The Blood of Eternia

Epilogue

Teela awoke from her slumber, the bright crisp morning light penetrating the glass windows of her chambers. Steadily, she rose, catching a yawn with an open hand and combing through her long soft red hair to scratch the back of her neck as she felt an itch that did little to quell the spine-tingling excitement running through every vein in her body.

It was a momentous day, the day she would be rewarded for years of devoted duty, to be bestowed the honour of a man-at-arms to the royal guard.

She looked at her uniform, draped over the edge of the chair, before turning to the door leading to the castle balconies, where she would make contact with the clearest of skies and absorb the unified chorus of a thousand tiny birds.

She would take in the fragrances of the palace gardens, and wave pleasantly at the gardeners, all having risen to greet the day so they could tend to the green.

This was a simpler destiny, for a simpler time.

Adam was spread outward on the bed, Cringer beside him. Teela threw off the bed sheets, pinching Adam's nose to get him to wake up.

"Morning" she said, gently smiling, "I was thinking-the ceremony's not for another few hours, I figured we could spend that time playing our game"

"Our game?" Adam asked, curious but somewhat suspecting what this was leading to.

"You know the one" Teela said, getting up and raising an eyebrow.

It finally dawned on Adam what she meant.

"Teela, we haven't played something like that since the last birthday before your training" he replied.

Out of the blue, Orko appeared, having been cloaked the whole time as a way of keeping tabs on Teela at the request of her father.

"I love a good game, what sort of game is it?" he asked.

"Something my mother taught us both to play when we were little, one of would count to ten while the other would go hide, and the person counting would then have to scour the palace looking everywhere for that person. Then, when they were found, it'd be that other person's turn"

"I got a little bored of how it normally worked, so I suggested that the rules were tweaked a little, whoever caught the person would have to wrestle the other and drag them back to 'base', where the counting had started" Teela added.

"It sure is timely to bring up your mom, now that a year's passed; I wonder how she's fairing on Primus as their champion?" Orko asked.

"It's a strange old thing time, you never know how much of it you could have, until it runs out on those closest to you" Teela lamented.

"We've been over this, my Father's death was not your fault" Adam insisted, having had this conversation with her several times over now.

"I was the vessel; I carried out the intent of the guilty"

"You were innocent in all of this Teela, you avenged the violation, Evil-Lyn hasn't been heard from since, you can let go, you can release, we're fine, we're good"

Adam turned back to Orko, eager to change the subject, conversations like this could not take a day to finish, but he could try to hold it at bay as long as he could.

"She suggested playing it a couple of more times when we were older too, but with Skeletor and his cronies up to no good, let's just say I got very good at hiding whenever it wasn't convenient for the both of us"

"This is why I was determined to catch you early" Teela said, "At the dawn of the day, there might never be a time again where I get to feel this young, or this free, not with my responsibilities to Eternia increasing. What do you say Adam, up for some fun?"

"Better to be up for a fun time, than be hidden away when the bad ones come calling" Adam replied. Teela playfully nudged him.

"You're up first, I'll give you a thirty count start, but just remember Adam, I know every corner of this palace as much as you do, so there's little chance of hiding from me"

"Boy it never gets old hearing that from you, especially since it used to be so easy" joked Adam.

There was a swift knock at the door, Adam answered, and in came Duncan.

"Orko ,did you not give them my message?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry Man-At-Arms I got caught in a moment" a guilty Orko admitted.

"What's the emergency father?" said Teela.

"Tri-Clops and his cult have launched their assault early, they will be upon the capital at any moment" warned Duncan.

Teela turned to Adam.

"You'd best look the part. Nervous?"

"I'm as nervous as I was on the first day" Adam said.

"I wonder what you'll look like?"

"I just realised, I never once considered what sort of changes Adora's gone through with the new powers"

"That's a good point. You think the change will be for better or worse?" Teela asked.

"So long as she doesn't frighten any of the clown fish in Etheria, I think she's got a chance" Adam replied.

"Just the first day? You should try the rest of your life" Teela added.

Adam gave Teela a kiss that would linger long in the memory, held the sword of power aloft, and summoned forth a new legacy.

"BY THE POWER OF ETERNIA, I HAVE THE POWER"

***

At the base of Snake Mountain, Webster and Beast Man tended to an insidious sleeping beutey. Precious doses of freshly acquired Eternium seeped into her bloodstream via a drip feed. Her life signs ranged from erratic to stable on any given hour.

Patiently, both began waiting. It was all they could hope for.

Waiting to see if their treatments would work.

Waiting to see.

To see whether or not Evil-Lyn's eyes would ever open.