Chapter Text
Pungent smoke rose in a steady stream from a candle sitting on a rock in the middle of a dense forest. Beams of light meandered to the forest floor, content to make their way on their own time. It was a tranquil moment, one that any artist would immediately start to paint if they came across it.
“B̶͈̃̉͆̍͐̿͘̚e̷̥̾̍̈͐͘c̸͓̳̠͍̈̎͛͛̇͗̔̽o̴̧̞̼͚̙̬̪̻̍̓̿̇͘m̸̛͍̖͖̼͕͈̑͝e̶͉̊, damn you!” A frustrated shout echoed through the trees, interrupting the no longer tranquil peace of the forest.
The source of the shout became clear to any onlooker that may have passed by, however unlikely their presence would have been - this spot had been chosen for its secrecy, after all. A young gnomish man sat cross-legged in front of the rock with the candle, decidedly pouting at its cheerful sputtering flame.
“Why won’t you just do what I want you to do?” The young man huffed.
The tiny light sputtered with the force of his breath, but did not reply, as it was a candle.
Narrowed eyes locked in on their target once more. Last try for today, he thought to himself, looking up through the canopy to where the sun was beginning to set. Last try, then I’m giving up.
Brows furrowed in concentration, he consulted the hastily scribbled notes in the book lying off to one side, propped against the rock to stay upright. Fingers held like so, check. Posture upright but not tense, check. Thirty degree angle between thumb and forefinger, make the sign of what you want to happen. He breathed deeply, closing his eyes as he focused.
“B̶͈̃̉͆̍͐̿͘̚e̷̥̾̍̈͐͘c̸͓̳̠͍̈̎͛͛̇͗̔̽o̴̧̞̼͚̙̬̪̻̍̓̿̇͘m̸̛͍̖͖̼͕͈̑͝e̶͉̊,” he whispered, almost reverently, moving his hand exactly as he had been shown.
A moment passed, then two. He carefully pried an eye open.
The candle flickered merrily on the rock before him.
“Aaaaughh!!” The candle finally went out with the gusting movement of his sleeves as he stood up, gripping his hair in a bruising grasp. “This is impossible!! I don’t know what Master Albrek was thinking, telling me I could learn magic. I can’t even do the simplest trick in the book!”
Heaving a sigh of frustration and disappointment, he turned back to the candle, kicking the rock petulantly. The sound of a muffled chuckle from the edge of the clearing made him freeze, spinning in place to look for the source of the noise.
It quickly made itself known in the form of a red-haired human man stepping out from where he had been quietly observing among the trees. He wore traveling clothes of a deep forest green that at times seemed to blend in with the surroundings entirely, making his edges appear fuzzy and indistinct. He had a hint of stubble growing in on his chin, and a spark of amusement in his hazel eyes.
“Simplest trick in the book, you say? Well, my boy, your book’s not very long, now, is it? Can’t say I expect perfection within the day, can I, little Brocc?” The redhead chuckled softly to himself, taking a seat next to the rock with the candle and its slowly cooling wax.
“Master Albrek, call me Skippy! Everyone does now that I earned it, it’s weird if you don’t!” An indignant Skippy sputtered.
Albrek raised his hands in mock surrender, a teasing lilt to his smile. “Alright, alright, Skippy, my apologies. I couldn’t help but hear your distress. Might I ask what is troubling you so?”
At the reminder, Skippy’s face fell. He sat next to Albrek with a muffled thump, pulling his knees to his chest and hiding his face from his teacher.
“I can’t do it,” he mumbled dejectedly.
The older man’s eyebrow lifted in amusement. “I’m sorry?” Albrek asked. “Couldn’t quite catch that, my boy.”
Skippy huffed and turned to pillow his head in his arms, looking at Master Albrek this time with a sad look in his eyes.
“I can’t do it,” he repeated softly.
At this, the redhead startled slightly and turned to more closely inspect his young mentee. In the fading daylight, he picked out the glistening tear tracks on his cheeks, still rounded with baby fat, and the stiffness in his posture that indicated he hadn’t taken a rest or stretched recently. Ah. He’s been at this since last night, hasn’t he, he realized. This bodes well; I’m terrible with children.
“Chin up, my boy, you’ve only been at this for a day. No one expects you to be perfect at this,” he attempted, wrapping an arm around the shoulders of the younger.
“I do! You said I was a natural! You promised you’d teach me, and I never even thought I’d learn! What if -” he cut off, choking on a sob. “What if I never get it? If I’m just not meant to learn magic?”
What if I’m wasting everyone’s time?
“Skippy, I-”
“No! I just,” he stood abruptly, scrubbing his sleeve across his face in a futile attempt to clean the tears. “I just need some time. To, to think. About everything. Thank you for your lessons, Master.” He sketched a hasty bow and turned, darting off into the fading light of the forest.
Behind him, left in the clearing, Iarno Albrek stood in the half-kneeling position he had been in as he rose to try to catch his student, arm outstretched in the direction he had disappeared in.
Well that went swimmingly, he thought self-deprecatingly. I’m such a wonderful Master. He muttered an incantation and produced four glowing mites that hovered around him as he walked back to his campsite.
Behind him, left in the clearing, the pages of a brand-new spellbook fluttered softly in the breeze.