Using the walls as support Rumpelstiltskin hobbled to his collection room, and pull out his old cane. He felt so ashamed he had to use it again, but took to it like he had used it everyday of his life. Unknowing of why he had to, he used his crutch to go over to his large mirror and yanked it off its cover. His reflection showed him what he feared. The coward Rumpelstiltskin. The man who lost his wife, and couldn't protect his son. With one hand clenching his cane, covered his eyes with the other not wanting to see the man in the mirror when his tears fell, and hung his head in self-disgust.
He dropped the cane and put the other hand to his face too. The lightness he felt was slipping away again, and his heart was heavy. His rage returned burning, and then it occurred he was standing without the cane. The pain in his foot had melted away. His head snapped up to look at his reflection. Hair wild, skin sick with a curse, and eyes were villainous again. "How could this be?" There was a glow behind him, and he turned to see Belle's rose glowing bright. The bloom tilted and a single petal fell. "Rapunzel!" Something had happened. He realized something was wrong. "Rapunzel!" He rushed to the tower, and burst through the trapdoor. "Rapunzel?" he called out. The room was dark, and cold, seeming to be more haunted than it had ever been before. "Are you here?" he walked carefully. "The my power has come back to me. Everything is just as it was." he said struggling to show a happy tone, in this bleak tower. "Rapunzel?" Rumpelstiltskin weaved his hand and conjured a lantern and held it up so he could find see her.
At first he hadn't recognized her, when he had she looked so broken. She was still kneeling beside her bed, head and arm resting upon it. "What happened Rapunzel?" He got to his knees alongside her, placed the lantern down, taking her shoulders and gently pulling her back to him. "Why is your hair so dark?"
"I told you I'd fix it." She said numbly.
"What can I do?"
"There isn't anything anyone in the world can do." she craned her head to see his eyes. "I'm dying."