Disclaimer: Please see the prologue

A/N: too the heaven's only (Guest) I have just checked the reviews for my Once stories and seen you had reviewed all of them rather rudely so I will only say this, if you don't like my stories then don't read them and definitely don't be so course when reviewing and there are a lot of people where I live that listen to the song I used in I loved her first.


Chapter 3

Two days later

Avonlea/Marshlands


Belle stood in her chambers as a maid tightened the strings on her corset she was wearing to the point she almost couldn't breathe. The arrival of guests made a lot of ruckus that could be heard all the way up in her room.

Another maid was making sure the dress she was to wear didn't have a wrinkle on it. It ws a beautiful thing she had to admit to herself. It was a golden color with gem stones sown into it on the bodice that made it heavier than it looked. Belle had looked down at the courtyard and seen many people come towards the inner part of the structure.

"You'll look very lovely down in the masquerade, my lady," the one who was near the dress said, smiling at the thing. The corset maid helped her down from the stool set under the table with the mirror in laid in the back. The women pulled her long brown hair up and curled it around one creamy collarbone to show off her large sky blue eyes. Belle reached for her mask that was a lighter shade of gold than her dress. One maid tied it around her face loosely then helped her up so they could help put the dress on. "You look very beautiful, your majesty." The maid told the princess who sighed softly as they left her alone.

Belle went over to a chair that was placed by a window and sat down before looking out the window to see more people arrive. Her father hadn't been joking when he had sent the announcement out that she was to be wed to someone from the masquerade ball. A man out there was to marry her from this event. Maybe he would be nice and let her continue to read her beloved books. Yeah right, he wouldn't let her do anything like that ever. All she would ever do is birth children and look pretty in the man's arm as he ruled the kingdom.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she caught sight of two people who looked straight up at her window and even though she couldn't see their eyes from this advantage point she knew that they were looking at her. Then she watched the smaller figure nudge the taller one to move along. Who were they she wondered as she made her way down to the rest of the guests.


Rumplestiltskin and Ruen effortlessly transported themselves to the open gates dressed in formal clothing in their own style of clothing. He was still smarting after the slight magic duel that had occurred between both of them and had awoken the children who had looked through the spacing of the railing of the staircase.

They had never seen their father and easy going stoic aunt duel before but they had heard stories of how powerful they were in their own right but they didn't realize that Ruen was far more powerful than Rumplestiltskin if not faster. The four had turned to look at each other in surprise as another figure appeared next to them surprising them all. Ruen just smiled at the group and told them to go down and eat something for breakfast after giving Wendy, John and Michael a hug and ruffling Bae's already messy locks. He shook the hand off his hair causing it to stick out in random directions.

Rumplestitlskin stopped as he had the sudden feeling that he was to something odd and looked up to see a figure in one of the windows. He pulled Ruen to a stop and jerked his head up so she could follow his gaze as well. A young woman sat with a faraway look on her beautiful face and as if she could sense them staring she looked down at them. He had read of people having their breath taken away and seen some have that very thing happen to them. Ruen had jokingly said she'd willingly smack him in the chest to cause it to happen to him. The woman had darker brown hair than what his while in disguise. She had sky blue eyes and fair skin.

Ruen nudged his shoulder to get him to move along. He was starting to garner odd looks from other people. Whether it was him standing there looking ridiculously stupefied by a woman in a window or his tight leather pants that usually gained many looks. When he started to move at last, an odder look in his eyes as moved quick enough that his sister was almost sprinting after him to keep up with his longer legs, after this, she decided, I'll turn him pink for the next five years.

They entered the crowded ballroom producing masks to hid their faces. Rumplestiltskin had one the children had fashioned from spools of gold that cluttered many of the rooms in the castle shot through with swirls of black with small flecks of dragon leather red here and there on it a rather odd thing while Ruen's was a mask that ended on her high cheek bones a very dark blue that made her disguised crimson red eyes a darker shade of blue a surprise that took anyone but him by surprise. Mainly because he had seen a portrait of her parents and knew that she was a smaller carbon copy of her father who had dark blue eyes that was a slightly lighter one than her own whirls of dark gold and crimson red were on either side of her mask.

Rumple was yanked to a full stop by his sister who had reached around his light colored gold jacket and once more stopped as she pointed a long nailed finger at the beauty who he seen through the window. She wasn't wearing a mask and smiled at everyone who introduced themselves to her but from their advantage point he easily could tell that she wasn't enjoying any of the attention from the single men who were trying and unsuccessfully to look down her gold dress at her breasts. He felt his stomach drop to the bottom of his dress boots at the sight she made in the dress, he was male enough to admire the sight as the small figure that was his sister vanished.

Rumplestiltskin tugged on his vest before making his way to the beauty.


Belle's face was hurting from the forced smile she offered the guests as they greeted her. She just wanted to sit down and take a breath of fresh air outside. "You look strained, cousin dear." A male voice remarked from behind her. Belle turned around and looked up into the light cobalt blue eyes that belonged to her cousin the Duke of the Flatlands. Her smile was real this time as she wrapped her arms around him, "Adrian I wasn't expecting you." She cried as he returned the hug. "Yes I would think so considering I was the last to know. Perhaps later we will have a chance to discuss everything and maybe have a dance between family members." He suggested a smile on his lips though it was hard to see with his bread. "Yes later, Adrian." Belle agreed readily. He left after that to greet other guests who were eying him, the women in obvious want and the men in open disgust for they all knew who was and his title.

Adrian, Duke of the Flatlands was Belle's cousin on her mother's side of her family a tall man with black as night hair pulled back in a chignon a full bread covered his face reaching up into the hair that fell out of it into the front so it hung his blue eyes. His slightly unkempt appearance hid his sharp mind with a love of books that almost matched Belle's own.

Belle turned to greet another guest and came face to face with a man wearing a mask of what appeared to be but couldn't possibly be real gold with swirls of black and flecks of dragon leather red here and there on it that covered a pair of warm chocolate brown eyes fleck with gold. "May I have the pleasure of a dance dearie or would you prefer to have the young pups pawing at you?" He asked with an accent the likes of which she had never heard before. The man was older than the young men who had come to vie for her attention. The way he was dressed from the soft cream colored silk shirt covered by a golden brown colored vest with a light gold coat tight tan leather pants covered his lean legs in a very flattering way that caused her cheeks to color slightly at the sight. A fact he seemed all too aware of as an almost nonexistent smirk curved his thin lips. Belle wondered wildly what it would feel like to have his lips pressed to hers then wondered where that thought originated from "I would agree sir, if I may know your name my lord." She said

The man took a step back and bowed low to her "Lord Hobblefoot of the Frontlands, your highness." He introduced himself. His brown hair hung to his shoulders a strand fell into those brown eyes that sparkled with humor and something else she couldn't identify.

Belle smiled at him and curtsied before allowing him to lead her out onto the floor among other guests who had stopped in surprise at seeing them. Who was the man that seemingly defied the rules of respectability and danced with the odd princess that enjoyed reading books to other activities that were considered fitting for a princess they wondered.


Ruen sat far from the other guests but close enough to observe everything around her for any signs of trouble. She hated balls rather they be masked ones or normal ones. Give her a ruthless ruler to outwit or an oppressed village to alleviate from tyranny then she was more in her element but here hidden behind a well-executed so it made her less than human features normal and her pants and shirt look like a dress with her ankle length hair beautifully pulled up to curl comfortable on one pale collarbone. If it wasn't for the man who had been cursed for his parents actions, she'd have high tailed it as fast as she could. But alas she was there in what she equaled to torture.

"Excuse me, miss may I join you?" A male voice with the accent of the Flatlands inquired politely, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked up from watching Rumplestiltskin dance with the princess by standing here and asking if she could sit next to her.

"Knock yourself out." She finally agreed, hoping he would forget she was sitting there. No luck as other unwed women glared openly at her. "My apologies I seem to have caused untoward looks your way miss." The man apologized quietly Ruen turned from watching the people dance to look at him then at the glaring women. Because she had removed her mask due to it make her face itch, he could see a slender brow raise up on her lightly tanned features. "Ignore them and don't call me miss. The name's Ruen." Ruen hissed, using a bit of her magic to make the champagne the women were drinking to launch out of the glasses and into their faces and down their expensive dresses. Their shrieks of outrage were drowned out by the orchestra and caused the other to smile mischievously to herself.

The man blinked in surprise "Your named after High Queen Ruen the Radiantly Valiant?" He was shocked into what he thought was impertinence. Ruen turned and looked at him in shock clear on her face. "You've heard of the High Queen?" She asked in slight disbelief. High Queen Ruen, the woman she was named after was hardily spoken of or even remembered by those who were queens and kings. So how did this man of evident wealth know of the queen?

"Yes I have. My name is Adrian Duke of the Flatlands. I take it yourself have heard of the High Queen and her eleven sisters who had founded the known kingdoms?" The man finally introduced himself. Ruen and Adrian fell into an easy discussion of their knowledge of the kingdoms.


Belle was comfortable in the man's arms a man who never met before this night. He spun her back into his arms closer than what was called for. Of all the men including her father she ever met he wasn't trying to be overly charming or conceited. No all he was doing was leading her through the steps of many dances some known to her kingdom and others not so much but asked him questions and was rewarded with an impish grin and giggle that set her off. Spying her cousin sitting next to a small pretty young woman she couldn't help remark on that. " My cousin seems to be taken with that young woman there." Lord Hobblefoot, what a rather ridiculous name she commented to herself, followed her gaze and agreed in his accented voice, " Yes he does, she must have found a subject they both liked."

As if the gods had decided that the revelry was enough aloud commotion could be heard over the orchestra bringing it to a sudden halt and caused the dancing couples to stop as well. King Maurice was drunk and being very loud. "Not only is my daughter a beauty, she can spin useless straw into gold better than the fabled Dark One!" He boasted loudly followed by a drunken hiccup. Belle removed herself from Hobblefoot's arms and rushed to his side. When she turned back to see him he was gone. It was then that she seen the tall man who had a hold of her father a man she knew all too well. Sir Gaston the son of a very respected knight of the neighboring land who had an eye on the throne through her a known fact to everyone but the slight problem was Belle couldn't stand being in the same room as him. She found him to be rude, conceited and arrogant to a fault. She didn't just dislike the man to say that would be an understatement she loathed him. Her father knew that while sober but drunk? Not so much.

"My girl, Sir Gaston has agreed to marry you if you spin a room full of gold." Maurice boasted loud enough for the crowded ballroom to hear. Gaston smirked in triumph at his words and Belle stared at them in something akin to horror on her beautiful face. What had he done?


Chapter is dedicated is to anyone can figure out who the Valiant Queen is and what story she is from.

PS: sorry for the lecture at the top I don't like people being rude to me my apologies.

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