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Chapter 45: Day 39 - An unexpected guest

"No! Absolutely not! Out of question!" Thumbelina yelled at her sons.

They had brought forth their plan to leave to the frontiers. Originally, their plan sounded perfectly amazing. They would meet the princess in the camps and together find a way to rescue their uncle from Queen Regina. But the moment their mother asked how in earth Rumpelstiltskin had connections with the princess, the foundations of their marvelous plan collapsed terribly. Baelfire had explained in a rather confusing manner how uncle Stiltskin and the princess met and fell in love. To their young and dreamful hearts, it had sounded adventurous and exciting. But Thumbelina, who had a very realistic way of facing life, overloaded them with questions, making their uncle's adventures sound the more improbable and impossible by the minute.

Baelfire, on the other hand, wasn't having an easier time, by the contrary. He stared shocked as his grandpapa scolded at him mercilessly, accusing him for daydreaming and having his head in the clouds. Of course Rumpelstiltskin hadn't told the family about Belle. Who would believe in him? But it was true and outside stood a soldier who could prove it. But Charleston wouldn't hear a word about it. Instead he screamed and cursed, making the boy feel more incompetent by the minute. Baelfire had always known his grandpapa as a very hot-headed man, but never had the old man lost his temper with him. The teenager watched the way the man lost all control over himself, looking possessed as he spat unfair and harsh words. The boy was having a taste of what his father had to endure his whole life and finally understood perfectly well his papa's reluctance in visiting the old man. Charleston made Baelfire's insides revolve from nerves. He made him feel stupid beyond stupidity. He made Rumpelstiltskin and Belle's love story sound absolutely ridiculous. It made him furious. Having enough, the teenager walked out the house, stamping his feel at each step, fuming of anger and humiliation. He still could hear his grandpapa shouting, but it ceased quickly, no doubt his wife had found a way to calm him down. Baelfire walked to Mulan and Angelina, who had heard the horrible scolding.

"I guess we are not going anywhere." Mulan regretfully spoke. Baelfire just gave her a livid look and opened his mouth to say something, but then he saw Humbert and Rafael walking to them, both looking defeated.

"Mama won't let us. She said it's too dangerous and she's not letting us go to a war." Humbert declared.

"In that case, I will leave and break down the news to the princess." Mulan spoke decisively, but regret was clearly present in her voice.

"No. No you won't." Baelfire suddenly spoke. "I am going with you. I don't care what grandpapa or anybody else might say. It's my father who's in danger, and if this is the only way to help him, then I am going!" He said with a tone that left no room for discussion. Mulan smiled at the boy's determination and courage. Humbert and Rafael switched looks.

"We are coming with you." Humbert said.

"But aunt…"

"It's time she realizes we're not children anymore and are quite capable of taking care of ourselves. For the gods's sake! I'm nineteen. There are soldiers fighting in the war with my age and she won't even let me go to the nearest town alone!" Humbert said frustrated.

"We want to help uncle." Rafael added.

And so, the cousins and the messenger gathered together and a new plan emerged. This time it was well thought and built up. They would leave during the dark hours of the night, when the village was asleep. They would take a wagon with supplies that Angelina would deliver them. Finally, they would sabotage the wheels of the other two village's wagons, so nobody could follow them. They would prove the world that even teenagers could be resourceful and make decisions of their own.

Belle and Rumpelstitlskin could see the skies were becoming lighter as a new day was born. They were both exhausted from the long night traveling continuously. Belle's beautiful dress, Snow's present and only dress she now possessed, was mainly shredded and under mud. The beautiful garment had been an obstacle for her movements, tangling itself in branches and bushes, so Rumpelstiltskin had to help her get loose many times. She urged to go back into a pair of comfortable trousers. Rumpelstitlskin, one the other hand, was still suffering the after effects from three nights of stolen life energy. He managed to hide his general indisposition from Belle, but now he felt like his body would collapse at any second. He paused panting, resting his hands on his legs, standing slightly bended.

"Are you okay?" Belle asked worriedly, but the man was smiling.

"We arrived."

Rumpelstiltskin and Belle could hear loud voices. There was some confusion going on in the village. The spinner smiled relieved, recognizing a particular scolding voice.

"They are alive! I can hear my father screaming." Rumpelstiltskin claimed enthusiast and Belle smiled happily for him. Then there was a moment of silence. They stood for some moments staring at each other, realizing was what about to happen. He would introduce Belle to his family. They both smiled nervous and Rumpelstiltskin held her hands in his. "Perhaps its better I go alone first. It will be probably already a shock for them to see me. When they are ready, I'll introduce you to my family. Is that fine with you?"

Belle smiled lovingly at her true love, nodding. The spinner kissed her gently and she knew she would never get tired of the touch. Their lips departed and they held each other a while, caressing their backs, enjoying the pleasure of being so close, so intimate. Rumpelstiltskin then gently departed and smiled at the princess. It was time to go to his family. Belle followed him at a safe distance and watched him walk in the direction of the mob. At first nobody noticed him, the villagers screaming and shouting on top of each other around a broken wagon. It was a child who first saw him. Everybody stared with shock as Pinocchio shouted the spinner's name and pointed at him. The seconds stretched themselves as the villagers needed time to understand Rumpelstiltskin was truly standing before them, with a timid smile. Then the silence was broken by loud cheers and greetings and suddenly four pairs of arms were hugging him. The spinner chucked and embraced back his parents, sister and niece with the same bliss. Then the overflowing of questions came.

"What happened?" "How did you get here?" "How did your leg heal?"

And so on, and so on.

Rumpelstiltskin answered the overloading questions and Belle giggle as she watched the scene from some distance. It was a chaos and the man was having a hard time satisfying everybody's curiosity.

"Where's Bae?" He suddenly asked. The noise quickly died and both Rumpelstiltskin and Belle sensed something was wrong. "Where's Bae?" The panic was already present in the spinner's voice.

"He ran away during the night." Rumpelstiltskin's eyes grew, all color of his face faded and his legs almost gave away.

"What? Why?"

And then the story came out. How Charleston had told his grandson off, how Thumbelina had forbidden her boys to leave, how Angelina had betrayed her parents and grandparents by helping the boys with the run away, how they broke the two wagon's wheels and stole the third one and how all his happened because a soldier girl came to the village. Rumpelstitlskin listened to the confusing and fragmented tale explained by one, then by the other. But as he got the full picture, he realized with bitterness he had escaped from Armithil to save his son, only to have Baelfire heading back to the front lines to save the father from the Queen's castle. The emotions were raw and fresh and unfair accusations were pointed at each family member, blaming each other unreasonably for the teenagers' actions. The discussion was escalating but was suddenly broken by a female voice.

"It's my fault." Everybody turned around to see a beautiful young woman looking at them guiltily, fidgeting with her fingers. She looked tired and her hair was untidy, but there was still something dignifying about her. Her dress was dirty and torn, yet it looked magnificent on her. "I sent Mulan to you with a message." She addressed Rumpelstiltskin who stared back with a regretful expression. All family members and villagers stared from one to the other.

"Who is she?" Charleston finally asked the question everybody was thinking.

"She is Princess Belle from Armithil." Rumpelstiltskin announced. Everybody gasped of awe and stared in amazement at the young woman.

The family of the Highlands sat in Charleston small house with the company of a very much unexpected guest. Elisabeth made tea for everybody and put fresh bread and fruit on the table for her son and the princess. Rumpelstiltskin in particular was demonstrating an unusual appetite.

"What's wrong with you?" Charleston spat in his typical tactless manner.

"Leave the lad alone." Elisabeth gently told her husband. He was silent for some moments, but the tense was high.

"You look like you didn't eat for ages." The old man continued, disliking the heavy silence.

"I've traveled all night! I'm hungry, okay?" Rumpelstiltskin sounded annoyed and was already giving the back-off look in his eyes. Another moment of heavy tension followed and the old man was already fidgeting on his chair nervously, staring at his son. "What?"

"You're angry with me." Charleston suddenly said. His son stopped eating to look back to his father, giving him a dangerous look. "Can I help it the boys ran away?" The old man defended at the accusing look his son was giving him. His words were the last drop needed to infuriate Rumpelstiltskin.

"How dare you!" Rumpelstiltskin spat angrily. Belle, who was sitting next to him, jumped from fright and let her tea cup fell. She stared worriedly from one to the other. "The boy saw his home village destroyed! Burned to ashes! Do you have any idea how it feels to know everybody you knew and you liked had died? How do you think it feels for a 14-year old boy to know that? He's just a child! He went through things nobody should! He saw dead bodies ripped off, he nearly got killed by a giant wolf! For the gods' sake, I brought him here so he could feel safe! Not for you to terrorize him with your horrible scolding! It's unbelievable how you always manage to ruin everything!" The spinner yelled furiously, feeling h frustrated with his father and the whole situation.

"I'm sorry." Charleston weakly said, taken aback by the truthful words. Rumpelstiltskin looked annoyed, but seemed to accept the apology. Thumbelina was smiling slightly and received an angry frown from her father, while Elisabeth stared livid at her son. There was again a silence. This time it was Belle who broke it. She had picked her fallen cup and was staring at it worriedly.

"Uhm…I'm sorry…It's chipped."She turned the fallen tea cup. "It's really small. You can hardly see it." She lifted it a bit so Rumpelstiltskin could to see the damage.

"It's just a cup." He said casually and took it on his hands, placing before him.

Elisabeth gave Belle a new cup, telling her kindly it was okay. The old woman was so nervous from the short but intense discussion, that when she offered everybody a second tea, she poured tea in Rumpelstiltskin's chipped cup, instead of the good one. The spinner and Belle switched looks, but not wanting to upset his mother, he shrugged his shoulders and drank from it nevertheless, causing an amused smile on the beauty's lips. Suddenly, all heads turned when they heard the door open itself and two men entered.

"Uncle Stitlstin! So it's true!" The younger man exclaimed and hugged the spinner happily. Angelina followed her husband with their baby and a bag.

"You must have like nine lives!" Johnathan, his brother-in-law said as he pated the smaller man's back. "Listen, Thomas and I just went to Tasoth and they agreed to sell a wagon."

"But before you get your spirits highs, they are asking 200 crowns." Thomas, Angelina's husband, dejectedly said.

"It will take all our savings!" Thumbelina said shocked.

"No, it won't" Rumpelstiltskin said. "I have 200 crowns."

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