The brothers were miserably spooning porridge into their mouths, not a word passing between them. What could they possibly say? Nothing would make their precious treasures come back. They'd lost a vital connection to their father and their past, and it hurt. But even though they were in pain, they were also worried. They had been so busy looking to see what had happened to their possessions that none of them had even thought of Grumpy until Sneezy turned and saw a frantic look on his face before he whipped out of the room. Though Sneezy had called for him, Grumpy didn't come back and explain where he was going. They were beginning to worry.
It was Sneezy that noticed Grumpy come into the inn. He stopped eating, startled by the hollow, dead look in Grumpy's face as he strode back to their room. At once he pushed back his chair and hurried after him, leaving Doc and the others to finish their breakfast. Nobody called him back. He wasn't sure if they'd seen Grumpy come in, but he was too concerned to care. Sneezy pushed open the door and saw Grumpy sitting dully in front of the fireplace on the floor, his fingers toying with the strips of cloth that had been wound around their treasures. Pain was in his face, pain and guilt. Sneezy shut the door and walked over. Grumpy didn't move.
"Where'd ya go?" Sneezy asked, standing right beside him.
"Don't matter. Couldn't get 'em back," Grumpy said hoarsely.
A surge of warmth filled Sneezy. "You was tryin' ta get 'em back?" he asked, kneeling down to wrap an arm around Grumpy's shoulders.
Grumpy nodded, turning away as tears fell from his eyes. "S'all my fault," he murmured.
Sneezy considered this. "Ya did say ta not bring 'em," he said, pulling out a clean handkerchief. He wiped at Grumpy's eyes. "Guess them corns a yers was right."
Grumpy let out a choked noise and turned away. "S'all my fault," he repeated numbly.
"Nah. We shoulda listened."
Grumpy shook his head, but he couldn't bring himself to admit what he meant. He was so afraid to lose them. He leaned against Sneezy and let the tears fall as the younger Dwarf squeezed him and stared into the fire. After ten minutes, the others came in. Sneezy saw relief flash across all five faces, but Grumpy didn't acknowledge them. Doc came over, Bashful on his heels.
"What's wrong?"
"He tried to get 'em back," Sneezy replied when Grumpy didn't speak. "He couldn't."
Bashful plopped down beside him and swiped his thumb across Grumpy's cheek, wiping away more tears. "We 'preciate it," he said, a sad smile on his face.
"S'all my fault," Grumpy said, his voice hollow.
Bashful looked alarmed at the sheer hopelessness in the tone, and the others tensed as his expression changed. When Bashful looked like that, it was not good. At once, they gathered around him and began to comfort him. Dopey hurried over and sat in Grumpy's lap, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing. Grumpy sniffled, knowing he didn't deserve their kindness and care, but still, he craved it. He was hungry for family, and these Dwarfs were the closest thing he'd ever had.
Grumpy knew he needed to tell them what he'd done, but could he stand to see the anger and disappointment that was sure to follow? No. He couldn't. And if he was forced away, who would protect them? The world was cruel, especially the human world, and he'd already torn them to pieces because of his damnable greed, that ugly, twisted, broken part of himself that no doubt caused him to be abandoned in the first place. He couldn't lose them, he decided. And he knew he was a coward, but he couldn't go back. He had nowhere else.
"I'm so sorry," he said hoarsely.
"It'll be okay," Doc sighed. "I'll just miss them. They were all we had left of Papa."
"We'll all miss them," Bashful said. "But at least they didn't slit our throats."
"True," Doc said, a smile tugging up the corners of his lips. "We still have each other."
"That's enough fer me," Happy agreed, putting his arms around Sleepy and Doc. The others move to hug each other. Grumpy tried to get away, to let the brothers have their moment, but he found, to his great bewilderment and guilt, he was included in the embrace. He began to protest, but Sneezy shook him.
"Shuddup or I'll wire yer trap shut," he advised.
Grumpy let out a bark of laughter then relaxed, squeezing Bashful and Sneezy as they sat there in front of the fireplace. After a few minutes, Doc stood up.
"Well, the good news is that we have our stares, um, wares to sell. We'll have plenty of coins to buy what we need and have lots left over. They didn't steal the ones we bade, ah, made."
Guilt burst through Grumpy again, but he focused on the task at hand. He could easily help them sell the jewelry. They deserved good money for all their hard work. He knew of a jeweler on the other side of the city that would pay good money for Dwarf-made pieces. He was about to mention that when a knock sounded at the door. The Dwarfs quickly stood up and Grumpy scrubbed his eyes with his sleeve then got up and went to the door, bypassing a shocked Doc.
"Who would be rocking, erm, knocking?" he asked, a smidge of unease in his voice.
Grumpy opened the door and saw, to his amazement, the very jeweler he'd been thinking about. "Yeah?" he asked.
"I have a tip that you Dwarfs are selling jewelry."
"Yep," Grumpy said. "Who gave ya the tip?"
"A young man. Dark hair and bright eyes. Scar on his left cheek," the jeweler replied.
Grumpy grunted. Bastian had sent him. Of course he had. "So ya wanna see 'em?"
"I was hoping you would follow me to my workshop. I'll be able to use my tools to assess the value. See if it's a good deal."
Grumpy turned to look at Doc, who blinked then nodded. "Of course. Just give us a moment, mister…?"
"Call me Rowan."
"Rowan, then. We'll be right out."
Rowan nodded then left, and Grumpy shut the door. The brothers scrambled to gather all of the items they'd crafted and brought to sell, placing them in a single pack, which Grumpy took, unwilling to take any chances. They strode out, and Rowan smiled and led them out into the crowded streets. After a thirty-minute walk, they entered a cool, dark shop and headed to the back. Rowan shut the door then pulled a strange coin out of his pocket and placed it over the door on a chain.
"What's that?" Sneezy asked suspiciously.
"Magic coin. It's got spells on it to prevent people from stealing my items. It also protects me when I have it on my person."
The brothers shifted nervously, but Grumpy ignored the coin. He'd used them before, and he wasn't bothered. He began to lay out the jewelry on the bench, and Rowan smiled and approached, opening the shutters so that sunlight glimmered onto the gold and silver and jewels.
"Now let's see what we've got."
Doc suddenly looked panicked. "I forgot the list," he hissed to Bashful.
"What defects are there?" Rowan asked, unaware of the sudden rush of panic.
Grumpy spoke, ignoring the brothers. "There's a couple."
"Honesty is good," Rowan said, looking pleased. "What are they?"
The brothers sagged and looked relieved. They had forgotten about Grumpy's talent, which was a lifesaver in this situation. Grumpy took control of the entire meeting, pointing out the handful of defects in the pieces, which Rowan noted on a piece of parchment after checking them with an eyepiece. After a few hours in the shop, Rowan sat back and nodded.
"You really are honest. That's good. Do you all come here often?"
"Every spring," Doc replied. "We always come here before going anywhere else to well, um, sell."
Rowan suddenly grinned. "Really?" He tapped his quill on the desk. "I need honest people like you to build my inventory. If you promise to come to me first every spring, I'll reward you handsomely."
The brothers looked stunned then Doc smiled. "That can be arranged."
Rowan clapped then looked at all the jewelry. "I'll take your entire stock," he said. "These are all very good. Did you make them yourselves or is it the work of your whole clan?"
"Oh, just us," Doc replied.
"They are very good. You're all pretty young, but you've got quite a bit of skill. Do you do custom pieces?"
"Yes, but not too often. We live in a bit of a deluded, eh, secluded area."
"Would you make special trips if I could get you custom work?"
"A couple a year," Doc said.
Rowan nodded then held out his hand. "Then I think we can work well together… what's your name?"
"Doc," was the reply, and he shook the human's hand.
"And the others?"
Introductions were quickly made, and then Rowan offered a staggering amount of money to the Dwarfs for their pieces.
"Are ya sure?" Bashful asked. "That's a lot."
"These are exquisite, and I can sell them for much more than this," Rowan assured him. "Dwarf-made pieces are rare in this part of the kingdom. Dwarfs usually sell them in huge cities. But that doesn't mean that smaller cities like Castell don't have a demand for Dwarf-made valuables."
With that reassurance, they agreed to the excellent price and collected the money. Rowan waved them off, bidding them to come by anytime they were in Castell, and the Dwarfs tramped back to their room, pleased by the money and the agreement. Grumpy dropped the heavy pack on the floor and hopped up onto the bed.
"Wow, that was great!" Bashful gushed.
"Never got such a good price afore," Sleepy said, crawling up beside Grumpy and leaning tiredly on his shoulder.
"Always go ta the jewelers with stuff like that," Grumpy said. "Ain't ya got no sense?"
Doc flushed. "Apparently not. Never even crossed my mind."
"Country bumpkin," Grumpy muttered.
"Tripper," Sneezy shot back at once.
"Sneezy!" Doc scolded, but Grumpy let out a bark of laughter.
"Smart ass," Grumpy countered.
"Grumpy!" Doc exclaimed.
Sneezy opened his mouth to reply, but Doc's glare silenced him. Grumpy snorted, and Doc turned his glare to him.
"That's enough of that. No insults please. Or cussing."
Dopey looked gleeful and pointed to his chest. Before Doc could tell the boy that they were not going to insult him, Grumpy spoke.
"Ah, well yer a doodlebug, 'member?"
Dopey shook with laughter and jumped up and down as the brothers burst out laughing. They had no idea what a doodlebug was, but it seemed to tickle Dopey's fancy.
"That's enough of that," Doc chortled. "Uncle will be here tomorrow. After he leaves, we can get our replies, erm, supplies and head tome, ah, home, since we've sold everything."
Grumpy frowned and looked down as a thought occurred. "Ah…"
"Something wrong?" Doc asked.
Grumpy shifted. "It's spring…"
"Yes. And?" Doc seemed perplexed.
"I jest… Ya said I could stay through winter, and, well, it's spring, so…" Grumpy trailed off, afraid that he would no longer be welcome.
The brothers looked stunned for a moment before Sneezy spoke. "Do ya wanna leave?"
"Not really."
"Then stay," he said. "We certainly ain't gonna kick ya out."
Grumpy looked up, hope in his heart even as guilt gnawed in his gut. "All a ya think that way?"
They all beamed and nodded at him. Grumpy relaxed, pleased to be included. "Then I guess I'll stay."
Dopey jumped up and down again and climbed up onto the bed to hug him. Grumpy smiled and hugged him back. The older brothers went about counting the money and going over the list of goods to get for the spring. Grumpy sat on the bed, holding Dopey and thinking about everything. He was a coward for not telling them and he knew it. But if he could stay with the family, he would bear the shame of being a coward. Their treasures were gone, but he could protect them. They had asked once what he knew that they didn't, and the answer he'd given wasn't pleasant. But it was only a tiny part of what he knew. And he wouldn't let this family come to any more harm if he could help it. Magic might be for bad people, and he was very aware of that, but he could still use it for good, even if he himself never would be.
"What do you think, Grumpy?" Doc asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Eh?" Grumpy asked.
"Do you think you could help us haggle prices? You did so well, and we just aren't hood, urm, good at that sorta thing."
They looked hopeful, and Grumpy shrugged. "Sure. Ain't that hard."
They smiled, and that pleased Grumpy. He would never really be a part of the family. But he was close enough, and it made him happy.