Where did his ideas come from? Were they his? A future only the Seer saw? The Dark Ones of the past whispering their own plans into his ear? Or some combination of all three? Sometimes he knew. Other times he hadn't a clue who was responsible, only that when he had them, they were fully formed and, more often than not, perfect.
Since his first trip to Bald Mountain, he'd come up with a plan, an idea that he knew in his heart and soul would work, even if it had to be planned and executed quickly. He knew the right people to ask, he'd only needed the right language and the right tools.
He would think that after a century of waiting, he'd be used to it, but he found himself in his tower itching to pace, to work through his plan all over again. Pirithous had arrived earlier in the morning to tell him that the letter had been delivered and received by his first target. A few moments later, he watched through a mirror as Jefferson kissed his daughter good-bye and took his hat with him, a message for the second target. As for the third, he was going to leave that up to himself, but only once Jefferson returned and offered confirmation that all had gone according to plan. He had nothing to do but wait. He'd been watching the Apprentice and grown nervous when he realized that he had a visitor, none other than Ingrid of Arendelle, the former crowned princess. What she wanted with the Apprentice he didn't know. But a visit from someone of Arendelle after the current Princess had taken the hat with her…he could feel in his bones that if the Apprentice didn't already know the hat was gone he would soon. Somewhere in his mind he heard the sound of a ticking clock. He had to work faster. He had to get that Curse before the Apprentice discovered what else was amiss.
This could work, he just had to work quickly, a far cry from the pace he'd taken with everything thus far. But he managed. He swallowed the potions that he crafted to prepare himself for Bald Mountain. He reviewed his plan over and over. He spun wool into golden thread, gathered up a few jewels that would feed Jefferson and his daughter for two years, at least, he avoided watching his old accomplice in the mirror, acknowledging that it wouldn't help things move faster. Finally, he was considering going back downstairs to fool around with the fairy wand a bit before he felt the air around his Tower change in a familiar old way.
Jefferson.
"It's done?" he questioned despite not being able to see him.
"I dropped her off in the woods just like you requested," he answered, moving around his back to the table before him. "I left her and her two beasts with your instructions, just as you asked."
"Beasts?"
"Her dogs."
He sneered at him. "That's two more than I wanted and asked for."
"They never leave her side once they smell an intruder, not unless she calls them off and she didn't. It was the three of them or none of them."
He took a breath. In a few hours, the sun would begin to go down. They didn't have time for arguing, especially not when the object of his desire was where he needed her to be. If push came to shove, he could send the little beasts to the other side of the Enchanted Forest.
"A fair assessment. Fine. It will do no harm."
"So...are we done here? We're even? No more favors?"
He'll return a favor! the Seer hissed at him again. But it did no good. A deal was a deal, and he'd fulfilled his part of it. It was already done, no matter how painful it was for him.
"A deal is a deal," he answered, removing the pouch of goods that he'd gathered together for the man. He placed it into his hand with a clank and was pleased to see that Jefferson didn't check to see what was inside, just trusted it was there as he always had. At least they hadn't lost everything between them. "Your debts are forgiven."
"Good," Jefferson pocketed the pouch and moved away from him. Carelessly he removed his hat, flung it into the middle of his Tower, causing a storm of wind just as it always did. Though he heard glass shatter and paper tear, he remained stoic as the Realm Jumper turned back to him and nodded. "Have a nice life, Rumpelstiltskin."
And with that, he jumped inside the swirling vortex so that it closed, and the winds died down, leaving him several jewels lighter and a very messy workspace. With a snap of his fingers, everything was righted, but he offered a nod to the place that Jefferson had once stood.
"Until we meet again," he muttered confidently. Though the Seer wasn't whispering to him, she'd never been wrong yet. If Jefferson was going to return a favor then one day he would be back to earn it. This wasn't the end.
He didn't linger long after Jefferson's departure. If Cruella was outside the Forbidden Fortress, then there was work to be done. With his Tower sorted as it had been before he now turned his attention back to his crystal ball and watched.
He had to be careful and precise about his next steps. Those that the world was so quick to label as "villains" could be finicky to deal with, especially considering his past with Ursula and Maleficent. He wasn't too worried. He had a plan, a pitch, to convince them that what he wanted to do was a winning plan. And after they accepted, he had another plan, one that really was the winner, that used the three of them to get exactly what he needed to get to Baelfire. But plan or not, it was still a delicate operation that could fail if he wasn't smart about it. He'd come this far and his time was running out. If he said something or did something that spooked even one of them, then someone might suspect something. And he was certain that if one turned him down, the other three would as well in a heartbeat. If this didn't work, there was no backup plan. Nor was there time to create one. He had one chance to make this work. He'd never felt more nervous in all his life.
He had to choose the timing of his introduction to these women wisely. It was all about knowing which parts of the conversation to skip, and which parts to intrude upon. He watched for a while, until the sun was nearly ready to set as Cruella continued to read her instructions and made her way to the castle in the distance. She was nearly there, but meanwhile, Ursula had arrived. Instead of watching Cruella, he chose to turn his attention instead to the sea witch and the dragon as they exchanged words, probably loud ones, with one another. Neither appeared happy about their meeting, which he was prepared for, but didn't really want or need to have any part of that discussion. Finally, Cruella barged in with her two massive annoyances at her side, just as Jefferson had told him now and years ago. They alerted the women first, their barking and yapping making both take a step back in the face of their jaws. It was a surprising reaction from someone who could turn themselves into a dragon, but even he had to admit, the dogs were terrifying, nothing like the sheepdogs he'd known in his youth. Cruella trailed behind the two of them, but it was only when he saw Maleficent put magic into her staff and point it at the great beasts he realized this time had finally arrived.
Now was the part that he couldn't ignore or simply attempt to translate. He had to hear them. Unfortunately, he knew that Maleficent was too smart not to cast spells on her mirrors, hence using the crystal ball at the moment. There would also probably be spells set up to detect a foreign presence in the castle, but he was betting that with two strangers staring her in the face, she probably wouldn't take notice of him. The women were in a long hall, and atop it there were large dusty windows with long ledges that he doubted any of them would think to look up at. It was to that place that he transported himself, securing himself close to the edge and listening carefully to the conversation that followed.
When he glanced down at them he saw Cruella rise, it appeared that she'd been talking to the two dogs beside her who were now silent and composed.
"Now who's gonna tell me what in the hell I'm doing in this ghastly place?"
"Lovely question, because this 'Ghastly Place' is my home," Maleficent spat back at her, obviously irritated. "And I didn't ask for any visitor."
Villains. They never saw the benefit of working well with others, only of working for themselves. That was the beauty of this, he saw the benefit of working well with these woman, and surprise, surprise…it was to his own benefit. Not that they needed to know that.
"I received specific instructions," Cruella insisted.
"As did I," Ursula inserted.
"I don't care," Maleficent huffed at them both. "You're trespassing. And do you know what I do with trespassers?"
"Don't even think it!"
That was his cue to enter, preferably before the dragon killed them both.
"Now, now, ladies," he called out using his magic to set him down on the floor and approach the women. Their eyes widened when they saw him, even though he was certain only two of them knew who he was. As far as Cruella was concerned, it was probably his face that shocked her. Being in her world she hadn't seen magic on the scale that they used it here. "Don't tear each other apart. I need you all in one piece...or rather, three pieces."
"Rumpelstiltskin, it was you," Maleficent sneered.
"Guilty," he admitted taking a bow before the three.
"Someone wanna tell me why I left the sea for this?" Ursula questioned looking thoroughly unamused.
"Oh, yes. The reason for this little tete-a-tete-a-tete...a-tete," he finished appropriately before pointing to Cruella who was sneering at him. He didn't particularly care and took steps forward so that he was standing at the center of their little group meeting. It was both a way of taking control and of containing any magic if things got too…heated. "We all have something in common, apart from mutual distaste," he went on. "We're villains. And it's time the villains got their happy endings."
Well, I gave you a smallish Jefferson Scene here. But like I said, not the last time you'll see him, even if he thinks so. For details, see the other three A/Ns where we talk about it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Grace5231973, Alarda, and Jennifer Baratta for your continued reviews. I am sorry that these three chapters divided out sort of weird. None of them really fit together as one chapter with so much going on and yet finding a cut off place, especially between this chapter and the next, was difficult. Still, I hope you'll find that it is okay. I think that these next few chapters are good, they were a lot of fun to write, a lot of fun to figure out. And hey, in just a few short chapters, we've got a brand new section on our hands and I feel rather certain you're going to like it! Peace and Happy Reading!
