Dragon Age One Shots

Autumn in Dragon Age -- Morrigan

"Kieran!"

My voice didn't have a hope to rise above the cacophony of children bleeding into the orchard. An entire mass of them moved like locusts descending upon the feast, their parents long since left behind to trudge up the hill.

Only my son glanced back, the sea of taller children threatening to consume him. While I hoped he'd wait, the allure proved too much. In an instant, he turned on his heels and scampered towards a tree. Three other children flocked the branches, most taller than my boy. Kieran ducked down and scampered closer to the trunk, his hands scrabbling for the blushing apples hidden amongst the leaves.

"Your father is acquiring a bucket right now," I sighed, glancing towards the twisting line of parents left to pay for the privilege of bringing in the farmer's crop. A rather satisfying deal on their end.

A giggle of joy drew me from the manure-stench of the barn to gaze upon an unending field of apple trees. They fanned out like autumn's army waiting for orders to march upon the winter forest. My boy's hands cupped to his chest, a red apple bigger than both his palms cradled safely. The exuberant eyes of an ever distracted seven-year-old shattered expectations by honing upon the apple and refusing to lift. As Kieran laughed again, I accepted that the long drive, the trek out to some bird-woman's farm, and the threat of tick embedding was worth it for his smile.

I let my eyes drift off Kieran, about to look for his father, when a hand whipped through the air and plunged greedy fingers to his apple. "Hey!" Kieran shouted, trying to protect his get while the larger boy puffed himself up.

"Gimme that! It's mine."

"Is not. I found it," my son shouted, trying to tuck the apple in safer to his chest. Which was when the bully slapped at his hand. Still Kieran wouldn't acquiesce, even with a pink handprint rising from where that monster struck my son. My gait elongated, thunderstorms trailing my steps towards the children.

"Give it now!" the cretin shrieked. Greedy fingers dug into both the flesh of the apple and my son's. It proved too much as Kieran cried, the sound rattling my soul, and he released the apple into the bully's hands.

"Ha!" the child crowed, holding aloft his prize as if he earned it. Piggish eyes narrowed upon my boy and the bully yanked his hand back to slap Kieran once more.

My fingers snaked around the child's wrist, holding it tight above his head. He screamed as if my grip was lava. How I wished it were so, but aside from keeping the monster from doing as he wanted, I caused him no harm.

I stared into the black eyes of the child, chaos and cruelty already sewn into the makeup of someone not yet ten. "Do not hit my son or you shall suffer beyond imagination." My tone must have punctured through even that Dunning-Krueger armor as the child nodded dumbly. "And return that which you stole."

The bully glanced towards Kieran, who held both his hands out, but he flinched from doing the right thing. With a sigh, I plucked the apple free and held it far above the child's head. "You should be punished for such atrocities," I muttered, releasing the boy's arm.

"Oi! Let go of 'im!"

My eyes rolled at the voice ordering me to do that which I already did. Turning, I spotted a mass of a man stumbling towards me. He wore all his strength in his gut, as if he'd swallowed every ego-boosting lie, every assurance from society that he was important, and honestly believed them. His legs hustled up the hill as I folded my arms, the apple tucked safely in my palm. I shifted to hide Kieran from view as the creator of the child bully thundered towards us.

"Don't you fucking dare touch my kid!" he shrieked.

"Perhaps you should try parenting your child, then the rest of us wouldn't need to bother."