The Dark Crystal-Along the Silver Sea

Chapter Ten -The Grotto

** Apologies for the length of  Chapter it's the longest one here**

Tael came out of his room and complained: " my rooms soaked!!!"
SkekDurn said, " you can share with me until we get it fixed."
"it seems this house has sprung a leak," said Az, then " water is dripping into my room too."
"Mine as well" UrIon held up a bucket.
"Tarf, how's your room," SkekDurn asked as the Podling came in with some hot porridge for them all.
"Got a leak...but not too serious," said Tara "I'm used to that."
Az sighed, " we're going to have to get someone up in the roof then and fix it" he took the bowl of porridge, "thanks, Tarf."
Tarf nodded, " made just how you all like it."
Az nodded, "you know us all too well, Tarf, it's getting cold, my bad leg is aching."
"And we're getting old," said UrIon with a sigh, "guess it had to happen eventually."
SkekDurn nodded and rubbed his own leg, the same one as Az's " yep that we are...but quite frankly, I would prefer to die naturally than unnaturally lengthen my life somehow...we were never meant to survive this long, I think" he stretched his leg and then settled again.
SkekTael nodded but didn't say anything; nothing needed to be said, but added: " but we aren't looking as withered as our kin yet."
"We're getting there, though," UrIon said, " well, at least you and I are."
"Durn and I have aged," said Azshar.
"Yeah, but it is not as obvious on you two," said SkekTael, "I think it is your two hearts or your magic or both, you aren't that much younger than we are...".
Az nodded, "it is indeed strange."
SkekDurn said, " also the others have been feeding off the corrupted dying Crystal, we haven't been, not for a long time... it is sapping the life out of them as much as they are sapping the life out of it...it is what is killing them".
"If only we could find a way to convince the Others somehow that they can't cheat death!" SkekTael said he sighed " the others, they think they are immortal, eternal, they are not, we lost that when we got divided....I think SkekHak proved that....".
"UrHom, too," said UrIon, pulling out one of his arrows and checking its tip and nodded, " I got a feeling I may need these soon."
"Could you really....well kill someone with those, though?" Tael asked, " even I balk at doing so!"
UrIon said, "I didn't learn archery purely to hunt, Tael, I'm not UrVah, but then neither does he, but to cripple I may....".
SkekTael nodded, "you're a pretty good Archer, though! we both are, better than even me, ...but then I'm not SkekMal...." He sighed.
"Like I'm not UrVah, and I don't pretend to be," said UrIon, " he is still a better Archer than me; he is the Archer, not I."
"And SkekMal is the Hunter...not I," said Tael. "I have never tried to be...I'm a Scout, a Cartographer....that. That is what we were. I just wanted to help, to feel useful....like that ever mattered!" he hissed softly.
UrIon put a hand on his Counterpart's shoulder. "Calm yourself Tael...you still have some torment."
SkekTael said, " it is more regret than torment, SkekMal, he was my friend UrIon! And he protected me! He basically threw me away and never explained why! I don't understand why!"
"Who does?" SkekDurn said bitterly, "you're not the only one who was thrown away here, Tael....we both were by people we thought were our friends! Every time I think of what happened to between Tek and me, I have to force myself not to get angry or cry!" he sighed, "I got Durnazshar's temper, so it is sometimes hard not to do both!"
"Seems to me, you both got a bit of Durnazshar's temper!" UrIon said with a chuckle, "Az has always had a mild temper for a UrRu!"
"It is more impatience and restlessness than anger," Az said, " like it is stubbornness within you."
SkekTael said, ' makes sense".
"Ta? My Lords," said Tarf coming back, well used to learning when the four of them wanted to be alone.
"yes," said Durn as he put the tea service on the table, " and Tarf, we aren't your Lords anymore!"
Tarf bowed and said "Skeksis have always been Lords, Lord SkekDurn, Lord SkekTael, Master UrAzshar, and Master UrIon and this old Podling is too old and to set in his ways to not think of the Skeksis as thus...to me...you will always be my Lords!" and nodding he set the condiments on the table, bowed and walked out saying as he did so "I will ask the Podlings and the Gelfling of the village to come to fix your roof for you on your behalf."
"Err, thanks, Tarf," said SkekDurn as he departed.
"You know technically he is your slave," said UrIon.
SkekTael shrugged and buttered a roll and added some cheese on it " he's never seen himself as one."
SkekDurn nodded "no, he hasn't.. we have never mistreated him or anything...the others....well they are sometimes less than kind to their Podling and Gelfling servants... gee, I think SkekVar even killed one for dropping his sword!"
SkekTael nodded, " yes, the others could be cruel, but then.... We all can" he picked up his cup and poured some tea into it, while Durn fed Fred.
Az poured himself some tea and said: "I have never seen you been cruel SkekDurn ....rash perhaps but never cruel".
SkekDurn said, "I can be as cruel as any of my kin Az," he said softly "it is in our nature, unfortunately....I may have gotten some of you in me when we got divided...but I am still Skeksis. You didn't fully see what I did to Tek".
"But you were angry and confused and were not thinking too clearly," said Az, "neither of us was."
SkekDurn said, "I could have and almost did, despite my own personal rules, kill Tek that day...out of sheer anger....but I knew it would upset you and I know I would never forgive myself if I did... and old friendships made me pause. No, Az I can be as cruel as any of my kin...it is only that I seemed to have gotten a part of you, which makes me not be cruel....it makes me pause, reconsider, think things through, but it is sometimes a hard battle. Especially if I am feeling particularly strongly about something, as I have already stated, I would never hurt you...or Ion, but it something or someone wanted to hurt you..." he trailed off, " I am Skeksis...do not ever forget that!" he paused. "Tael can tell you that...and it is not only his soul; I still fear for...it is also my own".
Azshar said "I fear for all of our souls....we aren't like the others, we never have been....Aughra says that is our fate to save our Kin..." he sighed " especially you and I Durn" he took his cup of Ta and sighed, "Aughra says we are the original Starchild."
"Which means?" SkekTael asked, "I mean, we are all aliens anyway! Thra it isn't our natural world, well not originally, it probably has become so, but it wasn't originally".
Az shrugged " depends..." he put some sugar in his Ta " we will never be full of Thra, Tael...it is not originally our world...but Durn and I's origins are even more mysterious!...one of our parents was UrSkek...but I don't think the other was".