Storybrooke, Maine was a typical little town. With cute little Victorian houses, a closed down library, and a shifty pawnshop, the only strange thing about the town seemed to be the fact that, if pressed, one of the residents might admit that he couldn't remember the last time they held an election or a high school graduation. Kids grew up, that was for sure, but no one seemed to remember graduations.
Not that anyone in the town noticed that. In fact, Christy French didn't find that odd at all. She remembered her high school graduation and every detail and decision since then that led to her being pulled out of her nightmare at five-thirty in the morning to the sound of her roommate and landlady yelling at each other. She groaned as she rolled out of bed and pulled on a red skirt and white blouse before walking down the hall.
The voices echoing through the apartment in the basement of the inn led her into the kitchen, where Granny and Ruby were standing on either side of the counter going through the argument they had almost every morning over Ruby's outfit for the day. Christy didn't even have an alarm clock—she trusted those two to wake her up with their shouting. She grabbed an orange out of a bowl on the counter and settled into a seat at the table, peeling the orange and finding a strange comfort out of the familiarity of the situation.
"Christy isn't putting her entire body on show for the whole town to see!" Granny yelled, pointing at her and causing Ruby's whole face to turn red.
"Don't drag me into this," Christy said around a mouthful of orange. She swallowed and stood up before Ruby could scream at her grandmother. "We need to go or we'll be late again."
Granny huffed and turned to walk out the door and Ruby mouthed "thank you" at Christy before turning to leave as well, leaving Christy to follow, smiling as she pulled her long brown curls into a ponytail and rolled her eyes at the way Ruby was wearing her blouse so that her whole midriff was showing.
Belle glanced around the tavern, avoiding catching the eyes of a group of men in a corner who were staring at her. She frowned as she picked up her pint to take a sip. She knew she could handle them if they approached her—Rumplestiltskin had made sure of that and she had fought off plenty of drunk men in the last two months—but she didn't particularly want to deal with them.
"Here you are, love," a woman said as a bowl of stew slid onto the table in front of Belle, who smiled up at the barmaid.
"Thank you," she said.
The woman frowned, glanced at the men in the corner, and leaned down. "Are you alright? A pretty girl like you shouldn't be wandering around on her own."
Belle smiled at her. "I'm fine. Really. Thank you, though." The barmaid's brow furrowed as she cast the men another glance before nodding and hurrying away to help a group who had just walked into the room.
Belle watched her leave, her smile fading, and sighed, swirling her drink around.
"Hey, lady," a gruff voice said and she jolted out of her thoughts and looked at the short man standing in front of her.
Not man, she corrected herself before she recognized him. Dwarf. "It's you!" she said, smiling up at the bearded dwarf she had met in a tavern like this one before Regina captured her.
His lips twitched, though she noticed lines around his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Yes, it's me. Are you here alone?" Belle nodded. "Why don't you come sit with us?" He motioned to his table, where six other dwarves, a blonde man, and two brunette women were sitting.
"Thank you," Belle said, picking up her bowl and mug and following him back. "I never did catch your name."
"Grumpy," he said. "You?"
She frowned. The name didn't suit the memories she had of him, though it did seem to fit the scowling dwarf in front of her. "Belle."
He nodded as they arrived at his table. "This is Doc, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey, and Happy," he pointed to each dwarf in turn before turning to the man and the two women. "And this is Charming, Red, and—"
He was cut off as Belle said "Snow!" at the same time Snow cried "Belle!" Snow stood up as Belle rushed around the table to hug her.
"Well, I guess I'm not needed anymore," Grumpy muttered as he swung himself down to sit across from Red and Charming.
"You're alive," Snow said in Belle's ear, causing Belle to jerk out of the embrace to stare at her friend.
"Of course I'm alive. What made you think I wasn't?" she said, her stomach sinking.
Snow frowned. "Your father announced that you were dead a few months ago." She smiled and moved a strand of Belle's hair out of her face. "I'm so glad you're not, but why would he say that?"
Belle scowled. "He's doesn't approve of what I've chosen as my lot in life."
"Meaning?" Snow asked as she motioned for Belle to sit between her and Red, who was wearing a long cloak even though the tavern was boiling.
Sighing, Belle tried to think of a way to tell Snow the truth without telling her the whole story. "He doesn't like the idea of me traveling, even though all I've ever wanted is to see the world. He also doesn't like the man I fell in love with, and I suspect he also resents me taking away the chance to strengthen his kingdom."
"That's horrible!" Snow said.
The man, Charming, leaned forward and said, "It always comes down to love, doesn't it?" Red gave a dark chuckle.
"I suppose it does," Belle said, staring at Charming, trying to place the familiar face. She gasped. "You're Prince James!"
"I was once," he said, glancing at Snow. "I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"
"She's King Maurice's daughter, Belle," Snow said, smiling at Belle. "We're childhood friends."
Red laughed and grinned at Belle. "Look at you three royals, all on the run from your parents."
Charming and Snow laughed with her, but Belle frowned at the twinge in her gut that happened when she looked at Red.
"How do you know Grumpy?" Red said, and Belle forced thoughts of the strange feeling out of her mind.
"We met in a tavern months ago," she said, looking across the table where Grumpy was sitting, watching the exchange.
"She gave me some good advice," Grumpy said, a distant smile dancing across his lips.
Belle nodded. "Your love, did it work out?" Snow looked at her friend in surprise
Grumpy looked down and shook his head. "No, it didn't." Belle opened her mouth even though she didn't know what to say, and Grumpy saved her from trying to come up with something by asking, "What about you? You told me you had your heart broken, but you just said your father doesn't approve of your love. Did it work out for you?"
Belle laughed. "When I met you last, I did have a broken heart. So yes, I suppose it has worked out better since then, though many would say it hasn't and my relationship is strange, to say the least."
Prince James frowned. "What do you mean, strange?"
"If it was normal, I would be in some cozy little home with my love instead of in this tavern alone," Belle said and he laughed.
"That is true," he said and smiled at Snow. "I know all about strange relationships."
Snow smiled back at him as Red laughed again and said, "We all do, Charming."
"Charming?" Belle asked. "Why do they call you that? It's an odd name."
"You say that as you're sitting with seven dwarves named for their personalities, a woman named after weather, and another woman named after a color," Grumpy grumbled. "You have the most normal name out of all of us."
"I suppose I do," she laughed. "But only if you don't count James. Why do you go by Charming?"
"It's a long story," he said, "and not one to be told here."
Belle nodded and let the conversation drift to other topics. By the time they had all finished eating, she was proud to say she remembered each dwarf's name, but she was dreading them all leaving. She thought about the last two months since she had left the Dark Castle and how wonderful and free they had been, but also how lonely. Belle missed being around people, telling stories just to hear laughter and enjoy the warmth of companionship, and she had found not just an old friend, but also an immediate friend in Red, who Belle talked to most of the dinner as the dwarves talked amongst themselves and Snow and Charming sat with their heads huddled together. She hated the idea of being separated from these people she had just met, and as she realized how much she had craved friendship since she left Rumplestiltskin, she made a decision. "Snow?"
"Hmm?" Snow turned away from Charming to look at Belle.
"Can I travel with you for a while? The road can be so lonely, and…" she trailed off, biting her lip when she noticed Snow's pursed lips and the sudden tenseness from Red, Charming, and Grumpy.
"Belle," Snow said slowly. "That's probably not the best idea. We're constantly fighting King George's men as well as my step-mother's, and to be honest, what we're doing could get us all killed. I don't want to get you mixed up in that."
"I doubt it's so bad," Belle said. "It's not like you're trying to overthrow the kingdom." She froze when Snow's eyes widened and Charming's jaw dropped. "By the gods, that's what you're doing, isn't it?" She glanced at Red, and all of their faces had the same shock, which she took for a confirmation, and Belle smirked. "Well, now I just want to join you even more."
"What?" Snow said, staring at the girl who had always been so sweet and gentle in shock as she declared her desire to go to war against the queen.
"There's no love lost between myself and Regina," Belle said, looking at Snow. "She kept me in her dungeon for months when I had done nothing wrong, and I've seen the terror she inflicts in the hearts of her people. Please, let me help."
Charming frowned. "Why did she look you up if you did nothing wrong?"
"It's a long story," Belle said, smiling at him, "and not one to be told here."
He laughed. "Fair enough. Can you use that sword you wear?"
"Of course," she said. "And I'll challenge you to a duel any day of the week."
Red laughed. "Then we could use your help," she said, smiling at Belle.
All three looked to Snow, who was still frowning at her friend. "Are you sure, Belle? You've never been…"
"Violent?" Belle said, grinning. Snow nodded and she laughed. "No, I've never been violent, but you know me. I've always been passionate. Of course I'm sure. Remember when we promised to always help each other? I'm fulfilling my promise."
Snow smiled and squeezed Belle's shoulder before standing and pulling Belle up with her. "Then I'd be thrilled to have you along. We only came here to hear news. We have to go back to camp now."
Belle noticed a few of the dwarves hurrying over to the group from various corners of the tavern as they stood to leave. "Meet me out front," Belle said to Snow. "I need to get my things." Snow nodded and Belle hurried up the stairs to the room she had rented for the night. Unlocking the door and stepping through, she quickly grabbed her bags, threw on her cloak, and then went back to the bar, where she flagged down the barmaid. "I'm not staying overnight after all," she explained, handing the woman the key. "Take care."
She turned to go out the side door when the woman stopped her, a worried look on her face. "Love?" Belle turned to look at her. "Be careful." Belle nodded at the barmaid and slipped out the door, jogging to the stables, where she had the stable boy get her horse for her. When he returned, leading the large tawny horse with a beautifully embroidered leather saddle on him, Belle tossed her bags over his back and took the reins, stroking the beast along the white blaze going down his face.
"Hello, Philippe," she murmured before turning back to the stable boy and tossing him a gold coin. "Thank you." She hurried out of the stables, pulling the hood of her gold and green cloak up over her head.
Leading Philippe around to the front of the tavern, she joined Snow and her friends. Snow stared at her. "When you said you were getting your things, I didn't realize that included a horse." Belle smiled sheepishly and Snow laughed. "Well, having a horse certainly can't hurt. Come on. We need to get going." Belle followed her as Snow fell in line with Charming, following the dwarves down the road that went into the forest. Red walked next to Belle, her own red hood pulled over her head as well, and Belle tried to ignore her the her body's reaction to the woman beside her.
"Red," Belle said and nodded towards Snow and Charming. "Are they in love?"
Red chuckled. "They're married."
"Married!" Belle stared at Snow in surprise.
"Yes," Red said, "and their love is part of what got us into this mess."
"What do you mean?"
"If they weren't in love, we would only be on the run from Queen Regina and Charming would be married off to some princess," she said. "But because Charming fell in love with Snow, he refused to marry the girl King George wanted him to. Then the king snapped, Charming joined us, and we're on the run from both kingdoms."
"I can't blame him," Belle sighed. "Arranged marriages are terrible."
Red glanced at her. "Were you in one?"
"I was betrothed. He was horrid," Belle said, frowning at the memory of how Gaston looked at her like she was his next hunting trophy.
"What happened?"
"I found a way out," Belle said, trying to think of a way to change the conversation from this topic that was getting dangerously close to Rumplestiltskin. No matter how long she had been friends with Snow, she didn't think any of them would be able to overlook her association with the Dark One. "What about you? Have you ever been betrothed?"
Red laughed. "I'm no princess like you and Snow. I'm just a village girl who got caught up in politics because I was stupid enough to befriend a runaway princess." Snow turned around and glared at Red, who grinned at her before she rolled her eyes and turned back to Charming.
Belle smiled at the two friends before asking, "Do you have some village boy waiting for you back at home, then?"
Pain flashed across Red's face before she turned away from Belle. "I did, once. Not anymore though."
Belle paused, giving Red the chance to continue if she wanted, but when she didn't after few moments, she looked ahead and saw the dwarves slipping one by one into the forest, followed closely by Snow and Charming. Red smiled at Belle again before following Charming along a path Belle couldn't quite discern. She thanked the gods that the trees were far enough apart for Philippe to walk through as she swallowed her fear of getting lost and glanced behind her at the road before stepping into the forest. Clearing her throat, she said, "Where are we going?"
"Camp," Red said, turning to give Belle a wolfish grin that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Don't let Granny catch you reading on the job again," Ruby whispered into Christy's ear, making her jump where she stood behind the counter.
She glanced down at the book in front of her. "No one's here right now and we've already cleaned everything up. I doubt she'll care."
"I know," Ruby said, rolling her eyes. Her normally bright red lipstick was worn off after the long day of working in the diner. "I don't know why we can't just close early."
The bell above the door rang and Christy laughed. "That's why." She turned to greet the customer who just walked in, and smiled widely when she saw the rugged man in front of her. "Hi Graham!"
He gave her a small smile as he collapsed onto one of the barstools. "Hey, Chris. Can I have a scotch?"
"Long day?" Ruby said, getting him his drink. He drank it in one gulp before responding.
"Long couple of days."
"Dish," Christy said, leaning over the counter towards Graham. Ruby refilled his drink, then copied her, and Graham chuckled. The three had been friends since high school and they all knew that the two women were Graham's only friends in town. Everyone always commented how strange their relationship was—the town's gossip, bookworm, and antisocial sheriff—but everyone accepted it.
"You know how Regina was panicking about Henry going missing yesterday?" He said, leaning in to the two women.
"Let me guess," Christy snorted. "He came home last night with some story about finding a bear cub or something."
"Something like that," he said, taking a sip and laughing at Ruby and Christy's glares as he left them in suspense. "He came home with his birth mother in tow."
"What?" Ruby said, her eyes flashing.
He nodded. "He went all the way to Boston to find her."
Christy's jaw dropped. "So what happened?" Ruby asked.
"When she was leaving Storybrooke last night, her car spun out after having some drinks at Regina's, so I arrested her, but apparently, she's a bail bondswoman, so when Henry went missing again today, she helped Regina find him."
Christy gasped. "Regina let her near him?"
Graham smirked. "She didn't have any choice."
"So where is she now?" Ruby prodded, anxious to hear the whole story.
"Regina probably ran her out of town by now," Graham said, shrugging.
"Poor girl," Christy said, staring at the counter. Ruby and Graham nodded, and the three fell into a thoughtful silence
"Girls, why don't we head home?" Granny said, walking out of the kitchen absentmindedly before seeing the three with their heads together, completely quiet. "What's wrong? You three not talking might as well be a sign of the apocalypse."
Graham smiled. "Nothing's wrong, Granny." He drank the last of his scotch and threw a few bills on the table, winking at Ruby and Christy. "I'll keep you updated."
"What—"
"We'll tell you later," Ruby said, cutting Granny off as Graham left. "Did you say we're going home?"
Granny nodded, eyeing her granddaughter and her friend, who might as well be her second granddaughter. The two helped her lock up and in a few minutes they were walking back to the inn together. Ruby and Christy were exchanging looks the whole way and Granny sighed as they walked into the lobby and she went behind the counter. "Christy?" she said, stopping the two girls from walking downstairs to their apartment. "Are you working for Mr. Gold tomorrow night?"
"Of course. It's a Wednesday," Christy said.
The door opened and all three stared at a blonde woman none of them had ever seen before standing there awkwardly. Ruby and Christy glanced at each other, sure this was Henry's birth mother.
"Excuse me?" she said, her flicking between the three women. "I'd like a room."
"Really?" Granny said, staring at her in disbelief. Ruby's mouth dropped as Granny immediately hustled about to get room keys they couldn't remember ever touching. "Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally there's an upgrade fee for a square view, but as rent is due, I'll waive it." Christy smiled at Granny's enthusiasm for the first guest in years.
"Square is fine," the woman said, smiling as well.
Granny smiled back at her, opening her ledger. "Now, what's the name?"
"Swan. Emma Swan."
"Emma," said an accented man's voice, causing Christy and Ruby to jump, so focused on watching Emma that they hadn't heard Mr. Gold, the pawnbroker, open the door. Emma turned at looked at him standing behind her, confused. "What a lovely name."
"Thanks," she said, brow furrowed as he smirked at her, not sure what to make of the skinny man who practically oozed power in front of her.
Granny fumbled in her drawer, handing him a roll of money as her excitement drained away. "It's all here."
"Yes, yes, of course it is, dear. Thank you," he reached out and took the money before turning back to Emma, eyeing her like she was a prized stallion he was thinking about buying. "You enjoy your stay… Emma." He smirked again when he said her name and Christy felt Ruby shudder next to her. Emma didn't look fazed at all as he walked away and opened the door. He glanced at the two girls standing on the other side of it. "Miss French, I'll see you tomorrow," he said before walking out the door. Christy nodded before she realized that he couldn't see her and Ruby's eyes narrowed at the closing door
"Who's that?" Emma said, watching Ruby pull back the curtains to watch him walk away.
"Mr. Gold," Ruby said. "He owns this place."
"The inn?"
"No," Granny said, looking away from the door and back at Emma. "The town."
Emma looked startled and glanced at Christy. "Why will he be seeing you tomorrow?"
"I work in his shop," she said, smiling at her. "I'm Christy. This is Ruby."
The woman gave her a small smile. "Emma."
Granny seemed to have finally shaken herself of Mr. Gold's visit. "So, how long will you with us?"
"A week. Just a week." Christy glanced at Ruby, surprised at the determined tone in her voice. Ruby smirked back at her. They were both thinking the same thing: she would be staying for much longer than a week.
Belle could sense that this was an old part of the Enchanted Forest. The trees were humming with so much magic that she could almost taste it on her tongue, but it was watchful and guarded, unlike any of the magic she had felt before. While Regina's was dark and cold, piercing her to her soul, and Rumplestiltskin's felt mischievous with a hard edge lying underneath, this magic felt ancient, wise, and warm.
"You can feel it, can't you?"
Belle snapped her eyes from the large oak she could have sworn had stretched its branches towards her to Red, who was looking at her curiously. "Feel what?"
"The magic of the forest," Red said, motioning towards the trees.
Belle paused, not sure if she should admit to being able to sense magic. Glancing at Snow, who looked like she was arguing with Charming, she decided to trust Red. "Yes."
"Do you have magic?" Red asked.
"No," Belle said. "But I've been told that I'm sensitive to it. Do you?"
Red sighed and looked straight ahead. "In a way. I'm the only one who can feel the forest the way you can, but I can't wield magic. It's just… a part of me."
Belle nodded, realizing that the strange twinge she felt every time she glanced at Red was her body's reaction to magic coursing through her friend's body. "How so?"
"Charming and you both have pasts you'd prefer to keep to yourselves," Red said, giving Belle a small smile. "So do I. Besides, it's too horrible."
"Oh, I doubt it's that bad," Belle said. "I know horrible when I see it, and you certainly aren't it."
Red gave Belle that look again, trying to figure her out, but Charming called Belle's name before she could say anything.
The two women looked at him as he walked towards them with Snow trailing behind him, frowning. He took a deep breath. "Belle, you must understand, we have two kingdoms after us, and you've already admitted that you've been captured by Regina before. We can't let anyone find out where our camp is, and while Snow trusts you…"
"You need to know why Regina held me captive," Belle finished for him. He nodded and she sighed. "Please understand, not all of it is my story to tell, but I'll share what I can." She glanced around at the trees, which she fancied were leaning in to hear her tale. "To make it short, I fell in love with the wrong man. She wanted to have an advantage over him, so she kidnapped me, threw me in her dungeon, and told him I was dead so that when she wanted something from him, she could pull me out and threaten to kill me."
"Who was he?" Snow said, head cocked.
Belle smiled and shook her head. "That's information that I'm not at liberty to share. I've already been looked away once for it. I'd rather that not happen again."
"He's the one who taught you how to use a sword, isn't he?" Snow pressed. "And he gave you the horse and the silk vest?" Belle stared in surprise, and Snow laughed. "So he's wealthy and knows his way around a battlefield. Some knight friend of your betrothed, perhaps?"
Belle laughed. "That would explain my father's distaste of my love. But no, that's not it."
Snow frowned, trying to think of who he could be, and Charming asked, "How did you escape from Regina?"
"My love has powerful connections," Belle said, shrugging. "Once he discovered I wasn't dead, he found a way to smuggle me out of the dungeon."
Charming's frowned deepened, but Snow looked excited. "It was the Huntsman, wasn't it?" she exclaimed. "The Huntsman helped you?"
Belle almost laughed in relief at Snow practically feeding her a believable story. "Yes, he did. Do you know him?"
"He's helped us before," Charming admitted, sighing. "Promise you won't tell anyone of our camp. Regina, King George, even the Dark One if he tries to find out." Red shuddered at the mention of Rumplestiltskin and Belle suppressed a frown.
"The Dark One could likely find out without any of our help, but I promise. Of course I promise," she said.
Charming smiled at her. "I'm sorry. We just can't be too cautious."
Belle smiled back. "I know. I appreciate you trusting me."
"Snow trusts you," he said, wrapping an arm around Snow's shoulder. "That's good enough for me. I just had to know your story, even if you can't tell us all of it."
"You two are lovely together," Belle said, ignoring the pang of homesickness going through her. She was still surprised every time she missed the Dark Castle instead of her father's home. "I'm happy you've found each other."
"Thank you," Snow said, smiling up at Charming before turning to walk through the forest again. "Come. We still need to get to camp."
The group started following her through the forest again and Charming turned to look back at Red and Belle.
"Belle?"
"Yes?"
"Just a word of warning: if the Dark One does try to make a deal with you, don't accept it unless you truly have no other options. He's dangerous," he said.
Belle had to take a moment to suppress her laughter before she could reply. "Believe me, I know about making deals with him. I think they're rather overrated, actually." The three stared at Belle, who only smiled and said, "So how far do we have to go to camp?"
"Only about a half-mile," Snow said, still staring at Belle.
"Lovely," Belle said and grinned. She was finally getting to have a real adventure.
A/N: Thank you everyone for the amazing response! The amount of followers and reviews on this after just a week make me so happy. This took me a bit longer than I was planning to get up because on Wednesday I decided I wanted to run the stories in FTL and in Storybrooke parallel rather than just going through Belle's story chronologically. I hope you enjoyed this chapter though. Thanks for reading!