Chapter 55: Desperate Soul
1800 AD - The Enchanted Forest - Fairy Tale Realm
Rumplestiltskin, Milah, and Baelfire are out collecting firewood
"Milah, you don't have to do that all yourself" Rumple said "I said I would help"
"You said that, but somehow, it still didn't get done" Milah replied
"I was chasing dragonflies with the boy" Rumple said
"Did he protect you from the big ones?" Milah asked sarcastically. Baelfire wanders off, not wanting to watch his parents fight, again
"I know my leg slows me down" Rumple said "but I can do better, I can change"
"You're never going to change, Rumple" Milah replied
"I can" Rumple said "I can be whatever you want me to be"
"Just go play with the boy" Milah said "that's one thing you can do, at least" and they hear Baelfire cry out in pain
"Bae!" Rumple and Milah shout in unison and then go towards the sound of Baelfire's scream. They find him on the ground with a snake by him. Milah grabs a thick tree branch and kills the snake with it.
Rumple and Milah take Baelfire to the local healer, Fendrake
"Excuse us, Fendrake" Rumple said "sorry to bother you sir. It's our son, we left him at home, thinking it might be too dangerous to move him"
"We need the antidote to this" Milah said and she shows Fendrake the snake's body
"Atlantian rat snake" Fendrake said after seeing it "it's 24 hour poison, your boy will die tomorrow"
"No!" Rumple exclaimed
"Unless you're willing to use magic" Fendrake said
"Magic, we'll pay anything" Rumple said "what magic?" and Fendrake leads them in his hut, where he shows him a vial
"There is a potion to heal your child, but it's very rare" Fendrake said
"How much?" Rumple asked
"One hundred gold pieces" Fendrake replied and Rumple and Milah know they can't pay, so they leave
"One hundred gold pieces, we won't see that in our lives" Rumple said
"No, but we'll get our cure anyway" Milah said
"How?" Rumple asked
"You'll go back and take it" Milah said
"Take it?" Rumple asked "he knows we'd be the ones that took it and he'd kill me for sure"
"Now that's a puzzle you'll have to figure out" Milah said "he can't kill you if you get him first"
Later, in the local tavern, Milah shows Rumple a dagger, but he refuses to take it
"It's a dagger, Rumple, not a dragon" Milah said "don't be scared of it"
"I'm scared because our son is dying" Rumple said "he should be with us, not some village nursemaid"
"I didn't spend our last gold coin on a knife to slice the roast at his wake" Milah said "Bae only has a couple of hours left. Let's spend that time to do something to help him, something brave, for once" and she kisses him. Rumple takes the knife and nods "now go" and he leaves. A man knocks into Milah and causes her to spill her drink all over herself
"Ah, did I make you do that?" the man asked "ah, a nice dress on a pretty girl" and he grabs a rag to "help" her "wipe" it up
"Stop it!" Milah shouted, pushing his hands away
"I got it, I got it" the man continued
"Leave the lady alone" another man said pulling the first man off of her
"Or what?" the first man asked
"Well…" the second man began and then gave the first man a left hook
"Thank you, sir" Milah said to the second man
"Captain Killian Jones" the second man said "at your service, ma'am"
"That doesn't look to be the uniform of any navy…" Milah began and then realized "oh… you're a…"
"Well, they call us pirates" Killian said "we sail where we will and answer to no crown"
"I've not seen the sea much beyond our small port" Milah said "is it wonderful to travel so much?"
"Ay" Killian replied "do you know, there are cities, where the air smells of spices, women are carried on jeweled chairs, would you like to see that?"
"I would love that" Milah said "but I have responsibilities here, an ailing child, a husband"
"Ah" Killian said "a husband. It will appear a better man than I has won. But I am in port, quite often, should that ever change"
"It won't" Milah said "but thank you"
Meanwhile, in Fendrake's hut, Rumple prepares to kill him when he wakes up
"You" Fendrake said "I could kill you with a single spell"
"I don't need a spell, I've got a dagger" Rumple said and he holds it Fendrake's throat
"Then do it" Fendrake said
"I can't" Rumple said "… I just can't" and he puts down the dagger
"Of course not" Fendrake said. He gets up and makes Rumple some tea "how much does your son mean to you?"
"Everything" Rumple said
"Then you can leave here with the cure" Fendrake said and he hands him the vial
"But I don't have any gold" Rumple said "I just have a dagger"
"There will be a terrible price to pay, but not in gold" Fendrake said "if you're interested, we can make a deal.
"I don't much about deals, but if I can save my son's life, I will trade anything" Rumple said
"To save a life it will cost a life" Fendrake said "I will give you the magic to save your first child's life in exchange for your second child" Traditionally, Fendrake knows, you'd generally require the same child whose life you saved to come work for you… but this man had been through enough, and the man did spare his own life
Later, Rumple arrives home
"Milah, I got it" Rumple said
"You got it" Milah said and she takes it and gives it to Baelfire "you did it"
"I just thought of what mattered" Rumple said
"The Healer" Milah whispers to Rumple "do we have to go back and hide his body? How did you leave him?"
"Alive and well" Rumple said "Milah, this worked out better than we thought, I didn't even have to steal it"
"Tell me more" Milah said
"I had him" Rumple said "he was half asleep and I had a knife at his throat and than it came to me in a flash. I thought, if I kill to save my son, then my son grows up as a murderer, a monster, as a father…"
Hall of Legends
"Oh, the irony" Simultaneous said
The Enchanted Forest - Fairy Tale Realm
"…I couldn't do that" Rumple continued
"What are you talking about, Rumple?" Milah asked
"He gave me a cure, because we made a deal" Rumple said "he wanted something else, instead of gold"
"What did you give him?" Milah asked
"I signed a paper promising him my second born child" Rumple said
"You… you… sold our child?" Milah asked
"No" Rumple said "no, no, no, that's it, I didn't. We don't have a second born child, we just have to make sure we never do"
"Because you sold him" Milah said "you sold our future, our family. Rumple…"
"Papa?" Baelfire asked, waking up
"Bae, you're alright" Rumple said as Milah and him went to check on him "Milah, Bae can be all the future we need"
"Well, thank you very much" Milah said "for deciding the rest of my narrow little life for me. I'm going to the tavern, Rumple"
Hall of Legends
"I can't believe the Healer wouldn't help the couple save their son" Suzu said "are people really that greedy?"
"Certainly" Sora said "but the Healer isn't quite as greedy or cruel as he appears to be. His initial price was a hundred gold coins, but the traditional price of magic for saving life beyond hope of repair is another life in exchange… a hundred gold coins is cheap compared to that. Additionally, he could've easily killed Rumple if he wanted to and would've been justified in doing so, but he didn't. He could've demanded the boy belong to him now in exchange for his life… but he only wanted a second born that does not exist and very likely will never exist"
"Additionally" Nyx said "he has placed himself in grave danger. The price of magic for saving a life is another life… regardless of whether or not the healer demands that as the price. By essentially giving away the cure… the healer now needs to come up with another life to pay the price… if not, Fate will conspire to take a life in return, and if even Fate is somehow thwarted, the Fury will take the life itself…"
1801 AD - The Enchanted Forest - Fairy Tale Realm
Rumple returns home to see Baelfire by himself
"Where's mom?" Rumple asked "… she probably just lost track of time. Grab your cloak, we'll find her"
Rumple enters the town tavern to see Milah having drinks with pirates, including Killian Jones
"Milah, it's time to go home" Rumple said
"Good, so go" Milah replied
"Who's this?" Killian asked
"Oh, it's no one" Milah said "just my husband"
"Oh" Killian said "he's a tad taller than you described" and his crew laughed
"Please, you have responsibilities" Rumple said
"You mean like being a man, and fighting in the Ogre Wars" Milah said "other wives became honored widows, while I became latched to the village coward. I need a break, run home Rumple, it's what you're good at"
"Mama?" Baelfire asked, entering the tavern
"Bae?" Rumple said "you were supposed to wait outside, son." At the sight of her son, Milah gets up and takes him home.
Later at home, Milah is laying in bed as Rumple makes some tea
"You don't really wished I died during the Ogre Wars do you?" Rumple asked her
"I wished you fought, don't you?" Milah replied
"Well, I'm alive" Rumple said "and I'm here with you, with Bae"
"This isn't a life, not for me" Milah said "why can't we just leave?"
"We've talked about this" Rumple said. While he was known as the village coward, the villagers also knew despite that, he did good work as a spinner and while they certainly weren't rich, they made enough to get by, with a little extra left over. If they went to a new village, there's no guarantee anyone would buy from him, especially if there was already a local spinner
"You don't have to be the village coward" Milah said "we could start again. Go somewhere no one knows us, see the whole world, beyond this village"
"I know this isn't the life you wanted" Rumple said "but it can be good. At least try, if not for me, then for Bae"
"Okay, I'll try" Milah said
A few days later, Rumple hears a knock at the door and goes to open it, where he sees a neighbor
"Rumplestiltskin" the neighbor said "you need to get to the docks, now"
"The docks, why?" Rumple asked
"The men who came into port last week, they've taken Milah" the neighbor said "they're setting sail, you must hurry"
Rumple goes to the docks and is brought aboard the Jolly Roger, where he sees some of the pirates from the tavern
"I remember you, from the bar" Rumple said to the ship's captain
"It's always nice to make an impression" Killian said "where are my manners, we haven't been formally introduced, Killian Jones, now what are you doing aboard my ship?"
"Well… you have my wife" Rumple said
"I've had many a man's wife" Killian said
"You see, we have a son, and he needs his mother" Rumple said
"You see, I have a ship full of men, who need… companionship" Killian said
"I'm begging you, please let her go" Rumple pleaded
"I'm not much for bartering" Killian said "that said, I do consider myself an honorable man, a man with a code, so… if you truly want your wife back…" and he dropped a sword at Rumple's feet "…all you have to do is take her" and he draws his sword and touches it to Rumple's chest "never been in a duel before, I take it? It's quite simple really, pointy end goes in the other guy. Go on, pick it up" but Rumple just stands there "a man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets"
"Please sir, whatever am I going to tell my boy?" Rumple asked
"Try the truth" Killian replied "his father's a coward"
1809 AD
Zoso had lost his patience. Despite everything Rumplestiltskin had been put through, he still was not ready to become a Dark One, and Zoso wondered if he ever would. The man was destined for greatness until his fate was severed, he never knew his mother, was abandoned by his father, was branded the village coward, his wife was 'kidnapped'… and yet the Darkness said he wasn't ready yet.
As much as Zoso would've loved the irony of a former Savior becoming the Dark One, he couldn't take this burden any longer. So he sought another candidate to take on the Darkness, and he found one, one that surprised him, the Duke of the Frontlands. The Duke was trapped in a never-ending war with the Ogres. Not surprising, humans in this land didn't have the technology to effectively fight Ogres without magic… which is exactly what Zoso would offer him. He should be able to trick the Duke into killing him with his Dagger…
"That went well" the Darkness, in the form of Gorgon, later said to Zoso
"I didn't think he'd figure out it could be used to control me" Zoso said "I thought he'd just kill me with it"
"You thought wrong" the Darkness said "and now we're both going to pay the price as his slave"
1810 AD
Rumple is at his spinning wheel, when Baelfire comes in in a panic
"Papa, Papa" Baelfire said "they've come for Morraine" and Rumple goes out with Baelfire to see. Morraine's mother pleads with the soldiers as they're hauling Morraine away
"Please don't take my baby" Morraine's mother pleads
"Nonsense" the lead soldier said "she's a fine, strong girl, she'll make a fine soldier"
"There must be a mistake" Morraine's father pleads "she's only turning fourteen, just fourteen"
"Orders of the Duke" the lead soldier said "the Ogre Wars have taken their toll. More troops will turn the tide"
"They lowered the age again, Papa" Baelfire whispers to Rumple. In the last year, they've lowered the minimum age for the draft four times.
"Take her" the lead soldier ordered the other soldiers "she'll ride with me"
"No!" Morraine's mother exclaims as she draws a knife on the lead soldier. All of a sudden, Morraine's parents begin gasping for air like they were being choked. Everyone turns to see a man in a black cloak holding his hand up
"The Dark One seems to think I can" the lead soldier said and he nods to the Dark One, who releases the girl's parents. The soldiers ride off with Morraine.
"My birthday's in three days" Baelfire said to Rumple "they'll come for me in three days"
"We'll find a way, we'll find a way" Rumple said to Baelfire
That night, Rumple wakes Baelfire up
"Wake up, son" Rumple said "we're going now, c'mon, c'mon"
"It feels wrong to run away" Baelfire said as they walk into the woods
"It's worse to die, son" Rumple said "I will not have you taken away to the Ogres War"
"Alms for the poor?" A beggar asked
"Yes" Rumple said and he gives the beggar a few coins
"Thank you, thank you, thank you" the beggar replied and Rumple and Baelfire went on their way
"Are you sure there's no other way?" Baelfire asked
"I can't lose you, Bae" Rumple said "you're all I have left, son. You don't understand what war is like, what they do to you" and they hear horses on the path "quick hide" and they get off the path into the woods, but it's too late
"Stop right there" the lead soldier said "what are you doing on the king's road?"
"We have some wool to sell at the fair" Rumple said
"I know you, don't I?" the lead soldier asked, getting off his horse "what was your name? Spindleshanks? Threadwhistle? Hobblefoot?
"His name is Rumplestiltskin" Baelfire said
"Boy" Rumple cautioned his son
"Rumple…" the lead soldier thought out loud "aw, the man who ran. Is this your boy? How old is he? What's your name?"
"I'm Baelfire and I'm thirteen" Baelfire said
"When's your birthday?" the lead soldier asked
"In two days time" Baelfire replied
"Hush, boy" Rumple warned
"Did you teach him how to run as well, Rumplestlitskin" the lead soldier said and he turns to Baelfire "did he tell you? Did he tell you how he ran and the Ogres turned the tide of the battle, and all the others were killed. And he returned home, to a wife that could not bear the sight of him"
"Please…" Rumple pleaded
"You see" the lead soldier continued "women do not like to be married to cowards"
"Don't speak to my boy like that" Rumple pleaded
"It's treason to avoid service" the lead soldier proclaimed "take the boy now"
"No, no" Rumple pleaded "what do you want?"
"What do I want?" the lead soldier asked, confused "you aren't rich, no influence, no land, no title, no power. The truth is, all you really have, is fealty. Kiss my boot"
"I don't understand" Rumple said
"You asked my price, kiss my boot" the lead soldier said
"Not in front of my boy" Rumple pleaded
"Kiss my boot!" the lead soldier exclaimed and Rumple drops to the ground and kisses the boot. The lead soldier then kicks him and laughs
"Papa!" Baelfire exclaimed as the soldiers rode away. The beggar from earlier runs up
"It's okay" the beggar said "let me help you, let me help you"
"I don't have any more money to give you" Rumple said
"I can think of another way" the beggar said "you just feed me whatever you can spare, and I'll find a way to be your benefactor"
Later that night, back in Rumple's cabin, Rumple gives the beggar some food as Baelfire is sleeping
"They'll be no fleeing now" Rumple said
"You need to find another way" the beggar said "you need to choose a different path"
"Choose?" Rumple asked "what choice do I have?"
"Everyone has a choice" the beggar replied
"I'm the town coward" Rumple said "the only choice I have, is which corner to hide in. I'm lame, friendless. The only thing I've got is my boy and they're going to take him away from me. If they take him away from me, I will truly, truly, become dust"
"Not if you have power" the beggar said
"You may as well say diamonds" Rumple said
"Get ahold of yourself" the beggar said "think, why do you think someone as powerful as the Dark One would work for a useless fool like the Duke of the Frontlands?"
"Tell me" Rumple said
"The Duke has the Dark One enthralled, he's enslaved him with the power of a mystical dagger and on the blade is written a name, the true name of the Dark One. If you were to steal the Dagger, then you would control the Dark One yourself and then no one would be able to take your son away from you"
"To keep a man like the Dark One as a slave, I, I, I, can't, I'd be terrified" Rumple said
"Then perhaps, instead of controlling the power, you need to take it" the beggar said
The next day, Rumple directs Baelfire to treat the sheep's wool
"Why are we doing this, Papa?" Baelfire asked "this is good wool, you can spin it into silk"
"These are the keys to the castle, son" Rumple replied "and once we're inside, there's something I have to take"
"What do you need to take?" Baelfire asked
"That old beggar, he told me a fine tale" Rumple said "about the Duke, and his magical dagger"
"What's it do?" Baelfire asked
"If I own that Dagger, I control the Dark One" Rumple said "if I kill the Dark One with the Dagger, I take his powers" and Baelfire looks at him in shock and horror "imagine me with those powers, can you imagine me with those powers, Bae? I could use it to redeem myself, I could use it towards good. I'll save all the children of the Frontlands, not just you, my boy"
"I'd love to see that" Baelfire said "but if the law says I'm to fight, I can fight"
"No, no, no" Rumple said "the law doesn't want you to fight, it wants you to die. That's not battle, that's suicide. Look at the red in the sky, that's not the fire of the battlefields, that's the blood of our people, son. It's the blood of children, the blood of children like you. And what sane person would want to get involved with that"
"So it's true… it's true you ran" Baelfire said
"I had no choice, son" Rumple replied
"And Mother?" Baelfire asked "did she leave you like the knight said? You told me she was dead"
"She is dead" Rumple replied. He didn't know for sure, but women don't tend to last long after being kidnapped by pirates… Baelfire didn't need to know the details
"So what do I do?" Baelfire asked and Rumple smiles
The night before Baelfire's birthday, Rumple and Baelfire enter the Duke's castle and manage to start a fire. Rumple has Baelfire get to safety while he looks for the Dagger, and sure enough, it was right where the beggar said it would be. On the Dagger was written the name "Zoso" Rumple goes to find Baelfire in the woods outside the castle
"Papa!" Baelfire said as Rumple approaches him "I was so worried for you, are you burned?"
"I'm fine, son, I'm fine" Rumple said "I need you to go home and wait for me there"
"Please, I have a bad feeling" Baelfire said
"Bae" Rumple said "this is something I have to do on my own. Go home, son, go home. I'll be back, now go" and Baelfire leaves and Rumple draws the Dark One's Dagger. "Dark One, I summon thee" …and nothing happens. Rumple turns around and the Dark One is right there
"You were asking for me?" Zoso asked
"Submit, O Dark One" Rumple said "I control you"
"Yes you do" Zoso agreed "wield the power wisely… you can wield it at anytime now… it's almost dawn, that mean's it's your son's birthday. I bet Hordor and his men are already on their way to your house"
"They can't take him" Rumple said
"You don't control them" Zoso said "you control me. Have you ever wondered, is he really your child at all? Unlike you, he's not a coward and yearns to fight and die, in glory. What a poor bargain that would be, to lay down your soul to save another man's son. So I ask you, what would you have me do?"
"Die" Rumple said as he stabbed Zoso. Zoso's scaly skin fades away, revealing the beggar, who laughs "It's you… you're the beggar"
"Looks like you made a deal, you didn't understand" Zoso said "I don't think you're going to do that again"
"You told me to kill you" Rumple said
"My life was such a burden" Zoso said "you'll see, magic always comes with a price, and now it's yours to pay"
"Why me? Why me?" Rumple asked
"I know how to recognize a desperate soul" Zoso said as he died
"No, stay" Rumple said "you have to tell me what to do, tell me what to do!" And he pulls the Dark One's Dagger out of Zoso's body and now "Zoso" was no longer written on it, but rather "Rumplestiltskin"
A tornado of Darkness comes out of Zoso's body and surrounds Rumple and teleports him away
The Vault of the Dark One
Rumplestiltskin appears surrounded by Darkness. He sees the darkest parts of his life
"Help, a monster!" Rumple exclaimed
"It's not a monster, Rumple" Malcolm said "it's a friend, a part of the island. After I do what it told me and let you go, it'll become part of me too"
"Don't let him take me" Rumple pleaded
"I don't have a choice" Malcolm said "to stay here, I have to believe I'm young again and with you here to remind me, I can't"
"No, Papa, please, help me!" Rumple said
"A child, can't have a child, Rumple" Malcolm said "I'm sorry, but it's true. Don't fight it. We both know you're better off without me. I was never meant to be a father" and he let's Rumple go
"NO!" Rumple screamed, as the Shadow begins to take him away, and dropping his doll as well. The Shadow points at Malcolm and when Rumple looks, green magic surrounds him, turning Malcolm into a teenager.
"I'm gonna have a son and I'm going to die" Rumple said and he hears nothing back "answer me!" and he lifts the sheet to see the crate is empty. He looks to a mallet, grabs it, and then smashes it against his own foot, screaming in pain
"What's his name?" Rumple asked
"Baelfire" Milah said
"A strong name" Rumple said
"Something he'll need it" Milah said "if he's to live with the shame of being your son"
"What are you talking about?" Rumple asked
"Rumple, is it true?" Milah asked
"Is what true?" Rumple asked
"Did you injure yourself so you wouldn't have to fight, so you would be sent home?" Milah asked
"Who told you that?" Rumple asked
"Rumors travel quickly from the Front" Milah said "Rumple did you do this to yourself?! Did you do it to yourself?!"
"Yes!" Rumple exclaimed "a seer told me I was going to die in the battle"
"You did this because a seer told you to do it?" Milah asked
"She was right about everything else" Rumple said "I left the front to be with you, you and Baelfire"
"You left because you were afraid" Milah said "you became what everyone thought you would, a coward, just like your father"
"I'm nothing like my Father" Rumple said "he abandoned me, I will never ever do that to my son. That's why I did this, for him, all for the boy. To save him from the same fate I suffered. Growing up without a father"
"You sentenced him to a fate much worse, growing up as your son" Milah said
"Well… you have my wife" Rumple said
"I've had many a man's wife" Killian said
"You see, we have a son, and he needs his mother" Rumple said
"You see, I have a ship full of men, who need… companionship" Killian said
"I'm begging you, please let her go" Rumple pleaded
"I'm not much for bartering" Killian said "that said, I do consider myself an honorable man, a man with a code, so… if you truly want your wife back…" and he dropped a sword at Rumple's feet "…all you have to do is take her" and he draws his sword and touches it to Rumple's chest "never been in a duel before, I take it? It's quite simple really, pointy end goes in the other guy. Go on, pick it up" but Rumple just stands there "a man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets"
"Please sir, whatever am I going to tell my boy?" Rumple asked
"Try the truth" Killian replied "his father's a coward
"What do I want?" the lead soldier asked, confused "you aren't rich, no influence, no land, no title, no power. The truth is, all you really have, is fealty. Kiss my boot"
"I don't understand" Rumple said
"You asked my price, kiss my boot" the lead soldier said
"Not in front of my boy" Rumple pleaded
"Kiss my boot!" the lead soldier exclaimed and Rumple drops to the ground and kisses the boot. The lead soldier then kicks him and laughs
He sees every time he was mocked for being abandoned by his father, by his wife, every time someone called him a coward
"Have you ever wondered, is he really your child at all?" Zoso asked "Unlike you, he's not a coward and yearns to fight and die, in glory. What a poor bargain that would be, to lay down your soul to save another man's son. So I ask you, what would you have me do?"
"Die" Rumple said as he stabbed Zoso
He then emerges from the Vault in liquid Darkness. The Darkness falls away and reveals Rumplestiltskin, now with scaly skin
"Well, you get your wish, I'm here to tell you what to do" a voice said and Rumple turns to see Zoso
"Zoso" Rumple said
"Not exactly" the Darkness said "I'm the voice in your head of all the Dark Ones that came before you, think of me as your guide"
"Help me save my son" Rumple said
"Just think of where you want to go" the Darkness said and Rumple teleported away
The Enchanted Forest
At Rumple's cabin, Hordor and his soldiers take Baelfire
"Everyone's watching from behind their curtains today" Hordor said with a chuckle. All of a sudden, one of his men are stabbed in the back and Hordor kneels "Dark One" and then he realizes that the Dark One is no longer Zoso "No… who are you?"
"Have you forgotten me already?" Rumple asked "What did you used to call me? Spindleshanks? Threadwhistle? Hobblefoot?"
"Papa?" Baelfire asked, worried. Rumple shows Hordor the name on his Dagger, which is still bloody with the blood of one of Hordor's men
"Rumplestiltskin" Hordor said, reading it
"Wonderful" Rumple said "and now you shall know me, as the new Dark One. How about a little fealty? Kiss my boot." Hordor kisses Rumple's boot, but as Hordor gets back up from the ground, Rumple grabs his head and snaps his neck. The other soldiers draw the swords, but Rumple kills them with the Dagger
"No, Papa!" Baelfire exclaimed "Papa… what has happened to you?"
"You're safe, Bae" Rumple replied "do you feel safe son?"
"No" Baelfire replied "I'm frightened"
"I'm not" Rumple said "I've protected what belongs to me and I'm not scared of anything"
The Underworld
"No, no, no!" Zoso exclaimed "I'm stuck here?!"
"Just like the rest of us" Nimue replied
"You said if I got someone to take the power from me, I'd be free of it" Zoso said
"We lied" Nimue said "we're Dark Ones, what do you expect?"
Hall of Legends
"And so the Savior became the Dark One" Simultaneous said
"Former Savior, technically" Reul said
"Thanks to you and your fairies" Poseidon said
"We must keep a close eye on this new Dark One" the Apprentice said "his powers as the Savior should be completely gone… but if even a hint of it remains, it will multiply the Darkness' powers tenfold…"
The Enchanted Forest - Fairy Tale Realm
At the front lines of the First Ogres War, a foot soldier turns to Baelfire's friend Morraine and said "I can't…" and begins to run off when he is stopped my another soldier
"Where do you think you're going?" the soldier asked
"The ogres, they'll kill us" the foot soldier replied
"We're the only thing standing between those monsters and home" the soldier said "if we run, they'll kill everyone"
"How can we possibly win?" the foot soldier asked
"This blade, it's called Hrunting" the soldier said "it was enchanted with light magic, by Reul Ghorm, an Original Power, to ensure whoever carries it into battle will be hailed a hero. So you can either by remembered as a hero, or forever known as the coward who ran on the eve of victory"
"Alright, Beowulf, I'll fight" the foot soldier said, drawing his sword
"To victory!" Beowulf said, raising his sword, leading the soldiers into battle. An ogre knocks a few soldiers back, but Beowulf uses Hrunting to kill it. Two more ogres advance on the soldiers. However, even with Hrunting's help, the ogres overrun the soldiers and soon only Beowulf and Morraine were left "do you worst!" and he charges at an ogre, who simply knocks him around, forcing him to drop Hrunting. Beowulf covers Morraine, trying to protect the child, even though it would only delay the inevitable by seconds. However, the ogre then explodes. He looks to see a scaly man in a soldier's uniform holding a dagger. The man turns around, waving the dagger and Beowulf hears the ogres crying out in pain
"I killed all of them" Rumplestiltskin said with a giggle
Later, at the tavern a soldier makes a toast to Rumple
"To Rumplestiltskin, hero of the Ogres War!" the soldier proclaimed
"Is that true, Papa?" Baelfire asked "you really defeated the ogres?"
"Aye, Baelfire, it is" Rumple replied, pulling out his Dagger "I told you this Dagger would change our lives. Now no one else has to die"
"Why are you cheering for that monster?" Beowulf asked
"You lost this, at the front" Rumple said, handing Beowulf Hrunting back
"Rumplestiltskin" Beowulf said "you've changed, since you've hobbled yourself to escape the war. How did a coward who ran from the war, manage to defeat an entire army of ogres"
"I had something worth fighting for" Rumple replied, putting his arm around Baelfire
"I know how" Beowulf said "you became the Dark One. Dark Magic comes with a price. We'll pay dearly for this, all of us" and he left
"Papa" Baelfire said
"Don't listen to him, Bae" Rumple said "he's just jealous"
"Maybe, Papa" Baelfire said "but he's right about magic. The war's over, you don't need it anymore"
"I can't just give it up Bae" Rumple said "it's part of me now"
"That's not true" Baelfire said "beneath those scales, you're still my Papa. You don't need the dagger anymore"
"Alright son" Rumple said, putting the Dagger away "no more magic. Let's go home"
Later at home, Rumple is spinning when Baelfire barges in, clearly upset and trying to hide his face from him. As Rumple gets a look at his face, he notices it's covered in mud.
"Bae, what happened?" Rumple asked "who did this to you? Tell, me"
"The baker's son" Baelfire replied
"Why would he do that?" Rumple asked
"So I would look like a monster" Baelfire replied
"Just like me" Rumple said
"I think it's about time I had a word with his father" Rumple said
"No, Papa!" Baelfire exclaimed "you'll only make things worse" but Rumple ignores him and goes to the door. However, when he opens it, he finds a crowd of villagers outside
"Rumplestiltskin" a village woman said
"What?" Rumple asked
"There's a village creature, called a grendel" the village woman replied "he raided our village, carried our friends and family of into the darkness
"I'm afraid my monster slaying days are over" Rumple said "I made promise to my son and I intend to keep it"
"We sent Beowulf after the beast days ago, but we haven't heard from him since" the village woman said
"Papa" Baelfire said "you can help them"
"But I can't break my promise son" Rumple said "I won't use dark magic"
"You don't have to" Baelfire said "you can save those people without your magic"
"No, I can't" Rumple said
"You can" Baelfire said more forcibly "it will be the chance to show everyone in that village the truth, that you're not a slave to that dagger"
"Do you think it will make things better for us?" Rumple asked
"I know it will, Papa" Baelfire said
Later, in the cave where the grendel lives, Rumple and Baelfire find the bodies of the missing villagers. Rumple grabs a sword from one of the villagers and looks for the grendel. Beowulf tackles Rumple to the ground and holds Hrunting at Baelfire's neck
"Stay away from my son!" Rumple exclaimed
"Or what?" Beowulf said, lowering Hrunting, and revealing he managed to grab the Dark One's Dagger from Rumple
"Don't!" Baelfire exclaimed "we should be fighting grendle together
"There is no grendle, Bae" Rumple realized, putting the pieces together
"Your Father's, right" Beowulf said "the only monster down here, is the Dark One"
"You killed those villagers" Rumple said
"I didn't, you did" Beowulf replied
"Why are you doing this?" Baelfire asked
"So he can be the hero he thinks he was meant to be" Rumple said
"We would've won that war without your Dark Magic" Beowulf said
"You would've died, everyone would've died" Rumple stated "and doing this now, won't make you a hero"
"That's not what the villagers are going to think when they see you standing over these bodies" Beowulf said and Rumple went at him "Dark One, I command thee to stay exactly where you are" and Rumple froze
"Papa!" Baelfire exclaimed
"Bae" Rumple said "run, get help"
"You think you can stop me?" Beowulf asked "you may have ended the Ogres War, but I'll be remembered as the hero who defeated the Dark One" and he leaves to stop Baelfire.
Out in the woods, Beowulf searches for Baelfire. He hears a noise and turns around. Baelfire tackles him to the ground and grabs the Dark One's Dagger from him
"You're just like your Father" Beowulf said "you don't have it in you" and he swings Hrunting at Baelfire
"Dark One, I summon thee" Baelfire said and Rumple appeared.
"I told you to stay away from my son" Rumple said and he uses his magic to knock Beowulf off his feet. He then uses magic to choke him
"Go ahead, kill me" Beowulf said while gasping for air "then your boy will see you are a monster" and Rumple looks over to Baelfire and then releases Beowulf
"I'm taking you back to the village, and I'm telling them the truth" Rumple said
"You think they'll believe you?" Beowulf asked "they're afraid of you, Rumple. They watched you bring an entire army of ogres to their knees. They know it's only a matter of time before they turn that Dagger on them"
"He's right, Papa" Baelfire said "they'll never believe us"
"Then we'll find a new village, Bae" Rumple said "we'll start over"
"No!" Baelfire exclaimed "I won't let him do this to us. He's the monster, he's the one who should pay." Beowulf starts to walk away "Dark One, stop him, kill him!" And Rumple snaps Beowulf's neck…
And then Rumple wakes up. He looks around and sees Baelfire fast asleep.
"What a nightmare" Rumple thought to himself "it only just barely reflected the previous days events. He did end the Ogres War and save Beowulf and Morraine. But the villagers didn't celebrate him doing so, they knew he had become the Dark One, his skin made it rather obvious. And even if he did, he certainly wouldn't be waving his Dagger around for all to see, that's what gets a Dark One killed. A monster known as a grendel did kill a few villagers and Beowulf did go missing trying to stop it, and some villagers did ask him for help. But while Baelfire didn't like him using magic, he understood that this time it was generally for the greater good, like with the Ogres War, and wouldn't have forbid him to use it. And even if he had, he would've at least had him bring a sword, he wouldn't have wanted his Father to go in defenseless. And he certainly would've never brought Baelfire with him. He found Beowulf's body among the other villagers, killed the grendel, and took Hrunting with him, no reason leaving a sword forged by an Original Power laying around. The thing that really snapped him out of the nightmare, was Baelfire ordering him to kill someone. Baelfire would've never done that, not even to save his own life. The whole dream had Baelfire act out of character, and come to think of it, he didn't even really look like Baelfire…"
"Now you understand why Dark One's don't usually sleep" a voice said and Rumple turned to see Zoso. Rumple twirls his hand and teleports himself into the woods, where he could talk to Zoso without disturbing Baelfire
"Dark Ones of course are capable of sleep" the Darkness said "but we don't need it and try to avoid it. It generally brings us nightmares of what we could do or justifications of what we did do"
"I… I think I'll avoid it for now" Rumple said
"Good, you're learning" the Darkness said
"I do have a question for you" Rumple said "why did the Duke never make you end of the Ogre's War?"
"What makes you think the Duke wanted the Ogre's War to end?" the Darkness asked "wars are good for nobles, as long as the fighting isn't too close to home. It inspires patriotism, it brings people together. It allows them to get away with things they never could without risking a revolt, why do you think the tax rates are so high? Do you really think the increase is all going to the war effort? Most of it is going to the Duke's pockets, so he can purchase various luxuries"
"… I'm going to return to my son" Rumple said and he teleports himself back home
