Smother ━━ Killian Jones [Discontinued]

six; like the herb

Rumpelstiltskin aimlessly spun at his wheel while a young Regina stood near a table of potions. She stopped fumbling with the bottles, cupping her hands formally together as she spoke softly. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Oh, I've been ready." He stops moving the wheel. "The question is, are you?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am."

Rumple narrowed his large eyes at the witch. "Tell me why you're really here."

"For power-"

"Stop wasting my time!" He yelled abruptly, making the queen flinch at his tone of voice. "What is it you want? Come on. You've done all your soul searching. Now tell me."

Regina stepped up to him, her eyes wide with hope. "Can you teach me how to use magic to bring back the dead?"

Rumpelstiltskin laughed bitterly at the pathetic girl. "That's what this is about? The stable boy?"

"I want true happiness!"

"Then find it elsewhere, dearie." He declared, not wanting to hear the girl's pleading. He had tried to help Regina with the dark magic lying inside her but she continued to cling onto the past. "Magic can do much, but not that. Dead is dead."

Regina leaned against the table, her face revealing her true nature of dread and grief. "Then I am lost."

"And I've had my time wasted. I'm sorry but, uh, " He placed a hand on top of her's. "Transcending death is beyond even my reach."

"I thought nothing was beyond your reach?" A male voice said behind them. The two turned to see the two other people, Jefferson and Sage. Sage looked different from what she does today. Her brown hair was straight and her outfit was deemed appropriate for the Enchanted Forest. She wore a dark red cutlass blouse and skinny leather pants with knee-high boots. Her eyes seemed a dark shade of brown, reflecting the small bits of darkness swirling around in her beating heart. "Busy! Should we-"

"No, no. Nothing important going on here." Rumple dismissed her, suddenly turning cheering once he saw his two workers. Regina attempted to gain his attention once more until he silenced her again. "Ignore her."

They moved away from Regina to another table. Jefferson pulled out the medium-sized crystal ball from his messenger's bag and held it in front of the Dark One. "We got what you wanted."

Rumpelstiltskin fidgeted his fingers and analyzed the ball. "Where are the slippers?"

"Oh. We couldn't find 'em. Heard talk they've already been moved to another land." Jefferson calmly explained, still holding out the ball in front of him and Sage.

"That's what I needed to get to that other land."

Sage didn't see the big deal out of this. If Rumple wanted the slippers so bad, they could easily get it. "Well, come with us in Jeff's hat. I'm sure we can all work something out."

"No, no." He rejected the idea, making both Sage and Jeff roll their eyes in annoyance. "Your hat only transports between magical realms. I need to get to a land without magic."

Jefferson's face twisted in confusion. "Why would anyone want that?"

"My business."