With placing another log into the fireplace, Belle quickly went over to the couch gathering her favorite blanket and continued reading her latest book in between checking back at a sleeping Gideon and Baelfire within their portable cribs next to her and trying her best not to get startled over the windows rattling due to the snowstorm outside. So engrossed Belle had gotten into her book with page after page turned that when she got into the part of the story revealing the princess to be the true villain of the story, Belle's excitement over the twist caused her to quickly jump out of the couch nearly knocking over the white gold carriage clock standing on the rim of the coffee table.
"Up" shouted Baelfire who Belle could see was clearly up from his crib reaching his up for his mother's attention where Belle knew it meant she would have had to hurry and put the nineteen month old back to sleep before he would wake up Gideon, who at two months still had not set up a suitable routine.
"Uuupp!" he shouted again where Belle grabbed the boy forgetting how heavy he was had gotten for her, holding him close as he began laughing.
"You sneaky little imp, we both know you weren't sleeping." Her attention stared back at Gideon who was sound asleep much to her relief. "How about I tell you a story?" Belle looked up at her son's brown eyes as he smiled back to her. "Alright then, once there was a wise prince named Baelfire who was the most perfect prince throughout the kingdom. One day, the young prince's kingdom was invaded by a wicked king who demanded Baelfire pay him a tribute to keep his kingdom safe and rather than watch those he loved get hurt, the prince offered to be banished from the kingdom to give the wicked king a peace of mind. For many years, Baelfire went to many lands to become stronger and faster when he met a wizard who promised him the secret to defeat the king in exchange for a place in his court. The Prince kept his promise and returned back to his kingdom with an army, but cleverly used his wits to outsmart the king and restored back his kingdom bringing everlasting peace. The End."
Baelfire had been sleeping again when she placed him in the sofa to fix the clock when to her horror Belle discovered it was approaching midnight where while she still had waited for Rumpelstiltskin's arrival from his three day trip, she needed to put the boys back to bed. After ten minutes of moving their cribs back into their nursery, Belle went back to the library to continue waiting for Rumpelstiltskin as she finished her book. She stared at the clock at what might have been considered nearly every minute until it occurred to her that there was nothing to worry about. She knew logically he would be fine in the storm due to being a wizard but there was an inkling of worry in the back of her head as she suspected there was always someone after him for a scored bargain or her father regretting the marriage contract, would send mercenaries to bring her back to Avonlea.
Shaking her head from such thoughts, Belle draped herself with the blanket and went to the window seeing the snow covering the ground at least two feet deep. The rest of the background became darker by the second sending a chill to her spine until she turned around bringing herself back to the smell of firewood and holly engulfing the library. Even though she had lived in the castle for nearly two years, it never ceased to amaze Belle how inviting Dark Castle became for her where she considered it home not even a full day of entering. The castle was still filled with the Yuletide decorations despite the festive night having been over for nearly two weeks and she was certain most of the sofas were now filled with her balls of yarn due to Baelfire's insistence on playing with them.
A noise startled her causing Belle to go to the window seeing their horseless carriage crossing over the wards and pulling into the gate. A strange sight she thought because Rumpelstiltskin hardly used the carriage unless he required her assistance. Without a thought, Belle abandoned her robe and slippers, dropping her blanket and running out of the library in her nightgown when she saw Rumpelstiltskin in the hallway dusting the snow out of the red fur cloak she gave him for the Yule season. She was happy to see him she was taken back at the bundle he appeared to covering under his cloak where his hand continued to cling under it.
"Welcome back," she said getting the Wizard's attention. Belle went to embrace him when Rumpelstiltskin stopped her from getting too close by placing his fingers over his lips then directly pointing to his chest.
"We don't want to wake up the poppet." He whispered afterwards giving Belle a soft kiss on the lips. She unfastened his cloak finding he was carrying a sleeping newborn girl wrapped up in a satin pink blanket and wearing a white bonnet containing ears shaped of a rabbit.
Belle quietly cooed taking the infant away from Rumpelstiltskin's arms. "Where did you get her?"
Despite his reputation for trading children, Belle could count in one hand throughout her stay the number of times Rumpelstiltskin came home with a baby. They were usually placed with the boys in the nursery for a few days until Rumpelstiltskin would take them and return several hours later with an item the parents gave him in exchange for the child. The hardest part was always seeing children leave where Belle would hold her owns for comfort hoping the children were placed in good homes.
"After I had finished meeting with our regal friend last night, Jefferson summoned me regarding a woman in Ariel's care. The poor woman passed before after an exhausting delivery. Neither mentioned many details, but supposedly the girl ran away from an overbearing magical mother as she hid her in a tower due to her hair contained healing properties even reverse aging. I went to this tower to verify her story, the girl had not been lying sadly.
Belle looked at the poor girl, she could relate to the situation due to losing her mother at a young age. "Poor thing" Belle held to the baby kissing her cheek.
They went inside the nursery seeing the sleeping boys in each of their respected cribs along with ten small cradles each containing fresh silk sheets close to the wardrobe and the infant changing area fully stocked with items. The room was engulfed in yellow and pink decorations with the walls painted in murals of a garden filled with forest animals on one end going to a tree covered up by Gideon's crib where wind chimes were placed on top giving the room a blue glow during the night. The window seat was used as a toy box in where on top lay a small library of picture books and an assortment of stuffed animals. Belle placed the infant into one of the cribs getting the stuffed bunny from the collection putting it next to the baby.
"Alice is only staying with us for the week due to the storm." Rumpelstiltskin stated as he checked in on the boys.
"Did the mother name her?" Belle pondered.
"She said it was after a childhood pet." Rumpelstiltskin quickly ignored the matter summoning a scroll placing it on Belle's hands. "Her feeding schedule, it is best to be followed during her stay." Belle silently agreed looking at the rest at the boys before the pair went to bed.
Hours later, Belle heard a noise from the bed causing her to turn her head finding Rumpelstiltskin getting up to gather his robe. She turned back seeing him leave the room, waiting a few seconds before getting up to follow him. Due to the state of the castle during late at night, it annoyed Belle over not gather a candle before leaving the bedroom. She assumed he went to the upstairs tower or to the living room to spin until noticing candlelight within in the nursery; she slowing walked to find the door slightly opened and Rumpelstiltskin sitting down on the rocking chair holding both Gideon and Alice.
Belle smiled seeing the wizard holding the children while using magic to levitate a feeing bottle in order to feed Gideon and humming an unfamiliar tune to them. Even in the two years living as the Dark One's consort, there was still much of Rumpelstiltskin that Belle had not been aware of. It continued to bothered her being the only person who saw this man but the rest of the world would have thought her mad had she presented the image of the Dark One not only being natural to children but a surrogate father to those who were under his care before sending them to their new homes.
"Never get attached to them." He would always tell her whenever leaving the infants to her care officially not seeing them again until it was time to go. What Rumpelstiltskin never noticed had been that Belle would catch him at times making faces to the children or play with them enthusiastically for a few hours whenever she became too tired to look after them.
"She was a difficult babe to calm down earlier." Rumpelstiltskin pointed out getting Belle's attention leading her to opening the door seeing him looking at her then back at the baby. "I heard crying and thought you needed to get some rest."
She walked up to them patting the soft head of the babes. "Let me feed Alice."
He gave the rocking chair along with Alice to Belle then sat in the window seat with Gideon as the pair hummed to the babies while feeding them.
"Hello little one, I'm your aunt Belle and that is your uncle Rumple holding your cousin Gideon, and over there is your other cousin Baelfire but we all call him 'Bae'." She took Alice's hand waving it at Rumpelstiltskin's direction then pointing to the larger crib that contained a sleeping Baelfire. "We live in a large magical castle in the mountains away from the entire world where you can do whatever you want. You will love it here, I will show you my library and we can read all the books, the garden are always filled with roses all year round despite the snow covering the ground, maybe we can make a few snowmen tomorrow if it isn't too cold."
Unexpected for Belle, she began to sneeze pushing the newborn away from her when Rumpelstiltskin grabbed onto Alice and Gideon. He started checking Belle's temperature noticing the heat from her skin.
"Perhaps you should postpone the snowman building for another time."
She wasn't surprised about getting a cold, between working in the garden for the past week in the weather and trying to keep up with the boys, it was clear Belle was exhausting herself affecting her ability to prioritize. "I'm fine." She sneezed again where a cloud of smoke dissipated from her revealing her nightgown changed to a longer sleeve dress containing a thicker fabric along with a fastened bathrobe and slippers.
"Clearly" He pointed back to their bedroom, hinting at her to get back to bed. Belle took a deep sigh, giving a kiss to the infants and wished Rumpelstiltskin a good night all the while already trying to cease her sneezing as she walked back to the bedroom.
Over the next few days, Belle prioritized her time between resting her cold and taking care of the infants much to the annoyance of Rumpelstiltskin who continued suggesting she stay in bed while he would take her place. While she did enjoy being pampered with meals in bed, flowers, books and a heated tub; Belle missed interacting with everyone even at times wondering how Rumpelstiltskin was handling by himself. After the second day, Rumpelstiltskin insisted should Belle get out of bed again, she would need to wear a plague mask when interacting with the kids. While the mask looked ridiculous on her, it gave Baelfire moments to laugh incorporating it into a game with him stating she was a bird spirit who came to the take the children away to another land.
She would occasionally use a mirror Rumpelstiltskin gave her to check in on everyone while on bedrest and only saw Baelfire being his father's helper with placing straw into the spinning wheel while Rumpelstiltskin had Gideon and Alice together at all times to the point where their schedules began to sync. Although one difference Belle quickly noticed regarding Alice had been the state of her hair, while blonde, the color of the locks appeared to have been turning dark in some parts while almost white in some strands were Rumpelstiltskin took her to the tower for a few hours in the days to conduct several experiments.
Eventually, Belle was given the clearance to leave the bedroom happy to interact with the infants where Belle realized she was sick for longer than a week and Alice had still been living in the castle. It had not been a problem as Alice proved Rumpelstiltskin wrong where in fact she was an easier baby to care for although the wizard made it clear on several occasions Alice might have been calmer towards Belle than him. When it became past three weeks since her arrival, Belle brought the subject up to Rumpelstiltskin who in turn made a remark about Belle eager to see Alice off into the world before she started talking.
"It is seems strange we have kept her this long. By now the villages while dealing with snowy roads must have a couple or two who were waiting to hear you contacted them"
Rumpelstiltskin continuing his spinning looking at the sleeping infants then back at Belle. "Maybe I haven't anyone special yet to take her in. I can be very selective when it comes to parents."
"Whatever you say" Belle answered continuing her knitting not convinced of Rumpelstiltskin's assurance.
With the celebration of the new year along with worse of the snowstorms passing, it became evident Alice's spot in the Dark Castle became permanent were Gideon's crib now expanded for the two to have shared along with another wardrobe for her use. The infants had not noticed a difference since they were all getting along with one another with Baelfire proclaiming himself as the de-facto leader within the trio even at times bossing Grace around whenever she came over for her lessons where the nine year old would humor everyone giving Baelfire a salute before requesting her orders of the day.
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One day while Rumpelstiltskin and Belle were having their afternoon tea in the living room, they were startled by a tremendous knock on their door. There was only one person who Rumpelstiltskin knew could pass his wards and announce themselves with flair of theatrics causing them to have transported into the foyer to find Regina looking over the top in her attire. This time she was accompanied by another woman with striking features. She looked to be about Regina's age perhaps younger with fair skin, blonde hair perfectly made up in latest court fashion, dazzling green eyes and a red regal dress made of fine satin.
Regina looked around the foyer touching the desk that surrounded the middle of the room and pretended to have cleaned up dust from her fingers while staring at Belle with contempt. "I believe you have something whom does not belong to either one of you" She proclaimed to both Belle and Rumpelstiltskin who were more puzzled by the other woman.
"If someone is complaining about how I wronged them, they should have read the contract I had presented to them."
"Rumple, I am shocked!" Regina feigned disgust. "This poor woman just lost her daughter and you accuse her of lying."
The woman announced it to them where they looked at one another confused at her accusations. "I am Eloise Gothel, Lady of Danae and I am here to reclaim my granddaughter."
Belle turned to Rumpelstiltskin seeing his expression she figured out who exactly this woman was. "Well Lady Gothel, I can happily tell you there are no children here other than the ones sired by my husband and myself." She gave Regina and Gothel a polite smile "It seems you have trespassed onto my home and I would appreciate it if you can kindly leave."
Regina walked passed Belle sneering at her turning her attention towards Rumpelstiltskin. The two women never could see eye to eye as Regina viewed Belle to be beneath her former mentor where she found the idea of addressing Belle as the lady in her home while dressed as a scullery maid to be laughable. "I would look at the locket Lady Gothel is carrying before you have your pet throw us out." Rumpelstiltskin and Belle glanced at the locket of Lady Gothel which carried a lock of hair glowing to the direction of the nursery in which Belle expression changed as Regina continued to grin.
"You see, my daughter met someone who she discovered wasn't worthy of her trust where perhaps she was still mad at me or refused to admit mother might know best I don't know but I went to visit her last month to find she had disappeared and no one remembering to have seen a young girl with 300 ft long hair walking around." She lifted a handkerchief from her bosom sobbing hysterically onto it at times making small glances back at everyone catching Rumpelstiltskin's attention.
"It appears my assistant was mistaken; there is a child here who might be who you are looking for." He snapped his fingers summoning Alice into Belle's hands who was not ready to hand over Alice to anyone. "Belle we must give the child back to her grandmother." He looked back at her then at Lady Gothel and Regina.
She complied handing Alice into Lady Gothel's arms who started to gush at seeing the child. "If it wasn't for the nose, I would have sworn this wasn't Rapunzel's daughter. Even her hair is dark."
"Must take after her father I suppose" Belle remarked as Regina summoned smoke causing the two women to disappear. She turned at Rumpelstiltskin who stared back at her. "Alice had blonde hair when she first arrived."
"Because her mother placed a curse on Alice before she gave birth. Let's go to the tower, we are getting our daughter back.
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After acquiring Alice, Lady Gothel cast a spell in restoring the tower back to a tidy order. She could never believe how a tiny girl such as Rapunzel would make different assortment of messes where in retrospect, she should have suspected they merely for Rapunzel to practice whatever magic she discovered from her mother's spell books.
It no longer mattered as now Alice made a better replacement for Gothel. She looked the child tucked in the large canopy bed; it had little appearance to Rapunzel where she was growing hair at the same rate as her mother had at this age. Gothel couldn't believe her plan worked when she hired the sailor to seduce Rapunzel after it became clear the girl was becoming more insolent with each passing day.
"Your mother was so ungrateful. I fed her, clothe her, taught her the world wasn't worthy of her and then she reads a few books and gets those little ideas in her head about giving people another chance. The world would have used her for her hair and she was too trusting to have believed me." She shed a tear thinking about Rapunzel before summoning a goblet of wine enjoying the fruity taste seeing the hairbrush containing some of Rapunzel's hair in the bristles. "None of that matters now, I have little piece of my daughter to keep me young forever."
"I seek an audience with Lady Gothel" the voice got her attention placing the brush back onto the table where she headed to the single window to find an old woman hunched over a cane calling her. "Are you Lady Gothel of Danae?"
"Who are you?"
"Queen Regina sent me here as a caretaker for the infant." She shouted in a throaty voice.
She remembered Regina mentioned about sending her some help but she thought the Queen wasn't serious about endeavor as the whole scheme was another ploy to upstage her mentor. "Oh right, my apologies." She noticed Rapunzel's hair had now been placed in the form of a rope wrapped up through a vine. "Here grab this and come up." She placed the hair down but the old woman wouldn't budge where it took some time for Lady Gothel to notice the cane and basket being carried where she ultimately summoned her into the tower.
"Thank you" She said cleaning the dust off of her dress. "Pardon but these old bones aren't what they use to be" She placed her basket onto the table in which Lady Gothel failed to notice a Balinese cat coming out of the basket carrying a pair of shears on her mouth. "Her majesty already paid me for the first six months where you don't have to worry about the costs."
"Okay, all I need you to do is watch over Alice and keep the tower tidy whenever I arrive.
"An excellent idea" The old woman proclaimed. "How about a cup of tea, the weather was a fright."
The large eyes of the old woman began to bother Gothel were she wondered how this woman was still alive as her skin appeared to be barely holding together. She brought her a cup of tea along with getting her goblet from the table next to the basket. "Here you go" stated Gothel giving the tea to the old woman. "What should we toast to?"
"To a new partnership" exclaimed the old woman.
Lady Gothel appeared to be unimpressed but had not cared as the two women took a drink of their respected cups.
"So tell me, which book did Rapuzel learned how to counter curse the hair of her offspring?"
As Lady Gothel began to strike the old woman demanding to know her true identity, she saw her hand once fine porcelain white, now turning into a sallow color with every second. She looked at the old woman seeing their appearance fade away revealing to be Rumpelstiltskin within the black cloak.
"What have you done to me?"
"Nothing, I just thought to add a bit of essence of Alice's hair into your cup while you gathered me a drink. I thought that was what you had wanted after all." He smiled back at Gothel who screamed when seeing her hair turn grey and her skin wrinkle.
She ran into the mirror screaming at seeing herself age at every second. "You bastard! Rapunzel had no right!"
"Oh you are mistaken dearie, she did whatever she thought possible to keep her away from you. Now if you mind, I would like to get my daughter as soon as possible."
Gothel continued screaming with her body decaying until she was nothing more than dust on the ground hiding under a pile of fabric and some jewels.
Rumpelstiltskin sneered back at the remains of Lady Gothel wishing her a good riddance. The sorceress was now dead due to her own greed.
When Rapunzel told him on her deathbed about her powers, he thought such a feat had been impossible until he searched the tower to discover Gothel had been in possession of a Rampion flower whose properties were said to reverse aging. Over the years, Rapunzel began to realize her mother had been using her where she tried any means to protect herself as Gothel became addicted with each minute she touched her daughter's hair. When he saw the hair color change in Alice, it didn't take long for Rumpelstiltskin to recognize the spell on Alice where he assumed Rapunzel must have not read it correctly when gathering a spore from the decaying petals found in Gothel's bedroom thinking it would get rid of her without realizing the spore would have killed her then transferred to Alice. Luckily extracting a sample helped get rid of the spell using the enchanted shears he kept in the laboratory.
He turned around seeing a smiling Belle now restored to her human state carrying Alice whose hair now had been a short blonde color on one hand and the shears filled several strands of hair in another.
"How's Alice?" he asked seeing the infant crying.
"Being a sweet lamb as usual, she was no trouble." He smiled back at the baby then at Belle who stared at the pile of clothes on the floor. "Next time, you change into a cat. How did you expect me to cut up Alice's hair when I lacked thumbs?"
"You are very resourceful since you managed to have done it."
"Fine you win. Let's go home now."
A swift hand, purple smoke appeared before them immediately sending them back to the Dark Castle where all Belle and Rumpelstiltskin wanted to do was place the infants to bed.