The Dark Castle had many doors. Some locked. Some open. Some shut forever, enchanted with magic. There wasn't a single door in the castle that Belle hadn't wondered about. There was only one room that didn't have a door and that was the one that connected the kitchen to the Great Hall, and that was only removed when Rumplestiltskin saw how hard it was for her to open the door with massive plates of food. Mostly her thoughts about the doors in the castle never took over her day-to-day duties, even if she did have a thought about a door and where it could lead to, her work kept her busy and she never found the time to investigate.

Apart from one door.

Most of the doors in the castle were plain or lavish, big or small, depending on their use and no two doors were exactly alike. But most importantly no door was chained shut, if it was closed forever, then it was guarded with magic and unseeing to the eye.

Apart from one door.

The door at the top of the South Tower was chained shut. The dark metal links glinted darkly, warning any intruder of what was in there. Belle had read books about what might be in the Dark Castle. Some said that the Tower contained a dangerous beast. Some said that it contained precious jewels. Some said that it was just storage. All of the myths made Belle anxious to find out what was in there. The black padlock shone in the half-light, reflecting light like the Dark One's eyes. She unpicked the lock, using all her knowledge of books and tales of adventure to remain stealthy so she wouldn't get caught. The lock released itself easily and she pulled the chains away from the doors. Stepping inside the light blinded her, coming at her from every direction. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, the vast cavernous room opened out and she could clearly make out large frames, big enough for a woman or a small man to look at them and see every part. Above every frame there was a small tag written in his scrawly script: Wonderland, The Land Without Magic, The Land Without Colour, Narnia, Atlantis. She reached out to touch one of the reflective panels, the mirror surface gently rippling at the approaching body.

'Dearie, what are you attempting to accomplish?' The impish voice carried across the room revealing Rumplestiltskin leaning against one of the mirrors with amused interest. Belle knew how important it was to appear brave in front of him; she had seen what happened to those who dared to trespass in the Dark Castle. She decided to stand her ground.

'I…um…was curious, Rumple. The door was the only one chained not magically enchanted to remain shut. I wondered what needed to be protected with chains and not magic.'

'So you decided to break in instead of asking me what was in here. That wasn't polite, dearie.' The high lilting modulation of his voice struck her and she felt the adrenaline begin to flow through her veins.

'I'm sorry, Rumple, but I had the suspicion that you weren't exactly going to be forthcoming with that information.'

'True, dearie, true.' He started to approach her, like a cat stalking its prey. 'So, did you find what you wanted?'

'They're portals. So many different portals to different lands. But why are they here, why are they not on display or protected by magic and why are they so many?'

'Why? Wanting to find the best land to escape to?'

'Of course not. I promised you that I would stay here forever. But why do you entrust Jefferson if you have the ability to go to the worlds yourself?'

'So many questions! And so many answers too. I think we need a cup of tea before we begin then. Belle, would you be so kind?' She studied his face for a minute, trying to decipher what was about to happen before she turned on her heel and went to the kitchen. Rumplestiltskin let out a sigh and stayed for a minute in the room. The glinting silver of the frames distracted him from Belle's inquisitiveness for a minute. He had not stepped inside this room for at least five decades and he remembered why. The eyes tried to watch him, peering around the corners to catch a glimpse of him. With a final look, he strode to the door and began to cast a protection spell. A glint on the floor caught his eye and he stopped. The black chain that previously snaked around the handles of the door caught his eye. He removed the beginnings of the spell and replaced the chain and padlock around the doors. It would be a test of trust, he decided. If she could pass this door and refrain from entering it and slipping through a portal then she could be trusted with a whole lot more. Giving one last look at the door, he turned and walked towards the Great Hall towards his Belle.

AN: This is my first fanfiction story that I have ever wrote so I'm sorry if it's crap. I would love to hear any comments/criticisms that anyone has and it would be awesome if you could let me know if you want another chapter. I have one planned out, but I won't upload it if no one wants to read it. Thank you for reading it, that in itself is kinda awesome. S xxx