If you read the top of the title, than you know there will be major changes with this chapter. I immediately agreed with Mizz-iceberg's comment on how this chapter is moving too fast. Instead of starting where this part does, I'll be adding a little more background to the story, which will set the stage for things to come. This part here, however, will still be in the story but later and most likely changed. I'll post again when the change is up, and thanks for the reviews so far.
Here's the first half of chapter one of The First Born. As a recap, here's what happened in the edited prologue: Catherine, the queen, gives birth to the twins Mathias and Bartholomew with the help of Anna and an old lady. Rumpelstilskin comes and takes Mathias, causing the old lady to faint. Since the dwarf threatened that he'd kill Mathias if anyone came, Catherine and Anna lied to the old lady when she regained consciousness. They said she'd hit her head and that there never was a Mathias so no one would know about it. And now it's about sixteen years later.
Chapter 1:
“Get up, boy.”
Rumpel turned away and snuggled deeper into the dirt.
“I said, get up!” Rumpelstiltskin yelled.
Rumpel shot out his leg and caught the dwarf hard in the chest.
“You cocky little…” Rumpelstiltskin grabbed the boy’s foot, yanked him out of the dug out nook, and rapped him sharply across the head. Rumpel moaned and rubbed his new bruise as he sat up. “Now start the fire before I break those damn legs.”
He stood up grudgingly and walked over to the pile of twigs at the center of the burrow. He had to hunch over since the earthy ceiling wasn’t high enough to hold him any more. He’d been living with Rumpelstiltskin in the burrow for as far back as he could remember, and the roof had been heightened twice to accommodate him. There were two holes dug out of the earth for beds, and there were mushrooms growing from the walls, most of which only edible to Rumpelstiltskin. Their food stores were buried so they’d stay cool and be safe from animals, although, none dared to enter the burrow.
Rumpel brought a flame to life just as Rumpelstiltskin sat in front of it. The smoke curled up and escaped through the hole in the ceiling.
“What’re we doing for breakfast,” Rumpel said with a yawn. He scratched his chin, which had recently begun growing hair. Rumpelstiltskin said he’d gotten his first facial hairs when he was four, so Rumpel, after years of waiting, had been relieved when they finally came in at sixteen.
Rumpelstiltskin pointed to a rabbit that was hanging limply on the wall. Its neck was bent at a weird angle, but other than that, it seamed untouched.
“I tricked the little bugger into running right into my hands,” he gloated. “And then I…” He grinned sadistically as he twisted the top off a mushroom.
Rumpel ignored the vulgar analogy. He’d been hearing things like that since he was little, and it no longer bothered him. He took the rabbit from the wall and pulled out a deadly sharp knife from his belt to skin it. Rumpelstiltskin ate his mushroom and watched. The skinning was his favorite part.
After skillfully taking off all the fur, Rumpel shoved a stick through the rabbit and propped it up over the fire. It roasted slowly, the inside juices crackling as they evaporated.
Rumpelstiltskin looked hungrily at the cooking meat. “Did it rain last night?” he asked, flecks of mushroom flying from his mouth.
“No.”
“Then go fill up the urn. We’re out of water.”
“Do it yourself.”
He kicked a large, burning stick at Rumpel, who yelped as it seared his skin. “Now git before I throw you in the fire!”
Knowing from experience that he’d do it, Rumpel got up and trudged outside. The sun struggled to peak through the dense foliage of the forest, but like usual, it failed miserably. It was mostly because the trees, which were at least a hundred feet tall, were everywhere and congested with monstrous leaves. Without the necessary light, few plants could grow except a wide range of algae and mushrooms.
Rumpel found the urn just outside the burrow. It was about as tall as Rumpelstiltskin and there was a rope that disappeared into it. He grabbed a hold of it and pulled it up, revealing the ladle tied to the other end. Like Rumpelstiltskin had said, it was empty.
He took the bucket that was set beside the urn and walked off with it. The lake they got their water from was about half a mile from the burrow, and the urn held about twenty buckets. By the time he was done the rabbit would probably already be eaten. He sighed in annoyance. It was always like that.
Living with Rumpelstiltskin had been like a never ending nightmare for Rumpel. He’d always lived under harsh rule and even harsher punishment. He’d tried to run away from it all before, but the trees and plant life hid the path from him and took him off course. It was as if Rumpelstiltskin had a power over the forest and wouldn’t let him leave. When he finally went back to the dwarf, he was met by no kindness or relief. All he got was a reason not to walk for a few weeks. He never ran away again.
He reached the lake not much later. It was fairly large and since there weren’t any trees, the sun shone off it brilliantly. The water was so clear that if you were to watch the fish it would look as though they were floating in midair. Even so, Rumpel found no beauty in it. He’d been hardened to such things.
He saw a fish flopping near the shore. “Breakfast,” he grinned as snatched it from the water. He ripped off the fish’s head and used his knife to cut its side open. To most, the raw innards wouldn’t look too appetizing, but Rumpel was a different story. He ate everything hungrily but the skeletal structure itself.
He licked his fingers and was about to fill up the bucket with water for the urn, but some movement caught his eye. He jumped and looked over, expecting to see an animal, but was mistaken. Whatever it was, it was sprawled on the beach in tattered clothes and its arms and legs were covered in cuts. At first he wasn’t sure what it could be, but a vague memory of a picture Rumpelstiltskin once showed him resurfaced. A ‘woman’ was what he’d called it. As far as he was concerned, this woman was far more attractive. Of course the woman in the picture had looked more like Rumpelstiltskin in a dress than a woman.
Rumpel, having not met anyone but Rumpelstiltskin, walked over with curiosity fresh on his mind. He held his knife defensively since he’d been told that a woman could be ‘wily’, although, he wasn’t sure how reliable Rumpelstiltskin’s word was.
She moaned and rolled over, revealing a gash on her chest. Not knowing why he cared, he felt a slight pang of concern. He put away his knife, knowing he’d be safe, and got a better look at her. Her face was devoid of age lines, so he figured she wasn't much older than he. She had dark brown hair that extended to her shoulders, and her body was thin but at the same time strong. He wasn't sure why, but she looked familiar somehow.
“Who are you,” Rumpel said, tapping her on the shoulder.
Her eyes fluttered to life and he found two crimson eyes staring up at him. She went wide eyed and reached up with a shaky hand, brushing it across his cheek. “M-Mathias?” she whispered.
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Other than your own personal reviews, I'd also like you to answer the following question: Do you think Mathias/Rumpel acts like someone who'd been raised by Rumpelstilskin for 16 years? I'm also slightly curious if you think he's too rebelious for someone who gets so harshly punished. If that's so, I'll add a little something later to explain it.
I'll add the next half of this chapter as soon as its done.
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