Sunset ^beta

Late morning at the Royal Palace of Eternia.  After last night’s party to celebrate the return of Princess Adora from Etheria, as well as the arrival of a diplomatic delegation of Cat Folk from the Vine Jungle, a sense of normalcy was returning to the corridors of power.  In a rest and recreation room set off one of the said corridors, the kind of place Prince Adam could usually be found napping with Cringer, were instead two women sat at a circular table.  Teela, Captain of the Royal Guard and to her left, Ileena: her friend, roommate, training partner and as of last night, a decorated hero, future Royal Guard officer and most importantly to Teela: her beautiful girlfriend.

After weeks of hiding their mutual attraction, a misunderstanding and jealousy were followed by mutual confession of their feelings.  Culminating in a passionate first kiss and once all of Teela’s nightly duties were attended to, the pair retired to their shared quarters for a lesson in love.

Three days prior, their diplomatic mission to Arcadia resulted in a brawl to save a young woman from murderous thugs, during which Ileena showed her courage and loyalty once more by saving Teela’s life.  Shaken by the experience, both had independently chosen to eschew taking personal time off in favour of getting back to work.  Only for Ileena to suffer nightmares and Teela to become increasingly stressed and paranoid.  In light of that, and the tumultuous events of the prior evening, the pair had changed course and agreed to relax for the next couple of days.  Given the danger they had faced down together, no-one questioned the decision.

Once again, Teela looked over the parchment in her hands that contained a list of names.  Names she had written two days ago, that she looked at again and again until they were seared into her memory.  As if she needed any help remembering the actual people to whom those names belonged.  Brave and courageous individuals whose hearts were ultimately on the side of good.

Teela looked up from the parchment to see her partner staring off in the distance with a dreamy look on her face.  “Eternia to Ileena.  Come in, Ileena.”

The blonde snapped out of her reverie.  “Huh, what?  Oh sorry, I was leagues away.”

Teela grinned. “So it seems.  A Kruger for your thoughts?”

“Just thinking about how crazy things have been in the past few days, my life has changed so quickly.”

“How does it make you feel?”

“Like I’m a completely different person, especially compared to who I was when I first came here.”

“Different, or perhaps this is who you’ve always been deep down.  Certainly I’ve always thought so.”

“Maybe.  Either way, I know that without you, I’d still be that scared little girl that Jarvan used as his puppet.  You bring out the best in me.”

Teela blushed.  “Aww, you’re so sweet.  But it’s like I said on our first day of P.T: you always had the fire inside you.  I’m just the lucky one who gets to warm herself by that fire.”

Ileena wryly noted.  “And nothing builds that fire like having your gorgeous muscles wrapped around me at night.”

Both of them chuckled, before Teela delivered a friendly warning.  “Shh, we need to be careful and wait until tonight.  We’ve already had one lecture.”  Referring to the awkward moment when her father, Man-at-Arms, caught the pair of them kissing in the Palace corridors the night before.  Though in his own subtle way, he had given his approval to their relationship, he had reminded his daughter to observe a level of discretion befitting the seat of government in Eternos.

Still, Ileena was undeterred.  She leaned in close to her redheaded lover and lowered her voice, using the pet name that only she was allowed to utter.  “Alright Tee’, but that just means I’ll be saying it to you all at once.  I’ll get you so hot, you’ll want to take me on that bed all night long.”

Speaking of fires, Teela sighed as she felt one stirring in her abdomen.  She was glad to already be sitting down.  Her voice equally low and husky, Teela pushed past her growing lust and clasped a hand on Ileena’s forearm, resting on the table, to let her know the redhead was dead serious. “‘Lee, you’re making me so hot I want to take you on this table, right here and right now.  But we need to stop or we’ll really be in trouble.  Please, help me out here.”

Ileena pulled back slightly, realising she was putting her girlfriend in a bind.  “Sorry, guess I got carried away.”

Teela recovered and patted her partner on the upper arm in reassurance.  “I understand, but the problem is that right now, it’s so easy for me to get carried away too.  Don’t get me wrong, I love how you do that to me, but we need to exercise self-discipline.  Think of it like this: Queen Marlena has essentially been a mother to you since you moved in, am I right?”

Ileena was quiet for a moment.  The Queen had welcomed the young trainee into her family, gave her advice and was teaching her how to be a pilot.  Marlena even trusted both her and Teela enough to join their communal bath in the women’s bath house below the Palace, regaling the two women with tales of both Earth and Eternia.  Ileena had little frame of reference, having lost her birth mother at a very young age, but she was sure that Marlena filled that familial void in her heart.  

“She is.” the blonde replied softly.  “For you as well, I think.”

“Indeed.”  Teela looked away briefly.  The subject of mothers was not an easy one to discuss.  “So whenever we’re in the Palace and outside of our quarters, before you say or do anything, think about how you’d feel if she walked in the room and saw it, because there’s a good chance she might.  That’s the level of decorum you’ll need to become a Guardswoman.”

“Aye, Captain.”  Ileena stood to attention and gave a salute, one Teela happily stood and returned.

“As you were, Ileena, as you were.”

As if to punctuate the lesson, Princess Adora walked in.  Putting a hand up to cover a deep yawn,  “Morning everybody.”

Teela noted her Royal friend and confidant, like herself, didn’t appear to have had much sleep…for much the same reasons.  “Morning Adora.  Did the party tire you out?”

The Princess played coy.  “Among other things.”  She gave Teela a quick hug, then walked around the table to the other blonde-haired warrior in the room.  “Ileena!  I’m so glad to finally meet you.  Adam and mother have told me so many stories about you.”

Having a sudden resurgence of her old, shy self, Ileena respectfully bowed.  “I am at your service, Your Highness.”

Adora walked forward and scooped Ileena up in a big hug.  The trainee was surprised at first, then tentatively returned the embrace.  “Please, just call me Adora.  There’s no need to be formal, just treat me the same as you do Adam.”

Released from the hug, Ileena gave Teela a worried glance before addressing the Princess.  “I, umm, I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Your High…Adora.”

“Why not?”

Teela quickly explained.  “Adam has been very helpful with Ileena’s training.  Especially when it comes to hand-to-hand.”

Knowing that her brother projected an image of ineptitude in combat on Eternia that he did not show on Etheria, Adora played along.  “Testing the durability of the sparring mats, I presume?”

Teela grinned.  “However did you guess?”

“Call it a hunch.”  She turned back to the worried student.  “Anyway, yes Ileena, exactly how you treat Adam.”  Adora then leaned in and gave a friendly challenge.  “If you want to get on the mat with me, I’m ready anytime you are.  Just remember that unlike my brother. I’m not as easy to put on my back.”

Seeing her girlfriend was feeling a tad intimidated, Teela lent her some support.  “Don’t get too cocky, Adora.  You might think you’re up against a kitten, but when it’s time to fight, Ileena has the heart of a lioness.”

Bolstered by her trainer’s words, Ileena regained her earlier confidence.  “I’ll be a worthy opponent for you, Adora.  After all, I’ve pinned Teela down plenty of times…” She caught herself and quickly clarified.  “In training, I mean.”

Adora smirked.  “Oh, of course, in training.  Of course.”  Putting a hand on her fellow blonde’s shoulder, the Princess looked Ileena in the eye.  “Whenever you’re ready to square off, let me know.  Just do me one little favour: don’t hold back.  From one lioness to another, I want to hear you roar”.  Leaving the trainee feeling proud that the leader of the Great Rebellion held her in such regard, Adora then walked around to the other side of the table.  “Mind if I take a seat?”

As she and Ileena sat once more, Teela responded.  “Not at all.  We’re having an easy day today.  Only one little piece of business to deal with, then we relax.  We’re just waiting for our mutual acquaintance to finish with her duties.  She’s watching over her people while they have talks with your father.”

Adora sat down and tried to act nonchalant, given that the woman in question had been much more than an acquaintance last night, and Teela knew it.  “So I’ve heard, I hope they do reach an agreement.”

The redhead wasn’t fooled.  “I take it she paid you a visit last night.”

Unable to keep up the pretense, a huge grin spread on Adora’s face.  “Uh-huh.”

“May I also presume that everything I told her about not rappelling up the side of the building to reach your room went in one ear and out the other?” 

“I think you knew that would happen as soon as you said the words.”

The Captain sheepishly shrugged.  “Well yes, but as head of the Royal Guard, I had to at least try.”

Having acted as the redhead’s confidant in matters of romance, Adora felt the need to satisfy her curiosity, which was well and truly piqued when looking back and forth at the two ladies sitting across from her.  “So Teela, that little matter we spoke about last night…how did it go?”

In response, the redhead reached out to hold Ileena’s hand, offering a warm smile and receiving one in kind.  “Better than any of us could have imagined, Adora.”

The Princess was delighted to see her friends were at last united as the happy couple they deserved to be.  “Congratulations.”  She looked over at Ileena, who had been made visibly jealous the prior evening by the overt affections visited upon Teela by Adora’s late night visitor.  “That whole, err, ’scene’ at the party.  That didn’t cause any lasting damage then?”

Ileena shared a glance with her paramour before answering.  “Not at all.  In fact, I’m excited to meet her.”

“I know she’ll be happy to meet you too.  Though she can, uhh, get a little intense.”

Ileena smiled, her ill will towards the flirty fighter in question was now a thing of the past.  “So I saw.  But based on everything I’ve been told about her, I would love to call her my friend.”

Adora nodded, “You won’t be disappointed.”

Teela had one last burning question on her mind.  “Adora, in case your parents start asking, have you seen Adam up and about this morning?”

“Not yet, but Castaspella sent me a telepathic message a little while ago.  Let’s just say the two of them are skipping breakfast…and no guarantees about lunch either.”

Having escorted the Prince and his new consort safely to his chambers last night, and having seen the burning desire on Castaspella’s face, both the Captain and her trainee shared dirty grins as their most prurient imaginings had just been confirmed as reality.  In Teela’s case, her smile was mixed with the pride and respect she felt for her best friend.  Though something Adora said did concern her.  “Casta can read minds?”

The Princess moved to assuage Teela’s worries regarding the Queen of Mystacor’s intentions.  “She would never read someone’s mind without permission.  In any case, she didn’t read my mind, the two of us spoke with our minds.  It’s a little technique she taught me.  We’ll sometimes stand for hours on the balcony of Castle Mystacor when I visit her, or go for walks in the Whispering Woods when she visits the rest of the Rebellion.  We have long conversations without ever using our voices.  Free to tell each other things that no-one else can physically hear.  Sometimes we don’t even use words, we just project our emotions towards each other.”

Teela raised an eyebrow.  “Sounds like the two of you are very close.”

Adora nodded “We are, just not in the same way that I am close with some of the other Rebels.  As you can tell, Casta and I are complete opposites in terms of what we want physically.  But when we make that connection, when I let her inside my head and she lets me into hers, it feels very intimate.  Dare I say it…”  She glanced at the doorway to make sure there were no eavesdroppers, then leaned forward to share a secret. “It’s almost as if we make love without ever touching each other, or even wanting to.”

Impressed, Teela could only reply.  “Lucky Adam.”

Adora smiled ruefully, knowing that such a personal practice might have to end for the sake of her brother’s new relationship.  But despite her lament at intimacy lost, she would see him happy. “Yes, lucky Adam.”

Ileena had been chewing on her lower lip as she listened to all of this, trying to maintain self-discipline as she had been instructed.  Finally, she looked at Teela and simply said  “I wish one of us knew magic.”

Adora chuckled.  “If you’ve got a mage you trust, who knows how, then I recommend giving it a try.”

Teela chimed in.  “We did meet a mage a few days ago, one that I’ve known for a long time and…both of us?”  She looked to Ileena for confirmation, who nodded.  “Both of us would trust her with such a practice.  That said, she is finally on the path to happiness after so much pain and misery, and that path may not cross with ours for quite some time.”

Adora nodded.  “Seems like a lot of us are walking new paths lately.  You two, me, Adam, Casta, some of my friends back on Etheria.  I can tell we’re all happier for it.”

Teela concurred, holding Ileena’s hand once more  “Here’s to new paths.  We’ll be laying the foundation for one more, just as soon as-”

Their conversation was interrupted as Kittrina, sultry spy of the Cat Folk and Adora’s lover for the duration of her short stay on Eternia, came out of nowhere to land on all fours atop the table, making the three seated women jump.

Teela put a hand to her chest, trying to steady her breathing.  “Kittrina!  You need to be careful with that, you scared us.”

The feisty feline leaned in and nuzzled the side of Teela’s face.  “Mrow, my apologies, my friend.  But standing around and listening to the ambassador talk, talk, talk, I get so restless.”

“I thought you’d had enough excitement last night.” The redhead leaned over to look around Kittrina’s crouched body and shoot a glance at Adora.

Kittrina thankfully decided to take the civilised approach and climbed off the table, walking around to the blonde Princess and crouching down to embrace her.  “Oh, I did.  Thanks to my Princess here.” The catgirl moved in and Adora met her to share a slow kiss.  The two lovers gently put their foreheads together, silent save for Kittrina’s purring.

Amused, Teela shook her head.  This was as close to ‘best behaviour’ as she was likely to get from her feline friend. 

“Kittrina, may I introduce Ileena, my student in the art of combat, my sister-in-arms and as of yesterday, recipient of the Eternian Medal of Gallantry, bestowed upon her by King Randor himself.”

Ileena fidgeted in her seat, still uneasy at being the source of such praise and adulation, even from the woman she loved so dearly.  She awkwardly waved her hand.  “Um, hi.”

Quick as a flash, Kittrina was up close to the blonde aspirant, their faces inches apart.  “Mrow, brave and beautiful, the kind of woman I like.  Tell me Ileena, do you have any plans for this evening?”

Initially intimidated by the catgirl’s proximity, a smile spread on Ileena’s face as she saw an opportunity to turn the tables.  “As a matter of fact…” Her affectionate gaze turned to her redheaded partner.  “I do.”

As if a switch had flipped, Kittrina’s demeanour completely changed.  Standing up straight, she maintained a respectful distance and extended a hand.  “Oh, uh, I see.  In that case, it is nice to meet you, Ileena.”

The blonde accepted the handshake, getting much satisfaction out of seeing the flirtatious feline flummoxed and on the back paw.  “Nice to meet you too, Kittrina.”

Adora added some lighthearted teasing.  “I thought you already had plans for this evening, Kitt…with me.”

Recovering, Kittrina then moved back to being half-embraced with her holiday lover.  “Oh indeed I do, my Princess.  But since my time here at the Palace will be very short, I was hoping you might be…open-minded.”

“Oh, I’m very open-minded.  But I think you may be pushing at a closed door with our friends here.”

“Mmm, purrrhaps.” Kittrina glanced at the other couple.  “But then again, maybe they could be purrrsuaded to open it?”

Ileena looked away, blushing.  While Teela, unphased by such a bold suggestion, nor uninterested for that matter, cleared her throat.  “KIttrina, before you get too preoccupied, I have a couple of proposals for you to hear.”

“Mmm, business or pleasure?”

“The first one is definitely business, the second one?  Certainly it’s something I’ve done for many years and always found fun, maybe you will too.  Why don’t you take a seat and we can get into specifics.”

The catgirl disengaged from Adora and sat in the fourth chair, opposite Ileena.  Once she saw her audience was giving their full attention, Teela began.

“As some of you may know, we have a team called the Masters of the Universe.  Brave fighters who come together from all over Eternia in an alliance to fight evil.  For so long, I have been the only woman on the team.  Since she came to live at the Palace and begin training, Ileena and I have talked about bringing more women onboard.  Mostly just idle chatter and little more.  But our mission in Arcadia three days ago gave me something of a wake-up call and I’ve decided to take the idea a little further.  I propose forming a whole new team, made up of women with special skills, to act as a sister organisation to the Masters.  One that can act independently, though when Eternia needs us to, both groups will work together as one.”

Adora was impressed.  “Taking inspiration from the Great Rebellion, eh?”

Teela shrugged.  “Kind of, but a little less centralised and we use that to our advantage.  This team will not merely come together as a fighting force.  Its members will act as an intelligence network and early warning system for the planet, especially in remote areas.  For Ileena and I...”  She shared a concerned look with her partner.  “Lack of intelligence about the ground situation in Arcadia nearly got us both killed.  We can’t let that happen again.”  All of them nodded grimly as Teela continued.  “The idea is that this increased coverage will help us respond more quickly to threats like Skeletor, or if Count Marzo starts his trafficking operation again, or-”

“Or the Horde.”  Came a solemn voice.

All heads turned to the leader of the Great Rebellion.  “Adora, is there…something we should know?”

“It’s alright, Teela.  I know I had you promise to keep it a secret, but I ended up telling my parents this morning.”  She let out a sigh of resignation.  “There’s no keeping secrets from my mother.”  Including secret identities , she thought.

Having read of the Horde’s previous invasion of Eternia, Ileena felt a churning in her stomach.  “Adora, what is it?  Are they coming here?”

The Princess reached out and gave her new friend’s hand a reassuring squeeze.  Withdrawing, she spent several moments looking down at the tabletop, steeling herself for the grim subject matter ahead.

“What I’m about to say is only a possibility, none of it is guaranteed.  You can appreciate that I can’t go into details, but over the coming weeks and months, the actions of the Rebellion may cause the Horde’s grip on Etheria to loosen.  If it does, and if we’re as successful as we hope, there may come a tipping point.  Hordak may feel boxed in, with the Rebellion advancing on one side and the fear of Horde Prime’s wrath on the other.  If he gets desperate enough, he may take what he has left through a space portal and fall back to Eternia.  Certainly the Sorceress can get me back, and I may be able to rally those closest to me into coming along.  But the army that will have won Etheria’s freedom may not be able to pursue and frankly, having fought so long and hard to liberate their planet, they shouldn’t be expected to.

That’s why if Hordak does come here, Eternians must mobilise and finish the job.  Do not let him regroup, do not let him rebuild.  Otherwise the Etherians, the friends who have died…who will die in the coming war…will have died for nothing.”

Complete silence in the room as the stark horror of this potential future sank in.  After a few moments, Teela spoke with determination.  “We’ll be ready, Adora…and good luck to all of you.”

The Princess let out a ragged breath.  “Thank you all.  I know we can count on you.”

Teela waited a moment, then resumed outlining her proposition.  “So, as you ladies just heard, it is more vital than ever that we unite as many of this planet’s capable warriors, mages and other specialists under a common banner.  King Randor thinks so too and as of two nights ago, he gave me authorization to start assembling such a team.”

Kittrina was intrigued.  “Who will you be recruiting?”

Teela gestured to the parchment on the table.  “I haven’t made any formal offers yet, just some informal discussions. I have drawn up a shortlist of candidates, which we’ll discuss in a moment.”  She then looked at both Ileena and Kittrina.  “But if there are no objections, I invite both of you to join me as the founding members.”

The catgirl’s ears twitched.  All flirtation and thrill seeking put to one side, she spoke earnestly.  “You will always have my support, my friend.  I accept your offer.”

On the other hand, Ileena was agitated and uncertain.  “You want me to join now, when I have so much more to learn about how to be a warrior?  We talked about this.”

“No, we talked about you being made an officer in the Royal Guard.  That’s a different story.  There will be no set skill barrier to joining our team, as long as every woman devotes her heart and mind to defending Eternia and her teammates.  You’ve done that time and again, Ileena.  You provided the spark for this idea, more than anyone you should be a part of it.”

Seeing the truth of her mentor’s words, Ileena straightened her posture and her expression was determined.  “In that case…I accept.”

“Good.  Now, generally this team is not going to spend too much time on fancy speeches or ceremonies.  We’re going to go out there and get things done.  But I think this will be a worthy exception.”  She stood from her chair, the other three women following suit.  “I’ve prepared an oath that must be sworn by anyone joining the group.  You won’t need to recite this, just answer when ready.”

She held her hand up and began:

I, Teela of Eternos, swear on my honour

That I will defend Eternia from evil

I will be brave in the face of danger

Resolute in the face of tyranny

I will protect the innocent and stand for justice

I pledge my loyalty and my life to all those who swear this oath with me, and all who swear it after me.

I will stand with them in their hour of need, as they will stand with me

I will learn from them and I will teach in equal measure

I shall repay loyalty with trust

Courage with honour

From now until the end of my days.

Teela then outstretched her arm to the centre of the table, her palm open and flat.  She looked to her left, then her right.

To you, Ileena of Eternos

And to you, KIttrina of the Vine Jungle

I make this offer:

Will you swear this oath unto me, and to each other

As I swear it unto you?

Barely a second passed before Ileena placed her hand atop Teela’s palm, looking her straight in the eye with absolute certainty.  “I swear.”

Kittrina placed her hand on top.  “I swear.”

Suddenly, a fourth hand was added to the pile.  “I swear.”

The three Eternians looked up to see Princess Adora had added her assent.  “I know you technically didn’t ask me, but…For now, I have my own battle to fight.  But once we win the day, once Etheria is free from tyranny and I can make Eternia my home, I will do everything I can to help.”

Teela smiled and brought her other hand on top of everyone else’s.  “Welcome aboard, Princess Adora.  Here’s to the day that you can fully join us”  She raised her voice.  “Long live Free Etheria!”

Ileena, Kittrina and Adora responded in unison.  “Long live Free Etheria!”

Everyone soaked in the moment, feeling like a bond had been forged that would last a lifetime, before withdrawing their hands and sitting once more.

Teela relaxed a little, the hard part was over.  “That’s about as formal as it’s going to get today.  While everyone is here, I want to get your opinions on these potential candidates before I make any formal offers.  Be honest with me.  If you think any of them are unsuitable, make your voice heard.”

Ileena felt excited now that she had been accepted into the team.  “Fire away, Teela.”

“We’ll start with the Honourable Mentions: Princess Janice of the Ice Kingdom of Morainia is too young for a frontline role.  Even if she wasn’t, her father, King Boreas, would never allow it.  But Prince Adam has vouched for her, told me that her mind is sharper than any blade.  It was her ideas and daring that helped He-Man rescue her father from Skeletor.  It would do us good to consult with her remotely on strategy, as well as having her as an intelligence contact.  Morainia covers a lot of open territory and Janice is often traversing it on her snowmobile.  I know she’ll gladly keep a lookout for anything illicit happening in the wild country.”

“Sounds good to me.”  Kittrina replied, looking to find approving nods from Adora and Ileena.

“Next, we have Boweena, expert archer from the Enchanted Forest.  I’d love to have her on full-time, but her duty as bodyguard to the Starchild may preclude that.  Still, we can always ask if she knows someone well-versed in ranged combat to recommend in her stead.”

Ileena piped up.  “What about your white-haired magic friend?”

That friend was the former Evil-lyn, who had saved Teela, Ileena and the woman they were defending from a vicious gang of men.  Having fully renounced her villainous ways and become the heroic protector that Teela always believed she could be, Evelyn Powers now resided in the city of Arcadia.  Starting a new life with the woman she saved, a redheaded artist named Adrianna.

Teela considered.  “Evelyn?  Obviously I’d want her on our side in a fight, but it’s too soon.  When we left her three days ago, she had finally found peace, and possibly love.  I say let her have that for a while before we come knocking at her door asking for favours.  Besides, she fought for you and me, she’ll fight for Adrianna and I believe she’ll fight for the women of Arcadia.  But I don’t believe she would be willing to take action that could be seen as helping Eternos.  Too much bad history there, and she is still a very proud woman.  She wouldn’t want to be seen as ‘grovelling for a pardon’.  That said, the next time we meet, I will try to get an appraisal of the situation in Arcadia, so that we’re not caught out again.”

Ileena nodded.  “Fair enough.  We owe her a lot.”

“That we do.”  Teela then moved on to the main list.  “On the subject of Evelyn and magic, our next candidate is Sibyline, sorceress of the Isle of Tears.  She had once served the evil demon Gorgon in overthrowing the rule of King Danton and laying waste to the island.  She had a change of heart and turned against her master, seeking our help.  After several incidents where Evil-lyn, as she was then, tried to sabotage Sybiline’s attempts at redemption, He-Man and the rest of us went with her to the Isle of Tears and together we overthrew Gorgon and restored King Danton to the throne.  Since then, she has been pardoned and remains on the island, using her magic to help restore that which she once destroyed.  I’ve already been in touch with her and she is interested in the idea of joining this team.  Anyone have any objections?”

A look around the table showed only shaking heads.  “Alright then, I’ll call her soon and we’ll see if she is willing to swear the oath.  Next up is Celice of the city of Tahryn.  The magical power of her singing can control flora and fauna, stone and even people.  She hails from a bloodline of singers whose melodies soothed the demon Yog and kept him from destroying Tahryn for generations.  Skeletor had her kidnapped and used magic to control her mind, forcing her to sing down the Jawbridge of Castle Grayskull.  She proved strong enough to resist the mind control and break free, while He-Man threw Yog into a bottomless pit, freeing Tahryn and ending Celice's burden.  Since then, she has been without purpose.  I think we can give that to her, wouldn’t you agree?”

A round of nods.  “Excellent, I think we can look to bring her in.”

Ileena put her hand up.  “If I may, at last night’s party I was talking with Lord Stratos and Lady Delora.  I mentioned that you and I had been talking about bringing more women into the Masters and asked his Lordship if there were any Bird Women whose names he might put forward.  I figured it would help for us to have a flyer, especially as it would allow him to concentrate on the business of ruling Avion.”  She sheepishly shrugged.  “Hope you don’t mind.”

Teela was pleased to see her student take the initiative.  “Not at all, it’s a great idea.  At some point, we should probably ask Lord Buzz-Off if there are any Andreenid women he would recommend.  Did Lord Stratos give you a name?”

“Oh yes, apparently she is a capable warrior, but has been unhappy with her role and could use a change of scenery.  He said her name was Hawke.”

Teela’s face fell at the mention of that name.  “Uh, Ileena, did Stratos fill you in on her history?”

“No, he and Lady Delora did seem strangely uneasy when talking about her though.”

“That’s because Hawke wilfully sabotaged her people’s defenses, blamed Stratos and caused his banishment, and allowed Skeletor to steal the Golden Egg of Avion.”

“Oh.”

“Indeed.  She acted out of greed, but soon found that Skeletor’s idea of a reward was to lock her in a cage inside the Demon Zone.  Stratos wanted to leave her there, but He-Man insisted she be given a second chance.  She did help get the Egg of Avion back and has been on punishment detail ever since.  I imagine she has borne the brunt of her people’s contempt for the last two years.”

Ileena felt a little embarrassed that her suggestion was causing so much rancor.  “So I take it that’s a ‘no’, then?”

“I’m not going to arbitrarily overrule you all on a recruit, that’s not how this team is going to function.  But I will say we should all discuss it thoroughly.”

Having quietly listened to this debate, Adora mused.  “I guess the question on the table is: do we allow Hawke to seek redemption through us?  Do we trust her enough to let her prove herself, when our lives depend upon her coming through for us?”

Ileena pointed out.  “We’ve already talked about two women who turned away from evil and we now call friends, why not one more?”

Teela countered.  “Sibyline and Evelyn both independently made their own decisions to abandon their masters and reconnect with the good people they once were.  Nothing was stopping them from continuing their wicked ways, but they chose to be better.  Hawke didn’t say a word about atonement until Skeletor double crossed her.  Besides, unlike them, her motivation was money.  Is it a wise move to invite her here, to be so near to a KIng’s riches?”

Ileena stood firm.  “Anyone we invite from Avion is only going to be here on a part-time basis anyway.”

KIttrina, who knew nothing about the species, enquired.  “Why is that?”

Ileena explained, having been given a crash course in their culture from its ruling couple the night before.  “Because the Egg of Avion is what gives the Bird People their ability to fly.  Some kind of magic, not sure how it works.  They can only be away from it for a few days or risk losing their flying power.  Lady Delora was human once, and she went through a special ritual to join her husband's kind and soar through the skies alongside him.  She told me all about it, must've figured out that I'm a sucker for love stories.  Avian culture is defined by flight.  To be permanently grounded...it's considered the worst fate of all.  Some have been known to completely lose the will to live.”

Teela interjected.  “And Hawke was willing to subject her entire people to that fate.  That’s the kind of person we’re dealing with here.”

Ileena fixed her mentor with a determined look.  “You say she’s had to live with that for two years now?”  She shook her head.  “If Hawke truly regrets her actions, then she’ll be living with it for the rest of her life.  I know a little something about that, even though you all forgave me for my wrongdoing.”

“Wrongdoing?  Ileena, you’ve always been a loyal friend.”

Her student had a sceptical expression.  “Did I not nearly kill Adam by lying about being able to fly an Air Car?  Did I not steal from my own father, and turn his invention over to an evil wizard who put you all in danger?”

Teela reached out and put a hand on her protege’s arm.  “You were tricked, he played on your insecurities and got you hooked on a magical drug.  You shouldn’t beat yourself up over Jarvan.  It was his fault, not yours.”

Ileena looked away in shame.  “So everyone says, but I’ve had to live with my stupid mistake for the past three years.  Why do you think I’m always keeping a lookout for the little things that people try to hide?  Like those men last night who were trying to cheat on their wives with me, thinking I wouldn't notice they'd removed their wedding rings.  Because I've learned my lesson.  I won't let anyone use me to hurt others...ever again.”

Kittrina then spoke up.  “Teela, you forgave me when I broke into this Palace, started a fight with you and then called your King a ‘thief’ right to his face.”

Ileena and Adora looked at each other, then at the catgirl, wide-eyed with astonishment.  “You did?”

Teela responded.  “Well, that last part was a little extreme and I wouldn’t want it repeated.  But you were fighting for your people and your culture, and you were carrying out the orders of your King.  Who could fault you for that?”

Kittrina shrugged and admitted.  “He just told me to get the Grimalkin back, he didn’t say how.”

“Nonetheless, our ignorance unleashed a force that would have destroyed us all.  You helped drive it back.  You can be proud of what you did that day.”

Adora coughed gently.  “I know we shouldn’t be treating this like a contest or anything, but if it’s regret we’re talking about...how does serving an evil, conquering warlord for most of my life measure up?”

“You were under a powerful spell, Adora…”

“And everyone has forgiven me because of that, but I’m a long way from forgiving myself.  You think breaking away from the Horde and joining the Rebellion was the end of it?  Uh-uh, it was just the start.  If there is any redemption for me, I won't find it until Hordak rots in a prison cell and Etheria is free of his rule”.  The Princess looked down at the table, guilt overwhelming her.

Kittrina moved out of her chair to comfort the Rebel leader, affectionately rubbing the side of her face against Adora’s cheek and purring, putting a smile back on her lover’s face.

Ileena brought the focus back to her partner.  “I may be getting way out of line by saying this, but what about you and Evelyn?”

Teela arched an eyebrow.  “What about us?”

“Don’t get me wrong, whatever it was you did that made the most ruthless witch on Eternia into the hero that saved our lives, I will always be grateful.  But the fact is that you’re a Guard officer who chose to make peace with an enemy rather than enforce the law and arrest a wanted criminal.”

“Well, we were in a different country and didn’t have jurisdiction, but I take your point.”  Teela could see that she was clearly outvoted here.  “I guess none of us are truly paragons of virtue, are we?”

Adora, who was still half-embraced with Kittrina, responded.  “ Perhaps not, but that hasn’t stopped the four of us from coming together and sincerely swearing this oath.  I’ve helped friends and even a high-ranking General defect from the Horde, because I believed they should have that second chance.  Certainly it was a risk, but it was the right thing to do.  While I don’t know her yet, I believe Hawke should have that same chance.”

Kittrina raised her hand.  “I agree.”

Ileena concurred.  “Same here.”

Teela smiled.  Though she still had some lingering reservations about Hawke, she was proud of her teammates for being steadfast in their beliefs.  “The ayes have it.  I’ll tell Lord Stratos that we can proceed to a formal discussion about joining.  But…” Her voice hardened.  “If Hawke of Avion swears our oath, she shall be under no illusion: this is a second chance, there will not be a third.  We will help her to be a credit to this team, and one day return to Avion as a hero.  But if she should betray our trust, and especially if she causes any of you to get hurt, being grounded will be the least of her worries, because I will throw her into the prison mines myself.”

The others nodded, Adora summoned up their reaction.  “I think that’s fair.”

Ileena looked to her partner.  “Are there any more candidates, Teela?”

The Captain suddenly felt a little weary.  What was meant to be a casual conversation had become quite the spirited debate.  “I think we’ve done pretty well for the first day.”  She relaxed and became more jovial.  “Let’s finish with business for now and just have some fun.”

Exactly the words Kittrina was hoping to hear.  “Mrow, you said there was a second proposal?”

“There sure is.  Out near the edge of the Evergreen Forest, there’s a lake at the base of a waterfall.  It’s a beautiful place.  Adam will tell you, we used to go swimming there when we were kids.  I’ve had a chance to go for a dip there recently and it’s just as amazing as I remember it.  I was hoping you all might come with me to the lake for the afternoon.  Sort of a girls’ day out.”  She turned to her girlfriend.  “Ileena?”

“We used to go swimming in lakes and streams all the time back in my home village.  I’d love to share that with you, Teela.”

One down, two to go. “Adora?”

“You’ve met Mermista.  When we have the chance, we go to a  beautiful place called The Crystal Falls and have a wonderful time.  Especially when she changes into her full mermaid form and races me across the pool.  Count me in.”      

Teela grinned.  “Well, we’re not mermaids, but we can do a decent impression.”

Adora then looked a little awkward.  “There is just one thing that might be a problem…I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”

Ileena was genuinely confused.  “What’s a ‘bathing suit’?”

Bemused, Teela shook her head.  “Do you wear one to The Crystal Falls, Adora?”

Adora was generally a very open and free-spirited person, so it was rare to see her even slightly embarrassed, “Well, no.  Partly because I don’t have one, but partly because…it’s nicer without one”

Teela glanced at her partner, then gave Adora a reassuring smile.  “If you’re saying you prefer to go skinny-dipping, then I’m pretty sure that’s not going to be a problem for us.”

Again, Ileena was confused.  “What is ‘skinny-dipping’?”

Teela explained.  “It’s when people go swimming with no clothes on at all.”

Ileena raised an eyebrow.  “As opposed to…?”

Her redheaded girlfriend chuckled.  “See what I mean, Adora?”

The Princess giggled.  “I certainly do.  Don’t worry, Ileena.  I think we understand each other perfectly.”

Only one left to ask.  “How about you, Kittrina?  I know most cats that I’ve met aren’t crazy about water.”

The feisty feline sauntered over to her long-time friend and crouched next to her.  “Mmm, but I think you’ll agree, I’m not like most cats.  Seriously though, Teela, I was trained from a young age to get past my people’s aversion to water.  I would be no good at my job otherwise.  These days, I love to swim…”  She positioned herself between Teela and Ileena, who was once again flustered by the catgirl’s closeness.  “Especially with such attractive company.”

Teela brushed off the flirtations.  “Well, alright then, looks like a full house.  Let’s all meet up in the vehicle bay in half an hour, Ileena and I will get a Wind Raider prepped.”

Kittrina put a hand on her shoulder.  “Hold on, that all depends on whether the ambassador will let me leave the delegation.  I respect him, but he wouldn’t know fun if it caught him by the tail.”

Adora provided the solution.  “Just tell him you’re helping with the diplomatic effort by escorting the Princess of Eternia.”

Teela added.  “And the Royal Guard will take good care of your people while we’re away.”

“Rrr, thank you, my friends.”  The feline leaned in and once again rubbed the side of Teela’s face, then turned and did the same for Ileena.  The blonde privately had to admit that the soft fur brushing against her skin did feel nice, and the low rumble of Kittrina's purring was rather soothing.  She could see why her partner was happy to allow such casual contact.  She then realised that Kittrina was gazing into her eyes and speaking in a low, suggestive tone.  “I’ll see you all shortly.  I’m itching to get out there.  Beautiful place, beautiful women, you certainly know how to spoil this cat.  And who knows?  Maybe being out in nature will…inspire you all to get a little wild.”

Without further ado, she turned and headed for the exit in a slow, seductive strut.  The movement of her tail back and forth accentuating the swaying of her hips.

Then she was gone from sight, and the other three women were left momentarily nonplussed.  Until finally, Ileena commented.  “Why do I get the feeling Kittrina is planning something?”

Adora chuckled.  “Probably.  But I’ll have plenty of planning to do when I go back to Etheria.  So while I’m here, I’m just going to go with the flow.”  She then gave her two friends a playful look.  “And hey, if this team is going to be modelled on the Great Rebellion…”  She stood from her chair.  “I need to tell my parents where I’m going, I’ll see you down in the vehicle bay.”

Teela called after her.  “Are you sure they’ll be alright with you taking a trip out?  After what you’ve told them today, they may order me to wrap you in cotton wool and never let you out of the Palace again.”

Adora turned back, grinning.  “Make it silk sheets and I’d be tempted, Teela.  But seriously, they know better than to try and stop me.  Besides, I’ll have three of the finest warriors on Eternia by my side, what more does a Princess need?”  She then headed down the corridor, leaving Teela and Ileena alone once more.

The redhead noticed the blonde was fidgeting.  “You’re worried.”

“Am I still that obvious?”

“Maybe not to others.  But if I didn’t notice these things, what kind of girlfriend would I be?”

Ileena began fretting, as she often did when something bothered her.  At least she was confiding in someone else and not keeping it to herself, like she did in the past.  “I like Kittrina and I enjoy being her friend, but it’s obvious she wants to make this little trip more… intimate than just an afternoon swim, and Adora seems quite happy to go along with it.”

Teela reached out, concerned.  “If you’re not comfortable…”

The blonde offered a rueful smile.  “That’s just it.  The more I think about it, I find I’m a little too comfortable with the idea.”

“Oh…” Teela reached out to hold her girlfriend’s hand.  “Well, if you’re happy with what she's suggesting, then so am I.  So I don’t see the problem.”

Ileena was astonished.  “You don’t?  We’ve been together less than a day and already I’m getting excited at the prospect of making love to other women.  What kind of girlfriend does that make me!?”

Teela gave the hand she was holding a squeeze.  “If you were going behind my back, I’d say ‘a lousy one’.  But I’ll be there and I will support you no matter what.  I trust all three of you with my life, so I definitely trust you all with this.”

“Y-you do?”

“Of course I do, ‘Lee.”  She offered a lascivious grin.  “Truth be told, they’ve been my friends for a couple of years now, and I’ve had my fair share of fantasies about both of them.  You say you’re excited about where this might lead?  I’m excited too.”

“Still, don’t you think it’s a little too soon for us to be that open with our relationship?”

“If it were someone who lived nearby, that we could see every day, then I would say to give it some time.  But Kittrina is only here for a couple of days at most, before she has to escort her people back to the Vine Jungle.  Adora will be here for two weeks, but then she steps through a portal to another world…and war.”

Ileena’s concerns were still not assuaged, so Teela stood and walked behind her girlfriend’s chair, placing her hands on both shoulders.  “‘Lee, I’m not saying any of that to pressure you.  When we have our free time, all I want is for you to do what makes you happy.  If we get out there and you decide you don’t want what Kittrina is offering, then just tell me and I will put my foot down.”

Ileena craned her head back to look up at her love.  “That’s alright, ‘Tee, I’ll tell her.  I’ve got to start fighting my own battles sometime.”

“You certainly stood your ground during that debate we just had.  It was wonderful to hear.”

Ileena looked down at her hands, blushing.

Teela began gently massaging her shoulders.  “I’ve never talked to you about Huntara, have I?”  Referring to the imposing Silaxian she had met on Etheria, with whom she had shared a brief love affair before duty took the honourable warrior back into space.

“No, I just heard stories from people who met her when she was at the Palace.”

“You mind if I talk about her now?”

“Not at all.  From what I hear, I owe her quite a bit.”

“More than you might think.  We had only been together two days when we went out to that lake, looking to have a little private time.  I felt the need to get some frustrations off my chest, the kind I can’t voice around the Palace.”

“About Adam.”

“How did you know?”

Ileena shrugged.  “People have told me about how things used to be before I got here.  He would let you down and get you very angry.”

“To his credit, Adam has changed a lot since you arrived.  But then again, so have I.  Anyway, Huntara suggested I bring someone else in to help me and I immediately thought of you.”

“You did?  Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, it was her idea…”  Teela felt a little ashamed.  “Makes up for me waiting three whole years to reward your bravery.”

Ileena looked up again.  “Don't worry, Tee’, it worked out for the best.  After Jarvan, I realised I had a lot of growing up to do.”

“I know the feeling.  Huntara taught me a lot during those two weeks.  She said that us warriors should live in the moment, because the moment is all we have.”

“That’s…an interesting way of looking at life.”

“Uh-huh, and as if to demonstrate her point, while we were at the lake, Evelyn showed up.  I hadn’t seen her in a long time, since Skeletor sold her out.  We were still technically enemies, though not because either of us wanted to be.  But we talked and we were able to make peace.”

A knowing smirk spread on Ileena’s face.  “I’m pretty sure you did more than just talk, Tee’.”

Teela looked down to challenge her lover.  “Oh really?  What makes you so sure of that, ‘Lee?”

“Last night, you said two women taught you how to make love to other women.  Besides, I know what I saw in that Arcadian apartment.  You don’t get a person to change that much just by talking.”

Teela shrugged.  “Well, the talking did help.  Doesn’t bother you, does it?  That Evelyn and I have that kind of history?”

“Of course not.  Reminds me of that quote I read about peace treaties: ‘Where armies fail, a tongue may succeed’.”

If Teela had been drinking at that moment, she would have spat her drink across the room.  As it was, she immediately clamped a hand to her mouth to muffle her uproarious laughter before the whole Palace started wondering what the joke was.  She laughed so long and so hard that she started to bend over and put her other hand to her stomach.

Ileena was absolutely delighted by her lover’s reaction.  “I got you good, didn’t I?”

Teela gradually recovered, wiping a tear from her eye.  “Hoo boy.  I don’t think that’s what they meant, ‘Lee… but you’re not wrong.”

“I thought so.  Seriously though, Tee’, I don’t blame you one bit.  She’s beautiful.”

Teela crouched down to look Ileena in the eye.  “I’m glad you think so too, but you need to keep what I’ve just said to yourself.  As far as anyone at the Palace knows, I went out with Huntara for a personal day, and we came back safe and sound.  What happened in between was our business.”

“Alright, but I don’t see why it would be a problem.  Evelyn’s one of the good guys now, right?”

“You know that and I know that, but under the laws of Eternos, she is still a wanted criminal.  It’s like you said earlier: I chose to follow the spirit of my King’s desire for peace, rather than enforce the letter of the law.  People know about Evelyn’s role in the Arcadia incident, but they don’t know about what happened before, and we need to keep it that way”

“So we’re keeping secrets from the King, then?”

Teela felt uneasy.  “Let me put it this way: there are certain things that Adam and Adora’s parents know, that the King and Queen of Eternia should not be told.  At least, provided they do not ask.”

“I see.  Well, as long as they don’t ask, I’ll not say a word.”

“And I thank you for that.”  Teela thought for a moment.  “I guess what I’m trying to say with all this is…the two of us are warriors, we should live for the moment and share good times with those we love.”

Ileena grinned and shook her head.  “You know, I still can’t get used to people calling me by names like ‘warrior’ and ‘hero’.  When I think of those words, I only think of you.”

Teela considered.  “Hmm, it is true, there are many terms you could use to describe me: daughter, friend, officer, bodyguard.  But there’s one word that’s more important than any of those, that truly sums up what I am.”

“So what are you?”

The redhead looked deep into those blue eyes, as if speaking to Ileena’s very soul.

“Yours.”

Stunned for a second, Ileena’s eyes became heavy-lidded and she moved closer, head tilted.  “Speaking of living for the moment…”  She closed the distance and the two of them shared a slow, tender kiss.  Once they parted, Ileena became more relaxed.  “You know what, Tee’?  You’re right, I should stop worrying so much.  We've already gone bathing with our Queen, 'skinny-dipping' with a Princess and a royal bodyguard should be easy.  Let’s just all go out to that lake, throw our clothes off and see what happens.”

“Now there’s a plan.  Let’s go put it into action.”  The pair stood from the table and started for the exit.

Ileena had one more question.  “Just wondering, though.  Will we be this, uh, ‘personal’ with other women who join the team?”

Teela played coy.  “Well, maybe not exactly like this.  But we’ll certainly be as friendly and welcoming as they want us to be.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then.”

Teela shrugged.  “You never know, we may recruit a woman who only likes men,”

“Stranger things have happened.”  Ileena quipped, causing both to chuckle as they headed down the corridor.