Dark crystal gelfling one-shots

The Stoneton Family pt. 1

Characters: Ordon, Shoni, Rian, Tolyn.

Description: Fifteen trine before the events of AoR, a Spriton boy is grieving the loss of his father after a tragic accident at the crystal castle. With no blood relatives on site, he has a week to decide where he shall live out the rest of his days. Will he stay at the castle that raised him, or seek new ventures back at Sami-Thicket?

Work. That was the only thing keeping him going. To finish his studying of Skeksis Law, to do all the equations given to him via his instructor, to read all the books he could before his vision suffered. Anything and everything he could do to fill his mind to drown out the sorrow.

They had decided to give him his own small room by the stables till the question of where he would go was answered. He didn't mind it much, the striders made quite interesting conversation. The animals hardly disturbed him when he was busy at his little desk, scribbling down notes the best he could with what small amount of light came from the single window that hung over his bed. Cot was more like it, but he couldn't bring himself to complain. He was getting far more than he could've on his own.

He refocused himself, squinting to see the words etched on the page, till a sound rung out from outside. It was the first bell, chiming to start the new day. The Spriton boy rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had fallen asleep at his desk or had been there all night. He stretched, his chair making a rickety sound as he leaned back, being careful not to lean so far back he'd fall over. After a few minutes of contemplating what to do, he got up, and grabbed his satchel. Approaching his dark wood, old door, he hesitated. A mere few inches away from the knob, he hadn't a clue what to do.

The idea of what the boy should do was there. The knob could be turned, the Spriton could leave...yet lately, he had been finding less reason to abandon his escape from reality. Why go out there, where none cared for him, when he could stay in the safety of the dark room? There, with his books to keep him company, nothing else seemed to matter. The books were similar to the boy, in a sense. None cared if they turned to dust, none except him. The books had been a gift, though not one he had happily received. They had been a gift of pity, as if they made up for his loss in any sense.

The boy became overrun by anger, looking back at his desk and shoving the book to the ground. Tears came to his eyes as he wanted nothing more than to shred the pages into little bits with his nails. It wasn't fair. These events were not supposed to happen to him, it should've been another. And he knew exactly who, even though he couldn't say it out loud to any. He wished to scream it to the heavens, though that wouldn't do any good except to get him into trouble.

Then, a voice called out to him behind the door, causing the Spriton to whirl his head around, with his ears pinned up at attention, "Dear, are you alright?" The female asked, knocking gently at the whittled down door, "I came to check in on you again. I've brought some sour loaf for you!" she called out, patiently awaiting him to be drawn out by the warmth in her voice. The boy took a deep breath, managing to swallow his tears as he finally turned around and opened the door. Standing there was what everyone called the jewel of the castle. The boy never quite understood why, as she had the same brown hair and yellow eyes any StoneWood had. Yet, there was something different about the Captain's wife. Perhaps it was her caring for guards of different clans when sick, or her endlessly sunny disposition. Whatever it was, it had kept her visiting the boy for the darkest unums of his life, and he supposed he owed her respect for that. "Yes, Mrs Shoni, I'm fine. I apologize deeply for the ruckus," he explained to her, looking at the ground as he walked out.

"Oh, it's fine dear..." Shoni said softly, concerned that the boy still addressed her that way. Prior to the accident, he had always been one to sneer at others and stick his nose up...but now he could barely look one in the eye. The StoneWood woman didn't expect that she would ever miss such an unruly attitude, yet she felt herself praying everyday for just one more glare from the childling. The tender woman could handle one more sour remark from the brat, but she couldn't handle this.

"So, how are your studies going? The professor has told me you've improved a lot," she smiled at him, her eyes lifting up as she did so. "I suppose I have more free time now..." he told her, feigning a tone of indifference. The StoneWood sighed, knowing how hard it must be to push it all away. A part of her wished she could beg her husband to make him open up to someone about it all, but the only thing she or anyone else could do was wait. "You've had breakfast?" She inquired, digging into the basket she carried by her arm and getting out the biggest sour loaf she had baked.

"No thanks. I'm okay," was his response, still starring down at the cobblestone floor. Shoni let out a small chuckle, and handed him a loaf, "I was not asking, childling. I know you have not. You need to eat, and you'll do it right now as I watch." The youngling huffed at her, scrunching up his nose as he was doomed to take the bread, "I'm not a childling," he retorted, before devouring the food. Shoni shook her head, "Tolyn, you're only fourteen trine. Yes, you are," she responded, noting by the way he ate it that he hadn't eaten in a while.

The two walked along the winding corridors of the castle, its endless staircase going on for eternity. It was no doubt make the regular gelfling tired, though they both had gotten used to it. Any gelfling that was to stay in the castle for trine on end had to grow accustomed to his architecture, less they be burdening their gracious lords via failing to be at their side. There was no greater sorrow in Thra, Tolyn had been taught, then for a lord to go without the complete and utter obedience from their gelfling. It was the natural order of things, though sometimes, the Spriton had the feint sense that the woman by his side thought differently.

The strong spouse of the Captain of Stone-in-the-Wood watched the boy, her eyes holding a sense of warmth yet sturdiness, one Tolyn desperately wanted to cling to, "So, childling," she asked, doing her best to appear calm and collected, even if all she wanted to do was wrap the youngling in a tight hug, "Have you decided what to do on your housing? When shall your relatives be arriving to take you?"

The Spriton grew quiet and kicked at the ground, causing Shoni some confusion. Sure, Tolyn wasn't much of a talker, but he was always one to answer his elders right away, "I apologize if I was too forward with you. It's just...Rian misses you...and I feel he deserves a proper goodbye, does he not?" She questioned him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Tolyn flinched, having to force himself not to shove her off him, "I will say goodbye...I just don't know when..." he admitted, getting a small gasp from the kind woman next to him, "I have no one coming for me, father was all I had...I've no where to go..." The StoneWood shook her head, though it wasn't a look of distress, no. She had determination.

"Well, I believe you mean, you didn't have anywhere to go," she corrected him, the boy's eyes that filled with tears now looking up at her, "You may stay with me and my husband for however long you need, Tolyn." She told him, ruffling up his hair. This time, it was Tolyn's turn to gasp, "B-But," he choked out in response, "I am Spriton...will the captain not be in trouble with our gracious lords...?"

Shoni wagged her finger at the idea, "They can hardly tell a Fizzgig from a Landstrider any way. Besides, there is no way in Thra I'm allowing you to go make the journey to Sami Thicket by yourself," she told him, extending him her outstretched hand. The youngling would've cried if he could truly believe her, yet he still hesitated, "I...I don't wish for Rian to get in trouble..."

The woman then gently took Tolyn's hand into her own and soothed him, "Boy, it is already settled. You are stuck with us," she told him, rubbing his forehead as he froze from the only physical touch he had gotten in trine, "Now come, we should be off to tell Ordon."

Tolyn wished her could argue with her, tell her it was a bad idea, yet he knew of Shoni. The whole castle knew, when Shoni set her mind to something, no matter how outlandish or bizarre, it was willed to happen. "I...suppose I only have one question then..." the boy said as Shoni dragged him along. The woman let out a small chuckle, "It best not be what's for supper, if you wish to have any," she joked. Tolyn shut his mouth with his hand, "Never mind then, I have no questions," he said as she whisked him away to meet with the captain. -Thra, give me strength...- the boy prayed to his lords, wishing his father could've prepared him for his new life ahead.