And there he found Rumplestilskin. Sitting in what was now the ruins of the once great hall, shards of glass strewn over the floor. The priceless antiques Rumplestiltskin had spent centuries collecting lay shattered, surrounding him. Jefferson halted in his tracks.
"Rumplestiltskin?"
No response.
"Where's Belle?"
At the mention of her name Rumplestiltskin looked up at his friend. "She's gone". Then he looked down, focusing again on the floor beneath him.
"No chance of tea then?" Rumplestilskin did not answer but continued to stare beneath him.
"What happened here?" Again Rumplestiltskin did not reply. Jefferson edged forward, and on closer inspection could see that Rumplestiltskin was not staring at the floor, but was enraptured by an object held in his lap. Edging forward again, Jefferson could see it was the chipped cup that Rumplestiltskin insisted on using shortly after Belle's arrival. He knelt in front of Rumplestiltskin and attempted to take the cup, to help his friend up and get some sense out of him. With a nonchalant flick of his wrist, Rumplestiltskin sent the Hatter flying backwards, crashing into the wall. Jefferson scrambled to his feet but Rumplestiltskin didn't even look up, didn't acknowledge Jefferson's presence any further.
The sound of the Evil Queen's laughter echoed from the shards of glass encircling Rumplestiltskin, and resonated throughout the castle as Jefferson left.
For all that Jefferson's being the Dark One's only friend made him certifiably insane; Jefferson was shrewd enough to know that he needed Rumplestiltskin's friendship. Despite the years of threats of being turned into short lived animals or other mishaps, he'd only been on the receiving end of Rumplestiltskin's wrath 17 times. And of those 17 times all were within the few months of Belle's occupancy of the castle, when Rumplestiltskin grew uneasy and wary of Jefferson's friendship with her. Nevertheless Rumplestiltskin's wrath usually abated within a few hours, or more usually when Belle would happen upon Jefferson suspended in mid air dripping with icy water from the buckets of water Rumplestiltskin periodically made materialise and then hurled at him, and demanded explanations of Rumplestiltskin. I'm not the one getting hot under the dragon hide collar at Belle, Jefferson had often thought bitterly. Rumplestiltskin would be better off hurling ice water at himself. With Jefferson's penchant for getting himself into somewhat perilous situations through his insistence of importuning the lives of the villagers, he needed Rumplestiltkin's friendship to ensure his survival. Besides, he actually liked Rumplestiltskin and was proud of the fact he was, hitherto prior to Belle's arrival, the only houseguest to make repeated overnight stays at the Dark Castle and walk away alive the following morning. He knew that secretly Rumplestiltskin enjoyed his company, and not just the potential services he offered as a portal jumper at low low prices. He needed to find Belle. His first port of call would be King Maurice's castle. Somewhat optimistically he wondered about the tea served in Maurice's domain, and once again made use of his hat...
The stranger, now clothed in muted green at the edge of King Maurice's grounds listened with interest to the conversation of the ladies who appeared to be Belle's maids. He could see Belle sitting with her back to a tree, a book fallen open on her lap but her eyes gazing off into the middle distance. The ladies surrounding her were obviously accustomed to her quietness of late as the conversation turned to gossip surrounding the Dark One's sexual appetites, and they coarsely and lasciviously repeated the stories of what he had subjected their Lady to. Whilst Rumplestiltskin himself was usually the source of the more outlandish escapades of the Dark Lord's and the stranger enjoyed hearing them, when they involved Belle the stories lost their humour. Belle sat, not hearing or seeing anything in front of her. Again, her mind was back at the Dark Castle. Satisfied that Belle was at the very least physically unharmed, Jefferson crept away again. He wanted very much to talk to her now, but knew that a strange man walking unbidden through the King's grounds was not a welcome sight and therefore it would be unwise of him to appear thus, especially when he couldn't rely on Rumplestiltskin's saving him just in the nick of time. No, he'd have to wait for a more opportune moment. And in the meantime find some more...elegant attire. Muted green was just so passé.
Belle sat hearing the chatter of the maids around her but not listening to the particulars of the conversation. She was lost in her thoughts again. There was little point in talking to her maids, or any of the other ladies at court. She was in a gilded cage here. Everyone envied her position. A life of luxury and indolence, waited on hand and foot, wanting for nothing. Not one of them would understand her predicament and her longing for excitement. Most likely they would, with the best of intentions, report everything back to the King in the hope he could make her feel better. She could have lived this life once but for that one moment of bravery in going with Rumplestiltskin. Her books always contained adventure but that was something that only happened to other people. Then it happened to her. I want more than what this life can offer me. I will have more than this life can offer me.
She thought wistfully of the months before the kiss. The months when she was not sure whether she really loved him, or just the thought of him. It was easy to convince herself that she did not really love him, that she was confused as, save for the visits from Jefferson, he was her only company. It made it easy for her to indulge in her fantasies; fantasies based on a short lived infatuation were harmless and she could easily wait for that infatuation to pass. But the kiss had changed everything. And changed it for the worse. It had proved that this was true love, and she couldn't get past true love, her feelings couldn't be dismissed as a transient obsession. And I want more than this futile love can offer me.