A/N I know the last few chapters have been slightly depressing/angsty/I'm really sorry I didn't mean to do that it just kinda happened on it's own/I blame plot bunnies please don't hate me forever. So this is your late Christmas gift, a sweet(ish) chapter that I personally loved to right and thought was really kinda cute. Feel free to disagree with me. (And look for spelling and grammar mistakes. I need all the help I can get. I'd die without spell check.)
Let me know what you think, and Merry Belated Christmas!
xxxx
As Belle slept on, she dreamed.
The dark halls of her father's castle did nothing for her anymore, for they held no mystery that she had not uncovered. She walked swiftly towards the chambers of war in which her father now held court, determined to have her say in the matters at hand.
"Father!" her call announced herself to the guards watching over the room. They parted immediately as the princess moved past them. Lord Maurice looked up from his charts, no surprise moving across his features. "I was wondering when you were to arrive, Belle." Was all he said before returning to the maps before him. "What have you to say?"
"I say you have given up too quickly, father." The princess was bold, there was no doubt. "He could be on his way right now, and you know it!" "We are out of time, Belle!" her father shouted, slamming his meaty fist down on the table."Ogres are not men. They do not tire; they do not require the rest that my men do. We will be slaughtered in the morn if we wait any longer!"
"Give him a little longer, father." The girl pled, coming to rest at her father's knee. "What other options do we have?"
Silence reigned over the chamber as daughter matched father's gaze.
Suddenly, the door to the chamber shuddered underneath with a thunderous 'boom!'.
Maurice started, rising from his seat. "Well open it!" he shouted. The guards rushed to the door, swinging it wide to allow whoever was outside unlimited entry to the room.
To their surprise, no one awaited them.
All exchanged confused glances, staring into the empty hallway for someone, anyone, before moving to shut the doors once more.
"Well that was a bit of a let-down."
Belle turned immediately and saw him sitting in her father's chair, all gold scales and flaunted magic. He practically smelt of power, and his dark eyes crackled with deep secrets she was certain he had never told anyone.
"Rumpelstiltskin." Her father said softly, and Belle felt her heart flutter, though she couldn't think of why.
"Belle," a voice called. She swept herself around, looking to see who was summoning her. "Belle," the voice was insistent. "Wake up, dearie, I have something to show you."
Belle woke with a start, wrenched from the world of sleep. She rose from her bed, rubbing her eyes and looking around her room for the voice that had called her.
Rumpelstiltskin, the greatest magician in the realm and victor of ogre wars of old, stood at the end of her bed with expression on his face as meek as milk, if not endearingly awkward. Belle stared at him oddly for a moment. "You woke me?" she asked, sleep blurring her mind at the edges.
"I did." He replied. The amusement in his voice was well hidden, but Belle could sense it. He was giggling silently, the corners of his mouth lilting upward coyly. "Did you make me dream what I did?" the befuddled Belle rubbed her eyes and pulled herself out from the covers, trying to make sense of this odd situation.
A flash of confusion fell over the imp's face. "I did not meddle with your dreams this night, dearie." He told her. "What did you dream of?" Belle looked up at him through her diminishing haze of sleep, trying to make sense of his features. "I dreamt of the first time I met you."
Rumpelstiltskin was still, not understanding what she was saying. "Dreams are sometimes simply dreams, Belle." He replied after a moment, comprehension slowly dawning on his face. "I promise you, dearie," he told her seriously. "I will not violate your dreams again."
"Anyway!" He practically leapt in the air, good mood restored. "I have something to show you." His hands flew in the air before him as he moved beside her. "It's wouldn't be as effective if I show it to you while you sleep, of course, this experience requires real world involvement." Belle laughed a little and slipped out of bed. "Whatever could you have to show me, Rum?" she asked, laughter coloring her tones. Rumpelstiltskin had backed away as she rose to join him, keeping a surprisingly formal amount of space between the two of them.
"It's a surprise." He responded, a mysterious glint in his eyes.
Belle squinted at him through the remaining veils of sleep, wondering what was causing his odd behavior. He was acting as though her escapade hadn't occurred…not that she minded the dismissal of that event, of course, but something just seemed…off. She couldn't remember anything occurring after he had started telling her that story earlier today—
Had she fallen asleep on him this afternoon?
Belle colored just as Rumpelstiltskin turned away from her, light-footedly heading towards the door to her room. He paused in her doorway, turning to look behind him as she stayed where she was, startled by the delightful shade of pink her cheeks had turned.
"Aren't you coming?" the eagerness in his face was undeniable, and Belle felt herself follow shortly behind him. Her hand rested gently on his shoulder as she exited the room beside him, closing the door behind her. "Wait." She said softly. With careful hands she gently pressed on his chest, her eyes reflecting great sadness and curiosity. "Are you alright?" she asked softly. The imp's eyes softened as he met her gaze. "I healed it while you slept." He told her, removing her hand from his chest. "Now, come with me." His hand remained around her wrist as he began to lead her down the halls. Belle's blush returned, but she made no effort to move away. "But of course." She smiled up at him, and he turned his gaze from her, hiding the excitement that was leaking onto his face.
She would be so surprised.
XXX
Nighttime had settled, Belle noticed, as Rumpelstiltskin lead her out of the castle. The stars twinkled at the pair as the traveled across the hillside, shining especially brightly, as if they knew a secret that the two they watched did not.
The journey did not take long as Belle expected, and soon, Rumpelstiltskin halted, poised at the top of a crest in the hills. Belle nearly ran him over in the dark, stumbling and letting a soft curse escaped her lips as she struggled to get her balance back. The imp who stood before her flashed a swift look of amusement in her direction, but made no comment on the matter. He instead turned his full attention to the sky before them.
"Why are we out here again, Rum?" The young woman asked him, confusion evident alongside the frustration in her voice.
"What?" It took the man a moment to answer, but when he did, his explanation left the girl even more confused than before. "We are here to meet a star, dearie." He told her vaguely. "One I have a feeling you'll like very much." Belle stared at him as though he had sprouted two heads, but he continued to ignore her, his gaze settling instead into the vast depths of the night.
Belle had been in the presence of this man for a very long time, in her opinion, but never before had she seen him act like this. His oddities were well known to her, but this puzzled her to no end.
The woman sighed and sat down on the grass beside the magician, settling herself to work out her confusion, and the two began their wait.
XXX
A few hours had passed, and Belle lay on the grass beside her 'master', floating between the realms of sleep and wakefulness. Her consciousness was pleasantly close to drifting off when a sudden pressure on her shoulders jolted her awake.
"Come on, dearie, it's almost time." The deep voice pulled her from her potential slumber, and Belle groaned, rolling over onto her back. Rumpelstiltskin glanced down at her (he had sat down at some point, though she wasn't sure when), and tittered in his high, laughing voice. "This is a once in a life time opportunity, Belle, you don't want to sleep through it, do you?"
"Maybe." Came the mumbled response, making the imp beside her chuckle.
A sudden wind covered the hillside, and Belle was upright with a start. Rumpelstiltskin had risen beside her, gently steadying her against the powerful forces around her. "Do not be afraid." He told her. "Nothing will harm you so long as I am here." She took comfort in his words and stared into the sky, following his gaze towards a light that seemed to be getting larger by the moment.
The glow of whatever was flying towards the pair became blinding, and Belle buried her gaze into Rumpelstiltskin's shoulder as it came crashing before them, causing the very earth around them to shudder. The magician held strong, however, and after a moment, the world fell silent and dim yet again. Belle steeled her nerves enough to allow herself a peek at the mysterious thing had appeared before them.
A glistening creature lay embedded in the ground, its unisex form unmoving. Belle gasped and removed herself from her protector's side, moving towards the crater the creature had created with the utmost care.
A soft voice rose from the creature lying before her. "Are you the one the stars call Belle?" it asked meekly. Belle's face was covered with increased confusion, but again she made no move to run. With great caution she came to rest beside the fallen form in the crater. "Yes, I am." She replied quietly. "But how do you know of me?"
The creature chuckled. "All the stars know of your story, dear one." The voice responded. "You are far braver than many of us ever predicted."
"I'm flattered, truly." The girl laughed softly. The being before her chuckled as well. "You work for a strange man, you know, my dear. What drove you to go with him?"
Rumpelstiltskin froze, listening intently to the conversation from a distance away.
Belle contemplated the question for a moment before answering. "When he first came to my kingdom," she began. "We were in desperate need of help. In the beginning, I thought I was doing it for my kingdom." A small smile played over her mouth, and the magician couldn't move if he wanted to. "But now, I see that not only did my kingdom need me to do this, so did he." Belle's voice was soft, and he struggled to hear her now. "And maybe I needed him, as well."
The creature in the crater seemed to gaze at the girl, mulling over her answer to its question. "You are a strange one as well, dearest Belle." It told her at last. "But I admire you." Belle laughed aloud. "Well, if that is the case, I'm truly glad that I am the way I am."
The glowing creature shifted, Belle saw, and turned its luminescent gaze away from her and to her master, who stood a few feet away.
"This is the girl you intended me for, is it not?" It asked abruptly.
"It seems you are far more civil with the girl than you are with me." He replied dryly, and Belle had to fight to stifle a chuckle. "But yes. This is her."
The star, as Belle now gathered it was, returned its not-gaze to her. "Darling," it began. "I have lived for thousands of eons, seen thousands of stories much like your own. But never, in all my years, did I believe any story worthy of viewing from the ground level." As it spoke, the star seemed to shrink. Belle had to lean in as its voice began to soften.
"This story, however," the voice said quietly. "This one I believe is worth far more than either of you will ever be able to comprehend. Best of luck, dear heart." The final comment was directed at Belle, and she nodded her head, whispering back her gratefulness.
With that, the creature fell quiet, and Belle was startled to find a glowing ball of light resting where the larger creature once had.
Silently, Rumpelstiltskin came to join her beside the crater. "I told you, dearie." He said. "You wouldn't have wanted to miss this." With surprising gentleness he lifted the star from the hole in the ground and raised it before him, seeming to examine it with squinted eyes. After a moment, he turned his attention back to the woman before him.
"Belle?" his voice was surprisingly nervous. She rose to stand before him, all confusion plain on her young face.
Rumpelstiltskin cleared his throat, an awkward shuffle entering his stance. "Belle," he began again. "You know what this is, do you not?" The girl nodded in affirmation. "It's a star. A fallen star." She replied softly.
"Yes." Rumpelstiltskin shifted his gaze between the star and the girl before him. "Yes. And…it is for you." The imp said quietly, removing a delicate chain from his vest pocket. The star, glowing bright against the darkness of night, fell into place perfectly amongst the silken links, and Belle gasped in surprise. A small smile crinkled onto Rumpelstiltskin's face as he moved to place it around her neck.
"I don't give gifts often, dearie." He whispered jokingly. "I do hope you like it." With a 'click' the chain was fastened, and Belle practically glowed as the star came to rest above her heart. With child-like wonder she gaped at it, before turning to the imp—creature—to the man standing before her.
"Rumpelstiltskin," she breathed, tears coming to her wide blue eyes. "I can't believe it. I just can't…Thank you." Her words could not convey the joy he saw in her eyes, but her happiness became his. There was no hiding the smile that crossed his face as he watched her.
It was a shock to him, still, when she threw herself into his arms. Her warm young body pressed fully against his, and she buried her face into his neck, and by all the gods he swore he had died and finally, finally achieved peace. "This," Belle breathed against his neck, unwilling to move out of his embrace. "This is the least expected, most wonderful, gods, Rum, thank you."
The two of them stay together for the heart beats that followed, neither ready to remove themselves from the other. Belle finally untangled herself from the man, moving to cradle the star in her open palm. The tears Rumpelstiltskin had seen in her eyes had now taken to her cheeks, and he could only watch in awe as Belle reflected the brilliance of the star.
She looked up from the creature to stare at him, and he felt the pieces of his heart click and melt together in a way he didn't believe was possible.
He truly, truly, loved her.