MC4A; Hogwarts
Stacked With: Hogwarts; Spring Bingo; BAON; FPC; Snicket Fence; Specious Narrative
Individual Challenges: Brush; Stolen Plot; Ethnic & Present (Y); Short Jog; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux
Representations: Salazar Slytherin; Helga Hufflepuff; Emotional Abuse
Bonus Challenges: Found Family; Nontraditional; Machismo (knitting, baking); Second Verse (Not a Lamp; White Dress)
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Rail; Negate
Prompts: Rapunzel (auction); Basket (365 words); Paulo Coelho quote (Insane Prompts); Write about someone with an unconventional pet (Games Development - Task 10); Bingo - 5A (Copper)
Word count: 2,765
Warning: Emotional abuse and mentioned racism.
Deep in a forest removed from civilisation sat a tall tower made of stone. Each stone was carefully placed to hold the tower up and straight and did not give room for a door to enter or exit. If one were to look at the tower, they would see an unbroken expanse of stones almost in every place.
There was only one break in the wall and that was high above in the form of a window. There was a small ledge jutting out from underneath the window and if one could see atop it, they would see the snake that often curled up to soak in the warmth of the sun. On calm days, when the wind was down and not determined to create knots in every strand, there would sometimes be a long stream of black hair flowing from inside the tower and down the tower's side.
The hair was as long as the tower was tall for it had not been cut once in its lifetime. The owner of the hair had spent most of their life in the tower and had never known anything else as far as they were aware. The inside of the tower was strewn with items that would keep a young child, teenager, and young adult occupied—all of which was brought by the only visitor the tower received.
She arrived at the clearing surrounding the tower just then, dismounting from the horse and calling out to the resident. "Salazar! Let down your hair!"
There was nothing for several moments before black hair started tumbling out of the window and down the side of the tower. It was held together by various ties to ensure it didn't float away into individual strands as it fell and stopped just short of the ground. Without missing a beat, the visitor made a loop of hair and stepped onto it, ready to be lifted into the sky.
Up above, Salazar had looped his hair around a hook and was using it as leverage to pull his mother upwards. This was routine for them; ever since Salazar's hair had grown to such lengths it could be used as a ladder it had done so. He had memories of an expanding ladder his mother would bring with her before his hair had reached that point but that had vanished long ago.
Salazar didn't mind using his hair as a rope. Doing it made him feel useful and the need to repay his mother for all she had done abated when he did so. Plus, it helped him grow strong as he lifted the combined weight of his hair and mother. When almost all of his hair was back inside the tower and his mother close to the top, Aurora slithered away from the patch of sun she had been enjoying and into the basket of wools sitting nearby.
Only a few moments later, his mother appeared in the window and stepped off the loop she had created in his hair. She was as radiant as ever; red hair fell to just below her shoulders, blue eyes sparkled, and she was wearing a gorgeous blue gown. Salazar swept her in a hug, willing himself to ignore the basket of goodies she had brought in favour of welcoming his mother.
She folded her arms around him and started playing with the strands of hair that fell from his head. "Hello, Salazar," she greeted.
"Mother," he replied. "How long can you stay?"
"Not long I'm afraid, but long enough to have a piece of that pie I smell and brush your hair."
He grinned and bounded over to the kitchen, grabbing the apple pie he had baked that morning and taking it over to the kitchen table. His mother was already sitting down there and she smiled warmly at him as she stroked the strands of hair that lay in her lap. Salazar hesitated when he saw it, unsure if she wanted to eat first or brush his hair.
She gestured to the table and he nodded, pretending the hesitation hadn't happened as he placed the dish down and dashed back to grab cutlery and plates. He was excited for her to try the pie; it wasn't often that she had time to eat with him anymore. As she took her first bite, he had to refrain himself from bouncing on the spot while waiting for her verdict.
"Very well done, Salazar," she said, and Salazar beamed.
They ate in silence after that. Salazar didn't let himself savour the flavour of the treat as he normally would; he could see his mother caressing his hair and knew that she didn't want to wait longer than she needed to. As soon as the last bite was eaten, he swept the plates away and returned with a hairbrush that he presented to his mother before sitting on the floor in front of her.
Soon after, he felt the bristles make their way through the black tresses and started humming softly. The humming turned into singing as it always did. This was something he could do for his mother, and he did it gladly. It cost him nothing to let her brush his hair and take the magic laced through the strands that erased all signs of wear from her.
As he sang, the black pool of hair around him shimmered with a golden light. The combination of gold light and dark hair bathed the small circular room in copper as the gold was tamed by the blackness. The light shone from every strand of hair and slowly faded away as his song came to an end. He knew that some of the light had gone into his mother and made her young again and he smiled, happy that he had been able to do something for her.
His mother sighed in satisfaction and set the brush aside. She stood up and moved over to the basket that had been patiently waiting for them. "I'm afraid I have to go now, dear," she said as she picked the basket up. "I brought you some more apples and bits and pieces."
Salazar gladly accepted the basket and then bit his lip before asking in a rush, "Do you think I might be able leave the tower soon?"
As soon as he said it, he wished he hadn't. His mother stepped back in shock and hurt began to show on her face. "You know it's too dangerous for you out there, Salazar. Why must you give me such pain by having to refuse you on this?"
"I'm sorry, Mother. I just…want to see more than this tower and the forest outside."
"When I know you'll be safe, you will," she assured him, patting his cheek softly. "I must depart, I'll be back next week."
"Yes, Mother." He hugged her goodbye and then looped his hair over the hook, ready for her descent.
As soon as his mother had hit the solid ground and rode away on her horse, Aurora slithered back to her sunning spot on the windowsill. She looked at Salazar reproachfully as she did so, not liking the fact that she had to give up such a perfect place and snooze in a basket of wool instead. He sighed and ran his fingers across her scales.
"You know why you have to hide," he said quietly. "I'm kept locked away from the world because people would want to use my powers for their own ends. What would they do with a snake that can kill with a look? And while I trust Mother, I don't want her to send you away in an effort to protect me."
Aurora stretched out in the sun and ignored him. He gazed out across the only view he had ever known for a few more seconds and then went to wash up the dishes. They were drying next to the sink and he was contemplating what to knit next when he heard a noise from outside. Curious, he went to check what it was and almost instantly slammed his back against the wall next to his window in fear. Someone was climbing his tower.
"Aurora," he hissed to the snake, and she lazily flopped her head into a position where she could see him. "What do I do?"
He'd never had anyone but his mother climb the tower before—had never even seen another person in the area. Panicking, he started looping his hair over the hooks on the ceiling to get it out of sight and the way. A scrabbling sound had him glance over to see dark hands clutching at the windowsill.
Glancing around desperately for something to defend himself with, he grabbed the frying pan he had used for breakfast and clutched it tightly. As Aurora wound herself around his right leg, a woman clambered over the windowsill and landed on her feet in his tower. She turned almost instantly to look back out of the window and Salazar saw his chance.
Moving swiftly, he advanced and swung the frying pan at the intruder. It connected with a dull thunk and she collapsed to the floor—unconscious. The frying pan followed her soon after as he realised he had just attacked a stranger. Granted, she had entered his home without permission, but what if she had a good reason?
A neigh from below caught his attention and he glanced down to see a horse sniffing the ground around the tower. It looked up at him and he ducked back instinctively. Was the woman hiding from the horse? Was the horse hers? Salazar had so many questions and he only had one person that would be able to provide the answers.
He stared at the dark-skinned woman in her faded blue tunic over olive green trousers and brown hair bound in a braid with lavender wound through it. She didn't look dangerous, but then who was he to say? He only had his mother as a reference. He dragged a chair over to her and grunted as he lifted her into it. Loops of hair kept her in place and Aurora lay across his neck in a semblance of scarf—ready to lift the special covering her eyes had to keep her deadly gaze in check should the woman threaten them in any way.
After several minutes had ticked by and the woman showed no signs of waking, Salazar wandered over to his basket of wool and grabbed a pair of needles and a green ball to knit while he waited. The only sound in the tower was the needles clacking together for several rows until the woman shifted and groaned.
Immediately, Salazar and Aurora were both back to being on high alert. The woman's eyes squinted open and she stared around the tower in confusion. Finally, she realised she was tied up and started struggling, but Salazar had wound her up tight and she couldn't move. Her eyes landed on him, taking note of the knitting held in a threatening position (the frying pan was lying on the ground as he had forgotten to switch back to it) and the snake wrapped around his neck.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Salazar narrowed his eyes at her. "Who are you? You're the one that came into my tower."
"I didn't know it was your tower! I needed a place to hide for a bit. Besides, it's a tower in the middle of the forest, why would I think someone lived here?"
"Why wouldn't someone live here? It's a perfectly fine tower!"
"And how long does it take you to get any food or other things you need?"
"I…don't," Salazar admitted.
The woman cocked her head to the side. "You don't? You don't, what?"
"Get food. And other things. I've never left the tower."
She stared at him and then started wriggling again. "I can help you fix that if you get me out of this—what is this stuff? Hair?"
"It's hair," he confirmed absently before moving on to the more important subject. "You'll take me out of the tower and show me the world?"
"Yeah, sure, why not. Can't imagine I'd enjoy spending my life trapped in one place, I'd get bored and it's no fun to gather from the same plants. I don't know about you, but I need variety in my life."
Salazar felt his breath catch. This woman was offering to take him out the tower. Surely if he went with someone else, he would be safe? His mother wouldn't be back for a week, she didn't have to know he had gone outside. He pointed the knitting needle at the woman and Aurora lifted her head to look directly at her.
"Do you promise to keep me safe if I go with you?"
"Yeah, sure, now get me out."
He almost did right then and there, but he stopped himself as her words from before came back. "Why did you need to hide?"
"I was gathering rampion when someone took offense to my skin and set the guards on me, saying that I had stolen from their garden. The guards didn't care that the plant was on the other side of the road and clearly not belonging to the lady, they were just looking for some action. It's a pretty boring kingdom out there right now."
Satisfied with the answer, Salazar flicked his wrist and the intricate weaves of looped hair fell away and the woman was free. She instantly jumped off the chair and started hopping up and down to get back circulation as she looked around the tower some more.
"Nice place," she commented.
"Aurora would probably kill you if you said anything else. She's very proud of it."
The woman whipped around to face him and held up her hands in surrender. "I can understand why. Who's Aurora?"
Aurora hissed at her and Salazar gestured in a way that said the woman should already know who she was. "This is Aurora. She can kill with a look, so don't go thinking she isn't dangerous and insult her."
She nodded slowly. "Okay. Let me just check something and then we'll see about setting off. Can't count on the guards not finding this place."
As she looked out of the window and muttered something to herself about there being no horse, Salazar got the answer to some of his questions—she was running from the horse and the horse wasn't hers. She pulled herself back in and grinned at him.
"Shall we?" Salazar hesitated and she frowned. "Unless you want to stay here, of course."
He glared. "I'm coming. I just need to be back before a week has passed so my mother doesn't worry."
"Your choice," she said, shrugging. "You might want to grab some essentials."
With that said, she hopped out of the window and started climbing down. Salazar stood still for a few moments, frozen with sudden indecision. Was this truly what he wanted? Did he want to leave the tower that had kept him safe for so many years? Did he want to disobey his mother? Aurora nudged him with her nose and he shook himself.
This was what he had asked for almost every time his mother visited. His dream had been to go outside for years and now there was an opportunity for it to happen. With purposeful strides, he crossed into the kitchen and bundled a few supplies into a bag before moving back to the window. Taking a deep breath, he looped his hair over the hook and stood at the very edge of the sill.
The woman was halfway down the tower already, sure hands using daggers to help her descend safely. He glanced back at the circular room one last time and then stepped off the sill, holding his hair as it slipped through his fingers and guided his descent as it had his mother's so many times previously.
His feet touched the earth and he grinned. He was outside. Not waiting for the woman, he ran across the clearing and revelled in the length of ground he could move over without having to turn. The woman dropped to the ground and slipped her daggers away.
"So, tower boy, you've told me your snake's name, but you haven't told me yours."
He flushed. He was so used to his mother knowing everything about him that he hadn't even thought about giving his new guide his name. "Salazar," he said.
"Helga," she returned. "Let's go."
There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. ~Paulo Coelho