Slowly, trying not to make a sound, Randor reached his hand across Adam's body toward his upper back. Oddly, the king found himself a little apprehensive—he had seen She-Ra pull a sword out of thin air behind Adam's back and part of him hoped it was a one-time occurrence, that it was somehow linked to the presence of the Sorceress and the Spirit of Grayskull. He wanted to believe that Adam didn't carry around a magical, invisible sword…why would he? He didn't want to believe it, because its presence would verify that Adam was handling things Randor was completely unaware of and putting himself in harm's way. A sword could mean nothing else, after all, and it fit so well with what he had already discovered: he now knew for a fact that his son protected the kingdom in a way that was not readily obvious. If he had this sword, he was willing to bet it had something to do with that task. What he didn't understand was why an invisible sword would be better than a regular sword? Well, besides that the enemy wouldn't know he had it until he pulled it out.

The thought made Randor pause and his hand hung in midair over Adam's body. If Adam had this sword, why hadn't he pulled it out at Snake Mountain? They could have fought their way out of there…but maybe that was too big of a risk. It would have been Adam with a sword against Skeletor's large ensemble. The odds wouldn't have been in their favor. And, that was assuming Adam did actually have access to the sword.

Resuming his efforts, he slowly finished the distance to Adam's back and then moved his hand horizontally with his son's shoulders to see if he would touch anything. The king held his breath and jumped slightly when he lightly brushed a cool, metal object before snatching his hand away with a gasp. It was there. He moved to touch the un-seeable object again—this time he was determined to grab it…but he cried out in surprise when he heard Adam's voice.

"What are you doing, Father?"

Randor peered at his son's face through the darkness of the room and saw total awareness in his eyes. Adam watched him curiously, with no emotion, as he pulled back a little and dropped his hand to his side. "I was verifying something I thought I saw," he whispered.

Adam turned onto his back slowly and looked behind him. "What did you think you saw?"

"I didn't see it just now," the king replied; "I saw it at the battlefield." Their eyes met again and he continued, "But before we get into that, how are you feeling, son? You seem more lucid now than you did earlier."

Adam sat up and pressed his back against the headboard. He looked out the window and noticed that it was nighttime. "I'm okay—I'm still a little tired, but I actually feel better than I have in days. My headache's gone and I'm no longer dizzy." He smiled at his father. "Maybe things are finally getting back to normal now."

Randor sat down in his chair and whispered, "I doubt that seriously." At Adam's questioning stare, he asked, "Son, do you remember what happened at Snake Mountain?"

The prince nodded a little in reply. "I think I do. The last thing I remember is running to protect you from Skeletor—I think I made it. It's kind of hazy, but I believe I fell into you at the last second."

Tears slipped down the king's cheeks slowly. "Yes, you did reach me in time," he whispered, barely audible.

Adam stared at his father in complete confusion. "Then, what—what's wrong?" He gestured around the room. "Obviously, everything worked out. She-Ra must have saved the day, as usual!"

Randor stood up and walked away to stare out the nearby window. He had to get control of himself if he was going to have this conversation or he would end up breaking down and crying like a baby. He wiped his eyes slowly, hoping Adam didn't notice, and took long, cleansing breaths.

"Father?" Adam questioned, worriedly. When the king still didn't respond, he called out again, "Dad?"

The king was surprised at the power of that word—he had never realized it when Adam had been a boy, but he was acutely aware of it now. Perhaps, it had gotten its strength because they were older and their relationship had changed over the years, but when Adam called him "Dad" now, he knew he'd do anything his son asked of him.

With tears still slipping down his cheeks periodically, Randor made his way back to his chair beside Adam's bed before he had fully pulled himself together. Looking down at his hands for a moment and then searching his son's face for some courage—he now knew the young man had an abundance of it to share—he whispered, "You died."

"What?" gasped Adam.

Randor nodded and said, "You died, son. At least I think you did. It took She-Ra, the Sorceress, and the Spirit of Grayskull to bring you back, and even they had Teela and Orko chanting to help them."

Adam looked down at the bedspread for a moment before meeting his father's eyes again. "Chanting? Chanting what?"

Randor thought for a mere second and said, "It was something like, 'For the honor of Grayskull.' She-Ra had tried to heal you on her own, but it hadn't worked. The Sorceress, Teela, Orko, and She-Ra had tried multiple times and had just about given up…" A sob escaped the king, but he pulled it back and breathed deeply, "…when the Spirit of Grayskull showed up. If he hadn't…" He shook his head.

Quickly, Adam threw the covers off his body and sprang to the side of his bed. He reached out and grabbed the king's hand. "I'm fine, Dad!" He squeezed his hand tightly before standing and holding his hands out before him as if he were putting himself on display. "I'm not dead or hurt!"

"I know," he stated; "It's just that I keep replaying those moments in my mind over and over again, especially when you fell into me and Skeletor had hit you with that bolt. I knew as I looked into your eyes that you were dying…and there wasn't anything I could do to help you. When Skeletor stood over you and almost…" He broke off. He realized he didn't want to give Adam too many details of his almost death. "Thank the Elders for Cringer."

"Cringer?" asked Adam, who suddenly looked around the room frantically. "Where's Cringer?"

"He's with Adora."

Adam settled down and sat back onto his bed. "What did Cringer do that he deserves such praise?"

"He stopped Skeletor from blasting you with another bolt from his Havoc Staff. He had its head a mere two inches from yours. Cringer roared like Battlecat and charged at him, which gratefully distracted him, and then a falcon grabbed the staff. We later saw that the falcon was the Sorceress."

Adam let out a shaky breath when he realized just how close he had come to death. He knew at the time that was likely to occur, but to survive it and hear about it made the whole thing sound like an unbearable nightmare. Luckily, it had a happy ending.

Randor and Adam sat there in silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to say to the other. Finally, Adam leaned back in bed against his pillows and asked, "So, you never did tell me what you thought you saw at the battlefield."

Randor had a feeling his son was going to regret bringing that discussion back up. Truthfully, he had been contemplating a way to do so and to ask him if he had the sword with him. Swallowing air that seemed to be stuck in his throat, he replied, "When you di—when they saved you, She-Ra pulled a sword from your back. It had been invisible until she had touched it."

Adam widened his eyes and guessed the rest of the story, "And, when I woke up, you were trying to see if you could touch and pull it from my back."

Randor nodded and waited for Adam to give an answer to that curiosity. When it became obvious he wasn't going to say anything, he asked, "Well, can I? Is it really there?"

Adam merely shrugged. He didn't confirm or deny anything.

So, the king stood and then sat on the edge of the bed. He reached a hand out and touched his son's shoulder. Adam watched him curiously as Randor clutched him firmly and pulled him forward slightly. Their eyes met as both breathed deeply. Then, the father reached out and grabbed something in thin air behind Adam's neck.

The prince knew Randor had grabbed it—he held his breath as he felt it being pulling away from his body. He watched in awe as his father stood and pulled the Sword of Power from his back completely.

Randor immediately stumbled back and sat down in his chair unthinkingly. He studied the sword and brought it close to his face so he could examine it. It looked familiar—he was sure he had seen Adam with it before, but it was familiar for another reason as well, but he wasn't quite sure why. He looked at Adam who was staring at him, and even though he already knew the answer, he asked, "Did you know this was there?"

Adam nodded and whispered, "Of course."

Randor ran his fingers over the sharp blade lightly and asked, "Have you used it often?"

He wasn't going to lie. "Almost daily," he answered; "Sometimes more."

"When did you get it?"

Adam knew he wasn't going to like the answer. "On my eighteenth birthday. Man-at-Arms took me to Castle Grayskull. I guess you could say it was a gift from the Sorceress."

"A gift?" spat Randor. He thought about how Adam had changed since his eighteenth birthday and all the problems that had occurred because of his conduct over the years and especially recently. "It seems more like a burden to me."

Adam sobbed a little. "You don't even know the secret," he cried, "but you are the first person who has verbalized that truth!"

Randor shot out of his chair and sat beside Adam. He pulled him into his arms and hugged him. "What does it do?" he asked softly.

Adam shook his head and Randor pulled back.

"I know it has to do something besides hide itself when it's not being used."

It was on the tip of Adam's tongue to tell him that he couldn't divulge that secret, but he decided to be a little more forthcoming than that. "It allows me to fulfill my destiny." He then laughed at himself and asked, "Doesn't that sound melodramatic?"

"No," the king replied, "because it's the truth. I have no doubt about that."

Randor laid the sword across his lap and stared at it for a while. Suddenly feeling the need to lighten things and knowing that they should get more sleep, he handed the sword back to Adam, watched as his son slipped it behind his back, and murmured, "That's some weapon." The king then smiled warmly and asked laughingly, "I know it's probably impossible but if I make random guesses as to what it does, will you tell me if I guess correctly?"

Adam knew he was trying to make a joke but answered seriously, "Yes, Father, I will."

=)=)=)

The next morning, Adora and Marlena walked into Adam's bedchambers to find father and son already up. As they walked into the room, Randor stated with a bright smile, "It guarantees that you'll win every battle if you use it!"

Adam laughed, enjoying the game they had found themselves immersed in for about an hour after waking. Some of his father's guesses were intentionally hilarious, but this one actually made sense. "No," he answered.

"Ancients, I thought for sure I would be right with that one! I had been saving it!" exclaimed Randor.

Adam's grin widened and replied, "It was a good guess but no dice."

Adora crossed the room and sat on the bed beside Adam as Marlena took the chair beside her husband.

"What's going on in here?" the queen asked.

Adam smiled at Adora and answered, "Father's guessing what my sword does."

Immediately, Adora gasped.

Adam shrugged and explained, "Father noticed that She-Ra had pulled it from my back after the battle at Snake Mountain. That cat was pretty much out of the bag, so there was no use denying I had it."

Adora nodded as she turned to her father. "How long have you been guessing?"

"Since we woke up," the king answered. He looked determinedly at his son and said, "And, I will figure it out. Trust me."

Adam smiled and said genuinely, "I hope you do, Father." He sighed for a moment and complained, "I just don't understand why I can't go ahead and tell you. You already know this much!"

As Adora and Adam sat there, they felt someone reaching out to them.

"Sorceress?" they both questioned internally.

"Good morning, Adam, Adora," the Sorceress greeted. "Adam, I am so pleased that you are awake and feeling better."

"So am I," the prince agreed. "So, tell me, is there something wrong? Has Skeletor attacked Grayskull?"

"No, everything is fine, now. I just overheard what you were wondering."

Adora guessed, "And, you're going to tell us why we still can't tell Father our secrets."

They knew the Sorceress nodded even though they couldn't see her. "Despite all of the things the king now knows, he will still not be happy when he learns your secrets, especially now that Adam has had such a close brush with death. If he is to know, he has to figure it out himself. That way, it won't be such a big surprise and make him act irrationally. If he puts it together himself, he will have seen the positive side of things and it just might prevent a lot of battles you might have had to face with your father, otherwise."

Adam glanced at his father who was staring at him and replied, "I think there is going to be fallout, regardless."

"There will be," the Sorceress agreed, "but we can try to soften it as much as possible, can't we? We must allow him the time to prepare himself for this knowledge."

Adam nodded as he felt the Sorceress leave their thoughts.

=)=)=)

King Randor watched his children and didn't utter a word until he saw them move again. He glanced at Marlena briefly before inquiring, "The Sorceress just contacted you, didn't she?"

Adam gawked at his father a little, and the king chuckled.

"I have learned to recognize the signs thanks to Man-at-Arms. He always gets incredibly still and stares off into the distance like you were just doing. It's kind of…unsettling, actually."

"Yes, she did," Adam replied to his father's original comment. "She…I suppose she wanted to make sure we weren't going to tell you."

Randor grimaced and stated strongly, "The Ancients know I'm trying to be understanding of that woman and her actions, but sometimes I feel she's a little too involved in our lives. It seems like every huge moment—good or bad—she's been involved in some way."

"It's not her fault, Father," Adam insisted; "She's the guardian of Castle Grayskull. She has a responsibility that she has never tried to shirk. I'm grateful."

"I just wish I knew what that castle has to do with you," he spat, momentarily angry. Then, he breathed deeply to calm himself. "Sorry, like I said, I'm trying to be understanding."

"And, you're doing an admirable job, now, dear," interjected Queen Marlena.

As Marlena kissed Randor briefly, Adam slipped out of bed and said, "Well, I'm going to take a shower and get ready for breakfast. It feels like years since I've made an appearance. It's time I got back into the swing of things."

Marlena rose and said, "Are you sure it's time? Everyone would understand if you took another day to relax and rest up. You just got home and…"

Adam walked over to his mother and hugged her. "I'm fine, Mother. Taking a shower and walking to the dining room won't kill me. Besides, like I told Father, I feel better now than I have in days." He glanced to Adora, winked at her, and said, "I guess whatever She-Ra and the Sorceress did to heal me did a thorough job."

Adora grinned a little as Adam walked to his closet. When she turned back to her parents, she was a little surprised to find her father frowning. "What is it, Father?"

At that question, Adam turned back and also looked at him.

"Huh?" Randor asked and then exclaimed, "Oh! It's nothing! I was just thinking about She-Ra."

"What about She-Ra?" Marlena asked her husband before glancing at Adora.

He shrugged, looked up at Adam, and said, "I don't know if this is the appropriate time to bring this up, son, but I think she's in love with you."

Adam raised his brow and asked, "Who is in love with me? Teela?"

Randor nodded and said, "Well, I think Teela is in love with you, too, but I was referring to She-Ra."

Adam widened his eyes and glanced at Adora, who gasped at her father. "What in the world gave you that idea?" she cried.

"You didn't see her yesterday after the battle. The way she held Adam and looked at him…" he replied as he shook his head. "It's obvious she has strong feelings for him."

Adora and Adam turned to one another and then began to laugh loudly.

Randor knitted his brow and said, "I hardly find this situation funny. We owe She-Ra a great deal and it isn't right to laugh at her feelings."

Adora and Adam immediately tried to stop laughing. Both bit their tongues to hold it in, but as soon as they looked at each other, they started all over again. Tears poured from their eyes as they laughed.

"Oh, Father!" exclaimed Adam after he pulled himself together moments later, "She-Ra is not in love with me! I mean, she and I are very good friends, but she doesn't want to be with me…in that way."

Randor stared at his son as if he were in denial. "How can you be so sure?"

Adam grinned at Adora and said, "Because I am, Father. You just have to trust me on this." He paused as he winked at his sister and said, "If She-Ra feels anything for me, I'm pretty sure she views me as a…oh, let's just say a brother."

Adam and Adora felt their hearts speed up as they realized that was the closest that they had ever come to telling their father the truth. They held their breath and dreaded hearing the Sorceress' deafening ring as they had the last time they tried to tell the king the truth, but everything remained silent.

Randor merely studied his children. He could tell they were very amused, but he could also tell they were a little tense. "I suppose you know She-Ra better than I do," he relented. "I just don't want any problems to arise from a misunderstanding. Love can do strange things to people, and She-Ra is not the kind of person I'd like to have a conflict with. Not to mention, it would probably get her brother involved."

At that moment, King Randor widened his eyes, turned away from his children slowly, and began mumbling to himself.

"Father?" "Randor?" everyone questioned, as they watched the king stand and begin to pace back and forth.

The king either ignored his family or didn't hear them. As Adam, Adora, and Marlena got closer to him, they heard him mutter, "He-Man is She-Ra's brother and…" He whipped his eyes to Adam and gaped at him suddenly. "By the Ancients…" he gasped, "He-Man!"

Adora and Adam looked at each other frantically as their hearts jumped into their throats.