A Leg Up

by FlitShadowflame

The text itself is only 175 words, a oneshot introspection ficlet from the Stump's POV. If I summarized it, there wouldn't be much left to say.

It's brief, it's unlikely, it's introspective, but I felt like it needed writing. Lord Wyldon of Cavall rethinks his girl page.

-------------------A Leg Up-------------------

"I'll fall."

In an instant, my entire impression of Keladry of Mindelan thus far spun around and sat on its head. She was no longer a girl who wanted to be a boy. She was no longer a Probationer.

She was Kel. She was every scared little girl I had ever met. She was my daughter on her first pony ride; she was Princess Lianne as we escaped the hurroks.

Keladry had never complained, never talked back, never even shown a single twitch of anger. She performed beautifully in every class, especially math, history, and the fighting arts. And I knew that once she was given a leg up in any subject, she would climb and climb until no one could reach her level.

If only she could do that with other, physical heights.

So I talked her down. It was one of the only humane things the boys would ever see me do. I talked her down and vowed to, at the very least, show her the foothold she needed for that leg up.