She turned her back towards the small bucket of water, attempting to see the reflection of her back.

She could see very little, but saw enough Red to realize her injuries from this week had not yet healed including the fresh wounds near her neck. The blood oozed down her back and dripped on floor. She had grown accustomed to the pain they wrought upon her but the loneliness stung more than any scourge they hit her with. Every night, they would come and say there enchantments in an attempt to cure her of his evil, then they would wip her back mercilessly a few times and leave.

It was nights like these, when the moon was out that she would think of him. Think of everything that had happened, and everything that should have happened. Her father`s reaction upon learning that his Belle was in love with Rumpelstiltskin.

She had felt there was no other choice but to tell her father. A mob had gathered after she had come back. A mob that intended to journey to the dark castle and slay the beast once and for all. She did it to save them. She knew that even the bravest of knights and the strongest of men were no chance for his magic.

So she told them to stop, because she loved him and they all had gasped in horror, her father had been visibly shaken my her statement.

"What wretched thing has the creature done to you?" he had said.

She had tried telling them about his kindness, the humanity still inside of him but they all had refused to listen to a word she said.

What happened next, broke her heart to remember. The way her father had slapped her, and publicly disowned her, her imprisonment in the tower, and the clerics..

There was very little illumination in the tower, a small candle in one corner of the room was all that was given to her. If it hadn't been for the full moon that radiated its light, through the balcony of the tower, it would have been completely dark.

She took pleasure in watching the moon, for in all the land, the moon connected all. It made her feel as if she were a part of it. She had always wanted to see the world, but it seemed that dream was never meant to work out.


The silence killed her more than anything. All her life, Belle had been a sociable creature, always making friends and always enjoying conversation. When she was lonely she would often find herself talking to nobody. When she felt brave enough, she would imagine that he was there, in the same room with her. She would yell and scream and say everything she felt she could say to him only to realize she was venting to the empty air.

"I wish I had someone to talk to" she said

"Perhaps you do" said a voice

Belle immediately searched the room, but in this light it was hard to make out whomever might be lurking in the shadows.

"Who- Who`s there? she said, her voice, trembling from exhaustion.

"Not who`s there, but what" said the voice

"What?" asked Belle " Where are you?"

"Up here"

Belle looked up, to find a large striped cat, seemingly floating, staring down towards her with a wide grin.

"I`ve gone mad!" said Belle

"Have you? Or have you rather... gone quite sane?" said the cat, " Tell me, divide a loaf by a knife: what's the answer to that?"

"I- um.. I don't understand the question" said Belle, " Who are you? Why are you here?- You cant possibly be real"

"I am real. As real as you are... As for my name, you may simply call me Cheshire" he said, grinning wider than any normal cat could possibly grin, " And I know who you are…"

"You do?" asked Belle.

"Yes, you are the woman who fell in love with the beast... Belle."

"H-H-How do you know my name and what are you doing here?" said Belle, nervous at the fact that this stranger already knew something so personal about her.

"I'm here for you, Belle" said Cheshire " I`m going to set you free"

"Set me free? That`s impossible" said Belle, " I'm locked in here. I'm locked here forever, finding the key would be….. "

"Who said anything about finding a key? he said, interrupting her, " I`m going to need you to jump down"

"Jump? Jump down where?"

"Jump down, from there" he said, motioning towards the balcony.

"But, I`ll die!"

"No you won`t" he said, moving towards the balcony, " Come, take a look"

Belle did as he said and walked over towards the balcony, as she looked down a loud gasp escaped her mouth. A large white bubble encompassed the base of the tower. It began to move its way up towards them and got larger and larger in the process.

"What`s happening?" said Belle

"That, is a portal. A portal, to my world!" he said, chuckling

"Your world? What world is that?

Before, she heard his answer, Belle felt a push behind her back, towards the edge of the tower. She tried to regain her balance but found herself falling towards the ground below her.


The white bubble surrounded her and all at once Belle felt herself falling down, down, down, for a what felt like a long time.

Belle finally landed on what looked like a rather large mushroom. It was soft and slippery which made Belle immediately slip down to the floor. The scenery around her was different. She was no longer staring at the dark walls of the tower. There was Green everywhere, the skies where Blue and filled with white clouds. " How peculiar" she thought.

Belle looked around with amazement at the land in front of her, when suddenly she heard what sounded like many small footsteps behind her, and noticed a large caterpillar staring down at her.

"Who, are you?" said the caterpillar

"My name is Belle!"

"Belle? What is a Belle?" said the caterpillar

"I'm a person! I was thrown off a tower and… Do you know where I am?" asked Belle, impatiently.

"Where are you? Don`t you already know where you are, silly girl?

"If I knew where I was.. I wouldn't be asking you!"

"Look around you.. You clearly are in Wonderland"


Coming soon... " The Queen of Hearts" followed by " The Hatter"

Read and Review please!