The Dark Crystal-Along the Silver Sea

Chapter Six - Whoever said we were Wise?

Next morning Az awoke early, and Durn found him in the backyard with Ion where the two of them were working on a UrRu sandpainting together, conferring together in UrRu as they worked, Durn had never really learnt to speak UrRu, but he understood it well enough but as he watched and listened he had to admit that even he got confused!
He was surprised that the pair of them were even attempting to do one, he'd seen UrZah's, and as far as he knew, they didn't quite have his skill and talent when it came to that, but still, ...they were UrRu!
Az was the one doing it, and he looked very UrRu seeing he was hunkered down and doing something with the sand.
It made Durn realise then that he and Az were no longer the two youths they had been, maybe it was Az's expression, but he looked very much like of his brothers at the moment and like them was getting more spirals, maybe he hadn't quite come out as strong as he had been after SkekTek's attempt to drain him, or maybe he was just that they were no longer the youths that they had been anymore.
It also made Durn wonder was their constant contact with each other keeping them from aging too much? As Tek had surmised.
They were well past the halfway point now, and he and Az still didn't look that old! Older, yes but where even Ion was starting to look more and more like his brothers now (his hair had always been white) he and Az's hair, though they were both starting to get some streaks of white, their hair had remained red, Durn still had his abundant red mane and Az's his, but neither were thinning, like Tael's was, was it his and Az's magic?
SkekDurn wondered if he should look into the possibility and frowned at the thought it seemed wrong even to consider it! No, it had to be something unique to him and Az he thought if it had any impact at all.
SkekTael joined him "what the blazes are they doing? ".
"Probably trying to discover a course of action," said SkekDurn.
"Didn't think they knew how to do a sandpainting?" SkekTael said.
"They probably don't," SkekDurn said with a chuckle.
"Then, why do it?" SkekTael asked.
"Because their UrRu," said SkekDurn.
"I swear I still don't understand them...after all this time," Tael said offering Durn a Crawlie.
SkekDurn took one and chewed thoughtfully for a moment and then said: "I probably understand them better than most, but I confess, Az sometimes still totally confuses me as well".
SkekTael shrugged and said, "yeah, what are they trying to see, though?"
"Who knows," said Durn taking another Crawlie as he and Tael watched their Mystics, totally bemused as they worked.
"They aren't singing, are they?" Tael asked.
"No just humming," Durn said " and it's mostly Az...we have always been able to sing. Both him and I".
"Figures," said Tael.
"He hums when he's happy," said Durn.
"So do you," said Tael " well going out on patrol," Durn noticed that he was wearing his leather armour and green cloak instead of robes.
"Ok," said SkekDurn, who was in his long blue tunic and trousers, and cape as well, both he and Tael both still quite often wore robes around the house, but they mostly dressed like they were both now, it was more practical for village life, it also differentiated them from the other Skeksis, although they had both noticed that the castaway Gelfling had been a little surprised to see SkekDurn's and SkekTael's garb and their tails and feet, most Skeksis the Gelflings saw wore layers of robes and sometimes with armour, he and Tael didn't they just wore enough to keep warm.
Due to the fact they all had to learn to make and mend their clothes, they tended to get wear and tear and were less ornate; he remembered that Tavra had been a little surprised at that.
He and Tael dressed similarly to their two Mystics now, they were lucky that the Gelflings knew how to make clothes and mend them, as did Tarf, and Seacliff had a Weaver, a couple of Seamstresses and a Tailor as well.
Durn watched the two Mystics for a while longer than shaking his head and smiling ruefully; he left them to their work.

Several hours later, Az and Ion looked at the results of their toils, and they stopped chanting and looked at it, the two of them had been so caught up in their work they hadn't taken much notice at what they had been doing.
Like all UrRu sand paintings, the main design was a spiral, but that is where the resemblance seemed to end, Az had been working on a dream and a hunch as had UrIon.
They both stopped and looked at their attempt at a sand-painting with some surprise.
"Ok," said Azshar standing up and uncricking his back seeing he had been the one standing in a very 'UrZah' position for several hours "Err Ion do you have any idea what we have just depicted here?"
"Um...no, do you?" UrIon asked, leaning on his staff and looking very UrRu himself, especially seeing both he and Az were both wearing their UrRu style coats because it was getting cold.
Az leaning on his staff, looked at the sand-painting as thoroughly confused as UrIon, making UrIon grin at his friend and said: "you're getting more spirals!"
"Eh guess we aren't UrZah then," said Az " or UrAc!"
UrIon said " it must mean something! Else we wouldn't have spent several hours doing it!"
Az sighed " or maybe we have just made a mess!"
"A colourful mess though," Ion said " come on Az! We're both UrRu! We don't do stuff like this for nothing!"
Az sighed and said, " and we're supposed to be all-wise, Mystical and that!"
UrIon chuckled and said, "whoever said that you and I were WISE!!"
"Point" UrAzshar agreed " but your right, come on we both must have seen something to have done this?"
They both looked at their sandpainting, trying to make heads and tails of what they had depicted.
"Ok I'm guessing that the darker blue means the sea," said Ion indicating deep blue lines of sand that they had put around the sand-painting.
"Especially seeing that is the symbol of water" Az said " so sea" he wrote that down " and this kind of looks like Kylan's petal" he said indicating some pink sand " and that is the symbol for Thra...and the Three Suns, that looks like a Skeksis and a UrRu....".
"The Crystal here...and here" said Ion indicating the painting with the Crystal repeated at the top and the bottom.
"Ok judging by its colour it's cracked on the top one...and here," Az indicated the bottom depiction "it seems restored," he said, picking up one of the rolls that Tarf had bought out.
"Ok, that means it does probably get restored at some point...," UrIon said his voice trailing off; they both knew what that meant.
"I doubt any of us are going to be around to see it so," said Az echoing his though " seeing that is the symbol of the Great Conjunction, which is still some trine away...we aren't immortal anymore. But is a good sign that it happens someday and all the more reason why we should help the Gelflings restore their world and stop the Skeksis from gaining control...we have to convince them somehow that they should just let things run their natural cause, we aren't immortal anymore and are living on borrowed time. We should not be trying to stop the Gelflings from reclaiming their world; we should be, both sides of us!, HELPING them reclaim it! Even if none of us lives long enough to see them do so! We have too right the wrongs we did to their world help them Heal it! Even if at a cost to ourselves! I'm not even sure I want to live that long! I rather die as I am" said Az.
"Me too," said UrIon "Durn and Tael, they both understand and want that as well...but I fear that many of their brothers do not....".
Az nodded " yes...they do. However, there is still a Long Road to the end of it all...." He paused and looked at their sandpainting, trying to see more.
"What's this, though?" UrIon asked indicating the middle of the painting he and Az had drawn it seemed a wall covered by blue fire.
"That is a powerful image!...it is one we both felt was important! You can tell how we both depicted it" said Az.
UrIon nodded " why all the symbols for fire?"
"There is one for each Gelfling clan...." Az said "you can tell by the symbols, Kylan's message remember? The Fires of Resistance...it seems it is connected to the wall...that is interesting and that it is also linked to the symbols of the clans and the symbols for war, and the symbols of us...and that one is prophecy" he indicated a rather strongly drawn symbol.
"Prophecy?"
UrAzshar nodded " has to do with the Wall...it is not yet fully defined".
UrIon nodded " I can see that".
UrAzshar nodded " Prophecy makes sense. I'm guessing what we see here are future events, that haven't been fully defined yet I think what we have done here is this: the Crystal will be restored in the future by a Gelfling at the Great Conjunction, but there will be a war or at least a conflict of some sort involving the Skeksis, which makes sense judging by Kylan's message, that there will be some type of wall built, but it is still unclear whether it is an actual wall or an ideal and a Prophecy will come of it."
"By Gelfling Hand...or else by none," said UrIon " that is something similar to what UrVa said in Kylan's message".
"Makes sense," said Az " it's not us whose going to restore the world, it is the Gelflings! Which makes even more sense! it's their world after all!"
UrIon nodded "yes, it does, but Az, why do we see this, and the others haven't? We aren't exactly the wisest of the Mystics! We're the two Younglings who shouldn't have been here!"
"Maybe that is why," said Az " see the symbols of the Others and the symbol of us, there is also the Wildcard symbol next to ours and the symbol of Innocence, and the scales I have always used, the Symbol of Balance, the two extras, the two Innocents, we're the Wildcard!"
UrIon said " true....didn't even realise we HAD a symbol!"
Az said, " We obviously do, maybe that is why we can see this, even undefined as it currently is...this is where we are now, and that is the future...past the symbol of the Wall, notice it is somewhat less defined?"
"The Long Road" UrIon quoted softly.
"Exactly!" said Az.
"But how do we see all this?".
"We're UrRu!!!" we all have some ability to see the future," Az said, " even you and I...UrZah would be proud".
UrIon sighed " methinks he should see this image somehow, we need to send it to UrZah".
Az nodded and indicated his sketch "working on it" UrIon looked at the painting, Az and Durn had always been excellent at drawing, they both kept detailed journals of the Fauna and Flora of Thra, and how they connected to one another in their research.
The Village Elder had gotten them to start restoring some old texts and scrolls, which the two of them (especially Durn!) had happily settled down to do.
Az even taught the Younglings ( and some of the adults) in the village to read, the four of them had lived here for some Trine now, and they were all a welcome and common sight in the village.
They never lacked for food or essentials, and in return they did what they could around the village, be it teaching the villagers to read, helping the fishermen and the farmers, building and repairing houses and boats, joining in on patrols, hunting, sitting in on village meetings or just simply offering advice, the Gelfling had accepted them all for who and what they were.
Ion said " good idea".
Az looked up from his inking "I send it to UrZah somehow".
Ion nodded "Ok" he looked at the painting " should we just I don't know wipe it all away, like UrZah does, with our tails?"
"Not yet," Az said, "it is due to rain anyway, and it will wash most of it away tonight".
"Ok," said Ion "but it's so much FUN!!"
Az grinned " it is indeed! Remember that time we accidentally did that?"
Ion nodded "yes...UrZah, He was, most distressed!!"
Az sighed " we did cause our brothers some distress didn't we?"
UrIon nodded " no wonder UrSu sent you to study with Aughra for some years! And put me under both UrVa's and UrHom's tutelage!!!"
"Or we were handed over to UrNol," said Az "or UrIm or UrSol or UrTih, even UrUtt! Some of the Others have never known what to do with us!!"