For the next three cycles of the Sister moons, Sil and La would both be under guard by their clan and Sil was not to leave the castle again, for a long time. It wasn't like he wanted to anyway. He no longer had those cravings, and he felt too distraught due to the loss of his child as to want to get out. The two missed each other like crazy.
At first, Sil didn't want to eat anything, or be near any of the others. He fell into a deep depression, something unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Ekt repeatedly tried to bring him food from the kitchen, but he just wouldn't touch it. And he had been forbidden to be near his mate, the only other Skeksis who shared his pain and could offer him comfort.
The other Skeksis had never seen the Chamberlain look or feel so forlorn. It wasn't like him. The Illustrator was no better. She still did her work for others, but clearly wasn't happy either. She just seemed to do things mechanically, without a will or energy to them, it was like something had died inside her. It was a sad time for both of them.
Tek did let Sil have some essence again as well. It did revitalize the Chamberlain, but it still didn't provide true happiness as much as it used to. He was faintly glad for that anyway, that he could finally have essence again without an issue, to at least take some of the body pains away.
Without his baby nursing on him, Sil's milk supply began to dry up after a period of time. Aside from loving his mate, he had never known he would have cared as deeply for another living being like that. Losing the baby had torn out a part of himself. He was also losing weight. He had to lose some anyway from the baby weight, but the constant loss he was suffering was due to depression and his reluctance to eat.
He would blame himself for the rest of his life for losing his child. His and La's child. No matter the punishment. This was the biggest and worst punishment ever; to have lost their baby and not be able to see or talk to his mate.
…
It was a relief when La and Sil's punishment was finally over. They still wouldn't show public displays of affection, but when they got the chance, they snuck off to just spend a night together. Then they held each other tight and talked for hours. They just needed to be close to each other.
The other Skeksis had not let them meet for so long, it was so good and healing to be in each other's arms again. At least they still had each other.
And the Emperor didn't have a young contender for the throne to worry about.
…
The Gelfling family was raising Ryuu well. He was responding to their love and attention. He was fed Nebrie milk. He took to recognizing them as his family. Chet and Mivoda accepted him as if he was their own child too.
Unums later, some of his first teeth began appearing. Ryuu wasn't happy with the teething time, but just as with little Julli, he went through a lot of things that she did. He was introduced to solid foods, but was still fed on Nebrie milk awhile longer. Of course, it would remain a part of his life for a long time.
Over a trine later, Ryuu learned to talk for the first time too. He did have a weird sound to his voice, but he made a special sound. He even knew the sound of his name.
….
As he got older, his adoptive parents taught him the meaning of shame and guilt. When to be proud of something. The young Skeksis knew that he was different when he saw his reflection in the mirror or a pond. He definitely wasn't the same as his parents and his siblings. He wondered what he was.
"What am I, Dad?" he asked Chet.
"You are my son, Ryuu." he said.
"I know, but I don't look like a Gelfling. What am I really?" Ryuu asked.
"A lizard. That's all I know." Chet replied. "Just one that has a bird-like face."
Ryuu wished he could know more. But he was never told of the Skeksis. Chet didn't want him to know until he was at least a little older.
Ryuu was only eight trines old. He played with his Gelfling siblings just fine. He wasn't much trouble at all, but still caused mischief like any child does. He ate what the Gelflings ate. It was the only foods he was raised on, despite what his teeth looked like.
He wore Gelfling garb, and he had his own hair by now. His skin was purple-grey, like Sil's, and he had his father's green eyes too, but his hair color was more from La. He also had Sil's smile.
Sometimes a wild animal would catch his fancy, but Ryuu had been taught how to live in harmony with the wildlife. That they were friends. Animals could teach so much if someone took the time to listen.
Ryuu was also a big help gathering crops from the fields every day. And helping with the bigger stuff too as he got older. He would be able to reach higher than what even his 'parents' couldn't.
But outside this quiet life, other Gelfling clans and families were caught and killed for their essence still.
…..
The Skeksis had come up with a new breed of animal to work for them: the Crystal Bats. They spied and found many Gelflings and other creatures for the Skeksis to use or eat in the castle. Now, Garthim did the majority of hunting for the Skeksis' food.
Over these long trines, Sil and La were still close as ever, but didn't dare to mate again. They didn't want to bring another offspring into the world and fearing they might lose it too. Chamberlain was still deeply upset about that, but he had humbled himself down more. He didn't cause trouble quite as much as before, but would if it called for it.
It had taken him a long time to get back to near normal, or to feel like he had a purpose again. But he was still the Emperor's adviser. He had managed to work his way back up into a high position.
…
Fourteen trines came and went, and Garthim and Gelfling wars were still going on. The Gelfling numbers were really beginning to dwindle. Ryuu had made it to his teen trines.
When he had turned thirteen, Ryuu had also started growing the spikes on his back. This was just something he didn't understand, something the Gelflings couldn't help him with. Anytime a Gelfling had ever seen the Lords in these last generations, they didn't know they had spikes. They had been hidden under all their robes. But they accepted that they were meant to be a part of his anatomy.
Ryuu's family still hadn't been discovered for so long due to their home's secluded location, but when his family was seen by a Crystal Bat, they did not notice. It was cause for an alarm.
Ryuu wasn't seen with them. He went off on one of his explorations and was talking with his animal friends, something he had learned how to do at a young age.
The attack happened while he was out, and it was really sudden. The Gelflings were out in their field, attending to their crops, when a clicking noise was heard. Kinama was attacked and grabbed first. Chet tried to come to her defense.
"Let her go!" He ran to the Garthim with his staff raised. Another one grabbed onto him.
Other Garthim caught Mivoda, Julli, and Mati as well. They all put up the best struggle that they could, but it was to no avail.
"RYUU!" Chet called for his Skeksis son.
Ryuu was on his way back from his exploration and he heard his name being called out. He heard his father screaming for him. It was definitely a scared voice. He dropped his stuff and went to see what was happening, then he looked down and saw his family stuffed in a cage. There were large, black beetle things carrying them away.
He wasn't about to let those creatures take his family. "Stop! You cannot have my family!" They were his whole life.
He was getting close to the Garthim and one turned around so suddenly that one of its claws managed to hit Ryuu in the head, so suddenly that it dazed him. The hit knocked him down. There was nothing he could do.
The Garthim looked down, even though it had no emotions to what it was doing. It saw a Skeksis on the ground, but it was knocked unconscious. If it was dead, it paid no mind, and they all continued on their way out.
"Ryuu!" Mivoda called out in worry. That was the last word that he heard from his Gelfling mother as she and the family were taken away.
…..
Awhile later, an old ancient being, Lady of Thra, came walking through the landscape. It was Mother Aughra.
"Aughra hears sounds of Gelfling. Where are they?" she asked. She looked around for any traces of the Gelflings she had heard cry out for help.
As she explored the terrain, she came across an unconscious being. It wore Gelfling clothes, marking it as belonging to the Stonewood Gelfling clan, but it wasn't Gelfling at all. It looked like one of the Skeksis!
"What is Skeksis wearing Gelfling clothes for and doing out here?" Aughra pondered. She looked at him more closely.
This one had brighter colors on him, so to speak. His hair was brownish, but she noticed some familiar traits. She knew of the Skeksis Chamberlain, and this one looked a little like him. However, it was not him. She knew them all. But this one, she did not.
Aughra nudged him. She also saw a little blood on his head.
"Hey. Hey, wake up, Skeksis." Aughra spoke.
Ryuu heard a voice calling him back from his nap. He hoped it was his mom. But what he woke up to was an old, scary looking creature. He completely ignored the pain in his head, worry for being attacked.
"AHHH!" he screamed in terror. "Who… who are you?!" Ryuu demanded to know. "Please, don't hurt me!"
"I am Aughra, Mother of Thra. Keeper of Secrets, Skeksis. And I know all Skeksis, but not know you."
"I am Ryuu, of the Stonewood Gelfling clan, even though I have lived separately from them with my family. Wait, what did you call me?" he asked.
"Skeksis. That's what you are, young one." Aughra replied.
"I am a lizard. Not Skeksis. My parents would have told me if I was Skeksis." Ryuu stated.
"I see why they name you Ryuu. Fiery lizard. Ha! But, I know what Skeksis look like. You are young one." Aughra stated.
"Yes, I am young, and you can call me Skeksis if you want. But now I have to find my family. They were taken by dark, big beetle things. Have you seen those monsters? Do you know where they went?" Ryuu exclaimed.
"Garthim. They work for the Skeksis. They would be back at castle." Aughra explained.
"What? Then that's where I'm going to go! I have to help them!" Ryuu said.
"Once Gelflings go in, they not come out. Skeksis also not take to intruders very well. Were you a banished Skeksis?" Aughra asked.
"No. Not that I know of. I have been raised by my Gelfling parents ever since I was a baby. I don't remember anything else. Please, can you help me find the way to the Skeksis' castle?" Ryuu asked. "I won't let them die!"
"Yes, Mother Aughra help young Skeksis. Maybe they listen to you. Maybe you reach them better than Aughra can try." she said. "Make haste. Not much time."
Aughra began to lead the way to the castle. Ryuu was much faster than the old woman, but he was willing to follow anyone who would lead him to his family. He was being cautious around her because he had never met her before. But his family had told him stories of Mother Aughra over the trines, of how she had cared for their world. She was Thra itself.
Ryuu caught his family's scent in the air. "I smell my family." he said.
"Good. Follow it, young Skeksis. Aughra hopes you can befriend adult Skeksis. They much older and set in ways. Especially the Emperor." she stated. "You have looks familiar to me."
"But I have never met you before, Aughra. I just know of you from stories." he said.
"Good."
"But you said I look familiar. Do you have any ideas who my parents are then? My real parents?" he asked.
"No. You may find out from them. They should know. They hold more answers for you than Aughra. They call themselves Lords of the Crystal. And they were, once. Now they more monsters than anything. They betray Aughra. They betray Thra. They betray everything. Be careful, young Ryuu." she warned.
"Monsters?… I will be careful, thank you for your concern." Ryuu replied respectively, wondering what it would feel like to meet other Skeksis. Others who looked like him, and betrayed everything he thought good.
They kept on going in silence, until Aughra did get him to the edge of a clearing. The castle of the Crystal was out there in the clearing, following rows of streams of water.
"This is where Aughra leaves. I'm not welcome among Skeksis." Aughra said.
"Thanks for all your help." Ryuu said and he began to make his way down to the castle. This would be his first time visiting there, but he could not stop now, he had to save his family. He would try to get his real answers later.
Aughra watched him descend toward the barren valley. "Good luck, young one." she said, before departing.
