"The funeral was today," her voice resonated in the dank cellar. "It was a beautiful little ceremony. Emma Swann spoke of him, moved everyone to tears. Even Killian Jones." With that she ventured a gaze to Rumplestiltskin's cell. If he was listening to her he gave no indication. Just remained in the same spot he had been in since she ordered him back several days ago.
Determined to prompt some sort of reaction out of him she began again. "Who would have ever thought, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming would fall in love with the son of the former coward, Rumplestiltskin? Curious pairing isn't it?" No reaction. This time she lifted the dagger. "Get up!" she hissed moving inside of the cell.
Rumplestiltskin lifted from his stool with shaky legs. He couldn't even remember the last time he used his cane. His leg didn't seem to hurt any worse but years of habit still made him lean most of his weight to the other side. Did he even need the cane anymore? He couldn't tell. His whole body was numb.
"Are you even listening to me?" Zelena questioned, moving to stand directly in front of him.
"Not because I choose to, dearie," he whispered, his voice hoarse from disuse.
With a flick of the dagger, Rumplestiltskin found himself pinned against the cage, not so tightly that he was in pain, but just enough to be uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry you find my company a bore, Rumplestiltskin. I just thought that you would like to know what happened at your only child's funeral, since you were unable to attend, that is," she sneered.
His dark eyes flickered to hers. He did not say a word but the hate in his eyes said it all for him.
"She was there too, you know. That girl...what's her name?" Rumple's eyes grew darker and Zelena managed a sneer. "Belle, isn't it? She had a lot of pretty words to say in your honor. She spoke of sacrifice and love. Guilt and forgiveness. Such a dutiful little woman you have, Rumple."
He hated when she called him Rumple. Coming from her lips it sounded so dirty and tainted. Only Belle could call him such a name. His blood pressure began to rise and he could feel his heart beating faster in his chest. Zelena smiled as she realized she had hit a nerve.
"Don't worry, Rumple," she emphasised his name for good measure. "I didn't hurt her. I have greater plans in store for that one, especially. Unfinished business you need to attend to from that first night in the Enchanted Forest, do you remember?"
How could he forget? His mind may have been slightly jumbled but he could still remember the fear and panic that had crept into his heart when Zelena had given him the order to kill Belle. He could still feel the tug of the dagger demanding him to follow its order and had it not been for the interference of the candelabra he most certainly would have followed through no matter how much he tried to resist. The horror and the fear on Belle's face was burned into his mind. She was scared of him.
"Keep that dagger close, Zelena," he whispered dangerously, hate dripping from every syllable. "As soon as I am free, and I will be free, I will make you regret every single moment of your pathetic life." A deranged half smile filled his face and when wild eyes met blue ones, Zelena faltered for a moment.
Even powerless, sprawled against the wall of his cage completely at her whim, Rumplestiltskin was still able to strike fear into her body. Zelena had always thought that in the Enchanted Forest Rumplestiltskin was intimidating. His appearance projected as much with his green and gold infused flesh and unnatural eyes. His teeth were black and so were his nails, projecting every much of the beast that people always feared. In this realm though she had never been intimidated by him or his appearance. He was just an ordinary man, with streaks of silver in his hair and a limp in his leg. But how he just spoke to her, his words full of such malice and venom, she realized that it didn't matter what he looked like. He was a dangerous person to be toying with.
Clutching the dagger a little tighter and a little closer to her chest, she squared her jaw. She didn't like to feel backed into the corner, especially when she was the one holding all of the cards. With a flick of her wrist Rumplestiltskin was sent flying into the opposite cage wall. He groaned lightly and pulled himself up to his knees. A small cut formed over his eyebrow and began to bleed. He did not feel the pain.
Zelena slowly stood before him and reached out and grabbed him by the chin, pulling him forward, and bringing her face to his.
"I'm not afraid of you or your threats Rumplestiltskin," she growled.
The smirk returned. "Keep telling yourself that, dearie. Maybe one day you will believe it."
She grabbed for his neck this time to choke him. His hands raised in defense but she muttered a command to put them down. His body obeyed.
"Don't you forget whom has the power here Rumplestiltskin. You are my little puppet and you will pay for your insolence tonight."
He gasped at the lack of oxygen flowing to his lungs but his eyes never lost their menace.
"Tonight," the Wicked Witch continued, "tonight we will finish this once and for all. I've already called a gathering at midnight. When that clock strikes twelve you will help me destroy Regina. Then when that little task is complete, you will kill your precious Belle, while everyone watches. It won't be a quick death, I want you to kill her slowly, to look her in the eyes as she slips away. The eyes that once trusted you. Loved you. You will do these things knowing that there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it. Sound fun?" she finished and released her grasp pushing him backwards, gasping for breath on the ground. "Until then, stay in your cage like a good little, Dark One. I will be back for you soon," she said kicking his legs before turning around, her heels clicking on the floor as she made her exit.
Rumplestiltskin pulled his body up breathing in deeply to try and regain control over himself. His blood was boiling and his heart beat a million miles an hour. All at once the anger and frustration finally bubbled over the surface and he turned his anguish to the cell surrounding him and punched it until he didn't have the strength to lift his arms any longer. Blood covered his knuckles and he easily could have healed himself but he chose not to. The pain was the first thing that he had allowed himself to feel since Baelfire had died.
"Oh, Bae," he whispered, the tears restrained.
Rumplestiltskin was never a man that revered things such as funerals. He had seen too many during the Ogre wars when he was just a simple cowardly spinner. Too many of them had been children. Children whom had been ripped away from their homes and the parents were usually left with nothing but an empty grave to mourn over, the Ogres leaving nothing to be buried.
He wasn't upset that he had missed his only son's funeral. They had made their peace as Bae lay dying on the forest floor. He didn't want to share his pain again with people whom had once been his enemies, nor did he want to share his weakness. When he was free of Zelena he would go. Perhaps with Belle but more than likely not.
Oh, no, Belle.
His mind raced. What was he going to do tonight? Zelena was going to force him to kill the only other thing on this earth that had ever shown him love and hope for the person that he could be. He had to figure out a way to get ahold of the dagger. It was Belle's only hope, because try as he might, he would not be able to resist the Wicked Witches orders forever. He would use all of his will and all of his might to stave it off but the dagger's will was stronger.
He released a deep sigh looking at the open cell door that he knew he wouldn't be able to step out of even if he tried.
Rumple's eyebrows narrowed and he closed his fits tightly not caring about the pain resonating from his wounds. He would not be beaten by his own pupil. If he allowed her to use him to kill Belle or anyone for that matter than Baelfire's sacrifice would be for nothing. His son was worth more than that.
He waved a palm over the wounds on his knuckles and watched as the skin healed itself and the blood retracted. He stood up slowly, casting a giant shadow across the floor and sneered.
"If it's a fight you want, Zelena...then it's a fight you shall get," he whispered. "I won't allow myself to be controlled any longer."