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Adrien's P.O.V
"I want to thank you again for graciously taking me out for a stroll. It was a very sweet gesture," Zoe expressed her happiness. A giant smile adorned her lips as she excitedly scooped out the area.
To me, this was a normal pathway I have seen many times. So much so, I recognize the faces of people though I have never once talked to them. But to Zoe, this must be a magical experience that she would remember forever and never take for granted.
This only shows how little she actually gets out and around.
Yet, I would not blame Lady Olympia for not allowing Zoe out of the house.
Zoe would have no way of protecting herself if something were to happen and neither does Lady Olympia. The old hag may have some sort of power but it might not be as strong as it was in her prime. Plus, her dysfunctional eyesight would make things more difficult.
"Woah! What is this thing?" a young boy curiously ran over to investigate Zoe's transporting chair. Zoe smiled at the inquisitive boy explaining everything to him until his mother called for him to stop bothering us.
"Oh, what a darling young man he was," Zoe cooed over the child, "I do hope to be blessed with children of my own one day. What about you, Adrien?"
I was not expecting the question and had to take a moment to process an answer.
"Possibly?" I shrugged, unknowingly. I do dream of having a family but who knows how long the war will continue. I would rather wait for it to be over than settle down to have my future offspring suffer in the poor section.
Yet, if the war does not end in my lifetime, for however long that may be, I may not reach that dream. It will only be a thing I see in my mind and so far out of my reach that it twinkles in the night sky.
And that would be okay.
It would be fine.
I can bear the ache of this haggard life rather than let my children suffer it too.
"Your answer has no rhyme or reason. If I may be so bold to ask, why do you question yourself?" Zoe asked, looking up over her shoulder at me, "Do you not believe you will have children at some point? Is there no woman in your life you swoon at the very thought of?"
I awkwardly scrunched my nose, not sure how to explain my dilemma. There are many confusing circumstances with each path in my life.
I used to have a woman I loved until she was killed.
Now...my mind constantly lingers on another woman. One that has definitely caught my attention.
But not in a romantic way, of course!
She is an odd and cumbersome woman. One who goes beyond to learn sword fighting (knowing the educational side more than theperformance). Regular females would never have the slightest thought to touch a blade, seeing it as unladylike.
She is a woman who does not know the simplest farm animals or games. She is both timid and brave. She is good at fitting in and acting like a misfit.
She has a kind soul and has motivational energy...
I scratch my head in frustration.
I do not understand her one bit...but I cannot keep myself from being enraptured—
I shake the idea away.
Zoe gasped.
"Oh, dear! I am sorry! I am so rude! I am interrogating you with such personal questions," she frantically apologized, "You do not need to answer a single one. It is none of my business. We are still acquaintances and it would be awful to ruin our chances at a friendship at the start of our bonding."
I chuckled at the blonde woman.
"There is no need. I honestly do not have an answer. My life is a little complicated at this time. It may as well change my future for all that I know. So, I cannot say what awaits me but I do hope for it to be better," I explained.
Zoe hummed in understanding and smiled, "I see. I am sure many can agree with you on that."
"Yes," I said, "Would it be alright if I asked a personal question, Zoe?"
"Of course, you can," she chirped.
"How did you end up paralyzed from the neck down? Were you born like this?" I asked. I hope she does not take this as an inconsiderate question. I would just like to understand her more is all.
"Ah, I was waiting for you to ask me that," Zoe said."
"No, I was not born like this. Many years ago, an accident of my own doing had made me this way."
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Third person's P.O.V
Fourteen years ago...
"Happy fourtha birthtay, youngin'!" Lady Olympia exclaimed. She placed a cupcake with four candles sticking out the top in front of a little, sky-blue-eyed girl.
Zamora Olympia happily clapped her hands and had a ginormous smile adorning her cheeks, showing off a missing front tooth. Her short, blonde hair waved around as if it were overjoyed too.
Lady Olympia snapped her fingers and each of the candles' wicks sparked with a flame.
"Make ah wish, girly!" Lady Olympia explained.
"Kite!" Zoe screamed in joy.
"Alrigh', just like we practiced then," the elder woman said. Zoe giggled and took a deep breath.
She stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. Spit went flying everywhere and extinguished only three of the four candles. Lady Olympia snapped her fingers again behind her back and put out the last one.
"Well done, girly!" Lady Olympia congratulated, clapping her hands. Zoe copied her guardian's clapping.
"Coopca! Coopca!" Zoe cheered, unable to pronounce "cupcake" right. She reached out her wiggling fingers to the dessert and grabbed it. She took a bite out of the chocolate treat. It left a few crumbs stuck to her chubby cheeks as she chewed.
Lady Olympia chuckled, grabbing a wet rag and wiping the young girl's face.
"Aren't cha just the cutes' little flowa in the field," the old lady cooed, ruffling the four-year-old's hair. Zoe continued to eat as she watched her guardian run off to a different part of the room.
"We can't forge' the birthtay girl's present," Lady Olympia said before returning with something wrapped up in a blanket. Zoe shoved the rest of her cupcake into her mouth before reaching out for her present.
"Ah ah ah," she said, scolding Zoe, "You gotta finesh youra food befora gettin' dis."
Zoe obeyed and gulped the last of her treat down. Then, she excitedly reached out for the present.
"Pwesen! Pwesen!" She cheered, unable to say the word "present" correctly too. Lady Olympia placed the gift on the table before wiping Zoe's mouth clean one last time. Zoe whined, wanting to open her present.
"Relax, suga'. I'm almost done. Then, ya can open ya gift," Olympia informed. The little girl relented her squirming so Olympia could finish. Once the rag was away from her face, Zoe immediately went to open her gift.
Lady Olympia smiled and shook her head. She tossed the rag aside as she waited for her daughter's reaction.
Zoe gasped, her eyes sparkling like stars.
"Wha' is it?" Lady Olympia asked though she already knew the answer.
"Kite!" Zoe squealed with glee. She loved her present! She had watched some of the other kids flying their pretty kites and was enraptured by them. Ever since she badly wanted a kite in hopes of flying one and joining the other kids.
"Wanna go take it for ah test flight?" Olympia asked the young girl.
"Ah!" Zoe agreed (really needing someone to teach her how to talk and pronounce her words right). The two walked outside where they were met with a nice, breezy day.
Lady Olympia took in a deep breath before letting out a relaxed sigh.
"Ah, wha' perfect weatha," Olympia complimented. Zoe held her new kite and ran over to where there was more space. She held the kite above her head and threw it as hard as she could.
Only for her throw to be aimed directly at the ground which made her yellow kite dig dirt a few inches in front of her.
Zoe's thrilled attitude quickly dampened as if a nice sprinkle of rain instantly turned into a downpour.
"Chin up, girly! I'll teach ya the ropes!" Lady Olympia assured the young girl. Zoe sniffled a little from being frustrated and upset at the lack of flight her kite had. She watched her guardian pick up her kite.
"Alrigh', I want chu to stay righ' there and keep ahold of that," Olympia instructed.
"Okay," the four-year-old complied, gripping the kite spool in her small hands. Olympia walked a ways away until she was as far as the string stretched. She held the kite up to the breeze until it caught enough wind to fly into the air.
Zoe was amazed by the diamond-shaped sail soaring in the air. She nearly lost her grip on the spool from being distracted.
"My! Look at that beauty flyin'," Olympia chuckled, "Great work, dearie! You are a masta kite flya!"
Zoe's smile returned even brighter than before. She could not believe she was actually doing it! She was actually flying a kite! She could imagine herself flying a kite with the other children and maybe...
...and maybe, make a friend.
Lady Olympia started to head back to the hut with a promise to return in a few minutes. She had spotted some people enter her tent and went to reschedule for any fortune-telling jobs. She wanted to focus on her daughter's birthday today and nothing more.
Zoe continued practicing flying the kite until it lost control. It did a few flips before plummeting to the earth. Zoe was not in the least bit sad about this. She was proud of herself for keeping it up as long as she did.
She can show her ma what a big girl she was by impressing her. She can practice getting the kite into the air all by herself.
The little blonde picked up the flying mechanism and held it up just like Lady Olympia did. Zoe let go when she thought it would rise but it fell instead. This only made her more determined and tried again.
Yet, a gusty wind blew and the kite flew wildly around the sky. It landed on top of her home and got stuck in a board's slit. Zoe gaped at the circumstance her gift had ended up in.
Zoe gazed at the entrance. She wondered if she should ask her ma for help. Lady Olympia could use her magic to get it down without a problem. Zoe might also end up getting punished.
"No!" she thought with a swell of pride, "Dis my pwoblem! I fax it!"
This was her mistake and her ma was so kind to get her this amazing present. The least Zoe could do was fix her problem. Lady Olympia would be even more astonished at what a big girl she has become by doing so.
Determination flowed through her veins, powered by a fire in her heart.
She could do this! She can get the kite down all by herself just like she (sort of) managed to get it in the air.
First, she had to figure out how to get on top of the roof. She looked around the area until seeing a few piles of crates stacked along the side of the building.
Zoe knew what to do and set her plan into action.
The four-year-old dropped the spool and ran over to the pile of crates. She climbed the wooden boxes until she was face-to-face with her kite. However, the gap between her and the kite was a bit wide.
Zoe looked down. She was on all fours upon six stacked crates. The wind did not help much, making the tower of wooden storage somewhat wobbly.
Yet, she would not be deterred by the fact that the fall would hurt her badly or worse if she landed just right. The very thought sent a spiral of an unpleasant feeling through her body and let out as a shaky breath.
The young blonde leaned forward and reached out for the yellow kite. Her fingers barely scraped one of the kite's points when she felt the tower of crates lean.
A shockwave of fear surged within her. Zoe quickly retreated to steady out the structure. Her arms trembled but she did not give up on her mission to retrieve her precious kite.
Not only did Zoe love the kite and hoped it would help her make some friends, but it was also something special from her guardian. A rare gift she could only get on her birthday (not even on Christmas).
She reached out again.
"Coom ah," Zoe mumbled, trying to say "come on." Her patience was wearing thin and was growing frustrated.
She jerked herself forward and grabbed the kite. She was going to hurry back but the kite was more stuck than she realized. She tugged on the kite but it barely budged. She tried to pull it again with all her strength in her arms until it became unstuck.
Victory had only lasted one second.
Zoe's body flung back and knocked over the pile of crates. The kite was hugged to her chest as she fell back with two other crates joining her in the fall.
Everything happened in slow motion.
Zoe hit the ground.
CRACK!
Her arms no longer held onto the kite, now limp on the ground. Her adrenaline was still running, unable to feel whatever pain caused the cracking sound and was too busy with the incoming object.
She watched in terror as a crate was moments away from crushing her. A message shot throughout her system, screaming for her to move. But her body did not respond. She was frozen in place. She could not even move her arms, even her fingers would not twitch.
She could only stare with her mouth open yet not a sound came out.
Out of instinct, she tightly shut her eyes and helplessly awaited her fate.
It never showed.
After a minute, Zoe slowly opened her eyes when something brushed her nose. The crate sat unmoving right above her in midair. There was a yellowish glow surrounding the crate. The wooden box floated off to the side and gently kissed the ground.
"Zamora! Wha' in the name of everythin' that is holy are ya doin'?!" Lady Olympia exclaimed, running over to the girl, "Are you alrigh'? Does anythin' hurt?"
Zoe stared at her guardian until her shocked state wore off. Tears began to well up in Zoe's eyes before she began to wail.
"Boys! Please, go get a docta!" Lady Olympia begged the guys who came to see her. The males did not need to be told twice and rushed off to find the nearest doctor.
Olympia turned back to her wailing daughter. The elder woman's heart broke into pieces. There was nothing she could do to help Zoe. The only thing the blind woman could do was stay by Zoe's side, saying comforting words and gently petting her head.
Olympia felt useless when it came to situations like this. She was a fortune teller, not a witch doctor. She did not train in the ways of healing and medicine. She could only predict the most likely outcome of the future and give guidance to the lost.
Yet, it seemed like her powers had failed her this time. She could have prevented this outcome but it did not seem to be a likely future.
What should have happened was, Zoe had come into the hut at some point and told her of the mishap.
Not this.
The chances had been small but they were still there.
"By God! Lady Olympia, what happened?" Olympia heard the familiar voice of the healer, Ali Prince.
"She fell," Olympia simply answered, not completely sure herself.
Ali rushed over to the two females and inspected Zoe. He hovered his hands over Zoe and concentrated his magic to heal what he could.
Olympia waited, desperately wanting answers for Zoe's condition. She was close to bursting at the seams. What felt like an hour was merely a minute.
After a few minutes, the wizard-in-training's face scrunched in dismay. He settled his arms at his sides. A tired and defeated look etched his features.
"Is it bad?" Olympia asked, hating how quiet Ali was. She could hear the soft snores coming from Zoe, realizing she must have fallen asleep.
"I managed to heal her to the best of my abilities. In other words, she will live..." Ali explained what sounded like the good part.
"And the bad?" Lady Olympia questioned, knowing very well that there was going to be unpleasant news too. She did not need to see it on his face. She could hear the trailed-off ringing in his voice, having more to say.
"Give it to me straigh'. I ain't no fragile gal. I've been through and experienced many hardships just like the rest of the folk in this here section. Maybe much mora but I think ye get me point," Olympia rambled.
Ali's face scrunched up in sympathy.
He was merely a beginner at healing magic and could only do so much. With an injury as serious and delicate as Zoe's, it would take a master healer to do so. Yet, Ali was the only magic healer in the poor section aside from some normal doctors. There truly was only so much he could do with his limitations.
He looked down at the young blonde now asleep from being so worn out. She had been through a lot in a few minutes and will soon learn of a major trial that will drastically change her life forever.
It will not be easy for not only Zoe but for her guardian too.
"That may be true, Lady Olympia, but not even someone who has experienced so much bad in their life is not left unaffected," Ali said, "You may be tougher than you were in your younger days but you are still human."
Lady Olympia let out a dry chuckle, "You be wrong, boy. I ain't a human. Imma witch."
"What is the difference?" Ali questioned. Lady Olympia wanted to retort but found herself left without words. For the first time in a long time, someone had beat her in making a good point.
Ali let out a breath.
"The bad news..." Ali started.
"...Zoe has quadriplegia which means she is paralyzed from the neck down. She will never be able to move again."
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