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Violent rain beat down on the roof of the Dark castle and lightning stung low hanging trees like a swarm of angry hornets, outlining the plants with a neon glow.It was roughly around 11:30 pm and Rumplestiltskin was In the main hall spinning straw into gold, as he usually would late into the night.However for the last couple of months his spinning sessions had become more desolate and empty, normally he would watch the wheel and feel all his worries and regrets slip away and collect in the bucket below with the golden thread, but since the incident with Belle it felt more like his suffering was collecting in a great tangled heap in his head.Rumple watched intensely, with his eyes fixed on the dull yellow straw,As it bled into a rich golden string. Although his mind was replaying the day Belle had left over and over again as if even his own mind wanted to taunt him.The two had spent the last two days intimately and at first Rumple started to believe that Belle really did care about him genuinely.One warm evening she leaned in close, until he could smell the sweet scent of her lilac perfume on her pale neck, she kissed him and his curse started to melt away ripping away his mask of defence that protected him from the world of betrayal.A normal person would be pleased that their ugly disguise no longer cloaked their true self from their lover but Rumplestiltskin was a very different type of person, revealing his raw self had only exposed him to pain in the past and he was not about to fall victim to heartbreak again.Anxiety clouded Rumple’s judgement and he abruptly pulled away from the kiss and let the darkness embed deeper into his soul, a storm of fear and disbelief swirled in his mind until he had convinced himself she must be tricking him, how could she ever really love him?.Belle angrily defended her love for him “The kiss worked which means it’s true love!”“Who told you that?” he yelled,“I don’t know, a women I met at the side of the road,” Rumple’s metallic eyes widened as he realised who orchestrated this cruel trick and he ran to the dusty mirror in the corner to confront Regina,Who he was sure was observing the catastrophe she created.“I love you, why won’t you believe me?” a mixture of fury and self hatred built up inside of him“Because no one could ever love me!” Rumple replied displaying just how vulnerable his heart was.The next day Belle was asked to leave the castle and never return.Belle looked deep into her employers eyes before leaving ,“you could have had happiness if you just believed someone could love you!,You are a coward Rumplestiltskin,” trying to seem emotionless he looked into the empty space behind her, but his eyes were visibly holding back tears, “that’s a lie,” he said coldly.Belle tried to make eye contact revealing to him the warm salty pools of water brewing in her eyes “you just don’t think I can love you, but you will regret it forever! And all you will have is an empty heart and a chipped cup,” she sniffed as water leaked down her face and she walked away.That face struck Rumple motionless and he realised that her love for him had only been authentic and genuine from the start and he had let his insecurities get the better of him. He collapsed onto the hard concrete, tears pouring down his muted mossy skin, as Belle walked slowly towards the Castle’s black,tall,boney gates until you could only make out her short silhouette and Rumple never saw her again.The sound of the iron door handle clattering, woke Rumple from his memory. “Flimsy locks” sneered a female voice from behind him, however this was not Belle’s light chirpy voice. A tall, thin female figure strode in with a malevolent smile sprawled on her face, clutching a black cloth.Rumplestiltskin knew immediately it was his vile, ex-student Regina,“I have a deal to discuss. A certain... mermaid.” Regina walked over to a small silver tea set at the other end of the room and began pouring herself a drink.Expressionlessly Rumple replied “I’m not dealing today.”He looked as if his soul had been removed and all that was left was a cold unfeeling corpse.Regina began to chuckle and look straight at him,“is this about the girl I met on the road?” Her mocking tone growing stronger, “what was her name? Margie? Verna?” Rumple stopped spinning and glared at the wall seriously, “Belle.”Regina began to cackle even louder and Rumple continued to spin,“Right. Well...You can rest assured I had nothing to do with that tragedy.” Sharpening her glare on Rumple’s face as bewilderment spread across him and he stood up from the spinning wheel, facing Regina, “what tragedy?”.Regina revelled in the shock her statement had caused, “You don’t know?” She smirked and stirred her tea, “Well after her stay here, her... association with you, no one would want her, of course.Her father shunned her. Cut her off, shut her out.” Rumple paused in guilt“So she needs a...home?” Regina walked closer as if she was making her final chess move, about to win the game.“They were even worse to her when they discovered she was pregnant.” Rumplestiltskin dropped the tea he was making, causing a piercing crack on the tiles below, his pupil shrunk in shock and fixed themselves on Regina. “He was so cruel to her. He locked her in a tower and sent in clerics to cleanse her soul with scourges and flaying.” The picture of this started to flash in Rumple’s mind he closed his eyes, not wanting to hear anymore so that he could pretend she was still working for him, safe in his castle.Regina’s grin stretched unnaturally wide as she cleared her throat“After a while she threw herself off the tower...she died.”For at least 5 minutes you couldn’t hear anything but the storm’s howls outside and the clinking of Regina’s spoon mixing her tea, like she would a cauldron. Then Regina walked over to the bundle of black cloth on a small cabinet at the side of the room and placed it on the table gently.“This is all that’s left of her.”She replied almost choking on her tea from snickering.Rumple’s eyes were evidently red and puffy from the tears welling up and he tried to avoid eye contact with Regina, to not reveal how weak he was.“We, we’re done here.” His voice quavered as he spoke. Regina’s heels harshly tapped on the floor below as she strutted out, while running her finger along the antique wooden table in the centre of the room revealing a thick cake of dust,“the place is dusty Rumple, you should get a new girl.” She flashed a venomous smile and disappeared into the dark hallways towards the exit.Rumple walked over to a large white cabinet trembling with grief, delicately removing a small china cup with a Persian blue, leaf design painted on the side and a huge dent on the top right. He could feel tears streaming down his cheeks and his throat closing up, he removed a polished golden chalice from it’s wooden display and carefully placed the teacup in it’s place. Closing his eyes and crying so he didn’t have to look at the teacup anymore.After a couple of minutes Rumplestiltskin stumbled to the table in the centre of the room to examine the mass of black fabric she had left but as he got nearer he noticed something solid and small jab the layer beneath. Rumple agitatedly removed the black material to reveal an infant child sleeping peacefully in the warm fibres of cloth. She was smaller than a usual baby of her age and she had two tiny, pointed ears. Her skin was pale and presented the same olive tint as Rumple’s did. Rumple picked her up as if she were a fragile glass vase and gradually wrapped his arms around the swaddled child, until he was hugging her.He clutched her tighter, softly weeping at the tragedy of the situation. She stirred and her tiny hand gripped his nose, just as his son Bealfire once had many years ago. “You know I once made a promise to someone a lot like you when they were around the same age as you,” he choked, “I said, I will never, ever leave you and now I want to make that promise to you,” he gazed into her teal, wide eyes and could see Belle’s face smiling at him.He sat cradling the child into the early hours of the morning. The rain seemed relentlessly forceful, as it hit the windowsills, leaving a greyish liquid stained on the glass and the sunrise was hard to make out as the thick, silver storm clouds shielded the sun from carpeting the world in golden light.
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17 years had passed since Rumplestiltskin received news of Belle’s death and he had been given their child to raise.However thinking about that day still left a bitter taste in his mouth like a venomous snake had bitten the inside of his throat. Belle’s passing became a tender subject, that his dark mind would replay almost everyday. Although his daughter had helped him through a lot of the grief and guilt.He named her Rose, as she was resilient and could thrive even in the worst situation, just like the charming plant itself. The name also reminded him of the first time he and Belle had shared an emotional connection. When he had offered her the flower all those years ago,She was quite surprised. Usually Rumple had presented himself as cold and detached, she accepted it and sweetly smiled before finding some water for the bloom. That afternoon, the two confided in each other,Things they wouldn’t dare tell anyone else. Now the whole evening felt like a distant dream.Rose was a peculiar creature, never in the history of the Enchanted forest records, had the Dark one ever had a child, mostly because nobody wanted to be with a monstrous creature like Rumplestiltskin. She was the first of her kind and as soon as her soul was brought into the world, strange markings ran along the opposite side of the Dagger, that Rumple’s soul was tethered to. He hadn’t noticed it until he became aware of Rose’s existence as he was ignorant about Belle’s pregnancy.After he had named the infant, her name engraved itself onto the other side of the dagger, to Rumple’s horror. This meant his daughter’s life was not going to be easy.Life as a Dark one was traumatic for an adult, he couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be for a child.As expected Rose was a natural at magic, as she was born with it running through her veins and she performed her first spell before she could even walk. On her 13th birthday Rumple decided to teach her magic, mostly because of Rose’s relentless begging and he wanted her to be able to defend herself.He found her easier to teach than Regina, who would occasionally curse herself and spend weeks finding an antidote, or accidentally set fire to her ebony hair and Rumple would eventually put her out. Before spending 10 minutes laughing, of course.Rose was very gifted at potions, like her father. But perhaps her most remarkable gift was her ability to open doorways into other dimensions. The first time her wormhole magic presented itself, Rose was 15. It was late one night and she had been deep within a nightmare. As purple hues danced in her head, a gateway to Neverland materialized on the nearby wall.The rift began swallowing books and chairs, causing a harsh buzzing sound echoing throughout the castle.Rumple immediately woke up and rushed to Rose, to wake her up.This caused the portal to close, leaving her room looking like a battlefield.While this was a terrible near death experience, Rumple couldn’t help but feel intoxicated by the idea that this magic was how he would reunite with his long-lost son, Bae. After that night Rumple increased his lessons with his daughter, which she enjoyed as she aspired to be just as powerful, if not more powerful than her father and would stay up late some nights, just to study certain spells she hadn’t fully mastered.For a while Rose’s life was a day to day rotation, until one day she received news that would change her life forever.It was a Monday morning and a thin layer of frost had formed on Rose’s windows, barricading the warm sunlight from touching the room. Rose’s bed was neatly folded without a single crease, as she had spent the night in the attic, where she felt the most comfortable. It was like a private hideaway, not even her dad cared to explore, so she had it entirely to herself to use as she pleased.“Rose?...Rose?” A voice pierced through Rose’s head and she quickly teleported downstairs. ”There you are. I am going out, and I probably won’t be back until this evening. So why don’t you go and find something to entertain yourself, while I am gone, okay, dearie?” Rumple began to collect a couple of ancient, dusty spell books, that appeared to have their spines torn or ripped. “Wait, I can help you.
I could carry your books, or use my magic to destroy your enemies, or-“
Rumple glared at Rose’s eager expression. “I appreciate your enthusiasm Dearie, but this is something I must do alone.”Before Rose could argue with him, he disappeared, leaving behind a purple dust cloud, that slowly faded into thin air. Rose angrily tugged at her dark auburn hair, she was never allowed to watch her father make his famous evil deals. He always feared something would happen to her, or someone would hurt her to get to him.Suddenly a pile of scrolls rolled off the wooden counter and gently hit the tip of Rose’s boot.“What’s this?” She bent down to read the parchment. It talked about a witch named Zelena being publicly executed in the Emerald City today at 6:00 p.m., Rose vaguely recognized the name Zelena; she was an old student of her father’s who had gone a bit insane, so he stopped teaching her and focused on teaching her sister, Regina.However, after Regina was destroyed in the Battle of the Infinite Forest by Queen Snow White and her daughter, Princess Emma, Rumple tried to locate a new protégé and decided to give Zelena one last chance. She obviously accepted, of course, as she had a strange obsession with Rumplestiltskin and would do anything to please him. She was apparently far more talented at the art of magic than her sister, although she lacked something Rumple needed from her, someone in the world she adored more than herself or her teacher. An important final piece of the puzzle that would let him reunite with something he had lost a long time ago.Now, it seemed he would never help her find it, because she was going to be executed today.In an instant, Rose knew exactly how to help her father and rushed to the library to retrieve a book on Germonian history.She ran her finger up and down the stained, torn pages until it landed on the chapter about Queen Snow White. It stated that, to escape the Queen’s clutches, at her execution, Snow smothered herself in dark fairy dust, which allowed her to disguise herself as a beetle, so she could escape.Rose remembered Rumple had an addiction to collecting items from the Black Fairy and rushed to a cabinet brimming with dark fairy dust to gather a small amount.Luckily, next to the leaflet about the execution was a map to Oz and her father had written a small note at the top reminding him about Jefferson Hatter.Jefferson Hatter was a portal jumper, who used an enchanted top hat to illegally cross different realms’ borders. Jefferson and Rose’s father had been business partners for a long time. He wouldn’t think twice about aiding Rumple if there was something in it for him and with Rumplestiltskin, there usually was. Rose realized that, if they had gone together, there would be no way to get to Oz. “Great, now I’m screwed, unless...” A risky idea clouded her mind, telling her to use her dangerous and unstable gateway magic to open a door to Oz.Rose waited a minute to think things through. Usually, her impulsive and reckless mindset got her into trouble, but if she successfully helped her father, he would realize she was capable of doing things on her own, and he would never leave her behind again. Rose’s mind was already made up before she weighed the pros and cons.She closed her eyes, imagining a giant violet tunnel erupting out of the wall, and used her arms to outline the image in her mind. To her delight, when she opened her eyes, the image had materialized in front of her.“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!”She looked around and blushed, remembering she was on her own. Rose shoved the jar of fairy dust into a leather pouch bag on her waist and shut her eyes tightly, as she felt the warm glow of the portal on her face. She quietly counted to ten and hurtled towards the portal.As she disappeared into the indigo beam, the portal began to close up on itself until it had completely vanished.
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Rose opened her eyes. She was breathless and sprawled out on amber concrete. As she sat up and gazed at her vibrant surroundings, she realized she was on the famous Yellow Brick Road. It had been designed millions of years ago and was painted the peculiar golden hue so that traders and travelers could easily locate the Emerald City. Rose felt a smile develop; this meant she could find her father in no time. Swiftly, she began to picture the Emerald City’s green, intimidating turrets so she could teleport there quickly.In no time, the spell was complete, and she abruptly arrived in a dingy alleyway. Immediately, Rose noticed about 50 freshly made flyers clumsily taped to almost every corner of the wall next to her. They were the same as the poster that her father had acquired. “Wow, they must really hate Zelena,” Rose snickered to herself. She began walking towards the town centre, trying to wipe any remaining mud from her black leather skirt. After a bit of confusion, and accidentally walking into a private courtyard, she finally reached the town square. A large wooden stake was being constructed, ready for Zelena, and a crowd was already assembling.Rose began frantically looking for her father or Jefferson, but both were nowhere to be seen. Rose started to feel a bit terrified, she was in a strange, crowded town, far away from anyone she knew and people were starting to give her menacing glares.Suddenly, she lost her balance and crashed into a man carrying a crate of fish. “Ow... oh, um... sorry.” The man looked at Rose as if she were dirt at the end of his shoe. “Watch where you’re... why the hell are you green, filthy urchin!” More people began to turn and face Rose’s pale, mint complexion. “Now that wasn’t very nice... yeah, I’m gonna need you to apologize for that,” Rose snapped. “Why should I? Little bug, I am only stating the truth.” Rose felt a wave of rage crash over her; she did not like people talking about her appearance. “Maybe because if you don’t, you will become charcoal.” Rose started to form a small fireball in her hand, like she had seen her father effortlessly create many times. Except, she hadn’t been practicing this particular spell, and the fire started to extinguish into smoke.The crowd that had formed around her let out a loud shriek, and mothers shielded their babies in case Rose was about to turn into a monster and gobble them up. For a couple of minutes, there was silence, with the townspeople frozen in shock. Then, suddenly, a small man at the back of the rabble shouted, “She’s a witch, just like Zelena. Arrest her!” Promptly, the crowd began to charge at her, clutching ropes to tie her down and placing a metal cuff on her to block her magic.Before Rose could try and escape, she was thrown into an old wagon prison, with only metal bars to look through. It was pitch black and the wagon reeked of horse manure.Rose began to sink onto her knees in tears, “Oh god, just when I thought this day couldn’t get any worse, they send in a dirty peasant girl,” a snarky voice complained from the other end of the wagon. Rose instantly looked up at the figure in the corner and wiped away the remaining droplets of water in her eyes.“Wait are you...Zelena?”Rose asked examining the women crouched in the corner “No I’m the tooth fairy, of course I’m bloody Zelena, didn’t you hear about my arrange death today.”Rose’s eyes filled with hope as she excitedly edged closer to the witch. “That’s great!” “What? My arranged death? Oh yes lovely.” She said sarcastically. “No, that your Zelena, I have been looking for you all day.” “Why? So you can kill me quicker?” “No so I can save you. Obviously.” Zelena paused looking at Rose’s face, “am I meant to know you, strange lizard girl?” “I would hope so, I am Rose, Rumplestiltskin’s daughter, you know your mentor.” Zelena paused again this time slightly sweating in embarrassment, “oh yes Daisy, that’s right Rumple has spoken a lot about you.”“It’s Rose.” “ That’s what I said.”“I knew Rumple would come to save me! So what have you got girl?”“Well when I heard my father was going to stop your execution, I wanted to come, but my dad wouldn’t let me so I” “wait, wait wait, Rumple asked you to stay behind? And is not part of your rescue plan?Oh great, now I am stuck with his clueless sidekick.” Rose glared angrily“Do you want my help or not because it looks like my father has given up on you and quite honestly, I am starting to see why.” “Fine I want your help, just get me the hell away from here!”“Good. Now, this is the plan. Do you remember the story of Snow White’s execution?” Zelena paused, looking a bit confused.“Isn’t that the girl who pricked her finger on a spinning wheel and fell asleep? Yeah, I’m sure her story will be very helpful for me,” Zelena grunted, her sarcasm making her British accent seem stronger.“No, first of all, that wasn’t Snow White, that was Princess Aurora. And second of all, yes... her story will be helpful because she was in the same position you’re in right now, and she got out of it alive. Okay?”Zelena let out a long moan, her eyes rolling as far back in their sockets as possible without hurting herself.“Fine... if you say I have to copy some stupid, boring princess, then I will, but it better get me out of this damn place.”“Yay!” Rose eagerly clapped her hands together and bounced with excitement.Rose briskly explained that Snow had used black fairy dust to turn herself into a beetle and fly away without anyone recognizing her, and then she used the Blue Fairy’s magic to turn herself back.“We might have to use my dad, though, because I’m not sure you’re on the best terms with the most virtuous, righteous person in the entire Enchanted Forest, unless you suddenly became a saint.”Zelena grinned wickedly at the word “saint.”“Good, so we’ll do it when the flames almost burn us to ash, so that all the munchkins think we’re dead. Then, we’ll find my father, and once he turns us back, we’ll escape through Jefferson’s hat or something.”“Fine, fine, alright.”Zelena looked out of the bars contemplatively for a couple of minutes before turning to Rose and nodding to initiate the plan.Soon, it was sunset, and the sky turned a deep salmon. If you squinted, you could almost make out a hidden moon and stars. If Rose weren’t about to be put to death with a kooky witch, she might have marveled at its beauty. But all that was on her mind at this moment was making sure the escape plan was foolproof.All of a sudden, two Emerald guards, one tall and intimidating, the other small and bad-tempered, opened the heavy door of the prison and dragged Zelena and Rose out aggressively, then threw them down onto a wooden platform in front of hundreds of disapproving glares. The two men proceeded to tightly bind yarn around the women’s wrists as the crowd cheered.“Hey, Lilly.” This time, Zelena’s voice had a sense of vulnerability, even though she had gotten Rose’s name wrong again.“What?”“Have you got the fairy dust ready?”“Yes, and I am going to sprinkle it,” Rose replied, reassuring the witch. “What? No. I am the adult and clearly the most mature,”Rose immediately rolled her eyes.“So I should be in charge of it.”“Fine, fine, as long as you wait for my signal,”“Of course, my dear.”Zelena tried to make her smile look as genuine as her jawline would allow.“Gather round, good people of Oz, and witness justice being served.” An important-looking man stepped forward with a badge that read “Captain of the Emerald Guards.” He began to unfurl a long scroll bearing the royal crest and frantically looked up and down it, impatiently. Finally, he found what he was looking for and began menacingly peering at the two supposed witches’ appearances.“Zelena, you are hereby charged with practicing witchcraft and sorcery. How do you plead?”“You know witchcraft is not illegal, right, old man?” Zelena began to laugh, but everyone else remained silent. “Thanks to years of being under your iron fist, we have come to see your kind for what they truly are: demons and monsters. This new law has been put in place as a result of the public’s opinion. Now, how do you plead?”Zelena started to smirk before shouting, “Guilty as charged!”
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Rose put her hand on her face, annoyed but not surprised at Zelena’s confession to the townspeople.The guard, on the other hand, looked outraged that she would take so much pride in admitting it openly.“Good, that settles it! You are all guilty!” the guard shouted, causing the crowd to erupt with cheers.The two guards began to tie Zelena’s and Rose’s hands and feet to the giant wooden stake so forcefully that Rose’s hands began to bleed from the rope burn. For an agonizing 17 minutes, the two women hung there while their captors prepared the rest of the execution ceremony.While the guards were busy, Zelena started to twist her head so it was facing Rose.“Girl, do you mind if I ask you a question?”Rose tried to face the other way. That witch must have really lost her marbles if she thought she was going to answer any questions while waiting for her impending doom.“Surely you can see it’s the wrong time, Zelena.”Zelena seemed to ignore Rose’s answer, as if she had suddenly become deaf, and just shouted, “Girl!” again.Rose surrendered and finally asked Zelena what she wanted to know.Zelena grinned at Rose’s answer and continued, “Tell me, what do you know of your dear mother?”Zelena’s grin turned into something that could rival the Cheshire cat’s smile.Rose paused, and her eyes became large blue orbs.“I know almost nothing about her. My dad never brings her up. The only thing I know is she died.”Zelena began to laugh hysterically.“That is just too good. He is so much more pathetic than I thought he was.”Rose tilted her head in confusion.“Who is pathetic?” she demanded.“Why, your father, Rumplestiltskin, of course. He went and got that maid pregnant. I mean, I knew he was desperate for love, but I didn’t know he was that desperate. No wonder she left him.”Zelena’s cackling began to catch the attention of the crowd and caused them to step back in fear.Rose was stunned. Her mother left her father? And never died? And she was his maid?“How do you know my mother?” Rose demanded.“Well, back in the day, I would often use my crystal ball to spy on my... ugh, ugly, untalented excuse for a sister. And one day, while she was parading around Rumple’s estate, I noticed a filthy, young girl reading in the corner. This girl showed up more and more the more times I would spy on Rumple separately, and once I noticed him surprise her with her own library in the castle. Wow, he really is sad, isn’t he?”Zelena bit her lip, remembering Rose was Rumplestiltskin’s daughter.“Is my mother alive?” Rose waited intensely for Zelena’s response.“Umm, yes, she is! And I saw her 3 years ago, in fact.” Zelena began to examine her nails, uninterested in the conversation.“What, my mother is alive? Where did you see her?” Rose begged.“Umm, I don’t know. She was a peasant girl, I never keep track of where I see peasants.”Rose glared as if she wanted to choke Zelena.“Please, I need to know.”Zelena’s face seemed to smugly twist into a crooked smile as the guards returned with flaming torches in their hands. Then, in a flash, Zelena grabbed Rose’s pouch with the fairy dust, doused herself with it, and threw the remaining dust onto the unreachable floor below. “Sorry, Ronda, but I’m wicked, and wicked works alone. Toodles.” Zelena turned into a giant Luna moth and shot faster than a bullet towards the sky before turning back into herself and mounting a curved willow branch, broom into the clouds.Rose felt paralyzed with betrayal,But once the realisation of her death hit her, water began to gush from her eyes, still fixed on the sky. There was no way out of this now.“Looks like your little friend abandoned you, oh well that doesn’t mean your blood can’t be shed tonight” the Captain of the guards yelled in a voice so loud and gruff, Rose screamed and clinged onto the wood of the stake.“This is what happens to monsters!” He shouted and dropped the tourch onto the wooden stake. The smoke immediately rose up and coiled around Rose, suffocating her and the mix of her tears and the black mist blocked her from the crowd and guards cheering below. What had she even done wrong? How could they think she deserved this?The flames soon burnt her legs and clawed their way up her body and all she could do was scream.Suddenly a singular bright purple lightning bolt zapped onto the stage. And once the plum smoke had cleared, an image of rumplestiltskin pierced into the audience’s brain, he seemed so furious he had gone a little insane. The crowd let out a mixture of screaming and gasping.Rumple’s eyes seemed to hold the scorching flames of hell. “Dark one!” one of the guards shuddered.“That’s... right...The dark one! But I don’t know why your in the slightest surprised. That’s my daughter your cooking!” The crowd froze.“apologies Rumplestiltskin we...we didn’t know.” Rumple clenched his fist so hard his claws probably pierced his skin.“You didn’t know? Ah, I see, that makes it alright then!” Rumplestiltskin hastily extinguished the flame consuming his daughter.“Tell me, do any of you know what burning flesh feels like?” The crowd remained silent. “Here, let me show you.” His rage, strengthening his Scottish accent, Rumple conjured a bright yellow blaze in his palm, and within seconds, the town was aflame.Rose could feel herself slipping away until, suddenly, the world went black, and she passed out.Rose’s eyes gradually opened. There was a stabbing pain emanating from her left leg, the likes of which she had never felt before. It was as if someone had stuck hundreds of nails into every corner of her leg and she remembered the burns she had acquired during the execution. She slowly rose to her uneasy feet. The fire was calmly crackling beside her, and she appeared to be in her father’s study.Instantly, Rumplestiltskin flashed in. He looked so worried and agitated, Rose almost questioned whether this man really was her father.“What were you thinking?” His demeanour quickly shifted to one of fury and disappointment. Rose looked at her boots, not feeling strong enough to meet his amber eyes.“I... I just wanted to... to be useful.” Rose immediately broke down into tears, and Rumple softened his glare, comfortingly stroking her head before holding his hand over the burns on her leg to magically repair the skin.“Don’t worry, Zelena will be dealt with,” Rumplestiltskin bitterly muttered beneath his breath.“Father, can I ask you something?” Rose cut in, finally deciding to ask the question that had been plaguing her mind since she woke up.“Yes?”Rose began to fidget with her hands.“What happened to my mother?” Rose lifted her head to see how her father had taken the question. He seemed empty and haunted, his amber eyes almost displaying the ghost of a tear.“I just wanted to know because Zelena told me my mother was... alive.” Rumplestiltskin jolted forward at her words, unblinking for an unhealthy amount of time.“That witch may have escaped her execution, but mark my words, she will burn for this.” Rage seemed to consume him at the false hope Zelena had planted in his daughter.“But... but... what if Zelena was right? What if my mother is—”“No! Stop it. She died.” He repeated this over and over to himself. He had only just gotten over her tragic suicide, which he had caused, and he was not about to get thrown back into a river of denial or false hope.“Zelena also said you lied... that my mother didn’t die, she ran away from you.” Rose waited for her father’s response, hoping the witch was wrong.“Alright, she did. She ran away from me because... because I am a monster.” He squeezed his eyes shut, they were now wet with tears, and Rose stepped back in shock.“You lied to me then?”“No, she did die, but I was too weak to tell you how.” Rose turned away in disgust from her father. How could he lie to her about her mother?“Tell me now, how did she die?” Rose shouted. She needed the answer to this question more than anything.
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“Me...” he stuttered. “She died because of me, and I knew if I told you, you would leave me just like everyone else.”Rose’s heart ached. She felt both hatred and sorrow towards her father. For forty minutes, the two sat in silence, looking at the floor or listening to the fire burning the logs to ash.“I believe she is still alive. Maybe we could find her together, because why would Zelena lie about that?” Rose broke the silence, hoping her father would change his mind about her mother’s death.“Stop this, Rose! She died! There is nothing I can do. When it comes to saving loved ones, I am powerless!” he screamed.Rose broke into tears as well and grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away. “Why won’t you believe me?”Rumple paused, paralyzed by a memory of Belle. She had said the same thing many years ago, and Rose was so much like her mother it broke him. She deserved an answer as to why Belle was gone forever.“Because Regina told me after she left, Her father captured her and tortured her. She was in so much pain, emotionally and physically, that she...she threw herself off a tower and she died.”Rose was shocked and in a daze of disbelief. “Why would you trust Regina? You told me she used to lie.”“Because I know that everyone who loves me eventually dies or leaves. This is just another example of that, and I searched for her for weeks...she is gone”“Maybe you didn’t look everywhere...” “No, Rose, you need to stop... stop being stuck in your little fantasy. You have to grow up and face the truth instead of hiding from it. You are not a child anymore.” The words came out in a mix of intensity, anger, and sorrow, shouted louder than she had ever heard her father shout. Rose hesitated for a second. So that was why he didn’t let her come with him—he thought she was immature and maybe he only viewed her as a waste of space.“Okay... alright, I get it. You think I’m a childish, burden. If I’m such a nuisance to you, then maybe you’d be better off without me.” She shut her eyes so she wouldn’t regret her decision, and teleported as far away from the castle as she could.Rumple stood frozen in regret. Once again, he had driven away someone who cared about him. His eyes stung with shame, and his jaw ached. It took him a while to search the castle to see if Rose had truly gone, but after thoroughly examining the estate, it was clear she had vanished. For the rest of the night, he stood at the castle’s old, twisted gates, desperately waiting for Rose to return, but she never did.Rose materialized in an eerie, damp forest. The smell of wet oak and moss hit her nose, and sharp pine needles jabbed the soft rim of her feet, which were still bare from the injury. For at least half an hour, she wandered around the forest in a distraught daze until the dingy moon reared its head, and the forest began to grow more menacing.After cautiously inspecting a clearing for any sign of human life, Rose found an old willow tree and curled up in a small heap underneath it, like a baby bird would to its mother. It was almost peaceful, laying under its tall branches, with the wind whispering husky melodies only nymphs would understand in her ear. It almost made her forget her argument with her father, and allowed her to drift off as peacefully as she could.“State your business, goblin,” a loud, arrogant voice declared. Rose flickered her eyes open until she could make out the fuzzy image of a man staring down at her in confusion. “In case you haven’t heard, stranger, the forest isn’t owned by anyone, so I don’t have to tell you a thing,” Rose replied rudely.As she rubbed her eyes, her vision became clearer, and she examined the man in front of her. He looked about her age, with a messy mop of dark curls secured in a loose ponytail behind him, and his face was lightly speckled with stubble.He seemed good-looking, as far as men go, although this was probably the closest Rose had ever gotten to a boy of her age. The only person she had known of her age before was Grace, Jefferson’s daughter, who would sometimes accompany her father to discuss deals with Rumplestiltskin. Grace was an odd girl, having been mostly raised in Wonderland, but the two had one thing in common, both had lost their mothers and were instead raised by their eccentric fathers. This caused them to become fast friends.“Yes, you do, actually, because this part of the forest is my family’s territory.” The boy puffed up his chest, as if she should already know who he was, but instead, Rose tilted her head, perplexed by the stranger.“And your family is?”“The Hoods. You might have heard of my father, Robin Hood.”“Nope, not ringing any bells, forest owner,” Rose snapped.“You know, the famous thief who takes from the rich and gives to the poor.” Rose shook her head playfully, but before she could tease the boy any further, he began tying her hands together with a loose, messy knot.“Hey, what are you doing?” she exclaimed.