Chapter One - Leaving

The castle door slammed behind her of its own accord. Magic, Belle thought to herself, and she sighed as she walked sadly down the cobblestone path. Memories came to her unbidden, memories of her arrival several months ago, her heart heavy and unsure of what was in store for her as the servant of the Dark One. As a tear escaped, she tried not to break down completely, until safely out of sight of the Dark Castle and its master. Belle straightened her shoulders and continued walking. Devoid of hope, her thoughts betrayed her again. Her life here was over and memories were all she would have now, so she embraced them reluctantly.

He called himself a monster but she knew better. Belle recalled the terrifying beginning of her servitude, of being locked in Rumplestiltskin's dungeon, and his mocking of her genuine sorrow, alone for the first time in her life. Even in his mocking she detected something more, not merely a desire to humiliate her, but a concern for her and a feeling of inadequacy in not knowing what to do to ease her suffering. Her intuition served her well. As Belle thanked Rumple for the pillow he brought her "to muffle her cries," she stored the memory away of a brief glimpse of kindness, quickly masked by his customary smirk. It was enough to keep her going through the long days ahead, through their encounter with the thief, Robin Hood, and his subsequent torture at the hand of the Dark One. It was enough to give Belle boldness to stand up to Rumple in the forest, as he sought to kill the thief, not realizing his motives for thievery were to save his dying bride and their unborn child. Belle was crying in earnest now, as she reflected on their first awkward hug and the first time she gave Rumple her truest smile, a smile from her heart, and noticed him trying to hide his own delight in her.

Rumplestiltskin looked out the window of his turret library and watched Belle until she was out of view. His shoulders were bent and his eyes weary as he remembered looking out the same window at Belle's return from their village earlier in the day. It seemed as if days had passed, but it had only been a few hours. Now it was night, and he tried not to recall the feeling of joy as he saw her approaching the castle, clad in her flowered cape and looking like an angel. For once, the Dark One was powerless and his thoughts turned to Belle. Their time together was brief, only a few short months, but he underestimated the hold she would have on his heart.

"I tried to tell her," Rumplestiltskin whispered to himself. "No one could ever love a beast," but he could barely get the words out, and they lacked conviction, now that he was alone. He disliked being vulnerable, being mastered by anyone or anything, especially by his own feelings. This was new to him, and he rejected the thoughts, just as he had rejected Belle earlier in the dungeon. She had tried to tell him of her love, to explain what she thought was happening between them, but he had cut her off and made some stupid statement about choosing power over her. Even then, with the full force of his wrath upon her, she still refused to back down, and asserted her love with eloquence and a calm faith. However, he was unable to bend, to take one step toward her, nor utter one word that would bridge the gap between them. Then she was gone.

As Rumple walked quietly down the tower stairs and into his great room, the room which for the last three months was brightened by sunlight and by Belle's presence, he focused on one object and one object alone. The cup. He recalled how shaken she was when she dropped it, in the early days of her tenure as his servant. He remembered her sweet face looking up at him and saying, "It's chipped." From that moment on, it was difficult to take his eyes off of her. He wanted to study and memorize every expression, every look, every word she said to him, as if he had known it would be over too soon. He removed the chipped cup from the cupboard and gave it a place of honor on one of the pedestals. Then he cried, broken at last.

Meanwhile, in another castle, far across the realms, the Evil Queen was planning to usurp even more of the power she craved. Regina was confident that she had undermined the new relationship (she could not use the word "love" to describe it) between Belle and Rumplestiltskin. It was a triumph and she gloated shamelessly over her victory, using the innocent Belle to try to bring down the Dark One, knowing that his fear of losing his precious power would be enough for him to reject the woman he was growing to love. Even better that she was able to get a front row seat to the humiliation, thanks to the uncovering of her mirror. She saw everything and she delighted in it. Now to take things one step further, but how?

"What is worrying you, Your Majesty?" asked the Magic Mirror, her one true ally in the castle.

"I need a ruse, something to cement my power here and display it for all to see," Regina replied thoughtfully.

"More executions, more destruction?"

"No. I know that subtlety isn't my strong area, but I need it here. If I want my subjects to love me, I must do this right. I must be seen by one and all to be doing something for the good of the kingdom."

"What about a ball?" the Mirror said craftily. "A ball would show off your great wealth, your power and your magnificent wardrobe." The Mirror chuckled softly, almost imperceptibly. The seed had been planted.

"Yes, a ball..." Regina seemed lost in thought for a moment, then snapped back to her evil persona by sheer force of will. "I will display my power for all to see, and they will realize the futility of opposing me, without my having to say a thing. It's perfect."