Nothing is Going Right
My first fic for the community everyfiveyears which I have been a member of forever and, as of yet, have not contributed. I am ashamed.
Title: Nothing is Going Right
Author: alphabet26
Fandom: David Eddings--Belgariad/Mallorean series (but no spoilers--this story takes place during the prequel "Polgara the Sorceress")
Character: Countess Asrana
Character’s Age: 5
Word Count: 1054
Rating: G
Warnings: Flying shoes ;P
Summary: Nothing is going right today for Asrana; her brother is leaving to be trained as knight, and now she's going to be alone.
Author's Notes: This story really assumes previous knowledge. I hope it's still enjoyable. Also, for your reference , click here for a David Eddings timeline. I made up Asrana's year of birth (she was only referred to as a "young woman" when she was introduced) and her family, but went by the timeline for everything else. For my purposes, she was born in 2294.
***
It was a day where nothing was going right.
It simply wasn't fair that she wasn't even allowed to talk about it. Asrana had always known that her brother would go away, but it didn't have to be now, and it didn't have to be so far away.
Or, if it did have to be now and it did have to be so far away, she should at least be able to say how unfair it all was.
That wasn't allowed, though. She was patted on the head and told she'd understand when she was older and to go play because Mother and Papa and Asirig had to get ready for The Earl.
But with Asirig getting ready to leave, just who was she supposed to play with? Sometimes, adults just didn't think things through at all.
She wasn't supposed to be outside. They'd made her put on her nicest dress and even take a bath to get ready for The Earl. But everyone was so busy makng preparations that they didn't notice when she walked out into the garden. So she climbed her favorite tree--the tree she and Asirig had climbed almost every day and that she would have to climb alone from now on. She sat in their tree, kicking the trunk and thinking dark thoughts about The Earl who was ruining her life.
She did not mean for her shoe to fly off. And if she had meant for her shoe to fall off, there was no way she could know that The Earl was going to walk into the garden. And if she had known that The Earl was going to walk into the garden...well, what were the chances that if she had actually aimed, she would have managed to hit him?
Nothing was going right!
She crouched and hid behind some leaves. Maybe The Earl didn't see where the shoe came from. Maybe he didn't know where she was.
He picked up the shoe and held it over his head. "No more!" he called. "I surrender!"
She peeked through the leaves and met his eyes. He was looking right at her. There was no use in hiding, so she uncurled and shrugged. "What are you talking about?"
"You still have one more weapon there," he pointed out. "I assure you, I am here for peaceful purposes."
"They're not weapons, they're shoes," she said scornfully.
"This isn't an attack?"
"Of course not."
He sighed. "I admit I am quite relieved."
"May I have my shoe back?" she asked.
"My apologies." He walked over to the tree, and handed her the shoe.
"Thank you." She slipped it on.
"So if you're not on the lookout for enemies--to attack them with your shoe--why are you in the tree? Surely your parents don't keep you here."
He was the strangest man she had ever met. Stranger than Strange Uncle Adollin. "I'm hiding," she explained.
"So there is an enemy. How exciting."
"I'm hiding from you."
He blinked at her. "From me? I don't quite understand."
Adults never did. "You're The Earl, aren't you?"
He blinked again. "I've never been called that exactly, but I suppose so."
"Then you're here to take away my brother."
"Your brother?"
"Asirig." She sighed. "He'd be in this tree with me, except everyone else is inside, getting ready for you. You're taking him away when the week is over, and I'll never see him again." She hoped he couldn't tell she was about to cry.
The Earl started to answer, but they were interrupted by Asrana's lady mother calling for her.
"Asrana! Are you bothering Earl Mangaran?"
Nothing was going right! He came into her garden and started talking to her, and she was the one blamed.
"I assure you she was not," The Earl answered before Asrana could reply. "Lady Asrana is charming company, and I actually intruded on her."
"What a thing to say! Of course you are welcome anywhere you wish to go on our grounds," Mother protested. "And Asrana is not supposed to be outside right now."
The Earl spoke up again. "Your gardens are so charming, I must admit I hardly want to stay inside, either. I'm sure Lady Asrana feels the same way. With your permission, I'll just finish my turn about the garden, and then join you inside. Perhaps Lady Asrana would join me?"
"She would be delighted," Mother answered for her. "Wouldn't you, Asrana?"
"Yes, Mother," Asrana answered.
Mother turned and headed back for the house.
Asrana sighed. "Thank you, my Lord," she said.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "For?"
"For keeping me out of trouble. I get into it enough on my own, Nanny says."
The Earl laughed. "Well, I don't have any trouble believing that." He tapped her shoe, and then shrugged. "But I can't see where you've done anything--this time. I think I shall have to keep an eye on you, though."
She tried to raise an eyebrow back at him. She thought she almost had it.
"Yes, I'm certain. I will insist you visit me--and Asirig--at least twice a year. So I can keep an eye on you, you understand."
Asrana stared at Mangaran. "Do you mean that?"
"It's the only way to keep Arendia safe from those shoes of yours, I fear."
She slid out of the tree. "If you really want to walk around the garden, I can show you where a nest of partridges is. They didn't hatch very long ago; the chicks are still there."
"I can't think of anything I'd rather do."
"It's this way." She took his hand and started walking. "I think it would be best if I came in the summer. Mother and Father said your estate is near the forest. I've never been to the forest before, but I think summer is the best time to visit there. Oh, and I won't do any spinning when I'm there. I hate spinning. It always gets tangled. Are there any other children on your manor, or will it just be Asirig and me? We play together all the time, so that's all right if there's no one else. He will be allowed to play with me while I'm there, won't he?"
Mangaran smiled and started answering her questions. Asrana smiled back. Maybe some things were going right.
***
Title: Nothing is Going Right
Author: alphabet26
Fandom: David Eddings--Belgariad/Mallorean series (but no spoilers--this story takes place during the prequel "Polgara the Sorceress")
Character: Countess Asrana
Character’s Age: 5
Word Count: 1054
Rating: G
Warnings: Flying shoes ;P
Summary: Nothing is going right today for Asrana; her brother is leaving to be trained as knight, and now she's going to be alone.
Author's Notes: This story really assumes previous knowledge. I hope it's still enjoyable. Also, for your reference , click here for a David Eddings timeline. I made up Asrana's year of birth (she was only referred to as a "young woman" when she was introduced) and her family, but went by the timeline for everything else. For my purposes, she was born in 2294.
***
It was a day where nothing was going right.
It simply wasn't fair that she wasn't even allowed to talk about it. Asrana had always known that her brother would go away, but it didn't have to be now, and it didn't have to be so far away.
Or, if it did have to be now and it did have to be so far away, she should at least be able to say how unfair it all was.
That wasn't allowed, though. She was patted on the head and told she'd understand when she was older and to go play because Mother and Papa and Asirig had to get ready for The Earl.
But with Asirig getting ready to leave, just who was she supposed to play with? Sometimes, adults just didn't think things through at all.
She wasn't supposed to be outside. They'd made her put on her nicest dress and even take a bath to get ready for The Earl. But everyone was so busy makng preparations that they didn't notice when she walked out into the garden. So she climbed her favorite tree--the tree she and Asirig had climbed almost every day and that she would have to climb alone from now on. She sat in their tree, kicking the trunk and thinking dark thoughts about The Earl who was ruining her life.
She did not mean for her shoe to fly off. And if she had meant for her shoe to fall off, there was no way she could know that The Earl was going to walk into the garden. And if she had known that The Earl was going to walk into the garden...well, what were the chances that if she had actually aimed, she would have managed to hit him?
Nothing was going right!
She crouched and hid behind some leaves. Maybe The Earl didn't see where the shoe came from. Maybe he didn't know where she was.
He picked up the shoe and held it over his head. "No more!" he called. "I surrender!"
She peeked through the leaves and met his eyes. He was looking right at her. There was no use in hiding, so she uncurled and shrugged. "What are you talking about?"
"You still have one more weapon there," he pointed out. "I assure you, I am here for peaceful purposes."
"They're not weapons, they're shoes," she said scornfully.
"This isn't an attack?"
"Of course not."
He sighed. "I admit I am quite relieved."
"May I have my shoe back?" she asked.
"My apologies." He walked over to the tree, and handed her the shoe.
"Thank you." She slipped it on.
"So if you're not on the lookout for enemies--to attack them with your shoe--why are you in the tree? Surely your parents don't keep you here."
He was the strangest man she had ever met. Stranger than Strange Uncle Adollin. "I'm hiding," she explained.
"So there is an enemy. How exciting."
"I'm hiding from you."
He blinked at her. "From me? I don't quite understand."
Adults never did. "You're The Earl, aren't you?"
He blinked again. "I've never been called that exactly, but I suppose so."
"Then you're here to take away my brother."
"Your brother?"
"Asirig." She sighed. "He'd be in this tree with me, except everyone else is inside, getting ready for you. You're taking him away when the week is over, and I'll never see him again." She hoped he couldn't tell she was about to cry.
The Earl started to answer, but they were interrupted by Asrana's lady mother calling for her.
"Asrana! Are you bothering Earl Mangaran?"
Nothing was going right! He came into her garden and started talking to her, and she was the one blamed.
"I assure you she was not," The Earl answered before Asrana could reply. "Lady Asrana is charming company, and I actually intruded on her."
"What a thing to say! Of course you are welcome anywhere you wish to go on our grounds," Mother protested. "And Asrana is not supposed to be outside right now."
The Earl spoke up again. "Your gardens are so charming, I must admit I hardly want to stay inside, either. I'm sure Lady Asrana feels the same way. With your permission, I'll just finish my turn about the garden, and then join you inside. Perhaps Lady Asrana would join me?"
"She would be delighted," Mother answered for her. "Wouldn't you, Asrana?"
"Yes, Mother," Asrana answered.
Mother turned and headed back for the house.
Asrana sighed. "Thank you, my Lord," she said.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "For?"
"For keeping me out of trouble. I get into it enough on my own, Nanny says."
The Earl laughed. "Well, I don't have any trouble believing that." He tapped her shoe, and then shrugged. "But I can't see where you've done anything--this time. I think I shall have to keep an eye on you, though."
She tried to raise an eyebrow back at him. She thought she almost had it.
"Yes, I'm certain. I will insist you visit me--and Asirig--at least twice a year. So I can keep an eye on you, you understand."
Asrana stared at Mangaran. "Do you mean that?"
"It's the only way to keep Arendia safe from those shoes of yours, I fear."
She slid out of the tree. "If you really want to walk around the garden, I can show you where a nest of partridges is. They didn't hatch very long ago; the chicks are still there."
"I can't think of anything I'd rather do."
"It's this way." She took his hand and started walking. "I think it would be best if I came in the summer. Mother and Father said your estate is near the forest. I've never been to the forest before, but I think summer is the best time to visit there. Oh, and I won't do any spinning when I'm there. I hate spinning. It always gets tangled. Are there any other children on your manor, or will it just be Asirig and me? We play together all the time, so that's all right if there's no one else. He will be allowed to play with me while I'm there, won't he?"
Mangaran smiled and started answering her questions. Asrana smiled back. Maybe some things were going right.
***