There was no point in saying goodbyes, no point in delaying his plan. When Blumiere learned that he had to marry a stranger, he accepted it as just another freedom he would have to give away in exchange for the Tribe's future.

However, as time went on and he spoke to the girls at the ball, it hit him. He had little choice in what was arguably the most important decision of his life. He could pick the woman he got along with the most that night, but there was no time to think, no time to process it. And if she turned out not to be what he thought she was? Annulling the marriage would be difficult, even for him. This affair was sacred, a bond that was never to be broken.

If he stayed home, he would marry a young woman and be the chief of the Tribe. They would have children and he would lose himself to what the tribe required of him. Well, Blumiere would not have his life decided for him. Surely, his family would understand.

As soon as he left the garden, Blumiere went to the stables. There, all of the horses rested, from Father's grand Arabian steed to Roselyn's newborn pony. A black horse in particular slept in his stable. This was Marcel, a gift for his 14th birthday. Within an hour of learning to ride him properly, he felt a connection to the horse. Whenever he had free time and the weather was nice, he would spend the afternoon horseback riding with Ben at his side. However, as Blumiere got older and his responsibilities grew, he had less time for riding, though he still made it a point to at least come by the stables.

Blumiere went to the tucket bucket and pulled out a sugar cube before opening the stable door and walking towards the horse. "Marcel...I have something for you…" He whispered, putting the sugar cube close to his nose.

Marcel opened his eyes slowly. He sniffed the sugar cube before chopping it in one bite. The house huffed in delight and licked Blumiere's hand, making the young lord laugh. He patted his steed's head, feeling his warmth. Then he remembered the plan.

Blumiere opened his eyes. "I know it's late, but we have to go now." With that, he put the saddle on Marcel and led him out the stable door, making the horse stare with a confused look in his eyes. His master couldn't blame him; this wasn't the usual time for horseback riding. Once Marcel left the stables, Blumiere mounted his horse and rode off into Moonstone Woods.

As Blumiere went deeper into the woods, his anxiety crept up on him. He thought of the time Roselyn nearly drowned in the lake and the beating Father gave, quick and brief in his memory now, but neverending at the time. The lord knew he would come looking for him eventually, but he would not think of that now. That would only slow him down. So, he thought of the future ahead and tried to imagine a life of his own making.

When he reached the barrier, he had Marcel stop and the two stared at the outside world for a moment. He remembered the meeting from that morning and his grandfather's words: "We still have the barrier and no human has ever crossed that, nor any current member of the Tribe. It has been 16 years since one of us even thought about crossing the border."

Then Father's reply: "Yes...Anyone who broke that rule would have to answer to me…"

Blumiere took a deep breath as Marcel walked slowly to the barrier. At that point, he got off of his horse, figuring it would be easier to go in himself and then move Marcel along with him.

The young lord hesitated before sticking his hand through the barrier. He felt a strange buzz, first at his hand, then it quickly crept up his arm and the rest of his body. Blumiere grit his teeth and barred it, taking a step forward. It felt as if he was walking through gelatin, the barrier making his limbs feel soft and heavy, the buzz growing sharp. He took another step forward, using his left foot this time.

When he made the last step, he stumbled forward hastily. The weight from his limb lifted. Suddenly, he was able to move normally. He gasped, feeling a rush of excitement before turning back. "Marcel?"

There was no resistance for his horse. Marcel walked straight through the barrier, making a quick cut in the barrier before it fixed itself in a matter of seconds. Blumiere blinked before shaking his head. "I did it…" He muttered.

Blumiere wasn't sure how to feel. His father couldn't hurt him. He would search everywhere within their boundaries before even entertaining the idea that he had left. On one hand, he felt a rush of shame. This was the same path Darren took…

But he wasn't leaving to pursue a girl. This was a choice that Blumiere made for himself. He felt fear, guilt, and shame, but also a sense of peace and quiet. "He can't hurt me now," He whispered. "I'm safe…"

After a half hour of traveling, it started to rain. It was a light drizzle now, but Blumiere knew this would be a problem soon. He had a warm coat, boots, and packed a small pillow and blanket, but that was all for not if he had nowhere to stay.

There were local inns, but they would recognize him and word would spread that the chief's son was staying there.

Blumiere also thought of his aunt Lucille. She was friendly and a gracious host. However, he dismissed the possibility because not only would it raise suspicion, but his mother's sister would not let him defect from the Tribe. Not after losing her oldest daughter, Leanne, to the outside world years ago. "What to do..."

He looked at the stars and thought of Mother. His earliest memory was when he was 3 years old and the two went stargazing, pointing out constellations and cuddling close on a blanket. A shooting star went by. He didn't recall what she wished for, but he wished for Erik to listen to him; Blumiere didn't quite understand that he was only a year old and was still learning to communicate, let alone know what people were saying.

What would Mother think if she woke up the next morning without Blumiere at the castle? He froze at the thought. In all of the time that he imagined and re-imaged the scenario, he didn't think of Mother. The sweet, patient woman who loved her husband and children dearly. Her heart would surely be broken if her own son defected from the tribe.

Not only that, but the entire tribe was looking to him to lead them. He brushed these concerns aside earlier, thinking that if Erik sympathized with Father so well, he would be a better fit for the role. Now, it dawned on him that he had no wife, no heir, and was only 15 years old. Sure, some of that was true of Blumiere, but Father was already working to change that. Even if he couldn't marry for love, he didn't want to strip his own brother of the same right. Not to mention his life would drastically change course overnight.

Would Erik, the one who preferred to get lost in his books rather than joke with others at parties, be a good fit, even when he was of age? And what would Ben and Roselyn do without him, his sweet younger siblings who required a lot of attention, yet taught him so much about life and joy and innocence?

"Marcel, we have to go back," Blumiere whispered, pulling on the horse's reins. He was ready to turn around and go to the castle. However, looking at the world outside of the barrier, he froze. He had never ventured outside of his tribe before. How was he supposed to find his way back? "We have to try…" The lord muttered. "We'll find a way."

He started to go back the way he came, but Blumiere began to feel the effect of not sleeping that night. Fatigue overcame him as he re-entered the woods. (According to a signpost, it was called Sunstone Forest on this side of the barrier.) To make matters worse, a misty fog covered the area and the more he tried to get through it, the thicker it seemed to become.

After a considerable amount of time passed, Blumiere found himself passing by the same signpost from earlier again: You are now entering Sunstone Forest. However, this time, he noticed smaller writing below: Beware of the blue face tribe!

"They call us blue faces? Hmm…" Blumiere muttered, rubbing his eyes. They always considered themselves tribesmen of darkness. The last official species name they had was shadow people, a name the Ancients gave them for their quick speed and isolationist nature during their conflict with them. The chief at the time embraced it, but the term was archaic. He should have expected their enemies to call them derogatory terms, but this still surprised him. He pressed on, trying different paths.

Just when he was about to lose hope of returning home, Blumiere saw light in the distance. "We must be returning to the village…" If the streetlights were on during this time of day, Father must be looking for him. He would have a lot of explaining to do, but at least he would be within his family's reach.

He had his eyes firmly set in front of him until Marcel stopped, causing Blumiere to sway forward. Blumiere frowned. "Marcel…" He whispered. The horse huffed and stared out into the distance. The blue-skinned man kicked his side, but Marcel was stubborn. The lord sighed, knowing that he only acted like this when he was afraid. Either that, or tired and irritable.

He sighed and got off his horse. Blumiere tried to look ahead, but the fog and rain distorted his vision. He moved forward, only focusing on the light...

That was when the dirt gave way beneath him and Blumiere found himself falling down a cliff. He cried out and reached for something to grab, but only felt the air slipping through his fingers. Soon, he smashed into the ground before hitting his head on a rock, sharp and hard.

He felt a throbbing pain and a warm liquid leaking from his head. Shaking, Blumiere ran a hand through his hair, only to see red stains. Not only that, but he could only see from his right eye. Through his other eye, he could only see red. Still, it continued to rain, cold and relentless. The lord felt the water soak through his clothes and onto his skin. He heard muddy footsteps, getting louder, before everything faded to black.

The next thing Blumiere knew, he was in a warm room. He felt sunshine and heard trees swaying with the wind outside. He never felt so peaceful. Then he remembered why he was here. He opened his eyes and noticed that his left eye was covered. He remembered the blood from the night before and winced.

That was when the door opened and a human stepped in.

Blumiere froze. The human turned to close the door behind her before walking further inside. When she noticed him, she smiled. "Oh! You're awake at last?"

For a moment, it was as if his throat was filled with cotton. He swallowed hard. After looking around the room and noticing all the plain furniture, he asked himself, "Where...am I? Is this a human's home? Bleeechh!" Blumiere tried to sit up, only for shooting pain to rise in his muscles. He groaned and fell back against the bed.

The girl rushed to his side. "Don't wiggle like that! I found you at the cliff base. You took quite the fall!"

Blumiere blinked and examined her. The human was young; she appeared to be close to him in age. She had long blonde hair that she kept wrapped in a ponytail with a rainbow ribbon keeping it in place. She had light skin and her eyes were gray-blue, reminding him of a night sea. For a moment, Blumiere felt safe with her. Then he remembered who he was. "You're a human, correct? I don't...repulse you? I am of the Tribe of Darkness…"

"Why would that matter? Anyone with a heart would not ignore an injured soul!" The young lord stared with furrowed brows, not sure what to say. "When I saw you injured down there, I couldn't just ignore it! I had to help!" She added. Hesitating, she asked, "Do you...not believe me?"

Blumiere wanted to say he didn't; after all, that is what he should believe at the moment. Still, he couldn't ignore her sincere tone. Instead, he felt the bandages covering his left eye. "…Why can't I see?"

"One of your eyes was bleeding. Hopefully, it'll go back to normal after I remove the bandages, but there are no guarantees. Please...stay here until I can heal you properly?" She asked. Well, it wasn't like he had a choice. Blumiere nodded. The girl let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Grambi! Is there anything else I can do to make you comfortable?"

He thought for a moment. "Marcel...My horse. He was at the top of the cliff when I fell. Is he alright?"

The girl nodded. "He's in the stables outside. I had to climb up there for a long while to get him with you on my back, but it was worth it now that you're both safe." Hearing that, Blumiere let out a sigh of relief and told her that he needed a moment to himself. She nodded. "Let me know if you need anything, alright?"

She started to leave the room. He hesitated before calling out to her. "Wait!"

The human turned around. "Yes?"

"What...is your name?"

The girl smiled. "Timpani."

Blumiere didn't know what to think.

He tried to use magic to leave, but when he did, the discomfort from his injuries grew from a dull pain into a sharp ache, the wounds even bleeding more. He knew he would put himself at greater risk if he left, both now and later when his father questioned him.

He debated whether he should make up some sort of lie or tell the truth. Blumiere was always a horrible liar. It felt wrong to do so, unless it was for a good reason. Still, what would happen if he told the truth this time? Would he be beaten? Scolded in front of the rest of the family? Or worse, would he be banned from leaving the castle? He shuddered at the thought. Nature gave him an escape that people could not.

Blumiere turned and looked out at the window. The sun was up now, shining brightly in the clear blue sky. Were his parents sending out search parties to look for him? Were his siblings worried? And what of Grandfather? He knew he had to get home as soon as possible, but at the moment, all he could do was wait. The lord felt a rush of guilt and shame; he hadn't thought this all the way through and now he was only in a deeper mess than when he started.

However, his fate wasn't the only thing on Blumiere's mind. Ever since he could remember, Father hated the humans in the village and it wasn't just him. Some of their most trusted advisors and servants, otherwise kind and smart men, would talk about how humans were useless, dirty, and dumb. When he was a child, Blumiere learned of the wars between the Tribe of Ancients and his kind over the Dark Prognosticus, the crisis averted when the stubborn Ancients, many of them humans, had finally surrendered and the dark magicians were allowed to keep the book.

He had never heard any stories about good humans and yet here was this girl tending his wounds, providing food and water for him, and casually telling him about her day like they were the best of friends. Blumiere didn't know what to make of it. Finally, he asked her, "Excuse me, miss?"

She looked up at him, holding a bowl of soup that she prepared for him. "Timpani is fine. What is it?"

"Why are you treating me so kindly?"

The girl shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be kind?"

"Don't you humans loathe my kind? I am a member of-"

"The Tribe of Darkness. You mentioned that earlier," Timpani finished, setting the bowl on a nightstand beside the bed. Looking back at him, she added, "Like I said, I couldn't just ignore you. This village can talk bad about your kind all they want, but my parents taught me to always help someone in need and I don't think that only applies to humans!" She hesitated. "But at the same time, I understand if you don't trust me. You're quite sheltered, aren't you?"

Blumiere blinked. "Sh-Sheltered? Well, I...erm…"

Timpani giggled. "I'm just teasing!" She lifted a spoonful of orange broth. "Here."

The blue-skinned man hesitated before taking the spoon and putting it in his mouth. Immediately, he was hit with powerful spices and intense heat. His eyes widened and he took the spoon out, coughing and sputtering.

"Oh goodness! Are you alright?" She asked.

"Why is this soup so...spicy?"

She tried to hold back a smile, but failed. "Well, it's called Spicy Soup for a reason...But I'm sorry. This always makes me feel better when I'm sick and I forgot to warn you."

Despite the heat in his mouth still lingering, Blumiere lifted the spoon once more. "It's no trouble. I can eat spicy things. I just...wasn't expecting this is all." He ate more soup and swallowed it quickly.

He wasn't used to hot food unless it was a pepper or spice of some sort, but he still felt somewhat embarrassed. He was a young lord of the Tribe of Darkness, the son of the chief. He should be able to handle human food, no matter how intense the flavor may be. (He must have looked humorous because Timpani chuckled at him.)

In a matter of hours, Blumiere's disgust around Timpani wavered. Still, he did feel a sense of unease and confusion. She was so unlike the useless and unpleasant human creatures that he had been taught about. She was kind, well-mannered, and seemed to genuinely care about whether or not he got better. After all, she did make a good point; she could have very well ignored him and left him to bleed at the bottom of the cliff. But she didn't.

As the early morning dragged on, one question lingered in Blumiere's mind: why did this human save him?

When Blumiere felt well enough to move, he let Timpani know right away. She helped him leave the bed, but he made it a point to go out the door on his own. He felt sore in some places, but he would have to spend the rest of his recovery at home. Still, Timpani said she didn't want him to get lost or more hurt, so she insisted on leading him out of the village.

Wearing a cape covering most of his body and face, Blumiere left the human village on his horse with Timpani at his side. She led him to a hill with a lone tree on top and let go of his hand. "Well, this is as far as I can go. I don't want anyone from your tribe to find me."

"They won't," Blumiere said. "Nobody has left the tribe in 16 years."

Smiling, Timpani said, "Until now…"

His eyes widened. That's right. He had left the tribe, hadn't he? His situation was different though. He was going back. Still, he felt his cheeks grow hot.

Timpani didn't appear to notice. "Well, it was nice meeting you, sir." She curtsied. "Please try and stay out of harm's way from now on!"

"I will. Don't worry about me," Blumiere said.

"I'll try not to." There was a moment of silence. The two looked at each other for a few seconds and the lord saw a strange look in the girl's eyes. He saw both curiosity and yearning, but her words betrayed her. "Well, goodbye." With that, she turned and began walking away.

That was when Blumiere felt a new sense of urgency. He felt dread at the thought of not seeing her again, but he didn't know the reason. As she walked further away, that feeling grew and he couldn't bring himself to leave. Not without talking to her…"Timpani, wait!"

She turned. "Yes?"

"Do you have any obligations tomorrow night?"

Timpani blinked. "Well...No. Why do you ask?"

Blumiere rubbed the back of his neck, peering at the ground. "I would like to see you again...if that's alright."

The girl stared. For a moment, he wondered if she would reject this offer. Instead, she smiled. "Yeah? Well, I would like to see you again too."

"Then we can meet here."

"Alright. What time?"

Blumiere checked his watch, the surface of which had a long crack in it. Even so, the clock still functioned. "The sun usually sets around 7 o'clock in the evening and my parents rest at 9 o'clock…" He muttered aloud. Blumiere thought for a moment before looking back to her and asking, "How does 9:30 sound?"

Instead of answering, Timpani stared at his watch. "Why do you still wear that watch if it has that huge crack in it?"

"This was a gift from my grandmother before she passed. I dropped it as a child, but I still carry it because it is all I have left of her."

She frowned. "Oh…I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't worry about it. She passed away when I was small," Blumiere said. He didn't remember a lot about Grandfather's deceased wife. Only that her name was Roselle, his sister having been named after her, and she was a sweet woman with a lovely singing voice. She also loved him and Erik a lot. She knew about Ben and wanted to meet him, but died of sickness before she could. Still, she was family and this gift, albeit damaged, was his way of keeping her close.

Timpani thought for a moment, then smiled. "Well, 9:30 sounds good to me. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"I shall see you as well, Timpani."

The two parted ways, both returning to their respective homes. Blumiere knew that Father would disapprove of him talking to a human, but the young lord couldn't bring himself to regret arranging another meeting. "Just one more visit, and I shall never see her again," Blumiere thought. He found himself looking forward to the next time he would see her, even as a part of him wondered if he had really met a human or if he was dreaming.

Still, he knew that everyone was worried. Father would demand answers the second he saw Blumiere, what with him not at the castle that morning and his injuries. How would he explain all of this?

Hey friends. This chapter gave me a writer's block because I didn't know how to write Blue's attempt at running away, but I plowed through it anyway. Some Trivia:

1) Marcel, Blue's horse, was first introduced in a old chapter of my fic that has since been deleted. Nero was introduced here as well and Arianna was mentioned. I disliked the chapter it was from, but found the scene interesting enough to make a fic off of.

2) My original idea for this fic was called Falling and was about Blue reflecting on how he met Timpani and his relationship with her. This centered around Memory 1, which is shown here. I felt the idea was too short and didn't like the writing, so I scrapped it and began writing an outline which became the first chapters of this fic.

3) Shadow men/Shadow people was the original name for Blue's kind, but I didn't like it overtime. (To the point where every time I saw it in old fic chapters, I would cringe and say, "Thanks, I hate it!") Can't quite explain why.

The term "blue face" was thought of by my friend, Dimi. I asked if I could use it and she agreed, so shout out to her.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the fic!

-Free