Pounding, pounding, again with the pounding. Belle woke up with a start. Gods, not again, she fretted before she realized once again that the noise was just someone knocking on the door. Momentarily she forgot where she was until she sat up in the chair and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up. The events of the day before all came flooding back into her mind. She was still in the Dark Castle; she still didn't remember who she was; sadly it wasn't a dream. She sighed heavily before the knocking startled her again.
Who in the world was knocking on the door? It couldn't be Rumplestiltskin; why would he knock on the door to his own castle? And why were they knocking on the door? Did whomever it was manage to catch up to the castle just like Belle had the night before? Why wouldn't they just come in like she had? The door had opened for her; surely it would open for them too. Then again, she didn't really want that person to come in. She had no idea who it was.
The knocking sounded again, this time it was obvious the person outside was getting impatient. Belle knew she shouldn't answer it. This wasn't her home and if that person knew Rumplestiltskin she would only arouse suspicions. Why wouldn't they just go away?
No one was coming to answer the door, or so she thought until she heard another door swing open behind her and a set of footsteps. Oh gods, she thought, it had to be Rumplestiltskin! What was he going to do when he found her there? Frightened she slunk back in the chair, pulling her knees to her chest. She was shivering a little and it wasn't because she was cold.
Yet, when she peered around the side of the chair to get a view of whom she thought was Rumplestiltskin, her mouth fell open, surprised to see a young boy running into the room. He wasn't too young, maybe twelve or thirteen, with a full head of black curly hair and dark brown eyes. He was dressed rather homely, in a well-worn grey shirt, with a matching cravat tucked into the collar, and a pair of light red pants. Could that really be the great Rumplestiltskin? He was so young…
She didn't think he noticed her-he didn't even look her way. Instead he ran through the room-she assumed with every intent to answer the door-but he paused briefly to grab a brown cloak off the clutter covered table. Some things that were on top of it toppled over onto the floor, but he didn't seem to care.
Throwing the cloak over his shoulders, the boy tied it around his neck, and then pulled the hood up over his head. As he did so, Belle was shocked because she no longer was able to see his face. Well, she could see his face, it wasn't like he covered it up, but it wasn't the same face she had just saw. He no longer looked like a little boy with rosy red cheeks and bright brown eyes. Instead, he looked older, much older, with a light beard and mustache. It was as if he aged thirty years in a second. Magic, it had to be magic. That was the only explanation. Maybe he was Rumplestiltskin.
Belle sat back in the chair, staying quiet as the boy ran right up to the door she had entered the night before and turned the lock. Belle had expected he was just doing that to unlock the door, but it should have already been unlocked. She didn't recall locking it the night before. The only way it could have been locked was if someone came or went after her.
She found out quick that it most likely wasn't a lock. There was a little wheel that hung at the top right corner of the door and it was divided into four colors: green, blue, red, and black. When he turned the lock, the wheel rang out and spun from green to blue. Light shown through the little window above the door when it hadn't before. It was all so curious.
The boy then twisted the knob and pulled the door open to see who was there. A man stood outside the door on what looked like a cobblestone road. The man was dressed in all black. He was quite handsome with medium brown hair, blue eyes, and a ruff looking beard. Down by his feet, Belle could see a white wolf sitting next to him. It had one black eye and one red-very unusual.
"Good day Sheriff Graham," the boy said, except his voice was a little gruffer, like he was still a boy trying to sound old.
"Afternoon," the sheriff replied, "I'm here to see the great sorcerer Yen Sid. Is he around?"
Yen Sid? Who was that Belle wondered? She thought this was Rumplestiltskin's castle.
The boy shook his head. "My master's out for the day. I don't know when he'll return, but I can speak for him in his absence."
The man, Sheriff Graham, stared at the boy briefly before pulling an envelope out of the front of his jacket and handing it to him. "A summons," the sheriff explained, "As you may know we are on the brink of war. His majesty King George is requiring every witch and wizard to aid the kingdom. Tell your master he must report to the castle immediately."
The boy nodded, bid the sheriff goodbye and shut the door. He didn't immediately come back up the stairs though. Instead he stood there for a few moments staring at the letter in his hands. Slowly he lowered the hood and instantly turned back into the young curly haired boy Belle had seen in the first place. "I hate war," she heard him mumble. The boy sighed deeply; he looked conflicted. To Belle he seemed sad, almost depressed.
Turning, he walked back up the stairs, keeping his eyes on the ground, but as he reached the top he looked up and gasped when he saw Belle sitting there in the chair.
He scrunched his eyes in confusion. "Who are you and how did you get in here?"
"B…Belle," she told him. The name still sounded foreign on her tongue.
"Ok, but how did you get in? No one can get in the castle unless we let them." Belle wondered who "we" was.
Her mouth hung open, unsure of the right way to answer his question. The door had just opened for her, but she had entered without permission. However, if what the boy said was true, someone let her in, but whom?
"I let her in," came a voice from her side with a familiar French accent.
Belle glanced over and saw the face had returned to the fire, the one she had spoken with the night before, Lumiere. So it really wasn't a dream.
"And why did you do that?" the boy said with an agitated but worried tone, "You know Papa's not going to be happy about this."
Papa? Was Rumplestiltskin his father? Did Rumplestiltskin even have a son? All the tales she could recall of the wizard, none of them ever mentioned a son. Unless… Rumplestiltskin was notorious for dealing in babies. Perhaps this boy was one of them. "So…so you're not Rumplestiltskin?" Belle asked the boy timidly.
He looked offended and scoffed, "No, I'm Baelfire. Rumplestiltskin's my father."
"Don't worry, she thought I was Rumplestiltskin too," Lumiere told him, laughing it off.
Baelfire shrugged his shoulders and smiled a little, "I guess I can understand. My father doesn't get out much." He walked towards the table in the center of the room.
The room was a little brighter than it had been the night before, but not by much. Most of the light still came from Lumiere, but there was a tiny amount of light streaming in from above the door and a few candles were lit around the walls. Belle could tell there were two large windows in the back of the room, but dark curtains blocked any light that could possibly come in. It was obvious why it was called the "Dark Castle."
As dim as it was, Belle could see much better than she could have the previous night. And if there were one other word she could use besides cluttered to describe it, it would be filthy. Every corner was covered in spider webs, some even hung from the ceiling. Everything was covered in dust, even the floors. Belle could even make out the footprints were Baelfire had just been walking. No wonder it smelled so musty inside.
The fireplace was just as bad. There was no telling how long it had been since it was cleaned, if ever. The fire was sitting on a mountain of ash. Did they never clean?
Belle also noticed the fire was dying down, so she added another log.
"Thank you my dear," Lumiere told her gratefully.
Belle smiled and nodded, "You're welcome."
"So, how do we know she's not a witch?" Baelfire asked, directing his question at Lumiere while he opened up a large book on the table and stuck the summons letter inside.
"You actually believe I would let a witch inside?" Lumiere replied, appaled. "I know your father just as well as you do…maybe more. My curse is bad enough. I don't want to find out what he would do to me if he found a witch in his castle."
There was that sound again…the pounding. Only now Belle knew immediately that it was someone knocking on the door. She was really beginning to hate that sound.
"The Avonlea door," Lumiere stated. Belle had no idea what that meant, but Bae obviously did.
"Oh it must be a customer," Baelfire mused. He slammed the book closed, which resulted in a small cloud of dust flying up into the air. Still he seemed not phased by it. Putting the hood back on his head, he once again transformed into an adult and started running to the door, but paused and turned to Belle. "Stay quiet. I don't want you to start any trouble."
Belle agreed and then he went to answer the door. This time though, he didn't click the lock. He just opened the door revealing the same cobblestone road. Two children, a boy and a girl, stood outside the door. They were clearly younger than Baelfire. The girl had thick long blond hair braided neatly on either side of her head and the boy had brown hair, but he wore a yellow cap atop his head. "Hello," the girl said politely with a smile, "Our father sent us to pick up a spell."
"What is it you need?" Baelfire asked.
"Here," the girl said, handing him a strip of paper, "he made a list."
Baelfire nodded, "Yes, we have these things. Come in."
He turned and jogged up the stairs; the boy and girl followed reluctantly behind him. While Baelfire was over at one of the bookcases collecting materials-Belle had no idea how he was finding anything-the two children looked around in awe at the place.
Belle smiled at them, but she remained quiet, just as Baelfire asked her to. She was curious, however, about what was outside. How was it possible there was a road out there when they were just in the mountains? Had the castle traveled to the city?
Deciding to see for herself so she could sate her curiosity, Belle stood, draping her cloak over the back of the chair. She winced in pain as she took a step; her feet were in really bad shape from not wearing the right shoes, but she managed to ignore the pain and make her way over to one of the covered windows. Pulling the drape back slightly she gasped. They weren't in the mountains; they were in the city! But it wasn't the city of Storybrooke. She was certain because off in the distance she could see an ocean. There wasn't an ocean near Storybrooke. If there had been, she would have been able to smell the salt in the air, like she could now from the aroma that was being wafted in from the still open door.
Turning around, she saw the little boy was staring at her. "Are you a witch too?" he asked, "You're beautiful."
Beautiful? That she was not. Neither was she a witch. Still she blushed slightly at the comment. What a nice boy. "I am," she told him playfully taking a step toward him, "and I live in a house made entirely of sweets. It lures little boys and girls like you inside so I an cook them for dinner!" Belle burst out into laughter.
The boy laughed as well, but his sister did not look amused even though it was obvious she was joking.
"Here," Baelfire said as he walked up to them and handed the girl a bag full of items, "Everything you needed."
"Thank you," the girl replied and dropped a few coins in Baelfire's hand. "C'mon Hansel let's go," she said to her brother, giving Belle one last glare before leaving.
Once they were gone and the door was closed, Baelfire removed his hood and looked at Belle angrily. "You shouldn't lie to the customers! My father's already going to be mad as it is."
Belle frowned, feeling bad, and also a little frightened. The more Baelfire and Lumiere talked of Rumplestiltskin, the less she wanted to meet him. She wanted to leave, but now she couldn't. Now that they were at the ocean, she had no idea how to get back to Storybrooke or how far away it was. "I was only teasing. I meant no harm." She paused, "But you wear a disguise. How is that any different?"
Baelfire grimaced, "Only because my father requires me to. He doesn't want anyone to know who I really am. He doesn't want them to even know I exist." He sighed, "It's a long story."
Belle was genuinely intrigued now. No wonder she had never heard of a son; he was only seen in disguise. She wanted to ask more questions, to know more, but before she could, a ringing bell interrupted them.
"The Storybrooke door," Lumiere called from across the room. Storybrooke? What? Belle still didn't understand what he was talking about. Why was he talking about Storybrooke when they were nowhere near it?
Putting his hood on once again, Baelfire went back to the door this time clicking the lock this time. When he did, the little wheel rang again switching from blue to red. The light above the door dimmed significantly.
Insanely curious about what was going on, Belle followed Baelfire so she could see out the door. When he opened the door, Belle scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. The door didn't lead outside anymore. Instead she could see down into what looked like a cluttered shop. But how was that possible?
She started down the few steps so she could get a better look. Baelfire heard her coming and whirled around, pushing her back. "You can't come in here. My father won't want you in his shop. He's already going to be mad that you're in his castle."
Shop? Rumplestiltskin had a shop? She had never heard of it. She backed up, showing him that she was going to obey his wishes. Baelfire then ran off into the shop, disappearing behind a purple curtain into another part of the shop. Belle wasn't going to disobey and go into the shop, but she couldn't help but lean out the door just to give it a quick glance through. It was just too intriguing to her, how the door had just opened to a city and now it opened in the back of a shop.
It was a quaint looking shop. Everything in it looked like antiques. Maybe it was an antique store. But why would Rumplestiltskin own an antique store? He obviously dealt in magic.
"I'm looking for Mr. Gold," she thought she heard a voice say from behind the curtain, but it was faint.
Baelfire's fake voice could be made out as well. "He's not here…"
Mr. Gold? But wasn't that the man who owned the pawnshop she had tried to go into when Leroy stopped her? What was going on? How could this be his shop? Feeling frightened and overwhelmed Belle went back over to the fireplace.
"I don't understand…" she said to Lumiere as she continued to stare at the door, "I know the castle can move, but how can we go from one place to the next in a matter of minutes?"
"It's a magic door my dear," Lumiere explained, "Used to get from one place to another in the blink of an eye. See the wheel at the top of the door?"
Belle nodded.
"The colors represent the place one wants to go."
Belle scrunched her eyes in confusion. "There are only four colors. Does that mean the door leads to only four places?"
"Indeed, but they can be changed. However, only Rumplestiltskin knows how to do that."
Belle heard the door shut and she looked over, seeing Baelfire returning. This time he took the whole cloak off and threw it back on the table. "Hungry?" he asked Belle.
"Yes, thank you," she replied not realizing it until he said something.
"C'mon, I'll show you were the kitchen is." He beckoned for her to follow him.
"Alright."
Baelfire led Belle through the door in the back of the room that he had come out of that morning. There was a long hallway behind it, still dark just like the other room.
"Why is it so dark Baelfire?" Belle asked, trying to make small talk and get to know the boy. She also wanted to know more about the castle.
"Oh, you can call me Bae. And that's the way my father likes it. He despises bright lights. Most of the curtains in the castle are nailed shut."
Belle wondered why that was, but she had only just met Bae so she wasn't going to pry. "So your father," Belle asked nervously, "What will he do once he finds me here?"
"Honestly, I don't know. He'll probably get angry-he has a bit of a temper-but I promise I'll stop him if he tries to hurt you."
Belle thought she heard something in Bae's voice, something that told her Rumplestiltskin has hurt others before. And it was apparent that Bae didn't agree with the behavior. Now she was truly frightened. She stopped, turning back toward the way she came. "M…maybe I should go…leave the castle…"
"No, please!" Bae pleaded, grabbing her arm so she wouldn't go anywhere. "Even if you leave now, he'll know and come find you. It will only make things worse." His voice began to shake. "He'll think you came for me, he'll know you know about me…it's better if you stay. I can protect you."
Belle took a deep breath. She had made a mistake. An incredibly horrible mistake and there was nothing she could do about it now. She nodded. "I guess I don't have a choice then."
"I'm sorry," Bae said before they quietly continued on through the hallway.
When they arrived at the kitchen, Belle was not shocked to see the state of it after seeing in the other room. However, the kitchen was probably worse. The sinks were stacked high with weeks worth of dirty dishes. They even spilled out over onto the floor.
The kitchen was also covered in cobwebs and dust, but it smelled more like mold. Belle wasn't sure she could stomach eating anything out of it. Just looking at it made her sick. Bae didn't notice her reluctance and walked over to a cabinet, opening it up to reveal tons of fresh food. There were vegetables, eggs, cheese, bread, potatoes, and fruits. It was odd how the cabinet didn't look filthy at all. It was just cluttered with enough food that could feed a person for a month. Perhaps it was enchanted to stay clean and keep the food fresh. That was her only explanation for being able to keep that much food around. The rest of the castle could use a spell like that, Belle thought.
Bae grabbed a plate of cheese and bread, enough for the both of them, while Belle picked up a metal container and lifted the lid to see what was inside; it contained fresh bacon. "Do you want bacon and eggs?" she asked.
He nodded. "Sure, but we have to cook in the Main Hall," he told her. "We can't get to the oven in here."
That was not a surprise. How could they get to anything? Belle grabbed a pan to take with them-there was only one clean one left hanging on the wall. She was shocked there were any at all.
"And that's if Lumiere's willing to let us," Bae added, "He usually only takes orders from Papa."
Belle smiled, recalling the deal she had made with Lumiere. "I don't think it will be an issue."
Once they were back in the Main Hall, Belle walked over to the fireplace and set the things down. Bae went over to the table and shoved a pile of stuff off on the floor so he could set the plate of bread and cheese on it.
Belle looked back at him, her face clearly showing how astonished and disappointed she was with his behavior. Bae glanced up at her and looked confused. "What?" he asked, oblivious that he had done anything out of the ordinary.
Belle just shook her head and smiled disbelievingly. "Do you enjoy living like this?"
"Like what?"
"With all this clutter! I know it's dark in here, but any one can see how filthy it is! With Rumplestiltskin's reputation, you would think he would at least use his magic to clean."
"Oh that," Bae chuckled, "Papa's a bit of a collector and he doesn't like using more magic than he has to. He always says magic comes with a price. I guess he doesn't think it's worth paying for a clean castle."
Belle strolled over to the table. "Well I can't eat like this, so you and I are going to clean this table off." She picked up a book off the table, and then went and filed it on the bookcase. She smirked back at Baelfire and added matter-of-factly, "Without throwing everything onto the floor."
Bae grinned, amused at her enthusiasm, but still confused. "Where do we put everything?"
Belle continued collecting things off the table, "We can neatly set it aside for now and find a place for it later. Put like things together so it will make it easier."
Bae nodded and began to help her. As they worked, Belle glanced up at the boy, trying to work up a question she had had in her mind since she had found out he was Rumplestiltskin's son. "So," she started, bringing up the subject delicately, "What about your mother? Does she approve of the castle being in this state?"
Bae frowned, sadness washing over him. "My mother died. Many years ago. It's just been my father and me for a long time now."
"Oh," Belle averted her eyes from him. She felt horrible now for bringing up the subject. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay," Bae replied, but didn't say anything else on the matter. He continued cleaning quietly without looking at her. Belle couldn't help but feel she had upset him when that wasn't her intent. She tried to think of something she could say to change the subject, to take his mind off the matter, but she didn't have to because the ringing of the door did it for her.
Belle looked up and saw the color on the wheel had changed to black. Where did the black lead? She didn't have long to wonder, however, because Lumiere's voice rang out with four words, four words Belle wasn't ready to hear.
"Baelfire, it's your father."
Bae swallowed hard and closed his eyes, not immediately turning around. If Belle's eyes had been focused on him, she would have noticed his whole demeanor had changed. But they weren't. No, they were focused on the cloaked figure stepping in through the door.
Slowly, agonizingly slow, the wizard shut the door behind him as he came into the room. The click of his black boots echoed through the room as they met with the steps. As he came into view, Belle couldn't see his face; he had his head down and the hood from his red velvet cloak was covering it.
Nearing the top of the stairs, he lifted his head just slightly, enough for Belle to catch a glimpse of what his face looked like. Belle gasped loudly when she saw him, the plate in her hand dropping to the floor and shattering into pieces. Her eyes widened in shock and she was shaking with fear.
He wasn't a man, he couldn't be a wizard, he had to be a demon. While he had the figure of a human, his skin wasn't the usual hue. Instead, it was thick and rough looking, mottled a golden color that glistened in the small amount of light.
But the most distinguishing feature, the one that made Belle sure that he wasn't human, were his large reptilian eyes. Not only was Belle sure they were the eyes of a demon, but they were also solely focused on her. And along with the scowl on his face, anyone could easily see they were burning with anger.