Author's Note: I do not own anything.
Summary: In Fairytaleland, what if Belle had escaped from the evil queen and found her way back to Rumplestiltskin after the queen had told him she was dead?
Belle sat in the corner of her cell as she took a piece of chalk and scraped it against the wall. She looked at the wall and saw all of the marks she had made. She had been locked away for so long and she couldn't remember the last time she saw the sun. She wanted to feel the warmth of it against her back and in her hair. She wanted to twirl around in it and feel the earth beneath her feet.
Her thoughts wandered to the man she had fallen in love with Rumplestiltskin. She wondered if he often thought of her. She wondered if he had felt the same way about her. She sighed as she sunk back into her bed. What she would do to escape and be with him? Would he ever take her back? He was consumed with his power.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the door began to open and in walked an unfamiliar face. "Are you here to kill me?" Belle panicked.
The man laughed at her. "Of course not, I'm here to take you to the queen, she wishes to speak with you."
Belle felt just a glimmer of relief but panicked only for a moment. "What does the queen want with me?"
"She wants information on Rumplestiltskin," he answered as he dragged her by the chains.
Belle feeling a surge of courage waited until the man turned around and took her fists and smacked his head. The man fell to the ground and Belle knelt beside him looking for keys. She found them at last and went to unlock herself. Belle felt tears of happiness fall down her face as the chains unlocked. She was on her way to freedom.
Without another moment to lose, Belle ran to find an escape route. She wandered through the hallways. "HALT!" shouted a guard.
Belle ran as fast as she could and tripped. She picked herself off of the ground and ran to find a way out. She could hear the sounds of the guards coming. No way would she be locked up again. The doorway out was discovered and Belle looked behind her as she ran out to her way to sweet freedom. "I'm free," sobbed Belle over and over as she ran further and further away from the queen's castle.
She paused a moment to catch her breath and gasped when she saw how the chains cut into her skin and left marks on her. With her hands she gentle touched them and winced in pain. "You!" came the voice of the guard.
Belle continued to run and she ran as far as she could. She twisted and turned through the forest until she lost the guard. Finally she lost him and walked at a slow and steady pace. The sunlight was streaming through the trees and she felt the earth beneath her feet. She was happy, but not completely. She knew in her heart that she had to find Rumplestiltskin. And she vowed she would. She knew she had to journey for a while and the path would not be easy, but in case of true love, any risk was worth it.