She didn't want to be here and she was giving up hope that she could change the beasts mind. She knew that getting him to see himself as more of a man than a monster was the key to saving the thief's life, but she was having a hard enough time believing that any part of him was a man at the moment. And then...
He stepped out of the carriage taking the bow with him and offered his hand to her, to help her down. She knew she should hate him, and she wanted to more than ever, but every time he did something that angered her he countered it with something that gave her a small glimpse of something more than beast in him. He yelled then gave her a pillow. She released the prisoner and he didn't kill her. She chipped a cup and he hardly paid it any mind. They were small, but great enough to keep that flicker of hope alive that the man they were chasing might be saved. Maybe...
When she stepped out of the carriage this time she found herself in the middle of a forest. In front of their driverless carriage was a greasy looking man on a horse. He had a small caravan of guards with him and they were escorting a carriage of their own with bars on the windows. Prisoners. As they approached the man gave them a menacing glare and dismounted the horse. He staggered, losing his balance, then reached for a flask on the horses saddle. She really hoped they weren't going to be talking to this man. He smelled like he hadn't bathed in ages and his staggered gate told her exactly what was in that flask. That same instinct that told her Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't hurt her now told her to stay as far away from this man as she possibly could. He reeked of blackness.
Despite her hopes she watched as Rumpelstiltskin walked up to the man, his own gate changing as he did. Instead of proud and certain, he stooped low suddenly and cast his eyes to the ground. "What are you doing in my woods!" the stranger yelled at the pair of them, doing his best to strut proudly toward them.
"Pardon the intrusion Sheriff, ahem..." he also took on another funny irregular accent, like he was a beggar instead of the powerful dark monster that he was. But...a Sheriff?! The man was a law man? He certainly didn't look like a respectable sheriff, nor did he appear to act like one. "I'm looking for a thief, he attacked me with this bow..." he gestured at the bow in his hand and the Sheriff looked at it with interest. "I chased him as far as these woods and then he vanished."
"Yes, I know exactly who your after," he said examining the weapon, but then he glanced up at Rumpelstiltskin and looked him up and down, like he had forgotten all about what they were talking about. Living in a drunken haze could do that to a man. "But I also know who you are…Rumpelstiltskin."
Her first instinct was to panic. She didn't know why he had wanted to keep his identity secret but now that he knew who he was she expected that the plan had taken a turn for the worst. But as she watched him she realized that he didn't panic as she had, his back straightened and the fake accent suddenly fell away as he allowed himself to come out of hiding. "My reputation precedes me. Excellent!" he said almost happily with a flourish of his hands.
The stranger smiled, but not in a friendly way, it was a snide sneer. "Yes, as does your penchant...for making deals," the man gave a hand flourish of his own mimicking Rumpelstiltskin, mocking him. She thought that it was a foolish thing to do, but then again he didn't strike her as an intelligent person. "I'll tell you where you can find your thief, if you give me something in return." She watched as the man took a drink from his flask. He was earning less and less respect every second. He was the town sheriff, charged with protecting the people, if there was a thief about he should be happy and eager for help catching him, not making deals to get what he wanted and allowing others to take justice into their own hands! No, she didn't like this man one bit, he was far too slippery for her trust. He was by far more crooked than half of the criminals she had met in her life.
But the man had said the magic word. All it took was to say that he wanted to make a deal and Rumpelstiltskin was hooked. She watched him step toward the man and gestured for him to come closer with his hand. "What do you want," she heard him whisper.
Suddenly the Sheriff looked up at her. Her stomach rolled, she'd felt sure he hadn't the sense to even notice that she was there! But now he pointed in her direction and she didn't even like knowing that she was on his mind. "A night with your wench" he slurred.
Her jaw dropped and she took a small timid step away from him, meaning to go back to the carriage, but couldn't get her legs to work properly. Was he really suggesting what she thought he was suggesting?! How dare he even speak the thought?! She was a princess! She was a royal woman of noble blood! She was a…
She was the property or Rumpelstiltskin. That was the deal that she had made to save her village. Her life was no longer her own, her choices, her desires, they weren't up to her, not anymore. Fear wound its way up her spine and put a chill in her blood. She was vaguely aware of Rumpelstiltskin looking back at her. Was he actually considering this? She knew how much he wanted to find the thief that had stolen his wand, he had obviously wanted to punish her for letting the man go, but this was extreme even for him, a different kind of wicked. Was he really going to allow such a thing? Was she? No, she hadn't even been willing when it was the prospect of Gaston in a lavish bedroom after their wedding! For this man to...and she wasn't even...
No! No, she wouldn't just go with him, she couldn't! But she was terrified that her options were limited. She could run. No, he'd find her thanks to the clasp on her cloak. But certainly whatever punishment he would give her for running away would be more welcome than what this man would do to her if she went with him. He'd make that stone cold marital suite look like heaven.
"Ah..." her heart sped up as he began to speak, knowing that the next words could seal her fate. "She's not for sale," he said. Relief hit her, shaking her free of the paralyzing fear she'd felt only moments ago. He had said it with certainty, the smallest amount of shock in his voice, like he was surprised that he would actually ask for such a thing. Surprised that he thought he would just give her away like that. He had said that he loved his possessions, maybe he wasn't the worst person she could belong to.
The Sheriff gave a small laugh. "You can't part with her for say...an hour?" he was gazing at her again, the way that a predator would watch his prey, and she felt embarrassed and exposed the way his eyes were raking up and down her. "Twenty minutes?" He wouldn't give this up, even after Rumpelstiltskin had made it clear who she belonged to. He sickened her. The fish she'd eaten earlier that morning turned dangerously in her stomach and she just wanted to be away from here, away from him. Far, far away.
Rumpelstiltskin remained silent throughout the man's useless bartering. But then he put his hand to his head. "Let me think..." he muttered and for that moment fear crept back into her and she seriously considered running from them both, but then with a flick of his hand he drew thick black smoke from the man's mouth. She watched in horror as the Sheriff suddenly started to gag and choke and made useless grunting noises. Rumpelstiltskin gave him a playful giggle, and it was then that she saw that the man's tongue lay in the palm of his hand.
"I propose a new deal," Rumpelstiltskin suggested with a hint of malice in his voice. She didn't know he felt this protective of her. Why would he? She was only his property. "I give this back to you," he said holding up the disgusting organ, "and in return you tell me everything you know about the man I am hunting," he insisted in a snapping voice. This deal wasn't optional like hers had been. He was going to get what he wanted whether the man complied or not. It was made perfectly clear, but she watched him as he humiliated the man further, holding the tongue up and waving it in front of his face. "You ought to be more careful with your possessions!" he taunted shaking the vile thing. Ordinarily she should feel angry or disgusted at his actions, but she was still reeling from the suggestions he had made. She just couldn't feel anything more than disgust for the drunken lawman. She wondered if Rumpelstiltskin felt the same way. For the same reasons possibly?
"Do you agree to my terms?" he asked coyly, as if the man had a choice. His eyes were wide, reminding her of a bug as he attempted to answer him. "What was that?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, taking joy in the man's suffering. The man tried to speak, each time more and more desperately, but all he could manage was a grunt. She would never say it out loud, but, secretly, she thought he deserved it. She knew he'd give the tongue back because he needed him to tell him what he needed to know but being bullied might give him a taste of his own medicine and make him think twice before he tried to force his will upon another woman, or anyone else for that matter. "Oh, I'll take that as a yes then!" He finally joked in response and in a flash of black smoke and a haze of coughing the organ was returned. The man breathed heavily and pinched the body part between his fingers a few times making sure everything was back where it belonged. Rumpelstiltskin pointed at him. "Start talking..." he ordered, a hint of threat behind the words.
"The man who you're after," the sheriff offered quickly, like he couldn't get the words out of his mouth fast enough. "I've been chasing him for years," he pointed to himself, his anger seeping into his voice and replacing his fear. "He ruined me! He stole the woman I love and made me the laughing stock of all of Nottingham." She seriously doubted that it was all the thief's fault. Knowing this man and how he had treated her and disrespected the honorable job he possessed, the thief might have done something to him, but she could see that his heart was black. The faults to the Sheriffs life no doubt came from a problem with his soul.
"Where can I find him?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, clearly happy he was getting what he really wanted. She was happy too. The faster they found out the information the faster they could leave. It also meant that she'd have less time to convince him not to kill the thief but she wanted to be away from here so desperately she didn't care.
"Last I heard, he was hiding out in Sherwood Forest," the Sheriff explained diligently.
Rumpelstiltskin nodded and took a step toward the man. "And his name...?" he asked with a curious whisper, the question he'd originally asked her, the question that she'd asked herself but hadn't gotten a response to.
"Robin Hood," the Sheriff answered, spite dripping from his voice. "He goes by Robin Hood."
Rumpelstiltskin turned back to her, a smile on his face and left the man standing there without another word. The Sheriff didn't seem upset, he seemed happy the encounter was over and could be put behind him. But he cast one last glance of regret at her that made her back away from him with a sneer on her face. It made her so sick that for a moment she thought she might actually be!
But then Rumpelstiltskin was there in front of her. He placed a protective arm around her waist turning her away from the beast before them, just as he had when he'd removed her from her fathers care. Their backs turned on the man and the arm was replaced by a gentle steadying hand at the small of her back as he led her back to the safety of the carriage. Although she had thought she was to upset and too disgusted to ever let him touch her, she found that with the sheriff standing behind her, she was thankful for it. In fact, it was almost comforting. Rumpelstiltskin wasn't the worst thing lurking in these woods. Maybe the worst just came in prettier wrapping.
He offered her his hand again, helping her back into the carriage before getting in himself. After a moment the driverless carriage jerked to life, and she looked out the other window not even wanting to throw the sheriff a backward glance. "Thank you," she muttered, truly meaning it for the first time, as they rolled forward. The situation could have been much worse and she was happy to leave it behind. Those two words weren't enough to express how incredibly grateful she was that he hadn't traded her for the information. But her sincerity would have to do for now.
"I don't make those kinds of deals," he muttered in the low serious voice, and casting her a strange look before avoiding her eyes and looking out the window as well. Who would have thought that he had a moral code of ethics? She would have thought that he'd make a deal with anything that breathed. She smiled, he was more of a man than they both thought. He wouldn't hurt her, he wouldn't trade her. And if she wasn't mistaken, he seemed to have something of a soft spot for her. Now she knew that it wasn't just a hope that there was a man behind the beast, it was the truth. The only question was if she could find it again, and figure out how to spare Robin Hoods life.
Does Rumpelstiltskin have a heart? Is he more man or monster? Will Belle convince the beast to give up his hunt for the thief, tune in next time to find out! Or...you know...just go to the next chapter or rewatch Lacey...that would probably answer your question too...
Thank you Magicklibra, Alarda, Skitzoeinhoven, and Drac1026 for your reviews on the last chapter! This one kind of turns my stomach up until I think of what happens in the future with them. Really I think the only thing that makes all of the flashbacks from this episode alright is knowing that deep down he loves her more than anything. Am I right? I said am I right?! Until the next time, Peace and Happy Reading!