"That was the last of it. It was supposed to put you to sleep!"
"What's it going to do to him?"
"I don't know. Magic here is unpredictable."
Unpredictable.
It was a word, Artemis loved.
I bet you all, are probably wondering how she got here? Why she was there? What happened to Pan? What happened between Artemis and Pan?
To understand that… (right now) you might need a large bit of paper, a pencil and a pen, a calculator and a very large brick.
But considering it would be rather cruel of me to put anyone though that type of stress an eternal screaming. We'll go slow.
Really slow.
And to do that, we need to go to the one person in Storybrooke who currently knew who she was.
"We need help. There's one other person in this town who knows about this…Knows about magic."
"Mr. Gold."
"Actually, he goes by Rumpelstiltskin."
The Enchanted Forest
3 Months Since Artemis Had Been On Neverland.
"This ring is now enchanted. The closer you get to Snow White, the brighter it will glow. Interested?" Rumple asked, his voice trailing into Artemis's ear even from where she stood.
They were in forest, one she could navigate in a few easy ways, but despite that, even she had to admit. Rumple's way would be much quicker than hers.
"Give it to me." David snapped. Artemis missed him, but they both knew the deal they took and the price of breaking it.
Sighing to herself, she leaned against the tree, not wanting to look at either of them. They both could be so stupid.
"Ah! It's not something for nothing, dearie. Time to make a deal."
"No! No more deals!" David shouted suddenly, the sound of steel ringing in her ears.
"Damn it, David!" Artemis hissed, whipping around, jogging towards them. The sounds of steel against steel being the only noise in the calm forest.
"Persistent." Rumple teased, pressing the sword against David's neck. "Rumple no!" she shouted, she could have fired an arrow, but really that would have done nothing, but irritate him. And (after almost three months with him) she found that irritating him was not the best, not if you just wanted to talk. "This is why you're here?" David said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "Come to gloat."
"You made the deal, dearie." Rumple sang back. "Had enough?"
"Boys please." Artemis grumbled, folding her arms. "Never." David hissed back, swiping his sword, making a thin cut on Rumple's face. "Oh, you done it now." Artemis groaned, Rumple raising a hand, magically healing the cut.
Before hitting David hard, throwing him against the tree. Before Rumple could make another move. Artemis ran between the two, effectively blocking them from each other; they wouldn't hurt her. That she knew.
"That's enough." she said firmly. "You made your point. Just do what you came to do." Artemis said, looking at Rumple sternly.
She was one of the few in the Enchanted Forest to dare look at Rumple in the eye; let alone give him orders or scold.
There was a very good reason for this.
Artemis really, truly and deeply: Did Not Care.
Not about his reputation, not about how 'evil' he was. And he was pretty evil. But she just came from Neverland.
She could handle Rumpelstiltskin.
Rumple smiled, laughing lightly lowering his sword. "Looking for this?" he said, waving David's sword, tossing it to him. "So brave. So gallant. So pointless. Bravery won't get you out this forest, dearie. Magic will. Trust me. This is a deal you want to make, because we both want the same thing."
"What's that?" David asked slowly.
"Why, you and your true love to be together, of course."
"Of course. True love, Miss Swan…The only magic powerful enough to transcend realms and break any curse. Luckily for you, I happen to have bottled some."
"Behold. The most powerful magic of all…True love." Rumple said, holding out a vial of purple potion. David reaching out for it, Rumple quickly withdrawing his hand. "Ah! Careful. This is all I have left of it."
Artemis rolled her eyes, getting up; taking the potion from him looking over it. "How the hell do you bottle love?"
"True love, sweetheart. There's a difference." Rumple said gently taking it from her. "What do you know of true love?" David asked, watching the two of them, with interest.
"Well, not so much as you, perhaps, but not so little as you might think."
"You? You loved someone?" David said dubiously, glancing at Artemis almost for confirmation. Artemis shrugged, sitting down on a large tree root.
"It was a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Artemis said, retying her plait. "What happened?" she asked.
"She died. That's the thing about true love, dearie. It can slip through your fingers. It's the most powerful magic in the world. The only magic powerful enough to break any curse. It must be protected at all costs." Rumple said, Artemis nodding; taking in this helpful bit of information.
It was how things working with Rumpelstiltskin. You learned without him teaching you. That was apparently his teaching method.
It was weird.
"I don't understand. What exactly is it you want me to do?"
"I want you to help me protect it. By putting it in a safe place for me." Rumple said, producing a golden egg shaped container.
"What's he meant to do? Stick it up a giant gooses butt?" Artemis asked, making David snort, which he quickly covered up into a cough.
"Don't be so crass." Rumple chided, putting the vial into the egg. "But, yes in a way."
"What do you mean? And where is that safe place?" David asked, suspicious. Artemis turned to rumple also rather confused.
"Inside the belly of a beast, of course." Rumple said, shutting the egg, tossing it to David. "Why hide it?" he asked, glancing down at the egg.
"Let's just say, I'm saving it for a rainy day."
"That's why I'm the saviour. That's why I can break the curse."
"I can't believe you made him do that." Artemis said, placing a stone down on the ground for the fire. "If he died-"
"But he didn't." Rumple interrupted, watching David swim to shore. "Like I knew he would, dearie."
Artemis sighed, shaking her head standing up. "Nevertheless, there were easier ways." she said, snapping her fingers. Instantly the pile of sticks lit up, the fire burning high into the sky, before finally settling down.
"Very good." Rumple said, glancing at the flames, Artemis standing next to him. "Could be better." he added, making Artemis make an agitated noise. "Next time don't collect the sticks. Make them."
"I don't know how."
"Learn."
"Impressive, dearie. Very impressive, indeed. Come warm yourself." Rumple said, turning his attention to David; who had just made it to shore. Walking up, his clothing soaked.
Artemis picked up a blanket pulling it on her brother, kindly tucking it around him. "Sorry." she whispered. David smiling back, patting her hand gently. "Its okay." he whispered back, turning to Rumple. "I have done what you've asked. Return my ring to me."
"Of course – you're in a bit of a rush. How rude of me." Rumple said, holding out the ring. "With this…Prince Charming…You will find her." Rumple said, handing the ring to him. His voice for once not condescending nor cruel.
For once, it seemed kind.
Artemis smiled to herself, walking back to Rumple's side. While she missed her brother dearly, they both knew the deal.
"Thank you." David said, taking the ring, walking away before Rumple might rope him into anything else. It was kind of his thing.
"Something's missing." Rumple said, raising his hands. Red smoke enveloped David, his clothes transforming into something more 'princely' than what he was wearing. And dryer.
"Now, you're ready for your big moment."
"Why do you want us together? What do you get out of it?" David asked. "That is a good question." Artemis said, turning to Rumple.
Rumple shrugged. "I'm a fan of true love, dearie. And, more importantly, what it creates."
Rumple shut the door of his shop, placing the egg on the counter, opening it up he held the vial of potion in his hands, taking a dropper, he carefully extracted one drop of potion.
Walking into the back room, he slid down the books, opening up the back door. The coffin remained the same with his faithful little apprentice there too.
Bending down he dropped the single drop of potion onto the coffin. The entire thing shinned. "Almost time, sweetheart. Almost time." he said, just as the shop bell rang.
"I love you, Henry."
A pulse of magic burst throughout Storybrooke, washing over everything. People began waking up, their cursed selves falling away leaving their true fairy-tale selves once again.
"The curse. I think you broke it."
In Mr Gold's shop, pulse of magic filtered though. Surrounding the glass coffin.
"Snow!"
"Charming."
"You found me."
"Did you ever doubt I would?"
The Coffin began to shake slowly.
"This is a very special place, Belle. The waters that run below are said to have the power to return that which one has lost."
The purple smoke billowed out of the well, slowly covering the town.
"What is that?"
"Something bad."
The smoke covered Mr Gold's shop.
"We're in a land without magic, Belle. And I'm bringing it. Magic…Is coming."
"Why?"
The coffin shook violently.
A hand pressed against the glass.
"Why? Because magic…Is power."
The smoke wrapped around the clock tower. Just as the clock struck 8:15.
The first time it did in 28 years.
Thoughts?
Thank you my wonderful readers for reading and enjoying this story! Really, it makes me so happy!
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Till next time...