Fade to Eternal Darkness
Author's Note: This piece was first written back in November of 2013. Thus, it does not reflect my current writing style, however, I am posting this because I am trying to see whether or not if I can save it or not.
"I do not fear darkness, neither should you."
Those were the last words Reepicheep would ever hear me say before I died. My death was nothing glamorous or honorable, in fact, it was the lowest standard of bravery or honor that I would ever stoop to in my entire life.
I was never one for wealthy words or brilliant advice. In my final moments I turned to my friend with a smile and said those words, I then leaned back my head and willingly submitted having no qualms or doubt.
Yet, I'm still here.
My name is Siphon Samuel, nothing special really. I am a mouse, which is also, nothing special. I am also Reepicheep's long lost, ill-mentioned brother. Why this is, I do not know. I'm not a criminal or shameful person, in fact, I am rather respected and well liked. I guess the reason my brother doesn't talk about me much is because I left Narnia in search of other places.
I left when I was thirty-seven, which is about four human years (one human year equals nine and a half mice years by the way). It was a war. Something to do. Anyway, about, two years before I left there was a fire, it killed most of us. To my knowledge, Reepicheep and I were the only survivors...
It was midnight, mid-January, the snow was piled up high and the fire roared trying its best to keep up. Machenreep, our father and Chief Mouse, was sitting in his chair smoking a pipe, Vitus Mae, the eldest son, was chipping away at a spear making a fine point. I was watching over Reepicheep, who was about a year old at the time and was minding his own business practicing his swordsmanship.
Mother was in the kitchen, her name was completely erased from my memory. It's not that I'm heartless and can't remember, or didn't love her and can't remember, it's that I am psychologically unable to. The closest I can come is a constant, the letter T, which I assume to be the beginning of her name. It is a sad existence to forget your mother's name. Anyway, she was in the kitchen cooking a broth, I can't remember specifically what it was but it smelled divine, as if one spoonful could fill you for eternity.
"Dinner's ready!" She called.
Everyone except for me entered the kitchen and began eating. I was prohibited to partake. It was all because I did something as my father would say was "Irrational and foolish." You attacked Mr. Marley, a good friend of mine, and he did no harm to you." Mr. Marley, a ferret who lived nearby on the river, was visiting a month before….
When father left the room, Marley went over to Reep and started playing with him, nothing unusable there, until he started whispering things to him. An old ferret's spell that we mice call a curse. I trusted Mr. Marley as a citizen (because my father demanded it), but I did not trust his stories and ways of thinking. He believed that magic was the answer to everything. A potion can cure this, a spell can turn this into that, and all that sort of nonsense. Not to say that magic isn't real, it most certainly is, it's everywhere in Narnia. Even mice are magical, in the sense that we can communicate, for not all mice can do so. Anyway, the trouble with Mr. Marley was that he believed that everyone should have access to it, this magic, and he believed that these people should do what they wish with it. He started talking, and I knew that Reepicheep understood.
"You know Reepicheep," Marley said, walking over to a chair, sitting down in it and ushering Reepicheep over, "there is certain magic in the world. One that you can possess."
This was where I turned and started paying attention, I knew where this was going. Some gibberish about how you can unleash the power of fire and ice and wind.
"Now I'm not going to tell you that magic is something like love or endurance or faith, it's not. Those things are magical but it's not necessarily magic itself." He said. "Magic in the sense that I'm using it, is the ability to create fire, ice, wind, earth and even space and time from your very paws! A silly idea at first, but rather practical when you use it."
"There you go!" I shouted, pointing in his direction. "You said it right there, a silly idea, you're absolutely right, it is a silly idea," I started walking in his direction, telling Reepicheep to go to the other side of the room, he nodded and did so. I watched him walk with a bit of wonder, as if he wanted to know on what Marley had to say.
"Now stop filling his head with this lunacy and leave." I said.
Marley laughed, "You talk to me, your elder in such a manner that you call me crazy?"
I nodded, "I do talk to you in such a manner because you in fact dear ferret are crazy. I will not let you fill my brother's head with your ridiculous witch poison." I began to usher him out, either he let me or I pushed him.
"Siphon," Reepicheep said, "stop pestering him won't you? I want to hear what he has to say!"
I turned towards my brother with a slight laugh, "Believe me Reepicheep, you really don't want to hear anything this old fool has to say to you about anything. It's poison to the mind."
I continued ushering Marley out the door, "Now come on Mr. Marley, time for you to be off."
Just then, father came in, "Siphon, what is this, what's going on?" He said standing in between me and the ferret.
"Marley here was just weaving his deficiency sweaters to Reepicheep." I said.
"Oh come now Siphon, it's not like Reepicheep can really understand him and by the time he will be able to I'm sure he won't even remember it." My father said.
I nodded as he left to go into the kitchen to fetch some tea.
Marley had Reepicheep under his control again, he must've walked back over to his chair while I was talking to father. Marley smiled, almost devilish like and touched Reepicheep's nose. The ferret's eyes grew a bit brighter and lot larger than what it considered normal. I watched little Reep, noticing his natural wise and eager eyes twitch a bit. Once again I removed Reepicheep from Marley's tales, this time picking him up, walking across the room and placing him near the kitchen door. All the while he protested.
"Hey, let me go! I'm want to listen!"
I smiled, hating to handle him like that, for I personally hate it to.
"I know but believe me it's for the best of everyone if you just ignore the old ferret and let father deal with whatever business he has here."
"What's so bad about him anyway?" Reepicheep asked me.
I sighed, hating this question, for it was a relatively long winded answer. Marley followed me.
"He will be great." He said. "I have given him a gift that will help him become great, greater than you if you let me train him."
"Gift? Train?" Reepicheep said, getting more anxious.
"He will be a monster if he learns of what you placed inside of him." I answered, turning my eyes towards him but not dare move my head, a sign of disrespect. Personally I didn't care. One look in Reepicheep's eyes gave me all I needed to disrespect this mischievous little imp. I know, because he did the same thing to me too when I was Reepicheep's age, only there was no big brother to help me.
Vitus Mae and my father were out fishing. Mother was there, taking care of me, but she did nothing to stop Mr. Marley from planting…symbiotic nature in me. I have done things that I am not particularly proud of because Marley's so called 'great gift'. There is something that you should know about me before this story continues any further: Marley's magic can produce earth, wind, fire, water, and manipulate time and space but at the same time it alters you, forces you to do things that you wouldn't normally do, like murder for the sake of it for instance. I couldn't watch Reepicheep go through that, I have fought, risked, and lost too much all because of my 'great gift' from this ferret. In fact, to this very day, there are those back in Narnia who still despise and wish me dead for my crimes against them. I will not go into details, for they are not important enough to list. Just know that a certain someone living in Cair Paravel bearing his father's name marked with an X wishes me dead. That's all I need to say really.
"You were always against me Siphon," Marley said, "We never saw eye to eye."
I turned towards him, my hand on the hilt of my blade, ready to do something that should've been done a long time ago. "Murder, lying, and betrayal is not my way of thinking sir," I said, pulling out my blade, the tip resting on a pressure point. "But for a moment it will be."
"Siphon stop this!" Reepicheep yelled trying to diffuse the situation the best he could, it was futile.
Marley laughed, still focusing his attention on me, "You're beginning to see the idea."
I nodded, "You killed my friends, you forced me to betray everything I stood for, the whole damn country still has me under radar all because of your wizardry!" I dug my blade closer and closer to fatalism. I stepped closer.
"You destroyed me, took my very soul, I refuse to let my brother go through hell and back."
"What are you talking about Siphon?" Reepicheep asked.
I ignored him, believing that I could explain details later.
"What makes you think you can prove anything?" Marley said with a knowing devious smile and laugh. I sighed, there was nothing really I could provide as proof. For all everyone knows I went crazy, killed people for no reason, kidnapped someone, killed them and hung them out on the street to dry. All the while people believing that I was also in the service of a madman, a crazy old fool who believed himself to be king. Miraz if I recall correctly.
"I believe you have overstayed your welcome." I said.
Marley smiled as he spoke one word to me. "Sudo" (which means kill).
I arched my arm back, my blade leaving his neck and proceeded with the command. I was completely at his will, but then again, I was going to do it anyway so I didn't try to stop myself, which also would've been a futile effort. Once you're under, the only way to get your will back is to perform the action or desire requested by the commander and the only person who could command you to do anything was a more powerful magic user that yourself and the only more powerful magic user than me was this ferret.
Reepicheep just stood there helpless, he tried to pull and tug at my waist, shout, do anything to stop me and just as I was about to strike, father came in with tea, cakes, and finger foods.
"Reepicheep will you please stop yelling!" He shouted not realizing the situation that is until he saw the commotion he about lost his head. Marley whispered the word, "Oda" (which means stop) just as father was walking in between us. Marley let me go but I still continued. I stopped once I saw my father get in the way. I took a knee and submitted myself to him.
"You are to apologize to Mr. Marley for your behavior." Machenreep said.
I nodded, "Forgive me Master Marley," I said the usual apology but meant nothing of it.
Marley nodded, "That's quite alright Siphon." He walked over to a chair, looked at Reepicheep and smiled. Machenreep followed and took a seat near the ferret as they enjoyed a rather boring fishing conversation...
Anyway, I was stuck without food for a week and was to watch Reepicheep for a month. That was my punishment. Lack of food I can handle and Reepicheep I don't mind tending to at all so really this wasn't an issue. I didn't want my father to know this, because if he did then he would make it something ridiculous like sentry duty for the tribe for a year. The one thing I can't stand is sentry duty. It's rather boring, no wolves or giants (they existed back in those days) or any of that sort came near the river and they never will. Mostly because they were all killed off or were driven away during the Great War back in the Golden Age, when the endless winter came to an end but I digress.
Reepicheep looked up at me, innocent and sweetly, not really remembering anything significant about Marley's visit last month except for the fact that he was there. I sure did though, I got a scar from Vitus to prove it. When he found out he became raging mad, for Marley was his friend too. Apparently everyone loved Marley except for me.
"Vitus," I heard my father say from the other room. "Can you pass the salt?"
Commotion, like the sounds caving in walls and bursting flame came next.
I rushed in and saw standing in the middle of the room, a mysterious shadowy figure standing on the table. He was short and resembled a dwarf. The room was scorching, soon the ceiling would cave and the whole place would burn. I didn't have time to do anything except haul Reepicheep to safety, which I hastily did, grabbing his paw, dragging him across the floor and out the door.
The walls caved, the roof fell, the flames climbed higher and higher, setting the tree that we resided under ablaze. The woodland creatures: the badgers, the foxes, the various birds, and others came out of their homes, looking shocked and fearful. The other mice of our tribe desperately tried to douse the flames with water from the river, and the other animals helped too but nothing worked. Carvash, a badger and old friend of mine came over to me.
"Siphon," he said, with worried look. "What happened?"
"I don't know," I said feeling a bit confused an angry for not knowing the situation, "one minute everything was fine and a figure, a fire dwarf or something, came in and started all this."
"Fire dwarf?" Carvash said a bit confused, "But Siphon, only magic users can conjure up fire dwarfs, you know that."
I nodded, Reepicheep looked up at me, a bit confused but stood silent, realizing the time and place for talking and asking questions and hoped that everything would be explained to him in due time. The only thing he did was look around and see the fire, awed, bewildered, and feared by it.
"Can you watch him for a moment?" I asked.
Carvash nodded and took my brother for me while I collected my thoughts. I paced, piecing together everything including my suspicions and came with an answer.
"Carvash, where's Marley?" I asked.
"Siphon," Carvash said, "Mr. Marley is dead."