Enchanted Forest
"Tell me again – we are going where?" I ask while looking at myself in the mirror. "We – my dear – are going to a dance. All fancy and what not." This makes me feel uncomfortable because I – the little waitress that I used to be – never have attended such fancy happenings.
"And this is what they all will wear? Am I not a bit – I don't know… – overdressed." I see his a wrinkle appear at the bridge of his nose – apparently offended. "I would never let you go overdressed. You are perfectly fine." Rumple says with a little snarl on his face. It – however – changed quickly with a smirk. "You are totally mediocre. Nothing too much – nothing less."
"Why?" I ask – still looking at myself in the mirror – stroking the folds down.
At this he grabs my hands from behind me and hold hem still. "My dove – why so curious." I look at him, not buying his mollycoddling.
"Everything comes with a price." I say.
This makes him smirk even more – his ember eyes enflaming.
"We need to have some information about a particular prince." His answer is short – surly he is not keen on sharing his secrets with me. I turn around, the forest green dress swirling with the swift movement. "Do I…" My eyes darted to the ground – embarrassment overcoming me.
"Do you wat, Dearie? He asks impatiently – the impishly features overly present while doing so.
"Do I need to dance?" He snorts at this. How could I be so stupid as to ask this? "Well, what do you think a dance is for? Of course you need to dance, silly." He sing-songs amused by my sudden withdrawn.
"Rumpelstiltskin – I don't know how to dance. I never attended such festivities." He clicks his tongue in a mocking way, making me shrink even more on the spot.
"Here – " Rumpelstiltskin snaps his fingers and a new pair of shoes appear on my feet. "Now that is solved – please come with me downstairs. I've had enough of your insecurities." And with that he walks out, expecting me to follow. I look into the mirror and with one swift movement I'm out of my room.
"Tap two times at the heels and you will be able to dance. When You're done, tap two more times and it will stop."
We are walking down the halls towards the main entrance. His pace quick and steadily, mine a bit clumsy and unsure. "What do I need to observe, sir?"
"You dear will need to let me know if the prince is the real prince. Not a fraud." My brows knit together. "How am I supposed to do that. I don't even know the guy." A sigh escapes his lips. "You will speak when I'm finished." – "I thought you were finished." His look of 'shut-up-or-else-you-are-going-to-clean-the-dungeon-again' makes my lips sealed immediately. "You bracelet will burn if he is real."
Burn? Like fire burn?
Does that hurt? He giggles. "Of course it will hurt, birdy. What else do you think dark magic is for?" My eyes search for the bracelet at my wrist. The thing has not come off yet. Sometimes, when I'm in my room I try to demolish it. Bur nothing would help. It truly is stuck to me.
The castle is huge! Well, it looked bigger than the dark castle – but maybe it is the light that makes it much more open and bigger. All the while I stare at the beautiful ceiling. It had painting of some war the ancestors had played a part in - Framed with golden details. "Birdy, watch your step and act more like you do this more often. You look like a small child… in a bakery." Heat rises to my cheeks of embarrassment and I try to focus on the end of the hall. After a while I started to ask myself how he is able to show himself if we are 'undercover'. I however am not in the mood to be made a fool of again so I just shrug it off. It's not my plan after all. Right? I'm just helping him out.
"Remember what I told you…" Rumpel says while I roll my eyes. "I know." I shush him directly.
We part ways and that's when I start my round, letting my eyes survey the room. It is really large and elegant. I wonder if this is the standard for the royals or the ultimate luxury. The dark castle, although large, isn't fancy at all. Sure – behind those wall – all kinds of expansive goods were treasured. But it doesn't feel fancy. It just has its use and that's it.
There are at least two hundred human beings in here – and that's not even everyone. There are fairies – smiling at everyone but keeping a distance in a corner. I see a some wizards looking over the crowd since he is taller than all of the other species. I feel like a minor pawn in this large building and realize how big this world really is. I never thought of anything of this scale. It makes me feel uneasy – like there is this knot in my stomach and it is trying go all the way up to my throat.
Okay keep focus! I repeat over and over in my mind. Dresses swing from left to right – the girls making elegant movements while the boys just dance around them in a stiff kind of way. Glancing around – I start to realize that most of them are not older then I am. What is this for a dance?
After a hour or two I had seen every boy and had danced with them. Never once did the bracelet light up. It did disappoint me. The thought of helping the imp and doing something good would give me this warm feeling inside. The one that makes my head spin and my heart beat wild like a drum.
At last a man comes walking up and takes me by the hand. "Are you enjoying yourself?" The man asked and I immediately recognize my imp. I smile brightly at him, letting him know that I can see him through his glamor spell. "I think it's all rather… extravagant. On what occasion is this dance for, sir?" In the mean while we twirl around on a symphony of Beethoven – who really is a wizard who just knew how to play a non-magical instrument.
"It is an engagement party." I chuckle, thinking it strange to throw a party just because you are going to marry. Those high up classes are so strange!
"Have you found anything, yet?" He asks, changing the subject out of the blue. My gown swirls from right to left, making me look like a doll that is twirling around. As a little girl – I used to do this all the time with my dress. Acting like a little princes – just like most of the girls around the age of ten.
I shake my head, looking around. "I haven't found your prince – not yet - and I pretty much spoke to everyone and hung around everywhere."
A smug smile spread around his face. I can see his eyes start to go dark like from this amber color to those chocolaty brownish color. I am really starting to enjoy this side of him. It makes me curious what deal had been made this time to make him this self-satisfied.
He spins me around, not following the rhythm of everyone else. I look around and everyone has stopped dancing, staring at the two figures twirling around and around. "Sir, they are staring." I say alarmingly while my eyebrows knit together. "then let's give them something worth staring at." The grin grows even wider and with that the dance becomes more complicated. The heat rises and not only in the dance – I can feel my cheeks burn like fire.
"Everyone is watching!" I whisper furiously, the dancing shoes making me swirl and swing around the place. "Good. Let them." He dips me way too close to the floor to my liking and picks me up again. "Just breath and have a good time." Rumple whispers in my ear. It makes tiny sparks bounce around in my head and stomach. Like little nymphs seeking their way out from within my body.
The dance intense – but modest. I can't take off my eyes of his. Although they are not the brown-amber color of Rumpelstiltskin – they are still holding the same spark and shine. I feel like one of these damn maids who are swooped by their employers. It's ridiculous!
The dance ends too soon and when I tap my heel twice to stop the dance as well. Gently – he gets my left hand and kisses the back of it, bowing slightly. "It was an honor to dance with you, Milady." He once more steps closer and then whispers in my ear: "See you near the exit. We are leaving."
Back at the castle I can't help but smile at the memory of the dance. Twirling around and dusting the armor in the halls – making them shine like a mirror – I hum the symphony for Elise from Beethoven. I haven't seen the Dark One since then. I still make dinner every night – for him not to show up. Oh well, the dance was nice – although I am a little disappointed for not being able to help him. I do – however – think of the way this deal must have been made.
Maybe the man is in the dungeon, wrists chained above his head – unconscious by the many beatings and torturous plans of my master.
She wasn't far off. Deep down in the dungeon a man hang with his wrists high above his head – a serious looking Rumpelstiltskin in front of him. His arm are crossed and his foot taps impatiently on the stone floor.
"We had a deal." He grumbles slowly – no more deathly. "I would get you your bride. In return I want that wand!" His voice rose by the word and Rumple was glad the dungeons had these thick walls – or else Sarah would have heard him roar for sure.
Blood runs down the man's face and he misses a few teeth. Those royals – always the drama. He thinks and splashed some water to the now deformed face. "Tell me, where can I find your master's wand!"
You can see when a soul is cracked. It can no longer hold up the bravery – foolish emotion created by the mind. The signs: Tears – pleading and hope. Hope for it to end. And Rumple knew he was almost there. Just a little budge.
"My, my dear prince. Had I expected for you to hold your tongue this long. No – I really didn't." The imp sing-songed. The prince looked up, his vision blurred by the swelling of his eyelids and the blood that sips out of a cut above his eyebrow. "However, sweet and loyal prince. If you don't want to tell me… you know. It's fine by me." Rumple puts his hand on his chest – acting as if he is totally fine by it. "Now, if you are not going to tell me anything. Well, I might as well go to your lovely fiancé." The grin on the imp's face grew wider and wider as he spots the despair in his face.
"Nooh, no." The prince says out of breath. "Don't – don't bother Fionah." He manages to breath out though his cracked lips – blood pouring out from the corners of his mouth. "Then tell me – " It was a mere whisper out of the Dark Ones mouth. It sounds silent but very demonic. "He is hiding it. There is this hat. A hat that can talk. It tells you the good from wrong, sorts through your memory and only the purest of the pure can get the wand out of the hat."
Well at least it is something. With a finger pressed against his chin and a thoughtful expression on his face – the Dark One asked: "And where, prey tell me, do I find this hat?" It wasn't a question – no, it was more of a command. "I don't know." One could smell the lie rising in the air. Again the prince got a big blow against the back of head. "Don't. Lie. To. Me!"
"Okay! OKAY! It.. it…" The fearful human being stutters and then continued: "The sorcerer's apprentice got it."
And as soon as the words were out a knack of the neck made it all clear the life had snuck out of the man's body. His spirit hopefully in a better place. Rumple looked around. Again the walls were splashed with blood and the smell of iron hung in the air. If the prince just hadn't been this stubborn he would let him go – of course he would miss his tongue. He would only crawl over to the sorcerer's apprentice and tell him everything that had happened. Now he had to ditch this body – without Sarah knowing. Good he was the Dark One – lying and deception was the core of his being. Without further ado he waved his hand and transfigured him into a vase and his sword into a flower. A nice gift for Sarah he thought and makes it to the great hall in search for his maid.
Outside the sun is almost down – just a few rays of the golden sunlight shines through the trees of the forest. The laundry waves with the wind, getting my every attention. It looks pretty – I can look at it for hours. "Are you going to stand outside forever, dearie." The voice of the The Dark One whispers – sounding just like the whooshing wind. I look around and see no one and with another turn the sun is down, the sky becoming darker by the minute.
"I'm coming inside. Just…" – "Just what, dearie." The little man stands beside me looking smug at winning his little game. "Don't you have better things to do than to play games with me." Before I know it – it is out of my mouth. A tingle of fear creeps up inside of me. I can't even look at him, afraid of what those eyes would show. But then, a light laughter fill my ears. "Fierce - are we today! I have a gift for you." He made a dramatically hurt expression – pouting like a little child. "But I guess I have something better to do than to play games with my maid." I look at him. How is it can make me so… so unsecure and yet make me smile. The bastard. He is just playing with me.
"Let this maid do her job and then I will be inside. Will you attend dinner tonight, sir?" I ask while roughly getting the white sheets of the line. "No, I have business to attend. Something with a princess." I roll my eyes. "I have to go now. Your present is in your room."
And with that – you can probably guess already – he poofed himself away with that purple smoke of his. Drama Queen I think while getting the last piece of laundry of the line. Still I don't know what I would do without that Drama Queen.
