Dusty Wings and Broken Things
Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet
A/N This is my response to the prompt, Belle is fairy. Rumpelstiltskin's deal with Captain Hook becomes more interesting than he expected.
Rumpelstiltskin's coarse lizard skin coat was not made for the terrain of Neverland. He hadn't thought about it in advance, but the fact should have been obvious to him.
Neverland was designed like a rain forest; it was the only suitable habitat for wild fairies. Unlike their tame counterparts, wild fairies could not control their magic, they were volatile and dangerous. (Not that tame fairies weren't.)
Rumpelstiltskin was not used to the sticky leaves and the sweet fruits growing around him. Without his own magic, he was sure he would have been lost upon first entering the jungle.
When Rumpelstiltskin had been called on by the infamous Captain James Hook, he had not expected to have to travel in an overgrown maze, but a deal was a deal, and he desperately needed an...object Hook possessed.
True, he could have found ways to steal the object, it would have been easy. Hook was afflicted by a subjective case of amnesia, as all human occupants of Neverland were.
Hook could barely remember his own name half the time, yet alone how powerful some of his possessions could be.
So, Rumpelstiltskin had expected an easy dealing. He could have the object he desired, and he would attain whatever it was Hook wanted.
Of course, Hook had asked for the impossible. He wanted the dust of a wild fairy.
Wild fairies were, as Rumpelstiltskin was slowly discovering, notoriously hard to find.
Especially in their natural habitat.
The night was looming by the time he decided to rest. Rumpelstiltskin knew that it would be easy to find a fairy at night. They glowed like lanterns, searching for the warmth of their own kind.
They reminded him of lightning bugs. The creatures so desperately sought to find one another, but it led to their ultimate downfall...it made them easy to catch.
The fairies did have one defense. Their powers were strengthened by the night, but it would do them no benefit against Rumpelstiltskin.
He made himself comfortable, lounging in a bed of leaves and flowers. He wasn't sure what to do during his wait. He was wary of making any noise, lest he bother the natives.
Hook had mentioned only two native groups- a tribal group, with large numbers and natural affinities to the land, and a scraggly bunch of misfit boys, led by his mortal enemy...some boy called Patrick or Petey or something of the like.
They were of no real concern to Rumpelstiltskin, but getting into a fight would scare away the little beasties he was chasing.
The sunset was slow in Neverland. Everything was slow, Rumpelstiltskin had noticed. The inhabitants did not age and neither did the jungle or the beach, the only side-effect for the natives was the memory impairment.
Rumpelstiltskin was one of the few not afflicted. His power forced him to always remember.
He was the Dark One, and nothing would ever change that.
As the sun began to fall under the sky, making way for the moon and stars, he caught his first glimpse of the tiny beings he had been sent to find.
It was too far away for him to see properly, but the creature gave off a blue glow. As more of the creatures came out for the night, it became obvious that all of them gave off different colors, according to their nature.
The blue ones were slower. The red ones always moved frantically. The green ones did not seem to like moving at all...
He was just deciding which color fairy would give off the best dust when he caught sight of an unexpected color.
A few feet away, there was fairy giving off a golden glow. It was not yellow, like others he had seen, but a pure, deep gold.
The color reminded him of the golden thread he spun from straw. It was rich and powerful. His fingers twitched into motion just thinking about it.
The debate was over. He knew which fairy he wanted.
He had expected to have to charm the fairy into coming near him, but the wild gold fairy seemed as interested in him as he was in her.
She moved steadily closer to him, hiding behind trees and under leaves until Rumpelstiltskin finally called out to her," Hello, dearie."
The other lights vanished. One by one. They were very skittish about loud noises. The Gold fairy simply glided up to him.
Rumpelstiltskin smirked at her," Well, I seemed to have scared away all of your little friends. Care to sit?"
He gestured to a space beside him, delicately fluttering his fingers.
The Golden Fairy nodded, then, to his surprise, vanished in a puff of gold dust.
Rumpelstiltskin groaned," Why did-"
A tinkling sound vibrated around him. At first, he mistook the sound for ringing bells, but when the chime rang out a second time he knew what it was.
"You're laughing at me?" He meant to make it sound angry, but his statement came out sounding more like a question.
"Well, yes. You are a strange looking man."
Rumpelstiltskin jumped. The voice was melodic, almost hypnotizing. He turned, searching for the source...and there she was.
The Golden Fairy was no longer the size of a tiny bug. She had grown to the size of a woman. ( A small woman, but a woman nonetheless.)
Rumpelstiltskin wanted to say something to her, but his astonishment choked his words. Her skin was gilded, much like his own, but hers was beautiful and light. Wherever the moonlight touched her skin, it was reflected back in a shower of gold and silver.
Besides her glittering golden skin, she looked remarkably human. Her hair was a shade or two darker than his own, and it fell down her back in curls. To his surprise (and slight disappointment) her locks managed to cover a few essential parts that her sparse clothing did not.
Her eyes were vibrant shade of blue. He had never seen a color to match, but he was hardly surprised. Fairies were known for their beauty.
However, Rumpelstiltskin had never found a fairy beautiful before. His experiences with the fairies of his realm had only shown him the manipulative and lying ways of the creatures.
Perhaps the Golden fairy was the same, but he still thought her beautiful, and he doubted anything she did would change that.
She peered into his face, then laughed again.
"What are you laughing at?" He demanded, scowling.
She smiled, effectively blinding Rumpelstiltskin," Nothing. I just did not know at first if you were a fairy or a man."
Rumpelstiltskin said nothing, but he did take a moment to study the gilded skin of his hands. He had never been mistaken for a fairy before, despite all of his oddities.
"But I see now. You are definetly a man." The Golden fairy nodded somberly. Her eyes seemed to roam over his body, before settling on his face.
Rumpelstiltskin gulped. A woman had not looked at him in that way in a long time.
He had probably just imagined it.
"I am not quite a man, dearie. I am Rumpelstiltskin." He managed a little half bow, though it looked awkward in his sitting position.
The Golden fairy giggled," Then it is a good thing I am not quite a woman. I am Belle."
She dipped her head, but never tore her eyes away from his face.
"Belle," his voice quavered," That is a fitting name."
She nodded, looking very serious," Yes. I suppose so, but most royal fairies are given long names, stunningly descriptive names. I am just Belle."
He smiled at her," Belle is a perfectly royal name."
There was a brief moment of silence, though not quite awkward, the tension was obvious. Both Belle and Rumpelstiltskin turned away from each other, trying to appear interested in the scenery.
"So, from whence do you come, Rumpelstiltskin?" Belle asked," I dare say I've not seen a man such as you before."
"I would think not," He answered," I am from another land. It is much less pleasant than this one."
Belle's eyes lit up," Tell me about it! I've always wanted to travel to other worlds, but my father won't let me."
Rumpelstiltskin was about to refuse, but her beautiful eyes were sad and downcast. He couldn't steal the dust of a sad fairy.
"It is a land of many kingdoms. There are knights, witches, and monsters, such as myself."
Belle frowned at him," You are not a monster."
Rumpelstiltskin grinned, making sure she could see all of his ragged teeth," You do not know what a monster is, dearie."
She frowned harder, deep in thought," Perhaps not, but I know that it is something bad, and you are not bad. Not completely."
"You would not be so quick with your kindness if you knew why I was here," Rumpelstiltskin replied, nonchalantly.
"You're here to steal my dust for Captain Hook," Belle said. Her face was hard and controlled, but not angry.
"If you knew...then why did you come to me?" He asked.
"I liked the look of you," Belle said, moving closer to him," Taking the dust of a fairy is an intricate process here, you must know."
Rumpelstiltskin's brow crinkled," In my world, you only must break a bit of a wing to steal dust-"
Belle gasped," But that's terrible! It's not like that here."
"Oh." Rumpelstiltskin hated to be made a fool of. Either Belle was lying...or for once, in a very long time, he had been misinformed.
Belle nodded," Would you like some of my dust? I'd give it you willingly, Rumpelstiltskin."
He shivered when she spoke his name. The power of a name was the same in any world.
"How does one go about gathering your dust?" He asked finally. Her proximity to him was making him jittery.
"Well, the dust of a fairy only falls when they are extremely happy. Can you make me feel that way?" Belle asked, touching her hand to his.
Her hand started glowing when they touched, like a small sun or star. The warmth felt astounding against his skin," Well...I...how do I make you happy, Belle?"
She moved her hand up his arm, trailing the warm light against his rough skin," The only way to make a wild fairy happy in this land is through love."
"Love?"
She smiled," Yes, love. The only way to make a fairy happy enough to shed the dust of her wings is to make love to her. Don't you know this?"
Rumpelstiltskin didn't know whether he wanted to throttle Hook or kiss him when he returned to The Jolly Roger. Why had the captain conveniently forgotten to mention this part of the deal to him?
She slide her fingers over the backs of his arms and up to his face," Will you make love to me, Rumpelstiltskin?"
He nodded, silently.
Perhaps this deal wasn't so terrible after all.
A/N Sorry for the weirdness, this was prompted by a friend from tumblr, and I wanted to get smutty with it. If you'd like another chapter of the actual smut, comment and let me know! ;D