Chapter 4: the agreement
I thought for days on ends, throughout the hours of midnight, but I could think of nothing. Then I remembered something one thing that I heard whisper of the Evil Queen doing to Rupunzel.
If the rumor is correct the Evil Queen locked her in a tower, cursed to an eternal sleep, but I believe the curse was broken with True loves kiss, that's it. 'True Love', the most powerful magic of them all. I need to that makes it look like it was all the work of the Evil Queen. I left the structure.
The Elders forest looked darker and glummer then before. Oh yes, that's why, the Elder doesn't own the forest now, but it's me how owns the forest, ' The Dark One'. This is no more the Elder's forest, but 'The Dark Forest'. I know of a few 'trick' I can use to give this place my own 'personal touch'. But first I have an 'agenda' to stick to.
Rupunzel lives in...wait where does she live, I guess I'll have to use magic to get me there then. The diamond lake. What, that makes no sense, last time I seen then diamond lake it was dried up, empty, deserted, and how did Rupunzel escape the curse. But then again, magic's always right.
The lake thrived in its radiant waters, they say its water has the ability to break any curse, but if used to cast a curse then that curse become 'unbreakable'. The crystal forest glows once more. There was a small hut near the lake but yet in the forest, 'House Of Rupunzel' , was engraved into a wooden sign at the front for the house. Come on, this is turning out to be easier than I thought, she's basically gave herself away to me on a silver plate. But it's not only her I'm after, it's that knight of hers that I'm after. I entered the house, it was clean as ever, as you would expect from such a person. "Knock, knock , knock"
To my surprise, I found her standing with a sword at the ready,"I'm sorry, was you expecting someone," she stood still wearing a ruby red dress with flames of blue sparkling though," it's going to take a lot more than a little, old sword to kill me, dearie," I snarled.
"What's happened to you," she said in surprise.
"What's happened to me, what's happened to you is the real question,dearie, last time I seen you, you were locked in a tower and now you will in the crystal forest and are married to your tru' love." I said back, "where is that Knight of yours anyway, I have a question to propose."
"What would you want with me," he said as he walked into the house, wearing his blood red cape with his sword at sight.
"I believe we have a common interest, the Evil Queen's life," silence fell, "if there's no Queen the only ones left to rule the kingdom is the Prince, you, and his wife, Rupunzel."
"So, what do you say, are you with me, who am I kidding of course you are, you both hate the Evil Queen." I laughed at myself, "training starts tomorrow , at sunrise, be ready."
Tomorrow came, there was a chill in the air, but what do I care. I waited and it was not long after he came into view. "Let's just see how good you really are first dearie, 'tis then we shall go after the Evil Queen," I said as I threw him a sword. His skills were rather impressive, but nowhere near enough to kill the queen, but that's not the plan though.
"That is enough, we set off on our journey to the castle at sunset tomorrow."
Tomorrow he shall die.
He came to the middle of the forest alone, he headed towards the castle, in silence. When he least expected it, I ripped his heart straight from his chest, and bottled it immediately. Now I'll just tell Rupunzel it was one of the Evil Queen's guards. I used magic and rushed to Rupunzel's house, and explained the 'incident', as soon as she left the house I ripped her ever so pure heart from her chest. It glowed a bright red, I bottle her heart instantly. That is the easy bit over this next come the trickier bit, the potion is easy, it's just trying to get the kingdom to trust me, but their want for revenge masks their morals.
I used magic to whisk me back to my 'house' in the Dark Forest, and went into the cauldron room, threw the two hearts into the cauldron, they fell synchronized. I waited for the puff of golden smoke, still I waited, then when I was just going to give up the smoke appeared, now just take a few bottles of the potion and I'm ready to go after the Evil Queen.
I need the people of the land only to make a deal with, and the only way to get the all into one place is magic, I'll just transport then all to the lands of sand where I shall display my agreement. Tomorrow is the big day.
I started to have a 'reputation' building around me, 'Rumpelstiltskin, maker of deals, braker of souls,'
But that didn't stop the young man, he must have been in his mid-twenties, coming to me before my evil rise.
I was sitting still in the tree tops, in The Dark Forest, I seen someone entering the forest boundaries, as he knocked the wooden hatch I jumped silently from the trees.
"Looking for me," I said, startling him,"so go on, spit it out, or are you just wasting my time."
"I have a deal I'd like to make, 'stiltskin," the man's voice quaked.
"What do you have that someone like me would want," I snarled.
"I'd like an eternal life, in return I'll tell you where your son is,"
"What, you know where he is," I grabbed him by the throat, "if you don't tell me I'll crush your heart, you wouldn't want that now would you."
" I don't know where he is but I do know of a way to find him," he struggled to say. I loosened my grip around his neck."But first I'll need something that belongs to him to find him with, I'll enchant a coin, where it falls on a map, he is."
"That's a mighty fine 'gift' you have there, isn't it," I said,"I don't believe I've seen you before, who did you say you were."
" I am the last of the kings guards," he announced humbly.
" The deal is made," I said as I used magic to summon a cape that belonged to my son, and a map of all the land. The cape was ice blue with flickers of pure gold shining through. The map was encased in a gold and mahogany seal engraved with my curse.
He ripped a part of the cape and dropped it into his pouch, a golden puff of smoke appeared. From the pouch he pulled a silver coin, it had a glowing flame around it, he flipped the coin and left in fall onto the unrolled map on the floor. It landed on The Evil Queen's castle, I lifted the coin expecting it to be hot, but it was ice cold. After a few seconds, the patterns from the coin emerged.
"Now I've done what I said where's my reward," he said.
"Be patient, magic takes time," I said as I cast a bottle and a spell book. To his I surprise I ripped his heart from his chest, from this I obtained his magic, and dropped the book and let it fall to the ground, next to a oak tree. I threw his heart, it hit the book and smashed, and the tree absorbed the smoke of his heart.
"Immortality is what you asked for, if you are a tree, you are never alive, how can you expert to die, immortal," I said to the emptiness.
It feels good to 'borrow' peoples magic. Then again borrow suggest that I am to give it back.
And how could I the forget girl that thought she tricked and trapped me.
Its was later winter when a girl, who wore pale rags, came to asking of one favor, to spin straw into gold, I gave her the first deal for free. It was simple enough, it wasn't that much, just about a pocket full. The following day she came back to me asking to spin double the gold or that the king would kill her in front of his whole region. I could see the deals were getting more personal now, so I put a price her emerald ring, it looks to be enchanted in some way. She agreed. But the following day she asked of something different, the room was full with straw but she didn't as for gold, she asked for the kings life, he is forcing her to marry him. But this time I changed the deal a little.
"The kings life for your first born," I said expect a no, but the girl surprised me. She agreed instantly.
With a puff of red smoke that ran through the castle, it reached the king. As soon as he breathed it in, he died. The girl ran out the door and locked it behind her. I went along with it, making it out like I couldn't escape. When midnight came a grabbed the ring of hers, grabbed the map, and dropped them both. The ring fell onto the map, it landed somewhere in the castle, so she can't be that far away. I used magic immediately to get me there.
I went into her chamber, and whacked my foot through the door,"knock, knock, knock, dearie" she awoke, to see me shadowing the light, "did you honestly think it would be that easy, Chaco."
"How do you know my name?" she surprisingly said.
"Magic knows all," I snarled, "I've decided to change the deal, only a little, instead of your first born's life, I'll just take yours instead."
Before she even registered what I said, I plunged my hand down into her chest, and ripped her heart out, it was black in color, and felt like ice. I crushed it, it revealed nothing, so the girl really did have an empty heart.
