Teela watched the Windraider until she could no longer see it in the distance. She was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread—she was afraid Adam would get hurt or worse…that he wouldn't find his way back. Despite his brave front, she knew he might be captured or even killed. She wouldn't be able to go on if the latter happened, so she knew what she had to do. Abruptly, Teela turned and ran to the throne room. As she sprinted inside, Adora, Marlena, and Cringer rushed to her side immediately.

Adora asked, "Where's Adam? I thought you were going to see what was taking him and Man-at-Arms so long."

At that moment, Duncan walked into the room and looked around as everyone else looked at the door waiting for Adam to walk in. When it became obvious he wasn't there, they asked simultaneously, "Where's Adam?"

Teela gripped Adora's shoulder comfortingly and answered, "He already left for Snake Mountain. He said he thought it would be easier that way for everyone."

Just as Adora started to complain, Teela shook her head quickly and said, "Instead of fussing, just turn into She-Ra and let's go!"

"What?" everyone asked clearly shocked.

Teela smirked. "Yes, Adam told us to stay here and he even told me to make sure you stayed, but he must have forgotten who he was talking to! I have no intention of letting him go through this alone! I am still Adam's bodyguard—he's not going as He-Man."

Adora smiled and laughed as she hugged the captain. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," she stated with relief evident in her voice. She then moved away from everyone, pulled out a sword from her back that seemingly came from nowhere, and said, "For the Honor of Grayskull…"

Marlena and Teela stood in shock as they watched the transformation occur. By the time, Adora stated, "I am She-Ra!" the air had been driven from their bodies. It took them a few moments to say something.

"Wow!" gasped Teela. "That was…that was something!"

Marlena nodded and agreed, "Yes, it was, and I have no doubt Adam's transformation is just as impressive."

She-Ra smiled and said, "Even more so! I'm in awe every time I see it. His is a little more…violent than mine with lightning. It's hard to explain. You'll just have to see it."

Instead of waiting for anyone to respond, She-Ra turned her attention to Man-at-Arms and inquired, "Do you plan on coming with us?"

Duncan didn't hesitate. "Normally, I would say no and stop you. I usually follow Adam's wishes in these matters, but I have a bad feeling about his going alone. Yes, I'm joining you."

Orko suddenly appeared in the room and exclaimed, "I want to go, too!"

=)=)=)

It didn't make sense—it really didn't.

King Randor watched his son as he sat on the floor against the wall. Adam had his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin was resting on his knees. To some, it might have looked like a protective posture but Randor could tell he was merely thinking. The prince was moving his eyes constantly, studying every portion of their cell as well as the outer room. It looked like he was planning an escape…and that's what didn't make any sense whatsoever.

Adam was the one who ran from trouble. For so many years, he believed his son didn't have any backbone at all, but recent events had proven that notion wrong. For two years he had told everyone close to him that he wished Adam was more of a prince. He certainly had been everything the king had wished for and more recently: the boy stood up to him when he never had before, he stood face-to-face with Skeletor and didn't even flinch, he had fought Beastman for Teela's safe return and won, and he had come to Snake Mountain alone to trade himself for his father's release despite knowing that it was probably a trap. These actions certainly didn't fit with the image he had of Adam for the past two years.

And, he found that troubling. He knew as sure as he was king that Adam hadn't changed overnight or even within the week. Bravery of this kind didn't simply appear from nowhere. No. Adam must have had this attribute for a long time…and Randor was ashamed. He was ashamed that he hadn't noticed. Marlena, and even Duncan, was always lenient with Adam—he had thought they made excuses for him. He wondered now if they had seen something in Adam that he had completely missed or simply disregarded.

Regardless, a father should know his son better than he obviously knew Adam. And, at that notion, he thought back to his morning at Castle Grayskull. The Sorceress had shown him many things from the past, but the most vivid was her message: in the past, he had noticed how truly remarkable and special his son really was and that had changed.

Randor couldn't help but ask himself why. He honestly didn't know. He tried to pinpoint a time when their relationship had gotten so off track. While sitting in the cell alone before Adam had shown up, he had contemplated this question and forced himself to find an answer: it was a little after his eighteenth birthday—his thoughts always came back to that time. Adam and he had drifted apart. Looking back, he had to question why, and he surely didn't know quite how it had happened. One moment Adam was by his side, learning everything he could about the kingdom and then his son had started missing things.

It had started off small. He had shown up late to a couple of meetings and court. At the time, he had thought Adam wanted a break, so he merely commented on the lateness but didn't really reproach him for it. But things escalated: soon Adam was missing meetings entirely, leaving during moments when the palace or his friends were being attacked, and he no longer seemed interested in the kingdom. The boy could never be found except when he was in the presence of Man-at-Arms and how that had happened…

Randor paused. "How had that happened?" he asked himself silently as he wrinkled his brow. Duncan and Adam had always been close, but they had definitely grown a lot closer over the last two years. In retrospect, he realized how odd that was: Adam had taken a step back from a lot of close relationships, but the one he had shared with Duncan strengthened. It strengthened so much in fact that he could argue that Adam and Duncan were best friends instead of Duncan and himself. That definitely didn't make sense since Duncan was very big on responsibility and had never shown any hesitation in punishing Adam or pointing out his failings as the boy grew up. He wouldn't have put up with the boy's foolishness. So, what had happened?

He knew the answer—he knew he had already discovered the answer to that recently. If there was anyone in that palace who knew exactly what was going on with Adam, it was Man-at-Arms. It seemed like many people now knew Adam's secret, but Randor had a feeling Duncan knew from the beginning. After all, the Sorceress did admit Duncan was the only one she had ever told. Surely, she had told him when all of this started.

"And, it started when he turned eighteen," he said aloud.

=)=)=)

Adam looked over at his father startled as he heard the king's words. He could only assume the words were about him since they were so accurate. Quickly, he debated with himself if he should say anything or just ignore the moment so no interrogation would occur, but he realized he couldn't let the moment pass by. It was the perfect opportunity to bring up what had happened the night before. "What's that, Father?" he asked loudly to interrupt the king's thoughts.

Now it was Randor's turn to look startled. The king jumped a little before he turned to look at his son.

Adam cleared his throat a little and repeated his question.

Randor immediately met his eyes with his own. "I've been thinking about everything that's happened recently," he admitted.

Adam immediately got up from his spot on the floor and wobbly made his way over to his father.

The king quickly stood and grabbed his shoulder. "What's wrong?" He sounded a little frantic.

Adam smiled and laughed a little. He used his father's hand to help himself sit down slowly. Soon Randor joined him, sitting right beside him, and waited expectantly.

The prince sighed as he looked at his father—he knew the king wouldn't discuss anything else now so he might as well address it. "You know I still have a concussion, Father," he answered. At Randor's widened eyes, he continued hurriedly, "Don't worry. The dizziness only happens periodically. I'm okay."

The king seemed to study Adam for several long moments before he replied, "I'm surprised you're not worse off. Concussions take time to heal and yet you're getting along better than I had anticipated, especially since you felt well enough to come to Snake Mountain."

The prince looked down at the ground. Injuries never stayed with him long, even those that he had gotten as Adam, as he had discussed with Man-at-Arms and Adora recently—actually changing into He-Man quickened it even moreso. He supposed that was one of the perks about carrying the Power Sword. And, it was a testament to how ruthless Skeletor had been recently. Old bonehead had managed to hurt and tire both Adam and He-Man for a longer time period than normal. He shrugged at his father and said, "I'm just lucky, I guess."

Adam could tell the king didn't believe that for one second, and in a moment of habit, he almost worried about it. He had spent many years worrying about his father finding out his secret. Usually at a moment like this when his father was skeptical of something he had told him or questioning something concerning He-Man, he would do anything he could to throw the king off his course of thought. He'd talk of nonsense, stumble on something, or run into a table…anything. But he didn't do that now. He smiled as he realized again that he wanted his father to find out. The Sorceress said he couldn't tell him his secret, but she never added on the stipulation that he had to stop him.

He stared at his father with hopeful eyes and the king gasped.

=)=)=)

Adam wanted him to figure it out—he could tell! Why else would Adam have such an expression of intense hope in this situation? He clearly wasn't relying on his father to find a way to get them out of there.

He hoped he wouldn't let his son down. He had done enough of that recently, and he honestly felt like he was on the verge of figuring it out. He didn't have an inkling as to what it could be at this moment, but obviously Adam thought he was going in the right direction! He smiled at his son and wrapped an arm around his shoulder pulling him closer. "I'm proud of you," whispered Randor. "You know that, right?"

Adam faced forward and glanced at him a couple of times through his peripheral vision. He began tapping his fingers nervously.

It was another sign of his own wrongdoings that Randor felt ashamed about: his son obviously didn't take compliments of this kind well…and he knew it was because he so rarely received them. His adult life had been spent being ridiculed by his father and king. Adam's oral response to his words was so soft that he almost missed it.

"Why?" he questioned.

"For so many things," he said firmly. "I'm proud that you finally stood up to me when I was badmouthing your character."

When Adam opened his mouth to deny the king's words, he interjected, "I was badmouthing you, Adam, so don't try to say I wasn't. I accused you of some horrible things that obviously weren't true."

"It wasn't your fault," stated Adam confidently, but Randor ignored him.

"I'm proud that you stood up to the Sorceress when you wanted to tell me your secret. I know you gave in to her wishes eventually, but I have no doubt it was because you believed it was the right thing to do. I'm also proud that you held your ground against Skeletor and fought Beastman to protect Teela."

At Adam's shocked expression, he clarified, "I'm not saying I liked it and that I want you to do it again—I don't—but I understand and I'm proud of you for doing it." The king continued, "Just like I'm proud you came here to protect me…even if it wasn't your smartest decision ever." The king immediately grinned, and Adam laughed loudly.

"You just had to throw a criticism in there, didn't you?" he asked in false anger.

Randor continued to grin and said, "Well, I wanted to make sure you knew it was me saying the words and not some entity that entered my body who thought you deserved to hear more praise from your father."

At that, Adam grew silent. "You weren't a bad father," he whispered eventually, "so stop talking like you were."

Randor's smile immediately faded and replied solemnly, "I clearly wasn't a good one."

Adam shook his head emphatically, which made him wince a little. "Yes, you were!" he cried, ignoring that the room was spinning slightly. "You are! I know we butted heads recently, but…I am the man I am today because of you! You taught me how to be a man of worth. I've learned so many things about life from you…the way you treat your people, your friends, and Mother. You are everything I want to emulate. I can only hope that I will one day live up to your example."

Randor drew his son close again and said comfortingly, "You already do. I only hope that one day you will forgive me for taking so long to notice."

"And, I hope you forgive me for keeping secrets from you."

"It's not your fault," the king said, shaking his head slightly. "I know the Sorceress forbade you from telling anyone."

Adam nodded slightly and looked down at the floor. This was the opening he was looking for. "You're not angry at Mother, are you? Yes, she knows my secret, but she never confirmed her suspicions until recently. She…she wanted you to know. That's why she made such a big deal about my disappearing. She wanted you to notice my comings and goings so you could figure it out. She knew it wasn't her place to tell you."

Suddenly, Adam looked around and began to laugh almost hysterically.

"What is it?" questioned Randor, looking at Adam as if he had lost his mind.

Adam continued to shake his head as he wiped a few tears from his eyes. "What a place for me to have this conversation! Snake Mountain! You really have no idea how ironic this is, truly!"

Randor looked around and said, "I suppose it is, but at least we're not discussing anything that vital to the protection of Eternia. THEN, this would be a terrible place to have the conversation."

Adam immediately looked away from the king, and Randor furrowed his brow in question. "Adam?"

The prince shook his head, straightened his shoulders, and commanded firmly, "Just tell me you're not mad at Mother."

Shocked at the sudden change in his son's demeanor, he replied, "Of course, I'm not mad at your mother. I was more upset than I was angry when I walked out last night. It hurt that I was the only person who didn't know, but I know it's my own fault. I know everyone besides Duncan figured it out on their own."

At Adam's questioning gaze, he said, "I spent the morning at Castle Grayskull talking with the Sorceress."

"How did that happen?" asked Adam, surprised at the news.

"I went there to speak with her."

"And, she just volunteered that information?"

"Yes, among other things."

"What other things?"

"Just moments of the past," he answered. "Things I had forgotten and needed reminding of again." He smiled at Adam as he thought about the confident ten-year-old who had stood up to Prime Minister Pangus and told him he should let his prisoner go.

=)=)=)

They had a full Windraider. She-Ra and Teela sat in the front seat, and Man-at-Arms, Orko, and Cringer sat in the backseat. Teela questioned whether she really should have brought so many, but how could she deny them when she wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place? The only individual who might have actually wanted to stay behind was Cringer, but for once he had put a brave face forward and hadn't even complained when her father beckoned him to join them.

The silence was almost unbearable, but she knew everyone was consumed with thoughts of Adam. They were all worried, and she was shocked to find herself quaking with the thought of someone hurting him. She had never liked the possibility, but now that she knew it was possible and would continue to be possible everyday, she wanted to grab him, run to a secluded island, and protect him forever. But he was Eternia's champion as well as the Crown Prince. It wouldn't be possible and it was an irrational desire anyway.

As they entered the Dark Hemisphere, Teela began searching for a place to land. They had already decided that they would not fly directly to Snake Mountain. A Windraider would be easy to spot and they did not want to take the chance of Skeletor hurting Adam or the king if he was still there. Skeletor had promised to dispose of the king if he saw She-Ra. She looked over at Adam's twin and hoped she made the right decision to ask Adora to change. It had seemed like the better option at the time but now she was having doubts.

"Should Adora be She-Ra given Skeletor's threat?" she questioned. She cringed when she realized she had spoken aloud. When She-Ra turned to her, she hurriedly explained, "I know I'm the one who told you to transform or whatever you do, but I can't help but worry."

"We don't plan on letting Skeletor know we're coming," replied She-Ra.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean he won't see us coming," countered Teela. "Do not underestimate Skeletor. You don't know him like the rest of us do, but just for a frame of reference, I do recall Adam telling me about numerous stories where Skeletor and Hordak fought one another in front of He-Man and She-Ra…Skeletor won every single time. He knows what he's doing, unfortunately."

=)=)=)

She-Ra was surprised at Teela's words. She had never thought about Hordak's battles with Skeletor before, but she realized Teela was right! Skeletor had always managed to one-up Hordak every single time they had a run-in. She-Ra laughed a little at the thought of offering Skeletor a spot in the Rebellion to help defeat his old mentor. Of course, she would never really do that. Besides, she would never forgive Skeletor for his recent acts against her brother and father. He had gone too far this time.

"What do you think, Man-at-Arms?" She-Ra asked Duncan, forcing her current thoughts away. She would deal with that at another time. "Should I be She-Ra or Adora?"

Man-at-Arms thought for several long moments before he answered, "If Skeletor plans on hurting Adam or Randor, he'll do it whether She-Ra shows up or not. I truly believe that."

"So She-Ra it is," said She-Ra. She looked over at Teela and whispered, "Don't worry, Teela, we'll make sure Adam gets out of there safe and sound. I promise."

It was odd to find herself comforting Teela when Adam was her brother, but she quickly realized the captain was becoming the most important woman in Adam's life. They meant a lot to one another and She-Ra couldn't help the frown that covered her face. She would never step between Adam and Teela, but she was a little jealous. Teela had already shared a childhood with Adam that she should have had with him, and now that she had finally gotten to know Adam and was able to build a close relationship with him, Teela was already pulling him away. It was a different kind of love, she knew. Adora was Adam's twin and Teela could never take that away from her…but she also knew Teela had filled the role of sister when they were younger before their feelings had evolved into something else. For the millionth time since she met Adam, she wished Hordak had never kidnapped her and that she had grown up beside Adam on Eternia.

=)=)=)

Adam and Randor still sat beside one another in the cell except now they had plates of food in front of them. Neither had touched anything. He knew part of the reason was because they were questioning whether they could trust to eat and drink anything from Skeletor, but in his case, he knew it was also because he was thinking about their earlier conversation.

He knew what was bothering him: their conversation had ended when he had made the comment that their discussion would only have been inappropriate if it dealt with the defense of Eternia. Adam had looked away and briskly went back to the earlier topic concerning his mother.

Randor looked at Adam as he contemplated what that meant. It was now brutally clear that whatever Adam's secret was, it did deal with Eternia's defense and that it was something huge. Guilt immediately rose in the king's chest. Once again he remembered his past belief that Adam hadn't cared about protecting Eternia. He obviously did. Adam was and had been doing something to protect Eternia, but the question was when and how.

As he continued to stare at Adam, another question arose in his mind and he knew it was the right one to answer. It was one he had been asking himself and Adam constantly recently, but he never thought the answer would be anything like this. Adam hadn't answered it any of the times he had asked it earlier and he knew his son wouldn't, because it would give him all the answers he wanted. He knew he would have to figure it out on his own, but at least he knew where to begin now. He knew when to pay attention and what to look for.

Where did Adam go and what did he do when he disappeared in moments of danger?