Hello, and welcome to my entry for the Captain Swan Supernatural Summer 2020! Huge thank you to my beta, therealstartraveller776 , to searchingwardrobes for the wonderful story art and for being a second beta, to kmomof4 and cssns for putting this event together, and to the ladies in the CSSNS chat who have helped me think through this story.
Once upon a time, long ago and far away...
"The future is uncertain. I cannot give you an answer."
Rumplestiltskin felt his rage explode. Gripping the hilt of his dagger more firmly, he brought it up to eye level and focused his malevolent energy on the strange woman standing before him. With a strangled cry, she clutched at her throat, pulling helplessly at the air, at the invisible, immovable force that was crushing the life from her.
"Not good enough, Dearie," he growled. "I asked you a question and you'll give me an answer. Will I achieve the power I seek?"
As the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin had untold powers, powers stronger and more resilient than he could have ever imagined, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough.
No matter how much power he attained, he couldn't outrun the memories, couldn't forget the days before, the days when he was merely Rumplestiltskin, cowardly spinner. He'd been mocked by all, treated like trash cluttering the street. Even his wife, Milah, had viewed him with derision, choosing to leave him for adventure on the high seas with a pirate.
Rumple would never forget the low moment in his life. He'd been walking alone at night on the road leading from his cottage to the nearby village when his solitary musings were interrupted by the sound of horses swiftly approaching. He'd lost his balance and fell to the ground as the company of soldiers pulled up before him.
"Well, what do we have here?" the leader of the company mocked with a malevolent grin. "If it's not our resident weaver! Wherever can you be going at this time of night?"
"Let me pass," Rumple begged softly. "Is it not enough that you knocked me to the ground?"
The soldier laughed, and his men followed his example.
"I merely put you in your place, Spindleshanks," the soldier drawled. "Where else but the dirt should worms live?"
The encounter had ended even worse than it began. After hurling a fair number of insults, the soldier forced him to kiss his boot.
It was the most humiliating moment of Rumplestiltskin's life.
But the humiliation was not to last for long. The very next day, he met Zoso and took the Dark One powers. Never again would he be treated so vilely.
He'd grown in power and influence from that moment on. Suddenly rather than mocking him, his fellow villagers feared him. Despite all the power and all the abilities, there was still that kernel of fear in the back of his mind. If he'd been given his power, it could also be taken away. He had to find a way to ensure that never happened. He had to.
So when he heard tales of a mysterious seer who lived on the moors, he knew he had to come to her, had to glean what he could from her wisdom and foresight.
If only she would stop speaking in riddles.
"I...see...two...paths," the seer croaked, still clutching at her throat. Rumplestiltskin smiled in satisfaction. He'd bent her to his will as he knew he would.
Lazily dropping his hand to his side, he released her from the chokehold. The seer fell to the ground, coughing and gagging, her riotous red curls covering her face as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Well?" Rumple asked after a moment. "What are those two paths?"
The seer seemed to gather her strength and got to her feet. She raised her arms before her, and two bright blue eyes peered at him from her palms.
"You, Rumplestiltskin, are on the path to absolute power," she began. "No one will stand before your terrible wrath. You will find even the power to untether yourself from the dagger, but beware, another path might still be taken."
"Speak plainly, Dearie!" Rumple growled.
"There is but one man who can defeat you, one man who will be your undoing: Killian Jones with the help of his True Love."
Rumple felt the rage build again at the sound of that name. Killian Jones, the worthless pirate who had stolen his wife. "Well then," Rumple said, "I suppose killing Killian Jones just made the top of my to do list."
The seer shook her head. "That I would not advise."
"Why not?" Rumple exploded.
"Your path is inextricably linked with Killian Jones," the seer said in her eerily emotionless voice. "Your power is linked with him. Should you kill him, your Dark One power will die with him."
Rumple felt a leap of fear at even the suggestion of losing his power. That couldn't happen; that wouldn't happen. He'd search night and day for a way to neutralize the threat against him, and when he found it, Killian Jones had best beware. Rumplestiltskin planned to make him wish he'd never been born.
Killian Jones watched helplessly as his entire world crumbled before him. He'd had a difficult life, there was no doubt-losing both his parents at a tender age, being sold into servitude to a cruel ship's captain, watching his brother die-but all of it was nothing compared to the moment in which he found himself now.
The day had started well enough. He'd woken with his love, his Milah in his arms. He'd left her sleeping peacefully as he silently dressed and made his way up to the deck. It was a clear, crisp morning, the wind perfect for setting sail. After relieving his first mate, who'd taken the wheel overnight, Killian checked their direction, nodding in satisfaction to see that Mr. Smee had kept them on course. He'd watched the sun rise over the waves in gorgeous shades of pinks and purples.
Nothing calmed him, nothing steadied him like the horizon upon the sea.
But the sun had not yet reached its zenith before everything shattered before him.
He'd been trading banter with Milah, his men industriously attending to the tasks necessary to keep the Jolly Roger in ship shape, when suddenly a noxious cloud of red smoke appeared on deck, and when it cleared, there stood the Dark One, in all his malevolent, scaly glory.
Before Killian even had time to reach for his sword, Rumplestiltskin waved his hand, and all Killian's men froze in place. With a second wave, Killian felt himself rushing backwards until his back slammed against the mast, ropes coming to coil around him until he couldn't move, could barely breathe.
But all of that he could handle. What made the blood turn to ice in his veins was the sight now before him. Rumplestlitskin advanced upon Milah, a cruel sort of amusement, laced with anger, graced his hideous face.
To her credit, Milah did not cower before the threat bearing down upon her. Instead, she stood to her full height, hands clenched in fists at her side.
"Well, well, well," Rumple said mockingly, "what have we here? My wife living in carefree bliss with her 'twoo wuv'. Isn't that precious?"
"I'm sorry, Rumple," Milah pleaded, "I know I was a coward, leaving you like that, but I couldn't face our life anymore. I never loved you."
She'd started speaking in a conciliatory manner, but by the end she was angry, defiant. Killian swelled with pride at his love's courage-but underneath that pride was a clawing fear. One did not defy the Dark One without incurring steep consequences.
Rumple laughed, a high pitched, maniacal sound. "You think I care that you ran away, Dearie? You think I wasn't relieved to be rid of you? No, I'm not here to take back what the dirty pirate stole from me."
"Then what is it you want?" Milah asked. "We have treasure. It's yours; anything you want if only you leave us in peace."
"Ah, but you see, I spin straw into gold," Rumple drawled with a flourish of his hand as he slowly advanced upon Milah. "What do I want with your paltry baubles?"
"A magic bean, perhaps," Milah tried again. Killian could hear the fear seeping into her voice in spite of herself. "It could take you to any land you like."
"All I want," Rumple growled, so close now Milah could feel his breath on her face, "is power, and you, wife, are standing in my way."
Quick as lightning, before Milah even had a chance to scream, the Dark One plunged his hand into her chest and pulled out her beating heart.
"No!" Killian shouted, struggling against his bonds until he was finally able to pull an arm free, reach for a fish hook and cut himself loose. Sprinting across the deck, he caught Milah in his arms as she fell to the floor.
Milah cried out in pain as Rumple crushed her heart to a fine powder and let it scatter to the four winds.
"I love you," she whispered, before closing her eyes and dying.
Killian layed her gently upon the deck, pushing aside the naked agony he felt to draw upon another emotion: blinding, choking rage. Clutching the fish hook in his hand, he rushed the Dark One, plunging the hook deep into his heart.
But the Dark One merely laughed, pulling the hook from his chest as though it was no more consequential than a splinter. "It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me, Dearie."
"Even demons can be killed," Killian ground out, "I will find a way!"
"Good luck finding a way from where I'm sending you," Rumple said with a smile.
And then Rumplestiltskin did something so bizarre, it stopped Killian in his tracks. He picked up Killian's captain's log, flipping to the first page and beginning to read.
Oh, what is life without you?
A vision passed, a tale sad told.
Oh love, how I love you!
More than all the jewels in the realm.
Forevermore
"How sweet," the Dark One said, smiling mockingly. "I had no idea you were such a poet. I'm sure Milah loved it."
"Don't you dare speak her name, you bloody bastard!" Killian shouted.
Rumplestiltskin grinned, wagging a finger in front of him and tutting. "Such coarse language, captain. We can't have that."
Killian rushed forward again, not knowing what he planned to do, but knowing that he had to make Rumplestiltskin pay for what he'd done. The Dark One raised his hand, and Killian felt himself choking, desperate for air.
"Now," Rumple continued, finally lowering his hand and letting Killian fall to the deck, "what are we to do with you to keep you contained? Ah! I think I have the perfect solution."
Killian watched, still coughing and gasping for air, as Rumplestiltskin waved his hand with another flourish, and a pen and an inkwell appeared, suspended in air before him.
"Do you know what this is, pirate?" Rumple asked. He continued without waiting for a reply. "Squid ink. Did you know that squid ink is highly imbued with magical powers? One stroke of this pen, and you will be neutralized for all eternity."
Killian struggled to his feet, but before he'd even taken a step, Rumplestiltskin had already begun writing.
The Dark One had no sooner finished writing when the words on the page began glowing a bright gold, the light growing and growing until it shot forth, enveloping Killian in its snare. The light pulled him, tugged at him until he felt himself dissolve into smoke and pour back into the book itself.
"Now that that little complication is dealt with," Rumple said, "on to bigger and better things."
Tossing the book lazily to the deck, Rumple disappeared as quickly as he came, leaving nothing but death and destruction in his wake.
Notes: Welcome to my CSSNS story for 2020! This one should prove to be much shorter than my story from last year (which is still not finished). I'm anticipating about seven chapters.
-I can't take credit for the poem Killian wrote Milah (other than the last line that I changed to more closely fit Killian. The actual last line was "more than earth and her stories of gold"). I'd love to give the author credit, but I have no idea who it is. This poem is actually the story's reason for being. I came across it one day at work while working on a digitization of old textbooks project. The poem was handwritten and left behind in the particular book I was working on. As soon as I saw it, I knew one day I had to write a story about it.
-Up next: We meet Emma in the present time. She works in the Storybrooke Public Library. What will happen when she comes across the captain's log in which Rumple trapped Killian?