This one was heavily inspired by events in the Dark Crystal story "Mortality" which can be found on and Archive Of Our Own. It is written by the lovely AzureLazuliBlue here on DA, who goes under the penname PalaeoPanthalassa on FN and AO3. Go check them out, they are amazing!

I received permission from them before writing this. It was a plot bunny that refused to leave after I read Mortality and since I'm fond of skekMal, I couldn't help but do this. skekTah sure is no knight in shining armor but he tries to help in his own tiny ways. lol

Torture

skekMal had performed no crime. Absolutely no crime!

Yet here the Hunter was before the Emperor, at the heart of the Skeksis Court, being sentenced for something that had been overlooked as minor for hundreds of trine—the continued usage of his secondary pair of arms.

But skekTah the Schemer knew the real reason—past crimes against the new favorite, skekLach.

You could barely even call them crimes! skekMal had made a personal call based on a growing trend between him and the ex-Census Taker. It had been the right decision for the situation.

skekLach and skekMal had had an arrangement several trine ago regarding the allocation of hunting trophies. skekMal went into the field, hunted his quarry, and killed it, bringing back any valuable parts. The meat went to the Gourmand, most furs and skins went to the Ornamentalist, and everything else was divided between the Hunter and the Census Taker, who'd begun supporting skekMal's hunts when the trophies started coming in. It had been a good trade between them.

But skekLach began to get greedy, taking more than his fair share of trophies from skekMal's hunts. Frustration became rage and the Hunter finally broke off their agreement, separating from the Census Taker and keeping everything from his hunts for himself. skekTah remembered that day far too well.

He also remembered how skekLach reacted—with total disregard and ignorance. The Census Taker, having nothing to do now that the Gelfling census was complete, decided to go out hunting for trophies himself.

His first hunt quickly became his last.

A ruffnaw, enraged at being disturbed by skekLach's less than careful hunting strategy, attacked him without hesitation. The Census Taker barely survived, losing his left eye and having his left arm mangled beyond hope of repair. Somehow, he managed to get back to the castle and survived the extreme amount of surgery required to amputate the lifeless arm and attach a metallic replacement limb to his shoulder in its place. It took months but skekLach lived.

And was rewarded, rather ironically and without any explanation, by being taken as the Emperor's new favorite, leaving a disgraced Chamberlain in the dirt to be forgotten.

Power has a way of changing things, skekTah recalled reading once. Change isn't wholly bad or good. It is merely new.

This change was completely bad, in the Schemer's opinion. Bad for his alliance. Bad for the court. Bad for everyone in the castle.

skekLach took his newfound position, and the power that came with it, and ran with it. There was no hesitance. No mercy. There was just the quick realization that he was no longer the underdog in the castle.

He had power.

So the Census Taker became the Collector, both of physical items…and of intangible things, like victory in the Gelfling raids. And among his first orders of business…was to right an old wrong, in his mind.

And that was where they were now—skekMal the Hunter, declared of crimes against Skeksis culture and etiquette, in reality merely being punished for disgracing the Collector in the past.

skekMal stood before the Emperor. The rest of the court formed a half-circle behind the Hunter, watching. skekLach stood by the Emperor's throne, a smirk curling onto his beak.

"skekUng, step forward!" the Emperor barked.

skekTah frowned. Why was skekUng approaching now? Did the Collector find another thing to punish the Hunter over?

"skekMal, you have violated common Skeksis culture by retaining the use of your secondary arms," the Emperor declared. "I hereby sentence you to have those arms removed. skekUng, draw your sword. You will perform the punishment."

skekTah's jaw dropped, among the rest in the court. skekVar began to bristle, a protest forming on his beak before the Mariner and Conqueror seized him discreetly. To step forward would risk them being dragged into the punishment by association.

As skekMal's allies, the greatest mercy they could perform was to stay back and remain silent.

But skekTah wished to scream. This was too much! If the Emperor had given skekMal a choice, the Hunter would've obediently ceased using his secondary arms immediately. The Schemer knew this as truth.

But there was no choice. No chance. Just instant punishment.

skekUng drew his curved sword and approached, stopping behind skekMal. The Hunter disrobed as ordered, baring his naked upper half. His smaller arms twitched, curling close to his ribs, as if the limbs knew what was about to happen to them.

skekMal looked to the Emperor for mercy. "Sire, please, let m—"

"Silence! You will take your punishment, skekMal!" the Emperor bellowed harshly.

"This is unfair!" skekTah hissed.

"There's nothing we can do. Stay put and keep your beak shut unless you want to go next, Schemer," skekGra hissed, a hand clutching the smaller Skeksis' shoulder in warning.

skekUng seized one of the tiny arms on his hand, yanking it straight so he could strike properly.

It was the wrong move.

skekMal snarled, whipping around and swiping at him in self-defense. skekUng backed up, instantly afraid.

Over the few decades since skekMal had gained his title, he had easily become one of the most ferocious of the Skeksis, as well as the most deeply feared. Other Skeksis spoke of him with dread in their voices. Even skekUng could not conceal his hesitance to anger the other.

Yet, compared to the anger of the Emperor, skekUng had no choice but to proceed.

"Get back down on your knees, Hunter! Unless you wish for an even worse punishment!" skekUng snarled, teeth bared.

skekMal hissed in response but indeed returned to his knees. The spines on his back bristled warningly. The Hunter would not sit idly by as this happened, despite wanting nothing more than to cease displeasing the Emperor. His instinct of self-preservation was simply too strong to ignore.

"This won't work. skekMal will probably kill skekUng in the process," skekSa muttered.

"And that will bring even worse punishments down on skekMal," skekGra agreed.

"He'll never sit still for this. Nobody would!" skekVar agreed. "There must be something…"

skekTah looked away from his allies to the center of the throne room…and froze, eyes meeting skekMal's gaze. There was anger and hurt in those wild eyes.

But there was also fear. A plea for help.

There was nothing the Schemer could do. If he ran out there to help skekMal, he'd be punished too. Any bid to help would meet failure. There was nothing…

…But there was.

skekUng again moved to grab at one of the minor arms and again skekMal hissed and whipped around, teeth bared in a display of total violence.

"skekMal, stay sti—"

"Sire! If you'd please let me speak!" skekTah said, stepping forward and deftly dodging skekVar's attempts to grab him.

The Emperor was clearly annoyed at this interruption. "What is it, Schemer? Do you wish to jo—"

"skekMal will never sit still for this! He'll need someone to restrain him if you have any hope of inflicting this punishment on him," skekTah declared.

The rest of the court turned to chatter quietly amongst themselves. Much agreement arose from those quiet mutters. skekUng snorted before looking toward the throne.

It was clear. The Schemer spoke the truth.

"Fine! General, step for—"

"I volunteer to restrain him, if you'll allow it," skekTah said.

"You?" skekUng snorted out a laugh. "You? The tiny Schemer? Restrain the Hunter? Sire, you cannot seriously think h—"

"I'll allow it, since he boldly stepped forward to inform me of this," the Emperor cut in, eyeing the Schemer critically. "But fail, Schemer, and you will join the Hunter in his punishment."

"…Understood, sire," skekTah nodded, shoving back his fear.

skekTah approached the Hunter, carefully sinking to his knees before the other. He reached out, grasping hands far larger and much stronger than his own. He looked up at that scarred face, the face of his ally, and tried to weakly smile.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

skekMal huffed, tipping his beak forward to expose his back, and thus his minor arms, to skekUng. "I'm the one who should be sorry, for what I'm about to do to you."

skekTah flinched when his hands were gripped tightly in skekMal's. These were hands that had torn branches from trees, broken the bones of Podlings and young Gelfling. These powerful hands could crush his frail ones like twigs. The Schemer would be lucky to get away unscathed after this.

That was okay. It was being done out of mercy. He would sacrifice his hands so skekMal could keep his dignity, could take this punishment without failure.

skekMal snarled when the cruel amputation began, toothy beak jamming against skekTah's collarbone. skekTah stiffened, his hands clutched in a violent iron grip. He could feel claws tearing into his flesh, drawing blood to spatter against his robes. The Schemer bit his tongue and kept his gaze down.

skekMal would not scream, so skekTah would not cry.

He heard the wet thump as one of those tiny, dexterous limbs hit the chamber floor. He could hear the gagging of the Ornamentalist, likely turning away to avoid witnessing the other limb being cut away. Nobody was pleased to witness this except for those nearest to the throne—the Emperor and the Collector.

skekTah forced himself to focus on the feeling of blood dripping from his hands. skekMal's claws had dug deep. There might be scars left behind. The blood felt warm and wet, dripping along his palms, down his fingertips to drip steadily onto his robes, dying them red and brown in spots, depending on the fabric the drops landed on.

With the second thump, skekUng finally stepped away. skekMal choked, leaning heavily against the tiny Schemer. skekTah permitted himself to raise his gaze, though only enough to meet eyes with those beyond skekUng. skekVar, skekGra, and skekSa all looked a mix of angry, disgusted, and miserable. The rest of the court looked sickened but held their tongues.

"It is done!" skekUng declared, bloodied sword raised.

The Emperor rose from his throne. "Good. Let that be a lesson to anyone that chooses to be deviant. You will be punished for it. skekTah, clean up this mess while you're down there and get this wretch out of my throne room!"

The Emperor walked away, skekLach on his heels. The rest of the court promptly scattered, most choosing to flee now that the punishment had been dealt. Soon only skekUng, skekSil, skekNa, skekTek, and the members of skekTah's alliance were left. skekLach lingered in the doorway, pausing in his exit to look back upon the scene he had caused.

skekMal wheezed, blood drenching his back. skekTah carefully tipped him backward so he could unlace the hunting cloak draped over his mantle, tossing it carefully over the Hunter's back to cover the wounds. Slinking to his side, he struggled to get skekMal to his feet. The Schemer turned, ready to call his allies over to help.

"Not so mighty now, are you, Hunter?"

skekTah stilled his tongue, eyes narrowing. skekUng wasn't quite done with them. The punishment was complete, yet the larger Skeksis wasn't quite off of whatever high he'd been on through it.

Power was a deadly drug, skekTah realized.

"Perhaps this will remind you that no matter what you kill, you're still no better than the rest of us. Only now, you can safely call yourself different, now that you don't have these anymore!"

skekUng kicked at one of the amputated limbs, sending it rolling to rest at the Schemer's feet.

skekMal was too weak to really register skekUng's words or actions. skekTah was left to deal with this alone.

"So mighty, yet a weakling Schemer could restrain you! Makes one wonder how dangerous you really are, Hunter. If only the Gelfling could see you now!"

skekTah trembled. Hadn't skekUng had enough yet? skekMal had been punished, crippled irreparably. Was this extra taunting really necessary? skekMal couldn't even respond to any of it!

"How did it feel, Schemer? To hold your own ally down like that, knowing you were letting him suffer. To hold so much power over the Hunter. Was it good?"

"Stop it," skekTah muttered softly.

"It felt good, didn't it? Perhaps I won't hold as much power as skekLach does now, but this is a close second. To knock the great Hunter down a few notches felt wonderful!"

"Stop it," skekTah hissed, teeth bared and eyes narrowed warningly.

"Awwww!" skekUng smirked. "Is someone feeling bad? Then why did you help hurt him? You can't talk if you were an accomplice in this, Schemer."

"skekVar, come he—"

"Can't the Schemer defend himself? Need to call the General to save him?" skekUng taunted.

"Knock it off, skekUng. You did your job. Now let me do mine!" skekTah hissed.

"I thought your job was taking notes and spying on people. I didn't know it was helping your own allies lose limbs. Hah! Maybe it'll teach the Hunter to pick his allies better."

skekTah didn't know what caused it. All he knew was that something inside of him snapped. He was sick of this power play game. He was sick of hearing skekUng talk. He was sick of being hurt. He was just plain sick.

Of everything.

.o.o.o.o.

"GAAAAAAAHHH?!"

"skekUng!"

"Lord skekUng!"

skekTah blinked, the world snapping back into focus. skekMal had been shifted to lean against his left, the Schemer's left arm curled around him to keep the larger upright. skekTah's right arm was extended, bent at the elbow to arc in front of his face, fingers hooked and palm facing his beak. There was blood on his middle and index claws, darker than the rest of the blood on his hands.

skekUng stumbled back a few steps, sword abandoned on the floor, a hand clapped to the left side of his beak, close to the tip. There was a trickle of dark blood leaking between his fingers. skekNa and skekTek were lurching for the other, panicked.

"Let me see. skekUng, let me see it!" skekTek hissed, yanking the hand away. "Oh Thra, it's not as bad as I thought. Just messy."

"Looks deep," skekNa grumbled, leaning in to look with his one eye. "Will it scar?"

"Not if I tend to it right away. At least, I hope not," the Scientist croaked.

skekTah blinked curiously, trying to dredge through his memories. He'd blanked out a moment ago. What had happened? Did skekMal attack skekUng?

But then why was there blood on his claws? Blood the same color as skekUng's.

"Let me help."

skekMal's weight was shifted, leaving the Schemer's left side bare. skekVar was supporting the aching Hunter now. skekSa slunk to skekMal's right, slipping the limp arm around his own shoulders.

"What happened?" skekTah asked.

"You struck skekUng," skekGra replied, circling in front of him. "Best get moving. Too many witnesses. Better to leave before word hits the Emperor."

"I hit skekUng?" skekTah choked, fear striking him deeply.

"Just a little strike. On the beak. Pretty sure it'll scar. skekTek's too panicked to treat it properly," the Conqueror explained, nudging the Schemer along. "skekLach saw. So did the Chamberlain."

"What if the Emperor is told?" skekTah whimpered.

"skekUng will deny it."

"What? Why?" skekTah yelped, confused.

They were out of the throne room now, moving steadily down the hall toward the bedchambers. skekVar and skekSa guided skekMal, half-carrying him as they walked. skekGra lingered behind with skekTah. His voice was low, conserved to the point where only the Schemer could hear it.

"skekUng will never admit that he was struck by you, the weak Schemer. He'd rather face a rakkida in battle. skekNa and skekTek will back him up in whatever lie he tells," the Conqueror explained. "The Chamberlain and the Collector will keep this to themselves as bargaining chips. Neither of them have anything against you, but holding anything over skekUng's head could net them benefits in the Gelfling raids. You'll be fine, Schemer. If the Emperor hears of this, he'll get something very far from the truth."

"Oh…" skekTah sighed in relief. "Then I'll be okay."

"You'll be fine. Nobody's got any problem with you just yet," skekGra reassured. "Nothing that your own cache of secrets couldn't protect you from."

skekVar turned into his own quarters, skekSa helping the Hunter limp inside. With a light nudge, skekGra sent the Schemer after them. The Conqueror let himself pause for a moment, reflecting on the scene he had witnessed back in the throne room.

It was so fast the skekGra almost hadn't seen it. The Schemer lashed out with his right hand, claws extended, and slashed two deep furrows into the bottom edge of skekUng's upper beak. skekUng shrieked, leaping back. A thin burst of blood decorated the throne room floor, bright red against dark stone.

"Wh-what? Schemer!" skekUng snarled, hand clapped to his beak. He pulled the limb back and his jaw dropped at the blood decorating his palm. "You… You…"

The larger Skeksis froze when he looked at the Schemer. skekTah's gaze had hardened from its usual soft nervousness, becoming akin to icy chips of gold. His demeanor had changed completely and sent shivers even through the Conqueror.

Danger.

"Stop it, skekUng," skekTah said curtly. "Or else."

skekUng stumbled back, blade dropping from his hand. Where confidence and cruelty had shone, there was fear. Fear of something that should not be feared.

skekGra could've laughed. For the first time in over six hundred trine, skekUng was afraid of the Schemer.

The strange cold spell had been broken the instant the sword had hit the chamber floor. That much, the Conqueror had noted immediately. Whatever had come over skekTah had fled in that brief moment.

skekTah seemed to have no recollection of his strike, his demeanor, or his own warning to skekUng. But skekUng did not know that. The fear, though diluted now, was still there.

skekGra debated telling the Schemer about it. Perhaps it would boost the smaller Skeksis' confidence. If he could tap into that, it could be a good defense against Skeksis that could mean him harm in the future.

Later, he decided. He would tell skekTah later. For now, they had a united duty to care for their wounded ally, the Hunter. There would be time to speak of skekTah's behavioral change afterward, perhaps.

Though it had been rather amusing to watch, skekGra decided. It would be an event skekUng would likely never forget, even if the marks faded with age.

Today, the weakling Schemer had proven that he could be just as dangerous as the mighty Hunter.