Preparation for Engagement Part Two

"Okay, now what?" August asked when Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire returned to the main hall.

"I doubt the others will be so easily found," Bae replied.

"Those you did find, what were they doing?" Morraine asked.

"Seeking reinforcements." She nodded. Both had the same expression in their eyes.

"So what do we do now? Wait?" Rufio asked.

"Actually, we get in touch with the royal family," Rumpelstiltskin replied. "We plead our case, and they'll help us, hopefully."

"Alright, deal-making genius, you do it," Hook said. Several others looked at him. "What? Someone's gotta stay here and watch the fort, and I'm sure that now you can take care of yourself."

"Well, then, if you insist..." Hook glared at him, and Rumpelstiltskin all but ran out the front door.

OUAT

"So, Bae, how do your father and Hook know each other?" Belle asked. The sun was now well above the horizon, and the cloud hadn't reached the Dark Castle yet, or much of the rest of the Enchanted Forest, either, for that matter.

"I don't know," Bae replied. "According to the captain, they were military buddies, so whatever happened between them happened before I was born."

"So you don't know?"

"I've never heard of it until last night. I was just as surprised as all but two of them present, the two being the parties involved."

"Alright." Belle picked up an arrow from the quiver beside her and nocked it, aiming at the make-shift target cut into a large tree in the back garden. She loosed it before speaking again. "You're a sensitive, yes?"

"Yes."

"Do you feel, now that the knife is broken, that we might be able to have a relationship without his losing his powers?"

"So you seek a compromise between your seemingly-conflicting desires?"

"Yes."

"I can't be sure, but I'll tell you this: I can reasonably conclude that my father will be the last true Dark One to exist. I don't know if this makes him immortal and forever powerful, if not to the same extent as previously, but it would certainly be interesting to find out."

"So you believe I should experiment?"

"Perhaps, but ease into it. I don't want this falling apart on a suggestion from me or a whim of yours, but I doubt it. In case you haven't noticed, it looks a little like he's waiting for you to try."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I do."

She blushed and looked away for a moment. When she met his gaze again, she asked, "Will you be happy with me as a stepmother?"

"I've never had a mother, so who can I compare you to?"

"Still, will you be happy?"

"It's not much a matter of myself anymore, but you and my father and the family you'll have together."

"You'll be part of it. He just can't let you go."

"Personally I like you."

She smiled. "Thank you." Something rustled at the wall enclosing the garden, and Bae shot at it almost without looking. It fell without further ruckus. "I wish I could be that good."

"With me around, within the year, you will be," Bae said with a smile. "Your consistency is much improved."

"Thank you."

She and Bae both nocked arrows and shot at the same time. Both arrows landed in the center circle. He smiled. "Now that's cool."

"You pick that up from August?"

"How'd you know?"

"He talks like that."

"Yes, I did, to answer your question."

"What else did you learn from him?"

"How to ride that thing in the main hall, the motorcycle."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah." He studied another arrow for a moment and then nocked it. When fired, it split his previous arrow almost completely in half. Belle made an attempt to do the same but managed only to land an arrow close to her previous shot. "That's good, that's very good. But try not to focus on splitting your previous shot. It's better if you don't because arrows are expensive. And you're more likely to split the arrow if you aim for the center rather than the nock, or so I've heard."

"Oh, of course. Thanks."

"Absolutely. That's what we're here for."

They both nocked shots for another round.

OUAT

"Who is this guy?" Tuck asked.

"Shh..." Jesse said, stepping toward the hooded figure. "So you know who we are," she said to him.

"Yes," he replied, "as much as I need to. You are the boy's messengers, and I assume you're here with your true arrow to ask my aid on his behalf."

"Yes."

"So the problem you face is such that you do require the assistance of a spirit such as myself."

"Spirit?" Tuck asked.

"Shut up," Jesse snapped through her teeth. "Can you do it?" she asked the figure.

"I have no choice. I struck a deal with the boy."

"So when can we expect you?"

"When it gets most desperate, just like he said. Those are the terms."

Jesse nodded and held her hand out to the figure. "A pleasure," she said. "Nice to know where someone stands for once." He shook her hand and smiled. His head was now fully straight. Both Jesse and Tuck recognized his eyes. He stumbled back into the forest, but she merely said, "Good seeing you, Zoso," before turning and walking back into the forest.

"Frickin' Zoso?" Tuck asked in a harsh whisper. "Have you lost your mind?"

"This isn't my deal. It's Robin Hood's. We're just messengers." She walked past him, forcing him to follow.

OUAT

Rumpelstiltskin appeared out of his purple smoke in the courtyard of the royal palace and said to the nearest guard, "I'm here to speek to the Charmings."

"Yes, of course. This way please," the guard said quickly, and he led Rumpelstiltskin inside and up to the family's chambers. He merely said Rumpelstiltskin's name in announcement, and Rumpelstiltskin was promptly allowed entrance.

"What is it?" the prince asked, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but, uh, there's a cloud of vicious queen coming our way," Rumpelstiltskin said with his famous smile.

"Are you here to negotiate?" Snow asked tentatively, looking askance at the imp.

"I'm here because we need all hands on deck, as it were. We're about to be attacked by thousands of soldiers from Wonderland."

"How do you know this?" Charming asked.

"I know almost everything."

"What do we do now?" Snow asked.

"Prepare yourselves for war."