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tamingthemuseTitle: Burnt
Fandom: Original
Prompt: keeping score
Warnings: none
Rating: PG
Summary: When Saya was young, magic just didn’t seem to be her calling.
Saya frowned at the bit of wood on the table before her.
It was dry and rough, just large enough that if the Lady saw it she’d throw a fit at it being in the house, but small enough that Saya should have been able to control the magic to change it from just a bit of wood to a bit of wood on fire.
Rurik had done so already, and on his first try, too. She chewed her lip and glanced at the boy now flipping through Merlin’s book to find the spell to put out said flame. Stupid Rurik, always getting the magic under control before she could. Not that she was keeping score, or anything.
She turned back to her own appointed bit of bark and glowered. Stupid tree, burn already. She murmured the words Merlin had had her memorize and held out her hand over the wooden sliver, but nothing happened, once again. She fisted her hand and slammed it on the table, making Rurik jump beside her. Instantly, the flame he had been keeping careful eye on guttered out and began to smoke heavily. The two waved their hands in front of their faces, coughing as the small room quickly filled with the pungent smoke.
Saya took the opportunity to escape, dashing out the room and down the stairs, away from her failure.
Merlin had once said that she was gifted, but it just didn’t seem like it to her. Summon fire? Fire refused to listen to her. Command water? Water hated her voice. She was hopeless with magic, controlling it, at least.
She found her favorite spot to hide outside, a bend in the castle’s walls that allowed for shadows and embarrassing tears. She sat heavily and buried her hot face in her knees, refusing to make a sound, but unable to stop the tears. She was supposed to be great, greater than Rurik and much admired by Merlin.
She was supposed to be, but nothing was changing. Each time Rurik passed and she failed was like a blow to her young soul, making her think that perhaps she just wasn’t meant to be a wizard.
Maybe she had no magic in her, after all.
Then her fingers would twitch at the feel of Merlin’s magic so close. Reacting.
She buried her face deeper in her skirts as his shadow fell over her. For a long moment he didn’t speak, just stood over her, his shadow covering her from the hot rays of the sun.
“Come, child, return to the tower and try again.”
“I don’t want to. I’m not meant for magic.”
“Never say that while your own magic is fighting for you to see it so valiantly.”
Her head popped up, eyes watery. “I can’t control magic. How do you even know if I have magic?”
Merlin smiled, “Every time you fail to do a spell, your magic mourns with you. It’s trying to emerge from where you’ve hidden it away. You just need to find the proper key to unlock it. Give it time, dear.”
He reached out and tugged her to her feet with little effort. Pouting still, she was pulled along behind him as he marched her back to the tower room. Rurik was busy fanning out the air still, his face marked with soot. His eyes held something Saya refused to consider as he looked up at their return.
“This time,” Merlin said, “Try listening to your magic, instead of your head. Have patience and don’t rush, as you so love to do.” Then he smiled as he pushed her back to the bench with her assignment still awaiting her. “Then again, you’re so spontaneous maybe you need to just jump in with both feet.”
Frowning at what she imagined to be an insult, she fisted her hand and slammed it on the table once again, making the tiny shard of wood to wobble. “Fire refuses to obey me. Magic refuses to listen to my call! I just can’t entice my own magic to do my bidding!” Tears filled her eyes.
Merlin pointed to the table and she turned to look, startled to see a thin spiral of smoke emerging from the bit of wood. She gaped, and the smoke died out.
“Ah, I see what I’m doing wrong,” Merlin murmured. He grinned. “You’re too fiery to be bound behind books, aren’t you, little hellion?” Saya glared at him and he chuckled. “Very well, we’ll begin a new way of teaching. One more suited to your volatile nature
Fandom: Original
Prompt: keeping score
Warnings: none
Rating: PG
Summary: When Saya was young, magic just didn’t seem to be her calling.
Saya frowned at the bit of wood on the table before her.
It was dry and rough, just large enough that if the Lady saw it she’d throw a fit at it being in the house, but small enough that Saya should have been able to control the magic to change it from just a bit of wood to a bit of wood on fire.
Rurik had done so already, and on his first try, too. She chewed her lip and glanced at the boy now flipping through Merlin’s book to find the spell to put out said flame. Stupid Rurik, always getting the magic under control before she could. Not that she was keeping score, or anything.
She turned back to her own appointed bit of bark and glowered. Stupid tree, burn already. She murmured the words Merlin had had her memorize and held out her hand over the wooden sliver, but nothing happened, once again. She fisted her hand and slammed it on the table, making Rurik jump beside her. Instantly, the flame he had been keeping careful eye on guttered out and began to smoke heavily. The two waved their hands in front of their faces, coughing as the small room quickly filled with the pungent smoke.
Saya took the opportunity to escape, dashing out the room and down the stairs, away from her failure.
Merlin had once said that she was gifted, but it just didn’t seem like it to her. Summon fire? Fire refused to listen to her. Command water? Water hated her voice. She was hopeless with magic, controlling it, at least.
She found her favorite spot to hide outside, a bend in the castle’s walls that allowed for shadows and embarrassing tears. She sat heavily and buried her hot face in her knees, refusing to make a sound, but unable to stop the tears. She was supposed to be great, greater than Rurik and much admired by Merlin.
She was supposed to be, but nothing was changing. Each time Rurik passed and she failed was like a blow to her young soul, making her think that perhaps she just wasn’t meant to be a wizard.
Maybe she had no magic in her, after all.
Then her fingers would twitch at the feel of Merlin’s magic so close. Reacting.
She buried her face deeper in her skirts as his shadow fell over her. For a long moment he didn’t speak, just stood over her, his shadow covering her from the hot rays of the sun.
“Come, child, return to the tower and try again.”
“I don’t want to. I’m not meant for magic.”
“Never say that while your own magic is fighting for you to see it so valiantly.”
Her head popped up, eyes watery. “I can’t control magic. How do you even know if I have magic?”
Merlin smiled, “Every time you fail to do a spell, your magic mourns with you. It’s trying to emerge from where you’ve hidden it away. You just need to find the proper key to unlock it. Give it time, dear.”
He reached out and tugged her to her feet with little effort. Pouting still, she was pulled along behind him as he marched her back to the tower room. Rurik was busy fanning out the air still, his face marked with soot. His eyes held something Saya refused to consider as he looked up at their return.
“This time,” Merlin said, “Try listening to your magic, instead of your head. Have patience and don’t rush, as you so love to do.” Then he smiled as he pushed her back to the bench with her assignment still awaiting her. “Then again, you’re so spontaneous maybe you need to just jump in with both feet.”
Frowning at what she imagined to be an insult, she fisted her hand and slammed it on the table once again, making the tiny shard of wood to wobble. “Fire refuses to obey me. Magic refuses to listen to my call! I just can’t entice my own magic to do my bidding!” Tears filled her eyes.
Merlin pointed to the table and she turned to look, startled to see a thin spiral of smoke emerging from the bit of wood. She gaped, and the smoke died out.
“Ah, I see what I’m doing wrong,” Merlin murmured. He grinned. “You’re too fiery to be bound behind books, aren’t you, little hellion?” Saya glared at him and he chuckled. “Very well, we’ll begin a new way of teaching. One more suited to your volatile nature
