LegendLand Big Bang Challenge - "Be Good to Your Daughters" (PG-15)
Title: Be Good to Your Daughters
Rating: PG-15; rated for adult concepts
Theme: Mother Confessors
Genre: Drama/Tragedy
Characters: Original Characters; mention of bookverse character
Timeline/Spoilers: Pre-series; historic confessors
Prompt: Lost
Word Count: 855
Author's Notes: Nope, no notes I think.
“How is she?” Yosef asked the young girl that stood nervously outside the heavy door of the Mother Confessor's chamber.
“She is... she's worse I think...” the girl stammered.
Yosef looked her over, his eyes measuring.
“I haven't heard anything... but she hasn't left her rooms all morning, and she hasn't eaten anything,” the girl explained in a nervous and uncertain voice.
Yosef nodded and brushed past her to reach for the door.
“Wizard...”
The older man turned to eye the Mother Confessor's self-appointed guard. The girl straightened her spine and Yosef saw the mask of a Confessor fall over her face.
“She is our Mother Confessor, Wizard,” she said, a world of meaning in every word.
Yosef nodded once.
“She is the Mother Confessor,” the girl repeated.
“I understand girl,” the wizard replied, letting a touch of sympathy enter his voice. “I do...”
It was the Confessor's turn to nod and she stepped back, letting Yosef open the door without further obstruction.
“Gabrielle... Gabrielle?”
“What do you want, wizard?” Asked a dead sounding voice from the shadows.
“They tell me that you're feeling unwell.”
“They're wrong.”
Yosef stepped further into the darkened rooms, his eyes searching the even darker shadows that lurked in the corners.
“I see... well, actually, I don't...” the wizard countered slowly. “Why don't you come out, Gabrielle?”
He heard an eerie sort of laugh from the far corner and turned a blind eye in that direction.
“What's happened, Gabrielle? Tell me...” Yosef coaxed.
Again, the Mother Confessor laughed her strange laugh until it abruptly stopped, only to begin again as an almost sobbing sound.
“Gabrielle...”
“Would you take my confession, wizard?” She asked contemptuously through her sobs.
“I would help you,” Yosef replied instantly, turning in the darkness. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to discover where the Mother Confessor hid in her chambers and the sound of her sobs seemed to come at him from all directions.
“I see them, wizard,” Gabrielle offered suddenly, her sobs stopping as her voice took on a haunted, hollow tone. “I see them; all of them; around me; in me... I see them... and it's all your fault...”
“My fault?”
“Yours...” she hissed. “Your kind created us... doomed us... every daughter until the end of time... every generation, unto the very last...”
“Gabrielle...”
“No wizard... you should know to never lie to a Confessor...”
“And how do you know I would lie, you don't know what I mean to say, Gabrielle,” Yosef countered reasonably.
“Are you speaking?”
“Of course,” Yosef replied uncertainly.
“Then I know you're lying...” the Mother Confessor spat.
The wizard sighed. “I want to help you, Gabrielle. Tell me what's happened.”
“I see them... every one... right back to the very first,” the Mother Confessor responded, her voice once more falling like dead sound from the shadows. “I was only ten,” she continued. “Did you know that wizard? I was only ten when I took my first Confession; a murderer that raped and killed his wife... his daughters... that threatened to do it to me... I took his Confession and he took my soul.”
“Gabby...”
“And he's here, wizard... he stands next to me and whispers... tells me about all the things he'll do to me in my sleep... and I'm always asleep, wizard...”
“Gabby...”
“And then there's the woman that drowned her children because she was angry with her husband. He was cheating on her, so she killed his children... they sing to me... only, I can't understand what they're saying, because their mother is always filling their throats with water...”
She sobbed.
“Gabrielle, I don't see anyone,” Yosef said, looking around. “Are they here now?”
The Mother Confessor laughed.
“Of course you don't see them, Yosef... you can't... they aren't really here...”
“Gabrielle...”
Suddenly, she appeared from the shadows, coming toe to toe with him.
“You can't see them, because they aren't really here. I'm simply mad, Yosef. But what did you expect really? Deny a person love... touch... everything but this mad existence, and something like this was bound to happen.”
Suddenly, she reached out to grasp the wizard's throat.
“I didn't want to do this, Yosef, but it's the only way you'll see...”
“I'm sorry, Gabrielle,” he apologized, even as she looked down to where he had snapped the radahan closed. “I'm so sorry. You're right, Gabrielle. It is my fault.”
She sank to the floor at his feet. Yosef dropped down next to her.
“Meritt was right, we will never be able to repay our debt to you, any of us. I'm so sorry. You're right, you and all your daughters deserve better. I'm so sorry.”
Gently, he removed the chain of office from around her neck, releasing her from it's burden.
“I'm so sorry...”
He opened his arms as the Mother Confessor fell into them, sobbing...
Rating: PG-15; rated for adult concepts
Theme: Mother Confessors
Genre: Drama/Tragedy
Characters: Original Characters; mention of bookverse character
Timeline/Spoilers: Pre-series; historic confessors
Prompt: Lost
Word Count: 855
Author's Notes: Nope, no notes I think.
“How is she?” Yosef asked the young girl that stood nervously outside the heavy door of the Mother Confessor's chamber.
“She is... she's worse I think...” the girl stammered.
Yosef looked her over, his eyes measuring.
“I haven't heard anything... but she hasn't left her rooms all morning, and she hasn't eaten anything,” the girl explained in a nervous and uncertain voice.
Yosef nodded and brushed past her to reach for the door.
“Wizard...”
The older man turned to eye the Mother Confessor's self-appointed guard. The girl straightened her spine and Yosef saw the mask of a Confessor fall over her face.
“She is our Mother Confessor, Wizard,” she said, a world of meaning in every word.
Yosef nodded once.
“She is the Mother Confessor,” the girl repeated.
“I understand girl,” the wizard replied, letting a touch of sympathy enter his voice. “I do...”
It was the Confessor's turn to nod and she stepped back, letting Yosef open the door without further obstruction.
“Gabrielle... Gabrielle?”
“What do you want, wizard?” Asked a dead sounding voice from the shadows.
“They tell me that you're feeling unwell.”
“They're wrong.”
Yosef stepped further into the darkened rooms, his eyes searching the even darker shadows that lurked in the corners.
“I see... well, actually, I don't...” the wizard countered slowly. “Why don't you come out, Gabrielle?”
He heard an eerie sort of laugh from the far corner and turned a blind eye in that direction.
“What's happened, Gabrielle? Tell me...” Yosef coaxed.
Again, the Mother Confessor laughed her strange laugh until it abruptly stopped, only to begin again as an almost sobbing sound.
“Gabrielle...”
“Would you take my confession, wizard?” She asked contemptuously through her sobs.
“I would help you,” Yosef replied instantly, turning in the darkness. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to discover where the Mother Confessor hid in her chambers and the sound of her sobs seemed to come at him from all directions.
“I see them, wizard,” Gabrielle offered suddenly, her sobs stopping as her voice took on a haunted, hollow tone. “I see them; all of them; around me; in me... I see them... and it's all your fault...”
“My fault?”
“Yours...” she hissed. “Your kind created us... doomed us... every daughter until the end of time... every generation, unto the very last...”
“Gabrielle...”
“No wizard... you should know to never lie to a Confessor...”
“And how do you know I would lie, you don't know what I mean to say, Gabrielle,” Yosef countered reasonably.
“Are you speaking?”
“Of course,” Yosef replied uncertainly.
“Then I know you're lying...” the Mother Confessor spat.
The wizard sighed. “I want to help you, Gabrielle. Tell me what's happened.”
“I see them... every one... right back to the very first,” the Mother Confessor responded, her voice once more falling like dead sound from the shadows. “I was only ten,” she continued. “Did you know that wizard? I was only ten when I took my first Confession; a murderer that raped and killed his wife... his daughters... that threatened to do it to me... I took his Confession and he took my soul.”
“Gabby...”
“And he's here, wizard... he stands next to me and whispers... tells me about all the things he'll do to me in my sleep... and I'm always asleep, wizard...”
“Gabby...”
“And then there's the woman that drowned her children because she was angry with her husband. He was cheating on her, so she killed his children... they sing to me... only, I can't understand what they're saying, because their mother is always filling their throats with water...”
She sobbed.
“Gabrielle, I don't see anyone,” Yosef said, looking around. “Are they here now?”
The Mother Confessor laughed.
“Of course you don't see them, Yosef... you can't... they aren't really here...”
“Gabrielle...”
Suddenly, she appeared from the shadows, coming toe to toe with him.
“You can't see them, because they aren't really here. I'm simply mad, Yosef. But what did you expect really? Deny a person love... touch... everything but this mad existence, and something like this was bound to happen.”
Suddenly, she reached out to grasp the wizard's throat.
“I didn't want to do this, Yosef, but it's the only way you'll see...”
“I'm sorry, Gabrielle,” he apologized, even as she looked down to where he had snapped the radahan closed. “I'm so sorry. You're right, Gabrielle. It is my fault.”
She sank to the floor at his feet. Yosef dropped down next to her.
“Meritt was right, we will never be able to repay our debt to you, any of us. I'm so sorry. You're right, you and all your daughters deserve better. I'm so sorry.”
Gently, he removed the chain of office from around her neck, releasing her from it's burden.
“I'm so sorry...”
He opened his arms as the Mother Confessor fell into them, sobbing...