She was so sure they would stop him.

Sure, Adam was constantly late for meals, skipped his combat lessons, and occasionally slept through important diplomatic meetings, but she would have never imagined he would openly go against his father's wishes.

She watched as Marlena hugged Randor and whispered into his ears, trying to comfort him while tears were pouring down her own cheeks.

Teela felt like crying herself. She thought she knew Adam so well, but the last couple of days showed her she did not know the Prince of Eternia as well as she thought she did. She looked at her father and Cringer and then back down to Adam's parents. It seemed like no one really knew him as well as they thought they did. Adam had even said as much.

Adam's last words before walking through the portal to Etheria revealed so much to her:  he said he couldn't act his part right now. Earlier, he had stated that he would give anything for everyone to know the "real" Adam. She knew King Randor and Queen Marlena were upset about Adam's departure because they thought he was running from them, running from the pain. Teela, however, had come to different conclusions. "Right now, he's too emotional," she whispered aloud so her father could hear her but not the King and Queen. "He's acting and speaking before he thinks because he's so upset. He knew he had to get away and get himself under control, so he can once again put on his mask and hide from us."

=)=)=)

Duncan's jaw dropped as Adam ran through the portal. There was nothing he could do. He had thought the Royal Family could handle the situation on their own, but clearly, he had been mistaken. Of course, it wasn't for the lack of trying. He knew King Randor had given his best effort to make his son understand. He had been Randor's friend for a very long time:  he was a proud and stubborn man, and it's hard for a man like that to admit he made a mistake and done something wrong. Randor admitted he had made mistakes where Adam was concerned, and he even said he had been a terrible father. At that moment, Duncan had seen the pain in both their eyes. For that split second, he thought Adam was going to stop his father and begin the healing process…

Adam surprised him. His outburst was so unexpected…but he should have seen it coming, though. For weeks, Adam had been under insurmountable pressure. Skeletor and his followers were wearing He-Man thin both day and night. Adam rarely had a downtime to simply relax and actually get some sleep. Sure, he was able to get a little sleep after the orb incident at Castle Grayskull, but it didn't help much because he was out again in less than a twenty-four hour period protecting the Widgets…and him.

Man-at-Arms shook his head, because he didn't want to think about these events or the ones that followed. Nevertheless, flashes of a sleeping and exhausted He-Man at Castle Grayskull slipped into his thoughts even though he tried desperately to forget it. Then, he saw Evil Lyn and Skeletor shooting He-Man with numerous energy bolts at the WidgetCave, but the images didn't end there. He remembered Adam almost passing out at Randor's feet the next morning and actually throwing up in the hall. He then saw Adam's back covered in bruises as he stepped out of the shower that morning.

These were only a few incidents of many that Adam had endured recently. With all the physicality he had undergone and the emotional upheaval his parents were also putting him through, it was no wonder he was acting irrationally. Adam was having a breakdown, and Duncan chastised himself because he knew he should have seen it coming. Of course, if he were honest, he did see it coming, but he never thought it would get this bad.

Duncan watched Marlena and Randor cry together for their son. It was breaking his heart because he felt somewhat responsible. He should have found a way to alleviate some of the pressure off of Adam. He should have tried to get Teela off his back more often. He should have suggested to the king to have his guards take a more active role in protecting Grayskull and the villages instead of relying so heavily upon He-Man…DAMMIT, he should have found a better excuse for Adam when he returned to palace with him in his delirious and exhausted state. If he had done that, all of this might not have happened. He was just used to Adam handling his own excuses. Once again, another example of him taking Adam for granted.

Duncan shook his head and almost took a step towards his king and queen to try to offer them some kind of solace when he heard his daughter speak.

"Right now, he's too emotional. He's acting and speaking before he thinks because he's so upset. He knew he had to get away and get himself under control, so he can once again put on his mask and hide from us."

Going to the King and Queen were now far from his thoughts. He looked at Teela's face, and she slowly turned to look at him in his eyes.

"Father, all this time, I thought Adam was happy. I thought he was the most carefree and childlike person I'd ever met, but it's been a huge façade. The pain that Adam feels has obviously been building for so long that it's finally exploded. He said he couldn't pretend anymore. He said he couldn't play his part right now."

Duncan's eyes widened as tears slipped down Teela's cheeks.

"Father, I think I may have misjudged him. I think we all might have. When we were younger, Adam was so lively and involved. He changed…but why? I thought it was because he grew lazy…but now it seems like he wanted us to think that. It's like—I don't know—he wanted us to think he was happy even though he wasn't. He wanted us to think he was content with his life. But…my mind keeps going back to why! Why isn't Adam happy, Father? And, why is he hiding from us?" Teela bit her lip softly as even more tears fell. "Father, why is he hiding from me?"

=)=)=)

Something was definitely wrong. Adora saw her brother long before he saw her. She knew he had long since stepped out of the dimensional gate because it took her several minutes to reach Adam, and she was surprised at where and how she found him:  he was sitting on a log on the edge of the Whispering Woods with his back towards her. As she stepped closer, she noticed the constant upheaval of his chest and his soft sobs. It immediately tore at her heart.

"Oh, Adam!" she cried and threw arms around her brother from behind.

Almost immediately, Adam stood up, wiped his care-worn eyes, turned around, and smiled at his twin. He didn't even hear her coming. "Adora," he whispered and then sighed in relief. He stepped over the log and hugged her tightly. He thought about picking her up in a huge bear hug but thought better of it when the familiar burn reminded him of his recent maladies as he tried.

After what seemed like several minutes, Adora pulled back and used her hand to push some of Adam's stray hairs away from his face. She peered into his eyes and just when she was about to question him on why he had come or what was wrong, Adam pulled away and faced the Whispering Woods.

"I hope you don't mind my surprise visit, Adora," he said quickly. He cringed as he heard his own voice; he hoped it sounded cheerful instead of so forced to her.

Adora rubbed Adam's back with one of her hands as she came to stand beside him. "Of course, I don't mind," she answered. "The only thing I do mind is that there is obviously something dreadfully wrong and you don't want to tell me about it."

Adam immediately closed his eyes briefly and smiled despite himself. When he reopened his eyes, he glanced at his twin sister. "I should have known I couldn't hide anything from you," he whispered. "I'm not even sure why I wanted to. For days, I've wanted to come here to talk to you…"

"Then, talk," said Adora abruptly. She walked over to Spirit, climbed on top of him, and offered him her hand. "Only, let's do it at camp where it's safe. There's no telling when or where the Horde will show up."

Adam nodded and also climbed onto Spirit.

=)=)=)

As Adora and Adam rode through the Whispering Woods, Adam asked how the Great Rebellion was doing and how their fight against the Horde was going. Adora convinced him everything was going well, despite the fact that Hordak still had a firm control over the planet.

When they reached the camp, Adam noticed that The Great Rebellion looked larger than it was the last time he had visited. There were more tents, and numerous people were walking around happily, enjoying their rustic livings, while sharpening their swords and axes or making arrows. Adam couldn't help but smile at how almost everyone greeted Adora by saying hello or smiling.

"Aren't you the popular one?" he whispered in her ear before he heard a familiar voice.

"ADAM!"

Immediately, Adam looked off to his left and saw a flash of purple and pink running towards them. He climbed off the horse and turned around to face the greeter. He was  surprised to find himself in none other than Glimmer's arms.

She gave him a tight squeeze and then quickly pulled away. She seemed a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Adam," she said dreamily. "It's just that you haven't visited in a while, and well…I…we missed you."

Adam looked back at his sister who climbed off of Spirit and gave him a smirk. "And, what were you saying about me being popular?"

Adam could feel his skin turn a deep shade of red. He had always suspected Glimmer had a crush on him. He began to wonder when he had first met her and she seemed so happy to see that he had accompanied Bow into her tent. He remembered her "oh" as she turned and saw him for the first time. He smiled then, and he couldn't help but smile now. Glimmer was no Teela, but he had to admit he was always flattered by the small and favorable attention she gave him during every visit. It was quite refreshing to all the verbal lashings and insults he received from the former.

Adam gently pulled Glimmer's hand up to his lips and kissed it, uncharacteristically. Glimmer's eyes widened and her lips formed an "o." As he released her hand, he smiled and said, "Yes, I do realize I should visit more often. I've missed a lot of people here, as well."

As Glimmer smiled at Adam again, Adora slipped her arm through her brother's and looked at him curiously before facing Glimmer. "Adam and I are going to my tent. We have to discuss some family matters privately."

Glimmer nodded and replied, "Of course, Adora. I'll see you both later."

Adam waved good-bye as Adora practically tried to rip his arm off by pulling him in the opposite direction. As they entered an off-white tent in the center of camp, Adora quickly turned and faced her brother.

"Okay, brother dear," she said slowly, "what was that?"

Adam stopped walking and asked, "What was what?"

She shook her head and stated, "Flirting with Glimmer like that. You're lucky she isn't dragging you to Queen Angella, asking her to make a formal engagement announcement."

"Oh, that," he answered, shrugging. "I don't know." He sat down in a nearby chair and said, "I guess I liked the positive attention for once." As he said this, he didn't meet Adora's eyes. Instead, he looked around the tent as if intent on etching every surface of it into memory.

Adora heard something in her brother's voice that she didn't instantly recognize. He sounded gloomy, longing, and angry all at once. She never heard him sound like that before. She kneeled in front of him and placed a hand on his knee.

"Adam," she said softly, "what's wrong? I'm glad you decided to visit. You know I cherish every time my big brother comes, but I know something isn't right. I could sense your melancholy as soon as I saw you, and nothing you have done has shown me you feel otherwise. What's going on?"

Adam stared at Adora for several seconds before he sighed and then brought both his hands up to rub his eyes and face. The actions made him seem more exhausted and vulnerable than he was before. He met Adora's eyes once more, and she saw the pain in them before he uttered a word.

"What if I told you…" he paused looking for the right words, "that I can't do this anymore?"

Adora gripped her brother's hand and whispered fearfully, "Can't do what anymore?"

Adam looked down as tears rushed to his eyes. He didn't want her to see them. "I can't live like this anymore, Adora. Every day it just gets harder and harder. This duel life that I've been living is costing Prince Adam more and more everyday. I don't know how you do it, sis. I've lost Father's respect, as well as the people's. Mother has been scheming behind my back, hoping I'd crack and tell everyone my secret. There's no hope in Teela ever seeing me as anything but the lazy and childish Prince of Eternia, and I want her to see so much more, sis. And, of course, Skeletor is running me ragged…"

Adora brushed her index finger under Adam's chin and applied a little pressure to make his eyes meet hers. "Why do I have the feeling your pain is worse than it sounds?"

Adam smiled and sobbed instantaneously. "It is," he whispered. "I knew you'd understand."

Adora frowned and whispered back, "But I don't understand, Adam. Mother and Father love you. I also know Father respects you. The way he looked at you when you brought me home proved that…and Mother wouldn't betray you. You have to be reading the situations wrong."

Adam looked at Adora as if he had been slapped. He stood up abruptly and backed away from her.

"Adam," Adora said fearfully, also getting to her feet.

"I was so sure," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear him.

"Adam," she repeated, walking to him. "Help me understand. Tell me what happened. We can work this out and come to understand it together."

Adam turned his back on Adora and squeezed his eyes shut. As he did this, he felt his exhaustion creeping up on him again. He had been trying not to acknowledge it for days, but it just wasn't relenting. He reopened his eyes to try to keep himself from falling asleep standing up and discovered the room was spinning. Heat seemed to overwhelm his body, and he remembered what happened the last time he felt like this. Before he could get back to the chair he had left earlier, Adam fell to the ground and pumped his head hard.

Even though he saw black, he heard Adora call his name and felt her rush to his side.

=)=)=)

The ride back to the palace was spent in silence except for the one occasion where King Randor considered going after Adam and bringing him home from Etheria. Man-at-Arms talked him out of this, stating Adam would come home when he was ready.

Teela bit her lip and thought about her part in Adam's decision to leave. Even though she knew her suspicions were correct, that Adam was hiding from them and using his trip to Etheria as time for him to calm down and heal from the emotional wounds that were now bleeding to the surface, she also knew he was running from his parents and her. They hadn't really given him a choice either. She thought about how she treated him for the last few years. She was constantly in his face about everything. She never took the time to simply spend time with him or tell him how much he meant to her. She attacked him and accused him of things she truly knew deep inside that he wasn't capable of. She knew his parents were guilty of the same thing. Adam had been scaring them recently, but their treatment of him was going on for far longer.

"Why have I never noticed all of this before?" she questioned herself.

As the AttakTrak came to a stop and all its other occupants vacated the vehicle silently, Teela sat there and thought about everything that had occurred since her father had brought the nearly unconscious prince back from Castle Grayskull.

As a few tears slipped down her cheeks, Teela heard what sounded like a loud explosion. She immediately jumped out of the AttakTrak in time to see Beastman flying in the air on the back of a Shreaker. She followed Beastman's progress back to an area where a tower should stand. Suddenly, she gasped as she noticed the rubble and stones on the ground. Fear for the King, Queen, and her father suddenly washed over her as a large orange monster she had never seen before climbed over the debris and blocked her from the entrance leading to the throneroom.

Teela grabbed her staff from the AttakTrak. She knew it wouldn't faze the monster before her, but it was better than nothing.

"I hope He-Man will be here, soon," thought Teela to herself as Skeletor's cheerful laugh filled her ears.