Chapter XI: The Homecoming
Teelina stood for a long moment while, slowly, the true implications of what she had agreed to, and what she had willingly given in to, seeped in. I'm Moria's.. For twelve hours.. Oh Elders! What have I done?
*You have made yourself mine, Teelina,* came the voice of the Dereskian Queen in her mind. Teelina spun and looked at the elder woman, who stood a few paces behind her.
The white-haired woman smiled softly. "I would have thought that would be obvious, and yet apparently you find difficulty in accepting the fact." She stepped gracefully forward and placed her hand upon the younger woman's shoulder.
The Sorceress' lower lip trembled ever so slightly, but it was not in fear. "I should!" she exclaimed angrily, practically wrenching herself from Moria's grasp and backing away. "I don't know what I was thinking! This is utterly absurd! The very idea that I could ever be yours, even for a short period is--"
"Teelina!" Moria interrupted, putting her hand to the younger woman's lips. "I have only twelve hours with you, and I do not intend to waste them in a pointless argument. You made a vow, on your honor as Grayskull's keeper, that you would be mine if you failed to find my home. You gave up your search, declaring me the victor by default. I will say no more on the subject than this: You lost. I did not." She removed her hand and made is if to turn down a corridor.
The Sorceress grabbed her arm, and Moria turned slowly around to face the younger woman. Teelina looked at her, as if in defiance of what had been said. "I will never be yours!" she exclaimed angrily.
Amethyst eyes spun wildly and stared into blue. "Teelina," Moria intoned calmly. "You have been mine since before you could walk."
Infuriated, the redhead looked as if she wanted to say something, but Moria cut her off.
"As I said, Teelina," she said softly, again putting her hand to the other's lips. "I will not argue this point with you. There are other things that need to be done in these few hours." Without another word, the elder woman grasped the tan hand of the Sorceress in her pale one.
Instead of sinking into the floor, as Teelina expected, Moria instead led her to the viewing chamber, and bade her to sit in her throne at the pinnacle of the golden pyramid. Not really knowing why she did so, Teelina obeyed.
Lady Moria stood in front of her, saying nothing, not touching her, merely looking straight into her eyes.
After several minutes of this, the Sorceress finally interrupted the silence, commanding, "Quit staring at me and just do it!"
The elder woman seemed to break out of a reverie. "And what exactly is it that you expect me to do?" she asked, the barest hint of a smile on her lips.
"Anything! Everything! I don't care! Just do it, and get it over with!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes flashing beneath her turquoise headdress.
Moria's eyes flashed amusingly, but she said nothing.
After another few minutes, Teelina let out an exasperated sigh. "Do we have to be within these walls while you're doing this?"
"Is there something about your home you find discouraging, Teelina?" the white-haired woman asked. If one were looking hard enough, one could tell that her mind was not anywhere near what was occurring in reality. Moria was no fool. She knew that the Sorceress expected her to rape her or some other such physical torture. What she actually had in mind, though, had nothing to do with physicality whatsoever. "And actually, yes, we do. For what I have in mind for the next few hours, in will be necessary for you to be in your human form, and I cannot keep you as such and do what I have planned simultaneously. I'm not all-powerful, you know."
The younger woman scoffed. "Forgive me if I don't agree. It's hard to think that when you toss around the spells of the Elders as if they were no more than mere toys."
"You mean that that they are not?" Teelina shot the older woman a glare that could have frightened a brooding dragon. Moria laughed softly. "I know, little one, I know. You're very protective of your 'Elders'. I won't criticize them in your presence."
There was a long pause. She smiled softly. "Teelina," she began in a deeper tone of voice. She leaned in very close to the younger woman. "Do you trust me?"
"Not a chance," the younger woman replied acidly, trying to back further into the chair.
Lady Moria smiled, and brought her hand to lift up the Sorceress' chin and brought her face in closer, so that their foreheads almost touched. "Good," she whispered, and their heads touched.
A shooting pain went through the younger woman, beginning in her head and washing throughout her entire body and filling it with what seemed to be liquid fire. Teelina closed her eyes and tried to grab her head in pain, but found there was no longer any pain to speak of. And, to her amazement, she discovered that she was no longer seated in her chair. In fact, as she stood from sitting apparently on air, she found she was no longer anywhere near Grayskull, or Lady Moria.
"Not entirely true, my dear," said a voice behind her.
Teelina spun and looked upon the Ancient. Lady Moria had her back to her, and she stood upon the edge of a ravine. For an awful moment, the Sorceress was tempted to give her a good shove.
Once again, as if reading her thoughts, which she probably was, Moria spoke. "I wouldn't suggest it, little one," she said, sounding amused. She turned her head back and looked at the redhead, winking. "You'd never get out of this dream if you did so."
For the first time, Teelina looked around her. "This is a dream?" she asked, a bit overwhelmed. All around her, a lush plateau of the greenest grass she had ever seen grew rampant. There were dozens of trees everywhere. She dared to come closer to the elder woman and looked down into the valley below the cliff they stood on. Her breath caught in her throat.
"What is this?" she asked, her breath taken by the shimmering land beneath her.
Moria looked at her gently. "This?" she repeated. "This is home. Or it was, a long time ago."
They were both silent for a few long moments. Speaking is unnecessary when admiring true beauty.
"Is this what your land used to look like?" The Sorceress questioned after a long, awe-filled silence.
The elder woman was silent. She stood, drinking in the sight before her like as an abuser does with their drug of choice. "Yes," she whispered. The Ancient Dereskian closed her eyes and let it all seep into her. Finally, the amethyst eyes opened.
They had moved into the valley. The glittering oasis was gone, replaced by a sand-filled desert with nothing but a few shrubs growing.
"And this is what it became." The words were flat, with no emotion whatsoever apparent in the tone.
Teelina looked upon the crumbled buildings and endless sands that she had come to associate with as The Sands of Time. "Oh, Moria," she said softly. "I'm sorry."
A pause. A small breeze passed by, carrying the elder woman's hair almost caressingly. "Why?" she finally asked. "You did not cause it to become this way. You were a mere child at the time."
"I was four hundred years old," Teelina corrected.
Moria nodded. "A child."
The redhead was silent for a few minutes. "I helped it become like this," she said quietly.
The elder woman did not ask her to specify. "Your role was minimal, little one. I know," she replied, almost whispering. "I did not show this place to make you feel guilty, Teelina," she clarified. "I did it so that you would perhaps understand a bit better where I came from. Where your father's people," she turned and looked into the glittering blue eyes of the Sorceress, "came from."
Silence again filled the air between them as they both looked at the sand- filled wasteland.
Eventually, Moria placed her hand upon the younger woman's shoulder. "Come," she said softly. "There is much more I want to show you." Teelina took a last look at the perpetual sands and sighed almost longingly.
They began to fade out of the dream. "Ashes to ashes," Moria said softly. "And dust to dust." The redhead looked up at the elder woman, and thought for a moment she saw the barest hint of wetness cloud an amethyst eye. And then the dream world was gone.
Within the Sands of Time, a small, insignificant spot of moisture fell and quickly vanished into the thirsty ground.
Teelina stood for a long moment while, slowly, the true implications of what she had agreed to, and what she had willingly given in to, seeped in. I'm Moria's.. For twelve hours.. Oh Elders! What have I done?
*You have made yourself mine, Teelina,* came the voice of the Dereskian Queen in her mind. Teelina spun and looked at the elder woman, who stood a few paces behind her.
The white-haired woman smiled softly. "I would have thought that would be obvious, and yet apparently you find difficulty in accepting the fact." She stepped gracefully forward and placed her hand upon the younger woman's shoulder.
The Sorceress' lower lip trembled ever so slightly, but it was not in fear. "I should!" she exclaimed angrily, practically wrenching herself from Moria's grasp and backing away. "I don't know what I was thinking! This is utterly absurd! The very idea that I could ever be yours, even for a short period is--"
"Teelina!" Moria interrupted, putting her hand to the younger woman's lips. "I have only twelve hours with you, and I do not intend to waste them in a pointless argument. You made a vow, on your honor as Grayskull's keeper, that you would be mine if you failed to find my home. You gave up your search, declaring me the victor by default. I will say no more on the subject than this: You lost. I did not." She removed her hand and made is if to turn down a corridor.
The Sorceress grabbed her arm, and Moria turned slowly around to face the younger woman. Teelina looked at her, as if in defiance of what had been said. "I will never be yours!" she exclaimed angrily.
Amethyst eyes spun wildly and stared into blue. "Teelina," Moria intoned calmly. "You have been mine since before you could walk."
Infuriated, the redhead looked as if she wanted to say something, but Moria cut her off.
"As I said, Teelina," she said softly, again putting her hand to the other's lips. "I will not argue this point with you. There are other things that need to be done in these few hours." Without another word, the elder woman grasped the tan hand of the Sorceress in her pale one.
Instead of sinking into the floor, as Teelina expected, Moria instead led her to the viewing chamber, and bade her to sit in her throne at the pinnacle of the golden pyramid. Not really knowing why she did so, Teelina obeyed.
Lady Moria stood in front of her, saying nothing, not touching her, merely looking straight into her eyes.
After several minutes of this, the Sorceress finally interrupted the silence, commanding, "Quit staring at me and just do it!"
The elder woman seemed to break out of a reverie. "And what exactly is it that you expect me to do?" she asked, the barest hint of a smile on her lips.
"Anything! Everything! I don't care! Just do it, and get it over with!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes flashing beneath her turquoise headdress.
Moria's eyes flashed amusingly, but she said nothing.
After another few minutes, Teelina let out an exasperated sigh. "Do we have to be within these walls while you're doing this?"
"Is there something about your home you find discouraging, Teelina?" the white-haired woman asked. If one were looking hard enough, one could tell that her mind was not anywhere near what was occurring in reality. Moria was no fool. She knew that the Sorceress expected her to rape her or some other such physical torture. What she actually had in mind, though, had nothing to do with physicality whatsoever. "And actually, yes, we do. For what I have in mind for the next few hours, in will be necessary for you to be in your human form, and I cannot keep you as such and do what I have planned simultaneously. I'm not all-powerful, you know."
The younger woman scoffed. "Forgive me if I don't agree. It's hard to think that when you toss around the spells of the Elders as if they were no more than mere toys."
"You mean that that they are not?" Teelina shot the older woman a glare that could have frightened a brooding dragon. Moria laughed softly. "I know, little one, I know. You're very protective of your 'Elders'. I won't criticize them in your presence."
There was a long pause. She smiled softly. "Teelina," she began in a deeper tone of voice. She leaned in very close to the younger woman. "Do you trust me?"
"Not a chance," the younger woman replied acidly, trying to back further into the chair.
Lady Moria smiled, and brought her hand to lift up the Sorceress' chin and brought her face in closer, so that their foreheads almost touched. "Good," she whispered, and their heads touched.
A shooting pain went through the younger woman, beginning in her head and washing throughout her entire body and filling it with what seemed to be liquid fire. Teelina closed her eyes and tried to grab her head in pain, but found there was no longer any pain to speak of. And, to her amazement, she discovered that she was no longer seated in her chair. In fact, as she stood from sitting apparently on air, she found she was no longer anywhere near Grayskull, or Lady Moria.
"Not entirely true, my dear," said a voice behind her.
Teelina spun and looked upon the Ancient. Lady Moria had her back to her, and she stood upon the edge of a ravine. For an awful moment, the Sorceress was tempted to give her a good shove.
Once again, as if reading her thoughts, which she probably was, Moria spoke. "I wouldn't suggest it, little one," she said, sounding amused. She turned her head back and looked at the redhead, winking. "You'd never get out of this dream if you did so."
For the first time, Teelina looked around her. "This is a dream?" she asked, a bit overwhelmed. All around her, a lush plateau of the greenest grass she had ever seen grew rampant. There were dozens of trees everywhere. She dared to come closer to the elder woman and looked down into the valley below the cliff they stood on. Her breath caught in her throat.
"What is this?" she asked, her breath taken by the shimmering land beneath her.
Moria looked at her gently. "This?" she repeated. "This is home. Or it was, a long time ago."
They were both silent for a few long moments. Speaking is unnecessary when admiring true beauty.
"Is this what your land used to look like?" The Sorceress questioned after a long, awe-filled silence.
The elder woman was silent. She stood, drinking in the sight before her like as an abuser does with their drug of choice. "Yes," she whispered. The Ancient Dereskian closed her eyes and let it all seep into her. Finally, the amethyst eyes opened.
They had moved into the valley. The glittering oasis was gone, replaced by a sand-filled desert with nothing but a few shrubs growing.
"And this is what it became." The words were flat, with no emotion whatsoever apparent in the tone.
Teelina looked upon the crumbled buildings and endless sands that she had come to associate with as The Sands of Time. "Oh, Moria," she said softly. "I'm sorry."
A pause. A small breeze passed by, carrying the elder woman's hair almost caressingly. "Why?" she finally asked. "You did not cause it to become this way. You were a mere child at the time."
"I was four hundred years old," Teelina corrected.
Moria nodded. "A child."
The redhead was silent for a few minutes. "I helped it become like this," she said quietly.
The elder woman did not ask her to specify. "Your role was minimal, little one. I know," she replied, almost whispering. "I did not show this place to make you feel guilty, Teelina," she clarified. "I did it so that you would perhaps understand a bit better where I came from. Where your father's people," she turned and looked into the glittering blue eyes of the Sorceress, "came from."
Silence again filled the air between them as they both looked at the sand- filled wasteland.
Eventually, Moria placed her hand upon the younger woman's shoulder. "Come," she said softly. "There is much more I want to show you." Teelina took a last look at the perpetual sands and sighed almost longingly.
They began to fade out of the dream. "Ashes to ashes," Moria said softly. "And dust to dust." The redhead looked up at the elder woman, and thought for a moment she saw the barest hint of wetness cloud an amethyst eye. And then the dream world was gone.
Within the Sands of Time, a small, insignificant spot of moisture fell and quickly vanished into the thirsty ground.