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Language:
English
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Published:
2020-02-19
Completed:
2020-03-15
Words:
455
Chapters:
3/3
Comments:
1
Kudos:
8
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104

Small Miracles

Summary:

A collection of 3 sentence ficlets.

1) Sothe in the Tower; 2) Pelleas always yearned to be good enough; 3) Sephiran reflects on sacredness.

Notes:

prompt: "ordinary person in a world of gods & monsters"

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Sothe, in the Tower

Chapter Text

The girl that you love has a goddess speaking through her mouth, and your king bought your country's freedom with the souls of his people, and you are nothing but a common thief. Like the muck of the streets you grew up in, you cling to your people like you can't let go - she left you once, when you were younger and she thought saving you meant cutting your ties, and you're never giving her the option anymore; he wanted to die once, and you've never liked him but he shouldn't leave you before your country's fixed - and you go with them.

If your daggers are mere pinpricks to gods and their monsters, if you don't matter to them, only a hanger-on by the side of a maiden of miracles and a sad-faced king, that's okay; gods and monsters aren't what matters to you, either.

Chapter 2: Pelleas, less than

Summary:

prompt: Pelleas, less than

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The spirit with whom Pelleas had entered a pact promised him, you will be good at magic, better than you are: not great, but enough; let me in, and I will make your life worthwhile - and Pelleas, who had never wanted to be great but who'd longed for good, has never found it a lacking deal.

"It's a solid treaty, Sire; it would be the act of a wise king, a good king to sign it," Izuka advised under his breath, as Pelleas took the quill Senator Lekain handed him.

Pelleas nodded, and signed, a little self-conscious of his orphanage handwriting, but applying himself so it would be most legible, a good king freeing Daein for good.

Notes:

the correct interpretation would have been less-than-three, obviously, but also obviously we less-than-three Pelleas because T_T

Chapter 3: Lehran, hierophany

Summary:

prompt: hierophany

me: manifestation of the sacred

Chapter Text

What of the sun, Lehran pondered first; what of the trees, what of the sea, what of the beauty of nature - but still his heart dwelled in sorrow, and the heavy weight of his limbs wasn't lifted.

What of sparrows, what of squirrels, he then pondered, as centuries went by and slowly the songs of common birds reached through the duvet of his moods; what of beorcs, what of laguz, what of the children the goddess shaped and whose great-great-great-grandchildren now walk the earth - and he left the calm solitude of his exile, drawn back to the land his beloved had once founded: the road was long and his feet hurt, and in Begnion he found the descendants to whom he'd sacrificed his wings, and his heart didn't lift, but when a child - an innocent, small and all alone in the world - raised her arms and cried, he lifted her in his, and shaped his lips in a smile.

What of a child's smile, Lehran pondered; what of Sanaki's attentive listening, what of compassion and justice taught and eagerly, passionately embraced - and for a while, he lets himself believe mere humanity is enough.

Notes:

I feel like I've written about twelve versions of this over the years, but none made it onto the Ao3, so you get the newest. Maybe it'll be joined by the older in time, and we can all laugh together at how I fixated upon one specific line of dialogue.