Prompt# 166 - Albatross around your neck - Hurting Her - Tekia - original

[tekia.livejournal.com]

Title: Hurting Her
Fandom: Original
Prompt: Albatross around your neck
Warnings: none
Rating: PG
Summary: Rurik made a mistake and it’s Saya’s pleasure to help him make amends.


Rurik was hidden away, and Saya stood in an empty corridor, hands on her hips, a pout on her lips, as she glanced down the direction she had just come from. He was starting to aggravate her, her small slipper incased foot tapping out an impatient tattoo on the cold stone floor.
She’d searched the whole of the keep for him and was quickly tiring of this game. She stalked down the dim hall and shoved open a door to His Lordship’s study. The room was cool with darkness and silent at this time of night. Everybody was down in the great hall, feasting and that was where she would rather be. Instead she had been sent out to find Rurik and bring him before Merlin so that they could continue their studies.
If she ever found the fool.
As she spun on her heel, her skirts flaring out around her, she caught the faint sound of a sniffle, making her freeze at the door, bright eyes scouring the room for the source.
Carefully, like a lynx hunting its prey, Saya turned back toward the room, her shoulders hunched and her toes making nary a sound as she picked each step with great care. A wicked grin split her face as she inched closer toward the darker shadow between a tapestry and a suit of armor. Said shadow didn’t notice her until she sprang like the cat, tackling the boy to the ground and shouting, “Got you!”
“Saya!” Rurik said with surprise. Saya rolled her eyes and shoved herself off the boy, gathering her skirts around her ankles as she crouched near him.
“Why are you hiding away?”
Quickly Rurik wiped at his red eyes and turned away. “N-no reason. Please leave.”
Saya mocked his always polite speech and punched him in the shoulder. “I can’t. Merlin wants us to report to his tower for lessons in magic,” she said, copying the old wizard’s manner as she repeated his words.
Rurik nodded but made no move to stand. Saya tilted her head to one side and watched him with a frown. “Were you crying?”
“I-I wasn’t!” he protested, but the hitch in his voice gave him away and Saya’s grin returned.
“You were!”
“I wasn’t!”
“You were. Why? Did one of the other boys bully you again!?” Saya stood quickly, ire flashing in her eyes as she spun toward the door, fist clenched.
“What? No,” Rurik stood as well, latching onto her arm, holding her in place. Who knew what the little tyrant would do? “That’s not why.”
She turned back, guileless and open. “So you admit you were crying?”
Rurik gaped at her a moment before he gave up. There was no point in even fighting for his pride with her. She was like dog on a fox hunt. She would never give up until she got what she wanted. His shoulders slumped and he dropped his eyes. He murmured an agreement and hoped that she would leave it at that, but he should have known better.
She stepped closer, dipping down so that she could see his down turned face. “Why?”
Worriedly, he shot her a glance before trying to turn away. “It doesn’t matter.” He wanted to pout, remembered a time when pouting was allowed and bemoaned the fact that Saya wouldn’t let him get away with that. How had he ever been paired up with this girl?
“If it doesn’t matter, tell me why.”
He flushed, guilt making him shy and unsure of himself. He pulled away from her and sat back on the ground, his back to the wall once again. Saya followed him, forgetting to gather her skirts and the brown fabric spread around her like a puddle.
“I don’t want to learn anymore magic.”
Saya didn’t say anything to that, letting silence fill the air between them. He fidgeted and awaited her outburst with baited breath, but there was nothing. Finally, he dared to peek up at her.
She was staring at him like he had suddenly offered to fend off a dragon with only his cotton tunic for armor. When he dared to meet her eyes, she snorted and said, “That’s just silly. You don’t mean that.”
Slumping down the wall, Rurik picked at a thread on his knee. “I do. I don’t want to use magic anymore.”
“Saya’s right,” Merlin suddenly said from the door, making the two youths jump in their skin. Quickly, Rurik jumped to his feet, bowing his head. Trembling. Saya took her time standing, sniffing and dusting off her skirts.
“I’m always right,” she said, as if it were true. Merlin rolled his eyes and came forward to place a hand on Rurik’s shoulder.
“Tell me why you wish to stop. What could possibly make you want to stop doing what you love?”
Flushing, Rurik cast a glance at Saya before trying to hide his face with his hair. Unfortunately, his hair had been chopped of its length just last se’nnight, and that left his face open to their scrutiny.
He heard Saya take a breath to say something, but Merlin held a hand up to her, shushing her and then motioning for her to leave. The little girl rolled her eyes and once again punched him in the shoulder as she made her way toward the door.
“Stop being a baby and lets start our lessons.” She had to pull on the door with both hands to close it.
Merlin found His Lordship’s chair and motioned Rurik closer.
“Now, tell me,” he said in his kind voice.
Rurik swallowed and twisted his fingers together.
“I don’t want to learn magic anymore.”
“That’s not a reason.”
Gulping, Rurik turned the whole of his attention on his fingers, how they turned white around the knuckles. “I can’t learn magic anymore.”
Merlin sighed. “That’s still not a reason.”
“Yes, it is! I can’t use magic,” his voice was becoming thick with suppressed emotion and he had to stop to clear his throat before he could continue. “I can’t learn magic. I c-can’t use magic.”
He felt a firm hand under his chin, tilting his head up until he met Merlin’s gaze. Tears spilled over and he fought against the flush he knew was staining his face an even darker red.
“I see,” Merlin finally murmured. “That albatross around your neck has quite a hold on you, hum?”
Rurik blinked in confusion, but before he could ask, Merlin continued. “You should let this take magic from you. Saya’s quite alright with it. Why do you still harbor this guilt?”
“I hurt her!”
“That was an accident.”
“I hurt her!”
“She recovered and is as much a hellion as ever. You did no damage and all has been forgiven and forgotten.”
He shook his head, trembling. “I-I can’t! I tried and the magic won’t come to me.” Then the tears wouldn’t be stopped as they fell down his face. “I’ll never do magic again!” His voice rose with his panic. He couldn’t risk ever hurting her again. She meant too much to him for him to risk it. She was too important.
He’d never forgive himself if he did her harm.
He hiccupped with his tears and Merlin patted his head, letting him cry. Then there was a crash as the door was shoved open.
“Saya!” Merlin reprimanded, but it didn’t go unnoticed by Rurik how the magician didn’t make a move, magical or otherwise, to stall her entrance.
The girl was glaring at Rurik and stalking toward him, arms akimbo and feet stomping. “That’s just stupid. You made a mistake, we all make mistakes.” She gave a decidedly un-lady like snort, “I’ve hurt myself worse than that little spell of yours did, several times over.”
Beside him, Rurik caught Merlin nodding sagely, agreeing with her.
She reached them, hand shooting out to snag his tunic. She pulled him close until their noses were almost touching. “You learn, you grow, you never make the same mistakes twice.” Then her face twisted into something akin to hate. “You don’t give up.” She shook him, and once again surprised him with her strange strength. “You don’t give up, never.”
Then she released him and took his ear between her fingers, tugging him out of the study. “Merlin, we’ll be waiting in the tower.”
After the two had left, Merlin doubled over, hiding his chuckles behind his hand.
That boy never had a chance.
Soon, he stifled his laughter and set about on ways to help the youth get over his sudden fear of making another mistake.