Chapter Three: A Promise Kept
Two days later...
Jennifer wandered through the forest, her belly growling. She'd eaten a meal fit for a queen, what with the deer she'd hunted a day ago. The blood from the animal had sustained her thus far, but she was feeling weaker. A few headaches had come and gone, but they were becoming more consistent. She was running slower, unable to keep a pace no more than a few hours before having to stop. She could swipe the bark clean off a tree with her nails alone after drinking fresh human blood, and when she tested it a few hours ago, she'd nearly broken a nail! Jennifer frowned.
It was time to do it again...Time to go human hunting.
Jennifer saw that it was not a full moon, instead only half, maybe a little more than that. She cared not, except it provided less light for the hunt—less light for her, however, meant the same for her prey. She would go easy on herself tonight; find a sweet elderly man or woman who would take mercy on her seemingly unfortunate state, then when they'd fall asleep, she'd drink enough to satisfy her minimal needs and then the next day, she'd search for a human with more muscle and a bad attitude. Killing wasn't exactly the only option, but she'd rather make one trip for all, instead of five trips for a few sips. It sounded a little selfish on her part, but it lowered the risk of being chased with swords and torches.
Jennifer stayed off the trail in any case she came across some knights. Her acute senses picked up a scent, a human scent. She followed it, staying hidden in the trees as she would leap from branch to branch, eyeing the ground from time to time, but mainly following her nose. She heard voices, and saw two figures wandering the path. One was a man; the other, a boy.
"He'll do," Jennifer whispered, eyeing the man. She didn't feed off children; she would kill a soldier with little hesitation—a strong beefy man with a terrible goatee or a bad attitude, and maybe she'd even completely drink the blood of a dying man, but children were strictly off limits. Jennifer sighed, closing her eyes; she had to prepare for this kind of thing.
The boy may suffer some traumatic disorder, but Jennifer wasn't in the mood to find another. She dropped about a hundred feet from the tree branch on which she had been perched, and landed on her feet squarely in front of the boy and his father. Apparently, her stealthy skills had paid off because they'd not heard her coming; the surprise that followed had been expected. While they panicked, Jennifer stepped forward to attack.
"Baelfire, run!"
Jennifer stopped in her tracks as Baelfire—who clearly wasn't going to leave—stooped to help his father stand. Baelfire picked up the cane and handed it to him, saying, "We can run together, Papa!"
Jennifer stepped back, holding her hands up in the air.
"Wait, wait!" She said. "I'm not going to attack you..."
Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire stopped shortly, hearing her voice. Baelfire watched confusedly as Rumplestiltskin looked at Jennifer, his eyes adjusting in the dark as he recognized her. He recognized those bright blue eyes anywhere; she wore a brown tattered dress, which had been slit in different places, most likely from wrestling with bigger animals or cut by unholy branches. Relief refreshed his frightened expression as he chuckled, holding out his free hand to embrace her; Jennifer closed the distance between them, laughing as well. Taken in by the contagion of laughter, Baelfire smiled.
"You really gave us a scare!" Rumplestiltskin uttered, sighing deeply.
"Sorry—I didn't know it was you," Jennifer returned. She smiled weakly, saying, "Why are you wandering around in the middle of the forest?"
Rumplestiltskin looked sadly at Baelfire, who looked at him fearfully. Fear drove Baelfire to Rumplestiltskin as they seemed to remember why they'd been briskly walking through the forest with a mission in mind, as Jennifer had surveyed earlier. Jennifer glanced between the two of them.
Spirits broken, Rumplestiltskin said quietly, "Bae is turning fourteen in two days' time."
Jennifer's lips parted slightly in realization and then sadness, too, crossed her features. All the children available to fight at the age of 14 were being taken from their families and forced to serve in the military for the Duke of the front lands, most importantly the King of the realm. The Ogre Wars, according to Hordor—one of the knights that frequently visited the village to kidnap the young—had exceeded the soldier rates as they were dying left and right. Children were the last resort...but unfortunately, it seemed to have come to this.
"So," Jennifer uttered softly. "You're fleeing?"
Baelfire glared at Jennifer, saying strongly, "I don't want to serve in the war. Papa is protecting me..."
"Easy, Bae," Rumplestiltskin uttered gently. He looked imploringly at Jennifer, but she raised up a hand to stop him.
"I understand, Rumple," Jennifer said softly.
"He's all I have left," Rumplestiltskin said. "Just you and Bae."
Jennifer half-smiled, hearing him include her in the people he cared most about. Baelfire glanced between her and his father as though wondering if something was going on between them. As smart of a boy he had proven to be in the past, Baelfire could put two-and-two together; the way his father looked at this woman and the way she looked at him, Baelfire was no idiot. He could see there was clearly something between them. Jennifer cleared her throat, bringing them back to the swing of things.
"Let me help you," Jennifer obliged. "The forest gets a little crazy at this time of night."
She took Baelfire's place in walking alongside Rumplestiltskin; meanwhile, Baelfire walked ahead of them, eager to flee as much as they were. As they walked, Rumplestiltskin sighed deeply as though something was deeply troubling him. Naturally, Jennifer had to inquire.
"You were quick to leave," Rumplestiltskin said quietly, keeping their conversation out of earshot of his son.
Jennifer chuckled darkly, "Well, in case you didn't notice—I really had no choice."
"You could have come stayed with Bae and me." Rumplestiltskin offered. "I thought I had made the offer pretty clear."
"You did," Jennifer returned.
He looked at her, confused. She smiled.
"I wanted to," Jennifer explained. "Truly, I did. But with the mob as riled as they were...I didn't want you and your son be swept into the mess." She shook her head, adding bitterly, "I should have gone a lot earlier when I had chance. At least then, my parents and I would have exchanged kinder words."
"They still love you, Jennifer," Rumplestiltskin insisted.
Jennifer rolled her eyes, saying, "They love the human Jennifer. Not me."
"You're both," Rumplestiltskin told her.
"Not to them," Jennifer responded. "To them, I am only a beast. Not a woman."
"Well, you look more like a woman than a beast. A beautiful beast, really."
Jennifer chortled as he smiled at her shyly, having spoken of her natural beauty. She seemed to glow a little after that compliment.
"I've missed you," Jennifer admitted.
Knowing what she meant, Rumplestiltskin stopped walking so she was forced to stop as well. She turned to him, questioning his sudden halt, but realized he had something to say. He looked at her so sternly in the eyes that Jennifer raised her eyebrows, impressed, but expectant.
"You know, dear, if you really missed me, you could have come to me afterward," Rumplestiltskin told her.
"You live with the mob—we're in the same village," Jennifer rationalized. "Going home would have only asked for further violence from the crowd. I don't want your family hurt because of me. I couldn't live with myself if something happened...to either of you."
"Really?" Rumplestiltskin asked.
Jennifer smiled.
"I told you before—I care for you more than you can ever know."
Rumplestiltskin smiled a little: "You mean, you love me."
Jennifer gave him a long look. She glanced at Baelfire who was a little ways ahead and she said quietly, "Yes, Rumple. I do. I love you very much."
Rumplestiltskin beamed, "Well, then I think you should know something."
They continued walking when Baelfire expressed impatience—but it was nice to know he was more focused on getting a move on instead of the real reason they were moving at all. They picked up the pace.
"What should I know?" asked Jennifer.
"You mentioned you have had feelings for me since we were adolescents," Rumplestiltskin recalled. "I think it is only fair for you to know, now, that I have felt the same."
"Then why did you marry Milah?" muttered Jennifer as they were getting close to catching up with Baelfire.
Rumplestiltskin looked at his son fondly, then smiled at Jennifer saying, "I didn't know."
Jennifer chuckled, saying, "We've felt for one another but never said anything to each other. It's taken us this long to realize it? If that's not irony, I don't know what is."
Jennifer stopped suddenly, hearing galloping horses and men shouting. She turned to Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin. They looked at her fearfully, seeing the same expression on her face. Jennifer pulled Baelfire from the front, taking her stance in the path, urging them, "Run—go—they're coming!"
Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire began to flee, but in a matter of seconds, the horses had come and the knights, led by Hordor, laughed and guffawed as they come across the three peasants. Hordor was a brute of a man, with well-trimmed hair, and an arrogance fit for a King but alas, he was not. It only made him less tolerable to be around and since he always arrived to take a child from begging parents, he was always considered bad news. Rumplestiltskin, Jennifer, and Baelfire all looked at one another as they were told to halt.
"Halt!" Hordor ordered.
"We've already stopped walking," Jennifer drawled callously. "We can't 'halt' once we've 'halted'. It's a bit redundant." When Hordor met her piercing glare, she added, "Don't you think?"
"Plucky," chuckled Hordor. He glanced at his men, who all smirked.
"What's your name? Why are you on the King's paths?" Hordor demanded. "You." He pointed to Rumplestiltskin for him to speak.
"We have wool to sell," Rumplestiltskin lied. "In the next town."
Hordor glanced at him, unconvinced as he got off his horse and swaggered forward, stopping only a few feet in front of them. Jennifer side-glanced Rumplestiltskin pulling Baelfire closer to him, and her heart ached to be equally close. Protectively although not completely aware, Jennifer stepped slightly in front of Baelfire. Rumplestiltskin noticed, glancing at her; the look on his face seemed to say that if he hadn't felt anything for Jennifer before, the maternal instinct she just displayed for his son would have attracted him.
Baelfire had noticed too, for he raised his eyebrows curiously at Jennifer although the fear replaced his surprise just as quickly. Hordor seemed to not notice either way.
"I know you," Hordor proclaimed, eyeing Jennifer; she raised her head proudly, despite his next retort: "You're the monster I keep hearing about, aren't you?" He smirked: "I hear you're a beast...is that right?"
Jennifer frowned, but answered coolly: "You hear correctly."
"Some kind of vampire," Hordor told his knight buddies. "Well, you're in luck...vampire. I'm patrolling and I don't have time to stake anything as beautiful as you..."
He stepped towards her. Baelfire looked at his father uncertainly while Rumplestiltskin could only watch as Hordor placed himself directly in front of Jennifer, his face only centimeters from hers. He touched the back of his gloved hand to her cheek, caressing her chin with the index finger and thumb of his right hand. Jennifer simply glared at him.
"If you're a vampire," he whispered. "Prove it."
"How?" Jennifer questioned.
"Show me..." he whispered. "Show me how you would seduce a strong man like myself."
Jennifer scowled, "I don't seduce donkeys."
Baelfire suppressed a smile while Rumplestiltskin seemed to dread the worst. Some laughter echoed softly among the men, and Hordor glared at them; the laughter ceased. He suddenly looked at Jennifer then backhanded her; she fell back to the ground, groaning as she held her jaw. Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire winced, glancing at her then stepped back a little as Hordor approached them.
"And who are you? I recognize you," Hordor said to Rumplestiltskin. "What's your name?"
Rumplestiltskin didn't answer, so Hordor mocked him instead.
"Spindleshanks...Hobblefoot..."
Baelfire looked as though he wanted to run and yet simultaneously beat the shit out of the knight, ridiculing his father before him.
Irritated, Baelfire stepped forward, saying, "His name is Rumplestiltskin."
"Hush, boy," shushed his father, but the first blow was made.
Hordor said, "Rumple...? Ah..." He smirked. " 'The man who ran'. Yes."
Jennifer massaged her jaw, getting to her feet. Rumplestiltskin glanced at her, his face betraying a look of concern; she shook her head slightly, instructing him that she was fine and not to worry. Jennifer stood, placing a gentle—if not protective—hand on Baelfire when Hordor looked upon him with amusement.
"Is this yours?" Hordor questioned, gesturing to Baelfire as he spoke to Rumplestiltskin.
The father gave no true indication that he was, but it was more or less out of concern for Baelfire for he knew what would come later. The taunts. And sure enough, Hordor was cruel enough to say to Baelfire that his father ran from the front line as the other soldiers were slaughtered, massacred in the battle. Every word seemed to stab Rumplestiltskin in the heart as he looked down in shame, while Baelfire, confused, could only stare at Hordor and inwardly hope that this man was only trying to hurt him with words.
"He went home," Hordor continued. "He limped home, and returned to a wife who could not bare the sight of him."
"Please," Rumplestiltskin begged quietly.
"You see," Hordor drawled on, "Women don't like to be married to cowards." He chuckled as he glanced at Jennifer, adding, "Well...most women."
"Please," begged Rumplestiltskin once more. "Please. Not in front of my boy."
"It's treason to avoid service." Hordor said. "Take the boy now."
Jennifer growled, stepping in front of Baelfire when the other knights stepped forward. Hordor suddenly looked at her with fear. And so did Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire. She could not see what she looked like for no reflection would ever give her such a chance. But what they saw was pure horror. In a matter of seconds, Jennifer's beautiful blue eyes became filled with bright yellow and the pupils became slits like a rattlesnake's. Fangs grew from her upper and lower jaw, and she snarled; her fingernails became long, sharp, jagged claws—perfect for plowing through human torsos.
Hordor took one look at her, and pulled out his sword.
"No, no, no!" Rumplestiltskin pleaded. He touched Jennifer, telling her to stop, to not do anything. And he did the same with Hordor, who watched, equally amused and impressed, as Jennifer sighed deeply, and her features returned to normal.
"What do you want?" Rumplestiltskin questioned, stepping forward.
Baelfire still looked at Jennifer with uncertainty—was he safe around her or better off with the guards? One couldn't be sure, but his father seemed to have controlled her temper quite easily, calming the beast with little effort. Sensing this, Hordor looked equally uncertain, but smirked at Rumplestiltskin at his offer.
"What do I want?" he laughed. "You have nothing, Hobblefoot. You have no money, no influence, no title, no power...all you really have...is fealty."
Jennifer still glared at him, her face contorted with rage as she watched Hordor place a foot out as he said, "Kiss my boot."
Rumplestiltskin glanced shamefully at Baelfire then to Hordor, he weakly responded, "I don't know what you mean."
"KISS MY BOOT!" Hordor demanded as he held up his sword.
Jennifer seemed ready to attack again but Baelfire grabbed her arm and she grew surprised. Instead, she was forced to watch as Rumplestiltskin knelt down on all fours and kissed Hordor's boot, while the man laughed. It appeared that Rumplestiltskin could no longer keep his dignity either; painfully, Baelfire glared at Hordor, who chuckled, then he kicked Rumplestiltskin square in the jaw.
"STOP IT!" Jennifer shouted furiously as Baelfire fled to Rumplestiltskin's side.
"NOT A MOVE, MONSTER!" Hordor ordered, placing the sword's tip underneath her chin.
Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire quickly looked up to see Jennifer glaring daggers at the man, those bright blue orbs narrowing. If looks could kill, he was dead ten times over. Hordor walked towards her with the tip lightly digging into her skin, drawing blood; Jennifer didn't even wince.
"Don't hurt her..." Rumplestiltskin pleaded. "Please, don't."
"Look at that," chuckled Hordor. "The village coward is in love with the village monster. Sounds fitting." The other men laughed.
Keeping the sword against her throat, Hordor placed a hand on her face, then slowly guided his touch down to her neck, along her collar bone, and rested it just above her breasts. He smirked when Jennifer's scowl deepened.
"You're a beautiful monster," he breathed.
"Get your hands off me," Jennifer growled dangerously. "If you don't, I will gut you like a pig and make you eat your own fucking intestines. And trust me, you will eat all of it."
"Sounds like a threat, Vampire."
"It's a promise," whispered Jennifer.
They stared each other down, while Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire glanced between them worriedly. As though taking her word for it—for the glower in her eyes made him think she was telling the truth—Hordor stepped back, sheathing his sword, and hopping onto his horse. Jennifer watched him smile at her, then when they had gone, she knelt beside Rumplestiltskin who was shaken with fear.
"It's okay, Papa," Baelfire comforted.
An elderly kind beggar came down the path and apparently saw the whole thing; he anxiously offered to help.
"You go," Jennifer told the beggar. "Make sure they get home safely."
"Wait, wait—" Rumplestiltskin said quickly, taking her arm.
Jennifer looked at him.
"Come with us," Rumplestiltskin said.
"Not right now," Jennifer told him. "I want to do something first."
"What do you need to do?" Rumplestiltskin questioned; he looked so damn worried that Jennifer smiled at him.
"I'm still angry, Rumple," Jennifer told him. "I'm also hungry. When those two things co-exist, I can't be around people...especially people I care about. Now, please, do as I say and go."
"Wait!" Rumplestiltskin insisted; he didn't let go of her arm.
She impatiently looked at him. Baelfire and the beggar watched as Rumplestiltskin stepped towards her, his hands cupping her face and his eyes searching hers. He seemed to know what was on her mind. He seemed to know that she wanted her hunger and anger to be satisfied by one simple meal, and the knights that just assaulted the both of them seemed to fill that desire easily. But apparently, he wanted her to come with them, to forget her notions of revenge, to cause no further problems with the knights.
"Please," Rumplestiltskin whispered.
She leaned in to kiss him, and he returned it as though she had been gone a century or might be gone again for a longer period of time. It was passionate, a little clumsy, but it expressed a great deal. Jennifer withdrew abruptly, looking at Baelfire.
"Take your father home." Jennifer told him.
Rumplestiltskin stopped her again.
Impatiently, Jennifer said his name.
As though knowing he wouldn't be able to stop her regardless of his pleas, Rumplestiltskin said reluctantly, "Will you come home when you're through?"
"Of course. I'll always come back." Jennifer replied.
Baelfire turned away shyly when his father and Jennifer kissed each other again.
When Baelfire, Rumplestiltskin and the beggar turned to go back to the shack, Jennifer bounded in the other direction. Twenty miles down south, she found a knight that was gathering firewood.
When the knights came back to check on their extra pair of hands, the body had been gutted by what seemed to have been large claws, the intestines had spilled out onto the forest floor.
The body appeared to be drained of all blood, the skin sunken in for lack of composition; the jaw was slack with half-eaten intestines, hanging off the side.
Hordor bent over a few feet away, throwing up his half-digested dinner. And the men followed suit.