The air between them was much more peaceful as the two men made their way across the border into Findersland. Heinrich watched Grumpy closely as he interacted with the group of boys and young men that came with them. He noticed that they called the Dwarf Ivan a lot, and every time, the Dwarf spoke calmly and reminded them that his name was Grumpy. Grumpy was also generous with his money. He willingly gave freely to the group, which Heinrich would have labeled a gang of street urchins, and their shining faces and warm thanks radiated joy at such a simple gesture.

Grumpy noticed Heinrich watching, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to behave any differently, no matter what the man knew about him. When they parted from Colin and the group, he paid them handsomely in thanks, took in their grateful faces, then stepped back to appraise them.

"Hey, girlie. Come here," he said.

Heinrich didn't understand who Grumpy was talking to. The whole lot of them were boys as far as he was concerned. Then one of the silent, brooding teens came over, head held high. Heinrich took a closer look, and he was startled to see that this wasn't a joke. This teen "boy" was actually a young lady.

"What do you want?" she asked haughtily, and instead of the low voice she'd used earlier, it was her real voice.

"Here," Grumpy said, and he flipped a coin in the air. Green sparkles erupted around it, and Heinrich, surprised and delighted by the rare show of magic, watched as Grumpy caught it and held it out. "Fer you and you only," he said firmly. "Ya know what it's fer."

The girl softened, and the hard lines of her face smoothed into one so fair and tender that there was no doubt left that she was a girl. "Thank you… Grumpy."

Grumpy inclined his head then gestured for Heinrich to follow. "This way. Gots a couple miles ta go."

Heinrich followed without a word, and he stared at Grumpy's profile as they marched. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" Grumpy asked.

"That she was a girl. She looked just like a boy to me."

Grumpy grunted and they walked along some more before he answered. "More girls end up on the streets than ya think. Some turn to sellin' themselves. Others are picked up by thief guilds."

"That's not much of a life," Heinrich said.

"But it is a life," Grumpy replied.

Heinrich considered this. "You're one of them, aren't you?"

Grumpy nodded. "I knows what they do ta live. I ain't proud of what I used ta do. But it's there, and that's that. I don't steal no more though. Doc an' the others helped me ta leave. I earned the coin I'm usin'."

"I don't doubt it," Heinrich said. "But it must have been hard."

The Dwarf shrugged. "Ya get used to it. It's real easy when ya ain't got nothin' ta compare it to."

They walked on for a while, and Heinrich contemplated the Dwarf. "You know something? I've never met anybody like you."

Grumpy snorted. "Ya mean there ain't a thousand Dwarfs raised by humans makin' a livin' in a thief's guild afore leavin' and goin' ta mine with six Dwarf brothers?"

Snow's laughter rang in his mind, and Heinrich scanned him before shaking his head. "That's not what I mean."

Quite suddenly, Grumpy felt uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going. He never liked looking at himself through others' eyes. Especially with the brothers, he avoided talking about how they saw him. He was afraid of what they saw in him. He knew he was cracked and chipped, whereas they sparkled and shone. The light could only reveal his imperfections, while it would make them even more lovely. Compared to their value, he was only slightly better than nothing.

"Grumpy?" Heinrich asked. "Are you okay?"

"You're not horrible, Grumpy," Snow said gently.

He flinched away from both of them. If he wouldn't have this conversation with those he was closest to, he certainly wouldn't have it with a strange man and a girl who had access to his thoughts and feelings.

"We're gonna make it ta Huntersglade by sunset. We'll get some maps and go from there."

Heinrich stared at him, surprised by the change of subject, but he accepted it when he saw the pained look on the Dwarf's face. "Very well."

At the inn that night, they managed to not get kicked out, and Grumpy traced out a route to several cities and a few villages. Heinrich was puzzled by the route.

"What makes you think this is the best course of action? You said the prince was traveling south. Why not just find out where the wolf is and go there?"

Grumpy tapped the table. "Cuz I need information," he finally said. "And these places are where the guilds are workin' right now. They won't stray ta the villages until autumn when the harvest comes in. So we'll hit the cities first, I'll snoop fer information, and if we find him afore then, we'll stop there."

Heinrich nodded then started as a man tapped his shoulder. "Yes?" he asked.

"How about a game?" he asked, holding up a deck of cards.

"No, thank you. It's time for us to turn in," Heinrich said.

The man shrugged and went back to the table. Grumpy pursed his lips. "If'n ya wants ta play, go on."

"He didn't invite you, so no."

A start of feeling went through Grumpy at the words. It reminded him of Bastian, the first time he'd sided with him on anything. It was the day before he'd been publicly lashed, and the same warm, shocking sensation had hit him then. He was touched by the gesture, of being included by somebody. He'd never experienced that with the brothers, but their relationship was different. This was a man who hadn't been interested in him twenty-four hours before and who was now willing to give him a chance. It was pleasant, and after being rejected for so many years by humans outside the guild (and a lot inside, now that he thought about it), it was a nice surprise.

"Eh, not interested. But I gots a game we could play. Dopey sent it with me."

"What is it?"

"It's a Dwarf game. But we gotta play in our room."

Heinrich agreed, and they stood up and headed for the stairs. When they were in their room, complete with two beds and a cozy fire in the fireplace, Grumpy dug into his pack, pulled out a small drawstring pouch, and dumped out a pile of jewels. Heinrich's eyes widened.

"What's all this?" he asked, glancing at the door.

"A game," Grumpy said.

"Dwarfs play games with jewels?"

Grumpy held up a ruby. "They ain't good gems. They're rubbish. Gots too many flaws. So's they make good playthings."

Heinrich sat down on the floor and watched as Grumpy divvied up the gems into piles by type then dug out a single die.

"Simple enough ta play. Game a chance. Ya call the number and if ya get it, ya take a gem based on the number. Ta keep it simple, we'll play fours. So's the goal is to get four of each kind."

Heinrich nodded as Grumpy listed the types and the corresponding number on the die. After a demonstration, they began to play. Heinrich was entertained by the game, and he liked gathering the jewels in front of him. When the game ended, Heinrich won, and he found himself in very good spirits. When Grumpy reached for the gems, Heinrich watched them being put away, wistfully twisting a sapphire to catch the light. "I wish I had a gem this pretty."

"Looks perty ta you. But it ain't so good. Gots beardin' down the side and a crystal flaw on the bottom," Grumpy said absently.

"Still prettier than anything I'd ever be able to get," Heinrich said. "Even flawed gems have value, you know. They might not be given to royalty or fit for collections, but many people will still look at them and see just how beautiful they are. Flaws and all, they still sparkle."

Grumpy had been reaching for the gemstone when Heinrich spoke, and he froze at those words. Heinrich couldn't have possibly known his thoughts from this morning, how he'd compared himself to a flawed gemstone. Heinrich looked up to see confusion and a smidge of fear on Grumpy's face, and he handed over the sapphire.

"Are you well?"

Grumpy tucked the gemstone into the pouch and the pouch into his pack. He licked his lips. "I think we should get some sleep."

Heinrich agreed and they got ready for bed. Grumpy fell asleep quickly and found himself in the dream world. There was so much more color and life now, and the grass stretched out before him. Snow sat waiting, her hair rippling in the soft night breeze that blew through the land. He was reluctant to approach, but he did anyway, keeping his eyes down. She stood and embraced him, plucking his hat off to plant a kiss on his head. He took the hat without batting at her and sat down, sighing in relief.

"Feels good ta rest."

"He's got a point, Grumpy," Snow said softly.

Grumpy didn't speak for several moments, twisting his hat in his hands. "What point?"

"Don't be like that, Grumpy," Snow scolded gently. "You always think so badly about yourself. You're constantly thinking about how you don't deserve kindness and friendship and love, especially from Doc and the others."

"That's cuz I don't," Grumpy said bitterly. "'Specially from them."

"Why not?" Snow asked. "They love you. You said it yourself. They don't care about who you were, they love who you are."

"They don't knows who I really am, Snow," Grumpy insisted.

"What are you talking about?" Snow asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Grumpy said. He could feel her staring, and he stood up. "I'm goin' fer a walk."

"Grumpy wait! Talk to me!" Snow exclaimed and she reached out to snag his wrist. There was a burst of pink sparks…

…and he couldn't help but get out of bed. The jewelry called and sang to him, touching his heart like the siren's songs the sailors always spoke of. He had to touch them, to get them out…

…the diamond pocket watch, perfection itself for the firstborn, Doc's personal treasure from his father. It would fetch a hefty price, though no amount of money would be able to reach its true value…

…a brooch, gleaming gold with a perfect opal on one side, Bashful's gift, broken but worth so much to the family…

…a bracelet adorned with rubies, crafted from the finest gold, given to Sneezy to pass on to any girl he fancied, a symbol of his parents love and hope for the continued family line…

…a perfect sapphire ring, flawless in both the gem and the gold, a symbol of pride for Sleepy, binding him to the family and the Estodien clan…

…a garnet set in beautiful silver, making a ring that was different from all the others, made for Happy to symbolize his mother's love for him…

…the black market dealer's gleeful face when he saw the treasure, "I'll give you five hundred for all of them. Perfection, absolute perfection…

Grumpy jerked his arm away from Snow, screaming in fright as he staggered several feet and fell to his knees. Tears streamed from his eyes, and he gasped for breath, startled by the memories. He was so disturbed and distressed that his body shifted and began to wake, desperate to get out of the familiar nightmare. After several minutes, he got ahold of himself and shivered. He became aware of Snow standing over him, and he felt ashamed.

"I stole 'em, okay?" he rasped, scrubbing at his eyes. "I stole 'em an' sold 'em an' they don't knows about it cuz I'm a coward and jest couldn't live alone again. Ya happy?"

Snow knelt down and placed a hand on his back. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

Grumpy shook his head and they sat there for several minutes as he calmed himself down. Snow eventually stirred.

"What did you do with the money?"

"Money?" Grumpy asked, swallowing. "What money?"

"The five hundred he paid you."

Grumpy froze, and his brows drew together. He'd never noticed that before. He'd sold them, but he'd never seen a single piece of that money.

"I didn't have the money," he said.

"Then who did?" Snow asked.

The briefest thought of Bastian crossed his mind, warning him about Calida, that something wasn't natural about her. But she had no magic. Grumpy would have sensed it. She couldn't have done that, and he wouldn't have given her the satisfaction if he'd had the choice.

"I don't know," Grumpy said slowly. He sniffed. "Why don't we work on your magic some?"

Snow smiled and stood. "I hope this control will stay with me when I'm awake again."

"Hope so. Yer gettin' good. Now, gimme some fire. Make it purple cuz yer royalty."

Snow smiled and twirled, sending a spiral of fire out around her. Grumpy pushed the unsettling realization back for later. He'd rather deal with that when he was alone in his mind. For now, he would focus on Snow because that was less daunting.