291 Years Ago
It was not an impossible decision for Baelfire. Actually, it was pretty easy to make…but it was a difficult decision to consider.
Baelfire had thought that Rumpelstiltskin would want them to return with him….he thought that maybe Rumpelstiltskin would want him to pack up his family and go to the castle or the cave or wherever it was that his father lived. Everyone had a different story.
But he didn't. The solution was simple. Baelfire would have to become ageless. It would destroy his father apparently…to eventually see the son that he tried so hard to protect die eventually….leaving him alone to deal with the sacrifice he had to take on to keep Baelfire alive in the first place
However, everyone died, that was just the natural order. One day, even Rumpelstiltskin would die. Now, whether or not he was suicidal for that like Zoso had been, that remained to be seen.
When the offer was given, Baelfire knew immediately what would happen. He would see the ones he loved grow old and die. He would see kingdoms rise and fall. He would see countless wars. There would be those that noticed he was untouched by time and would hate him and want to destroy him when they learned how he got to be that way. He would grow tired, and he would grow bitter and the Bae that Morraine fell in love with…and the father that he wanted to be for his children would be gone.
What if he went insane?
His father had also offered to make sure the fields were fertile for as long as Bae stayed alive so that he might be able to feed his family. It was rough to even consider that. Baelfire had his pride and to accept help from his father was almost unthinkable.
But he knew that he would….so his family didn't have to suffer. It was always a toss-up on whether or not they would have good crops….that was the luck of farming.
He looked at his wife as they sat outside on the one of the benches while their oldest two tumbled about on the grass, "I think I'm going to ask him to give the entire town fertile farming ground."
Morraine sat beside him and nursed their youngest, "Do you think he will?"
"I think I'd ask him to give the entire world fertile farming ground but I don't suspect I'll be that fortunate to get his agreement."
Morraine studied him with concern in her eyes, "So, you're going to take him up on his offer, then?"
Baelfire looked at his son and felt the paternal love and need to protect his boy no matter what wash over him every time he looked at the boy's brown eyes, "I have no choice."
"You'll be alone."
"I will be," he confirmed, "But maybe these little ones will give me enough grandchildren. Maybe it won't be so bad."
Morraine seemed to realize the price of the life he was undertaking and she took his hand, "I could ask him to give me the potion too."
He heard the hesitancy in her voice; he knew that she wouldn't like that. She would grow to hate it as much as he would and she might grow to hate him. It would be difficult, he imagined. To look forward to years of birthing the Dark One's grandchildren just to see them eventually die
"No, I couldn't ask you to do that," he whispered. He loved her far too much to ask his father to make her literally spend eternity with him so he wouldn't risk being lonely.
Morraine looked up with a start, "Gretchyn! Let go of your brother this instant!"
Bae smiled slightly as he saw his daughter was trying to put a headlock on her brother as they wrestled around. That was his girl.
He stood and strode over to his children. With ease, he lifted Gretchyn off her brother. Dyllyan, who didn't seem bothered by his sister's strength, automatically reached up to be carried as well.
Baelfire swung Gretchyn over so that she could hang off his back and he lifted his son as well, "You're both getting too big for this. You may've been able to crawl all over me once, but one day you're going to be so big that your poor papa is going to fall in the dirt."
"No you won't, papa!" Gretchyn protested.
"And what happens when your brother is old enough to hang from me too? What are you going to do then?"
"You can carry all of us!" Gretchyn said firmly.
"I see," he said with a small smile. One day they would be adults…and then one day they would be old and he wouldn't be able to age with them. He would still be this age.
And a part of him grew angrier at his father for forcing him to take his sacrifice just to save his son
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000
Rumpelstiltskin came later that evening to see them. Baelfire looked back at his children to see if they would be scared of the man but they barely glanced at him and then went back to their duties. Gretchyn was helping her mother with dinner and Dyllyan was playing with a straw horse his father made for him.
Morraine came to stand beside Bae. She kept her gaze on the deformed imp and showed no hint of fear but her hands trembled slightly next to his. He doubted she would show fear normally but Rumpelstiltskin was now standing in front of their children…and she was protective of them and what they saw as Bae was.
After all, the Dark One had a notorious temper
But as soon as Rumpelstiltskin swept in, he was cordial, he gave a small bow with his arms outstretched to Morraine and kissed the back of her hand. IT was a wonder she didn't pull away but she kept an inexpressive face.
"Morraine, you certainly grew into a lovely thing," he told her, "It warms my heart that you married my son despite the family you risked marrying into."
"Thank you," she whispered, "But with all due…respect sir, I never even considered you and…your reputation when I fell in love with and married Baelfire."
"All the better," Rumpelstiltskin said.
Morraine remembered her hosting duties and moved toward their children. She put her hand on her daughter's back as Gretchyn chopped vegetables, "This is Gretchyn."
The girl barely looked up; she had her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
Morraine rested her hand on her son's head, "This is Dyllyan."
"And the other son?"
Baelfire looked at his father, "We haven't named him yet. We weren't sure if he would- you know."
"Well son, that's what I'm here for," he flourished his hand and a small vial appeared…just enough to drink one."
Baelfire didn't accept it at first, "I'd like to ask you to also make the villagers lands fertile as well."
Rumpelstiltskin shrugged, "Easily done?"
Baelfire accepted the vial, the black liquid sloshed inside, "Am I to drink it in front of you?"
"No son, I trust you. You're an honorable man," Rumpelstiltskin said, "May I at least see the boy before I go?"
Baelfire went to pick up his son out of the cradle and brought him to his father. Rumpelstiltskin just looked at him, "He's a lovely boy."
He placed his hand on the child's face. Baelfire wasn't sure how he knew…but he felt that in that instant…his father had healed his son.
"Thank you," Baelfire whispered. He couldn't give his father a lot of things…his father didn't deserve a lot of things with what he had done…but he could give him his gratitude.
Morraine seemed more relaxed now that she saw Rumpelstiltskin was trying to his best to be a gentleman, "Would you like to stay for dinner? We're having a small dinner tonight, but you're welcome to stay."
"No thank you dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said but he looked touched at the offer, "I would just make things awkward…besides, I really have to go."
He disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Baelfire drew in a breath and handed his son over to the child's mother, the boy gave a small fuss but didn't cry.
Baelfire looked at the small vial.
"That's it?"
Baelfire nodded, "It is."
Morraine took a small swallow and looked down at her son, "He did it…."
"Yes," Baelfire uncorked the small vial. It was now or never, he didn't want to risk being a coward and breaking the deal with his father at the expense of his boy. It made sense he supposed. Rumpelstiltskin gave his mortality to save his son, he expected Baelfire to do the same.
He expelled a small breath of air and he drank from the vial.
It tasted like water…
Morraine waited.
"I don't….," he looked at his wife, "Feel different."
"Maybe it was a test," she suggested.
But the next day, when Baelfire got up to start the harvest for the day, he saw that his field was blooming far greater than it had ever bloomed before.
And he knew that now…he was immortal.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000
Present Day
Baelfire had never had a princess in his house before. And despite him being much older and wiser, he still sort of felt a bit awkward when she came in after him and saw some of the mess, "Sorry."
"No need to apologize," she told him.
He walked to the dining room and pulled off a cloth to how her a fresh loaf of bread, "Are you hungry?"
"A bit."
"You can eat what you want," he told her, she looked half starved, "I can bake more.'
She reluctantly tore off a chunk of bread and put it in her mouth. And then as soon as she swallowed it, she ripped a bigger part off and stuffed it in her mouth.
"When was the last time you ate?" he asked.
Emma shrugged, "Last time I killed a rabbit."
"Didn't my father offer you anything?"
"He did. I didn't take it," she looked up, "It took everything I had to trust him enough to ask for help. I didn't trust him beyond that. I couldn't trust him beyond that."
Baelfire sat on the bench next to her and poured some watered down wine. Emma accepted it and took a large drink. Most did that when they tried the ale for the first time at the tavern, "So, what's your strategy…on how you're going to defeat this queen?"
"I'm going to gather an army," she told him, "Quickly and quietly. Winter will be here in a few months, and that means that trading will be more of a demand since most cities have shortages in some things and excess in others. I'm going to cut off supply routes…rob the ones that hold weapons and supplies…leave enough for the people to survive on."
"It'd be better if you starved them out," he told her.
"Most of the people in those villages are innocent," she said, "And my father tried that once….and Regina's troops held the fort until supplies ran completely low. And so they started killing those innocent people to make a statement."
"Innocent people are going to get hurt no matter what you do," Baelfire pointed it out to her, "If you're going to be a leader, you're going to have to make those decisions."
The princess was quiet, "I know…but I'd rather not until I have no other choice. Besides, starving out villages wouldn't exactly warm people up to me. So I'll let a small trickle of food get in…enough to feed them and I'll get rid of her troops and I'll win over the major towns, one by one."
"What about her navy?"
Emma shrugged, "Ships burn."
"Baelfire raised his eyebrows, he was tempted to tell her that that her plan was a task easier said than done…but she seemed to realize that. She was just giving him the basics of her plan.
"What happens if the queen uses her magic to come find and kill you? Or turns your army into a bunch of rats?"
Emma furrowed her eyebrows, "I'm still working on it."
"That's comforting."
"Well, I had a pretty good plan but now I have to figure out something else, now,"
She told him quietly. There wasn't any anger or judgment in her voice; she seemed to understand why he was reluctant to speak to his father.
"Don't you have anyone that can help you for this?"
"I do," she said, "My second in command, Red, is waiting for me.
Baelfire raised his eyebrows, "Is that her name?"
"No, that's just what we call her…it's…a really long story," the princess looked down, "I should be getting back to them tomorrow."
"I see," he muttered and stood, "I can escort you if you like."
"Maybe," Emma told him, "I wouldn't want you to be taken away from your work."
"You won't," he told her, "Wherever you're going, I imagine I'll know a shortcut. 300 years of exploring leaves you with a lot of time."
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000
14 years ago
Everything that Emma's mother and father had in the world could be fit in the carriage that they owned. Emma was nestled in the back of the carriage, sleeping under several blankets and furs to ward off the winter chill.
Her mother told her that they were going to the warmer part of the world because it was too cold here.
Something hit Emma's face and she looked up to see that it was snowing
Her father was whistling as the carriage moved. Emma sat up to tell her parents about the snowflakes falling around them because they OBVIOUSLY weren't seeing them.
"Charming," her mother whispered and wrapped the cloak around herself, "You'll wake up Emma."
"We can't have that," her dad told her mom playfully and kissed her neck.
"Behave," her mother giggled and smacked him.
"I don't want to."
"We have a long way to go," her mother said, "And I can't have you acting like a brat."
"You love it when I act like that," he argued and kissed her cheek
Emma propped her head up on her hands and watched her parents interact. She had never seen them this relaxed…this happy….
They were never happy when they had to move again.
Emma wondered if maybe this time they would stay at the place where they were going
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000
Present Day
The fire in the hut warmed the room and made Emma feel drowsy but she still lay there in the bed opposite the room and tried to remember every detail she could.
That was her first memory…..of her parents being happy. She remembered being angry that they moved so much but she couldn't remember the actual moving.
As a small child they tried to hide their fugitive status from her. They told her they moved because it would be cooler in the summer. They told her they moved because their destination would be warmer in the winter. They told her that there were droughts and they had to move on. It wasn't until later that Emma caught on to what was happening.
Some little girls dreamed about being a lost princess. Emma actually was one and that title came with far more sacrifice than benefits.
She closed her eyes and imagined her parent's faces. They could be dead for all she knew….she might never see them again.
They were all she had…and if they were dead then she would be alone. Sure she had Red…but Red was not her mother
The tears sprang in her eyes as she thought about the status of her parents. Sometime during crying for them, she fell into a fitful sleep.
And then was awakened to the sound of someone pounding on the door.
"Open up in the name of the Queen!"