A/N: Hi there, thank you for taking the time to read my little tale. I totally re-vamped this fic, corrected as many mistakes as I could, and used the American punctuation right from chapter 1.
For those who don't know me, I'm not a native speaker: I'm French, thus mistakes you shall find. Plus this story was not beta-ed, so I apologize in advance for the mistakes or odd phrasings.
Apart from this, please bear in mind that I tried to give a 'fairy tale spirit' to this story. It is meant to look naïve at first sight. But I do hope you will find it more... profound. I worked very hard on the imagery and nothing was left to chance, hence all the footnotes. You will find fantasy, romance, angst and more mature themes later in the chapters.
Finally, I hope you will enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. One or two more chapters are on the way, so please bear with me. Thank you for reading, favoriting, following and reviewing it.
And now, let the Heartless Orfhlaith's tale begin.
Chapter 1
The sunniest day of October
October was slowly turning the land of Elanoriah1 into a palette of fawn and red. The trees gave up their summer leaves, the air let go of its warmth. Animals of all kinds started to look for a place to spend the winter, flowers withered away under the benevolent eye of the nymphs. And as the sun slowly chased the night away, coloring the sky with a pink veil, a princess was born. The land seemed to understand, for as soon as she released her first cry, the forest awoke: the fairies burst out of their dens, the birds sang more beautifully than ever, and the fairy god-mothers of all the realm headed to the Royal Castle. Yes, the land knew. They all knew that this princess, the daughter of Snow-White and Prince Charming, was going to change their lives forever, and that their world would never be the same.
At the edge of the Enchanted Forest stood the Castle of Eurwen2. Because of the whiteness of its stone, it seemed to be shining at all times, whether under the silver beams of the moon or the incandescent rays of the sun. Its towers were high in the sky, reaching for the clouds, and sometimes it seemed like they did. A great lake surrounded the royal dwelling, and its waters glowed with the rising sun and reflected the welcoming sky of this new day. The left wing of the castle was filled with the cries of the Queen and the moans of the nervous King. Everybody was up, excited to meet the long-awaited baby.
Soon, the courtyard was taken over by a huge crowd: peasants, stallholders, millers, soldiers, all the people woke up with the sun hoping to see the product of True Love. For the Queen and the King of this realm were known as the luckiest lovers in the universe. Their love was bound to transcend the centuries, they had gone through all the obstacles fate had put on their way. True Love had hit them and had brought peace to the kingdom. As long as they would love each other, their world would never crumble. And a princess born from this kind of love was bound to be a gift, both for the parents and the realm.
When the light of the sun invaded the whole land with its brightness, the doors of the main balcony flew open and the King took a step forward to the cornice, the little princess crying in his arms. A clamor raised in the morning air, all the rabble was jubilant. Jiminy, the councellor of the King and Queen, spoke loudly into his horn:
"Hail to the Princess Emma Elea of Elanoriah !"
The crowd immediately repeated the line in unison, and the name of the new-born echoed in all the kingdom, blending with the singing of the nightingales and the screams of the west winds. In this moment, just like the meaning of her name, Emma was universal.
Inside the royal bedroom, the doctors took care of the Queen, exhausted but smiling. The King came back to her side and put the baby in her arms.
"Did they like the name we chose?" Snow-White asked staring at her beloved daughter.
"Of course they did, my love, she's already cherished by all our people," the King replied in a smile.
Snow-White smiled back at him, rocking the baby in her arms and singing her to sleep.
« A leanbh mo chléibh go n-eirí do chodhladh leat
Séan is sonas gach oíche do chóir
Tá mise le do thaobh ag guídhe ort na mbeannacht
Seothín a leanbh is codail go foill. »3
"Close your eyes, sweetheart," she whispered as Emma's eyelids fell heavily.
The little girl's breath was even and calm. Her skin was soft and pink, and golden hair was already covering her head. After all they had gone through, here they were, surrounded by the love of their people and finally forming a family. The end of the tale was written, their happy ending had come. Charming sat by her wife's side and put his hand on hers.
"I couldn't be any happier," he said to her.
"Nothing could ever darken this day, my love," Snow White replied as she held her baby girl tight.
But if this were to be the end of the tale, I would not bother tell it.
All of a sudden, a purple whirl of smoke appeared in front of them. Snow heard the doors lock up, and Charming reached for his sword. The smoke vanished and revealed a strange creature.
"Who are you, imp?" Charming thundered as he unsheathed his weapon.
"Now, this is not a civil way to welcome the savior of your kingdom, dearie," the imp answered with a disapproving shake of the head.
Charming took a step closer to him. "Who. Are. You?" he asked, danger in his voice.
The imp sighed and bowed ceremoniously. "Rumpelstiltskin, at your service my King," he replied with a grin.
Snow's eyes widened at the sound of his name. She held her baby closer, knowing all too well what this creature was here for. "You won't have our baby, we never made a deal with you!" she threatened.
"I see my reputation precedes me," Rumpelstiltskin laughed. "Dearie, I'm not here for your baby. Well, not that literally at least. I'm here to help you save your lovely kingdom."
The King chuckled. "Our kingdom is just fine, imp."
Rolling his eyes at the King's obvious lack of vocabulary, the imp's lips parted in a knowing smirk. "Indeed it is. For now."
"What do you mean 'for now'?" Snow inquired, frowning.
"The birth of your beloved daughter is truly a blessing for you my Queen, but I'm afraid it won't bring peace to this land. On the contrary."
"Just quit the allusions and cut to the chase," The King mumbled.
Rumpelstiltskin gazed at him, and then at his wife. Silence filled the room as the three of them observed each other, nervously waiting for a more than unexpected announce. Suddenly, the imp turned his back on them and walked towards the window.
"There is a prophecy," he started. "On the most sunny day of October, a baby will come to this world. But by her twenty fourth birthday, her heart will be stolen from her, bringing chaos to the kingdom of Elanoriah and all the land we know." He turned his back again, and looked at the royal couple. "Your sweet daughter will be the death of us all dearies."
"What are you talking about? This is insane!" screamed the Queen.
"Why would we believe you?" questioned the King. "As you said, your reputation precedes you, and all you care about is your own interest. So even if this were true, why would you help us? And how on earth would you be the only one to know about it?"
"Not the King of deduction I see," Rumplestiltskin deadpanned. "Well, first of all, if all the land ends up being destroyed, I'm afraid it is my business. And secondly, helping you means making a deal with you, and I am really interested in the most magical of all True Love couples owing good old me."
"So that's what this is," Snow-White added. "One of your manipulations."
"Indeed, my Queen. But you'd better take my warning seriously." He turned his look to the King, defiance on his brow4. "I may be a manipulative imp, but I happen to know things... And the future does not look too good for your baby. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Snow-White hastily inquired.
A smile curled Rumpelstiltskin's mouth. Finally.
They were his.
"Oh, now you believe me dearie ?"
"If what you say is true," Charming added, "this is not only the sake of our land that is in danger, but also our daughter's sake. What can we do to avoid this fate?"
"You only have to give it a literal answer my dears. The most logical thing to do: her heart must be removed from her chest."
A shiver of terror shook the parents.
"You mean..." Charming said as calmly as possible, "you mean that we have to rip her heart out...?"
"You're more perceptive than I thought you were, my King," answered Rumpelstiltskin.
"But... The heart is then controlled by the person who ripped it off, isn't it? That's why you want us to do that."
The imp placed a hand on his chest. "Oh, dearie, you're hurting my feelings. I wouldn't do this, ever."
"Still, you're the only one able to do it," noted Snow-White.
"I am."
"But this doesn't make any sense. You want to put her heart somewhere else... but it'd be easier to steal it out of her than in her."
"Not if you hide it well. Somewhere no one knows about. Be creative and it'll be safe."
The King's eyes roamed his face, looking for some trick. He sighed when he understood that this disgusting creature was telling the truth. "What do you want in return?"
"Nothing. Just a favor. From her," he said as he pointed the baby with his greasy finger.
Snow-White and Charming looked at each other, confused and scared. It was too risky. If they accepted, their daughter would be at his mercy. But if they did not... Her heart would be stolen, she would probably die, they would all die in a complete chaos. They could not allow this. They were in charge of this realm, their people trusted them. Too many things were at stake. They had to trust the Dark One. They had to make a deal with Darkness itself.
"Is it going to hurt her?" Snow-White asked with a trembling voice.
"She's a baby, she won't feel anything. I'm pretty good at this. If I don't want it to hurt, then it doesn't. You have my word."
The lovers looked at each other once again. They did not need to talk. They thought the same. They felt the same. They were both afraid, afraid for their baby, afraid for their kingdom, afraid for all they had managed to build. They knew how powerful fate was. Only Rumpelstiltskin could help them thwart its plans.
"So, do we have a deal?" inquired Rumpelstiltskin, rolling out a parchment and holding out a quill to them.
"You rip her heart out and then what?" Snow-White cautiously asked.
"Then, you will keep it wherever you'd like. It'll be yours to hide. What happens after this morning is none of my business. You sign, I rip the heart off, and I disappear. Deal?"
The royal couple took a deep breath. Charming took the quill first. "Deal," he sighed.
He signed at the bottom of the parchment, his heart pounding with every scratch of the quill. Then Snow did the same, restraining the shivers that coursed through her body.
"Well well well," Rumpelstiltskin beamed. "This might be my best deal yet. Now let's see this little heart of hers." He made the parchment disappear with a flick of the wrist and approached the bed on which the Queen lied, holding on to Emma. Rumpelstiltskin looked at Snow-White. "The baby, if you please."
The young Queen started to panic. What if they were making the wrong choice? They were condemning their own daughter to grow up without a heart. Without emotions. She would not know what love is until her twenty-fourth birthday. She would not know the adolescent joy of falling in love for the first time, the butterflies in the stomach, the magic of the first kiss. She would not know how much her parents love her. They would raise a heartless princess, who would not even care for them. They would love a child unable to love, a ghost. But... did they really have a choice?
Reluctantly, the Queen gave her child to the Dark One. She felt the hand of her husband resting on her shoulder. Its warmth calmed her a little bit, she closed her eyes. They were doing the right thing. They were protecting their baby.
Rumpelstiltskin took Emma in his arms, rocking her softly. Snow-White and Charming were very surprised by his tender behavior. The infamous sorcerer was holding their little girl with caution, and his eyes were shining with an emotion they had never seen. He raised his right hand above her chest. Charming's hand tightened Snow-White's while the other weighed heavily on her shoulder. Suddenly, the Dark One's hand dived into the baby's body, and Snow-White let a cry escape from her mouth. A second later, their daughter's heart was in the palm of his hand, pounding fastly. It was the smallest heart Rumpelstiltskin had ever held, smaller than a plum. It was also the most shining heart of all: so much light, so much life in this tiny thing!
The Dark One gave Emma back to her mother. He shook his left hand and a glass box appeared in it. He put the heart in the box with delicacy, and gave it to Charming.
"You own her heart. Be careful with it. Don't let anybody get it. The consequences could be... tragic."
And as he stressed this last word, a purple smoke envelopped him, and the next second, he was gone, leaving the lovers to their demons.
"Do you think we made the right choice?" Snow-White asked, looking down at her daughter.
"I honestly don't know, Snow,", her husband replied. "But... We did our best. We hadn't much of a choice."
"She will grow up heartless, cold and... I wouldn't wish this to my worst enemy and now..."
"Stop beating yourself up my love," he said as he lied by her side. "We will give her love no matter what. And when she's twenty four, she'll get it back, and it'll be all right. She's our daughter. She'll make it through."
Snow smiled. Emma would make it. She had seen how glowing her heart was. This was a sign. Their daughter was bound to live a great life, full of good things. Ironically though, this sunny day had seen the birth of the longest-awaited princess. But the light would not shine on this heart of hers.
Not before her twenty-fourth birthday.
1Elanoriah: A word I invented. It's composed of Elanor, which means "star-sun" in Sindarin (language invented by JRR Tolkien) and Iah which means "moon" in Egyptian
2 Eurwen: comes from the Welsh aur "gold" and gwen "white, fair, blessed".
3Seoithín, Seo Hó, Irish lullaby. watch?v=lVUrdjWNNMY
« Child of my heart, sleep calmly
And well all night and be happy
I'm by your side praying for blessings on you,
Hush-a-bye, baby and sleep for now. »
4Lord Macaulay's words, part of his description of the Byronic hero.