The Best Tea Cup is Chipped Book 1

The Dagger

Rumple's second biggest choice regarding Belle came a week into their honeymoon. They were together in the library. Belle was reading to him as he held her close.

Honestly Rumple was paying more attention to his wife than the actual content of the story. He'd been thinking over the decision he was about to make and was quite certain it was the correct one.

"Belle dearest," he began.

"Yes, Rumple?" she said closing the book and pulling away slightly so she could look at him.

"There's something that I wish to give you."

"More wedding presents Rumple? Phillipe the horse this morning was already more than enough," Rumple chuckled. He'd recently acquired a chestnut stallion for his wife who he remembered had mentioned that riding had been a favorite past time of hers before she came to live with him.

"I'm afraid you'll have to get used to me spoiling you. You certainly deserve it." he told her. "But this is a different sort of gift." Curiosity immediately flared in Belle's blue eyes.

"Oh?" with a flourish of his hand Rumple removed his dagger from the inside of his vest and presented it to Belle who immediately recoiled.

"No Rumple. Absolutely not! I won't take into my keeping a device which contains your free will." Rumple smiled slightly he'd expected this.

"And in saying that you prove immediately why you are the best candidate to hold it in the first place. You don't seek it's power."

The voices in his head were roaring in disagreement but he ignored them. This was his choice. Not theirs.

For her part Belle looked appalled.

"Of course not! Nobody should have that sort of power over another person!" the brunette across from him exclaimed.

"A fair point. Yet I want you to have it all the same." Belle shook her head.

"But why?"

OUAT

The LAST thing that Belle had expected Rumple to offer her in that moment was his dagger. The source of his power and the item which his free will was bound to. She stared distastefully at the weapon.

"Why?" she asked.

"A few reasons. Firstly, it equals the power balance between us."

"Does it? Because by my count that thing means I can control you," interrupted Belle.

"It's a matter of trust Belle, you've bound yourself to me magically. The only way that that you could be freed from that bond is through my death. I'm providing you with the way out should you ever seek it. Secondly, I trust that unless the circumstances were quite extreme having the danger in your hands would truly be no different than in mine because you are the one person who I can trust not to use it against me. And if you were to use it, I know it would be to stop me from going to far."

"Not even then Rumple. If we disagree about something we talk it out. I'm not going to force you to comply," said Belle still not liking the idea. Rumple ignored this.

"And lastly, you have sacrificed a great deal to be with me. This is the closest I can get to giving you something of equal value in return." Belle sighed.

"You really are set on this one, aren't you?"

"Quite, I've thought it over for quite some time. Before we were married in fact."

"Rumple. Even setting aside the fact that I dislike the idea of having an artifact that can control you, surely, I'm not the safest person to have it with? Of course I won't abuse it's power and I would fight till my last breath before I allowed another soul to take it from me and use it against you, but at the end of the day I'm fairly limited. I'm an adequate fighter but nowhere near powerful enough to protect such an object.