Chapter 2: In your Debt
The blood continued seeping out of his shoulder leaving Rumpelstiltskin agonizing with every step.
He sensed the arrow moving to another direction to avoid a wound toward his lower torso in which the panic led him to transform into a human falling into the sky after his wing had been hit. The swan faeries were known to have tough skin even outside of their robes, however the degree of torture Rumpelstiltskin suffered form led his body into a severely weakened state were an arrow injury meant unpredictable results.
Thrilled as he saw the lake, Rumpelstiltskin jumped in throwing his cloak into a den of rocks close by. The touch of the water began to restore much of his movement as he tasted the water when it touched his lips. His arm continue throbbing where swimming became a difficult task, but his legs continued functioning fine where he placed his head on the surface gasping for air as he continued bathing.
He wondered how to get back. In his weakened state, it would have been impossible to create a portal and not having any idea how he had been gone, it was likely his family must have believed he been dead. Swan faeries were known to live for many centuries but aged slowly; he remembered being at least three centuries old prior to imprisonment which he had the appearance of a young man although the lines on his face disagreed with him.
The only way he could try contact would be to wait during the next full moon and take his chances.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
Rumpelstiltskin gasped hearing a female voice quickly moving back to the rocks, but it became too late when he saw a young woman, barely more than a girl, he estimated, standing before him in an emerald gown embroidered in gold hemming. She wore little jewelry on her lovely alabaster neck other than a simple pearl necklace thinking it looked wrong for the dress, her chestnut brown hair were neatly tied in a ponytail to the left side on a black ribbon. Her lips were full and cherry; he thought she gave him a brief smile where he quickly noticed the color of her eyes a beautiful shade of cerulean staring at him with curiosity.
He saw his cloak quickly restoring his thoughts back, "You do know it's rude to watch others while they bathe?" he snapped. "A young girl such yourself can get in trouble." He hoped she would get the message.
Now Belle became annoyed over his insinuations. "I was trying to find out the source of the footprints. You do realize this lake is my property and you are therefore are trespassing."
"Really?" He ran his eyes over her insolently. "I don't see your name written on it."
"You are in the private forest reserved for the House of Français, as Princess of Avonlea, I command you to take your clothes at once and find another place to bathe." She went to pick up his cloak when Rumpelstiltskin quickly jumped out of the water, grabbing it before Belle had a chance to touch it. The speed caused the stress on his shoulder to suffer another shot of pain seeping into his arm when Belle quickly noticed the blood coming out.
Without thinking, Belle jumped into the water clothes quickly wet where the dress started to weight her down, in order to inspect his arm.
"Get out of here. My wound isn't something to trouble yourself over with Princess." He said with a heavy strain to his voice.
"Don't be silly, you need to get this looked at." On closer inspection, Belle noticed a blue, wooden paint lodged into his arm when she made the connection She took the ribbon from her hair, tying it onto his shoulder tightening the pain as he continued squirming away from her. "I recognize these arrows, how did you get injured by them?"
I was flying and some idiot shot me.
When Rumpelstiltskin heard the explanation going over his head, he knew it sounded strange and revealing the truth would have been worse.
"I have been wandering for days after leaving my village to find better opportunities; I was climbing and felt a sharp pain on my arm where I wanted to clean it up. Mother always said next to true love's kiss, the most powerful magic out was water due to its healing properties."
While Belle was not normally one to second guess another person's upbringing, something in regards to Rumpelstiltskin's story made little sense to her. The man was young, estimating about mid-twenties, mal-nourished and appeared too nervous around her, as though he believed she would harm him. She not only noticed the shoulder injury, but most of his body contained scars through the upper torso, back, where she believed if he had not been wearing trousers, she would have instantly noticed the scars extending to the lower reason based on the pattern from some of the scars.
Some of the scars appeared fresh, including a burn mark on the upper portion of his back into the shoulder disgusting Belle at the thought of someone hurting him. "One of my companions must have hit you mistaking it for a bird. I feel responsible for what happened, please allow me to take you home and get you healed."
Rumpelstiltskin thought about declining the offer when he saw the state of his body were it would take weeks to properly heal. The Blanche Forest provided him with the means to cross through were Zeena would think he lived in a different realm. He kept noticing her paying little attention to his cloak where he wondered if she had any knowledge on his kind.
"Lead the way Princess." He grinned at her.
"My name is Belle." she said.
"Rumpelstiltskin," he bowed to her.
Gathering his cloak, Rumpelstiltskin followed Belle out of the lake.
They continued walking through the forest with Belle confiding to Rumpelstiltskin about her life in the palace, he learned the last five years she has been getting groomed to take over for her father splitting her time from performing duties similar to a queen consort to spending twice a week listening to counsel meetings about the state of the kingdom providing suggestions at the expense of the other members ignoring her.
Gone was his assumption of an airhead royal viewing the world in silver clouds, revealing a determined twenty year old woman demanding to be taken seriously. The more she confided in him about her worries with performing her royal duties, the most sympathetic Rumpelstiltskin became when he remembered he had once been in that same place. His thought went back to Baelfire wondering if he felt the same pressure he had now that he would take over. Did he have the same doubts whether he could do the job adequately?
He wanted to tell Belle everything would be fine, but he didn't even have the answer.
"Why do you wear should a strange looking pelt in the middle of spring?" Belle asked taking Rumpelstiltskin thought back to his companion.
She extended her hand to feel the material when Rumpelstiltskin again flinched away from her, "I really can't have anyone touching it. It is a family heirloom; my father gave it to me as part of rite of passage in our tribe. The fabric is very old, where others might not be so careful with it."
"And yet your throw it around as though it were a simple piece of clothing." Belle looked at the cloak and him skeptically.
He began touching his robes, cleaning out any particles of dirt lying on the feathers. "I treat my robes as though it is my own skin, you must have something you cherish were you refuse to let anyone touch it not even for a simple cleaning?"
"Fair enough."
Soon as they left the clearing, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin found themselves crossing paths with the remainder of the hunting party. Rumpelstiltskin felt a strange sensation from his head in which his injuries continued to exasperate when seeing the horses around him spinning, turning into different shapes.
He heard a faint reply from Belle before losing consciousness.
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Belle sat in her favorite spot of the library staring at the stack of her books ahead of her while letting the teapot turn cold. She began to become tired from staring at the pages in an effort to find a clue regarding Rumpelstiltskin's origins.
The closest she could go on had been something he muttered in a delirious state while soothing his fever. She had not been sure if what she heard had been correct leading to some of her free time looking up various books on villages with a heavy reliance on water.
She instantly smelled an assortment of baked goods and fresh tea turning around to see Rogers holding their tea cart handing her another cup. "Thought you could use another pick me up, you look ragged lass."
"Thanks" she said taking a drink with Rogers joining her in looking at her questionably when he showed her a title on a book about water deities. "I'm sure Rumpelstiltskin told you all of his life history and you are here to let me know." She took the book from him gathering another to read.
"Between avoiding Gaston and your father being under the impression I'm your babysitter, I don't think I managed to make friends with your sleeping prince."
"He kept saying he needed water to go home. Also something he mentioned earlier regarding water and healing a while back."
"Water you say?" he pondered.
"Yeah, at one point when I tried redressing his wounds, he looked at him as though I were trying to hurt him." Belle continued ignoring Rogers who picked up a tray of pastries as she pondered onto a page on her book discussing a tribe of water dwellers who worn robes made of bird feathers, tearing it away from the book before her cousin had a chance to notice.
Rumpelstiltskin opened his eyes finding himself in an ornate room painted in reds and brown, a stone palette. He leaned closer to his pillow lying down in a large poster bed wearing a nightshirt and his torso completely covered in bandages. Turning to his side, seeing Belle lying on a chair with a book between her lap in a different outfit than earlier. She looked so peaceful; breathing lightly, Rumpelstiltskin nearly mistook her for another sprite due to the light from the window enhancing her skin. Quickly getting out of the bed, Rumpelstiltskin frantically scoured the room to find his cloak when he saw it lying on another chair opposite him laid out to be worn even cleaned with no traces of dirt and pebbles within sight. He debated about putting it on, but it would have meant risking Belle seeing him transform, he couldn't walk out of the room in a night shirt without drawing attention and still reeling over his injuries.
Sighing in defeat, he flicked his wrist filling the room with sunlight as he let the curtains drop to the ground causing Belle's eyes to be disturbed waking up to find her patient now up. She smiled back at him placing her book on the table adjusting to the light.
"Good evening, you scared me back there." She said to him.
"How long have I been asleep?" Rumpelstiltskin touched his torso still grasping on the extent of his injuries.
"For at least two days. You fainted as everyone arrived; it took some convincing to explain to papa you were merely my escort out of the forest." She quickly gets up drying her eyes from the evidence of sleep heading to the door. "I'm going to send my ladies to have you cleaned up and accompany you the counsel room."
He bowed to her flamboyantly "As you wish Princess"
"Just call me Belle."
Rumpelstiltskin smirked back tilting his head in a pondering pose, "I prefer Princess"
An hour later, Rumpelstiltskin arrived into the counsel room dressed in courtly attire finding the room filled to the brim with sea green and white tapestries which seemed inappropriate for a room to discuss war plans, an adequate array of books stocked close to the window with a table close by filled with scrolls and writing instruments, a round circle with a map of the terrains in the center normally filled with many of King Maurice's closest advisors and several noblemen within the area. He continued scanning the room keeping his composure seeing a large older man dressed in red and black sitting in the center of the table with Belle on his right side assuming it to be Belle's father. Next to the older man, was another man who judging by the black attire and handsome exterior must have been the cousin Belle mentioned along another man in red who clung close to Belle where it was apparent the proximity had made her uncomfortable.
"Please sit", stated Maurice with Rumpelstiltskin immediately obeying. "Allow me to extend my apologies for what occurred to you during the hunt." He eyes at Gaston who appears who is just as annoyed. "It appears His Grace, the Duke of Legume mistook you for a bird due to the hot weather and an over excessive attempt at competition between him and my nephew, the Duke of Somerset. Please accept our hospitality here for as long as you need."
"I am grateful to your hospitality sire as I do hold no ill will toward His Grace. I am merely a weaver seeking another kingdom to call home where my talents could be greatly appreciated than in my previous household."
"What exactly do you weave?" asked Gaston taking both Belle and Rumpel aback. "We can't just take your word especially since our dear Princess stated she found you swimming on the lake just before we arrived and we couldn't find anything on you."
Rumpelstiltskin stared at proud man lying back in his chair wanting nothing more than to strangle him. "Sadly for you, I had been robbed prior to the Princess finding me as my bathing had to evidently clean many of my wounds. I can spin straw into gold; a skill I had inherited from my father and their father before them."
He could tell they believed he is lying, at times he wished it was a power he never possessed. Gaston quickly pointed out the guest's story has been lies until Belle requested the guards bring Rumpelstiltskin a basket of straw and a spinning wheel. He looked at the straw realizing he had no choice, sat down to the surprise of everyone, turning it into gold with Belle smiling confidently.
"He proved true to his word. I suggest we let the poor man alone."
Maurice agreed requesting Belle and Rogers take him back to his room. Just before he gathered himself, Gaston stopped him turning around and back to make sure no one else was listening.
"I don't know who you think you are, but get one thing straight. Stay away from Belle, she is my fiancée and I won't appreciate you using whatever sorcery you have to cozy up to her and filling her head with any useless ideas"
"What ideas are those pray tell?" Rumpelstiltskin smirked at him. "Being a decent human being? She mentioned you were too indulgent in your talents at shooting to have even bothered to caring what it was you shot."
"I know what I saw, and it was a bird. Stay out of my way and stay away from Belle."
"I can't promise something I may not have power, now if you will excuse me"
Rumpelstiltskin slipped away from Gaston following Belle and Rogers into his room where they ordered him to get well without any questions. Just before Belle closed the door, she nervously stared at him getting her book to let him know she is in his service. He chuckled at how sweet the girl looked at the cloak nearly forgetting it was lying on the chair in the entire time.
At another glance, everything still appeared intact where he noticed a chest on the edge of the bedroom. He opened it placing the cloak there then modifying the chest to have a lock where there was no possible method in breaking into it only using a drop of his blood to open it. The hosts had ordered him to get well where he stared at the window giving him a view of a fountain and parts of the garden.
From glancing, he saw Rogers playing ball with a girl younger than Belle wearing blond hair and a light blue dress who he assumed must have been the man's tomboy daughter. He watched them for a while laughing and playing without a care where he tried to remember the last time he was in a similar position.
It could be nice to stay, other than the lummox fiancé, they all appear to be pleasant.
He smiled as the girl noticed him where she waved in which he waved back at her. Not wanting to cause a problem, Rumpelstiltskin drew the blinds, making sure the door was secured before getting a book from the bookcase.