A/N: I'm the first one to acknowledge that this has quite a bit of re-hashing, but it was fun to write...and hopefully it's as fun to read as well. That's one of the joys of putting books on the web...since we're not paying for ink, we don't have to cut things if we don't want to! ;-)

Thanks for all the kind reviews!

She-Ra turned away, covering her mouth with her hand to hold in her laughter. Hawk caught her motion, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Don't bother to deny it, boy. You are as bad a liar as your father. I expect you will start rubbing the back of your neck at any moment to go with that blush.” Miro folded his own arms as he went on the attack.

He-Man's hand froze in mid-air, and he slowly lowered it. "You know my father?" he asked, thoroughly confused now. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out Miro’s line of thinking, a lead ball forming in his stomach.

"Do I? You are reputed to be a man that honors the truth. Only my son Keldor would have a stronger bond to the truth because of his vows, and I understand that you are apparently the one who pointed him back to the light. So tell me the truth, He-Man," Miro dared him.

He-Man’s words caught in his throat. Faced with such a forthright request, giving his normal deflective answers just didn’t seem right.

Keldor and Lyn looked away from He-Man, amusement twisting their smiles into knowing smirks.

Caught up in the mixture of challenge and mirth in Miro's face, He-Man swallowed hard, wondering if he could somehow escape this sudden tangle. He glanced at She-Ra. Her face was grave, but something about the tilt to her mouth made him pause as Miro waited expectantly. He-Man replayed Miro’s comments in his mind, his heart skipping a beat. He didn’t know how it had happened since less than a week ago, Miro had been clueless, but it was suddenly obvious his grandfather knew his secret. Frustration boiled up in him as a suspicion rose in his mind. He whirled on Keldor.

“You couldn’t keep your Truth Sworn mouth shut for even a few days, could you?” He-Man growled at his uncle. “After everything I’ve put up with to keep your secret, you didn’t even have the decency to return the favor!”

"I haven't said a thing," protested Keldor as he tied off the last of the Syriak's bandages and stood to face He-Man, glaring at the hero. "Nor has Lyn, though we've suffered from your sister's creative truth-telling, you muscle-bound motor mouth."

Miro broke in then, placing a restraining hand on He-Man's arm. "He didn't say a word, He-Man. I know because without that hairpiece, She-Ra looks exactly like your grandmother." He gazed at Adam with concern, knowing the brief outburst was unlike his grandson. Since Adora had seemed happy he had figured out the truth, it hadn’t occurred to Miro that Adam might be upset.

He-Man closed his eyes briefly, realizing he owed yet another member of his family another apology. "I'm sorry," he muttered to Keldor, barely glancing at the mage at first. But the idea that he was apologizing to Skeletor didn’t sit well in his stomach; so he quickly forced himself to focus on Keldor’s face to remind him of who this man was.

"Blazing barnacles, what is going on here?” Hawk exclaimed wildly, his fist moving through the air in a frustrated jab. “I thought we were going to meet Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, and now everyone here seems to know your secret!? Who are these people? "

Hawk glared around at the group and his anger grew even worse when She-Ra began to giggle.

"What's so blasted funny?" Hawk demanded, irritation lacing every word.

"This family and our secrets!" She- Ra said, her laughter fading as she regarded her obviously ticked-off fiancé. She wasn't keeping secrets from him. "Hawk, this is Keldor and Lyn, previously known as-"

"Skeletor and Evil-Lyn," He-Man finished quietly. Hawk rounded on his friend, understanding dawning in his eyes. The pirate didn’t know whether to sympathize with He-Man for the predicament he had faced all this time or use his gauntlet to knock some sense into the hero.

“Broil me in butter and call me a flounder,” Hawk muttered.

"And before anyone else gets angry at He-Man for keeping secrets," Keldor began quickly, seeing the flush on Hawk's cheeks, “I asked him to keep this quiet until the Alma'Odela were defeated." Keldor rushed on before Hawk could interrupt. “I did not want to have to deal with, erm....,” the mage shifted uncomfortably, “family issues and various legal matters until after I was able to do that which I was called here to do," he finished with a grimace.

"Family issues," Hawk repeated, taking a threatening step towards Keldor. "Legal matters? Do you know what he's had to put up with because he kept your secret from his own family?"

"Hawk," He-Man interjected quickly, "it probably wouldn't have mattered if I told them who he was." ‘They’re just going to be furious all over again when they find out I hid something else from them,’ he added to himself, miserably.

She-Ra’s eyebrows knitted together in concern; this didn’t sound good at all.

"The heck it wouldn't have!" the former pirate snapped. "I assume you knew when you called him back?"

"Sort of," He-Man admitted.

Keldor and Lyn blanched.

"Please, don't do that," complained Lyn. "I'm having a hard enough time keeping down my breakfast."

"Do what?" He-Man asked with a frown.

"Your interesting way to skirt the truth. You know what it does to us," snapped Keldor

"I wasn't!" He-Man retorted, then let out a huge sigh as the mage grew greener. "You're way too literal now, bonehead. Fine, you want me to be exact?" He jerked back to Hawk. "I was almost positive he was Keldor, but until I confronted him on it, I wasn't going to say a word to anyone." He glared at Keldor and Lyn. "Better?”

Lyn and Keldor visibly relaxed. Keldor threw his arm around her shoulder. “Yes,” he answered.

“That’s what I meant to begin with,” He-Man muttered, rolling his eyes. "I really don't need this," he added under his breath.

"Well, you were the one who called us back. We were perfectly happy on Carina," grumbled Keldor. She-Ra exchanged an anxious glance with Miro. Things seemed to be going downhill fast.

The weight of what he had to do made He-Man feel ill himself. He turned away from the group, frantically trying to figure out a way out of the mess he'd created. 'Why couldn't Father have let it go?' he asked himself, but he knew the answer. Randor's anger and resentment ran deeper than Adam had ever realized.

"Whatever you're worried about, don’t," said Lyn, walking up to place a hand on He-Man's arm. Hawk stared, slightly open-mouthed, at the odd sight of the formerly evil witch trying to comfort He-Man. "We have a job to do, and we both realize that everything is happening as it must," Lyn continued. “But we must hurry if it is to be accomplished.”

Her efforts only served to make He-Man feel worse. "You don't understand," he ground out. "The king knows you’re here. I didn’t tell him the truth of who you are because you asked me not to. So he has ordered me to bring back Adora and Miro safe and sound, and to bring Skeletor and Evil-Lyn back to face trial. Immediately."

She-Ra watched her brother through narrowed eyes. Hawk caught her gaze and made a face, letting her know that her instincts were correct. There was more to this story. She could just imagine Randor’s reaction to knowing his “little girl” and his father had gone to meet someone, only to unexpectedly find Skeletor.

Keldor looked into He-Man’s troubled face. He shrugged. “Lyn and I both accepted that things could end that way before we came. It’s not like we don’t deserve any punishment we receive.”

Hawk shook his head. ‘How can this be Skeletor?” he wondered, feeling more bewildered by the second.

She-Ra twined her fingers in Hawk’s and gave him a reassuring grin. “Come on, everyone. We have a kingdom and a people to rescue.”

Miro placed a hand on He-Man's arm. "Don't worry about it, Adam," he said firmly. "Once your father hears Keldor's story, he'll be more understanding. Randor’s a good man."

He-Man jerked at hearing Miro use his given name, and he couldn't help but smile at his grandfather, even if he didn't agree with him. "So you really do know the truth of who I am.”

Miro grinned. “You can’t keep an old codger in the dark for long, you know.”

He-Man nodded resolutely, unable to match Miro’s good spirits. "Well, then, it sounds like we have a job to do before we return to Eternos," he said.

"Uh, He-Man?" Hawk said over his shoulder. "Didn't you have some other news to share?" He pulled She-Ra to a stop and turned her back to her brother.

He-Man grinned, true happiness lighting his face for the first time since they'd arrived. "That's right.” He bowed formally to Miro, causing She-Ra to giggle. “Sire, allow me to offer my congratulations. You are now a great-grandfather. My son, Josiah, was born four days ago."

"Teela had her baby and I missed it?" She-Ra cried out. "I wanted to be there!"

"And I would have loved for you to be there," He-Man said dryly, “considering that she gave birth in a cave with only me and a few meager medical supplies to help her.”

“You got caught in that storm after all?” She-Ra asked, her eyes huge.

He-Man nodded. “We went down in the wind raider. We were blessed to make it to a cave that provided shelter from the storm.”

Lyn smiled and said smoothly, "Well, I suppose I'll overlook the fact that you left me in danger of arrest at the palace if that was the cause.”

“Gee, thanks,” chuckled He-Man.

Keldor grinned and slapped He-Man’s shoulder. “Congratulations,” he said.

“Thanks,” He-Man repeated, seeming slightly startled. Then he smirked. “And congratulations on being a great-uncle, old man.” Before Keldor could offer a retort, Miro embraced He-Man tightly.

“Ancients, but I’m so happy, son.” He-Man hugged his grandfather back, feeling better about his family for the first time in days.

“We need to leave here before we are discovered, my boy,” Miro explained after he released his grandson. “We are traveling to Odilhan, the elf’s city, to destroy the source of the Alma’Odela’s power. And I can think of nothing better to pass the time as we walk than hearing about my first great-grandson.” He-Man was only too happy to oblige.

“He is perfect,” began He-Man with a proud grin, as he followed the small band on their way deeper into the Vine Jungle. “And like his great-grandfather, he has the strangest sense of timing…”

Tri-Klops looked at all of his screens. “I hope this path stays clear,” he muttered. Throwing his pack on his back swiftly, he jogged along the corridors to a little-used exit from Snake Mountain. It was merely a crack in the base of the mountain that had never been repaired, but it was useful, especially now when he desperately wanted to avoid attention. He had to figure out what he was going to do, and this was not the place to make his decision. Especially not with those three in charge. Tri-Klops spun his visor to check through the walls. ‘No one nearby,’ he thought with a sigh of relief. He adjusted his visor again and continued around the corner toward his way out.

Beastman snuck up to the cell where Kimie slept. It was just growing dark; gathering the supplies they needed had taken longer than he had thought it would. He eased the door open and quieted the gronk’s whimper with a low snarl.

Kimie stirred. “Beastman?” she asked sleepily.

“Shhhh,” he cautioned her, laying a padded finger lightly to her lips. “We gotta get outta here, and you can’t make any noise, understand?” Kimie pushed aside her blankets and nodded. “We have to ride a griffon out of here.”

Kimie’s eyes grew wide. “B-But don’t griffons eat children?” she whispered as she gathered Suki in her arms and followed Beastman out of the prison cell.

“Not my griffons,” he assured her a tad smugly. “Besides, they’re the only creatures that have some protection against magical detection, and I don’t want to be found after we leave here.”

“Where are we going, Beastman?” she asked as he took her hand and led her down the cell block.

Beastman turned his furry face back to the girl and said, “I’m taking you home to your mother and father.”

The echo of his steps quickened as Tri-Klops saw the way out of Snake Mountain looming before him. Once again he wished that he had salvaged at least one of the stolen sky sleds instead of using all of them to create his doomseeker equipment. As it was, there was only the Collector, and it was guarded carefully. He shook his head. There was nothing to be done for it now; he would have to leave on foot.

Tri-Klops had almost reached the crumbling section of wall when a red ring of flames surrounded him. “Well, well, well. Going out for an afternoon stroll, Tri-Klops?” asked Hutch in a cheery tone. Tri-Klops wasn’t fooled by it. He could barely make out Hutch on the other side of the flames that were up his shoulders, but he knew the villain understood exactly what he had been planning to do.

Tri-Klops backed as far away as he could, but the barrier of flames was hot and thick. “Y-Yes,” he stammered as he tried to buy time. He knew he was already lost, but he frantically tried to think of something, anything to get himself out of this fix.

“Before you do, my friend,” Hutch continued as though he was sharing the best of news, “I have a surprise for you. We are all going to meet in the throne room to give you a special thank-you.”

“Thank-you?” asked Tri Klops, still fighting to keep his voice steady even though his stomach was now at his feet.

“Yes,” said Hutch. “Lord Damien and I were waiting for the first person who dared try to leave my service. We are so excited that you chose to be the one. Now everyone can see the example Lord Damien and I make of you to show the price of treachery, and it’s all thanks to you being our first volunteer.”

Though his tone never was less than upbeat and friendly, Hutch’s eyes hardened and grew coal-black. He lifted his hand and, in a flash of red light, teleported himself and Tri-Klops, leaving behind only the singed black ring where the flames had been a second before.

“This looks like as good a place as any to settle down for the night,” said Miro as he sat on a log in a small clearing. “The entrance to the underground city of the Elves is still a good six-hour hike away yet.”

“I’ll conjure the tents,” Lyn offered. “You’ve pulled too much power today, Keldor. You need to rest.”

“You’ve used your fair share of magical energy yourself,” Keldor pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest. “Keeping a constant eye on our surroundings to help us avoid the Alma’Odela patrols taxes you as much as a good blast during a fight.”

“We have tents in our packs,” He-Man offered, listening to the exchange with interest. ‘So that’s why Skeletor always ran. He was worn out.’ He mulled over this thought as he continued, “We can set them up before we see if either of you needs to create another.”

Keldor hid his relief as he took the pack He-Man offered to him. Call it stubborn pride, but he hated showing weakness to anyone, especially He-Man. Keldor sat the back down on the ground in front of him, and soon he, his father, and Lyn were placing the parts of the tent on neat piles on the ground.

Keldor found his tired thoughts drifting towards the coming battle. In spite of himself, his breath quickened slightly at the idea of facing Reneil again. ‘Finally he will pay for those years of slavery and torment,’ Keldor thought. His hand stilled for a moment as his stomach twisted. ‘What do you want of me, Truth? All I want is justice!’ His stomach churned wildly, and Keldor shook his head, forcing his thoughts elsewhere.

A breeze blew through the rich green leaves around and above them, bringing some relief from the thick, humid heat of the Vine Jungle. Tent parts thudded against the rich soil beneath them. The Syriak could be heard muttering from the riverbank just a short walk from where the unlikely companions were setting up their camp.

All six people worked on the two tents in silence as the light began to fade. The swish of the canvas from their tents intermingled with the flutter of bird’s wings overhead. The sounds of the jungle echoed around them almost as if it were singing a lullaby to calm the weary travelers.

Hawk, however, was far from calm. He ground his teeth together as he helped She-Ra set up a tent. Like He-Man, his fiancée was concerned about the dangers of the Vine Jungle and the Alma'Odela. Neither wanted to transform back, which Hawk found odd. But that wasn't what was bothering him right now.

‘Keldor is Skeletor?' he asked himself for the tenth time. 'That swine?' He slammed the peg into the ground with far more force than necessary. Keldor had shared much of his story as they had walked, and Hawk had listened in stony silence. He didn't know what had him more discomfited...the truth of who Keldor was, the fact that he was back, the fact that Adam had known and voluntarily called Skeletor back, or Adora and Miro's seemingly easy acceptance of the whole matter.

‘Barnacles and sea urchins, what a mess,' he thought in disgust with a mistrustful glance at Keldor.

The Syriak padded back into camp and walked over to examine the trees beside Keldor’s tent, a wary look on his furry face. He sat down, staring at the tree and muttering to himself.

He-Man pulled out the food they'd managed to pack and frowned at it. He hadn't planned to be feeding that...Syriak. He wondered how much the thing ate, and if it ate anything other than pies. He glanced over to the creature, which was sitting stone-still, muttering to itself. He-Man could feel his muscles tense automatically, even though he did feel sorry for it. Picking up on his tension, Battle Cat followed his gaze and growled low in his throat. The Syriak looked up, met Battle Cat's eye, and snarled before disappearing behind the tent to hide.

Lyn and Keldor stood up and stretched. Miro walked out of the tent and stood beside them. "We'd better get some firewood, Son, before night falls."

Keldor nodded. The wizard focused his power and a flash of blue pulsed over the campground."I've set up warning spell around the campsite. If any danger passes the spell's borders, you will feel a tingling sensation. We will be back as soon as we have the wood we need for tonight."

He-Man nodded tightly, wondering if he should go with them. He felt almost like a jailer, now that he knew he had to bring them back with him. 'I can't watch them every second,' he reasoned as they disappeared into the woods. 'Still...' "I'm going to keep watch tonight," he said lowly to Hawk and She-Ra.

Battle Cat growled, "I'll stand watch with you."

She-Ra scowled at her brother, "There's no need. Uncle Keldor has set a warning spell and we've both seen enough of his magic to know that he knows what he's doing." He-Man frowned at the familiar way she said “Uncle Keldor.”

"I agree with He-Man," Hawk countered. "We still don't know if we can trust them."

"You may not know, but I do," said She-Ra, crossing her arms.

"How do you know?" He- Man demanded. "Because you understand what it is to change your life so completely?" He didn't wait for his sister's answer. "You were under a spell, Adora. Keldor never was. He deliberately chose to hurt others to gain power for himself. I've seen evidence that he's changed, but..." He shook his head. "Trusting him is another story, Sis. You can't expect me to forget seven years of evil deeds and desires in just a week's time."

She-Ra turned away. She understood somewhere in her heart why her brother would feel that way, but she absolutely knew that her uncle had changed, and she was going to support him fully until the rest of the family figured it out as well. "You've better forget it before my wedding, brother,” She-Ra snapped, whirling back around to face him, “because he and Lyn will be there! Sitting at our family's table!"

He-Man snorted and said, "It's Father you'll have to convince, not me." At She-Ra’s angry glare, He-Man held up his hands and took a deep breath. “Listen,” he said gently as he struggled to make her understand, "I don't want to keep him from being part of the family. I just..." He stopped and ran a hand through his hair. "I just can't trust him completely yet," he finished softly.

"I agree," Hawk said again. She-Ra turned to him with a wounded look. "Trust has to be earned," the pirate argued. "I'm sure Keldor understands that if he's truly changed."

"I do," said Keldor from behind them, his voice calm.

He-Man and Hawk jumped. The two men turned around, Hawk somewhat guilty, He-Man almost defiantly.

"You know I can't forget it all," the hero said matter-of-factly.

"I don't expect you to," Keldor answered. "I can't forget either." Remorse filled his eyes but did not disturb the mask of calm on his face. "Now if you two will let me pass,” he said, looking down at the bundle of branches in his arms, “I have a magefire to start before Lyn and Father get back with the rest of the fuel."

"Keldor," He-Man said, almost hesitantly. "I do believe you've changed. I want you to know that. And I am glad that you've returned to us, to our family." He met Keldor's eye unwaveringly. He had been going to add more, but he knew that was enough. Keldor would know every word was true.

Keldor simply nodded and walked past the group. He was too tired to deal with the wave of emotions he felt when he heard He-Man's words. He began rearranging the stones someone had gathered earlier into a crude fire pit. If he weren't so tired from all of his exertion today, both magical and physical, the wizard would have conjured the whole thing. As it was, he just hoped he could stay upright long enough to eat whatever rations were available. He pushed all of his feelings to the side as he began to arrange the wood and kindling.

He-Man and She-Ra exchanged glances as they saw Keldor's hand tremble ever so slightly as he put down the wood. "Uncle Keldor," She-Ra said, "why don't you go relax while we take care of that and prepare dinner?"

Keldor chuckled wryly. "The prince and princess of Eternia want to make and serve dinner to me?"

"Adam's actually known for being a pretty good cook," Miro informed him proudly as he entered the camp with his own wood. He-Man flushed slightly.

"He has to be," She-Ra giggled. "Teela's awful."

“Not nice,” He-Man protested with a chuckle. “She’s not here to defend herself.” He began to dig through the pack nearest him and pull out the supplies.

“A real man would defend his wife’s honor,” Lyn said as she returned. “Especially if she cannot defend herself.” She grinned at He-Man’s surprised expression and sat next to Keldor, curling her arms around his waist.

“Wonder what spell he used on her?” commented Hawk in a stage whisper. “She acts like she’s met a guy like that.”

He-Man snickered while Keldor merely gave Hawk an icy stare.

“She has,” commented Keldor stiffly. “She married me anyway.”

She-Ra giggled, and He-Man laughed outright as he began emptying the contents of the several containers and sealed bags into the largest of the camp pans from the packs.

“Now that’s a story I want to hear,” said He-Man, one eyebrow raised. He smirked, then added, “If you wish to tell me.”

“Glad you finally decided to use some manners,” Keldor quipped.

“Manners?” asked She-Ra, her brow creasing in confusion.

“Oh?” asked He-Man slyly. “He didn’t tell you about that little piece of Truth Sworn etiquette?”

“Truth Sworn etiquette?” repeated She-Ra as she looked to her uncle.

“I didn’t have to tell her,” Keldor said in mock annoyance. “She wasn’t full of all the infernal questions you keep coming up with.”

He-Man inclined his head with a kingly graciousness. “Anything to oblige, Keldor.”

The mage snorted, then turned to She-Ra. “To answer your question, part of the aftereffect of the purification ritual we endured is that we are bound to speak the truth whenever it is asked of us. Only on rare occasions do we feel we can withhold information.” A sour look crossed Keldor’s face, “Over the years, Carinans have learned that if they wished to respect the Truth Sworn’s right to keep their own counsel, those people should add the words ‘if you wish to tell me’ to the end of their questions. It is considered common courtesy.”

“You mean if we ask you anything you have to answer?” asked Hawk, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “Either of you?”

“Yes,” Keldor and Lyn answered. Neither one of them looked to happy with the direction in which this conversation was headed.

“And what happens if you don’t?” Hawk asked, deliberately leaving off the “if you wish to tell me.”

“We feel pain. It is merely a slight discomfort at first, similar to being around lies—or,” Keldor added meaningfully, “creative truth telling. But the longer we resist, the more we suffer for it.”

There was no hiding the mischief growing on Hawk’s face. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“Don’t you dare take advantage,” She-Ra warned as He-Man chuckled over the stew he was preparing.

“I don’t know, Sis. It’s amazing how quickly Unc over there goes from blue to green.”

She-Ra popped her brother playfully on the back of the head.

“Hey, you’re distracting the cook,” he complained as he put another handful of vegetables in the pot.

Miro laughed at the great hero of Eternia acting just like his Adam… “How could I have missed it?” he muttered to himself.

“The wedding?” He-Man asked again as he leaned back to allow his stew to simmer. “If you wish.”

“I’ll tell you,” offered Lyn, her voice a bit sharp, “if for no other reason than to stop the sibling rivalry. I get enough of that at home from my children.” He-Man and She-Ra exchanged innocent glances and shrugged.

“We did not have what you would consider a traditional ceremony,” Lyn explained. “We entered the Waters of Truth with the primary intention of keeping and caring for Micah and Neara. We also knew that we would be cleansed of our evil in some way we didn’t, and still don’t, completely understand, if we managed to survive the process.”

“Wait a minute,” interrupted Miro. “You did this when there was a chance you might not survive?”

Keldor shrugged. “I couldn’t leave the children,” he answered.

He-Man smirked. “This didn’t happen about a year ago by any chance, did it?”

Keldor frowned at him. “Why do you want to know?” he asked, ignoring the tug of pain that came with avoiding the question.

“It’s coming up on Christmastime. You know what that does to you,” his nephew teased him.

“Yes, that combination of Christmas and children…it does have a tendency to soften you up,” She-Ra added with a grin.

“And I thought the comments from you two were annoying when we weren’t on the same side,” Keldor complained. “You’re worse now.”

“Uh, wedding?” Miro prompted, seeing from Keldor’s clenched fist that his frustration really was mounting.

“And stew?” Lyn asked, leaning over the pot, taking a deep breath.

“Get,” He-Man said, waving at her. “It’s not ready yet.”

“This is too much,” Keldor quipped, seeing his chance to get back at the hero. “A real chef. What else do you do, prince? Knit?”

“He paints and sculpts, quite well, actually,” Miro said, pride again in his voice.

He-Man bit back a groan. ‘Grandfather needs to learn to keep his pride in his grandchildren in check,’ he thought.

Keldor began to laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Hey,” He-Man said, mildly offended, “what’s wrong with art?”

“Adam was raised in large part by Man-at-Arms,” Miro continued. “Duncan had a habit of trying to pass off every talent he had to Adam—mechanical, historical, scientific…everything.”

“And then some,” He-Man grumbled. “It wasn’t just that, though. Everyone wants to know how Teela and I could possibly have grown up together when she was such a great fighter and I was such a lousy one. A big part of it was because while she was out training, I was studying. I had to know the law, culture, and history of every kingdom inside and out. I had to know every nobleman in every kingdom, their birthdates, their families, their pets, their interests….”

“Did you need to know when they sneezed, too?” Hawk asked dryly, though inwardly he sympathized. He and Adora had been doing a lot of those lessons lately.

“Just about,” He-Man snorted as the others laughed. “But that’s why I developed an interest in art and cooking--just to get away from the lessons once in a while.” He stirred the stew, hoping the heat from the fire was hiding how red his face was.

“So, what was the wedding like?” She-Ra prompted again, mainly to get the focus off of He-Man. Her brother tossed her a grateful glance.

Keldor grinned as the image of He-Man sculpting a bust of the king out of firm berry pudding came to him unbidden. He shook his head. He supposed he owed the champion a bit of fun at his expense. “It was unforgettable. Lyn in a lovely white dress, surrounded by all of our friends among the Truth Sworn as they sang and chanted the ancient words of blessing, and me in a bath towel.”

Everyone laughed heartily at that. “Bath towel?” choked out Hawk.

She-Ra giggled. “You’re talking about your purification vestment, aren’t you?”

Keldor nodded and then added, “All ending with a plunge in liquid fire.”

“Wait a minute, son,” interrupted Miro. “That last part sounds more like the purification ritual you mentioned early on.”

Lyn rolled her eyes at Keldor. “The whole thing was a description of our purification ritual.” Before anyone could interrupt, Lyn added, “It was the moment when we were wed as well.”

“I don’t understand,” said She-Ra.

Lyn held out her right hand for She-Ra to see. “These markings on the hand of a Truth Sworn dictate who is to be his or her spouse. When we rose from the Waters, Keldor and I wore the same mark on our hands, indicating that we were married.”

“There is a public acknowledgement ceremony for all couples joined by the Waters,” explained Keldor, “but as far as what you would consider a traditional wedding, that happens only among those not a part of the order.”

“Wait a minute,” said He-Man as he drew out the first bowl of stew and passed it to Hawk. “You mean that you would have been married to whoever had a design matching the one on your hand? Just like that?”

Lyn nodded. “Fortunately for everyone else in our home on Carina our designs matched. Some poor unsuspecting girl was kept from finding him foisted on her as a husband. At least I knew what I was in for.”

An unnatural howl broke into the conversation, and the Syriak scurried into camp, making a noise that had the humans covering their ears. “Pigs pigs pigs,” he cried out, then started howling again.

“Keldor!” Miro shouted over the din. “Shut that thing up or the entire army of the Alma’Odela will be here!”

Keldor wearily reached for his staff, figuring he’d have to conjure up more pies once again. But then the Syriak focused in on He-Man, and for a second, the crazed look left his eyes, replaced with an intense hatred and determination. He leapt at the unprepared He-Man, snarling, his claws extended with the sole purpose of killing the champion.

Before He-Man could do more than raise his hands defensively, a large green blur tackled the Syriak from the side, knocking it to the ground. Battle Cat backed off of the Syriak and stood protectively in front of He-Man, then let out a roar at the top of his lungs.

“Killer kitty!” the Syriak yelped, and he scurried behind Keldor. “Protect me! Killer kitty!”

“Well,” Keldor drawled in surprise, his breath still coming heavily from the unexpected surge of adrenaline, “it looks like I was wrong all those years. That flea-bitten mongrel is worth something after all.” Battle Cat growled at Keldor, and even Callie threw the blue mage an offended look.

“Flea bitten mongrel,” the Syriak repeated. “Flea-bitten mongrel, flea-bitten mongrel!” he chanted, enthralled with the expression.

Battle Cat snarled at the creature, who growled back but then silently disappeared.

“Uh…thanks, Cat,” He-Man said uneasily, watching the darkness. He looked at She-Ra. "And you thought I didn't need to keep watch."

"Perhaps I was wrong," she admitted, her eyes darting around the campsite now.

"I will put a sleep spell on him," Keldor said firmly.

He-Man hesitated. "I don't-"

"I won't hurt him," Keldor added impatiently. "Obviously he still remembers you, in spite of his insanity. We can't risk him attacking when our guard is down."

"Can't we send him somewhere--anywhere--else?" Hawk asked, one eyebrow raised.

"So he can endanger others?" Miro asked, shaking his head. "It would be wrong to imprison him in his condition. We need to create someplace that is like a home for him, where he won't know he's imprisoned. It will take time."

Keldor sighed, irritated. "So for now, I'll make sure he's asleep at night. It's one less worry," he affirmed.

"All right," He-Man said with a nod. "Thanks." Keldor seemed surprised at the word of gratitude, and the shock on his face caused He-Man to smile to himself as the hero returned to serving this most unlikely family dinner.