Grumpy stayed in the bedroom for as long as he possibly could, but there was finally no escaping the inevitable. With his brothers practically glued to his side, they went out to see the rest of the family and eat dinner. Grumpy dreaded the looks he knew he'd get, and as soon as they set foot upstairs, everybody stopped talking and stared. Insecure, Grumpy scowled and met their eyes. He would not be cowed or show weakness. That was how you got your throat slit.
"There you boys are. Let's eat," Honesty said into the thick silence.
"Yes, Grandmama," they chorused, but Grumpy didn't join in. If that old Dwarf expected him to call her that, she had another thing coming. Diligent might rip his throat out, and Grumpy believed he was considering it at that moment judging by the look on his face. Grumpy said nothing, and Doc made him a plate. Unlike at home, there wasn't a table for sitting at, but seeing as there had to be over thirty people in the house, he wasn't surprised.
The seven brothers sat near the fireplace, and Grumpy was in the corner, protected by the others. His brothers were formidable, but Grumpy counted at least seven grown up male cousins. He always had his magic, but he didn't dare unless he had no other choice. Besides, if he got too scared, he couldn't think well enough to cast anything. That was the only trouble he'd ever had with his magic.
While the room filled with subdued chatter and the adults cut their eyes sideways at Grumpy, Empathy walked right over.
"Hiya, Grumpy," she said, staring at him.
"Heya, girlie," he replied, noticing Diligent watching her like a hawk.
"Grandpapa said your bad."
"Mmhm."
Empathy squinted at him. "That can't be true. Because Dopey likes you and he's never wrong."
Dopey sniggered and shrugged, waving his hands as he mentioned how Grumpy came to them. Empathy frowned.
"I can't understand your big ideas, and you know it."
His brothers smiled at her, amused, but Grumpy only continued to eat and translated. He didn't notice that most of the room had gone quiet again and everybody was watching and listening, clearly surprised by the depth of his understanding when it came to Dopey's way of communicating.
"He says that he's the reason I stayed with them," he said.
"Is he?" Empathy asked.
"Yep. I tried to leave the day after I got there."
"Why?"
"Because Dwarfs will slit your throat if you can't pay them for helpin' you," Grumpy replied matter-of-factly. "And I had no money."
Empathy's eyes went wide. "What? That's awful!"
"And not true," Grumpy said, shrugging. "But that's what I growed up hearin'."
"Then it was real brave of you to stay," Empathy replied.
"Empathy," Diligent said, and Grumpy looked up to see he was the center of attention again. He scowled and stared at them defiantly. Honesty smiled a little at him, which puzzled him to no end. Diligent looked even angrier.
"Stay away from him. He might steal you from me."
Grumpy caught the slight, but Empathy only laughed. "He's only a cousin, Grandpapa. Your still my favorite."
"That's my girl. Come and give me a hug."
Grumpy watched as Empathy skipped over to be swept into a hug then turned back to his plate. It was one of the most uncomfortable meals of his life, but he got through it. Afterward, he watched the family talk. The kids were running around and shouting until Honesty raised her voice.
"Young ones downstairs! Now!"
The children obeyed at once, pouring down the stairs and leaving the adults to themselves. Grumpy wished he could join the kids. He could face their questions because they had the guts to ask them instead of dancing around the topic and sprinkling in hints. Dopey pressed tighter into Grumpy, almost hiding. Grumpy glanced at him, and Dopey explained that he wanted to stay upstairs. Grumpy nodded and said nothing. Dopey had been through enough to qualify as an adult in his opinion. He was the closest in age to the next generation, but it was an odd, in-between sort of age. The next oldest seemed to be Empathy, who was thirteen. Six years of difference between Dopey and his second cousin. It clearly bothered Dopey, but nobody demanded he leave, so he smiled and settled in.
"Now let's hear it, Sleepy," Honesty said.
"Hear what?" Sleepy yawned, leaning against Happy.
"About the Queen, of course," an aunt said. She had green eyes, thick grey hair, and a full figure.
His brothers all smiled playfully. Grumpy didn't react, keeping himself as still as stone as the room's attention was focused in his direction.
"Aw, c'mon, Charming. I don't knows if I wanna tell that story," Sleepy said, all tiredness gone as his eyes twinkled.
"I don't think you should," Doc said seriously.
"What?" Belligerent demanded, snapping down his cup. "You told us all about the first time."
"Oh, but Uncle wouldn't be interested."
"And why not?" Diligent asked.
"Because Grumpy is an important part of it," Doc said.
Grumpy scoffed, unable to help himself, and he noticed Diligent stiffen.
"What does that matter?" Honesty asked.
"Because Uncle Diligent said if we squawk, erm, talk about Grumpy in front of him, he'll kick us out and we'll have to stay at an inn in town."
Grumpy could see the clever glint in Doc's eyes even as he spoke like he was sharing a teeny, tiny fact that was almost insignificant. When Honesty's eyes flashed and the older cousins shrank away from her, Grumpy knew that Doc was fighting fire with fire, and he wanted to laugh out loud.
"Now that can't be right, Dilly," Honesty said, her voice low and dangerous. "You would kick our kin out of my house?"
Diligent's face was pale as Honesty gazed at him. "He's nothin' but trouble, Mama," he hissed. "I don't want him near us. You know what he's done."
"What you think he's done, Diligent Goldmane," Honesty snapped. "Now you will sit down and we will all hear this story."
"Yes, Mama," Diligent grumbled.
"Sleepy?"
Sleepy stood up and went to stand in front of the fire, and the room went quiet. Grumpy relaxed as their eyes followed Sleepy. Sleepy opened his mouth then hesitated.
"What's wrong?" Doc asked.
"I don't know where the story starts," Sleepy said in surprise. He turned to Doc. "What do you think? Where should I start?"
Doc scratched his head. "I'm not sure. It was before the treading, ah, wedding invitation, for sure."
"It was before Snow was poisoned," Happy said.
"Golly, before Snow at all," Bashful realized.
Sleepy clamped his mouth shut when he saw the look of panic on Grumpy's face. He realized he couldn't tell the story. The beginning involved Grumpy and his whole life before them. How could he explain without revealing that his brother had been a thief? Or that he could do magic? He couldn't. Now was not the time for this story.
Standing upright, Sleepy spoke firmly. "I ain't gonna tell that story tonight, Grandmama. Pick somethin' else."
There was a moment of silence before Honesty nodded. "Okay. How did you meet him then?"
Sleepy hesitated, glancing again at Grumpy. This time, Grumpy waved his hand dismissively. He didn't care if that story was told. So Sleepy turned to the room and nodded.
"Well, we was comin' home from our mine that day, when we found him."
"You shouldn't pick up strays," Diligent said.
Sleepy stopped talking and crossed his arms, glaring at his uncle. Charming laughed. "Ooh, Dilly, you make him mad enough and he won't talk."
"Just as well," Diligent said. "We don't need to hear trash."
That hurt so badly that Grumpy was sure he'd crack. Bashful caught the brief look on his face, and rage kindled in his eyes.
"Shut your mouth, Diligent!" Bashful roared, silencing the whole room. "You say one more word and we're done for the day! All of us! You hear me?"
The cousins gaped at Bashful as if he had grown a second head, then their eyes slid to Grumpy, who had resumed his stoic mask. Diligent looked abashed, and Honesty stood up and padded over to sit right beside him.
"Tell the story, Sleepy," she ordered. "I'll keep the commentary in check."
Sleepy squinted around the room then nodded. He began again and described how wounded Grumpy had been and how they had fixed him up. Then he stopped and squinted at Grumpy. Without even looking at him, Grumpy shook his head. He didn't want them to know how terrified he'd been of his brothers, how he'd broken and finally given up and expected to die. They wouldn't understand.
"Next story," Sleepy said simply.
"That's it?" Diligent asked.
Honesty swatted him. "Plenty for now. Now what do we want to hear?"
Doc spoke. "The dragon's keep and gold sickness."
Grumpy relaxed as Sleepy didn't even take another suggestion but jumped in immediately. That was over with. Bashful took his hand and squeezed it. Grumpy smiled a little then noticed both Honesty and Diligent staring at him. Honesty looked pleased. Diligent looked disgusted. He didn't know how to feel about either look, so he turned away and focused on the story. It still rang with the sweet, new note for him since his realization that he'd loved the story so much because he'd been cursed with the same affliction.
When the story was done, the catching up began, and Grumpy didn't participate. He did listen, though, and he gleaned a lot from the rest of the family.
Honesty was the matriarch of the family, and she had borne two daughters, Charming and Felicity, and two sons, Diligent and the brothers' deceased father. Grumpy leaned over to Bashful.
"What's your pa's name again?" he muttered.
"Determination," Bashful replied.
"Our papa," Doc reminded him in an undertone, his eyes sparkling again at their secret.
Grumpy shrugged, still deeply uncomfortable at the idea of having a father. Calida had been a mother-figure, though a very poor one. But he'd never had a father-figure, and the thought of one scared him. He'd take his older brother any day. He knew Doc. He liked Doc. And Doc knew and liked him, which was important. Grumpy just knew his father would not be proud of how he'd turned out. He'd made far too many mistakes.
After awhile, Honesty stood up and stretched. "Better get them kids to run out their energy. Dopey? Round them up and send them out!"
Dopey leaped to his feet and saluted then hurried down the stairs. There was a shrieking shout, and a few minutes later the kids poured up the stairs and out the door. Empathy came padding up the stairs with Dopey, and her face was aglow with laughter. Dopey's face was red, and he skittered away from her, shaking his finger. She laughed again.
"You're so funny, Dopey. Even though you don't mean to be."
"What happened?" Diligent asked.
"Bet he fell down the stairs again," Belligerent sneered.
Dopey rejoined his brothers, and Doc tried to place his arm around his brother's shoulders, but Dopey slapped at him and sulked. Grumpy was intrigued. Dopey never acted like that when he fell down the stairs at home, and he did it regularly. But then he turned his eyes to Empathy, who gazed solemnly at her cousin before turning to go outside. Of course he'd be embarrassed in front of girls. He was at that age, and he didn't usually have to worry about it. Even his foolishness in front of Snow made sense. He'd had a crush on her.
"Aw, what's the matter, Dopey?" Clumsy asked.
"You leave him alone!" Doc scolded.
Dopey looked as red as Bashful usually did, and he was blinking back tears of humiliation. Grumpy shifted so that he could nudge Dopey, and the young Dwarf looked at him. Grumpy made sure his hands weren't visible then winked and snapped his fingers.
The cousins who were laughing suddenly yelped, and Dopey turned his eyes back to them. Belligerent let out an oath that his mother, Constancy, boxed his ear for. Clumsy was spluttering. Both of them were drenched from the pitcher of water that had been next to them on the table. Dopey clapped his hands over his mouth to hide his grin, and only his brothers noticed. They glanced from him to Grumpy, who shrugged when he noticed them looking. He winked again, and they all shared a smile at their secret. Waiting for a few days had just become a little more bearable.
The rest of that first day Grumpy spent watching and listening. There was an unspoken agreement between his brothers that at least two of them had to be with Grumpy whenever he was out of their room. Grumpy didn't argue. The house seemed to be of two minds. Half of his kin seemed to think he was nothing but trouble, headed by Diligent of course. The other half seemed more curious than anything. Empathy was one of the curious ones, and she was constantly trying to approach Grumpy to ask questions only to be pulled back by Diligent. Grumpy didn't react, only shrugged and turned away whenever Diligent summoned his oldest grandchild.
That night, Grumpy got ready for bed with his brothers after another tense meal. Nobody wanted to talk with a stranger in their midst, and even Doc was unsure of what to say to ease things. There was a knock at the door, and Doc cracked it open to see Honesty.
"Yes, Grandmama?" Doc asked politely.
"Wanna talk to that Dwarf," she said.
"Ah, just a peckant, erm, second."
Doc shut the door and turned to Grumpy who scowled but changed the spell around the room so Honesty could come in. She did so as soon as Doc opened the door again. She marched right over and pointed at Grumpy.
"You look just like your papa," she declared.
Doc slammed the door shut, his expression astounded. "Grandmama! You know?"
Honesty scoffed. "He's got your mama's eyes, just like all of you except Dopey. And he's the spitting image of Determination. I don't think Dilly's noticed, or he don't want to."
Grumpy stared at the old Dwarf woman. "I look like their pa?"
"He's your papa, too," several of them scolded.
Grumpy rolled his eyes, and Honesty laughed. "You are Determination's boy. I didn't think you boys knew."
"Oh, we only found out recently," Doc said.
"How?"
Doc hurried for their packs and pulled out a small chest. He turned it around and opened it, showcasing their treasures. Honesty immediately grabbed Dopey's treasure and touched the fire opal.
"Well, if that don't beat all," she said. "It's the one Determination found with the black opals." She turned to Grumpy. "What happened?"
"Don't wanna talk about it," Grumpy said.
"Well, I want you to try while you're here. I won't ask no more than that for this visit," Honesty said.
Grumpy relaxed and shrugged. "I guess."
Honesty nodded then pulled Grumpy into a hug. Grumpy yelped and scrambled to get away. He was unsuccessful. "Hey!"
His brothers laughed as their grandmother finally let Grumpy go. "Look here. If Dilly pushes too far, you let me know."
"Yes, ma'am," Grumpy said.
"Don't you lie to me," Honesty said.
"Your too far is different than mine," Grumpy replied. "Keep that in mind and we won't have a problem."
Honesty grinned. "I like you, Grumpy."
"I suppose that's your right," Grumpy said.
"Yep," Honesty said, studying him. "I like you." Turning to Doc, she set the treasure back in the chest then picked up the pocket watch. "How did you get these back?" she asked, intrigued.
"It's a long story," Sleepy yawned. "But I ain't gonna tell it if Grumpy don't want me to."
"Not yet," Grumpy muttered, hugging himself. "Diligent hates me already."
"Is he wrong?" Honesty asked.
"No. I stole them," Grumpy said tightly.
That certainly surprised Honesty. "What?"
"It's not like that," Doc said quickly. "He was pursed, ah, cursed with gold sickness."
Understanding flashed across her face. "Oh, you poor thing. Are you still cursed?"
"Naw. They ripped it out," Grumpy said, gesturing at his brothers. "But that don't change anything. I still stole them and sold them."
"For Calida," Sneezy argued.
"Who's that?" Honesty asked.
Grumpy stiffened. "It's getting late," he said.
"Mmhm," Honesty said. "And I'd better get to bed. But you listen here, Grumpy. You'd be kin, good and proper, even if you weren't blood You've taught Doc and them so much. And they certainly love you enough. Twelve years is long enough to know you're family."
"Yes, ma'am," he said.
"Only call me that if you're in trouble," Honesty said.
"Sure."
Honesty squinted at him. "You ain't getting out of it, boy."
Still, for the moment, she left it alone. Grumpy was grateful as she took her leave, but not before she kissed them goodnight. Grumpy reluctantly accepted when it was clear she wasn't going to leave it alone, and she hugged him tightly.
"Welcome back," she said, kissing his forehead.
"Am I?" he asked, unable to help himself.
"You will be by the end of this stay. When are you going to tell everybody?"
"We were going to do it on the holiday," Bashful said.
"Test the waters a bit first," Happy added.
"Then I'll give you until then," Honesty conceded. "No longer, do you hear? I don't like keeping secrets."
"Thank you," Doc said. "Good fight, ah, night then."
"Goodnight."
She left, and Grumpy stared after her. "She always like that?"
"It can be a bit much," Bashful agreed, his cheeks turning pink.
"Didn't say that," Grumpy said quietly, and without another word he crawled into bed to go to sleep, perplexed about all that had happened since that morning.
