Belle knew she would find Rumpelstiltskin at his son's grave. Lost in his thoughts he did not hear her calling. Only when she crouched next to him did he acknowledge her presence. She said nothing and tried to channel her strength through her action. She applied gentle pressure on his hand; he squeezed hers in return and let the tears fall. She cradled his head against her chest and held him until the sobs subsided. Immersed in their little world they weren't aware that Baelfire stood looking at them a mere ten feet away. The king stiffened when his son called him – apprehension apparent on his face.
With a smile, Baelfire he approached them and stroked his father's cheeks. A strangled moan escaped Rumpelstiltskin and the three figures huddled closer. Weariness from the past months poured out in waves from the clustered group. The king apologised for his actions and begged for forgiveness from both of his beloved. They told him all was pardoned and wiped away his tears. Regaining his composure, Rumpelstiltskin sworn to his son that he would always be loved and remembered. With a watery smile he embraced the two people he loved before stumbling over the words that would release them.
In the dense forest not far from the grave, Hira's plan was close to crumbling. Her temper rose when Caleb refused to yield the dagger. She could feel it in her being the king was close to utter the command that would unbind the storyteller to him. Fear of her plan failing rose like the tide. Having her essence scattered to the wind was not part of it! With a quick warning glance to Mathilda, the fairy spun sweet words to the man. Hira was close to throttling him when he refused for the third time. The only way for her to own the dagger is if it was freely given. The meek man finally relented and looked on in confusion as Mathilda handed Hira her dagger.
A surge of power rushed through Hira the moment her fingertips touched it.
"Fulfil your end of the bargain, Dark One," the fairy growled. With a wave of her hand the fairy was freed from her confinement.
"That was it? You promised me the woman!"
"Funny thing about the deal, my dear, was that I never specifically promised her in person," Hira drawled. "My end of the contract was to give you entrée and so I had."
Eyes wild with fury the fairy threw a series of spell at the Dark One, which she effortlessly obliterated.
"I suggest you fly to them now. The magic binding his soul to you will weaken once he confesses his love to them. You'll be powerless without your source of sustenance." With that, the fairy shot up into the sky, but not without sending another blast of magic at the Dark One. She missed, of course.
Somewhere in their bickering, Caleb had managed to slither away. Rolling her eyes, Hira snapped her fingers. The cowering man appeared in front of her in a cloud of smoke, quivering violently as he caught sight of her smile. Hira thanked him before plunging the knife in his heart. Dark tendrils of magic flowed from the dagger and into the gasping man. The Dark One faded as her magic and essence inhabited his body before silence encompassed the room.
A shuddering sigh broke the hush. Caleb opened his eyes as the dagger hit the ground. He looked at his hands in wonder before bending down to pick up the object. Caressing it, the man uttered a word: freedom. 'Finally I am free from the woman's magic!'
Possessing Caleb's body broke the bond binding the Dark One to the storyteller's magic. Hira revelled in the feeling of soft human flesh covering her body and the blood pounding in her ears. What strange sensations! Briefly she wondered if possessing a woman's body would feel the same. Maybe she should trick a fairy into doing the deed. Would it increase her magical ability? With endless possibilities circulating her head—or was it his head?—did it matter? Hira snorted at such silly thoughts, she didn't care a whit for genders. They are after all the same.
Calling on his magic, the new Dark One disappeared from the room, but not before cackling as the storyteller's magic failed to claim him at her release. He is after all no longer tied to anyone. What a powerful feeling it was to be your own person and master. As long as he owns his dagger, he is a slave to no one.
At Belle's release, the collar glowed white before it dematerialised while Baelfire disappeared without any fanfare. First he was there and the next he wasn't. When Rumpelstiltskin looked to Belle to convince himself that she still exists, he hoped to find compassion in her eyes. Instead, fear dominated her azure orbs as she was whisked away by a brilliant emerald light. 'MATHILDA!' his mind screamed at him. Rumpelstiltskin thought his heart might burst from sheer agony. His fears finally realised themselves at the most inopportune moment. Remembering the Dark One's dagger he sprinted to his chambers. He would set Hira on the blasted fairy and ensure a long and excruciating death. In his chambers, his heart nearly gave out when he found the dagger was missing. Soon, bells were rung and guards sprang into action.
Chaos reigned over the kingdom in the coming weeks as the king relentlessly searched for his storyteller. The search was long and arduous and all traces led to a blockade. His advisors and ministers counselled him against such pointless quest but the king was adamant. The weeks stretched with no end in sight. However, on the sixth week of his pursuit, help came to Rumpelstiltskin from the most unexpected places.
Red, steely eyes looked at the seven angry men standing in his study room. One of them, a portly man called Maurice, took a step closer. Rumpelstiltskin's knights drew their swords but he signalled them to be at ease. He remembered this man; he was the ringmaster he tried to execute.
Maurice eyed him with distaste before speaking of a solution to his mad search. He told him how to track fairies and defeat them. Rumpelstiltskin asked him why he offered his help; after all he did try to murder him. The man's simple reply was that he and his company cared for Belle. One of Maurice's companions, a man with a missing right arm, stepped next to him. Rumpelstiltskin's could feel his guards tensed at the man's approach before dangling a worn haversack in front of him. Slowly and gently the one-armed man took a crystal ball out from the bag. Rumpelstiltskin eyed him and object with curiosity.
There was no introduction. The one-armed man shoved the ball into Rumpelstiltskin's hands and told him to think of Belle. It would show him her location.
"Surely it worked for you?" The one-armed man nodded. "Why come to me then?"
The man gave a long suffering sigh before answering curtly, "We lack someone with a certain skill set to breach the fairy's security."
"So you know where the fairy kept Belle captive?" A silent nod answered the king. "You've observed her place?" Another nod. "Have a plan?" A third nod. "Then why are you all here?! Who knows what that flea has done to her due to your inaction?" Rumpelstiltskin's voice rose steadily with each word. "Last I checked we have eleven assassins scattered in a town east of the capital. Any one of them can be of help!" The king rose from his seat, seething with anger, forgetting about the ball in his hand. The crystal ball rolled off the table and nearly hit the ground, but the one-armed man swiftly rescued it from its doom.
"In case you've forgotten, your majesty, you've stripped us of everything valuable. Our work does not yield us enough money to hire those people," the one-armed man answered evenly. "We heard that you've changed… how you've changed. We hope you might be able to help, if indeed Belle has a place in that black heart of yours."
'She doesn't just have a place in it, she owns it,' he thinks to himself. "You need one of my knights?"
"Yes."
"Very well." Rumpelstiltskin was about to ordered his knights when the one-armed man interrupted him.
"Don't you want to see where the fairy kept Belle captive?" the king stilled. He eyed the crystal ball in the other man's hand with dread. Several thoughts crossed his mind. Was he prepared to see what the ball will show him? Would it show her bloodied and broken body hanging from a tree? Maybe Mathilda had locked her in a room full of poisonous creatures. Was he brave enough to face the truth? Exhaling a deep breath, he did as instructed and gasped at what he saw. In a prison of thorns, Belle sat on a threadbare cot. Her matted hair covered her face and scratches were visible on her pale arms. All he knew in that moment was the fury welling up in him.
Abel, Maurice finally had the decency to introduce the one-armed man, explained the perilous path they had to take. He warned everyone present of the extreme journey and that any man who slowed the group would be left behind. Rumpelstiltskin scoffed. He cared not a whit for the danger. He only wanted to be there to carry Belle away to safety. He asked what needed to be done and the men detailed out their strategy.
Mathilda stationed a number of guards on different levels of her home. Maurice men said they could be dealt with rather easily. However, three masked men in long overcoat were stationed at Belle's cell, each with a curved and slender blade. Looking through the crystal ball, Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened. These swords and men were foreign to his lands, only a few were privy to their existence—there was no need to put his people in panic. Common men would spread rumours of an unknown empire infiltrating his lands and the last thing he needed was tension and disorganisation within his realm. This elusive group of men had cost him a number of skilled spies and soldiers. Their movements were swift, precise, and deadly. A single stroke of their blade was enough to cleanly cut his best spies in half. This explained why Maurice and his men sought his help. Going into your enemy's domain without fully understanding the danger would only lead to a failure mission.
Swift and silent was the surest way to a successful operation. Only seven men were needed to infiltrate the fairy's home. When the king objected and insisted on bringing his army, the companions rebuffed his proposal. They said it was an unwise decision—not all of his knights were equipped with the needed skills. "We would be spotted from miles you daft man!" someone shouted, earning a glare from the Rumpelstiltskin. Long hours of argument later, both parties relented—Belle would not gain anything from their childish bickering. Only Rumpelstiltskin and two of his skilled knights were allowed, forcing three of Maurice's company to stay behind with great reluctance.
Rumpelstiltskin's advisors warned him against his foolishness, but he was determined. He appointed his most trusted advisor, Isham, to govern in his absence. When Rumpelstiltskin and his chosen knights were finally alone with the seven men, he took a proper look at Belle's friends. The tallest amongst them—and also the most handsome—caressed the crystal ball with longing and worry. "Do not worry, my boy, we'll get Belle out," Maurice whispered before patting the man's shoulder, "I know that you love her, we all do, but worrying is neither going to help her nor you." The king felt a pang of jealously at this knowledge, but he ignored it. After all, Belle was in danger and it would not do for such trivial feelings to get in the way.