Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 13 - Rumpelstiltskin's Vistor

The Evil Queen stood in the clearance of the Forbidden Forest. The moon shone bright above as the queen stood alone.
Her Valet walked towards her. "Maybe it's for the best." he said. "What forces you're summoning are darker than we can conceive."
The queen turned her head towards the Valet. "Oh, now you're trying to protect me?" she said.
"It's what I do."
"I know. You're the only one who does."
"Helping you is my life."
"Then help me understand why this curse isn't working."
"If you want to know that, then you need to go back to the person who gave it to you in the first place."
The queen looked away.
"Revenge is a dark and lonely road." he said. "Once you go down it, there's no heading back."
The queen looked at the Valet. "What is there for me to head back to?"

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Mice squeaked and scurried around the dungeon ground. One nibbled a blood, red apple, that lay on the ground, with a single, bite taken from it.
"It's just us, dearie, you can show yourself." said Rumpelstiltskin's voice from the shadows of the dungeon. He stepped into the light.
Suddenly the mouse disappeared in a puff of smoke. The smoke Swan accross the room and the Evil Queen appeared.
She stretched her neck, allowing her boned to crack and sighed.
"Ah!" said Rumpelstiltskin moving closer to the bars.
"That curse you gave me." said the queen, smiling. She held the scroll of parchment in her hand. Her smile then faded away. "It's not working."
"Oh, so worried. So, so worried." said Rumpelstiltskin. "Like Snow and her lovely new husband."
"What?"
"They payed me a visit as well." he moved closer to the rusty, dirty bars, holding them equally dirty hands. "They were very anxious about you and the curse. The queen walked quickly towards the bars. "What did you tell them?"
"The truth. That nothing can stop the Darkness. Except, of course, their unborn child....... You see, no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken....... Their child is the key...... Of course the curse has to be enacted first."
"Tell me what I did wrong."
"For that, there's a price."
"What do you want?"
"Simple....... In this new land, I want comfort....... I want a good life." he said, gesturing to his cell. "Fine. You'll have an estate. Be rich."
"I wasn't finished. There's more." he said.
"There always is with you."
"In this new land, should I ever come to you for any reason, you must heed my every request...... You must do whatever I say." he pointed his dirty finger at her through the bars. "So long as I say please." he said, his eyes bulging with madness.
"You do realise that should I succeed you won't remember any of this?"
"Oh, well, then, what's the harm?"
The queen smiled. "Deal."
Rumpelstiltskin chuckled and backed away from the bars a little.
"What must I do to enact this curse?"
"You need to sacrifice a heart."
"I sacrificed my prized steed."
Rumpelstiltskin jumped at the bars and grasped the queens neck. "A horse?....... This is the cursed to end all curses....... You think a horse is gonna do?...... Great power requires great sacrifice...... The heart you need must come from something far more precious."
"Tell me what will suffice."
"The heart of the thing you love most."
The queen pulled Rumpelstiltskin's hand from her neck. "What I loveed most died because of Snow White."
"Is there no one else you truly love?" he touched the queens cheek with his dirty, yellowish finger. "This curse isn't going to be easy. Vengeance never is, dearie...... Yoy have to ask yourself a simple question....... How far are you willing to go?"
The queen leaned forward. "As far as it takes."
"Then please stop wasting everyone's time and just do it...... You know what you love...... Now go kill it."

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Emma unlocked the door of her room and walked in.
"Miss. Swan?" said a woman's voice from behind her.
Emma turned, the older woman, who worked in Granny's stood in the hall.
"Oh, my, this is terrible awkward." she said. "I need to ask you to leave."
Emma raised her eyebrows.
"I'm afraid we have a no felons rule...... It turns out it's a city ordinate."
Emma smiled and nodded. "Let me guess. The Mayors office just called to remind you."
The woman nodded a little. "You can gather your things, but I need to have your room key back."
Emma held out the key that was in her hands and the woman took it.

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Regina kneeled on the law collecting the apples, that had fallen with the branch.
Graham walked into the garden and over to Regina.
She sighed. "She destroyed city property." she explained. "I want her arrested."
"Again?" said Graham.
"What are you waiting for?" she looked at Graham.
"I'm just not convinced that arresting her is the right plan."
Regina stood up, annoyed.
"And I am not talking about your tree. We both know she didn't steal those files."
"Oh, do we?" said Regina moving closer.
"She looked pretty shocked when I leveled the charges against her." "It's because she doesn't like to be caught." and she kneeled down on the law again.
"Or because she was set up. And if she was, that means Dr. Hopper was lying. And if he is lying that means someone asked him to."
Regina kept gathering the apples, a guilty look on her face.
"Are we really confident that the man's conscious won't eventually get the best of him?"
Regina stood up yet again. "I think your schoolboy crush is clouding your judgement. Remember I made you sherif and I can take it away just as easily."
"You want me to arrest her again? I will."
"Good." she kneeled down again.
"But she's gonna keep coming at you. And I know that you, will keep coming at her. And you will do whatever it takes to get her out of here, and you may succeed."
"No. I will succeed." she shouted. "He's my son. It's what's best for him."
"I know that's what you believe, but if this escalates, it seems to me that the only one who get hurt is Henry."
Regina opened her mouth but said nothing, then sighed.

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Emma walked from Granny's, pulling on top over her t-shirt.
She looked accross the road and saw her car, clamped.
Then her phone rang and she pulled it from her back pocket.
She answered it. "Yeah?" she walked accross the road.
"Miss. Swan, I'd be happy to continue demonstrating my power," said Regina on the other end on the line.
Emma rowled her eyes.
"But am I right in guessing your resolve to stay is only growing?"
"You have no idea." said Emma as she reached her car.
"Well, then, I think it's time we made peace."
Emma opened her car and threw her jacket inside.
"Why don't you drive over to my office?"
Emma slammed the car door shut.
"Or walk. Whatever suits you."
Emma hung up and walked away.