Rumpel hurriedly flipped through the pages of a book. His eyes flicked back and forth tediously, lips chattering as he spoke to himself. He was searching for a spell, an important one at that.

The book itself looked nothing special; it was a dull black with only a slightly silver bind that looked as if it'd decayed over the years. On the top of the bind though it spelt out something quite familiar in fancy, black, bold lettering:

BARRIER SPELLS

He looked quite exhausted, beyond his breaking point too. He had a wicked plan up his sleeve, something that would break someone completely, maybe even another. Not physically as much, yet mentally, like… breaking a heart.

Finally he ceased his flipping and slammed both hands down on each side of the book. A slimy grin crept across his impish face as he eyed just what he'd been searching for all this time.

"Rumpel!" A voice boomed through the room, so ruthless that it could make anyone that was in that room jump twelve feet in the air. The doors had flown open, slamming hard into the walls behind them. The queen stood in the doorway, anger flourishing through her. Her top lip curled up revealing her clenched teeth. She briskly walked towards Rumpel.

Rumpel slowly shut his book, as if unaffected by the queen's rude arrival. He gripped the book in his right hand and flicked his wrist forward. The book disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke. Slowly, he turned to face the brunette dressed in a satin black dress who was now only about three feet away from him.

"Regina," he smirked as if it were a friendly, expected, greeting, "Can I help you?" His eye brows rose upwards, pressing the queen's anger forward even more than it was.

"What the hell do you want with Emma," Regina snapped stepping forward, crossing into Rumpel's personal space. Her once brown eyes gleamed with anger and had faded to black. Her lip was still curled up, revealing her scar even more so than usual. "Why is that of your concern, deary?" The man pressed forward into the breathing space of the queen, clearly not intimidated. "You stay away from her," Regina growled furious with Rumpel's usual attitude and glared at him. She waited a moment before turning on her heel, and making her way out of the room.

Rumpel let out a soft laugh, fed up at this point. "I always get what I want deary," he scoffed softly, "she's no different. And oh, she will be mine… permanently." A smirk lurched across his face as Regina's head spun around to glare at him. She opened her mouth to speak as a broken expression crept over her face, but she bit her tongue and continued out.

SQSQSQSSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Emma rammed her shoulder against the wooden door, rattling every object that was placed on the small dresser beside it. She groaned helplessly as the door remained intact. She ran her hand through her hair; her blonde locks fell evenly over her shoulders. Never had she felt this vulnerable, but she was a prisoner now and was as vulnerable as anyone else who obeyed the queen.

She let out a staggered sigh and slowly walked over to her bed. She flopped down onto her back and laid her arms over her stomach. Goosebumps sprawled across her arms at the cold touch of metal.

The sun was beginning to set over the large, forest covered hills. It'd been too long of a day for her liking and she decided the best thing at this point to do was sleep and hope for an idea in the morning. Gradually, she sat up and rested her elbows onto her thighs, placing her head into her hands.

It was peaceful for the time being. Emma indulged every moment of it. It'd been so long since she'd actually had time to sit back and take in everything around her. Even her room seemed so much more inviting and relaxing than it usually came across to her as.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. There was a loud clattering of heels coming down the corridor and the sound of the door rattling. Emma lifted her head abruptly, knowing just who the visitor would be.

For the first time, Regina slowly pushed open the doors without magic and stood silently. She eyed the blonde who had now stood up slowly. The brunette stepped into the bed chamber as the doors shut gently behind her.

Emma arched a brow and folded her arms slightly, clearly waiting for a statement from the queen first. "We need to talk," Regina quipped softly while stepping forward. Emma shifted her weight onto her left hip and let out a shaky breath waiting for the woman before her to continue.