Run. That's all that he could do at this point was run. Run as fast as he could through the damn maze that was the only thing between him and the Queen of Heart's castle. That's where she was, that's where /he/ had sent her. That damn Dodo. He was going to pay for this. Pay through the nose for putting Elizabeth into this sort of danger. But that could wait... at least for now. The best thing that he could do was run as fast as he could, run until he reached the castle, run until he found her. She was all he had left... He couldn't lose her like he had the others... He just couldn't... He owed it to them; to Alice, to Jefferson, to Grace. He loved her, and there was no way he was going to do wrong by another person he cared about, not like he had his sister.

Skidding to a stop when he came to a fork in the road, he froze, his eyes searching frantically for something, /anything/ that would tell him which way was the right way to go. He had only been through the maze twice before... both times on the day he had let his sister down, the day that he had left her to die at the hands of the Queen. He had been a coward back then. Nothing more than a scared little boy. So he had turned tail and fled the scene... No. Worse than that. He had turned tail and fled Wonderland altogether, and now he was back. This was all his fault. He never should have let her go in the first place, not after the sinking feeling he had gotten in his chest when she had been telling him about the job that she had been offered. One last job. One last job as a collector before she gave it all up, and the two of them started a new life. Together. The way things were supposed to be... The way they should have been years ago...

Furrowing his brows slightly, he looked over the three paths that lay out ahead of him, each of them obviously leading somewhere, though he knew that at least two of the three paths were going to lead him to either a dead end or... or a /dead/ end... Shaking his head for a moment, he shoved the thoughts as far from his mind as he could manage, there was no time to be thinking about these sorts of things, he had come here for a reason. Come home for a reason. Letting his heart lead him further, he once more began to run, his legs carrying him down the center path, his ears straining, listening out for anything that might be lurking in the maze around him, not that it was going to help him much. He could fight, but something like the Bandersnatch-... Well he just hoped that he could find Liz before he had to even think about pulling a blade on the Queen's little-... okay, the Queen's big and vicious beloved pet.

His heart sunk as he heard the sound of a loud, frightened scream piercing the air, not too far ahead of where he was standing. He hadn't even realized he had stopped again, but the voice, that scream, it was unmistakable... that was Elizabeth. Pushing himself faster than he had in years, he forced himself across the ground, his feet moving as quickly as he could get them to move as he rounded the corner, his eyes catching on her. On Liz. The one person he had been looking for ever since she had missed her deadline in returning home, "Liz... Liz..! I'm coming!"

"Kaeden, no-..!"

His heart stopped dead in his chest, his eyes widening as he helplessly watched on to what was happening before his very eyes. Her body slowly changing before his eyes, all color in her... all color that she had... changing to nothing more than a dull grey as the stone took control of her body, freezing her in a perpetual state of terror. No... No, this couldn't happen... Not again... He couldn't lose her, not her too... Forcing his feet to move again, he stumbled forward as quickly as he could, his hands coming up to rest softly on either side of her face, his eyes stinging, letting him know that tears were about to fall but he didn't care. Nothing else mattered anymore. He had lost her... The last important thing that he had in his life, and she was gone... nothing more than a statue to decorate the Queen's garden.

He didn't even bother to resist... There was no point... He had lost everything that he had kept precious to his heart... His sister was gone. Jefferson and Grace, his brother and niece... both gone, disappeared from his life without a word. Elizabeth... A sharp pain shot through his heart at the very thought. Lifting his head slightly, his eyes flicked up to the statue that had once been the love of his life, her figure getting smaller and smaller as the guards dragged him away. He knew where he was going. He knew what was going to happen, now he was going to face it. And just like what he had forced upon his sister... he was going to face it alone...



His eyes shot open. The pain as fresh in his heart now, just as it was when it had happened in front of his very eyes. It had been two weeks... maybe. It was hard to tell anymore. Not that he truly cared. He had lost everything that kept him going, everything that gave him the hope to live another day. To say that he wasn't terrified of death, that would be a lie. He was... the thought of losing his head and joining the rest of his family in the eternal slumber wasn't something that was easy to come to terms with, if there were another way-... No... He didn't deserve it. He was the joke of Wonderland, a failure in the Enchanted Forest, and the reason that his family were all gone. Maybe the world would have been a better place if he had just never been born in the first place.

The Queen had called his sentence the day he had been caught. Beheading. The same sentence that she had given his sister when she had been hauled in for her so-called crimes against the crown. Alice had been an innocent, she had done nothing wrong... but he had been too much of a coward to stand up for her then, too much of a coward to help her when she had pleaded with him to do just that, and he had been too much of a coward to even stay and watch it happen... Shutting his eyes tightly as he felt a sting go through them, he pulled his right leg in, his elbow resting softly on his knee as he dropped his head down. He hadn't moved in what felt like three days. Sitting at the back of the cell, his back hunched over slightly, though resting against the wall. What was the point in moving? What was the point in living anymore? Everything that he had been living for was gone... and soon he would be joining them all...

"Cozy little place you have here." a mockery of a child-like tone stated blandly, piercing through the bitter silence had had been Kaeden's only company save for the guards who brought him his spoiled curds and whey on a scheduled routine. But it was far too early in the day for his portion though. He hadn't even touched the last few bowls that he had been given. He had simply given up. Perhaps starvation was a better outlet than an outright beheading. "I'd love to see the Summer home!"

"If you're here to look upon the joke of Wonderland, than please be my guest..." Lifting his head up slightly, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze drifting up as far as it could go without him having to lift his head up any further. Truthfully, the last thing that he wanted was guests. He just wanted to be left alone... in the silence... alone with his thoughts. But it seemed that at this particular moment, he didn't have the luxury to be making any choices, "Though try and do it quietly, and without all the gloating... Some of us would rather be left alone with our thoughts okay mate."

Lifting his head up completely, he straightened his shoulders, his back resting flush against the wall that was behind him. The same wall that he had been leaning against for god knew how many days in a row. His guest... Could have been one of Caterpillar's men, could have been one of Dodo's, it was hard to tell, and with being away from home and out of the loop for so long, there was no way of knowing if he belonged to either of them without asking... though if he was part of the latter, if he was one of Dodo's men, he would be sure to at least make him pay for the pain he had caused him, even if it was going to be the last thing that he did... "So do what do I owe this pleasure, hm..? Which one of the big, scary men sent you; the bug, or the bird? Oh wait, no... don't tell me. You were sent by the snooty old cow sitting upstairs weren't you? I knew it... Well, you can tell that thing up there, that she can do what she wants to me... I'm done playing her little waiting game..."

There was a soft chuckle of amusement coming from the dark recesses of the prison before a slight pause.

"Oh no, I don't answer to any of them, dearie. You see..." Another pause... and then, stepping out of the shadows and into the light of the sole lit torch bolted to the stone wall emerged a figure, small in stature and sickly thin, though it was hard to tell from the amount of layers he wore.

The man was garbed in tight leather from head to toe; from the black leather boots that reached up past his calves, over the top of a pair of dark brown leather pants all the way up to the stiff, rigid-looking, brown dragon-hide coat he wore over the top of what looked like a black vest made from the underbelly of a crocodile that kept the blood red silk poet shirt nearly hidden from view. As though his clothing style weren't intimidating enough, as the man came closer into the light, screwing the cap on a silver flask and reattaching it to his hip, the warm flames of the flickering fire caught the hue of his skin which wasn't at all considered normal.

His complexion was a sickly, saturated green one would expect a novice sailor to achieve while sick at sea. But even stranger, embedded into the skin was what looked like flecks of gold that caught the firelight with each subtle movement the man made as he approached the front of Kaeden's cell and crouched down in front of it to be at eye level with him. The condition of the man's skin seemed to remain with him throughout his body, though only his hands, face and portions of his neck were visible for Kaeden to be unsure.

But even above the wardrobe, the sickly, glittering skin, the blackened fingernails... it was of no match to the man's eyes. If he was a man. Wide, full amber eyes where there was too much iris and not enough pupil... the eyes of a monster; dead, hungry, piercing right through Kaeden and into his soul. His thin, nude lips split into a smile, the very tips of his ruined teeth visible and making the creases within his older complexion deepen, a trill of soft giggles erupting from his throat as though the man himself didn't even know they were there.

"...I answer only... to me!"

"Well good for you, I'd give you a round of applause but... I don't want to. So why don't you just hurry up and cut to the chase, who knows how long you have before I lose my head, then you'll be stuck with the thick heads behind you, and trust me, they aren't much fun." Closing his eyes for a few moments, he tilted his head from side to side, the soft sound of joints popping filling the room as he moved, his body stiff from not having moved in so long. Not that he had anywhere to go, and even if he did... there wasn't really anywhere he would go. Life was long and hard, and full of pain, ending it was the only humane thing left to do. Now he just had to wait and see whether the starvation would get him before the beheading did...

"They can barely tell their left from their right, and if you ask them to show you where their nose is-... well, you get my drift... Point is, they're lousy listeners, so I'd hurry up and get to the point dearie" His eyes widened for only a moment, as though accentuating the last word that came out of his mouth, mocking him though with what he saw from the man in front of him, he wouldn't really give two hoots about his jab. Either way, it was a fun way to pass the time until his sentence was carried out, and while silence was golden... company was amusing.

The man stood in succession with Kaeden though unable to reach his full height, falling a few inches shorter. But his overall appearance somehow gave the illusion that he was much bigger than he was. The man drew back from the cell bars a bit, clicking his tongue thrice in a 'tisk' sound as the smile faded from his pointed features and into something that looked like a frown.

"My, my, my, aren't we the temperamental one? And here I was, having come all the way from The Enchan-ted Forest to help you." the man scorned, though in a somehow very light-hearted, playful manner. His speech was even odd, spacing out words that didn't need spacing, enunciating syllables at the ends of words with an extra breath and changing pitches as though he were singing instead. It was all just very... strange. Even by Wonderland standards.

"Oh my... well then, forgive me, this makes all the difference in the world. Come all the way, from the Enchanted Forest no less, just for little ol' me? I'm flattered, truly I am, but then... there might be one teeny, tiny little detail that I just can't seem to wrap my mind around..." Sighing softly, he turned his head, his eyes flicking about the dungeon cell before once more coming to rest on the man who claimed to be there to help him out of his predicament. Why he was there to do just that, he wasn't sure. But he would be lying to say that he wasn't curious about it... He needed answers. Especially ones that gave him clues as to just what this guy got out of helping him out of his execution, "Why would someone like you... give a crap about someone like me... It's not like my death would affect you in any way..."

Lifting his hand up, he tilted his head slightly, rubbing the back of his neck to get rid of some of the stress and tension that had accumulated within it over his time spent in isolation. The thought of it, the fact that his sister had had to go through it all in her last moments... alone, thanks to him... He felt another pang of pain shoot through his heart, "So tell me, why have you come here... what could possibly come from helping me out of losing my head to the witch upstairs?"

The posture in the man suddenly seemed to raise a little higher, giving him another inch or so as his back arched and his hands waved in an elaborate flourish, accenting the bout of giggles that came from him as though Kaeden had missed some sort of joke.

"Miss-ing the p-oint!" the man then said after coming off of whatever high had brought on the spontaneity of his behavior, though still waving his hands together in a 'no' fashion. "You. Freedom. Do ya want it or not?" he then asked, his voice suddenly very serious as he jerked his finger towards Kaeden in an accusing manner, then opening up his palm to slide it flat across the air on the word 'not.'

Freedom... Freedom was a joke. He was never truly going to be free. The weight of his parents punishment was going to be stuck with him for the rest of his life, the weight of his families deaths were on his shoulders and their blood on his hands. Yeah... freedom was what he would be getting from this guy... This was a waste of time, the guy shouldn't of even been here in the first place, but he was, so what was the harm in humoring him for even a while?

"Yeah, cause you can really offer me my freedom. I had freedom, once, but that was a long, long time ago buddy... and with each person I lost, my freedom was taken from me." Clenching his jaw, he narrowed his eyes towards the guy, he was not in the mood to play games, and it seemed like that's all this guy was about. So unless he was able to give him everything he wanted, the guy could just go and jump off a cliff for all he cared, "So unless you can give me my family back, I suggest you stop wasting my time... as you can see, I'm a busy man with places to be..."

"Your family, hmm?" the man chimed, almost in song as he seemed to ponder the supposed outlandish request. "You mean... Elizabeth, Jefferson, Grace..." he paused, then, in a near low-whisper... "Alice..." The man twisted his wrist from where his closed palm had been facing down until it was upright and opened it up flat. The moment he did, a puff of purple smoke appeared over the top of it the size of a small melon before it wafted away into the humid air of the dungeons. There, sitting nestled in his discolored palm was a small key of remarkable craftsmanship, the silver and encrusted jewels catching the light even more than the supposed gold embedded into the strange man's skin.

The man, in turn, kept his dead eyes trained on Kaeden, that twisted smile returning to his lips as a ghost of a giggle slipped out between his teeth, clearly amused with himself but trying to hold it back.

His body tensed up. The sound of their names rolling off of his tongue... it just sounded so wrong, so sinister... how he even knew of them in the first place-... he wasn't sure if he wanted to know how he knew them or not. But what made it worse was what he saw next. The key. Her key. The key that unlocked one of his sister's many journals. She had always been writing, every night, that was one thing that you could count on when it had come to Alice. Though whatever it was that was written in the pages of those books, only she knew, and the keys that opened them... he hadn't been able to find a single one. She wore them, kept them close to her at all times. Ever since her execution...

He was up from the ground, and across the length of the cell in what felt like the blink of an eye, his body pressing angrily against bars as he reached through them and towards the guy taunting him with his sister's death, "Where did you get that... Tell me! Where did you get that!"

"Oh, what, this?" The man drew back his open palm, closing his knotted fingers down on it and maneuvering it so that when he made a fist, his thumb and forefinger were pinching the bow of the key, letting the rest dangle almost dangerously, as though he were threatening to drop it. The metal grate covering up the sewer in which he was standing on a sure ending to the key that had once been thought lost. "I'm a procurer of hard-to-find objects, a... collector of sorts. This shiny little trinket found it's way to my doorstep not a few days ago!" he explained almost too jovially, his free hand expressing individual words with different, small flourishes.

"N-No..! Don't..! You can't do that - please... That key belonged to my sister, that's the only thing that I've seen of hers since she died..." His eyes widened slightly as he watched the man dangle the only part he had left of his sister over the grate at his feet. He couldn't do this, that key was the only part of Alice that was left. To throw it away so carelessly... if the starvation and the beheading didn't kill him, losing the last bit of his sister certainly would. Furrowing his brows in concentration, he pushed himself further into the bars, trying to get his arm as far out as he could, though he knew it was no use... even if the guy dropped the key, he wouldn't be able to catch it.

Closing his eyes, he dropped his head, his knees shaking weakly as he continued to try and reach for the thing he wanted most. His sister, he just couldn't let her go, not when it had been his fault-... not when it had been his fault that she was dead, "Just who the hell do you think you are anyway..."

"Oh!" the man quickly exclaimed, his lips forming a perfect 'o' shape that matched the intense roundness of his wide eyes, as though he had just remembered something important. He dropped the key but it only fell for half a second before his fist snapped out and snatched it from the air, now enclosed safely into his fist. "That's right, we haven't been formerly introduced." The man placed one boot in front of the other, his hips squaring Kaeden off as he extended out both arms into the air and flourished in a deep bow, looking more like he was in the makings of a swan dive. "R-R-R-R-Rumpelstiltskin!" he elaborately introduced himself, bowing his head as though Kaeden had earned his respect. "Or as others know me..." he tilted only his head up, the crinkled mess of his dark hair covering half of his face as his dead eyes looked back to him intently. "...The Dark One..."

"..The Dark One..." Opening his eyes as he heard the name offered to him, he turned his head, his arm dropping only slightly as he eyed the man standing before him. He had heard stories... whispers of a man by those names... The Dark One; Rumpelstiltskin... though he had never had the pleasure of meeting the old coot, and now here he was. Standing in front of him, and offering him not only his freedom, but also a piece of his sister as well, though why was still as much a mystery as it was when he had first come to see him, "And what in the hell would the Dark One want with me anyway... I'm no-one; a joke. Though, if you are who you say you are, then I'm sure that you know all that already..."

He couldn't help it. His eyes kept flicking down to Rumpelstiltskin's hand, where he knew the key was being safely held. He wanted it, more than anything. He wanted anything that would keep him close to his family, and especially his sister. Even something as small as a key with no lock-... it was the sentimental value that made the whole thing worth it. He had already made up his mind, whatever it was, he had to get his hands on that key. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't at least try... but then if he didn't, he wouldn't exactly be living much longer anyway...

Rumpelstiltskin let out a sort of 'humm' sound that could also pass for a yes. Of course he knew who he was, his reputation, his sob stories, his life. That was why he was here and the smile spreading back across his lips and the eyebrows raising let Kaeden know right away that he already knew whatever it was that he wanted, the answer was yes.

"Well if you must know..." Rumpelstiltskin started, the first few words coming out in a bark-like laugh, "my reasons actually have more to do with a quarrel with your Queen that spans far beyond before you were even born... BUT! I may have my use for you yet." His eyes narrowed on Kaeden, returning to that sinister, serious look about him that often times left people wondering if The Dark One was capable of stealing souls just by looking at them. "You may have your sister's key..." Rumpelstiltskin started again, the fist in which the key had been nestled inside suddenly leaking out small wisps of purple smoke until the weight of a heavy pendant on a chain was felt around Kaeden's neck and chest.

His eyes closed as he felt the weight of the key pressing against his chest under his top, the cool metal causing his arm to drop and his forehead to press against the bars of the cell. This was it... He had no will to say no to him anymore. The man had just given him exactly what he wanted, something to keep him close with his sister, long after she was dead and gone from the world that she had loved so dearly. Though if the rumors about Rumpelstiltskin were true... there would be something that was needed to be given in exchange for what he had just received. He just hoped that whatever it was, he would be able to give it to him.

"...and you can have your freedom..." Rumpelstiltskin added on. His entire body vanished with the blink of an eye. No smoke, no theatrics, nothing. "For one teensie-tiny lit-tle job." his voice sounded, this time coming directly from behind Kaeden. His body had reappeared within Kaeden's cell, his body hunched over so that he was able to whisper the last few words into his ear.

Rumpelstiltskin, clearly amused with his showmanship, backed off from Kaeden to stand up, extending out a knotted hand for him to shake.

"Do we have a deal?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, the corners of his lips twitching into a wanting smile though he held it back. The same could not be said for the small giggle that slipped through.

He had been right. There was something that he wanted in return for his freedom and the key, but it seemed as though he wasn't willing to give up what it was until after he got his word that he would do it. Taking a few moments to let his words settle, he stood himself up, his hands slipping down the bars in defeat until finally he turned himself around, his gaze lifting to meet with that of Rumpelstiltskin's. There was no denying it. He hated the old coot already. He was a shabby old man, who showed way too much off with all the leather, not that he didn't have some style... But his personality didn't leave much to the imagination, and if he wanted what was being offered... he had no other choice but to work with the old dodger. Lifting up his hand, he finally reached out, taking a firm grip of the hand being offered to him, the lack of food over the last few days showing in the strength of his grip.

"Alright, deal... now what the hell do you want from me..?"

Rumpelstiltskin shook his hand back, his free hand coming up where he twiddled his fingers in anticipation while his dead eyes were fixated on the key he knew to be laying on Kaeden's chest. A sly, mischievous smile split his lips as he looked back up to Kaeden, keeping his head bent but his eyes moving up in an intimidating glower... with a smile.

"Famed is thy beauty, Majesty. But hold, a lovely maid I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee. Lips red as the rose. Hair black as ebony. Skin white as snow."

"Snow White." Regina's red, painted lip curled up into a snarl over her white teeth, the reflection from her mirror staring right back into her meeting her very own dark brown eyes in an intense moment of connection. "Show her to me." she snapped bitterly to the voice that followed her wherever mirrors were available, unblinking towards the face of the tyrannical Queen that was staring right back at her. "Show me Snow White. I need to see it."

There was a pause but then the surface of the mirror began to wave and pulse, defying the very laws that made glass what it was. Regina's reflection slowly began to fade away, twisting and warping with the movement of the glass until it began to settle once more though her reflection did not remain. Instead, the mirror in which she had been standing in front of in the comfortable confines of her bedchamber took on the traits of a window, showing Regina exactly what it was that she wanted to see; an image she had been watching for weeks now.

Snow White lay unconscious, protected by a feeble preservation spell from The Blue Fairy and a glass coffin in which the Dwarves had laid her to rest within on a cozy little green hill next to their cottage. Really, Regina had assumed the Dwarves would have moved her back to The Royal Palace by now, though, she supposed that without their faux Prince Charming there to tell them what to do, they were nothing more than scattered rats without a den mother to answer to.

The thought alone had her snarl of detestation towards the young woman who had ruined her life transforming into a rather attractive smile, though the burning passion of hatred gleaming in her dark eyes threw whatever sincerity from the gentle smile which then slowly turned into an airy laugh.

Raising a hand, she waved it from the wrist, letting her fingers follow the motion in a lazy flourish, watching a very thin puff of purple smoke taking over the image of Snow White fixated in the Sleeping Curse to then disappear revealing another image; the very Prince in question.

She had abducted Prince James long ago, a rather fair trade-off with King George that set everything Regina had ever strived for in motion. With Snow's Prince Charming in her clutches, imprisoned within Regina's makeshift castle after being exiled from The Enchanted Forest, precious little Snow had no choice but to comply to Regina's demands and bite into the poisoned apple, putting her in a forever sleep, believing that she was doing the right thing by keeping her false Prince safe.

Well... Regina never actually said she would be letting Charming go... There was too much risk. No, the only way Regina would be able to ensure that Charming and Snow could never be reunited, to never be able to break this curse, Regina would have to cast the most terrible curse in all the lands; The Dark Curse - a curse that would guarantee a happy ending for no one - a small price to pay for even a sliver towards Regina's own happiness which was keeping Snow from having hers.

Regina's internal musings were interrupted as a sudden fluttering of wings drew her attention to the nearby open view of the balcony. The large black shape of a bird sitting atop the guardrail detouring her thoughts, ruffling itself before looking up and cawing, a loud, coarse noise, the consistency of sandpaper.

The raven cocked its head to the side, as though silently imploring something from its Queen, but otherwise made no other noise as it seemed to look past her with its beady black orbs.

Smirking, Regina turned her lithe body towards the Raven sitting on top of the balcony railing. She raised her hand, fingers twitching as she watched the bird take flight towards her, it's impressive wingspan keeping it hovering at her chest level with such a delicate grace that not a single sound came from the fowl.

"I was wondering when you'd flutter back on home to me..."

Just as the bird looked as though it might intercept the Queen, Regina twisted her wrist, watching as a dark plume of purple smoke encased the bird entirely.

Writhing and swirling for longer than a moment, the purple smoke turned a jet black, fading away as the remaining tendrils formed bird-like shapes for only a brief moment before dissipating in their entirety, leaving a completely different figure in its wake.

Tall, dark, and powerful, Ahzidal stood at least seven inches taller than the Queen herself, making no initial movements aside from the subtle rising and falling of his chest, his piercing eyes the color of steel searching the Queen, piercing past her smirk, her clothes...her skin.

The Raven stood incredibly close to her, almost intimately so, her rather ample bosom very nearly pressing into his own chest, though this closeness did not seem to affect the palpable silence in the air, with Ahzidal not even seeming to notice the lack of space....it was duty.

"You summoned for me." He finally spoke, the words being uttered more as a declaration or affirmation as opposed to an inquiry. His voice itself was cold, harsh, with a raspy hint to it; as though any warmth or humanity had been extinguished long ago.

"Yes..." Regina purred, drawing out the 's' for a few moments as she let her fingers play with the pointed black fabric on his shoulder, her eyes watching herself fiddle with it. "Two days ago I sent you out with a message. I need to know if it was recieved."

Ahzidal did not visibly react as the Queen toyed with his clothing, either too disciplined or too unattached to notice or care.

"Those addressed are aware of the meet in the woods. They will attend, though whether their loyalty is secured or not is a different matter....do you require my attendance?" He explained in a composed manner, speaking in an almost robotic tone, measuring each word carefully without attention to inflection of mood or emotion.

Regina tilted up her head to look up at him, craning her neck given the height difference between them and their close proximity but the white smile that split her painted lips showed that she was more than pleased.

"Any... complications?" She asked pleasantly, almost sounding like she wanted to hear bad news. Taking a moment, she ran her hand down from his shoulder and over his chest, letting her head drop back down to watch her fingers at play.

"All apprehension was met with swift rebuke." Ahzidal replied brusquely, his head cocking down just a fraction to eye the ring wrapped around his finger. His leash. When on a mission he was free to use his magic to its full potential in order to accomplish the Queen's goals, but was once again muzzled in her presence. The Raven felt no opinion on the matter. His magic was a tool, he had no wish to use it on or against his Queen.

Turning his head back to see her playing with his chest, Ahzidal seemed to move closer into her touch, if only a centimeter or two on instinct. How often had the Queen called upon his service in the bedchambers? Nearly every night now, it seemed. Ahzidal cared not...his actions brought the Queen pleasure, so he would continue to serve and obey until she no longer required him.

"You continue to impress me, my dear Huntsman." Regina tilted her head back up, leaning into Ahzidal a fraction more until her chest was pressed into his where his weight could support her. Her parted lips, just a hairs-breadth away from making contact with the skin just below the strong line of his jaw, blew out a short breath of hot air as she let out a small chuckle. She let her eyes flutter closed for a moment, moving her head to rest ever-so-lightly against his shoulder, even nuzzling into him a bit. "You see how much easier things are when you obey your Queen?" she remarked, splaying her hand across his chest where his heart would have been had she not ripped it out all those months ago when he failed to kill Snow White for her.

"I live to serve." Ahzidal replied in a composed tone, yet an observant one could detect the ever-so-slight shake in his voice as the Queen continued to show affection for him. It was an interesting feeling....to be so detached and removed from emotions, yet experience the same prickling feeling of heat and excitement from the right touch - no matter how distant the feeling was.

"What would you have of me?" He inquired next, showing no leeway in voice whatsoever. Whether she wanted murder, pleasure, investigation, or simply comfort (as was the incredibly rare case) did not matter. Obedience was everything.

"Yes. You do." Regina agreed. With a barely audible huff, Regina pulled herself away from him, putting distance between their bodies as she turned to look back at the mirror she had been examining not moments ago, greeted once more by the sight of her reflection looking back at her with Azhidal standing in as her background. "I have another job for you." she stated after a long pause, her eyes looking from her reflection's to the reflection of Azhidal. Waiting for a moment, she turned her body back around, the tight black dress flowing at her feet in a velvety dance only to settle back down once the motion was carried through.

"My mirrors have lost track of the maid. In order to beat Rumpelstiltskin at his own game, I need her in my sights. Find her!"

"As you command." Ahzidal replied before turning heel towards the open balcony, his long robes flowing about him as he did so, giving him the appearance of an overgrown bat, almost.

Looking down once more at the encapsulating ring, Ahzidal could feel his magic slowly start to return to him, like unlocking a part of himself after hiding it away for years. He felt whole again....or at least as whole as a man could without his heart. And yet....he couldn't even think of a reason for a heart anymore. It was weakness, stood in the place of duty, clouded judgement. Ahzidal required only his mind and his magic. That was all he needed for his service to the Queen.

"Leave her be, when you find her." Regina told Ahzidal, watching him head back towards the balcony in which he had came in. "I only need information. This plan requires and air of... discretion..."

With a plume of black smoke starting to form at his feet, Ahzidal took one more look at Regina before the smoke enveloped him entirely, lingering on briefly before he once more hovered in the air as a large black bird.

The bird cawed only once, as if acknowledging her commands before taking off across the horizon, becoming little more than a hovering black dot that grew smaller and smaller, intent on accomplishing its mission.

Following Ahzidal out onto the balcony, Regina rested her palms on the railing of the balcony, bending her body forward a small ways and watching as the raven became nothing more than a black spec amongst the horizon. A flittering smile returned to her lips then as she straightened her long back and turned to head back into her bedchamber, however only taking a few steps, a plume of dark purple smoke overtook her body and with the blow of the wind, The Queen was gone.

She had a housecall to make.

She couldn't do this. It just wasn't right, it just wasn't... love. She didn't love him. She didn't love Gaston, well, at least she didn't love him anymore, that was more to the point. There was a time when she would have done anything to have been with him... to walk down the aisle to where he was standing there waiting for her, to have her father give her away to the man she would be spending the rest of her life with, to no longer be Isabella Français, but instead to be Isabella Le' Gume... but those days were gone. Shaking her head as though to rid herself of the thoughts, Belle gathered up more of her wedding dress, her feet moving as quickly as they could underneath her as they carried her further and further away from her families castle, her long dark brown locks flying back behind her with every step that she took, and her feet kicking up small dust clouds behind her as she ran down the road.

Things had changed, and now she couldn't go through with it. She just couldn't marry Gaston. She wasn't his, she wasn't even sure if she was still the same woman anymore. All she knew for certain was that her heart was no longer his... her heart no longer belonged to Gaston Le' Gume, but instead belonged to another man. All that time spent alone with him at the Dark Castle-... Gods she loved him. It wasn't even something she could describe to herself, let alone try and explain it to another. He was the reason she was running as fast as she could, he was the reason she couldn't go through with the wedding - she would be marrying the wrong man... He was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with; she wanted to stand tall and proud by his side, but the first thing was first, she had to get back to him, preferably before she was chased down by her father's knights and dragged back to the castle. She had to get back to him, she just had to tell him... She had to tell Rumpelstiltskin that she loved him.

Turning her head, Belle took a chance and looked back over her shoulder at the path she had been taking, there wasn't anything yet, but there was no way she was getting away with this for very much longer than she was. They were going to realize that she was missing, sooner rather than later, she knew that. So the best she could do was run. Run as far as she could, and until she couldn't run any further. Belle's attention was dragged away as the sound of a ravens caw filled the air around her, her eyes flicking up to the sky just in time to catch the sight of black feathers disappearing among the green leaves of the trees, the forest growing denser with every minute that passed her by.

"A-Ah..!"

Falling backwards onto the ground, Belle shut her eyes tightly, a pain shooting up through her wrist as her mind tried to figure out just what had happened, just what it was that had stopped her from moving in the first place. She had hit something... something hard, but still soft at the same time... a person? No... it couldn't be... They couldn't have found her already, they couldn't have caught up to her yet. That was impossible, she had run not moments after being left alone in her chambers. Lifting her head up, Belle stared at the person standing over her, her brilliant blue orbs searching the grayish-blue ones that stared back at hers, her chest heaving up and down in the white gown as she shook her head lightly.

"Please... Please, you can't take me back there... I can't marry him..."

"M-Marry him..? Woah there... what in Wonderland are you talking about? I'm not here to take you anywhere, I'm here looking for my partner." Raising her eyebrow, Elizabeth stared down at the woman on the ground at her feet, her grayish-blue orbs flicking over the white dress she could only assume was the woman's wedding dress. A bride..? No, the woman wasn't just a bride... from the way she was talking, the look in her eyes... the woman was a run-away bride... Though why exactly she was running away was a complete and utter mystery to her. Shaking her head, Elizabeth reached forward, doing her best to help the woman back up to her feet before she began to dust off the front of the beautiful white gown. If this woman was from around here... then maybe she could help, maybe she knew Kaeden and where to find him...

It had been two weeks... two weeks since she had returned to Wonderland for her last job, two weeks since she had been turned to stone in front of Kaeden's eyes-... Gods she could only hope that he had gotten away before they had caught up with him. He was resourceful... smart and cunning... not to mention he was fast when he set his mind to it. He would have gotten away... he just had to get away, if he hadn't- Elizabeth shook her head, shoving the thoughts straight from her mind, she didn't want to even think about what would have happened if he had of been caught. No, the last time he had gotten away from Wonderland, he had ended up here... in Avonlea, serving the King as a Knight, and if their plan for meeting up, should they ever get separated, worked the way it was supposed to, then here was exactly where she would find him. Somewhere in this Kingdom... it was just a matter of finding him before meeting back up with Robin and the others.

"Listen, I'm not here to take you anywhere, you have my word; thieves honor..! I'm just looking for someone...think you can help me out here? He's about ye high, brown hair, kinda weird but has a body to die for..." Her voice trailed off slightly as she found her mind wandering, her cheeks turning a light shade of red at the thought of Kaeden in that manner, realizing her mistake, Elizabeth quickly snapped herself out of it, turning her attention back to the woman in white, "..Oh, and he goes by the name Kaeden Liddell, you haven't seen him have you..?"

“K-Kaeden Liddell..? I-… I know him, admittedly though, I do not know him very well… He once worked for my father, under Sir Gaston’s instruction…” Belle’s voice trailed off slightly as she spoke about her fiancé, the thought causing her stomach to twist nervously for a moment, turning her head slightly, she looked back over her shoulder in the direction that she had been running from, taking a few moments to make sure that the path was still clear, and that she wasn’t yet being followed. She was pushing her luck by standing around and speaking with this woman, the longer she did, the less time she would have to get away from them if they-… no, it wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when they came looking for her…

Tearing her gaze away from the road, Belle once more turned her attention back to the woman who she was speaking with, choosing now to take the ever fleeting chance to look over the others appearance, her brilliant blue orbs showing just how curious she was about why she was looking for the Knight here of all places. He hadn’t worked in the Kingdom for as long as she could remember, in fact the last time she had seen him was the morning he had set out with some of the other Knights on a routine transport job… the last she had heard was that something had gone wrong… nothing had been recovered, however all the men had returned… all except for Kaeden…

“I’m sorry to give you news I understand you are not going to like, but… I have not seen him for quite some time. If he had been at the castle, I would have been sure to speak with him, I have missed his company, and much has happened since we last saw one another.” Dropping her hands down to the folds of her dress, Belle gripped at the material, ruffling it slightly as though she were pressing the point that yes, much had happened since the last time she had been able to speak to Kaeden. There was so much that she could tell him… but if this woman was looking for him, then maybe something was wrong, maybe something had happened, “I’m sorry I could not be of better help…”

Elizabeth’s chest tightened increasingly at the information that he wasn’t here. He wasn’t back in Avonlea like they had planned… at least, he wasn’t back at the castle, so maybe- yes, there had to be a chance… she couldn’t give up on him, not yet. He was still out there, still alive, she could feel it in her heart. He had gotten away, he had to have gotten away… No, she couldn’t think like that, if she did-… Lifting her hand up from her side, Elizabeth unconsciously gripped hold of the strange looking locket that hung around her neck, her clasp around it tightening and holding it fast against her chest, as though her very life depended on keeping it as close to her heart as she could. She had lost everyone… Jefferson, Grace, Alice… she couldn’t lose him too. She was already alone, if he was gone- oh gods, she didn’t even want to think about it.

“N-no… No, it’s okay… there’s no need for you to apologize to me about this... I mean, it just means that I’m going to have to look a lot harder for him… I-It just probably took him a little longer to get back from home…” Yes… That had to be the reason he wasn’t here yet. Or maybe he had just forgotten about their meet up plan, maybe he was back with Robin and the others, it would explain why it was that she hadn’t run into him yet, and it wasn’t like she had checked in with Robin since she had gotten back… so it was entirely possible that it was where he was. Pulling herself back from her little daydream once more, Elizabeth focused her attention back on the woman in white, watching curiously as she continued to look back down the way she had come from, as though she was expecting something to happen… or someone to come running after her… was that what was happening here..? It helped to make her earlier statement make more sense…

“Woah, sorry about that, didn’t mean to get caught up- are you alright? Like, I realize that you’re obviously not okay; I can only assume that you just ran away from your wedding..? I mean, the dress is kind of a dead give-away…” Furrowing her brows slightly as she watched the woman look over her shoulder once more, Elizabeth leant to the side slightly, her head tilting until it rested completely on her shoulder, her grayish-blue eyes narrowing out of pure curiosity as she did her best to try and find out what was so fascinating about that general direction, “But for a woman who just ran to her freedom, you don’t seem too terribly happy about it. So please, feel free to satisfy my curiosity; I would offer you a cup of tea, but I was never as good as my brother at making it… and I seem to be lacking a kitchen, teacups, and more importantly the sugar bowl…”

There was no denying it… the woman was strange, but it was comforting, it reminded Belle of how Kaeden used to be around her, especially when she was upset. The reference to the tea- it was always something that made her smile… made her feel better, and as she was finding out, it must have been a quirk that everyone he knew from this mysterious ‘home’ had. Unable to help the small smile that crossed over her lips as she continued to watch the woman, Belle furrowed her brows slightly, a soft chuckle slipping through her lips against her better judgement, “Uhm… yes, I am running from my wedding- but I do have my reasons... By this time, I was supposed to have been given away to Gaston, to my husband… but I couldn’t do it. My heart, it does not belong to him anymore. I am in love with another, and I feel as though I have to tell him... even when I know that nothing is going to come from it…”

She paused for a few moments, Belle's head dropping as she brought her hands together in front of her body, her fingers nervously playing with themselves as she did her best to sort through what it was she was thinking… There was no going back from this… at least not that she could see anyway… She was running away from her chance at a life she had once dreamed about, just so that she could tell Rumpelstiltskin that she loved him, even when she knew that he would just turn her away again, send her away from the Dark Castle once more… or worse… She didn’t care though; he had her heart, intentionally or not, she had given it to him, and now she was making her choice. Her choice was him… it was always going to be him. She was never going to be happy with anyone else- Gaston was never going to be able to make her feel that way, not anymore, she knew that.

“..I have to try righ-…”

Belle's words cut off the instant that she heard it. The thundering of hooves… it was too late, they were on their way… she had wasted too much time by standing there talking to- she didn’t even know her name..! She had to leave, now. She had to get out of there, or else she was just going to be dragged back to the castle to go through with a wedding she didn’t want any part of, “I-I’m so sorry..! I-… I have to go now… they’re coming for me… Forgive me for not being able to help you with Kaeden as much as I had hoped to…”

“Wait… Are- Are they after you?”

Frowning heavily as she watched the woman nod in answer to her question, Elizabeth turned her head back and forth, her eyes searching about their surroundings before they came to rest on a couple of trees standing tall by not only a boulder, but also a clump of wild bushes. It wasn’t much, Elizabeth would have preferred to have been in Wonderland with this situation, hiding a woman in a wedding dress behind that was going to be a lot harder than hiding her behind one of the wild mushrooms… not that she had ever been in this situation before. It was pretty damn strange, even by Wonderland’s standards, and that was saying something, “Come on, I’ll make sure they don’t find you, then we can talk about that teaspoon. Cheeky little bastard that one is… He’s always playing hide and go peek-a-boo…”

Not even giving the woman a chance to respond, Elizabeth shot her hand forward, taking a firm but gentle grip on her wrist as she began to lead her over to the only place that she would be able to hide both her and the dress she was wearing. The last thing she wanted to tell the woman was that in order to hide she was going to have to strip. It was completely inappropriate… wasn’t it? She couldn’t really remember the standards of clothing now a days, not with all the ‘hopping’ about she had done as a collector… Oh well, she would be sure to ask Robin about it later when she had the chance, right now she had something to do- what was it again? Oh! Right, she had guests to entertain!

Making sure that the woman was completely hidden, Elizabeth turned her back and made her way back to the road, sitting herself down comfortably in the middle of it before she began to fumble around in her bag, the look on her face one of pure concentration as she searched for something, the sounds of the horses growing louder before finally they came to a stop in front of where she sat, each of the five men looking down upon her before exchanging confused looks with one another. Where was it… she knew she had brought it with her, and if she couldn’t find what it was she was looking for, then she was going to be late, and that was no way for anyone to start the day…

“You there..! I’m looking for a woman… she has a beauty beyond belief… have you seen her?”

“Oh my…” Straightening her back slightly, Elizabeth turned her head to look up at the man who was addressing her, her hands retracting from her bag to pull out a small handkerchief which she laid out on the ground in front of her, her hands once more returning to her bag, searching ever still for whatever it was the girl needed, “Flattery my dear Knight will get you everywhere. I realize that my beauty might be hard for even you to resist dear sir, but I must tell you… my heart is already spoken for by another man…”

“I-… “ Scrunching up his face in slight confusion to her answer, Gaston turned his head, exchanging a questioning glance with one of his men before he shook his head, clearly this conversation was going to need to be taken with a different approach, “..Forgive me, for I was not clear… I am looking for a woman; my fiancé to be precise… long dark flowing locks, eyes as blue as the sky, and as sparkling as the stars that line it during the night… I ask again, have you seen her..?”

“Oh..! That woman..! Pfft, now why didn’t you say you were after a beautiful woman before? Really, you must learn to be vaguer with your requests…” Rolling her eyes as she shook her head, Elizabeth began pulling things from the depths of her bag, each item causing the men to look even more confused than they already were. She had gotten used to those looks, it had taken Robin and the Merry Men quite some time to get used to her quirks, and even then, they were still finding more.

Pulling a teacup and saucer out of her bag, Elizabeth reached up, balancing them both on the top of her head before she pulled out a small plate covered in sugar-cubes and a small teapot that (if one looked ever so closely) looked to be issuing steam out of the spout. Lifting the teapot up above her head, she closed her eyes softly, her shoulders shrugging lightly as she began to pour the hot liquid without so much as a second thought, her other hand lifting up one of the sugar cubes, Elizabeth's eyes opening up so that she could examine it before throwing it over her shoulder in slight disgust.

“Not everyone is like me you know, they aren’t going to understand your every word. Now… about that teaspoon- wait, no, that’s not right… Teaspoon, tea, mouth… Right, about that man you were after. I saw where he went; maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. What’s it to you?”

“Uh… she… my fiancé is a she… and you just said you saw where it was that she went. Please, tell me where she went, I shall make it worth your while; anything that you want.”

“..Ahh…. very well then, I shall tell you what it is you wish to know…” Lowering the teapot down to rest on the handkerchief that she had already lain out, Elizabeth lifted her hand back up to take hold of the teacup, leaving the saucer perching on her head as she brought it to her lips, taking a small sip of the sweet liquid, “The woman in white is who you seek… She zipped past not too long ago actually, ran right into me and went tumbling into the ground, such a shame really… It was such a beautiful dress… Point is, she didn’t choose to hang around, caught sight of me and like the bread’and’butterflies, she flitted off down the road. I believe you’ll be able to catch up to her in the next village.”

Nodding enthusiastically as he listened, Gaston sat a little straighter in his saddle, a look of hope crossing over his features at the thought of being able to catch up to her, and at the thought of bringing her home, “Yes… yes, of course. Thank you so much for your help. Now… about your reward… What is it that you wish?”

“I have but a simple request… A matter that I have been giving much thought to as of late…” Closing her eyes for a moment, Elizabeth let herself take another sip of her tea, reveling in the taste before she opened her eyes again, the cup still lifted as she spoke, her gaze lifting to meet with his, “Tell me… Why is a raven like a writing desk..?”

“I-I… I beg your pardon, what..?” To say that he was utterly confused by her question was a complete understatement, though as a man of his word, he wasn’t going to back down… he just needed to understand that he had heard her correctly first... “I’m sorry… why is a raven like a writing desk?”

She almost choked on her tea. Clenching her jaw tightly, Elizabeth lifted her head up to glare at him, the look on her face clearly showing him and the other Knights that she had been offended by his words, and that she clearly wasn’t happy about that fact either, “Why is a raven..? Why is a raven..?! How dare you ask such a thing of me..! You barely even know me, you animal..! Go, shoo! Get out of here!”

Closing her eyes as she bided her time, Elizabeth waited until they had past her by before she opened her eyes once more, her brows furrowing slightly as she watched a couple of black feathers float down in front of her on the breeze, one falling to the ground while the other rested softly in her tea causing her stomach to churn nervously. It couldn’t be him could it..? No… she was probably just being paranoid, besides, what in the hell would he want with her or the run-away bride she was helping out?

“Y-You helped me… You didn’t have to do that, I mean… you barely even know me…”

It was the third time that she had gotten carried away. The third time that she had gotten lost within her own thoughts… Snapping herself out of it once she heard the womans voice, Elizabeth lifted her head up, her gaze turning over to where the woman in white was standing and looking at her with a gratitude that she hadn’t seen in quite some time, “Huh..? Oh, right. It’s no problem; honestly, I’ve never really been one for the rules anyway…”

Tossing the rest of her tea back over her shoulder, Elizabeth worked quickly with what it was she had in front of her, making sure to get it all back into her bag before she got back up to her feet, dusting herself off as she turned to face the woman, a warm smile playing over her lips as she tilted her head to the side slightly, “Well, the time for tea has past, and that damn spoon still hasn’t shown his face. I’ll have to try again tomorrow… It seems as though I have the rest of the day to myself, how’s about we get you somewhere, where they aren’t going to find you easily?”

She was still willing to help her? Even after she had already done so much… the woman barely even knew her, she didn’t even know what her name was, and yet she was still blindly offering Belle help for the situation she was in. She really was a lot like Kaeden… Smiling softly towards the woman, Belle nodded her head as she took a few steps closer, closing the gap just a little so that the conversation could continue the way it had been earlier, before they had been interrupted by Gaston and his men… “That would be really amazing; I can’t thank you enough for all your help Lady..? I’m sorry; I just realized that I never actually caught your name…”

“Ah yes! Names! Interesting things names are, especially when one can’t remember their own. Such power, for such a tiny and seemingly insignificant detail…” Elizabeth's voice trailed off slightly towards the end of her sentence. She had heard Caterpillar speak about names before, and the power that they held, though she never really put too much stock into it. Forgetting names was basically an art form, especially in Wonderland; it was something they learnt to do at a young age, though the skill was never perfected no matter how much they tried. Chuckling softly, Elizabeth held her hand out to the woman in question, a bright and warm smile playing over her lips, “The name is Elizabeth Madden, but most people call me Lizard. You can certainly do the same thing, cause I can’t see any reason why you couldn’t.”

“Lizard… It’s very fitting. Well Elizabeth, it’s a pleasure to meet you. To be honest with you, I don’t think I would have gotten very far without your help, and for that I owe you much.” Smiling sweetly towards the woman she now knew as Lizard, Belle reached out and took hold of her hand, shaking it softly as she thought about the fact that she had unintentionally made a friend by physically running into her. It was a strange way of meeting, but now that she had done it, it didn’t seem so strange after all.

“If I am to be truly honest, I am really glad that I ran into you. Isabella… My name is Isabella Français, though please, everyone calls me Belle.”

Belle - the name seemed to echo off into the distant treetops and beyond. The Raven, perched in its branch, looked down upon the duo with its heartless black eyes, staring intently as though it were eyeing a piece of carrion.

The woman who had earned the attentions of both the Dark One and the Evil Queen, standing there so oblivious, completely unaware that the two gods of the Enchanted Forest were playing a grand game of chess with her as the lucky pawn.

Cawing once, the Raven took off into the air with a resounding beat of its wings, whooshing through the treetops before disappearing once more into the heavens above.

Elizabeth’s attention was drawn up to the sky as she heard the sound of a raven’s caw, her smile fading into a frown as her gaze caught upon the tail end of what was unmistakably black feathers, the same black feathers that she had come into contact with moments earlier. She wasn’t happy with the situation… wasn’t comfortable with it what so ever. Something just didn’t seem right, wasn’t sitting well with her, and that right there was reason enough for her to get the two of them moving from this spot on the side of the road, “..It’s an honor to meet you Belle… come on, we should get moving before they realize the information I gave them is as useless as the Dormouse during nap time…”

There was no need for her to scare Belle, no need to tell her that she thought she had seen him… not when she wasn’t even sure that they had been watched… it would just cause unnecessary panic for them both, and that was the last thing she needed. Motioning with her head for Belle to follow, Elizabeth began leading the way down the road, heading now in the opposite direction to which she had originally been moving, her stomach churning nervously with each and every step that they took together… this day was already proving to be a long one…

He was back at the spinning wheel again. Finally he had a few moments to himself to get lost amongst his cornucopious amount of thoughts forever plaguing his mind; some thoughts not even his own but belonging to Dark Ones before him, though they all now shared the one, brilliant mind. Amongst the flickering (more prominent) thoughts of Snow White and The Evil Queen was a simple, arguably pure thought that was altogether alien to himself and all the Dark Ones before him.

Belle.

Today was the day that she would be getting married and the only reason he knew that was because of the ever so chatty witch that liked to pay him visits with the most nettlesome of news. Really, he could have done without Regina's theatrics, he was doing quite well on his own after he had sent Belle away. He was ready to be done with his little maid altogether, never to look back or blink an eye, but Regina made it a point to become a thorn in his side, giving him updates on the girl that he truly could have gone the rest of his immortal life without knowing. Like her wedding.

It was Regina's fault that she was gone in the first place. Regina's fault that the ever-so-content help was suddenly driven to change things. They had a good thing going, he and Belle. He ordered her what to do, and she did it. She kept his castle clean, cooked him his meals, laundered his clothing, made him tea... it was the perfect arrangement and that crooked little witch ruined it all - putting ideas into Belle's head about True Loves Kiss. He knew Regina's aim, she wanted him weak; vulnerable. Well it wasn't going to happen. The Dark One has no weakness, so he cast Belle out, urging her to continue the engagement that he had broken up the very day he collected her as a prize for saving the Kingdom of Avonlea from the Ogre attack. The debt had been paid tenfold; he simply didn't need her anymore...

Wincing, Rumpelstiltskin felt the thread in which he was spinning knot up in his careful hands, ruined beyond (non magical) repair. Grimacing, Rumpelstiltskin let the thread go, staring down the knot as though it had gone out of its way to offend him. Despite the castle being completely empty save for the Imp, The Dining Hall, as well as the whole entirety of The Dark Castle, held a solemn quiet haunting even The Dark One himself, it's echo sending a cold shiver down his spine.

No... that wasn't a shiver... that was a pull of magic...

Becoming more aware of his surroundings, Rumpelstiltskin quickly moved his hand over the knotted thread in which he had been spinning, watching it untangle itself and took up his post again, simply watching himself turn the wheel where the straw thread slowly turned itself into gold, coiling up in a small basket at the foot of the spinning wheel.

She was here. Of course she was here, he had seen this days ago which gave the Imp ample time to plan out Kaeden Liddel's escape from Wonderland Prison because in order for him to get what Rumpelstiltskin wanted, Regina could not be at her castle. Knowing that she would be coming to pay him a visit on this particular day, out of any other, well it was just too perfect and he didn't need his ability of foresight to be able to know that.

The lock in which Rumpelstiltskin had set on the twin, grandiose doors that led into The Dining Hall was quickly shattered as though it had been made of glass. The doors, in turn, flew open by the will of magic, allowing Regina entrance into his personal space, walking right on in as though she owned the place.

"Flimsy locks." Regina half-giggled as she entered the room which finally brought the Imp to look at her for the first time, as though he hadn't heard or felt anything prior. " I have a deal to discuss...a certain...mermaid..." Regina went on, stopping at the table in the center of the room before she reached Rumpelstiltskin. On the table was nothing more than a simple tea service, comprised of a small kettle, a sugar bowl and only two tea cups all nestled in snugly on a tray of pure silver. One of the teacups looked to have been damaged; a large chip on the brim that took out quite the chunk which quickly caught Regina's attention.

"I'm not dealing today." Rumpelstiltskin replied, turning his head back to the wheel and away from her, though he made sure to keep a careful eye on her from the corners. Regina cocked her head to the side, unafraid to look directly at Rumpelstiltskin. There was no child-like giggle, no snark. Nothing but... normality and quite possibly a tinge of sadness that held Regina's attention much more than a damaged old teacup. When Rumpelstiltskin said no more, Regina turned back to the tea service, opting to help herself.

"Are you angry with me?" She asked, holding the tea kettle paused in the air as she was just about to pour it into the cup. But when Rumpelstiltskin said nothing once more, she went on, resuming by pouring her tea. "What is it this time?"

"Your little deception...failed." Rumpelstiltskin finally replied and only then did he return his attention to the woman helping herself to his tea, hiding the fact that he felt somewhat relieved that she had chosen to use the undamaged cup. "You'll never be more powerful than me. You can keep trying, dearie, but you're never gonna beat me..."

Regina met the Imp's gaze and held a knowing smirk, hearing the slow increase in Rumpelstiltskin's blood-lustful voice. She set down the tea cup and kettle back onto the table and approached him, letting her painted lips curl out in a false pout.

"Ohh, is this about that girl I met on the road? Hmmm?" She asked, her voice dripping with mockery. Rumpelstiltskin returned his attention to the spinning wheel before him, perhaps he had said too much already. Regina let out a cold laugh at his subtle response as she returned to the table and to her cup of tea. "What was her name?" She went on, picking up the tea cup and raised it to her lips. "Margie? Verna..." She went on, trying to recall the name on her own.

Rumpelstiltskin stopped spinning, if but for a moment.

"Belle..."

"Right...well, you can rest assured I had nothing to do with that tragedy..." Regina replied almost instantly, conjuring up a silver spoon from thin air and began to stir the tea in her cup around, keeping her back to Rumpelstiltskin to hide the smirk on her lips. Rumpelstiltskin felt his blood freeze over, his heart dropping to his boots... Immediately he stopped the spinning wheel, feeling his body tensing until he was so stiff, for once he felt like he fit into the dragon-hide coat properly.

"What. Tragedy?" He practically demanded, pulling himself away from the spinning wheel to approach her at his table. Regina pulled the spoon from her mouth slowly, her eyes wide as she turned to face him, her expression now quite shocked.

"You don't know?" She asked, astounded. When Rumpelstiltskin didn't reply, only looking at her coldly, she set the spoon and cup of tea down onto the tray and turned to face him once more. "I was wondering why you weren't at the Royal Wedding. Didn't get an invitation?" Rumpelstiltskin's lip twitched, his fingers flexing as he was starting to grow impatient, but he remained silent. That was all Regina needed, and she gave him a quick, understanding smile. "Me either." She then finished, using Rumpelstiltskin's own words against him that he used with her when Snow White and Prince David were getting married. Casually, Regina returned to the wooden table and picked her cup back up. She kept him waiting to take a small sip of her tea, drawing it out as long as she possibly could, practically being able to feel the Imp coming apart around her. It was glorious.

"Well...after she got home... it was quite the miracle the knight still wanted her after her... association with you. The wedding was today, of which I'm more than sure you know..." Regina paused, looking at Rumpelstiltskin directly, her dark eyes shining with the fact that she held a secret that Rumpelstiltskin was so intent on knowing. She could have asked him for anything right then; she had no doubts that she wouldn't be able to. But what would come next, his reaction, would be all the pay she would ever need. "The bride never showed."

Just as Regina had expected, there was a reaction from the Imp. His entire visage shifted, the sickly green tinge to his skin almost lighting up, as did the rest of his features but it was his eyes that told Regina everything that she wanted to know. His eyes held, however small, a look of hope.

"That's right, Rumpel. She ran. Ran from every little girl's dream of being married off to a knight, to be royalty and raise a happy, healthy family under the fat protection of the crown."

Rumpelstiltskin stood stock still. He tried moving his arms in the elaborate flourish that he was accustomed to, but the most he got out of them both was a few awkward twitches that never went any higher than his wrist.

"S-so... she needs... a... a home?" he stated, more than asked. A flicker of a severely repressed smile showed for only a fraction of a second on the corner of his lip, his eyes widening and brows raising to his hairline. Belle had run from her own wedding, and he couldn't help but to think that he might have been a reason. He didn't want to think that way, but with that thought came a torrid of others that quickly followed behind; that he regretted pushing her away the very moment she was gone. He regretted letting her go, regretted pushing her into the arms of another man. Regretted his harsh words towards her. A quick fluttering in his chest told him right away that this was perhaps the best thing he had ever heard, almost too good to be true. He wasn't wrong.

Regina let out a cold laugh that instantly turned off everything Rumpelstiltskin had been feeling. It was that one laugh that brought him back to the nature of their conversation, of what had led up to this moment to begin with. Belle running from her wedding was no tragedy, at least not to either of the two standing within The Dining Hall. So... what was the tragedy? He felt his insides starting to twist and knot; similar to how the thread had knotted in his hand only this time, Rumpelstiltskin felt the pain. He almost didn't want to know.

"She was hysterical! The nursemaids helping her to get ready said that she had lost all sense of her own mind, that she kept begging them to make it stop. When no one would help her, she ran straight into The Infinite Forest... Now... why would she do that, I wonder?" Regina gave Rumpelstiltskin a pointed look.

Rumpelstiltskin's dark eyes narrowed, not buying into what the witch before him was saying. He knew Belle, she would never knowingly step foot into that cursed forest. It didn't take a dark sorcerer like himself to know what dangers lurked within those woods. But more than that, The Infinite Forest was in the complete opposite direction of The Dark Castle. In the complete opposite direction of him.

"You're lying..." Came his eventual reply, but the uneasiness in his voice made Regina quirk a black eyebrow.

"Am I?" She challenged, practically able to see the varying thoughts playing across Rumpelstiltskin's mind as he stared right back at her, trying to surmise on his own what had happened but unable to find any doubt in Regina's words. He let his guard down too quick, he was too hopeful that Belle might actually be wanting to return to him. No, instead, she wanted to be lost not only from everyone else, but to herself as well. Any time spent in The Dark Castle would have driven anyone else to do the same thing.

After a few very tense moments, Rumpelstiltskin pulled himself from whatever dark hole the woman was burying his thoughts into and shook his head no, pointing a gnarled finger at her.

"We're done." He waved his hand, the double doors of the room opening up magically as if to show her the way out and Rumpelstiltskin walked to the doors themselves, stopping at the threshold with an arm gesturing for her to leave. He wasn't going to allow this woman to plant any more thoughts into his head; he would not be played like a puppet. Regina shrugged and walked towards him slowly after setting down her cup of tea.

"Fine, I have other house-calls to make." She said with a light chuckle, dragging her finger on the table as she walked towards him and looked upon the dust that gathered upon her finger. "Hmmm...place is looking dusty Rumpel..." She said meeting him at the doorway. "You should get a new girl." She gave him a pleasant smile and took her leave.

Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes hard, waiting until the witch had left his house completely before magically shutting the doors once more. He walked to the table and picked up the cup that Regina hadn't used for her tea and admired the small chip the cup had on the rim. If what Regina had said was true, then Belle was gone, forever. Even he couldn't track her down in The Infinite Forest before it was too late. To do that would require a more complex location spell... and he simply didn't have the time. Belle was already lost and even quite possibly, dead.

Rumpelstiltskin delicately set the chipped cup back down on the tray, his eyes never leaving the ornate piece of china, letting the single tear he didn't even know was there to slide down his cheek silently.

No. This wasn't Regina's fault. This was his fault. The fault of a monster.

That bastard… He was going to pay for this. Of course he was going to make him doing something like he was- he knew it, he just knew it… Okay, so, in reality, he didn’t actually know what it was that was going to be asked of him. He had agreed to the deal the moment he had caught sight of his sister’s key, knew that he would do anything as long as he was able to have even the smallest bit of her there with him… but this was going too far, and it far hurt worse than what he believed having his head chopped clean off would have done… Hunching his shoulders over as he walked, Kaeden scrunched up his face, doing what he could to deal with the pain that was coursing through his body at what it was he had done not hours ago… The hat- Jefferson’s hat… Lifting one of his hands up, he let his fingers brush delicately over the rim of it, making sure that it was safe and secure upon his head, though it only ever brought him the tiniest bit of comfort…

It was proof… proof that he had really lost him, lost his brother and his niece. Jefferson and Grace- they were gone, just like Alice and Elizabeth were. He was alone, completely and utterly alone in this world, with nothing but small trinkets to remind him of the life he once lived, a life when he had been happy… Yelling out in frustration towards himself for letting all that slip through his fingers, he shoved his hand back into his pocket, his foot kicking at the ground sending several small rocks flying ahead of him along the path, the lack of color before his very eyes causing him to lift his head and look about the world that he had come to… the world that Rumpelstiltskin had sent him to, and for what? Some chick… If the guy wanted a woman, then he was sure that there were ones that were closer to home that he could take for his own… granted they didn’t run screaming for their lives first that was…

Fumbling around in his pocket, he pulled out a small bit of parchment with very few details on it- a name and an address. Very helpful when one was going to a world that they had never been to before… What did the bastard think was going to happen? He was going to pop out of the hat right in front of the mansion if he gave him the address? Even he knew that the hat didn’t work that way, things weren’t that convenient. Shaking his head as he shoved the thoughts out of his mind, he glanced back down at the parchment once more, his eyes flicking over the curly though neat writing that made up the name of the woman he was after; Heather Jekyll.

Hardly anyone walked the dark and bitterly cold streets of London, despite the street lamps that lit the streets when the moon was hidden behind the clouds... many were hiding away in their buildings in fear of one infamous woman. They hid in fear of Evelyn Hyde. Rumors had spread throughout the streets of her strange beauty that managed to strike fear into the hearts of those she met. Nobody knew much of Evelyn Hyde except that she always disappeared in Jekyll's home after appearing every night.

What nobody knew was that Jekyll and Hyde were one and the same woman...

As of now, Evelyn prowled through the shadows smirking as she heard the police clamor in the distance. She giggled to herself quietly and maniacally to herself as kept walking towards Jekyll's house. Even now, Evelyn could hear Heather panic inside her head, like a frail little butterfly trying to escape from a spider's web "You killed her....You killed her!!! How could you?!!"

Evelyn's smirk widened and she thought back, answering Jekyll "Correction, my dear doctor, we killed her. And we loved it!" Evelyn could feel in her mind that Jekyll was just trembling in fright and guilt. She kept herself quiet though as she continued slinking through the shadows, never minding the blood that coated her mouth, and the front, and her hands. She had torn that woman apart, like a predator would tear apart prey. The images were still in Evelyn's and Heather's minds. Evelyn reveled in the experience while Heather shuddered in fright.

What had Heather done...? ...Maybe calling for some wizard to help her was a stupid idea after all. Maybe her only solution now was to kill herself when she had the chance.

This was stupid! Absolutely stupid! How the hell was he supposed to find this place? No one was even answering their doors when he knocked and asked for help. The night was going to be a long one, and he was already tired of this crap. He just wanted to go home… go back to the Enchanted Forest, sit by the fire back at the hideout, and just be by himself… He had already done enough for that tyrant, but a deal was a deal… he was going to finish this no matter how much of a pain in the ass challenge it was, “How the hell am I supposed to find this chick if no one in this damn place is going to help me out… Seriously, he is going to hear about this when I get back…”

Slowing to a stop underneath the light of one of the streetlamps, he looked around where he stood, trying to get good sense of where the hell he was, and where it was that he was supposed to be going in the first place. The world without color… He hated it already, maybe even worse than Wonderland- no that wasn’t true… Wonderland had become the bane of his existence, it was home, but without his family, he despised the place completely. Turning his attention back to the parchment for the third time since he had arrived, he groaned slightly, he was never going to find this place, never going to find this chick… and if he did, it was probably going to take him days. “Useless… This is a complete waste of my time…”

The lamp that was lit above Kaeden suddenly flickered and then went out, leaving him in pitch black darkness. Strange and chilling purr like breathing could be heard nearby, before a woman's voice spoke up in wicked glee and curiosity, as though it found a new toy to play with, "Hmmm... What do we have here? A lost little lamb in London, I see..." The voice laughed wickedly as the source of the voice circled and seemed to be thinking of very wicked and evil things.

Unable to stop himself from snorting out a laugh as he shoved his hand back into the depths of his pocket, he rolled his eyes, his body turning until he was facing the dark shadow that he could make out as a woman, “Oh yeah baby, cause you know… baa.”

Shaking his head softly from side to side, he chuckled, his feet carrying him a couple of steps closer to her so that the gap wasn’t that big between them. Well, he had been sent to this drab place in search of some chick, and he had found some chick… okay, so maybe she had found him, but what was the difference? Tilting his head to the side slightly, he raised his eyebrow, his dark orbs flicking up and down her appearance, not bothering to hide the fact that he was checking her out, though he knew that nothing was going to come of it, he was still healing from the last relationship he had been in…

“You know, I’ll be your lamb, if you’re going to be my Mary- if not, I don’t have time for your games love; so much to do, so little time… and unless you’re on my list, I gotta be going… Sorry, just how it is.”

The figure circled him, until his back was faced towards the wall of a nearby building. After she made sure of that, she stopped and grinned, showing a Cheshire cat like grin as she purred wickedly "Stupid little lamb... your folly will cost you dear... my dear," She then rushed towards him, pushing him back to the wall, and had her arms raised, hands resting on the wall besides the stranger, preventing him from escaping from her clutches. She grinned evilly, allowing him to see her horrifying form covered in blood, her eyes completely black, and nails as sharp as claws. What was before him wasn't just some woman...but a human monster.

She wickedly laughed "Time to die, dear little lamb!"

“Without enjoying one last cup of tea..? How monstrous of you… You know, you could give the Queen of Hearts a run for her money.” Bringing his arms up from his sides, he crossed them over his chest lazily, his back resting softly against the cold brick wall behind him. If this woman wanted to play and waste more of his time, then that was fine by him. He could stand to hang about this world for a little longer, especially if he was going to get a meal for his trouble.

“If you want to kill me, that’s fine. I really couldn’t care less to be honest with you- but the least you could do is buy me dinner first beautiful.”

The figure laughed at his comment and she answered "Well, people don't call me a monster for no reason you know. But then you wouldn't know that, now would you... newcomer?" She leaned in towards him, inhaled taking in his scent with a hum, before actually biting down on him between his shoulder and neck with strangely sharp teeth, hard enough to draw a lot of blood. However, before she could continue, she heard the distant voices of the police (long before the man in front of her could hear them), and she growled as she looked to the side towards the voices.

She smirked at the man in front of her, and she purred "Well, it's your lucky day, little lamb. But don't worry, we will meet again. Until then... ta ta!" Evelyn ran off into the shadows, her cloak flying behind her as she ran off, and she seemed to have disappeared into the darkness. When she was gone, the light above Kaeden suddenly flickered back on, lighting his surroundings.

After she had gone, the police appeared and asked Kaeden "You there! Have you seen anyone strange or suspicious around here?! We're in pursuit of a murderer!"

Chuckling softly to himself as he watched her run off into the night, he shifted his body against the wall while he reached over with his arm, gently rubbing at the place where she had bit down into him with her surprisingly sharp teeth. She was definitely a feisty one, he’d give her that… and he was sure that her statement about seeing him again was correct, there was no doubt about it, though whether it was so that she could finish her meal, he wasn’t too sure. Raising his eyebrows in slight surprise as he heard a new voice addressing him, he turned his head to look over at the police that were standing around him, taking his time to look them over one by one before he pushed away from the wall, nodding his head as though he had only just remembered something.

“Huh..? Oh, yeah… yeah… Thinking about it, I did see a woman acting a little weird. Sorry to tell ya boys, but she ran off in that direction not too long ago.” Shrugging his shoulders, he jutted his thumb in the opposite direction to what she had actually run… he could of thrown her in the shit, but she had earned a night off in his eyes, “Hey, before you guys go running off to chase this murderer of yours, think you could tell me where I could find Heather Jekyll..? She’s my cousin.”

The leader who had asked Kaeden the questions was about to tell the police to go in the direction that the man pointed, but didn't as soon as he asked about Heather Jekyll. He stopped and he asked in awe "Heather Jekyll...? You mean the Dr. Heather Jekyll? You're her cousin?" He then answered, pointing in the direction towards her home, "Her mansion is that way. You can't miss it. It's bigger then the neighboring houses. Though... your cousin seems to be having a hard time with something these days. Nobody's ever seen her come out in a while," The police shrugged and said "Ah well, you're probably here to help her or something to that measure... and hopefully she can help you with your wound... I'm surprised you're still standing, man," He then said "Well, Good evening," before he called to the police and rushed off in the direction the man pointed towards them, saying the murderer was that way.

Lifting his hand up in a small wave to the men who had helped him out, he turned on his heel, his hand once more returning to his pocket as he began walking, his feet carrying him off in the direction that had been pointed out to him. So his ‘cousin’ was some kind of famous person here, a doctor of some sort… maybe he could get more out of this than he originally thought. But then, maybe that would be a little too unfair on the woman, asking her to give him stuff on top of taking her to a world she would know nothing about. The night, while being a long one, was taking an unexpected turn…

Lifting his hand up from his side once more, he lightly ruffled the hair that covered parts of his face, his feet eventually coming to a stop in front of the mansions door, hesitating for a few moments before he reached out, knocking as loudly on the door as he possibly could… Well, he was here, he might as well get it over and done with.

The door opened to show an old butler with white hair and a rigid posture from years of work as a butler. His age was apparent, but it was clear that his strength had not diminished. He asked the man at the door with a raised eyebrow "May I help you, Sir?"

Turning his attention over to the door as it opened, he raised his eyebrow towards the man that had opened the door. So she was like one of the Royals back in his lands… wealthy, well-off, rick enough to order people around, probably snobby and thinking that she was better than everyone. Well, that was going to make his job so much easier, wasn’t it… Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he forced a bright smile onto his lips, his arm shooting out to lightly tap against the guys cheek, “Well, look at that, Heather’s doing really well for herself. Looks like ma was right when she said that Heather was gunna be a good influence on me. Thanks for holding the door for me Percy, I think I got it from here though.”

Slipping past him and into the mansion, he once more returned his hands to his pockets, his eyebrows raising while his face showed everyone who could see him that he was impressed with what he saw, everything was so… grand. She really was doing alright for herself… “Oh, yeah, hey Percy, think you could tell Heather that her cousin is here to see her. Thanks, oh and a cup of tea would be great, thank you for asking..!”

The butler glared at the man in front of him, and was especially irked when the man pushed past him and acted snobby. He crossed his arms and he answered the man "Dr. Heather Jekyll is not seeing anyone tonight... Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave,"

“Ah… Now this is where we’re going to have a problem Percy… See, I can’t do that I’m afraid. Not when she’s the one who called on me…” Chuckling softly, he turned back around so that he was facing the butler, his head tilted slightly as he eyed him off, his posture completely relaxed despite the situation that he was getting himself into.

“Now I’ll ask you again… Please inform Heather Jekyll that I’ve arrived…”

The butler glared and he told the man, "Dr. Jekyll would have informed me if she was expecting someone here, Sir. She has not informed me on visitor coming, so please leave, before I call the police,"

Before the situation could escalate, a polite, but intelligent woman's voice called, "Mr. Poole? What's going on?" She walked into view, her glasses on, and wearing white lab coat over trousers and a shirt. She had clearly been in her lab again, working on something to the point of exhaustion, judging from the bags under her eyes. Mr. Poole answered respectfully, "My lady, this man claims to be your cousin and that you called him despite that you said that you didn't want any visitors,"

Heather looked at the stranger and studied him with a cold gaze, never daring to let her recognition show. She remembered him... why was he here? She instead said out loud towards the man "You're bleeding heavily," She then rushed over to where she kept a nearby medical kit and she said to him, "Well, don't just stand there. Take a seat. Mr. Poole, please make some tea. I need to tend to his wounds. The poor man's hurt,"

Mr. Poole nodded and said "Very well, My Lady," He then walked off, as Heather walked over to him with her medical kit. She said to him, "Hold still..." before she started tending to his wound, first disinfecting it with alcohol.

Reaching his hand up to take hold of the rim of the hat that he was wearing, he lifted it up ever so slightly, tipping it in the direction of the butler as he moved out of the room looking quite disgruntled with the fact that he had just gotten away with bullshitting his way into the mansion, returning the strange hat once more back to where it now belonged on his head, he made his way over to the closest chair that he could find, his eyes closing as he leant back against the back of the chair, “Yeah, don’t worry about me beautiful, I’ve had worse.”

Turning his head slightly, he opened his eyes, letting his dark orbs flick over her facial features for a few moments. So this was the infamous Doctor Heather Jekyll… she was pretty- beautiful rather, but again, this wasn’t the time to be thinking about women, “So you’re Heather Jekyll… traveled a long ways to meet you. You better be as special as that bastard told me you are, cause really, regretted this deal the moment he asked me to get the hat, I was never really one for world jumping; Elizabeth though-…”

Frowning heavily, he let his sentence trail off into nothing. He couldn’t talk about her, not yet; it was still too fresh, the pain was still too much. Talking about her would just make it worse… “Ah, yeah… You called for help, so here I am… I am your lift to the Enchanted Forest, and to someone who can help you.”

Heather raised an eyebrow when he made his comment about her while she bandaged his wound. After he said that he was her 'lift' to the Enchanted Forest, to someone who can help her, she asked with suspicion "Do you have proof of that? These days here, one can't be too careful,"

Proof… She wanted proof that he was who he said he was… Really, did no one believe in trust anymore? Okay, so maybe he couldn’t really talk on the subject. He was working for a guy who he refused to trust- he didn’t trust Rumpelstiltskin as far as he could throw him. They both knew that, they both could live with that; it was just one big happy relationship. Dropping his head back, he groaned out in slight frustration, he was going to have to give her some kind of proof… he wasn’t a magic user, he wasn’t like his sister had been, he couldn’t wield magic, he hadn’t even tried, which meant he was going to have to use the hat…

“Argh… fine, I can show you some magic… but once I do this, there’s no going back. The portal will be opened, and it will remain open until we go through it…”

Heather raised an eyebrow before gesturing to him, as though to say 'go ahead'. She had already written her final notes and letters for Poole, and her friend John Utterson, saying good-bye and somewhat explaining what had happened to her. She had planned on killing herself when she got back, but the ruckus caused by this man and Poole had prevented that plan from becoming a reality. She already had her first aid bag, and a bag of chemistry supplies nearby (now in her hands), just in case.

Tilting his head ever so slightly as he looked over at her, he let his eyes linger on her features for what felt like forever, seeming to get lost within her eyes until he snapped his head back to the empty room, his feet lifting up from the ground for only a millisecond before he stomped them back down, the momentum seeming to help him lift his body up from the chair, his arms lifting up above his head as he stretched, a soft groan slipping through his lips as he completed the action. He hadn’t even been sitting for that long, but he had never really been one to sit in the one place- or at least he never used to be, not until he had given up and ended up in the Queen of Heart’s dungeon awaiting death to come and take him away.

“Alright then- but remember, you were the one who asked for this…” Turning his head down slightly as he reached up taking the top hat off of his head, he moved himself forward and into the center of the room, his body leaning over slightly as he flipped the hat within his fingers, holding it so that it was only mere inches off the ground itself. He had seen Jefferson use the hat before, a few times when they were growing up, almost as many times as he had seen Elizabeth use her boots; it was definitely a family trait, the Maddens were know for it, at least, they were known for it in Wonderland… well, they had been known for it… Now he had the hat- Jefferson’s hat. The last thing that he could hold dear that belonged to his best friend, his brother…

Shaking his head for a moment as though to push the thoughts aside, he spun the hat, his fingers slipping from the rim as he quickly moved back to stand once more beside Heather, his arms coming up to cross over his chest as he watched the hat work the magic he knew it capable of working. The hat hadn’t stopped spinning, seeming to defy all logic as it toppled about, the rim morphing and growing wider, swallowing up most of the room as the swirling mass of black and white grew larger, the portal open wide and welcoming to the both of them. Turning his head to look over at her, he held his hand out in her direction, a small smirk playing over his lips at the expression that was covering her face.

“I can take you almost anywhere you want… just don’t ask me to take you to Wonderland, I won’t step foot there again.”

Heather nodded at his warning, telling her that she had asked for this. She had already made a mistake that ruined her life. What's one more mistake in her life? She watched as he took his top hat off of his head, and spun it. She watched the hat, and her eyes grew wide to see the hat defy all laws of physics and actually seem to grow wider.

She looked to the man when he held out his hand towards her with a smirk on his face. She took his hand and she answered "Understood. Shall we then?" She was ready to jump into the hat, and leave London.

So this was it, she had made her choice. Looked like his proof had paid off, and she now believed him to be who it was he said he was-… okay, maybe about the whole being someone who could help her, and not about being her cousin, though how anyone believed that load of garbage was well beyond him in the first place. Either way, there was no going back for either of them; he was completing his part of the deal by bringing her to the Enchanted Forest, and she was leaving the only world she had ever known behind- if she changed her mind when they got there, she was going to have to find another ride, cause as soon as he got the chance, he was going to take himself, his sister’s key and Jefferson’s hat, and then get the hell out of there. He was sticking around for no one.

Waiting until he could feel the soft touch of her hand in his own, he took a gentle hold, squeezing lightly in a sort of comfort as he led her forwards towards the edge of the swirling vortex that was the hats magic, making sure he had a firm grip on her hand, he gave her a simple nod of his head letting her know that they were ready to go, “Alright… on the count of three. One… Two… Three..!”

Pushing off from the ground where he was standing, he forced his body forward and towards the portal that was in front of them, his hand slipping apart from hers as he leapt towards it, his body leading the way towards her new life as he fell down into it, eventually disappearing from sight.

Heather braced herself when he counted to three, and when he called out the number, she too jumped into the portal in front of her, and fell into the darkness. As she fell, she could hear Hyde in the back of her head, cackling,

"It doesn't matter what you do... You will never get away from me, Jekyll..."



He was never going to be able to get used to this… at least not for a while anyway. How Jefferson and Elizabeth were able to do this their entire lives without so much as an injury was well beyond him, and even if they were still there with him, he wouldn’t of asked. Scrunching up his face as he felt a sharp pain shoot up through his legs, he slid his foot back only slightly so as to help himself stay upright on his feet, his eyes opening slowly so that he could look about the room that the two of them had landed in, his attention following his gaze as he looked about the large circular room with strange patterns covering the ground below them, lingering lightly on the brilliant red curtains hanging about before he shook his head, reminding himself that he was almost there… he was almost off scotch free.

Dropping his head down slightly so that he was looking down at his appearance, he brought his hands up to brush himself off, his feet carrying him forward a few steps before she leant over scooping up the hat that was now just that; a hat. Dusting it off for a moment, he lifted it back up so that he could perch it once more upon his head as he took a deep breath, his eyes once more flicking about the room, though this time his attention was focused on the seventeen strange yet unique doors that lined the room, crossing each off in his mind as he searched for the one that he needed…

A brown door with a strange tree design, a sky-blue door with four silver handles, a medieval style brown and gray door, a light red door with logograms covering it, a dark red door with an interesting white pattern, a beautiful red oriental door, a stunning emerald green curtain with the word ‘OZ’ embroidered in gold lettering on the fabric, a full-length looking glass which he knew led to Wonderland, a great glass elevator door, a light brown door surrounded by windows on each side, a pink door, a dull dark grey door which he knew led back to the world without color, a strong wooden door that stood with a stone frame surrounding it, a tan looking door, a door which was a lighter gray in color, a pink brick door… and finally a lime-green door that held a beautifully golden-framed mirror in the center of it.

That was it. That was the door that was going to take them to the Enchanted Forest. Not bothering to look back to make sure that Heather was following him, he made his way over to where the bright lime-green stood out against the red velvet curtains, his hand reaching out so that his fingers were lightly brushing over the gold metal that made up the frame of the mirror that hung fast in the center of it, his attention never once leaving it as he let his gaze flick up to catch his own reflection staring right back at him.

“So this is the door that we need to go through... let me know when you're ready to leave, and then we'll head off, okay beautiful..?”

Heather found herself landing on her feet and in a crouch, having landed expertly to prevent any pain that might have occurred from falling. All thanks to Hyde... She stood up and dusted herself off before looking at the doors around her. She saw the man move towards one of the doors, a lime green door with a mirror that showed Evelyn Hyde in place of Jekyll's reflection, only in Jekyll's eyes.

She answered him, "I'm ready," She then requested as she walked towards him and the door, "And don't call me by any nicknames. You already know my name," She grumbled in her thoughts "Even though I don't know yours," She didn't bother asking for his name though, considering that he looks like he's ready to bolt as soon as he was done with leading her through this place.

Nodding his head in answer to her statement that she was ready to leave, he twisted his hands over the stunning golden frame that held the mirror, his fingers curling around the edges as she gripped hold of them. She had said the magic words: ‘I’m ready’. So now there truly was no going back, not for her, and not for him. Once they passed through the door, he would complete his end of the deal by taking her to Rumpelstiltskin, and from there he was done with it all… he was going to go back to Robin and the rest of the Merry Men, he was going to thank them all for their help in the past years, and then he was going to pack up his things and go away… far away… where no one from the Enchanted Forest was going to find him- Arendelle sounded nice, especially around this time of year…

Hesitating for a few moments, he pulled on the edges of the mirror causing the lime-green door to open up revealing nothing but blackness that was beyond the frame, holding onto the door for good measure, Kaeden stepped to the side, his gaze flicking over to where Heather stood standing stock still and curious before he gestured with his free hand to the black void that would lead them to the Enchanted forest, “After you beautiful… I’ll be right behind you, promise.”

Heather glared slightly, with a raised eyebrow in irritation that he didn't call her by her name. But she didn't dwell on the subject, as she took a deep breath, and she stepped into the darkness beyond the door. Even if she didn't look behind her, she would know if the man was following her or not.

He didn’t miss the glare that she was giving him; it was so obvious across her features that she wasn’t happy with him about calling her beautiful- well it wasn’t like he was lying. She was beautiful, exceptionally so, he just wasn’t into it in that way. Tilting his head slightly as he watched her step forward into the blackness that was the other side of the door, he smiled softly, his hand coming up to gently take hold of the beautiful yet strange key that was hanging around his neck, “We’re almost there… almost finished… then we can be left alone…”

Making his way around the door as he let go of the key, allowing it to drop back against his chest as he stepped forward, his body moving until he had been swallowed up by the darkness just as hers had been moments before hand, the lime-green door seeming to close shut behind him now that it’s job had been completed.

Soft wind whispering through the trees, the sound of grass and pine needles crunching beneath brown leather shoes, the Apprentice, though alone, hardly felt dejected when he was in commune with nature - for life continued to work all around him, though so few took the time to stop and see it. Squirrels bustling through the trees, gathering acorns for winter, birds fluttering about, building their nests, down to the simple ant carrying a small morsel for its hill. Life lived on.

The Apprentice could hardly blame others for their lack of perception; for many were young, with lifespans over fifty or sixty considered to be astounding. Age brought the Apprentice patience and the ability to see farther - look to the horizon as opposed to seeing simply what was placed in front of him. It was a bittersweet feeling, to be so disconnected from the world yet still live a part of it. His Master had warned him all those years ago of the path he had chosen to take, how he would gain knowledge and power far beyond his imagination...but that there would be a price, with magic there always was.

Pushing these cynical thoughts to the back of his mind, the Apprentice raised his head slightly, overlooking the direction the matted dirt path was taking him: to the village of Springfall. It had been there for many years, beating on against time and age. It was small, almost too small, but the people carried their own and they worked hard. The Apprentice was a welcomely received visitor when he dropped by every other week or so, oftentimes counseling, mediating, or simply teaching whoever sought him out or had the ears to listen. He had grown fond of the small hamlet, despite his Master's warnings against growing attached. Many of the children there viewed him as a "funny man" who always came with treats or exciting stories to share, while the adults had a better grasp of him...a wise and knowledgeable sage who possessed wisdom far beyond his (supposed) years.

Hiking (with some effort) to the top of a small hill overlooking the village as a whole, the Apprentice was overcome with shock, raising a single hand to cover his mouth as the long, dragon-headed staff fell from his other grip, clattering to the ground.

Destroyed. Completely destroyed...dark pillars of smoke swirled from the burning remains of houses, billowing into the air like ghosts. Bodies, so many bodies scattered and tossed on the ground like waste, broken, beaten, and bloodied with no remorse or mercy; weapons jutting from their lifeless corpses, their necks and limbs twisted at odd and inhuman angles. Man, woman, child, elder, and animal completely disregarded, slaughtered all the same, piling amongst each other, foundations of the dead.

Blinking back the tears that threatened to fall, the Apprentice slowly entered what remained of Springfall, ignoring the objecting pain in his leg as he walked without his aide. It felt as though he had been sucker-punched in the gut, finding breathing to be a seemingly impossible task as all he could see before him was murder and destruction.

The Apprentice crouched down with a pained wince on his visage, kneeling before the broken body of a small girl, no older than ten. Magnolia was her name, yes....the Apprentice made it a point to always remember their names for when he left, so he would never forget.

Gliding a single hand over the girl's face, marred by dirt, soot, and blood, the Apprentice closed her glassy, lifeless eyes, giving her an almost peaceful look - as though she were lying down to take a nap.

Now letting the tears fall freely, the Apprentice made no sound, no movement, though his body was racked with wordless sobs, for he knew exactly who was responsible for this crime.

Mulan was tucked away in the trees, watching, as the sun broke through the branches leaving her mostly in shadows. She was crouched low to the ground, her hair tied up and away on the top of her head. She had been following Belle since she left the palace, watching her and ensuring no harm had come to her as The Dark One had requested. Mulan had been watching the woman for weeks now at The Dark One's insistence as payment for an earlier request of her own. Unfortunately, he had also asked that she be discrete in the matter, meaning Mulan couldn't approach her out right about being her guardian and in turn, had to remain on her to toes as she could not always be by the girl's side but had to find ways to do just that.

This left her in fine gowns for the greater part of the last few weeks as she masqueraded as royalty. Mulan had spent her time in the court of the Emperor after the great war against the Huns, which left her quite comfortable in the situation. It also allowed her to get slightly closer to Belle. However, a kingdom who's king thought little for strong women, Mulan often had to bite her tongue and at times step aside to allow men to do things that she was more than capable of doing. Once or twice she had strolled passed knights training and had to fight the urge to correct their postures. Luckily, outside of the palace she had to worry little about appearances and found herself able to follow the Princess with far more ease in her black and red that allowed her to move quickly and quietly while still providing her with some protection.

Ultimately, Mulan had decided to remain out of the woman's affairs unless needed. She did not step in to prevent her from marrying an arrogant man that she quite clearly did not love nor did she step in when the guards raced toward her and the woman in the street. Neither of these things would cause the girl bodily harm and that was all Mulan was meant to protect her from. After all, it seemed that the other woman, Elizabeth, had managed to chase off them men for her. There were certain affairs that Mulan felt no need to step in on. It was all quite simple. Allow the girl to fend for herself until her own skills or the skills of those around her failed her and placed her in a spot of bother it was then and only then that Mulan handled it from the shadows.

At some point during her thought process, Mushu had climbed out of his pouch on her waist and onto her shoulder. It was nice have her guardian and friend out in the open again. During her time in the army as well as in the palace, she had been forced to keep him a secret. Which left him to hide in layers of clothing or pouches that she had made specifically for him. He sat there while Mulan rose from her croucing posiition and once more began to follow silent along with the women. Her feet made little noise on the leaf covered forest floor but Mushu broke her near silence before whispering in her ear, "That... Lizard seems a little..." He brought a hand to the side of his head, creating a circle with his finger, "If you know what I mean... Do you think the Dark One is going to be okay with you letting her hang around with her?"

Mulan keep her voice as quite as possible, knowing Mushu's ears would pick up the quietest of sounds from her due to their proximity, "She seems fine. Right now, she is trying to help the Princess and really... So long as she doesn't try to hurt her, I don't mind someone else trying to help the girl."

Mulan tugged her hood further forward, hiding more of her face. Despite this lessing her field of view, Mulan was no less aware of her surroundings. She had come to be able to use her other senses to know what was around her, which allowed her to be less dependant on her eyes. Sometimes one's eyes did not see everything that they should.

There was no sounds though, the band of guards had continued on their way and the sounds of hooves went with them. Beyond the odd bird song or creature scuttling in the woods, all was quite beyond the two women walking. Mulan was content, her job had been easy and she had yet needed to raise her sword to protect the princess.... Although, this did make her a little restless, with no action this was all rather boring.

Smoke filled his lungs, stung his eyes. The entire village had been put to the torch...whether before or after the senseless slaughter, the Apprentice did not know or care to find out. Yet there was an air of eerie silence upon the ruins. No fire seemed to crackle or pop, no animals scuttled about the outskirts. It was simply silent.

A sudden flapping of wings drew the Apprentice's attention, his deep blue eyes falling on a flock of ravens that were gathering just near the twisted corpses, as though daring the Apprentice to try and stop them their feast.

"Begone, scavengers. These dead will not satiate your appetites this day." He said in a harsh, commanding tone, yet just above a whisper in volume. A single raven tilted its head to the side and 'Quarked' but soon departed with the rest, whether by the Apprentice's words or their own accord.

Letting out a shaky sigh, the Apprentice returned to the dreadful task of wandering through the husk of the settlement. He at least owed it to the people there to see....to witness. If only he had come sooner - could the damage have been prevented?

'Fate'...he could hear his Master's words ringing in his mind, 'All things have a time, my Apprentice. All things must end...nothing lasts.'.

'Even You?' He heard himself responding naively, during a time where all things were strange and unbelievable.

'Even me.'

The Sorcerer had reminded the Apprentice just how much pain he would feel during his long journey under his tutelage. An extended life would leave him hurt, leave him bitter, leave him lonely.

The Apprentice stopped beside the burnt corpse of a small house, his eyebrows narrowed as he could have sworn he heard something....someone.

Leaning heavily on his wood staff, the Apprentice moved a single hand to his temple, closing his eyes as he focused deeply, broadening his perception, feeling for life around him so clouded in this field of death.

Yes....someone was here -- someone was alive.

“..Guaine…” This couldn’t be; it just couldn’t… Her body shook lightly as she leant over the corpse of the young man that she had wrapped up in her arms, her eyes shutting tightly as she felt pain shoot through her heart at the mere thought that she could never again see him- never again hear his warm voice welcoming her into the bookstore, or share his sweet smile and excitement whenever they discussed the tales they had both read… He was gone; as was his family, and the rest of those who lived within the village. She thought she would have been safe here, she would have been able to get away from Gaston and the other Knights- it was the reason she had parted ways with Elizabeth in the first place, because she knew people here… people who would help her if she ever truly needed it…

She had only come to the village for help- to seek his help, to ask if it were possible to merely gain something different to wear; something that wasn’t the wedding dress she had been in since that morning, but all that had changed the moment that she had reached the village… the devastation that had befallen all who had lived here- it was just too much to bare… The moment she had managed to get past the original shock that she had felt upon seeing the sight, she had run- run as fast as she could until she had found him laying still and unmoving in front of the large tree which the two of them would spend hours reading alongside and speaking one another… She couldn’t help the soft sobs that slipped out as she hunched her herself further over his own, her forehead pressing lightly against his causing her hair to slip over her shoulders, hiding her face from view as the tears she knew that she was shedding for her late friend rolled down over her cheeks before dropping down onto his face.

“..you did not deserve this… you truly deserved so much better than this… I am so sorry Guaine…”

"I am sorry for your loss." The Apprentice's calm voice said behind Belle as he moved closer beside her, his staff tapping against the blackened and broken cobblestone on the ground.

Her breath caught in her throat as she heard the voice of another joining with hers in the otherwise silence that filled what was left of the village, her body freezing for only a moment before she slowly lifted herself up, her head turning and her gaze lifting until her brilliant blue eyes met with his own intense though still quite soft stare.

“..the loss of a single friend is hard to bare; however, the loss of the entire village has caused devastation to my heart- how could my father allow this to happen…”

"This is no fault of King Maurice's, my dear." The Apprentice assured quietly as he knelt down, obvious pain in his features as his knees audibly popped with the effort.

"This is the Evil Queen's work....carried out through her Huntsman, the Raven." He added on a more foreboding note, letting his staff lay down beside him.

The Apprentice remained silent for the next few moments, simply keeping an eye on the young woman. She could hardly be considered 'grown-up', that much was apparent from the still-dreamy, almost naive look in her eyes. This moment would remain in her mind forever.

"What is your name, if I may ask?" He implored kindly, trying to manage a small half-smile, hollow as it may be.

He was kind- or at least, he was being kind towards her; whether it was because it was in his nature or to keep her from shedding another tear however, she was unsure. Dropping her gaze from his so that she was once more looking upon the face of her late friend, she brought her hand up from around his body, her fingers lightly brushing against his forehead as she pushed his messy locks back off his face so that she could see him properly and without obstruction, “My name- my name is Isabella Français... though most who know me, i-including Guaine, know and call me by Belle..."

Nodding slowly, the Apprentice let out a soft sigh, his eyes feeling too dry and sore to shed anymore tears for the time being.

"I wish we could have met under pleasanter circumstances, Belle." The Apprentice began on a somewhat saddened note. "This village held a special place in my heart, I would visit it often, to interact with its people, to teach, or to learn..." The Apprentice swallowed hard, lifting a single hand up to stroke his beard, as though in deep thought.

"Guaine....he was the bookkeeper, yes? I would donate novels or volumes I had no more use for to him on occasion." The Apprentice added quietly, a mournful glance in the young man's direction.

So he had known Guaine just as she did; spoken with him and spent time with him as well… it was something at least, that the two of them could share with one another. Shifting slightly over the ground as she gently lowered Guaine’s head so that it was instead resting on her lap rather than in her arms, she nodded her head lightly in response to his question, her voice soft and slightly shaky as she spoke, “..he did what he could to help the old man who ran the shop- he was only trying to help him, it was how the two of us first met… I could not reach the book upon the top shelf…”

The Apprentice managed a small, lamentable smile at her words, suddenly looking far older than his youthfulness suggested. It was in his eyes...experienced...sad; far sadder than any young man should exhibit.

Reaching for his staff, the Apprentice rose up from the ground with more visible effort, dusting off his robes as best as he could before looking down at the young woman once more.

"If you would like, I can offer you a cup of tea, help calm the mind...I find it is best to share one's grievances in the company of friends. Being alone to bear the burden is one of the worst things in this world." The Apprentice said calmly, trying to keep his gaze on Belle and avoid the destruction that seemed to be closing in around him.

“..a cup of tea to help ease my mind, would be most welcomed sir- but…” Lifting her hand from the side of Guaine’s face, she brought it up to her own as her head shook lightly from side to side at the very thought of leaving him behind where he lay, her fingers lightly wiping away the tears that she could feel once more beginning to form in the corners of her eyes before she lifted her head up completely, her gaze turning up until her brilliant blue eyes caught onto his own in a questioning manner, as though searching for answers that she was unable to find no matter how hard she tried.

“..I cannot just leave him here- not like this…”

"I know you can't." The Apprentice replied, looking down at the body with a remorseful expression. "I believe I know what to do, please step back, Isabella." The Apprentice urged kindly, the 'eyes' of his dragon-head staff seeming to glow ever-so-slightly, just enough to blame it on a trick of the eyes.

“But I-…” The light glowing coming from the eyes of his staff then caught her attention, causing her to turn her to pause for a moment, her voice lost in her throat before she nodded her head lightly in response to his request, her body leaning over one last time so that she could press her lips lightly against Guaine’s forehead before she sat back up, her gentle touch lifting her friends head up just enough for her to be able to slip herself back up to her feet as she laid him carefully back down upon the ground in which she had first found him.

She was used to magic- at least now she was. Her time living in the Dark Castle had helped her to grow accustomed to the art, though she knew she would never truly get used to the way that Rumpelstiltskin would suddenly appear in the room with her… the action more times than none causing her to jump with the sudden realization that he was there watching. Bringing her hands together in front of her body as she took a couple of steps backwards, she shut her eyes for a moment, spinning a silent prayer for her lost friend before she once again nodded to the man who had been so kind to her, letting her know that whatever it was he was going to do- she was ready.

Breathing in deeply, the Apprentice looked towards the burnt and blackened stump of a tree, a milestone that stood as a landmark in the center of Springfall, a testament towards the village's tenaciousness and determination - now gone like all the rest of it.

Looking down once more at the body of Guaine, the Apprentice waved a single hand over it, causing the corpse to fade away slowly, leaving nothing but empty air in its wake.

A few moments passed of complete stillness before a beam of light from the sky above pierced through the clouds, illuminating the center of the village in a basking glow as the stump, too, faded away, replaced by a young sapling, radiating youthfulness and energy; its leaves, brilliant pink seeming to glow in the new light.

"The Dead cannot return." The Apprentice began calmly, looking at the sapling with a sense of hope in his voice. "But can bring new life in its wake. Guaine has passed on, but this tree stands as memorial: to him, and all who have passed in this terrible event. Neither blade nor spell will bring it down, and it will restore life around it - in time." He finished, bowing his head in respect towards the tree before turning to look at Belle once more.

She couldn’t help but hesitate for a few moments before she stepped forwards to where the tree stood tall and full of new life, signalling that not all hope was lost, her hand lifting up from the front of her wedding dress before she pressed her palm ever so softly against the trunk of the tree, careful and tenderly as though it might shatter with any wrong move that she made towards it. It was beautiful- better than anything that she could have hoped for… the tree a living symbol of all those who lost their lives, “..the life of the dead, is set in the memory of those who continue to live- I will never forget you Guaine; may you be peaceful in your eternal slumber…”

Smiling softly at her words, the Apprentice placed a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder, his own gaze turned once again towards the sapling.

"I do believe," he began, adjusting his grip on his staff, "that I owe you that cup of tea, don't I?" He asked kindly, cocking his head to the side to look into her own eyes.

Turning her head back to look at him as she felt the weight of his firm though still extremely gentle hand resting over her shoulder, she nodded her head softly in agreement, her soft pink lips turning up in a small though still noticeably thankful smile as she let her hand slide softly down the bark of the tree, until it was once more resting on the front of her wedding dress just as it had been moments before she had paid her respect to those who had lost their lives in the village that once stood on the spot where they were.

“..tea would be very welcome at this time sir- thank you…”

Ah! Gods it was good to be back- and even better was the fact that he was almost done with his end of the damn deal he had made with Rumpelstiltskin. The minute Kaeden dropped Doctor sexy off at the castle, he was a goner- running off into the wind and leaving nothing but his dust behind as a parting gift to those who had been lucky enough to be within the presence of the only Liddell left within this goddamn forsaken world. Pulling himself out of his thoughts as he caught sight of the castle gates looming over head of the both of them, Kaeden lifted both his hands up before he pressed his palms against the cold iron, using his upper body strength to push it open just enough for the both of them to slip through before he let it go, not bothering to look back to watch them close as he continued to lead the way up the path to where the castle stood strong, a standing testament to the wheeling and dealing bastard who seemed to contently reside within its darkness…

Seriously, had the guy never heard of opening the damn curtains? It was called airing the place out- but if he was happy to live with the smell that could only be described as death itself… who was he to go and burst that happy little bubble, “Welp, on behalf of Madden portals incorporated, we would like to thank you for choosing to travel with us, and welcome you to your new and happy little home beautiful; I’m sure you’ll find the Dark One’s company to be… yeah, no, I'm sorry; for the life of me I can’t finish that sentence- there is just no word that is good enough…”

Shaking his head lightly from side to side as he made his way up the steps, Kaeden paused in front of the large wooden doors that led into the castle itself, his head turning back to look once more over Heather before he reached out for the handle, stepping to the side as he pulled the door open, over dramatically gesturing with his free hand for her to go in before him, “After you beautiful- your new life awaits you just inside the darkness that is beyond these very doors… after that, you’re on your own, cause I’m a free man honey..!”

This world was certainly...different. There were so many species of flora that Heather hadn't seen back in London. She had often stopped to take a sample or two and put them in a spare journal she carried with her, before continuing to follow this man. She had asked him what she should expect when encountering this...'Dark One' Rumpelstiltskin, and apparently he wasn't someone to be trifled with, and that she should watch her words carefully. She also asked him about the world they were in now, and general specifics.

She sighed as she looked at the dark and dreary castle. Her home was dark and dreary as well, but not like that. She looked to the man when he spoke to her, still calling her by that nickname instead of using her name like she had asked him. She commented dryly and somewhat sarcastically after his finished spiel "Thank you. That last statement was most certainly comforting,"

She followed him up the steps and she asked before he pulled the door open "Shouldn't you knock first?" He didn't seem to hear her as he just pulled the door open, anyways. After he told her to go inside, and added his little comments, she answered in sarcastic deadpan, "How chivalrous of you," She then answered him with a grateful tone this time, "But seriously, thank you,"

She looked at the darkness inside the castle, and before taking in a deep breath, she stepped inside, expecting the worst to happen.

"I must say, I'm rather impressed, Joker." A voice from behind the duo sounded, rather unexpectedly considering the grand double doors of the castle had just closed behind them and their backs not far from it. Clearly no one was there before; they would have seen it.

Rumpelstiltskin materialized from seemingly nowhere as they turned to face him, his reptile-like eyes looking directly past Kaeden and locking onto Heather Jekyll's soft blues, taking a moment to himself to size her up. With his right hand raised, level with the lower portion of his collarbone, he rubbed his fingers together, his head tilting to the side slightly as he let his eyes look over the rest of her and then back up to meet her eyes once more.

"You must be Doctor Jekyll." he surmised, though the twisted grin afterwards alluded to the fact that he knew more than what he was letting on. "R-R-R-Rumpelstiltskin, at your service!" he then quickly chimed, using his tongue to roll the 'r' in his name as he stooped his thin body over in a deep bow, arms extended out from his sides. Then, only raising his head to look back up at her, keeping his lopsided smile, he spoke again though this time quieter. "But you already knew that." He took a moment to stand back up straight and adjust the lapel of his dragon-hide coat. "Now what do you want?"

Heather widened her eyes and she turned to face the double doors that just closed behind her and the man who was apparently nicknamed 'Joker'. She studied the reptilian man in front of her just as he studied her as well. She could hear Hyde make snide comments about the man in the back of her head as she studied him. After a few minutes the man finally spoke with a sickening grin on his face, and that look that clearly showed that he knew more than he let on. She nodded at his guess at her name and she watched as he introduced himself to her. After he made his comment about her already knowing that, she commented as she nodded towards 'Joker', "At least you actually introduced yourself, unlike a certain someone,"

When he asked his question, she crossed her arms, her cane still in hand, and she answered "Right to business, eh? Alright, I want the darkness within me...the monster that takes over from time to time, gone," She then asked "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Mmmm... 'course I did!" Rumpelstiltskin practically squeaked as he began to move from his position in front of the doors and began to circle around the both of them, however keeping his eyes on Heather and words directed towards her. "Ah, you summoned me. However, being from a diff-er-ent land... makes things ra-ther difficult." he sing-songed and made a few quick steps to bring himself back around to her front so she could see him properly once more. "But!" he exclaimed, taking a moment to run his tongue over his lower lip before continuing. "The Dark One always de-liv-ers!" he finished, sounding somewhat pleased with himself for no apparent reason at all save for his own reputation. "Now-" he started quickly but cut himself off short, his head turning just a fraction until his reptile-like eyes landed back on Kaeden, as though he had just realized that he were there.

"Well what are you still doing here?" he asked quietly though keeping his pitch high, theatrical hands turning outwards in question. "You've paid your price-" Rumpelstiltskin's eyes dropped down then to the hat clutched in Kaeden's hand and a wicked smile spread across his thin lips once more as he brought his eyes back up to his. "Unless... there was something else?" His tone was light and jovial once more, spasmed patterns of different syllables uttered in different pitches; clearly having fun with his words.

“Well clotpole, now that you mention it…” Doing all that he could to keep his annoyance at the blatant use of his ‘name’, Kaeden dropped his gaze down to the hat that was held delicately within his grip, his eyebrow quirking slightly as he lightly brushed it off before lifting it up and placing it once more onto his head, his hands coming together in front of his body as his gaze raised up to meet with that of Rumpelstiltskin’s once again; the expression on his face, though quite light and playful, still holding the determination and the resolve behind his words as he spoke up, telling Dark One exactly what it was that he wanted.

“This hat is staying with me- he was my brother after all.” There was no way he was going to be giving up Jefferson’s hat- he just couldn’t do it. He already had his sister’s key, and now that he had his hands on something that belonged to another member of his late family… well there was no way he was going to let it go without a fight… “So name your price- otherwise have fun prying it from my lifeless hands…”

"Nheh..." Rumpelstiltskin made a small noise of annoyance. His large eyes rolled and his tongue ran over his lips once again, his body shifting a bit awkwardly before he finally shook his head, seeming to come up with an answer as quickly as he could to rid himself of Wonderland's joke of a man. "Alright-alright, it's yours. Take the filthy clump of fabr-r-ric." He waved his hands with enthusiasm, though they were waving him out of his home, showing him the door. "But!" he called out, his hands stopping and held up a single pointed finger, showing that he had more to say. As soon as he knew he held Kaeden's attention, he twisted his wrist so that the finger pointed up was now pointing directly at him, a flicker of a smile coming across Rumpelstiltskin's lips as he took a moment to himself to look Kaeden over carefully. "You'll owe me a favor..."

“Okay, so first you wanted a favour for my sister’s key; now you want a favour for my brother’s hat- you know, if you aren’t careful; people are just going to start thinking that you’re lazy, rather than just an evil old coot.” Kaeden didn’t even bother to try and hide the exasperated groan that fell from his lips, the young man over exaggerating the fact that owing yet another favour to the tyrant standing before him was nothing more than an annoyance, though it was clear that he had already accepted the little catch as long as he was able to keep Jefferson’s hat in his possession, “But it’s alright! I’ll play the good guy! I’ll help the sickly green, and slightly ugly looking old woman across the street so that she doesn’t get hit by the horse and carriage!”

Lifting his hand up to take a firm hold of the rim of the hat that was now perching precariously upon the top of his head, Kaeden slid his foot back slightly, his free arm lifting to the side slightly as he leant his body over in a bow, the action mirroring one that Rumpelstiltskin himself might give when introducing himself, his head however remaining at an angle in which he was still able to see the both of them standing in front of him, “Tis a pleasure as always to do business with such a lovely bundle of joy wrapped in countless hugs and rainbows. Have fun beautiful; and watch out, I hear he likes to bite.”

Making a couple of biting motions with his teeth as though to push the point, Kaeden once again stood himself up straight, his body quickly turning on the spot so that his back was towards them before he moved himself forward, a light spring in his step with the knowledge that for now, he was a free man. When the time came and Rumpelstiltskin wanted him for this so-called favour, he knew that he would come and get him. There was nowhere he could run, where the Dark One wouldn’t be able to find him. Lifting up his hand as he grew closer to the door, Kaeden once again opened it up, his body quickly slipping through the gap and out into the fresh air of the Enchanted Forest.

Heather looked to 'Joker' after Rumpelstiltskin directed his attention onto him. In all honesty, she had no idea whether to laugh (even though Hyde was already laughing in the back of her mind), be impressed, or worry about 'Joker' as he made his comments quite boldly. It was the same boldness that almost got him killed when he met Hyde back in London! When 'Joker' turned to her and made his comments, she blinked and had a look of disgust cross her face for a moment. She mentioned calmly with a slight hint of irritation "I told you to stop calling me that," However he seemed to ignore her and she watched as he left the castle.

After he was gone, she turned her attention back to Rumpelstiltskin. She expected them to get back to business and that he would tell her what he would want in return for getting rid of Hyde.

Rumpelstiltskin made a face at Kaeden's departure; somewhere between relief of finally being rid of the pest and annoyance at the boy's behavior. Tisking as the front doors of his castle were closed, leaving him and the doctor alone, Rumpelstiltskin turned his body, waving his hand in a flourish for Heather to follow him as he began to head away from the front entrance and into the recesses of the castle.

"I do hope you had plans of staying in The Enchanted Forest for a while, dearie. I'm afraid that was your ticket out of here!" Rumpelstiltskin chimed, turning his head to the side to look at Heather as he jerked his thumb backwards over his shoulder towards Kaeden's general direction. He let out a shrill giggle then, as though the very idea of a person stranded in an entirely new and very different realm amused him.

They quickly reached another set of double doors though without opening them, Rumpelstiltskin quickly turned around on his heel, arms flourishing close to his chest as he did.

"But!" Rumpelstiltskin held up his pointer finger. "We shall see to your lit-tle 'darkness' problem first before we lure the Joker back to The Dark Castle. The question is, dearie, what are you willing to give up to be free of your little ex-per-r-r-i-ment?" he asked, rolling the 'r' in the latter word.

Heather followed Rumpelstiltskin after he made the clear gesture to follow him, mentally preparing herself for the worst possible scenario that came to mind. She kept her cold and composed appearance at the mention that Kaeden was her ticket out of here and mentioning luring him back here once they were done with their business.

After he asked about what she would give up in order to get rid of Hyde, she crossed her arms and she asked in response, showing that she was ready to give up what she had left (considering that she had practically forfeit her life when she drank that concoction), "What's your price?"

Using both hands, Rumpelstiltskin waved them in front of him up to the joint of his elbows where it was unclear if the stiff, dragon-hide coat prevented mobility or if he was simply doing it on purpose.

"Well that's the funny thing about price, isn't it?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, a bit too quickly in a deeper tone than usual, making the different words almost sound as one, long one in his hastiness to get his question delivered. He stopped waving his hands in lieu of a softer flourish, one hand pressed close to his chest while the other extended up towards his shoulder, palm facing up and fingers twitching. "Usually, price is measured in how much something is worth. So tell me, Doctor Jekyll..." Coming out of his gesture, Rumpelstiltskin bent his body at the waist, penetrating all semblance of 'personal space' as his head neared hers so close, he could feel the softest of exhales fanning across his face. "what's it worth?"

Heather narrowed her gaze at the imp irritably when he seemed to taunt her with his question with a much more serious tone. She tensed, feeling Hyde ready to try and take control and make her attack, considering that the imp was close enough for her to feel his breath, and for Hyde to take in his scent.

She answered "I'm willing to give up my world if necessary to be free from her," The good doctor could hear Hyde sneer, mocking her inside of her mind, "Hmmm...And I thought I was bold. But then again, I wouldn't be here if you weren't."

A quiet, practically inaudible snicker came from Rumpelstiltskin as he pulled his head back into his shoulders as they rolled back, the trade-mark grin he held for those who had just given him what it was he wanted exactly without their know-how plastered upon his odd features.

"Now we're talking!" he exclaimed quietly, though the excitement in his voice was so evidently there no matter how much he tried to suppress it... if he were trying to suppress it.

With a quick spin and a wide push from his arms to the air on either side of him, the grand double doors opened and Rumpelstiltskin stepped inside the room, counting on Heather to follow behind.