Rian x Gurjin one shots (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance)

Old Gelfling

I like to think that before the gelfling turned 'unruly' and  Skeksis knew they could benefit from a dead gelfling, they actually didn't mind their company.

Ordon can barely focus. Life hasn't been kind as of late. With the recent passing of his love, Shoni. He's been juggling the childling and continuing work at the castle. Unfortunately times have been incredibly trying and Ordon was forced to make the difficult decision of leaving his children behind to continue in his work. While Mythra and Timtre stayed back in Stone-in-the-Wood with their aunt, Ordon brought his eldest, Rian back to the castle with him. He decided that while the boy is still far too young to train, it was time to learn the responsibilities that come with being a guard.

It's been a difficult shift for Rian. He's young and doesn't fully understand the meaning of death, but he's old enough to understand that his mother won't be coming back anytime soon. The poor childling has been struggling to sleep and refuses to do so apart from his father. Unfortunately the days aren't any better, as Ordon leaves early each morning to work and isn't back until dusk. Aside from a few toys Rian doesn't have much to do during all this time.

Rian's father has already left for the day and Rian sits at a small window overlooking the halls. He peeks out at the sound of footsteps but retreats as he sees a skeksis. Of course childling are clumsy and Skeksis aren't as pea-brained as they seem. The Skeksis hears the clumsy commotion and turns his head in concern.

"Hello?" He asks shrilly. Rian stays silent, his father told him not to bother the Skeksis. "Reveal yourself!"
The Skeksis cries. Rian was also taught to never disobey the Skeksis. Too scared to ignore the order, Rian pokes his head out of the small opening once again, looking up to the Lord with wide eyes.

"Ah!" The scroll keeper says with a smile, peering through his many lenses. "A childling!" He leans down a tad for a closer look. "And what is a modest little creature such as yourself doing here?"
He asks. Rian hesitates, picking apart the question as he thinks on the complicated sentence.

"mama can't look after me anymore, so I have to live with papa."
Rian says honestly, assuming the Skeksis knows what he means as childling tend to do.

"Unsupervised?"
The Scroll keeper tilts his head curiously. Rian only stares. He's not sure he's learned that word yet. The Skeksis pokes his head inside, not seeing any adult present. The Skeksis gives a surprised hum, looking to Rian's tiny self.

"What do you do?"
Rian asks with a smile. He's never really spoken to the Skeksis before.

"I'm the scroll keeper, little one. Erm-" he pauses looking at the boys confused expression. "I'm in charge of the documents and books."
He says more simply.

"You have books?"
Rian asks excitedly. Rian had just gotten the knack of reading and would love nothing more than a cool book to look at while his fathers away.

"Thousands."
He smiles proudly. It isn't often he finds himself admired by others.

"Have you any books I could read?"
Rian asks politely. The Skeksis pauses in thought for a moment. In his early days of book collecting in Thra, he took just about anything he could get his talons on. Surely he's got some old childlings book that are no longer of any use to him.

"I suppose I might." He says scratching the underside of his beak. "Come along then, childling."
He says, turning back down the corridor. Rian smiles wide, sure he'd been warned not to bother, but he was told to come along, surely he couldn't disobey. He hops from the small window, tumbling through to the ground. He picks himself up with a wide smile, trailing behind the tall Skeksis. It seems like a long walk, but Rian doesn't tire of the strange architecture. It's so different from Stone-in-the-Wood. He walks to an unbelievably large door, surely Rian's never seen such a thing.