The attak trak rumbled up to the simple farm that Keldor once called home. Keldor hugged his father and walked by his side to visit Keely’s grave one last time.

“I’ve freed them, Mother,” Keldor whispered as he knelt on her grave. Miro placed a hand on Keldor’s shoulder. “I’ve led our people to freedom.” Keldor waved his hand and a single moonrose formed in his hand. He placed the flower on his mother’s grave and stood by Miro as Adam and the others began taking down all signs of the Eternian Guard’s refugee transport organization.

Adam stopped for a moment in his packing. He looked at Miro and Keldor mourning their dead and thought of his own. Saul was gone, along with 63 other brave guardsmen and former slaves, all of them leaving loved ones behind. In his head Adam knew their casualties were light, considering the dangerous magic of the Alma’Odela. But their deaths weighed heavily on him, as did the deaths of the Alma’Odela he had killed as He-Man.

‘That’s not what that power is for,’ he chided himself as he helped fold the last tent. ‘I’m getting careless. I can’t let that happen again.’ He feared that causing the deaths of innocents would be next.

Adam waved to Orko, Cringer, and some of the masters as they left with the refugees. He knew he should help pack up the last of the supplies into the last two traks, but he needed a few minutes to himself. He glanced apologetically towards the group, catching Adora’s eye. She nodded to him in understanding, and watched with worried eyes as he silently slipped away.

"Adam?" Adora called a short time later, walking up the small rise to where he stood, his head bowed. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked gently as she drew nearer.

Adam opened his eyes and gave her a wan smile. "I was just praying for Josiah," he said with a small shrug.

"Have you talked to Teela?"

Adam shook his head. "No, she took off her communicator. Apparently she's been holding Josiah so much that it bothered her arm. So I got to speak to my mother, but Teela wasn't around." He met his sister's questioning eyes. "Josiah's no better, Sis."

"She-Ra will take care of him as soon as we get back," Adora promised.

"Thank you." Adam abruptly changed the subject. "Are the attak traks loaded with the tents and remaining supplies?"

"Yes, and Frosta, Castaspella, and the others are on their way back to Etheria."

"Oh?" Adam asked in surprise, though relief was obvious on his face.

"With Keldor planning to return with us, I didn't think we needed the additional audiences to see the fireworks," Adora explained.

Adam frowned darkly. "Good idea." He sighed heavily. "Let's go and get this over with."

Adora placed a hand on his arm, seeking to encourage him. "Take heart, Adam. It will all work out."

Adam snorted. "Sure. Maybe I'll get lucky and Keldor and Lyn will knock me out and escape. Or erase my memory."

"Or kidnap you and put you in a cell far, far away," Adora added, playing along.

"Without my sword," Adam agreed, a smile starting to appear on his lips. "Or send me to a world full of bouncing little balls of fur and talking animals."

Adora grinned. "Without your sword."

Adam threw his arm around his sister. "You know, you're not half-bad for a sister," he teased lightly. He tightened his arm for a second. "Maybe I'll keep you around."

Adora chuckled. "As if you could get rid of me."

“Go back to the palace?” Adam repeated in dismay. In spite of his intentions to arrest Keldor and Lyn, the words just wouldn’t seem to come. Instead, he had caused the group to dawdle as much as he had dared, and given Keldor and Lyn every opportunity to escape. Now that time was up, he felt a suffocating need to be anywhere else. “Why are you doing this? Your task is done. Your father knows who you are and what happened to you. In spite of what Grandfather thinks, the king is not going to go easy on your sentencing. Your crimes are too great.”

“Yes, son, go back to Carina,” Miro urged Keldor, who was already shaking his head. Miro had had a chance to think things over, and he had to agree with Adam. There was no way anyone could offer Keldor full pardon, no matter how much he had changed. The most they could hope for was exile, but Adam was adamant that Randor wasn’t going to be willing to grant that. “Go home to your children.”

“As much as I’d like to, I can’t,” Keldor said firmly. Lyn came up alongside and slipped her arm through his. “You told your father you would bring us back, did you not?”

“So escape,” Adam said impatiently. “I’m not He-Man; it’s not as if I could stop you. I haven’t even formally arrested you yet.”

“Then stop stalling and do it,” Keldor said calmly, coming within a foot of Adam. He stared at his nephew and waited for the inevitable, but Adam didn’t move or speak. He seemed frozen.

“I agree with Adam,” Adora said, her mind full of the holograms of her cousins on Carina. “I don’t think Father’s going to be as forgiving as we have been. I don’t want to see you locked up, Uncle.”

“And if I did escape, then what?” Keldor asked with a twisted smile. “I bet you still have the list of Horde-infested planets I gave you, don’t you, Adam?”

“Blast,” Adam swore by way of admission. “Yes, it’s at Grayskull.”

“And if you come back without me, the first thing your father will do is send you after me.”

“Or She-Ra,” Adam muttered. His conflicted blue eyes met Keldor’s. “Why are you doing this?” he asked again.

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Keldor answered. Lyn grabbed his hand. “We must do as the Truth leads.” Inwardly, he urged Adam to hurry it up, before his resolve failed him. But with a flash of insight, he knew that Adam would bring them back, but he would not make the formal arrest. And for a reason Keldor did not understand, it was important that they be in Adam’s custody. He cast an apologetic glance at Lyn and turned back to his nephew. “I surrender myself into your custody, Prince Adam,” he said formally.

“And I as well,” Lyn said quickly.

“Blast it woman, you were supposed to go back to Carina to care for the children,” Keldor snapped. “Go back.”

“You know I can’t do that, dearest dunderhead,” Lyn said sweetly. “I’ve said I surrender. The Truth will not allow me to renege on that.”

Adam shook his head. “Why are you two doing this?” he asked for the third time, wearily, forgetting the question would require a response. ‘Why did I ever summon them?’

“Because I owe you my life, and my very soul,” Keldor said somberly. ‘At least if he brings me back, I will have helped Adam assuage his father’s anger a little. I hope so, at any rate. It’s the least I can do.’

“Cut it out with that,” Adam snapped irritably. “I didn’t save your soul so you could be indebted to me for the rest of your life, I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do.”

“As is my facing justice for my crimes. And I am indebted to you,” Keldor argued.

“And you just helped me by defeating the Alma’Odela,” Adam retorted. “We could go back and forth forever on what we ‘owe’ each other. That’s not the way it works. You do something because it’s the right thing to do, period. You don’t owe me anything. In fact, I don’t want to hear about you owing me so much as a dragon’s shadow ever again!” The prince grabbed up the last bag, tossed it into the attak trak, and climbed into the vehicle without a backward glance. Miro and Adora quickly followed. Hawk stood where he was, one eyebrow raised at Lyn and Keldor.

‘He just gave us another opportunity to escape,’ Lyn sent to Keldor, a small smile playing about her lips.

‘I’m not sure this one was intentional,’ Keldor replied with a slight smirk. He quickly sobered as he added, ‘He’s very anxious about returning home.’

‘You think, oh astute one?’ came Lyn’s sarcastic reply as she climbed into the attack track. Hawk waited for Keldor to enter, then climbed in and shut the door. Keldor sighed. As tempting as it was to escape, they had surrendered to Adam. Their fate was now in his hands.

Randor looked out his study window. The winds whipped at the trees in the distance and a gray blanket of clouds was moving in and casting a dark shadow over his fair land. Randor grimaced. Even the world outside was mirroring his dark mood. It had been a week. At Adam's last report, Skeletor and Evil-Lyn were still with him and had not attempted escape. 'But then why would they? If this is all a ruse to take the throne he will have to come here.'

"Sire," called Man-At-Arms from the slightly open door.

“Duncan?" answered Randor in surprise, turning. "I didn't know Ramos had released you yet."

"He did early this morning. Said something about my being a worse patient than Adam." Duncan winked mischievously.

Randor chuckled briefly.

"Speaking of Adam, Your Majesty,” Duncan continued solemnly, “we have just received word from the attak trak. Adam is on his way with Miro, Adora, and Sea Hawk. He has Keld--er, Skeletor and Evil-Lyn in his custody."

"Good." Randor paused a moment, then gave voice to his suspicions. "So Skeletor and Evil-Lyn return believing they've done something to ease their sentencing, I suppose." He stroked his beard absently. "You were there, Duncan. Have they really changed all that much? Or are they just hiding their motives behind a clever facade?"

Duncan frowned. "They did help, Sire, and I'm not sure we would have won so easily without them, but..." He shook his head. "I certainly wouldn't leave them alone with you or anyone I care about. I just hope Adam had the sense to handcuff them. I'll feel a lot better when they're behind bars."

Randor nodded in agreement. "So will we all, Duncan." He raised his chin in determination. "It's been a long time coming, but Eternia will finally see justice served."

A/N: Of course we don't own these characters (at least not the ones from the 1980's MOTU show), but the plot line is all ours. Thanks to Delora2047 and CondorCandi for all of their beta-reading, suggestions, and help!

Oh, and for those of you who like angst, you're going to love the next book...Reunions Book 2: Homecoming.