𝑶𝑪𝑬𝑨𝑵 𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 - Rumplestiltskin [1]

EIGHT

8|LOVE AND CURSES

A small breeze brushed through her long dark hair, the cape around her shoulders keeping in the warmth while her hood kept her hidden. The sound of horses and a carriage causing her to run to the side, instantly recognising the carriage to be of royalty.

The carriage stopped beside her, causing her to worry that it was her father or someone sent by him. Instead, Queen Regina opened the door to greet her.

"Did my carriage splash you?" Regina questioned, not recognising the Princess.

"Oh no, I'm fine. Thank you for worrying." Celeste bowed her head with gratitude.

"You know, I'm tired of riding." The Queen announced as she started to step out her carriage. "Let me stretch my legs and walk with you for a spell." She grabbed her black umbrella from beside her and walked beside Celeste, the carriage following behind the two women. "Celeste? I hardly recognised you. Why are you travelling on foot with barely little to carry?"

"It's lovely to meet you again, your Majesty. I just don't want to be slowed down." She answered, greeting the woman properly with a smile.

"Oh, you're finally running from your father." Regina chuckled, knowing the life Celeste had to live with her father. "But it's not, is it? Question is; master or lover?" The Princess gave her a strange look which brought on another small laugh. "I see, master and lover."

"I might take a rest." She stated, not wanting to continue this conversation with the Queen. "You go on ahead."

"So if I'm right, you love your employer, but you're leaving him." Regina wrapped her arm around the younger woman, forcing her to continue walking.

"I might love him." The Princess revealed guiltily. "I mean, I could, except, he sees himself as a monster, something evil."

"It sounds like a curse to me." The Queen inputted with wisdom. "And all curses can be broken. A kiss born of true love would do it."

"But he isn't cursed, not to me at least. And he would never want to kiss a broken princess like myself." Celeste waved the notion off.

"If he loves you, he would have let you go." The older woman agreed. "And if he doesn't love you, well, I simply kiss won't kill anyone."

"He did let me go."

"Yes, but no kiss happened." Regina reminded her.

"Why are you telling me this?" The Princess quizzed, curious why Regina wanted her to kiss her captor so much.

"Because I know you really wish he was an ordinary man. Someone you could live happily ever after with." Regina explained, leaving down to look deeply into her ocean eyes. "True loves kiss will break any curse."

~•~

Celeste returned to the Dark Castle, her cape draped over her arm while her other hand held a basket full of straw.

"Oh, you're back already." Rumplestiltskin said casually as he sat at his wheel spinning straw. "Good. Good thing. I'm nearly out of straw."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow at the man. "Come on, you're happy that I'm back."

"I'm not unhappy." He revealed with a chuckle.

"You promised me a story." She came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulder, rubbing her thumbs against the leather of his vest. Celeste removed the thread from his hand and sat on the edge of the spinning wheel, placing a hand gingerly on his thigh. "Tell me about your son."

"I lost him. There's nothing more to tell, really." Rumple stated nervously, fidgeting with his fingers.

"And since then, you've loved no one. And no one has loved you." Her smile grew as she leaned in slightly.

"Why did you come back?" He leaned in close, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"I wasn't going to leave in the first place." The Princess informed him, leaning in closer. "I was going to come back no matter what." She gently placed her lips against his before pulling back, her face bright red as she whispered to herself. "I knew she was lying."

"Who?" He asked, his tone going dark as he stared at her with daggers. "What didn't work?"

"I met Queen Regina on my travels. She told me you were cursed and that true loves kiss would turn you back into an ordinary man. I knew she was lying because you aren't cursed. You're aren't a monster either." Celeste explained while rambling before the colour drained from her face. "Unless she was right and it didn't work because you don't love me. I just wanted to prove her wrong."

"You evil soul." Rumplestiltskin pushed her away and ran to his covered mirror, pulling off the old cloth to stare at himself. "You turned her against me! You think you can make me weak? You think you can defeat me with this mere servant girl?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"Your friend, the Queen." He growled, spinning around to advance on her, pure evil in his eyes. "I knew you could never care for me. Oh, yeah. You're working for her."

"I'm not! I just wanted to believe her for once that someone could possibly love me back." Celeste begged, tears pricking her eyes.

"Shut up! You're lying!" He screamed at her face, hands wrapped tightly around her arms keeping her in place. "You're just trying to manipulate me!"

"I'm not, please believe me. Why won't you listen?" The tears fell as pain filled her arms, his grip tightening as he yelled in her face.

"Because no one could ever, ever, love me!" He let her go, her body slumping to the ground as her body shook with fear. Smoke filled her senses until she found herself back in her prison, laying on the cold stone floor.

Celeste ripped the end of her dress, using to bandage the cresent cuts in her arms, the blood slowly trickling down her smooth skin. She hugged her knees close and cried as the memories of her childhood played over and over like a broken record.