-by Alexandra Prince Adam and Princess Adora of Eternia were six-year-old twins. They
had loving parents, King Randor and Queen Marlena, and they enjoyed
playing by themselves or with their friend Teela, who was also six.
Adam and Adora were cute children and looked quite a bit a like, the both
of them having blond hair and blue eyes--except Adora's hair, obviously, was
longer and was often tied back with a ribbon.
The twins felt secure in their home, and they wanted for nothing. That was
about to change, however.
Adam, Adora, and Teela were in their playroom, playing with their toys. The
twins' mother was watching over them, and she seemed worried. The
children knew why. The twins' father as well as Teela's father Man-at-Arms
were in battle, fighting off a group known as the Horde. The Horde was trying
to take over Eternia.
Teela wanted to play house. "Adam's the daddy, Adora the mommy, and I'm
the beautiful lady next door," she said. "Now you have to invite me in for
some tea."
Marlena, who was looking out the window, looked briefly at the children and
smiled. She was worried about her husband at the moment. The battle had
been going on for quite some time. "They're retreating," Marlena whispered,
tears of joy in her eyes.
Her joy was short-lived, for the children started screaming. Marlena whirled
around and saw Hordak and Skeletor standing in the doorway. "Get those
children!" Hordak rumbled.
Teela, who was quick, shot past them and out the door. She began looking
for her father...he could help.
"Never mind about that one...it's the twins we want," said Hordak.
Adora went over to her mother and clung on to her skirts. Adam began
throwing toys at the villains to keep them at bay. "You get the girl, Hordak--
I'll get the boy," said Skeletor.
Hordak went over to Marlena and shoved her aside and grabbed Adora. Marlena
took hold of Adora's hand. "Not my children1" she shrieked.
Meamwhile, Skeletor was having a hard time catching Adam. "You get
lost!" said Adam.
Hordak succeeded in tearing Adora from her mother's arms. "Get the boy and
let's go," said Hordak, as he flew out the window with Adora.
"Mommy!" Adora screamed.
Skeletor had finally got hold of Adam when Man-at-Arms and Teela came in.
Man-at-Arms fired a weapon at Skeletor, stunning him and causing him to
let go of Adam.
"Hordak has Adora," Marlena sobbed. "I tried to hold on to her...I wasn't strong
enough...what will happen to her?"
Ten years passed.
Adora was now a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl. For the past ten years, Adora
had put up with physical and mental abuse from Hordak. She was a Horde
force captain, though she didn't want to be.
From the time Adora was six, Hordak constantly threatened her, saying that
even if she did break the spells Shadow Weaver put on her, he'd be able to
find her and she'd suffer dire consequences.
The spells Shadow Weaver put on Adora compelled the young girl to obey,
but they couldn't erase Adora's memories of a happy childhood on Eternia,
of her loving parents, of a twin brother who adored her. Adora did not dare
to run away, as she was afraid that Hordak would find her. And he'd told
her that the Whispering Woods would not let her in because she was a member
of the Horde, so there was nowhere for her to run.
Adora did not know that he'd lied about her not being able to enter Whispering
Woods. She'd thought about trying to escape, go to the Woods, but she
wasn't sure if they'd let her in. Besides, she was closely watched by Shadow
Weaver.
One night, Adora sat at the window in her room, which was in a tower. Behind
her were only a thin mattress, a single pillow, and a thin blanket. She looked
out over the land the Fright Zone occupied. Beyond that was the Whispering
Woods, with its pastel-colored trees.
She knew why Hordak had made her a force captain. It was to make it look like
she was a voluntary member of the Horde. In a way it was a kind of mental
torture, when she really thought about it. She wasn't wanted by the Horde and
she probably was looked down upon by the Rebellion.
She was alone.
Adora rested her elbows on the sill and propped her chin up in her hands. Oh,
how she wished she were back on Eternia, with her parents and brother and
friends!
There were rumors going around that Hordak was going to use her to bear
children so they could be raised as Hordesmen. Adora didn't want that at all.
She didn't want any child of hers taken from her as she was taken from her
mother, and she certainly didn't want any of those Hordesmen near her. Enough
of them had been eyeing her but so far hadn't tried anything with her.
I have to get out of here. But how? she thought.
It was time for bed. She'd have to get up before the crack of dawn tomorrow.
Adora went over to the mattress and lay down on it. Fortunately it was a warm
night and she didn't really need the blanket.
Adora cried herself to sleep as she did many nights. How she wished her mother
and father were there to comfort her when she woke up frightened because of a
bad dream. Sometimes when she had a nightmare her brother would come in and
sit down with her. She and Adam were so close and she missed him terribly.
She could sense that he missed her as well.
Adora felt so alone, so cut off from everything.
Finally, she drifted off to sleep. Then she began to dream. In the dream there
was a being of light, and it was talking to her.
"Do not despair, Adora," said the light. "Good will come of this. You do not
see it now but you will see it at a future time."
"Who are you?" Adora asked. For so long she'd had this dream, and now this
was the first time she'd be able to remember it clearly. Somehow it had kept
her from believing a lot of lies Hordak told her.
"You will come to know me in time," the being replied. "Adora, remember--you
are a good and kind person. In the end good will triumph over evil."
Adora woke up, wondering about the dream. Somehow it gave her hope.
Prince Adam had been summoned to Castle Greyskull by the Sorceress. The
minute he entered he asked, "Has there been anything about Adora yet?"
"There may be," said the Sorceress. "A dream instructed me to open this one
door." She led him to a lower level of the castle. There was a corridor, and it
had doors on either side. One of them was open.
"I don't want to tell Mother and Father that I'm going. They've had so many
disappointments," said Adam. "They're starting to lose hope."
As Adam entered the portal, the Sorceress said, "Good luck, Prince Adam."
Adam's cowardly pet tiger Cringer was with him. "We'll need it," he whined.
Adam came out of the portal and around him were pastel-colored trees. He
was on a cobblestone path, and he followed it straight into the strange-looking
forest.
Soon Adam came to what looked like a camp. Several people looked up and
stared at him, obviously wondering who he was. "Umm...hello," he said
tentatively.
A pink-haired girl with a purple headdress, dressed in purple, pink, and blue,
came up to him. "I'm Glimmer, Princess of Bright Moon. What is your name?"
she asked.
"My name is Adam. What is this world? I came here to find someone."
"This is Etheria," said a man with light red hair and a mustache. He had on
dark blue leggings and a red cape. "I'm Bow. Who are you looking for?"
"My twin sister Adora. She's sixteen, has blonde hair and blue eyes, and
she was kidnapped by the Horde when we were six."
"Adora? We know of one girl named Adora, and she's a Horde force captain,"
said Glimmer.
"That's got to be her," said Adam. "And I'm sure my sister wouldn't be a
member of the Horde."
Just then, a frumpy old woman came riding in on a broom. They proceeded to
crash into a tree.
The old woman, who had purple skin and white hair, was half Adam's height
and wore a red blouse and purple pants that had green patches. The brim of
her red hat covered her face down to her cheeks and she peered through holes
cut into the brim. A pinwheel adorned the top of the hat.
"Madame Razz...are you all right?" asked Glimmer.
"Oh dearie my yes. I was in such a hurry...the Horde is sending their force
squad to enslave the entire village of Thaymor! They're not getting enough taxes
out of the villagers."
"Well, now you'll get to meet Force Captain Adora," said Bow to Adam.
"I've heard tell that Adora has a streak of good in her. I don't know what that
girl is doing with them," said Madame Razz.
"I know. I'm her twin brother," said Adam. "She was kidnapped by the Horde
when we were six, and I have to get her out of there."
"You're her brother?" asked Madame Razz. "You sure look like her."
"Well, let's go to Thaymor," said Glimmer.
Adora didn't want to do this. She didn't want to enslave people, didn't want
to be viewed as a cruel, heartless person.
Her force squad was wanting to burn down the village to have fun. But they
knew that she wouldn't let them do it. However, they were getting pretty close
to mutiny. They were tired of her acting good. But Hordak for some reason had
put her in charge.
Adora, meanwhile, wished this were over with. She had to go through with it or
she would be severely punished and she saw no way out.
"Look! Rebels!" said Scorpia, pointing with one of her pincers. She seemed
to be half-woman half-scorpion, was made that way by Horde science.
Adora looked to her left. And she could not believe her eyes. Among them
was a young man with blond hair and blue eyes.
The blond man came closer. "Adora!" he called.
"Who is he?' asked Scorpia.
"Never you mind. You go with the others and round up the villagers. I'll deal
with him myself," Adora replied.
Scorpia obeyed. Adora ran towards the young man. "Adam!" she cried. She
ran into her brother's arms. At last someone had come for her, to take her from
the hell her life had been.
"This is my twin sister," Adam said to the Rebels. "Adora, what are you doing
with those guys?"
"Oh, Adam, Hordak forces me to obey. Shadow Weaver puts spells on me, and
Hordak beats me. I haven't been able to escape until now. I wanted to join the
Rebellion and try to find a way home." Adora hugged her brother again.
"We--we didn't know," Bow stammered.
"It's all right," Adora said. "I'm on your side now. I actually managed to break
away from them."
Just then, shots came from stun beams. "We've been spotted!" said Glimmer.
Confident now that Hordak wouldn't find her, Adora took her stun gun from the
holster she was wearing and fired back, hitting the members of the force squad.
They were caught off-guard as they certainly hadn't expected Adora to do that.
"Now to free the slaves," Adora said. "Who's with me?"
With the help of her brother and her new friends, Adora freed the villagers. "I
was a slave myself," she said as she worked the controls inside the transport,
Bow and Adam behind her. "Now I'm free, my mind is free. And I want to go
home to Eternia. Adam, do Mother and Father miss me?"
"Very much so," said Adam. "And I've missed you too."
After the adventure in Thaymor, Adora went into the Whispering Woods with
her brother and the Rebels. She could sense that she was welcome there.
Adora sat down at the campfire and proceeded to tell her brother, as well as
their new friends, what had happened over the past ten years. "I wanted so
badly to escape," she concluded. "And there's always been this dream that
I couldn't remember. Last night I was able to remember it. And today I found
my brother again." She looked at Adam. "Do you think Mother and Father
will still want me, after what I've done?"
"Of course they will. You were forced to do Hordak's bidding, remember, and
even if you weren't forced they'd still love you."
An Alternate to Secret of the Sword