Gold-colored Curtains
(A/N) This was done for the Rumbelle secret Santa on Tumblr and this year I had AlliSquish.
She had prompt; dried flowers, mint, purple, curtains.
Sorry that I do not have a better title.
Also a big thanks to my Beta for looking all of this over and helping me out!
Chapter One
Belle let out a sad sigh.
Her favorite golden dress, the one she wore when she met Rumpelstiltskin, looked like a rag.
The skirt had been ripped and torn, and the bodice soiled. Now she wished she had asked Rumpelstiltskin for a new dress sooner, so this one could have been saved.
She loved her golden dress and was sad that she would not be able to mend it. She had tried, more than once, but now there was no hope.
Rumpelstiltskin had told her to throw the dress out or rip it into rags for her to use when cleaning. But Belle could not do that.
With care, she folded the dress and placed it in the wardrobe, remembering when her mother and father had given it to her on her birthday last year.
Her birthday...
In two weeks she'll be another year older. This year she would not be with her friends and family to celebrity. Her mother always threw her a ball, with closes friends, family and a big cake.
Her best friend and maid always made her a dried flower crown for her to wear.
Once the dress was put away, Belle ran her fingers down her new dress, one that Rumpelstiltskin had given her to wear.
A simple blue dress, one that would be easier to clean. She wished she had a mirror, so she could see how she looked. But since Rumpelstiltskin did not allow mirrors in his castle, she would just have to hope that she looked well.
OOO
Rumpelstiltskin hid his smile when he saw Belle enter the main room with the tea tray. He was right about the dress; it did look lovely on her. Blue was Belle's color (beside that gold one she owned).
Well he could not have his help looking like a mess. What if he had company over, and they saw her in that ripped dress, what would they think? That he treated her badly.
No, his helped needed to look her best. That was one of the many reasons he told himself over and over why he had given her a bedroom, a soft bed to sleep in, with soft blanks and fluffy pillows. So she would wake up feeling refreshed and looking like she had a good night's rest.
"Good morning, Rumpel. I hope you slept well?" Belle asked as she sat the tray down on the table and poured some tea in his chipped cup.
"I have not slept well in over 300 years," he grumbled, looking away from her.
Belle smiled as she sat his tea down next to him. "Well I guess that explains your bad mood then."
Rumpelstiltskin frowned at her. "Go clean something," he ordered her. "You are wasting day light standing around and talking my ear off."
Belle shook her head and giggled. "As you wish. By the way, thank you for the new dress. I like it very much." she held both edges of her skirt and gave him a small curtsy.
Rumpelstiltskin waved her off. "Yes, yes you look lovely. Now, go clean and leave me be."
When the doors shut, letting Rumpelstiltskin know that he was now alone; he picked up his tea chipped cup and took his tea in one gulp. He would have to try his best not to look at Belle today. That dress looked too good on her.
000
It was about midday when Belle finished the dusting in one of the hallways. As Rumpelstiltskin liked to have his lunch early in the day and it was when she headed for the kitchen that she found something on the ground.
"What is this is," Belle bent down to pick up the dirty thing on the floor and shook of all the dust off it.
Once she was done shaking it out and coughing, from all the dust, she got a better look at it.
Curtains... Gold-colored curtains.
"It's lovely," Belle told herself, seeing how much there was. It was almost the same color gold used on her dress.
"I wonder," she sucked on her bottom lip, thinking that she could make herself a new golden dress out of these curtains. They were not being used and who knew how long they had been on the floor. Years, maybe.
She gathered up the rest of the curtain in her arms and took them to the washing room. "I'll ask Rumpelstiltskin first before I start planning this new dress," she said once again told herself. "After lunch, I'll plan to come back and wash them. If I get started soon, I could have a new dress for my birthday."
Rumpelstiltskin sat at the table, tapping his fingers on one hand and holding his face in the other. And he waited.
"Sorry, for being a little late," Belle apologized as she walked over to him, with two bowls of soup on a tray. She had already put the tea kettle next to the fire, so it would be ready when Rumpelstiltskin finished with his food.
"You will not like what will happen if you are late with my food again," Rumpelstiltskin warned as Belle sat his bowl in front of him. Rumpelstiltskin sniffed it. "Hazelnut," he sighed as he grabbed his spoon and began to eat.
Belle smiled as she sat down to join him. Rumpelstiltskin loved hazelnut soup and she wanted him in a good mood for when she asked him about the curtains.
Slowly she slurped her soup and waited for him to finish.
"Belle, thank you for the wonderful meal, I don't know what I would do without you," Rumpelstiltskin said as he sat back in his chair making Belle blush.
"I'm glad you liked it. There is something that I would like to ask you."
She looked at him with her big blue eyes.
"Ask and I shall see if you will get it."
Belle smiled. "Today I found some old curtains, I was wondering if I could have them?"
Rumpelstiltskin raised an eyebrow at her. "What on earth you would want with some old curtains."
Belle was not sure if she wanted to tell Rumpelstiltskin about the dress she wanted to make out of them to wear on her birthday; she just hoped she could lie without him knowing.
"I just liked them."
Rumpelstiltskin, eyebrows still raised, studied her lovely face.
Most girls would ask for diamonds, jewelry, a new fancy dress, or shoes. But not Belle. Giving her a library made her happy. If she wanted old curtains, so be it.
"Do as you wish."
"Thank you, Rumpel." Belle stood up and went to get the tea ready.
After spending a good hour washing the curtains and hanging them to dry, Belle made her way to the library.
Since she had not made a dress herself, she wanted to find a book that she could use as a guide; Rumpelstiltskin had given so many books on almost everything she could wish to learn. She knew she saw one in the library a while ago about sewing.
It did not take her long to find it, so she crawled up in her chair and began to read. There were patterns for so many lovely dresses she could choose from, but she wanted to find just the right one, something easy for her to sew on. Not having her friend Zoe around, who helped lace up her dress; sewing would be difficult, but not impossible. Belle wanted something she can place in the front.
She also wanted one that Rumpelstiltskin would like... Since he would most likely be the only one to see her in it.
After flipping through the pages for a while, she had chosen the one. She marked the page with a ribbon and then she went to desk to write out a list of things she will need.
OoOoOoO
The dress was coming along great, Belle thought after cutting and pinning the curtains together. The last two nights, she stayed up late working on the dress, so it would be ready on her birthday.
Today Belle tried on the skirt.
It fit her like a glove, as she twirled around in it, holding to her waist, so it would not fall around her. Now she just needed to finish the bodice and her dress would be done and then, finally, the sleeves.
As she slipped out of the skirt, a thought plagued her. Earlier on she had notice lilac outside in the garden, if she went out and grater some now, she could hang them to dry and the day before her birthday, she could make a flower crown.
The process would not be the same since Zoe would not be the one making it. Every year on their birthdays, the two friends had always made each other a flower crown for their special day. It was a tradition started by Zoe when the two were just 10 and Zoe had first come to the castle with her mother for work.
Once she had the skirt place back on the mannequin, she put on her cloak and grabbed a basket.
The weather was a little chilly, Belle noticed, as she stepped outside. But she would not let the coldness stop her from picking the lovely purple flower. Beside it also felt good to breathe in the fresh air.
Belle gathered as much as she would need, then found some corn-cockle to add to her flower crown.
She looked at her half-filled basket and smiled. The purple flowers would make a lovely flower crown. But she needed another color with them; something to go with the purple.
Belle wandered around the castle garden until she found some Queen Lace growing.
"Perfect," Belle picked as much of the white flower as she needed then headed back inside, so she could get ribbon around the flowers and hang them to dry for a few days.
OOOO
Rumpelstiltskin entered the library, on a mission to find a book. Ever since Belle had begun living with him, he was reading more and more. Since Belle was not in the room, he looked at the pile of books she was reading, just so he would know.
Romance.
He was never a fan of romance novels like Belle was. "The Princess Bride," he said to himself as he flipped the book opened and began to read the first page.
With his nose still in the book, Rumpelstiltskin walked over to the window to sit on the ledge.
Something tickled the side of his face. Thinking it was just a cob web he brushed whatever it was aside.
But he still felt the tickle once he moved his hand down. Moving just his eyes, Rumpelstiltskin saw the purple lilac, tied with ribbon, hanging on the window.
"What in the worlds," he snatched the lilac and looked at it. "Why would she just hang this here?" he asked himself, "You would think she would put flowers in water…"
Then he noticed a few more were hanging long the window. Confused, Rumpelstiltskin stood up and looked around the room, counting all the purple and white flowers hanging by ribbon. "Why would she decorate a room like this? Would she not want beautiful flowers in a vase and not these weeds."
He wanted to rip the flowers down and replace them with roses or any other lovelier flowers that he could think of, but knowing Belle, she was an odd one. Maybe she had her reasons with these flowers. So Rumpelstiltskin let them be. He walked over to the Settee and stretched his legs out.
The day before her birthday, Belle had finally finished her dress and she loved it.
She tried it on and wished she could see herself in a mirror. But Rumpelstiltskin did not allow them. No matter how hard she tried to look for one in the castle. There was not even a small hand held one.
The skirt was long and flowing; it was fun to twirl in. She was glad that the shoulder straps stayed up and would not keep falling down. She was having a hard time getting that just right.
"I wonder what Rumpel would say once he sees me in this," she said to herself. She then let out a giggled. "What would Zoe say if she knew I had made a dress from old curtains." She ran her fingers over the dress as she looked down at it, happy with the work she had done. She still could not believe that she had made a dress herself.
Once she had her new golden dress off and safely put away, she was now back in her blue dress. She grabbed her basket to go find the flowers she left to dry so she could start her flower crown. She planned to sit near the fire with something sweet to eat and some tea as she worked.
Rumpelstiltskin had a busy day and all he wanted to do was spin.
He entered the main room and spotted Belle, sitting crossed legged in-front of the fire. As he neared closer, he noticed the same flowers that were hanging in the library were next to her.
"What on earth are you doing?"
Belle, surprised, looked over at him and blinked her eyes a few times at him. "I'm working on a flower crown," she held up the dried flowers she had laced together, showing him.
Rumpelstiltskin raised an eyebrow. "A flower crown?"
Belle nodded as she picked up another lilac and began to lace it in. "Every year on my birthday my friend Zoe would make me a crown made with dried flowers and I would do the same on her birthday," Belle told him as she picked up a Queen Lace and laced it.
"So is it your friend's birthday soon?"
Belle shook her head. "No, it's mine... Tomorrow," she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Oh, I see."
Belle stopped her work. "My mother always held a ball on my birthday and last year I was given that golden dress I wore when I arrived here."
Rumpelstiltskin felt a little down now that Belle had a dirty dress. He knew about her mother dying during the Ogre's War, in an attempt to save her. Belle had spoken about her a few times during their meals and how her mother was the reason Belle loved books.
Belle let out a sigh. "This year will be so different. I won't be with my family or friends. I know my mother is always with me, but..." Belle reached for some corn-cockle and began to work them into the crown. Rumpelstiltskin knew what she wanted to say, the reason she won't see her family or friends on her day was because the deal they made.
Rumpelstiltskin thought he noticed a tear run down her check. She had lost her mother, he had lost his son. He knew the feeling of losing a loved one.
Even though he had stopped celebrating his own birth over 300 years ago; he still celebrated his son's, Baelfire, birth every year.
Slowly he turned around, feeling that Belle would want to be alone for the moment.
He sat at his wheel and slowly started to spin.
It did not hit Belle, until she spoken with Rumpelstiltskin, that this was her first year without mother on her birthday or being with her father.
She looked down at the flower crown.
It was done.
The purple flowers and the whites flower really came together.
She set the crown with care down to her side and started to scoop up the left over dried flowers she had were in piles around her. She could use them to decorate the library and her bedroom, she thought, trying to get her mind on something else and pushed aside that she missed her father, family and friends.
Once she finished the cleaning, Belle picked up the crown and laid it on top of the dried flower in her basket and left the room.
The second that Belle had left, Rumpelstiltskin stopped his spinning and looked over where Belle had sat. One of the purple dried flowers had fallen from the basket before she exited. Slowly he stood up and walked over to retrieve the flower.
He twirled the dried, purple flower in his fingers for a moment. He should do something for her.
But then, he did not want her to think he was a nice guy... But seeing Belle upset, it felt like someone was tugging on his cold black heart. (If he even still had a heart)
He had seen Belle sad during her fist few days at the castle; she did nothing but cried. Rumpelstiltskin did feel bad, but not too bad. A deal was a deal. But now after spending time with her and getting to know who she was, he noticed that things had begun to change between them.
"What is coming over me," Rumpelstiltskin sighed, still looking at the flower. He then placed the flower in his breast pocket. "Guess I have work to do."
The imp walked out of the main room full well knowing that he would not do much spinning tonight.