My contribution to our 14th drabble challenge: "Puppy Love"
Write about one of the character's very first crushes, making the object of that infatuation a character of your own invention. :)
Category: Het (Canon)
Characters/Pairings: Merlin, Mari (OC)
Rating/Warnings: K
Word Count: 366
Most of the boys in the village never paid any attention to Mari. Compared with other girls who were prettier and much more outgoing, she simply faded into the background, and was far too serious for their liking anyway.
That wasn't to say she was unattractive; the freckles on her pert little nose would've been quite endearing if any of them had looked that closely, and her thick curls were a pleasant shade of chestnut brown, tumbling over her shoulders in a riotous cloud that was strangely at odds with her quiet, unassuming personality. And when she smiled – not something that happened often, unfortunately – she could almost be described as beautiful. But she kept to herself more often than not, and it became a matter of course to ignore her in return.
Mari wasn't the only one who'd lost her father at a young age, but she was alone in having been unfortunate enough to lose her mother at the same time. She'd done everything on her own from that moment on, throwing herself into the duties of housekeeping and child rearing with all the dedication of a seasoned mother rather than a 13-year-old playing at house. Indeed, the others didn't see her for who she truly was because they rarely saw her at all – there was little time for socializing when there were mouths to feed and diapers to change, dishes to be scrubbed and laundry to be done.
No, few ever noticed the compassion in her eyes, the wisdom of a woman combined with the sweet innocence of youth. Only one was lucky enough to get that close, a boy who also knew a thing or two about how it felt to be different than everyone else.
It happened quite by accident – a spilled pail of milk, followed by an outburst of tears that would've never happened if she'd known anyone was nearby.
"Here, have half of mine," he'd said, giving her an awkward pat on the shoulder. And she'd never know it, but the gratitude in her eyes had claimed a tiny piece of his heart that would forever belong to her.