CLASH FOR THE CASTLE
Prologue:



Once, in a far away galaxy, sat a blue-green planet known as Eternia; at the center of Eternia stood the mystical Castle Greyskull. Castle Greyskull was a magical place that held many of the secrets and powers of, not only the planet, but the universe itself.

Many centuries ago, in order to protect the castle, the Ancient ones of Eternia chose a Sorceress who would stop anyone that dared to attempt conquest of the structure.

One of the last ones to be called the Sorceress, a woman whose true name was Teelana, wore the same suit that all of her predecessors had. Her garb was white; with blue shoulders, arms, and boots. Attached to the arms were long blue and orange feathers which served as wings when she so desired. Finally, upon her head, she wore a headdress the resembled a falcon's visage.

The Sorceress had had many opportunities to prove herself worthy of the role during her tenure. Skeletor, the self proclaimed lord of destruction, desired the powers of Castle Greyskull and would stop at nothing to get them. This is why he would send evil warriors to attack the castle from time to time.

Due to the constant threat from Skeletor, the Sorceress had given a powerful sword to Prince Adam of Eternia. The Sword of Power enabled the prince to turn into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. It was his duty to protect not just Castle Greyskull, but the entire planet from the forces of evil. There was yet another who the Sorceress entrusted a sword to...the planet's princess, Adora--Adam's long lost sister.


Chapter 1:
Conquest.



It was late afternoon, on the second day of summer. The Sorceress was studying one of her many books of magic within her inner chambers; it was not an uncommon event. In fact, that is how the woman spent most of her days. But her studies did not last for very long.

Skeletor had sent three warriors from Snake Mountain. The warrior in command was named Evil-Lyn, sorceress of night. The second warrior was Faker, the evil He-Man doppelganger. Lastly, there was Beastman, master of all the planet's ferocious jungle animals.

"Now," Evil-Lyn commanded from behind a rock pillar, where she hid with Beastman. Faker stepped forward, directly in front of the large jaw bridge.

"Sorceress! Sorceress!" Faker called in the direction of one of the castle's window. The Sorceress soon appeared in the tiny opening.

"He-Man, what is wrong?" the Sorceress asked the creature that she thought was her friend of many years. "You sound so distressed."

"Skeletor attacked the palace...and then he murdered everyone," Faker called to her. The Sorceress teleported out of her home to comfort her friend.

"Oh, He-Man, I am so sorry. Rest assured, however, that Skeletor will pay for what he has done!" she promised.

Suddenly, the woman was ambushed by Beastman. "Wha--no!" she screamed, but it was to no avail. Evil-Lyn stepped forward, rolling her head back in laughter.

"Now no one can keep Skeletor from taking Castle Greyskull," she said smugly.

"You are wrong, Evil-Lyn!" the Sorceress cried. The Sorceress raised her hands into the air, and began to teleport.

"Stop her!" Beastman grunted. Evil-Lyn shot beams of energy from her eyes which, upon impact, knocked the woman to the ground.

* * *

Prince Adam, who was the son of King Randor and Queen Marlena, was in the largest kitchen of Palace Eternia. He was helping Chef Alan prepare Spice Bread. "Mmm, this is great, Chef Alan," Adam remarked; he knew that if he complemented the chef enough he might get seconds. Before he could continue, though, a telepathic call cut through his mind.

He-Man, I need your help, the Sorceress' mental voice rang through the prince's head. Adam received her summons and sent a message back to her, I'm on my way, Sorceress. He wasn't sure she had heard it, but hoped that she had.

Adam looked over at Chef Alan. "Oh no, I forgot that I was supposed to be practicing with Teela!" Adam exclaimed, referring to the captain of the royal guard. He hated lying, but it was something that had to be done at the moment.

"Well then, you had better go. You know how she gets when you're late for training," Chef Alan replied with a smile as Adam ran off.

"C'mon Cringer," Adam called to his pet tiger.

When it was time for Adam to turn into He-Man, the cowardly green and yellow cat would turn into the ferocious Battle Cat. As Battle Cat, the feline had helped serve the forces of good many times.

Cringer, who had been sleeping next to the warm stove, got up and followed his friend. Once out of sight from everyone, Adam pulled out his sword and said,

"By the power of Greyskull...I have the power!" Magic flowed around Prince Adam, changing him into He-Man.

"Oh, I hate this part!" Cringer whined as He-Man pointed the sword at him. The same magic that changed Adam into He-Man, changed Cringer into the mighty Battle Cat. "Arrgh! Let's go," Battle Cat growled.

Adam looked basically the same, with the exception of his clothes. Instead of the purple and white suit which he normally wore, he wore red boots and pants, and a gray chest band.

Battle Cat also retained his looks, with the exception of the crimson armor that had covered him within moments.

"Wait, Battle Cat, we may need help," He-Man warned.

* * *

Together the warriors went to the large palace throne room. Four people were assembled in the circular room.

King Randor resembled most every other Eternian male. He had straight brown hair that ended just below his ears; he also had a long brown beard and moustache. The king wore a golden crown with three spires. Lastly, were his blue robe and red tunic, and the large golden medallion around his neck.

Queen Marlena, his wife, had short red hair under her crown; which only had one spire that rose from the center. She wore a long green gown with a yellow belt around her slim waist. She too resembled other Eternians, but she was not from the planet itself. She had been born on the distant planet known as Earth.

The man named Duncan, who was the royal Man-at-Arms, was an average sized Eternian. He too wore a moustache--except that his was red--but he had no beard. In addition, he wore a gray helmet over his head. He stood, in his yellow and green armor, at the foot of the dais, watching Orko do one of his magic tricks.

Orko was a three foot high, blue, floating magician from the planet Trolla. He wore a red robe, with the letter "O" embossed on it, and a big red hat which kept his face in shadows. He had been a member of the royal court ever since he saved a young Adam and Cringer from the Eternian tar swamps during the Season of Storms.

All eyes looked at the doorway as He-Man entered.

"He-Man, what brings you to Palace Eternia this day?" Randor asked the blond warrior.

"Your Majesties," He-Man greeted, before launching into his story. "I have reason to believe that Castle Greyskull is under attack. With your permission, I would like Teela to lead her troops there--just in case there's trouble."

Teela was the last member of the royal court. She was the adopted daughter of Man-At-Arms, as well as captain of the guard. In addition, Teela was the true daughter of the Sorceress, even though she didn't know it, and was in line to be the next guardian of Castle Greyskull.

Randor sighed, and then spoke to He-Man.

"Unfortunately, Teela is at Snake Mountain on a spying mission," he explained. "However, you will have your help. I will lead the troops there personally." Before He-Man or anyone else could protest, Randor had left the room, and was getting into his battle armor.

"He-Man, please take care of my husband," Marlena pleaded. He-Man nodded back.

"I will, Your Majesty." He-Man left the throne room of Palace Eternia to go look for his father.

* * *

At Snake Mountain, which was located deep in the chain of mountains known as the Mystic Mountains, Skeletor was sitting upon his throne of human and animal bones.

Skeletor, who was the commander of many evil warriors, had dark blue skin, and long black fingernails. He wore purple armor, and a purple hood which revealed a large yellow skull. This was all that remained of his face.

Trap Jaw, who was half man and half cyborg, was in the large throne room as well.

"Shouldn’t Evil-Lyn have contacted you by now, Skeletor?" Trap Jaw asked his master. Skeletor was silent for a matter of moments, thinking to himself.

"Hmm, your probably right, Fool. I-- wait, I'm getting a message from Evil-Lyn now," Skeletor announced. In his mind he began communicating with Evil-Lyn.

We have the Sorceress, and are preparing to transport her, she said into his mind. Skeletor quickly gave his reply.

Excellent, now don't mess this up! You do remember where to send her right? he asked.

Of course I remember, Skeletor, Evil-Lyn retorted.

The two had discussed their wicked plan sometime earlier. She would trick the Sorceress into leaving Castle Greyskull, and capture her. Skeletor had commanded Evil-Lyn to send her someplace in particular.

The evil master was obviously pleased with her. "Trap Jaw!" he called; Trap Jaw looked up as Skeletor continued. "Ready the Collector, we're going to Castle Greyskull," Skeletor commanded. Trap Jaw left the room, headed towards the hangar bay.

As he left to ready Skeletor's ship, he failed to notice Teela hiding in a dark alcove to his left.

Oh no! Evil-Lyn has the Sorceress. I have to tell the others, she thought as she pressed a button on her wrist amulet. A small video screen popped up from the bracelet. "Teela to Man-At-Arms!" she whispered. "Come in, Man-at-Arms!" Man-At-Arms face appeared on the monitor.

"Teela, what's wrong?" he asked with great concern.

"Father, Evil-Lyn has the Sorceress. You must find He-Man and tell him at once," she reported.

"He's already at Castle Greyskull...with King Randor," Man-At-Arms said. "King Randor's leading the royal guard in your absence." Teela jumped up when she heard the news.

"I'm on my way to the castle now. If you can, let them know that Skeletor is on his way there as well," she informed him, before pressing a button that turned the communication device off.

Teela ran down the many corridors within the structure, and out to the waterfall near Snake Mountain, where she had hidden her Sky Sled. I should have been there, I'm captain of the guard, and now King Randor could be in trouble, she thought. As she prepared the Sky Sled for take-off, she failed to notice the Collector depart from the mountain-fortress.

* * *

At Castle Greyskull, the battle had ended abruptly. He-Man, with the help of Randor and company, had captured Evil-Lyn and her warriors.

"Tell us where the Sorceress is, Beastman," He-Man demanded of the orange furred monster. Beastman was acting either very brave or very stupid, because he just laughed.

"Ha, ha, ha! I'll never tell you that we sent her to Horde World." Obviously it was the latter. He-Man smiled as Evil-Lyn yelled at her henchman.

"You just told them, stupid!" she screamed, making Beastman flinch. Randor, who now wore red and blue battle armor, walked over to He-Man.

"True, we know where the Sorceress is, but how do we get to her?" the king asked.

Suddenly, a blast of black magic hit Randor in the back, and he disappeared. He reappeared in the grasp of Trap Jaw, who put a sword to his throat.

"Simply put, He-Man, you don't," came a voice that He-Man knew all too well. The voice was Skeletor's...he had arrived. "Now, you will surrender Castle Greyskull to me, or I will have Randor killed!"

"Don't do it, He-Man! Castle Greyskull is more important than I am," the king called. Randor was really He-Man's father, so he had little choice but to surrender.

"Very well, Skeletor, Castle Greyskull is yours," He-Man said to the lord of destruction. "For now anyway." Skeletor simply laughed at his enemy of so many years.

With a blast from his havoc staff, Skeletor freed Evil-Lyn and the others from their chains. Together the evil warriors walked into Castle Greyskull. If any one present made a gesture to stop the evil sorcerer, he did not notice.

Once inside, he began to chant aloud.

"Turok nos...las nos" he intoned in ancient words. The heroic warriors looked oddly at Skeletor. "Ha, that just created an invisible shield around Castle Greyskull. Not even your weapons can break it," Skeletor said, before giving a signal to Trap Jaw.

"You fools trusted Skeletor, and now your king--and your world--will pay the price," the cyborg vowed, while activating a teleportation beam. He disappeared with the king.

"You gave your word, Skeletor!" He-Man yelled at the other, who continued to laugh. Finally he was able to voice his reply.

"I lied." Skeletor began to laugh again as he closed the jaw bridge.

He-Man tried to break open the shield with his sword, but he couldn't. Soon after, all of the heroic warriors had tried, and failed, to open the shield.

Together they headed towards Palace Eternia, hoping that one of Man-At-Arms' inventions could break through.

* * *

Inside of Castle Greyskull, Skeletor sat upon the Sorceress' throne. "At last, after all of these years of waiting, Castle Greyskull is mine!" he gloated, as Evil-Lyn ascended the stairs to the throne.

"I have established contact with Horde Prime. He is waiting to speak to you," she reported. Skeletor got up and walked to the room where the communication devices were held. He trembled only slightly, knowing that Horde Prime had killed far more important people for less than trembling.

Horde Prime was the emperor of Horde World, and of the Horde itself. Skeletor still owed allegiance to the force which he had once served...and therefore owed allegiance to Horde Prime.

"Horde Prime, My Liege, it is I Skeletor," he stated.

On the enormous monitor before him nothing could be seen but four large, blood red eyes; two for each of the monarch's heads. The rest was covered by billows of black smoke and green mist. Occasionally, though, a large, robotic hand would break through the mists.

"SKELETOR, ONE OF YOUR LACKEYS BROUGHT KING RANDOR TO HORDE WORLD," Horde Prime began. "WELL DONE. I WILL ADD HIM TO MY MENAGERIE. BETTER YET, I WILL SEND RANDOR AND MY OTHER PRIZE ETERNIAN TO THE SLAVE PITS. AT LONG LAST, ETERNIA WILL BE ANNEXED TO MY EMPIRE." His prize Eternian was the Sorceress, and Skeletor's skull lit up at the idea of those two being slaves on Horde World.

"An excellent plan, Master," Skeletor managed to say. "On your world, not even He-Man can save them."

"TRUE, HE-MAN CAN NOT SAVE THEM HERE, BUT SHOULD HE JOIN WITH SHE-RA AND GET BACK CASTLE GREYSKULL..." Horde Prime left the sentence hanging. "WHICH IS WHY I HAVE SENT HORDAK AND SOME OF HIS MORE POWERFUL WARRIORS TO GUARD CASTLE GREYSKULL. I DID NOT SEND THE ENTIRE ARMY, BUT HE WILL HAVE MANY UNDER HIS REGIME--INCLUDING YOU AND YOURS. YOU WILL ANSWER TO HIM UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE." Horde Prime broke contact with Skeletor.

Hordak? Where? I will not serve him again, he will betray me the first chance he gets, Skeletor thought to himself.

The reason for his suspicion was an event that had occurred approximately eighteen years earlier; an event that neither Hordak nor Skeletor would ever truly forget.

Originally, the Horde army had been lured to Eternia by a sorcerer named Morgath. However, Morgath was soon after defeated by the Sorceress and the Horde began their battle for Eternia in earnest. Hordak, who was personally selected by Horde Prime to lead the campaign, had many evil soldiers under his control.

During the Horde's first few months on Eternia, Hordak took on a protege...Skeletor. The two worked well together, bringing the planet to the brink of destruction. They might have succeeded if Hordak had not been filled with a sudden idea.

A young King Randor and Queen Marlena had just had twins, whom Hordak knew would both be special. The twins, whose names were Adam and Adora, were only a week old when Hordak attempted to kidnap them. Skeletor went with his evil tutor. Together the two of them broke into the royal nursery and got Princess Adora. They were about to take Prince Adam, when Man-At-Arms and Queen Marlena entered the room. The queen knocked Skeletor into a wall while Hordak and his forces fled, with Adora, to Etheria. Hordak left Skeletor to his enemies. Ever since, the two had been caught in a cycle of revenge.

Skeletor was brought back to reality by a voice that sounded like metal scraping metal. A voice which Skeletor recognized.

"So, old friend, you did something right for once," the voice was Hordak's. Skeletor turned around and was greeted by Hordak, Grizzlor, and Shadow Weaver.

Shadow Weaver was Hordak's second in command, and was very evil. She had always reminded Skeletor of Orko. She was bigger, but she wore a long red robe and floated. In addition, her face was always covered, with the exception of her large, lantern-like eyes, in shadows.

Grizzlor was a brown furred monster that seemed to be Beastman's cousin.

As for Hordak himself, he had a blue body. The only exception was his robotic face (which was chalk-white) and blood red eyes. He wore black and gray armor with the Horde's symbol on his chest in red.

"You! I should destroy you right now for the way you betrayed me!" Skeletor screamed. Shadow Weaver floated over to Skeletor, quite confident.

"Oh, but you won't destroy us," she hissed. "Horde Prime put Hordak in command." Skeletor raised his havoc staff in Shadow Weaver's direction.

"Wrong. I cannot kill Hordak...yet...but I can destroy you, witch," Skeletor said as he fired an ice blast at her; a blast which Shadow Weaver deflected with her own dark magic.

"Grizzlor," Hordak called to the brown furred warrior. "Horde Prime ordered us to keep Skeletor around for battles. Until then, however, put him in the dungeon!" Hordak commanded. As Skeletor was led away, Hordak and Shadow Weaver laughed at his misfortune.

"Make sure he's most uncomfortable too," Shadow Weaver added with another chuckle.

* * *

The warriors returned to the palace. Luckily, the queen was no where to be seen, so no one had told her of Randor's kidnapping yet.

He-Man entered the workshop of Man-At-Arms, where Teela and her father had been waiting for the him.

"He-Man, I watched everything from my viewing monitor here in the workshop," Man-At-Arms informed him. "As soon as the king was taken I called Teela back here. The queen has been at the royal museum ever since you all left."

The royal museum was the place that the queen always went to think. It was there that her ship, which had brought her to Eternia, was stored. It was also the spot where the ship had landed all of those years ago (the museum was built around it).

A long time ago, she had been Lieutenant Marlena Glenn, of Earth. Her mission was to lead two scientists into uncharted space on a ship called the Rainbow Explorer. The scientists were named Dr. Evelyn Powers, and Dr. Scope. A technician named Biff Beastman also went with them.

Soon after they had passed the planet Jupiter, Dr. Powers and Dr. Scope noticed a spatial anomaly near an asteroid field. Lieutenant Glenn refused to go near it, but the two doctors convinced Biff to help them overthrow her, so they could get a better look at the anomaly. During their battle with Glenn for control, the ship was hit by a meteor and the fuel lines ruptured. This sent the ship hurtling through the anomaly...which was actually a portal.

Once through, the ship plummeted towards a nearby planet named Eternia. The two doctors and the technician left in the only escape pod, leaving Glenn to her fate. The pod landed on the dark side of the planet, where they were found by Skeletor and given: new identities, looks, and powers. Dr. Powers became Skeletor's protege...Evil-Lyn. Dr. Scope became Tri Klops, and Biff became Beastman. As for Glenn, she soon landed the ship roughly on Eternia's good side; she was then found and rescued by Randor. Soon thereafter, she became Queen Marlena of Eternia. (Randor ordered a museum built around her ship to protect the vessel).

The royal museum is where He-Man found the queen that afternoon. She was kneeling by the ship, crying.

"Your Majesty," he called softly. She looked up at him.

"I already know, He-Man. Randor is gone. I don't know how, but I just know that he is," she sighed. He nodded to confirm her assumption.

on to next chapter

back to authors section

Chapter 2:
The Slave Pits.



Palace Eternia was in a frenzy. Queen Marlena, who was still upset over her husband's capture, had people running here and there.

"Teela, ready your troops. Man-at-Arms and Orko, find whoever you can--even if it's just Ram Man. If necessary we'll destroy Castle Greyskull!" she commanded. He-Man stepped towards the throne.

"Your Majesty, I understand how upset you are," he said. "But destroying Castle Greyskull won't help. King Randor may not even be there...and if something happens to Skeletor we might not ever find him." Marlena sighed again.

"I just don't want Adam to go through what Randor did. Randor was about Adam's age when his father, King Miro, was kidnapped by his archenemy. We only found him a couple of years ago," she reminded him.

Teela walked over to the queen and tried to console her.

"Perhaps if we could get Queen Angella of Etheria to help, we could defeat Skeletor without destroying him," Teela suggested.

Orko floated over to add his own idea.

"Maybe if I went to Trolla, where my magic is strongest, I could get you all to Etheria! I'll try to transport myself to Trolla now." The blue Trollan floated out of the room. Everyone had doubts about Orko's abilities in this matter, but said nothing.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the dark seas of Horde World, a large ship was sailing towards Horde Prime's palace. Commanding the vessel was Admiral Scurvy, the most ruthless man to ever sail a sea.

Scurvy had dark purple skin, and red, stringy hair. In addition, a large golden plate had been grafted over his right eye, and it would flip up to reveal three devices. The first of the three devices would magnify an image, the second would fire a laser, and the third gave him x-ray vision.

With him, in the control center of the Horde slave ship which he was commanding, was the orange cat that he almost always held: Squall.

In one of the small prison cells below deck were King Randor and the Sorceress. Their clothes were dirty from their personal battles; hers with Evil-Lyn and his with Trap Jaw.

The walls on which they were chained were parallel; preventing them from reaching for each other.

"Well, old friend, what should we do now?" the Sorceress asked the Eternian king. They had been friends only slightly less time than she had been with Man-At-Arms. The king looked up at her and all he could say was, "I don't know, Teelana, I just don't know."

The Sorceress began to laugh slightly.

"It's been a long time since anyone called me by my true name. The last person who did was...Dannon," she said, as she remembered her husband who had died while saving Eternia.

"I'm sorry, Sorceress, I didn’t mean to bring up--" The Sorceress cut him off.

"No, please don't stop calling me Teelana. I kind of miss it. Now, though, onto other matters. I believe I heard a Horde trooper say that they were taking us to Horde Prime's palace."

King Randor looked in disbelief at her.

"Horde Prime himself? The only people more evil than him are the members of the Council of Evil...and at least they have standards; after all, he's a robot!" he said. Seconds later, a laser blast hit him in the chest. He fell limp in the chains, as the Horde trooper who had shot him laughed.

"Randor!" Teelana screamed. "Monster, if I still had all of my magic I would send you to the heart of the sun itself!" The trooper, who was still holding the smoking laser rifle, seemed slightly afraid.

However, the longer she was away from Castle Greyskull, the more her powers diminished.

"Quiet, woman, or you'll get the same," the trooper replied. "No one will talk about Horde Prime like that. It is forbidden."

Teelana was about to say something else, but Admiral Scurvy entered the corridor.

"Trooper, what happened to King Randor?" Scurvy questioned. The trooper trembled, and all he could say was, "H-he spoke against Horde Prime, Sir."

Scurvy shook his head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You see, Sorceress, on Horde World it's illegal to speak ill of Horde Prime. Unfortunately, Trooper, we had orders from Horde Prime himself not to hurt them. So I'm afraid you will have to walk the plank," Scurvy said as the trooper was led away by his colleagues. The admiral looked at the Sorceress. "I know walking the plank is cliche, but it works."

As he left the room, Scurvy laughed to himself. Teelana tried to revive King Randor using telepathy, since her hands were chained. Even though the stun wouldn’t kill him, she didn’t like to see him just laying there so still.

* * *

Hours passed, and eventually Randor awoke.

"Where am I?" he asked weakly. "Ah, yes, now I remember. Are you okay, Teelana? Teelana?" looking around he found that she was no longer there.

"Get up, fool! We're at Horde Prime's palace; your Sorceress is waiting for you on deck," a different trooper, who stood above him, said. Randor moved slowly, because he was still stiff from the blast he got. The trooper moved over to him and cuffed the king before escorting him to the deck.

As they walked onto the ship's deck, Randor saw Teelana; and then he saw that she was cuffed as well.

"Well, now that our other guest of honor is here we might as well proceed to the palace," said Scurvy, who was standing next to Teelana.

"Are you all right, Teelana?" Randor asked, ignoring Scurvy.

"I suppose I'm as well as can be expected in our present state," she responded, lifting her wrists to show the cuffs. They were taken off of the ship and led to the nearby palace.

The palace stood over four-hundred stories tall, and it was built out of black marble. Windows were sparse, but turrets were plentiful--all of them supporting flags and troopers. Stun lasers stood in many places; some visible, and some hidden.

Once inside, the prisoners and their captors went down many corridors, and passed many armed troopers.

"Come along, slaves, down this corridor," Scurvy ordered.

They began walking down the indicated corridor. At the end of their long walk, they came across a normal, average sized, metal door with the Horde insignia on it. Since neither Randor nor Teelana knew what Horde Prime looked like, they didn't know what to expect. "I will tell Horde Prime that you are here," Scurvy said, before going through the doors.

Scurvy returned a moment later and motioned them in. Teelana and Randor were pushed in, and the doors were sealed. They were standing on a very narrow ledge. The ceiling went about five stories above them, and the floor of the throne room was about three stories below them.

In the center of the room sat a very large Horde Prime--filling up most of the space.

"WELL, WELL, WELL. BEFORE ME STANDS THE GUARDIAN OF CASTLE GREYSKULL, AND THE KING OF ONE OF THE MOST ACCURSED PLANETS EVER," Horde Prime said, after what seemed to be an eternity of silence.

Randor was very afraid of his fellow monarch, but he would not show it in front of the other two in the room.

"You won't get away with this, fiend!" he vowed, shaking his still cuffed fists. Suddenly, a green halo of energy surrounded the king. He could no longer move, because Horde Prime had frozen him in an energy field.

"I'LL SEE THAT YOU NEVER RAISE A HAND TO ME AGAIN, FOOL. HOWEVER, WE HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DISCUSS. I AM PLACING BOTH OF YOU IN MY SLAVE MINES, WHERE YOU WILL HELP TO BUILD MY NEW FLAGSHIP: THE PHOENIX," Horde Prime decreed as he pressed a green button on the armrest of his throne. Randor, along with Teelana, were teleported back to the prison cells on Scurvy's ship.

Moments after they had disappeared, Hordak made contact with Horde Prime via a large holo screen on the emperor's left.

"Mighty Horde Prime, our spies tell us that Queen Marlena is planning an attack on Castle Greyskull," Hordak reported. Horde Prime was very angry.

"THOSE FOOLS! THEY WOULD DARE TO TRY AND STOP ME? VERY WELL, IF THEY WANT A FIGHT I WILL GIVE THEM ONE. HORDAK, READY YOUR FORCES AND CRUSH THEM ALL." Horde Prime blasted the console, destroying the screen but leaving the audio speakers on line. BLAST! IF HORDAK FAILS, IT WILL BE HIS HEAD! he thought to himself.

* * *

On Scurvy's ship, the admiral was counting the gold bars that Horde Prime had paid him for the safe delivery of Teelana and Randor.

"12...13...14 gold bars! Just for bringing those Eternian fools to Horde Slime...I mean Prime. I don't know what he was so worried about, it's not like they could have been rescued by He-Man and She-Ra. In fact, She-Ra doesn't even know they're here," Scurvy said to the trooper behind him, not realizing that Horde Prime himself was standing by the dock.

"I DON'T PAY YOU TO QUESTION ME, ADMIRAL SCURVY," Horde Prime bellowed. Now that he was not sitting down, his full height could be seen.

Scurvy turned around very quickly and met up with Horde Prime's right foot. He looked up slowly and stammered.

"Mighty Horde Prime, I meant no disrespect. I--" Scurvy's sentence was cut short.

"YOU ARE LUCKY THAT I AM IN A FORGIVING MOOD THIS DAY; OTHERWISE, I WOULD PAINT MY WALLS WITH YOUR BLOOD. HOWEVER, I WILL NOT DO THAT...YET. I HAVE TRANSPORTED THE TWO ETERNIANS BACK ONTO YOUR SHIP. YOU ARE TO TAKE THEM TO THE SLAVE PITS IN SECTOR 2-11," Horde Prime commanded.

Scurvy got down on his knees and clasped his hands.

"Please, Master, 2-11 is run by Force Captain Davina. She has had it in for me since I stole some of her gold three planet cycles ago," Scurvy explained. Horde Prime was not interested in excuses.

"I DON'T CARE. YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE YOU QUESTIONED MY JUDGMENT. NOW GO," Horde Prime commanded before pressing a green button on his wrist and teleporting back to his throne room.

"Blast! Oh well, at least I won't have to be there long. Without She-Ra--or He-Man for that matter--to rescue them, those Eternian fools will be there forever," Scurvy mumbled to himself.

* * *

Scurvy was sure that no one on the planet Etheria knew where Randor and Teelana were, or even that they were gone. He was sure that Adora would find out from her brother soon enough, and alert She-Ra, but he would have washed his hands of it by then.

He was wrong, though, because Sea Hawk already knew. Sea Hawk was a red haired sea captain who was in love with Adora; he had even met Randor and Marlena once (the queen had compared him to someone from her planet named Errol Flynn).

Sea Hawk knew almost everything that Scurvy did. The reason for this was that he had had Davy Jones, his tiny mouse friend, plant a small transmitter in the back of Squall's collar. Therefore, since Scurvy carried the cat everywhere, Hawk heard everything that he said.

So, Scurvy thinks that he can get away with kidnapping Adora's father, and the Sorceress of Castle Greyskull? I think not. But, then again, what can I do? Sea Hawk thought. He continued to think to himself. What would my father, the Falcon, do? Of course... At once he knew what to do. His father, an Etherian hero of the past, was a great strategist, and had passed that gift on to his son.

"Sven!" he called; the little round man that was his first mate came forward.

"Yes, Cap'n?" Sven asked. Hawk looked down and told him what had happened. "Oh, that's awful. What can we do though?" he asked Sea Hawk.

"Set course for Castle Brightmoon. We have to let Adora know about her father and the Sorceress," Sea Hawk said, as Sven toddled off and spread the word.

Soon they were on their way to Castle Brightmoon, via their flying sail barge.

* * *

Queen Angella was the leader of the Great Rebellion, the group which was determined to send the Horde away from their planet. She had short blond hair, green eyes, and large white wings upon her back. Angella wore constantly wore strong armor which made up of different shades of pink.

In her throne room, at Castle Brightmoon, she had just finished talking to Sea Hawk on a communicator. After hearing his story, Angella sent for her daughter...Princess Glimmer.

The young girl wore armor identical to her mothers, except that it was shades of purple (and she did not have wings on her back). Glimmer had long purple hair that came to her waist. Most importantly, though, she possessed magic...also like her mother.

"Glimmer, you must locate Adora," Queen Angella commanded. She could see that her daughter was about to ask why, and she cut her off. "Please, ask no questions, daughter. Just know that it is very important." Glimmer nodded and ran from the throne room of Castle Brightmoon.

Outside, she saw Madame Razz and Broom. Madame was a short, purple skinned old witch--but a kindly witch. She wore purple pants, with large green patches in some places, and a bright red hat which covered the upper half of her face, and matched her red blouse. There were two holes in the hat which allowed her to see. Also, the hat came to two points; one point was ripped and some of her white hair had poked through, the other had a spin-wheel on it. On her back was a long black cape, which Broom stood behind.

Broom was an ordinary broom, with the exception of the fact that he could talk and fly. He was Madame's constant companion.

"Madame! Madame!" Glimmer called to her. Broom poked Madame on the shoulder and pointed at Glimmer.

"Oh hello, dearie. What's wrong?" she asked the young princess.

"I don't know, Madame, but my mother ordered me to find Adora," Glimmer explained. Madame thought for a moment.

"Hmm, maybe I can help," she said, before beginning to chant. "Be she far, or be she near, magical powers, bring her here!" Magic flowed from her purple fingers, forcing Angella to appear instead. Like so many of Madame's spells, this one had backfired.

"What? How did I get here?" the queen asked immediately.

"Oops," Madame said, blushing all the while. "That would be my fault, Your Highness."

"Well have either of you located Adora yet?" Angella asked impatiently.

"No, mother, but Madame said she would help me look for her," Glimmer reported. Angella nodded and flew away on her own wings.

"Don't worry, dearie, we'll find Adora. Why don't you go ask Bow to help you. Broom and I will look for her from the air," Madame said, before flying off on Broom. Glimmer ran off to look for Bow.

Bow was a tall, red headed man, with a thin red moustache. He wore a golden chest plate, blue pants, and a short red cape that hid a quiver full of arrows. The arrows were used with the bow that he kept tucked in his belt most of the time; the rest of the time, his small friend Kowl carried it.

Kowl was a brown creature that resembled an owl, except that instead of wings he had large ears which enabled him to fly. Both were close friends of Adora, and both were members of the Great Rebellion.

* * *

Madame and Broom flew over the Whispering Woods, unable to find Adora or her steed Spirit.

"I don't see her, do you, Broom?" Madame asked her old friend.

"Nope. I told you I didn't think that she would be riding Spirit. We should've checked the main camp," Broom responded.

"Well, I'm sure Glimmer will check there. We should stick to the skies, where we have a better view," Madame reassured Broom.

Soon the two of them had covered the entire woods.

"What now?" Broom asked his pilot, forcing Madame to think for a moment.

"Let's keep looking for her. Head west, Broomie," she ordered, pointing to the west.

"You got it, Madame," Broom responded.

They continued to fly; after another short while they had flown over Talon Mountain, the village of Thaymor, and around Sky Dancer Mountain. If Madame had known that Sky Dancer Mountain housed the Crystal Castle, she may have checked there.

Though Light Hope, the keeper of the Crystal Castle (which was the Etherian equivalent of Castle Greyskull), told She-Ra that Madame could know where the Crystal Castle was, Madame never asked.

Broom landed roughly on the ground near the mountain's base, where she attempted to contact Glimmer. She created a small glowing ball in the air, which the face of Glimmer soon appeared in.

"Any luck, dearie?" Madame asked Glimmer.

"Afraid not, Madame. Bow and I have looked almost everywhere," Glimmer reported, seemingly discouraged.

"Don't worry, I have another idea," Madame reassured her.

"Good luck, Madame," Glimmer whispered as the other two flew away.

They had been flying south for about an hour, when Madame suddenly shouted to her companion.

"Broom! Stop!" Broom halted in mid air, surprised by his friend's sudden command.

"What is it?" he asked the old witch. Madame pointed down at a small castle below them.

"That. That's Peacock Palace, home of Peek-A-Blue," she explained. Peek-A-Blue was a young women who had the power to see anywhere in the universe at anytime.

Broom flew down to the castle, and in through a window in the throne room. All was going smoothly until Madame began to help Broom try and land. Moments later, the two of them had crashed into one of the stone pillars to the left of the dais.

"Madame Razz, is that you?" asked a nearby voice. Madame looked up slowly.

Standing above her and Broom was a young women with long green hair, which matched her green eyes. The woman wore a sleeveless blue top, and a short yellow skirt. However, the most noticeable things about her were the large peacock feathers on her back.

"Hello, Peek-A-Blue," Madame responded. "Forgive me, I'm not trying to be rude, but I need your help." Madame explained her problem, and Peek-A-Blue agreed to help her.

Peek-A-Blue closed her eyes and spread the tail feathers on her back. The eyes on the feathers began to glow at increasingly rapid intervals. Finally, the flashing eyes stopped and Peek-A-Blue opened her own green eyes.

"Adora is at the main camp of the Rebellion," the green haired women announced. Soon the three of them went to retrieve Adora.

* * *

Princess Adora was at the Great Rebellion's main camp. It still felt weird for her to be there...with the so called rebels. At one time she had been raised by the evil Horde, Hordak and Shadow Weaver in particular, and taught to hate the Rebellion. Hordak had had Shadow Weaver keep Adora under a spell, where her thoughts were clouded. Luckily, her twin brother, Adam, had saved her and given her a sword similar to his. With this sword she could become She-Ra, the princess of power.

As Adora, the young woman had long blond hair and blue eyes. She would wear a red suit and red boots, with a white turtle neck under the suit and a black belt around her waist. Her long hair covered the hilt of her sword--which poked up from the back of her collar.

As She-Ra, she retained the blond hair and blue eyes. However, she would become clothed in a short white skirt, with golden boots, wrist amulets, belt, and headdress. On her back would appear a red cape which came down to her waist.

She, like her brother He-Man, had a pet which would turn into an equally strong warrior. Adora had a white horse named Spirit, which would become Swift Wind the Pegasus. As Swift Wind, he would grow a golden horn and colorful wings, which would give She-Ra access to the skies. She-Ra and the Great Rebellion had helped out Eternia before when it was in need of assistance, and vice versa.

Adora was brought back from her reminiscing by the sound of a familiar voice. Turning around, she saw: Madame, Broom, Peek-A-Blue and Castaspella.

"What brings you all here?" Adora asked. Madame smiled.

"Well, Queen Angella told Glimmer to find you. When she couldn't, she asked me to help her look for you. In turn, I asked Peek-A-Blue where you were," the witch explained hurriedly.

"And you, Castaspella?" Adora asked the other woman.

"I spotted the three of them flying over my kingdom, Mystacor, and decided to see what was up. I hopped on my flying carpet and joined them," Castaspella responded.

"Well, if Queen Angella has called for me, I suppose we should go," Adora agreed reluctantly. The princess hopped onto Broom, and together they flew off to Castle Brightmoon...except for Spirit, who galloped beneath them.


At the palace of Eternia, Adam dreamed about his failure to protect his father and Castle Greyskull.

In the dream, Horde Prime had placed the king and the Sorceress in chains. Adam was also there, as He-Man, chained up at his father's side. As he looked on, Horde Prime used his palm laser and incinerated the other two. Just as the malevolent monarch tuned the laser at him, Adam awoke.

"Father!" Adam yelled as he sat up. Teela, who felt guilty for not being there to save the king, had decided to guard Adam's room personally that night.

She went in to see what had happened. With her went Orko, who had been attempting to cheer her up.

"Adam, what's wrong?" Teela asked as she came in.

"It was my father...and the Sorceress. I had a dream that they were both on Horde World, and both of them were destroyed by Horde Prime," Adam explained.

Teela looked down and began to cry.

"I-I'm so s-sorry. I should h-have been there to save them," was all she could say between the tears.

"I'm also sorry...to hear about your nightmare, Your Majesty," said a raspy voice behind them. "Allow me to put your minds at ease--your king and Sorceress are both alive and on Horde World." The voice was Shadow Weaver's.

Upon turning to face her, Adam and Teela saw that she was not alone. With her were: Evil-Lyn, Mantenna, and Scorpia. Evil-Lyn wore her usual clothes, the purple and blue body suit, with an accompanying long black cape. On her head, a helmet that had four blue crystal spikes jutting from it, and a small crystal skull. The peculiar looking helmet hid a head of gray hair.

Mantenna and Scorpia, both of whom were members of the Horde, looked as menacing as usual. Mantenna had a large red head which housed two large, yellow eyes; the eyes could fire a variety of lasers. The rest of his body was all blue, from his neck down to his four feet. Scorpia was mostly woman, except that she had a large, red scorpion tail on her back and two pinchers instead of hands.

"You!" Teela yelled as she arose from Adam's bed. Years of training made it possible to pull out her laser pistol in less than a second. She aimed at the evil warriors. "You are all hereby under arrest...for threatening the life of the prince!" she yelled.

Evil-Lyn laughed and knocked the gun out of Teela's hand with an ice blast from her hand.

"I think not, Teela," she said before calling, "now, Mantenna!" The bug eyed warrior fired a balance distorter beam from his eyes. As soon as it hit them, Teela and Orko went down. Adam lunged at Mantenna, but was stopped by Scorpia's tail.

"Enough!" Shadow Weaver hissed. "We had orders not to confront them!" she raised her hands, and they all disappeared in a giant fireball.

Adam went over to Teela and Orko who were starting to get up.

"Are you all right?" he asked. Teela immediately ran from the room, yelling back, "I have to go tell Queen Marlena!" Now alone, Orko and Adam looked towards each other.

"Now that she's gone, you can change into He-Man," Orko said. It always surprised Adam to hear people talking about his "changing." The only people who knew his, and his sister's, secrets were: the Sorceress, Light Hope, Orko, Kowl, Man-at-Arms, and Madame Razz. Adam couldn't think about his secret identity at the moment, though, Orko was right--he had to change. Pulling out his sword he intoned his normal chant.

"By the power of Greyskull...I have the power!" And once again, he was He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe.

* * *

Back on Etheria, Adora was with Madame, on Broom. Peek-A-Blue was flying with Castaspella on the queen of Mystacor's flying carpet. Finally, they were on their way to Castle Brightmoon; Queen Angella had called for them a long time ago.

"Over...under...arooound!" Madame called to Broom as they flew. The old Broom looked up and chided his friend.

"Ya know, it's no wonder we crash so much. Sheesh...backseat drivers, who needs 'em?" Adora laughed at Broom's remark. She stopped laughing, though, when she saw the oncoming tree.

"Madame, look out!" she called to the old witch.

"Oh dearie my! Watch out, Broom!" It was too late, they crashed into the tree and were knocked into some bushes. "Well, that wasn't the worst landing we've ever made, Broom." Adora laughed again at Broom, who was stuck in the fork of a nearby tree.

"Are you all right?" asked their friend Glimmer as she ran over. Adora brushed herself off, while Castaspella continued on to Brightmoon with Peek-A-Blue. Adora responded to Glimmer's question.

"I think that we're okay. Now, what was it that was so important, Glimmer?" she asked.

"You should ask my mom," Glimmer retorted as she led them into Castle Brightmoon's throne room, using magical means.

Inside, Angella awaited them. With her were: Castaspella, Peek-A-Blue, and Sea Hawk.

"What is wrong--Hawk ?!" Adora gasped at the sight of her boyfriend, who she saw very rarely. Sea Hawk gave her a hug and kiss, before he began to tell her everything.

"Castle Greyskull fell to Skeletor a little over five standard hours ago. The Sorceress and your father were taken prisoner," Sea Hawk reported, before letting Angella take over for him.

"According to Sea Hawk, they were taken to Horde World and made slaves in sector 2-11," she told Adora.

A guard ran over to Angella and whispered something in her ear. "Our spies have just learned that Hordak and a bunch of his goons left for Eternia. Supposedly, Horde Prime has commanded him to take over for Skeletor," she announced.

Adora began to cry at the end of Sea Hawk and Angella's story.

"Oh, father, I'm so sorry that I couldn't help you," she said in a muffled voice. Adora had a sudden thought and sat up. "We have to help them," she said, wiping away a tear, "so I want Madame to help me find She-Ra." Before Adora could finish explaining her plan, Castaspella stepped forward.

Castaspella had long reddish brown hair that contrasted her blue body suit. Over her waist she wore a short yellow skirt that contained a lightning design on it, which traveled onto her blue top. As queen of Mystacor, she was a powerful sorceress.

"That is why I decided to join you. I'm sure that if we work together, we can open a portal to Eternia. However, we might not have the power to get back...that is why we'll need Castle Greyskull and the Sorceress," she stated. Glimmer also stepped forward.

"I've gotten some of our friends from the Rebellion to say that they'll help us," she reported.

Adora hugged her friends before leaving with Madame to "find" She-Ra. Once outside of Castle Brightmoon, and out of sight from everyone, Adora held her sword aloft.

"For the honor of Greyskull...I am She-Ra!" she called. The combined magic of Castle Greyskull and the Crystal Castle swallowed Adora, leaving She-Ra in her stead. "Madame," She-Ra started, "what will happen when we get back to Castle Brightmoon, and Adora isn't with us? This is one time when she can't be 'just safe'," she asked, referring to her usual reply. Madame thought for a few more moments.

"I know! Why not call Light Hope...maybe he can help." She-Ra agreed to call the keeper of the Crystal Castle.

Light Hope was a sentient--and powerful--shaft of rainbow colored light. He was also She-Ra's equivalent of the Sorceress.

She-Ra held up her sword so that the jewel in it was at eye level.

"Light Hope!" she called into the jewel. Light Hope's image appeared in the tiny crystal.

"She-Ra," Light Hope said, "I already know why you have called. Do not fear--just as the Sorceress told your brother the day he received the Sword of Power, 'the sword has a way of protecting itself and its master.' The same goes for the Sword of Protection. Keep that in mind, Princess. And if you need me again on your journey, just call my name." Light Hope's image shimmered out of the jewel. She-Ra and Madame made their way back to Castle Brightmoon.

Once there, they found Castaspella, Glimmer, and Queen Angella working on their spell. Bow, Kowl, and some others were also there.

"It is finished. However, I will not have Castle Brightmoon to back me up on Eternia, which is why it's imperative that we get back the Sorceress," Angella echoed Castaspella, as a portal shimmered into existence.

"Quickly, everyone, to Eternia," She-Ra commanded the group. Everyone began filing through the yellow and orange colored portal, no one asking the whereabouts of Adora.

* * *

The group of Etherian rebels appeared at Palace Eternia, and judging by the darkness they could tell it was very early in the morning.

"Where are we?" Kowl asked quietly.

Suddenly, the lights came on and the group was surrounded. Marlena stood in front of them with He-Man, Teela, and Man-at-Arms at her side.

"You were fools to attempt a beak in. You are--She-Ra?!" the Eternian queen gasped, startled by the young woman's appearance; she soon realized who the others were as well. Once his eyes adjusted to the bright lights, He-Man could also identify them.

"She-Ra!" He-Man exclaimed. "How did you get here?" he asked. She-Ra told them how they had come to know about Randor and the Sorceress.

"I am so sorry, Marlena," Angella said. "I remember when my husband, King Micha, was taken by the Horde. Luckily we got him back, just as I know we will with Randor. I just pray that he doesn't decide to go off and fight the Horde elsewhere...like mine did." She hugged her fellow queen.

"Thank you, friend," Marlena said, "but we need to worry about getting back Castle Greyskull first...so that we can get Randor and the Sorceress back."

Together the two of them, as well as their groups of heroic warriors, began to think of a plan of attack against Hordak and Skeletor.

* * *

Castle Greyskull looked quite different. All around the castle, and on the bridge leading to it, were Horde troops. Standing directly in front of the jaw bridge was Scorpia. Webstor and Kobra Khan stood atop the two main battlements. Lastly, the flag of Skeletor, a black field with a purple skull in the center, waved from its place atop the mast, which was atop the castle itself.

Where the Sorceress usually sat, on the throne, now sat Hordak. At the foot of the steps leading to the throne stood: Catra, Mer-Man, Leech, and Beastman.

Catra and Leech were both servants of the Horde. Catra was a normal looking woman, with long black hair. On that hair sat a tiara in the shape of a cat's face, which, when pulled over her eyes, transformed Catra into a black panther with razor sharp, crimson armor. Leech was a green monster that resembled his namesake, except that he had large suction cups on his hands that drained an enemy's energy.

Mer-Man and Beastman both served Skeletor, although currently they served Hordak. Mer-Man was a large, green half man/half fish, monster. Beastman, on the other hand, was an orange furred simian.

"Eternia will soon be ours!" Hordak roared. "He-Man alone can't stop us, and there is no way for She-Ra to get here." Hordak laughed again. Why shouldn't he? After all, he was in control now.

Skeletor sat in Castle Greyskull's largest dungeon cell--locked up in Photanium chains--which Grizzlor stood guard over.

"Not so tough now are you, skull face?" Grizzlor taunted.

"I will have my revenge, carpet head!" Skeletor yelled back at the Hordesman.

Down another one of the halls, in fact it was the hallway with the travel corridors, Shadow Weaver and Evil-Lyn searched for the Vault of Knowledge.

"Behind one of these doors lies all of the secrets and powers of Castle Greyskull itself," Shadow Weaver hissed.

"Yes, Weaver, but be careful--one of these chambers also leads to Etheria. And we wouldn't want She-Ra getting here, now would we?" Evil-Lyn questioned sarcastically. She then smiled at the thought of She-Ra and He-Man pounding Hordak into submission. The evil witch wanted Castle Greyskull for herself, in fact, she already planned to usurp Hordak.

* * *

In the slave pits on Horde World, Teelana slept in a dungeon cell. Randor and herself had only arrived half an hour earlier, and soon after their arrival they were separated.

A trooper began poking the woman's sleeping body with the butt of his stun blaster.

"Wake up, bird women," the trooper commanded. Teelana sat up slowly. "The boss wants to see you." A special collar was put around her neck, to prevent the usage of her already severely depleted powers.

In the corridor outside, Randor was being held by another trooper. They were led down the hallway and into another dark room.

"So, these are our new slaves?" asked an unseen, female voice from the darkness. Suddenly a single spotlight shown onto the keeper of the voice.

She seemed tall, with a long black pony tail; her suit was made up of a tight, silver material. She wore black gloves that came up past her elbows, and black boots that came up past her knees. On her chest was the ubiquitous Horde symbol, which seemed wrinkled in the position she was sitting. "I am Davina, and I am in command here. You will do as I say, or else you will face my wrath," she said.

"I will never do your bidding, witch!" Randor bellowed.

"Are you sure?" Davina asked with a grin, while pulling out an electric whip from her black belt as she stood.

"Positive," he responded coldly. Davina struck his back with the electrical whip, the blue sparks adding little light to the room. Blood dripped down his back and stained the inside of his red and blue armor. Randor grimaced in pain, but did nothing else.

"No!" Teelana screamed as she threw herself head first into Davina's stomach, the blue beak in her headdress almost breaking one of the other woman's ribs. Davina was doubled over in pain for a few moments before she choked out a command.

"You fool! Guards, place her in The Box. As for the king, put him to work on the Phoenix," she commanded. Teelana looked on in disgust as Randor was taken away.

What have I done? I was a fool to attack Davina...now I can't be of any help to anyone, she thought to herself, as she was led outside to The Box.

Once outside of the small castle, Teelana was shoved into a small metal box; dark inside with only a few slits for air and light to enter from. Unfortunately, it also let in a lot of heat which remained and built up.

Randor was put to work immediately on the Phoenix. It was a large ship covered with Horde symbols; after all it was Horde Prime's new flagship.

Only a few minutes had passed, when one of the troopers whipped the tired, blue haired young woman next to Randor.

"Back to work, slave," the trooper barked. When the whip hit her back, she shut her eyes tightly as she was determined not to scream. The trooper laughed at her pain as he walked away.

"Are you all right, young lady?" Randor asked the girl. She looked at him; puzzled...as if she was trying to remember something about him.

"I-I'm fine...I think. Say, do I know you? My name is Frosta, mistress of ice on Etheria," she introduced herself.

Randor finally recognized her--she was a friend of Adora's, and had been at Adam and Adora's last birthday party.

"Yes, you do know me. I am Princess Adora's father, King Randor of Eternia," he replied, smiling at her.

"Of course! Now I recognize you, Sire," she said warmly. "No one else is here with you are they? You know, like your wife or...Adam?"

He could tell she still had a crush on his son, she and Castaspella had made it quite obvious that they liked him at the party.

"No, but the Sorceress of Castle Greyskull is here with me," he responded. While they worked on bolting metal to the walls of the ship, he explained how he had come to be there.

"Skeletor had a few of his warriors attack Castle Greyskull," Randor explained. "In fact, one of his fiends who resembles He-Man tricked the Sorceress into leaving the castle. Once outside, Evil-Lyn overpowered her and sent her here. I was captured a few hours later. We both found ourselves on the ship of some guy named Admiral Scurvy. Then we were sent here by Horde Prime himself," he said this quickly.

"Did you say 'Admiral Scurvy'?" Frosta asked the king of Eternia.

"Yes, I did. Do you know of him?" Randor asked quizzically.

"Of course I do, he's only the most notorious man on the Etherian seas. In fact, he was the one that captured me, at Lake Chill by my castle," she informed Randor. Frosta thought for a moment, "Wait a minute! I forgot that Adora's boyfriend, Sea Hawk, keeps constant watch on Scurvy."

"Do you think that it's possible that Adora and Adam know we're here then?" Randor asked Frosta. She nodded her head, indicating that she agreed with him.

"I hope so...I don't like it here one bit. Now, tell me, Frosta, what is this thing that we are working on?" Randor asked the blue haired mistress of ice. "Horde Slime said something about some kind of ship."

"This is the Phoenix, Horde Prime's newest flagship," Frosta told him. "He had originally planed to use it on the planet Twill'an--the only planet to share Horde World's solar system that Horde Prime doesn't control. Although, now I guess he'll use it to strike Eternia."

* * *

Elsewhere in Sector 2-11, Teelana sat in The Box. The feathers and headdress that she wore only added to the stifling heat that was attacking her.

This heat is unbearable, she thought to herself. If only I could transform into Zoar, the falcon, and leave this box of torment. I'm afraid though, that even as the mystic falcon I couldn't fit through these holes. Wait! I wonder if Adam or Adora would be able to receive a telepathic message from such a distance? she wondered. Teelana sent her message on tendrils of telepathic energy into the void of space, hoping against hope that it would reach He-Man or She-Ra. Adam? Adora? Someone, please hear me. King Randor and I are trapped on Horde World, and need your help desperately. That was her message; the message that she wasn't sure anyone would receive.

The size of The Box had begun to overwhelm her, making Teelana move about impatiently. Finally, she exhausted the last of her powers by raising her hands and casting a spell. Magic poured from her fingers and engulfed her in its light. Much in the same way as Adam and Adora changed, Teelana changed.

The suit, feathers and all, were transformed back into the clothes she had worn the day that she first became the Sorceress of Castle Greyskull. Her long red hair fell down her back, uninhibited; although, a gray hair poked through the mane of fiery red occasionally. The red went well with her new, or rather former, set of clothes. The clothes consisted of: a short purple skirt and sleeveless purple top, as well as golden arm bracelets. That just exhausted the last of my powers. I am now truly powerless...especially without Castle Greyskull to call upon, Teelana thought; suddenly she had another idea. I wonder if meditating would replenish my powers. Besides, even if it doesn't, it will take me far away from this confining place, Teelana thought, before slipping into a meditative state.

Her mind was taken from her middle aged body, and placed on a higher plane of consciousness: the astral plane.

* * *

At Palace Eternia, the queens' of Eternia and Etheria, as well as their most trusted advisors, had begun to form a plan of attack. Meanwhile, He-Man and She-Ra stood on one of the palace's many battlements.

"She-Ra, this is all my fault," He-Man said bluntly. "I should have expected a trick from Skeletor, and now father is trapped on Horde World with the Sorceress."

"No, brother," She-Ra began, "as He-Man your prime responsibility is to protect Castle Greyskull. I'm sure that our father understands that...or at least he understands that that is He-Man's duty."

"Well, either way you look at it, I failed someone. I failed to protect the Sorceress and Castle Greyskull," He-Man protested.

"It's not your fault, Adam, you were blinded by your love for our father," She-Ra said. Man-At-Arms joined the twins on the battlements.

"Queen Marlena and Queen Angella are ready for you," Man-At-Arms informed them. "He-Man, are you still upset about the king's capture?" he asked, sensing his friend's mood. He-Man nodded. "Look, Adam," Man-At-Arms began, "I know that if your father knew your real identity that he would understand why you did what you did. Besides, I'm sure the Sorceress doesn't blame you for your action. It's human nature to want to protect your family" Man-At-Arms said.

"See?" She-Ra asked her brother, smirking.

"I guess you're right. Lets go," He-Man said, walking away from them. She-Ra and Man-At-Arms exchanged glances and followed the man.