The prompts for this round were: In fallow fields, Care to dance?, Hidden powers
Even though Belle prepared only a small meal for the dinner - a soup, a roasted pork and a couple of side dishes and a dessert - she still laid out cutlery as if for a banquet. If this young man was to live in the royal court as the heir, he needed to know how those things went.
She had hunted down a book about etiquette in the library and thumbed through it while she had waited for the meat to be done. It was always good to refresh one's memory about things one no longer practised regularly. Her life in the Dark Castle might have been one of servitude but on the other hand, it freed her from the obligations of her birth. If she didn't miss her Papa and friends, she would be completely happy in this place, she admitted to herself.
There had been some rough patches in the beginning - an understatement, if ever there was one - but Belle had eventually found some contentment, if not downright satisfaction in her new life and duties.
In a way, she felt like she was planting something new in fallow fields. She had the term explained to her when she was younger - had gone once with her father to oversee a planting of one - and she thought the comparison was fitting. The Dark Castle and Rumplestiltskin himself had been left unattended for so long they fell into a casual sort of neglect and she was slowly bringing them back to life, to their full potential. The castle was the easier part although she thought she was doing well with Rumplestiltskin as well, presumptuous as it was of her to think that way.
Once she was done with the dinner preparation, she considered how to dress. Rumplestiltskin wanted it to appear as if she didn't live in the castle with him so her blue working dress, pretty as it was, was out of the question. She shouldn't have worried, though, as when she entered her room, a very pretty green coloured dress was hung on the door of the wardrobe.
She smiled upon seeing it. The dress was simple yet elegant. She imagined it would help her project a similar air to the one her old tutors - especially Miss Melissa, her favourite one - had had about them. Yes, it would do very nicely, especially once she tamed her hair into something more formal.
Belle was standing in the entrance hall next to the table with the flower arrangement when the large door opened and admitted Rumplestiltskin who was followed by a tall, fair-haired young man. He was handsome in that standard, conventional way that princes were expected to be so he was a good fit in that regard at the very least. Belle took a step forward and waited for an introduction.
She could tell that the man was surprised upon seeing her present. Rumplestiltskin quickly looked her over and nodded once in approval before stepping to the side and gesturing towards her with a flourish of his right arm.
"Prince James, may I present Lady Belle?" he spoke and Belle sank into a curtsey.
"My lady," the 'Prince' said as he took a hesitant step forward. He was clearly uncomfortable in his obviously new clothes and he tugged at the bottom of his surcoat nervously.
"Your Highness." Belle acknowledged his greeting and straightened up, offering him her right hand. She suppressed a smile when he shook it. Rumplestiltskin didn't show such restraint.
"My, my, I see I was right to arrange for the lessons," he said with a high-pitched giggle. "Do your job, Lady Belle," he prompted her and she chose to smile reassuringly at the embarrassed young man instead of rolling her eyes at Rumplestiltskin. If there was one thing she knew about teaching, it was that a positive encouragement and kind correction yielded better results than a strict chastisement or outright mockery.
"When a lady offers you her hand upon your first meeting," she explained kindly, "you take it and kiss the back of it. But you actually don't touch it with your lips, just pretend to."
"Yes, people usually have some aversion to being slobbered over," Rumplestiltskin commented idly, watching the pair of them avidly. Belle bit her lip to stop herself from smiling and she nodded at 'James' encouragingly.
"I see," 'James' said and Belle held out her hand again. This time he carefully raised it to his lips, keeping a small distance from her skin before releasing it.
"Good," she praised him. "You are a quick learner, Prince James."
He frowned a bit at the name but nodded. Belle considered it for a moment and then she raised her hand again. Better to get it all out of the way.
"There are four kinds of hand kissing altogether that vary depending on the familiarity between people. It is usually the lady who decides how familiar she allows the man to be with her. The kiss to the back of the hand is a standard, a greeting reserved for strangers or for the acquaintances she doesn't like much. The kiss to the fingers." She wiggled them for emphasis. "Is for close friends or for the beginning of the courtship. It's more familiar. Then a kiss to the palm." Belle turned her wrist gracefully. "It's intimate and usually only allowed to one's lover when in public. The last kiss is over the wrist at the pulse point. It's considered indecent to allow it in public and is thus reserved for private encounters between lovers and is generally-" she paused, searching for a delicate way to phrase it and Rumplestiltskin filled in gleefully.
"It's generally a prelude to fornication."
Belle was glad to see that 'James' blushed at the bluntness, too.
"It's generally a prelude to greater intimacies," she said decisively, staring at Rumpletiltskin with clear disapproval. She was a tutor to the would-be-prince at his own request so he should let her do the job without constantly interrupting. Some of her feelings must have gotten through because he sketched a brief bow in apology and then moved around them quickly.
"Let's proceed to the dinner," he said and turned towards 'James'. "And you, dearie, will escort the lady."
He mimicked holding out an arm and 'James' copied him. Belle hooked her arm through his, keeping the proper distance and almost wishing Rumplestiltskin would be the one leading her into the hall. 'James' was not as tall as Gaston had been but he still towered over her by a fair bit and she had to raise her own arm uncomfortably high to take his. She wouldn't have that problem with the short Dark One.
They walked slowly up the stairs and through the few corridors and Belle could see 'James' looking around with interest. He didn't seem afraid of being in Rumplestiltskin's abode. She wondered if he was impressed by the ostentatiously displayed wealth - Rumplestiltskin had said the boy had been a poor shepherd - or merely curious about the different things that could be seen. She also felt a bit proud at his appreciative gaze. The corridors were much cleaner and less dustier these days, thanks to her hard work.
When they entered the main hall with the long table, she let him escort her to where she prepared three seating places. Rumplestiltskin took his usual place at the head of the table and Belle tugged at her companion's arm and directed him to the place at the left.
"The guests of honour, like you, have seats to the right of the host. But since you're escorting me, you take me to my place first."
He pulled out her chair without prompting and held it out for her before going to sit in his own. Looking at the table, Belle realized she had forgotten about one thing.
She was usually the one to bring the food in on the tray but as she was posing as a tutor brought in just to teach 'James', she couldn't do it. She looked imploringly at Rumplestiltskin who smirked as he realized her predicament. Instead of helping, though, he just grinned and picked up a salad fork.
"There is an awful lot of kitchenware on my table, dearie. Care to explain why?"
"This is a formal arrangement for a banquet," she said with a sigh. "There can be up to ten or even twelve courses and there is a different cutlery for each. To make it easier to remember, the servants usually arrange it in order in which they are to be used from the furthest from the plate to the closest to it. Forks always go to the left and knives and spoons to the right."
"Interesting, wouldn't you agree, Jamie?" Rumplestiltskin asked. "And are we to have a banquet, my lady?"
Belle glared at him briefly. She knew he was acting up on purpose but if he was going to play, so would she.
"Well, I wouldn't know, sir," she said demurely. "I'm not your cook."
She saw his eyes widen in surprise and then he laughed, shortly and sharply, startling 'James' into dropping the oyster spoon he was studying curiously.
"Indeed you're not, dearie. How forgetful of me. Must be my old age catching up." He snapped his fingers and a plate full of hot soup appeared in front of each of them. "Well, I'd say no banquet this time. And I was so looking forward to the entrées."
There was silence for a while while they ate the soup and then Belle tried to engage 'James' in a dialogue during the second course. He answered some of her questions more readily than the others although he was quite tight-lipped at the subject of his new home. It was then that Belle realized that he had yet to see the castle and the king that were to be his new home and family. It was quite similar to her own situation in some ways and she felt a burst of kinship for this young man.
She let him finish the meal in silence and Rumplestiltskin took him away shortly after to show him to his room. She tidied up after their meal but lingered in the hall, knowing that Rumplestiltskin would want to talk to her. She thought it her hidden power sometimes, her ability to anticipate his moods and needs without him saying anything. He always acted bewildered after her displays of consideration but his reactions were getting less pronounced with time. One day, she hoped he would accept her kindness as a natural part of their interactions. Until then, she would keep doing as she had until now.
She also needed to have a word with him about his conduct. While she realized he had a reputation to uphold, she wouldn't tolerate his constant attempts at bewildering, disconcerting or even frightening their guest. Especially since the said guest had been brought in by him.
"Care to dance, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin asked, quietly appearing by her side, startling her from her thoughts.
"I'm sorry?" she asked but he took her hand and twirled her around once before he answered.
"Tomorrow, you will instruct him in ballroom dancing. Don't worry," he said as he leaned in conspiratorially. "I'll enchant your feet so you won't feel it when he steps on them."
Belle covered her mouth to hide her smile and shook her head indulgently.
"Don't," she told him. "How else am I supposed to know if he's actually improving? Unless you would offer your input on that as well, since you seem so fond of doing that."
Rumplestiltskin cocked his head to the side, studying her.
"Are you angry with me?" he asked at last.
"Irritated," she clarified. "You gave me this task to do but you won't let me do it properly. If you don't like the way I go about things, then you shouldn't have asked me at all."
"What is it you want?"
"I want you to trust me to keep my word," she said quietly. "I told you I'd teach him all he needs to know and that I'd keep my real position secret." She saw him grimace and look away from her and she sighed. "If you can't trust me, at least stop being so obnoxious during the lessons. Stop teasing him and trying to unsettle me. And don't go around enchanting my feet. I'm going to teach him the hard way," she added in an attempt to lighten the mood. He smiled a bit at that.
"Well, it's your feet that will suffer," he said with a shrug and let go of her hand, Belle suddenly becoming aware he had hold it the whole time they were talking. He took a deep bow. "My lady, I bid you good night."
She curtseyed back to him, smiling at his playful mood after the seriousness of their talk.
"Good night, Rumplestiltskin."
She was smiling all the way back to her room.
A/N: The different kisses were inspired by a medieval tradition of chivalry and chaste courtship, called minna. In real life, the last one was actually not a prelude to fornication but instead an expression of the highest possible regard a lady had for her knight. At least it was supposed to be that way.
Also, for the green dress think the one from the Disney movie, the scene where the Beast shows Belle the library. I always liked their design.