He-Man and the Masters of Eternia

Rated T. I do not own the rights nor did I create the character of He-Man or any other character appearing in this fan-fic.

Part 1

"Once upon a time: there were two brothers. Both ruled as Kings of Eternia, our beloved land, from The Royal Palace. Each possessed a magic sword, which granted them the right to rule. One brother, King Randor, was benevolent; a kind and fair ruler. However, the other brother, King Keldor, was cruel and cunning; a rash and iron-fisted ruler. Together, they brought balance to the land, as long as one did not become more powerful than the other. Of course, this balance was not destined to last, as King Keldor grew jealous of his brother's happiness. For you see, King Randor had a beautiful and loving wife, and with her he begat an adorable son. King Keldor was a lonely man, who could not see the error in his ways. His malicious temperament kept him from ever loving and from ever being loved, and as such, his anger grew. He felt his brother did not deserve such treasures and began a plot to overthrow him. However, his brother discovered the plot, and instead of executing Keldor, he banished him to Snake Mountain. There Keldor brooded and amassed his power, until one day he returned to The Royal Palace with a grand army. A bloody battle ensued, and it seemed Keldor emerged as the victor, as he mortally wounded his brother in combat. Yet, Randor managed to escape with his wife and child to the mysterious Castle Grayskull. Once there, the dying king pleaded with the Sorceress of Grayskull to allow them admittance, but the Sorceress had learned not to trust man, and remained silent. The forces of Keldor drew near and Randor became desperate to protect his family and kingdom from evil's clutches. With the last of his strength, he cast his magic sword into the bottomless trench that surrounds Castle Grayskull. He bade Keldor to spare his family and offered his life in exchange for theirs. Keldor agreed and beheaded the king with his sword. However, Keldor was not a man of his word and attacked the Queen and her son. Queen Marlena was brave and threw herself in front of Keldor's sword, to shield her baby. Covered in the blood of his family, Keldor's rage would not subside as he raised his sword to the helpless boy. Watching from Castle Grayskull, the Sorceress realized her terrible mistake and flew to the child's aide. In a rare use of her powers she cast a mighty spell at Keldor, horribly wounding him. The Sorceress retreated into the castle with the boy, leaving Keldor to his defeat. The kingdom had lost both it's rulers, as Keldor vanished to Snake Mountain, vowing that he would have his revenge upon the Sorceress and learn the secrets of Castle Grayskull." an aging man told.

"That's my favorite story, Uncle Duncan." a young boy said.

"I know it is, Adam, but it's time for bed now. See, Teela is already asleep." Duncan commanded, pointing to a girl asleep in her bed.

"Oh, alright. Uncle, whatever happened to the boy in the story?" Adam asked, climbing into bed and rubbing his eyes.

"That boy survived those terrible times, and he's growing up here in Eternia." Duncan answered, tucking young Adam in.

Adam yawned and said before drifting off into slumber, "I hope he grows up to be a man. I hope he grows up to be a king."

Duncan chuckled quietly, "I have a feeling he might."

@Bearded Justice: Cute!

Part 2

Many years later...

A young man dashed through the forests of an ancient land. He was of average height and build; no stronger or weaker than any other man of Eternia. Though, he was surprisingly quick on his feet. He bounded through The Evergreen Forest, bow in hand, on a wild hunt. However, playing games is what plagued his mind more than the hunt. He smiled widely, glancing back over his shoulder to see if his true prey had caught up yet.

"Adam!" a young woman shouted, only a few steps behind. "Adam, wait for me!"

"How are you to catch a deer if you cannot even catch me, Teela?" Adam, the young man, shouted back, taking cover behind a tall tree.

Teela, the young woman, came to a stop, as all was quiet in the forest. Her auburn hair glinted in what few rays of sunshine made their way through the thicket. Meanwhile, her eyes squinted and scanned for her friend. "Ad-am." she said slowly. "Come out now. My father won't be pleased if we do not return with a deer."

"There is one!" Adam cried, leaping from behind the tree and firing an arrow, which struck the ground near Teela's feet. She gasped and glared at Adam, disapprovingly.

"Games. Games. Games. Is that all boys think about?" she huffed, snatching the arrow from the ground, while Adam laughed. "I wish you would grow up and act like a m--" Teela's words were cut short by the sound of movement in nearby brush. A deer leaped away from the young couple, and Adam quickly set after it.

"Into what? A man? I am a man, Teela." he chuckled, passing her. Teela groaned and joined in the hunt.

Adam leapt over downed trees, weaving in and out briars and vines. His mind was fully concentrated on the deer, just a few feet in front of him. He barely even noticed the clearing up ahead, nor the great stone walls within the clearing. He halted at the edge of the forest, peering at the deer, now grazing peacefully. Adam readied his bow and notched an arrow, but suddenly, his eyes unfocused on his target to what sat behind it: a grand stone castle. He was entirely taken with the sight and failed to notice Teela coming up to him.

"What's that?" she asked in amazement.

"It... it's Castle Grayskull." Adam replied, somewhat at a loss for words.

Indeed, a sight to behold it was. For this was Castle Grayskull, a mystical place filled with untold secrets and treasures beyond what petty mortals dared to dream of. It's walls were high and overrun with ivy. They looked as if a simple catapult would topple them down, or even a strong gust of wind. The towers were higher yet, nearly touching with passing clouds. They were once majestic structures of an ancient time, but now were crumbling to old age and disrepair. However, the castle's main attraction was it's gate, for the skull of a demon loomed over it, baring it's teeth as a warning to those who sought admittance. The skull was massive and twice as terrifying, carved beautifully out of stone, giving the castle it's legendary name of Grayskull.

Adam and Teela forgot the deer and slowly approached what lay before them. They wandered ever closer to the castle, entranced by it's wonder. Adam was particularly hasty and failed to notice a great chasm before him. He slipped and cried out, nearly falling into the dark depths.

"Adam!" Teela shouted, grabbing his hand. She caught hold of him just before he was consumed by the misty deep. Adam regained his balance, before gazing down into the great pit, which served as a moat to the castle, as it stretched all the way around it's walls.

"Oh. I didn't see that there. Thank you, Teela." he foolishly shrugged.

"Why don't you watch where you are going next time?" she teased, somewhat angered that Adam would even let something like that happen. She didn't enjoy entertaining the thought of losing Adam. "We shouldn't be here. Let's go." she said quietly.

"I want to see more of the castle, though. Help me find a way inside!" Adam answered, ignoring Teela's wishes. He began walking along the side of the canyon, searching for a way across. "I think it's bottomless. At least, I can't see a bottom. There's too much fog down there. You know, Uncle Duncan used to tell me a story about this place. How did it go again?"

"Can we go? This place... it unsettles me. Besides, it will be dark soon. My father expects us, and he already won't be pleased with us returning deer-less." Teela warned, though she followed Adam around the castle. "He seems consumed by this place." she thought. "Boys and their castles." Teela shook her head and noticed a gleam in the distance. She spotted horses approaching from the edge of the forest. "Adam, get down! Hide!" she whispered, pulling him to the ground.

"Hey!" Adam said, startled. "What was that--" he quickly held his tongue, as he too saw the horses. Adam and Teela slowly made their way across the clearing to the surrounding woods, just as the horses reached Grayskull.

Hiding in the brush, they could see two horses with riders atop them. The horses were clad in black, as were the riders, making them hard to identify in the setting sun. One rider dismounted and approached the castle's chasm moat.

"Let's get out of here, Adam." Teela whispered.

"No. We should see who they are and what they are up to here." Adam replied "One thing is for sure, they don't look friendly." Adam clutched his bow, but it would do him no good, as dark forces crept up behind him and Teela.

"Adam, this is frightening me. If anything, we should leave now and alert my father!" she began, but heard a noise behind her and turned about. Teela was now face to face with a cloaked figure, which grabbed at her with powerful arms. She screamed and kicked away her assailant, but two more appeared. Adam whirled around and fired an arrow at the figure. It landed in the figure's chest and blood seeped onto the ground. One attacker took hold of Teela, while the other nabbed Adam's bow and snapped it over their knee. The wounded figure threw off their hood, revealing the twisted face of a man. He showed no sign of pain at the arrow sticking out from his chest and he overpowered Adam quickly.

"Take them to the master!" he shouted, shoving Adam into the clutches of another cloaked man. They all entered the clearing and marched over to the horses. The wounded man looked up at the figure still upon his horse. "We captured these two spying from within the forest, m'Lord." he said.

Adam and Teela were thrown to their knees, as if made to kneel before a king. The massive horse neighed and reared up as the rider spoke in a chilling voice. One that put the fear of death into normal men and gave nightmares to children. "Who are you?" it asked.

"I am Adam and this is my cousin Teela." Adam answered, with fear in his voice. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Who am I?" the voice questioned. "I am that which has spread a plague onto this land; that which people speak of only in hushed voices and indoors; that which has felled dragons and devils, and kings and queens. My reach is endless. It does not stop at the end of my hand, nor at the end of my sword, nor at the end of these lands. My kingdom come; my will be done, on Eternia, as it is in Heaven! In Skeletor's name you should be praying!" the voice boomed, as the man removed his hood, showing off a white, rotting skull.