DISCLAIMER: Okay so I have done a bit of backtracking with my story, scrapping my last two published chapters. All apologies! I didn't like the way my other two chapters had turned out as they were way too similar to the television series direction and I felt a wee bit of writers block because of it, so I trashed those two, and amalgamated them into this chapter.
Again I apologise, enjoy!
Her heart quickened in her chest as she raced down the spiral stone steps, trying her best not to miss one of the warped steps and fall. She came to another small window laced with diamond lattice and she quickly raised the sleeve of her blue dress and wiped away at the frost that had gathered within the tiny diamonds to peer out at the surroundings and Belle felt her heart fall once again. She was no longer looking out onto the east wing of the Castle grounds but rather the southern part, where the overgrown kitchen gardens were kept. How was this possible?
Belle had been descending downwards in a spiral for what appeared to be hours, each time she came across another window she was looking out onto a different part of the castle, at a different level. In a panic Belle once again raced down the stairs, her hand burning from gripping the rope that hung to the wall, acting as a bannister. She could feel the blood trickle from an open wound on her palm but she paid no heed; she needed to escape the eternal stair and find a way back to her sanity.
As the months of her chosen captivity pressed onwards, Belle came to realise that the Castle itself appeared to have a mind of its own; always changing its form and Belle only assumed that the Dark Ones magic was the cause. A plan to drive those that dared entered its walls into insanity? Was Belle just one of many other maids and poor souls tricked and stolen into the captivity of the Dark Castle? Was this punishment?
Belle stifled a despairing sob as she looked through another window only to find herself facing the western wall, this time it appeared she was two stories higher than before, though she had been descending the stair the whole time. She took a few staggering steps downward but had to stop herself, and rest against the cool grey brick, urging herself to breath slowly and deeply lest she faint. Belle collapsed on the steps and let everything go, all her fears and sorrow. She hadn't realised how exhausting it was trying to hide her fright from Rumpelstiltskin, instead opting to hold her chin high, always making as much eye contact as she could handle. She could tell it unnerved him a bit, and so she kept at it, always thanking him when he gave her a new order, smiling whenever he entered the room (though she never let it reach her eyes). But it wasn't her open defiance of her Master which landed her stuck in the eternal staircase of the castle, but rather her curiosity breaking the patience of the beast- a single question. Whose room did Belle stumble across?
Belle had placed the silver tea tray on the table next to Rumpelstiltskin's spinning wheel with a purposefully clumsy clang making his dark eyes dart over to her in annoyance. Instead of taking a few steps back as she ought to have done, Belle sat on the straw covered ground at his feet, facing him and delicately fanning her skirts around herself to secure her modesty. What she was quite sure she was appropriately sitting, she silently turned her large eyes up to the Dark One. They sat there for a small while, Rumpelstiltskin's hands frozen on the spinning wheel before him and Belle staring into his face. She could tell by the twitch in the right side of his mouth that Rumpelstiltskin was not at all comfortable with the way Belle was surveying him just then.
"Did you build this castle?" She asked innocently, the first one to break the silence. He narrowed his eyes and slowly reached for his cup of tea, stirring loudly and dropping his spoon with a clang back to the tray.
"No." was his curt reply behind porcelain and Belle pursed her lips slightly.
"So you stole it." She stated.
"I procured it." He sneered, taking a long drink of the tea before placing it back in its saucer. Belle was surprised that her master had answered her that much, she had expected him to shoo her out or threaten to kill her for the 100th time that month, but instead he stared at her as if interested in where the conversation was going, and Belle made the mistake to feel confident in her pursuit of knowledge.
Curiosity is the downfall of the innocent.
"I came across a room while I was cleaning. It was different from the rest." She said at last, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she recalled the child's bedroom. Rumpelstiltskin raised his brows then began to spin once more, not saying a word. Belle focused on Rumpelstiltskin's swift movements, his lean fingers twisting the fibres of the straw with skill and precision. She returned her gaze to his face, determined to see his every reaction as she spoke.
"It wasn't cluttered with junk like the others. It could have been livable, or at least was at one point…" Belle trailed off, tapping her fingers nervously on her knees. Rumpelstiltskin hadn't flinched at all, and Belle wondered if he had begun to tune her out as he usually did, so she continued, this time at a slower pace.
"It looked like a child's room, a boy's room with toys and clothing and everything…"
Rumpelstiltskin abruptly stopped his spinning and Belle felt as if all the air had left the room. For a suffocating moment neither one of them moved or spoke, only the sounds of the fire cracking in the background accompanied the two sitting in the corner. Belle sat holding her breath for a short while, waiting for a response, which felt like an eternity to arrive.
"You went into the room." his voice was almost at a whisper, a dark look eclipsed his features making him more fearful than any time Belle had witnessed before. Her mind was screaming for her to run away or hide but she stayed where she was, eyes securely fixed upon the Dark Ones darkened face.
"Whose room is it?" Belle pushed her heart beating louder and faster with each moment. Rumpelstiltskin stood then so abruptly Belle found herself falling backwards, catching herself on the cold stone at the last minute.
"Never EVER go to that part of the castle again!" The magic energy which buzzed around the Dark One extinguished all the light and warmth from the room, till just his cold low voice was heard along with the thud of his leather soles against the stone floor as he took one quick step toward Belle on each of his words. Belle quickly scrambled backwards as fast as she could – a sort of crab crawl away from the beast. She felt the press of the wall against her back too soon and she ungracefully moving to her feet just as Rumpelstiltskin made his final stand before her, grabbing onto each of her wrists and roughly pinning them to either side of her face against the wall, the leather of his vest pressing against the front of her chest crudely, forcing the back of her head to make contact with the wall in response.
Belle gritted her teeth and winced against the pain, her chest heaving heavily against his weight. His face was so close to hers that Belle could see every detail of his uneven skin, and the eyes which were so dark now that Belle could swear she saw her own small reflection inside them. They stood there in stubborn silence, both breathing heavily and for so long with her hands raised above herself that Belle slowly lost the feeling in the tips of her fingers. She wanted desperately to check to make sure her hands weren't turning blue but she didn't have the courage to move her tense glaze from his face. Anger, fear and pain flashed quickly through the dark eyes of her Master.
Rumpelstiltskin's brow twitched ever so slightly and both of them became very aware of each other's heavy breathing, now more of a simultaneous panting and slowly Belle realised she was inappropriately close to her Master. She could feel the warmth of his hands on her wrists, the pressure of his body against hers and the heavy beating of his heart; she was surprised that the beast even had a pulse. Belle flushed red then, chiding herself silently, of course he had a pulse.
Her blush must have unnerved Rumpelstiltskin, probably assuming the rouging of her cheeks was due to their very intimate position, and he quickly removed himself from her person and quickly drew away from her, his right hand twitching idly at his side. Belle lowered her arms back to her sides, the tingling sensation telling her that she would soon regain the feeling to her hands, and slumped against the wall feeling a lump forming in her throat.
Averting his gaze to somewhere to the side of Belle's face, Rumpelstiltskin raised his right hand and pointed at her, "Never go to that part of the castle again." He stated in an unsteady whisper, backing up then returning to his wheel, opening and closing his fists to stretch his fingers.
Belle felt her lower lip twitch slightly, wetness welling in her eyes. Determined to not let him see her tears, Belle quickly slid against the wall, and left the room as fast as her shaking legs would take her, never daring to wipe her face until she was a safe distance away from him.
That had been two days prior, and Belle had not seen Rumpelstiltskin since then. She rested the back of her head against the brick and closed her eyes despairingly. She would starve in that stairwell, she knew it. Never had she come across a doorway leading outwards to freedom, Belle even forgot how she ended up inside the stairwell in the first place. How long had she been in there? Was she wandering for half an hour? Half a day? Belle rubbed her tired eyes with the palm of her hand, hissing in pain when she remembered the rope burns. Was this punishment? Had Rumpelstiltskin finally tired of his new pet? Belle dejectedly stood from her spot and moved slowly around another bend in the stair, kicking her blue skirts out from her feet so she wouldn't trip on them. She stopped dead in her tracks when she beheld the first door she had seen all day. As if afraid it was a mirage, Belle hesitantly reached out and gently felt the wood of the door, and noting the very real feel of the rough oak, Belle gave a decent shove, swinging the door out and allowing a cool gust of air to fill the stale stairwell.
Belle rushed forward and left the stair, shoving the door closed behind her as if afraid the castle would change its mind and suck Belle back into her spirally tomb. She found herself standing in a great hall with colourful ceiling high windows that, in the daylight, would lighten the entire hall with many colours. It appeared, however, that evening had decided to descend upon the Dark Castle, and unfortunately Belle could not make out which parts of the gardens this hallway faced.
At the end of the corridor stood two very large doors, similar to the entrance way to Rumpelstiltskin's great hall where most of the events of the castle took place (oddly enough, considering the size of the castle). With a small shove she hesitantly entered the room and gasped.
On very shaky legs, Belle slowly moved forward, trying to slow her breathing as she took in the massive library that opened before her. At least four levels made up the entirety of the room, each level packed to the ceiling with books. On the main floor were a few shelves of books and several alcoves that curved into comfortable sitting areas, each holding its own window with stained glass depicting their own stories and probably casting very delightful lights during the daytime, and glancing upwards Belle found herself staring at three massive skylights, the stars in the sky shining brightly at that time and moonlight streamed down into the room. It was an exquisite library, far more luxurious than any library she had seen and much larger than the one at her father's old manor. And standing by the massive fireplace at the end of the room, stood Rumpelstiltskin, book open in his palm and idling fiddling with the mantle clock.
Belle quickly darted her eyes around the room speechless as she slowly tried to process everything before her. Rumpelstiltskin had sensed her presence and snapped the book in his hands shut. With a slight smile he slowly made his way toward Belle cautiously, every so often dragging a hand along the table in the center of the room strewn with books. He studied the awed Belle with a look that Belle could only describe as severe hesitance.
"This is…" Belle stuttered quietly, motioning around the room. "It's…" she faltered, now looking at Rumpelstiltskin who rested a good ten steps in front of her, his hands clasped in front of him in silence.
"It's a library, Dearie." He said a bit too harshly and he furrowed his brow immediately after in regret.
"It's beautiful." She gasped. Rumpelstiltskin blinked and then twitched his mouth into a guilty smile.
"I didn't know you had a library."
"You didn't ask."
They both stood there staring at each other, Belle more confused than ever, and Rumpelstiltskin still looking unsure of himself. Belle began to smile slowly, a bewildered look pressed in her gaze as she tried to find the words to describe how she was feeling. Did he allow her the access to the library? Was this a gift of sorts or apology? How did he know? She could feel the warm pools of tears forming again in her eyes and she burned a bit with embarrassment, blinking uncontrollably in an attempt to brush the tears away.
"This is silly. I don't know why I'm crying." She chuckled half-heartedly, using the back of her hand to wipe a tear that fell to her cheek. With a trembling lip and a smile on her face Belle moved toward Rumpelstiltskin and without a thought wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug of gratitude.
Rumpelstiltskin froze in place, his arms to his sides unsure of what to do. Belle held on tightly, smiling wider and wider finding comfort in the creature that just a few days prior had scared her into tears. Finally Belle felt Rumpelstiltskin relax under her grip, allowing her to continue her embrace. She pulled back and wiped more of her tears from her face, sheepishly laughing to herself. Concern now crossed Rumpelstiltskin's face as he looked at her rope burned palms now dried with blood.
"Your injured." He said, grasping at her hands very delicately. Belle wanted to jerk away but instead allowed him to inspect her self-inflicted injuries. With a wave of his hand, Belle felt a slight tingling sensation and when she looked down, all trace of her wounds were completely gone. Belle's breath hitched in her throat as she looked disbelievingly up at Rumpelstiltskin. His eyes were a deep amber colour now as they held Belles gaze, and she felt a strong sense of warmth for the man before her. She wasn't sure if she liked him, but he had shown her a kindness that a true beast or monster would never have given her– though she was determined to remember that he had yet to apologise for anything he had done.
"You can be kind when you want to be." Belle stated, noting a flicker in his eye.
"I am not kind." He nearly spat, and Belle chuckled, shaking her head. "What?" he asked sharply.
"You say that, Rumpelstiltskin, and yet here you are showing me kindness." She wagged a finger at him, her other hand on her hip.
"I don't know what you are referring to, maid. This is but another room for you to clean." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Belle clucked her tongue and bounced onto her toes slyly. "You are giving me a library by way of apologising."
"I am not giving you anything." He fumed, circling around Belle and heading for the door.
Belle only smirked and quirked a brow, picking up a book from the table in front of her.
"Of course, Rumple. Whatever helps the big bad Dark One sleep at night." She chuckled into the book as she crossed the room to plop down onto an ottoman that was facing the blazing fireplace.
Rumpelstiltskin huffed for a moment in place, opening and shutting his mouth like a fish before finally growling in response, snapping his fingers and disappearing into a plume of smoke.
Belle glanced up at the spot that he was once standing in and bit her lip, a knowing smile on her lips, before returning to the new treasure in her now healed hands.