Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time does not belong to me! All characters and references to the show belong to ABC and Channel 5
O.k, so I tried to fight off the plot bunny with this but the damn thing just wouldn't leave me alone! So here's a little one-shot centered around Baelfire and Moraine.
Birthday
"Moraine! Will you please stop rushing around and help me with these dishes?!" said the middle aged blonde woman to her daughter, her forearms covered in soap suds.
"Sorry Mama!" Moraine apologised, bounding over to the sink with a washcloth and started vigorously drying a plate "I can't help it! I'm so excited!"
Moraine's mother sighed, but smiled kindly "Your birthday's not until tomorrow, Moraine!"
"I know that!" Moraine said, still squirming excitedly "But Mama! I'm going to be fourteen!"
Her mother chuckled, passing Moraine another plate for her to dry "Oh, trust me, my child, being fourteen is not all it's cracked up to be! Not in the current circumstances" she said a little sadly, and Moraine bit her lip as she too remembered the war between Ogre and man raging on their doorstep, and the compulsory age of recruitment was getting lower all the time...
Moraine shook her head, she didn't want to think about that now "I know that, Mama, but this is different! I'm not gonna be a kid anymore! I'm going to be a woman!"
Moraine's mother couldn't help herself, she let out a huge, hysterical laugh that almost had her doubling over into the sink, and for a brief, frustration induced moment Moraine hoped she would. This wasn't funny! Being an adult meant everything around here! No-one treated you like you were some dumb little kid, they treated you with respect. Even Rumplestiltskin, the village coward (although Moraine would never call him that) had people coming up to his home and paying for the wool he spun.
"Why is it so important to you, dear?" Moraine's mother chuckled, and when the thirteen year old shrugged and started drying the next plate, she leaned closer to her daughter with a sly grin "It's not about a...boy, is it?"
Moraine gasped and flushed scarlet, nearly dropping her plate as her mind immediately jumped to the other, more embarrassing reason why she was so eager for adulthood.
Baelfire. Rumplestiltskin's thirteen year old son who's own fourteenth was just two days after hers. The two had been best friends ever since they were little, and for a while now Moraine had been starting to notice...things about the boy. Like the way the way his brown eyes sparkled he smiled, or the way his thick hair fell across his face, or the strong, almost ferocious way he defended his father when anyone dared speak ill of him...
For a long time, Moraine had been hoping that, maybe one day, their friendship would turn into something more, but whenever they got close to anything happening, like if Bae caught her when she stumbled in the woods, or when their hands accidentally touched when they flopped on the grass after a game, he would suddenly pull away and mumble something about his Papa needing him, and Moraine had come to the conclusion that he just didn't see her, as her father called it, that way.
But maybe..oh just maybe...he would start to see her that way when she became a little older.
"Moraine?" her mother loudly called her name, snapping her out of her dreams "Did you hear me, love?"
"W-what?" Moraine stuttered, grasping the dry plate more firmly in her hand, she then shyly turned away from her mother "Oh Mama, of course it's not about a boy!" she said, bending her head as she swiped the damp cloth across the plate.
Her mother watched her "Alright, if you say so..." she said, a small, knowing smile on her face as they turned back to the washing up.
Not long after that, there was a frantic knock at the door and Moraine's father answered it. There was a mumbling of voices, and moments later he came into the kitchen:
"Moraine, Baelfire's here to see you" he said "He say's it's important"
Moraine glanced up at her mother, questioning with a look if she could go, the older woman nodded, and Moraine hastily wiped her soapy hands on her brown dress as she reached the door.
And there stood Bae, breathing heavily and wearing a huge, excited smile that made Moraine's heart flutter crazily within her chest.
"Hi Baelfire" she smiled.
"Moraine! You're not gonna believe what I've found!" he panted, his eyes shining like flames with excitement.
"What?" she asked interestedly, and then frowned "Did you run here?"
"Never mind that!" said Bae, leaning in closer so that he could lower his voice "Listen, do you remember yesterday when we were playing ball? And Piper came along and kicked my ball into the forest?"
Moraine grimaced and nodded, remembering the way Bae's face had fallen when the ball his Papa had saved and saved to buy him disappeared into the woods, they had spent hours looking for it but Piper had given it an excellent kick. Unsurprisingly, none of the village children really liked the weird boy who dressed in bright, checkered clothes and played with his tin pipe all day. Not because he was different to them, but because he was really annoying, often sneaking into people's homes and putting rats into their pantry's, as well as kicking people's balls deep into the forest.
"Well, last night I sneaked out to look for it" said Bae, and Moraine gasped at his daring. Out? At night? Alone?! In the middle of a war?!.
Bae didn't seem to hear her gasp, and his voice was becoming faster and more animated as he reached the climax of his story "And while I was in the forest...I found something, Moraine! Something amazing!"
"What?!" Moraine asked, the way that Bae was acting was giving her a burning curiosity that threatened to eat her alive "What Bae?!"
But Bae shook his head "I...I can't tell you!" he said, and Moraine felt crushed. Didn't he trust her-"I wanna show it to you!"
Moraine's eyes widened, and she nodded "O.k! Let's go!" she said excitedly, but as she moved to step out of her home, Bae held up his hands to stop her.
"We can't go now" he said, and she started to feel confused, hadn't he just said...?
Looking a little guilty, Bae scratched the back of his head and explained "It has to be at night. Midnight"
"Oh" Moraine said, her excitement rapidly ebbing away to leave only depression "So, to see the thing..."
"You would have to come out at night" Bae finished for her, looking guiltier than ever.
After a long silence in which neither of them looked at each other. Moraine knew her parents would never let her out so late, and she was torn between not wanting to get in trouble, and finding out what this amazing thing was.
And to be alone with Baelfire under the stars...
"Why can't we just go and see them now?" she asked desperately, and Bae sighed:
"Well, for one, I think you can only see them-I mean it!" Bae flushed, embarrassed at giving something away, despite her disappointment, Moraine found herself trying not to smile at the cuteness of his blush at having given something away.
"You can only see it at night" he said, and a wave of regret settled over Moraine. Gods, how she wanted to go with him! But she couldn't, if her parent's caught her sneaking out-with a boy!-they'd go crazy!
Bae could see that Moraine was about to refuse, and he so desperately wanted-no, needed-her to see what he'd discovered. So, in a last ditch effort, he tried on more thing:
"Come on, Moraine!" he said, clasping a hand around her shoulder "I promise, it'll be worth it! And you're gonna be fourteen tomorrow anyway, so how about a little teenage rebellion?"
Moraine, who had been having trouble breathing the second Bae touched her, giggled scandelously, the temptation to agree almost crushing her. Quickly, she looked behind her to make sure neither of her parents were eavesdropping. All clear.
"O.k" she nodded at Bae, who smiled joyfully and gave her shoulder a squeeze. Moraine almost forgot how to breathe
"Great!" he said happily "I'll meet you on the edge of the woods, ten minuets before midnight, O.k?"
"O.k!" Moraine nodded, and after releasing her shoulder, he bounded away , turning only around once to shout: "Bring a lantern!" before rushing off to his own house.
Moraine giggled at her friend, excitement and curiosity bubbling through her and her shoulder still tingling from Bae's touch as she closed her cottage door.
OUAT
That night, after making sure her parents were fast asleep, Moraine wrapped her thick woollen shawl around her shoulders, picked up the lantern from her bedroom, and silently crept out of the house, slowly pulling the door closed so that it didn't make so much as a click!
As she walked to the edge of the forest, looking out for a second lantern Bae would be holding, her stomach was filled with butterflies. She was both terrified that her parents would discover her absence, and unbelievably excited for what Baelfire had to show her. What could it be? What amazing thing could only be found in a forest at night? Some kind of plant? Creature?
After almost ten minuets of walking she finally reached the edge of the forest, by now she could see Bae, wrapped in his own beige shawl and holding a lantern, she quickly waved to him and he waved back as she approached, a grin full of anticipation on his face.
"You're early!" he said, almost sounding surprised. Moraine gasped and poked him in the chest.
"So are you!" she accused. Bae laughed, and then looked towards the depths of the forest "You ready to go?" he asked, looking back at her.
Moraine looked into the darkened woods. Despite having played in those woods almost every day, she couldn't stop the small shiver of fear that went through her at the sight of the tall, dark tree's looming over her. She had never seen the forest at night and it looked terrifying, like every deadly creature that had ever existed could be hiding behind those shadows, just waiting to pounce and devour two kids who's parents had no idea where they were-
"Moraine?" she looked at Bae, who was frowning slightly "Are you O.k?"
Trying not to show how frightened she really was, Moraine nodded "Yes. Lets go!"
Perhaps Bae had seen a flicker of fear on her features because, as they headed into the forest, using the light of their lanterns to guide their way, he took her small hand in his own. Moraine almost gasped, and not just because his skin was so cold, his hand was surprisingly soft, not to mention comforting around her own. She could feel herself blushing and prayed Bae wouldn't see, but when she glanced up at him she saw, to her surprise, that his own cheeks were slightly pink.
They walked for a while, Moraine occasionally asking where he was taking her and Bae responding with looks of excitement and promises that they would get there soon. Their hands never came apart once, and when something small scampered across their path, Moraine gripped Bae's strong hand as though her life depended on it.
Bae smirked "Moraine, it's O.k, it was probably just a mouse" he said, squeezing her hand back.
"I-I know!" Moraine said defensively. Bae grinned, and they continued walking until they came to a long, thick patch of ivy against a huge oak tree who's trunk looked thicker than ten men. Bae suddenly stopped and Moraine almost crashed into him.
"Bae-!"
"This is it" he said, and Moraine frowned. This was what he wanted to show her? A patch of ivy? She could see ivy anytime at the back of her house!
But then Bae reached out his free hand and drew the Ivy to the right like a curtain, revealing a dark opening in the large trunk. It was completely black inside, and as Bae walked into it, gently pulling Moraine after him, she pressed a little closer to her friend, praying that they wouldn't get lost in this dark cavern.
She needn't have worried though, because almost as soon as they entered the tree, they were suddenly standing in a small thicket of green willows, the opening between them bathed in moonlight..
Moraine gasped and looked around behind her. The opening of in the tree was still there, but where there should've been a curtain of ivy on the other side, there was another black cavern.
Moraine stared at Bae "How-"
"I don't know" he shrugged "But don't worry, we can still get back to our forest"
Moraine breathed out in relief and looked at the meadow once again. Her eyes widened and she gasped in delight.
No longer having a need for them, Bae and Moraine lowered their lanterns. Everything up to the thick willow trees they were stood under was illuminated by moonlight. A large circle of lush grass was stood beyond them, and more flowers than Moraine had ever seen in her life decorated the grass and small hills that the willows rested on. Above her, Moraine could hear the sounds of nighttime birds calling to each other, fluttering in the branches as they settled in to roost. Moraine looked up to see them and gasped yet again. Along with the huge full moon, the black sky was decorated with thousands of bright, shining stars.
"Oh my Gods..." she breathed, staring at her surroundings in wonder. She suddenly realised why Bae had been so excited that morning "Baelfire...it's so beautiful!" she turned back to him, and saw that, instead of staring at the meadow, he was grinning at her.
"Come on" he whispered, using his grip on her hand to pull her towards one of the trees "It's almost time!"
"For what?" Moraine whispered back, starting to think that this magical meadow wasn't what Bae wanted to show her as he dragged her behind one of the willows.
Instead of answering her question, Baelfire-much to Moraines dismay-let go of her hand and gestured for her to squat down next to him behind the trunk. When she did so, he shifted back slightly so she had a good view of the meadow.
"Just watch, Moraine!" he whispered to her, never taking his eyes off the woodland "Just watch!"
Feeling more confused than ever, Moraine followed his instructions and stared at the meadow. For what felt like a long time they stayed like that, and although this place, hidden to human eyes, was truly amazing, she couldn't help but start feeling a little bored.
Suddenly, Baelfire stiffened, his own gasp emitting from his lips as he stared unblinkingly at the edge of the green. He inclined his head to Moraine:
"Moraine! Look!" he whispered, and she followed his pointed finger to a strange, bright light coming into the meadow. It was brighter than the moonlight, and seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, touching and brightening everything in it's path.
Caught somewhere between wonder and fear, Moraine leaned forward to whisper:
"Baelfire, what is th-?"
Words failed the teenage girl as it was finally revealed what was casting the light, her breath caught in her throat, and she had to concentrate so hard not to let her mouth fall open in shock and delight.
"Oh my Gods...Bae..." she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the magnificent sight.
"I know" whispered Bae, and Moraine smiled as the beautiful creature fully entered the meadow.
It looked like a horse, but instinct told Moraine that it was so much more. It's coat was pure white, and the light that touched each and every living thing (except the two children) appeared to be coming from that. The creatures mane was long and almost silver in colour, falling elegantly and smoothly down it's neck, the tail was the same colour, and swished gracefully behind the creature as it moved further into the meadow. Had Moraine cared to look lower than the horses head, she would've seen that it's hooves, instead of being tipped with either brown or white, were coloured a glittering gold.
But Moraine could not force her gaze away from the creatures head, which was bent towards the grass to graze, because resting just above it's bottomless, shining black eyes, was a long, twisted white horn.
Almost unconsciously, Moraine slid a hand along the grass to meet the one Bae was using to keep himself upright. He jumped at her touch, and turned to face her. She was still staring at the creature.
"Baelfire..." she whispered, her voice shaking "That's a Uni-"
"I know" Bae whispered his earlier acknowledgement, and as he looked back at the unicorn, he turned his hand so it was now properly holding hers "Just wait until you see what happens next!"
Moraine didn't have to wait long, because moments after Bae said that the unicorn was joined by two smaller horses, and although they didn't have any horns yet, Moraine couldn't possibly mistake them for anything other than unicorn foals. What other horse would be so beautifully golden in colour?
The foals bounded around their mother, their golden manes flying as they galloped, and Moraine felt tears of delight prick in her eyes as the mare nuzzled her babies. Once again Moraine tore her eyes away to look at Bae, her friend Bae, who had found something so precious, so magical, and had chosen to share it with no-one except her. She held Bae's hand in both of hers, her heart beating wildly in her chest as, before she lost her nerve, she leaned even closer to him, and pressed her soft lips to his cheek.
On contact, Baelfire almost jumped out of his skin, and Moraine automatically moved back, her cheeks burning crimson for fear she'd done something wrong. Bae stared at her with wide eyes, his lips opening and closing as he frantically tried to speak.
"W-what was that for?" he babbled, and Moraine smiled shyly, nodding towards the capering unicorns, their white and golden manes flying in the air as the pure white adult chased her glittering foals around the meadow.
"For this" Moraine whispered, her voice catching at the beauty and magic of this night "This is so wonderful, Bae! I've never been so happy in my entire life!"
At her words, Baelfire flushed with pride and smiled widely "Happy birthday, Moraine"
Happiness filling her heart, Moraine smiled back "This is the best birthday ever"
For hours they they watched the unicorns as they frolicked and grazed in the meadow, the foals playing together as their mother followed and watched them. Eventually, once they were done grazing, the beautiful mare led her golden foals away, the brightness of her coat growing as they gracefully clopped towards the edge of the meadow, her glow growing so bright that Baelfire and Moraine had to cover their eyes for fear of going blind, and when they looked back, they saw that all three unicorns had disappeared.
The memories that night had brought, however, stayed with Moraine forever.
O.k, this isn't the best fic I've ever written but I'm hoping you enjoyed the ride anyway :)
O.k! Movies/books I ripped off and am staking no claim to: Legend (Tom Cruise...those shorts...wtf were you thinking?) and Harry Potter 5. They're not mine and they never have been.
Read, review, and please give your honest opinions.