A/N: Someone said it was Cora Week? The prompts aren't the best so I'm not linking to them (how the fck were those quotes sourced they're horrid), but I was able to scrape some things together and work on my short form thanks to it. I might do the other ones later if I feel like it, but at least I have the rest of these prompts anywhere from just started to complete, so there's that at least.
503 words; idk about you but I find Mama and Papa Donquixote fascinating from a character perspective; where are the other two family members? The choice is up to you; bby!Rosi needs protecting no wonder Sengoku saw him and went "this is my son now"
Cora Week 2023
One: Smile
"Remember, darling," Mother said, "your greatest weapon is your smile."
Rosi glanced around at the dingy shack before letting out a shaky sniffle. "What if there is nothing to smile about?"
"There always is," she replied gently. Mother stroked his hair and bent to kiss his brow; she hadn't been out of bed in days. "As long as you are alive, there is always something to smile about."
"Even… even if we're poor and hated?"
"The poor are always hated by someone, and often unjustly so." Her eyes seemed so sad that it made her young son hurt. "Your father and I used to hate the poor."
"You did…?"
"We did, before we realized that the poor had more to hate us for than we ever could falsely justify hating them." She let out a cough and Rosi got her a drink of water—it was clean for once, and they saved it for her. "That is why we wanted you and Doffy to live as normal children, so that you know not to hate them and instead see them as equals."
"…but they still hate us," Rosi stated. "Why should someone smile if they are hated?"
"You should smile, my darling, because you are doing your best." He poked his nose and he rubbed it as she giggled. "You are alive, you are doing your best to be good and kind, and because of that, you should smile. It is your greatest weapon and best defense."
"How…?"
"Well, it's like this," she said, putting the empty glass down so her son could join her in bed. "When I was a girl, I was taught how to be a noble lady. It was about how to act, how to dress, how to speak, but most importantly: how to smile. You can smile at your loved ones and your enemies and it mean very different things. It can hide everything you want and tell everything you want, all without speaking a word."
"So you can use it to speak silently?"
"Yes. You can protest, you can protect, you can love, you can mock, all with a smile." She hugged him tight and tickled his sides, causing him to squirm. "Please always remember to smile, Rosi."
"I shall, Mama," the boy beamed. "I'll help you get better and you'll see! Doffy and I will find a place where we can all live happily! We can smile together and everything will be good!"
"I know you will," she replied, her own smile wan. "Just keep finding reasons to smile, Rosi. You're a smart boy, and I know you can do that."
"Yes, Mama." He hugged her tightly and she let silent tears fall from her eyes—hopefully her lessons would stick with him well after she was gone, since they were not sticking with her other son. "Mama…?"
"Yes, my dear?"
"How did they teach you?"
She paused and considered that before nodding—yes, this was something she could do.
Mother taught him how to smile.