Mordred’s Lullaby

Tags

alternate universe, bbc merlin, clone wars, completed stories, short stories, song-related fiction, star wars

Hello all! I found this song online (well, actually Iris told me to go look it up online) and I absolutely LOVED it. It’s kind of a dark lullaby that Morgan Le Fay would sing to Mordred. The story about Mordred (that is, if you don’t watch BBC’s Merlin, in which Mordred’s backstory is different) is that he is the son of Morgan and her half-brother, Arthur; he was raised by Morgan to be the bane of Arthur. It’s a great song, rather creepy but still amazing. All credits for the song go to the wonderful Heather Dale. I hope you enjoy the fic, which is kind of based around the song. Note: It’s in the same AU as the other short fics I’ve been publishing lately; in this story line, Qui-Gon did not die, and it’s Obi-Wan and not Anakin who is the Chosen One. (Hence the “stolen birthright” in the last verse, before the chorus, from Sidious’ point of view. Made things interesting.) Anyway, enjoy!

Mordred’s Lullaby

                Sharya shudders as she holds her newborn son close. She knows she doesn’t have long to spend with him. Her time grows short. She breathes in, out, focusing on each pulse, the essence of her own life held in her own arms as the life that is left in her fades away.

Hush child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep

Child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep

                Qui-Gon takes the boy’s hand in his own, gripping it firmly. Another innocent child by his side for as long as he will train him. This is the third Padawan he’s taken, and will probably be his last. He is determined to teach this boy all he knows, and not to let him fall, as long as he is given to guide this child. The Force gives and it takes away, like Time both benefactor and creeping thief.

Guileless son, I’ll shape your belief

And you’ll always know that your father’s a thief

And you won’t understand the cause of your grief

But you’ll always follow the voices beneath

                The ghosts of long gone times swirl around him in his dreams at night, whispering to him. The saints protect him, and the angels, his departed brothers and sisters, guide his way. He is given this life for one purpose, and one purpose only.

To redeem the lost souls, and to free the holy ones.

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty,

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, only to me.

                Another day came, another voice sang the lullaby. Tahl leans over her friend’s ward, ghosting gentle fingers over perfectly smooth cheeks. It has been entrusted to her to protect and nurture the young life before her, and she will discharge her duty, even if it kills her. Even if she goes to the grave in silence, at least she will do one thing worthwhile.

Hush child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep

Child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep

                Obi-Wan watches as Padme follows Anakin away, feeling deep within that something is breaking, even as a bond that has long lain dormant re-asserts itself. He knows there is something between them, but he does not speak his thought aloud. He is not going to give Anakin’s secret away. How can he? How can he violate their trust?

Guileless son, your spirit will hate her,

The flower who married my brother the traitor,

And you will expose his puppeteer behavior

For you are the proof of how he betrayed her.

                Ghostly fingers brush across his cheek in the night. She is here again; his savior, his guardian angel. She has come to help him again, to aid him through the dark watches that do not ease his rest. She is the goddess of mercy, the one who offers hope without limit, though not unmingled with pain, aiding him through the difficult nights.

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty,

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, only to me.

                He isn’t sleeping soundly. Padme rushes into the room. Her “ward” is moving restlessly on the bed, not really awake, not truly asleep. Padme tries to hush him, but without success. Shmi rushes in to Padme’s aid. Pressing the man’s shoulders down, she quickly calms him with a lullaby. Looking down at her friend, Padme wondered, thinking how childlike and innocent he looks.

Hush child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep

Child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep

                Sidious watches from afar as the young Jedi continues to live and grow and discover his own true power. As far as Sidious is concerned, the man before him is not the true Chosen One, but a usurper. Skywalker deserves the power, should have had the power. And a false fulfiller of prophecy can not be allowed to live. The Chosen One will die.

Guileless son, each day you grow older

Each moment I’m watching my vengeance unfold,

For the child of my body, the flesh of my soul

Will die in returning the birthright he stole.

                The Dark Lord’s mind is turned to something else, poisoning Skywalker’s mind, making him believe in lies, pulling him into the twisted maze of the Dark Side. It is only a matter of time until he can turn his pawn fully into the Dark, and set him against the Chosen One.

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty,

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, only to me.

                Sharya hovers beside the bed of her son, protecting him, humming the lullaby once again. She can not protect him from his destiny, but she can prepare him for it.

Hush child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep

Child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep.

                The time is coming, coming fast, when their world will be changed forever. The tides of fate are rushing them on and on, faster and faster, toward a confrontation.

Light against Dark, once and for all. And only one can prevail.

Okay, I kind of forgot to mention… Padme and Obi-Wan managed to buy Shmi’s freedom, and Shmi is now helping Padme out as a Senator’s aide. Yeah. Confusing… sorry about that. :-S

A link to the song this is based off can be found here.

Another rant, once again.

Tags

clone wars, completely random posts, confusing nonsense, insanity, rambling musings, small rants, star wars, story dynamics

Hello, everyone! I’m here to rage about something new this time.

This time, it’s about Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.

You heard me. No, not romantically, but as a team and a pair of… dare I say it… kindred spirits. Just friends, not quite Master and Apprentice, but still a team.

This is all too rare, in my opinion. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka make a completely awesome team, and get on a bit better than Anakin and Ahsoka do (though maybe that’s just Obi-Wan’s personality coming into play, since Obi-Wan tends to smooth things over,) so why don’t more people catch on? And why didn’t the show’s directors ever do a story with just Obi-Wan and Ahsoka? It would have been interesting to watch, at least…

Just my pet peeve. If you share it, please, give me a shout-out!

Also, if you have any ideas for a story with just Obi-Wan and Ahsoka working together, please tell me. Whether you would like me to write them, or if you’re writing them, I’d love to hear about it! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by, and God Bless!

On Order, Character Development, and Tea

Tags

bbc merlin, clone wars, completely random posts, confusing nonsense, long rants, rambling musings, star wars, stories in progress, story dynamics

This morning, I sat down to attempt to organize the future scenes of “The Hero’s Dream” into some semblance of order so that the story’s future will not be total non sequitur. Almost nine hours later, very little success.
What in the name of the Force is going on here?!
Well, I believe this deserves an explanation… You see, I have a habit of writing my stories… somewhat… backwards. Of course, I am a somewhat “backwards” person. Erin Kalana Kenobi II writes her stories out of order, basing them from scenes and cut-and-pasting until they make sense and she has a real plot. I believe in writing with a passion, because otherwise some of your dialogue won’t be worth keeping.
Of course, this also means that the editing stage is a bear. As in, the giant roaring Kodiak spirit bear that will come to haunt you if you don’t whole-heartedly sacrifice your entire manuscript on the altar to Stevenson, Tolkien, Lewis and the rest. Because, after all, it’s not your story. It doesn’t belong to you. It writes itself, and uses you to write it. IT owns YOU. So dash on ahead! You are free to write out of order and then cut and paste it into a novel as long as you’re willing to tackle the editing stage. And if you like the results, the story may begin to make you some money– after all, it’s the best it can do, after using you like that, day after day. Who said writing was easy?! Liar. They should eat their dictionary.
Sometimes, I find that my characters understand me even better than I do myself. As you all probably know by now, I am a proficient author of fanfiction (probably mostly drivel), and because not everyone is likely to understand me if I say that Jay has my anger issues, and at the same time helps me to control them, I’ll use other characters to make the point.
For instance, there is Obi-Wan in the corner over there. He never speaks up very often, but occasionally acts up, and then Qui-Gon always says it’s a sight to be seen, and they should sell tickets to the bloodthirsty mob of Coruscant’s underbelly. Obi-Wan is like my more sane side, and at the same time he’s my scientific, calculating, somewhat unfeeling side. We all know the feeling. Like he’s been hanging out with Sherlock too much. The one Season Two Clone Wars episode where they have the brain worm thingies and Obi-Wan grabs one… Five seconds later…
“Anakin, NO! I was going to STUDY that!”
“Study the bottom of my boot.”
Decorum, gentlemen. And show a little common courtesy, Anakin.
Obi-Wan likes to play it safe, but sometimes curiosity gets the better of common sense. And sometimes it’s stubbornness that gets his goat, but my dad is not as patient as Master Jinn.
Ahsoka is like my spunky and brave side. She gets scared sometimes, but it still doesn’t stop her from speaking her mind and doing her duty. She’s good with the Younglings, and (shhh! Don’t tell Tarkin!) such a sweetheart!!!
Qui-Gon… he’s patient, even more so than Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan is patient through long practice. Qui-Gon is patient by nature, and not too “flashy”, but reliable. His pupil bodes well to outstrip him, but in the end, the student follows in the master’s footsteps, and chooses to fade into the background and out of the spotlight, which is left to Anakin. Pity Ani never learned THAT particular lesson.
Padme and Shmi are the moms, and Padme is the faithful wife. But Padme has a mind of her own, and nothing keeps her down for long. Leia is the precocious Princess, and Luke the unassuming savior. I must admit, I’ve always felt more in tune with Luke than Leia. Mine is a curious breed of romanticism– I don’t like flirting or love stories so much, because passion is overrated. But I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT CHIVALRY IS DEAD. So there.
And there’s Merlin, trying to perfect the spell that will give Mace Windu a pink wig out of nowhere. Merlin is like my wild side. When I stop at a stop light and someone behind me is being a rude and inconsiderate driver and part of the reason I stopped was because it will make a point, and possibly annoy them, that’s Merlin. Did I mention that I wish I had magic, if only to be able to prank my three-year old sister Raya? Obi-Wan says that Merlin reminds him of Qui-Gon, what with Merlin always bringing in strays, and maybe he’s right. Though Merlin’s carefree attitude is… well, let’s say it’s not CURRENTLY Qui-Gon’s jurisdiction.
Gaius. Gaius has sense, and is smart, and probably my favorite character other than Merlin. Gaius’s gruff exterior might be enough to turn some people off, but inside he has a heart of gold. You know what they say about how the mentor must have something in common with the student? Well, they do. Both of my mentor/student groups (Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon and Merlin and Gaius) share a strong sense of right and wrong and a LOT of determination. But a mentor and pupil must also complement each other. Both Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan and Gaius/Merlin are very much polar opposites. Where Obi-Wan and Merlin are impetuous and impatient, Qui-Gon and Gaius are cautious. Where Merlin is… *ahem* flighty, Gaius is considerate. Where the youngsters lack experience, the elders are competent. Where Obi-Wan sees the future in his dreams, Qui-Gon moves the future forward in the present. They compliment each other. And though the path is rough, they help each other along. And eventually, the student winds up teaching the master something.
Frodo is my quiet side, and Sam is my determination to fight injustice, however humble I am. I believe that you can learn a lot about the author from the lives, personalities, and interactions of the characters in his or her stories, and the author’s hidden personality speaks through his characters. We authors tend to be a bit of a reticent lot– probably due to censure and misunderstandings from the circles we move in. Which, unfortunately, are not always inhabited by kindred spirits. However, read a writer’s work, and in a sense, you’re reading his soul. This is something he worked and sweated and cried over, good reader! So have the grace to be at least a little merciful. On the other hand, authors (at least the good ones) tend to be perfectionists, and we thrive on feedback. In the end, kind-hearted but honest criticism is healthy.
Mmmmm… *stares blankly into mug* I’m out of mint tea. It wouldn’t be such a problem, if I didn’t put it on the shopping list every other week. And Mom teases Dad about his coffee habit… I should probably be glad I’m off the radar!!!!! What is it with writers and caffeine…? Never mind… I probably don’t want to know.

Dear Diary, Do I know my villains?

Tags

bbc merlin, brian jacques, clone wars, completely random posts, confusing nonsense, long rants, madeleine l'engle, redwall, star wars, stories in progress, story dynamics

Today, I think it’s time to talk about the villains. Yes, you heard me. What makes them tick? What are their motivations? Especially since an intelligent villain always has an ulterior motive. To do this, I think that the best way is to go and look at a list of villains.
1. The Sidious archetype. Another villain falling into this category would have to be “IT”, from Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” Her Time Trilogy actually doesn’t have any named villains other than “IT,” because after that… it’s all Echthroi. Of course, in “Many Waters,” there are the Nephilim, but “Many Waters” isn’t neccessarily part of the trilogy. (An Echthros is, for those of you who may be wondering, roughly equivalent to a demon. You know what they are. The destroyers. The haters. The dragons. The worms. Anyway…) Sidious and “IT” are archetypes of this villain because they are basically capable of anything and everything to accomplish their goals. They don’t care who gets in the way or who dies. But they each (oddly enough) run across one person whom they will do ANYTHING to corrupt and possess (i.e., Anakin Skywalker and Charles Wallace Murry.) This is not a necessary requirement for this archetype, however. This type of villain is totally ruthless, but I would not say that they were amoral, simply disgusting. For the same (probably impossible to articulate) reason, Sidious does not strike me as particularly intelligent (even though he undoubtedly is,) merely cunning, conniving. This type of villain does not seem to have any emotions, and does not go on a rage-induced killing spree under normal circumstances. Unlike her husband, I would class Lady Macbeth in this group, because she is after power and doesn’t seem to have any of the complexities that would place her in the next. Another villain in this class: Maguda Razan, from “The Angel’s Command.”
2. Dooku/Xanatos/Ublaz/Robespierre-style complex villains. Yes, you saw it. I prefer Xanatos and Dooku to Sidious. Dooku is probably the most forthcoming of these villains. These villains are heartless and truly amoral, charming and deadly. They tend to have a very high, classy intelligence (they’re the sort of people who would quote Shakespeare to their victims before roasting them alive) and taste. They don’t go in for decadent, generally (like the type 1, Sidious archetype), because they prefer understated elegance. (I say generally, because this is not a requirement.) However, they will not hesitate to throw ALL their troops at one target if they want its destruction. These villains are not prone to fits of wrath (at least, not so much; you’d be astounded by what a villain was capable of), but may have them occasionally. At the same time, they generally are not seen on the battlefield, preferring to orchestrate things from behind the scenes. But when they are there, WATCH OUT. I have heard it said that, should Obi-Wan Kenobi turn bad, he would have likely been another Dooku, only more deadly. Sure, they are kind of similar; both have an above-average intelligence, can be manipulative at times, and even come from the same teaching line. But Obi-Wan has the redeeming features Dooku doesn’t; 1. A moral compass, 2. Sincerity, and 3. a willingness to give his all for what he believes in. I would list Captain/Admiral/Grand Moff Tarkin among these intelligent, eeeeeevil villains, even though he doesn’t quite meet all the requirements. Tarkin is merely a sociopath with an agenda, not a high, proper villain, but he is the sort of villain we all love to hate. Wouldn’t ANYONE who watched “The Citadel” and its companion pieces want to kick his behind, hurl him out a window, or Force-choke him at least once? If you didn’t, it’s a sure sign that you’re a sociopath yourself. (Oh, and by the way, I would love to see Obi-Wan face down Tarkin. The jerk needs his ego taken down about a hundred pegs or so. If anyone wants to write that, tell me about it and I will LOVE YOU FOREVER.) Another villain in this class: Al Misurata, from “Voyage of Slaves.”
3. Cluny/Tsarmina/Darth Vader/General Grievous/Hitler style villains. These villains can be cunning, but in some cases are not particularly intelligent, or do not have much of an education. They are also prone to fits of rage in which they destroy anything and everything in sight (poor Sandpeoples), and have a tendency towards insanity. Some of these villains can be ridiculously childish, as well. Again, we all love to hate ’em. You know we do. More villains in this class: Both the Dutchman and the land baron from “Castaways of the Flying Dutchman.”
4. The ordinary person who becomes the villain. These types of villains tend to see themselves as the heroes of the tale, but it’s all lies. We, the readers, know that. I’m hard put to it for an example right now… I may edit this post later if I think of one. This type of villain tends to be more pitiable, though no less despicable. Oh wait– Gollum! That’s a good one, I think… Then there is Macbeth himself, who wasn’t always evil, and who at least has some regret for what he has done. And Uther Pendragon, who is also a bit amoral…
4. The villain who later becomes the anti-hero, or even a full-fledged hero. Cases in point: Romsca, Pakatugg, a few others in the Redwall books, Darth Vader, and Ventress. In the Clone Wars episode “Revenge,” Obi-Wan asks Ventress, “When did you become the good guy?” in an ironic tone. When, indeed. In these cases, there tends to be a slow progression. Nothing happens very fast when a hero becomes a villain or a villain becomes a hero. They must have motivation to change. Ventress’s came when her whole “family” was destroyed; Vader’s, when his son was revealed, and later, threatened; and Romsca’s, when she saw the Father Abbot’s good heart and thought, “I want that too.” Though I’m sure if you’d asked her, Romsca would say it was because she was always a bit of a punk anyway. These people tend to live partially overshadowed by their life as villains, but are generally able to cement their redemption. The ones that lack the determination never were meant to be heroes, anyway.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my rundown of the “types” of villain! Just needed an articulation, I’d say. Thanks for reading, and God Bless!