Mrei swiftly changed into one of her simpler dresses and donned her favorite short jacket - it got chilly in the evenings - and a cap from her favorite band's tour. The latter Tamaris had gotten for her on the condition that she never wear it in public.

Then she slipped back into the balcony, over the railing and down the ivy-covered wall. They weren't visible from even short distance from down below, but there were actually good handholds under the plants. She wasn't the first princess who'd sometimes wanted to sneak out into the garden - or beyond - on their own. The bars in the fence surrounding the garden weren't designed to keep children out - or in - either.

It wasn't until she reached the festivities that she much to her own disappointment realized she hadn't brought any money with her. She had never needed to before - she was always accompanied either by daddy, Tamaris, chancellor Varlon or a guard or two.

Maybe she could promise to come back to pay tomorrow? Surely they'd trust her word on it-

No no no! She quickly shook her head. If she let anyone notice who she was, she'd have to act like a princess again. There was much to see here even without money. But those roasted sugar pastries smelled so good...

Not paying enough attention to where she was going in her hurry to get away from the alluring smells, Mrei ran straight into someone else. Before she could recover from the impact, she fell down on her backside.

Lucas stared in surprise at the girl he had collided with. She was about his own age and had pretty blonde hair and large, smoky green eyes. Then he quickly held out his hand. "Are you hurt? Let me help you up."

She almost automatically took his hand. "Thank you. I'm fine."

Once she was back on her feet, she studied him curiously. "Is that some festival costume?" she asked.

Lucas looked himself over the best he could. As far as he knew, he was dressed completely normally. Sneakers, dirt-colored pants and a light shirt with a tribal vest over it. "What?"

"That skin paint. And that vest. And those bracelets and earrings."

"What skin paint- Oh!" Lucas started laughing. "My skin is really colored like this. Have you never met anyone from Skyfall tribe?"

"Never even heard about them." She hastened to add, "But it's really nice to meet you. I'm sorry for running into you."

"Eh, it was my fault too. I was so awed by this all that I wasn't watching where I was going." He held out his hand again. "I'm Lucas."

She shook his hand. "Mrei. Is this your first time here?"

"Yeah..." Lucas scratched his neck. "It is a little overwhelming."

"How about I'd be your guide? You could tell me more about your tribe too." After all, a princess should know all about her future subjects. She had probably not paid enough attention in classes again. And Lucas was cute with that brown skin, dark brown hair and expressive eyes. Just a little bit.

"That would be great!"

There was that good smell again. "Um..." Mrei started carefully. "Would you lend me some money for snacks and games? I forgot to take any. I promise, really promise, to pay you back tomorrow." When Lucas seemed to hesitate, she quickly removed one of her golden earrings and held it out to him. "You can keep this as a token. Just till tomorrow."

Lucas closed her fingers around it. "I can't take it. I trust you. It's just...that I don't have much money either." Skyfall territory was farmland and mines and forests, each trade going strong, and he had been taught to identify basic metals. That was real gold. Anyone who was willing to offer an earring made of real gold as a token for a few coins had to be honest about it. "But maybe we could get two snacks each and play one game?"

"Yay!" Mrei squealed in delight.

There was much to see without money too. They watched the grand parade, listened to songs about the king who had united the continent under one ruler - known as the "Dawn King" -, and observed quite a few sideshow attractions before deciding which one to spend their little money on. And of course watched the fireworks shows too.

As the festivities started dying down, most children their age led back home by their parents, they settled on the soft grass of a park. Lucas spread the ground cover and sleeping bag he had been carrying with him on the ground, and they snuggled side-by-side on it, watching the sky. The day would end with thousands of light balloons being released to the sky, and Mrei really wanted to see that before going back to the palace.

"Where are your parents, Lucas?" she suddenly asked. "Why didn't they come see the festival with you?"

Lucas was quiet for a moment before replying. "My father is back home. I'm looking for my mother and older sister. I haven't seen them for years."

"I see...My mommy died years ago, and I don't have any brothers or sisters. So it's just me and daddy too," Mrei offered.

"I'm sorry to hear that. At least my family is still alive." Or at least he hoped that was the case. He didn't really know what had happened to them. "And my tribe is also my family."

"Oh, right!" Mrei exclaimed, then rolled over to look at Lucas. "I wanted to ask this earlier, but forgot. Why is your tribe called Skyfall anyway?"

Lucas smiled. "We're the descendants of the sky people. A long, long time ago there was a land like nothing we now know beyond the clouds. A land blessed by the Sky spirits, where there was no hunger, no illness. But then the sky people were stranded on earth."

"Why?" Mrei asked.

"Well..." Lucas smiled sheepishly. "You'd have to ask my father. I've forgotten that part. Anyway, they built their homes in where we now live, the area that is known as Skyfall territory."

"You're a heathen!" Mrei suddenly exclaimed.

"Excuse me?"

"I learned about it in school. Skyfall territory was inhabited by heathens who worshipped sky spirits before the Kingdom of Dawn was formed."

"Hey, hey...we still do. Just not as openly as in the past." Lucas turned his eyes back to the sky. "I remember my mother praying every day for the spirits to open a path to our ancestral land, to return us to that paradise beyond the clouds."

"Do you believe that it really exists? What if it's just an old story?"

"...Yeah. I do. The Sky spirits do exist, so why would their domain not?" Before Mrei could say anything, he added, "Look, it's starting."

All questions about spirits and mysterious lands were instantly forgotten as the sky filled with flickering lights rising ever upward.

Up and up, to the clouds and beyond. Just like the souls of the deceased rising to join the Sky spirits.

"You were right," Lucas commented. "They're really pretty."

There was no reply.

"Mrei?" he asked as he turned his head to look at her, only to find her soundly asleep. Oh well. She could go home in the morning. His sleeping bag was adult-sized, so they should be able to both fit in.

Careful not to wake her, he propped a transparent plastic sheet - a very simplified version of a tent - on two short metal poles and anchored it to the ground. It would keep them dry should it rain during the night. Then he returned to Mrei's side and zipped the sleeping bag closed around them.

~*~*~

Author's notes: I generally leave descriptions vague enough to have room for imagination. Therefore you as a reader are free to picture Lucas however you like. He could resemble African, Indian or Native American. Or someone from Near East. The only thing important to the story is that he's "different" from what Mrei is used to.

Personally I see him resembling African - Native American mix, with mid or dark caramel skin, chocolate eyes and straight dark brown hair.