"ADAM, STOP!" yelled King Randor as he followed his son out of the library.

He couldn't believe it! When Adam had shown back up with Adora, for a split second he believed he and his son would be able to talk and work things out. Adora had even stated that was Adam's desire…but Adam left, forcing them to search every room until they found him.

And, what did he find when he walked into the library?

His wife and son discussing going to Earth, a place he feared like no other because it had the power to take everything he held precious away from him! He couldn't allow Adam to go; he just couldn't. What if Adam decided he liked it better on Earth? What if he met someone and decided to spend the rest of his life there? What if his desire to go was simply to get away from his supposedly overbearing father? He'd never see him again! Adam would never fulfill his destiny and sit on the throne of Eternia. The king found those thoughts unbearable.

Randor increased his speed as he watched Adam sprint farther away from him and turn the corner. He was determined to stop him! It was one thing for Adam to go to Etheria to get away. After all, he knew where his son would be. The Whispering Woods he had heard so much about would be the only place his son could stay on the planet; therefore, he would know where to look to get him back. But if Adam went to Earth? He would have no idea where to begin! He doubted even Marlena would know since she always described Earth as a large planet with many, many people and places to go when compared to Eternia. No, Adam couldn't go! The risk was too great!

As Randor turned the corner, he was dismayed to find no trace of Adam. He had no idea where the boy went. Closing his eyes and muttering a small prayer to the Ancients, he chose one of the more obscure and longer corridors hardly anyone ever chose to walk through since there was a faster route, and he hoped he chose the right one. He ran and ran until he was nearly on the verge of collapsing, but he knew he had to keep going if he wanted to keep Adam on Eternia. One more turn and he'd be in the hallway which led to the outdoors.

Randor turned the corner of the hall at a high rate of speed and before he could even try to bring himself to a halt, he slid into Adam who was holding a sword in the air and saying the words, "By the pow…"

Adam and Randor hit the floor simultaneously with a terrible and sickening thud.

"Adam," gasped Randor, and he immediately launched onto his son's arms and waist to pull him against him. Once Randor locked his hands together at the center of Adam's chest, he wrapped his legs around his, as well. Adam was stronger and a lot bigger than Randor, so the king knew this was the only way he had a chance of stopping the prince.

"Father, I have to go! Let me go!" yelled Adam who tried feverishly to pull out of his father's constrictive grasp.

"Listen to me!" Randor yelled as he tightened his grip in response to Adam's words and his attempts to free himself. "Listen to me!"

The commotion was heard throughout the halls, so Adora and Marlena, who had fallen behind, found them easily after a couple of minutes searching.

But the commotion didn't only bring Adora and Marlena. Man-at-Arms, Orko, Cringer, and Teela were outside near the same corridor and quickly ran inside to see what the screams were all about. They were shocked to find Randor restraining his son.

"Man-at-Arms!" Randor yelled, relieved to see his friend. "Help me get Prince Adam to his room!"

Duncan widened his eyes in alarm and didn't know what to do. Adam was obviously trying to get away for a reason, and it was probably a good one.

"Father," Adam continued to yell, "you don't understand! I really need to go!"

"Adam, you are not going anywhere!" insisted Randor, who brought his voice to a more natural level. He knew he needed to calm things down or he and Adam would be on this floor all night since it seemed Duncan was paralyzed.

Adam looked around desperately. The Sorceress and he didn't have time for this, so he needed to do something quickly…but what? He could break his father's hold, but he knew he'd hurt him in the process and he didn't want to do that. There was only one thing he could do, so he did it. He knew there would be some repercussions, but he would deal with them, then.

"Duncan," he cried, "Castle Grayskull is under attack! The Sorceress is weakening and needs help!"

Duncan immediately turned his attention to Adora and Teela and told them to follow him.

As Duncan, Teela, Adora, and Orko ran outside, Randor sat there speechless for a few moments. He was surprised that Man-at-Arms believed Adam and actually left to go to Grayskull. Despite his momentary shock, he was quickly brought to senses by Adam's renewed attempts to free himself.

"Why did you lie to them like that?" questioned Randor, who didn't know quite how he was feeling. Anger and fear seemed to intertwine themselves around his psyche, and he didn't know which one to express, if either.

"I'm not lying, Father!" cried Adam. "Castle Grayskull is under attack and I need to go help, now!"

Randor grimaced at what he thought was a blatant lie. Now, the king knew he was angry! "And, how do you know this, Adam?" he spat. "I was in the library, remember? You were speaking calmly with your mother one moment and the next you're screaming about having to go somewhere after I forbade you to go to Earth! And, where is it you're conveniently screaming to go to? The very place where you could find a way to Earth! I cannot allow you to go, Adam!"

Adam groaned and looked up at his mother. "I'm not planning on going to Earth! Tell him, Mother!"

Marlena winced at Adam's expression. The sheer desperation in his eyes frightened her. She knew he was afraid Skeletor would succeed without his being there to fight him, so she quickly knelt down beside her husband. She brushed the hair from Randor's eyes and met his gaze. "He's telling the truth, Randor," she said calmly. "He's not planning on going to Earth. He asked me if I missed it sometimes and he basically admitted he was curious about the planet. You can't blame him for that—he is my son, you know."

Randor shook his head and said, "No, I heard you! You were convincing him to stay! You reminded him that he was to be king and that he couldn't do that from Earth! You cannot deny what you said!"

The queen sighed and replied, "Randor, are you now accusing me of lying to you? You obviously didn't hear the entire conversation! He isn't planning on going to Earth!"

Randor turned his eyes away from his queen and buried his face briefly in Adam's hair. After a few moments, the king pulled back and said decisively, "It doesn't matter. Either way, he's staying, and I'm not letting him off this floor until I know for certain that he knows that."

"It wasn't my plan to leave Eternia, Father!" bellowed Adam. "I'm not going anywhere! I was heading for Grayskull to defend it, not to find a way to leave!"

Randor squeezed his eyes shut and frowned. "We're back on that again? Adam, do you take me for a fool?"

"No!"

"Then, why are you insisting that you were going to Castle Grayskull because the Sorceress is in trouble?"

"Because it's the truth!"

Randor smirked. "Son, never mind the fact that you weren't in a hurry to leave the library until I got there, never mind the fact that you received no message from any courier while I was in the room, how can you possibly expect me to believe the Sorceress of Grayskull would call YOU, of all people, for help?"

Adam immediately stopped moving. He knew where this was going and closed his eyes to prepare for it.

"It's far more likely that the Sorceress would contact Teela, Man-at-Arms, or even me before she would contact you!" he continued, oblivious to Adam's stillness. "Everyone on Eternia knows you can't fight and that you run from trouble! Why would the Sorceress call a coward for help when she has a million better options? By the Ancients, Adam, even Orko would be a better choice!"

Marlena cried out at Randor's words and watched in agony as her son's shoulders slumped and his head bowed to the floor. He looked…defeated. "Stop it! Stop it!" she cried and pulled at Randor's arms to get him to let go of their son.

"Marlena, stop!" Randor ordered forcefully.

Immediately, Marlena went to Adam's front side and hugged him desperately. "He doesn't know," she whispered in his ear. "Please, Adam, he doesn't know any better! Don't take it to heart!"

Adam finally looked up with tears in his eyes. He pressed his lips together in a brief look of defiance and whispered back, "He may not know everything, but to imply that I'm useless…" he shook his head. "Orko is better in an emergency than me? I…I don't even know what to say anymore."

Adam allowed his head to drop to his mother's shoulder and sat there silently. He no longer tried to pull away from his father. The king wouldn't let him go, anyway, and the battle was surely underway if not over. He hoped the right side won without any casualties. She-Ra would be there; that was a little consolation.

Eventually, Randor let his son go. After spending almost thirty minutes on the floor, he felt confident enough to reassure himself that Adam's desire to run was gone or at least postponed. He stood, brushed himself off, and extended a hand to Marlena. As he pulled her up, Adam got to his feet, as well. With his face still facing the floor, he started to walk away until he heard Teela's voice.

"Adam!" she called as she walked back into the palace. She was clearly disheveled from battle: her hair was matted to her head, portions of her outfit had holes in it, and she was covered in dirt. When she reached Adam, she asked, "How did you know Grayskull was under attack? We got there just in the knick of time! The Sorceress collapsed just as we got out of the AttakTrak. I shudder to think what would have happened if you hadn't told us to go!"

Adam raised his head slightly and looked at Teela and then his father, who seemed to be shocked at the news. "Good," he thought venomously. His actual reply was a contemptuous look toward his father which he held for several seconds and the words, "I suppose it was a good guess or just a coincidence."

Teela looked from Adam to the king and was astonished to feel the animosity fairly rolling off of Adam in waves. Before she could reply or ask anything in return, her father and Adora came inside and ran to them.

"Is everything okay here?" asked Adora, looking worriedly at her brother. She could feel his anger in her mind, almost as if it were her own.

Adam finally lifted his head now that Adora was there. He picked up his sword from the ground, walked over to Adora, grabbed his sister's hand, and said, "No! Everything is not all right! Let's get out of here!"

Adam started to lead his sister away from the crowd, but when he heard the protests and gasps, he immediately whirled around and yelled, "WE'RE ONLY GOING TO MY BEDCHAMBER!"

The only one to follow them closely after that was Cringer, who had watched the entire scene silently. He was scared, and for once he wasn't sure if Adam or He-Man could fix what was wrong in the world this time.

=)=)=)

Adam pulled Adora into his bedroom and slammed the door shut. His actions fairly tore the hinges off the wall, and Cringer had barely gotten into the room in time! His tail had been centimeters from being caught.

"Adam, calm down, my brother!" cried Adora. She was truly shocked and worried to see him display such erratic behavior. He was pacing the floor and muttering to himself.

Adam went to his bed after hearing his sister's plea, sat down, squeezed his eyes shut, and breathed deeply to gather his self-control. After several moments of intense silence, Adam finally opened his eyes, glanced at Adora, and said, "I'm lucky you're here: one 'my brother' from you and I melt."

Adora sat beside him, laid her head on his shoulder affectionately, and replied, "I'll remember that from now on."

The prince quickly wrapped his arms around his sister and held her tightly.

Adora returned the hug and whispered, "What happened? I know things were pretty bad when I left, but I have a feeling it got worse."

"A lot worse," replied Adam, pulling back from her embrace. He saw that he had Adora's and Cringer's undivided attention, so he continued, "He was obsessed with the possibility that I was leaving to go to Earth. Mother and I both told him countless times that wasn't my intention, but he wouldn't listen! He refused to let go, and then, he resorted to telling me how worthless I am and that's how he knew I was lying about Skeletor attacking Grayskull. 'Why would the Sorceress contact a coward like me for help' he said. He bet he's asking himself that question right now! And, you know what, sis? I doubt he'll ever know. I don't think I even want him to know anymore!"

Adora sighed and said, "You're just mad right now. You don't mean that, Adam, and honestly, I don't see why you're this upset. You know why Father is reacting this way! He doesn't know you're He-Man and you've led him to believe that you are a coward. Given those facts, how could he not ask himself and you that question? And, as for his obsession with you not going to Earth, well, you heard the Sorceress today! He has always feared the possibility of Mother leaving to go back to Earth and now he feels like he has to worry about you leaving him to go there, too!"

Adam jumped up from the bed, feeling slightly annoyed with his sister, and questioned loudly, "And, just whose side are you on?"

"My family's," she responded without hesitation.

His sister's answer made him pause. Of course, she wouldn't want to take sides, and truthfully, he didn't want her to. He didn't even really want to have sides. He sat back down on the bed next to her and said, "I know what you're saying is true, sis, but why does Father always have to take it that next step farther? He doesn't allow anyone to explain. He just starts ordering people around and forbidding them to do whatever he fears or doesn't like. And, instead of just questioning why the Sorceress would call me, he decides to actually call me a coward, and THEN, he proceeds to tell me that there are a million better choices than me, including Orko." Adam shook his head irritably. "Why? Tell me why! It isn't like I'm unaware of my reputation. Why add insult to injury?"

"I can't answer any of that," replied Adora, patiently. "The only person who can is Father. Why don't you ask him?"

Adam rolled his eyes as he lay back on the bed and said, "Because I don't want to talk to him. If I bring the subject up, he's going to be defensive and start asking questions I can't answer! Then, we're just going to argue again, so what's the point? Nothing I say will make Father see me any differently."

Adora lay back on the bed beside him, as well, and suggested, "Why don't you change your reputation? Start—I don't know—offering to do things. Find a middle ground between He-Man and the Prince Adam you are now! Be the person you are on Etheria! Bow, Glimmer, Queen Angella…basically everyone there thinks highly of you! When I first met Bow, he talked about your bravery and how the both of you took on three Horde Troopers by yourselves!"

Adam sighed and said, "I can't, Adora. It's different on Etheria. They don't see me or He-Man on a regular basis, and even if someone there discovered my secret, the probability of Skeletor finding out would be slight…unless the person was Hordak." He shook his head and continued, "I can't take the risk of someone here putting two and two together. I have to separate myself from He-Man as much as I can. Besides, I already had that idea, and it didn't even work for one day. Father and Mother had a fit when they discovered I had investigated reports of explosions near Drisdos. It wasn't remotely dangerous, and yet, they acted like I had done the most foolish and reckless thing ever!"

Adora laid her head on her brother's shoulder and sighed, also feeling her brother's woes. The more she listened to him talk, the more depressed she became. He did have quite a dilemma on his hands. There was only one thing she could think of that would solve all of this nonsense. She quickly sat up and turned around to face her sibling. "Then, let's do it," she said firmly. Her eyes fairly sparkled with determination.

"Do what?" he asked.

"You fear Father discovering the truth, but let's eliminate that fear! Instead of Father discovering who you are, we can just tell him!" she explained.

Adam's eyes widened as he heard his sister's plan and also sat up. "We already discussed this with the Sorceress! Father would not be happy. He would always fear the worst when something bad happened on Eternia. Not to mention, the more people who know, the more likely Skeletor will find out. It's probable that Father would slip up somehow. That would put a big bull's-eye right on our parents' heads," he reasoned.

Adora shrugged and insisted, "But don't they have that anyway? They are the king and queen of Eternia. I seem to remember you telling me stories of Skeletor going after Mother and Father and almost succeeding. They're already in danger, Adam, and so are you. Father cannot deny that. He should find comfort in the fact that you are the strongest man in the universe!"

Adam stood up, rubbed his chin, and paced as he considered his sister's plan. The Sorceress would not be happy. He distinctly remembered her yelling "no" at Adora when she suggested it at Grayskull. But of course, the reasons she gave for not telling him were the ones they just discussed. Adora seemed to think it wouldn't change much aside from things getting better. Sure, it might be a little hard at first for their father, but he would learn to deal with it, just like their mother had.

Adam suddenly faced his sister and dropped his hands to his sides. "Are you going to tell them you're She-Ra, too?" he questioned.

"Yes," she resolved.

Adam nodded and then announced, "Okay, then my answer is 'yes.' Let's tell him."

With relieved smiles, the twins walked out of the bedchamber hand-in-hand.