He-Man Forever More

Disclaimer:  I don't know these people (after all, they are cartoons).  I don't own the copyright to any of them.  A few characters in coming chapters are mine and the storyline's mine, but that's it.  This is not to make money or anything.  Just for funsies.   Some material later on might be a big 'mature'—can't say you weren't warned.

Prologue

The loud _clang of the swords clashing resonated throughout the courtyard.  A small crowd had gathered to watch as the Prince went through his repertoire of training exercises.  As always, he was letting Teela win, but the audience gave a small boost to his ego, giving him no choice but to show off a bit for some of the pretty maidens watching.  With one fluid movement, he knocked Teela's sword out of her hand, sending the weapon clattering to the ground.  She glared at him, her eyes burning fierce with competitiveness._

Adam bowed gracefully to his opponent, smiling and hamming it up for the spectators.  He knew this would infuriate Teela even more than his defeating her.  After all these years together, the two worked so well in tandem, leaving him to be able to read her like a book.

"Good show," he told her, picking up her sword and handing it to her.

"Same to you, Your Highness," Teela all but spat, snatching the sword from his grasp.

Applause rose from the group of onlookers, forcing her to remember exactly who she was dealing with.  She caught sight of her father among the crowd.  He was trying to hide a smile at the scene before him.  Turning her steely glare to him, she spun with an embarrassed flounce and stormed away.  Adam laughed heartily before following her.

"Teela," he called after her.  "Teela.  Stop for a moment."

"Why?  So you can revel in your rare win?"

Adam sighed, shaking his head.  Would she ever learn?

"It's not a competition," he told her, clasping a large hand on her shoulder, halting her in her steps.  "It was all in good fun and training."

"But you never win," she hissed, shrugging off his hand.  "So, obviously, this was a competition."

"You're too uptight about everything," he said, hurrying after her again.  "Teela.  What is it going to take?  Me apologizing in front of everyone for actually having the upper hand for a change?"

"You'd do that?"  She queried, slowing down and turning to study him.

"Of course not.  But I just wanted to know if that's what you wanted."

"Ugh!"  She exclaimed, frustrated.  "What I want, you can't give me."

"Try me," he replied, leaning jauntily against the side of a building.

"I want you to start taking your future seriously.  I want you to take the training seriously."

"Teela," Adam said, rolling his eyes.  "I've heard this all before.  In fact, I've heard it so much that I'm sick of it.  Do you not think I don't know what my future is?  I know I'm supposed to one day rule Eternia.  And I know it's my job to help keep Skeletor and his minions out of the palace city and away from other…things."

"Then why don't you do it?"  She shouted, fed up with him and ready for a confrontation.  "You always high-tail away when anything remotely dangerous shows up.  Tell me why you refuse to take responsibility."

"I do take responsibility," he shouted back.  "We've been having this same conversation for as long as I can remember.  When are you going to let it go?"

"When you can prove yourself a worthy leader like He-Man.  If it were possible, he would be the best person to be king."

Both fell silent at her words.  In all of their years together, neither had ever spoken so harshly to the other.  And in the five years since He-Man had first appeared, the silent rivalry had been there.  And as grateful as Adam was to have the opportunity, it was a constant thorn in his side. And to hear his best friend speak aloud what he had always assumed—it broke his heart.

"Oh, Adam," Teela said, her voice barely a whisper.  "I'm so sorry.  That was so out of line.  I had no right…"

"No," Adam said sadly.  "You had every right.  There are just some things you don't understand and never will."

He looked back to the palace, towering over all the other buildings in the city, a pensive expression on his handsome face.  He could have just as easily heard those words come from his father.  From the time he was 16, he knew how his father felt about the new-found hero and it broke his heart every time the king laid accolades on the alter-ego, not realizing it was his son he was praising.

"There's just so much so many don't understand," Adam said, this time being the one to walk away.

Teela watched the prince walk away, his shoulders slumped.  She knew she shouldn't have said what she did, but he had been showing off so much and he needed to be taken down a few notches.  But in retrospect, her tactics had been too harsh, even by her standards.  She was going to have to do something to make this up to him.  And in a burst of inspiration, she knew what it was going to be—a surprise.  A surprise he never would forget.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Adam sat quietly as the merriment in the dining hall seemed to flow everywhere but to him.  The words Teela had so truthfully spoken kept playing over and over in his head.  He watched as his parents laughed at the inept magic of Orko.  A small grin flickered across his face when Orko pulled Eternia's version of a rabbit out of his sleeve instead of the usual flowers he always presented to the queen.  

"At least this can't explode," Marlena laughed as she accepted the terrified creature.  "Or can it?'

"I hope not, Your Highness," Orko answered thoughtfully, before turning to Teela.

Adam couldn't take the joviality anymore, wordlessly excusing himself and walking out onto the balcony.  He grasped the edge and leaned forward, overlooking the city.  _His city.  _

"What is it, son?"  

Adam turned at the sound of his father's voice.  The king never left his place during the evenings.  Looking into his son's cloudy blue eyes, the king smiled gently.

"Come, let's take a walk," he said, placing a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"But what about…"

"Your mother can handle it.  She's quite fond of being the center of attention.  Myself, I like to be away from all of it at times.  Is that how you're feeling now?"

Adam didn't respond.  He didn't know what to say.  They walked for a while, neither man saying a word.  Soon, they found themselves in one of the ornate gardens.

"Adam," Randor said, sitting on a low wall.  "I understand you and Teela had words a couple of days ago."

"How…" the prince began.

"Duncan told me.  You know Teela can't keep secrets from her father.  She seems to think what she said upset you."

"Not really," Adam answered, looking away and into the evening sky.  "She just spoke what everyone seems to think."

"Is that what you think?"

"Of course not."

"Then it's not what everyone thinks."

"What about you, Father?  Is that what you think?  Do you think I'm incapable of being a great king and leader of Eternia?"

"Adam…"

"Do you think He-Man would be the best person to take over for you?"  He interrupted.

"Adam, you are my son.  It is your place to take over as king.  No one else has that right."

"That's not what I'm asking, Father.  I see the pride when you fight alongside He-Man and when…"

"Adam, you're never around when anything like that happens."

"But I can hear it in your voice when you recount the tales of what happens.  You never have that pride in your voice when you speak of the things I do."

"Adam, I'm always proud when I speak of you," Randor replied.

"When have you ever spoken of me?"

Randor cast his eyes downward.  This was not the turn he wanted this to take.  There was so much of himself in his son.  Marlena had repeatedly told him that's why they never seemed to get along.  And now that Adam had become a man, it was getting more difficult to have any sort of conversation with him.  

"Father, are you going to answer me?"  Adam persisted.

"You are my son," Randor repeated.  "And I dearly love you, despite what you think.  It's been a while since I told you that."

"I think I was five," the prince snarled, looking into the sky again.  

"One day when you have a son, you'll understand," the king said.  

"But that won't be happening anytime soon.  I have to find a wife, first.  And at the moment, the only remotely possible candidate hates me and would rather wed He-Man."

"I knew it," Randor said, grinning.

"You knew what?"  Adam asked, looking suspiciously at his father.

"You do have feelings for Teela and are jealous of He-Man.  I thought so, but now it's so obvious."

"Jealous?"  Adam snorted.  "I wish someone would explain to me how I can possibly be jealous of He-M…"

His words were cut short as a griffin swooped in from the sky and threatened to capture Randor.

"Father!"  Adam shouted, diving for the king, knocking him to the ground with a loud thud.

"Adam!  We must get the…" Randor's words were drowned out by the arrival of the palace guards, as well as the Masters, ready for battle.

"Adam!"  Marlena called to her son.  "You need to go find…"

"I know, Mother," he called back; all doubts he had of He-Man gone once the threat was back.  "Father, I'll be right…"

"Adam, now is your chance to show what you have," Randor said as he stood beside his son.

"But I know where He-Man is," Adam insisted.

_There is no time, he heard the voice of the Sorceress in his head.  __Skeletor and the others are already here.  You must do what you can and get away when possible._

Adam nodded firmly, understanding how grave the situation was.  Turning quickly to his left upon hearing his name, he caught the sword and shield Teela tossed him, preparing for battle.  He watched silently as the advancing invaders made their way onto the palace grounds, firing first on the Masters.  On gut instinct, he held his shield up, deflecting a shot away.  He knew anything that hit him like this would hurt like nothing he had ever known before, so he needed to be careful.

As the fighting wore on, Adam kept his place beside his father, working in synchronicity with him, their skills mirror images of the other.  When there seemed to be a break in the fighting, he saw an opening for his departure and the arrival of the one they were all waiting on—He-Man.  As he ran quickly out of the thick of things, he motioned for Cringer to follow.  The large cat crept along slowly, torn between doing his duty or saving his own hide.  

Adam rounded the corner of a building, only to stop dead in his tracks, face to face with Evil-Lynn.

"So, the prince is ready to turn tail now, is he?"  She asked, sizing him up.  "My, but how you've grown.  I must say, I wouldn't mind having you for a nice diversion when I grow bored at Snake Mountain.  What do you say, Adam?  Interested?"

He shuddered with the insinuations she presented to him.    
  


"Most definitely not," he told her, holding his shield for use as a battering ram.  He started towards her.

"I don't think so, _Your Highness," she said, raising her hands above her, creating a glowing red ball._

As Evil-Lynn let the magic fireball loose on him, the Sorceress hovered behind him, her own white magic fireball rolling off her fingers.  Orko, suddenly appearing out of thin-air, tossed in a magic ball as well, trying his best to help.  A great flash of light and clamorous sound occurred as the three orbs met over the prince, sending everyone to the ground. As the smoke and dust cleared, Man-At-Arms, along with the King and Queen and Masters rushed over.  Randor helped the Sorceress up from the ground.  

"Where…Where did Skeletor and the others go?"  Orko asked, noticing the battle over.

"I don't know," Teela said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.  She looked around, seeing no sign of the invaders anywhere.  "Adam?  Adam?  You can come out of hiding now.  I think it's safe."

When there wasn't an answer, all eyes fell to where Orko was hovering low to the ground.

"The shield and sword you tossed him are still here."

"Where is my son?"  Marlena asked, suddenly realizing what was happening.

"I feel he is gone," the Sorceress said quietly before fainting in the arms of the king. 


End file.

He-Man, Romance