He was going to die right here, all alone at the edge of their small world in a snowstorm that shouldn't even have been there, with a thousand shreds of ice sunk in his flesh.

At least he had saved Belle. To think that if not for Robin Hood, now it would be her lying here like this, freezing slowly into a restless death...

'Elsa!'

He hurt. His whole body was stinging from this burning cold, and every breath was a torture because of the deadly shred that sat in his chest, just above his heart. And yet the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony his magical halo went through. Elsa's spell had torn it to shrieking pieces and although he was turning to ice he felt like his brain had caught on fire.

He would have screamed but his lungs were barely working. He would have bled but these cold winds froze his blood before it could flow out.

He didn't know how much time had passed since Regina and Robin had left him; it could have been a half-day, or just a few hours. He wondered if he would get to see a last dawn before he finally passed away.

'Elsa!'

Was someone shouting in the distance, or was it just a contorted echo of his mind? He thought he could hear footsteps, but he didn't trust his senses anymore, all dulled almost utterly by agony.

'ELSA!'

His eyes flipped open.

The girl almost stepped on him; she cried out in a shocked surprise and jumped back. Was his tortured conscience making her up? Was she just a ghost, a shade, a notion, a herald for the giant bird of Death?

No, she had to be here for real; if she was a vision she would have looked like Belle.

She knelt beside him. 'Have you seen Elsa?' He didn't even try to speak, he just nodded and he had to grit his teeth so as not to bite his tongue while the icy blades in his neck cut deeper under his skin. 'What happened to you?' she asked.

'Me,' said a voice he had hoped he wouldn't hear again before his death. The girl jumped up. 'Elsa!' She ran towards the Ice Queen, arms spread wide, but she just turned away.' Don't come any closer!' she ordered sharply.

'But-'

'I don t wanna hurt you.'

'But I don't understand, Elsa, how would you hurt me?'

It was an awful feeling, choking on laughter. Have you still not put it together, dearie? A new wave of pain washed over him, and he digged his gnarly fingers in the snow and sucked in some air in through his gritted teeth. Although his eyes were shut tight he could feel Elsa's on him. 'What, you still alive?' she asked dangerously.

Not for long, he thought miserably, forcing his eyes to open. 'Bad luck, that I'm back to finish the job,' she said. His heart sank, slowly giving in to the cold. Did she know as much about bad luck as he did?

It was pointless to try to stop her now, for the ice in his body and the grip of her magic on his were already killing him, but old habits do not die easily and he had some nasty ones about self-preservation. 'Don t,' he saw stars from the pain but still he managed to press the words out. 'You might hurt her, too.' Whoever she was.

Elsa glanced back at the girl hesitantly, but when her eyes were on him again they reflected the same unmistakable evil glow as before.

'Elsa, don't!'

'Stay away, Anna!'

'No, you stay away!' sang the half-forgotten voice of an angel.

She had come for him.

Emma wouldn't move from the door.

Belle unfolded her arms and stood up straight. 'You can come with me,' she said, trying to stay calm, 'but don't even try to stop me. I'm going after him.'

They were at the library; Blue, Tink, and an other fairy were rearranging everything that had been moved during the process of healing her. When she had woken up, she wouldn't rest until they told her what had happened, and when she heard that Rumple was out on his own, dying or dead already, she jumped off the desk she had been laid on, and ran for the door immediately. If Emma hadn't stood in her way she could have been out by now!

She couldn't explain how she could be so worried for Rumple when at the same time she was mad at him - she had never believed in ambivalence - but it seemed that despite all he'd done she still loved him too much to let him die.

'It's pointless,' Emma argued, 'we'll just have to bring you here and restore your life all over again.' Belle could have hit her. When it had been about Henry, she had all but expected Rumple to go with them to Neverland! On the whole, she liked Emma, but sometimes she couldn't help noticing just how selfish or incredulous she could be.

'Listen to her, love,' Hook joined in. Now, he was speaking easily! She wouldn't have been surprised if he would still be a bit glad about the Dark One's death. 'He's not dying,' she yelled at the pirate.

'She's right,' interrupted Regina's voice. Emma's eyes opened wide. 'You can't be serious.'

'I am,' said the Queen. 'If we all go together we will stand a chance against her.' Emma hesitated for a moment before she finally muttered, 'alright.'

'I'm driving,' declared David, but no one paid him much mind.

Just as well.

Before she left, Regina turned back to him. 'Are you alright?' He was leaning on a desk; he looked up with some difficulty and his wincing heart rejoiced at the sight of such beauty. 'Yes, m'lady. It's just I'm still a bit frosty.' She looked so worried that he was moved.

'I'll be fine,' he hurried to comfort her, and although he knew he wouldn't, he managed to fake a smile.

Belle noticed them in the distance, two women arguing over the body of the man she hated and loved more than anyone else; and she began to run.

'Stay away, Anna!'

'No, you stay away!' she screamed at Elsa in a clear voice. She sprinted faster than ever before, including earlier that day, and threw herself between Rumple and the Ice Queen. It pained her to see him like this - wounded and tortured, covered in snow, turning to ice, his life hanging by a thread. 'He's not yours to kill!' she shouted.

She had no weapon but his fake dagger which she had brought with her from the library. She aimed it at Elsa, determined to use it if she had to.

'If you wanna kill him you're gonna have to go through all of us,' David had joined her. For once, she was so happy for his blunt bravery that she could have thrown herself at his feet. Some seconds later Regina, Emma and Hook caught up on them too, gasping for air.

'Fair enough,' said Elsa, 'if that's what you want.' Belle's heart raced with fear. If she wanted to kill them all to take her revenge on Rumple, she could do that, right? She slashed at her with the dagger.

'Stop!' the other girl jumped between them. Anna, was she?

Rumplestiltskin felt a comfortable warmth taking root in his heart. Was he finally dying that he could no longer feel the agonies of his body? He opened his eyes, and saw a dark grey sky. The warmth spread through his chest and his lungs slowly filled up with the cold predawn breeze.

To his left stood a wall of people, and he wondered if he had known them once before in an other life, because their voices seemed alien but their words familiar. The ice shreds melted in his limbs and he realised he could move his muscles again, as if he was alive.

How was it possible? An act of true love. He thought about it: a kiss, a hug, a teardrop, a gentle touch on the cheek... would sacrifice count? Staking one's life to protect the ones they loved? That was what the angel had done, wasn't it?

He made an attempt to struggle to his feet, feeling dizzy as if he'd woken from a dreamland or a sleeping curse. Although his body had been thawed his magic was still torn; his head was thumping and the demons inside were still shrieking, but he managed. The angel noticed him, and strode towards him with an angry gleam in her eyes. 'Belle,' he whispered, 'I'm so sorry, Belle...'

She threw the fake dagger before his feet and slapped him hard across the face, then hurried away and left them all in a tense silence.

For a long long time, there was no sound but the swelling whisper of the wind that would bring the dawn.