Chapter Three.
Belle had dreamt of the day that his curse would break, but they'd always been pleasant dreams that freed Rumplestiltskin of chains that weighed him down and the release would allow him to be the man that she was sure that he'd always wanted to be. They could have had their happily ever after with or without the curse, she'd finally decided, but without opened so many doors for him. Apparently it shattered some windows too.
He hadn't spoken much as they traveled, instead pulling into himself and shutting the world out. That, of course, suited many of their traveling companions very well, but it set an uncomfortable feeling deep in Belle's chest as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't quite place it, because he didn't look particularly ill, but the lines in his face were just a little deeper, the strain just a bit more pronounced. No one else would have noticed it, and she didn't think his son did as he seemed very caught up in a sword fight - with long sticks playing the role of the swords - with Henry as they walked. Emma, thankfully, had managed to obtain some more suitable clothing than the curse's reversal had delivered her in, and while Aurora had not had trousers in her size, at least her current dress, much like Belle's own, wasn't made of so many layers that she couldn't move.
The blue eyed beauty pulled in a deep breath and looped her arm through her love's, catching his attention. His dark eyes flickered over briefly to her before returning to the sometimes road, sometimes path in front of them. It would have been less than a day's journey to Regina's castle, but with the load they carried, his was a bit further to his own. The fact that it was set in the mountains didn't help matters.
"Talk to me," Belle murmured as she tightened her hold on his arm and laid her head against his shoulder as they walked.
She couldn't see it, but she could almost feel him quirk an eyebrow at her. "About what, exactly?"
"Anything. You're brooding."
"I am not-"
"Yes you are. I know you're not happy with this, but we can make it work. Your castle is the safest place for everyone right now. The barriers are already in place, right? You'll just need to reactivate them?"
"Some should have remained through the curse," Rumplestiltskin agreed, "and the others will re-activate as soon as I step foot on the property."
"It'll be nice to be home."
Rumple sighed and she felt the tension ease a little. "It will." He slowed his pace then and she felt his eyes on her. "Go on."
"Go on what?" she asked innocently.
"I know you, Belle. You have questions. Ask them, and I will do my best to be honest with you about it if I know the answer."
A rush of warmth pushed through her and she resisted the urge to simply stop on the side of the road. No one was paying attention to them - he wouldn't have opened it up in this way if they were - and he'd given her a free pass. The problem was that she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to know. It had all happened so fast and now she was looking at the very human face of the man she loved, returning to the castle that she considered home, and for the first time it occurred to her that she'd never known him entirely without his curse. Was he a different man out from under it or had he always retained enough of himself through it that at his core he had always been Rumplestiltskin? The silly, childish part of her had always thought that the good in him, the things that she loved most about him, were all pre-curse Rumple, but that the moments that he lashed out and the darkness that stormed within him was entirely the curse. People were never so clearly cut and as she looked at him now, she didn't know what to think. He didn't seem different, not really. A bit tired, a bit worn, but most certainly her Rumple.
"I don't know," she breathed at last. "I suppose… I just don't know what to expect."
He pulled a long breath in through his nose, eyes focused on the path in front of them. They were coming up on the village that sat at the bottom of the mountain and David had announced not long before that the plan was to find as many rooms as they could for the night and the rest could make camp if that's what it came to. After a moment, Rumplestiltskin let the breath back out and the words came with it. "Nor do I. I never honestly thought about breaking my curse. Bae wanted it so very badly when he was a boy, but it frightened me more than I would have ever admitted to. I needed power to protect him. Then I lost him and I needed the power to find him. I can still… feel the magic moving around us and I should be able to start experimenting with my own limits shortly, but until then I have no way of knowing what my boundaries are. The curse provided a bottomless well of power, and from this point forward, I'll be pulling it from myself just as any other mortal sorcerer does."
Belle stifled a laugh. Of course his mind would automatically go to the limits of his own magical capabilities, not his personality or anything that she would have thought of as his core. Perhaps breaking the curse really hadn't changed him much at all. He had called magic his crutch once, but she wondered if there had been times in his life when it had been more than that. Those quiet moments between searching for his lost son and when silly mortals would pop in and out of his life. Had magic been all he had to keep him company? "That's not quite what I meant," she murmured, the smile making it into his voice.
He chuckled and his free hand came up to cover hers that was looped through his arm. "Are you asking if I will be an entirely different person now? Some hero like that lot?" he asked, obviously amused by the notion. "I should hope that's not what you're looking for, m'dear, or I fear I shall disappoint you more than usual."
She swatted at him. "You don't dissapoint me. Please don't say things like that. I love all of you, just like I said earlier."
"I've never understood it, either," he answered softly and pulled her hand up to his lips to press a kiss to the back of it. "There's always been a darkness moving within me, Belle, demanding the price be paid for the power it gave me. The curse is gone now, but I won't ever be the man I was before it."
"Everyone grows with their experiences, Rumple. That's life."
"Perhaps it is," her love said with a smile. He tensed then, his smile immediately fading and she followed his gaze. The town was just coming into view ahead of them and they could see that the smoke rising from it wasn't from any kitchen fire.
"My word," Belle breathed as she cupped her hands over her mouth in horror. The village was smoldering, the fires that had laid waste to it mostly out by this point, but as they drew nearer the smell grew less and less pleasant.
"It's like what Cora did," Emma said as the moved closer, her eyes wide.
"Except there's no coming back with this lot," Hook answered.
"Henry, why don't you wait until we know what's going on," Regina directed, eyeing the smoke suspiciously.
Belle turned, finding a similar expression touching her love's face. "Unnatural fires," he explained as he took a step closer. "Setting him apart from everyone won't keep him safe, dear. Not if whatever caused them is still lingering."
"Stay close, buddy," Bae told his son and Henry nodded. He was surrounded by his two mothers and his father, and as they moved, Belle noticed that Rumple was shifting closer as well.
"What could have done this?" David called, his sword ready for anything that came near.
"Magic," Regina confirmed and glanced over to Rumple.
He nodded. "Zelena's magic, I'd wager. She's sending a message."
"What sort of message?" his grandson asked.
"Nothing pleasant." They'd crossed into the small village that they had to pass through to take the trail up to the Dark Castle and there was no denying that the forms they'd seen were charred and unmoving former residents. It was like someone had taken a torch to them, burning them alive where they stood.
A screeching sound ripped through the air and their traveling party looked up as what looked like monkeys came flying towards them, eyes gleaming and teeth bared.
"Peter Pan?" Zelena echoed, staring at the boy. She'd heard of the demon child of Neverland in the vaguest of ways, but she knew little of him beyond the stories. He certainly didn't look like much in his rags and his wild blue eyes. He thought he was something, though, certainly, and that smirk hadn't faded. It made the witch's red-painted lips twitch downward in a pouty frown. "Am I supposed to be impressed?"
"You should be," the boy answered with a shrug. He turned on his heel, gaze sweeping over the room. "We're in the Enchanted Forest. Regina reversed the curse."
"And brought all of those pathetic fools with her."
"Bit sour over that, are we, lass?" Pan asked as he strode over to the balcony and leaned against the railing. "I may be able to help you in that, if you're willing to help me, of course."
"I'm sorry, did you just miss the part where I released you?"
"Oh? Did you want thanks? You're not going to get anything in life if you stop to wait for a thank you for every little thing."
She paused. Who the hell was this child? There was some sort of power in him, as if he were soaking it up from the very land itself. She watched him as he moved, tilting his head in one direction until his neck popped loudly before following with the same motion on the opposite side. He stretched his long limbs out before turning his gaze back to her. "It was a bit cramped in there, I have to admit. I'll have it back now, if you don't mind."
Zelena stared at his extended hand and snorted. "I think not. Everything comes at a price, and mine for releasing you is this box. Unless you'd like to spend more time in it until I find my uses for it."
The perpetual smirk finally faltered and a small frown took it's place. "You've been chatting with Rumple about prices."
"You know Rumplestiltskin?"
"Know him well, lass," Pan said, the smirk returning instantly. "Better than you, I'd wager."
This perked her interest. Her plan had been so well laid out, but something had changed it. The planning stage had been long and tedious, but that had been no matter with the Enchanted Forest frozen for nearly thirty years. It had given her time to work everything out and seek out exactly what she wanted and needed for her spell. She'd found the four ingredients needed to cast it, and then had done what Rumplestiltskin had taught her to do when missteps were not an option: she'd set the board. Very few people that didn't have the natural gift of Sight had the ability to pull on their magic for glimpses of the future, but she had always been special. She'd found a spell that allowed her to See their return and Snow White and her lovely little prince would have a baby. It was that baby that was the key. There had been pieces she didn't understand - Rumple always did say that the future was like a puzzle - but they were insignificant in the end. She would control his dagger and therefore she would control the Dark One. She'd planned to ask him what those pieces meant once she found some poor, desperate soul to resurrect him from the Vault of the Dark One.
But then he'd come through with the rest. He was whole, alive, and so very human. She'd felt the pulse of light magic - True Love magic - that had swept through the land and she wondered if that was it. If so, she needed to find the woman that had ruined her well laid plans and find an appropriate punishment for her. Nothing would stop her from casting her spell, not even someone that could have won the heart of the Dark One.
Now Zelena needed a new approach. Snow White would still have her child, she was sure, but controlling Rumple would be difficult without his connection to his dagger, and if his curse was truly broken, then the connection had been severed. She needed his mind, after all, that brilliant, calculating brain of his that never stopped working. His brain, her sister's resilient heart, and she was leaning towards Snow's prince's courage. If this boy was telling the truth - and that seemed less and less likely as she looked at the haughty expression he seemed to wear at all times - then he might have a new bit of knowledge that could get her closer to controlling the Dark One…. or not Dark One, whatever he was now. Even so, as she looked him up and down, her better judgement whispered warnings in her mind. "I don't trust you."
Pan grinned widely. "First smart thing you've said yet."
"He never mentioned you."
"Wouldn't expect that he would, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I can help you get to him."
"How?"
"In ways that no one else can."
Her next question was cut off by a screech and a monkey flew in to land on the balcony railing. They'd made it as far as the village at the bottom of the Forbidden Mountain. So they were going to Rumple's castle. Interesting.
Zelena let a slow, guarded smile cross her lips. "And what do you get for this alliance, Peter Pan?"
"Oh, just a bit of fun," the child demon answered, his face lit with a grin. "But what you should really be asking yourself is what do you get out of it."
"You have got to be kidding me," Regina grunted as she dodged claws reaching out for her, barely avoiding them. She threw an attack at the monkey, clipping one of its feathery wings and sending it spiralling into a tree. It howled, the sound making her ears hurt and she turned to the others.
Many of their traveling party were not suited for battle and had scattered. Some, though, were used to taking what was thrown at them. Charming had a sword in hand and was swiping at another monkey and Snow, while she didn't have her usual bow and arrow, was at least armed with a small knife. Emma was handling the dress better than she had been, sticking close to Henry, as was Neal who looked just as unhappy as Regina felt at the prospect of a child's worst nightmare come to life.
Rumplestiltskin, for what it was worth, was lobbing a fireball in another monkey's direction. "Got your feet back under you, Rumple?" she called and saw the smirk tug his lips.
"Working on it."
The reply didn't instill nearly as much confidence as she'd hoped, but it could have been the fact that for every monkey that they were bringing down, more seemed to be crawling out of the woodwork. Literally. They were pulling themselves from the burnt remains of houses and bakeries and what might have been a tavern at one point. A quick rush of magic sent to search pulled both the monkeys' attention and an answer that she really didn't want. "These are the people that lived here," she managed, the shock of the realization colouring her voice.
"What were?" Emma called back, swatting at one with a board that was smoldering on the opposite end.
"The monkeys."
Even Rumple turned to her at that, but if she'd known the announcement would have distracted them all to the degree that it did, she would have kept it to herself. She didn't know when Henry had moved just a few feet away from her, but they'd kept him mostly between those willing to give their lives for his protection. It didn't help that the creatures flew and one dipped down and caught him by the arm, lifting him into the air. A cry left her lips, but she couldn't reach from him, and pulling him from their grasp through her magic seemed impossible.
The monkey squealed as it climbed higher and higher, Henry struggling against it all the way. Regina could see her son pulling at the claws digging into his shoulders and Emma's worthless cry rang in her ears. The blonde could do nothing without having tapped into her magic and Regina's magic could do nothing without risking her son's life. She looked desperately to Rumple whose attention was on a monkey that had come too close to Belle. He seemed half aware that his grandson had been taken, but was desperately pulled, and that within itself at the moment could be dangerous. She'd never seen him look quite as worn, quite as torn in his power as he did in that moment, as if trying to push his magic in both direction would have utterly done him in and left him with nothing.
Regina's cry was cut short as the monkey suddenly dropped her son and Henry all but landed in her arms, Emma and Neal rushing over immediately, almost causing a pile in their haste. Amazing what the love of a child could bring in.
The monkey came crashing down, hitting the ground and skidding until it flopped out, an arrow buried deeply in its heart. Henry was left in the pile of parents, breathing hard and eyes wide. "Woh," he managed and Regina and Emma were on him almost at once, arms wrapped around and not caring if the other might be intruding on the moment. Their son was safe.
"You okay, kid?" Emma asked.
"I think so," Henry managed.
Neal reached out to his son, hand going to the side of his face briefly before looking up into the trees. "Where did the arrow come from? None of our people had bows."
Regina's eyes followed his. The monkeys were clearing now, screeching and crying as they left, perhaps even called back by what must have been their green-skinned master. When they cleared, several men could be seen crouching in the trees, their bows pulled taught and ready for any further advancements against the humans below. One man in particular - their leader, by the looks of him - dropped down off a lower hanging branch. "Is the lad alright?" he asked, worry evident.
"Yeah, I'm great. You shot him out of the sky!"
The blond man, dressed in ragged clothes that had certainly seen better days, smiled and turned his eyes directly on Regina as she put an arm around her adopted son. "M'lady," he greeted.
The former Evil Queen did not return the smile, instead she clutched Henry closer to her. "It's Your Majesty," she corrected.
The archer simply stared, unsure of what to say before Snow stepped forward, all grace and diplomacy. "Thank you, for saving my grandson's life. We're in your debt…."
"Robin," the archer introduced himself, giving a bow, "of Locksley."
"Woh!" Henry managed from Regina's arms. "Robin Hood?"
The blond chuckled. "Some have called me that, yes. And who might you be, lad?"
"I'm Henry Mills."
"You're son?" Robin Hood asked Regina.
"Yes," Regina answered taughtly.
"Quite a brave boy."
Henry's eyes went wide. "Robin Hood thinks I'm brave!"
Snow smiled at that, but pushed forward. "Thank you, Robin of Locksley, to you and your men. We owe you our lives. I am Snow White and this-"
"We know who you are, M'lady-"
"And who she is," one of the rogue's men said, gesturing towards Regina.
"-but we were under the impression that you and the others were taken to a far-off land."
"We just made it back," Snow answered. "We were on our way to the Dark Castle to regroup when these… monkeys attacked us."
"The Dark Castle?" Robin Hood asked. "If all of you have come back, it's likely the Dark One has come back as well. He may not react well to his home being intruded upon."
"Oh, he's not fond of the idea, but it's well known at least," Rumplestiltskin said from the back of the crowd, Robin turning to look at him.
"I'm… sorry?" the blond asked, looking very much like he thought he recognized the dark eyed man.
The two exchanged a look before Neal stepped forward. "We're good, Robin. He knows."
"Baelfire."
"Hey."
"I don't… understand," the thief said slowly.
"Bit of a long story," the former Dark One acknowledged.
"Very well then." Robin of Locksley turned his attention to Snow and to Regina. "M'lady, Your Majesty, I'd like to offer an escort to the castle. The world is much changed since you've been away, and my men and I are happy to accompany you."
"We'd very much appreciate that," Snow White answered with one of her beaming smiles as Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes,
"Just great," he growled. "More people in my home. Uninvited."
"Papa," Bae murmured about the same time that Belle shot him a look that made him relent.
Henry, though, was still ecstatic, even if he was also still clutched in Regina's protective arms. "Mom, it's Robin Hood!"
The former Evil Queen sighed. "Yes, Henry. Yes it is."
TBC
Notes: In the next chapter - They finally make it to the Dark Castle, Snow and Belle discuss politics, and Rumplestiltskin asks Belle a question she's been waiting to hear for some time.