Rumpelstiltskin was not a pleasant person to work with. Merida knew that, of course, but she put up with his antics because he had something she needed. Like the Evil Queen, Merida wanted a happy ending. At first, she sought help from a witch, but that just made things worse. Long story short, her mother ended up as something… Less than human.
However, Merida wasn't the type that gave up easily. When the witch fails, seek the Dark One, right? So there she was, sweeping his floors and dusting off his prized possessions. She would serve him for a year, then he would give her what she wanted. There were times when Merida doubted the deal she made with him. "What if my happy ending isn't really what I want?" She thinks. "What if he's just going to throw men at me until I find one I like well enough to keep? My parents have already tried that."
Nonetheless, Merida kept working. Rumpelstiltskin wasn't bad all the time. He had an attitude, that was true, but sometimes he could be funny. At least she wasn't locked in a cell. The arrangement wasn't awful, and if she was right, it would all work out in the end.
Merida was dusting off a strange urn when Rumple entered the room. "Don't you dare knock that over, dearie." He told her. He's said that about everything he owns. It's just a castle full of objects that are either dangerous, fragile, or valuable. Nothing could be messed with, or Rumple would throw a fit.
"Yes, sir, I know." She replied, turning back to the cabinet of magical items.
"Merida, sweetie, I'm going to be gone for a few days. I've got some… Business to take care of." Rumpelstiltskin says, obviously trying to sound creepy and ominous. Sometimes he just takes the whole 'Dark One' thing a bit too far. Merida rolls her eyes and turns to look at him.
"Alright, I'll keep myself busy."
Rumpelstiltskin pauses for a minute, then says, "The stables need cleaning, and do some laundry." He disappears in a cloud of smoke.
Merida shakes her head. "Hasn't he heard of a door?" She thinks to herself, then puts the duster down and sits to read. The stables could wait.
Halfway through her book, she hears a crash from the basement below her. "Rumple? Is that you?" She calls out. A moment of silence passes, then she stands up to investigate. Her cloth shoes make no noise as she walks across the room. She heads downstairs, and the air seems to get colder around her.
Merida shivers, but proceeds to walk towards the source of the noise. A year ago, she would've immediately high-tailed it out of there, but not now. 2 months with Rumpelstiltskin has made her a lot braver. There's a greenish glow coming from inside an old wardrobe. Merida slowly advances towards it, curious.
Her heart is racing as she firmly grasps the handle of the armoire. After taking a deep breath, Merida yanks it open.
She lets out a little yell of surprise, then realizes she's not in danger. There's a little figure, flitting around. A tiny voice talks to her. "Wow, thanks. I thought I was going to be trapped in there forever. Merida's face softens.
"Are you- are you a fairy?" Merida asks.
The small girl flies up to eye level and nods. "I'm running low on pixie dust, that's why I was here. Do you know who owns this place? I've heard he's super nice."
Merida has to bite back a laugh. "Who told you that?"
"Peter Pan." The fairy says. "Why? Is he mean?"
Still giggling, Merida replies, "Well, he's sorta the Dark One."
"Oh!" The little pixie says. "Oh my gosh, I didn't know! That evil Peter Pan, I'm going to kill him if I make it out of here alive!"
Merida laughs. "Don't worry, Rumpelstiltskin is out of town at the moment. You'll be fine." She says the poor fairy, who looks out of her mind with sudden worry.
The tiny creature smiles. "In that case, I'd like to be your friend. I'm Tink."
Merida grins, glad she found such a bubbly little pixie. "Merida." She says. "Come on, I know where the pixie dust is."