Disclaimer: I don’t own He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Adam stared at his reflection in the mirror. There were times when he sees exactly what is expected: The prince of Eternia. Other times, however, it seemed as if He-Man was looking back at him. The two were one and the same, incredible as it seemed. There were similarities, at least to Adam: The same hair length and style, the same eyes, same face structure, and even the same laugh. But, it was the differences that kept people from wondering if Adam and He-Man were the same person.
But, there was one person who wasn’t in on Adam’s secret, yet gave cryptic answers that hinted that she knew: Queen Marlena. Adam remembered asking her why she freed him and not, say, Teela or King Randor. Marlena had said it was because he was her son and that she had a feeling he would know what to do. She had gone on to say that a mother always knows her son and what he’s capable of doing. Is it possible that Mother knows my secret? Adam wondered. The answers she gave seem to point in that direction. Maybe I should ask her about those answers. I have to know. He left his room to begin his search.
He decided to start with the obvious place: The Throne Room. He walked in to see only Man-At-Arms and King Randor. He turned to leave, but stopped when he heard Randor say, “Adam?”
He turned around. “Sorry, Father. I was looking for Mother.”
“She said she wanted to take a walk in the palace garden.”
“Thank you, Father.” Adam nodded goodbye, left the room, headed outside, and proceeded straight to the garden.
He founder her sitting on a bench under a pair of trees in a rather secluded area of the garden. He walked over to her and she smiled at him. “Adam, how nice. Please, have a seat.” She patted the spot next to her. “Is there something on your mind?” she continued once he sat. Upon seeing his astonished look, she laughed slightly. “I can tell from your body language. I’m guessing you have questions that only I can answer.”
Adam recovered from his astonishment and nodded. “Yes, I do have questions. It’s about the answers you gave me when I asked why you freed me. I get the feeling you were hinting at something, but didn’t want to state it plainly.”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought.” She looked around to be sure that they were alone: They were. She then leaned closer to Adam. “I have reason to believe that you and He-Man are the same person,” she whispered softly. “I knew that if I freed you, then you’d be able to help as He-Man.”
“Mother…” Adam was speechless. He had expected more cryptic answers, not a blunt one and yet this was exactly what he wanted to hear.
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Yes, Mother. He-Man and I are the same. What gave it away?”
“The two of you look similar to one another, but not so much so that it’s noticed. Also, it was a mother’s intuition. Does anyone else know your secret?”
“Yes. Man-At-Arms, Orko, and the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull.”
“Why haven’t you told your father and me?”
“It was to protect you and Father. The Sorceress explained that if our enemies learned my secret, they would use one or both of you to get at me.”
Marlena was touched by her son’s determination to keep her and Randor safe. The reason the Sorceress gave Adam made sense why he never confided to his parents. She now believed that Adam’s goofing off was just an act to keep his secret. If that was the case, then what about…
“Adam, are Cringer and Battle Cat the same?”
“They are. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I thought about how you act like a goof-off and I believe it’s just that: An act. So, I thought maybe Cringer being a scaredy-cat was an act.”
Adam laughed. “Oh, no. It’s no act. He really is that scared. He doesn’t like to become Battle Cat, but he understands that it’s necessary at times.”
Marlena stood and Adam did so, too. “I’m glad we had this talk,” she said.
“So am I, Mother. You’re not going to tell Father, right?”
“My lips are sealed. I suggest you let Man-At-Arms and Orko know about our conversation.”
Adam nodded. “Yeah, I will.”
Marlena watched as her son walked away to find the other two people who knew his secret and tell them that another person knew the truth: His mother. I wonder if Adora has a secret like Adam. Call it mother’s intuition, but I believe she does. Both were special, that’s why Hordak wanted to take them. I am so proud of the young man and woman they’ve become and that they fight for what’s right. That’s what I see when I see my children. What parent wouldn’t be proud of them?
