Summary: Each August, Storybrooke holds the Sky Fire Festival—a 5-day fair in honor of the Perseids Meteor Shower where only one couple finds True Love. Pragmatic, shy Darach Gold doesn't want to go. He's already missed his chance at True Love-some people are just meant to be alone. Bookish, romantic Belle French can't wait for her first festival and arranges to meet with Gold each night so neither of them will be alone. But what starts out as keeping each other company soon grows into something more.
Magical realism Rumbelle AU. We do not own Once Upon A Time or its characters.
NIGHT ONE: 6:00 p.m.
For Darach Gold, the annual Sky Fire Festival was a joyless occasion.
It was a reminder of his bleak, empty love life and his embarrassing romance with the only woman who had ever cared for him. Milah had tossed him away like yesterday's trash. Not that he could blame her. The man she'd left him for was taller, younger, and far more handsome.
Nonsense. He could almost hear Jefferson scolding him, saying that his relationship with Milah hadn't been real love and that she had been the loser—not the other way around. But that's what best friends did—lied to spare your feelings, even when you were at your worst.
Darach dragged his feet around the shop floor, dreaming up excuses to forgo the festivities this year. He could invent an illness, dally over a work project, or pretend a pipe had burst at home. He scowled. Gold hated to lie, but Jefferson was just so damn pushy. He was always trying to talk him into some event, party, or outing. The Sky Fire Festival was no different.
Year after year it was the same argument. Darach refused to go and Jefferson began to whine, wheedle, and plead. Eventually Darach would give into Jefferson's good intentions, swallowing past the lump in his throat and the horrible, hollow knowledge that at the end of the five days he would go home—alone—just as he always did, year after year.
Much as he loathed the festival, Darach still found himself standing outside his shop waiting for Jefferson and his family. The only pleasant part of the whole affair would be spending the evening with Grace, his honorary niece and Jefferson and Alice's daughter. He treated his favorite 8-year-old to everything from ice cream dates to trust funds. And since he had no children of his own, her parents graciously allowed him this privilege.
Jefferson and his family came into view, and Darach couldn't resist the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Despite himself, he gave a welcoming wave. He loved Jefferson and Alice dearly. He just wished they were a little less persistent.
"Uncle Darach!" Grace shouted as she ran, embracing Darach so tightly he almost fell. Darach was prepared for the onslaught; he'd rather get knocked to the ground than miss a moment of Grace's affection.
"Thank goodness, Gracie. I was worried your father had once again lost track of time, but I see you and your mother are keeping him on schedule." Darach smirked at Grace as he teased his friend. Jefferson was forever running late. "Remember that time I waited ages for you to arrive but it wasn't until the next year that I actually saw you?"
Opening his mouth in mock offense, Jefferson pretended to be appalled. "I'll have you know that I'm never late; you are merely impatient. And that time you're referring to was New Year's Eve, so don't try and convince anyone that you waited for more than ten minutes. The very next year indeed." Jefferson muttered the last words under his breath but Gold heard him and grinned, elbowing him in the ribs.
Alice clucked her tongue at both men as the four began walking to the festival, setting a relaxed pace. "Don't let him fool you, Darach. I practically had to drag Jefferson out the door with no pants he was so behind." She kissed Darach's cheek and enveloped him in a warm hug, then pulled back to look him in the eyes. "We've missed having you over for Thursday dinners. Grace most of all. I think it's high time you stop hiding in that big house of yours and enjoy the company of your friends; get out and be with people."
Darach felt his stomach twist in discomfort. Alice and Jefferson had been trying for ages to increase his social connections. Why couldn't they understand that he was fine, happy even, living on his own?
"Oh, don't look so stricken," Jefferson said. "Alice and I just want you happy."
"And me too!" Grace shouted, skipping closer to him.
Laughing at the enthusiasm in her little heart-shaped face, Darach squeezed Grace's hand. "What your parents don't understand is that spoiling you and seeing that big, beautiful smile is all I need to be happy," he said in an exaggerated whisper.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep being the favorite, Darach. You'll be the one dealing with her at 16 when she expects her first car to be a Corvette." Alice took Grace's other hand and they all laughed at the joke. "Come on, sweetie. You'll have Uncle Darach all to yourself tomorrow night. Let your dad and him spend some time together." Alice and Grace quickened their pace, entering the fairgrounds.
Darach quirked a dark eyebrow in Jefferson's direction. "Not very subtle, Hatter," he said, using the nickname that referenced the tall, elegant top hats his best friend favored. "Are you and Alice all out of clever turns of phrase? Usually when you twist my arm to do something I have no interest in, you're not so painfully obvious."
"As though subtlety actually worked on you! Hitting you over on the head with a giant sign that says 'I'm going to have fun this year' might work, however." Jefferson snorted. "Maybe this year will surprise us all. You could meet someone special."
Darach shook his head. "I like my life as it is. It's quiet and fulfilling, and I don't need to meet anyone. Some people are just meant to be alone." He regretted the words as soon as he'd said them, already too familiar with the well-worn path this conversation was heading down.
"Not you, my friend. A man who has given so much to help others in this town? No one even knows who they are beholden to. Darach, you're too fine a man for the fates not to reward you with blessings."
Gold continued as if he hadn't heard Jefferson, grumbling as he looked at his own feet. "I met Milah on the final night of the festival and thought it was love. The next August she met Jones on the first evening and we were over. You yammer on and on about True Love and the magic of the festival." He waved a dismissive hand. "It's all bunk and you know it."
"That was years ago. And Milah wasn't the one for you. You said yourself you felt relief when it ended." Jefferson stopped walking and stood in front of Gold, blocking his way. "You know what the real problem is, don't you? You want to believe in true love. You know all these other couples who found true love at the festival—Milah and Jones, Leroy and Astrid, Alice and me. So you thought you met yours and when you discovered you were wrong, you decided true love can't be recognized."
"Because it can't be," Gold barked. "If I was meant to have love, it would have happened by now." He had the sudden urge to yank the sleek red cravat at Jefferson's neck.
"Not if the greatest of all loves is being saved for you." Jefferson's voice was quiet, as gentle as the breeze rustling through the trees. "And how could it not be? Just look at that face!" Trying to lighten the somber mood, Jefferson grinned and pinched Darach's cheek hard, like an overzealous relative.
Darach swatted Jefferson's hand away and rubbed his offended cheek. "Come on, Grandpa. Let's not keep Alice and Grace waiting."
"Wait." Jefferson laid a hand on his arm. "Don't act like you have a date with the executioner, hmm? Just…humor me, old man. If it's a terrible evening, I won't make you come back…" He trailed off.
"What?" He sighed. "There's a catch, isn't there? There always is with you."
"No catch." Jefferson held up his hands in surrender. "Although you did say you would take Gracie for us tomorrow night so Alice and I can be alone. And I know you are a man of your word."
"That was a low blow, Hatter." Gold poked him with the butt of his cane. "You know I can deny Grace nothing. Besides, someone around here has to keep her in cotton candy and stuffed animals. Things that boring, responsible parents don't allow. But I won't make any promises about the rest of the festival."
"Fair enough," Jefferson said, snickering.
Hastening his steps to catch up to the ladies, Darach lifted his head to the darkening, moonless sky. Tonight and tomorrow. He only had to survive two nights. Besides, tomorrow Grace would be a welcome distraction from all the other happy couples and love-seeking hopefuls.
His gut clenched; hope was his greatest fear. He didn't want to believe that love was still possible. It was so much easier to accept the inevitable—he was better off alone.
xoxoxo
Isabella French loaded another stack of favorites onto the growing mountain of books. Chewing her painted thumbnail, she scanned her selections, brow furrowed in concentration. Yes, something was definitely missing. But what? Aha! Determination in her step, she approached the bookshop's small astronomy section, choosing just a few books highlighting planets, constellations, and stars in honor of the occasion. Satisfied, she scribbled the titles down on her checklist and smiled.
Tonight began Storybrooke's annual Sky Fire Festival.
The festival featured five glorious evenings of stargazing. Belle was eager to attend her first celebration—she'd heard snippets and stories about it for practically the entire year since she'd moved from Australia to Maine last September. Every August 9-13, neighbors gathered from all over town to watch the famed Perseids Meteor Showers. Besides the beauty of the skies, there were wonderful activities to engage festival goers of all ages—food carts, crafts, games, and booths for businesses to sell goods and services.
And Belle wasn't just getting to go—she was going to be in the center of the activity by helping to run a booth for the bookshop with her friends Mary Margaret, Emma, and Aurora. Belle loved belonging, and preparing for this event made her feel all lit up inside. She had meaningful work, she had friendship, she had community. Maybe one day she would even find love.
Belle blushed. As famous as the Sky Fire Festival was for its glorious meteors, it was known for something even more rare, precious, and beautiful than falling stars: True Love. So the story went, each year one couple—and only one couple—would meet and fall in love during the festival. If it was True Love, on one of the five nights of the celebration a special, magical occurrence would take place, confirming for one fortunate pair that they had found the one they were born to love.
Some scoffed at the idea, shaking the story off as a myth; nothing more than a legend for dewy eyed romantics and lovers of fairy tales and galaxies far, far away. But Belle knew real people it had happened for. Real people who had met their other half at the festival and gone on to blissful marriages and raising families. Starry-eyed, she sighed. Perhaps someday…
"Hey, Belle!"
With a tiny shriek of surprise, Belle tossed the book and the clipboard she'd been holding in the air, sending both items clattering to the ground.
"Woolgathering again, I see," said Emma, raking back her long blonde hair with her red-rimmed sunglasses. She leaned against the book cart and stuck her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you, but it's already dusk and we're running late."
"No, that's all right." Belle shook her head and bent down to pick up the dropped items. "I'm ready to go. I was just collecting these last few books for the festival."
"And dreaming of True Love?" Emma asked with a cheeky smile. She handed Belle the ballpoint pen that had rolled under the book cart.
"I—no—uh—maybe." Belle blushed again, feeling bashful and selfish. She had only just moved to town. Others had been in Storybrooke their whole lives, yearning for that moment when True Love came calling. At last she ventured, "It would be nice to meet someone."
"Don't be embarrassed," said Emma, reading her thoughts. Her friend shrugged. "It's what most people want, whether or not they're willing to admit it. I've been in Storybrooke for six years—longer than some, but for less time than most. I'm still hoping to find the one."
"I know you will, Emma," Belle said, patting her arm with affection. "You deserve to be happy."
"Thanks, Belle." The blonde winked. "So do you. Now let's get the last of these books loaded into my bug. We've got a festival to get to!"
Once at the fairgrounds, Emma parked the car behind the book stand. Aurora and Mary Margaret had almost finished setting up, and together the four ladies added the finishing touches to the attractively stacked books. Practically skipping to the front of the stand, Belle positioned the astronomy books she had chosen in the center of the display. Perfect.
She looked around, savoring the sights and sounds of the celebration. The warm, summer air was charged with anticipation as crowds of townspeople trickled in and began visiting booths, ordering hot dogs and popcorn, and spreading fluffy blankets on the sand to watch the meteor showers. Damp with exertion and excitement, she wiped her palms on her skirt, which was decorated with red rosebuds.
"Belle, why don't you go explore?" Mary Margaret said, interrupting her gawking. "You've been standing there staring with your mouth hanging open for at least 10 minutes."
"Oh! I'm sorry," Belle said, clapping her hands on her flushed cheeks. She glanced apologetically at each one of her friends, but all of their faces were wreathed in bright smiles. "I forgot what I was doing. It's all so breathtaking!"
"Go on." Aurora encouraged her to leave with a gentle push. "Shoo!"
"But I'm supposed to be helping," Belle said, shaking her head. "And we've just begun."
"The festival is five nights long, Belle," Emma said. "There is plenty of time for you to work. Tomorrow evening you can have the booth all to yourself while Mary Margaret and Aurora snog their True Loves under the stars. Me? Graham has asked me to divide my time between the booth and patrolling the grounds." She patted the holster hidden beneath her shirt. "Not that we're expecting any disturbances, but the assistant sheriff always has to be on guard."
Belle nodded her understanding but hesitated. She longed to stroll around and taste all the wonders of the festival, but she didn't want to rush off and leave her friends to do all the heavy lifting. "Are you sure?"
"Positive!" All three of them chorused in agreement, reminding Belle of a tiny yet mighty cheerleading squad.
"Well, all right then." She beamed at her friends and ambled down a gravel-lined path. When she and Emma had driven in, she'd noticed an exhibit celebrating the history of the town. Could there be a better place to start?
Belle's inner geek glowed with pleasure as she paged through old photo books and read about the town co-founders Henry Mills and George Nolan. Mary Margaret's parents and grandparents were also lauded as Storybrooke pioneers, and Sheriff Graham Humbert was featured as one of the town's modern heroes, as was Doctor Victor Whale.
She ran her hands along the creased photos and worn plaques. Now here was something fascinating: Storybrooke's Mystery Hero. The town had an anonymous benefactor. Someone who bankrolled the schools, orphanage, and community center whenever a problem surface or additional funding was needed. Belle remembered hearing about a family who had lost everything in a fire, only to miraculously be gifted with a brand new, fully furnished home. For weeks they asked the donor to come forward, but no one ever did. Clearly this person didn't want to be recognized for his or her services, which only fueled Belle's interest. She loved a good mystery.
Lost in her learning, she was suddenly jostled by a throng of revelers walking behind her. Thrown back slightly, she bumped into someone. "Ooof!" Belle grunted as the breath left her body and an electric current crackled up her spine. People passed by her on all sides and Belle shivered.
She'd run into plenty of people in her 28 years, but it had never felt anything like that. The sensation was totally foreign and…exhilarating. Like she'd been running for miles, yet had the stamina to go on forever. Inhaling deeply to calm her pounding pulse and racing heart, Belle turned around to apologize.
No one was there.
Whomever she had touched had vanished into the crowd. Trying to catch up, she craned her neck and ducked around families and between couples, hoping for a flash of recognition.
But it was too late. Arriving at the edge of the beach, she peered into the sky just as a long, slow, brilliantly hued star traversed the heavens. The earthgrazer skimmed across the horizon like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond.
Belle shivered anew as she followed the rare, colorful meteor. She had a peculiar feeling that something magical was about to happen.
Up Next: While Darach squires Grace around the festival, he meets Belle French at the book booth.