I continue hurrying towards Adora's current location, feeling like a dunce. Eternian magicians need a fetish in order to use virtually all of their magic. When Teela Na made me Sorcerer, she lost hers. Which means that right now all she can to is turn into a bird. She literally can't restore Adora's memories herself without an unclaimed fetish, which Eternos doesn't have.
And she can't use mine, because I've futzed around with it so that it will power the ring.
Well, be glad the castle didn't feel the need to give you a
pointy hat. Because you'd probably be feeling even
more dunce-like.
And while she could fly back to Castle Grayskull and get Evelyn to tag her in, as of right now Evelyn has the power and if she's found a way around her geas… We'd swiftly found ourselves down one Sorceress.
Why is Adora in the Masters' sparring arena? Since Teela Na warded the castle I've lost the ability to scan inside it. I only know that she's there because Sir Duncan's an anal retentive who couldn't quite stop working and got an automatic notification when someone accessed it.
Well, at least they've been
listening to whatever suggestions he's offered about improving security.
I jog into-.
"Oh. Orange Lantern." Orko spots me from the observation platform. "I was just watching Prince Adam and the new girl." He rises up slightly to float over to me.
Ah, the
Trollan. At least he can't mess things up with his magic any
more...
"Prince Adam and the new girl? New blonde girl about Adam's height, same hair colour, same eye colour?"
"That's her."
Of course, he's probably just oblivious enough to human physiology that their resemblance
wasn't noteworthy.
Oh… Dear.
I start moving again. "And are they doing the sensible thing and using blunted training weapons, or is Adam just using his normal sword?"
Pffft, now why would they ever be
sensible?

They're
teenagers!
"Ah… Is that bad?" Orko floats after me, his right hand on his hat. "I mean, it's the sword he always uses..?"
Filaments erupt from the ring and try to latch onto the access panel, only to evaporate because Sir Duncan implemented my defence review suggestions really thoroughly. Which is nice, but-. Damn it! I physically reach it a few seconds later and start typing in my code.
Baw-ha-haa! Hoist by your own
paranoid petard, Lantern.
"Orko, how good are you with memory spells?"
"Uh, I've got a spell for mixing different people's memories around? That's great fun at parties."
...Not unless it has a natural time-limit and fail-safe end-state. No, I would
not try that one...
"No, I mean-" Come on, come one, open already! "-do you have a spell-" The entryway begins scanning me to confirm my identity. "-for restoring memories?"
"Restoring, restoring..?" Orko starts nervously rubbing his hands together as he tries to remember. "Uh, oh! I've got a spell that makes memories play outside you head. Is that any good?"
...It might be as good as you get with him, even if his magic is more
stable.
"Actually? Yes." The door slides back and I see-.
"Lantern. Orko."
Please don't be Duncan,
please don't be Duncan...
A slightly bored-sounded Teela standing next to the exit with her staff in hand. A little way ahead, Adam and Adora are using the floating platforms mode of the arena. Adora is very much on the offensive, swinging her swords one after the other at any weak point she sees in Adam's defence. He's being forced to use his sword more like a shield than a bladed weapon; he's probably stronger than her but it doesn't take a lot of force to cut human flesh with a bladed weapon and he isn't getting the time to attack.
...Phew. On the other hand, that setup sounds like nothing but a recipe for
disaster.
"I though you were spending the festival at the Castle? Which is why my father is spending it with the Sorceress."
Okay, they're fighting, but it looks like a spar. Adam doesn't look worried, and Teela clearly isn't worried. Actually-
...Let me guess, he's just being
stupidly confident.
"Hey, nice try!"
-he doesn't look worried at ohnononono.
Yeah, I don't see her
not getting frustrated and increasingly
lethal.
"She turned up and I had to deal with her."
Teela raises her left eyebrow. "What, was she supposed to be your date?"
Eh, not Lantern's type. Too young, for a start.
"Ah, no."
"Adam's been trying to hit on her since they ran into each other. How did we get a Prince so pathetic that he can't find his own date on the one day a year when even my father has a date?"
Oh, she is so
tsundere for him, isn't she? And please, don't let this become a Skywalker Twins situation...
Air hisses between my teeth as I inhale. "Okay, Orko, I need you to make her relive a really early memory. Her kidnapping as a small child."
"Relive a kidnapping? Um. I can do-"
And that sounds so wrong...
The head of Teela's staff leaps last Orko's face and ends up under my nose.
"-that?"
"Lantern, what's going on?"
...Lantern, you got some 'splainin' to do. Man, the debriefing after all this will be a thing of
legend, won't it?
Before us, Adam jumps backwards, catches his foot against the side of a platform and kicks off. Adora is taken by surprise by his change of direction and just managed to swing at him while he's upside down.
Adam lands a short distance away and finally manages to get the Sword of Power into an offensive position. "Hah! Good one! I think you gave me a haircut! A few more and it'll be as short as yours!"
Well, good to see they're reasonably evenly matched, at least.
"That's Princess Adora, Adam's sister."
Teela frowns. "Adam doesn't have-."
Yes, it does sound like something out of a...

I doubt Eternia would have soap operas... A bad adventure-romance?
"She was kidnapped when she was an infant by Hordak's soldiers, and was raised by her abductor. I'm hoping that Orko can trigger some memory of Eternos, otherwise-."
"Oh, that's easy! I've got a spell for recreating past events that's almost completely reliable! I love having a stabiliser again!"

This is going to end in
explosions, isn't it?
Teela lowers her staff, staring at Adora and Adom as she redirects his strike into the arena wall with her swords. "He's hitting on his sister. Somehow, I'm not surprised."
I raise my eyebrows. "You couldn't find a date either?"
Methinks she had kind of a plan involving Adam. Possibly one not even she was actually
aware of...
"Someone had to keep an eye on Adam."
"Ac-tually, no." I shake my head. "No one has to look after Adam. Protocol allows for him to be left on his own inside Eternos."
Certainly, He-Man is rarely far away when he's out and about, after all.
Adam goes for the double jump again, but this time he misjudges it and slams into a wall. Adora strikes down and he's-
"Yah!"
-forced to roll aside to avoid being struck.
And her temper seems to be wearing thin. Better be quick before you get a case of royal
fratricide.
"Okay!" Teela and I look at the glowing purple orb in Orko's hands. "Spell's ready!"
Teela blinks. "I still can't quite get used to you being able to use useful magic. What exactly does this do?"
And how likely is it that 'Despera' there will take it as a sneak attack? ...'Yes'.

The answer is 'yes'.
"Oh, it's really clever! It recreates what happens in the minds of everyone affected using a sort of transtemporal arcanometry!" He makes a pushing motion and the spell orb flies towards Adora. "She'll see the whole thing, and-"
As the spell reaches her she turns, slamming both swords into the spell and rending red and purple light in all directions! I blink and the mist sinks into me and Teela, staring at my arms-.
Oh, she's
good... But I suspect it still went off.
Adora watches it do the same to her, then stalks in our direction.
"What did you just do?!"
...Let's hope it takes effect before she can shave down those Trollan
ears...
Orko's eyes widen. "Ahhh…"
The wall at the far side of the arena explodes, heavily armoured soldiers led by
some guy with a jetpack storming in!
"Into the castle! Hordak will tolerate no failure!"
...And there's the explosions!