Author's Note:
Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed, truly I appreciate it! Keep em comin in!
I'm really sorry that this chapter took me a while to post, there were a lot of complications with my muse about what sort of things I wanted to slip in as well as the fact that I have been without internet for nearly a week now. Also, I'd like to believe that I'm stalling because of tonight's episode as we are supposed to get more of Belle's time in The Dark Castle and I would like to incorporate whatever happens into this story.
Anywho, finally, the second chapter :D enjoy!
Rumpelstiltskin didn't release his possessive hold on the princess until they had exited the keep of the castle. As soon as he let his hand up from her waist, the former High Princess of Avonlea scanned her eyes on her surroundings, getting her first real look of her land since returning home from Arendelle. They were still within the curtain wall, but Belle was only able to know that from years of living in the castle. A great majority of the South wall was gone altogether, reduced to nothing but rubble joining in with the various shrapnel of what used to be her father's stables in the lower bailey creating a direct path to the forest behind the castle. The well she had spent countless hours resting beside, reading in the light of the spring and autumn sun had somehow remained intact, but it was only a small victory that hardly mattered compared to the utter destruction of everything else around her.
The flickering lights of the torches fastened to the castle's walls cast an orange glow that cut through the blanket of night, frightening away the shadows that would have otherwise kept the destruction hidden from her eyes. A quiet tear found its way down Belle's cheek as she stood there in the lower bailey, her legs unwilling to move as she paused to remember what her home had been once in all its glory. She hadn't even noticed she had fallen behind The Dark One until he cleared his throat in annoyance, pulling Belle from her thoughts and back to him as he stood in the archway that led to the main bailey, his dead eyes keen on her standing out in the open.
"Oh by all means, take a moment, draw a picture." The Dark Sorcerer jabbed, waving his arms about frantically, clearly impatient with her but unwilling to pass up an opportunity for his words to cut into her heart like ice. Belle took a moment to shake her head quickly, clearing her thoughts and put motion to her legs once more. Now was not the time to mourn for her losses, there would be plenty of time for that later.
If Rumpelstiltskin was pleased that she had picked up the pace again, he didn't show it. As soon as she began making her way to him he turned and walked through the main bailey and under the main gate of the castle, taking care to step over what was left of the portcullis that lay in splinters at their feet. Belle had a bit of a harder time stepping over the small blockade, her dress shoes and long golden dress slowing her down greatly. She had almost lost sight of The Dark One before picking up the ends of her dress and hurrying to catch up with him.
She immediately wished that she hadn't been so eager to join him at his side.
Her legs failed her once more as she stepped out onto the footbridge, her eyes unable to leave the scene before her. Bodies, both soldier and Ogre alike, littered the land in all directions, the outer curtain wall in complete shambles leaving only the gatehouse standing tall with the iron bars still closed tightly. It was ridiculous to think now of how important it had been to get those gates closed before the Ogres had gotten any closer; it was quite plainly a futile effort on their part. A quiet shiver rolled down her spine as she realized that the small man in front of her, with all his odd quirks and strange skin tone had been the one to put an end to all this. But when had he used his power to stop it? In the War Room, the battle sounds still reached their ears and it wasn't until Rumpelstiltskin had said that the deal was struck did those noises cease. It was perhaps in that moment Belle began to feel the panic starting to erupt in her chest, keeping her from being able to breathe properly as she realized just how powerful this dark sorcerer really was, and she now belonged to him.
Stopping before the main gate, Rumpelstiltskin raised his right hand. A pulse of magic blew open the black iron gates of the gatehouse, causing Belle to jump at the sudden noise and display of magic he felt at ease demonstrating in front of her. Why he hadn't just stepped around the bits of stone that used to be the outer curtain wall like he had done before within the main bailey she wasn't sure, but if she had to put her finger on it she would be quick to guess that he was trying to frighten her, trying to assert his dominance by making her afraid of his power. And he was doing a damn good job.
It wasn't until she saw Rumpelstiltskin starting to walk through the main gate that Belle had to wonder how it was that he traveled; how he had come here to Avonlea. Surely he didn't live so close as he was able to just walk here, though his response to her letter had been quite quick, but she had put that off as some sort of magic transferred to the letters addressed to him, being able to reach him faster than a normal letter would. Still though, the dark sorcerer didn't show any signs of stopping as he walked the entire length of the foot bridge. Having been silently denied the luxury of being able to gather her own things, Belle was most upset about being unable to get a pair of proper boots on her feet to protect them from the journey ahead… and of course her books. She didn't dare ask him though, she knew the moment he led her from the War Room and through the corridors there would be no messing about with gathering her belongings.
In catching up with Rumpelstiltskin a second time, Belle had noticed a small group of her father's soldiers slowly approaching them after she stepped off of the foot bridge and onto the stone trail that would take them as far as the Frontlands. With the battle now over; the Ogres mysteriously vanquished, they only need to return to their king and tend to the wounded. Surely he wasn't planning on making her walk the entire way to The Frontlands! It would take weeks with her slow gait and unsure feet; no doubt he would do away with her within the first day once he realized just how clumsy and unaccustomed to foot-travel she was. She pushed the morbid thought from her mind, trying to focus on those who slowly approached them.
"M'lady?" One soldier called out as soon as he had realized it was the Avonlea's Princess who was walking so leisurely beyond the castle grounds. The soldier's eyes happened upon Rumpelstiltskin, any color that had been left in his face through fatigue of battle drained noticeably upon recognition. Unable to catch her new master's gaze, Belle could only shoot the soldier a sympathetic glance, conveying with her eyes that all would be well, that it was all over. She dared not to speak to the soldier directly in fear of upsetting The Dark One; there was no telling what he was capable of; what he could do to her. The soldier felt helpless as he and the few soldiers left were forced to watch The Dark One lead the former Princess of Avolnea away, farther and farther from the castle and into the darkness of the night that the torches of the castle were unable to reach.
It was harder to navigate through the carnage now that they hadn't a single light save for the half-moon to go by. Already Belle was starting to show her lack of grace as her toes quite frequently found the smallest of rocks to stumble over. Somehow, each time she managed to keep her balance, however, but she couldn't help but to wonder how it was Rumpelstiltskin seemed to have no trouble at all traversing through the vast darkness. It was possible that he was able to see through it all, she thought. She had seen beforehand how different his eyes looked from everyone else's, and the more she thought on it the more it seemed to make sense as she once again found a speck of dust to catch her footing off-guard.
At least a dozen times during the eerily quiet walk, Belle had opened her mouth to ask one of the hundreds of burning questions she had for Rumpelstiltskin, but each time she tried she amply closed her mouth back shut, fear getting the best of her and forcing her to swallow her own words despite her nagging curiosity that usually got the best of her. Already her feet were beginning to protest to the rough terrain, she was sure there were at least a half-dozen or so blisters starting to make themselves known between her two feet, but at least now with her eyes mostly adjusted to the dark of the night she was unable to tell if it were human, Ogre, or tree parts she was forced to step into or over.
Finally, after what felt like hours Belle had mustered up the courage to use her voice. Side-stepping along with the dark sorcerer, her blue eyes remained keen on him as he paid her no heed and kept up the brisk walk forward. Furrowing her brows, she began to speak.
"Wh-"
Rumpelstiltskin extended an arm, opening up his palm where a fireball began to grow in size with each moment and with a flick of his wrist, the ball of fire was flung from his control and onto the corpse of what Belle was now able to see by the flickering light of an Ogre. The flesh caught fire quickly, illuminating a fair distance all around them and Belle was able to see the Avonlea village not too much farther ahead. Belle immediately closed her mouth, all courage she had spent building up completely and utterly gone as Rumpelstiltskin kept going, seeming to pay her no mind to her attempted speech and pulling another fireball from his palm, dismissing it as he had done previously and catching fire to another Ogre corpse just a small ways ahead. It was clear what he was up to now, more or less; the bodies of the fallen Ogres catching fire now acting as beacons of light that would eventually lead them to the small village that lacked any light of its own.
Wrinkling her nose at the sudden foulness that plagued the air, Belle swallowed hard and decided at long last that the time for questions would not be now, so she simply followed like a dog on a short leash into the village.
As the pair walked through the ruined remains, Belle's bright eyes caught the very few gazes that were staring back at her, hiding amongst the wreckage of what had used to be a fairly large, prosperous village. Tears stung the corners of her eyes as she watched two boys, a little younger than herself, going through the streets to gather up the bodies of those who had fallen victim to the Ogre's advance when they had pushed through the village. But even the boys, in their emotionless task, paused to watch as Rumpelstiltskin led their princess through their streets and slowed his walking pace as he waited for her to catch up to his side once more.
"What are we doing here?" Belle asked Rumpelstiltskin in a hoarse whisper, suddenly realizing her throat had gone dry that had nothing to do with how thirsty she was. Her entire body seized up the moment she felt his knotted hand returning to the small of her back, as he had done in her castle, and held it there protectively but she didn't shy away. Despite how terrified she truly was, she refused to let him know. She knew why he had brought her here, his silence to her question not at all shifting her thoughts. He wanted her people to see what had become of their princess; he wanted the rumors to spread because with rumors of The Dark One also came fear, the very thing he thrived on.
His dead eyes happened upon each and every person he felt staring at them, daring them with his rigid features and black eyes for any of them to do or say anything. None of them, however, could meet his gaze and the handful of those left on the streets quickly retreated to a safer place where they would be spared the scrutinizing gaze of The Dark One. Belle felt her jaw go rigid as she watched doors and windows slam shut, shutters being pulled closed tightly and even a father who snatched up his wandering child around the middle to haul away to a safer distance, away from her, away from The Dark One. She had been wrong, he wasn't an ordinary man. No ordinary man would want this. He truly was a beast.
As soon as the village was nothing more than a ghost town, Rumpelstiltskin finally stopped, turning to face her. Despite his shorter stature, Belle found that she had to look up at him to meet his eyes at such a close proximity to him, searching deep down into her core the courage that she so desperately needed to hold onto as he stared back at her. The flickering orange glow from the burning Ogre's corpses lit his face brilliantly, shadows dancing across his golden-flecked skin and bringing out the intensity of his blackened eyes. Black? She was so sure back at the castle they were more amber colored...
"Please." The word tumbled from her mouth before she even had time to pause and think on what she was pleading for, but his eyes showed a glint of understanding as she began to gather her thoughts, knowing now that she was begging to be taken away from here. The vivid images of the only world she had ever known would burn into her memories forever, and if she was never to be able to return, never able to help any more than what she had already sacrificed for her people, she no longer wanted any part of it.
A soft gasp fell from her lips as she suddenly felt her ankles growing ice cold, the sensation quickly wrapping up around her calves and up to her knees. Alarmed, Belle took a step backwards to look down but Rumpelstiltskin's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist firmly, holding her there. A plume of crimson smoke began to overtake both their bodies leaving Belle gasping and sputtering more from fear than what the smoke was actually doing to her. Feeling only Rumpelstiltskin's hand on her wrist for a moment, a sudden lightness came over her body; like a lucid dream. All around her she saw nothing but the blood-red smoke, not even Rumpelstiltskin who she could still feel holding onto her forcefully could be seen. She began to feel herself spinning; she wasn't sure how since there was nothing she could focus on to be sure, but the near upset of her stomach was a clear indicator that something was happening but just as she was sure she'd make an embarrassment of herself all over her shoes, it stopped.
Her feet hit the hard, marble floor in an instant, not hard enough to throw her incredibly clumsy body off balance, as Rumpelstiltskin was there to hold her upright, but enough to make her gasp out in both relief and shock. She only had a brief second to catch her breath before Rumpelstiltskin let go of her wrist and began walking again, heading towards a large set of double doors. The room they had landed in was small, a large set of double doors to her left where Rumpelstiltskin was heading and another set straight ahead of her. To her right was a smaller, single door that she was sure was some sort of broom closet.
A handful of marble pillars placed for decoration rather than structure lined the three walls around her, the wall directly behind her empty save for the stone staircase that split off in two directions to the second story. A small, circular table seemed to be the main focus in this small room, covered with a white, silk tablecloth furnished with a simple vase in its center filled with what Belle was sure were black roses. Whether they had been a different color once and simply died from neglect or Rumpelstiltskin had used his magic to change the color more to his liking she was unsure, though both options seemed entirely possible judging by what little of his character she already knew of him.
The only other objects within the room were a couple statues nestled neatly between the marble pillars and a suit of armor that had been put up for display next to the double doors in front of her. She could only assume that these double were the doors that would lead outside, as it was designed very similar to her father's castle right down to the suit of armor that kept it 'guarded.'
Castle? He has a castle?!
She wasn't sure why this surprised her; perhaps it was because back in the War Room, he had claimed to own a large estate and the image of a modest yet comfortable, two-story home popped into her mind. But the more she thought on it, the more it seemed to make sense. The Dark One spared no detail that would make his own image look all the more imposing, and being the master of a castle certainly held some merit to that factor. She startled when the double doors opened as Rumpelstiltskin neared them, opened by magic she was sure and Belle knew then that there was more that she would have to get used to in this castle than she would have liked, dead flowers for decoration aside.
"Come." Rumpelstiltskin ordered her hurriedly and issued her though the double doors and into what Belle was able to recognize immediately as the Dining Hall of the castle. It was much larger than the one back in Avonlea, but she didn't even get half a moment to look around properly before Rumpelstiltskin began walking again, seeming in a rush this time, so she had no choice but to oblige and walk with him.
"Where- where are you taking me?" She asked, unable to keep her eyes off the various nick knacks that were held on display in a variety of different pedestals lining the sides of the room.
"Let's call it… your room." He replied, the eager child slipping back into his voice that he used back at her father's castle. She broke her eyes away from what looked like to be a golden chalice to realize that he had turned to point to her as he walked. Curious as to what The Dark One had done to prepare her room so quickly (for she had only sent the letter that morning) she hopped along, trying to keep in step with him without tripping over her own two feet.
They continued through the Dining Hall and down a spiral stone staircase. Now that was odd, Belle knew for certain that the bedchambers were held above the main floor, not down where the-
Her heart skipped a few beats as Rumpelstiltskin stopped abruptly and waved his hand, the solid oak door in front of him swinging open to reveal what Belle knew immediately to be the dungeon. Wide, confused eyes looked back upon The Dark One, her hands bunching up in the sides of her dress as she felt her voice crack as she asked,
"My room?"
Rumpelstiltskin drummed the tips of his fingers together, bouncing on the balls of his feet looking all too much pleased with himself.
"Well, it sounds a lot nicer than "dungeon"'. He replied, wrinkling up his nose before putting his hand back to the small of her back and pushing her inside a bit forcefully. He could hear her voice cracking and sputtering in resentment, but as soon as her feet had crossed inside he used both his hands to push the large oak door shut on her, unable to quell an unsettling giggle that came from his throat as he manually locked the door with the wooden plank nestled snugly inside an iron hold that would keep Belle from being able to push the door back open. He turned his back on the door, his giggle continuing as he quickly walked from the locked door and back up the staircase, hearing his newest possession calling out to him pitifully,
"You can't just leave me in here!" There was a dull thumping on the door, and he was sure she was banging her fists onto it. "Hello? Hello!?"
XXX
What the hell had he done?
Rumpelstiltskin had every intention, every intention of leaving Avonlea with a new decorative piece to add to his expansive collection within the Dining Hall. How could it be that the curious gaze, the tantalizing smell of a cerulean-eyed beauty had been overwhelmingly enough to give him, The Dark One, pause? He hadn't known himself where his thoughts on the matter settled until it was entirely too late, the words tumbling from his mouth before he even had a moment to reprimand himself for going back on his own word and to think it through clearly.
My price, is her.
The Spinner howled in anguish in the dark recesses of his mind, where the demon of The Dark One danced around with joy, beating the Spinner merciless in the process for being so rebuttal. It was a battle quickly lost, and the guilt from taking a person – a princess no less – as payment only lingered until he had returned back home to The Dark Castle where he was once more felt as a king in his own court.
It was never a question as to where he would store the girl. From the very moment his boots touched ground he had led her to the dungeon without a moment's hesitation. She seemed eager enough to follow, trusting that he would be a complete gentleman, truly unaware of the beast that lay inside. The confusion wrought on her face once she had realized what was to become of her as she looked to him for an explanation, the urge to lose himself in laughter caught in his lungs, only to be released as he bolted the door tightly to keep her sealed inside.
Her innocence had almost been too much, the only flicker of doubt of his actions coming to pass as she looked up at him at the village, unafraid to show the raw emotion in her bright blue orbs as she plead to him in both words and in gaze. It was her eyes that had him before her simple utterance of 'please', a word he had come so accustomed to hearing, so easy to ignore, that he hadn't thought for a moment he would be affected. But as he looked back into what he was sure was a cruel joke from whatever gods may be that had a hand in her creation, that had every interest in his demise… as he gazed back into the shimmering gateway to her very soul his motive was given pause.
It wasn't too late. He could return the girl, pass it off as some sort of test and claim The Enchanted Rose for his prize as he had initially intended. But as he had quickly discovered the cerulean orbs to be his weakness, within them he also found his strength. Rumpelstiltskin hadn't ever stopped to think himself a selfish man, quite the opposite really. Everything he did was intended for one purpose; a purpose that he had reasoned with himself time and time again to be the very least selfish thing one could ever do given his situation. But selfishness was the only word that could describe what came over him next after his doubt had been pushed away. She belonged to him now, and though he still wasn't sure what that meant entirely, he knew then that he wanted no one else to have her. No family to find comfort in, no friends to converse with, no acquaintances to pass smiles to. No… it would only be him that she might find comfort with, only him to converse and smile with… forever.
So before another battle in the war that held about his code of chivalry could enact in his mind, he brought them both to The Dark Castle. He had brought them home.
Making his way back up from the dungeon, Rumpelstiltskin paused by the hearth of the fire, feeling its warmth lap at the exposed parts of his skin on his hands, neck and face. All remnants of what had been a letter not hours ago had completely gone, reduced to nothing but perhaps a half-pinch of dust that had collected underneath the pine logs of which gave the fire it's fuel.
Even now, an entire floor above the dungeon, his keen ears could still hear the muffled thumps of his prisoner's fists against the thick oak door of her cell. If he listened hard enough, took a moment to hold his breath, he could even hear her calling out to him in her fit of anger still. In what would have otherwise been a cold, autumn night with the sounds of only himself pattering around The Dark Castle for company, her hysterical efforts to beat the door down was a welcomed solace to his ears, at long last settling the demon of The Dark One back down into his mind where he could finally have enough room for his own thoughts to work.
She was a rather spirited individual; he'd at least give her that. Given only her words on parchment to get an idea of who she was at heart, he now knew that he had guessed right. The dungeon was the perfect place for her, at least for now. As a princess (or a mockery there-of) it was high-time she learned her place. Stripping the girl from every luxury she had previously been entitled to, every comfort she ever had would surely break her and very quickly. He had no interest in a woman who paraded herself around his castle demanding respect and loyalty that he was sure she had back in her own kingdom. He would destroy the girl in mind and spirit, subject her to the cruelest, harshest of extremities, douse the fire that fed her light. Only then would she come to respect him as her master. Only then would she learn her proper place at life in The Dark Castle.
Realizing that he had been drumming his fingers together in anticipation of the very thoughts, Rumpelstiltskin removed himself from the fireplace and to the head of the table where he once more took a seat in his leather chair. With a moments resolve of the anguish of The Dark One, he intended to make high-use of his time and with a simple flourish of the right wrist, a pile of ten or so letters found their way in front of him on the polished table, having magicked them down from the tower where they had been collecting.
Absentmindedly tuning out the noises coming from the floor below, Rumpelstiltskin began to thumb through the sealed envelopes, first looking for any seal that he recognized or that caught his interest. Finding none, he settled back into his chair and broke the seal of the first one he could and began the tedious task of dissecting the written word of their intent, task, and of course most interesting to him, payment.
It wasn't until the eighth letter of then ten that he felt his curiosity even remotely stirred. A woman, a noble at that, felt it in her need to inform The Dark One that Prince Thomas would be holding a royal ball in search for a princess. Rumpelstiltskin snorted, he was very well aware of these particular functions, it always brought in a higher volume of letters from young women all wanting the same thing… a guarantee to their fate. This woman, however, didn't ask for beauty or status or anything of the sort, at least not for herself, but for her two daughters, that they would be granted a highly favorable chance to catch the Prince's attention, and his heart. It wasn't the contents within this letter that had the gears in his twisted little mind grinding, but the name signed at the bottom.
Lady Tremaine. A name he knew not by encounter, but by the fairy godmother bestowed upon the family through generation upon generation. For years now he had been trying to pinpoint the location of that pesky little flea, and now the opportunity seemed to have fallen right into his lap without him so much as lifting a finger. Of course he had no intent to help out Lady Tremaine and her two daughters. He would simply stop by, unnoticed, and cause something to happen that would illicit a visit from their family guardian and finally get back what was rightfully his.
A twisted giggle came from the dark sorcerer as he got up from the table and tucked the letter safely away in his breast pocket underneath his dragon hide coat. It was then that he noticed the clamor coming from the basement had ceased entirely. Wondering for the briefest of moments if his last prisoner would have left something behind in the cell that would allow the girl to kill herself, he waited on baited breath, listening intently until he could hear the faint sound of her crying.
A smile split his lips apart as he craned his neck to the side, rewarded by a few cracking sounds that immediately brought a release in pressure to his left shoulder. It seemed that this letter had come just in time, giving him just the opportunity he needed to escape the castle for the night and leave the girl to wallow in her sorrows. Without a snap of his fingers, he was gone from The Dark Castle in an instant to pay the house of Tremaine a quiet visit.
XXX
Snow had already infiltrated the grounds of The Dark Castle, much to The Dark One's disbelief. It was early for that kind of weather, even for being as high up in the mountains as he was. Snowfall wasn't due for at least another month, or had he simply forgotten to change the calendars within the castle again? No, he was sure he was right. In the two kingdoms he had visited just yesterday, last night even, the evening was cool and breezy as was customary to a usual autumn night. It wasn't that an early snowfall had upset him; it had simply caught him by surprise to come home after a long night and finding his entire land encased with at least a foot of the stuff.
Returning to the Dining Hall early that morning, Rumpelstiltskin found that his fire had long ago given out but that wasn't the most pressing thought on his mind. The room was empty of noise, not even the anguished crying of the woman down in his basement could be heard, though as he reached out with his senses he could still feel her heart beating strong.
Asleep while the sun rises. Well, we can't have that… Rumpelstiltskin snapped his fingers, feeling his magic pooling down in the confines of her cell and withdrew himself from his magic once he felt the task complete. Satisfied, he returned to the head of the table and took a seat, propping his elbows on the surface of the wooden table and waited, his eyes dead on the entryway he was sure she'd be emerging from.
XXX
Resting quietly on the thin mattress on the floor of her cell, Belle wiped away the silent tears that continued to stream down her cheeks, drying almost instantly upon contact with the frigid air around her and leaving trails of a crusty salt. She hadn't slept much through the night, how could she when her mind was so full and her heart so empty?
After a half-hour of banging on the door it was clear that Rumpelstiltskin would not be coming back for her. Reality hit her hard and fast as she had braced her entire left flank against the wooden door and slid down, slumping into a pathetic heap on the cold stone floor. Tears had begun to spill from the corners of her eyes, weeping not for her current predicament, but for the losses she had undergone so quickly. Not even away from her land for an hour then and an overwhelming sense of homesickness was taking root deep in her chest.
For hours after that, Belle had sobbed, a luxury she hadn't even given herself when she had awoken to find that her mother had died. She cried for the loss of her mother, the loss of a good friend Anna, both of which had been entirely her fault. But more than that she wept for the loss of her father, her kingdom and all those who resided in it for she would never be able to see them again. Once the tears had stopped, Belle found some sort of inner strength to drag herself over to the thin mattress laid out on the floor, cushioned only by an even thinner layer of straw. She might as well have slept on the floor, but at least the straw and fabric kept away the cold, if for just a bit.
The entire room felt as if it were encased in ice. Her toes, pinched and raw from her shoes had gone entirely numb as did her nose and fingers. It seemed the only warmth she would be getting that night would be from the hot, wet tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks once again as she realized that this was her life now, the life of a prisoner, a price to be paid out of the gentleness of her heart in wanting to save her people. She debated removing her shoes for a moment, wanting to examine the souls of her feet to see if her fair skin had indeed blistered from the uncomfortable walk to the village, but with the temperature quickly dropping, she dared not even attempt. Her feet would freeze over soon enough, as would the rest of her body and she'd become nothing more than a cold, hard shell, incapable of feeling. She had only wished that the bitter cold would numb her aching insides as well.
And so was her first night in The Dark Castle.
A sudden clanking noise from within her cell caused Belle to bolt upright so fast, her vision became clouded in red for a second or two before going black with flashing stars. Holding her head tightly against her right palm, cursing the headache she had created from crying all throughout the night to go away, her vision slowly restored and she could finally give her attention to what had startled her so in the first place. Blinking at the object before her, Belle cautiously stood up as the last of the purple smoke dissipated back down to the stone floor under her feet leaving a tea service in the center of the small room that hadn't been there before.
Tentatively, Belle reached out to the kettle and let the pads of her fingertips feather the top. She nearly jumped back when the kettle in turn nearly burnt the skin at the touch. Confused, but more-so curious, Belle reached her hand back and lifted up the lid to the kettle, finding her wrist almost instantly assaulted by a warm bout of steam rising from within. The heat was causing her wrist to become red in irritation, but she held it there for as long as she could, embracing what warmth she could receive before being forced to return the lid back to the kettle and pull her wrist back to her for some gentle nursing.
It was a handsome set, all pieces matching in a wonderful yet simple design of white porcelain with a limited use of the color blue splashed onto the sides in delicate, hand-painted lines. Upon the silver tea tray complimenting the kettle were a stack of small plates, a small pitcher of cream an open bowl of brown sugar cubes and two cups.
Two? Belle had to wonder as she ran her hand delicately over its humble design on the teacups face. Does he wish to join me? If he has gone through the trouble of readying it, only to send it down here for me by magic, then I must be overthinking things. Perhaps he's already caught on to my clumsiness and this is his way of telling me that he won't be surprised if I break one of them… A gentle smile played across her delicate lips as she removed her fingers from the tea cup and back to her person. He was thinking of her though, perhaps he was feeling guilty at last for forcing her to sleep down here where she nearly froze to death and-
A small cloud of purple smoke suddenly appeared on the tea service beside the pitcher of cream, in its wake a small index card no larger than her pinky remained. Reaching out, Belle picked up the card and brought it up to her eyes, reading over the scrawl that she assumed belonged to Rumpelstiltskin.
Tea. Now.
Before Belle even had a moment to process the two incredibly simple words, there was a distinctive clicking noise coming from her cell door, followed by a protesting groan on the rusty hinges as the door popped open and swung outwards, granting her freedom from her prison. Laughing through her smile, she hastily put the card back down on the service tray and ran her palms over her eyes, ensuring that each and every last tear and trail was gone from her complexion. If she were to face her master again this morning, she would do so with a brave face. This was to be her life from here on out, a life she had to remind herself that she had asked for.
Picking up the tea service and finding its balance, Belle swallowed hard before making her way up the stone stairs to face the beast of the castle, forever her master.
Belle did what she could to keep her eyes on anything that wasn't looking back at her. From the moment she crossed the threshold she could feel the intense eyes of Rumpelstiltskin on her. She tried to focus on the various items on the pedestals that she had found so interesting the day before, but they were all blurred and seemingly boring the more she tried to ignore his stare.
It didn't take much effort on his part to notice that the girl was going out of her way to ignore him as she entered the room. A knowing smile spread across his thin lips as he brought the tips of his fingers together, watching her intently as she brought the tea service to the table, doing what she could to look anywhere but towards him. Whether it was anger that still fueled her this morning he did not know, she carried herself with the same poise she had the day before, the posture of a noble woman that came with years and years of being told what to do in respects of being a proper lady. That, he found, he didn't mind so much.
"You will serve me my meals, and you will clean The Dark Castle." He said suddenly, cutting the still air around them. His lip twitched when he noticed her jump at the sound of his voice, as if she had just noticed that he was there.
She fears me. He came to understand. Good.
Gathering her wits about her, Belle could only nod and keep her chin down as she readied the tea for servicing.
"I-I understand." She stammered, doing her part by filling the two tea cups with the hot brew. By her reasoning, if he hadn't intended for her to take tea with him, then he would have only provided the one cup. Still, she was waiting for the steel reprimand of his dissatisfaction as she finished with the first and picked up the second with her free hand with the intent to fill, but it never came, instead he merely continued on.
"You will dust my collection, and launder my clothing."
Belle felt her head nodding on its own accord, feeling her already stiff muscles screaming at her from the movement but was unable to stop even if she wanted to. Her body had seemed to abandon her mind altogether, under the understanding that if she did anything other than agree willingly to each and every request he gave her, she would surely pay the price.
"Yes."
She stole a glance up at him, finding him perfectly content at the head of the table and making his requests. She looked back down at the empty cup in her hand, tilting the kettle with her opposite one and began to fill it with the warm liquid.
"You will fetch me fresh straw when I am spinning at the wheel."
"Got it."
Feeling a few drops of the hot brew splashing onto her hand, Belle's attention was brought back to the task of filling the second cup, noticing then that her entire body was shaking, thus forcing her to put the cup back onto the tray so that she might fill it without making such a mess of things. It seemed that Rumpelstiltskin would be getting the first cup she had poured, as that one didn't have tea splashed over the rim and dripping down the sides.
She retrieved the first cup, her blue eyes looking over the cream and sugar with a complete blank expression. She hadn't the slightest idea of how Rumpelstiltskin took his tea. Holding it fast in her hand, as if the delicate piece of china in her hand was some sort of protector, she faced him with a straight back, digging deep in her mind for the words to ask him how she should prepare it but he spoke once more, unfinished with the list of tasks he was to give her.
"Oh, and you will skin the children I hunt for their pelts."
Immediately, the strong grip she once had on the cup completely vanished. She felt the fragile piece slipping through her hands like hot butter, unable to grasp back onto it tight enough before a solid clink filled the air as the cup had found its way to the Persian rug underneath her feet, spilling the hot brew both all over it and her hands as it had toppled from her possession. An instantaneous, gut-wrenching pain found its way to Belle's entire body as she witnessed the entire deal in what felt like slow motion. A thousand different thoughts penetrated her mind in the blink of an eye, none of which had to do with the possibility that she had broken something of value that belonged to The Dark One.
Looking back into the face of the monster, Belle felt her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to even breathe. He remained staring back at her for what almost felt like two lifetimes before a smile broke over his otherwise firm expression, a finger pointing up in the air and wagging at her in a teasing fashion.
"That one was a quip. Not serious." A soft giggle came from his throat, and it took Belle the entirety of two seconds to realize that he was only joking.
"Right." She replied quickly, forcing a laugh from her chest that came out more like a strained wheeze on her part as air was only just starting to return to her lungs. Finally able to breathe right again, her mind was able to return to the cup that was staining the rug with tea at her feet. Feeling sick all over again, Belle squatted down to the floor to retrieve it, praying to any and all gods that would hear her that it hadn't been broken. They hadn't heard her. Gathering the cup in both her hands, she examined the chipped rim with tears threatening to spill out of the corners of her eyes. Even in her blurred vision, she could see that it was well beyond repair.
"Oh... my. I'm so sorry but, uh... it's… it's chipped." Belle swallowed hard as she forced her eyes away from the china and up at her master who had to peer around the table to be able to see her on the floor on the opposite side of the table. She held the cup up; unable to gauge his reaction from their distance though made a point to keep the chipped side closest to her in an effort to make the damage seem smaller than what it was. "You- you can hardly see it…"
Rumpelstiltskin took a good, long hard look his caretaker before him. He could practically feel the terror pulsing from her blood and the beating of her frantic heart against her chest. She was expecting him to do something completely and utterly horrible, he just knew she was. And yet, what better way to instill fear into someone than to keep them on their toes and to do the unexpected? Tilting his head thoughtfully for a moment, keeping his fingers together he stared her down before letting a small sneer roll up over the top of his ruined teeth.
"Well, it's just a cup." He replied, as if her reiterated worry over something so pointless was bothering him to no end.
A smile. He wasn't expecting that. The very first he had seen on her face since picking her up as his prize last night and found that he liked the way it brought that flickering twinkle to her eye. Her red lips turned up in relief at his words, grateful that he hadn't turned his anger on her in anger and cast her back down into the dungeon to lock her away but it was gone as quickly as it had come. He could only watch as she picked herself back up off the ground and attended to the tea, going with two brown lumps of sugar and just a splash of cream in the undamaged cup. It was how she would have taken her tea if given the chance, but with the other cup now damaged, it seemed only her master would be having tea that morning.
"No, the other one." He instructed almost immediately as he had realized what her intent was. When she looked back up at him, question in her eyes, he felt the need to explain. "That one you've already made sticky with your clumsiness. I'd sooner cut my lip on a broken cup than have my fingers stick together the remainder of the day."
It was a silly reason, but Belle only hesitated for a moment before preparing the chipped cup the same way she had prepared the first and brought it to him. She gave him a small nod as he accepted the cup, feeling his fingers brushing up against hers for the briefest of moment in the exchange, surprised to find his skin warm to the touch, not at all cold and lifeless as she had come to expect. When he said nothing, only keeping his dead eyes on her, Belle retreated to the other side of the table where she picked up what was now to be considered her cup and raised it to her lips. She paused briefly when she noticed that Rumpelstiltskin hadn't even taken a sip of his yet, his eyes were still watching her though, almost as if he were waiting for her to take the first drink.
Perhaps… she thought as she raised the brim of the cup to her lips, feeling the steam slowly warming up the tip of her frozen nose. Perhaps there is a gentleman in there… deep down somewhere…
Just as she had thought, after taking the first sip Rumpelstiltskin raised his own cup to his lips, keeping his finger over the chipped surface as to not accidentally brush his lips over it and cut himself. He was finished with his tea far before she had, as it seemed that he was suddenly in a big hurry. Setting the empty cup down on the table, Rumpelstiltskin stood up and brushed the flaps of his dragon hide coat before clearing his throat and looking back to his caretaker.
"You can start with the rug. That stain won't be easy to get out, and the entire thing might as well be washed." He began. "And when you've finished with that, get yourself familiar with the kitchen. Lunch is to be served daily at precisely eleven-forty five, tea is to be served faithfully at two-fifteen and supper is to be had at exactly six." He paused to watch her, but found she had nothing left to say to him and only managed to bob her head up and down like an obedient child. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that now, had only one night in his dungeon given her enough reality to break her into submission so quickly? If it had, then she was far weaker in spirit than he had initially given her credit for. Dismissing the thought with a sort of snort through his nose, he simply turned his back and left the Dining Hall, the grand double doors of the entry opening up to him automatically as he approached. Upon the threshold, however, he stopped and turned, finding that her bright blue eyes were still upon him, though she shied away from his gaze straight away after he had turned.
"Oh, and uh, don't try to open any doors that are locked up tight. Trying to open them a second time will result in some… nasty consequences."
Finding the news to upset her so that it was brought out in her gentle features, Rumpelstiltskin filled the Dining Hall with his childish giggle before walking through the threshold entirely and letting the double doors close quickly behind him.
Author's Note:
Apologies again for not being able to post this one up sooner. Kind of difficult when one has no internet hmm? Anywho, let me know what you guys think about this chapter. Without much contact and interaction, it was a bit of a struggle to find things of relevance that would add to the story but I'm overall pretty damn happy with the chapter. Of course there is much more to be had in this story so long as you guys keep showing me your support! I appreciate each and every one of you!