#felidre

He sighed as he got up from his spinning wheel. Yes, it was time to ensure he actually benefitted from this deal. The crying would have to stop. He started to make his way to the dungeon before he realized he actually had no clue what he was going to ask her to do. His magic took care of all his needs. The washing, the cleaning, and the few meals he felt like having… Everything was prepared precisely how he liked it. Giving her duties would mean a period of uncertainty where he would have to deal with subpar results. Why did he deal for her again? He kept telling himself it wasn’t because she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his three hundred years – he had all but sworn off romantic entanglements after Cora. He knew he repulsed women, he didn’t need to uncover his mirrors to be reminded of that. No, he dealt for her because she was truly the most precious thing in that kingdom. There was absolutely nothing else they could have offered him.

As he made his way down the stairs, it took him a while to realize that the crying had ceased. Had she passed out from exhaustion? Can excessive crying actually kill someone? He quickened his pace and wondered why he hadn’t just transported himself to the dungeon. The door swung open as he neared it and he was glad to see that his housekeeper was standing by the opposite wall staring at him. Glad? No, just relieved he hadn’t made a loss on this investment. Yes, that was all there was to it.

“You stopped crying.” Rumplestiltskin truly had no idea why he had just pointed out the obvious. He was a master at words.

“I heard your boots on the steps.” He definitely should have magically transported himself then. Stupid boots.

“Is there a reason for your visit?” She had her arms crossed and her chin pushed up in such a defiant gesture that he assumed was meant to make her look intimidating, but her small stature and that gold dress just didn’t allow that to be possible.

“Yes, yes. It has been a week since you’ve arrived and I have been kind enough to allow you that time to yourself but I think it is time that you started performing your duties as housekeeper.”

“Kind?! You’ve kept me trapped in a dungeon with no comforts! How is that kindness?!” It took all of his willpower not to jump back when she started shouting at him because he wasn’t expecting that reaction at all.

“I had to make sure you didn’t escape! I will not be cheated out of my end of the deal!”

“I agreed to be your housekeeper! Not a prisoner! I did not expect all the comforts of home but I did expect to be treated like a person!” She had a point. A little one, but he wasn’t about to admit that.

“Enough! I am the master of this castle and you will not speak to me in this manner!” If there was one thing Rumplestiltskin was good at, it was deflection. If he just ignored her then maybe he wouldn’t have to admit that she was right.

“We are going upstairs, and I will outline all your duties. I am the only person in this castle so the list will not be extensive, but I expect them to be performed exceptionally. Especially my tea and biscuits.” He turned and started making his way back to the great room slowly, quickening his pace when he heard her soft footsteps behind him.

He sat down in his chair at the head of the table in the great room before addressing her. There was only one chair at the table, and he felt safer having the large table between himself and his housekeeper.

“You will keep this room and my bedchamber cleaned. I expect my clothes to be laundered, and my sheets to be changed weekly. You will prepare my tea twice a day, once in the midmorning and then again in the midafternoon. There are biscuits that I expect to be made fresh daily, and the instructions are laid out in the kitchen. Like I said, not many duties, so I have high expectations. Any questions?”

“You’re the only occupant of this castle?” She was eyeing him suspiciously. He wasn’t entirely sure what he had said to warrant that.

“Yes.”

“Am I replacing a recently departed housekeeper?” What was with this line of questioning?

“No. I have been alone here for at least a hundred years.”

“So have your clothes not been laundered for a hundred years?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Of course they have!” He was starting to get quite frustrated with the little housekeeper.

“Well then why did you need me here at all? Clearly you’ve been using magic to take care of yourself quite well.” She was smirking at him! Actually smirking!

“All magic comes with a price, dearie. It would do you well to remember that.” He had made his voice as low and menacing as possible, and that did the trick. She seemed to deflate as all of her confidence disappeared and she just stared at the ground. Sighing once more as he got up to move, he gestured for her to follow him.

“You will limit yourself to the kitchen, the great room, my bedchamber and your quarters. You will not enter any other room, nor will you uncover any mirrors. Be careful of what you touch in the great room – some of those items are magical artifacts that have mostly been rendered powerless, however prying hands and a curious mind can cause a lot of mischief regardless.”

“My quarters? You mean the dungeon.”

“No, your quarters.” He stopped in front of the door that had just swung open and swept his arm towards the room beyond it. It wasn’t much, a small room with a lumpy old bed with an even smaller attached room that would help her deal with cleaning and other bodily functions. The girl, however, had a look on her face like he had given her a palatial room, which considering her status in her land, he knew was unlikely.

“I will see you in the morning, dearie.” He turned to walk away.

“Belle.” Her reply stopped him in his tracks.

“What?”

“My name is Belle.” They stared at each other for a few moments before he nodded quickly and rushed away.

“Rumplestiltskin!” He cursed when the sudden shout caused him to nearly drop the potion he was mixing. Well, since she found it necessary to attempt to give him a fright in the morning he would return the favor, so he transported himself right in front of her.

“Yes?” He smirked when she jumped back at his sudden appearance. That should teach her to scream at him.

“What is the meaning of this?” She gestured towards the outfit that he had very kindly procured for her. It would have been ridiculous to expect her to perform her duties in that gold gown and those shoes. He had found a lovely and comfortable blue and white work dress, along with a pair of matching flats.

“I would think it was quite obvious. I found a much more comfortable and sensible outfit for you to wear as housekeeper.” Maybe she wasn’t as bright as he thought she was.

“Not the dress.” She looked pointedly at the shoes. Now he was most definitely confused. He looked from the flats, then to her face, then looked down to make sure she was still wearing those ridiculous heels. She obviously knew what shoes were.

“I don’t quite follow, dearie.”

“Belle.” Not this again. For heavens sake.

“I’m quite positive you know what shoes are, Belle.”

“Of course I do! But they’re flat!” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Well, yes. They’re meant to be comfortable for you to use while performing your duties.”

“Ridiculous! Your shoes have more of a heel!” He looked down at his boots. He supposed she had a point. But he had just been thinking of her comfort! Well, not her comfort. Why would he care about that? He meant her abilities to perform her duties of course.

“Fine! Will this suffice?” If she wanted to be uncomfortable, let her be uncomfortable. He used his magic to add a little heel to her shoes.

“I can’t possibly have less of a heel than you.” He rolled his eyes. Maybe her plan was to annoy him until he agreed to release her. He was about to point this out when he caught her looking at him, and he just couldn’t find it in him to accuse those blue eyes. He could hear the jeers of the previous Dark Ones in his head. Brushing them aside, he did as she asked.

“Satisfied?”

“Yes. Thank you, Rumplestiltskin.” She smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but react to her. He felt his cheeks grow warm as he started to blush and quickly rushed away before she noticed. The Dark One does not blush. At least he doesn’t get caught blushing. Not by his beautiful housekeeper.

Three weeks had passed and they had fallen into a comfortable routine. He found himself wanting to spend less time out on deals, and more time sitting at his chair in the great room, sipping his tea as she dusted. There had been progressively less dusting and more conversation, to the point where she had one day just hauled herself up to sit on the table in front of him. She was a strange one, this housekeeper of his.

His appearance didn’t seem to repulse her, not even the first time she saw him when he had appeared in her kingdom’s war room. No, there was definitely no disgust, but she was very curious about him. He didn’t want a sniveling mess of a housekeeper, and yet this sincerely friendly one was also strange to deal with. He had tried his best to rebuff her advances at first, truly believing that she must have ulterior motives.

After a week of that he realized a few things. Firstly, resistance was futile. She was so persistent, and when she had pointed out that he was likely the only person she would ever talk to for the rest of her life, he couldn’t deny her some conversation. Secondly, it was definitely better to engage than ignore her because whether subconsciously or not, she would take her frustrations out on his biscuits. Considering they were the only thing he genuinely had interest in consuming, he didn’t think it wise to risk having to chew through those rocks she tried to pass off as his biscuits. No, this was the smart thing to do. Finally, she was possibly the purest person (with the exception of Baelfire of course) that he had ever spent time with. She was so honest and upfront about everything that there was absolutely no way that she had a sinister plan. She almost glowed with an aura that pained the Dark One, and yet appealed so much to what little was left of the human side of him.

They were having a very animated conversation about one of his past deals when they heard a booming knock on the castle’s main doors. He was actually expecting that someone would be foolish enough to approach him in his home – he had ignored many calls in the past two weeks and he figured someone would be sufficiently desperate to ignore their common sense. He contemplated ignoring them but whoever this fool was, their knocks just got louder the longer he ignored them. Rolling his eyes at the visitor’s stupidity, he pulled himself out of his chair.

“Excuse me for a moment while I deal with our visitor.”

“Would you like me to come with you?” He contemplated saying yes – he was at a point where he truly felt lonely when he wasn’t around her, but there was absolutely no reason for her to follow him. He gave her a little smile and a shake of his head before heading out of his great room towards the main doors.

The doors swung open to reveal his housekeeper’s former betrothed with his sword drawn. She had confessed that their coupling had been arranged, and that she felt no affection for the knight. Well, this should be fun.

“Took you long enough, didn’t it? Did it take you an entire month to summon up the courage to confront the monster and save the princess?” Rumplestiltskin spoke before the knight – what was his name again? – had barely registered that he was standing there.

“I am Sir Gaston, and you beast have stolen my –,” the knight had started his little monologue but he had already heard enough. He cast a quick spell that silenced the knight. What kind of name was Gaston, anyway? In fairness he couldn’t really comment with a name like his, but he highly doubted Gaston’s father hated his son as much as Malcolm had hated him.

“This is all Maurice sent to rescue his daughter? Her former betrothed? A single knight?” He knew he wouldn’t get a reply, but it always filled him with rage when he witnessed parents not giving their absolute everything to save their children. He would stop at absolutely nothing to get Baelfire back. If he were in Maurice’s position he would have sent an entire army. He was trying to decide what to do with Sir Gassy when he heard a gasp behind him.

“Gaston?!” Oh bugger. This complicated things.

“He’s here to rescue you, dearie. He can’t talk at the moment, little spell. Didn’t want to listen to his rambling. Would you like to speak to him?” She thought about it for a moment before she nodded. “Very well, but I will be taking his sword away from him.”

He cast the necessary spells, then took a step back to see how this would play out. He wasn’t entirely sure what she would want to speak to the knight about. Would she try to leave? Would he let her? He honestly didn’t know the answer to that. He knew it wasn’t about the deal anymore. No, he truly wanted her here. But at the same time, he knew he couldn’t keep her here if she didn’t want to be. He would let her go. He would assure her that he would keep up his end of the deal and make sure the ogres don’t return. She would never choose to stay with him, and he truly couldn’t blame her.

“Why are you here Gaston?”

“To rescue you from this beast! He kidnapped you from your family!”

“Kidnapped me? I chose to go with him, Gaston! To save my kingdom, my people!” Rumplestiltskin managed a little smile at that. When she put it like that, it didn’t sound so bad after all.

“He didn’t give you a choice, Belle. What kind of monster does that?”

“Like I was given a choice in my betrothal to you?” Oh. Now that he wasn’t expecting. “I chose to be here. I want to be here. Go home, and don’t ever return.” Rumplestiltskin’s heart swelled. She might never love him the way he loved her, but at least he had a true friend. Ooohhh. He loved her. He had suspected it but refused to admit it to himself until that moment.

“I didn’t want to resort to this, Belle. I truly didn’t. But you give me no choice.” Rumplestiltskin was distracted by his thoughts and noticed just a second too late that the knight had pulled a little sack out and had flung the powdered contents towards him. He was about to react when he realized that Belle had jumped across and before he could do anything, all the powder hit her square in the face.

“Belle!” He managed to catch her before she hit the floor, but before he could ask her how she was, they heard Gaston give a strangled cry. By the time they looked up, he had crumbled to dust.

“What did you do to Gaston?” It was just like his little housekeeper to be concerned for someone else – even someone who didn’t deserve it – even though she had just been attacked herself.

“I did nothing, dearie. All magic comes with a price, remember?” She gave him a small smile and nodded. “How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?”

He helped her to sit up. She looked alright, but he knew not all wounds were physical. He had no clue what Gaston had thrown at her, and all of the powder had vanished when Gaston crumbled so he couldn’t study it.

“I feel fine, actually.” He looked at her through narrow eyes.

“Truly?”

“Truly, Rumple. Thank you.” She had started calling him Rumple, likely an accidental nickname from being tired of having to say his long name so often. Others had called him Rumple before, but none of them had ever said it the way she did.

“Why are you thanking me? You saved me.”

“Saved you? I think you’re exaggerating just a little bit. The only person that powder seems to have hurt is Gaston. I’m just fine.”

“Some magic is very precise, Belle. I was clearly the intended target, so that might be why you don’t seem to show any ill effects. Either way, you have my gratitude, and I will still be keeping an eye on you to make sure there aren’t any lingering issues.”

“So… Would you say you owe me a favor?” She had the most mischievous look on her face that he was scared to say yes, but he did owe her.

“Yes, I would say that.”

“Good to know.” She winked at him – actually winked! – and made her way back to great room. He was in so much trouble.

It had been a month since the Gaston incident. Rumplestiltskin had watched Belle like a hawk, but it seemed true that she hadn’t reacted at all to the powder. He was glad, but still suspicious of the whole thing. Whatever it was, the price Gaston paid for it was his life. It seemed unlikely that magic that dark could be rendered useless poorly because it missed it’s intended target. Surely the fact that Gaston’s life was taken meant that the powder had caused something to happen? He had spent a month thinking about it, but he just couldn’t come up with any answers, especially since he didn’t have any of the actual powder to work with, nor did he know who Gaston got the powder from. He tried to shake the thoughts out of his mind so he could pay attention to whatever Belle was saying to him.

They were in his carriage, on their way back to the castle. She had lamented a week ago that she missed the outside world sometimes, and he had decided to bring her with him to forage for some herbs he had run out of. She had squealed and pulled him into such a tight hug that he couldn’t have hugged her back even if he had dared. They had spent a few hours in the forest, Rumplestiltskin teaching Belle about the various herbs he needed and how they had to be handled, and if he was being honest, he had a lovely time. She was attentive and listened to him go on and on about leaves and not once did he feel like he was boring her. He would try his best to return the favor.

“I just can’t believe it’s been two months since I’ve read a book! I would normally read two or three books a week! I wish I had thought to bring some of my favorites with me when we left Avonlea, but I was a little overwhelmed by everything happening that it just slipped my mind.” She had been going on and on about books and reading for the entire carriage ride, and it was lovely seeing her speak so passionately about something.

“The way you’re talking about it, I’d gander reading was your true love. Careful dearie, a book can’t give you true loves kiss,” Rumplestiltskin quipped.

“Oh you never know, someone might just come along and sweep me off my feet.” There was that wink again. She would do it ever so often, usually when she was teasing him and it always threw him off kilter. He suspected she knew that. The conversation lapsed into a comfortable silence until they were pulling into the castle. As he helped her out, he took a chance to hold onto her hands just a little longer than was necessary before asking her to follow him.

“Close your eyes.” She did so without even asking him why. She really was too trusting. He led her into the center of the room.

“Open them.” And did she ever. He thought her eyes might have popped out of their sockets from how wide they got when they noticed just where she was standing.

“You have a library?! Look at the amount of books you have in here! I’ll never get through all of them! I don’t even know where to start!” She was practically vibrating with excitement. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Calm down, dearie. Why don’t you start with this?” He pulled out the book she had mentioned on the carriage ride.

“Her Handsome Hero!” She pulled him into yet another hug, but this time he managed to awkwardly pat her on her back.

“It’s no matter. I’ll just leave you to it.” He turned to make his way to his potions room to keep the herbs they had just spent hours picking. Ever since he had figured out his feelings for her, he had tried his best not to reveal it. He never had to stop himself from blurting the actual words out, but he did constantly realize he was going out of his way to do things that would bring a smile to her face.

“Rumplestiltskin!” He heard her shout and reacted before he could even process it. There was an urgency to her voice that he knew meant that something was wrong. In a split second, he was before her. She was at one of the bookshelves, tearing books off the shelf and opening them to glance at their contents for a few seconds before throwing them aside.

“Belle, what’s wrong? What’s happened? Are you hurt?”

“There’s something wrong! All of these books and I can’t…” She trailed off as she pulled more books out. Rumplestiltskin picked up a book that had landed on his feet and opened it expecting to see what Belle meant, but all he saw was text. He made his way over to her and held onto her hands so that she would stop. She had tears in her eyes that pained his heart to see.

“The books are fine. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I see the text as clear as day, but I just can’t read them. I don’t know what’s wrong! I’ve known how to read since I was four! I promise you, Rumple, I don’t know what’s wrong!” Her tears were flowing freely now. Two months with him and somehow she lost the ability to read? That made no sense. It wasn’t even like riding a bike. You don’t just forget to read. Unless…

“The powder. Gaston’s powder. This must have been the effect on you.” If only she hadn’t tried to save him. He was responsible for the pain she was feeling right now. If only he had reacted quickly enough, she wouldn’t be crying at this very moment.

“But the powder was meant for you – why would Gaston care so much about your reading ability?” That was actually a really good question. It was a silly thing to deal for his life for. It must be more complex than that. It only took him a moment before he figured it out.

“I don’t think it was as precise as that. I think the powder had the power to remove the one thing you love most. In your case, it was reading.” What did the knight think would have happened if he had been hit after all? He would lose his power? He highly doubted it would be that simple to get rid of the Dark One power forever, even though Gaston had pledged his life. Would it have affected Baelfire? No, he was in a land without magic. He could not be harmed by curses there. A chill ran through him as he thought about what he had admitted to himself right before the powder was thrown. Would it have killed Belle?

As he was getting lost in his thoughts, Belle’s sniffling pulled him back to the present. It didn’t matter what had happened. What mattered was that she was hurt, and he had to do something about it.

“Belle, I promise you, I will do everything I can to reverse this curse. Every curse can be broken.”

“Too bad a book can’t give me true loves kiss, right?” Who would’ve known his little joke would be coming back to haunt them so soon? He gave her a sad smile that she returned, and made his way to his potions room. He would spend every waking moment researching a cure for this. He wouldn’t give up.

True to his word, Rumplestiltskin had been locked away in his potions room. He was exhausting every avenue in his attempt to find a cure, and so far he had nothing. He hadn’t bothered Belle for any tea or biscuits – he didn’t want her to feel like she still had to perform her duties even when she was hurting, and he didn’t feel like he deserved a break either. Part of him blamed himself for what happened – if he had just reacted faster this wouldn’t have happened. Another part of him was in so much pain having to witness her agony. He knew what it felt like to have the thing you love most ripped away from you, and he wished she didn’t have to feel that.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Belle?” She was at the door with a tea tray. His potions room was technically a forbidden room, but he couldn’t find it in him to point that out to her at that moment. “What are you doing here?”

“I haven’t seen you in a week.” Had it already been seven days? “Since you obviously aren’t planning on coming downstairs, I thought I’d bring your tea and biscuits to you.”

“I wasn’t avoiding you, dearie, I just got lost in finding a cure.”

“And?” She didn’t look too hopeful. She knew he failed.

“I’m sorry. But I’ll keep looking. I promise you I will never stop looking.”

“Don’t.”

“What?” Surely she didn’t want him to stop?

“It’s not worth it. I’ve been alone for a week and if it means I’ll be alone for longer, it’s not worth it. I’ve missed our conversations. I’ve missed you, Rumple. Yes, I’ve lost my ability to read, but now I’ve lost my friend too.” It stung every time she called him a friend. He appreciated her friendship so much, but he wished to be so much more. That was probably even more impossible than finding a cure for her curse.

“If that’s truly what you want…”

“It is. Now come have some tea with me.”

They quickly fell back into the conversations they had been having. It was a nice break after his week of nonstop working, and he soon felt fatigue catch up to him. He didn’t need sleep very often, but zero rest for a week even tired out the Dark One. He tried to stifle his yawns but Belle had quickly caught on, and practically dragged him to his bedchamber. He bid her a quick goodnight and was just about to shut his door when he heard her call his name. He peeked his head out of to catch her eye.

“Remember that favor you owe me?” Of course he remembered. How could he forget? It’s what he owed her for saving him and losing the thing she loved most in the process. He nodded quickly.

“I know what I want.” This was where she asked to leave. He could feel it. She had been cursed thanks to her association with him, and then he abandoned her for a week. He didn’t deserve to have her light in his life.

“Would you read to me? Please?” He found himself agreeing even before what she asked actually hit him.

“You don’t want to leave?” She looked genuinely shocked at his question.

“Leave? Why would you think I want to leave?”

“I know it’s my fault that you’ve been cursed, and if I had just reacted faster you wouldn’t be in so much pain. I don’t blame you at all if you can’t stand the sight of me. I would never hold it against you, and please know that I would still hold up my end of the deal and keep the ogres away.” He tried his best not to stammer through his speech but he failed spectacularly.

“Rumplestiltskin?” He looked up to see her standing right before him. She reached out and held his face in her hands. “You are my dearest friend. I don’t stay here out of fear that you will renege on our deal. I know you won’t. I stay here because it would pain me to be separated from you.” She kissed him on his cheek, and turned to walk to her quarters, leaving him to deal with his shock alone.

Something shifted after that night. Suddenly everything held more meaning. He wasn’t entirely sure exactly what had changed between them. But he could feel it in the air when they were together. He had been reading to her before bed for nearly a month now, and there was an intimacy to the act that he had never felt before. He wasn’t touching her, he could barely look at her while he was reading, but he felt connected to her. He had tried to convince himself that it was only him who felt it, but after a week he couldn’t even deny that she felt it too. What it all meant was something else entirely. He would never assume, even if an abundance of evidence appeared before him, that she would ever want to be something more than friends. If this was all he would ever get, it would be enough. He was grateful for this.

Tonight they were finishing up a book that Rumplestiltskin had teased her mercilessly about when she had picked it. It was one of those typical fluffy ‘once upon a time’ types of books and he had been surprised when she had given it to him. It was a complete departure from the books she had chosen previously, but he wouldn’t deny her the story if she wanted it. He also wouldn’t tell her that he had started to enjoy the love story. He’d never hear the end of that. He was about to read the last paragraph when she looked up at him.

“Rumple?” She was devastatingly beautiful. Sometimes he’d stare at her and completely forget what they were talking about.

“Yes, dearie?” She glared at him. He knew she hated being called that. He wasn’t sure why, but he suspected it was because he called everybody else that as well. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

“Would you close your eyes for a moment? I have a surprise for you.” A surprise? He wasn’t sure if the butterflies he was feeling at this moment were from nerves or excitement. Probably both. But he trusted her, as she had trusted him when he showed her the library, so he shut his eyes.

He could hear her moving and sensed that she was getting closer. Maybe she had made him something and was coming to put it on him? As he was contemplating what she could have made him – a bracelet? Maybe a new cravat? – he nearly missed her mutter “Please don’t hate me” before she moved even closer and put her lips on his.

Oh.

His eyes flew open when she made contact but she had her eyes closed, and she wasn’t pulling back. She wanted this. She really wanted this. That realization gave him the confidence to kiss her back, as he dropped the book and wrapped his arms around her.

She pulled away after a few moments, looking very much like the cat that got the cream. Before he could even ask her anything, she glanced down the book, which was still open to that last page.

“And they lived happily ever after…”

Wait. Did she just…?

“I guess true loves kiss really can break any curse.”