Forest of Fireflies

Chapter 21

(3rd Person POV, in the Dark One's Castle)

Its been a week since Belle was taken by Rumpelstiltskin in exchange for magic to defeat the ogres of her father's kingdom. After she had finished the tasks the Dark One had told her to complete, she wandered down to the main hall where Rumple sat at his spinning wheel. 

Quietly, she approached him and asked, "Why do you spin so much?"

He stopped spinning and the silence that hung in the air that followed was thicker than the dust that covered the bookshelves in the library. "I'm sorry, its just...you've spun more straw into gold than you could ever spend it seems."

In a low but surprisingly gentle voice, the Dark One answered, "I like to watch the wheel. It helps me forget."

"Forget what?"

Chuckling, Rumple answered, "Well, I guess it worked." Then, he got up and walked towards Belle who went over to the large curtains that hung along the side of the large hall. "What on heavens are you doing?"

As if it was the most obvious thing, Belle answered, "opening these. Spring has just sprung, we should let some light in." 

Belle tugged at the curtains and she gasped suddenly as she lost her footing on the ladder. Rumple lunged for her just in time and Belle fell into his arms. Awkwardly, Belle breathed out in a smile, "uh, thank you."

Rumple didn't speak as he put her onto the ground. "No matter."

"I'll, uh, put the curtains back up."

Just as Belle walked over to the fallen fabric, Rumple said hastily, "Uh, there's no need. I'll get used to it."

As he walked back to the spinning wheel, Belle smiles. She approached him again and asked a little more comfortably this time, "Why did you want me here?"

"The place was filthy."

Cautiously, Belle replied, "If I knew better, I think that you were lonely. I mean, any man would be lonely stuck in this castle by themselves." Then, Belle quietly uttered, "so um, I've looked around a bit and....upstairs, I found clothing for a child? A son?"

Rumple hesitantly spoke, "There was but I lost him and his mother too."

Tilting her head to a side, Belle said, "I'm so sorry. So you, were a man once. An ordinary man. You know, if I'm never going to know another person in my whole life, can't I at least know you?

Before Rumple could reply, there was a sudden loud banging at the door. He turned around and used his magic to open the large wooden doors to reveal one of the Regina's Black Knights. Whilst running towards Belle and the Dark One, he spluttered, "Um, I was told to tell you that Queen Regina is in her room here. She wishes to see you immediately. It's rather urgent actually."

Belle turned towards Rumple and whispered, "The Queen's here? And what did he mean by her room?"

Hastily, Rumple replied, "I taught her magic and sometimes I just wasn't bothered to travel to the palace for her lessons."

After he said this, he threw his hands up in the air and dark maroon coloured smoke surrounded him.

...........................

(Regina's POV)

The guards laid Daniella carefully down on the bed just as I instructed. Even though I technically could have used magic to take her here, I was worried that it would affect her wounded arm. In the carriage, Daniella had blacked out a few minutes before we reached Rumple's castle. I bit down tears as I surveyed the wound on Daniella's arm. If the arrow that pierced her flesh was made of normal metal, I wouldn't have been so concerned. However, there was poison coated on the tip of the arrow. I wasn't sure what the poison was exactly so all I could do with my magic was preserve the condition of the wound and stop the poison from spreading.