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Chapter 28 – Days 14 to 18: Heal

"Everything will be all right."

Brown eyes suddenly opened shot. They remained a few moments unfocussed, resting on the sleeping figure of the brown haired teenager. Rumpelstiltskin blinked a few times. It was her. He could feel her. His eyes scanned the unfamiliar room. A warm golden light told him it was already late in the morning. He closed his eyes again, his heart pounding, needing to be sure. He smiled as an unexplained warm feeling invaded his heart. He suddenly felt joy, he felt safe and loved. He opened his eyes again and slowly turned to the direction he sensed her. Again his eyes looked around, almost expecting to see the loving image of a girl with the same hair and eyes as him. His eyes rested on an open window, where some pots with flowers stood. He watched a small white butterfly happily hop from flower to flower until it grew bored and flew away into the vast world. Rumpelstiltskin's idyllic moment faded away as quickly as it came. He sighed, as the heavy feeling in his heart returned. It was always like this. Blissful and fleeting. But this time it was stronger. Her presence had been so clear. He smiled sadly. At the moment itself, he had been so sure his deceased sister laid next to him, holding him, comforting him. But now that her presence was gone, he started doubting, wondering if it had been a trick of his mind.

"Everything will be all right." He repeated the words his sister had softly spoken to him.

He turned back to Baelfire to see a pair of curious eyes staring back at him. The father smiled affectively at his son. He enjoyed this closeness greatly. He loved to hear the sound of his son breathing when he slept, loved the sweet scent his young skin emanated, loved the feeling of his warm body against his. But he knew it shouldn't be so. Rumpelstiltskin, like all other parents, allowed the boy to sleep in the same bed as him until he was 10 years old. It was part of the natural process of growing. He knew it had been more difficult for his son than for him, to lay on a cold bed alone. In the beginning, the boy would only fall asleep after his father told him a story and caressed his hair until slumber. Then gradually, the boy would fall asleep by his own.

Baelfire was growing up normally, until the last weeks. Since his horrific dream about Gaevo, since they witnessed the smoke rising from their village, Baelfire would often desperately cling to his father's body for protection. From the age of 10, Baelfire was only allowed in his father's bed when he had a frightening nightmare. But now, the man had not the heart to refuse his son's pleas for protection. He was 14 years old. He was slowly becoming a man, but he still had all the fragilities of a child.

After his confrontation with Belle, Rumpelstiltskin decided the boy needed a home with stability. He needed to be in a place where he felt safe and loved, where he could grow up normally again, far from nightmarish images of fire and blood. Baelfire was the reason Rumpelstiltskin decided to move definitely to Kriemont. He made the decision when they sat on Granny's wagon, on their way to her home. He had seen the sad, hopeless and tired look in his son's eyes and it had ripped his heart off. It wasn't fair for Baelfire to see and hear the things he did in the small space of two weeks. It was a too cruel fate. And so, Rumpelstiltskin would give him a place to heal the wounds, a place where his boy could slowly grow up again as a normal teenager. Baelfire would live with his family; one Rumpelstiltskin selfishly had denied him for years. The boy would grow with the love of his grandparents, of his aunt and uncle, alongside his cousins. Rumpelstiltskin decided it was time he stopped avoiding his father.

The cripple caressed softly his son's cheek and Baelfire drew closer to his father's chest. Rumpelstitlskin had to fight the tears back, hating himself for ever allowing his boy become so helpless to the point he needed to feel constantly comforted and safe. They remained a while like this, laying in each other's arms, loving and consoling each other, sharing the pain of the past night. Rumpelstitlskin planted a kiss of his son's head and felt the boy move, so he could look into his father's eyes.

"Do you really believe everything will be all right?" The boy asked. His father nodded with a soft smile.

"Yes, in time, the pain will lessen." Rumpelstiltskin said while he drew a circle around his son's heart with his index. I will not heal fully, but will become bearable. He thought, but couldn't share the discouraging reality. "What do you think about moving to Kriemont? Definitely." Baelfire looked a second or two like he didn't quite understand the words his father had outspoken. Then his eyes widened of happiness and hope.

"Really? You really mean it?" He happily asked. His father nodded with a chuckle. "What about grandpapa?"

"I'll deal with my old man, don't worry about that." Baelfire, delighted with the news, hugged his father with all his might, resulting in a groan and a burst of giggles.

"Now, time to get up, lazy head." Rumpelstiltskin said as he playfully stroked his son's messed hair.

Granny and Red were sitting next door, in the living room, and switched smiles. After the sadness they had witnessed the night before, they were glad to hear the sounds of laughter coming from the bedroom.

Granny and Red insisted they would stay a few days and welcomed the extra hands to help repair the damages made by the wolf. Little did father and son know Granny had planned their longer stay for their own good. She only needed a quick glance to conclude both were in desperate need of a good rest and a short holiday from their problems. The old woman's experienced eyes noticed right away the cripple was not in conditions to travel, even if he insisted otherwise. She registered the fleeting look of pain when he got up, the extra support he gave on his good leg while walking, mainly the first steps. Not to mention he and the boy both looked terribly pale and depressed. And so, father and son spent four peaceful days in the company of the women, without even noticing the time fly by.

Red observed curiously father and son, who were repairing the chicken-hock. She walked to their direction and noticed immediately Rumpelstiltskin tense.

"May I join you?" She asked, ignoring the cripple's uneasiness. He intrigued her. The man was always kind, polite and reserved. He had been the first to admit she was innocent. But now, even though she wore at all times the red cloth and the moon was shrinking, she could sense his suspiciousness towards her.

"Sure!" Baelfire happily answered, gesturing for her to sit next to them, oblivious of his father wary look.

Red smiled and sat watching the males work skillfully. She was satisfied with the improvements of the teenager. On the second day already he looked much better. He had arrived pale and frightened, with fear imprinted in his eyes. She felt guilty for confronting the boy with his own death when she was transformed in a murderous wolf. Now he laughed and teased her, acting carefree like if there was nothing odd about her.

"So, Granny told me you are planning leaving today."

"Yes, this is the last thing to repair. We'll be done before lunch." Rumpelstiltskin answered.

Although the man talked in his typical quiet manner, she could feel he was edgy. It was like if he was in a permanent state of alert. There was not a sound he would miss; no movement would pass unnoticed. She could sense the fear around him and knew he was extra vigilant when she was around. Always ready to strike. No doubt, the protective kind.

"What's the rush?" Red asked, suspicious she was the cause of their hasty departure. Rumpelstiltskin sighed and gave her a worried look.

"It's about a two weeks journey to Kriemont, the village where my parents and sister live." He paused. "I want to be there as soon as possible. The news of the eastern villages must have already spread throughout Snowland. I don't want them to think of Baelfire and me as dead." Red nodded in understanding. Baelfire had told her about their destroyed village, as well as their adventures full of difficult and frightful challenges.

"Usually Papa does everything to delay the travel." Baelfire revealed.

"Really, why is that?" The woman curiously asked.

"Because even you in the form of a wolf would be afraid of grandpapa!" He said with widen eyes and a mysterious voice. "He would scream and bark and shout and curse so badly that you would run away like a little scared puppy." Red and Rumpelstiltskin stared a few moments surprised at the boy and suddenly the cripple let out a bark of laughter.

"You crazy kid!" His father managed to say between his laughter. Baelfire smiled slyly with the same glint in the eyes as his father, the few things that betrayed him as son of Rumpelstiltskin. Red stared amused and laughed a bit herself. When Rumpelstiltskin was fully relaxed and would let his guard down, he would easily have this kind of sudden laugh outbursts and look mischievous as hell.

After lunch, Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire packed their last things and thanked for the kind hospitality. All repairs were done and there was no reason to stay any longer. The handy work had been good to distract him and Baelfire from the painful thoughts of loss. His boy acted more happily and fortunately had started to sleep alone again by his own initiative. Granny and specially Red, would miss the merry sounds of their laughter, but understood perfectly well Rumpelstiltskin's motivation. After promises of visiting each other in the future, they said their goodbyes and father and son marched away to their new home.

It was already late in the afternoon, when Rumpelstitlskin and Baelfire heard the sound of a horse ridding far away, but in their direction. The cripple thought it was odd, since this road was only used by pedestrians. They stopped when they saw a white horse pace slower as it came closer to them. A young man, in his twenties, dressed gallantly halted the horse when he reached them.

"Are you Rumpelstiltskin?" The rider asked. Father and son switched confused looks.

"Yes, I am Rumpelstiltskin."

"I have a package for you." He descended and gave a small box to the cripple.

"How did you know how to find me?" The cripple asked, completely confused.

"I was instructed you were staying in Shamtir, at Granny's. When I finally found the home, I was informed you had already departed and had taken this path." The rider explained. Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire stared perplexed at the man for some moments.

"Open it." Baelfire suddenly said. He was dying to know what was in the box and who had sent it.

Rumpelstiltskin, who was now as curious as his son, carefully opened the box. He removed a thin cloth and his heart skipped a beat. There lay a red rose in it, with a small paper wrapped around it. Baelfire stared with widen eyes at the flower and couldn't contain back a joyful smile. Rumpelstiltskin opened the paper and saw small and fine lines, but couldn't make anything out of them.

"Excuse me!" He suddenly shouted at the rider, who had meanwhile mounted back on his horse and had turned around to depart.

"Yes?"

"Can you read?" The cripple urgently asked, showing the piece of paper. The rider smiled kindly and took the paper on his hands.

"It says: Have a safe journey. Thank you for everything." He frowned. "Sorry, it's not signed." He said as he returned the piece of paper.

"It's okay. I know who sent it." Rumpelstiltskin said, doing his best in holding back the happiness that was bursting inside of him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." At this, the rider rode away, leaving father and son staring at each other still surprised, but grinning happily.

"There's more inside!" Baelfire revealed. They uncovered the rest of the cloth and both gasped of shock. The box was filled with silver coins. Belle had paid her extra costs and more. Much more.

"Oh gods." Rumpelstiltskin gasped shocked. He felt dizzy. He thought he was going to faint. Never in his life had he possessed this much money.

"We are rich!" Baelfire rejoiced. "She didn't forget us!"

Rumpelstiltskin smiled at his son, catching back his air. The princess' little gift, which was a treasure in the hands of a poor peasant, had filled Rumpelstiltskin's heart with such intense emotions, he thought he was going to explode. While his son counted the silver coins, Rumpelstiltskin caressed the red petals of the rose. He carefully wrapped the short message around the flower again and placed it safely inside the cloth. It didn't matter how many silver coins there were in the small box. The red rose was the greatest treasure Rumpelstiltskin could ever possess.

so, liked it? It's a slow start, but it will develop soon both for Belle and Rumple.

review ;)