FicWad

Chapter Five
"Mythology and Truest Love"

Duncan saddled Rusher, and then he and his steed went north.
Duncan's mind, like his heart, thundered. It thundered with a sensation, and the image that was forever linked now with that sensation. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull. Her soft, gentle face; and those eyes that were filled with wisdom and maturity. Her graceful and powerful hands and fingers. Her lovely, soft lips . . .
The same lips that gave him that first peck. The small and sweet kiss that caused the small sparks of affection to ignite into an inferno of love.
True love, at that.
This was true love that Duncan and the Sorceress had immersed themselves into. Duncan had no doubt that she returned his feelings for her. This was true love at one of its best - early, just before the pure confessions of feelings were announced upon the other in one way or another. He felt both heavy and light at the mere thought of her and that small thing they shared. Duncan was completely ensnared by the amazing emotions that coursed through him.
True love at one of its best, sincerely.
It was still in the pre-dawn hours when Duncan entered into the Evergreen Forest. He would be early, as most men are in those very first days of love. But he knew that the Sorceress would not mind, as if some new sense told of her thoughts and feelings to him. There was still a lot to learn about the other, and that was a great joy for any early lovers.
A great joy that Duncan and the Sorceress would have this day.
Just as the sun came over the horizon, Duncan came upon Castle Grayskull in all its glory. He gasped at its mythical might, but also realized he was deeply in love with its sworn protector. A strange . . . disenchanting feeling came over Duncan right then, and a sudden doubt struck him.
Was this right? Did she really love him? Was this true love?
As if to answer his interior question, the jawbridge opened and closed the space between the bridge and the entrance. Duncan tied Rusher to a nearby rock and fed him some grains. He then entered into the foyer, and then into the throne room.
The Sorceress stood in the middle, grinning like a schoolgirl. It was a strange sight, for someone known in legend and with such obvious power, to be smiling like that. Strange, indeed, but Duncan liked it. A lot.
"Three days, at dawn. And early, at that, Commander Duncan, son of Stephan."
"I was hoping to have but just a few extra moments to spend with you," Duncan replied.
Sorceress laughed lightly. "And what if I had not let you in, then? If I had waited until the exact time I told you to come and not one moment earlier?"
Duncan grinned and stared at her stunning beauty. "Then I would stand outside and wait for the time that you would let me in."
"I see, then," Sorceress replied.
At that moment, Rusher came clomping into Castle Grayskull. But before Duncan could scold the animal, the Sorceress spoke up.
"I am telepathically guiding your animal into some stables that are within the lower chambers of Grayskull. It is there he will rest and relax. You worked it hard to get here."
"I would have worked it harder, but you are right. Rusher needs to rest. You enjoy animals?"
"When one changes into an falcon, one appreciates animals far more."
Duncan blinked. "You can actually change like that? I thought it just an illusion. I've heard of changing and transforming before, but I - "
The Sorceress giggled maturely. "It seems we have much to discuss, Duncan," she told him. She walked right next to him and took his hand. Their fingers interlocked in the grip. "Come, and walk with me through these lonely corridors and silent chambers. For I have much to share with you."
The pair left the throne room and went up a nearby staircase. "What is it you want to share with me?"
"Secrets. Secrets that haven't been shared with anyone in many years. Anyone that is not part of Grayskull, that is."
"What do you mean?"
They reached the top of the stairs and began to walk aimlessly down the corridor. At this point, their hands released. "There is much I can not tell you," she said to him. "But there is much I can. And it all began with Hordak . . ."
Duncan straightened. "Hordak?"
She nodded, her mind drifting away into the past. "What you know is only half the truth, Duncan. Hordak was the son of Lord Nova, leader of the Horde. They conquered their own planet, Horde World, and hoped to build an empire. Lord Nova sent forth scouts to long distant planets. Hordak was one of these scouts and he landed on Eternia nearly 1,000 years ago."
"He claimed to be a traveler, correct? Much like Lady Marlena," Duncan assumed.
"Yes. But unlike Marlena Glenn, Hordak was full of lies. His ship was destroyed, causing him to be stranded on Eternia. But he was indeed the one that destroyed it. Hordak went to the Council of Elders and asked to become one of their apprentices. He did so, and gained much power and information. The Council of Elders suspected nothing."
"Until he betrayed them, after the Snake-Men Wars."
"Not quite, my dear," the Sorceress told him. "King Hiss rose to power at Snake Mountain, and demanded the destruction of the Council of Elders. Hordak aided the Council of Elders in fighting against the Snake-Men, because King Hiss' plans were against his. But there was another, one that stood for light and justice."
Duncan perked an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Who indeed."
It was then, Duncan realized that he had arrived at the Halls of Secrets. The great doors opened and Duncan was once more shown this incredible chamber. The Sorceress led him to the vault at the end of the chamber. As the two neared it, the vault came unlocked and it clanged open.
"Who was this other, Sorceress?"
"He-Ro," replied the keeper of Castle Grayskull.
Duncan's eyes widened. "He-Ro? But . . . I thought he was just a myth. A legend."
"No. He was real. It is from his name that we have the word 'hero.'"
"Yes, I know that. But I don't understand. He-Ro was real?"
"Oh, very much so."
Duncan gulped. Just how old was the Sorceress? Did she actually know He-Ro?
"What happened then?" he asked, not yet brave enough to ask the age question - although part of him felt like the answer would come soon.
They walked across the length of the chamber and then they reached the vault from which Keldor stole the Swords of Darkness and Deception. Two boxes still remained there, and Duncan assumed they held the two blades that served the good and light of Eternia. The Sorceress lifted a golden staff from the bottom of the merle within.
"This was He-Ro's Staff of Power," she explained. "You see, He-Ro was known by a different name, Duncan."
"Huh?"
"This Staff of Power was bound with the strength, magic, and power of Castle Grayskull. It was given to one that could stand above all others in this time of chaos and war that King Hiss had caused. It was given to Prince Gray, the long-lost heir to Eternos. With the Staff of Power, Prince Gray was able to become He-Ro."
"He-Ro and King Gray were one and the same?" questioned Duncan.
"Yes. And when Hordak, the Elders, and He-Ro banished King Hiss and his Snake-Men into the Void, it was both Gray and He-Ro that were killed on that day."
Duncan rubbed his chin. "That's . . . that's tough to wrap my head around."
"I supposed it is," the Sorceress replied and eyed the Staff of Power with respect. She replaced it on the bottom of the merle. "And it was after the end of the Snake-Men Wars and the death of He-Ro that the Council of Elders discovered a horrible imbalance in the natures of Good and Evil."
"What was causing this imbalance? Hordak?"
"No. It was the Great Towers."
"Ah yes," Duncan returned with another nod. "Another legend of the old times."
"Indeed. The Great Towers had forced Good and Evil to come into conflict. There was another, at the root of it all, but that shall not be spoken about here. Not yet." That last part was cryptic and hard, and Duncan knew that he didn't dare question it.
"How did the imbalance get resolved?"
The Sorceress waved her hands towards the two remaining boxes. "Four ancient blades were retrieved. After the combined power of the Council of Elders and their apprentices banished the Great Towers, the power of the Staff of Power was transferred into these swords. The Council of Elders reforged the swords, then, with the Sorceress at the time."
Duncan perked an eyebrow. "At that time?"
"One moment, Duncan." He nodded and she continued. "These swords were then rechristened. For the side of Good and Light, there was now the Sword of Power and the Sword of Protection. For the side of Darkness and Evil, there was the Sword of Darkness and the Sword of Deception. Do you understand?"
Duncan nodded. "Yes. I believe so."
"It was at this time that, right before and right after the four swords were recreated and empowered, that the Council began to suspect Hordak's true intentions. They kept these swords in secret, and no one questioned them. But when Hordak learned that the Council of Elders had begun to learn his true agenda, he struck out. He murdered all of the apprentices, and then fled Eternia through a portal when the Council overpowered him."
"And that was the end of Hordak, then," Duncan assumed.
"Yes, you are correct. But it was not the end of the Horde on Eternia."
"The Horde Incursion."
She nodded. "Come with me, Duncan."
The Sorceress took his hand once more and the two walked out the Hall of Secrets. As they left, the vault closed and locked, followed by the doors themselves.
The two walked in silence down the corridor and soon arrived at the highest chamber in one of the front towers. They sat at a small wooden table next to a large window. Duncan was shocked to see gray clouds moving in from the east. What had started out to be such a beautiful day was starting to look like it would be drenched in rain.
"I am going to fetch some food and some drink, Duncan. Remain here, Duncan, for there are things in this castle that are not safe for mortals such as yourself." She said the last sentence with an amusing smile.
He nodded a bit and returned the smile. As soon as she left the room, he breathed heavily. So far, it had been pretty good. She spoke with such wisdom and grace and at times, Duncan felt uncomfortable in her presence. Not just uncomfortable - but also very intimidated. The Sorceress talked about things as if she had been there first hand to see. Things that, for years, Duncan considered to be just legends. Of course, two years ago, he was sure that SHE was nothing more than legend and myth.
But she was a beautiful and very enchanting woman. And all that wisdom and grace that she spoke with only made her more attractive to him. He was in love with her, of course, and Duncan was sure he always would be.
The Sorceress returned with a silver tray with a stack of cakes and crackers in its center, with two cups on the sides. She set it down on the table, and then sat down across from him. He felt a familiar flutter in his stomach at her pleasant smile.
To ease his obvious awkward nervousness, the Sorceress lifted one of the cakes and took a gentle bite into it. Duncan found this, as most young men in love did, another reason to enjoy her company.
After finishing the cake and as Duncan finally began his first, the Sorceress spoke at last. "Have you heard of Noella?"
"I think so," he replied. "A small village, right? Beyond the southwest borders of Eternos. Wasn't it among those taken by Morgoth?"
"Yes, it was."
He swallowed a gulp of tea from his cup. "What about it?"
"I was born and raised there."
"What?!"
Her soft blue eyes widened a little and she gave a small laugh. "You seem so shocked."
"I am, I guess. It's just . . . I don't know much about you, I suppose."
The Sorceress reached out and placed her hand atop his. "I will tell then, about my life. It is a simple story, but one that is . . . very important."
Duncan squeezed her hand in his. "I want to hear it." He looked at her, just as the rain began to drop outside. Even in the dimmed sunlight that came through the window, he was in awe at just how beautiful she was. Her eyes sparkled blue, and her soft face was perfect.
There was a moment of silence that was neither of awkwardness nor of a lull in the conversation. It was a moment of silence that was full mutual love and admiration of the other. This was the moment that would stay with them throughout the rest of their lives.
After a time (seconds? minutes? hours?), the Sorceress pulled her hand back and began to speak.
"Noella."
"Right."
She sipped at her tea to wet her dried mouth. "The Horde restructured themselves after the demise of Lord Nova. Horde Prime, his oldest son, took command and sent out new invasion forces. He sought Eternia, believing that the planet would be unprepared for invasion since it had been so long since Hordak's time here. Horde Prime sent Morgoth, a terrible giant and incredible wizard."
"Fifty years ago."
"Yes. Morgoth earned the respect of some of those on the Dark Hemisphere and launched an attack on the Light Hemisphere. He took a number of villages and razed two kingdoms before the Council of Elders and Eternos managed to stop his armies."
"And the power of Grayskull, as some of the stories go," Duncan told her.
"Yes," she said, a smile forming on her lovely lips. But as she started to talk once again, the smile dimmed. "I was born and raised in Noella. In the final months of his campaign, Morgoth had grown power-hungry and began snatching up any and all villages within his grasp. Noella was one of the them. I was thirteen and the assault cost me the lives of my parents."
Duncan frowned. "I'm sorry."
She shrugged, frowning as well. Then, she continued. "After Noella fell, those that remained of us were rounded up into a prison camp outside of the village. It was there that an old man told me of the legend of Castle Grayskull. He spoke to me of its power and might and how when Eternia was in great need, it would appear."
"Which, as we know now at Eternos, is wrong."
"Yes, indeed. But that didn't matter then, you see. I managed to escape the Horde's prison camp and fled to the north. I was bound and determined to find Castle Grayskull. It didn't matter what happened to me on the way there, I just knew that I had to find it. I didn't know why I knew it was north, only that I was drawn there.
"A full month after I left Noella, I went stumbling into the Evergreen Forest. And it was there - or, here, rather - that I found Castle Grayskull. The drawbridge was opened and within was the previous Sorceress."
"There was a Sorceress before you?" Duncan asked, completely fascinated by this secret history of both Eternia and the woman he now loved.
"Yes. Her name was Koduk Ungl. And it was her time to give up the mantle of being the Sorceress. And my turn to take it up."
"Just like that?"
"I had nothing else in my life, Duncan. My home had been burned to the ground, my parents killed. I had no other relatives, no family. Koduk Ungl made it also clear that the power I would receive would allow me the strength to halt Morgoth's advance."
"What happened then?"
"I stepped through what is called the Pool of Power," she told him. "I can not show you its location, however, because it will not be called upon until the time comes."
Duncan understood and continued to gaze at this remarkable woman. She told him now about how she ventured outside Castle Grayskull and used her powers to toss Morgoth into a prison constructed out of a Wheel of Fire. Duncan had always been curious why Morgoth had vanished at the end of the Horde Incursion.
"When I returned to Castle Grayskull, I was informed that my powers could never be used outside of the castle walls. I can only leave Castle Grayskull in my falcon form."
"Wait! That means you can never leave here? Never?" Duncan questioned, his heart sinking fast at the idea of never taking her to Eternos or to run through lush fields together.
The Sorceress looked away and then felt Duncan's hands fall upon hers and hold on. "In a fashion, my dear Duncan."
"What do you mean?"
There was a small crash of thunder outside before she answered. The Sorceress looked out the window, as if regarding it like a threat. She looked to him then, the sound of the rain all around them in this high tower.
"Duncan, there was another reason I asked you to come here."