Heeeeyyyyyyyyyyy. Finalsssssss. Tiiiiiirirrrrreeeddddd.
Catharsis
By Gold Sparrow
Chapter 2: Sky
Born in a city called Ysrael, life had been easy.
Miraculously so.
A year and three months before her birth, a man met a woman, and after some courting, married her. Six months after they met, and three after they married, the woman became pregnant.
These people were Bathsheba's mother and her father.
Her father had been a high ranking magician, her mother a kind, loving housewife.
It was a perfect world she was placed into.
Perhaps God wished her to live her life wrapped in wool and placed into the pocket of her future husband, but she had no such plans for herself.
It was strange, because nothing really motivated her.
Well, except the voices.
She mentioned them to her mother once.
Once.
There had been silence.
"...Honey?"
"Yes, mother?"
"Don't ever speak like that again, do you understand?"
"U-um...Yes, forgive me, mother…"
Her mother told her father later that night, and the man had let out a low sound. Half-unbelieving, half-annoyed.
"I finally land that promotion...And she…-oices?" Through the walls, she can't hear well, but knows enough not to mention it again.
Later, her mother pops out a baby boy, and her father is pleased greatly.
Bathsheba is left to her own devices, as long as she pretends she was only joking about what she had said before.
Ill Illah gave her a cushy life, and she rejected it.
It was such a beautiful act of defiance I almost wanted to applaud her.
I wonder, if that person will get their rebellious attitude from her. Or, maybe, she'll teach it to them. Oh well, it doesn't really matter.
But I'd like to see more of her rejection of this world.
More and more until she runs out of steam and falls into my waiting arms.
"I'm going to become a magician," Bathsheba declares. Her kid brother looks up at her blankly. Her mother's jaw slackens. Her father clutches his spoon.
"Honey, we talked about this," Her mother starts. A strand of perfect blond hair slips into her face, but she's so focused on her daughter she doesn't notice. "You're a lady, and a lady doesn't-"
"Mother, I understand, but I'm no lady." A tightness forms beneath her jaw. "I'm not. I tried, but I'm not. And I'm going to enroll myself in school."
"No, you are not." Her father hisses, slamming his spoon down as he stands. She stands as well. Her mother looks like she's going to pass out.
Her kid brother looks on some more, tilting his head in the way only toddlers can.
"Yes, I am."
"I don't care that you know how to do a water spell or two," He spits, his eyes wrinkling unpleasantly at the corners. "I will not stand for your disobedience!"
"And I won't sit around waiting to be married!" She roars, throwing her arms out to the sides. "I'm not livestock! I'm not!"
"Honey, please calm down," Her mother begs, to whom Bathsheba's not sure. Either way she still turns around and runs back to her room, slamming the door shut. It's not over, it won't be, but she doesn't plan on giving up so easily.
Her father's name was Avram. Her mother's Shushanna.
Her father had blue hair so dark it looked black and eyes as brown as decaying leaves, a man of autumn.
Her mother had golden hair and bright blue eyes, a pair of shiny marbles that seemed taken from the very sea.
Bathsheba has blue hair and eyes.
She's made of the sky.
"Well hello, young miss. What's a little girl doing without a chaperone?" Bathsheba lifts her eyes up to the man speaking to her.
"I wish to enroll in the Sabathe school. Do you know where it is?" The man blinks. He turns his head in a direction, then back at her, and then holds out his hand. She eyes it wearily, and he chuckles, returning it to his side. He motions for her to follow, and she does.
"This way. Why're you joining the school?"
"I'm gonna become a high class magician."
"Are you now?"
"That I am."
"But, you know-"
"There's not many women in the army, I'm aware," She begrudgingly admits. "Most of them are orphans. But I'm different. I'm strong."
He stares down at her for a second.
"How old are you?"
"Eight."
"That's the age of my daughter," He says amazedly. She raises an eyebrow. He keeps to himself for a minute and then continues. "You're as old as my daughter...And yet you speak like me. You must be a special kid."
She almost trips on her own feet.
"Um, sure," She looks to the ground. "Thank you."
So young, but so quickly growing.
I wait so patiently that it hurts, but that's only natural.
Excitement doesn't come often to a man who sees the end of all things.
"And who are you?"
"Bathsheba." The eight year old lifts her head proudly, eyes blazing. There was no way that she was going to be rejected now, not since she came so far and gave up so much. "I'm here to enroll and enlist, please."
"..." The magician sneers at her, a cruel laugh escaping him. "You want to join the Church? A little rich girl from the provinces?"
Her grip tightens over her satchel's handle.
"I'm not a little rich girl from the provinces. I'm a magician for the Elders of the Church."
"Sure you are. Why don't you just go home, kid? Wait 'till you're older to marry a real magician."
"That's not-"
"Azim!" A man in black clothing comes behind the desk, talking fast to the man handling enrollment. Azim seems caught off guard by this new interruption, and is taken away from the desk. A lady comes up in his steady, picking up the scroll.
She pauses, and smiles down at Bathsheba.
"Are you here to enroll, little one?"
Relief makes Bathsheba's shoulders sag.
"Yes, please."
I wonder...If that man had rejected Bathsheba, what would she have done? Well, I suppose it didn't matter. I arranged for her to get into the school, and get into the Sabathe School for the Learned she did.
And later, without my help, she got into the University of Trignon. From there she took a dual position of Species Studies Chief Scientist and Professor of Advanced Strength Magic. She carved out a wonderful life for herself with her own two hands.
I feel no shame for taking it away.
"U-uh, Professor…?" The voice was so timid that Bathsheba almost ignored it entirely. She blinks, turning her full attention to the man in front of her. He almost seems more petrified now that she's facing him, clutching the scrolls in his hands tighter.
"Yes?" She picks up a chart of all the seats and finds his name. "Mr. Nueph?"
"O-oh, you can just call me Ugo. I mean, because my name's Uraltugo, so, um, yeah." He lamely finishes, gaze hitting the floor. He coughs, swallowing hard.
"Is everything alright, Ugo? Is there something you'd like to ask me."
"Y-yes! Actually, I had an idea, um, an idea on the physical forces of the world...Could you look at it?"
Bathsheba studies him once more.
He's disheveled, wearing thick glasses and clothes that are strangely ragged on him. His hair was a mess of light blue tugged back into a sloppy braid, and he looked slightly off, like he was thinking about many different things at once. If it wasn't for all those things, she'd say he was very handsome on account of his broad shoulders and firm bone structure.
A smile slips onto her face.
"Sure, let me see it."
They met when I wasn't looking.
It didn't matter.
But it was bothersome because I knew that he was in love with her. I could practically feel the admiration radiating off of him in waves when he looked at Bathsheba, the melting of his eyes and the goofy smile on his face. I just dismissed him because I'd heard he couldn't go within ten feet of a woman without passing out.
I was mistaken.
And I realized that it was, once again, her doing.
He was drawn to her like so many others are and have. He was willing to muster up his courage and speak to her, even if it was only once.
It was not truly her fault, sweet Bathsheba is nothing but innocent in her actions, naive in the fact that she doesn't recognize a man's feelings.
I wonder if Ugo will be crushed once I take what's mine.
Unless, of course, Bathsheba cheats on me.
[Written over twice, firmly] Which she won't.
Whoo! Zhe plot thickens. And Ugo is the most adorable person in the world, so yay for him being in this chapter.
Got any questions or suggestions? Something wrong about the chapter? Grammatical errors, something you didn't like? PM me or leave it in the reviews, I will reply and see what I can do to make the story better/clearer for y'all to understand. ILY MY DARLING READERS!
BYE~~~~~~~