My Internet went out for a short period of time yesterday, and I managed to find the time to update this fic, finally! I'm so excited about where this is going, and I hope you all are too!
Mr. Gold opened the door to his shop, crossed the room, and came to a stop behind one of the glass cases, sighing deeply as he cast his eyes down inside the case. Suddenly, the bell on the door rang, announcing the presence of a potential customer or possibly just someone else come to harass him about his parenting choice. He didn't bother looking up.
"Whatever you need, I'm sure that it can wait until tomorrow. The sign clearly says Closed," he muttered.
"Actually, I've done enough waiting," Rapunzel snapped as Mr. Gold jerked his head up the moment he heard her voice.
"You came back," he said softly, though Rapunzel's hard expression did not soften.
"Where is he?"
The second the question left her lips, his eyes narrowed to slits, his lips turning down into their frequent frown.
"You've met our Madam Mayor, I hear," he said flatly.
"Where IS he?" she repeated, her hands trembling at her sides as her eyes fixed upon the object in the glass case and her fingers curled tightly into fists. "How did you get that?"
"It doesn't mean what you think it means, Rapunzel," Gold answered, knowing what meaning the object held for his daughter.
"What have you done with him?" she asked, her usual bright, ever-cheerful voice now dark and full of pain.
"You were there, Darling. I'm afraid you already know what happened. The curse didn't change that, no matter what Regina may have said to make you think otherwise." She looked away, taking a deep breath in an attempt to summon as much strength as all of the remaining hope she had left seemed to leave her.
"I've been listening to you lie to me my entire life, and when you finally tell the truth…" she trailed off for a moment as her blue eyes filled with tears. But when she finally spoke again, her voice was strong despite her entire world falling apart around her. "The world didn't break my heart, Rumplestiltskin, you did."
She turned to leave the shop as Mr. Gold reached into the glass, pulled out Rapunzel's crown, and caught his reflection in the large diamonds, swiping at the small tears that had formed in his own eyes.
The same small crown glittered brilliantly through the partially opened flap of a worn brown leather satchel with a patch sewn on the bottom. The satchel itself was wrapped tightly around the hand of a man running through the forest, a group of palace guards pursuing him on horseback. Knowing he was near capture, he quickly scrambled up the nearest tree, burying himself in a thicket of leaves halfway up. The convoy of guards galloped past at full speed, disappearing over a hill minutes later. The man slid back down the tree, catching a glimpse of a piece of paper attached to the bark when he reached the bottom. As his eyes focused in on the piece of paper, a look of pure panic in his expression as he tore the paper from the tree and glanced down at a rendering of his own face with the large bolded words "WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: THIEF FLYNN RIDER" written on it, the seal of the kingdom of Corona stamped at the bottom.
He stuffed the paper into the satchel with the crown and, after ensuring that the guards were indeed gone, he walked a short ways before reaching a large wall of thick vines. He walked straight through the vines to reveal a hidden cavern with a small point of light at the end. Emerging on the other side, he looked up at Rumplestiltskin's castle with a small smirk. He quickly approached, knocked on the main entrance door, and when no one answered, walked in.
"Rumplestiltskin?" he asked as the large door swung open with a creak. When he heard no answer, he took a couple of steps inside. "I know that you told me only to come at night, but this situation was slightly more…tense…than the others, and I was hoping to get rid of it as quickly as possible." Silence answered him again. Curiosity increasing, he began to explore the castle, glancing inside cabinets and at various trinkets on display and smiling proudly at each as if they were his, when he came across a set of stairs. Slightly conflicted but more eager to see what was at the top of the staircase, he climbed the stairs two at a time and cautiously opened the door to find Rumplestiltskin standing in a room, staring up at what appeared to be a painting on the wall.
"I've never seen this part of the castle before. It's a lot more…artistic…than I expected from you," he said, sarcasm thick in his tone.
"I need you to retrieve something else from Corona," Rumplestiltskin replied without looking at Flynn.
"Listen, the kingdom and I aren't exactly 'simpatico' at the moment, considering you just had me steal the crown of a princess they have been mourning for 18 years. There's a price on my head." Flynn pulled the WANTED poster and crown out of his satchel and held both of them out towards Rumplestiltskin, who snatched them away and focused his gaze on the crown.
"What I want is much more valuable than a crown," he said, his eyes bright.
"If I were to get caught, neither of us would get what we want," Flynn answered, his eyes still on the poster crumpled in Rumplestiltskin's hand.
"And if I were to turn you in and seek out this treasure myself, I would get what I want and you would get…well, there'd be no head left to put a price on," he said with a malicious giggle. Flynn's confident mask broke for a moment, his eyes filling with fear, but he quickly turned his head, trying to hide his true emotions.
"Fine. We have a deal," he said, knowing that he had no other choice. "You said this treasure is in Corona?"
"It's making the journey now, and I need you to…intercept it," Rumplestiltskin answered, choosing his words carefully.
"How am I supposed to find it?"
"Gold is not the only item of value that shines, Dearie," Rumplestiltskin said, baring his teeth in a grin that sent chills down Flynn's spine.
"Now sure how that's supposed to help me, but I've done enough jobs for you to know when you aren't going to tell me anything more. I'll find your treasure, give it to you, and you'll pay me what I deserve?"
"Of course," Rumplestiltskin said, smile growing wider as he held out his hand. After a moment's hesitation, Flynn reached out and shook it, unsure why he felt like this job would be different than all of the others.
