Chapter Four
"I believe you have something that belongs to me." His words continued to haunt her as he pulled away. The blue light gave her a good view of the Count seeing as he appeared to be human regardless of the scales which allowed his large eyes to give warmth to his face.
Belle a door from his view leading to the back garden where she began to calculate her time with how long would it take for her leave. "I am not sure what you mean; I have never taken things from people whom I have never met." She lied, ducking her head through his body and quickly running towards the door. Grateful her dress had not been long enough to get caught, Belle made it towards the door taking a deep breath as she noticed the room was now different where she was still in the castle only this time, it had appeared she was sent into what appeared to be the library.
Another time in different circumstances, would Belle have appreciated the atmosphere of the room even been jumping at the opportunity towards making a decision on which direction to start. The library was spacious as there were books in very corner even the staircase appeared to have had books on every step where she mentally thought it might have been a staircase of books throughout every step. The smell felt inviting as she then noticed there was a fireplace lit up for her allowing the smell of the wood to bring memories of home.
"Why am I here?" she asked sensing Von Stiltskin behind her looking towards of his books pretending to not notice her presence. She turned around ready to use the dagger on him but she realized as long as she had leverage when there would be a good chance to save Victor and Ruby.
"Surely an underpaid governess such as yourself would appreciate a good library." Closing his book as walked towards her, "I thought it would be best to send you to a comfortable setting."
"Please, release my friends and let us leave. I promise we will never say anything." Moving closer towards the back with each step, Von Stiltskin continued walking towards her.
"I can't let you leave yet, not until you hand me back what is rightfully mine." He reached his hand back when she moved away.
"No I won't and even if I did have what you claim to be yours, how do I know you won't kill me and my friends?"
Von Stiltskin teleported to the back causing Belle to freeze, "If I wanted to kill you, I would have allowed the three of you to be eaten by the wolves during the last encounter." She gasped widening her eyes finding him to have disappeared.
"I won't let you leave until you decide to help me" echoed throughout the room causing Belle to pound her fists onto the wall.
Nice going Belle, why didn't you just give him the dagger. Although if he has magic, he could have taken it from me at any moment instead of simply keeping me here. Maybe….. She hurried into the main door of the library finding the door to be locked shut as the key on the lock proved to be an illusion.
"What do you want from me, I will give you the dagger back…." She yelled finding there to be no response. Belle quickly gave up as she headed towards a table finding a tower of books in front of her. What caught her eye however had been a blue book with a gold title she knew had not been there before.
Opening the book, Belle began reading it finding the story to be rather strange. It told of a land called Misthaven where magic is a source of life but only a select few were blessed to have either come across it or be able to wield it. Towards the northern part of the Misthaven closer to the mountains lived a gallant knight known as the Ogre Slayer as he used his magic and skills in battle to destroy whatever monster would come across his way but the endless abilities of stopping the creatures lead the knight to become too confident in his work were he failed to ever see any chances of failure that would have come at his way. One day, he was ordered to stop a wizard who was terrorizing many of the villagers in the Ogre Slayer believed it was just another job for him where he could easily defeat the wizard until he came across the wizard stating he was expecting this visit for a long time. Not wanting to care about the details, the Ogre Slayer used his magic to subdue the wizard where the battle took longer than usual because of the wizards' constant taunts as to the mere character of the Ogre Slayer. After being insulted one too many times, the Ogre Slayer lunged his dagger onto the heart of the wizard who smiled back at him declaring he has now garnished unlimited dark powers as his name now had been etched into the dagger.
Belle continued reading about how for the story talked about the knight pleaded for help form a fairy to destroy this curse but instead she placed him onto a box in his castle where he was banished outside of Misthaven for all of eternity as punishment for his hubris showing a picture of the dagger which had been all too familiar with her at this point. The last page had a drawing of the knight who appeared to have been a handsome but flawed man dressed in gold armor. She studied the drawing are carefully seeing the eyes of the knight surprising her as she began to believe everything around her was part of a dream. She touched the page once again where she began to see images which left her shaken of that afternoon in the castle as she became overloaded with images.
Belle saw Rumplestiltskin leaving from her sight; another creature appeared in the form of a green demon who began swarming around the children leaving Victor to faint while her and Ruby began to scream.
"How nice, willing dinner after 300 years of being trapped in that box with the odious knight." The demon stated heading towards Ruby as he began pick her up.
"Let me go, help please somebody!" she begged looking back at Belle crying and pleading. Belle had not been sure on what to do until she saw the dagger on the floor quickly picking it up before the demon had a change to get it from her. Just when Belle summoned the dagger, Rumpelstiltskin appeared once again taking Ruby, her and an unconscious Victor out of the room through a blue shield placing them back in the cave. The shield broke seeing Ruby had fainted as well in which Belle looked up to find the man who had saved her standing before her unconscious friend.
He said nothing to her only looking at her leaving Belle on the verges of tears. Just as she stepped back, Rumpelstiltskin began placing one finger on the foreheads of Ruby and Victor in which a white light came out of their heads leaving her confused. He went towards her placing a finger onto her head causing a dizzy sensation.
"Thank you dearie, one day we will meet again." He said to her in a high pitch voice leaving her to slowly see her vision blurred where the next thing she remembered came from waking up in Victor's bedroom with both Victor and Ruby sleeping alongside her as Granny sat in the rocking chair happy to hear they were alive.
She quickly ran back to the door finding it this time the key no longer being an illusion as she opened it. The door this time lead Belle to the garden where she was stunned at the sight of it being too beautiful to witness as the moonlight gave the impression she stepped into a painting. The lawn was cut green with not a speck of weed in sight, bushes filled with roses of every color that left her becoming tempted into picking a blossom. Straight ahead lay a clear pond over a bridge with the handles containing vines and small daisies.
I must be dreaming, this isn't happening….. Belle kept telling herself when she looked at her reflection onto the pond finding her light blue dress turning into an elaborate golden gown from with white trimmings leaving her shoulders bare and her chestnut hair down in light curls.
"My my, aren't you a delight to see…" stated Von Stiltskin as she looked ahead finding him appearing to be identical to the drawing from the book only this time he wore a blue coat with a white shirt holding onto a cream cravat that matched some parts of her dress. The black ribbon placing his now straighten hair back gave the count a handsome appearance which caused Belle to blush as she inexplicitly gave him a light crusty.
As she walked up to him, Belle held the dagger towards him leaving the Count to smirk at her. "Answer me this Rumpelstiltskin, why me? If I give this back to you, will you go back to your land and finish what the wizard from your story had started?"
He flinched, moving back from her as she went towards him. "All I want is my dagger back. I will not be able to contain Zozo much longer where I can't say for certain what will happen to your friends. Please Belle, I want you to help me lift this curse whatever means you think is best." He grabbed her hands pleading to her. Belle began to feel sympathy at this man as he wanted her help but it was hard to trust to him as he kept painting himself to be a victim.
"I can't be responsible for the harm you will commit" she declared.
Already Von Stiltskin's patience became limited. "I have known you much longer than you think Isabella Frankenstein French. You have never been able to understand the world other than what was placed in your books. You dream of doing more with your life but are never able to take that first step making hard for you stand up to your uncle, friends and even employer. Or have I left anything out?"
At that moment Belle's hands shook whilst trying to still maintain her grip on the dagger. "You can't know me as well as you believe Rumpelstiltskin." She went up to him leaving the Count confused as she took his face and pressed her lips onto his. It had not been what she pictured her first kiss to be as the count reciprocated pressing her body against his leaving her stomach in butterflies. A moment of clarity came to Belle when she remembered what needed to be done allowing her to gather the dagger and quickly stab the Count through the chest.