Striking Deals
Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet
When: After having a very rough day...
Disclaimer: I definitely do not own Once Upon a Time. As is made obvious by the fact I'm writing FAN fiction.
A/N Belle makes a deal with Regina.
Please review and let me know your thoughts on this little fic! Also, if you're reading The Lobotomy, don't worry, I'll be updating soon, I promise!
Enjoy~
The Queen's stiletto heels announced her arrival long before Belle actually saw her enter the cell.
They made a loud clicking noise against the cold tile of the hospital, and each click echoed down the hall like thunder.
Belle was sitting next to the window, trying to feel the heat of the sun through the thick glass.
The sun was one of the things she missed most about being free.
She hadn't felt the sun on her skin in so long she had forgotten what it felt like.
Belle had forgotten the warmth that the light made.
She had grown used to the Queen's sporadic visits to her cell in this new land. They almost always happened at the same time every week. The Queen had a very strict routine.
The Queen always brought a rose. She never came in to speak to Belle.
Those had become facts of Belle's life.
So, when the queen entered her cell that day, the life she had grown used to over the past twenty-eight years came crashing down.
Regina had locked the door behind her on her way in, as if making sure Belle couldn't attempt escape.
She walked to a small chair on the opposite side of the room, her needle edged shoes clicking the whole way.
Belle bit her lip to keep from yelling. The sound of Regina's heels was like the sound of nails on chalkboard.
She remembered the sound from before.
When she had been locked in the other cell, the Queen had visited her much more often. They had often made deep conversation while Belle was tortured.
It had been Regina's favorite pastime.
The Queen sat in the chair elegantly, a red rose clutched loosely in her hands.
Belle glowered at her.
"It's been such a long time since we've talked," She said, her voice nonchalant," I figured it was about time we caught up."
Belle turned her back on the Queen and continued to stare out the window.
When Belle's silence continued, Regina tried again," I brought you another gift, dear. I know how fond you are of roses."
Belle closed her eyes, trying to remain calm, but the image of Rumpelstiltskin's face as he gave her the first rose kept flashing in her mind.
The first rose could never be recreated, no matter what the Queen did.
Finally, Belle spoke," What do you want, your highness?"
Regina smirked at Belle," I need your help."
Belle laughed. It sounded harsh in the empty room.
"Why would I help you?"
The idea sounded ridiculous to Belle. How ignorant could the Queen really be?
Regina had tortured and interrogated Belle for information on Rumpelstiltskin many times, but Belle had never told her the things she knew.
Not once.
Not when Regina had created mirages, not when Regina had threatened to kill her family, not when Regina had ripped all of her fingernails off...
Nothing was going to change that now. There was nothing else Regina could do to her. There was nothing else Regina could offer her.
Nothing.
"Freedom, perhaps?" The Queen replied, her lips twitching into a fake smile.
Belle froze.
Her hands began to tremble. She had never been offered that before.
"Wh-what would I have to do?" Belle asked, clasping her shaking hands behind her back. What would it feel like to feel the warmth of the sun? To see the people she loved?
To live again?
"Nothing too horrendous, I assure you," Regina explained," I just need you to retrieve something for me."
"What?" Belle's voice was barely a whisper.
Regina paused, as if thinking of a way to word her request," I need you to steal Rumpelstiltskin's dagger."
The Dagger. Belle felt her blood turn to ice in her veins. Rumpelstiltskin had told her the truth about his powers-about the dagger only once, when a wrathful magician had attempted to steal it from him.
Rumpelstiltskin had been utterly terrified. The dagger was the only thing that could kill him. It also controlled his power. Whoever owned the dagger owned him.
"Why can't you retrieve it yourself?" Belle asked, incredulous," I don't understand. You created this terrible place just so you could have everything you want!"
"There are some things even I cannot control," Regina snapped," Rumpelstiltskin is a loose canon- a liability. I cannot risk allowing him to roam free any longer. You are the only one who he would trust enough to divulge the location to."
"You said he hated me, remember?" Belle pointed out, anger swelling inside her chest. Years of restraining herself in her prison was finally taking its toll on her. She wanted nothing more than to be free to say what she wanted.
"You said he never came for me because he didn't love me."
"Rumpelstiltskin is a fickle being," the Queen hissed," He has only one weakness and it is you."
Belle remained quiet, thinking. The idea of betraying him was not one she liked to entertain. She had loved him. She did love him.
But, he had left her to the Queen.
"Do we have a deal or not?" Regina demanded.
...
Belle turned to gaze out the window once more...
"Deal."
A/N This was not good. At all.. . I'm sorry guys, I really wanted it to be better written, I might re-write it when I have time.
Please review? If you know what I mean.