"Once in the wintertime when the snow was very deep, a poor boy had to go out and fetch wood on a sled. After he had gathered it together and loaded it, he did not want to go straight home, because he was so frozen, but instead to make a fire and warm himself a little first.

So he scraped the snow away, and while he was thus clearing the ground he found a small golden key. Now he believed that where there was a key, there must also be a lock, so he dug in the ground and found a little iron chest.

"If only the key fits!" he thought. "Certainly there are valuable things in the chest."

He looked, but there was no keyhole. Finally he found one, but so small that it could scarcely be seen.

He tried the key, and fortunately it fitted. Then he turned it once, and now we must wait until he has finished unlocking it and has opened the lid.

Then we shall find out what kind of wonderful things there were in the little chest."

-The Golden Key, Grimm's Fairytales


No sooner had he flipped open the lid, an impish giggle sounded from behind the boy. "I'm quite curious," a high-pitched voice said a moment later. The boy whipped around, clutching the chest tightly, but there was no one there. Again, the voice called from over the boy's shoulder, "What's in the box?"

This time, when the boy turned around, he was met face to face with a man. Only, he wasn't quite a man—his skin was covered in a scaly, golden substance, his teeth were jagged and yellowed, his eyes huge and bulging. He sat crouching in the snow in an oddly child-like position, regarding the boy with a smug grin.

The boy had hardly had time to look for himself, in fact. At the same time, both the man and the boy glanced down into the chest. "It's a hat," the boy murmured in a disappointed voice, gingerly placing the box down as he pulled the object from it, a dark, shapely top hat.

"Not just any hat, sonny boy," the man laughed, pointing a spindly finger into the air. "That there is a magic hat."

The boy turned the hat over in his hands, inspecting it. "Magic?" His brown eyes darted from the hat to the man, narrowing suspiciously.

"Oh yes," the man announced giddily, hopping up into a standing position.

"How does it work?" The boy asked, following in suit. With his forefinger and thumb, he held the hat by its brim, looking at it as if searching for a set of instructions.

This seemed to be exactly what the man wanted to hear, a wicked grin breaking across his features. "I'll be happy to show you—for a price."

Though the boy was no fool, and could sense that this man should be trusted as far as he could be thrown, his curiosity was far too piqued to walk away. He didn't say anything, but merely drew the hat into his arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for the man to continue.

"I'll teach you how to work that magical hat of yours, and one day…you'll run a few errands for me."

It seemed too easy. "That's it?"

The man let out another shrill giggle. "That's it."

The boy considered his options. He could probably try to work the hat out for himself, but what if it needed a spell uttered? He could spend a lifetime mumbling abracadabras with no avail. Plus, he'd always dreamed of adventure, of a life beyond his parents' cottage—and he wouldn't get there by playing it safe. "Deal," he said finally, holding his hand out to shake.

His smile stretching, the man held out his own and they shook on it. "I believe introductions are in order, then," he said breezily, dipping into a bow. "Rumplestiltskin at your service."

The boy smirked, amused by the man despite himself. "Jefferson," he said, "my name is Jefferson."


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I was rereading the Grimm's fairytales today and I happened upon the story of The Golden Key (yes it really is that short) and...something about it just hit me with Jefferson inspiration. I love Jefferson, but I have a hard time writing him, even though I have the greatest (IMO) headcanon for him, and who his wife/Grace's mother is.

Rather than explain it in full detail (though many of you probably already know it if you follow me on tumblr or i guess read the summary of this story) I figured I'd write it out in a short fic form. I'm thinking maybe 10 chapters? That's a lot for me, and I get easily daunted by multi-chapter writing, but I'm trying.

I'm studying in Ireland for the month and quite busy, but I plan to work on this diligently in my free time. So I may be slow to update, but hopefully you'll stick with me! Reviews encourage a faster update! *wink wink*