Of Monsters and Men

Chapter 3

I'm seated at a table with Rumple, across from Henry and his mother. Under the table, I have Rumple's hand in my own, gently caressing his thumb with my own.
    "How did you get there?" Emma asks me.
    I sigh, and shrug a little. "I have no idea, madame," I say, "I only had...awareness, I suppose, recently,"
    She glances at Rumple. "How recent?" She asks.
    I tilt my head. "Few days?" I say, scratching my chin a little, then running my fingers through my goatee, "it was a bit of a blur, but...Henry kept visiting me, talking as if we knew each other for a long while, reading stories to me from that book of his," I smile softly at the boy.
    He smiles back, looking proud of himself.
    Emma looks surprised. "Few days..." she mutters, "...the Curse has only been broken for a few days..."
I furrow my eyebrows and raise one. "Curse?" I mutter, looking at Rumple.
    "He must have woken up when the Curse broke!" Henry says, "but, because he didn't have his things, he was still a statue,"
    "It would make sense," Rumple says, "his items have great sentimental value to him," he looks at me, "Small fractures of his soul,"
    I look at him and smile. "Too bad it didn't cure everything, huh?" I mutter to him in French.
    He chuckles a little, nodding.
    Emma looks from me to him and back again. "You...know each other very well, then?" She asks.
    I nod. "Oui," I say, "I've know Rumple for a long time...better part of four hundred years, I shouldn't think?" I look at him.
    He smiles a little, and nods.
    Henry looks amazed. "Woah..." he mutters.
    A young woman comes over to us, holding a pad of paper and pen.
She's wearing a white shirt, red pants, her red-streaked maroon hair done up with a red bandana.
"Hi, Henry! Hi Emma!" She says, then glances at Rumple, her smile dropping a little. "Mr. Gold," she mutters, then glances at me, and tilts her head. "You're unfamiliar," she says, smiling a little wider, "I'm Ruby, and I'll be your waitress this morning. Can I start you off with drinks?"
    "Coffee for me, thanks," Rumple says.
    "Same here," Emma says, "and a small orange juice,"
   Ruby nods, writing on the pad of paper. "Hot chocolate with cinnamon, Henry?" She asks, smiling kindly at the boy.
   Henry nods. "Thank you!" He says.
   I tilt my head. "What is, eh...a 'hot chocolate'?" I ask Rumple, leaning toward him a little.
    He looks at me, but Henry gasps a little.
   "You've never had hot chocolate?!" He asks, then looks at Ruby, "He's been a statue for thirty years, he'll have a hot chocolate as well. Also with cinnamon,"
   Ruby chuckles a little, nodding. "Alrighty!" She says, "I'll be right back with those,"
    I laugh a little. "Well...looks like my decision was made for me," I say, looking at Henry.
    Emma chuckles a little.
   I look at the piece of paper in front of me. I tilt my head a little. "It is...stiff?" I ask, picking it up, holding the smooth, shiny paper, it staying mostly flat, drooping only a little, "almost as if in glass, but...it can still bend. Mon amour...?"
    Rumple chuckles. "It's laminated, Seb," he says, gently having me place it down on the table, "a piece of paper made more...durable, I suppose, by being put between two sheets of plastic,"
    I tilt my head, furrowing my eyebrows. "What is...'plastic'?" I ask.
    Henry chuckles. "We're going to have to explain a lot to him, aren't we?" He says, looking at Emma.
    She chuckles a little.
    I smile, and perk up a little as Ruby passes with a tray of food, the smell wafting over to me. I feel my stomach growl, but there's also a different kind of pull.
A frighteningly familiar one, deep within my chest.
I take a deep, growling breath, and clear my throat softly.
Rumple looks at me, concern portrayed clearly in his eyes. He grips my hand a little. "Thought this may catch up with us at some point..." he mutters, leaning toward me, "...didn't expect it so soon, though. I'm sure we can find something for it, somewhere. There are farms around, we can find a substitute of some kind for the time being..."
    I nod, reaching into my coat for my flask, but I find that the pocket it normally is in is empty. "Merde...¦" I hiss, and angrily run my tongue along my fangs.
    Emma watches me, cautiously. "What's wrong with him, Gold?" She asks.
    He sighs. "Hunger," Rumple says, "but...of a different kind,"
    I glance at him. "I am cursed, madame," I say, "the result of my own folly...my own foolish loyalty to a corrupt monarch..." I tilt my head, opening my mouth a little, showing my fangs.
    Her eyes widen a little, and she gently grabs Henry's arm. "What kind of curse?" She asks, cautiously.
    I sigh, bowing my head a little. "One of blood," I say, "and anger. I am cursed to crave human blood, and it fuels my...violence, anger, savage impulses. I...satiate it for a time with animal blood, mainly porcine or bovine, but...sometimes even that doesn't last,"
    She nods. "And...you haven't had any form of blood for going on thirty years now," she says, "which means..."
    I nod. "I am starving, oui," I say.
   Rumple sighs, squeezing my hand a little. "We'll find something, Seb," he mutters, "I'm sure of it,"
    I smile softly and nod. I look up at Ruby as she brings us our drinks.
    She sets a mug in front of me, and a duplicate one in front of Henry.
   "Thank you!" Henry says, pulling his mug toward himself.
    I smile, and nod at the woman. "Merci beaucoup," I say, grabbing my mug.
    She nods, smiling politely. "Alright, have we made a decision about what we're going to have, or do you need a little bit?" She asks, raising her notepad again.
    "I will have a short stack of pancakes," Henry says, handing his own laminated paper to her.
    "French toast for me," Emma says, handing her paper to her.
    "Eggs and toast," Rumple says, "and...I think you'd like the meat-lovers breakfast platter, Seb," he points out the image on the paper.
    I look at the image of eggs, toast, and several different kinds of meat on one plate. I sigh a little, my stomach growling a little more. "Oui, s'il vous plait," I mutter, almost longingly.
    Rumple and Henry laugh a little.
    "Alrighty, white, wheat or rye toast?" Ruby says, looking from me to Rumple and back again.
    "White, for both," he says, and he hands both mine and his laminated papers to her.
    She accepts the papers and nods. "Alrighty!" She says, and walks away.
    I smile softly, and take a sip of my drink. I pause, and look down at the mug, the warm, chocolaty taste bringing me a sense of joy and comfort. "Bon sang, c'est delicieux," I say, smiling, and looking up at Henry, and laughing slightly, "How have I not had this before? This would be the kind of thing Agatha would make for the young ones on stormy nights..." I smile softly, then feel a pang of regret, even sadness, in my chest.
    Rumple sighs softly. "Star would love it, that's for sure..." he mutters. He sips his coffee.
    I look at him, and smile softly, sadly, at him.
    "Who's Star?" Henry asks.
    "An old friend of ours," Rumple says.
    I nod. "A...traveling companion," I say, "She and Rumple got along well, seeing as they were both weavers,"
    "And...Agatha?" Emma asks.
    "Another companion," Rumple says, "at one point in time, Sebastian was known as the Nomad King of the Enchanted Forest. Had a caravan of Misplaced People, he called them. Agatha was a cook on the caravan,"
    I nod, thinking back to those days. "How I miss them..." I mutter.
    Rumple looks at me, smiling softly. "As do I, my dear..." he mutters, "...as do I...it was the only place I didn't feel...well...feared,"
    Emma's eyebrows raise a little. "And...that's a good thing?" She asks, a little confused.
    "Choosing this...path, Miss Swan, was a mistake," He says, bluntly, then takes a sip of his coffee, "I see that now. Took me a few centuries, but...I've also learned to live with the mistake. In fact...Sebastian helped me with that, despite having a history with my...predecessors, lets say,"
    Henry furrows his eyebrows. "Wait...he knew other Dark Ones?" He asks, "Before you?"
    I nod a little. I take a deep breath, searching for something to say, but finding it hard to focus. I close my eyes, placing a hand over my face. "Pardon..." I mutter, my voice shaking.
    Rumple squeezes my hand a little.
    "Maybe breakfast was a bad idea..." Emma mutters, "...can he hold it together?"
    "I will have to try, Madame Swan..." I mutter, eyes squeezed shut, turning my head and resting my forehead on Rumple's shoulder.
    He pats my head with his free hand, and turns his head to gently rest on mine. "Maybe she's right, though..." he mutters, "...we could just take the food to go, take you home to rest for the day...we'll figure something out for the blood,"
    I take a deep, shaking breath. I grit my teeth. As much as I want to push through, stay here, pretend everything is normal, the terrifying feeling of hunger aching in my chest is enough to convince me that I should listen to him. I nod a little. I shakingly grab my mug and sip more of my hot chocolate, trying to calm myself.
    It doesn't take much longer for Ruby to return with our food.
    "I'd hate to be a bother," Rumple says, "but could we possibly get boxes for our food? Sebastian and I, that is. He's...fallen ill, and I'd like to get him home as soon as possible. And I'd like the bill for the two of us, I wouldn't make Miss Swan pay for our food..."
    I stare at the plate of food.
Traditional hunger mingles with the supernatural hunger, drawing a rumbling, growl like noise from my throat.
    Rumple squeezes my hand tightly, trying to comfort me, but also almost like a warning.
    I grit my teeth, looking away from the plate.
   "Oh, uh...sure," Ruby says, glancing at me, unsure, "I'll be right back with those,"
    "Thank you..." Rumple mutters.
    I take another, deep, shaking breath, feeling my fingers tingle, and my mind slips away. "Merde..." I mutter, closing my eyes and shaking my head, "...Mon amour...I don't have much time..."
    He nods a little. "She'll be right back, and then we'll go home," he says, "just hold on a little longer..."
    I grit my teeth and shake my head. "Non..." I mutter, nudging him a little, telling him I need him to move, "...I need to go...now. I can't be around people..."
    He nods, quickly getting out of the booth, and standing up, so I can leave.
    I slip out of the bench seat, grab my hat, and place it on my head. I tug on my gloves, and pop the collar of my coat. "Madame Swan, merci beaucoup," I say, my voice strained a little, tipping the brim of my hat at her, "I hope we can have further conversations when I'm not...well..." I chuckle, nervously. I look at Rumple, and gently grab his arm, briefly.
   "Wait outside for me," he says, pointing at me, "under no circumstances are you to wander off, understand?"
    "I will try, mon amour..." I mutter, "...but..."
    He sighs, and nods.
    I nod back, and turn away, exiting the restaurant. I ball my fists, the leather of my gloves creaking, and I grit my teeth as I look around. I take a deep breath, the air of the town clean and crisp.
    A strange kind of faint, smoke-like smell. Pine. Stone. Salt water.
"We're near an inlet..." I mutter, "...and a forest...interesting..." I look back at the restaurant, seeing Rumple inside, boxing up our food. My heart sinks somewhat, and I sigh. I take off one of my gloves, and use a fang to cut my thumb, watching the almost black blood rise. On the fence nearby, I draw a letter N, a pine tree, and an antler. I stare at the marker for a second, and then nod. I replace my glove, and start through the streets of the town, heading north.
---
"Nearly there," I say, hobbling down the dirt road, seeing the trees part, and the buildings beyond.
"Need any assistance, mon ami?" Sebastian asks, catching up to me, gently placing a hand in the center of my back.
I shake my head a little. "I'm alright, thanks," I say, "I'll rest when we get to the town,"
He nods a little, but stays nearby.
We reach the edge of the forest, and Baelfire passes us, making his way toward the town.
"I'll set up at the market, Papa," he says.
I nod. "We'll catch up," I say. I pass into the clearing, into the daylight, and smile. "Beautiful day..." I mutter, closing my eyes to feel the warmth of the sun.
From behind me, Sebastian hisses in pain, and I catch a whiff of smoke.
I open my eyes and turn to see him holding one of his arms, which is still giving off a small amount of pure white smoke. I furrow my eyebrows.
"Pardon, mon ami..." he mutters, stepping back into the shadows, "...part of my curse...the daylight rejects me...I must only exist at night or in shadows,"
My heart aches a little, feeling sorry for the man. I bite the inside of my lip a little, thinking of a solution so he can still come with us. "W-wait here," I say, "I'll be right back, just...stay here," I hobble as fast as I can to where Baelfire is setting up. "Bae..." I say, panting a little, "...Bae, do we have our spare cloaks?"
"Our...cloaks?" He asks, "We always bring them," he goes into our supplies in the cart, and pulls out my cloak.
"Oh, good boy..." I say, smiling, taking it from him, "...thank you..."
"Why do you need it?" He asks, "and...where's Sebastian?"
"He...he's sensitive to sunlight," I say, "I'm going to offer this to shield him,"
He nods a little. "I'm almost done setting up," he says.
I nod. "Thank you," I say, "we'll be right back," I hobble back to where Sebastian waits for me. "Here..." I say, handing him the cloak.
He looks at it, unsure. "Mon ami..." he mutters.
"It will cover you from the sun," I say, gesturing up a little, "so you won't be hurt, and you can join me and Bae at the Market,"
He stares at the cloak as if it's the most wonderful thing he's ever seen, and then looks up at me with a look of gratitude. "Merci, mon ami..." he mutters, putting the cloak on and pulling up the hood. He, nervously, steps into the sunlight again, and smiles at me when he's unaffected.
I nod, smiling, and pat his shoulder. "Now, let's get to where Bae is," I say.
---
By the end of the afternoon, we've sold almost all of our wool and the yarn I've spun it into at home.
Sebastian is looking at the woods, unsure. "Are we sure traveling at night is the best?" He asks, "I...I know that I can protect you, but..."
I nod. "We always travel at night," I say, "less pressure to get out of people's ways. The only downfall is the bandits and the beasts,"
He looks a little ashamed of himself, but nods.
I sigh, and pat his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Sebastian," I assure him, "we would have been dead if it wasn't for you, so I thank you for that,"
He nods. "Then...we should be going soon," he says.
I nod. "We'll pack up soon," I say, "sold a good amount of the wool, so we don't have too much to pack up,"
He nods.
---
By the time night falls, we're passing by the old bandit camp, and by the dawn we're exiting the forest again.
Our farm is in sight, the sheep in the pasture behind it.
I sigh, and yawn wide. "Good to be home..." I mutter, looking at my son.
He smiles at me. "I'll put the cart where it belongs," he says, "and make sure the sheep have water,"
I nod. "I'll head in, start some soup for us," I say, then look at Sebastian. I stop walking. "So...I suppose this is goodbye?" I say.
He looks at our house, and then at me. He looks unsure, or hesitant.
I tilt my head. "Is everything alright, friend?" I ask.
He nods, slowly, looking back at our house. "Looks like a good home..." he mutters, almost longingly.
I nod. "It's not much," I say, "but it's ours...keeps us warm, sheep provide fiber to sell, and we have chickens, for eggs,"
He smiles, wistfully. Tears rise in his eyes.
I furrow my eyebrows, then sigh, realizing what is bothering the man. "You...don't have one...do you?" I ask, slowly, softly.
He looks at me. "Don't have what, mon ami?" He asks, hesitantly.
"A home," I say, "you don't have one,"
He sighs, and shakes his head. "My home was...destroyed, a very long time ago," he says, "I have been under the...employ of someone...well, someone not good for a very long time...just recently got out of my indentures, and...have been running ever since..."
I sigh, and pat his shoulder. "Well...you can stay with us for as long as you'd like," I say, "I can't offer much in the way of comfort, other than some blankets on the ground near the hearth, but..."
He looks astonished. "I couldn't...I wouldn't want to impose..." he says, raising his hands.
"And I wouldn't stop worrying, thinking of you just...wandering," I say, pulling him toward the farm, "come, let's get some food, eh?"
He nods, smiling a little, following me.
---
I step out of Grannie's holding our boxes of food. "Sorry about the delay, Seb," I say, looking up, but not seeing the man.
The front courtyard of the restaurant is empty, as is the street beyond the fence.
I sigh. "Seb..." I mutter.
"Something wrong, Gold?" Snow says, approaching, followed by David, entering the gate.
"It's Sebastian," I say, looking around, worry rising in my chest, almost to my throat, "we had to cut breakfast short because...because..."
"Because of what, Gold?" David asks.
"Because of a supernatural kind of hunger he's been cursed with by the original Dark One," Regina says, "and Gold, foolishly, thinks they can get around it. Let me guess, hit him like a ton of bricks after the first whiff of meat?"
I glare at her, briefly. "I had told him not to wander off..." I mutter, "...I told him under no circumstances was he to wander off..."
"You don't expect a creature like him to follow orders, do you?" Regina says, scoffing.
I glare at her again. "I don't know what you have against him, Majesty," I say, venomously, pointing at her, "but one more off-color comment and I'll make you wish you never knew him..."
She raises an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Wait...what's this?" David says, pointing out some marks on a plank of the fence.
"Graffiti?" Snow asks.
I look at it, and shake my head. "No...it's a blaze," I say, "Sebastian left it, telling me where he went..." I smile a little, inspecting the symbols. "Clever..." I mutter.
"Is that...blood?" David asks, "And, what kind of curse? Regina said he's cursed,"
"He's cursed to crave human blood," Regina says, "but I'm guessing, at this point, any blood will do,"
I grit my teeth, ignoring her. "N. Tree. Antler..." I mutter.
"What could it mean?" Snow asks.
"He went north," I say, pointing, "toward the forest. He's looking for a deer,"
"For its blood?" Snow asks, "but...didn't Regina say he craves human blood?"
"She also said, at this point, any kind will do," I say, exiting the courtyard, and walking toward my car. I place the boxes of food in the back, and walk toward the driver's side.
"Let me help you," Snow says, following me to the car.
I look at her, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Snow!" David says, surprised.
She glances at him. "He must be terrified," she says, "a curse like that sounds...well, it sounds horrible. I want to help you find him,"
I sigh, furrowing my eyebrows. Unsure.
She takes a slight step toward me. "I can tell the both of you have a...connection," she says, softly, "a strong one. I know we...we hurt him in the past, and I apologize for it. We were scared. We didn't understand. But I want to help now. You would do anything to find him, I know how that feels..."
I take a deep breath, and grit my teeth. "Fine..." I mutter, "...separate cars, though. I just...need some time to myself,"
She nods. "David and I will follow," she says, "just...lead the way,"
I nod, getting into my car as she walks away.
---
I take deep, shaking breaths as I look up at the trees far above me. I lick my fangs, the metallic tang of blood fresh in my mouth. I look down at the deer carcass in front of me.
Still and peaceful, glassy eyes staring up to the sky, but its throat torn open, dripping crimson to the forest floor.
"Thank you...my friend..." I mutter, in French, gently closing the animal's eye, "Your sacrifice made it so I didn't hurt anyone...I'm sorry to have taken your life, but I thank you..." I grip at my pants, my sharp nails digging into the leather.
My heartbeat rings in my ears, and I feel like every part of my body, down to my bones, is shaking. I take deep breaths, trying to calm myself.
"-bastion?" Someone calls in the distance.
I tilt my head, listening, and I can hear footsteps approaching.
"Sebastian!?" Rumple's voice echoes through the trees, "Where are you, love?!"
My heart calms for a few beats, hearing worry in his voice as opposed to the anger I was expecting. I take a deep, shuddering breath, the exhale coming out as sobs.
The footsteps draw closer, and I hear a gasp.
"Seb..." Rumple mutters.
I look over my shoulder at him, tears leaking down my face.
He walks up to me, and gently pulls me close to him.
I hug him tightly, sobbing. "I wandered off..." I sob, "...I'm so sorry...I..."
"Shh...shh, it's alright..." he mutters, rubbing the back of my head, "...I have you now...I have you..."
I bury my face into his chest, kneeling as he stands in front of me, hugging me.
"Tell you what..." he says, softly, "...when you're ready...we'll go home, eat our food...and we'll figure out what to do to help you with this..."
I nod a little.
"Take your time..." he mutters, "...new place, new people...I know this is all scary..."
I nod a little again. "I want to go home..." I whimper.
He sighs. "As do I, my dear..." he mutters, "...but, we have to make do with what we have now, alright?"
I take a deep breath, and nod again.
"Good," he says, "now, shall we go home?"
I nod, and he helps me get to my feet. I wipe my eyes, and take a deep breath.
He smiles at me, and pats my shoulder. "Feel better?" He asks.
I nod a little.
He nods as well, and leads me out of the woods.