Ugh...
No one has any idea how much this chapter irked me... I loved writing the first bit of it but it didn't feel complete so I kept writing like 3 other drafts of the rest of it and this is what I came up with... I hate that I have the feeling the Rumpelstiltskin is out of character in this chapter... At least at the ending part.
Well, despite the listed above facts, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to review!
-OUAT-
Chapter 3- Rumpelstiltskin
This is so unacceptable, Sally thought, seething through clenched teeth as scaly hands clutched her own small, pale one and hip that was covered by the ugly dress she was being forced to wear. Highly unacceptable…Just like having to share a room with this bastard.
It had been just barely over a month since Rumpelstiltskin made the deal with the queen and moved into the castle. The snow was gone and taking its place was wet, muddy ground and, of course, the tricky dealmaker, Rumpelstiltskin. Not only did he move into the castle but Sally had to share her already crowded room with the ugly, green-gold colored fiend. She constantly felt sick whenever she was around him, finding him repulsing enough as it is but for him to be invading her living space…? Sally had found going to bed knowing he was in the same room was more than just a little unnerving.
After the queen had allowed Rumpelstiltskin to stay in the castle—move into Sally's room— he had pulled Sally aside to speak with her.
"I saved you tonight, my dear," The demonic green-gold man grinned from ear to ear, whispering as not to be overheard. "And for that, there is a price."
"I owe you nothing," The girl had spat back in his smiling face. "I made no deal with you, Rumpelstiltskin!"
"Ah but dearie, I saved you from a beating that would have more than likely taken your life," Rumpelstiltskin pointed out, walking closer to her, making her back up against a wall. He placed a hand on either side of her head, keeping her there against the wall, dark eyes jeering at the fear present on her now-healed face. He pressed his blistering, dry lips to her ear and breathed out, "And like I said; you now owe me a debt. After all, all magic comes with a price." The "-ice" was hissed, his hot, moist breath tickling Sally's ear.
She turned her head away and snarled quietly, "You did no magic therefor I owe you nothing-!"
"Oh but I most certainly did use magic. Don't you remember? I put a spell on the cup bearer to silence him and, not only did I heal your wounds by using magic, but I also was able to make sure that your blood loss didn't cause your pretty little head to hurt." He reached down and stroked her cheek then. "That is magic, my dear. Most positively so. And, like I said. All magic comes with a price."
Sally knocked his hand away and glared hatefully up into his face, forcing her fear down, hating herself for trembling before this awful man, cursing the fact he had such power over her. Through clenched teeth, she fumed out mellifluously, "What is your price?" Rumpelstiltskin grinned cockily. He leaned his forehead against hers making her shutter disgusted at the touch and at the stench of his breath. It smelt of onions and rotted cheese.
He reached a lanky finger down and stroked the girl's jawline softly, feeling her soft, pale skin under his rough, sparkly green-gold. It was warm and full of life while his… well, his was cold and dead looking, scaly and dry like an alligator from our world. The sneer on his face slowly began to drop and his eyes went far off, as if going to another world or time, lost in the land of his memories. She watched him from the corner of her eyes at first before turning her head to face him, puzzled by his sudden change as he caressed her skin.
Rumpelstiltskin didn't see Sally there anymore, didn't feel her skin under his. Instead, there was another woman. Soft, plump, beautiful skin under his, not the thinness that Sally had from lack of food. No; this woman was beautiful unlike Sally who was plain looking and dully. The woman's hair was golden and her eyes a beautiful dark green. Her breath, in the memory he was suddenly stuck in, was warm and comforting on his skin which was back then as human as hers, not scaly.
But it wasn't just her face he was touching in the memory. His hands traveled downward, to her neck, to her chest, feeling her full breasts, kneading them and earning a moan from the woman. Her hands, too, ran over him, over his shoulders, his chest, his back, his neck… and lower. He was gentle with the woman, a gentleness he hadn't used in so long he had forgotten he possessed. There was a sudden overwhelming pleasure down below and he let out a soft, airy groan causing the woman to laugh softly. Oh how he loved that sound… it was like music. Stunning, exquisite music that filled him up. It was the sound he lived for, the sound he would willingly die for.
He touched her and, in turn, made her moan. He kissed her neck gently, with passion and suckled it softly planting a few bites here and there on the unmarked skin. Her groin pressed against his and he hissed in pleasure, pulling her to him, tighter against his own body. He buried his face in her neck and her long golden hair there, in taking her scent –rosemary and thyme, he remembered—and slowly entered her with ease. She gasped and moaned in complete pleasure and he sighed as he settled there.
When he began to move, they both moaned, hands wondering everywhere, lips traveling anywhere they could reach, tongues licking, teeth marking each other as theirs. Higher and higher they went, pressure building, voices gaining volume. It became more passionate, more violent, and more beautiful.
"Rumpelstiltskin…"
His name… his name had fallen from her lips and—ohh god—did it sound good. He, too, moaned her name, burying his face once more into the crook of her neck, kissing and sucking there. The pressure was almost too much for them both.
He voiced a warning and, calling her name and making his love known, he let go. She cried out his name as she went with him and, once he was empty, he collapsed, breathing heavy, taking in the smell of rosemary and thyme mixed with sweat and sweet, sweet sex…
"Rumpelstiltskin?"
He blinked, pulling himself out of the memory and looked up into Sally's brown eyes. Brown… not green… not his wife's… brown hair… not golden… not yellow… thin skin… not plump… not beautiful… plain, dull Sally… not his wife… never, ever his wife… not again… never…
He removed his hand from her and stepped back, not even noticing how Sally relaxed significantly when he stepped away. He turned away and walked over to the window, looking out at the darkening sky, watching the sunset. His wife had always loved the sunset…
"Rumpelstiltskin?" Sally repeated his name, confused as to why he was acting this way. There was no reply. "Rumpelstiltskin, sir?"
He licked his cracked lips and croaked out, "What, my dear?"
"Your price? What is your price for you "saving" me?" She sneered revolted, mocking the man's earlier words. Rumpelstiltskin tore himself away from the window, away from the orange and purple-black sunset and walked back over to Sally who tensed up once more. He stroked her cheek lightly with the back of his fingers and leaned down, pressing his lips to her forehead. As he did, he drew in her scent. She smelt of pine and horse stable but, below that, oranges. Her skin wasn't at all like his wife's. It was too frail, too thin.
He pulled away and muttered, "That is all." Then, he left the room silently as a shadow, not once looking directly at her since he turned from the window.
His actions had been curious, Sally thought, but now they didn't matter. They seemed like a dream and the kiss, the touch of their skins, appalled her, so it was better off thought of as a dream. Besides, he was now back to his old, sickening self. Mocking her, testing her patients. And—ouch!—prodding on her feet as he failed to teach her how to dance "properly", an order from the queen.
"Okay!" Sally shouted, throwing her hands up into the air and stopping her movements. "That's enough!" Rumpelstiltskin, however, continued to waltz without a partner. Even after Sally marched over to the record player, wincing as her aching feet screamed at her to stop the movements, and stopped it, he continued to dance with an invisible partner, humming his own tune and smirking.
Repulsing, she thought arms on her hips as she glared at the man who seemed not to notice her any longer. Absolutely repulsing.
Rumpelstiltskin spun his invisible partner before picking the dance back up again. Sally suddenly got an idea and, sneering, she slipped off her dress slipper and aimed it before bringing it back and letting it go. It flew through the air and knocked Rumpelstiltskin right in the head. He froze, not dropping his arms, his humming now ceased, back to the girl.
"That's for stepping on my feet you great clumsy brute!" She snapped. Slowly, Rumpelstiltskin turned to her, arms dropping just as slow. Then, he was in front of her, nose tip just millimeters from hers. Her eyes widened as fear ceased her heart and she staggered backward but, unlike what he did with the poor boy, he did not catch her. She fell onto her bum and stared up at the man towering over her, a dark furious look on his face.
Here is comes… She thought. I'm going to be beat—
Rumpelstiltskin raised his hand above his head as if to slap her and she flinch violently, arms coming up to protect herself, knees being pulled to her chest, eyes squeezed shut. Rumpelstiltskin's eyes ranked over the girl quickly. She was wearing the dress the queen had set out for her, a white hem and short sleeved dress with dark blue sparkly torso and stomach/back areas. The hem came down at an angle and was fluttery, stopping just below her knees. It wasn't a very modest dress but it was pretty, even on someone as plain and boring as the slave girl.
Something began eating at Rumpelstiltskin as he watched her cower but he quickly pushed it aside and let his hand fly, giving her a hard smack across the face despite her fettle attempts to protect it. The sound of the contact echoed around the room and a large bruise began to form instantly on the reddened skin.
"Don't ever throw anything at me again," He snarled as Sally caressed her cheek gently, nursing it. "Ever!" She looked up at him, her widened brown eyes swelling with tears. This just angered the demon more and he raised his hand again but stopped as Sally flinched back, hiding her face, whimpering inaudibly. It reminded him of someone who he used to know very well, someone who had died at the end of the war, after he picked up that dagger…
Kiss my boot!
The words were screamed in his head and they echoed throughout his being. Slowly, he lowered his hand to grab hold of the girl's arm and lift her up. He walked over and grabbed her slipper handing it to her.
"Put it on," he ordered. "We have more work to do." She snatched it and backed away from him, eyeing him carefully before slipping it onto her small foot. He turned away and restarted the music. "Over here. Now then, instead of shuffling around in a square, it's supposed to be in a circle…"
Sally awoke in the night, cold and shivering.
At the foot of her mattress was Rumpelstiltskin, sleeping on his own, new, mattress in an actual bed frame and with thick blankets. His breathing was even so Sally assumed he was asleep and quietly stood, pulled on her boots and fur jacket, and creeping to the door.
Rumpelstiltskin's eyes shot open as the door began to open and in a flash, he was there, grasping her wrist, stopping her, lips on her ear. He huskily whispers, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, dearie." Sally tried to tug her arm free.
"Let go of me!" She hissed, trying to pry his fingers off.
"Hmm… I think not," He snickered ruefully, laughing as she struggled harder against his vice grip. "I much prefer you at my mercy."
"You ass," Sally snarled, attacking his bicep with her closed fist, hard. "Let. Me. Go. Now. Or else I'll scream."
"Please do," Rumpelstiltskin said boredly, examining his nails as the girl struggled. "No one will come, dearie. Surely you must know that."
"Let me go!" Sally yelled. Rumpelstiltskin grinned foxily.
"For that," He said. "There is a price."
"There always is with you!" Sally snapped, trying again to tug her arm free, hitting his arm with her fist.
"Indeed." The dealmaker replied.
"What is it you so desire?" Sally snipped sarcastically, eyes flashing wrathfully. She's a feisty little one isn't she? Rumpelstiltskin thought, grinning broadly, yellow teeth exposed making Sally grimace.
"Sing me a song." Came the reply, making Sally freeze.
"No," she said. "No. You telling the queen is what—."
"Save you from being killed, girl," Rumpelstiltskin spoke calmly. "And that is what I want. Sing me a song, then I shall release you." Sally's brown eyes narrowed hatefully and so, through clenched teeth, she began to sing for the imp before her;
Girl stood on the rocks with the water at her feet
the sun on her skin and a tear on her cheek
With her hand on her chest and the wind in her hair
Underneath her breath like a beggar's prayer she said
I miss you, come back to me
I wish you'd come back to me
But nobody heard
And the world turned and the world turned and the world turned
And thats when the girl reached in her pocket
pulled out a silver heart-shaped locket
Opened it up and stared for a while at her faded boy
with a lazy smile, oh how
I miss you, come back to me
I wish you'd come back to me
But nobody heard
And the world turned and the world turned and the world turned
And she walked to the deepest part of the river
And she thought about diving in
She imagined how the current would overtake her
How easy it would be to disappear
But instead she tossed the locket
In the cool, blue, water
That night in her bed, she let herself weep
She let herself cry herself to sleep
And there in a dream somewhere in the night
Saw the boy and the locket by the riverside, saying
I miss you, come back to me
I wish you'd come back to me
But nobody heard
And the world turned and the world turned and the world turned
Rumpelstiltskin listened, silent the entire time and, as promised, released her when she finished. Without saying a word, he went and laid back down in bed then looked over at Sally.
"Come, you look cold." He said, lifting the blankets for her along with his arms. When she didn't move he shrugged and laid back, arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. The wind blew and Sally shivered once more, even with her fur coat on, causing the fiend to chuckle roughly. In the next room, grunting noises erupted along with creaking. Sally groaned in dismay.
"Can't they go one night without having sex?" She complained, not really realize she had spoken aloud. Rumpelstiltskin laughed again.
"Oh dearie, there is so little that you know even about the people you live your life with. Now, come. Otherwise you will freeze."
With a hmph sound she turned and walked back to her own mattress and laid down, pulling her thin blanket up to her chin, keeping her coat on. She heard her roommate sigh then turn over to face the window.
"Suit yourself."
Soon he was asleep again but she lay awake, shivering and chattering, listening to the queen and huntsman having sex. Eventually, when she was unable to feel her toes and fingers and the two next door were on their third round of the night, she got up and walked over to Rumpelstiltskin's bed, trying not to wake him as she lifted the covered and crawled under them, back facing his back. She closed her eyes and, warm finally, pulled the blankets over her head to better shut out the noise of sex before falling asleep once more.
The next morning, when Sally awoke, her fur coat was off and folded neatly laying on her table where her make-up and hairbrush lay. Rumpelstiltskin was nowhere in sight but the sun was up and there was music coming from the ball room. So, with a heavy sigh, Sally stood, putting on the dress and slippers she had worn during her dance lessons the day before, brushing her hair quickly and applying a little mascara for once. After deciding to leave her hair down, she walked downstairs and into the ballroom where Rumpelstiltskin was dancing with his invisible partner again.
He grinned when he saw her and swooped over to her, grabbing her hand in his placing his other on her hip. She placed her free hand on his shoulder and began to follow his lead, him counting, voice like rough granite, "One, two, three. One, two, three. Once, two, three."
And so, the lesson began.
A few weeks past with nothing happening. Sally would refuse to sleep in Rumpelstiltskin's bed each night but end up joining him when wearing her fur coat to bed did nothing to fend of the cold air and each morning when she woke her coat would be folded on top of her table and Rumpelstiltskin would be gone. Each morning they started with dancing lessons then went to eat breakfast then Sally would escape outside, dressed in normal clothes, to visit the horses. Undine was close, she reported to the queen, to giving birth. And Sally knew exactly what that would mean; as soon as the colt was weaned off his mother's milk he would be sold in town along with a few of the other unwanted horses. He would be ripped away from his mother, just like Sally had been from hers.
Sally quickly pushed that thought aside, not wanting to think about it. Instead, she focused on brushing Undine's mane, unaware of Rumpelstiltskin watching her.
He only did so for a few minutes before sneaking away, going through the forest and heading to town.
After brushing the horse's mane, Sally left to go upstairs and change out of her dirty and muddy clothes. When she got there and saw the Rumpelstiltskin was gone, she smiled barely. Finally some time to herself.
She sat down on her mattress and took off her boots and, as she did so, she happened to glance over and under the bed where the trickster slept and saw a box hidden within the shadows. Frowning, she crept over to it and pulled it out, trying to keep the scrapping against the stone quiet. When it was out, she lifted the lid and almost as hastily threw it back down and pushing the box away, flinging herself back with a scream.
She looked at her hands. Blood! There was blood on her hands from the organs inside the box. She felt bile building up in the back of her throat and she turned over, vomiting harshly. It lasted for a few minutes before she was dry heaving. She closed her eyes, feeling herself trembling.
Organs, she thought. What was he doing with organs? Hearts, brains, and livers. Where did he get them and what did he need them for…?
The clicking of boots on stone came from the doorway and Sally looked up to see Rumpelstiltskin standing there. He looked at her then his eyes slid over to the box, the lid still half off. Slowly, a mad grin spread across his scaly face, his dry lips cracking slightly, yellow teeth clenching.
"So," He spoke through those clenched teeth, his ebony eyes flashing with laughter and spite. "You've been snooping have you, dearie?" Sally could not speak, all she could do was stare at Rumplestiltskin with wide, brown eyes, fear encasing her entire being, it showing clearly on her face, her body trembling aggressively, sweat coating her forehead and palms. She shook her head barely and opened her mouth but when nothing came out she closed it. Rumpelstiltskin walked forward, closing the door with a soft click and locking it. He walked to the box, left foot in front of right, right in front of left, and bent down righting the lid before pushing it back under the bed, it being eaten by the shadows there. Then, he stood up straight and turned, smile still plastered on her face, to the fearful girl in the corner, by the pile of her own vomit. With careful steps, he walked towards her, body language aggressive.
That's when she saw it; the knife in his pocket, in the small sheath that was hidden by the cloak he wore. It was only for a split second when the wind blew the cloak back, but she knew what she had seen. That was what broke her.
She opened her mouth and let out a very loud, very powerful scream of pure terror.
-OUAT-
How OOC was he? Was the chapter any good?
Am I moving too fast...?
Review please! :DD