Sundered and Undone - A Dark Crystal Fanfic

It was dark and the night was humid, the forest trees grew ever-so-slightly, and gradually, sparser. With every mile. They had stopped to rest, for the fifth time that day. UrSaat was asleep, and SkekSept was staring into the darkness. Crestfallen didn’t even begin to describe him. The quiver of the jungle, the jeer of its animals, it all synchronised in a way that made the quiet between them all the more notable. SkekSept’s eyes fell, reluctantly the Chamberlain noted, to the mystic. His chest rose and fell, steady and strong, but the bruises on his long arms looked worse than ever. Dots were nails had dug into his counterpart’s arm.

Nails on hands, hands SkekSept stared down at next, oddly still. Usually the boy was shaking, fidgeting, peering around like a hatchling. But now he could’ve been a statue in the dark, with how wide his eyes were.

“Mmmmmm.”

His eyes flickered towards him, and SkekSil beamed, smoothly. “He does not blame you. You shouldn’t burden yourself with such things.” Especially when you had so much more to worry about, he crooned in his head.

“...Thank you.”

“Hmmm?”

SkekSept’s brow crinkled, as if he were still half-confused. “That’s what you say, isn’t it? When you’re...happy that someone’s done something?”

“Gratitude.” SkekSil crooned in confirmation. What a lovely opportunity. He stood, and came to sit by the youth once more. The fire, rather weak-willed, swayed unevenly in the night air. SkekSept didn’t flinch away. He didn’t really budge at all. “Though I’m inclined to know why. My presence is a gift enough, I know...”

An odd, reluctant smile passed over the youth’s face, as if he was amused – but very unsure of why he found the elder’s words funny. His mind only picked the wit halfway. The beam was gone very soon, though. “You helped me. Stop...them.”

Them? Ah. The Other. Unnamed. Would he ever comb a name from his shattered memories, as all the skeksis had – SkekSept included? He glanced, less kindly, at the sleeping UrRu. UrSaat had claimed his name, so the other would have the other fragment. Hm.

No time to dwell over the names. His smile stretched silkily across his beak, “You are welcome. Hmm.”  Affable, always. The youth heaved a sigh, and went quiet, watching the leaves curling into ash by the fire.

“...Why are we here, SkekSil?”

Hearing his name so informally jarred him, breaking him out of his poise for a moment. SkekSil blinked, before resuming his calm motive, turning his head towards the sky. “I do not know. You two came here whole, for something. Perhaps curious. Hmm.” He almost chuckled, then, but decided not to. Curiosity. If anything should be named a vice, it should be that!

“Whole.” SkekSept murmured. It sounded like a lament.

SkekSil’s eye slid back towards him, with a hidden sharpness the boy didn’t see. That idea wouldn’t do at all. “You are free now, and a different being. It is time to move on ahead.” SkekSept’s eyes drifted to him, and he didn’t blink. That could have been a slip up.

But the boy’s attention returned to his UrRu, any suspicion that existed evaporating. A more sullen look crossed his silvery beak. “...I’m so lost in this world. I relied on UrSaat, but he doesn’t know all. No one does.”

SkekSil did not answer. He wasn’t quite sure he was meant to. “All will become clear soon. Mmmmmm.”

Another odd smile. SkekSept glanced at him, “Why do you, um, do that?”

SkekSil’s smile remained very much the same, though his eyes narrowed perhaps. “Expression.” And that was to it. SkekSept sighed, quietly, setting his hands on his lap. “I hope it is soon rather than later.”

Oh, dear child, SkekSil thought, staring into the dark, It shall be.

SkekSept’s eyes fell, eventually, and he nodded off – still sitting upright. The Chamberlain left him be. He looked between him and the UrRu, allowing his smile to grow crooked. Mangled teeth grunted, briefly, in the firelight.

Soon indeed.

...

Early morning came, and they wandered again. SkekSil oh-so-subtly taking the lead as SkekSept occupied himself with helping UrSaat along. He could barely keep his head up, with the taller’s arms strung over his nimble, scrawny shoulders. “Chamberlain.” He called, unevenly, “Is there somewhere to rest nearby?”

“Oh, yes.” They elder crooned from ahead. “I know this trail. MmmmMmm.” He was getting further and further ahead. The ground had grown dryer, the trees spaced out, but still they cut off the immediate few. SkekSept couldn’t concentrate on that. UrSaat wasn’t speaking much. He simply allowed himself to be half-carried along. Where was SkekSil?

He could only really look at his feet, and below his feet was rock. “UrSaat?” He inquired, voice raising an octave higher in worry. His companion didn’t answer. “SkekSil?” Louder still.

A rocky muddle of moss, bushes and heather towered up ahead, sprouting between the cracks. A thin line of trees blocked the trail before him. SkekSept huffed, growing breathless, and heaved his companion onward. Through the trees, he peered around. “Chamberlain...?”

His voice died. His body went rigid. The forest cut off entirely here, just...stopping. A steep slope, and then flat, barren land going on for miles. And it was all too familiar.

There was the castle, sitting upon the torn wasteland. They’d been led right back to it.

SkekSept was too busy gaping in horror to think. Wh...wh...but –

Something hit him roughly from the side, knocking him over. UrSaat fell from his grip and tumbled out of sight. Harsh rock collided painfully with the youth’s side, and he screwed his eyes shut to force off the jar. Then he pried them open, giving a start. The Chamberlain loomed over him, it was like an entirely different being had arisen, shred from the skin he’d been wearing for days. SkekSept tried to scramble back upright, but his legs failed him. “Y-you...”

“Come, now, there is no other way.” The Chamberlain breathed, reaching down, SkekSept recoiled away from the bony hand as much as he could, “You must come, now. Don’t flee!”

SkekSept wrenched himself back to his feet, but the claw-like fingers dug into his shoulder, impossible tight, surprisingly strong, old and frail SkekSil was stronger still. He squirmed, trying to throw himself back. “S-stop!”

He dug his feet into the rock, but the Chamberlain mercilessly tugged him forward.  

He couldn’t go back to the castle. Panic, swelling, bubbling, he knew what would happen if he returned. His voice broke. “Please! Stop!”

A figure threw itself at the Chamberlain from behind, wielding a rock – and brought it down on his arm. The skeksis hollered, his voice tearing at SkekSept’s eardrums, but even then he did let go. He swerved, rounding on UrSaat, half-bent, blind eyes wide.

SkekSil stared, aghast, at the blood dribbling down his shoulder. Then he jerked,

“UrRu!” He screeched, infuriated, SkekSept’s petrified look flickered between them –

“You die!”

SkekSil shoved the mystic back. And he fell back, down the high slope. SkekSept felt something in him turn to ice.

“No!”

He hurtled himself forward to follow, to see, to do something...but the Chamberlain’s arms circled around his waist and practically hoisted him back. His voice hitched in his throat, he tried to hit him, but he couldn’t see him properly. “No – let me go! Chamberlain, why -?”

Behind him, SkekSil had curled his hand around a rock, and lifted it high. In a fluid sweep he cracked it over the back of the boy’s head, nowhere near enough to kill him...but enough to make him go as limp as a doll in his arm. SkekSil shifted him in his grip, and began dragging him along. The youth’s feet ran loosely across the stone.

It would be difficult to get him all the way to the castle, but SkekSil was more resilient than most gave him credit for. And the skinny little waif wasn’t that heavy. It had been terribly easy, so easy he scarcely dwelled on it.

Down the other slope, less hazardous, half-carrying the boy with him. Hmm. If the UrRu had perished...then the other one would’ve dropped down dead somewhere.

Perhaps that solved two problems at once, that ferocious little beast was of no valid use. He’d be sure to remind his fellows of that.

To the castle he went. Lightning quivered in the distance.