"They keep falling into the hands of fools. All that power and not a lick of sense in any one of them."
"I suppose we should be grateful for small favors. If the Dark One fell into the hands of someone less small-minded, someone with a bigger vision–"
"Yes, I see. Well, we're going to need a new Dark One soon. This one's done for."
"Already? He got used up faster than his predecessors. Why not let this be the last one? Who needs a Dark One, anyway? Certainly not humans; they conjure enough evil all on their own."
"Oh, the Dark One has never been for them, Violet. He's for us. There must be balance: for there to be white magic, there must be dark. For there to be fairies. . . ."
"There must be a Dark One. I see. How much longer do you think the current one will last?"
"A few weeks at most."
"That soon? Well, do we have a replacement waiting in the wings?"
"We do, and I think this candidate has real potential. For one thing, he's older than average."
"What's the advantage to that? It didn't seem to make a difference for Zoso."
"Zoso is an idiot. Most humans tend to think more and react less when they're older. And Blue's really changing direction with this one: motherless from infancy, quite literally thrown away by his father, belittled and bullied because of his father's reputation. As a young man he thought he'd leave his past behind him, moved to a county far away and set himself up in business."
"Doing what?"
"Wool spinner."
"Oh ho, so that's how he caught Blue's eye. Not a warrior or a gold grubber like the Dark Ones have always been, but quite the opposite."
"Probably. But listen, our mild-mannered spinner's story gets more interesting. He thought his luck had changed when one of the village beauties accepted his marriage proposal, but a draft notice and an encounter with a Seer set him back on the course to victimhood. A self-inflicted injury left him lame, then his wife left him loveless, running off with a pirate."
"How humiliating."
"She also left him with a six-year-old to raise alone."
"What?! Do you mean–"
"That's right. We could soon have the first Dark One with a child."
"Amazing. But won't the child get in the way?"
"Perhaps. Or perhaps not for long. The Duke of the Frontlands–the current Dark One's master–has been fighting a war with ogres."
"Ouch."
"Most definitely. He's fast running out of soldiers and has begun drafting fourteen-year-olds."
"Let me guess: our chosen one's child is now fourteen."
"Nearly. And so our chosen one is desperate for power."
"Interesting. An older, smarter Dark One."
"Someone who's capable of love and kindness, though he's seen little enough in his life. Someone who's never sought power, never chased wealth, shown no propensity for violence. All this man seems to want out of life is to raise his son and spin his wool in peace."
"Is it expected that a victim who is suddenly gifted with power is less likely to become a bully himself–or more likely?"
"We shall see. But it is expected that, given his background, if this one does become a bully, he will eventually come to sympathize with his victims. Not that that will necessarily stop him, perhaps just curtail some of the nastier activities Dark Ones dabble in. Or perhaps he'll do them but feel guilty afterwards."
"A sympathetic Dark One. Incredible. Blue is brilliant, absolutely brilliant."
"That's why she's Blue and we're just us. Yellow is taking wagers already. Ten to one that this friendless father will steal the dagger and become Zoso's new master; twenty to one that he'll take the powers for himself. And thirty to one that if he does, he will never allow the dagger to fall into another's hands."
"Really. I believe I'll take a piece of that action."
"And I'm laying odds myself: two to one this Rumplestiltskin will make the most interesting Dark One of all time."
"I'll pass on that wager, Pink. Just as a candidate, he already is."