Disclaimer: I own the characters. I own the plot. Rowlings owns the
universe. Lucas owns the original idea for the force. Centaurs originated
in Greek mythology, therefore they are public domain, but my Centaur's name
comes from Tolkein's magnificent mind.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the mandrake is a poisonous plant with emetic (makes you vomit) and narcotic (makes you drowsy/sleep) properties, with a root thought to resemble human form and to shriek when plucked. Unless JK actually has a mandrake planted in her garden, or potted on her windowsill or something, she does not own the mandrake plant, only the magical properties she gives it in The Chamber of Secrets.
The Island of Lost Wizards
Chapter 2 : Illusion?
The turquoise lagoon was mirror-still as the waves lapped gently on the white sand. The coconut palms were swaying gently in the breeze, multi- colored birds flying in and out from among them. Just above the high tide mark, the air began to shimmer as a blinding blue-white light tore through it, leaving a black scar standing vertically in the air. Out of the depths of the wormhole stepped Del Myriad,15 year old Sith hunter extraordinare, fresh from the kill. From the look on her face, you could tell this was not where she expected to show up. Still, the look of surprise and slight confusion was quickly replaced by understanding.
"Another test, Master Kor-Ben? Very well. I know this is Coruscant, and I know this is another one of your illusions. Did I pass?"
When the tropical scene did not fade to be replaced by the static cityscape of Coruscant, Del realized this wasn't going to be easy. Identifying the illusion wasn't enough to conquer it. She began to walk along the beach. It was easier to think while she was moving.
She went over in her head everything her teacher and mentor, Jedi Master Kor-Ben Tai had taught her about overcoming illusions.
~*~*~
*Remember, Del, an illusion is nothing but an imitation of reality*
*No illusion is perfect, but some approach perfection.*
*No matter how real an illusion seems, it is all a figment of your imagination, more often than not put there by someone else*
*Just as a copy of a painting can be distinguished from the original by looking closely at the details, so can you distinguish illusion from reality*
*Every illusion has a flaw, a contradiction of reality. Find it, and you will overcome the illusion.*
*Some illusions are quite good, even better than the original, but none are perfect copies of that original.*
*The better the illusion, the smaller the flaw*
*Beware of being tricked into believing an illusion is reality, or you will be trapped inside that illusion forever*
~*~*~
"Ok, first things first, set out priorities."
The 15 year old was a practical girl and she found categorizing problems made them easier to solve. Thinking aloud helped.
"Number one: It's all in your head. Number two, find the flaw."
Del had been wandering aimlessly during her musings, and without realizing it had walked right to the water's edge. She was jerked out of her musings by a small wave that came up and soaked her boots. She let out a frustrated yell, then for the first time, really looked at the water.
"There is no way water could be that color for real."
Here hopes went up, thinking she had found the flaw. The water was a shade of turquoise she had never seen before, and it did *not* look natural. She concentrated on the supposed flaw through which reality would be pulled, releasing her from the illusion.
Del noted every detail that, to her, proved she was in an illusion. Contradiction number one, the water was mirror-still, but waves still lapped the shore, her wet boots being proof. Contradiction number two, the water was clear enough to see the white sandy bottom, but the landscape behind her was still clearly reflected on its surface, from the great cone- shaped mountain in the distance, to the palm trees swaying gently in the breeze mere steps away.
She noticed one of the palm trees was swaying more forcefully than the others. Contradiction number three. Wait, maybe not. An enormous snake was crawling out of it, and Del was sure she heard it saying "Kill! Kill!". She readied herself for battle, watching the serpent's progression intently though the reflection. It may be just an illusion, more specifically part of an illusion, but people have been known to die when struck fatally within an illusion.
The serpent was almost upon her. She was about to whirl around and face it when she saw it's eyes reflected in the water. Two great big yellow eyes. She knew no more.
~*~*~
Del woke to the feeling of a cool cloth on her forehead. She sensed someone sitting beside her and struggled to open her eyes.
"Lie still, little one. You have just woken from being petrified and are bound to have an awful headache."
The voice was old and wise, yet still young and deep. She didn't recognize it, but he was right. She did have an awful headache. She groaned and, ignoring the order to lie still, tried to bring her hand to her head to massage her pounding temples, but her arm didn't respond. The effort must have been visible though, because the voice spoke once again.
"Don't try to move just yet. The Mandrake juice hasn't yet had enough time to fully unpetrify you. Another minute or so and you should be able to move again."
What was this? Petrified? Mandrake Juice? What in the Force was going on here? Del summoned the Force with all her might and opened her eyes. She was in a cavern of sorts, not a gloomy one, but one with a decent-sized mouth that let the sunlight in. She was lying on a bed of moss and leaves, her cloak spread on top of her. Beside the bed was the source of the voice, a creature she had never before seen. It had the body of a horse, but where the horse's head would have been, there was the naked torso of a silver- haired man.
Being used to seeing strange creatures from her travels, she was not at all surprised at his physiology, but curiosity got the better of her.
"What are you?" she barely managed to croak out, surprised at how dry her throat was.
The creature, for his part, was surprised that she was moving her jaw, much less speaking. "The mandrake juice seems to act more quickly on you than most humans" he mused, before solemnly answering her question.
"I am a Centaur. My name is Mallorn." He drew out a gourd and held it to Del's lips. "Here, drink this."
Sensing no danger, she accepted the drink. Cool crystalline water seeped down her throat, soothing the dryness. There must have been something in the water, because her headache was immediately healed, allowing her to think clearly.
She realized she must still be in the illusion, because she wasn't back on Coruscant. She stood up, planning on trying to overcome the illusion once more, but she was still weak from being unpetrified. The blood rushed from her head and she fainted.
~*~*~
There you go, chapter two.
Now to thank my reviewers.
Kell Shock : Thank you for reviewing each of my chapters so far. Your comments have been really helpful. I do realize that Del sounds arrogant in the last chapter, but that plays in later in the story.
Qtsweet2003 : She does have a complex personality. I only hope I manage to portray it the way I imagine it.
x-silver-saffire-x : (from the Pendant, chapter 2) Del Myriad is 15. I hope it's a little more clear in this chapter.
I love you all!!
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the mandrake is a poisonous plant with emetic (makes you vomit) and narcotic (makes you drowsy/sleep) properties, with a root thought to resemble human form and to shriek when plucked. Unless JK actually has a mandrake planted in her garden, or potted on her windowsill or something, she does not own the mandrake plant, only the magical properties she gives it in The Chamber of Secrets.
The Island of Lost Wizards
Chapter 2 : Illusion?
The turquoise lagoon was mirror-still as the waves lapped gently on the white sand. The coconut palms were swaying gently in the breeze, multi- colored birds flying in and out from among them. Just above the high tide mark, the air began to shimmer as a blinding blue-white light tore through it, leaving a black scar standing vertically in the air. Out of the depths of the wormhole stepped Del Myriad,15 year old Sith hunter extraordinare, fresh from the kill. From the look on her face, you could tell this was not where she expected to show up. Still, the look of surprise and slight confusion was quickly replaced by understanding.
"Another test, Master Kor-Ben? Very well. I know this is Coruscant, and I know this is another one of your illusions. Did I pass?"
When the tropical scene did not fade to be replaced by the static cityscape of Coruscant, Del realized this wasn't going to be easy. Identifying the illusion wasn't enough to conquer it. She began to walk along the beach. It was easier to think while she was moving.
She went over in her head everything her teacher and mentor, Jedi Master Kor-Ben Tai had taught her about overcoming illusions.
~*~*~
*Remember, Del, an illusion is nothing but an imitation of reality*
*No illusion is perfect, but some approach perfection.*
*No matter how real an illusion seems, it is all a figment of your imagination, more often than not put there by someone else*
*Just as a copy of a painting can be distinguished from the original by looking closely at the details, so can you distinguish illusion from reality*
*Every illusion has a flaw, a contradiction of reality. Find it, and you will overcome the illusion.*
*Some illusions are quite good, even better than the original, but none are perfect copies of that original.*
*The better the illusion, the smaller the flaw*
*Beware of being tricked into believing an illusion is reality, or you will be trapped inside that illusion forever*
~*~*~
"Ok, first things first, set out priorities."
The 15 year old was a practical girl and she found categorizing problems made them easier to solve. Thinking aloud helped.
"Number one: It's all in your head. Number two, find the flaw."
Del had been wandering aimlessly during her musings, and without realizing it had walked right to the water's edge. She was jerked out of her musings by a small wave that came up and soaked her boots. She let out a frustrated yell, then for the first time, really looked at the water.
"There is no way water could be that color for real."
Here hopes went up, thinking she had found the flaw. The water was a shade of turquoise she had never seen before, and it did *not* look natural. She concentrated on the supposed flaw through which reality would be pulled, releasing her from the illusion.
Del noted every detail that, to her, proved she was in an illusion. Contradiction number one, the water was mirror-still, but waves still lapped the shore, her wet boots being proof. Contradiction number two, the water was clear enough to see the white sandy bottom, but the landscape behind her was still clearly reflected on its surface, from the great cone- shaped mountain in the distance, to the palm trees swaying gently in the breeze mere steps away.
She noticed one of the palm trees was swaying more forcefully than the others. Contradiction number three. Wait, maybe not. An enormous snake was crawling out of it, and Del was sure she heard it saying "Kill! Kill!". She readied herself for battle, watching the serpent's progression intently though the reflection. It may be just an illusion, more specifically part of an illusion, but people have been known to die when struck fatally within an illusion.
The serpent was almost upon her. She was about to whirl around and face it when she saw it's eyes reflected in the water. Two great big yellow eyes. She knew no more.
~*~*~
Del woke to the feeling of a cool cloth on her forehead. She sensed someone sitting beside her and struggled to open her eyes.
"Lie still, little one. You have just woken from being petrified and are bound to have an awful headache."
The voice was old and wise, yet still young and deep. She didn't recognize it, but he was right. She did have an awful headache. She groaned and, ignoring the order to lie still, tried to bring her hand to her head to massage her pounding temples, but her arm didn't respond. The effort must have been visible though, because the voice spoke once again.
"Don't try to move just yet. The Mandrake juice hasn't yet had enough time to fully unpetrify you. Another minute or so and you should be able to move again."
What was this? Petrified? Mandrake Juice? What in the Force was going on here? Del summoned the Force with all her might and opened her eyes. She was in a cavern of sorts, not a gloomy one, but one with a decent-sized mouth that let the sunlight in. She was lying on a bed of moss and leaves, her cloak spread on top of her. Beside the bed was the source of the voice, a creature she had never before seen. It had the body of a horse, but where the horse's head would have been, there was the naked torso of a silver- haired man.
Being used to seeing strange creatures from her travels, she was not at all surprised at his physiology, but curiosity got the better of her.
"What are you?" she barely managed to croak out, surprised at how dry her throat was.
The creature, for his part, was surprised that she was moving her jaw, much less speaking. "The mandrake juice seems to act more quickly on you than most humans" he mused, before solemnly answering her question.
"I am a Centaur. My name is Mallorn." He drew out a gourd and held it to Del's lips. "Here, drink this."
Sensing no danger, she accepted the drink. Cool crystalline water seeped down her throat, soothing the dryness. There must have been something in the water, because her headache was immediately healed, allowing her to think clearly.
She realized she must still be in the illusion, because she wasn't back on Coruscant. She stood up, planning on trying to overcome the illusion once more, but she was still weak from being unpetrified. The blood rushed from her head and she fainted.
~*~*~
There you go, chapter two.
Now to thank my reviewers.
Kell Shock : Thank you for reviewing each of my chapters so far. Your comments have been really helpful. I do realize that Del sounds arrogant in the last chapter, but that plays in later in the story.
Qtsweet2003 : She does have a complex personality. I only hope I manage to portray it the way I imagine it.
x-silver-saffire-x : (from the Pendant, chapter 2) Del Myriad is 15. I hope it's a little more clear in this chapter.
I love you all!!