Work Text:
"Once upon a time there was a young man named Gabriel. He wasn't the youngest of three, or a seventh son of a seventh son, or anything special like that, he just was. Gabriel fixed watches and clocks, which a lot of people don't realise is an important job, because without watches and clocks people don't know what time it is, and if we don't know what time it is then civilisation collapses around our ears.
So Gabriel did his very important and very under-appreciated job, and was a good person who looked after his mother, even when she made him eat tuna sandwiches. But deep down he knew he was special.
One day, a wizard visited Gabriel and told him that he had magical powers, and was really very special, and if he helped the wizard, then the wizard would show him how to use those powers. Gabriel liked the sound of that, so he started to help the wizard, whose name was Chandra.
The wizard wanted to do a lot of tests - like riddles, and magic spells - so he had Gabriel try to do tricks and learn spells. It didn't work very well, because Chandra didn't understand Gabriel's magic. Gabriel had a very special magic, not like anybody else's, so because he didn't understand it Chandra decided that he must have made a very bad mistake. Instead of trying to understand what was happening he told Gabriel to go away, to be a normal person again, and not try to learn any magic because he wasn't special enough. That wasn't very nice, was it?
Gabriel knew that he was special, and that he had to prove himself somehow.
Now in that town there was a dragon, named Brian. Don't laugh; dragons can have whatever names they like, because they're dragons. Brian had a fantastical treasure, that he kept all to himself because he was a greedy, selfish dragon. Nobody was allowed to see this wonderful treasure, because Brian was so selfish, but the wizard knew about it, and Gabriel had learned about it when Chandra was telling him to go away because he didn't have any magic.
So Gabriel decided that the best way to prove himself to Chandra would be to go and find the greedy, selfish dragon, and take some of his treasure. Then he could show it to everybody, like things should be. Keeping beautiful things locked away shouldn't be allowed. Gabriel left a message for the dragon, telling him to come to see him because he had information about the treasure.
That brought the wicked dragon running, he was so scared that someone might know about his treasure when he didn't want to share! He came to see Gabriel, and brought his treasure too; he kept it hidden, but Gabriel tricked him into bringing out a piece. When Gabriel saw how beautiful it was, and that the dragon never used it, he knew that it was wrong and evil to keep something so amazing locked away. So he tricked the dragon into thinking that he could fix it so nobody would ever see the treasure again. The dragon liked that idea a lot, because he didn't want to share his secret, and while he wasn't looking Gabriel stole the treasure away and made it so the dragon would never have to worry about someone seeing it again.
Then Gabriel took the treasure back to the wizard and showed him, and Chandra realised what a big mistake he'd made and that Gabriel really was special and magical, and he taught him lots of spells, and Gabriel slew lots more dragons, and ogres, and other monsters, and lived happily ever after. The end."
Sylar stretched out the crick in his neck and then carefully regarded the child curled sleepily in the crook of his arm. He should have been back downstairs long before now, but bedtime stories always took precedence over watch repairs. "Ready to go to sleep yet?"
"Not yet. Maybe after another story?"
"How about the one where the Wicked Ice Queen told Gabriel he was a prince?"
"Yes!"