Her love for him would die. Perhaps it shouldn't have been, but the thought was soothing; and perhaps she shouldn't have, but she clung to it.
Fiona grabbed the clock on her nightstand and tilted it into the moonlight. It was just minutes after midnight. Fiona grabbed her warrior's clothing and changed with jerky movements of anger. When she thought about Fairy Godmother, she decided to arm herself with the blades that she always had strapped to her boots and wristbands.
Leaving her hair in a messy braid, she pushed open her door and walked through the palace. As she hurried down the stairs Harold and Lillian came walking quickly toward her. "Oh, I'm so glad you're up," Harold said. "I want you to know..."
"Leave me alone," Fiona answered brokenly. She didn't even look at them as she hurried down the darkened hall. They stood frozen, listening to the door open and then bang shut.
Finally Lillian turned to her husband. "What is that she's wearing?"
Harold shook his head. "I-I'm not sure."
Lillian moved down the hallway and opened the door, watching her daughter's dark figure hurry toward the gate.
Fiona looked up at the dark tower, hoping to see Rhetta, or anyone. Nothing moved. The shadows appeared utterly black and still.
Fiona looked back at the palace and saw her parents standing on the front porch, illuminated by moonlight and lanterns. Craving the freedom of the forest and the love of her friends, Fiona turned and hurried toward the side of the palace, slipping into the secrecy of the shadows.
-x
The ogres sat around a fire, listening to Brogan talk. "I saw it for myself," he was saying. "She's still cursed."
"The kiss didn't work?"
"Oh, it worked. On her. But it had to be true love's kiss. He had to love her back." Brogan stared into the fire.
"And he doesn't," Rhetta whispered.
"No." Brogan huffed a sigh. "After the change...she called him a liar and said he didn't even know what love was. And those things she said to us," he continued over the reactions. "She wanted forgiveness even before she said them," Brogan grumbled. "The bad news is - "
"You haven't said it yet?" Gretched gasped.
"No. The bad news is that she's Rumpelstiltskin's mother."
Gasps swept throughout the Resistance. "We've got to do something!"
"You don't have to," Fiona's voice made them all jump. She emerged from the shadows. Her face was hard, her eyes dangerous. "Because I'm only going back occasionally to see my parents." She plopped down on a log. "I'm through with that place. It just brings trouble."
As hard as it was for him, Cookie managed to keep his opinions to himself as he fed the fire and listened to the other ogres' reactions.
"Are you sure?"
"You can't be!"
"What about the deal?"
"And where's Puss?"
Fiona raised her hand to call for silence, which she immediately received. "He's still back at the house. I...wasn't really thinking of him when I left," she admitted.
Brogan scooted forward, looking into her eyes. "How do you feel?"
Fiona shrugged. "Awful. For so long I thought they were dead, and I was learning to live with it. Now I know they're not, and I have to wait for that day to actually come. In a way, it was kind of better...before." She shrugged, unable to meet anyone's eyes. "But maybe just for me." Her eyes met Cookie's and then found another ogre's gaze. "I just want to apologize for what I said..."
Cookie shook his head. "You already did, man."
The other ogres nodded and murmured agreement, and Brogan put his arm around Fiona. She smiled, leaning against him. "See, this is what I wanted," she said softly. "This feeling. Warmth. Acceptance. I didn't feel that at the palace...Not even as a kid."
"You're like my sister," Cookie answered, and she took his hand.
"Funny," Brogan answered. "I've often wanted to say that to you."
Laughter circled the cozy campfire as Cookie's expression flattened. Able only to participate in their joy, Fiona didn't feel it as she squeezed their hands and put on a smile.