In Shadow

Chapter 21

Preparations

Belle

It had been weeks ...months ...years ...Belle had lost track. It had been too long. For several weeks after Rum's departure she had taken to her rooms, unwilling to emerge even when her father yelled at her, or her maids begged her. She knew she was acting like a child, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Her father had moved ahead with her wedding preparations completely disregarding her wishes. In the end, she found it didn't matter. He could do all the preparing he wanted and she still wasn't going to marry that useless waste of space. It had been Lydia and Clemson who had finally coaxed her outside the castle. Their wedding was coming up rapidly and while Belle found it impossible to be cheerful in general, she was glad for her friends. They deserved to be happy, even if she could not.

She was walking arm and arm with Lydia in the orchard when her friend finally sighed with exasperation and stopped. Belle walked several paces before she realized she was being pulled backward. Lydia released her and crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell me."

It wasn't actually a question, but Belle stared at her in confusion anyway. Lydia huffed in irritation. "About the man you are mourning. It hasn't helped you to stop talking about him, perhaps the opposite will be more beneficial."

Belle swallowed and shrugged. "He said he would come back."

Lydia nodded. "Did he say when?"

"No ...but …," Belle started, but Lydia cut her off.

"So, he didn't give you any approximate time frame?"

Belle sighed. "He said it might take some time."

Lydia was silent for a moment, and then she moved back to Belle's side. "Then it is perhaps taking longer than he anticipated. I know you love him, do you trust him?"

"Of course I do," Belle said with fervor. "But by the time he manages to return, I'll be married off and have nine children."

Lydia grinned and started giggling. "Nine? Nine? If it takes him that long ..." Lydia smothered a laugh. "Well, he'll still love you when you're old and fat, won't he?"

Belle smiled, the first genuine smile Lydia had seen on her face in months. It lasted for about 12 seconds and Lydia sighed. "You know, he hasn't missed my birthday once since I turned eight years-old."

"Well, you are not yet 15, Belle. Perhaps he is headed this way as we speak." Lydia sounded so positive that this was the case, that Belle almost smiled.

"Yes, perhaps. It's just been so long ..." She looked at her friend. "I fear for him, Lydia. What if he is hurt? What if he is lying in a ditch somewhere calling for me to help him and I cannot?" She looked away and down at the ground, her real fears coming out before she realized what she was saying. "What if he never really wanted me at all?"

Lydia sighed and shook her head. She had no idea how to pull Belle out of her sorrow. Her only hope was that this man would soon return, if he intended to return at all, and things would be as they were. Clemson had been absolutely obsessive in his hope that he never came back and waited impatiently for Belle to move on, but he was equally unwilling to tell her why he felt that way. He would only say that it would benefit Belle should the man not return.

Looking at her friend, Lydia had to disagree. Belle was wasting away before her eyes. She had lost a considerable amount of weight, her face looked sunken as if she wasn't sleeping, her eyes had lost their sparkle and seemed dull, almost lifeless. What made Lydia angrier was that Lord Maurice turned a blind eye to his daughters distress and continued planning her wedding to Gaston. Belle had stated point blank that she was not going to marry him; that she would leave her friends and family behind and move away if her father continued to insist. Lydia could see that day coming ever closer. She and Clem had planned their wedding to interfere with the Duke's plans. They were to marry the day after Belle's birthday, giving her at least an extra week before anyone started talking about her getting married again. Lydia smiled. It was hard not to. Even when her friend was clearly in distress, the knowledge that she would soon have Clem all to herself gave her joy. She tried to stop it when she and Belle were together, but sometimes it wasn't possible.

Next to her, Belle started laughing and Lydia was ...well, alarmed, to be honest. Her friend shook her head. "I know how excited you are for your wedding to Clem. You don't have to attempt to be depressed on my account. I'd be thrilled to marry him too."

Lydia shot her a grateful look. "I am a very lucky woman," she agreed. "Look, I know the three of us have not spoken of it, but should it become necessary, you are welcome in our home for however long it takes for your father to pull his head out of his ass. You know that, right?"

Belle felt her heart swell with love for these people who had become closer to her than her own family. "I do appreciate it, but I would not intrude on a newlywed couple."

Her friend glanced at her sideways. "I was thinking more along the lines of after several months." Lydia winked. "Clem's moans of passion would keep you awake."

Both of them laughed and continued walking. Several moments later Clemson came bolting out of the castle. "Wait!" He sounded a mixture of frightened and excited. The girls came to a stop as he caught up.

"What is it?" Lydia did not like the tone of his voice. Generally, Clemson was a kind and gentle man who took great care of the people around him. But there were times when he got a particular look in his eyes that made her worry. He had looked like this just before he had gotten in to Gaston's face about what he'd done to Belle.

"The Ogres have reinforced their numbers. They attacked the Lowlands this morning." Clemson was almost vibrating with excitement. The Ogres had been a problem in their realm for years, and every several decades they managed to congregate in large enough numbers that they would begin trying to take over. No one was entirely certain how this happened. Ogres were, by nature, not horribly intelligent nor did they ever seem to have an agenda aside from killing enough people to overrun the lands. It wasn't as if they were in need of possessions or comfort. It always appeared that they simply killed for pleasure. The king would call first for the men of all the villages, and then, when the numbers dwindled, the Dukes would be required to find soldiers. It was always a blood bath; so many people were lost, adults and children. Lydia knew, if the Ogres advanced into King George's territory, Clemson would be called to fight.

"I don't understand. The last I heard they had retreated back to the North." Lydia could not share in Clem's excitement. She knew that the men found pride in proving their courage to the king, but she didn't want him anywhere near a war with the Ogres.

"We don't have all the news, but apparently the mountain pass that should be iced over was clear."

Lydia shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

Belle watched the exchange. She had heard of the Ogre Wars, as all the people in this realm had. It had been but a year since the Ogres had been obliterated and forced to retreat back to the North. It had been a welcome reprieve to Avonlea and Southlands, as they had been preparing to send their men to war as soon as the Ogres passed the Midland line. Clemson and Gaston had talked of little else in those weeks. Excited to fight, as men so often were. Lydia was right. It made no sense at all that the pass through the mountains was clear. As far as she knew, that pass had never been clear. If the Ogres advanced as quickly as they usually did, they would reach the outskirts of King George's territory in a few months. It was a terrifying thought, and while she would be grateful if her own wedding were postponed so her betrothed could fight against the Ogres, she worried for Clemson and Lydia.

When she looked up, Clem had pulled a weeping Lydia into his arms; his excitement gone. "Don't worry, Lyd. I'm sure Midas' men will stop them. They'll never get this far." He paused, pulling her closer. "Oh, sweetheart, please don't cry."

It was something that Rum had said to Belle, and it caused her heart to throb in pain. She missed him with a desperation that was not normal, and she knew she would eventually have to pull herself together. If the men of her fathers lands were to be sent to war, Belle would be needed to rally the women, to help set up outposts for medical aid and food. The castle would, in effect, need to be turned in to a safe haven. It would need to be reinforced, the doors barred and it would have to start now. She could not wait until half of her servants had been called to be soldiers.

Perhaps it was for the best. At least with the Ogres threatening to overrun them, she had a purpose. It would occupy her mind and keep her from missing Rum. Well, okay, it wouldn't, but it would keep her busy and at the moment, that was all she could ask for. She bid farewell to Clem and Lydia, leaving them to find comfort in one another and headed back to the castle. There was much to do, and if she started now, by the time the injured began to seek refuge, they would be ready to receive them. She had been trained for this by her father since she was a child. He had always been insistent that one day she would inherit the castle and lands he owned. When he had made the arrangements with Lord Avonlea for she and Gaston to marry, the constant lessons in war and defense had stopped, but fortunately, she still remembered everything she had learned when she was a child.

Rumplestiltskin

He stood on the balcony of Regina's castle. There were many places he would prefer to be; unfortunately this was where he needed to be. As it usually did, his mind drifted back to Belle. He had been gone too long. He had known that dealing with Regina would take time, as the witch queen generally made ridiculous demands that they would then have to argue over for weeks. He wanted with every fiber of his being to flash out of this castle and go to Belle, to assure her that he had not forgotten her, but one of their ongoing agreements was that they would not use magic inside each others home. He sighed. Belle's birthday was in a few days. He had never missed her birthday; not once since she turned eight, but he knew without a doubt he was going to, at least physically, miss this one.

So far, he had managed to get the queen to agree to one thing. Clear the pass to allow the Ogres to get through. He had made a deal with Duke Avonlea to push them back to the Northlands, and he had done it, but now, as Belle's father was quite insistent that she marry Gaston, he was using a loophole in the original deal. By clearing the pass, he was not breaking the promise he'd made. He was simply allowing for the Ogres to advance faster than they normally would have. Granted, a war would not be his first choice. He, himself, had been caught within the Ogre Wars twice. Once before Baelfire had been born, when due to his own handicaps he had refused to fight, and once when they had tried to take his son from him. It was that one act by a moronic and uncaring Duke that had created the monster he was to this day.

He shook his head. It didn't matter. He would, one way or another, get that buffoon away from his Belle and when finally she was old enough to make her own choices, should she actually choose him once she knew everything, he would take her away from that life and give her anything she wanted. His fear, of course, was that she would see the monster under the hood and want nothing to do with him. It plagued him every day, every moment.

"You seem lost in thought, Rumple." Regina came up behind him and he shook his head.

"No. Just passing the time until we can reach some sort of agreement and I can leave," he said with venom.

The queen scoffed. "I have told you my price. I will ensure that the Ogres get past King Midas in exchange for the squid ink."

Rumplestiltskin was disinclined to give Regina access to ink that was capable of taking him, or any other powerful sorcerer, captive. He had no idea what she might do with it even if he made a condition of the deal that she would never use it on him, she certainly had plans for it. If she didn't, she wouldn't ask for it at all. "As soon as you tell me what it is you intend to do with it, Regina, we can made a deal."

"Why should it matter to you?" she asked and he scoffed.

"If it doesn't matter, then tell me and let me be on my way."

Regina smiled, and it was not a pleasant expression. "I have my reasons for wanting it, that is all you need know."

Rumplestiltskin had the overwhelming desire to bang his head against a wall. They had been at this impasse for weeks and he was becoming impatient. Of course, that is exactly what she wanted. She knew he wanted to leave; knew there was something he was not telling her and she was clearly going to play this game until he did. Unfortunately for her, he had no intention of telling her about Belle. It was not information pertinent to this deal.

He was tired of Regina. He had been tired of Regina for years, but at the moment, he would simply love to take back everything he'd ever taught her and leave her to the ministrations of her mother. She had been so much easier to control when she'd been but a pupil. "I will retire to my chambers. I would advise you, Regina, to give some serious thought to what I am asking. I will not remain here forever. I have other places to be, other deals to make and should it become necessary I will seek out your mother and offer the ink to her. I hope I am being very clear." With that, he left her standing on the balcony and walked to the rooms she had given him. It was the only place of respite he had within the castle. He had taken great pains upon his arrival to cover every surface that sported a reflection. He knew she could, and would, spy on him given the chance.

He pulled off his dragon skin coat, vest and boots and tossed all of them in a corner. He didn't have the energy to undress further and instead lay down in leather breeches and a gold, silk shirt. He hoped his reminder that he knew where her mother currently resided, and the imminent threat of Cora being equipped with the ink would make Regina rethink her current position. Frankly, he could care less what she intended to do with it as long as she could find no loophole that would allow for it to be used on him, however, if that was her plan, and as she was not crowing from the rooftops about the sorcerer she planned to capture, it seemed likely, he had to be careful in the negotiation. There was no room for error when dealing with Regina.

He closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Never, in his entire existence, had he felt such longing as he did now. He wanted to be with Belle. In fact, he had no desire to ever be without her. It seemed strange that he had gone from being something of a surrogate father, to being so deeply in love that he couldn't even comprehend his life without her in it. He drifted into a fitful sleep and reached out to her, hoping that their love would perhaps bring them together, even if it were only a dream.

For once, Belle was there. He knew she'd been having trouble sleeping and as he did not need much, they had missed one another constantly. She was facing away from him; a dream fog surrounding her. She wore what he loved to seen her in. A white, silk nightgown that clung to the gentle curves of her body. He sighed, and she turned. "Rum?"

His first instinct was to reach for his hood, but it wasn't there. Of course ...this was a dream. At the moment, he didn't care in the least. "Yes, sweetheart. I'm here."

Her stunning sapphire eyes brimmed with tears as she crossed the space between them and wrapped her arms around him. "Gods, I miss you. Please come back."

He kissed the top of her head. "As soon as I am able, love. I promise you I will be back."

They said nothing else. Their mouths and tongues fused together in longing and need. An urgency that had never been part of their relationship before was uncontrollable now. He wanted nothing more than to take her. Here. Now. But he resisted. Perhaps it was that they were only dreaming and if he was going to lay with her, he wanted it to be real, or perhaps it was simply that their dreams could go no further. Making love was not something Belle had been exposed to and her mind, therefore, was unable to create the images and feelings needed. He didn't care. He was content to explore her face, her hair, her mouth with his own, kissing everything he had access to. She responded in kind, her hands coming up to tangle in his hair; to cup his face, to run down his chest until he was certain he was going to lose his mind. He had never felt her hands on his face before; stroking gently as their mouths teased each other into madness. It felt wonderful. Her hands were warm and soft and as they ran over the slightly raised texture of his cheeks and forehead he wondered if she would become frightened and pull away. She didn't. Instead her lips left his and traced a line of fire from his chin to his temple. First on one side, and then on the other. He could do nothing but stand there and marvel at her stunning beauty.

Belle pulled back, taking in his appearance and he looked away, ashamed. She raised a hand and pulled his chin up to look into his dark eyes. "You are beautiful. Never doubt it again. Not for an instant."

He reached out to pull her back into his arms, but she was gone. Rumplestiltskin started awake, the dream lingering in his mind. He needed to go back. Whatever he had to do, even if it included involving Cora, he would do it, just as long as that path took him back to his Belle.