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Though Heroes Fall - Part 13

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He-Man tempted - Part 13 by omnivore7

He-Man tempted.                                                                                           The work of:   sazariel.deviantart.com


6.5

 

 

She entered the cell, alone and unannounced and made him an offer.

He was at once tempted – hugely; it was just what he had yearned for in his thoughts, but he was suspicious too and hesitated before answering her, his tone dubious.

“Why, Lyn? Tell me that.”

“Because it would be good for you to walk out in the sun and the air – and because I should dislike seeing you grow pallid and unhealthy: it offends my sense of the fitting. But chiefly because I know that if you give me your word not to attempt to escape, then you will keep it.”

He looked at her, licked at dry lips, then lowered his head, regret apparent in every movement. His eyes were hidden by the fall of his fringe of hair, but she had no need of what they would tell her. His entire body sagged heavily in its chains.

“I – I can’t do that.”

“You did before.”

“But that wasn’t for me – and this would be.”

“I see – an interesting distinction. Somewhat over-nice, perhaps – yet I can respect that, given your innate nobility of spirit. But why would you fear to accept such an offer at my hands?”

“Because of what you’ll want in return,” he answered with resignation – and without looking at her.

“I want your word and nothing more. Is that so hard for you? Do you not long to feel the wind in your hair, the warmth of the sun on your skin?”

He continued to study the floor; he was bitterly familiar by now with the torment of hope; he could endure its sharp pangs a little longer: until she was done and he was alone again.

But Lyn did not leave; instead she paused, as if considering. “Well now; you really aren’t going to free yourself anyway, are you? And even if you did, where would you go? And I really would rather not have your looks marred by too close a confinement.”

Despite his distrust he peered up at her; she was smiling.

“And so – let us say that I am feeling generous today.”

She turned to her silent and watchful servants and spoke to them in their own harsh tongue. They at once unhooked He-Man from the hanging chain and even removed the links which ran between the gyves on his ankles, the first time they had done so – except for when they spread him on the Machine. The chain connecting his wrist shackles remained, however, in place. They gave him wine and water mingled to drink, and all the while Evil-Lyn stood by and watched their work. He lowered his gaze to hers, mistrustful, but she only smiled. “Come,” she said. “Follow.”

It felt really very strange to walk again of his own free will, without being dragged or carried – and to do so without the ankle chain which hobbled him made his legs feel absurdly light. But the steady upward slope of the passages was starting to tell on him before the glimmer of true daylight showed ahead; further proof, if any were needed, that his unmatched strength was failing. That he, the Champion of Grayskull, should find his breathing a touch troubled, his legs begin to tire from walking awhile uphill! Yet emerging into the clear light of the sun, the feel of the breeze fresh on his face and body made the unwonted effort a hundredfold worthwhile. He stood and stared, as if he had never seen such things before, his eyes blinking in the relentlessness of the light of a noontide sun high overhead.

He breathed deep of the sea air, filling his lungs with it until it rushed to his head and set it spinning like too much wine. Seabirds swooped and cried in shrill and beckoning voices; sunlit stacks of stone both bright and dark-shadowed fell sheer to the sea; the waters far below foamed white and a thousand shades of green and grey and blue. He stood high in the breeze and the sun sank its welcome heat into his shoulders warming and soothing his aching body; quickened, he gave a long, rapt sigh of contentment and looked longingly at this world he had so missed.

“And is this not better than a dungeon cell, He-Man? Is it not good to be alive and free?”

He looked at her – and silently held up his fettered hands with a wry smile.

“Ingrate that you are, I should spare my pains.”

“As I recall it most of the pains were mine.”

In some strange way they were smiling at one another like old friends, complicit in the black-hued humor of it. Yes, it was – strange – and it puzzled him; but the fresh breeze off the sea flacked his hair and the sun shone warm on his back and – well – she was right; it was good to be alive and – relatively – free.

“And I’m really not ungrateful,” he gruffed. There; it was out – and with perhaps less ill grace than altogether deserved.

She smiled enigmatically in that way of hers he was coming to know, and then turned aside to look out over the expanse of water which stretched blue beyond sight. He watched her, his eyes drawn to the lithe shape of her, the fascinating pearlescence of her skin, so smooth and fine. He could not help but wonder if it were as soft to the touch as it appeared.

“Come,” she said, beckoning him on. “Come up higher still – and see.”

There was a high place; winding rock-cut steps led up to it and at the top a low wall surrounded a wide half-circle of paved stone terrace backing onto the cliff behind. Beneath, far beneath, the sea seethed, boiling foam over the rocks. There was sun and wind, salt tang – and the cries of the white and wheeling birds. He stared out, seeing other islands set in the blueness of the sea, and a far off horizon. The idea of returning to that noisome cell with its Hook was well-nigh unbearable – and he tried hard not to give the Machine a thought – though it was ever-present, lurking in the back of his mind, a darkly bright threat which would not quite go away.

Lyn let him look his fill, standing hard by his side.

“Behold,” she said. “All Eternia lies before us.”

“There is more to Eternia than the Southern Seas,” he answered, looking out. “But it lies far off.”

She nodded absently, her eyes still gazing afar. And she sighed and spoke.

“Eternia: this one wonder of a world, set like a precious gem amid the unnumbered stars. How lovely it lies; seen from here it is quite perfect in its beauty, a world unmarred by shadows, unstained by sorrow. And yet its looks belie; for it is not so.”

“Did you bring me up here to tell me this? That there is evil in the world?”

 He looked at her sidelong, and with a wry edge of humor. But for once it brought no answering irony.

“No; I brought you here because even this troubled world contains far less of it than soon shall be the case,” she answered. “And because it matters that you should know.”

“Know?”

“That which I have seen: that which I am about to reveal to you.”

Both voice and eyes compelled his attention; he stood before her, expectant.

“Mark me well, for this is of the utmost importance – and much depends upon it: more than you can possibly imagine.” She took a pace or two, then turned to him with a direct look. “I have scried into the future – at least into one possible future – and seen what it holds. The danger which will one day arise will be very great; and yet it can be overcome and the darkness rolled back. But this will only come to pass if I can save you.”

His frown in response was more wary than puzzled; he would have spoken, but Lyn forestalled him and went on at once.

“Do you not yet understand? I am possessed of the Sight. I was born with it and have studied long and hard to enhance that native power. But prophecy and scanning the fluxes for what is yet to come are neither of them exact arts – and what they tell is often deeply flawed. These things may be: but in order for you to fulfill your high destiny and save Eternia, then you yourself must first be saved. And I alone can accomplish that.”

But her captive only sighed and shook his head.

“I see; this again; another ruse of yours. I knew that you must have some ulterior motive for letting me see the sun again.”

“Hear me out; I mean only your good by this – and the good of all who now face this terrible threat. And that is every soul who dwells upon this turning world – but you most of all.”

He-Man glowered at her – and made a dismissive sound.

“So you say; but why should I believe you? You served Skeletor in all his iniquity – and showed no concern for any but yourself; not that I ever heard of. And now, after holding me here all this while, after subjecting me to torture – for my own alleged good – now you say you want to save me!”

“I must. And you must trust me.”

Trust? After all you’ve done? I’m to risk everything I hold dear and the keeping of my oath on your word? Why should I?”

The brief and humor-tinged accommodation between them was over; she could hear the anger throb in his throat.

“Well?”

Lyn gave a cracked laugh – and shook her head.

“Yes; strange, is it not? The workings of fate are nothing if not ironic, it seems. But I mean just what I say – and if we have been enemies, you and I, then let us accept that the greater need overrides such things, since matters are now changed.”

“Not from where I’m standing they aren’t,” replied He-Man curtly – and raised his chained wrists before her, wrath mingling with bitterness in his eyes at the vivid recollection of his torment at her hands.

“Oh, I do fully appreciate that this will be hard for you to believe: but that makes it no less the truth – and no less vital that you do so.”

She paused, and her eyes left his and gazed out over the sea to the distant horizon. The airs of that high place stirred her silvery tresses.

“You see,” she said, “I am Eternia’s last hope.”

“You?” Disbelief ousted suspicion from his look – and ushered in scorn.

But Lyn merely bowed her head.

“It is so.”

“But that’s – preposterous! How can you be? You’re –”

“Evil?” put in Lyn – and she laughed, utterly without humor. “Yes indeed: Evil-Lyn. So they name me. And so it must be true, must it not –?” Her eyebrows arched high. “Well; I warned you that this would be hard for you to believe.”

“And why should I believe it?”

“Because it is true.” She took a swift pace towards him, her violet eyes intent. “He-Man, I have seen this – more than once; the vision of it has haunted my dreams – it came to me again in the night, more clearly than ever before! This is how it will be – must be – I am now certain of that past all doubt. What we are about here will prove to be the salvation of Eternia; you and I together. And I am not wrong in this; there is no other way.”

“I find that hard to credit!”

“Yes,” she said quietly. “I know. But if what I have seen should ever come to pass – and I fear that it will – then all is lost; for all – and for all time.” She shook her pale-haired head at his skeptical expression. “Skeletor is close to discovering how to wield a power of such surpassing strength that it will overwhelm all others – and destroy them. As yet he does not know how close he has come to mastering this art – the darkest and most forbidden of all – and therein lies our only hope. But if he be not stopped – and soon – then there will be no stopping him. And Eternia will fall.”

He looked at her, narrowed-eyed and dubious.

“Is this true, Lyn? Is it?”

“Yes. It is. The Sight has shown it to me too often for it to be error; the danger is very real – and may yet overtake us all. And that is why you are here.”

He-Man frowned deeply.

“A power greater than any other? But if this were true then the Sorceress would surely know of it. She sees all things – but not this, it seems!”

“Not necessarily; it is, as I say, no exact art to foretell what yet will be. And not even the very wisest see all things.”

“She would have seen,” he replied stubbornly.

“Then it may be that she did see – but elected not to tell you, her champion.”

“But why would she not –?” He broke off and, seeing her look, turned abruptly away.

The sounds of the sea, its birds and breezes, filled the ensuing silence.

“Well,” said Lyn, breaking that silence at last, “it would appear that I have failed to persuade you; and that grieves me sore.”

“So sore that I suppose you’ll put me on the Machine again, won’t you? Try and tear my limbs off again; for my own good; to save me.” He gave a sneer of harsh laughter.

“If needs be – since you leave me with no choice. But far from gladly.” Her voice was quiet in contrast to his. Her gaze scanned his features; he felt uncomfortable under such scrutiny. “But not, however, today. I pledged you light and air – and of those you shall have your fill.” She smiled, a wry expression. “You will find that I too can keep my promises.”

He gave her a mistrustful glance – but she was no longer looking at him, having turned her gaze to scan out over the sunlit sea. After a little while she spoke again.

“And yet, even if I cannot persuade you by reason –”

“By torture, you mean,” cut in her prisoner pointedly.

“– by reason,” continued Lyn, ignoring the interruption, “then perhaps I may still show you instead.” 

“Show me?”

“You said that the greater part of Eternia cannot be seen because it lies far off. Well; for those who have power to see, no place lies far off.” Her slender fingers now passed before his eyes and she spoke a few words in some long-lost arcane tongue – and suddenly he started – and stared in wide-eyed wonder.

There before him lay all the inhabited lands – as if drawn somehow on the insubstantial air itself. Far-off indeed – and at the same time almost close enough to touch. Yet this was no mere map, but instead a living world in miniature, conjured forth by her enchantments and laid out fair to be seen. He stared, lips parted in wonderment while her voice went smoothly on.

“Yes indeed; it is as you see. And how lovely it lies – how seemingly blessed!”

She paused and turned her head to look, but his eyes were intent upon the vision before him, his expression rapt.

Her hand laid itself gently on his shoulder and, diverted, he let it lie. The other rose, pointing.

“See there – the Ice Mountains, the fabled realm of Valmorlar – Dinas Rew stood chill above its everlasting snows. Southward, the Forest of Gwylvos – there Gorthlindir, there the Evergreen Forest; and the Fire Sands – the Vine Jungle and the inner seas – all are here. Indeed, all the land is here – and all the realms of Eternia, each and every one. And they are many – too many. All these petty lordships with their little, little rulers, always bickering, always warring, never showing understanding; for what do they stand? Where lies good governance in all of Eternia? What realm lives free of fear? Not yours, for sure – behold Eternos!” And there it lay now before him, exquisite in its gem-like beauty and perfect in detail, the great lake shimmering beyond. The sight of it made his captive heart stir with yearning. “And this you defend with your courage and your sword against the might of Skeletor. And yet in vain; never can you cast him down, for he is no longer of man-kind but become demonic, and cannot easily be ended. And you, for all your vast strength and valor, are but a man – and mortal. There is none in all Eternia who may finally defeat the Lord of Destruction – none! You stare at me; did you not know this? Did they not tell you of it? They should have; indeed they should – for how can you fight that which you cannot defeat? And yet – and yet – there is a way; there is indeed a way to defeat and drive-off even Skeletor, a way to bring peace to all Eternia – and that a lasting peace.”

He looked at her, distracted even from the heart-searing vision of his distant home by her words.

“Peace? But how?”

“It will come; but only when Skeletor is prevented from gaining access to the hideous power that he seeks; only when he is banished to a place where even he can do but little harm. And for that to come about he must first be thrown down – defeated in the duello, overcome in the fight by one mightier than he.”

“But – you just said for yourself that there isn’t such a one! Not in all Eternia – I heard you say it!”

“Yes indeed; and I stand by those words – for they are true.”

“Then – I don’t understand.” He looked at her; the blue eyes were bemused – but she was not yet done. She paced the paving, her shadow slender set aside the long wide shape of his.

“A subtlety of speech; I said only that there is none to match him – yet.”

“Yet? Do you mean that –?”

“I mean that such a one could arise – will arise! One with the power to cast down and exile the Dark One forever, so that his shadow lie no more across this unhappy world, and all echo of his strife be forgotten. Imagine, He-Man, the beauty of this world of ours were it but free of his dark and brooding presence, his ceaseless malice, his gnawing spite. See: it lies before you, all its realms, all its cities and peoples – and it lies within the power of one being to set it free! Look again now – look well!” 

Her hands wove gracefully in the air – and the vision stirred before him; and it brightened as if the sun had emerged from cloud, or else a dark shadow passed away. Deserts grew green and lush, forests and tilled fields flourished where before was but barren rock: there were dwellings where wilderness had been; new cities reared bright and hopeful towers. Eternia was made anew – and transfigured. And day dawned at last over the Dark Hempishere as nightshade fled from the light of the laughing sun. His eyes widened, his lips parted in wonder as he responded to the sight – and he turned an animated face on her, suddenly boyish in his eagerness. “Why, it’s beautiful!” he marveled, “beautiful! It’s far lovelier than I could ever have imagined it! And so very –” He gestured wide – and the chain between his wrists drew him up short – and he looked down at his bonds – and the swift-kindled fire within him as swiftly doused and died. His head, his shoulders drooped; the elation went from his voice so that it grew sullen.

“But it’s only an illusion; isn’t real.”

“No; but it could be.”

He looked at her; the exiled yearning was still there, but veiled now in suspicion.

“And yet it will take great bravery – and also belief.” She smiled at him, there in the sunlight. “Belief is hard, He-Man; hardest of all is getting others to share that belief.” She gestured to the floating, perfected world before them. “I believe,” she said simply. “I could not have created such a vision, for all my skill, without the underlying conviction that it could indeed be made true. You may know but little of the art magical, but that I am sure you can comprehend that for yourself.”

He nodded unwillingly, wary.

“The world I have set before you is but an image of the world that would be – will be – when one arises in might; one who can challenge and defeat his Dark Eminence. Consider these things: an end to all wars, the senseless waste of it. Good governance spread – with its manifold benefits – all across the surface of the planet, its peoples set free – and at peace. And the peace thus created would endure, too, He-Man. With Skeletor overthrown and banished, Hordak confined forever to Etheria, how could it not? For evil would have flown.” She turned her fine eyes on him, and they were shot-through with silver and with crystal of amethyst. “Is that not a prize worth the striving for? I believe that it is!”

He looked at her, and the yearning warred with doubt in his troubled mind. He lifted his hands and ran them through his hair, rattling the chain.

“But – you serve Skeletor yourself. And yet you would banish him, see him overthrown? Why, Lyn? Tell me that.”

She shrugged. “Because, through my art, I have scried into the world that will be – and I did not see him there.”

“So – you just want to be on the winning side, do you?” He scowled at her – but his antagonistic expression changed to astonishment when she put back her pale-haired head – and the terrace and its stones, the cliff behind, all echoed with her clear laughter, drowning out the cries of the circling birds.

“Oh, but you are such a darling, you really are! I wish that your lovely innocence might be forever preserved as a reminder of a kindlier world that was!”

“You mock me,” he said with sullen offense, but again she laughed – a silvery sound – and came to him, placing her soft-skinned hands on his shoulders and looking up into his eyes. Communing with their glittering, shifting depths made him feel giddy, as if he were falling into them; violet-silver crystal suffused his vision and blurred it with clarity.

“No,” she said, smiling without ambiguity, brighter than the sunlight which now caressed her high cheekbones. “No; I do not mock you at all – I mean what I say; no more, no less. It is only because you can share my dream that you can see for yourself the vision I create; we are alike in that, you and I.” Her long, slender fingers reached to brush aside his hair and stroke his face; her enchanting eyes compelled him; he could not look away. “Yet, He-Man, allow me to explain something of the art magical – no, do not frown; there is no harm in it, I swear. It is safe enough even for your tender ears. In brief, the reason why I did not see Skeletor on the world I seek to build is simple; he was not there because he was – elsewhere – banished – and thus that better world could come about, he having left it. Do you follow me in this?”

He nodded his head slowly, gazing down into her eyes, mesmerized by their disorienting depths. “I – think so. It is because you were able to defeat him that you could not see him – and thus your choice was already made. Am I right?”

She looked up at him, suddenly seeming sad, and shook her head; the long dark-lashed lids obscured her eyes. “You are right about the choice having been made – but you are wrong in thinking that it is I who will defeat the Lord of Destruction. For that task is beyond me – I, alone, have not such power. No, He-Man; that glory is to be yours – you will be the one to cast him down, to banish him – and to usher-in the long and golden peace which will see Eternia become what it truly should be; even as we have now seen it arrayed before us; remade, renewed – unmarred.”

“Me?” he said incredulously. “But – you only just told me that he is beyond me, that I cannot defeat him – that he cannot die!”

“Die? No; for he is gone beyond such mortal bounds. But he may be banished to a place which would make death seem sweet by comparison, deminimalized to a lower plane of existence.”

He stared at her, his face, close to hers, perplexed. “But what does that mean?”

“There are dark places set aside from this seen and seeing world of which you know nothing. One such is the Realm of the Lost, Yfarnos of old. But it is there that the soul-snatchers dwell. Demoniac entities are they, confined to the beyond – they lie forever in wait. And they hunger always; are forever famished.”

“They – steal souls?”

“It is their only way into this our breathing world, to entrap a living soul and devour it for their own use. And the souls of the powerful are those they covet the most – for they themselves are weak, and have but one weapon. And that weapon is fear, of which they are masters. And Skeletor has communed with them in extending his power – and now they lie always in wait for him. If thrown down and banished to the Forsaken Realm, they would surely swallow his very essence. This he knows – and thus is never free of that fear.”

“But – that still means that he has to be defeated first – and you told me that I could never defeat him!” Anger was replacing puzzlement in his eyes. “And now you tell me that I’m to be the one to do it! Are you cozening me? Isn’t all this merely some new trick of yours?” He glared at her – then threw off her arms and took a few angry paces. She watched his hunched shoulders, the broad and seething back, and sighed.

“It is no trick; it is true – though I see that I have not as yet succeeded in getting you to share my belief. Well: I said that belief is hard; as is trust. And maybe I have not explained the matter well. Listen, then: the defeat of Skeletor is indeed beyond you as you are now; but there will come a time when that is no longer so – because you will have been granted a new and greater power than that which has already been vouchsafed to you. And you will know how to make use of it – and wield it with a greater skill and to greater effect than you do your Sword of Grayskull.”

He turned abruptly and stared at her, of a sudden very still; again she smiled. “Oh, come now; did you truly imagine that I do not know whence the Sword came – and what it represents? I told you; I have long made study of this lore – and there is much that I know – and much still to learn. You remember that we spoke of it – the power you have been granted – and that which has been withheld? I spoke of secrets and Secrets. And I asked you why the Sorceress had not told you of these things – and you had no answer for me, had you? But you did not deny that there was yet greater power to be had from Grayskull, did you? And if you had, then I would not have believed you – for I know it to be true. There is an ancient power lies within that place: and that is in itself merely one facet of a far greater and timeless power; that which lends its name to this very planet – that of Eternity itself.”

He was still staring at her, fixed as if suspended in time.

“It is true,” she nodded. “Did you not know this for yourself? No; I see that you did not. Little enough wonder in that: the Sorceress will have told you nothing of it – not for all that you have risked on her behalf. For these are matters both deep and high – and beyond the comprehension of all but those few dedicated to this lore. And such knowledge is not given away lightly.” She gave a slanted smile at the narrow-eyed look he bent on her. “A token of this power was vested in and magnified by the Elders whose task it was to serve its will – and to set a guard upon it. They in turn granted it to a great warrior king and sage of old at a time of troubles: and it is this same power which you now hold, He-Man – though only in part. But the whole is – and should be – yours.” She nodded her shapely head with emphasis. “Yes: it is yours by right – none can deny it to you in all justice. And I tell you this, O Champion of Grayskull: until you possess that power in full – both strength and knowledge – then you never can send Skeletor down to final defeat. Oh, you may triumph for a day, a year – but never will you be rid of him. He is beyond even your might to compass and cannot be utterly vanquished. And his hatred for you has unhinged his mind; you symbolize for him all that he is not, can never be – and all that he would fain destroy because he can no longer possess it.”

She took a sudden step towards him as if impelled; her hand rose – and then she paused, arrested in the act. Her eyes gazed deep into his – and her voice faltered, changed. “And, one day, he will gain access to this vast, dark power and will surely overcome you – and that will be your end, and the end of all you fight for; and the world re-made I set forth before you will remain forever nothing more than a pretty dream – and as fleeting and insubstantial.”

She turned away from him – and he thought for a moment that he had heard her sob – but perhaps it was only the seabirds’ cry.

Into her silence he spoke.

“Lyn – I’m sorry. I – I – did you wrong.” He looked down at his feet, bare on the sun-warmed stone.

“Perhaps,” she said quietly, “we wronged one other.”

And then there was a long lull between them in that high place. The breeze off the sea stirred and shifted and the sea itself sighed slowly on beneath them. And then at last he spoke again, his voice more decided.

“I cannot lay hold on that power unless it is given to me. It is not to be simply – taken. It would be – wrong.”

“And who told you that? Ah – the Sorceress! But of course!”

But he shook his head. “No – for she did not speak of it; she told me only of what could be granted to me; the Power I hold from her, from Grayskull.”

“And did she offer any reason why the rest should be withheld?”

He looked at her – and again his head fell. “No,” he muttered. “She did not.”

“And, without proof, you took what she told you on faith – and never questioned it?”

The fair head rose again quickly at her question. His voice rose with it.

“But I did question! Of course I did! I just couldn’t accept that –” He broke off abruptly, aware of having said too much – and he avoided her eye.

“I see,” she said; no more than that. He shifted uncomfortably; something in her tone suggested that she did see as well.

“Tell me; are you afraid to face Skeletor?”

“No! I have already fought him – more than once. I am not afraid.”

“I believe you. And yet for all your prowess you may fight him fully ten thousand times – yes, and beat him too – and he remains Skeletor, a great lord of the Darkness: if he beat you but the once – then farewell, He-Man forever. Perhaps you would be wiser to be afraid – for it is a battle which, limited and hampered as you are by the Sorceress’ will, ultimately you cannot win.”

“But I must fight him, nonetheless.”

“Yes – of course; as the sea wars with the land, as day battles night. It must be so. But tell me also this; would it not be better if you were armed with the knowledge which would secure certain victory for you – and for Eternia renewed?”

“It would be – better – yes. But the Sorceress –” He broke off; she had turned abruptly away from him. He saw her slender shoulders heave. “What – what is it?”

“Oh, but it makes me so very angry to see you so shamefully used! You have been lied to – and that with foul intent. And you in good part have faithfully believed it all! You have trusted her – and are rewarded with deceit! And thus you are condemned to fight without hope of ultimate victory – and so to your certain death!” She span and faced him – and he gave back before the bright anger in her eyes; but there was more than anger – for, surely, those were tears?

“Lyn – I must be true to my vow.” His voice was suddenly defensive.

“You have been – none truer – and just look what it has done to you! Look what she has done to you! You could be truly, truly great – it lies within you; do you think that I do not see that, do not know that? You have power, strength, courage – the ability to inspire, to win hearts, to lead! You could put an end to the threat of the Dark One forever –establish that golden time, rule in peace over a land flowing with plenty. Every race, every last kingdom would welcome you as its liberator, its savior – all crowns and lordships would be yours. With that ancient might and wisdom allied there would be none to challenge you; with my power and yours conjoined, then there would be none to challenge us. None would dare. But there would be no challenges, for there would at long last be peace! Just imagine the strength we could command had we but both: yours and mine – together! I have already drawn on great power from afar, but this would be yet greater. We would not just possess the Power – we would become the Power! We would order all things according to our will – and for the good of all. Do but imagine: peace and good governance; one strong, just rule spread across land and sea instead of the division, the instability of all these petty kingdoms. A high king – a true king for all Eternia! And at his side a queen; wise and gracious – and beloved.”

He stared at her, the fierce beauty of her, the powerful conviction shining out from all her words. His own arguments seemed childish by comparison – and selfish, too, for this she wanted for the good of Eternia, the good of all. The Sorceress had never shared any such glorious vision with him; she spoke only of duty, and of danger, of the need for him to fight battle after battle; but now it appeared that he could never win that fight – and Lyn’s vision of a transfigured Eternia was truly lovely – as she herself was lovely; dazzling to his eyes. And yet –

“I – pledged my word –”

“Which you always keep, do you not? Yes; for you are He-Man; noble, good and strong. Yet perhaps not always wise. Possession of the knowledge of the Elders would soon heal that lack within you – and show you that I am right.”

“But it sounds like a great deal of power for one man to hold. He would need to be certain of wielding it wisely.”

“Which you would – with due guidance. Noble and upright as you are, you would acquire the wisdom to do so – and I could direct you towards the goal we both seek; the golden glory of an Eternia renewed, free of evil – and at peace.”

He stared at her, and the yearning was again in his eyes – and with it the doubt.

“I can’t just take what isn’t meant for me.”

“But it IS meant for you – the power, the whole power of the Ancients is yours by right. Did I not make this plain? I have long studied this lore – and by my inner sight I know that you were born to be a king – I have foreseen it and such visions cannot lie! It is only the will of the Sorceress – who has elected to withhold it from you – which denies the granting. The knowledge should – and must – go along with the strength to make you what you were always meant to be: the Hero of Eternia – and its overlord – and king!”

“King Randor –”

“Randor is but one of many rulers in this world; he too would surely acknowledge your sway – and gladly. So would they all – for you are their natural overlord and master – and your rule would be wise and just and, with the fall of Skeletor, would bring lasting peace to all.”

“But –” He rubbed at his face with the heels of his palms, setting the fetters rattling. “I don’t think I was meant to be – that kind of king. The Sorceress did not speak of it.”

“No – plainly not, and it seems to me again that she is much to be blamed for that omission. And it makes me question her reasons.”

“I have had no cause to doubt her.”

“Until now.”

He looked at her and then bowed his head, unable to match her certainty with his own growing doubts. It made his head spin, and his hands clenched and unclenched, an outward sign of his inner struggle.

“Why won’t you see this, He-Man? Why won’t you help me to bring this about, for the good of all this threatened world? Or are you the only one who is allowed to try to save it – and to love it?”

He looked at her vivid face, her shining and passionate eyes – and was drawn in once again by their silver-shot violet depths; he felt the compelling urge to do as she wished, to bring about all that she had said, rise strongly within him. He swayed on his feet like one drunken, his thoughts reeling, focusing only with difficulty. His mind felt giddy with the overwhelming lure of it – of her; her words seemed to be within his head, as if he heard them without hearing. He blinked in the sunlight’s brightness and listened to her.

“The overlord of all the kingdoms of Eternia would have need of a strong right arm – and whose arms are stronger than those of the most powerful man in the universe?  What a waste it would be, what a tragic, terrible waste, to let the Machine tear those fine limbs, that matchless body asunder. I can think of better – far better – uses for both. I have no desire to hurt you – none; you must by now surely know that. I would much rather that you listened to me, trusted me – and took up the power which is your destiny. With my guidance you would become the kind of king of whom the ancient legends speak – and your name and fame would be everlasting.” She turned aside and paced with frustration while he watched her, blinking in the sun and still unsteady on his feet. “But you are bound less by these shackles –” she gestured “– than by those which fetter your mind. And I must free you of them, since you cannot. Well; if needs must, then be it so. Yet let me show you what stands in your way – behold!”

Her hands reached out over the sea – and again an image began to form in the airy blue nothingness. Gray stone walls, a beetling abyss only partially spanned by a bridge, a sense of desertion, of chill desolation – and, over all, the grinning, fang-toothed skull stared out hollow-eyed from the precipitous rock. He-Man’s own eyes widened.

“Yes,” she said. “Castle Grayskull. And an ill-enough looking place, is it not? Ill indeed – for the abode of all that is meant to be good and noble. And yet a power undoubtedly dwells within – one that we must have if all else is to be brought to pass.” She turned to him. “And that power – too long withheld – is yours; is yours by right!”

Dazed he stared at her, and shook his head to steady its swimming and put up his palms to his face in agitation. He could feel the over-heavy thump of his heartbeat, sense the blood pump sluggishly through his body.

“I can grant it to you if she will not – and so I shall. But first I need Grayskull – and thus I need you to co-operate. Give me that which I must have: open the Great Gate of Grayskull to me – and I will give you the power you need to defeat even the Dark One – and free this world from all its many woes!”

“You know – that I cannot.” There was a deep regret detectable in his voice as he said it, though, and the young-looking head fell before her penetrating gaze. “I just can’t. You see, I swore.”

“And you would set the keeping of your word ahead of all the world’s good? Truly?”

“I pledged it – and must stand to it.” He shook his head in a kind of frustration; his eyes entreated her understanding. “Lyn – there’s so much here that I just don’t fathom! But I do know that keeping my word matters. It has to!”

“Then – you know what this will mean – what I shall now have to do to you? I would far liefer not – but you rob me of the choice. This world must be changed – or Skeletor’s evil will grow too vast to be contained: he will rule all – and for all time. And unless he be brought down and banished then there is no other way to bring the dream about and make it real.” She looked away from him and shook her head bitterly. “And so it seems that I must hurt you in order to help you – and build a brighter and better world for you to rule over on the foundation of your pain and in despite of all your resistance. Oh, how the Sorceress would laugh with sharpest scorn to hear this, to see us now, you and I! And as for Skeletor – imagine his black mockery!” She threw back her head and laughed herself – but utterly without mirth – and he stared at her, and again lowered his eyes.

He would not even lift them to her again when she came and stood before him and her hand laid itself to his cheek.

“Will you not spare us both the pain? Will you not share in my dream?”

He hesistated, and moistened paper-dry lips as at last he spoke.

“I am – sorry. But – truly – I cannot.”

And thus, with diminished will and depleted hardiness, though greatly tempted, he somehow yet managed to resist – and reject her; though he did it humbly, awkwardly – regretfully; quite without the proud defiance he would once have shown.

“Then – I cannot fault your courage; only your misguided sense of loyalty. It is deserving of greater reward – and worthy of a better cause by far.” Her voice was quiet now, her passion spent, and he looked up again.

She was smiling at him, unfathomably; as if satisfied in some strange manner with his answer.

And so it was back to the cell – back to that hated hook which held him just a little too high for any lasting relief from the dragging weight of his own body. And there he hung as the hours limped by; and a small, insistent voice told him over and over that it was all his own fault.

But the next time she came to ask if he would walk with her in the open air, then he did as she wished and gave her his word not to seek to escape – and, to his amazement, they removed his chains – all but the four bands of Horde Steel – and he walked freely and gladly under the sun again.


The Vision - Part 13 by omnivore7

The Vision                                                                                                  The work of:
thepolishgirl.deviantart.com

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domfemdom's avatar
Lyn is very cleaver and very subtle and He-Man is so tempted now by what she has shown him!

Great chapter.