Two days came too fast for Belle's liking. Gaston hadn't been seen since Rumple had vanished him away so she decided to promote Graham to head of the army. Someone whom she thought was a far better and stronger leader and fighter than Gaston had ever been.
The day after Regina's threat Belle had informed the rest of Avonlea that they were allowed to leave if they wanted, some of the men in the army left with their family but she was surprised that so many people stayed. So many people were willing to risk their lives to support their queen.
Belle was now out on the town line helping the people who wanted to leave leave. Most were women and children who were going to return as soon as the battle with Regina was over.
She road through the crowd of people on her ever trusting Philippe. She led her horse to the side of the dirt road before hopping off. She went to his saddle and untied the sacks of bread and vegetable to hand out to the people who walked past her.
Greta and Her husband Jacob who owned the bakery in Avonlea walked past Belle, stopping to accept the food she offered them. "Thank you your majesty" Jacob took the vegetables with a nod of his head.
"Its nothing" Belle smiled "I hope you and Greta have a safe journey to the next village" she smiled at them. about a year ago Greta and Jacob had come to her to ask for her permission for them to marry, although it wasn't necessary it was something that the people of Avonlea had created as a tradition. Belle of course wouldn't stand in the way of true love.
"If this had happened a week ago we would have stayed "Jacob confessed as he wrapped an arm around his wife, who seemed to be glowing.
"Oh, you have some news?" Belle asked with a warm smile.
"We are to be parents" Greta informed her.
Belle reached out to take Greta's hands "Congratulations, you'll make amazing parents, a child is such an amazing gift"
"Thank you" Greta pulled the Queen into a hug and whispered into her ear "I hope one day you'll find someone and together be as happy as we are"
"So do I" Belle smiled as she let Greta go, although at the back of Belle's mind all she could think was that that wouldn't happen, the only man she loved didn't feel the same and she would only marry for love.
As Greta and Jacob moved on, the next group of people approached, all villagers that left assured Belle they would return, that they were sure she and the people who stayed in Avonlea could defeat Regina.
Half an hour later Graham came riding through the small crowed of people in search of the Queen. "Your Majesty" Graham called to her. Belle looked up from the little girl she'd been talking too to look at the head of her army.
"Graham" She nodded to him as he got off of his horse an approached her.
Belle handed the little girl a loaf of bread "Go with your family" belle told the little girl, the girl nodded before skipping away to her parents who were not too far away.
The Queen then turned to Graham "Is something the matter?" she asked him.
"There is trouble at the castle" he told her.
Belle's heart sunk "Regina's not supposed to attack until sunset" she told him.
"It's not Regina" Graham told her with an almost heavy heart.
"Then what is it?" she asked.
"It's Rumplestiltskin" he almost whispered.
The brunet beauty almost fell to the ground, she stumbled but Graham caught her almost effortlessly. "We need you to come back to the castle now".
Without a second thought Belle went back to Philip and made her way back to the castle as fast as she could. Her heart beating so fast she thought she might have a heart attack, but all she could think about was Rumple and how he needed her, how something was wrong with him, it must be serious because not much could hurt him.
Less than ten minutes later Belle rushed through the castle, "He's in the tower" Graham told her as he ran behind her. Belle didn't reply she just ran up the narrow stairs, trying so carefully not to fall in her high heels.
She reached the top in record time "Rumple" she called to the air. She hadn't been up to the tower in many years. She'd thought it was empty, she certainly didn't remember a bed in the middle of the room. The other thing that stuck her was that there was no Rumple in sight.
The Queen turned on her heels to Graham who'd entered behind her. "Graham I…" Belle began as he leant against the large wooden door, closing it then locking it. "What are you….." She spoke once again, taking steps back away from him.
Belle watched as a familiar purple mist surrounded Graham, turning him from the trusty friend to reveal who'd been using him as a disguise.
"Regina" Belle let out a breath as the raven haired witch approached her.
"You fell for it again, my my Belle you don't know the people who live under your roof very well do you" Regina taunted, referencing on how she'd been Snow only days ago.
"What have you done to Graham?" Belle asked her.
"Nothing, horrible" Regina almost cackled.
"What about Rumplestiltskin?" she asked taking a step back from the Queen.
Regina took a step forward "Oh Don't worry dear, he's absolutely fine, it's you I wanted" she admitted.
"What about me?" Belle asked .
"I want to make a deal"
"what type of a deal?" Belle asked her curiosity heightened.
Regina produced a cup of tea from behind her back "Drink the cup of tea and I'll leave you and your people alone" she offered.
"And why would I trust you?" Belle asked.
The evil Queen shrugged her shoulders "I know you want this to be over, you can, all you have to do is drink the tea" she shoved the warm cup of tea under her nose.
"All of my Villagers, my friends…..Rumplestiltskin….You'll leave them alone?" Belle clarified.
"You have my word" Regina assured with a flutter of her eye lashes.
Belle took a deep breath before raising the cup to her lips and tacking a sip, the warm tasted like any other although there seemed to be a slight bitter taste that she couldn't quite place.
As she drained the last dregs of the tea, Belle's knees began to feel weak, they couldn't support her weight anymore. Her eye lids began to droop, a tiredness over coming her as she fell to the ground into a deep sleep.
Regina stepped over Belle's almost lifeless body "I've never really been one for my word" she sniggered, now all she had to do was wait for Rumplestiltskin to come, he inevitably would for his true love.
….C\_'/….
Hours later the others stood on one of the many balcony's watching the sun set, preparing themselves for Regina's attack. Snow stood, ready with her bow and arrow. Charming came up behind her "Hey" he greeted her.
Snow turned to face her prince and gave him a weak smile "We can defeat her can't we?" Snow asked him for assurance.
Charming put his hands on his shoulders and squeezed them reassuringly "Of course we can, together" he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"We've brought such trouble to these lands" she sighed looking over the almost abandoned town of Avonlea below them "How can we rule our own kingdom fairly if in getting that we've made people here sacrifice their lives?" she asked him.
The prince pulled his princess to him "Once this is over, we'll figure it out" he tried to reassure her once again "And when this is over….we can look forward to our wedding"
Snow broke out into a grin before reaching up and kissing him on the lips, both knowing that it was possibly the last time that they would kiss but they would never admit it to one another. They had to be strong for one another.
"Have any of you seen Belle?" Red asked as she came racing into the corridor, her eyes and voice full of worry and she was slightly out of breath from her rushing to find them.
Snow and charming sprang apart from one another then turned to face the werewolf, "You mean she's not in the castle?" Snow asked her friend.
Red shook her head "I've been all over the castle. Granny's spotted some of Regina's men close to the castle walls, we sent the dwarfs to stall them" she explained.
The sound of rushing footsteps reached their ears, then the door Red had entered through. "Where is the Queen?" Graham bellowed, he too seemed in a hurry.
"That's what we're trying to figure out" Charming explained to him "Let's not panic she'll show up eventually" he added.
"No you don't understand" Graham told them "We have to find her now…..Regina….She locked me up…..pretended to be me to get to Belle" he explained.
"But Regina wants me not Belle?" Snow explained, "It doesn't make sense" she added with a shake of her head.
"Rumplestiltskin" Red almost gasped as realisation hit her. She and the others couldn't not notice how close Belle was to the dark one, how there was an obvious history between the two.
"What about me dearie?" everyone jumped and spun around to find the dark one leaning against the stone wall, his arms crossed over his chest, he wore a long leather coat covered in spikes, obviously ready for battle.
"It's Belle" Charming spoke, the only one brave enough to talk to him about such a subject.
"What about her?" Rumple almost snarled as he pushed himself away from the wall.
"Regina's got her somewhere in the castle"
Rumple's heart jumped into his throat. The very sentence he'd hoped would never reach his ears. "Where?" He asked.
"We don't know" Red told him.
The dark one made his way to the nearest mirror that hung in the hallway "Show me Belle" he commanded, everyone watched in amazement as the mirror transformed into an image of Belle, laying in a bed, laying in a bed in the tower of the castle.
Without a second thought Rumple disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Meanwhile the others were left to run to the stairs of the tower.
…C\_'/….
Rumple appeared in the tower in no time. The first thing he saw was Belle in some sort of bed. He rushed to her side "Belle" he breathed her name as he frantically searched for a pulse, instead all he found was that she was ice cold.
"Well well, love really is weakness" Regina cackled from her place in the shadows.
The dark one turned on his heels to face her "What have you done to her?!" he yelled, he raised his hand and Regina flew back against the wall and using his powers to cut off her air supply.
"The….Only….way…..to save her is….true loves kiss" Regina croaked, still confident of her plan, although Rumple had the power over her at the moment.
"No" Rumple shook his head, knowing what true love's kiss would mean. He also knew what curse Belle was under, how it would affect her for the rest of her life.
He let his hold on Regina slip just as Snow and her friends came crashing through the door, before any of them could do anything Regina froze them all where they stood as much as they all tried to move but couldn't.
"You know what this means" Regina almost snarled at Rumple as he once again walked to Belle's sleeping form. "You have a choice to make" she said in a sing song voice "Her or your powers"
Rumple took a deep breath. That was not a choice he ever wanted to make, he knew Belle would never want him to give up his powers, his life, to save her, but on the other hand, he loved her, he didn't want to live in a world that she wasn't in.
"You would do all this…..just to get rid of me?" Rumple asked, his brown eyes watery with emotion.
"Once you are out of the way, I'll be the most powerful person in all the realms and I'll finally be able to get my happily ever after" Regina grinned.
"Then you leave me no choice" Rumple told her solemnly. Everyone expected for Rumple to pull the evil queens heart out and crush it in the palm of his hands. Instead he flicked his wrist, the hold the raven haired women had on Snow, Charming, Red and Graham vanished and the four fell forward to the ground.
"What have you done!" Regina yelled as black cuffs strapped themselves to her wrists.
"Your powers are blocked" He informed her "I helped create the evil you became, it's only right I'm the one who tries to put you on a straight path" he continued.
"But I….." Regina was too shocked to really think of something to say.
"Go find your happily ever after" he told her "Go find the man with the lion tattoo, perhaps it's not too late" he added before making her disappear in a cloud of purple smoke.
Once Regina was out of the picture Rumple turned his attention to Belle. He made his way over to her, once again kneeling at her side.
It only took his mere seconds to make a decision, "Forgive me" he mumbled to Belle. One of his hands going to caress her face, her skin still ice cold. Then he leant down, his lips brushed against hers at first before he kissed her again, there was a spark, he didn't know it was because the sleeping curse was breaking, his curse was breaking or because it was true love, but it felt wonderful.
The room was silent as one before gasped loudly to draw breath and the other fell to the floor, their body weak as their magic was drained and they fell into darkness.