Later that night, Sil and La put Ryuu to bed in his own room.
This time, he was going to sleep alone.
The two of them knew they had to get started right away with the orders they had been given. They went down to their secret spot to have privacy, no one knew about that place so no one would snoop on them there.
It had been so long since they had last made love.
La knew that her mate had had seriousness in his voice. He wasn't making this up, and it was later confirmed to her from hearing the Slave Master and Garthim Master talking that they thought it was crazy and wouldn't work.
Despite this coupling being an order, they made sure to be as romantic and natural as possible. That was probably why it had worked the first time around. Not just the physical mating, but the emotional aspect of it felt important; the feeling of being completely safe with another and actually loved by someone was extremely unusual for Skeksis, and it was probably a motivator for Sil having gotten pregnant before.
That same feel of safety, comfort and love was having an effect on Sil's body again, he didn't know what it was, but he could sense it. La told him she had felt the same too.
But it would still take more tries to make sure that their attempts would work.
The next morning, as Sil and La made their way to the breakfast table, some of the others could smell their scents mingled with one another, obviously from the order. The Emperor too. It was clear that his orders had been taken seriously.
Ryuu was completely unaware of what had been commanded. That he might soon get a new sibling, or a few. Hard to tell.
Sil and La kept to themselves about anything they did last night even if everyone but Ryuu knew about it. It wasn't anyone's business. Now, none of the others could have a claim against them for it. The Emperor's order had been given and the permission was granted.
As SkekSo smelt the scent in the air closest to him, he was pleased to have been swiftly obeyed. But it would take time to see the desired results. At least one cycle of the moons to be for sure if something had happened at the earliest.
Breakfast was pretty silent that morning, but everyone had thoughts on their minds about what would possibly happen and were watching Sil and La curiously because they could smell their mingled scents and that felt just odd to them.
The Scientist wanted to know most of all. But he knew it would be a few days or weeks at the most. It still seemed like something impossible.
In the meantime, Ryuu's Skeksis education continued. Today, after breakfast was over, he followed his dad around all day to see what he did. He learned about the scroll carrying, the secret scheming, advising others, the Emperor, authorizing the Podling musicians, etc. And there were times that they had free moments to even drop in on SkekLa to say hello, but if the irritable SkekOk was around, they had to make everything look like strictly business.
Sil avoided the Scientist today. He didn't want his child in that scary lab. He wanted to keep him away from the Gelflings so he would hopefully forget about them for good. Until the Gelflings were all drained, Tek was not to take part in Ryuu's education. Only the others were allowed to, for the moment. One day at a time.
Over the course of many days, Ryuu's education was enriched by each Skeksis and he learned much about what they could do, and why they deserved their title names. He was quick to learn and seemed always eager to know more, which made him a very good apprentice.
Many days later, after Sil and La had spent many a night together, when the Chamberlain was alone, dragging scrolls from Ok's library to the Emperor's throne, the Scientist came upon him, seeking him.
"Chamberlain." Tek began.
"Friend Scientist." Sil replied.
"I demand to know if you have results for the Emperor yet? I know you have been experimenting, I can still smell SkekLa's scent on you." Tek said.
"I not know yet, Scientist. Too early to know." Sil said. "I not feel changes."
"I want you to come to the lab after you deliver those scrolls. I demand an examination." Tek commanded. "The Emperor wants results as soon as possible."
"I see... Yes. Will do." Sil was cooperative. He went to finish his task first. Tek went back to his lab to wait on his patient.
Sil felt suspicious of this experiment. Why was he always the one that had to do things first to see if something happened? That's how it seemed, whenever a Skeksis experiment had to happen. Time ago, he had already been commanded to try on a type of food that the Emperor had feared to be poisonous, and also a medicine that skekTek thought could heal a type of Skeksis flu. He hated to be used as test subject, but knew he couldn't refuse to the orders of the Emperor.
When he went to the throne room and handed the scrolls to the Emperor, So said, "I better get results soon, Chamberlain."
"Results soon, sure of, Emperor! But not sure if body is cooperating. May take at least cycle of moons to be sure..." Sil said.
"Fine. But the Scientist seeks an audience with you. And if not this time, in a full cycle of the moons to be checked again. That is an order." So declared.
"Yes, my Emperor." Sil bowed. Now he was more sure than ever that this was nothing to be taken lightly. The Emperor had his mind set on it.
Sil went to the lab after to have the ordered exam. It once again involved checking on his belly. He winced as the Scientist pushed on him.
"I feel nothing in there at the moment, other than your internal organs." Tek said.
"Emperor said exam after cycle of moons to be sure. Might just be too early, Scientist. SkekLa and me are trying hard. But no promises." Sil sat up, pushing his robe down, rubbing his belly.
"If nothing happens in the cycle of the moons, we'll know it was pure luck that it ever happened, and it can't be done again." Tek said.
"Yes." Sil agreed. "Maybe just too old now. What happened before might just been surprise out of blue. Not know what made me have baby at all."
"You must have had some reproductive trigger... But not much is known of ourselves in that sense. It was never expected from any of us to produce any offspring. Not when the Emperor had forbidden it." Tek said.
"Not know! Never thought I'd have baby… me and SkekLa felt like couple for so long, decided to secretly try mating. Just simply mated for sharing pleasure together." Sil spilled the beans.
"Well, that mating for pleasure is now what it will take for you to fulfill the Emperor's request. So try harder." Tek stated.
"Yes." Sil felt really awkward to be discussing this with the Scientist and just wanted to leave. He was still uneasy about this kind of thing being called an experiment to be fulfilled. Having been ordered to mate was very different than doing it out of choice and even if he now had permission to do it, knowing that it was an order made it all feel weird and rather different.
Even if she was trying her best, SkekLa probably felt just as awkward as he did.
He realised that he missed the time when they needed to lie and hide if they wanted to share their love. At least that had been what came naturally to them and not an experiment.
It would be lucky to get done with this.
"One full cycle of the moons, Chamberlain. Then I'll check you again, or SkekLa." Tek stated.
"SkekLa not sure if she can produce babies..." Sil said.
"We'll see."
Sil then had a sudden idea, and ordered, "You want results so, so Emperor doesn't punish you for fail? I do all as told and help Friend Scientist. But, I want something in exchange for effort, hmm? I want you to get Gelflings drained. I not want my son to see them again. He is mine."
Tek frowned at Sil's trickiness, but he knew he would need to negotiate. He wouldn't do without giving him a piece of his mind though.
"Alright. But that's another reason why the Emperor wants another new courtier from you, Chamberlain." Tek declared.
"Hmm?" Sil questioned.
"In case your son fails us. He was raised by Gelflings, for Thra's sake. His head must be really scrambled with whatever un-Skeksis things they taught him during his infancy. Maybe he can't be fixed when he was raised by them. He may not work out for us." Tek explained.
"I'm doing all I can to make sure SkekRyuu become one of us! He will be normal Skeksis like any other! He just needs to complete Skeksis education." Sil declared. "I not let harm come to him."
"If he doesn't work out, he'll be banished. You know that." Tek said.
"Not bring it up again, Scientist! He is just young and not know everything. I will make sure he works out! He will become like us!" Sil warned him.
"Yes, I'm just pointing things out, the way they are."
"You just not understand what Chamberlain feels for own child! Hurt when baby was taken away from me just after he was born, so long ago! Wanted back. Would have explained what happened before birth, but it took by surprise." Sil recalled his own memories; they made him feel weirdly strong emotions. Even if he didn't know it and Tek didn't realize it, that alteration pointed that his hormones were changing.
"I see. But if you get pregnant this time, you are not to leave the castle. You must be watched to see what happens during your time carrying the next generation of Skeksis." Tek declared.
"You see! Chamberlain will produce that baby. And still do his tasks around castle. But you, get those Gelflings out of the way!"
"Of course." Tek said.
Sil just wanted to stop talking about this until he knew he was pregnant for sure. This whole thing was making him incredibly nervous. He was finally allowed to leave the lab.
The Scientist knew that Sil wanted the Gelflings drained, at least the ones that Ryuu had pointed out earlier. He would strap them to his chair, but he didn't want all the Gelflings wasted at this point. So he picked out those specific ones, fought every one of them to drag out the oldest ones of the family.
"No! Don't do this, please!" Chet cried out.
"It's an order and your essence will be very productive for the Emperor himself." the Scientist declared.
Mivoda tried to comfort her kids as they watched their father being drained. "You'll pay for this, Skeksis!" she shouted back at him.
Tek ignored her cries. He had learned to ignore all Gelfling pleas anymore. He might occasionally answer some statements, but none that would make him release them.
He didn't stop with Chet. After a moment of consideration, he knew he had to dispose of all the ones that had any connection with the Chamberlain's son. One by one, he got all the others too. Even the youngest, Julli. Now they would no longer be around for Ryuu to defer to.
Chamberlain came back later to ask if it was done. "Yes, Lord Chamberlain. I got all five of them." Tek replied.
"Good. They made my child confused, wary of Skeksis, wary of me. I claim! I want one of them." Sil demanded.
The Scientist didn't argue with that, and handed him a vial. He watched as Sil downed it greedily. He felt the effects immediately. He didn't care which Gelfling it had been. He was just making sure to have the strength to go on, and for some bit of revenge against the Gelflings for taking Ryuu's most valuable younger trines away from him, to see his child grow up to this point when he couldn't.
Sil took another vial and carried it with him.
He gave it to his mate later, when they met. He wanted her to have a share in it.
"Thanks, Sil. It is nice of you to offer me this. I can really use anything that gives me strength right now. I think I'm getting too old for all of this when it needs to happen so often..." La said.
"Good if it make you feel better, La." he replied. "It may even make for better chances of pregnancy to happen for us again."
"Yes, it possibly could." she agreed, and drank it down.
Sil didn't tell her right away that it was one of the ones that had raised their son. That was unnecessary.
While their son was getting trained by SkekZok today, they made time to go to their private spot and used the rejuvenating effects of the essence to continue their love making.
The Emperor was given a vial of essence that afternoon. The two others were saved for later.
This section was my favorite in a long while.