A/N: Is it cheesy? Yes. Has it been done before and to death? Yes. I decided I didn't care: I wanted dragons. So here there be dragons.

Expectations: Here There Be Dragons

Walking into the Great Room the next morning and seeing his children already awake and waiting for him fills Rumple with such a sense of overwhelming relief that his knees almost give out. Waking up in his old bed, alone, he had the irrational and unshakable fear that the last few decades of his life had all been a lie. His wife and children merely products of a lonely subconscious. No, he thinks as his daughter smiles at him in greeting. It's real. They're either all real or I've completely lost my mind, and if I have I've no intention of ever finding it again.

"So what's the plan?" Neal asks, biting into an apple.

"Well, for now I'm going to hold on to my clever little theory about the destruction of the ogre lands being connected to the birth of this world. Thought I'd ask some really old residents of this land what their thoughts on the matter are."

"There's someone here older than you, Papa?" Haylan asks with a wicked grin.

"Far older, thank you very much." Rumple pretends to be annoyed. "How would you like to meet a dragon?"

"Okay, the joke was bad, but Mum is so not going to forgive you for feeding Haylan to a dragon." Faith is sitting on the edge of the table, and Rumple feels a rush of longing remembering how often her mother did the same thing all those years ago. Gods Above, he wishes she were here right now.

"Oh, I was quite serious." Rumple looks excited. "You see, the only dragons you've ever heard of are the rogues, those who have been cast out of their clans. The rest of the dragons keep to themselves and are quite civilized. But since people only see the naughty ones, they just assume they all are. The dragons find that very narrow-minded."

Faith coughs something in her hand that sounds suspiciously like "Vivienne". Rumple gives her a piercing glare.

"And you're…friends with them?" Neal raises an eyebrow.

"More like…acquaintances. They're not too terribly fond of me but I've helped them out a time or two putting a stop to the bad seeds. They're not as touchy about killing their own as the ogres are, but they still get a little squeamish about it. If they can get someone else to take care of the issue, they don't mind giving proper compensation. And you won't find any better stewards of the history of this world." He sees that Faith and Neal still look a little nervous, but Haylan is nearly bouncing in excitement. "When can we go, Papa?"

"After breakfast. We may have a long day ahead of us." Rumple uses his magic to set the table with tea, bread, cheese, and strips of roast pork. It's simple fare, but it tastes good and it's filling, and there is plenty of leftover meat for Fid. Rumple reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cut ruby the size of his fist, nearly causing Faith to actually choke this time. Neal lets out a low whistle. "I guess I don't have to ask if that thing is real."

"It's very real. It's a gift for the dragons. They're notorious collectors. They don't use money, of course. They simply like to acquire pretty things."

"I like that." Haylan is finishing off a last bite of bread. "They don't want gems and stuff because it's worth anything. They just want it because it's beautiful. That's what makes it valuable to them. Right?"

"Exactly right. That's very good, Haylan. There's a huge difference between what something is worth and how valuable it is."

"A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." Neal quotes.

Faith coughs into her hand again.

"That's enough, Faith. " Rumple pats his shoulder and Fid leaps gracefully onto it, licking pork grease off of his whiskers. "Everyone done? Then away we go. The dragons await."

/

"So I thought dragons lived in caves and stuff." Neal looks around at the open, rocky ground under his feet, and peers upward at a ring to tall mountains in the near distance.

"Met a lot of them, have you?" Rumple gives him a look, and Neal blushes. "You know, just stories."

"Their caves are up in those mountains, but the dragons only use them to store possessions and when caring for young pups. They might sleep in them if it happens to be cold, but they usually prefer fresh air." Rumple moves his hands in circles in front of his face, and whispers something under his breath that his companions cannot make out. "They already know we're here. This is just telling them we've come peacefully seeking their wisdom." He lowers his voice to a whisper. "They're very vain so try and be properly awed and respectful."

It isn't something Faith has to fake when two blueish-green dots appear on the horizon, moving rapidly toward them. When they've moved into clear view, she gasps, and feels Neal take her hand and squeeze it. "Wow." She hears Haylan whisper.

They're both huge, but one is about twice the size of the other one. They make even the ogres seem tiny in comparison. Their spread wings block out the sunlight, and their iridescent scales reflect and refract it. In unison they dive low, until they are about ten feet above the heads of the humans, and then pull up and rise again, circling each other in a kind of intricate dance.

"They're showing off for us. Told you they were vain." Rumple hisses. He kneels down and places the ruby in the grass and then goes to stand next to his children and Neal. Still on his shoulder, Fid is watching the dragon-dance, and looks enraptured.

The dragons finally land in the grass, and Faith half-expects them to bow. They fold their wings against their bodies and settle down. The larger dragon looks at the humans in what almost appears to be amusement. The smaller dragon looks almost as excited to see people as they were to see dragons.

"They're so tiny, Father." His voice is so deep that it takes Faith a moment to understand what he's saying. "But they're amazing. I've never been this close to one before. Is that the Dark One? I thought he didn't live here anymore. Are those his pups? The one with the sunny…hair, is that what it's called? He doesn't look like the Dark One."

"R'gal" The older dragon seems to sigh, and pronounces the name like 'regal', which Faith thinks is fitting. "Enough chatter."

"Yes, Father." R'gal bows his head, but keeps sneaking glances at the humans, unable to help himself. If dragons can grin, this one is definitely grinning.

The older dragon reaches out a long, clawed leg and picks up the ruby, examining it. "Quite lovely." He pronounces. "My mate will find it pleasing. Dark One, we did not expect to see you again. In what way may we be of service?" The dragon's black eyes travel over the others, and then stop on Neal. "Your face, I've seen before. You are the pup of the prince, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir. He's my Dad."

"Indeed." The dragon displays long, pointed teeth. "Your father killed my cousin."

Neal swallows hard and takes a step backwards. "I'm sorry…I mean…he probably didn't mean to…he had to…"

"At ease, Pup." The older dragon laughs. "My cousin was rogue, and dangerous. Your sire saved me the distasteful task of ending him myself.

"The rogues are terrible." R'gal is unable to keep silent. "They go out and they attack, and then if people see us they think we're going to attack, so they run away or throw things at us, and they don't hurt but…my feelings get hurt!" He sounds so indignant that Rumple can't help but laugh. The young dragon is reminding him a great deal of Liam.

"Which is why, my Pup, we stay away from them. Less misunderstandings that way."

"But Father, if they could meet us and see that we're not all crazy…"

"Silence, R'gal. My apologies, Humans. He hatched voicing his opinion and hasn't stopped since."

"Because I'm right." R'gal mutters, and gets a dark look from his father in return.

"Do you remember my name, Dark One?" The older dragon asks.

"Sern'gal." Rumple replies immediately. "I'm not so disrespectful that I would forget the name of the Head. This is my daughter, Faith. My son, Haylan. And Neal. We've come seeking information, a way to stop something that might affect yourselves and everyone else here. No one else would have the kind of wisdom we seek."

The older dragon appears to preen at that, and he looks pleased. "Come closer, then. Let's speak."

/

Rumple, Neal, and Faith are still busy discussing something with Sern'gal, and Haylan has taken a quick moment to find a tree and relieve himself. He is walking back to the group when he sees R'gal off by himself sitting next to a large rock.

"Father said if I couldn't be quiet I couldn't stay there and listen." R'gal explains with an almost-human shrug of his leathery wings. "He thinks I talk too much. But I think I have interesting things to say, only no one wants to listen to me. Everyone just wants every day to be the same. It gets boring." He sits up and cocks his head. "I'm almost 130. I'm not a pup any more!"

"My father says no matter how old I get I'm still his little boy." Haylan is surprised to find his usual reluctance to speak to strangers is absent. "I guess they're all alike."

"Probably. He's going to give the red rock to my mother. She has plenty. I wanted it: my collection is really puny so far because he won't let me fly out into other lands to look for treasures. Even if I could convince him, my mother wouldn't allow it. She's the real Head, I think."

Haylan snickers. "Sounds just like my house. Papa does whatever Mum wants him to do. But I love my Mum. She's really great."

"So is mine." R'gal nods. "I just wish she'd let me have more fun."

"Tell me about it. My best friend Liam and I snuck out and rode a motorcycle. That's like…" He tries to think of how to describe it. "A big, fake horse. It makes a lot of noise and rolls on wheels. So we were riding around on it and having a good time, then Liam's parents caught us and they punished us by not letting us play together for a while. But we snuck and did it anyway."

"I sneak away sometimes too." R'gal whispers. "I've seen some humans from a distance and I wanted to say hello but they always run. I'm glad you didn't run away, Haylan. I'm really glad I finally get to talk to humans."

"Well, I've always wanted to meet a dragon. I'll have to bring Liam with me the next time. You'd really like him. Then the three of us could do stuff together. We could be friends, if you wanted."

"Yes!" The young dragon is excited. "Bring Liam! There are so many neat places I could show you, places only a dragon can get to. You could help me look for stuff for my collection because a lot of it is in little places only a human can go. Of course, if the world goes brown and goes away, we probably couldn't do that." R'gal sounds thoughtful. "So we have to make sure that doesn't happen. Come on, I want to hear what they're saying."

Haylan and R'gal approach the group, and Sern'gal gives R'gal a long-suffering look and then turns back toward Rumple. "As I was saying, when the Old World started to shake apart, the Head took everyone underground, and we Slept. I was laid and hatched underground so my memories are only of being curled up at my mother's side trying to figure out what was happening."

"Dragons have magic." Rumple explains to his companions. "During times of trouble or danger or famine, they can put themselves into a state of suspended animation they call the Sleeping. During this stage they do not need food or water, nor do they age. The Head will awaken periodically and judge whether or not it is safe enough to wake up the others. "

Sern'gal nods, looking pleased that the human understands. "We have not had to use the Sleep since then, I am proud to say. We hatched new offspring, and we have flourished in this world. We were perhaps presumptuous to assume we always would. If the sickness spreads, we may have to consider another Sleep."

"No!" R'gal yells out. "No, we can't do that! Whatever is wrong we have to fix it! I don't want to just go to sleep forever! I'd probably have really bad dreams the whole time!"

Sern'gal rolls his eyes. "What we need, Dark One, are the memories of those who lived through old death. I have them, but I am unable to retrieve them on my own. Do you know what Crossing is?"

Rumple looks somewhat startled. "I've heard of it, but I've never seen it. Only works on children, they say."

"Indeed. It is possible to link children because their minds are still forming and still…open…to such a thing. It does not harm them, but it does create a very strong bond afterward, almost in the manner of siblings."

"You are no child." Rumple points out.

"But I have one." Sern'gal glances over at R'gal, and there is both mild exasperation and burning love in his gaze. "As do you." He looks at Haylan. "You would not be harmed, Pup. You would simply see things that happened very long ago, and R'gal would see such things from your own mind. The experience can be unnerving but again, would not harm you."

"Please, Papa?" Haylan begs and Rumple gives a reluctant nod. He isn't thrilled with the idea of the dragon being inside of Haylan's head. He also isn't thrilled that the Crossing might draw out some of his own memories from before Haylan was born. Rumple is already ashamed that Haylan saw what he'd done to the mage-woman's face. He doesn't wish to give his son even more to be disappointed about.

Sern'gal motions with his head for Haylan to stand in front of R'gal and Haylan puts his hands on top of R'gal's scaly brow. The scales between his hands are warm, and he's close enough to smell the odd but not unpleasant odor of the young dragon's breath. R'gal closes his eyes and Haylan does the same.

And they See.

They See it all, an order in seemingly random events, the movement of a blue-green planet hurtling itself around a star smaller and brighter than the sun Haylan lives beneath. He understand then: not just another realm, but another world, uncounted lightyears from his own home. Smaller than Earth and so beautiful it almost makes both the dragon and the boy weep.

They See an old dragon lying on the ground, surrounded by his family. "Cry not. What happens next?" He asks of a small dragon next to him.

"Your Life-Force goes into the world, part to nourish the world, and part to rise again and nourish the soul of a new life."

They See the dragons vanish, and they See another world, lush and green and wholly unknown to them. They See an old woman kneel on the ground, also surrounded by her family. They See her place her palms on in the grass, and they See a beautiful young woman rise up.

"She took Life-Force from the ground." Haylan hears R'gal gasp. "You aren't supposed to do that!"

The images move quickly and interchange: dragons and mermaids and humans and dwarves and animals perishing and allowing their Life-Force to flow into the world below them. They See men and women drawing the Life-Force back out of the world to replenish their youth, and Haylan feels R'gal growing more enraged next to him. "They're killing it, Haylan! STOP IT!"

They See the world crack open like a shattered dragon's egg and they See the world reform and they See new life born and old life die, and the world ripple with abundance of life and Life-Force. And they see an old man, wizened and tiny, whispering the words of a spell from toothless gums as he reaches toward the ground below and pulls vitality into himself, and Haylan understands. There is a feeling of something snapping within him, and he comes back to himself, leaning heavily on R'gal's massive head, his cheeks wet with tears. He feels it now, that he's aware of it.

"Haylan?" Rumple asks. "Are you hurt?"

The boy shakes his head. "No, Papa. It's the world that's hurting." He falls into Rumple's arms and sobs.