A/N: And it's back! Sorry for the wait again, my muse has not been kind these last few weeks. But we are almost to the end of this story. Hope you guys enjoy!
The cloud of smoke dissipated leaving Rumpelstiltskin and Cheshire just inside the Entrance Hall of the Dark Castle. The two landed hard on the marble floors knocking the little wind left straight out of the Dark One's lungs. His head ached with the effort of bringing them so far across the Enchanted Forest, but it couldn't have been helped. And he would take a headache and lingering soreness over the clerics treatment any day.
"Rumpelstiltskin," a worried voice called out. Realizing that he'd blacked out for a moment, the imp attempted to pull himself out of the fog currently encasing his mind.
"I'm just fine," he assured, noting that the weaknesses of his voice couldn't even convince him that he was fine, let along his frantic apprentice. As awareness crept back to him, he realized that he was currently lying on the floor of his Entrance Hall. When did that happen?
Slowly the Dark One pried open his eyes and took in the entrance hall to his home, which had never been a more beautiful sight. Magic flowed through his veins leaving Rumpelstiltskin with a heady sense of power that had been notably absent in the past week or so.
After directing the flow to mitigate the pain and heal the worst of his injuries, Rumpelstiltskin found the necessary strength to sit up. Though his vision swam and for whatever reason the room had decided to spin, he succeeded in giving Cheshire a small smile.
"You don't look fine," the boy replied hesitantly. "You look like death warmed over."
A chuckle escaped Rumpelstiltskin before he could stop it. "Well if I'd known I was going to have company, I would have spruced myself up a bit," the man snorted.
"You're fine," Cheshire relented with an accompanying eye roll. A true smile worked its way across the teenagers face for the first time since his arrival at the cleric's tower. "Can you heal yourself?"
The spinner contemplated that for a moment allowing the magic that claimed his soul to take stock of the damage. Some of the more serious injuries had already begun healing, but those would take the rest of the evening to completely mend. The more minor but still irksome ones could wait until morning. Of course, he could fix it all in one quick go, but Rumpelstiltskin didn't relish the idea of spending the next week confined to his bed.
"I can heal some of it right now and some tomorrow. It'll simply take time," he answered evenly.
"Healing is light magic though?" his apprentice queried.
Another chuckle almost escaped (he really was out of it!) at Cheshire's insatiable curiosity. However, Rumpelstiltskin couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face. "That it is. But I find it's beneficial to never limit oneself to a single study or practice. Healing is exceedingly helpful in many situations, not just those that pertain to deals and desperate souls." His voice sounded gruff and far too human for his own liking. He was growing weaker just sitting here and the Dark One really didn't relish the idea of spending the evening on the floor of his castle.
Yet he couldn't help the warm feeling spreading through the place where his traitorous heart should be, as the boy nodded at the wisdom of such a mentality. "Plus being the Dark One does have its perks where healing is concerned."
"How so?" Cheshire asked.
"You're certainly full of questions. Did you compile a list while I was away?" the imp quipped, but without any real sarcasm or bite.
Cheshire had the good grace to look abashed, "Sorry, I've missed you."
"You'd be the first," Rumpelstiltskin mumbled slightly louder than he'd meant to.
The boy however seemed content to pretend he hadn't heard a word. "Can I help you?"
Now that the room had come to it senses and stopped its endless spinning the Dark One was able to slowly lever himself to his feet. But that was as far as he made it. Swaying drunkenly, he stumbled into the lone table occupying the hall. He hated the notion of admitting just how weak he was but considering the table's current occupation of keeping him upright, Rumpelstiltskin consented that he might actually need some help.
Theoretically he could teleport himself to his bedroom but even that seemed like a monumental task at present. Before he could contemplate further a small body wriggled under his right arm and took on some of his weight.
Rumpelstiltskin looked down at his apprentice, shock taking over more than anything else. Nobody had ever willingly helped him outside of Bae. As the son of card-cheat then later once his own cowardice had been exposed, he'd taken a beating more than once in his life. People were more inclined to kick him while he was down than help him back up. Yet here was this boy, who looked so like his lost son, offering aid without being asked. As it turned out, the Dark One did still retain that vital organ that so many believed he didn't. His heart warmed considerably at the idea that perhaps for once he wasn't completely alone.
The boy is becoming a serious weakness a voice that might have been Zoso whispered. Rumpelstiltskin easily shook the thoughts away. Those voices had been quiet while he'd been imprisoned, which probably had more to do with his coherency than their behavior or morals. However, he found that he could do with a little more time without them at present.
Cheshire helped him climb the many stairs of the castle, careful to maneuver them both over the stair they'd recently discovered had a tendency for biting unexpecting wanderers. By the time they made it to the necessary bedroom, Cheshire was almost fully supporting his mentor.
Rumpelstiltskin collapsed gratefully onto the bed not caring that he was still only half-clothed in disgusting rags.
"What can I do?" Cheshire asked uncertainly.
"In my workroom, there's a potion," the spinner informed him. "It's in the small cabinet directly beside my spinning wheel. Bottom shelf and on the right. It's dark blue and thick. Bring it to me. Touch nothing else."
Directions in hand the boy hurried from the room. Cheshire may have been gone for a few moments or few days for all Rumpelstiltskin knew. By the time the boy returned he'd blacked out once more. But the boy woke him without hesitation and pressed the potion into his master's hand.
"Thanks."
"What'll it do," Cheshire questioned.
"It'll help," was all that the imp managed before throwing back the full contents of the liquid and falling heavily back onto the bed.
The next time Rumpelstiltskin awoke he was shivering wildly and deep shadows had settled around him. It was well into the evening as evidenced by the low burning fire across from him. The imp took stock of his surroundings completely uncertain of where he was for several long seconds, until his gaze fell upon a mess of shaggy and unkept brown hair. Cheshire, his mind supplied.
Apparently, the boy had pulled a chair to the bedside in order to keep vigil over his mentor but had fallen asleep in the process. Trying his best not to wake the sleeping teenager, Rumpelstiltskin shifted himself under the bedsheets. Despite his best efforts, Cheshire's head shot up as soon as the imp settled underneath the blankets.
"Rumple," the boy murmured sleepily. "You okay?"
"I'm fine kid. Just got cold," he replied evenly. The old nickname, which normally made the imp bristle, sounded rather endearing coming from his apprentice. Or perhaps that was just the healing potion talking. "Go back to sleep Ches."
Ches stretched and let loose a long yawn. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. Too much time with Maleficent I guess. Wore me out."
"She has that effect," the imp chuckled. When it became obvious that the teen wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon, the Dark One found that he could no longer stem his curiosity. "Why are you helping me?"
To his credit Cheshire looked shocked at such a question. "It's the right thing to do," was the automatic answer. Confusion remained on the boy's face though, "I've told you, you're the closest thing I have to family anymore. I couldn't anymore let you suffer than I could leave you to the clerics."
"I'm not your family kid."
The slightest touch of indignation resided in the glare Cheshire fixed upon him. "You're the first person since my mother who has seen me as more than just a problem to be solved. My father believed my magic would cause us nothing but trouble. My siblings agreed with him. Silas didn't have the patience or inclination to teach me." It was one of the few times the boy willingly spoke of his previous master or family. Despite his muddled mind, Rumpelstiltskin paid attention to every word. "You are the only person who's ever tried to help me with my magic. You don't even ask for much in return. You can pretend to be a monster all you like, but I know a good man when I see one."
Stunned silence met those words. What could he possibly say in the face of all that? "I'm hardly a man, Ches."
"You're less of a monster than those clerics," the boy countered.
Sighing deeply, Rumpelstiltskin couldn't think of anything else to say in the face of the vehement persistence of his apprentice. "You're a good kid, Ches. You deserve far more than the life I can provide you."
"Why don't you get some rest and let me decide what I do and don't deserve," Cheshire retorted with finality.
The boy had come such a long from the terrified child Rumpelstiltskin found in the bowels of the castle all those months ago. A little self-confidence and training had greatly improved the boy's stammer and his ability to confront others. If nothing else, the imp could be proud of helping Cheshire in that manner.
As he allowed sleep to take him once more, Rumpelstiltskin entertained the notion that perhaps, just this once, he would allow himself to believe everything the boy claimed. And to believe that maybe the boy had worked an improvement on his master as well.
The next day dawned bright bringing with it the first sting of summer. Warmth spread throughout the drafty castle for the first time since Ches could remember. With only the one interruption, Rumpelstiltskin had slept heavily throughout the night. The sorcerer seemed beyond drained and Ches couldn't bring himself to wake the man as the morning wore on.
The apprentice of the castle spent the day throwing open windows in the west wing, allowing the summer air to breeze its way through the castle. Every half hour or so he made certain to poke his head in to his mentor's room. He'd left breakfast on table next to the fire and did the same with tea and then lunch, replacing each old meal with something new.
He knew he shouldn't be worried. The Dark One was the most powerful sorcerer in all the realms and simple clerics couldn't kill him. Yet Cheshire couldn't stop the pervasive sense of helplessness every time he looked in on his mentor. He'd been beyond frightened to find Rumpelstiltskin in such a state at the hands of the clerics. It never seemed possible that the Dark One could be brought so low by mere men.
Despite his horror at the situation, Ches also found that he was highly intrigued by the clerics actions. It bothered him to no end that his thoughts kept running in that direction and he was certainly glad that mind-reading wasn't one of the Dark One's many talents. But that didn't stem his thoughts. The clerics were monsters, no doubt, but they'd managed to cage and contain the most powerful being in the realms. The demon that sometimes overtook Rumpelstiltskin was pure darkness, there was no doubt about that. How had they managed to trap such a force?
Cheshire tried to force his mind onto some other topic as he wandered down to Rumpelstiltskin's room once more. He had to clear his head of such thoughts before attempting to care for the man whose imprisonment he'd been obsessing over all day. To his great relief all such thoughts were swept from his mind upon seeing his mentor awake and alert.
"You're awake," the boy exclaimed as he bounded into the room with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm.
"So I am," came the imp's response. Rumpelstiltskin still sounded a bit weak to Ches's ears, but he could already see improvement in the man's countenance. The imp wasn't quite as pale (or as pale as one could be with gold skin) and his face didn't look nearly as drawn as it had yesterday.
"I brought you some lunch and tea," Ches offered. "Would you like something?"
Rumpelstiltskin fixed him with another one of his disbelieving looks. As if he couldn't quite understand just why Cheshire was staying and helping him. After several long minutes, the older sorcerer gave his apprentice a small nod and made to clamber out of the bed.
Ches put a stop to that immediately, "No, no, no! I've got it, I've got it. You stay right there."
The boy had to admit, the ability to make the great and powerful Dark One look completely flabbergasted did make him feel a bit important – and it was a bit funny as well. Cheshire grabbed the lunch tray from its place on the table and brought it over to Rumpelstiltskin. The man took the tray with an appreciative nod before setting it between them on the bed.
"How long have I been out of it?" the imp asked after pouring two cups of tea.
"It's a bit past noon," the boy answered easily taking the proffered cup from his mentor. "I didn't want to wake you. You looked like you could use a bit of sleep."
Rumpelstiltskin merely nodded again. The two slipped into companionable silence for a while. Cheshire taking in the Dark One's appearance as the older man leaned back into the headboard. He still wore the rags from the cleric's prison. Ches wondered if the man even realized the fact. Where the day before the sorcerer's skin had been tarnished with cuts, bruises, burns, and all matter of filth and grime; today all Ches could see were scars in various states of healing. Rumpelstiltskin moved as if he was still in pain, but it was as if the man hadn't been halfway to death just this time yesterday. The transformation was quite impressive.
"You'll stay in bed for the rest of the day, right?" the boy asked cautiously. Hoping that perhaps he could guilt his mentor into such an action just by insisting.
Much to his surprise it seemed that the Dark One agreed with him on the matter. "I think it'd be best," the imp mumbled tiredly. "Let the cost of healing take its toll today and be up tomorrow."
Cheshire could hardly believe his ears and couldn't find the will to keep his thoughts to himself. "No offense, but I thought I'd have to chain you to that bed to keep you in it today."
A smile danced across the spinner's face at that quip. "I think I'm entitled to a bit of laziness every now and then. Besides I'll be miserable all week if I try and push it now."
"Speaking from experience?" the boy queried unable to hold back his now peaked curiosity.
"Perhaps," was the only answer he received. "I don't think I've said thank you yet."
"It was implied," Ches insisted, surprised at the turn of conversation.
"Well it needs to be said as well," the imp protested. "Thank you for saving me Cheshire. I owe you a great deal.
"I didn't do it so that you would owe me a debt or to have leverage for a deal you know." When his mentor remained silent Ches continued, "It was the right thing to do."
"I think you'll find that most people will disagree with you there."
"Only the crappy ones," the apprentice quipped easily. That got a smile from the sorcerer, but it was one that seemed more placating than genuine.
"You helped a monster escape from its cage, Ches."
"You're not a monster," Cheshire challenged, exasperated that they were once more on this topic.
"I think you'll find yourself in the minority there as well," Rumpelstiltskin countered.
He stated it with such sincere belief that Ches could no longer contain his frustration at the topic. "I've spent the last six plus months with you, I think I'm a better judge of who you are than the majority of people."
The Dark One merely stared at his apprentice with something akin to a pitying stare. Rumpelstiltskin believed the worst of the world and, despite everything they'd been through, that included Ches. There was little the boy could say that hadn't already been said and he had no clue how to deal with such ingrained self-loathing. Even he wasn't as jaded as his mentor and Cheshire had seen his fair share of darkness in his nearly sixteen years.
"You know when I was a kid," at the imp's raised eyebrow Ches consented with a laugh, "well a younger kid anyway. There was a woman who lived in our village. She lived alone at the top of the hill in this old dilapidated hovel. Everyone called her a hag, the village monster as it were. She didn't take proper care of herself, didn't associate with other people. She wasn't welcome in a lot of businesses. Town outsider, I'm sure you know the type."
Rumpelstiltskin grimaced in reply. Which Ches took to mean he'd struck a deal or two with one or might have none one in another life.
"Anyway, one day my sister and I were playing with some of the other kids. Usual game of chucking rocks at the old woman's house. Being bratty kids ya know. But me mum caught my sister and me at it. Now my mother was the sweetest woman I've ever known to walk this world, but gods help anyone who got on her bad side or made her angry. I got the tanning of my life that day and learned a lesson I'm not about to forget. She made me and Hatti - my sister that is - go up to the old woman's house and apologize to her. Tell her it wouldn't happen again and all that."
"You'd have thought we brought the old woman a basket of gold. She was so happy to have visitors that she didn't care about what we were apologizing for. Gave us tea and biscuits. Let us play with the little dog she had. And talked and talked to us. Told us stories asked us to tell her a few. That kind of thing. Well it became my routine to go see her every day after that. Turns out she hadn't always been alone. Her husband and daughter were killed by bandits on their way home from market one evening. Old Agatha apparently was never the same after that. Holed herself up with just her grief and her memories for company.
"The others they forgot why she was sad and lonely and they left her too it. To the point that she became the village monster. People are like that sometimes. They get caught up in themselves and they forget that maybe everyone else isn't happy or okay. Point is if old Agatha had a reason to be up on her hill all alone, I figure you do to. And no offense or anything, but I'd rather face your wrath than another tanning from my mother any day." Ches felt an old smile crawl across his face. One that was full of loving memories and old humor. It had been so long sincere could think about his mother without the thoughts being painful. "If it's between helping someone who might not know they need help or letting my mother down again, I know which I'll choose.
Rumpelstiltskin had listened to his story with rapt attention, his eyes never moving from his apprentice's face. A long silence permeated the room after Ches's story before the Dark One finally spoke. "Your mother sounds like she was an extraordinarily woman."
"Aye, that she was."
"What happened to her?" Had his question been laced with anything other than genuine curiosity, Ches would have shut down. Grief cut through Ches's momentary nostalgia with careful precision. Something of that must have shown in his face because Rumpelstiltskin quickly backtracked, "Its none of my business of course."
"No it's okay," the boy answered cutting off before his mentor could get any further in his retraction.
"It was my fault. Before I was sent with Silas, I couldn't always control my magic. I got angry about something stupid one day and next thing I know the house is on fire. Mum was up in the loft. She couldn't get out... Dad was never the same after that… Couldn't get past his anger at me. Neither could my brothers or sisters. When they kept lowering the draft age for the Ogre Wars, the oldest three went to the front. My younger sister and I were safe for a while, but Dad met Silas right after we got the news that one of my brothers and my sister weren't coming back. He sent me with Silas. To save me from the war he said, but I think it was more to get rid of me. And that's that. My life story. Kind of sucks huh." Ches finished lamely. He could hardly believe all that he'd shared. He didn't like speaking of his family, especially after Silas had… No, he couldn't think on such things.
"Did your father know the kind of man Silas was?" Rumpelstiltskin asked pulling the boy from his thoughts.
"I've always hoped not, but I'm not sure. After everything I did to tear apart my family, maybe he figured I deserved it."
"You didn't," Rumpelstiltskin responded with enough force that Ches looked up and caught the man's gaze. "Never let yourself think that kid."
"What if I did though?" Ches asked hating how small his voice was in that moment. The boy redirected his eyes back to his hands as his mentor continued to speak.
"Silas was an adult and you're a child. He's a bastard who's better off dead. Nothing he did to you was your fault. You have to understand that Cheshire." The man's voice was full of such certainty that Ches had trouble denying what he was saying. A light and hesitant hand fell on the boy's shoulder causing him to look at the imp once more. Rumpelstiltskin had moved to the edge of the bed and was now sitting right in front of him.
"Sometimes adults make mistakes Ches. And they don't know how to deal with those. Some people, bad people, choose to hurt those who can't defend themselves. It's not your fault that Silas was a bad person. It's not your fault that your dad blamed you. And it's most certainly not your fault that your mom died. It was an accident."
And damn it all if the man didn't seem like he was talking from experience and knew exactly what he was talking about. Everything inside Ches wanted to believe Rumpelstiltskin. Wanted to let his words soothe the pain that he'd been carrying around for five years. But what if he was wrong?
"How can you be sure?" Ches asked in a bit of a stronger voice.
The Dark One didn't hesitate, "because I know you Ches. And I think that after six months in your company I'm a pretty good judge of your character."
Several weeks later
The Dark One stalked his latest prey carefully. It had taken time and patience, but he'd finally managed to pin down the bastard who'd held him captive. He'd gone to great pains to capture, maim, and kill as many of Avonlea's clerics as possible, but it had been a slower process than he'd hoped.
Rumpelstiltskin may have been the Dark One, capable of great and terrible power, but even he would have been stupid to attempt taking the whole tower at once. So instead he'd played the long game. Gathering information about the holy men, stalking their usual haunts, discovering the names of the few he didn't know. He'd left a rather obvious message with each body. A promise to the head of their order. And now, all his hard work had paid off.
"Frollo, my dear, it's been too long," the imp cackled as the man entered nobleman's study.
The head cleric had an appointment today with one of the lesser noble's in the region. A task that would prove difficult now that said nobleman found himself as the newest resident of the Dark Castle's garden. But really one could never have too many garden gnomes.
"I can't say that I'm surprised to see you Dark One," the older man replied without a hint of emotion.
Rumpelstiltskin propelled himself from the decadent chair he'd been sprawled in. In a few long strides he sauntered up to his foe. "I'd think you rather daft if you were."
"I received your messages. Rather messy business you occupy your time with."
"Well one does need a hobby," the imp quipped.
Frollo showed no fear despite the current uncomfortable lack of distance between the two. He was a tough old bastard that much Rumpelstiltskin could admire. But there was the business of the cleric's threats towards his apprentice.
"If you've come for your revenge Dark One, then do get on with it," Frollo demanded, closing the distance between them.
"With pleasure," the imp hissed.
Rumpelstiltskin unleashed a nasty spell he'd been concocting during his wait for the cleric. It made contact, immediately freezing the cleric in place and opening large gashes along his left side. A manic giggle escaped the Dark One at the man's gasps of pain. Another sweep of his hand caused bones to creak and break. Frollo couldn't contain his scream that time.
"Now, now," the Dark One tutted as he trailed a long finger down the man's face. "Can't have you passing out before the fun begins now can we." Another dark chuckle escaped at the cleric's bold glare of defiance. "But really we do have a few things to discuss before we get carried away."
The imp grabbed the man's jaw in clawed fingers, forcing his head up until they were practically nose to nose. "Now we struck a deal a few weeks ago," Rumpelstiltskin growled darkly as he allowed the Dark One to take full possession. "One that never saw it's way to completion. I'd like to renegotiate the terms."
After pausing for a moment to let the man understand the gravity of the situation the imp continued, "I have two weeks' worth of revenge to work out and I do plan on enjoying that. But… I'll allow you to keep your pitiful little life for a price." Rumpelstiltskin could feel the darkness that seeped from every pore of his being and danced around the room. His words were silky but so full of danger. And to his great delight he could feel the fear pouring from Frollo.
"You are to leave my apprentice alone. You, your agents, anyone who you hold influence over or might even persuade. Should I see a cleric or fairy, even one not associated with you even look in the direction of my apprentice, you're the one I'll take it out on. And trust me, that little meeting will make this one look like child's play. In return for your agreement to leave him alone I'll let you hold on to your life."
He allowed those words to sink in, putting pressure on the man's already damaged jaw. "Do we have a deal."
Frollo nodded frantically. If he were a better man, or a man at all, he would have taken pleasure in that fear and left the cleric then and there. But he was a monster, the Dark One, and Rumpelstiltskin had a few weeks of revenge left to enact and he wasn't feeling very charitable.
A/N: Thanks for reading! This is the part where I shamelessly ask for reviews if you enjoyed and also where I again say thank you to everyone who has been following this story. I hope it's been living up to what you guys expected. I'm also going to shamelessly plug the sequel to this story, which I will be posting the first chapter of tonight. It's titled (for now at least) Who In The World Am I, it will have some spoilers about the end of this story so read at your own risk. As always see you guys in the next chapter
