AN: Hey! I found this in short piece in some of my old university work when I had to do a module on fairy tales. Completely forgot I wrote this piece and being a lover of the classics, I based it on Rumpelstiltskin. I mixed Rumples image from OUAT with that of the brothers Grimm and would love to know what you think of it! {Oh and the royal in the story is vaguely referenced to Cora if you need someone to hate...}
Once there was an Enchanted Forest where the inhabitants of neighboring villages never tread. There had been rumors that a great evil controls the area and anyone who strayed to close would be branded with misfortune. Those who were foolish enough to venture into the forest were never seen from again, and it has been said that those who wander along the forests edge can hear the cries of lost souls echoing through the trees.
But this tale is not about dragons, princes and princesses, this tells a story much deeper, one that follows an ugly man and his longing for companionship. A creature who fabricates ideas and rumors to suit his need to stay safe and someone who enjoys making deals with the right people for the wrong reasons.
The sun is beginning to set over the shimmering blue mountains to the west and the enchanted forest is relatively quiet. A slight breeze washes over the trees and pushes broken leaves to the browning floor with ease. A creature, sat perched on a jagged tree stump lays back, closing his beady eyes and taking in the smells of the forest. His skin, rough and scaly, resembling that of a toad, shimmers a brilliant emerald gold in the fading sunlight. His hair, shoulder width and black as ebony, rests on his shoulders, oily and messy but its his clothes that give him an almost human appearance. A waste coat with baggy sleeves covers his spindly arms while tight leather pants and curl tip shoes finish off a maddening look.A perfect mixture of deep greens, blacks and golds illuminate his complexion.
Looking down the man creature writes on a parchment with a magical quill inscribing intricate details not known by anyone else. Finished, with a huff, he quickly rolls it up, waves his hand over it, and a small wax seal with the letter "R" appears. He throws it not so graciously onto the pile of scrolls mounding beside him. He leans on his leather coated knees inspecting the quill, a flicker of remorse? Self loathing? He himself is not aware, can a creature like this "feel" anything? Be anything more than the villainous reputation he has been branded with all his life? He sighs, a small chain hangs dangling from his neck, a golden ring twinkling in the fading light. Waving his hand sharply, another parchment appears in his hand, "Deal 10901" inscribed on the top in bold red. Rolling up his sleeve, thousands of red speckles cover his forearm, with the quill he stabs it forcefully extracting crimson blood. A trickle of blood leaks from his arm as he absent-mindedly begins writing on the parchment.
Suddenly he is broken from his trance by a soft sound in the distance. Stopping he lifts his head, straining to hear the odd noise. Crying... Not that of physical pain but emotional, something he is well accustomed to hearing. Placing the quill and unfinished parchment on the floor, the man creature cautiously moves off in the direction of the sound. With a wave of his hand the mountain of paperwork and the quill are gone, leaving no evidence behind for prying eyes.
A woman! A crying woman...How had she even gotten this deep into the forest without being torn to shreds? And how had he not sensed her? He knew every inch of the lands and even placed a disruption spell around its perimeter alerting him to intruders. Curious...
He steps out from his hiding spot, cautious and alert as always. This woman intrigued him not only for her sudden intrusion but her attire. A royal elegant deep purple dress, torn and muddy her hair long but messy, a royal here?! But why? The man creature is attentive that this is no damsel in distress, something is off... Crunch! He looks towards his feet where a broken branch lays under his maddening shoes. The woman doesn't acknowledge his presence, merely hushes her cries and keeps her head firmly planted between her knees with her arms hooked around them. Curious...
"Well hello my dear, I see your a little lost." Again no response from her. He presses on, something creeps up his spine, Caution. This woman is not as she appears, although with the magic he possesses, he remains optimistic at whatever threat she poses.."Really your highness, I think its quite rude that you wont even look at me."
The woman shifts slightly and announces.."Well I think it rude that you take my child from me Imp!" She raises her head and his heart stops, if only for a second as she rises, grinning, gliding to her feet elegantly. This woman, he remembers...he remembers taking the child away from her.
In the beginning he found a poor millers daughter, one who wanted freedom from her poor and futile existence and declared that she had the ability to turn straw into gold. However this was not so and the king demanded she spin for him and, if successful, he would marry her and she would be Queen. But if she could not do as he asked, she would be executed for her lies, that's when HE came offering to make a deal. Taking pity, a trinket was all he required from her, something so simple as the rusted old bracelet on her wrist, in which she traded for a room full of gold straw.."My bracelet is worth nothing, why?" She was astonished.
"Why not" Was all he replied and was gone.
But this was only the beginning, the king again demanded she spin and on the second night she offered the creature her gold ring.."Its isn't worth much but...it is very dear to me. It was my mothers."
With that he gently took the ring and studied it, fascinated. Something so special, so priceless, he couldn't, could he? Looking up he realized she was studying him with curious eyes, this Imp was a complex creature indeed. "Right well I must be off, more to see, people to deal with."
Turning to exit she reaches out and grabs his arm softly. That night they spent together, it was awkward at first for the creature, but they soon lapsed into comfortable dialog with one another. The man creature never felt so comforted, so at peace and so confused. There was a spark in the air that pushed him to leave, it was a matter of fight or flight and this defiantly a was a flight moment, so with that, he disappeared in a puff of red smoke.
The woman had yet another task to spin straw into gold but this time it was different, she had nothing left to bargain with, unless... The was a puff of red smoke and the spindly man was smiling at her, sat on an old wooden stool in the corner of the dampening tower.."I will give you my first born if you replicate your magic as before."
It was so abrupt that he nearly fell off the stool, this was a bad idea and he knew it, but before he knew it, he uttered the words "I accept, but this is a binding contract dear." With a shake of his hand a parchment and quill appeared in his hand.."And when I do come for your child, with all my power, not even I can break it." And with that, the woman agreed and signed the parchment. Too focused on signing the paper she did not register the pleading and disappointed look on the Imps face. She will regret it...He knows all too well...
And there she was, stood all regal and condescending. He could tell as soon as she had signed that parchment that he had created a monster, but that unfortunately came with the territory.."Your majesty." He mock bows.
"Rumpelstiltskin! Where is my child!" He looked at her and smiled a genuine smile.."A deal is a deal, I told you not even I could break it." She raises her arm and just then he registers the many knights that surround the two in heated debate. Death had edged into the forest and Rumpelstiltskin was its intended target.
The man creature may not admit it but he cared for the young queen, he had molded her and she had made him feel so special that night together. He actually thought he had a...friend, Or maybe more? But it was not to be, a life of loneliness was all he knew and would ever know, but he was sure that mother and child would see each other again, even at the cost of his own life. His thoughts turn to the little girl, Rapunzel. She will be loved and cared for when he's gone...Right?
The Queen demanded profusely for the location of her child but the creature refused. As the knights charge him he waves an arm and as if nothing had ever disturbed the darkening forest, they were gone.
Pain..no Shock? It was something cold, he reached down and found a knife sticking from his abdomen. How did that get in there? Before he could register it, the woman he cared for, almost adored, swung her sword and the Imps head came clean off his shoulders. His blood sprays the greenery, decorating the whole area with a deep shade of red.
Thud!...His body hits the ground in a bloody heap with his spindly legs contorted under his blood soaked corpse. His chain and the ring lay bloody beside the oozing flesh as the Queen reached down to obtain it in her grasp. She takes one long stoic look at the ring in her crimson hand before retreating, and finally fading into the darkness to the enchanted brush.
So you see, not all Fairy Tales are sunshine and rainbows, or filled with cliché heroes and Villains. There ARE Grey areas and they ALWAYS have hidden meanings, whether they be in relation to hope and love or betrayal and vengeance, just remember, Evil is not born, its made...