Title: Damsels and Heroes
Character/Pairing: Cynthia, Sumia
A/N: After Owain, Cynthia is the second hardest for me to write. Why do the two of you have to have such a difficult speech pattern to emulate?
Summary: It was in the skies Cynthia felt closest to her mother.
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1. Grooming
A bucket stood in front of her, filled to the top with brushes and rags. Cynthia swallowed before digging in, trying to find one that matched her vague memories.
"Is this it?" she asked herself, taking out a circular brush. It was hard remembering just what her mother did, just what instructions were given. How was she supposed to take care of a pegasus? She had been small during those first few lessons and she thought she had all the time in the world.
But she hadn't, none of them had.
Her pegasus shifted nervously and Cynthia smiled weakly. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out."
2. Spear
The spearhead sat in the corner of her room, unfinished, untouched. Even now, years later, she couldn't bear to look at it.
3. Flight
It's up here in the air that felt closest to her mother. Swooping through the skies on her pegasus, she stayed up for hours before coming back down.
4. Pie
"Pies?" Cynthia clapped her hands, excited. "Your famous pies?"
"Famous?" Sumia gave a weak laugh. "I don't think they're that famous—"
"Dad wouldn't stop going on and on about them!" Cynthia argued. "He said that was half the reason he married you!"
"R-really?" Sumia withered a little, mumbling to herself, "I guess I get better at making them…"
"Yes and it's been so long since I had one!" Cynthia bounced up and down, almost knocking the baking bowls. Sumia tried to stop them from falling, only to fall down herself. "You ok, mom?"
"Yes…" Sumia got up, rubbing her head.
"So, about those pies…"
5. Reading
Cynthia read her mother's books until they fell apart. Tales of heroes and knights, of victory and glory.
Of a world that was survived and lived on.
Her mother had become one of those heroes, reading these books. She would do the same.
6. Hair
Her fingers trembled as she held the scissors.
Her mother was dead. Her father was gone.
All that was left was a war.
Cynthia stared at her reflection in the mirror, at her long hair and frilly dress. Now was not the time for such childish fantasies. She had to be brave and stand in their place.
She couldn't be Cynthia the Princess anymore.
Gritting her teeth, she made the first cut to her hair. And then another.
When she was done, standing in the center of a pile of lace and hair, all that was left was Cynthia the Warrior.
7. Alive
Her mother was nothing like the stories. She wasn't overly assertive, didn't wade through her enemies blood, nor did she leave terror in her opponent's eyes.
She didn't even enter the battlefield heroically.
Sumia was a little clumsy and a little airheaded but Cynthia found she liked this version of her mother much better.
This Sumia was still alive.
8. Entrance
"Ok, let's do a mother-daughter entrance!" Cynthia announced, excited.
"Wait, you d-don't mean..." Sumia stuttered, taking a step back.
"Of course I mean a heroic entrance!"
"No, it's fine, I'd rather not." Sumia turned red and shook her head furiously, already picturing just how many ways she'd mess this up.
"Come on mom, I've always wanted to do one with you!" Cynthia smiled. "I've been dreaming about this for years."
Sumia, much to her regret, couldn't say no after that.
9. Saddle
"Mom, let's not leave the saddle on when you're not riding, ok?" Cynthia suggested, taking the saddle and harness off the pegasus.
It reminded her too much of when her mother's mount had returned with an empty saddle, blood splattered on his wings.
10. Tricks
They go riding together one day, just for the sake of it.
It was strange to have another in the skies with her, to be flying without the fear of arrows and fire.
"I'll teach you some aerial tricks," Sumia promised, a chance at another flight, another time.
"Really?" Cynthia had been wanting to improve her aerial entrances—only Gerome had her beat there and he had a dragon. How was she supposed to compete with a dragon?
"Of courrrseeeee!" Sumia started a barrel roll, which seemed to a little out of control.
"Mom? You ok there?"
11. Promise
"Ready for shopping?" Sumia asked, popping her head into Cynthia's tent.
"Huh?" Cynthia looked up from where she was stretching, confused.
"We're going to finish that spear of yours, right?"
Cynthia looked at the spearhead and smiled brightly. "Of course."