The Haunted Dark Castle
The Queen's boots stomped through stagnant puddles in the cracks of the stone walkway. Small splashing and crunching sounds were the only things disturbing the still and cold night. The woman's breathing was heavy and slightly laborious but it did not impede her speed. Fire and death shone from behind dark hazel eyes that remained resolutely on wide wooden doors. Black cloak and dress whipped from behind the stalking figure madly.
A flourish wave of her hand and the doors swung open with force so the Queen's stride went undisturbed. Once inside the grand entryway of her castle, the Queen observed its new and even bleaker appearance. Smooth and ornate designs that were carved into the ceilings and walls stuck out at sharp angles. Cracks littered the walls and the air held an unnatural chill. All color seemed drained from the tapestries and furniture and were now gray and lifeless.
A scowl formed across her stoic face as she took in her new home. No, her new prison. She knew exactly what happened with her curse. It backfired and not only that, it cursed her! The Queen was furious and decided there and then to break her curse and resume her evil, evil ways. As her course of action laid out in front of her a predatory smirk marred her features. She would destroy everyone's happiness. The young girl that dreamed of love and a family died long ago. She was the Evil Queen now and she would not mourn the death of Regina Mills.
Boots crunched against the forest floor in a quick and steady beat matching the runner's heart rate. The quick hooded figure sprinted through trees and hurdled over boulders, stumps, and anything else that could slow them down. A spectator would think the runner was insane for there was no one giving chase.
Still, the figure ran until their lungs burned and muscles ached. The flapping of the deep emerald cloak barely calmed as the runner picked their way through a shallow stream and continued on. It was only until a small cottage came into sight that the figure slowed their pace until they walked. A quick look around, confirming they were alone, then the figure smiled. The cottage door opened and a much older man appeared in the doorway. His short salt and pepper hair stood out in contrast to the brown shirt and pants he wore which hugged deep, sun kissed skin, wrinkled but tough.
"What do you think you're doing, young thief?" He said before a wide grin plastered across his face. "And what took you so long?"
The figure matched his grin and pushed the hood from their face. Wild, curly, yellow hair spilled around the cloak's shoulders. "I'm earning my keep. And I had to lose a few unwanted friends on my way back."
The man stayed, leaning against the door frame, as the young woman stepped forward. She loosened a satchel that was securely tied underneath the cloak and dropped it on a small table near the entrance of the cottage. "Were you successful?" He asked curiously and barely managed to contain his concern. The young woman heard the question underneath and smirked.
"Of course. Not a soul saw me. Well, that is, until I got to the stables." The young, pale woman looked somewhat sheepish and the man smirked at the look. He shook his head lightly as he began to pilfer through the acquired goods.
"Of course." He mirrored her, already knowing the story behind her words. "Let me guess, there was a beautiful woman on a magnificent steed and you couldn't help but say hi." He mocked lightly and smiled at the woman's light blush.
"It was quite a horse. You should have seen it." The woman teased back. The man simply chuckled.
"I'm sure it was a beautiful mount." He chuckled more as his words caused her to blush deeper. "Aside from the stolen moment with this woman, what else did you steal?"
The woman cleared her throat and turned serious and a little proud. She reached into her shirt's hidden pocket and pulled out a small bag. She turned the bag over to drop its contents into her open palm. "I found this in a deserted corridor's room. Everything looked old and forgotten but something drew me to it. It was in a locked cabinet."
The man eyed the metal object with a stern eye, turning it over in his hand. He could sell it for a few silver coins, maybe a gold piece if he was lucky, but could not find anything really special about it. He noticed how the woman eyed it with reverence and decided it was not to make it to market later. He was sure it was once a truly beautiful ring but its color had dulled over what was sure to be decades. Still, he hummed approvingly and folded it back into the woman's hand. "Such a pretty thing would look better on you than anyone we would meet at the market." He said somewhat gruffly, cleared his throat deeply, and took the satchel inside with him.
She smiled at his embarrassment as he tried to hide his kindness. "Oh really, Gott, why would you think that?" She pestered him as he divided up the merchandise to see what could be of higher value. He playfully glared at her and went back to his work as she removed her cloak. She chuckled lightly at the tough old man and went in search for water.
"Watch your attitude, Swan thief." He grumbled. She paid him no mind though. As she took a drink of water from a canteen, the young thief eyed her new accessory. She was not much for jewelry but there was something about the ring she was drawn to and she could not place what it was. Of course as a thief, she has seen more ornate and lavish ones but they never appealed to her. It had been her whole life, raised as a thief, to come across such trinkets but she was a simple woman. She liked the simple things. Yes, those simple things were adventure and the thrill of sneaking around and stealing from the overly wealthy but it was what she liked.
Ever since she could remember she had stolen. She was on the run, always moving, and keeping light on her feet. It was all due to the one man who raised her since she was a baby abandoned in the woods. It was no secret how she had come into the care of Gott because he did not believe in deceiving someone so young. He told her the story of how he stumbled across her one day and took her to the closest village so bar maidens could feed her. That was the longest Gott had stayed in one place and he had grown attached to the young child with yellow hair. When years passed and no one came to claim the child he took her with him and taught her the ways of his simple life.
It was the day they both left the village together, a lonely man who only survived and a child wrapped in a blanket who had done nothing but, Gott finally called the child by the name sewn into the baby blanket.
"Emma, it is time for the market." Gott said as he stood, swinging a bag over his shoulder. She nodded and went to fetch her own smaller bag and travel gear. She threaded a thin silver chain through her new ring and hung it around her neck. The metal felt strange against her chest and she took a deep breath to get use to the feel of it over her heart.
It was late in the evening as they headed through sparse forest to a denser area near a town. Late night market was not a place to get potatoes and rice for a reasonable price. Market at night was for the selling and dealing of richer things. People show up to offer what they have, sometimes at unreasonable prices, and no one asks how they came about their goods. Emma had seen many things bought and sold and always knew to keep her wits about her at night markets. It was a place that attracted dark, hooded figures with shifty eyes and hidden agendas. Emma was taught to mind her business and not get on anyone's worse side.
That does not mean it has not happened, and Emma has the scars to prove it, but she has learned many tricks of the trade over the years. She has avoided many fights between mysterious men, creepy women, strange creatures, and even magic wielders. The experiences she has had left her with a thirst for more and a yearning to learn more about the new and strange things lurking in world. It is something that has made Gott show some concern but has never hindered in any way. As long as he is there with Emma he is fine to tag along and try to keep up with the young, spirited woman.
As they emerge through the dense tree line into an unnaturally empty valley, Emma and Gott scanned the area for a good place to set up shop. They walk about, eyeing possible items and straying from shady characters. They find a nice spot near the majority of the crowd but with a good line of sight to the safety of the tree line. If need be for a quick exit. There are dozens of people milling about, voices rise and fall with bartering and pitching of items. Emma barely finishes laying out their items when Gott starts conversing with a scruffy looking man. She is not too concerned with the selling portion of the market as long as they get what is fair in coins or items. Emma is more curious about her surroundings and its people. Each market is different depending on where they are.
She knows that being so close to the Dark Kingdom that magical items and creatures turn up in spades. It has made the past couple of weeks interesting since they have been here. Stealing magical items is something she wants to successfully accomplish but has not had the opportunity. One thing locals in the village spout to newcomers is to stay away from the old Dark castle. Emma has heard the stories from anyone willing to spare her the time.
There was a very powerful witch that became Queen of the land that grew to hate the neighboring kingdom's family. Reasons for exactly what caused the hatred vary but the ending result always remained the same. The witch everyone called the Evil Queen sought to curse the land so no one could be happy, however, she was stopped by the neighboring kingdom's prince and died in her castle. To this day no one has stepped foot on her castle lands for fear that she still haunts the grounds. Tales of people brave enough to attempt to do so report that their heart suddenly feels like it is being ripped from their chest. They then proceed to flee away back to the village and vow the Dark castle is cursed by the Evil Queen's spirit.
It is a wonderful campfire story, Emma is sure, but is more the type to believe when she sees it for herself. She has not had the opportunity to check out the old castle though but she hopes that would change soon. Unfortunately, she gets her wish and Emma's life changes forever.
It all happened too quickly for Emma's liking and she is pissed for it and many other reasons. Emma sits on a bench outside the town's inn and contemplates how things got so sideways. Gott had been pestered by a young hunter with a beehive for a brain when his skills had been called into question. It was all so macho and prideful and Emma tried to talk Gott out of doing something stupid but she failed. The old man answered the dare of stealing something from the Dark castle this very night and it made Emma's stomach fall into knots. Gott was a smart man and taught her never to invade without a plan to escape. The fact that he did not know anything about the castle and its local lore stories had Emma begging him to forget it all.
The look he gave her was stern and prideful and it made her let him go. Now, hours later, she hated herself for doing so and hated him for letting the young, idiot hunter get to him. She began to pace as the time stretched on and her anger and fear began to overwhelm her. Unconsciously she clutched the ring dangling from her neck to stop it from rubbing against her shirt. Her mind worried and it brought forth images of Gott trapped in the castle, underneath a fallen log, hunted by deadly night creatures, and his heart being ripped out by a vengeful witch's spirit. It all seemed foolish hours ago but Emma's mind played each scenario, worse than the previous, so vividly in her mind. She faced the direction she knew the castle to be and did not stop herself when her feet moved on their own towards it.
She felt cold. No matter how tight she pulled her cloak around herself, she was cold. It did not seem to come from the natural chill of the night even though she could clearly see her breath escape her lips. The journey to the castle ground's gates did not seem to take much time at all. Her mind's sole focus was getting to Gott and making sure the stubborn man made it out. When Emma slid through the mangled iron bars of the gate she was hit by a strange sense it almost made her fall back. She gasped in shock and her hand instinctively went to her chest as if she could hold her breath in her lungs. Villager's stories of hearts being ripped out flew through her mind but she pushed that aside. She was unsure what the heavy presence in the air was but it was not evil or murderous. It seemed to fill her with dread and every awful outcome of her situation plagued her mind. Emma was determined to find Gott, though, and forced herself to stand and walk towards the front doors.
As she neared the doors the pressure around her seemed to increase but it was numbing in a way. When her hand wrapped around the handle and she pushed in opened, Emma was filled with apathetic melancholy despite her thundering heart. Her eyes shot about the cold, dark entrance in search of something. Anything that would denote a life made its way through. Emma knew Gott would not leave a trail, he was too good for that, so instead she tried to think in his shoes. With practiced, quiet steps Emma picked her way through the castle to the upper floors. She had learned rich people liked to hide their treasures as far away from the dungeons, and the bad people they stowed there, so they were not robbed from an escaped prisoner.
The longer Emma was in the castle the more her ears and eyes betrayed her. It was common when senses were heightened to imagine things but Emma's heart never settled comfortably. Usually she would be able to remain calm but the castle's odd sounds made her nervous. Her head whipped around constantly as if trying to place whispered voices and small scuffling of clothes. Her eyes were used to the darkness, and some light from the moon and stars helped a little, but she still was wary when shadows seemed to move on their own.
"It's just in your head, Emma." She whispered to herself. Her voice sounded loud against the quiet even when it was shaky. "This castle isn't cursed."
A loud bang and crash made Emma almost jump out of her skin. She froze on the spot, waiting for the sound's location to become known, in case she should avoid it. The loud noise seemed to echo in the castle's walls which made the following yell even more bone chilling. Emma immediately began to run, not towards the exit, but to the sounds coming from the floor above her. She was not crazy, she just knew that voice.
"Gott!" Emma was surprised she heard her scream over the pounding in her hears and the heavy footfalls of her boots. At this point she did not care to be quiet she had to find Gott and that meant screaming his name at every bounding step she took up the wide staircase. There was no other sounds besides the ones made when a man struggles for his life and it made Emma move even faster down a long corridor. She had to stumble and hurtle over broken furniture and paintings in her journey but she made it to a wide, arched, double door at the end of the hall. She burst through the doors without stopping. "Gott!"
Emma immediately spotted him in the middle of the large room. His slumped figure illuminated from the bright moonlight streaming in through tall open windows. The glass was broken, letting in the stale and cold night air, causing Emma's breath to chill once more. She immediately made her way to him, dropping to her knees and scanning his body for injuries. There was blood rushing from his forehead, which she immediately applied pressure to with a scrap of cloth in her satchel. Gott groaned in pain but his eyes remained closed.
"Gott, what happened?!" Emma frantically asked, her eyes searching the darkness around her for the culprit. She prayed to see someone, anyone, just hoping she did not have to actually go up against an evil spirit.
A cold wind swirled around her and Gott as a vulture circles its prey. Emma knew it was not a natural occurrence since the holes in the window were not so big. She blocked the swept up dirt from getting in her eyes and she froze in fear. It was a laugh. An actual laugh from a person. It was dark, humorless, and the way she imagined evil to sound and it scared her. The sound seemed to startle Gott as his eyes shot open. He lunged for her desperately.
"Get out! Go, Emma, just go!"
Eyes still scanning the shadows, Emma shook her head automatically. "No, I'm not leaving you!"
"Just go-" Gott tried to plea but his words died in his throat when another evil sound washed over the entire room.
"How touching." Emma tried to find the source of the cold voice but could not help the feeling of it engulfing her. "A thief saving a thief. Not doing so well, I'm afraid." Emma covered Gott's body as well as she could and hoped her protective stance looked a little menacing. The voice was female and Emma immediately knew who it belonged to. She did not believe the stories but she just knew inside that she would have to believe this one.
"Do not harm him!" Emma tried to keep her voice firm and steady but knew it carried no weight when she heard another humorless chuckle. The air kicked up around them again and Emma tensed herself as if it would harm them.
"Too late. What would you expect I do with a trespassing thief?" Emma did not bother to attempt to answer when the voice left no desire for a response. "Now it seems I need to deal with two."
"We are not thieves."
"DO NOT LIE TO ME!" The powerful voice rang through the room. The air thickened, wood splintered, glass cracked, and the wind whipped around them harshly. Emma huddled over Gott to protect him from any furniture that seemed to fly through the room. "I CAUGHT HIM STEALING! HE HAD THE NERVE TO BREAK MY POSSESSION!"
Emma waited for a lull in the cacophony of mayhem floating around her to respond. "He did not mean to! It was foolish! I'm sorry!" Emma did not know what to say. She never had to plead with a vengeful spirit when she accidently broke their stuff? Her response was another laugh that filled her with nothing but dread.
"Sorry? What use do I have with empty apologies?! A crime deserves punishment!"
"NO!" Emma yelled, she scanned the room for a sign of a person. Anything that could help her get Gott out of there. She would like to leave too but her main concern was the man that continued to lose blood. "Please! He's hurt! He'll die!" Emma tried to ignore the tight grip the old man held on her cloak, his blood staining the material, and his pleading mumbles for her to leave.
"It seems a fit punishment." The carelessness in the voice made Emma snap. Her emotions were running high and her thoughts damned a person so evil to condemn an old man to death in such a way.
"Please. Save him! I know you have magic, please, save him! I'll do whatever you want!" Emma's wide, terrified eyes dared to show a little hope for the man in her arms, as well as pleading with a faceless voice in a dark room. "I'll take the punishment just save him." Emma choked out around the clot of emotion in her throat.
"No, Emma." Gott protested, trying to gain enough strength to sit up. Emma's eyes brimmed with tears for the man who raised her. She would – could- do this for him. He had given her so much, taught her everything she knew, and made her the woman she was now. If that was a woman who would not sacrifice herself for him then it would be a dishonor to him.
With the inner turmoil in her head, Emma did not notice the room slowly began to settle and quiet. It was only when she could clearly hear her sniffling did she look about the room. It startled her more when the voice spoke as if closer and more subdued. "You would sacrifice yourself for this man?"
Emma glanced around the room trying to catch a pair of eyes to convey her determination. She relied on her voice for that when she could not make out any. "Yes, I would." She ignored Gott calling for her to stop. "I am."
It was a tense few moments as the quietness surrounded her. It felt like the energy in the room was gone and she was alone. When she heard the voice clearly behind her, Emma jumped in fright. "So be it." Emma turned to face the voice and place herself between it and Gott. That's when she caught the outline of a figure in the shadows. The moonlight of the window made the edges glow somewhat unearthly but Emma could clearly make out there was a person there. A real, in the flesh, person. Emma squinted to see clearly but could not.
"Let me see you."
There was a moment Emma would call hesitation, if it were not for the being to be evil and magical, before the figure stepped into the moon light. It bathed the back of the figure and cast the front in shadow once more. Emma could tell the witch wore a thick cloak of dark material but could tell nothing else.
"Now about our deal." A wave of a surprisingly small hand underneath a cloak and Emma felt the air fizzle with some kind of electricity. She immediately thought of it as magic in the air when her thoughts were confirmed when Gott grumbled.
Emma checked his wound to see it had vanished as if it never happened. Gott's bleary eyes focused on her and he quickly sat up. "Emma, you can't do this."
"She already did, you old fool." The witch's cold voice cut in. The finality of it made Emma's stomach sink with dread but she managed a tight lipped smile for Gott. It felt pained and did not relieve any of their sadness.
"Gott, I-" Emma started but stopped as a dark purple smoke surrounded Gott's body. As Emma lunged for him, the smoke cleared, and she was faced with her hands on the cold floor. Her panicked eyes failed to find the man so she turned back to the witch. "Where is he?!"
"Gone from my castle." The witch responded emotionless.
Emma stood, feeling a surge of anger crash over her sudden despair. "What have you done with him?!" Emma felt that strange electricity in the air again which made the tension thicker.
"I healed his wound and sent him to the woods!" The witch's angry voice powered over Emma's with ease. "That was the deal! He is not dead by my hand!"
"The woods?! He could die there on his own." Emma yelled incredulously. Only when the witch stalked forward bringing a powerful, overbearing pressure in the air with her, did Emma rethink her actions.
The woman's voice was meticulously cold and filled with spite. "Not my problem." Emma could not even make out a face in the shadow of the cloak's hood to glare at. Her eyes fell to the floor as the event's washed over her anew. At least Gott was out of the witch's path and would have a better chance at survival now that he was healed. Emma hoped he could make it back to their cottage. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. Emma hoped she would see him again. She never told him.
"I didn't get to say goodbye." Emma spoke more to herself; her voice was weak, shaky, and barely a whisper. Emma did not know if the witch heard her or not but she could not care. She was stuck here to die, or worse, at the hands of an Evil Queen and she never got to tell Gott she loved him for everything he did for her. Emma slowly dropped to her knees as the heavy weight of this night, this witch, and her new found cursed prison, smothered her. Emma hung her head and did not bother to stop the silent tears from falling from her eyes.
Emma was unsure how long she sat on her knees on the cold floor but it must not have been too long. The witch was still in the room, hovering close by, and Emma would have found it strange if she had the mental capacity to think on it. Emma finally tore herself from her depressing thoughts of life as an Evil Queen's slave when she heard words from the witch she never thought she would hear.
"I'll show you to your room."
HI. This is for my SQ readers that are missing my updates for TP. I'm still trying to get what I can off my old laptop. Anyway, this idea was floating in my mind. Obvious where I got the idea from but I do not own OUAT characters or any Disney representations that may or may not be present. I will mark this as complete because this is all I can get out in one sitting. If you think it should be continued...cool. Maybe.
Hope you enjoyed it. Have a good day.