Chapter 23: The note

"Come in" a low voice, with a strong accent, said.

Two guards opened up the big double front doors, as a young brunette walked into the room. She held up the fabric of her big red dress, in case of falling. Her soft curls where falling over her shoulders, bouncing as she walked.

"Father." The lady said, "Do I have permission to leave the castle for the afternoon?"

"And where is your destiny?" The king said, not moving off his large golden seat.

"The flower fields, together with Emilie and Grace. We would like to go out for some horse riding."

"No way."

"But father…" the girl said letting the fabric of her dress slip through her hands.

"I said no Taylor!" The king stood up, forcing his daughter to stay home.

"I'll take care of her sir." A young man walked in, he was the prince of the Mountain Side's kingdom and Taylor was engaged with the man.

"Well then, you can go on one condition. You'll be home before 4, and don't you dare to come late."

"Yes father…" Taylor said grabbing the prince his arm and rushing out of the room.

Taylor rushed over to her sister, hugging her tightly.

"Look at you, how grown up you are Taylor!" Belle said smiling at her sister as she couldn't believe what she saw either.

"But how…"

"It's a long story, all that matters is I'm back now alright? It took a while but here we are, together as a family."

Belle pushed the three of them in a tight hug, to be really together.

"Taylor… Belle and I need to take care of some things, would you mind spending the day with your friends?" Rumple mentioned.

"Oh yes, of course! I leave you two alone." She pushed a little kiss on Rumple's cheek and waved her sister goodbye as the young lady walked out of the Pawn Shop slowly.

She decided to spend a bit of her day at Granny's, now she finally had the time to really speak with the others. Taylor opened the door, and already mentioned the delicious smell of different tea flavours hanging around the room.

"Taylor! There you are honey. Would you like some tea?" Granny asked her.

"I would love to, really!" she answered as Granny gave her the hot tea in this white mug which was decorated with red roses. And it looked so familiar, the mug… Like she had seen it before for so many times. She took it with her and placed it on a table in the middle of Granny's, where she took her seat.

"Good afternoon Miss. French, Alingswood…" a little man came to sit in front of her. He was wearing this light brown jacket and a red knitted hat.

"Good afternoon.. Um I'm sorry mister, do I know you?"

"We've never met no, but I know your family very well." He pointed at the white mug "It was your mothers wasn't it?"

Taylor straightened her back as she looked at the little man, she almost stared at him with her big dark green eyes. And now she remembered. It really was the mug of her mother. She never really known her mother though, Taylor was really young when she died. But she could remember how her dad adored the white mug and always poured Taylor's mint tea in it. She could still smell the lovely scent of sweet honey and fresh mint coming together in one cup. As she blew away the steam and ate the strawberries she got with the afternoon tea. How could she ever forget?

"You remember right?" the little man said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes, of course I do mister. How… How did you know it was my mothers?"

"I already told you, I know your family very well. Would you like to come with me?" He asked her, "Really, you would love to see what I want to show you."

Taylor always took the mystery road, but she didn't know about this one. She didn't even know the man! But she didn't know Killian either in the first place… She wanted him to be here, to hold her and rush his hand through her hair as she could lay against him. But the future seemed differently, she might never see her true love again. So she took the risk.

"Okay I'll come with you."

"Great!"

"But, on one condition." Taylor took a brief pause, "I need to leave a note here, so give me a minute."

The man accepted her condition and let her write the note, which the brunette gave to Granny as she whispered something in her ear. Granny seemed to agree as she nodded directly.

There they went, the girl who they called Miss. French A. now, and the little man who still didn't even mentioned his name.

They walked across the big main street, into the flower shop. Taylor inhaled the amazingly loving scent of red roses. They really were her favourite. She liked all the gorgeous flowers though, but this one in special.

"What are we doing here mister?"

"Just wait here for a second, please. Don't go…" and he ran into a backroom, as Taylor was left behind, alone. She saw this amazingly pretty orchid, decorated with white and pink hues.

And as she concentrated on the flower, a very strong and deep voice called her name "Taylor…" a man said as Taylor turned around.

"Dad?!" She said almost falling backwards between the flowers.

"Oh my darling, I've missed you so much." And he pushed his little girl in a tight hug.

Taylor seemed confused, not knowing what to do. It was her own father who run the flower shop all this time… How could she never mentioned the man sitting in the truck was her dad?

"I'm so glad you're still alive, I thought I never see you again! You never know who crosses paths with the Dark One…" and her dad got this weird look on his face, it showed how much he hated the Dark One.

"The Dark One? Dad, the man has a name. He's called Rumplestilskin."

"You know him?"

"I kind of live with him daddy…."

"You what? Taylor he is a monster, a beast. You do not want to live with such a sorcerer, his heart is only dark. He took your sister long ago."

"You told me she ran away, you lied to me and I knew it all the time! How could you ever do that?"

"Taylor I wanted to protect you."

"Protect me?!" she said angry, "You shut me out and locked me away in my own castle. I wasn't even allowed to meet my friends if Thomas wasn't coming with me."

"Thomas? The prince you was engaged with you mean? He kept waiting for you all this time but you ran away at the end of the story. To live with that beast of a Rumplestilskin? What were you thinking!" her dad was yelling.

"What I was thinking my dear father? That I would finally be free if I ran, and I was. I've learned how to use a sword, how to defend myself with archery. And most important, I've learned how to really love. You could never learn me that."

"Enough Taylor." He said "Mr. Smee, bring her to the basement."

And the little man, who was named Mr. Smee, took the arms of the young brunette and pushed her into a basement, locking the door with a double lock. Taylor yelled at her dad how cruel he was, how this wasn't a way of living. But he just said that it was for her own good.

But it didn't took long or she heard some people screaming upstairs, she became scared and searched for anything sharp in the little basement. And she found this little knife, sharp enough to stab someone and run away. So she took her place just in front of the door, and when it swung open she dropped the knife right away. It was Rumple.

"Rumple!" She yelled, jumping into his arms and hanging on his neck in a tight hug.

"It's already honey, you're safe…" he said calming the girl down, "Granny gave me the note right away when I walked into Granny's to search for you.

Rumple,

I'm taking this little walk, with a man I don't know.

He's little, has a brown jacket and this red knitted hat.

If you come to get me for dinner, and I'm not in Granny's…

Then please search for me.

I don't know where we are going, but it has something to do with my family.

I'm very sorry that I went along with this walk, but I needed to…

Xxx Taylor

"I'm so sorry Rumple, I needed to know what he knew about my family. And then my father was here… I just couldn't run this time, I needed to know more.

"It's alright sweetheart, we're going home and have dinner with Belle alright?"

"Actually… Can we go to Granny's for a second? I promise it won't take long."

Rumple agreed with her going to Granny's for a moment. Taylor rushed in and thanked Granny for a thousand times, she was just so thankful everything worked out.

"Oh and Granny… Can you please write my name on the roses mug? It would mean a lot…"

"Your name will be on it the next time you come here dear." And Granny winked at Taylor as the brunette rushed out of the café, jumping into Rumple's car.