Hello Readers,
Sorry for the long delay of this chapter. I haven't given up on the story.. Just that Jefferson here in this chapter made me lose my muse of his crazy thoughts lol.. Well I am over it and the story is back on.. Enjoy..
Loud, demanding voices rang throughout the hall, intruding upon the deafening silence. "How did you get here?"
The dove cringed in fear, debating whether or not he should even answer. Long time secrets of Wonderland had always been guarded by the animals and revealing any type of information was a death sentence…not just to the one revealing the secrets, but to them all. It was a burden, but one he bore proudly. How to answer them?
Rumpelstiltskin froze as he felt powerful magic breach the wards protecting his home. His eyes darted to the window then back to the bird, debating whether to go out and meet the threat or wait for the dove' s answer. Ultimately, he decided it was more intriguing to discover who the intruders were. The dove wasn't going anywhere and Belle's safety was more important at the moment.
He turned to his lady standing at his side, his touch gentle on her shoulder as she rounded on him with a question in her lovely cerulean eyes.
"Stay here, dear one," he whispered, his lips brushing softly against the shell of her ear and disappeared in a wisp of violet smoke.
Just inside the large black iron gates of the castle, soil erupted with a blast, discharging the rabbits out of the blue portal before it closed rapidly behind them. They shook vigorously, the soil and miniscule specks of dirt that clung to their clothing shaking free. Percy studied their surroundings closely, his eyes alert for danger. He took a hesitant step forward through the overgrown weeds, his whiskers twitching in disgust at the lack of care in the courtyard. To his left he saw the stone walls covered in huge green vines growing wildly over nearly every inch. He could only shake his head thinking it was a total waste of a good estate to leave it in such disrepair. But what could one expect of the Dark Castle or its disreputable master.
"Oh, Percy," his wife lamented behind him. He turned, seeing she was caressing the dead roses, once having been a bright red, now withering due to lack of care. Upon closer inspection, he could see the weeds killing the nutrients of the once proud bush.
"I know, dear," he commented as he came back to her side, "but, regrettably, it is not our place to save them."
"Still…" she whispered as she gently caressed the petals of a particularly sad bloom. Her familywas dedicated in the arts of herbs and plants and they valued all life. She wanted to pull the weeds away, to prevent them from destroying the remaining roses, but stopped for a brief second, hesitant asto whether she should. The urge was so strong, she gave in, reaching for the hideous weeds to pull them from the earth.
"I wouldn't touch those, dearie," a loud voice sounded behind them.
They whirled around, taking in the green-gold imp standing mere feet away from them.
Percy gulped in fear, realizing he was face to face with the master of the estate. His small body trembled as he watched the Dark One'soverlarge amber gaze assess them, trying to decide if they were friend or foe. He stealthily crept sideways, positioning himself infront of his wife to offer her a small measure of protection.
"What do you want?" Rumpelstiltskin demanded after a long moment.
"I…we…need…" Percy stuttered shakily, trying to force the words out.
"Tick tock, dearie," the sorcerer snarled, his black talons clicking together sharply as he gesticulated before them impatiently. "My time is precious and I don't have all day now."
Feeling his wife slip her small hand into his, he took a deep breath and drew strength from her touch. Finally he uttered, "We need your help!"
"My help?" he asked, a maddening giggle following those words.
The Dark One took a threatening step in the couple's direction, taking pleasure in their fear. The art of intimidation was one he'd perfected centuries ago. It was one skill that served him admirably. Their eyes reflected not only their fear, but desperation as well. Oh yes, he knew that look well. A smug smirk curled his lips, the enjoyment at the prospect of another deal to be made heady indeed. Yet, for some reason he cautioned himself to tread carefully.
"We shall see," he gritted out from between his ruined teeth. Striking like a king cobra, he grabbed them both by their ears and teleported to the castle.
The rabbits stumbled as they felt the cool tile floor materialize beneath their feet, trying to gain their bearings as they waited for the thick violet smoke to diminish and restore their sight. The surprise reflected on their faces as they watched the woman in blue welcome the Dark One into her embrace was nearly comical.
"YES!" came a triumphant cry as Jefferson clapped his hands victoriously. "You finally caught the little miscreant." Surprise and then horror flashed over the rabbit's face as the man approached. Percy's face paled further beneath the thick white fur covering his cheeks.
"Hello, little rabbit," Jefferson said, a delighted grin on his face and a manic gleam in his eyes as he knelt down on one knee before his diminutive adversary. Victory was indeed sweet! How many times had the white rabbit sent him down the wrong paths in Wonderland when he'd been desperate for help to find what he'd been seeking? Nine times? Ten? He frowned as he realized he'd lost count. His eyes darkened, his mind unable to settle on a suitable torture for the rabbit as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"Jefferson," Rumpelstiltskin barked in warning.
The hatter glanced over his shoulder at his friend, a dark look in his eyes. Rumpelstiltskin stated simply, "Not now. Not before we can ascertain the reason our guests have come seeking aid." There are a myriad of questions to be answered and it was taking entirely too long. He cast a sidelong glance in Belle's direction. He knew she wouldn't allow him to torture someone coming to him for assistance. Sometimes he found it difficult to act civilized in his lady's presence.
Cherise peered out from behind her trembling husband. She didn't need anyone to tell her about the portal jumper. She'd seen him on more than one occasion and each of those times had resulted in having to escape the madman. She wondered if it was fate that in all the realms they could have chosen he would have to be in this one…much less in the Dark Castle and seemingly friends with the Dark One. Perhaps. Coincidence? Doubtful. Yet, the most staggering thing was to see how the petite brunette woman, with a simple look, was able to calm the Dark One and have him bowing to her silent requests. Hope blossomed in her chest to see a possible ally in their midst at such a dangerous time.
She gently placed her hand on his shoulder to gain his attention. He turned his head to take in her solemn expression, yet saw nothing but stubbornness in her gaze. He groaned inwardly, knowing there was nothing he could say to stop her from having her say. Being in such a delicate position, trapped between a madman and an evil sorcerer, made his skin crawl. He opened his mouth to shush her, but Cherise was Cherise and there was no stopping her once her mind was made up.
She stepped forward from behind the shelter of his protective stance, one ear perked up, the other drooping wearily. "We need your help," she implored, her handswringing together to quell her nervousness. She directed her gaze not at the men in the room, but to the lady in blue.
At first, Belle hadn't noticed the little brown rabbit, hidden behind her husband as she'd been. Shewas shocked to see not one, but two talking rabbits. Her shock quickly gave over to her innate curiosity and she found herself intrigued by the little woman…er…rabbit.
She batted Rumpel's arms from around her so she could step around Jefferson to kneel down before the female, surprise shining in her eyes when she noticed her progressing pregnancy. "How can we help you?" she asked softly, her tone gentle and non-threatening.
"Wonderland is in trouble, milady," Cherise said, her voice trembling. "The Queen of Hearts has discovered some of the secrets of our land. Percy and I hold the last bit of it." Her chocolate gaze darted between the lady and the Dark One, ignoring the man who was still showing signs of hostility towards her husband. "She has found a way to track us and if she should catch us, there will be no stopping her. She will be able to enter other realms and unleash her wrath upon the lands," she said shakily.
Belle gnawed thoughtfully on her lower lip, tilting her head to the side as she regarded the female. "What is so special about you two?"
Cherise hesitated, glancing back uncertainly at her husband and then back at Belle. A loud familiar voice sounded from across the room. "Might was well tell her everything," the dove said, sounding dejected at having to tell strangers their most guarded secrets.
The rabbits froze, hearing their friend's voice. They turned to see the dove sitting on the wooden table, watching them in earnest. Before they could say a word, the Dark One spoke.
"Why do I get the feeling," his giggling malicious voice said, "that you rabbits and this deceitful dove know one another?" His loud footsteps echoed in the room, each step sounding like a canon blast as he came into their view.
He waggled his talons in the dove's face. "You seem to be a bit tight-lipped now that we know who brought you here, dearie." Turning on the rabbits, his narrowed eyes mesmerized them on the spot. "Now answer the question and make it quick. I grow tired of this."
Cherise glared at the dark sorcerer, annoyed by his interruption. She returned her focus to the woman kneeling before her, answering withan expression of pride on her face. "I hold all the secrets of light and dark magic contained within Wonderland's magic potions." Her large expressive eyes teared for a brief moment, closing as her husband spoke behind her. "And I am a time portal jumper."
Hearing those words, Belle sat back on her heels, astonished. She'd heard that phrase time portal jumper more than once from Rumpel in regards to his quest to reunite with his son. Seeing the female, her eyes closed not in shame but dread of her husband's secret shared with everyone present, she felt a wave of sympathy wash over her. She would have felt the same if her beloved Rumpel's secrets were ever revealed in such a manner. She regarded the rabbits through narrowed eyes. If someone were to gain these two animals and use them for their own evil purpose it would bode ill for the entire realm. It would be the worst kind of leverage in history. Who could stop an army when they not only have their own portal jumper, but one who could jump through time? She licked her suddenly dry lips, the acrid taste of fear on her tongue. If this queen found these two, there would be no way to stop her. Belle turned her worried eyesupward to meet Rumpelstiltskin's equally troubled gaze.
The Dark One's eyes darkened considerably at the ramifications of such evil getting their hands on the pair. Bae, he thought suddenly. I can get Bae back. It was short-lived, however, due to Belle's sharp gaze falling on him. The worry in her lovely eyes quelled the notion. This was delicate information and must be handled with the utmost caution.
He tapped his talons thoughtfully against his chin. "I'll make a deal with you," he suggested. "I will protect you, but you will help us in return."
Percy gulped audibly, knowing deals made with the Dark One always required a great price to be paid. "Help you how?" he questioned softly.
"Now that, dearie," he said, kneeling before the pair of them, "will be revealed in due time. Do we have a deal?"
"Wait!" Belle interjected, watching the female's eyes open with hope and then fear of the deal.
"The deal will be between myself and Rumpelstiltskin. I will pay the price for you," she said softly, allaying their fears. She glanced over and he nodded in the affirmative, assuring her he would accede to her request but that he would deal with this interference when they were alone. She needed to have a firm talking to about intruding upon his deals. She took a deep breath to calm herself, realizing this was the first deal she had made with him since agreeing to become his caretaker.
She turned back to the rabbits. Both looked at each other warily. "Deal," Percy said, agreeing.
'So, this means," Jefferson said, only half-jokingly behind them, "I won't be able to skin him alive?"
Turning with a soft gasp of horror, Belle said, "Indeed not!" in a tone that brooked no objection, her finger pointing in Jefferson's face. "What's done is done. You will leave them be or answer to me."
"Come on, sweet Belle," he cajoled in a whining tone as he waved a hand at Percy. "He put me through hell at least five times I can clearly recall in Wonderland. I deserve my revenge against the evil rodent."
"There will be no revenge, hatter, so you'd better get that out of your head, right now," she argued.
Tired of hearing his love argue with the portal jumper over his desire for revenge, he uttered two words, "Snails, hatter." It was all it took for the man instantly shut his mouth.
He reached down to assist Belle to her feet, his arm going about her waist in a protective embrace, but his name being called had him turning towards the doors of the Great Hall.
Everyone in the room froze with the exception of one raven-haired beauty who was now entranced with the new arrival. She bounded to her feet, knocking the wooden chair over in her haste as she whispered, "Charming…"
The voice bellowed again, "Rumpelstiltskin!"
"Another uninvited guest," Rumpelstiltskin snarled with disgust. "What am I running here, an inn?"
Moments later, the doors flew open wide from the force of a well-placed kick. Standing in the entrance stood the six-foot, blonde-haired prince that had captured the heart of Snow White. His buckskin clothes were rumpled and the sharp edge of desperation tinted his features as he held his four-foot steel sword before him.
His mouth gaped, pausing mid-sentence as his wide blue eyes took in the people and animals in the room. A whirl of skirts and the soft tread of booted feet caught his eye just before Snow White's lithe frame slammed into him, knocking him backwards through the doors and out into the corridor. His sword fell to the stone floor with a clatter and clang as he dropped it in order to wrap his arms around the girl.
Looking down at the crown of ebony curls, he heard the sweetest sound. "You found me!"
Prince David reached up and brushed the ebony curls away from her face to glimpse the smiling face of his beloved. His shaking hands lifted to clasp her face in his warm palms to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Her smile lit up the entire room. "Snow, how?" he murmured breathily.
"It doesn't matter, you're here," she breathed back, placing a finger to his lips to cease his flow of befuddled words.
In the Great Hall, Rumpelstiltskin's disgruntled voice could be heard. "Too many people in my castle, Belle."
Charming tore his gaze away from his true love to see the petite brunette standing next to the Dark One that he could only understand to be the aforementioned Belle. She placed her small hand on Rumpelstiltskin's chest and leaned up on her toes to whisper softly into his ear, a gentle smile curving her lips. The imp's scowling countenance gentled and he pulled the woman close, his arm curling about her shoulders to hold her protectively at his side. He looked at the dark sorcerer in horror, but the death glare Rumpelstiltskin cast him, warned him to keep his thoughts to himself and not interfere.
Charming, unable to choke down his i- must-save-everyone mentality, immediately jumped to conclusions despite the warning. He pushed Snow behind him and reached for his fallen sword.
"I would leave that there, dearie, if I were you," the imp snarled, his shoulders tense, prepared to subdue the princeling regardless of Belle's wishes if the man moved to threaten them.
Charming stopped in mid-motion to look up into the Dark One's forbidding visage. He looked into Rumpel's once amber eyes which now glowed red with an inner rage barely held in check. He had no doubt that the monster standing before him wouldn't hesitate to kill him should he disobey and retrieve the fallen sword. His hand hovered over the handle and his eyes narrowed, calculating his next move. How fast could he retrieve the sword and free the woman from his vile clutches?
While he was debating his next move, his mouth gaped in surprised wonder as the woman cradled the imp's face in her hands and directed his gaze back to her. The word "no" was the only thing he heard leave her rosebud mouth. To his further astonishment, the sorcerer gazed down into the woman's face for a brief instant, his features softening at her touch before he turned his head to press a kiss to her warm palm.
Snow paled, realizing when she noticed the red gleam in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes that he viewed Charming as a threat. She knelt at her love's side, hoping to diffuse the situation before it could escalate into something ugly. She cradled his face in her hands, his stubble scratching pleasantly against her palms, and turned his gaze to hers. "It's okay," she said quickly, tracing her fingertips over the frown marring his brow. A sigh escaped her lips as his eyes closed, a shiver of pleasure rippling through him at the soft touch. She could feel the tension leaving his body and took that as a good sign. Shewas rewarded for her patience as his eyes opened to bestow his loving gaze upon her. His eyes flickered to the couple several paces away, and then arched a questioning brow.
Snow lowered her lips to his ear and whispered, "He goes a bit crazy if he believes Belleis being threatened."
"I can hear you, dearie," The Dark One sneered.
Snow's face turned a violent shade of red and she ducked her head onto Charming's broad shoulder to hide her embarrassment. He could only hold her close as he studied the man causing her discomfiture. His eyes had faded back to their usual warm amber color, but they never retreated from the soft bundle in his arms. Charming could only summarize them as a strange couple, but the woman now petting the imp's hair was clearly in love with him. Still, a slight shudder wracked his broad frame at the thought of why a woman as lovely as Belle would want such a demon.
Sensing the threat had been neutralized, the white dove interrupted quietly. "Excuse me. I owe a debt and would like to fulfill it if you don't mind."
Gaining the attention of the occupants in the room, his blinking green eyes looked at the brown rabbit from across the room.
"Cherise, since we have been friends for many years…more years than I care to count…I would like to erase the debts you and Percy owe me. If you will but handle one request for me."
Cherise eyed him, knowing it was to be quite a request if he were willing to wipe the slate clean. "What is it?" she asked quietly.
The bird twittered nervously in abject fear as the master of the castle peered down expectantly at him. With a confidence he was far from feeling, he trained his gaze on the Dark One's beloved. His honor demanded him to make the request. This human not only saved him…as he did for her, but her friendship would never waver. He could see it all in the shining embers of her eyes gazing back at him. He wanted her happiness above all else.
"Do you have a potion that will block true love's kiss so that a curse can't be broken?" he asked.
Cherise's gaze flitted nervously between the dove and the Dark One's lady. His own gaze never wavered from the human before him, yet she saw the gasp the girl emitted and the hope that lit her eyes as she turned imploringly to the rabbits. Cherise cast a furtive glance over her shoulder to her husband, but he held his tongue, leaving the decision whether to help or not in her capable hands. Rumpelstiltskin stood as still as a statue, but his body betrayed him by the slight tremor in his hands as he tightened his arms about Belle's waist.
Nervous, is he now? she thought. Amazing that the Dark One has a weakness, after all. What leverage that would be. Her family would have exploited it to the extreme were they there. Thankfully, they were not. She could hear her grandmere yelling at her for those thoughts, berating her for letting her emotions get in the way. Whatever the cost, family came first.
"Cherise?" Mr. Dove repeated for the second time, worried over her deep thoughts and continued silence.
Belle could only hold her breath as she felt Rumpel's arms tighten about her waist. She could feel the tightness of his body pressed so firmly to hers, his hand continually stroking her side to hide his nervousness as they waited for the female's response.
Cherise stood a little taller as she pulled her satchel closer to her body, fingering it with her paws. Her deep soulful eyes behind her glasses regarded the couple closely as the words slipped seamlessly from her lips. "Yes. Yes, I do."
Next Stop...
Lets say evil villains are coming their way soon enough..