CHAPTER FOUR

A Hidden Destiny

"Wait, you know I was the Evil Queen?" Regina asked.

Ebony smiled. "How do you think I found you?"

Regina's mind was in a haze. "And you're okay with it? How did you find out?"

Flashback

"Listen! I told you to listen!" Cora screamed.

"I'm sorry!" Ebony replied, waving her arms around her head. "I don't understand why I have to learn spells. Why can't I just learn magic? I don't want to go around with a spellbook everywhere!"

"You're just like your mother, questioning everything," Cora said. Anger coursed through her veins. Purple magic formed in her hand, and she threw Ebony across the room in her fury. Ebony was on the edge of consciousness.

She struggled to stay conscious as she tried to blink the blurriness away. She looked at Cora with wide eyes. She dismissed the pain her body felt and the blood trickling down her neck.

"You know my mother?" Ebony whispered.

Tears sprung in her eyes. A new wave of yearning for a mother engulfed her. She had wanted to find her mother her whole life.

Ebony used to hate her mother, wondering what kind of mom she was to abandon her child. However, she started to think differently after Cora introduced herself as her grandmother. Surely her mother wasn't as mean and horrid as Cora. Maybe her mother wasn't such a bad person after all. She just wanted someone to take care of her and make her feel safe.

Cora realized the mistake she made, and desperately hoped Ebony wouldn't question any further. She wasn't supposed to know about her mother.

"I'm only doing what's best for you," she said. "Now clean yourself up and wipe away those tears. You have spells to learn. Goodbye!"

Cora prepared to magick herself out of the tower, but before she did so, she added, "I'll bring you more food next time."

Once she was gone, Ebony kneeled on the floor, sobbing. "Please, someone, help me."

"My, my, my," a high pitched, tantalizing voice spoke behind her. "Why would a lovely princess like you be crying on the floor?"

Ebony turned around to see who the person was.

"Let me introduce myself," he said as he bowed. "Rumplestiltskin."

Ebony curtsied. "I'm Ra-"

"You're Ebony," he said, completing her sentence.

She looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Rumple slowly paced in front of her. "I think it's quite appropriate to call you by your actual name, don't you think?

He turned around to find Ebony began to stutter. "O-of course...but how did you know-"

"Do you want me to call you by the name your grandmother chose? Ah, what was it again?"

Rumple pretended to think for a moment. "Oh, yes. Rapunzel," he said. "I do think Ebony suits you better though, especially with your black hair. It's similar to your mother's."

"You've met my mother?" she asked in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to propose you a deal," he said, sitting down on a chair. "I'm going to teach you magic and how to escape this tower."

"Cora is already teaching me," she said, taking a seat across Rumple.

"Indeed she is. However, she's teaching you spells. Do you really think she'd teach you how you'd protect yourself, how to escape this place?"

Ebony studied Rumple for a moment. "I can use my magic and do whatever I want?"

"A deal is when two parties are interested, dearie. You haven't listened to the rest of the deal yet."

"What do you want in return then?" Ebony asked, narrowing her eyes with suspicion.

"In return you are not allowed to find your mother or have any contact with her."

Ebony's smile faded. Rumple saw and held back a smile.

"...For now. I have great plans for her. She has a 'destiny' to fulfill, and I don't want you or your grandmother meddling with it. Now, do we have a deal?"

"Yes, but tell me when I can see her."

"When the time comes, you will know."

Ebony thought about it for a moment. "If I can't have any contact with my mother right now, can you at least tell me about her? Can you tell me where I'm from and who I am?"

"Alright" Rumple said while standing back up.

He looked around the tower. "Do you know anything about the outside world?"

Ebony couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yes, I know about the outside world. I'm not dumb, I'm just alone, secluded."

Rumple raised his hands up, chuckling. "I'm just asking dearie, no need to be mad. Anyway, you should know about the Evil Queen, yes?"

She replied as if she was reading a book. "Yes. She's the wife of the late King Leopold and the stepmother of Snow White. She is also known as the most vicious woman that anybody knows. She's the one who's suspected of killing the king, and is now out for Snow White-"

"Alright, alright. I didn't need you to repeat everything. Your grandmother has been telling you a lot about her, wasn't she?" he asked, grinning.

She nodded. "What does that have to do with me?"

"It's funny how you ask that," Rumple said. "She's your mother dearie"

"What?" she exclaimed. "How? She's evil, she killed innocent lives."

"But she's still your mother. She doesn't know she is one though.

"So she doesn't know I'm her daughter? Is that why I'm locked up here?" she asked.

He cocked his head to the side. "That is one reason why you're locked here, but there is another. One that is quite interesting.

"What might that be?"

"You," He pointed at her. "are probably the most powerful sorceress in the world."

Ebony was silent, eyeing him with confusion.

"You are the product of true love."

"I thought you said my mother was the Evil Queen. She killed the King and is currently trying to kill her step-daughter!"

"You are the daughter of Regina, but the father is not the King. She once fell in love with a stable boy, but sadly his life was-" He thought about it for a moment. "-cut short. You come from a very complicated family and there was a time when your mother also became scared, desperate, and wanted help. She was the one who called me," he said, chuckling.

"Who did she fear?" she asked, curiosity getting the best part of her.

"Why dearie, the same person you fear." Rumple stopped talking for a moment. Cora."

Rumple took one glance at Ebony's dumbfounded face and spoke again.

"Now then," he said. "How about we stop this chattering and begin your training."

Flashback Ends

Regina's mouth was agape. "Rumpelstiltskin was the who saved you from my mother?"

"I'm glad you're here now," Ebony said and smiled.

"Me too," Regina said, eyes filling up with tears. "And I am not ever going to leave you." She began to wipe away her tears.

Silence crept its way into the conversation. Regina couldn't stand it anymore and exhaled. "We've been in this house for far too long. Maybe we should go out."

Ebony gleamed with excitement.

"Can you go to the Diner alone first? I need to sort out some things with Gold," Regina said as she stood up.

Ebony looked at her suspiciously. "What are you going to do?"

"I am just going to thank him, and ask him some questions," she said as she ushered her daughter out.

Regina made sure Ebony knew the directions to Granny's before walking away herself. She headed towards Gold's pawn shop, thinking about the things she should say and the things she could say.

The bell chimed and Gold looked at the door expectantly. "Your majesty, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just had a very interesting talk with Ebony. She told me her first encounter with you."

"Oh, really? Then why might you be here?"

"I want to thank you," she said bluntly.

His face showed his surprise. "Thank me?"

"Yes, I want to thank you for saving my daughter from my mother," she said, glancing down at the floor.

"I sense that there is more to this," he said, placing both his hands on the counter.

She looked up at him. "There is also something I would like to know."

He gestured for her to continue.

"When Ebony was telling me about your encounter, she also told me about the deal you two agreed upon."

"What about it?'

"You never ask for something simple. 'Not to have contact with your mother'? That's too simple for you. If she had found me when I was Queen, you would have easily stopped her, so why propose that deal? What do you want from her? What kind of 'destiny' does she need to fulfill in your sick and twisted little game?"

"You are indeed smarter than I thought," he mused.

"Tell me what does she have to do." Anger was slowly forming on her face. "I know you can see the future. What is it."

"When the time comes, you'll know," he said at last, smiling inside.

"I will find out," she said angrily.

Regina turned around and stalked out the door, slamming the door behind her. Gold flinched at the sound of the bell clashing with the door, but afterwards a wide grin slowly appeared on Gold's face.

He knew what Ebony was destined to do. It was inevitable. He knew it was to happen, but he just didn't know when or how.

She is to kill Cora.

The Charmings and Red were at the diner, still shocked from the revelation about Regina's daughter.

"I can't believe she's Rapunzel!" Red exclaimed.

"I can't believe Regina has a daughter," Charming said.

"I cannot believe she's Rapunzel." Red repeated, still in shock.

Granny passed by their booth just in time to hear about Regina and her daughter.

"Wait...Rapunzel is Regina's daughter?" Granny asked. "That sweet little girl is the Evil Queen's child?"

"Apparently so," replied Emma, looking up from her coffee.

Snow came to a realization and looked at Charming, grinning. "I have a step-sister!"

Emma groaned and ran a hand down her face. "This family is so messed up."

The bell chimed and in walked Ebony. When Granny turned around to see who it was, she wore a surprised expression. Ebony rushed towards Granny giving her a tight hug. "I missed you so much."

Granny smiled, returning the hug. "I missed you too."

Ebony was a little embarrassed and looked at The Charmings. Charming pulled a chair over towards their booth and held it out for Ebony. Charming smiled. "Snow's excited to know her step-sister."

Ebony only smiled, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Um, so, what do you want to know about me? There's really nothing that's interesting in my life."

Snow glanced at Charming and Emma, but then back to Ebony. "It's okay. Really. Anything will do."

"Alright. My mom named me Ebony but..." she hesitated. "I was taken away by my grandmother after I was born. She changed my name to Rapunzel and locked me up."

Neither the Charmings nor Red spoke.

"However, I did hear from Rumplestiltskin that my mom fell in love," she said while glancing up at the Charmings.

Snow smiled. "I met him once. I didn't talk to him, but your mother did truly love him."

"Did you meet him?" Ebony asked eagerly. Her face lit up with embarrassment after they saw what she'd done.

Snow smiled, hoping a bond would form. "Of course, ask me anything."

Ebony gave a sly smile. "What happened to my father? I know he died, but how?"

Charming and Snow were stunned, not knowing how to answer the question.

Just as about to say something, the bell chimed and Regina came through, clearly searching for her daughter. Regina saw the stunned expression on Snow and Charming's faces.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry we haven't updated in a long time. Exams are coming up for us and we're struggling to find time to update the chapters. Plus, we have a huge project that we need to finish!

We'll try updating as soon as possible.

Review, favorite, follow, and all that good stuff. Thanks for all the support you guys have given us so far. We really appreciate it!

-Skye

P.S. We apologize if this chapter bored you. You're going to see more action in later chapters, we promise.