Let Me Be Your Heroine (3/3)
Title: Let Me Be Your Heroine
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin becomes stuck in a trap left for the wolf and bound by magic. Red Riding Hood finds him, almost frozen to death. She brings him home and tends to him and in return he rewards her with anything she desires. She chooses to know what a being like him would be like as hers.
Rating: R for this chapter
Spoilers: 1x15
Word Count: 5,329
Pairing/Characters: Red/Rumpelstiltskin, Blue Fairy, mentions Granny and others
Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time is not owned by me, but by ABC. I’m simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.
A/N: One of my fills for the ouatkinkmeme. And the woodsman is an OC.
Chapter 1 Chapter 2
~~
Chapter 3, A Simple Desire:
Another day passed, and then a second. So far things had stayed much like that. It was becoming almost routine for both of them. Red would awake, finding herself smiling briefly at the sight of Rumpelstiltskin still beside her. Red guessed it was her disbelief more than anything being the reason for it. She couldn't be sure if she was losing her mind or if perhaps his powers were to blame for this, but she was somehow amused by this change. But then, she guessed, it did make sense. There were others in the forest who could hold their own against him, but few who would do all she had already done. The Blue Fairy had even told her as such.
"No one would come to his aid," she remembered her saying. But she had, and she smiled again at that fact. She would still be smiling as she carefully left the bed to go about making their breakfast. From there she would wake him and help him back to the table to continue to build his strength back up. Then after he would decide whether he wished to stay there or return to her bed, she would dress for her own day and set out on her patrol.
Red would return before dark, getting more used to seeing him when she would come home, and set about making their dinner. She supposed it was part of her already being used to caring for someone in that cottage, though the idea of getting used to it not being Granny was still surprising.
But what Red found to be even more surprising was when she would find herself looking forward to either sitting down with him for tea or dinner or even returning to his side in her bed.
Proving once more her friends' words of warning were becoming lost on her the more time she spent with him, on the second day Red even stopped by her parents' cottage to check up on Granny. Though in truth it was mostly to be sure none of them had plans to return to the cottage yet. She couldn't be sure how long it would be before Rumpelstiltskin could leave, or if he maybe even wanted to, but she knew she needed to know when she should be ready.
Red hated that she was relieved to hear her father tell her that Granny wouldn't be coming home for at least another week. She would never wish her granny ill even despite the differences she sometimes had with her, but she decided at least then she wouldn't have to worry quite so much as to any unexpected visits by them or having to hurry Rumpelstiltskin on his way. Particularly as she didn't wish to hurry him on his way anymore.
With the sky beginning to darken ever so slightly, Red bid farewell to her family and headed back to her granny's cottage, already looking forward to the Imp's smiling face greeting her when she returned. Not that she would dare breathe a word of that, of course.
"Ah, Little Red," he grinned as she walked back in.
She shook her head. She hated still being called that, though from him it was almost endearing. "You must be feeling better," she replied, noting the almost musical tone in his voice.
"Indeed, dearie. In fact," he told her as he jumped up from the seat at the table and with a mere wave of his right hand the fire beneath the stove whooshed to life.
Red jumped, surprised. "Your magic -"
"I can do more than that, my pet. Watch." He waved his left hand that time and each of the candles in the room were instantly lit and he laughed and applauded at his handiwork.
"How?" was all she could ask.
"The fairy's magic was never meant to last for more than a matter of days, surely only long enough for me to parish there in the snow. But alas I was saved by a beauty in red and the fairy's magic was allowed to wear off. Now it seems I am as well as can be."
Red knew she should be thrilled, jumping for joy even. But something was keeping her from doing either. She dared not let herself think why; knowing she already had her answer. She wasn't ready to say goodbye, to not see him still beside her in the morning light.
"I thank you for the kindness you have shown me, Pet, but I fear I must be on my way. When you wish for repayment of all you have done, you only need call my name," he stated as he moved away from the table and counter.
"Wait -" she told him, realizing he meant to vanish there before her eyes. "How can you be so sure the fairy's magic has worn off completely? How do you know you won't be falling for another one of her traps? The forest is riddled with them especially now since they all seem to think you were in fact the one in that trap."
The girl certainly had a point. This could have been a trick, but he felt fine. Better than fine in fact. And that was what was making her words sink in. Perhaps he really was doing too well too soon.
"Just, stay for one more night? Just to be sure?" she asked, hating that she couldn't keep the pleading completely from her voice.
"You... wish for me to stay?" he asked her, unable to recall the last time anyone, much less a beauty such as herself, had even implied they wished for him to stay with them.
Red nodded. "Please? I would just fear of waking tomorrow the same sight as I found that first day."
"In that case, for your peace of mind, I shall. And now I shall also wait for my meal to be brought to me," he grinned as he reclaimed his seat at the table.
Red laughed, quickly deciding this was a side of him she could get used to. Even if he was serious about expecting to still be waited on by her, it was still better than that frighteningly weakened version of him she had first seen. This was more like the Rumpelstiltskin she had expected to meet. Lively, giggling, playfully ordering her about. All that would be left would be for him to produce a contract or magic in his spinning wheel and all of the pieces would be in place.
Their night continued as the others had, only this time without Rumpelstiltskin requiring her help in getting around or even to her bed. And unlike the other nights before, Red found herself slipping her arm around him not solely to keep him warm, but because she knew she would miss feeling his slim body against her own, of feeling his heart beating beside hers, even falling asleep to the sound his light snoring.
In fact the idea of this being her last night with him kept her awake for hours longer than it should have. He had fallen asleep quickly, but she found herself still looking to the clothes she had given him, gently running her fingers through the ends of his surprisingly soft hair, and wishing to touch more of him but fearing she would wake him if she did.
She wished she could understand it. Even a week ago she rarely thought of him at all, his name being more of a cautionary tale while she was making her rounds patrolling in the forest. She would keep to her paths and speak only to her friends, knowing better than to even breathe the word "deal." She wondered if she had just been that overprotected. Or if it was because this had been the first time she had spent so much time alone with a man. But then Rumpelstiltskin was certainly unlike any ordinary man.
Red knew then she had her answer. He wasn't like any other man she would find in the forest, that much was clear, and his own curse was likely to blame for that. But she found herself clinging to him all the same, hoping he at least wouldn't choose to vanish from her side in the night.
Red could think of nothing to match the relief she felt when dawn came and she saw he hadn't seemed to have moved at all.
"I'm glad you took me up on my offer," she told him when they finished eating their breakfast that morning. "I appreciate you keeping me from having to show up at your castle and force my kind nature upon you there."
He smiled, unsure he had ever been met with that sort of a threat. "Well, dearie, as I said last night, I am willing to grant you anything you desire in repayment for the kindness you have shown me here. I felt it rude to leave without making that very deal."
"You said I could request anything?" she asked him, wondering if she would allow herself to voice what she truly did want most in that moment. The very thing that terrified her to even admit to herself that she wanted.
"Perhaps not anything. There are limitations even for me. Bringing anyone back from death, wishing for someone to love you, things of that nature cannot be done. However, if you wish for enough gold to fill this entire cottage, you only need to say the word. The same if you wish for your own castle complete with each of its chambers filled with as much gold as they can contain. Protection from wolves for as long as you live? Your granny's enduring good health? All could be granted."
Red thought for a moment. Most of that was more tempting than it should have been. But she looked to him again, realizing, and perhaps it was because of how he had spent most of his time there, but she was realizing he didn't seem as evil as Granny or even The Blue Fairy or Morrison had claimed. She knew he could have been cruel to her despite the earlier state he had been in, or he could have chosen then to threaten her with a heavy price for her desires. Instead he hadn't and in fact seemed grateful for all she had done for him even if she knew it hadn't truly been much.
Red thought again of how she had mostly enjoyed this time with him, save for when she had been out of her mind with worry first of him not surviving and then of her friends or family knowing he was there at all. But she thought back to the night before and how much of her had needed him to agree to stay, how comfortable she had become sharing both her home and bed with him. She knew then not only what she wanted, but that she would make herself tell him.
"A castle filled with gold in each of its chambers is quite the tempting offer," she admitted finally. "But I wouldn't wish for it for just myself."
"Of course, bring your granny along too! It would be a shame for me to not thank her as well, what with her not having been here so you could care for me without worry."
"I meant I wouldn't wish for my own castle. I would wish for yours," she told him, her eyes locked on his.
"It's not for sale, dearie," he smirked. "As I said, there are certain limitations."
She laughed at the musical tone returning to his voice. Would she ever get the words out properly? "What I mean to say is I wouldn't wish for my own castle, nor yours without you in it. I would wish to go to your castle with you when you leave here."
That had surprised him. Had she in fact not seen him as a burden? Was she really willing to forgo all her grandmother had surely told her of him? Perhaps this was what she had meant by there being a common understanding between monsters. Finding his voice, he asked, "You mean you wish to remain with me?"
Red smiled. "You aren't like the others described you. Or at least you haven't been to me. That is my wish, for this time with you to not end. My granny has my parents to care for her and you promised me anything I desire. What I desire is you... and to know what a man like you would be like as my own."
The idea of someone wishing simply for him, and calling him a man rather than a thing or beast, was so foreign to him. Rumpelstiltskin almost couldn't believe what she was saying. But as he had in fact promised her anything she wished, he replied, "You said yourself that you know there is a heavy price to be paid for my deals. In this case while you would not be my prisoner and would see your family again should you wish to, I cannot promise they would not cast you out. Your friends either, I'm afraid."
She nodded. "I know. But I was already risking that the moment I decided to help you and bring you here. Granny and the others could never understand this as it is, but it doesn't change that this is what I want. I knew it for sure last night when I thought it might be the last night I might so much as see you."
He smiled, still in a bit of disbelief, but happy. "In that case, we have a deal, my pet."
"Good," she smiled back. "And if this should be our last day here, I would ask that we could make it a memorable one."
"How memorable would you like for it to be?" He certainly had his hopes, but he couldn't be sure if what he was seeing in his mind at that moment were in fact her own fantasies or his foresight.
Red almost blushed. "The first day you were here we spent it unclothed in my bed with our bodies pressed together. I would wish for today to end the same way, though for a more celebratory reason."
He smiled, easily sensing what she meant. Perhaps it was both her fantasies and his foresight playing in his mind. Taking her hand, he told her, "Anything my lady wishes."
Red smiled as she stood, her hand still in his as she led him back to her bedroom. It was only then, standing beside her bed in front of him that it truly began to dawn on her what she had said, what she found she did in fact want. There would already be no turning back, not when she had just all but promised herself to him, and the thought made her smile as she went to kiss him for the first time.
Easily, Rumpelstiltskin found himself returning the tender, mere lip to lip exchange. He couldn't believe how she was holding him to her and he would be lying if he claimed he hadn't thought of this more times than even he could count over all the years he had seen her, even watched her in the forest. And now he had her, or soon would. He hadn't even needed to trick her for the privilege. For the first time he considered that a victory.
Red broke the kiss a moment later, and noticed the confusion darkening Rumpelstiltskin's features. "It's been too long since I've felt your skin against mine," she explained as she brought her fingers to his flowing shirt, thankful he wasn't wearing a vest this time. The shirt was gone in a moment and with a wave of his hand so was her corset.
"You only need tell me what you wish, my pet," he told her even as he watched her gaze and fingers move to his chest. She seemed fascinated by his skin even still, perhaps even fascinated by him and her touch was so soft he barely even felt it.
"I told you what I wish. For you," she told him when her eyes met his once more.
"Ah, but there's more. So much more you've yet to know. But soon you will. And as it's me you want, it is me you shall have."
Red smiled, sitting on the side of her bed then and bringing him gently down with her as she reclined back. Red held him closer still as she slanted her mouth against his, one hand losing itself in his long hair as her tongue ran along his lower lip. Kissing she had certainly done before, often too in secret. But that was just it, she had only kissed before. And with what most in the village would still consider a boy, just as they often still considered her a mere girl despite her eighteenth birthday having already passed. She had never kissed a man before, and certainly not one she could easily presume to know what he was doing. And while she had only heard stories of what this would lead to, she knew she wanted it. More importantly, she knew she wanted it from him.
This wasn't how she had imagined her first time when the thoughts had entered her mind, of course. But somehow that made it all the more exciting to her. Rumpelstiltskin was hardly some young male villager who could be considered a suitable match for her by her family or friends, and clearly there would be no small wedding held in the middle of the village, nor a small cottage for them to share afterwards.
Instead he was the only thing in the forest more feared than a wolf, her promise to be his was simply that and possibly even more binding than any wedding vow, and while this would always be the first bed they had shared, their home would soon be his castle. The thought made her smile.
"I'm glad this pleases you," Rumpelstiltskin told her as he slowly broke their kiss, having felt that very smile for himself.
Red's smile grew slightly before she told him, "The only thing that displeases me is that you still feel too far away."
He was nearly on top of her, but he guessed that was what she meant. "Indeed, dearie. But I won't be for long," he replied. There was much of him that didn't wish to go at all slowly, a part of him that wished for nothing more than to rip open the bodice of her dress, push up her skirts and claim her for his own as she clearly seemed to want him to do. But this time he refused. There would be plenty of time for that later. For all intents and purposes this may as well have been their wedding night, or as close to one as they would get for he knew the Queen would be aware of their union if they made it any more official than it was about to be.
With the deal they had just made, and even this consummation should anyone know of it, could still allow the Queen to be convinced he was keeping her prisoner, just keeping her as some sort of plaything or as his new favorite weapon. But should they wed there would be nothing to keep the Queen from potentially abducting her or having her killed just to hurt him. He knew she would do it, as she would do anything to remind him she was the all powerful one.
Still, today he would prove his care for the girl, to show her the kindness she had shown him over these days and give her all he knew no one else ever had.
Red soon felt her dress and skirts slipping from her, his magic clearly the culprit as it slid even from under her and to the edge of the bed. All the while she watched his amber eyes as he took that moment to admire her body as it slowly became exposed him. A slight blush rose on her cheeks then, for a moment feeling almost too exposed beneath his gaze. But when he looked back to her face, looking for all the world as though she was the greatest gift he had ever received, she only felt warm and calm. Many times she had been told she was beautiful, though hardly in a way a princess would be thought of being. But the look in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes began to make her feel almost like a queen. His queen.
"You can do more than look," she told him, wanting to feel his hands all over her just as she longed to touch his skin again.
That wish was simple enough to grant, he decided. And soon he did take to exploring her body with his hands, even as he bent down to capture her lips once more. It was almost enough to make him moan himself when he felt her arching into both his touch and kiss. But it was when he finally cupped a breast and gave it a gentle squeeze that Red moaned into his mouth and began to give him an idea of just how much more she really did want.
Placing a hand flat against his chest, Red felt it only fair that she get to explore a bit herself, the rough patches of his skin against her palm, feeling his heartbeat against her fingertips, her hand easing down further until it reached the top of his breeches.
Rumpelstiltskin finally moaned himself when her hand slipped lower still to feel him hard beneath her touch. It was then he broke their kiss again, this time to kiss along her jaw and her neck before reaching her collarbone.
Red couldn't be sure what exactly the name for all she was feeling was. She only knew that something was building within her, making her heart pound harder and leaving her wet in a way she couldn't remember ever having been before. And still she hoped it would never stop.
Moving both of her hands to his back, she held him closer and felt her hips twist against his almost of their own volition and she nearly gasped. Even through his breeches, that bit of friction had felt better than she had guessed it could. However in a second she was a little more surprised when she repeated that same motion beneath him and felt only skin despite still feeling both of his hands very definitely on her body. Magic. Of course. Just as he had done with her own clothes.
"It only seemed fair," he told her, answering her silent question when his eyes met hers once again.
"Some would say you don't deal in fair," she commented, her voice holding neither accusation nor judgment, only stating that simple fact.
"More than some don't deserve for me to," he countered. "But you, my dear, have proven yourself worthy."
"Because I wish to be yours?" she asked as she let one of her hands come up to the side of his face.
"Indeed. You wish for me how I am, not for how you wish me to be. You wish for a beast whose darkness rivals your very own, for someone you know will not fear you even when the moon is full. Your wish to be mine has ensured that is what you shall have."
"How did- ?" she asked, wondering how he could possibly know the secret only her family and Snow White knew.
Rumpelstiltskin only smiled. "I have my ways." He decided he could wait for a better time to tell her that he had known for certain since the day her granny had come to him for her famous red cloak. The very cloak they had since laid beneath together. "Now, where were we?"
Red sighed out when she felt his hand slip between her thighs and part them just a little more. He gently dragged his nails against the inside of one, causing her to sigh out again. But it was when his long fingers neared her sex that caused her eyes to finally close in anticipation.
Watching her face and taking quite an amount of pleasure at her subsequent moan as he slid one finger into her, Rumpelstiltskin found she was even more aroused than she had seemed to have let on. Because she was still so virginal? Perhaps. However he wouldn't be surprised if it was also in part because of the danger of this, of him, how it likely made her feel bolder for being in this very bed with him in such a way.
But when his middle finger joined his first and her head canted back into the pillow beneath her head, he decided that neither of them cared very much about anything else. As it was he knew he would be ready at a moment's notice for her, but he still wasn't ready to rush her. Not when it was so rare that he got to see such a look of immense pleasure on a beautiful young woman's face directly because of him. Feeling her muscles like velvet around his fingers wasn't enough, seeing her reactions in addition to that made it immensely better.
Red's body gave a single sharp shudder when he pressed his thumb to that sensitive nub just above her opening, her eyes opening then and locking onto his. He was smiling again and she bucked her hips towards his teasing, growing desperate for more contact.
Rumpelstiltskin was careful to only bring her just to the edge of her release a total of three before backing off and slowing his hand's strokes down. It wasn't until she was panting his name and begging him to take her that he finally took his hand back and decided he would do just that.
Red groaned at the loss, but readied herself as best she could for what she knew would come next. She still had no intention of taking any of this back however, so as if to give him her silent confirmation, she slowly wrapped her long legs around him, wanting to feel his body completely pressed to her own. No more space, no more waiting, just their bodies entwined as she had been envisioning since she had found herself wishing to be his.
He thrust into her leisurely at first, letting her body adjust to him and reveling for a moment in feeling her tightening around him, surrounding him.
Again Red breathed his name, her short nails digging into his shoulders and her body raising up to meet his, already desperate to feel him buried to the hilt inside her.
On any other day Rumpelstiltskin may have smirked at her impatience, or perhaps even commented on it. But in truth he had been wishing for this himself since he had first felt her slender fingers taking in the texture of his skin in that washtub. Now he was ready for his own wait to come to an end and began to move.
"Gods, yes," Red groaned as his next thrust came harder, Rumpelstiltskin already beginning to speed their pace. She could feel a flush raise all over her and she knew she was nearing something, the very something which had nearly claimed her was his hand had been stroking her. It was almost as though she were chasing something and she wanted nothing more than to reach it and to feel that promised release.
He could see that instinct or perhaps the wolf in her was beginning to take over, helping her to eagerly meet his thrusts and that time he couldn't help but groan in reply as she tightened around him once more. Only then did he even slightly begin to slow his movements, wanting to be right there with her when she reached her edge.
Sure enough, no sooner than he reached his hand between them again did her eyes close again in all the sensations running through her. A second later he felt her body tensing and saw her back arching nearly as high as it could comfortably go before her orgasm claimed her and his own immediately following at feeling her coiling rapidly around him.
For a long moment they remained just like that, Rumpelstiltskin still atop her, still inside her, Red's legs having untangled themselves from around his waist, but her knees still all but resting by his ribs as they continued to regain their breath and composure.
Their bodies still warm and even still slightly trembling as they struggled to come back down from their orgasmic heights, Red's eyes opened again and what she saw only made her smile. She brought her hand up to his cheek and pushed some of his hair back to see the whole of his face again, not even wishing to pretend anyone else had given her this day.
A little stunned, Rumpelstiltskin didn't know what to say or even entirely what to do. It had been so long since a woman had given herself to him so completely, and still been smiling afterwards, that he let her gently pull him down into another kiss, this one softer than the last but somehow seeming even more impassioned despite its tenderness.
When their kiss ended a moment later and Red opened her eyes once more she found they were no longer in her bed, nor even her granny's cottage. Instead they seemed to be in a bedchamber she had never seen before. And it looked to be one so large it could only be inside of a castle. The bed, she realized, was also considerably larger than her own and she soon found golden sheets had replaced her blue and white bedding.
"You wished to come to my home," he reminded her as he slowly moved to her side.
It was his bedchamber, of course. "I did," she replied, turning to face him. Red smiled softly again as she snuggled close to him, enjoying the feel of him bringing the covers up over their still calming bodies.
"Are you still pleased with your wish?" He almost feared her answer as he was really not used to this sort of situation. She was a beautiful girl who he knew could have her choice of woodsmen or huntsmen, possibly even a few princes, and yet she had, even for a moment, chosen him. True she had seemed to enjoy their coupling, but now that the arousal had worn off, he wondered if her wish to remain with him had as well.
"You've proven yourself to be a man of your word. We're here, as you promised, and I'm still beside you just as I was that first day, and happily not for the same reason. Yes, Rumpelstiltskin, I am pleased with my wish."
Once again Rumpelstiltskin found himself at a loss for words. And again that surprised him, as he often wasn't met with such an issue. He guessed there was much about this girl that would continue to surprise him despite his many gifts and talents.
Just as Red had hoped, that day ended for them just as their first together had begun. With them, together, their nude forms lying pressed to one another's in a warm bed and entwined in each other's arms even as sleep began to claim them. Perhaps it was their shared darkness that had made her wish to remain with him, but she wouldn't question it.
Instead Red decided she had indeed been granted her wish; that she now knew what it would be like to have a being such as him as her own. And the idea of this being what it would continue to be like made her happier than few other thoughts ever had.
The End
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin becomes stuck in a trap left for the wolf and bound by magic. Red Riding Hood finds him, almost frozen to death. She brings him home and tends to him and in return he rewards her with anything she desires. She chooses to know what a being like him would be like as hers.
Rating: R for this chapter
Spoilers: 1x15
Word Count: 5,329
Pairing/Characters: Red/Rumpelstiltskin, Blue Fairy, mentions Granny and others
Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time is not owned by me, but by ABC. I’m simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.
A/N: One of my fills for the ouatkinkmeme. And the woodsman is an OC.
Chapter 1 Chapter 2
~~
Chapter 3, A Simple Desire:
Another day passed, and then a second. So far things had stayed much like that. It was becoming almost routine for both of them. Red would awake, finding herself smiling briefly at the sight of Rumpelstiltskin still beside her. Red guessed it was her disbelief more than anything being the reason for it. She couldn't be sure if she was losing her mind or if perhaps his powers were to blame for this, but she was somehow amused by this change. But then, she guessed, it did make sense. There were others in the forest who could hold their own against him, but few who would do all she had already done. The Blue Fairy had even told her as such.
"No one would come to his aid," she remembered her saying. But she had, and she smiled again at that fact. She would still be smiling as she carefully left the bed to go about making their breakfast. From there she would wake him and help him back to the table to continue to build his strength back up. Then after he would decide whether he wished to stay there or return to her bed, she would dress for her own day and set out on her patrol.
Red would return before dark, getting more used to seeing him when she would come home, and set about making their dinner. She supposed it was part of her already being used to caring for someone in that cottage, though the idea of getting used to it not being Granny was still surprising.
But what Red found to be even more surprising was when she would find herself looking forward to either sitting down with him for tea or dinner or even returning to his side in her bed.
Proving once more her friends' words of warning were becoming lost on her the more time she spent with him, on the second day Red even stopped by her parents' cottage to check up on Granny. Though in truth it was mostly to be sure none of them had plans to return to the cottage yet. She couldn't be sure how long it would be before Rumpelstiltskin could leave, or if he maybe even wanted to, but she knew she needed to know when she should be ready.
Red hated that she was relieved to hear her father tell her that Granny wouldn't be coming home for at least another week. She would never wish her granny ill even despite the differences she sometimes had with her, but she decided at least then she wouldn't have to worry quite so much as to any unexpected visits by them or having to hurry Rumpelstiltskin on his way. Particularly as she didn't wish to hurry him on his way anymore.
With the sky beginning to darken ever so slightly, Red bid farewell to her family and headed back to her granny's cottage, already looking forward to the Imp's smiling face greeting her when she returned. Not that she would dare breathe a word of that, of course.
"Ah, Little Red," he grinned as she walked back in.
She shook her head. She hated still being called that, though from him it was almost endearing. "You must be feeling better," she replied, noting the almost musical tone in his voice.
"Indeed, dearie. In fact," he told her as he jumped up from the seat at the table and with a mere wave of his right hand the fire beneath the stove whooshed to life.
Red jumped, surprised. "Your magic -"
"I can do more than that, my pet. Watch." He waved his left hand that time and each of the candles in the room were instantly lit and he laughed and applauded at his handiwork.
"How?" was all she could ask.
"The fairy's magic was never meant to last for more than a matter of days, surely only long enough for me to parish there in the snow. But alas I was saved by a beauty in red and the fairy's magic was allowed to wear off. Now it seems I am as well as can be."
Red knew she should be thrilled, jumping for joy even. But something was keeping her from doing either. She dared not let herself think why; knowing she already had her answer. She wasn't ready to say goodbye, to not see him still beside her in the morning light.
"I thank you for the kindness you have shown me, Pet, but I fear I must be on my way. When you wish for repayment of all you have done, you only need call my name," he stated as he moved away from the table and counter.
"Wait -" she told him, realizing he meant to vanish there before her eyes. "How can you be so sure the fairy's magic has worn off completely? How do you know you won't be falling for another one of her traps? The forest is riddled with them especially now since they all seem to think you were in fact the one in that trap."
The girl certainly had a point. This could have been a trick, but he felt fine. Better than fine in fact. And that was what was making her words sink in. Perhaps he really was doing too well too soon.
"Just, stay for one more night? Just to be sure?" she asked, hating that she couldn't keep the pleading completely from her voice.
"You... wish for me to stay?" he asked her, unable to recall the last time anyone, much less a beauty such as herself, had even implied they wished for him to stay with them.
Red nodded. "Please? I would just fear of waking tomorrow the same sight as I found that first day."
"In that case, for your peace of mind, I shall. And now I shall also wait for my meal to be brought to me," he grinned as he reclaimed his seat at the table.
Red laughed, quickly deciding this was a side of him she could get used to. Even if he was serious about expecting to still be waited on by her, it was still better than that frighteningly weakened version of him she had first seen. This was more like the Rumpelstiltskin she had expected to meet. Lively, giggling, playfully ordering her about. All that would be left would be for him to produce a contract or magic in his spinning wheel and all of the pieces would be in place.
Their night continued as the others had, only this time without Rumpelstiltskin requiring her help in getting around or even to her bed. And unlike the other nights before, Red found herself slipping her arm around him not solely to keep him warm, but because she knew she would miss feeling his slim body against her own, of feeling his heart beating beside hers, even falling asleep to the sound his light snoring.
In fact the idea of this being her last night with him kept her awake for hours longer than it should have. He had fallen asleep quickly, but she found herself still looking to the clothes she had given him, gently running her fingers through the ends of his surprisingly soft hair, and wishing to touch more of him but fearing she would wake him if she did.
She wished she could understand it. Even a week ago she rarely thought of him at all, his name being more of a cautionary tale while she was making her rounds patrolling in the forest. She would keep to her paths and speak only to her friends, knowing better than to even breathe the word "deal." She wondered if she had just been that overprotected. Or if it was because this had been the first time she had spent so much time alone with a man. But then Rumpelstiltskin was certainly unlike any ordinary man.
Red knew then she had her answer. He wasn't like any other man she would find in the forest, that much was clear, and his own curse was likely to blame for that. But she found herself clinging to him all the same, hoping he at least wouldn't choose to vanish from her side in the night.
Red could think of nothing to match the relief she felt when dawn came and she saw he hadn't seemed to have moved at all.
"I'm glad you took me up on my offer," she told him when they finished eating their breakfast that morning. "I appreciate you keeping me from having to show up at your castle and force my kind nature upon you there."
He smiled, unsure he had ever been met with that sort of a threat. "Well, dearie, as I said last night, I am willing to grant you anything you desire in repayment for the kindness you have shown me here. I felt it rude to leave without making that very deal."
"You said I could request anything?" she asked him, wondering if she would allow herself to voice what she truly did want most in that moment. The very thing that terrified her to even admit to herself that she wanted.
"Perhaps not anything. There are limitations even for me. Bringing anyone back from death, wishing for someone to love you, things of that nature cannot be done. However, if you wish for enough gold to fill this entire cottage, you only need to say the word. The same if you wish for your own castle complete with each of its chambers filled with as much gold as they can contain. Protection from wolves for as long as you live? Your granny's enduring good health? All could be granted."
Red thought for a moment. Most of that was more tempting than it should have been. But she looked to him again, realizing, and perhaps it was because of how he had spent most of his time there, but she was realizing he didn't seem as evil as Granny or even The Blue Fairy or Morrison had claimed. She knew he could have been cruel to her despite the earlier state he had been in, or he could have chosen then to threaten her with a heavy price for her desires. Instead he hadn't and in fact seemed grateful for all she had done for him even if she knew it hadn't truly been much.
Red thought again of how she had mostly enjoyed this time with him, save for when she had been out of her mind with worry first of him not surviving and then of her friends or family knowing he was there at all. But she thought back to the night before and how much of her had needed him to agree to stay, how comfortable she had become sharing both her home and bed with him. She knew then not only what she wanted, but that she would make herself tell him.
"A castle filled with gold in each of its chambers is quite the tempting offer," she admitted finally. "But I wouldn't wish for it for just myself."
"Of course, bring your granny along too! It would be a shame for me to not thank her as well, what with her not having been here so you could care for me without worry."
"I meant I wouldn't wish for my own castle. I would wish for yours," she told him, her eyes locked on his.
"It's not for sale, dearie," he smirked. "As I said, there are certain limitations."
She laughed at the musical tone returning to his voice. Would she ever get the words out properly? "What I mean to say is I wouldn't wish for my own castle, nor yours without you in it. I would wish to go to your castle with you when you leave here."
That had surprised him. Had she in fact not seen him as a burden? Was she really willing to forgo all her grandmother had surely told her of him? Perhaps this was what she had meant by there being a common understanding between monsters. Finding his voice, he asked, "You mean you wish to remain with me?"
Red smiled. "You aren't like the others described you. Or at least you haven't been to me. That is my wish, for this time with you to not end. My granny has my parents to care for her and you promised me anything I desire. What I desire is you... and to know what a man like you would be like as my own."
The idea of someone wishing simply for him, and calling him a man rather than a thing or beast, was so foreign to him. Rumpelstiltskin almost couldn't believe what she was saying. But as he had in fact promised her anything she wished, he replied, "You said yourself that you know there is a heavy price to be paid for my deals. In this case while you would not be my prisoner and would see your family again should you wish to, I cannot promise they would not cast you out. Your friends either, I'm afraid."
She nodded. "I know. But I was already risking that the moment I decided to help you and bring you here. Granny and the others could never understand this as it is, but it doesn't change that this is what I want. I knew it for sure last night when I thought it might be the last night I might so much as see you."
He smiled, still in a bit of disbelief, but happy. "In that case, we have a deal, my pet."
"Good," she smiled back. "And if this should be our last day here, I would ask that we could make it a memorable one."
"How memorable would you like for it to be?" He certainly had his hopes, but he couldn't be sure if what he was seeing in his mind at that moment were in fact her own fantasies or his foresight.
Red almost blushed. "The first day you were here we spent it unclothed in my bed with our bodies pressed together. I would wish for today to end the same way, though for a more celebratory reason."
He smiled, easily sensing what she meant. Perhaps it was both her fantasies and his foresight playing in his mind. Taking her hand, he told her, "Anything my lady wishes."
Red smiled as she stood, her hand still in his as she led him back to her bedroom. It was only then, standing beside her bed in front of him that it truly began to dawn on her what she had said, what she found she did in fact want. There would already be no turning back, not when she had just all but promised herself to him, and the thought made her smile as she went to kiss him for the first time.
Easily, Rumpelstiltskin found himself returning the tender, mere lip to lip exchange. He couldn't believe how she was holding him to her and he would be lying if he claimed he hadn't thought of this more times than even he could count over all the years he had seen her, even watched her in the forest. And now he had her, or soon would. He hadn't even needed to trick her for the privilege. For the first time he considered that a victory.
Red broke the kiss a moment later, and noticed the confusion darkening Rumpelstiltskin's features. "It's been too long since I've felt your skin against mine," she explained as she brought her fingers to his flowing shirt, thankful he wasn't wearing a vest this time. The shirt was gone in a moment and with a wave of his hand so was her corset.
"You only need tell me what you wish, my pet," he told her even as he watched her gaze and fingers move to his chest. She seemed fascinated by his skin even still, perhaps even fascinated by him and her touch was so soft he barely even felt it.
"I told you what I wish. For you," she told him when her eyes met his once more.
"Ah, but there's more. So much more you've yet to know. But soon you will. And as it's me you want, it is me you shall have."
Red smiled, sitting on the side of her bed then and bringing him gently down with her as she reclined back. Red held him closer still as she slanted her mouth against his, one hand losing itself in his long hair as her tongue ran along his lower lip. Kissing she had certainly done before, often too in secret. But that was just it, she had only kissed before. And with what most in the village would still consider a boy, just as they often still considered her a mere girl despite her eighteenth birthday having already passed. She had never kissed a man before, and certainly not one she could easily presume to know what he was doing. And while she had only heard stories of what this would lead to, she knew she wanted it. More importantly, she knew she wanted it from him.
This wasn't how she had imagined her first time when the thoughts had entered her mind, of course. But somehow that made it all the more exciting to her. Rumpelstiltskin was hardly some young male villager who could be considered a suitable match for her by her family or friends, and clearly there would be no small wedding held in the middle of the village, nor a small cottage for them to share afterwards.
Instead he was the only thing in the forest more feared than a wolf, her promise to be his was simply that and possibly even more binding than any wedding vow, and while this would always be the first bed they had shared, their home would soon be his castle. The thought made her smile.
"I'm glad this pleases you," Rumpelstiltskin told her as he slowly broke their kiss, having felt that very smile for himself.
Red's smile grew slightly before she told him, "The only thing that displeases me is that you still feel too far away."
He was nearly on top of her, but he guessed that was what she meant. "Indeed, dearie. But I won't be for long," he replied. There was much of him that didn't wish to go at all slowly, a part of him that wished for nothing more than to rip open the bodice of her dress, push up her skirts and claim her for his own as she clearly seemed to want him to do. But this time he refused. There would be plenty of time for that later. For all intents and purposes this may as well have been their wedding night, or as close to one as they would get for he knew the Queen would be aware of their union if they made it any more official than it was about to be.
With the deal they had just made, and even this consummation should anyone know of it, could still allow the Queen to be convinced he was keeping her prisoner, just keeping her as some sort of plaything or as his new favorite weapon. But should they wed there would be nothing to keep the Queen from potentially abducting her or having her killed just to hurt him. He knew she would do it, as she would do anything to remind him she was the all powerful one.
Still, today he would prove his care for the girl, to show her the kindness she had shown him over these days and give her all he knew no one else ever had.
Red soon felt her dress and skirts slipping from her, his magic clearly the culprit as it slid even from under her and to the edge of the bed. All the while she watched his amber eyes as he took that moment to admire her body as it slowly became exposed him. A slight blush rose on her cheeks then, for a moment feeling almost too exposed beneath his gaze. But when he looked back to her face, looking for all the world as though she was the greatest gift he had ever received, she only felt warm and calm. Many times she had been told she was beautiful, though hardly in a way a princess would be thought of being. But the look in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes began to make her feel almost like a queen. His queen.
"You can do more than look," she told him, wanting to feel his hands all over her just as she longed to touch his skin again.
That wish was simple enough to grant, he decided. And soon he did take to exploring her body with his hands, even as he bent down to capture her lips once more. It was almost enough to make him moan himself when he felt her arching into both his touch and kiss. But it was when he finally cupped a breast and gave it a gentle squeeze that Red moaned into his mouth and began to give him an idea of just how much more she really did want.
Placing a hand flat against his chest, Red felt it only fair that she get to explore a bit herself, the rough patches of his skin against her palm, feeling his heartbeat against her fingertips, her hand easing down further until it reached the top of his breeches.
Rumpelstiltskin finally moaned himself when her hand slipped lower still to feel him hard beneath her touch. It was then he broke their kiss again, this time to kiss along her jaw and her neck before reaching her collarbone.
Red couldn't be sure what exactly the name for all she was feeling was. She only knew that something was building within her, making her heart pound harder and leaving her wet in a way she couldn't remember ever having been before. And still she hoped it would never stop.
Moving both of her hands to his back, she held him closer and felt her hips twist against his almost of their own volition and she nearly gasped. Even through his breeches, that bit of friction had felt better than she had guessed it could. However in a second she was a little more surprised when she repeated that same motion beneath him and felt only skin despite still feeling both of his hands very definitely on her body. Magic. Of course. Just as he had done with her own clothes.
"It only seemed fair," he told her, answering her silent question when his eyes met hers once again.
"Some would say you don't deal in fair," she commented, her voice holding neither accusation nor judgment, only stating that simple fact.
"More than some don't deserve for me to," he countered. "But you, my dear, have proven yourself worthy."
"Because I wish to be yours?" she asked as she let one of her hands come up to the side of his face.
"Indeed. You wish for me how I am, not for how you wish me to be. You wish for a beast whose darkness rivals your very own, for someone you know will not fear you even when the moon is full. Your wish to be mine has ensured that is what you shall have."
"How did- ?" she asked, wondering how he could possibly know the secret only her family and Snow White knew.
Rumpelstiltskin only smiled. "I have my ways." He decided he could wait for a better time to tell her that he had known for certain since the day her granny had come to him for her famous red cloak. The very cloak they had since laid beneath together. "Now, where were we?"
Red sighed out when she felt his hand slip between her thighs and part them just a little more. He gently dragged his nails against the inside of one, causing her to sigh out again. But it was when his long fingers neared her sex that caused her eyes to finally close in anticipation.
Watching her face and taking quite an amount of pleasure at her subsequent moan as he slid one finger into her, Rumpelstiltskin found she was even more aroused than she had seemed to have let on. Because she was still so virginal? Perhaps. However he wouldn't be surprised if it was also in part because of the danger of this, of him, how it likely made her feel bolder for being in this very bed with him in such a way.
But when his middle finger joined his first and her head canted back into the pillow beneath her head, he decided that neither of them cared very much about anything else. As it was he knew he would be ready at a moment's notice for her, but he still wasn't ready to rush her. Not when it was so rare that he got to see such a look of immense pleasure on a beautiful young woman's face directly because of him. Feeling her muscles like velvet around his fingers wasn't enough, seeing her reactions in addition to that made it immensely better.
Red's body gave a single sharp shudder when he pressed his thumb to that sensitive nub just above her opening, her eyes opening then and locking onto his. He was smiling again and she bucked her hips towards his teasing, growing desperate for more contact.
Rumpelstiltskin was careful to only bring her just to the edge of her release a total of three before backing off and slowing his hand's strokes down. It wasn't until she was panting his name and begging him to take her that he finally took his hand back and decided he would do just that.
Red groaned at the loss, but readied herself as best she could for what she knew would come next. She still had no intention of taking any of this back however, so as if to give him her silent confirmation, she slowly wrapped her long legs around him, wanting to feel his body completely pressed to her own. No more space, no more waiting, just their bodies entwined as she had been envisioning since she had found herself wishing to be his.
He thrust into her leisurely at first, letting her body adjust to him and reveling for a moment in feeling her tightening around him, surrounding him.
Again Red breathed his name, her short nails digging into his shoulders and her body raising up to meet his, already desperate to feel him buried to the hilt inside her.
On any other day Rumpelstiltskin may have smirked at her impatience, or perhaps even commented on it. But in truth he had been wishing for this himself since he had first felt her slender fingers taking in the texture of his skin in that washtub. Now he was ready for his own wait to come to an end and began to move.
"Gods, yes," Red groaned as his next thrust came harder, Rumpelstiltskin already beginning to speed their pace. She could feel a flush raise all over her and she knew she was nearing something, the very something which had nearly claimed her was his hand had been stroking her. It was almost as though she were chasing something and she wanted nothing more than to reach it and to feel that promised release.
He could see that instinct or perhaps the wolf in her was beginning to take over, helping her to eagerly meet his thrusts and that time he couldn't help but groan in reply as she tightened around him once more. Only then did he even slightly begin to slow his movements, wanting to be right there with her when she reached her edge.
Sure enough, no sooner than he reached his hand between them again did her eyes close again in all the sensations running through her. A second later he felt her body tensing and saw her back arching nearly as high as it could comfortably go before her orgasm claimed her and his own immediately following at feeling her coiling rapidly around him.
For a long moment they remained just like that, Rumpelstiltskin still atop her, still inside her, Red's legs having untangled themselves from around his waist, but her knees still all but resting by his ribs as they continued to regain their breath and composure.
Their bodies still warm and even still slightly trembling as they struggled to come back down from their orgasmic heights, Red's eyes opened again and what she saw only made her smile. She brought her hand up to his cheek and pushed some of his hair back to see the whole of his face again, not even wishing to pretend anyone else had given her this day.
A little stunned, Rumpelstiltskin didn't know what to say or even entirely what to do. It had been so long since a woman had given herself to him so completely, and still been smiling afterwards, that he let her gently pull him down into another kiss, this one softer than the last but somehow seeming even more impassioned despite its tenderness.
When their kiss ended a moment later and Red opened her eyes once more she found they were no longer in her bed, nor even her granny's cottage. Instead they seemed to be in a bedchamber she had never seen before. And it looked to be one so large it could only be inside of a castle. The bed, she realized, was also considerably larger than her own and she soon found golden sheets had replaced her blue and white bedding.
"You wished to come to my home," he reminded her as he slowly moved to her side.
It was his bedchamber, of course. "I did," she replied, turning to face him. Red smiled softly again as she snuggled close to him, enjoying the feel of him bringing the covers up over their still calming bodies.
"Are you still pleased with your wish?" He almost feared her answer as he was really not used to this sort of situation. She was a beautiful girl who he knew could have her choice of woodsmen or huntsmen, possibly even a few princes, and yet she had, even for a moment, chosen him. True she had seemed to enjoy their coupling, but now that the arousal had worn off, he wondered if her wish to remain with him had as well.
"You've proven yourself to be a man of your word. We're here, as you promised, and I'm still beside you just as I was that first day, and happily not for the same reason. Yes, Rumpelstiltskin, I am pleased with my wish."
Once again Rumpelstiltskin found himself at a loss for words. And again that surprised him, as he often wasn't met with such an issue. He guessed there was much about this girl that would continue to surprise him despite his many gifts and talents.
Just as Red had hoped, that day ended for them just as their first together had begun. With them, together, their nude forms lying pressed to one another's in a warm bed and entwined in each other's arms even as sleep began to claim them. Perhaps it was their shared darkness that had made her wish to remain with him, but she wouldn't question it.
Instead Red decided she had indeed been granted her wish; that she now knew what it would be like to have a being such as him as her own. And the idea of this being what it would continue to be like made her happier than few other thoughts ever had.
The End