They continued dancing, their movements flowing perfectly. As they twisted and turned, and his strong arms lifted her up, Aurelia couldn't help but feel like she was in a dream. The man didn't take his eyes off her and her cheeks burned red.
"Who are you?" Aurelia asked, eyes blazing with curiosity.
"Names Killian. Killian Jones. And you have no idea how much it pains me to stop this dance- no idea- but there's something I have to do" he said, letting her go and raising his hand in the air. Suddenly, there were screams, and the music stopped as men flooded the courtyard. These men were certainly not invited to the ball. People began running in a frenzy, and Aurelia knew she should try and find Peter and her friends but she couldn't take her eyes off her charming dancing partner. Despite valiant efforts from the townspeople, the men had disarmed them easily. It all seemed to click into place. Pirates.
Aurelia's eyes widened in horror as this stranger- Killian- grabbed Freda, placing a dagger to her throat.
"Now, now, quieten down" he said casually. "Where's Lord Fairdown?" he said, as Freda struggled against his strong grip.
"Here- I'm here" Stephen Fairdown emerged from the crowd, his red face looking furious. "Let go of my daughter, you beast"
"That I'm afraid I can't do, Lord Fairdown. You see, your brother has offended me greatly, stealing my ship and money. And since he has disappeared, the next best thing would be you. The terms are simple- buy me a new ship and reimburse me of the price your brother took. If you don't do this in five days time when the sun sets, I will return and slit your daughters throat. Agreed?"
Fairdowns face was white with horror. "b-but you can't"
"but I can" Killian said coldly. "And I will. I want a ship. And I'll have it. If not, me and my men will start working through the village, killing the young women. In fact, just for good measure, I think we'll take one now" he said, and his eyes settled on Aurelia.
"You" he said, and she stood, back straight, glaring at him. The reaction was incredible.
Peter lunged in front of her, sword in hand, his face furious and violent. Cassandra ran to Aurelia's side, grabbing her hand, and Michael padded to her other side. A few others in the crowd protested also. Aurelia was well-liked and popular amongst her village.
The man- Killian, smiled. "well, that was certainly quite a reaction. I suppose you're quite special- more so than the lords daughter, it would seem" Freda grimaced as he got hold of her more firmly.
"New terms. This new girl" he pointed at Aurelia "comes with me too, or I'll kill five more girls right now" he said, his men jeering.
"Like hell you will" Peter said.
"This is nonsense" lord Fairdown said "You will take neither of the girls, or receive any money. I am not my brother, and will not pay for his crimes"
"You have to. The thing you need to know about me- I'm a pirate. And I always get what I want." Killian said. "Now. AM I going to have to kill someone, or are you going to come here, love?" he said, eyes still on Aurelia.
"Fine" Aurelia said, loudly.
"No!" Peter, Cassandra, Michael and others all yelled in protest.
"It's fine, I can handle it!" Aurelia said "I don't want anyone dying because of me. Now, let go, I will go with him" She hugged Cassandra and Michael, and turned to Peter. His eyes were full of desperation.
"I have to, Peter" she whispered.
"I'll find you. I promise I will rescue you" he said.
"I know you will-" but before she had finished, he leaned in, kissing her. She was more shocked then than the rest of the night.
He kissed her, and despite it being Peter, it was hard and frantic, before Aurelia pulled away. "I tried to tell you tonight" Peter said. "I'm sorry Aurelia. I will rescue you, I will" and put his forehead to hers, shutting his eyes. The crowd were silent apart from a few sobs here and there- because of the night's trauma or the sight of Peter kissing a girl- Aurelia didn't know.
The pirate- Killian- looked bitter and hateful, his eyes narrowed at Peter as Aurelia walked over to him. He shoved Freda to another man and took Aurelia himself. Surprisingly, his hands on her hips didn't feel horrible- in fact, they were gentle and firm and felt almost comforting. He began to tie up her hands behind her back. Feeling sick, Aurelia looked ahead, determined not to talk to the pirate. More importantly, she needed to process what had just happened with Peter. She was certain she did not have romantic feelings for him. She loved him, and could easily marry him, but true love? No. It was impossible.
The rope binding her hands scratched at her wrists, and she kept her head up high, walking gracefully onto the ship. She was thrown into a tiny, little room with a lumpy cold mattress on the swaying ship floor. She turned to face the wall, not allowing herself to cry. She filled her thoughts with hope, and love.
"Please, please, someone help me" she whispered. There was silence, which was broken by an eerie giggle. She leapt up, turning. A small man with odd, crocodile skin, and curly hair was leaning by the locked door. His eyes were reptilian and seemed like two glowing orbs, staring at her and making her feel uneasy.
"Hello, dearie" he said.
"Who are you?" Aurelia said.
"The names- Rumplestiltskin. And yours is Aurelia, I know. Now here it is, dearie, I'm going to make you a deal. I'll offer you a way out of this" he gestured around "mess, and then you owe me something"
"What will I owe you?"
"I haven't decided yet. Take it or leave it"
She considered her options. Stay here with some murderous pirate, or owe a favour to some strange man. Neither prospect was comforting, so when he held the long document in front of her and produced a quill, she signed it.
The ropes binding her wrists slid off, just as the pirate walked in.
"What's going on here?" he asked, furiously. Aurelia stood behind the other man slightly, who turned to her, smiled, and grabbed her wrist. She heard the pirate shouting something about a crocodile, and Aurelia's last sight was the pirates deep, dark eyes looking at her, then nothing.
She awoke to standing in a hall, with the strange man next to her. "I have thought it up. The service you owe me. You are to remain here for an entire year, doing my every bidding, my cooking, cleaning and tasks."
"What?" Aurelia asked, confused "but the only reason I accepted your help was so I wasn't incarcerated!"
"That's the price, dearie" The man said, his unrelenting eyes gleaming. "If you stay here the year, you are free. If you leave, or escape before that, then I shall cast you into the sea. That is my deal"
"Fine" Aurelia said, resigning herself to it. A year wasn't so long, and he had saved her from who knows what. The first month was the hardest. Endless labour, carrying buckets of water up flights of stairs, catching dust in her nose whilst dusting books and books. Over time Rumpelstiltskin trusted her enough to clean his closest possessions- an enchanted arrow, dangerous books, magical potions, all except a chipped cup.
"Who was she?" When she was him pouring over it, lost in memories.
"Gone" he said simply, returning to his steering wheel. "She served me, like you did, but now she's gone. I almost prefer you, you're not so annoying" he gave a little giggle, but she could see the sadness in his eyes.
"I doubt that. Well, whoever she is, I hope you find her" she said. He looked at her in a strange way, as if surprised by her kind words.
After that, he began letting her out of the castle, and she began haggling at markets for certain potions, hunting out men and woman that owed him favours. She wrote accounts for all the favours he'd ever done. He taught her the basics of magic.
In all, 9 months later, she had never worked harder in her life. She missed her aunt, she missed Peter and her friends, and she missed her village. She missed being able to run around in the sun, not stalking figures at night. She began to change. She grew stronger through countless fights, found her way with a sword. She gained knowledge through Rumples favours, and learnt simple magic that somehow, flowed through her veins. She couldn't particularly use magic, not without him by to make sure she didn't break something.
Living with him was difficult. Often, he would fly into rages of temper, and they would fight, get into countless arguments and debates. He would starve her, send her to the dungeons with the rats and the mice trying to bite her feet. He would increase her workload so that her back felt like it would break, her eyelids could barely open she was so tired. He would make sly comments and horrible remarks about her looks and personality and it would hurt her. Sometimes he wasn't so bad, and they could have interesting talks. When he opened up to her, particularly about love, she saw a new side to him. But she couldn't leave. She wondered where Peter was at this moment, whether her aunt was happy, and what happened to that pirate, what was his name again? Killian. She often dreamt about him, or rather, dark eyes and ships, anchors and ropes drifting through her mind.
But she knew that she would never see him again, and that was probably for the best. Once she'd finished her service for this horrid little man, she'd go back home to Peter and her aunt and be safe.
One night, Rumple had been gone for a week, and she had been finishing up the accounts, locking them away, when she heard something smashing, like glass. She grabbed her sword, and went down into the main hall. Smoke lined the corridors, and she tried not to cough. She touched the handle, which burnt her hand but swung open, revealing tall, long flames engulfing the dark red curtains, the books, even the spinning wheel.
She turned, running to go out one of the servants passage ways but came face to face with a short, fat man, who hit her over the head with some kind of metal object.
She woke up in the corridor, coughing. Her eyes were blinded, and she called for help and rumple but he did not answer. She tried to breath in but coughed again, choking. Her eyes blinked and she swayed, falling to the floor, blood on her face.
She felt strong arms pick her up, and she met the dark eyes of the handsome pirate, Killian Jones.
"My God" he said "Don't worry, I've got you" and swung her up, carrying her out of the castle as it burned own.
For some reason, he led her away from the jeering shouts of his men, laying her down on the grass outside.
"Don't hurt me" she said, with closed eyes. She couldn't see the tenderness in the way he stroked her cheek, the anger in his eyes looking at her wounds.
"What has that monster done to you?" he said "Did you make a deal with him?
"Yes" her chest heaved, filled with smoked, as his eyes rested on her face. She could only mutter quietly and he had to lean in to listen to her, so close. She found it strange that his tone was concerned, as if Rumpelstiltskin was the true monster.
"Although I must be kept here for a year, like a slave, at least I escaped from you" she said, her eyes full of hate. He seemed surprised.
"I wouldn't have hurt you. I have honor" he said defensively.
"You're a pirate" Aurelia said. "That says it all. You kidnapped me. I thought you were going to hurt me, or kill me. Your men did this to me!" she pointed at her face, and he looked furious as she scowled at him, brushing the blood from her head.
"That was not my intention. I'm here to help you" he insisted.
"I'd rather be his slave than rescued by you. No matter what he does to me, I am almost free. At least I am almost free"
"Come away with me. Run away from him, and you will truly be free. We met under uncomfortable circumstances. I would never have hurt the girl, you see. I wouldn't hurt a defenseless woman" he insisted. "The girl is safe with her father. I will return you to your village, they are all missing you"
Aurelia's eyes pricked with tears as she struggled to sit up. She wanted to go home, but she knew Rumpelstiltskin would punish her. And she couldn't trust this man in front of her. Maybe he killed Freda. Maybe it was a trick. She couldn't risk it.
She shook her head.
"I'd rather be his slave for ten years than be with you for ten days" she spat.
"I won't offer to rescue you again, darling" he said, stroking her cheek softly. "I'll protect you. Take care of you" he whispered, leaning in, and it took all the willpower in her body not to lean in towards him.
"Killian" she breathed, next to his ear.
"Yes, love?" he leant in, his cheek pressed against hers. Her skin felt soft and warm, and for the first time in years, Killian felt... he felt... Well, that wasn't the point.
"I can take care of myself."
And with that she kneed him sharply in the delicate area between his legs, punched his jaw with her fist, and run away. She ran into the forest, her arms being torn by thorns, her face muddied and ripped, some of her hair singed. Her dress was damaged greatly and she had sprained her ankle, and her head hurt. Two days later, with neither food nor water, she stumbled back to the castle.
She saw Rumple, and staggered towards him.
"Help me" she said, gasping and falling to her knees.
"My castle's burnt down" he said, nonchalantly. He took her in, her bleeding wounds, her limbs falling limp by her sights, her bloodshot eyes and dry, cracked lips. The dried blood crusting on her head, the smell of burnt hair, her empty stomach groaning and her harsh breaths.
"Yes- the pirate. Please, give me some water, or food. Please help me" she said, swaying.
He produced a pitcher of cool water, an warm loaf of bread, cheese, meat, bandages and soothing ointments, damp towels to wash her with and a new, pretty dress. After spending a year with this man, she now appreciated the kind, good side in him. He was saving her. She would be okay. She needed to be protected, to be treated kindly, and here her master was. She gave a pathetic, grateful smile, forcing back the tears that were produced, and reached for the items. As they came into contact with her hand they all got destroyed. The water vanished, the food rotted and burnt before her eyes, the bandages set on fire, the ointments disappeared, towel's grew muddy and thorny, the new dress torn into rags worse than the one she had on. She looked up at him, confused.
"you let- my castle- BURN DOWN" he roared. Yes, yes, I can rebuild it- but the magical possessions and items I had inside you have no idea you stupid little fool!"
"What was I supposed to do?" she croaked "Why didn't YOU put a magical protection on it?"
He backhanded her, splitting her cut cheek open. She fell to the floor and passed out.
When she awoke, it was in the dungeon on a straw mattress with half a cup of warm, stagnated water and a slice of hardened bread.
"Curel, wicked man" she muttered furiously "Don't ever trust him again, Aurelia. Don't you dare. Never forget what he- and men- have done to you. Find your way back to the village, and aunt, and peter. Leave magic, and pirates, and weird men with stupid laughs well alone"
Hours of stewing furiously later, she was summoned downstairs.
Rumple sat at the end of the table, his chipped cup in front of him. "It seems I was a little… harsh to you, Aurelia, and I apologise. My temper gets to me sometimes, but I am trying to be… good" he said, struggling on the word. "you are to have the most lavish, delightful meal of your life, then you can have a nice warm bath and choose the finest bed in the castle. I will heal your wounds and you can have a week- five days- off work. I think that is fair enough"
Aurelia bowed her head. "Of course. We'll be friends again"
"Er.. Yes. Master and servant friends… but yes."
Aurelia stared down to the food. Everything was there. She ate and drank her fill until she could not possibly consume anymore. She had a relaxing bath, a new dress and slept in a comfortable bed with silk sheets and soft pillows. But everything had changed. She was just biding her time.
That day repeated, until on the Friday, Rumple went to do his errands in a little town or village, and she grabbed a bag, filling it with long lasting food, and some valuables that she could sell on her way. She had not forgiven him. That act of cruelty had hardened her heart. She wanted to be young, and innocent again, believing in the good of people. She wanted her bruises to fade, and her pain to leave. She wanted to feel safe, and loved, and she could not stand another night in this terrible castle. She wanted to let Rumple know how much he had hurt her. If he came after her, so let him. She'd already served majority of her sentence. It was only a deal, it wouldn't matter.
The chipped cup stood on it's little podium, and she stood before it. Something took over her, and she back-handed it, just like he had done to her face. She trod in the shattered remains and walked out of the doors. It would probably be fixed, but she needed to do something to get her anger out. Aurelia had a feeling that cup meant a lot to him, and she felt almost… evil in breaking it. She was losing herself. She had been trapped way too long, and she looked up at the night sky and the heavens opened, rain pouring down, and she finally, finally felt free. She was going home. She walked for a long time in the twilight, until the pounding of horses hooves became distinct. The rain poured down, making her hair straggly and stick to her cheeks. She shivered, her skin looking pale and luminous in the moonlight. She hid by a tree, and looked, but it was not his carriage. She stood in front, holding her arms up. The horses buckled, stopping in front of her, and the carriage wheeled slowly to a stop.
Aurelia squinted through the thick rain at the rider, but could not see. Suddenly, there was a woman in front of her, smiling down. She was dark-haired, and pretty, and wore a long purple cloak of velvet.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" she said, still smiling at Aurelia.
"I- I'm lost" Aurelia said, still shivering with the cold.
"I can see that. You're lips are blue, how odd" the woman said curiously. "Well, I think it's best I introduce myself. I am the queen, and you are in my lands now" she said, quite coldly.
"I apologise, queen. I have just escaped from a cruel master, and I do not know the lands I'm travelling in. please forgive me" Aurelia bent her head slightly. She was to tired to stand up against the woman, so just acted meekly.
"You must come with me. You can serve me, if you wish" the queen said, haughtily.
"I'd rather not" Aurelia said. "I am a free woman, and I must travel to return home, to where my family, and friends are"
"It wasn't really an offer, dear. More of an order. You may come willingly or you may be dragged by your hair to my castle. You are to be one of my most trusted servants, or you may sleep in the dungeons with the rats. What do you choose?"
Aurelia listened to the rain pounding, making the mud of the floor slick and messy.
"I will go willingly" she said.
After a days travel, a hour of sleep, Aurelia found herself- yet again- a servant. She wore a pale blue dress, and had mundane tasks such as making bread, sweeping the floor, running errands and messages for the queen. This carried on for another year or so, and Aurelia could feel the change within her. She was tougher, stronger, but a little bit colder, a little bit less innocent. She wanted nothing more than to be young, at home, running around in meadows with peter and being read stories from her aunt. Yet she did not cry, or break down, but remained strong, steeling herself for the months ahead. Winter came, and the nights grew short and cold. Aurelia would look out of her bedroom window, her breath frosting up the glass as she looked at the snowflakes dancing down from the sky. It was so magical.
One night, Aurelia was making the beds, when she heard a scream, and she ran to the queens room, grabbing a torch from one of the hallways. She skidded into the room, bracing herself, but just saw the queen looking at a mirror.
"Your majesty?" Aurelia asked.
"Oh, Aurelia" the queen said. "Come here. Look at my face"
After months of seeing the queens power, Aurelia reluctantly went to face the queen, looking her dead in the eye.
"Aurelia, for some unknown reason you remind me of myself, despite being a peasant. And as much as it pains me to say this- I trust you. Now I've been having some issues with someone- someone that betrayed me. I need your advice on it"
"Is this about snow white?" Aurelia simply said.
The queens lips pursed and she let out a sly hiss "well, yes. She betrayed me, ruined my life. Yet the people still love her, he has her one true love and I have nothing. My heart has gone black and cold and hers gets stronger by the day. I want to crush her. Tell me how"
Aurelia paused. "Well" she chewed her lip "Maybe Snow isn't the problem. Maybe you are. You are the queen, you have power and wealth beyond imagining, you have armies and a castle, which compared with what I used to have is a lot. Instead of trying to crush Snow, you should try and forget about her. Ruining her happiness won't make you happy. It's the idea of it that you love. As for your heart, I believe you have good in you. Show that goodness, and you will have the people behind you, and maybe a true love of your own"
The queen had turned, her face weary. Aurelia shivered slightly, still holding the torch. She wondered if she was going to get killed for her words.
"Perhaps you're right. Perhaps you're not. We'll never know. Because I will destroy her. That'll be all, Aurelia."
And she swept towards her desk. Aurelia turned, replacing the torch, and went back to her duties. She felt almost sorry for the queen, despite the fact she was horrible and had everything. Aurelia wondered how it had come to this. She often thought about Killian, wondering whether his offer before was genuine. She remembered his words, that he wouldn't rescue her again, and she wondered and wondered. A part of her felt betrayed by herself, but she wanted to see him again. Perhaps he could've saved her.
As she was wiping the window, her final act before she could finally clamber into bed and sleep, she saw a dot of yellow on the horizon. She kept her eyes on it, and then it was joined by a few other dots, and more, and more. Suddenly, she realised. They weren't dots, they were torches. The castle was being attacked. Aurelia froze. Friend or foe? Friend or foe? She knew many good towns wanted to bring the castle down, but she had some loyalty to her mistress, the queen. Should she raise the alarm? Or should she try to escape? Would the men attacking kill her, or save her?
She thought about the look in the queens eyes when talking about Snow white, and she knew. The queen was evil, and she would crush this rebellion before it had even started. She couldn't be the one to raise the alarm. It would mean the men below would be slaughtered. Instead, she ran downstairs, down to the courtyard, hiding in the shadows with bare feet. Her plan was to escape during the fight, so that the queen would think she had been killed or taken. it was the perfect opportunity. She slipped into the blacksmiths, grabbing a sword, then back onto the cobbled square with the black iron gate looking strong. She waited, in silence, behind a marble black pillar. Finally, she heard the warning bell, and hooves pounding, thousands. She got a good stance behind the pillar as the queens men filled the area, and some of the servants running and screaming. It all happened so quickly. The iron gates were broken after pounding and pounding, and the army charged in, swords high.
The fight was horrible. There was the sound of the clash of metal on metal, ringing in the ears. Screams of men were carried all around, and sometimes the slosh of blood being splattered on the stone floor. A fire started, making the area hot, and uncomfortable. Aurelia stood awkwardly, unsure of who to attack. Her identity was torn, she had no idea where her allegiance lay. The fire spread along the courtyard, lighting up the fight and making every detail clearer. A man came up to her, one of the new ones, and looked down with fury in his eyes at the queens markings on the slave bracelet Aurelia wore. He reached up with his sword intending to behead her, but Aurelia quickly darted her hand forward, the sword plunging into his stomach and she yanked it out, breathing hard. He fell down. Aurelia convinced her mind that he wasn't dead, but just wounded. Aurelia looked to the leader, trying to distinguish whether she knew him or not.
He wore shiny knights armour, with an unfamiliar crest. His helmet was on, and he fought courageously, taking down many of the queens men. He took his helmet off in the heat of battle, throwing it with a clank to the side. Blonde hair, and a handsome, chiselled face. Aurelia would know that face anywhere, despite the two or more years that had separated them. It was Peter.