A/N: Back from a some very busy weeks. My senior project is done and so are a lot of my big essays so I'll have more time to write this!
My new cover art was made by my freaking lovely beanie baby, trashandscraps on tumblr did it as a prompt, but I did also get fanart by booksandicedtea, who is also on tumblr. IT WAS PERFECT and she is perfect and they're both perfect! Eek!
So c'mere and let me give you some chipped cups and hamburgers because this chapter will be a bit of a ride.
I own nothing but my fangirling heart, please enjoy!
Belle smiled as she walked into town, her latest book tucked under her arm. The book was all about a heroine said to have led armies into many, many successful battles against creatures and men of all sorts. It was fictional, of course, for who would actually believe a female could hold the sword? Belle scowled at the reflection.
A woman could fight just as well as a man and yet it seemed to be a forbidden idea.
The picture of the woman on the cover left Belle feeling enthralled. The woman wore a flat breastplate and held a thin sword across her chest, fingers clenched firmly around the grip. Belle would be expected to wear a dress and wield a needle and thread as a wife. The girl looked upwards at the blue skies, smiling as the sun peeking out from behind the clouds warmed her skin. She didn't intend to be tamed so easily.
She thought of fighting with her father's men. If she wrapped her chest tightly enough and chopped off her hair, surely she could pass off as a boy. The thought of attempting to carry a heavy sword into battle made her shudder. Most of Papa's men used long swords. Belle had attempted to use Durwin's long sword many times, causing the old captain of Papa's guard to burst out in booming laughter at her poor attempt to look heroic.
She exhaled slowly, shaking her head with a small smile as patted the book clutched under her arm. For now, she would leave the heroics to the woman in her book. Belle could always place herself into the story as the main character. She found herself doing this often, pretending that she was a character from her book, even when not reading.
She was sick of reading inside the castle and had been desperately hoping to find a quiet place to read out near town. Too often Nan would find her and haul her downstairs for more lessons on cross stitching, or she'd be interrupted from her haze of reading from nearby noises. Papa's castle had been very busy ever since King Leopold requested for Maurice to take in a unit of his new soldiers for training. It was nearly impossible for Belle to find any silence .
She was headed across the town center to head towards one of the small tributaries towards the ocean when Gaston, and a few of his goons, stepped in her way. "Belle," Gaston attempted to shoot her what he thought was a dashing smile, but Belle thought he looked quite silly, like a donkey baring its teeth. "Where do you think you're going?" he coyly questioned, as if he expected her to actually wish to go off with him.
"Somewhere that isn't here," she coolly replied, unamused. Perhaps if she fell a few octaves higher in voice and giggled like Rumplestiltskin he would leave her be, assuming that she'd lost her mind.
His smile faltered, but he quickly replaced it with a demure smirk as he quickly snatched her book from beneath her arm. "Why don't you act like a proper lady, Belle? If you keep reading these damned books, you'll never find someone willing to marry you," he scolded. He held the book up with two fingers pinching the cover only. The pages and back cover flapped down, waving loosely to and fro from the motions of his hand.
"Stop it, give it back, Gaston!" Belle cried reaching for the book. She could practically feel the book bindings ripping from his improper grip on the book. It was as if he was holding Belle by her hair only, letting the rest of her weight pull her down.
"See, boys? She likes the books more than people," he crowed, his goons rattling into a chorus of laughter. "Really, Belle, I think you're a lovely looking girl, but I can't make any children with you if you're too busy staring into a book while I try to get a good rut in," he grinned as his friends laughed even harder.
You're the lionhearted girl, Belle. Become lionhearted again. Don't let those words cut. Don't hide. Don't even run.
She had been clenching her locket in her hand as he shot insults towards her, the mass of gold making her feel slightly comforted. Even with the comfort of the locket, Belle would have to face this on her own. She let the locket fall against her chest and gave a soft huff before her hand shot out, grabbing her book back from Gaston, taking him by surprise with the speed of her movements.
His friends behind him broke into a roar of taunts and cackles at the sight of their ringleader being outsmarted by a girl of all things. Gaston's face flushed as he glared towards them, silencing their laughter with his stern glare. He gave an angry huff as he slapped a massive hand onto her arm, gripping it so tightly that Belle gave a wince. "Give me the book, Belle. Don't make me force you!" he warned.
Belle gave a soft breath, her brow raising in irritation. Really, must I be assaulted each time I'm near one of these foolish boys?
Belle clenched her eyes shut in pain as he gripped even harder onto her arm, part of her now worried that Rumplestiltskin would show up and kill Gaston without a second thought. He surely could feel her anxiety by now. Belle's heart gave a twinge as she realized that if she didn't leave soon, Gaston would surely be dead at Rumple's hand.
She had to act quickly.
She smacked Gaston as hard as she could upside the chin with her book, shocking him into releasing her. Belle spun on her heel, quickly running down the wagon trail leading out of town and into the forest. She ran as fast as she could, relieved once she was surrounded by the trees on the trail, the village behind her out of sight. She ran and ran, the shouts of Gaston growing dimmer and dimmer as she went. She felt warm tears running down her face. Not tears of weakness, but tears of fear and humiliation. In that moment, she thought Gaston would've hurt her. Belle wasn't used to being manhandled, nor would she ever be. It wasn't right.
She was so blinded by her tears that she didn't notice the man standing in the middle of the road until she ran straight into him, her forehead bouncing off of his chest. She spitefully cursed at herself for being such a baby as she wiped her tears. "I'm s-so sorry," she jumped as the man quickly grabbed her by the shoulders. His grip was gentle though, not constricting like Gaston's.
It was Rumplestiltskin.
He took a moment to observe the tears, which angered him enough alone, but when he saw the angry red hand marks on her arm, he was livid. "Who did this to you?" he demanded in a voice that made her blood run cold. A deep tone that made him sound like a distorted mix between a human and a cursed soul.
She said nothing, the fear that Rumplestiltskin would kill Gaston only making more tears slide down her cheeks. Gaston certainly did need to be taught a lesson, but death? Belle almost shuddered, just thinking of all the trouble Rumplestiltskin would get into. At the same time, Belle knew that if anyone could be called a master of death, it would be Rumplestiltskin. That still didn't make death right by any means.
"It's fine..." she attempted to sooth, timidly touching his arm.
"It's not fine," he spat and pushed her hand away, snarling lightly. "Tell me!" he demanded, his voice contorting into a booming timbre.
"I don't want you to hurt anyone!" she cried, fear very present in her eyes as he gripped her. He was no better than Gaston in this morning, grabbing onto her like one of her rag dolls.
His greenish gold eyes sharply focused upon hearing her quivering voice. Perhaps one would've said they had softened, but Belle only saw less anger in them. "He hurt you," his voice was soft. Soft. She wasn't used to hearing it like this. He almost sounded as if he were a child.
"He did," she agreed, her tone gentle.
Rumplestiltskin grit his teeth, trying to seem less rampant to her as he released her arm, looking upon his hands as if they were covered with her blood. She wasn't about to tell him who had her running down the road like that, he knew that much, but someone had touched her. It'd happened to her one too many times. He couldn't resume showing up late to endure her frantic emotions. He was about to say something more when he heard a voice shouting behind them "Nobody runs away from me you stupid whor-"
Gaston stopped his shouting upon seeing an unfamiliar man with Belle, his back to Gaston. Rumplestiltskin turned on his heel, a grotesque smile spreading across his face as he saw the boy. Gaston was too absorbed with restoring his brutish pride to even recall the "diseased" man with the gold dusted hands from his childhood. "So you," he pointed at the black haired boy with both fingers, "are the lad touching her, yes?" Rumplestiltskin asked with a questioning shrug, his voice almost giddy.
Gaston leered at the disgusting man, snorting like some sort of bull. "She's not your business," Gaston told him. "Come back with me, Belle. Don't stand near him. He's sick."
Rumplestiltskin was about more when he felt a petite hand on his chest, pushing him back. Belle was beside him, her hand flat on his chest, over his heart.
Belle almost smiled in the middle of her rage. Monsters didn't have hearts, according to Rumplestiltskin, but his was beating beneath her hand, she could feel it. She would inform him of such things later on, but for now, she no longer felt any sympathy for Gaston. The boy thought he could demean her in front of his friends, grab her and then order her away from Rumplestiltskin as if she were a faithful sheep dog?
She walked up to Gaston, staring up at him, blue eyes burning with a newfound strength. Her heart felt stronger then it had when Prince James had pinned her. She wasn't sure if it was simply from Rumplestiltskin's presence or if she'd finally overcome her fear of being brave, but whatever it was, it was there. "The only one here that is sick is you, Gaston," she coldly informed the dote. "You're nothing but a bully and I'll never ever marry you. You expect to humiliate me then turn around and act as if you care that I'm standing with this man? I'm not of concern to you, nor will I ever be."
Gaston's face went a shade of red at her words, her jaw clenching as he looked the girl before him over. "He's no man Belle, he's-"
Belle swiftly interrupted with such ease that Rumplestiltskin couldn't help but be impressed."He's more of a man than you'll ever be, Gaston,"
Rumplestiltskin looked to the girl with a sudden reverent fondness. How did he ever fall upon her? How did he ever deserve her companionship? He remained still behind her, sharp eyes watching Gaston to be sure the boy didn't try anything stupid.
Why he even needed to question if the boy named Gaston would further attempt to touch Belle, he didn't know, for the idiot then decided to grab Belle's wrist before she could resume telling him off. Rumplestiltskin wasn't sure if the boy really thought he could drag her away from him without any fight, but with a simple thrust of his hand, the boy was thrown meters back, skidding against the dirt road as he landed.
Belle openly gasped beside him, looking to Rumple with scolding eyes. "He doesn't deserve to-"
Rumple dismissed her with a wave of his hand, silencing her. He stalked over, standing over the trembling boy. "If I see you touch her one more time," his voice was no longer trilling nor was it taunting. It was low and quite serious. "I will tear your heart out and make you eat it," he hissed, watching the boy's eyes bulge with fear. Gaston blanched, quickly stumbling to his feet before running back down the road. Rumplestiltskin returned to Belle, surprised to see the girl looking quite forlorn.
"Are you well?" he gently asked, hesitating a moment before moving to place a hand on her shoulder.
She grabbed his reaching hand and held it tightly in her hands, just as she had so long ago as a child. "He'll tell Papa," she whispered her grip on his hand tightening. The girl was scared for him, as if she thought he could be captured by a few petty guardsmen. "Papa will...if he knows I've been friends with a stranger, he'll forbid me from leaving the castle," her jaws tightened as her gaze searched his.
Rumplestiltskin only grinned as an idea came to mind. "You underestimate me, little lioness," he crooned, placing his other hand atop hers. "Hold on, dearie," he advised before promptly transporting themselves further up the road near the town in a puff of smoke. Rumplestiltskin giggled gleefully as the he noted Gaston running towards them, hopelessly out of breath for such a short run.
"Why, Gaston! What a surprise to see you here," Belle called, a wide smile on her face, her sudden change in moods not going unnoticed by Rumple as he stood beside her.
"W-What do you wa-" he took a step towards her, but fell to a halt, his eyes suddenly blank.
"What did you do to him?" Belle asked, slowly approaching the frozen boy to hesitantly wave a hand before his eyes. His eyes remained still and glassy, sending a bout of chills up Belle's spine.
"I shut him up," Rumplestiltskin smartly replied, striding over to stand beside the girl.
Belle frowned, glancing up to the Dark One. "What are you going to do to him?"
"Remove all recollection of the previous events," he spoke as if it was a simple thing really, but Belle doubted it would be so simply for anyone besides him.
She observed as Rumplestiltskin placed a hand over the boy's head, his mirthful expression fading slowly into one of concentration.
Belle craned her neck, less focused on what Rumplestiltskin was actually doing and more interested in the look on his face. His expression was blank, almost relaxed. Just as it was when he would spin, just as he was when she read to him.
The urge to touch his face was overwhelming. She wished she knew how to use magic to freeze that expression on him with her touch, preserve his peace.
"You aren't paying attention, dearie," he seethed through gritted teeth.
Belle jumped at his voice, flushing immediately, "E-Erm, right," she turned, peering at his hand as it remained still above Gaston's head.
"Ah," he softly spoke, plucking his fingers together and jerked his hand back as if he were pulling a threaded needle through cloth.
Belle leaned closer as she saw the memory being uprooted, eyes wide with mystification. The memory was a glowing, white strand, almost like thread. It wafted from side to side between Rumple's fingers, its tendrils floating with a sereneness of sorts.
"That's a memory..?" she asked softly, afraid that the glowing thread would stir if she spoke too loud.
"Not a memory, but many," Rumplestiltskin murmured. The temptation to remove the lad's complete memory of the girl was tempting, but he knew she would never see the reason behind it.
And when did we start needing her approval behind each thing?
He scowled lightly, crushing the strand of memories in his fist before prodding the boy with a finger, pointing to the side of the road. "You will lie in the mud and sleep like the pig you are," he hissed, eyes lit with amusement as he watched the brutish boy give a small nod and follow his command.
Belle watched, a bit uncomfortable. Something had clearly made Rumplestiltskin angry besides Gaston, but what? What was going on inside of his head? Who spoke to him in there? She watched Gaston as he sprawled out in the mud on the side road caused by the drying rainfall from the past few days.
It was wrong and Belle knew this. She knew this, but she refused to say so. Gaston was lucky to be unharmed and alive.
"Are you sure we should just leave him here?" Belle asked, looking down at Gaston as he slept soundly.
"Does it matter?" Rumplestiltskin sneered, eying the boy with distaste.
Belle nibbled on her lower lip before turning to him. "He doesn't deserve to be pitied, but he doesn't deserve to be...left like that," she tried to reason. Surely someone would find him or perhaps he'd even wake up on his own, but that didn't make Belle feel any better.
Rumplestiltskin was about to reply when he stilled, gazing into the woods with a sharp gaze.
Belle followed his gaze, surprised to see Mutt stumble out with wide eyes. "Belle," his expression went from joy to fear as he noted the lizard man with her.
"You," Rumplestiltskin glared at the boy, lips curling in a silent snarl. "broke our deal," he pointed a hooked finger towards the wide eyed boy.
"B-But..." the boy stammered, attempting to circle around Rumplestiltskin so he could be closer to Belle, closer to safety.
"He did not," Belle quickly defended, extending her arm to push Mutt back behind her. Rumplestiltskin was being very confrontational for some reason and she could only hope it was from a bad deal or a nightmare. "Gaston grabbed me in town, I ran here to get away. Mutt's to protect me in the woods...this is technically connected to the town."
Rumplestiltskin grit his teeth, eying the two with a hard stare that made sent shivers down Belle's spine.
His nose twitched lightly and before she could say anything more, he was gone, briskly walking down the road. Belle frowned, her brow furrowing as she watched him. He could simply...poof wherever he wanted. Why would he walk?
She felt a pitiful little stab in her heart as she realized he was walking with the intention to brood. The only thing Belle could ever do to repay him for all the times he had saved her and made her smile was by making him happy with her reading or conversations with him. She had failed.
"I'm sorry, Mutt. He won't hurt your old pack," she assured, giving the boy a comforting pat on the shoulder. "I've got to go after him though."
The boy nodded dutifully, watching the girl turn and take off after Rumplestiltskin. The boy smiled sadly, noting that she wore one of her favorite dresses. She was always happy in the blue dress with the white sleeves.
Today, he wasn't sure how happy it would keep her.
Belle ran after Rumplestiltskin, catching up with him after a few moments. She fell to his pace, openly staring at him with a confused expression. He walked with his hands clasped behind his back, his steps neat and precise on the road. His gaze was cold as he stared ahead, mouth set in a firm line.
"Rumplestiltskin," Belle spoke, eyes wide with concern. "What is the matter?" she asked, heart thumping anxiously. Was it her fault? Had she done something wrong?
He did not look at her, nor did he reply. He simply resumed his brooding, grinding his teeth together. He still wasn't been sure if it was simply a dream that had shaken him from sleep the previous night, or a glimpse of the the future.
It was the same spot he had lost Bae. The same exact spot. He often dreamed of this spot, but instead of Bae, Belle stood before him, eyes wide and fearful. "Why did you do it, Rumplestiltskin? Y-You abandoned him, you abandoned Bae! You killed his mother and lost your chance to save him. You'll do the same exact thing to me."
He had reached to her, eyes wide as he shook his head. "No, no, no, Belle. I didn't mean to," he insisted, his hands trembling as he clasped them together, bobbing his head as he pleaded with her. "It was a trick, a trick! I'm trying, Belle! I'm trying to get him back. M-Milah needed to die. She abandoned him! I'm not abandoning him, don't you see?" she had degraded him back into his cowardly, hobble-footed self in mere seconds.
Her gaze had been unyielding as she produced the crooked dagger from her cloak, his name glinting off of the blade towards him. She looked at him, her no longer kind, but ruthless eyes boring into his.
Rumplestiltskin fell to his knees, hands clasped together as he pleaded, "N-No, Belle, please! You don't know what you hold, you don't know what it can do!"
"I do," Rumplestiltskin let out a pathetic sob as he heard Baelfire's voice. His boy appeared from the tree line, striding over to stand besides Belle.
"N-No Bae, don't..." he pleaded, hunched over in grief, his fingers buried into the ground.
Belle cocked her head to the side, watching him wither into a heap with interest. "You say you care, Rumplestiltskin. You say you'd give up anything for your boy and perhaps even me, but in the end, you're a coward. You'll do anything to cling to this," she lifted the dagger, pointing it towards herself. "Would you care if I did this? If I killed myself with your own pathetic dagger?"
He gave a strangled cry, standing and attempting to move forwards to take it from her.
"Stay on the ground," Belle hissed. At once, he was back on the ground, the essence of his link with the dagger forcing him down like a boulder. The feel of her having such power over him was suffocating, as it would have felt if anyone else commanded him with the dagger.
She turned the dagger towards Bae, the blade against his neck. Rumplestiltskin was a sobbing mess now, his hands grasping the air for her. Precious, precious Belle, what have I done?
"What if I take Bae's life, Rumplestiltskin? What now? You obviously care. Would you give your power for him? For me?" her hand fell to her side, the blade still gripped in her fingers.
"I would Belle, I would do it for-"
He fell silent as Baelfire produced the same damned bean he had grasped so hopefully onto the last time.
"Come with us, Papa," he called, his smile wide.
Rumplestiltskin cowered, still pushed to the ground by the dagger. "I-I can't...I can't stand! Belle, release me!" he begged.
Belle did nothing of the sort as she watched Bae toss the bean to the ground, the whirling, green funnel to the "other" land forming.
Belle dropped the dagger in before following, not even glancing in his direction.
Baelfire stared at him, his smile still in place as he fell forwards into the funnel.
Rumplestiltskin had broken the windows in his room after that dream. He'd caught his bed on fire after that dream. He'd drank himself into numbness after that dream.
He did not go to Belle.
She had kept him from his boy. She had demeaned him and...
It was only a dream.
She had kept him from Bae...
It was only a dream.
She kept his dagger...
It was only a dream and yet he had been forced to come to her aid, masking the undeniable pain of seeing her with his usual mask of indifference.
The girl had left him with a bitter taste in his mouth after protecting the wolf child and the boy foolish enough to grab her.
And here she was, trying desperately to get inside of his mind, trying to mend the loose pieces.
"Rumplestiltskin," she spoke again, her tone absolutely miserable. "I'm sorry, please don't shut me out," her small hand rested on his arm, causing him to jump.
He looked down upon her, broken free from his torturous thoughts. "Y-You've done nothing wrong, Belle," he quietly assured.
Belle gripped onto his arm more tightly now, tilting her chin up as she staring at him. "What is wrong, Rumple? Did you...have a bad deal?" she slowly questioned.
"A nightmare," was all he said in reply.
Her mouth shifted into a scolding frown, but the concern never left her eyes. "You come to me when you have those, silly man. Why didn't you?"
Man.
Rumplestiltskin fought the urge to snort at the word. Hardly a man. Hardly. "You were surely asleep," he dismissed.
"I would've woken," she insisted, giving a soft sigh. "I would've woken and I would've read until you forgot," she stopped walking, keeping a firm grip on his arm.
Rumplestiltskin turned to look down upon her. Her eyes were wide with worriment as she furiously nibbled on her lower lip.
"I can't forget, that's the problem, dearie," he spoke between gritted teeth.
"If you did, you'd lose who you are, Rumplestiltskin," she told him, gazing upon her hand on his arm. "If you lost every bad memory, you'd be...a husk." her gaze slowly flicked to the ground as she removed her hand. "If I forgot each time I was sad, each time I was mad...I wouldn't be brave."
"You would find it again, even if you forgot," he insisted.
"I wouldn't. I'd be afraid," she shook her head, not wanting to turn the attention onto herself.
Slowly, they began to walk again, Belle wringing her hands and Rumplestiltskin twiddling with his thumbs.
"Tonight, we will read my story," he finally spoke, giving a small nod as if to assure himself that they would.
Belle turned her gaze to look at him, a wide smile forming on her lips. "Really?" she asked. She'd been waiting years to read his story. She didn't understand why he avoided it, but she never once peeked inside of the book after his request to wait until he could be there to listen to her read.
He nodded again in reply, a small smirk forming on his lips. "First, we shall go on an adventure," he informed, peering at the girl from the corners of his eyes.
The delighted expression she wore almost made his mood change. Almost.
"Adventure?" she questioned, giddily beaming at him. "With swords and monsters and-"
He silenced her with a snort. "A simple deal, little lioness. Would you care to join me and explore?" his tone was almost awkward as he asked her to join him, as if it was his first time asking anyone to join him anywhere.
Maybe it was.
Belle frowned at herself. He'd asked her to go places with him before, why was he so rigid this time?
She eagerly nodded, anticipation clawing at her as she let go of his arm to grab his hand, her smile never fading once. "I can't help you make a deal?" she asked.
Rumplestiltskin gave a scoff. The last time she had helped him had ended badly. "Not this time, no, but you may dilly dally as you please about town," he informed her.
Belle's smile did falter at that. Before she could make any arguments, he had already thrown them into the spiraling tear between worlds.
Belle was quite proud to find that she both landed on her feet and kept her lunch in her stomach when they arrived in the outskirts of a small village.
He didn't plan on going on any deals, really. He had intended on spending the rest of his day and night spinning, forgetting.
If he could forget for a few hours and clear his mind, perhaps looking upon Belle wouldn't twist his heart in two.
The girl needed something to assure her he was fine, he could tell so by the constant worried expression on her face. He could walk about with her later, but for now, a deal was already calling to him.
"I will find you once the deal has been struck," he informed the girl before turning on his heel, walking away. He held a hand up, wiggling his fingers in a farewell wave before bursting into smoke.
The girl frowned, a bit miffed at Rumplestiltskin's sudden departure. He seemed giddy for whatever deal he was about to make, so she couldn't stay mad. If he was happy, she was happy. Belle decided to walk as far as the village went, looking about curiously. It reminded her of old Gepetto's village. Belle pursed her lips, sighing softly. She thought of the inventor quite often. Had he found a son?
Belle broke from her thoughts, glancing about to see she had wandered towards a small hut a bit out of town. Besides the hut was a large, worn down barn. In Belle's opinion, it looked as if it would fall down from a single gust of wind.
She stopped in her steps as she heard a lovely humming voice. It sounded sweeter than any sort of singing she'd ever heard, like the mermaids in the tales that lulled sailors into the ocean.
Belle followed the humming over behind the barn, surprised to see a girl a bit older than herself, swaying back and forth before an apple tree, plucking rotten apples from the ground and placing them in a basket.
Belle stared at the girl, curious to know why she was doing such a chore at this time. The girl finally noticed Belle gawking at her and stiffened, her face warm upon realizing that she had been caught dancing.
Belle offered a kind smile and a soft laugh. "I'm sorry, I was looking to see if anyone was here...everyone else seems to be inside."
"Oh," the girl managed a humble grin, holding the basket full of rotten apples against her hips. "The magic man's in town, we're all to cower 'n hide when he's about," she informed Belle.
Belle assumed that she meant Rumplestiltskin, but certainly wasn't about to tell the girl she had arrived with him.
"Why aren't you inside..?" she trailed off, unsure of the girl's name.
"I'm Penta," the girl informed with a curt nod. "I'm not going to cower about when there's work to be done."
Belle already adored the older girl. She crouched, picking up a rotten apple. "Rotten apples? These most certainly would not sell at the market," she commented , placing the apple in Penta's basket.
"Naw," the girl dismissed, giving a soft snort. "For the pigs," she nodded to the barn. "My pa used to be great at raisin' them 'till he got wrapped up in getting rich quick," she sighed, longingly looking off at the darkening skies. "Everyone loved the pigs we sold, loved that we kept them in a barn instead of a muddy pen. Now all he cares for is readin' up on myths. Says he'll find a way to get us all the coin in the world," She gave a bitter laugh, looking to Belle. "And now here I am, ranting off to a complete stranger while I gather rotten apples."
Belle instantly smiled, shaking her head from side to side. "I'm Belle," she told Penta. "See? Now I'm no stranger," she wryly stated, a crooked grin on her face.
Penta gave a bark of laughter, patting Belle on the shoulder. "I like you, Belle. You're smart."
Belle swelled with an embarrass sort of pride, shyly bobbing her head as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "You must be very smart too if you've been able to do all this work on your own."
"I wouldn't say smart..." Penta sighed, silently watching the girl with gratitude as she helped her gather the remaining apples.
Rumplestiltskin had appeared to the weary looking pig farmer, perched upon the man's armchair by his tiny hearth.
He sat, fingers steepled as he stared off into the burning embers with a bored expression.
"Penta, what are you..." Rumplestiltskin turned to see the man, mouth hanging open. "B-By the gods, Rum...Rumpel..."
Rumplestiltskin stood, sweeping into a little bow. "Rump-LES-tiltskin, at your service," he trilled, playing the part of a kind deal maker. Like the little Blue Fairy, eh? He sneered at the thought, the thought of plucking the wings from the pesky fairy's back sating his anger towards the little witch.
The man fell to his knees, practically sobbing with relief. "You've answered all my summons, my prayers, my-"
Rumplestiltskin silenced him with a finger, his nose twitching. "I am by no means a god, nor am I some sort of...genie." his nose twitched once more, already sick of the bumbling farmer.
"Forgive me, sir, forgive me!" the man pleaded, quickly standing at attention. "I just am in such desperate need of coin! Can hardly feed my daughter 'n myself!"
"You certainly seem to make a decent amount of coin with your little piggies," Rumplestiltskin crooned, nodding knowingly towards the man.
"N-No!" the man quickly scrambled, clasping his hands together. "Please, I'll give you anything, I will!"
Rumplestiltskin simply motioned for the man to follow him outdoors. "I will give you enough coin to leave you living with comfort for the rest of your little life..." once the man was outdoors with him, he motioned to the worn down barn standing across from them, "if you allow me to take the arms from whatever is behind that barn that you own," he grinned, the grin only stretching as the man flinched at the sight of his teeth.
The farmer was a blatant fool and would simply assume Rumple wanted the arms of the apple tree behind the barn.
Little did he realize his little daughter would be losing her arms.
Morbid as it was, he did have a use for her arms, one of them really. He'd only just begun to construct an enchantment that would help him in the future. Whatever object, whether it be a ring or a necklace, was enchanted with this spell, would lead the wearer to what it was they desired most. The farmer's daughter would desire her arms back the most, therefore it would give him a clear indication as to if the ring or bracelet he enchanted actually worked.
He'd give the girl her arms back eventually...for a price, of course.
Both girls had made quick work of picking up the old apples and now sat side by side against the apple tree, chatting avidly about anything that came to mind.
Belle quite liked Penta. The girl wasn't delicate, nor did she only want to talk about love and marriage. The girls spoke of better things instead. Folklore. Belle was chattering on about will-'o-the-wisps when she noted the sudden paleness of Penta's face. "What's wrong, Penta?" she craning her neck to carefully peer at the girl as she slowly stood, staring at her arms.
"Something feels wrong, something..." she trailed off, giving a soft wince.
Belle quickly stood, gently touching her hands. "What is it, Penta? Please, I might be able to help!" she earnestly pleaded, gripping along her wrists to see if she could feel anything odd.
Penta fell to her knees, Belle instantly swooping down beside the girl as the girl trembled with her arms stretched out before her.
"P-Penta?" she asked, fear slithering down her throat and coiling in her stomach like a snake.
Penta's arms were enveloped into dark purple haze, one that Belle knew all too well.
The smoke faded and instead of arms, Penta had stumps.
Belle gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth as Penta's eyes grew so big Belle feared they would explode. "W-What?!" Penta cried, out confused. The girl gave a horrified screamed, falling to her knees.
Belle only stood, eyes wide and slack jawed. She looked up as an older man ran over, falling to Penta's side. Belle assumed this man was the father Penta spoke of, the one that was trying to find someway, anyway to get rich.
The man cried out in agony, smacking his forehead with a fist. "No!" he roared. "You tricked me!" he pointed to the figure that had just strolled over with a wicked grin on his glimmering face.
The grin faded as he saw Belle herself standing before the girl with stumps, his mirth disappearing completely. Of course she had decided to visit the hut he had been dealing with. He was happy for his careful wording of his deal. Had he not been so tedious with it, Belle would also be armless. His teeth clenched as he looked upward. He was being spited again.
When would he have a chance of happiness?
"Would you give up your power for him? For me?"
He flinched at the words that still echoed in his head.
Belle whirled upon Rumplestiltskin, an expression of complete confusion and anger on her face. "You did this?" her voice trembled, raising a few octaves as she spoke.
He wanted to lie, to make it seem as if he had helped the farmer and girl somehow, but he couldn't. He was too far into this mess, too far into his irritation."Of course I did, dearie," he gave a toothy grin, causing Penta to give a pathetic whimper from the ground.
Belle's mouth twisted in disgust. He was proud of this? Proud of stealing an innocent girl's hands?
"How could you, Papa?!" Penta wailed, drawing Belle's attention. She crouched beside the girl, soothingly rubbing her back.
"I thought it was only the apple tree! You must believe me, Penta," her father pleaded on his knees before his daughter, grabbing her by the shoulders.
Belle stood, her shoulders rigid and expression cold. "Give them back now, Rumplestiltskin," she commanded, her tone harsh.
His expression was stoic, unyielding. "A deal is a deal, little princess," he replied, voice low and eyes as cold as her expression..
"No, it isn't," she stared up at him, unfaltering even as his emotionless gaze found her bright blue eyes. "Give them back to her this instant, Rumplestiltskin. You don't have any use for them, you know that!"
"I have many uses, actually," he told her, sneering as he walked past her. He looked upon Penta, the smirk back on his face. " Perhaps I will one day give them back to you, dearie, for a price," he told the whimpering girl, smirking.
"I'll make you a deal, Rumplestiltskin," Belle cut through his mockery of the whimpering girl.
His eyes narrowed immediately as he rounded upon Belle, his lips furling into a snarl. "No," he quickly snapped.
"You can't turn down a deal," Belle's voice trembled, her eyes welling with tears. "You can't turn down a deal! You have to accept it, Rumplestiltskin," she pleaded, moving in to grab his clenched fist in hers.
He abruptly, almost violently, ripped his fist from her grip, his eyes blazing. "I refuse, Belle!" he roared, grabbing her by the shoulders. His grip was gentle, but the action was enough to rattle Belle.
She stared up at him, eyes wide with fear.
Rumplestiltskin's heart dropped at the sight. Bae. Belle. He saw them both at once, the looks of absolute fear so alike that it made him want to end it all right there, send her away, make her forget.
He couldn't let her go though, he needed her company, her friendship.
Neither Belle or Rumplestiltskin heard Penta's frantic sobs or her father's pleads anymore, but remained still.
"If you ever have a bad dream...o-or are unhappy...I'll still read to you," was all she said before bursting off into a run, her skirts held up by her hands as she disappeared into the woods, tears whipped at her cheeks.
She ran until her legs gave out, leaving her to crash into the leaves on the ground. She remained still, sobbing openly. They had made a deal so long ago. He would never let her fall.
And she had.
His sudden anger, sudden turning upon her had left the most sickly of fears in her chest.
This only made her sob harder. Would he never speak to her again, would he let her get hurt, let her get upset?
Would he abandon her?
"Whatever is the matter, dear child?" the ethereal voice by her ear startled her into sitting up, surprised to see a fairy of all things.
A blue fairy. The Blue Fairy.
She'd heard the whispers of the head of the fairies and each time she so much as mentioned her to Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One grew bitter.
"I-I'm sorry..." Belle sniffled, wiping at her eyes.
The small woman wafted over to hover before Belle's eyes, a sympathetic little expression on her face.
She seemed very kind, almost like a mother, but something about her left Belle feeing uneasy.
"You need not apologize, dear child," she gently placed her tiny hand on Belle's cheek. "Now would you like to tell me what happened?"
Belle blinked, nodding slowly. "It's just a friend I have...he's very...unsure of who he is, exactly. He often has different, erm...personalities. He comes off as a mean man, but inside...there's something genuine. A real, kind man."
The Blue Fairy gave a nod. A knowing nod. "Dear Belle, you've been such a brave girl for attempting to befriend the Dark One, but I'm afraid he will never change," she gave a dramatic sigh, giving Belle a sympathetic frown.
Belle's brow furrowed, suddenly not trusting this little fairy anymore. "How do you know...who I am? About him?"
"I know many things," she coyly answered, her arms fluidly sliding along her sides like tentacles as she floated.
Belle thought it looked quite silly. "You don't know him, though," Belle insisted. "He's very kind inside...I've seen it many times, his true heart. He just needs help, is all."
The Blue Fairy frowned, feigning a look of pity, "I'm afraid not. He already lost his son from his obsession with power. He abandoned the boy to be sent away to an unknown world, even after promising."
Belle felt a cold pang in her chest at the new information. A son?
It made sense, but she was afraid to believe it. Why hadn't he told her? Was this in his tale?She would read it without his permission as soon as she found a way home. She needed to know if it was true.
"I'd like to help you, Belle," the Blue Fairy kindly informed, placing her hands together as if she were praying for the girl.
Belle shot her an unsure look, hesitantly scooting back to create some space between her and the small fairy.
"I want to help you both, I know the best solution, will you allow me?" she asked, the expression on her face showing sincerity.
Belle hesitated, her eyes looking to the Blue Fairy's smile with uncertainty. "It will be the best for Rumplestitlskin..?" she softly asked.
"Yes," the Blue Fairy assured.
"Please help us, then,"
The Blue Fairy only smiled as she produced her wand, waving it before the girl, watching as each and every memory of the Dark One was spun into a large thread. The Blue Fairy removed it, tossing it aside to allow it to float away into the atmosphere.
Belle's eyes grew dull after the change, her mouth forming from a hopeful smile to a frown. "W-Where am I?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
The Blue Fairy didn't reply, but simply magicked the girl home to her bed. Perhaps her father would question her sudden loss of personality and confusion on a few things, but the child would soon fall back into her normal life. She was free from Rumplestiltskin.
He would assume she never wanted to speak to him again and throw himself back into his castle to brood. She'd forgotten him and he'd forget her with time.
The Blue Fairy disappeared, not noting the large thread of Belle's memories still fluttering about in the air.
The thread did not float into the skies, but to the ground, directly into the golden locket left behind by the girl.
Rumplestiltskin gingerly lifted the same locket an hour later, eyes widening as he looked about. Had she been harmed? Had she done it on purpose?
His eyes slid shut, ridding himself of all thoughts as he produced a looking glass in his hand, silently calling upon the mirror in Belle's room.
She sat by her fire, reading a book.
It was Belle, but something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
He noted the flower he had given her for her eleventh birthday. He had warned her it would die if she stopped caring for it for some reason.
It was dried out and wilted, its petals discarded on the table below.
There was only one reason he could think of that would explain its sudden death.
She'd forgotten.
Rumplestiltskin's eyes clenched shut as he crushed the glass in his hand, falling to the ground and gathering her locket in his bloody hand.
His body trembled as he clutched onto the locket, his breathing heavy and ragged. "Belle..." he breathed.
Someone had done this to her, someone had...taken away her memories of him. That was the only explanation.
Was she...better off this way?
Would she forget him and have a quaint little life?
He doubled over, his forehead pressing against the dirt.
He clutched the locket to his chest, body trembling as he wept. He wept as he'd wept for Bae. Wept the way a broken man wept.
Rumplestiltskin was not a man known to shed tears. He hadn't wept since the night Cora abandoned him. His tears had been of rage that night as he smashed everything in sight, but now, they were of utter hopelessness and agony.
He had to make her remember, he had to, but to see the confusion in her blue eyes...
He couldn't. But he had to.
Without Belle, he was nothing but an old lonely monster. She made him smile, made him feel needed.
He cared for the girl, he cared for her so very much that the simple thought of seeing her look at him with no familiar smiles or grins made his heart clench painfully.
He remained on the ground, clutching her bloody locket to himself as he struggled to convince himself that things could be fixed.
Agh, this chapter hurt :/ But a lot of you will be happy to know we will be skipping ahead a bit more quickly now, to the point that Belle will actually be able to have feelings for Rumple and vice versa without my lovely beta telling me I'm being a bit creepy :3
Thank you all SO much for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing this story. You all are so kind to do such things for me. It really helps me along to know people like my writing.
Also, I'm doing prompts now on tumblr, so if you'd like to see a certain scenario between child!Belle and Rumple or anything else, you can find the link to my page on my profile! :)
Thanks for reading, dearie! Review if you wish to do so!
