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Chapter 32 – Day 25 : the Ogre attack

Rumpelstiltskin woke up early. He had fallen asleep with Belle as his last thought and as the first one when he woke up again. He was too nervous to stay in bed doing nothing so he decided to get up and fetch some water by the well. He checked on his son and smiled as he noticed Baelfire was still deep in sleep. He stepped out in silence and walked in the still sleeping village. He couldn't stop worrying about her. The girl he had known as Linda was a generous and kind heart, somewhat naïve and innocent. How was she going to deal with this cruel world of cold decisions and selfish strategies that implied the sacrifice of many? How many difficult trials would she still have to go through? He thought it was unfair Belle had to be confronted with this war. Once, long ago, someone told him the only winner in war is death. He sighed knowing Belle would discover this reality sooner or later.

He reached the well and threw the wooden bucked in it, heard it splash as it reached the water and pulled it back up. He was so distracted by his troubled thoughts that he failed to hear the heavy steps behind him. He carefully passed the water from the bucked into a jug of clay. It was only when he picked up the jug that he sensed a strange smell in the air. He sniffed first confused for he was sure he had smelled this odor before. His heart started beating faster when his brains started to recognize the stench. The smell of rotten flesh and dry blood. He started losing the feeling in his legs. Only once in his life had he breathed this nauseous stench. He was paralyzed. He felt a rustling behind him. He couldn't move. The smell became stronger. His brains screamed to run, but his legs refused to obey. A tall shadow towered him. Rumpelskiltskin was trembling from head to toes. His fingers gripped the jug with abnormal strength. He closed his eyes with fear when he heard a grumble just above him. Time stretched itself mercilessly. Nothing happened. Rumpelstiltskin, very slowly turned around. He turned around and saw before him a broad chest of pale skin, close to grey, stained with red blood. He lifted his head slowly. Brown eyes met cold white ones. Another grumble. Rumpelstiltskin's heart was pounding madly. Right on front of him stood an ogre. Its blinded eyes stared back at him, waiting for him to move. Waiting for him to make a sound. And when he would, the monster would crush him like a bug.

The ogre produced a small, soft grumble. But Rumpelstiltskin knew the monster was preparing to attack. It was testing its victim and see when he would react. Ogres react to sound, to movement. Rumpelstiltskin could still hear the voice of the commandant instructing the group of inexperienced peasants. He knew the moment he would budge, it would be his death. The ogre grumbled louder, showing his sharp yellow teeth this time. The jug fell on the floor from the fright, shattering itself in thousands of pieces. Rumpelstiltskin, realizing what he had just triggered, prepared himself for the worse. His ears were pounding from his heartbeat; his mouth and trough were dry. His limbs weakened by fear. Soon it would be over. The ogre opened his mouth. A loud and vicious sound came out of it, the vile breath of death hitting the cripple like a stormy wind. Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened of horror then he saw the monster move its right arm, balancing for a hit. He saw the heavy fist come in his direction and jumped out of the way at the last moment. The fist hit the well, breaking its stones.

The cripple, somehow found his trusty wooden staff back, supported on it like if it was the only thing that could protect him from this situation. He managed to limp to the other side of the well, so it was now the only thing standing before him and the ogre. The monster lifted his hand sniffing confused at the stones. It strained its ears to find the little man still standing alive. The ogre grumbled of frustration. Its eyes shrunk, fixed on Rumpelstiltskin. It groaned wildly as it hit the well with its large hands over and over again. Rumpelstiltskin watched in horror, knowing he soon would receive the same treatment as the stones. He tried to force his mind in remembering the training from 14 years ago. He knew they had said something about ogres having a weak point. But what was it again? The monster finally stopped abusing the well and stared intently at the cripple. It was already groaning, filling the air with its loud sound. Rumpelstitlskin closed his eyes, expecting the worse to come down on him. He heard a horribly painful groan and, when he opened his eyes again, he saw the ogre move in pain, turning around, its hands trying to reach for its back. There was blood coming from the ogre's back. Thick dark purple blood. The cripple looked to his left and saw a knight on a horse, ridding in the ogre's direction, sword ready to give another strike.

"Run!" The brave knight yelled at him.

He rode in full speed to the confused and wounded ogre. But this time, the monster was prepared and hit the horse, making the knight fly through the air and land with a loud bang. Rumpelstiltskin noticed for his horror the knight wasn't moving anymore. He was whether death, fatally wounded or unconscious. The ogre meanwhile, turned to the hurt horse, which was desperately trying to get up. The monster gave the gracious animal the final blow. Then it turned to the lying knight. Rumpelstiltskin seeing his chance quickly hopped away, wanting to distance himself from the monster as far as possible. But something made him halt. He turned around and saw the ogre move slowly towards the lying figure. The man had just saved his life. He was lying there because of him. Rumpelstiltskin quickly limped back. He could not let the man behind. He could not abandon him to his death. Not again. Not this time.

"No more running away!" Rumpelstiltskin whispered decided, as an uncharacteristic courage took over him.

He picked up one of the well's stones, lying on the floor and threw it to the ogre with all his might. He cheered as it hit the monster's head. But his moment of joy dyed immediately, as the ogre stopped on its tracks and looked at him full in fury. It started walking slowly and dangerously in the cripple's direction. Rumpelstiltskin walked a few steps backwards, eyes open wide and heart racing at full speed.

"Great timing to choose to be brave." Rumpelstiltskin murmured to himself, regretting his choice already.

The ogre was approaching dangerously. The weak point! What is the weak point? Rumplestiltskin's mind forced to think. Forced to remember. The ogre was really close. It looked right into the cripple's eyes and groaned ferociously. The eyes! Rumpelstiltskin suddenly remembered the ogre's weak point. It were the eyes. The monster had stopped groaning and was already preparing to strike the cripple, when this one, suddenly lifted his wooden staff, turned it over and stuck its end on the ogre's right eye. A dark liquid mass sprung immediately from the eye and the ogre put its hands on it, stumbling in pain and groaning in agony. The monster was wounded, but the blow had not been hard enough to be fatal. Rumpelstiltskin quickly paced to the lying knight. He realized the man was still breathing and had some blood on his temple.

"Wake up! You need to wake up!" he desperately shook the unconscious man. "Please! You must wake up!"He yelled, as he watched the ogre turn around and around, stumping its feet, like if it was in a mad dance.

The knight moaned, but wouldn't wake up. Rumpelstiltskin grabbed him from under the shoulders and started to drag him out of the square. But it didn't take long for the ogre´s horrific yells of pain to fade and be replaced by blinded rage. It groaned wildly and Rumplestiltskin dropped the knight immediately. The ogre looked at him viciously for a moment and started to run in his direction. Rumpelstiltskin, in the moment of terror, saw the knight's sword lying next to him and grabbed it without thinking. The moment he lifted it and waved the sword the air, the ogre had reached him. The sharp blade pierced the monster's strong legs, making deep cuts on each limb. The ogre groaned of pain and hit the cripple with his large hand, sending the man into the air. Rumpelstiltskin landed on the hard floor, rolled a few times over his own body and remained the first seconds immobile, his head spinning from the fall. But his ears could already hear the loud thumping of each heavy step the ogre took in his direction.

Rumpelstiltskin opened his eyes to see the very pissed off ogre towering him. It waved its fist in the air, travelling in the cripple's direction. Rumpelstiltskin rolled to his left and missed the blow just by inches. The blinded ogre stared surprised. It groaned frustrated. The fist flew in the air again and Rumpelstiltskin rolled to his right side. Again, the ogre missed the little man. Rumpelstiltskin stared at the monster full of terror as a third blow was being prepared. He knew he couldn't budge this time. He saw his life pass on front of his eyes as the seconds stretched slowly. Two fists were clenched as one and lifted in the air. Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened. He saw his own terrified reflection on the monster's white orbs. The ogre paralyzed and dropped its arms, which fell to the sides. A thin but deadly arrow trespassed the ogre's already wounded eye. Dark purple blood drip from the monster's face. The ogre made a sound of confusion, as it felt death take over him. Rumpelstiltskin saw the life leave its chest and quickly moved out of the way, when he saw the heavy body dangerously lean in his direction. The monstrous ogre fell with a loud thump on the dusty floor. Behind Rumpelstiltskin stood the knight, holding and bow and breathing heavily.

"You didn't see that one coming, did ya?" The knight said to the dead ogre. He looked at the man sitting on the ground with the most shocked expression in the world. "Are you okay?" But Rumpelstiltskin didn't answer him. He just stared back at the knight in full perplexity. "I'm Prince James. You are?"

"You killed the ogre!" Was Rumpelstiltskin's exasperated answer. "You killed the ogre!"

Blood was cleaned, bruises and cuts healed. Prince James and Rumpelstiltskin were at the local healer's home. Outside there was a great commotion. Two villagers had heard the ogre's groans and witnessed the cripple try to drag the unconscious knight out of the place, attack the ogre and escape death. They also witnessed Prince James finally come back to his senses just after the ogre sent Rumpelstiltskin flying into the air. They saw the knight get up quickly, stumble the first steps and then made a run, while he grabbed the bow and arrow from his back, piercing the sharp weapon into the ogre's right eye.

Baelfire woke up with the shouting. He looked at his father's empty bed and figured out he had gone outside to see what was going on. All his blood drained down his face when he saw the gigantic ogre's corpse and heard a cripple had been attacked by it. He was quickly informed about his father's whereabouts and practically stormed into the healer's home. All three men stared surprised at the livid teenager. The healer was about to protest but stopped when he heard the boy's shout.

"Papa!" Baelfire run to his father. "Papa, are you okay?" He asked as he searched for a deadly wound on his father's head or chest with trembling fingers.

"I'm fine, Bae. I only have a few scratches and some bruises." He reassured his son.

"You were attacked by an ogre?" Baelfire asked, still not believing the tales that were being recounted outside. His father nodded smilingly.

"But, Prince James here saved me right on time." Baelfire looked with great awe at his father's rescuer. He had a bandage on his temple.

"Well, only after your father saved me." James replied kindly. Baelfire stared now bewildered at his father.

"Wait! You confronted an ogre!" Baelfire said in pure surprise. His father shrugged his shoulders, not understanding himself how that happened.

"I have no idea what possessed me." The cripple admitted. Baelfire put his hand on his head. He could not believe this. From all the people in this world, his father, his cowardly father, fought an ogre.

"Grandpapa is never going to believe this."

I abosolutly loved writting this chapter. I had this scene in my head since I thought of the story! Rumple against the Ogre! Didn't see that one coming, did ya?

Have Good Holidays!

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