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Chapter 67 – Days 75 – 79: Back to the North
Belle woke up with the soft sound of somebody knocking on the door. Feeling still drowsy, she lifted up her head blinking and perceived her surroundings. She smiled at the sleeping figure of her husband, loosing herself in his softened features, listening at his soft and rhythmic breathing. The gentle knock on the door was repeated and she silently moved out of the bed and covered her still naked body with her robe.
"Morning Belle!" Snow White greeted cheerily when Belle opened the door, still looking quite sleepy.
"What time is it?" Belle asked, while she rubbed her eyes, unaware she hadn't greeted her friend.
"It's past ten o' clock." Snow said, her sweet and merry smile never fading. "It's normal for a new wedded couple to skip breakfast, but not lunch. Which reminds me… We brought you breakfast." Snow gestured to a small group of nervous looking maids. Some were holding trays with food, others soap and towels.
"My lady, with your permission, we will place the food on the table and prepare your bath." One of the maids said politely, with a slight bow. Then she hesitated. "Is Master awake?"
Belle could have burst in laughter, realizing the women were still traumatized by Rumpelstiltskin's behavior from his first stay in the castle. But she restrained herself and nodded in compliance. She allowed the women to enter the room and watched them work in a surprising silence and swiftness. The princess didn't miss the way they would walk with extra care when they passed by the bed, glancing briefly at the sleeping man, like if he were a lion about to wake up any moment and attack them. They all left the bedroom quite quickly, bowing politely at the princesses before leaving, anxiety and relief both printed on their faces.
"Wow, Rumpelstitlskin made quite an impression on them." Snow remarked.
"He's scary when he's angry. Believe me." Belle told, remembering the day they struggled to climb the treacherous hill to Bram's home and the cripple had completely lost it.
"Well, I hope he will not be mad at me for helping you out with the bath." Snow said, while she quietly guided Belle across the room and into the private bathroom. "I believe we have a lot of girl's talk to update." She said with a knowing grin, making Belle blush.
Rumpelstitlskin woke up leisurely and it took him a while to understand where he was. The memories from the night before slowly returned and he turned over on the bed lazily. Seeing the other side of the bed empty, he sat up wondering where Belle was. He heard women's voices coming from the next room and then saw the food on the table. He blinked confused and wondered when this all happened and above all, how he didn't wake up, since he had a remarkable light sleep. He got up, wrapped himself in his robe and took an apple from the tray. He entered the bathroom without even knocking on the door.
"Good morning sleeping head." Belle said, who was already dressed and was drying her hair with Snow's help.
"Morning." He said, rubbing the back on his head, still feeling rather sleepy. "What time is it?"
"It must be almost eleven." Snow kindly said. Rumpelstilskin took a bite of the red apple and missed the grimace in Snow White's face.
"Gods, I overslept! ... What are you doing here?" He asked after a while, forgetting any of the courtly manners King Maurice had taught him so hard the last weeks. Snow smiled, being used to this kind of straightforwardness from Charming.
"Belle and I had quite a lot to talk about. Besides, traditionally, the mother washes her daughter after the wedding night. And since Belle's mother is departed, I came to fulfill this task." Snow proudly stated. Rumpelstiltskin shrugged, made a sound of indifference and finished the apple.
"Well, I'm washing myself too. There's lots of food on the table over there." He told the women, clearly inviting them to leave him alone. Belle giggled a bit at his bluntness and guided a pouting Snow back into the bedroom.
"He's not the morning type, is he?" Snow whispered once they left the bathroom.
"By the contrary. He just values his privacy. A lot." Belle explained with a giggle. Both princesses let themselves be delighted with the food assortment, filled their plates and sat by the balcony. Snow White ate in silence and Belle immediately noticed something was bothering her. "Snow, what is it?" The raven haired princess blinked a bit surprised and then realized her friend had just read her. She sat a bit straighter, folded her hands of her lap and took a deep breath.
"Charming and I didn't come to Avonlea only for the wedding." She confessed, looking quite guilty. "I know it's really early, you are barely wedded, but we need your help. I need your help."
"What is going on?" Belle asked worried, already seeing the anxiety in her best friend's eyes.
"Regina… We managed to defeat her and arrest her. Blue casted a spell so she's powerless for now, but we cannot wait too long, or her magic will return. She's locked on a tower from King George's castle waiting for her destiny to be announced." Snow fidgeted her fingers a while and then continued. "Charming and the others think Regina should be sentenced to death. I understand why…After all she has done. But…" Snow fought the tears back and Belle gave an encouraging squeeze on her hand to continue. The pale princess smiled and took another breath. "But I believe it's the wrong thing. I believe there is a choice. That she can still redeem herself."
"So you want me and Rumpel to come for the judgment and represent Armithil in Regina's case." Belle completed and Snow nodded. There was a short pause. "The celebrations go on for two weeks."
"We don't that kind of time." Snow regrettably said.
"Then shorten the celebrations to three days." Both women turned surprised to see Rumpelstiltskin standing in the room already fully dressed. "I know I had enough of all those feasts with foreign guests and dozens of the kingdom's nobles. Besides, it's bloody expensive. Too expensive for Armithil's current state. Not to mention, Queen Regina is as much our problem as she is Snowland's." He concluded with a bite on a shortcake.
Belle and Snow switched accomplice smiles. Rumpelstitlskin had not only presented them the ideal solution, but also the perfect arguments to convince the Council.
King Maurice had not been happy, but Belle had presented undisputable arguments to the Council of Armithil. The celebrations were ended after three short days, with the approval of all nobles and understanding of the common people. It had been fun to party their victories and a royal wedding, but it was time to mend the wounds of a destroyed kingdom.
Everything was ready and set to go. The couples would not travel alone, as family and friends wished to join too, in this new journey. Baelfire had begged to come along. The boy had found the idea of being separated of his father, even if it would not be longer than two weeks, absolutely horrible. He easily succeeded in his pleas, which were followed by Bram, who would travel along with his children. The rest of Rumpelstiltskin's big family was to stay in the castle, the travel being too exhausting for some (his parents, Angelina and her baby) and purposeless for others (the rest of the family, much for Thumbelina's dismay). Raphael declined his brother's invitation to ride along him and Mulan (who were leading Armithil's escort) preferring to explore the new world of castles and nobles instead traveling in well-known roads and forests.
"Behave yourself while I'm away." Rumpelstitlskin told his father before he left. The old man contorted his wrinkled face with a scowl.
"Hey! I'm the one who should be telling you that!" Charleston yelled upset, shaking his fist in the air. His complaints were quickly muffed, as his two travelling grandsons hugged him tightly before leaving.
And so, the two royal couples, accompanied by their close friends and escorts, left Avonlea's grounds and headed to the north with a new mission. To decide the Evil Queen's fate.
The travel was quiet, without any incidents. Yet, the travelers were confronted by the scars of war, fire and destruction they would witness their way. Belle and Rumpelstiltskin realized there was much more to restore than they had first expected. Many people had become homeless, living in subhuman conditions, suffering of hunger and disease. When they would return to the castle, they would report what they saw and order an extensive inventory of the human and material damage in whole Armithil.
"I'm sorry. This is not the honey-moon you deserve." Snow White apologized Belle, after the raven-haired princess switched carriages with Rumpelstitlskin.
"It's okay, really. As long as I am with Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire, I'm fine." The beauty said with a smile. "Besides, I believe both my boys were feeling quite strangled back at father's castle." Snow White smiled, thankful for her friend's collaboration and understanding. There was a short pause.
"What are Rumpelstiltskin's thoughts about Regina?" The raven-haired princess finally asked.
"He's mostly silent about it."
"That's not a good sign, is it?"
"No." Belle confirmed.
She had noticed the former peasant was reluctant in talking with her about Queen Regina. Belle knew it was because they had different opinions in the matter and he didn't wish to displease her, so he deliberately avoided the subject. But he failed to hide the fire in his eyes, when he saw the destruction and the suffering of people they faced in their way to Charming's castle. The beauty peaked from her carriage's window and saw her husband in deep conversation with Bram. If only she could convince him it was Maleficent's, not Regina's doing their were witnessing.
Meanwhile, Bram had finally caught Rumpelstitlskin alone and they walked side by side, with some distance from the rest of the group, so they could talk privately about his new concern.
"I think I'm falling for her… Really, really fast." Bram confessed, staring at the back of the woman who tormented his heart.
"Well, that's a good thing."
"You don't seem to agree with your words."
"Well, uhm…she is a wolf after all." The spinner said sheepishly. "Not to mention much younger than you…She's younger than Belle!" He defended when his friend glared at him angrily. "And you have of course the children… Do they like her?"
"I think so." Bram said with a sigh.
"Most importantly, does she like you back?"
"That's it. I don't know. She's…you know…really kind and stuff and sometimes it's like there's some kind of chemistry between us. Like some kind of electricity in the air." Bram hit his friend's arm when he chuckled at his words. "But then, she always backs away. Like if she is afraid."
"I would be afraid too if I was in her place. Having some brute woodcutter chasing me arou… Oucht" He complained when Bram gave him a harder hit.
"Seriously, Rumpel! It's not funny!"
"Yes it is. You just don't see it." The shorter man said amused while he rubbed his arm. "But I might know what's keeping her back." He said with a serious tone, one that made Bram stop on his tracks and stare at his best friend with great expectation.
"She…ehm…when she couldn't control the wolf inside of her…when she didn't know she was a wolf in the first place… she kinda of... uh...she ate her childhood's boyfriend." Bram stared shocked at his friend and if it weren't for the serious expression in his look, he would never had believed him and had though it was a joke.
"Man, that's really … horrible."
"I think she's scared. Scared to hurt others. Scared to hurt herself by hurting somebody she cares for."
"But she can control her instincts now, right?"
"Yes. But Red's traumatized, Bram."
"If she can control the wolf inside of her, she doesn't need to be scared anymore."
"Maybe she just needs somebody to tell her so." Rumpelstitlskin said wisely.
Both men continued their march, both staring at the red cloak on the back of Bram's new love interest. The woodcutter was sure the attraction he felt was mutual and that Red was aware of it too. But now that his friend had revealed the source of her fears, he knew he could find a way in helping her heal her old wounds and give herself a new chance in love.
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