He didn't linger in the courtyard. He followed the Snow White through the castle, knowing that wherever she went, David was sure to come after her. He kept to the window ledges at the top of the high ceilings, watching her walk but staying out of her way so he wouldn't disturb her or let David know that he was there. Neither seemed to have noticed him at the execution. He wanted to keep it that way until he had reason to do otherwise. Soon enough, the second she pushed through the doors into the giant war room where they'd previously discussed Regina's fate, David called out to her.
"Snow, I thought we agreed what had to be done. Instead, you show the Queen mercy? She doesn't deserve it. You heard her. She's completely unrepentant."
"What I heard was a woman who didn't want to appear weak in her final moments," Snow argued.
"I've seen her kill, I've seen her terrorize, every moment I've seen of her, has been one of evil."
"Exactly!" Snow breathed, grasping his hands. "That you've seen. But I knew her before. I knew her when she was good. She saved my life when I was a little girl."
"That was years ago."
"She changed before. Why can't she change back?"
"You can't be serious. You want to rehabilitate the Queen?"
"Maybe showing her mercy is the first step."
"But, if you fail, the entire safety of the kingdom is at stake! We cannot take that risk!"
"And you're so sure of her black soul?" Snow challenged. "Sure enough to kill? Because there's no going back from killing."
David paused. Ordinarily, he found the False Prince's morality naively innocent, but it did have its benefits, such as this. David might agree to kill Regina, but he wasn't going to be comfortable doing it unless he was sure, absolutely positive there was no chance she might change. His hesitation suggested he wasn't comfortable with it. He was refusing to give the final word, which meant that he wasn't sure it was a hopeless case. Uncertainty was written all over his face, but so was doubt.
"If you think this is the right thing to do, then it's what we shall do. But know that your path is one that we cannot come back from either," he finally whispered to her.
Snow nodded, her eyes went distant, and without warning, she walked away from him.
"Snow!"
"I'll think about it," she stated, turning around to face him. "Please, David, just a bit more time to weigh the options, and we'll have our answer by first light, I promise. If it's what's best…I won't interfere. I just have to know…"
David nodded. "Until morning then. Just…don't try anything without telling me. If something happened to you…it would be the end of me."
"I promise," she smiled. It must have been one hell of a smile because it gave David the reassurance to leave. He had to be honest; there were many times that he conceded that if he were in David's shoes and Belle in Snow's, he might have been swayed by her. But to leave her alone because of a smile when she so clearly wasn't thinking straight…he didn't know if he could ever have done that.
But Snow kept to her promise. He followed her about as she walked that day. She and David were both unsure, and that alone might be enough to save Regina, but he needed more than a smile to be assured that this would go the way he wanted it to. He needed more from all parties. He needed them not to kill her, better, and more unexplainable, he needed them to give her enough freedom to cast that Curse! The Curse was complex, it needed special ingredients to be cast. Once begun, it could be picked up again, but he knew the witch hadn't begun it before giving it over to Maleficent. She wasn't going to be able to create that Curse from her cell.
But it wasn't just Snow and David he needed compliance from. It was Regina. He needed her to stop trying to kill them and turn to the Curse as punishment! If they let her go now, she wouldn't do that. She'd go right back to trying to kill them just as any woman driven mad by revenge would.
But…what if he could kill two birds with one stone? What if he could guarantee she couldn't kill Snow White no matter how hard she tried and what if…what if he could reassure Snow and David it couldn't happen again either? That might be a useful solution to both these problems.
There was a spell, one that a previous Dark One had used over and over in order to prevent known threats from taking his dagger and killing him. The idiot had thought it would help him keep his curse and never once thought that the true danger would be from a friend. But, while the plan had failed, the spell itself was successful. Better yet, it was simple and adaptable.
Adaptable…he used magic to summon into his hands the blindfold he'd seen the guard place over Regina's eyes. He held it in his hands and examined it. Two strands of long black hair clung to it, and he smiled. Adaptable, indeed. And it might be enough to force both hands. All he needed was an opportune time.
It came when evening fell. Snow had kept to herself the rest of the day, walking and thinking, sitting and thinking, looking out windows and thinking! Finally, after sunset, she wandered out into the courtyard where the failed execution had taken place, her arms around her, hugging herself tightly as she walked and the distant look in her eyes said she was still thinking about it. There was no one else around, no David to argue with him, no guards spying, no cricket to play a conscious role…it was time to make arrangements. She put her arms down as she walked approached the pole Regina had been tied to. He took a seat in the chair with the blindfold still in his hand and after letting her stare at the pole for a second, he called out to her.
"My, my, aren't we troubled, dearie?"
"Rumpelstiltskin," she breathed without a hint of shock on her face. How very complimentary. "What brings you here?"
"You have to ask?" he questioned, rising to his feet. "I came to witness the Queen's execution. Even had my heart set on a wee souvenir. It's all very disappointing."
"I won't apologize for sparing her life. Not when there's a chance she might change."
He let out a bout of laughter he didn't even have to try and fake. The honest truth was that he was going to side with David for this one. Not only because it benefited him but because he had helped to create the monster Regina was. She wasn't redeemable, not at the moment, at least. He had memories, visions of her in the future, in another land, that suggested it might not be entirely impossible, but it would take quite a long time and more than a few hard lessons learned to get her there. Not to mention a very Dark Curse.
"Regina redeemed-what a novel thought. And, um…how do you plan to accomplish such an impressive feat?" he asked, standing before her and letting his fingers move over the blindfold.
Snow White opened her mouth to answer the question, but quickly closed her mouth and looked aside. "I don't even know if it's possible," she admitted sadly. "I'm probably just fooling myself."
"Maybe you need someone to show you that it is possible," he tempted.
"What do you mean?" Snow looked at him with suspicion. It was a look that he frequently saw on her face and a look he'd come to look forward to because he knew that it meant she was considering what he was proposing. She hadn't turned him down yet.
"Simple. I provide you with a test to help determine whether the Queen can truly change."
"Why would I trust you when I know you want the Queen dead? You never make a deal without a price."
He laughed again as he turned his back on her. When had he ever said he wanted Regina dead? "Maybe I just want her alive."
"That, I doubt."
"Question my motives all you like, dearie, but they shall remain mine. What is yours now," he stated, pointing at her and taking slow steps to where she was, "is opportunity. I can help you. Do we have a deal?"
"What do I have to do?" she questioned skeptically, or perhaps just intelligently. She had been burned by his deals before, even if he felt things had gone exactly the way they should have. Usually, he used that naivety on his clients to get them to take his deals. She wouldn't be falling for it again, not without details.
"Why, simply let your step-mother go, of course."
"Let her go…just like that?"
"Well, no, dearie, nothing is ever that simple. I would provide you with a spell, one that would protect you for say…twelve hours… using this!" he plucked a few strands of Regina's hair from the blindfold and then tossed the useless thing back to Snow. "It will give you immunity to death at the hands of Regina and Regina alone in this world and this world only. If she leaves you be, well, then I guess there is hope after all."
"If she doesn't…"
"I provide you with more of the protection potion…enough to last a few years."
And after those 'few years.'"
He laughed. It was his hope that after a few years they'd be in the Realm Without Magic, and it wouldn't matter, but he wasn't about to tell her that.
"After a few years, I suppose you'll have a choice to make. If she still carries a grudge and wishes you dead, you could execute her or come to me for more protection potion, but that's years down the line, dearie. For now…you only need to make one decision."
Snow shifted her weight and looked down at the blindfold in her hands, but he knew she wasn't really looking at it, she was thinking. She'd done enough of it today that he knew what it looked like.
"And this protection potion; it'll be enough to keep me alive, even if she were to try and kill me.
"She can try all she likes. Tis a spell that will mean she can never harm another hair on your head in this world, no matter how hard she tries. Stripped of her one purpose in life, who knows…she might find repentance."
"What do you want in return?"
In his mind's eye, unbeknownst to her, he saw a dark cavern, David and Snow before him, walking away as he shouted at them, demanding something, an answer to a question. When they turned around, revealing a heavily pregnant Snow White, he had no doubt that the answer they would give was truthful…because they'd made a deal for it.
He smiled. He knew exactly what he needed. "For two protection spells?"
"Maybe just one," she corrected optimistically.
"Mmm, let's say two…my price is honesty."
"Honesty…"
"If ever there comes a day when I shall ask you a question, you shall answer it honestly. Won't matter how strange or intimate or odd it may seem, you'll give the truth. Are we in agreement? Your Majesty?"
He'd thrown the last words in for show but was pleased by the response he got. Instantly her back straightened, and her face took on one of nothing. She showed no emotions. She showed no partiality. She showed no like or dislike for him. It was nothing, the look of rulers with Kingdoms and people entrusted to them. It was enough to remind her of what was at stake, that they weren't discussing this for her alone or even for Regina alone but for an entire Kingdom. A Kingdom that would forever look at this problem with probing and judgmental eyes. How would she respond?
"Do it."
This chapter was originally two prompts, but as I wrote through the first one, I included Snow talking to Rumple as well. That scene is half and half. They showed us the first half of it, but I had to write in the last bit. I'm sort of okay with that because it allowed me to write the gem in at the end. Have you ever wondered why does Snow share Emma's name with Rumple? Sure, it could be the deal they made, but as we'll soon see part of the reason I'm assuming they keep him in that cavern is because magic is dampened (otherwise he could poof himself out if he wanted), which means they really don't have to share anything. I liked adding this extra little bit in here, this extra nudge to make Snow feel like she owes him a truthful answer at that moment.
Thank you, Jennifer Baratta, Grace5231973, and Alarda, for your reviews on the last chapter. I am curious how you'll feel about this, as I don't know if I love the way it came out in the end. Hopefully, poor writing won't take too much away from the story itself. And even if it does, hey, we're at a momentous chapter...in a way! Welcome to chapter 200! Yay! 200 chapters down and only 19 to go! Almost there! Peace and Happy Reading!