Olivia let out an ear-splitting scream. In the sky above, the griffin circled like a vulture, preparing to descend. Granny was behind her, raising her crossbow and telling the little girl to run, but Olivia instinctively turned toward the griffin and pushed with her hands, as if she could somehow force it away. Fire came blasting out of her palms, hitting the creature square in the chest at the same time Granny's arrow pierced its wing. It snarled and clawed at the air in pain before flying away, leaving Olivia sitting there on the grass, staring at the palms of her hands.
Behind her, there was chaos. Granny ran towards the little girl and scooped her up in her arms, while Ruby was speaking frantically into her phone and the dwarfs were freaking out. Olivia buried her head in Granny's shirt and tried to block it all out.
A few minutes later, Robin came rushing in. She looked at him and saw the fear in his eyes, but there was nothing but tenderness as he scooped his daughter up in his arms and held her close.
"You're safe now," he whispered. "You're going to be all right."
Later, when she was on the couch at home, wrapped up in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, she still shuddered as the memories came rushing through her head.
"You're safe, sweetheart," her father murmured as he stroked her curly red hair. "Nothing's going to hurt you."
Because of course he thought that was what she was afraid of. Of course he didn't understand, and she almost didn't want to tell him what had really happened.
"I used magic," she said quietly, staring down at her hands.
"What?"
Was that disappointment she heard in his voice?
"Against the griffin," she said. "It was attacking, and then all of a sudden, fire came shooting out of my hands."
Her daddy was definitely looking at her differently now. Her little heart sank.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, a tear falling from her eye. "I didn't want to be like her. I don't want to be wicked."
Then he had pulled her into a hug and kissed her little forehead and assured her that she was nothing like her birth mother.
"You were just defending yourself," he said. "You can use your power for good, like your mom. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to teach you."
"But …"
"Olivia Locksley," he said. "You are the farthest thing from wicked. Don't you worry for a minute about your magic. You're a good girl, and I have faith in you. All that matters right now is that you're safe. I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you, too, daddy," she whispered as he hugged her again.
