Before long, SkekTek felt better. Not completely. He was still disturbed by what had Ghost said about her visions. They seem to be somehow connected to her closeness to the people she cared about. Another thing that concerns him was the Chamberlain and what he'll do with what he'd seen. However, he didn't understand how the Hunter is connected to it. Ghost only met him once. He waved goodbye after Ghost brought him safely back into the lab.
Ghost was about to head down to the library when she was intercepted by the Collector, the ScrollKeeper and the Emperor. "Ah Ghost", SkekOk spoke. "We've been looking everywhere for you. We have wonderful news." He glared at SkekLach. "Collector here forgot to tell you about the exciting news."
SkekLach only looked back annoyed. "Can we just tell her already so we can get going?"
The Emperor cleared his throat. "Ghost. The Collector, The ScollKeeper and I have talked with Captain Ordon. We have decided that it is time for you to join them for gathering tithings this year. Starting with your mother's home, Ha'rar."
Ghost gasped. Her eyes widened in shock. She had been told the story about how she came to the castle. Even though she might not be able to meet her mother, she figured she could at least head to the home where she grew up. Ghost had asked so many of those questions to anyone who had been there. Being told of the snowy mountains. The buildings and a library that held a lot of books (Not including the castle's). Now, she finally got the chance. She jumped up and hugged them. "Ohhhh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!" She backed away and smiled. Her eyes nearly on the brink of tears. "I better pack some things! See you in the carriage!" She flew away in a heartbeat.
SkekOk smiled. "She's becoming quite the lady isn't she?" He sighed. "If only SkekEkt had a look in that red dress. She's quite stunning."
SkekLach didn't say anything. Somehow, he couldn't shake a feeling that it would be a big mistake of taking her to the Vapra capital. He just stared off at the hall where she had vanished.
-(Sometime later)-
Ghost flew as fast as she could. In her hands were two satchels that held what she thought would be important later. She also made a letter in case anyone was wondering where she vanished into her favorite pale blue dress. She nearly crashed into Rian and Mira as she arrived at the carriage. She was breathless by the time she told them the good news. Then, Ordon explained that he would be escorting them this year too. Her heart practically hummed with excitement.
"That's great!" Mira said. "I hope it becomes a great experience for you."
"Me too." Rian said. He hugged. "Just be careful there. I know how you can be at times."
Ghost hugged him back. "I will. Just make sure you don't steal the podlings blind." She laughed as she was hugged by Mira. She backed away from them after their embrace ended. "Tell Gurjen I've said goodbye." She walked over to the carriage. As the door closed, she waved goodbye to everyone. Her smile grew brighter with each wave. She sat next to SkekLach. She immediately pulled out a fresh handkerchief from her satchel. "Thought you might need it."
SkekLach sighed. "Thanks, Icicle." He took the handkerchief in his hand. Icicle was his little nickname he gave her when Ghost had some ice developed after the incident with the frozen water. He looked at SkekOk as they made their way out of the Castle.
-(Deet, caves of Grot)-
It was an average day for Deet. She collected the bright blue moss that grew in her dark home. She sang softly of her favorite tune. As she finished her harvesting, she bit into the moss and glowed a light blue. Her wings opened and she flew around her home. She dropped her piece of moss to a group of Nurloc. Deet's heart was filled with great joy to see her family. The creatures of Grot getting along. Everything about her home was wonderful. She wouldn't want to change it. Suddenly, she heard a cry from a baby Nurloc. "I hear you baby." She said.
She flew over to the cry and landed next to the baby. She held the little worm-like creature in her arms and picked up moss from a nearby rock. Unaware that it had a purple glow beneath it. "Here you go. Some nice moss." Without warning, she cried out as the baby bit her arm. "Ow! What has gotten into you!?"
Deet backed away to see the little Nurloc growling at her. Eyes purple and angry. She turned around to see a large Nurloc attack wing burst in pain. Frantic, she ran to the nearest tunnel and vanished into it. Her heart hammered in her chest as she made her way into the dark tunnels. She crawled for what had felt like hours, she finally came across an area where a tangle of roots formed a pillar of wood to hold up the ceiling of the underworld. It gave a soft blue glow that gave the world a sense of comfort and safety. "The sanctuary tree…" Deet gasped. "I haven't been here since I was little."
You still are little.
Deet gasped in shock. Her heart leaped in fright. "You can talk? I thought trees can't talk."
We can talk. The tree said. But only when we can. I had been watching you Deethra. I know that you care for the creatures of Grot as they care for you.
"Except for that Nurloc that attacked me." Deet looked down on her damaged wing. It still throbs along her back.
It's not her fault. The tree explained. She succumbed to the Darkening.
"What's the Darkening?"
-(At Ha'rar, Brea)-
Brea was doing her usual routine in the library. Reading book upon book about the world around her. The latest book focused on Mother Aughra. She sketched every detail as the librarian brought back the books she had asked for. Then, she noticed there was one missing. The librarian sighed. "I shall return."
"Thank you." Brea was continuing her work when she turned to see her older sister, Tavera. "Oh Tavra. You're going to love this-"
"I thought I'd find you here." Tavra interrupted her. "I managed to convince mother to be part of this year's tithing ceremony."
Brea gasped. Eyes wide with excitement. "You're going to have fun with me?"
"You know I don't have fun." Tavra answered jokingly.
Brea hugged her sister. "Oh thank you so much!"
"Just don't try to embarrass me. Ok?"
The two walked out of the library and went on their way to their home. Suddenly, there was a crowd among male and female Vapra gathering in high numbers. Talk soon reached Brea's ears. The lords were heading to the castle. Eager to see them, Brea separated herself from her sister to have a closer look. She leaned over the edge until she slipped. She fell onto the road just as the carriage was about head over her direction.
-(Ghost, a few minutes earlier)-
Ghost stared in awe. She finally made it. After all this time of hearing the stories from the Castle of the Crystal guards and SkekOk, she was finally going to see the home where her mother grew up. She would never say it, but whenever she heard stories about mothers from the other gelfling, she couldn't help feeling a bit lonely. Her mother died before she ever met her. Then, her grandparents gave her away. It hurts. However, coming here might give her a chance to have a stronger connection to her mother.
She poked her head out of the carriage to have a better look at the scenery. Snow capped mountains. Houses dusted with snow. The cool air blowing through her long hair. She closed her eyes to the sensation. Suddenly, she felt claws on her back and she was pulled into her seat. She looked up at SkekOk.
"Young one," SkekOk said with a firm tone. "Do be careful. You're small enough to fall out of the carriage you know."
"Sorry." Ghost sat down. She straightened her dress. "I'm just so excited to be here. It's more wonderful than I'd imagined. I wonder if the All Maudra remembers me. After all, it was thanks to her I met-" Her words were cut off when the carriage came to a screeching halt. Her body nearly fell out of her seat only to have SkekOk have his arm out to catch her. She shook her head. "Is everyone alright?" Her heart raced slightly. Only a few minutes in Ha'rar and already excitement was happening.
SkekOk poked their heads out of the carriage to see what happened. "Why did we stop!? What is the meaning of-" SkekOk and Ghost looked down to see a young Vapran Gelfling on the side of the carriage. Laying down on the road. She had blonde hair, fair skin and looked to be about Rian's age. "Dear Thra!" Ghost exclaimed. "Are you ok?!"
The young Gelfling nodded. "Watch yourself, Gelfling." SkekOk spoke. "Little things have a tendency of being stepped on by...Bigger things." Something about those words gave Ghost chills. She didn't like the way he says things like that. It made him just as mean and sinister as SkekSil.
"Don't worry my lords," Ordon said. He was sitting on a Landstrider that was in front of the carriage. "I'll escort the girl home."
"The lords saved her." One Gelfling said.
"They saved Princess Brea." Another commented.
"A princess…" SkekOk thought for a moment. Then said, "Why don't come with us? Let us escort you to the palace."
Ghost looked at SkekOk in surprise. Then, she turned to Brea. "Yes princess! You must join us. It would be a nice company." She smiled. Her heart fluttered with happiness as Brea took SkekOk's hand and went into the carriage. She sat back down and stared at her. It was so exciting. A Vapran princess having a ride with her. As Brea sat down next to SkekLach, Ghost couldn't help but introduce herself. "Hello. My name's Ghost. I'm a servant at the Castle of the Crystal."
"Nice to meet you." Brea said. Her gaze went up and down on GhostShe also smiles back at Ghost.
"Look SkekLach, A princess in our carriage."
"I'm not much of a princess." Brea said with modesty. "My sister Tavra is a great warrior and Seladon is the oldest. She'll be All-Maudra one day."
"Blah! Blah! Blah! Proceed!" SkekLach pushed down on the lever and the Armorlings squealed in pain.
Ghost mentally sighed. I best talk to SkekTek about having the Armorlings move without a shock. She instantly thought back to what Brea had mentioned earlier. She leaned forward in her chair. A princess with two sisters! Could things get any better? "So, you have two sisters. What are they like?"
Brea thought for a moment. "Well...As I said before, Tavra is a great warrior. She can be silent at times but she's great to be around. Seladon...um...She can come across as cold when you meet her. She takes her work very seriously."
"I guess that's understandable." Ghost said. "I don't have blood relatives, but I do know that hard work can be trying at times." She thought of SkekTek. The hard work he does day in and day out. A few times, she'd seen him being picked on by the others. I hope he's not going to get in trouble because of me.
"Wait. What do you mean by that?" Brea asked.
"Well, you see-"
"What's that on your cheek?" SkekOk asked. He leaned slightly closer to have a better look.
"Oh. Ink, my lord." Brea answered. "I have a journal. I write down all the things that I like."
SkekOk gasped. "You hear that SkekLach?! She can read and write." He looked proudly at Ghost. "Ghost can do so as well. She's pretty good at a pen and has made some books of her own."
Ghost blushed. "Aww. It's nothing special. Just a small hobby I do when I'm not serving the Lords of the Crystal."
"I too am a connoisseur of the written word. I am the ScrollKeeper."
Brea's eyes light up in excitement. "I've read all about you! You run the library of the Castle of the Crystal!"
"You've done your research."
Brea turned her gaze back to Ghost. "Ghost, how were you able to serve them?! Did your parents introduce you to them?"
Ghost's heart stung a little. She would hear whispers from the guards about how unfortunately that her mother died and her Grotten father didn't bother finding her. She tries her best not to let it bother her, but her true strength would always come from Ordon and SkekTek. To them, they were the closest things to a father that she would ever have. Ghost blinked away her tears. "No. Actually, my grandparents gave me as a tithing to the lords since my mother passed and they didn't have enough crops due to the bad winter. As for my father...He was Grotten. I don't know what happened to him." She soon felt a comforting hand on her back. Her eyes turned to SkekOk who gave her a somewhat sympathetic look. She even noticed SkekLach eyeing her. As if he expected her to cry very soon.
"Ghost has become one of the best servants in the castle. She has a great way with Podlings." SkekOk spoke.
"Well…."Brea had to choose her words carefully. It seemed that Ghost seemed to be a little sensitive about her heritage at the moment. "I hope your visit here is wonderful. Also, I do like your eyes. I've never seen anything like it."
"Thank you."
The group soon arrived at the castle of the All Maudra. Ghost stared in awe at the hallways and corridors. "You have to show me around later." Ghost whispered to Brea. As they reached the throne room, they were soon met by three Gelflings. One that wore a blue dress and had a crown on her head. No doubt being the All Maudra. The other two were Seladon and Tavra. They all glared at Brea and Ghost knew it.
SkekOk leaned close to Brea. "The All Maudra seems cross. I'll speak on your behalf."
"I will too." Ghost said. She was surprised at the sudden hug, but it made her happy.
"Thank you both." Brea whispered before joining her mother and sisters.
"It is good to see you again my lords." The All Maudra said. Then, she turned her attention to Ghost. "I see that you've taken good care of the little Gelfling. Tell me, young one. What name do you go by?"
Ghost humbly bowed. "My name is Ghost, your highness. I would like to thank you for your kindness and allowing me to be under the care of the lords. I came to see the lands where my family grew up. I will be assisting with the Tithing Ceremony." She stood up and could see the admiration in the All Maudra's eyes. "It is an honor to also meet your daughters as well."
The All Maudra was shocked by those words. She had never met anyone who was so well spoken. Let alone a hybrid Gelfling. "Very well. My dear lords of the crystal. There are as many trines before us where every Gelfling clan would each give you tithing in honor of providing care through the powers of the Pure Crystal of Truth. Among you is a young Gelfling servant who's come to help you as well. As is tradition, the Vapra will be the first to present the tithings." Then, she bowed. "All hail the Skeksis."
Ghost was a little overwhelmed. She had never seen Gelfling bow to her like that, but she knew it wasn't for her. At least her brief time with Brea was a start.
-(Caves of Grot)-
"It is a disease that is spreading to all of Thra. It twists the minds of the creatures of Thra and rots away all life." The Sanctuary Tree explained.
"How do I stop it?" Deet asked.
"Here," The tree presented a blue flower to Deet. "Let me show you how to do it." The flower opened up to reveal a yellow glow in its center.
Deet touched it and visions started to fly before her eyes. Pain radiating A white Gelfling fighting off a strange stone monster. Snow in Stone-In-The-Wood. Monsters that are unlike anything in Thra. The Skeksis being attacked by a being made entirely out of bone. An old woman crying out at the sight of a thrashing brown fizzgig. After the visions stopped, Deet felt tired. Her body fell into the darkness below her.
If you're wondering what my title meant, you'll find out soon enough. I decided to focus on Ghost's backstory and include Deet and Brea. It's only fair.
