Snow on the Roof, Fire in the Hearth

By: RosexKnight

Market day in the villiage. Belle gets a visitor. Pirates plot.

Chapter Four

~ One Month Earlier ~

"That bitch!" Milah exclaimed through chattering teeth as she hugged herself in a vain attempt to get warm.

Arendelle in the dead of winter. Of course.

"It could be worse, love." Hook said, glancing around the dock they'd been magiced to. It seemed like it was the only one in the small port town. "At least she put us on a sturdy dock."

Milah shot him a glare, but stalked down the wood planks towards civilization nonetheless. It was only the two of them. The rest of the crew was no doubt still in the tavern they had left them in when The Dark Lady appeared. Now they had no crew or ship. And a blizzard seemed to be picking up outside.

Hook followed with a sigh as they made their way to a nearby tavern. Milah flopped down in a corner table immediately, grumbling colorful words under her breath.

"She denied me my son." Came her words finally. "That bloody harlot robbed me of my son and then had the nerve to sleep with his crippled father!"

"Perhaps that's how he got out of it. A child for a child. Seems like a fair trade." Hook said, waving down a waitress.

"Now he'll have two children and I'm never to see mine again?" Her voice cracked at the last words despite her rage.

Hook leaned forward. His immediate instinct was to comfort her, but the way she was glaring at the table, as if to burn a hole through it, stopped him short. He knew that look in her eyes, and revelled in it.

"What are you planning, love?" He asked with a grin.

"I don't know yet. But Dark Lady or not I'm not letting this stand. At. All."

~ Present Day ~

"A walk." Ruby deadpanned.

"It's market day." Belle said as she shrugged into her traveling cloak.

"I know it's just…"

Belle turned, giving Ruby a stern look "Is a walk not good for me? First I can't read in my study now I can't walk a mile down the road?"

"Oh you can." Granny interjected, appearing with her and Ruby's cloaks on her arm. "I just find it interesting that you've never taken an interest in them before. Usually you just tell everyone to leave their month's rations at your gates."

Belle waved her hand dismissively. "Keeping up appearances is important. I can't have people thinking I'm soft because I'm pregnant. I've never exactly been a month pregnant before."

"You've never had a cute spinner in the village either…" Ruby muttered.

Belle shot her a glare. "Come again?"

"Nothing milady a walk sounds lovely let's be off."

The Dark Lady gave the two a glower, but soon the trio was off, down the road to the town.

"A new spinner?"

"Such vibrant colors!"

Rumpelstiltskin blinked across his booth at the two gentlemen looking over his wares, both with accents he couldn't place. For a moment he wondered if they were strays like him, but then Baelfire was back with bread and he was distracted with getting him settled, and the boy seemed perfectly content with sitting at the booth with him, looking curiously at the two new neighbors.

"Surely you're not our new spinner." Said one, tall and lanky. "You're too good."

"Ahh perhaps that's why Lady Belle wanted him." The second, short and stout, replied, nudging him. "Only the best for her."

"He could spin for kings!"

"The Dark Lady is above any king. How much are you charging?"

Rumpelstiltskin gaped at them for a moment, not used to the question. Normally he traded, or was simply told how much someone would give him. Never asked. Never complemented.

He blinked, remembering himself "I..."

"Ah. Lumierre, Coggsworth. I see you've met Rumpelstiltskin."

Belle had appeared from behind them, a vase decorated with an intricate design of golden roses in her arms, obviously the work of Mrs. Potts. The two men exchanged glances, obviously surprised to see their lady in town on market day.

"Oui, ma cherie." Lumierre said with a flippant bow. "We were just looking over his thread."

Belle hummed, bending over the stall to inspect the spools. Lumierre and Coggsworth were exchanging glances again, but soon politely excused themselves back to their own stalls.

"I'm sorry…" Rumpelstiltskin said automatically "I...with the move. We didn't have to make much more."

Belle kept her expression blank. "It's no matter." She scanned the small stall, plucking two spools from the stand. "These will do."

"Those?" Baelfire blurted as he put the bread carefully in the basket of other necessities.

"Bae." Rumpelstiltskin hushed, glancing from his son to Belle, who had now quirked a brow at them.

Part of him hated the way she looked. So guarded and cold. It was a far cry from the warmth that was in his house that night. He couldn't help but resent her for the change. Yet somewhere in there was the warmth. Her eyes still twinkled when she thought no one was looking. And perhaps that was enough.

"The deal was that I got first pick of your wares every market day was it not?" Belle said.

"Yes but…" He looked over his thread. He had better spools. Ones that were smoother and had color. "Those?"

"They have character." She shrugged, looking over them with something akin to fondness in her eye.

"But, for embroidery-"

"Rumpelstiltskin." Her voice was firm. Suddenly, he hated his full name on her lips. Still, he looked to her. She waved her hand, and the spools and vase disappeared in a cloud of magic. "If I don't take the spools with the flaws who will?"

It hit him then. Strays. They were all strays. He opened his mouth to speak, but his thoughts were interrupted by a roar that pierced the air. All eyes fell to the sky, a few gasps echoing through the market. Another roar sounded, and a large creature came into view. Rumpelstiltskin stumbled back a step, clutching his staff as Baelfire's eyes sparkled.

"A dragon!"

Belle blinked, looking at the creature as if it were an afterthought. "Ah. She's late."

Baelfire took a step forward, as if to get closer, but Rumpelstiltskin tugged him back, clutching him to his side. The dragon circled once and then dove, landing in the middle of the villiage. The spinner's hands began to tremble on his staff, his flight instinct kicking in. A dragon was before them. Baelfire was in danger. But his legs wouldn't move. Belle glanced back to him as the dark creature approached them. He looked to her helplessly, and finally her lips turned up slightly, and he was able to relax, if only for a moment.

The dragon stopped before The Dark Lady, snorting confidently.

"Oh stop being so dramatic, Mal." Belle said. "You're scaring my spinner."

The dragon snorted again, then turned its gaze behind her. Rumpelstiltskin's knuckles turned white as he gripped his staff, and even Baelfire's grip tightened on his cloak. Belle cleared her throat, and the dragon turned back to her. In a flurry of what seemed to be crows, the dragon was engulfed and replaced with a woman dressed in black robes with curved horns and a long staff.

"So defensive, Belle." She said with a grin. "You're usually more fun."

"I don't need my new spinner scared away because you wanted to show off." Belle said simply, waving her hand as if she was swatting a fly, but Rumpelstiltskin noticed her shoulders hadn't yet relaxed.

The woman approached them, peering at him from over his stall. "He's a cute stray. Does he have a name?"

"Rumpelstiltskin." Belle said when his voice caught on his tongue. "And his son-"

"Baelfire." The boy blurted, and Belle gave him a gentle smile.

"Ah. Interesting name. I like it."

Belle's lips were tight. "Did you bring what you owe, Maleficent?" She asked, suddenly all business.

Maleficent straightened, turning her attention back to Belle. "I did. Is your end ready?"

"Of course, dearie."

There was a pause, and then a cloud of magic in both women's hands. When it disappeared Belle was holding a trinket that resembled a dragon claw holding a pearl, and Maleficent a shimmering black cloth. They traded, and only then did Belle's shoulders relax. She ran her hand over the cloth, the softness of her eyes back in a blink.

"So soft…"

"Woven with dragon's scale." The other sorceress said proudly. "The babe will never be cold."

"Will it be hard to embroider on?"

"But you hate…" Maleficent paused, glancing to Rumpelstiltskin, "No it shouldn't be."

"Excellent. Belle chimed, giving the other a proud look. "Well go on give it a shake."

Maleficent raised an eyebrow at The Dark Lady, but brought the trinket to her ear and shook it. The sound of bells sounded, washing over them. Rumpelstiltskin felt Baelfire relax instantly.

"Bells! Get it?" The Dark Lady giggled. "The tone changes with moods. Yours will always find comfort in the rattle."

This brought a genuine smile to the dragon sorcerer's lips. "Thank you, Belle."

"You as well."

Maleficent gave her a bow, and turned to go, but was then turning back to her "Oh! I almost forgot. I found a pendant enchanted by gypsies. It predicts what your babe will be."

Belle exchanged a glance with Rumpelstiltskin, and he only had a moment to catch the softness in her eyes before she slipped her mask of indifferent emotion back on. She shook her head "I'd like it to be a surprise, I think."

"Very well." Maleficent said. "I shall take my leave then."

"Wait!"

Baelfire broke away from Rumpelstiltskin, ignoring his father's protests as he approached the dragon sorcerer.

"Bae…" Rumpelstiltskin pleaded, looking helplessly to Belle. "I'm sorry he's...he's just a boy."

Maleficent looked at the boy skeptically, and the spinner tried desperately not to drop to his knees and beg the sorceress to have mercy. Instead he held tight to his staff, trying to stay the shaking, trying to take comfort in the fact that Belle's shoulders had gone rigin again.

"Yes, child?" Maleficent finally asked with an edge of impatience.

"Will your baby be a dragon?"

There was a pause, and then Belle was laughing. Sincerely laughing. Maleficent shot her a warning look.

"No. I'm having a girl."

Baelfire paused, his face falling as he turned to the stall. "We don't have any pink…Will a pale red do?"

The dragon sorceress seemed surprised at this, but then smiled. "That would be fine."

The boy perked up, turning back to the stall, picking a spool of pale red thread and offering it to her.

"Congratulations Lady Maleficent." He said, and Rumpelstiltskin exhaled his breath only when the sorceress took the thread.

"Thank you." Maleficent said, and gave Belle a knowing look. "May your child be as adorable as the spinner's, Belle."

Belle only nodded, her posture stiff and face steely. Baelfire stepped back to his father, and within two steps the dragon sorceress had transformed and taken off once again. For a moment the villiage was still before activity picked back up and market day resumed.

"Milady…" Rumpelstiltskin offered, but Belle held up her hand to silence him.

"Happy market day." She said, her tone flat, clutching the blanket to her chest. "I wish you well, spinner. See you next month."

And then, in a plume of blue smoke she was gone as quickly as she had appeared, and Rumpelstiltskin was left feeling as if he'd done something wrong.