I only own the plot and the personality of Lina, not the character or story she comes from. I also do not own Once Upon a Time.
Chapter Two
It'd been a few weeks since her first encounter with Rumplestiltskin and she had yet to see him again in that seat. She always kept an eye out for the broken man, and even a few patrons would notice her staring at the door. A few comments passed the first few nights, but after a while of him not showing, they stopped their laughing.
"Ya can't fall in love with a cripple, Lina. He couldn't do much for you, even if you were full sized," Jacob said as he cleaned the bar once again after a quiet night. Earlier in the day, the damn knights showed up and took two girls and a boy in order to make them soldiers. The entire town was depressed and though the tavern was quiet, it was filled with grieving people.
"I'm not in love with anyone, so bite yer tongue, sir," Lina replied, washing out a mug that Jacob dropped off to her. She was regularly barraged with tipsy flirting, but she never took anything seriously. She was four inches tall, by the gods. The very idea of being crushed in a lover's intimate moment made her cringe.
Jacob gave her a look and shrugged. He looked like he was about to turn away when something seemed to come to his mind. Looking unsure of himself, he nudged her. "Um… Ya know his soon will be of age soon."
He didn't need to say who, Lina knew right away. She'd never seen the boy, but knowing that he'd be 14 soon broke her small heart. She dropped the mug she was working on and looked up at Jacob fearfully. "He can't be. He'll lose his son, too! And his wife just…"
"Ya can't save everyone here, Lina. I get you feel bad for the man, but this is war time. You have to only think of yourself. No matter how much that hurts," her friend responded and picked up the mug she was working on. "Why don't you head home, Lina. It's a bit early yet and after today, I doubt anyone's out."
The girl nodded, her green eyes watery with the latest revelation in the little town. She didn't know what to do other than nod to him and hopped off the counter. Landing below the large man, she moved slowly toward where her cloak and bag were. Inside the bag was the copper piece that she had been holding onto in order to return it to Rumplestiltskin. She waved to Jacob and made her way out the small opening in the wall, far enough away from the front door to avoid being stepped on.
The night was quiet, just as Jacob said it would be. Though the sun had only set a mere hour or two ago, no one was seen outside of their little homes. The town center was barren and even the torches that were lit up at night were snuffed out. Few candles or fires were lit in the homes she passed and she wondered if they all went to sleep, holding each other close, trying to will the days of battle away. She knew they were all in pain, though she'd never experienced that herself.
Lina had grown up in a different part of the kingdom on a farm far enough away from a village that she never knew about soldiers taking children for battle. The woman she called mother was an older woman that never had any children of her own during her youth and now ran a farm alone. She'd given shelter to an old woman who gave her a small seed to plant in order to receive her true heart's desire.
The elder woman watered the seed and cared for it, happy to do as the beggar woman asked. Within a few months, the seed sprouted and grew a flower bud, waiting to open. One sunset, the woman tended to her flower, anxious for it to open. As the last rays of the sun fell through the window, the flower opened to reveal a small girl no larger than the old woman's thumb. The woman fell to her knees in tears, happy to finally have what she sought most in the world.
"Hello. I had dreams that told me you were my mother," the tiny girl said and the woman was enraptured by the little voice that would become a turning point in her days. She nodded and grinned widely as the girl moved to sit in her palm.
"Yes. And I will call you Thumbelina."
A slight scuff of footsteps brought Lina out of her memories, making her freeze. She was just outside of the town now, passing the homes of the more reclusive townsfolk. She didn't pay much attention to this part of town on her walks home, but in the glowing moon, she saw the shadows fall away. To her right, she saw a small little home with a candle burning in the window. She smiled warmly, anxious to have a candle to warm her up soon. But her smile was brushed away when she heard the footsteps again.
The front door of the home opened and a figure seemed to be sneaking from the darkness inside. The figure held a staff in their hand and seemed to limp toward an object at the side of the house. Lina stayed stock still, watching the movement and then gasped when a spark shot out and lit up the torch nearby. The figure froze in the new torch light and hissed out. "Who's there? Show yerself."
Though the voice was gruff, Lina knew who it belonged to instantly. Running to the side of the house, she moved into the light. "Rumplestiltskin. It's Lina."
The person she now recognized turned on his good foot and looked over the grass in order to catch her small stature. His fierce glare melted and a look of worry replaced it. He knelt down into the grass beside her and held out a hand. "Mah wee lass. What are you doing out here at this time of night?" he asked as she took a step into his hand and balanced herself with his thumb.
Though Lina rarely let people touch her, much less hold her, she was surprised that she felt safe with the man and his warm hands. She smiled slightly and waved at him before he held her at eye level. "Good evening, Rumplestiltskin."
The man didn't look as happy as she did, which she knew couldn't have been her fault. As far as she knew, he always seemed a bit on the upset side. Though his bright hazel eyes were looking particularly broken this evening, she squeezed his thumb lightly in a hug. She couldn't do much at her height, but she could at least send a greeting.
"Yer too small to be out here alone, Lina. Where are you going?" he asked, his voice curious rather than gruff. "Shouldn't you be at the tavern?"
"Jacob told me to head home after… after today," she said quietly, barely audible over the crackling over the torch. But the man seemed to hear it as he slumped a bit and made to sit against the house. "He's finishing up back at the pub."
The man above her nodded and ran his free hand through his hair. At the mention of what happened during daylight hours, he seemed a bit more upset. She sat watching him a moment and nudged his thumb.
"What are you doing out so late?" she wondered aloud, trying to catch his eye. He didn't seem to notice and looked to his right a bit unfocused. "Did something happen?"
"I came out here to spin," he said quietly.
"To forget. Is it about your son?" she asked just as quietly, afraid he'd fly into a rage at the reminder. But he didn't. He only nodded and his hand quivered beneath her. They didn't say anything for a moment before Rumplestiltskin was on his feet again and moving toward the spinning wheel just outside of the torch's circle of light.
"He'll be 14 in a few days," he said as he sat at the wheel. She stared up at him and he smiled sadly. "I need to do something to protect him. But what can I do?"
Lina looked at the man above her and squeezed a hand to her heart at the hopelessness she felt radiate off of him. So his son would be leaving sooner than she thought. And that monstrous cavalry would take him away from the man who had nothing left. His ability to walk properly, his reputation, his wife, and now his young son. The man couldn't catch a break.
"Run."
Rumplestiltskin looked down at her wearily and shook his head. "You've seen me hobble around town, lass. I couldn't run if I wanted."
"That's not what I meant… I mean take your son and run from here. Leave the village," she said not unkindly. She crawled across his palm and tried to reach up to his face. "Hide."
"Ya think it's that easy?" he asked, suddenly angry enough that his brogue became more prominent. "Ya think I can pack up what life we have and save mah boy? They'd be on us within a day and where would tha' get us? He'll be taken and I'll be hung. Is tha' what ya want, lass?" he barked, his eyes flashing dangerously in the orange light.
Lina shrunk away from him and looked away, feeling those eyes burning into her. She didn't think it was that easy, no, but it was all she could think of to save the man and his son. What else would help them? Moving to the edge of his palm, Lina tried to find enough footing to jump away. "I'm… I'm s-sorry, Rumplestiltskin. I just…"
But the man stopped her attempt at descent and cupped his hands around her. She refused to look up at him, tears in her eyes, but he cooed at her then. "Lass, ah'm sorry. I shouldn't… I'm angry, but not at you, lass. I know you're trying to help," he said and brought her closer to his face then. She glanced at him and his eyes were back to their normal, sad hazel. "But runnin' won't solve all mah problems."
She nodded, understanding where he was coming from. He ran from war and he was permanently scarred physically and emotionally. Nothing was going to change that. And running now would make things worse. She was short on ideas, no pun intended.
"Can… can I sit with you while you spin?" she asked. He seemed a bit surprised at the request, but nodded no the less. He moved his hand toward his shoulder and she hopped off to make herself stable behind his ear. He didn't say anything else as he picked up where he seemed to have left off and Lina focused on the wheel. The nights silence wasn't even broken by the consistent spin, giving her the idea that he took care of his wheel well.
Lina was content to sit with Rumplestiltskin that night, losing her focus on the wheel and closing her eyes. She made herself comfortable against his neck and soon enough the spinner noticed that her breathing evened out. Though he took to the wheel to forget, he couldn't pull himself away from the fact that a tiny girl was sitting in his hair. A small smile passed his lips as he ended his ministrations an hour before daybreak, cupped the girl in his hands, and brought her into his home for the remainder of the night.
Rumplestiltskin placed the girl in a small bowl with a scrap of cloth and situated it close to the bed he shared with Baelfire. The boy was in a deep sleep and barely moved when he joined him. Looking between the two, Rumplestiltskin felt a warmth wash over him for the briefest of moments before sleep finally took him.
