The Friendship of Grayskull
by Alexandra
based on an idea by Swift Wind
part 1
Alexandra was bored. She'd been laid off temporarily at her job but was
due to go back the following week. Now her husband was at work, at that
same place, and she was left with nothing to do all night but to either sleep
or watch videos. She'd watched Anastasia, Air Force One, Lean On Me,
and several She-Ra videos to snap out of her boredom.
She was even bored enough to watch a corny episode of Johnny Sokko
and His Flying Robot on video. She fell asleep during the tape and woke
up when it ended.
Checking the time, Alexandra saw that it was three in the morning. Taco
Bell was open until four this time of year.
Princess Adora of Eternia was being pursued by several Horde troopers
on Etheria. She was a much-wanted fugitive, was considered a traitor by
the Horde. That wasn't fair, really, because the Horde had kidnapped her
when she was a baby, taking her from her parents and twin brother. She'd
been maintained under a spell and was a Horde force captain when her
twin, Adam, had found her.
Adora took out her sword and began looking for a place to change to
She-Ra. A trooper fired and knocked the sword from her hand. Turning
around, Adora saw Shadow Weaver among the troopers. "I'll send you
to a place from which you'll never return," the witch hissed.
Adora managed to pick up her sword. She was surrounded by troopers.
Shadow Weaver began chanting her spell.
Suddenly, Adora was on a strange world. She was in some kind of forest,
and it was green rather than pastel colors like Whispering Woods.
There was light coming from somewhere. Adora followed it and found
a field. It was night time here, but she could make out wooden tables and
benches. Beyond that was a hard surface with yellow lines painted on it,
and peculiar-looking transports of varying sizes, shapes, and colors were
parked there. Cars, she thought. Her mother, Queen Marlena of Eternia,
was from Earth and she'd mentioned objects called cars. Was this where
she was, on Earth?
It was a fairly warm night but a cool breeze was blowing. Adora followed
a concrete pathway until she found a building marked B. Curious, she
went inside. There she saw a stairway leading up, and one leading down.
Doors were marked with letters.
One door opened and out came a young woman with dark hair and brown
eyes, holding a set of keys, a purse dangling from her shoulder. She was
wearing a yellow shirt that had "Ferndale Golden Eagles" printed on it, and
short black denim shorts. Canvas shoes were on her bare feet. The woman
looked hard at Adora...as if she recognized her somehow. Adora didn't see
how. "Do I know you?" the woman whispered. "You look very familiar.
Let's go outside where we won't wake anyone."
The two young women stepped outside and walked a little ways down the
concrete path Adora had followed earlier. "Is your name Adora?" asked
the woman.
"Why, yes, how did you know?" Adora asked. "And what is your name?"
"I'm Alexandra."
"Well, Alexandra, what else do you know?" Adora had this feeling, like
something was going to happen.
"That you're She-Ra." Alexandra led Adora to a green car. "Here, let's go
get something to eat. There are a couple of places open in the middle of
the night. My husband, Jeff, is at work."
Alexandra and Adora sat in the Ford in the Taco Bell parking lot, having
a snack. Alexandra told Adora about the He-Man and She-Ra cartoons
she'd watched as a teenager. "Maybe the writers' dreams were tuned into
your dimension and your time," Alexandra offered.
"Possible," said Adora. "With magical worlds like Eternia and Etheria
you never can tell. So I guess even though we've just met you know all
about me."
The two young women sat and thought for a while. Then Alexandra started
her car. "Well, let's get home. I'll be up all night, so you can sleep in our
bed. If I'm tired I'll just pass out on the couch," she said.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Jeff and I sleep during the afternoon, so it's no problem."
On the way back, the two women were talking. "So how much do you know
about your Terran relatives?" Alexandra asked.
"A lot."
"I know up to my great-great-great-grandparents," said Alexandra.
"My mother told me about my Terran ancestors up until what she called
the seventeenth century," Adora put in.
"Hey, that's something we could do," Alexandra said. "I'm into that kind
of thing. Genealogy."
Hours later the two women had made a startling discovery. They were
related. Third cousins to be exact.
"So my mother and your mother are second cousins. My maternal
grandmother and yours are first cousins," Alexandra said excitedly.
"Their mothers were sisters--which means we had the same great-
great-grandmother!"
Adora was smiling. "So how would my mother be related to you?"
"I'd be her second cousin once removed," Alexandra said automatically.
"Can you believe that! We're related! That is so cool!"
They hugged. "I get stranded here and find another member of my
family," Adora said.
"Twins tend to run in my mother's side of the family--really no surprise
that your mom had twins," Alexandra grinned.
Around eight o'clock that morning Jeff arrived home from work to find
his wife chatting happily with a blonde woman. Probably another of her
friends.
"Who's this, Alex?" asked Jeff.
"This is my cousin Adora. Third cousins."
"Adora as in She-Ra?" Jeff grinned.
"This is the Adora who is She-Ra," Alexandra replied.
"Yeah right."
"Hey, you never did get to show me your transformation," Alexandra
told Adora.
Adora grinned mischievously and held her sword and said, "For the
honor of Grayskull!"
Adora's cousins were surprised to see her transformation. Alexandra
turned to her husband. "We were going through our relatives and
found out we were related of all things! Your cousin-in-law is a super-
heroine!"
"Whoa...," Jeff said, clearly at a loss for words. "So how'd you wind up
here? Magic?"
"Actually, yes," said She-Ra. "Alexandra was on her way to grab a bite
to eat and saw me standing in the lobby, wondering what to do about my
situation. She recognized me, and it goes from there." She held up her
sword and changed back.
"Looks like she may be here a while," Alexandra put in. "Where's she
gonna sleep?"
"Maybe that mattress off that bed you gave my mom," Jeff suggested.
"I'll give her a call a little later. Right now I wanna take a shower."
Jeff disappeared into the bathroom. "Well, what do you wanna do now,
Adora?" Alexandra asked her cousin.
"What is there to do?"
"Next to nothing. Hey, let's go online. I gotta show you some stuff on
the Internet. There's a whole group in cyberspace that just love you and
your brother."
They went over to Alexandra's computer, where she logged on. She
explained how the Internet worked as her modem dialed the number.
"Oh, and people write stories about you guys, called fan fiction. Some
of it you might not want to read because it has really...um...racy scenes
in it."
"Am I in any of them?" Adora asked, grinning slightly.
"Um...yeah," Alexandra replied.
"Who am I with?" she asked.
"You really wanna know?"
Adora nodded. "Come on, tell me!"
"Fisto."
Adora laughed. "I hardly even know him. He's one of Adam's friends.
And in real life, I haven't been with any man. I think that would be a
bit interesting, to see what I would do in someone's story."
"So you wanna read 'She-Ra and Fisto?' I'm warning you, it gets pretty
graphic and some scenes are, well...don't get mad, it's only a story."
Adora laughed again. She clicked on the link to the story and began
reading. "Me, with red hair?" she said. She shrugged and read on.
"Hmmmm...I knew that Hordak and Shadow Weaver weren't my parents.
I'd always thought I'd had parents somewhere, and believe me I was
happy when I found them." She read for quite a while.
Alexandra sat there, her cheeks flaming. Adora saw her cousin's face and
smirked. "I'm not offended. I just think it's an interesting viewpoint. But
nothing like that ever happened to me."
"So you were treated fairly well while in the Horde?"
Adora nodded. "Like a favorite daughter, so to speak. But looking back
I realized that Hordak made me a Horde officer as revenge against my
father. I wasn't abused in any way."
"I can believe that. If they did mistreat you, you'd figure out who the
bad guy was," Alexandra said.
"Exactly. Hordak couldn't afford that."
"I don't think you were ever evil," Alexandra said.
"I know I wasn't. I thought I was doing good, I actually was. When
He-Man told me otherwise I was shocked. When I found out the
truth I was angry at Hordak. He'd made me capture my own twin
brother and that made me mad."
"I bet."
"Fortunately my friends understand the situation--my being
kidnapped, growing up in the Fright Zone, being under spells."
"That had to have sucked," Alexandra murmured.
"Well, things are different now," Adora said. "Hordak will one
day pay for his lies and treachery. My father would love to see
him punished for stealing me away."
"If Hordak knew you were She-Ra he'd really be ticked," Alexandra
giggled. "I know that would mean bad news--but I'd enjoy seeing
the look on his ugly face."
Adora had to smile at that.
"I mean, think about it," Alexandra laughed. "Wouldn't he be
honored to know that he knew She-Ra from the time she was a
baby! That'd be like...whoa!"
Alexandra leafed through her e-mail, which consisted mostly of
posts on a He-Man/She-Ra listserv and two Jem listservs. Adora
read over her cousin's shoulder. Alexandra turned her head. "I
bet some of these guys would give their eyeteeth to be here right
now!"
After a while Alexandra signed off. "We could get you some
clothes," she said. "I think my jeans would be too short in the leg
and too big in the waist on you. Maybe you can wear a pair of
my shorts and a t-shirt. Hey, can you contact the Sorceress and
tell her where you are?"
"I'll do that," said Adora. They headed for the bedroom down the
hall and Adora picked up her sword. "Sorceress...can you hear me?"
she said.
Alexandra watched, awed, as an image of the Sorceress formed in
the jewel. "I hear you, Adora."
"Shadow Weaver cast a spell on me and I'm on Earth," Adora said.
"I'm staying with a cousin who knows who I am. Her name is
Alexandra, and her great-great-grandmother was my mother's great-
grandmother."
"I will tell Man-at-Arms. I'm sure he has something that can bring
you home," said the Sorceress. "Farewell, Adora, and thank you,
Alexandra."
"Let me guess," said Alexandra. "He needs a karium water crystal
and it's gonna take a couple of days."
"He has one from the time two children from here came to Eternia, and
yes, it takes two days to recharge it," Adora confirmed.
"Hey--two days for you on Earth," said Alexandra. "In those two days
I can show you around! That should be fun!"
part 2
The next day Alexandra needed to go to her storage shed to get out
items that she would put in her mother-in-law's garage sale. Adora
was with her.
Adora looked out the window of Alexandra's little car as it sped down
a two-lane road. The windows were down and the wind whipped
through their hair. Alexandra chattered on as she drove, talking about
places she'd lived, places she'd been, and how she'd rather be fighting
Detroit traffic than putting up with Ohio drivers.
Ahead of them an old man in a huge car was going at 35 mph in a 55
zone. Alexandra peered around the car and grinned. "Watch this,"
she said. She dropped it into third, pulled into the westbound lane,
and passed, shifting up into fourth and finally into fifth. Within ten
seconds she'd passed.
"Is that safe?" Adora asked.
"Of course. You can only go over a dotted line, and even then you
have to make sure no one's coming from the other direction. And that
guy was going so slow, it was a lot easier."
"So that's what those lines are," Adora said.
"Yup, you got it!" Alexandra laughed. "You think I'm bad, try riding
with my dad!"
"After what you told me...I'll pass," Adora giggled.
Ten minutes later the car pulled into a storage shed lot. Alexandra
shut off her car and unlocked the lock to her shed. Opening the
door, her eye caught something. With an impish grin she pulled
something out of a box. "Hey, Adora, check this out!"
She was holding an Ohio license plate that read SHE RA 1. Adora's
eyes nearly popped. "You had that on your car?"
"Yeah. But customized plates like these are expensive, so when it
came time to renew, I got what you see on my car now. Hey, you
wanna take one and put it on the Attak-Trak?" Alexandra gave her
the one without the validation sticker. "I think it'd look really cool."
"Okay, thanks," Adora smiled as she took the license plate.
Alexandra threw some things into the trunk and got back in the car.
Alexandra's mother-in-law came out when she saw the little car pull
up in the driveway. "This is Adora, a cousin from out-of-town. But
not one of my Aunt Rosemary's kids," said Alexandra. "She has a
twin named Adam."
Jeff's mother began rambling on about how she was a twin and how
twins ran in their family. Adora listened patiently.
After a long while good-byes were said. Alexandra was snickering.
"Boy, if only she knew! About the only person who would believe
where you're really from is my sister. Another of your cousins."
"What's her name?"
"Rosalind. She doesn't look like me. She's a hazel-eyed blonde."
"Oh."
When the two women got back to Alexandra's, Jeff met them at
the door. "Long distance from Eternia," Jeff grinned. "The Sorceress
asked me to leave a message, Adora. Something about stay here
tomorrow morning, 'cause you'll be beamed out of here."
"Hey, think I could go along? I don't start work until next Monday,"
said Alexandra.
"I don't see why not. Duncan can send you back here," Adora replied.
"And I'm sure my mother would like to meet another of her relatives."
"I have to stay here--work," said Jeff.
"Maybe some other time," Alexandra said. "Now that Adora knows she
has family here...we could probably visit back and forth." She kissed
Jeff's cheek.
"I used to watch your brother's show a long time ago," Jeff told Adora.
"I could never have imagined that he was actually a cousin of the girl
I would eventually marry."
"That's heavy," Alexandra put in.
That night, Jeff was at work. Alexandra was in their bed, and Adora
slept on a mattress on the floor in the bedroom. "That used to be mine
when I was twelve, that mattress. Hope it's still comfortable," said
Alexandra.
"It is, believe me," Adora said.
"I can't sleep. I'm just excited...I can't wait!"
Adora chuckled. She was reading one of Alexandra's Star Trek novels.
Alexandra, wearing a short terrycloth nightshirt, got up. "Where are
you going?" Adora asked.
"Online. I can't sleep, and there's a Jem story I'd like to work on."
She went into the living room.
Adora was absorbed in the book she was reading, called The Captain's
Daughter. It was about Demora Sulu, daughter of Captain Hikaru Sulu,
who'd been Captain Kirk's helmsman on the Enterprise. Her cousin was
an explorer at heart, Adora thought. She'd read some of Alexandra's
stories and thought they were pretty good.
Adora noticed a narrow black case in Alexandra's side of the wall-length
closet. Curious, she opened it carefully. Nestled inside was a flute. So
her cousin was something of a musician too. Hmmm...maybe she could
get her to play a duet with Bow. She also noticed a songbook that had
the music to the songs from the cartoon Anastasia.
Just under the bed was a small keyboard. Putting the book down, Adora
grabbed it and turned it on. She pressed a key experimentally.
"I see you found my keyboard," Alexandra called from the living room.
"Go on and try it. Just keep the volume down."
Adora pressed various buttons. This little device did so much--it even
played music by itself!
Alexandra came in. "Know how to read music?" she asked.
Adora shook her head.
"I can show you a few things." Alexandra grabbed the Anastasia songbook
and opened it to "Once Upon a December." She pointed out various notes
and symbols and explained what they meant. She then began playing the song
on her keyboard. "I'd play it on my flute but it's a bit loud. Here you can control
how loud it is. But it's easier on my flute because I don't have to look and see
what key I'm pressing."
The women stayed up until 3 am, Alexandra teaching Adora music. "You might
have a talent for music and not know it," Alexandra was saying. "I didn't
realize my talent for writing until I was a teenager, still in high school. Yet I'd
been writing little stories since the age of five."
"I'm tired," Adora said, yawning.
"Me too," said Alexandra. "Maybe now I can sleep."
Adora was soon out like a light. Alexandra lay there for a while, new ideas
forming in her head like they always did. Thinking up new ideas helped her
sleep and soon she was also out.
The next morning, around 9 am, Alexandra and Adora got up and took turns
with the shower. Jeff was home but had gone to the local Kmart to pick up
something.
Adora was already dressed in her regular outfit when Alexandra emerged
from the bathroom in a robe. "Hmmm...what to wear, what to wear,"
Alexandra said, searching through her closet. She chose a pair of denim
shorts and a Captain Jean-Luc Picard t-shirt. She put on the shorts and
t-shirt, as well as socks and gym shoes. "How long will I be staying, two
days?" she asked her cousin.
Adora nodded.
Alexandra got her backpack and filled it with two days' worth of clothes
and accessories. She also threw in her Walkman and an assortment of
cassette tapes.
The two women emerged from the bedroom just as Jeff was coming into
the apartment. Just then a light appeared in the living room. "Well, I'll
see you in two days, Jeff. This will beat a trip to Detroit!"
Adora watched as they hugged tightly for several moments. "You just
be careful," Jeff told his wife.
"I'll have She-Ra here," Alexandra said. "Well, I'll see you later."
Alexandra and Adora stepped into the light and were gone.
Alexandra blinked. This, obviously, was Duncan's lab. Straight out of
the Christmas special. "Who's your friend, Sis?" Prince Adam was asking.
"Adam, this is our cousin Alexandra," Adora told him.
Queen Marlena went over and gave Alexandra a hug. "We got a message
from the Sorceress. An Earth relative I knew next to nothing about!" she
said. She looked at Alexandra's t-shirt. "Star Trek, the Next Generation?"
she said. "They made another series?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Alexandra. "That series takes place in the 24th
century, as do Deep Space Nine and Voyager. There are now four series
in all."
Marlena laughed. "You don't have to call me that, Alexandra. You do remind
me of your mother Christie--my second cousin. I might have seen her once at
a family reunion but that's it. She probably didn't know exactly who I was. But
I remember she looked like you do. Tell me about yourself."
"Well, not much to tell. I was born and raised in the Detroit area and I live
in Ohio. I've been married nearly five years and I'm 25 now. I graduated from
Ferndale High in Michigan in 1991. I like music and writing."
"Adam and Adora will be 26 this winter," King Randor put in.
The first place Alexandra went was the Royal Library. She wanted to spend some
time there before Adora took her to Etheria to meet the Rebels. She sat at the
desk, her Anastasia soundtrack blaring in her ears thanks to her Walkman.
Adora came into the room. "Time to go, cousin," she said with a smile.
Alexandra hit the stop button and put the headphones around her neck. She
quickly put the book away. "I'm ready," she said.
Adam was behind Adora. He hugged his sister and cousin. "Both of you be
careful," he said. He was holding the Ohio license plate. "I'll go put this on the
Attak-Trak," he said, grinning mischievously.
Alexandra rode behind Adora on Spirit. "This is like only the third time I've
ever been on horseback. The last time I was like eleven or twelve," said
Alexandra.
"I'm not surprised, what with your having a car and everything," Adora
said. "I haven't seen anyone on horseback, though I have seen horses
and buggies."
"Yeah, that's the Amish. They don't believe in technological stuff," said
Alexandra. "I believe our great-great-great-grandmother was Amish or
Mennonite."
Soon they were at Castle Grayskull. The jawbridge opened and Spirit
trotted inside, the two women on his back. "Welcome, Adora and
Alexandra," said the Sorceress. "I will open a portal to Etheria."
The two cousins dismounted Spirit. Alexandra watched, awed, as
the Sorceress opened a dimensional gate. "The portal is ready," the
Sorceress told them.
Adora, Alexandra, and Spirit went through the gate. "Whoa...this looks
cooler in real life," Alexandra breathed. "So this is Etheria. Too bad
some dork like Hordak has to run the show here."
Suddenly, they were ambushed. "Alex--run!" Adora shouted, knowing
that her cousin couldn't really fight.
Mantenna had managed to stun Adora, whose sword lay on the ground.
Alexandra hid behind a tree, wondering what to do. She was no warrior.
"Spirit--go for help," Alexandra called softly; fortunately the horse was
within earshot.
"Where did that other girl go?" Mantenna wondered. "No matter. We
have the traitor." He and his troopers took Adora and put her into a
transport.
Once they were gone, Alexandra stepped out from behind the tree on
shaky legs. Adora was in trouble. What was Alexandra to do? She
wasn't some super-heroine. She was just some plain-Jane woman from
Earth!
Alexandra picked up Adora's sword. The first thing that came to mind
was to go to Whispering Woods and tell the Rebels. But then something
happened.
"Alexandra," said a voice. It came from the sword.
She looked at the jewel. "Light Hope?" she asked.
"Yes. You must help your cousin," Light Hope said.
"How? I'm no fighter. Any rescue plan I could come up with wouldn't
work. I'd screw up."
"Use this sword."
"Adora's sword? Are you serious?"
"Yes. You and Adora are of the same blood. It will work."
Light Hope's image vanished from the sword. Alexandra stood there
for a few moments, not believing this was happening. Then she did
something she'd always wanted to do.
She lifted the sword and shouted, "For the honor of Grayskull!"
Alexandra could feel herself changing physically. She seemed to
grow taller and thinner, and she felt stronger, like she could do
anything.
"I AM SHE-RA!!!"
Alexandra--now She-Ra--looked down at herself. She took a strand
of hair and saw that it was golden blonde instead of brown. "This
rocks," she murmured. "I better chase away anyone who has a crush
on She-Ra."
part 3
Alexandra, as She-Ra, started out for the Fright Zone. She had none
of Adora/She-Ra's memories; her memories were her own. But she
did have She-Ra's speed and coordination; she could actually run in
those high heels!
She still thought of herself as Alexandra though outwardly she was
She-Ra. She wondered if whoever had made Adora's sword knew
that Adora would be a blonde. Right now it was just too heavy to
contemplate. She had to rescue her cousin.
Adora was chained to the wall in one of the Fright Zone's chambers.
"I have it all figured out," Shadow Weaver was hissing. "When He-Man
gave you that sword--and She-Ra first showed up. You and She-Ra
are the same person!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Adora said.
"I knew you and your brother had something in store," Hordak added.
He stood next to Shadow Weaver. "It took a while, but I finally figured
it out. Which makes you even more of a traitor!"
"You have what figured out?" came a feminine voice--She-Ra's voice.
Hordak and Shadow Weaver turned around. There stood She-Ra, sword
in hand. "You said they were the same!" Hordak shouted at Shadow
Weaver.
"Where would you get an idea like that, Shadow Witch?" She-Ra
smiled.
Adora was surprised. How could She-Ra be here? How could she be
in two places at once? But she played it cool.
She-Ra spun Hordak and Shadow Weaver around. They both went
out a window and into a moat below.
"She-Ra?" Adora asked hesitantly.
"Actually, Alexandra," she replied. "Light Hope told me to use your
sword, and I did. Now let's get outta here."
Once Adora and She-Ra were safely away from the Fright Zone, She-Ra
changed back to Alexandra. "They'd just caught on that She-Ra and I
were the same," Adora said. "Now they think they're wrong."
Alexandra gave the sword to her cousin. "That was an experience I
won't forget in a hurry," she said. "I'm used to being a brunette."
Adora laughed. "Come on, let's introduce you to Bow and the others."
That evening, the Rebel leaders were sitting around the campfire in
Whispering Woods. Alexandra had received a warm welcome,
especially since she was related to Adora.
Bow was trying out Alexandra's Walkman. "I like this song...like a
music box," he said. He was actually listening to Bon Jovi's "Tokyo
Road."
"I'd be turning the volume down soon," Alexandra advised.
"Taking too much battery power?" Bow asked. The answer came a
split second later when the music box music ended and suddenly
slammed into hard rock. He found the volume control and automatically
turned it down.
"Actually, that's why," Alexandra giggled.
"I won't say you didn't warn me," Bow grinned.
"I'll be cruising around here, wanna check things out," Alexandra said.
"All right," said Bow, who suddenly realized he liked rock and roll.
Alexandra stuffed her hands in front pockets of her shorts and strolled
around the camp. At the fire some Twiggets were roasting marshmallows.
"Wanna join us, Alex?" asked Sprag.
"Yeah, why not? I haven't done this since I was a kid!" Alexandra sat
down among them and was handed a marshmallow and a stick. "The best
kind is the burnt kind."
"Oh, I know," Sprocker said.
"Nothing but carbohydrates," Alexandra smirked. She and the Twiggets
had eaten several dozen between them when Adora came up and gently
tapped Alexandra on the shoulder.
Alexandra looked up. "We need to talk alone," Adora said. Her eyes
with shining with some kind of excitement.
"What did I do?" Alexandra asked as she got up.
"Nothing wrong," Adora laughed. "Come on."
Alexandra followed her cousin to a tent. "We need to go back to Eternia
tomorrow," Adora said. "Light Hope told me that when you turned to
She-Ra, it had been a test, and apparently you passed it. We have to go
to Castle Grayskull."
"I passed?" Alexandra asked incredulously.
"One thing you need is more confidence," Adora said. "I have a feeling
that whatever Light Hope and the Sorceress have in store for you, it'll
help you with that."
"When are we going?"
"In a few moments. Adam will meet us there."
Alexandra shivered. Whether from excitement, the coolness of Castle
Grayskull, or both, she could not say.
"I have a gift for you," the Sorceress said. "It was meant for you." She
held out a sword. It looked exactly like the swords Adam and Adora owned,
except it was gold instead of silver, and there was a multi-faceted amethyst
near the handle--the same place the jewel was in Adora's sword.
"An amethyst...my birthstone," Alexandra murmured. "Thanks! This is
really cool!"
"There's more to it," the Sorceress smiled. "You have earned the right to this
sword's powers."
Alexandra's brown eyes widened. Adam and Adora gave her encouraging
looks, and she lifted the sword in the air. She knew exactly what to say.
"Through the friendship of Grayskull!"
The feeling she'd had changing to She-Ra returned, but it felt...different
somehow. Like she was meant to be this.
She was now holding the sword over her head in both hands. "I AM LEX-RA!!!"
Lex-Ra looked in a mirror and was just about shocked. Her brown hair, already
long as Alexandra, fell to her waist. Her eyes were still brown. Circling her
head was a gold band, with an amethyst over her forehead. She had on a purple
minidress that was like She-Ra's white minidress, and it was trimmed in gold.
She wore purple boots--and they were flat rather than being high-heeled.
A gold-colored cape, trimmed in purple, reached down to her calves. Gold
bands were around her forearms. "Holy crap," she whispered. "I don't
believe this. And I'm thin!"
Alexandra weighed around 160 pounds and didn't look that bad, but now she
looked even better as Lex-Ra. She was still the same height, though.
"Sorceress, what powers do I have?" she asked.
"You already know, Lex-Ra," the Sorceress replied.
part 4
The next morning, Alexandra, in her identity as Lex-Ra, was on
Etheria with He-Man and She-Ra. She'd already met the Rebels
in her new identity, and they knew that a new heroine would be
helping on Eternia and Etheria. Only those who knew Adam
and Adora were He-Man and She-Ra knew that Alexandra was
Lex-Ra.
Lex-Ra was happily trying out her new powers. She could fire
bolts of purple magic from the amethyst in her sword. She had
super-human strength like her cousins. One thing that made
her stand out was the fact that she could fly. Also, as Lex-Ra
she was telekinetic. She had powers she'd dreamed about having
most of her life.
"Whoa, it's like I'm Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld or something,"
Lex-Ra laughed as she flew over her cousins' heads. "I do want
to tell my husband about this. He knows your secret identities to
begin with."
"That's fine," said He-Man.
"I bet he'd love to see me in this outfit," Lex-Ra said, landing. "More
to the point, he'd enjoy taking it off!" She laughed. The twins turned
a bit red, but laughed with her. They knew that in her society sex was
talked about openly.
"Well, tomorrow you get to tell him," said She-Ra. "He seems to be a
pretty understanding young man. I can tell he really cares for you."
"She-Ra, do you like Sea Hawk?" Lex-Ra asked as she sat down on a
rock.
She-Ra nodded. "We love each other."
"Hey, I'd like to meet him."
Adam, Adora, and Alexandra headed for Seaworthy that afternoon.
Sea Hawk's ship was at the dock. The Sea Elves were helping the crew
load up supplies for the Rebellion.
Sea Hawk, a red-haired, bearded man, saw the trio. "Adora...and Adam.
Who's with you there?"
"This is our cousin Alexandra," said Adam. "She's from Earth."
Sea Hawk shook Alexandra's hand. "Nice to meet you, Alexandra. Hey--
nice rings you're wearing."
"Oh, these are my wedding and engagement rings. I've been married
for close to five years now," Alexandra said.
"I see someone's snapped you up already," Sea Hawk joked. "You don't
look any older than seventeen."
"Actually, I'm twenty-five," Alexandra replied. "My husband is thirty-one
and he looks my age." She grinned. "You're not the only one to think I'm
still a teenager!"
"Must run in the family. People think I'm robbing the cradle with Adora
here," Sea Hawk said, winking at his girlfriend. "Reminds me...Adora, I
need to talk to you over there."
Sea Hawk took Adora's hand and they headed off to a secluded spot along
the beach. "I'm curious," Alexandra said to Adam.
"I am too. Though I have a feeling I know what's going on," Adam replied.
Adam and Alexandra headed towards the spot and hid behind an Elf's house.
"Adam...he's freaking kneeling down on one knee!" Alexandra hissed. "He's
putting a ring on her finger!"
"Adora, will you marry me?"
Adora felt as if she would faint. "Yes...yes I will," she said.
Sea Hawk slid a diamond ring on her finger. Then he stood up and kissed her
lips. His hand slid along her ribcage and started going upwards. "Mmmm...
Hawk...let's save that for our wedding night," Adora said.
Sea Hawk grinned. "Of course," he said, touching her nose with the tip of
his finger. "Let's get married next month. I can hardly wait."
"Hawk, before we get married...I have to tell you something...."
"What is it?"
Adora took a deep breath. "I'm She-Ra."
"What?"
Adora lifted her sword and changed. Sea Hawk's eyes widened. "Why
didn't you tell me before?" he asked, not angrily.
"For your protection. Can you imagine what would happen if Hordak
knew?"
"I see." He grinned. "Anything else?"
"My brother is He-Man and our cousin just acquired new powers as
Lex-Ra," Adora said, smiling.
"It's hard to believe...my bride-to-be is none other than She-Ra," Sea
Hawk said, shaking his head. "No, I'm not angry. But that must have
been hard, trying to keep that secret. Who else knows?"
She-Ra told him who all knew, and he was a bit surprised that her
parents didn't know. "Mother suspects, though," she said.
"Well, let's go tell your brother and cousin the news," said Sea Hawk.
"First cousin?"
"Third."
"She's just told him she's She-Ra," Adam observed from behind the
house.
"Definitely engaged," Alexandra added. "Let's get back to the dock
before they figure out we were spying on them."
Adam and Alexandra began helping load up the ship. Sea Hawk and
Adora bounced up, hand in hand. "Where did you two go off to?"
Alexandra asked slyly.
"Adora and I are going to be married next month!" Sea Hawk said
excitedly.
"All RIGHT!" Alexandra hollered. "New cousin!"
The Sea Elves and the crew surrounded Sea Hawk and his fiancee,
congratulating them. Alexandra looked at Adora's left hand. "Whoa...
nice rock, cousin!" she said.
The next day, Alexandra went home to boring Ohio. Jeff was waiting
for her in the living room. "Have a good time?" he asked.
"Jeff...you are not going to believe this," Alexandra said. "I have my
OWN magic sword!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, check this out!" She showed it to him. "As Lex-Ra, I'm strong,
I can fly, AND I'm telekinetic!"
"Lex-Ra?"
Alexandra shrugged. "Wanna see?" She transformed and Jeff stood
there, his jaw dropped.
"Whoa...I like that outfit on you!"
"Know what? I'm feeling really energetic." She led them down the hall
to their bedroom.
This is only the first in a series of stories of Alexandra's adventures with
her newfound cousins! Look for another story coming soon!