Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 68 - The Power Of True Love's Kiss

Mr. Gold parked the van outside a small cabin in the woods. The rain fell and thunder crashed in the distance. He got out the van and went around the back, a gun in his hand. He opened the doors at back and held up the gun to Mr. French's face.
"Walk." he demanded.
Mr. French stumbled to his feet and stepped out of the can.
Mr. Gold led him through the cabin, the gun at his back.
Mr. French turned to Mr. Gold.
"You see, here's the thing. I don't normally let people get away." he slamed the door shut, still holding the gun up.

******************************

Belle walked along the road, through the forest, now hooded in a blue green cloak and she held a basket in her arms.
Suddenly she heard the neighing of horses behind her. She turned to see a dark carriage, led by knights in dark clothing and helmets being pulled quickly along the path.
She stepped to side of the road and continued walking. She watched the horse ride and carraige glide along.
The carraige and the horses then came to a halt next to her. The door of the black carraige opened and the Evil Queen peered out at her. She wore her dark decorative dress and her lips were dark red, her eyes shadowed with darkness.
"Did my carraige splash you?" she asked.
Belle looked down at her dress. "Oh....no. I'm fine." she smiled and walked on.
The Queen smiled. "You know, I'm tired of riding."
Belle looked around.
"Let me stretch my legs and walk with you for a spell."

The Queen and Belle walked along the road together and her knights and carraige were riding slowly behind.
"You carry very little." said the Queen, holding a black lased umbrella above her head.
"I don't want to be slowed down." said Belle.
"Oh, you're running from someone." she chuckled. "The question is, master or lover?"
Belle looked at her and then down at the ground beneath her.
"Oh......... Master and lover." she smiled.
Suddenly Belle stopped in her tracks. "I might take a rest. You.... You go on ahead."
The Queen put her arm around her shoulders and kept walking. "So if I'm right, you love your employer, but you're leaving him."
"I might love him. I mean, I could, except.......something evil has taken root in him."
"It sounds like a curse to me. And all curses can be broken." she looked at Belle as they walked. "A kiss born of true love would do it."
Belle stared at her.
"Child, no." she chuckled. "I would never suggest a young woman to kiss a man who held her captive. What king of message is that?"
"Right....." said Belle, thinking about what she said.
"Besides, if he loves you, he would have let you go. And if he doesn't love you, well, then the kiss won't even work."
"Well, he did let me go." she looked at the Queen.
"Yes, but no kiss happened."
"And a kiss is enough? He would be a man again?"
The Queen leaned forward. "A ordinary man......... True love's kiss will break any curse." she smiled.
Belle smiled at the Queen, happily.

******************************

Rumplestiltskin stood by the window, high in the castle, staring out into the darkness, waiting.
Suddenly his dark face lit up and ran down the spiral stairs in his castle.
He quickly sat at his spinning wheel and presented to be spinning. The doors opened and Belle walked into the room.
"You're back already!" said Rumplestiltskin. "Good. Good thing. I'm....nearly out of straw.
Belle walked quickly towards him, smiling, disbelievingly. She put the basket of straw on the floor next to the wheel.
"Come on, you're happy that I'm back."
"I'm not unhappy."
She chuckled and put her hands on his shoulders as he began to spin again. "And you promised me a story."
He stopped spining. "Did I?"
She nodded and took the straw from his hands and sat beside the wheel. She placed her hand on his knees. "Tell me about your son."
"Ahhhh........I lost him. There's nothing more to tell, really."
"And since then, you've loved no one. And no one has loved you."
Rumplestiltskin leaned forwards and gazed into her bright blue eyes, trying to read her. "Why did you come back?" he whispered.
"I wasn't going to......... But then something changed my mind." she looked into his eyes as he did and leaned closer to him. She closed her eyes as their lips touched. Belle broke away and gazed into his face.
Rumplestiltskin face turned from its dark, dirty colour to pale, human flesh. Belle smiled happily.
"What's happening?" he asked as the darkness began to drift away.
Belle put her hands around his neck. "Kiss me again. It's working." she smiled.
"What is?" his voice changed to, back to the way it was and the light came back to his eyes.
"Any curse can be broken." she gleamed.
His now light face became dark again and he stood up kicking his chair accross the room. "Who told you that?" he shouted. "Who knows that?" he shrieked at Belle.
Belle leaned back, fearful. "I don't know. She........" she stuttered.
Rumplestiltskin stared at his hands as they turned back to their normal self. "She........." he said in realisation as he walked accross the room. "You evil soul." he ripped the cover from the looking glass and he glared into the mirror. "This was you!" he screamed at his reflection. "You turned her against me!" he pointed at Belle as he screamed and shrieked at himself.
Belle stared at him, confused and walked closer to him.
"You think you can make me weak? You think you can defeat me?"
"Who are you talking to?" asked Belle.
"The Queen! Your friend, the Queen." he turned to her. "How did she get to you?" he pointed at Belle, glaring at her.
"The Queen?...... I don't......."
"I knew this was a trick." he stepped closer to her. "I knew you could never care for me. Oh, yeah. You're working for her." he pointed to the mirror. "Or is this all you? Is this you being the hero and killing the beast?"
"It was working......." she started trying to take her hands.
"Shut up!" he screamed at her.
"This means it's true love!"
"Shut the hell up!"
"Why won't you believe me?" she cryed.
"Because no one, nobody could ever, ever love me!" he said, pushing her back and shaking her.

He dragged her down through the dungeons and threw her to the ground in one of the cells, anger in his eyes. He waved his hand and the door slammed behind her.
She lay on the ground in her cell, her eyes filling with tears.