Chapter 8 : And then, I made a deal with the Devil.
- Fandom du 11/06/2020 : Once Upon a Time
- Ship farfelus : Wish!Hook/Raiponce
- Défi 12 de Sarah et Voirloup : Écrire sur le fandom OUAT.
- Bestiaire fantastique : CRÉATURE 66 : Le Ténébreux
- Headcanon 32 : Gothel a rencontré le Wish!Rumple
- Foire aux personnages : Personnage 33 : Hook
- Fusion : Fusionner 6 défis.
Once upon a time, there was a nymph who lost everyone she loved and who met an imp who himself lost everything he cared about.
Two immortals who had nothing else to lose except themselves and their sanity in the process, and whose hearts were filled with anger, rage, sadness, despair and darkness.
She wanted to get revenge for her dead family, for all the nymphs killed for nothing, that she couldn't protect or save, her peopleand destroy the world without magic as well as the humans living in, while he just wanted to find his son.
She was locked up into a tower, he was kept as a prisoner in a cell.
She escaped.
He didn't.
(It was her fault, Regina's fault, because she didn't succeed to cast the curse, and now he was a prisoner, and he would always be. He was supposed not to ever see his son and Belle again, and if nothing else made him become completely mad before, it was surely the thing that would make him be one day.)
§§§§
The Dark One certainly didn't expect visitors this night, especially not that kind of visitors. The king and queen of the kingdom themselves, he surely didn't see them often, not since the day he told them his prophecy which never happened, which meant that it must be something important, right ?
He could indeed see the future, but the voices in his head, saying that he was supposed to escape, and destroy the world which took his son away from him made it difficult to focus on what was important, and being alone in this room all the time didn't help him at all, so no, he had no idea of why they wanted to talk to him.
Or, more precisely, what they wanted from him.
It was always about that, someone wants something, somebody wants something else, wasn't it ?
He didn't really pay attention to the blond woman he never saw, nor to the royal couple to who he once said that their daughter would be the Savior destined to break the curse and who proved him wrong, no it wasn't them who caught his attention…
But the pirate just in front of him that he knew too well.
"You… He whispered as soon as he recognized him, with rage in his eyes and his heart, while his hands were clasping his cell's bars as if he wanted to do the same with the pirate's neck.
- Yes, Hook sighed, feeling like this was going to be a long conversation, me…
The pirate, here and now, the man who refused to help him and free him from his prison while it would have helped them both, he would be out by now, his enemy would have freed his daughter from her tower, he would be reunited with his son, and everyone would have been happy !
Except that he didn't, he just didn't listen to him, because he was a freaking idiot !
- Captain, he said with a fake polite tone, I didn't expect to see you here, are you here again to make a deal with me and then break it ?
- Says the one who himself broke the deal he made once with his own son, and then abandoned him, the outlaw couldn't stop himself from saying, because even if it was definitely not the right moment to talk about that, hell, it was true, right ?
- Well then, if we talk about that kind of things, tell me pirate, what about your daughter ? Did you free her from her tower ? I guess that since you're still alive, you won your duel against Achab, and if you didn't… that means that you were quite an idiot back then, and you should have listened to me as I told you… So, your daughter… He asked him with a wide smile full of teeth which was truly terrifying.
The pirate froze.
He was right, it was terrible to admit this, but the Dark One was right about this, and yes, that's true, had he listened to him, things would be so different, his daughter would be free and so would be the Dark One, and…
Yes, maybe that it was not a right thing but he liked to believe that the wizard was less worst than Gothel herself was, and at least, he wouldn't be cursed and tore apart from his beloved child.
Maybe his life and Alice's life wouldn't be that miserable by now, if only he had done the right choice…
- She is still a prisoner, he admitted despite himself.
The immortal burst into laughter, a deranged and sad laugh, which screamed I told you so, didn't I ?
- Why am I not even surprised ? He exclaimed, still laughing. So, what happened, you lost against the other pirate, and he took the artifact from you, that's it ?
- No, Killian answered, I didn't lose, in fact I did win, but… But then, something terrible happened, when I came back to the tower to free Alice… Gothel was here as well…
Gothel…
He knew that name, didn't he ?
A witch, a nymph, an immortal, a wanderer who traveled between different worlds with the same purpose that he had once : to go to the world without magic, but not for the same reason, she didn't have anyone to find, she just wanted…
Destruction.
And he was himself not against destruction when it favored his plans, especially to find his son, but her…
There was a light of madness in her eyes that almost scared him.
Almost.
She was a lost soul, a broken one, like those he already saw or destroyed by himself, she was a desperate soul, and he himself knew some things about despair…
- Gothel, the immortal said, a light of recognition in his eyes, and Rapunzel began to hope that maybe he knew her, knew what kind of monster she was, and would help them, even if he was himself seen by everyone as a monster. Yeah, I heard of her… I even met her a long time ago… What did she do to you exactly ?
- First, she cursed me, he said, showing his arm where the mark was, she cursed my heart so every time I'm close to my daughter physically speaking, I get more and more hurt, until I die.
The appropriate answer might have been "oh what a terrible fate" or "that's a terrible spell", but the only thing Rumplestiltskin came across to say was :
- Why didn't I think about it myself ?"
Hook rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything as he crossed Rapunzel's look, who didn't seem really happy, as the royal couple itself, to see them quarrel like children.
He sighed.
"What do you know about Gothel exactly ?
The sorcerer smirked.
- Oh… So, that's the reason why you're here… May I ask you why she seems to scare you so much ? Because, if it was just a story of revenge, you would have came here alone, like the last time, and not accompanied by the king and the queen of the kingdom !
- Because we want to stop her, the blond woman answered, walking out of the shadow, and into the light, anger and impatience being written on her face, like she was tired of waiting for something to happen (and really, really wanted to punch him in the face – well, like almost everyone did at one moment in their lives after meeting him –), and he asked himself why.
What did she have to win (or lose) in this situation ?
Why was she here by the way ?
- Gothel, she continued, kept me as a prisoner far from my family for a really, really long time, then, she tried to imprison my daughter Anastasia after this one nearly drowned, and… and now, she is free, and gods only know what she wants to do… But I don't think it's something good…
Oh…
Indeed, that explained a lot, the wizard figured out.
- Oh, clearly not, he answered, and as she looked at him, he knew that she knew that he knew what Gothel intended to do now that she was free.
But she also knew that with him, everything came with a price, they all knew it well.
- What do you want ? She asked him, knowing that they would have to go through it.
He was the Dark One, and he didn't become famous in the Enchanted Forest by making deals with people without asking for anything else in exchange…
His smirk widened, and, as she felt all this magic, dark and twisted, around him, despite the fact that he was in a place where he couldn't use his magic, she realized suddenly why people feared him so much.
- There, there, now we are talking, aren't we ? Belle, my son… He said with a despair he couldn't even hide, and gods be damned, Rapunzel could easily understand why, because, if someone had wanted something from her, the thing she would have wanted in return would be Anastasia to wake up for sure… I want to see them…
- Fine, the queen answered, I will see what I can do about that…
It was obvious that they already knew what he was going to ask, they weren't stupid after all, they did imprison the Dark One himself, didn't they ?
(Well, he let that happen, not that they could know about that.)
- So, Rapunzel said, what about Gothel ? What does she want, and, more important, how can we defeat her ? How can we free Alice from her tower without the artifact, and how can we cure his heart ? She asked him, pointing the pirate with her eyes."
The imp smiled with amusement.
"This is a question quite simple to answer… The first one, I mean… There is only one thing that Gothel wants, and that's destruction. An eternity ago, when you and I weren't even born already, Gothel's family, her entire people was completely destroyed and killed by humans, in the land without magic… at a time where there was still magic in it.
These humans killed all the nymphs they could find, made the magic disappear completely from this other world, and turned Gothel's heart dark… She killed them and went to our world, and now… All she wants is to come back to the land without magic, thanks to the Dark Curse, and kill all the humans she can find there so only people with magic will stay alive… Quite terrifying, isn't it ? He said as the others looked at him with horror in their eyes.
- How do we stop her ? Rapunzel repeated.
- There is one way to defeat a sorcerer, or a witch, or anybody who possesses magic powers… The same thing that was used against me to imprison me years ago… Squid ink !
That… was quite obvious when you thought about it, maybe they didn't because squid ink was not that easy to find, except that…
That they did find some in Rumplestiltskin's cell years ago (the Blue Fairy found it after it was clear that Regina was definitely defeated and that there wouldn't be any curse on their kingdom), on a paper where it was written "Emma" again and again, in something which was for sure squid ink, and since they didn't use it after that…
They could use it on Gothel, if they found her, Snow and David silently figured out.
- Fine, the king said, we will make sure that the fairies make for her a prison where she won't be able to use her magic then.
- What about Alice ? The pirate asked. What about my daughter, how can I get her out of the tower ?
The wizard smirked again.
- Well, without the artifact, it will be quite difficult, won't it be ? Unless you succeed to destroy the tower itself without killing your daughter…
- There… there might be a way, Rapunzel realized. Gothel got out of the tower because she could exchange her place with somebody who had her blood, her daughter, right ?
- Indeed, Killian answered.
- Well… Maybe… maybe that if we switched their places, your daughter would be free then.
- No, that won't work… She also needed a magical flower to free herself, and this was the only one I could find…
- When I imprisoned her, the last time, Rapunzel said, I used something on her, her own magic, something she had with her, some… magical flowers, like the other thing she… made me use later, if we use it on her, maybe it will switch places ?
Fine, maybe they could do that.
- Magical items and flowers, right ? Maybe it's something coming from Wonderland, the Dark One said, and Rapunzel immediately knew whatshehad to do. Gothel's magic is linked to flowers and nature, but I do remember her talking about magic from this world one of the times I saw her… And she did talk about the curse of the poisoned heart, so maybe these two things fit together.
Oh… so, maybe they could cure him, find a cure in that Land too ?
- I had another question… Rapunzel added. My daughter, Anastasia… she nearly drowned and is now between life and death… How do I wake her up ?
Rumplestiltskin thought about it for some seconds, and then shrugged.
- A life for a life, this is how it works in magic… If there is no cure, that's the only way."
She froze.
No.
She wasn't that kind of person, not anymore, she was not a murderer !
And yet, a voice in her head told her another story, another truth, Cecilia who had been cursed because of her, Marcus' murder, all the lies she had said…
The way she had treated Ella, and Drizella…
She wasn't a murderer, but she had been, and if it was in order to save Anastasia's life…
She turned her head.
No, she wouldn't do that, not again, she had promised to herself that she would become better for her daughters, and she would.
"No… I'll find another way, she said with determination."
There had to be another way…
§§§§
After they left the cell, it was easy for them and the royal couple to discuss what they had to do.
Gothel must be stop, and while Hook and Rapunzel would go to Wonderland thanks to a magic bean (since the end of the war, the kingdom had succeeded to make peace with the last giant, Anton, who had been able to make magic beans grow again), the king and the queen, helped by the fairies as well as Maleficent would try to find Gothel and stop her.
While Rapunzel and the pirate would also go back to the tower and explain to the girls where they were going and why, before going to Wonderland itself.
And, some days later, Rapunzel took a deep breath, before throwing the bean on the ground.
"Let's go to Wonderland."
To be continued…