"My lady, are you certain you want to fight Queen Regina, to risk our people lives when we could just give the Queen the people she wants?" Gaston asked as he followed Belle out of the meeting room where she had informed her council of Regina's pending attack in three days.
Belle stopped in her tracks before turning to face the head of her army, the man her father had wanted her to marry, the man her father had wanted as the next king, the man who still wanted to marry her.
"I am not giving Snow and her friends over like pigs to be slaughtered" Belle almost screeched at him. "I gave them my word that Avonlea would protect them and we will try our best, also what of our deal with the dark one? I dare say he would make us pay dearly for breaking it" she continued to walk down the corridor.
"Our deal with the dark one" Gaston scoffed at her "Excuse me for being blunt your majesty but it is you and the dark one that have a deal, it's nothing to do with anyone else" he said following her, matching her pace as she tried to walk faster away from him but it didn't work.
He ended up baking her in a corner "If you'd marry me, let me be King, I could clear all of this mess up and Avonlea would be happy forever" he told her, brushing a brown curl behind her ear.
Belle pushed Gaston away "I've told you before, I will never ever marry you" she pushed past him trying to get away but he grabbed her wrist tightly to pull her back to him.
"What will happen to Avonlea when you die?" Gaston asked her "You'll have no heir" he reminded her "Marry me, we could have a son, six boys in fact, you could pass the crown on to them" he suggested.
"When I marry, I will marry for love" Belle told him "Not to be a breed mare" she tried and failed to walk away again.
"You could learn to love me Belle" Gaston told her, trying to kiss her but Belle ducked and slipped under Gaston's arm to walk away as fast as she could but he caught up with her "Face it Belle, who could love you? Your too stubborn, too bookish and boring"
"Then why would you want me?" Belle asked him before running away, down the stairs and to her library, where she threw herself into her favourite arm chair. All Gaston had said was true, she didn't know what she was doing with Avonlea, it was all such a mess, and what of the kingdom if she past and there was no heir? How could she leave such uncertainty for her people. Perhaps marrying Gaston would be best, it would be the simplest option.
But she couldn't. No she loved Rumplestiltskin, he'd captured her heart and still carried it with him, he was the only man she could think about. Also she didn't want to think of what Gaston would do if he set his grubby hands on the crown.
"Why the tears dearie?" A familiar voice made Belle sit up, she hadn't even realised she was crying. Rumplestiltskin stood in front of her in all his animal leathers, bent slightly in a bow as he offered her a handkerchief with an embroidered rose in the corner.
She took it graciously before dabbing away her tears. "How long have you been spying on me through mirrors?" she asked him after a moment as she got up out of the chair.
"Who told you that?" Rumple asked, his voice showing his outrage that she'd discovered his secret.
"Never mind who told me, just answer the question" Belle's voice rose.
"You never answered my question, what's made you so upset?" Rumple asked, his tone becoming worried.
"I think you already know the answer, it happened in front of a mirror" Belle told him.
Rumple sighed, it was true, he'd seen how Gaston had spoken and treated her. "I can dispose of him if you'd like" he suggested, happy when he saw it provoked a small smile from her beautiful lips.
"I might have to take you up on that sometime" Belle almost laughed.
The imp smiled "So you do not love him?" he asked her.
"No" Belle shook her head. "Now the mirrors, how long have you been spying on me" she asked as she stepped closer to him, invading his personal space.
Rumple couldn't fight the embarrassment he felt "Belle I…..I can't…..You don't" he began to fumble with his words, Belle had a way of bringing him back to the poor spinner he really was. She was able to take away all the confidence and charm he'd developed as the dark one.
"What….You can tell me anything" she assured him, her sweet voice almost like a prayer, guiding the man from out of the beast. Her hand reached up to curl into his hair as his hands automatically went to her waist. For the second time in one day they were so close to one another, this morning by the bridge, now in the library.
Just as there lips were about to meet Rumple pushed Belle away from him, "I'm sorry" he said shaking his head.
"Why?" Belle asked "Its us" she gave him a weak smile "You and me…just like it was all those years ago" she tried to cures his cheek with her hand but he grabbed her wrist much gentler than Gaston had moments ago and kept her away.
"We can't Belle…..I …..But….You won't like the beast I've become" he told her.
Belle shook her head "You're not a beast, you're a man….A man I loved….That I still l….." she began but he stopped her by covering her mouth with his hand.
"Don't" he told her "I'm not the man I once was, you need to keep distance from me" he warned her yet she stepped closer to him, tapping his hand away from her mouth so she could talk.
"No one decides my fate but me" she told him, her facial expression and tone sharp. She pushed his brown curls from out of his eyes "I see the man even if you don't" she told him, her tone now changed to much softer.
Rumplestiltskin shook his head "I'll return in two days when you've made your decision about Regina" he told her before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke. Leaving Belle covered in a light dusting of glitter from the magic.
Belle stood for a moment in shock, she hadn't expected him to just disappear. She let her hand fall from where it was in the air, where it had been resting on Rumple's head. He'd told her to keep her distance from him, did he not still love her like she loved him?
The Queen sighed before brushing the remnants of Rumple's magic off of her dress, the glitter falling to the floor. There came a soft knock at the door.
"Come in" Belle called with a sigh as she composed herself into the hard faced queen from the lovesick princess.
Snow walked in, her face full of worry "Your majesty are you alright?" She asked as she approached the Queen, then noticed the glitter on the floor "Am I interrupting something with the dark one?" she asked.
Belle took a sharp intake of breath at his name "No, he just left" she explained.
"Oh" Snow nodded slowly "You know he helped me and charming find each other many times"
"Who?" Belle asked her.
"Rumplestiltskin" Snow said his name with a small smile. "You know he was in love once" she continued "Or at least that's what he told charming" she added.
"Do you know what happened to his love?" Belle asked, wondering if it was her he was talking about or if he'd fallen in love with someone else in their years apart.
Snow shrugged "He said he lost her"
Belle turned away from Snow and began to pick up books that she'd left scattered around and began putting them back into the bookcase "Did he say how he lost her?" she asked after a moment.
"No" Snow shook her head "I actually thought you might know" she continued, her eyes not leaving Belle as she waltzed around the room putting away books.
The Queen almost laughed at the princess "And what makes you think I would know?"
"You seem rather close to the dark one" Snow observed.
The brunet let a small smile grace her features "He and I have a….a very minor history" she explained.
"You've made deal with him before?" the other women asked.
A tear began to form in the corner of Belle's eyes, she clutched the books she was holding closer to her chest and swallowed a slight sob "You could say that" she mumbled the memory from under the bridge still fresh in her mind. "Why all the interest in Rumplestiltskin and true love?" Belle asked Snow.
"Well I read in that book about the dark one that a kiss born of true love could break his curse, return him to the man he once was" Snow explained "I just thought that if we knew who his true love was then he could be returned to his none cursed state and finally be happy"
"Oh" Belle sighed, she couldn't help but wonder if something like that was actually true. If she kissed him would he truly be the man she once knew. "Was there something else you wanted?" Belle asked after a moment.
She watched as Snow thought for a moment "Oh yes Mrs Potts told me to inform you dinner was being served in the dining room"
"Thank you, you go ahead, I'll only be a minute, I just want to put these last couple of books away" Belle explained before ushering the princess out of the room.
As soon as the door shut behind her an evil grin appeared on Snow White's face. Snow waved her arm before being surrounded by a cloud of purple smoke.
She was transported to the Dark Palace before turning into Regina "Black was always my colour" she grinned before turning to her ever so faithful mirror "Now I've planted the seed in her head, all I have to do is sit back and watch it grow" Regina almost cackled. "Now I can destroy him once and for all".
….C\_'/….
During dinner Belle didn't find herself hungry, her head was full of so many thoughts that she just couldn't get it to rest.
"You're majesty" Charming spoke up from his seat beside Snow, he took her hand in his and squeezed it gently "Snow and I were wondering if you'd given any thought to the situation with Regina?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" Belle asked him, her voice full of real confusion.
"What Charming is trying to say is that we will understand if you decide to hand us over in two days" Snow explained, always being the more blunter of the two.
The Queen shook her head "I wont hand you or the others over, we can fight her" she assured them.
"But you've done so much for us already, letting us stay with you, making a deal with the dark one, we'll never be able to repay you" Charming explained before adding "If we fight Regina we are risking your army, your village"
"He has a point your majesty" Gaston piped up, waving a chicken leg around as he spoke "Are army and our people shouldn't have to suffer because of them" he finished before taking a large swig of his tinkered of ale.
The loud screech feel across the room as Belle stood up abruptly, sending her chair across the floor behind her. The palms of her hands were white as she leant on the table. "Gaston shut the hell up!" She found herself yelling at him "Give the people the choice, tell them of what it upon us, if they can leave if they want and return when it's over, the same goes for any member of the army and any in this room!" Everyone else fell dead silent. "Everyone has two days to make their decision, but I've already made mine!"
"I can't stand by and let you destroy Avonlea like this!" Gaston yelled back at Belle, Standing up from the table. Everyone else stayed seated.
"You don't have to watch, leave!" she told him.
Gaston approached Belle, gripping her by the shoulders once more, tighter than he had done earlier "And what of the future of Avonlea? If I go how else are you going to produce an heir, someone to pass the crown on to?!" he asked her, practically spitting in her face as he spoke, his break reeking of alcohol.
Belle's blue eyes met Gaston's brown "Even if you were the last man in all the realms I would never ever have a child with you, let alone let you get your filthy, grubby, greedy hands on Avonlea!" she yelled at him pushing herself out of his grasp.
Both Gaston and Belle forgot that they were even in a room full of guests, Snow and her friends sat at the table watching it all unfold while the guards and servants stood unsure what to do.
"Leave my kingdom, go find a pub somewhere else, have a few more drinks and find a pretty barmaid who will happily have your children for you!" Belle ordered Gaston as she took steps back from him but he kept taking steps further.
"And who do you think will have you Belle?" Gaston asked her "Certainly not that shrivelling little beast you commune with so often" he scoffed.
"Rumplestiltskin is not a monster!" Belle yelled at Gaston.
"Ah so you do love him?" Gaston pointed a finger at the Queen before advancing on her once more.
Belle gulped, she couldn't admit her feelings to Gaston or the other people in the room, not when she could scarcely except them herself "My feelings are irrelevant….just leave Gaston!"
Gaston laughed "You weak, spineless, stupid women" he taunted Belle, "The crown is mine, it will be mine, you will be mine….whether….you…like it…" he slapped her across the face causing everyone in the room to wince "Or not…" he finished as he threw Belle to the ground. Charming rose from his chair to defend Belle but Snow pulled him down to his seat.
The burly man turned on the heel of his boots to face everyone at the table "Now you see what a heartless bitch she really is, how weak and mindless she is all because of love" he snickered and was about to continue when he felt something constricting at his throat, he clawed at his throat but his airways were still blocked.
A familiar voice spoke but only when Gaston's face was turning purple. "I would have listened to the Queen if I were you dearie!" Rumplestiltskin squeaked from the shadows where he leant against the wall.
After a few moments Rumple appeared from the shadows and approached Gaston "You are a disgusting pig" Rumple snarled at him, bearing his sharp, yellow teeth. "Lets make a deal, in exchange for your life…" he began as Gaston nodded frantically saying that he would agree to anything in order to breath again. "And in return you leave Avonlea and never return, never touch or talk to Belle or anyone else in this room again" Gaston nodded once again before Rumple clicked his fingers and Gaston disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.
Once the real beast was out of the room Rumple approached Belle who still lay on the floor. "Belle" he breathed her name as he approached her. He knelt carefully beside her before cradling her head in his arms. "Belle, wake up" he spoke to her softly as he pushed her brown curls out of her face.
Slowly Belle's eyes fluttered open, blue eyes met dark soulless black "Rumple" she mumbled with a slight groan.
"I'm here" He told her softly, wanting so much to take her in his arms and kiss every ounce of pain and sadness away, but he couldn't. For one second though, it felt like they were the old them and they were the only two in the world.
"Oh your majesty are you okay?" Mrs Potts asked as she ran into the room, having only heard news of the happenings in the dining room.
Rumple let go of Belle and the Queen sat up "I'm fine" she gave everyone a weak smile as she got to her feet, Mrs Potts lending her a hand.
"I'll get you a towel for your lip" Mrs Potts went off to the kitchen, it was only then that Belle realised her lip was bleeding.
The Queen turned to everyone who seen everything unfold "What I said, about you all having two days to leave if you wish, it still stands for everyone" she then turned to Rumple who stood a good distance behind her "I release you from our deal" she gave him a weak smile "but know that Avonlea and I are here if you ever need us" she told him.
"Your majesty" Rumplestiltskin nodded before bowing and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Snow hugged Belle "Come, I'll help you to your room, you must rest" she told her before leading her out of the dining room. "You won't be fighting Regina alone Belle" Snow assured her as they made their way up the stairs.
Half an hour later Belle sat in her bedroom, a fire roared in the fire place and she had a pot of freshly brewed tea on her night table. She was surrounded by people, friends, staff, surrogate family but she couldn't help but feel without Rumple she had an empty heart.
Looking over at the night stand she realised the tea cup that had been brought to her was the one Rumple had chipped, she picked up the cup and ran her fingers over it. All she had left was an empty heart and a chipped cup.