A/N – Thank you so much for giving this story a chance! I really appreciate it!
Just so you know, the pronunciation of the name of my original character, Cardinal Salir, is 'Sah-leer'. It's French for 'dirty' or 'foul.' As you can probably guess, I hate the clerics.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2 – A Golden Apple
Two Years Later
Belle raced down the East Wing's long hallway while doing her best to braid her unruly tresses into something halfway presentable. The bodice of her dress was knotted incorrectly, showing a bit too much flesh to be considered acceptable in respectful company; something that would have brought her to shame a couple of years ago, but now was only a mere inconvenience.
Her castle was no longer the bustling center it once was. In happier times she would have had to run and dodge past dozens of servants or soldiers busy at work, all while trying not to trip over the multitude of rugs that covered the floors. Now though, with only a skeleton crew left to keep the relatively empty castle running, she felt confident that no one would see her half dressed as she ran unencumbered down the bare halls.
She inwardly groaned as she caught sight of the rising sun shining through the passing windows and furiously tucked in the last few curls.
She was late again.
She could only hope that there would be food left this time.
The Great Hall was deserted when she reached the bottom most steps and for that she was quietly grateful. It provided her a private moment in which to check on her appearance in one of the castle's only remaining mirrors. As with the majority of the glass broken during the war, mirrors were a low priority in the reconstruction of the castle and only a few of its residents were fortunate enough to have one in their chambers.
"Oh, your highness!" said an exasperated, but kind voice coming from the direction of the kitchens. "Here, let me help you."
Natalie sat down a heavy cauldron nearly half the size of Belle and quickly wiped her sweaty palms on the clean, but badly frayed apron around her waist. She immediately went to work tucking and tying the ridiculous fabric that covered the princess's too thin frame. "I would chide you for displaying too much of your bosom, my lady, if you had one to speak of. I'm afraid you have lost another pound or two. This dress is simply far too large for you now."
"If only we could grow clothing the way we do food," Belle joked playfully as she smoothed away a few loose tendrils of hair. "I once read a book about a magical tree that produced garments instead of fruit! Wouldn't that be simply amazing?"
"Not really, my lady," Natalie replied with a wink. "With the way the crops have been growing around here lately we'd all be walking about naked!"
The two ladies giggled shamelessly until the grumbling of Belle's stomach reminded them both of their duties. "We'd best be off to breakfast before the men destroy what's left of this castle with their loud complaining. Let's have a quick look then."
Belle dutifully twirled for inspection in her ornate green dress and her longtime friend and servant nodded in approval. It was ridiculous to think that even during these hard times she was expected to look every bit the royal princess she was born to be, even if she only had as little to eat as the servants. Yet she was a symbol of hope for her nation, the supposed Beauty of Avonlea, and they did have an important guest visiting them at the moment that required her to keep up appearances.
"You have a bit of color in your cheeks this morning," the maid noted approvingly then frowned in concern. "You didn't run all the way from your chambers, did you?"
Belle blushed furiously and looked down to fiddle with a small hole in the sleeve near her wrist. "Yes, I must have overslept again. I'm afraid I lost track of the hour last night." She looked around uncertainly and lowered her voice. The castle may have been lacking in hands but it still had an excess of ears. "You know me and my reading…"
Natalie reached her arms around the petite princess and hugged her fiercely. "No need to apologize, Belle," she whispered. "I understand."
Belle nodded in silent thanks and picked up one end of the heavy cauldron. Natalie hoisted the other and together they quickly made their way down the deserted corridor. The double doors that led to the dining hall were unfortunately closed, indicating that breakfast had already begun.
The doors creaked painfully loud as Natalie pushed it open with her hip and a dozen bottoms swiveled in their seats to stare at the late arrivals. So much for quietly sneaking in, Belle thought glumly.
"Ah! And here is our wayward Princess now," King Maurice said buoyantly, raising his glass of mead in salute. No matter how little they had, the King somehow always managed to have a supply of alcohol nearby. "Late as usual, I see."
As expected, what little rolls and fruit they had were already gone, leaving her with only whatever was in the pot she had helped to carry. Belle kissed her Papa affectionately on his blotchy cheek in greeting and nodded respectfully to the rest of the men seated around the long rectangular table. Her eyes instantly noted their guest's chair at the far opposite end from her father and she heaved a sigh, relieved at its emptiness.
Gaston immediately rose from his seat at her father's right hand and brought her knuckles to his lips for a chaste kiss. "Hello, Belle," he said quietly. "How are you this morning?"
"A bit tired," she responded carefully while steadily keeping her husband's gaze. "I'm afraid I didn't sleep very well last night."
His brow creased as he nodded in understanding at their secret code and gently squeezed her hand in sympathy. He forced a slight smile to his lips and respectfully held out her chair. "Well, then, I expect you to take it easy today and rest. There is no need for you to accompany us to the docks to see our guest off. I will send him your regards."
She sighed quietly in relief and smiled gratefully in his direction. "Thank you. I believe I will rest for a bit."
"How nice it must be for you, my lady, to lead such a life of leisure!" said the oily voice of Cardinal Salir with thinly veiled contempt. "I can't remember the last time I was given the opportunity to nap during the day."
Belle bristled at the cleric's words but otherwise showed no emotion at the jab. She had never gotten along with the older man but he was her late mother's cousin as well as the head of the major religion practiced within the Marshlands. There seemed to be no avoiding the High Cleric.
"You have my sympathies then, Cardinal. I'm sure condemning peasants to eternal damnation over minor sins can be quite taxing, especially at your age," she said flippantly. Gaston snorted into his weak tea and Maurice sent her a warning look. She held her hands together tightly to hide the fact that they were now shaking in her anger. "Tell me, Cardinal, when was the last time you spent a day helping your charges sow the fields or rebuild a damaged house?"
"I wouldn't expect you to understand, Highness," the cleric spat disdainfully. "I have done my best to shelter you from the evils of this world so that you would not have to witness them first hand. But if it weren't for me and my followers, then this kingdom would be in even more dire straits than it already is. You may worry about feeding their bellies all you want, but it is far more important to nourish their souls."
Belle felt her face flush heatedly. He had always managed to get under her skin and her grumbling stomach seemed to be exacerbating the boiling rage she was currently feeling in her belly. "You feed into their fears and prejudices! If you truly wanted to save their souls then you would be preaching forgiveness and cooperation and not these righteous rules!"
"That is enough!" bellowed the King, putting an end to the bickering. He pinched the bridge of his nose and frowned tiredly. "It is far too early for another one of these pointless debates. Salir, you know that my dear princess is a delicate flower and shouldn't overexert herself needlessly. And Belle, darling, I'm sure you understand that the Cardinal's guidance has been invaluable to our people, especially since the invasion began. Now let's all get along before any harsh words reach our guest's ears. Speaking of which," he continued, pointing to the empty seat, "I'm sure King Robert is used to having breakfast brought to him in his chambers. You'll take care of it, Natalie?"
"Of course, your Majesty," she replied, curtsying slightly. "The cook managed to round up some eggs and the best of our fruit for him. I'm afraid it's porridge for the rest of us."
Low grumblings erupted around the table as Natalie dumped a carefully measured ladle full of lumpy oatmeal into each of their bowls; enough to stave off starvation but never enough to fully sate their hunger.
"Well, I have some good news to share, your Majesty," announced Gaston loudly to the group. "After a long and frank discussion with our guest last night, I have managed to convince King Robert to donate to our relief efforts. A hundred pieces of gold!"
The change in mood was instantaneous as the men seemed to wake out of their early morning daze. The promise of food in the coming weeks was enough to crack a smile from even the most somber lips.
"That is fantastic news, my boy!" Maurice slapped Gaston on the back loudly, causing him to choke on his breakfast. "Words cannot properly express how proud I am of you. You have a gift, son. Over the last two years you have somehow managed to sweet talk almost every noble in the Enchanted Forest into helping us out financially." The King stood up and raised his drink in salute. "This young man in front of us is such an incredible negotiator I would not doubt that he could convince a mermaid into eating flounder! Here, here!"
Belle raised her tea and daintily clinked it against her husband's cup. She didn't begrudge him his moment. He did, after all, have the daunting task of secretly convincing the wealthy that a night with her was worth the steep price.
It was better this way.
No one could ever find out that her role in the fundraising was more than simply being the supportive, dutiful wife. Cardinal Salir wouldn't hesitate to publicly declare her as a whore and a sinner should the truth come out. And he would no doubt take great pleasure in doing far worse if he knew that Belle herself had come up with the idea of trading her body for aid.
It wouldn't matter how many lives she had helped to save; Salir would hide behind his mask of righteousness and condemn her for wickedness.
"I believe we now have enough gold to hire a ship large enough to transport some livestock as well as the usual supplies," Gaston continued confidently, relaying the details that she herself had worked out for him. "I don't know about you, but I for one would love to be eating meat again! We could also have the ship export out any of our people's merchandise to sell to the other territories. The sooner we get our economy going again the sooner our citizens can start to support themselves."
"Bless you, my boy," said Maurice. He refilled his tankard of mead and drank from it deeply. "For some reason I've never had much of a head for numbers. Things have improved immensely since you offered to take over the Kingdom's finances. Arranging for you to marry my Belle has proven to be the best decision I've ever made!"
Gaston smiled politely at his father-in-law but Belle clearly saw the brief note of sadness that flickered through her husband's eyes. She covertly reached for his hand under the table and squeezed it gently in solidarity.
They may have been forced to marry out of duty, but they would always be friends by choice.
~8~8~8~
Belle slept fitfully in her personal chambers for the majority of the morning, getting up only to use her chamber pot and wincing at the painful sting as she passed her water.
Despite her exhaustion, deep sleep continued to elude her. By the time the sun had reached its zenith, she had given up on resting altogether and chose instead to catch up on the Kingdom's finances for Gaston to present to her father.
The council had refused to accept any type of bookkeeping from Belle, believing that as a woman she lacked the necessary intelligence to add and subtract simple amounts. Unfortunately, her father was usually too inebriated to count his own fingers and the kingdom had suffered greatly due to his addiction and their prejudices.
Sitting up in her bed, a small plank of wood lying overtop of the cushion that covered her lap, she scrawled notes into her ledgers and jotted down a list of supplies to purchase. Bookkeeping was a task that she had taken upon only because of necessity but it was one she had soon learned to enjoy for its simplicity and honesty.
There was never any betrayal in the numbers. Math never lied or carried its own agenda.
A brisk knock at the door a little after midday interrupted her musings. Gaston walked in after she granted him entrance and sat down on the bed next to her. He picked up one of her scrolls and frowned at it quizzically. "How do you read this thing?"
"You have it sideways," she chortled, turning it around. "It's a chart that keeps track of our coffers."
"It looks like jagged mountains," he said dryly.
"That's because we spend it as soon as we get it. If our crops ever start growing you'll see that chart start to level off." She rolled it up carefully and looked at him furtively. "So…is he gone?"
"Yes. The ship sailed off about half an hour ago." He placed his fingers under her chin and gently lifted it to look deep into her cerulean eyes. "So…how are you really feeling?"
"A bit sore," she confessed quietly. "King Robert has…unusual tastes."
"Did he hurt you?" he asked worriedly, rubbing his other thumb over her knuckles.
"Not purposely. I'll be fine, truly. And like you said at breakfast, we're in desperate need of his gold right now." She reached for her shopping list and handed it to him. "I have calculated that we have just enough to feed everyone in the Marshlands for three weeks, unless the grain merchants have raised their prices on us again. I'm sure morale will increase somewhat with full bellies and hopefully an increase in productivity will follow." She thought of the magical tree from her story and sighed wistfully. "If only our crops could magically grow overnight, then we could feed everyone easily and use the gold for medicine and blankets. Before we know it, winter will be upon us again and we barely made it through the last one."
"That's one of the reasons why I came." Gaston cleared his throat awkwardly and looked at her beseechingly. "Belle, I…I want you to seriously reconsider King Midas. He will be passing through our lands in a fortnight."
Belle closed her eyes and exhaled heavily. They had touched on this topic again and again over the past few months, but she was adamant. "He's Abigail's father, Gaston! I've known him most of my life…"
"But isn't that better than some stranger?" he interjected. "I'm sure he'll treat you kindly. Besides, King Robert is Prince Thomas's father and you had no objections with him."
"That's different. Thomas and I are almost a decade apart in ages. He and I did not grow up together as Abigail and I did. Besides, what if he accidentally touches me with that magical hand of his and I turn into a gold statue like poor Frederick? There's no more enchanted water left in that lake to cure me."
"Then I'll just have to melt you down and use the proceeds to feed the kingdom for years to come," he quipped sorrowfully. "Don't worry. He wears a metal glove to prevent that from happening." He picked up her hands and squeezed them tightly. "I'm really sorry Belle. It's your decision, of course, but we do need him. We need a new regular benefactor if we are to survive the coming season and most of the men I find are unable, either geographically or financially, to visit as often as we need. You know more than anyone how tight our purse strings have gotten since James stopped visiting. Marriage to Snow White has apparently agreed with him."
"I can't help but think there's more to that story than him simply falling in love," Belle scoffed. "He must have fallen off of his horse and hit his head for him to have had such a change in personality. I simply cannot see the James I know overthrowing his own father and taking on Queen Regina. Especially for someone as kind hearted as Snow White! Prince James is many things…but kind is not one of them. He is the last person in the Enchanted Forest I ever pictured marrying for love."
Gaston studied her tired, vacant eyes for several seconds before suddenly reaching a long arm around her tiny waist and tickling her sides. He has known all of her ticklish spots since they were six years old and he, more than anyone, knows how to draw a smile from her lips whenever she fell into despair. "When did you become so jaded, Bookworm Belle?"
"Since I apparently missed out on the bread this morning," she laughed, swatting him away long enough to catch her breath. "I'm sorry. I suppose even I get cranky sometimes when I'm hungry enough. All I got was the overcooked porridge."
"Then I'm sure you will enjoy the surprise I have in store for you." His eyes crinkled playfully as he smiled and reached into his satchel. "Close your eyes."
She sent her partner a bemused look before moving her mountain of ledgers and contracts aside and shifted to face him. It had been far too long since she saw her childhood friend smile so readily that she couldn't resist returning it. They've had very little to smile about over the last few years.
Belle obediently closed her eyes and tried to guess what it was he had in store for her. A roll, perhaps? Or a slice of goat cheese? Her mouth instantly watered in anticipation! It was a rare treat indeed to have a midday meal anymore.
She sensed rather than heard an object being placed in front of her and she instinctively leaned in closer. "Smell," he whispered.
"Oh my gods!" she cried, her eyes instantly opening once her senses had identified the heavenly scent. "Are these real?"
"A gift from King Robert," he replied as he picked up a luscious strawberry and wafted it tantalizingly in front of her lips, "as a token for the Princess's generous hospitality. He had the chef from his ship put together a plate for you with his apologies that he could not have presented them in person. He understands that you are quite…delicate…and require your beauty sleep."
"Hmph!" she snorted as her mouth was filled with the blissful juices of the rare fruit. "He certainly didn't seem to care about how delicate I was last night."
Gaston's face instantly crumpled in pain. He cast his eyes downward and began rearranging the selection of fruit and cheese in the leather pouch in his lap.
"Oh, Gaston!" she exclaimed guiltily. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to let that slip."
"I'm so, so sorry, Belle," he whispered, still avoiding her eyes. "What I wouldn't give for things to be different. You deserve so much more than what this life has given you. You are by far the bravest person I have ever met and no man is worthy of you."
Belle shifted uncomfortably under his contrite gaze. She knew Gaston's pride ran deep and this arrangement was beginning to take its toll on him as well. Playing the disheartening role of her "handler" for the past two years was weighing heavily on his soul. Choosing a glossy, yellow apple from the sac, she tossed it in his direction. "Share my lunch with me?" she asked kindly.
He rolled the apple around in his hands, brought it to his nose and inhaled its tart, crisp scent. Temptation danced tantalizingly in his brown eyes but he determinedly handed the precious food back to his wife. "Thank you, but no. Eat. It will probably be months before you see such quality fruit again so enjoy them while you can." He slung his satchel over his chest and stood up from the bed. "Shall I send for Natalie to draw you a bath or fetch you a hot water bottle?"
"No, I can manage on my own. Besides, she is burdened with more work than she can handle already."
"She worries about you, you know. We both do." He leaned down and gave her a brotherly kiss on her cheek. "Get some rest. Lord Nelson has just sent a messenger to inform us that he has decided to revisit our lands personally to 'assess our need for aid.' He is due to arrive in two days' time."
Belle was quickly torn between anticipation and repulsion; anticipation because more gold meant more supplies for the coming weeks and repulsion because…well…Lord Nelson had not been the most hygienic person she had ever met. Last time it had been days before she could completely get the smell of him out of her pores!
In the end, though, the sound of her husband's stomach rumbling ended her internal debate.
Beggars can't be choosers, after all. The needs of her people far exceeded her own discomfort. She would just have to ask Natalie to have a nice, hot bath waiting for him in his quarters and hope that he would take advantage of it before going down to see her.
"All right. Let's hold out on the ship until after Nelson pays you the gold so that we can buy more supplies at once. I'll have the revised purchase list ready for you to present to Papa by tomorrow."
"There's no rush, Belle." He fluffed the mound of pillows behind her and carefully tucked her worn afghan around her waist. "Rest for today. And eat."
The enticing aroma of fresh food pulled her attention back to the precious bounty currently sitting in her lap. She emulated her husband's earlier actions by bringing the apple to her nose to take in its tart tang, thoroughly enjoying this simple, forgotten luxury. The unblemished, yellow flesh shone brightly in the afternoon sunlight, giving the illusion that the orb in her hand was made of solid gold instead of mere fruit.
An apple made of gold. If only that were possible! The amount of food she could purchase for her people with just a single golden apple…
The ingenious plan was almost completely formed in her head before Gaston had even reached the door. "You're right," she called out to him softly.
His hand hesitated on the doorknob and he turned around to face her, frowning quizzically. "About what, Belle?"
"We need a new, generous patron if our people are to survive the winter. Do your best to charm King Midas into paying for a night. I have an idea."
A/N – So Gaston isn't the heartless pimp that he appeared to be from James's POV in the prologue! Surprised? Let me know what you think!
Next Chapter – Belle gets more than just gold from Midas. She gets a very powerful name!