Previously on…
The Origin Series: Stage 2
Continued
.oOo.
Before the First Age Anthology
The Rogue Warriors Trilogy:
The Ice Queen
She [Anabeth] looked at Aslan, curious, "Aslan, what are we facing in this new land? The Four Seasons. What is that?"
"It's where I'm sending you. It's a land where the four seasons connect but they keep to themselves. They stay the same throughout the years. They are unique in their own way." Aslan returned to the table. "There is an Ice Queen, the Snow Queen's sister. She usually lives at her sister's palace. We need an icicle, one that withstands the four seasons. This icicle may be the key to curing Parker Dooley. Parker won't suspect a thing, now that he's Maranguan. I've taken his foresight away and his visions. All he knows is present events. It will punish him greatly; at least, until he becomes good again. Then he can have his visions back. The good and the bad."
-x-
"Who are you? What are you?" Janet asked, concerned.
"A friend," the shapeshifter said. "A guide, sent by Tobias to help you. You seek a way to free Parker's heart of his evil ways. No one in the worlds can do that."
"I've got to try," Janet said, curtly.
The shapeshifter gulped. "You'll need more than luck to find that icicle. I can get you and your daughter out of these realms and back to Paranor. After that, it's a matter of you and your daughter finding Parker Dooley."
"You were my husband, weren't you?" she said, curious.
"I'm sorry. I cannot bring your husband back. That's Aslan's doing, if he wants to do that," the shapeshifter said. He whispered in her ear again, "I'm not from the Realm of Spring. I live beyond these realms. Back in your realm, the shapeshifters are more common."
"If you can get me to the Ice Queen's palace, then we've got a deal," she said, extending her hand to him.
"You've got it," the shapeshifter shook her hand.
-x-
"The Ice Queen and I have a past," Jacob said, curtly. "We go way back to the Beginning of Time when the First World was created. The Four Seasons were starting out. Then there was their youngest sister, Ice, who took up the competing title of queen alongside her sister Winter. That's how they became the Snow Queen and the Ice Queen.
"I fell in love with the Ice Queen and wanted to propose to her. But ever since the First World's destruction, I've been caught between seasons to find my bride until you and Janet came and proved yourselves to Aslan and to the Spring Witch," he explained. "Ever since Gerda defeated the Snow Queen, not too long ago, I was released from my prison, an invisible world known only to a few. I intend to have the Ice Queen back, my Ice, and see to it that no one stands between us again!"
-x-
"Jacob," The Ice Queen said, haughtily. She laughed, waving her hand in the air for an icicle to attack him. "For the last time, you shall not have this icicle."
"Oh Ice, didn't you know? You're not the queen of winter," Jacob moved in, pulling out a trinket and pressing it on the Ice Queen's shoulder. He jumped back the moment she spun around, shocked by the heat emitting from the trinket. The icicle dropped from her hand, shattering on the ground. He approached her, the moment she was on the floor, kissing her cheek, fondly. "Come on. Let's get you home, Ice." He picked her up and carried her towards the nearest opening. He looked back at Janet and Anabeth, who joined her mother. He nodded to them, before proceeding to the leave the castle, taking his bride with him.
The castle reverted to its original state, allowing Janet to see that she and her daughter were back in the Druid's Keep, in the Four Lands.
Janet couldn't believe it. Jacob won, but something didn't add up. "Where's the icicle?" Janet asked, searching the study for the object the Ice Queen had kept on her. She looked up, right as Anabeth pulled out an icicle from a table, along with a note.
"Here's the icicle you wanted. Use it to save Parker Dooley's life. Thank you for helping me out. Jacob," Anabeth read, smiling.
"Mission complete," Janet said with a sigh.
-x-
Anabeth said, concerned. "Do we know who the leaders are, for this alliance?"
"It's Eliza Bowler-Dooley that's forming this alliance, along with her lion Corin," Janet explained. "I don't know what this is about, but if it'll help us bring this icicle to Parker Dooley," she showed her daughter the icicle that they received from the shapeshifter Jacob, from the Ice Queen, "then I say, 'why not'?" She smiled. "Are you joining me? We can start anew in the Land of Dragons."
Anabeth nodded.
~o~
The Renegade Alliance
Aslan continued with an air of confidence, "This lion Tack has done nothing wrong! When the First World was destroyed, Tack got pulled away from his family and brought to that prison now known as the Fafnir Prison. I could not control the tornado that brought Tack here, but now that he's here, Tack could prove to be a great asset to our cause."
"What cause?" the orange dragonoid asked, suspicious of Tack.
"Vitiate, the Sith Lord in the Galaxy Far, Far Away, has betrayed Maranguan. Therefore, Maranguan is now Parker Dooley, but Parker will need to be whole again in order to be good. We must ensure this happens," Aslan explained. "That is why the Renegade Alliance is created: to help Parker be whole again and good. Right now, he is in the neutral zone between the light and the darkness. If you trust my word, and that is all the proof you need, then I can assure you that we will bring Parker Dooley home."
-x-
"Who are you?" Tack asked the orange dragonoid, curious. "You seemed to have taken an interest to this Alliance, and yet I do not know your name."
"Brody," The orange dragonoid introduced himself. "My name is Brody. Brody 'Slipstream' Andersen, as they call me." He said with pride.
"Brody, I'm Tack," Tack said officially.
"I know," Brody said, delighted to make a new friend. "Here's hoping we get Parker back home safe and sound."
"Right. I wish for that, too," Tack said, staring at the sunset in disdain.
-x-
As Eliza and Corin made their rounds, Eliza checked the galaxy map in the war room. That was strange. There was another world coming into focus. It was the planet Zafna, a lush, green world with lots of temples and forests. It was also where the Shadow Empire was located. Eliza smiled. They were closer now to finding Parker and bringing him home. She just hoped that Parker was expecting her, too, if he was at all.
~o~
Maxin: Pilot of the Galaxies
The young woman sighed, deciding to tell him, "Alright, my name is Melena, but in another galaxy, in another dimension, I will be known as Melanie Hopson. It's a long tale." She looked away for a moment. A thought crossed her mind. She decided to ask Maxin instead, "Hey, you're looking for a co-pilot, right? I've seen my fair share of ships. I've flown ships in the past. I even flew the escape pod that helped my sisters and me escape the First World. But there was a problem with the escape pod."
She paused. "By the time the escape pod landed in this world, it split in two. My mother and my sisters were taken from me, sent through another portal. I was brought to this world. I don't know what happened to rest of my family." She added, "There was also a brother and a father. The Shaman of the Whills is my father. My brother's name is Daaron, but he goes by Tack. My sisters are Qua'ra, Kat'ka, and an unknown sister, who I didn't catch her name before we were parted. Now, I have no way to get to them. I'm the eldest, even though Qua'ra won't admit it. She claims she's the eldest and boy, is she wrong!
"I'm also a shapeshifter and can transform into a lioness, not a scarred lioness since I didn't receive the jagged scars like my brother and my sisters did, but oh well," Melena said, finishing her speech. "I want to help you out if I can."
"Welcome aboard," Maxin said, delighted to hear her story in full.
-x-
"I've seen enough," Melena said, heading back through the door. Maxin followed Tack in the same direction, back to Xanax's room, unsure what to make of what they saw. As soon as the door was closed, Melena told her companions in annoyance. "I cannot believe our mother did that, Tack! If she is as evil as they've said she was, then we should have seen it! She's not here anymore, not among the living, at least."
"Helen the Shapeshifter lived as well as she did, but even she kept track of Maxin's parents, and we know her fate." Tack said, caringly. "Now, we must protect Maxin and help him find his father, as well as our sisters. It's important that we do this, Melena. We don't have to stay here anymore if you don't want to."
"But how are we to find them?" Maxin asked, confused.
-x-
"You're awake!" Melena cried out in joy. "Get a good night's rest? For us, it's been four weeks since we left Belsavis. It'll be almost a year by the time we get back to the Land of Dragons. Sleep well then?"
"Why did you do that? Put me to sleep?" Maxin asked, cautious. He took a seat in one of the other chairs.
"You were asking for it. Those herbs helped you sleep. It shouldn't affect you too badly," Tack said, pointedly. "Melena and I have been traveling from world to world, picking up information as we went. It turns out there was more to our story than we would have liked to know."
"We're almost there," Melena said, as they neared their destination. "And there it is! Zafna in the Centaurian System." She said as the ship came out of hyperspace and out of the wormhole.
Maxin looked on at the window, seeing a world that had lush green environment in one area and barren land in the next, as well as temperate land in another area. From the galaxy map, Maxin caught the information written on it. The Shadow Empire was here. Parker Dooley… his father was here. This was Parker's main base.
-x-
Maxin found a bench and sat down. What a way to end a mission. Even though it felt completed, he felt worn out, as if he didn't get to be a part of the travels. If he truly wanted to do some galaxy hopping and be known as a Pilot of the Galaxies, then he would have to be awake for it.
Well, he did manage that title, didn't he? He traveled to two galaxies on his first mission. It was better than nothing. Maybe next time, when he was better prepared, he would have a mission all to himself. For now, he was just happy to be home. And that was all that mattered to him, at least for a while.
"Hello Maxin," Aslan said, joining the lad. "Welcome home."
~o~
The Maranguan Chronicles [Trilogy]:
Maranguan's Apprentice
"It's true." She said, admitting freely, "You'll never were truly a true dark lord. You might as well accept it."
"We will build this empire for you, but it must be a balance between the light and the dark," the queen suggested to the scarred red dragonoid.
Maranguan thought it over. Vitiate did betray him. Everything he knew was wrong. Oh, what could he do? Should he accept his true name, his true self? Or was he always evil? He'd done evil deeds, killed… but then, so did the heroes. He sighed in angst. None of it made sense!
The yellow in his eyes flashed against the red. If he understood one thing, while using his new name, it was that he could turn to the light and the dark. He'd be powerful, as he already said. But was it all worth it? Try as he might, he simply couldn't ignore the queen's wishes, nor did he feel the need to waste a life. Maybe there was a reason to move on.
His yellow eyes stopped flashing in and out, joining with the red at the edges of the irises. He nodded, finally understanding the true point of good and evil.
"I was trying so hard to be evil," Maranguan said, feeling his old self returning.
"That's the spirit!" Parker Dooley said in his thoughts. "We're not good and we're not evil. We're changed into something more. You know who you truly are."
Maranguan smirked. "I guess I'll have to thank my brother for this lesson, once I've found him."
-x-
"How can I face him? Vitiate? I'm not that strong," Parker said, curtly.
"In time, you will find strength you need to move on, to get out of this place and leave Zafna," Aslan said, calmly. "Your strength lies within you. The fact that you touched both light and dark, as well as your mysterious good-and-evil half, depends greatly on your success." He sighed. "Maranguan is not all that he seems. He may be good, he may be bad. What you do now is up to you.
"Craft your empire. Let it be not of light, nor of darkness, but something in-between," the Great Lion said with confidence.
"I don't know how," the half-scarred red dragonoid said, confused.
"You're already doing it," Aslan said. "Think back on what Maranguan said. The light and the darkness coexist. In time, you will find others like you who are governed by their intuition." He added, "If you truly wish to become that, there is an icicle that Janet and her daughter Anabeth are searching for now. It will help you with this task. It will be scary, it will be dangerous, but I know you can do it."
"I'll try," Parker said, uncertain about this.
"I know you will," he said, calmly. He blew on the dragonoid, forcing Parker back into the folds of his mind. When the dragonoid awoke, he felt better, if not more so. Both he and Maranguan's thoughts were in line now.
Nothing else mattered but this moment, and it made the red dragonoid relieved to find himself again.
-x-
"It's beautiful here," Qua'ra said, joining her half-scarred red dragonoid companion. "I'm surprised we're staying, building this empire. I think the name Scar-ra is growing on me after all." She shrugged, smiling. "Perhaps I'll use it one day."
"Do you want to become my apprentice?" Parker asked her, curious. "You don't have to! It's a suggestion." He admitted, "The Matriarch has been teaching me about the balance in the Force, the balance of the Universe. We could need that in this war to come."
Qua'ra smiled at him. "I'd like that." She added, patting his leg. "We're united."
"One can hope so," Parker said, believing that now, more than anything.
~o~
The Shadow Empire
"Now Parker, I want you to think of nothing else for a few minutes," Qua'ra instructed. "Don't even think of me, your wife. Anyone but you. Focus on what you want to bring forth. In this case, your human form. Remember your shapeshifting training. Now, think of what your human self looks like. Concentrate. Believe that you are that form. The rest will come easily."
She opened her eyes, stunned to see a human man with hairy hobbit feet, brown locks of soft, curly, thick hair, and pale skin. His features were fair, almost elven. As he opened his eyes, she saw blue irises that looked like the sky. He felt his ears, finding they were short tipped. She smiled, the second the hobbit-human checked himself over. He smiled, bowing to her as they stood up.
"Thank you, Qua'ra," it was Parker. She recognized his voice! They'd done it!
"You're human," Qua'ra said with a smile.
Parker smiled, too. "It appears so. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Qua'ra said, standing up as well and putting her pillow in the bin.
-x-
"Thank you for everything," Parker said as if knowing what to say. He stood up, admitting to her, "I must run this empire. We need allies. Maybe find a team of heroes, willing to be on our side."
"What?" Qua'ra asked, confused.
Parker smiled. "It's an idea, one I came up with recently." He explained, "We need to find a group of heroes, misfits, outcasts. The like of which this world or any world has ever seen. I don't know how long it will take to find them, but when I do, I'll make them join our squad."
"You can't make somebody do what they don't want to do," Qua'ra said, concerned. She took a breath, telling him, "They must make that choice themselves."
"That is if they're willing to work together," he said, grinning. He added, "They'll be called the Shadow Squad."
-x-
"When Morpheus created my mother, Helen the Shapeshifter, Helen fell in love with one of the Shamans of the Whills. They gave birth to me and my sister. My father, the Shaman, hated the idea that all three of us were shapeshifters. So, he banished us to this galaxy, praying for the day when he might come back." Qua'ra said, truthful. "I doubt he will. He died when the First World was destroyed. I just hope the other Whills didn't take him away. That Shaman might be on our trail now."
"I believe you," Parker said, curtly.
"You do?" Qua'ra asked. She admitted, "I mean, what happened in that building was so strange. It was like that Eldest Rakata was my father, just in a different form." She trembled, unsure what to do.
Parker sighed. He knew he had to do something, but what? "Hey, calm down." He placed a hand on her left arm. "We'll find your father." He said, calmly. "I promise we will."
"Thank you," Qua'ra said with a smile. "You're such a good dragonoid."
"Um…" Parker checked his pale human-hobbit skin. He smiled. "Actually, I think I'll stay in this form for a while. Let's go home." He said, prepping up the ship for takeoff.
~o~
The Shaman of the Whills
Maranguan collapsed on the ground, smiling, "You passed the test. You've proven to the Shaman who you truly are. The Shaman of the Whills won't harm his daughter and you know that. Qua'ra isn't who you think she is, but she is willing to rule the Shadow Empire until it falls or until she goes mad. The world is filled with grey light, that shows no light nor darkness than us. You have the power to change things throughout the Ages. The upcoming Ages. The second you make that sacrifice, you won't need a weapon to do that. You'll be restored to your old self, if not changed for the better or for the worse, depending on your view.
"Goodbye. Good luck with your quest to defeat Vitiate and his soldiers," Maranguan lowered his head, vanishing into a thick smoke, same with Eliza and the Shadow Qua'ra. Parker turned to the real Qua'ra, who lay unconscious on the sand. Parker dived for her, setting his weapon aside, and placed his hand on the back of her head.
-x-
"Qua'ra, what happened back there?" Parker asked her, cautious with his words. "Your father wanted to protect you, but he may the wrong choices. It just proves that he's not perfect, at least not as perfect as you think he is."
"He comes from the Wellspring of Life," Qua'ra said, softly. "I can assure you there's darkness as well as life on that planet, but it's as pure as they come. My father made mistakes like we do, but he's gained something we have yet to achieve. He gave me long life, same as my family. We were destined to rule the Shadow Empire, taking your place over time." She added out of reassurance, "But only when you're ready to give up the throne, then Gore will take over as emperor."
"So, there's nothing we can do about it?" Parker asked, curious.
"No, there isn't," Qua'ra said, shyly. "My father is a Whill. The shapeshifters were born from the Whills. You have that ability, too. It was a gift the Whills gave to you when you were an egg." She admitted, "I was there when my father gave that gift to you. He said that you were special, that you would be in the grey, a grey dragonoid or halfling, whichever you prefer. You'd be a great asset to us all if only you could only accept it."
She added, "I'm not sure what else will happen to you, what you will become, but you didn't turn evil for no reason. In fact, you were a pretty awesome villain."
"Thank you," Parker said with a warm smile. He regretted that smile afterwards. "Maybe I shouldn't take credit for that. In fact," he sighed in defeat, "I wonder how my family is doing. It's been so long since I've seen them."
"If anything, they'll welcome you home. You only need to tell me when you want, in order to defeat Vitiate. Then Gore and I will take over the Shadow Empire," Qua'ra said, calmly.
"You've thought this one out, haven't you?" Parker said, cautious.
"I like to think ahead. It helps me think," Qua'ra shrugged.
-x-
"Hey Qua'ra," Parker hesitated, gathering his courage, "what do you think became of Janet and Tobias? Or even my wife and my son? I don't even know where they are or what they are doing at this moment."
"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find them," Qua'ra said, walking away from the ship. "Oh, and I'll be learning the ropes some more with Gore. I trust we'll go through training with you before we take over. That is if you want to train us."
Parker nodded. "Sure. Why not?" He joined her, walking with her through the temple and into the grand war room, where holoterminals were placed throughout the large room. "It'll keep us busy."
"Sir, the war council is ready, waiting for your orders," a male purple dragonoid approached the two, speaking directly to the hobbit.
Parker sighed, realizing this war against Vitiate wasn't over. It had only just begun. But he wouldn't give up hope. No. He would see his family again and defeat Vitiate, up until his last breath was drawn.
*.*.*
References:
Fafnir comes from Norse Mythology. Belsavis is one of the planets in the "Star Wars" galaxy. The Shaman of the Whills is also from the "Star Wars" galaxy. Morpheus comes from Greek Mythology. Gerda, The Spring Witch, and the Snow Queen are from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Snow Queen.
