Reflections
   by Alexandra

Prince Adam looked at the pictures of his twin sister Adora as a child. Adora had gone back to Etheria with Shakra, the woman who had raised her from the time the Horde had kidnapped Adora when she and Adam were a few months old.

Strange, Adam thought. While he was growing up in the Palace of Eternia, worlds away his sister was growing up under spells that kept her loyal to the Horde. And when he'd first seen her, she'd been a Horde force captain. Not only had she turned out to be the one the Sword of Protection belonged to--but she also turned out to be a sister he never knew he'd had.

Queen Marlena, Adam's mother, entered the library and sat down next to Adam. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

If only he could tell his mother what he was really thinking. Adam envied his sister--she didn't have to constantly make a fool of herself and pretend to be lazy to hide the fact that she was She-Ra. In fact, his parents were very proud of his sister. And then there was the time that King Randor had wished that He-Man were his son! He had no idea that Adam was He-Man.

So Adam thought of something else to tell her. "Mother, why didn't you tell me I had a twin sister?" He pretty much knew the answer, but he had to think of something, and besides, he wanted to hear what his mother had to say about it.

"Adam, we thought Adora would be dead. We had no idea what Hordak would do to her. Your father and I wanted to spare you. We had the Sorceress cast that spell. We did not want to forget, should Adora ever be found alive."

Adam figured maybe he could tell his mother--part of it. "I just feel left out," he said. "Adora's leading a rebellion on Etheria, and she's very good at what she does...then there's me."

Marlena looked at her son closely. "There's something else, isn't there, Adam? Both you and Adora...both of you seem to be...I don't know...hiding something."

"What makes you say that, Mother?"

"It does show."

"I'm not hiding anything I shouldn't be hiding," Adam hedged. He put the pictures of Adora into the album he'd gotten them out of. "If you'll excuse me, Mother, I just need some time to myself."

Marlena watched as Adam hurried from the room. "I know that you're He-Man, and it's logical that Adora is She-Ra," she said softly, knowing he couldn't hear her. "But why won't you admit it?"

Adam went into his room and took his sword out from behind a bookcase. Man-at- Arms had created this little niche sometime ago--and he'd put one in Adora's room so she'd have a place to put her sword when she spent the night at the Palace.

Cringer, the cowardly orange-striped green tiger who'd been napping on Adam's bed, opened one eye. "Skeletor causing trouble?" he whimpered.

"No, we're going to see the Sorceress," said Adam.

"By the power of Grayskull....I command the jawbridge--OPEN!" He-Man's voice sounded as he held up his sword.

The jawbridge of Castle Grayskull lowered, and He-Man and Battle Cat entered. "Welcome, He-Man. What brings you here?" said the Sorceress, keeper of Castle Grayskull.

"I have a bit of a problem," He-Man said. He then went on to tell the Sorceress about his insecurities.

The Sorceress listened. "Your mother does know," the Sorceress told him when he was finished speaking.

"I've suspected that," said He-Man. "But is she allowed to know? Would she have told my father of her suspicions? My parents have wondered why Adora feels that she has to help free Etheria. They don't understand that it's her destiny, that her identity has She-Ra plays a major part in her decision."

The Sorceress was silent for several minutes. Then she spoke. "Do you trust your parents implicitly?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," He-Man said without hesitation.

"Then you may tell them your secret, and Adora's too."

"What about Teela?" He-Man asked.

The Sorceress considered that. Teela was destined to be Sorceress of Grayskull one day, and she would have access to Grayskull's secrets. "Yes, you may tell her, but no one else. The more people who know your secret, the more danger your secret may be in."

He-Man felt as if a heavy weight were lifted from his shoulders. He could tell his parents and Teela. Then they wouldn't be so hard on Adam.

He-Man thanked the Sorceress for her help, mounted Battle Cat, and made his way home.

end