Chapter 26

"Her Name Is Elizabeth"

As one morning dawned in the dark castle, Elizabeth and her parents, once and for all, prepared to show to the world their family. The world had to know that his little princess was here, and that they show her the respect that she had been denied for so many long, unhappy years. And therefore, they dressed in their finest for their outing. Rumple had dressed in the outfit in which he had first come for Belle, and his beautiful Belle had on her gold dress that she had worn when she had first met him. Both had to take a moment to stare at each other, and they just stood there in awe. Here they were, yet, again, the beauty and the beast now going to pick up their child and show her to the world. It had evolved from a deal, to love…and now into a family. He looked into her eyes and rubbed her shoulders with his golden flecked hands. "Belle…you look…incredible…" her hands went to his chest and she blissfully gazed into his amber eyes with her sparkling blue ones. "Oh, this old thing?" she smirked with a teasing tone and he held her against him. Without saying anything more, he leaned forward and she met his lips, and they softly kissed for a few moments and then stared into each other's eyes once more. They breathed softly as the silence surrounded them, but then they were reminded that they had someone else…the most important person today to get ready. The sound of their waking child's helpless cries woke them out of their reverie, and Rumple smirked "I'll get that love.." Belle shook her head softly and smiled "No…please Rumple…I..didn't even get to feed her when she was born….let me take care of this one…or at least let us do it together." He nodded in agreement, for he realized that Belle had been denied so many of the experiences he had with their precious baby girl. They held hands as they walked into the nursery, and as Belle immediately scooped Elizabeth up out of the crib. Both of them cooed over her as Belle started to feed her with the bottle that Rumple had conjured up. Belle regretted that she never had a chance to breastfeed her child, her firstborn, but Elizabeth made it feel as close to that as possible, sensing that it would make her mother happy. She lay up against the exposed flat of Belle's shoulder, cuddling into her as if she was really nursing. After they had finished feeding and then changing her, Rumple brought out a special dress for today's events: a long pink dress with diamonds sewn into the bottom skirt of the dress. It was a dress fit for a princess…a royal child. The outcasts were now going to proudly proclaim their love and the birth of their child. Elizabeth could sense something was going on and looked up at her parents. "Papa? Mama? Where are we goin'?" Rumple smiled and stroked her hair as Belle dressed her gingerly and carefully. "I'm going to show you to the world…I'm going to show my pride and joy…" She tilted her head to one side as they picked her back up and held her between them as they walked out of the castle. As soon as they hit the village, they eyes were all on them…not only was the imp here with that strange, tiny girl, but also, the lost princess was at their side. Rumors had already been passed around that Elizabeth was, in fact, his real daughter. And now, as the townsfolk stared at them in bewilderment, they could see that not only was this child his, but also, that "poor woman" who had become "his captive" was in fact the mother. It could be clearly seen by her reddish brown hair, golden flecked skin, grey eyes that sometimes seemed to have a blue hue or that of an amber hue depending on the light that hit them. She had even inherited her father's tiny size compared to other people, being only two feet high even though she looked like a young teenager in the face. The only thing that seemed different was that the child had those strange blue markings on her arms and cheeks and some blue-tinted hair on the tips of her reddish brown mane. What puzzled them, though, was Belle's happiness with him and the child's happiness as well…and there were some who saw the little imp as a threat…another little Rumple in the making. Anyone who dared to look at her or his love in the wrong way got a threatening, menacing stare from him that could pierce the very heart and freeze the very soul. Before anyone else could utter a word, the imp stood firm in the village square, Belle on his arm and Elizabeth in the other. She herself seemed to be no longer afraid or shy of these people, and seemed to be holding her little head up high now. She was different now…before she had just been a sickly orphan who was lucky enough to be adopted by who she thought was the kindest, sweetest, and most magical man in the world. Now? She was the offspring of a princess and the most powerful sorcerer in all the realms, and she couldn't have been more proud. She hung on to him as he climbed a tree stump so he stood above the square, looking down on the people around him. He had been called a vile creature, a beast and a monster, but now he was the father of a remarkable child, one who had been through so much, and still had the bravery to take a sacrifice in order to stay with and save her family. He was the father of a heroine, even if the rest of the world viewed her as a mistake and an invalid. He himself now had to have the courage to stand up above the rest to show this amazing child to the world…she was his…the product of him and his true love. Taking a deep breath, he shouted above so that they could hear. "Look here! There is now a heroine among you…she will not be slandered…she is to be respected…she is the product of true love, and the pride and joy of her mother and father. She is the princess of the dark castle, and my heiress….this is my daughter…" Elizabeth blushed from all these titles and looked back at him in confusion, before he held out the child out above the crowd, holding his hands under her arms so that he could hold her above the bewildered audience before them. They looked up at him in bewilderment, confusion, and…a hint of fear existed in them as well. It was not so much in fear of the child…but they were afraid of him. Many of them, conscious of what insults they had said about the child, about her disease and her love for him in general, did not know how much of it he had heard. And he had definitely heard all of it, but one look in Belle's eyes prompted him to be forgiving. They had judged the child for far too many things out of her control, and now they trembled in fear for what the wrath of the dark one would be to those who had insulted and sneered at his little bundle of joy. He may have been the loving father when she was with him, but they saw the side of him that Elizabeth never saw…his darkness. As Elizabeth gazed upon the crowd gathered around her, they finally saw her for who she really was, for a great many of them saw the kind, gentle, and loving look in her little eyes. And perhaps maybe this was the reason that no one in town died because of a bad deal with Rumplestiltskin. And that's when everyone came to the final realization: Elizabeth was the girl who tamed the beast. She was a heroine and an angel, and many other wonderful things…her only defect being an incurable illness which lasted her for eternity. Those who slandered her for being cared for like a baby now saw that she deserved and needed that kind of care. Even though her father was a creature of darkness…she was truly the opposite, a creature of light. Even though her skin was pale, even with the golden flecks, light seemed to radiate around her, a white glow surrounding her at all times. Belle stood proudly beside him as well, her arm looped around his waist and her head held up proudly. "And I am her mother!" A hush fell over the crowd, for they knew that lady Belle was his servant, but they could have never have admitted that this beauty and the beast actually had feelings for each other…more than that…they had produced this remarkable child together. Among the silence, a weak, curious voice spoke above the crowd, still shaking from the fright of being near him. "Doesn't she have a name?" Rumple smiled and drew the child close to his chest, fingering Elizabeth's little cheek with his wiry fingertips, drawing Belle closer as they looked down at her with the utmost tenderness and loved that parents could ever offer to a child. Both Belle and Rumple spoke up at the same time "Elizabeth…." Rumple finished her sentence, beaming with pride as he looked into his daughter's eyes. "Her name is Elizabeth…." All that happened that had lead Elizabeth here was in the past, for she was now here with them. Nothing else mattered any longer. And as he looked into her little amber grey eyes, so full of love for him and pride for belonging to this family, he was lost in his own little world with her once again. "Papa loves you so much…" It would prove that even though their bond was already much stronger than any bond, and the love that father and daughter shared with each other was already quite powerful, they had even more room to bond now.