Hey! So, nobody reviewed the last chapter, which kind of sucked. So, please review! It really does mean a lot to me, and I get a little jolt of excitement every time I get the notification, so pleasepleaseplease! This is also one of my favorite Chapters, though I do apologize that they keep getting longer and longer. Let me know if I should cut down on the Chapter lengths.
Now, what is the history of Rachel and Blaine? How will the others react to this news? And what's been happening back in Violetedge?
I don't own Glee! Read and review please!
The First Fugitives
"Now, Blaine! Don't pull your sister's hair!" The old nurse hurried into the castle's nursery and grabbed the seven year old boy, pulling him away from his sister, who was happily flaunting a wooden sword.
"He's just mad because I'm a better swordsman than he is." His older sister explained seriously. Blaine fumed and turned away, red-faced, crossing his arms and pouting.
The kind old nurse looked at the children and laughed quietly to herself.
"Swordswoman dear, and, well, being a swordsman isn't for everybody." She said. Blaine turned to look at her with a look of confusion.
"It isn't?"
"Of course not! There are all sorts of weapons out there for you to choose from! It's never good to fight for no reason, but if you need to, it's always good to know how. Some people rely on long range weapons, like bows and arrows to get the job done. Some people even use them to survive in the wild." The nurse said, leading both children to the window of the nursery and allowing them to peek out at the Blackapple Woods that stood out in the distance of the castle.
"Wow!" Blaine gawked.
"People actually live in the woods?" Rachel asked. "How cool!"
"Oh please..." A cold female voice snapped and all three turned to the door where a tall, cold, dark-haired woman stood. "Slave, I need you to hem my robes for the meeting of the King's court tonight."
"I'm busy watching your children right now, but I'll get on it as soon as the other Nurses come off their break." She promised.
"Ugh, don't call them that. Just because I bore them doesn't mean I wanted to. I'm the King's right hand woman, I don't have time to mother a child. My mother didn't baby me and I turned out just fine." She said. "Of course, I killed her..."
"Mrs. Fiona! It's not right to talk of murder in front of impressionable children, be they yours or not!" The Nurse protested.
"Is it better to romanticise the idea of living life as a peasant." The woman snarled. "I'll talk however I please, wherever I please. These children owe me their lives, I owe them nothing." She turned and stormed away.
"Nurse...why doesn't our momma play with us like you do?" Blaine asked.
"Because your momma is a very busy woman. She and your daddy are the King's main assistants, they're the third and fourth most powerful people in all the Kingdom!"
"Don't lie to us Nurse." Rachel pouted. "She doesn't play with us because she doesn't love us." Even at a young age, Rachel was a smart girl.
The old woman sighed and sat down in a rocking chair. The two children knelt down in front of her.
"Love is a funny thing kids...some people are fortunate enough to experience it, whether it be for a friend, a loved one, or...even a family member." She smiled and leaned down, tweaking both of their noses. They giggled and she sat back, sighing. "Some just aren't. Maybe that's why your parents had both of you! So you can give each other the love that they don't have time to offer." The Nurse suggested.
Young and naive as they were, both Rachel and Blaine latched onto this idea immediately, and wrapped one another up in a tight, childish hug.
"I love you big sister!"
"I love you too little brother!"
The Nurse smiled, genuinely touched at their youthful innocence. She looked out at the sun's position in the sky and stood again.
"I should go and get to work on that dress, you two stay here while I go finish that up, okay?" She asked. They both nodded.
She smiled, satisfied, and ran off.
"So your parents are the King's right hand man and woman?" Sam asked. "I don't understand. How did you end up being chosen as sacrifices?"
"Be patient, you'll see..." Rachel sighed.
"Anyways, Rachel and I...we were active children, and once we were left alone, well...we tended to get bored very quickly, so we decided to walk around the castle..." Blaine started. He went on.
"I'll race you to the throne room!" Rachel challenged.
"You're on!" Blaine grinned and took off.
"Hey! I wasn't ready!" Rachel whined, chasing after him. They were evenly matched in height, and competitive nature, but it wasn't long before Rachel managed to pull up beside him as they raced through the hallways of the castle.
They fought it out for a while, but eventually Blaine managed to hit the door first.
"Hah! I won!" He cheered.
"The race was to the throne!" Rachel lied, racing past him.
"Hey!" He chased her across the room to the empty throne, but she got there well ahead of him.
"I won!" She corrected him, teasing him. He pouted and crossed his arms again. She paused and looked around suddenly, as if realizing where they are. "Blaine, we're not supposed to be in here..." She said.
"Oh yeah..." Her brother looked around.
"Come on." She ran past him again with the boundless energy that only a child could conjure up. He followed her, only to smack into her when she stopped short at the sound of the door opening. "Hide!" She hissed, shoving him behind one of the pillars that lined the room.
The pillars were all covered by curtains, so the two of them ducked behind them and crouched down as people began to enter.
Rachel crawled past her younger brother and peeked out to spy on the meeting that was occurring. They had lived in the castle their entire lives, but the King that was in power had only come to power a year or so before. Prior to that, he had just been an arrogant, harmless Prince.
Several soldiers led the King and Queen into the throne room, and Blaine and Rachel's parents walked in after. Their father was a handsome brown haired man with a flawless complexion and not a hair out of place, with expressive dark eyes that both of his children had inherited.
The King dismissed the soldiers and Rachel caught sight of four other children peeking in the doorway; a blonde boy, a blonde girl, a red haired boy, and a shorter dark haired girl. The soldiers shooed them away and they begrudgingly obliged.
For a moment, Rachel felt proud that she got to experience something that the head soldiers in training didn't even get to see.
Coal, Riker, Savannah and Ree; They were incredibly obnoxious children, constantly making fun of Blaine and Rachel because they were only there because of their parents, whereas Coal, Riker, Savannah and Ree had all been chosen because they were the strongest, the fastest, the bravest, the best.
Blaine and Rachel had tried to get in on some of their training sessions, but they'd never been allowed, and soldiers had just laughed at them when they said that they wanted to be strong too.
"That's awful!" Quinn remarked.
"Just wait. Life in that castle was not fun for us..." Blaine sighed.
"It was bearable at best...but it's about to get a lot worse." Rachel sighed, and then continued on.
"The villagers refuse to take my rule seriously." The King smashed his hand on the table.
"Those ignorant peasants don't deserve a King as great as you, my Lord." Their father kissed up.
"I'll say." The Queen said coldly; a blonde woman with pale skin and great beauty, she'd always gotten exactly as she wished.
"I didn't kill my own father to be treated with this amount of disrespect." The King snapped.
Blaine and Rachel stared at one another behind the curtain, fear and awe in their eyes.
"It seems to me that you need to send them some sort of message. Show them that you are not a man to be trifled with." Fiona suggested coolly.
"What do you propose?" The King asked.
"Take away something that they love, that they treasure."
"Yes..." Their father remarked. "And do it ritually! So that they never forget!"
"Clyde...Fiona..." The Queen drawled. "You may be on to something..."
"But what to take?" The King asked.
"I know..." Clyde said smoothly. "Villagers are weak, they grow attached to things that they perceive as innocent...take their children."
"And do what with the awful things?" The Queen laughed. "I don't want any more children running around here than necessary; the laughter of your two alone nearly drives me insane."
"Than kill them." Fiona said offhandedly.
"Kill them?" The King asked. Blaine and Rachel stared at one another again, skin cold.
"That's right. Take their children, and feed them to the dragons. That disposes of the bodies, sends a message to the peasants, and appeases the beasts. Its win, win, win, the only people who lose in this situation don't matter." Fiona shrugged.
The King thought about this.
"That's a great idea. But where to start, which civilization should be the first to lose?"
"Hmm..." Clyde sat up straighter. "Do you remember what a ruckus it caused when the people found out that you had killed your own daughter earlier this year?"
"Of course I remember..." The King said darkly.
"Right!" Fiona yelled, picking up on the idea immediately. "They were shocked that you would kill somebody so close to you. Now, you hate our children, but the people don't know that!" She said excitedly.
"Are you suggesting we feed your children to the dragons just to send a message to the people?" The Queen asked.
"That is exactly what we're suggesting." Clyde smiled, clearly proud oh himself for thinking up the idea.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you two." The Queen smiled.
"Perfect, the plan is in place. Your children will be murdered at sunup tomorrow!"
"I can't believe this..." Quinn whispered, resting her chin in her hands and looking up at the siblings with pity in her eyes.
"How did you escape?"
"We wouldn't have...if it weren't for our Nurse." Rachel said.
"After the meeting, Rachel and I snuck out and ran back to the nursery."
"There you are! I was worried sick!" The Nurse snapped when they ran in. She took one look at their panic stricken faces and changed personas completely. "What's the matter? What happened? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"Nurse, they're going to kill us!" Rachel cried, grabbing at the old woman's robes. Blaine turned and sat in the corner and brought his legs into his chest to hide his crying face.
"Who? Riker? Ree?"
"The King..." Blaine whispered.
They all looked up as the door burst open.
"Guards, take them." Fiona said. Soldiers stepped into the room and fanned out.
One approached Blaine and grabbed him, throwing him over his shoulder. The little boy cried out, flailing and trying to break free, but he was no match for the grown man holding him.
"Rachel!" He yelled as the soldier took him from the room.
"Blaine!" She yelled, running for her brother.
The Nurse caught Rachel and pushed her behind her. She stood strong as the soldier approached them both.
"You can't do this to your own children!" The Nurse pleaded. "You're human!"
"No, I'm better." Fiona said with a bored look. "Get out of the way, old woman, or I'll kill you too." She waved a hand and knocked the Nurse to the ground with magic.
"Nurse!" Rachel shrieked as she was lifted into the air and tossed over the soldier's shoulder. The Nurse didn't rise and Rachel wailed, beating against the soldier's armour to no avail.
"This is heartbreaking..." Quinn whispered.
"It gets worse." Blaine said, not making eye-contact with anybody.
"How?" Sam asked.
"You'll see." Rachel shook her head and picked up the story.
Blaine and Rachel looked at one another through the bars that separated them. He reached his hand through and held her hand.
"I love you big sister..." He whispered.
"I love you too little brother..." She whispered back.
"Would you kids shut up? I'm trying to sleep."Their guard looked at them under his hat. The keys were held loosely in his hands as he dozed off.
Rachel and Blaine sat in their separate cells, in the dark, looking at one another with the light of the moon that shone through barred windows, illuminating the tears that ran down their faces.
They both looked up as a soft glow began to light up the room. There was light descending the spiralling staircase into the castle's prison. They both gasped as their Nurse walked into view, a bruise on her face and a lantern in hand.
She shushed them both as she approached.
"I'm going to get you out of here, okay! I promise!" She nodded determinedly.
"He has the keys!" Blaine pointed through the bars.
The Nurse looked over her shoulder at the sleeping guard and slowly tip-toed over to him. She grabbed his hand and slowly began to unfurl his fat fingers from the key-ring. He grunted once and she froze, hardly daring to breath.
Rachel and Blaine held one another's hands through the bars, staring out at the adults before them. Eventually the guard's breathing deepened again and the Nurse managed to free the keys.
"Alright." She whispered; turning and rushing to Rachel's cell. She set down her lantern and inserted the master key into the large lock. She twisted and, with a loud clunk, the door opened. All three of them froze and turned to stare at the guard.
He grunted once more, but didn't rise.
The Nurse pulled the keys from the lock and rushed over to Blaine's door, accidentally kicking over her lantern. It rolled along the ground but didn't break as the Nurse lunged towards Blaine's door, slamming the key into his lock.
Unfortunately, the metal rim rolling along the cobblestones was louder than the clunky door.
"Hey!" The guard bellowed; standing and lunging at the Nurse. She screamed and turned around as he pinned her to the ground, the key hanging in the lock.
"Please! They're just children!"
"Yeah, and it's my ass on the line if they get out!" The man snarled. "I don't give a damned about some dumb children!" He spat. "You're dead now lady."
He pulled back a fist and punched her hard.
"Stop it!" Blaine called out, shaking the bars of his cell.
The man laughed and pulled back his fist again.
That's when Rachel brought the lamp down on the back of his head.
"Oh fuck..." The man swore, grabbing his head and swaying slightly.
He collapsed off to the side and the Nurse wasted no time in shoving him off of her. Rachel flicked the key and the lock opened. Blaine pushed open his door and joined the others.
"This way." The Nurse whispered, leading them back up the stairs. Without the light of the lamp to guide them, the going was slow, but they managed to make it out of the castle without getting caught. Soon enough, they were fugitives.
"So what happened to the Nurse?" Sam asked. "She's not here now...so...old age?"
"If only..." Rachel said bitterly.
"It was one week into our new fugitive-lifestyle. We were camped out on a riverbed, just south of Violetedge."
"Now lay down and go to sleep, you're safe now." The Nurse said. "I know it's hard now, being fugitives, but one day, you'll be heroes, mark my words!"
"Heroes? We're running from our parents who want us dead." Rachel deadpanned.
"Yeah, don't you think that dream's a little far out of reach. We're just kids. Maybe a better dream would be to still be alive in two weeks." Blaine said bitterly.
It broke the Nurse's heart to see children so young, so jaded.
"Hey now, listen to me! You don't have to be big, to chase giant dreams kids...remember that, always."
"There!" A man's voice called out.
"Run!" The Nurse yelled.
Rachel and Blaine were up and running instantly, but they stopped when they realized that the Nurse wasn't with them.
"Come on!" Blaine yelled.
"Hurry!" Rachel agreed.
"They're too close now kids, I'm sorry! Run! I'll keep them busy!" The Nurse yelled. Blaine tried to protest, but Rachel, crying and torn as she was, took charge and pulled him away. "Remember! You don't have to be big, to chase giant dreams!" The Nurse yelled after them.
Rachel turned her head, just in time to see the silver tipped arrow that was mandatory for the King's soldier's whiz through the air.
Rachel was crying as she finished the story. Blaine wrapped his arms around her, but he was tearing up too. "She was dead before she hit the ground..." Rachel whispered.
"We ran until we reached Violetedge, and we took refuge in the city." Blaine explained. "But overnight, it was overrun with soldiers. We had no choice but to descend into the forest, to live off the land. Since then...it's just been the two of us."
He nodded.
Quinn blinked back tears.
"I'm so sorry..." She whispered.
"It's not your fault." Rachel said sadly.
"I'm still sorry." Quinn said.
Sam was shaking with anger. He was literally seething. Sam was a relatively easygoing person, he did what he could for people who needed him, and he tried to give everybody the benefit of the doubt. He was a nice guy, and very little got him mad.
But now he was furious.
"That's so wrong!" He yelled, slamming his fist down on the table.
"Yeah." Blaine barked a laugh. "Yeah, it is."
"Something has to change, this can't go on!" He said. There was a fire in his eyes, and his body was tense. Quinn stood with him, half out of fear that he would storm out into the woods to try and kill the soldiers himself.
"Well you go talk to the King and ask him to change, and let us know how that goes." Blaine sighed, leaning back against the wall. "He's got his system going, sacrificing lives to the dragons in exchange for their compliancy and power. The entire government system is corrupt; it would take a civil war to take him down."
"Then so be it!" Sam went on. "Somebody has to do something!"
"Who?" Rachel looked at him hopelessly. "Us?"
"We can't take on an army Sam." Quinn frowned. She was touched that he felt so strongly about this, but...it was just unrealistic.
"Well what do you think we should do?" Sam turned to her. "Keep running? Go into hiding for the rest of our lives?" He looked pointedly at Rachel and Blaine.
"What else can we do?" Blaine asked, shaking his head, clearly put off by the accusation that they'd chosen such a life for themselves.
"We can fight." Sam said, balling a fist and setting his jaw. "You're right Quinn, maybe we can't take on an army, but maybe...maybe we don't need to do it alone." He said.
"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked.
"Look at the four of us. Look at Mercedes, and Bruce! That's six people, right there! There must be more out there, somewhere, who will help us! I'm sure of it!" He looked at them all seriously. "Listen, this King destroys lives. He kills people, to show that he can. How many other people are out there who have been affected by that? Who have had friends or family members ripped away from them, just so that they don't rebel."
"And you think that that very act, will make them want to rebel?" Blaine asked doubtfully.
"I'm sure of it!"
Quinn frowned and sat back down. Rachel and Blaine looked at one another with tired eyes.
"I'm sorry." Rachel shook her head and Blaine shook his in agreement. "We're safe here."
"Nobody took us in when we were running from the King. Why should we help those people now?" Blaine asked.
"You can sleep on the moss tonight; I'll set your ankle in the morning." Rachel said, and then walked out of the cave.
"She just needs to clear her head..." Blaine explained. "You're welcome to use my bed too. I think I need a walk."
Sam sighed and sank back into his chair, turning to look at Quinn.
"You're with me, aren't you?" He asked her.
She stayed silent for a long time, thinking it over. Eventually she looked up at him.
"Yes." She said. "I would rather fight for a world I want to live in, than hide trying to live in a world this wrong."
"Right." Sam nodded. "Then we're not leaving this burrow, until those two have agreed to join us."
"That may take some convincing."
"That's okay. We've got all the time in the world."
Blaine frowned to himself as he stepped out of their burrow. He crossed his arms, wandering aimlessly around one side of their burrow towards the trees that lined the clearing.
He let out a huff as he leaned back against the tree.
The night had been long, and eventful, and had brought up some memories that might've been better kept buried.
"You alright?" He asked aloud.
"How did you know I was here?" Rachel asked from the branches of the tree above him.
"We've been living together for ten years. You're getting predictable." He smiled tightly, looking up at her. She didn't meet his gaze, and instead stared up at the moon through the branches. "Are you alright?" He repeated.
"No." She frowned. "These two show up out of nowhere and act like it's the easiest thing in the world to get up and go fight a civil war. That's not something that you just decide to do!" She frowned.
"Maybe to them, it is." Blaine shrugged.
She glared at him.
"I'm not saying I agree with them. I don't. Four people don't make an army, and even if we did go out to recruit others, the bigger our group gets, the harder it'll be to hide. I'm just saying, if that idea makes them feel like they've got something worth living for, what's the harm in letting them believe it?"
Rachel sighed.
"It doesn't mean we'll join them." Blaine clarified. "I'd miss the animals around here too much." He laughed.
Rachel sighed again.
"We'll take care of them until his ankle is better, then they're leaving." She said sternly.
"Fine." Blaine nodded looking up at her.
She frowned again and looked down at him.
"What?" She asked.
"I love you big sister." He grinned.
"I love you too little brother." She rolled her eyes.
An Army Is Born
Rachel looked curiously at Sam as she wrapped his ankle in an old shirt that had long ago fallen apart. He confused her; he cared so much about the injustices that had been done to her and her brother, but he barely knew them.
"Thank you." Sam said, attempting to move his foot a little bit. He hadn't sprained it as badly as he'd initially thought, and he could move it with minimal pain already, but it was in no condition for travel just yet.
The night had passed uneventfully. Sam and Quinn had accepted the siblings' proposition, and had taken the beds of surprisingly comfortable moss. When they awoke the next morning, Blaine and Rachel were both milling about their kitchen, filling wooden bowls with fruit and dried meat.
They lived rather comfortably for homeless fugitives, Quinn thought, but she supposed that they'd had ten years to learn. That was an entire decade to grow as a household. They'd definitely worked out a system, a system that suited the two of them, and only them. This was a fact that she kept dwelling on as she guiltily ate their food.
Though Rachel assured her that, since they lived in the thick of the forest, they could go out and get more whenever they wanted, she still felt bad.
After breakfast, Blaine had suited up and said that he was going to go out and check the forest for Imperial soldiers. Quinn had hastily jumped up and offered to accompany him. When he asked why, she said that there was safety in numbers.
He'd saved their lives twice, almost before he knew their names. It seemed to her that they were pushing their luck. They continued to run into people ready and willing to risk their lives for them, and Quinn was determined not to let another one slip through her fingers, not after Brittney and Bruce and Mercedes were left in the dust. Besides...there was something about him that she liked...
Clearly intrigued by the prospect of a hunting partner, and admittedly intrigued by the idea of a girl who wasn't his sister, he'd tossed her a spare bow and a quiver of arrows and told her to follow him.
The cave was quiet in their absence, and it occurred to Sam that Rachel, despite living with her brother, was probably used to having alone time; time that he was currently imposing on.
"It's so quiet." Sam said. "Do you get left alone like this often?" He asked.
"Well it's better if one of us stays here to watch the burrow in case somebody or something stumbles in."
"Is it always you?"
"No, we take turns. I think he just doesn't know how to take the invasion of his space. It's not like he's claustrophobic, I mean, we live in a cave, he's just...confused, I guess."
"He brought us here!" Sam protested.
"Oh no! He's not regretting that! He's just...adjusting, I guess." She said. Sam nodded.
"I see."
Blaine watched Quinn curiously, barely hiding a smile behind his hand as she pulled the arrow back in her bow. It came undone and she let go of the string. The arrow hit a tree sideways and clattered to the ground.
He stifled a giggle and she turned to glare at him, though she was smiling too. She was a proud girl, but she was able to laugh at her own misfortune.
"Shut up." She laughed.
"No! That was good!" He laughed.
"Yeah, okay." She rolled her eyes.
"Have you ever used a weapon before?" He asked.
"I was trained in the art of stick fighting." She said seriously. He burst out laughing and she broke out into a grin. "I actually wasn't even good at that..."
"Well, you know, being a swordsman isn't for everybody." He said, quoting his Nurse.
"So I've heard, some people actually rely on long ranged weaponry." She laughed. "But I can't seem to get the hang of that either."
"Well you can't expect to know it right off the bat. Do you know how many times I tried to shoot a partridge and ended up shooting Rachel? Far too many." He laughed and Quinn burst out laughing with him.
"You shot your sister?"
"Only like twice! Three times...four...six..." He paused. "Okay, like, eight, but no more!"
"How did that happen?" She asked.
"The same way you just shot the tree, the arrow came undone and when I tried to shoot it, it...well, it shot low. On the plus side, she learned how to do first aid! She also learned not to walk in front of me." He nodded.
Quinn paused and turned back to him. She took a step back.
"After you!" She said.
"I'm better now!" He laughed, but stepped past her and began leading the way through the forest.
Quinn looked around as they walked. Maybe it had been the fact that she was running for her life the night before, but in daylight, the Violetedge Forest was kind of beautiful. The trees were all lush and green, and the vegetation was shiny and ripe.
Blaine reached up and plucked two apples off of a tree. He tossed one to Quinn and smiled, biting into his. He opened his satchel and began sifting through the fruit, dropping good ones into his bag, and leaving ones that had yet to come to fruition on the tree.
Quinn thanked him and bit into hers, looking around. The animals of the forest moved gracefully around them, not afraid in the least. A deer approached her and sniffed at the apple in her hand. She vaguely recognized it from the night before.
"Flower!" Blaine laughed as the deer sniffed the Cupid's Rose in her hair. It reached out to nibble on it and she gasped pulling back. Blaine approached and patted the deer on the neck. He put his forehead to the deer's forehead and looked it in the eyes. "Bad deer!" He laughed.
He opened his pack and handed Quinn another apple.
"Feed her, she loves them." He smiled.
"Okay!" Quinn grinned and approached the seemingly fearless deer. She held out the apple and Flower sniffed it and then grabbed it, biting half of it and dropping the rest to the forest floor. She bent down to retrieve it and Quinn began petting her neck. "Why isn't she afraid of me?"
"She trusts you. Animals are very good at judging a person's character. I don't think there's an animal in this forest that isn't familiar with Rachel and I, on this side of the river at least." He smiled and ruffled the tuft of fur on Flower's head.
"What's on the other side?" Quinn asked.
"That's where Rachel hunts." He said. "I would but...I don't have the constitution. I know we need to do it to survive, but it's too hard for me to kill an animal. I mean, I fish and hunt partridges and stuff, but it's different with animals like Flower." He said.
"I understand." She said. "Partridges are overpopulated anyways."
"Exactly, and there's never an absence of fish!" Blaine latched onto her justification. "Like, I don't hunt falcons, or eagles, or owls or anything like that. And I would never hunt a magical creature no matter how hungry I was! But...I do what I have to, to survive."
Flower perked up suddenly and tilted her head. She turned and leapt away and Blaine turned, a serious look in his eyes. He crouched down, pulling Quinn down next to him.
They both watched as a soldier approached a nearby tree and reached up to grab an apple. Pulling on the apple disturbed a hornet's nest, and a lone bug flew out, almost as a warning. The soldier swatted it away and removed his helmet, biting into the apple.
"Wanna have some fun?" Blaine whispered in Quinn's ear. She looked at him in confusion. "See the hornet's nest?" He asked.
"Yeah..." She said, looking at it.
"Shoot it." He grinned, placing his hands on her shoulder.
"What?" She gasped and then turned to look at it. "Oh my God, you do it!"
"No, it's good practice! How're you going to take down the king if you can't shoot a bow?" He asked her teasingly.
"Does that mean you'll help us?" She asked.
"No, that means I'll teach you. Now raise your bow and notch your arrow like this." He demonstrated, moving her arms into the right position. "Good! Now aim a little above where you're shooting to account for the arc. These trees block out most wind, so you won't have to worry about that."
Quinn pointed her arrow at the branch just above the nest, squinting one eye closed and parting her lips slightly as she focused.
"Good!" Blaine whispered excitedly. "Now let go!"
She did.
The arrow soared through the air and hit the hornet's nest dead on. Not only did it hit, but it dislodged it. Blaine and Quinn watched as it fell onto the soldier's head and erupted into activity.
The soldier screamed and threw his apple through the air, grabbing the nest and throwing it off of his head. The hornets were not impressed and culminated upon him. He took off into the forest, screaming bloody murder.
Blaine and Quinn both burst out into hysterical laughter as Flower approached again and began to nibble on the man's abandoned apple.
"Good shot Quinn Fabray!" Blaine gasped out. "I think we've found your talent!"
She smiled at him.
He smiled back.
And two hearts skipped a beat.
Rachel's wrapping job on his ankle was remarkable. She'd used an old shirt, so it was colored strangely, but it looked as official as the job he'd had done when he'd sprained it in Ostvale as a child.
It wasn't long after that that Quinn and Blaine came home with a satchel full of fruit, laughing about some ambush on a soldier. They recounted the tale and all four of them had burst into fresh hysterics.
As he told the story, Blaine couldn't help but enjoy the environment that Quinn and Sam had brought to their home. He and Rachel had a fantastic relationship, and they laughed often, but...with Quinn and Sam, he almost felt like their family had been completed. His eyes lingered on Quinn...she was special...
He knew, of course, that he shouldn't think that way, because they'd be leaving shortly enough anyways, but...he didn't see anything wrong with enjoying it while it lasted. Eventually, yes, he'd go back to his life with Rachel and Flower and the other forest creatures, but for now, some human contact would do them both some good. Some friendship...some love...
The day was spent amicably. Quinn taught Rachel how to make the simplest of breads, Blaine showed Quinn some tips on archery, and Sam and Rachel sparred to see who was a better fighter. Rachel won, but Sam put up a surprising fight for somebody who'd just learned how to wield a stick, bad ankle and all!
That night, they all went to bed happy, and Rachel and Blaine found themselves enjoying the whole, company thing. Soon enough, however, after another day had passed, they both began to grow distrustful of their houseguests.
All they knew of the world was hateful. Nobody had helped them when they needed it most, and they lived a life of fear and hopelessness. It didn't make sense to either of them that somebody would want to associate with them. Sam's ankle was healing at a remarkable speed, and he was already moving up and around. Rachel knew that he was good enough to leave, they all did, and so, on the third night, their new relationship came to a boiling point.
Blaine plucked an apple from a branch above his head and took a bite. He glanced curiously over his shoulder at Quinn who was stubbornly following him through the forest. He paused so she could catch up.
"Why are you still following me?" He asked her. She scowled and tried to pluck leaves and twigs out of her hair. She pulled out a large spider and screamed flailing her hand around manically. "Hold still!" Blaine swallowed the apple, grabbed her arm and flicked the arachnid off.
"Thank you." She huffed. "I'm following you because I don't want you to be alone." She said simply.
"I've been alone for seventeen years." He laughed.
"-Eighteen years." Rachel rolled her eyes, glancing over her shoulder at Sam. "I'm used to it."
"But you don't have to be anymore!" Sam protested, sitting down in a rickety wooden chair that one of the siblings must have built.
"Who says we don't want to be?" She retorted, dropping the stick that she'd been whittling and turning to face him.
"You live in a hole in the ground. How can you be happy like this?" He asked.
"Rachel and I are fine with our way of life. I know you want me to join your little resistance, but my parents were bad enough the first time around. I'm not really in the mood for a family reunion." He laughed before glancing up at the moonlit sky.
"Than why don't you prove to them that you're stronger than they thought?" Quinn grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around.
He paused and swallowed deeply.
"Because...what if..."
"What if I'm not stronger?" Rachel asked, with tears in her eyes. She stood up and began to march towards the opening of their cave.
"You are. I know you are!" Sam jumped to his feet and ran after her.
She paused just outside the entrance to their home and looked up at the sky.
"How would you know that? We just met three days ago!" She said.
"I stuck around didn't I? I told you, I'm not leaving until you agree to come with us?"
"And if I never agree?"
"Than you'd better get used to not being alone." Quinn smiled at him, gently touching his arm.
He looked at her, eyes glinting in the starry light.
"You really care don't you?"
"Of course I do."
"Quinn...the world out there...I haven't been in it in years." Blaine sighed and blinked back tears. "What if...I don't know...What if-"
"-it kills us? We're happy here; we don't know how to live out there. That world changes people Sam... Our parents...they were good people once upon a time."
"Rachel..." Sam grabbed her hand and looked her in the eyes.
"Blaine!" Quinn grabbed him and spun him around. "If you don't think this world has what it takes to make you happy-"
"-Then I promise you, I'll change the world because I'm not going to let it change you."
"But why?" Rachel asked him. Sam smiled at her.
"Because you deserve it."
"How can you believe that, when my own parents didn't?" She asked, looking at him. A tear leaked down her face.
"Maybe they didn't know where to look."
"Or maybe they weren't looking hard enough." Quinn smiled and wiped a tear from his face. Blaine smiled at her and looked back up at the sky as a bright light caught his gaze.
"Hey...isn't that-?"
"-Halley's Comet?" Rachel asked.
"I knew tonight was special." Sam smiled at her. She smiled back. "So what do you say?"
"You know how hard this is, right...?" She paused and then looked back up into the sky. "They ruined my life. How am I supposed to willingly find them again?"
"They didn't ruin your life." Sam said.
"They ruined theirs. Your life is your own, they can't touch that. Use your anger, Blaine, fight back." Quinn stared at him, inspired.
-Musical Cue-
-Shinedown: Second Chance-
He paused and looked at the apple in his hands.
"I'm not angry." He said. "Not anymore. I would've been miserable living there anyways. I guess you could say they gave me a second chance."
He dropped the apple and locked his gaze with Quinn's.
"My eyes are open wide..." He sang softly. "By the way, I made it through the day."
She smiled, took his hand and nodded encouragingly for him to continue.
"I watched the world outside..." He glanced around at the forest around them. "By the way, I'm leaving out today..." He trailed off.
"I just saw Halley's comet!" Rachel belted. "She waved, said 'why you always running in place?'"
Sam grinned as she grabbed his hands and pulled him away from their cave. Rachel laughed, letting the moon shine upon her flawless skin.
"Even the man in the moon disappeared, somewhere in the stratosphere!" She sang as they broke through the tree line on the edge of a silvery glistening river.
"Tell me mother; tell my father, I've done the best I can!" Blaine leapt onto a tree, planting his feet on a knot in the wood and hanging from the trunk by one hand. "To make them realize, this is my life! I hope they understand!"
He spun around the tree and hopped off, grabbing both of Quinn's hands and running backwards through the woods.
"I'm not angry! I'm just sayin', sometimes goodbye is a second chance!" He grinned and tumbled backwards onto a large grassy hill. Quinn flipped over his head and soon both of them were rolling down the moonlit hill.
"Please don't cry one tear for me! I'm not afraid, of what I have to say." Rachel waded into the water, leading Sam in with her, the roar of a waterfall downstream in their ears. "This is my one and only voice, so listen close, it's only for today."
She dove backwards into the current, submerging Sam with her, laughing.
Blaine and Quinn rolled to a stop at the bottom of the hill and stared up into the sky, feeling the grass brush against the backs of their necks.
"I just saw Halley's comet, she waved," Blaine sang. "Said 'why you always running in place?'"
Quinn turned her head to watch him as he sang; he looked at her and smiled.
"Even the man in the Moon disappeared, somewhere in the stratosphere!" He grinned before jumping to his feet, grabbing her hand, and taking off again.
Rachel burst out of the river just ahead of where the water plummeted over the edge and climbed atop a large boulder, kneeling down as Sam stood in the river, leaning against the rock below her.
"Tell my mother, tell my father, I've done the best I can!" She sang. He nodded. "To make them realize, this is my life! I hope they understand!"
She stood up slowly, looking up towards the moon.
"I'm not angry, I'm just saying... sometimes goodbye is a second chance!" She wailed, raising her arms and squinting her eyes closed as she belted.
Blaine leapt at another tree and hastily began to scale it, Quinn clambering up behind him.
"Here's my chance!" He sang as he reached the top and looked out at the landscape. He caught sight of the castle's high pillars far off in the distance. He opened his mouth just as far across the forest, Rachel joined him.
"This is my chance!" As they held the note, they both opened their arms and allowed themselves to fall backwards.
Blaine grabbed a large tree branch, swung around it and dropped to his feet on the ground below.
Rachel felt the air rush past her as she freefell from the waterfall. She crashed into the water and rose grinning to find Sam had jumped in after her.
"Tell my mother, tell my father!" They both sang as they turned and walked back towards their homes with Quinn and Sam in tow. "I've done the best I can!"
Rachel stepped onto the riverbed, striding purposefully forwards.
"To make them realize, this is my life! I hope they understand!"
Blaine ducked under a tree branch and marched determinedly.
"I'm not angry, I'm just saying..." They both broke from the tree line into the small clearing where their home rested. They looked at one another, locking eyes. "Sometimes goodbye is a second chance."
"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance..." They crossed to one another, tears in their eyes. They collided in a strong hug and immediately began to decrescendo. "Sometimes goodbye is a second chance..." They whispered.
"I'm going with them." Blaine said, pulling back.
"Me too." Rachel laughed.
Quinn approached Sam and he smiled at her.
"Good going Quinn Fabray, did you seduce him with your feminine wiles?" He teased.
"No..." She smiled softly. "No, I just...I told him the truth."
"The truth is powerful that way." He said. They watched as Rachel and Blaine hugged once more and moved into their burrow. They followed them inside, and watched as they began to fill their bags with what little belongings they had.
"This furniture is going to make some bear family, very happy." Blaine said.
"What about those three bears that used to live nearby?" Rachel suggested. "The Papa, Mama and Baby, remember? We should offer it to them; they're smart enough to learn how to use it. We can have Flower go and tip them off!"
"Definitely! I'll go call her!" He fastened his bag and jogged out of the cave and into the darkness of the woods.
He walked for a few minutes until he reached the river's edge where he found his friend drinking happily from the spring.
"Hey!" He said, kneeling down next to her. He sat in silence for quite some time, just looking at her. Flower had been his only friend for so long; he was going to miss her. "I'm going to be leaving for a while..." He said.
Flower turned to look at him, understanding in her eyes. He knew animals were smarter than most people gave them credit for.
"I'll come back someday, I promise." He smiled at her. "Can you tell the three bears that our cave is up for rent? Furniture included!" He laughed. Flower nodded gracefully and he smiled at her, stroking her nose. "I'm gonna miss you."
She nuzzled him and then turned and walked away into the forest. He looked after her for a moment before she reappeared, a flower in her mouth. She dropped it in his lap and he picked it up.
"Cupid's Rose?" He laughed. "Where did you find this?" He asked.
She tilted her head in the direction of the forest.
"Well duh..." He paused. "I love you too." He nuzzled the tuft of hair on top of her head one last time and then stood. "I'll see you again someday, I promise...And remember...you don't have to be big, to chase giant dreams. I don't know what you wish for, because you're a deer and I'm not, but fight for it. Alright? Remember that..." He nodded firmly.
She nodded.
"Good. I'll remember too. And I'll keep this flower with me at all times, so I don't forget you! I wish you had something to remember me by..." he paused. "I know!" He reached up and undid the clasp of his hat. He set it atop Flower's head and pulled the strap under her chin, she nuzzled him happily and he hugged her one last time. "See ya later Flower." He kissed her face, and walked away.
"Where did he go?" Quinn asked, standing outside of the cave and peering into the darkness.
"He's just saying goodbye." Rachel smiled, leaning against it. Almost on cue, Blaine walked into the clearing.
"Sorry, you know Flower, she never shuts up." He laughed. Rachel rolled her eyes but smiled at her brother. "So what's the plan?"
"We're heading back to Violetedge, to recruit some of the others, namely my employer; Bruce, and a merchant girl who lives there named Mercedes." Sam said.
"Alright, sounds good." He turned and walked off into the forest. Sam and Quinn followed closely behind. Rachel took one last look at her home before she walked off after them.
A Loaded Gun In Hope's Graveyard
"It should be nearby!" Sam called back excitedly as he ducked around another tree. Quinn followed closely behind him, peering out, looking for a glimpse of one of the buildings. Rachel, who was at the back, noticed her brother starting to slow down, and she knew why.
"You can smell it, can't you?" She said. He turned to face her, eyes grave.
"The smoke? Yeah, for a while now...what do we do? They're so excited..."
"I don't know." She said honestly. "I don't think there's anything we can do...they'll find out eventually..."
"You don't think it could just be a campfire?" Blaine asked hopefully, but even he didn't have any faith in that.
"Nope." Rachel said flatly. "A campfire wouldn't give off this much smoke... Violetedge has been-"
"-torched to the ground..." Quinn whispered, staring out at the ruins of the village.
Sam's jaw dropped as he took in the awful scene. There was still smoke rising from the blackened bones of houses and businesses that had once sheltered people. Now there wasn't a soul in sight, Imperial or otherwise.
"What happened? We were only gone for three days..." Sam whispered.
"I have a few guesses." Rachel said bitterly, stepping out of the woods, Blaine at her side. They looked around at the wreckage with an unsurprised look.
"You knew?" He asked.
"We guessed..." Blaine said guiltily. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." Quinn said, not taking her eyes off the ashes.
"I'm still sorry." He frowned.
The entire village had been leveled. From where they were standing, they could see for miles in all directions, the only things that stood in their way were amethyst crystals and the occasional sturdy support beam that had stayed strong, even as the building around it crumpled to the ground.
Blaine walked slowly to the remains of the bar and reached out, feeling the wreckage. He closed his eyes and withdrew his hand, running it through his hair.
"The wood is still warm, the fire died out less than twenty-four hours ago. They had to have set it and left." He said.
"But that means people got out, right?" Quinn asked.
"Right. An untreated fire is dangerous; the soldiers wouldn't stay to make sure people died, if only to save themselves!" Rachel agreed, comforting the light haired girl.
To herself, she added that the soldiers were trained murderers, and had the weapons to do it. If they'd wanted people dead, they'd probably been killed long before the blaze was set.
Sam walked, as if in a trance, to a large crystal that was erected nearby. He reached out a hand to touch it, wiping ash from its surface and looking to its core. It was dark, and cold to the touch. There was no light...no hope, in this crystal.
If the legend of the amethyst was true...they were looking at more than just charred wood. They were looking at a graveyard. This sight had bore witness to the death of hope.
"We should look around." Sam said, turning around. "There might be survivors in the wreckage, and we might be able to salvage some supplies."
"You're right. Anything wooden or cloth would've burned up, but there might be metal or glass still intact." Rachel nodded. "Let's split up." She turned to head into the thick of town when Quinn stopped her.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? Splitting up, I mean? What if the soldiers come back?"
"They won't, there's nothing here for them now." Blaine said, adjusting his bag. "They came for you two, and as far as they know, you're gone."
Quinn still looked uneasy.
"Let's at least go in pairs." Quinn said.
"Alright, come on, you can teach me more about bread!" Rachel smiled and grabbed Quinn's hand, pulling her away. Sam and Blaine looked at one another and shrugged turning and walking off in the other direction.
"Umm...then there's also just whole wheat, which is always the best for you, and it's surprisingly easy to find in the wild." Quinn said, nodding.
"Really?" Rachel asked as she knelt down and lifted up part of a burned down roof. She looked beneath it and sifted through some ash, only to find the charred remains of a cookbook cover.
She sighed and tossed it back.
"Yeah! The ingredients to make bread are actually pretty easy to find in the wild, it's just the time and the process that are hard. It's probably easier to live off of fruit and dried meat, but you definitely could've had bread back in your cave set up!"
"Perfect! We literally just left!" Rachel laughed.
"Oh yeah..." Quinn cringed. "Sorry."
"That's okay!" Rachel laughed. "I was just kidding."
Quinn paused suddenly and turned to look curiously at a nearby structure. She looked around at the way the street was mapped out, and realized that there was something distinctly familiar about the layout.
"Do you hear that?" She asked suddenly. Rachel turned, eyebrows raised in curiosity. She pursed her lips and listened. She hadn't heard it amongst the noises she'd been making sifting through the wood, but as she listened now, she could definitely make it out.
Quinn turned and began to run towards the structure.
She knew why the street looked so familiar, and she knew exactly where she was upon it. This was the first street they'd happened upon four days ago, and that building, from which a strangled, gasping cough was escaping, was the inn.
She reached the rubbish and the noise increased in volume. She began to shovel things out of the way, staining her hands black as she did.
"Quinn! Calm down!" Rachel said worriedly, jogging up behind her.
"There's somebody in here!" Quinn said.
Rachel pursed her lips worriedly and nodded, getting to work next to her.
Quinn paused and listened for the cough again and moved to the side, ankle deep in soot. She bent down and grabbed at a warm, but intact heavy structure. She realized with some surprise, that it was the washtub.
"Help me with this!" She said. Rachel approached her and grabbed the edge. "On three. One, two, three!"
They flipped the tub. Quinn looked down and gasped.
"Sam!" She screamed.
"Ahah!" Sam yelled, pulling some cutlery from a caved in china cabinet that was now buried in the remains of a staircase. "There are five spoons, a butcher's knife and a kitchen knife." He said.
"Sweet!" Blaine grinned, holding up a metal wash-board. "I found...this thing, whatever it is."
"Ah yes! You use it to clean your clothes!" Sam grinned. "Put it in your bag, we won't have to live caked in dirt!"
"I've pretty much lived that way for ten years now." Blaine laughed. "Seriously though, you know what works really well when you want to scrape dirt off of your clothing? Pinecones!"
"Really?" Sam asked.
"Yep!" Blaine nodded. "You lay your clothing against a rock in the river and scrub at the dirt with a pinecone, and it comes right off. You can use pine-needles too, and they work better and hurt the cloth less, but they tend to fall apart."
"Interesting." Sam nodded. "I never thought of that."
Blaine tapped his head. "Sometimes it pays to be a 'savage'." He said.
"Oh yeah, how did you get that name?" Sam asked. "Like, when did the village people start avoiding you like the plague?" He asked.
Blaine widened his eyes and sat down, raising his hands for emphasis. "Okay! It's all because of this stupid girl in a red cape that just showed up one day!" He said. "It was getting late, so I walked up to her and told her that she should be careful, because the wolves liked to come out at night. She said that she'd handled a wolf before, and told me this bullshit story about being eaten with her grandmother and then rescued by a wood cutter."
"What?" Sam asked incredulously.
"I know!" Blaine yelled. "Anyways, I told her that wolves around here like to chew their food before they eat it, and she says 'well so do I' stomped on my foot, grabbed my basket, and raced off with it!"
"Wait, she stole your food?" Sam asked.
"Yeah!" Blaine nodded. "So, obviously I chased after her, I mean, we're not exactly in much of a position to by giving away our food."
Sam looked shiftily from side-to-side, grinning guiltily.
"Well you guys earned your keep! You helped out while you were there, I mean, I foraged more with Quinn in three days than I normally would have in two weeks."
"Yeah, I guess. Anyways, go on with your story!" Sam prompted.
"Well, I didn't want to just tackle her outright, so I just kept pace for a while, yelling for her to give it back before she wandered too far off the trail. I guess Rachel heard me yelling because she walked out of the brush right in front of the little girl, grabbed the basket and handed it back to me." He said.
"What?" Sam burst out laughing.
"Yeah! Then the girl started, like, bawling because she got scared and fell and then didn't know which way to go, so Rachel pointed her in the right direction, and then the girl stomped on her foot and ran away. So I threw a berry at the back of her head. From that day onward, the villagers have avoided our area like the plague."
"Wow." Sam laughed. "People are stup-"
"Sam!" Quinn's screech echoed across the town and he shot up, knives in hand. He took off across the town, running through houses in the direction of his best friend's screaming.
Eventually she stopped and he jumped out into the middle of the street. Blaine arrived moments later, tucking the spoons into his pack. They looked up as Rachel called out to them.
"Over here! We found someone!" She yelled.
Sam recognized the inn as he approached it, and he saw Quinn kneeling down in front of somebody. She was positioned in such a way that he couldn't see the person's face until he was almost on top of him, but when he finally did, his heart stopped.
"Bruce?" Sam whispered.
"Hey kid..."
Bruce looked like hell. His skin was pasty, and he was bleeding from a gash in his forehead. One arm hung limply at his side, soaked in blood, though it was clear that he'd tried to make a tourniquet from a towel. Despite all of this, his eyes lit up at the sight of Sam and Quinn.
"They didn't catch you..." He whispered.
Rachel and Blaine gave the three of them some space, holding hands and overlooking the emotional scene in front of them.
"No...No they didn't." Sam said, tears in his eyes. He and Quinn crouched down on either side of the large man and Sam grabbed his hand. "We got away."
"That's good...I tried to fight 'em off...Didn't go so well..." He whispered.
"What happened?" Quinn asked.
With a huge effort, the large man sat up. Sam supported his back and looked at him with concern. Bruce coughed slightly, covering his mouth. When he pulled his hand away, his palm was red.
"When the soldiers showed up, I ran here to find you. That blonde one, Coal, he followed me. When you weren't here, he got mad and attacked. Stabbed me..." Bruce glared at the ground resentfully. "He left after that, the other two showed up saying that they'd captured some black girl."
"Mercedes..." Quinn whispered; eyes wide.
"Yeah, that was her name..." Bruce grunted. "They left and I crawled down here to hide. The soldiers were everywhere; people were screaming and running out of town. Nobody knew where you were, so they torched the village to the ground trying to flush you out, I'm assuming."
"We weren't in town..." Sam explained, swallowing deeply.
"I guessed as much...where did you go?" Bruce asked. He looked over Sam's shoulder at Rachel and Blaine. "Who are they?"
"We escaped, into the woods." Sam said. "They found us, saved us. We owe them our lives." He said.
"They a couple?" Bruce asked.
"No, they're siblings." Sam laughed. "Why?"
"One for each of you then!" Bruce joked, winking teasingly, but then he doubled over coughing again. "Sam, listen to me..." Bruce turned to him, wiping blood onto his pant leg.
"Yeah?"
"You were the best apprentice I've ever had...I want you to have this." He reached for his belt and drew his sword. The sword that he'd told them was only ever to be touched by a hero.
Sam shook his head in refusal.
"No, you keep it. You're going to be fine." Sam said.
Quinn nodded, blinking back tears, but she knew...she knew that Bruce was past the point of no return. They were losing him.
Bruce chuckled and grabbed Sam's wrist, forcing the hilt of the magnificent weapon into his hand.
"I told you only a true hero could wield this sword..." Bruce said. "Take it."
Sam looked at it; the color of the blade was almost a fiery red in the smoky atmosphere. The dark blue leather hilt was cold to the touch. He rubbed his fingers along the yellow cord, and the five purple crystals.
Sam paused.
"These crystals..."
"Are from Violetedge, yes." Bruce said. "Find hope and those will shine for you. I know you'll be great someday."
Suddenly the note in Sam's pocket felt ridiculously heavy.
Bruce fell silent for a moment, looking at his apprentice.
"You really do look like your father..." Bruce's eyes began to water and he doubled over in another coughing fit. He looked up at Sam once more. "The answers you're looking for are at Spirit's Spring...look after your friends, kid, they're all you've got now. And remember, no matter how great you get, you'll always be the Blacksmith's Apprentice."
Bruce closed his eyes one last time...and never opened them again.
Quinn burst into tears and ran off into the town.
"I'll get her." Rachel said, running off after the other girl.
Blaine watched silently as Sam slowly rose to his feet and walked out of the burned and broken inn. He passed by silently, hands in his pockets, and walked out.
Rachel sat down gently behind Quinn, who was crouched on the ground, sobbing into her hands.
"That was your first dead body, wasn't it?" Rachel asked.
"The first I cared about." Quinn said. "Your brother killed a soldier right in front of me...but...I was so scared, that I guess it didn't register."
"It'll be okay." Rachel said. "When my Nurse died, I felt so alone, but you're not."
Quinn sniffled and nodded, looking up at her.
"You've got us, right?" Rachel smiled. "That man wouldn't want you to dwell on this." She said.
Quinn was silent for a moment.
"You're right." She eventually decided. "He'd probably yell at me." She laughed, Rachel laughed with her.
They both looked up as a loud clang echoed through the town. Rachel and Quinn locked eyes.
"We're not alone here..." Rachel whispered.
She cursed herself for not paying more attention.
"Come on, let's get lost."
Blaine found Sam again leaning against a large crystal on the outskirts of town, tearfully reading a crumpled up piece of paper.
Silently, he sat down next to him.
"What's that?" He asked.
Sam didn't say anything, and Blaine didn't press the issue. He knew that Sam had experienced loss, and he wasn't stupid enough to force him into talking about it. But Blaine knew, more than anybody that sometimes it was just as good to have somebody there who would listen, even if you weren't saying anything...
They sat in silence for a long time, Sam's eyes tracing the scrawling letters on the paper. Eventually, he spoke.
"I never knew my parents." He said.
Blaine sat up and turned to face him.
"Okay."
"I was raised by a woman who found me at her front door one day. With this." He waved the paper in the air and then returned it to his pocket, leaning his head against the crystal. "It says I'll be great someday."
"I don't doubt that." Blaine said.
Sam rolled his eyes.
"I never knew why they gave me up. I still don't...Before I left Ostvale, I'd never had any connection to them. Then I found out that Bruce knew my father. Now he's dead, and I'm connectionless again. I'm so confused."
"I wonder...I wonder if it's better than being disappointed." Blaine offered.
Sam shook his head.
"No, at least then I'd know the truth. If my father were some raging mass-murdering lunatic, then I'd learn to accept that."
"You'd be surprised." Blaine laughed.
"Oh yeah...no offense." Sam said awkwardly. Blaine shook his head and waved it off. "It's the uncertainty that I hate." Sam continued.
"I'm sure we'll figure it out someday." Blaine said, smiling encouragingly. "I think we've all got a lot of soul searching to do on this journey."
Sam sighed.
"Come on." Blaine hopped to his feet. "We should go."
"What's the point?" Sam asked, looking up at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want you getting hurt for me, just like Bruce...or Mercedes...It's safer if you just stay here, you were right, this is a dumb idea." Sam shook his head, stood up and walked past him. Blaine turned and watched as he walked away.
"Hey!" Blaine yelled.
Sam paused and turned.
"You're wrong." Blaine said, face stern.
"Huh?"
"You're wrong." Blaine said, approaching him. "This is not a dumb idea. We`ve all got something to fight for Sam, and we`re not just fighting for you. You were just the trigger to a loaded gun, whose eruption was way overdue."
Sam swallowed sadly.
"But-"
"No, I know it's confusing. I get that. Believe me, I've spent many nights in those woods being confused, and I know it seems hopeless. We're just four kids, how can we change the world?"
He fell silent for a moment until Sam caught his eye.
-Musical Cue-
-Rob Thomas: Someday-
"But you don't have to be big, to chase giant dreams Sam." Blaine said firmly. "And someday...we'll figure all this out...I know it."
"I just want to go home..." Sam whispered, turning away.
Blaine frowned and looked away. He took a deep breath, looked back at Sam, and started to sing.
"You can go." He sang. "You can start all over again, you can try to find a way to make another day go by."
Sam turned to face him, confused.
"You can hide." Blaine smiled at him, shrugging. "Hold all your feelings inside. You can try to carry on when all you wanna do is cry..."
Slowly, Blaine began to walk towards the taller boy.
"And maybe, someday, we'll figure all this out!" He gestured around to the wreckage around them. "Try to put an end to all our doubt, try to find a way to make things better now and maybe, someday," He extended his arms, gesturing to the world around them. "We'll live our lives out loud, we'll be better off somehow. Someday."
Blaine nodded and Sam opened his mouth to speak.
Blaine shook his head and cut him off.
"Now wait." He sang, raising a hand. "And try to find another mistake. If you throw it all away, then maybe you can change your mind."
He grabbed Sam's hand and began to lead him back to the village limits.
"You can run!" Blaine sang, speeding up. "And when everything is over and done, you can shine a little light on everything around you. Man it's good to be someone."
They reached the crystal and Blaine gestured off, away from the village.
"And maybe someday we'll figure all this out, try to put an end to all our doubt, try to find a way to make things better now." He let go of Sam's hand and took a step back. "And maybe, someday, we'll live our lives out loud, we'll be better off somehow...someday."
Sam turned to face him and Blaine stared at him expectantly.
"And I don't want to wait! I just want to know! I just wanna hear you tell me so." Blaine sang. "Give it to me straight, tell it to me slow."
Sam turned to look out at the meadows and the crystals, the sunlight and the birds flying high in the sky, the forest edges peppered with brightly colored flowers. He opened his mouth to sing.
"Cause maybe someday...we'll figure all this out." Sam nodded, smiling and blinking back tears. "We'll put an end to all our doubt...try to find a way to just feel better now and, maybe someday, we'll live our lives out loud, we'll be better off somehow...someday..."
Blaine approached him again, looking out at the beauty of nature with him.
"Well sometimes, we don't, really notice...just how good it can get." They sang together. "So maybe we should, start all over, start all over again."
Blaine glanced over his shoulder and smiled, nudging Sam. They turned to face the street where Rachel and Quinn were slowly walking towards them, smiling.
"Cause sometimes we don't really notice, just how good it can get." The four of them sang. "So maybe we should, start all over, start all over again."
Sam nodded, and pulled Blaine in for a hug, gesturing for Rachel and Quinn to join in as they approached. As he held his new friends, he felt that Blaine was right. Maybe they would figure it out someday, and until then, maybe he should just feel grateful for how lucky he'd been, to meet such wonderful people, in such a bitter world.
"We should get going." Blaine said, laughing as they split apart.
"Where?" Quinn asked.
"I have an idea." Sam said, smiling.
"Good, because I'm pretty sure there's somebody else creeping around through the village...the faster we leave the better." Rachel said, looking back towards the wreckage.
"I thought you said the soldiers had nothing left here." Quinn said, almost accusingly.
"Bruce was here though, they would've expected you two to come back and look for him. Come on, let's get going." Blaine turned and marched off out of town, with Sam at his side.
Rachel nodded and hurried after them, but Quinn stared back into the smoke for a moment too long.
She didn't know it, but that moment she'd wasted standing at the entrance to the ruined village had been just long enough for her to be caught. As she turned away, a figure rushed back into the smoke to alert their team.
So there you go! Blaine and Rachel are the parents of the King's main underlings! They lost their Nurse when they were young, and have been living alone ever since! Mercedes was rescued, but by who? Bruce is dead, but Sam is determined to avenge everybody wronged by the King. With only Quinn, Blaine and Rachel at his side, he has to seek out more soldiers, but it seems that he has a plan!
Next Chapter introduces my all time favorite character from Glee ever! And maybe even a return visit to a place better left alone...
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