From that day on I lived under the lie of being a boy named Sam. I was afraid that my voice would eventually give me away so I came up with a plan. I bought a quill, ink and parchment and wrote a note: My name is Sam. I cannot speak but I can read and write. Do you have any work I can do? I will work for anything.

I went from town to town finding work where I could. Sometimes I would earn food and others I would earn gold. Occasionally I would be given a bed for the night. I never tried to stay in one place for too long because I feared that I would be discovered. I cut my hair short to keep up with appearances. Overtime I eventually bought a dagger to use as my own weapon. I also made sure to practice my magic but only if I was alone.

I read the book that I got Rumpelstiltskin about Ogres. I learned a great deal about them and even found out about their weaknesses. The book told how to track Ogres and how to defeat them in a fight. It also described the different kinds of Ogres as well as the different tribes that they exist in.

One day when I was traveling I came across a lone Ogre. The Ogre appeared to have just come from a battle but he still had some fight left in him. I decided to use my knowledge and attack him. He and I fought but in the end I was victorious, I used my magic to speed myself up to deliver the final blow.

A soldier saw me slay the Ogre and takes me back to his camp with him. Even though I am only 10 years old I am enlisted as a page. I become the official messenger. I use my magic to speed myself up whenever I have to travel to deliver a message. I was considered to be the fastest and best messenger.

One day when I was taking a break while delivering a message I saw him again.

"Hello dearie, it is good to see you again."

"Rumpelstiltskin, it's been a while. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to drop in and say hello. It must have been a while since you have actually talked to someone. I see that good night's rest has done you some good. I love the cloak on you Sam."

I want to laugh. I knew that he knew a lot of things. I was wearing the same cloak that he gave me. I had grown attached to it even if I had to wear page clothes underneath.

"Is there anything you would want me to do by chance?"

"No, I was just curious to see how you are faring but you are doing well. I just wanted to tell that you make a perfect gentleman even more so than me."

"If you will excuse me I have to finish my errand. Good day Rumpelstiltskin and thank you for the book it has helped a great deal."

"You have no idea of the good that the book will come to you yet. Goodbye my dearie."

With that he disappears in a puff of smoke.

I continue to be a page boy running errands. Whenever I get a free moment I practice magic in privacy. Rumpelstiltskin even visits me and we fall back into our old routine as much as we can. He tries to teach me some dark spells once but I refused to do them. I told him that I could never pay the price that comes with them. He doesn't push me further.

I want to laugh at the idea of me hiding in plain sight. I work under the soldiers of my father but they only think of me as a page. I am well-respected by my ability to deliver messages but otherwise I am just a mute boy named Sam. Eventually as time passes I start to train to fight. I am careful when I fight to make sure that I show no signs of my true gender.

I quickly earn the respect of the others as my training quickly advances. One day when I finished running an errand delivering a note to a camp I was granted a few days of relaxation. It was only a few months after my 11th birthday. The camp I was in was close to my father's kingdom. I was no longer afraid of being discovered as I easily was known as the mute named Sam who already had slain an Ogre.

I left the camp and used my magic to speed to the tree stump. I saw Belle outside gathering herbs. I wanted to approach her but a guard was with her. I used my magic to make myself invisible and silently approached her.

"Belle do not jump, it is me. I am going to come back as a page boy let me communicate with the guard."

She nods her head yes.

I walk off and hide behind a tree to make myself visible again. I walk around and approach the guard.

"Halt who are you?"

I hand him the piece of paper that I carry around with me everywhere now. He reads it and relaxes a little.

"So you are the one they call Sam. I have heard many stories about you mute page. What business do you have here?"

I point towards Belle. She walks over to the guard and me.

"Is there a problem here?"

"No mistress Belle. This is the mute page boy you have heard about. He would like to meet you."

"It is an honor to meet you. I believe your name is Sam."

I nod my head yes.

"It is getting late I must head back to the castle before it gets too dark. Tomorrow I think I would like to have you accompany me Sam. I am sure that I could convince to have you as my guard tomorrow?"

I nod my head yes.

"Farewell then Master Sam."

I head back to my camp the happiest person alive. I am so glad to see Belle and I know that she feels the same way. I go to bed early so that I am prepared for tomorrow.

When the sun starts to rise I get ready. I make to the outside of the castle before the sun has fully risen using my magic to speed me faster than I have ever gone. I want to make sure that I can spend every moment with Belle that I can.

When she walks out of the castle she is accompanied by the same guard from yesterday. He walks over to me and hands me a bow and a quiver of arrows. He tells me to keep my eyes open and watch out for Ogres. I know that there haven't been any sightings recently but I know that he is still being cautious. He bids us farewell warning us to be back before the sky darkens.

As soon as Belle and I are a good distance away from the castle she turns and hugs me.

"Angel, I have missed you so much. Let me see you without that hat on."

She reaches to take off the hat and my short hair falls out.

"What have you done to it?"

"I cut it to make my disguise more convincing. I haven't been called Angel in a while. As you have heard the stories I am now known as the page boy named Sam."

"Everyone else may call you Sam but you will always be my baby sister Angel. Give me that bow and arrow before you hurt yourself."

I see a smile in her face as she is trying to take the weapons away from me.

"Belle, I am responsible for your safety. It is my duty to protect you. Besides I can do more damage than a bow and arrow on my own. I have already slain an Ogre by my own self."

"I have heard the rumor that you have but I never thought that it would have actually been you Angel. Tell me the story while we walk."

I tell Belle of how I encountered the Ogre and how I was able to defeat the Ogre. I show her the dagger that I used even. She listens with the same fascination and intent I used to use when she told me stories. She was curious about how I knew how to defeat an Ogre. I told her that the Ogre was already fatigued from battle but she still tries to press on.

"I learnt how to slay Ogres from a book."

"Where did you get the book?"

"I got it on my travels."

"Who gave it to you?"

She tries to force the answer out of me but I am reluctant to answer her. I don't want her to know about my interactions with Rumpelstiltskin. I am afraid of her finding out and turning away from me. She could think I was evil even though I refused to use dark magic.

I manage to change the subject to talk of the castle. Most of the news of the military is common to me so Belle tells me about our father.

"He has been distant since you left. He spends most of his time planning military. When you left after a few days of searching your death was announced to the public. They buried an empty casket. I knew that you were not dead I had a feeling that you were still alive. I want you to know that you are always welcome to come back home."

"Belle, you yourself just told me that I am legally proclaimed to be dead. I want to come back but I know that this is where I belong right now. Just like you couldn't leave the castle, I can't leave the military."

"I understand. You promised you would come back for me and you did. I am glad to see you again and I know that our time together is brief but I want to remember you this way. You have grown up a lot more than I could have ever known. You may be my baby sister but you are also a warrior."

I just want to have Belle hold me and rock me like she used to. She reaches over to hug me and I fall apart in her arms once again. I feel the tears sliding down my face running into her dress. When I finally am done crying I stay in Belle's arms for a few seconds longer taking in her scent. I hug her back. She reaches into her pocket and takes out a handkerchief.

I smile at her, it's the same handkerchief that I gave her on the day I ran away.

"You kept it."

"It is your handkerchief after all. Besides it is a pretty good one it has lasted all this time."

I know that the reason she kept it was because it was mine. She could have gotten a hundred new ones in a day if she wanted to. I look at the monogram on it and almost lose myself again. My initials are sewn forever into the handkerchief even though I was considered to be dead.

"Belle, I have a new present for you."

I open up my cloak to get the present for her. She sees her book tucked in my chest pocket and goes to reach for it while I pull out the gift.

"I am glad you have enjoyed this book. Have you chosen a favorite story yet?"

"I haven't read the whole thing yet. I have been rather busy lately. I think I like all of the stories that have the character Belle in it."

"But that's all of them." She laughs.

"Exactly. How about we make a trade, I'll give you this box for that book."

"Okay, when I say 'go' though no cheating."

Before she can say another word I use my magic to quickly take the book out of her hands flashing her a smile.

"Hey, I said no cheating. Do not make me have to demote you."

We are both laughing. She knew that I would use my magic to trick her.

"Here take this as a peace offering."

I pass her the box and she takes it and rips it open.

"But how did you get this? I mean this book is rare."

She opens the cover and notices something else.

"A FIRST EDITION?! How did you come across this Angel?"

"When I was traveling an old beggar sold it to me. He gave me a reasonable price but I couldn't refuse. I paid him twice what he asked. He tried to argue with me but I told him that I would have paid an arm and leg if I didn't buy it then."

I was lying to Belle but I think she didn't care. I had gotten the book from Rumpelstiltskin after he asked me for a favor. He wanted me to help collect some things for his magical purposes. He gave me the book in return.

"I am glad you love it. But I am afraid it is getting late we must head back to castle soon."

We start to head back to the castle.

"Belle, I am able to come tomorrow. I want to meet you at the same time. Let the guards know that I wrote you a note and you agreed to have me come out again."

When we get back to castle the same guard greets us again. I go to hand him back the bow and arrows.

"No keep it Sam. They fit you well. Besides I would like to welcome you back tomorrow if you have time."

I nod my head yes.

"Then Master Sam I expect you to be here tomorrow at the same time. Come on Belle your father is waiting."

I turn to walk away when I hear Belle speak.

"Thank you, Master Sam. I had an enjoyable day with you. Even though you are silent your actions speak louder than words. I expect to have an excellent day tomorrow with you."

I turn to bow to her for the respect she has given me. When I look up I see in her eyes the same love that I saw on the day I left.

When I get back to my camp at night I receive an order to meet the general in his tent for the next night.

The next morning I meet her at the castle entrance. Next to her is Gaston he gives her a hug before she runs to meet up with me. We walk off into the woods again.

"So, how is Gaston?"

Without looking at Belle I know she is blushing.

"He is doing well. He is still a bit arrogant but I think he has settled down a little. There have been rumors of us being married in the future. If we are then you know how it will help in the war."

I know exactly what she is talking about. Gaston's family is the ruler of a town nearby and they would be good allies to have especially in the war.

"But you know my life. Have you met anyone? I know that you are young and all but love is still out there."

"Unfortunately I have been busy. And Sam tends to keep busy with his duty."

I hear the ringing of Belle's laughter and I shoot her a smile.

Her laughter is cut short when we hear a loud thumping noise. I know that it is Ogres but I had not heard any reports of them being nearby. This must have been a rogue group that managed to slip through defenses unless there was no one left to warn of us them.

"Belle you have to do as I say. If I tell you to run, you run and don't look back."

"I am never leaving your side Angel. I have lost you once before and I'm not going to let it happen again."

I cannot say anymore words as I see the Ogres approaching us. I know that one of them is a normal sightless Ogre just by looking at him. But it is the other I am afraid of. I can tell that he is one of the dangerous ones he is looking at Belle and me.

I use my magic to make a tree branch fall in the distance to distract the attention of the other Ogre. It works but I now must face the more difficult one by myself. Out of the corner of my eye I see Belle pull out her own dagger.

I wait until the Ogre is close enough and then I fire an arrow into his eye. I hope that I could at least level the field to some extent. I know that this one has his sight so he has not relied on his other senses like the normal ones have. The arrow becomes embedded in his left eye but he still is barreling forward.

I reach for my dagger and prepare for hand-to-hand combat.

"Belle run now!"

I see her start to run out of the corner of my eye but I realize that she is running the wrong way. She is running towards the distracted Ogre. I can't focus my attention on her any longer I turn back and face the Ogre running at me. I am glad that he is still focused on me, he probably saw me as a bigger threat.

I use my magic to speed myself up so that I am almost invisible to him. Seeing with only one eye gives him difficult. I use that to my advantage. I finally manage to jab my dagger into a weak spot in his skull on his blindside. He falls and doesn't get back up.

The second that I pull my dagger out, I quickly turn my attention to the other Ogre. He is still a distance away but I can see Belle trying to lure his attention. He is getting pretty close to her. I use my magic to speed over to Belle. I move faster than I have ever known myself to move.

As I am running I restrung my bow with another arrow. Before I stop next to Belle I aim and fire for the neck of the Ogre. I see the arrow start to head for his throat when I realize that my shot was a bit too wide. It would just graze his neck not kill him like I wanted to. Suddenly the arrow changes direction ever so slightly, enough so that it would hit the mark I was trying to hit. I sensed the magic and see someone out of the corner of my eye. I turn and see Rumpelstiltskin wink at me before he disappears.

I turn my attention back to Belle and use my magic to pull her out of the way before she is crushed by the falling Ogre.

"Belle are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Who am I?"

"You are my sister Angel. And you saved my life."

I hug her and I don't want to let go of my sister.

"We have to go back to the castle Belle. You will have to tell them of the Ogre attack. I cannot speak remember. I am going to use my magic again and I just want you to focus on running. Hold onto my hand."

I feel her hand slip into mine and grasp it tightly. I pour magic into her and she and I start running. We don't stop until we are close to the castle. She lets go of my hand and we walk up to the castle. The guard comes running out of the castle the second he sees us approaching.

"Master Sam, Mistress Belle what happened?"

"There was an Ogre attack but Master Sam over here saved my life he slayed them. You can find them in that direction."

Belle points to the direction we just came from.

"Is this true Master Sam?"

I nod my yes. His eyes are roaming over my bloody clothing.

"Belle, Belle sweetheart are you okay? What happened?"

I hear the voice of the last person I want to see on this world, my father Maurice. He comes running out and goes to hug Belle. He quickly looks her over for any injury.

I notice that his hair turning gray and that he has wrinkles forming around his eyes. When he turns to face me I want nothing more to punch him in the face.

"What is your name soldier?"

"Father…" I hear Belle start to talk.

"No Belle I asked him what his name is."

I take out the paper and hand it to him.

"So you are the legendary Sam. I guess your reputation precedes you. I owe you a gratitude for saving my daughter. But I order you to return to your post."

I shake my head no. I point to Belle then the ground telling him that I want to stay with her.

"I ordered you to return to your post."

I shake my head no again and point to Belle and the ground again.

"If you do not follow my commands then I will be forced to take action."

I look into Belle's eyes and see a pleading look in them. She wants me to go but she also doesn't want me to leave.

"I will give the order one last time. GO BACK TO YOUR POST NOW!"

I bow my head in defeat.

Belle comes over and gives me a hug. Everything thinks that it is a hug for saving her life but I know that it is more.

"Take care Angel. I know that we will meet again in the future."

She whispers into my ear.

I go to turn away and start to jog back to my camp. I have to run along the side of the castle walls in order to make it back. Once I am out of sight of the entrance I stop. I look back up at the castle. I see the planter that Belle put in my window for me when I was younger. I use my magic to grow one of her flowers and then I start to run back to my camp. I use my magic to run again.