As soon as Calum stepped into the convent, eyes were upon him. He could easily tell which person was a fairy, and it wasn't because he could sense their magic. It was the intensity of their stare making him feel uncomfortable. It was easy being near one fairy, even if she was the strongest, but having near a dozen more watching him wasn't. He shook off the feeling as he walked up to a nun and asked her where their leader was. She told him that Ruel Ghorm was gone at the moment and he could wait for her, which he did. But as soon as he was clear of the fairy's watchful gaze, he slipped into the room where he could sense the strongest magic, signifying it was the Blue Fairy's office.
He closed the door behind him, knowing he would have to be quick. He had no doubt that one of the fairies would contact Ruel Ghorm and inform her of his presence, and he had no idea how quick she would arrive. He sent out his magic across the room, spreading it thinly so it could reach all corners and gaps quickly, searching for the wand. It wasn't there. Grimacing, he turned around to leave but halted when he saw who stood in his way.
He smirked. "You arrived far quicker than I had expected."
"What are you doing in my office?" Blue retorted.
Calum looked at her, realizing she wasn't in the mood for games. Since he didn't have the time either, he cut to the matter at hand.
"I need your wand."
"What?" Blue's eyes widen. She was certain she heard wrong.
He sighed. "I was going to 'borrow' it for a moment, as I knew you wouldn't willing hand it over, but I can't seem to find it."
"I wouldn't even let you borrow it." She hissed.
Calum smiled at her irritation. "The humans have a plan to send me back home. I'll be honest, it's not the best plan, but considering the circumstances and the resources available," He shrugged. "It will work."
"And what exactly is the plan?" Blue asked.
The elf brought his hands together in front of him, taking a relaxed pose. "They are using a hat that I learned they've often employed for portal jumping. Interesting idea really, but it won't work. Not at the moment."
Blue crossed her arms, having yet to move from her spot in the doorway. But Calum had not made a move to leave either, so she felt there was no sense in starting a fight. "What do you mean?"
Calum explained to her the plan everyone had and how her wand was required, yet he was careful to leave certain information out. He did not want the fairy following him. While it was not allowed for her kind to enter into his lands, he knew that being the strongest of all the fairies, and the one to live the longest, Blue could do damage if she arrived near Eliron. Or worse.
Blue listened to the plan. She understood why her wand was needed and agreed to help, though she didn't like it. But if it helped to rid her of the elf, it would be worth it. She held out her hand and opened her palm. In a blink her wand appeared.
"Very well. But I use my wand." She informed him.
Calum smiled. "Of course."
"Rumple, are you alright?"
It wasn't long after the group left the pawnshop to get ready for one more attempt at getting the hat to work, and already Belle had asked him how he was doing. He smirked. He loved her more than he could ever imagine, but he could only reassure her a finite number of times with words that he was alright. Soon he would have to wrap her in his arms and assure her in another way.
"Sweetheart, I'm alright."
"Are you sure?" She asked, fiddling with her fingers as he sat on the bed. She noticed earlier that he was leaning heavier on his cane, but they both knew she wasn't asking about his leg.
Rumplestiltskin smiled, hoping to lighten the mood. "Do you not want me to be alright?"
He chuckled at her expression, feeling slightly guilty for making her think he thought she wanted him hurt.
"No! I mean-yes, um…"
He laughed. He held out his hand for her to take. With their fingers intertwined, Belle let him pull her down so she could sit next to him.
"Rumple-"
"Belle." He stopped her. "This is hard, and I still refuse to believe it."
"I know you do." She quickly added. "And it's not the best time for a stranger to come here and tell you…"
She drifted, feeling guilty. Why did she have to be so persistent about the idea? She knew Rumplestiltskin wasn't a prince. Everyone knew that. But she had wanted the darkness gone for so long and now that it was, there were so many possibilities! He could be good man now. A better man. Did she have to reach so far and ask him to be a prince too?
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
"What for?" He placed a finger under her chin, pulling her face up to look at him.
"I'm asking for too much, I know that. It hasn't even been a whole week after…I'm sorry. I just.."
He smiled. Belle was a person who often knew how she felt. To see her lost for words was quite a sight. Though he felt he shouldn't tell her that. He knew he had plenty of moments where he was completely lost for words around her. Rumplestiltskin, the master of deal making and twisting what one said to fit his own needs, couldn't form a complete sentence around the woman he loved.
"Belle, I know you have high hopes for me, but do you honestly believe I could be a prince?" He asked.
Belle gave a sad smile, caressing a hand on his cheek. "Rumple, I love you. Whether you're the Dark One or just a pawnshop owner. You don't have to be anything else."
He smiled, or at least he tried to. He wanted to believe her, but he didn't know how. He didn't know how to be anything else now. His magic was gone. The curse was gone. For three hundred years he had been the Dark One, the stuff of nightmares in the Enchanted Forest and even in the small town of Storybrooke. Before that he was a cripple. Now he was a cripple again. But most importantly, he was a coward. He didn't know what else to be.
Before he could tell her, Belle leaned forward and kissed him. And he got lost. He pulled her face closer to him and deepened the kiss, forgetting for a moment who he was.
Everyone had gathered at the town hall. Emma had believed that the hat simply didn't have enough space before in the pawn shop to work, but Rumplestiltskin wondered if she was merely covering up her lack of faith. He knew she had enough magic to get the hat to function, regardless of the amount of space, so he knew her abilities weren't the issue. Calum had mentioned before his home was hidden and so the hat couldn't locate it. Since the hat couldn't find his realm, it couldn't open. Which was why he had gotten the Blue Fairy to help with the process.
Ruel Ghorm was now standing next to the Charmings, her loyal followers, as Emma and Calum stood on the opposite side of the hat. Hook stood next to the Savior, a fact Rumplestiltskin could see his son did not like considering his expression, but it lightened when Neal saw his own son. Henry was standing eagerly next to his adoptive mother, excited to see magic once more. He had seen his mother preform spells, potions, and even conjure a fireball in the past, and while it was as he put it cool, Henry found it rather fascinating that a simple hat could transport one to another world. Rumple wondered if the events of Neverland had already left the boy's mind. If so, he envied his grandson.
Rumple rubbed his hand on the handle of his cane nervously. He had not wanted to come. He wasn't even sure why all the others, such as Hook, was here. He had only been present in the last attempt because the heroes had somehow thought it was a good idea to perform the magic act in his small shop. However, he knew that he would not settle down until he was certain the elf and his far-fetched stories were gone.
And you're okay letting him go with all of your answers?
He shook his head. He was accustomed to hearing voices in his head, a fact that would land anyone without a curse in the asylum, but they were different now. Before the voices had been the previous Dark Ones to ever exist. Now they were different aspects of his characters. The imp was still a part of him, but the coward in him spoke even louder now. However, he couldn't place what part of him this new voice he kept hearing was. He ignored it and its question. He didn't care. At least that's what he kept telling himself.
Rumple watched beside Belle as Emma, Calum, and Blue worked to get the hat working again. It took a few moments just as before, but soon everything began to work as they had planned. Wind picked up in the town hall and they watched as the hat begin to spin on its own and soon turned into a swirling vortex, opening a portal. Though he no longer had his magic, Rumplestiltskin could see each part of their magic working. Emma's magic had opened the vortex, Calum's magic was focusing the hat to the correct location, and Blue was using her wand to steady the portal. It had worked.
Everyone watched colorful magical display for a moment before they turned their attention to Calum.
"Are you ready?" David shouted out over the wind.
"I want to thank you for your help. I'm truly grateful." The elf shouted back.
"It was no problem."
"Let's just hope this worked." Regina said.
"Yes," Calum replied. "Let's hope. Otherwise, I'm sure I will be in trouble."
Emma looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Calum looked at her quickly before turning his gaze to the shop owner. Fear began to build up in Rumple, as it was already there, and he saw the look on Calum's face. He knew that look. It was a mixture of determination for his plan and slight guilt for what he was about to do. But Rumple didn't speak up. He wanted to, but he also knew there was nothing they could do to stop the elf. It was too late.
Before anyone could react, Calum spread out his hands and the portal moved with them. Soon the vortex was beneath everyone's feet and they began to fall, their vision becoming a swirling colorful haze before turning to black.
Years ago on the outskirts of Eliron:
The elfin woman had woken her son up in the middle of the night. She had just a few clothes packed for him and a few bites of food. The young boy, too tired to question the need to wake up so early, followed his mothers instructions and got ready. He dressed himself and followed her outside. Seeing that the sun wasn't up he asked, "Mother, what are we doing?"
The mother didn't speak for a few moments, and her son didn't notice that the few clothes she had packed were only enough for him. They walked for hours in the night, the woman holding tightly on to her son's arm that he feared it would leave a bruise. It wasn't until the sun began to rise did the child realize where they were headed.
"Mother? Where are we going? Why are we headed towards the forest?"
He was only eight years old. He wasn't he prettiest kid in the town. In fact, he was the ugliest. Even his mother agreed. Most elfin children had pale and fine faces, while his was more plump and dark in color. Unlike most elves, he didn't have long thin and beautiful hair, but rather a mess of brown curls. The only physical trait of his that one would associate with him being an elf was his eyes. They were a piercing green, but he never knew that when his mother looked at him, she never saw her son, but another. Another face she knew she could only forget by taking her son away.
"Mother?!" The boy cried out. Fear rose in him as the woods grew closer. He had heard plenty of stories from the other kids how goblins liked to feed on bad children. Whenever a child misbehaved, their parent would leave them in the forest and they would never be seen again.
The boy began to cry. He knew he wasn't the best child. He messed up a lot. But whenever he asked his mother what he did wrong, he would receive a slap or she would yell at him. He never knew why. He could see hate in her eyes when she looked at him and he never knew why.
They reached the edge of the forest and stopped. The boy watched the trees and emptiness with tearful frightened eyes. He looked up at his mother. His heart broke. She bore no expression but a stoic stare. Soon they heard rustling in the leaves. He looked ahead, even though he was afraid, and saw four goblins appear. He cried out and tried to run, forgetting for a moment that his mother was still holding onto him. Realizing that his mother wouldn't let go, he stood behind her and held on to her dress, scared and confused.
Despite his great fear, he spoke up, "Mother…." he whispered so softly. "What's happening? What did I do?" He cried.
The goblins approached closer until they stopped, the edge of the forest dividing goblin and elf.
"What do you want?" One of the monsters asked. "Why have you come?"
For the first time since she had awoken him, the boy heard his mother speak. "I am leaving him with you."
The goblins laughed. "We heard the tales your folk would spread, but no one has ever done so."
They continued to bellow out with heavy laughter, and the boy feared the trees would fall from the loud thunder of their roaring amusement.
"He is one of yours." The mother replied.
Soon the laughter ceased and the goblins and her son stared upon her in shock. The boy's eyes grew even wider. He couldn't believe it. How could his mother possibly believe that? He knew he was different, but wasn't everyone? That was what he was told. But not from his mother. No, his mother always told him he was different from the others. He wasn't like all the other kids or elves. In fact, she had told him once that he was something else. He just never wanted to believe it. Surely his mother loved him. Surely she knew it too.
He looked at the goblins. The biggest one of the four was staring at him. No, not staring. Watching. Then too, his eyes grew wide with realization. The boy knew that somehow the goblin had seen him before, had recognized him.
"I am leaving him here with you. To be raised as what he is."
The woman let go of the boy's hand and turned around. The boy ran behind her.
"Mother!" He cried out, tears falling heavily from his green eyes. "Don't do this! Please! I'll be good. I promise. I'll be a better son. I promise!"
He continued to cry, and she continued to walk away. He watched as her figure faded in the newly risen morning. A giant hand landed on his shoulder. He slowly looked up to see a menacing face stare back down at him. He made a sound but the young child wasn't sure if it was a laugh at his pain, or a grunt for the trouble they now had watching over him. Though the boy did not believe they would care for him.
Suddenly, his heart grew cold and his fear turned to anger. He knew what had happened.
He looked back to the horizon where his mother's figure was so small that he could not make her out, and he took a breath and yelled.
"Mother! I won't forget this! I will find you again, and I will kill you!"
The goblins watched the boy cry out his revenge. Only moments ago he had been crying and begging his mother to keep him, and now he was harden with anger and betrayal, he was vowing to end her life. And the boy knew this as well.
The goblin pulled him back and urged him into the forest and the boy followed, vowing to never forget this day. And still, he did not know what he did wrong.
The landing was softer than Rumplestiltskin had expected. Though he guessed death could mess with one's senses. He tried to recall what had happened and remembered Neverland. He remembered his father, Peter Pan, and coming back to Storybrooke. He remembered Pan trying to curse the whole town, making them into willing puppets, and he remembered killing his father. That was right. He had just killed himself as well. Stabbing the Dark One's dagger into his father's back and into his chest. So why was the ground so soft?
He groaned, trying to sit up but his body ached like he just fell from the sky. He heard a call and looked up. He saw Belle running in tall grass over to him, calling from what sounded like a distance, but she was next to him in just a few blinks and her voice grew clearer.
"Rumple? Rumple, are you okay?"
She looked scared and worried, close to crying and he felt guilty for making her feel like that. Though he couldn't recall doing anything that would upset her, except for the whole trying to kill himself bit.
"Rumple?"
"Belle." He weakly replied. "I'm alright." He wasn't sure he believed it. He couldn't remember what happened, until he saw everyone else.
The Charmings were all gathered together, including young Henry. His father was with him, making sure he was okay, and Rumple was relieved to see that his own son was safe as well. Standing next to Henry was Emma and next to her, Hook. The pirate. Rumplestiltskin groaned, trying to hold back his anger. Then he realized. There wasn't any. In the placement of anger was fear, cowardice. He remembered that feeling. And then he saw Regina, arguing with a pointed eared man.
Seeing Calum brought it all back. Rumplestiltskin remembered. An elf had stumbled into Storybrooke, saying he, the former Dark One, was a prince. The heroes tried to find a way to send him back home. A portal and a hat. Rumple remembered. Calum had tricked them.
"Rumple, are you sure?"
He blinked, looking back at Belle. How many times had she asked? She helped him sit up and he groaned, aching in the pain.
"Rumple?"
"I'm fine." He told her again, still not believing it.
"Here. I found this." Belle said, handing him his cane to him.
He sighed, hesitantly taking it in his hands. "Thank you."
With Belle's help he stood up, carrying his weight with the cane.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
He smirked. "Yes sweetie, I'm fine."
Belle smiled. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him. For a moment Rumple wanted to forget everything and get lost in the kiss, but he knew there were more pressing issues at hand. One that sounded like Regina was trying to handle.
Breaking from the kiss the two looked over to the group. Regina seemed to be threatening Calum with a fireball and something about a cooked elf. While the imp in him enjoyed the threat, Rumple didn't fee like laughing. His leg was hurting and like the others, he needed to know what happened. He remembered the few short minutes before the vortex opened and he remembered the look on the elf's face before he widened the portal, sending them all to wherever they were.
Belle and Rumplestiltskin walked over to the group. It was a little harder for him to walk on grass with a cane but he managed well enough.
"Dad, are you alright?" Neal asked, seeing his father and Belle join the group. He had wanted to check on them but to be honest, he had gotten busy with making sure Emma and Henry were safe. As well as trying to figure out where they were and why Calum tricked them.
"Regina! Enough!" David urged the Evil Queen who was still threatening the elf with a fireball.
"No!" She argued, glaring at the elf. "Not until he tells us why the hell he betrayed us!"
"I didn't betray you." Calum insisted. "That would imply that I held any loyalty to you and I don't. I only hold loyalty to my Majesties."
He looked over to Rumple, seeing the slight winch in his expression. He noticed the cane and held out his arm. He flicked his fingers and soon the pain in Rumple's ankle was gone. The ex-sorcerer looked down, confused at first but soon understanding, and thanked him.
"You're welcome My Highness."
Rumple sighed. No, it wasn't a dream. The elf still existed and he still believed he was a prince.
"Now that you healed the imp maybe we can get back to the real matter at hand." Regina retorted venomously.
Calum looked at her with a stoic expression. "Enough with your threats. They are meaningless."
Regina scoffed. "You wanna bet?"
"Know this," Calum took a quick step forward, causing the Queen to step back. "We are in my land now, and whatever title you held back in your home does not matter here."
"Excuse me?"
"Regina," Snow stopped her step-mother before she could follow through her threat. Calum may not believe it, but she knew better. Regina wasn't happy, none of them were, and while she was working on being a better person for Henry, Snow knew that Regina only had so much patience and tolerance. And Calum was pushing it. Snow looked at him. "Please, just tell us why you brought us here."
"And where exactly are we?" Neal asked aside.
"I am sorry for the trick but I had no other choice. I had to bring the prince here."
"Why get us involved?!" Regina cried, still angry at the elf.
"Well you all seemed eager to be a part of the situation, I saw no choice in being subtle."
Rumple chuckled. He agreed. It was a nasty habit of the Charmings' to be involved in all the action, though he felt he was one to talk after all his years of manipulating lives for the sake of the curse. At least he wasn't a pest about it and knew how to keep his nose out of others business.
"Well where exactly are we?" David repeated Neal's question.
"Is this Eliron?" Henry asked, seeming overly excited at the situation. They could all understand, a bit. Ever since he had learned about the curse, he had wanted to go to another world, namely the Enchanted Forest. His parents had hoped that after the events in Neverland he would change his mind, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Though perhaps it was easier knowing they didn't have a sadistic teen after him.
Calum smiled at the boy. "No. We are on the edge of the forests of Eliron. We must walk to get there."
"And exactly how long will that take?" Hook asked. He was possibly the only one, next to Henry, who didn't seem too bothered by the trick. Rumplestiltskin figured he was simply happy to be out of the Storybrooke. Though he also wondered if the pirate was simply happy to still have Emma around him, as well as his Crocodile. After all, the pirate had spent hundred of years hunting him. He wouldn't be happy being separated again.
Calum sighed, wishing they hadn't asked him. "It will only take a few hours, perhaps three. However, I used up a lot of my magic to get the portal to work so I won't be able to teleport there. It seemed that it takes a lot of power to use magic in your town."
"That would be because of the curse." Rumple answered. It was the first time he spoke up among the group after their fall, but it was easier to talk about something he knew and agreed with. Not about him being a prince.
Calum didn't allow him to go into detail, suddenly seeming to be in a hurry. "Come, we must go."
"Awesome!" Henry exclaimed. His parents sighed.
"Henry." Emma said in a tone that often said she wasn't in the mood to deal with his need for adventure. For once, everyone agreed.
"Then let's go." David said.
"What?" His step-mother-in-law exclaimed, turning her anger to him.
Thankfully for the shepherd, Snow stepped in. "Regina, we know you're upset-"
"You're damn right!"
"But what else can we do? How do you suggest we get back home? At least this way we can take time to come up with another plan."
"What do you mean another plan?" Neal asked. "Can't we just use the hat again?"
Regina sighed. "The same number of people that go through the hat have to go back. It's the hat's rule."
"Not to mention it's not here anymore."
Everyone looked around. Hook was right. Strangely, the hat was missing. And it wasn't the only thing.
"Um…" Belle spoke up. "Where's Mother Superior?"
They looked around. Calum cursed. Unlike the others he did not care whether they had the hat or not, but seeing that the fairy was missing from their group seemed to irritate him. Rumplestiltskin wondered if there was more to him and the blue insect than Calum cared to inform.
The elf let out a sigh. "Never mind. We must go."
After a few moans and sighs everyone agreed. They had no other choice at the moment and despite how Regina hated to admit it, Calum was right about one thing. They were all in his world. They didn't know what dangers were about them and considering the expression they saw on Calum's face, they didn't think they wanted to know. So they set aside their issues, following the elf into the forest.
Next in Chapter 8- The Riddle of Awaken Sleep: The groups meets a new face in the forest, Gryphin gains an ally, Rumple ponders, and everyone arrives in Eliron.
Whoo! I am so freaking happy! We finally arrived! I have been waiting for this for a long time! Now the fun really begins! Please review!
A/N: I am gathering some photos I am using as inspiration for the new characters and the scenery. If you would like a link to them, let me know. I would like for you to have an idea of sorts as you read the story. I can also put the links on my profile page. You don't have to, but if you'd like. :) :) :) :) :)
Also, you probably noticed Henry is with us now. I'm going to try and fit him in a little more than I planned for him, but no promises. And if you are wondering why Hook is with us, well...I got plans for him. :) He's going to have his scenes, but right now he's along for the ride. It's hard for him to give everyone a moment in each chapter. But that wouldn't be interesting either I think.
