Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Once Upon A Time Characters.
This is my second story on Fanfic! I am super excited! Please review! I read them all.
As She Danced in the Rain
"Stop it! I don't care what you think! Give me my book!" she yells, trying to reach it. Eight year old Isabelle french might have been the shortest one in town but she was relentless, not giving up until: 1- someone made her or 2- she succeeded. Gaston laughs as he drops it in the mud.
"Get your nose out of your books stupid girl!" he steps on it as she reaches down. Isabelle stands up. He had ruined another one of her books.
"You are such a bully!" she yells. "You just broke another one of my books and I was at the best part!" They other kids run over to watch, forming a circle around them. She holds back tears. That book was her mothers.
"Did you hear that!" Gaston yells. "She thinks I am a bully!" The other kids laugh and she picks up her now ruined book. He grabs her wrist and holds her hand up. "Isabelle is a baby, Isabelle is a baby!" they all chant. She rips out of his grip and runs out of the circle, crashing into a chicken pen. The owner runs after her with a broom and she darts towards the forest. Nobody but her ever went their in fear of the wolves.
Her dress catches on something, causing her to fall. She lays their, catching her breath. It was going to rain and her father was going to kill her. He had told her not to go into the forest and ruin her pretty dresses. She was a princess, and needed to keep a certain decorum about her. But sometimes, she wished she could be just like the other kids. Carefree and allowed to do what whatever they wanted. Sitting up she yanks at her dress, tearing it off the branch.
"Stupid dress," she says. "Other girls get to wear pants." She had seen a couple and although it wasn't looked highly upon, she loved it. She walks farther into the forest and finds the rest of the books he had ruined. She had put them in a little cave she found, knowing that if her dad saw them, he would be furious. It starts to rain and she walks back into town. Everything is silent, all the windows shut and doors locked. Even the animals are quite. Thunder claps and she begins to run, afraid of being outside during a storm. She knocks on doors all around her but nobody answers. She takes off her shoes and runs faster, not even stopping to check the library. Suddenly, something hits her and she falls back, banging her head on the cement. Thunder claps again and she sits up, holding her head. She opens her eyes and sees a mysterious looking man in front of her.
"Are you ok dearie?" he asks. He looks at her, noticing the scrape on her arm and her soaking wet attire. Clearly this little girl had been outside for some time. He had just finished a deal when the storm struck and was walking through the town, reenforcing the fear he had worked hard for. Everyone else locked themselves in their houses but for some reason, this little one had run into him instead.
She nods her head, standing up.
"Who are you?" she asks. "I am Isabelle." She extends a hand. Why wasn't this girl afraid of him? Couldn't she see his scaly skin and piercing eyes?
"That is not for little ones like you to know," he says, refusing the offer. She scrunches up her nose. His thoughts go to Bae, and how he always did that when he was confused. Tell her who you are! His mind screams. Watch her run in fear just like the other children. A boy comes out of a house, holding a knife.
"Get away from her!" he yells. The girl rolls her eyes and looks up to him.
"Don't listen to him. He is mean," she says. The boy dares to come closer and Isabelle steps closer to him. Who was this brat threatening someone as innocent as her? His dark side takes over again. Why haven't you left yet? This girl deserves none of your time. Kill them and leave! He snarls. He looks back at her and sees his son again. He sighs, putting the thoughts aside. They sit down against a near by fence as the boy runs up to them.
"Give me Isabelle!" he yells. "Or I will kill you." This boy was confident. This could be fun.
"Dearie, put the knife down," he says. "Its not smart to threaten strangers."
"I will put it down when you give me the girl," he says. Rumple rolls his eyes and flicks his hand, throwing the boy back and taking the knife. Isabelle gasps. The boy gets up and walks towards Belle, angry.
"Wouldn't do that dearie," Rumple says. "I wouldn't want to have to get messy with this knife of yours." Gaston looks at Isabelle as she gets up. She walks up to him and he grabs her wrist.
"Your coming with me," he says, glaring at Rumple. He shrugs his shoulders, watching the drama.
"No I am not," she says. The rain slows down as he stares at her. He to was now dripping wet. He drops her wrist and stomps off.
"I will tell your father!" he yells. "Perhaps he can teach you a lesson or two! And destroy your books!" he yells as he runs off. She stands their, petrified. If her father ever found out.. She turns around and the strange man is gone, the knife laying in his place. She picks it up and runs home, proud of her new possession.
&/&
Hope was something Rumple had put aside along time ago. Everyone was afraid of him and hated him. But that little girl hadn't even flinched. In fact, she had offered him her hand. She was good, better then snow white even. The demons in his head deafen his lingering thoughts of her. You left Bae. You are a monster! Leave the thing alone and move on!
"SHE IS NOT A THING!" he screams. In fact, in his heart, he knew that she was his only hope. She is not hope! She is a child messing around with someone who could kill her! You aren't a babysitter! Kill her before she ruins you! He runs upstairs to his spinning wheel but nothing helps. He had to make a decision. Either he was on her side or he finished the process that had been taking over his mind and heart for the past three hundred years. "No," he says, shaking his head. "I can not become completely dark. I must find my son. I must accept the girl." With this decision he gets up off the spinning wheel and listens for her. He hears crying and teleports to her room, invisible. The demons were right. He couldn't babysit her. He didn't want to anyways. Her father is standing by her bed with her books in his hand as she cries, sitting on the bed.
"I told you not to ruin your dresses, and you disobey. I tell you to listen to Gaston, and you disobey. I tell you not to run, or read in public and you disobey!" he yells. "Can you do nothing!" he yells.
"Daddy, I told you, Gaston is mean. He doesn't listen to me, ever," she says. "And I want to play with the other girls, but they won't play with me because of my dresses." He walks over to the door.
"Stay in your room until lunchtime tomorrow. And you may not read, or play, or go anywhere until I tell you to. That should give you plenty of time to think about what you have done," he says. "I can't have my reputation ruined because of your disobedience. I expect to see a different, real, princess tomorrow." With that he walks out, closing the door behind him. She lays back on her sheets, quietly, sniffling every now and then. She grabs her stuffed animals and quietly has little conversations with them. He watches her, glad she didn't know of his presence. Surely she would be terrified. He dozes off, leaning against the wall.
A bat hits the window, jerking him awake. It was two-o clock in the morning and he fallen asleep. He looks over, hearing her soft little breaths. She had fallen asleep, her stuffed elephant tucked under her arm and her dog propping her head up. He carefully picks her up, the way he did Bae, and places her under her sheets. She rolls over, mumbling in her sleep. Stop it Rumpelstiltskin! You are giving yourself a weakness! You are a coward! His thoughts continue to haunt him as he watches her. Don't give this girl your sympathy! Bae would be ashamed if he saw you distracted like this. But he knew that wasn't true. Bae had invited several strangers into their house before he had turned into the dark one. He teleports back to the Dark castle and spins, trying to ignore the demons that constantly haunted him. The girl was his last hope.
&/&
"I will get you Gaston!" she yells across the street. "I hate you!" She digs a little hole and buries the dead sparrow she had been trying to help. When Gaston had seen her carrying it home, he had grabbed it from her, breaking its neck. You are ridiculous. He had said. Don't waste your time helping these annoying little pip squeaks! You are such a naughty little thing. Tears stream down her face at the innocent birds death. She gathers flowers, and places them on top of the grave. She didn't care what everybody else thought. It had been two months since she had seen the strange man and ever since then, Gaston had been seeking out ways to make her miserable. He had just turned fourteen, and she was only eight; however, she would be nine in six months. She grabs her book and runs into the forest. The cave was a very special place for her, just about the only place where her daddy or Gaston wouldn't come take her books. Plus, her mother used to take her here on picnics before she got sick.
&/&
It had been a few weeks since he had checked on the little girl. She was brave, challenging Gaston who was a giant compared to her. Even though he hated how that wretched boy treated her like trash, he didn't want to be in her life any more then he was now. She was young, to young to be dealing with a monster like him. He didn't deserve a second chance anyways.
It was almost lunch time so he figured when he teleported to her this afternoon she would be eating lunch. He disappears in a cloud of smoke, surprised to find her in the forest again. Since her father had forbidden her to go their she had avoided it. And it was raining again. He sees her in the distance and makes himself invisible as he walks closer. What was she doing? She twirls, her dress poofing around her. Was she dancing? In this horrid weather? He sits on a log and watches her run around, dancing. She holds her elephant in her hands and spins with her invisible prince. She was a lonely one. Without siblings and the town siding with Gaston she seemed to make up a lot of her own games, most of them stemming off the books she had read. He had been an only child to, the difference being that he was poor and under the care of old maids who forced him to spin daily. Any imagination he had before was hidden away, under the creaking wheel and thick straw. Suddenly, a clap of thunder sends her running into to the cave. He follows her, noticing scratch marks on the left wall of the cave. He watches her take out the knife he had left, scratching another line. He counts them, and realizes they represented the days that had passed since he had seen her last. Or, since she had seen him. He had seen her many times since then but, did she miss him? No, his mind screams. You only knew her for ten minutes. Nobody misses you! Nobody can love the wicked thing you have become! He shakes his head, wishing the thoughts to go.
"I wish he would come back," he hears behind him. He turns around, and notices her setting up her stuffed dog and elephant and picking up a book. "He was nice. I liked his eyes," she says. He growls quietly. Seriously? He was a demon. "and everyone doesn't understand him, like me. I bet he reads a lot." she says. "Because that's what I do when nobody wants to play." He never read actually. Unless he was making a new potion. This was the first time he had ever heard her mention him. Usually, she talked about Gaston, or about her books. "Rumpelstiltskin," someone calls. He answers, eager to get away. She could never like someone like him. He finds himself in a room in her castle. The king had called. He couldn't stand him. So self centered and always scolding his daughter for acting her age. Ridiculous.
"What do you want dearie? Riches, gold? Name it and maybe I won't kill you," he says. The king looks at him. His face held great sorrow.
"My wife," he says. "She died. And I want her back. Raise her from the dead and I will give you whatever you wish," he says. Rumpelstiltskin is shocked. Isabelle's mother had been her only source of true comfort. Her only friend. How could that be taken from her? He shoves the thought aside, focused on the deal.
"I can not raise people from the dead, dearie," he says. He grabs the kings jaw and stares straight into his eyes. "Next time, call for something a little more reasonable." He disappears when he hears Isabelle enter the room. Her father sends her away, telling her he needed to be alone.
"I will be back before night falls. Before then, go read or do whatever you always do in your spare time." She walks out and he watches her head to her mothers room. She held flowers in her hand, and was overjoyed to show her mother what had been growing around the cave. He watches in agony, each little step bringing her closer to the horrifying discovery. He couldn't appear now just to tell her that her mother died? Who does that? But if she saw the corpse she would be scarred. Finally, he makes his decision. He stands behind her and softly calls her name, trying not to startle her.
"Isabelle," he says. She whips around and looks up at him, smiling.
"I knew you would come back," she says, giving him a big hug. He stiffens, wishing she wouldn't touch him. She was an innocent little girl, he didn't deserve her touch. He sighs, backing away. How could he tell her that he had appeared simply to tell her of her mothers death. She reaches for the door and he grabs her wrist. She looks at him, confused.
"I brought these flowers for my mother. I have to give them to her before she goes to tea," she says. "You can meet her if you want. She is really nice." He feels a lump forming in his throat. How could he tell her. He gets on one knee and looks down. She stands their silently, her brow furrowed. He looks back up at her crystal eyes.
"Your mother," he whispers. "Your mother is dead." She looks at him, tears starting to form.
"She's not coming back, is she," she says shaking her head. He stands up.
"No, Isabelle. She's gone." She looks at the door and back at him and runs to her room. It was just like Bae. He had to do this all over again. When he had told him of his mothers death, he had been devastated, mourning for days. They grew close over that time. He missed his son more then anything else in the world. He walks into her room and finds her curled in a little ball, crying into her stuffed dogs fur. He wanted to be their for her, tell her everything was going to be fine but he knew that was wrong. He turns invisible as her father walks into the room and sits on her bed. She sits up, looking at him.
"Mommy died," she says. "Why didn't you tell me?" The father sighs, placing his hand on top of his daughters.
"Who told you?" he asks.
"The strange man I saw on the road. He didn't want to daddy. Please don't hurt him," she pleads. The man gives his daughter a hug.
"I won't hurt him. What does he look like though? I would like to meet him." She pauses, more tears falling.
"He has silky gray hair and bright yellow eyes. And he is tall, almost as tall as you!," she says. "And his skin is gray and he wears really awesome clothes. If I see him again I will tell him who you are and maybe we can all play together." The king stands up quickly, ripping out of his daughters grip.
"That is no man!" he yells. "Stay away from him! He is a monster!" She begins sobbing again.
"But daddy, he is my only friend. He came to visit today for the first time and I miss him sometimes. He is lonely, like me." The father scoffs at the remark.
"If I ever catch you anywhere near him, you will be severely punished." He goes out, slamming the door. Rumpelstiltskin stands their, disgusted. How could he treat his daughter this way! He should be holding her, comforting her, being the father she needed. This isn't your job, his mind screams. Leave her alone. Her father is right. Demons like you should be fleeing from her presence.
He watches as she opens her window and climbs down a vine, running through the forest. It was dark and he follows her. Unable to see, she passes the cave, collapsing over a branch. She gets on her knees and sobs, praying to the gods that they bring her mother back.
"Mommy, you said you would stay," she cries. "Please come back home. Please." she whispers. Even he sheds some tears, not for the mother, but for the precious soul weeping before him. After half an hour she stands up hugging her dog to her chest. Her beautiful locks of hair are gnarled and crowd around her tear stained face. She looks around and shivers in the cold. He disposes of the invisibility spell. He stood a few feet away, leaning against a tree. She simply stands their, her head down, her stuffed dog the only comfort she had left.
"Isabelle," he whispers. She lifts her head. "Isabelle," he calls again. "Come here." She turns her head in his direction and walks towards him. His heart skips a beat, never understanding why she continued to come back and want him. Nobody wanted him. But for now, the demons were silent and he felt like a man again. She stares at him.
"Can you be my friend?" she whispers. He reaches down and picks her up. She wraps her arms around his neck and lays her head on his shoulder.
"Yes, Isabelle. As long as you will have me." She nods her head and closes her eyes. He teleports them to her room and puts her down. With a flick of his hand she is in her nightgown. She gasps.
"How did you do that?" she asks.
"Magic dearie." He tucks her into bed and disappears in a cloud purple smoke. He can barely hear the last words she utters before she falls asleep but they echo in his mind all the same.
"Thank you." she whispers. Rumple goes into another night of dealing, with peace, because he had been given a second chance.
Please review! I hope you have enjoyed the story so far! There will be more chapters.