A Tale of Time

Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet

When: While I should be doing math homework and other such things.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Once Upon a Time or Rumbelle.

A/N Much thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers! I'm very sorry to keep you waiting...life got out of control...then I was shell-shocked by the finale. But anyway, here we are. I also used some dialogue from the finale in this chapter...I hope you enjoy~

Part Two~ Waking

When Belle awoke, her clothes were soaking wet from morning dew, and her head was pounding.

She stood, using a tree to brace herself. She couldn't remember her landing after jumping into the portal, but she could only guess it hadn't been very gentle.

Her cloak was torn, the formerly beautiful green and gold tints had turned an ugly brown from mud. Her dress, which had already been in tatters, was scarcely covering anything.

And her shoes were missing. Belle could only imagine what her face and hair looked like.

She would probably scare innocent townsfolk were she to ask for help, but it was her only option. Belle had no idea where she was, or if she was even in the same land she had been before.

The forest looked much like the other one, but it wasn't as dense, and in the early morning sunlight, Belle could easily make out the outline of a dirt road.

Using her cloak to cover up what her dress couldn't, Belle followed the road. It looked well worn, despite the lack of travelers, and she assumed that it must lead to a village.

Hopefully, a friendly one...which could possibly give her directions to the Dark Castle.

She trudged on for most of the morning, stopping every few minutes to rest her bruised muscles. At the rate she was going, Belle worried she would pass out from exhaustion before seeing another living soul on the road.

The morning dew had dried by the time she found herself collapsing at the side of the road, too tired to go on.

Her head was pounding, and when she tried to sit up, the edges of her vision would turn black.

So she sat there, hoping that if anyone bothered to see her, they would be kind- not cruel.

Her eyes closed, but Belle didn't realize they had until she was awakened by a gentle shake.

"Hello? Are you alright?" It was a man's voice, frightened and shocked.

But the voice was kind.

Belle struggled to open her eyes, which seemed decidedly bent on clamping shut.

"If you can hear me, please open your eyes," the voice asked again.

Belle forced her eyes open, gasping for breath. She hated feeling so helpless as to leave her life in the hands of a strange man she didn't know...but her choices were limited.

The light blinded her for a second, restricting her vision, but then she saw him.

His eyes were a deep brown, so dark that they seemed black...and his skin was human...

But there was no mistaking the man she was looking at.

"Rumpelstiltskin."

He looked so young...so different, yet he was still the same man. Her true love, before he became the beast. Belle was sure she was dreaming.

How could it be possible?

His brow wrinkled in confusion," Do I know you?"

Belle smiled," No, but you will."

Rumpelstiltskin frowned at her," What's your name, dearie?"

"Belle."

She watched as her vision turned black again, leaving the image of a young and shocked Rumpelstiltskin burned into her memory, forever.

When Belle next awoke, she was in a warm bed, a luxury she hadn't had since leaving the Dark Castle.

The bed wasn't nearly as soft as the one she had used at the Castle...and the sheets were crisp and rough, not silky satin, but Belle hadn't felt so comfortable in ages.

Her eyes opened easily this time, but she still was too weak to move much. Her head still ached miserably, and she could feel the beginnings of a bad cough coming on from lying on the wet ground for so long.

But her clothes had been changed- her tattered dress and cloak had been swapped for a plain white dress which was slightly too large...

but she was warm.

The room she was in was very small, with only a bed, a mirror, and a chest. There was a tiny fireplace to her right, which seemed to be the reason the room was so warm...

Just as she was trying to sit up, to better investigate her surroundings, the door swung open.

"O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were awake. I'll leave you-"

"No, wait," Belle said, stopping him mid-sentence," It's perfectly fine. I don't mind."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded awkwardly, still standing as far away from the bed as possible.

After a few minutes of silence, Belle tried again, "I want to thank you. For saving me."

He waved a hand in dismissal," You don't have to thank me. I...felt like I needed to help you."

Belle smiled at him," Well, either way, I'm glad that you did. Oh, and thank you for um- changing my clothes. They were ruined by the mud, I'm afraid."

" Oh, I," Rumpelstiltskin's cheeks flamed red at her comment," I didn't change you...I promise, I asked a woman from the village to help me."

Belle laughed, almost surprised by his modesty. It was hard to believe that this Rumpelstiltskin couldn't be much older than herself.

"It's fine, thank you for everything. I hope I'm not causing too much trouble for you and your family-"

"Don't worry, it's just me here. It's no trouble really, I live alone, so there's plenty of room," He replied, his cheeks still tinged pink from embarrassment.

"You're not married?" Belle asked, feeling awkward herself. Had Rumpelstiltskin not told her he'd had a son and a wife?

"No, not quite," He chuckled," But if you'll excuse me, I'll go fetch you something to eat, you must be starving."

He all but ran from the room, leaving Belle alone to her thoughts.

A/N So here ya go...finally fought past my writer's block, and I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter. Tell me what you think?