Chapter 3
They weren't an hour in before it started storming. The storm came out of nowhere. It was one of those summer storms that was swift, deadly and dangerous. Her and John quickly took cover, as the rain pounded down. They waited for another hour but the rain kept coming.
"We have to go back!" Screamed John. "At this point the roads are ruined, and we won't be able to get there tonight! Plus if we stay here we are almost literally sitting ducks for the ogres!"
While going back so quickly in defeat did not quite appeal to Isabella, she could see the validity in his argument. They would not be able to get far in this storm, and even if the storm stopped the roads would be treacherous with everything so wet and muddy. A few more hours would not make or break their situation and, at this point, so soon into the trip, it would be smarter all around to go back and try again tomorrow. Unwilling to admit defeat, but also unable to continue on merely to sooth her pride, she nodded her head and they started the trip back home.
When they approached the castle she was surprised to see the walls boarded up. She knocked on the door and Augustus, an old soldier, popped his head out. "Augustus?" She called. "We got stopped by the storm! Can you let us in?"
"Isabella?!" He called.
"Yes!" She quickly replied, and heard the creak of the door being opened. Augustus looked nervous, which she supposed was unsurprising due to the constant war they had been apart of.
"Where are my parents?" she asked.
"Ah..uh…well they, you see miss…uh.." She looked at him patiently. She knew he was trying to cover up something, but she also knew that in his old age it wasn't worth it to try to coax it out of him. Eventually he would stutter his way to an answer. While she wanted to pity him and tell him that it was ok, and he did not have to tell her, she knew that his answer was necessary. Eventually, after much humming and hawing and "by your leaves" he got it out. "They are in the great room, ma'am."
Isabella and John rushed to the great room. Even he was unnaturally silent. Isabella, for her part, could not speak if she wanted to. The butterflies in her stomach were too great. Her parents rarely went into the great room. Even as she tried to come up with an explanation, fruitlessly trolled through all possible explanations, she could only come up with one that matched the circumstances. Her parents had lied to her. They had called Rumplestilkin. That was why her normally overprotective mother had encouraged her to go to the mermaids at night, that was the reason for the whispered conversations in the morning, and the strange look in their eyes. There would be no other reason for them to go into the great room at this time of night.
She hurried up the stairs and barged into the great room. Everyone stopped and stared. One person screamed. She could tell they were all wound up tight. Well, who wouldn't be when you summoned a magical imp, whom no one could control? A person with absolutely no limitations and, as far as Isabella could tell from the stories, no morals.
She just stood there. A million different questions came to her mind but she chose silence as her weapon. She just stood there and looked at them. Eventually her father broke. "Isabella" he creaked. After a few moments of silence, figuring he had nothing else to say but her name, she asked the obvious question. "What are you all doing here?"
Her Dad, once again, was the first to answer. "Isabella, we listened to your plan, and we thought it through, but there was no way it was going to work! Kind George is getting ready for defending his own lands once we are defeated! He won't send an army to aid us!"
Isabella turned away.
"But you promised! You all promised! We do not know what this imp will ask for! We have nothing to offer!"
"We have gold" her father replied. We went through the treasury we have enough gold.
Isabella turned away in disgust. For the first time in her life, being ashamed of her father.
"What would a magician who spins straw into gold need with MORE gold?" she queried. At this her father just stared at her. She knew he was smart enough to figure this out. He just had refused to put it together. Gold would not satisfy the imp.
Instead of being cowed her father took the opposite approach. "I am still king here and this was MY decision! I looked at the options and this is what we are to do! We will pay his price WHATEVER it may be! Understood?"
Disappointed with her whole family Isabella stayed quite for a few minutes, trying to blink back the tears so as to not make a fool of herself. What exactly she was crying about she was unsure, just that this was not right, and it would not end well. Finally, with a heavy heart she replied. "Ok"
They waited for what seemed like hours in the great room. No one said anything. Every once in awhile someone would stand up and start pacing just to sit back down again. Isabella stayed with her father. While she was still angry with him, she was also nervous of what the Dark One would ask of him. She would hate for any of her family to be hurt. She knew, deep down, that her original plan put the townspeople at risk in an empty hope to save her family harm. While that was selfish, in this moment she knew she would have done anything to save her family from harm.
They had almost given up. Everyone had started to lose any hope that they had had.
"Maybe he will still come" Isabella said. She still was not a fan of this idea, but she hated the bleakness in everyone's eyes. She wasn't sure whether she wanted him to come or not, but if those she loved wanted him to come then she would keep hope alive.
She could tell that her father had all but given up home when they heard a bang. Immediately everyone jumped up and pulled their swords out. Her mother, father and Gaston all jumped in front of her in a gesture of protection. While she found it foolish, it also swelled her heart that in this time they still worried about her safety. They all inched closer and closer to the door, and Isabella half expected a scared rat to run out and make fools of them all in their high strung state. But no. There was just silence. And then.
"Bit of a let down don't you think" Chimed a high almost child like voice. With just those few words you knew that the person speaking was powerful beyond belief, and thoroughly mocking them. She heard at least two bodies hit the floor as two of the guards feinted dead away. She turned slowly not knowing what to expect. What she saw was surprising. He was a slight man, this Rumplestilkskin. However, he exuded power and intelligence. His skin was golden-green and his eyes were dark onyx. He was dressed impeccably with curly straw-like hair framing his face. He had a wide smile, which showcased a horrible set of teeth as he did a shrill giggle showing childlike glee. Isabella immediately felt like they were just players in his little play. Just the way he looked at them implied that he was, and always would be, two steps ahead of them. She had never seen such intelligence and such sarcasm in just a look, as if he was daring them to try something, to surprise him, yet he already knew how this would turn out.
Isabella tried to catch a breath but she could not. Just by looking at the Dark One she felt a mixture of panic, relief, fear, excitement, curiosity and terror. She knew that the game was already set. He knew what he wanted, whatever that might be, and he would just toy with them like a cat with a mouse until they were at their lowest point and capitulated. She, for one, decided right then and there not to give him the satisfaction. She caught his eye, held his gaze and straightened her back. He may have the power here but she refused to be intimidated. His gaze widened slightly and he gave a little smile, as if he welcomed the challenge.
"I received a message!" He giggled. Something to the effect of "Help! Help! Can you save us?!" He shouted with a little too much enthusiasm. "The answer is…yes… I can save your little town…for a price…" Gaston pointlessly drew his sword. Isabella sighed, she did not know quite what he intended to do with the sword. And Rumplestilkskin looked at him with disgust before flicking it away.
"We sent a promise of gold" her father tried. At Rumplestilkskin's look, her father looked like he deflated, realizing that Isabella had been correct, gold would not be enough.
"You see I make gold" Rumplestilkskin chirped, clearly enjoying making a fool of her father. Isabella bristled, not being able to do much but glare at him. While she had made the same point earlier, she did not believe anyone should be able to mock her father but herself.
"My price is…" at this Rumplestilkskin paused as if for dramatic effect, she could see everyone in the room hold their breath. Then he turned to her, smiling a wicked smile, knowing, already, that he had won and said simply: "her" pointing straight towards Isabella.
