[4xD Ficlet ~ G] The Politics of Castles and Dragons

[wingzerosnuggles]

Title: The Politics of Castles and Dragons
Length: Ficlet
Pairings: Implied 4xD
Prompt: None
Teaser: Ficlet. An afternoon on the beach, a sandcastle in ruins and a
conversation between father and daughter. Hints of 4xD.
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5977191/1/

Disclaimer: GW = not mine.

Author's Note: I suck immensely at writing children. Maybe because I hate them.

The Politics of Castles and Dragons
by mistress amethyst une

For the better part of an hour, a sunblock slathered little girl with long golden hair that glistened in the sun found her particularly prominent eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Her hands battled a mound of sand, and she fought valiantly. Debris from her many failures covered her orange bathing suit but she was too engrossed in her efforts to notice. She would never admit it to herself but it seemed her efforts might very well end in vain.

"Father, is Mother a princess?" she asked, turning to a blonde man in immaculately dry swimming trunks. He was half-asleep in the lounge chair next to her.

"No, she's a duchess," he replied, looking down at his daughter and what she had accomplished. So far, she had managed a fairly decent moat full of seawater to surround an admirable heap of sand.

"Do duchesses get castles?"

She posed this question even as she struggled with the sand mountain, trying to get it into a more interesting shape by digging into it with her hands.

"Um, I don't know. I can't be sure. It depends, I suppose"

The mountain collapsed into the moat. Decidedly flustered, the girl surrendered quietly, standing her small sandy body up and joining her father in his chair. He perched her on his lap.

"If Mother's a duchess, what are you?"

"A peasant," he sighed. "Just an ordinary person. But I have castles in the stars."

The girl's eyes widened. "Really? You have castles?"

"You don't believe me?" he grinned teasingly.

"I don't know. But if you have castles, I want to see them."

"We'll go up to outer space to see them one of these days. When your mother gets back..."

"But that won't be for another month," she frowned.

"I know, sweetheart. But she has important things to do. She's going to see a princess, remember?"

The girl nodded. "She told me. She said she was going to help the princess fight some dragons."

"That's right."

"But in the stories, isn't it the prince who fights the dragon?"

"Well, those stories are pretty old. Nowadays, duchesses and princesses can fight dragons, too. Even peasants like me. Dragon-slaying is equal opportunity."

At that point, the girl gave him a puzzled look.

"It means anyone can do it," he clarified.

"Oh... So one day, I can slay dragons, too?"

"As many as you want, sweetheart."

Her face lit up.

"Father?"

"What is it?"

"When I take you and Mother to school, can I tell the other children that we're a family of dragon slayers?"
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I have no idea where this came from.

[sitboy007]

I think you wrote the daughter rather well. She has just the right amount of Dorothy's sass and Quatre's sweetness.

[wingzerosnuggles]

Aw...glad you think I did ok.