The men weren't particularly pleased about Belle joining them but fortunately didn't seem to put up too much of an argument. At first. Belle sat on the back of the wagon a book of symbols written in the language of the yaoguai's country of origin open on her lap.
"What's that?" asked one man.
"Uh, a book? I trust you've seen them before." quipped Belle in a manner reminiscent of the one she would have used with Rumple. The man however was neither as witty or as amused by her answer and instead scoffed.
"You expect to defeat the fiercest creature in the land with a book."
"Maybe she means to bore it to death." snickered another. Belle rolled her eyes.
"It will tell us how to find the yaoguai."
"These are just scribbles." objected the first man and Belle gave an exasperated sigh desperately wishing for the intelligent company of her true love.
"It's called another language. And one that I know how to translate." One benefit of being thought odd back home was that it also led to being largely ignored leaving Belle to pursue whatever intellectual pursuits she pleased. Studying other languages was one particular passion and it now came in useful.
"What?" said the second man now finally showing interest. Typical men like that only showed interest in what a woman had to say when it obviously benefitted them.
"Oh, I thought it was just scribbles?" she said mockingly. Goodness Rumple really had rubbed off on her. There was a time she'd never have dared use that tone with a male.
"We're here to protect the land, girl. If that book tells us where to go, you shall share it with us." said the first man threateningly. Belle honestly didn't believe a word from his mouth and had had just about enough travelling with them.
"It says we'll find the yaoguai by the lake." she lied smoothly.
"The lake, you say?" said the first man.
"Yes." answered Belle without flinching.
"You heard her, Claude! We're going to the lake!" the man called then he swiftly shoved her off the wagon. Belle barely managed to catch herself as the wagon began to speed away.
"Wait!" called Belle faking a look of distress but the men only laughed. Once they were a good distance away Belle brushed off her book which had fallen in the mud when she caught herself and with a smug smile called.
"Enjoy the lake!" she then looked down at the book and read a passage aloud to herself.
"The yaoguai prefers mountain habitats to all others. The yaoguai hibernates by day, hunts by night."
OUAT
Following what the book indicated about the creature Belle managed to track her way to a small cave in the nearby forest that resided higher up in the mountains. Approaching she could hear heavy breathing and saw a faint glow of orange likely the result of the creature's fiery body.
Please be asleep. Belle thought she still had a decent amount of daylight left. Carefully Belle drew her dagger however just as she neared the entrance her foot stepped on a branch which snapped. The Yaoguai sat up turning fiery eyes on Belle and charged out of the cave towards her Belle made to run but tripped and fell.
She was just thinking this was a rather pathetic way to die when the sound of an arrow being let loose rang out and Belle looked up to see a woman with tanned skin and black hair shoot an arrow at the Yaoguai scaring it off.
"How ever can I thank you? Y-you saved my life." said Belle getting up. The woman scowled rounding on her.
"And you ruined my hunt. It took me weeks to track the yaoguai here." Feeling slightly miffed as it had been an accident Belle said.
"Yeah. I found it in a day." The woman scoffed.
"You had luck on your side." Belle shook her head.
"No, not luck. It was this." she held up her book. Now feeling a little guilty about ruining things for the woman she added. "I could, uh... I can help you find it again." The woman however shook her head.
"You've done enough damage already. If you really want to help? Stay out of my way." then she stormed off leaving Belle alone in the clearing feeling like a bit of a failure.
OUAT
Belle made her way back to the tavern. So much for adventures. Maybe she really wasn't such a great heroine. She'd saved her people but really in the end it hadn't turned out to be much of a sacrifice. She'd tried saving Rumple and that had blown up in her face. And now she'd gone after the Yaoguai only to nearly get trampled.
With night coming she'd need to regroup and think of a new plan. Belle made he way to the well in front of the tavern and was midway through getting herself some water when suddenly she found herself accosted by the men from earlier.
"The yaoguai wasn't at the lake." snarled the man that had kicked her from the cart as two others pinned her against the well. Belle tried to play it calm.
"I'm, uh... I'm sorry. I... I must've misread that one." Unfortunately, for her the men didn't appear to believe her.
"See, you know what I think happened? I think you sent us in the wrong direction on purpose." Belle opened her mouth to deny it, or possibly try a last ditch attempt at calling Rumplestiltskin, when suddenly one of the men standing behind the fellow interrigating her fell to the ground having been hit. Belle looked up and saw Mulan emerging from the crowd
"Let her go."
"This isn't your fight, solider." Snarled the man in front of Belle who she finally remembered was called Francis. Francis drew his sword turning on Mulan. Despite being unarmed she twisted him onto the ground losing her helmet in the process and revealing her long raven hair, and more importantly her gender.
"Wait. You're a-" Francis didn't get to finish his sentence as Mulan punched him in the face knocking him out.
"Yeah, I know." Then she turned to the two holding Belle.
"Go." seemingly taking the hint the men released her and left.
"I didn't expect to see you again. Thank you." said Belle genuinely. Mulan shrugged.
"I had to put up with brutes like them when I served in the Emperor's army. Fools who think we have no business holding a sword. I only wish there was someone there to stand up for me." Mulan grimaced in pain and grabbed her knee which Belle could now see had been wounded.
"You're bleeding." she said in concern promptly wishing she had snagged some healing potions from Rumple's tower. They'd been working on how to brew a potion that could mend injuries in a few minutes. Sadly, she'd left before they ever finished it. Mulan brushed her off.
"I'll survive. The sun should be setting soon. We need to move out."
"What... What... What do you mean, 'we'?" asked Belle who had been under the impression the woman wanted nothing to do with her.
"You tracked the yaoguai in a matter of hours. It took me weeks. You track the beast, and I'll kill it." Belle beamed.
"I'd be honored to help you."
OUAT
Using the information from the book Belle was able to pick up on the traces of sulfur in the forest as well as some of the prints, indicating what direction the Yaoguai had taken. It seemed tracking was something she was fairly good at.
"So what brings you on this journey?" asked Mulan.
"Oh well I always wanted an adventure and a friend advised me this was a chance to take a shot at it." explained Belle.
"I take it you were nobility," said Mulan and Belle was taken aback for a moment before remembering her conversation with Rumple what seemed like ages ago now about how you could tell a lot about a person's background from how they acted.
"Yes I was. I'm originally from Avalonea."
"Most nobility don't let their daughters run around on adventures," commented Mulan.
"Well I'm a bit of a special case. The short version of my story is that I made a deal to save my kingdom in exchange for being a sorcerer's maid. I fell in love with said sorcerer and he with me but it didn't work out and now I'm trying to see the world and distract myself from heartbreak," Belle said this last part slighty sadly. She kept the details vague as mentioning Rumple's name specifically could very well have a negative effect given his reputation.
"You fell in love with a sorcerer?" said Mulan in surprise. Belle sighed a small smile coming to her face at the thought of her love.
"Yes. Everyone thought him a beast. Including himself. But he really isn't so bad once you get to know him."
"He was a fool to throw you away."
"Yes," sighed Belle. "Yes, he was. Truthfully, I think he was scared. But tell me what is your story? I don't meet many female warriors."
"When war came to my village every family had to contribute a male to fight. My father was the only male in our family but he was wounded so in the dead of night I snuck out cut my hair and took his place pretending to be a man."
"And it worked?!" asked Belle. Mulan smiled grimly.
"For a while. I was discovered and banished however upon discovering out enemies plot I returned to warn my captain. With the help of him and some of my comrades we were able to save the Emperor. As a reward I was granted a place in his army."
"That sounds wonderful and incredibly brave." Mulan shrugged.
"It wasn't all I could have wished I still had to keep proving myself in the day to day workings of the army. Recently I heard that this creature was attacking my old village so I begged a leave of absence and have returned to try and slaughter it to save my people.
"I quite agree." said Belle. They needed to stop this creature before someone else got killed by it. Checking the notations in the book Belle said.
"It's just ahead." She pointed just over a ridge. Below them was a burning village.
"You found it. Your books serve you well." said Mulan who probably would have looked impressed were it not for the sight of the village below. Suddenly Mulan cringed in pain.
"Mulan, your leg's getting worse." Belle observed stepping closer in an attempt to help.
"No." said the woman gritting her teeth. "I have to protect my village." She attempted to walk but collapsed into Belle's arms. Belle lowered her to the ground.
"You can't even walk. How are you going to kill the yaoguai?" she said rationally. A look Belle wasn't sure she liked crossed Mulan's face.
"I'm not. You are." Belle took a step back in shock.
"Me? I... I'm... I'm... I'm not a soldier."
"You have good instincts. You tracked down that beast faster than I ever could."
"Uh, tracking it and killing it are not the same thing." said Belle her heart beating fast at the thought of facing the beast.
"There was once a time when people didn't think that I had what it took, either, but I proved them wrong."
"How?" asked Belle recalling Mulan's story. She really couldn't imagine how someone rather ordinary like her, could prove themselves the way Mulan did.
"By showing them that I had the warrior spirit. Once I found something worth fighting for, I fought for it with everything that I had. I never gave up. Belle... The fate of my village depends on you."
"I'm nowhere near as brave as you," said Belle.
"You've already shown a different kind of bravery Belle. You went defenseless to stay with a sorcerer purely for the sake of your people. If that isn't bravery I don't know what is. You have a warrior spirit of your own. Now is the time to let it show once more."
She unbuckled her sword and handed it to Belle.
"Don't be afraid."
OUAT
Belle approached the yaoguai which was in the middle of a field as it ran it left a fiery trail behind it. Realizing he'd set the entire area ablaze if she didn't get him away from the flammable field Belle took a risk and yelled in an attempt to coax it towards her and the now abandoned village.
"Over here! Over here!" The creature turned it's head and ran straight for her. Belle positioned herself above the ground water system and drew the sword. She wasn't strong like Mulan and wouldn't be able to beat it while it was still on fire so she needed to weaken it. When the yaoguai approached she slashed the pipes dousing the creature in a blast of water which extinguished the flames.
It flailed helplessly on the ground almost looking pathetic. Belle approached with the sword preparing to end it's life when suddenly she noticed that it was using it's claw to draw symbols on the ground.
"You... You're writing something. Jiu wo. Save me. You need help." She shealthed her sword. Perhaps she was making a mistake but if this creature was intelligent enough to write then there was more to this than met the eye. In fact, it meant it might not even truly be a creature at all. Biting her lip she took out the satchel of fairy dust and prayed there wouldn't be a serious price she'd need to pay for it's usage.
"Let's, uh... Let's give this a try, shall we?"
She sprinkled the fairy dust over the yaoguai and in a puff of purple smoke it transformed into man. His skin was pale and he had dark hair. He was dressed in male with a dark cloak.
"The curse... You broke it." he gasped.
"Someone... Someone did this to you?" asked Belle reaching down to help the man stand.
"Maleficent – an evil sorceress from my kingdom determined to do everything in her power to keep me apart from Aurora, my true love."
"That does sound like her," said Belle remembering her brief encounter with the fallen fairy.
"You've met her." Belle nodded.
"Our paths unfortunately crossed when she tried to use me against the man I love. So, she cursed you?" The man nodded.
"Yes, she exiled me to this land, and turned me into a monster. I tried to warn the villagers, but... No one understood what I really was. Except you."
"Well, you're not the first beast I've faced." shrugged Belle.
"I am forever in your debt. My name is Phillip. Please, tell me how I might repay you."
"My friend's hurt. She... She needs a doctor. As do you. Help me bring her back to the village." said Belle urgently thinking of Mulan. Phillip bowed.
"It would be my honor."
OUAT
They both hurried back to where Mulan was supposed to be waiting
"My... My friend's over that ridge. There she is." Luckily Mulan was still there sitting and looking at the book Belle had left behind.
"Belle. You're alive."
"I, uh... I did it. I defeated the yaoguai. ...With a little help." she smiled slightly and gestured to Phillip.
"Who are you?" asked Mulan warily.
"I was the yaoguai." He answered with a sheepish look.
"He was cursed. So, I helped him. Now he's going to help you." explained Belle
"Wait. You're not coming?" asked Mulan.
Belle shook her head. All this trip she had been thinking of Rumple and Mulan's speech about a different kind of bravery and something worth fighting for had made her realize something. What she and Rumple had was precious even if he was too scared to admit it. But she couldn't let his fear, and her hurt pride at his rejection stop it. He thought she couldn't care for him. But what better way to prove otherwise than returning once more? She wasn't going to give up on her love. Belle wouldn't abandon him. Even if it took ages she WOULD convince him her love was genuine because it was something worth fighting for.
"I have another beast to face. Goodbye." She shook both their hands and then returned Mulan's sword before making her way back towards the road.
Belle walked along it for a while until at last in the very far distance she could make out the Dark Castle's shape. Belle smiled slightly.
"I'm coming home Rumple."
"Isn't that sweet? Still fighting for true love, even to the bitter end." sneered a cold voice from behind her and Belle felt her heart plummet. Turning she found herself facing the Evil Queen, along with several of her men who were escorting a cart with a wooden cage.
"How did you find me?" The Queen laughed.
"You really should be nicer to your traveling companions. Right, Claude? Take her to the tower." Belle reached for her dagger but the guards were too quick. She struggled in vain to throw them off but one petite woman against several armed men and a sorceress weren't great odds.
They dragged her towards the wooden cell shutting her in. The Queen waved her hand and the lock glowed.
"That monster's beyond saving. I'm sparing you a lifetime of pain and misery." Belle glared at the woman who had ruined so much of her chance at happiness and love.
"You... You can't keep us apart forever! I'll fight for him. I'll never stop fighting for him!" she yelled this last bit in a determined tone. The Queen only laughed but Belle knew in her heart that the words she spoke were true she would be reunited with Rumple if it was the last thing she did.
Author's Note: So fun to see Belle have a little adventure and run into Mulan. Again this was largely episode dialogue so I tried to focus on the mindset of the characters. I also had Belle walk away a bit before getting caught because in the show she's literally just over the ridge from Mulan and Phillip so I never got why she didn't just call out. Or why they didn't hear her. Also yes Belle IS getting kidnapped because unfortunately for our dear girl it is a rather important part of their story for both her and Rumple. The course of true love never did run smooth. I did state it canon would diverge AROUND her IMPRISONMENT. So changes to come. If you like the story please leave a note below in the comments it really means a lot! Until next time.
