belleshappyplace15

[belleshappyplace15]

Belle watched him come in and watched as the moonlight served to bring the golden sparkles of his skin to life. She took every inch of him in and admired him from head to toe, her breath caught in her throat. Somehow, she found him intriguing, enchanting even to look at, it was a wonder to see the way his skin changed in different lighting. Her smile brightened as he entered the library and strode purposely towards the shelves, her hand flying to the pearl drop necklace at her throat. Heavens be damned, why was she suddenly feeling her heart flutter in her chest? There was no reason for her heart to be tumbling so or for her heartbeats to be speeding in such a manner. Her eyes followed him as he took a seat next to her and her heart skipped a beat when he greeted her, his voice missing any of the usual impish tones he used around others as a way of masking himself.

The maid observed the tome in Rumplestiltskin's hands, the details on the cover, the heavy bindings and knew whatever it was, it was not an usual book, found among the shelves of mortal men. She guessed it may be a magical tome, perhaps related to the magic he honed or to advanced sorcery- maybe something he could use during his deals? She snorted at his reply and shook her head, clearly aware of the sarcasm that dripped from his voice. "Right, of course, intricate stories of valiant knights, clearly", she replied with a smirk, meeting his gaze with her knowing one.

Belle could see beneath the surface, could see the real man Rumplestiltskin was hiding underneath his façade and intricate layers. She knew he tried to keep himself away from others and kept up a fearsome reputation, one known amongst realms large and small, yet she did not let herself be deceived by such appearances. She was not fooled by a quick cold gaze and a seemingly cruel smirk, was not led away by some crude joke he tried to make in order to keep her away. The little maid was trained in the matters of men, in matters of strategy and conversation and could clearly see it was all a play, a game of power and shallow appearances, and was somewhat convinced that, if people took more than a few seconds to glance upon him, they could see Rumplestiltskin for the man he truly was.

Belle kept the book she was reading in her lap and her fingers began to thrum against the hard covers. Her nervousness was catching up with her the longer the sorcerer was by her side, a result of blooming feelings she was trying to keep at bay, suppressed deep within her. She couldn't quite understand them herself, feelings of such strength and depth, she couldn't possibly let them fly out, could not let them be revealed to the man. Their friendship had barely begun, she needed to take tentative steps and form a deeper friendship with the man before anything else could even be thought of.

"It's good to see you in the library. You're usually trapped up in your tower when you pore over your tomes", Belle noticed with a small smile. She knew that was his sanctuary, just as the library was hers, knew he did all of his work in the tower, where he locked his door to keep himself away from the rest of the world, however, she was happy to be spending more time in his presence. "No more deals for the rest of the day, I hope? You know, this castle gets a little lonely when it finds only one person residing in it for periods of time. The library grows a little colder too. Perhaps you should come around more often", she added, almost letting an endearment slip right past her lips, yet she quickly snapped her mouth shut and composed herself. "Will you be around for tea tomorrow morning? I was thinking of baking a batch of your favourite tartlets, perhaps, to go with the tea"

~ @universeofmuses ~

Belle had never felt more content in the Dark Castle. She had been residing in the Dark One's castle for a few months and to say it was unexpected would be the understatement of the year. And yet, after all of the chaos the two of them have had to confront, after all of their bickering and arguments, Belle found she started to become more comfortable in the presence of the man who was her master.

Just that day, they had headed together towards the man who dared steal from Rumplestiltskin...who the young woman dared to free from his dungeons and from his torture. Of course the wizard was more than pissed and wished to go and murder the man, but the girl was of a different opinion, that nobody deserved such suffering and that there might be good reasonings behind someone trying to steal a wand. Of course, she was right when the thief, named Robin Hood, healed his pregnant lover, who seemed deathly ill, on the verge of entering the gates of Heaven. Even the wizard was not so cruel as to kill and leave a child fatherless.

They swiftly returned to the castle, not before Belle threw her arms around him, hugging him as close as she could, grateful for staving off the murderous instincts within him, that she knew came from the Dark One and not from Rumplestiltskin himself.

Of course, imagine her absolute surprise when, back at the castle, the man gifted her with a whole library, filled to the brim with books, more tomes than she could read in a lifestyle. Perhaps her initial perception of her master was not quite so right after all, if such a grand gesture told her anything. The sorcerer claimed it was just another room to dust and clean, but the young girl knew the truth, that the room had never existed in the castle before, which meant he had created a library for her from scratch, knowing of her passion for reading and learning.

That was a gift she was eternally grateful for, which was why, hours after he had offered it to her, Belle chose one of the tomes from the library and decided to sit on a chaise in front of the fireplace to read in peace.

Her chores for the day were done, their adventures were over and time finally came for some rest, which was why the young woman was found with her nose stuck in a book already. Her long chestnut locks were flowing down her shoulders and the back of the chaise, her hair now fully free from her half-up half-down style.

She allowed herself the pleasure of relaxation, taking a deep breath in and releasing it as she was captured into a new story, not evidently aware of her surroundings or of anything else but the smell of ink and parchment and the feel of the pages beneath her finger tips. Which was why she did not feel the shadowed presence of her master and perhaps new friend, Rumplestiltskin, in the doorway, watching.

( @universeofmuses Rumbelle rp)

[belleshappyplace15]

Belle was proud of him for not giving into such dark instincts and sparing the thief's life, a brief flicker of recognition and sadness in the sorcerer's eyes. She wondered if he could relate to the man, if there was something that struck his cords so deeply when his gaze landed on the sick woman with child in that carriage. The hug she offered Rumplestiltskin in the forest was still fresh on her mind. The way her arms wrapped around him instinctively, the way her body seemed to fit just perfectly in his embrace. She could still feel his body pressed against her, his scent enveloping her and she didn't quite know why her mind did not wish to let go of such a brief moment. She let go of any such thoughts and once again returned to her book, where a new chapter was awaiting her.

The woman, so enthralled in her book, let one of her legs loose while the other was curled up beneath her. Her dainty figure was resting in the big armchair in front of the fire, the blue dress she was wearing allowing her more comfort, compared to the golden one she had first arrived in. One of Rumplestiltskin's gifts for her, which he offered to her with the excuse of it helping her become more efficient in completing her chores. She smiled at the memory, knowing he cared more than he let on and simply wished for her to be more comfortable.

As she kept reading her novel, a certain change in the air made her realize someone else was in the room. She couldn't quite focus as well on her book any longer as she realized her master and perhaps new friend had been standing in the doorway and had probably been watching her read for a good while yet. She tried to refocus, tried to keep reading the next chapter of her book, but by the time she was going to place her blue ribbon between the pages and close the books, Rumplestiltskin had come next to her. Belle couldn't even hear his footsteps as he came in, yet she spotted him from the corner of her eye sitting down next to her. She held her book with uncertainty for a little while, then looked over at the sorcerer to see him silently reading a book, perhaps a magical tome.

The silence became too much to bear and Belle wanted to acknowledge his presence, which was why she placed her ribbon in the book and closed it, carefully placing it aside. She turned around to look at him for a little while, taking in his countenance and admiring his outfit, before allowing herself to speak. "Good evening, Rumplestiltskin" her voice resounded ever so softly as she gazed upon him, a small smile gracing her lips as she addressed him. "What are you reading?" the young woman asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She still held her own book close to her, placed on her lap, one of her hands resting on top of the novel.

While she had been told numerous times about the dangerous nature of the Dark One, the swallowing darkness that surrounded him and the malicious words that would let people succumb to trickery, she couldn't help but notice not everything that had been said about him was true. He was not as dark as everyone made it out to be, he was so endearingly human, who could be so kind and polite. Underneath the impish façade rested a normal man, who Belle was determined to learn more about and who she wished to get a little closer to. Everything could start with one simple conversation, perhaps in the peace and quiet of her library.

Belle had never felt more content in the Dark Castle. She had been residing in the Dark One's castle for a few months and to say it was unexpected would be the understatement of the year. And yet, after all of the chaos the two of them have had to confront, after all of their bickering and arguments, Belle found she started to become more comfortable in the presence of the man who was her master.

Just that day, they had headed together towards the man who dared steal from Rumplestiltskin...who the young woman dared to free from his dungeons and from his torture. Of course the wizard was more than pissed and wished to go and murder the man, but the girl was of a different opinion, that nobody deserved such suffering and that there might be good reasonings behind someone trying to steal a wand. Of course, she was right when the thief, named Robin Hood, healed his pregnant lover, who seemed deathly ill, on the verge of entering the gates of Heaven. Even the wizard was not so cruel as to kill and leave a child fatherless.

They swiftly returned to the castle, not before Belle threw her arms around him, hugging him as close as she could, grateful for staving off the murderous instincts within him, that she knew came from the Dark One and not from Rumplestiltskin himself.

Of course, imagine her absolute surprise when, back at the castle, the man gifted her with a whole library, filled to the brim with books, more tomes than she could read in a lifestyle. Perhaps her initial perception of her master was not quite so right after all, if such a grand gesture told her anything. The sorcerer claimed it was just another room to dust and clean, but the young girl knew the truth, that the room had never existed in the castle before, which meant he had created a library for her from scratch, knowing of her passion for reading and learning.

That was a gift she was eternally grateful for, which was why, hours after he had offered it to her, Belle chose one of the tomes from the library and decided to sit on a chaise in front of the fireplace to read in peace.

Her chores for the day were done, their adventures were over and time finally came for some rest, which was why the young woman was found with her nose stuck in a book already. Her long chestnut locks were flowing down her shoulders and the back of the chaise, her hair now fully free from her half-up half-down style.

She allowed herself the pleasure of relaxation, taking a deep breath in and releasing it as she was captured into a new story, not evidently aware of her surroundings or of anything else but the smell of ink and parchment and the feel of the pages beneath her finger tips. Which was why she did not feel the shadowed presence of her master and perhaps new friend, Rumplestiltskin, in the doorway, watching.

( @universeofmuses Rumbelle rp)

[belleshappyplace15]

Belle had never felt more content in the Dark Castle. She had been residing in the Dark One's castle for a few months and to say it was unexpected would be the understatement of the year. And yet, after all of the chaos the two of them have had to confront, after all of their bickering and arguments, Belle found she started to become more comfortable in the presence of the man who was her master.

Just that day, they had headed together towards the man who dared steal from Rumplestiltskin...who the young woman dared to free from his dungeons and from his torture. Of course the wizard was more than pissed and wished to go and murder the man, but the girl was of a different opinion, that nobody deserved such suffering and that there might be good reasonings behind someone trying to steal a wand. Of course, she was right when the thief, named Robin Hood, healed his pregnant lover, who seemed deathly ill, on the verge of entering the gates of Heaven. Even the wizard was not so cruel as to kill and leave a child fatherless.

They swiftly returned to the castle, not before Belle threw her arms around him, hugging him as close as she could, grateful for staving off the murderous instincts within him, that she knew came from the Dark One and not from Rumplestiltskin himself.

Of course, imagine her absolute surprise when, back at the castle, the man gifted her with a whole library, filled to the brim with books, more tomes than she could read in a lifestyle. Perhaps her initial perception of her master was not quite so right after all, if such a grand gesture told her anything. The sorcerer claimed it was just another room to dust and clean, but the young girl knew the truth, that the room had never existed in the castle before, which meant he had created a library for her from scratch, knowing of her passion for reading and learning.

That was a gift she was eternally grateful for, which was why, hours after he had offered it to her, Belle chose one of the tomes from the library and decided to sit on a chaise in front of the fireplace to read in peace.

Her chores for the day were done, their adventures were over and time finally came for some rest, which was why the young woman was found with her nose stuck in a book already. Her long chestnut locks were flowing down her shoulders and the back of the chaise, her hair now fully free from her half-up half-down style.

She allowed herself the pleasure of relaxation, taking a deep breath in and releasing it as she was captured into a new story, not evidently aware of her surroundings or of anything else but the smell of ink and parchment and the feel of the pages beneath her finger tips. Which was why she did not feel the shadowed presence of her master and perhaps new friend, Rumplestiltskin, in the doorway, watching.

( @universeofmuses Rumbelle rp)