Chapter 2
The Contract
Belle had sought out every fireside tale, whispered rumour, or story uttered in hushed tones about the powerful imp's dealings. Rumpelstiltskin was a clever silver-tongued devil, an expert in words who could twist any plea for aid to his use. The tales Belle heard were replete with woe and hardship and anger all aimed at Rumpelstiltskin even though he always kept his bargain and gave exactly what he was asked for. Dealing with the devil was all about the wording of the bargain and Belle knew exactly what she would ask for.
Contract between Rumpelstiltskin of Dark Castle and Belle of de Grey Castle
I , Belle of de Grey Castle, promise to assist Rumpelstiltskin of Dark Castle to escape from his magical jail cell.
In exchange for the saving of his precious life through escape from this prison, Rumpelstiltskin promises:
-to save Belle's village and castle and inhabitants thereof from the ogres by permanent removal of ogres from the entire land
-to rebuild her village and surrounding lands to its highest level of prosperity
-upon signing this agreement Rumpelstiltskin will advise Belle if the current contract will result in Belle achieving her desired wishes and if not Rumpelstiltskin will revise contract so Belle will achieve her desired wishes
-if during any part of the assisted escape, Belle becomes harmed or incapacitated in any fashion, Rumpelstiltskin will personally care for her in his abode, heal her, and watch over her personally until she is well and chooses to leave.
-to divine the nature of Belle's curse and assist Belle to gain control of the curse, to be executed in a manner that does not compromise Belle's morals or beliefs (Rumpelstiltskin will not coerce Belle in any way to be involved in or use dark magic in this quest)
Signed: Belle of de Grey Castle
Signed: _
"Really dearie? You expect all this for what? A little help with an enchantment?" Rumpelstiltskin snorted, holding the long parchment roll distastefully in one hand.
Belle remained unmoved. "Well, just how much is your life worth, Mr Rumpelstiltskin? Infinitely more than my village you said, so the other items in the contract are to even out the deal. And to make sure that you aren't going to trick me." Belle knew very well that the more stipulations and clauses in the contract the safer she would be.
Rereading the contract, Rumpelstiltskin paced in his cell back and forth across the bars then around the curved wall of the cell to end again in front of Belle who stood silently watching. She was clever, this one, but then he had known that the minute she walked through a locked cell door bearing gifts with a smooth glib tongue.
"What is this about you coming to harm? Do you intend to try something dangerous?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.
Belle continued to stare him in the face. "You are a dangerous man, Rumpelstiltskin. It stands to reason that any deal with you will be equally dangerous."
The golden skinned imp's penetrating eyes stared deeply into Belle's. "You're lying," he stated.
Belle strolled leisurely along the line of jagged wooden bars. Rumpelstiltskin's calculating eyes never left her, his brow lined by pensive furrows, his lips twisted and thoughtful.
"I have not said one untrue word," Belle said as she turned to face him, her face a mask, blank and unreadable.
"Oh, no, don't think you can trick a trickster, dearie. Your words were not untrue but you did not answer my question completely." Rumpelstiltskin's narrowed eyes glowed in the torchlight but Belle did not flinch.
"You did not ask for clarity, merely truthfulness," Belle responded.
"Belle of de Grey castle. Why would you come to harm by rescuing me, other than the obvious risk of releasing a powerful sorcerer from a troll-guarded cell in the highest tower of the grey castle? And how do you intend to accomplish this insurmountable task?"
For the first time Belle smiled. She felt strongly compelled to answer Rumpelstiltskin's question and she knew he had used one of the precious magical threads of his golden coat to force an answer from her. Nevertheless she was willing to confess, on her own terms.
Belle answered as succinctly, and enigmatically, as possible. "I will use my curse," she said.
"And which question does that answer? Rumpelstiltskin asked.
"Both" Belle replied reluctantly. To stave off any more questions she pressed, "now do we have a deal?"
"Dearie, I suspect you are way over your head but I think this should be immensely amusing so, why not?" Rumple chortled. "Quill, my dear?" fluidly extending one hand.
With a flourish the contract was signed and Belle and Rumpelstiltskin's fate together was sealed. Belle tucked the contract away on her person and examined the sharpened wooden bars that fronted Rumpelstiltskin's cell. Belle wrapped one hand around a wooden bar and it glowed briefly, outlined in a dim electric blue.
"Not much of a spell on these bars, so it can't be these that keep you in here," Belle mused.
"Clever girl," Rumpelstiltskin growled. "Obviously not or I would have been long gone."
"Then it is connected to you, as I had feared. Give me your hand." Belle extended her hand towards the imp.
Rumpelstiltskin contemplated the woman in front of him. As beautiful as she was- and even he could not ignore the appealing delicacy of her features and her intriguing, if foolhardy, behavior- she seemed to have some hidden magical ability. Several possibilities came to mind on how that could be, none of them very promising for either of them. Another fairy trick, possibly, but seeming a little out of character for the fairies' straightforward rather rigid way of conducting magical business.
Any number of curses connected with magical ability occurred to him but any curse was going to be tough to break and even more difficult to tame. He was going to have a long complicated journey ahead connected with this woman that he had bound himself to. If they both survived.
Rumpelstiltskin offered his hand through the bars and Belle wrapped her own hands around it. The same electric blue aura that had illuminated the wooden bars of his cell earlier now surrounded Rumpelstiltskin's hand. A warmth flowed around his hand and stretched up his arm as Belle studied the hand then turned her eyes to study him.
Rumpelstiltskin was only a little startled to find that her eyes glowed blue as well.
"My restraint is made of fairy magic," he said. "You will have to be very clever to be able to outsmart the magical workings that keep me enslaved."
"Yes," she began but was interrupted by the grating of metal on metal as a key was inserted in the lock of the door behind her.
"Better hide, dearie. Who knows what they would do to you, if they caught you here consorting with the devil imp," Rumpelstiltskin gloated with a snicker.
Dropping his hand Belle whipped her head around briefly to glance behind at the door then turned back to Rumpelstiltskin to grin up at him. "Well, now it all begins."
And so saying, she placed one hand on the bars, and as they glowed eerily as before, she stepped forward and passed right through them.
"Nice, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin murmured as the door began to swing open.
Walking briskly to the side of the cell, Belled leaned against the wall, her outline growing blurred and dim until she completely faded away.
Rumpelstiltskin turned to face his visitors.
A corpulent man in plush royal robes, bejeweled fingers, and a self-important air marched briskly into the cell and up to the bars where Rumpelstiltskin stood contemplating the ceiling. Behind him two beasts roughly clad in tattered leather and an arsenal of weapons waited, blinking beady eyes in the torchlight.
"Where is she? What have you done to my daughter?'" the noble demanded.
Rumpelstiltskin lazily eyed the red-faced man, then executed a very sloppy shallow bow. "Your majesty. You honour me with your presence. What is it that you have mislaid?"
"I've mislaid nothing! My daughter has disappeared and I know you are behind it! " he stormed.
"From behind these exquisitely crafted prison bars?" Rumpelstiltskin queried innocently. "I have no power while the fairy spell holds me captive. Perhaps your wayward daughter is visiting a friend?" He strolled casually across his cell. "Someone irresistible, that she just can't stay away from."
"Perhaps I should take you now to pay a visit to the fairies- " began His Royal Highness and then stopped in mid-sentence, frozen in place.
"That was really unfortunate," Belle said, reappearing from the direction of the cell wall. She stepped forward then stumbled slightly, righting herself quickly. "That was a terrible waste of magic."
Rumpelstiltskin folded his arms across his chest, eyeing her as she swayed. "The mysteries mount. A lost princess now and a mysterious woman with considerable cursed magical power. I would bet they are one and the same."
"It is time to leave now," Belle murmured unsteadily as she stared blearily at Rumpelstiltskin.
Rumpelstiltskin stepped closer to her, noting the slight tremors in her hands, the dim blue glow that began to emanate from her face and arms. Only vaguely did he recall hearing of a magic that consumed the magic user as it was used in turn and dreaded that this may be exactly the nature of Belle's sudden magic.
"Quickly, what are the terms of your curse?" he asked.
Belle swayed as she stared at Rumplestiltskin, eyes ablaze. "I can see... everything. The Sight comes at the end," Belle mumbled. "You turned into the Dark One for …. Bae," she whispered.
Rumpelstiltskin grasped her shoulders, feeling the warmth of the power in her, pulsing hypnotically. He could easily lose himself in the warmth of her touch and the mesmerizing power behind it. He shook her gently.
"What are the terms of your curse? You will soon be completely consumed by this maelstorm you have unleashed. Are the lives of your family and the pathetic people of your village worth so much to you?"
Belle was beyond hearing all of his tirade but slowly answered, "The power grows each time I use the curse's magic, but so does the compulsion to use more magic." She chuckled slightly. "I've never used so much magic before," she said in wonder. "This should be very interesting."
Rumpelstiltskin stared at Belle as a blue haze surrounded her whole being and his hands began to smolder still clutching her shoulders. She leaned toward him placing burning hands on his chest.
"You were once a loving kind father, a dutiful kind husband. So brave and ready to sacrifice..." Belle stared deeply into his soul. That Belle could read him like a strange new book left Rumpelstiltskin feeling entirely disconcerted but her compelling blue eyes were completely mesmerizing.
"You have strayed so far but still... Still there at your core, still the kind man with the heart of..." Belle swayed again. "Maybe we should leave while we can."
Rumpelstiltskin caught her before she collapsed as their world dissolved around them. He recognized the transportation spell but could not fathom the power that would be needed for a human like Belle to perform such a feat, transportation of two people through space. And that power was coursing through her body, using her energy, her being. Rumpelstiltskin understood the nature of the curse now and the need for the "no harm" clause in the contract, clever clever girl.
He lowered her to the soft green grass of the shady glade, where they had finally materialized. Looking around, he found them entirely alone in the midst of the Infinite Forest. No castle, no grey tower, no irate kings, or slobbering trolls surrounded them. Just the towering trees of the quiet forest.
Rumpelstiltskin felt his old power returned completely, thrumming through his veins as it had for so many years. The fairy spell controlling and imprisoning him was left behind in a dark drafty castle tower. And his rescuer, the woman he had doubted could accomplish the impossible task of saving him, lay unconscious at his feet, half-consumed by an ancient curse.