This story is dedicated to merlinsmushrooms on tumblr.
Wormwood: How a star turned into a raven
Every year in summer the night sky is adorned by shining red golden orbs that race each other through the inky blue-black sky. It's a night when the royals join the commoners, the merchants join the magic users and all groups of people go out to delight in a night of star gazing.
Among those people is regularly the family of the Royal sorcerer of Enchancia. The last man holding this title is Goodwin the Great, almost a living legend due to having committed many heroic deeds like saving the king's life or battling natural disasters to save peasants from starving. Together with Goodwin was his wife, his daughter and his son, who will one day inherit his father's position.
The crowd watches the meteor shower with sparkles in their own eyes when one of the shooting stars strays from her sisters and falls into a nearby forest. Some trees and bushes that were growing on the spot where the sky pilgrim fell burst into flames as they were dried by sunny weather of the last days. Castle guards and servants rushed to bring water and their efforts were joined by the famous mage who conjures a stream of water out of his wand.
"That was close," commented the captain of the guards when the fire was extinguished. It hasn't rained for ten days and the fire could have spread quickly. But luckily it was stopped almost the moment it began.
There in the forest was a big smoking hole. Goodwin made a few steps towards the source of the smoke in the middle of the crater but a boy of nine years was way quicker. He jumped into the hole and tried clearing the smoke with a breeze spell but instead of light gust of wind ended up conjuring a small snow cloud. "Cedric, what are you doing here? It's too dangerous for a little boy," voiced the older mage his disapproval with his son's behavior.
"I wanted to see the fallen star," grinned Cedric with excitement. "Hmpf. Now that you are here, watch so you don't make the same mistake twice." Goodwin cleared the smoke that was around the hole and in it. He let the snow cloud disappear, too.
Together the boy and his father took a look on the meteor that interrupted the moment of peaceful star gazing. On the bottom lay a stone as big as a goose egg. It was shiny midnight blue and quite smooth for a stone. The heat must have melted its surface. The ground under it turned to glass, too. But neither the meteorite nor the ground around it was hot anymore. The snow from the cloud must have cooled it, mused Goodwin internally.
Cedric must have noticed it, too, because he reached for the gem. The boy cradled the fallen star and talked to it: "You used to be a star and you fell. Was it nice up there lightning the sky? Do you miss the other stars?"
"Cedric, rocks don't have feelings nor do stars," sighed his father who heard him and shook his head disapprovingly. Cedric simply shrugged. He was used to his father criticizing him and surprisingly this time it didn't hurt so much as when Goodwin got exasperated about his screwed up attempts at spells. His father may be right, it was just a rock, but it was sky rock and he liked his new treasure and he felt like he couldn't help but feel sorry that the star lost its home. As odd as it was the boy felt a sort of connection to the space gem based on mutual loneliness he projected into the meteor.
Time went by. Cedric spent days in Hexley Hall but was visited by his parents or he was allowed to spend a few days in the Enchancian palace during school holidays.
One day Cedric came to his mother and sister and told them about a new spell he learned and had to try on his most prized treasure: "Look, look I made a bird out of a rock." On Cedric's shoulder perched a raven with shiny midnight blue feathers . It looked around the chamber and occasional tried to fold and unfold its wings as it was getting used to its new form.
"He's a fallen star but now he can fly again. With me. As my friend." Said Cedric cheerfully.
His joy shouldn't last long as his sister Cordelia promptly mocked him: "Of course, you would want a rock as a pet because only a rock would want to be friends with you." Little Cedric flattened after hearing those words.
"Cordelia, don't say things like that," scolded Winnifred her younger daughter and stroked her son's cheek: "Of course, you can keep him, Ceddykin, it's a tradition for wizards to have familiars." Her older child's eyes brightened again. Goodness knew the boy needed encouragement even if her husband complained that she was spoiling their son. And he needed friends, well, at least he will have a pet now, thought the sorceress.
"I will name him Wormwood," said Cedric proudly. "How do you like it, Wormy?" "Caaaw!" exclaimed the dark bird and flew into the air to make a circle above their heads, then he sat back at Cedric's shoulder.
THE END
Author's note: Cedric revealed that Wormwood used to a rock once and I found out that Wormwood is a name of a star used in Bible so I came up with a story where Cedric's pet used to be a falling star.