Hello Echoes in Azalea! I am your Rumbelle secret Santa! I had a great time getting to know you. This has been such a fun event!
Rated: General Audiences
Prompt: “A flame that still burns.”
Rumple goes courting with disastrous results.
Rumplestiltskin did nothing but grumble. If Belle did not remind herself to be vexed by him, she ran the risk of finding his curmudgeonly behavior charming.
"Explain to me again why you can't simply magic us back to the Dark Castle?" she asked for no other reason than to provoke his ire.
Rumplestiltskin threw the velvet sack he carried onto the ground and stamped his feet. His tantrum lasted surprisingly long for a man who'd been alive for over three centuries. He made no attempt to answer Belle's question, which she found more than a little rude. It disquieted her how attractive she found him when he thrashed about in his tight leather pants.
"You foolish girl!" Rumplestiltskin cried, and Belle had to assume he referred to himself as she was neither foolish enough to have gotten them lost nor young enough to be considered a girl. "I have explained the principles of magic that bind the Dark Forest countless times!"
No, he had most certainty not.
He had, when they were leaving the Dark Castle and she suggested packing a compass if not a map, promised her that imps had an innate sense of direction.
"You could blindfold me, spin me around a dozen times, and I would still find my way to the Dark Castle before you had time to brew a cup of tea," Rumplestiltskin had said before closing one of his eyes very slowly. Upon reflecting later, Belle realized he had made a poor attempt to wink at her.
The realization filled her stomach with butterflies even as Rumplestiltskin worked out his rage by kicking a tree stump. In keeping with the theme of it not being Rumplestiltskin’s day at all, the tree stump turned out to be a giant carnivorous beetle.
“Why?” Rumplestiltskin cried as the beetle reared on its hind legs and gave chase. He managed to stretch the word an extra seven syllables.
“Impressive,” Belle said as her master disappeared into the foliage. He might not have a way with manners, but he certainly had a way with words.
Minutes passed. Rumplestiltskin did not return. Neither did the beetle. Belle, always one to wake up on the right side of the bed and see the glass half full, chose to take this as a good sign. After examining another stump and determining its bark did not conceal sentient pugnacious life, Belle settled down to wait.
Rumplestiltskin had been in an odd mood ever since their foray in the Sherwood Forest. Giving her a library had only been the start. Now he frequently invited her to dine with him and asked her to read aloud to him while he spun. While Belle appreciated the thaw in their relationship, Rumplestiltskin’s newfound nearness made her uneasy.
No, no, uneasy wasn’t the right word. Neither was tense, although she was on the right track. Belle felt more comfortable with Rumplestiltskin than anyone else in the world. He encouraged her mind and kept her wits sharp by engaging her in conversation about all manner of subjects.
But when trilled or when he made a joke. When he bent over a table and his trousers hugged his firm little bum. When he leaned over her to inspect her reading materials and she caught a whiff of his scent. Moments like those made her feel anything but comfortable.
They left her wanting. Hungry. Impatient.
Belle peered up into the canopy of the Dark Forest. Despite its macabre moniker, quite a lot of light streamed down through the canopy to light the forest floor. Why did everything area or place or person of import need to call themselves the dark such-and-such? Again, her thoughts drifted to Rumplestiltskin.
The Dark One.
No matter how much he protested her assertions, Belle knew the truth. Beneath the curse’s corrosion and the self-loathing Rumplestiltskin tended like a shepherd his flock, he had considerable goodness within him. He spared a man and his pregnant wife from certain death. When she asked to accompany him on more of his expeditions, he consented and brought her with him a few days later.
In her father’s duchy, high lords did not treat their servants half as well as Rumplestiltskin treated her.
Enough time had passed between Rumplestiltskin’s hasty retreat and the present that Belle felt comfortable rustling through his sack. When she stuck her hand through the opening its mouth suctioned onto her skin. Belle squealed and nearly tossed the sack across the clearing in her alarm. Whatever magic enchanted it was convinced she was not a thief and released her.
From the outside, the sack looked large enough to carry a few apples and perhaps a canteen of water. Belle quickly discovered that appearances were deceiving. The insides of the bag were much larger. She stuck most of her arm inside, brushing against a dearth of objects, before her fingers brushed its soft bottom.
Belle began withdrawing items at random.
She found a thick purple velvet blanket, which she spread across the forest floor. Next she pulled out an ornate gold three-branched candelabra. She discovered a freshly baked meat pie, an array of fruits and cheese, a loaf of bread, another blanket, two bottles of wine, a jug of ale, and the book of romantic poetry she’d been reading through the night before.
By the time Belle finished emptying the sack, her face had flushed. Her breathing was uneven, and she had to press her hand to her chest to calm herself. Rumplestiltskin had packed these items because he wanted to go on a date. And he expected Belle to wait upon him and his lady loved as they dined and read lovely poetry to one another!
“Belle!”
Speak of the devil. Rumplestiltskin hobbled back into the clearing, out of breath and massaging his rump. He stopped short when he saw the contents of the sack laying out in a tidy line.
“I can explain,” he said shortly, “but I’d prefer to catch my breath. It’s been a long day.”
Belle fumed as Rumplestiltskin dropped to his knees beside her and rummaged for a match to light the candelabra. “Can’t you use magic?” she asked.
“For the last time,” Rumplestiltskin said. “My magic does not work in the Dark Forest! That’s why I brought us here. To...even the playing field.” He found a match. “Aha!”
He struck the match and brought it to the wick of one of the candles. Without warning, the candelabra erupted into flames. “Damn it!” Rumplestiltskin roared. “Damn this infernal forest and its ridiculous rules!” He beautiful dragon skin coat had caught on fire. “How is this even possible?” he asked her.
Belle tried to beat the flames out with the book. “They’re still burning! I can’t put them out!” she cried.
Rumplestiltskin ripped the coat from his back and stamped on it. Finally, he put out the fire, but not before ruining the garment. Dejectedly, he hung his head and groaned. “I’m sorry, Belle.”
She shrugged, her ire towards him tempered by the most recent disaster. “Don’t be. None of this was for me.”
Rumplestiltskin’s head snapped up. “What? Don’t be ridiculous. Of course this was for you!”
Belle stared at him. “But...I thought you were planning a date!”
“I was, you foolish girl! I was planning a date for the two of us. Somewhere interesting. Somewhere we could be equals. And, as per usual, I completely ruined everything.”
Belle stared at the meat pies. The book of poetry. The blankets. One two sit upon and one to snuggle beneath. The hunger Rumplestiltskin awoke in her did not wane with the realization of his intent, but for the first time in weeks, she felt she might be satisfied.
“I don’t have much experience with dates,” she confessed. “So, by my standards, this one has been quite lovely. With one exception.”
The hope that shone on Rumplestiltskin’s face tempered. “And what’s that, my dear?”
“You’ve spent most of it running from a giant beetle. I’d much rather you sat down and joined me.”
Rumplestiltskin grinned at her. “That I can manage, dearie,” he said. “That I can manage.”
The only explanation i will accept as to why Swan Queen didnt happen, is because Emma didn't have the balls to realize her true feelings for Regina...
Because honestly every move, every look, every word Regina says, proves how much she has fallen for Emma. And her pain is coming from the fact that Emma isn’t acknowledging this, or reciprocating her feelings… Or so it seems on the surface. But if Emma were to look deep within her, she woud realize how much she truly loves Regina. Her actions speak louder than her words. But Emma is still not ready to admit that yet. Maybe she had a bad experience with Lilly in her youth, maybe her heart was broken because that was true love. Or maybe they were the victim of homophobia and that traumatized her.
Emma seems to have shut down her sexuality in a way. She is obviously also attracted to men, but that doesn’t stop her from doing insane things for Regina, her secret true love. And Regina, well to me she just feels like a young girl who was so traumatized that she never truly got the chance to explore her sexuality, she was too busy murdering people and ruining lives. However, i also believe that Regina, is very gay on the scale. And her love for Henry, and then at first her respect, and slowly her admiration and love for Emma, is what is saving her soul from the grip of darkness.
If that isn’t a setup for an epic love story between two women, i don’t know what is… Thank god i dont watch OUAT anymore. My heart can rest in peace, and my imagination can have permission to truly flourish… Viva la Swan Queen!
HI IT'S SANTA!!!! So sorry I missed last week, between Thanksgiving and getting ready for finals life is INSANE!!! But I haven't forgotten about you! How are you? How was your week? Are you excited about Christmas? (If you celebrate Christmas, that is.) I absolutely cannot wait for Finals to be over because I get to go to New York next week and I am so so so excited! Are you taking any fun trips this break??
Don’t worry about it! What will you do in New York? I have been a handful of times and love walking through Central Park.
I don’t have any travel plans at the moment! I want to do some traveling next year though! How were your finals?
It's Santa! I hope you're having a wonderful day full of joy and happiness, especially since it's friday and almost the weekend! I like a lot of shows... Doctor Who, Arrow, Flash, and Agent Carter to name a few. Angst with fluff at the end I can definitely do! Are there any characters you'd like to show up other than Belle and Rumple? Are you okay with AU verses or do you want it set in canon? Aaand are you in school at the moment?
Santa I am so sorry it took me so long to respond to this! Happy Turkey Day! I'm not in school but might return. I love when Belle has friendships with Leroy and Mulan AU!Killian. I love Regina but don't mind her being a villain at all. AUs are great.
Hi! It's Santa! I just wanted to let you know that I am so so so excited to start writing your prompt! Seriously. So. Excited. For funsies, what's your favorite show other than OUAT? And for promptsies, what's your preferred thing to read? fluff? angst? fluff with a bit of angst? angst with fluff at the end? I am open to your will. :) I hope you have an awesome weekend!
Happy to meet you Santa! Besides OUAT, I love Pretty Little Liars and Switched at Birth. Fluff and angst are both great! But my fave is angst with fluff at the end. :) What other shows do you watch?
Ready to Rumbelle! @readytodinosaur-blog - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
andulkaphoto
vaporwave
2087
romaincrisis
gracieabrams
