A/N: So, this chapter explains who she was to Belle and how Belle is going to fit into the story. I still want Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin to care for Belle. The inspiration for Ava's character in this is a French fairy tale called 'Blondine, Bonne-Biche, and Beau-Minon'. The parrot is only from a small section of that story. I hope you enjoy, and I would love to hear what you think.
Flying. It's the single most exciting and calming thing in my life. The freedom of it, and the view above the tree line are exhilarating. But I am on a mission, and I must not get distracted. I flap my wings to gain speed as I head towards Sir Maurice's castle. There is someone I must see. I have tried to visit her, but was kept from her. I have finally found a way to get to her window. This window belongs to the child I gave up to Sir Maurice. I wanted to help him and his barren wife, but they do not even let me visit the child that I have birthed. Today is the day that I visit the child, and I will tell her the truth about her father and so called mother. I finally make it to the window and perch on the sill. The girl inside was sitting on the floor. Some toys are scattered in front of her, but she is staring off into nothing. She was thinking about something. I bring up my wing and hit it against the window lightly, and that got the girl's attention. She rose up from the ground, came to the window, and opened it. I flew in and landed on a stack of books by the bed.
"Hello, Belle. I know that you have no one to talk to, so I have come to chat with you." She just stared. Her name certainly fit. Her chocolate brown hair looked shiny and soft, and her eyes were similar in shape and color to mine. "But, I pray that you do not tell your parents that I have visited you. For your father would certainly have me killed." Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Why would papa do that, beautiful parrot?" Yes, I am a parrot with blue-green plumage and an orange throat and breast. I was tricked into being the replacement for an enchantress. I was her caretaker, and when she died she transferred all of her magic to me. I can switch from parrot to human, but I cannot risk being seen in my true human form in front of Belle. A parrot is less of a threat than a strange woman in her room. "Papa would only do something like that to someone wicked."
"Please, you must listen to me. If you do not promise me this, I shall fly away and never return." My empty threat of leaving forever worked. Belle looked panicked because she was not allowed to talk to many people. I was the first to bypass her parents to talk to her.
"Please do not go. I promise to keep your visit a secret." She walked over towards me, and she sat on her bed next to the stack of books I rested on. "I wish to chat with you. I am not allowed to talk to many people, and you seem quite witty. I am sure you could amuse me." Her smile grew and brightened the room. She was so beautiful, and I wish I had been able to witness her as she grew. She was not even fifteen yet. I wanted to see her first steps, witness her first words, but I was not able to. She was taken from me right after she was born.
I told Belle stories of magic and the outside world. I told her that she was very beautiful and smart and that she could do anything she wished to put her heart and efforts into. I only stayed with her about an hour before I had to leave. I heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall, and they could not hear Belle talking to her. They would notice and come into the room to see whom she had been talking to. I flew out the open window after wishing her well, but I came back every day after that. We talked, and she asked me questions that I knew all the answers to. One day, I told her the truth, that her mother was not her real mother. She was shocked, but asked me if I knew her real mother. I told her I did, and that I would bring news of her the next day.
Finally, the day had come. I would tell Belle about her mother. I flew up to her window, like I usually did. She let me in, and she seemed more excited than usual. I flew to the stack of books and calmed myself before she came over to get information of her mother out of me.
"Is it true, beautiful Parrot? Did you bring news of my birth mother?" Belle sat on her bed ready to hear whatever I said. "What is she doing? How is she?" Now is my time. Now is my moment to really tell her the truth. I transformed into my human form, and Belle's eyes grew wide. I was dressed in a flowy, floor-length, yellow-orange dress. Over that I wore a floor-length, blue-green cloak with a hood. The inside of that cloak was a fur dyed to match my dress. I looked up at Belle and her smile grew. "Parrot, are you my mother?" What a smart girl. I didn't even need to say anything.
"Yes, Belle, I am your birth mother." She hopped off the bed and ran towards me. She wrapped her arms around my middle and squeezed so hard I almost couldn't breathe. Belle finally let go and stepped away to look at my face.
"If you are my birth mother then why am I here? Why am I in this castle, unable to visit with you?"
"Your father has higher standing than I do. There is nothing I could do to keep him from taking you." Her eyes got glassy, and I could see tears forming. "Don't cry." I wiped her tears from her face. "You do not know how much I have wanted to tell you, and take you away from here, from this prison." That is when confusion graced her face.
"This castle is not a prison. Papa, and the woman I thought to be my mother love me very much. They wouldn't do anything to harm me." My shoulders slumped. She had gotten too used to this place. That is when I knew she would never be able to just leave. "I know they love me, and I know that they have spent much money and effort to educate me. They wish to see me happy." Then, it looked as if she had gotten some sort of idea. Her smile returned. " If they only wish for my happiness, then they will allow you to live in the castle with us." She grabbed my hand and tried to pull me towards the door. "I shall show papa that you wish to spend time with me, and that I wish to spend time with you as well. Surely he would allow you to stay." No. This cannot happen. Maurice would surely have me executed for at least trespassing in his castle.
"Belle, you do not understand." I tugged my hand out of her grasp and she turned to look at me. "Do you remember the promise that you made to me the first time we met?" Her eyes grew glassy again. "Your papa would kill me if he knew I was here. You would never see me again." Belle looked to the ground, then looked back up to me.
"You must be mistaken. Papa wouldn't do that, and I can prove it to you." She ran out of her room to speak to her father about my visits. I cannot stay. I turn towards the window and turn back to my parrot form. Before I leave I pluck a feather from my tail and leave it under her pillow. This is my last goodbye. I can no longer visit her, and she must face this world without me. But, I will get her back one-day. Just as I fly out the open window guards burst into the room. They had planned to take me into custody and let me die in prison. I am sure of it. I fly back to my small home on the edge of a local town. No one knows who I am, and I plan to keep it that way. I get there and turn back to my human self. I try to get to my bed, but I collapse and sob into the straw covered floor. I have just lost my truly last blood relative. I am alone once again, and it seems as if I will be forever.
Then I realize that I know someone that may be able to help me. I have not seen him in years, but I must find him. He is the only chance for me to get Belle back. Rumpelstiltskin is my only way to have a happy ending with my daughter. This new found hope gave me the energy to turn back to my parrot form and fly to the castle that only one lived in. I flew to the front door and pecked at it. I am sure he thought it strange that the knock was so light. He might not have even heard it, but I knew he would, being the Dark One. I heard steps getting closer to the door, but the door never opened.
"Well now, that's different. A parrot knock, knock, knocking on my door." He had appeared behind me. I turn to him as he gets closer and crouches down. As he continued to look at me I could see pity suddenly flash in his eyes. "You look quite different from the last time I saw you, dearie." He held out his hand and I hopped up onto one of his fingers. "Let us go inside, my dear, I believe we have some catching up to do." He stood up straight with me still on his hand and walked inside. Once we got to the room where he spun his gold I flew from his hand and turned back into my human form. This is the most I have used this power in a long time, so I fall to the ground almost immediately. But, I do not fall all the way to the ground. Strong arms catch me before I hit the floor. He brings me over to a chair at the end of a long table and sets me down upon said chair. "Now, Ava, what has happened to you to be this way? What brings you to me, of all people?"
"He has taken her." I look up at him still breathing heavily. "Sir Maurice has taken my daughter, and I have been trying to get her back for years." I look down at my hands that rest in my lap. He crouches next to me and takes one of my hands in his. This made me look up at him. Sure, he had changed since the first time I had met him. His eyes were more intense, his limp was not as bad, and his skin was a dark golden hue. I can still see the man he used to be, though. The kindhearted man who has helped me onto my feet many times over. "I visited her in my parrot form, but I told her who I was today. She went and told Maurice that I had visited her and I was almost captured by his guards." I did not know I had been crying until he had brought his hand up to wipe the tears from my face. "Now, I fear I will never see her again." I did not want to show this weakness to him. I wanted him to believe that I was a stronger person than I once was. "She is all I have." Rumpelstiltskin stood up, letting go of my hand. He walked to the other end of the table with his hand on his chin. A smile crept onto his face.
"I know how to help, but I must not give you special treatment, dearie. You must give me something in return." I smiled, but my face fell once again.
"I have nothing I can give you, Rumpelstiltskin. I have nothing."
"That is not true at all. You can take care of this castle, clean it, organize the library, make my food, and fetch me straw for my spinning." I looked up at him. He was giving me a way to pay him for reuniting me with my daughter. "My plan will take a while, but your daughter will be with you. I think it will fit into my plans as well." I smiled at him and went to stand up, but my legs would not let me. "You can rest today, Ava. Tomorrow you may start your service to me." He came back over to my side and picked me up. He brought me down to the dungeon level. I was not looking forward to sleeping in a cell, but the accommodations looked no different than where I was living before. It was a straw covered floor with a small cot in the corner. He set me down on the cot. "I'm sorry, dearie, but,"
"You can't treat me any differently than anyone else. Do not think that I do not understand. This room is no different than where I was living before. It's fine." He turned away as I tried to sleep. I assumed he was leaving.
"I will bring down something for you to eat in a while." I opened one of my eyes to see him looking back at me.
"What makes you think I will be awake then? I am already drifting, so you should probably skip making me anything to eat." It was true. I had flown quite a distance to and then from the castle, and I had also flown to Rumpelstiltskin's castle and transformed quite a few times. I was completely drained.
"As you wish, my dear." He gave a bow before he left, and I fell into the deepest sleep.
The high-pitched ringing of my alarm clock jolted me awake. I never get used to the noise that wakes me, but I guess that is a good thing for an alarm clock. I shut it off, and continue on with my usual schedule for the day. But, I couldn't get the dream out of my head. I turned into a bird. The flying was fun, but the rest of it was so stressful. I don't really think I need to talk to Archie about every single dream I have, but I feel as though I need to talk to someone about it.
A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you like this chapter. I know that the writing is a little sloppy, but it will get better in future chapters. Again, I would love to hear what you think of the story so far.