Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time. As a fellow author once stated... if I did, There would be a lot more Mr. Gold in it!
This is AU, but the setting starts in the show as we know it after Belle goes to Rumpelstiltskin's castle, but before anything of great significance happens (ie. Gaston, temper tantrums, kissing)
Belle didn't mind cleaning Ru's furniture. His dishes. His clothes. It got awfully lonely in the dark castle when he was gone, and knowing that what she was doing was for him made it a little less so. There was nothing she could do to leave the grounds of her own accord... the magic held her, and only he could grant her leave. Even so, she was shooed off to some corner of the castle whenever he was expecting visitors. Whether to keep them from seeing her, or vice versa, she don't know. The result was the same. Belle hadn't seen another person besides Ru for many months. Which is why, while cleaning just outside the main entrance room, she was so surprised to hear the doors suddenly crash open.
"She stole the curse from me! I couldn't stop her... and I'm positive she actually means to use it."
Belle froze, hands stilled on the vase she was polishing. A woman's voice. She paused with breath held, awaiting the response. She knew her master was already in the room just beyond these doors, and was fairly certain she wasn't supposed to be overhearing this.
"I know."
She paused. Not sure if she should stay and listen, or turn back. After a moment she made the decision to stay. Leaning closer against the door, she took in the conversation that proceeded.
She chose to stay.
It was a choice that would change everyone's fate.
"I warned her about enacting that curse. I don't know why or how you even made it. Nasty piece of work." The woman let out a huff of breath.
A pause. "And what, exactly, do you expect me to do, dearie?" He asked in a bored tone.
The woman sputtered. "If she casts that spell successfully, it's going to be the end of all of us! Even you."
"Is that so?" Amusement.
"Tell me how to stop her."
"Tsk... you forgot the magic word."
"...Please."
A longer pause. "Very well. I will tell you how to stop the Queen... but you know I never give anything away for free."
"...I know."
Giggles. "Then hear me! The price of me telling you how to stop the Queen... is that you agree not to act upon what I tell you."
"WHAT? What is the point of that! I came here to find out how to stop her so that I could do it. I'm warning you, Rumpelstiltskin... if you're playing some kind of game..."
"No games, dearie. Just the usual deals. Now, you have a choice. You can either walk out of here empty handed after coming All. This. Way. Or... you can walk out of here with two things... the knowledge you seek, and a keener feeling of ineffectualness than you came in with."
"This is ridiculous."
"Do we have a deal?"
"Ask for something else."
"The door is right there, dearie. Feel free to show yourself out."
The silence stretched on. Belle could almost feel the woman's glare. Finally, she bit out "Fine. Tell me. I promise not to act on what you say."
He replied, a smile in his voice. "You know the magic will hold you to your word. But don't worry, you won't have to hold this secret back for very long." The woman snarled at him. He only giggled in response.
"To stop the Queen, you need to break the curse before it spreads in the same way it will be cast: with the sacrifice of the life of someone important to you."
"Stopping dark magic with dark magic? I know a thing or two about spells and that often tends to backfire."
He made a noncommittal noise. "Oh well I suppose you must be right. I only made the spell, but I'm sure you know much better."
Another huff. "Speak, then. Tell me everything about stopping the spell. I might not be able to do anything... but we made a deal."
"Indeed!" a chuckle "The Queen will sacrifice the heart of her father..."
A gasp. "No..."
"...she will take the heart to the center of the forest near her castle. Where the crossroads of old magic lay. Her servants will all offer a piece of themselves up to her to burn. You would need both of these things to nullify the spell. They must be thrown into the beginnings of the curse just as it is born."
"And this will stop it?"
"More or less."
The woman sighed deeply. "You should let me try."
The imp giggled again. "Indeed. Why, you could rescue all of your family and friends from the clutches of the curse. Oh, wait, you've quite managed to free yourself from those sort of obligations during your years of witch hood, have you not?"
"...she was my only friend. Even now. I would have still tried to save her."
"Ah. Too bad, isn't it? Off you go then. Say hello to your pet for me."
Hesitation. Then, the footsteps of the witch began to shuffle towards the door.
"I don't know what purpose letting this happen serves for you, Rumpelstiltskin. But I hope you're happy with your choice." The door swung shut gently as she exited.
Belle knew her imp might be leaving the main room soon, so she drew back and quietly made her way away; so many new questions burning in her mind.
What curse was the witch talking about? Who was she? And who was this Queen? From what she was saying, it seemed like the curse would destroy everyone in the lands...
And Ru wanted this to happen?
"No." Belle spoke out loud to no one in particular. She couldn't hold it in.
She knew she wasn't supposed to have been eavesdropping, but decided that she had to ask him about it anyways. Ru might not answer her, but she had to try.
But the next night, however, he disappeared.
Days went by with no word from him. It was highly irregular. He would usually tell her when he was leaving, and for how long. Belle finally allowed herself to think that something might really be wrong. Ru never seemed to be afraid of anything. Nothing concerning the trips he took and the deals he made, in any case. He always kept his main workshop locked, but she wondered if maybe there was something in there that might help her contact him.
She took the hallway to the west wing of his castle, and up the stairs toward a large door with an ornate lion handle. It was a door she had tried before while cleaning. When asked about it, he said it was his spell room and that she should stay out for her own good. Belle was afraid it would be just as locked now. And equally afraid it wouldn't be. The door clicked open easily. Too easily. As if it were letting her in. As if the magic protecting it had failed.
She pushed the door open wide, revealing a staircase to the light of the candle she carried. It led up to a platform that was the center of a large, circular room. A window at the far end of the room overlooked the road and some of the gardens. She used to notice him watching her from it when she would tend the roses in them. Roses he made her. Happy memories. He would always pretend he was either watching to make sure she wasn't trying to escape, or that he was merely taking in the sight of the clouds. Both lies. But she loved him for it.
She went quickly to work searching his desk. His shelves. Most of the writings were in a language she couldn't read. Some words swirled on the page, not seeming to be in any language at all. She was worried her search would be pointless, until she saw something glimmer out of the corner of her eye. Perched on the edge of a table hidden in the shadow was a small hand mirror. Bright silver. It seemed to spark with energy. Not visibly, but she could feel it course through her when she laid her hand to it. It was so strange; Ru covered all the mirrors in the castle. And here, in his most private room, was one that looked like it was there to be used.
Taking for granted that objects had no sentience was a luxury Belle had lost within the first two weeks of working in the dark castle. She didn't know what this mirror could do, but thought that it never hurt to ask.
"Please... show me your power."
The mirror swirled. Appeared misty, like looking through a dream. The scene she saw play out before her had to be a memory. It was Rumpelstiltskin. In this very room, holding the object she now held. He spoke to it.
~"Show me the girl."~
She watched as a vision of herself swirled in the image of the mirror he held. It must have been on her first night here. It showed her in her dungeon room, crying. She remembered clearly those first few nights.
Belle blushed deeply. He had been using this mirror to watch her? She wondered how often he would have done so, and what he might have caught her doing.
The Rumpelstiltskin image watched for a few moments, then placed the mirror face down on the table, as he walked away.
Belle shook her head. She could contemplate this latest development later... for now, she knew how the mirror worked and how to use it. She held it up in front of her once again.
"Show me Rumpelstiltskin."
This time the image the glass displayed was clear. As though she were looking through a window instead of seeing a vision. A dark dungeon, with torches lining the walls. One cage lined with bars like teeth took up the far side of the room at the end of a long hallway. In the corner was a figure with a familiar green cast to his skin. He looked up.
"Ru..." Her voice was a whisper. How had this happened?
"Mirror, show me how he was trapped."
The glass again took on a misty quality. The difference between the past and the present.A difference scene played out before her this time. Ru was talking to another girl about a deal for her child. She wanted to sell him another, and to sign a contract. He took a red plumbed quill, signed the paper he had taken from her, and was frozen; though he didn't seem to be particularly worried or surprised about the fact. He knew what was going to happen.
Why didn't he tell me?
"Show me Rumpelstiltskin."
The mirror shimmered again and showed her the room Rumpelstiltskin was trapped in. He was clutching the bars, face pressed to them. He called her name.
~"Belle?"~
Belle let out a gasp. He could sense her.
~"Belle. I can feel you watching."~ His voice softened. ~"Whatever you do Belle. Don't come here."~ He paused, a struggle evident on his features. "~Go home, Belle. Take the carpet, and go visit your family one last time. None of us have much longer to live in this world..."~ The echo of footsteps came through the mirror. An inner turmoil seemed to pass over the goblin-like man's features.
~"I free you, Belle. Go home."~ He snapped his fingers and the image in the mirror went dark and she felt the power die. It startled her so much she nearly dropped it.
"Show me Rumpelstiltskin."
Nothing.
"Show me Rumpelstiltskin, damn you!"
Nothing.
She sank to the floor, the coldness of the stones biting into her skin, but she hardly noticed. Ru was trapped. And he didn't want her to come there. He'd set her free.
It all seemed so sudden. Belle didn't know what to think at first.
He wanted her to leave. To go home. He'd said none of them had long to live. She sat there for a few minutes...or hours, lost track of time. Lost in thoughts of the possibility of going home and what prompted him to give her the opportunity. Then her mind went back to that conversation she'd heard between him and the witch days ago.
"If she casts that spell successfully, it's going to be the end of all of us! Even you."
She slowly got up off the floor, clutching the dead mirror, and made her way down the stairs. Two flights below the main floor were the storage rooms. Boxed and kept away from the sunlight were countless treasures from many lands. They would put any king's paltry collection to shame. She would know, she'd seen a king's treasure too. She found what she was looking for, wrapped up tightly in the corner, and carried it back up the stairs into the center garden, which was glowing faintly under the starlight.
She unrolled the item onto the grass, and whispered to it.
"Carpet."
The carpet came to life in front of her, stretching itself out as if waking up from a long sleep. It looked up at her attentively.
No one decides my fate but me. I don't have to stay here, but I'm not going to go home.
"Take me to the Queen's castle."
Fortunately, Carpet seemed to know the way. They flew for what seemed like days, but she knew it to be only one going by the sun. Belle wanted to hurry, but had to stop several times. She was hungry, and it was so cold, flying on the carpet, even with a cape.
She had no idea what the Queen's lands looked like, but once they started getting close she could sense it. A darkness seemed to cover the ground. It was like the land was holding it's breath.
"Carpet... I need to go to the center of the Queen's woods, where the old magic is. But... we shouldn't be seen. Can we fly lower?"
Carpet never could speak, but it veered off to the right, descended and she could only assume it knew where it was going. Belle's biggest problem was what to do if she found the place the witch had spoken about?
Ru had told the woman that the only way to nullify the curse was by using the same...ingredients...this Queen was using to cast it. A life. And the offering of a servant. A life she had - a life she'd already given up once to save her family and friends. Now, she would just do it again for them, plus another. The servant part... she was a servant. But she was already playing a role in this ceremony. She glanced down at Carpet as they swooped down for a landing in a small clearing deep in the woods. Maybe he counted as a servant of sorts.
She climbed down onto the ground, rubbing the cold from her limbs. It felt urgent that she find the place where this curse was going to happen, even though she had no indication of when the Queen might be activating it. She knelt down in front of the little rug that had flown all day and night.
"Carpet... I need something from you." It lifted it's 'face' in an inquiring manner.
"I'm going into the forest to try to stop something... really bad from happening. If you could give me... a thread from your weave, it might help me do this." She wasn't sure what a thread was to a magic carpet. Was it like a hair? Or a finger? Belle wasn't sure what she was asking for, but hoped it wasn't too much.
The carpet didn't hesitate however, as it plucked a string from itself with one of the tassels that it used as hands, and lifted it up to her. She sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Carpet." There were tears in her eyes. From relief, fear, or gratitude she didn't know, but she embraced the little rug tightly. It was the last thing she was going to be able to say goodbye to.
She stood, wiping her eyes. "I have to go now. Goodbye." She began to walk towards the direction they were flying earlier. She looked back towards the carpet, only to see it hovering at her heels.
"No, Carpet. You have to go back to the castle." It shook its head.
"Carpet, this could be dangerous. I... I know what I'm doing." She really hoped she did. "But I don't want you to get hurt just by being too near" It crossed it's 'arms', looking quite as stubborn as any human or beast Belle had ever met.
She stared down at it for a few moments. It's a flying carpet... maybe it could just fly away if any danger presented itself. She didn't really want to go deep into the woods alone. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake.
"Alright, come along if you must." The carpet wiggled in excitement, flying itself in a tight loop around her before settling back at her feet. She couldn't stop a slight giggle, and suddenly the task in front of her didn't seem quite as frightening as a moment ago.
She walked for hours, the thick underbrush making progress slow, with Carpet leading the way. She was glad it'd stayed. It would probably be far too easy to get turned around in this forest with her abysmal sense of direction.
Almost without warning the obstacles cleared. The tree became more spaced out. They were barely trees. No leaves. Just twisted, dead trunks spotting the landscape. She spied a copse of them not far away. Carpet was already going in that direction, and Belle followed. As they got closer, she slowed their approach. She didn't know what was up ahead. She couldn't hear anything, and it was daylight at the moment. If anyone was over there, moving around... they would probably be able to see them. Probably.
The tree ghosts were surrounding a circle of large rocks, with a fire pit in the center, the cold remains of ash filling it.
She wasn't really sure what to do next. If the curse had already been cast, certainly there would have been some sign of it. However, besides just being extremely disturbed by the general landscape, Belle didn't feel any different.
"Looks like all we can do is hide and wait."
She looked among the stones and found one that overlapped to form a shallow cave. It gave her a good view of the circle, and would provide a hiding spot from anyone walking up. She got down on my hands and knees and crawled inside. Carpet floated in after and wrapped itself around her . It was cold, and getting colder. She intended to keep watch. But the days of worry and travel and walking had finally caught up at last.
She fell asleep.
She awoke to something shaking her. She was confused. It was dark, and at first she didn't know where she was. Then she felt panicked.
I fell asleep. I didn't keep watch!The Queen could have come and gone already!
Slowly, she realized that it was Carpet shaking her awake, though. And as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the faint glow of flame filtering into the cave. She looked over at Carpet, who was miming with its 'hand' to be quiet.
Belle stretched her arms to work some of the stiffness out, then pulled herself forward as quietly as possible through the gap in the rock, until the woman standing by the fire came into view. No one else was with her. Good. The woman's back was to Belle. She thought she could get out of the cave and stay hidden without her noticing.
This had to be the moment. Belle had to be in a position to act fast. She tried not to think about what she had to do.
Belle leaned down and whispered very softly into the plush edge of the carpet.
"Distract her. Right after she casts the spell."
The thought occurred to her in that moment that maybe she could stop the witch before she even raised the curse. But she was a dark and powerful witch, and she was... well, just Belle. She didn't even have a weapon. Just a heart that wanted to save those she loved.
The woman's dark silhouette reached into her cape and pulled out something small and pink.
A heart.
She threw it into the fire that was burning. A dark smoke began to rise from the flame, completely blocking them from view. She had to act now.
The sound of rocks falling just outside the circle made the Queen turn sharply to her left, away from the girl hidden by the rocks.
"Who is there!" She stepped away from the fire.
Belle stepped away from the shelter of the rock, clutching the thread from Carpet to her chest.
Do the brave thing and bravery would follow. Guess she wouldn't have the chance to test the second part of that statement. She was going to die here. Tonight.
It was worth it.
Please...let my friends and family be safe. Give everyone their happy endings back. Especially...
Thoughts of Ru flooded her mind as she stepped forward into the dark cloud that was consuming the small clearing they were in. She turned back towards the woman, who was now facing Belle, a horrified look on her face.
"NO!" the witch reached towards her.
It was the last thing Belle saw.
