Sorry, I'm so behind on my schedule. I started my classes this week, and college work is time consuming and a bitch. I won't have as much time to write in this story, especially since I'm still working in my other one. I'll update in this story every two weeks. I'll try to update sooner, but it might be a little difficult. But I will finish this story, so no fear.
Also, this chapter gets a little dark. Maybe not as dark as some people are used to reading, but compared with the rest of the story, it's a little bit darker than average.
Hope everyone likes the new chapter!
Regina began her search for her mother's spell book.
She really had no idea where to start, but she knew she couldn't let her mother catch on to her plan. She had to be stealthy. Too bad for Regina, stealth wasn't one of her strong suits. Keeping secrets and being a bitch to her sister were, but not stealth. She wasn't very good at sneaking into or out of places, cue the reason why she was still stuck in The Dark One's castle.
Regina waited for her mother to leave the castle. Cora and Rumpelstiltskin had gone off to conduct a deal with someone who needed help slaying a dragon. Regina knew it was the perfect time to go on a seek and find expedition. Milah had told her that she would try to help, but that she had no idea either as to where Cora's book would be.
Regina searched through her mother's entire suite, bedroom and bathroom combined. She looked under beds, and pillows; inside drawers and cabinets. Regina knew her mother was too smart to just leave her spell book lying around the castle, but Regina searched high and low, and still had nothing to show for precious time spent.
She figured it was a last option, but she decided to look though Rumpelstiltskin's library. Maybe her mother would have tried to conceal the book amidst other books. Regina needed help, though. Milah offered her services, but Regina knew that the library was too extensive for just two people.
However, Regina knew of just one person that seemed to spend most of her time in the library, when not cleaning the castle.
"Belle?" Regina approached the brunette, while she was dusting down a cabinet. The other girl glanced Regina's way, lifting an eyebrow.
"Yes?" Belle asked, tucking her duster behind her back within her clasped hands.
Regina wrung her hands, nervous to get Belle involved. If her mother found out what Regina was doing, Belle would probably receive the brunt force of Cora's anger.
But Regina really needed help...and there was no way she was going to ask Zelena.
"I was wondering," Regina finally said, "if you could help me find a book in Rumpelstiltskin's library."
Belle's eyes lit up at the thought of spending her day wading through books. "Of course," she said at once. "Which book are you looking for? I might know where it is."
Regina laughed, hesitantly. It sounded more like she was gasping for air. "I don't think you'll know where it is, but I could definitely use an extra pair of hands to find it. I'm trying to find my mother's spell book."
Belle frowned, confused. "All right. I'll help."
Regina, Milah, and Belle spent the rest of the day scrounging through book after book. Sadly, Rumpelstiltskin didn't exactly have his books in order. Belle had begun alphabetizing them, but she hadn't gotten very far before The Dark One told her that she could read the books, but she couldn't 'mess' with them. He liked his system the way it was.
Which meant chaotic and disorganized.
Regina hefted a book into her arms, grunting at the weight of it. "If anyone should need a book on frog's breath, and other smelly creatures, let me know," Regina muttered, placing the book back on the shelf, her nose wrinkling with disgust. "Because it seems to me that's all Rumpelstiltskin decided to place in his library." She turned towards Belle, who was flipping through a book on fairies. "How do you find anything interesting to read in this place?"
Belle glanced up, pausing mid-flip. "There are a lot of books in here that are interesting." She turned her eyes back to the book in her hands. "Albeit unconventional," she murmured.
Regina chuckled, her eyes roaming over the stacks of tomes. Her method for finding the book seemed to be to pull one down randomly and start flipping through it until something about spells popped out at her. Regina figured that it was pointless, but she had to try something.
At that moment, Regina squinted, stepping over a stack of books on the floor, to see a huge tome that read The Mysteries of Magic on the spine. She grabbed it, knowing that it would be too good to be true. She seriously doubted her mother would place her spell book in another book about magic...but maybe that's why. It was too obvious.
Regina quickly opened the book, and slowly turned each page. She almost bypassed one page, when Regina felt a difference. The page was thicker than the others. Regina stared at it curiously, turning the page back and forth, until she finally moved her fingertip between the page. There was a fold in it. She carefully peeled the piece of paper apart to reveal two separate pages.
And in between those pages, was a fold of papers that had writing on them. Writing that resembled a list of spells.
Regina grabbed the pages, and looked through them. Her heart started to race, when she saw the handwriting. She easily recognized it as her mother's.
So her mother's spell book wasn't exactly a book, but pieces of paper meshed together. Regina held the pages against her chest, quickly rounding a case to see Milah, who was sorting through a stack of books.
"Milah," Regina said, breathlessly. The older woman turned around, lifting her eyebrows. Regina thrust out the pages in Milah's direction. "I found it. Pages of my mother's spells." She couldn't keep the smile off her face nor hide the glee in her voice.
Milah sighed in relief, dropping the huge tome she was holding. It fell, sparking up a load of dust when it hit the ground. Apparently Belle hadn't swept the floors. Milah took the pages, flipping through them.
"My mother might have a spell in here to aid in our escape." Regina nodded at the stack of papers. "And then we'll finally be free of this place." The two woman shared a smile and hugged each other. "I should probably go tell Belle that she can stop looking," Regina said, pulling back.
Regina went to find Belle, rounding a bookcase to slam into the smaller girl.
"Ooof," Regina said, stepping back, rubbing her hip where it slammed into the book in Belle's hand.
"Sorry," Belle muttered.
Regina frowned at Belle, taking in the other girl's appearance. Belle was flushed, and ducking her head so she couldn't meet Regina's eyes. She held the book in her hands tightly to her chest. Regina wondered what Belle had been doing, but the brunette seemed embarrassed, so Regina wasn't going to ask.
Regina nodded towards Milah. "We found the book, so you can stop looking." Belle nodded, looking like she really wanted to run away from the library. "Thanks for your help," Regina said, giving Belle a smile.
Belle nodded again, really looking like she wanted to bolt right from the library.
Regina tilted her head. "Are you all right, Belle?"
Belle nodded a third time, compressing her lips in a thin line. She kept ducking her head; Regina could hardly see her face.
Regina nodded as well, slowly. "All right." She pointed at the book. "I'll leave you alone with your book." That only made Belle turn a deeper shade of crimson. Regina did not understand what was going on with the other girl, but then she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Belle finally scurried away, still clutching that book.
Regina just shook her head.
What Regina didn't know was that, as she was finding Cora's spell book, Belle was finding a book of her own.
She was still confused by her dream the other night, and wanted more answers. She had no idea why she imagined herself in Rumpel's arms, and so intimately. She briefly wondered if Rumpelstiltskin did something to her dreams, magic related. He had a lot of power and liked to tease her, she wouldn't put it past him to manipulate her.
Belle didn't think he would do something like that however; and he seemed very surprised when she told him about her dream. Belle was half tempted to ask him if he put a spell on all the rooms, to cause strange, outrageous hallucinations. Why Rumpelstiltskin would do that though, Belle had no idea, but she figured that wasn't the case either.
Belle was slowly starting to realize that her own subconscious might just have conjured that dream on its own, and she really wasn't ready to face that.
Belle decided that she wanted to understand more of what happened in her dream. She had taken a peek at a 'romance' novel that had belonged to one of her maids, but hadn't read too much of it. Belle was hopelessly confused and needed clarification for her mental state of being that night.
She browsed through the library until she found a book that mentioned 'lovemaking.' She pulled it from the shelf, blushing when she saw the cover of two bodies intertwined. Belle almost wanted to giggle at the idea of Rumpelstiltskin having a book on sex in his library. She imagined him studiously studying it, wearing spectacles and licking the tip of his finger to flip through pages, and fought back a laugh. Of course, when she imagined him studying a book about intimacy, it reminded her of the skill he possessed in her dream. Belle had no idea if Rumpelstiltskin would actually act that way in real life, but in her dream, he sure seemed to know what he was doing.
Though, he did have a wife and mistress. Belle figured he had some practice in the act of lovemaking. Of course, thinking of Rumpelstiltskin 'making love,' just made her want to bury her head in a bucket of snow to dissolve the heat from her face. As to why she would even be thinking of Rumpelstiltskin in that way, still confused her. The entire situation was alarming... and exciting.
Belle also remembered later that day when it seemed to her that he was about to kiss her. Belle had no clue how she was going to act. Wondering if she was going to let him kiss her, or not, though she didn't think she could handle him kissing her. She wanted to be clearheaded in her feelings for the man before anything happened between them. So she had decided to tease him, and pull away, even though it slightly saddened her that he hadn't pulled her back to him.
But, like always, those thoughts just confused her more.
So here she was, flipping through a book on the topic of sex. She was extremely curious. She felt her face getting warmer and warmer as she continued looking through the tome. Some of the...sexual... acts were written in detail. Very descriptive detail.
And the pictures... well, those seemed pretty accurate as well. Belle had to resist the urge to fan her face, it was so warm.
She then heard voices talking and remembered that she was in the library, not alone. She quickly shut the book, and started to leave, when she ran into Regina. Belle had to suffer through agonizing embarrassment, while Regina spoke with her. Belle just wanted to leave the library and hide the book beneath her bed.
Where she would study it more later that night.
Thankfully, Regina let Belle go, shaking her head in confusion. Belle didn't blame the other girl.
She was extremely confused herself, if she hadn't mentioned that already.
"...And they lived happily ever after." Milah closed the storybook she was reading to her three year old son, Baelfire. He was tucked into his bed, the sheets up to his chin. His dark hair was so much like hers, but his sneaky little grins were more reminiscent of his father.
"More, Mama," Bae begged, reaching out a little hand to touch the book. She lifted his fingers to her mouth and gave them a kiss.
"Not tonight, baby boy. You need your rest." She reached down and kissed his head, smoothing back his hair. She left the room after he had fallen asleep, and went to her husband. He was in the drawing room, composing a letter.
Milah wrapped her arms around his shoulders, leaning down to kiss the side of his neck. Rumpelstiltskin hummed in pleasure, turning in his seat to smile at his wife.
"How's Bae?" Rumpel asked, reaching a hand to push back a strand of her hair.
"Asleep," she whispered.
"With peaceful dreams, no doubt," he murmured. Rumpel stood up and wrapped Milah in his arms, bringing his lips down to touch hers. They had been married for the past three years, raising their child in a quiet little cottage by the sea. Milah had wanted to be alone with her husband and son, away from the prying eyes that judged her for consummating her relationship with Rumpel before marriage. She was starting to show on their wedding day, and some people, mostly her mother, did not take a liking to that. Milah got the hint when she saw her mother's obvious sneers of disapproval.
Some might call it a waste to spend Rumpel's money on a little cottage in a tiny village, and not on a larger mansion. Goodness knows that he had enough money for multiple castles. But all Milah wanted was space, and her two favorite men.
As they kissed, Milah felt a desire build up in her. It was a little more difficult for them to spend time...alone...together when their son was around. He usually woke up in the middle of the night, preventing any late night 'alone' time her and her husband wanted to partake in.
Rumpel reached a hand to her backside, causing her to jump. He pulled back from the kiss, smirking. She laughed, swatting him on the arm.
"Behave," she admonished him.
"I always do," he replied, but his hand remained where it was. She rolled her eyes, and leaned in to kiss him again, when a banging on their door caused them to jump apart.
"Order from the King," a voice called out. Milah gave Rumpel a questioning look. He frowned, pulling on a robe, and opened their door. Soldiers were lining around their cottage, and neighboring houses as well. Men were beating on doors, causing people to come out and investigate the situation.
Milah heard Bae crying, and rushed up to him. He had woken up from the incessant pounding on the door, and was now crying and holding out his arms for his mama. Milah quickly picked him up, and hurriedly went back downstairs. She shushed and bounced her son to be quiet. He finally settled down, and leaned his head on her shoulder.
Milah went outside, where Rumpel still stood, and listened as a soldier, a commanding officer by the look of his armor, called everyone in the village to attention.
"We have been called here to issue a new decree," boomed the voice of the soldier. He sat steadily on a horse, staring down his nose at everyone. "The King is having trouble conceiving with his wife. The Queen has become sick, and is well on her way to death. The King is looking for a new fertile woman to carry on his lineage." The soldier glanced around the tiny village. "We have been roaming the villages, looking for women fit for the King. He has sent soldiers, us," he waved a hand indicating him and his men, "to bring back as many woman as we see fit for him."
Many of the villagers gasped. Milah clutched her son closer in her arms. Rumpel wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"And the women have to be willing, yes?" asked another man from the village. He was holding onto his wife.
The head soldier sneered. "No, the King doesn't care."
Gasps and cries were heard throughout the village. Milah turned frightened eyes on her husband.
"What do we do?" Milah asked, nodding at Bae. "These men will be able to tell I'm fertile. Don't let them take me."
Rumpelstiltskin nodded, eyes determined. "You're not going anywhere." He rolled his shoulders back, and stepped forward. The soldier immediately noticed him.
"Well, would you look at that," the soldier laughed. "A short, little, half man coming to be a hero?"
Rumpelstiltskin smirked. "Yes, actually." He raised his voice for the whole town to hear. "I am the Duke of Hanau, and I will not stand for you to take these women."
The soldier snorted. "The Duke of Hanau? He ran off with his knocked up mistress because he couldn't keep his cock in his pants long enough to wait for the wedding."
Rumpel stiffened, his smirk morphing into a glare. "Did you not just hear what I said?"
The soldier scoffed. "I did. And even if you are the Duke of Hanau, Hanau is a long ways away from here." He nodded at the other soldiers. "Start rounding them up." He also looked towards a lone figure at the back of the group, a man standing quietly, alone, a black robe swathing his thin frame, a hood covering his face. "You know what to do."
The man nodded, reaching out a hand. It prevented many of the men and women from moving. He seemed to have some sort of...power. Magic.
Cries and screams filled the air as soldiers began grabbing women and putting them in cages attached to carts.
"Rumpel!" Milah screamed, as the head soldier got down from his horse, and seized her. Bae started shrieking, clutching her neck even tighter. Rumpel felt the sensation of not being able to move lift off him, and sprinted towards them, but he wasn't as young as he used to be. He couldn't run as fast as he wanted.
"Let me go!" Milah yelled at the man, struggling as he grabbed her around the waist. "I have a son!"
The man chuckled. "I can see that. At least that means you can bear children." He stared lewdly at her heaving bosom and terrified face. "And you're not too bad to look at. The King will have fun with you."
"Please no!" Milah begged, trying to hold onto her son. Rumpel was almost upon them, when the soldier grabbed Bae from her arms, and threw the little boy to the ground. He dragged Milah by the waist to one of the cages, tossing her in, and wrapping heavy chains around the bars over the door.
The soldier rapped on the metal, signaling it to depart."Let's get out of here, men. Time to get paid by our King."
Rumpelstiltskin wanted to run after his wife, but he saw his son on the ground, crying out in pain. He ran to the little boy, and scooped him up in his arms. Rumpelstiltskin had to watch miserably as his wife was carted away.
He slammed a fist on the ground, feeling angry tears spear his eyes. He was a Duke! A man of nobility, and those soldiers acted as if he was lower than dirt. He was going to get his wife back, and make those men pay.
But at that moment, his son cried out for him. It was at that instant, Rumpelstiltskin noticed the blood on his hand.
The hand that was cupping the backside of Bae's head.
Rumpelstiltskin cried out, holding his son tighter. He remembered seeing that fucking blasted soldier throw his son to the ground.
"Bae?" he asked, shakily. The little boy's eyes started to close, his breath wavering. "Bae!" Rumpelstiltskin wasn't about to let his son die. "Help! I need help. I need a physician. My son!"
But everyone else in the village was either on the ground crying, chasing after the carts, or dead themselves.
Rumpelstiltskin whipped his head back to look at Bae, as he felt his son's tiny fingers brush the front of his shirt. "S-son," he whispered, barley audible through the tears. "Bae. No." He shook his head, not believing that his son was dying right before him, in his arms.
The little boy called out, "Papa? Mama?" and he stopped breathing.
Rumpelstiltskin let his tears fall, clutching his son closer to his body. Big, wracking sobs filled him, and his whole body shook.
After a few hours of sitting on the ground, outside his little cottage, holding the body of his son, Rumpelstiltskin finally stood up. He was going to get Milah back, and mourn his son.
But most importantly, he was going to make that fucking soldier pay for what he had done.
Belle, after her late night of reading, woke to the sight of fresh snow outside. She smiled, excited. She always loved when it snowed. Her mother would take her to build snowmen, and have snowball fights. Other than reading with her, it was Belle's favorite time she spent with her mother.
She quickly dressed, and put on a warm jacket and boots, practically running outside, ignoring the look Zelena gave her as she passed. Belle knew she had some cleaning to do, but she didn't think Rumpelstiltskin would fault her for taking a moment to bask in the snow.
Once she was outside, Belle started laughing, kicking at snow, enjoying the fluffiness and clean freshness of it. The best kind of snow to make a snowman. As she started rounding up snow into a huge ball, Belle had the funny idea to make the snowman resemble Rumpelstiltskin. He probably wouldn't appreciate a big, round snowman looking like him, which gave Belle more incentive to make it.
Once she finished placing the round mounds of snow on top of the other one, she went back inside to retrieve some objects. She bumped into Rumpelstiltskin as he was heading to his spinning wheel. He stared inquisitively at her.
"Where were you this morning, dearie?"
Belle blushed. "Uh, outside...building a snowman."
He frowned. "Now, why on earth would you be doing that?"
She shrugged. "Because it snowed last night...and I just really wanted to play in it."
"You wanted to play in snow?" He sounded doubtful.
Belle blinked. "Well, yes. I love snow."
"Then why are you in here, if you want to be outside so much, playing in snow?" He crossed his arms.
She rubbed her neck, sheepishly. "I came inside to get some things to decorate the snowman. I wanted him to look like..." She paused.
He quirked an eyebrow. "Look like what, dearie?"
She ducked her head. "You."
He paused himself, thinking. Then he laughed. "Me?"
Belle smiled a little. "Well, yes. I thought it would be funny."
"Oh, it is, little maid." The Dark One nodded. "But I was laughing at you. Why would you want to make a snowman look like me? How are you going to even achieve that?"
Belle shrugged again. "I was going to find something red for him to wear, to resemble one of your vests. I was also going to search for...well I don't really know," Belle admitted. "I was just going to look around the castle until I found things that made me think of you."
He just stared at her as if she was insane, then he rolled his eyes, waving a hand. "Go along, dearie. Find what you will." He started to turn to his spinning wheel, when Belle called out to him.
She fumbled with her hands. "Would you like to help me?"
He blinked. "Help you with what?"
She lifted her arms and threw them back to her sides. "With my snowman, of course."
He snorted. "Now, why would I do that?"
"Because it's fun," Belle said, simply.
He shook his head. "I don't do fun, dearie." He started to turn away.
"Please?" Belle asked, softly. When he looked back at her, he saw that she was giving him pleading, large, pathetic eyes. Rumpelstiltskin thought she was too irresistible for her own good.
He sighed, rolling his eyes. "What do you need?" Belle squealed, happy that he was going to help. She was also happy for the fact that she'd convinced him to help her. She felt extremely smug about that. She felt even more smug after he slumped in defeat.
But Rumpelstiltskin wasn't really complaining. He enjoyed spending time with Belle, and if building a snowman made her happy, he would help.
That drew him up short.
He wasn't one for doing things out of the 'kindness' of his heart, but he loved seeing Belle happy. He felt extremely satisfied about that. He felt even more satisfied after she reached up and hugged him. Before he could wrap his arms around her, however, she was already cruising away, looking for materials that would help make the snowman look like him.
He wasn't sure if he liked that or not.
He decided that he really didn't like it, after Belle had finished.
The snowman was covered in a red cloth, strapped around his round middle section to look like a vest. Belle had covered the bottom half of him, in a black fabric, to resemble his 'leather pants' as she had said. She also placed brown colored noodles on his head to resemble hair. Belle was so determined to make the snowman look like Rumpelstiltskin, that she had actually cooked up noodles.
The Dark One shook his head in exasperation, and amusement. "Dearie, that looks nothing like me."
Belle was finishing sticking a wooden arm into the side of the snowman. "What do you mean? Of course it does!" She stepped back surveying her work.
Rumpelstiltskin waved a hand at the snowman. "It's too...round."
"Well, it's a snowman." Belle placed her hands on her hips. "He's supposed to be round."
"Yes, but I'm not."
Belle acquiesced by nodding her head slowly. "True, but look at his hair. It's just like yours."
Rumpelstiltskin fingered his own hair, looking at a strand. "You used noodles, little maid. I'm not sure if I'm to be insulted or completely horrified that you think my hair looks like that."
Belle laughed. "Fine, so he doesn't really look like you."
He snorted. "Well, what did you expect, dearie? It's a snowman."
She quickly covered the snowman's ears, which were just two black rocks. "He can hear you, you know. You just hurt his feelings."
Rumpelstiltskin scoffed. "If I'm hurting the feelings of a snowman, little one, than we have more serious problems than the undercooked noodles you made."
Belle smiled, eyes alight with happiness. "My noodles are fine, thank you very much." He smirked, causing her to blush. "Don't be inappropriate, Rumpel," she scolded.
He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm doing no such thing. You insinuated too much." Belle blushed even harder, causing Rumpelstiltskin to recall the dream she had...and what happened after with Cora. His mistress's words still rang in his ears. How he was sheltering Belle, and not showing her his true colors. Well, he didn't want to show Belle his true self. She would run away screaming.
Though, when he was with Belle, he didn't feel like he was pretending. Sure she put him on edge with her teasing, but it felt...right. He still had his dark tendencies, but the light moments he experienced with his little maid didn't feel out of place. He was beginning to be torn in two, and he wasn't sure which side of him would win out in the end. But when Belle laughed and teased him, he felt a leaning towards...good.
And that worried him. He didn't want to lose his powers over some young girl, but he didn't want to lose the girl either.
He was pulled out of his reverie when a ball of snow hit him in the face. He jumped back, startled. He looked around to figure out what happened, when he saw the object of his growing frustration dart around a tree, laughing and holding onto a ball of snow.
He grinned darkly. If his little maid wanted to play, then she would figure out who she was playing with. He used magic to form his own snowball, and waited to sense where she was. She was still behind the tree. He decided to play dirty, and snapped his fingers, magically appearing in front of Belle.
She didn't see him at first, as she was turned away and staring towards the spot he had been standing previously. Belle finally noticed that he wasn't there any longer, and turned around to see him directly in front of her. She gasped, trying to run away, but not before he tossed the ball into her back. Not enough to hurt her, of course.
She squealed and laughed when some of the snow fell onto her neck. He snapped his fingers again to appear in front of her. She slammed into him, not expecting him to be standing there. Rumpelstiltskin's foot slipped on a patch of ice, and they fell to the ground, Belle on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from getting hurt.
They stared at each other a moment, both breathing heavily. Belle glanced down at their compromising position and blushed. Rumpelstiltskin had a soft expression on his face, as if he was regarding Belle to be the most scared being in the world.
"You don't play fair," Belle whispered, accusingly.
He smirked, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I'm The Dark One, dearie. It's in the rule book."
She giggled. Both of them were very aware that the other one wasn't moving. They just looked at each other, neither one moving closer but neither one moving away, until Belle finally mumbled, "You must be getting cold, lying on the ground." She extracted herself from his arms, standing up.
He couldn't lie: he was disappointed.
He sighed, standing up as well, brushing snow off his back. "We don't need you getting cold, either. We should probably go back inside." He pointed at her. "You still have chores to do."
She sighed herself. "This was a nice break at least," she mumbled as she started trudging back to the castle.
Rumpelstiltskin felt some guilt over making Belle continue her duties, but her cleaning duties were the only thing keeping the lines between them clear. If she was still his castle's caretaker, then she was here because of the deal they made, not because she wanted to be. The minute Belle resided in his castle for reasons other than being his maid, Rumpelstiltskin was sure the lines between them would become muddled.
Or even nonexistent.
And he wasn't sure what to make of that.
After he buried his son the following day, Rumpelstiltskin started making his way to the King's castle. He hadn't bothered packing anything. He just took one horse, and left.
He was wallowing in grief and despair, so much that he didn't even care about his well-being. He just had to get Milah back.
As he rode through the forest, a beggar man jumped out in front of him, calling for help. Rumpelstiltskin reared back, pulling on the reins, his horse whinnying. He looked down at the beggar man, dressed in a black robe, with scraggly hair, asking for his help.
"Soldiers," the beggar panted. "Soldiers took my wife."
Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "Mine as well. I'm traveling to the King's castle to get her back."
"Oh, please. Take me with you." The man threw himself upon Rumpelstiltskin's horse, practically crying.
Rumpelstiltskin hesitated. "It will be quicker if I go alone."
"But you don't know what my wife looks like!" The man exclaimed.
Rumpelstiltskin didn't have the heart to tell the man that he was only going for Milah. He didn't know how to save the other women.
When he didn't respond, the man's eyes became hard, gone were the tears. "You only plan on going for your own wife," he accused.
Rumpelstiltskin looked around helplessly. "I'm only one man. I can't save anyone else. I'm sorry."
"What if there was a way to save them all?" The man's voice took on a determined tone.
"What do you mean?" Rumpelstiltskin just wanted to hurry this conversation along and find Milah.
"When the soldiers came and raided my village, they had a man with them. A powerful man."
Rumpelstiltskin frowned. "Like he used magic?" He remembered seeing a man who had used some powers to prevent the men from fighting back.
The beggar nodded. "Yes. Do you know who he is?"
Rumpelstiltskin shook his head. "No," he said softly, feeling like he should have known.
"He's The Dark One," the man said, ominously.
"The Dark One?" Rumpelstiltskin had never heard of him in his life.
"He's the most powerful sorcerer alive. You saw what magic and power he could use. The King is controlling him to do his bidding."
Rumpelstiltskin shifted in his saddle."How? You can't control another person like that without magic, and I know the King doesn't posses any."
The beggar's eyes glinted. "Not if you're in possession of The Dark One's dagger."
Rumpelstiltskin lifted an eyebrow. "A dagger?"
The beggar pointed at him. "Whoever controls the dagger, controls The Dark One. It's the sorcerer's one weakness. No one as powerful as him could be completely invincible. It would go against nature."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, squinting at the other man.
"If you can get the dagger, then you can control The Dark One. You can force him to help you get your wife back, and mine as well."
"Well, where is it?" Rumpelstiltskin knew the idea sounded good in concept, but he figured it wouldn't be that easy.
"In the King's castle, in his Great Hall, behind a tapestry."
"How do you know all this?" Suspicion crept into Rumpelstiltskin's mind.
The man shrugged."Because I used to work as a kitchen boy in the King's castle. I saw where he pulled out the dagger to command The Dark One, and where he hid it. Easy to see a lot when no one else sees you."
Rumpelstiltskin entertained the notion that this man was lying to him, but he was beyond reasoning. He was acting on impulse.
And the thought of getting Milah back made everything worth it. He would do anything in his power, whether it be stupid or crazy to find her. He didn't know exactly where the King was keeping the woman.
But he did know where a certain dagger was. That, in his moment of despair, sounded good enough.
He rushed off to the castle, the beggar man behind him in the saddle.
Getting into the castle wasn't too difficult, unsurprisingly. Rumpelstiltskin had visited before, and knew secret passageways into the building. He and the beggar man quickly entered through a corridor by the stables. Once they were inside the castle, getting inside the Great Hall would be more difficult.
And searching for the dagger, even more difficult.
But luck was on their side. The King had called a meeting into his throne room to discuss which women he would choose to bear him sons. Rumpelstiltskin just hoped they weren't too late.
He and the beggar entered the Great Hall, seeing no one around. They searched behind tapestries, despairing a little when he didn't feel anything until something cool touched his hand. He reached around the cloth to pull out a dagger. On the surface of the metal was written a name.
Zoso.
Rumpelstiltskin frowned, rushing to the other man. "I found it. What do we do now?"
The beggar looked relieved. "We summon him, by calling his name." He nodded at Rumpelstiltskin to do the honors.
"I..summon thee, Zoso," Rumpelstiltskin chanted, haltingly. When nothing happened, he repeated himself. "Nothing's happening."
The beggar chuckled. "You can't summon The Dark One if he's already standing in front of you."
Rumpelstiltskin's heart stopped cold. He glanced sharply at the other man, who was leaning casually against a wall. Realization crept into him."You're The Dark One. Zoso." Rumpelstiltskin knew all this had been to good to be true.
The man nodded, smiling, showing his off blackened teeth. His appearance started to change from a man to a...well still a man, but more unusual. His skin became more green with a golden tint, his eye's yellow.
Rumpelstiltskin stepped back, worried. Then anger set in. "You tricked me," he seethed. "You wanted to get your dagger back, and had me do the dirty work. You weren't going to help me."
The Dark One raised his hands, and shrugged. "What do you expect from The Dark One?"
Uncontrolled, dark, anger whirled through Rumpelstiltskin. He had never felt so furious in his life. His son's death. His wife's kidnapping. And now he stood face to face with a man that had tricked him. A monster.
He looked down at his hand clenched around the hilt of the dagger, and lifted the blade slowly. Zoso's eyes narrowed until they became slits. Rumpelstiltskin remembered the words Zoso had told him about whoever controls the dagger.
Well, Rumpelstiltskin didn't care about that. He didn't want to control anybody. He just needed to take his anger out on somebody. It just so happened, The Dark One got in the way. Rumpelstiltskin slammed the dagger into the chest of The Dark One, panting as Zoso fell to the floor. He never had any murderous tendencies before, but knowing that Zoso helped his wife get taken made Rumpelstiltskin despise the man.
He pulled the dagger back savagely, feeling a spark of joy at seeing Zoso gasp for air as blood filled his lungs.
But Rumpelstiltskin didn't feel happy for long when Zoso started laughing. He felt a sharp pang of pain enter his chest, worry and something not easily recognizable. He grabbed the front of Zoso's robes, and shook the man, making his head rattle against the floor. "What is so funny?" he demanded.
Zoso continued laughing, as the strange color left his body. He started to resemble the beggar Rumpelstiltskin had met in the woods. "You," Zoso managed to say. "You think killing me will solve all your problems?" His voice was thin, straining to make himself clear as his life began to slowly fade. "My power has to go somewhere. I'm immortal otherwise. No other blade can kill me." He laughed harder at Rumpelstiltskin's confused expression.
"What do you mean?" Rumpelstiltskin whispered.
Zoso stopped laughing. "You're the new Dark One. You'll get used to it." He started chuckling again, as the last breath left his body. He slumped to the ground, eyes staring off at nothing.
Rumpelstiltskin's heart was beating extremely fast. He felt like he could hardly breathe. He let go of Zoso's robes, noticing a shift in his body. He slowly lifted his hands, dread forming in his heart, as the shade of his skin shifted to a more speckled green and gold than the usual sun kissed color.
He quickly dropped the dagger from his palm, bending over in pain. The transformation stunted him, preventing him from moving much. Once the pain ended, he was able to straighten up.
He looked back at the dagger on the ground, bending to pick it up, horror creeping into his chest. His reflection in the blade showed a man he had never seen before. A hideous man, with glowing eyes, and stringy hair. He could only stare in abject horror at the writing on the blade in large, black letters.
Rumpelstiltskin, his name, proudly displayed on the side. He still didn't fully understand the meaning of all this, but one thing was clear.
He had become The Dark One.
After Cora had returned to the castle, Regina was careful to keep the spell book a secret. Regina spent hours late at night ciphering through the pages until she finally found one that spoke of a teleportation spell.
She quickly rushed to Milah and Belle to show them what she'd found. In that moment, Regina knew it was her time to escape.
Belle, though, was adamant about staying.
"Why?" Regina was confused.
"Because I made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin," she said, tossing her arms by her sides. "If I break that deal, then my family and land could be in jeopardy."
Regina knew she couldn't argue on that. Belle promised to keep their secret though, and left to give the women time to prepare.
Regina looked squarely at Milah. She held out her hand for Milah to grab. "Ready?"
Milah nodded. "I've been waiting a long time to get out of here."
Regina repeated the words...and nothing happened. She frowned, repeating the spell. Again, nothing happened. No transporting to a different land. No smoke encircling them. Nothing.
Regina knew she hated her magic lessons, but she hadn't thought she was this bad at conducting spells. She threw the pages on the ground, feeling tears spring up in her eyes. Milah looked disappointed, but rubbed her arm soothingly.
"I don't understand," Regina muttered. "Why didn't it work?"
Milah shrugged sympathetically. "Not sure, Regina." She bit her lip, hesitating. "I wonder..."
Regina wiped a tear from her eye. "What?"
Milah took in a deep breath and sighed. "I wonder if it was all a fake."
Regina frowned. "What, do you mean it's not my mother's spell book?"
"Would Cora really leave her spell book, lying around for anyone to find?"
Regina's eyes bugged out. "What do you mean, lying around?! It was tucked nicely away in between a page in a book. It wasn't all that easy."
"I know," Milah said, agreeing. "But Cora is smart. I wouldn't be surprised if your mother planted fake spell books if anyone went snooping."
Regina sighed. "Why didn't I think of that?" She rubbed her forehead vigorously, mad at herself for not guessing. She squinted at Milah, who was still rubbing Regina's arm. "How are you so calm about all this? You can't get out either."
Milah smiled, pathetically. "I've had a lot of disappointments in my life. What's one more? You get used to them after a while."
That just made Regina feel worse.
While Regina had been on a mission to escape, Cora had been on a mission for power.
She knew that her daughter had stolen her 'spell book.' Cora had enacted it with a spell, signally her if anyone took it. Of course, Regina didn't have the real spell book. Cora's real one was locked away in her vault, where she kept all the hearts she took.
The only thing that worried Cora was that Regina was her daughter. Regina was smart, smart enough to find her mother's false book. Surely she could find the real one, and Cora didn't want Regina finding her vault. That would just cause too much discord and a list of never ending difficulties in Cora's life.
So, while Regina was eluding her mother, Cora was trying to keep Rumpelstiltskin from discovering her plan.
She wanted to get her hands on his dagger. She wanted the power. And mostly she wanted to keep Rumpelstiltskin away from his little distraction. Cora wanted his attention on herself, which brought her immense power from their relationship.
Now that she was losing that, her only conclusion was to find the thing The Dark One loved the most. She normally wouldn't have searched for his dagger, having a respect for him, but present circumstances drew her to drastic measures. All she had to do was find where he was keeping the damn blade. Rumpelstiltskin was paranoid about his power, so Cora knew it wouldn't be easy to find his dagger. That man would have it locked up tight where no one could get at it.
Thankfully for Cora, she had been practicing magic without Rumpelstiltskin knowing about it. Through her determination, and observation, she discovered that elemental magic was much more powerful than internal magic. Drawing power from oneself tended to weaken the magic user, but drawing from the earth, gave strength. Cora was just learning fully how to harness that kind of magic.
She was hoping that her newfound sense of power would help her locate the dagger.
But that son of a bitch was good at hiding it.
She growled in frustration, after using her magic to open any secret hideaways, or protection spells Rumpelstiltskin could have used to hide his dagger. She knew he didn't keep it on himself. She had torn off his clothes enough times to realize that. Cora also knew Rumpelstiltskin wasn't stupid enough to hide it underneath his bed, or in his top drawer, unlike Regina who had searched her room. Cora, while Regina was good at placing things back exactly as they'd been, could tell when her things had been disturbed. She was a little disappointed in her daughter for even considering that she would hide her spell book underneath her bed. That was so cliché, and predictable.
Cora wasn't trying to draw too much attention to herself, during her search. She couldn't look in Rumpelstiltskin's laboratory, as he was always in there. And, like herself, would notice if his objects had been toyed with. In frustration over her lack of knowledge, Cora headed back to her chambers, hoping a little rest would help her with the hunt.
She passed Zelena on her way, who quickly ran out to greet her mother.
"Hello, Mother." Zelena smoothed down her hair, trying to look her best in her mother's presence.
Cora sighed. "Hello, Zelena."
Zelena frowned. "You look tired."
"I am," Cora nodded. "Been looking for something all day."
Zelena's eyes glinted with curiosity. "For what?"
Cora paused. "I can't tell you. It's private."
Zelena pouted. "How come?"
Cora tried to prevent herself from rolling her eyes. Zelena could be so nosy. "Because I don't need you telling on me to Rumpelstiltskin."
"Why would I do that?" Her daughter looked extremely hurt. "Mother, what is going on?"
"I cannot tell you, Zelena!" Cora snapped. "It's none of your business."
Zelena's bottom lip started to quiver. "But maybe I can help you."
Cora sighed again, feeling guilty. She wrapped her daughter in a hug. "I know you can, but I have to do this on my own." She stroked Zelena's back, soothing her.
Zelena pulled back, wiping away a few tears that had escaped. "Maybe you can be vague. I can still try to help, without you telling me what it is that you're looking for."
Cora nodded, slowly. "All right. It's a magical object, which will be difficult to obtain."
"Does it have a protection spell on it?" Zelena clearly felt better helping her mother. Cora realized that she should have included her oldest daughter in her life more. Any mother could tell when her child was hurting. It brought Cora some happiness, knowing that she could make her daughter feel better.
"I'm not sure," Cora admitted. "Though, knowing who owns the object, it probably does. It's hidden away somewhere."
"Have you looked everywhere it could possibly be?"
"No," Cora admitted as well. She was starting to feel incompetent. "It's a difficult object to find, or get my hands on."
"Maybe it's hiding in plain sight," Zelena suggested.
Cora paused, thinking. "Hiding in plain sight?"
Zelena shrugged. "Yeah, if the object is easy to hide, but difficult to find, it's probably hiding in plain sight, so that way you can't see it easily, and you think too hard."
Cora stared at her daughter, rather impressed. She couldn't believe it was Zelena who offered this advice. Her daughter surprised her. Cora guessed that she had been underestimating Zelena. The girl was smarter than she realized, or too simple minded to not think elaborately enough. Cora wasn't sure which.
But that didn't matter, because the minute Zelena said those words of wisdom, Cora had a strong feeling as to where Rumpelstiltskin's dagger could be.
Well, that doesn't sound good. Well for Rumpelstiltskin anyway. I'm sure for Cora, it's like Christmas morning.
That's not the end of Rumpelstiltskin and Milah's back story, if anyone was wondering. There is still more to tell. And poor Bae. :( That was tough to write. Killing a toddler is no fun.
Upcoming: A confrontation with Cora, more Belle and The Dark One cuteness, and Belle continues making snowmen that look like Rumpelstiltskin. (Not really, but she wants to. I don't think Rumpelstiltskin will let her.)