Reforging Gold

Chapter One: Promises and Plans

"Papa! Papa!"

Rumplestiltskin didn't look up as his son burst into the cottage. He wasn't sure why Baelfire was calling for him, but their conversations lately had been strained, and Bae hadn't spoken to him at all since the incident with their former maid. It was best to let his son air his thoughts before making any response.

Baelfire came around to sit in the chair on the other side of his spinning wheel, hands clasping nervously. "Papa...I did it. I found a way to make things be like they were."

Rumplestiltskin felt his body tense. The voice of the Dark One snarled and snickered in the back of his head. He forced himself to keep spinning. It kept his hands busy, kept him from responding in fury to his son.

Baelfire spoke again. "Papa...have you ever heard of the Rhuel Gorm?"

"The Blue Star...the Blue Fairy?" Rumplestiltskin frowned as he turned to face the teen. "Son...fairy magic doesn't mix well with what I am."

"But she can help us!" Bae's eyes were wide and earnest, pleading. "She can send us to a place without magic."

"Without magic?" Rumplestiltskin shoved himself to his feet, moving restlessly.

A place without magic. A place where he'd no longer feel that comforting heat that sparked and tingled beneath his skin. Where he'd no longer feel that bottomless well of energy. He'd go back to feeling cold and tired. Worse… "I'd be weak, powerless."

"Like everyone else. It wouldn't matter."

But it would. Baelfire had never been crippled. Never been alone and shunned. Never been too poor to even have a roof over his head, or food in his belly. He had never been truly weak in his young life. Despite the struggles he had endured at times as Rumplestiltskin the coward's son, he had never known what it was to be a true outcast. He'd never known the grinding pain, exposure and humiliation of being a street urchin. After all, his father might have been a coward, but he was also the best spinner in several regions. Even his poor reputation wasn't enough to obliterate that fact. And Rumplestiltskin had played on that. He'd begged and scraped and abased himself while doing so, but he'd been good enough to ensure that no one could refuse his wares, no matter how they reviled him before and after the transaction.

But he...he'd always been weak. Always alone, until Bae. Always shunned and spit on, until he'd gained the power of the Dark One. To give up his magic, to be the powerless spinner once more...just the thought made his heart pound with fear. Baelfire would never understand those feelings, and Rumplestiltskin didn't know how to explain them.

Baelfire saw his reluctance. The boy rose out of his chair. "Papa, you promised. You made a deal with me." Dark eyes met his, angry and hurt. "Are you going to break your word?"

He never had broken his word yet. He wouldn't start by breaking his word to his son. He'd never thought Baelfire would succeed in his quest to find a way to eliminate his curse, but if the boy truly had...he couldn't break his word to his son, no matter how terrified the prospect of being powerless might make him.

No matter how his curse howled at him.

He turned back to his boy, forcing calm. "No. Of course not."

Baelfire relaxed. "Then we should go. We can go now!" His eyes were shining with excitement.

"Bae. Wait. Wait a moment son." Rumplestiltskin stopped just short of catching his son's arm. Bae hadn't liked his touch after his transformation, and his control was too shaky for him to trust. He settled for holding his hands out in a 'stop' gesture.

Bae's expression fell. "Papa..."

"I'm not breaking my word Bae. But we can't just...just launch ourselves into another world with no thought. What about food? What about money, so we can provide for ourselves Bae? And clothing? I know you want this son, but we need to think it through. A couple hours or a couple days more or less, is it really going to make so much difference?" He gestured.

"You're just stalling." Bae's expression turned mutinous.

"No son. I promise you, I'm not. But if you're right...if this other land has no magic...I won't be able to provide for you Bae. If I cannae use magic to provide for you, then we need to make plans, to bring provisions. It's just like any other journey son. You have to be prepared before you start out. You know that." He put one hand on the back of the chair, gripping it hard to hold onto both his fear and his temper. "Give me two days Bae. Two days to make sure we have adequate gold, food and clothing for us. Then we can go."

Baelfire considered. "You promise? After two days, we'll go? No more delays?"

He managed to force a nod. "Yes Bae. I promise. Two days, to prepare our supplies, and I promise we'll go." His curse was howling. He pushed it to the back of his mind.

"All right." Bae relaxed. Then he smiled. "I'll help you with the packing." He came forward, and for the first time since his transformation, he embraced his father. "You'll see papa. It'll be all right. We'll be together, and everything will be the way it's supposed to be."

Rumplestiltskin managed to raise his hand and pat his son awkwardly on the back. "I believe you son."

Baelfire let him go and darted out of the cabin. Probably to talk to a friend, or perhaps to collect some supplies.

Rumplestiltskin slumped against a chair, his heart hammering. Two days, and then he would follow his son to a land without magic. A land without power.

Deep in his mind, the curse was howling, sneering.

Deep in his mind, the man he had once been was cowering, breathless with terror at the thought of being powerless and weak again.

He put his head in his hands, heart hammering.

He was terrified his son would be disappointed, that his curse wouldn't break and that the disappointment would break their relationship completely. He was equally terrified that Bae's plan would succeed, and leave him weak. He had been ashamed of being a coward and weak, ashamed that he couldn't be a father his son could be proud of.

Bae had already been questioning, thanks to the soldiers, before he'd become the Dark One. What if he lost his power and Bae realized he was as ashamed of the man his father had been as he was terrified of the Dark One his father had become?

***RG***

Rumplestiltskin spent most of the next two days helping Baelfire gather the items they needed. Multiple sets of clothing, mostly the new items he'd procured in deals, or made. Food, in case it was hard to come by. And, most of all, gold. He sent Baelfire to sell some of the things he'd traded for. Other things he sold himself, either in his own guise or in a cloaking spell designed to make him seem a harmless stranger.

He decided not to take his spinning wheel. It was simply too difficult to carry, especially if he assumed he'd have no magic to make the task easier. He did, however, pack his son's art supplies, and some bundles of his finished products, cloth and thread, so he would have examples of his wares to demonstrate in their new land.

Baelfire's approval and constant support was the only thing that kept him moving forward with the plan. He was terrified down to his bones, and the darkness was a constant presence in his mind, growing stronger by the hour, snarling and raging in his head. It took a conscious effort not to snap at Baelfire, not to hurt the boy, and yet, the constant goad to do so was the strongest motivator he had for going through with the plan.

There were many things he would do, many things he could do under the curse's influence but to harm his son wasn't one of them.

Finally, at dusk of the second day, everything was ready. They'd packed their things, chosen clothing to wear, good enough that they wouldn't be immediately recognized as peasants (he hoped). They'd prepared a story to tell, one that would seem plausible, and eliminate any need to mention where they'd really come from. Rumplestiltskin had, with much effort, managed to prepare two spells that would allow them to absorb information from their surroundings, to fit in better. He'd no idea how long they'd work, or even if they would, but he was determined to give them every advantage he could, for Baelfire's sake if nothing else.

Bae didn't like the magic, but he did agree that the spells would be useful, as long as that was the only spell his father performed.

After that, there was nothing left to do, save enjoy a last meal and wait for night to fall. They'd both agreed that going at night was safer. They would simply vanish, no questions asked. Baelfire had already told his few friends that he and his Papa were leaving. Rumplestiltskin suspected the rest of the village would have been celebrating, had they not feared his retribution.

They fixed the last of the food, then settled in to eat. Rumplestiltskin considered eating in silence, but he had to admit, there was something that had been on his mind. He hadn't asked before, but...he'd never known one of the fairy folk to be willing to help a dark magic user before, much less wait for their intended recipients to be ready. "Bae...son...I know I haven't asked...but you do know, fairies don't exactly approve of me. How can you be sure they'll help?"

Baelfire grinned. "It's okay papa. I don't need to call her or anything. She already gave me a way to create the path to the other world." He dug into a pocket of his clothing. "See?" He opened his fist. "It's a magic bean. She told me it had the power to take us anywhere, even a land without magic."

Rumplestiltskin barely heard him. There was an odd roaring in his ears, and the world seemed to tip sideways.

A magic bean. One of those accursed magic beans, like the one he'd used to try and make a fresh start with his father.

He lunged backward away from the table, heart hammering. "Oh Bae...you cannae be serious."

Baelfire's eyes widened. He stood up. "Papa? What is it?"

"You can't trust a magic bean Bae." He was shaking with the effort not to incinerate the bean right there in his son's hand. "Oh Bae...son, you can't be serious."

"It's the only way Papa." Baelfire's eyes hardened with steely determination. "You promised."

"I know son, but...you didn't tell me this was your plan." He gripped the back of his chair with both hands, striving to maintain his fragile control. "A magic bean...son, you have no idea how dangerous those are. You should have told me..."

"It doesn't matter. It's less dangerous than someone using the dagger. And anyway, you promised you'd come with me. You promised you'd do whatever I asked if I found a way to break your curse that didn't involve killing you." Baelfire's gaze was unrelenting. "You said you wouldn't break your word."

"I know Bae. And I don't intend to. But I...oh Bae...you cannae ask me to do this."

"Papa…."

"Bae…I can't do this." He shivered.

"You promised!" Bae's voice rose in an angry shout of denial. The brown eyes were narrowed in anger and hurt. "You promised!"

"Bae, please...I can't." He leaned against the table. "I don't...it's not that I want to break my word son...I...what you're asking me...I can't do this." He was shaking, and he tightened his muscles to stop it.

Something of his tone and his desperation penetrated Baelfire's anger. The boy stopped, then calmed, the anger fading to concern. "I don't understand." He came around the table, clasping Rumplestiltskin's arm gingerly. "Is it...is it your curse?"

"That's a part of it." He breathed deep, regaining some of his composure now that Baelfire was talking to him, rather than blindly insisting on his chosen course of action.

"You have to fight it Papa." Baelfire's voice was earnest rather than angry. "I know you can Papa. Just...hold on. After tonight, we'll be okay. You just have to fight it a little longer. I know you can do it." His grip was warm and supportive.

"I...I'll try Bae. But the bean...son, it isn't just my curse. I can't tell you everything, and I beg you not to ask me, but please…try to understand Bae...I…"

"Why won't you explain?" Baelfire's voice was frustrated.

"Because you'd never believe me son. Trust me on that." He heaved out a breath. "Bae, I know you want this, but..." He looked his son in the eyes. "Bae...I don't know what I can do...what you're asking me son..."

Baelfire studied him for a moment. "Papa..." His anger seemed to have vanished into concern and contemplation. After a moment, he straightened. "Papa, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do." Bae was the only person he did trust. The only one he allowed to know the secret of his dagger, his only weakness.

Baelfire stepped away from him, his eyes resolute. "If you can't do this on your own..." He held out his hand. "If you can't do this on your own, papa...will you give me the dagger? Let me help you?"

The curse howled. Rumplestiltskin stiffened. "Son..." A tidal wave of rage rose in him. He forced it back. He kept his voice level as he spoke. "I thought you didn't want to use the dagger Bae."

"Just to help you. I promise. Besides, after we go through the portal, it won't matter."

If it had been anyone other than his son asking him, he'd have killed them on the spot. Killed them and incinerated the corpse. Or strung it up as a graphic warning to those who thought to control the Dark One.

But it was Bae. His son. His precious, precious boy. His child that he'd suffered crippling wounds, constant humiliation, and even a dark curse for.

He breathed deep, fighting back the curse, the snarling voice inside his head that insisted he kill the boy, remove the danger to him. Baelfire remained silent, attuned enough to his moods to sense that he was actively fighting the curse that had slowly consumed him over the past two years.

Finally, he was calm enough to open his eyes, to face his son. "Baelfire..." He hesitated, hands clenching and unclenching, gut twisting, heart pounding. Finally, he found the words he needed. "Promise me son. Promise you won't use the dagger for anything other than...than this? Just for the portal, if I can't do it on my own?"

"Just for the portal, papa. I promise. Just to help you come with me. That's all."

"Even if the Rhuel Gorm is wrong, and my curse doesn't break on the other side?" He needed to know that. He'd never been controlled, but the memories of the previous Dark Ones, emerging in stray thoughts and dreams, told him how bad it could be, even if it were only his son, trying to control him for innocent reasons.

Baelfire's jaw clenched, but after a moment, he nodded. "Even if that happens."

Rumplestiltskin took a deep breath, then another. The thought of giving up his dagger terrified him, possibly even more so than the thought of using the magic bean. Still, he managed to nod in agreement. "All right."

the rest of dinner was a subdued affair. Rumplestiltskin ate stoically, trying not to think about the bean in his son's pocket, or what they were about to do. Instead, he focused on finishing his food, then cleaning their dishes and packing them away. From there, he did one last check to ensure they had all their supplies, especially the multiple small pouches of gold, silver and copper they'd be likely to need. He'd stored them in several places on his and Baelfire's person, and in the packs. Years of being an easy target had taught him more than one trick in that regard. He knew Baelfire regarded him as overly cautious, but his son tolerated it.

One final check over the cabin. Then Baelfire placed the note he'd left, dictating that the remainder of their belongings, and the cabin itself, would belong to the family of his friend Morraine. After that, they shut the door, sealed with a spell to make sure only Morraine and her kin could enter, and walked into the woods.

Fifteen minutes later, the village was out of sight through the trees. Fifteen minutes more saw them deep in the woods, where no one not actively searching for them would ever spot them. Baelfire found a sizable clearing, then stopped and pulled the bean out of his pocket. "Ready papa?"

He wasn't. He would never be ready for this. Nevertheless, he pulled the Kris dagger from his pocket, holding it loosely in his right hand, and managed a short nod.

Baelfire flung the bean to the floor. Instantly, a whirling green vortex formed, drawing at them, pulling them in. Baelfire stepped forward easily, eagerly, but Rumplestiltskin found himself frozen in place.

'I can't. Oh gods, I can't...'

A gentle hand touched his. Rumplestiltskin blinked, and focused on the eyes of his son. Baelfire didn't look angry, just concerned. Then the smaller fingers brushed his own, and the dagger slid out of his grasp.

Rumplestiltskin gasped, feeling suddenly constricted, trapped. He'd never guessed that being controlled, that just having the dagger in someone elses hands, could feel so...wrong. His heart pounded, desperate and clawing, his curse shrieking in the back of his mind. "Bae...Bae..." He couldn't form any words other than his son's name.

Baelfire reached out, took his other hand gently but firmly. "Come on papa. Let's go." His tone was stern, but kind, a boyish imitation of the tone Rumplestiltskin had often used when calling his son to come with him, to or from the market, or on one of his many errands.

That tone was the only thing that kept him from fighting as Baelfire drew him forwards, towards the edge of the portal's gaping emerald vortex. Just getting that close made him feel as if his chest might explode.

"It's okay Papa." How Baelfire could sound so calm, Rumplestiltskin had no idea. But his tone was relaxed, and his hand was warm and reassuring, even with the terror that his possession of the dagger induced. "It's okay. We'll go together, all right?"

Rumplestiltskin managed a short, jerky nod. It was all he could do, really.

"It's all right. Just hold on to me. We'll jump on three." Rumplestiltskin felt the commands take hold, his will now entirely out of his hands. "One...two...three!"

Baelfire leaped forward into the center of the spiral. Caught by the command of the dagger and his son's forward momentum, Rumplestiltskin leaped with him, even as his mind shrieked incoherently in fear.

Together, father and son fell into the portal.

Into another world.

Author's Note: Inspired by a friend. Just because. What would happen if Rumple and Bae fell through the portal into London, where Baelfire met the Darlings? So...

Up next: Arrivals, Problems, and friendly people.