Price To Pay (Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold x Reader)

Chapter 4

i realized that rumplestiltskin had a lot of fans but not so many who would read a xreader fanfic about him thanks for reading guys 

You were sitting on the back of a carriage, your legs crossed and your hands folded in your lap. The boy sat next to you, his arm over the back of your seat. You were trying to lean forward to avoid his touch, for it made you feel uncomfortable. But he continued to finger the tips of your hair, and touch the back of your dress.

"Cornelius," you snapped as he pulled you towards him. 

"Come on, Flower," he cooed. "We're supposed to be married." 

You shuddered under his touch and stood up in the little carriage. He stayed seated, staring up at you with his hazel eyes. "I need some fresh air. I'll meet you at the castle." 

You opened the carriage door and jumped into the air, then shot upwards towards the treetops. It wasn't that you disliked him, or even the attention he gave you at some times - you just didn't love him. Not anymore. Not like you'd used to...

A rumbling stomach woke you up. You lifted your body from the bed and rolled your shoulders, then stretched. The sun was filtering through the curtains, keeping the room darker that you would have expected. But, when had the curtains closed? You couldn't recall closing them, and you thought that they were opened when you fell asleep. However, you shrugged the thought away and got out of bed. 

You wandered into the kitchen and looked around. A clock on the wall displayed the time 10:52. 

A sharp pain growled in your stomach again. You picked up the wad of cash that you'd left on the counter, then smoothed your clothes out. You realized that it was all you had. 

Today's to-do list: get clothes. 

You headed down the steps and out of the apartment building. The skies were clear, but there was a large group of clouds out on the horizon. You flicked your wrist, and the clouds began to drift towards Storybrooke, slowly but surely. 

"Excuse me." 

Your hand fell to your side as quickly as you could bring it there. The woman with short, black hair from yesterday was walking towards you. She stopped in front of you. 

"What're you doing here?"

"I just got an apartment." 

"Let me guess - from Mr. Gold?" 

You nodded and cocked your head. "Why?" 

"Hmph." She crossed her arms. "Are you sure you really want to associate yourself with him?" 

"I don't know," you replied, though every time that someone said something negative about him you only liked him more. His mysterious disposition was another reason that you wanted to get to know him better. 

"I'd be careful around a man like him if I were you." 

She eyed you for a moment, then turned and began walking back the way she'd come. 

"Wait!" 

You jogged after her and put your hand on her shoulder. When you felt her tense up underneath your grip, you drew your hand away. She whirled around. 

"I, um... Who are you?" 

She lifted her chin. "Mayor Mills." 

You dipped your head in respect. A mayor in this world was like a princess or queen in your world, right? She narrowed her eyes, then walked away. You remembered people in authority to be more friendly... 

You put your hands in your pockets. Suddenly, you were reminded of something. Your necklace, the coronation gift - where was it? You searched your neck and pockets, but couldn't find it. Maybe it was in the forest. 

Abandoning the idea of food and clothing, you began your run back to the woods. You wove in between buildings at a steady jog, then made a break for the treelike when it came into view. That necklace was your backup plan - in case this endeavor didn't work, you'd be able to return with that piece of jewelry. And if your venture did work, you'd be able to sell it for a large sum of money. 

You skidded to a halt at the place you'd landed. A large dark-brown area where you'd fallen was still evident. You began shuffling the dirt around with your foot, but soon became too desperate and dropped to your knees. 

Your fingers hit a sharp object in the ground, and you pulled it out. The necklace erupted from the ground, covered in dirt but still shimmering in the sunlight. You brushed some of the dirt off and examined it. The chain was fairly long, shining despite the dirt in it. The charm was a big ring, engraved with "Let Me Be Your Wings". 

You looped it over your neck and stood up. As you did so, a drop of water hit your nose. Looking up, the clouds had floated to a position directly overhead. A few more drops landed and hit your forehead. 

You began heading back into town. Everything was happening too fast - and yet, you still had none of the essentials. Food, clothing, apartment basics, plus you'd need a job soon. The idea made your head spin. Who, if anyone, would hire someone with no experience or formal education whatsoever? You hugged your arms tighter against yourself and continued back to Storybrooke. 

❧

The rain had begun to pour, pounding down on you as you hurried back into town. You entered at the edge of where all the buildings started. Deciding it was too far to walk to your apartment, you turned into the nearest store and tried the door. Locked. You tried the next one. Again, locked. You crossed the street and tried another door. It swung open, and a little bell rang above your head. You stumbled in, shivering. 

"Of course I had to make it rain on the same day I went into the forest." You looked down at your drenched clothes, dripping wet. "How stupid." 

You looked up and took in the shop. It was dark, but a light was on somewhere behind the front counter. As you made your way towards the front, you examined the items that adorned the shelves. 

"Looking for something, dearie?" a voice behind you asked. 

You spun around to see Mr. Gold walked up the isle towards you. 

"N-no, er, I guess, maybe... A place to stay until the rain eases a bit?" 

He stared at you blankly, as if he was trying to decide. He never wiped that look off of his face, though - thoughtful, with a hint of malice. 

You cleared your throat. "If not, that's perfectly fine. I'll just get back to my apartment." 

"No, no - of course you can stay." He looked you up and down. "You're soaking wet. Would you like some dry clothes?" 

You looked down at yourself, then nodded sheepishly. "Yes, please." 

In a matter of minutes, he'd given you a stack of clothes and directed you to a room in which you could change. Now, as you stood pulling the shirt over your head, it was just the right size. After that, you pulled on the pair of pants - comfortable sweats in a nice grey color. They fit perfectly, too. How did he know? You ignored it as a lucky guess. 

You stepped out of the room and nearly bumped into Mr. Gold, whose hand was raised as if he was about to knock. Weird - you thought you'd changed pretty quickly... So then why would he have already arrived to check on you? You took a step backwards and smiled at him. 

"Thank you, Mr. Gold." 

"Anytime, dearie." 

You cocked your head. "Dearie?" 

His smirk faltered for a moment, then jumped back onto his face. "Just something I say, I suppose." 

His words sunk into your mind. So far, he had shown you something you hadn't felt in a while - care. The last time someone had truly cared for you was when Cornelius had proposed, but even that emotion was short-lived - at least on his end. Now maybe you would be able to start over. You fingered the necklace around your neck, which had been washed clean of the dirt by the rain, and considered how much you could actually get for the piece of fine jewelry.