Thank you. I'm sure you'll be pleased with this chapter: Br0k3n Ang3l; jjxox8d, Byoken, Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape, Grace5231973, vanillaface, tigger64, thedoctorsgirl42, TygTag, .370.

I do not own Once Upon a Time

Chapter 21 – Day 11: ogres, tea and a strange old man

While Rumpelstiltskin slept peacefully, the princess was tormented. But she used the time Jefferson's tea gave her to think properly and organize her ideas. Bram was right about the social classes. A stupid reality, but still true. Yet Belle believed strongly there was always a way. Love was supposed to conquer all. Even though they never admitted to each other or spoke the words out loud, it was love they felt, right? The beauty sighed heavily, not knowing anymore what to think. She sat mournfully with her chin resting on her hand.

"What are you thinking so hard, dearie?" Belle quickly glanced over the still lying man.

"How are you feeling?" Belle asked hopefully. He looked awfully pale, she could see his eyes he was sober again.

"I'm better, I guess." He rubbed his eyes, washing the sleep away. "Do I remember correctly or did Bram give me three shots?" The princess nodded. "The idiot. Thinks he can resolve everything with alcohol!" He complained and sighed heavily, closing his eyes for some moments. His head was starting to ache. "I…Did I …Uhm…what did I say?" Rumplestilskin asked, not quite remembering everything, but having vague memories of Milah and the Ogre Wars.

"Well, you kind of told about your wife and you weren't quite coherent when you trailed off on the ogre's subject." Belle carefully answered, omitting the cursing and the vomiting. Rumpelstitskin looked ashamed and regretful.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"It's okay." There followed a moment of silence, Rumpelstiltskin obviously recovering slowly from his hangover. But Belle was restless. She couldn't remember the first Ogre Wars, even though they happened during her early teens. She needed to know more about them. She needed to know what her father had done. "Uhm, how did you get into the wars, anyway?" She aksed tentatively, not really expecting him to answer her. But he sat up, although with a groan. He looked at her hesitant.

"Milah was eight months pregnant when the ogres truly started threatening the kingdom." He began. "There had been waves of attacks in the past, but the king's army always managed to repel them. Only this time it was different. Many soldiers died and word spread that common men from the villages closest to the battles were being sent to war. My family moved out to Snowland. Bram to his present house. But Milah was too far with her pregnancy to travel such distances. So we stayed." He sighed, staring at the ground, as he recollected the events. They were still fresh in his mind, like if it all had just happened yesterday. "Bae was three weeks old when the knights of Lord Maurice reached our village. All healthy men were to go to battle. No exceptions." Belle was horrified. It was hard to believe her father was behind such atrocious deeds. An awkward silence was followed.

"Is that how…" Belle said and pointed to his bad leg with her head. Rumpelstiltskin gave a sad smile and nodded. "Did…uh…did many survive?" The princess carefully asked. She had so many questions and needed so many answers about her reign's politics and military strategies. But most of all, she needed to believe there had been something good in her father's decision. She needed to believe these men weren't sent to unprotected. That her father was not cruel and merciless. But the haunted look in the spinner's eyes told her otherwise. "Surely, you had some sort of preparation?" The beauty desperately tried to grasp at any hopeful thought about her father.

"We did receive a short training…just a couple days. And then were sent to the battle fields." Rumpelstiltskin sighed heavily. He could see Belle was shocked, but felt he should tell her what truly happened. They were living dangerous and cruel times. It made no sense in smoothing the tale. She needed to be aware of the real situation they were facing if she wanted to survive. "We had no preparation. We were chanceless…The ogres. They are three times bigger than a regular man. They don't need the use of weapons for they are already extremely strong and swift from themselves…. I'm not sure how I managed to come out of the field alive. All I remember was this monstrosity standing right before me. I dodged when it tried to crush me, but still hit my knee. The impact was so great that I literally flew some meters. My luck was that I somehow landed in an area with high grass, so I was hidden. Not that it matters, ogres are blind. They had enough preys around them, so I was forgotten…It's strange. I didn't feel the pain at the time…My mind was clear and suddenly all I could think of was my son. It was when I noticed I was on top of a small hill, the river flowing just below. I didn't even take a second thought. I let myself roll down, while I could hear the men scream and be mercilessly slain."

Belle had to force herself not to cry. It was a too unfair destiny for any man to face such a war. And it hurt her knowing he had suffered and was still suffering her father's decision. It made her feel guilty, even thought she had been kept oblivious about this whole subject and so she never could have played a role in this part in history. But it still hurt. Because she still could see the agony in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes. Because his life, like many others, was destroyed by a single command from the king. From her father.

"And the river brought you to safety." Belle managed to speak with only a slightly shaken voice. Rumplestiltskin nodded.

"After I fell in water I let myself be taken by the flow until some folk by a village nearby rescued me. It took two months before I was fully recovered and could walk again." Rumpelstilstin swallowed hard, the memories filling him with pain and remorse. "I was not warmly welcomed when I returned home. You see, I'm a deserter. Betrayed my company. So I was labeled a coward for abandoning my fellow-villagers. I guess the gossips and accusing looks were too much for Milah. So one day she just left."

"I'm sorry." Belle whispered. "But I don't think you acted cowardly. I mean, you were badly injured. How were you even suppose to fight the ogres?" Rumpelstiltskin stared surprised at the young woman, expecting her to judge and despise him like everybody else, but then he remembered, she was not like everybody else. And smiled affectively.

"There should be more people in the world like you." He said, making Belle blush. When she finally dared to look at him again, she was rubbing his head and his face betrayed pain.

"Does your head ache?" She asked. He nodded silently. "Jefferson said he has a tea against it."

"Sounds like a good idea."

"Hey, Rumpelstiltskin! Good to see you're back to your old self." Jefferson merrily said, sounding kinder than the last time Belle saw him. "Headache?" The cripple nodded and the younger man started bruising a new tea.

"Did I come in time for your tea party?" Rumpesltiltskin asked Grace, as he sat on a stool next to her. The girl was pouring invisible tea on little cups for her stuffed toys.

"Right on time." She said, giving him her sweet smile.

Rumpelstiltskin, after a while started feeling the healing effects of Jefferson's tea and sighed relieved. The younger man smirked proudly, noticing the improvement.

"Felling better now?"

"Much better. Thank you."

"I spoke with Bram about the war…He's not planning to leave, is he?"

"I doubt it." The cripple sighed. "Believe it, I tried to convince him." Jefferson shook his head with some regret and disdain.

"And you? Going to Snowland?" Rumpelstiltskin nodded in confirmation. "You shouldn't. Go to the Golden City. It's much safer there."

"It's too far for me, Jefferson." The cripple sadly admitted. The younger man seemed to be reminded of his friend's limits with some disappointment. Belle had the feeling Jefferson got better on with Rumpelstiltskin than with Bram. The cripple then got up. "I must go. I'm a bit worried, since I was informed Bram is trading my wool." Rumpelstiltskin gave a coin to Jefferson. "Here, for the tea."

"Oh no, you really don't need…" But Rumpelstiltskin closed Jefferson's hand around the coin.

"For your daughter, then. I saw a sweets stall earlier. Should be good… it's Milah's." Jefferson smiled thankful for the man's generosity and relieved the cripple managed to speak her name without any anger or hate surrounding it.

"Travel safe." Jefferson told as he and his daughter waved their friend goodbye.

Rumpelstiltskin and Belle easily found Bram in the market. The woodcutter was more than happy and relieved to see his friend well again and lifted the smaller man with a hug.

"I am so sorry!" Bram said as he rested the cripple back on ground, for much of Rumpelstiltskin's relieve. "I really didn't expect you to react that way."

"It's alright. Just, don't ever do it again! …Where's my wool?"

"I sold it for 300!"

"What? How? It's impossible. That's way too much!" But Bram opened his coins bag discretely and out of sight, presenting his friend's new little fortune.

"Some old man was really impressed with the wool's quality. Which reminds me, he asked me to introduce you to him, when you were back." Bram enthusiastically said.

Belle and Rumpelstiltskin switched amazed looks and followed the woodcutter. After a while, they reached an old man, wearing a cape and hood and drinking a glass of beer outside a tavern.

"Ah, is this the talented spinner?" The man got up, seeing Bram and the newcomers. Rumpelstiltskin looked embarrassed at the compliment. "Never saw such fine work before. I bet you could spin straw into gold if you wanted to." The man said with a sly smile, revealing a mouth lacking a tooth. The cripple let out a laugh.

"If I could, I wouldn't be poor anymore." He wisely retorted.

The old man nodded with a grin, staring strangely at the cripple. Rumpelstiltskin felt suddenly uncomfortable and exposed under his gaze. The old man's eyes shifted to his companions, resting some moments on Belle and then on Bram, emitting them the same strange sensation.

"Yes, but you are not truly poor, are you?" The man's gaze returned to Rumpelstiltskin, who looked confused. "You all know that there are other valuable things in life, like love (he stared at Belle), family (his gaze went to Bram), your children (finally returning to Rumpelstiltskin). And it's precisely these things that give us the ability to do the impossible." He said with a knowing smile. The three friends all stared at him oddly and somehow, slightly intimidated. It had felt like he just had access to their souls. The man stared back grinning widely and exposing his gap in the mouth, looking very much satisfied. "Now, I must go my way again. It was a pleasure meeting you lot." The tension was lifted immediately and farewell was bid, with a bit more eagerness than it should.

"Strange old man." Bram finally said as they walked back to the market. Belle and Rumpelstitlskin nodded in agreement, still shaking off the odd feeling. "I have to go to my regular buyer and bring him the wood. You coming?"

"Actually, I need to buy supplies for the next days." Rumpelstiltskin said.

"Okay, in that case, I'll see you later on." Bram joyfully said, patting and hugging his friend, still all too happy to see the spinner well. They departed, Bram going one direction, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin the other.

This time Rumpelstiltskin bought some extra food and warm mantles for each of them, since they were entering a colder region. Belle had almost yelled at the man for buying her a long woolen cape, feeling guilty for the man sacrificing his little money on her, while she actually had a fortune (although, that was useless right now).

"Stop being so difficult! You want to get sick from the cold? You do realize we are entering a region where the winter is already arriving?" He retorted amused. "Besides, I still have money left." He made his point by shaking his little coins bag on front of her nose. Belle gave him a bit of a sly grin.

"I'll have to pay you back someday, you know?"

"Really? What are you going to do? Clean fishes or butch rabbits?"

Belle had to let out an amused laugh at the man's words. But she did miss his look of longing. Unless you have other ideas in mind, he thought. Rumpelstilstskin could think of many ways she could pay him back, most of them not innocent at all. But suddenly he realized where his thoughts were taking him and shook them immediately away. He felt ashamed of himself for the girl was innocent and kind-hearted. He scolded himself internally and promised himself not to let his mind travel those paths. But the spinner's thoughts were again distracted when they walked by an old woman selling red roses. He cripple couldn't resist, bought one and turned to Belle, as gallant as he could.

"For you, if you'll have it." Belle smiled genuinely at the courteous gesture and accepted the flower, very contented.

"Why, I thank you." Rumpelstiltskin's grin grew wider as Belle made a courteous bow, which he graciously reattributed. They stared at each other and then laughed, happy and timid at the same time. Belle could have kissed him right on the spot. But she was too nervous and shy to do so. She blushed intensely and thought she acted like a silly girl with her first love. But then, this was the first time she lived these feelings. She brought the red flower to her nose and took its sweet scent in. These were the little things that made the world a beautiful place.

I know I'm killing you with the few rumbelle moments, so I hope I satisfied some of this need with the introduction of the rose. I cannot find a spot for the chipped cup in this story, so the rose with play the major role.

Originally I was writing Rumple's recount about the war in one long monologue, but I thought it needed some interaction, so i changed by making Belle ask questions. Personally I think it's better than a long narration.

You gotta be kiding me if you don't guess who's the strange old man!

Review ;)