So, hello. As you can see from the summary, this is my version of what happened to Baelfire after he went through the portal. I know it has probably been done a lot before, but I had so many ideas running through my head that I had to get them down. Once Upon a Time does not belong to me, and the quotes in italics are from episode 1X19 "The Return" Also, this is my first time writing in a while, so I apologize if I'm a bit rusty. It's also my first venture into the OUAT fandom. My apologies for any spelling, grammar, or formatting mistakes. I did spell check and reread quite a lot, but things can slip through. Kindly point them out to me if you see them, and I'll correct them.
Chapter 1: Strange Dog, Strange Man, Strange World
Baelfire slid down further into the terrifying vortex, utterly consumed by rage.
"You coward! He screamed. You promised! Don't break our deal!"
"I have to." Rumplestiltskin replied helplessly.
"Papa!" He screamed as he slid fully into the vortex, screamed until his throat was raw and he tasted blood at the back of his mouth. Before his world disappeared, he glimpsed the look on his father's face. It was full of terror and desperation, but also of pain. Bae couldn't help but feel a sick sense of satisfaction at this-after all, he is simply hurting Rumpelstiltskin how he himself has been hurt; hurt when his father turned the grain merchant into a slug and crushed him amidst Bae's pleas for him to stop,
"No Papa, no! Please Papa, don't! No Papa, Papa!"
hurt when his father insisted on practicing magic until it consumed him, knowing that Baelfire hated it, hated the foreign creature it turned him in to, quicker to kill than to love. He didn't stop screaming as the world went dark, and his scream was cut off with a choke as dirt forced its way into his mouth and nose, suffocating him. Suddenly Bae felt air on his face once more and he coughed violently to expel the earth in his mouth, clawing at the dirt covering his eyes so he could see something, anything. When his eyes were cleared he blinked rapidly, but they were burning and everything's so blurry and his mouth tasted like dirt, and it's all just too much.
He curled into a ball in the dirt and sobs. He cried for what felt like forever, screaming when he felt he must until his throat was raw and he's utterly exhausted. He hadn't cried that much since the one spring when Old Man Scalon's goat had escaped and he promised Bae and Moraine each a piece of sugar candy if they could recapture it. They spent hours chasing it all over the neighbor's fields, some laughing and cheering them on and others screaming about trespassing and crop damage until Bae had finally managed to leap onto its back, only to be thrown off the other side where he landed on his arm with a sickening crunch. It hadn't even hurt much at first, but when Moraine caught up with him and saw she started screaming, and Old Man Scalon carried him home despite his arthritis, where his papa had yelled and his mama had comforted him, right until she snapped the bone back into place. That's when he finally felt the pain and screamed and cried because it hurt more than anything he'd ever experienced, like molten metal traveling through his forearm. He'd still gotten the sugar candy, even though they hadn't caught the goat. For six weeks after that his mama and papa had babied him and he wasn't made to carry straw or anything.
Despite the circumstances, it had been one of the happiest times he could remember, where mama was still alive and she and papa got along okay, or at least pretended to for him. Consumed by the memory,Baelfire was suddenly yanked back to reality with the sound of a twig snapping. He quicky sat up and dried his eyes, cursing himself for letting go like that; he was fourteen, not seven. He needed to pay attention—for all he knew, this world was full of dangers and he could be killed if he wasn't careful. Looking around, Bae realized he was in a shallow pit not unlike the one he'd come through, with tall trees all around him. It was familiar and yet foreign, for these trees had different leaves than the ones back home and the air smelled different—not as clean, and with a metallic edge. Crawling out of the pit and getting to his feet, Bae froze as a large dog broke through the trees and ran straight at him. Even the dog looked different, not like the sheepdogs back home but with short brown hair and a long thin tail. It excitedly circled him, sniffing his clothes with extreme interest, until a voice yelled through the trees,
"Baxter! Get back here!"The dog turned and ran as a man approached, wearing unfamiliar clothing to Bae; odd blue trousers and a patterned button shirt.
"I'm so sorry, he's always running off like that. He's harmless, really"the man said, clipping a lead to a type of rope around the dog's neck.
Bae remained silent, weighing his options, as the man came closer and took in his dirty face, bloodshot eyes, and strange ripped clothing.
"Kid, are you all right?" he exclaimed.
"Are you lost, do you want me to call someone for you?" Bae decided not to run and considered the odd man. He had brown hair, graying at the edges, and a short beard. He seemed harmless enough, but Baelfire didn't understand what he meant by "call someone"; if he wanted to call out he could do it himself. Cautiously he replied
"I'm okay. But I don't know where I am.", hating how hoarse his voice sounded from crying.
"Well, are you here alone? Where are your parents? People usually don't come out this far into the forest preserve, even the hikers. Just me an' Baxter here, most days. He and I need the exercise. Old age, you know?" He chuckled. When he got no response, he sobered.
"Look, kid, I want to help you, but you need to give me something to go on. What's your name? Where do you live?" Having thought it over, Bae decided he shouldn't tell the man too much. He was too strange, too new, and Bae didn't know if he could trust him yet.
"My name is Baelfire. I'm fourteen and my father left me here. My mother's dead." That was partly the truth, anyway. By refusing to go with him, his father technically had abandoned him.
Bae felt an intense onslaught of emotion when he thought of Rumpelstiltskin, fury and sadness and longing all mixed into one, and pushed the thoughts from his mind. Not here, not now he thought.
The man's eyes widened. "That's an unusual name. Wait-you mean to tell me your father left you here alone in these woods on purpose? He's not coming back to get you?"
Bae shook his head. "Alrighty then, you better come with me. We can call the police or social services or something at my house. No use calling them now, in the middle of the woods."
He made a 'follow me' gesture and started walking in the opposite direction, saying "My house is about three miles east of here. It's a bit of a hike, but it shouldn't take too long-hey, kid, aren't you coming?"
Bae hadn't moved. He was strangely reluctant to leave the place where he'd come through; it was his only connection to home and leaving it felt like abandoning a piece of himself.
No he told himself. Papa already did that for you. With that thought, followed after the strange man through the unfamiliar-yet-familiar forest, trying not to cry.
So. Loved it? Hated it? Think I'm a six-year-old on meth? Leave your thoughts below!
Seriously though, I appreciate reviews, even if they're short. Constructive criticism is also appreciated. I'm already working on the second chapter, but don't have a specific post-date for it.