Chapter 30—"Ever Just the Same"
He didn't know where Belle was, but his magic told him that she had not left the castle's grounds. That left Rumplestiltskin a little hopeful, but he had long since learned not to cling to hope. She's probably packing. Belle's too smart to only want to leave with the clothes on her back. He felt sick, but in his heart, he knew that lying to Belle would only have made things worse. Even though he would have done that not so long ago, would have avoided the subject for all he was worth, until he had no choice. What had changed?
You're growing weak, Spinner.
Rumplestiltskin shoved the voices aside with an effort, turning to his wheel for solace. Spinning helped him clear his mind, no matter how much Zoso jeered. And he did have a golden brain to make, much thought he found the entire concept distasteful. Rumplestiltskin never broke his deals, and at least if he was giving Zelena what she needed to complete her pointless little spell, he would know when she started casting it. Zelena had made the mistake of letting him read the spellwork in question, and he knew that the time travel spell might well work. Rumplestiltskin had no intention of allowing that to happen, of course. So, he placed a tracker within the gold as he spun it, enhancing loop after loop with a touch of his magic that Zelena would never notice. That extra touch might well make the brain more effective for her spell, but that was a chance he would have to take.
Zelena had demanded a brain in exchange for the freedom of Avonlea, and a brain she would have. It pooled at his feet quickly, loops forming and melting together when Rumplestiltskin flicked a bit of magic its way. It was a good distraction, a good way to think of anything but Belle and the fact that his plans for the curse might well have ruined the future they'd spoken of having together. Do I go to her and beg her to understand? The spinner he had been would have done so, would have dropped to his knees to beg her to stay. But then again, the spinner would never have contemplated something like the Dark Curse in the first place.
What would the Savior do? Rumplestiltskin knew that answer. The Savior he had never been would have broken the curse, not seen to its casting. But would a Savior nobly sacrifice their own child? A Savior would not have let go in the first place. That thought left him cold. He was no Savior. Even wondering what he might have done in that life that had never existed was pointless.
Yet he was not the same, either. Something had changed in him, and Rumplestiltskin wasn't sure how he felt about that.
"Well?" Zelena turned eagerly to face Madam Faustina when the witch was shown into her presence; she'd been waiting for the 'young' woman for what felt like ages.
"Nothing yet." Faustina sighed, her expression guarded. "But I believe he's interested. He told me to come back to him after I have the bean."
"Well, then why don't you have it already?" Zelena didn't care that it wasn't regal to snap; she wanted that girl out of the way and out of Rumplestiltskin's castle. Belle was monopolizing his attention even worse than his mother, and Zelena didn't appreciate competition.
She was certain that Rumplestiltskin would remember her own charms as soon as the insipid little beauty was out of range. He was a man, and despite what he'd said, clearly distracted by a pretty face. Zelena just needed her out of the way so that Rumplestiltskin would remember that power was far more important than beauty. And this little witch had screwed that up, hadn't she? Faustina had one job, and all she'd done was tempt Rumplestiltskin, which was clearly not enough. Do I have to do everything for myself? Zelena wanted to howl those words, but she stopped herself. Howling was not regal.
"I lost track of the boy with the beans. But I have a lead. I'll find him soon."
"You'd best make sure of that!" Zelena glared, and was glad to see Faustina twitch. Faustina was a useful ally, but Zelena didn't really needallies. So Faustina had better watch herself and make sure she stayed useful. Besides, Zelena had no idea why Faustina had offered to help her with this; Faustina had approached her, not the other way around.
"I will." Faustina glared back, however. "Provided you don't forget what you promised me."
Zelena drew herself up importantly. "Of course I won't. A queen does not break her word."
"Good." Faustina looked like she was going to say something else before stopping herself. "I'll take my leave, then."
"Do so. I have important visitors waiting for me." Zelena waved a hand imperiously, and was glad to see Faustina leave without arguing. She didn't really have anyone waiting, but it wouldn't do to let on.
Zelena supposed that she could go help George against the rebels who'd almost overtaken his kingdom, but she really didn't want to bother. Snow and her companions couldn't possibly hurt Zelena or her kingdom, and since George had been so incompetent about everything, Zelena didn't see any reason to help him out of the trouble he was in. Both sides would wear each other out, leaving Zelena as the premier power in the Enchanted Forest. Then Rumplestiltskin would have to notice her, and he would end up helping her with her plans. She'd even cast his curse. After she saved her mother, of course. She didn't know much about the Dark Curse, but Zelena knew that casting it would be easy enough for someone of her power.
What Beans had said about the Dark Curse coming wouldn't stop running through Tiger Lily's mind. She knew what that meant. There was only one person who had ever even contemplated doing such a terrible thing, and Tiger Lily had let her loose on the world. She had believed Fiona when Fiona claimed she wanted to get to her son, had trusted her old friend to try to put her son—the Dark One!—on the path of redemption.
Instead, she learned that Fiona was trying to cast that same damned curse again. And why? Probably to prove she can. Tiger Lily felt like screaming. Had Blue said or done something to set Fiona off? Or had she been wrong, and it was far too late for Fiona? She'd been an utter fool.
Now it was time to set things right.
Eying the castle in the distance—made closer by a fairy friend who had sworn not to tell Blue—Tiger Lily squared her shoulders and headed up the hill.
"Rumple told me about the curse." He hadn't said that Fiona was involved, but Belle would have been shocked if she wasn't. Fiona was her son's biggest supporter in nearly everything—including their romance, strangely enough—and the Black Fairy knew exactly what Rumplestiltskin was up to.
"You're still here." Fiona pursed her lips. "Well, I never did think you weren't plucky. Are you here to yell at me?"
Belle sighed. "No. I'm here to understand."
"Because my dear boy left you short of explanations?" Fiona rolled her eyes. "Somehow I doubt that."
"No, he told me that it was the only way to get to his son, but I can't believe that. There are hundreds of ways to travel between realms—"
"Magical realms, dear. Only magical realms." Fiona actually looked sad. "Believe me, I've investigated every one of them, both with and without him. The Hatter can't do the job, the Apprentice's magic won't work for the Dark One, all the magic beans are gone—you get the idea. The ways are shut. The curse is the only one." Her scowl said that she didn't like that much, which left Belle encouraged enough to sit down by Fiona's side.
"But it's terrible." Just thinking about people with their memories wiped, of families separated and a world torn asunder made Belle shudder.
"Yes. It was designed to be, although not quite with the price that Blue added to it."
Belle started. "Blue? How can the Blue Fairy be involved in something so awful?"
"Because she didn't like my original work and saw fit to adjust it. I'm still trying to rebuild the first curse I wrote, because I am not about to put up with the ridiculous price that Blue placed upon it." Fiona snorted. "Using the heart of the one you love most. It's macabre, and if I can truly say that, you have a problem."
"What?"
"Oh, don't worry." Fiona's handwave was casual. "That's why he's grooming Zelena. Rumplestiltskin could never force himself to harm someone he loves, even at his worst. And he loves you."
Belle felt herself blushing, but she forced her mind back to the topic at hand. "Tell me what's happening?"
"Rumplestiltskin wants to push Zelena into enough of a corner so that she'll cast the curse, but I plan on rewriting my original so that I can do it without killing anyone." Fiona met her eyes steadily, and Belle was startled by the fire burning in the Black Fairy's gaze. "I do not plan on putting my son—or you, I suppose—under that narcissistic witch's power. Or myself, but that goes without saying."
"What about all the other people that will suffer?" That was why she had come, after all. Belle would not forget that.
"Oh." Fiona shook her head wryly. "I guess you would care about that, wouldn't you?"
Belle bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Simply that you're the hero type that my boy was meant to be. Sometimes I forget that, particularly around here." Another airy wave at their surroundings. "You don't like this at all, do you?"
"Of course not!"
Fiona sighed. "Well, the only alternative is to free him from the darkness once and for all. Then the Apprentice's magic could work for him. Or his own might suffice, if what I suspect happens."
Belle felt her eyes narrow. She loved the idea of freeing Rumplestiltskin from that horrible darkness that held him in its grips, but she was beginning to wonder if Fiona was as passionate about that as she'd pretended. "You've mentioned that before, but we're no closer to finding the answer than we were before."
"I know. It's damnably tricky, that curse of his. But there is one thing—" Knock, knock. "Damnit! What is it?"
The door opened, revealing Tinker Bell looking a little confused. "Um, there's an angry ex-fairy here to see you."
"Tell her that this isn't a boarding house, and that the Dark One's head will explode if I add another girl to the castle." Fiona snorted out a laugh just as Belle repeated:
"Another ex-fairy?"
"Uh, she says you're going to see her if you want to or not." Tink shrugged apologetically. "She said her name is Tiger Lily, and you owe her answers."
"Tiger Lily?" Fiona shot to her feet. "Here?"
"Downstairs."
Fiona left the room so fast that Belle had to hurry to keep up.
Zelena was really starting to get on his nerves. First, she'd tried to take Avonlea away from Belle, and now Zelena was using some silly little witch to try to get Rumplestiltskin to give Belle up. Unfortunately, his mother had been right about Zelena's jealousy; she'd noticed that Belle was important to Rumplestiltskin and didn't like that one bit. That's just too bad for her, he thought viciously, sweeping two of Zelena's guards aside with the wave of one arm. Both hit the wall, grunting unhappily, and neither tried to stop him again. Only Zelena would even think about having her royal guard try to halt the Dark One when he entered her castle, but Zelena was a bit of an egotistic fool, sometimes.
What did stop him, however, was the scowling muscle mass that Rumplestiltskin nearly ran into when he headed up the stairs towards Zelena's private quarters. Gaston flinched, and then tried to cover his fear by bristling in what he probably thought was an impressive manner.
"What are you doing here?"
"Me?" Rumplestiltskin let out a giggle, eyeing Gaston as if to figure out what best to turn him into. "I have business with the queen that you've…chosen."
Gaston puffed up importantly. "I doubt she'd have any business with you after what you did in Avonlea."
"Well, then the joke's on you, dearie, because Zelena has plenty of business with me." Not that Rumplestiltskin really wanted to be here, but he never broke a deal. "Now do step aside before I turn you into something more amicable than you currently are." He cocked his head. "What was it that was proposed? A lady's lapdog?"
"You wouldn't dare!" But Gaston still blanched.
"Don't tempt me, dearie. The idea has plenty of merit. And Belle might like a dog." He wiggled his fingers meaningfully. "More than she likes you, anyway."
"You—you—"
"Can go right up." An unexpected voice intervened, and Rumplestiltskin turned in surprise to see his least favorite pirate approaching from a side corridor. Hook didn't look delighted to see him, either, but it was Gaston's arm that his aforementioned appendage wrapped around. "Sir Gaston here was just leaving."
"I was—"
"Take the escape while you can. Even if the company you keep is a little more than questionable."
That made Hook glare, of course. "Dark One."
"Captain." Rumplestiltskin's grin was all teeth. "I see you new 'hand' is still serving you well."
"Come a little closer and I'll show you how well it works," Hook growled.
"Tut, tut, where would the manners be in that? I'm sure your dear queen wouldn't like you getting stabby with her guests." He wiggled. "Not that it would do you any good."
"What do you mean, it wouldn't do any good?" Gaston demanded. "You can bleed like anyone else!"
"Actually, no. I can't." Another grin, and he headed up the stairs, leaving the pirate to explain things to the idiot. Hook clearly still held a grudge, but what did that mean to Rumplestiltskin?
It meant nothing, so he pranced his way into Zelena's private rooms, somewhat disappointed to not find her with anyone else he could send scampering off in fear. Even as that thought occurred to him, however, Rumplestiltskin distantly realized how wrong it was. There was something toxic about this castle, wreathed in darkness as it was, that brought out the worst in him. This is what you are, Spinner, Zoso whispered, but Rumplestiltskin wasn't sure. Belle made him want to be something better, made him want to be the man he'd been meant to be. I was meant to be the Savior.
But that was insane. He was who he was, and there was no changing that.
"Rumple." Zelena swung to him with smile so glowing that his skin crawled. "You've come to visit." A pout. "You might have warned me."
"And where would the fun be in that?" He giggled, but she wasn't put off by it. There'd been a time he liked that about her. "But I'm afraid this isn't a social call."
"No?"
"No. A deal's a deal, and I always deliver." Rumplestiltskin wiggled his fingers, and the golden brain appeared on a nearby table in a swirl of purple smoke. "Your brain, as promised."
He didn't point out that the brain he'd spun was probably more intelligent than her, because that would have honestly done Zelena a disservice. She was plenty smart; she just needed to learn impulse control. And how to mask her emotions. She looks entirely too satisfied right now, silly witch. A more cautious woman would conceal her glee and not let him know how important the time travel spell was to her. But Zelena was not cautious. And being denied that spell will push her closer and closer to the curse, which suits my purposes beautifully. Rumplestiltskin wondered if he could somehow arrange for Snow White to ruin Zelena's attempt to save Cora. That would certainly kill two birds with one stone.
"Thank you, Rumple." She gave him another smile; he tried not to shudder. "It's always a pleasure doing business with you." Zelena started forward, her eyes intent on his, but Rumplestiltskin stopped her with a sentence.
"Ah, no, it's not. Because you're certainly not going to enjoy this next bit."
"Excuse me?"
"You sent a little witch my way, dearie." His lips peeled back in a snarl that was nothing like even his nastiest smile. "You sent a little witch to take Belle."
Zelena shrugged, all innocence. "I thought you might want a convenient way to get rid of the maid. You're usually much more easily bored, and she comes with so much baggage. Really, Rumple, I was trying to do you a favor."
"Well, don't." His eyes narrowed. "The next time you try something like that—whether it's through another or not—I will end you."
"Oooh, we're taking this personally, aren't we?" Zelena cooed. "If you want me to apologize, I will. The girl means nothing to me, after all."
"She'd better." He knew that he was showing his hand with his ardent defense of Belle, but Zelena had already figured out what Belle meant to him. All he could do was make sure Zelena understood the consequences of going after Belle. In vivid detail, if need be.
Zelena waved a careless hand. "Relax. I'll stay well away from her. You'll bore of her in time, anyway, so what does she matter?"
Everything. She matters everything to me. But he wasn't going to say that. Instead, Rumplestiltskin turned his mind to the other dangerous matter at hand. "That brain won't be enough for your little spell, Your Majesty, so what now?"
"Oh, I'm lining up what I need." A shrug. "It's going rather nicely, actually. Are you sure you don't want to help me with it? You know you'd profit from it."
Rumplestiltskin scowled. "Some things should not be changed." Our bad decisions least of all. Who are we if we cannot even learn from our own mistakes? He would never forgive himself for letting Baelfire go, but that didn't mean he deserved a chance to redo everything. That meant he needed to fix what he'd broken.
"But that's the beauty of this! I'm not changing anything. I've taken your advice, and I'm not going to try to change the past. I'll just bring my mother back here." Zelena's eyes were shining with delight at her own cleverness, and even Rumplestiltskin didn't have the heart to tell her what kind of woman her mother was.
It won't matter. She won't meet her, anyway. I'll prevent that, so even Zelena won't have to live with finding out what Cora's 'love' is like. Rumplestiltskin knew that Zelena wouldn't believe him even if he told her what Cora had been like, anyway, so the sliver of pity he felt towards her was meaningless. Cora would stay dead. He'd see to that.
Fiona all but rushed into the great hall, hating and loving the way her heart hammered excitedly. Logic told her that Tink had to be wrong, and that Tiger Lily couldn't actually be at the Dark Castle, but she wanted to believe so badly. She'd missed Tiger Lily more than she'd expected, particularly after they'd parted on good terms. Once, she'd been closer to Tiger Lily than anyone—even closer than she'd been to Malcolm, much though she loved him—and Fiona hadn't realized how much she wanted that friendship back until it was too late and Tiger Lily stayed in Neverland.
But there she was, standing in the middle of the great hall with the world's biggest scowl on her face. Fiona's grin grew so big that it hurt, and she didn't care that both Tink and Belle were on her heels.
"Tiger Lily! You escaped Neverland!"
"Not with any help from your maniac husband, before you ask. He wanted to kill uh—me." Tiger Lily seemed to change what she said at the last minute, but Fiona didn't care.
She waved a hand dismissively. "Ex-husband, please. I think turning yourself into a destructive, overpowered manchild certainly constitutes a divorce."
"I don't care. That's not why I'm here." Tiger Lily glanced at the two women behind Fiona suspiciously before turning a ferocious glare on Fiona. "I'm here about the curse."
"What curse?" Fiona blinked. There were so many curses going around that it was hard to remember them all, from Rumplestiltskin's to the Dark Curse to the little memory one Rumplestiltskin had given Snow White to—
"Your curse," Tiger Lily spat. "The Dark Curse."
"What about it?" Fiona didn't see what the issue was; she'd hardly cast the damned thing, and even her current plans to do so weren't nearly so horrible as her original ones. I think motherhood has finally mellowed me. How strange.
"I know it's coming!"
"Really? How?" Fiona frowned. "Have you been talking to Zelena?"
"Who?"
"The green goblin—I mean witch—that Rumplestiltskin—oh, nevermind. Clearly you haven't." Fiona sighed, stepping towards her old friend. "Why don't we go sit down and talk about this? There seems to be quite a bit of information you're missing."
"I'm not interested in sitting down. I'm interested in why you broke the promise you made me!"
Realizing how upset Tiger Lily really was made Fiona pause. "I haven't broken any promise, Tiger Lily. Truly. If you'll only let me explain—"
"Are you planning on casting it?" Tiger Lily cut her off fiercely.
"Not exactly, no. Perhaps as a last resort, but I hardly want to. Particularly with the curse in its present condition." She'd just had this conversation with Belle; did she really have to explain herself twice in one day?
"As a last resort? What is wrong with you? That curse will separate children from parents, destroy families just like yours was destroyed." Tiger Lily's glare could have melted steel. "I thought you said you wanted to help your son, not destroy the world."
"And I do!" Fed up, Fiona finally snapped back. "What do you think I've been doing here?"
"I think you've been plotting to cast that curse just to get one over Blue!"
Fiona snorted. "Why would I care what she thinks of me? She's a washed up fool. And I don't want the curse cast, but I'll do it if it keeps my son safe."
"What areyou talking about? He's no child, and you were the one he was destined to die defeating." Tiger Lily looked incredulous. "Are you trying to set things up so that the same thing happens all over again?"
"Of course not. Don't be stupid." Sighing again, Fiona glanced over her shoulder at Belle and Tink. "Would you two dears please excuse us? I think we old fairies have quite a bit to talk about."
"Of course." Belle's smile was understanding, but of course, she understood. Tink looked more suspicious.
"Sure. I guess." Her eyes narrowed as Belle tugged on her arm. "If you're sure."
"Quite. We'll be fine—just old friends having a lovely reunion." Fiona smiled as brightly as she could, and then waited for the pair to leave before turning back to Tiger Lily. "Can we at least sit down?"
"You can. I'm standing until you give me a reasonable explanation for all of this."
"You really are still impossible, aren't you?" Fiona couldn't stop herself from groaning, and she made a point of sitting down on a nearby couch. Tiger Lily was the single most stubborn person she'd ever met in her life—and that was saying something, considering who she was related to! "I am trying to give you the answers you want, if only you'll give me half a chance to do so."
Another glare. "Fine. Talk."
"I haven't forgotten the promise I made you, and believe me, I'm still working on it. That girl who just walked out is the center of it all."
"Which one? The fairy?" Tiger Lily looked dubious.
"No, the insufferably good and heroic one. The one who used to be my son's maid and is now the love of his life." Fiona wouldn't tell that to just anyone, but this was Tiger Lily. She'd been angry with her friend at first because she'd thought Tiger Lily had abandoned her son, but Fiona had come to realize how very much Blue was to blame for everything. Blue had left Rumplestiltskin with Malcolm, and Blue had decided that Tiger Lily was no longer his fairy godmother. It was almost like Blue had wanted Rumplestiltskin to fall towards darkness…
"I didn't ask you to find him a lover. Dark Ones usually do that fine on their own." Tiger Lily's grimace spoke volumes. "Or something like that."
"Yes, you asked me to find a way to break an unbreakable curse that carries around the souls of its previous victims telling the current host not to let it break." Fiona snorted. "I've studied that damned darkness for over twenty years. It's not going to peel off like snakeskin, no matter how bad my son's complexion is."
Her old friend blinked. "It's been that long?"
"Yes, quite. That stupid little island world isn't great for the passage of time, is it? The Dark Realm was rather like that."
For the first time, they exchanged an understanding look. Tiger Lily's smile was rueful. "Not really, no. Night and day were hard to tell apart, let alone years."
"Well, I suppose that's his doing. Malcolm always was a bit of a drama queen, even when he was mortal." She shrugged.
"You were telling me about how this maid matters."
"So I was! You've cut to the heart of it, of course. The curse is unbreakable by any clever or magical means, which leaves True Love's kiss." Fiona felt a triumphant smile tugging at her lips; Tiger Lily had thought she couldn't do it. Or that she wouldn't. See, Lily? I keep my promises, or at least the ones I make to you. "If my guesses are right, that will let him fulfill Merlin's prophecy and turn the power back to light. After all, Nimue started by drinking from the same grail that gave Merlin power; she merely corrupted it."
"I don't know if a Dark One can feel True Love," Tiger Lily said dubiously.
"Oh, that's not the problem!" Fiona waved her hand. "Rumplestiltskin's different from the others, and I'm not merely saying that because I am his mother. I'm biased, of course, but he's also stayed alive longer than any other, and he's not yet lost his soul to the darkness." She felt her smile turn melancholy. "Sometimes, I'm not sure how he hasn't."
"Tell me more." Tiger Lily sat down next to her, enrapt.
"The trick is getting him to accept the kiss. I'm fairly sure that we only have one shot. If Nimue gets in and stops it, he'll never be free, and all the light magic in the world won't bring him back. But I have a trick up my sleeve for that, and the girl is my partner in crime."
Tiger Lily let out a quiet laugh. "This is starting to sound overly complicated, Fiona."
"My dear, if there was a simple answer, I would have accomplished this task years ago."
She didn't want to be here, but her legs had brought Mulan here all on her own, eavesdropping in a hallway just off of the great hall. It didn't take a genius to realize that Zelena didn't like Rumplestiltskin's mother; Mulan found Fiona more than a little off-putting herself, but Zelena clearly hated her. So, Mulan often found herself listening to Fiona's conversations, at least when Zelena could be bothered to control her. Fortunately, that didn't happen as often as Mulan had feared it would.
But it was still often enough, and the idea of being anyone's puppet burned. Mulan had thought of various ways to end the servitude that Zelena had forced her into, but none had worked so far. If only she could tell someone, she was sure that Belle would work things out. Belle was the smartest person Mulan had ever met, but unless Mulan could give her some kind of clue, that meant nothing.
So, she listened to Fiona talk to this (ex?) fairy named Tiger Lily, listened to them discuss Rumplestiltskin's curse and how Belle could change everything. Mulan hoped that Zelena wasn't listening—sometimes she made her eavesdrop on something and didn't bother to pay attention—because she would have liked nothing more than to see Zelena disappointed by this. Zelena, Mulan had long since learned, was one of the worst people imaginable. She didn't care about anyone other than herself, and when even the Dark One could scrape up more compassion than you, you had serious problems.
Fiona finished up as Mulan listened: "The only trick is getting him to accept the kiss and relinquish his curse before they can make him keep it."
"Can't you tell him that he should still have power?" Tiger Lily sounded thoughtful. "If what you're saying is correct, that's more of a roadblock than him liking the darkness."
"I can't." Much to Mulan's surprise, Fiona sounded heartbroken. "I can't promise he'll have power because I could be wrong. It's never been done before."
"I wish you hadn't had to use his Savior's magic to free yourself. That would have been pretty useful right now."
"Tell me about it."
Footsteps sounded from nearby, and Mulan sprinted away from her hiding spot. Finally! As interesting as the conversation was, she'd been hoping for an excuse to stop listening. Anything to keep the information Zelena wants away from her.
She had to find a way to do something, but what could she do?
A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay! The end of the semester killed my writing speed, although I did at least finish NaNoWriMo! Now that I'm on break from class, you can expect chapters to come out a bit faster.
Stay tuned for Chapter 31—"All that Might Have Been", in which Regina meets an annoying sheriff, Killian finds an ally, Tink approaches Zelena again, Belle and Rumplestiltskin had an overdue talk, and Fiona interrupts one last time.
