This story should only be another few chapters. And that's good, considering my production rate. We are at least at the halfway point.
Do I own Once Upon A Time or any of it's affiliated characters?
No.
Am I required to post this on each individual chapter of my story and not just the first?
I'm not really sure.
Does it seem ridiculous if that is, in fact, the case?
Yes.
Do I think anyone would notice and yank my story out of cyberspace for some perceived legal threat?
No.
Shall we just move along then?
Yes, please.
"When the farmers bring their grain, your father and Philip will cut it downstairs, tie it into bundles, and bring it up here to us. When we are finished with that we take the grain back down for them to put it to the grindstone."
"And what do we do with it up here?"
"I thought you would never ask." He glanced at her and Belle smiled wanly. He took a short bundle from a basket that seemed to be here for the express purpose of teaching. Belle didn't know where it came from, since as far as she knew no farmers had yet brought any crop. He held the bundle with both hands, moving to stand next to a large cylindrical container. To her surprise, he lifted the bundle and brought it down with a loud THWACK into the side of the container. Quite a few grains fell from the stalk down into the container, a few flying over the edge to scatter onto the floor. Galen lifted the bundle and repeated the process several times until the bundle in his hand was mostly bare of the heavy, desirable grains.
"That looks like an excellent way to work off a temper."
"It can be." He smiled at her again, and Belle pressed her lips together, determined not to encourage his good humor. She had felt brave, standing up to Rumplestiltskin and declaring he couldn't tell her who she could or could not speak with. A night's rest, however, had made her rethink the wisdom of her approach. She didn't want to encourage Galen. He seemed nice enough a person to deserve better than being led to believe there might be interest when nothing could come of it.
He took another bunch, beating it against the side of the container. His muscles rippled beneath the thin shirt he wore. Belle looked away, uncomfortable. She'd never had men openly flirt with her. She'd received propositions at times, from men who thought what she had between her legs was worth the risk of being seen with her, but she always put them off. And none of them were as beautiful to behold. It seemed unfair that the first time she encountered a decent man, it had to be under these circumstances. Things were as they were, though. If Rumplestiltskin decided to toy with her the rest of her life, then things were as they always would be. The thought depressed her.
"Would you like to try?"
Her head snapped back up towards him. She glanced at him guiltily, being caught lost in her thoughts.
"Is everything all right, Belle?" There was sympathy in his eyes, but a spark of intrigue as well. He knew next to nothing about her, after all.
"Yes, of course." She straightened her posture, trying to look confident in her answer.
"You're certain? If you need anything, you can ask me, you know."
"I'm just homesick. This is all very new." The lie rolled easily off her tongue.
"Your father told me that your old home was nothing to miss. If you could even call it a home." There was a shrewdness in his voice that belied his kind tone earlier.
"Change is still difficult." She replied curtly. As if it were his business, after all. She flushed, not sure if it was mostly embarrassment at being caught in the lie, or indignation at his questioning. Holding out her hand, Belle crooked her fingers in a gesture indicating him to give her the bundle. Keeping her gaze, he handed it over.
Imitating his motions from earlier, she began to thrash the wheat against the side of the barrel.
One. For Galen, for asking impertinent questions.
Two. For herself, for lying. For feeling like she had to make excuses to others.
Three. For her father, for putting her in this situation and not just letting nature take its course. Maybe if she weren't here her mother and brother still would be.
Four. For Rumplestiltskin...
She lost herself to the activity, briefly, and to her frustration.
"I think it's finished." Galen's dispassionate observation cut in.
Belle let her eyes focus again on the bundle in front of her, and not the people she was imagining. It was indeed empty of the tiny kernels she was supposed to be attempting to dislodge.
Attempt and succeed. She handed the bare stalk back to Galen, who took it and put it with the others.
"Well, it looks like you've gotten the hang of it." He said quietly, a small smile playing at the edges of his mouth.
"Yes." She replied glumly, not meeting his eyes.
"It'll be hard at first, but you'll get stronger."
She glanced up, looking at him skeptically. "It doesn't seem that difficult."
"Wait until you've been at it all day."
"How long have you been doing this?"
He looked away, as if considering. "I started work in the mill as soon as I was big enough to handle the job."
Belle peered at him curiously. "And you've never left?"
"I did. I traveled a few years. Saw the world."
"Why did you come back?"
"This is the closest thing to home I have. It's where I belong."
The concept of home was foreign to Belle. Her home was wherever her father was, she supposed. He was all she had.
"I'd like to see the world."
Galen smiled. "I'm sure you will one day. I can give you the next best thing, though."
Belle frowned. "And what is that?"
"Books." He sounded pleased with himself. "You'll have another week at least before the work starts. I'd be happy to loan you something from my collection."
"I can't read."
Galen looked at her blankly for a moment, and Belle flinched. Perhaps she should have simply pretended she wasn't interested in his books. Her father had never taught her to read, and in the towns they went to no one wanted Belle in their schoolhouses. She met Galen's eyes, unapologetic. So she couldn't read. She'd been spending her time trying to survive. It was nothing to be ashamed of.
She saw something deep stir in his eyes. Anger, perhaps? More than likely it was annoyance. Perhaps he thought she was a simpleton.
"I can teach you."
"What?" Her eyes widened in shock.
"I can teach you to read." He enunciated the words, speaking deliberately and watching her. Almost warily. "I've done it before. For some of the farmer's children."
"I..." Belle hesitated. She'd always wanted to learn to read. It was easy to get on most of the time without it. So many people shared her lack of knowledge, and the inns, tailors, and blacksmiths always made concessions for them with illustrations on their signs. So there would be no mistaking what lay within. Pictures, however, couldn't tell a full story. Well, maybe they could - but Belle had never seen anyone attempt it. She had seen books, though, and had craved the escape they offered. Her mouth went dry.
"Let me think about it." Yes! Yes! I'll do anything, just teach me! she wanted to scream, but held herself in check. Like it or not, there was someone else Belle would have to run this offer by before she could accept. She didn't like it. She could feel the anger at the idea of getting permission from The Dark One to learn to read. And why should she have to? It was completely possible that Rumplestiltskin would do something to harm Galen, no matter Belle's intentions or the fairness of it. She turned away from Galen so he would not mistake the spark in her expression as anger towards him.
She could almost hear the man's hesitation. His uncertainty. He obviously didn't know what to make of her.
"Alright. Anytime you like - come find me."
Belle nodded without turning back to him. The trapdoor creaked as he lifted it and climbed down, leaving her alone in the loft.
To be able to read... it would be like a miracle. Without having to sit in the shadows on the outskirts of a fire, catching every other word in a tale - hoping not to be seen. Books are like friends, she'd heard someone say once.
Belle sat down, resting her head against her knees and curling her arms around her legs.
Yes, if she could convince Rumplestiltskin to stop being so obtuse where Galen was concerned... she might finally be able to have some friends.
"You look like someone with a request."
Belle was at the river, scrubbing some of her old dresses against the rock. The miller had been kind enough to see about getting her some new ones. She turned, not at all surprised to see Rumplestiltskin laying casually sideways on the ground, his head propped on one hand as he studied her.
"I wasn't even looking at you." She observed.
"Ah yes, but I've been in the business of requests for quite a long while - I can sense it. And when someone wants something deeply, it's not only in the expression on their face. It's etched along every line of their body..." his eyes drifted down over her, and Belle was fully aware that the water of the river she was currently drenched in caused her dress to cling to her form. She wrinkled her nose at him.
"You're a perverted old man." She said, pulling a surprised bark of laughter from the imp. It surprised her as well.
"Indeed. Well, you've two out of three right, dear. I won't tell you which." He sat up, looking at her a bit more intently.
"Fine." She gave an exaggerated sigh, and made a show of returning to her chore. A few moments of silence passed before Belle glanced up, to check if he was still there. He hadn't moved at all, still leaning forward slightly. Expectantly.
"You do have a question for me."
"And you are so very interested?"
"Of course. Until our deal has been... consummated, you are for all intents and purposes My Lady. Ask."
Belle worried at her lip. The reminder that he had a claim on her was not the best lead in she could have wished for in this scenario.
"Galen offered to teach me to read." She glanced up at him hesitantly. His gaze was unblinking.
"Ah." He leaned back.
"I want this." She squeezed the damp garment she was holding in her hands, her knuckles white. "I've dreamed of doing this. Of learning." She glanced at him, and whispered, "And as long as I don't behave in any way unbecoming with him, I don't see why it should matter." She took a breath. "Just promise you won't do anything to harm him." There. That sounded a bit less like begging. Belle mentally congratulated herself at saving a slight amount of her dignity.
He gave his reply in a type of sing-song staccato, his fingers bounding back and forth like a conductor for his words.
"You want me. To Promise. Not to hurt the boy. You're. Wanting to spend an Inordinate amount of time with. Learning to read."
"Yes." Belle whispered softly.
"You know." He pressed his hand against his chest. "I could teach you to read."
"You could?" She couldn't keep the skepticism from her voice. It wasn't so much that he could, but that he would offer. Certainly The Dark One had other things to be doing? Lives to be destroying?
"Of course. One snap of my fingers - well, not even a snap," He added with a false grin of modesty "And you would know every word of every tongue, written and heard and danced."
"Oh. With magic." Even to her own ears she sounded disappointed. "And what would the cost be?"
He didn't answer, but simply regarded her, so she continued.
"What about when I wish to learn to cook or swim, or... defend myself against a brigand? Would you offer to magic that knowledge into me as well? There is so much I want to know, it would never end. You would own me completely, Rumplestiltskin."
"That is the general idea, yes." He replied quietly.
"Then I'm afraid I must turn down your generous offer." She felt a bit queasy suddenly. The idea of the price involved in gaining so much, without effort, made her sick to her stomach. Even so, it was not without temptation. In fact, it was so very, very tempting. She could see herself in the perfect circumstances, perhaps... almost... giving into it. Maybe that's why it made her ill. It was too close to truth.
"Very well, then."
Belle paused, not certain she was understanding him correctly. Was he agreeing?
"If you wish to let this... farmer," he gestured, a sneer in his voice, "teach you to read, then so be it. I promise not to retaliate for the time he is afforded in your presence, if..." He paused, grinning. "You agree that every moment you spend in his company, you shall spend an equal amount in mine."
She considered. Spending time with The Dark One? It was a surprising request, and one she couldn't entirely figure the reason behind. It was almost like he was lonely. In any case, he'd been making a nuisance of himself often enough with or without her consent.
"What about the mill work, though? I don't know if there would be time..."
He waved his hand dismissively at her words. "It needn't all happen on the same day, dearie. What do you say?"
"I agree."
"Excellent." He probably meant for his wide smile to look malicious, but somehow Belle didn't see it that way. . He hopped up from his seat on the ground, bowing. "For now, I'll leave you to your work. Wonderful to do business with you." And without straightening his position, a cloud of purple smoke enveloped the place where he stood, taking him with it as it dissipated.
Another deal with The Dark One. What was she getting herself into?
"The letter 'A' is pronounced different ways, depending on where it is in a word, or what other letters it's next to. 'Apple', starts with 'a'. Or, it can sound like it does in my name 'g-A-len'."
She and Galen were outdoors near the base of the same tree she'd seen him standing by the first day she'd come here. The path was near the house and the ground well worn, so that it was flat with enough loose dirt that they could easily use sticks to scratch her lessons into the ground. Galen did have parchment, but it was precious enough that there was no need to waste it for her beginning fumblings. He did give her one sheet with a copy of every letter on it. They were starting at the beginning.
"Your father's name is M-A-U-R-I-C-E. The second letter is still an 'A', but pronounced differently because of the letters around it."
"This is overwhelming." They'd gone over memorizing the set of letters, the different ways they could be written, the different ways they sounded depending on what seemed to Belle like haphazard rules.
"But you're doing very well." His voice was warm. "It takes years to master a written language. Most people never bother, if they can manage their life without it. The fact you're here means you're already ahead."
Belle wondered. Her father could read, she knew, but he rarely bothered. She promised herself that once she mastered this, she wouldn't let it go to waste.
"I think maybe we should break. You can have time to practice." He smiled, winking. Belle blushed and looked down at the scripted paper in her hand, clutching it a bit tighter than necessary. "Tomorrow we'll start with the actual work." He headed off toward the mill, leaving Belle with her thoughts.
He really was a very nice boy... nice man, she mentally corrected herself. He was older than she by a few years, she was sure - and very patient with her ignorance.
Maybe, someday, when Rumplestiltskin was finally done with her, she could find someone like Galen to settle down with. (Oh yes, someone exactly like Galen, her inner dialogue pestered.) She sighed.
Who would want a woman who had been had by The Dark One? It was surely unnecessary to reveal that fact to whomever she married, but the idea of being rejected for what she'd chosen to do was disheartening, and she decided she didn't want to think much about the future at all anymore.
She took her supplies away from the house and towards the river, stopping briefly by the mill to check in with her father and tell her about the fact Galen was teaching her to read. He seemed well enough, glad she had found something to fill her time.
The spot at the river she was searching for was marked with a large tree that was rooted particularly close to the bank, causing the branches to hang partially over it. It was a lovely spot and one Belle decided she would go to often. She'd gone there the first day she'd needed to wash her clothes, when Rumplestiltskin had found her and needled her until she asked about Galen.
Belle took out the paper Galen had given her and practiced tracing the letters in the dirt, as well as trying to recall words she'd seen and knew and match them to the ones in front of her now. In this way about an hour passed before she was disturbed.
"My my, what have we here? Is that some sort of arcane spell you're carving into the ground?"
Belle cast an annoyed glance over her shoulder, not surprised to see Rumplestiltskin standing over her.
"I'm practicing my letters. And they don't look arcane, they look perfectly fine!" Mostly. She huffed, using her forearm to erase the marks she had made, giving herself a clean slate. Before she'd completely flattened the dirt, Rumplestiltskin snaked his arm out over hers, causing her to gasp as he mirrored his fingers against hers, and curled them forward, prompting her to extend her pointing finger.
"Just like this." His breath whispered in her ear as he directed their fingers to simultaneously trace an 'A' in the dirt, then 'B', then 'C'. The shapes he coaxed her hand into making were elegant and swirling. Smoother than the rudimentary shapes she'd been practicing, and more stylish than the examples Galen had given her.
"I imagine these letters look more like a proper spell than mine do. That is what you do, after all."
He chuckled into her ear, the breath of it moving some of her hair as he continued using her hand to trace 'D' and 'E'.
"I would have thought you'd want me to become frustrated and give up so I'd make a deal with you - but here you are helping me."
"Oh, I have other temptations up my sleeve. Worry not." She could hear the smile in his voice.
She was silent for a few minutes, just watching as he used her to elegantly write out the rest of the letters, his long fingernail creating a sharper line than her fingertip alone would have made.
"The offer still stands, of course." He said at last, when they were finished. He released her hand, allowing her to turn and look at him.
"I'll have to continue to decline."
"Ah, well." He smiled ruefully. They stood for a few moments, studying each other in silence. Belle was aware that he was fidgeting slightly with his fingers. He never seemed to be completely still.
"Thank you." She said at last. He waved his hand dismissively.
"It's just scratches in the dirt, dearie. They'll be gone with the next rain."
"Well... not just for that, but for everything." She looked down at her hands, not wanting to look at Rumplestiltskin as she spoke. "I've been... distressed by all that I've learned about my past. And suddenly being told I was beholden to you. It upset me." She balled her fists in her lap, but kept her gaze down, aware of how quiet the man standing beside her was being. "Thinking about it, though, I realized you were right about one thing - I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. So, Thank you." She finished, finally willing to peek up at him beneath her lashes. He was watching her with an unfathomable expression.
"It's no favor, you know. A price must always be paid."
"Oh, just say 'You're Welcome'." She rolled her eyes up at him slightly.
He blinked owlishly, seemingly off-put.
"You're welcome."
She smiled and stood, brushing herself off as she did so. Turning so her back was toward him, she looked down at the alphabet they'd traced.
"How long do you think it will be before I can read actual books?"
"It depends on how motivated you are. I would say in a few months you should be able to make due with some simple stories."
She sighed. A few months - even though she'd gone her whole life illiterate, it now seemed like forever.
"I could..." He began.
"Don't." She held a hand up, not wanting to hear his offer again to speed the process. He grinned.
"I was going to say that when you do get to that point, I could bring you books. Books not only from far away, but from other worlds. Books that boy wouldn't be able to give you." His lilting manner had returned.
"Books... from other worlds?" Her eyes widened. "I didn't know there were other worlds." She paused, trying to check her excitement. "What's your price?"
"Consider it a gift. A reward for your diligence and steadfastness in the face of temptation."
"Stories from another world? Free?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. He smiled widely, taking her hand and bowing low over it, still looking up at her.
"The first one is always free, dearie."
"You think you'll have me so easily?" She smirked, the side of her mouth tilting up.
"I told you I had a few temptations, still." He tilted his head down, pressing a slow kiss to the space between her fingers. The tip of his tongue flicked out slightly at the apex, causing Belle to flush, and clench his hand in hers tightly before she pulled it from his grip. He straightened, the insufferable smile still on his face.
"I'm sorry, have I upset you?"
"Why did you do that?" She sputtered, holding her hand as though it were burnt.
"A kiss on the hand is a gentlemanly gesture, is it not?"
"You're no gentleman." She said, narrowing her eyes.
"Not at all."
She stared at him like he was a stranger. Trying to shake the feeling the deal was more than she'd bargained for, Belle told herself he'd stolen and forced kisses on her before. They just hadn't affected her so. Perhaps he had used magic? The Dark One stood there, fidgeting with his coat as she continued to just look at him.
"I'd best be off, then." He said softly, seeming slightly more subdued, almost distracted. "Until I return to upset you again." He left Belle standing there, cradling her hand as he disappeared once again in a purple mist.
Belle walked slowly back to the farmhouse, her brow furrowed, lost deep in thought.
What was Rumplestiltskin playing at?
A lot had happened in the past week, and Belle hadn't given herself time to properly think about what the implications of her deal with the Dark One were. He asked for her virtue, and she'd agreed - but he was delaying the completion of that deal. For what purpose? Maybe he didn't want her virtue at all. Maybe he simply wanted to keep her from being with another man? They say he could see the future. Perhaps he saw that children she bore would present him with some sort of trouble. If that was the case, why then not just make the stipulation of their agreement be that she never bear children? As she walked, she pressed two fingers against either side of her nose between her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut. Surely it was folly to try and figure out the motivations of a sorcerer hundreds of years old who could see the future.
Belle had spent a long time by the river, and as such the sun was beginning to set by the time she made her way back to the farm house. She and her father had been provided with a room but she didn't want to go to it just yet. She changed her trajectory to go toward the mill. The water of the river would soothe her mind. Help her think.
There was nothing special about Belle, the poor farmer's daughter. What interest did Rumplestiltskin hold in her?
It perplexed her. Perhaps he simply wanted to be paid. He'd made a deal with her parents and their end was not upheld. He did not allow deals to be broken with him, it was said. Why make the deal to begin with, though? Babies died every day. It was a tragic fact Belle was intimately familiar with. She would have had a brother, once. So the question remained - what was Rumplestiltskin's interest in her, specifically? She sat down next to the bank in the grass, pulling a few blades and throwing them in the water.
He was herding her, there was no question about that. He might claim that she could have gone anywhere she chose, but Belle suspected somehow she would have ended up on this farm anyway. Pushed into spending time with a boy which pushed her into making another deal with The Dark One.
Perhaps it was time she start pushing back. Belle would uphold her end of the deal with Rumplestiltskin, but it needn't turn into more than he asked. She could keep her time with Galen to a minimum.
Or maybe she could just leave. Rumplestiltskin hadn't forbade it. Maybe she could test him.
Then she thought of her father, who liked it here and wouldn't take well to travel. And her reading lessons... she sighed. Giving up the idea of learning to read now that she had it felt heartbreaking. Perhaps after she learned, she could leave the farm... alone. It was a thought.
Or maybe she could just shove Galen into the river when she was done with him. Stay here on the farm without worrying about having to avoid him. The thought struck her completely by surprise, but made her giggle to herself despite it's morbid nature. Or perhaps she could have him shout his reading lessons from over a hill, thus avoid spending time "with" him. It was probably not an effort at skirting technicalities The Dark One would find amusing. However, it amused Belle. She arranged her skirts around her and lay down on the grassy bank, too tired to make her way to the farmhouse. The gurgling of the river was soothing, and smiling, Belle feel asleep.