Okay so I just started watching Once Upin a Time and I'm on Season 3 (almost four) So I'm going to start the story to take place before the curse/ season one and it will basically add more as I watch more. But since I'm starting from the beginning, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. This chapter will basically be most of my characters main backstory, and next we will start with how she might have affected the episodes. Enjoy!
Lyric:
They are the hunters
We are the foxes
And we run
-Taylor Swift "I Know Places"
I remember before everything fell apart. I had found death frightening, a threat that always followed someone until they were taken away by its sharp claws. Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to live as long as I could with my family. To be free from that fear.
But now, I would welcome death with open arms and a smile. Now, death is a mercy. An escape. Because sometimes to survive, you've got to die.
I ran with my cloak waving behind me through the woods. Chase ran besides me, his face hooded like mine. I could hear the storming of hooves behind us, the soldiers were pursuing us. I pulled my hood closer around my head. If they saw my face, I could jeopardize Chase's safety.
"Come on! This way!" Chase yelled, turning into a particularly thick part of the woods. I followed behind him, pushing my legs to run as fast as I could. Not an easy task when you've been starved for the last past three years. We twisted and turned through the trees. It was a particularly dark night, and that was what we had hoped for. But the Soldiers had gotten off their horses and were trying to track us through the bushes and bramble. Chase pushed me behind a bush and we crouched, hiding.
"Trista, I need you to stay here while I distract them," he whispered to me, his lighting blue eyes looking into mine. I felt tears fill my eyes.
"No, I can't leave you," I whispered back.
"I'll find you, I promise. I'll come back," he said. Tears rolled down my cheek.
"How can you be sure? Oh my gosh, Chase, please. I can't- I can't loose you to," I choked on my words. Chase was the only one left that I loved. I closed my eyes tight. I felt Chase's hand on my cheek.
"I have faith. Please, no matter what you hear, or what you see, do not come after me," he said. I nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his dagger. He shoved it into my hands. I shook my head in horror.
"No. No. You need this," I begged but he would not take it back. He hugged me.
"I love you, My dear sister," he said, and turned and ran from behind the bush. I clutched the dagger as tears fell like a waterfall down my face.
"I love you too," I whispered. I lost sight of Chase, but I could still hear him.
"Come on! Come and get me ya ugly-" I heard he yell but he was interrupted by an unmistakable thump of an arrow. Then Chase was silent. I twisted myself around to see my beautiful big brother, Chase, lying in the ground at least twenty five yards away from me. And there was a arrow in his chest.
"No!" I screamed. The guards all turned around and saw me. I turned and ran. I was thin enough to fit in between trees and bushes, though I was extremely tall. I sobbed the whole time I ran, blurring my vision but I kept running.
Then, somehow, I came to a stone wall. I looked around and realized it must have been the walls around a city or something. I spun around, looking for a place to run but there wasn't one. I could hear soldiers coming from all around me. This was it. They would find me in seconds, and I was as good as dead.
"Having a bit of trouble here, aren't we dearie?" A strong Scottish accented voice said behind me. I spun around to see a man standing a few feet away behind me.
He wore old clothes and held a cane. He looked about an inch shorter than me, but that didn't say much taking in account that I was 5"10 and taller than most of the men I had met. His hair was messy and unkept. Basically, he looked like most of the other villagers in almost all the city's she had been to. He was perhaps on his thirties.
I pulled out the dagger and held it in front if me.
He looked at me again, as if he didn't know what to make of me.
I stared him in the eyes. Then I made a choice. Throwing down the dagger, I pulled down my hood and stood there.
"Well then, get on with it," I snapped.
"With what, dearie?" The man asked, looking serious.
"Kill me. The soldiers are going to be here soon and I'd rather die here than be captured and killed publicly. So do the job and kill me," I said, not looking away. The man laughed, almost sadly.
"Kill you? Why on earth would I do that?" He asked, smiling at me.
I blinked in surprise. The man looked around. The soldiers were coming closer, I could hear the loud clang of their amour. I picked up the dagger again.
The man came over and pulled me to the side of the wall. He knocked on it five times, and suddenly the wall opened. I gasped and he pulled me through. It lead into a village with little shacks lining the edges. Up ahead there was a hill with a few more houses.
"Who conducts the magic for the wall?" I asked in wonderment. The man shook his head.
"The soldiers had a wizard who enchants the village with a wall. 'To protect us from the outside' is what they say," the look he gave me told me that that was not at all what it was used for.
"I'm technically not supposed to know how to get in or out," he continued, "But I overheard a soldier a few months back."
I nodded. This man seemed to have a distain for the soldiers, which was helpful since I needed to escape from exactly them. But still, I couldn't be too sure.
"What's your name?" I asked. The man gave me a sideways glance.
"What's yours?" He asked, not answering my question.
"I asked first," I responded indifferently. The man chuckled and shrugged.
"Rumplestiltskin," he answered. I was surprised.
"Are you the man who..." I broke off, not wanted to embarrass him. The man, Rumplestiltskin smiled knowingly.
"Ran away from the war?" he asked, "Yes, I'm afraid that that was me."
I nodded, not wanting to engage the conversation. I looked around some more.
"You never told me your name, dearie," he said. I hesitated.
"Come on," he said, "if I was going to turn you in, I would have done it before we passed through the wall."
I sighed. It was out of my comfort zone to talk about myself, but he made a fair point. "My name is Trista." I said. Rumplestiltskin nodded.
"Well, lovely to meet you, Trista," he said. "Come, my cottage is just up that way."
He started walking up the hill. I was shocked. I was supposed to come with him? Isn't he know how much that would danger himself?
"Listen," I said, following him, "I really appreciate what you've done for me, but I must insist that having me at your house would indanger you greatly. It's probably best if-"
"They won't find you here. This is a different kingdom, and they wouldn't fancy a visit here. Besides, how long are they going to find it worth it to search for a-" then he stopped and looked me right in the eye, as if he had just realized something. "Why were you running away?"
"I was sold into slavery by my parents," I said. He already knew my name, and I saw no point in concealing anymore details.
Rumplestiltskin looked at me with pitiful eyes, which made me flinch. I didn't like pity. He looked at me for a minute more, then seemed to make up his mind.
"Just think about it. Stay for the night, and we will decide in the morning," he said finally. I agreed. We made out us the hill to a small cottage.
"How old are you, Trista?" He asked me.
"Fourteen," I answered. He looked surprised for a moment. I was, as I said, very tall. We were quiet for a moment. Then he spoke.
"Well, we're here," he said. We were at the cottage. Then, a boy came out. He was a bit short with black hair that went past his ears. His eyes were dark and sad.
"Papa? Who's she?" he asked, looking at me. I tried to smile but I honestly probably looked frightening. I was skinny, pale, and filthy.
"Trista, this is my son Bealfire. Bealfire, this is Trista. She's going to to be staying with us for a while," he said. The boy, Bealfire, looked at me suspiciously.
"Hi," I said, trying very hard to look friendly. Honestly, I didn't blame him for being suspicious, and I wanted him to know I didn't mean harm.
"Hi. You can call me Bea," he said after a few moments. Rumplestiltskin let out a small smile.
"Well then," he said, "let's head inside."