Belle ran through a field, hair streaming behind her. Her dress was light and high, barely covering her knees. As she ran, mushrooms started to shoot up all around her growing taller and taller until Belle could no longer tell if they were tall or if she was small. The mushrooms started to grow together and became denser and denser until Belle was surrounded by walls, reaching so high the caps almost disappeared. She looked around and saw Rumplestiltskin sitting in a high-backed chair in front of a fire that she was certain hadn't been there earlier. He caught sight of her and grinned,
"Evening." Belle looked around,
"Where are we?" There was no door to the room and no stairs leading to the top. Even as she stood there, carpet spread beneath her feet and the now-brick walls grew tapestries heroines and heroes. Belle looked back at Rumplestiltskin, "Am I dreaming?"
"Naturally." he said with a wave of his hand. Belle nodded,
"This can't be a normal dream." she said, a statement instead of a question. Rumplestiltskin gave the tiniest of shrugs,
"It isn't. I, um…" he trailed off and Belle couldn't tell if he was blushing or if it was a light cast by the fire, "I seem to be in a bit of a pickle."
"Oh yes?" asked Belle, hands on her hips and looking amused. He only was this inarticulate if he was embarrassed. Rumplestiltskin frowned and snapped,
"Don't look so smug! When you wake up, you'll be in front of a maze. Go through it."
"That's it?" asked Belle, with an eyebrow raised. He didn't quite make eye contact with her as he said,
"I may or may not be held captive in the middle."
"Now why would you do a foolish thing like that?"
"I didn't do it on purpose!" said the indignant imp. Belle did her best not to giggle; he seemed so close to stomping his foot. She smoothed her hands down her hips, reminding herself of the thin dress and she really ought to be much colder than she was,
"So let me get this straight: The Dark One managed to get himself caught in the middle of a maze and needs a maid to come to the rescue?"
"Just…solve the maze." he said, the false grin back. Belle nodded,
"Very well. But we're going to have a frank talk about this afterward." said Belle. She stood a little straighter, preparing to be magicked back to the real world. Rumplestiltskin raised his hand, then let it fall,
"If you're going to save me, you can hardly do it prancing around in your undergarments." He snapped his fingers and purple magic swirled up to envelope Belle. When it dissipated, she was clad in leather leggings and matching shirt. Rumplestiltskin nodded in approval of his work and then Belle awoke, lying in bed. Which was currently parked at the entrance to a maze.
Belle pushed back the covers. The walls loomed tall, but not nearly as high as they had been in the dream. She took a moment, standing in front of the entrance to think. To go rushing in mindlessly would only end in frustration and getting hopelessly lost. But even as she stood and planned, she knew that Rumplestiltskin was in the middle, and she doubted that his cell was as comfortable as it had looked in the dream. Belle squared her shoulders and stepped forward. She would take only right turns whenever possible. That would at least mean that she would be able to find her way out of the maze at the end of it all. Belle took one step forward, then stopped when she had an idea. It most certainly wouldn't work, but if she didn't try…
"Rumplestiltskin!" she called, screaming it as loud as possible. In the silence that followed, she became aware of the utterly terrifying quiet of the place. There was no wind, no sound. The light was a grey cream color with no discernible source. There was no taste, no smell. She could see and she could touch, but that was it. Belle shivered in the eerie quiet and stepped in.
She walked and walked, taking only the right option at every intersection. Sometimes the way looked infinitesimally darker and more frightening, but each time Belle squared her shoulders and trekked on. The turns started to come faster and faster and the walls grew taller and taller. Belle assumed that surely she must be nearing the center.
She turned a last corner and stopped in her tracks. A large scaled dragon blocked the path before her. It had scales of the deepest blue with the occasional silver sheen that reminded Belle of moonlight. It seemed to be sleeping, its sides rising and falling slowly. As if it sensed Belle's inspection, one eye opened to reveal dark violet irises, intelligent eyes that immediately fixed on Belle. Despite the bravery she'd been mustering the entire walk, she still gulped in shock. The dragon stood and Belle could have easily walked beneath the lowest part of its belly without ducking her head. It stretched its neck out and arched its back, claws digging in and leaving marks in the cobbled floor. Despite its fearsome size and the teeth it revealed when it let out a yawn, Belle was reminded of a cat. It lay back down, tail swept across what little of the walkway the rest of its bulk didn't block.
"May I help you?" it asked in a deep voice that Belle felt vibrate in her chest. She suddenly wished Rumplestiltskin had at least magicked together a blade of some sort to accompany her outfit,
"Yes. I believe I need to pass you to reach the center."
"Yes." said the beast.
"Will you move?"
"No." it said. Belle nodded; she'd gathered as much. The dragon continued, "Not unless you can answer my riddle."
"I'll hear it then." said Belle. The dragon nodded and sat up, drawing itself up with all of the grace and dignity a great creature deserved,
"I'm a dragon of passions,
Appreciating languages in many different fashions.
I so miss the art of conversation,
Particularly the intricacies of communication.
So do me a favor, grant me this boon:
What is in common between redder and noon?"
Privately, Belle thought that the quality of the riddle was a little dubious, but teeth that size didn't make her all the interested in calling the dragon's poem into question. She leaned against a handy piece of wall, then launched back to her feet and paced back in forth, whispering to herself under her breath, "Redder and noon, redder and noon…" The dragon's gaze followed her back and forth. Belle turned the poem around in her mind. The actual question wasn't posed until the final line, which meant that the rest of it had to be significant in some other way. Languages…words…redder and noon…
It was almost fifteen minutes later that Belle stood in front of the dragon and met his gaze. She took a deep breath. She wasn't sure what would happen if she got it wrong, but she had a horrid feeling that it wouldn't be all that pleasant. Belle spoke, "The thing in common between redder and noon is that they are the same forward as backward."
"You are correct." said the dragon. It swept its tail forward, opening up just enough of the path that Belle could squeeze past. The path turned sharply, ending in a door. Belle pushed it open. On the other side, Rumplestiltskin sat on a cold stone floor. His head flew up as soon as Belle entered. He jumped up and strode toward her, grabbed her upper arm, and said,
"We're leaving."
Moments later, they reappeared in Belle's room. Gone were the leggings and boots and top, replaced with the nightgown she'd gone to bed in—goodness, was it really just the previous evening? It was most assuredly already morning, with the tentative fingerlings of light reaching through the windows. Rumplestiltskin immediately dropped her arm and snatched a handkerchief from her side table, wrapping his hand in it before reaching into his pocket and pulling out one of the dragon's scales. Belle watched his movements curiously. When she saw the scale, she said,
"Is that what caused all of that?"
"Yes. Damn thing was cursed. People ought to take more care with their possessions." He stuffed it back in his pocket, "Well, I have a potion to attend to. Maid duties resume at the same time as always. Good morning."
"Good morning, Rumplestiltskin." said Belle. Suddenly, it hit her that she really hadn't slept at all the previous night. Her feet ached and she half sat half collapsed onto her bed. Rumplestiltskin was at the door when he stopped and turned,
"Thank you, Belle. For finding me."
"You're welcome." she said with a yawn. Belle was asleep before the door clicked shut.