Remember

Episode Three: Points of View

Chapter Two

"It's a shame it's so foggy this morning," Timpani sighed as she opened the front door of the cottage. "Although I suppose you won't have to worry about being spotted...You could go home now if you'd like, Blumiere; it'd be safer for you." There was reluctance in her voice; it was obvious she didn't really want him to go.

The dark prince stepped onto the prairie grass, still wet from the dew and the previous night's rain. "Don't even mention that, Timpani, or I might start to consider it." He laughed, though there was truth in his words. He'd had enough trouble making the decision to stay another day; he didn't want to start second guessing himself.

A smile brightened Timpani's face. "I won't say another word. I'm so glad you're staying, Blumiere." She tiptoed through the saturated blades of grass, scowling as the water soaked through her shoes and lapped at the hem of her white sundress.

"It must have rained a lot last night," Blumiere observed, chuckling sympathetically. "We're going to be soaked through by the time we get done with our walk. Not that I mind," he added, "But it would be a shame if that beautiful dress you're wearing got dirty."

Timpani glanced down at herself, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. She understood what Blumiere was hinting at: white clothes didn't mix well with a wet atmosphere. "You know what," she sighed, "let's wait until the sun has dried up the rain and cleared the fog away. Then we'll take our walk."

Once back inside, Timpani sat down on a small tan couch and patted the seat next to her, inviting Blumiere to take that place. He accepted, taking a moment to brush himself off before leaning back on the soft piece of furniture.

"It shouldn't take long for the sun to dry the grass," Timpani said. "But until then, perhaps we should get to know each other. You're a prince, right? What is that like?"

Blinking, Blumiere took a deep breath. He'd never thought about that before. What was it like? He was a prince… yes. But he didn't feel like a prince at all. "It… it isn't… Well, it's not as fun as you'd think it might be."

"Well, I never said I thought it would be fun. Then again, I really didn't think much of it at all, before I met you. You royals never come to visit us like you used to."

"Do you remember that?" Blumiere moved to the edge of his seat. "Have you ever met other members of my Tribe?"

Timpani shook her head. "Oh no, but I've heard stories of a time when your Tribe came to visit every once in awhile. Everyone else claims they were only spies plotting to destroy the town, but I think they were just curious. Just like you, Blumiere."

The runaway prince sighed softly. "So you wouldn't have seen my mother, then…"

It took Timpani a moment to understand what he'd said. "...Your mother came to town? When?"

"About ten years ago, she left the castle for the first time... It was usually at night when she would pay her visits to your town, so I guess you wouldn't have seen her. I...I always wanted to go with her, and she promised to take me with her one day... b-but three years later...she left and never came back…"

As Blumiere stared off into the distance, Timpani's eyes widened. She opened her mouth wide as if to say something but then decided against it, fearing the information she had would only hurt Blumiere more. Instead, she placed a hand on his back and slid closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder to comfort him. After a moment of suffocating silence, she whispered, "Why don't you tell me more about your mother, Blumiere."

Instantly he pulled away, gazing at her with glossy cerulean eyes. Rushing to explain herself, Timpani said, "Sometimes it helps to...talk about...people that you've lost… I-I mean, I won't force you to keep talking about this, but—"

"Her name was Anastaise." The glowing cerulean irises of Blumiere's eyes began to fade as he recalled his mother. "Like the rest of my Tribe, she had dark blue skin and black hair...very long, wavy hair. She was a wonderful woman, very childlike, but perhaps that's why I loved her so much." Blumiere leaned back onto the couch, allowing Timpani to put her hand on his shoulder. "Her curiosity surpassed even my own… heh… considering her curiosity is what got her killed, it seems I haven't learned much from her…"

"You can't help being curious, Blumiere. Things like that happen when you're forced to see only one side of the world your entire life. Especially when you know there are two."

Dry laughter broke from Blumiere's lips. "Mother loved your side of the world. And so do I, now that I've seen it."

"Well…shall we go see more of it, then?" Timpani asked, hoping to lighten Blumiere's mood. "The sun should have dried up the ground a little, and hopefully, the fog has cleared. We can continue our conversation as we walk."

"Yes, Timpani. I'd like that."

"Wait here, okay?" Ronan motioned for Mimi to stay on the steps outside of his small home in the woods. "I've got teh go talk to Nanna. I'll be back soon, promise."

Mimi, who no longer wore the face and clothes of the older boy, nodded slowly as Ronan disappeared behind the oak door. Once he was gone, she sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Their search for a new 'Melody' had been unsuccessful, even though they'd stayed out most of the evening looking, but after dark she'd been too afraid to stay any longer. Most of the people had gone back to their houses by that time anyway. So they'd returned to Ronan's house and he'd managed to sneak her in past his Nanna (who was unobservant and deaf in one ear).

Though Ronan had been nice enough to share his bed with her, Mimi barely slept. She was so worried that she'd never be able to turn into a human again, and she was worried that Ronan's Nanna would find her, and worst of all, she was worried that the old man chasing her would finally catch her and bring her back to his house.

The scariest thing about the man was she couldn't remember who he was. He'd approached her one day while she was in town and told her she needed to 'come home with him.' She had hid from him in disguise as 'Melody,' but that didn't work for long, and eventually the man found her again. He'd then tried to convince her to change into something else; 'anything but a human,' he'd said. Thankfully, that was around the same time she'd met Ronan, and he was able to provide shelter and protection for her while she ran away from the man. She'd also had the help of the Nice Lady, who'd let her stay in the meadow house.

But now she had no disguise, except for the 'Ronan' facade. And she didn't think that would work for very long.

The house's front door opened and Ronan appeared. "Nanna says I can go inteh town for a while," he announced. "She told me not teh be out long, though, so we should try an' find yeh a new girl, quick."

Mimi stood and nodded. "Okay. Where should we go first?"

"We'll figure that out when we get there! C'mon! Race yeh teh the bridge!" Ronan took off towards the bridge that led over the river.

Mimi jumped to her feet, giggling, "Hey! No fair!"

They sprinted across the grassy forest floor, weaving around trees and shrubs until they reached the wooden bridge. Ronan got there first, but Mimi wasn't far behind.

"I woulda beat you if you hadn't had a head start!" Mimi insisted, laughing in short, out-of-breath gasps.

Ronan doubled over, putting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Yeh… Yeh're probably right, Mimi," he smiled, before straightening up again. "Oh, 'ey—" he gestured at her clothing. "Yeh're still green."

"Oh, yeah! We're twins now!" A moment and a puff of purple smoke later, Mimi had transformed into 'Mio,' Ronan's twin. With the disguise in place, the look-alikes departed for town.

The town square was bustling with people moving to and from the different stores and outdoor vendors. There were several groups of children playing in the warm August sunlight, but most of them were either older than Mimi or much younger.

Ronan inched closer to her. "I don' see any good ones. An'... is it me or is there less people than usual?"

Mimi shrugged, but after looking around, she found that Ronan was right. There were quite a few people milling about, but usually the town square was so packed with shoppers that you couldn't see through to the other side. "Yeah, I think you're right, Ronan. Where is everybody?"

After a bit of wandering, they found their answer. On the other side of the square, near the treeline, a large group of people stood. They were all dressed in black, which both Ronan and Mimi found a bit puzzling, and they all seemed to be standing in a circle around something. As the identical children approached the gathering, they were finally able to see the object in the middle of the circle.

A casket.

Inside of the obsidian box lay a young girl with blonde hair, pale skin and closed eyes. She wore a white, embroidered sundress that seemed to glow in contrast to the dark clothes of those around her. Her petite hands were folded across her stomach, and laced in between her fingers was a scarlet ribbon.

Ronan and Mimi exchanged a horrified glance. They both recognized the girl in the casket.

"Mimi… That's you…"

"Mother loved to garden. It was her favorite pastime. She would have loved all of these beautiful flowers… Actually, I wonder if she ever saw them during her visits."

"I'm sure she did, if she's as curious as you say," Timpani laughed, gazing up into the bright morning sky.

They were sitting back to back on top of a hill behind Timpani's house, under the shade of a tall oak tree. It was the only tree this far out in the meadow, and Blumiere was thankful for the relief it provided from the sun, which had already grown hot, even this early in the morning.

Surrounding the tree were flowers of every shape and color, leaning to and fro in the gentle breeze. It was like a paradise, Blumiere thought, a paradise that his mother would have loved very much.

"I'd like to believe she spent a lot of time up here," he whispered, finding that the words filled him with a pleasant nostalgic feeling rather than melancholy. Perhaps Timpani was right: talking about his mother was the best way to overcome the grief he felt. If only his father knew that…

"Maybe some of the flowers in her garden came from this hill," Timpani suggested. "Think, you might have been seeing flowers from this place your whole life."

A light chuckle bubbled from Blumiere's mouth. "I wouldn't doubt it." He drew a deep breath of the fragrant air and stretched his neck so he could look at the sky, letting his head touch Timpani's for a moment.

This is perfect, Blumiere realized. It's odd that I've found perfection here, with a human… With Timpani. Although… I suppose this is what I've been seeking all along.

"It's… It's strange," he continued to laugh, struggling to attach words to his thoughts. "I never imagined… Well, nevermind. Timpani, I have a question to ask you."

"Yes?"

"Why is it that… Well, you see, Timpani, when I first visited the town, everyone there despised me. They were terrified of me, and they threw insults and rocks at me. And yet here we are, a human and a dark mage, sitting beneath a tree in the middle of a meadow, thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Why are you so different? You know what I am, so why are you not afraid?"

"You ask why I am not afraid of you? Blumiere, you've done nothing to hurt me. You've been incredibly kind to me. I have no reason to fear you."

"I did nothing to harm them, either," he sighed. "I just wanted to see your side of the world."

"Yes, but Blumiere, you crossed the boundary into the heart of the town and expected people to accept you with open arms… I'm not saying you did anything wrong, Blumiere, but frankly, if you had approached me in a similar manner, I would have been a bit frightened myself." Timpani stood up and stepped closer to the trunk of the tall oak tree. She put her pale hand on the bark and waited for a moment, as if lost in thought.

"Blumiere, when I found you last night, I admit I hesitated for a moment before taking you out here. For all I knew, you could have killed me as soon as you woke up. But… I couldn't just leave you there, Blumiere. I realized that if it were a human lying there, I would have taken them in without a second thought. I knew I couldn't leave you there just because of something silly like the color of your skin. Tell me, would you have done the same?"

Blumiere imagined finding Timpani on top of the cliff, injured. He knew the first thing he'd do would be to make sure his father didn't see her…

"Yes, Timpani. You're right, I would have done the same thing."

"I think," Timpani continued, brushing a strand of caramel hair behind her ear, "that every person has the ability to think like you and I. They only need to look at the situation from a different point of view." She turned around and knelt down in front of Blumiere, who was still sitting in the grass. "What most people don't realize is, though we may be different in appearance," she placed her index finger on the black silk that covered his collarbone, "we're all the same on the inside. It's the character of the heart, not the character of the body, that truly matters."

Blumiere peered up into Timpani's crystal blue eyes and smiled. Then he pushed himself to his feet and offered a hand to Timpani in order to help her up. "It's not so strange after all," he grinned. "I just needed to see things from a different point of view, as you put it. You're the first person I've met who sees things like that. Well, except for…"

Ronan and Mimi.

"Blast!" Blumiere cried out. "How could I have forgotten the reason I came out here in the first place?"

Startled, Timpani put a hand on his arm. "What? What is it, Blumiere?"

Brushing a hand through his night-sky hair, Blumiere turned worried cerulean eyes on her. "Timpani, I never mentioned this before, but I did actually meet someone on my first visit to the town."

"Oh?" Timpani quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes, but he wasn't… Well, he was a young boy by the name of Ronan, and he and I had quite an adventure together…" He broke through his story with a chuckle. "Anyway—and I didn't mention this before either—I visited a second time and met his young friend, a girl named Melody, o-or Mimi, depending on—"

"You met Mimi?" Timpani cut in, "You mean the little girl with green skin?"

"You know of her?"

"She showed up at the meadow house once while I was picking flowers. Sometimes I stay there overnight with her when she has nowhere else to sleep… I feel bad for her, the poor girl… I haven't a clue if she has any home of her own, but she certainly has no memory of it if she does..."

Blumiere blinked a few times, slowly beginning to piece things together. "Of course! I must not have recognized your house because of the fog this morning. You're the Nice Lady!" He held back laughter, realizing how ridiculous that sounded.

Timpani remained somber. "Yes, that's what Mimi calls me… But Blumiere, I haven't seen her in almost week, and you've brought up something about her just now… Did something happen to her?"

"She's lost the ability to change into a human, so she can't go into town, and she mentioned something about a man… The last time I saw her she was still with Ronan, so perhaps we should check at his house?" He offered.

Timpani was already descending the hill. "Yes, good idea. We must make sure Mimi is in a safe place." Her brow was creased with worry, and as Blumiere caught up to her, he sensed that she knew something more about the situation than he did.

"Timpani…?"

He didn't have to say anything more. "A friend of mine lost her only child three days ago to a terrible sickness. They don't know what caused it, but… I do know that the little girl who died looked exactly like Mimi's human form. She would never tell me anything about it when I asked, but I always assumed that she, in a way, copied the girl's exact appearance to use for her own. And now that Mimi can't do that anymore… at the same time of the young girl's death… Well, I can't help but assume they're related somehow."

By now they'd neared the back of the meadow house. "So, Mimi cannot use her ability on the deceased," Blumiere concluded, rounding the corner of the house.

Nodding, Timpani replied, "That's what I'm led to believe. Oh, I'm so worried for her, Blumiere." She opened the front door and stopped in the doorway, saying, "I need to grab some things. I'll only be a moment." Without another word she vanished, leaving Blumiere outside alone.

He glanced down at himself, realizing how ragged and dirty he looked. Shifting his cape on his shoulders, he spotted a tear in the fabric.

"...blast, Father's going to see that…"

He unclasped it and folded it up. Perhaps Timpani could teach me how to sew it up, he mused. As he turned to look inside the cottage, he was suddenly aware that someone had used teleportation to move to a different location. A strong signature was being emitted, one that was very familiar. Aldrik! He froze, scanning the distant treeline and, sure enough, a dark figure was walking through the brush, causing branches and leaves to sway to and fro.

His heart skipped a beat as the man emerged. Their eyes met, and Blumiere knew there was no point in trying to hide from him now. Spinning on his heel, he entered the cottage and nearly ran into Timpani.

"Oh! Timpani, I must go, I'm terribly sorry."

"What? Blumiere, why? Has something happened?" Timpani brushed back her hair, which was now tied up in a tight bun and held together with a ribbon that reflected every color of the rainbow. She had also added to her attire a gray cloak with an embroidered pattern.

"My Uncle.. He's here, and I'm sure he wants to bring me h-home…" he stuttered, overcome by nervousness. Father knows… He knows, surely…

"But what of the children?"

"You'll have to look alone. I'm so sorry, Timpani."

Timpani took his hand and squeezed it gently. "I understand, Blumiere. But, please, you must come back. I must see you again soon."

"I will. I will be back… Tonight. Before the sun sets. We'll meet beneath the tree, and you can tell me what you've found."

She met his cerulean gaze and hesitated for a moment before placing a hand on his shoulder and a kiss on his cheek. "Promise?"

Blumiere's heart beat faster, and for a few seconds he could do nothing more than stare into Timpani's pleading eyes.

"I promise," he whispered, returning the kiss. Then he turned towards the trees and broke into a run, not wanting to keep Aldrik waiting any longer.

His uncle was standing in the shadow of a tree, stern-faced. "Lord Blumiere, it is almost noon. What has taken you so long? And did you find Sha'i?"

Blumiere's mind whirled as he realized he'd forgotten about his mysterious aunt. "U-uh, well, I..."

Luckily, Blumiere didn't have to come up with an excuse, for Aldrik pressed on, "Actually, tell me about that later. We need to hurry home now, Blumiere. Your father is waiting for you."