The lunch hour had come and everyone who was accustomed to eating with the Royal Family was seated and waiting for their meal…everyone, except for Prince Adam and Cringer.

Queen Marlena could hardly look at anyone. She kept her eyes glued to the plate in front of her and avoided everyone's gazes. She was ashamed of what she and Randor had done to their son that morning. She never meant for any of her concerns or inquiries to hurt Adam, and she knew that was precisely what had happened. She glanced over at Randor who felt her stare and turned to try to smile at her. His attempt failed miserably. She knew he could feel the tension and despair she had bubbling inside of her. She sighed as she shifted her gaze once again to Adam's empty seat.

Man-at-Arms watched the king and queen silently from his seat. He knew they were overwhelmed and consumed with thoughts of the prince. He wanted so badly to shake them and tell them to leave the boy alone, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't blame them for being worried about Adam. He knew if Teela did half the things Adam seemingly does, without the knowledge that he had of the situation, he might react the same way.

He watched as the queen frowned and once again looked down at her plate. He figured he should say something to ease the tension they felt right now. He coughed softly to clear his throat and said, "Excuse me, Your Majesties. Prince Adam informed me this morning that he would be a little late for lunch. There have been reports of blasts near the city of Drisdos and he went to check it out."

Before the king and queen could respond, Teela yelled, "What do you mean he went to check it out?" She glanced at the king and queen to see their astonished expressions. Feeling that she wasn't out of line, she continued, "He shouldn't have left the palace on such a mission without me!"

Duncan glanced at Teela and said, "Now, Teela, it isn't really a mission. Adam is more than capable of taking care of himself. Besides, who knows what the source of the noise really is."

Teela shook her head and said, "All the more reason why I should have went! I'm Adam's bodyguard. I've sworn to protect him, and I can't very well do that if I'm not there!"

Randor finally got over his initial shock and entered the conversation by saying angrily, "I have to agree with the captain, Duncan. He should have informed us of his actions and he should have taken Teela with him."

"I agree," Teela said loudly, nodding her agreement with the king's words.

Man-at-Arms flashed her a disapproving look and said lowly, "Hush, child."

The king continued his words despite Teela's interruption. The king shook his head, looked at Marlena, and said, "I will not have that son of mine running off and risking his life. What has gotten into him? He's never run off like this before. Usually he tries to stay clear of kingdom affairs."

Marlena whipped her head towards her husband and said, "I knew something like this was going to happen! This is our fault, Randor! We shouldn't have ambushed him the way we did this morning. We shouldn't have thrown our worries and other people's opinions of him in his face. Now, he's out trying to prove us wrong. If anything happens to him…"

Duncan quickly interrupted her and said, "My Queen, nothing is going to happen to Adam. I wouldn't have let him go if I thought he was in any danger. Besides, I'm sure if he ran into anything he couldn't handle, he'd use his Com-link for help."

Just as those words left his mouth, Adam walked into the dining room and said, "Oh, good. We haven't been served yet."

Upon hearing Adam's voice, everyone in the room turned to face the prince and the tiger right beside him.

"Adam!" Marlena exclaimed. She jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around him as soon as she reached him.

Adam hugged his mom, smiled, and said, "What's this all about?"

Teela immediately stood up, began tapping her feet, and said, "What's this about you running off to Drisdos all by yourself without any protection?"

Adam drew back from his mother and glanced quickly at Man-at-Arms who was already scowling his daughter. "I didn't need protection," he answered with a shrug as he walked to his chair, and Cringer went to his cushion near the wall.

The queen followed Adam and said, "You had us worried, Adam. We're not used to you running off like that, especially without someone who can help you."

Adam laughed incredulously for a moment and said, "Really? I was under the impression that you and Father believe I do it all the time."

The king narrowed his brow and said, "Young man, you know very well that this is an entirely different matter. Running off and having fun is one thing. Running off on a mission without your bodyguard is quite another."

Adam sighed and said, "Father, it wasn't a big deal. Some farmers near Drisdos found some large boulders they couldn't move on land they wanted to use for crops. They decided to blow them up into smaller pieces. Once I let the city officials know what the sounds were, everyone calmed down and things went back to normal. There was absolutely nothing dangerous…"

"But it could have been!" admonished Teela, finally sitting back down and glaring at Adam. "It could have been Skeletor doing only the Ancients know what."

"That's right," Randor piped back in. "You should have told me what you were doing. You should have taken Teela with you. What if you had gotten hurt? What if something had happened?"

Adam looked at everyone in the room and sighed. "So much for my brilliant idea. I can't make anyone happy no matter what I do," he muttered.

The Queen heard him and said, "I knew this had to do with what happened this morning! Adam, you don't need to prove anything to me. You KNOW that. I just want to know what's going on in your life. I want to know where you're running off to all the time! The answer isn't running off by yourself and doing more things that will wind up getting you hurt or killed!"

Adam leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling. He felt tears pooling to his eyes, but he didn't want his parents or Teela to see him cry. He already felt embarrassed enough by everything that had been happening as of late without adding to it. He took a breath, closed his eyes, and immediately tilted his head towards his lap. He opened his eyes, and though he still kept his head down, he glanced towards his mother. He saw her worried expression and whispered, "I just wanted you and Father to be proud of me. I thought that if I took more of an interest in the kingdom and did some things, I wouldn't be such a disappointment and an embarrassment. The one time I do anything, and it wasn't even that big of a deal, all of you go crazy. What am I supposed to do?"

Marlena heard his words but was at a loss of what to say. This was starting to get a little out of control. She had started this only wanting Adam to open up a little more and for Randor to open his eyes.

Everyone was quiet until Teela said, "You should take more of an interest in the kingdom, but you should also know what the boundaries are. You should have consulted your father before you left and you should have taken me with you. You always act foolishly and irresponsibly, Adam! You always act before you think! I'm surprised it has taken this long for the king and queen to stop babying you!"

Man-at-Arms quickly grabbed Teela's arm and said, "That's enough. You've spoken out of line, Captain."

Before Duncan could get another word out, Adam jumped to his feet, pounded the table, glared at Teela, and snapped, "You're a fine one to be talking about acting foolishly! How many times have you run off on some foolish self-given mission and gotten into trouble?"

Teela's jaw dropped. She kept silent as she watched the anger pour into Adam's face. She had never seen him look so intimidating before. Because Adam was so meek and mild-mannered, she had forgotten how much of a strong and muscular man he really was.

Adam answered himself. "Too many to count, that's how many! He-Man always has to save you and clean up the messes you make, so how dare you act all high-and-mighty to me, Captain! The truth is you don't know anything about me or what I do, so keep your opinions to yourself!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He watched as Teela lowered her eyes. Man-at-Arms and his parents looked up at him with their mouths wide open.

The side door opened and the kitchen staff started bringing in the food. Adam couldn't bear to stay in the room any longer, much less eat with them, so he quickly left.

=)=)=)

Adam didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do, but since Man-at-Arms had walked into his bedchambers uninvited that very morning, he knew he wouldn't be left alone there to think about it. So, instead of going there, he walked along outside the city walls to find a spot where he could sit down and stay a while when he heard a familiar cry of a falcon from the sky.

Adam looked up and saw Zoar. He immediately sighed and sat down.

Zoar flew down and rested on the prince’s knee. "I sensed a lot of turmoil in you today, Adam," said the Sorceress telepathically. "Are you all right?"

Adam looked at Zoar and shook his head. "Everything is just so messed up…" He paused and then stated, "I don't know what to do anymore." He suddenly looked away and continued, "I yelled at Teela, today. I didn't mean to. It's just that my parents are coming closer and closer to discovering my secret, and she's always criticizing me about everything. I guess I just lost it. My emotions are becoming harder and harder to control recently."

The Sorceress replied, "Your situation is a hard one, my friend. I know how hard it is to keep secrets. I also know how easy it is to let anger take control when you're scared. You're scared that your parents are going to discover your secret. You're scared of what they possibly think of you."

Adam nodded and agreed, "Yes, among other things."

"Your parents are very proud of you, Adam. They're not embarrassed or ashamed of you. They just don't understand everything that is going on around them. They're concerned parents; I can relate."

Adam shook his head and said, "Well, what am I supposed to do? I can't very well solve the situation by telling them that I'm He-Man."

"You must do what you think is best, Adam, but I can tell you that everything will work out. Your parents are just as scared and worried as you are. Teela is, too."

Adam sighed. "How can I face any of them after today? I acted like a two-year-old."

Zoar immediately flew up into the sky and just as he went out of sight, he heard, "Things will work out."

=)=)=)

Several hours later, Adam walked back into the palace and avoided all of the guard's eyes. He didn't know if they had heard anything about what had transpired at dinner, but he knew how quickly gossip traveled in the palace. "There is no telling how much the kitchen staff heard before they came into the room," he thought to himself.

He didn't want to, but he made his way toward the courtyard because it was time for one of his combat lessons with Teela.

Once he made it to the courtyard, he breathed in sharply as he saw Teela sitting on the side of the fountain, staring into the water silently, with her back towards him.

He ran his fingers threw his hair nervously and came to stand behind her. "I'm sorry, Teela,” said Adam abruptly.

Teela immediately jumped up and held her right hand over her heart. "Oh, Adam, you scared me!"

Adam looked down at Teela's feet and stuttered, "Uh, um, sorry?"

Teela quietly sat back down and looked up at her childhood friend. She could tell he was nervous. He was just standing there, waiting for her to yell at him. It ashamed her that she knew that's what he was waiting on. She looked to the side where she had placed two swords and shields for their lesson on the ground and said, "I wasn't too sure you would come. I…uh, know you still might be sore from what happened the other day."

Adam looked up a little and said, "I'm still a little sore, but I'm sure I'll manage okay."

"Oh," Teela said, softly. "Okay." She quickly stood up and went to the equipment. She picked up Adam's sword and shield, turned around, and handed it over without looking at him. This did not go unnoticed.

"Teela--" Adam started.

"I was thinking we should go light today since we haven't practiced in a few days and you're still sore," she interrupted, quickly. She then widened her eyes and added, "Oh, maybe we should even stretch a little before we get started! I don't want you to hurt yourself like you did yesterday morning."

"I'm fine, Teela," answered Adam raising his shield.

Teela nodded, raised her sword, and then immediately lowered it again. "I think we should stretch, anyway, just incase. I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"TEELA!"

Teela looked up sheepishly and asked, "What?"

"You don't have to baby me," replied Adam softly.

Teela immediately threw her sword and shield to the ground and cried, "Oh, Adam!" She quickly ran over to him and hugged him. Her arms went around his waist as tightly as she could manage.

Adam gave a little yelp of surprise. "Teela," he started again.

"Adam, I'm so sorry," she cried. She pulled back slightly as tears started slipping down her face. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was out-of-line. Your parents don't baby you, and I shouldn't have jumped on your case like that. It's just that you worried me…No, there's no excuse." She paused and then said, "But it's just that you really worried me. You've never run off to do anything dangerous before!"

"It wasn't even remotely dangerous," he whispered softly.

"But it could have been, Adam. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you." She hugged him tightly again.

Adam rested his cheek against the top of her head and said, "And, I'm sorry for what I said to you. I hope you know I didn't mean it. I was just upset."

Teela pulled back, sniffled, and said, "I know. I don't blame you. It's my fault. I should have known from our discussion this morning that you were already under enough stress from your parents' hounding much less mine. It's just that I don't think before I act or speak sometimes."

Adam laughed softly and said, "Hey, isn't that what you said about me? I guess we're two peas in a pod, then, huh?"

Teela smiled and pulled Adam back towards the fountain. She sat down and patted the space beside her. When he sat down, she turned to face him. "Adam, after you left earlier, your parents started talking about everything that's been going on recently. They're really worried about you and they're bound and determined to figure out what's going on with you. They think you're hiding something from them."

"What could I possibly be hiding, Teela?"

"That's what I asked them at the time, but now I've been thinking."

Adam glanced at her worriedly and said, "Oh, no! Not you, too!"

Teela put her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from getting up. "Just listen to me! I'm not saying that you are intentionally hiding anything from us, but…" She trailed off and looked away as if she was searching for something. "I just remember when we were kids. You were so…different. You were reasonably interested in what the king did. You definitely weren't indifferent to it. You read everything you could get your hands on and you always loved going on adventures, whether it was with me, the other pages, or Cringer." She stopped and turned back around to look Adam in the eyes. "It was only a little after your eighteenth birthday when all of that changed. You started disappearing for hours on end. You always came back with the excuse that you had been off having fun. You started taking naps during all different hours of the day. You became clumsier. Those traits don't just develop over night and come out of nowhere. Honestly, it's left me a little confused, as well, Adam."

Adam sat there silently. He could tell Teela wasn't finished when she looked straight ahead and shook her head as if she were searching for the right words.

"That's why I decided to take a different approach than your parents." She looked back at him. "I've laid out all of the facts and I'm discussing it rationally without cornering you or yelling at you. This is why everyone is wondering what's going on with you, Adam. You have changed so much. Why?"

Adam looked at Teela for several seconds and then looked away. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say." He chuckled sarcastically and said, "I've been feeling that way a lot recently. I don't know what to tell you or my parents, Teela." He stood up and walked away. He waved his hands towards chest and continued, "This is me, Teela. This is who I am. I am the clumsy happy-go-lucky prince who likes to have fun."

Teela stood up and walked in front of him. "Why didn't you look me in the eye when you said that?"

Adam met her gaze and asked, "What?"

"When we were kids and you were trying to get out of trouble or if you wanted to avoid something, you would never look anyone in the eye. You would always look elsewhere and walk away. Talking about the past has reminded me of that. Why don't you tell me again and look me in the face as you’re doing it?"

Adam smiled forcibly and said, "I'm not going to repeat myself."

"Why not?"

Adam walked away and cried, "Because this is ridiculous! I don't want to fight with you, Teela. We've just apologized to each other and things were going great." He looked her in the eyes and said, "The truth is that I went to Drisdos today because I took the advice you gave me this morning. You told me to change; you told me I needed to take more of an interest in the kingdom if I wanted my parents to get off my back. See what happened as a result?"

Teela sighed and said, "I actually do know that's why you did what you did this morning, Adam, but you know as well as I do that I'm not only talking about that." She looked down at the floor and whispered, "The truth is I don't know what you could be hiding, neither can your parents. We haven't got a clue. The only thing we can come up with is that you're either going out and doing something that you shouldn't, that your parents would disapprove of, or you simply… "

"What?" asked Adam anxiously.

"Or that you simply don't care to…be in our presence. You're always out having fun with other people and Cringer. You never take the time to do anything with us except when you have to. And, if you are in the vicinity of us, you are either sleeping or you're quickly finding reasons to leave. It's almost like you don't even like us, if this is the case. It has to be one of the two, Adam, and I hate to think that it's either one. Your parents do, too."

She started walking away and Adam flung his hands in the air exasperatedly. "Teela," he called out. "TEELA."