Childhood AU (Noncanon)

The girl threw the starfish back into the waves, reaching down to pick up another from the sand. The sun was hot on the back of her neck, but hotter on the little beached sea stars. She could hear gulls nearby, waiting for an easy snack. Glancing up towards the temple, she tried to guess the time by the positioning of the sun behind it. She would be called for prayers soon, but she didn’t want to stop.

A light shape against the temple wall caught her eye, before it shifted slightly and her heart skipped a beat. A large bird, laying on the ground. She recognized the feather patterns; an albatross, one of the Wavemother’s birds. Seeing one grounded like that, it could only mean one thing. It was injured. She threw the last starfish into the ocean before running back towards the temple, bare feet kicking up the hot sand.

The sun sat on the further side of the temple, blinding her as she approached. Eventually, she reached the shadow and blinked away the glare from her eyes. The albatross had its wings curled up around it like a ball, the occasional shudder shaking the mass of feathers. A pit formed in her stomach and she slowed her run to a careful, quiet approach. Looking closer, it didn’t look like a bird. At this size, it would have to have been an adult, but the feathers were soft and downy, like a hatchling’s.

Her feet crunched in the sand as she took a step closer. From behind the feathers, two big, shining golden eyes peered out at her. It wasn’t a bird at all. It was a person. She let out a little gasp, and the boy flinched back, pulling his wings up tighter around his body.

She leaned down, reaching out a hand to gently grab the edge of a wing and pull it back to get a better look at the boy’s face.

“Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you,” She chirped. “I’m Fia. Who are you?”

The boy winced, the wings on the side of his head pulling forward to cover his face from her. She smiled at the gesture. He was cute.

“You don’t have to be scared.” She tilted her head at an awkward angle, trying to see underneath the wings. “Why are you at our temple?”

Very slowly, one wing pulled away from the boy’s face, revealing more eyes, and soft white down feathers along his cheekbones. They were stained red with fresh blood. It dripped from his nose and from a cut above two of his eyes. Dark bruises and gashes marred his tan skin, and she gasped loudly, her smile falling.

“You’re hurt! Stay here, I’m going to get one of the waveservants, they’ll help you!” She scrambled to her feet, beginning to run towards the temple.

“No!” The boy cried out, scaring her. He reached out a hand, grabbing frantically at her tunic. She stumbled, losing her footing, and fell hard into the sand. She groaned and the boy gasped, pushing himself back up against the wall.

The girl sat up, shaking sand from her hair. “You… don’t want me to get a grown up?”

The boy shook his head and she reluctantly stepped back towards him. “But you’re hurt…”

He shook his head again, his eyes huge and terrified.

“Are you hiding?”

He didn’t answer.

“Okay… Okay, I won’t tell anyone you’re here.”

She sat down on the sand next to him. They sat in silence for a moment, before she looked down at her dress.

“Uh oh.”

A bright red stain was set against the white fabric, where the boy had grabbed at her. She looked at it with mild worry, thinking about what she would tell her novice-master. Next to her, she felt the boy shrink away and glanced over, seeing him frantically wrap his wings back around his body, shielding himself from her.

“Hey, it’s okay! I’m not mad at you. I’ll tell the waveservants that I cut myself while playing. I used to do that all the time. I can just say I healed myself. No one will know.” The boy slowly peeked through his feathers, tilting his head at her. “You can do that?” His voice was almost inaudible, hoarse with disuse, but it was soft and polite. She smiled.

“All the clerics can. I’ve been practicing.” She reached a hand up towards his face. He flinched and she stopped, but didn’t pull away. “Can I try to help you?”

He looked hesitant, but after a moment, he pulled his wings down from his face. She gently rested her hand on his cheek, muttering a small prayer to the Wavemother. A soft, aqua blue magic came from her hands, sinking into his wounds. He whimpered in pain as the sea salt magic stung against the injuries, and she pulled away quickly with an apologetic look. The cuts began to seal themselves, and while red lines still marked his skin, they no longer oozed dark blood.

“I’m sorry, I should have warned you that it stings. Umberlee’s magic is… i- it’s a gift. But sometimes her gifts… hurt a little bit.”

The boy flinched at her words, looking frightened in a way she couldn’t understand. She sat awkwardly, looking down at her feet.

“Um… you never told me your name.”

The boy was quiet.

“I’m Fia. Still. It’s short for Aphaea. You have a name, don’t you?”

“...Iscariot.”

“I like that. You’re very pretty, you know. You look like the angels that visit the temple sometimes! Are you an angel?”

“N- No?” The boy’s face flushed red and she giggled.

“You should talk more. Your voice is very nice.”

He put his face in his arms, pulling his knees tighter to his chest. “Ch- Children should be seen, not heard.”

Her brow furrowed. “The waveservants tell me I talk too much. But I think that’s stupid. I bet people would listen to you if you wanted them to.”

“No they wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

The boy looked up at her and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a voice nearby.

“Aphaea? Aphaea!!!”

The girl sat up quickly, a jolt of anxiety jolting through her chest. “Oh no!”

“Damn it, Aphaea! It’s high tide, where are you?”

She got to her feet quickly. “I didn’t realize it was so late, I need to go.”

“You’re leaving?” The boy looked afraid again, and her heart ached for her new friend.

“Only for a little bit! I’ve missed high tide twice this week. If I don’t go now, then they’ll come looking for me and they’ll find you too. I’ll be back in an hour, don’t go anywhere.” She smiled down at him. “I’m not gonna tell anyone where you are. Your secret is safe with me, I promise.”

~~~

The girl ran back behind the temple, careful not to drop the bread and waterskin she had tucked into her new, clean tunic.

“Iscariot! Iscariot, I’m back, I brought you something to-”

She stopped, looking at the spot where the boy had been hiding. There was no sign of him, only an area of thrashed up, scattered sand, and a mark that looked as if something had been dragged away. The trail went for a few feet before it hit the scrubby grasses that grew on the shore, and vanished.

“...Iscariot?”