Post by Rowena on Jun 13, 2010 10:45:02 GMT 10
Title: Two Views
Rating: PG
Prompt: #10, Magic
Summary: Two completely different views on Lightsbridge University and academic magic.
A/N: Thanks to Fate for suggesting the name Giles, even if it does mean “small goat”.
And everyone in chat for answering random Lightsbridge questions. Lara and Giles are both on scholarship to Lightsbridge, or whatever the equivalent for them would be.
Lara didn’t want to have magic. She didn’t like this idea, what this man had told her. She did not want to travel far away from the family she loved and the places she knew to study at some university. Lightsbridge University. It did not sound welcoming to her. It sounded like someplace cold and far away.
“Academic magic,” he had said. “You have academic magic.” That’s what it was that made her so different from her family. Lara didn’t want to be different, though. She didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to see the flashes of future events in the lives of people she didn’t know.
“Can’t you make it go away?” She had asked. He had shaken his head. “Do I have to learn how to control it?” She had asked.
“If you don’t, I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to control it.” She hadn’t liked his face or his voice when he said it. “We wouldn’t want there to be any…accidents.”
That had convinced her parents, before so hesitant. That was how she found herself alone on the journey to Lightsbridge.
She wished she didn’t have magic.
Giles jumped for the opportunity to go to Lightsbridge. The name seemed full of hope: Lightsbride University. It would be a bridge out of this life, his life full of work and his family who ignored him. They had thought him ignorant – how it was worth it to see the looks on their faces when the woman announced what it was. They’d called him a freak, outcast him, but those two little words made up for years of hurt…
“Academic magic, that’s what it is.”
“What?” he’d asked, incredulous. His father’s jaw was on the floor.
“You have academic magic. You need to be taught.”
His parents seemed to be balancing the benefits of him staying to work with the money he might make them later as a mage.
In the end they decided he would be worth more to them later. That was fine, except there was one thing they didn’t know: once he left, Giles was not coming back.
Lara was determinedly ignoring the boy sitting next to her. He was trying to look over her shoulder, but she moved her arm to block what she was drawing: the horizon of her village. It was as familiar to her as her own reflection, and she felt the need to draw it, compulsively, as if the more times she drew it, the longer it would take for her to forget.
He stopped trying to look over her shoulder, instead leaning back against the low stone wall.
“It’s thrilling, isn’t it?” he breathed.
“What?” Lara leaned back and gave him a look that said she questioned his sanity.
“Giles.” He stuck out a hand.
She took it tentatively. “Lara. What’s thrilling?”
“Being here. Having academic magic – finally knowing. Don’t you think it’s enthralling?”
“I think academic magic is as boring as it sounds.”
He was taken aback by that. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to be here, but my parents insisted.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “My parents almost didn’t let me, but I would have gotten here anyway.”
“You wanted to be here that badly?”
His grin softened, and the light in his eyes turned from joking to driven. “Of course I did. Don’t you see?” He gestured around the Lightsbride estate, eyes sweeping across the vast lands. “It’s magic.”
Rating: PG
Prompt: #10, Magic
Summary: Two completely different views on Lightsbridge University and academic magic.
A/N: Thanks to Fate for suggesting the name Giles, even if it does mean “small goat”.
And everyone in chat for answering random Lightsbridge questions. Lara and Giles are both on scholarship to Lightsbridge, or whatever the equivalent for them would be.Lara didn’t want to have magic. She didn’t like this idea, what this man had told her. She did not want to travel far away from the family she loved and the places she knew to study at some university. Lightsbridge University. It did not sound welcoming to her. It sounded like someplace cold and far away.
“Academic magic,” he had said. “You have academic magic.” That’s what it was that made her so different from her family. Lara didn’t want to be different, though. She didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to see the flashes of future events in the lives of people she didn’t know.
“Can’t you make it go away?” She had asked. He had shaken his head. “Do I have to learn how to control it?” She had asked.
“If you don’t, I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to control it.” She hadn’t liked his face or his voice when he said it. “We wouldn’t want there to be any…accidents.”
That had convinced her parents, before so hesitant. That was how she found herself alone on the journey to Lightsbridge.
She wished she didn’t have magic.
Giles jumped for the opportunity to go to Lightsbridge. The name seemed full of hope: Lightsbride University. It would be a bridge out of this life, his life full of work and his family who ignored him. They had thought him ignorant – how it was worth it to see the looks on their faces when the woman announced what it was. They’d called him a freak, outcast him, but those two little words made up for years of hurt…
“Academic magic, that’s what it is.”
“What?” he’d asked, incredulous. His father’s jaw was on the floor.
“You have academic magic. You need to be taught.”
His parents seemed to be balancing the benefits of him staying to work with the money he might make them later as a mage.
In the end they decided he would be worth more to them later. That was fine, except there was one thing they didn’t know: once he left, Giles was not coming back.
Lara was determinedly ignoring the boy sitting next to her. He was trying to look over her shoulder, but she moved her arm to block what she was drawing: the horizon of her village. It was as familiar to her as her own reflection, and she felt the need to draw it, compulsively, as if the more times she drew it, the longer it would take for her to forget.
He stopped trying to look over her shoulder, instead leaning back against the low stone wall.
“It’s thrilling, isn’t it?” he breathed.
“What?” Lara leaned back and gave him a look that said she questioned his sanity.
“Giles.” He stuck out a hand.
She took it tentatively. “Lara. What’s thrilling?”
“Being here. Having academic magic – finally knowing. Don’t you think it’s enthralling?”
“I think academic magic is as boring as it sounds.”
He was taken aback by that. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to be here, but my parents insisted.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “My parents almost didn’t let me, but I would have gotten here anyway.”
“You wanted to be here that badly?”
His grin softened, and the light in his eyes turned from joking to driven. “Of course I did. Don’t you see?” He gestured around the Lightsbride estate, eyes sweeping across the vast lands. “It’s magic.”
I'm glad you both enjoyed it