A Chipped Cup

Belle sat with her back against the dungeon wall with the tea pot and chipped cup next to her on a tray, thinking over all that had happened between her and Rumpelstiltskin. She could not help feeling depressed over the fact that the kiss had not worked. She had never expected to fall in love with someone like Rumpel, yet there was something there that drew her towards him and made her heart feel more love than she had ever experienced in her life. The dungeon door opened and she stirred and looked towards the entrance. Rumpelstiltskin walked in and stopped in front of her.

            “So, what are you going to do to me?” Belle asked.

            Rumpelstiltskin pointed towards the open door.

            “Go.” he ordered and turned his back to her.

            “Go?” she questioned in disbelief.

            “I don’t want you anymore, dearie,” she heard him say.

            Belle could tell that something was not right and that he really did not want her to leave. However, she thought it best to stand up and brush off her skirt. She walked towards the open doorway and out of the dungeon. Yet, she could not leave without saying something to Rumpelstiltskin first. She hesitated outside of the dungeon for a second and then making an exasperated gasp, she turned around and walked back in to face Rumpelstiltskin.

            “You were freeing yourself! You could have had happiness if you just believed that someone could want you. But you couldn’t take the chance,” she said to him, first trembling with anger and sadness, and then her tone turned into regret.

            “That’s a lie,” he said, cold and imperious.

            Belle stepped closer to him.

            “You’re a coward, Rumpelstiltskin. And no matter how thick you make your skin, that doesn’t change.”

            “I’m not a coward, dearie. It’s quite simple, really. My power means more to me than you.”

            Belle did not believe what she was hearing. She knew that Rumpel cared and loved her very much. Yet, his rejection hurt her very deeply.

            “No. No it doesn’t. You just don’t think I can love you. Now you’ve made your choice. And you’re going to regret it. Forever. And all you’ll have is an empty heart…and a chipped cup,” she told him, fighting back tears. Rumpel’s face remained blank and she walked away quickly so he would not see the tears starting to fall down her face. Had she remained, she would have seen his lip quiver before he closed his eyes. But escape was the only thing on Belle’s mind at the moment. The sooner she left the castle, the better. She only paused briefly to throw on her cloak before she stepped outside. Despite the heat from the early summer sun, she still felt chilled by Rumpelstiltskin’s rejection.

            Belle made her way down the mountain path slowly. It was easy enough for her to navigate and it really wasn’t that difficult to climb down, but she needed the time to think. The one thing she did not do was look back at the castle. If she did and managed to catch a glimpse of Rumpelstiltskin, she knew that she would break down and would never have the strength to stand up again. Even though hot, silent tears blurred her vision a bit, Belle kept walking and did not stop to wipe them away. She figured that once she had a good cry, she would be able to think more clearly and walking while thinking also helped. The tears eventually stopped and Belle felt calm and clean by the time she reached the solitude of the woods. She wanted to leave the road and retreat into the woods, but if she did that, she would most likely become tangled up in the bramble or lose her way if she made a wrong turn. Still, she kept an eye out for any passerby and also places where she could leave the road for a few seconds if need be.

It was not easy to sort out her jumble of thoughts. Belle decided it was best to think back to why she fell in love with Rumpelstiltskin. At first, she had been confused as to why he had locked her in the dungeon when he said that he needed a caretaker. She knew that he had to eventually let her out and when he did after that first night, she began her duties straight away, rather than argue with him and make situation worse. While she was pouring him the tea and agreeing to the duties he outlined for her, he said that she would skin the pelts of the children he hunted, causing her to drop a tea cup in shock. It chipped and she was afraid that he would be angry with her. She had seen his possessions and knew that she had to treat them with great care. Yet, he said it was just a cup and didn’t seem too bothered about it.

Neither did he mind the light that had come in from the windows after she had to practically tear the curtain off due to it being nailed down. Even though he had a rather twisted sense of humor, it became easy for her to laugh at what he said and she could tell that he appreciated that. He also listened to and respected her viewpoint on love as layered and a mystery to be uncovered. Rather than scoffing or telling her that she was foolish for thinking that way, he made a deal with her that was allowing her to go without him expecting to ever see her again. She saw something within him change for the better on that day, however brief it was.

Yet, she didn’t love him just because he was the only person she could talk with during her few months in the castle. Rumpelstiltskin himself was a man with layers and a mystery to be uncovered. He had told her very little about who he was, but her observations of him allowed her to see his pain and she knew that something in his past had caused him to hide from the world. Yet, she could not force him to let go of his power and she also hated herself a bit for believing what the Queen had told her about true love’s kiss being powerful enough to break any curse.

Author's Note

First chapter for my Rumbelle fanfic! Please review honestly and constructively like always!

Reviews

[Aynnn]

This is a very family moment. Happiness is a social knowledge that has a different character. You can (https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/social-issues/)[https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/social-issues/] go to this site and read about this phenomenon. I think happiness is a feeling of contentment and love. This book shows one of the facets of this concept. You can create happiness or that, but it can be a mirage.

[Yheela]

I know nothing of the show, but I like your story very much.
Well written and a good composition.

[Lonnie Paul Johnson]

I like reading this chapter it flow very nice simple and smooth.

[Rhianne Ney]

i don't know that there's a show like this you see i live in the Philippines and I'm not into TV shows because we don't have cable... But from the story I was able to catch something Rumpelstinkin as said is a character in a fairy tail who stole a Royalty's son, wasn't he? whoever made the story had unique points in fanatasy that he/she got you captivated with it... the story was interesting all the way, Good Job (:

[Timeless-Chan]

I don't watch the show so I don't know how closely this goes with it but I like the story so far! It seems like there's more to Rumple then Belle seems to know and she's really trying hard not to turn around and sprint back to him. It kinda seems like a rumple and beauty and the beast mixture thing... good work^_^

[FantasyLover24601]

Thank you! They composited the character of Rumpelstiltskin with the Beast from Beauty and the Beast for their Valentine's Day episode. And the love story between them was very well written, but had its own twists that made it unique from the Disney version. And I loved that episode!

[Timeless-Chan]

Nice^_^ I'll have to look into this show more! it seems to be right up my alley!

[FantasyLover24601]

Yep!

[EveBattye]

I want to find unique copywriters who can generate ideas