The sound of horses announced the soldiers' arrival outside and Rumplestiltskin clutched his son tighter, huddled in their hovel of a home.

"I love you, Bae," he whispered into his boy's hair.

"I love you too, Papa," Bae said. The only sign that he was scared of what was to come was a small tremble in his hand, but he was always brave, his Baelfire, so unlike Rumplestiltskin.

There was a pounding on the door and Rumplestiltskin let Bae slip out of his arms, blinking back tears as Bae opened the door and stared up at Sir Hordor, the Duke's most trusted knight.

"Happy birthday, boy," Hordor growled with a grin that sent shivers down Rumplestiltskin's spine as he grabbed Bae's shoulder and pulled him out.

Rumplestiltskin limped after them. "Please," he said desperately. "Please don't take my son."

Bae closed his eyes as Hordor struck his father. "Silence, coward."

"Please!" Rumplestiltskin said again, stronger this time. "He's just a boy! He can't go to war."

Hordor stepped forward and knocked Rumplestiltskin's walking stick out from under him, causing him to collapse. "Duke's orders, Spindleshanks." He swung his leg and kicked Rumplestiltskin in the stomach, causing Bae to shout and Rumplestiltskin to swallow a moan of pain.

Hordor laughed and turned away, walking back to his horse.

"Please…" Rumplestiltskin groaned, still curled up on the ground. "Please. My son…"

"Your son will have the honor of serving," Hordor sneered. "And perhaps he won't turn out a coward like his father." He grabbed Bae's ear and pulled him away as Bae shouted for his father. "Silence, boy," Hordor snarled, raising his hand to hit Bae, but before he could, more horses came into the clearing, though these were decorated in the king's colors instead of the Duke's.

"What the hell is going on here?" a woman's voice said and Rumplestiltskin tore his eyes away from his son to look up at the woman who was leading the group of the king's soldiers. She swung down from her horse and stepped forward, blue eyes taking in the scene in front of her. They lingered on Rumplestiltskin, sprawled on the ground with his walking stick beside him, and Bae, who was still being held by Hordor.

"Who the devil are you?" Hordor said, staring at the woman in shock, and he wasn't the only one. The woman in front of them was dressed in clothes fitting for nobility, but male nobility. Trousers and knee-high leather boots, a dark red waistcoat with golden embroidery, leather gloves, and a belt with a long dagger hanging off of it seemed to fit a prince, not this small brunette in front of them.

She turned to stare at Hordor, her lips twitching. "Princess Belle," she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

Hordor's eyes widened and his scowl immediately changed into a greasy smile. "Milady Lioness," he said, bowing low and pulling Bae into a bow beside him.

"And you are?" she said as he straightened up.

"Sir Hordor, your highness," he said. "The Duke's right hand man, at your service." He bowed again and she rolled her eyes once he couldn't see her. "We weren't expecting the king's inspection for another week at least, and we certainly weren't expecting such a lovely inspector, Princess Belle."

She gave him a smile that didn't meet her eyes. "I find it best to arrive when unexpected." She glanced at Bae. "And this boy? What crime has he committed to deserve such rough treatment?"

"Just a father unwilling to see his son serve the fine country of Avonlea," Hordor said, gesturing to Rumplestiltskin.

Princess Belle blanched. "To serve? This boy is to enter the army?"

"Aye, your highness," Hordor said, frowning.

"He is a child," she hissed, stepping forward. For someone so small, she shouldn't be menacing, but the way she held herself made every man around look at his boots, hoping to avoid her notice, except for Rumplestiltskin. It was everything he could do not to stare at the princess standing there, the princess who was his son's only chance at life.

"He has reached the draft age," Hordor said, shifting his weight from his toes to heels and back again. "Today, in fact."

"And the draft age is?" she stared at him and when he wouldn't meet her eyes, she turned towards Bae. "How old are you, love?"

"F—fourteen, milady," Bae said.

The color returned to Belle's face as quickly as it had disappeared, turning her cheeks red and making her eyes flash as she rounded on Hordor. "Fourteen?" she said through clenched teeth. "You are putting fourteen year olds in the army?" Hordor wouldn't meet her gaze and she stepped forward, grabbing his shirt and pulling him close to her, growling in his face as he slowly raised his eyes to hers. "You are going to run back to the Duke and you are going to tell him that if I see a single child under the age of nineteen in the troops when I inspect them tomorrow, he will never see his precious Frontlands again. Do you understand?" Hordor nodded and she pushed him away, wrinkling her nose as if she had smelled something disgusting—which, Rumplestiltskin mused, wasn't unlikely knowing Hordor. When he didn't move and simply stared at her, she waved her hands dismissively. "Release the boy and run along to your master."

Hordor did just that, his men following him, but Bae didn't move either, staring at Belle in awe. She gave him a small smile and looked at Rumplestiltskin on the ground, who was staring up at her with a mix of admiration and fear. What anger was left in her eyes left as she approached him, kneeling down to grasp his walking stick in one hand and his arm in the other. "Up you go," she said, pulling him up with her and handing him his stick.

"I can never thank you enough, milady," he whispered, bowing his head. Bae's arms were suddenly around his waist and he almost forgot the princess was there as he grasped his son. Bae was the first one to pull away.

"Thank you, your highness," he said shyly, looking up at Belle through his long eyelashes. "I didn't really fancy going to war."

She smiled warmly and reached out to cup Bae's cheek. "I would imagine not. How long as the draft age been younger than nineteen?"

"It was lowered to sixteen two years ago, milady," Rumplestiltskin said, not meeting her eyes. "And then to fifteen six months ago and fourteen mere days ago."

She released an unladylike curse and Rumplestiltskin stared at her in surprise again. She gave him a sheepish smile, though her eyes were still full of anger. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have sworn in front of your son. I also should have known about this before now." She sighed and tucked a stray curl back into her braid. "Why did no one send word? We've only heard about how successful the Frontlands have been against the ogres. Not once was it mentioned that children were being sent to war."

"The Duke has the Dark One in his control," Rumplestiltskin said. "No one would ever dare cross him, milady."

"He hurt my friend Morraine's mama when she tried to stop Hordor from taking her a few days ago," Bae said, looking down at his shoes.

"The Duke has the Dark One in his control?" Belle whispered and her face twisted in anger again when Rumplestiltskin nodded. "He has the Dark One and he's drafting children?"

"Why does that make you so mad?" Bae said. "It doesn't make a difference that he has the Dark One."

"Bae," Rumplestiltskin hissed before turning back to the princess. "I'm terribly sorry, your highness. My boy can ask all sorts of questions."

"There's nothing wrong with curiosity," she said tiredly, looking older than she was as she fixed her blue eyes on Bae. "I'm angry because it makes every difference. The Dark One is the most powerful being in our world and could easily defeat the ogres."

Rumplestiltskin gasped. "So the Duke… He… He wants this war?"

Belle nodded gravely before shaking her head and smiling at them again. "I shouldn't be troubling you with my burdens. Thank you for your information." She bowed her head and turned to walk away.

"Wait," Bae said and when she glanced back at him, he looked up at Rumplestiltskin. "Papa, you should tell her what that man we met on the road said. It could help."

Belle's brow furrowed and she looked curious as she looked at Rumplestiltskin. "A beggar we met told us about the Dark One," he said. "Bae is right. His story could be of use to you, your highness."

She stared hard at him before nodding and addressing one of the men who were still on their horses behind her, watching the exchange. "Go on to the Duke's castle. I'll be with you soon."

The man, tall with a strong jaw and black hair, nodded before leading the group of knights away. Belle tied her horse to the fence of the sheep pen and looked to Rumplestiltskin expectantly.

"Why don't you come inside?" Bae said when it was clear Rumplestiltskin wasn't going to say anything. "We don't have much, but we can at least offer you some tea."

She smiled at him warmly and Rumplestiltskin was amazed at how his son never failed to charm strangers, aside from Hordor, of course. "Thank you. Bae, was it?"

Bae nodded. "Baelfire. And my papa is Rumplestiltskin."

"A pleasure to meet you both," she said, following them into the small, dilapidated cottage.

Bae pulled out a chair at the small table for her, earning a bright smile that turned his cheeks pink, as Rumplestiltskin hurriedly heated some water over the fire. Belle looked around their home as he worked and he grimaced in shame, but there was no judgment or pity in her eyes, only curiosity and friendliness. When Rumplestiltskin placed a cup of tea in front of her, she gave him the same big smile she had given Bae and he understood why his son had blushed.

She took a sip of tea, paused, and carefully lowered the cup back to the table. "I'm sorry," Rumplestiltskin muttered. "It's not very good."

"No, it's fine," she said, smiling again, though he could tell she was lying. "It was just hot." Rumplestiltskin hesitantly gave her a small smile and she leaned forward, folding her arms on the table. "So, what have you heard about the Dark One?"

Rumplestiltskin sat down on the other chair and stretched out his bad leg. "We were on the road the night before last, trying to—trying…" Rumplestiltskin paused, not wanting to admit his cowardice to the princess before him, a woman so brave and strong her people called her the Lioness.

"You were trying to save your son from war," she said, nodding sadly. "I can't apologize enough for what my laxity has cost your village."

He blinked at her in surprise. "It—it's not your fault, your highness."

"Yes, it is," she said. "I'm responsible for protecting the people of Avonlea, whether it's from ogres or tyrannical dukes." She sighed again and he was struck by the sudden need to never see her look so miserable ever again. "Anyway, the Dark One?"

Bae dragged the stool from the spinning wheel over so he could sit at the table as well. "There was a beggar on the road and he told us how to kill him and—"

"Bae, slow down," Rumplestiltskin said, glancing at the princess, who was watching Bae with an amused, albeit confused, smile. "The beggar said that there is a dagger that holds the Dark One's power. The man in possession of the dagger is the Dark One's master and the man who kills the Dark One with it takes the power for himself. Folklore, I'm sure."

Belle shook her head. "I don't think so." Rumplestiltskin and Bae watched her as she put her chin in her hand and began to chew on her little finger absentmindedly. "There's historical records of men controlling the Dark One as well as the curse being passed on in a seemingly hereditary fashion, except for the fact that there is no evidence to the Dark One ever having children," she said around her finger, thinking out loud. "That makes perfect sense." She looked at Rumplestiltskin and Bae as if remembering they were there for the first time, eyes wide. "We need to get that dagger away from the Duke. As long as he has it, he'll never listen to my commands."

"You're the princess. Can't you just order him to give it to you?" Bae said.

She laughed. "He'll just have the Dark One overpower me if I try to do that, love. I need to be clever about this."

"The beggar said that the dagger was hidden behind a tapestry in the Duke's private sitting room," Rumplestiltskin said.

Belle frowned, narrowing her eyes. "How would a beggar know all of this when the best historians don't?"

"Maybe the Dark One told him," Bae said brightly.

"Maybe," Belle echoed, still frowning as she stood. "Thank you for your help, Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin. I won't forget it." She smiled. "And thank you for the tea." She gestured towards the still-full cup on the table.

"It was our pleasure, your highness," Rumplestiltskin said, standing and following her to the door.

"I hope we'll see you again, princess," Bae said and Rumplestiltskin began to give him a warning glare but stopped when Belle laughed.

"I hope so too," she said, stepping outside. They watched as she mounted her horse and smiled at them again. "Best of luck." With that, she urged her horse forward and rode towards the Duke's castle.

"I like her," Bae announced as Rumplestiltskin closed the door. "I'm glad she's our princess."

"Aye," Rumplestiltskin said. "She's not like any other nobility I've met."


Over the next week, Rumplestiltskin saw the princess frequently in town and she gave him a smile every time she caught his eye. She was almost always with the tall knight she had spoken to on the first night she was in town as she went around speaking to the villagers, asking after the Duke's treatment of them. The improvements were immediately obvious: taxes were lowered, businesses were bolstered with the king's gold, and the children had all returned the day after her arrival. As she made her way through the village, she gave special attention to the families that had watched their children go to war and even more attention to the families that didn't get their son or daughter back.

On market day, she walked around to the stalls, carrying a basket and purchasing something from everyone, laughing and joking with the other peasants. Rumplestiltskin felt a pang of jealousy when someone else got her smile, especially when she gave it to the knight who was with her, but shook it off, focusing on the yarn and thread he was trying to sell.

"You don't seem to have many customers."

He looked up into startling blue eyes. "Princess," he stammered and she smiled at him. "I never have many customers."

She frowned. "Why? Your thread is some of the best quality I've seen." She brushed her fingers over a spool.

"Thank you, your highness," he murmured, sighing in relief as Bae ran up, distracting her.

"Princess!"

"Hello, Baelfire," she said, grinning as she gave him a one-armed hug that surprised Rumplestiltskin as much as it pleased him. "And how are you today?"

"Amazing," he said. "My friend Morraine is back, so I've been visiting her." He noticed the man behind the princess for the first time and his eyes got wide. "Are you a real knight?"

Belle laughed and the knight smiled slightly. "Yes, I am," he said, his voice deep and strong.

"This is Sir Gaston, my second-in-command," Belle said, patting Sir Gaston's arm.

"Can I see your sword, my lord?" Bae asked hesitantly, beaming when Gaston knelt to one knee and pulled out his sword, offering it to Bae hilt-first gravely.

Rumplestiltskin watched his son in amusement and jumped when he felt a soft hand covering his own, turning to look at the princess, who was leaning across his wares to whisper to him. "Can Gaston and I come by your cottage after sunset tonight? We want to talk about the Dark One."

"Of course, your highness, though I don't see why I would be much help."

She smiled. "Gaston wants to hear the story himself," she said, shrugging before looking towards Gaston showing Bae how to properly hold the sword with a fond smile. He glanced at her questioningly and she nodded.

"Well, young sir, we could make a knight out of you yet," Gaston said, straightening and taking his sword away from Bae gently, sheathing it.

"Thank you, milord," Bae said, grinning as Gaston ruffled his hair.

"How much for these?" Belle said, holding up two spools of string.

"Two coppers," Rumplestiltskin said, avoiding her gaze.

She pressed two coins into his palm and murmured, "Thank you, Rumplestiltskin."

He watched her leave in amazement, Gaston talking to her quietly, before he looked at the coins and gasped. Instead of two coppers, she had given him two silvers. "Your highness," he called after her. She glanced back at him. "You gave me silvers, not coppers."

She smiled. "I know." She turned back to Gaston and continued her conversation with him as they rounded a corner, leaving Rumplestiltskin to gape after her.

"Son, I need you to go buy some good tea and then go home to tidy up while I try to sell this stuff," he said, gathering his wits and pushing some money into his son's hand before nudging him away.

"What? Why?"

"The princess and Sir Gaston are coming by after sunset," he said. "We have warning this time, so we can at least try to be presentable."

Bae's face lit up and he nodded, running down the street to the only vendor who sold tea. Rumplestiltskin passed a hand over his face, sighing before he continued to try to sell his yarn.

When he returned home later that day, he found Bae taking care of the sheep with enthusiasm, a clean yard, and an even cleaner home.

"I should invite royalty over more often if this is the result," Rumplestiltskin said, laughing as he ignored the pit in his stomach.

Bae grinned. "I think you should." He followed his father into the house, chatting about everything he did to clean as Rumplestiltskin made a stew, trying to control the tremble in his hands. "Papa, don't be so nervous," he said, interrupting his own ramblings about how hard it was to decide what tea to buy. "I think she likes us, and Sir Gaston isn't anything like Sir Hordor."

"Of course, son."

Rumplestiltskin spent the evening spinning as Bae cleaned up after dinner and both were listening for horses as soon as the sun went down, but never heard any. An hour after sunset, Rumplestiltskin was resigned to not receiving any visitors after all when there was a knock on the door. Bae ran over and opened it, greeting Belle and Gaston as they came inside. She gave him a warm smile, but Gaston remained serious as he took the offered seat at the table. Rumplestiltskin made tea with the new leaves and saw Belle resign herself to a required first sip when he placed a cup in front of her.

"Oh," she said, looking down at the cup in surprise. "You got new tea."

"I picked it out!" Bae said from his place on the hearth.

"You did a fine job, Master Bae," Belle said, laughing.

"Belle," Gaston said, shooting her a glance. She rolled her eyes.

"Ignore Gaston," she said, still smiling. "He's a bit serious." When he shot her another look, she sighed, her expression turning almost as grave as Gaston's. "Rumplestiltskin, would you mind telling him what you told me about the Dark One?" When Rumplestiltskin nodded, she smiled, stood up, and took her tea over to sit next to Bae on the ground, speaking quietly to him as Gaston listened to Rumplestiltskin, his brown eyes fixed on the spinner.

When Rumplestiltskin finished, Gaston sat back in his seat, frowning at the table before looking at Belle, who was watching him. She raised her eyebrows and he nodded. "You're right," he said. "We need to find a way to get the dagger away from the Duke without him knowing that's what we're after."

"You're the tactical master," Belle said, standing up to leave Bae and walk over to the table, leaning her hip against it.

"Well, it all depends on if the beggar was telling the truth when he said the dagger would be in the private sitting room," Gaston said, frowning. Belle nodded, putting her pinkie between her teeth again.

"If I may, your highness?" Rumplestiltskin said, shrinking as Gaston and Belle both looked at him with piercing gazes.

"You can call me Belle, Rumplestiltskin," she said, smiling.

He blinked in surprise. "Very well, your highness." She rolled her eyes—Rumplestiltskin noticed that she seemed to do that a lot—but motioned for him to continue. "I had made a plan to try to get the dagger the night before Bae's birthday that might work."

Gaston made a small scoffing sound that earned him a glare from Belle before she looked back at Rumplestiltskin, urging him to speak. As he outlined the plan, Belle's smile grew and Gaston's skepticism faded into respect. By the time he ended, Belle was sitting on his table, beaming down at him, and Gaston was staring at him in awe. "That's brilliant," Gaston said.

"Indeed," Belle said, eyeing Rumplestiltskin with curiosity along with her normal kindness. "Gaston, do you have men who could carry it out?"

"Belle," he said, raising his eyebrows to her. "Part of the brilliance is how Rumplestiltskin takes advantage of a peasant's invisibility to nobility. My men wouldn't be able to pull it off."

"What are you saying?" she said sharply.

He looked at Rumplestiltskin. "How do you feel about breaking into a castle, spinner?"

"No!" Belle said. "I am not making one of my citizens carry out my dirty work for me."

"Do you see any other way?"

Belle opened her mouth to argue with Gaston when Rumplestiltskin cut her off. "I'll do it." Gaston looked pleased and Belle and Bae both looked at him in surprise. "If I don't, nothing will change. You'll stay for a few more weeks and the Duke will follow your laws until you leave, and then he'll send the children to war and it will be as if you never came in the first place."

"Are you sure?" Belle said, sliding off the table to step closer to him. Rumplestiltskin nodded and she sighed. "Well, we better get planning then."

They stayed late to go over plans, long after Rumplestiltskin sent Bae to bed, though he was sure the boy stayed awake and was listening the entire time.

"—and you'll meet Belle in the forest to give her the dagger," Gaston said, grinning.

Rumplestiltskin nodded, clutching his walking stick. Belle was frowning, her forehead furrowed as she stared at him from her perch on the table.

Gaston cracked his knuckles and stood up. "We'll be in touch when we're ready." He held a hand out to help Belle stand. "Thank you, Rumplestiltskin. You're a good man," he said, clapping Rumplestiltskin's back before striding out of the house, leaving Belle to watch Rumplestiltskin with her big eyes.

"What the people in the village say about you is wrong," she said quietly. "You're not a coward."

He smiled sadly at her. "One act of bravery for purely selfish reasons doesn't negate a lifetime of cowardice, your highness."

She reached out and clasped his arm. "You're not a coward."

"Says the Lioness."

She smiled at him. "Exactly. I'm the Lioness. Trust me, I know a coward when I see one." He just looked at her and she bit her lip before turning away to follow Gaston out. He immediately missed her.


Rumplestiltskin watched Belle walk around at the next market day, ten days later, going from stall to stall as she had before. When she got to his, her whole face lit up and she beamed at him, making his lips quirk up slightly.

When she passed him coins for his yarn, she grasped his wrist and pulled him closer, leaning across the wood to whisper in his ear. "Tonight. Two hours after sundown." Releasing him, she raised her eyebrows and looked at him until he nodded. She gave him another smile before walking away, Gaston joining her.

As she left the market, Rumplestiltskin tried not to think about what would happen if the Duke caught him. He thought Belle would intercede for him if he were to face punishment. She seemed kind and he doubted she would let him be executed for something she was involved in too. But then again, why would she save him? He was a coward and she was the bravest person in the kingdom.

Why would she help him when he was just a spinner and she was a princess?


A/N: If you're a reader of Hidden Under Darkness, my other WIP, I'm terribly sorry and I will be updating that soon.

On another note, this will be three chapters long. Thank you for reading and please review!