OUAT Fic Update: Far Beneath the Bitter Snow, Ch. 6
Far Beneath the Bitter Snow
Summary: What if Belle had refused to leave Rumpel’s castle, knowing she’d be rejected at home?
A/N: Hi, all! I'm sorry I haven't lived up to the promise to update every few days as it's been over two weeks since the last one, but it hasn't been for lack of trying. I've been literally blocked, trying to work out the plot and fighting my muse with writing this chapter. Luckily, I had the idea to borrow a few scenes from the show, which made the lack of fluff in it much more bearable to write. And the muse is back to working with me now, so, let's hope updating more regularly again will be back on track.
That being said, there are word-for-word scenes from "Heart of Darkness" in this chapter and spoilers for "The Stable Boy," so if you haven't seen those eps yet and don't want to be spoiled, don't read this until you do.
Disclaimer: I'm not claiming any ownership to the brilliant lines and scenes written for "7:15" and "Heart of Darkness" - I'm just borrowing them to add some of Rumpel's thoughts in order to explain his plan.
There will be one more disclaimer in an author's note at the end of the chapter, and not here, only because I don't to spoil the surprise. :D
Many, many thanks this time to both TrueLove'sMiss and Morbid DramaQueen10 (both on FFN) for their beta'ing and input! You're both invaluable to me, as are all my readers! :o)
Enjoy!
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Link to previous chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5
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Chapter 6:
What most people didn’t know about Rumpelstiltskin and the mystery surrounding his immense power, was that he hadn’t achieved it all on his own. It had come from many different sources -- wizards, witches, creatures of folklore, and a few bad fairies -- all of whom he’d killed to obtain their power. His only real adversary -- other than Queen Regina -- were the good fairies. Like pesky flies on a compost pile, he couldn’t seem to get rid of their kind, at least not completely. Most of the time, he was able to avoid them, as they did their good while he worked his evil schemes, but on occasion, he’d find he needed the kind of magic only they could give. Finding that magic wand held by one particular fairy godmother was now a necessity. He had a lot of power, but to take on the queen’s ever-increasing knowledge of spells and chants and powers that came with her status as a witch, he would need something stronger, something more powerful than either of them had ever held. He’d need the power of love at his fingertips. And once he had it, he’d need the wand to put that love potion to work.
But first, he had to deal with Regina’s constant picking at Belle, and that would be a simple fix. After inviting Regina to his castle to talk, he’d put Belle in a trance, where she’d continue to do her work but wouldn’t react in any way to anything he said or did to her. Regina seemed impressed when she saw Belle scrubbing the floor on her knees, dutifully cleaning up behind Rumpelstiltskin when he walked through the area she’d already cleaned, leaving boot-prints and kicking over her bucket of water in the process. He raised the bar of his disinterest in her when she stood and bumped into him, and he responded by smacking her face, causing her to fall to the floor.
“Hm,” Regina noted from her perch on the steps as, like a drone under her trance, Belle merely got up and cleaned the mess he’d made without a word before taking the bucket outside for more water. “Dutiful little thing, isn’t she?”
“She’s satisfactory,” he proclaimed with a careless shrug, walking up the stairs to the landing above her. “The place was a mess before she came.”
Regina followed him, wondering, “And you’re completely over how she tried to take away your power?”
“She was just young and naïve. She’s learned her place now as my servant and nothing else.”
“Hm,” the queen repeated. “If only it were that easy with everyone.”
Rumpelstiltskin led her up the stairs to his tower, filled with potions and tools of power that he’d collected over the years. Those things he’d thought he might ever use against her were tucked away and hidden, but he did allow her to see most of his lair. “Is that…Snow White giving you more trouble?”
Regina sighed dramatically. “As if to add insult to injury, the little trollop has actually managed to find love,” she said the word with distaste, “out there in the middle of the woods. That stupid little prince that’s supposed to marry King Midas’s daughter, has gone and stolen her heart, according to his father, King George. Ugh,” she groaned, picking up a little box and checking its contents, finding it empty, “if only that huntsman had done his duty, she wouldn’t have had a heart to lose. Instead, I would have it.” She smirked at her own wit.
And we all know what you do with hearts, he thought, keeping it to himself. He wondered if her own heart was in her collection, since she always was so cold and calculating, even before she’d married Snow’s father. He knew, of course, of her history, how she’d once loved and lost, due to Snow’s reveal of the secret affair, unleashing her mother Cora’s powers on her one true love which killed him. Regina had vowed then and there that Snow would pay for what she’d done. Even if it took decades, she’d seek the ultimate revenge.
He focused on the task at hand, suddenly realizing that Snow and her true love would be the perfect test subject for his love potion. He needed a young couple whose hearts were true to make it work; he’d tried it with others, but their love or their motives must not have been pure, because it had never worked. But Snow and Prince James -- the courageous young man who’d permanently stepped into his twin brother’s shoes -- would be just the kind of subjects he needed. Now, he only would have to wait until they came to him for help; eventually, they all did.
“I need something powerful,” Regina was saying, bringing him back to the present. “But I’ve decided I don’t want to kill her anymore. Death would be too…easy. I want her to suffer.” Wandering over to his cabinet of potions, she studied each label. “She doesn’t deserve to be with the man she loves.”
“You’d like them separated for all eternity, then?” he asked, all the while thinking he’d make sure to do the opposite, just to seek his own revenge on Regina for her attack on Belle.
She spun on her heel to face him. “Yes,” she replied, suddenly seeing the possibilities. “Rumor has it that you have a curse that might accomplish that for me…” Regina said arrogantly, seemingly pleased with his instant surprise that she knew. It was something he’d created some time back when he was alone and power-hungry, before he’d answered Maurice’s cry for help, and before he’d chosen Belle as payment and lost his heart to her. Regina didn’t know any of this, how his heart had changed toward the very existence of this curse. She went on, revealing what she knew. “I’m told it’s a way to separate everyone from what they love the most.” Her voice dropped in pitch as her anger flared, fire in her eyes. “She’s taken what was most precious to me -- I think she only deserves the same.”
For the first time in a long time, he actually feared what she was capable of. But he hid his feelings well as he asked, “And where did you hear about this…curse?”
She smirked at him. “It doesn’t really matter if you have it. Do you?” she practically interrogated, with the way she stared at his face, looking for deception.
“It’s…not as pleasant as it sounds,” he warned, moving around the room to keep her from having all the control. “There would be consequences for everyone, including you, dearie!”
Regina turned as she watched him circle her. “What kind of consequences?”
“We would all -- everyone in our world -- be transported to a world far different than our own. Where there would be no more love, no happiness, no happy endings.”
Regina’s smile was more evil than ever. “Sounds perfect.”
“Oh,” he sang with a false cheer, “but there’s more!” He bounced over closer to her to whisper dramatically, “In this perfect new world, we would all be…trapped.”
“Trapped? How?”
He put his face right up close to hers. “By…time,” he enunciated and then bounded away like a child skipping through a meadow. “Time would stand still, nothing would change, day in and day out, we would all stay the same,” he sang as he skipped around the room.
“Time,” Regina repeated, ignoring his little song and dance. “For how long?”
“Oh, all eternity, dear!”
“Hmm,” she considered it while Rumpelstiltskin slowed but continued to move and dance about.
He was hoping that his warnings would be enough to scare her away from wanting the curse. As it was, a curse, once created, wasn’t something that could be casually thrown away; it had to be used and then be broken. There was no other option.
“I’ll take it,” Regina declared, and Rumpelstiltskin inwardly cringed, making his movement come to a halt.
But he was all smiles when he turned toward her and found her hand outstretched, awaiting the curse. “‘Just like that,’ she says,” he cackled. “This isn’t some ordinary curse, Your Majesty. This will destroy our world forever. There’s no coming back!”
“But it will banish us all to a world where Snow White is separated from the man she loves and trapped in time for all eternity? That alone is far worth it.” She held her ground. “Name your price.”
He turned and began to pace, knowing there was no way to stop her, as she didn’t care about the consequences of enacting the curse. He would have to name a price, and he would have to give it to her if she agreed. He needed time to plan an escape, a way to keep his own powers and control. Love was the only thing strong enough to break it; he had to keep her from using the curse before he was ready with a cure.
“Well?” Regina prodded.
He stopped and pointed one finger at her. “I tell you what…” he paused. “I’ll give it to you, if you agree to use it only when I say you can. You must first try all other avenues to destroy Snow White’s happiness.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a life here, too, dearie! I’ll tell you when the time is right.”
“Then, what good is it to have it if I can’t use it when I want to?”
Rumpelstiltskin shrugged. “It’s a good trade. I know the witch, Maleficent, has a sleeping curse that might just keep Snow White away from her true love forever.” However, he’d make sure that wouldn’t happen. “I’ve heard that with one drop of that potion, she would fall asleep forever!” (Which could be undone with True Love’s Kiss, he knew -- and he’d make sure that Prince James could find her when the time was right.) “Being your friend, Maleficent would surely trade…”
“And, how do you know she won’t use the Dark Curse?”
His voice dropped in volume. “Because she’s like me, dearie. She’s happy in our world the way it is.”
Though she knew her friend better than Rumpelstiltskin did, she knew he was right. Maleficent was nothing if not a sentimentalist. She liked having control over her little corner of the world, even if Princess Aurora did get the best of her some years earlier and was living happily with her prince in her kingdom despite Maleficent’s agony of defeat. Unlike Regina, revenge was not something she was intent on seeking.
“Hm,” she thought aloud, “perhaps you’re right, and something else could be done to get what I want. I may never have to use the Dark Curse if Maleficent’s little sleeping number does the trick. And if it doesn’t,” she smiled evilly, “I’ll just take it back.” She held out her hand, waiting for the vial or whatever the curse was kept in to be put in her hand. “Well, let’s get on with it, then. I have places to be.”
Rumpelstiltskin held up a finger. “Wait. This is far too important for a verbal contract, dearie. I’ll need you to sign for it.” He flipped his hand and out rolled a scroll. With a sigh, Regina took it and scanned the document before making a feather-pen to appear in her hand which she used to sign her name to the bottom line. He giggled as he let the scroll roll back up and disappear again. “Deal!” He then made a vial appear in his hand, which he held out for her.
“This is it?” she asked, staring at the little bottle and its black contents.
“Don’t open it until you’re ready to use it,” he warned. “Once open, there’s no turning back.”
Keeping the vial tucked tightly in her fist, she headed for the door, tossing over her shoulder, “Pleasure doing business with you.”
He bowed in response. “And you as well, Your Majesty.”
He giggled again while she was still within earshot, but once she was gone, his face turned serious. He had some work to do to keep from losing Belle forever.
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He’d thought it wouldn’t be too long before having the opportunity of meeting the infamous Snow White, but he hadn’t expected her summons on that very evening after Regina’s visit. She was headed to him, coming up the river to the south of his castle, and he made sure to meet her there at the dock. “How much for this?” he teased as a greeting when he appeared in her boat.
“Excuse me?”
“Your boat. Exquisite craftsmanship.”
“It’s not for sale,” she said, surprising him with her strength. It was no wonder Regina saw her as such an adversary.
“Of course it is, dearie. No one comes to see me without a deal in mind.”
Realization was evident in her face as she stood up from tying the boat to the dock. “So, you’re Rumpelstiltskin.”
He stood as well. “Indeed, I am.” He stepped out onto the dock. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Wow…” he dragged out the long vowel, holding her smooth, pale face with both hands, “you really are the fairest of them all, aren’t you? What can I do for you?” he asked, removing his hands from her to keep her from being afraid of him and ask what she came for.
“I need a cure.”
“What ails you, child?”
“A broken heart?”
“Ah, the most painful of afflictions.” He began to walk around her. “Well, I’m afraid if you want me to make him love you, no can do and nothing can.”
“No, wait, no, that’s not the problem. We can’t be together.”
So, it was true, then. Their love was real, but they were separated by James’ duty the king. He needed something that would bring them back together, even if it meant giving her what she wanted to distance them even more for a time. True Love could never be separated for long, no matter what attempts were made. “Well, that,” he declared, “I can help you with.” He giggled as he pulled out an empty bottle from his pocket and knelt to dip it in the water beneath the dock, filling it. Then he used his magic to change it from simple water to a potion, which was visible by its white color.
“That’ll do it?”
“Not yet. No two loves are,” he smiled up at her, “exactly alike.” He stood and moved closer to her. “We must make this personal,” he said just as yanked a bit of her hair out from under her hood, making her gasp in shock and pain. Then he laughed again as he shoved the hair into the bottle and corked it.
“So, if I drink that, I’ll no longer love him,” she assumed.
“The next time you see the object of your grief, you won’t even remember who he is.”
This seemed to disappoint her. “I won’t remember him?”
“Love is the most powerful magic, so the cure must be…extreme.”
“Extreme sounds like an understatement.”
“Don’t doubt yourself now, dearie! Love makes us sick. Haunts our dreams, destroys our days. Love has killed more than any disease. This cure…is a gift.”
“What’s your price?”
He held up the remaining strands of her hair, knowing they were exactly what he needed for his own potion. “These’ll do.”
“What do you need of my hair?”
“What do you need of it, now that it’s been plucked from your head?” he joked with her. “Do we have a deal?”
She answered by taking the potion from him.
“I thought so,” he nearly cackled again. “Drink it in good health…Snow White,” he concluded, turning to walk down the dock, into the darkness, and out of sight.
Now, if she took the potion -- which he’d encouraged with his little speech about love’s disease -- she’d forget her True Love. Rumpelstiltskin already knew that James was unhappy with his betrothal to Princess Abigail, so James would eventually leave and go in search of Snow and would probably come to him for help. He’d get the other half of his potion then. Things were all falling right into place; he’d get the cure all ready for the Dark Curse, and then give Regina the go-ahead to use it, making her believe that it was what he wanted all along as well.
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The next morning when she served him his breakfast, Belle mentioned her lost time from the day before, while she was in the trance she knew nothing about. Rumpelstiltskin merely shrugged and pretended not to know what she was talking about, but after she left the room, guilt seeped into his heart. What would it take for him to speak the truth to her, just once? Would it really have hurt to tell her about the queen’s visit, his abuse of her while she was in the trance, just to convince the queen he had no feelings for her? He supposed he thought it would, as revealing that much of the truth would be enough to expose his attachment to her. Then there would be no holding her back, if, in fact, her love were indeed as real as it felt.
Just as he’d coerced, Regina had traded the Dark Curse for the sleeping one, and he was glad that she would be occupied with that for a time, as she would have to get the Blind Witch to poison an apple and find children worthy enough to retrieve it. Yes, it would take time, and he needed that time for Prince James to come to him for help. He thought he might get his visit while James was on a quest to save Princess Abigail’s True Love from his cursed, golden prison and facing the siren in Lake Nostos would be too daunting a task, but the brave young man had stood up to her alone and had defeated her. His courageousness was yet another reason Rumpelstiltskin was sure that he’d chosen the right couple for his potion.
He could be patient and wait; he had time. Once Prince James came to him for help, he’d have the formula for love, and he could use it to his advantage. While True Love’s Kiss can break any curse, the Dark Curse was so powerful that it would take a bit more -- something that would require the use of that particular formula. It would take True Love’s Child…
It was a month before Snow White came to see him again, this time accompanied by one of her dwarf friends, the aptly-named “Grumpy.” Belle had been passing by the front door when they’d knocked, so she’d let them in, surprised to find a dwarf with a beautiful, but angry-looking young woman.
“Isn’t this where Rumpelstiltskin lives?” the dwarf asked in confusion. It was clear he wasn’t sure who Belle was.
“Yes,” Belle answered. “I’m his--” she started, her voice dropping in tone a bit as she admitted, “I’m his servant.”
“Oh,” he replied. “Well, we’d like to see him.”
Belle nodded and stepped back, allowing them to enter the castle. The fair one looked around as if she were bored or uninterested in being there. Belle started to lead them to the stairs, but when she looked up to the landing and saw Rumpelstiltskin there, she stopped suddenly. She gestured with her head to the couple behind her. “They’ve come to see you, Rumpelstiltskin.”
“Yes, thank you,” he said politely, with an edge of coldness to his voice.
Belle dropped her gaze and curtsied to let them be, completely sure that any feeling he had for her was long gone by now. It had been a long month of enduring his silence. Even when she questioned him about something, he would gesture or use some other form of body language to answer her and successfully keep from opening his mouth to speak to her again. Those months of spending time together in the dining hall or the garden were gone. He’d even moved his spinning wheel into his west-wing tower; she noticed it missing one morning, asked him about it, and received his one-word answer that it was “upstairs.” Belle thought it was just another way of avoiding her, saddened that he would never again return her feelings.
But she didn’t see how his gaze followed her as she walked away, even as he began speaking to Snow White and Grumpy in greeting. Belle rounded a corner where he could no longer see her, so he turned and led his guests up the stairs to his tower. He began to stand and spin his wheel as he asked the reason for their visit.
Grumpy replied, “The potion you gave Snow -- it changed her; she’s not the same.”
“Well, of course it changed her,” he spoke with his hands. “It took away her love, left a big hole in her heart.” He walked around the wheel toward Grumpy as he explained, “There is no cure for what she’s got. The person she was…” he paused, leaning in closer to the dwarf as they both looked over at Snow. “There’s no way to bring her back.”
He then walked over to his cabinet and opened it. “No potion could bring back true love,” he didn’t lie. There were other ways of getting her back together with the man she loved, ways that were much more subtle than forcing a potion on someone that would reject it. “Love is the powerful magic of all,” he said, thinking it odd that he was actually speaking the truth for once. “The only magic I haven’t been able to bottle. If you can bottle love, you can do anything.” He thought of his own plans for the bottle of love he would soon have to fill that empty spot in his cabinet, and what he’d use it for.
But he had to keep his focus to accomplish that goal. First order of business would be to arrange a way for Snow to reunite with James and get her memory back, healing their love. Of course, Snow White’s heart was not ready to accept love again; she had to first deal with her hate, through seeking her revenge on the queen. He turned to the girl and asked, “But you don’t care about that, do ya?” He peered into her face and wondered, “Now, what is it you really want?”
“I want your help…” Snow confessed evenly, “to kill the queen.”
“Now we’re talking, dearie,” he eagerly replied, knowing that was exactly his ultimate plan.
Grumpy protested behind him, but Rumpelstiltskin was on a mission to help her and help himself at the same time. He walked over to the bow and arrow he’d acquired some years back that he’d been saving for just an occasion. A certain cherub, named -- of all things -- Cupid, that the queen had once tried to distract him with, by having him fall in love, had failed his quest when Rumpelstiltskin had caught on to his scheme and killed the little trickster before he’d had a chance to use his magic on him. The magic was still in the bow and arrow, meaning that it would draw two people who loved each other back together. Whether she knew it or not, Snow needed to find James, and Rumpelstiltskin knew that James would use him to find her, and he’d get his needed hair for the potion.
Snow was intrigued by the weapon as he hooked the string to its bow. “Now, what is this?”
“This…” he paused dramatically, “is how you kill the queen!” he said, knowing that would be the only way she’d take it.
“How will that help me get into the castle?”
“No, no, no, that’s impossible.” (And James wouldn’t find her at the queen’s palace where she was likely to be killed first.) “You have to kill her…when she’s on the move, when she’s on her way…” he unrolled a map that appeared in his hand, “to the Summer Palace. Fire the arrow from this spot here,” he pointed to a spot on the map, “and you’ll be hidden from sight. An arrow fired from this bow will get you exactly what you need,” he added honestly. He picked up the arrow as she tucked the map into her vest, telling her with a surprising truth she couldn’t understand, “It always finds its target!” For he knew that her target, whether she intended it or not, would be James. Somehow, he’d be the one to take the arrow, as that was the power of Cupid’s magic. It would be the magic that would reunite their love.
Grumpy didn’t understand, nor would he be able to. “I can’t stand by it…” he proclaimed. “If you take that weapon, you do it alone.”
She was cold as she announced, “That was always my plan.”
Rumpelstiltskin chuckled as she took the weapon, knowing he was one step closer to succeeding.
“So, what do I have to do in return?” Snow wondered.
“Do? You don’t have to do anything, dearie.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Everything comes with a price with you. Last time, you took a strand of my hair. What’s in it for you this time?”
“Let’s just say…” he said mysteriously, “I’m invested in your future.” Without knowing it, she was helping him break the curse they would all fall victim to, long before it was to be enacted.
His words were enough to make Snow’s face frown, but not question him. Grumpy touched her arm and gestured to the door with his head. “Come on; let’s go,” he urged, and Rumpelstiltskin was sure he was afraid that if they didn’t leave soon, he might change his mind about the price for the bow and arrow. But he had what he needed from her, and in a matter of days, he would have what he needed from James too.
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Belle was coming down the front stairwell when she heard the front door open and heard a man shout Rumpelstiltskin's name. The anger in his voice frightened her, and she stopped out of sight on the steps, wondering what she should do. He repeated it a second time, his voice softening as he commanded for Rumpelstiltskin to show himself. Belle was just about to continue down the steps to greet him and announce that she hadn't seen her master in a few days, since she'd let the woman and her dwarf companion in. He'd been traveling, she assumed, so when she heard his voice answer the stranger, she again froze in place, eavesdropping on the conversation to understand the reason for his visit.
“Still dressing like a prince, I see--” Rumpelstiltskin had said by way of greeting the stranger.
Belle found it curious that a prince would find it necessary to visit a wizard like him, but didn't let it distract her from listening in.
Her master wasn't concluded with his statement, adding, “--even though you ran away from the life I gave you. How's that for gratitude?”
She wondered about this prince's story. How had Rumpelstiltskin given a prince his life?
“You 'gave' me a prison sentence,” the prince bit back.
Belle was engrossed in the conversation even more, straining to peer into the room without being noticed, but she could only see just the hem of the prince's cloak.
“Yeah, one that you've now skirted,” Rumpelstiltskin commented. “Careful, dearie. King George is a very vengeful man.”
King George, Belle thought, remembering back to when her father had once crossed that king and nearly lost his village in battle until Maurice agreed to repay what had been stolen by a poor commoner that called their township home. Yes, he was vengeful, she recalled. And his son's name was... - she searched her memory - James. Until that battle, her father had thought he might be a good match for Belle, but, soon, the knight, Sir Gaston became a more excellent choice, in his opinion.
“I'm here about Snow,” Prince James announced. “Rumor has it she's after the queen, and she came to you for help.”
“Yes, indeed,” Rumpelstiltskin declared. It then hit Belle that they were talking about their last visitor. Snow White, she realized - the same girl that was wanted for treason against Queen Regina.
It was at that moment that she heard the unsheathing of a sword, which caused her to jump and her breath to catch in her throat. “What did you do to her?!” the prince yelled.
Rumpelstiltskin only chuckled, which relaxed her a bit. “What did I do to her?” he said with that high-pitched tone she'd heard him use when making the deal with her father for her. For a brief second, she found it odd he didn't talk that way with her much anymore, since the first few months after her arrival at the Dark Castle. But Rumpelstiltskin's reply was far too intriguing to let her mind linger on the reasons why for too long.
“You mean, what did you do to her?” he said. She saw his boots come into view as he circled the prince, arguing, “You caused her pain. Without that pain, she would never have drank my potion to forget about you. That's what changed her,” he concluded, emphasizing every word.
“Undo the potion. All magic can be broken.”
“Oh yes,” Rumpelstiltskin replied, “with Twoo Wuv,” he quipped, and she felt a pang of disappointment in her heart, thinking of her own opportunity to break his curse and how she'd failed.
“So, that's it, then,” James said so quietly she almost missed it. “True Love's Kiss will awaken her.”
“Most certainly,” her master answered. “But, it's gonna be hard to kiss her when you don't know where she is!”
She heard the sound of metal as Rumpelstiltskin knocked James' sword away from his chest and laughed. Belle shrunk back on the step, afraid to move or even breathe when the man she loved moved even closer, thankful that he was looking down, and praying that he wouldn't even glance up and catch her. She couldn't even imagine what punishment she'd receive for eavesdropping, although she was sure it would include more time in her old “room.”
“Name your price,” the prince demanded, keeping Rumpelstiltskin's attention diverted from her.
“How about,” he said persuasively, spinning on his heel to finish, “your cloak?”
“My cloak?” James repeated, confusion in his voice. “Why would you want my cloak?”
Belle found his reply that it was drafty in the castle as a flimsy one. What did he want with James' cloak?
There was a long pause as the prince mulled it over and Rumpelstiltskin chuckled again.
She heard movement, and then, when James demanded to know where Snow was, she knew he must've given up the cloak as requested.
Confirming her assumption, Rumpelstiltskin didn't hesitate answering, “On her way to the queen's highway. This,” she saw his feet move and heard the sound of rustling, “is the route she's taking.” His steps took him out of her sight. “But you better be quick,” he said as James took something from him, “because if she kills the queen, she becomes as evil as the woman whose life she takes.”
“She could never become that evil.” There was a confidence in his voice about that fact.
James' footsteps retreated from the room as Rumpelstiltskin called out to him, “Evil isn't born, dearie. It's made! If Snow starts down that road, you'll never get her back!”
Belle remained still, even as the door closed and Rumpelstiltskin remained in the room, which she knew when she heard him chuckling. Part of her heart wanted to know if what he said was true about evil. Was there no hope?
He started up the steps to go to his tower with the cloak, and she came down, meeting him on the landing. Despite her fears that she would be punished for her offense of listening in, she had to ask, “Is that true?”
He stopped and stared up at her, and for the first time since their meeting, she believed she'd actually been in his presence without his knowledge. “Is what true?”
She decided to focus on the other couple's problem instead of their own. “About Snow White. Will the evil overtake her and leave James with no hope to get her back if she succeeds in killing the queen?”
For Rumpelstiltskin, the question had too many answers, for his plan was far too intricate for her to understand. He simply closed the gap between them and reached up to barely touch her cheek. “You needn't worry about that, dear.”
He took a step away and turned to leave, but she had to know. “Is True Love really the cure for all magic?”
He didn't face her again, just dropping his chin a notch. “Yes, it is.”
“Then, he'll stop her from killing the queen,” she assumed hopefully.
This time, he did turn to look at her and smirked. “Oh, but if she succeeded, your enemy, Queen Regina, would be dead. Seems you would hope she'd succeed.”
Belle was confused. “My enemy?”
“The queen,” he said lightly. “The queen who tricked you into 'losing' me, as you so aptly coined it weeks ago.”
Belle's blood began to boil. “You mean, the queen I met on the road - that was Queen Regina?”
“You didn't know?” He cackled, “Of course, dearie! Who else would she be?”
Oh, now she wanted Snow White to succeed, to kill the queen who'd pulled her away from the man she loved and had found a way to cure - but then... She'd miss out on love. Being in an unrequited love herself, Belle thought what a shame it would be if Snow never experienced it for real. Perhaps Snow would be more blessed than she, since James was clearly in love with her too, enough to bargain with Rumpelstiltskin to save her from the path down which she was headed.
“Your opinion has changed now, hasn't it?” he wondered, watching the emotions play on her face.
“No,” she shook her head solemnly. “Snow White deserves a life of love, not evil. I hope James finds her and stops her.”
“And that they live happily-ever-after?”
She met his gaze. “Yes. Everyone should be lucky enough to find that kind of happiness.”
Leaving him with that, Belle continued down the steps, around the corner, and out of sight.
Rumpelstiltskin could only hope that someday, Belle would see that helping her find that same kind of happiness she desired for Snow White was his ultimate goal.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: The idea to have the bow and arrow be Cupid's was not mine. chloris was the one to suggest it in an ep discussion on abc-onceupon, stating, in her words: "Now since Rumpel gave Snow a bow and arrow which always finds its target and would get her what she needs, how likely is it that he did a deal with Cupid at some point? It seems clear to me that a never-missing bow wouldn't miss even if someone got in front of it unless it hit exactly who it was supposed to."
My muse just decided to take her note/suggestion and run with it. She gets total credit for that idea, and it was a brilliant one, imho. :)
Let me know what you think of the chapter, the plot, or whatever in your review! It helps to inspire me to write! :)
Summary: What if Belle had refused to leave Rumpel’s castle, knowing she’d be rejected at home?
A/N: Hi, all! I'm sorry I haven't lived up to the promise to update every few days as it's been over two weeks since the last one, but it hasn't been for lack of trying. I've been literally blocked, trying to work out the plot and fighting my muse with writing this chapter. Luckily, I had the idea to borrow a few scenes from the show, which made the lack of fluff in it much more bearable to write. And the muse is back to working with me now, so, let's hope updating more regularly again will be back on track.
That being said, there are word-for-word scenes from "Heart of Darkness" in this chapter and spoilers for "The Stable Boy," so if you haven't seen those eps yet and don't want to be spoiled, don't read this until you do.
Disclaimer: I'm not claiming any ownership to the brilliant lines and scenes written for "7:15" and "Heart of Darkness" - I'm just borrowing them to add some of Rumpel's thoughts in order to explain his plan.
There will be one more disclaimer in an author's note at the end of the chapter, and not here, only because I don't to spoil the surprise. :D
Many, many thanks this time to both TrueLove'sMiss and Morbid DramaQueen10 (both on FFN) for their beta'ing and input! You're both invaluable to me, as are all my readers! :o)
Enjoy!
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Link to previous chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5
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Chapter 6:
What most people didn’t know about Rumpelstiltskin and the mystery surrounding his immense power, was that he hadn’t achieved it all on his own. It had come from many different sources -- wizards, witches, creatures of folklore, and a few bad fairies -- all of whom he’d killed to obtain their power. His only real adversary -- other than Queen Regina -- were the good fairies. Like pesky flies on a compost pile, he couldn’t seem to get rid of their kind, at least not completely. Most of the time, he was able to avoid them, as they did their good while he worked his evil schemes, but on occasion, he’d find he needed the kind of magic only they could give. Finding that magic wand held by one particular fairy godmother was now a necessity. He had a lot of power, but to take on the queen’s ever-increasing knowledge of spells and chants and powers that came with her status as a witch, he would need something stronger, something more powerful than either of them had ever held. He’d need the power of love at his fingertips. And once he had it, he’d need the wand to put that love potion to work.
But first, he had to deal with Regina’s constant picking at Belle, and that would be a simple fix. After inviting Regina to his castle to talk, he’d put Belle in a trance, where she’d continue to do her work but wouldn’t react in any way to anything he said or did to her. Regina seemed impressed when she saw Belle scrubbing the floor on her knees, dutifully cleaning up behind Rumpelstiltskin when he walked through the area she’d already cleaned, leaving boot-prints and kicking over her bucket of water in the process. He raised the bar of his disinterest in her when she stood and bumped into him, and he responded by smacking her face, causing her to fall to the floor.
“Hm,” Regina noted from her perch on the steps as, like a drone under her trance, Belle merely got up and cleaned the mess he’d made without a word before taking the bucket outside for more water. “Dutiful little thing, isn’t she?”
“She’s satisfactory,” he proclaimed with a careless shrug, walking up the stairs to the landing above her. “The place was a mess before she came.”
Regina followed him, wondering, “And you’re completely over how she tried to take away your power?”
“She was just young and naïve. She’s learned her place now as my servant and nothing else.”
“Hm,” the queen repeated. “If only it were that easy with everyone.”
Rumpelstiltskin led her up the stairs to his tower, filled with potions and tools of power that he’d collected over the years. Those things he’d thought he might ever use against her were tucked away and hidden, but he did allow her to see most of his lair. “Is that…Snow White giving you more trouble?”
Regina sighed dramatically. “As if to add insult to injury, the little trollop has actually managed to find love,” she said the word with distaste, “out there in the middle of the woods. That stupid little prince that’s supposed to marry King Midas’s daughter, has gone and stolen her heart, according to his father, King George. Ugh,” she groaned, picking up a little box and checking its contents, finding it empty, “if only that huntsman had done his duty, she wouldn’t have had a heart to lose. Instead, I would have it.” She smirked at her own wit.
And we all know what you do with hearts, he thought, keeping it to himself. He wondered if her own heart was in her collection, since she always was so cold and calculating, even before she’d married Snow’s father. He knew, of course, of her history, how she’d once loved and lost, due to Snow’s reveal of the secret affair, unleashing her mother Cora’s powers on her one true love which killed him. Regina had vowed then and there that Snow would pay for what she’d done. Even if it took decades, she’d seek the ultimate revenge.
He focused on the task at hand, suddenly realizing that Snow and her true love would be the perfect test subject for his love potion. He needed a young couple whose hearts were true to make it work; he’d tried it with others, but their love or their motives must not have been pure, because it had never worked. But Snow and Prince James -- the courageous young man who’d permanently stepped into his twin brother’s shoes -- would be just the kind of subjects he needed. Now, he only would have to wait until they came to him for help; eventually, they all did.
“I need something powerful,” Regina was saying, bringing him back to the present. “But I’ve decided I don’t want to kill her anymore. Death would be too…easy. I want her to suffer.” Wandering over to his cabinet of potions, she studied each label. “She doesn’t deserve to be with the man she loves.”
“You’d like them separated for all eternity, then?” he asked, all the while thinking he’d make sure to do the opposite, just to seek his own revenge on Regina for her attack on Belle.
She spun on her heel to face him. “Yes,” she replied, suddenly seeing the possibilities. “Rumor has it that you have a curse that might accomplish that for me…” Regina said arrogantly, seemingly pleased with his instant surprise that she knew. It was something he’d created some time back when he was alone and power-hungry, before he’d answered Maurice’s cry for help, and before he’d chosen Belle as payment and lost his heart to her. Regina didn’t know any of this, how his heart had changed toward the very existence of this curse. She went on, revealing what she knew. “I’m told it’s a way to separate everyone from what they love the most.” Her voice dropped in pitch as her anger flared, fire in her eyes. “She’s taken what was most precious to me -- I think she only deserves the same.”
For the first time in a long time, he actually feared what she was capable of. But he hid his feelings well as he asked, “And where did you hear about this…curse?”
She smirked at him. “It doesn’t really matter if you have it. Do you?” she practically interrogated, with the way she stared at his face, looking for deception.
“It’s…not as pleasant as it sounds,” he warned, moving around the room to keep her from having all the control. “There would be consequences for everyone, including you, dearie!”
Regina turned as she watched him circle her. “What kind of consequences?”
“We would all -- everyone in our world -- be transported to a world far different than our own. Where there would be no more love, no happiness, no happy endings.”
Regina’s smile was more evil than ever. “Sounds perfect.”
“Oh,” he sang with a false cheer, “but there’s more!” He bounced over closer to her to whisper dramatically, “In this perfect new world, we would all be…trapped.”
“Trapped? How?”
He put his face right up close to hers. “By…time,” he enunciated and then bounded away like a child skipping through a meadow. “Time would stand still, nothing would change, day in and day out, we would all stay the same,” he sang as he skipped around the room.
“Time,” Regina repeated, ignoring his little song and dance. “For how long?”
“Oh, all eternity, dear!”
“Hmm,” she considered it while Rumpelstiltskin slowed but continued to move and dance about.
He was hoping that his warnings would be enough to scare her away from wanting the curse. As it was, a curse, once created, wasn’t something that could be casually thrown away; it had to be used and then be broken. There was no other option.
“I’ll take it,” Regina declared, and Rumpelstiltskin inwardly cringed, making his movement come to a halt.
But he was all smiles when he turned toward her and found her hand outstretched, awaiting the curse. “‘Just like that,’ she says,” he cackled. “This isn’t some ordinary curse, Your Majesty. This will destroy our world forever. There’s no coming back!”
“But it will banish us all to a world where Snow White is separated from the man she loves and trapped in time for all eternity? That alone is far worth it.” She held her ground. “Name your price.”
He turned and began to pace, knowing there was no way to stop her, as she didn’t care about the consequences of enacting the curse. He would have to name a price, and he would have to give it to her if she agreed. He needed time to plan an escape, a way to keep his own powers and control. Love was the only thing strong enough to break it; he had to keep her from using the curse before he was ready with a cure.
“Well?” Regina prodded.
He stopped and pointed one finger at her. “I tell you what…” he paused. “I’ll give it to you, if you agree to use it only when I say you can. You must first try all other avenues to destroy Snow White’s happiness.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a life here, too, dearie! I’ll tell you when the time is right.”
“Then, what good is it to have it if I can’t use it when I want to?”
Rumpelstiltskin shrugged. “It’s a good trade. I know the witch, Maleficent, has a sleeping curse that might just keep Snow White away from her true love forever.” However, he’d make sure that wouldn’t happen. “I’ve heard that with one drop of that potion, she would fall asleep forever!” (Which could be undone with True Love’s Kiss, he knew -- and he’d make sure that Prince James could find her when the time was right.) “Being your friend, Maleficent would surely trade…”
“And, how do you know she won’t use the Dark Curse?”
His voice dropped in volume. “Because she’s like me, dearie. She’s happy in our world the way it is.”
Though she knew her friend better than Rumpelstiltskin did, she knew he was right. Maleficent was nothing if not a sentimentalist. She liked having control over her little corner of the world, even if Princess Aurora did get the best of her some years earlier and was living happily with her prince in her kingdom despite Maleficent’s agony of defeat. Unlike Regina, revenge was not something she was intent on seeking.
“Hm,” she thought aloud, “perhaps you’re right, and something else could be done to get what I want. I may never have to use the Dark Curse if Maleficent’s little sleeping number does the trick. And if it doesn’t,” she smiled evilly, “I’ll just take it back.” She held out her hand, waiting for the vial or whatever the curse was kept in to be put in her hand. “Well, let’s get on with it, then. I have places to be.”
Rumpelstiltskin held up a finger. “Wait. This is far too important for a verbal contract, dearie. I’ll need you to sign for it.” He flipped his hand and out rolled a scroll. With a sigh, Regina took it and scanned the document before making a feather-pen to appear in her hand which she used to sign her name to the bottom line. He giggled as he let the scroll roll back up and disappear again. “Deal!” He then made a vial appear in his hand, which he held out for her.
“This is it?” she asked, staring at the little bottle and its black contents.
“Don’t open it until you’re ready to use it,” he warned. “Once open, there’s no turning back.”
Keeping the vial tucked tightly in her fist, she headed for the door, tossing over her shoulder, “Pleasure doing business with you.”
He bowed in response. “And you as well, Your Majesty.”
He giggled again while she was still within earshot, but once she was gone, his face turned serious. He had some work to do to keep from losing Belle forever.
- - - - - - - - - - -
He’d thought it wouldn’t be too long before having the opportunity of meeting the infamous Snow White, but he hadn’t expected her summons on that very evening after Regina’s visit. She was headed to him, coming up the river to the south of his castle, and he made sure to meet her there at the dock. “How much for this?” he teased as a greeting when he appeared in her boat.
“Excuse me?”
“Your boat. Exquisite craftsmanship.”
“It’s not for sale,” she said, surprising him with her strength. It was no wonder Regina saw her as such an adversary.
“Of course it is, dearie. No one comes to see me without a deal in mind.”
Realization was evident in her face as she stood up from tying the boat to the dock. “So, you’re Rumpelstiltskin.”
He stood as well. “Indeed, I am.” He stepped out onto the dock. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Wow…” he dragged out the long vowel, holding her smooth, pale face with both hands, “you really are the fairest of them all, aren’t you? What can I do for you?” he asked, removing his hands from her to keep her from being afraid of him and ask what she came for.
“I need a cure.”
“What ails you, child?”
“A broken heart?”
“Ah, the most painful of afflictions.” He began to walk around her. “Well, I’m afraid if you want me to make him love you, no can do and nothing can.”
“No, wait, no, that’s not the problem. We can’t be together.”
So, it was true, then. Their love was real, but they were separated by James’ duty the king. He needed something that would bring them back together, even if it meant giving her what she wanted to distance them even more for a time. True Love could never be separated for long, no matter what attempts were made. “Well, that,” he declared, “I can help you with.” He giggled as he pulled out an empty bottle from his pocket and knelt to dip it in the water beneath the dock, filling it. Then he used his magic to change it from simple water to a potion, which was visible by its white color.
“That’ll do it?”
“Not yet. No two loves are,” he smiled up at her, “exactly alike.” He stood and moved closer to her. “We must make this personal,” he said just as yanked a bit of her hair out from under her hood, making her gasp in shock and pain. Then he laughed again as he shoved the hair into the bottle and corked it.
“So, if I drink that, I’ll no longer love him,” she assumed.
“The next time you see the object of your grief, you won’t even remember who he is.”
This seemed to disappoint her. “I won’t remember him?”
“Love is the most powerful magic, so the cure must be…extreme.”
“Extreme sounds like an understatement.”
“Don’t doubt yourself now, dearie! Love makes us sick. Haunts our dreams, destroys our days. Love has killed more than any disease. This cure…is a gift.”
“What’s your price?”
He held up the remaining strands of her hair, knowing they were exactly what he needed for his own potion. “These’ll do.”
“What do you need of my hair?”
“What do you need of it, now that it’s been plucked from your head?” he joked with her. “Do we have a deal?”
She answered by taking the potion from him.
“I thought so,” he nearly cackled again. “Drink it in good health…Snow White,” he concluded, turning to walk down the dock, into the darkness, and out of sight.
Now, if she took the potion -- which he’d encouraged with his little speech about love’s disease -- she’d forget her True Love. Rumpelstiltskin already knew that James was unhappy with his betrothal to Princess Abigail, so James would eventually leave and go in search of Snow and would probably come to him for help. He’d get the other half of his potion then. Things were all falling right into place; he’d get the cure all ready for the Dark Curse, and then give Regina the go-ahead to use it, making her believe that it was what he wanted all along as well.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
The next morning when she served him his breakfast, Belle mentioned her lost time from the day before, while she was in the trance she knew nothing about. Rumpelstiltskin merely shrugged and pretended not to know what she was talking about, but after she left the room, guilt seeped into his heart. What would it take for him to speak the truth to her, just once? Would it really have hurt to tell her about the queen’s visit, his abuse of her while she was in the trance, just to convince the queen he had no feelings for her? He supposed he thought it would, as revealing that much of the truth would be enough to expose his attachment to her. Then there would be no holding her back, if, in fact, her love were indeed as real as it felt.
Just as he’d coerced, Regina had traded the Dark Curse for the sleeping one, and he was glad that she would be occupied with that for a time, as she would have to get the Blind Witch to poison an apple and find children worthy enough to retrieve it. Yes, it would take time, and he needed that time for Prince James to come to him for help. He thought he might get his visit while James was on a quest to save Princess Abigail’s True Love from his cursed, golden prison and facing the siren in Lake Nostos would be too daunting a task, but the brave young man had stood up to her alone and had defeated her. His courageousness was yet another reason Rumpelstiltskin was sure that he’d chosen the right couple for his potion.
He could be patient and wait; he had time. Once Prince James came to him for help, he’d have the formula for love, and he could use it to his advantage. While True Love’s Kiss can break any curse, the Dark Curse was so powerful that it would take a bit more -- something that would require the use of that particular formula. It would take True Love’s Child…
It was a month before Snow White came to see him again, this time accompanied by one of her dwarf friends, the aptly-named “Grumpy.” Belle had been passing by the front door when they’d knocked, so she’d let them in, surprised to find a dwarf with a beautiful, but angry-looking young woman.
“Isn’t this where Rumpelstiltskin lives?” the dwarf asked in confusion. It was clear he wasn’t sure who Belle was.
“Yes,” Belle answered. “I’m his--” she started, her voice dropping in tone a bit as she admitted, “I’m his servant.”
“Oh,” he replied. “Well, we’d like to see him.”
Belle nodded and stepped back, allowing them to enter the castle. The fair one looked around as if she were bored or uninterested in being there. Belle started to lead them to the stairs, but when she looked up to the landing and saw Rumpelstiltskin there, she stopped suddenly. She gestured with her head to the couple behind her. “They’ve come to see you, Rumpelstiltskin.”
“Yes, thank you,” he said politely, with an edge of coldness to his voice.
Belle dropped her gaze and curtsied to let them be, completely sure that any feeling he had for her was long gone by now. It had been a long month of enduring his silence. Even when she questioned him about something, he would gesture or use some other form of body language to answer her and successfully keep from opening his mouth to speak to her again. Those months of spending time together in the dining hall or the garden were gone. He’d even moved his spinning wheel into his west-wing tower; she noticed it missing one morning, asked him about it, and received his one-word answer that it was “upstairs.” Belle thought it was just another way of avoiding her, saddened that he would never again return her feelings.
But she didn’t see how his gaze followed her as she walked away, even as he began speaking to Snow White and Grumpy in greeting. Belle rounded a corner where he could no longer see her, so he turned and led his guests up the stairs to his tower. He began to stand and spin his wheel as he asked the reason for their visit.
Grumpy replied, “The potion you gave Snow -- it changed her; she’s not the same.”
“Well, of course it changed her,” he spoke with his hands. “It took away her love, left a big hole in her heart.” He walked around the wheel toward Grumpy as he explained, “There is no cure for what she’s got. The person she was…” he paused, leaning in closer to the dwarf as they both looked over at Snow. “There’s no way to bring her back.”
He then walked over to his cabinet and opened it. “No potion could bring back true love,” he didn’t lie. There were other ways of getting her back together with the man she loved, ways that were much more subtle than forcing a potion on someone that would reject it. “Love is the powerful magic of all,” he said, thinking it odd that he was actually speaking the truth for once. “The only magic I haven’t been able to bottle. If you can bottle love, you can do anything.” He thought of his own plans for the bottle of love he would soon have to fill that empty spot in his cabinet, and what he’d use it for.
But he had to keep his focus to accomplish that goal. First order of business would be to arrange a way for Snow to reunite with James and get her memory back, healing their love. Of course, Snow White’s heart was not ready to accept love again; she had to first deal with her hate, through seeking her revenge on the queen. He turned to the girl and asked, “But you don’t care about that, do ya?” He peered into her face and wondered, “Now, what is it you really want?”
“I want your help…” Snow confessed evenly, “to kill the queen.”
“Now we’re talking, dearie,” he eagerly replied, knowing that was exactly his ultimate plan.
Grumpy protested behind him, but Rumpelstiltskin was on a mission to help her and help himself at the same time. He walked over to the bow and arrow he’d acquired some years back that he’d been saving for just an occasion. A certain cherub, named -- of all things -- Cupid, that the queen had once tried to distract him with, by having him fall in love, had failed his quest when Rumpelstiltskin had caught on to his scheme and killed the little trickster before he’d had a chance to use his magic on him. The magic was still in the bow and arrow, meaning that it would draw two people who loved each other back together. Whether she knew it or not, Snow needed to find James, and Rumpelstiltskin knew that James would use him to find her, and he’d get his needed hair for the potion.
Snow was intrigued by the weapon as he hooked the string to its bow. “Now, what is this?”
“This…” he paused dramatically, “is how you kill the queen!” he said, knowing that would be the only way she’d take it.
“How will that help me get into the castle?”
“No, no, no, that’s impossible.” (And James wouldn’t find her at the queen’s palace where she was likely to be killed first.) “You have to kill her…when she’s on the move, when she’s on her way…” he unrolled a map that appeared in his hand, “to the Summer Palace. Fire the arrow from this spot here,” he pointed to a spot on the map, “and you’ll be hidden from sight. An arrow fired from this bow will get you exactly what you need,” he added honestly. He picked up the arrow as she tucked the map into her vest, telling her with a surprising truth she couldn’t understand, “It always finds its target!” For he knew that her target, whether she intended it or not, would be James. Somehow, he’d be the one to take the arrow, as that was the power of Cupid’s magic. It would be the magic that would reunite their love.
Grumpy didn’t understand, nor would he be able to. “I can’t stand by it…” he proclaimed. “If you take that weapon, you do it alone.”
She was cold as she announced, “That was always my plan.”
Rumpelstiltskin chuckled as she took the weapon, knowing he was one step closer to succeeding.
“So, what do I have to do in return?” Snow wondered.
“Do? You don’t have to do anything, dearie.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Everything comes with a price with you. Last time, you took a strand of my hair. What’s in it for you this time?”
“Let’s just say…” he said mysteriously, “I’m invested in your future.” Without knowing it, she was helping him break the curse they would all fall victim to, long before it was to be enacted.
His words were enough to make Snow’s face frown, but not question him. Grumpy touched her arm and gestured to the door with his head. “Come on; let’s go,” he urged, and Rumpelstiltskin was sure he was afraid that if they didn’t leave soon, he might change his mind about the price for the bow and arrow. But he had what he needed from her, and in a matter of days, he would have what he needed from James too.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Belle was coming down the front stairwell when she heard the front door open and heard a man shout Rumpelstiltskin's name. The anger in his voice frightened her, and she stopped out of sight on the steps, wondering what she should do. He repeated it a second time, his voice softening as he commanded for Rumpelstiltskin to show himself. Belle was just about to continue down the steps to greet him and announce that she hadn't seen her master in a few days, since she'd let the woman and her dwarf companion in. He'd been traveling, she assumed, so when she heard his voice answer the stranger, she again froze in place, eavesdropping on the conversation to understand the reason for his visit.
“Still dressing like a prince, I see--” Rumpelstiltskin had said by way of greeting the stranger.
Belle found it curious that a prince would find it necessary to visit a wizard like him, but didn't let it distract her from listening in.
Her master wasn't concluded with his statement, adding, “--even though you ran away from the life I gave you. How's that for gratitude?”
She wondered about this prince's story. How had Rumpelstiltskin given a prince his life?
“You 'gave' me a prison sentence,” the prince bit back.
Belle was engrossed in the conversation even more, straining to peer into the room without being noticed, but she could only see just the hem of the prince's cloak.
“Yeah, one that you've now skirted,” Rumpelstiltskin commented. “Careful, dearie. King George is a very vengeful man.”
King George, Belle thought, remembering back to when her father had once crossed that king and nearly lost his village in battle until Maurice agreed to repay what had been stolen by a poor commoner that called their township home. Yes, he was vengeful, she recalled. And his son's name was... - she searched her memory - James. Until that battle, her father had thought he might be a good match for Belle, but, soon, the knight, Sir Gaston became a more excellent choice, in his opinion.
“I'm here about Snow,” Prince James announced. “Rumor has it she's after the queen, and she came to you for help.”
“Yes, indeed,” Rumpelstiltskin declared. It then hit Belle that they were talking about their last visitor. Snow White, she realized - the same girl that was wanted for treason against Queen Regina.
It was at that moment that she heard the unsheathing of a sword, which caused her to jump and her breath to catch in her throat. “What did you do to her?!” the prince yelled.
Rumpelstiltskin only chuckled, which relaxed her a bit. “What did I do to her?” he said with that high-pitched tone she'd heard him use when making the deal with her father for her. For a brief second, she found it odd he didn't talk that way with her much anymore, since the first few months after her arrival at the Dark Castle. But Rumpelstiltskin's reply was far too intriguing to let her mind linger on the reasons why for too long.
“You mean, what did you do to her?” he said. She saw his boots come into view as he circled the prince, arguing, “You caused her pain. Without that pain, she would never have drank my potion to forget about you. That's what changed her,” he concluded, emphasizing every word.
“Undo the potion. All magic can be broken.”
“Oh yes,” Rumpelstiltskin replied, “with Twoo Wuv,” he quipped, and she felt a pang of disappointment in her heart, thinking of her own opportunity to break his curse and how she'd failed.
“So, that's it, then,” James said so quietly she almost missed it. “True Love's Kiss will awaken her.”
“Most certainly,” her master answered. “But, it's gonna be hard to kiss her when you don't know where she is!”
She heard the sound of metal as Rumpelstiltskin knocked James' sword away from his chest and laughed. Belle shrunk back on the step, afraid to move or even breathe when the man she loved moved even closer, thankful that he was looking down, and praying that he wouldn't even glance up and catch her. She couldn't even imagine what punishment she'd receive for eavesdropping, although she was sure it would include more time in her old “room.”
“Name your price,” the prince demanded, keeping Rumpelstiltskin's attention diverted from her.
“How about,” he said persuasively, spinning on his heel to finish, “your cloak?”
“My cloak?” James repeated, confusion in his voice. “Why would you want my cloak?”
Belle found his reply that it was drafty in the castle as a flimsy one. What did he want with James' cloak?
There was a long pause as the prince mulled it over and Rumpelstiltskin chuckled again.
She heard movement, and then, when James demanded to know where Snow was, she knew he must've given up the cloak as requested.
Confirming her assumption, Rumpelstiltskin didn't hesitate answering, “On her way to the queen's highway. This,” she saw his feet move and heard the sound of rustling, “is the route she's taking.” His steps took him out of her sight. “But you better be quick,” he said as James took something from him, “because if she kills the queen, she becomes as evil as the woman whose life she takes.”
“She could never become that evil.” There was a confidence in his voice about that fact.
James' footsteps retreated from the room as Rumpelstiltskin called out to him, “Evil isn't born, dearie. It's made! If Snow starts down that road, you'll never get her back!”
Belle remained still, even as the door closed and Rumpelstiltskin remained in the room, which she knew when she heard him chuckling. Part of her heart wanted to know if what he said was true about evil. Was there no hope?
He started up the steps to go to his tower with the cloak, and she came down, meeting him on the landing. Despite her fears that she would be punished for her offense of listening in, she had to ask, “Is that true?”
He stopped and stared up at her, and for the first time since their meeting, she believed she'd actually been in his presence without his knowledge. “Is what true?”
She decided to focus on the other couple's problem instead of their own. “About Snow White. Will the evil overtake her and leave James with no hope to get her back if she succeeds in killing the queen?”
For Rumpelstiltskin, the question had too many answers, for his plan was far too intricate for her to understand. He simply closed the gap between them and reached up to barely touch her cheek. “You needn't worry about that, dear.”
He took a step away and turned to leave, but she had to know. “Is True Love really the cure for all magic?”
He didn't face her again, just dropping his chin a notch. “Yes, it is.”
“Then, he'll stop her from killing the queen,” she assumed hopefully.
This time, he did turn to look at her and smirked. “Oh, but if she succeeded, your enemy, Queen Regina, would be dead. Seems you would hope she'd succeed.”
Belle was confused. “My enemy?”
“The queen,” he said lightly. “The queen who tricked you into 'losing' me, as you so aptly coined it weeks ago.”
Belle's blood began to boil. “You mean, the queen I met on the road - that was Queen Regina?”
“You didn't know?” He cackled, “Of course, dearie! Who else would she be?”
Oh, now she wanted Snow White to succeed, to kill the queen who'd pulled her away from the man she loved and had found a way to cure - but then... She'd miss out on love. Being in an unrequited love herself, Belle thought what a shame it would be if Snow never experienced it for real. Perhaps Snow would be more blessed than she, since James was clearly in love with her too, enough to bargain with Rumpelstiltskin to save her from the path down which she was headed.
“Your opinion has changed now, hasn't it?” he wondered, watching the emotions play on her face.
“No,” she shook her head solemnly. “Snow White deserves a life of love, not evil. I hope James finds her and stops her.”
“And that they live happily-ever-after?”
She met his gaze. “Yes. Everyone should be lucky enough to find that kind of happiness.”
Leaving him with that, Belle continued down the steps, around the corner, and out of sight.
Rumpelstiltskin could only hope that someday, Belle would see that helping her find that same kind of happiness she desired for Snow White was his ultimate goal.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: The idea to have the bow and arrow be Cupid's was not mine. chloris was the one to suggest it in an ep discussion on abc-onceupon, stating, in her words: "Now since Rumpel gave Snow a bow and arrow which always finds its target and would get her what she needs, how likely is it that he did a deal with Cupid at some point? It seems clear to me that a never-missing bow wouldn't miss even if someone got in front of it unless it hit exactly who it was supposed to."
My muse just decided to take her note/suggestion and run with it. She gets total credit for that idea, and it was a brilliant one, imho. :)
Let me know what you think of the chapter, the plot, or whatever in your review! It helps to inspire me to write! :)