Cursed Hearts

Secrets in the Making

Silence drifted through the house with the afternoon sunlight, creating a warm haze of uncertainty. For how busy everyone seemed to be, the house did not reflect much of it. Henry was packing his suitcase in he and Roland's shared bedroom, barely making a sound as he did so. Caroline thought about helping him out for something to do, but she couldn't face the reality of him leaving again. Downstairs, the door to the study was closed- she could feel her mother's magic weighted against her, almost like a repelling magnet. The girl had cautiously knocked on the door earlier, wondering what they could've been doing for so long, only to be met with her dad quietly telling her to keep busy for a little bit longer. She was only able to see a part of the room before it closed again- her mother was sitting on their small couch by the window with her laptop open, an unfamiliar voice speaking calmly through it. Caroline wanted to ask a million questions, but instead was met with fake assurance and a gently closed door. Roland was out with August somewhere; they had been gone for hours. She was officially alone with her thoughts, and more importantly, the secrets she carried.

Caroline tried to forget about the box under her bed, but the quietness around her only made things worse. The photograph of her grandfather and her mother's childhood diary were things that she could push out of her mind, mostly because she wanted some space from things that reminded her of her journey to the Enchanted Forest for the time being. Zelena's postcard, however, was something that couldn't be ignored- she was reaching out, obviously wanting the ten year old to react in some way. Was she in trouble, or just wanting to cause trouble? After everything that woman had put her family through, Caroline didn't expect her to vanish into thin air like she did. There was still so much she wanted to talk with her about, so many things left undiscovered about her mother's sister.

She felt hardly in control of herself as she once again got the box out from under her bed, clutching it securely in her arms as she descended down the stairs. The study was barricaded by her mother's magic, preventing her from eavesdropping on their mysterious conversation when she walked by. Moments later, Caroline found herself walking down the sidewalk towards Main Street, knowing that there was only one person outside of her family that knew anything about the Wicked Witch of the West. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she got closer to Gold's Pawn shop- she realized that she had never had a one on one conversation with Rumple without her parents around. The history between him and her mother was murky, something never talked about but evident in their actions towards each other.

Slowly opening the door to the shop, Caroline cautiously stepped in, peering around at all the items packed into the small space. Everyone knew that each item was a token from the Enchanted Forest, memories of all the times Rumplestiltskin had meddled in the lives of others. The kids at school would gossip, calling him the devil with crocodile skin. She knew that the man had changed since then, from the bits and pieces she had seen of him over the years.

"Caroline?" A voice sounded from across the room, making the girl's attention snap back into focus. Belle wasn't sure what to think of her random arrival on a Saturday afternoon- she knew any member of the Hood-Mills family in their store wasn't a good sign.

"Are you looking for something?"

The box in her hands suddenly felt like a ton of bricks. She was awkward and flustered, finding it impossible to get any words out.

"I-I was wondering if I could talk to Rumple about something," she began, gesturing to the box. "I don't really have anyone else I can go to right now."

Belle hesitated with her reply, knowing that her husband woke up feeling weak and unmotivated to do anything. She was about to send the girl away kindly, with a half true excuse, but decided against it at the last second. If the daughter of the Evil Queen and Robin Hood had no one else to talk to about the events that took place in the Enchanted Forest, then things must've not been good. Even in his current state, Rumple would want to do all he could to help out.