Chapter Twelve Disclaimers: Frodo Baggins comes from J.R.R. Tolkien's book trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Aslan comes from C.S. Lewis' book series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Allanon comes from Terry Brooks' book series, Shannara, and Terry Brooks, MTV, and Spike's "The Shannara Chronicles." Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader and the Rakata comes from George Lucas, Bioware, and Disney's "Star Wars." Parker Dooley | Maranguan, Eliza Bowler-Dooley, Turen Dooley | Mordru, and Syrena are my Original Characters. Paravane Trepess is my Original Location. My self-insert is me.
Chapter Twelve Songs: "Odessen" ambient music from Bioware's, "Star Wars: The Old Republic." "The Bells of Notre Dame," song from Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
Warning! This chapter is Rated M for violence.
Chapter Twelve Summary: Parker Dooley is reunited with his wife, Eliza Bowler-Dooley, and his younger brother, Turen Dooley. Although their meeting is rocky, Parker reluctantly follows Turen, as well as Eliza and Anakin Skywalker, to their new base, from which they, along with an assembly of beings and creatures, discuss the Alternate Timelines, the mysterious Melissa Snowberry, Father Time, and the fates of Frodo Baggins and Aria Breuer.
Honestly, this chapter wrote itself. It didn't take much effort to write it, once I got going. And yes, there is a confrontation between Parker and Turen, which explains the rating for this chapter.
Other than that, enjoy! :)
Chapter Twelve:
Back to Base
The grey mist surrounding Parker and Anakin soon vanished. The last of the mist escaping Paravane Trepess in no time at all.
Parker couldn't believe it! He patted his white long sleeved shirt, brown waistcoat, and black trousers with little effort. Wait! These weren't the same clothes he had on earlier. Did the Void have something to do with his wardrobe change? Or was it Father Time's doing? How long had they been trapped in the Void?
Oof, Father Time would get it!
Parker's yellow dragon's eyes scanned the area, his mind too focused on the town, Paravane Trepess.
Yes, the massive town looked the same as ever. But there were some differences that Parker picked up on: was there a massive building standing in the near distance. It was a place from which soldiers and allies met under grave circumstances. The banners hung along the grey stone pillars, showing the Light Side as well as the Dark Side.
To be honest, Parker didn't recognize the symbols on the banners. Maybe they weren't Jedi and Sith symbols, but the colors light blue and red shown on the banners respectively.
Parker remained suspicious of the building, even as he heard a familiar feminine voice calling out to him: "Parker?! Parker Dooley, I found you! I found you! Oh Parker!" It was Eliza! Eliza Bowler-Dooley. Parker knew her voice, recognized it, too!
"Eliza, I found you, too!" Parker said, scooping her up into a bear hug, as they held each other and kissed.
Anakin chuckled behind Parker, just as Parker and Eliza released. They soon faced Anakin, enjoying his company.
"Hello Anakin," Eliza stated, calmly. "It's been too long. And you're a Force Ghost now? Excellent. We need more Force Ghosts on our team!"
"Team? What… team?" Parker asked, confused. He glanced up at a light red dragonoid, youthful in appearance, but filled with a dark, gruesome past. The way Turen Dooley smiled at him was beyond measure. Parker couldn't believe he was face to face with his younger brother, who had only been a little boy in what seemed like ages ago.
"Hello brother!" Turen said with a fair smirk on his face. "It's been too long."
"Why yes, it has, Mordru," Parker stated, moving away from Eliza to get a good hard look at his younger brother.
Turen's smirk grew wider. "Now, look, brother, is that any way to…"
SMACK!
Turen took two steps back, feeling the weight of the blow Parker gave him against his right cheek. Turen observed his scaly, light red hand, seeing there was no blood on it. A fortunate time, if he said so himself.
"Parker!" Eliza said, in shock, as Parker shook his hand. "Is that any way to treat your brother?"
Parker hissed at Turen, while raising a hand gently to calm Eliza down.
Parker turned to Turen in rage, saying to him in a calm, but angry tone, "I've been meaning to do that punch for years! Don't you know you betrayed everyone when you became Mordru? You're just as wicked as I am. Don't forget that, Turen!"
"Well," Turen said, fondly, "I guess you deserve a punch, too, for becoming Maranguan. The Dark Side resides in both of us. Only… only you're still playing the hero, pretending to be a good man, a good dragonoid."
Parker hissed softly at him. "I gave up that life a long time ago." He said, referring to his life as the Dark Lord, Maranguan.
Turen chuckled, shyly, "That you did. But you forget we're cut from the same cloth. I was earlier than you at becoming evil."
"Parker," Eliza said, getting Parker's attention, "we should go. All of us should leave at once." She glanced over at Anakin, who merely smirked at her.
"As you wish," Anakin stated in a joking manner.
Eliza gazed at him now with reassurance. "I'm serious."
"I know, you are," Anakin said, quite plainly. "Shall we?" He kept his arms folded as he walked, dropping them in moments as he approached Parker and Turen. "She's something, isn't she?"
Parker shrugged. "She's my wife. I love her too much."
"I wouldn't dream you'd stop," Eliza said, sincerely.
Parker smiled at her. "No, of course I wouldn't. I love you too much, Eliza."
Eliza chuckled, patting his arm, "I know, Parker. Shall we?" She waited on him to extend his arm down to her. Parker did, watching her as she took it. Eliza laughed, saying to him, "Come on. We're in the third war room. It's not too far away from here."
"Right. Well, come on. We'd better hurry. Whoever's in there must be waiting for us," Parker said, returning to his horse, still tied to its post. Eliza followed, watching him as he untied the reins from the post, before Parker lifted her up onto the horse's saddle. He joined her moments later, seated on the saddle behind her. Turen grabbed his horse, leaving Parker confused.
"What?" Turen asked, cautious now. He patted his blond palomino horse, saying to Parker, "You're not the only one who rides."
Parker shook his head. "Ever versant as ever.
Turen shrugged. "I don't know what that means." His horse reared up on its hind legs, whinnying, as Turen rode through town, towards the base.
Parker gazed at Eliza, seated in front of him. He leaned his head against her ear, whispering to her, "You'll be staying with me." Eliza giggled. Parker smirked, loving her giggles. "I knew you'd do that. Here we go." He moved his head back, guiding his steed down the road, towards the building. Anakin followed them, moving in quick speed towards the building, where Eliza mentioned the war room was located.
By the time they reached the base, Parker dismounted, helping Eliza off his horse, before planting her feet on the pebbled dirt road. He tied his horse to a post, next to Turen's horse, before Parker grabbed Eliza's hand, guiding her up the steps. The doors to the base were wide opened, granting passage to anyone who entered it. Parker took one glance at Eliza, adrenaline rushing through their veins, as they entered the base in no time.
~o~
The foyer inside the base had grey stone walls, floor, and a tall grey stone ceiling. The windows were narrow, tall, and rectangular, while the war rooms were spacious and decked out with arched wide windows, as well as massive metallic holoterminals. Various control panels lined the walls in the foyer as well as in the war rooms, from which Parker and Eliza walked out of the foyer into the third war room.
As they walked with Turen and Anakin within the third war room, which was the most spacious room in the entire building, Parker took a good hard look at the sculpted wall resting on one end of the room. The etched carving represented the Great Lion, Aslan, merely staring at the light red dragonoid from where he stayed, moving about the walls as though he knew everything going on there.
Parker couldn't believe it. How long had Aslan been away from them? Did Aslan still roam these lands? Or was everyone left alone, just waiting for the Great Lion to show up to them?
All at once, there was a gathering of beings and creatures, gathering around a massive holoterminal from which many planets were revealed in the blue hologram.
A unicorn spoke up. Parker recognized her, a white standard unicorn with an iridescent horn atop her head, as Syrena. She was fair and brave, but youthful and wise. She was meant to be here, now, at this very hour. As for Melissa Snowberry—Seraphina was her name—was missing.
Where did Sera go? She couldn't have missed this meeting for no reason.
"Attention, everyone!" Eliza cried, getting the entire group to fall silent. Parker was impressed with her, seeing his wife becoming a leader. He was proud of her. "We're still waiting for Aslan to come, but so are we missing Melissa Snowberry, or Seraphina as she's called."
She looked at the group, mustering the courage to ask them, "Has anyone seen Melissa?"
Syrena shook her head. "No. The last I recall, she went through a portal. She's back in the Alternate Timelines, perhaps gone insane. It's not the same place we left it."
Parker nodded, interjecting at once, "She's a nuisance. Always hanging around Aria. The last we heard of her, she and Frodo are at Father Time's house. I saw them both last, before I was dragged back here, to the town Paravane Trepess. No one's seen either of them since then. I'd like to bring them back here for questioning."
Eliza looked at Parker, admitting to him, "It's not entirely Aria's fault. The Rakata did this to all of us. We were sucked into their Alternate Timelines, the same ones Seraphina's heading into. She was looking for Nash Wimble, but last I recall, he's you."
Parker huffed. The very thought sickened him. "I know. Don't worry, Eliza. I love you more. But Melissa has a lot to answer to. It's no wonder she chose Aria to have as a daughter back in the Alternate Timelines. She must really need her. Otherwise, why would she go off searching for us?"
A silence stirred in the war room.
No one knew what to say.
Syrena spoke up, breaking the silence. She looked at Parker now, telling him, "Maybe you should go after them. Eliza can stay, but you're needed with them, Parker. Frodo, Aria, and Seraphina, they need you. We all do."
Parker shrugged, chiding with himself, "What do you want me to do? Walk up to Father Time and go, 'hey, look! I need Frodo and Aria back! Would you bring them to me?'" Parker shook his head, admitting in a more serious voice, "Oh please. I doubt Father Time is willingly t let Frodo and Aria go, given what they did. They're his prisoners. There's no way they're getting out of there alive."
"But we have to try!" Syrena interjected, leaving Parker closing his mouth, intimidated by her. Syrena reminded him, "If someone doesn't outwit Father Time again, who knows what he might do."
"Yes, but it's not as though I'd dealt with him before," Parker said, knowing full well what happened between Father Time and the hobbits.
"But still, we got to try," Eliza stated, leaving Parker whimpering.
"But it's Father Time! I can't!" Parker winced, hoping to get out of this.
"If you don't face me now, I will have something to say about it all! Now MOVE!" Father Time shouted, startling Parker and everyone in the third war room.
Parker whimpered. He didn't like this at all! "Why?! Why should I go to your realm? I won't do it! No! I refuse to go!" He raised his head up high, not liking this moment.
"Come on," Father Time said, appearing in the room, right as a portal opened.
Parker closed his eyes, hopeful that Father Time would leave him alone. He opened them again to find a green-rimmed portal with a grey smoky tornado vortex, located within the portal. The portal stood in the middle of the room, with Father Time, in his elderly man appearance, gesturing the way through the portal with his staff.
Parker huffed. He didn't like this.
Eliza grabbed Parker's arm, telling him, "Come on. The sooner you bring them back, the better."
Father Time chuckled, saying to Parker, "Oh yes, Frodo and Aria are my prisoners, eh? Next time, don't judge me, before you've met me! Now, come! We must go!"
"Parker," Syrena said, getting the scaly, light red dragonoid's attention, "good luck."
Parker nodded, smirking at her. "I will come back with them,' he said, referring to Frodo and Aria, "I promise you, I will."
"Yes, yes, yes," Father Time stated in a serious tone, "now, come on. We don't have a lot of time, before this portal closes up."
"I'll be waiting here for them here," Anakin said, also referring to Frodo and Aria. He turned to Parker, telling him, "Should you need me, I will come."
"Right." Parker said, not liking this. "Well, here I go." He walked through the portal, finding himself in front of a glass and drywall house. He looked and saw Frodo and Aria were present by the front door to Father Time's house. Father Time was already with them.
But there was someone there, someone not from Father Time's realm.
It was Allanon. It had to be!
How was that? Once again, the storylines are meeting up! :)
I'm already brainstorming the next chapter. So, we'll see how Parker, Frodo, my self-insert, and Father Time handle meeting each other, as well as meeting with Allanon, too. :)
Thanks for reading. More to come! :)
~Aria Breuer