Chapter 1- Aren't we bright in the candle light?
Disclaimer: We do not own Glee, the characters, or quotations from the show.
Hello and welcome to our next story! This one is a little different than we have ever done being that it's fantasy in a world of our own creation. Keep in mind this is fanfic and the world building might not be super extensive lol.
-We are not sure how many chapters this will have quite yet, but we will let everyone know as soon as we have an idea. Most likely about 13. We post a chapter every week (unless specified) on Wednesdays. Chapters will be at least 5,000 words except for the epilogue, but they will probably be longer.
-There will be smut in later chapters and some violence/death. As usual, any chapters containing potentially triggering things will be noted at the beginning notes of the individual chapter. However, we are completely happy to discuss it further if you want to send us a private message. We try to tag everything and will add tags if we think it is necessary. We have a tumblr and an Instagram (kirakiwiwrites) that we use to post updates/sneak peeks and we try to be pretty active on there, so this are good sites to communicate with us if needed.
-Burt is deceased in this fic which we have never done before because we love him lol. We do discuss his death, but will warn ahead of time.
-This fic is a little darker than most if not all of our others, but won't be too bad and always remember we believe in happy endings!
-We have yet again convinced the lovely Iris7124 to make us gorgeous cover art! Thank you so much dear friend! We adore you! Everyone go stare at it lol.
That's all for the moment! We hope everyone enjoys! Much love - A and K
The night air was sweet and pleasant as Lady Rachel sat at her mirror, brushing out her glossy hair. She breathed it in as it batted at her gossamer curtains, enjoying the cooling refreshment on what had otherwise been a sticky day. Things weren't easy for her as she had spent the week fielding marriage proposals from three different men along with her normal duties as the daughter of Lords. It had been difficult to maneuver through that all the while preparing her voice for the ceremony tomorrow. She would be singing to commemorate the peace their land had seen for the last several years while her fathers had ruled. Because of this, she wasn't as worried that they were away from their home where the walls were high and the guard were larger. She was most excited to see Finn Hudson, the poorest of her suitors, but the one she was most attracted to.
She set down her bejeweled brush that had been a gift from her fathers on her last birthday and turned her head this way and that. She might be the daughter of Lords, but she had competition for finding a husband. Lady Quinn Fabray, Lady Santana Lopez, and Lady Brittany Pierce were just a few names that posed a threat, but she could hold her own. Her voice put her ahead of the game, even if she wasn't as pretty, as the others kept pointing out. Many said it was magical, a gift they had never heard before. She intended to use it to her full advantage. Things were going to work out for her, she knew it.
Rachel rose from her seat and decided to get one last practice in before her handmaiden returned to help her prepare for bed. She was just warming her voice when the wind picked up and knocked her hairbrush from her vanity. She bent to scoop it up and the wind blew stronger. A storm must have been cropping up, she thought. Strange since the skies had been so clear earlier, but not unheard of. Weather changed at the god's whimsy.
She righted all of the sheets of music and odds and ends that had been upset with the strong wind before going back to her practice. Before she could, something odd caught her eye. A colorful bird feather lay in the middle of her floor. Since she never kept birds as she found them annoying and disgusting creatures, she had no idea where it came from. Curious, she bent to pick it up.
The wind increased, nearly tearing the feather from her hand. The skirts of her dressing gown ripped around her and all the objects on her room she had just fixed flew around her in a miniature tornado. She screamed for help, using her arm to shield her face from the onslaught of wind and debris. A laugh, cold and foreboding echoed around her.
"Oh yes. You will do quite nicely. Come here."
Lady Rachel screamed as she was pulled by an invisible grip towards her window. Her guards beat on the door, trying to get inside, but it was useless. She clawed at the carpet, trying to slow the inevitable drag to her doom. Green lighting struck at her fingers, forcing her to let go.
"Stop! I don't want to die!" Lady Rachel screamed with tears running down her face as she slid across the floor.
"I'm not going to kill you," the voice said soothingly. "Not yet, anyway." A thunderous cackle was the last thing she heard before fainting dead away.
When the fire's burnt, the wind has blown, the water's dried, you'll still find stone
"Blainey, you're being absolutely ridiculous. The horse does not need a treat every time we stop."
Cooper threw the bag of beans he had just bought onto the back of the family wagon. The outside could use a coat of paint, but the playful patterns and flowers could still be seen. Although the last city they had performed in had paid well, money could only be stretched so thin between the four of them: Blaine, his elder brother Cooper, their mother, and their step father. Blaine knew he ought not be wasting good food on Wilfred, but he couldn't help it. He was just so darn cute.
"Leave Willy alone." The horse licked the apple juice from his palm and he wiped it across his soft sweater his mother had knit him. "He's done more work than you have in a fortnight."
"We don't have money to keep feeding the horse our food." Cooper sniffed, offended. "And I've worked."
Blaine pet Wilfred's velvety snout. "Bedding the innkeepers daughters isn't work."
"Shows how much you know," Cooper said with a smirk. "There were two of them. Things got quite sweaty."
Blaine wrinkled his nose and buried his face in Wilfred's mane. His dark curls stood out in stark contrast to the horse's russet mane. "I beg of you, stop talking."
"I was sore for three days from all the bending." Cooper smiled gleefully as he loaded the ladder next. "I looked like a contortionist, like mother."
Blaine screamed into the horse's neck. "Wilfred!" He pressed his forehead in between the horse's eyes. "Please eat my head so I don't have to hear about my brother's debauchery."
Wilfred merely snorted and ducked to sniff at Blaine's pockets for more snacks. "Traitor," he muttered.
"Don't be such a prude, little brother. I saw the way that knight was eyeing you. You could have been just as sore as me."
Blaine blushed until he matched Wilfred's coloring. "He was only being friendly."
"He wanted to be friendly all right." Cooper winked at him. "Friendly with your asshole!"
"Cooper! We are in public!" Blaine glanced around at all the people bustling around them on the street outside the shop.
Cooper just grinned wider. "Maybe if you came over here and helped me load the wagon, you could throw burly knights around the bedroom."
"Shut the gaping chamber pot that is your mouth or I shall have Wilfred kick you."
Cooper continued his labor, unfazed. "Wilfred is not a trick horse which is why he pulls the wagon. He wouldn't kick me."
"I'll teach him," Blaine muttered as he stroked the horse's jaw.
"Are you torturing your brother again instead of doing your duties?" Their mother Pam arrived and playfully pinched Cooper.
He squeaked and dove away. "No! As usual, I'm working while Blaine plays with the horse."
She smiled fondly at her two boys before handing Cooper a basket of vegetables she carried. "Did you give Willy some water?"
"Yes, mother." Blaine kissed her cheek and checked the harnesses as Cooper finished loading the wagon. It was a large boxy thing with ornate carvings all along the outside. Inside boasted lots of shelving for storing their things, both personal and performance. The benches inside turned into beds for nights they slept under the stars. It was the only real place Blaine had ever called home in his life.
"Doug wants to get back on the road as soon as he returns. Make certain everything is ready." Her smile fell and worry clouded her hazel eyes. "I want you both to stay close. Don't go off on your own. I've heard tell of a frightening wizard who is stealing people from their beds."
"Blainey here will be safe since he has apparently taken a vow of celibacy," Cooper teased and laughed madly when Blaine gave him the dirtiest look he could muster. "Does Doug realize we won't make it by nightfall? They will most likely be out of rooms by then."
Pam sighed and smoothed down the front of her skirts. "I brought that up, but he assured me the main road would be just as fast as the forest road." She pulled the pin from her dark hair and the curls Blaine had inherited fell upon her shoulders. She wasted no time gathering them and rolling them back into a knot atop her head. "You know how superstitious he is about the forest."
Cooper rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. I just hate sleeping in the wagon. Blaine steals all the blankets."
"And Cooper snores and farts," Blaine countered, ignoring the pebble Cooper threw at him from the back of the wagon.
Cooper sneered. "Don't worry, I'm sure the dark wizard will come and snatch you from your bed too and then you will be his problem."
"Hush," their mother chastised them as she shaded her eyes. "Doug has returned."
Blaine tightened the last buckle on Wilfred's harness and watched his stepfather pick his way over the dirt road towards them. Blaine didn't hate the man, far from it. He had been friends with his father and given much comfort to them when he died. He had even given them a place to stay for awhile whilst they mourned. The love between him and his mother had grown slowly and he had made her smile after what felt like a lifetime of tears. But Doug was very different from Fredrick Anderson. Blaine and Cooper's father had been quick and friendly, boisterous and always ready with a joke. He was warm and never knew a stranger, seemingly invincible until he succumbed to sickness. Blaine missed him terribly as did his mother and brother. Doug was the opposite. Quiet, awkward, shy, and suspicious of everyone. It was probably what made him so good at being a mime. He loved their mother, that much was evident and Blaine appreciated that about him. He was kind to her and also to Cooper and himself. They might never be a real family, but he was trying and that's all that mattered.
Doug Barker picked his way over to them, carefully avoiding any sharp stones. He was carrying something in his hands that he clutched to his chest like he was afraid it would run away. His face was pinched with worry, but a little smile broke through at the sight of them.
"Hello. Are we ready to set off?"
Blaine nodded and climbed up into the back of the wagon while Cooper put his hands on his hips. Blaine tried to keep the peace for his mother's sake, however his brother often clashed with Doug.
"We are. I was just telling mother that we should take the forest road—"
Doug held up a hand. "Absolutely not. We must stay in the open. I told you about when I was taken."
And he had. Doug claimed that while walking through the woods near his home as a child, a forest nymph had lured him away and he nearly lost his life. Blaine wasn't sure if it was true or not, but Doug seemed to believe it wholeheartedly.
Cooper rolled his eyes. "We won't make it before nightfall unless we go through the forest."
Doug shook his head and started slicing up the yellow-green fruit in his hand. "We shall be alright. I've sent word ahead to the innkeeper. She's an old friend. She will save us rooms. We take the main road." He passed pieces of the fruit around to everyone. "Now, look what I've found! A special treat. It's called a star fruit. Let's eat along the way."
Realizing that arguing would be fruitless, Cooper blew out a deep breath and climbed into the back of the wagon with his brother. "These people better have deep pockets," he grumbled as he bit into the juicy fruit. He made a noise of appreciation and lifted his eyebrows. "This is pretty tasty."
Blaine studied his piece as his mother and Doug climbed up into the front seat of the wagon and it jolted him a little. Doug urged Wilfred on and the wagon lurched forward.
"It looks too pretty to eat," Blaine said as he touched on of the points of the fruit slice with a fingertip. "It looks like a flower."
Cooper popped his last bite into his mouth and sucked the juice from his fingers. "Tastes pretty too. Why don't you save it to give to the next knight that wants to show you his lance? Aaah!" He ducked away and rolled to the other side of the wagon so Blaine couldn't smack him like he was attempting. His obnoxious chuckles soon died away and turned into snores as Blaine bit into the sweet fruit.
He very seriously considered pulling the sack of beans Cooper was using as a pillow out from under him so he could smack his stupid head on the floor. They might both be adults, but he doubted Cooper would ever treat him like anything other than a child. He just couldn't get through to him that they didn't view relationships the same. Cooper would bed any woman that moved much to their mother's consternation, but Blaine wanted more. He wanted romance. Cooper joked about flowers, but he had dreamed of finding a nice boy in one of the places they traveled to. They would get to know one another and Blaine would finally leave his family to marry the boy and live happily ever after like one of his plays he put on. There would be flowers and poems and when he had fallen in love, then he would surrender to the physical. Truthfully, he had seen how that knight had stared at him. Sure it flattered him, but one night of passion wasn't what he wanted. Cooper didn't know it, but he had tried doing things his way. He had done things with boys before and while it felt good in the moment, it left him feeling empty. He wanted someone to share it with, someone who loved him back. So he would put up with Cooper's teasing and keep his eyes peeled for the one he would fall in love with.
Having finished his fruit, Blaine made sure he wiped the sticky juice from his beard that needed a trim. He then pulled out his favorite puppet and his needle and thread to mend his tiny little shirt that was torn during their last move. The four of them formed an odd bunch, but it worked. Cooper did tricks with swords, knives, and other sharp objects. Pam was a contortionist who could bend and twist herself into nearly impossible positions. Doug was a mime and Blaine was a puppeteer, putting on shows for the children most of the time. He made up his own little stories many times, but his favorite was fairytales. He knew magic existed in the world and had even seen it once. The view on magical people and creatures was mixed across the lands. Some people marveled at it, others thought it should be put to more practical uses. Still others were afraid of what could happen if a magical person had enough power to take over the world. It was a scary thought, Blaine conceded, but he had never known of any such person to exist. There were stories of course. But they were just stories.
"Wouldn't it be amazing to see real magic, Sam puppet?" Blaine asked his friend of felt. His little enamel eyes stared back up at him lifelessly. Since they had always traveled, Blaine never got to make many friends. He was friendly and would play with other children in the places they visited, but they never stayed around long enough to make a lasting friendship. When they came back around, the children he remembered had already made other friends and were strangers to him once again. His desire for a friend had resulted in his first puppet he had modeled and named Sam Evans after a boy he befriended in a village far from here. His father had helped him craft it and it was special to him, the only puppet he never used for any public shows. He knew it was very odd for a grown man to be so attached to what was basically a toy, but it was one of the few things he owned that his father had touched and was so sentimental that he could never part with it.
"Sure would Blaine!" Sam puppet said back, flipping his blond hair. Blaine had mastered making the puppet speak for him by now. "Maybe then I could come to life and you would have a real friend!"
Blaine narrowed his eyes at the little blue face. "That was awfully unkind."
"Hey, you're the one talking to a puppet." Sam puppet shrugged and Blaine sighed, tossing it aside. He was right, even if he wasn't real. Blaine needed to do something. He couldn't live this way forever, but it was all he knew.
Cooper snored so loud beside him that it made him jump a little. He wished a wizard would come take Cooper as he kicked his brother in the leg. The elder smacked his lips and rolled over. Blaine stared out at the town they had left as it shrunk smaller and smaller into the distance. Maybe he wanted a wizard to come steal him away. He made up a little story on the spot about a beautiful wizard who took the puppeteer away to his gleaming castle and they fell in love and lived happily ever after.
He must have drifted off to sleep at some point because the wagon jolted in a dip in the road and woke him suddenly. Stretching his arms and back, Blaine checked his surroundings and noted the sun had set. It had been at least ten years since he had been to this area and although he had been a child then, he recognized some of it. That little girl he befriended lived here. They played for a whole week before he was loaded into the wagon and trundled off to the next place. Apparently his new friend hadn't had any friends either. The girl had begged to go with them, claiming she could sing extraordinarily well and she would fit right in. Blaine wondered how she was doing and thought he might pay her a visit while they were here.
Cooper's grating snore beside him pulled him from his thoughts and he nudged his brother. "We're nearly there," he said as Cooper lunged awake. "Look alive."
Cooper adjusted his wrinkled jerkin and shook out his hair with his fingers. "I look plenty alive."
"You have drool on your chin," Blaine said with a superior grin. He laughed as Cooper swiped at his face. The younger leaned his elbows on the half door at the back of the wagon. A few fireflies danced in the night and he resisted the urge to go catch them. He would have time to relax later. He might have to perform tonight since they had spent the last of their earnings on food. Blaine would be ready.
I can't help this awful energy, God damn right, you should be scared of me
"But I was told my family and I would have rooms saved!" Doug protested later as they argued with the innkeeper. "Might I speak to Matilda? She is an old friend of mine and she was the one who made the bargain—"
"Matilda is busy," the innkeeper replied as he scurried back and forth behind his counter. "As you can see, we are busier than a mouse in a wheel of cheese. My apologies, but we haven't room for ya." He gave them a dismissive little bow and continued running around.
"This is ridiculous!" Doug blustered. "I was assured we would be taken care of!"
Pam rested a gentle hand on his arm to calm him. "That might be so, but they are awfully crowded. He's not lying about that." As if to prove her point, a drunken man wobbled by them and almost knocked them down.
Cooper had his arms crossed and his lips pursed smugly. He popped them. "Had we taken the forest road…"
"Cooper!" Pam warned as Doug wound up to argue. "Let's just go to the wagon and try to get some rest. We will find rooms in the morning."
Blaine took a moment to really look at her and noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the way her shoulders dropped. She was exhausted.
"I slept most of the way here," Cooper stated. "I'm going to find some drink and entertainment." He winked at some women tittering in the corner and filed through the sea of bodies in his way. They giggled afresh behind their hands.
"Go get some rest, mother." Blaine kissed her cheek. "I'll keep an eye on Cooper. I had a nap too, so I'm not tired either."
She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you. Don't let him spend all his coin on ale. We have no idea how much we will make here."
Instead of telling her that Cooper rarely paid for his own drink with money, he just assured her he would and sent her off with Doug. He found Cooper already downing a cup of something that smelled strong and chatting up a few of the others sitting at a table. Of course Cooper had already made some friends. Blaine joined him quietly and winced when he smacked his back.
"This is my baby brother! The best damn puppeteer you've ever seen!" He tipped his cup back and drained the last of it.
"Are you going to put on a show?" A barmaid asked as she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Absolutely," Blaine replied with a a charming smile. "We will be in town for a little while so you will have plenty of opportunities."
"Maybe you can dedicate a show just for me." She sidled up to Blaine.
Blaine was glad people were friendly here. Already he was drumming up business for his family. "Sure! You all are welcome!"
Cooper threw an arm around Blaine's shoulders. "I'm afraid my brother isn't interested in women the way you are hoping," he told the woman who shrugged and winked at Cooper.
"Oh well. You're pretty too."
"I sure am."
Blaine shrugged out of Cooper's hold and noticed several men taking more interest in him now. He felt his face grow warm and hoped it could be blamed on the crowded room. He ordered a drink for himself and moved away from his brother who was now flirting with the pretty barmaid. There was a small group of people drinking at the table next to him and speaking in hushed tones. He wasn't trying to listen to their conversation, but one of them slammed their fist down on the table which grabbed his attention.
"It's a right shame! That much money? I could feed my whole family for years to come!"
A woman beside him shook her head slowly. "But at what cost? Many have gone after her, but no one has returned."
"You think he eats them like everyone says?" A younger man at the table asked.
Some of the others dismissed him while others looked like they agreed.
"Well, he's been a killer ever since he was just a boy!" An old man with wispy white hair said. "He's a nuisance and should be gotten rid of!"
"You know he cursed the livestock! He wants that whole village to die." The woman from before said. "I doubt the Lord's Berry will ever see their daughter again."
The name Berry caused Blaine to perk up and he moved closer to the table. "Excuse me. Forgive my intrusion," he said in a friendly tone. "But did you say Berry? As in Lady Rachel?"
The others at the table didn't seem to mind his question in favor of relaying gossip except for the elderly man. Blaine thought there was probably not much he was impressed by though.
"Yes, Lady Rachel was taken from her bedroom a few nights ago!" The woman said eagerly. "It was the evil wizard who resides in the dark castle not far from here. No one knows why he did, but her father's are offering a huge reward for her safe return!"
"Not that there will be much of her left," another man added.
Blaine was stunned. That was his old friend he played with as a child! And she had been taken? Blaine asked to sit down and the others made room for him.
"So, she was taken by an actual wizard? As in—" Blaine wiggled his fingers like they were casting a spell.
The woman nodded. "Yeah, lots of people saw him. They say he can call up a storm with only a word."
Soon everyone at the table was contributing their own rumors.
"He once cursed all the crops in the village!"
"He caused a plague to kill about fifty people!"
"He made my toe fall off!"
Everyone turned to look at the old man. Blaine's eyes bulged as he tried really hard not to look down at the man's feet.
"I thought that was gangrene?" The young man beside him asked.
The old man shrugged. "Twas, but who do you think sent the gangrene to get me?"
Some seemed to agree while others gave him incredulous looks.
"Anyway," the woman said, again capturing Blaine's attention. "The stories all vary, but one thing that's certain: he's right powerful. In the house he killed his father and the Town Master in, he cursed the grounds so that nothing will grow except these fierce rose bushes that are nothing but thorns and the flowers die as soon as they bloom. Sure, no one knows why he took the girl, but mark my words: she's gone for good. He's cruel and evil, with a heart of ice. A dozen warriors and knights alike have already gone after her and failed."
A chill like a finger skating the back of his neck made Blaine shiver. It was as if the wind picked up inside the room even though it would have been impossible. Something wasn't quite adding up for him. Why had the wizard taken Lady Rachel and not even ransomed her? Why deliberately come after her when someone far less important could have been snatched?
"Has anyone asked him why?"
The other at the table looked to him curiously.
"Asked who why?" The young man asked.
"The dark wizard." Blaine leaned forward. "Has anyone just gone and asked him why he took her? And asked nicely for her back? Maybe a kind word would be all it takes."
Those surrounding Blaine were silent for several long moments. Blaine basked in the thought that he had said something so profound until they all began to laugh uproariously.
"Are you loony?" One of the men asked with tears from his mirth gathering in his eyes. "We just told you why."
Blaine was slightly flustered, but he truly thought he was on to something. "Everyone else has just gone and attacked him, but no one has just tried having a civil conversation have they?"
The old man wheezed out another laugh. "Boy, you are truly mad if you think a little tea party can change the mind of someone who murdered their own father. Probably his mother too, although it can't be proven."
Blaine clenched his jaw. "It could work!"
This was met with more howls of laughter. Just as Blaine was about to start insulting them and make a speech telling them how wrong they were, Cooper stumbled over drunkenly.
"Ooh, is Blainey telling jokes? He tells the best jokes! I want to hear!" Cooper swayed and almost fell across the table, but Blaine caught him. Cooper clutched his shoulders as he was righted by his brother.
He felt Cooper's lips on his ear. "Careful not to isolate our audience before we have even put on our first performance," Cooper whispered where only he could hear. Apparently he wasn't as drunk as he was acting.
"Let's get you to bed," Blaine replied with a pat to Cooper's back. He turned around as they started towards the door. "I'm not joking about the wizard and I'm going to prove it to you all!"
"Stop!" One of the mean begged as he clutched his middle. "My ribs ache from laughing!"
"If you're this funny I might actually see your little puppet show!" The old man said as he wiped his eyes.
Blaine just gave them a dark look and helped Cooper back to the wagon. He would show them.
Later that night, Blaine lay awake while his family slept peacefully around him. The little side window was open for fresh air and Blaine stared up at the dotting of stars around the swollen moon. He had his arms behind his head and was lying on one of the bench seats. Sleep didn't come for him that night, but a plan did. He decided then that he was going to rescue Lady Rachel. He could do it, he knew he could. Sure, he wasn't the most likely candidate, but all those had failed. He was good at convincing people of things. He could talk or charm his way out of situations and was stubborn as a mule. If he could just get this scary wizard man to see reason, he just knew they could find some common ground and he could convince him to give Lady Rachel back. Maybe he only needed a friend! Sure, the stories of his deeds were unsettling, but things could have been exaggerated. Once he brought Lady Rachel home safely, he would collect the reward and his family would never be hungry again.
"I will do it," Blaine promised the night sky. "I'll rescue lady Rachel."
"You absolutely will not!" Blaine's mother said in a tone that allowed no argument. She stirred the soup pot savagely as if she could stir away all of Blaine's plans. "You will stay with your family and perform as you normally do. Then we will move on as usual."
They were cooking breakfast the next morning outside of their wagon and preparing for their day.
"Mother, I can do this. If you would just—"
"I have to agree with your mother," Doug put in. "It's not very wise to go poking at evil wizards." Although Blaine liked his stepfather, he wanted to stuff the brush he was currently using to polish his shoes down his throat.
"Doug, while I appreciate your advice, I'm talking to my mother right now." Blaine turned back to where she was stirring the pot resolutely. "Mother? Please look at me." Blaine moved closer to her and tried to catch her eye.
She stared down at the mix of vegetables and beans like it held all the answers of the universe. Blaine put his hand over hers, making her stop stirring.
"Mother?"
She heaved a great sigh and finally met his eyes. Her brows were furrowed and her mouth pursed. "I'm sorry, Blaine. I cannot let you go off to be murdered by that madman. No one else has come back from it and they were more heavily armed than you." She looked down pointedly at his fuzzy sweater and puppet tucked into his belt in lieu of a sword.
"I won't be murdered!" Blaine protested. "That's my point! I'm not going to try to hunt him down. I'm just going peacefully to try to talk to him. I owe it to Lady Rachel."
Pam rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away. "You owe her nothing. She was a girl you played games with as a child. You belong here, with your family."
Blaine crossed his arms. "So I shouldn't care at all what happens to one of the only friends I've ever had?"
"Cooper, talk some sense into your brother," their mother begged as she began to dish out the soup.
The elder son had been uncharacteristically quiet during this whole discussion. Blaine had wondered if he had gotten sick from drinking the night before even though he didn't think he had that much. Now he rose from where he had been shining his blades for demonstration and testing the trick ones.
"Blaine, you know I think you capable," he tried, but Blaine didn't let him get very far.
"I don't care if you think! I can do it. If you don't support me, be quiet. Don't you dare try to act like father."
The hurt was plain on Cooper's face. Blaine regretted bringing up their father for a few moments, but he wasn't giving in. Cooper was his brother, not his father. He would never have a father again, no matter how kind Doug was. He was slightly mad at Cooper anyway for not returning the favor after he had covered for him so many times with Doug and their mother. Just this once he needed Cooper on his side.
"I'm sorry," Blaine said as he looked away from where his mother was glaring at him for bringing up their father. "But I've made up my mind."
Cooper put up his hands and slumped back down to continue his work. Having Cooper angry with him was an uneasy feeling, but this was important to him.
Pam set the bowls down on the folding table set up outside the wagon with finality. "Blaine Devon Anderson. You mentioned your father, but he would never abandon his family at a time like this when we stand to make a lot of money."
Guilt gnawed at him, but Blaine stubbornly pushed it away. "I'm twenty years old, mother."
"And old enough to know better. You are a puppeteer, not a warrior. You have a beautiful heart, but you will never be able to do this thing you want to do. Now sit, eat, and let's prepare for our show today." She sat down without another glance at him. Doug and Cooper wordlessly followed her example and began taking slices of bread to dip into their soup.
Blaine finally sat after it was clear his mother was finished arguing with him. However, he didn't speak the whole meal unless he was asked a direct question. He was still mad at them all, but he wasn't giving up. Once he set his mind, there was no changing it. He would do the show today and then this evening he would bring it up again. They would all be tired and too weak to fight. So Blaine ate his soup and planned his show along with his argument.
I'm sailing' away and I hope that you remember me
Their performance was good, but there wasn't a lot of interest considering everyone was still talking about what had happened to Lady Rachel. Now that the dark wizard could come and take away anyone he wanted, people weren't really in a jovial mood. Consequently, they didn't make much money, so the mood was decidedly downtrodden as they came back to their camp. Doug hadn't had any luck getting them a room on top of everything.
Pam tried to lift their spirits.
"News will spread of us and tomorrow will be better! Everyone is so frightened right now, they will need a distraction soon. Everything will be fine!"
Everyone nodded and began preparing camp. Blaine was setting up the table while Cooper and Doug put away their equipment and his mother was starting a fire.
"So I thought I would leave tomorrow," he announced. "I can be to the village in a half a day's walk. I figured I would begin there."
Doug and Cooper shared wide-eyed look while Pam calmly continued to build the fire.
"Sounds good? Alright. I'll just go pack…"
"I thought we had discussed this already," Pam replied cooly. "You are not going. You are staying here with your family where you belong."
Blaine crossed his arms and stared at his mother's back. "No, I told you that I'm leaving and you are trying to order me around like a child."
Pam dusted off her hands and stood from the fire. When she turned to face him, she had tears pouring down her face. "Because you are my child!" She scrubbed angrily at her eyes. "I love you and I don't want you to come to any harm! If you go, I'm terrified that I will never see you again!" She sobbed into her hands and Blaine instantly felt terrible. He went to his mother and wrapped his arms around her small frame.
"Mother, please don't cry. I'm sorry."
She buried her face into Blaine's shoulder and cried.
Blaine rubbed her back soothingly. "Mother, I'll be fine. I can't explain why I have to go, but I do. I just know I can get her back."
Pam pulled back, sniffling into her sleeve. "I can't lose you too." She cupped his face in her hands. "I just can't go through that again."
"You won't lose me." Blaine put his hands over hers. "But I have to do this. I will go and rescue Lady Rachel and then you will never go hungry again."
"I would starve before I let you get hurt." Pam tucked a stray curl behind Blaine's ear. She smiled sadly at him. "You need a hair cut."
"You can give me one before I leave tomorrow, but I am leaving. I know you're afraid for me, but I need to do this. I have to go out and make a name for myself. I promise I will return." Blaine took one of his mother's hands and kissed her fingers. "I need you to forgive me for doing this."
She still hadn't come around as they prepared dinner and neither had Doug. However, Cooper pulled him aside after they ate and assured him he would talk to their mother.
"You will?" Blaine asked, hope blooming in his chest. "You support me?"
"I do." Cooper gave him a dazzling smile and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I can't say I'm not afraid for you too, but I do believe you ought to be able to go out to seek your fortune. You are a grown man and you deserve to have a little adventure."
"Thank you, Coop." Blaine hugged him tightly and noticed Cooper looked a little misty-eyed afterwards. "I can't tell you what this means to me."
"Yeah, yeah." He messed up Blaine's hair and for once, he didn't even care. "Now I get all the attention."
"You already do." Blaine shoved him away playfully. "But thank you."
Cooper winked at him. "No worries, little brother."
Perhaps Cooper had some magic in him because miraculously, Doug and his mother were all smiles when they told him he had their blessing. Pam still insisted she trim his hair for him before he left and she still didn't seem happy, but she wasn't begging him not to go anymore. Doug gave him some good luck charms he was saving for a special occasion and Cooper presented him with a beautiful knife. He could scarcely fall asleep that night since he was so excited. He had never gone off on his own before and this… well this was an adventure.
His mother packed him enough food for the days to come and pressed a few extra coins into his palm that next morning.
"You be very careful. Don't do anything dangerous." She kissed his forehead and stepped away into her husband's arms.
Cooper gave him another hug that nearly squashed all his breath from his body. "Try to have some fun, Blainey. I'll see you soon."
Blaine bid them all goodbye before hitching his pack upon his back and heading in the direction of the village of Lima. He had a moment where fear squeezed his heart and he almost turned back, but Blaine set his jaw. He remembered the people's laughter at the inn and how his own family dismissed him immediately. He remembered Lady Rachel and how she told him he was her only friend. Determination outweighing his fear, Blaine strode forward.
Toward his destiny.
And my mother told me, "Son, let it be", sold my soul to the calling
Pam waited until Blaine was a smudge on the horizon before letting her neutral expression drop. She inhaled with difficulty and tried not to cry.
"Cooper, you're sure about this?" She clutched onto Doug's arm harder. "If he is hurt or worse, I don't know how I will go on."
Doug kissed her head. "He's smart, love. I'm sure he will be alright."
Cooper smiled faintly at his only brother disappearing into the distance. "It's like I told you, he's stubborn and he wouldn't have ever let this go. But he's also a giant coward. I guarantee he will come running back as soon as he gets one glimpse of the scary wizard. Don't fret, mother. We will have our Blaine back in a few days. Then he can put all this nonsense behind him."
What do we think? The next chapter will be the first look at the scary wizard! Thanks for reading!
Songs used in title/breaks:
Golden Dandelions: Barns Courtney
Heart of Stone: from the musical Six
Control: Halsey
Land of Opportunity: A Great Big World
Fire: Barns Courtney (acoustic version)
*we do not own any music used*