Color slowly started to return to Eris’s face. She hadn’t noticed how tan he was. It had a dark warmth to it. Over the time she’d known him, she’d never really taken time to look at him. The days she’d spent with him had been either taking care of the wound on his leg or panicking he would hurt her. To her relief, he no longer seemed hostile. Only a day had passed since he broke out of the ropes, and his eyes hadn’t turned red.

She still wore the gloves and cloak Father gave her. The last thing she wanted was for him to glimpse or touch her blue skin. Lucia would only take them off momentarily to wash and dress his leg. She was lucky he’d only felt her gloved hand, which still made her uncomfortable.

Every day, she would bring fresh water from her spring and wash out his wounded leg. It was hard for him to put weight on it, so he had to sit around most of the time. She hadn’t known him long but could tell this was hard for him. He would, on occasion, shift his weight restlessly.

“So what’s this faint glowing stuff?” Eris asked. He was leaning against a flat part of the wall, half lying down. Lucia had just finished cleaning the wound and was now redressing it.

“It's algae and moss,” She said. “While it’s alive, it glows faintly. The glow fades when you pick it.”

“Hmmm,” his sound was contemplative. “Can you use it as a torch to see then? If you gather enough of the stuff?”

Lucia paused, dressing his wound. She’d never thought about that use. She’d never needed it. In theory, you should be able to if you have enough and are quick about it. “I guess you could.”

“I’m gonna try it sometime,” He said. “It's just too dark in here.”

“You can when you're leaving,” her tone was final, and he didn’t press her. He’d learned not to question her on her appearance, and she appreciated it.

“Where did you learn to heal anyway?”

Lucia finished and gave it a last tug to secure it, making him inadvertently wince.

“Sorry,” she said.

“No, it’s okay,” his right hand was patting a wet rock next to him while he looked at the cave ceiling. He continued this action as she secured the dressing, an apparent attempt to distract himself from the pain of his leg. Lucia felt terrible. She wasn’t trying to cause more pain.

“Father brought me books,” she said, sliding her hands back into the gloves. “And I explored in my free time. I accidentally cut my hand once and noticed where the algae was; it healed faster.”

“Interesting… you could make a fortune off this stuff.”

“You don’t have something like this in Calos?” Lucia sat next to him, a healthy amount of space between them.

He laughed softly, “We have many skilled healers, but I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve seen many healers.”

Lucia couldn’t help but chuckle, “Were you clumsy as a child?”

“Now… I wouldn’t say clumsy, more like… reckless.”

In the short time she had gotten to know him, this didn’t seem to shock her. A rambunctious tan boy with curly hair jumps off rocks and climbs trees out in the open air, playing with other children.

“I gave my nursemaid a fright most of the time,” Eris’s tone turned more reminiscent. “The cold breeze on my face as I would run down the hills. There’s nothing like it.”

Lucia tried to imagine it. She pictured the hills she’d seen in her books. The painted portraits of clouds hugging close to damp fields. She could almost smell the fresh air.

“I guess my family all think I’m dead now…” there was a sad tone to his voice.

Lucia looked up. His face was wilted, eyes looking down. She hadn’t given any thought if he had family. She felt sorry for him. She knew if Father thought she was dead, it would cause him great pain. She could only imagine the pain his family was experiencing.

“Have you ever seen mountains, Lucia?” Eris asked. He stared in her general direction, but his eyes seemed to be looking at a different scene. Admiring a landscape Lucia could only faintly imagine. His eyes seemed happier now.

Lucia was pulled back to reality, back to her cave. “No, I haven't.”

“Well, you should come with me. Just for a visit, of course. I wouldn’t make you stay.”

Lucia looked at him. He was looking vacantly around the cave, waiting for her response.

“I couldn’t.” It was hard for Lucia not to feel sad. She wanted to see things, to experience them, but she knew the world wasn’t a nice place. Father could keep her safe as long as she stayed in her cave.

“Wait,” Eris said, sitting up a bit more. “Have you ever left these caves?”

“I have. I’ve seen the castle walls.”

“Just the castle walls? Not the castle itself?”

“Father…” her voice trailed off. “Wants to keep me safe.”

Father was all she had. He’d always been there for her, protected her. She couldn’t just leave. She had a job to do, a purpose here.

“Well,” His tone was cautious. “I could keep you safe.”

Lucia looked at him again. The darkness around them hid her shock. A warm feeling welled up in the center of her chest. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She didn’t want to believe the words she was hearing. He would get better and need to leave, and no matter how much she wanted to go, Lucia knew her place was here with Father.

“Ah-” Lucia stuttered on her words. “I just can't leave.”

“I’m guessing I have about a week before my leg is healed enough to walk,” he said. “I have that long to convince you to come with me.”

Lucia was shocked yet again and somewhat excited by his statement. She pushed the excitement away.

“What? Really?”

“You could become an incredible healer with the proper tutelage.”

“Tutelage?”

Even in the darkness, she could see a single eyebrow raise, “Someone to teach you, train you.”

“You can have someone train you in one thing?” excitement invaded her words, as much as she tried to hide it. “Like a book just about one thing?”

“Yeah…” Eris said. Lucia didn’t like his confused tone.

“I was just asking for… clarity.”

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” he said.

“Do what?”

“Act like you're not excited about something,” his tone was warm. “And I don’t mean to be shocked by what you say. I’m just not used to someone… not knowing what I know.”

His eyes were soft as he stared blankly in her vicinity. That peaceful blue almost shined in the darkness. They glowed with an almost innocence she’d never seen. That same warm feeling flared up again. This time, she didn’t wholly shove it aside. It was a feeling she had never had before, and it was almost… nice.

“I actually know someone that would be perfect to teach you,” Eris said. “She can be a little tough to get along with, but she is definitely the best. I want to say she uses some magic.”

Lucia tried to picture a scenario like what he was saying. Lucia leaving with him… and learning magic. She imagined Father coming for a visit and discovering her gone, the pain on his face. She shook her head to get the image out of her mind.

“What’s it like where you're from?” Lucia asked in an attempt to change the topic.

“Calos?” his blank stare moved toward the ceiling again. “You must know something about it because you know the proper burial rite.”

“I actually only know that,” her tone was sheepish.

“Really?” he almost laughed. “You know the tiniest little detail but nothing really about the place as a whole.”

“Yeah, not really.”

“I guess that's fair.” His tone was more understanding. “What good is book smarts to actually experiencing a place? Do you know the legends?”

“Legends?”

Eris was quiet, which made Lucia lean in for a closer look to see why. The warmth in her chest burned a little hotter when she saw he was stifling a laugh. She tried to stop a smile. There was something about the situation that made her stomach do butterflies. At least he was trying not to make her feel like a child.

“Your parents never told you bedtime stories?” Eris asked after the laughter had passed. “This story isn’t just a Calosean legend.”

Lucia shook her head, “No. Father was always too busy to tell me… and I don’t have a mother. Father gets too sad to talk about her.”

Eris’s eyes opened wide, pain evident in his eyes, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

“You didn’t,” Lucia smiled reassuringly. “Father shows his love in other ways… and I’ve never really known what it's like to have a mother, So I don’t know the pain of losing one.”

His blue eyes still showed pain, “I’m sorry nonetheless.”

“Thank you for that.” Lucia hadn’t noticed how close he was now to her. That once healthy distance had shrunk as they chatted. He was now closer than an arm's length away. She didn’t mind it.

“Ok,” Eris began, his tone now cheerful. “Let's start at the very beginning. I’m going to tell you a story.”