Rumbelle AU. Hope you like. Inspired by the song Castle Street by Lewis Watson.
Castle Street
They'd met when she had gone to visit the Army in training. He'd stuck out like a saw thumb. He was different, not physically strong like the other men but strong in his own way.
The moment their eyes had met, they knew there was something between them. He'd known a man such as he never had a chance with a beautiful princess like her, he had nothing to offer her, nothing that would warrant her even giving him a second glance. However it had seemed fate had had other thoughts.
That very night, the two found each other under the bridge on Castle Street. He'd found himself unable to sleep, she having invaded his world while she had to escape, feeling as though she was suffocating. Not wanting to be in the world that she was born, wishing that her mother wasn't ill or that she was the only sibling left to rule the land.
He'd tried his best to leave but she'd asked him to stay, asked him to just sit with her so that she wasn't alone. They'd sat until the sun came up, she spoke and he listened to her soft voice, trying to memorise every last word.
When they'd parted they'd assumed that they would never meet again, but both had sworn that they'd remember this for the rest of their lives. A week later fate once again brought them together again under the bridge. It was then that began their tradition of meeting under the bridge on Castle Street.
Eventually they grew to have feelings for each other, ones that they had to burry keep down, both were too afraid to admit the truth as they could barely admit it to themselves. Soon he was called to the front.
Both knew that there was a high chance that he would not come back or that now at the height of the Ogre wars that something would happen to the princess. They'd sat in silence watching as the sun rise over the fields in front of them. They found that there was a fresh patch of concrete, they used a loan stick to write their names in the still drying matter, symbolising their love for one another, forever under the bridge.
She never knew if he made it through the war but he knew what happened to her, that her father died, that she'd been the only one left on the throne, he went off on a different path and became dark, much darker than either had ever imagined. Both were sure though, that they would never see each other again, fate however once again had other ideas.
…C\_'/….
She was the youngest queen of her time, her mother had died when she was little and her father had never re-married meaning that she was the only heir of the Avonlea . Unfortunately for her, her father had died in the middle of the second Ogre wars, it had been a long and bloody fight until the end but the marchlands were still there for her to rule.
Many thought her naïve, too much of a girl to be any sort of ruler, nothing like a king. Over the years of her reign however she had gained quite a reputation, for being strong willed, stubborn and at some times barbaric. This had come from the many folk tales of men and women that went to ask for her help but she always refused, it also came from the fact that she had made the army stronger and larger by putting her once fiancé in charge of the army. Sir Gaston may have been far too superficial for her to love him in anyway but he was a formidable fighter and good leader.
People always spoke of how her looks were so deceiving, her long chest nut curls, shocking blue eyes, very pretty face, slim figure, it all made her seem so sweet, so kind, nothing how she was actually perceived once she opened her mouth. She never gave up and always found something worth fighting for.
Many men had come to suit her, Gaston included, but alas she always refused, vowing that Avonlea was her first priority and didn't have time for things like marriage, especially to someone she could never love.
Shutting herself away was something else she was often known for, she didn't hold balls very often and only met with her council once a week to discuss the most important issues and public appearances were just as rare, for months at a time you'd be lucky if the castle gates ever opened at all.
In truth she was the opposite that they all thought she was, she was just a lonely women who had lost her parents at young ages and so didn't know how to be the women she had to now be, how to rule, she didn't even know what love was. She read and read, just hoping that one day she would find a book with all the answers, all the solutions, a book that would show her a happily ever after.
Meanwhile he lived on the other side of the snow covered mountains, in a large home that he liked to call the Dark Castle.
Everyone was afraid of him, he was the villain in most bedtime stories, the man that took babies in exchange for whatever people desired. Seen as a monster who would happily turn you into a snail and step on it, a monster who could rip out your heart and crush it in the palm of his hand before your very eyes. A monster who was ruthless and barbaric, a monster who lived forever.
He had many many names, most just called him a beast and he'd been told this so many times that now, this was all that he believed and he knew, he would be alone for however long he shall live.
In truth he was a lonely man with a broken heart, who had been tricked into becoming what he was, a man that could magic up anything he wanted apart from the thing he truly desired in the world. He spun to forget, but he never truly forgot the ache and pain of his broken, misguided past.
She was Queen Belle of Avonlea.
He was Rumpelstiltskin, the Dark one.
…C\_'/….
The Queen sat in her private library, full of almost all the books from all the realms. Her father had bought many of the books and put them in this very library and presented it to Belle's mother as a wedding present and of course mother had passed her love of reading into her daughter.
It was a large room with two bay windows that were framed with thick white curtains which were never closed, this meant that natural light always poured into the room, even at night the light came from the moon. The walls were painted a light cream, blue flowers were hand panted on every inch while there was a golden trim around the edges of the walls.
Belle had concluded many years ago that this was her favourite room in the whole castle and it was the only room she'd ever found solace in, memories often filled her mind of sitting by the fire with her mother on a cold winters night as the older women, regaled her of stories of princesses who defied the odds and defeated dragons and other beasts before finding their real and very true love.
She wanted to harness that bravery for right now, when she needed it. Since being queen, she'd only every thought of herself as a coward, because she shied away, because she asked her council for help, because she only ever did good deeds in the middle of the night, hidden by her cloak so no one knew it was her.
During the nights she would visit the poorest people of Avonlea and the worse hit areas by the ogre wars. She would leave them baskets of food, blankets, clean clothing, books, sometimes even money, but she always wore a dark purple cloak to keep her identity hidden.
There came a knock at the door, Belle closed the book in her lap before speaking "Enter" she said as she got up off of the chair she sat in by the fire.
The two large double doors opened and her ever faithful, once governess now housekeeper Mrs Potts walked in. "A man and a women are here to see you your majesty" she informed the queen who she'd known since she was a toddler.
"Did they give you their names?" Belle asked as she flattened out the navy blue dress she wore that had become wrinkled when she'd sat down.
"No they didn't but they said they wanted to speak to you on an urgent matter" Mrs Potts explained.
"Of course" Belle nodded at the older women "Bring them to the throne room, I shall be there shortly" she informed her before Mrs Potts left with a slight nod of her head.
Once alone, Belle took a deep breath to calm her nerves, she didn't like it when people told her it was an urgent matter and she did not like it more when the people refused to give names.
After a couple of moments Belle walked into the throne room, the two people already stood waiting for her arrival, she looked at her guests for a moment, it was a man and a women just like Mrs Potts had said. The man was tall, slim, sandy colourer short hair, a sword at his side, wearing a lot of brown leather, the women was at his side, long black hair and wore white leather with a bow and arrow across her back.
Belle recognised the two people from 'wanted' posters she had been sent two weeks ago from King George and Queen Regina "Snow White and Prince James isn't it?" She asked them with a gracious bob of her head.
"UH….." Snow stuttered before looking at her true love with concern. Charming put a comforting arm on her shoulder before stepping slightly in front of her.
"We come asking for refuge and your support" Charming told Belle, his blue eyes looking into hers. Both he and Snow had heard the stories of Queen Belle, who kept herself hidden and if you asked for her help, she never answered, they were worried she would send them away or worse, hand them over to the people who wanted them.
They noticed however Belle's eyes softened when she looked at them, she noticed how they stood so close, how they looked at one another, it was true love and she couldn't ruin that. "Of course" she told them with a small smile.
"Avonlea is as much your home as mine, you may stay in the castle for as long as you wish and we will assist you in your fight for justice" Belle informed them, her heart was beating so fast in her chest she thought she was going to die, this was the chance to be brave and have bravery follow.
"Really?" Snow asked the women in front of her.
"Yes" The Queen assured her before continuing. "And please send word to any of your friends or followers, this castle is as much there refuge as it is yours"
"You are very generous your majesty" Charming complemented her, relief filling his veins.
Belle shrugged her shoulders "I'm sure it is nothing that you would not do for me if I was in the same position" she told them "and please call me Belle" she added.
"Of course Belle" Snow smiled at the other women.
The double doors opened once more and Mrs Potts walked in again "I am sorry to interrupt ma'am but the council are here to meet" she informed her.
"ah yes, Mrs Potts in the meantime can you make sure a room is made up for Snow White and Prince James and make sure someone gives them a tour of the castle, they will be staying for the foreseeable future"
"Of course, if you'll come with me we can start the tour" the older women spoke to Charming and Snow, who quickly followed her, leaving Belle to attend the meeting.
…C\_'/….
"They cannot stay here" one of the council men shrieked upon hearing Belle's decision to help Snow and Charming "Think of Avonlea , Queen Regina is more powerful than any army we send to defeat her, she'll turn our lands and people to shreds"
"I am thinking of Avonlea , We need a reliable and strong alliance with James and Snow if they do regain their realm" Belle stood, her palms flat on the table, showing that she wasn't going to back down. "Sir Gaston, do you believe that our army has a chance?" she asked the man who sat diagonal to her.
"With three months of training, without a doubt your majesty" Gaston nodded to her.
"Then it is settled, we will join forces and fight with Snow and James" Belle declared "But, we must keep this quite, we can't let the Queen know our intentions" she continued "You are dismissed" she watched all the sexist pigs leave before slumping down in her chair and resting her head in her hands.
She knew that council member had been right, the army, no matter how well trained or equipped would be no match for the queens newly found powers of sorcery. She'd been so driven to be brave and do brave, she didn't realise how she was putting innocent people's lives in danger.
Getting up from her chair, she decided to do the cowards thing, to hide. Belle ran through the halls of the castle, not caring who stopped her and for what reason, her only mission was getting to the safety of her library.
Once there she closed the doors and even locked them, looking around the room she saw all the books, she realised perhaps the answer was in one of these books, something must be able to help them.
Belle walked around, looking at the spines of the books, trying to find a title that would give a sign that it could help her, she climbed ladders, opening and closing books but finding nothing.
An hour later on the verge of giving up, the floor had strewn books all over the place, various authors, titles, languages, some she didn't understand.
A book caught her attention, it looked old and faded, smothered with dust, she carefully climbed the ladder and reached out to grab it, whilst still on the ladder she looked at it, the title was in curly gold calligraphy, the title read 'The Dark One', it intrigued her so she flipped it open to a random page, the pages were thin and yellow with age but Belle could still make out what the words said.
The page began to explain how one would summon the dark one, it was simply by saying his name, she caressed the name on the paper with her finger as she dared to speak it out loud "I Summon the, Dark One" She spoke it so softly, as she suspected though, nothing happened.
The young Queen smiled to herself and let out a little laugh for actually believing something would happen, that this 'monster' would actually appear, that they were actually real.
As she reached across to put the book back on its original shelf, her foot got caught on the skirt of her dress causing Belle to lose her grip and fall back, she prepared herself for hitting the hard wooden floor but instead someone caught her.
She let out a little yelp at the sudden contact as her brown curls covered her face, she took a moment to brush her hair out of her face, hoping to see her saviour, who she found shocked her, a mixture of good and bad though.
At first she was worried as to why a stranger had caught her but at the same time, she was captivated by how he looked, he was a man, long brown hair with almost golden streaks, scaly, green skin, his eyes, black but with glimmers of gold, like something powerful ran through his veins.
Before she knew it, Belle was placed back on her feet. "Rrrrrumplestiltskin" he rolled the R on his tongue causing her to smile at his flamboyance, "At your service" he added taking her left hand and kissing it gently with a low bow "And who might you be Dearie?" he asked the beautiful women in front of him, knowing full well who the hell she was, having watched over her for years.
"I am Queen Belle of Avonlea" Belle curtsied to the man who'd saved her, a man that she hadn't recognised until now, but he couldn't be him, the man she knew hadn't been scaly, hadn't had soulless brown eyes and didn't wear tight leather pants. Her Rumplestiltskin had been sweet, kind, loving and a man.
"Queen, really" the Beast all but sniggered at her "You seem far too young" he commented, began to circle her like a wild beast stalking his prey, she hadn't changed since he last saw her all those years ago, still so beautiful, still so strong but he had to pretend he didn't know her, because she didn't know who he'd become, she wouldn't like what he'd become and he couldn't face that.
She ignored Rumple's intense gaze before asking "why are you here?" her voice stern as if trying to replace the mask of the stern evil Queen she was supposed to be and not the princess he'd once had the pleasure of knowing.
Rumple laughed once more "You summoned me, your majesty, it seems it is I who should be asking you why I am here" he gestured to himself and Belle when appropriate with elaborate movements of his arms and hands.
"I summoned you" Belle muttered looking at the book in her hand "Oh, well then your dismissed and thank you for catching me" she turned and walked away from him, going back to thinking of the hole she'd put everyone in.
"Something's bothering you missy" Rumple's squeaky voice made the women turn to face him, her face scrunched up in a mixture of confusion and intrigue "I'm prepared to make a deal with you, you give me what I want and I'll give you whatever it is your heart desires" He said, rolling his 'R's as he spoke the last two words.
"And what is it you wish from me?" The young women asked motioning to herself. Honestly she didn't believe that there was anything in all the worlds that she had to offer that he would want, he could spin straw into gold for god sake, there was not a thing he could not purchase or magic out of thin air.
"Your kingdom and army to be at my full disposal, whenever I need it, day or night" he requested, his almost soulless dark eyes boring into her pure blue. Her eyes searching for the warm brown eyes she'd once loved to gaze upon.
"What would you want with my kingdom, my army?" Belle asked, her eyes running over his sparkly green skin finding something strangely alluring about it.
"Nah uhuh" Rumple made this noise while he touched his nose. "Let's just say that I have many enemies and the extra numbers at my disposal would benefit me greatly" he reluctantly explained, he just couldn't resist the pretty face. "it's more of a question, of whatever it is you could want from me?" he asked her.
Belle eyed Rumpelstiltskin for a moment, wary of whether she it would really be wise to make such a deal with this man, one that would mean she would forever be in his debt, but she needed the power he possessed to help with the appending battle against Regina.
"Do you know of Regina the Queen?" she asked moving away from the imp, her back to him.
Rumple chuckled slightly to himself, if only this Queen knew the half of it, "I'm a little acquainted with her yes" he decided to speak in a posh manner.
"Then you may be aware of her newly acquired power?" Belle asked him, turning to face him from where she stood now in the bay window where light flooded the room and seemed to illuminate the features on her face.
"Yes" Rumple nodded, wanting her to cut to the chase.
"I fear soon that Avonlea and Regina will be at war, in return for helping me fight her, my kingdom will be at your disposal" Belle offered.
"What makes you think that I would want to fight Regina?" he asked the young women.
Belle smiled at him before stepping towards the 'beast', "I expect you to use my kingdom and then run and never return" she told him. She had a reputation that had to be up held, she couldn't let him try to take advantage of her and her kindness and then tell others about it.
She had fire, that attracted Rumple to her, she wasn't afraid of him like most people were "Then why try to make a deal with me in the first place?" he asked.
The brunet stood so her face was mere millimetres from his "To see if you really are the beast you are said to be" she was testing him, seeing if there was a shred of the man she'd known.
Rumple was taken back, she'd seemed so sweet and now it seemed all the rumours he'd heard had been correct. Now he just wanted to prove her wrong about him. "I think we've struck a deal".