Chapter Twenty Two: Emancipator
Many a one cannot loosen his own fetters, but is nevertheless his friend's emancipator.
-Friedrich Nietzsche
ooOoo
Bearskin was still nauseated a few months after bringing Medusa to Mist Island, but that was because she had just returned to shore. Baron was once more on his familiar perch of her shoulders, taking an occasional lick at her face while purring happily.
She was wading in the sea water up to her knees, both of her hands on the rope guiding the boat she had used for the round trip to Mist Island.
Once the familiar cottage was in sight, she tied the rope to the rock she had first seen it on and marched smartly up to the cottage. "Pedro? I'm back with your boat!"
The aging fisherman immediately opened the door, smiling with relief. "Thank heaven! I was beginning to think you weren't coming back."
"I did warn you it would probably be a few months. Thank you for letting me rent your boat, Pedro. The second half of the rent should compensate for how long I used it," she grunted apologetically while giving the man a heavy bag of gold.
He looked inside, stunned at the amount. "Did you really mean to give me this much?"
"Yes I did. My little trip was very important, plus I think there are now one or two leaks, but that should cover any repairs you need to make. You have a good life, you hear?" she bid him while turning away.
"Bearskin!" he suddenly yelped, making her look back at him.
"Is something wrong?"
"I, well, you see, Bearskin," the fisherman said nervously. "There are two men that come by every day and ask if you've returned my boat. The big one's getting irritated with me, because they really want to meet you."
'Dang it, more bounty hunters.'
Baron meowed curiously, but she rubbed his back to soothe him.
"Thanks for the warning, tell them I headed over to Nexa after paying you."
"You know what they want?" he asked in surprise.
"Unfortunately, but telling them where I went should keep them from turning violent. You take care of those little ones for me." Without another word, she turned on her heel and ran into the woods beyond the little cottage.
"Meow!" Baron yelled to get her attention, since he was gripping her shoulders for dear life.
She stumbled to a stop while looking at him. "Sorry about that, did you want to ride in my arms?"
He shook his head and pointed behind them. His keeper looked, but saw nothing. He meowed again, still pointing down the trail she had made.
"I'm pretty sure I didn't forget anything on the boat," she said slowly, but her cat shook his head in exasperation.
Then he gave her a strange, melancholy smile before licking her cheek and purring again.
The trapper kissed his forehead and began walking again. "It's a shame that the mermaids didn't know a spell to fix our communication problem."
"Meow."
ooOoo
"Meow!" Baron called three days later, while they were still in Lutian territory.
Bearskin looked over as she collected branches for a fire. "Yes?"
"Meow meow," he reported while pointing at something on the ground, underneath a large bush.
The trapper dropped her branches to take a look. She inhaled sharply while touching one of the marks. "These look like the footprints of children. Do you think someone's lost?"
Baron shook his head with a growl and sniffed the tracks while keeping his eyes on her.
Since he didn't usually look that serious, she knelt down to take a sniff as well. Her eyes widened a bit. Despite the size of the feet, the owners were old and definitely not human.
"Feeling a little curious, my friend?" she asked while standing up.
He answered with only a smirk and led the way through the under bush. She kept close, sniffing the air to be sure they were on the right trail. As the scent became laced with other nonhumans, the trapper bent low to keep out of sight, just to be on the safe side.
Within minutes, they could hear what sounded like one of the wildest parties that could possibly be thrown. Now on her elbows and knees, she crawled under the bushes after her cat, making as little noise as possible until Baron stopped at the edge of a low bush. He stared for a minute as loud voices were heard, but then moved to the side so that she could see as well. She elbowed her way across the soft earth, but kept her head low as she stared in complete shock.
Bearskin had once thought that the seven hobbits that Blanche had befriended were the shortest people she would ever see. They had come up to just above her waist, but the people in the hidden village couldn't have been any taller than her knee.
As the sun sank behind a large mountain, the large fire in the middle of the village square seemed to burn brighter as perhaps two dozen tiny men and women danced around it. That is, they were attempting to dance while drinking from huge frothing mugs and trying to steal the drinks from each other. The fact that everyone at the party was completely drunk added a comedic effect to the strange spectacle.
"I don't envy the hangovers they'll have in the morning," she whispered to Baron, who merely nodded as he kept staring at the strange beings.
Bearskin turned her attention back as well, noticing now that one of the little people had joined the others.
He sat himself on the edge of a large beer keg, occasionally using his mug to pour more alcohol for his friends. In return they would give him a boisterous congratulations instead of a thank you. His grin grew wider with each pouring, until he himself was barely able to keep on the barrel's edge.
Even when he fell into the barrel with an inaudible splash, it wasn't enough to dampen anyone's mood. His companions laughed as he struggled to get out, but wasn't able to without overturning the barrel.
He rolled out, still grinning ear to ear as he tipsily got to his feet and began attempting to dance.
About all he could do was stumble around before singing a badly out of tune song in a raspy voice.
"Twist it here and twist it there
"To welcome our kingdom's heir!
"Rooms of golden straw I've spun
"To take for mine a royal son!
"Soon the queen's child I shall claim;
"Rumpelstiltskin is my name!"
His companions whooped loudly at his singing, but Bearskin could barely hear them. Her blood felt like it had turned to ice in her veins and she was suddenly grateful that they hadn't had supper. With the way her stomach was heaving, she would have thrown up anything that was in her system.
"Let's go," she whispered to Baron, who only nodded and eased his way back through the bushes.
It was harder for Bearskin to follow suit, but she was able to sneak backward, scoop Baron into one arm and jogged a good distance away. She'd have run faster, but it was dark and the last thing she wanted was attention.
Finally, she leaned against a sturdy tree; her heart pounding in her ears. "I don't think he was singing a familiar tune, Baron. I think he meant every word."
He only nodded with hollow eyes. "Meow."
"… There's no choice," she whispered, holding him against one shoulder and rubbing his back. "We have to warn the Lutian king about what we saw."
Instead of arguing, her cat nodded again, like he expected nothing less. "Meow meow."
She held out an arm so that he could return to his perch on her shoulders. "Maybe I'll be able to talk him into not trying to send me to Blanche in return for warning him. But if he doesn't, be prepared for a fight."
Baron nodded again, a hint of steel present in his minty gaze.
ooOoo
They traveled all night and were in the capital by the time the sun began to rise. Even as the people began to stir and leave their homes, Bearskin was running down the street, straight to the palace gates with Baron clinging to her shoulders for dear life.
The two guards outside the iron bars had been falling asleep at their posts, but were startled awake by her footsteps.
The trapper ignored their fearful expressions and gave a polite bow. "Good sirs, we have urgent business with your king. Please let us in."
"Who is 'us'?" one of the guards asked.
Baron gave a loud meow for an answer and gestured for the gate to be opened.
"We're in a bit of a rush, good sirs. Please let us through before I let us through."
It was a subtle hint, but they still caught it. Without another word, they opened the gate and allowed her to march through and enter the royal abode.
"Now the hard part; finding our way around this place," she sighed, ignoring the flabbergasted servants that were staring at her.
Baron gave a single lick to her cheek and hopped off of her shoulders to run down one hallway. Since he had yet to lead her wrong, she followed without hesitation. Various noblemen and soldiers tried to stop her, but she had no patience for small talk or an attempted arrest. All she wanted was to warn the king and leave the palace before someone tried to send her back to Blanche.
Baron finally stopped running and patted a large set of double doors with one paw before avoiding the two soldiers that were standing guard.
"Touch my cat and you'll regret it," she growled as she marched forward and shoved hard enough on the doors to make them fly open.
Several people looked up as she came into the throne room, where a young king was presiding over an early meeting. He stood up in surprise as several older men gasped loudly.
"Bearskin! What is the meaning of this?" one of the men demanded, but her attention was solely on the young man sitting on the throne.
She and Baron approached the shocked monarch and gave a deep bow. "Your majesty, we have an urgent message for you."
"Surely such a message can wait-" the same man tried to say, but the king had other ideas.
"Keep silent, Antonio. Bearskin isn't one to storm a palace on a whim. What is this message?" he asked while standing up from his throne to step closer to the trapper. But the closer he got, the more obvious it was that he was bone-tired.
"I don't think you'll want me to blurt it out like this. It involves your child, if you have a boy." 'Dang it, why didn't I check to see if he was even married yet? What if it's another kingdom's heir?'
A mad spark of hope flared in the king's eyes, banishing her doubts. "All of you are dismissed for now," he commanded firmly, coming even closer to grab the trapper's wrist. "Do you have a name?" he nearly begged.
She blinked once in confusion. "There is a name, your majesty."
He gave her a wildly ecstatic smile before taking her out of the throne room at a run. The monarch still had a grip on her wrist, so of course she followed as Baron ran by her side.
"Um, for the record, you're not going to try to take me into custody after this, are you?" she couldn't help but ask through her nerves as he led her down a hallway and up an impressive set of stairs.
"Of course not. Why would I do a thing like…?" He stopped running to stare at her in shock. "… You don't know, do you?"
"Know what? Did the queen of Thegui marry someone else?" she asked hopefully.
The shock in his eyes turned into deep respect. "You thought I was going to try to send you back, yet you still came?"
"Sire, there's a plot against your child and I want to help. Nothing's more cruel than separating a family, high or lowborn."
He gave her a look that spoke of so much respect and gratitude that her cheeks gained warmth from the scrutiny. Then he continued leading her up a staircase and down a long hallway. "I'll tell you later. My wife needs to hear the name as soon as possible."
"Wait, did you know about the little men?"
"There's more than one? Oh, never mind, just the one is our concern. Darling!" he shouted as he dragged the trapper into the royal chambers. "Bearskin has the name!"
A lovely woman with dark hair looked up from the books she had been perusing, her tired eyes coming alive. "Can it be true?" she whispered while staring at the pale woman.
Bearskin bowed low as her cat did the same. "I'll tell you what I saw, your majesty. I and Baron here were hunting out in the woods when he found some peculiar tracks. We followed them to a strange village in the middle of the woods filled with people no taller than your knee."
She had the queen's undivided attention.
"They were throwing a huge party for one of them with a long gnarled beard. He seemed pretty proud of himself and sang a song about claiming your baby. He didn't say what he was planning to do with it."
The young woman marched up to clasp her gloved hands. "What is his name?" she begged.
"The song ended with 'soon the queen's child I shall claim; Rumpelstiltskin is my name'."
Her mouth fell open in surprise. "Is that even a real name?"
"Did I pronounce it right, Baron?" she asked, but he nodded. "Yes, that was his name. He and everyone else were pretty drunk at that party, so it's doubtful that he was lying."
The king staggered into a chair, looking amazed. "No wonder he was so certain that we couldn't guess his name. Bearskin, words can't express our gratitude. After sunset, I'll be more than happy to offer you a reward for helping us."
"Not to be offensive, your majesty, but I'm not interested in a reward. I'll settle for knowing why Rumpelstiltskin wants your baby."
The queen flinched at that and looked down guiltily.
"Baron and I ran through a dark forest all night to get here," Bearskin informed her in a gruff but soft tone. "I assure you it isn't as easy as it sounds. Speaking of which, would it be all right if I sat down?" she had to fight from begging.
"Please be our guest," the king assured her as a small cry was heard.
The queen immediately looked up at the sound and ran to the far side of the huge bed, where a cradle had been neatly concealed. With the tenderness that only a mother could give, she lifted a bundle of blankets from the crib and rocked it gently. "Shh, shh. Mother's here, Mother has you," she cooed lovingly.
"My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm," her mother's memory seemed to whisper, making a light shudder ripple through her body.
"Bearskin? Is something wrong?" the king asked, making her snap back to reality.
"N-No, of course not," she assured him, sitting into an offered chair.
Baron hopped onto her lap in an instant, patting her cheek with worry.
But she shook her head at him and turned her attention to the queen as she sat next to her husband. "Back to the point, why does a short man with a ridiculous name want your son?"
"… It was my fault," the queen admitted, looking ashamed. "I made a deal with him, and-"
"Darling, we've been through this; you had no choice," the king assured her sternly before turning to the trapper. "It's our fathers' fault. Her father loved to boast, and mine loved gold before he died in his sleep three months ago. It was a bad combination."
"Meow?" Baron asked worriedly, making his keeper rub his back comfortingly.
"Please, the details?"
"Of course. You see, my father always wanted people to notice him and, since he was an ordinary miller, he'd invent stories about himself or me. Unfortunately, the king happened to hear the one where I could spin straw into gold."
Both Bearskin and Baron looked up sharply. "That was part of the song. He mentioned spinning rooms of golden straw."
"Then you know what happened," the king sighed while wrapping an arm around his wife. "Father made Anita spin three rooms full of straw into gold before allowing us to marry, each room bigger than the last. The final one was the ballroom."
Bearskin flinched. "So you promised your son in exchange for the rooms of gold?"
"Just the last one. I had some heirlooms for the first two. When he… Rumplekiltskin?"
"Rumpelstiltskin," Bearskin corrected, since she didn't want the baby lost over a mispronunciation.
"Rumpelstiltskin," Queen Anita repeated, giving a glance to her husband who nodded encouragingly. "My, that's a mouthful. In any case, I had nothing left for the third room, so he insisted on my firstborn. I had no choice but to agree, but when he came three days ago to collect, I tried to give him anything else, but the only way he'd relent was if I guessed his name." She gestured at the many books she had been studying with her head, since her arms were still holding her child. "He's been back at sundown every night since, but tonight's the last night I had to guess it. Now thanks to you, we won't lose our son."
"Is there anything we can do to repay you?" the king begged.
Baron meowed indignantly, making the couple look at him.
But Bearskin scratched his ears calmly. "If it would not be too much trouble, I think it might be a good idea if Baron and I hide behind a curtain when he comes, just in case he tries to take the baby by force. We would appreciate a place to sleep until then, since we haven't slept in two days. After Rumpelstiltskin is taken care of, we'd like to know what happened to Blanche. Can you think of anything else, Baron?" she asked while looking down at him.
He scratched his chin thoughtfully, but shook his head. "Meow meow."
"We're pretty sure that's it. Is something wrong?" she asked gruffly, since the two were looking at her like she had grown an extra head.
"… Were you just talking with your cat?" the king asked in a hushed tone.
"Yes I was. Is there a problem with that?"
"No no, no problem at all!" he insisted, although the expression on his face was screaming that he was uncomfortable. "Um, I'll send for a servant to see you to a room."
ooOoo
"What about Gorhan? Jerpath? Hansel?" the queen asked, looking from one list to the other in a frenzy.
"H-Hansel?" the little man laughed, slapping one knee. "You'll have to do better than that, miller's daughter."
"Very well, Rumpelstiltskin," she responded, suddenly as cool as a cucumber.
"Heh, all wrong… wait, what?"
Queen Anita grinned and set the papers aside to pick up her son and held him close. "Leave, Rumpelstiltskin. My son is staying here, where he belongs."
"You cheated," he snarled at her. "How did you learn that name?"
"Does it matter? Rumpelstiltskin is your name and my son is staying with me-"
"No! The child is mine!" the little man shrieked, extending his hands out to the queen.
The baby was torn out of his mother's arms by an unseen force and shot towards Rumpelstiltskin.
But just before he landed in the little man's arms, Bearskin jumped from behind the curtain and sharply booted him out of the way. As he fell away with an angry shriek, Bearskin used the power of the kick to lower herself enough to catch the baby.
He wailed from the sudden impact, making the trapper rock him gently in one arm as she rose to her full height.
"Leave, Rumpelstiltskin," she snarled as she pulled out her sword and held it ready for a fight. "This one is not yours!"
He bared his teeth at her like an animal and waved one hand to produce a dagger. Then he lunged for the kill.
Bearskin had never fought with such a short opponent before, but his size was compensated by the fact that he hadn't left her enough time to give the baby back to the mother, or to the father that had jumped out from the wardrobe.
"Be careful!" Queen Anita screamed as the trapper deflected a blow to her child.
"I am!" she growled as the little man avoided one of her thrusts and gave one of his own.
Rumpelstiltskin seemed to know no bounds when it came to energy or tactics. There were a few times when he nearly won the fight, but Bearskin was not one to spend time favoring her wounds during a battle.
Without warning, Baron hopped onto Rumpelstiltskin's back and savagely raked his claws over the man's tiny black eyes. Even as he screamed in pain, the pale woman stabbed him in the heart.
Baron hopped off the midget and to his keeper's side, hissing in hostility.
"If you had left, this wouldn't have happened," Bearskin informed the strange little man as he fell to the floor. Her tone was sadder than one normally heard from a victor.
"I curse you, Bearskin!" Rumpelstiltskin screamed as he dissolved into a disgusting puddle of black ink. "Until the end of time, no woman will ever be your bride!"
"If necessary," she responded in the same sad tone, withdrawing her sword from the mess as he fell silent forevermore. "Thank you, Baron. You all right?"
He gave a strange growl and butted his head against one of her ankles.
"Nothing I won't heal from. The baby's fine, just not happy right now," she reported while setting her sword down.
The little prince hadn't stopped crying throughout the duel, but his parents were still reluctant to approach them.
She held him against her chest and swayed from side to side, keeping him away from the cuts on her midsection and shoulder. "Shh, shh. Everything's fine, small one. It's over, you're staying here, shh, shh."
The little prince responded by burping up on her, but at least he calmed down.
"Oh dear! Bearskin, I'm so sorry," the queen tried to apologize, but the trapper shook her head with a gruff smile.
She was already fishing a blanket out of her satchel to wipe her shirt and the infant clean. "This isn't the first baby to throw up on me, your majesty." 'I can't believe I missed this!'
"Oh, that's right," the young king laughed nervously. "Kina Ricardos?"
"Kina Ricardos. Are they doing well?" she asked, fighting to keep her voice masculine.
"Quite well. Hardly anyone can believe Juan really is the same Juan that…" He trailed off and gave an embarrassed glance at his wife. "Well, he's grown up."
"Living off of grasses and berries for months can do that for a man. Not to mention that he now has Zela to keep him in line."
The queen giggled. "She punched a duke her first time to court. No one crosses a line with her around."
"Unless they want to visit the hospital wing," her husband laughed, but the sound was strained as he stared at Rumpelstiltskin's remains.
Since the fight really had exhausted her, Bearskin collapsed on a nearby couch, still cradling the prince in her arms. Baron seemed put out that her lap was taken, but didn't waste time hopping onto the couch to rest against her side.
"A deal's a deal. What made Blanche change her mind about me?" she asked, now that the threat was gone.
Anita and her husband looked at each other. "She didn't change her mind," the queen said softly. "She was taken off the throne."
Both Bearskin and Baron looked up in surprise. "By who? The people?"
"Her cousin," the king corrected as he and his wife sat in chairs close to the couch. "You see, Blanche's father was the second born son of the king before. The crown should have gone to her cousin in the first place, but because his father crossed a fairy, the true heir was put under a terrible curse. No one knew what the curse was until he reemerged two months ago, completely cured and happily married. Because their fathers signed a contract that would give the throne back to Blanche's cousin upon the breaking of his spell, he took over the country and sent Blanche to a quiet estate to keep her out of mischief. His letter to me said something rather strange about you, though," the young king added carefully.
Bearskin cocked her head at him. "What did it say?"
"He made it clear that he wants the hunt for you to be called off, because you did him a rather large favor."
"Meow?" Baron asked with surprise.
The trapper held a hand to her chin. "Blanche was the first royal I ever met. If I… hold on, you said he was married?"
"That is correct. He can't stop praising her for breaking his spell."
"Do you know her name?"
"Belle. I believe she's a merchant's daughter."
Her jaw dropped as she and Baron exchanged looks. "Oh… my!" She slapped one hand across her face to disguise both the smile and the giggles that were begging to be let out.
"So you do know him?" he pressed.
She took a long moment to compose herself. "We've never met face to face, but I knew of him. I guess this explains why he wasn't going to hurt Belle," she confided to Baron, who was nodding with amusement. "I knew he couldn't be all bad!"
"Actually, he seemed rather droll from his choice of words. He holds you in rather high regard, you know. What on earth did you do for him?" he couldn't help but ask.
"You could say that Baron and I introduced him to his wife. He is making her happy, isn't he?" she asked sternly.
"Oh, very," he assured her. "Even though it was an official letter, he couldn't stop talking about her. He'd try to move the moon if he thought it would make her happy."
The trapper smiled warmly. "Good. Would you mind telling them congratulations and thanks for me?"
"It would be my honor to." Then he hesitated. "About the curse… I'm sorry."
"Thank you, so am I. Wait… oh, that one. Don't worry about it. I've suspected for years that I'd never marry."
"That doesn't seem fair at all," the queen said in a tone that was holding back tears. "You were only helping us."
"If life were fair, your majesty, the world wouldn't need me to be a part time mercenary. Plus I certainly wouldn't be wearing this cloak," she pointed out as the prince began fussing. "I guess my turn's over. He looks ready for sleep."
The queen nodded and walked over to take her child. But before walking away, she gave the trapper a deep embrace. "You're no mercenary. I think you mean hero, and it's not part-time."
Her cheeks turned hot and uncomfortable, although no color could grace them. "I got my blood on your clothes," she blurted, desperate to change topics.
"Then I'll treasure the stains," Queen Anita assured her with a smile, giving another hug before leaving with her son.
"Sorry about that, Bearskin," the king said with a nervous laugh after his wife was gone. "Women tend to be physical about their gratitude."
"I am aware of that, your majesty. It's not very often that I get a hug from someone that isn't a child or trying to flirt with me," she explained as Baron took back his rightful place on her lap. "But at least I don't have to worry about the second one anymore."
"You don't like women?"
Baron rolled his eyes and purred in amusement.
"I have the highest amount of respect for women, as long as they don't flirt or behave inappropriately toward me," she answered with a straight face. "Even without Rumpelstiltskin, I couldn't hope to marry before ending my curse, and it gets old to beat away girls that have only seen me once and know nothing but rumors about me."
"Try being a royal," he grumbled while leaning forward. "I had to be diplomatic when I turned girls away and they mistook that with playing hard to get."
"I try to be polite and they take that the same way. Well, now that your son is safe, it's time Baron and I were on the road again," she grunted while standing, keeping her cat in one arm. "We have some mischief to make over in Nexa."
"Please, name anything you want. Our child is safe because of you. I can't let you walk away with nothing in good conscience."
"I don't-"
"Please. Anything at all," he begged.
She opened her mouth to ask for the usual bag of gold, but then stopped herself. "… What I want isn't physical. It's a promise."
The king cocked his head at her. "What kind of promise?"
"There's a chance that refugees from Nexa might cross your border for safety within three months. I want you to give it to them if they're the peasantry, along with any assistance you can."
"Why would Nexa have refugees?" he asked worriedly.
Bearskin smirked wickedly. "Think of it as overdue karma."
He gave her a worried glance. "What are you planning?"
"You don't need to know the details. Yet." She reached out and grabbed one of his shoulders. "Do I have your word?"
Baron meowed at him in an urging fashion, making the king look down at him in nervousness before he looked up at the trapper again.
"I swear to help the Nexan peasantry if they need assistance. Are you going to overthrow the king?" he asked in a horrified whisper.
Baron gave a smug purr.
"I will not touch the king unless I find out he deserves it," she informed him, giving a bow before leaving the room. "And I will not be overthrowing anybody."
ooOoo
They left the capital behind them and walked down a long, lonely road before entering the forest again. But once they were a safe distance from civilization, she slowly looked at Baron, who looked back at her with a completely straight face.
That was what undid her. Slightly hysterical giggles escaped her throat, despite her attempts to control it.
"Oh… my!" she finally managed to gasp after a few minutes. "What a curse! However will I survive such heartbreak?"
Baron was smirking through his purr as he licked her cheek.
"Remind me to thank my father if I ever see him again," she told him as she resumed walking. "I hate lying, but I didn't think the deception would be this good of a protection. Rumpelstiltskin could have done much worse if he had known the truth."
Baron meowed in agreement before licking her cheek again.
"So, shall we head over to Nexa and wreak havoc?" she asked with a grin that was genuine and rare.
He grinned back and hopped off her shoulders for a race.
Bearskin smiled happily, and followed him into the depths of the Lutian Forest.