Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 111 - To Get Rid Of The Darkness

Black gloved hands picked at the brass lock of a door with pins. The doorknob designed crystal and the wood of the door was dark and polished. Suddenly the lock clicked and the door opened. Mr. Gold stood in the hallway of Granny's Bed and Breakfast staring into August's dark room he had just unlocked.
He stepped inside and quitely shut the door behind him. He looked around then limped on his walking stick towards August's desk, lit up by a table lamp. He examined the paper in the typewriter then locked up a dog paper holder that sat on top of some sheets. He looked at it carefully then placed it down on the wooden desk when he saw the sheets. He lifted a typewritten sheet on the desk to reveal beneath it a sketch of a wavy, dagger with the name Rumplestiltskin on it. Mr. Gold picked it up slowly, and held it up in front of his face, staring at the dagger, he knew so well, shocked, fear in his dark brown eyes.

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Emma stepped into Granny's Diner and walked over to Sidney who sat at a booth alone with a cup of coffee. She sat down opposite him.
"Hey, Sidney."
"Emma. Hey." he smiled nervously.
She smiled back at him.
"So.....things certainly did work out. Didn't they? For....for your friend."
"You told me you could help me with Mary Margaret and I wanted to believe you......" she put her hand in the pocket of her brown leather jacket. ".....But eventually there are things that even a blind sherif......" she slammed the broken bug down on the table. "....cannot ignore."
"Is that a bug?"
"Oh, for God's sake, Sidney, drop it. You fooled me, you spied on me and you reported it all back to that sick, crazy woman. I can't even imagine what she has on you but it must be something huge."
"She's a good mayor."
"She tried to get Mary Margaret convicted of a murder that didn't even happen. You're in a lot of trouble. There is a DNA trail in a basement of some house out there and I'm gonna find it. And she's gonna go away."
"Maybe. But I wouldn't bet against her."
Emma opened her mouth to say something but she steped herself. "She's an amazing woman."
"Do you........" she started then stopped, staring into his dark face in realisation. "Are you in love with her?" she asksd after a moment of thought.
Sidney couldn't think of words to say anything and sat awkwardly in the booth.
"Fine. Whatever. Here's the thing before you know it, I will have that evidence. And you need to think long and hard. You can either help me and help yourself, or you're gonna go down with her too."
Emma stood up and walked out of the Diner.

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August walked from Granny's Bed and Breakfast and over to his motorcycle. He hopped on, pulling on his helmet and he turned on the engine. It roared and turned off onto the road and drove through the town.
In a car, onthe opposite side of the road, Mr. Gold sat in the shadows, watching August as he drove away. Then he turned on the engine of his car and followed in the direction August went.

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The boys and girls played with sticks in the forest, beneath the green canopy of trees, pretending to sword fight laughing and smiling happily, joy in their faces.
Rumplestiltskin and Bae walked through the forest towards them. "Hey why don't you join in, Bae?" Rumplestiltskin asked Bae, looking over at the children playing. "I have some business nearby thar would bore you."
"All right."
Rumplestiltskin walked away, over a little stream and up towards a little cottage away, deeper in the forest.
Bae walked towards the children pretending to sword fight and when they saw him, they stopped, holding their sticks down, petrified, fear in their eyes.
"Come on. Let's go." They whispered to one another and they ran away, abandoning their game.
Bae sighed sadly and walked away as Rumplestiltskin approached the cottage, unaware of Bae and children.
Bae sat down on the earthen ground opposite the steam, thinking over the thoughts in his eyes, alone.
"Baelfire?" said a girl's voice.
He looked around to see Morraine walking towards him.
"Careful, Morraine. You don't want to be seen with me. I'm dangerous." he said.
She sat down next to him by the steam beneath the canopies where the sun shone through.
"There's just scared of your papa. But I'm not. You won't let him hurt me." she smiled. "I don't think he's so bad, anyway. I saw him on the battlefield, when he stopped the fighting. It was like a miracle."
"Now he's getting worse every day. But he said he'll change back if I find a way. I just don't know where to look."
She thought for a moment. "Reul Ghorm."
He turned his head to look at her. "What?"
"I heard about it when I was in the trenches. The other soldiers talked about it. Reul Ghorm is an ancient being the rules the night. The original power."
"Bigger than Papa or worse than Papa?"
"Bigger than anything."
From behind they heard twigs breaking behind them and footsteps approaching.
Morraine looked up fearfully. "He's coming back. Good luck to you." she stood up and walked away in the other direction, as Rumplestiltskin walked around a tree trunk and towards Bae.
Bae stood up and walked towards him.
"Your friend didn't want to say hello?"
"You frighten them."
"What is there to be frightened of, Bae? They'll get over that in time."
Bae looked down at his brown boots to see fresh blood stains on them. "You have stains on your boots."
"Oh, yes, that. Ah....we need a new maid."
"Gods, no." he let out in shock.
"She heard us talking about the knife."
"She was mute! She couldn't tell anyone!" he shouted.
He thought for a moment. "Even mutes can draw a picture." he smiled.

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August walked down the steps from the beautiful stone designed convent with Mother Superior. They talked to one another as they reached the bottom of the steps.
Mr. Gold watched them from near by, unable to hear their conversation.
"Thank you." he heard August say to her and he walked away, his helmet in his hand.
Then Mother Superior walked up the steps again, where Mr. Gold now stood.
"Mother Superior." he said.
She looked up at him and sighed. "Good afternoon."
"Our rent is payed in full." she said when she reached the top of the steps.
"I'm not hear about the rent."
Nearby they heard the sound of a motorcycle starting and driving away.
"Well, good day to you then." she walked on.
"Tell me, that man who just left here......."
She stopped in her tracks.
".....who did he say he was? What did he want?"
She smiled and turned around to him. "I don't have to tell you that."
"And I don't have to not double your rent. What did he want?"
"Advice and councel." she said after a moment. "He came to town looking fir his father after a long separation, and he recently found him."
"Ahhh......" he looked around. "......And a happy reunion has already taken place?"
"No. He hasn't spoken to him yet."
"And why not?"
"It was a difficult parting. There are many issues to be resolved between them."
"I see." he nodded, looking down at his feet.

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Bae walked through the dark forest, a lantern in his hand to guild his way. He looked around the dark forest and sat down by the river where he did jutting the day. He sat the lantern down next to him and looked up into the dark sky.
"Reul Ghorm.......are you there?....... If you can help me, please make yourself known to me." he closed his eyes, wishing for what he wanted.
Then from around the giant tree trunk next to him there was a light blue light in the darkness and the Blue Fairy fluttered towards him, looking down at him wishing his eye lids shut.
Then he slowly opened his eyes and jumped when he saw the fairy next to him. "Can you help me?" he asked.
"I can help." she replyed.
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"Because there is good magic and dark magic. And I'm on the right side."
"You're a fairy!" he exclaimed.
She chuckled, then her face fell as she stared at him. "And you're not untouched by magic, are you, child? There's something dark in your life."
"My father........ He is the Dark One."
"Oh...... I can't make him the man he was before. But I can send him to a place where he won't be able to use his powers."
"Not a jail. I want to be with him. Like it used to be."
"Not a jail, young one." she smiled. "Just a place without magic."
"But magic is everywhere."
"In this world, yes. You see, what ails your father's specific to our realm. His powers do not belong here. You must go where you can escape this wretched curse."
"Go? We have to leave?"
"Yes. It is the only way. Can you do it?" she smiled. "Can you leave everything here behind for the unknown?"
"If it means I get my father back.......then yes."
"You're a very good son, Baelfire. You are the part of him that keeps him human. That little light inside of him that still glows, that's his love for you........ Hold out your hand."
He held out his hand in front of her and she threw a little, blue shining and sparkling bean into it.
"What is it?" he asked, when the light faded away and it became a clear, pearl colour bean.
"A magic bean. The very last one that I known to our kind. The others got away from us."
He held it up, examining it.
"You just use it wisely. You follow wherever it leads you. It will save you both." Then she disappeared. Baelfire looked up and around him then got to his feet and ran away through the forest, the lantern and the bean in his hands.