"Seeing the Truth of the Matter"
Author: Robert Brown
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Disney (except where noted, in which case they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: Well, after a lot of requests I finally found some free time on my writing schedule to do this third Gummi Bears story. A lot of you want to know exactly what Tummi was doing during the Solstice Celebration at Ursalia. So far though, none of you have been able to guess it. None of you have even gotten close. Could it be that I have you all stumped? That would truly be something if I could pull that off. Oh and if anyone complains about the stove I mention in this fic, how else could she have made pancakes?
Many of you who are reading this know of the terrible disease that my mother was diagnosed with at the end of 2006: Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). On January 24, 2008, at 5PM EST, my mother succumbed to the disease and passed away. The void her passing has left in my life will take a long time to bridge, but it will never fully heal. Writing, and the support of you readers, are partly what keeps me going.
Cast of Characters(in order of appearance)
Tummi Gummi
Grammi Gummi
Trina
Gruffi Gummi
Zummi Gummi
Gritti Barbic
Glay C. Err(new)
#3
It was a bitterly cold night, so cold that Tummi felt his nose was getting ready to fall from his face. The scarf he had wrapped around his head and neck did little to ward off the deep winter chill. Ordinarily he would've curled up in front of the fireplace back at the Glen with a hot cup of Gummiberry cider and stayed as far away from the cold as he could. But he had a mission tonight, one that could possibly change everything.
In his hands he held a small leather pouch, protecting it as if it were the most expensive thing in the world. In that pouch was the sum total of his hopes and his dreams, but one wrong decision could make it all turn into his worst nightmare.
Though he was being careful with his hands, he wasn't really watching where he put his feet. That fact became dangerously clear to him as he slipped on a patch of ice and fell hard on his backside. It hadn't really hurt, he had too much extra padding for that. But the fall had almost made him drop the present, and that would've been a disaster.
Tummi slowly got back up to his feet, taking care to only place his boots in freshly fallen snow to give himself some stability. He brushed some snow away from a stone that stood in the lee of a large oak tree and sat down on its roots to rest. It had all started about two weeks ago in perhaps the most unusual of ways. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the tree, letting the memories wash over him of that day and everything that had happened since then.
It was going to be the first really bad snowstorm of the season. Sure there was already some snow on the ground from other storms, but they had only dropped a couple of inches at the most. This one had the potential to drop more than two feet if Zummi's calculations were right. While the others busied themselves with preparing the Glen to withstand the storm, he packed his bulk into his winter weather clothes and slipped outside.
For a moment, he hoped he'd gotten away unnoticed. But that hope was dashed when he heard a voice following him out of the tree. "And where do you think you're going Tummi Gummi?"
Tummi turned around slowly, sheepishly looking back at a livid Grammi. "Well, you see Grammi, I..." he began, trying to think of a reason that she might accept.
"I'm waiting," Grammi said in a singsong voice, her hands on her hips and her foot tapping.
Tummi swallowed nervously. He knew he couldn't tell Grammi the truth; as understanding as she was there was no way she would be able to understand or accept the truth. "I was...going out to check the Gummiberry bushes," he said. "I wanted to see if we could get some more in before the storm destroys whatever's left."
Grammi stared at him for a long moment, her eyes boring into his. He fought the urge to squirm under her gaze knowing that she would catch him in his lie. "All right Tummi," she said finally, her face and posture relaxing. "But don't you think you need a basket or something?" she asked, getting suspicious again.
Fortunately for Tummi, there was a basket laying against the outside of the Glen from when he was supposed to put them away the other day. "But I do have one Grammi," he said, holding it up for her to see.
That action cleared the last of Grammi's worry. "Go on Tummi," she said with a smile and a shooing motion. "But for Heaven's sake, at least try to bring back more berries than you eat so we don't all have to suffer through Gruffi's bellyaching."
"I promise Grammi," he said solemnly, holding up two fingers in some kind of salute. He walked slowly away from the Glen, aware of Grammi's stare still on him until the path turned and he was out of sight. He stopped for a moment, listening carefully for anything that would seem out of the ordinary. When he heard nothing but the wind whistling through the trees, he tossed the basket aside and headed off the path in a direction that would carry him far from the Gummiberry bushes.
It was a journey he'd made many times before; he could probably do it blindfolded if he so chose. Actually quite appropriate if he stopped to think about it considering just where he was headed. In a short time, the trees thinned out a little to reveal a small one room cottage. "Tummi!" a gentle, feminine voice rang out from inside as he approached. "Could you do me a favor and bring in a bucket of water for me? I didn't bring enough in to make stew for you as well."
"Sure thing Trina," Tummi said, detouring to the well that sat a few paces outside her front door. Others might have been surprised or put off by how she knew it was him before he was even that close to the house, but Tummi was so used to it by now he didn't even pay it a second thought. Trina was Tummi's friend and had been for some time now. As a general rule, Gummi Bears were supposed to keep their existence hidden from humans. But Tummi didn't really think he'd broken that rule, especially because Trina was blind.
He lowered the bucket into the well and cranked it back up, transferring the icy water into another bucket that sat on the well's lip. He frowned when he noticed small chunks of ice floating in the water. "Well's gonna freeze over soon," he muttered, grabbing the bucket by its rope handle and dragging it toward the cottage.
"I know Tummi," Trina said as she chopped up more vegetables and meat to add to the pot simmering on her cookstove. "Seems like it gets colder and colder every year."
"Tell me about it," Tummi said, pouring the water into the pot without being asked.
"Thanks Tummi," Trina whispered with a soft smile. She placed the knife down to the side and picked up her cane. "I hope you don't mind chicken again tonight. Things have been kind of tough around here since..."
Tummi hurried over and placed his hand on Trina's as it trembled. Just a month ago her pet, companion, and friend Watcher had met an untimely end defending her from a stray wolf. Tummi had come by later that day to find her bent over her fallen friend, tears raining down on his motionless form from her sightless eyes. Together they had buried him with as much honor as they could. Trina seemed to be able to move on from it, but Tummi knew that a piece of her had died that day with Watcher.
On top of that, without Watcher's help she hadn't been able to tend to her sheep that well. She'd been forced to let one of her family members take care of them for the time being, though she still did receive the money from the sale of their wool. She hadn't wanted to take it at first, but Tummi had made her see that she not only needed the money, she deserved it.
"Thanks Tummi," Trina whispered again, turning her hand palm up so that she could lace her fingers with his. "I always feel better with you around."
"Just glad to help," Tummi said, knowing full well that he was blushing. He knew she couldn't see it, but from the blush that dusted her cheeks he had to wonder if she somehow knew another way. "Oh, that reminds me," he said, pulling his hand away from hers slowly. Was it just him, or did she let go of him reluctantly?
"What's on your mind Tummi?" she asked, turning away to add the food to the cauldron.
Tummi shook his head to clear it, lightly hitting himself for getting distracted. "There's this big snowstorm heading this way," he explained, hopping up into a waiting chair. "I came by to see if you needed any help to get your house ready for it."
"You're very sweet," she said with a smile, "and I thank you for your concern. But everything's fine, really. This isn't the first winter I've weathered."
He watched her as she stirred the pot slowly. There was a droop in her shoulders and a jerkiness in her movements that he hadn't noticed before. "I feel a 'but' waiting," he said, leaning back in the chair.
"You're learning," Trina returned, a smile touching her lips again, but this time it seemed more melancholy than before. "I do have everything taken care of, but well...this is going to be the first Solstice I spend alone in a few years. It doesn't bother me too much normally but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind spending it with me?"
"I'd love to," Tummi blurted out before he could even think about it. He knew he should change his mind before it was too late, but when she spun around to face him and her entire face lit up with happiness, there was no way he could take that away from her. "What time should I be here?" he asked instead.
"Be here about an hour past sunset, if you can manage," she said, turning back to the pot and stirring the contents more animatedly. "But not a moment before that! This will be our first Solstice together and I want to make it really special. That means you can't see what I'm doing until it's time, got that?"
"But what if you need any help?" Tummi asked. "Two weeks is a long time and--"
"And my cousin will be visiting," Trina said, cutting him off. "Like you, she's worried about what I'll do without Watcher. She can't stay long, especially because she has her own family to take care of. But I'll get her to help me, tell her it's to help cheer me up. She'll do it, even if she doesn't understand it."
"If you're sure," he said slowly, but he really wasn't sure about it himself.
"Don't worry so much Tummi," she laughed. "Trust me, I'll make it all worthwhile. I'll even have a special present waiting for you when you get here."
There was something about the way she said that that had Tummi blushing all over again. The rest of the day passed quickly, too quickly in fact. He'd meant to spend only an hour there, but it was past sundown by the time they were done eating and talking. "Oh man," Tummi said when he noticed how late it was. "I'm gonna be in so much trouble when I get back."
"Sorry to keep you so long," Trina said, her sightless eyes downcast.
"Oh no, don't be," he said, putting a hand on her arm. "It was my fault and my fault alone. I just hope after this that I'm able to come by for the Solstice."
"I hope so too," she agreed softly. "But you'd better get going."
Tummi bundled himself up in a hurry and walked over to the door. "Take care!" he called as he laughed, a sentiment echoed by Trina. A few things had happened to make him think, and he thought about it so hard that it didn't really register that he got back to the Glen until he was closing the entrance behind him. "I hope nobody says anything," he muttered, trying to sneak back to his room.
He actually did make it back to his room without being seen. But as soon as he opened his door he found Gruffi sitting on his bed. "And just where have you been?" Gruffi asked, tapping his foot idly.
"Gruffi!" Tummi said before remembering to cover his surprise. "I was checking the Gummiberry bushes to--"
"Save it," Gruffi interrupted, hopping off the bed. "I know you weren't there because I was there looking for you over two hours ago."
"Well you see, I--"
"I don't want to hear any of your excuses," Gruffi interrupted again. "Are you going to give me a straight answer or not?" Tummi looked around the room at everything except Gruffi, making the brown bear sigh. "Fine, since you don't want to answer me, then you'll have to pull double the chores you missed tomorrow."
"Double?" Tummi protested, getting ready to argue his case. But then he realized that the extra chores would help the two weeks until the Solstice go by faster. "All right Gruffi," he said instead. "I'll do it."
Gruffi crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want to hear any...all right Gruffi?" he repeated, surprised. "You mean you're not going to try and talk your way out of it?"
Tummi shook his head, walking over to his bed. "I was wrong, I lied, so I'm just going to take my punishment. You're always after me to grow up and take responsibility, right Gruffi?"
"Right," Gruffi said, his eyes narrowed. He wasn't as good at spotting deception as Grammi was, but he was no slouch either. Still, he didn't detect any kind of hidden agenda from Tummi so he just nodded and gave him what was as close to a smile as he could. "I'm proud of you Tummi," he said, walking over and clapping the younger bear on his back. "Tell you what, if you do a good job tomorrow morning, I'll rethink the afternoon chores."
"Don't worry about it Gruffi," Tummi said with a yawn. "I said I'd do it and I'll do it. I just need a good night's rest to make sure I can handle it, that's all."
Gruffy left the bedroom and closed the door behind him softly as Tummi got under the covers. "Well imagine that," he said, a smile on his face. "Seems to me the kid really isn't going to be a kid much longer."
As promised, Tummi threw himself into his chores the next morning, surprising everyone with his earnestness. He only stopped for lunch before attacking what was left for the afternoon. He was so into his chores that he almost missed dinner, something that had the whole Glen speechless and Grammi checking him for a fever.
A few days passed in this manner until it happened that Tummi had nothing left to do. It wasn't for lack of asking, but there was literally nothing left. It even got to the point where Gruffi was fixing things multiple times just to keep keep himself busy. Once he even fixed the same chair three times! It was becoming obvious to Tummi that they had the same idea, just different focus. Tummi was trying to make the time pass quickly, Gruffi was trying to forget his problems with Ursa. Fortunately everyone else was so busy worrying about Gruffi that they didn't really pay attention to him. Never had he been so happy to be ignored.
As a result, he was left with a lot of time to do nothing but think. That's when he realized even though Trina had said she was planning a special present for him, he had nothing for her. That just wasn't right, especially for the first Solstice celebration he was spending with her. But he had no idea what he could get her. He hoped that maybe he could find an answer in the Great Book. After all, Zummi had often said the Great Book held an answer to any question.
He hurried himself over to Zummi's study and searched for anything that she might like. He read a lot of new and fascinating things, but nothing jumped out at him as something that fit her. The next day yielded the same results. He was almost ready to give up at the end of the third day, but just as he was about to close the book in his frustration, his eyes saw something interesting. "The Orb of Sight," he read aloud, moving the candle closer to the book so that he could read it easier.
"Tummi, is that you in there?" Zummi asked pushing the door open. "What are you doing in here so late?"
"Oh, hey there Zummi," Tummi said, trying not to show how startled he was. "Am I keeping you up or anything?"
Zummi shook his head, stifling a yawn. "No, I was cust jurious...I mean just curious who was in here so much. Can I help you look for something?"
"Nah, I'm good. I'll go to bed in a few minutes, I just need to copy this down. And don't worry," Tummi added, "I won't leave a candle burning on it." They both smiled at the reminder of perhaps Gruffi's worst moment and Zummi shuffled off to his bedroom, muttering something about needing sleep to do something important.
Tummi waited until the door was closed to look back at the Book. "The Orb of Sight," he read again. "High in the mountains near Ursalia lived the Blind Wizard of Ice, Err by name. Legends hold that he spent most of his life in that cave creating an orb by which he could restore his sight. He is said to have completed it with his dying breath thus never actually being able to use it.
"The Orb is still in that cave, waiting for someone to come and claim it. The cave spews out a constant wind so frigid it can freeze your nose right off your face, so it's not hard to find. But finding it and escaping from it are two different matters. Of those who have tried as of the moment I am writing this, none have returned."
Tummi sighed and closed the Book. This was it, the perfect present to give her. But to get it for her, he'd have to risk his life. Was she really so important to him that he would risk dying just to get her a Solstice present? He knew the answer before he even finished asking the question: she was. Why she was, he didn't have an answer for. But she was just the same.
It took him a couple days to get his gear ready; he was trying to be as discreet as possible so as not to arouse suspicion. Turned out it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Everyone had suddenly become rather obsessed with helping Gruffi to reconnect with Ursa. He was a little upset that they hadn't asked him for help, but he wasn't about to draw attention to himself over it.
On the night three nights before the Solstice, Tummi waited until everyone had gone to bed before making his move. He dressed as warmly as he could, wearing a sweatshirt that Grammi had knitted for him under a fluffy coat. He didn't know if this would be enough to keep him warm, but wearing anything else would limit his mobility.
He padded over to the Quickcar tunnels and released one of the cars from its night mooring. It took a bit of luck to get it on the track seeing as he was the only one doing it and trying to do so quietly. But he was soon on his way, holding onto the steering wheel for dear life.
The trip took longer than he remembered, not that he had been to Ursalia that much anyway. But still, the ride just never seemed to end. It was so late at night that he would have surely fallen asleep if not for the fact that he was so scared by the speed and the loops. But finally he arrived at his destination, the sudden stop nearly vaulting him from his seat if it wasn't for his seatbelt.
"Who goes there?" a rough, gravelly voice asked from the shadows.
"Just me," Tummi said as he exited the car. Then, as if realizing that the one in the shadows might not recognize his voice, he added, "Tummi from Gummi Glen."
"Isn't it a little late for a Glen bear to be in this neck of the tunnels?" Gritti asked, walking out into the torchlight. "Especially one as soft as you? Or did you just come all this way to sneak some food because Grammi caught you in her pantry again?"
Now Tummi knew he was heavy, "big boned" as he liked to call himself, but that was no reason to call him soft. "I'm not here for any trouble," he said, walking over to stand nose-to-nose with Gritti. "But don't you ever say that about me again."
Gritti was surprised. Tummi was the most laid back bear in the Glen, next to maybe Gusto. While he could never adapt that lifestyle himself, he did have a measure of respect for how Tummi was able to let the unimportant things go and not stress out over them. Now if he could only teach that to a certain couple of stubborn bears. "Easy kid," he said, actually taking a step back from the fuming bear. "I didn't mean anything by it."
"Yeah well," Tummi started before his shoulders slumped. "Look," he said more calmly, "I'm here on a very important mission. There's something I have to do in the mountains and I have to get back before the sun comes up. So please, just let me go."
"Those mountains are a dangerous place," Gritti said, eyeing Tummi as the Glen bear picked up the gear he'd stowed in the Quickcar. "A lot of things live there that would have no trouble snapping you up and having you for dinner, and I don't mean as a guest."
"Doesn't matter," Tummi said, struggling to secure his gear. "This is something I have to do so don't try and talk me out of it."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Gritti said, his estimation of Tummi going up a few notches. "I was going to offer to go with you however. Two bears put up a better fight than one. And I do a lot of my training in these mountains and know pretty much everything about them. How does that sound?"
Tummi's first reaction was to refuse outright and just be on his way. But on second thought, it would certainly cut down his searching time if Gritti could get him there. "It depends," Tummi said slowly. "Have you ever found a cave that always has a cold wind coming out of it?"
Gritti blinked at Tummi with his one good eye and laughed. "Found it? It's my favorite place to be in the summer!" he exclaimed. "Of course I never actually went inside, much too cold for that. But nothing beats sitting just outside the mouth on a scorcher. Is that where you need to go?"
"Yeah, there's something really important inside that I have to get," Tummi confirmed.
"I don't know if you can make it," Gritti said honestly. When he saw the affronted look on Tummi's face, he was quick to continue. "Easy there. That climb's tough for me even on a good day. With the way the storms are swirling around it'll be dangerous at best, fatal at worst."
A brief flicker of fear crossed Tummi's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination. "Doesn't matter," he repeated. "I'll get there no matter what it takes."
Gritti nodded, the same determination on his face. "And I'll be the one to get you there," he promised. "The shift change comes about five minutes from now. I'll meet you outside the gates in fifteen." Tummi smiled his thanks and hurried out of the Quickcar station, lumbering a little because of the gear he'd brought. It was heavier than he thought to be carrying it all at once and he hoped it wouldn't be for nothing.
The streets of Ursalia were pretty deserted, and the guards manning the gates barely gave him a glance as he waited for Gritti. After all, if someone was a threat they likely wouldn't be inside the city already just standing around. The night was cold and dark, but Tummi could still see the clouds that hid the nearby mountaintops from view. The fear he'd felt before returned, a little stronger this time, but was once again squashed by his determination. "No," he whispered to himself, "I am not going to back out of this."
"Glad to hear it," Gritti said, making Tummi spin around. The Barbic was outfitted with much the same gear as Tummi had, but he bore its weight a lot easier and more comfortably. "Come on," he said, signalling for the gates to be opened. "We've got about seven hours till sunrise. It's an hour's climb to the cave and at least that much back down with all the snow. I don't know what you have to do there but something tells me it might take a while."
Tummi nodded and followed him outside the city. Gritti led them down the path a little ways but soon diverted from it, heading off onto an incline. It was fairly steep and slippery with ice, making them lose their footing more than once. Tummi was having a harder time of it than Gritti, so much so that he once slid halfway back down before he could stop himself. He was suddenly very grateful for all the layers he had on; his stomach could have easily been torn open by the jagged rocks.
Gritti squated down next to him as Tummi pulled himself up to his feet. "Look kid," he said, earning a glare from Tummi. "Hey, I call everyone who's younger than me a kid so don't take it personally," he said defensively. "Anyway, if you're having trouble here, maybe you should rethink this. It's only going to get tougher. Why don't you tell me what you need and I'll get it for you."
"No!" Tummi all but yelled, the glare intensifying as he brushed his way past Gritti. "I'm going to get this and no one's gonna stop me. You got that?"
"Loud and clear," Gritti said, finding that he had to stop himself from saluting. The more he saw of Tummi, the more he was impressed. A few of the bears under his command could learn a thing or two from him, and Gritti never thought such a thing lightly. "But uh, you do have to wait for me or have you suddenly figured out the right way to go?"
The rest of the climb was just as Gritti had said, each part tougher than the last. But Tummi perservered through it all, though it occasionally took him more than one try to get through. Instead of the hour Gritti had predicted, it had taken nearly two to reach the ledge where the cave opened. "Finally," Tummi gasped, falling facefirst to the snow covered ground. "Just give me a minute...to rest."
"Take your time," Gritti said, plopping down next to Tummi and letting his own pack fall to the ground. He peered up at the dark clouds that obscured the moonlight, shivering as there seemed to be more of them now than when they had set out. "But not too much," he added reluctantly. "You think it was hard getting up here? It'll be that much worse when the snow starts. And unless I don't understand every lesson Grubbi ever gave me, it should hit in about an hour."
Tummi nodded tiredly, not wanting to waste valuable energy speaking. He laid still for no more than five minutes before standing up with a groan. "You stay here," he said, shrugging off most of his gear. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"What are you talking about? I thought we were in this together?"
"You asked me if you could help get me here," Tummi pointed out, "not if you could help me get this thing. I'm sorry Gritti, but this is something I absolutely have to do on my own. No time to argue," he added, jogging heavily toward the mouth of the cave before Gritti could muster up any protest. "The faster I'm done here the faster we can get back."
Gritti just watched as Tummi disappeared inside the cave, not knowing if he should be worried about Tummi's safety or praising his guts. He settled for somewhere in the middle. "I hope she's worth it kid," he muttered, picking up their gear and stowing it in the lee of the ledge.
As soon as he stepped in front of the cave, Tummi was battered by a frigid wind, just like he had been warned to expect. It was so cold that the snow on his jacket was freezing over into heavy clumps of ice. He shook free of them irritably before they could immobilize him and looked around.
If he didn't know he was inside a mountain, Tummi would've sworn that he was in an iceberg or something. Every single surface was either coated in or made from ice. Tables, chairs, bookcases, even the walls all looked like some of the greatest handiwork of Jack Frost himself. Though he was shivering from the intense cold despite all his layers, Tummi couldn't help but admire the simple beauty that surrounded him.
On a raised dais in the center of the room sat a perfect sphere of the clearest ice Tummi had ever seen. "That's gotta be the Orb," he rationalized, carefully walking toward it on the icy floor. As he got closer to it, he realized that anything he saw through the Orb itself was crystal clear; he could even see the individual snowflakes that dusted the icy wall. He reached out with his hand, taking hold of the Orb to lift it free of its moorings.
"THIEF!"
Tummi whirled around at the cry so fast that he lost his footing, falling to his back and sliding into the nearest wall. It was a good thing he did though because that slip made the blast of icy magic that had been aimed at his head to miss. "What the...?" he wondered before he had to dodge out of the way of another frozen bolt.
"What's going on in there?" Gritti yelled from the mouth of the cave.
"Oh ho! So you brought along a gang huh?" The disembodied voice said, its deep tones booming off the walls. A spell flew at the cave's entrance, sealing it with a sheet of blue ice half a foot thick. "They won't save you now!"
"Gritti!" Tummi yelled, hurrying over the to frozen barrier as fast as he could. "Are you all right?"
Gritti pounded on the ice, grunting as all he did was hurt his fist and freeze his fur. "Don't worry," he said, hefting up one of the pickaxes Tummi had lugged along and chipping away at the ice. "I'll get you out of there."
"The only thing you'll be getting is frozen!" the voice said from just behind Tummi. Tummi tried to make a break for it, but he was lifted off the ground from behind and tossed hard back near the Orb. "No one steals from the great Err!"
Tummi picked himself painfully off the ground, leaning against the dais for support. Heavy footsteps crunched against the frozen floor and he looked around to see his attacker. If the rumors about Err's demise weren't true, he was expecting to see a man well past a century of age, stooped over by the forces of time, dressed in a primarily white or blue robe with a pointed hat covering a bald head and a wand in the shape of an icicle.
What he saw shocked him. Before him stood a man who couldn't have been older than twenty-five with long whitish-blue hair and piercing silver eyes. A well-trimmed mustache and beard framed the angry snarl on his lips as he glared at Tummi. He stood at least six and a half feet tall and had more muscles showing than most of the Barbics put together. His clothing was more in the Greek style of togas and sandals than standard wizarding wear, and there was no wand to be seen. Tummi did notice the nimbuses of blue light that surrounded his clenched fists however.
Tummi started to edge toward the walls, but then did a double-take. The man's eyes were still glaring at him, following his every move. "Hey!" he said, startling the wizard. "Who are you supposed to be?"
"Didn't you hear me the first time?" the man demanded, waving his hands in Tummi's direction. The ice around Tummi's feet rose up and grabbed him, covering him up to his waist. "I am Err! The great wizard of ice!"
"You can't be Err!" Tummi exclaimed, his feet going numb from the ice that encased his lower body.
The man loomed over him, making Tummi bend over backward to keep some space between them. "And why not?"
"Because you're not blind," Tummi said with more conviction than he felt. "And you're not dead either."
The man rubbed his beard thoughtfully as he sat backward, an icy chair rising up to meet him. "You must be talking about great-grandfather Fros," he said finally. "I'm Glay. Glay C. Err, sixth generation ice wizard."
"P-pleasure to meet y-you," Tummi said through his chattering teeth.
Glay frowned and the ice holding Tummi prisoner fell away in a shower of snow crystals. "I think there's been a misunderstanding here," he said, watching Tummi warily. "Tell me, what led you here today?"
"A long, long story," Tummi said, shaking some ice off his fur. He then told Glay everything: Trina, their plans to celebrate the Solstice together, needing a gift for her, finding the legend of the Orb making sure to mention that it said the Orb was just there waiting to be claimed, and his journey here. "And that's the whole story. If I'd known you were here, I would have never even tried to take the Orb."
Glay drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair as he thought about what he'd heard. "You know what? I believe you."
"You do?"
Glay nodded and stood up, the chair melting back into the floor. "When someone lies, their body gives off more heat. In a place like this that means steam will rise off whatever's exposed. You're not steaming any more than normal, so I believe you."
Tummi really didn't understand what he was talking about, but as long as the human was ok with it, so was he. "So, does this mean I can go home now?" he asked hopefully.
Glay nodded with a smile. "I will not hold any ill will toward you because your intentions are pure. But next time," he added wryly, "don't assume that anything you read is automatically true, no matter where you get it from."
Tummi agreed vigorously. "Don't worry," he promised, "I'll never make that mistake again."
The wizard regarded Tummi with an intense gaze, making Tummi want to fidget like a naughty child. "I cannot give you the Orb," he said softly, "but perhaps there is something I can do for you." He held out his hand and allowed his magic to gather above it, coalescing into a sphere of blue magic. The energy swirled and spiraled chaotically until it froze into a miniature version of the one sitting on the dais. "This will allow your Trina to gain sight for a little while," he said, taking Tummi's hand and placing the icy ball in it. "But be warned, just as this is not as powerful as the Orb, it is also not as sturdy. Keep it frozen or it will melt away."
"I will," Tummi said, wrapping the small orb in oilskin to protect it. "And thank you."
"If you really want to thank me, don't be a stranger. These mountains get very lonely you know."
"I don't live around here, but I can try to visit at least a little." Tummi waved as he walked toward the mouth of the cave but stopped as a thought occurred to him. "Say, can I ask you a question?"
"Let me guess," Glay cut him off with a knowing grin, "you want to know why I look like this, right?" When Tummi just nodded, he laughed warmly. "Yeah, I get that a lot from the other elemental wizards. Every time we have a conference, they all put bets on just how much weight I can lift.
"Anyway, as I said I'm a sixth generation ice wizard. The first five did just about everything with ice that can be done. When I learned all I could from the notes they left, there wasn't much else for me to do. So I started to train my body just as a way of passing the time. And as you can see, I'm quite proud of the results."
Tummi couldn't argue that point as Glay struck a poseo to make his muscles stick out more than normal, so he didn't even try to. "Well, I'll be going now," he said instead. "Take care!"
"You too my friend," Glay called as Tummi made his way toward the mouth of the cave. "And tell your friend outside that he's more than welcome to join you on your visits and not just sit outside in the summer."
"I will!" Then, as Tummi realized who Glay was talking about, he yelled, "Gritti!"
Gritti had been trying to free Tummi this whole time, focusing solely on what he needed to do. But no matter how much he chipped and slashed at that icy barricade, it always restored itself. His arms and lungs were burning from the exertion, made worse by the cold and thin air. "Don't worry... Tummi..." he gasped, forcing himself to heft that pickaxe onto his shoulder one more time. "I'll..."
Tummi appeared on the other side of the wall so suddenly that Gritti fell back in surprise. "Are you OK Gritti?" Tummi asked, walking through the ice like it wasn't even there.
"What in the name of the Great Gummies...?" Gritti wondered aloud, looking from Tummi to the ice and back again. "How did you do that?"
Tummi looked back at the ice as if he'd forgotten it was there. "I don't know," he said, tucking his precious gift away carefully in his bag. "But then, I'm not complaining either."
"Good idea." Gritti shoved the pickaxe away and sat up slowly, still trying to catch his second wind. Or was it his third? "I don't know how we're going to make it down the mountain before sunrise with this storm about to break," he muttered, glaring at the clouds as a snowflake fell on his nose.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that," Tummi said, pulling two small vials from the inside of his clothing, kept against his fur to keep the red liquid inside from freezing in the harsh atmosphere.
Gritti eyes widened far beyond what Tummi thought they should be capable of as his pupils shrank to pinpoints. "No way," he said, fear giving him the strength to get up. "No chance. You are not getting me to drink that!"
All the way back at Ursalia, the guards on the gate were having trouble staying awake. It was another quiet night, as most nights were. Conversation about the setup currently taking place to help Ursa out could only be held up for so long before paranoia set in about her somehow overhearing them. Ursa always did seem to know when another Barbic was talking about her.
A piercing scream of mortal terror rang through the darkness, instantly snapping them all alert. "What was that?" one of them asked as it sounded again, closer now than it was before.
They all listened closely, trying to determine where the screams were coming from. One of them frowned in distaste as he heard it again. "Bah, it's just Gritti experimenting with Gummiberry Juice again," he said, slumping down against the wall.
The others nodded as they could now recognize the unfortunately familiar screams. "I wish he'd give up already," a third muttered. "He might be one of our best fighters, but you'd think he'd have figured out his limits by now. At least once a week he tries to give us all a heart attack with his foolhardy attempts."
"Good luck getting him to stop," the first one said. "He's every bit as stubborn as Ursa is when it comes to stuff like this. Maybe we should find him a girlfriend to get him to settle down." The three shared a short laugh at the improbability of that happening, stoking the bed of coals that kept them warm.
At the base of the mountain, Gritti groaned as he pulled his head out of the snowbank he'd landed on. "If you ever do that again," he growled, glaring at Tummi, "I'll tell Ursa that you want to learn sparring from her."
Tummi bounced lightly on his feet as he followed Gritti back to Ursalia, unable to keep the smile off his face. It wasn't that he was discounting Gritti's threat. Far from it in fact. But the thought of how Trina would like his gift more than balanced any worry that Gritti's words caused.
Soon enough they reached the Quickcar station under Ursalia, both glad that their adventure was over. "Take care kid," Gritti said, passing Tummi his gear after he'd buckled himself in. "And let me know if she likes her present."
"I will," Tummi said, reaching for the release lever. But just as his hand closed around it he realized what Gritti said. "How did you...?" he asked, turning his head to look at the Barbic.
Gritti just laughed at the expression on Tummi's face. "I may only have one eye, but I'm not blind. A bear only goes through what you did when it's for the woman he's in love with."
"In...love?" Tummi pressed one hand over his heart, which had begun to beat rapidly at Gritti's words. "I'm...in love with Trina? I'm in love with Trina!" he breathed, his heart warming at the revelation
Gritti frowned just a little bit at that name; it didn't sound like any Gummi name he was familiar with. "Get home safe Tummi," he said, quashing any doubts he held for the moment as he sent Tummi on his way. "And you'd better not lose it after everything we went through to get it!"
This time, Tummi was oblivious to Gritti's words as he sped through the Quicktunnels. This was love? All those weird feelings that filled his body whenever he was around her or just thought of her? It all made sense now, it was like a blindfold had been lifted from his eyes. Sunni was right, being in love was the most wonderful feeling he could ever conceive of.
But Trina was a human, and he was a Gummi Bear. That simple truth his mind presented himself with all but deflated his enthusiasm. It would never work, could never work. He wouldn't be surprised if she became afraid of him or angry at him as soon as she saw him with the Orb. He really couldn't blame her; they had known each other for a long time now and he had still yet to trust her with the truth. Of course, he could just not give it to her, not let her know anything...
Tummi banished that thought before he could follow it to the end. That would be selfish, and though he didn't know a lot about love he did know that being selfish wasn't a part of it. He would give her something she had always wanted, even if it meant that he lost his own happiness in the process. And besides, Trina wasn't like other humans. With a bit of luck, she'd accept him as he was and nothing would change between them.
Keeping his plans a secret had been easier than he'd thought, Tummi reflected as he pushed himself up off the roots of the tree, brushing off the snow that had fallen on his body while he rested. As soon as he'd reached the Glen he'd hidden the Orb in a deep snowdrift, making sure to keep it frozen. No one had realized he'd been gone all night, or if they had they hadn't said anything. They'd even let him sleep in the next morning, figuring he deserved it after all the hard work he'd been doing. And when he said he wouldn't be joining them in Ursalia, no one even bothered to question his decision.
He stared at the leather pouch in his hands, the same old questions rising up in his mind. Grumbling a little, he pushed them away and focused just on putting one foot in front of the other. He'd already spent way too much time over the past few days wondering if he was doing the right thing. It was time to trust his instincts and let whatever would happen do just that.
Tummi hurried down the path as fast as he thought was safe. His little rest delay hadn't been so little; he would definitely reach her house later than he'd planned. Trina would probably think that the storm held him up, but he didn't want her to worry too badly. And as he finally came within sight of the house, he could see her shadow pacing back and front by the window. "I'm here!" he called as he skidded to a stop by her door.
"Tummi!" Trina said gratefully, a smile replacing the frown that had been on her face for some minutes now. "You're late," she scolded softly as she opened the door for him. "Now come inside before you freeze."
"Sorry," he apologized as he started to shrug out of his many layers. "That snow is falling a lot faster than I thought."
"I know, I can hear it on the roof," Trina said, taking his stuff and putting on a nearby peg. "For a while there I thought you wouldn't make it."
"Nothing was going to keep me away tonight."
"I'm certainly glad to hear that. Now come on, the food's almost ready and I've made enough for us both."
Tummi waited until she had taken hold of her cane before walking to the table, absentmindedly hanging his pouch on the peg next to his coats, completely forgetting about what was inside of it. "I can't wait," he said as he hopped up on his chair. "I've been looking forward to this all week."
"Glad to hear I'm not the only one," Trina said, fixing a large plate for him and balancing it in one hand. "And don't you even think about helping me," she said, hearing his weight shift in his chair.
Tummi sighed and sat back, but said nothing as she set the plate on the table in front of him. While she got her own, he looked around and noticed a few things that he hadn't before. Colorful plants decorated the corners and walls, lending the rather plain cottage a festive, cheerful look. He wondered why they were there since Trina could not see them, but one deep breath told him. Despite the delicious smells of the food in front of him, his nose could pick out the scents of cinnamon and many other spices he could not name. The smell of the plants added to the happy feel of the place even more than the sight.
Dinner was wonderful; Trina had really gone all out that night. There was turkey, ham, mutton, corn, roasted potatoes, and enough gravy to cover it all. He knew this kind of food cost a lot of money, especially around this time of year. He also knew that it was money Trina really didn't have. He felt a little bad that she had spent so much on him, but it also made him feel special in a way he really hadn't before. "That was fabulous," he said, rubbing his happy stomach.
"Yes it was," Trina agreed, sounding a little surprised herself. "It's the first time I've ever tried something this big by myself, and I'm glad it turned out so well. I was...really nervous it wouldn't."
"You didn't have to go through all this trouble," Tummi said, though the sentiment was ruined by the large belch that followed.
Trina laughed and Tummi found his heart giving a little flutter. "But you're certainly glad I did, aren't you?" she asked with a knowing smile. She stood up to gather the plates for washing, but Tummi beat her to it. "And what's all this about?"
"You cooked, I clean." Tummi could see a blush on her face as she realized that he was just offering to do his share, not because he felt she couldn't.
"Just pile everything in the corner for now," Trina said, sitting back down. "It's too cold to go out there tonight and take care of them; they'll keep til morning. And could you check to see if the door is closed? I think I hear some melted snow dripping in."
Tummi's heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way, as he too picked up the sound of water dripping. He almost dropped the dishes before scrambling over to where he had hung his present inside the nice, warm house. "Oh no," he whispered, picking up the pouch and finding it full of only water and wet oilskin. "How could I be so careless?"
"What's wrong?" Trina asked, feeling along the table for where she'd put her cane. "Tummi?"
"It's your present, or what's left of it," Tummi said, dropping the pouch out of the window where it landed with a squelch.
Trina cocked her head to the side as she stood up, walking over to Tummi's side. "You got me ice?" she asked, the hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"Not just any ice. Magic ice. Ice that could've let you see for a while."
Trina kneeled down and ran her hands lightly over his face, frowning as she felt his dejected expression. "Oh Tummi," she murmured, "thank you. That was probably the most thoughtful gift anyone's ever gotten for me, even if it did melt before I could use it."
"Sorry--"
"No need to apologize," Trina said, trying to push his lips into a smile. "To be honest I probably wouldn't have used it anyway. I've never been able to see Tummi, so I can't miss what I never had. But if I used that ice, I'd suddenly know everything that I didn't have and it would almost be torture for me to lose it again."
"I never thought about it like that," Tummi said, now feeling worse than before.
Trina chuckled a little as she stood up. "Most people don't. But don't worry, I'm not mad or anything. It's the thought that counts, and I know your heart was in the right place." She walked back over to the stove but stopped after a few steps, her mouth falling open in surprise. "Oh Tummi," she breathed, her hand coming up to cover her heart.
"What's wrong?" Tummi asked, hurrying over to her side.
"Nothing's wrong," she said with a small smile. "I just realized something very important. Now go back to the table," she added, nudging him a little with her cane. "From the smell of things, your present is just about ready. And don't even think about refusing either. This is something I've thought about long and hard. And after tonight, I'm sure I want you to have it."
Tummi watched Trina as she made her way back to the stove, picking up a clean rag and using it to open up a door set into the side. He tried to think of some way he could change her mind, but a piercing glare sent in his general direction sent him scurrying back to the table. "You've already done so much," he tried, but another, angrier glare closed his mouth. "Shutting up now."
"Good," Trina said and Tummi was suddenly reminded of the time they had tried to teach Igthorn a lesson. She clearly knew what she was doing, and it was best to just go along with it. She reached into the door and pulled out a steaming hot pie, using the rag to carry it to protect her hands. "I hope I got the recipe right," she said, walking over to him slowly since she could not use her cane with both hands busy. "It's the first time I've made this."
Confusion was a good word for what Tummi was feeling right now. All this talk of a special present and it was a pie? She had made him pies before and though they were really good, he didn't know if he could call them special really. She had obviously spent a lot of time and a great deal of care on it, so the least he could do was try it and make her feel good about it. "Looks great," he said enthusiastically as it was set down in front of him.
"Just try it, would you?" she groused, folding her arms over her chest. "Trust me, this pie holds a special surprise."
Tummi shrugged and dug in, not really knowing what to expect. The pie was good, really good in fact. But on top of that, it was familiar. It was something that he'd had many times in the past, but never here and never this good. When he realized exactly what it was he was eating, he couldn't help but blurt out in surprise, "Gummiberry pie?"
"That's right Tummi," Trina confirmed as he clapped his hands over his mouth, "Gummiberry pie. Fitting, isn't it? Especially seeing that you're a Gummi Bear."
It was as if someone had stuck him back in the icy cave with no protection but his fur. "A...Gummi Bear?" he asked weakly, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears. "There's no such--"
"Save it Tummi, I'm not stupid. I didn't know it when I first met you, but the more you came over the more I was able to piece things together. I'd say I've known for about a year now."
"If you knew, why didn't you say anything?" Tummi couldn't help but ask.
"Because I was hoping you would," she admitted, turning around and shuffling toward where she'd left her cane. "I kept hoping you would trust me enough to tell me on your own. When that didn't happen, I admit I was a little disappointed. But I didn't want to tell you I knew because I was afraid I'd scare you off."
Tummi couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Exactly why I didn't want to tell you. But I figured with the Solstice celebration and everything, I wasn't just going to tell you, I was going to show you."
"Yeah, that was the realization I came to just before I noticed your pie was done. It was the last little push I needed to go through with it."
"But why now? What made you decide to tell me now?"
Trina picked her cane up and twirled it around slowly in her hands, keeping her back to him. "I came to a conclusion recently. More and more, I found myself waiting for you to return, even to the point of counting the days until you showed up again. It felt like if you weren't around, I couldn't be happy anymore.
"I confided all this in my cousin one day, leaving out a few particulars as you might guess. She stopped me before I even finished and told me the one thing I had not expected to hear. Despite the fact that you were keeping an important secret from me, she told me that I'd fallen completely in love with you."
Tummi's fork fell to the floor, his grip loosening in his surprise. She loved him? She actually loved him? He was stunned speechless. Even though she knew he was a Gummi Bear she still loved him? He felt like a fool for ever doubting her, for not trusting her. He was already trying to think up ways to make it up to her when her hand was suddenly on his cheek.
"Tummi?" she whispered, her fingertips gliding over his face almost desperately. His silence was worrying her. She had hoped for him to declare that he loved her too, but had expected him to come up with twenty different reasons why it wouldn't work. Even that would have been better than silence; the quiet told her nothing.
It took a moment for Tummi to realize what was worrying her so. As her fingertips skimmed over his lips he smiled and kissed them, making her gasp. "I love you too Trina," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear him.
"Oh Tummi," she sobbed happily, dropping down to her knees in front of him. She held her arms open toward him and he jumped into her, embracing her as she held onto him. "I expected you to tell me you couldn't love me," she murmured in his ear.
"I thought you'd say the same thing," Tummi said, sniffling away his own tears. "But then I never thought I'd find anyone to love, or who would love me back."
"I do love you Tummi. And we'll find a way to make this work, I promise you that."
Tummi nodded and moved back just a little to look at her. "I'll hold you to that," he said with a laugh. "With everything going on back home, I know how much work a relationship can be."
Trina's eyebrow arched a little as she ran her hands up to his cheeks. "Is that what we have now? A relationship?"
"Well, that's what I'm hoping we have," he answered nervously. "Isn't that what you want too?"
"Oh it is," Trina agreed with a giggle. "But as far as I know, a relationship like this doesn't really begin until we kiss."
All the blood drained from Tummi's face and his heart fluttered so fast he could hardly distinguish one beat from the next. "K-kiss?" he repeated, trying to moisten his lips with a tongue suddenly gone dry.
Her sightless eyes seemed to sparkle as she tilted his face up to hers. "Yes Tummi," she whispered, "a kiss. You know...this."
When Trina's lips touched his, it was as if time itself had ceased to exist. For such a simple gesture, it communicated more than he could comprehend even if he spent his whole life trying. But he found he didn't really want to. This was love, and he loved it. True, there weren't any of the fireworks he'd heard Sunni talk about, but the Earth was definitely moving under his feet. In that single moment, he knew that everything he had gone through, everything they would go through, had been and would be all worth it.