Chapter one: First night

When she agreed on going into his castle forever, she was at least sure he wouldn't lock her up in the dungeons. Why would he want exclusively her, if he were about to lock her in the dungeons?

So... Why did he lock me in the dungeons?

Belle had been walking along the cell walls for the last two hours. She sat down on her cot then, staring through the window. She'd been there two days and it appeared this was the furthest she would get. So making the life-changing decision meant spending the rest of her life in this cell.

It had no sense...

Suddenly the door opened. Belle jumped up with fright, but she saw nobody standing there. She peeked outside, making a step further. On her way here she'd noticed how huge the castle was, but she didn't particularly liked the dark-filled corridors and gloomy, dusty halls.

Belle proceeded through the shadowy corridor, looking around. Spider webs covering the stony walls, layers of dust everywhere... But the silence was the worst.

How could anyone live here?

But Rumpelstiltskin wasn't just anyone...

She could hear cold and chilling laughter, running toward her. And then, out of nowhere, he appeared right in front of her. He was so close she could almost feel his cool breath on her face. She backed off immediately, falling on the ground with fear touching her heart. He raised an eyebrow, laughing.

"Oh, so... clumsy... A clumsy housekeeper is not what I need..."

She got on her feet, wiping off dust from her skirt, trying to push the fright down.

"I'm not clumsy," she said. "You just scared me."

"Did I?" he asked, his voice mocking. It was evidently exactly what he wanted to do.

"How do you like your room? I hope you find it comfortable."

Belle gave him a look, recognizing the malicious spark in his black inhuman eyes. She gathered all her courage. If that were what he wanted to hear... He wasn't going to get it.

"I love it," she said, smiling. "It's beautiful."

His grin froze, but he shook his head, restoring his supremacy.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said shortly, coldly. "Follow me."

She obeyed, speeding up as he was walking quickly toward the stairs. She tried to memorize all the things he was naming, but she'd managed hardly a half of it.

"Now..." he said, when they stopped outside, in his garden completely overgrown with vegetation. There were fruit trees with ivy hanging from the branches, large bushes of wild roses, bramble bushes so high they reached the branches of the trees, sharp and tough sedge and nettles. And that jungle was interlaced with mallow, cornflower and poppy. And underneath all that she could see ruins of fountains and stone walls.

"Start with the garden," Rumpelstiltskin said. A pair of scissors appeared in his hand and he handed it to her. She took it, looking around the garden again. Not even a year would be enough time to make this garden look normal or nice.

"But..."

"Yes, dearie? Something wrong?" he asked, curious. She shook her head.

"No, it's fine."

He nodded.

"Good luck," he said, walking away. Belle breathed deeply to push away the panic. He sure wasn't joking. And he sure was able to keep her in this garden until she finished the work. Work for at least ten gardeners.

But standing there and staring wasn't going to take away the weed, she thought and decided to move along the side, set by high stone walls. As she didn't even have a pair of gloves, her hands were soon covered in sores and blisters. But she ignored the pain, focusing only on the vegetation. Although she was tired and hadn't eaten for three days, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of getting her on her knees. Is she were meant to die in this garden, then be it.

Belle didn't know how long she'd been working there, it could have been ten hours and it could have been a week. When she looked behind, she saw the castle but he wasn't in any of the windows.

I'm not going to give up... I'm not going to give up... Hold on, Belle, hold on...

Mountains of weed were forming behind her as she had been proceeding further and further to the garden. Sweat covered her whole face, her back hurt, her clothes were torn.

I'm not going to... give up...

She fell on her knees, breathing deeply. She looked down at her bloody hands and her head started spinning. And right at the moment, she felt the air moving and Rumpelstiltskin appeared next to her. Fear grasped her heart again as he was glaring down at her.

"Wow, wow... Where's my dinner?"

Belle got up, walking slowly back to the castle. She remembered where the kitchen was, but when she saw the state most of the food was in, she would rather cook him a pair of slugs. Well, considering the fact he also looked like one, it would be like eating his own kind.

She served him dinner in the dinning room, sitting on the opposite side of the long table. Her hands were pulsing with pain but she wouldn't say a word about it. Rumpelstiltskin was eating in complete silence and each second of it made Belle more nervous. She was actually relieved when the dinner was over. Rumpelstiltskin was still sitting on the chair, obviously deep in thoughts. Belle dared to looked up at him and he noticed it, shooting her a glare.

"Yes?"

"Nothing," she blurted, looking away. The dizziness she felt previously came back and she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. That move seemed to catch his attention.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. Belle hesitated, unsure if it were agreement or disagreement he required.

"I... don't know..." she said. A smirk cracked on his face and he raised his eyebrows.

"You don't know if you're hurt?"

He laughed briefly.

"Well... I think you should go back to your room and have some rest. You'll have a busy day tomorrow."

"Thanks..." Belle said, happy to get out of his sight. She somehow found her way to the dungeons. She opened the door and widened her eyes with surprise. It wasn't the cell behind the door anymore. It was a nice, comfortable room with a big bed, two armchairs and soft carpet on the floor. Another door in front of the bed led to a shiny looking bathroom and next to her bed on a small table, she saw a bowl full of fruits and a glass basin with silvery water.

"What..." she uttered in disbelief. Could she be dreaming?

She sat down on the bed, making sure it was real. She leaned herself above the basin, horrified with how she looked, her face covered in scratches and bruises, old leaves and tree sticks. She sank her hands into the water, washing the dirt away from them and her face. Suddenly she felt a strange tickling sensation in her hands and face. She looked at her reflection again, widening her eyes as all the bruises and scratches from her skin disappeared, along with the pain.

"So... I surely am dreaming," she said to herself with conviction, laying on the bed and falling asleep at the same moment. She fell asleep too quickly to hear the steps behind her door.