Thank you dearie jjxox8d , keep enjoying writindownsouth , I'm sure I will not disappoint you thedoctorsgirl42 , it's great to look young Grace5231973.
I do not own Once Upon a Time
Chapter 7 – Day 4: The premonition
Belle woke up with the sound of horrifying screams. She had no idea what time it was, but it was still dark. She quickly sat up, startled from the distressing noise. She could see, from the fire's dim light, Rumpelstiltskin holding Baelfire by his shoulders. He spoke softly to the boy, between his son's screams. Belle felt scared. The expression in Baelfire's face was one of pure horror.
"They killed you Papa! They killed you!" He was crying uncontrollably while he kept yelling over and over the same words.
"It's was only a dream, Bae. I am here. It was just a bad dream."
"No, it wasn't!" Baelfire swallowed hard. "They're gonna kill you! Tomorrow! I saw! I saw them stab you! They stabbed you in the stomach!" His voice was abnormally high-pitched; he breathed way too fast, Bae was showing all symptoms of panic.
"Bae, look at me. Look Bae, I'm right here. I'm not dead." Baelfire looked into his father eyes. They were alive and full of concern. The image of deep brown eyes glazing before death came back to his mind.
"They are going to kill you tomorrow! I saw it! I saw everything!" Baelfire tried to breathe, concentrating in his father's soft voice, concentration in the feeling of his hair being gently stroked, concentrating in the feeling of protection. "We cannot go to Gaevo! Not tomorrow, not ever!"
"Bae, we have no bread left. No money. I need to trade the wool for some coins, otherwise we cannot go on." But Baelfire shook his head disconsolately.
"You cannot. Look…" He spoke with a trembling voice. "Tomorrow, when we'll go to Gaevo, two guys…"He closed his eyes picturing them more clearly. "One is bald, with only a pony-tail. A red haired pony-tail. The other one has dark hair and a tattoo on his left arm, by his hand. They'll bring a wagon with iron bars. And then they'll start putting children in it. They'll pick children from all ages to take them to the Ogre Wars. And then…Then they'll grab me and I'll struggle. And you…you'll try to get me out and then…and then you'll hit the guy with the tattoo…You'll hit him with your staff and for some moments you'll succeed in pulling me out of the wagon…But then the other one will come out of nowhere and stab you in the stomach! He'll kill you…He's going to kill you tomorrow!" Baelfire spoke agitated, shaking his arms all over the place.
Rumpelstiltskin stared at his son full of concern. He glanced only very briefly at Belle, who had been listening to it all with wide eyes and a racing heart. Rumpelstiltskin kept talking to his son, convincing him it was nothing but a bad dream. But what Baelfire felt was pure despair. His instinct told him, for all certainty, his dream was a warning about the future. He needed to convince his father not to go. He had to save him.
"It was not just a dream! It's different…It's like that time with Jeremy. It's exactly like that time!" Tears kept cascading incessantly from his eyes. It was horrible, being so sure about the future and not being able to do anything against it. But then Baelfire saw the look of concern in his father eyes transform into shock and some fear. A little hope grew in his heart.
"Are you sure Bae?" The boy nodded last tears falling from his weary eyes. "It's going to happen if we go there."
There was a long heavy silence. Rumpelstiltskin remembered little Jeremy. Two years ago, his son had woken up the whole village with his screams. "Jeremy drowned! He was chasing a toad and then slipped and fell in the river." He had repeated over and over again. Rumpelstiltskin had only succeeded in bringing the boy to rest after long stressful hours. Baelfire kept insisting it was going to happen, but Jeremy's parents ignored the boy's pleas. The next day, Baelfire nervously followed every move made by the 4-year old child. At a certain point, Jeremy's parents had enough and demanded Rumpelstiltskin to keep Baelfire away from their son. It was near nightfall when the cripple heard the desperate cries. The child had been found, floating in the river, faced down. Awkward weeks had followed, everybody expecting Baelfire to foretell news about the future. But Baelfire never had such dreams again. Until now.
"It's the same feeling, Papa. I'm so sure about it. I just know it's going to happen. I don't know how to explain. I just know it." Rumpelstiltskin held his son close. He believed partly in his son, but he could not risk hunger over a dream.
"You said he would kill me if we went to Gaevo, right?" Baelfire nodded. "And you were the reason for my death." The words sounded strange in his mouth, but he continued as his son nodded again. "What if I go tomorrow alone?" Baelfire was about to retort, but Rumpelstiltskin cut his words. "We need food. We need money. Look, if you stay, I'll go alone and buy what's needed as quickly as possible."
Baelfire considered this for a while. His father was right. What led to his father's death in his dream was the fact they were taking him away. So, if he stayed in the camp, there was no reason for his father to endanger himself.
"Promise me, if you see those two men or the wagon or hear screams; promise you will leave immediately."
"I promise." Baelfire sighed slightly relieved and stretched his hand. Rumpelstiltskin looked at it only a second and shook his son's hand. Their deal was struck. There was no going back now. The cripple looked at Belle.
"Linda, I'm so sorry, but I'll need you to stay with Bae tomorrow."
"Of course." She said almost too quickly. Her mind was whirling wiht thoughts. She had no idea who Jeremy was, but saw the effect it had on Rumpelstiltskin. She could only image what happened with Jeremy. She watched the man lay down on his back, Baelfire clinging desperately on his father, half laid on top of him.
"Try to sleep, Bae. Everything will be alright." Rumpelstiltskin promised.
Hours passed slowly by and Rumpelstiltskin wasn't able to fall asleep again. His son's words kept spinning in his head, images of dead Jeremy returned to his mind and the fatalist prophecy was starting to worry him. He saw the sky turning into a lighter shade of blue and sighed. Anxiety was sometimes worse than fear. He slowly removed his son from on top of him. The teenager made a sound in his sleep, but fortunately didn't wake up from his father's movements. It had taken long time for Baelfire to finally fall asleep. Rumpelstiltskin knew it by the boy's breathing. Baelfire had laid long time quiet, with his head on his father's chest, probably listening to his heartbeat. The last thing Rumpelstiltskin wanted was to interrupt his son's peace.
He silently got up and took a few steps to Belle. He hated having to wake up the girl, but had no other choice. If he left now, he would be in Gaevo by the time the marked opened. He stood a while looking at Belle's sleeping figure and loosing himself in her peacefulness and beauty. He shook his head, realizing he had been staring at her longer than needed. He gently shook her shoulder and Belle woke up with a stir. Rumpelstiltskin put a finger before his lips so Belle remained silent.
"I am going to leave now. Will you look after Bae for me?" Belle nodded. She saw the earnest look in his eyes and started to worry. "Linda, there's something I need to ask you. If I don't make it back…"He gestured her to listen as Belle was about to protest. "If I don't make it, promise me you will not look for me. You must take Bae to the north, to my friend Bram. Bae knows the way." Belle was shaking her head, tears already filling her eyes. "Please Linda, promise me that." The princess looked into Rumpelstiltskin's eyes and saw something different in them. A new emotion she had not seen yet. Fear. It was fear for his son's future. Fear for his own fate. And so she agreed and nodded half in tears. "Thank you." Rumpelstiltskin was about to leave, when Belle grabbed his arm.
"You come back as soon as possible." She said with a trembling voice. It was not a plea but a desperate demand. Rumpelstiltskin nodded forcing a confident smile. Belle let her hand slip down his arm and their fingers touched only briefly. With this, Rumpelstiltskin left, regret and fear filling his heart.
Rumpelstiltskin cursed Gaevo for lying on a hill. Climbing an elevation was not an easy task with his bad leg. But it was the travel back that worried him the most. Walking downwards was way worse, for he had to put the double effort in supporting his weight for better balance. The pain increased day by day. He knew he'll have to rest tomorrow, or the pain will become unbearable. He sighed of relieve when he reached the main road. From now on the path was even and easy to walk. Soon he would meet others traveling to the same destination.
"Hey you!" Rumpelstiltskin turned around hearing someone shout. "Yeah, you with the wooden staff." The cripple looked with some confusion at a man driving a wagon in his direction. He couldn't reckon ever meeting him. "Are you going to Gaevo?"
"Yes, I am."
"Would you like a ride?" A wide smile grew on Rumpelstiltskin's face and his heart lifted a bit. Any mile less to walk was a blessing for him.
"I thank you greatly." The wagon stopped and the man helped Rumpelstilskin to climb on to the vehicle.
"No need to thank. It would be a crime letting a man in your condition walk all the way to the town. By the way, my name is Wilhem, this is my wife Melissa and our three sons Harry, Larry and Barry." Rumpelstiltskin had to suppress a chuckle when he heard the names and saw three small curly blond heads appearing from behind the wagon. They all had freckles on their faces and probably had only one or two years in between.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Rumpelstiltskin."
"Oh, that's a mouth full!" Wilhem bluntly said. "So, tell me Rumpelskiddy, what brings you to Gaevo." The cripple had to control himself not to start laughing at his new given name.
"I'm going to the market for some trade."
"Ah, and what that may me?"
"Wool. I'm a spinner."
"Really, I've heard it's quite a task, spinning a sheep into a small thread. I would go dizzy from staring at the wheel so long!" This time Rumpelstiltskin couldn't hold it back anymore and laughed amused.
"Hear that boys? That's a good merry and healthy laughter." All three blond freckled boys started giggling, creating the funniest sound Rumpelstiltskin has ever heard.
"Are you trading too?" The cripple asked after a while.
"Oh no, we're just here to supply and then we'll leave as quickly as possible. We are going to Snowland."
"Really, why?" Wilhem looked a bit surprised at Rumpelstiltski, who regretted immediately posing the question. It was actually nothing of his concern.
"My dear man, haven't you heard the news?" Melissa was the one to speak this time.
"What news?"
"Lord Maurice's castle had been taken by Ogres." Wilhem said. Rumpelstiltskin felt his blood drain off his face.
"What? When?"
"Three days ago. Where have you been? It's all what people are talking about." Rumpelstiltskin felt his mouth go dry. Three days ago. He thought. The day he and Baelfire run away. They been off the road since then, since they encountered Linda.
"I haven't seen people lately. I took the secondary road, you know, as a shortcut." He lied.
"The Hound's path! Isn't it dangerous? Full of thieves?"
"I would pity the thief that would steal me. I have no coins, no possessions whatsoever. Only my wool." Wilhem stared at him and chucked in amusement, buying Rumpelstiltskin's story. "So, what exactly happened?"
"Well, all I've heard are rumors. But they tell the Ogres attacked the castle by surprise. King Maurice was spared and is being held as hostage in his own castle. As for the princess, it is told she managed to escape with Lord Gaston. But they are both missing."
"Rumors tell princess Belle is heading to Snowland's castle for help." Melissa added.
"We are at war." Wilhem said darkly. "Villages and towns are being pillaged by Ogres and the local dukes are recruiting anybody who can fight them."
Rumpelstiltskin couldn't believe the news and looked around. Most of the people they passed by were refugees. They looked dirty and scared. People were running away to the north. His gaze was lost on them and before he knew, they were reaching Gaevo. He saw the strong walls grow taller as they approached it. Once they passed the main gates, Rumpelstiltskin climbed down the wagon, thanked once more for the ride and bid farewell to the kind family.
"Good bye Rumblestin. Take good care of yourself." Wilhem, his wife and the three sons waved goodbye. The cripple waved back, laughing a bit. But as soon as they were out of sight, his smile faded away. Baelfire's premonition's dream was starting to make sense. He needed to gather his things as quickly as possible.
He was had a bad feeling.
The merry spheer from the last chapters is turning into a darker one, due to the events our friend's world. Now the true challenges are coming.
I really hope you are still enjoying the story, because I sure am still enjoying writing it and thinking about the new developments.
So, what are your thought? Review.