Chapter 21: The Harp's Tale
In which Blue informs Belle of the harp's origins and Radolph is put under hypnosis.
"Once upon a time…" Blue began.
"Seriously?! Once upon a time," Belle said, sounding like a sarcastic Rumple. "We've got two people dying here, and you start like that? We should do something!"
"We will, we will… Don't worry," Blue replied offhandedly.
"A long time ago, the harp was not part of this world. It did not belong to this realm, or any other, for that matter…"
"What do you mean? I don't understand." Belle was puzzled. Surely this thing was part of this world, Cora had had it in her possession and Rumple had found it.
"Just hear me out, all right?" Belle had no choice but to comply as she silently hoped that Blue would hurry up with her fairy tale.
"It's the harp of love, life, and lament, and can wield great power."
"Tell me about it…"
"It's the kind of power that nobody, or at least no human should have. And wasn't meant to have as it can give and take life, as well as, give and take love."
"Regina and Rumple used it," Belle blurted out. "Regina revived Daniel and Rumple tried to secure my love with it… When we found out, Daniel and I, we decided to break the curse, so we…"
"Cut the strings… Yes, and look what has happened!"
"What has happened though?" Belle wondered, "What is happening to Regina and Daniel?" She gazed at the two, lying on Regina's white tiled floor, their bodies still jerking.
"They are being fought over…" Blue whispered. "Both life and death have claims on them and want to take them."
"So… the seizures… are what exactly?"
Blue stood up and pointed. "Do you see how they are being pulled, each into two directions?"
"Yes…"
"On one side, Death is pulling them, with Life on the other. Their bodies and souls are literal battle grounds right now…"
"And there is nothing we can do?" Belle's asked with a small and fading voice. The sight was awful and eerie.
"No, we cannot. The owner of the harp, however, might be able to settle this. Or not. We will have to wait and see."
"Can you see them?" Belle inquired. "Blue, can you actually see them?"
"Who, my dear?"
"Life, life and.. death?"
"No, I cannot. But I can feel them, I can sense their presence…" Belle shivered as she imagined the two forces so close to her, and she remembered Rumple's brief stay in the realm of death.
"You will feel a bit hazy afterwards, but hopefully happy with the result." The Great Bamboozini was smiling a toothy smile, designed to invite trust. It didn't work on Radolp as it reminded him of a shark. He felt like he was about to be eaten by a great number of them….
"Just sink into that comfy chair and imagine yourself in a happy place…" Radolph felt very small in the oversized Chesterfield chair. As she observed the pendulum swinging back and forth, he sensed his resistance slip away.
"You'll go back to the moment you lost your memory and then we'll work backwards from there." His voice was very distant right now, but still distinguishable.
"I'm in a forest," Radolph mumbled. "I can see the dagger in my hand and a letter in the other…. I laugh about the absurdity of the letter…."
"Can you access a few minutes before that…? Let your mind flow back…" The soothing voice helped him concentrate and he could almost grasp it.. Almost!
"I'm running. I'm running away from something or someone… Evil Queen! Savior! The Prince… The Prince in a shed.. a hunting shed… It's mine, I think.. But why? The Blue Fairy is coming too. They are all after me, I want to go! Let me leave!"
Radolph became paranoid and struggled to get out of the chair, but Neal wouldn't let him. He grabbed his shoulders and kept him firmly in place. "I will use the dagger on you…" he whispered in his ears. The Great Bamboozini shuddered. This was no ordinary consultation…
"I think that should do for now," Bart Bucket said. "I'm a little uncomfortable doing this as he is obviously in distress." He sounded confident and firm, but underneath his stern exterior, he feared this man, and his hideous dagger.
"He hasn't given us the name of the town yet!" Neal shouted in frustration. "We might not even be in the right state!"
"I could call the police, you know…" The Great Bamboozini thought these two were the most unpleasant visitors he had ever had. All this talk of a dagger and fairy tale characters; they were obviously two very disturbed individuals.
"Do you know the name, or location of the town?" He asked as he kneeled down in front of Radolph. "Your…" he hesitated, "friend would like to visit…"
Radolph was shaking, but managed to whisper the words… "Storybrooke, Maine…"
They left minutes later, as their host was suddenly not so hospitable anymore.
"You will not share this with anyone, will you? We know where you live…" Neal disliked using such tactics but secrecy was of the utmost importance.
"I only ask that I will never see you two again…" The seemingly shrunken man in front of them said.
"Fear not, we'll be out of your hair…"
Finally on my way… Neal was pleased with himself. The man had lived up to his reputation. He was on his way to his father or so he hoped… Surely his father must be wherever his dagger came from…
After all these years, what had he become? Was he still the same cowardly but sweet man or was he a bitter and hardened man even without the dagger's influence…? Soon he would know. Neal began to sweat. As they were hopefully coming closer and closer to the long awaited reunion, his expectations turned into severe anxiety. What would he find? Who would he encounter?
"So if the harp does not belong or originate in this world, then where did it come from?"
"That, my dear Belle, is a very good question! There are various tales and rumors but I will share with you the one I believe is the truth….
Life and Death are entities. They are powerful, for sure, but not all-powerful. They have to be kept on a tight leash, as they cannot rampantly do as they please. You can imagine that that would result in absolute mayhem… Which does happen on occasion…wars being but one example…" She sighed.
"There are several powers and powerful objects that can affect life and death. They can alter the course of one's life stream, trade lives for others.. The harp is one of these objects and belongs, or belonged to…."
A thundering sound filled the room. A white flash and wave of pressure pushed Belle and Blue down to the ground. They couldn't move… They could hardly see… The air was thick with a smell, flowery and sweet, yet overwhelming and intoxicating too.
"The harp belongs to me," a voice spoke, " and I would very much like to reclaim it."
The harp left Blue's hands and flew right into those of its rightful owner.
"Who has used my harp?!" the voice boomed. "And who has broken it?!"
Belle hesitantly raised her hand and closed her eyes tightly, too scared to see what would be her punishment and who would inflict it on her….