Um... no explaination for this. Just sort of... popped into my head. Post-Thor: The Dark World, and... I'm not sure what OUAT timeline this is. Oh, well. Please review!

The familiar sensation of smoke engulfing my body came upon me suddenly. Is someone… calling me? That's never happened before.

When the smoke cleared, I was standing in a wasteland. I glanced around for a second, then turned. Lying in the dust before me was a young man. He had raven hair, and blood was seeping through his clothes. He opened his eyes slightly, then gave a weak smile. It was the color that startled me; his eyes were a bright shade of green. He struggled to a sitting position, then began to speak.

"You- you are the one I summoned?"

Ah, so he was the one. I regarded him with interest. He must be quite powerful himself. "Yes," I simply replied.

"Are you a demon?"

I laughed. "Some may call me that. Others call me 'The Dark One'."

"What is your real name?" Hm. Doesn't beat around the bush, this one.

My grin widened, and I bowed low. "Rumplestiltskin. And you might be…?"

"Loki," He said, then hesitated. "Loki of… Jotunheim."

"I see." I waved my hand, and suddenly we were both sitting in chairs, facing each other. "Well, Loki of Jotunheim, you seem to be a bit… er, injured." I gestured to the now-obvious stab wound in his chest. "Is that why you called me?" He glanced down at it.

"Hm? Oh, this?" He waved his hand. "Nothing I can't handle." He said this with an almost cocky expression, but he grimaced while doing so.

"The, if you don't want me to save your life, what do you want?" I put my hands behind my head, completely at ease. "Power? Wealth? Love?" I waggled my eyebrows. "Revenge, perhaps? As it happens, those four are my specialty."

Loki shook his head. "Not exactly. I want a way to… I need the courage to…"

I felt a smile spreading across my face. "Either you want to declare your love to someone… or you want to kill them."

Loki swallowed. "Yes. Kill someone. My… father."

I nodded. "Indeed, that would take courage. However, you don't seem to have a problem with the idea of killing him. Perhaps he has done something to you?"

Loki let out a small, harsh-sounding laugh. "My whole life, that man has been tormenting me; holding my brother in the limelight and never giving me the chance to prove myself. He even lied to me about my real father; not that either of them were any good."

"But you can't bring yourself to do it because…?" I pressed, urging him on.

"Because of my brother," He muttered, staring at the ground.

"Your… brother?" I raised an eyebrow. "The one your father held in such a high position?"

"I… I can speak of, a- and even take action on my feelings towards Odin, but… I can't bring myself to do it because…" He absent-mindedly ran his hands over the wound on his chest, causing more blood to come gushing out. "It would break Thor's heart."

"Hm." I stood, pacing back and forth. He looked up at me expectantly.

"Can… can you help me or not?"

I nodded slowly. "I can. It seems that in order to avoid breaking your brother's heart… you would need to get rid of your own."

"Get rid of-?"

I reveled in the look of confusion on his face. Not so cocky now, are you? "Yes. Get rid of your heart. Tear it out. Rip it from its cozy little nest and lock it away." I grinned, expecting him to shake his head and leave.

"Alright," He said after a moment's silence. I was shocked, but he continued. "How would one go about… removing their heart?"

I smiled. "Fear not. Getting it out is quite easy; although not painless. It's the preparation that takes courage."

"Why?"

I leaned in close, taking in every detail of his young face. Sweat was beading on his forehead, and his jaw was clenched; though from terror or pain, I couldn't tell. "You see, dearie, I don't enjoy people going back on their deals. If it comes out, it stays out. With it gone, you have the advantage of not caring. Of course, this can also be a disadvantage."

"I don't care," He said firmly, though a little too quickly.

I shrugged. "Very well… but we have yet to discuss the price."

"Whatever you want," He replied. I grinned.

"Famous last words. Well, what I want…" I studied him once more. "...you don't have yet."

"How can I get it?"

I pondered for a moment. "If you go through with this deal, you will most certainly come upon what I ask of you. However, seeing as you do not have it now…" I smirked. "You'll just have to owe me a favor."

Loki thought about this, then slowly nodded. "I'll owe you… and you can claim your debt at any time?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "Alright."

"Perfect!" My face lit up as I produced a piece of parchment from my pocket. "Sign here," I gestured with a sweep of my hand, pulling a golden quill out of thin air. He took the quill and scratched his name quickly at the bottom. I lifted the parchment from his grasp and it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Now what?" He asked. I grinned.

"Now comes the fun part."

I thrust my hand deep into his chest, relishing the pained expression on his face. He gasped, wincing, as I dug deeper. It doesn't really take that long to remove a heart, but the noises he was making was just too much not to take advantage of. Finally, after what probably seemed like an eternity to him, my fingers closed around the pulsating organ. I pulled it out, holding it before my eyes in wonder.

It looked normal at a glance, but with every beat I could see white, almost frosty tendrils exploding from its core; trying desperately to escape. I smiled slowly. Finally, a heart different from all the rest I had seen. This one is definitely worth saving.

With a wave of my free hand, I summoned a small wooden box. Gently, I placed the heart inside.

The sound of Loki's gasps finally sprung me from my reverie. I stuck the box into my pocket, and bowed to him.

"The deed is done, My Lord."

He grimaced, staring at the place where my hand had just been. "That- that's it?"

"Indeed," I said, smiling. "Oh, by the way, you won't have to worry about that wound from earlier." I gestured to his chest, where the blood had stopped flowing from. "Think of it as my gift to you."

He blinked, then stood. "Th- thank you." He shook his head, as if clearing it, then smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to take care of in Asgard."

"Of course." I waved my hand, and the chairs disappeared. I bowed once more. "I wish you the best of luck!"

He grinned, his green eyes glinting with malice. "I suppose I shall see you again soon enough."

"Most likely."

Loki clenched his fist, taking a deep breath. "Now, to find the right disguise…" He closed his eyes, concentrating, then his form flickered. Standing in his place was now a young guard, with a golden spear and a helmet to match.

"I suppose I should report to the king that his son is dead," He said, still smirking.

"Then I shall let you be on your way," I said, stepping aside. He strode past me, then disappeared into the air; leaving nothing but the winds blowing the sands.

"Quite talented, that one," I mused as the familiar smoke enveloped me. "He should be useful very soon…"