He was finally comfortable enough to bring himself to a conclusion: the Golden Fleece was unremarkable.
It had magic in it, that much he could feel, but after several experiments, the magic had yet to truly reveal itself. The secrets of the fleece it seemed were destined to remain a secret, for he was certainly not about to give it up and let another witch or wizard discover it in his stead. It had been worth a try, but the consolation prize was that it made a lovely decoration with the rest of his collection in the Great Hall! That, and of course, what had transpired between he and Cora the night they'd retrieved it. For that reason alone, he wasn't upset about abandoning work on it.
The truth was that the closer he got to Cora, the more he knew and understood that the prophecy he'd heard was going to come to pass. It would be her daughter, Regina Mills, who cast the curse that would take him to his son. He didn't need to search for beans or fleeces or even hammers that could transport to other realms! He only needed Cora. Only needed the baby that she would one day have. Perhaps one day very soon. Months had passed since they'd first met and begun their little affair. In that time, not only had she progressed with her magic, regularly and expertly altering memories, stealing hearts, making potions, solving problems, moving and pushing energy to her will…but she'd also progressed with Prince Henry as well.
Their wedding day loomed, and therefore so did their wedding night. And if he was honest with himself, of course he felt jealousy over such a thing. But she'd seemed to sense it, seemed to know that he was beginning to rage at the very idea of it. Why had he turned her down all those nights ago? It was a stupid thing to do, if he didn't perhaps he wouldn't feel this growing urge to step in front of her every time he saw the pair of them together, to trip that prince, to send him flying across the room, to snap his brittle neck!
It would be nothing, she'd assured him, time and time again with not the least bit of embarrassment or trepidation for that night. He could remember being so nervous he could barely stand when he'd first gone to bed with Milah, so nervous when he'd first propositioned Cora, but she seemed oddly cool and calm about the entire thing. Perhaps that was a sign that it was as she said.
"It's nothing," she repeated when he expressed his concern. "It's just a series of physical motions; it'll mean nothing, Rumple! It's not like when we're together, my darling."
Indeed. Admittedly, they had not been together in that way. They hadn't had sex, not yet. They hadn't gone any farther than what had happened that day at his castle and a proposition from one to the other that had never been fulfilled. Some of that was due in part to her upcoming nuptials. But the more time he spent with her, the more he realized it was only a matter of time until the moment truly was right, and they weren't able to resist one another anymore, and he no longer cared that she would be marrying the Prince. There were times, even now, that he looked at her and he burned with a need to be closer than he was. Times like now.
He'd popped in, secretly, at first, just to check that she was alone, then openly watched her as she stared at herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a wedding dress. Her wedding dress. The dress she would wear tomorrow to make promises she would never keep to Henry.
"I'm giving him my hand, love, not my heart," she'd insisted just the other night with frustration. She'd begged him to stay the night with her. She'd gotten on her knees before him again, to tempt him further, he assumed. But instead of the voices quieting, it was his own voice that swam with questions and emotions that forced him to urge her to her feet. He hadn't been able to prepare himself for what she wanted, even with magic. His mind was too busy.
In part, that was why he'd come so early today, to fix things and apologize for what had happened yesterday when he'd left abruptly. But now that he saw her there in that dress, there was something that scratched just beneath his skin. Something he did not like. On the one hand it was something that gave him a secret gleeful thrill to know that marriage might make her a princess but it would never make Cora Henry's Great Love. And yet…jealousy could still reign supreme if he let it. So the answer was simple. He wouldn't let it.
"Enjoying the view as much as I am?" he teased, letting her jump at his voice before swooping her in and pressing her close for a frantic kiss. Until she pushed him away.
"How dare you?!" she stated with feigned shock and anger. "I'm a married woman."
"Not yet. Wedding's tomorrow!" he corrected before kissing her again.
"Hm. Well, then it's all right," she conceded before giving in and kissing him again.
"Love the dress!" he commented before pulling away. He had too. She had a full day ahead of her, and he was certain that she'd have chambermaids and servants coming to check on her and move her to the next event any moment now. But if they kept this up, they'd find their future Princess in a very, very precarious position as he fought to claim what he knew Henry would tomorrow night.
"Royal brides have to be snow white."
He let out an involuntary giggle at that comment.
"When you see the future, there is irony everywhere," he pronounced before taking a seat opposite that mirror.
"You know, I thought I wanted this," she muttered after a pause. "White and bright, all the admiration…but then I look at it…fifth in line to be Queen. That won't happen without an awful lot of bloodshed. And what you give me…"
He sat forward and reached for her hands to get her to stop. There was a feeling, something indescribable, in the pit of his stomach. He knew what the Prophecy stated, he knew what he needed to find Bae, but he also had the feeling that he knew what she was leading up to, and he wanted that too. He understood what the future offered. She did not.
"I can give you nothing but darkness…and isolation," he clarified.
"And love?" Cora questioned.
His tongue wouldn't work. He wasn't sure what to say. He was almost certain she was going to say what he thought she was, but could he allow her to? Oh, his heart was pounding as he stared up at her, his mouth was dry, and somehow he just couldn't bring himself to lie.
"Yeah," he heard himself confirm, "And love."
Cora leaned in closer. "I want that."
And so did he. Oh, how was this possible? He'd never hoped to feel anything like what he felt now for Cora, not since the woman from his village had turned him down years ago! But he felt something for Cora that was so much stronger than anything he'd ever felt for her. Was it love? Was this what the love of a man and a woman felt like? He was old, but he'd never really known it before to tell. He was over a hundred years old but shamefully naïve about the subject. Yet he knew, in his heart of hearts, that he didn't want her to go with Henry tomorrow night. He wanted her to come with him…he wanted her to come with him right now! He wanted to take her home to his bed to correct his previous behavior. And he wanted to discover that she was the one! She was the Cora he'd seen his vision! But could she also be that brown-haired woman he'd seen in the bed beside him in that same vision. Those shoulders were pinker, but…the tone of flesh could change over time. And if this was real, maybe this was what it was about, maybe changing and living a life with someone was about change! Perhaps visions could change, perhaps the future could change! What did it matter if Cora's firstborn child was Prince Henry's or…his own?
He could think of one reason that might matter, but it had nothing to do with Cora or the child, and everything to do with a stupid choice he'd made when he was weak and scared. But that particular deal had one very obvious, very easy loophole to exploit if time hadn't taken care of it for him to begin with. And as for Cora…
"What if I, uh…" he rose from his seat and paced around her. He caught a flash of himself and Cora in her white dress in the mirror and had to look away just to focus. "What if I, uh…amended, our contract? Instead of you owing me some random firstborn child," he pronounced while moving his arms wildly and dramatically as he'd never had to do with Cora before, "…you owe me my child?"
It was a show of just how nervous he was, just how much he wanted her to say yes to what he was offering.
"I can make that deal."
"As can I." His heart skipped a beat and felt lighter as they moved toward one another. Love. Was this the legendary pull of it?
"Rumple…can we really do this?" she asked. "Can we really have this?"
He understood her confusion. He understood it so much better than she may ever know because he felt that same sense of unfairness in the world that she must. Two creatures like them, united in their love of bloodlust, so skilled in Dark Magic, her running around behind her fiancé's back, he committing so many murders he couldn't even remember them all. How could they have this happiness? How could they have it so close and ripe for the taking?
"If you truly wish it."
He wanted so bad, more than anything to see her lean forward and insist that it was what she wanted, more than anything! But instead he saw a flicker of uncertainty pass over her eyes. Not disinterest, just…a complication.
"There is one-"
"What?" he demanded desperately. If he could fix what had happened in his past, before she married, before she even found out about it, then they could solve whatever was edging out her decision. He was certain about whatever her uncertainty was. He just needed to know it.
"It's the King," she confessed as that darkness clouded her eyes again. "He humiliated me. He made me feel the way you've shown me I never have to feel. I want to kill him," she stated just as though she'd stated she wanted a goldfish from the fair. "I want to show him his heart before I do it, so he can see it and know what I'm doing as I crush it."
"And that is why I love you." Oh, this was why they worked so well. Her bloodlust, her desire for revenge and justice, was nearly as unquenchable as his own! And that was why he had every confidence that they could make this work. Truly. The future wasn't set in stone. It could change!
Cora moved closer, took her hand and laid it just over his heart where he wondered if she could feel it straining against his skin to touch her own, to have her skin pressed against his, to have her, without that dress, in his bed instead of the Prince's. He wondered what that bloodlust would look like when she was in her arms then. Would she carry it to bed with her and be just as fierce? Gods, he hoped so!
"Show me!" she demanded. Show her how he loved her? Easily. But not here. Not now, not when there was so much to be done before they could pull this off. But when they succeeded, and they were finally at his castle, together, when his daughter finally helped him get back to his son, it was going to be an impressive feat beyond anything any seer could have seen. And when they were alone together tonight…it was going to make anything Milah had with that pirate of hers look like child's play. He only prayed that with even his own inexperience, he might be a worthy teacher.
"I will show you everything," he promised.
"Then I'll do it tonight."
Tonight.
Tonight!
So much to do and yet…it was the perfect amount of time!
"Let's seal that promise," he insisted before capturing her mouth once more.
There should be nothing overly shocking about this chapter except maybe the fact that we've finally arrived here. I'm sorry the in between time wasn't as long as it might have been in another fiction but I knew that this would be long enough without it. I'm hopeful that you've got the idea of what has been going on all this time with Rumple and Cora. You know where we're at now, so you also know what's coming. Nothing fun for our boy, but it'll have a pretty lasting impact.
MissAmande, Grace5231973, Alarda, Jennifer Baratta, Enomisje, and yunaff30 thank you, thank you, thank you for your reviews on the last chapter. I was so pleased to receive them and know that so far everything is good! Let's continue, shall we? Peace and Happy Reading!
