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Chapter 2

After hearing Emma's name for the first time in twenty eight years, he walked out the Inn, unlocked the door of his car, sat behind the wheel, and shut the door behind him. Leaning back into the headrest, Gold closed his eyes, and remained immobile for a long time. Behind closed eyelids flickered images of a dark pub and memories washed over him like a flood.

This pub one was not unlike countless others where he often met those wishing to conduct deals. This deal, however, was different, not so much in and of itself, because most of his "customers" desired some form of power or wealth, but because the "client" was a beautiful woman and also because it was the first time he had left the castle since acquiring a caretaker. Belle had been with him for little over a week. Enough time to take her out of the dungeon and allow her to settle in a real room with something more practical to wear than the ridiculous gold gown she had on in her father's castle. She was still skittish every time he came near so he simply left a note on the dining hall table, telling her he would be gone for a few days and ordering her to continue with her work.

Unsurprisingly, the noblewoman who met him at the tavern showed more confidence than most. She took off her cloak to reveal a tight, low cut bodice, her long blond tresses spilling in loose waves onto her shoulders and back. She offered her body to him in return for a guaranteed win of a bloody battle that would kill the ten nobles ahead of her in line for the throne of the realm. Since several of the nobles had items he required for completing the curse that would soon tear their world apart, he refused the offer. He could see the angry gleam in the woman's eyes, the surprise at his rejection, but to her credit, she was smart enough to remain afraid to vent her anger too vehemently.

"Fine, but it's your loss." She pulled the bodice further down off her shoulders. "You are the one throwing away your only chance to have someone like me be with you willingly and by her own choice. If you change your mind, I am sure you know how to find me." With that she pulled on her cloak, stood up, and regally swept out the door.

Shaking his head, he remained seated long enough to finish the unexpectedly delicious ale served by the little tavern. Covered by a dark cloak and so well hidden in the shadows was the person sitting at the nearby table, that he completely dismissed them as just another traveler or drunkard.

"If you don't mind my saying so, I think she is wrong", came the smooth female voice from the table behind him. Large, brown eyes appraised him calmly and with a hint of curiosity; long, black hair tumbled straight down as she moved her hand to push off the hood of her cloak. The woman's face was enough to intoxicate any man. How well he knew how her particular type of beauty drew men like moths to a flame, how the need to simply lay eyes on it again could become irresistible. Her features and bearing identified her as a native of the Farini realm. Her resemblance to a woman from another lifetime revealed a royal lineage.

"Oh really", he bowed his head in greeting, "and you are?"

"My name is Leena. I am a fighter for hire passing through on my way to my next job and I have wanted to meet you for a long time."

"Why is that, may I ask?" In one graceful movement he was sitting in a chair directly across from the woman.

"You were the husband of a great queen of my people; a queen some say I resemble. I have always wanted to meet the wizard who managed to hold Queen Alicia's affection for thirty years."

"And has your curiosity now been satisfied?"

"Not at all. I think it would take the next thirty years to barely begin to discover who you are."

"Tell me, why would a member of the Farini royal family work as a fighter for hire?

Her smile was warm as it reached her eyes.

"Well, only about thirty people stand before me in-line for the throne. I believe my village blacksmith is one of them. Unfortunately, the wealth of the Farini royals did not trickle down that far. So I am left to ply a living from the only talent my ancestors were able to instill in me."

The sword hanging by her side bore evidence to the truth of what she was saying.

"So dearie, why did you really want to meet me? Do you also wish to move up in-line to the throne? Or is it simply riches and comfort that you crave?"

Her laughter filled his ears and he found that it had a pleasant, musical sound. He found that her proximity enveloped him in strange warmth, the woman who just stalked out of the tavern all but a forgotten figment of his imagination.

"Believe me; I have no desire to be queen, too much responsibility for my taste. Since I have only myself to care for and practitioners of my trade are not exactly known for living to a ripe old age, there is little I would be willing to trade for riches and wealth."

"So you truly did not want to meet me to make a deal?"

"No, no deal. I was simply curious about the husband of a beloved Farini queen, a queen whose rule is still celebrated almost seventy years after her passing."

"All right, in that case, the woman who just left, what exactly do you think she was wrong about?

"I think she was wrong about being your only chance to have a beautiful woman want you." She looked him directly in the eye and he was surprised to see no trace of fear or disgust in her gaze.

He slowly took her hand into his own making sure she could see the mottled skin and the black nails that made his fingers look like talons of an eagle.

"Beautiful women are not exactly known for wanting to be romantically involved with monsters, dearie". He was startled yet again, when she did not pull her hand away from his.

"My queen was married to you for many years. She must not have thought you were a monster."

"And what about you, dearie, what do you think I am?"

"From what I have seen so far, I do not think you are a monster either."

He could not deny that this woman intrigued him and it had been a very long time since he had been intrigued in quite the same way by anyone.

"So, exactly how far are you willing to go, dearie, to satisfy this curiosity of yours?" His high pitched voice carried a trace of amusement as he continued to hold her hand and slowly message it in his own. However, someone who spent years making life and death choices by reading her opponents' facial expressions could easily discern the loneliness and certainty of being rejected, even in the huge, amber eyes that looked upon her now.

"Ahh, if you are asking what I think you are asking, I should probably warn you that it has been years since…the last time I was curious about someone. You could easily buy yourself company that is a lot more knowledgeable and experienced."

"Hmmm, well, I am willing to take my chances… but aren't you at least a little scared?"

"Should I be? Are you the kind of man that would hurt a woman?"

"No, of course not." He drew back from her almost in shock.

"Then, I am willing to take my chances too."

Without letting go of his hand, she stood up and moved toward the stairs that lead to the rooms of the inn. Before she knew what was happening he pulled her close and enveloped her in his arms. There was a moment of what seemed like weightless flight and when the ground once again materialized under her feet she found herself standing in her upstairs bedroom with his arms still wrapped around her.

His hand reached up to touch her hair but his eyes and the tension in his body clearly showed that at any moment he expected her to ask him to leave. As her mind and body adjusted to the unexpected surge of magic, a succession of thoughts swirled behind her eyes but only one was persistent enough to refuse to be quiet. Is it possible that this man has not been seriously involved with anyone since the death of Queen Alicia? Is it possible that the past seventy years have not erased his grief for a wife who died saving a peasant child from a burning building? She felt an overwhelming need to ease his pain and reached out her hand to gently touch his face. He leaned into her touch and she moved closer to place a feather light kiss on his mouth. The tremble that shot through his body startled her enough to take a step back.

"I am sorry. It's been a while for me too". Now his voice was much lower in pitch and held no trace of amusement that was there a few minutes ago.

"That's OK, just tell me if I do anything that hurts you." and her smile was gentle and kind, making him wonder how someone with a smile like that could work as a fighter for hire.

"There is nothing you can do to hurt me, dearie" and now it was his turn to draw her back to him, "and since you haven't made a deal to do this, if you decide that you want to stop, tell me, and we will stop."

She tried to imagine that one hundred years ago when he and Alicia first met, this man would have looked exactly the same as he did today. She wondered if all those generations past, a queen, even younger and less experienced than herself, had to deal with the same insecurity she sensed in this man now. But the growing need to comfort and have him close to her put an end to all musings as she began to gently kiss his eyes and forehead, and trace her tongue against his lips. At the same time she pushed off the dragon-hide coat, pulled out his shirt enough to slide her hands underneath, and began to message his torso and back.

Once again she felt a small surge of magic and when it was over they lay under the covers of the bed, their clothes in a pile on the floor beside them.

"Tell me when you want to stop, Leena," His hand was gently cupping the side of her face but otherwise he remained on his side of the bed and made no move to get closer.

"Not for a few hours", was her only reply before she moved over, wrapped her arms around him, and pressed the entire length of her body to his own.

The first time they made love was slow and gentle and for the first time in a life time, a woman fell asleep wrapped up in his arms. He watched her as she woke after a short nap, watched closely for any sign of disgust or remorse for allowing him to touch her but only saw the same gentle smile and only heard a contented purr as she stroked his hair away from his face. This time she misunderstood the questioning look in his eyes.

"It's all right. We only have this one night to be together. It's all right if you want to pretend I am her." He heard her murmur to him softly and her words shocked him into speech.

"No, Leena, no. I could never see Alicia in anyone else. You are so beautiful and it has been such a long time since I was with someone like this. I don't want to think of anyone but you."

For the rest of the night they made love knowing it was their one and only night together, their bodies giving and taking and flowing together as if they had known each other for years. In the morning, she got dressed, kissed him one last time, rolled up her pack, and headed out the door.

"Leena, if I could I would ask you to come home with me, to stay with me forever."

"Please don't." She came back to the bed and took his hand in hers. "I didn't do this because I wanted to change my life. Fighters for hire must never at any moment care whether they live or die and I could never do this kind of work if there was someone waiting for me to come home. This was one night to help me remember how it feels to be human instead of a weapon or a shield paid to protect someone. Thank you for being there for me and making me remember." With a quick kiss on his cheek, she slipped out the door and out of his life.

There were many reasons why he let her go. For the next few months after returning home, he reminded himself of those reasons almost every day. He knew that he could find her at any time. He proved that by often looking at her in the scrying mirror. He watched as she rode with the other guards beside a merchant caravan they were hired to protect. He watched as she slept under the stars rolled up in her dark cloak and he watched as she single handedly beat three bandits in a sword fight when the caravan was attacked by robbers. He noticed that she was either accepted or feared well enough for all the men to leave her alone. More so, her fighting skills and the need to protect those who could not protect themselves, reminded him of the wife he lost seventy years ago. He could never pretend that anyone else was Alicia, she simply meant too much and seeing her in someone else seemed somehow disrespectful to her memory. Leena was her own person and he realized that he wanted her entirely for herself. He could go to her at any time, more than anything he wanted to go to her, but never did because unlike his relationship with Alicia he no longer had a human lifetime of anywhere near thirty years to give to anyone. The curse was too close to being cast, for weeks before that he would be a prisoner, and to start the kind of relationship he wanted with Leena only to be ripped away from her in a few short months seemed unfair and wrong.

Then there was Belle. Lovely, gentle, sensitive Belle was always with him. She felt his pain and his loss and gave him kindness and friendship in return. How easy it was for Regina to manipulate the innocent girl into thinking what she felt for him was true love. After a life time of loneliness it was impossible for him not to feel something for Belle as well. Of course the kiss didn't break his curse when his heart never completely belonged to her and the terrible mistake he made when he forced Belle to leave was done for the same reasons he never sought out Leena in their old world again.