In the Dark One's castle, things had cooled considerably between its two inhabitants. After a few awkward days, things had settled between Rumplestiltskin and his ward, but he was now faced with a new problem.
While exposing Arista to Regina had seemed like a good idea at the time, the young mermaid was now somewhat obsessed with the Queen . She was constantly asking about how she was doing, inquiring about her health and well-being and, worst of all, asking to see her. In the past, Rumplestiltskin had always been able to deflect her need to explore with warnings of the horrors that swept the land. He had told her about wild beasts and disgusting insects and the heavy terrain. He had warned her about lecherous men and people who would take advantage of her. Unfortunately, these tales only seemed to instill more curiosity in the mermaid.
Pointing a stern finger at her, Rumplestiltskin didn't look up from the passage he was reading as he finished his speech with a firm, "And that is why you can't go into the woods by yourself."
Completely enrapt in his story, Arista blinked at her master. Her cheeks in her hands, she knelt by his desk with her elbows propped on it in a way that reminded him of a small child and not a woman of, ugh, child bearing age. "What's a bear?"
"Something that wants to eat you."
She tilted her head, brown eyes fluttering with curiosity. "And a cougar?"
Rumplestiltskin smirked. "Something that wants to eat me. Now why the sudden interest in forestry, my dear?"
"Well, you had no problem with me going to the creek…" The blonde shifted restlessly. The castle was beautiful, sure, but it was slowly reminding her of a cage. Swallowing, she considered her words carefully as she continued, "So I was thinking, maybe I could go a little further next time. Not much, just a little further-"
Her master cut her off with a brisk, "No."
The mermaid visibly deflated. Shoulders slumping and features sad, she tried again, "I just thought-"
"Arista, you can barely walk. Do you really want to go traipsing around the woods? It's full of dead logs and long grass," He told her with a false concern. The Dark One hadn't forgotten the condition in which his little mermaid had returned in from her trip to Neverland and he wasn't about to make that mistake again. Mermaids were a dime a dozen, but finding one willing to steal from their own king? Not nearly so common. Watching her stand with a hint of annoyance, Rumplestiltskin shook his head mournfully. "You could hurt yourself, dearie."
She fidgeted with the bottom of her dress. "But I'll never get any better at it if I have to stay here."
Faking a pout, he asked, "Don't you like it here?"
"I love it here, Mr. Rumplestiltskin, you know that. It's just… Maybe you could come with me. Show me around." Arista smiled warmly at him. Excitement creeping into her voice, she bounced slightly on her toes. "Or Regina! She seems like she knows how to handle herself."
"You'd be surprised about just how wrong you are, dearie." The Dark One's smile turned dark and cruel. "The answer is no and that's final."
Bowing her head in respect, the young woman resisted the urge to sigh with disappointment. Instead, she leaned forward with her fist on her chest. "Very well, sir. I didn't mean to push."
"Don't worry about it." Rumplestiltskin waved a dismissive hand. "Have you finished your chores?"
"Yes."
"Then you're free to do as you please." The corner of his mouth quirked up into a somewhat malicious smirk. "So long as it's inside these castle walls, pet."
Arista resisted the urge to glare at him. Fiddling with the hem of her dress, she was a bit unsettled by how similar his words were to that of her father's. Half the reason she had left the ocean was for freedom. Now not only was she alone in a strange land, but Arista was also being denied the chance to explore it. Worse still, the young blonde feared that was exactly what she had become to the man before her; a pet.
She had only just bowed for him once more when a familiar man appeared by Rumplestiltskin's side.
Jefferson smiled complacently, first at her and then the Dark One. Dropping an elbow to the back of Rumplestiltskin's chair, he popped a hip and greeted them with a beguile, "Morning, folks."
After Arista's rejection, Jefferson decided it was time to step up his game. His usual flirting was clearly not going to work with the little mermaid- it was probably too foreign to her. He had vaguely considered going to Neverland in hopes of finding a pirate and learning more about mermaid culture, but he quickly nixed that idea. Pirates weren't exactly known for their romantic nature and they were rarely in good standing with the sea going folk. So he decided to go with the age old standard- flattery… and possibly bribery, but mostly flattery.
The mermaid blinked in surprise. He had, quite literally, appeared from thin air. There had been no purple smoke or gusts of winds that had been present in their trips to and from Neverland. She had been under the impression that the hat came with all the dramatics of its master. Pushing aside her curiosity, she offered the young man a small bow. "Jefferson."
"Arista!" The Hatter greeted her warmly. He pulled his hat from his head and smoothed his hair down before tucking it under his arm. Ignoring Rumplestiltskin's eye roll, he kicked away from the older man's chair and sauntered toward the blonde. As he took her hands in his own, Jefferson asked, "What's new, beautiful?"
The mermaid lifted a casual, somewhat proud shoulder. "I got my period."
Jefferson's brows perked up. Surprised and a bit disturbed by how pleased she seemed with herself, he inclined his head. "Well. Isn't that nice."
Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes at the Hatter's pathetic attempts at flirtation. "Hatter, aren't you forgetting someone?"
"No. No, I don't think I am unless…" The portal jumper snapped his fingers, but kept the blonde's hand cradled with his own. Thumbing the back of her knuckles, Jefferson beamed at Rumplestiltskin. "You're referring to my most wondrous employer."
"I am." The Dark One frowned at how gently the young man was holding his servant's hand, but didn't comment. The less interest he showed, the more likely the Hatter was to stop his silly game. Surely the boy hadn't forgotten their brief conversation regarding the little mermaid. Forcing down the swell of irritation he felt at Jefferson's coquetry, Rumplestiltskin asked, "Did you get what I need?"
"Of course!" Jefferson offered his arm to Arista. With a wink, he asked the blonde, "Walk me to your master, my lovely one?"
Arista took his arm, puzzled and flustered by his flattery. Eyes narrowing with suspicion, she recalled his promises to woo her. With a hint of amusement, she rolled her eyes and linked her arm with his. "I am not your lovely."
"My darling?" He offered in a stage whisper.
She shook her head, blonde curls moving gently under her head band. "Or that."
"My sweet one?" Jefferson gave her hip a light check with his own and purposely slowed his footsteps to a near standstill pace. Pointedly ignoring the scoff Rumplestiltskin gave him, the man enjoyed the faint blush on Arista's cheeks.
The young woman sighed at him, unlinking their arms as they stopped before their employer. "Please stop, you're embarrassing the both of us."
Lack of dignity aside, Jefferson peered down at her fondly. "Then what should I call you?"
"My name will be most suitable, Jefferson." Righting the bottom of her scale dress, she quickly moved away from the portal jumper to stand by Rumplestiltskin's side.
The young man smirked at her, but muted his amusement as he stepped forward to greet the Dark One. As his nimble fingers undid his studded satchel, he said , "I come bearing gifts, Rumplestiltskin."
"So I assumed." The imp sat up. Waving a dismissive hand at the mermaid beside him, he ordered, "Arista, leave us."
The blonde nodded obediently and skirted around the desk. With a smirk, she inclined her head to the Hatter. "Jefferson. I'm glad to see you're in good health."
"Before you go," He caught her upper arm in a gentle hold. At her puzzled features, Jefferson smirked. "I brought something for you as well, Arista."
"You did?" Both employer and employee asked with surprise. Admittedly, where Arista's voice had been excited, Rumplestiltskin's seemed to carry a bit of dread.
The portal jumper nodded. "I did." Grinning outright, he let go of the young woman and cleared his throat dramatically. Swooping his gaze over to Rumplestiltskin, he forced his expression to become a more neutral pout. "If, of course, it's alright with your master that I bestow his lovely assistant with a gift?"
The Dark One glared at him as Arista turned, earnest and elated, with her hands clasped in front of her. Sighing, he rolled his eyes and agreed, "I suppose so long as you don't make a habit of it, Hatter. We wouldn't want her getting spoiled now, would we?"
Jefferson smirked. Instead of replying, he eased a long stem rose out of the satchel. With a bow, he offered it to the blonde. Vaguely, he hoped none of his eagerness played on his face as he bit his bottom lip. When she gifted him with a bright, jubilant smile, the portal jumper relaxed.
"A flower, Jefferson? Really?" Rumplestiltskin asked with a bit of sarcastic amusement. "Could you be more cliché?"
The younger man blushed.
Casting their employer a displeased glance, the maiden offered Jefferson a consoling touch on the arm. "It's beautiful, Jefferson. I've never seen a…flower, like this before."
It was true; while Arista didn't exactly have an extensive knowledge of land vegetation, she really had never seen a flower quite like this one. With petals like velvet and dual in color, it was a curious, but beautiful blossom. The outer rim of the petals were a sable shade of red and the inside the purest of white.
"Please tell me that's not what I think it is," Rumplestiltskin asked from behind the desk.
Jefferson smirked at the Dark One, but merely moved to stand a bit closer to the blonde. Over her shoulder, he watched as Arista gently caressed the petals with her fingertips. "It's one of the Red Queen's roses."
The imp resisted the urge to groan. Shaking his head, he propped his chin on the ball of his hand and listened as the young man explained the magic behind the flower.
"They paint them red when they're still seeds, but the magic doesn't always take and some of them end up like this one." Jefferson inclined his head toward the rose with a bit of cockiness. "Admittedly, they can be a bit hard to come by... they're illegal in Wonderland."
His employer chuckled darkly. "Keep stealing from the Queen and you'll end up without a head, Hatter."
Arista tilted her head, but didn't lift her gaze from the rose. "Why would a Queen go through much trouble for a flower?"
"The Red Queen is what we in the human world call a tyrant, my dear." Rumplestiltskin stood from his chair with a flourish. "If she can find a way to control something, even something as trivial and small as shrubbery, she will."
"Sounds like my father," the mermaid remarked with a hint of bitterness. Still, her gaze didn't leave the rose's unique petals as she caressed one of them with a careful thumb.
A bit smugly, the Dark One crossed his arms and glanced between the two. "Now, the real question is, why might a man give a young woman a flower?"
Jefferson glared at him as Arista looked curiously to the imp.
"Hm…" Rumplestiltskin tapped his chin with a sickly finger. "Why might that be? Jefferson, perhaps you'd like to do the honors of enlightening our little mermaid to the customs of human courtship?"
"Courtship?!" Arista squeaked with dread. Eyes snapping up to the portal jumper's flushing face, she hissed at him, "I thought we were friends!"
"Men can give women flowers for plenty of reasons, Arista." The Hatter gave the hem of his vest a quick tug to straighten it. "I simply saw something that reminded me of you and thought you might like it."
The woman blushed faintly and it only darkened when Rumplestiltskin let out a loud cackle. The imp pointed vaguely in Jefferson direction as he teased, "Because men so often compare women to flowers when they're not romantically inclined!"
Frustrated by the embarrassment that played on Arista's features, Jefferson glared at the Dark One. His jaw twitched with annoyance as he moved a bit closer to the blonde. With their hips gently brushing together, he told the shorter man, "It's one species on the inside and another on the outside, how is that not like her?"
Arista blinked, considering the comparison, before looking up at him. With a nod, she quietly said, "Thank you for the gift, Jefferson."
He offered her a limp smile. The maiden's gaze had been somber and her tone somewhat desponded and the Hatter felt a pang of sadness. "I'm glad you like it, Arista."
"Yes, yes, we're all thrilled!" Rumplestiltskin cut in, impatiently motioning with his hands. "Now, if you're done with your inane attempts at flirting, we do have business to attend to."
"Of course!" Jefferson shook off his annoyance and shot the blonde a wink before pulling out a long bundle of thick, silvery thread.
Rumplestiltskin took it with greedy hands. Unspooling it, he inspected the weighty string with a grin. "Splendid."
Jefferson leaned over the desk curiously. "What'd you want it for anyway? I mean, the Caterpillars aren't exactly the most magic of creatures. Unless being able to smoke a hookah while being cryptic is considered magic now."
"He's more unique than you think." The imp smirked. When he noticed that his assistant was still fretting over her flower, he snapped, "Arista; you've been dismissed."
The blonde blinked with a blush. "Of course. My apologies, sir."
She offered Jefferson a light pat on the chest, but passed him by without comment. The young man watched her go with a wide smile, enjoying the light swish of her dark blue skirt around her bare feet. As the door closed, he looked back at the Dark One, who looked woefully unimpressed. Clearing his throat, Jefferson fiddled with the brim his hat. "Well, if we're through here, I believe there's the subject of my payment?"
"Your payment?" Rumplestiltskin echoed mockingly. Flicking his fingers out, he threw the young man crossed the room. His hat fell to the ground as the portal jumper's back slammed against the bookcase. With Jefferson pinned, the imp pushed off from his desk. "Now, don't you think there's the much more interesting subject of your disrespect?"
"Disrespect?" Jefferson squeaked with an anxious chuckle. "What disrespect? I was merely giving the lady of the house a gift."
The Dark One frowned at him. Completely indifferent and completely done with the portal jumper's boldness, he asked, "Is that really the angle you want to play here, Hatter? Naïve?"
When the boy merely swallowed, Rumplestiltskin sighed with disappointment. "Very well, Hatter. I'll speak plainly; whatever you're planning for my little mermaid, stop. Put her out of your mind completely because if you don't…"
Jefferson gasped as his employer calmly reached into his chest and pulled out his heart. Gaping at the sight of it pulsing in the man's hand, his features contorted in pain as Rumplestiltskin gave it an experimental squeeze.
"I'll make sure there's nothing left of it to break." The Dark One peered down at the portal jumper with a mix of pity and disgust. "Is that understood, Jefferson?"
Nodding frantically, a cry slipped from the Hatter's lips as the heart was heedlessly shoved back into his chest cavity.
"Good." Rumplestiltskin gave the young man's aching chest a consoling, condescending pat. "Now get out of my sight."
Jefferson needn't be told twice. With a shaky hand, he picked up his hat and flicked out his wrist. The portal opened and he leapt into it, desperate to be away from someone he had once considered a friend.
Upstairs, Arista sat cross legged on her bed. Thumbing at the rose's petals, she thought over the young man's words; thought over how he thought of her as one species on the inside and another on the outside. She supposed Jefferson was right, but she had never considered it that way. She had always been, and would always be, a mermaid; even if she was wearing legs. All of her attempts at assimilating into human culture had failed her. Not because from lack of trying, but lack of exposure and the maiden felt animosity swell in her.
Leaning back against the bed frame, she peered down at the flower in her hands. While she couldn't say that she was attracted to him, Arista was certainly beginning to feel something for the persistent Hatter. A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth and she tentatively rested the rose against her chest.
"You're not attracted to him because he gave you a flower, are you, dearie?"
The blonde startled at the sound of her master's voice. Blushing, she laughed. "No. No, that's silly. It's just nice to be thought of, I suppose."
Rumplestiltskin hummed. Sauntering toward her, he took her chin with two fingers. Tilting her gaze up to his, he bent over and squinted at her in a manner she found incredibly patronizing. "Now, don't you go falling in love with that boy, Arista. You're much too smart for that."
"Yes, Mr. Rumplestiltskin." The maiden dropped her eyes down to the flower once more.
"Besides, what would your father say if he knew you were courting a thief?"
Batting her eyelashes innocently, she asked, "What's a thief?"
The Dark one pointed a stern finger at her. "Don't change the subject."
"We're friends, that's all." Arista swirled a finger around the edge of one of the petals. "I've already told him humans aren't for me."
"Quite a blow to a young man's ego to be sure!" Rumplestiltskin cackled. "Tell me, how'd he react to such an affront to his manhood?"
Arista smirked, recalling how the Hatter had pressed his lips to her hand and peered up at her with respect and warmth. "Quite well."
The man pursed his lips with distaste. "I should say so, if he's giving you flowers."
"Flower," The mermaid corrected. Holding it up by the stem, Arista told him, "Just one. Just this once."
Her employer smirked knowingly at her. "We'll see about that." If she did find herself straying toward the Hatter, Rumplestiltskin supposed he could always put her heart in a box. As a last resort, of course. It didn't appeal to him to have a shade of the little mermaid for a servant. Where would the fun in that be?
Arista frowned, but stayed silent as he gave her knee a pat.
"Get some rest, dearie." Standing, Rumplestiltskin took the rose from her and placed it on the bedside table. "And do try to put the boy from your mind, hm?"
"Yes, sir." The blonde nodded.
The moment he was out of sight, Arista picked the flower back up and smiled to herself.
A/N: Shout out to my wonderful beta, UnsightlyDreams!
