in his hands, left to ponder Adam's actions and words.
Almost a month later, Adam took Teela to dinner for their fifth date in four weeks. The masters had grown accustomed to seeing them together by now. As He-Man, Adam had had to struggle to keep a straight face as several of them subtly asked how he was doing. Fortunately no one had been as straightforward as Stratos and Mekaneck had been. Both Teela and Adam had had to really focus on hiding their feelings during those times as well. It was harder to do so as their feelings for each other grew. But they were adjusting.
Adam had to get used to Teela's new attitude towards him. Now that things were back to normal—even quieter—he had time to reflect on their relationship. Teela was gentler with him. Her self-righteous, judgmental attitude was gone. She listened to him more carefully. They were good changes, but they still took some getting used to.
Teela felt like she had to get to know Adam all over again. She had wondered if he was the leader he seemed as He-Man, or if he was the meek, mild-mannered prince she'd known. She found the truth somewhere in between, and it took her a while to adjust the way she expected Adam to react to things.
"Adam, what's wrong?" Teela asked. They had just finished eating dinner. He'd been unusually quiet, not just during the meal, but entire day. A month ago, that would have scared her. Today, she just waited expectantly.
Adam's blue eyes pierced hers, and she was surprised at the swirl of emotions there. He sighed heavily, as his father did when he needed to say something he didn't want to say. "There's no easy way to say this. I have to leave, Teela. There's something I have to do."
She didn't flinch. She had expected it, actually. "You're going to Etheria."
Relief flooded his face as he realized she knew of his internal struggle on this, even though he hadn't voiced it. "Yes. With Skeletor defeated, the only real threat here is Evil-Lyn and a few others…nothing the Sorceress can't call me back for, if the masters can't handle it. And Serena is here to help defend Grayskull."
"How long are you going for?" Teela asked, feeling slightly alarmed. She had known he would go help his sister in the battle against the Horde, but she hadn't really thought about how long that would be.
His eyes narrowed in what she thought of as his He-Man face, determination hardening his jaw. "As long as it takes to get rid of the Horde."
"Then I'm going with you." The words were out before Teela could even think through her answer. She hadn't intended to say that; she had duties here.
Surprise, then delight lit Adam's face.
"Are you sure? It'll be dangerous," he warned.
She laughed outright at that. "Compared to what we've been through in the last few months? How could it possibly be worse?"
Adam's face grew somber. "There's a lot I've never told you about my visits to Etheria, Teela. Hordak and his warriors are far more dangerous than Skeletor in many ways." He stopped short of telling her that She-Ra had had to save him about as many times as he'd helped her.
"So we'll face them together," Teela said firmly.
"You're sure," he stated more than asked. He wanted her with him, but he couldn't help feeling uncertain. Was she going as his bodyguard, or because she didn't want to be away from him? Adam's eyes asked the question he refused to voice.
Teela held his gaze as she reached for his hand. "I'm your bodyguard," she teased gently. "I can't leave you to face them alone."
Adam felt a pang of disappointment at her answer, but grinned anyway. "I'd love to have you along," he answered honestly. "Shall we go break the news to our parents?"
"By all means, my dear prince. Lead the way."
They stood together, hand-in-hand, and went to find their parents.
A/N: Thank you to all those who regularly reviewed, and those who irregularly reviewed! The encouragement really does keep a writer going! And the things you picked up on made me see even more in my story, opening up new tangents that were a lot of fun. Thank you all!
I have to thank God, too. If you've read the story, you know there was a section I re-wrote three times. I had no idea where all this was going. After writing that section twice, I sat down and prayed about it and took a break. Everything that is up here was unplanned--although it may not look that way, because I was writing far ahead of what I was posting, so I was able to go back and revise things and re-arrange the order of things, plant foreshadowings, etc. But really, this story turned into so much more than I expected.
Yes, there will be another story, but with the school year now in full swing, it'll be slow going. And even though they'll be going to Etheria, it'll feature Adam/He-Man as much as (if not more than) Adora/She-Ra, just because I like Adam better. :-)
And of course...the disclaimer...I don't own any of the original He-Man characters, and I don't make any money for writing these. However, Serena and Darren are mine (for better or for worse!). The episodes referred to in this story are "Quest for the Sword," "The Search," and "Wizard of Stone Mountain."