Author's note: First of all, thanks for giving this story a try. Second of all, I apologize in advance for language mistakes, I'm not a native english speaker but I try to do my best. I know that the first chapter might not be very new and exciting, but I hope you'll stick with me to discover what I have in store for Rumple and Belle and of course for all of you. Enjoy.
CHAPTER 1
Town.
One single word and she got confused like never before. He let her go to town and he didn't expect her to come back. But, why? They made a deal, she was his for the rest of her life, she gave him her word to go with him, forever, in order to make him stop the Ogre Wars and save her family and her people.
Rumplestiltskin was, indeed, a mystery, maybe one she will never gonna solve. She couldn't deny she was intrigued by him, by his cunning mind and his contradictory personality. At first she thought he was a beast, a heartless monster, like everyone else did, but then, after the deal she had the obligation to spend time with him and a couple of months were already passed since that day. She had the chance to observe him every day and despite the poor facade he was desperately trying to keep up, she had the chance to peek behind the curtain of his tragic show and see the real, sad and lonely man behind that imp mask. She remembered in particular the episode with Robin Hood. He did spared his life, despite the fact that he stole from him and she was glad to know that he wasn't dark as people said, that he wasn't what she thought he was, and from that moment on something had changed in the way she saw him, in what she was feeling for him, but she couldn't really figure it out in that short amount of time, with a non co-operative human being like him.
Now, however, she was free to go back to her family, to see her father again and well, marry Gaston maybe. She was engaged to him before the Dark One got her over that infamous deal, even though she didn't want to be hitched to him for the rest of her life. She didn't love him. He was a good guy, she could tell, but he wasn't what she was looking for. She was going to marry him, just because she had to, just because her father's little reign would benefit from that marriage.
On the other hand she wasn't sure about what she was really looking for. As she said to Rumplestiltskin, love, to her was layered, a mystery to be uncovered. Rumplestiltskin was a mystery, but she was pretty sure he didn't want to be uncovered. He had had to make a deal to share his tale about his son and he knew that she wouldn't choose him over the chance to go back to her life, with her family and people in Avonlea. That was his way to hide personal stuff, to avoid any conversation regarding himself and his past. Making deals. That was all he knew and he was so good at it.
She felt sorry for him, but she thought that despite the fact that she'd grew fond of him after those few months spent with him, he was a lost cause, a very intriguing one, but she couldn't really try to love a man who didn't want to be loved, so she thought she was better off that way. After all if she was going to never gonna see him again, her heart would stop aching for his absence, she would forget everything as soon as time would blur her memories of that short period of her life. She really believed all of this.
She was on her way back to Avonlea, carrying just a few things Rumplestiltskin gave to her. After all, when he took her to his castle everything happened so fast that she hadn't got the chance to bring any of her belongings with her, but Rumplestiltskin provided her with some nice clothing and some basic stuff she would need in the everyday life. That was the first thing he did that proved that he wasn't really a monster.
She was walking down the road, minding her business when a noise of a carriage and some horses caught her attention, so she turned back to see who was coming that way and she stepped aside to let them pass. The carriage stopped right beside her.
"Did my carriage splash you?" - asked the woman in black who appeared from inside the vehicle.
"Oh no, I'm... I'm fine." - she smiled graciously and she turned back again to continue her journey.
"You know I'm tired of riding, let me stretch my legs and walk with you for a spell." - the woman in black said with a huge smile on her face which puzzled Belle.
She was a complete stranger, but she couldn't really say no to her, a little company for a while was very welcomed, hers was a really, really long walk and she was all alone.
"You carry very little." - the woman pointed out.
"I don't want to be slowed down." - Belle responded, trying to be polite but at the same time not sharing too much information with a complete stranger.
"Mmh, you're running from someone." - she laughed. "The question is: master or lover?"
How could she know? Belle was a little bit scared from that question. Who was that woman? She felt really uncomfortable and she didn't answer, but she couldn't hide the feelings she was keeping inside herself. They were painted all over her pretty face.
"Oh, master and lover." - the woman grinned in victory, like she didn't need any verbal confirmation from Belle that she was right about that.
Damn! She got her. She was trying to forget Rumplestiltskin, she was free finally, she wouldn't even imagined to have such luck, everybody knew that the Dark One never breaks a deal. Not a single one. But he did, willingly, with her. It was time to be alone again.
"I might take a rest. You... you go on ahead." - Belle didn't want to be rude, but she had a bad feeling about that woman and her prying questions. That wasn't her business at all.
The woman in black didn't even flinch, she, instead, put an arm around Belle and prompted her to keep walking and chatting with her.
"So, if I'm right, you love your employer, but you're leaving him."
Oh well, so be the damn topic out. She guessed she wasn't going to see that woman again after all, what was the harm in confessing her feelings for Rumplestiltskin to her? She didn't even know who they were talking about, right? And besides, if she was going to be honest with herself, she needed to tell someone.
"I might love him. I mean I could, except... something evil has taken root in him." - there! Confession made. Belle thought.
"Sounds like a curse to me. And all curses can be broken. A kiss born of true love would do it." - the was a certainty in the woman's voice that made Belle very curious about the real meaning of that. But then the woman continued talking and she scolded herself for that silly suggestion. "Oh, child, no. I would never suggest a young woman to kiss a man who held her captive. What kind of message is that?"
Yeah... wait, what? Belle wanted to know more, but at the same time she wanted to forget everything and above all, that woman was a stranger but she seemed to know so many things, too many things actually and Belle was scared about that. So she simply agreed that it wasn't really a good advice.
"Right." - she said and she hoped that the awkward conversation was over. It was getting late and she had so many miles to walk to get back home.
"Besides if he loves you, he would've let you go. And if he doesn't love you, well, then the kiss won't even work." - the woman's voice was seducing Belle's mind with those words, she felt like her heart had its own voice and it was telling her to keep that woman talking, make her spill all the secrets to give her the knowledge to unlock the mystery that was Rumplestiltskin.
"Well, he did let me go." - she turned to the woman and stopped on the spot. The sensation of hope washed all over her, so vivid and so beautiful. She had hope. Rumplestiltskin had hope. She would do the brave thing again, she would try to free him then, she would kill the beast inside him and would make him human again. It was too late to erase her feelings for him. She was a fool to even think she would be able to do that, not after all she came to know about him. It wasn't much, but it was enough for her to decide that he was worth it.
"Yes, but no kiss happened." - the woman pointed out.
Right, the stranger woman was right, but she had to be sure that a kiss was all she needed to make her plan work. She could tell that Rumplestiltskin had feelings for her too, otherwise he would never let her go, breaking their deal in the process without making her pay any consequence. So the only thing she had to do was gather some courage, find the right moment and kiss him. Not the easiest task in the world, but she wanted to try. After all she had nothing to lose by then, he granted her her freedom and if he didn't want to kiss her she could just decide to go back to her home again like she was already doing.
"And a kiss... A kiss is enough? He'd be a man again?" - wariness and hope mixed in her blue eyes.
"An ordinary man." she paused, looking right into Belle's eyes who gasped at that statement. Then she continued, not breaking eye contact with her. "True Love's kiss will break any curse."
A sentence Belle will never forget. Never in her whole life. A smile was spreading all over her face. She was ready to go back to him and be brave once again.
"Thank you." - she said to the woman in black and quickly she turned and started to walk back towards the Dark Castle.
"No matter dear. It was nice to meet you and help you. Good luck with the kiss." Regina was practically screaming because Belle was almost running down the road back to her former master.
She had such a brilliant mind, the Evil Queen thought to herself. The smug on her face evident now that that silly, gullible, naive girl was going to unknowingly work for her. Her plan to destroy the Dark One was going to work and she didn't even have to steal his dagger and kill him. True Love's kiss would do the job for her. How romantic! She felt sick at the thought of those two kissing, but the image was erased as quickly as it had formed into her mind. So, finally she got back into her carriage and continued her riding. She still had so many errands to take care of.
It was late in the night and Rumplestiltskin was already regretting his decision to let Belle go, to free her from their deal, but he couldn't help himself. The girl was conquering his heart, day after day, answer after answer to his many questions about her personal life, her desires and he had to admit he loved her personality. She was intelligent, brave, cheerful, she laughed at his silly jokes and she was stunning, a real beauty. He would miss her impossibly blue eyes for the rest of his life, which was a huge amount of time, considering he was immortal.
He hoped with all himself that she would be back from town, with the straw he had requested, but as the hours passed, he was losing his hopes, they were crumbling like a broken glass and he should have expected that after all... who was such a fool to come back to him? To the beast? To the monster inside a dark, lonely, cold, castle? Belle was smart, not stupid, she would choose her family, for sure.
However he was up in his tower, staring out the window, trying to spot her shape in the dim light of the night. The moon was almost full so there was a decent light to see the surroundings of the castle.
It wasn't possible! It couldn't be possible! There she was! Or was he imagining things? She was back, carrying a basket full of straw. He couldn't believe it. She was back! For real! He ran down the stairs, like a dog who had just heard his favorite human coming back home and it couldn't wait to greet him with overwhelming joy. No, no, calm down, he scolded himself, he couldn't show such excitement to her. He had a reputation to maintain. He was the Dark One and he wasn't supposed to have feelings for anyone, not good ones at least, because no one could have ever had feelings for him. Belle wasn't different, or was he wrong? She was back after all and she was now crossing the huge courtyard to reach the main doors. Everything was so confusing.
Eventually he managed to calm down and compose himself. He reached for his spinning wheel, sat down and started spinning straw into gold thread. The doors opened as she approached them, a huge smile on her face. She was happy to be back, she now possessed the knowledge to win him over and save him from his horrible curse.
Attempting to keep his composure he faked indifference when she walked in.
"Oh, you're back already. Good... good thing. I'm, uh... I'm nearly out of straw." - damn, he was such a bad actor, he prayed that she would fall for his words and believe that he wasn't surprised by the fact that she had actually came back.
Not even averting his eyes from her to resume his work at the wheel would make him more believable, on the contrary, that action gave him away even more. He wasn't fooling anyone, he could tell, especially because Belle's smile grew wider at his words and she let out a little sound of smugness, like she knew something that was supposed to be a secret for anyone else.
She walked right in front of him, letting the basket full of straw down on the floor and looking at him through the spokes of the wheel.
"Hmm, come on... you're happy that I'm back." - she was sure of that, but he couldn't admit it out loud.
"I'm not unhappy." - he smiled.
Ok, he wasn't really denying his happiness about that, he was just twisting the words not to seem weak. She was ok with that.
She giggled softly at his words and his statement was enough to put some more courage into her, enough to walk around the wheel, put both hands on his shoulders and remind him of the little deal they made before he let her go.
"And, uh, you promised me a story."
She was so close, too close, his mind was fogged by her presence there, so near, her scent of roses washing over him, reaching his nostrils, dazing him. Her touch on his shoulders, so soft, so gentle. He couldn't bring himself to look into her blue eyes, he was sure that he was going to drown into them if he did, so he kept looking into the void while she was looking at him, waiting for a response. What was happening? He was confused, very confused.
"Did I?" - he finally looked at her the moment she started to slip her hands from his shoulders.
"Mmhmm. Tell me about your son." - she took the thread from his hands and put it down, away from him, so he wouldn't be able to focus on anything but her and her request for his storytelling. Then she sat down in front of him, resting a gentle hand on his knee to keep a contact with him. He gasped like an idiot, staring at her, gaping in disbelief. Seeing that he was frozen she then repeated herself, trying to gently snap him out of his state of stupor.
"Tell me about your son." - he couldn't really concentrate on his storytelling with her hand on his knee, now could he?
He let out some words, hoping that it would suffice. That story was not one he would like to share with anyone. It still hurt, after all those years, it seemed like yesterday and the pain was so vivid and so real. And to be honest her closeness and the gentle, warm, touch on his knee weren't helping him at all.
"I lost him. There's nothing more to tell, really." - how it all had happened wasn't important. All that mattered was that he was going to find him and ask him to forgive him. No matter the cost and no matter how long it would take.
Belle didn't push him, she could tell that that was a story that pained him, his eyes have always betrayed him, showing his real emotions. But she wasn't going to give it all up so easily.
"And, since then, you've loved no one. And no one has loved you." - she was speaking the truth and she seemed very sorry for him, but that was making Rumplestiltskin even more uncomfortable in that situation and even more confused, why she was so interested in him and his story? Why she didn't go away while she got the chance? A chance he has never given to anyone else before? He was full of questions instead of answers. He suddenly leaned towards her.
"Why did you come back?" - he whispered, voice full of curiosity, his eyes glued to hers, like he was trying to figure out her mind through them.
"I wasn't going to..." - she was honest, he could tell and a bit embarrassed maybe, admitting that she was going to leave him for good, but then she continued. "Then... something changed my mind." - her eyes were wide open, a hopeful and tentative smile on her face, a breath catching in her chest while she was trying to figure out if that was the right moment to kiss him. She decided it was.
She leaned more forward, closing her eyes, letting her feelings guide her and her unexperienced lips until they were over his. He instinctively closed his eyes as well, not able to mutter a single syllable, there was no need for words, he couldn't even remember his own name in that moment. Then she felt it, she felt him, she felt his lips capturing hers, in a sweet, full of love, kiss.
She didn't want it to be over already, but he slowly broke the contact, leaning backwards a bit with a puzzled look on his face, but he kept his eyes shut. She, instead, opened hers.
"Oh... what's happening?" - he whispered, a weird sensation tingling all over his body.
She smiled, watching him. The woman in black was right, a kiss had been enough, he was changing then, his rough appearance turning into a more soft and human form. His eyes turned black for a moment and then the pupils were assuming a more natural shape and the color of the irises turned into a sweet chocolate brown. His skin was turning pink again, instead of that golden-greenish tone. His teeth no more rotten, but white. The beast was going away, leaving him as he was once, a long time ago, just an ordinary, good man.
"Kiss me again, it's working." - she said while caressing his hair on the sides of his head and then sliding down her hands to make them rest on his shoulders.
"What is?" - he was overwhelmed by so many feelings and sensations that he was feeling very very dizzy. He was trying to taste the kiss they had just shared, but suddenly that was overwritten by this new, strong, weird, powerful sensation and he wasn't really able to realize what was happening to him.
"Any curse can be broken." - she said hopefully, trying to make him understand too many things with not enough words.
And then, he was standing up, all at once, like he had been bitten by a wasp, the movement so abrupt that sent the little stool he was sitting on flying in the air and falling a few steps away from them. He was looking at her with fear in his eyes. But then, that fear suddenly turned into anger as soon as the realization that the Dark Curse was slipping away from him hit him.
"Who told you that? Who knows that?" - he was furious, stepping away from her, that little deceiving girl... who gave her the right to do this? Who told her to do this? Was it her plan all along? That's why she decided to go with him willingly when he asked her as a payment for his deal with her father, right? She wanted to be a hero, she told him once, she wanted to be brave, she wanted to show the world that women are as good as men when it comes to heroics. He was such a fool, he really thought she had feelings for him, but no, that couldn't be true.
"I... I... I don't know. She, uh... She... She..." - Belle wasn't scared, she was just very confused, she thought he knew the meaning of all of this. That kiss meant true love, otherwise the curse wouldn't have gone away, like it was happening. Right?
"She..." - he hissed, storming over the covered mirror in the corner of the room, he angrily pulled the drape off of it and started yelling at it.
"You evil soul! This was you! You turned her against me! You think you can make me weak? You think you can defeat me?" - he was beyond fury, his gestures making him even more like the devilish imp for whom he was known.
But the Dark Curse was slowly slipping away from him, he could feel it and Belle could clearly see it in his changing features. He was still fighting to not let it go, but it was a lost battle, True Love's power was winning. The most powerful magic of all couldn't be defeated, no matter how much rage or will or need one had inside. Magic had its own rules and everyone had to subdue to them.
Belle was trying to understand what he was doing and she walked towards him to look better into the mirror and see if there was someone on the other side. When she saw that it was just a regular mirror she dared to ask.
"Who are you talking to?" - he seemed a fool, talking to that mirror which was only reflecting his image, not a trace of magic emerging from it. It was nothing but a stupid, regular mirror.
"The Queen!" - he answered, raising a hand into the air in a theatrical way. Then he turned and used the same gesture again. "Your friend, the Queen!" - madness written all over his now half impish, half human face. He then pointed a finger at her.
"How did she get to you?" - all of that didn't make any sense to Belle. Who was this Queen he was talking about? And why she wanted to defeat him? What the hell was going on?
"The... the Queen? I don't..." - he started to walk menacingly in her direction, almost whispering accusations.
"I knew this was a trick. I knew you could never care for me. Oh yeah! You're working for her. Or is this all you? Is this you being the hero and killing the beast?" - he was one step away from her, but the Dark Curse was still lingering into him. But she didn't care. She took his hands in hers.
"It was working..." - she said, but she couldn't even finish the last word that he slapped away her hands.
"Shut up!" - he was screaming, but she was determined to make him see her point.
"This means it's true love!" - she was screaming too, trying to reason with him, to make him see that it wasn't a trick of any sort, it was just true love, a pure feeling that she had kept and nurtured inside herself for a while since they met. And he did too, if what the Queen said was true.
"Shut the hell up!" he retorted, screaming even louder.
"Why won't you believe me?" - his stubbornness made her yell that question, louder than she intended to. It was crystal clear now that the curse was leaving his body, his mind and his soul forever. Why couldn't he see that? He loved her and she loved him, that was for sure, otherwise the kiss wouldn't even work, but was that really true? Or she was the one who had been tricked by the woman on the road? She didn't know enough about magic, but she knew enough about feelings and she felt love in that brief kiss they had shared. She had no time to dwell on her doubts because he was grabbing her by her shoulders, shaking her and shouting right before her face, flames in his eyes.
"Because no one, no one, could ever, ever love me!" - and with those words the argument was over, he was silently dragging her through the room, pulling her by her arm, even hurting her a bit when she tried to pull back.
"Where are you taking me?" - she was sad and sorry for him, he was almost human again, but the Dark Curse was hard to defeat and he was still very strong, she couldn't free herself from his tight grip.
He didn't answer her.
"Are you going to throw me out, like a piece of garbage? Because I won't leave you, not after what happened." - she had just maybe found her true love, she couldn't bear to find it and lose it the very same day.
Still, no answer came from him. But the path they were taking was clear now for Belle. It was the path to her "room", because room sounded a lot nicer than dungeon.
Author's note: Please feel free to comment and criticize (in a constructive way, I will not answer to rude people), it will be truly appreciated and don't be afraid to say what you really think. I'm here to please my readers and to improve my work and the story. I have a few chapters ready already, I'll try to update regularly but I can't assure you anything on a regular basis, sorry but sometimes I'm very busy, you know, real life...