Author's Note: *arrives over a year late holding Starbucks and a Master's degree* Uh...hey. How y'all doing?
I am SO SORRY this I fell of the map with this story. My grad courses and clinical got crazy and for a very long time I was only writing in spurts. The new chapter is here though! I have also already started editing the next chapter, so while I can't give you an exact timeline for an update, I will tell you that I am determined to finish this story.
As always, the title of this chapter comes from "Father to Son" by Phil Collins, and many thanks to my sister for editing.
Chapter Five:
you might lose your strength
Suddenly Ordon is falling and flying again, and then he is back in the citadel, standing next to Deet in the hallway. Seladon is gone, and they are surrounded by paladins confusedly trying to subdue them, Hup in the middle trying to defend them both himself. Ordon growls quietly. Seladon.
A paladin tries to take hold of his arm, and he brushes her off. "We're not trying to make any trouble," he insists firmly, "The All-Maudra will hear us if you go find her."
Another paladin makes a rough grab at Deet. "Let go of her," Ordon snaps, temper flaring.
With relief, he hears the All-Maudra's voice. "Paladins! Release them," she commands, and they promptly do so.
Ordon and Deet hurry to straighten themselves out, but Hup gasps. "All-Maudra!" He bows deeply and holds out his sword, babbling in podling.
"Not now, Hup," Deet urges.
"Is this podling in his right mind?" Brea inquires, brow furrowed.
"He wants to be a paladin."
The All-Maudra leans down and places a hand on Hup's shoulder. "Not now, podling. Innocent lives are at stake. Come, and prove the strength of your spoon at my side." She straightens and continues, eyes glinting with determination. "We must find Seladon before it's too late."
They rush down the hallway and burst into the All-Maudra's chambers to find the Ritual Master and the General with Seladon between them. The Skeksis and the princess turn to face the group, accusation in their eyes.
"Get away from my daughter!" the All-Maudra cries.
Ordon pushes forward, drawing his sword. "Step back."
The Ritual Master purs, disapproval dripping from his words, "Your daughter was just telling us a very…distressing story, All-Maudra."
"Seladon, you have to stop! You don't know what you're doing!" Brea pleads.
"I know exactly what I'm doing," Seladon snarls.
Mayrin interrupts her daughters to address the Skeksis. "I demand you release my Paladins."
But the Ritual Master feigns confusion. "Release them? They are not prisoners. They are volunteers."
"They are under my protection." Mayrin replies. "I am the All-Maudra!"
The General growls. "You are All-Maudra because we allow you to be All-Maudra."
Mayrin steps around Ordon, shoulders back and head high. Ordon makes a move to put himself between her and the Skeksis, but she waves him off sharply, so he moves aside with reluctance, still holding his sword at the ready. Looking every inch the Gelfling Queen that she is, she continues, "And as All-Maudra, I have turned a blind eye and said nothing while you steal from gelfling. No more. I have allowed you to buy my loyalty with cheap trinkets. No more! I have bowed my head and called you 'lords' while you drained us. But…no more!"
"Then you are no more!" General the general roars. In the blink of an eye, he whips out his sword and slashes it across the All-Maudra's person. The Gelfling ruler looks down at herself in confusion before collapsing. Both of her daughters scream.
Brea and Ordon lunge for the All-Maudra, the former Captain trying to examine the wound while Brea sobs and begs her mother to stay awake. It is too late—the All-Maudra releases one last shuddering breath and goes limp.
"She's dead," Brea whispers, devastation clouding her voice.
Seladon raises her head to meet her sister's gaze, a tear rolling down her face. "It's your fault."
Brea's face simply crumples, and she throws herself down on her mother's chest and sobs.
Enraged, Ordon rearms himself, stands, and points his sword at the Skeksis. "You wretches, you've killed the All-Maudra. All gelfling will stand against you now."
To his anger, the General laughs. "I've killed a traitor, Captain."
The Ritual Master places a comforting hand on Seladon's shoulder, drawing her away from her mother and into his embrace. "Come princess. There's nothing you could have done. You said it yourself—your mother was a traitor. But you…" One of his clawed fingers raises Seladon's face, like a father caressing his child's cheek. "You are loyal."
Seladon breathes in shakily. "Always."
"You know then what you must do."
Brea cries out from the floor, her mother's blood staining her dress at the knees. "No! Seladon, it's not too late. Think of Mother…and Tavra!"
But Seladon ignores her sister's words, and schools her face into a steely expression despite the tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Paladins! Take these traitors away!"
As paladins burst through the door, Ordon lunges toward the General. "You—!" he roars.
He is grabbed from behind by a paladin. He swings his non-sword arm around at the gelfling, who lets him go. Ordon is barely able to even turn in the General's direction again before another paladin attempts to stop him, and then another. He fights viciously, years of experience taking over and making each move automatic and instinctual. He can hear Deet's and Hup's cries of protest, Brea's pleas to her sister, and Seladon's answering dismissal. It all serves to make his blood boil hotter.
Finally, pain explodes at his temple when a paladin manages to club him with the hilt of a sword. He vaguely registers Deet's shriek. The pain and the haze from the hit gives the paladins the opportunity they need to subdue him for good, and they shove him out the door.
He feels blood trickle down his face. Brea is crying out for her sister, to the Paladins, begging them to see reason. Hup growls and curses. Deet demands to be let go, and he can hear the terror in her voice.
And Ordon can only let himself be dragged along, into the Skeksis' carriage.