Note: To those of you who have posted reviews I love the feedback. In my rough outline and in my imagination the story is complete. Be patient as I now try to put it in writing. To MistressInk sometimes it seems like it takes 3x longer to edit and try to make it right than to actually write it, lol, I thank you for your input. To wintersmith "do the brave thing and bravery will follow," remember Rumpel wasn't the bravest of souls. Thank you to everyone you keep me going with this endeavor. Sleep has taken a back seat and my goal is a chapter a day. This has been the most exciting thing I've done in years. Elizabeth
Chapter 3
They had finished the stew and tea. Rumpel pleased that Belle had seemed to enjoy it.
"Why don't you and Bae go on upstairs and I will clean up," Rumpel said.
Belle got up to get herself another cup of tea,
"I think you've done quite enough for one day."
Her mind occupied using her magic to make preparations to make them comfortable for the night. Seated again she said,
"If you will make me a list of what you need from town for the pantry I will have it delivered tomorrow."
Rumpel again felt inadequate, "I'm only able to write my name."
"Can you read," she asked?
"Very little and only a few words," he replied looking down at his clasped hands.
Belle reached out and placed her hand over his.
"Tomorrow we can make a list together of what you need," she said, gently smiling at him when he looked up at her.
Belle finished her tea and asked Bae to clear the table and put the dishes in the sink for tomorrow.
"I know you both must be tired. Come with me and I'll show you to your rooms, tomorrow I will give you a tour of the castle so you can learn your way around," she told them kindly.
Rumpel stood and followed Belle and Bae to the stairs leading out of the kitchen. Belle turned to him and saw the look of dread on his face that he quickly tried to hide with a small smile. She knew with the pain he was feeling this was going to be difficult climb and then another even longer flight of stairs from the foyer to the bedchambers.
Belle went to his left side and slid her arm around his waist holding him tightly against her. "Bae, come here," she smiled as then boy came to her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she put her other arm around him. Bae already knew what was coming and he smiled up at her.
"Close your eyes Papa," Bae said with a giggle.
Rumpel closed his eyes and felt a rush of air against his skin,
"Can I open them now," he asked?
He heard Belle laugh and he opened his eyes to see they were standing in a long hallway with several doors lining it. Candles burned in sconces on the wall every few feet lighting the corridor. A thick burgundy rug covered a wide strip of the stone floor all the way to the end where it stopped at a room with double doors.
There were a few small tables nested against the walls with flowers and various decorative objects on them and the faint smell of patchouli in the air. Rumpel knew it was going to take some time getting used to living here.
"My room is there at the end of the hall," as she pointed to the double doors at the end of the corridor. "Rumpel this will be your room," she said as she opened the first door on the left and they followed her inside.
The room was in earthen colors of various shades of brown and green. Rumpel looked at the large bed and wardrobe. He frowned as he looked at the nightstand, small desk and chair in front of a large window, and welcoming chair and footstool that sat in front of the burning fire.
"Belle, I don't need all of this," he whispered.
"Well," she said cocking her head to the side and giving him a mischievous grin,
"This is the smallest bedroom I have and right now the dungeon is occupied."
She motioned for them to follow and she opened a door next the wardrobe that led to a bathroom with a large metal tub, a wooden chair with chamber pot, a long bench, and cabinet with a pitcher and basin.
She walked through the bathroom and opened the door at the opposite end of the room, and said,
"Bae this will be your room."
Bae could not contain himself and he let out a squeal of excitement.
"I really get my own room," he could not hide the disbelief in his voice. The room was richly decorated in deep purple and green silks trimmed with gold.
"It reminds me of dragons," he said amazed.
He walked around touching everything in disbelief and stopped in front of the large window seat, then climbed onto it and sat looking out the huge bay window.
"It is your room Bae, do with it what you want. If you don't like the colors we can change them and if you promise to work hard at it and not to waste my time, I will teach you to read. That window seat will make a perfect place for you to curl up with a good book." Belle said patiently.
Bae said, "I promise I will work hard. I want to learn to read."
Belle could feel Rumpel's eyes on her without even turning around. He had not said a word. Belle turned around to look at him but his face was unreadable, void of expression, looking down at the floor.
He reached out and took her hand in his, slowly caressing the top of her hand with his thumb rubbing back and forth. She could feel a tingling sensation run up her arm as he touched her. He didn't speak for a moment then he looked up meeting her gaze and said softly his brogue husky and lilted with emotion,
"You have been able to give him more today than I have his entire life, what can I say to that," he asked?
She reached up with her free hand and cupped his cheek never letting her eyes wonder from his as she said,
"Rumpel, you don't have to say anything. You choose to stay, remember. You choose a better life for you both. Is that so wrong? I want the both of you to be happy while you're here."
"Why are you doing this for me," he asked in a pleading whisper?
Belle thought for a moment at how to answer that, there were so many things she really wanted to say to him, and she felt something squeezing her heart so painfully that her eyes began to tear up as she tried to keep them from falling.
"Maybe, because I need you, almost as much as I think you need me, and Bae," she felt her voice cracking with emotion, "he already has a place in my heart. He is such a wonderful boy that is because of you Rumpel, and I think just as highly of his father."
Belle dropped her hand from his cheek and slipped the other out of his grasp walking past him to leave. She stopped at the tub and touched inside the rim, it instantly filled with steaming water.
"There are clothes for each of you in your wardrobes," she said, their backs turned to one another, "Settle in and I will see you in the morning. It would help you to soak in the tub for awhile, to ease some of the pain in your leg. Goodnight Rumpel." She walked out his bedroom door and closed it behind her.
Rumpel still had not moved from where he had stood before her, trying his best to wrap his mind around what she had said to him. No one had ever needed him. Not even his wife. Many times he had thought Bae would be better off without him, he felt as if he were a burden to the boy. Bae was all he had in this world and selfishly he could never bring himself to leave him. The boy loved him and he loved the boy, it was the only kind of love he had ever known.
"Papa," Bae asked, "are you alright?"
Bae had been lost in his own thoughts but had seen them talking and wondered if Belle had told him about their deal from the stunned look on his papa's face. He had been hoping he wouldn't have to mention it at all now that papa had agreed to stay. He was dreading telling him he was afraid he would be upset with him.
Rumpel looked at his son, and the concerned look on his face.
"Everything's fine. I want you to come and get a bath while it's hot," Rumpel told him.
Bae came into the bathroom and started to undress while Rumpel looked into the cabinet. He found cakes of soap that smelled like mint or patchouli and he smiled to himself Belle must like that. On a small shelf he spied a silver comb and brush and a straight razor. He chose a bar that smelled of patchouli and two washcloths and two dry towels. He couldn't remember the last time either of them had actually had a bath. He was looking forward to it. Bae got in the tub and Rumpel gave him the soap and a washcloth.
"Wash up," Rumpel told him, "I'll get you some clean clothes."
Rumpel went into Bae's room and opened the wardrobe and shook his head. There were several pairs of pants, vests, and even a waistcoat all in leather, silk shirts, underpants and stockings, nightshirts, and even a pair of dark green silk pajamas with a B embroidered on the chest pocket. At the bottom of the wardrobe were two pairs of boots, knee length and a shorter pair, and on the peg of the door two cloaks hung, a heavy fur trimmed wool and a lighter weight one for warmer temperatures. He chose a nightshirt and underpants and went back to the bathroom.
Bae was finishing up and Rumpel took the soap and ran it through the boy's hair to lather it up. The water was still very warm where he had thought it would have cooled some by now and he chuckled to himself, did she also enchant the water to stay hot. Nothing would surprise him after all the kindness she had shown them. Bae laid back and rinsed his hair. Rumpel left him to get out and dry off and he left the clothes on the bench. Rumpel went into his own room and opened the wardrobe shaking his head again. Rumpel had never worn clothes of this craftsmanship. He grabbed a pair of underpants and pajama bottoms, and closed the door.
Bae was pulling the nightshirt over his head and let out a yawn as Rumpel entered the bathroom. Rumpel retrieved the comb from the cabinet and handed it to Bae.
"What about our old clothes," Bae asked, "Can we burn them?" Bae was laughing.
"No," Rumpel stated, "We will wash them so we have them when we leave."
Bae stopped laughing, "Why would we ever want to leave?"
Rumpel could not meet his gaze and sat on the bench to remove his shoes, Bae kneeled down and unlaced his father's shoes and removed them.
"Bae I don't want you to think that this is forever, she has employed us to serve her, and as hard as I intend on trying not let her down, there may come a time when we are asked to leave. If she were to marry, I doubt her new husband would want us to stay."
He didn't want to crush the boy, but needed Bae to understand this was not permanent. "What if she married you," Bae asked? "She likes you, I have seen it."
"Bae," Rumpel cried in exasperation, "I would be the last man she would choose to marry."
Bae shook his head, "Papa you don't see what I see, you are a good man, and she would be lucky to have you. I wish you would think more of yourself."
He looked at Bae and tried to smile, "I will try."
"I also want you to work very hard for the gifts she has given us, I think for felt sorry for us and took us in, but I know between the both of us we can prove to be of worth to her," he said to Bae.
"Have I ever let you down," Bae asked?
Rumpel shook his head with a thin smile and pulled the boy to his chest hugging him, as he thought to himself, 'I am the one who has let you down'.
Bae pulled away and wrinkled his nose, "You need a bath."
Rumpel laughed, "Do I smell that bad?"
Bae laughed, "I didn't notice earlier because I smelled just as bad." Bae combed his hair and asked, "Is it alright if I go on to bed, or will you need my help?"
"I'll be fine Bae, go on and I will see you in the morning. I love you, Bea," he said.
"I love you too papa, goodnight," Bae replied.
Rumpel wondered for a moment if Bae would be afraid to sleep in a room alone, but Bae closed the bedroom behind him and Rumpel chuckled to himself. Privacy was a new concept.
Rumpel sighed heavily, undressed, and climbed into the tub. The hot water made him relax instantly as he felt the stress and soreness of his body leave replaced by a feeling of peace. Maybe he could just sleep here he thought to himself. He laid his head back and closed his eyes and his mind turned to Belle. He wondered what she was doing right now. He didn't understand why she lived here alone, and felt as though he was missing a piece of the puzzle. Did her ability to do magic scare people away? In time he hoped he would be able to learn all there was to know about her. She was so kind and genuine. She looked at him like he was a man and not a worthless coward. He liked that. Maybe Bae was right and he should try to think more of himself, if anything, Belle was right he had raised a wonderful boy. He soaked for a long time before he washed his body and hair and got out. His leg never failed to remind him of his injury, and he wouldn't know how to act if the pain ever left completely. It always hurt, it just varied in degrees.
He changed into the new clothes, combed his wet hair back and climbed into the large soft bed. His body relaxed he feel asleep quickly his last thoughts of Belle.
Belle worked in the tower until the middle of the night. She tried to analyze her feelings for Rumpel. He would no doubt feel some sort of betrayal when Bae's deal was out in the open, and he would be horrified once he saw her true appearance. The glamour spell was effective, but a small part of her consciousness had to be present to maintain it. She knew from past experience that it wasn't always possible to keep it, especially if she was angry and the dark magic consumed her. She had poured over her books trying to find a loophole or a potion to keep her in a glamorous state. She wasn't having much luck. She finally decided to quit for tonight.
She left the tower and made her way through the castle to the upstairs bedchambers and paused outside of Rumpel's door. He would be asleep by now, and a smile tugged at her lips. Before she could change her mind, she was standing on the other side of the door allowing her eyes to adjust to the lower lighting of the room. The fire cast a warm glow on the sleeping figure in bed. She moved forward until she stood by his bedside. Her mouth went dry when she looked over him. The blanket only covered him from the waist down, and she felt her cheeks flush as she looked at his half naked body. He was lying on his back with his left hand resting on his stomach and his right arm to his side. His chest was sculpted with lean hard muscle, with just a dusting of hair down the middle of his chest, and then again lower around his navel, and she wished there was more to see. He had a small build but could see his quiet strength. She imagined having him hovering over her supporting himself with his arms. Suddenly he mumbled something in his sleep and she almost disappeared. She watched his face as his creased brow relaxed again, and she did too. His hair combed back spilled over the pillow and she wanted to know if it felt as soft as it looked. He moved his hand off of his stomach and let out a quiet moan and then said, "Belle." She stood frozen, he was dreaming of her. It was all she could do not to touch him. She wanted to run her hands over his chest and through his hair. She wanted to kiss those lips. She felt a heat spreading down from her abdomen to between her legs and then felt a gentle throbbing. She squeezed her legs together and decided it was time to go, and then was standing in her own room. She quickly changed and got into bed. He filled her mind, and was the object of her desire. When she finally fell asleep her last thoughts were of Rumpel.
