A/N: Belle gets Rumple to admit he is who she thinks he is.
Chapter Nine
"Did you do it?" Belle asked while walking in the dining hall and he stopped the spinning wheel. She had gone to the market to buy him some new straw and she placed the basket next to his right foot while he looked at her. He was wearing a white silk shirt, a black leather vest, a black leather belt, brown leather trousers and black leather boots that ended at his knees.
"Did I do what?" he asked as she sat down in front of him and he saw the anger in her eyes.
"Did you kill those children?"
"You've lost me," he said, frowning.
"I am talking about Hamelin. I heard in town that the children there were drowned by some evil wizard. You promised you wouldn't do anything."
"I didn't do anything. I would never hurt, let alone kill, children. In fact, I had forgotten all about what happened when I went to Hamelin," he said and she saw the honesty in his eyes.
"Then who killed the children?"
"If they were drowned or taken, the only one I can think of is the Pied Piper," he said then sighed. She saw the sadness in his eyes and she took his hands in hers.
"Who is the Pied Piper?"
"He is more of a demon than a wizard. He goes from town to town and offers his "services" to get rid of vermin….the vermin HE places in the town. If he is paid, he will leave. If he isn't paid, he will kill children or take them."
"What does he do with the ones he takes?" she asked and he arched his eyebrows up.
"He eats them," he said and she sighed.
"Those poor children," she said softly and he wrapped their fingers together.
"May I ask you something?"
"Of course," she said and he gave her a questioning look.
"Why did you come back?" he asked and leaned closer, locking eyes with her.
"I had to bring you your straw."
"Is that the only reason?"
"No, I had to come back. I promised to stay with you forever."
"You don't have to," he said and she saw the sad look in his eyes. "If you wish to leave, I will not stop you."
"Is this another quip or test?" she asked and tears itched at the edge of her eyes.
"No," he said with a shake of his head.
'Then why do you want me to leave?"
"Things have…changed," he said and she wondered what he was talking about. "When I go off to do something, I think about you and wonder what you're doing. When I am here, I forget what I'm doing because you come in the room and distract me. I worry that someone or something will take you from me or use you against me. I couldn't stand that. Things were much easier when I was alone."
"Is that what you want? To be a man with an empty heart and a chipped cup?" she asked and he sighed.
"No," he said with a shake of his head. She wondered if it was time to end the pretense of not knowing who he was as she sat straighter and cleared her throat.
"You remind me of someone," she said and he gave her a puzzled look. "I had a friend once. He was shy, very insecure and believed he deserved to be alone."
"What happened to this friend?"
"He disappeared," she sighed and he saw the sadness in her eyes.
"Maybe he wanted to go," he said and she glared at him.
"Why would he?"
"Did you mistreat him?" he asked as he let go of her hand and wiggled his left index finger side to side.
"Why would I do that?"
"What did he do for a living?"
"He was a spinner. He also weaved and could sew and knit. He made clothes for my father and me as well as the household. He…"
"Sounds like he was nothing more than a servant," he said while wiggling his hands side to side then giggled.
"How dare you! He was no such thing!" Belle said as she stood up and placed her hands on her hips.
"Maybe that's how he felt," he sighed and looked down at his hands. Belle felt her heart hurting when she sat back down, lifted his chin so he was looking at her and held his face in her hands.
"He wasn't," she said softly while stroking his chin with her thumbs and he blinked his eyes a few times.
"How did he disappear?"
"He just left."
"Why?"
"I guess he felt guilty. My father had thrown a ball to announce my engagement…"
"Your friend asked for your hand in marriage?"
"No, my father had arranged a marriage for me."
"Did you want to get married?"
"It didn't matter if I did or not. My father needed to seal a deal with the father of the man I was to marry and I had to."
"Did your friend agree this was a good idea?"
"No, I think it was breaking his heart," Belle said then sighed as she gently placed her right hand against his chest and brushed some hair behind his ear with her left hand. She could just feel the rise and fall of his chest and he gently placed his hand over hers. "The night of my engagement ball, he didn't want to come down. He wanted to stay up in his room or workshop."
"Did you go up and order him to come down?" he asked and she glared at him.
"No, he came down on his own. Though I did tell him I would have gone to fetch him."
"What would you have done if he refused to come with you? Beaten him until he did?" he asked and she glared at him.
"No," she said then thought of something. "Like you, he hates getting his feet tickled and I told him I would have done that."
"I see."
"I still remember him in the clothing my father had made for him. He looked so handsome."
"Did your intended mind him being there?"
"He didn't even see him until I asked my friend to dance. In fact, I don't know how he even saw us. We were surrounded by the other dancers."
"Maybe someone told him," he said and she saw the anger in his eyes. She had found out what Zelena had done and she snorted a breath of air.
"It turned out to be the oldest daughter of Lady Cora. Her name was Zelena. My father said Zelena was in a tavern and was bragging how she destroyed any chance for me to marry Gaston, that's who my father picked for me to marry."
"I heard of Zelena. She became the ruler of her mother's kingdom after Cora mysteriously died and her sister, Regina, was made an outcast. Last I heard, Regina was living as a rebel in the woods somewhere. What happened to you intended?" he asked and she could just feel the quick thumping of his heart.
"He has been a guest of my father's for the last ten years," she said and his face grew hard.
"So you did marry him," he growled, removing her hand.
"No," she said while placing her hands on his shoulders. "He's been in my father's dungeon."
"Why?"
"After he learned we were dancing, he stormed over, pushed my friend to the floor and slapped me after I had stomped on his foot and slapped him. I fell unconscious to the floor and my father had him placed in the dungeon."
"And this is when your friend left?"
"It was later that night. I'm not sure if anyone told him I was alright. Maybe they forgot. All I know is he left in the middle of the night and we had no idea where he went."
"How did you find out he was gone?"
"The son of our head of the house told us. He saw him leave."
"Did the boy try to stop him?"
"Yes, but he said he had to go. When Chip, that was his name, went to go with him…"
"He what?" he asked, eyes wide.
"He wanted to go with him. You see, he really liked my friend and was very upset when he left."
"Did this Chip tell anyone he was gone?"
"He told his mother, but she had thought he dreamt it. It wasn't until she found my friend gone that she brought Chip to my father and he told us what he saw."
"But your father didn't care and you all forgot him!" he said, waving his hands side to side.
"No, my father sent men out to every village and shire in his kingdom in search for him. It wasn't until one of the men found my friend's wooden staff and bundle of things he packed for his journey in the forest that they stopped."
"Why?"
"We believe he was killed."
"Why did he need a wooden staff?"
"His right leg was lame," she said and placed her hand on his right knee. Looking down, he placed his hand on top of hers and wrapped their fingers together.
"And that is when you started to forget about him."
"Why do you keep saying? Why are you trying to get me angry?"
"I am doing no such thing," he said with a blank look on his face. "If you're getting angry, it's because you know you forgot about him."
"There has not been one single day that I haven't thought about him. I wondered where he is and if he's safe. I wondered if he had finally found someone and has the family he told me he always wanted. He is, and will always be, my best friend. Now stop this charade. I know who you are and I cannot pretend otherwise," Belle said as tears rolled down her cheeks and he titled his head to one side. Standing up, he held his hand out as she looked at his hand then up at him and he wiggled his fingers. Taking his hand, she stood up when he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. She placed her head against his shoulder as she sadly smiled and he pressed her tightly against him.
"Belle," he sighed as she rubbed his back and he moved back, holding her at arm's length. "I am so…"
"Don't you dare tell me you're sorry," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You have nothing to be sorry about."
"How did you figure out who I am?"
"Please," she said with a small smile and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "You might have gold scale skin and lizard like eyes, but you still look and sound the same. Well, you're voice is a little higher, but I'd know it anywhere. There is that scar on your right leg and the fact that you spin and…," she said and he placed a finger against her lips, made a small giggle then rolled his eyes.
"I forgot how clever you are," he said when she thought of something and sighed.
"I am sorry, but I am afraid your aunts have died."
"I see."
"They never gave up hope of you coming back."
"Do you think they would have approved of me looking like this?"
"How did you end up like this?" she asked and Rumple told her about how he met Zoso. Her eyes filled with tears as he held her and she felt anger boiling in her chest. "I swear. I will find a way to free you of this curse."
"My hero," he teased and she softly giggled while wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Well," he said as he brushed some hair behind her right ear. "Seeing how we are reunited, there is only one thing left to do!"
Belle watched as he raised his right hand then snapped his fingers and the candles of the chandeliers were lit and the dining table and high back chairs were gone. He held his left hand out then snapped his fingers and soft music started playing. Lowering his hands, he snapped his fingers and Belle was dressed in the golden gown she wore to the ball. He lifted his hands up then snapped his fingers and he was wearing a dark blue silk waistcoat with gold buttons and a high collar and the waistcoat was trimmed in white lace down the front as well as the collar and the lace outlined the gray cuffs and gray silk covered the pockets. Under the waistcoat was a white silk shirt with a high collar and was open enough to show some of his chest and collarbones and a silver silk vest etched in gold scrolling. He was also wearing a gold string tie as well as a pair of dark blue silk breeches and a pair of black leather boots.
"Shall we dance?" he asked with a small bow and she moved closer, sliding her arms around his waist. He placed her left hand on his right shoulder then took hold of her right hand and they started dancing. He spun her around in a small circle then moved her against him and wrapped his arms around her. She looked back at him as he smiled and she reached back to stroke his cheek. They danced around the room when he lifted her up and spun around in a circle then lowered her to her feet. The song ended as he held her against him and she looked deeply into his eyes. "What I am sorry about is trying to forget you. It hurt too much and I thought hiding memories of you and my old life would make all this….easier. It did work for a while. Then you made your deal with me and everything came back. No matter how hard I tried, I can't forget our friendship and how much you mean to me."
"Ru...," she started to say when he placed his finger against her lips and shook his head.
"Don't say my name. Names are power. If the wrong person or creature learns someone's full name, they can use it to control them."
"I would never say your name outside this castle. And you have so many runes, spells and charms set up, no one could spy on us," she said and he pressed his lips together.
"Even those can be broken."
"Then I shall whisper your name into your ear," she said as she whispered "Rumplestiltskin" into his left ear and he hugged her while tears rolled gently down his cheeks.
Avonlea
The fire crackled in the fireplace while Maurice watched the sparks float into the air then went back into the fire and placed his hands behind his back.
"Why so serious, Dearie?" a familiar voice asked as he turned and Rumple sat on the high back chair with red cushions. His right leg was hanging over the arm of the chair as he smiled and folded his fingers together. Rumple was dressed in a red linen hood which covered half of his face, a red leather waistcoat, a white silk shirt, a red leather vest, black leather trousers and belt and red leather boots ending at his knees.
"What are you doing here?" Maurice asked, walking to the chair and Rumple stood up.
"I'm here to get something cleared up," he said, waving his hands side to side while he started pacing. "Your daughter seems to think I am this lost friend of hers. In fact, she insists that I am."
"Yes, she has mentioned that in her letters," Maurice said when Rumple spun on his heels and looked at him with a blank look on his face.
"But you don't believe her."
"No, I don't. He would never do the things you've done."
"What if he had no choice?" Rumple asked as he flicked his wrist up and wiggled his finger side to side.
"I don't understand."
"What if he had met someone and that person offered him some hospitality? What if the price for this hospitality was his life if he did not serve this person and this person attacked him? What if he killed this person and was cursed?"
"And it is this curse that's making him do things?"
"Exactly," Rumple said as he clapped his hands and giggled. "Now, after spending years in solitude, he is summoned here and your daughter offers a deal for his help. He agrees and she had to go live with him. Would you approve even if you did know it was him?"
"Of course," Maurice said with a nod of his head.
"Is it true that he disappeared after her engagement ball?"
"How did you learn about that?"
"She told me. She also told me he was a spinner and he was nothing more than a servant," Rumple said and Maurice glared at him.
"He was not!" Maurice growled and Rumple gave him a blank look. "He was my…our friend. He helped my son get through his training when they fought the ogres and was ashamed when my son ordered him to leave and bring my son's journals home."
"She mentioned he was lame."
"Yes, he fell down a hill and broke his leg. The damage was severe, but my healer was able to save his leg."
"And that is when you offered him employment?"
"Yes, but I never thought of him as a servant. Truth, I always thought of him as a brother," Maurice sighed and Rumple saw the sincerity in his eyes. "Marcus, my son, thought him as a mentor and uncle. Belle, she thought him as her best friend."
"That isn't true. She thinks more of him, doesn't she?" Rumple asked and Maurice nodded his head.
"That is why I regret agreeing to allow her to marry that…monster," Maurice said and Rumple heard the anger in his voice. "If I hadn't needed the help, I would have wanted her to marry him."
Rumple felt his heart thudding in his chest as he placed his hands behind his back then walked to Maurice then walked around him.
"So she did marry this monster," he said and Maurice glared at him.
"No, I would never allow someone who assaults my daughter marry her."
"She did tell me about that. She also said that's the reason her friend left."
"He did blame himself and decided it would be best to leave."
"Did you search for him once you found him missing?" Rumple asked, stopping on front of him. Maurice could barely see his face as he gave him a stern look and clenched his jaw.
"Yes, I sent out guards to search for him."
"Did you find him?"
"We found his things," Maurice said and Rumple heard the sadness in his voice. He watched Maurice walked to a bookcase when he reached up and took down the remains of Rumple's brown wood staff. Walking to Rumple, Maurice held out the brown wood staff and Rumple took the brown wood staff in his hands. He moved his thumbs over the smooth wood then looked at Maurice and blinked his eyes a few times.
"This means nothing," he said and handed back the brown wood staff. "You stopped looking and forgot about him."
"No, you're wrong. Even though I have not had men out looking for him, I have left word in every village, hamlet and shire to send word if they see him."
"She told me he had aunts. Did you tell them he was missing?"
"Yes, I told them personally that he was missing and assured them he would return," Maurice said as Rumple walked around him then stopped in front of him and folded his arms over his chest.
"What happened to these aunts?"
"They died," Maurice said with a sigh. "Jenna, the youngest, died last year."
"I see," he said with a sigh then his face hardened. "What about his room and workshop? Belle mentioned he had those? Have you given them to someone else?"
"No, no one has been in them."
"Are they kept ready for him in case he does return?"
"No, I am afraid they have been neglected. But that doesn't mean we've forgotten him."
"She mentioned you put her intended in the dungeon," Rumple said with a blank look on his face and Maurice noticed the anger in his eyes. "Is he still there?"
"Yes."
"I wish to see him."
"I will let you see him if you let me see your face," Maurice said and a cold chill moved through Rumple.
"Why?"
"I need to see for myself if you are him or not," Maurice said and Rumple sighed, raising his hands to the hood. Slowly, he lowered the hood as the golden scales sparkled and he tilted his head to one side. Maurice looked at him when he placed his hands on Rumple's shoulders and sighed. "By the gods…"
"Your prisoner?" he asked and Maurice nodded his head. Placing the hood up, Rumple followed Maurice out of the room as they went down the hallway and walked to the door leading down to the dungeon. A few minutes later they arrived at the door to Gaston's cell and the guards looked at Maurice then at Rumple.
"Open the door," Maurice said.
"Move away from the door," the guard shouted then unlocked the door and Rumple placed his hands behind his back. He wasn't sure what he would do when he saw Gaston again as he watched the door opening and walked inside with Maurice and the guards behind him. The cell was semi-dark from the light coming from the small windows high above them as Rumple watched the guards walking into the shadows then came back and they were shaking.
"What's wrong?" Maurice asked.
"Uh, Milaird, we don't know how, but he's gone," the guard said and saw the anger in Rumples eyes.