Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a work of pure fiction. All characters and events depicted in this story are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Rated: T

Tags: *Belle, *Rumpelstiltskin, *Snow White, *Prince Charming, *Evil Queen Regina, *Grumpy, *Sleeping Curse, *Fluff, *True Love

Summary: While in Regina's clutches, Belle is put under a sleeping curse. Once Regina is captured by Snowing, they summon Rumpelstiltskin to find the sleeping woman's true love to wake her up- not knowing that they've already summoned him.

A/N: I was asked to pick a prompt from rumbelleprompts on tumblr by mysticpoet. This is the one I picked. I hope you enjoy the fill … and the feels :D

True Love Can Break Any Curse

By:

CharlotteAshmore

I

A thick layer of dust covered every surface, causing the prince to sneeze. He pulled a handkerchief from the inside of his doublet and groaned. Everywhere he looked, there was more of the same … dark stone walls, heavy ornate ebony furniture, and thick black drapes blocking out the light. The queen's winter palace was not a happy place. After the queen's capture, he hadn't wanted to come to her home, but his beloved had insisted. And who was he to deny her? It had been Snow's home too, a long time ago and it would be hers again if Charming had his way. They were still at odds over what was to be done with her stepmother and things were strained between them, but he hoped by giving into her wishes and bringing her to the great monolith, he'd be able to restore the peace.

The prince didn't like seeing her so unhappy, and that's exactly what this visit to the winter palace had done. It pained her greatly to see the stark changes to her former home. The effect was equally distressing to Charming, but that could have something to do with the amount of dark magic still prevalent in the air. They'd met little resistance upon their arrival, their own battalion of soldiers sequestering Regina's guards in their quarters. Any resistance from her remaining troops was pointless since the queen had been captured and imprisoned along with the former king, George. He and Snow now sat on the throne, having taken back the kingdom. She should be happy instead of melancholy and distraught.

Now the purge commenced, his command to rid the palace of anything questionable or dark being carried out by his men. "Snow, you know we don't have to be here for this. I can take you home, and –"

She shook her head, her long ebony braid falling over her left shoulder as she looked up into his clear blue gaze. "No, Charming, I want to be here."

He cupped her cheek and bent to drop a kiss to the end of her pert nose. "I just don't like to see you so unhappy. We've had enough to last us a lifetime."

"We'll find our happiness eventually … when things settle down, I'm sure. Regina –"

"Highness! Highness, come quickly," one of their knights called from the end of the corridor. "You must see this!"

Charming drew his sword, pushing Snow behind him as they followed the knight down several long winding corridors and more than one twisting staircase and into the bowels of the castle. Snow shivered against the cold, the dungeons never having been her favorite place. Charming didn't care for it much either, having been held captive there himself, but it didn't stop him from following their man.

He wondered how much further they would have to go, when they entered a stone chamber with a polished marble floor. Several doors led off the circular chamber, a grate to the right magically locked against intruders. The man moved left into a darkened room devoid of anything save a lone glass sarcophagus.

The torches were lit in the wall brackets, casting the chamber in muted light, but it was enough to see the beautiful woman preserved beneath the glass. He signaled Snow to stay back as he moved towards it, sheathing his sword. The woman was beautiful, her dark chestnut curls framing a delicate face, her lips the color of a rose in bloom, her petite form swathed in a gown of royal blue velvet.

"I-Is she dead?" Snow asked, a quaver in her voice.

He motioned for two of his men to come forward and remove the lid, his fingers pressing gently against her throat to feel for a pulse. "No pulse."

"Why would Regina keep her down here if the girl were dead?" she asked, moving to her fiancée's side to peer into the casket. "Perhaps –"

" - she's under a spell? A sleeping curse as you were?"

Snow fingered a lock of the woman's hair as her eyes stung with grief. It hadn't been so long ago since she'd been the victim of one of Regina's curses and still suffered the nightmares from it. "I wonder what she could have possibly done to incur Regina's wrath."

"Or how long she's been under the curse," Charming added.

"The east wing has been swept, your highness," Grumpy said from the open doorway. "Another hour and our men should be done with the north tower and the west wing. Is there …" His voice trailed away as he came to stand at the casket, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Belle? What's she doing here?"

"You know her?" the prince asked, his brows rising in surprise.

The dwarf nodded and removed his cap as a show of respect. "Yeah, I met her about a year ago at the tavern near the mines. She's one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met." He turned his doleful eyes up at the princess. "How'd she wind up here?"

Charming raked a hand over his face in consternation, and shook his head. "That's what I'd like to know."

*.*.*

Regina's sable gaze was cold and dark as she heard the key turn in the lock of her cell and looked up to glare at her visitors. It had been several days since she'd seen anyone but the guards who watched her every move, but if the only visitors she would receive were her stepdaughter and the shepherd … she could happily do without. "What do you want?" she hissed, in no mood to mince words.

Snow nervously twisted the ring on her left hand as she forced herself to meet the queen's angry gaze. "Do I really need a reason to visit?"

Regina laughed, her lips stretching into a malicious smile. "Lies don't become you, dear. So, stop prevaricating and get to the point."

Taking in his fiancée's noticeable discomfort, the prince asked, "We found a woman in your palace … Belle. Who is she?"

"Isn't it better to get right to the point?" Regina snarked testily. "What about her?"

Snow squared her shoulders, determined not to leave without answers. "Who is she? Why did you curse her?"

"That's none of your business, Snowdrop," came her bitter retort. "She's simply someone who ran afoul of my temper."

Charming sighed. "It would be better for you if you cooperated, Regina. It might sway the council to be lenient towards you when your fate is decided."

"If you won't tell us why you cursed her, can't you at least tell us who her true love is so we might wake her? No one deserves that fate, Regina," Snow added, casting her stepmother a pleading glance.

"Perhaps … if you release me."

"You know we can't do that," Charming said, shuddering at the thought of the queen on the loose and free to torment them once more. They might not be so lucky next time.

"Then I suppose the little chime will remain cursed," Regina replied, staring down at her nails in a bored fashion.

Snow swallowed her pride for the sake of the girl. "Regina, please."

"Sorry, dear. It will be up to you to discover that for yourselves." Her smile was as oily as a snake oil salesman's. "Good luck with that."

*.*.*

Snow paced the antechamber, her furious stride doing little to ease the anxiety clawing at her chest. "How many does that make now, Charming?" she asked, her emerald eyes flashing hotly. She should never have agreed to his bold plan, though it was the only one either of them had been able to come up with at the time.

"Three hundred …" He looked down at the parchment the record keeper shoved under his nose. "… forty-three."

She sighed, her fingers idly toying with the end of her braid. "This can't go on!"

In the two months since they'd discovered the girl, suitor after suitor had visited the palace at the prince's invitation to try their hand at waking her, only to fail miserably. If it weren't for the effects of the curse, the poor girl's lips would no doubt be chapped, Snow thought, a hysterical burble of laughter escaping her lips. Surely, her true love was out there somewhere.

Regina had been no help whatsoever. Unable to put her stepmother to death as the council had wanted, Snow had made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to assure themselves the queen could cause no more harm to them. Now, the woman languished in the winter palace, returned to the comfort of her station if not her power. Yet, she still wouldn't help them with the sleeping girl. She refused, quite adamantly, to give up the name of Belle's true love. Frankly, the royals were growing desperate.

"Charming," Snow murmured, her steps faltering as her eyes lit with a spark of consideration. "I know you're not going to like this, but …"

The prince groaned. He knew that look all too well. He really wasn't going to like this. "Yes, dear?"

"Maybe we should ask … him.'

"No! Absolutely not!" he protested in a furious whisper, glancing over his shoulder at the scribe sitting at the little table next to the door.

"But if anyone would know of a way to find Belle's true love, it would be him."

"Snow …" he groaned.

"Charming, he's never failed us in the past. He might be shrouded in dark magic, sneaky, devious –"

"Evil."

"—and untrustworthy," she continued, ignoring his interruption, "but he's never failed us."

"And his price is always too high," he argued stubbornly. "Last time I had to stuff a golden egg inside a dragon witch and barely escaped with my life." He shuddered.

Snow stepped closer to her love and wrapped her arms about his waist, one hand trailing idly over his chest. She peered up at him from beneath her long ebony lashes as she smiled. "And yet if it weren't for him, you never would have found me and broken my own sleeping curse. Despite his price, that is a debt we can never repay."

"Snow …"

"Charming, please," she begged. "We can't keep subjecting that poor girl to the horrors of this curse. I know what she's going through, trapped within her own mind with nothing but pain, sorrow and regret. If there is a chance the Dark One can help us find her love, we have to take it. And you said yourself he was a fan of true love."

The prince sighed and pressed a kiss to her brow as he held her close. "Well …" Gods, he hated it when she was right. "I suppose it won't hurt to ask."

*.*.*

"I would have answered the door if I had been in the mood for company, dearie," the Dark One snarled in a decidedly irritated tone as his amber eyes rose to meet the prince's azure gaze. His long fingers caressed the thread smoothly flowing through them and did his best to ignore the man. He was not having a good day, the wheel unable to banish his memories to the back of his mind. "What do you want this time? Things not going your way in the land of milk and honey? The princess banish you to the couch because you snore?"

"What? No!" Charming said, trying to focus on the imp's rapid fire questions. He knew it was a tactic to keep him off guard, but he wouldn't let that deter him from his task. "The wedding's not for another three weeks so Snow doesn't know if I snore or not."

The Dark One arched a brow at the princeling. "Pity."

"I've come to make a deal."

"So I assumed when you barged uninvited into my tower. What is it, then? Out with it," Rumpelstiltskin bit out impatiently, laying his work aside and rising to his feet. Frankly, he could use the distraction.

The prince cleared his throat and raked a hand over his short cropped blonde hair. "We found a woman in Regina's palace when we were holding her prisoner. We thought it would be a good idea to purge her home."

"While the cat's away and all that, right, shepherd?" he asked in a bored tone. "And this woman? What of her?"

"Regina cursed her."

The mage waved a hand in a slow circle, trying to get the princeling to carry on in more than snippets. "There are many curses. What exactly are we dealing with? I'm assuming you'll be getting to the point before lunchtime?"

Charming's eyes followed the Dark One warily as he paced around him. "It's a sleeping curse. In the past two months, we've invited all comers to the castle to see if they might know the girl and to try true love's kiss. So far, we've come up empty-handed, and Snow is growing impatient. She wants to help the girl."

Rumpelstiltskin giggled. "Ah, twoo wuv. Of course, Snow would want to help, the little do-gooder. So, what is it you want of me?"

"We'd like you to find him."

He stared at him shrewdly for a long moment and then sighed. "Alright, dearie, I'll have a look at this girl and see what I can do. A simple spell and the right potion should be able to reveal the girl's true love."

The prince grinned, happy he would be able to deliver the good news to Snow. "And your price?"

The imp's lips curled into a crocodile smile. "Let's just say … you'll owe me a favor."

*.*.*

"I wonder how long a body can survive under the effects of a sleeping curse," Charming wondered aloud as he and Snow breakfasted together the next morning.

Snow leaned her head back against the tall support of her chair and sipped at her glass of juice. "I don't know … I don't even want to contemplate."

"Then it's a good thing you won't have to!" came the quirky rejoinder from the imp who appeared at her elbow.

The princess shrieked, spraying juice over the pristine table cloth and spluttering helplessly. "Rumpelstiltskin!" she exclaimed, glaring at the Dark One where he'd perched a hip against the table. He arched a brow at her as his hand idly lifted to wipe droplets of the orange liquid from the dragon hide bracers covering his arms. They were of the same rough hide as his vest, his armor as it were, the princess thought.

The prince tossed his napkin aside and leaned his elbow on the armrest of his chair, propping his chin in his hand. "Must you do that?" Charming asked with a sigh of resignation.

"Do what, dearie?"

"Poof out of thin air and scare us half to death!" Snow cried, bounding to her feet and using her napkin to dab at the stain on her skirt. "It wouldn't hurt you to knock."

The Dark One blinked innocently. "And where would be the fun in that?"

The prince gestured to the table, laden down with any and all types of breakfast dishes and a full tea service. "Would you care to join us, Rumpelstiltskin?" he asked. Just because he didn't trust the imp, it wouldn't do for him to forget his manners.

The sorcerer's brows rose in surprise, but he immediately schooled his face back into his wily mask. "No, thank you, shepherd. I'd rather not waste any more of my day." He waved a hand, urging the princeling to his feet. "Where is the girl?"

As Rumpelstiltskin followed the pair of royals to the chamber which housed the sleeping beauty, he couldn't suppress memories of his own true love and her loss. It had been more than a year since Regina had brought him news of her death, yet the pain of it was still as fresh as if she'd told him yesterday.

He could still remember the softness of her touch, the lilt of her voice and the sweetness of the one and only kiss they'd shared. He cursed himself daily for sending her away from him, the haunting words she'd said when she walked away a never-ending torment to his soul.

He hadn't wanted to believe the queen, had searched for any sign of his beloved across seven realms. Finally, he'd had to give up and admit defeat, his grief nigh unbearable. What he wouldn't give to have a chance to tell Belle she'd been right, that he did love her, that … he'd always love her.

The Dark One was jerked from his reverie as they entered a small antechamber and the scribe – who sat at a little table – screamed and promptly toppled over in his haste to flee the imp's presence. "How rude," he snarked, moving to the table to peruse the parchment listing the names of those who'd come seeking to wake the beauty. "You weren't kidding, shepherd. And none of these were able to wake her?"

Charming shook his head. "Not a one."

Snow moved to the door, her hand on the knob. "She's in here. Do you really think you'll be able to help her?" she asked with her eternal optimism.

The mage giggled and waved her aside. "There's only one way to find out, dearie." He stepped into the room, the darkness inside him recoiling at the bright sunlight streaming through the tall mullioned windows, the gauzy blue curtains little help against the sun's punishing rays. The beauty had been removed from the glass coffin which served as her tomb and laid on a soft down mattress set upon a table in the center of the room. His heart clenched as he took in the long chestnut curls draped over the girl's shoulders. The color reminded him of his lost love.

It barely registered that the royals had followed him into the room as he moved closer to the pedestal. His gaze traveled over her form from her dainty feet encased in jewel studded satin slippers, to where her small hands were clasped over her waist. He reached into the inner recesses of his waistcoat to retrieve the potion, ready to be done with his task, when his gaze fell upon her face and he froze.

It couldn't be. It had to be a trick. He couldn't be looking upon her face.

The sorcerer trembled, every nerve in his body screaming in denial. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move; he could only stare at the face of his lost beloved. How ironic that he would be called upon to find her true love when no one could break her curse but him. "Her name … what is her name?" he barked over his shoulder.

Snow shivered, thankful for her fiancé's protective embrace as he pulled her within the circle of his arms. "B-Belle. Her name is Belle."

Magic crackled in the air as he felt his entire world tilt on its axis. His own true love, the keeper of his heart … his precious Belle. He reached out with a trembling hand and trailed his fingers over her cheek. His eyes slammed closed and a choked sob wrenched from his throat at the feel of her ivory skin so soft and real and alive beneath his touch. Tears fell unchecked over his weathered face as he gathered her to his chest and buried his nose against her neck, breathing her in.

"Rumpelstiltskin, what are you doing?!" Snow asked, pushing away from Charming to rush to the girl's aid. The imp ignored her, too lost in his own pain.

The prince retained his grasp on her wrist and drew her back, shaking his head. He was just as alarmed as his fiancé, but he knew better than to interfere. He didn't want either of them to suffer the imp's wrath. "Snow, wait. Just give him time to see if there's anything he can do."

"But, Charming –"

"Be patient."

Belle's head lolled drunkenly on the Dark One's forearm as he brushed the hair away from her brow. "Oh, Belle …" he moaned, lowering his head. "I love you so much, dear one." And he knew she still held him in the highest regard as his soul reached out and touched hers, the light of her essence teasing at the edges of his darkness. His lips met hers in a gentle caress, her lower tucked softly between his. A prism of light nearly knocked him on his arse as true love's magic burst from the epicenter of their kiss, leaving him dazed.

A whisper of breath, a flutter of lashes and he was looking down into the surprised gaze of his Belle. "R-Rumpel …" she sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck.

His face crumpled as he crushed her to him, his tears mingling with hers. "Belle … oh, Belle." His shoulders shook as he wailed his despair against her shoulder, his hands roaming freely over her back. "She told me you were dead."

"I know," she whispered brokenly, carding her fingers through his hair as he leaned back to look at her. "I watched. She made me watch through her mirror. Oh, Rumpel … if I could have spared you that pain." Her lower lip trembled as he pressed his brow to hers. "I love you. I never gave up hope you would come for me."

The imp cried harder. "I swear I'll destroy her for this."

"No, my love, you mustn't. Another death will only darken your soul, and I won't have it," she murmured, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. The beast within him growled, but he would accede to her wishes. She was alive. He would have handed her the moon if she'd asked it of him. "Rum, you kissed me. How? Shouldn't it have broken your curse, too?"

"I … ah … I made a potion to rid myself of such a vulnerability. I think I harbored some small hope I would find you one day … that you weren't really gone from this world," he explained. "Please, Belle … please forgive me. I'm so sorry I sent you away."

Her entire countenance softened as she smiled. "I already have, my love. I was on my way back to you when the queen captured me. She only did it to make you suffer. After she saw she couldn't hurt you any more than she already had, she came to me with the curse. She couldn't take the chance I'd escape – I'd almost succeeded twice by this time – and return to you."

"If I had known …"

"You had no way of knowing," she said pressing another sweet kiss to his nose.

"I'd have come for you."

"I know you would have."

"It's all my fault … if I hadn't made you leave …"

"If I had only stayed," she countered. "We are both at fault, Rumpel. I won't let you blame yourself."

He cradled her face in his warm hands, his nose nuzzling gently against hers. "May I … May I kiss you again?" he asked, his expression hopeful.

Belle tilted her chin up, closing the minute distance between them and offering her lips to him. This kiss was nothing like the last. This one was filled with desperation, love and the reuniting of souls. Passion, heat and unbearable sweetness poured from her as his tongue dueled with hers, reawakening and reviving her, chasing away the long year of desolation she'd spent away from him as the queen's captive.

"This is too unbelievable," Snow whispered to her fiancé, her emerald eyes sparkling with tears as she gaped at the beauty and her beast. Charming pinched himself to make sure he was indeed awake. "You told me his true love died," she accused.

"He told me she did."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled against his Belle's lips as the royals continued to whisper. Belle blushed a deep crimson as she finally noticed them standing near the door. "Rum? Who are they?"

"They rescued you from the queen's palace, dearest. If it weren't for them, you'd still be her captive instead of safe in my arms."

She grinned up at his besotted expression and pressed herself closer. "Then might you thank them so we can be on our way? I'm ready to go home, my love."

His chest flooded with warmth at her declaration. Rumpelstiltskin turned his gaze to Snow, the words coming with some difficulty to his lips. "Highness, thank you for giving her back to me."

"Um … you're welcome," Snow said, still staring at the couple in bewilderment.

"She is my greatest treasure, my priceless jewel … I rescind my price for the service you've done me," he said, giving the prince a pointed look. "I am in your debt."

Charming swallowed audibly, not sure if that was such a good thing or not. He didn't have time to think about it, however, as the mage wrapped the girl securely in his arms and disappeared in a wisp of crimson smoke. "No one is going to believe this."

"Good," Snow replied. "Because you're not going to tell anyone. After what they've been through, they deserve their privacy. If his enemies knew of her, they would try to use her against him. We're not going to be responsible for causing them anymore pain than what they've already suffered."

"I agree." He followed after her as she left the room. "Where are you going?"

"I now have to send out a royal messenger to let the kingdom know our guest has woken and there will be no need for more suitors to visit. Then perhaps I can concentrate on our wedding. Don't forget you promised to help with the invitations."

He cast her an indulgent smile. "Of course."

"And, Charming?'

"Yes, dear?"

"Make sure you send Rumpelstiltskin and Belle an invitation. They could use a bit of revelry, don't you think?"

The prince groaned. "Yes, dear."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for reading :D If you'd like for me to continue this prompt, let me know. I might be able to write another chapter. Hugs and love!