A/N - Prompted by ouatauburngirl for the Rumbelle Secret Santa on Tumblr :) I hope you like it! Please leave some feedback.
Happy holidays!
Rachel xxx
Belle wiped the remnants of flour on her apron and sat down by the roaring fire to warm herself. The Dark Castle was a cold place at best, and when winter had hit with a vengeance, it was absolutely freezing. She curled up on the armchair, wrapping her arms around herself. It wouldn't surprise her if there were a couple of icicles forming in some old forgotten room. Of course, the castle was so huge that it was near impossible to search everywhere and the thought of keeping the whole building warm was unbearable. Thankfully, Rumplestiltskin didn't seem to feel any temperature, so she only had to worry about warming herself.
With a slight shiver, she moved away from the heavenly fire and removed the bread from the oven. It smelled delicious and she couldn't suppress the grin that tugged on her lips. She'd been the Dark One's maid for over three months now and yet every time she baked successfully it was a proud moment. She'd lived such a privileged, enclosed life as a future duchess and only ever read and sang and danced and learned etiquette. She hated to think of how she'd taken the servants for granted all of her life. A stupid, spoiled, entitled child…
"For me?" Belle asked in surprise, setting the porcelain teapot down on the table.
"Why, yes, dearie," responded Rumplestiltskin, amused.
"But why?" questioned Belle, correcting herself quickly "N-not that I am ungrateful, sir."
The last display of kindness from her master had been her own bedroom and her prized library, perhaps the only thing that made this new life bearable. The remainder of the time, he had been coldly courteously to her, locking himself in his tower for days on end. And that was when he was in the castle. He was away so often, doing things that Belle had no care to think about. She had developed a routine in the first few weeks, when she'd realised that Rumple was not as beastly as many believed – cooking, cleaning, reading and sleeping. She couldn't believe he was given her a gift.
"Your hard work here has not gone unnoticed."
Belle was surprised by this. He'd never shown an interest in her before. She had always wondered why he chose her in bargain.
"Winter is a very special time in the village, I hear. I thought you might enjoy a short visit."
"Really!" exclaimed Belle, launching herself at him.
"Yes, yes," he said, rather impatient "The carriage awaits."
"Oh, of course, Rumplestiltskin. I'm so sorry… My behaviour, was not proper."
"Dearie, hadn't you better change first?" he responded, mockingly "Good staff are hard to come by. I would hate if you caught your death of cold."
"I-I have nothing else."
"Pardon me, my lady. I had this made for you."
Rumple handed the wrapped cloak to her. In her excitement she had forgotten about his gift to her. She accepted it happily, noting that it was folded neatly. She blushed. Rumple coughed.
"I'll leave you to ready yourself," he said "The carriage leaves in a quarter of an hour. Do not be late. It will not wait for you."
The imp vanished with a tinkling laugh.
"Thank you!" called Belle, hastily, before unfolding the bundle in her arms. She was not used to such fine material; not since she made her sacrifice. A lifetime away… It was undeniably beautiful, deep purple with a swirling gold pattern. The cotton promised warmth and when she saw the fur had a lining, she smiled. So he did care about her. For the Dark One, he had remarkably good taste. She turned the cloak over in her hands before abruptly recalling her strict timeline and thundering up the stairs in a most unladylike manner.
"Ah, Cinderella arrives," said Rumple from the carriage, unabashedly staring as she descended the front steps. She was too engrossed in holding up the skirts of her golden dress to avoid tripping, to notice.
As she walked, slowly and carefully, her foot met ice and she felt herself tumbling down. Seconds later, when there was no impact, she opened her tightly closed eyes and found herself staring up at the scaled face of her unlikely saviour. Rumplestiltskin's eyes seemed to glow golden in the harsh winter light and as she realised she was staring, she felt her cheeks heat up.
"Careful, my lady," he said with all the chivalry of her noble betrothed. He set her down on the ground gently, ensuring that she was not off balance. "Those shoes are awfully impractical."
With a wave of his hand, a cloud of purple engulfed her and when it cleared, she looked at her feet and saw that the previous impractical golden slippers had been transformed into black boots that climbed halfway to her knee and were laced up with intricate gold laces.
"Thank you, Rumple," she said, breathy with excitement.
"You're welcome, Belle," he responded.
The duchess blushed even more deeply, hiding it behind her curtain of caramel hair. It was the first time her master had called her by her forename. She had no idea why that small thing brightened her spirits even more than the prospect of a trip into the town.
"Shall we?" he asked, allowing her to take his arm as they walked to the lavish carriage.
The carriage journey passed in a blur of white fields and blue skies. Belle was content to stare out of the window to watch the stunning scenery pass by, resulting in a mostly comfortable, slightly awkward silence. Once, Belle had snuck a peek at him out of curiosity, and saw him sitting with his back ramrod straight and his hands clasped tightly in front of him, staring straight ahead unseeingly. He'd seemed so far away…
With a jolt, the carriage came to a rather abrupt halt and Belle was ripped from her daydream. She tied the cord at her throat to keep her new cloak snug against her shoulders and rearranged her hair as best she could without a mirror, suddenly feeling self-conscious. It had been months since she'd seen another living soul and now she began to panic that she would make a total fool of herself.
"I had thought we would actually get out of the carriage. But, if you would prefer to sit here then you are more than welcome to," came Rumple's high-pitched voice.
"I'm coming!" she said, like an excited child.
Belle accepted his hand to step down, not wanting to risk another slip. It was strangely soft and warm to the touch, despite the rest of his cold skin.
"The townsfolk will gawk at you, dearie. It's not every day they see a pretty young girl walk willingly with the Dark One."
As they walked, Belle thought back on that statement. It was said in a mocking way, yet she felt a sudden sadness that he should think of himself that way. He'd never been absolutely despicable to her, ever since the Robin Hood incident. Perhaps he was changing, like she'd always believed he could. This whole outing was surely a sign of it.
"Well, I would gladly walk with you, Rumplestiltskin," she said, squeezing his hand briefly "You're not a monster."
"Oh, but I am, dearie," he responded, taken aback "I'm the creature hiding in the shadows."
Belle hid her smile as he ended his sentence with a childish giggle. Its purpose was to frighten her away, to stop her getting too close to him. Instead, it made her want to try harder to see past the beast and be a friend to him, even if he had technically kept her prisoner.
The town was silently, eerily so, as they entered. Belle was a bundle of nerves once more but she needn't have been. There were people lining the streets, all with their heads bowed in respect for their lord's arrival. All stalls had been abandoned but the fires still crackled and the sweet scent of spiced apple cider filled her nostrils.
"Rise, please," she said, quickly, becoming uncomfortable with their unnatural welcome.
A few of the young children rose and smiled with their gap teeth, clearly in awe of her, but the majority stayed in position, as if they were frozen.
"Do as the lady says," ordered Rumple, after receiving Belle's pointed look.
The transformation was so sudden that it made her feel slightly dizzy and her self-consciousness returned with a vendetta as all eyes fell on her, scrutinising her. A few of the braver ones scurried back to their respective stalls, keen to earn the money they needed to support their families.
"We welcome you humbly, my lady," said a girl no more than fifteen, dipping into a curtsy in front of her "Lord Rumplestitlskin, we were not expecting a visit from you. We apologise…"
"Yes, yes," he said, brushing her off and turning to address the crowd "This is Lady Belle and she is under my protection. She is to be treated with the utmost respect as befitting someone of her station. If any harm is to befall her, I shall be very angry indeed."
There was a chorus of "yes, my lord" and then work resumed, leaving Belle standing at the Dark One's side, feeling deeply uncomfortable.
Belle wandered down the narrow street, breathing in the fresh air and looking around her in amazement. She clutched the bag of gold coins that Rumple had given her, although she was confident that nobody would dare to steal from her and incur the wrath of their lord. He had left her with strict instructions to stay on the main streets where the winter market was and to meet him by the lake in two hours. She had thought that more than fair and promptly agreed, not having time to protest as he thrust the money towards her and disappeared.
The new cloak felt heavy on her shoulders and she was beginning to feel weary. Perhaps because she hadn't walked so much since her time in the castle… A particularly appealing stall selling warm beverages caught her eye and she felt drawn to it. The old lady there smiled brightly at her and began to list everything she had on sale. In the end, Belle selected a cup of mulled wine and some oat biscuits, sitting down on a rock and enjoying the warmth that was slowly spreading through her. It was nice, to be free of the confines of the stuffy castle. And however much she found herself enjoying the hard work of cleaning and cooking, it was great to have a day off to relax and enjoy herself.
After her snack, she felt her strength return along with a new eagerness to explore and learn about these people and their culture. She was, after all, going to live next door to them for the rest of her life. Where to first, she thought.