Grumpy got up that morning with great excitement. He had slipped the treasures into their stockings the night before, as deep inside as he could. The exhausting, harried journey to swap all of the treasures and get back before the holidays was going to be worth it though. Too eager to stay in bed, he hurried downstairs to make breakfast. It was one less thing he'd have to wait for once they were up. Happy was naturally drawn downstairs first, inhaling the smell of eggs and toast.

"Mornin'!" he exclaimed, and he joined him at the stove. "You must've been up for awhile."

"Yep," Grumpy said.

"You're usually not this excited to celebrate," Happy said.

"I usually ain't sure you'll like your gifts," Grumpy said.

Happy's eyes lit up. "You're awful sure of yourself then. What'd you get us?"

Grumpy's eyes twinkled, and Happy grinned. Grumpy didn't usually act so giddy, and it was a nice change. As he laid the table, Dopey came bounding downstairs, waving his hands excitedly. He tripped over his shirt halfway down and nearly went tumbling. Grumpy turned and waved his hand, catching Dopey up into the air on a cloud of magic. Dopey yelped then began shaking with laughter. The others laughed as they tramped downstairs. Grumpy settled Dopey back down, and Dopey embraced him in gratitude then hurried to sit down at the table. As far as he was concerned, the sooner they ate, the sooner they could get to the gifts. Grumpy agreed this year, and he was next at the table.

In a whisper, Happy shared the news that Grumpy was eager for them to receive his gifts this year. That excited them. Grumpy had never been the best at giving gifts and he had always been self-conscious about it. If he was this eager and this confident, they must be absolutely incredible.

"Let's eat then," Doc said, and they made short work of their breakfast. Dopey then plucked the stockings off the wall and handed them to each of his brothers. He handed Grumpy his last, and he peered around to see they were already starting. He went through the stocking, pulling out each gift.

Happy had given him some candy with a note that Snow had taught him how to make it and advised Grumpy that the best way to enjoy it would be to suck on it and not chew it at all. Grumpy snorted, realizing that's why Happy hadn't said much the day he'd returned from exchanging all the treasures. Doc had thought he'd had a toothache, which had miraculously gone the next day. Grumpy chuckled, setting it aside for later.

He pulled out Sneezy's gift, which turned out to be a small wooden whistle, and Grumpy gazed at it appreciatively for a moment then glanced up and realized that Dopey was almost to the bottom. He quickly pulled out the rest of the gifts. New winter gloves from Sleepy, a fancy quill from Bashful, and a toy top from Dopey, who was testing his hand at woodcarving. When he reached the bottom, he stuck his hand in to get the last present and got a shock as he touched gold. He jumped, and when he looked up, he saw Doc grinning like a fool.

"You aren't the only one excited," Doc said. "Go on. What do you drink, uh, think?"

The brothers all watched him, setting aside their own stockings, and he pulled out a bracelet. It was perfectly crafted, made of pure gold and studded with the rare black opals their father had found. He gazed at it, his heart aching. Doc smiled and scooted closer.

"Papa would have bade, ah, made you something to welcome you to the family," Doc said. "But since he can't, I took it upon myself. This is yours."

Grumpy drew his fingers over the opals. No greed stirred in his heart, only a wonderful warmth that overflowed his eyes. Doc squeezed him.

"Love you, brother."

"Thanks," he whispered. Then he chuckled and looked up. "What've you got, Dopey?"

Dopey grinned and stuck his hand inside the stocking then jumped just like Grumpy had. Grumpy smiled.

"We had the same idea," he said to Doc.

Doc blinked and everybody looked at Dopey as he slowly drew out an amulet. The seven odd gemstones that Grumpy had given to Dopey sparkled and shone from the center of a beautiful silver disk.

"That's what Papa was gonna make you!" Sleepy gasped.

"What?" Sneezy asked and leaned close. "Gosh, it sure is!"

"Golly, how did you do it?" Bashful asked, turning to Grumpy.

"I found your pa's drawings and used the forge when you weren't around," Grumpy said. "Used my magic. I figured it wasn't fair that Dopey was the only one who didn't have a treasure. Now who's next?"

Doc smiled and dug his hand into his stocking. As soon as he found the last gift, he froze. "Grumpy?" he breathed, his eyes wide.

Grumpy only smiled, and Doc slowly pulled out his very own diamond pocket watch, the one his father had given to him as firstborn. The look of shock on the brothers' faces made Grumpy's heart soar, and he nearly burst out laughing when the other four dove back into their stockings. One by one, they pulled out their treasures, hardly daring to think they were real. But they were. They were a bit more worn, and some repairs needed to be done, but there was no doubt they were their treasures.

"Surprise," Grumpy said.

Doc let out a cry of delight, and he embraced Grumpy. "How?" he demanded, his face glowing with pleasure. "How did you stew it, ah, do it?"

Grumpy explained all about Zander's hunt and how they had each made the jewelry that would gain them their treasures back. By the end, the brothers were in absolute awe, and Doc beamed at him.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Grumpy."

Grumpy smiled. "Yep." He looked down at his own bracelet. "I didn't expect to get one, though."

Doc grinned. "Well, you're just as much a cart, um, part of this family as we are. Now I've got to see what you made for Dopey."

"Remember I used magic, Doc. It ain't like you would do it," Grumpy said, a bit uneasy.

"I'm sure it's wonderful."

Doc walked over and Bashful held out the amulet they'd been passing around. Doc took it and his expression suddenly went blank. Grumpy frowned. Had he woven the spells wrong? Or was it that bad?

"Hang on. Might be the magic," he said as Bashful and the others looked concerned. He set aside his bracelet and got up. When he touched Doc's forehead, he could tell it wasn't magic. "Doc…?" he asked hesitantly.

Doc looked at him, seemingly unable to speak, and he pointed at Grumpy then made the symbol for magic.

"I can do whatever you want with it. Can you not talk?"

Doc stared at him with big, blank eyes.

"Here. I'll let you guide it however you need to. Come sit down first."

Doc sat down, still clutching the amulet, and he refused to let it go when Dopey tried to take it. Grumpy relaxed and cast out his magic so that Doc could do whatever he wanted with it.

"What do you need?" Grumpy asked.

Doc reached out and touched Grumpy's face then blinked, and green sparks erupted around them before drawing Grumpy into a memory that Doc had been unable to fully recall for years.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Doc peeked out the door and peered down the road to see if Mama and Papa were coming back from the doctor's. They were worried about the baby in Mama's tummy because it kept kicking so much. There was no sign of them on the road, so he closed the door and went back over to the fire to sit down. He watched as his little brother played with the gemstones Papa had given to him. He seemed fascinated by them, and Doc was happy to see him happy.

Brother looked up and reached toward a high shelf where Papa kept the brooch he was going to give to him when he was old enough to understand. Doc shook his head.

"No."

Brother looked at him and made a grumpy face, pointing up.

"Papa said no."

Brother stood up and stomped his foot. "Mine!"

"I said no, and I'm in charge."

"Want!"

Doc huffed and tapped his foot. He needed to get his brother's mind off of the brooch. He grinned when he remembered Mama had made cookies for tonight. Just one for Brother should keep him occupied. So Doc hurried toward the kitchen and climbed up on a chair to reach the cookies. When he turned around, he was shocked to see that Brother held the brooch.

"Hey!" Doc shouted.

Brother looked up, grinning at him. "Mine," he said proudly.

Doc was irritated but curious. How had he gotten it? He padded over and stared at him.

"How'd you get that down?"

Brother looked puzzled. "Want," he said.

"You can't have it though. Papa said so. Give it to me!"

"No!"

Doc held up the treat. "Want a cookie?"

That certainly got Brother's attention, and he peered at the cookie with interest. He reached out, but Doc held it out of reach.

"Give me that," he coaxed. "And you can have the cookie."

Brother thought about that for a moment then nodded and held out the brooch. Doc took it and handed him the cookie. Brother took a bite and watched him. Doc looked up to the high shelf, wondering how his little brother had gotten up there to get the brooch. He couldn't even reach it himself. Funny things like this had started happening around Brother a few weeks ago.

There was a tug on the brooch, and Doc turned to see that the cookie was gone and Brother was no longer preoccupied. Doc forced his brother's hands off the brooch.

"No! You'll break it!"

"Want!" Brother cried. "Want! Want! Pretty! Mine!"

"No!"

Doc stood on his tiptoes and placed the brooch out of reach on the counter. There. He turned to scold his brother when he noticed him squinting at him funny.

"What?"

Something bumped the back of Doc's head and then the brooch floated past him in a cloud of green sparkles. Brother grabbed it, looking triumphant.

"Mine!" he crowed. "Mine! Mine!"

Doc stared in astonishment, his face splitting into a wide smile. "How'd you do that?"

Brother didn't answer, too busy looking at the brooch. He ran his small fingers over the orange fire opal on one side of the decoration. The other side had a plain white opal, but that one wasn't special. The other one, though, was truly Papa's gift to his second born. Papa told Doc he'd never seen an opal like that in his entire life. He'd found a pocket of rare black opals, and that was special enough, but this one had been among them, and Papa said it was the most special of all. Just like Brother.

"Pretty," Brother whispered, and there was something sticky in the sound that Doc didn't like. He considered getting another cookie for Brother to distract him, but then there was a crash against the door. Both boys froze, then Doc grabbed Brother's hand and dragged him behind the couch as the door shook again. The latch snapped and it was forced open. Three big women came in. They were humans, and Doc gazed in terror at them. They felt bad. Dark. Evil.

Hugging Brother to himself, he ran his hands over his back and wrapped him in a hug, soothing him to keep him quiet. The women went through the house then came out.

"Are you sure they didn't take the brats, Holda?" one asked. She was proud and beautiful with long, dark hair.

"They didn't have them with them, Grimhilde," the second one said. She had a buzz around her that made the air ripple, and Brother whimpered softly as he pressed into Doc. Doc shushed him gently.

"What should we do, Calida?" Grimhilde asked. "We have to make sure the prophecy can't come true."

"What are the chances of that happening?" Calida asked. She had long red hair and mean eyes.

"They'll be better once we make sure one of them is dead. Seven will become six, and it will not matter what they do then," Holda said.

"Your curse should have killed the second one!" Calida snapped.

"I made a mistake and cast the wrong curse. He's got gold sickness instead of wasting death," Holda said.

Calida smirked. "He would probably make a good thief."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that we find those brats," Grimhilde said.

They walked around, and Doc prayed that they would leave. He didn't care if they took anything, but they had to leave before Mama and Papa got back home.

"Mine!" Brother suddenly shouted.

Doc snapped his attention over to the brooch. The one called Calida had picked it up, and Brother hadn't liked that.

Grimhilde peeked through and saw them. "Aha!"

She shoved the sofa away, and Doc squeezed Brother tighter. Brother was struggling in his arms though, scrabbling for his brooch.

"Mine!" he shrieked.

"Gold sickness," Holda laughed. "Damn, I'm good. It's already started! Usually doesn't appear for years."

"I don't care. Which one are we killing?"

Doc looked up in horror, clutching Brother so tightly that he squeaked and stopped struggling.

"Why don't we just kill them both? Two less is better than one," Grimhilde said, smirking.

"Let's just do it already," Calida said. "I don't care to be here when their parents return."

Doc's eyes closed, and he waited for death. But then there were voices outside, and the women spun.

"Damn! Someone's coming!" Grimhilde said. "Let's go!"

"Take them then. We'll do it when we get to the creek."

"Come on, you brats," Holda said.

Doc was hauled to his feet and dragged behind her. He clutched at Brother, who began screaming, reaching for his brooch.

"Mine! Mine! Mine!" he screeched.

"Give him the damn thing, Calida!" Grimhilde snapped.

Calida handed it to Brother, who went quiet and held it to his chest as they were hustled into the woods toward the creek. Doc had never been more frightened than he was when he saw the water. They were going to kill them. Doc felt sick as he was torn away from his brother and forced to the shore.

"Can you swim, brat?" Grimhilde snapped.

Doc didn't answer. Calida struck him.

"Answer her."

"I-I'm baking, ah, making, um, taking lessons from uncle," Doc stammered, struggling to find the words through his fear. He felt all mixed up inside as Brother stared at him.

"Ha! Listen to the boy!" Calida laughed.

Doc's face burned with humiliation and he felt so small and ashamed. He closed his eyes, holding back tears.

"Enough! I'm ending this!" Grimhilde snapped.

Pain lit Doc's reality as something smashed into his head before he could open his eyes. He cried out and fell, dazed and confused.

"That's done. What about this one?"

"Drown him," Grimhilde said.

"No," Doc hissed, and he forced himself up as the three women turned toward the rushing water, dragging Brother along with him. Brother was fighting now, screaming and kicking, but they were too big. They dragged him forward then Holda waved her hand and muttered something. Brother was lifted in a cloud of black mist.

"Wait. I want that brooch," Calida said. She reached up and took it, but Brother wouldn't let go.

"Mine!" he screeched. "Mine!"

"Give it to me, you stupid thing!" Calida said.

Doc had managed to stagger toward them, and he grabbed a large branch off the ground. He hefted it up then ran for Calida and began hitting her.

"Don't! You! Touch! My! Brother!" Doc screamed, hitting her as hard as he could.

The three women were startled by him, and the black mist vanished as Holda stopped muttering. Brother hit the ground and began to cry. Grimhilde kicked Doc, sending him sprawling.

"Doc! Doc, where are you?" a deep voice shouted.

"Papa!" Doc screeched. "Papa!"

"We have to go now!" Grimhilde snapped. "Take the little one! We'll kill him when we're safe!"

Calida picked up Brother as Holda started muttering. The three women crowded around, and Doc ran forward, grabbing for his brother. He caught something and pulled as a burst of black light surrounded the three women and his brother. Doc stumbled and fell into the river as something snapped, and he screamed as the cold water washed over his head. He managed to crawl out, sobbing so hard that he couldn't breathe. Papa found him like that.

"Doc! Doc, what happened?" he asked, picking him up and holding him. "Where's your brother?"

Doc's head hurt. He tried to talk, but he couldn't form words. They wouldn't come. Something was wrong. He pointed to the river and cried.

"No. Oh, God, please, no!" Papa cried.

He turned and bolted downstream, calling out for his son as Mama came over. He pressed his face into her swollen belly, and she held him silently as the world faded in and out around him. He realized only when he looked down that he still held the brooch. It was broken now, and the special opal was gone. Just like his Brother.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was a flash of green, and Grumpy gasped. Before the others could ask what was wrong, they saw something spark in Grumpy's eyes. Doc was the one sucked into a memory this time, and everything finally began to fall into place.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Dwarf realized his brooch was gone again, and he began to scream for it. He was thrown onto the ground, shocking him into silence. The three women looked so very angry, and Grimhilde turned to slap Calida.

"This is your fault! You just had to have that brooch!"

"Damn right I did," Calida said. "That thing was Dwarf-made! And did you see that gemstone? I've never seen one like it."

The Dwarf noticed the stone she was talking about, and he silently reached over and picked it up.

'Mine,' he thought happily. It soothed something inside of him to see it sparkle, and he clutched it tightly. Then he looked around. Where was Doc? He stood up as the three women continued scrapping and he spun around three times then focused in one direction and started walking.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Calida snapped. She grabbed his arm and jerked him around.

"Home!" he said stubbornly, pointing.

The women looked up and Holda froze. "You're not wrong…"

"What?" Calida asked.

"That's the right direction for him to go home." Holda began to look uneasy. "Oh no."

"What?" Calida asked.

Holda shook her head. "How could I have missed it?"

"Is there a problem?"

"The curse," she muttered. "The curse while he was still in his mother. Surely not." She turned to Grimhilde. "Kill him. Now."

Grimhilde smiled and picked up a branch. "With pleasure."

She swung it with all her might at the little boy, but it didn't connect. As the Dwarf flinched away, green sparks erupted around him and the branch splintered. Holda swore, stomping her foot.

"No! Damn it all!"

"What?" Calida demanded.

"The brat has magic! He was born with it!"

"So?"

"So it means that it's going to be nearly impossible to kill him!" Holda threw out her hand and shouted a strange word, and a blast of black light tore through a bush, withering it.

"What? Why?" Grimhilde demanded.

"Because he's a child!" Holda snapped. "We'll have to wait until he's older to kill him. Children protect themselves with their own magic, and he has some very powerful magic because of how strong the curse is!"

"What do we do?" Calida demanded.

They all looked at the Dwarf, who gazed up at them sourly.

"Home," he said stubbornly, trying to tug himself free.

"We'll have to keep him close," Holda said. "Who's going to watch him?"

"Calida should," Grimhilde said. "It's her fault we're in this mess."

"What? No!"

"You did say he'd make a good thief," Holda pointed out.

Calida looked thoughtful. "True… but I don't want to have to keep him for too long."

"We'll try again when he's older," Holda assured her.

"Home!" the Dwarf screamed, and green sparks exploded off of him, forcing Calida to release him.

"Ouch!" She rubbed her fingers as Holda grabbed the boy. "If I'm going to watch him, I have to be able to control him."

Holda smiled. "I can do that. Linking you to his gold sickness would allow you to keep a very close eye on him." Then she frowned. "But it could be dangerous for you. If he manages to break the curse, you will most likely die."

"He'll die before that happens," Calida said. "I am not a mother, and I don't want to raise a child. He'll be dead by sixteen. And until then, I can use him."

"Home!" the Dwarf shouted angrily, stomping his foot.

"Do it, Holda," Calida said. "And make him forget his family, too, so he doesn't try and go back."

"But what about when he's older?" Grimhilde demanded. "Dwarfs are so clannish that he's sure to seek them out."

"I'll tell him stories until he won't even be able to look at them without fearing for his life. It should last long enough for us to kill him." Calida pulled the Dwarf over to stand beside her, and she faced Holda. "Do it."

Holda began to murmur, and black mist flowed out and around the Dwarf. His mind went blank and the thoughts of Mama and Papa and Doc began to fade. By the time the woman had stopped muttering, he couldn't remember anything, and he stared up at the women blankly.

"Come on, Ivan," Calida said, holding out her hand. "It's time to go home."

"Ivan?" Grimhilde scoffed.

"Do you want to raise him?" Calida asked.

"Mama?" the Dwarf asked, looking up at her.

"No, Ivan. Mama didn't want you anymore," Calida said smoothly. "I'll take care of you if you're a good boy. But you have to do what I say. Come on."

He followed the three women, and he noticed something in his hand. Looking down, he saw the prettiest stone in his fingers. It looked like fire made into a jewel. He wondered where it came from, and why it seemed important to remember. He tripped and Calida yanked him up hard enough to make him squeak.

"Move, Ivan."

He did so, clutching at the pretty stone. He didn't want the women to take it. It was his. He didn't know how he knew that, but it was his, and he'd never let it go.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When the world had settled back to the present, the cottage rang with silence. Doc stared up at Grumpy with big eyes, and Grumpy stared back. Doc held up the amulet and pointed at the orange stone in the middle. It was the stone from the memories. The very same one. Nobody moved for several long moments. The others looked between Doc and Grumpy, who gazed at each other without speaking. Then Doc reached trembling fingers up and touched Grumpy's cheek, a look of wonder and joy crossing his face.

"Brother?" he asked breathlessly.

"Doc," Grumpy replied softly, and he reached over to pinch Doc's ear.

Doc's entire face lit with glee, and he stood up and threw his arms around Grumpy. "Brother!" he exclaimed. "You're not stead, um, fed, ah, bed—Oh! You know what I mean!"

Grumpy laughed and hugged him, unable to comprehend what he'd just learned. Doc pulled back and turned to the others, who gazed at them in astonishment.

"Wait…" Bashful said slowly. "What happened?"

Grumpy ignored them and stared at Doc. "That was my name?"

Doc turned back and nodded. "The Knowing Stone said you would always be a true brother, and so your name was Brother," he said excitedly.

Grumpy snorted. "I like Grumpy better."

Doc laughed. "Of course you true, ah, do."

"Wait! What's goin' on?" Sneezy demanded.

Grumpy waved his hand. "You explain. I'm gonna write it down and tell Snow. She ain't gonna believe this."

Doc burst out laughing. "I can hardly believe it myself!"

"Believe what?" Sleepy asked.

"Grumpy's our Brother," Doc said, his eyes twinkling.

The five Dwarfs peered at him. "Well, yeah. We knows that already," Happy said.

"No. Grumpy is our brother, Brother," Doc clarified, grinning like a fool. "He didn't die in the river. Calida kidnapped him with those other two women. They couldn't kill him." Doc turned his grin to Grumpy. "This whole rhyme, um, time. It was you all along."

"I could say the same about you," Grumpy said.

Dopey truly began to understand first. He waved at Doc, his hands frantically gesturing as he asked how they could be sure. Grumpy waved his hand and allowed them to sink into the memories, still so fresh and vibrant in his mind. Doc blinked and peered at the others. They looked dazed, and he eased them to sit down then walked over to sit by Grumpy. He peered at him intently.

"I thought you were dead," Doc whispered, his eyes so soft.

"I thought nobody wanted me," Grumpy replied.

Doc smiled. "We were both long, erm, wrong."

"Here they come," Grumpy said, sensing the spell ending.

Dopey exploded out of the memories with a shout, and he dove over to squeeze Grumpy around the middle. Grumpy gasped, and before he knew what was happening, everybody was squeezing him and laughing and crying. Doc sat contentedly beside him, his hand on his back as he watched the family celebrate.

"We can surprise the rest of the family this holiday," Doc said when they had calmed down a bit.

Grumpy looked wary. "Ah… you remember what I said about your uncle, right?"

"And I sold, ah, told you, he'll understand. Besides, you just gave us all of our treasures back. You are fin, um, kin! Oh! It'll be such a wonderful surprise!"

They looked absolutely giddy at the prospect of showing up at their family holiday with their long lost brother, but Grumpy knew this wouldn't end well. Still, if Doc wanted him to try, he would. They wouldn't have to leave for another week. That gave him time to prepare.

Grumpy turned and grabbed the quill Bashful had given him, pulling some paper over. His heart was so full of disbelief and wonder and joy that he just had to share it. Besides, if he sent the raven soon, he could have a response before nightfall. As his brothers talked and laughed and celebrated their good fortune, Grumpy began to write to Snow. Doc came up behind him to read over his shoulder, and Grumpy looked up at him and stuck out his tongue playfully. Doc looked positively gleeful and he hugged him.

"Love you, Brother," he said cautiously.

"Love you more," Grumpy replied, just like he used to.

"Aw, ain't that sweet?" Sneezy teased.

"Ah, go boil yer head," Grumpy growled, but there was no heat to it.

Sneezy plopped down beside him. "We love you, too, Brother."

Grumpy tapped the table with the quill then turned to the paper. "I still like Grumpy better."

Their laughter was a warm balm to his tattered soul, and Doc leaned over to squeeze him again. Grumpy looked at him and smiled.

"Gonna be clingy?"

"Shut up," Doc said simply.

Grumpy laughed, too full of joy not to. He loved his brothers. He well and truly did. No matter how the rest of the family reacted to the news, he knew his brothers would never let him go. They hadn't even though they'd had all the opportunities in the world. Grumpy basked in the knowledge that they had chosen him to be their brother before they'd even known he really was. Even if they had never found out they were related, his relationship with his brothers wouldn't have changed one bit. The rest of the family was a different matter, but that was a problem for later. Now was a time for celebration with those he loved the most.


And this is the final chapter of Refining Fire. It's been so much fun writing this story. There's one more story, likely much shorter, that needs to be written for this series, and then, besides the occasional oneshot, which would be added to Story Gems, this series is done. Thanks for hanging in there. Hopefully the last story will be posted soon.

I hope you all enjoyed reading it and let me know what you think.

God bless. :)