Hi there. :)

So this is me posting the first part of a little story that came to my mind some months ago, when the idea of two Nomads having met before struck me and didn't let go until I had it all written down. Now, as evil as I am I won't tell you who this is about although I'm pretty sure you'll figure it out easily enough.

Big thanx this time goes to the lovely bunch over at DistantLands who gave the first draft a read and encouraged me to publish it here on ffnet. Your support meant a lot to me, girls! *group hugs*

And, Ban, be assured that the second chapter will eventually be up as well– I just still need to beta that one. ;)

At all those who wait for the next chapter of 'The Rise' and only stopped by out of curiosity: don't you worry. I am working on ch12 whenever I can, and have ch11 on top of my to-beta-list. It's just that work has kept me busy and was pretty frustrating, too, so for the sake of my sanity I tended to this little baby here first. Hope you don't mind. *puppy dog eyes*

And now, go off reading. I hope you like this story.

Best wishes,
TiaKisu :)

What darkness once will hide

She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, her breathing matching the frantic rhythm of her heartbeats.

She could hear the boys' voices behind her, could hear them yell at her. She knew they would get her, knew that there was no way for her to escape. In that moment her shoes felt like far too heavy to her, and her cloak – so small and light – seemed like a rope that was tying her to those she fled from. Closer and closer they came she knew, each of their steps becoming now audible to her.

"Don't you try to run from us, witch."

The words were followed by the eldest boy's hand reaching for her delicate shoulders and with a fierce pull he yanked the little girl side wards.

"You shouldn't have done that!"

It was a growl that escaped the tall lad's throat and which mixed with the yelp that his victim let out as she lost her balance, falling down to her knees right in front of the twelve years old. Her eyes closing for a moment as the soaring pain of her blank legs meeting the ground shot through her system, she couldn't see the other three boys arrive as well.

"We know what you are."

"You are evil."

"You will not doom our homes!"

"Our fathers will get rid of you and your cursed family."

Their words surrounded her like thunder, their voices high-pitched as the boys shouted at her. She felt them be so close, felt their every movement as if there was no air between her and them. Her lips trembled as she whispered:

"I am no witch!"

Stinging tears formed in the corners of her eyes, tears of hurt and fear, but she tried hard to not let them fall. Her little hands clenched to fists as she opened her dark brown eyes and bent over, shifting her aching legs underneath her so that her feet once more touched the ground. And then she ran; her heart racing as she slipped through a gap between the boys.

First startled, the four howled with fury, but too soon for the young girl they chased after her again, their distance too small for her to be safe. She could hardly feel the foot that was placed so well in-between her own, had no time to proceed what was happening as the only thing she felt was the impact of her body crashing onto the sharp stones beneath her.

While the boys closed up on her once more, the little girl drew in ragged breaths, her hands shaking as she tried to get back up.

"Please leave me alone."

Her voice sounded broken now as the tears she held back almost seemed to choke her.

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"But you will. You will make people suffer. We have seen it before."
She knew it was the eldest boy again who spoke. His voice was deeper than the ones of his comrades, and his hate much more threatening.

"But we will not allow this. We will rid our village of your family. And I will do my share by starting with you."

He was growling by now, his face white with anger. His eyes, dark and violent, narrowed as he reached out for the little girl's hair and pulled her halfway off the ground, her pain-filled cries going unheard by him.

"We will show you what to do with witches", he yelled and turned so that her fragile body was in reach for his left fist.

It was a strangled cry that left her throat as she tensed in apprehension of the blow she was so sure to receive, before suddenly the world around her went quiet.

Just for a second there seemed to be no other sound filling the air - only the gentle murmurs of the wind ruffling her hair and caressing her sore skin. The scenery had changed too quickly for her to understand, but as her eyes once more allowed the images to reach her consciousness, she saw the boy's fist hover in the air, the young lad's arm quivering with restrained power.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

It was a new voice that added to what reached her ears. Low words that belonged more to an adult than a child and as she shifted her view slightly, she finally was able to see the strong hand that held back her attacker and which belonged to another boy, one she knew as little as she did those she had tried to run from.

After a moment of shock the oldest of the four surrounding her turned to face the newcomer and forgetting about his prey for a moment he let go of the dark brown hair, making the girl wince as she sank back to the ground.
The lad straightened his back as he looked up at the stranger who seemed so tall against him.

"That's none of your interest. And unless you intend to help us you better go and not interfere with our business", he spoke with more confidence than he really had.

The eyes of the stranger lay on the group for a minute before they shifted to focus on the girl they had encircled.

"What did she do to deserve this?"

His voice sounded cold by now and the little one shivered under his gaze, feeling keenly aware of the fact that if the stranger decided to join her assassins, it was likely she would never see her family again.

"What did she do I ask you?", he enquired again and this time he seemed impatient, his attention going back to the four who were younger than him by three years at least.
He eyed them one by one, tightened the grip he had on the oldest boy's hand and pulled him slightly towards him. His features were grim as obviously he had already made his choice. And beginning to falter the leader of the little group spat defiantly: "I said that is none of your business!"

For a second the young man's eyes narrowed before he shot back with his voice being dangerously low: "I think that's up to me to decide! She's only a little girl and if you know what's good for you I suggest you leave her alone."

There was a threat in his voice that was far too real to be ignored and yet one of the younger lads dared to speak up to him:

"Or what? It's four against one." But the boy immediately fell silent as the other's pale eyes darted towards him. Then he straightened his back and towered over their leader, his physical statute seeming impressive now and as he suddenly moved slightly, turning the eldest boy's arm in the process, the same let out an exasperated cry.

"Don't be dumb enough to try me."

The young man's grumble rang in the attendees' ears and while it had the lads back down slightly, the girl finally dared to lift her sight again.
Her velvet eyes transfixed the stranger who still had an all so firm grasp on the other boy's arm, suddenly releasing the same and pushing him roughly so that the kid stumbled. The boy cursed through gritted teeth as he grabbed his friend's shirt for support. Then he spun around, his face distorted with hatred and anger and for a moment the girl believed he would have all four of them attack her savior at once. Her breath got caught in her lungs as her own fright was forgotten and all that mattered to her was that the stranger would not get hurt. And as he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes she gasped audibly, her own brown orbs shutting tightly without her wanting them to.

Although she could not see them anymore, she still felt the others' presence next to her, felt their fury. She sensed how they fought a silent battle with the young citizen who had gotten in their way. And just when she feared they would eventually win the same, the tension she didn't knew why she was aware of it so keenly dissolved. Suddenly she felt the winds pass her by again as the leader of the little group left her side and walked a few steps towards the newcomer before he turned on his heels and ran from him and his companions.
Startled, his friends stared at the disappearing form for a moment, one of them throwing angry glares in the young man's direction before they, too, hurried to get away. Their footsteps still echoed around the girl and her savior while she released the breath she had been holding, her arms suddenly seeming so weak to her that she doubted they could support her weight any longer. But before they could give in, she felt the warmth of someone else come closer.

"You okay?"

His voice was gentle now, nowhere near what it was just a few seconds ago. And as she looked up her gaze met the shining blue of eyes that spoke of sympathy.

"I… I…", she tried to reply but failed as her attention was drawn to her right hand which was covered with a red fluid that she had not noticed to be there before. She lifted it slightly and while at the same time she realized something warm seemed to drop from her chin, her small body started to tremble.

"Sh, it's alright. Come 'ere. Just a bit of blood", the elder boy's reassuring words reached her, but they did little in calming her down and it wasn't until in the next moment she could feel his right hand on her upper back that her breathing slowed down a bit.

While with the right one he started to support her from behind his left hand gently pushed her backwards so that she was in a sitting position again. Then he reached for his head where a grayish band was keeping his hair at bay. He removed the piece of cloth from its place, ripped it into two and carefully pressed one piece against the little girl's chin, lifting it ever so slightly after a few seconds so that he could have a look at what lay underneath.

"Looks like a little cut", he told her calmly as he returned the cloth to her skin again. "You think you can hold this for a minute?"

The little girl nodded reluctantly while the stranger put her shaking little hands into place. Then he reached for a flask that was attached to his belt, before bending down so that he was at eye-level with her.

"I will just clean this a bit, okay? It sure is not as bad as it looks."

His voice was almost next to her ears by now, his face just inches away from her own. And feeling a sudden wave of nausea wash over her, she whispered:

"Will it hurt?"

The boy locked his gaze with hers for a moment, obviously contemplating his answer and then raising the bottle.

"Only if you believe it will. This is magical water you know. It does what you want it to do."

Then the young man winked at her while cautiously he removed the cloth from the wound and wetted the still dry and clean parts with the clear fluid.

The girl frowned at him at first, her instincts telling her that what he said was a lie, but soon after she quietly replied: "I want it not to hurt"

"Then it won't", his soft words followed hers in an instant and albeit she could feel the cold cloth send a stinging sensation all along her jaw, it seemed to her that just maybe he did indeed have something enchanted with him. Still, even though she would have imagined it to feel worse, she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips and which made the stranger retrieve his hands slightly.

"Almost done", he quickly muttered and while he tended to the wound once more the young girl tried hard to fight back the tears that seemed to well up in her eyes again. A sharp breath got drawn into her lungs as she almost cried out at the addition of another feeling that she was so sure to be pain as well. But when out of reflex her eyes darted towards where it came from she realized that the boy merely rinsed her hands with the remaining water, the still fresh blood flowing from them easily and disappearing between the stones on the ground. Hardly did she notice that at the same time he pressed the second piece of his former headband against her chin.

"We will have to keep it in place just a little while longer", he then explained while he motioned for her to turn around slightly. And as he did so she finally found the nerve to have a closer look at him, the first thing coming into her view being his dark blond hair which she had hardly seen with anyone else before. And although he was kneeling she could tell that he would be almost twice her size, and probably twice her age, too.

The six year-old's eyes were drawn to his pale blue orbs as she stared at him for a moment, a sudden shyness mixing with her still tear-filled gaze before abruptly she looked down to the ground where now the blood-soaked cloth lay. Noticing where her gaze was travelling to the boy quickly shifted and shielded her view from what he knew would do nothing but unsettle her. Then he reached for her small hands with his own free one and brought them up a little, their surface revealing just a little graze on her right palm.

"See", he spoke reassuringly to her, noticing at the same time that she jumped a little under his touch, "not as bad as you thought."

While the young girl studied her hands closely, squeezing her eyes in an attempt to detect any other wound there might be, he turned away from her slightly as obviously he sought a better position to sit in. He halted in his movements however when he felt her small fingers suddenly cover his own. His gaze instantly going back to her, he saw how now she looked at him questioningly, her hands in a position where she could hold the cloth herself.
It didn't take him long to understand what she did not seem to dare voice out and thus he just nodded at her before carefully he let go of her chin, making sure first that the young one would hold his former headband in place. And when he knew she did, he finally sat down next to her.

"You feel better now?"
The young citizen let a short moment of silence pass by before he addressed her, his voice as soft now as it was when he had first spoken to her. But when her head moved in a small nod, a more serious tone added to it and he eyed her intensely while he asked: "Did those boys hurt you in any way?"

Although the little brunette did not understand why it seemed important to him to know, she shook her head slightly, whispering an almost inaudible "No, I just fell" as she did so. Her small palms still were firmly pressed against her chin as she then lowered her head and gnawed her lip, her feet starting to move in small circles, drawing faint lines into the ground beneath them as they did so. For some strange reason the little one felt embarrassed to admit she tripped, even though she knew it had never been her fault in the first place.

Her sudden change in emotion didn't go unnoticed by the blond next to her and deciding to change the topic, he tilted his head into her direction and said:
"So. Why did those boys chase you anyway?"

Immediately the girl's feet stopped moving and the young man had to realize his companion hadn't anticipated him to ask this question as she began to shift uncomfortably on her spot. It seemed she contemplated her words for a moment before almost angrily she replied.

"They say I am a witch."

"And are you?"

His voice followed hers too fast for her to process what he sought to know. Feeling her eyes widen with confusion she stared at the ground, her heart suddenly beating fast in her chest again.

"I… I can make flowers grow", she admitted before she even was aware she spoke the words, her breath feeling so cold her lungs all of a sudden. The young girl didn't know why she even told him, didn't understand what made her speak this out loud. And starting to panic for in a corner of her mind she feared her savior might turn against her if he knew the truth, she hurried to add a half-shouted: "But I am no witch!" to what she had said.

By the time she had spoken the last bit, the brunette's head had shot up and she had half-risen from her spot; her brown dress now covering her body in wrinkles as she had not adjusted it ever since she ran and her green cloak hanging more to her right than in the middle. Her knees were covered with dirt but unharmed and as she stood there, determination slowly mixing with her features, the young lad couldn't help the surprised smile that crept onto his lips. He opened his mouth, ready to reply to her when suddenly she spoke again, her gaze lowering as she pouted.

"Witches are evil."

Albeit he knew he shouldn't do so, as she stood in front of him, defiantness radiating all from her where before he had sensed it was fear she felt, the young man laughed out heartily.

"And you are not."

"Of course I'm not", she immediately shot back, clearly distressed by his reaction. Then she stepped back just a bit, her voice betraying hurt as she went on. "I would never harm anyone."

The boy's laughter died the instant he realized how uncomfortable it made the younger one, and extending his right arm to her, he offered her an honest smile instead.

"I know you wouldn't."

And then he waited for her for a moment, his patience earning him her trust again as reluctantly she took his hand and let him lead her back to the spot next to him. While she settled down, careful not to lose grip on the grey cloth in her hands, her companion turned to focus on an indefinite spot in the distance.

"You're a sorceress then", he then added softly, tilting his head again to glance at her from the corner of his eyes. "Those are of the good kind."

He could see her frown before she looked at him with big brown eyes: "And are you a sorcerer?"
His lips curved slightly upon her question, a small laugh escaping them before briefly a shadow hushed across his features.
"No. But I live at a wise magician's", he mumbled and there was a trace of sadness in his eyes as he spoke. But then, as sudden as it came, the same disappeared whilst he cast his gaze back to her, yet not meeting her own one completely. "I can tell when someone uses their magic for good."

At his words, he could feel her shift next to him once more, sensed she would take up on that. But when she next spoke, her voice somehow shy again, he still looked at her in surprise.

"Is this why you are not afraid?"

For just a moment her question didn't make sense to him and he knew nothing else to reply but a startled: "Afraid?"

While his brows furrowed upon her words, the little brunette mimicked his gesture, her face now showing a deep frown that somehow was unlikely for someone her age.
"Of me", she finally breathed and although she tried to she could hardly hide the mournfulness in her words as she spoke. "The other children are."

The girl's hands clenched slightly as she awaited the other kid's reaction, and still holding on to the cloth she flinched silently when the moving fabric caused her sore chin to ache. But before she could pay proper attention to it, she heard the boy next to her speak up again and as he did so, she looked up into his pale eyes that now met her own ones directly.

"Most people fear the unknown", his voice was somewhat quiet as it reached her and for some reason there was a distant sound to it that the young one couldn't quite understand. Listening intently to what he said, she just stared at him then, wondering about the words he sent her way.

"But that should never make you doubt."

The little brunette's head shot up as the young lad turned to her and laid his left hand softly on her shoulder, his affectionate eyes deliberately holding her gaze.
"You're a very brave girl and making flowers grow is a beautiful gift. Never let anyone tell you that you are evil only because they don't know what magic is about. The only one who can decide on the nature of your powers is you."

And while the child's mouth opened slightly in astonishment, the boy suddenly lifted his hand again and directed it back to her face where he carefully removed the cloth that by now had a red hue to it.

"Does hardly bleed anymore", he told her before gently he directed her hands to cover the wound again. "But you should still have your parents have a look at it."
The boy was well aware of how the little one hardly seemed to take notice of his actions, her mind obviously too busy with mulling over what he had directed at her before. Her young face was alit with curiosity and a certain sense of wonder that he could only guess resulted from him being one of the few who did not share any of the prejudices against magic. He held her gaze just a little while longer and eventually he saw the brunette's lips curve in a smile that he instantly decided he liked on her face.

"See, that's what I'm talking about", he then added to his previous words and realizing he was on a good way of distracting the girl from her earlier ordeal, he bowed his head a little and said:
"I am Doubar by the way. And what is…"

The young man had just meant to go on and ask her about her name, when he noticed the brunette listen up. Suddenly her attention was all drawn from him and her eyes stared eagerly into the distance where a faint sound could now be heard. The young lad tilted his head to see what she was looking at, and his brows furrowed as he tried to make out what or who it was that approached them.
At first only vague and too silent to be heard, it soon became obvious to him that a female voice called from far away and soon after a tall woman emerged from the horizon, her long dark hair waving slightly in the wind as just a second later she halted in her steps. The boy frowned deeply at the way he knew her eyes were focused on him and the girl but before he even had the time to ponder about her presence, the little lass raised from her seat, her small body quivering with anticipation.

"That's my mommy", she exclaimed with utter happiness. The cut on her chin completely forgotten, she turned back to her new friend and beamed at him. "She's calling me."

"Then you'd better not let her wait", the lad's words followed her own excited ones in an instant before he bent forwards and winked: "Go home with her."

In return the girl nodded feverishly before she, much to the other one's surprise, leant in to hug him with her free arm. Stretching a little so that her hand came to lie at the back of his neck she whispered a shy "thank you" before she pushed away from him, her features still glowing with joy.

The boy smiled warmly at the little one in front of him and lifting his right arm to let it rest on her delicate shoulder, he replied to her:
"Just make sure you don't run into those guys again, will you?"
Then he gave it a gentle squeeze before he let go of it and finally stood up. Briefly he cast a glance at the woman who patiently waited for her daughter to return but quickly looked back to the girl when she promised him: "I will."

"That's what I wanted to hear. Now go."

The young man's words were accompanied by a chuckle and as he saw the girl do what he requested, her legs quickly carrying her away from him, he couldn't help the amused laughter that left his throat. But in midst her steps she suddenly stopped and spun around - obviously remembering something that seemed important to her. Not caring to walk back to him though, the little girl breathed in deeply and simply shouted across the distance what she knew he had sought to know:

"My name is Bryn."

A/N: So, this is chapter number one. And yes, I actually believe that this needn't even be AU but can be canon. Simply because Bryn lost her memory anyway, and Doubar would probably not actively remember the little girl he once met. He sort-of grew up with magic (ever since the siblings lost their parents anyway) so meeting a young lass with powers wouldn't have been all too special to him. Plus I am sure Bryn wasn't the only kid in peril he stood up for, so yeah… I truly think this could work. But feel free to tell me what you think about it. :D

As always feedback is most welcome, and anonymous one is enabled.

P.S.: For those who wonder about the title of this chapter... it's a reference to something I will mention in the second part. ;)