This story will now be crossing over with SyFy's Tin Man and for those who have seen it, most of these events take place prior to the start of the miniseries. Jasper will become David Molk from TNT's Murder In The First
The Enchanted Forest
Sixty years prior to the Dark Curse
Rumple sat in the audience late one evening, his face concealed from the rest of the crowd under the large hood of his cloak and watched the two gypsies Martin and Myrna perform a puppet show while their adult son Jiminy moved through the crowd like a ghost and picked their pockets of their hard-earned coins, impressed with the man's skill. No one suspected a thing, not when the man had such an innocent face but Rumple knew a desperate soul when he recognized one and young Jiminy was as desperate as they came, desperate to escape his parents and a life of thievery or so his Sight was telling him but he didn't need his Sight to tell him the boy was better off getting away from those couldn't blame the boy; his parents weren't the loving kind either. His mother dropped him off on his father's doorstep when he was a newborn babe and his father gave him away for eternal youth. And he continued the cycle of abandonment by letting his son go into another world without him but once he found him that cycle would end and the hole in his own heart filled. This was not the first time he'd had dealings with the gypsy couple. They'd summoned him shortly after the births of their twin sons Jiminy and Jasper, desperate to ease the financial burden two children would place on them by asking him to take one of them away. Once he gazed down at the boys he was given a vision that their destiny was to spend most of their lives apart but one day they would be reunited. He took the younger boy, Jasper to King Hubert's court and last he heard the boy was doing well, rising to the rank of knight. Jasper knew he'd been adopted but he never attempted to contact his birth family feeling that they would not want to see him though Jiminy thought of his brother often.
Once the show was over, Rumple started walking back toward the road when he felt something brush up against him and reached out, seizing the young pickpocket's wrist.
"A bit careless there, weren't you dearie?" he giggled.
Jiminy felt his heart come up his throat when he heard that giggle and only one creature in all the lands addressed everyone by "dearie" whether he was insulting them or not.
"I…It was an accident….I didn't know…" he stammered. What would the Dark One do to him? Would he turn him into a snail and crush him under his boot as the young thief heard he did so to others who crossed him? Running was useless, the Dark One would find him wherever he hid but at that moment he thought the miserable life he had with his parents was far better than being dead. "I…did…I didn't take anything."
"Ah, but you planned to only you allowed yourself to be distracted by those crickets you were listening to long enough to get caught." Rumple pointed out, shaking a finger at the young man. "Your parents are going to be a bit upset with you that you weren't able to take a grand bounty from this fine gentleman."
"If you're going to kill me, kill me…" Jiminy said bravely, not wanting the torture to last any longer.
Rumple frowned. "Oh dearie, the tales you must have been told about me! Not all true of course. People have tendency to rewrite history to make themselves look better than others. There are only certain instances in which I have had to do what was needed but not in this case. No, the fates have brought us together for a reason my boy and I have a need for a man of your skill."
"You want me….to steal something? You're the Dark One. Aren't you able to get it yourself?" Jiminy inquired nervously.
"I could, but I have a pressing engagement this evening and the people I need you to obtain these items from have children who would enjoy your parents' show. That should give you enough time to complete your task. You will be paid when the job is done and the items are in my hands but be careful dearie. The contents are not meant for you…or anyone else…in this land."
He often went to these shows, recalling better times with Bae when they would sit in the audience and laugh at the silly things the puppets would say and do. It was one of the few entertainments the poor spinner and weaver could afford for his precious boy but once he became the Dark One, Bae was too terrified to go anywhere with his father, fearing Rumple would repeat the incident with the man who accidentally injured the boy.
Oh Bae, you saw what I refused to….how this curse has changed me, made me into a person I didn't want to be but it was the only way I knew how to protect you…only I lost you because I'm still that coward!
Burrowed deep within his soul, Alemedia enjoyed moments like this. The boy had been her vessel's weakness and needed to be removed. Killing him would have been far too easy. She had to give the blue menace credit, by sending the boy away without his father she ensured that Baelfire would never be a problem again even if Rumplestiltskin did succeed in casting his curse. The boy would despise him just as Rumple despised his own father.
"What are you sending me for?" Jiminy asked. "I've never stolen anything but coins before."
"Yes but haven't you learned from your…ahhh… experience that people tend to keep their other valuables in the same places they keep their coins?"
"Sometimes," he confessed.
"Then by all means…help yourself to a few trinkets if you so desire. They won't miss them."
"No….I don't need any of that."
"That's your choice. Just bring me back the items I require and the names I will send you and you'll be rewarded."
"Why would you need the names…?"
Rumple held up his hand to silence the young thief. "Ah, don't concern yourself with that, dearie. Just bring back what I need," he insisted. "And please do try to avoid being distracted and getting caught again."
Jiminy sighed deeply. He knew he had no other choice than to do as the Dark One asked. Being stuck in that wagon year after year was paradise compared to what the Dark One could do to him. Still, Jiminy sensed there was some truth to the creature's words that stories about him had been exaggerated to some degree. He raced back to the wagon to talk to his parents about a sudden 'idea' he had. Myrna and Martin were pleased, thinking they'd finally gotten through to the boy. Early the next morning a dove flew out to where the family parked their wagon with further instructions for Jiminy written on a piece of parchment along with a map showing the location of the castle. He rolled it up and tucked it into his pocket. He would explore the castle while the family was distracted with the puppet show and he carried the umbrella little Geppetto had given him, believing it now to be his good luck charm. He wasn't carrying it the previous evening when the Dark One caught him but he would never leave the wagon without it again.
The castle belonged to a former knight in the king's army, a famed dragonslayer who kept parts of the beasts as trophies, including two vials of blood, taken from a dragon and his mate. The male dragon's blood was blue, the female's red. These were the items the Dark One wanted Jiminy to obtain for him. When the wagon approached the gates of the castle the guards refused them entrance.
"The lord's children will be missing out on a wonderful show," Jiminy said smoothly, the bile rising in his throat with every untrue word he spoke. His parents beamed with pride.
The lord approached the gate. "What seems to be the trouble here?"
"These people want to put on a show with puppets," one of the guards said coldly. "Shall I ask them to leave, my lord?"
"No, let them in. The children will enjoy the show."
Myrna smirked at her husband. "You heard the man. Set it up, son."
While he was getting everything ready, the lord's two children came out into the garden to watch him at work, asking him questions as Geppetto did only he wouldn't admit to them he wanted to do something else with his life besides running cons and stealing otherwise they'd all end up in prison.
The castle was so well guarded that he feared completing his task would be impossible until he realized they all had two major weaknesses, a fondness for the ale and wenching. It made him cringe. When he turned eighteen his father had taken him into one of the towns they visited so Jiminy could gain some 'world experience' as Martin called it.
"Papa, I just want to sit outside and…"
"Listen to those damned crickets? Boy, how in the hell are you going to learn anything if that's all you want to do at night? Now come on and quit your grousing!" He yanked Jiminy's ear and pulled him in the direction of a tavern. Inside there were at least fifty men seated at the tables, drinking, playing cards and dice and flirting with the barmaids.
"'Ello boys," one of them said as she leaned over the table, giving both of them a view of her bosom as she did so. "New in town 'eh? What'll ya have?"
"A pint of ale for me and my boy. It's his birthday."
"Oh….and how old are you, handsome?" she asked a nervous Jiminy.
"Ummm….eighteen…"
"Oh, a man now, are ya?"
"He's not a man yet, if you know what I mean." Martin said, winking at the barmaid.
"Papa!" The boy flushed scarlet.
"Well, tell you what: you bring him upstairs later on and we can take care of that."
"What's it gonna cost me?"
"Papa! I can't…you can't…!" Jiminy protested.
"Trust me honey, once I get through with you, you'll want to," the barmaid sniggered.
"No!"
"Jiminy, pipe down. You're making a scene!" his father hissed.
"Oh, he's just nervous. We all are the first time, aren't we? You just relax and have a few pints to calm yourself and I'll take good care of you."
"Do I have to…?"
Martin grabbed his wrist and squeezed it. "I'm putting our money down boy so you're gonna go up there and do it!"
"I don't know what to do…"
Martin shoved a mug of ale at his son. "Drink up and relax. She'll be doing all the work. You just lay there."
Jiminy was too drunk by the time they had to go upstairs that his father was practically dragging him. "Dammit, should have stopped you after the fourth one. You're not gonna be able to do a damned thing with the shape you're in!"
"Why….I …gotta….go upstairs….wanna go listen to crickets!" Jiminy slurred.
"We're not gonna listen to crickets now shut up!" He leaned his drunk son against the wall while he knocked on Agatha's door.
She stepped, took one look at the teenager and scowled at Martin. "Lurline's underdrawers, how much ale did you give him? He's not gonna be able to perform like that!"
"Well can't you do something with him?"
"Would have preferred him to be sober so I'm not doing all the work! Ah, forget it, just bring him in here and I'll figure something out."
Martin dragged Jiminy into the room and dumped him on the bed. He was sleeping. Martin slapped him across the face to rouse him. "WAKE UP, DAMMIT!"
"Papa…..we gotta go on the road again?"
"Oh for the gods' sake, NO. Jiminy, you're not gonna pass out. You wake the hell up and do your duty boy!"
"He's not gonna be able to with you in the room and I don't like an audience! Go back downstairs or wherever the hell you wanna go and I'll send him down in the morning!"
Martin glared at her and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Agatha sat on the edge of the bed and ran her hand through the young man's hair. "Your papa's an ass boy. I'd give you a good tumble but I'd rather you be awake for it."
"Tired…"
"I know and your head's gonna feel like somebody dropped a boulder on it in the morning but don't you worry. I got a tonic that can take care of that."
"Papa's tonics…just water…"
"Ohh…so he's one of those 'eh. Whadda ya say we run a little con on the old buzzard?"
"Huh…?"
"Bastard's probably standing outside the door wanting to hear something going on. He's gonna get a show all right, just not one he's expectin'. I'm gonna need the bed here so let's get you up and over on that sofa…."
She helped him to his feet and led him over to the sofa, covering him up with the blankets from her bed. She wouldn't need them right away, not for her charade. Jiminy was asleep the moment his head touched the cushions.
Agatha was grateful the poor boy was too drunk; the noise she was making as she thrashed about on the bed was loud enough to wake the dead. It was a trick she had to perform a few times when fathers brought their sons to her to 'break them in'. All of them were nervous and a few of them had gotten too drunk to perform as the poor boy sleeping a few feet away from her did and the bastards often did stand outside the door wanting to hear her screaming their heads off and cheering their sons on for doing a good job.
Later on Jiminy awoke and could hear the sounds of the headboard banging against the wall, the bedsprings creaking and Agatha moaning and screaming out some of the dirtiest words he'd ever heard and he could even hear his father on the other side of the bedroom door cheering him on. He threw the pillow over his head to drown out the noise.
"Damn, I forgot how exhausted doing that gets me," Agatha exclaimed breathlessly when she knelt beside the sofa. "But don't you worry sweetie. If your papa wasn't convinced you got tumbled before, he will be now."
"W…What were you…doing over there?" he asked as he sat up.
"Didn't that ass ever talk to you about that?" Agatha questioned as she sat down beside him.
"About what?"
"Lurline's underdrawers! He hasn't had that talk with you, has he?" she pressed when she gazed at his face and noticed the confusion.
"Ummmm… I didn't think you could…without someone there to…" Jiminy said nervously.
Agatha rolled her eyes. "What is the matter with the parents in this goddessforsaken realm? You boys need to know this stuff or you'll be fathering bastards from here to Wonderland! Might as well get comfortable, sweetie. This is going to be a very long conversation."
I need to remind myself to whack that ass when I see him. What father in his right mind does not discuss these things with his son? I may regret it, but I better find out what the hell else this boy is ignorant about.
She wouldn't mind teaching the boy at all. He was a handsome one even though he was a bit on the shy side. As she suspected he woke up the next morning with a terrible hangover, barely able to get off the sofa. His father wanted them to get on the road as quickly as possible but she refused to let Jiminy leave, telling the boy's father he was in no condition to be travelling. He was feeling better the second night but now his father wanted to stay and see how well the boy could do sober.
Agatha tried to make the boy's first time as pleasant as possible but it wasn't easy. He was still nervous and worried that he wasn't doing it right though she assured him he was doing fine and it helped that they talked.
"I don't like having to do this all the time either," she confessed to him later on.
"Why do you?" he asked.
"Tried doing other things honey, ended up right back where I started but you can do a lot more for yourself than what that old buzzard wants. He's an ass and he's gonna drag you down with him."
"I want to do something else…"
She smiled. "I hope so. This kinda life isn't for you, Jiminy. You're the type that would settle down with a wife and children, just need to leave that ass you call a papa in the dust first."
They stayed in town for a week and Jiminy did enjoy spending time with Agatha though he always felt guilty that his father was paying her to sleep with him.
"I'm not doing this for the money, Jiminy."
"You're not?"
"No, I'm not. You're different from the other men who come in here…you actually give a damn about women, not treat us like we're just here for you to stick it in when you need to satisfy your lust. I know you feel guilty about it when we do it but trust me honey, one day you're gonna find a woman you'll want to do this with and you'll be as sweet with her as you are with me."
"Papa does this in every town we visit…and he's not supposed to because he's married to Mama."
Agatha sighed. "That's the problem with a lot of men these days; can't be faithful to their wives…but if your mama is like that buzzard, wouldn't want to be faithful to her either."
"I don't want to be like those other men…I would want to be faithful to my wife. I want to wait until I'm married to do this again."
She smiled. "You're going to be a fine lover to a lucky woman someday Jiminy. You know now what you need to do but the rest has gotta come from your heart."
"Can I see you again if we come back to town…just to talk?"
"You sure can honey…if that buzzard you call a papa doesn't get you run outta here first." She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
He knew she would be disappointed if she saw him now, ten years later and still running cons and stealing with his parents and he could hear the same foul sounds Agatha made that night when she tricked his father and what the men were doing was even more appalling as he crept past them in the halls of the castle until he located the room on Rumplestiltskin's map. The sorcerer had also given him a key that could unlock any door that he used on the heavy wooden doors that led to the knight's trophy room. Mounted on the walls were the heads of various animals including two dragons; one blue, one red as well as parts of their feet, large metal bands on them with intricate designs. Archie knew from reading the few books he was allowed that the bands marked the dragons as mates.
This wasn't how they wanted to spend the afterlife, he thought angrily. Though many of the dragons in their world were destructive, there were also some species that just wanted to live in peace as well as other animals but all of them were hunted for sport or driven from their homes in the forests to build castles and fortresses for the nobles. His parents laughed him when he spoke of this to them.
"That's your problem, Jiminy. You care too much about everything even when it's of no benefit to you," his mother said. "Not gonna get anywhere with that kind of attitude and if you have any brains in that head of yours, you'll snap out of it."
He located the cabinet storing the knight's valuables and saw two bottles in it along with some coins. Inside the bottles were liquids, one blue, one red. He picked up the bottles carefully, remembering the Dark One's warning that the contents were not meant for him and put them in his bag. The guards were still passed out or entertaining themselves with the servant girls when Archie returned to the main hall. His parents were packing everything up and thanking the former knight for his hospitality. Later that night he snuck back to the Dark Castle while his parents slept. He found the sorcerer in his lab sitting at his famed spinning wheel. Jiminy set the bag down on the table.
"Thank you very much. And the names? To whom did these treasures belong?" Jiminy took the scroll out of his pocket and set it on top of the bag.
"Gold thread, for your thievery." Rumple tossed him a piece of thread he finished spinning. "Thank you, you can go."
As Jiminy started to walk away Rumple sensed there was something else the boy wanted.
"But you want something else, don't you? Something with… magic?" He poured liquid from one of his bottles onto another string of gold, creating a transformation potion.
"Every year, I'm stuck in that damn wagon. I wanna be free. I wanna be someone else. But something keeps holding me back," Jiminy confessed.
"Something or someone?"
"It's my parents."
Then I have exactly what you need." He handed Jiminy the transformation potion. "This will set you free. Pour it, sprinkle it, put it in their curds and whey. Anything will work."
Jiminy reached out to take the potion. Rumple pulled it back and smiled.
"Ah! But you have nothing more to give to me. Tell you what-after the potion has… done its work, leave them where they are and I'll come collect them. It'll be my fee!" he giggled.
"What will become of them?" Jiminy asked worriedly, wanting nothing drastic to happen to them.
"Worry you not, they'll be in safe hands. And you'll be free."
In the back of his mind he wondered whether he was doing the right thing.
Rumple walked over to the tower window and gazed down at the young man, smiling softly.
"You have quite a journey ahead of you dearie and become a stronger man than you imagined you would be."
"…Look, can't we skip this tonight? We don't need the money!" Jiminy pleaded with his parents as they stood outside a small cottage a week later.
"Everything isn't about money, Jiminy. It's about the principle," his mother said.
Martin waved his hand, bringing out the bottle of their 'elf tonic'. It was their favorite con and one that had gotten them run out of quite a few villages across the realms. "A commitment to excellence."
"Excellence… at stealing money," Myrna added.
"Now and take the "elf tonic", Jiminy," his father instructed.
He would have sooner taken the initiative and gotten then hell out of there. His instincts were telling him that something was going to go terribly wrong that night yet he knew what his parents would do if he disobeyed. His parents were laughing as he took the bottle from his father.
"Oh! Such beautiful young people," Myrna exclaimed when a young couple opened the door to them. Jiminy felt his father kick his boot.
"Pardon me. Do you have a place at your hearth for an honest man and his….elderly parents?" he asked, feeling the bile rise in his throat every time he had to go along with his parent's schemes. It was a speech he gave in many villages and those who opened their doors to him were taken in by his kind face and soft voice, both his blessing and his curse.
"Of course," the man said. "Come in."
"I'll heat up some broth," his wife offered.
"Oh, we love broth," Myrna said excitedly, she and her husband praising the young couple's home. Their names were Donna and Stephen.
Donna heated up some broth and handed it to Jiminy, the rainwater that his parents called their 'elf tonic' feeling like a rock in his pocket that would sink him in the deepest ocean of regret.
"Thank you for your kindness," Jiminy said politely.
"I just can't get it out of my mind, that family," Myrna began and Jiminy felt his heart sink. They were bound and determined to see their scheme through until the end.
"Terrible way to go."
"What? What happened?" Donna asked worriedly.
"Plague," Myrna answered knowing no other word struck terror in the hearts of simple villagers than 'plague. "The next town over, we just passed through. "
"The plague?!"
"Well, a plague, certainly."
"Is it coming here? Are you okay?' Stephen inquired, a bit concerned himself since they had a son.
Jiminy could only watch with disgust as his parents played the game, claiming their little miracle cure would prevent the couple from getting the plague, insisting they only had a small bottle that they needed for themselves, Martin giving Jiminy a kick under the table when he wanted the boy to play his part. They managed to swindle the couple out of a few coins and some of their food. Jiminy walked out of the house after handing them the bottle, feeling like he was going to vomit.
"Hey, those are good people. They would never hurt us like that," he protested.
"That's where they went wrong," his mother insisted
"It's better to be the kind of people that take," his father reminded him.
"Instead of those that get taken from."
Not me, Mama. Not anymore.
"I'm sorry. You've given me no other choice." Jiminy took the bottle out of his pocket and threw it on them.
"How frail do you think we are, son?" Myrna laughed.
"Rainwater won't hurt us," Martin added.
Oh no. NO! Jiminy thought, glancing down at the bottle. They were identical, easily switched.
"I'm pretty good at a sleight of hand, Jiminy, or have you forgotten that?" his father taunted.
"You switched them? So this is the elf tonic?" He was in a panic.
"Oh my! We must have given whatever you had to that family." Martin said with a hint of amusement.
"Oh, hope it wasn't dangerous," Myrna laughed.
Jiminy ran back into the house and found the bottle he'd gotten from the Dark One on the floor. The couple was no longer there, instead two wooden puppets dressed in their clothing sat on the bed when he looked behind the door.
"Oh gods!" he cried. "What have I done!" he sank into the chair.
"What is that boy blubbering about now," Martin grumbled. Myrna followed him into the house.
"Ohh, look at that," Martin said, amused.
"New puppets for the act," Myrna added with a smirk.
Damn you both! Jiminy thought angrily. It wasn't meant for them. It was meant for YOU!
He was even more horrified when he saw the boy who had given him his umbrella walk into the house.
His PARENTS! Oh gods….
"Who are you?" the boy asked Martin and Myrna. Jiminy shook his head, regretting every stepping foot in the Dark Castle, regretting taking that potion.
"Papa? Mama? Papa! What did you do to them? What did you do to them?" the little boy named Geppetto demanded of Jiminy.
"I didn't mean to…it was an accident!" he sobbed.
"You KILLED them!" screamed the little boy.
"Let's get the hell outta here!" Myrna yelled. "Jiminy…move your ass boy!"
"You killed my mama and papa…" Geppetto sobbed and ran over to him, striking him with his fists. "I hate you. I HATE YOU!"
"I didn't want to hurt anyone," Jiminy moaned.
"Awww…dammit, quit your blubbering and MOVE!" Martin hollered, pulling Jiminy to his feet and dragging him out of the cottage. He could still hear the child screaming as they sped off in the wagon.
"Stop the wagon!" Jimmy yelled when they were some distance away from the cottage, the noise spooking the horse. He jumped off and started walking down the road.
"Where do you think you're going? Get back here!" Myrna demanded.
"Go to hell! I'm not doing this anymore. I quit!" Jiminy threw over his shoulder. I'm tired of lying, I'm tired of stealing and I'm tired of YOU! I want to live my own life! I want to be free!"
Martin pulled up beside him. "You're not going anywhere, boy. And if you try, we'll just go to the magistrate and tell him what you did to that poor boy's parents…and what you tried to do to us. You won't be free in a cell or at the end of a rope, now will you? It's time you faced it. This is what you are, like us, and this is what you're always going to be. Now get back in the wagon and I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense!"
His head bowed, Jiminy climbed back into the carriage.
Later that night after they made camp, Jiminy got out of the wagon and went outside.
"I didn't want to hurt anyone," he wept. "I just wanted to live my own life." He glanced up at the sky, smiling when he saw a bright blue star glowing. He remembered hearing tales that if you wished on a star, a fairy would hear you and make it come true.
"I wish…." he said softly and sat down on the fence, closing his eyes. "I wish…" I wish I could take it all back….I wish that little boy had his parents back…
"I hear your wish, you don't need to wish it so loudly," Blue said gently as she appeared before him. He smiled. "But it is not possible. I cannot bring back the boy's parents."
"It's my fault. I have to make it right. I… I will trade my life to make it happen."
"What's done is done. There may be another way."
"Tell me please," he pleaded.
"The little boy, he will grow up to face many challenges. Do you want to help him?"
"Ummm, I can't get away from these people, my parents, they're who I am."
"But if you didn't want to be that, what would you like to be?"
And in the silence, Jiminy heard the sound that always brought him comfort, the chirping of crickets.
I wish to be like them….the crickets.
"I hear your wish." She waved her wand and he was transformed into a cricket wearing a brown coat and carrying his trusty umbrella. He started to laugh, feeling free for the first time in his life.
"How do you feel?"
"Free," he chirped.
"Find the boy, Jiminy. You will live as many years as you need to help him. Just find him."
"How will I? I don't even know his name."
"His name is Geppetto."
The Court of King Hubert
The next morning
"...What in the HELL has happened to me!" Sir Jasper raged as he gazed into the mirror in his bedchamber and saw not a human but a cricket staring back at him.
"You have been turned into a cricket," he heard a voice say from the open window and turned to see a fairy flying toward him. "I am sorry...I didn't realize that the spell would affect you as well."
"You did this?"
"I granted a wish. Your brother's wish."
"Jiminy did this to us? Why?"
"It was a mistake...a terrible mistake. He never meant to harm anyone," the Blue Fairy said quickly.
"Change me back. Now!"
"I'm afraid I can't."
"Nonsense. You're the Blue Fairy, the most powerful fairy in all the realms. Change me back."
"Once a wish is granted it cannot be taken back."
"So I'm stuck like this," Jasper said bitterly. The timing could not have been worse. His king was in negotiations to wed and expected his faithful knight to continue to serve him and his new bride.
"I am sorry Jasper. Had your brother known the wish would've affected you too he never would've made it. Perhaps you should go and talk to him."
"Where is he?"
"He is caring for a young boy named Geppetto in the Enchanted Forest."
"I will go to him."
"I know you're upset Jasper but please, try to understand that your brother never meant to harm you."
"This isn't how I wanted us to meet but it will have to do."
Raising a child as a cricket was not an easy task yet Jiminy was doing his best with it making a living carrying messages from the nobles of the realms and it was not long before he became known as the most reliable one in the Enchanted Forest. One afternoon he and Geppetto were travelling through the forest to deliver a message to King Hubert's court when he encountered another cricket wearing the garments of the King's guards taking a rest one one of the rocks.
"I am Jiminy. I have a message for your king," he said.
"Hello Jiminy. I'm Jasper. I...I'm your brother."
"Your brother is a cricket too?" Geppetto asked.
"Yes...but I don't understand why."
"We're twins Jiminy. What affects you affects me apparently. This isn't how I wanted us to meet but it will have to do."
"I am so sorry. I...I didn't know but I've wanted to meet you..."
"As I've wanted to meet you."
From that day on, the trio traveled together, delivering their messages to the kingdoms of the realm until Geppetto eventually married and began working as a carpenter and Jasper was recalled to King Hubert's court while Jiminy was given a place as a royal advisor in the court of Princess Snow White. The two continued to meet as they passed their messages through the realms but those meetings had become few and far in between in recent years and the bond between the brothers that had been severed at birth was reforged.
"His Majesty is dying and Prince Phillip is concerned about the threats he faces from Queen Regina and Maleficent." Jasper revealed to his brother at one of their meetings.
"Queen Regina's curse threatens all of us, brother but what is the threat you face from Maleficent?"
"A second curse, the same one that was given to Snow and Queen Briar Rose. The sleeping curse. Phillip believes Maleficent will use it on Aurora and her daughter Rose."
"I am not surprised. Maleficent feels her mother stole Stefan from her but he wanted nothing to do with her."
"I will go to the Dark One."
"Oh Jasper, why? Trifling with dark magic is the reason we're like this!"
"I must protect Rose! Phillip and Aurora have trusted me with her safety from the day she was born and I will not let her fall victim to that witch's malice. Whatever price the Dark One wants, I will pay it!"
"You may regret it my brother," Jiminy said sadly.
"I will do what I must to protect those I care for as will you."
"Her Highness Princess Snow is expecting as well."
"Once the Queen hears of this she will cast her curse," Jasper predicted.
"And we will all lose those we love."
"I will not let Rose go to the land without magic alone! I will find a way to stop it." Jasper said angrily and flew away. Jiminy sighed, fearing his brother's deal with the Dark One would come to no good as he had all those years ago.
"...Rumplestiltskin I summon thee!" he called out when he returned to the castle later that evening.
"Well this is an unexpected surprise. The last time I saw you, you were a babe in my arms. Oh dearie dear! Sometimes being a twin has its problems, doesn't it Sir Jasper," Rumple giggled when he appeared in Sir Jasper's quarters. The cricket snorted.
"Enough jokes. Queen Regina's curse threatens all the realms, my master has disappeared and my mistress is under a sleeping curse. I will pay the price you require, all I ask is for your help in keeping Princess Rose safe."
"Regina's curse will come. There is no stopping it," Rumple informed him coldly.
"You want it cast, don't you?" the cricket accused. "Why?"
"That is my business. But this curse...ahhh this curse is your destiny Jasper, as much as it is Jiminy's. It will take you down different paths but the connection you have will come in handy."
"You're not making any sense. Have you been imbibing in the ale?"
"Are you aware that I could crush you beneath my boot for your insolence?"
"Are you aware that I don't fear you?" Jasper retorted.
Rumple laughed. "You're a bold one Sir Jasper. It is that part of your personality your brother will need when he begins the path that has been chosen for him as well as those fighting skills you've been forced to neglect in your current form."
"Why are you so interested in us? What's in it for you?"
The sorcerer thought for a moment. "Things I've Seen, Cricket. For some strange reason your destinies are intertwined with mine...your brother's specifically. He will do his own battle with the darkness as you will see the horrors the darkness leaves behind. But be warned. Maleficent's curse is a generational one. All the females in your princess's bloodline will fall victim to the curse. The Princess Rose will only be awakened by the kiss of a knight...a white knight in blue."
"What does THAT mean?"
"You'll find that out in twenty-eight years Cricket," he giggled and vanished.
Jasper growled with frustration. "Impossible creature! Our fates intertwined with his? Rubbish!"
The Enchanted Forest
Twenty-eight years prior to the breaking of the Dark Curse
Ozmalita Diosa, the servant angel to the goddess Lurline was almost unrecognizable in her human form as Adora Kantrine Cain, the young bride of Tin Man in training Wyatt Cain. Yet her human form would serve its purpose for the difficult task ahead of her; locating the bondmate of young Ozian Princess Azkadellia Ozopov and making certain that he would not be swept away to the other side by Queen Regina's curse as the others, at least not yet.
Her portal opened outside a cottage in the woods and through the open window she could hear two voices, one of them raised in anger.
"I have to be with my boy!"
"You know only the Savior can go through the wardrobe now."
"There has to be another way!"
"Geppetto, there is no other way than the curse…"
"I am not going to be a part of that curse. I will find a way with or without your help!"
"All right…we'll keep looking."
"There is another way…if you are interested," Adora said from the window. "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. May I come in?"
She walked into the cottage to see an older man speaking to a cricket sitting on his worktable. She approached the table and smiled at it. "Jiminy Cricket, advisor to their Highnesses. Your reputation precedes you."
"You have me at a disadvantage my lady. Have we met?"
"No…but I have heard of you. My name is Adora Cain. I've recently arrived here from Oz." She reached into her satchel and took out a travel storm token. "This is what you need. This token will create a storm that will allow you to travel between worlds, a storm like the one that brought our great Queen Dorothy Gale from this land without magic to Oz centuries ago."
Geppetto eyed her suspiciously. "Why would YOU, a stranger want to help us?"
"I know the pain of being parted from one I love too well and do not wish it on anyone else. Take this coin into an open field and toss it. Once the cyclone forms walk into it and think of where you wish to go. It will take you there."
Unfortunately, you are not the one it will take, she thought sadly.
Go to the Enchanted Forest and find the enchanted cricket named Jiminy Ozmalita. He is the bondmate you seek and make certain that the travel storm token is in his possession before Queen Regina casts her curse. The token will activate before the curse can reach him and bring him to us, Lurline had instructed.
"Can it take others?" Jiminy asked hopefully.
Adora shook her head. "The token will only work for those it is given to." She felt the bile rise in her throat as the lies rolled off her tongue. "The Savior must travel to the other side through the wardrobe that was created for her. And you can never speak of this gift I have given you or it will disappear," she cautioned.
"Jiminy…I can find my boy!" Geppetto wept joyfully.
She set the coin down on the table in front of the cricket. "Perhaps we'll see each other again very soon. May the goddess protect both of you."
She cast an invisibility spell the moment she stepped outside.
"I don't know about this Geppetto…the last time I dabbled in magic…"
"I'm sorry about our argument earlier."
"No, you never should've lost your parents. I should have walked away from mine years ago."
"Jiminy, please promise me we'll try to use this. I can't bear being parted from my boy!"
"Maybe we should speak to Blue about it."
"No! You heard what that woman said if we…look! The coin! It's fading! No! No! We won't tell anyone, we promise!" Geppetto cried fearfully. He scooped up the coin and tucked it into his shirt pocket. "Jiminy, promise me you won't say anything to Blue! I have to find my boy!"
"All right. We'll say nothing. But I still want to talk to Blue about the wardrobe. I can't bear the thought of the Savior and Pinocchio in that world alone."
"I'm afraid I spoke the truth Jiminy. The wardrobe can only take two….and one has already gone through. There's no way to alter the spell. Only one of the Ozian guardians has that ability, the West Guardian." Blue explained when they summoned her the following morning.
"Who are these Ozian guardians. How do we find them?"
"Only Ozmalita, the servant angel of Lurline herself would know the answer."
"Will she help us?" Geppetto asked. "Had I not been so selfish…."
"You were only trying to give your son his best chance," Jiminy soothed. "Is there a way we can summon this Ozmalita?"
"The Rhuel Ghorm summons thee
Ozmalita Diosa appear now before me!" Blue chanted. The trio waited for several minutes, their hearts sinking. Seconds later a cloud of silver smoke appeared in the room, Adora in her true form.
"It has been a long time Galaluna," Adora said softly, addressing the fae by the name given her at birth. Blue kneeled at the other woman's feet.
"Mistress I seek your guidance. The Evil Queen's curse threatens all in this realm and there is only one who can break her spell. We are forced to send her to the land without magic…alone."
"It was my fault….I sent my son through first…" Geppetto confessed.
"And the Savior will be the second to cross through. Alone. That is the will of Lurline. The life she leads on the Other Side will prepare her for the battles to come, the breaking of the Dark Curse, the preservation of the Strogoff bloodline and preparation for the Final Eclipse."
Blue gasped. "Then the prophecy…"
"…will come to pass, unless the proper order is restored and the Strogoff and Ozopov are united with their bondmates. Events must unfold as Lurline wills it Galaluna or a terrible price will be paid."
Geppetto sat at his workbench and buried his face in his hands. "Losing my boy….is this my price to pay…?"
"Your son will play a pivotal role in shaping the Savior's destiny and that of the strongest of the Guardians: the ones who stand at the East and West Gates, the keepers of the staff that summon the winds of change and the blade forged from the fires of a troubled past. He will have one advantage you will not; his memory unaffected by the curse. You will see him again Geppetto but you must be patient."
"We can't summon the guardians ourselves?" Jiminy asked her. She shook her head.
"One of them is held in the grip of Alemedia herself."
"The Dark One!? But that is impossible! Rumplestiltskin CANNOT be a guardian!" Blue protested.
"Rumplestiltskin and his son Baelfire are the last of the Strogoff bloodline, Galaluna. And the Savior will bear the child that will one day stand at the East Gate. That child must be protected for one day he will be the most powerful of all the Guardians."
"But…we'll be cursed, we won't know…" Jiminy stammered.
"The truth will be revealed at the proper time." And you will be the one to speak it, she thought. "What you have learned, you must keep to yourselves. Alemedia has been plotting to destroy the Guardians. Rumplestiltskin is no great threat as long as his soul is held tight in her grip. Once he is reunited with his son, his grandchild and his bondmate it will restore his humanity and weaken her control."
"There are four guardians. What about the other two?" Jiminy inquired.
"The Ozopov," Blue murmured. "Queen Lavinia and her daughter, Azkadellia. The second eclipse. It's about them, isn't it?"
"The majestic queen of the OZ
Had two lovely daughters she
One to darkness she be drawn
One to light she be shown
Double eclipse it is forseen
Light meets dark in the stillness between
But only one and one alone
Shall hold the emerald and take the throne…" Adora recited.
"What does that mean?" Geppetto demanded impatiently.
"It means that the Ozopov heirs will battle each other as they have for centuries," Blue replied. "Lurline's heirs, the Strogoff and Ozopov have been cursed to fight each other until their bloodline dies out."
"Cursed by whom?" Jiminy wondered aloud.
"A goddess on the other side named Demeter. Lurline and Alemedia are the children of her daughter Persephone to the god of the Underworld, Hades. Demeter did not want her daughter to be with Hades, limiting her to spending six months of the year with him but they came to this side, created our world as their paradise and Demeter cursed the children Persephone carried as punishment for their defiance. And since that day, their descendants have been at war with each other and the war will continue…unless the cycle is broken. That is what their bondmates must help them do. By anchoring them to their humanity. That is all you need know for now. As I've said, the truth will be revealed to you again at the proper time." The angel vanished.
"What is this prophecy she spoke of Blue?" Jiminy demanded.
"One so horrible that Aramon himself was stripped of his powers and banished to the Realm of the Forgotten for even speaking it," Blue answered, her own face pale. "And those who know of it quake in fear at the mere mention of it."
"What is it! Does it threaten my son?" Geppetto cried fearfully.
"He…will be safe…where he is….as will we…if the Queen casts her curse."
"Blue please, tell us," Jiminy pleaded.
"If the Strogoff and Ozopov heirs cannot break their curses and restore the balance between darkness and light before the final eclipse in Oz….the realms will fall."
"F…Fall…you mean…"
"This world, our world…will be destroyed!" she sobbed. "Those left behind will perish…and those who escaped will see it happen, will feel their pain as our price for survival…and we will be trapped in the Land Without Magic forever."
"What we do now could prevent it?"
"We can only hope Jiminy." She waved her wand and vanished.
"I'm so sorry," Jiminy said again flying onto Geppetto's shoulders.
"We're using the token," he said firmly.
"We don't know if it will work!"
"I have to see my boy. You heard the Blue Fairy. The wardrobe will only take one. If we go we have a chance of finding the Savior and helping my boy get her ready for what she needs to do! It's what her parents would want! You know this Jiminy."
He only wished it were so.
Later that evening Jiminy dictated a brief message to his friend using the gramophone that he always used in the council meetings to translate his cricket language to English and took flight, his destination the court of Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora. Once he arrived, the news his brother had to give him was less than encouraging.
"You've seen the Dark One, haven't you Jasper."
"I have. Things are much worse than we've feared. Maleficent has taken Phillip and placed Aurora under the sleeping curse. But worse still, the Dark One has informed me that Maleficent has cursed Rose as well and her female descendants. I have made my decision. I will take Rose to the Land Without Magic before this dreaded Dark Curse is cast and return her to her parents once it is broken." The cricket sighed. "My conversation with the Dark One was odd to say the least."
"Why?"
"He mentioned you."
"What did he say? Leave nothing out Jasper."
"He said that neither of us can escape our destiny Jiminy. I thought perhaps he'd been drinking too much ale and was talking in riddles as he's known to do and the day the curse strikes we will be be taken down the paths that will lead us to them."
"What does that mean?"
"I wish I knew. He said you will do your own battle against the darkness and I will see what horrors darkness leaves behind. As I said...it must've been the ale."
"Then we are to be separated again. The Dark One sees no other remedy?"
"Not from what I understood."
"Then spend what time you have left with me. You and Rose."
"We will," Jasper vowed.
Two days later the cricket and his young charge departed from King Hubert's kingdom unaware that the Queen of Hearts had returned to the Enchanted Forest and was making her own preparations to protect herself from the curse. In doing so she would preserve a small portion of the realm from the most devastating of its effects.