Origins: Part Two
A/AN: This is a rewrite of my first story. Some of it will stay the same but some of it will not.
Belle watched as Agnes soaked the thread in azure and verdant dyes. The spinster was teaching her how to dye thread and later promised to show her how to use the wheel. Belle was glad for the distraction because it averted her thoughts away from Rumplestiltskin and his 'date' with Milah. Every half hour, she found herself gazing at the wooden door hoping he would make his appearance, but he didn't show up until nearly supper time.
Belle rewarmed the soup, stirring the pot every few seconds to help spread the heat. Her ears perked up when she heard the door shut. She averted her gaze and tried to ignore her thrumming heart when he made his appearance.
"Aye, there's my boy! How was your day out with Miss. Milah?" Agnes greeted her nephew warmly who walked towards the table. He sat down, and Belle could sense the weariness in his eyes. She wondered by his dejected countenance if the date hadn't gone well. She knew she shouldn't be hopeful about his courtship with Milah falling through, but she couldn't help it. She still cared for him deeply even though it would be hundreds of years before they met. She loved this Rumplestiltskin just as much as she cared for the foul Dark One.
"It was fine. Can we just have supper?" he pleaded, dodging the subject. Belle knew that diverting the topic meant it had gone terribly.
"Of course Rumple. Belle, fetch the lad some soup." Agnes commanded. Belle picked up his bowl before ladling a hearty portion into it. She placed it in front of him accompanied with a warm loaf of bread.
"Belle made that bread herself, and I'll say it's mighty scrumptious." Agnes complimented giving her a wink. She felt her cheeks flush when he met her gaze.
"I'm sure it will go well with my soup." he surmised with a faint smile before biting into the dough. She watched him close his eyes and savor the taste of fresh bread.
"You did a fine job Miss. Belle. The bread tastes wonderful." he praised, and she caught herself blushing again. His mood seemed to ease and his demeanor relax after filling his belly, and she was grateful she could bring him comfort in some small way.
"I'm glad you liked it." she said modestly, filling her own bowl with soup. After supper, Belle and Agnes checked on the dyes. She stirred the pool of verdant dye with a large stick to make sure the color minced well.
"Verdant does very well at market." he commented and she gazed up at him. His soft sable eyes were analyzing her hands as she stirred.
"It does? I bet a dress would look lovely in this color." she added while training her eyes on the swirling green water. She heard him walk away and then come back. She looked up to see him holding a dark green spool of thread.
"It would be a lovely color for a dress or a pair of stockings. This is what it will look like after it dries." he informed her and holding it out for for to examine.
"It's beautiful." she gushed running her fingers over the smooth thread and admiring the rich hue and texture beneath her fingertips.
"It is. The dress you're wearing is also from one of the dyes we make." he informed with his arms crossed loosely under his chest.
She blinked, studying her dress more intricately,"Did you make this?" she inquired, fingering the fabric.
"Aye, I'm not much of a tailor, but I wanted to try my hand at making clothes. I made the dress for the baker's wife in exchange for some pastries, but she passed away suddenly. I couldn't bear to give the poor man the dress after losing his wife. I felt like It would be insulting him if I did that." he explained with a flash of pity in his sable depths.
"How terrible..." Belle returned placing her hand on top of his absentmindedly. Azure eyes locked with russet with their hands still resting on top of each other. His hands felt calloused and dry from spinning so much to her, and he thought hers felt supple, and unexposed to the elements.
Time stopped in that moment as they stared into each others eyes dazzlingly. He placed an erratic curl behind her ear that had fallen loose from her braid. She almost thought he wanted to kiss her until Agnes made her presence known.
"Well lass I do say we should probably remove the spools and let them dry." she reverberated causing them to pull away quickly before she could suspect anything had happened between them. Had something happened? In the next couple of hours, he barely acknowledged she was there and it filled her heart with dread.
She readied herself for bed, brushing out her thick tresses, and hoping she hadn't offended him. She pulled her thin shift over her head before climbing under the covers. A single candle burned orange and lulled her into slumber.
Belle awoke in the middle of the night to hear a steady tapping on her door. She grabbed the patched robe Agnes had loaned her and pulled it over her thin frame. She opened it pleasantly surprised to see Rumplestiltskin standing on the other side.
"Miss. Belle I'm sorry to bother you, but I was really hoping that we could converse." he whispered ringing his hands on his nightshirt nervously.
"Of course!" she obliged , opening the door for him to enter. She wiped the sleep from her eyes. He sat on the edge of her bed, waiting for her to approach him. Belle sat a comfortable distance away, hoping the meek spinner would open up to her.
"What is it Rumple?" she inquired, the flickering candlelight dancing across their faces.
"I probably shouldn't be asking you this, but have you ever been courted?" he inquired averting his gaze as soon as the words left his mouth. Her heart fluttered, her mind going back to the moment they'd shared hours ago when she thought he was going to kiss her. Was he going to ask to court her?
She took a deep breath before formulating a response, "I was engaged once, but the engagement fell through after a man came to my father hoping to make a deal with him. My father was desperate for his aid and without thinking, he told him he would pay anything to get it. His price was me, and I left with him. He had no intention of marrying me. He just wanted a maid for his estate. He was wealthy, and he was always having bouts of anger, resulting in raging fits and one day I offended him. He sent me away without any food or water. I walked three days before I arrived at this village. The aroma of your aunt's pies lulled me into the hovel and that's how I got here." She fabricated in attempts to to give away as little detail as possible.
"I'm so sorry to hear that miss Belle...I'm sure it must have been painful for you to endure the company of someone so unapologetic." he replied emphatically, causing her heart to beat faster.
"I wasn't in love with my fiance. It was an arranged marriage, and I'm glad it ended. So enough about me, what did you come here to ask me?" she probed, full of hopeful anticipation.
"Today I had lunch with Milah. I thought it was going well until she started ignoring me and told me to take her home. I prepared a picnic lunch for us, and I took her to the top of the hill. It has the best view of the village, and I thought it would be romantic. She didn't seem very interested in our date so after I took her home, I stopped by the creek to think. I just can't figure out what I did wrong!?" he berated, running his fingers through his hair agitatedly.
Belle felt her heart clench at the mention of Milah. Why did she think Rumplestiltskin would really want to court her after knowing her only two days? She didn't want to give him advice about this mystery woman who obviously didn't deserve him, but if she was going to win his heart then she needed to do it the honorable way.
"Before I can offer you any real advice about Milah, I need you to tell me about her." Belle coaxed, the other woman's name leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Well...She's the blacksmith's oldest daughter. She has tan skin and beautiful ebony hair. Her eyes are a beautiful golden brown, and she has an accent you wouldn't soon forget. Her family moved here from the Northern Kingdom three years ago. She's bought thread from me at market which she uses to make her dresses." he gushed causing Belle to clench her fists, but she forced a smile to hide her irritation.
"I would say you're smitten with this woman Rumplestiltskin...I assume that you wish to know how to woo her?" she smirked, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice which he didn't seem to notice.
"Well, the first thing I would suggest is asking about her hobbies. A picnic might have seemed romantic to you but not to her. Maybe she prefers a lakeside setting? Ask what her favorite flowers are and then pick her a few. Buy her a pastry from the bakery or a new hair ribbon. Most women take pleasure in the simple things. My fiance was always showering me with expensive gifts when in reality all I desired was his respect. Treating a woman as your equal will win her heart. You shouldn't put her down or treat her as a trophy to be won." Belle instructed, insinuating what it would take to woo her.
"Thank you very much Miss. Belle. I'm sorry for troubling you." he stammered, and she could see his cheeks flush under the candlelight.
"It was no trouble at all Rumplestiltskin...Good night." she supplied, opting to use his full moniker instead of the nickname. The intimacy they'd shared earlier seemed such a distant memory that amounted to nothing after their conversation.
"Goodnight Miss. Belle." he returned, softly shutting the door behind him. She fell into a fitful sleep the rest of the night, secretly hoping he held no success in winning Milah's heart.
~X~
Belle awoke early the next morning and decided to fetch water from the well. It was Sunday, and she knew that the vendors wouldn't set up today. People would be staying in their homes to rest up for the following week.
The well wasn't hard to find. It resided at the end of the village, hidden in a grove of trees. The sun was just starting to rise over the hilltop, casting a spectrum of color across the sky. She turned the crank, lowering the bucket down into the well. When it was full, she grit her teeth and attempted to draw it back up, but the crank jolted forward nearly pulling her into the blackness.
Belle grabbed her heart, thankful she'd escaped such peril. She was caught off guard when she heard a feminine voice from behind, "Would you like some help?" it spoke. Belle spun around to meet a raven haired girl with tan skin who was wearing a brown muslin dress with half sleeves.
"Yes please!" Belle sputtered. The young woman didn't look much older than her. She stepped aside, allowing her to draw the bucket back up. She handed the bucket to her, and Belle poured it into the pail she'd brought with her.
"Thank you very much." the beauty remarked, truly appreciative of her help.
"I'm glad to be of assistance. I'm Milah by the way, but I don't think I've seen you around here before." Milah pointed out giving her an analytical glance.
"My name is Belle, and I'm from Avonlea. I'm staying with Agnes at the moment, but I hope to find my own place in the village very soon." Belle explained, and she nodded intrigued by her.
"That old spinster is a mad woman, and I'm surprised to see you're looking to stay here. This village has nothing to offer but a common mans' life. If I could leave this place, then I would. My blood longs for adventure." she remarked, and Belle could tell her mind was lost in some faraway place.
Milah reminded her of herself when she was confined in Avonlea. The only thing she'd ever longed for was adventure, yet she was always denied it. Part of her wanted to ask her where she stood with Rumplestiltskin, but she thought it wise not to fish.
"What's stopping you?" Belle pressed further hoping to get to the heart of the matter.
"My father...He wants me to marry someone within the village with a valuable trade. He thinks Rumplestiltskin would be a good match for me, and he's pushed me to pursue him, but I just have no interest in him. He's dull as dirt." she scoffed, circling the well. Belle felt anger well up within her from Milah's offhanded comments, but she was also thankful she held no interest in him.
"It was nice to meet you Milah, but I must be going. Agnes will be expecting the water since she needs it for the washing." the beauty excused herself, Milah's eyes trained on her the entire time.
"Good day to you too!" she answered back, wondering where the peculiar woman originated from. She'd never heard of a place called Avonlea, so she assumed she must be making it up.
"Who are you Miss. Belle?" she muttered to herself, determined to unravel this strange woman's secrets.
A/AN: Well I hope you guys enjoyed that! Please review and tell me what you think! I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and I do take everyone's ideas into consideration.