Rebellion and New Life

Chapter 24

After he was newly dressed, Sil and La took Ryuu on a tour of the castle. Everything was so magnificently designed. Ryuu was in awe of everything he saw.

"Wow! This castle is so... awesome! My Gelfling parents never told me about how you guys lived." Ryuu said.

"Most Gelfling who not serve us in castle would never see it." Sil replied. He and La felt increasingly jealous that they had missed out on the most precious trines of their offspring's life. But at least they were still getting a chance while he was still a child at all. If it wasn't for the war with the Gelflings, they might have never seen him at all, until much later perhaps.

The throne room, he had already seen. They showed him the Crystal, the heart of Thra itself. The adults explained a little how they depended on it for a source of energy every day, like a second food. Ryuu shouldn't have to use it. He had plenty of energy and youth on his side. But then, Sil wondered if they should let him try Gelfling essence in secret. He wouldn't bring it up around him just yet. He would talk to the Scientist and La later about it secretly.

They did walk by the lab, to just let him know it was there, but he wasn't to go in it. SkekTek could do some very radical experiments that just weren't meant for a child to see. SkekRyuu was just told that he should never enter SkekTek's domain. Not unless there was to be some kind of emergency, if no one else could be found.

The dining hall where most of the meals were served was next. Ryuu would be getting to eat with his parents later, as a guest of honor.

"What foods you eat all trines living with Gelfling?" Sil asked.

"Grains, plants, fruit and vegetables. Things all that Gelfling eat. When I was a baby, they said they fed me on Nebrie milk. Of course, I ate Nebrie cheese and drank their milk all my life too. I love it." Ryuu explained happily.

Sil and La looked at each other in worry. Sure, they had had Gelfling food in the past too, but had never ate exclusively on it. Meat was more their food of choice.

"Ryuu, here, we Skeksis do sometimes eat that kind of things, but you should know that we do eat a lot of meat around here. Skeksis are meant to be meat eaters. Mostly. Only the Gourmand has flatter teeth, while most of us have only some of those, right under the tip of our beaks. Look." La said. She opened her mouth for SkekRyuu to see some incisors at the front of her mouth that were hidden under her beak. The rest of her teeth were fangs.

"See? We have mostly sharp teeth fit for meat, that's what we use them for when it comes to diet." La explained. "Have you ever eaten meat before?"

"No. I was taught how to live in harmony with animals. Get along with them, and they get along with you, and they'll tell you their secrets." Ryuu declared.

"We only consume other creatures to survive. It not evil, natural." Sil stated. "We can have some Gelfling food served, and some meat served too. Must try it. Sure you find it good."

"But it's amazing what you say about the animals' secrets. Animals never fully trusted us. Least of all loved us." La said.

"Why?" Ryuu asked. He was testing them secretly.

"Just Skeksis ways. Not important." Sil wasn't going to have it revealed just yet why. La looked at him in concern. Truth was they just never concerned themselves with that sort of thing like Gelflings and Podlings did. They just saw animals as food, potential material for clothing, for pulling their carriages, or use them as mounts if they ever needed to leave the castle. Rarely ever there had been a select pet or two among them. Those, however, always felt distant to the Skeksis one way or another.

They moved on to the Treasurer's room where all the tithes were brought and counted and such. Another area that Sil took part in at times during the day, aside from the Treasurer.