Chapter 5: A Knight in Feathery Armor
Belle took deep breaths staring into her mirror while seven maids helped her get ready. Her usual dressing took at least one maid or she would do it herself, however the dress her father ordered for her proved to be unusually elaborate providing two layers of lace placed on a crinoline and an extensive form of tight lacing. She wanted Alice to help her, but the girl declined due to a previous meeting she could not have gotten out of where Belle hoped everything was fine. Rumpelstiltskin mentioned Alice had recently been seeing of the maids who went through a lot of trouble in avoiding meeting her and whenever the subject was brought up to Alice.
She hoped Rogers at least had been more updated in his daughter's life recently than the ones who were more geographically closer.
After the last of the maids placed the sapphire brooch on her hair decorated with trusses of curls made into a bun with little strands of hair curled around her face enhancing her eyes, Belle gave herself another look in the mirror standing straight comprehending herself. The new dress, a bright red gown with short sleeves off the shoulders, cross-stitched in gold thread throughout the bodice in a looser skirt mixed with a train at least two feet long forcing her to wear shoes two inches longer than her usual three inch long footwear. She turned around blushing the delicacy of the fabric on her, giving her the impression of walking nude.
Belle smiled telling herself a birthday meant allowing oneself to be pampered.
"Enter" she stated dismissing her maids.
The door open her father entered with a jewelry box in his hand. Maurice looked as regal as his daughter even wearing his crown as he was known to find ceremonial jewelry unnecessary in most occasions, even a coronation. He smiled looking at his daughter tightly embracing.
"You look beautiful tonight my girl." He presented the box to her opening it revealing it to be a small tiara with a diamond centerpiece woven in floral pattern. He placed the head set on her were Belle stared at it proudly confident enough to leave her room as they walked together out of the bedroom and into the corridors. "Even so I am certain a particular boy you are so fond of would be fool for it to escape his notice."
Belle was shocked hearing her father mentioning it, she could lie to Alice, Rogers and even to herself, but she never could fool her father.
"You are not upset?" she asked in a surprised tone.
Maurice nodded. "As much as I had preferred you marry Gaston, Rumpelstiltskin has gained my respect these past several months not just by the spinning technique but by his judgement and dedication to helping you while completing his position regarding the treasury."
"Rumpelstiltskin and I merely friends papa…."
He interrupted her, "….and when the day occurs where you decide to expand your friendship, let me know immediately to conduct my blessing."
Without warning, Belle jumped up to hug her father stating over to him "thank you".
"Papa, how did you know mama was the one for you?" Belle had knew her parent's marriage had also been an arrangement, but she always proud to have known that her parents were one of the few marriages were genuine love came from one another where after she died, Maurice refused to take another wife even when Belle suggested he shouldn't be alone for her sake, stating he was still married to Colette.
"When I first saw your mother at our wedding day, I had already been nervous at the thought of spending the rest of my life with a woman who I never met. My palms were sweating and wanting to tell your grandparents this was a mistake. She walked down the aisle in her silver gown covered in a laced shawl staring directly at me with her blue eyes. Instead of being frightened, your mother who was a petite woman, kept her head high assuring everyone this marriage was a new milestone. Just before the archbishop commences the ceremony, she whispered in my ear how excited she had been these past for weeks despite having an attack of nerves over the arrangement. At that moment, I realized there was wit behind her beauty where by the time I recited my vows, I knew your mother was someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."
Belle began to weep hearing the story when he father gave her a handkerchief. "All I have wanted was to make you proud of me."
"You already have." Maurice placed a kiss on her forehead walking to the party.
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Alice stood on top of the bench at the rose garden seeing the festivities from the party inside commencing while she turned finding herself alone. She received a letter from Margot in the morning to meet her in their usual spot where Alice found herself no one was looking for her at the risk of ending the party. For nearly twenty minutes, Alice waited with no one arriving, she assumed either Margo was unable to get out of working the kitchen or the meeting had not been too important for her to have gone through all of this trouble. She sighed leaving the bench to walk out when Alice heard a rustling within the bushes finding Margot walking towards her not in a maid outfit, but dressed in trousers, peasant shirt bound by a doublet where it showed off her curves in perfect form.
The girls kissed one another under the moonlight when Robyn looked up at Alice wanting to quickly leave or tell her to go back to the party. "Sorry I was late."
"Doesn't matter as long as you are here." They kissed again. "Actually, I do have something I wanted to ask you." Alice lowered her head fidgeting where she needed to take deep breath before Robyn would tell her to hurry up, "papa sent me a letter this morning wishing for me to come to Moldovia for his wedding. I will be leaving in less than a week." She placed her hand onto Robyn's "I want you to come with me Margot."
"What are you saying?"
"I love you and if I had a ring right, I would be proposing marriage to you."
Robyn cried from happiness and sorrow. These past few months with Alice she felt more human where she wished Zelena was watching and would quickly crush her heart to spare the pain of telling Alice the truth.
"I can't" Robyn said seeing Alice confused by the rejection. "Alice, I love you but we come from two distinct worlds."
"If its about your status, uncle Maurice won't care as long as he sees the good person. You can show him your archery skills and find you a position in the army. My father could tell you stories of many nobles who married outside of their station." Alice placed her hands into the blonde's large green eyes. "Please Margot, I love you"
She couldn't bear to see the girl cry from her rejection running away from the gardens and into the castle. She looked at the clock tower clock seeing the time of the ball commencing deciding to put a stop to this once and for all. Robyn used the servants entrance leading to several compartments giving her a direct shortcut throughout the castle. Taking a staircase into the second floor, Robyn walked out of the compartment from a stone wall hidden by a large portrait in the gallery; she took a few turns making it to Rumpelstiltskin's bedroom picking the lock to enter using his blood once again to open the chest finding it to be empty.
"Oh no! No, no, no, don't do this to me" she panic looking around the wardrobe and under the bed. "Where did he put it?"
"Put what?" The voice surprised Robyn standing up to turn around finding an angry Alice drawing a dagger into her. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Alice tightened the dagger into "Margot's" back knowing the girl must have felt the pressure between her ribs. She thought at first Margot had second doubts about her father's approval in choosing a maid, following her out of the gardens when Alice saw her heading into the secret compartments into the upstairs rooms, following her to Rumpelstiltskin's room opening the chest where he kept his robes. She couldn't understand what was going on and questioning how much of the truth this woman told her.
"Let me ask again, what the hell are you doing here Margot?"
"Alice please, you don't know what you are doing!" Robyn stated.
Alice released her angry she still felt love for this woman. "You're one them aren't you? The people who Rumple who tortured Rumple. This is why you always never wanted to see him, he would have recognized you!" Yelling back holding back her tears.
Robyn took a deep breath no longer caring. "My name is Robyn, I work for a sorceress named Zelena who rules over the mountains in the Western lands. I helped Rumpel escaped and lied to Lady Zelena he was dead when I was ordered to track him down. She found him and ordered me to place him back into his bidding through a spell she conducted where it was placed on his robes, it will be placed on full effect once he transforms. I didn't want to do this, Zelena has my heart and she will kill me if I don't complete her task" weeping as she tried to talk, "find the Swan Prince and warn him he will be a slave again if he transforms."
Alice took what Robyn told her taking the dagger to her neck. "No she doesn't have your heart." Before Robyn realized what occurred, Alice passionate kissed her. "We still have a way to make this right for everyone. Come on" she smirked back at her when Robyn smiled drying her tears following Alice out of the bedroom heading out into corridors until both girls found themselves frozen.
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Maurice spared no expense in hosting an elaborate ball for Belle's 21st birthday. The banners were recently made providing the banners of their Avonlea in its majestic glory, the food appeared to have taken weeks in preparing as many of the assortment ranged from a fountain made of fondue to carefully decorated platters were Belle felt a twinge of guilt from taking a strawberry from the fruit tower as it looked more for decoration than consumption.
Many of the nobles from around the region came to pay their respect to the King and Princess including several royals who Belle had known since childhood who were given a handwritten personal invitation to arrive. Once such royal had been Tiana of Moldovia, who Belle noticed went into the kitchen arguing with the head chef over the proper techniques in preparing beignets. After her amusement ended, Belle quickly released Tiana away from the chef before they started another war.
"Tiana, you need to let the chefs prepare their work. Not many of them like having royals hanging around the kitchen telling them what to do."
Tiana went to get champagne handing a glass to Belle. "You know I've been making beignets since I could walk. Put me in a room with that chef for a few hours and I will show him the texture was not flaky enough were cream causes the dough to get soggy."
Belle folded knowing her friend's background in the culinary arts were had she not been a queen, Tiana could have been a first class chef. "I'll consider it." The two friends smiled hugging one another as they continued conversing about their lives and Tiana's excitement over the wedding when Rogers appeared matching his date in a light green and gold doublet with an elaborate hat providing a large peacock feather.
"The two of the most beautiful women at the ball together, a man could die from happiness." Kissing their hands with Belle snickering at Rogers' attempts at flattery with Tiana blushing at the attention. "Have either of you seen Alice? I haven't had a chance to see my daughter."
"No one has seen her. She mentioned earlier date, probably lost track of time." Belle stated.
"I'm sure she will turn up" Tiana said.
Belle and Rogers took Tiana's optimism to heart and headed to dance. Rogers alternated between Belle and Tiana as his partners for several dances until Belle became exerted requesting to sit out the next one where they agreed to continue enjoying themselves. She sat down on the far end wondering what she was thinking in wearing such an elaborate dress, she continued watching her guests wondering if Rumpelstiltskin had still been in the library she had not seen him for nearly an hour. Many of her guests continued greeting her including Lady West who handed Belle a glass of champagne just before Gaston arrived requesting for a dance.
Belle had heard he arrive back the other day in which her father saw to him. There was something about him she couldn't place in which he looked so different even down to wearing complete black that she thought looked too much for him.
She continued looking around taking a sip of her champagne for liquid courage when she saw Rumpelstiltskin heading her direction. He appeared regal, hair cropped by a few inches, dressed in white from head to toe with a doublet decorated in a gold thread pattern wearing his cloak which complimented him better.
"May I have this dance, Princess?" he stated bowing to her ignoring Gaston.
"You seriously left me for him? He's not even human Belle" he stated where Rumpelstiltskin froze until Belle turned to Gaston.
"Gaston please, I want you to leave by the time this dance is finished. If I ever see you set one foot on this castle again, I will make sure your titles are stripped and you spend the rest of your days in the debtors' prison since you owe fortune on back taxes"
"You will be sorry."
She sweetly smiled back at him turning around to Rumpelstiltskin moving towards the center of the ballroom.
"Where were you?" she asked. "Between you appearing act and Alice missing for hours, I can't help but wonder if you two have some scheme conducted."
He smirked at her, "The birthday girl wanted her guests to dress appropriately."
"You're impossible Rumpelstiltskin" she rolled her eyes.
They continued dancing never taking their eyes off one another as Rumpelstiltskin held her tighter when Belle felt strange sensations.
"Can we go outside; I think all the champagne has gotten to me."
"Sure, I have something I need to tell you."
They held each other running out of the ballroom and into the back section of the rose garden with Rumpel summoning a flask of water for Belle with Rumpel summoning a flask of water for Belle. She quickly drank from it seeing Rumpelstiltskin pacing around the shrubs. He looked nervous and stared at the clock tower several times then back at Belle while pacing again.
"Rumple, you're scaring, what is it?"
He looked at a worried Belle going up to the bench she was sitting in and kissed her. The strange sensations she felt earlier were now gone as she felt more active again enjoying the taste of Rumpelstiltskin's lips onto hers. He took a rose from the shrubbery along with a feather from his cloak giving them to her. She inhales the scent of the rose along with keeping the feather into her hair between her barrettes amusing him when he proudly displayed it.
His expression turned serious "You once asked me why I wore the cloak, it's my skin." He stated knowing now he really confused her. "I have to tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a swan fairy who wanted nothing more than to uphold the traditions of his tribe even at the cost of upsetting his mother, the queen. She always blamed him for his father's death refusing to let him take over the throne after she was gone passing his claim to his younger brother."
"She couldn't have blamed him for something he was not responsible for."
Belle was too compassionate than he gave her credit for. "It wasn't enough for the queen as she wanted to get rid of her son. She made a deal with a witch who wanted eternal youth and the Queen gave it to her in the form of an emerald pendant that can only be powered by gold made by a swan fairy. The Queen thought it was a perfect way to get rid of her son and the witch found herself a perfect obedient fairy to give her whatever she desired."
Belle continued blinking comprehending what Rumpelstiltskin told her. The gold making, the robes made of feathers and his affinity for water….
He's not even human Belle!
"You're a swan fairy."
He nodded. Rumpelstiltskin suspected Belle had not believed him. Sighing, he took his cloak, placing his hood up along with covering his arms under his cloak. Belle stood in silence she watched Rumpelstiltskin turn from a man to a swan as the cloak became his skin.