Chapter 10: In which Belle wishes to be a helper

Sleep eluded Belle on her first night at Dark Castle. Never had she slept so far from home, or been all alone before. Every tiny creak roused her, making her stomach leap in her throat. She was tempted a time or two to call upon Rumpelstiltskin, but felt childish at the thought. He desired an independent companion, not a frightened little girl.

Belle lay in her new bed, under unfamiliar covers, hugging her nearly flat goose feather pillow she'd retrieved from the magical trunk. As soon as faint sunlight peeked through the slits on either side of the draperies, Belle plotted her way to her private bath chamber to get ready for the day. Her body held tired joints and a heavy head, but she wasn't going to let exhaustion ruin her first full day in her new home.

She was pleased to find a crate of fresh eggs in the pantry, and wondered if Rumpelstiltskin kept chickens somewhere in his land. It would be a treat to mind a flock of chickens, as she had when she was a child and her mother was alive. When they moved to Little Town, the chickens were left behind and they always had eggs brought to them by servants after that.

With breakfast made and eaten and no sign of her companion, Belle ventured to the tower that held Rumpelstiltskin's laboratory in search of him. She got turned around a couple times, but finally found the right stairwell that led to his tower. It was utterly silent, and for a moment she assumed he wasn't there, but as she ascended the last step, she caught a glimpse of his wavy-covered head by the overflowing bookcase. His back was turned to her.

"Good morning" Belle whispered, barely audible. Sneaking up behind a sorcerer was not a smart thing to do, though she doubted Rumpelstiltskin could scare that easily.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, spinning around gracefully and slamming the book he held closed in a puff of dust. The dust floated in a cloud through the air, making Belle cough. It seemed to not bother him at all.

"Well" she croaked, and coughed a couple more times before the dust settled.

Rumpelstiltskin stopped at his work table, eyeing her sharply. "Is that why you tossed and turned most of the night?"

Belle looked taken aback then her expression turned mortified. "Were you watching me?"

"No" he replied nonchalantly with a one shouldered shrug. He tapped his ear. "I could hear you."

Belle wasn't sure at all how she felt about Rumpelstiltskin being able to hear her every move. Her cheeks reddened at the thought of him hearing her private matters with the chamber pot.

A trill of laughter escaped him. "Don't worry, dearie. I will not invade your privacy just for my own pleasure. I was simply checking on you." Belle fidgeted as his gaze pierced her. "The truth – how did you sleep?"

"Hardly" Belle answered surrendering. She gave a heavy sigh as she moved closer to him. "Every time I was away from home, I always had a nurse or my maid sleep with me so I would not feel alone or scared of being in a foreign place. This was the first time I ever had a go at it by myself." She stopped next to him, smiling confidently. "I'm sure it'll pass, as all things do."

"Indeed." Rumpelstiltskin returned an unsure smile. He immediately went back to busying himself at the work table, setting the dusty book aside and grabbing a part of tiny tweezers.

"May I help?" Belle asked, biting her lip with anticipation. Since she was 12-years of age, not long after their first encounter, she imagined how it would be to watch the wild sorcerer at his work conjuring spells and weaving magic through the air. It never occurred to her until he gave her "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" that he might need a helper. "I would be more than obliged to."

"There's hardly anything you could help with, dearie" he replied, squatting down to eye level with the table. Belle watched fascinated as he plucked a tiny bit of dust from the book he had set aside and dropped it in a beaker filled with clear fluid close by. Everything seemed to freeze for a long, drawn out beat until Rumpelstiltskin straightened his legs and groused, "Wrong book. I thought for sure I'd found the right one this time."

He tossed the tweezers haphazardly on the table surface and strode back to the bookcase, boots clanking harder on the scuffed wooden floor than before. Belle followed. "What book are you looking for? I could help you search."

Rumpelstiltskin ignored her question, absolutely ignored her existence for almost a full minute until glancing sidelong at her. She was the picture of youthful hopefulness. "Belle," he addressed, though her name sounded uncouth on his tongue. "May I be honest with you?"

"Of course."

He faced his whole body towards her, hands casually behind his back. "When I wished to bring you here, I never anticipated what I would do with you. I've been alone for a very long time."

How long had he wished to bring her to Dark Castle and keep her as a companion? Belle wondered and tucked it away with the many other unanswered questions she had stored. "Then it is something we'll have to work on" Belle offered reassuringly. "It is only day one. Now let's find that book you are in need of."

He accepted her help, slightly begrudged. He seemed to not wish the heavy task upon her, but Belle loved books and was up for the challenge. Their search was mostly in silence, save for a few times they'd share small talk, mostly Belle initiating the conversation. It wasn't until they met in the middle, Belle on the lower shelves as Rumpelstiltskin poked through the high shelves with the use of a ladder, that Belle tried for more serious conversation, diving into her mental question box.

"If you don't mind me asking," she began, sliding another book from the cramped row, "could you tell me about your family."

Rumpelstiltskin halted his hand as he returned a skinny leather bound book to the row he was currently on. "There's not much to tell" he replied, his voice somber.

"Did you have a wife? Some children?" Belle suggested, curiosity of his personal state getting the best of her. She had wondered for years whether he had a wife, whether his true love was lost someone in the world awaiting his rescue. It was only natural that a grown man, even as untamed as Rumpelstiltskin seemed, would have love in his life.

He hopped lightly down from the ladder, shifting it to the next set of books. "A wife, yes" he finally answered in a swift tone. Belle could feel a tightness in her chest at those words. "But she has been gone for a very long time. She is not who I seek."

Belle waited for more, but the rigidness of Rumpelstiltskin's shoulders told her he did not wish to go on. "I'm sorry. If you do not desire to-"

"My son," his tone nearly cut through glass, making Belle snap her head up to meet his barbed gaze digging into the top of her head, "is who I seek."

The pained expression on his face and the jagged grimace upon his lips, made Belle shrink and she barely nodded her head, not daring to ask any more on the subject. It was apparent that it troubled him to the core, this search for his family that consisted of just one member it seemed.

Any conversation after that eschewed, the only sound in the tower was of books being opened and closed and drawn in and out of rows. Belle could feel her eyes becoming cross when Rumpelstiltskin yelped in a high pitch. He jumped down from the ladder, landing on nimble legs, his brooding mood forgotten.

"You found it?" Belle asked, joining him at the work table once more.

"I do believe this is the right one" he replied, already in the process of tweaking a piece of dust from its cover. When it dropped in the clear liquid, it fizzled and turned the liquid to a milky color. Rumpelstiltskin grinned madly. "This is it."

Belle couldn't help but smile at his excitement. "What's it for?" she wondered aloud, hardly containing her own excitement at whatever this simple experiment was going to accomplish.

"It's a sealer for a special parchment, dearie" Rumpelstiltskin responded, corking the beaker. He strode over to a cupboard, opening it to reveal several rows of bottles all containing brightly lit potions and other materials. Belle stared with wide eyed fascination at all the beautiful bottles, her imagination suddenly running wild at what they could all be for.

She barely noticed Rumpelstiltskin retrieve an empty bottle, and pouring the milky liquid sealer inside. He corked it as well, placing it carefully into the cupboard, and closing the door with a sharp click. Belle frowned, wishing to watch the colorful bottles for a bit longer.

She sighed, glancing out the wide window, realizing it must be time for afternoon tea. "Would you join me for tea and a bit of lunch?" She looked hopeful at him.

"I suppose, dearie" the answer was as unsure as the smile he bestowed her earlier.

Belle nodded, preparing to be off, but she stopped and turned. "Where's your chicken coop?"

"My what?" And she seemed to have grown a second head to him.

"Fresh eggs were in the pantry this morning. I assumed you had chickens."

Rumpelstiltskin snorted. "No, my dear, no chickens. I have my eggs delivered from a local farmer."

Belle's shoulders slumped. She was looking forward to taking care of a flock. An idea struck her, and she figured it would not hurt to ask. "May I have a few chickens to keep?"

Rumpelstilskin lip curled in disgust. "Why would you want to keep such filthy creatures? We receive eggs without the mess."

"But I truly don't mind. I like chickens. They may be messy, but it'd be something for me to do around here that will be just mine."

He shook his head in disbelief, but he seemed to not wish to refuse her. "Have your chickens, dearie."