Note: This is a slightly edited repost! I must be mad, to start posting another story when I have another one already in the works.But maybe this'll get me going again to complete both eventually …I don't know either what possessed my Muse to tell me to write a Fantasy (or maybe a fairy tale?), but he insisted, and here we are. wry grin Now I've got to figure out a way to cope with the format …
Don't look for canon or continuity here; I'm just letting the characters we know and love play to their hearts' content. Please bear with me; I know this is slightly tedious to read, but it's my very first attempt to create my own AU; I haven't quite mastered the technique to put all this background information into the story itself yet. I promise, it'll get better in the following chapters!
Rating is … ummm … PG-13; there'll be some nudity and suggestive scenes, but no explicit sex. Read at your own discretion! And please, don't forget to pass by the feedback box on your way out. DB
Damsels and Dragons
by
Dagmar Buse
Prologue
Some stars are big. They blaze blue-white in space, their rays burning over vast distances. Some are old, and blood-red, almost like a fire close to dying. Others are small, or green, white, yellow ... and dark, when they collapse in on themselves and become Black Holes. But that's another story.
Some of these stars have developed or caught planets, asteroids, cosmic débris, and somehow or other forced these celestial bodies into orbit around them. Those stars have now become suns. Most of these flotsam-turned-into-planets are too close to their suns to bear life; they're near-molten deserts that are inhospitable to any but the most hardy spores and lichen. Others are icy wastelands, too far away from the life-giving warmth to be of any use to anybody except to provide resources for mining, maybe.
Then, however, there are those planets which circle their stars at precisely the right distance to have developed life. Intelligent life. Evolution takes different yet similar paths, and thus different races have settled different planets – the insectoid Edenites, for example, the water-mammalian Aquitians, the winged simians of Rag' Khcha'r ... others, too, but all essentially Humanoid. Meaning they walk upright, have two arms, two legs and one head on top. (Which makes even an absurdity like the blue-skinned, short, stubby, Squateerans humanoid, although two-thirds of the Galactic population refer to them as "a cross between a warthog and a blueberry".)
By far the most widely-spread type of being, though, is what we call "Human". Eltare, Inquirus, Phaedos, Triforia ... all of them have their inner, hidden differences, but at first glance, they look the same ... which is probably why those races gravitated towards each other once space travel made it possible. Over the course of millennia, and ever more wide-spread Galactic exploration, the various races formed basically two factions – those that were bent on conquering, subjugating and exploiting new worlds for personal gain, to be called eventually "United Alliance of Evil" by their opponents, and the Humanoids' and Humanoid-looking alliance, who named themselves the Galactic Council. They, too, went in search for new worlds, but instead of enslaving and stripping them, they took pains to bring the new races they found int the Council's protection by subtle encouragement, guiding the development until they were deemed ready to join Galactic civilization.
In the course of Galactic History, both the UAE and the Council had learned to harness energies that more simple-minded beings called "Magic"; in reality, it was a means of accessing those energies by either inbred abilities, or an affinity for them combined with artefacts that helped the wielders' mental focus in bending said energies to their will. These artefacts came in various shapes, depending on the Masters who trained those so gifted ... coins, crystals, weapons ... the variety seemed endless. Unfortunately, the non-Humans joined in the Alliance of Evil mostly had the natural ability to use magic, and therefore had an advantage over their opponents, who needed artificial means to counter the measures and bring more worlds to the side of Good. Therefore, the Council had instigated a policy of stationing experienced Masters on newly-discovered planets with intelligent life and by careful guidance bring them to a point where they could choose to ally themselves to the Galactic Council.
Usually, it was the Master whose ship discovered a new world who got to guide its development; their methods were as varied as the energies they had harnessed – for no being was suited to wield every aspect of what had come to be called simply "the Power". Instead, the different levels, with their complementary properties, were signified by colors – Red, Black, Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, White ... and other, more obscure disciplines ... purple, aqua, orange ... but it was the seven primary colors who were most widely-spread and had the greatest prestige. Each Master would monitor his discovery for likely candidates, the Chosen Ones, and train them in the ways necessary to use the Power – both as Warriors and in knowledge, until the time was right to give the ruling of their homeworld into the Chosens' hands.
There was a faction of Masters, however, who believed that simply having affinity and aptitude wasn't enough, even if they were necessary requirements in the candidates. Instead, they had formed what almost amounted to a religious order, and they bestowed on those rare individuals who chose to quest for it, the means to join with a spiritual Force, named Ninjetti by its followers, manifesting itself as animals and making them true Champions for the Light. For no spirit animal, being closely entwined with Nature on all worlds, would stoop to serve those who wanted only to exploit a planet's resources for their own goals and gain.
One of these worlds, discovered only a scant four hundred orbital rotations ago, was the third in a nine-planet solar system in the lower arm of the spiral galaxy the planet's astronomers had taken to calling the Milky Way. As the Council learned, its inhabitants called their home world simply "the Earth".
- - -
Earth was an exception to a lot of rules; one could almost say it was an anomaly.
Because for once, it had not been discovered by one Master, but two. Both Explorer ships had arrived at the edge of the Solar System within nanoseconds of each other, and their crews had worked head-to-head to report this newest find, which was not rich in natural resources, but held something infnitely more valuable: A population that was healthy and vigorous, varied in cultures and rich in traditions, that would be a most welcome addition once the planet had been unified and awareness raised enough to let them take their rightful place in the long chain of jewels that formed the Council Worlds.
Lord Zordon, White Master, took great pains to catalogue as many samples of cultural and philosophical achievements this planet had produced so far; his rival, Lord Zaed, concentrated more on this new race's abilities as fighters and survivors, and the advances civilization had made because of them. He was of the Green, and spurred his specialists on to their best efforts, knowing that, however much he disliked Zordon personally, he was easily his equal as a Master of the Power. Both men went out of their way to best the other, and their relationship could best be described as polite rivalry. They didn't exactly hate each other, but came close – very close – to that most destructive force.
The reason for that, as often, was a woman. In their youth, both had once wooed the lovely, spirited Dulcea, Mistress of the Gold. Never mind that in the end she had spurned both of them, choosing instead to apprentice herself to Ninjor the Philosopher and Artisan, ultimately becoming High Priestess of the Ninjetti Order, or that Zaed had later taken to wife the Lady Rita ... the two Masters had been rivals for ages, and so it would remain unto Eternity, they declared.
Unfortunately, or maybe luckily, neither could lay sole claim to this little speck of cosmic dust, hanging serenely in blue-and-white splendor before the dark-satin backdrop of deep space. Their respective arrivals had been so closely-spaced that not even the most sophisticated machinery could determine who had been first. Even their preliminary reports were equally quick and detailed, if focussing on different things. The controversy of who should mentor this new world was long and bitter, and it was finally decreed that for once, both Masters should share equally in directing the planet's development. Zordon and Zaed agreed reluctantly, and so it came to pass that Zaed ruled the Eastern Hemisphere with its vast, ethnically and philosophically largely uniform population and rich, ancient cultures, whereas Zordon chose the West, which was more ethnically and culturally varied, but had strong and vigorous peoples.
- - -
During their long lifespans, they had ruled the Earth to the end of what its inhabitants called the twentieth century. Through four hundred years, Zordon and Zaed guided the planet's development with a careful eye towards preservation, so that now it was easily supporting its native peoples, and had beautiful, clear oceans, vast rainforests and unpolluted air. While scientists and great minds had made the usual discoveries of ores, minerals and fossil fuels, and technology was by no means unknown, subtle nudging by the two rulers had led to a rich, simple lifestyle that successfully combined electronics and natural means of doing things. Why use a car to pollute the environment, when a horse and wagon would get you from here to there just as well, if slower? There was electric light, and central heating, fueled by water- and wind-operated power plants; there was recorded music, and taped plays to view, but books played a big part in daily life, as did sports and all forms of performing arts. Medicine was advancing by leaps and bounds; that was an area where technology could, and did, do the most good, and was used accordingly.
Earth was by no means a Utopia; there was still poverty, and ignorance, and fear, but there were no wars, and very little prejudice – at least as far as color of skin or personal beliefs were concerned. Crime was at a manageable level in most places, and on the whole, both Zaed and Zordon agreed it wouldn't be long until Earth was ready to join the Council worlds. The United Alliance of Evil was expanding again, casting their greedy eyes into this sector of the known Galaxy, and it was slowly becoming imperative that Earth had its own team of defenders, commonly known as Rangers, who could wield the Power competently and so be able to prevent invasion by the Forces of Evil.
In these increasingly troubled times, Zordon and Zaed reluctantly agreed to one of their sporadic meetings; they disliked each other too much to want intense or frequent personal contact, but there were occasions when it was unavoidable. Usually, they met once a decade or so, visiting back and forth like the heads of state they de facto were.
- - -
This story begins when one of such a meeting was to take place in the Western Hemisphere, on the Northern half of a wedge-shaped continent that had started to be settled around the time the two Masters had discovered the planet. Zordon moved his household – servants, helpers and his native fosterlings – into a fortified compound on the Western coast where the climate was temperate yet still showed all of the planet's seasons. Zaed had given orders to rent a sprawling mansion for himself, his wife, personal guard and his group of Human wards across a small bay from Zordon's house, several miles distant from each other. In between were two small towns, Angel Grove bordering the shore, and Stone Canyon further towards the mountains, which supplied both parties with their needs.
It was the beginning of summer, and both Zaed and Zordon's current Chosen Heirs were entering their twentieth year. No longer boys, their mentors knew it was time for them to choose their mates ... before something went wrong and their genes were lost to posterity. To that end, they had – unknowingly mirroring each other's thoughts – brought young women into their households who would be ideally suited to each young man, in training, temperament and ability, to help them continue the bloodlines of Chosen. While both shied from instigating outright breeding programs – after all, they were dealing with thinking, feeling individuals, not cattle – they tried to 'encourage' their charges to make suitable choices they presented to them in due time.
Even in this, Zordon and Zaed were rivals, and it was their avowed intention to have as little contact with the other's entourage as possible. They would have no dealings outside the necessary 'business' meetings, and a few social obligations that were demanded by custom and good manners. Only, in their zeal to not give an inch to the other, they forgot one adage their Human subjects had coined ages ago ...
"The way to Hell – or disaster, at least – is paved with good intentions."
And most importantly, they forgot to consider the power of the Human heart.
To Be Continued …