Author Notes: I promise, when I started this I wasn't trying to make it this angsty. It was originally inspired by Rumbelle Weekly Challenge's third week prompt, but I ended up missing the deadline for that. The prompt was, "Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love." I started off with that in mind, but then it sort of took on a life of its own.
(Edited on 1/22/16 to fix a few grammar mistakes and remove one improperly placed "dearie")
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time. It belongs to ABC, as well as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.
Blood and Fire
"I'll never stop fighting for him!"
It started with that one scream into the endless silence of the night. With that battle cry, the little porcelain princess became a warrior.
The caravan of soldiers, queen, and warrior princess rode forward through the forest. A self-satisfied grin settled on Regina's lips while Belle glared at her through the bars of her cage.
"You'll never break me," she said to the Queen who merely sighed at the girl's juvenile stubbornness.
"I will find my way back to him," Belle whispered to herself.
The night wore on as the journey continued in silence for several hours.
Then suddenly, with a flash of light and purple smoke, something or someone appeared in the road. From her position in the cage, Belle couldn't see what was happening, although she heard several shocked exclamations from the various soldiers strew about the path.
Then she heard the voice of what had caused the disturbance. She heard this newcomer speak. She heard him speak. She forced herself not to hope; forced herself not to believe that he was really there, that there was no possible way it could be him.
"Now, Regina," the male voice began, "Who have you got in that little cage of yours?"
"No one of any importance, Rumpel," Regina replied, her voice sickly sweet.
Belle gasped at the mention of his name. But her surprise was quickly replaced by a strange combination of anger and jealousy. 'Rumpel' was her name for him. The Evil Queen wasn't allowed to call him that under any circumstances. Belle tried to push that feeling away. What did she have to be jealous of? He wasn't hers, after all.
"You're lying, dearie," the Dark One responded.
"I'm not at all."
"Then you won't mind if I check."
"Why the sudden interest, Rumpel?"
There she went again, calling him that forbidden name.
"Just a feeling," the man in question replied, "When you're as powerful as I am, you can take the risk of following a hunch every now and then."
"You don't want to do that," Regina warned, as the Dark One moved closer to the carriage.
"No, I think I do," Rumpelstiltskin retorted, "And your little guards might want to run along before I rip them apart limb from limb, until their remains wouldn't even be fit for the wild dogs to feast upon."
He let out a manic giggle that almost made Belle laugh as she rolled her eyes. He was playing up the monster act more than usual.
Before the Evil Queen could tell them not to, her soldiers scattered. Belle could hear Regina swear under her breath as her men fled into the woods.
The trapped princess turned to look as Rumpelstiltskin rounded the cage. As his eyes met hers, her breath caught in her throat. She hadn't truly let herself believe that it was him until she saw him standing there. He looked at her with that same amazed and unbelieving expression that he always did. He looked at her like she was beautifully impossible.
"Belle…" he breathed her name so softly that the sound was almost immediately swallowed up by the predawn forest. But she heard it. She'd grown accustomed to hearing his voice even when he whispered.
"Rumpel," she responded, happy tears in her eyes. He was going to save her. They were going to fix things. They were going to be happy.
He took the last steps toward the cage and reached out toward her. His hand slipped through the unforgiving bars and found its way to her cheek. His fingers brushed softly against her skin. He was so tentative, so careful. He seemed as though he was almost afraid to touch her, afraid she'd evaporate if he got too close.
"You're real," he said, cupping the side of her face.
Belle couldn't bring herself to respond, couldn't find the words. She only nodded as she reached up and gripped the hand that cradled her jaw.
"Well isn't this sweet," Regina interrupted sarcastically, standing a few feet away.
Rumpelstiltskin whirled around at the sound of her majesty's voice, pulling his hand out of the cage. Belle instantly felt the cold absence of his skin against hers.
"Free her or I'll kill you slowly and take her anyway," he said automatically.
"Rumpel," Belle quietly admonished, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"See," Regina said gesturing toward Belle, "You wouldn't dare kill me in front of her. Now would you?"
He let out a slight sigh before saying, "You're right, I wouldn't kill you, at least not here. But remember, there are fates much worse death. You don't really want me as any more of an enemy than I already am to you. Now do you?" He repeated her phrase almost mockingly.
"I always saw us as more rivals than enemies."
"And if you want to keep it that way - with you still alive and breathing - you'll give me the key and then get back on your horse and ride away, all the way back to your little castle. You'll never come after Belle again. Because if you ever hurt her, ever touch her, I will personally make your life a living hell."
Regina contemplated this for a moment before extracting the key from her dark cloak and extending it to him.
"Take it," she said, "If it will protect my own life, even if only for a short while, you can have your little maid back. She was only ever a pawn anyway."
The Dark One glared as he took the key.
"Now go," he commanded, deathly quiet.
The Evil Queen grudgingly did as she was told and thundered away on her black stallion. As the horse galloped away from the scene, Rumpelstiltskin turned back to Belle.
"Let's get you out of this cage," he said, a small smile twitching at his lips.
"I'd like that," Belle whispered.
He unlocked her iron cage, pulling the door open. Before he could say another word to her or even truly process what was happening, she was in his arms. He didn't register that her hair was tied to one side unlike it had been when she left his home. He didn't register that she was wearing rough, maroon traveling clothes instead of the blue dress he'd given her. He didn't even register that it was almost dawn. He didn't notice any of that. All he knew was that Belle was in his arms, that her face was buried in his shoulder, and that she was alive and safe and back in his world.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "For everything I did. I'm so sorry. I know you can't forgive me –"
"I forgave you ten minutes after I walked out," she interrupted, pressing herself even closer to him and adjusting her head to better fit against his collarbone.
"I love you," he breathed, just enjoying the feeling of holding her, of knowing she was there.
"I love you, too," she said. He felt her lips move against his neck as she spoke and added that to the endless list of things that Belle did that made his blood run cold and set his heart on fire at the same time.
Rumpelstiltskin pulled back slightly, just enough to look into her blue eyes, enough to take in her delicate smile and perfect hair. Perfect everything, really.
"I was frightened before," he said quietly, "When you almost broke my curse, I was terrified. I am no longer scared."
"Are you saying what I think you are?" Belle asked tentatively.
"I am," he answered, "That is, if you'll accept it. If you'll accept me."
She nodded in response, a wide smile spreading across her face.
He reached out and touched her cheek as he leaned forward. She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. She felt the warmth of his hand on her cheek move instead to her waist, then to the small of her back. She felt the pressure of his hand on her lower back, slowly pulling her closer. Their lips met as they stood in the heart of the forest.
And in the distance, the sunrise burned red.
—
Belle woke with a start, her eyes jolting open to behold the cold stone walls of her prison cell. She took a shaky breath, trying to hold in the tears that were quickly gathering at the corners of her eyes. He wasn't there, he never had been. It was all in her head. It was only a dream, yet it still felt like something precious had been torn away from her. She clenched her fist as the first tear rolled down her cheek. It was childish to cry. The only thing she'd lost was a delusional fantasy.
He wasn't going to save her. It didn't matter how much she wished or hoped or dreamed. He wasn't going to come bursting in to her tower. He wasn't going to magically appear there. He wasn't going to fight the Evil Queen and her armies of soldiers. He wasn't going to storm the castle. He wasn't going to save her.
She was angry at him for abandoning her; angry at herself for wanting him there. Angry at everything she had caused and everything she couldn't change.
She gasped at the sudden pain from her hand. She released the tension in her fingers and uncoiled her fist.
Blood; all she saw was the blood welling up from the break in her skin.
Red blood. Red anger. Red sunrise.
She thought of him again and her anger slowly drained away. She though of the way he looked at her, the way it felt to be be close to him, the way it had felt when she'd kissed him for the first, and what was also the last, time. She thought of every perfect scenario she'd imagined in the delirious early morning hours of her current captivity. In those dreams, they were happy. Every problem melted away and everything was fine. The magic and the queen and everything else in the world didn't matter. All that mattered when she dreamed was the two of them.
She finally surrendered herself to the tears, unable to hold them in any longer.
Silent tears and raging blood mingled together on the pale skin of her palm.
She was alone. She was bleeding. He wasn't going to save her.
Author Notes: What did you think? I'd love to hear your opinion in a review.