Today's prompt: force/manipulation/defiance

This one shot was written together with my best friend nerdywriter36! It's based on Kay's novel, but should still make sense to those who haven't read the book. We hope you all enjoy!!

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Erik tiptoed down the stairs from the attic, peeking his eyes around the wall to glance into the parlour to make sure that his mother wasn't around. Seeing that the room was empty, he smiled to himself and hurried over to the piano, then climbed up onto the bench. He ghosted his fingers over the keys, pressing them so lightly that they hardly produced a sound. He dared not play loud enough to alert his mother of his presence downstairs and played the instrument if he could help it; instead, he simply admired the beauty of the ivory keys and poured over every sheet of music he could find nearby.

He couldn't understand why his mother hated when he played music so much, though he figured it probably had something to do with his face. He knew that she hated that part about him, no matter how badly he just wanted to be around her and love her. Through his window, he had seen families in their little town out walking together, smiling mothers hand-in-hand with their young sons. He knew that he had a mother, but something was missing between them. He wished that wasn't so.

On some of the compositions sitting on the piano, Erik noticed a very familiar name signed in the corner - Charles. He smiled when he saw it, just like he always did when he managed to find anything related to his father. His mother didn't speak of him very much, though she had told him never to ask questions about his father. That only motivated him to poke around even more to see what he could find.

He wished he could play the pieces that his father had composed...but perhaps he could. Looking around the house and listening closely, he could tell that his mother was still out in the garden tending to her flowerbeds. He actually might have a chance to get away with it so, carefully straightening the piece of sheet music, he set his fingers on the piano keys and started to play, smiling as he did.

What felt like only a few seconds later, though, Erik flinched when he was struck on the arm, making him realize how quickly he had lost track of time while he'd been playing. Turning his head, his eyes went wide and he started to scramble off of the piano bench when he saw his mother, only for her to grab him harshly.

"What are you doing down here?" she demanded, slapping his face swiftly as he tried to squirm away. "Explain this, Erik! You know you aren't supposed to be down here!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Erik said, the burning in his cheek and the tight grip that his mother had on his arm already making him sniffle and tear up. "You were outside, I thought it would be okay."

"It isn't!" Madeleine exclaimed as she yanked him off of the piano bench and forced him to stumble to his feet. "You know you're not to play this piano, and you know even better that you are never to play your father's music."

"But Mother, why? It's so beautiful," Erik replied, reaching up with his free hand to try and wipe away the tears that were streaming down his face.

He saw his mother roll her eyes as she started to pull him out of the room - back to the attic, he already knew. "You've been very bad, Erik, and you know what happens to boys that are bad," she said, hardly glancing back at him as she spoke. "Boys like that have to stay in their rooms and they don't get to see their precious little puppies. You don't want that, do you?"

"No. Mother, please let me still see Sasha," Erik replied. "She's already up in my room, please let her stay."

"Keep trying my patience and I will take her away and not let her back in with you for the rest of the week," Madeleine snapped, shoving him towards the stairs to the attic. "Now go up and don't let me see you for the rest of the day."

Choking back a sob, Erik hurried up the stairs, holding his arm that his mother had been clutching all the while, and once he got into his room, he ran right over to his bed and buried his face in his pillow as he started to cry. Why was music such a horrible thing? His father's music, of all things. He thought it was beautiful...why didn't she?

He looked up a moment later and managed a smile when he saw Sasha, his loyal golden spaniel, sitting next to him and pawing at his side. "Hi Sasha," he said softly, reaching out to wrap his arms around the dog's neck and cuddling close to her. "I don't know why Mother is so cruel. I don't know what I did."

He giggled as he felt his puppy lick his cheek and yip happily. "At least you love me. And I love you too."

Sasha gently sniffed at the boy's face for a few moments before she gave his forehead a few more licks.

"Thank you, Sasha," he said with a quiet laugh, kissing the dog's nose. "I really hope Mother doesn't come up to take you away. I don't like it when you aren't here to snuggle with me."

Barking again, Sasha rolled onto her side to expose her belly, and Erik immediately began to pet her. A moment later, though, she rolled back onto her stomach and turned her head toward the attic door when they heard noises coming from downstairs.

Erik could distinctly hear his mother's voice yelling, but her words seemed to be directed at someone other than him. He immediately assumed that they had a visitor, but he couldn't make out what was being said. It became especially hard to tell when the visitor—who he quickly figured out was a woman—joined his mother in yelling. "What's going on?" he asked with a frown, exchanging a glance with his dog. "Quick, Sasha, go and see."

Obediently, Sasha hopped off of the boy's bed and trotted over to the door, waiting patiently for her little master to open it for her. When he did so, she ran down the stairs, down the second floor hallway, and to the first floor, where Madeleine and the visiting woman were standing a few feet away from the bottom of the staircase, engaged in a very heated conversation.

"I still can't believe you, Madeleine! I can't believe that you of all people were given a child, when you are so clearly an unfit mother!" The woman yelled, balling her fists at her sides. "You are a horrible person, and I can't believe I even still consider you a friend!"

"Marie, how many times do I have to tell you to mind your own bloody business?" Madeleine snapped, folding her arms defensively over her chest. "You know nothing about being a mother, so stop trying to give me parenting advice and just leave me alone!"

"Well, apparently, I know a lot more about mothering a child than you do," Marie shot back, rolling her eyes. "Just shut up and stay out of my way. I'm going to see Erik."

"Don't you dare, Marie," Madeleine replied in a threatening tone as she grabbed her friend's arm. "He's being punished for disobeying my orders. Leave him alone."

"He's being punished for wanting to know more about his father and for playing the piano. The fact that you can't see how ridiculous that is is beyond me. You know, Madeleine, you truly disgust me, and I do hope that you someday come to regret your actions. Erik is an innocent little boy with a wonderful heart, and you don't deserve him in the least. Charles would be horribly disappointed in you if he knew how terribly you're treating the child he loved so dearly—before Erik was even born, I might add," Marie replied, yanking her arm out of her friend's grasp. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to go see Erik. Don't stand in my way."

At that, Madeleine took a step back and shook her head. She wanted to argue with her friend, but she couldn't even form a response. Deep down, she knew Marie was right. Charles would have been disappointed in her. But he wasn't here to judge her, and what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, she supposed.

Marie stared silently back at her friend for a moment and shook her head in disgust before she turned and went up the stairs, Sasha at her heels. Walking quickly, she made her way up to the attic and opened the door, immediately sighing when she noticed the boy curled up on the bed. She assumed that he had suspected his mother had been the one coming up the stairs to punish him further, and her heart ached for the child.

When she noticed him peek at her from under his bedsheets, though, she gave him a smile and kicked the door shut behind her. "What, are you not going to come and greet me?"

"Auntie Marie!" Erik exclaimed, a wide smile immediately spreading across his face. Scrambling out of bed, he quickly untangled his foot from one of the sheets before he ran over to throw his arms around his visitor.

"Oh, sweetheart, I've missed you so much," Marie said with a sigh as she wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Your mother told me about what just happened. I'm so sorry."

"That's okay. I'm happy now that you're here," Erik replied, giggling quietly.

Marie smiled at this and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Standing up with the boy still in her arms, she sat down on his bed and held him tight to her. She began to slowly rock him back and forth, pressing gentle kisses to his face as she did so. "You're a very wonderful boy, Erik. You're kind, and you're very talented with art and music, and you have a very lovely singing voice. You're extraordinary, and I know that you're going to grow up to be an amazing person. I don't want you to ever believe differently," she said softly, leaning her head against the boy's.

"Thank you, Auntie Marie," Erik said softly, snuggling himself closer to her. "I love you."

"I love you too."