A/N:I wrote this story based on some prompts given by a friend - she wanted an explosion, and for the thing to blow up to be a cow. So, warning; a cow will blow up sometime during the story. IDEK! Also, general spoilers for the 2nd season of Legend of the Seeker including the finale + a book spoiler of sorts.
"Try again!" Zedd's voice came as expected. Richard sighed. Ever since he got his Han back from Nicci and Zedd had decided to take it upon himself to teach his grandson how to use his powers, those two words had nearly been repeated beyond recognition.
"Zedd, I can try a hundred times, and I still won't be able to do it!"
"Nonsense! Even a child can do it. Why, when I was only ten years old, I turned my first cow blue under the watchful eye of my father, may his spirit have found rest in the Halls of Eternal peace." Zedd looked expectantly from Richard to the cow and from the cow back to Richard. "Well?" He raised a bushy eyebrow.
Richard sighed again and concentrated on the impossible task set to him, speaking the incantation Zedd had taught him earlier. As had been the case all morning, nothing happened. The cow chewed on a mouthful of grass, as brown as ever.
"I don't think you're trying hard enough," Zedd said with a frown.
"Oh I'm trying hard enough," Richard grumbled. "Anything to end this lesson and get on with other, more important things."
"What could be more important than to learn how to become a Wizard?" Zedd huffed.
"Being with the woman I love..." Now, that was something Richard didn't mind trying over and over again. And unlike these pointless lessons with Zedd, it involved very little frustration and a lot of sheer joy. His face must have taken on the goofy smile he tended to wear nowadays when thinking of Kahlan, as Zedd's hand firmly smacked him upside the head.
"Welcome back to the world of the living, my boy. Now try again!"
Richard scrunched up his face and said the incantation for what must be the hundredth time that day.
"Stop!" Zedd yelled. "Richard, what are you doing?"
"Trying to turn the cow blue," Richard replied pliantly.
"No you're not!"
"I'm not?"
"No. You were scrunching up your face. You do not make grimaces when saying this incantation. It could make all sorts of strange things happen." Zedd said gravely.
"Fine!" Richard tried again, making sure to keep his whole face still, with the exception of his lips. Nothing happened.
"Try again!"
Richard threw his hands up in exasperation. "I think that maybe I'm not supposed to be a wizard. Maybe Nicci should have kept my Han, and good riddance."
"Exactly!" Zedd exclaimed. "When you're not thinking about the task at hand, you're thinking about everything else. Your mind is going in all sorts of directions, and none of them where it should be going. You, my boy, need to start focusing more on the solution and less on the problem!"
Richard supposed that his grandfather was right. He tried once more, really tried this time. He forgot about the impossibility of a blue cow. He refused to let his mind wander while he spoke the incantation. It certainly gave results.
"Well?" Zedd did not look impressed.
"Well... if the cow eats enough of the blue grass, it will eventually turn blue?" Richard tried.
"Not likely," Zedd rolled his eyes in a nearly perfect imitation of Cara, spoke an incantation of his own and turned the grass back to green again. "It's a simple thing, turning a cow blue. Definitely not powerful magic of any kind. I don't understand why you're having so much trouble with it." Zedd eyed him thoughtfully. "Well, what do you say? One more try and then we end today's lesson?"
"One more try," Richard agreed, and mumbled the incantation.
The explosion knocked them both off their feet. "Dear spirits!" Zedd exclaimed. "You were supposed to turn the cow blue, not blow the cow up!"
"I... I didn't do it on purpose," Richard stammered, staring at the spot where the cow had been chewing peacefully only moments before.
"Bags! What an old fool I have been!" Zedd suddenly mumbled to himself, and Richard wasn't about to argue with him. "I should have noticed the tell-tale signs, but it's all obvious now. It's the only logical explanation for how you could use a pretty much harmless spell to blow something up. Richard, you're a War Wizard!"
"A what?" Richard blinked.
"A War Wizard," Zedd repeated, bony arms flailing so as to make his point for him. "The gift doesn't work the same way for you as it does for other Wizards! That's why you have been having trouble performing the simplest spells. However, whenever your need is great enough, you'll be able to use your magic to your advantage!" Zedd looked over at the spot that Richard was still staring at. "Meanwhile, no more turning cows blue. I guess we should go see about reimbursing the farmer."
"I guess so," Richard agreed, still shocked, but also secretly happy about not having to attend Zedd's Wizard-lessons anymore.