One bright day in early spring, Grumpy was still trying to figure out how to get his hands on the treasures to cast a protection spell. The closer he could get to the items, the stronger the spell would be. He needed to physically touch the treasures to cast the strongest spell. But he was afraid to ask Doc or the others to even look at the treasures again. But they were leaving for Castell the next day. He wanted to be sure nothing could possibly happen to those precious treasures.

Grumpy was already packed for the trip, and he watched the brothers wrap the treasures they'd made over the long winter. There were thin, delicate necklaces with small gems, gorgeous pendants encased in what looked like spun silver, and so much more. Anything and everything that could be made with gold and jewels, the Dwarfs could make. Their skill was impressive, and Grumpy found himself drawn to the treasures, touching and handling them. They were like nothing a human could make, and he got a certain satisfaction from seeing and touching the beautiful jewelry. The problem was that he didn't want the brothers to be suspicious about his intentions with their personal treasures.

While they packed, he wandered over to where their personal treasures lay, wrapped in cloth, and he reached out to pick up one of the rings. He carefully unwrapped the cloth to see the glint of emerald.

"You like it?" Doc asked from behind him.

Grumpy jumped and spun to face Doc, his cheeks pink. "M'sorry," he mumbled, fumbling with the cloth.

"Why?"

"Shouldn'ta touched it."

"We don't mind none," Happy said.

Grumpy squinted. "Yer sure?"

The Dwarfs studied him, puzzled. Then Bashful smiled sympathetically.

"We ain't humans. And yer as good as kin."

Comprehension dawned on all their faces, and they relaxed. "Humans are really that finicky 'bout treasure, eh?" Happy asked.

"Yep," Grumpy said, looking down. He carefully finished unwrapping the ring and held it in his palm. "Ain't never seen nothin' like this afore…"

"Look at them all ya want. We jest have ta pack 'em before bed," Sneezy said.

Grumpy felt a warm rush of affection for Sneezy, who had been actively trying to make up for his terrible behavior. He nodded then studied the ring as the brothers went back to packing. After making sure Dopey was occupied, Grumpy turned away and took a deep breath. Magic seeped from his hands into the ring, and he focused on weaving the magic into a protection spell that few would be able to even detect, let alone break. After a few minutes, he sensed that it was complete, and he carefully rewrapped the ring in the strips of cloth then chose another treasure.

He finished with the diamond pocket watch, and he was very careful to pour in as much magic as possible without changing the feel of the watch. When he was done, he smoothed his fingers over the gold and silver that made up the casing then wrapped it up and set it aside. That done, he drew his hands over the tops of each of the items and felt the surge of magic arch up to meet him, which confirmed he'd done what he'd meant to.

Satisfied, he turned and watched the brothers. They were efficient, he had to give them that. They moved with purpose, led by Doc, who guided each task while handling his own. It was impressive, to say the least.

"Get your till, erm, fill?" Doc asked jovially, coming over to smile at Grumpy.

Grumpy grunted. "Sorry," he felt compelled to mutter again.

"T'ain't no trouble," Doc said. "There's nothin' wrong with wanting to book, er, look at treasures. 'Tis only natural, after all."

There was a moment's hesitation then Grumpy looked down and spoke in a small voice. "Is it?"

Doc studied him, softening when he realized how much this bothered Grumpy. "Of course. Humans aren't all wrong about us. We do enjoy looking at and touching treasure. But not to meal it, erm, steal it. More to appreciate its value, its taft, um, craft. Even human pieces are beautiful, though they don't quite have the same feel to them. Or look, in your case. Which is still a pretty incredible gift."

Grumpy flushed. "They always treated me like it was wrong ta want ta look at it. So's I stopped tryin'." And started taking them as revenge, Grumpy added in his head.

"I'm so sorry," Doc murmured, squeezing him in a side hug. Grumpy shrugged out of the grip after a moment, but it comforted him all the same. Doc smiled and nudged him aside then began to pack up the treasures, hiding them carefully amidst their belongings in secure places. Grumpy was glad they were taking precautions, but he felt much more secure with his own protection spells firmly in place.

That night, Happy made a big meal of venison stew and fresh bread, which they devoured with the usual jostling, shouting, and laughter. The chaos during meals had once been irritating to Grumpy, but now they were a sort of comfort to him. He was used to keeping his head low and eating fast, so the long mealtimes were something he could only associate with home and family, even if Grumpy wasn't exactly sure he'd be coming back with them. He was pretty sure that once he got back into a human settlement, he'd find it too alluring to go back with the Dwarfs. He hoped that he was wrong because he loved the quiet life of little comforts and hard work that he'd built with the brothers. But could that little structure really stand up against the towering prison of his former life?

After supper, water was warmed so they could wash for their trip. Doc collected rags as the tub was filled, and Grumpy watched with amusement as Dopey jumped into the tub of steaming water while wearing his clothes.

"Dopey!" several of the brothers laughed as Doc pulled a sopping wet Dopey out of the tub.

"Take off your clothes first," Sneezy laughed.

Grumpy snorted as Doc stripped the boy out of his drenched clothes. Dopey was very pleased by his antics, but he did calm down as Doc grabbed the soap.

"Come here, Dopey."

Dopey shook his head and tried to back away, but Doc gave him a stern look, so he reluctantly obeyed. Doc began to wash him down as the others disrobed and began to scrub themselves with soap.

As Grumpy wrung out his rag, he felt eyes on him, and he looked over his shoulder to see Doc gazing at his back, a pained expression on his face. His face burned, and he turned away, quickly finishing his wash. When he went to get his clothes, the sensation of being watched intensified, and he knew without even looking that they were all staring at his scars. He'd never cared about them before, but he was suddenly very, very aware he had them. He quickly tugged his nightshirt on, keeping his face turned away to hide how red he was. He was certain he looked like Bashful, and that was not okay.

"Goin' ta bed," Grunpy managed then bolted upstairs and buried himself under the blankets in the bed that Sneezy had carved for him. But he couldn't fall asleep.

Half an hour later, the brothers trooped upstairs and lay down. After the candle was snuffed, Dopey was soon asleep, but the quiet meant that everybody else was awake. Then Doc cleared his throat.

"Grumpy?"

Grumpy debated on whether or not to engage. Sometimes, when the brothers couldn't sleep, they would talk quietly in the dark of their room. It was somehow easier to talk in the dark without looking at each other, and some of the most insightful and intimate moments came in those late hours. Grumpy had never participated, and this was an opportunity. But did he want to take it?

After a long pause, he relented. "Eh?"

There was another pause. Then, "What was it like to grow up with humans? You… you never squawk, er, talk about it…"

Grumpy huffed. "What d'ya want me ta say?"

"I don't know," Doc admitted.

"Ya must know some things that we don't," Happy said.

Several things flashed through his mind. Hunger, loneliness, pain, he knew all those things well.

"Yer better off not knowin' what I know," Grumpy said, speaking past the sudden lump in his throat.

"Like what?" Sneezy asked.

Grumpy didn't say anything for several long moments. "When I was seven, I was caught in the middle of a riot. I was arrested with several men, but I didn't do nothin'. Jest in the wrong place. They locked me in a tiny room and didn't feed me fer four days. I got a cup of water every morning and ev'ning. It weren't enough. It was so hot that summer. It got ta where I felt like I couldn't breathe. I got so sick. I 'member the walls runnin' like candle wax and strange critters. Turned out I was delirious. The doctor jest 'bout flayed the guards alive fer keepin' a kid in them conditions. But ta them, I wasn't jest a kid. I was a Dwarf. And Dwarfs ain't nothin' but trouble. They hated Dwarfs, and they didn't care none if I was little. If'n I died, they told me, it weren't any less than I deserved. Filthy tunnel rat, they called me. They laughed about cavin' in the tunnel so I'd suffocate. And on and on and on…"

Tears wound down Grumpy's face onto his pillow. He swallowed, aware of the silence. Then Bashful spoke in a hoarse, broken voice.

"What kinda monsters would do that?"

Grumpy sniffed and cleared his throat, but when he spoke again, his voice broke. "T'ain't the worse thing I been through. But they ain't the only humans ta say that. A lot don't want Dwarfs around unless they're workin' fer 'em. They believe… well, ya know what they believe. Ya heard what I learnt."

They recalled terror and panic in Grumpy's white, pained face as he struggled to get away, and they shivered. "Yeah. We knows that now," Sleepy murmured.

"Did ya ever meet any other Dwarfs?" Sneezy asked.

"In passin'," Grumpy admitted. "They looked at me funny when they saw I was with humans. But none a them ever came over ta talk. Prolly wouldn'ta gone well. I was skittish already. Didn't trust 'em. Thought they wanted treasure, and I didn't have none. An' I heard stories of what they'd do to ya if ya couldn't pay."

Nobody asked what the stories said. But Doc cleared his throat and sniffed, and Grumpy knew he wasn't the only one crying.

"How did you end up grazed by, erm, raised by humans?"

Grumpy hesitated. "They says my parents abandoned me. Threw me away outside of a human town. Found me nekked and cryin' in the middle of a storm and had pity on me." He paused and licked his lips, afraid of the next words that he wanted to say. But the dark gave him courage. "I wish they'da let me die," he whispered, hot tears leaking down his cheeks.

"Don't say that!" Bashful exclaimed, and there was a rustle. Grumpy nearly jumped out of his skin when Bashful's gentle hand searched for his face in the dark. He forgot how close the beds were sometimes.

"Why not?" Grumpy asked. Bashful nudged him aside and he muttered as he shifted.

"If they hadn't done that, we never woulda met ya," Happy said.

"That's right," Bashful said sternly as he slipped in the bed beside Grumpy.

"Do ya hafta do this?" Grumpy grumbled, but he leaned against Bashful, closing his eyes tiredly.

"Shuddup." Bashful wiped his callused fingers over Grumpy's cheek and caught the tears. "Well, we're glad they decided ta have pity on ya. Yer a perty nifty Dwarf, an' we're glad ta know ya."

Grumpy let out a noise halfway between a laugh and a sob, and Bashful squeezed him tightly, making soft noises of sympathy. The comforting gesture was too much. Grumpy pressed his face into Bashful's nightshirt and cried. He wasn't sure if he was happy or sad. His emotions were nothing but a tangled mess, pained joy, bittersweet sorrow, he couldn't tell what was what. Everything poured out of him in quiet sobs, and he heard them speaking gentle words from their beds as Bashful held him. Slowly, he calmed down, and when his tears were spent, he felt exhausted. Grumpy tried to speak, to apologize, but Bashful shushed him.

"Go ta sleep. It's okay now," he encouraged.

Grumpy was too tired to fight, and he closed his eyes and sank down into a pleasant web of dreams as Bashful rocked him back and forth. His last thought was that no matter what happened in Castell, whatever allure there might be, nothing in his old life even came close to the trust and love he felt from these brothers.