Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time or any of its recognizable characters.
Rated T because of the events that I have planned for later chapters, might become M later. Specific warnings will come with every chapter if neeeded.
My first Once upon a Time – FanFiction with Liana as additional character placed into the storyline we know – and since I can't keep stories short, this will get a longer one. I got the idea for the story already during the first season but only now I finally begin writing it down; it was based on my wish for Regina to find her happy ending after losing Daniel and I definitely don't support OutlawQueen so here's what I made of it. Please review.
1st Chapter:
"Liana, are you still working on the dress for the countess? That should have been finished hours ago!" the master complained – as usual. Liana had never seen or witnessed that he was content with a piece she or any of the other girls had sewed. Over the years, she had gotten used to it and learned neither to try to fulfill his expectations – because that was impossible – nor to justify her work – because that was a waste of time.
"Yes, master", was all she said instead and kept sewing without even paying attention to her master's suspicious looks.
"The countess could be here any moment! What am I supposed to tell her when she can't pick up her dress because of you?"
That she shouldn't commission such an extravagant dress a day before the ball, Liana thought to herself but kept quiet. Instead she sped up her sewing in the ridiculous hope her master would stop scolding her for doing the best she could – he wouldn't. She had learned to ignore it and keep working as fast as she could.
The moment she pulled out the last needle that had fixated the multiple layers of fabric the countess stepped into the tailor shop. Liana made herself invisible – not literally, of course, but she made herself as small and thin as she could and tiptoed backwards through the room to the door in the backmost corner, which was so easily to overlook that no customer had ever seen her disappear through it. In the room that lay behind that door the other three seamstresses worked in silence, eager to finish the other orders to prevent being scolded for working too slow. Liana heard her master greet the countess fulsomely and subserviently and rolled her eyes before she continued to work on a simple yet elegant dress without exchanging a word with the other women.
While she measured, marked, cut and sewed the second sleeve she counted. She counted the years she would still be imprisoned in this tailor shop before her parents' debts were finally repaid and she could go home.
She would never forget the day of her fourteenth birthday when the tailor master had come to her home to take Liana away and make her work as one of his seamstresses so he would get his money back – one way or another. She would never forget how he had forced her into the carriage, how he wouldn't even let her say goodbye. She would never forget how her father stood in the door with tears in his eyes and watched his daughter be taken away from him. She would never forget how her mother ran after the carriage in the rain and begged her landowner to spare her only child until she fell into the mud.
That was the last time Liana had seen her parents; since then she had never left the tailor shop again – and that was a little over five years ago. For more than five years, she was already working for her parents' landowner – that was longer than any of the other workers – and still, it seemed like the time that lay ahead of her wouldn't grow less. Her parents' debts were almost paid but that didn't mean her work was done. Her master enjoyed to remind her that he had to add interest and the costs for housing and feeding her.
At that thought, Liana had to suppress the urge to scoff. She lived in a tiny room with only one bed she had to share with the other three girls and they got to eat whatever the tailor master and his wife intended to leave for them to eat. More often than not, it was nothing at all.
Liana's parents were only simple farmers who never had much but they always took good care of Liana, provided enough food and a good life. After a continuance of bad harvests, they couldn't earn enough money to survive so they burrowed some from their landowner, the tailor master, in order to be able to feed her. These debts were the reason Liana had to work for this man – presumably until the end of her life.
At that thought, Liana couldn't help but let out a sigh. But she just shook her head to make these thoughts go away and reached for the scissors. She wanted to cut along the lines she had just drawn on the fabric when she heard her master's voice call out her name. She breathed out noisily, put the scissors aside again and stepped into the showroom again.
There was only one reason for her master to call her from work: a new customer and a new assignment – and Liana was supposed to take it. So Liana clothed her face in the friendliest smile she could manage and met the new customer with slight bow. In middle of her movements, she froze as she recognized the new customer as no one else than the Dark One.
In shock, she forgot to breathe for a moment before she remembered that this man – well, not quite a man – could be whoever he wanted to be, for her he was first and foremost her master's customer, which meant she had to serve him.
Liana bowed a little bit deeper than she usually would and maintained her position until the Dark One himself spoke: "Well, well, as I can see, my legend proceeds me. Excellent! But now, rise, dearie, I haven't got all day."
At the sound of his high-pitched, almost hysterical voice, Liana flinched but managed to raise up as the Dark One had requested. Her fear of this man in front of her must be written on her face for the Dark One grinned knowingly and demanded: "Come closer, dearie. There's no need to be afraid of me."
And just because he had said that, Liana was sure she had every right to be afraid. All the stories, people in the village told and she had little belief in, seemed to become a whole lot more possible in this very moment. He was truly one to fear.
But she took a deep breath, straightened up and stepped closer to the Dark One. The latter mustered her with a scrutinizing look that sent a shudder down her spine. She tried not to let her indisposition show but wasn't so sure if she could hide anything from the Dark One's eyes. He seemed to approve with what he saw since he laughed highly pleased, even if slightly hysterical, and turned to the master: "Oh, yes, she fits perfectly. Now leave us and let your girl do her work." With a quick wave of his hand, he dismissed him. The master, who was used to observe every move of his workers, wanted to disagree but the Dark One silenced him with a serious look and added even darker in tone: "I assume your girl knows her work perfectly well."
With a terrified look and hectic nods, the master left the room and her alone with the Dark One. When Liana realized her situation, she swallowed hard and needed a moment to gather herself, then she asked hesitatingly, "What is it you wish, my Lord?"
"My, my, dearie, what an absolute unnecessary question, don't you think? I need some new clothes", the Dark One replied in his high-pitched voice, which made her flinch again, and with an impish grin plastered on his face.
"Of course, my Lord, how stupid of me." With her eyes darted on the floor, she picked up the yardstick from the table and approached the Dark One to begin with the measuring.
The latter giggled and ever so slightly shook his head as if amused by something she did. Liana couldn't think of something for she was just doing her usual work so she paused, confused, and frowned at the man in front of her.
"That way, it takes far too long," he explained but Liana didn't understand. "Here, let me help you," he offered, which confused her even more.
With a simple flick of the Dark One's hand the yardstick flew out of her hand and towards the man in order to do her work for her.
Startled and scared, even though also a little bit fascinated, Liana watched the scene from a short distance but when the pen on the table also started to have a life of its own all of the sudden, she jumped back. Instinctively, she drew back from the magically moving objects but still couldn't avert her eyes from them. Mesmerized, she stared as the pen wrote over the parchment, leaving marks that looked a lot like figures and Liana assumed it were the measurements she needed to design new clothes for the Dark One. As the pen laid down in the exact same spot, she had placed it before Liana blinked a few times and shook her head, wondering if what she had just seen had really happened. But when she looked at the Dark One watching her with an impish grin plastered on his lips she knew it had.
"What was that?" she asked, a little too demandingly; her tone was not appropriate for a customer – but then again, was he a customer when he magically did the work for her?
"That, dearie, was magic. In its simplest form but nonetheless helpful, don't you think?"
"Why would you help me?"
"Because I do think you quite need it, dearie."
"What?" Liana let out before she could stop herself from it, but to believe that she needed the Dark One's help – for whatever reason that should be – and to think that the Dark One actually believed she would enlist his help was just incredible. The stories she had heard about him were equal to a good fairy tale gone bad. He was known and feared for his deals, high prices and cruel punishments for delayed payments. For all she knew making a deal with him was a decision doomed to be regretted.
"You need my help, dearie, and I must admit I need yours, too."
Liana furrowed her brows and mustered him, highly skeptical. "With what? Your clothes?" It was the only thing she could think of that she could do for the Dark One.
The latter giggled, highly amused, and asked, "Haven't you already got it, dearie? I didn't come here for some new clothes; I came here because I can give you what you want most."
He can't know what I want most, Liana wondered but before she could even voice her doubts, the Dark One continued, "I can give you your freedom."
Liana was taken aback, surprised and yearning for his words to be true but at the same time doubtful and suspicious. For too long she had hoped for the day of her freedom to come but it never did. Why should this time be any different? Yet, her curiosity remained so she asked carefully, "How do you know?"
"I just do," was the only explanation she got from the Dark One. "The only question that really concerns you, dearie, is how do you get your freedom?"
"And you want to help me?"
He giggled as if highly amused by Liana's question. "Oh, no, no, no, dearie. I want you to help me. And you will."
Again, Liana wondered how he knew she would since she herself hadn't even decided if her freedom was worth making a deal with the Dark One. For all she had heard his deals were promising – and that it was – but also dangerous. She was looking for the catch, for something that would make the deal profiting for him but adverse, maybe even dangerous for her.
Since the Dark One didn't react to her frown and she doubted that he would answer the question if she asked, Liana skipped to the next question that was bothering her, "What could you possibly get from me?" She was but the daughter of simple farmers working as a seamstress for their landowner; she didn't see how she could help the Dark One.
"Funny you should ask. Can you read?" And with a snap of his fingers, he materialized a scroll and unrolled it. Carefully Liana took it and began to read. She wasn't very skilled; her parents could never teach her and her master only cared to make her read numbers and figures in order to be able to fulfil the customers' orders. Along the way, she had, however, picked up one or two things about language and words so she was able to understand that it was a contract between her and the Dark One, saying the he would pay off her debts with her master in order to free her from the duty of working for him. In return, she had to procure a magical golden thread.
"A magical golden thread?" she repeated, mustering the Dark One, who had watched her with a content grin playing his lips ever since she had taken the parchment scroll from him, and wondering what power this magical thread possessed and why he would need it.
"Yes, you see, it's in the possession of your master."
"Then, why don't you just get it?"
The Dark One sighed, then explained slowly as if speaking to a young child, "You see, that's the thing about magic, dearie: it always comes with a price and there's always a catch. In this particular case, the thread is protected by its magic and only a person who wants to get it but not use it will be able to obtain it."
So that was reason why needed her, Liana realized.
"And why do you need it?" she dared to ask but already expected the answer she got, "My business."
"Look, if you want me to get this magical thread for you, I want to know what I am dealing with. So you can either tell me or you can go find someone else to do your business with." Liana didn't know where her courage for that kind of snappish answer had come from but she knew she had an odd feeling about making a deal with the Dark One and procuring a possibly powerful magical object for him for who knows what purpose. She needed to know what she would be giving to him before he use it for whatever evil reason he needed her to procure it for him. At least that's what she told herself in order to convince herself that she at least made sure he wouldn't release some sort of evil on the world before she took his deal to get her freedom when deep in her heart, she already knew she would take the deal no matter what the price.
"What makes you think I can't find someone else who will take my offer without asking such impertinent questions?" the Dark One challenged, the impish grin never leaving his face. For a moment, Liana hesitated, worried that maybe the Dark One would take back his offer and find someone else to make his deal with. She was nervous that she had ventured too much and had pushed her freedom out of reach again, but then she remembered how he had mustered her after her master had called her. She fits perfectly, he had said, perfectly to take his deal so he would get what he wanted. So she straightened up, steeled her jaw and answered with a firm voice, "You won't. You asked for me, didn't you? Because you know I am the one with the least to lose and the most to win. Because you know I want something the other ones will get eventually. So it's either me or no deal."
The Dark One raised his eyebrows in astonishment and maybe even a little bit admiration, then he mustered Liana as if waiting for something she forgot to say. She couldn't think of anything so she said the first thing that crossed her mind, "If it makes you feel any better, you can make the question and answering part of our deal."
At that, the Dark One giggled. "Aren't you a sassy one," he said, not pronouncing it as a question and never averting his eyes from her once. "Very well. Rumpelstiltskin." He bowed for her, a gesture that took her by surprise. No one had ever shown such a sign of respect for her – sure, there were some customers who appreciated her work, but never her as a person.
"What?" Liana wondered, meaning his gesture as well as his words since she had no idea what he had just said.
"My name," he explained, "I do believe you just earned it."
So he has a name, Liana thought, maybe he is a man after all, or he has been a long time ago.
He stood up again and with a wave of his hand, he amended the lines of the contract. Liana tried to read it again and it seemed like he had added that he had to answer every of her questions concerning the magical thread she should procure for him.
"All right," she agreed and with another flick of his wrist, the Dark One held a quill in his hand and handed it to Liana, with the words, "Just sign on the dotted line."
He turned around and placed the parchment on his back so she could sign her name – the only letters she could write. As soon as the last letter was written, the scroll and the quill disappeared and the Dark One faced her again with his impish grin still on his lips.
"Very well, dearie. What is it you want to know?"
Liana thought for a moment, then still decided for the question that occurred to her first, "This golden thread, what is it? It's powerful magic, right?"
"All magic is powerful, dearie, in its own way."
"What does that kind of magic do?"
"It connects, like a thread usually does. It merely takes the qualities of a normal thread and makes them magical."
"So it does not only connect pieces of cloth, does it?"
"Oh no, dearie, it connects so much more."
"For example?"
"Fates, dearie, fates."
"Whose fates?"
"Everyone's in all the realms."
"What happens if you cut it?"
"You would destroy it. You would separate the fates and divide the realms in an irreparable way. No one could reconnect them the way they were and everything would be lost."
"Lost? As in destroyed?"
"Yes, dearie. You see, the world and the people on it are connected in a way no one can imagine, no one can really understand. And this connection keeps it alive. Without it, the world we know, the world we live in, would cease to exist."
"And why do you want the thread?"
It was the first question the Dark One hesitated to answer, like he felt uneasy to tell her about his intentions, which made Liana feel uneasy, too. Knowing that the magical object she would give him had the power to destroy the world wasn't something she could take easily. But after only a matter of seconds the Dark One decided to let her know, "I can see the future." He paused for a moment and Liana wondered why he had told her and why it mattered, but before she could take another breath to ask the question, Rumpelstiltskin continued, "I can see everyone's fate. But it's a difficult gift, one that is not so easy to control, because you not only see what will happen but also, what can happen. Separating those endless possibilities has proven to be…more difficult than I had expected. The thread will allow me to investigate the connection that exists between the fates of the people living in the different realms. And by understanding that, it will be a lot easier to distinguish the possible futures from those sure to happen. Were you able to follow, dearie?"
Liana nodded slowly for she was sure she knew what he wanted to tell her even though she needed a moment to comprehend.
"So, you don't want to destroy it?" was the first question that came to her mind when she thought about everything the Dark One had just said, and she couldn't help but make it sound like she couldn't believe his intentions to be so noble.
"No, dearie. Weren't you listening? It would destroy the realms and I need them intact."
"Why?"
"That does not directly concern the thread so it's my business."
"Would you use it?"
The Dark One frowned and looked at her, puzzled, so she concreted, "Would you sew it?"
"There would be no point in that, dearie."
"Why not? It's a thread, isn't it? What else would you use it for? Why else would my master have it?"
"Your master has it because he stumbled upon it and has no idea what it really is. He knows it's precious, of course, but if he knew what it really is, he wouldn't keep it in the bottommost drawer of his desk in his office, waiting for the next best royal to come along and order a dress, with which he can use a golden thread."
Liana swallowed hard when she realized how lucky they had been that no king or queen had come to them. Her master wouldn't have hesitated to use the golden thread to make the most beautiful dress or suit he thought the royal had ever seen – at cost of the world. She breathed out nosily at the thought of those horrible consequences of simple ignorance.
"Then, what do you do with it?" Liana wanted to know once she had successfully pushed the images of a destroyed world by a simple cut thread to the back of her mind.
"I study it." The Dark One said those words as if they were the most obvious ones in the world.
"That's all?" Liana couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Yes, dearie. That's all."
"How?"
"My, my, dearie, such deep interest in a simple thread. Or is it magic itself that interests you?"
"Neither," she could say without hesitation, "I'm just interested in the continued existence of the world."
"And I have told you, dearie, so am I."
Liana raised her eyebrows to show her doubts and the Dark One pretended to be offended. "Such mistrust, dearie. Where does that come from?" he asked and Liana could almost believe it was honest interest – almost.
"I just don't believe you to be the kind of man that cares for the well-being of the world," she answered and couldn't help but notice that he wasn't in the slightest surprised for he said – and this time she did believe in his honesty –, "That I don't. But I do care about my own well-being, and sometimes these two coincide."
Liana nodded in acknowledgement, but still, her question remained, "How do you study a magical thread?"
The Dark One grinned as if he had expected her to go back to her question – only then Liana remembered that he had told her that he could see the future and maybe he had already known that she would ask again. However, Liana didn't expect his answer, "Maybe you want to come to my Dark Castle and have a look at my methods."
Startled, Liana shook her head and replied, "No." It sounded a lot more like a question than she intended to so she wanted to add something that would provide it with more sincerity but was stopped by the Dark One's grin that had widened upon her reaction. Liana didn't know if it was because he had expected her answer again – and she didn't suppose it was so unpredictable for she couldn't imagine anyone accepting his invitation into his home – or if it was because he knew more than she did – which he obviously did since he probably could see the future, which made her wonder if he had seen in her future that she would sooner or later end up in his castle. The thought alone made her shudder. If the future wasn't written – and based on what he had told her about his difficulties about predicting what can and what will happen she assumed that it wasn't – and if she had any say in it, she would never go to his castle voluntarily.
"Well, then," the Dark One concluded as if he had read her thoughts – maybe he had, her facial expression seemed to give it all away easily – and the suddenness of hearing his high-pitched voice made Liana wince a little. "If you have no further questions, I'd say it's time for you to fulfill your part of our deal, dearie."
"All right." Liana breathed in deeply as if to prepare herself for a task she thought was precarious and almost suicidal. "Bottommost drawer, desk, office," she remembered and waited for the Dark One's nod to verify it before she added, "The master's office is usually locked. Any suggestions?"
"Don't worry about that, dearie. Tonight his office won't be locked."
Liana almost asked how he could know, but once again, she remembered that he could see the future – slowly but surely, she started to believe in this ability of his – so she stopped herself from voicing out her question. Instead, she decided for a different one: "Will I recognize the thread when I see it?"
"Oh, I definitely hope so, dearie. It would be a shame if you wouldn't."
Liana nodded, still feeling a bit uneasy about the task lying ahead of her and still not sure if it was such a good idea to make a deal with the Dark One. But she had signed the contract and she would stay true to her word so she straightened up and nodded once more. "Very well, then."
She was ready to accompany him to the door since he had sent away her master, who would usually see off his customers, when she remembered that she had all the figures she needed to make him new clothes.
"Do you…" she ventured, "Do you want to choose the fabric for your new clothes, sire?"
The Dark One looked at her and for the first time he seemed to be astounded and confused by her question. He didn't answer for a long moment so Liana assumed he didn't have an answer which was why she continued, "I know you said you didn't come here for new clothes but I have everything I need and I could be ready by tomorrow." She paused again but still, the Dark One only looked at her. She couldn't stand the silence so she still kept on talking, "Of course, you'll have to pay my master for it but since you can also pay my parents' debts I don't assume money is a big problem of yours."
"I will free you from this life," the Dark One finally said, "and still, you choose to keep on doing your work?" He was obviously confused by her behavior. As much as she was fascinated and amused that even the Dark One didn't know everything she didn't enjoy his confusion so she explained, "It's not the work I don't like, I do quite enjoy it, in fact. I just don't like the circumstances that have brought me here, that's why I want to get away. And since you will give me the chance to do so, why not make your assignment the last one I will fulfill?"
Rumpelstiltskin thought about her words for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgement and said, "Very well, dearie, make the clothes, I will pay your master with as much gold as he deems appropriate. But why don't you choose something you deem fitting for me?"
Those were always the hardest tasks, Liana knew. And the problem wasn't to find something she thought fitted to the customer but to find something the customer agreed with – that was the trick when they didn't even tell you what they wanted you to make. But Liana also knew how to handle such situations, so she stepped closer to the Dark One – even though she still felt a little anxious about him – walked around him and mustered him from head to toe, especially checking his clothes. From his coat to his boots, he wore leather in a deep brownish-red.
It fits to his skin, Liana thought, for it looked old, papery and wrinkled and also like animal skin.
But the material of his clothes looked stiff and uncomfortable so Liana immediately had an idea about what to do. She nodded to show him that she was done examining him. The Dark One grinned again and, in an elegant gesture, waved his hand to say goodbye. "Adieu, dearie. And don't forget to deliver." With those last words, he dissolved in a cloud of dark-red smoke, leaving Liana behind to stare holes into the air where Rumpelstiltskin had just stood. It took a long moment for her to realize that he was actually gone before she could shake the surprise off and go back to her work.
