The Rose and the Dagger

Chapter 8: The Rose

Since the Dark One had offered Belle the library, she spent all her free time there. She sometimes even fell asleep on the sofa, surrounded by books. She loved this place. And Rumple liked to see her happy. Every evening, she joined her master while he was spinning his wheel, and read a book aloud that she had chosen. The Dark One liked the sound of her voice, it soothed him.

She nonetheless did not neglect her household tasks. She never did neglect her household tasks, but one day her master was not there. She wanted to go and clean a room that was forbidden for her to enter, it was his laboratory. But Belle curious by nature couldn't help herself from opening the door. She was right. The dust was not lacking in this place, and neither was disorder. A lot of phials and magic formulas were stacked on the shelves. Belle dusted everything, trying not to drop anything. She saw then, on a table, a small piece of paper on which was drawn a portrait of a child. Belle realized he was Rumpelstiltskin's son. She could not help but feel a pinch in her heart, thinking of what Rumple had lost. She left the picture in its place as she continued to explore the room. Suddenly, she lost her footing as he stumbled against a floorboard that was sticking up. She nearly fell down, catching herself against the wall. At that moment, she felt the stone, which she had grabbed, sinking into the wall, then followed by all the stones that stood nearby. It looked like she has found a secret hideaway. Belle, intrigued, went to see what was inside the wall. Seeing nothing due to lack of light, she reached in. She immediately pulled out her hand, and she saw she was holding a dagger. All of this just to hide a dagger? She thought to herself. She flipped over the knife and saw the name Rumplestiltskin engraved on it.

-What are you doing here!

Belle jumped at the sound of her master's voice. He would be furious, she thought.

-I was cleaning when I found this. She said, showing the dagger.

-Give me that right now, he snapped, approaching her.

-No wait... Belle began.

The dark one had stopped immediately in his tracks, and this surprised her.

-What is going on? She said. Thinking he would not have listened to her and would have removed it from her hands. She questioned, " You are not yelling at me, or snapping your fingers to send me to me dungeon?

-I cannot. He replied, exasperated.

-Why?

-It's the dagger.

Belle watched the dagger she held in her hands.

-The dagger? But...

She understood the power the dagger had over him.

-It controls you, doesn't it? She said quietly.

-Yes, Rumple said, forced to respond.

So she held in her hands, all the power of the dark one. This could be her way out, to run away, do whatever she wanted and order the dark one to do as she wanted.

-'I am at your service,' said Rumple, understanding that he was trapped, she would certainly run away with the dagger.

Belle looked at him while he lowered his head. She then approached him.

-I believe that every man is entitled to his free will.

He looked up at her. "And you're a man," she added, holding out his dagger. Rumple did not expect this, as he hesitated to take the dagger, nobody ever did this before for him. How could this young woman give up her freedom for his? He thought.

After giving him the dagger, she left apologizing for entering his room without permission.

The next day, Rumplestiltskin, still troubled by the young woman, after the day of the event, explained that he would not be there for several days. He need to go the land of OZ