Jojo91210

Series: The Dark Crystal (Both the series and the movie)

Written by: Me

Posted: 20/08/2020 at 1.26am

Summery: After experiencing a horrifying nightmare that was suppose to be a blissful dream, the emperor starts to rethink the fate he is bestowing onto his adopted Gelfling daughter.

Author’s Note: This is based off of @okairagiso‘s AU, where Kira was adopted by the Skeksis rather then the Podlings. I tried making this story as realistic to the source material as possible, but I really wanted to focus on how Kira is effecting the emperor and how he’s becoming soft on here. So forgive me if this story isn’t as realistic as both the movie and the Netflix series.

Also, to avoid any sudden confusion, Kira is 6 trines/years old here.

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CLASH!

SkekSo gasped for air as he swiftly sat up on his giant magenta bed. His cold sweat that slid down his wrinkled decaying face while he stared off into the distance with his quivering ale blue eyes, showing signs of fear. His skinny hand is placed on his saggy boned chest as if he could calm his so-called “heart of stone” that was battering his rib cage for freedom. SkekSo’s pantings were quick and shallow at first, but as he slowly took in his surroundings to find that he is in his master bedroom, the pants became slower and deeper to the point where he was finally able to calm down. However, the nightmare that he had not too long ago is still fresh in his mind like a raw fresh of meat. He could still the roaring thunder that awoke him from the harsh storm that passed outside his window.

With a sudden jolt of urge, SkekSo instantly left out of his sleeping chambers, grabbed his ramen black and velvet silk night robe and hastily walked out of his room and through the empty stone hallways with his feet hitting on the cold hard floor, making a slapping sound with every step. The halls almost pitch black, which didn’t help the frantic emperor’s sight, but he didn’t care, he knew where he was going. What he cared about though was the nightmare that kept repeating itself in his head, from start to finish. It was a story that he couldn’t stop reading no matter how much he wanted to and it’s slowly crippling his anxiety.

Normally if it was his normal nightmare about his own demise that appeared so often, then he would only be shocked by it before calming himself enough to fall back to sleep as best he could. But this was not his normal nightmare. It was a different. It was a nightmare that was suppose to be a blissful dream, yet when is name was being called to him his only emotions was fear. He could still hear the call echoing in his mind, the call which he is now answering with mixed emotions of fear and yet determination.

The memory of that cursed nightmare came to a holt when the fleet-footed emperor finally arrived at his destination. He is now face-to-face with a wooden doorway that was decorated with paisley carvings. The door was placed there to let the other Skeksis know that no one other then SkekSo himself as well as the owner of the door could enter through.

Even though what he was about to do would be considered as slightly creepy, he didn’t waste his time no second thoughts and immediately opened the door to reveal what looks to be a child’s bedroom. The bedroom consists of a tall book shelve full of books of different fictional stories and historical facts from the past, both that no doubt were written by SkekLi and SkekOk. There was also lots of small toys that were found scattered all over the floor, there were enough to send a Skeksis to the Scientist for foot injury. But the one thing that SkekSo was more focused on then any furniture or decoration in that room was the single wooden-built, fabric covered bed that was decorated with pink silk curtains with a continuous golden-lined thread near the edges of the silk curtains.

The minute he saw the bed, SkekSo immediately paced himself quietly towards it and soon find a small body-shaped sleeping figure, the covers slowly bouncing up and down. As he drew closer, he was close enough to recognise the shoulder-length blond hair that had the top half of the hair platted. It was only Kira, his six-trines-old adopted Gelfling daughter who is.

The now eased emperor was able to release a sigh of relief before kneeling down to the level of the bed to avoid scaring the young child if she were to suddenly wake up. He also made sure that the bed sheet was properly tucked into her as it did when he last saw Kira in bed. It was at this moment when he started having different thoughts flowing through his head like the waters of Sifan Coast.

The first thought he had as he was staring at Kira’s innocent slumber was a memory of when he first met the youthful Gelfling, who was no more then under a trine old when he saw her. Kira was the the daughter of the Vapra princess Brea as well as the last Gelfling that was left alive. She was only kept alive because it was discovered that infant Gelflings don’t consist as much essence as an adult one, infact they were similar to a podling’s essence. Even though the emperor had other multiple reason why he would do this, that would’ve been the exact reason to let Kira live until her 24th birthday. The whole “Father figure” scenario was just to mess with the infant’s innocence, so when the time comes to drain her, he could enjoy seeing her face of betrayal. Since then he made sure that no other Skeksis would try to do anything to her before that then, SkekSo wasn’t as bright as the scientist, but he wasn’t stupid enough to to forget exactly what the other Skeksis were like; treacherous, tetchy and thirsting for her essence before him. He made sure they never get the chance, not while the emperor is around.

Then he slowly returned to the memory of the nightmare. He can still remember how at first he was just as elevated as the rest of the Skeksis at first when a Gelfling was going to be drained. Then, as if out of nowhere, the sound of a child’s cry changed his emotion to shock when he realised that voice belonged to Kira. The next thing he knew he was feeling so many unreasonable emotions in that span of it: concern for Kira, anger at the Skeksis, fear for….. For…..

“Argh!”

Faster then a snap of a twig, The confused emperor put his right boney hand on his metal beak that was covering the true decay of his nose. He started questioning his moral about this Gelfling he brought into his life. Why was he scared of loosing Kira to death when that was her fate? Wasn’t it death he feared more? What are these feeling and thoughts he was having for the Gelfling infant? Sure he enjoyed how blissfully innocent she is about her planned demise and how he thought her childish actions are a cute distraction from reality, but those reasons shouldn’t be enough for him to put her life before his. But at the same time, he doesn’t want to see young Kira die at the age of six…. Or ever?

“Papa?”

The small child-like voice snapped SkekSo back in reality before a full-on conflict between his reasons and his conscience started. The surprised emperor was now met with the female Gelfling’s large, brown eyes staring back at his. Kira was not not moving, she was as stiff as a piece of wood for what SkekSo felt like a couple of thousand trines. All of a sudden, Kira sat up from her bed and with a tiredly confused look upon her face she curiously asked “Papa, what are you doing in my bedroom?”

After a second of pushing his thoughts aside, SkekSo responded in a quiet and fatherly tone “My apologise darling, I heard noises from outside of my room. I only came to check on your well-being, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

What else was he suppose to do, he had to keep the truth away from her. There was no way in Thra that he would tell his adopted Gelfling daughter about how he dreamt of draining her. If he did then that would end up with an older Kira becoming suspicious and distrustful in the future. It was for the best.

With that being said, The conflicted emperor thought for moment that Kira would respond with an “Oh, Ok” and then followed it with a “goodnight”, it would’ve been it and soon after forgotten about. He was certain about it, but as soon as he was kneeling back up he felt his silk robe being tugged on. SkekSo looked back to see Kira’s tiny hand holding on to it as if Kira had sudden control of SkekSo’s every action at that moment, similar to how SkekSo himself controls the actions of every Skeksis in the castle. This forced SkekSo to kneel back down, much to his annoyance that he tries to hide in order to keep the fatherly appearance.

“What is it, Kira?” SkekSo asked in what was suppose to be his concerned voice. He honestly just wanted to be out of room to avoid himself from furthering his embarrassment. However, what came next would surely give him the surprise of his long-lived life.

Kira gave him a comforting smile and, before the old Skeksis could react, the young Gelfling instantly jumped onto him and wrapped her tiny arms around the surprised emperor’s thin and yet firm neck, squeezing him tightly yet avoiding the attempt to hurt him. Her head rested on his right shoulder like if she was resting on a pillow that was made soft to the touch. Even though he was stricken with confusion by this sudden action, SkekSo non-the-less hugged back since there wasn’t any signs that she was letting go. At first he pretended he knew why she was hugging him, but then Kira said with a sweet and youthful voice that made his whole body stiff with surprise.

“Thank you for saving me Papa.”

No words could describe how blown away this frigid emperor was at that time. While he knows that she meant about the white lie, it almost felt as if Kira remembered when the emperor took her in as his own and treated her as if she was his child. Emotions then started to stir inside of SkekSo as realises how many memories he has spending time with Kira. Six trines of pretending to be Kira’s father figure towards her has finally taken it’s toll on him. It was then that this unknown feeling he was having a feeling that he has never expected to feel nor know he could have ever in his life. It was love, fatherly love.

SkekSo could feel his eyes starting to form overwhelming tears that no sooner began to slid down and over his wrinkled face. He hugged the Gelfling tighter and closer to him as if he didn’t want to let go or else she would be taken away from him. While he didn’t break down entirely, the emperor struggled to hide the fact that his emotions were getting the better of his. In his mind he was fully convinced that no matter what happens now, Kira will not face the same fate as her mother or the other Gelflings. He will make sure that his daughter will never be drained by the hands of the other Skeksis, even if it means he will have to die in her place.