At the Root of Ambition

Summary: At the age of four, Artemis Fowl had discovered his life's ambition- to be the richest man in the world.

This was fun to write. I totally got to reinvent Artemis, because in this he's a child. He's a kind of freaky kid, actually… but hey; remember how freaky he was in the first book? That had to start somewhere…

-

In the nursery of Fowl Manor, four-year-old Artemis Fowl was constructing a perfect scale model of a WWII battleship out of LEGO. He had long ago abandoned the instructions and was making his own improvements.

This was easy play for the boy. He usually solved elaborate mazes designed to stump anyone with an IQ under 200, or timed himself on the construction of 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles (so far his personal best was forty-five minutes).

Artemis hoped to show the battleship to his father, who seemed to show an interest in ships and things. And Artemis wanted to impress his father, wanted him to laugh and clap him on the back and perhaps joke of a possible future in shipbuilding.

He was fairly certain that a father was supposed to these things, and yet Artemis' father never had. He thought perhaps it was because his father did not love him. At first the boy had not understood why he didn't have his father's love, but then he realized that it did not matter. He would make his father proud, and then he would be loved.

"Butler?"

Butler was, as usual, sitting in the corner reading Guns and Ammo. "Yes?"

"Is Father's meeting over yet?"

"I don't believe so."

"Do you know when it ends?"

"He didn't state an exact time."

Artemis nodded. "I see. I suppose I'll go find Mother, then."

"I believe she's in the lounge. Would you like me to accompany you?"

"No Butler, I'll be fine," said Artemis, picking up the battleship and exiting the nursery.

The small boy had no intention of finding his mother. She didn't pose much of a challenge for him. He seemed to have earned her love with no exertion on his part, and as a result, she bored him.

So instead of going to the lounge, Artemis made his way to his father's study, where he was meeting with a business partner. The large double doors were shut, so Artemis put down his battleship, crouched down on the floor, and listened beneath the door, hoping to hear something that might indicate when the meeting would end.

"This is a great deal George," Artemis heard his father saying. "Just great."

"You know Fowl," another voice, presumably that of George, said. "Sometimes I wonder if money's the only thing you ever really loved."

Artemis perked his ears up at this.

His father laughed. "You know George, you may be right."

Artemis sat up, drawing away from the door. He frowned, puzzled. Money? What was so important about money? He shrugged mentally. Something was, obviously. Well then, that had been easier than he'd thought. If money was the key to his father's heart, then…

Why, then he'd be a businessman, like his father. He'd be the best one ever, and make as much money as he possibly could.

Forgetting the battleship, Artemis returned to the playroom.

"Butler?" he asked.

"Yes, Artemis?"

"I should like a subscription to the Wall Street Journal."

So began Artemis Fowl's lifelong ambition. And despite the fact that the genius prided himself on his excellent memory, by the time that he was seven, Artemis would have forgotten that at the root of his ambition to be rich and powerful was a four-year-old boy who wanted nothing more than to earn his father's love.

-

Please review.