King Randor stared in astonishment at the place where the Spirit of Grayskull had been. The entity's words had startled him and gave him much to contemplate. He gaped down at his son in awe. Adam would be responsible for bringing Adora home permanently and he would bring peace to Eternia…if they got him out of here.

Quickly, Randor snapped his head up and looked around. They weren't out of the woods, yet. They were still near Snake Mountain and completely exposed. They needed to get Adam back to the safety of the palace. "We have to get him out of here," he stated hurriedly. He looked to She-Ra and asked, "Can you carry him? We have to move as quickly as we can, because we don't know when Skeletor will show back up."

She-Ra nodded and carefully took the prince from the king's arms. When he wasn't paying attention and had turned his attention to Man-at-Arms, she slipped the Power Sword back into its appropriate spot on Adam's back. As soon as they stood, she heard Randor ask Duncan, "How did you get here?"

"We have a Windraider several yards out," he answered, pointing to the east.

Randor surveyed the area around them quickly for a second time and ordered, "Then, let's go. Adam's Windraider is at Snake Mountain, so one will have to do."

As a group, they travelled over the rough terrain towards the Windraider.

=)=)=)

Skeletor chuckled as he stepped into the throne room carrying his Havoc Staff. With the help of Mer-Man, they had retrieved his weapon. "What is it that they say?" he questioned; "It's always a beautiful day on Eternia!" He laughed sadistically as he made his way to his throne and sat down. "It most certainly is today. We have crushed all of Eternia with the death of Prince Adam. It will only be a matter of time before we take over the Royal Palace, as well."

He then examined his men. They had all been injured during the battle and most of them had been sliced in their midsection, which was the worst injury he could see among them. He chuckled in amusement. "My, they were getting a little more aggressive than usual. Who cut you like that?"

"She-Ra," complained Trap Jaw, resting his hand over the bandaged wound. "She whipped her sword out and spun. We hadn't expected her to do that."

Skeletor chuckled again. "Nor would I have, but it is interesting. I think we've stricken a cord. And, even more interesting, where was He-Man?"

Everyone in the room got quiet as they contemplated the question. Eternia's and Grayskull's champion had not been there yet again. It was shocking. He-Man had always been there without fail over the years and now he was missing multiple attempts to take over the planet.

"Do you think we've done it, Skeletor?" exclaimed Evil-Lyn excitedly. "Have we defeated He-Man?"

"You mean, 'Have I defeated He-Man?'" he snapped. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then answered, "Perhaps but not permanently. That's why She-Ra is here. She's taken the fool's place until he recovers. What we need is to get that meddler back on Etheria and bothering Hordak, so He-Man will come out of hiding." He laughed at the thought of He-Man hiding and nursing his wounds as a female fought for him.

Modulak walked into the room at that moment and replied, "Hordak is unaware that She-Ra and Adora are on Eternia. Maybe we should tell him. He will take any opportunity to get the princess back, and She-Ra will follow if he succeeds in taking her."

Skeletor snapped his head towards the many-legged villain. He remembered briefly questioning himself when Modulak had shown back up. This had occurred when they had planned to kidnap Prince Adam for the first time, so the turncoat's presence hadn't been important at the time, but he had ample opportunity to question it now. "What are you doing back on Eternia?" he asked hostilely as he stood and grabbed his Havoc Staff. "You chose to side with Hordak, and like him, I don't take kindly to traitors walking in my domain!"

"Please, Skeletor!" Modulak beseeched, waving his hands in surrender. "I can't stand being a Horde's cook any longer. Give me a chance to make things right."

"By suggesting that we ally ourselves with Hordak and bring him back to Eternia?" snapped Skeletor. "Never! Eternia is mine now, and I hate Hordak almost as much as I do He-Man!" He turned to his other men in the room and ordered, "Get him!"

As everyone in the room surrounded him, Modulak yelled, "Almost as much, Skeletor! He-Man is still worse. To get rid of him, wouldn't contacting Hordak be worth it? Just this once?"

Skeletor turned away and thought about Modulak's idea. He laughed abruptly—he realized it would give him another opportunity to stick it to Hordak for old time's sake…after he helped him take over Eternia, of course.

"Perhaps," Skeletor answered softly as he continued to contemplate whether or not he should contact his old teacher. He was still loathed to do it, because he realized Hordak might take an interest in Eternia again if he saw how much he had weakened the opposition. But he had always beaten Hordak since the Horde had lost the war, so he knew he could handle him…and his old mentor could get She-Ra back on Etheria if he took Adora. He was certain of it.

Decisions, decisions.

=)=)=)

Teela stayed close to She-Ra as they made their way quickly but quietly to the Windraider. Her mind, however, was anything but quiet. It was in chaos. Skeletor had killed Adam! That had to be the case since it took so much power and effort to get any kind of response from him—he hadn't been breathing until they tried She-Ra's…spell, or whatever it was, with the swords.

Tears streamed down her face as she glanced at Adam. She had almost lost him this time, and even though she tried to stop it, she felt angry. She felt angry at Skeletor for trying to kill him, but she was also angry with the Sorceress, the Spirit of Grayskull, and whoever else made Adam keep secrets from the ones that he loved. It was their fault that this had happened in her opinion. Adam would have turned into He-Man if King Randor had known who he truly was. None of this would have happened! She couldn't imagine the conflict and concern Adam must have been going through. He had the means to escape and save them, but he couldn't because a loved one—one he should have been able to confide in—couldn't know who he truly was.

Teela tore her eyes from the prince when she noticed that they had finally reached the Windraider.

She-Ra looked around warily, making sure no one had followed them, and asked, "Okay, so how are we going to do this?"

Randor slipped into the back of the vehicle and said, "Well, first, give me my son." She-Ra placed Adam in the king's lap, but before she could move to do anything else, he turned to Teela and said, "Second, that's enough tears. Adam will be fine and he'll be taking you out to dinner and courting you properly before you know it. Now, get in here beside me and help make him comfortable."

Teela sobbed at his words a little, because she knew instantly that the king accepted her relationship with his son. He wasn't going to banish her, and he was actually asking her to help him take care of the prince. She nodded quickly and wiped the tears from her face. "Yes, sire," she whispered and climbed into the back, as well. She sat beside the king and placed Adam's legs on her lap.

"Cringer!" she called and the green tiger jumped into the backseat. He immediately stretched himself out and placed his head beside Adam's knees on her lap. She knew what he really wanted to do was stretch out his entire body alongside his master, but there wasn't enough room, so he settled for this. They both could agree that this little bit of contact was better than nothing.

=)=)=)

Randor brushed the hair away from his son's face as everyone got into the Windraider and Man-at-Arms started the vehicle. Thankfully, it still worked and hopefully Skeletor's men hadn't sabotaged it in any way.

He looked at his comrades and sighed again in appreciation.

They had saved him and Adam, so they would have to be rewarded greatly for their deeds…but his thoughts immediately ceased when he noticed She-Ra had turned around in the front seat to stare at Adam worriedly.

He glanced at Teela anxiously, wondering if she had noticed the looks She-Ra had been giving Adam constantly or the way that the warrior had held him in her arms earlier. Etheria's Champion obviously had feelings for Adam and that was one reason why he had made his earlier comment to Teela. He had wanted Teela to know he was okay with their courting, but he had also wanted She-Ra to know that his son was spoken for at the moment.

Luckily, Teela hadn't seemed to notice then, and she certainly didn't seem to notice now. She was completely oblivious to everything besides Adam. Her eyes never moved from his face and she had firmly clasped his hand in hers, rubbing it with her thumb every so often.

He turned his attention from her and looked back down at Adam. He was still sleeping and that worried him a little, but the prince was breathing…and it was the most beautiful sight in the world right now. He was alive, and that's all that mattered.

He glanced up into the front seat and asked Duncan, "How far are we from the palace?"

"Since I have the rocket boosters on, we will be there shortly, Your Majesty," he answered.

"Has anyone informed the palace that we're coming?"

"No," replied Duncan. "I hadn't thought about it."

The king frowned and said, "Well, we need to let Marlena know we're okay, and we also need to tell her to bring the Court Physician, a stretcher, and a blanket to our landing site. We'll need to get Adam to the infirmary as quickly as we can, so we can see if there are any lingering injuries after She-Ra...helped him."

Man-at-Arms nodded as he began to turn several dials on the radio to set it to the appropriate frequency. "Has he woken up yet?" Duncan asked while he was doing this. He was more concerned about Adam than the radio.

"No, but I haven't tried to wake him up," answered Randor glancing back down at his son. "It might be better if we wait until he's in the infirmary, just in case there's any pain."

=)=)=)

Queen Marlena stared into the skies looking for any sign of her family. In the distance, she could see a tiny spot and knew it was them. She glanced at the doctor beside her and frowned.

She was frightened. She had been so relieved when Duncan had made radio contact with the palace. She had been ecstatic to learn that they were on their way with Adam and Randor, but as soon as he had asked them to bring the physician, a stretcher, and a blanket, she knew someone had gotten hurt. She hadn't wanted to ask over the airwaves who it was, but she had a feeling it was her son or husband.

The Windraider was now discernible and it approached the palace rapidly. She took a deep breath to prepare herself for whatever she would see once it had landed.

The doctor had the same idea to prepare himself. He turned to his medics and said, "When they land, I want whoever the patient is on the gurney and in the infirmary as quickly as possible. Understood?"

As the medics answered affirmatively, the Windraider floated above them and the rocket boosters had been shut off. Soon, the craft declined slowly to the ground. When it finally silenced, Marlena and the medics quickly rushed forward.

"Who is it?" she cried before she got a good look at who was where inside the Windraider. She had to know who was hurt.

Randor immediately replied knowing what she meant and understanding her concern. "It's Adam," he answered, and he watched Marlena reach them and breathe in sharply as tears filled her eyes. "Hand me the blanket," he said, reaching his hand out.

The queen immediately handed it to him and she watched as Randor tore the tunic and shirt from their son's body. She took the opportunity to study Adam's appearance and gasped. His clothes didn't have backs whatsoever and they had been burned and blackened severely. He was also covered in dirt, and mud had hardened in his hair. He looked horrible. "Oh, my God!" she whispered.

The king wrapped the blanket around Adam, not offering any explanations, and grimaced at the courtiers and citizens who were nearby, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening. He glanced at everyone around the Windraider as they jumped from the vehicle and at several soldiers who had run to them. "No one is to see the prince like this!" he ordered sharply. "Circle around the gurney as soon as we get him onto it and accompany the doctor to the infirmary! Allow no one to walk to us or slow us down."

Everyone—guards, Teela, Man-at-Arms, Orko, and She-Ra—encircled the Royal Family and Cringer as soon as Adam had been handed to the medics and Randor had gotten out of the Windraider.

They hurriedly made their way inside, and no one dared to approach them as the bystanders looked on.

=)=)=)

Exhaustion was clearly evident in every person who was currently in Adam's bedchambers. They had all stayed with Adam as he had gone through a series of tests that had lasted for hours and now that twenty-four hours had passed without the prince waking up, their tiredness was beginning to show. Everyone refused to go, though. No one wanted to leave him.

Man-at-Arms and Teela were seated on a couch on the far wall. Marlena and Adora were seated in chairs beside Adam's bed, facing him. Cringer lay at the foot of the bed staring up at his master as Orko lay against him. And, as for the king, he sat beside the prince with his back pressed firmly against the headboard.

Randor had refused to move from that spot earlier when the others had wanted him to go rest. He wouldn't allow their pleas to sway him because he wanted to wait. He was desperate for the moment when Adam would open his eyes, but the physician had no idea when that would be. Adam had gone through a very traumatic event (aside from everything else he had already endured recently) and needed rest, so everyone was giving it to him. They hadn't tried to rouse him too much, even though the waiting was torturous. The longer he stayed asleep, the more anxious they became.

"I wish he would wake up," he heard Teela say across the room, giving voice to what he was thinking.

Duncan had his arm draped across Teela's shoulders, so he pulled her close and replied, "He will soon. Just give him time. Sleep is the best thing for him right now."

Teela nodded. "I know, but I want him to wake up for a second and talk to us. That way, we'd know for sure if he's okay. I hate this waiting."

Duncan merely squeezed her and remained silent.

Randor turned his attention back to Adam and looked at the darkened circles under his eyes and the unnatural pallor of his skin. He looked horrible, but he looked better than he had before. They had bathed him, washed his hair, and put him in his white sleeping attire before bringing him to his bedchambers from the infirmary. As he had commanded, no one else in the palace had caught a glimpse of Adam at that time, and they still hadn't.

The king ran his fingers through Adam's hair softly and jumped a little when the boy moved his head slightly.

"Adam?" he questioned.

Everyone in the room jumped to their feet as they waited for a response from Adam. Ever so slowly, he opened his eyes and moved them to look up at his father.

"Hey!" Randor exclaimed, feeling relief immeasurably. He smiled at his son and Adam smiled back softly.

"Hey!" he whispered roughly and closed his eyes again. "Sleepy."

Randor squeezed his shoulder comfortingly and replied, "Everything's okay. We're all safe. Go back to sleep, son."

"Okay," he whispered drowsily. It took only a moment for Adam's body to relax and they knew he had fallen asleep again.

Randor looked up at everyone and sighed deeply. He met Teela's eyes and said, "I guess he heard your wish. He's fine."

"Praise the Ancients!" Man-at-Arms said as he approached the bed. "Now that we all know he's okay and able to wake up, I think I'm going to turn in. Are you coming, dearheart?"

Teela also moved toward the bed and said, "In a second." Once she reached Adam, she hesitantly took his hand in hers. She watched as her father walked toward the door and the king turned his head to give them a little privacy. She smiled, leaned over his ear, and whispered, "I love you. Sleep well." She kissed his lips softly and as she turned to leave, someone grabbed her hand.

Startled, she gasped and turned back to see Adam looking up at her. He was obviously still tired as witnessed by his droopy eyes, but he was smiling as he pulled Teela back to him. When she sat on the bed, he motioned with his finger for her to come closer. Leaning over him once more, Adam kissed her briefly and then whispered, "I love you, too."

Teela smiled as she watched Adam close his eyes again and relax. She glanced up to see Randor watching them with a smile on his face. She blushed as she pulled away and joined her father.

Duncan grinned at his daughter as she reached him, but he didn't say anything to her. Instead, he stated, "Sleep well, Your Majesties," as they left the room.

=)=)=)

It was the middle of the night and he was the only one that remained with Adam in his bedchambers. He had refused to leave, arguing that he wouldn't be able to sleep if he left Adam's side right now, so they had relented. Unfortunately, he still hadn't been able to sleep. He knew too much had happened and he had too much to reflect on.

Randor watched Adam sleep throughout the night, paying special attention to his breathing. Eventually, his mind drifted to what had happened at Snake Mountain. He had learned a great deal of things. First of all and most shocking, he had learned that Adam was protecting Eternia without his knowledge somehow. He knew his son would never admit to that, but he knew he was right. And, it was confirmed during the battle with Skeletor. Adam had run away as usual when he had gotten loose from his chains, but the king had paid attention more closely this time, and he could tell Adam's flight hadn't been from fear. No, his son had a firm determination in his eyes—he had been resolved to do something. Unfortunately, Skeletor had sidetracked him and Adam had decided to protect his father instead of doing whatever he had been going to do.

Randor shook his head as he remembered his son's courage. He had sacrificed himself to save the king. He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed deeply as he tried to calm himself down. Adam and he needed to have a long talk about that one. A prince should never sacrifice himself for the current monarch. After all, a prince has a duty to the future of his kingdom. When a crown prince dies, things become chaotic. Citizens begin to worry and fret over who will take over if something should happen to the king in his old age. They worry if the king will be able to produce another heir in time. They'll mourn the loss of the future and wail throughout the streets. Then, inevitably, despair becomes palpable…and of course, when that happens, trouble comes calling. They become targets of petty criminals and sometimes people like Skeletor. Criminals flock where there is chaos and melancholy. But when a king has an heir, they naturally stabilize everything. The citizens don't worry so much about the foreseeable future, because they know they will always have someone to lead them and their children.

No, Adam couldn't risk himself again. Even though Eternia technically also had Adora, Adam was the heir to the throne, not her, and if something had happened to him…The king shook his head again and tried to think of other things. Adam hadn't died, so he wasn't going to dwell on it…for right now.

His thoughts inevitably turned to She-Ra and her actions after the battle. As sure as Adam was currently in the room with him, he knew the warrior loved his son, and he didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, she had saved his life and cried severely when she thought she couldn't save him. Her frantic hold around Adam kept creeping into his mind and her actions showed that she felt very strongly about him. There was no doubt about that.

But what bothered him was that Adam and he now owed her a great deal and he wasn't sure how Adam felt about her. He knew his son would probably be flattered, but he was courting Teela now. Surely, She-Ra wouldn't expect Adam to forget about his current girlfriend to be with her. There was too much history between Teela and Adam for that to occur.

And, that thought inevitably led to him wondering when She-Ra and Adam had spent enough time together for her to have the capability and opportunity to fall in love with him. Undoubtedly, it must have occurred on Etheria, but Adam always went to visit his sister, and he couldn't see Adam using that valuable time in any other way. He didn't get to go often, after all. Besides, he couldn't imagine Adam leading She-Ra on and making her fall in love with him when he loved Teela. No, it didn't make sense.

Randor looked back at his son and thought about She-Ra saving his life. It had been a miraculous thing to behold, and as the moments flashed through his mind again, he suddenly shot forward as he remembered an important moment: She-Ra had pulled a sword from Adam's back. It hadn't been there beforehand, and yet it had mysteriously appeared when she went to grab it.

The king stood from his chair and approached the bed slowly. Adam was sleeping on his side, so he had easy access to his son's back. Carefully, so he wouldn't wake him, Randor reached for the invisible sword…