Nexus, Part Three: "Legacy"

Ciel had always been fond of sneaking away from lessons in favor of play, and throughout her childhood Lizzy had often been dragged along. Some of her cousin's most beloved games at those times were ones of make-believe inspired by the stories and books that he read. This boy standing in front of Elizabeth reminded her of one of Ciel's favorites.

The Fenian Cycle, a part of Irish folklore, featured a boy raised in isolation to be fast and strong: Finn, a hero who stumbled into power after avenging his father's death. That the name also meant "blond" only added to its aptness. Still, Lizzy hesitated to suggest the name to the boy when her cousin had cast himself in the role of the hero so many times. Perhaps a different allusion to the tale….

"Finnian," Lizzy tried, tilting her head as she studied the boy.

"What?"

"You asked me to suggest a name for you," she said, "Finnian. Do you like it? It's from a story about a hero, with hair as blond as yours and just as strong and fast. He was secreted away and raised to be incredibly powerful. He also had a name that was given to him, different from what he was known as at birth. I thought it suited you."

The boy smiled.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, and then added more softly, "I like it."

"Good," Lizzy said, "Then when we teach you how to read, we can use a copy of the book. You'll help teach him, won't you Mey-Rin?" She glanced over at the woman watching from the periphery, and Mey-Rin smiled, brushing her long bangs out from in front of her eyes so they could see her face.

"Of course," the new Lady's Companion said, "I'd be glad to help you learn to read, Finnian. People like us need to help each other out."

Finnian beamed at the two of them.

"Of course," he echoed.

A/N: Yo! I have returned with another chapter!

...In truth, I have a lot of this story already written, but I need to finish "Nexus" before I can post it. *sigh* I considered just posting some of those chapters and finishing "Nexus" later, but this mini-arc/section/overarching-chapter-thing gives some background on relationships that's kind of necessary, and I don't want to break it up besides. Um, yeah. It's almost done, though, so yay! Thanks to anyone who waited, and to everyone reading! (Oh yeah, and I changed Mey-Rin's position, if you noticed, from maid to lady's companion. It's quite a bit of a promotion, actually.)

"Legacy" refers to a gift or a dedication