Changes
Rumpelstiltskin had no idea who Gaston's fiancée was, but he already disliked her. Gaston was working him overtime so that everything could be just right for his wife-to-be. As Rumpelstiltskin neared his house, he began to hear giggling. Counting his blessings that the house was not close to any of the other slave houses, he none the less felt fear coursing through his veins. He had told them over and over that they needed to be more careful but neither one seemed anywhere near as concerned about it as he did. He was just going to have to show them why he was scared.
He slowed down and was careful to make as little noise as possible as he crept up on his own house. Right as he got to the door he heard a renewed bought of laughter. He swung the door open as hard as he could and shouted "What's going on in here?" in his best soldier impersonation. His yell and the loud slam of the door caused the two occupants of the room to look over. Rumpelstiltskin was rather pleased with himself as he saw pure terror in their eyes for a split second before they relaxed. His grandson seemed slightly confused as to why he had done it, but his best friend was livid.
"Why did you do that?" Regina asked him as she got up. She had spoken softly and he knew that she did that when she was the angriest. Her body language also displayed her anger and for a brief second Rumpelstiltskin feared for his life. But then he composed himself. He had a point to make after all.
"You two were making way too much noise," he explained. "If a soldier had been walking by, Henry would have been caught."
"Soldiers never walk by at this time of day," Regina argued back, but Rumpelstiltskin saw through her. She was rationalizing.
"That doesn't mean they won't start. Look, I love it when we all can have fun together. You guys know that. But when we are spending time together in the house we have to take certain precautions."
Regina sighed and then nodded. "You're right. We just got carried away I guess."
"Now that you aren't mad anymore, can I have my hug?" Henry asked Rumpelstiltskin.
Rumpelstiltskin nodded and pulled the boy close in a hug. "You know I only get mad because I'm worried about you," he told the boy.
Henry shifted in his arms so he could look up at his grandpa. "I know." Then he pulled back and started to go over to the trapdoor. "Come here, I have something to show you guys." Rumpelstiltskin looked over at Regina but she just gave him a confused look. Seeing this, Henry said, "I wanted to wait until you were both here." Then he pulled open the trapdoor which he had learned to disguise with magic a few years ago and disappeared.
"After you," Rumpelstiltskin told Regina since he did not want to hold her up. It took him a long time to maneuver down the stairs that led to the basement, due to his limp.
"No, I'll help you down," Regina responded, knowing it was easier for him if he had someone supporting him. So they went down together, closing the trapdoor behind them. Rumpelstiltskin was out of breath by the time they reached the bottom. Henry grinned at them both as they made it and shifted from one foot to the other. He was obviously very excited to show them his surprise.
"I've been practicing this for weeks," Henry told them. "And I have been able to do it the past three times without any hiccups." That's when they realized that he was going to do something magic related. "You guys ready?"
"Of course," Regina replied. Rumpelstiltskin could tell that she was eager to see magic. When Henry looked at him, he nodded in confirmation. While he tended to get worried when Henry used magic for fear that he might be caught using it, he was quite proud of how good the boy was becoming.
"Okay, here it goes," Henry said as he lifted his arms. Rumpelstiltskin looked down in shock as he realized that his feet were no longer touching the ground. He looked around the room and realized that nothing was touching the ground. "Levitation!" Henry exclaimed happily when he saw their stunned looks. Finally getting over his shock, Rumpelstiltskin found himself laughing. This was one of the most amazing feelings in the world.
They stayed in the air for a few minute, laughing in wonder and speaking in amazement but eventually Henry let them down. "Sorry," he apologized when the fun was over. "I can normally do it for longer, but I wasn't concentrating on it as much with you guys here." Rumpelstiltskin looked at the boy in wonder at that statement. Henry was to the point where he could multitask with magic. That must mean he was really powerful.
"Don't worry about it," Regina reassured the ten-year-old. "We had lots of fun." Henry smiled at that, and then he yawned. It was pretty late, and besides that he had just done some powerful magic.
"Alright, it's bedtime," Rumpelstiltskin commented. This is when it became obvious just how tired Henry was because he didn't argue. Soon he was tucked in bed and fast asleep while the adults were back upstairs. Regina had saved Rumpelstiltskin some dinner, and he was eating it now. Regina sat across from him, and after he had had a few bites, she decided to ask about what had been bothering her ever since he got home.
"Why were you late today?" she questioned.
"Gaston's fiancée is coming tomorrow, and he wanted to be sure everything was just right for her arrival," Rumpelstiltskin responded.
"Poor girl! I can't imagine what it would be like to be married to that idiot."
"Who says she's not just as bad as he is?"
"Don't judge someone before you meet them. She could be really nice."
Rumpelstiltskin snorted. "Name one noble that's nice."
"You know, I judged you badly when I first met you, and I was wrong. Just give her a chance."
"Alright," he consented. Regina seemed satisfied and stopped pestering him. But he still thought that this fiancée was going to be just as arrogant and idiotic as her husband-to-be.
"No, you can't come," Charming told his daughter firmly despite the pleading look she was giving him. "You remember what happened last time."
"Yes, of course I do," Emma said, looking hurt. "But I'm not pregnant this time. Besides, Bae thinks he might find his dad there and we have to look."
"But the LeGumes are still mad at you," Charming held his ground. He was determined not to give in. His daughter's safety was on the line. "Who knows what they'll do if you go back!"
"They can't prove we hid our son and besides that you can't keep me safe forever!"
"But who will watch the boys?"
"I don't know, maybe the servants! There is a reason we have them you know!"
Snow sighed as she listened to the two bickering from outside the room. Emma was right, if the LeGumes hadn't gotten over the fact that Emma's son had magic by now then they were just going to have to get used to it. Emma and Bae would be rulers some day and they had to get some experience dealing with every country, even if the leaders hated them.
"You two are arguing like an old married couple, and I thought that was my job," Snow stated as she walked in the room. "And Charming, Emma's right. They have to learn how to deal with the LeGumes at some point."
"Fine, you can come," Charming gave in. Emma hugged in in happiness.
"Does that mean we can come too?" Everyone turned to the door to see seven-year-old Neal and fifteen-year-old Leo standing in the doorway.
Charming looked over at his wife to make sure they were on the same page and smiled when he saw they were. "Not a chance," he told his sons.
Rumpelstiltskin was busy tidying up Gaston's fiancée's room when he heard someone at the doorway. He turned around and saw a girl standing there. She was wearing a plain but pretty dress and he thought that she was probably a new maid. "Is this the new Lady's room?" the brunette questioned.
"Yes ma'am, it is," Rumpelstiltskin confirmed. He was glad that she was just a servant because that meant he could look her in the eye, and she had quite beautiful eyes. But he couldn't allow himself to think like that; she was a servant and he was a slave. There was no way that she would ever be interested in him.
"Oh please don't call me that," she said, seeming slightly embarrassed. "My name is Belle."
He looked at her, shocked that she would want him to call her by her name. "Slaves are not allowed to address others in such a manner," he informed her. "Now, can I help you with something?"
She moved into the room, placed down a bag she was carrying (no doubt it was for Gaston's fiancée) and startled him by helping him tidy up. "I need something to call you," she told him.
"You can just call me slave," he said as he focused even harder on making the bed. "Everyone else does."
"I think that's just cruel," she said. He looked up because of the concern and compassion in her voice. The only people who had ever spoken to him like that were Bae, Regina, and Henry. "Can I call you by your name?" He knew he should say no. The other servants would tease Belle to no end if she referred to a slave by his name. But by the way she spoke, he could tell it would probably hurt her more if he refused to tell her his name. He found himself looking at the floor as he mumbled his name. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," she said, moving in closer to hear him better.
He realized he had to speak louder if he wanted her to hear him. He drew in a deep breath and said, "Rumpelstiltskin." He looked up at her when she didn't say anything and saw her trying to mouth his name to herself. He knew his name was hard. In fact, people had just called him Rum when he was little but he had hated being associated with an alcoholic beverage.
Realizing she had been caught not understanding his name and seeing that he seemed kind of upset about it, Belle decided that she had to fix things, and fast. "Do you mind if I call you Rumple?" She had noticed him tense when she had started to suggest a nickname, but he relaxed when he heard what exactly her suggestion was.
"Rumple," he said, deciding that he liked it. "I should start telling all my friends to call me that." He realized that he was being kind of misleading since he only really had one adult friend and two friends total counting Henry.
"I'm glad I could help you come up with a nickname," she stated happily. He hadn't meant to include her in his friend group because he thought that might be offensive, but the way she glowed at him he realized that that was what she thought. That fact that she wanted to be his friend confused him, but he found himself liking it. Then her beautiful smile disappeared as she looked out the window. "Oh no, I'll be late. See you later!" Then she dashed out of the room to go wherever it was she had to be.
He stood motionless for a few minutes after she left, watching where she had disappeared. "See you later, Belle," he whispered to himself before he went back to work.
"No dad, it's too dangerous," Bae found himself telling the stubborn pirate.
"You and Emma are going," Hook argued. "Someone has to look after you!"
"Snow and Charming can do that just fine seeing as they aren't wanted criminals in the land of the LeGumes."
"I still don't think you should be going. They could hurt you two because of your son!"
Bae just shook his head. "They wouldn't risk the wrath of Snow and Charming. Even they aren't that stupid. And before you try to convince me further, this is the country I've searched the least in. I might be able to find my son, or maybe even my father. You can't deny me the chance."
"I suppose you're right Bae, I just don't want to lose you."
"Don't worry. The greatest pirate on all the seven seas taught me how to take care of myself." After a statement like that it was impossible for them not to end up hugging and struggling to fight back bittersweet tears for after all, pirates don't cry. But all too soon they had to part. "I'll see you back here in a few weeks," Bae told his dad as he walked out the door.
"You'd better be back here in a few weeks," the paranoid parent told the spot where his stepson had just been.
Henry sat in his basement trying to perfect a fireball spell. A few months ago he had managed to completely fireproof the house with a spell and now he wanted to learn something that could help him in a battle. He knew that one day he would have to fight a war to help all sorcerers, and he wanted to be prepared. He heard the cabin door upstairs open and he froze completely. It was too early for his mom to be home yet and his mind immediately jumped to soldiers.
Henry listened intently to the footsteps above, hoping that they wouldn't find the secret trapdoor. But then he heard the familiar tapping of a cane and he was halfway up the stairs by the time the trapdoor was open. "Grandpa!" he yelled happily as he launched himself into Rumple's arms. Rumple stumbled back a pace or two but managed to keep his footing. He chuckled as he hugged the boy back, savoring the precious gift that meant more to him than anything. "Why are you home so early?" Henry questioned, his voice muffled by Rumple's shirt.
"Gaston was too busy to constantly come up with other things for me to do like he normally does," Rumple explained. "So it looks like we get to have some time to play together."
"Yea!" Henry cheered happily as he pulled out of the embrace. "Let's go down in the basement so we can be loud!"
"Alright," Rumple chuckled as the boy practically dragged him into the basement. "What do you want to do?"
Henry pulled out two wooden swords that he had made with help from both his guardians a while ago. "Would it be okay if we sparred?" he asked. He didn't want to hurt his grandpa's leg, but he really wanted to get some practice with a sword.
"Okay Henry, but I will use my staff instead of a sword." Rumple had never really been good at handling swords and this way if his leg decided to give out in the middle of the fight he could catch himself.
"Sure," Henry agreed as he put the other sword back in its place. Soon the two were sparring with each other. Neither one was too terrible because Rumple had been able to pass on what little knowledge he had gained from fighting in the ogre wars. At first the two seemed evenly matched but then Henry started to win as he wore the older man down. It didn't help that Rumple's leg made him much less nimble than his grandson.
"I surrender," Rumple finally submitted, chuckling. He had had a good time but he didn't want to tire out his leg too much. Besides that he had wanted to surprise Regina by being the one to make their dinner tonight. "The valiant Knight Henry has proven to be my better on the battle field."
Henry grinned at that. "Do you really think I'm good?"
"Of course," Rumple responded. "I think you could become one of the greatest swordsmen the world has ever seen, if only we could find you a proper teacher." That was one of his greatest regrets about the way Henry had to be raised. Rumple knew if the boy had been born in Snow White's kingdom he would have had everything he could have asked for and more. As it was, he and Regina could hardly get away often enough to spend any kind of quality time with him, none the less teach him all the things a boy his age, and a prince at that, ought to know.
Henry didn't seem to realize this and right now his was beaming at his grandpa. "When I get older, I want to be a warrior sorcerer!"
"You'll make a great one," Rumple assured his grandson. "Now, all warrior sorcerers need to know how to cook so they don't starve when they are forced to travel on their own. Now, your mother tells me she taught you how, but a little practice never hurt anyone."
"Yea, we can surprise Mom with dinner!" Henry exclaimed. With that the two made their way up the stairs, each of them anxious to surprise the third member of their family unit.
"I told you there was something darker behind all this," Daniel asserted.
"Are you sure about this?" Robin asked his best spy. "Because if you're right, this will have some serious repercussions. I want to help, but I have to be sure this is the right thing to do."
"I understand," Graham told his leader. "I could hardly believe it either. But trust me; I double and even triple checked this. She is behind it."
"Then we have a big problem," Robin mused. "We can't beat her without wizards, and because of her, no wizard can use their magic!"
"Well, we are going to have to find a way," Daniel stated. "The fate of the whole enchanted forest is at stake."