A/N: Happy Red Beauty Week! This is being posted for the first day of Red Beauty Week, Enchanted Forest, but I will continue to post chapters throughout Red Beauty Week and afterwards. Everything in the show prior to the curse being cast is canon in this story, but the events of the graphic novels are not.

Belle POV:

As I wake up, I take in the familiar sight of my dungeon prison. I had lost track of how many days I had spent staring at the blank stone wall of the Queen's castle, longing for my freedom. Luckily, I was able to occupy my days with reading the books that the Queen's huntsman brought to me in secret. Books had always been my refuge, my escape from the mundane days of my life. I longed for the adventure and heroics, to go out into the world and make my own destiny.

I had a taste of it during my time in the Dark One's castle. I went with him to protect my kingdom from an ogre attack. During my time of servitude, I began to see his heart. I tried to use the power of true love to free him from his curse, but he became angry and threw me in a dungeon to stop me. He threw me out of his castle and I left, hoping that one day we would reunite and I would be able to drive the darkness from him. It was on my way back that I was captured by The Evil Queen, locked in this dungeon to be used as leverage against the Dark One while the Queen prepared to cast her curse, the one that would change life as we knew it.

I didn't know much about this curse, but from the little I overheard, the curse would take us to another world and strip us of our memories. When I thought about the curse I shuddered, haunted by visions of being locked up in a bare room similar to this one, only with no memories and nobody to talk to. It sounded terrible and yet I knew the curse was inevitable.

The opening of the door interrupts my train of thought. It is merely the huntsman, who brings in my breakfast. However, something is different about him. He looks the same but he is smiling, a small smile, but still a smile nonetheless. In all my time here, I had never seen him smile.

"Good morning," I greet him, taking the loaf of bread, "Is there good news?"

The huntsman placed his hand over the spot where his heart would be and replied, "The Queen has given me back my heart and has set me free."

I am beyond thrilled for him, but my shock is greater. That didn't sound like the Queen I knew. She was on the verge of casting her curse, why would she change her mind so suddenly? I couldn't come up with a reason, though I knew there had to be one. "That's excellent news," I say sincerely.

Before he has a chance to respond, a curt voice says, "Huntsman, you are needed downstairs." The Evil Queen steps into the room, stunningly beautiful yet terrifying. The Huntsman runs out on instinct and I am left alone with my captor.

We size each other up for a moment before she speaks, "As you have already heard, I will be releasing you and the huntsman."

I gape at her in disbelief, "Why now? What's your angle? What about your curse?"

She shuts me up with a glare. "Let's just say I've had a change of heart. I have made a deal with Snow White, I have agreed to permanent exile and to live out my remaining years with my father." She pauses, "I'm sorry Belle for what I did to you. I know that an apology isn't enough, but it's all that I can give you."

I stare at her, waiting for her to change back to the Evil Queen, to reveal that this is all a trick, but it never comes. There's no way that I can forgive her so quickly, yet she seems to understand. I look forward to feeling the fresh wind on my face and hearing the sounds of the woods, and most of all, a sight besides these four bare walls. "When can I leave?"

"I'm sending you to live with Snow and her husband this afternoon."

"And what if I don't want to go there?" I interrupt her before she can finish. I was planning to continue my quest to find Rumplestiltskin, not sent to another castle to live out my sentence.

She glares at me, and for a moment I'm afraid that I have made her angry again. Instead she explains, "I'm sending you there to protect you."

"From what?"

"The curse," the Queen answers.

"I don't understand," I say, "You said that you weren't going to cast the curse."

"I'm not, but the Dark One will be very upset that I'm not casting his curse like he wants."

I know I look stupid with my mouth hanging open, but I don't understand what she is saying. She had to be lying. Rumplestiltskin wasn't perfect. He had a temper and didn't always do the right thing, but he wouldn't want to ruin so many lives with such a terrible curse. "Do you know the cost of the curse?" The Queen interrupts my thoughts. I shake my head. "The heart of the thing you love most."

"You're lying," I retorted immediately.

"Sweetie, he's called the Dark One for a reason," Regina said sweetly. I was too angry to take her tone as anything but condescending. "He's a desperate man and his love of power will always be greater than his love for you."

I shake my head. She's wrong. She can't be right. "You're wrong," I declare, "And I'm not going."

"You're going," replied Regina, "Or you will stay my prisoner."

I slump down on the bed. I want to go look for Rumple, but I suppose anything is better than being a prisoner of the Queen. "Fine, I'll go."

That's how I find myself standing at the entrance of the castle several hours later. The castle seems warm and inviting, much like the one I grew up in. Queen Snow is standing next to me, trying to talk to me, but I tune her out. All I can think about is what The Evil Queen told me this morning. She was probably lying, but I couldn't shake the small doubt in the back of my mind that she was telling the truth. The only way to know for sure was to find Rumple and confirm the truth myself.

"Belle," says Snow and I realize that she had been trying to get my attention for the past minute.

"Sorry," I reply, "I didn't mean to be rude."

Snow smiles at me, "You're not being rude. I know you don't want to be here-"

"It's not that," I interrupt her. I pause as I try to figure out how to explain how I'm feeling. "It's just that, I should be out looking for someone."

"True love?" Snow asks excitedly. I had heard stories from the Huntsman about Snow's journey and how she and her prince found each other. I nod, hoping she would understand how I felt.

"His name is Rumplestiltskin," I tell her. Her pale white face turned a shade of green in horror. "I know he's the Dark One, but he has the potential to be a good man."

Snow nods, not at all convinced. She places her hand over her bump, which was starting to grow smaller now that she had given birth to her daughter a few days earlier. "I understand if you want to go, but we'd love it if you would stay for a while. Even for a few days. We have a really good tracker in our castle. When you're ready, she can help you find him."

I debate it for a few moments before I respond, "I suppose I could stay for a couple of days." Snow seems very kind and I am not one to turn down a kind person's hospitality. Besides, a tracker would come in handy once I restarted my quest.

Snow grins and pulls me into a hug. I can't help but smile back, "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"It's no problem at all." A cricket hops over and tells Snow that there is business to attend to. She gives me directions to find my room and I set off into the castle.

I reach a darkened hallway, illuminated only by the light of the windows. I couldn't find the doorway to my bedchambers and I hadn't seen anyone wandering around the castle that I could ask for help. I hear footsteps behind me and a female voice asks, "Are you lost?"

I whip around to find a woman, as far as I could tell from her figure, standing in the shadows. "I can't see you," I say to her, "Step into the light."

"Sorry," she says and steps into the light cast by the nearest window. I find myself face to face with a strikingly beautiful woman with gorgeous hazel eyes. She is adorned with a bright red cloak with a hood pulled over her head. She's looking at me very intensely, yet I'm not afraid to meet her gaze. She smiles at me and I already feel at ease in her presence.

Both of us lock eyes for a few moments before I clear my throat and speak, "I'm Belle."

"Everyone calls me Red," says the woman and I wonder what her real name is, though the nickname suits her. Her face scrunches up as she tries to recall something, "You're the Queen's prisoner, the one who's staying with us."

I nod, "Just for a few days." Her face falls slightly, and I feel a little guilty, "Maybe longer. I don't know. Do you know where my room is?"

Red gestures down the hall, "It's down here. Let me show you." She walks past me and I follow her. We walk in silence for a few moments, before Red turns to me. "I hope you like it here Belle."

"I'm sure I will." I want to say more, but I'm too tired to start a conversation. I simply ask, "Will you show me around the castle tomorrow?"

Red stops in front of one of the doors and smiles at me, "I'd love to." She pauses before saying, "Here you are. If you need anything, I live across the hall."

"Thank you," I say, "Goodnight Red."

I hear her say good night in response as I open the door. The room is small but cozy. Paintings adorn the walls, though the room is sparsely furnished: a bed, a dresser, a table, two chairs, and a bathtub. I flop onto the bed and jump under the covers. I don't bother to change as my eyes close and sleep overtakes me.

Red POV:

I got the feeling that today would be different when I woke up. My wolf felt a little restless, which was unusual because it was nowhere near wolf's time. I ignored the feelings of anticipation in my stomach as I joined my grandmother, my best friend, her husband, and their newborn Emma for breakfast. Emma was screaming and crying a lot this morning, but I barely noticed. Snow and David looked happier than they had in days. I heard about the Queen's surrender and I was happy for them. They had spent the last several months worrying about the curse, and a massive weight had been lifted off of their shoulders, all of our shoulders.

Snow mentioned that the Queen had been adamant about one of her prisoners coming to live with us. "Why?" I ask curiously from my side of the table.

"She's worried about the curse being cast by someone else," Snow explained, "Apparently this girl might be the key to someone else casting the curse."

"And we're letting her stay here," Granny cut in, "She might put us all in danger."

"Our promise to protect her is part of the deal of Regina's surrender, I don't understand it, but it sounds like a reasonable request."

I silently agree with Snow. I didn't understand the Queen's change of heart, but there must be a reason why she entrusted this girl to us. "What time is she arriving?"

"This evening," David said, "Will you help her get settled?" I nod and that was the end of the discussion on that topic. As soon as breakfast was over, I went into the woods to my favorite spot by the side of the river. I liked to come here in my free time and relax, clear my head, think about my problems, whatever I needed to do.

The day went on normally, the only difference was the restlessness of my wolf. When the sun fell, Snow went outside to greet the girl as I helped Granny clean the kitchen. As I scrubbed my plate, a scent reached my nostrils. A pleasant combination of books, tea, and flowers, it was the sweetest scent I had ever smelled and my wolf was fighting to break free. I didn't realize that I had dropped the plate until it shattered on the ground.

Granny glared at me and started to reprimand me, but I couldn't focus on her. I walked out of the room as Granny was midsentence and used my nose to follow the scent. I followed it to a dark hallway, illuminated only by the light from the moonlight through the windows. There stands a woman, whose face I cannot see. She seems to be lost.

I call out to her and she turns around. She's incredibly short, has brown hair and blue eyes, and is the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. My wolf seemed to agree as she was fighting to be unleashed. To claim this woman, to turn her terrifies me, as I had long ago gotten the wolf under control.

She asks me to step into the light, and I feel foolish. I could easily see her in the shadows, but humans don't have the same vision. I apologize and step into the light. She looks me over in wonder and I stare back at her, restraining the wolf.

She introduces herself and I realize that she speaks with an adorable, yet unidentifiable accent. I tell her my nickname as I realize that this must be the girl that Snow spoke about, the one that the Queen wanted us to look after. I confirm this and she nods, explaining that she was only going to stay for a few days. A wave of sadness washes over me. I've only known this girl for a minute and I already knew that I was going to miss her when she left.

She notices my sadness and tells me that she might stay longer than a few days. It's enough to make me feel better. She asks me where her room is and I offer to lead her there. As we walk, I try to think of something to say. I'm normally not this shy, but Belle seems to have a strange effect on me. I force myself to say something to her and I settle on, "I hope you like it here."

My heart is fluttering in my chest as she responds. She asks me to show her around tomorrow and I grin with excitement. After I show her to her room, tell her where to find me if she needs me, and I say good night, I try to steady my heartbeat and calm my wolf down.

I remember that I left Granny in the kitchen and run back to her. My speed gets me back to the kitchen in seconds. She is about to yell at me some more, when she notices the look on my face. "How are you feeling?"

"Weird," I say, "The girl arrived and she's beautiful Granny. My heart is pounding and I've been fighting with the wolf."

Granny doesn't look surprised, "You know what this means Red?" I shake my head and she explains, "The wolf has claimed this girl as your mate."

I feel light-headed and I head to the table to sit down. Granny had briefly explained to me about mates and what it meant some time ago. I ignored most of what she said, as I didn't feel that I would be able to find someone else after Peter. The only thing I remembered Granny telling me was that wolves didn't eat their own mates, and I was devastated by that revelation.

Granny sat down next to me and I spent the rest of the evening asking her dozens of questions. We talked through most of the evening about Belle, mates, and everything else. She went to sleep in the middle of the night, but I went to my special spot in the woods. I was too excited and too anxious to sleep, but I relaxed on the riverbank as I thought about Belle, excited about seeing her again tomorrow.