Rose Red

A/N: Third part! Enjoy.

Red woke up warm and wrapped in something soft and heavy. He twisted and stretched, trying to get closer to the delightful warmth, but a sharp spike in his bladder reminded him of what had woken him in the first place.

With a sigh and not looking forward to returning to his cool bed afterward, Red wiggled away from the warmth and into a sitting position.

Looking around he expected the familiar brown walls of his small room. Instead his eyes landed on the low-burning coals of the fire and the rocking chair his mother sat in. So he was in the living room then. But why was it so warm.

The soft heat around him moved and Red inspected what he had thought was a lumpy blanket.

The large black bear was stretched out in front of the fire. His good paw wrapped around Red’s hips. The other arm was carefully bandaged and supported with two flat planks Red thought he recognized from a particularly rickety chair in their kitchen.

Suddenly remembering his own injury, Red looked down at his lightly throbbing arm. Two more planks were supporting his forearm and was bound in long strips of cloth. Was there any of the old chair left?

Another spike in his bladder urged him to his feet to pad his way to the small bathroom and empty his bladder.

Someone had stripped him down to just his long night shirt and he blushed as he wandered back through the living room. Somehow it was ever so slightly embarrassing to know he was practically naked in the same room as the bear. He settled down next to the bear again, reluctant to find his own bed, but sleep would not come. Instead he ran his fingers through the bear’s thick soft fur. Grey dawn was leaking in through the cabin windows. Red stretched himself on the floor next to the bear with their heads even. He dug blunt nails behind the bear’s ears and over his long nose. The bear, in response, stretched its neck out and let a deep yawn escape.

“You are the strangest bear I have ever met,” Red said quietly.

The bear simply turned it’s head in response.

“I think you should stay here for winter. You can go hunt in the day, and when there is no more to hunt we have salted pork and beef to feed you. Snow’s suitors bring more gifts of live stock and provisions every day, trying to prove what great providers they would be.”

The bear grumbled and rolled onto its back.

Red sighed and gave one deep, thorough scratch down the bear’s belly before flopping himself on top of the great warmth.

The morning brought a new suitor to the Roses' home. A tall man with dusty brown hair and angular features bearing gifts of soft black furs.

Red was of little use to his mother with his arm broken, so he took over the chores of feeding the pigs and chickens and letting the goats out to graze - though even that took considerable time.

He was trying to wash the sweat and grime off his face and neck when the giddy laugh of his sister cut across the garden. Red slung an old rag around his neck to soak up the water and sweat. Kieran, the new suitor, had his arm wrapped snuggly around Snow's waist. If they were any further from his sight he might have called it indecent. He did call Snow's neckline indecent, however. Her buxom bosom, as white as the stories claimed, was nearly spilling out of the tight dress.

Red bit the inside of his cheek to keep from commenting and turned his face up towards the sun, glad to let the warmth and light do the job of drying off his skin. Snow almost never talked to him when her suitors were around, so when the voices grew louder and a clearly masculine tone called out to him, Red was more than a little wary.

Resigned to a teeth-grinding smile, Red shifted so his eyes were more shaded and watched the happy couple approach.

"Rose Red, Snow here has been telling me the most humorous story. Is it true you brought a black bear home?" Kieran's smile was too sharp, his teeth bright and over-exposed.

Red gave a curt nod, trying to squeeze his jaw into a dismissive grin.

"How adorable. And to think, I just brought you a set of lovely black bear blankets. Maybe if I had been a few moments earlier I could have added one more to the pile."

Snow burst into a gale of delighted laughter, whether at the prospect of receiving more gifts or seeing an animal killed on her behalf was hard to tell.

Red's smile had fallen off completely now and he shifted to move his injured arm behind him, lest he accidentally use it to try and smack the smug smile off the suitors stupid face. "I'm rather glad you did not," Red said, trying for a disaffected tone. "As I have refrained from skinning my sister's guests, I would hope she offer the same courtesy."

The suitor looked stunned for a moment and Snow was downright furious. "How dare you speak so!" She gasped. Her little white fingers gripped the suitors arm and tugged on the sleeve. "To think Kier was so kind to us and you treat him with such cruel words."

Kieran seemed to regain his senses and smooth a hand over Snow's fingers. "It's quite alright my dear," he said. "I'd heard the stories of the red rose's wicked thorns. I am quite delighted to find them not exaggerated in the least."

Red scowled deeper. "I'd rather be known for my thorns than for the softness of my flower."

Snow blossomed a brilliant red flush over her delicate cheeks and let out a kind of wail.

Kieran, however, let out a sharp laugh. "Indeed, I think one would more likely find poison on your petals than pleasure. Still…"

Red didn't give him a chance to continue his sentence. "I've no interest in the thoughts of an insect like yourself. I know your kind, easy on the eyes but stinking all the same."

The stinging blow to his cheek really did seem like the bite of an insect, and it was almost enough to make Read laugh. But the bruise forming on his cheek and the unsteadiness of his feet was enough to sober him. Kieran was already lifting his hand again. Snow was sprawled on the ground, having been thrown from her suitor's arm when he raised it to strike Red.

Whatever Kieran had been planning for Red's insulting words, he never got the chance for revenge. A black streak slid from the dark shadows of the house and bowled the tall man over. Throaty growls filled the air and Red sank his fingers into the bear's thick fur. Standing thigh to thigh with the beast he stared down at the sniveling suitor, now pale with fear and reeking of piss and excrement where he had soiled his pants.

"Clearly you are unsuited to court my sister," Red declared, "and certainly don't deserve her attention nor the warmth of our home. Whoever you are, Kieran, you are no hunter and no man. Don't let me see you around again."

The boy scooted back, his eyes never leaving the beast at Red's side and eventually scrambled to his feet to escape down the hill towards the town.

Red rubbed the bear's head, smoothing his finger's over the long snout and digging into the skin behind his ears until his beast was calmed and making that near-purring sound. Then he helped his weeping sister to her feet and led her inside the cottage with the promise of a hot bath and cinnamon rolls for desert. All the while she lamented to him that she knew there was something off about Kieran from the start. And how could one so you really kill all those beasts for their furs? They were real enough, but Snow swore she would trade them in town for some fresh chickens and beef that Red could cook and even some for his bear.

The black bear ambled in behind the siblings, a couple of large hares dangling from his mouth.

It was well and truly night before Red was cleaned from head to toe and dressed in his night shirt. A lovely bunny stew was stored in the larder, what was left of it. The rest of the house was already asleep, even the bear who had settled on the rug in front of the fire. Red made his rounds around the house, checking the doors and windows for locks and plugging any drafts he found with cloth to fix in the morning. At the front door he peeked out into the night, listening to the quiet and breathing in the fresh, cool air. As he tugged the door shut something on the frame caught his eye. Leaving the door a moment, Red bent down and pulled free what appeared to be several short strands of bright gold string. Frowning at the odd items, he finished locking the door and returned to the fire. There was nothing made of gold in the house except for a few precious coins stored under a loose brick in the hearth. But they were very pretty and reflected the firelight almost like they were on fire.

The bear rumbled a growl from where Red leaned against him. Red took it as a sign that it was bed time. Turning over he tucked himself close to the the beast's emanating heat. The gold thread was still in his fingers so he carefully braided it into the fur at the beast's neck. His last thought before sleep was how pretty the burning gold was against the bear's pure black fur.

A/N: Special thanks to my reviewers for the support! After this story is fully posted - maybe tomorrow or the next day? - I hope to start posting another story that is as yet uncompleted but I want to keep a strict update schedule and hopefully finish writing it at the same time. So, my reviewers:

basilisk6 - First review! Thanks a ton :) I really like Red, and honestly I think the length of this story doesn't do his character justice, but it is modeled like a fairytale, so... haha, maybe we'll see him in a sequel. Oh, and you may just be onto something with our curious black bear.

Marquize88 - I hope you're liking the development of the story!

sauropod - Yes, I am teasing you, but I'm so pleased with the immediate response I am guaranteed to update now :) Ah, and sorry to say "Completed" when it isn't fully posted yet. I'm glad to have caught your attention anyhow!

Plumette - I hope you've been able to read all the updates so far! I am sad I don't have anonymous reviews, hopefully my technoretardation will sort its self out soon

LaffyTaffy - I'm so happy to hear it! Hope you like the updates

kylee - I always see your reviews on some of my favorite works on this site, I'm so pleased to have garnered your attention! Thanks for both your updates, and yes, Red is an animal sweetheart. I'm very fond of his character.

The_Original_Psycho - I am your dedicated servant, please enjoy these humble chapters I offer you.

Ellie: Wah! Thanks for the review :) Hm, as for why Red went into the woods, maybe he was looking for some game, he was on a game trail, but mostly I think it was to escape his sister for a little while. She seems a trite irritation as far as siblings go. No doubt Red had to spend all day at the house to keep an eye on "Reggie."

unneeded: Yes, Snow is a snot, but I've always thought so anyway. And bears are naturally curious, I'm enjoying playing on his instincts to get him in trouble. Very observant! Just wait for the exciting conclusion!