Information in hand, he knew that there was no time to lose. He had an advantage for once in his life, and he'd be damned if he was going to waste it on things like chance and luck. In half a heartbeat, he developed a plan, with the help of the Seer whispering instructions, as well as the former Dark Ones shouting opinions, he knew what he had to do and knew he had to do it now. So, dagger in hand, he made quick work of the house. Everything he'd destroyed, he mended. The splintered wood was made whole again. He made sure the letters from the Blue Fairy were miniaturized, sealed, and stuffed back inside their tiny box, then he recalled the memory of his vision and placed the box just as he'd found it before he sealed over it again. When all was said and done the place looked just as it had before he arrived. But there was one problem...the air reeked of Dark Magic. How could it not? He sensed it everywhere and was certain that the Apprentice would too. He'd be suspicious, but the good thing was that the hat was missing. It would act as a red herring. If all went the way he wanted it to, then the Apprentice would naturally assume that there was Dark Magic afoot because someone had stolen the hat. He'd be so busy chasing after the hat that he might never discover that the Curse was gone too. But just in case…
With the house in order he made his way over to the table he'd placed the mouse on. In an hour, the spell would reverse on its own. He didn't need an hour. He summoned a vial of potion out of his Tower and inserted an eyedropper into it. Then he grabbed the mouse in one hand and waved the other over him, putting him to sleep instantly. He had to change him back, but he wanted to get every last second of ignorance out of him that he could. As soon as he put together what happened, he'd go to the fairies, and he didn't want those beasts snooping around his castle anymore than they had to. They'd never be able to get to the Curse from him once he'd hidden it, but he still needed the time to retrieve and hide it away! He wanted the biggest head start he could possibly get!
He force-fed the sleeping mouse a few of drops of memory potion with the eyedropper. It was probably overkill, it would eliminate his memories for weeks prior to this incident, but only if it worked. He wasn't taking any chances on the power the Apprentice possessed, not one bit. Where he was concerned, he wasn't confident in dosing or strength or even how long-lasting the potion was! For all he knew, the moment he realized he'd been dosed, he might be able to craft an anti-potion and get his memories back! But even that would take the wizard time. He had to take every advantage he could. The potion safely back in his hand, he waved away the cage and found the pallet the Apprentice slept on. He laid the mouse upon the pillow, then took a small needle from his pocket and pricked the beast on his forearm. He held the empty vial to his arm and watched as blood flowed into it. Rodent blood, but still blood of the Apprentice. Again, whether his plan to use it to build a banishing spell around his property would work was a mystery. But in this case, it was better to try than give up. His mind was racing, he had to think about the present as well as the future. That Curse was his top priority. Once he had it, he had to keep it safe.
Blood secure. Memory potion administered. Wound clean and healed. Finally, he stood up and took one last look around to make sure that it all seemed as though no one had been there. Once he reversed the spell, the Apprentice would become human and regain the full force of his magic. The enchantments he'd made to keep the Dark One out would be raised once more, and he would be expelled. He had to make sure everything was in order before he set things to right.
Seeing that they were, he couldn't put it off any longer. He took the eyedropper once more from his pocket, pulled a few drops of the anti-potion from a vial in his pocket, the same kind he'd given to Anna and claimed he had no more of, and he forced the potion down the mouse's throat.
There was a moment when he felt magic, Dark Magic at first, his own working in the residence, but as the small mouse was suddenly enveloped in a cloud of purple smoke that grew and expanded over the size of the pallet he felt Light Magic grow stronger too. First stronger. Then angrier. Finally it reacted.
One second he was standing inside the Apprentice's house the next he heard a sound like a cannon and was standing outside in the sunrise. Though he knew he was standing at the edge of the Apprentice's property and looking at the place the house should be, he saw nothing. No house. No Apprentice. There was only the bottom of his mountain just as there had always been. And a feeling of Light Magic that he hadn't expected when it had grown to strength and burst forth again. Unexpected but not unwelcome. He hoped that Light Magic might cover the traces of his Dark Magic. It was as though the universe was on his side. He figured it was best to act on that while he could. He didn't go home, didn't even stop for supplies, merely allowed his magic to take him where he wanted to be.
Bald Mountain was the strangest place he'd ever been to. Nestled in a Mountain Range that would have been a five-day journey from home on foot, it wasn't the tallest mountain among its brothers and sisters, but it was undoubtedly the strongest. There were all kinds of magic in this world, head and heart, Light and Dark, Fairy and Troll, Elemental, Blood, and then the lesser-known, but equally powerful Natural Magic. There wasn't much known about it because it couldn't be learned, it couldn't be taught or even conquered, only studied and even then sometimes from afar. It was believed that Natural Magic came about when certain natural elements encountered each other. Though each element had its own purpose in magic, when they converged there was miraculous magic that emerged. Natural Magic.
Limestone, sandstone, running water, salt, and wood; when these things combined on their own the effect was startling. He experienced the feeling of it the moment he arrived on the little ledge outside the mountain. With his dagger in his hand, he'd demanded to go to Bald Mountain, to find the fairy magic, but this ledge was all the further it had taken him. Natural Magic tended only to respond to Natural Magic or Natural Magical Abilities. The added elements had a tendency to do things to other types of magic. It could mute it or mutate it. It could worsen it or enhance it. It could ricochet or, if he was very, very lucky, work just the way it was supposed to. He wasn't going to bet on that second bit though, at least not once he was inside the mountain. Where he was now, on the outside, on this ledge, his magic had worked here, it had brought him here for a reason. Though he could feel the pull of the magic beyond this spot, wanting to drain his own away, right here, he could feel it clinging to him, buzzing around him, fighting to stay active. The Dark Ones were buzzing too. They knew where they were; they knew what being stupid in this situation might bring him. He had to measure each step carefully.
So before he took another step, before he moved one inch closer to the source of his magic's distress, he gripped his dagger tight. Instead of holding it out in front of him, he took a step back, and blasted the area before him with magic, everything he had, every powerful spell he knew. Suddenly the mountain before him quivered and shook. Snow fell from the peak, and he watched carefully, completely prepared to retreat if it was necessary. It wasn't. Though some snow did pile, when it shook free of the side of the mountain, what was revealed before him was a strange square-like hole cut into the mountain. It was similar to a mine shaft that dwarves might have carved. Dwarves and fairies were known to be allies…what were the chances they'd worked together? He pocketed the dagger and finally stepped forward.
Damn Natural Magic. The effect of walking into a tunnel that seemed to descend into it was unnerving, to say the least. His ankle was first to feel the brunt of it. Though he'd been fine for the first bit, he eventually felt small sharp pains where his injury lay. He could stand it for a small while, but with every step it grew worse and worse, and soon he found himself reaching out for the wall beside him. The feel of it beneath his fingers was an odd sensation. If felt like there was glass over the walls, glass covered in wax that left a strange tingle on his fingertips. Most days he felt nothing when he put magic into his leg. Using what he had to cure his limp had been so natural he'd begun to do it the very moment he'd become the Dark One. Now it took energy. And focus. And concentration. He had to close his eyes, to pretend as though he could see his magic inside of him, gather it together in one little ball, and send it to his leg. But it was slow. Magic that usually flowed freely inside of him, like water, felt like thick sticky syrup. Eventually, he managed, but when he opened his eyes the result was dizziness, nausea, and a rapid heartbeat that made it difficult to breathe. Somewhere inside a voice told him that some of that wasn't the Natural Magic, some of that was panic.
"That inner coward is showing, Rumpelstiltskin," Nimue hissed in his mind. "Mustn't let him out now."
No. He mustn't. When he opened his eyes again, he was determined. Get to the Curse. Get it. Get out. Nimue's advice hadn't mattered for the hat, it would now. But even as he forced himself to move forward, the words in the Blue Fairy's letter rang out in his head, nearly overwhelming Nimue and the Seer and the other Dark Ones. "Along with a few other tricks we have, we sleep soundly at night knowing that it shall remain free of the Dark One's hands." Other tricks…he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that it wasn't going to be as simple as he imagined.
Finally, from up ahead, he saw something moving. Setting his sights on what he saw, he took steps forward and ignored the smallest of twinges that remained in his leg even after adding magic.
Beetles.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of bugs crawled across a wall of some kind up ahead. At first it seemed like it was just an accident, not a trick of the fairies, but the closer he got, the more he realized they were not ordinary bugs. Blood Scarabs. Of course. There was salt in this mountain, one of those elements that drew forth Natural Magic. Blood Scarabs were attracted to salt and made no distinction between finding it in water, on rocks, or their favorite, blood. Hence the name. He was careful not to get too close, lest the Sentinel smell him and alert his friends to that which flowed beneath his flesh. They wouldn't kill him, they couldn't, but he didn't want to find out how he'd continue to live if they made a banquet out of him, especially if he couldn't rely on his magic to get himself out of this place.
Wildly he looked around searching for a way around the scarabs. But there was no other way forward. This tunnel simply led to this wall and-
Further.
He didn't want to get closer, but when he looked beyond the wall the bugs were so attached to, he found that the wall was a different color than what he'd touched earlier. It was a brown color and appeared made of wood. It was a door. There was salt on the other side of it, and they were drawn to it, trying to get through to the next chamber. He felt very strongly he knew what was inside of that chamber…but how to get it?!
He took a breath as he removed a knife from his boot. They were blood scarabs. He didn't want to be bitten, but he knew there was one thing that would draw them away from salt, and that was an external source. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of what he was about to do, especially after what had happened the last time someone had gotten a hold of his blood. But if he was right, the scarabs would be drawn away, they would devour the blood and then frenzy looking for more. He'd have a minute. One minute to go in, get the Curse, and get back out again before they invaded the chamber in search of their next meal. One minute and a blood donation…for Baelfire he could do it.
"Ah!" He cried out in pain as the knife sliced through his forearm so deep that blood welled up and plopped onto the rocks beneath him. He let it flow, let it pain him. He needed his magic to be channeled into his leg to allow him to get his Curse. He could heal his arm later!
There was a puddle on the floor of the cavern the size of a dinner plate, and finally he saw the activity at the door begin to slow as they sensed food. He covered his arm with his hand to staunch the bleeding and stepped away, to the other side of the cave and watched as one beetle, the Sentinel, came forward, sniffed, and then the rest were unleashed. They crawled down so fast it happened in the blink of an eye. He didn't stay to watch their swarm, just began to count to sixty and moved to the door, which he promptly shut behind him.
Inside, the chamber left him breathless. Both literally and figuratively. The natural magic was strong in here, so much stronger than it had been outside the chamber. Now he knew why the scarabs had swarmed there. He could practically taste the salt in the air, and from somewhere below he could hear water running.
But there it was.
The door opened to another ledge, another platform that housed large stones, probably salt and limestone, at the end of the ledge there was a dais, one that was raised, similar to what he'd seen in the Apprentice's chamber. On top of it was a small glass bauble of sorts. There was something inside of it. And he was certain that what he felt in the air around him, aside from the salt and water and Natural Magic, was Dark Magic that sprang directly from that ball. It was a small reward. Outside this chamber the Magic had been enough to hide it from him, to keep it off his radar, but inside it wasn't strong enough to conceal what was there. He was in the presence of Dark Magic, and it gave him a boost, helped right his senses, helped give him some of his power back. It helped him see a future with his son once more at his side.
That image in his head, he raised his chin up high, strode toward the dais-
And stopped as fire erupted in front of him, creating a firm blockade between he and the Curse. No matter. He had thirty seconds. He could do it! He stretched his hand out, gathered Dark Magic from the Curse ahead of him, it was a risk using it here, but Baelfire was worth it, and he was immortal. No matter what happened, it wouldn't kill him. He focused all his energy on the flame, on melting it down and gaining access. The fire in front of him flickered, but stayed strong. He tried again. His hand, his wrist, his entire arm shook with the effort, but he did his best to silence it and push it down. Twenty seconds!
It wouldn't budge.
Dragonfire!
He realized as he smelled the sulfur in it. He could put out Dragonfire…when he was at full strength, which he wasn't. And…
He lifted his nose and smelled again. Fairy Magic. Faint, but he could sense it, lingering on the platform just behind the fire. A trick he couldn't identify.
With ten seconds, he stared at the glass ball ahead of him, and for the first time in a century felt the urge to weep. It was there! Right there! His ticket to his son was not fifty feet from him…and he couldn't retrieve it! Not yet anyway! As much as he wanted to, it was clear he would need-
Without warning, the floor beneath his feet began to tremble, and he staggered to find his balance wincing at the pair flaring in his ankle. From somewhere above he heard the sound of heavy boulders but never felt anything fall. Movement on the other side of the room grabbed his attention, and suddenly he saw what he thought was a shadow begin to rise. But it wasn't a shadow. It was staring at him, looking at him with two glowing red eyes as it stood from where it had been.
Chernabog.
Now that was a problem.
With less than two seconds to spare he scrambled back, out of the way, he drew as much Dark Magic as he could into his body, away from his ankle, took a breath, focused as he'd never focused before-
He hit the ground hard on his left shoulder just outside the door to the chamber, mere feet away from where the beetles were just now finishing their meal. He'd hoped he might make it home, or at least out to the cliff, but given the magic he'd been working with, he was lucky he'd made it this far. Ignoring the pain in his ankle, he managed to pull himself back out of the tunnel. The nausea and dizziness returned the moment he hit the ground, but he suffered through it because the farther he got from the heart of that mountain the better he became until finally, he had the ability to stand, put his magic back into his ankle, and walk back to that place on the mountain where he'd been safely out of the magics reach.
He could go home now, without a doubt he'd make it this time. But he couldn't go. He had too. But he couldn't, not without looking behind him as he sucked in each clean, cool breath of air and felt a little stronger every second.
The Curse was there, he'd found it.
For over a century he'd sought it out, gone through hundreds of thousands of books, acquired new abilities, formed alliances, made foes, and now it stood before him!
And he was leaving it behind…
This time.
He was leaving it behind this time. But not next time. He was going to come back. He was going to regroup and come up with a solution, and he was going to do it fast! He had to. It was night time when he'd left the mountain, an entire day had passed since Anna's arrival. He had to come up with a plan to get that Curse and get it now because undoubtedly when the Apprentice realized what had happened, he'd rush right off to the fairies who would move the Curse again. He couldn't let that happen. This was a battle he couldn't lose again, for Bae's sake.
I know this chapter seems like it's unnecessary filler, but it's actually really important to the plot. We have to assume that if the Curse has stayed hidden this long, undetected, then there really is no way for Rumple to see it or where it is than to go there himself. And the fact that Rumple seems to know what kind of help he needs to help him get to the chamber, get the Curse, and get out alive, would then suggest that he'd gone first himself and failed. So thus, this chapter was born. I'm sorry if it's a little rough around the edges, this chapter has been edited about half a dozen times and I feel like it shows.
Thank you Grace5231973 and Alarda for your reviews on the last chapter. I think you'll all enjoy this week of chapters. They were fun to write. Oh, and fun fact, earlier I told you I only named this section the Frozen Section because the first choice was too spoiler and redundant. The alternative section title here was "The Dark Curse", but yeah, I thought it gave too much away when we had to get through the Frozen bit first and then...really...The Chronicles of the Dark One: The Dark Curse, The Dark Curse Section...little too much right. Up next, the return of one of your favorites! Peace and Happy Reading!
