Author's Note: This is the first chapter of my story based in the Once Upon A Time universe. Obviously, I didn't create any of the characters except the story's main character, Eve. This is my first time publishing anything online, so any feedback would be really appreciated. I hope you enjoy the story - it's a long one!

"Five?!" The man bellowed. "Five bronze coins for a bag of wheat?!"

"I don't decide the prices, sir..." Eve began, but the drunken man proceeded to giggle.

"For five bronze coins, I could have my way with you for a full night!" The man yelled loudly enough for his group of equally drunken friends to hear.

"I'm not for sale, sir." Eve explained firmly, feeling her legs begin to tremble. "If you don't like the price of the wheat, then walk away."

Unfortunately, an unsettling grin spread across the brute's face and he leaned over the stall with his elbow propped on a stack of wheat bags. His grimy face was so close to Eve's that she could smell the ale on his breath.

"A little whore like you doesn't get to tell me what to do" He sneered, and raised his hand in the air in preparation to strike her.

Eve winced, shrinking back into herself as she waited for the blow.

"I would think twice about doing that, dearie"

Eve opened her eyes to find a cloaked man with a hidden face grasping at the drunken man's arm.

"I'm sure the wheat here is made of sheep dung anyways!" The man sneered, too drunk to get angry enough with this mysterious figure to start a fight.

The hooded man released his grip, and with Eve, they watched him stagger away to rejoin his friends as they entered the tavern across the alley.

"Thank you, sir" Eve spoke quietly as she waited for the hooded man to face her.

With a graceful spin, the man turned and Eve struggled to keep her composure. Beneath the hood, she saw glowing green eyes and shimmering golden skin. The smile was full of mischief and glee, but Eve was too captivated to feel any fear that he may have intended to inflict.

"No problem, dearie" The man spoke again, his voice high pitched and laced with an unidentifiable accent.

"Would you like a bag?" Eve offered, holding a bag out to him graciously. "Free of charge...It's the least I can do?"

The strange man tilted his head at the young woman, looking genuinely intrigued by the kindness in her eyes despite his appearance. She looked completely un-phased and her eyes were full of kindness.

"Very well" The man replied, gingerly taking the bag from her hands. "Many thanks."

"Have a nice evening, sir" Eve replied, giving him a genuine smile of appreciation.

Without another word, the man's face disappeared into the darkness of his cloak and Eve watched him walk away and out of sight.

Several more hours passed until Eve decided it was late enough to close her stall and return home with the money she had made. It took her a few moments to load up the bags she hadn't sold onto the wooden cart, and with a final glance at the nearby tavern, she started her journey. In truth, she hated the route she took home from the market place; especially at this time of night on her own but with the rest of her family working tirelessly on the farm, Eve had no choice. She was a couple of minutes away from the market place when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Oi, whore!"

Eve looked over her shoulder to find the same drunken man from earlier standing the entrance of the alleyway with at least three of his friends behind him. Instead of stopping, she gripped at the cart she was pulling behind her, and continued walking without acknowledging the drunks. Her heart began to pound in her ears.

"Hey, come back here! I want to buy some wheat!" The man jeered as the group of men began to follow closely behind her.

"We're closed for the day. We'll be open in the market place tomorrow." Eve replied evenly without looking back.

"Aww c'mon!" The man whined. "You can't make the customer wait a full night! It's not good business!"

The alley came to an end at a considerably large, empty crossroads and Eve noticed that the man's friends were blocking each path to the connecting alleys. Understanding the situation, Eve lowered the cart gently to the ground and turned to see the drunken man standing only several feet away.

"Neither is striking the seller, sir." Eve retorted, regretting the jeer immediately.

"You've got quite the mouth on you, whore. I like that" The man circled the wooden cart as Eve took a few steps back; acutely aware that all her escape routes were blocked by men with unsettling smirks on their faces.

"Please, sir. You really don't want to do this. Go back to your tavern for a drink...Don't ruin the evening for you and your friends" Eve pleaded with him as she felt the adrenaline rush through her...which only meant one thing for Eve in a situation like this.

The man chuckled and continued to close the distance between them. "Are you threatening me, whore?"

Rumplestilskin watched from the rooftop as the girl lowered the cart to the ground in the clearing below. There were men blocking each entrance to the connecting alleyways, and Rumple couldn't see how the girl was going to escape.

"...Don't ruin the evening for you and your friends." Rumple had to stifle a giggle – the girl was brave at least.

"Are you threatening me, whore?" The man chuckled in disbelief, closing the gap between him and the young woman.

"No, I'm simply warning you." The girl replied evenly, taking another step backwards; now standing directly beneath Rumple's spot on the rooftop.

"I don't know if you've noticed, whore, but you're con-considerably outnumbered" The man slurred slightly, gesturing to the men standing around them.

"I'm aware of that, Sir, and yet I'll warn you again. Don't ruin your night." The girl growled, glaring fiercely upwards.

The man began to chuckle once again, until his face suddenly dropped and he threw the girl up against the wall before anyone could think. Rumplestilskin was about to move, but stopped himself when he saw the man suddenly fly back into view. He skidded on his back along the pavement until hitting the wall. Unable to see what had happened, Rumple peered at the faces of the surrounding men; all of whom looked horrified.

"I told you!" The girl yelled as she walked back into view. "Now go! Please!"

The man staggered to his feet, and his eyes practically glowed with rage. "NO WHORE CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

And with that, the man charged for her but there was flash of golden light and he was thrown up against the wall, and Rumplestilskin couldn't muffle his giggle in time. Luckily, the shrill sound went unnoticed as the girl stalked towards the man as his feet dangled in the air with his friends disappeared through the alleyways in fear.

"Let's get one thing clear, shall we sir?" The girl hissed as she came to a stop in front of the man. "I am not a whore. You don't know me! But I know who you are. You're a drunken fool who deserves pain for your evil intentions!"

She raised her hand in the air and the man slumped to the ground.

"Now run far away, and make sure that I never see you in this area again!"

Without needing to be told twice, the man pulled himself to his feet and sprinted away. He stumbled on the cobblestones as he ran, but looking over his shoulder with a face full of fear; he continued running until he was out of sight.

Eve didn't bother stealing a few moments to feel smug and turned to pick up the wooden cart. But the sudden sound of high-pitched cackling startled her and in the blink of an eye, a figure appeared sitting on top of the stacked bags of wheat. It took her a moment to recognise the man from the market place without his cloak. The outfit he wore was a mixture of reds and blacks with flashes of pure gold throughout, and his exposed skin shimmered against brown, wavy locks of shoulder length hair.

"That was quite the show, dearie!" The man sung, and proceeded to giggle again.

"It's you." Eve murmured, looking up at him as he shuddered with laughter that was gradually fading.

"I'm surprised you let him live. I certainly wouldn't have!" He announced giddily.

"I'm not sure I could have...Even if I wanted to" Eve replied earnestly, gazing into his glowing eyes for a brief moment before looking down at her feet.

"That's not true! From the looks of it, you could have easily turned him to dust!"

"It doesn't really work like that." Eve explained solemnly, "I don't have much control over my magic."

"Well that can easily be fixed, dearie!" The man replied cheerfully as he leaped off the cart and landed to the ground with a bow.

"Rumplestilskin is the name!"

"Oh!" Eve proclaimed, her eyes widening a fraction. "The Dark One!"

"That's right!" He replied with a grin, expecting her to cower in fear – only to watch the girl curtsey before him.

"My name is Eve" She introduced herself with a small smile.

Rumple frowned, tilting his head. "You don't seem very afraid, dearie."

"Should I be?" Eve asked earnestly, and a giggle erupted from Rumple's lips.

"I haven't decided yet!" He replied excitedly, waving his hands in the air with a flourish.

"Well if you'll forgive me, Rumplestilskin, sir; I have to return to my farm. My family are probably wondering where I've disappeared to..." Eve stepped towards the cart, but Rumple blocked her path.

"Slow down dearie! I wanted to make you an offer!" Rumplestilskin announced with song.

"An offer?" Eve asked doubtfully with a cautious smile.

"I, Rumplestilskin, will agree to teach you magic!" He replied with glee.

"You'll teach me magic?!" Eve's eyes widened, but her demeanour dimmed after a thought. "But...But I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer you in return, Sir. I don't have anything to give you."

Rumplestilskin grabbed his chin and thought for a moment. "Not a problem, my dear! Consider this an investment in your future!"

"An investment in my future...?" Eve frowned slightly.

"Indeed!" He replied with a giggle. "I've never seen someone wield magic as naturally as you, dear Eve! Your future could be a bright one...With the proper guidance of course!"

Eve considered the offer for a couple of moments, remembering the rumours she had heard about dealings with the Dark One. She hadn't heard of a story where things hadn't gone terribly wrong.

"You have a reputation, Rumplestilskin" Eve began with a shaky breath.

She watched him raise an eyebrow as he smiled at her, waiting for her to continue.

"The deals you do...They usually don't end well..." She finished, glancing up at him nervously.

"While that may be true; I can tell you two things." Rumple replied with a grin, holding up his hand in front of her. "One; most people I do business with are never cautious enough...They're not the sharpest tools in the workshop. And two; this isn't a deal! Like I said, this is an investment. I get nothing in return!"

Eve's eyes fell on the cart of wheat she had yet to return home with. "I don't see the harm in agreeing to your offer, Rumplestilskin...And that's why I must graciously refuse."

The creature giggled, taking Eve by surprise. "You're wise young lady, Eve! More wise than most people I've ever met – and I've only know you for less than an hour."

"Thank you, Sir. I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way but you see, my family doesn't know about my...abilities, and I don't know if I want to risk exposing them to it. I've heard the saying; magic comes with a price."

"It does indeed, Eve. Your family must be worried by now, you best be on your way, yes?" He stepped to the side to let Eve pass.

With a smile, Eve picked up her cart and began to walk away until Rumple called out to her.

"One little tip before you leave!"

"Yes, Sir?" Eve asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Magic may come with a price! But it seems to me like you're a different situation altogether. It's purely natural for you, meaning you've never had to pay for it in the first place. There's very few that have existed in this realm that have had that gift. A gift that is not even possessed by the Dark One!" Rumple spoke clearly, waving his hands towards his chest. "Which is why I will let you have a chance to take my offer, should you ever decide to change your mind?"

Eve's face spread out into a smile at the sight of the creature's pure glee. "I'm very glad to have had the pleasure of meeting you, Rumplestilskin. Have a good evening."

And with that, the girl walked away; leaving the Dark One staring after her with a glimmer of hope in his eye. She was a curious creature indeed.