I am back!

Thank you all for the kind words and reviews: Nina, jjxox8d, Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape, Grace5231973, thedoctorsgirl42, Scarlett Raine

Thank you moonservant for starting reading this story. I do my best with the editing, note English is not my mother-tong.

I do not own Once Upon a Time

Chapter 24 – Day 13: A new danger

A new day was born with a new hope. Belle had given quite some thought about Rumpelstiltskin's story and realized a woman did not have to accept the limitations society imposed. She was the princess, the heiress of the throne. The last hope of her kingdom. Not Gaston. And as such, she still had the power to change things, if she had the determination to do so. The men of the court would be forced to listen to her. Learning the alternative history of her great-grandmother made her realize she had a voice. But it wouldn't be easy. She would have to fight for her rights, would have to prove she had the leadership qualities and the emotional strength to carry out her goals. Belle knew she would have moments she would falter and would have to learn to stand up again. The reason why it was essential Rumpelstitskin stayed by her side. He was her strength, the man who believed in her, the man who would support her in difficult times. She trusted him. And so, Belle decided, today she would tell him.

The first part of the journey was stressful for Belle, as anxiety was killing her. The beauty reversed in her mind what she would tell Rumpelstiltskin. She tried many versions, attempting to foresee the man's reaction. The princess had been so lost in her thoughts; she didn't notice it was practically noon. They stopped at a small sunny clearing and Rumpelstiltskin when to sit down and rest as usual. Baelfire distanced himself a bit, gathering wood. This was her opportunity. She had to profit the boy's absence. The beauty sat down next to the cripple, rubbing her hands. Only now she noticed they were ice cold.

"Temperature is falling quickly, dearie." He said as he watched her rubbing her hands. He frowned. "They are white as snow. You need to get that blood flowing again." He observed concerned. Sometimes the girl could be simply careless.

"I-I'm okay." She said trembling a bit of the cold. She cursed herself for her stupidity. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice how cold she felt. She blew some hot air on her numb fingers. She was losing the feeling on them.

"You're not okay. You're shaking from head to toes. You should have told you were cold and we would have stopped earlier." He told her off, still with a gentle tone in his voice.

"It will pass soon. I really needed to talk with you about som…" But she trailed off as he wrapped his warm hands around hers. Her heart started immediately racing and a new heat reached her cheeks. He was oblivious of her reaction, concentrated in gently rubbing his warm fingers around her half frozen hands attempting to bring the blood back to circulation.

"Talk about what?" He asked, his voice a mere whisper. Belle was silenced, her mind blocked by the touch of his hands on hers. Only then did he lift his eyes to meet a very flushed Belle. He stared a few seconds fascinated. The red on her cheeks and lips caused by the cold air (at least, was what he thought) made her look even more beautiful. Her deep oceanic blue eyes were on his and he felt a strange force draw him closer to her. There was a small hesitation from both parts, but they closed their eyes, the tips of their noses touched and…

"Papa!"

Rumpelstitlskin and Belle startled and jumped back, both flustered. They had been so close to kissing. Both looked embarrassed and Rumpelstiltskin gave a shy and apologetic look, which was answered with a nervous smile. He would kill Baelfire for this!

"PAPA!"

The second call sounded more urgent and the irritation in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes quickly disappeared and gave place to an alarmed look. He got up hurriedly, all in a sudden worried with his son's well-being. Belle followed him closely, equally concerned. They had to walk only a little bit to find Baelfire at the edge of a hill. Rumpelstiltskin's heart sunk of fear when he saw the look of terror in his boy's eyes. Baelfire was pale and in the brink of tears. He pointed up with his trembling finger and the man saw, to his horror, the source of his son's dread. A trail of red liquid descended from the top of the hill, contrasting disturbingly with the pure white of a thin layer of snow.

"Stay here." Rumpelstiltskin commanded his mouth becoming dry from fear.

He walked slowly upwards, following the trail of blood that became thicker the closer he came to the top. His breathing was fast, accompanying the frantic speed of his heart. Rumpelstiltskin travelled this path once a year to visit his family in Snowland and never had incidents. But again, these were not peaceful times anymore. Rumpelstiltskin prepared himself for the worse, but he never was prepared for what he saw. Half way the hill, he found the source of blood. He wanted to turn around. The sight was too sickening, but he froze on the spot. Lying dead in a pool of blood, were about twenty people of different ages. They were dismembered; their bodies ripped open by the torso, the internal organs spread all around the grass between blood and snow. The smell was nauseous and Rumpelstiltskin couldn't breathe properly. These people had been attacked and were half eaten by something. He heard a gasp behind him and quickly turned around to find Baelfire standing right behind him. He quickly covered his boy's eyes with his hand and turned him around.

"Don't look, Bae!" He whispered, hot tears threatening to spring out. His son should not see such nightmarish images; he should not be confronted with this cruel reality. He was still just a child, an innocent child.

"What happened to them? What did that to them?" The boy screamed in panic, searching for the warmth of his father's body. "What could possibly do something that horrible?"

Rumpelstiltskin held his boy close to him, not allowing him to look at the dismembered bodies a second time. Belle, meanwhile, had reached them too and covered her mouth of shock, terror and sickness.

"Take him away from here!" Rumpelstiltskin begged in an unnatural high-pitched voice. Belle looked at him too shocked to react. "For goodness sake, Linda! Get him out of here!" The man screamed in pure despair, awakening the princess from her state of shock. She quickly grabbed Baelfire by his arm and ran down the hill again.

The cripple turned around to the sickening scenario and looked better at the victims. He put a hand on his face to protect himself from the nauseous smell. He turned the closest body around to see the face of the victim. Glazed eyes stared back at him, still wearing the expression of terror before a horrifying death. He couldn't hold it anymore. His body gave away. Rumpelstiltskin stumbled to some trees ahead and threw up, tears streaming down his face. He remained some moments there, trying to breathe, trying to think, his head dizzy and his legs weak. He took a few deep breaths and walked back to the bodies. He needed answers. He looked up and realized they must have rolled down the hill, as he noticed more blood and bodies scattered on the hill above. He walked a bit more upwards, ignoring the faces of the dead. He suddenly halted realizing he was close to the main road. This was the place where the main and secondary roads almost met and were only separated by this hill. A new fear swept over him. These were people traveling on the main road to leave Armithil. It was a caravan.

"Milah." He whispered ghostly.

His wife was traveling with a caravan. A new horrible fear swept through his whole body. He searched frantically between the bodies for the woman he had loathed for fourteen years. The woman that shared with him, even for a very short while, some of the best times of his life. The woman that gave him a son. The woman that left him for another man. The woman he hated but wished not dead.

He turned the faced down bodies with his wooden staff to see their faces, searching hers. One by one. Until he finally turned around, covering his mouth with his hand, muffing a painful moan. Among the dead lied Milah. Her face was the color of snow, her eyes were staring at emptiness, her screaming mouth was forever silenced. She was soaked on her own blood, one arm missing and her intestines spread around her. Rumpelstiltskin fell onto his knees before her dead body. He had no air in his lungs. He closed his burning eyes, tears cascading freely. He succumbed into his misery. For many years her memory had haunted him down. Calling him coward. Calling him worthless. For many years he fed his heart with hate for her. Wished her misery, wished her sorrow. He wanted her to suffer like he did. But never, did he ever wish her death. He sobbed in anguish and somehow managed to grieve for the woman he had once called his. He had hated her, but there had been a time he had cared for her. Milah, his wife, the mother of his son, had received a death even he found too cruel to sentence. He remained a while lost in his grief when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He quickly turned around frightened. He was paralyzed for moments, staring into the lovely and concerned blue eyes.

"You need to get out of here too." Belle whispered worriedly.

Once she brought Baelfire back to the camp and managed to calm him down, she quickly went to search for Rumpelstiltskin. He was taking a long time in returning and she feared something had happened to him. She ordered the boy to stay below and ran uphill as fast as her legs would allow. When she reached him, she saw the cripple crying in agony before his deceased wife.

"Bae…"

"Is downstairs, where you should be too."

"I need to bury her. I cannot leave her like this behind!" He stated with a trembling voice. Belle smiled sadly.

"In that case let me help you."

"No. Linda, please…This is something I have to do alone. Please stay with Bae…" He trailed off as new hot tears emerged. He was reminded that his son had witnessed a horrible sight and lost his mother without even knowing. "Just stay with him until I'm back."

Belle stared a moment at his pleading eyes and finally nodded in understanding. As soon she left Rumpelstiltskin took a deep breath, controlled his breathing and brushed the ground under the thin layer of snow. It was fresh, humid and easy to dig. He managed to dig enough to lay his wife's body. He gave a last glance at her face, closed her eyes and mouth so she looked more peaceful and covered her in a layer of soft ground.

"I-I am really sorry this happened to you… I never…You know… I hated you, but I never wished something this horrible." He confessed as his eyes finally grew dry. After these words, he felt somehow a bit better and a bit stronger. He got up; cleaning his hands on his woolen cape and took a deep breath. "Goodbye Milah."

And with this farewell, the cripple returned, only wanting to get out of this inferno as quickly as possible. He couldn't understand what could make this kind of injuries. It was no ogres' work, that he knew for certain. He froze a moment when the corner of his eyes spotted something on the fresh snow. He took a few steps closer frowning in concern. It was a track of a paw. It looked like a dog's paw. No, a wolf's. Only it was too large to be a wolf's trail. He looked a bit further and his worries grew. The distance between the fore and back paws were impressively large. Whatever this creature was, it was huge.

Rumpelstitlskin returned hurriedly. Baelfire and Belle quickly came running to him, both looking pale. He had two thick branches and picked a third one. He broke some wool from his long cape and intertwined it around the top of the sticks.

"Tourches?" Baelfire asked, recognizing the process.

"We need fire. Whatever attacked these people is an animal. A large one." The man said hastily. "I saw its paw marks…nothing like I ever saw before." Belle and Baelfire switched scared looks. "We travel with torches at all times. The fire will protect us. All animals are afraid of it. These people weren't prepared to whatever monster attacked them, but we will." He spoke as he lighted the third torch. "Best is we leave now. We must hurry and reach the first village as soon as possible."

Said and done, the three walked in a new speed, fed by fear. Isolated and far away from everything, their goal was to reach civilization before whatever lived in these forests would find them first.

I am soooooo evil!

You must so hate me for not letting them kiss...but hey, it's the way I'm developing the story.

Milah is dead! Milah is dead! Milah is deaaaaaaaad!

I'm guessing you already figured out what the monster is...

I'll update twice a week again. You'll review?