"Are you ready to go back?" Belle asked in a soft voice.
They had been silent for a while. Belle's head rested on Mr. Gold's shoulder, while he kept an arm curled around her waist. The forest was reverently quiet as well, as if it knew the great strength of the love that was sitting by the brook.
Mr. Gold sighed. "Really, no. But with all the problems everyone always wants me to fix, I wouldn't be too surprised if Storybrooke was burned down to the ground by the time I got back to my shop."
Belle laughed with him. "I understand." She stood up and brushed off her dress, then offered a hand to him. "Come on," she said with a smile. "Storybrooke needs you."
Mr. Gold grabbed his cane and allowed Belle to help him onto his feet. Almost as soon as he bent down to grab the picnic basket, a loud rustle in the underbrush sounded nearby.
They both froze. Mr. Gold lowered his hand hold on his cane, now brandishing it as a weapon. Though he doubted the disturbance was anything but someone wandering away from the town, there was no such thing as "too careful" when it came to protecting Belle.
Nothing happened, and Mr. Gold reached out for Belle's hand. "Let's go," he said in an undertone.
Just as they were turning to walk away, a large grizzly bear stepped into the clearing. Its eyes immediately locked onto Belle, and then Mr. Gold. A low, guttural growl echoed off the trees.
Mr. Gold felt no fear. He tried to summon a ball of fire in his hand, but nothing happened. He looked down at his palm, aghast, and then tightened the grip on his cane.
"Don't hurt it, Rumple," Belle whispered, her eyes still on the bear, no more than fifty feet away.
He couldn't believe his hears, and yet, at the same time, he could. Sparing a human life he could understand (though he was still unsure whether he would do so himself), but an animal? But Belle was the kindest person he knew. If anyone would stand up for a hungry bear, she would.
"It's a bear," he hissed as the animal in question took a step closer.
"It's okay, I know what to do." She straightened up to her full height and slowly began to back away. "We're not going to hurt you," she said in a soft voice to the bear. The beast kept its eyes trained on her, unmoving.
Mr. Gold watched Belle and followed her lead with a sigh, though he wouldn't be caught dead talking to a dumb animal. However, he had to give her credit because it seemed to be working. They were almost to the line of trees, and the bear still seemed like it was in a trance.
Then Belle tripped on a rock and fell over backwards. Mr. Gold immediately helped her up, asking if she was okay.
"Fine..." But she trailed off as she looked at the bear again. Mr. Gold followed her gaze to see that it was advancing towards them, its eyes hungry. In a sudden lunge it ran after them, its great roar shaking the forest.
He thrust his arms out to use an immobilizing spell. Nothing. Suddenly, fear twisted Mr. Gold's gut; not fear for himself, but for Belle. "Run!" he shouted, turning and pushing Belle when she didn't move, her eyes wide with shock. He grabbed her hand and ran, though she soon got ahead of him as his limp hindered his gait. They would never make it at his pace.
Mr. Gold concentrated on transporting them to his shop, but again, magic failed him. Some kind of enchantment must have been placed over the forest. "Run, Belle!" he urged, letting go of her hand and standing his ground, his cane dropping to the leafy floor.
She stopped. "I'm not leaving without you, Rumple!"
He glanced back at the bear approaching at an alarmingly fast speed. "Please, Belle," he pleaded. "Go. It can't kill me without the dagger."
Her eyes flashed over his shoulder, and then back to him. Her expression was lined with worry, but he could see her logical side kicking in. She nodded and ran off without another word.
"Hey!" Mr. Gold called to the bear when he saw its eyes still focused on Belle's retreating form. It looked at him, and its mouth curled into a snarl.
Mr. Gold looked at the tree behind him. If he could jump away at the last second, the bear would charge into the trunk.
Three...two...one.
His coat was snagged on a branch, and there was no time to struggle free.
The colossal bear tackled him and forced him to the ground. It let out a rumbling roar before raking its claws through Mr. Gold's jacket and shirt and drawing blood from his chest. He clenched his teeth in pain, backing away as the bear reared up again to strike.
The bear couldn't kill him, but without healing magic, it could sure make him hurt.
The glossy black length of Mr. Gold's cane came seemingly out of nowhere, hitting the bear squarely in the eyes face, once, twice, thrice. The animal roared in frustration and batted blindly at the attacker.
Mr. Gold scrambled from underneath the bear, marveling for a moment at the sight of Belle brandishing his cane as a weapon, a ferocity in her eyes that he had never seen before. She didn't seem to be frightened by the fact that the beast was flailing its claws in all directions; in fact, she took the chance to strike it hard on the nose.
And after that one hit, the bear changed from a hungry hunter to the whimpering prey, letting out a mournful bellow and then trotting back off where it had come from. Belle watched it leave, breathing hard, and then dropped to her knees beside Mr. Gold.
"Rumple," was all she said, her brow creased with worry.
He hadn't felt real, physical pain in a long time. It was crippling, overpowering, and terrible. He could barely hear himself speaking to Belle. "The forest...is enchanted. I can't...use magic."
"Then I'll get you out of here." She pushed her arm in between the ground and his back, straining to get him on his feet. He helped by pushing his weight onto his feet, and soon he was upright again. Still holding him around the waist, Belle bent down, picked up his cane and handed it to him.
"Thank you," he breathed, leaning on his cane for a moment, the pain in his chest making him not want to move.
"You saved me first." She smiled with her eyebrows raised, that playful smile that he loved the most. Quickly, her expression turned back to concern. "Can you walk?"
"Yes, I believe so, but it just...hurts."
"I'm sorry, Rumple." She weaved her arm underneath his and around his back, allowing his arm to drape over her shoulders. "Does that help?"
He looked over at her and managed to smile through the pain. For her, he could smile through anything. "Yes. Yes, it does."