Again, his eyes widened at the sight of her, brows furrowed in both confusion and awed contemplation. How? How could this woman, this pure, strong heroine that stood before him, that he wished to hold in his arms for the rest of his days, ever forgiven him for what he had done? He was the beast that raged at her, that shook her and even, Gods, pushed her to the ground of a desolate dungeon. He was the one that lied to her face, that pushed her, abandoned her to face the terrors of the world alone. And from the moment he'd done so, the moment that she left his castle with that steely gaze and straightened back, the imp had waited. Waited for just one chance to apologize, to beg her forgiveness, even if she would never have wished to see him again. Even if he knew that all she would ever know him as was a monster.
Yet...she simply shook her head, and-- The mention of 'woman' immediately narrowed his eyes. Regina. His fingers curled around her hand, the tighter grip almost possessive as his gaze stared ahead. A long time... Four years. Could it have...? His thoughts bubbled vehemently, each one darker than the last. For once, an appetite, curious and demanding, awoke inside of him, a desperate craving to know each and every detail of what had happened to Belle. To know how much of the Queen's story was true...
A respite came the moment she mentioned lodgings. "Yes," he replied, almost curtly, though not for want of anything she might have said or done. "Yes, they have." All of which he'd dispelled to a...'pocket.' At least, how it was termed in magic. Yet, even with his brewings and dealings with the woman who had lied to him, a spark remained for the mysterious "Council," as they referred to themselves, that had arrived the moment he appeared before the outskirts of this town. The Dark One, despite his frustration, recalled almost giggling in perverse amusement at their reference to his inhumanity, their 'request' for a sample of his own blood.
Draconian, even for a small town like this. Mayhaps he was in the territory of an eccentric, but tyrannical Lord. That would certainly put a spice in things...