The Huntress

Chapter 7

After we cried for hours and just sat, holding each other to rid the pain. Someone came in and told us my carriage was here. They continued along the lines that I was needed back in my village to make funeral arrangements and to settle the estate. Saying goodbye to Snow and the others had been hard, but the ride home gave me the chance to think alone. 

Rumple decided he would ride his horse alongside the carriage so I could be alone. The ride home was long and I'd hated every minute of it. The whole institution of it simply reminded me of the fact that I'm an orphan now.  

"We're home." Rumple says as he opens my door,. 

I smile sadly at him and head into the sunlight. The day is nice, not too hot and not too cold. The sun shines happily - as if telling me that I need to keep up hope and that it has plans to make everything better. I pray that's true.  

When I look around, I notice I'm not actually home. I'm at Rumple's place. I smile, knowing he knew that I don't want to go home...at least not for a while. When I hear a shrill shriek, I look up and see Margaret running over to me. 

"I couldn't keep her away if I wanted to," Rumple says with a slight chuckle.  

I join him when I almost fall over when she wraps me up in a hug. The force she'd made at impact makes me realize just how strong this woman is. I smile as I wrap my arms around her tiny, yet round frame. She's sobbing into my shoulder and muttering a whole slew of things I can't follow. I just nod and hold her tighter to me. 

"I let her stay for you to have something familiar around...and because she cook better than me." Rumple says, causing us to laugh.  

I imagine it was a funny sight to see two tear-streaked women laughing at Rumple in such a way. I shake my head as they drag me inside. I notice the table is set and super is ready. It smells delicious, but I feel a bit guilty for feeling like this so soon after my parents' demise. I almost feel like I'm tainting their memory by moving on without them.  

"They'd be more angry if you didn't try to move on," Rumple says, reading my mind. 

I nod and a thought suddenly occurs to me. "Rumple, can I speak with you for a moment?" I ask. 

"Sure, dearie." he says and follows me outside. "What is it?"  

"What happened the other night? It wasn't something that was an everyday occurrence. I mean, the pain I felt was like something happened that wasn't part of the natural order. It was like nature was attacking me...did you take the Source's power?" I ask. 

He nods and glances around us. When he's satisfied no one's around he closes his eyes and clasps his hands together. When I notice a light come from them I shut my eyes for a moment before reopening them. Eyes still closed, he opens his hands and reveals a rosebud. The flower slowly starts to open itself and the petals start plucking themselves from the base. Each petal slowly rises into the air and start to float around me. 

I smile at the spectacle and the rose starts pulling itself back together. Then it disappears. I look around for a moment before I realize there's something very soft in my hand. I lift it up and open my hand slowly, seeing the rosebud resting softly on mt palm. I take a breath and smile at Rumple, feeling infinitely better.  

"What are you doing?!" I hear a small voice from behind me. 

I turn and see Kaige glaring at his father. When I look at my friend with questioning eyes, he doesn't even acknowledge me. I look back over to Kaige seeing his arms crossing over his chest. 

"Kaige, honey, what's wrong?" I ask, slowly walking over to the boy. 

"Magic is bad...it only makes things worse." he says, still glaring at his father. 

"Why do you say that?" I ask, kneeling down in front of him. 

He finally looks me in the eye and I see a tear rolling down his face. He flings his arms around my neck - almost toppling me over, by the way - and sobs with heart-break tears. I wrap my arms around him and wait for a moment. 

"Everyone hates me now!" he cries. "They're all scared of what he'll do to them that they won't come anywhere near me...I have no friends, thanks to him." 

"Aw, honey! That can't be true." I say, stroking his hair. 

He nods violently into my shoulder. "Yes it is! When he came back four days ago - after the fight the two of you had - he was completely different. He told me he could do magic and started fighting with the castle guards. No one wants to come near me because of him!" 

I pull him closer to me for a moment. "Why don't you go back inside and I'll speak with your father?" 

He nods and scurries inside. 

I wait until he's gone before I explode. I round on Rumple and walk him back into a nearby tree. When he sees the anger in my eyes, he closes his tightly and refuses to look me in the eye. 

"What did you do?" I ask, punctuating each word with a menace I never thought possible. 

"Nothing, dearie, I just made sure that the people would leave him alone for the time being." he says, hands up. 

"Rumple!" I scream and back up a bit to calm myself. Once I'm sure I won't hurt him, I start in a soft voice, "What happened after I left?" 

"Some people were cornering my boy, telling him that I'm some kind of coward and that he'll become one too. The kids that told him this were part of my old convoy...their parents were nearby. I went to the parents and spoke my peace." he says and I can see the truth in his eyes. 

"You used magic against them to do this, didn't you?" I ask. 

"Well, yes, I did...but," he starts. 

"There are no 'but's, Rumple! That kind of thing can backfire on a person." I say, taking a step back and trying to catch my breath.  

"Well, afterward, I used my new powers to get rid of Kaige's illness for good...that should be worth something, shouldn't it dearie?" he asks, sounding desperate for me to say 'yes.' 

I look away and think about it for a moment. Just as I'm about to answer a loud crash echoes from the direction of the house.

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Yes, I know the chapters are short and they probably move a little too fast with the story line...but, trust me, the story line will just keep getting better. Honestly, she hasn't even recieved the curse that will change her life even more than it's already been changed.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!

Always your,

Kera