#;eof

The Dark One felt gleeful over the deal he had just made. King Maurice of the Highlands had been in despair over his failing crops, and had called upon Rumplestiltskin to strike a deal; if Rumplestiltskin helped with the plants, the King would offer his daughter to him as a servant for as long as he made the crops thrive. Even if the King had not offered his daughter as payment, the Dark One would have asked for her, so he was only happy to oblige. With a snap of his fingers, the harvest had been saved, and he had led the princess out of there with a hand on her back.

Not bothering to waste time on carriage rides, he snapped his fingers, and purple smoke engulfed them. When the smoke lifted, they were safely standing in the dining room of his castle. Feeling his whole body bubbling with glee, the imp let out a high-pitched laugh, which sounded more like a shriek than anything else.

"Welcome to your new home, dearie," he said to the young beauty by his side, his sarcasm hardly veiled, and turned his head to look at her. While most hesitated to stare him down, he was surprised by how she avoided his gaze at all times. Was she not right in the head? he wondered. Perhaps, the King had used him to get rid of his half-minded daughter. However, something told him that this wasn't quite right. There was something else.