#also the fact Tavra and Maudra Fara both died for her like WHAT. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

galaxy98 · 4 years ago

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Trial of the Mariner Part 2

Here’s the other half of my outline of the redemption AU.

Also, here’s a link to part 1 of my post: https://simkim704.tumblr.com/post/625293476349788160/trial-of-the-mariner

While SkekGra, UrGoh, and Rek’yr do their part in helping the Mariner, it’s the elder Shaman that does most of the work. He’s described to have blue colored robes, long hair, an old raspy voice, and a pair of eyes that are pure white (blind). Some Dousan would say that his blindless is a strength, since he’s able to see things that not even the clan could see. But what makes him even more mysterious is his background, which is nothing at all. The Dousan only knew him for his profession, not from the years he’s spent living in the Wellspring. In fact, it seemed like he was expecting SkekSa to come here at some point, as if his true purpose was to help her in her journey.

This AU plays on the spiritualism of the franchise. We saw how certain characters use dreamfasting as way of communicating and well just about anything that the Gelfling could put their minds to. Aughra has a third eye that makes her see multiple timelines. The Dousan see death as a way of life and never a thing to fear about. A vision is what prompted SkekGra to unite with his other half. With that said, the Shaman’s way of helping SkekSa is giving her permission to spend 3 days in the Wellspring and then every night, he’ll give her 3 visions. This is achieved by eating an Urdrupe berry and holding their hands together. SkekGra, UrGoh, and Rek’yr take part in the process, but they can’t interfere with what goes on the vision. Only SkekSa could interact from what’s within. For the rest of those 3 days, SkekSa spends most of her time rehabilitating herself from the injuries she sustained and even catching up with the Heretic. What’s interesting is that when she arrived at the Wellspring, the Dousan only stared at her at she walked by. When she asked Rek’yr about this, he replied, “Your scars tell a story.” It’s as if they can see the mental and physical pain she endured.

The 3 visions are mainly represented by 3 dead Maudras: Mayrin, Fara, and Laesid. The last one is very crucial to the process. Why Maurdras? It’s because they symbolize her obligation. Even if she’s not familiar with the ins and outs of being a Maudra, SkekSa is well aware of their status.

While the Maudras represent their respective visions, there are extras. In vision #1, Tavra and Mira are involved because they are Vapran. Vision #2 includes Shoni and Ordon because they’re Rian’s parents and this vision is about him, specifically. The last vision includes the Sifan that died under SkekSa’s watch and the Sifan castle guards that were drained of their essence.

At the end of each vision, one of the 3 Maudras would ask SkekSa a question: What do you desire, what do you hate, and what do you prevent. We’ll get to this later.

The first vision begins with SkekSa entering into the royal throne room. How she got there was by exiting the hut of the Shaman. Mayrin appears before her, sitting down at a table and asked her if she care for a cup of Ta. The Mariner was in shock. It had a been a long time since they’ve seen each other. Not wanting to keep her waiting, SkekSa decided to take it upon the Vapran’s offer. Mayrin talked about her experience as the All-Maudra and how much of an impact it left on others. SkekSa couldn’t understand why she was telling her all this. According to the royal Vapran, they seem to have a lot in common. They were supposed to be leaders, they had to live up to their role as leaders, and they saw how rewarding it was to receive love and validation from being said leaders. But the biggest similarity is that they secretly struggle with imposter syndrome. Though for the Mariner, she started to experience it after the Sog incident. Even when Mayrin was talking about these similarities, the vision started showing flashbacks to when they first started out, their instances of benevolence, and their moments of weakness. It even show how Mayrin died in the first place. SkekSa couldn’t believe it. She didn’t think that SkekVar would do something like this given his past experience as ambassador, but to see that the Ritual Master was complacent in all this, just gives her more of a reason why she never wanted be involve in any Skeksis business. To her, backstabbing is the entire core of her kin, even if she wished that she was the exception. It also doesn’t help that the two sisters never told SkekSa about the extent to how she died. Not wanting to overburden her, Mayrin explained to her that her death had motivated her friends, daughters, and the entire clan to fight back. She’s also not the only Vapran that died. Tavra and Mira appeared, and they both provided their case. Tavra’s death may have been the reason why Seladon and Brea are closer than ever before. Mira’s death led to the Gelfling recognizing her as victim #0 and it also kicked off the chain of events that would wind up leading to the creation of the resistance. Thinking about the rebellion only made SkekSa angry. After everything she did for them, it only ended with betrayal, after betrayal, after betrayal. And yet, seeing all those flashbacks only made her realize just how much she misses being the Mariner. All it did was make her even more upset. While she didn’t outright say it, Mira wishes that she could tell her about Rian. However, it only seemed appropriate to leave that for the next vision. After that, Tavra and Mira left.

Before SkekSa could leave her vision, Mayrin asks her about what she desired the most. The vision’s environment started to change to what SkekSa sees fit. They are now in a forest with a pathway that leads to a hut in a open field. SkekSa couldn’t make out what she saw, but as they get closer, they saw a little Gelfling child, a Sifan from the looks of it, playing outside with a wooden sword and even had the Mariner’s hat on their head. What’s going on is that the childling was re-enacting the adventures that SkekSa had. Then, the door opened and a voice could be heard, telling the childling that it’s time for dinner. She didn’t catch it at first, but it almost sounded just like her. As they looked through the window, not only was the childling sitting at the table, but there was an older version of SkekSa and UrSan sitting there as well. This version of SkekSa had a silver streak of hair, a pair of glasses, and rather shabby clothes compared to what she wore before. UrSan, on the other hand, didn’t have any distinctive features except for her dimmed pupils. Possibly a complication from SkekSa losing a part of her eyesight. The Mariner couldn’t help but watch outside the window as they happily eat their meal together. Slowly, everything outside the hut disappears around them. SkekSa puts her forehead and hand against the glass and closed her eyes as the tears run down her face. Mayrin commented by saying how she never knew that the Mariner wanted a family. SkekSa didn’t know what to think of this revelation. The Skeksis never understood the concept of family. They only understood brotherhood. In a way, UrSan and the Sifan were her family. The vision ends.

Vision #2 begins with SkekSa appearing in Stone-in-the-Wood, the center of the Stonewood clan. While the Mariner knew of many Sifan that came from this clan, she didn’t understand why this has anything to do with her. Maudra Fara appeared by exiting out of her throne room. She asks SkekSa about her request. She gave Fara the run down about what’s going on and that she needed to figure out how to stop the Skeksis. Fara denied her request saying that the Skeksis are benovolent rulers and that the Mariner was not well. She didn’t understand why she wasn’t listening to her, but she tried again. She still got the same response, except this time, the Stonewood Maudra suggests that SkekSa should be taken back to the castle to see what’s wrong with her. SkekSa started to lose her patience and told Fara that there’s no time for this nonsense. Fara orders the guards to reprimand her. The Mariner didn’t have a weapon with her and combined with the trauma she experience from being outnumbered by the Gelfling, she cowered in fear and closed her eyes. However, she opened her eyes back up to see that the guards had disappeared into thin air. Fara says, “Now you know how Rian felt.” Finally, it clicked her. The point that Fara was trying to make is that things aren’t always what they seem and that placing her anger onto them only makes things worse. She wishes she could do that, but that would mean having to forgive herself from the pain THEY caused. And that was something that she never wanted to forget. The pain reminded her of who she is. A lonely parasite with no value of being in a place like Thra. The only way that Fara was going to convince her is to guide her through the throne door that teleports to the inside of the Skeksis castle. There they were right where Rian was, looking down at the laboratory. This was right around the time when Mira, the Vapran from SkekSa’s previous vision, was about to be drained. This is the first time the she got to see the draining up close. She wanted to look away but she had to follow what Fara said. She had to feel what Rian felt. That means having to endure every painful moment. Every. Last. Moment. After the draining, they go through each door, one of them leading to another memory of past events. SkekSa got to see things from Rian’s perspective, especially his interrogation at Stone-In-The-Wood. She then saw another fellow Skeksis that she hadn’t seen in a long time. It was the Hunter. SkekSa never thought about him that much, but seeing him go completely feral, scared her. Could she end up just like him? Either way, she witnessed the death of another parental figure, Ordon, at the hands of the Skeksis. Once it hit the point to where Rian had nothing, she would get to see just how much he gained after all that and how it was that kind of worth that made him the leader of the entire rebellion. One certain event that caught her eye was their first battle against the Skeksis. She saw how the Gelfling trained themselves to become capable fighters. SkekSa knows that they aren’t weak, but it dumbfounded her that they were able to have this much preparation time. If the Sifan can do all of that, then maybe she wasn’t needed after all. But then again, she came to them for help, not the other way around. As the battle plays out, the Hunter appears again, this time, attempting to deliver the final blow to Rian. Up to this point, SkekSa began to have second thoughts about the Gelfling. It’s possible that she may have had him all wrong. She wanted to stop SkekMal, but this was just a vision. Then, it happened. The Hunter disintegrated. Given how her and UrSan seem to share the same scars on their bodies, SkekSa came to the conclusion that was the Hunter’s half that killed him. Once the battle was over, SkekSa and Fara followed Rian who was trying to find Deet. When they got there, they saw how much pain he was in by having to see the corrupted Grottan walking away from him, possibly for safety reasons. Even after all that, Rian had to deal with loss, after loss, after loss. Just like her. Out of nowhere, Ordon and Shoni appeared. Calmly, they plea to her to not take her anger out on their son for it’s not his fault. SkekSa replies with, “I know.” The vision’s environment changes again and it turned into a forest. Right in front of SkekSa, she saw Rian sitting in front of the fire. A symbolic representation of him trying to keep the flames of resistance “alive.” Rian’s parents told the Mariner to go to him. There, she sat across from him. Up close, SkekSa could see the tears on his face. She saw just how much stress it can be on a Gelfling, having to hold everything together for the greater good. It almost reminded her of how hard she had to hold onto the Sifan, as if she was worried about them outgrowing her. In fact, there’s no telling if she knew all along that this was going to be the end result between them. Then, she felt something strange happening to her. When she looked at her hands, they were becoming more Gelfling-like. As the rest of her body started to change, she looked up to see that Rian disappeared. Skeksa felt something on her head and when she tried to put it off, it was only a strand of black hair. Stonewood to be exact. Then, it all became clear. She finally knew how it felt to be like him. She reverted back to normal and Rian’s parents left.

Fara then asked the Mariner, “What do you hate the most?” Like before, the environment changes to an unknown location. It was a path that led to a metallic half-oval shaped door. The door opens by itself as they got closer to it. There, they saw a figure on their knees, along with the shackles around their hands and neck, holding them down. SkekSa knew that it was obviously her, but she didn’t think it was gonna be this bad. This SkekSa had her head down, possibly a sign of deafeat, and apparently had a ton of scars all over her body. It was so much compared to the scars she had up to the Sog incident. When SkekSa looked closely at the neck shackle, she gasped. It was the Drenchen symbol. Fara looked at her and wonder if this is what she hated. Does SkekSa hate being viewed as the enemy? For the Mariner, after having to deal with all that other stuff with Rian, she knew that she couldn’t lie her way out of this one. It was all true. She already made herself into the menace of the Gefling, specifically the Drenchen. She knew that if she step foot in Sog again, this could be the end result. The vision ends.

The final vision begins with SkekSa opening her eyes to find herself in a white void. She wondered why this is somehow different from the last two visions she had. Then, she heard a “hello” from behind her and when she turned to see who it was, she almost fell on her back. It was Laesid, the Drenchen Maudra. The Gelfling that SkekSa killed. The Mariner tried to get up and run away, but Laesid reappeared in front of her. She told SkekSa that she’s a fool for thinking she could just avoid her. Because wherever she goes, she’ll be able to find her. In a very angry tone, she asks what Laesid wanted from her. Laesid wanted to knock some sense into her and bluntly tells her everything that she needed to hear. From how she led the Sifan astray, how she ended up betraying their trust, how she lived a lie, how she depended too much on the sea for guidance ,how she stayed away from Thra in order to keep herself away from her problems and how, combine with all of this, she can’t run away for who she was. Who she used to be. Who she can’t be anymore. SkekSa kept herself silent the whole time during Laesid’s tangent, but that last point ended up catching her attention. What did she mean by, “who she was?” But before SkekSa could say anything, Laesid went on about the consequences that came from being dead. The bad....and the good. The bad came from how she won’t see Bellanji again, how she’ll never have the chance to witness the fall of the Skeksis empire, and how she’ll never see Naia become the next Drenchen Maudra. Having to think about the twins made her angry. All that effort to stay out of Skeksis business and Naia and Guirjin had to drag her into all this. Even if she eventually stopped wishing any suffering on Rian, she certaintly would’ve done it with those two. But then she remembered something that Fara told her previously. About how things were going to get worse because of her misplaced anger onto THEM. She wasn’t just talking about Rian. Because of that, SkekSa had to keep listening to Laesid. She then went on to talk about the good that came from her death. She was able to think clearly from all the outside forces in her life and that she might have a way to get through to SkekSa. She asked her if she knew anything about UrSan. The Mariner was silent. UrSan was the one Mystic that came into her life and she seemed to be the only one to challenge her whenever she makes a decision. Yet, despite everything, they used to have this sort of “special” attachment that couldn’t keep them apart. Used to. SkekSa and Laesid teleport to a beach, the same one that she saw from a vision when she was in the castle, to when she was stuck in the tree, and to when she was the Circle of the Suns. It fits the same description too: stilled water with no waves to be seen. Laesid wanted her to look closely at the ocean and she saw the Swimmer standing on the rock. Is this it? Was that the only thing that the vision was trying to tell her? SkekSa tried to get to UrSan, but the water quickly pulled back. It happened everytime she move forward. She tried running, but then the sand around her started to form into solid ground and then eventually a cliff. Laesid then tells SkekSa that everytime they fight, they drift apart. SkekSa wished that she could say to her and apologize for the all the times she refused to listen. The Drenchen Maudra said to her that UrSan is not the only one she has to apologize to. When she turned her back around, she finds herself in front of every Sifan that died under her watch. Even the Sifan guards that were drained of their essence, were there as well. SkekSa remembered all of those faces, all the times they had together, and how they now have a sad look on their faces. Seeing all of them brought her down to her knees and she hungs her head in shame. Laesid steps closer to the Mariner and puts her hand on her heart. The same spot where the Gelfling imprint is. Slowly, she raises her head up. Laesid then says to SkekSa, “I forgive you.” SkekSa tries to deny it, but Laesid still said she forgave her. She denies it again. Same response. This went on for a few times and SkekSa had enough. She shouted, “YOU CAN’T FORGIVE SOMEBODY WHO KILLED YOU!” But then Laesid replied with, “Then why is my hand still on your heart....SaSan?” SkekSa’s eyes opened wide. That name. She never heard that name in all her life and yet, all of those memories started coming back to her. She couldn’t do anything but cry her heart out. She never wanted any of this. She thought that being divided would mean that she could be with the Sifan forever. She wanted to be with the clan that saw her for who she was. They were the only clan that loved her. With that gone, along with her Mystic half, who does she have that can love her the same way they did? She want it all back. All of the dead Sifan disappeared.

Laesid asks her, “What do you prevent the most?” So on and so fourth, the environment changes. It changed to something that SkekSa never expected. They were at the same tree that trapped her a few weeks ago. But the difference is that the tree isn’t cut opened. Instead, it opened up by itself, freeing this version of the Mariner from its bonds. When she got up, she tried to get her bearings straight and find her way out of Sog. However, when she got to the village, something was very different about the area. Everything is covered with vines, along with broken doors and windows. It’s as if this version of Sog is abandoned. Once she exited the location, it seems like everything else in Thra is abandoned as well. Especially the castle. SkekSa figured what the vision was trying to tell her. The thing she wanted to prevent the most is being forgotten. This is the source of all her problems. This is why she held onto the Sifan so much. This is why she never wanted to go back to Thra. This is why she never wanted to give up being the Mariner. She’s afraid. Afraid of what would happen to her, UrSan, and the rest of the Gelfling. Having to see the Skeksis abused their power and then use their citizens as the means for immortality, just made her worst fears come true.

Before the last vision ends, they reappeared back to the cliff. Silently, SkekSa and Laesid stared at each other. “You’re drowning, SkekSa.” These were the last words she said to her before a piece of the cliff broke off, causing her to fall. When she opened her eyes after the fall, she finds herself standing above the water. She notice that the cliff is nowhere to be seen and the rock that UrSan was standing on is gone. She is all alone. By herself. Then, SkekSa felt something grabbing her pants. It was an arm. Not just any arm, a Skeksis arm. When that happened, multiple arms started popping out of the water. They all grabbed onto her clothes. For a fraction of second, she figured out that those were the arms of the court, and they were dragging her down with them. SkekSa panicked, and tried to shout out for help. But no one was there to rescue. Slowly but surely, her body is fully into the water. The arms disappear, but the Mariner didn’t have the urge to swim back up. What Laesid said was all true. She is drowning. And maybe she’s better off that way. However, a glowing figure above her appeared. The figure had a deep blue color on their hair and gray colored skin. They even had 4 arms to count. It was UrSan, and she was coming down to rescue her. Once they came back to the shore, the Mariner opened up her eyes to see the Swimmer’s face up close for the first time in a while. The only thing UrSan did was smile. SkekSa, on the other hand, had a different reaction. Tears started to fall down her face. She missed her so much. Without saying a word, they both put their foreheads together and close their eyes. The Mariner silently wept. Everything disappears around them and the vision ends.

Okay...so given how the vision portion took up almost half this post, I decided on making a part 3. It would be about the stuff that happened outside the Wellspring, a little background to how the Gelfling were able to get to SkekSa, and UrSan’s perspective. Technically, it’s going to be 4 parts with the last one being more of an optional choice. It just a little behind the scenes of this AU’s creation. As I said before, tell me what you think by replying down below. I would greatly appreciate your comments. I would definitely appreciate seeing fan art of this AU. I mean hey, my 20th birthday is tomorrow on Monday. If you do make any fan art, tag me and I’ll reblog it to my Tumblr page.

#the dark crystal #the dark crytsal: age of resistance #tdc:aor #skeksa

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