This one is a little bit longer than usual but I hope it is good. The action in this one happens 3 moths after the last Fairy tale world chapter. Have fun reading!
Today was a gloomy day, the sky was dark and clouded and the wind blew heavily, it was a day that made me feel depressed for more than one reason, but the main one was that Rumpelstiltskin was away on business, making deals God knows where.
I was stuck cleaning the castle with orders not to leave the premises until he would return. I just finished scrubbing the dining room floors, when I noticed the door on the left. It was covered with curtains and somewhat hard to notice. I approached it carefully and too a peek inside and then, I opened it completely, mouth agape. I was the most beautiful library I have ever seen, bookshelves reaching the ceiling, filled with books and in the center of the room a couch and two chairs, covered in red velvet. I came closer to the bookshelf and let my fingertips pass over the cover of the books and then I stopped, a book getting my attention. It wasn't a magic book, it was one full of romantic stories, and not the kind you would find in Rumpelstiltskin's library. Taking the book, I sat on the chair and opened it, the stories in it bringing me to another world and making me lose track of time.
I finally stopped reading when I heard someone knocking at the front door. I was surprised to say the least, no one comes to visit Rumpel and so I armed myself with the broom stick and went to the door. As soon as I opened it I was ready to pounce and hit the person right in the head.
"Whoa, Arina, stop! It's me, Abigail! Be careful with that broom, you can poke somebody's eyes out with it." My sister told me as she gave me a bear hug.
"Abigail….What on Earth are you doing here? Does father know where you are? You will get so punished when you go back home." I said smiling and inviting her in.
"Yes, he knows. I have some bad news to tell you, I am afraid. Come, you will have to sit down to hear this." Abigail said as she took me by the hand and gave me a nudge to sit down on the library sofa.
"What is it? What news could you bring that would be so bad?"
"It's our grandmother, she has fallen ill and is currently on her death bed. She is asking for you, Arina, to see you one last time before she passes." She said, almost in a whisper, her hands holding mine, as fresh tears formed into my eyes.
"Oh, what am I to do? I will talk to Rumpel and see if he would grant me three days away from the castle to see her." I replied, hugging my sister close.
She suddenly pulled away and looked at me funny, tilting her head to the right as she tried to decipher something on my expression.
"You, you like him! You actually like being here. This is not torture for you because living with him makes you happy. You were glowing when I first saw you and it's not because you were happy to see me, it's because you are in love, with a monster nonetheless!" Abigail exclaimed, making me feel ashamed of my emotions towards Rumpelstiltskin.
"Maybe I do like him, he is a nice, kind person, he treats me well and he may be endlessly flawed but he is certainly not a monster, Abigail." I said, looking her in the eye, my gaze fierce and strong.
"We will see about that, if he is not a beast then he will let you come see your dying relative, if he is one, he will keep you locked up in here forever." She replied glaring at me.
Just as I opened my mouth to reply, the front doors slammed open and Rumpel walked in giggling.
"Honey, I am home! Oh, look, you have brought a surprise for me." He said as he waved a hand and Abigail flew from the sofa and slammed into the wall with a thud.
"Rumpel! Don't hurt her, please, I'll explain everything, just let her go, please." I said getting between him and my sister, my hand flat on his chest and my eyes, glued to his.
"Come now, explain first then I will think about letting her go." He replied looking somewhat happy towards the contact between my hands and his chest.
"She came here to tell me that my grandmother is on her death bed and asking for me to come and see her for the last time. Will you please let me leave with her for three days? I promise I will come back as fast as I can after I say goodbye to her, please." I pleaded with the man in front of me, his expression never wavering.
"I will grant you three days to say good bye to your grandmother, if you promise that you will come back and that when you do, you will help me by knitting a blanket out of the golden thread I make." He said looking away from me, sadness appearing just for a second on his features.
"I promise, Rumpel! I will always come back to you, I swear! It will be an honor to knit your golden thread." I said hugging him and kissing his cheek.
His hold on my sister finally released and she fell to the ground with a soft thud. She looked at us weirdly and got up slowly.
"We should go if we want to arrive to our village by nightfall. I'll go pack some clothes, I'll be right back." I said leaving the two of them together in the library.
As I was packing my bag, little did I know what discussion was taking place downstairs, in the library.
"My sister admires you, she actually likes you. I will tell you this only once and take it as a warning. If you hurt her, if you break her heart, trust me when I say this, I will find a way to kill you and I will go through with it because the most important person in my life is her and I am not about to let her get hurt by the likes of anyone." Abigail said, the glare that she sent Rumple cold and hateful.
"I don't intend on breaking her heart, dearie, as you can tell, I like her being around me, she keeps my house clean and I can talk to her without holding back, so you will never have to act on your threat." Rumple said giggling and holding Abigail's icy gaze.
"I hope, for your sake, that you keep this promise." My sister replied, taking her eyes away from the imp and pretending the talk didn't happen when I walked back in with my bag.
"Are you ready to go, Abigail?" I asked putting on my forest green cloak and pinning it down with a worn safety pin.
"Yes, I am ready, I'll be outside, getting my horse ready for the trip." She said exiting the castle.
"Arina, come here, I have something for you. I hope you will like it." He said as he waved his hand and in his palm appeared something.
Coming closer to him, I blushed as his hands reached for my cloak, unclasping it and tying it back up with a beautiful golden broche, with sapphires that formed an A in the middle of the jewel.
"Oh, Rumple, it's beautiful. Thank you so much! You gave me so many gifts that I don't know how to repay you." I thanked him, smiling brilliantly at him.
"You can repay me by coming back to me. Now go, your sister is waiting for you." He said as he let go of my cloak.
I grabbed his hand as he was about to leave and did something that actually surprised me. I wrapped one arm around his neck, the other resting on his chest and kissed him. The kiss was sweet and innocent, it was my first kiss and I chose to give it to him. After a few moments he started kissing me back, deepening it and making it more passionate. Finally, we had to pull away to breathe. He looked almost surprised, like he expected something bad to happen during the kiss.
"The curse didn't break, I still have my powers and nothing has changed. It was clearly true loves kiss but why did it not take my powers away?" he asked himself, looking at his hands, just to be sure that the curse didn't break.
"Maybe it is because I don't see your powers as a curse, because I like you just the way you are." I said as I hugged him.
"Goodbye, Rumple! See you in three days. Take care while I am gone, okay?" I said giving him a short kiss and leaving the castle.]
When I got to the stables, Abigail had already finished with her horse and was waiting for me impatiently.
"What took you so long?! I've been waiting here for 15 minutes to say the least." Abigail said, her hands on her hips and a prissy look on her face.
"Dear sister, that's for me to know and for you to never find out." I replied as I got on my horse and rode away in front of her.
"And, what's that supposed to mean?! Arina?! Come on, tell me!"
"Never, darling, never." I yelled from in front of her as I sped up my horse. How I love keeping secrets from her, I thought to myself as I rode into the forest, the sun setting beautifully ahead.
Hope you liked it. If you want, please leave a review. See you next time.