Prince Adam immediately bent down onto one knee and touched the ground with two fingers to balance himself. He squeezed his eyes shut as he realized he had no way of knowing now if things were truly finished with Skeletor. True, Hordak and his former student didn't get along, but as the Horde leader had rightfully stated just a few mere seconds ago: "Never, ever trust the Horde and expect the unexpected."

While one might think Hordak took Skeletor to seek revenge for his recent imprisonment and betrayal, the opposite was entirely possible. Yes, they may hate one another, but they hated He-Man and King Randor even more, and those were the best reasons to call a truce. Besides, if Hordak and Adam could work together to reach a common goal after everything the villain had done to Royal Family, Hordak could do the same with Skeletor. The prince didn't have a doubt in his mind.

Opening his eyes at a sudden touch on his shoulder, he saw King Randor bent before him. "It's okay, son," he whispered; "We'll get through whatever they throw our way if they join forces."

He nodded but didn't say anything to agree with or deny his father's words. Instead, he stood and quickly looked back down when Randor gasped. "What is it?" he asked.

The king pointed to Adam's leg, and Man-at-Arms, She-Ra, and Teela walked over to see that Adam still had the bandages Man-at-Arms had been putting on his leg before he had turned into He-Man. Blood still soaked his pants and boot, and the bandages even had traces of blood seeping through it. "I thought that had healed," exclaimed the king worriedly.

The prince turned his leg to the side to look at it himself and replied calmly, "It has, Father. My sword protects my secret identity. That's the best way I can explain it. I can't get hurt as Adam, have bandages and blood covering me, and then show up with no trace of those things ever happening. That would tell everyone on the planet something was up with me in no time."

Randor stood and replied, "Oh, I see. So, your clothes and bandages are the only things that stayed the same. You are, in fact, injury-free right now."

"As far as I know," he agreed.

The king nodded with relief and then turned to study the area for a moment. "There isn't anything left to be done," he observed. "There's nothing we can do until Hordak or Skeletor makes his move, so we might as well go home. Besides, I have no doubt your mother is beside herself with worry. Let's go make her feel better."

Adam smiled. Despite being upset at losing both Hordak and Skeletor, he was happy and thankful for the opportunity to go home.

=)=)=)

It was well into the night hours and Queen Marlena hadn't heard a word from her husband. She was more than worried: she was petrified that something had happened and she didn't even want to contemplate to whom or how. She knew she wouldn't be able to make it through the night if she dwelled on such thoughts.

Currently, she sat in the throne room and stared at the doors. She refused to go to bed without Randor and she resolved to stay there all night if she had to. She wanted news. She wouldn't be able to rest until she was sure her family was okay. It seemed as though King Miro had a similar idea: he still sat beside her in Randor's seat even though they hadn't discussed staying up until everyone returned home. He didn't even try to get her to go to bed, so she was confident that he felt the same way she did. After all, his son and grandchildren were out there…well, grandson. He didn't know his granddaughter was out there, too.

She sighed. Her family had so many secrets and they would continue to have those secrets for years to come. If her family stayed intact. "And it will," she thought vehemently. She squeezed her eyes shut and only opened her eyes when she felt someone grab her hand.

She looked over and Miro stated, "Randor and Adam will be fine. I have no doubt my son will make sure of that."

She nodded. She wouldn't think otherwise. "I know," she agreed; "I just wish we knew what was happening. I thought we would have heard about their progress by now."

He grimaced and replied, "I thought so, too, but they're probably busy. War is a messy business and sometimes calling home is the last thing on your mind when you're in the midst of battles."

The queen frowned at the thought of Randor, Adam, and Adora being in the "midst of battles." Despite her children being He-Man and She-Ra and Randor being an experienced and skilled fighter, she didn't like them fighting, no matter of how good or noble the reasons. She wished wholeheartedly sometimes that her husband and son handled things the way it would have been handled on Earth. If Randor had been the President of the United States instead of the King of Eternia, the U.S. Military would have gone off to war, not him…

But, she knew her desire was completely selfish. Randor and Adam were so noble and so good that neither liked the thought of asking others to risk their lives without also doing the same. They wanted to stand with their soldiers…even if the odds were against them.

"I know that, as well," she mumbled to Miro. "I just can't stand the waiting. This is the worst part about being queen…having to stay behind and pray for good news."

Before Miro could respond, a voice rang out from the hall before its owner could be seen: "I'm sorry, my dear, but I thought it would be better to hear my news in person." King Randor walked in and went to the center of the room. He couldn't get any farther because Marlena practically flew from the throne and threw herself into his arms as soon as she reached him.

"Randor!" she exclaimed as she pulled away so she could study his expression. "What happened? Where is everyone? Where's Adam?" Tears already pooled to her eyes, because she found herself more anxious now than she ever had been before. She had expected everyone to walk in there together.

The king cupped her face with both of his hands, spun her so she could face in opposite direction, and said soothingly, "Everything is fine and everyone is all right."

Before she could reply, Randor smiled, dropped his hands, and gestured with his head for her to turn around.

When she did, a sob escaped her lips as she saw Adam who stood directly behind her. "Oh, thank God!" she praised as she hugged him. When she pulled back, she stared into his care-worn eyes and ordered forcefully, "Don't you ever scare me like this again!"

Adam wrapped his arms around her again and hugged her tightly. He buried his face in her shoulder and simply absorbed the comfort of being in his mother's arms once more for several long moments. "I'll try my best," he mumbled. He took a step back and added regretfully, "I can't make any promises, but I'll do all I can to prevent it."

"Good," she replied. She smiled brightly at him, then. "So, I take it Skeletor paid greatly for messing with the Royal Family."

He immediately frowned and walked away. He went to stare out the window as Marlena exclaimed worriedly, "Adam?" She started to follow him, but Randor pulled on her shoulder. When she looked at him, he shook his head. "What happened?" she asked her husband.

"Skeletor and Hordak escaped," he answered softly, reaching out and squeezing King Miro's hand. "Father," he greeted before looking back at Marlena and continuing, "The worst part is we had both of them…but Adam had promised Hordak he'd owe him a favor if he helped him to escape Snake Mountain, which Hordak did. The villain called in his favor to be released, and unfortunately, he surprised us by grabbing Skeletor and taking off with him back to Etheria. None of us had the chance to stop him."

The queen turned back around and stared at Adam sorrowfully. "So, he's blaming himself?" At the king's nod, she started to walk to her son but stopped abruptly. She looked around and asked, "Where is everyone? Where's Adora? Don't tell me there is more that he's blaming himself for!"

He walked to her side and whispered to his wife only, "Adora is in her room changing…if you know what I mean. As for Teela and Man-at-Arms, they are overseeing the placement of Skeletor's men."

She smiled. "At least we got them." She said it loud enough for Adam to hear. She wanted him to know that she was proud of him and that things were okay.

The king added exuberantly, "And, we destroyed their base!"

"What?"

He grinned and announced, "We leveled Snake Mountain. Even if Hordak and Skeletor join forces, they won't have a place to readily come back to on Eternia. They're going to have to find a new place or rebuild. Either way, it's going to take some time before they'll be ready to attack us again."

"Then, Adam will have a much deserved break," she stated with relief.

Randor nodded with a smile, but Adam's voice interrupted them. "I'm afraid not."

They turned to watch Adam walk towards him. "I have to accompany Adora back to Etheria," he explained.

"What?" they all gasped.

At that moment, Miro stepped forward and asked, "What do you mean, Adam?"

The prince widened his eyes. It was the first time he noticed the king since he had been so consumed with thoughts of Hordak and Skeletor's escape. "Grandfather," he stated. They quickly walked to each other and hugged. When they pulled away from one another, he turned back to his parents and continued, "Skeletor is on Etheria. He is my responsibility and I cannot allow him to make things harder for Adora. If they decide to work together, it's possible they will stay on Etheria to take care of the Rebellion *before* coming back to Eternia. I couldn't bear letting Adora and She-Ra go through that alone."

King Miro looked back at Randor and suggested, "Couldn't we simply ask He-Man if he could go with She-Ra back to Etheria? After all, Skeletor is no longer here and we have his men. Eternia is the safest it's ever been. I'm sure the champion would love to accompany his sister to help, as well." He looked at his grandson. "You need rest, Adam. You've been through quite an ordeal."

Adam stared at his parents and said for his grandfather's benefit, "He-Man and I have already discussed this. We both want to go to Etheria. We can't allow Skeletor to give Hordak a bigger advantage than he already has. To even things up, we have to be there."

Miro shook his head. "That's very noble, Adam, and I understand completely, but couldn't you go at a later date? Send He-Man for now and regain your strength." He then ran his eyes over Adam's body and focused his attention on his leg. He exclaimed rapidly, "And, you're hurt! There's no way we can allow you to go!"

"What?" Marlena exclaimed. She looked down and saw the dried blood. "Adam!" she nearly shouted with worry.

Randor immediately grabbed her, pulled her close, and whispered in her ear. She calmed instantly as Miro turned from his grandson to look at them questioningly. "Surely, son, you're not going to allow him to go. He needs time to recuperate. He-Man can handle this. Better yet, with He-Man and She-Ra on Etheria, Adora could stay until he feels better, as well. We could all stay here and enjoy each other's presence for a little while. Everyone's here: your brothers, sister, and cousins. We should all take a break!"

Adam looked a little startled at Miro's words. "Everyone's here?" he questioned

Randor smiled and replied, "Well, you already knew we had the entire Eternian Army at Snake Mountain. Of course, the monarchs would accompany them."

He nodded sadly and mumbled, "Well, that really changes nothing. I would love nothing more than to stay and spend time with everyone…but the Rebellion and Adora need me. It wouldn't be right or fair to abandon that responsibility."

Miro opened his mouth to argue, but before he could get a word out, Adora walked into the room, felt the tension that was present, and asked, "Hey, what's going on?"

Everyone turned their attention to her, and Miro exclaimed, "It's about time you came out and showed yourself." Before he could say anymore, Randor interrupted him.

"Adam is talking about accompanying you back to Etheria." As Adora glanced at her brother questioningly, their father continued, "But it's late. Why don't we all go to bed and discuss this in the morning? We should sleep on it."

"Sleep's not going to make a difference," the prince insisted stubbornly.

Randor shrugged and agreed, "Probably not, but everyone is exhausted. It's night, so we'll discuss this in the morning. Adora isn't leaving tonight…are you?"

When she shook her head, Randor fanned his hands toward the door to gesture for them to leave. "I know it's going to be difficult to sleep after all the excitement we've had today, but we must try." He knew he was taking an easy way out to get everyone to stop talking and making decisions about the future, but the truth was he needed time to think himself. He didn't want Adam or Adora to go to Etheria just yet, because he happened to agree with his father. Adam needed rest and despite He-Man's ability to heal quickly and his overall improved health recently, the fact was He-Man and Adam could burn out. It happened not too long ago, after all, which contributed to all of their recent problems. Adam still hadn't received a break really, so things could get bad again and quickly. Unfortunately, he already knew that forbidding his children to go wouldn't be the right decision. So, postponing the subject was his objective for now. There was someone he needed to speak with first before this decision was made.

=)=)=)

Randor stared up at the Sorceress who sat on her throne in Castle Grayskull. "I'm sorry to keep you awake after all of your help at Snake Mountain," he stated. "Your spell to keep others from using magic to flee the area was invaluable. We wouldn't have succeeded nearly as well without it."

"There is no need for thanks, King Randor," she replied. "I only wish I could have prevented Hordak from taking Skeletor to Etheria. I should have expected it, but I didn't until it was too late."

"He surprised us all," he said with a shake of his head. "It's not your fault. But I'm not here to discuss that." He looked up and watched the Sorceress raise a brow questioningly. "I'm here to discuss the future. It's not over for Eternia, is it?"

The Sorceress stood and walked down the throne. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"We destroyed Snake Mountain, we have Skeletor's men, and Skeletor is no longer on the planet…but I have a feeling it's not over. We still have a battle to face, don't we?" He turned from the Sorceress to look around the castle. When he turned back, he revealed, "I had a short conversation with that spirit who showed up to save Adam's life when you were at Snake Mountain." He took a deep breath. "He told me Adam is meant to lead and bring peace to both Eternia and Etheria. It's hard to explain, but today didn't feel like that big moment. Adam wasn't really leading. Yes, he gave the final orders, but it didn't feel like that…prophecy was coming to pass. So, I'm asking you, who can see the future, are Eternia's battles with Skeletor over?"

The Sorceress shook her head and answered, "No, it's not. The threat of Skeletor still looms over Eternia."

Randor nodded sadly and wrinkled his face in response to the news. "I thought for a second that we had won, but when Hordak grabbed Skeletor, I knew…I knew Adam would have to continue to bear this burden, that he would have to continue to endanger himself and…" He trailed off.

The Sorceress squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

He met her gaze and said, "Adam wants to go to Etheria since Hordak and Skeletor are there together, but I think he should take some time to rest. What is the right decision to make?"

The Sorceress widened her eyes in surprise. "You're asking me, King Randor?"

He sighed in frustration and complained, "Of course, I am! You know Adam and his responsibility as He-Man better than I do! I've behaved in a deplorable manner recently when I realized who Adam was and what he dealt with day after day. My instincts are to do what's best for him, but I don't know what that is. Should I plead with him to take a break or should I allow him to go to Etheria?"

He didn't add that he really didn't want Adam to go. What he truly wanted was for his son to take a break so he could rest and so they could spend time together…but it always seemed like no matter what, there would always be something to keep the Royal Family apart. And, that's what hurt the most and was so frustrating: he just came to realize that Hordak and Skeletor had taken both of his children away from him. He hadn't only lost Adora. He had lost Adam, too, even if it hadn't happened on the exact same day. But now that it had happened with both of the twins, it kept happening, and he felt like there was nothing he could do to stop it or bridge the gap between them. He wanted to beg with the Sorceress to tell him that it wasn't so…

And, if Adam went to Etheria, how long would his son remain there? How long would it be before he could completely mend the rift they had developed between one another? How long would he be without his son and daughter? How could he bear it? How could Marlena bear it? How could Eternia bear it?

He waited for an answer from the Sorceress and frowned when she looked at him sympathetically.