A/N This is indeed intended to be a multi-chapter story. Reviews get you more chapters :D Please and thank you, dearies.

Belle was the most curious creature he had encountered.

Ever.

So it shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did when he discovered her nestled in the windowsill of his tower, using his old and forgotten telescope to stare into the sky.

"Whatever are you doing here, dearie?" he asked dryly, reaching for the antique spyglass.

"Stargazing." The vexing woman replied, holding her treasure away from him. "I thought that much was obvious."

"Clearly." He answered sarcastically. "Perhaps not what, then, but why?"

Belle shuffled in her seat, turning to face him. "When I was little," she told him. "My father would have me look through his telescope in the castle. He would point out the stars and planets that his father had shown him and tell me their stories."

She had smiled sadly at the memory before returning her gaze to the sky. "He didn't know many, and didn't take much time to tell me the few he knew. I only heard one or two stories from him. All the others I know I learned from books."

That was all she said on the matter before she returned her gaze to the sky. Feeling that his presence was invasive, Rum found it best to take his leave from the tower. Belle told him her memories often enough, but this one reflected something of more significance than the dull days of her princess-hood.

Gods, he was such a sap. It had been a while since he had taught anyone, though, and the girl was undeniably curious.

Pitiful excuses, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

The first night he took her out, he appeared before her with a traveling cloak and warm gloves, holding them awkwardly in his hands. Swiftly he had placed the cloak around her shoulders and handed her the gloves before whisking her out the front gates and into the wilderness, his captive sputtering with confusion all the while.

Together they walked up the slope of the mountain. Belle's unexpected captor (oh, the irony, he thought to himself with a chuckle) would glance behind him now and then to keep an eye on his wandering companion.

It took him a few moments of careful inspection to identify the right spot. He then motioned for her to sit, his hands fluttering in the cool night air like frantic birds. She watched him suspiciously as she sat, eyeing the sly grin etching its way across his face. After a moment he sat down beside her and squinted into the darkness of the night sky.

Belle stared at him incredulously. "What in the world are we doing?"

He ignored her, his dark eyes searching the cosmos. "Ah, there it is." He broke the silence, cautiously leaning back on his elbows to point the pattern out to her. "That, dearie, is Aquila."

She blinked, confused, before turning her face to follow his gaze.

"Aquila, my dear, was the eagle Zeus, the king of gods, used to perform all his dirty work." The imp giggled, glancing at his companion. "Well, most of it, anyway."

"Aquila was famous for the kidnapping of Ganymede, the man who became Zeus's—" He burst into a fit of giggles again before continuing. "Zeus's cup-bearer. Zeus also used the wee birdy to punish Prometheus after he gave fire to the human world. Aquila was the beastie that tore out Prometheus's liver every day for betraying his master."

"I thought that was a group of vultures." Belle interrupted, leaning up on her elbow to look at the magician. He glared down at her. "A misguided assumption, dearie. All those books you read don't have these stories down quite—accurately. Now, who's telling the story?"

"Anyway," He continued. "Aquila was quite the fierce creature, all feathers and glory," he giggled. "Until that upstart, Hercules—"

"An upstart?" She stared innocently as he clamped his mouth shut, glowering at her. She mimicked locking her mouth shut with a key, eyes twinkling with laughter as he rolled his eyes at her.

"Yes, an upstart. Brutish fellow, really. Outstandingly strong, but I'm not sure all the lights were on upstairs, if you know what I mean, dearie. Now, stop interrupting, or there will be no story." He glared at her for a moment, though the lilt of his voice told her that he wasn't that upset with her.

"So yes, that upstart killed Aquila after rescuing Prometheus his imprisonment on the mountainside. Zeus honored the eagle by placing him in the sky amongst the stars." He finished dryly, returning his gaze to the starry sky.

They sat in silence for a moment, staring into the twinkling sky, tracing the eagle's flight across the universe.

"Thank you." Belle said after a moment, offering him a small smile. Rum managed a crooked grin back at her, making her laugh as she rose from the cold ground. He rose to join her and they began the walk back to the castle.

"It would seem as though I owe you a story." Belle smirked as they walked into the foyer, removing Rumple's traveling cloak from her shoulders. "A deal is a deal, dearie." He agreed, gazing at her suspiciously. "I'm not keen on being cheated, not even by my servants."

She laughed again before handing him the gloves he had given her. "We never made a deal, Rum." She teased, turning to go. "But you will get your story, soon enough." With a final smile she left him alone in the hall, eager to return to the warmth of her bed upstairs.

He stood and stared after her for a moment, a near invisible smile painting its way onto his face. He magicked the cloak and gloves away and walked deeper into the castle, wondering exactly what kind of mess he had gotten himself into this time.