-Well, this is my first ever fanfic, so i hope its going to be good. I recently read the book Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card and really hated how the ending was just kind of cut off. Mostly though, i thought that the characters Umbo and Parem would make a cute couple, so that's what inspired this. I really hope you like so enjoy!
Count Yourself Lucky
A Pathfinder Fan-fiction
After Rigg and his friends crossed the wall and met with the mysterious expendable, they all decided to take a breather and stay where they were for a few days, to relax and think things over before they decide to try anything new. The expendable had kindly provided them with a strong supply of food and water to last them while they contemplated and thought all of this through.
With Rigg constantly busy making plans and talking with the expendable, Umbo and Parem suddenly had a lot of time on their hands and they had started spending it with each other, laughing and playing and looking around and everything they could find. Parem was extremely intrigued by all the nature and plant life that she had never seen in her time stuck in the city of Aressa Sessamo, and as Umbo had already said, he felt lucky just to be her friend.
The two of them had started sharing and learning even more about each other then they had before, Parem telling about her life hiding from those who wanted her dead and the horrible shock at finding out how her own mother would have her killed off for "the kingdom", Umbo telling about his life under his father's abuse and his mother always making him stay.
"Wow Umbo, I still have to say it was much worse for you, living like that." Said Parem sadly as Umbo nodded with a frown of times past on his face. The two were sitting together in a grassy field not far from where the others were in the make shift camp set up by the expendable. The sun was high in the sky and there were a few fluffy clouds floating by overhead.
"Yeah, I guess. Um, instead of talking about my family and stuff, could you tell me more about your life. Like the food again?" said Umbo, his eyes glittering as he got excited about all the cuisine and flavors she described. Parem laughed, for this was the seventh time Umbo had wanted to hear about the fine foods and pastries she used to eat. As she laughed, Umbo felt a weird squeeze in his chest that he couldn't place.
As Parem started talking about all the flavors and spices and such, Umbo's mind flashed back to how much time they had spent holding hands as they both ran around Aressa Sessamo and crossing the wall and how Parem had held him from behind, her hands on his chest, holding him so tightly and warmly, giving him strength. He thought about the warmth of her hand and the softness of her touch as well as her pretty face and kind words, until he just couldn't stop as he blushed a little and smiled.
Parem looked at Umbo as she talked, watching him listen quietly, smiling and caring about every word, not looking at her like a princess or a royal but as a person, a person he cared about. At the same time Parem's mind flashed back to when they first met in Aressa Sessamo, how tightly and strongly he had held her hand for hours on end, so worried about her disappearing again and even arguing with Rigg over taking the risk of letting her go. She thought about his words when she asked him if they were friends, how he had thought she didn't even need to answer that question and saying how since she was older, it was her choice to decide and he felt lucky that she'd be friends with him. Thinking back to her own question, she wondered if she even really meant it. She knew she could trust him and he trusted her at that point, knew that they were open to each other and enjoyed each other's company, so what had she really been searching for? What feelings had she really wanted to know if he had?
"Alright, that's enough." Said Parem, laughing as she saw Umbo drooling a little over the sound of the delicacies. "Now you tell me something from your life."
"Like what?" asked Umbo, wiping his chin on his sleeve. Parem thought a moment, then an idea came up from a deep place inside and she blushed a little at the thought.
"Have you…ever had a girlfriend?" she asked. Umbo's eyebrows went up and a bit of color came to his face too. He looked down at the ground in front of him while keeping his face the same.
"No I haven't." he said bluntly. Parem looked over at him questioningly. A sad smile came to Umbo's face.
"No one wants a scrawny little guy like me." he said, like it was some bad joke. Parem felt her heart miss a beat and her voice get caught in her breath. What's this feeling?, she thought.
"And I guess you've never had a boyfriend, you know, being stuck in that big house all the time and all." Said Umbo, with just a bit of nervousness in his voice. Parem nodded slightly, though she wasn't sure if Umbo had even seen her. She wanted to speak up, to say something, but she just couldn't speak, like there was some monster in her stomach that was holding her insides and not letting any breath escape. After a couple minutes, Umbo broke the silence by pointing out some oddly-shaped clouds up in the sky. He made a couple jokes about one looking like a fat version of general Citizen, which got both of them laughing. They spent the next ten minutes watching clouds and talking about their shapes, which Parem was able to talk about at least.
Finally, after another long period of silence, Parem felt a warm sensation flow through her, and she turned to Umbo, who was lying down next to her in the grass.
"You're wrong Umbo." She said smoothly and calmly, smiling at him. Umbo's eyes widened as he turned his head to look at her.
"About what?" he said, tilting his head a little.
"About girls." She said teasingly. Umbo's face twisted in confusion and he sat up. Parem sat up too, and then stood up completely, looking down at Umbo.
"Umbo, do you remember that woman on the other side of the wall, the one married to that farmer?" asked Parem, still smiling with a smile that made Umbo think something was up. Umbo stood, and brushed some dust off his pants.
"Yeah, the one that wanted that man's babies and not the other man's right?" said Umbo facing Parem and quoting her own words from before. Parem scratched her arm nervously then looked Umbo right in the eyes, him taking in the completeness of her beautiful face and sparkling eyes.
"Well, I want to have your babies." She said, feeling as though all those warm feelings inside her were being released from her words.
"WHAT?" shouted Umbo in shock. His face turned a bright red as he started stuttering and not knowing what to think.
"Not right now of course." Laughed Parem, seeing the slight awkwardness of what she had just said. Umbo's embarrassment and shock slowly faded away, leaving an open wonder on him.
"You see, even though your shorter and younger than me, I can tell you're going to be a strong, kind, man, and I want to be there beside you like that. The way you held my hand so strong for so long back in Aressa Sessamo even when you didn't even know me, the way you were so desperate to save me when we were falling in time-slice, no one's ever cared about me like that before, caring about me as a person instead of as a royal. I've had so much fun with you these past days, you're my first friend, Umbo I…I love you!" said Parem, her heart racing in a wonderful unknown feeling that was better than anything she had felt before. Parem smiled, a smile so beautiful to Umbo he felt his heart melt, and she put her hand, that soft smooth hand Umbo so much liked holding, on his shoulder. Umbo's eyes were wide and slightly teary as his face turned a little red.
"Y-You do? Parem…I've never told anyone about all the things I used to go through but you. You cared so much, more than anyone else has. You're so kind and sweet, the best friend I've ever had. I…I love you too." said Umbo, feeling his own heart skipping along as his feelings for her were released. Parem's eyes teared up a bit as she smiled happier than she had ever smiled before, a rush going through her from hearing him say that. Umbo smiled too, and wanted to hug her, to embrace her, but then a sharp twisting feeling in his gut made his smile leave and his eyes dart away.
"B-but, you're almost two years older than me. I'm not sure if it would be alright…." Stuttered Umbo, but then Parem chuckled which made him drop his sentence and look up.
"Didn't you say that since I was older, I get to decide and you just count yourself lucky?" she said, repeating his words from when she asked if they were friends. Umbo's eyes sparkled with joy as Parem touched his cheek and looked down at him, her eyes a few inches above his because he'd yet to hit his growth spurt yet.
"And I say: it's just fine." Parem said softly, her voice like a whisper. Then slowly, she closed her eyes and brought her face closer and closer. Umbo's heart was racing now, his breathing sped up as she was about to kiss him! He'd never kissed a girl before, what am I supposed to do? He thought. But then, her lips touched his and it all began to make sense as he closed his eyes himself.
"HEY!" a voice behind them shouted. Umbo and Parem's mouths instantly parted as they turned to look, though they were still in each other's arms. A whiles down the hill stood Rigg, glaring and slightly red-faced.
"Umbo, what are you doing with my sister!" he yelled as he began running up the hill. Umbo's eyes widened in panic as he started to pull away, but then Parem pulled him closer and squeezed her eyes shut with effort. Suddenly, the whole world around them began to speed up as they entered invisibility or time-slice or whatever the real name for it is. Over Parem's shoulder he could see Rigg looking around angrily in fast-forward and then sitting down and waiting. He knew where their paths were, so they couldn't get away, but it still gave them privacy.
Parem pulled back to look at Umbo's face again, and then shut her eyes and began returning to their previous engagement. As she closed her eyes and came closer, holding Umbo's head in her hands, Umbo had an idea. If she could use her power, then he could use his as well. Suddenly the world around them became sharper and they were able to take in everything at once, as Umbo's power does, which he spread over the two of them. The world around them was a weird slowed-down-sped-up blur, but they didn't even notice it, only each other. Finally their lips came together in a marvelous kiss, which they held and continued passionately. Jolts of pleasure went down through their lips as their senses were multiplied by the power of Umbo's slow time. It was unlike anything either of them had ever felt before and neither one of them wanted to stop. As a result, an entire day passed in time-splice before they finally parted and noticed that Rigg had left.
Parem stopped the time splice and the world slowed down to normal, Umbo also let go of his power too, and their senses shrunk back to normal. They stood there in each other's arms, breathing heavily and staring into each other's eyes, Umbo still feeling bad that he had to look up a little to look into hers.
"That was…amazing." Said Parem after a little while, her eyes wide as if she had just broken from a trance. Umbo nodded, also wide-eyed.
"I expect my power to have that sort of effect." Said Umbo, remembering the near electric sensation that went onto his lips as he kissed her with increased perception. He blushed a little over thinking of what else it might have an effect on, but then pushed the ideas out of his head.
"Heehee, well I guess that was a pretty nice first-kiss for both of us." She said touching her forehead to his with half-closed loving eyes.
"Yeah!" said Umbo, getting a big grin on his face as his cheeks flushed. They both stared into each other's eyes for a while longer, and then embraced with love before parting again.
"Hey, why did Rigg leave? He knew where we were because he could see our paths, so why'd he go?" asked Umbo, pointing over to where Rigg had sat for the longest time, staring at the invisible air where he knew they were.
"He probably just got sick of waiting. I should go explain all of this to him. See you later then?" said Parem, looking over at Umbo, who, while he was younger and shorter, made her heart flutter just by looking at him. She brushed her hands through her hair nervously as she blushed.
"Always." He said, and Parem's heart missed a beat in delight. She giggled, a beautiful sound, and then ran down the hill to go find Rigg. Umbo headed off in another direction, back towards the camp. After all that he thought he could use a snack.
When the camp came into view he could also see Loaf, who spotted him and watched with a stern look on his face. He could also see Olivenko looking through the food stores, probably for something to eat to. Umbo got over there and Loaf made an aggressive step in his way.
"Where have you been?" said Loaf, although he obviously knew the answer. Olivenko didn't even look up. Umbo gulped and thought about it, guess there'd be no point in lying now, he thought.
"With Parem." Said Umbo, saying the truth without the whole truth. Loaf raised his eyebrows, still obviously knowing the whole story but going on anyway.
"For a whole day?" he asked gruffly, his arms crossed.
"We did a little time-splicing." Said Umbo, sidestepping the big picture yet again. "You know, that's her power."
"Ok, that's enough, I know what happened, Rigg already told me what seems to be going on." Said Loaf, getting impatient with trying to make Umbo confess. Umbo blushed a little and grinned.
"What do you think you're doing with that girl? She's two years older, and Rigg's sister, and a royal for crying out loud." Said Loaf, getting a little hot-faced himself. Never had he thought this would happen.
"I love her." is all Umbo could think of to say.
"You've known her for a few weeks!" shouted Loaf. Umbo didn't even flinch, which surprised Loaf.
"Yea, but there's girls back home I've known for years and I've never felt this way before. You don't know what it was like while we crossed the wall together. You don't know how great this past week has been, spending time with her. She's the first person I really feel I can tell about how I feel, so you know what? You can just back off." Said Umbo, laughing a little from seeing himself grow a spine. Loaf couldn't stop himself from smiling as well, with how much he thought of this pipsqueak as a son.
"Can you believe this kid Olivenko?" said Loaf, regaining his negative scowl and crossed arms. Olivenko placed a couple slices of meat between two pieces of bread and put on a few vegetables.
"I'm just here to help Rigg, father-Knosso's son. What the rest of you do is none of my business." Said Olivenko, putting his sandwich together and taking a bite without even looking in their direction. Loaf grunted with frustration and turned back to Umbo.
"Alright you little Casanova, I think you're a little young, but fine. But first a few rules." Said Loaf, standing up a little straighter and looking down at Umbo from his full height. Umbo looked up curiously, feeling open to what Loaf had to say.
"First of all, you better treat that nice young lady fairly, with respect and appreciation. Second, always listen to what she has to say, learn to care about everything she wants or needs. Third, be a man, be strong so she can lean on your shoulder, metaphorically or literally if need be. And forth…" said Loaf. Then he got right up to Umbo's face and grabbed his shirt. Umbo's eyes widened in fear and panic.
"…Don't even think about getting under her skirt until the two of you are married! Understand?" said Loaf in the most intimidating voice and look he had ever shown. Umbo nodded quickly, afraid for his very life and blushing like mad. Loaf let him go and crossed his arms again, sighing and then nodded, a bit of a smile crossing his face. No matter what he did, he couldn't help feeling a little proud of Umbo, for getting himself a pretty girl at such a young age. Loaf hadn't gotten close to a woman since he was in his early twenties, so it was a bit funny for him to see this tiny little boy already struck by love.
"You!" said a familiar voice from behind Umbo. Before he could even turn around, Umbo was down on the ground, having been tackled and pinned down, Rigg sitting over him. Parem was running from further away, her face distressed as she called for Rigg to stop.
"Umbo! What do you think you're doing! How dare you kiss my sister!" yelled Rigg, his face red and covered in anger. This was the first time Umbo had ever seen Rigg lose his cool, ever, he was always so in control of his emotions and everything. The very idea of Rigg so angry made Umbo laugh and he did so out loud because he couldn't hold it in. Rigg punched the ground right beside Umbo's head.
"That's it! You and I are going to fight this out right here and now!" RIgg yelled and then gave Umbo a quick punch in the face. The blow made Umbo think of an idea and he concentrated. Feeling a pinching feeling in his gut, the whole world changed around the two of them, the sun was now high in the sky and everyone was gone. Well, except Loaf who was now in a different spot, looking up with surprise on his face. As Rigg looked up in surprise at the changed world, Umbo brought his legs up and gave him a hard kick in the chest, sending Rigg flying off him and onto the grass a few feet away. Then Umbo released his power and he found himself back among everyone else, only Rigg was gone. Parem finally got there and helped Umbo to his feet, Loaf had a look of shock on his face as he looked around for Rigg and Olivenko calmly ate his sandwich as if unaware of the events around him.
"What did you do?" asked Parem, a look of distress on her face now that her brother had just disappeared. Umbo rubbed his hurt cheek and laughed.
"I sent Rigg into the future, specifically noon tomorrow." Said Umbo, chuckling and smiling. Loaf just sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose before walking away without another word. Parem laughed too and touched her soft warm hand to Umbo's cheek.
"Sorry, he saw me and ran off to find you the second he knew we were out of time-splice." Said Parem. Umbo shook his head.
"Don't worry about it, it was actually kind of fun to see Rigg lose his cool." Said Umbo, laughing again.
"So, I guess this means it'll just be the two of us until tomorrow." Said Parem, drooping her eyelids and giving him a bit of a seductive look. Umbo's eyes widened and he blushed a little. Then he gave her a little kiss on the cheek and suggested they go explore in the forest some more.
Umbo and Parem spent the rest of the day exploring and talking as they always had, but now with a deeper meaning to it, and with both of them sharing every bit of their feelings. They loved each other so much, and felt the happiest they ever had every minute they spent with each other. Finally, at the end of the day, the ring lighting up the night sky, Umbo and Parem sat against a large tree, their heads leaning against one another's, both fast asleep.
-Hope you liked it! For those of you who have read the actual book Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card, I do see how Rigg did act a bit out of character, but I thought the story would be better that way (plus, I'm not sure how Rigg would have actually reacted).