My entry for the first round of the Rumbelle Showdown 2015.
Prompts: Eerie noises, Like and love, Day
As this is my most popular story on other sites, feel free to prompt me, if you'd like to read more of this. I hadn't really planned to expand on it when I wrote it, but if you give me an idea, I'm willing to try :)
When he had been young, loving had been as easy as breathing.
Rumpelstiltskin had loved his sheep dog, the yarn he managed to make all on his own, the air after the rain, his spinster aunts and most of all his mostly absent father.
When his father had abandoned him, something in him had clenched violently and when his aunts had died life had lost some of its vibrancy, but Rumpelstiltskin had wanted to be better than his father and refused to give up.
He had loved his craft, the stories of brave deeds and great heroes the bards told, the name he started to make for himself and Milah with her easy determinedness.
When his life had come down around him and left him with a ruined ankle and the realization that he was just as much of a coward as the father from whose shadow he had meant to escape, all the things Rumpelstiltskin had treasured in his heart had turned to dust. He had not been the man he had imagined himself to be, his wife had looked at him with disgust and all he had worked so hard for had been worth nothing in the face of his cowardice.
Loving, risking one's heart to be broken once again, took courage and Rumpelstiltskin was not a brave man, so he had long ago decided never to let anyone in his heart again – anyone but Bae.
The moment he had first held him in his arms, he had been lost and no matter the harsh lessons life had thought him, he couldn't help but love his son with all his might. Bae was a wonder and Rumpelstiltskin knew that he was far too good for the likes of him just as surely as he knew that he would do anything for him. If protecting his boy meant his heart being broken again he would gladly let it be crushed, if it meant dying he wouldn't hesitate - and if it meant following the ear-splitting screeches that came from beyond the path he would do it as well. For Bae.
Rumpelstiltskin swallowed hard, before he let go of his cart and stepped off the path. Maybe Bae hadn't even gone there – probably even, he was a smart lad after all and wouldn't knowingly put himself in danger. It was very likely, that his son had simply followed the path further when he had run off to chase the butterfly, but 'likely' just wasn't enough.
With the war ever present and the age limit dropping by the day, Rumpelstiltskin just hadn't had the heart to stop his son, when he had spotted the crimson insect on their way home from the market in the next village. There were just so few moments of carefreeness left and Rumpelstiltskin had been so sure that nothing could happen to him on the street, but then the awful noise had picked up and he knew that he should have known better.
The ground next to the path plunged down sharply and Rumpelstiltskin tried to pretend that he only clenched his hands so tightly around his staff, because he needed the support on the uneven terrain. It was plain daylight and a braver man probably wouldn't have thought twice about the noise, but he was no other man – for him it was a sound straight from the darkest hours of the night. Still, he was the only one Bae had, so he walked on.
When he finally reached even ground the sight that greeted him made him hesitate. Bae wasn't there – and the realization made him feel weightless with relief– but in front of him was a … creature, its claws digging into the stone it was chained to. His first instinct was to stumble back the way he had come as fast as his legs would carry him. Bae wasn't here, and there was no reason to endanger himself, but when he truly looked at it he couldn't.
The creature was a woman, covered in glittering golden scales that reflected the daylight, and he had never seen something so beautiful since he first held his son in his arms.
Rumpelstiltskin simply stared at her for a long moment, before she started attacking the stone with her claws again and the ear-splitting sound woke him from his stupor.
He truly deserved the disdain people treated him with. Here he found a woman, strange looking, yes, but surely too small to hurt anybody and what did he do? He didn't even try to help her, but gawked like a simpleton.
"What… what happened?" His voice was barely a whisper, but she seemed to hear him anyway as she met his gaze.
It wasn't just her golden skin. Her eyes were the clearest blue he had ever seen and even beneath her scales she was breathtakingly beautiful. What truly captured him however, wasn't her obvious beauty, but the look in her eyes. He knew that one, the old tabby that had used to sleep in their barn had looked like that. Always guarded, but his scars had told a story of pain, and even though it had haughtily refused any attempt at care they had tried to give it at first, Bae had never given up on it and finally the cat had snuck into his bed at night, not quite able to keep up its haughtiness, no matter how scared it was.
"The townspeople took me for a Lamia." Her voice was rich, but cool when she finally answered him. "They die, when left for the sun." She only scoffed, but Rumpelstiltskin felt his heart clench. No wonder she seemed so cold. Seeing as she was still alive, she clearly wasn't a creature of the night and she shouldn't be treated thusly just because of her looks. For once determined he looked at her again: "I think I know how to help you, I'll be right back!"
She looked startled and Rumpelstiltskin knew the feeling. If he hadn't had his Bae, he would surely be no less surprised at any sort of kindness.
As fast as his traitorous leg could carry him he walked back to his cart. There, right where he had left it, was the tunic he had taken with him to mend, when he had no customers. It was still only half finished, but carefully stuck into the fabric was what he had looked for: a needle. When he hurried back with the tool in his hand she looked at him confusedly, but he didn't hesitate.
He had always been deft with his hands and his father had taken the time to teach him how to pick locks– in case he lost a key. Back then he had even believed it. Still, when he kneeled down and grasped the shackle around her wrist, he was for once glad for his father's deviousness. He wasn't exactly good at it anymore, but he still knew the way of it and with a few experimental twists he had opened the lock.
The moment it opened she was surrounded by a cloud of blue mist and when it cleared her chains had vanished.
"It was a lucky catch for them. I would have escaped rather sooner than later, but they found a fairy to ward the chains from magic and it was rather irksome. Thank you." She looked at him expectantly, but Rumpelstiltskin couldn't speak. Magic only ever brought trouble, and she was clearly some sort of sorceress. Still, he couldn't regret saving her: No one deserved to be treated like that.
When the silence stretched on, she finally continued. "I am Belle, the Dark one, and you have found yourself in the position to be owed a favour by me."
The Dark One! Rumpelstiltskin had heard of her of course, knew her to be a dealmaker and dark sorceress. Still, he reasoned, as he forced himself not to flee, she could have hurt him already and didn't, so maybe the tales of her were just that: tales.
His heart raced as he suddenly realised the possibility at hand: "Bae – my boy, he will be drafted soon. If you safe him, I'll -I'll do anything for you!"
"That's it?" She looked at him strangely. "You want a deal in exchange for your favour?" She sounded honestly puzzled and even though Rumpelstiltskin realised that he might have let an opportunity pass, he nodded viciously. As long as Bae was safe, he didn't care.
Belle smiled. It was a brittle thing and far too cold for his liking, but it was a start. "I'm in need of a caretaker for my estate and you could bring an assistant." She held out her dainty hand to him and he couldn't grasp it fast enough.
In that moment, as he was choked by gladness, a thought came to him: He might only ever love Bae again, but for saving his boy, he would forever like Belle more than everyone else.