Morraine was not sure if she should be happy or worried to see that this peculiar creature was her friend's father.
He looked even more distorted than he did an hour ago. It appeared that every time he healed someone his look became more and more grotesque.
"C-can you take us home?" Morraine asked timidly.
"Oh, that's right!" Rumplestiltskin said. He opened his eyes, like a lightbulb turned on in his brain. He giggled again, and twirled his wrists glamorously.
"You can't just be left here. How would you know the way home?" He shrieked gleefully. "Gather around, boys and girls of the frontlands!" He waved his hands gesturing grandly. "We're going home!"
The children drifted towards the monster like moths drawn to light. He divided them into groups according to which town they lived in.
And he led them home.
All one thousand children.
The boy whose friend was dead, wanted to take his body with them, but the Dark One refused. He sing-songed that a dead weight will just slow them down.
When they arrived at that boy's town, Rumplestiltskin urged him to go home to his parents, but the boy lingered in front of his dead friend's hut.
"You don't have to be the one to tell his parents, and family, " the imp wagged his finger in the boy's face dramatically.
"Only his father," the boy said sadly. It's the only family he's got."
Rumplestiltskin looked like he'd swallowed a frog, whole, but he recovered two seconds later and his impish giggle returned.
"Well, run along now," he announced with flourish, "I have fifty-seven more towns to go to. Tick tock!"
Morraine's town was last. She went into her warm home, and reunited with her parents. They were so happy to see her. They kissed and hugged their daughter, and urged her to eat and drink and rest.
When she went into her room to sleep, she decided to look out of her window at the hovel next door.
She saw her next door neighbor, Rumplestiltskin, walk out of his home. She looked after him curiously. Where could he be going? She hasn't seen her friend, Baelfire since she was drafted, so she decided to sneak out of her house and visit him.
"Happy birthday," she said when Baelfire opened the door for her.
"Hi, Morraine," Baelfire answered a bit gloomily.
Morraine felt so sorry for her friend. She had witnessed his papa's gradual transformation first-hand. She could only imagine the horror Baelfire must feel at seeing his only family, his warm and loving papa, suddenly look like a monster.
"Where did your papa go?" She asked.
"Said he needed to do something." Baelfire said unenthusiasticly.
Morraine decided to follow Baelfire's papa.
He was not limping anymore, but he walked slowly, thoughtfully. She followed him all the way to the battlefield.
He bent over that dead child. She thought she heard sniffing – could it be? Was he crying? He conjured a stretcher and placed the child carefully onto it. He waved his hand over the boy and suddenly the boy looked whole. He was still dead, but his limbs were not ripped apart and the blood was cleaned. The little boy looked like he was peacefully sleeping.
Rumplestiltskin then carried the stretcher all the way to the boy's father's hut. He left the boy outside the door with a letter and a solid gold badge of honor.
He then knocked on the door and poofed away.
Morraine was exhausted and wished she could also poof home to her bed. She knew the way by then, and she walked herself home.