Summary: Pre-SPM. As royal heir of the Tribe of Darkness, Blumiere loved his tribe and hated humans...and then he met Timpani. Starts from Blumiere's upbringing in the Tribe of Darkness all the way to the beginning of SPM. Rated M for domestic abuse, character death, and suicidal ideation.

So, I've had these ideas in my head since at least February and I'm so glad I've finally gotten some of them down. This explores Blue's family in more detail. I first came up with the idea of his siblings in old chapters of one of my fics, but I deleted those chapters cause they sucked. Anyway, this also explores how Blumiere became Count Bleck in a little more detail too.

Disclaimer: I do not own Super Paper Mario. Characters belong to Nintendo. Laurette, Erik, Benjamin, and Roselyn are mine!

TW: This chapter contains physical abuse.

Chapter 1: Three Lords and One Lady

"For today's lesson, let us start with the founding of our Tribe," Their private tutor began. She opened a history book and set it on the desk in front of her. She flipped to a certain page in the book, smiled, and picked it up. The woman paced around the room with the book in her hands.

"You see, it all began 2,000 years ago," She said. "We were a small group within the Tribe of Ancients, but the old leaders were using a special artifact called the Dark Prognosticus for their own selfish gain. Not only that, but the dark visions in the book were making them greedy, power-hungry, and blind to the suffering of the rest of the group."

"Our ancestors could not stand for this. And so, a young man named Ajax took the Dark Prognosticus and gathered a group of like-minded people. Together, they left the Tribe of Ancients to protect our kind and formed what is known today as the Tribe of Darkness."

She stopped pacing and stood at the front of the room for a while. "You should find that especially interesting, boys. As members of the Nightshade family, Ajax's blood runs through all of your veins."

11-year old Blumiere gasped. "Really?"

"Yes. And as the first chieftain, Ajax ruled the Tribe. Now, that task will fall to one of you."

Blumiere smiled and looked to his two brothers. 9-year-old Erik stared at the copy of the history book in front of him, eyes glazed over. His leg was trembling, something it always did whenever he was feeling restless. And Benjamin, who was only 7 years of age…

He had his head buried in his copy of the textbook. He began to snore quite loudly. Blumiere cringed. He rested his palm against his forehead and sighed. Oh, Ben.

Erik frowned at his snoring brother and tried to shake him awake. "Ben!" It didn't work.

The tutor frowned. "Benjamin!" She went to the table and slammed her hands down against it. BOOM! "Wake up!"

Ben lifted his head. "Hmm?" He rubbed his eyes, yawning. "What?"

"Pay attention! You may be responsible for leading our Tribe one day!"

The boy rolled his eyes. "No, that's Blue. Father says he's gonna be the chief of the Tribe."

"And who do you suppose will lead if both Blumiere and Erik die?"

Ben stared blankly. "Rose?" He asked, referring to their younger sister. The tutor glared and smacked him against the head. "Ow!"

The woman turned away. "Anyway, let us proceed…"

After their private lesson was over and the tutor left, all three brothers walked through the hall together. They passed by servants, who bowed to them and greeted them by their formal titles. "Hello, Lord Blumiere!" "Morning, Lord Erik!" "Good day, Lord Benjamin!"

While Erik and Ben were proud of their status as sons of the Tribe's chieftain, Blumiere wished that the servants would greet him as an equal. He was still a child, so it felt strange for grown adults to bow before him. However, every now and then, there were a few servants and maids he came across that had known him for several years. It was nice to talk to these servants, who didn't see his title, but who he was as a person.

When the boys were in a quiet hall, Erik began to speak about what happened earlier. "She's right, you know," He said to Ben. "You will be responsible for leading the Tribe if Blue and I die."

Ben pouted. He muttered under his breath, "Maybe I don't wanna lead."

"Well, then what will you do when you get older?"

The 7-year-old beamed. "I'll be a warrior, defending the Tribe from any and all evil! Like those filthy humans!"

"Ben, you can't be a warrior. We're Nightshades. We take care of the tribe. We don't fight." Ben rolled his eyes and went back to pouting. Erik turned to his older brother and nudged him. "Blumiere, please talk some sense into him."

"Leave me out of this."

The youngest brother frowned. "No! Talk some sense into me, oh great future chief of the Tribe!"

Blumiere sighed. "Ben, you're acting like a bumbling Ancient. If you keep acting up during our lessons, that tutor will tell Father and then you'll get a lot worse than a smack to the head. I know you don't like school very much, but at least try to make an effort."

Ben frowned. He looked straight ahead. "Okay. Fine."

Erik let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Blue."

Blumiere nodded. He didn't like getting involved in arguments, so he only intervened when it was necessary. "Hey, did you still want to go to Moonstone Lake?"

Ben had suggested it this morning after school. The youngest brother lit up. "Yes!"

The boys stopped in front of their mother's bedroom door. Blumiere knocked and waited. He got no reply at first, just a lot of high-pitched giggling and laughter. Then, he heard her voice. "Come in!"

They walked in and saw their mother, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed. They also saw a 3-year-old girl running around, grabbing necklaces and putting them on her mother. The woman had at least six necklaces on now, but she didn't appear annoyed. Instead, she laughed.

The girl turned to them and smiled. "Blue!" She ran up to Blumiere and hugged his legs.

Blumiere laughed and stroked her back. "Hi, Rose."

His sister smiled and hugged him even tighter. Her full name was actually Roselyn, but Rose had been her nickname since birth. In fact, in the three years since she had been born, the siblings had been using their nicknames for each other more often. After all, it was difficult for a child her age to say 'Blumiere.' (She pronounced it "Boom-ear" when they tried to teach her to say it.) But she could say 'Blue' no problem.

Rose reached for a necklace and turned to Blumiere. He laughed and bent down. She put it around his neck. When she was done, she pointed. "You a pity pincess too!" With that, she ran to her mother, who hugged her and tickled her.

Erik laughed and went to them. "Do you want me to get that stuff off of you, Mother?"

Mother smiled. "No, no. It's fine." Looking at all three boys, she asked, "How did your lesson go?"

Ben's eyes widened. He looked to Blumiere, a pleading look in his eyes.

"It went fine," Blumiere said. His youngest brother let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Can we go to the lake today, Mother? And no guards, please!"

She furrowed her brows. "No guards?"

"I-I just don't like it when they address me by my formal title and treat me like a grown-up…" Blumiere said, messing with the hem of his shirt. That was true, but he also found those men scary and intimidating. He wouldn't say that part in front of his brothers though. Looking back up, he added, "Plus, I'm old enough to take care of Erik and Ben. I promise!"

Mother thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "Alright." The boys cheered and thanked their mother. They started to leave the room. "As long as you bring your sister."

All three boys groaned. Blumiere loved Rose, but that didn't mean that he wanted to watch over her right after school. "Why?"

Mother stood. "I have to speak with your Father soon. He's very stressed right now. And I'm still trying to get Roselyn to calm down without her family here. Every time I leave her with a servant, she just starts crying and won't stop until I come and calm her down. And your grandfather is busy today too. She trusts you three though. Please, just watch after your sister for a little bit."

Blumiere looked to Erik and Ben. Neither of them looked happy. He sighed. He felt the same as them, but he didn't see a way out of the situation. "Alright. Fine. Come on, Rose." The girl smiled and joined her brothers.

As the four walked down the hall, Ben pouted. "Great. We're stuck babysitting when I wanted some time away from my duties."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find a way to deal with her," Erik said. "Just calm down, 'kay?"

Blumiere peered down at Rose. She had a sad look on her face. He sighed and offered his hand. "Ignore them, Rose. You're fine with us." She smiled and held Blumiere's hand. Turning to his brothers, he asked, "So, what do you two think Father is so stressed about?"

Ben scoffed. "Oh, probably reading that dumb book again."

The oldest brother frowned. "Hey! The Dark Prognosticus is not dumb! It contains prophecies of our Tribe's future!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. But if the Dark Pop-posterus is so great, why can't we read it? Why only Father?"

Blumiere sighed. "Because, Ben, only the Tribe's chieftain can read it. You know this."

"Alright. Whatever."

The three of them continued with their conversation while the youngest sibling made short comments here and there. Eventually, they left the castle and passed through the surrounding village. Lots of tribesmen and tribeswomen recognized the siblings and shouted out their titles, just as the servants did. The only difference was that there was a fourth name thrown in the mix this time. "It's the Lords. And they brought Lady Roselyn!" "Oh, Lady Roselyn is so adorable!"

Rose smiled and waved at everyone. "Hi!"

Soon, the four of them passed through the nearby woods and came across Moonstone Lake. Blumiere felt a rush of adrenaline course through him. If they walked further out into the woods, they would come across the 10-year-old magic barrier that kept the human village separate from the Tribe of Darkness. Humans could not pass through this barrier, but being magic beings, their kind could if they wanted to.

But of course they wouldn't. It was against the rules and besides, the humans were so corrupt and dangerous that if any member of the Tribe left the group, they would probably kill them on sight. So, they stayed by the lake.

Erik smiled. "Finally! I've been looking forward to this all morning!" He took off his glasses, his suit jacket, and his pants before jumping into the lake. Ben smiled and did the same. When the younger brother rose from the water, he spit water in Erik's direction. The 9-year-old laughed. "Eww! Gross!" He turned. "Blue, get in here!" He said, gesturing to them.

Blumiere started to take off his jacket, then looked at Rose. She still didn't know how to swim. "What about Rose?"

"She'll be fine! Come on!"

He hesitated. "I don't know...Mother said-"

"Oh, come on!" Ben joined in. "Unless you're a coward...like Darren!"

Blumiere frowned. The boys had an uncle who had done something so horrible, so egregious, that he had been cast out of the Tribe forever. They didn't know what he had done; everyone got so tense and angry whenever any of the children asked. This had all happened when Blumiere was still an infant; his siblings hadn't even been born yet. Still, Father didn't hesitate to bring up his estranged brother from time to time, almost always in a negative light.

The oldest brother turned to Rose and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rose, why don't you go pick flowers over there?" He asked, pointing to a flower patch. The little girl smiled and walked to the flowers.

Blumiere turned back to his brothers, took his shirt off, and jumped into the lake with them. After he swam to the surface, both Ben and Erik cheered. The oldest brother smiled. "No splashing though!"

SPLASH! Blumiere turned, glaring. "Ben! I just said NO splashing!"

The boy laughed. "You're just being a coward!" He splashed his oldest brother again. This time, Erik did the same.

Blumiere turned to his other brother in disbelief. "What? You too, Erik?"

"Yes!" Erik said. He splashed Blumiere again. Ben quickly joined in. They kept splashing him, the oldest brother cringing the whole time. The second eldest said, "Come on! Don't be a coward, Blue!"

Blumiere glared. "Ugh...That's it!" He turned to the water. He took a deep breath and let magic energy course through him. Slowly, he raised his hand and the water gradually rose into a tidal wave. Ben and Erik's eyes widened. Blumiere grinned and let the wave hit both of them. The boys screamed and sunk into the lake, but a few seconds later, they rose from the water, coughing.

Erik jerked towards him. "HEY! No magic outside of class, 'kay? That's against the rules!"

"Your childish nonsense is against the rules!" Blumiere said, splashing him.

The other boy splashed back. "YOUR FACE is against the rules!"

The boys began splashing one another, only this time, it was every man for himself instead of two boys ganging up on one. After a while, Blumiere laughed. "Alright, alright! No more!"

Ben thought for a moment. "I'm getting better at my magic too, Blue!" He summoned a small burst of fire with his hand.

"Oh, that's great!"

Erik summoned an identical flame in his hand. "Hey. How come you can't do fire like us, Blue? You do good with that creation element though."

Blumiere blinked. "Creation?" Erik nodded. The oldest brother thought for a while, then his eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, you mean this!" With that, he summoned new energy: a purple and black burst of dark matter. He made it disappear just as quickly. He had only started learning that element and he was already good at it.

Blumiere thought for a moment. "I don't know, really." He stroked his chin, trying to remember their magic lessons. "I think our magic tutor said each of us is drawn towards one element more naturally...or something…"

Erik smirked. "Yeah. Sounds about right." He turned to all three brothers. "'Kay. No more magic. What now?"

Ben thought before smiling. "I know! Breath-holding contests! All three!"

Blumiere sighed. He was never one for situations where he felt out of control. Even though he could rise to the surface at any moment, he still felt a bit vulnerable under water. Still, he agreed. "Alright, I guess…"

Erik smirked. "I'm gonna beat both of you."

Ben counted to three before the boys took a big gulp of air and dived in. It was hard to see in the lake, as the water was dark and murky. Still, Blumiere could make out two blobs in the water. Slowly, one of them rose. The bigger form, Erik, held out for longer before he floated to the surface too. Blumiere joined right after him. The three took a moment to gather their breath before the oldest brother looked to Erik, smiling. "What was that about beating me?"

Erik frowned. "Shut up!"

The boys kept playing together for at least another hour or so. With all the lessons, loud parties he had to attend, and constant pressure he felt as the chief's son, Blumiere liked relaxing with his brothers and acting like a child for once. Plus, Rose didn't seem to make too much of a fuss, doing whatever she was doing in the woods.

As the late morning was winding down, the boys were playing another game where they got to ask one another questions, but there was a twist: they had to pick one out of two awful options. Ben turned to Blumiere. "So, Blue. Would you rather kiss another boy…" He smirked. "Or a human girl?"

Blumiere's eyes widened and he swam back. "BLECH! You have a disgusting mind, Ben." He thought for a moment and sighed. "Can it be on the cheek or something?"

"Nope! It has to be lips!"

He let out another sigh. "Fine then. Another boy. Whose turn is it to ask questions again?"

Erik's eyes widened. "Yours, Blue." He laughed. "But if you really fancy other gentlemen, I'll tell Father to find another boy for you to marry one day."

The oldest brother glared and splashed him. "You know I only like girls in that way." He turned to both of his brothers. "But a human girl!? That's gross! I would never, ever want anything to do with one of those filthy, evil creatures!"

They laughed. "Yeah," Ben agreed. "Me neither. Just wanting to see which you would pick."

"I'd be more grossed out if you chose to kiss a human!" Erik said. "Another one of our kind is the only clean option, even if it is another boy." The other boys nodded in agreement. Then the second eldest frowned. He sighed. "We should return home now. Mother will start to get worried."

Ben sighed. "I hate when you're right." He got out of the lake with Erik at his side.

Blumiere started to follow, but nearly tripped on something in the water. He frowned and peered into the lake. What was that thing? It was a large blob with no distinguishable features...

"Hey, Blue?" Erik asked. "Where's Rose?"

His eyes widened. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. Blumiere held his breath and dived into the water. He swam down and pulled out his sister. He rushed to the surface and laid her on the grass. Erik and Ben rushed to his side. "Roselyn!" They cried.

Blumiere moved her hair aside and performed mouth-to-mouth on her. He leaned back and she was deathly still. She did not appear to be breathing.

His eyes grew impossibly wide. No, no, no. Blumiere put his head against her chest and let out a sigh of relief. He looked up at his brothers. "Her heart's still beating!" He frowned. "But she still needs help."

Ben started shaking, tears running down his face. He clasped his hands over his mouth.

Erik began panting hard. "Oh, Jaydes…" He suddenly turned. "Blumiere! What do we do!?"

Blumiere looked at his brothers. He was only a child himself, but they were counting on him. He looked down at his sister, small and helpless and barely hanging on. Blumiere picked Roselyn up in his arms and stood. "C-Come on! We've got to hurry!"

Erik and Ben nodded. All three boys ran back to the tribe with their sister in tow.

That afternoon was the most terrifying and frantic that Blumiere had ever known. He raced through the village with his brothers, shoving past anyone who tried to talk with him and ignoring the everyday people calling out his name.

Finally, he ran into the person he needed most right now. Layla, the Tribe's shaman, stood outside her small home. Her eyes widened as the three boys raced towards her. When they were a few feet away, Blumiere cried, "Layla, we need your help!"

Layla stared with shock. "My Lords! W-What is the trouble?"

Panting, Blumiere said, "It's...our...sister! Sh-She needs help…" The shaman stared in disbelief before taking Rose in her arms. Blumiere went on. "Sh-She's not breathing and I already tried mouth-to-mouth and-"

"It's alright," Layla said. "It's alright. I can feel her soul still with us, but she needs help immediately. Come."

She went inside her home and all three boys followed her. She had the boys sit in the small, yet comfortable living room while she went to help Rose. The shaman told them to wait and that she would be out as soon as possible. However, she also warned them that there was a chance that Rose wouldn't make it.

Blumiere sat in the middle of the worn-down couch. He whispered, "Th-This was all my fault...I should've been watching her!"

"No!" Ben said, crying. He sat to Blumiere's right. "It's mine! I-If I hadn't suggested going to the lake in the first place-"

"STOP IT!" Erik shouted, trembling. "It was all of our faults. We all should have been watching her. Besides, I'm the one who pressured you into joining us in the lake, Blue." He peered into the back room that Layla had taken their sister into. "W-We just gotta hope she's gonna be okay…"

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Blumiere stood and went to answer it. He opened the door and his eyes widened when he saw who was standing on the other side. Mother and Father were both there. Blumiere hugged his mother. "Mother!"

Mother hugged him back. "We heard about all the commotion. A servant summoned us here right away…" She pulled away and glanced at all three of her children. "Oh, boys. I told you to look after her! I told you!"

Father frowned. Even now, he took the Dark Prognosticus with him, tucked between his side and right arm. He stepped further inside and looked around. "Where is she?"

"L-Layla is taking care of her," Ben whispered.

Father nodded and sat down at a nearby chair, opening the Dark Prognosticus. Mother remained standing, but her hands were trembling. The boys exchanged nervous glances.

After a moment of tense silence, Layla stepped outside. Rose walked out with her. The whole rest of the Nightshade family lit up. "Roselyn!" They all said at the same time.

Layla grinned. "She's going to be alright. I would recommend avoiding that lake though." She turned to their parents. "Count Derrick, Countess Laurette, you're very lucky. She was hanging by a thread, but she should be okay now."

Rose walked to them with a blank look in her eyes. Blumiere let out a sigh of relief and bent down. "R-Rose, I…" Just then, she burst into tears. The oldest brother hugged her, but she quickly wiggled out of his grip. "No!" Instead, she turned to her mother and ran to her, hugging her legs. "Mama!" She continued to weep.

Mother smiled grimly, rubbing her back. "Oh. It's okay, sweetheart. You're okay now."

Father let out a sigh of relief, then turned to the boys. "Blumiere. Erik. Benjamin. Calm yourselves. I know you are not all responsible for today." The brothers relaxed. For a moment, Blumiere thought everything would be okay. That is, until his Father went on. "Now, whose idea was it to go to the lake today?"

There was a moment of silence. The atmosphere was just as dark as it had been moments before. Mother looked at them and bit her lip. Rose was too young to understand and kept weeping.

Suddenly, Erik stood and joined his Father's side. "N-Not mine, sir!" Blumiere glared. He hated when Erik got like this. Always sucking up to Father, even if someone else was in trouble.

Father scowled at his second eldest son. "Then whose idea was it?"

Erik stepped back. "Well...I...uh…" He turned to Blumiere and Ben.

Blumiere glanced at Ben. According to Father, he was the one who deserved punishment. However, the small boy was already shaking and tearing up. The oldest brother frowned. He was only 7 years old. He didn't deserve what Father had in mind. Besides, Blumiere was the one who agreed to look after Rose.

Having made his decision, he turned to Father. "It was mine, sir."

Ben let out a small gasp. When he glanced at him, he saw a smile and gratitude in his eyes. Meanwhile, Father frowned. "I see." He turned to his wife. "Laurette, we are done here. Let's just get the children home."

Mother nodded. "Thank you so much for everything, Layla. Come along, boys."

As the Nightshade family left, Blumiere caught a glimpse of the shaman, watching them with a confused look on her face.

The family walked back to the castle in silence. This time, no one bothered to greet them. Even though the sun was still shining, the day felt cold and bleak to Blumiere. He felt the dread inside of him grow as they got closer and closer to the castle.

Once they got back, everyone was allowed to return to their devices. That is, except for Blumiere. Father took him to his bedroom and shut the door behind them.

All was silent.

Blumiere gulped. "F-Father, I'm-"

SMACK! The slap was so hard that Blumiere fell to the ground. He stroked his cheek with a shaking hand. It was hot already.

Father glared. There was nothing but anger and hatred in those burning red eyes of his. "YOU FILTHY CHILD!" He summoned his staff, the one made of wood that contained a polished sapphire, cut into a diamond shape. Suddenly, he began beating Blumiere with it over and over, shouting at him. "YOU'RE JUST LIKE DARREN, AREN'T YOU!? ALWAYS RUNNING AWAY FROM YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES! AREN'T YOU!?"

"Father, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Blumiere cried, hot tears sliding down his face. No matter how hard he cried, Father did not relent. He began punching and kicking him as well as using his staff. He didn't stop shouting, cheeks burning a dark shade of purple. Soon, Blumiere felt a part of himself break away while the small, helpless 11-year-old boy cried before him. That made it a little easier.

After Grambi knew how long, Father stopped. He threw his staff to the ground, which was now covered in blood. Bang. With that, he left the room, muttering to himself. SLAM! Blumiere was left alone.

The small boy was still shaking. He held his knees close and sobbed. The room was still so dark. How was it so dark, even in the middle of the day?

Just then, the door opened again. Slowly this time. Blumiere shook his head. "I-I'm sorry…" He said in a small voice. He gulped. "I-I'm so sorry…"

A gentle voice. "Blumiere." The boy gasped and looked up. Nero Mandrake stood before him with a small flame in his hand. He looked like Mother with his violet skin and wise silver eyes. His purple hair was turning gray and he had wrinkles all over his face. "Are you alright?"

Blumiere let out a sigh of relief, then shook his head. "N-No, Grandfather. I did something horrible today…"

Grandfather sighed. "You are not the one who did something horrible." He offered his free hand. "Come, Blumiere. Let's get you cleaned up."

After healing his wounds, Grandfather took Blumiere to his bedroom. He sat in his rocking chair while his grandson cuddled up against him. He wrapped him in blankets and whispered soft words into his ear. It wasn't his fault. Roselyn was going to be just fine. He was very brave to take the blame for Benjamin.

Now that Blumiere felt better, there was a question that nagged at his mind. It had been there for years, but now, he could not ignore it any longer. Besides, he was 11 years old now. The Tribe couldn't expect to keep the secret from him forever. "Grandfather?"

"Yes, young one?"

He turned over so that he was looking at Grandfather in the face. "What did Darren do that was so bad?"

The old man's eyes widened. His face grew a lighter shade of purple. "W-Why are you asking about that now, Blumiere?"

"F-Father said I was just like him. Th-That I always run away from my responsibilities. Because I should've been watching Rose..."

Grandfather frowned. After a long moment of silence, he said, "No, Blumiere. That is not true. You see, your Uncle Darren...He…" The old man sighed. "He fell in love with a human."

Blumiere's eyes widened. "A-A human? Is that why Father hates him so much?"

"Well, even when he was here, the two never got along well."

The boy glared. Suddenly, he felt the same disdain for him that Father did. "Why would he abandon our Tribe for a dirty human?"

"I cannot say."

Blumiere sighed. "Well...I'm never going to be like him." He beamed. "I'll be the best chief that the Tribe of Darkness has ever seen!"

Grandfather grinned. "I'm sure you will, Blumiere."

The boy smiled and fell asleep in his grandfather's lap.

Lemme know if you want more! This is different from what I write normally write haha. It's also the first story I've posted with an M rating. Writing the scene where Blue gets beaten up by his own dad was hard, but necessary goddamn it.

-Free