Were you ever a child, Nicci?
Title: Were you ever a child, Nicci?Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Character/Pairing: Nicci, Richard
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 667
Summary: Nicci considers childhood.
Author’s Notes: for aleynarose prompt Were you ever a child, Nicci? I love for that prompt! *hugs*
♥ to my beta angel_in_tears
‘Were you ever a child, Nicci?‘
She blinks twice and carefully takes in what is presented before her.
He’s giving her a warning look, with a scared looking boy in his arms and a almost amused smile wanting to escape his lips. He’s too easy to read sometimes.
So, maybe her descriptions of banelings and why someone would choose to kill for The Keeper was a little too… detailed for a 7 year old, but still, was she ever a child? That was a stupid question, and a rather weak point of argument.
Even so, she tilts her head and considers it.
She is a woman, and contrary to most popular belief, she was not spit from the womb of the Underworld. She was born and then grown into an adult; she did walk this world as a child once. But that was over 300 years ago. He can’t possibly expect her to remember what it was like back then.
And just then she realizes, that even if it was 300 years ago, it was still her life, but she remembers so little of her early years that do not include the Palace of Prophets.
She remembers duty, through all her life there’s been duty. She remembers dirty, smelly streets and hungry helpless people, jealous children and ruined dresses. A cynical, Orden obsessed mother and an unhappy father, who wanted nothing more than the opportunity to love his own daughter. And most of all she remembers lice, the disgusting little creatures and the pain as she scratches her own scalp in a desperate attempt to get rid of them all.
Her head resumes its initial position as she studies the amusement on Richard face for another second.
‘No. The Keeper sends is servants into this World fully grown. He has no use for children.’
The boy hides his face in Richard’s neck, who shakes his head, not bothering to hide his smile anymore.
He starts walking in the direction of the other children, playing by the small spring. It’s a hot day and the cool water feels like a miracle to all of them. Even Nicci is pleased with the small drops of water that hit her face every now and then, after being lost in the mess of flailing arms and loud laughing.
One of the smallest girls loses her footing while trying to escape the playful pursuit of a boy with hair as red as her. She lets a small cry as her arms extend in front of her and her hands try to break the fall.
Nicci takes a step in the direction of the small redhead girl, and her mouth open to ask if she’s alright when the girls rolls over and starts giggling again. The boy drops to his knees next to her and she giggles turn into laughter when he starts tickling her mercilessly.
This is something she doesn’t remember from her childhood. Mother didn’t like giggles or laughter or any noise at all.
Richard is busy giving piggy back rides and she’s closer anyway, so Nicci picks up the little girl, who looks surprised by the fact that the quiet woman was paying attention to her. Carrying her to the spring Nicci sits her on her lap. She eyes the mess of red locks that make up the girl’s hair, but she pays then little attention, choosing to drops her hand into the water and use it to clean the little girl’s scratched knees. Even though her big eyes follow her every move, she still relaxes in her lap, and even giggles a little when Nicci cleans some dirt of her face.
Making sure both knees have stopped bleeding and that the girl’s hands are clean Nicci she puts her back down.
The girl’s eyes shine as she voices her ‘thank you’ and then runs back to the others to make up for the few minutes her small injury cost her.
Maybe, she was never really a child after all.