Work Text:
When she was eight years old, Saffiyah tried to make a sand-castle. It had towers and pillars and an evil King, with evil henchmen, but fortunately for the little town, there was a hero living close by, intent on destroying the King and rescuing the brave princess.
Her brother came and smashed it just as she was finishing up and later, when their father asked why the boy's nose was bleeding, the boy muttered something about: ‘hitting hard’ and ‘stupid girls.’
She doesn’t think about creation much, as the blood of her people and her family covers her hands, and as she is handed over to slave-traders, who she bets has done nothing but destroy their entire lives.
No, it isn’t until a young boy with piercing blue eyes walks up to her and sees right through, that Djaq starts believing she can create something again. Maybe even a new life.