The fairest of them all

A few days after the Blue Fairy invaded, Belle informed him that he was being summoned by Snow White. It seemed the Red wolf had finally recommended she seek his assistance. He told Belle to take them to the location the runaway Princess had decided upon (for some reason people seemed to believe location was important when summoning demons), and conceal herself immediately. They found themselves in a boggy area, the thick, heavy mist clinging to them. The water nearby was muddied and deep, and they could hear some sort of vessel gliding over the water. Rumplestiltskin looked towards the sound, faint to his ears although Belle frowned as though it were loud, and soon a dark bulk slid forwards out of the night. The small boat docked at the crooked pier, the dim lanterns revealing the identity of the unskilled rower. Snow White had arrived.

She got out of the boat, preparing the rope to tie it up, when he had Belle move him into the far end of the boat. He always brought his dagger along on deals. The young woman was surprised but unafraid to find him before her, and more than a little shocked when he asked to buy her boat. When he saw Belle behind the hooded brunette, making as though to shove her head into the edge of the boat, he waved her away. He'd taken her along on several deals, and she always acted a little hostile. Particularly towards women. And especially if they were attractive. The woman, tying up her boat, stood up when he revealed he was Rumplestiltskin. Who else would he be, way out here? He stepped a little unsteadily out of the bobbing boat and into the light, and her eyes widened at his grotesque appearance. He cupped her face with his hands. "You really are the fairest of them all, aren't you?"

Ice pierced her heart at his words. She did not pride herself on her looks, because beauty was skin deep and outward appearances meant little to her, but she had hoped she was the most beautiful to this man at least. But then, she was a monster now, prepared to shove young Princesses off docks with the slightest provocation. Or none, as the case may be. She asked for a cure, and Belle raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sick. Oh, she had a broken heart. Well so did Belle, and there stood before them was the reason for it. There were only so many times she could smile like nothing was wrong. Her quota for that was almost maxed out. Rumple offered to mend it (Snow's heart, but not Belle's), and pulled a clear vial from his pocket. He'd had her make that the week before, and told her to make sure that (under no circumstances) she drank it. She wondered what it did. He dipped the vial into the water, diluting it and swirling it about, and then lifted it back again, instructing her to fuse the water and potion together. She wondered why he'd done that; now the effects of the potion could be broken, by True Love's Kiss or an act of pure love. He tore out the Princess' hair and dipped it in, even though it wasn't necessary. He just needed it for 'the Curse'.

"Oh don't doubt yourself now dearie. Love makes us sick; haunts our dreams, destroys our days. Love has torn more apart than any war. This cure is a gift." Rumple said the Princess' name, much to her shock, and walked into the fog and away from the two women and the boat. Belle could hardly move. Was that what he thought of love? Truly? Had her love for him made him so unhappy that he thought her a disease? She blinked back tears. It was good to know she terrorised him even when he slept.

Rumplestiltskin sighed. Love truly was more destructive than war. His love for his son had sent the boy away and sparked a 300 year long journey of deceit and blackmail. His love for Cora, however brief and false, had created a heartless monster. His love for Belle had turned a beautiful woman into a creature most loathed. And torn him apart. She was brilliant, beautiful and powerful now, and he was but a lowly Spinner, too much of a coward to fight in a war. She would soon realise he was unworthy of her love. And either find her way to the path of 'light' magic and purge him from her existence, or fall into the far easier ways of her predecessors and practice 'dark' magic, likely killing him for stealing her dagger the moment he let it out of his sight. The only reason she was still around, after all, was because he wouldn't let her go.

Over the course of the next weak things came to a peak between 'Snow and Charming', according to Belle. The feast in honour of the soon-to-be-wed Prince was not actually attended by the Prince, much to the delight of his fiancee and ire of his 'father', and Snow White was becoming increasingly despondent. Belle herself was also despondent, and snappish, and violent. She shattered all the windows in the Dark Castle because her favourite character was killed off in her book, and he saw what she meant when she used to compare him to a petulant child. He sighed, and tried to focus on the surface before him. He had misplaced Snow's hair, and it was somewhere on this table... A small note appeared on the surface, interrupting his search. Snow White is breaking into King George's castle as we speak to see her 'Charming'. Also, look to the left to find what you seek. He was glad he had not picked the note up, for he found the dark hair mere inches to its left. This wasn't the same as Belle speaking to him, but he would take what he could get. Another note appeared soon after the first: Snow got caught. He rolled his eyes. And then... Freed, hurrah! He knew she was being sarcastic.

Belle focused as best she could on Snow White's location, and soon managed to focus on her. Invading someone's mind was not something she enjoyed doing, but it wasn't like anything was happening. Snow White had a basket of flowers. Snow White got captured. Snow White met Dreamy (also arrested, poor Dreamy). Snow White was set free. Snow White got recaptured. Fun conversation with Georgie. He was trying to break them up. He was successful. She left Snow's mind when she found James. Too private. But having been within Snow's mind, even briefly, she felt the moment her heart shattered. It was immensely painful, and incredibly familiar. Days later, she also felt the void that came with the consumption of the potion.