I Will Always Find You

Chapter 7

Transylvania (Dracula's castle)

About one year ago

He appeared in an underground crypt. Ironically he had just escaped another underground crypt just moments ago, although this one was much dirtier than the Mills family crypt. Obviously this one had not been cared for in quite some time, the dirt and dust under his feet that covered the stone floor was nearly an inch thick. He was in total darkness in the sealed room. As he was about to feel his way around the walls for a torch to light he felt a familiar sensation growing inside of him. His magic was returning.

Curious that it would return to him in this realm even though he had lost his magic in his own realm. With much satisfaction he raised his free hand and the wall sconces flickered to life lighting the vault with fire light.

It was refreshing to feel the tingle in his limbs again. It had been taken from him when the Savior and the Queen had united the dark and light magic during the final battle. Rumplestiltskin had wielded his magic for centuries, therefore when it was taken from him he felt naked and vulnerable. He detested being vulnerable, as a lifelong coward he needed to have his power to feel comfortable and confident. Being a vampire had helped in that regard, but with his addiction to power it was not enough. Vampirism was not the same as magic, with magic he had the potential of gaining unlimited power. That had always been his goal in life, to be the most powerful being of all. It was the only way that he could assure his safety and be assured that he would never be bullied or tormented ever again. He had also craved power to keep his family safe from harm, but deep down inside he knew that was only a secondary concern. His greed for power and control had always been a selfish one, he used his worry for his family to rationalize his lust for it to others and sometimes even to himself. Yet during moments of true introspection he was aware that he was lying to himself. Power was his true motivation, his only motivation.

The crypt was sparse, containing only the torches on the wall and an elevated coffin. He walked to the coffin with the urn containing his master's ashes. He bristled at the thought, Rumplestiltskin had no master. He was always the one in control, the power behind the scenes. When he made bargains with people he was famous for always tilting the scales for his benefit. This time Dracula had wound up on the better side of the deal. When Rumplestiltskin found himself in Underbrooke he was offered a way to return to Storybrooke by the Count. In exchange for release from the underworld Rumpelstiltskin would have to become a vampire and carry out Dracula's orders. He was desperate to get back to his wife in child so he agreed to the deal, but so far he had been unable to reunite with his family. Thanks to the curse of vampirism, he was bound by the master of vampires orders.

An arrangement he was planning to end soon.

Using his free hand he opened the coffin lid and saw the soil inside covering the bottom. As a vampire Dracula needed to return to a coffin containing soil from his original gravesite. He could only be resurrected here and he needed to be brought back in order for Rumplestiltskin to be free again.

The urn was sealed with a protection spell that was weak enough that it caused him to use little to no effort in dispelling it. The person who cast this was probably someone who had no magical energy themselves, they had probably cast it from reciting the spell from a book or scroll. The urn opened and a cold gust of air escaped through the open top. He upended the container over the open coffin and allowed the ashes to spill onto the soil. Once the urn was empty he closed the lid of the coffin and waited.

He was unsure how long the process would take, he had never studied vampirism thoroughly as his realm had none. It could take minutes, hours, or days. Without the need to eat or sleep he had all the time in the world and he would use that time productively.