Evermore ~ Rumplestiltskin

Chapter Nine

    "I understand," she said, placing the tray of the tea set on the table.

    "You will dust my collection and launder my clothing," I said.

    "Yes," she nodded her head, pouring some tea.

    "You will fetch me fresh straw when I'm spinning at the wheel," I continued. She looked up at me and nodded her head.

    "Got it."

    "Oh!" I pointed my finger up in the air. "And you will skin the children I hunt, for their pelts," I said, laughing internally inside. I was hoping she would get the joke.

    But she didn't. She dropped one of the tea cups in fright. She gasped.

    "That one was a quip," I said. "Not serious."

    Liana sighed. "Right." I watched as she bent down to pick it up. "Oh, my," she said. "I'm so sorry but it's chipped. You can hardly see it."

    "Well, it's just a cup," I said, not understanding why she was so worried. Wait... did she think I would hurt her?

    I then smiled at her as she smiled at me, and placed the tea cup back onto the tray.

    Little did I know, I was starting to enjoy her company.

                        +++

    "Sheriff Swan, you can go now," I said. "I know exactly what was taken and who did it."

    It was Moe Sterling. He stole one of the only items that I have left to remind me of Liana, the item that helps me remember that Liana is still alive within Selina, and that I'll get her back, the chipped tea-cup that Liana dropped within my castle. Either Moe was angry about how I took his van away, or he remembered the Enchanted Forest and what he did to his daughter. "I've got it from here," I said.

    "No you don't," she said, typing on her phone. "This was a robbery. A public menance. And if you don't tell me what you know, I will have to arrest you for obstruction of justice." I rolled my eyes. "I have a feeling you don't want to be behind bars.

    "Indeed not," I replied. "Alright," I said. "His name's Moe Sterling. He sells flowers. He recently defaulted on a loan. A short time ago, we had a little disagreement over collateral."

    "Okay," said Emma. "I'll go get him, check him out."

    "I'm sure you will. Assuming I don't find him..." I licked my lips together and then chuckled. Emma furrowed her eyebrows at me. "Lets just say bad things tend to happen to bad people."

    "Is that a threat?" she asked.

    "Observation," I replied. Emma then placed on her beanie hat and I said, "Good luck." Emma then walked out of the house and shut the door behind her.

                         +++

    I remember spinning at my wheel, spinning the straw into gold when Liana asked, "Why do you spin so much?" She was standing on a ladder that was leaning against the window. I glanced at her and stopped spinning. "Sorry, it's just, you've spun straw into more gold than you could ever spend."

    "I like to watch the wheel," I said, spinning it again. "Helps me forget," I said.

    "Forget what?" she asked.

    I stopped spinning and said, "I guess it worked!" Even though I entirely knew what I was trying to forget– my life before the dark one, the time I let my son fall through a portal to an unknown world. I then giggled and then she laughed too.