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thestraggletag · 6 months ago

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Kin, Part 1 of 3

Prompt: Dragon, Transform, Capture, Marriage, Nest

Giftee: @minnl70

Summary: Chosen by the Blue Fairy to slay the last dragon, Belle defies her fate and strikes a deal with the beast, Rumplestiltskin. As they search for a way to break the enchantment, an unexpected bond begins to form, but magic is never without a price—and never quite straightforward.

Rating: M

A/N: Surprise, @minnl70, it's me, your Secret Santa! I'm away on holidays right now but I made sure to properly queue this up for you. If all goes well all chapters of this fic will be posted today, but I'll try to check to make sure they are (and, if possible, also upload the fic to AO3, which I know makes it easier to read). Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Belle had forgotten what it was like to live without the ever-present threat of ogres. What it was like to not be a prisoner in the fortified castle that was keeping her people alive and protected. What it felt like to not have fear coat the back of her throat. She should be glad that, finally, a fairy had consented to come to their aid. And not just any fairy, but the Blue Fairy, rumoured to be the most powerful of them all. And yet the Lady of the Marchlands felt more uneasy in front of the tiny creature that she had felt in the midst of an ogre attack. There was something about her, something in her demeanour and her syrupy voice that unnerved her.

Maybe it was that she was just now answering their summons. Why not before, when the problem of ogres was easier to fix? Before the bloodshed and the loss of territory? Before the death of her mother? When she had tried to ask that, the fairy had dismissed her concerns, explaining that she could only “just now” be of assistance, without any further elaboration. To Belle the only difference between then and now was the increased desperation, and she couldn’t help but think that this is why the Blue Fairy had waited. For them to be desperate enough to agree to anything, and pay any price.

“The solution to your problem is very simple, though it lies beyond my abilities alone. You need a dragon. Unfortunately, there’s only one left.”

Everyone knew that. Just as everyone knew that, in a distant past, dragons had been uncommon, but not rare, creatures. Nowadays there was only one left, known popularly as the “Dark One”, a being of immense power and magic, that was unlikely to come to their aid.

“Dragons are hard to command, but I can bind its essence to a mortal and subjugate it.” The Blue Fairy spoke of slaving a magical creature as if she was commenting on the weather, or what colour would be in fashion next season. “But it cannot be just any mortal we choose. It must be a maiden, beautiful of body and mind, with blue blood. Someone important.”

It didn’t take a smart person to decipher what the fae meant, and if anyone had any doubts the way her father fiercely opposed the notion would make it very clear. Belle shrunk back in the shadows, uncomfortable with the way the fairy looked at her when she spoke about the binding. There was a greed behind her eyes that felt all too human as she raised her wand without warning and swished it around in her direction, letting fairy dust float over to her, seeming to take her consent and cooperation for granted.

“It is the only way, sire.”

“To Hell with it. To hell with you. There is no way my little girl is getting anywhere near a dragon.”

In the end, in spite of the protest of all his advisors, Lord Maurice had sent the Blue Fairy away, though she had promised to return in a month’s time, so that the Lord had “enough time to come to his senses”. There was no defeat in her person, only that self-assured, condescending look that told her that she thought she knew the outcome of things already.

Ordinarily, Belle would have felt uncomfortable at the notion that her father would prize her safety above the safety of her people, but she was glad that he sent the Blue Fairy away. Once she was gone Belle was free to go to their library, or what remained of it, and do her own research about what Reul Ghorm had claimed. The books did all seem to point towards a dragon as the most likely solution to her problem. Ogres feared to tread on land claimed by a dragon. It was why ogres incursions had become much more common than a thousand years ago, and why the ogre population had expanded to such a degree. If their land was guarded by a dragon they would be safe not just from this horde, but from any other that appeared in the future. It seemed that the Blue Fairy had not been lying about that, but it didn’t necessarily mean Belle could trust her. There was something else, a reason why the fairy would suddenly seek to help them after years of fighting ogres. Something she hoped to gain for herself that Belle had no intention of giving her. Her unfinished spell had settled on her like a mark on her, a patch of skin on her left shoulder blade, where Blue had rested her wand before her father had stopped her, that seemed to burn whenever she thought about the fairy, as if in warning.

She kept on investigating, sure that there would be another way of dealing with the Dark One that did not involve forcing him into bondage. She delved deeper, going to the most obscure section of the library, which had blessedly been preserved from the ogre attack that had killed her mother. The scant few ancient tomes they had were housed there, books so archaic they were written in obscure languages almost no one spoke anymore. Languages Belle had mastered the reading of years ago, in secret, after being told those books were forbidden to her.

It wasn’t until she was halfway through a heavily water-damaged book that she learned the truth. There was a reason why dragons whisking away princesses was a cliche present in most stories told to children. It was because the fairies had been using maidens for what looked like centuries to kill dragons. The book detailed only one such case, which she would’ve dismissed if she hadn’t almost experienced something identical. According to the book dragons were bound to maidens not so they could be tamed, like it had been promised, but so that they would be made vulnerable. The maiden was whisked away and killed by the creature, and later on a knight or a prince, seeking to avenge the woman would- with the help of the fairies, and some prodding along the way- slay the beast and become a dragon-slayer.

It didn’t take Belle long to envision who the fairies had had in mind for that role. She was, after all, betrothed to a hunter. Gaston was a nobleman in the most lax sense of the word, for there was nothing noble in his behaviour or his thoughts. Violent and bloodthirsty, Belle had no doubt he would be more eager to add the title of dragonslayer to the ones he already possessed than to avenge her.

The ogres were an excuse. A means to an end. A way to have a small kingdom become so desperate that their king would be willing to risk one of his daughters. Her papa’s overprotectiveness, his fierce love for her, was the one thing the fairy had not counted on. She had hoped the ogres would be enough of a bargaining chip to get her father to agree.

Belle didn’t find the prospect of dying very appealing, nor the idea of causing the death of the last dragon, and helping the Blue Fairy achieve whatever she was hoping to achieve with the extermination of the Dark One. So, instead, she pivoted on her search, looking for ways to summon dragons. They had a reputation as dealmakers, creatures interested in bargaining to get what they wanted. Surely she could make a deal so that the dragon would protect her people and drive the ogres away. This way she would be in control of her destiny, and serve no other purpose than her own.

She did the summoning just as the sun set a fortnight after the Blue Fairy had been driven away. She forced herself to act nonchalant as she told her father she planned to take one of the horses and scour a nearby meadow for medicinal herbs they were in desperate need of, kissing his cheek lightly when all she wanted was to throw herself into his arms and have her father hug her so tight he’d lift her off the floor like when she was a child. She made herself pack lightly, lest she arouse suspicion. Some spare undergarments, a little medicine, her favourite book, ink and paper in case there was ever an opportunity to write to her father. She had already done so, leaving a detailed letter in her room that would explain everything to him, along with the books she had consulted and a translated copy of the important passages. She wanted him to understand, if nothing else. And she promised to come back if she could.

With that she took Philippe, her oldest and most reliable horse, and took off into a clearing in the woods she hoped would be private enough, the trees so old they were amongst the tallest in the Enchanted Forest. There all she had to do was say the name of the dragon- it’s real name, written and almost entirely crossed out a number of times in her book- three times.

“Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin!”

Nothing happened, for the longest time, to the point where Belle began to despair of having to summon the Blue Fairy after all, when something moved in the darkness beyond the clearing. A pair of dark gold eyes appeared, followed by the glint of golden scales as the dragon stepped into the bit of sun the trees around her couldn’t cover. It was a huge creature, but smaller than what she had envisioned, with green-gold scales covering his belly and dark ochre ones on the rest of its body. It walked on four legs with the grace of a cat, and its eyes spoke of intelligence beyond that of any animal. And not just intelligence, but craftiness.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

Even though she had assumed the dragon would be able to communicate somehow, it still surprised her when it spoke in a low, sibilant voice.

“My name is Belle and I’m-”

“Oh, I know who you are, dearie. Which begs the question… What’s the beautiful maiden doing, alone in the woods with the scary dragon?”

“I know I have nothing to be afraid of. I’ve read about it, about where all the stories about abducted princesses and slayed dragons come from.” She paused when she saw the slightest change in the dragon’s expression, from faintly-mocking to suspicious. She was surprised at how expressive it could be, given the scales and the sharp angles of its face. “Can you feel it?”

“Feel what?”

“The Blue Fairy’s magic on me.”

Its frown- his frown really- deepened, and he moved his long neck to get his nose closer to her, taking in a deep breath before huffing out a puff of smoke, as if it had scented something foul. Before it could be angry at her she rushed to explain that she was not in any rush to rid the world of its last dragon. She told him the entire story, about her people’s desperation and how, finally, the Blue Fairy had come to offer her help. What she had told them about dragons and how she had managed to start her spell before her father had thrown her out of the castle, and what she had uncovered afterwards.

“So, instead of dealing with one duplicitous magical creature, you decided to turn to a far more dangerous one for help? Why would I even help you, dearie? I could just pluck you from here and put you atop a tall tower with no doors and be rid of you as a problem.”

“And I could leap from the tower. Or starve myself. And then you’d be mortal.”

The dragon stood very still, looking at her more intently, only his tail swishing back and forth, which she took to mean he was displeased. Or perhaps curious. She had the feeling he was very much used to getting his way, and hadn’t counted on her having thought things through. She couldn’t tell whether that gave her an advantage or simply served to make him angry.

“But I won’t. I won’t do any of those things. I will come willingly, if you get rid of the ogres in my land. It’ll give you time to figure out how to undo Reul Ghorm’s magic. And then we can part ways in peace.”

The dragon seemed to study her for the longest time, eyes slightly narrowed and strangely still, looking more like a gleaming statue than a live creature. Then, after what felt like an eternity, it unfurled its wings to pounce on her, talons catching on the edges of her cloak.

“Deal’s struck, dearie!”

There was a cloud of burgundy magic, smelling of burnt wood and sage instead of the Blue Fairy’s cloying flower smell, and when she could see again she was in what looked like a castle.

“Is this where you live?”

Belle wasn’t sure what she had pictured, but it wasn’t the run-down opulence of her surroundings.

“Disappointed it’s not a cave? Or a mountain made of bones?”

She shook her head, even though she had pictured something more akin to a cave. The castle was dark, barely lit by a few pitiful, sputtering torches on the walls, and the faint light coming from a series of tall but hopelessly-dirty windows. It smelt damp but also of burnt wood, and a layer of ashes seemed to cover everything. She could feel the chill in the air and knew, without seeing, that it was snowing outside. They were likely atop a mountain, given the thinness of the air.

“Come along, dearie, I’ll show you where you can sleep and be out of the way.”

The sheer size of the castle allowed the dragon room to move, though it was a tight fit in narrow corridors and down winding stairs, not checking to see whether she was following him or even if she could, given what little light there remained as they went deeper down into the bowels of the castle. They finally came to what looked like-

“A dungeon? You want me to sleep in a dungeon?”

The dragon turned away, uninterested in whether she agreed or not.

“You can do as you please, dearie. This is the cleanest and warmest place you’ll find to sleep tonight.”

Sleep was not exactly something Belle saw a lot of that night, curled up over a pile of musty straw, her cloak wrapped tightly around her as she let herself cry, thinking about her father, who had likely already discovered what she had done, thinking of her room, which still smelt like the lavender packets her more insisted they make every year, and everything of hers she had left behind.

The crying must have eventually exhausted her, because she woke up the next morning to less darkness than before. There was a small sliver of a window up high from which some pale morning light seemed to enter. With it she could see the mouse holes, the gossamer spider webs in the corners and the patches of mold in the bits of hay she had discarded the night before by their smell. There was, also, an old oil lamp, the handle rusted over but with a bit of oil still inside. She lit it using one of the torches outside and decided to go exploring, deciding that at least she needed to identify a source of freshwater, and hopefully a place with food.

The castle was less intimidating in the light of day. It gave off an air of fargone opulence, of wealth and power having fallen into disrepair and neglect. She went from room to room, trying to come across anything that resembled a kitchen. Instead she found herself in a bit, opulent room, with faded but once-rich tapestries and thick rugs on the floor. It felt warmer than anyone else, inviting her inside, till something made her stand still.

There was someone else in the room. She didn’t know how she could tell, a feeling in her bones she had never had before, but she was absolutely sure. She held out the lantern in front of her, as far as her arm could reach, and waited for her eyes to adjust. At first she saw nothing, just the expected darkness. But as her eyes adjusted to it she began to notice a faint shape. Thin and scraggly, barely taller than her, and full of sharp angles. Decidedly non-human, but unlike any creature she’d ever seen.

“Who are you?”

The thing seemed to vibrate with excitement at her question, large, golden eyes focusing on her. Belle rather thought she felt like a rabbit ought, when spotted by a wolf. Every nerve-ending was tingling, age-old instincts telling her to turn and run. To escape. But she knew those eyes, as impossible as it seemed.

“I think you know, dearie.”

His voice was heavily accented, and higher than what one would expect from a human male. It had a sing-songy quality to it, a mocking sort of undertone that was difficult to ignore. It was a silly voice meant to contrast with the dangerous nature of the speaker, but still carried a faint sibilant trace she recognised.

“You’re the Dark One.”

The figure in the shadows moved until it was partially in the light. She saw then that her initial impression was right: a thin, unnatural figure dressed in ripped leathers and hide, with green-gold, scaly skin, golden eyes and matted long hair. Sharp teeth too, from what she could see. Much like his dragon form in many ways, but different at the same time. Less unreadable, perhaps, now that she could better understand his mannerisms.

“Dragons are natural shapeshifters, and as large as this castle is it can be quite uncomfortable to navigate in my other form. This is as much the real me as the creature you met yesterday. And an infinitely more convenient form to read books in. Easier to turn the pages, and less likelihood of burning some priceless tome to a crisp.”

The dragon seemed just as dangerous in his smaller form as he did in his big one, the taint of dark magic hanging around him like a cloak, so potent even someone with no magic like her could feel it. Still, they had an agreement, and everything she had read about the Dark One said he never reneged on deals.

“Is there anything you need in particular, dearie? Can’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t be avoiding me like mice avoid cats.”

The way he smiled at her at that, showing his teeth as if to remind her that he was predator and she prey. Belle took a deep breath, bringing the lantern closer to her so the light would bolster up her courage.

“I need to know the way to the kitchens. You don’t want me to starve any more than I do, so it’d be helpful if I could know where the food and the water are.”

He flicked a clawed finger, a tiny wisp flame forming in the air. It was a strange, almost green colour and danced around, as if eager.

“Follow the little wisp, it’ll guide you to the kitchens. You can take whatever you want from there, if it’ll keep you from bothering me.”

With another flick of his wrist the flame was off, scurrying quickly out of the room and leaving a faint green-gold trace in its wake that Belle barely managed to catch. It seemed to weave in and out of hallways for what felt like forever, but finally it led her the right way, towards a filthy, but very spacious, kitchen. Cobwebs, dirt and grime covered almost every surface area she could see, and the amount of space highlighted how barren the room was. Some fishing around uncovered a barrel of questionable apples and some hard bread, but nothing more. There was a well just outside, sheltered from the wind by the castle walls, which was difficult but not impossible to operate.

She understood then the glee the creature showed when she mentioned wanting something to it. The dragon clearly disliked her and her presence there, and she couldn’t exactly blame him, when maidens had been used for hundreds of years to decimate dragons. She couldn’t fathom what it would be like, to be the last human. To have no kin. To live alone.

Her situation was not so dire in comparison, and she told herself that as she gathered up her hair and munched on the least sour apple she could find. She could make the best of a bad situation. The castle might be a bit rundown, but it was spacious and beautiful, full of interesting nooks to explore. This was an adventure, if she was only brave enough to take it on.

#minnl70 #rumbelle fic #rumbelle secret santa #rumbelle #thestraggletag fanfiction

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the-chipped-cup-awards · 4 months ago

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Chipped Cup Awards 2025 Nominees Part 2

So many wonderful fics, Tumblr wouldn't let it fit on one post. See under the cut for more of our wonderful writers and artists.

Best "Missing Years":

Winter Sunset by @kelyon

A New Library by @peacehopeandrats

Monster Hunter by @peacehopeandrats

Pop-ins by @peacehopeandrats

Museum by @peacehopeandrats

Balloon by @peacehopeandrats

Journey by @peacehopeandrats

Ruin by @peacehopeandrats

Carousel by @peacehopeandrats

Teeth by @peacehopeandrats

Mobile by @peacehopeandrats

Finding the Fun by @tinytorso

A perfect Storm by @goldenwingediris

Best Wish!Verse:

Granted by @peacehopeandrats

Be Looking For Someone by @angelicaR2

SPECIAL CATEGORIES

Best Golden Lace:

Weakness by @threepwoodmarley

The Angel and the Devil by @peacehopeandrats

One Lover, Many Dreams by @peacehopeandrats

Wax by @peacehopeandrats

Never Let Me Go by @ThatRavenclawBitch

Best Woven Beauty:

Gift by @peacehopeandrats

The Treasure in His Hands by @TheGeniusThatCallsYou

Best Afterlife Fic:

Belle's Promise by @bellerina98

Awakening by @eirian-houpe

Best Drama:

To See All that Might Be by @eirian-houpe

Premonition by @ace-cf-cups

Time's Curse by @eirian-houpe

Ad Luceum by @reolf

Best Comedy:

Inheritance by @eirian-houpe

A Moment Alone by @threepwoodmarley

Best AU - Original:

Gilded by @beeeinyourbonnet

Dies Irae by @eirian-houpe

Secret of the Seas by @eirian-houpe

His Ray of Light by @ace-cf-cups

Best AU - Based on Once Upon a Time:

To See All that Might Be by @eirian-houpe

Stiltskin Abbey by @threepwoodmarley

Best AU - Based on Other Media:

Time's Curse by @eirian-houpe

Bravery Will Follow by @eirian-houpe

Modern Wonders by @eirian-houpe

Covetous by @beeeinyourbonnet

The Beginning of a New Book by @beeeinyourbonnet

Unbowed by @beeeinyourbonnet

Best Creature:

Kin by @thestraggletag

The Lighthouse by @killingkueen

Fallen by @eirian-houpe

Before the Storm by @reolf

Best Unexpected Twist:

I touched Your Face (And All Life Was Erased) by @deliriumsdelight7

The Midwife's Tale by @threepwoodmarley

The Price by @eirian-houpe

Best Bobby Squared:

Covetous by @beeeinyourbonnet

The Gold Motel by @mrgoldsdearie

Best Trope:

What If This Storm Ends and Leaves Us Nothing? by @chickwithwifi

Wounds and Scars by @peacehopeandrats

Events:

Rumbelle Secret Santa (RSS):

Kin by @thestraggletag

Gilded by @beeeinyourbonnet

Winter Sunset by @kelyon

All Hail to the Days that Merit More Praise by @threepwoodmarley

Dark Science by @peacehopeandrats

Winter Wounds by @chippedteacupchat

Confluence by @goldenwingediris

Too Late (Variations of missed chances) by @janiquebeingcreative

Theorems and Thorns by @eirian-houpe

Serendipity by @minnl70

The Shackles of Free Will by @notalwayslate

O' Solstice Tree, O' Solstice Tree by @bearrycool

Let the Reindeer Games Begin by @of-princes-and-savages

Rumbelle Secret Santa 2k24 by @99goosebumps

Best Fluffapalooza Fic:

A Fear of Needles by @shadowedoracle

The Ledge by @peacehopeandrats

Stranger at the Masquerade by @winterelf86

CHARACTER AWARDS:

Best Belle:

All Hail to the Days that Merit More Praise by @threepwoodmarley

The Shackles of Free Will by @notalwayslate

Delivery by @peacehopeandrats

Ingredients by @peacehopeandrats

Best Lacey:

Courtship: A Golden Rings Story by @kelyon

Once Lover, Many Dreams by @peacehopeandrats

Stroll by @peacehopeandrats

Wax by @peacehopeandrats

Best Spinner!Rumple:

Outside In by @lotus0kid

A Matter of Pragmatism by @ThaliaDahlia

Best Dark One Rumple:

The Goblin King by @killingkueen

Inheritance by @eirian-houpe

All Hail to the Days that Merit More Praise by @threepwoodmarley

The Oldest Door by @peacehopeandrats

Choices by @peacehopeandrats

Delivery by @peacehopeandrats

Visitor by @peacehopeandrats

Ingredients by Peacehopeandrats

Best Wish!Rumple:

Granted by @peacehopeandrats

Be Looking For Someone by @angelicaR2

Best Mr. Gold:

Sacred Promise by @ace-cf-cups

Fire by @peacehopeandrats

Best Detective Weaver:

Arson by @peacehopeandrats

Fatherhood by @peacehopeandrats

Piercing by @peacehopeandrats

Depths by @peacehopeandrats

Best Baelfire/Neal:

Steps by @peacehopeandrats

Two Minds, Gold Minds by @Palizinha

More in part 3

#CCA2025 #the chipped cup awards 2025 #nominations2025 #Rumbelle

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myrsinemezzo · 10 months ago

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Just notified that it’s my 11 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥰

So eleven years ago today, I was firmly clutched in the claws of Rumbelle and OUAT and decided to try out tumblr to see if anyone else liked the ship (before I knew the term ship or fic or anything else I’m now completely invested in).

Coincidentally was looking at my oldest bookmarks on AO3 tonight and wanting to read all of @bad-faery’s fics, Crysania’s “Away to Me”, extree’s “Remedial French”, @sfiddy, @lizandletdie , @rufeepeach, @thestraggletag … all my favs! That community meant everything to me while I was writing my dissertation and feeling very lonely and unwell. They were so kind to a fandom newbie of advanced age (aka 30 lol) lurking around and about, and thank goodness I found all the things that bring me so much joy now!!

Hugs all around, tumblr acquaintances and friends 💙

#rumbelle #personal post #tumblr anniversary

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tickletorso · 5 months ago

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I always forget @thestraggletag reviews red carpet looks until one day they appear on my dash like a gift from the gods 🙌

Sarah Paulson attends the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton

#yaaay #tis the season #thestraggletag red carpet review

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notonlymice · 1 year ago

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RUMBELLE + ANYELLE/ANYEM FIC RECS part 2

In celebration of the fact that two years ago today I decided to finally watch ouat (suspecting I might fall for rumbelle but not expecting I would fall that hard lol) here is another part of fic recs. Thank you everyone who has written all the wonderful stories I’ve read (or will read in the future); without you my existence would’ve been much bleaker.

RUMBELLE

1. Alterations by ifishouldvanish

Non-magical AU, 29931 words, M

Belle asks her friend Gold (a single father who, having troubles with work, lives with his controlling mother) to alter a dress for her upcoming wedding.

2. Away to Me by Crysania

Non-magical AU, 106748 words, E, Minor Character Death

Belle needs money, and Gold needs help on his farm.

3. Bare Facts by BarPurple

Non-magical AU, 7514 words, E

Sunbathing naked can lead to some interesting results.

4. Between the Sheets by suchadearie

Storybrooke, 3686 words, E

Belle confesses that she fantasises about having sex in front of someone.

5. Birthday Feast by lizandletdie

Storybrooke, 4421 words, E

Kitchen sex is interrupted.

6. Blind Faith by Maplesyrup

Non-magical AU, 21464 words, E

Blind businessman Gold hires an assistant.

7. Brandy, Apples and Spice by rufeepeach

Dark Castle, 10013 words, E

Celebrating Winter Solstice in the Dark Castle.

8. Bright Ideas by rufeepeach

Storybrooke, 7451 words, E

Belle suggests trying a strap-on.

9. Brimstone and Mistletoe series by ThatRavenclawBitch

Non-magical AU, 12501 words, E, M, T

Father Gold has a crush, which is mutual.

10. Childhood Traumas by TheStraggletag

Storybrooke s6, 2290 words, M

Gideon witnesses something he wasn't supposed (or wanted) to.

11. Children of the Enchanted Forest by ComradeGiddyBiscuit

Creature AU, 6535 words, E

Lady Belle wants to make a deal with a local forest god.

12. Closing Time by Bad_Faery

Non-magical AU, 157352 words, M

Belle's father is sick, and she marries Gold for money.

13. Collateral by rufeepeach

Non-magical AU, 2646 words, E

Moe doesn't have the money he owes to Gold, and Belle suggests Gold an alternative way of paying.

14. Comforts of the Household Gods by intrikate (girlmercury)

Dark Castle, 4141 words, T

The Dark Castle turns out to be even more magical than Belle thought.

15. Compound Interest by Saathi1013

Cursed s1 Storybrooke, 7323 words, M

Lacey takes a job in Gold's pawnshop.

16. Contract by Kelyon

Non-magical AU, 5753 words, M

Belle and Gold discuss the nuances of their new BDSM relationship.

17. Control by ChloeWinchester

Non-magical AU, 5143 words, E

To fire up their relationship, Milah wants to watch her husband have sex with another woman.

18. Coward by wonderwoundedhearers

AU, 1345 words, G

Jumanji AU.

19. Cumulation by AngelofDarkness1605

Non-magical AU, 6152 words, E

Gold acquires a Sybian saddle for his shop and claims he has no idea what it is. Belle shows him.

20. Dark Spring by nerdrumple

AU with the elements of supernatural, 25810 words, E

Gold needs to marry; then things turn strange.

21. Doubt by lizandletdie

Storybrooke s4, 2054 words, G

Belle is pregnant, but Rumple doubts he is the father.

22. Electrical Impulses series by Bad_Faery

Storybrooke, 11854 words, E

Rumbelle + femdom.

23. Falling by DelilahBlueEyes

AU, 490 words, T

Labyrinth AU.

24. Fever by rufeepeach

Dark Castle, 3478 words, E

Belle thinks the potion she has drunk was a cold medicine (it wasn't).

25. Finding the Fun by tinytorso

Storybrooke after s6, 5563 words, T

Belle and Rumple try to make life exciting again.

26. Fuel for the Fire by tjmystic

Storybrooke, 4617 words, E

Watching porn together.

27. Game of Thorns by TheStraggletag

AU, 8605 words, M

Game of Thrones AU.

28. Guide Me Home by TheStraggletag

Non-magical AU, 14260 words, E

Gold is lonely and homeless, but it’s going to change.

29. Handprints by rowofstars

Non-magical AU, 10173 words, G

Gold is a window washer.

30. Heatstroke by Emospritelet

Non-magical AU, 55490 words, E

Lacey, new to the town, accidentally witnesses her neighbour sunbathing naked.

31. Inheritance by rufeepeach

Non-magical AU, 180188 words, E

After five years of travelling Belle returns to Storybrooke to deal with her past (her deceased father’s shop, her ex, and his son she used to babysit).

32. It All Comes Tumbling Down by Bad_Faery

Cursed s1 Storybrooke, 43440 words, M

Rumple is ready to help Regina with the curse under one condition: Belle would be comfortable in the new life.

33. Juicy by tjmystic

Dark Castle, 6888 words, E

Belle consumes a lust-inducing fruit.

34. Keep the Change by rowofstars

Storybrooke, 2927 words, E

Angry sex in the pawnshop (golden lace).

35. Kiss of Life by Emospritelet

Non-magical AU, 82138 words, E

Hospital AU.

36. Knowledge is Power by Emospritelet

Storybrooke s4, 14788 words, E

Queens of Darkness lock Belle and Rumple in his shop so they could resolve things between them.

37. Lacey and the Tramp by chippedcupwrites

Storybrooke, 1498 words, T

Lacey brings home a stray dog.

38. Live Wire by Kelyon

Ghost AU, 14738 words, T

Belle is a spirit haunting Gold’s house through electricity.

39. Lullabies and Exiles by bayloriffic

Dark Castle, cursed s1 Storybrooke, 7325 words (3/? chapters), G

A baby appears in the Dark Castle just before the curse. In Storybrooke Rumple becomes her father, and Belle becomes Lacey, her nanny.

40. Mr. September by ThatRavenclawBitch

Non-magical AU, 13766 words, E

When Gold was younger he did some nude modelling for a calendar. Now he really doesn't want anyone to find out about it.

41. No Satisfaction by ThatRavenclawBitch

Storybrooke after s6, 8714 words, E

It’s very hard to have some time alone in Storybrooke.

42. Number 9 by Emospritelet

Storybrooke after s6, 6114 words, E

Rumple makes a potion so that Belle’s stamina in bed could match his.

43. Over The Counter by rufeepeach

Storybrooke, 5782 words, E

Pawnshop roleplay.

44. Parent Teacher Conference by rowofstars

Non-magical AU, 23178 words, E

Gold is attracted to his son’s teacher.

45. Penance by Emospritelet

Non-magical AU, 218307 words, E, Underage, Minor Character Death

Gold is a teacher, and Belle is his student.

46. Picking Up The Pieces by WorryinglyInnocent

Cursed s1 Storybrooke, 2132 words, T

Gold believes that his wife has committed suicide, and then he meets Lacey.

47. Portrait of the Heart by chippedcupwrites

Enchanted Forest AU, 12707 words, T

Rumple is given a locket that shows its owner a ‘caretaker of their heart’.

48. Primal Desire by ZionAngel

Dark Castle, 5507 words, E

Rumple spills a potion that activates his primal instincts.

49. Receipt In the Bag? by ifishouldvanish

Non-magical AU, 3655 words, T

Lacey works at the Dark Star Pharmacy and flirts with Gold a lot.

50. Rumple & the Real Girl by nerdrumple

Cursed s1 Storybrooke, 6687 (5/? chapters), E

In cursed Storybrooke, Gold is sent a sex doll by mistake.

51. Sacrifice by Emospritelet

Cursed s6 Storybrooke, 47366 words, E

Belle offers herself to Gold to pay the rent.

52. Seal of Love by Endangered_Slug

Creature AU, 4950 words, M

Rumple is a selkie.

53. Seeing Red by KillerKueen

Non-magical AU, 6445 words, E

Belle is on her period and very horny.

54. Shadow Manor by suchadearie

Non-magical AU, 75346 words, E

Gold marries Belle so that she would bear him an heir; Belle’s reasons for marrying him are more complicated.

55. Simmer by woodelf

Storybrooke, 4023 words, E

Summer PWP with sex toys.

56. Size Doesn't Matter by lizandletdie

Dark Castle, 3414 words, E

Rumple gets shrunken but it doesn’t stop him from satisfying Belle.

57. Sleeping Arrangements by TheStraggletag

Non-magical AU, 2058 words, G

Gold has insomnia, and he searches for someone to share a bed with.

58. Slings and Arrows by rowofstars

Enchanted Forest AU, 15838 words, E

Spinner!Rumple and tavern girl!Lacey.

59. Soapy Water by MarieQuiteContrarie (SeaStar1330)

Dark Castle, 12779 words, E

Doing laundry turns into sex.

60. Soothing by rufeepeach

Dark Castle, 1673 words, E

Lap sex in the Dark Castle.

61. Storm Warning by Emospritelet

Non-magical AU, 5331 words, T

During a snowstorm, Belle is trapped in the university with professor Gold.

62. Strong for Belle by desperatemurph

Non-magical AU, 4454 words, M, Major Character Death

Belle doesn’t survive the childbirth.

63. Tamed, Wild, Caged, and Feral Creatures by merripestin

Storybrooke, 12339 words, E

Belle’s first days after the curse is broken, with the flashbacks to the EF.

64. The Ballad of Lacey French by Bad_Faery

Cursed s1 Storybrooke, Major Character Death

Mary Margaret tells Emma why Mr. Gold has beaten Moe French.

65. The Commuters series by B_does_the_write_thing

Non-magical AU, 5019 words, T

Unconventional ways of meeting on the road.

66. The Dark Floofs series by JunoInferno

Enchanted Forest AU, Storybrooke, 4248 words, T, M

Rumplestiltskin is experiencing troubles with his hair, so he summons a local hairdresser.

67. The Deal by TheStraggletag

Storybrooke, 4148 words, M

Belle has made a deal with Mr. Gold to have a child.

68. The Dungeon by WorryinglyInnocent

Dark Castle, 1338 words, E

Belle explores the dungeons and finds something interesting.

69. The Fire Down Below by woodelf

Dark Castle, 2723 words, E

Rumple spills lust potion.

70. The Gift That Keeps On Giving by Bad_Faery

Storybrooke s2, 2792 words, E

Belle is given a vibrator and wants Rumple to show her how it works.

71. The Hands-On Approach by prissygirl

Dark Castle, 7209 words, E

Belle can’t sleep at night, and Rumple helps her relax.

72. The Incubus by Crysania

Dark Castle, 3407 words, E

Belle is visited by an incubus in the Dark Castle; Rumple is concerned.

73. The Language of Flowers by DeliriumsDelight7

Non-magical AU, 29682 words, M

Belle comes to Storybrooke to deal with her father’s debt and accidentally has a one-night stand with his creditor.

74. The Mask by nerdrumple

Enchanted Forest AU, 12802 words, E

Belle impersonates the Dark One.

75. The Ninth Button by Maplesyrup

Storybrooke, 4906 words, E

Ruby confesses to Belle that she and Gold used to have sex under the curse.

76. The Sounding Sea by mareyshelley

Creature AU, 33034 words, E

Rumple finds an injured mermaid.

77. The Things We Do For Love by woodelf

Storybrooke, 9067 words, E

Rumple is trying a cockstrap.

78. The Third Girl by rufeepeach

Enchanted Forest AU, 2887 words, M

What if Belle wasn’t Rumple’s first caretaker?

79. Unskilled But Caring Hands by rufeepeach

Dark Castle, Storybrooke, 2346 words, T

After dealing with many babies in the Dark Castle, Belle has her own.

80. Warmth by rowofstars

Storybrooke, 1118 words, G

Belle is on her period and wants to cuddle.

81. Watching series by rowofstars

Non-magical AU, 8688 words, E

Belle notices her neighbour watching her and gives him a show.

82. What You'd Thought Lost by DeliriumsDelight7

Non-magical AU, 111560 words, M

Belle and Emma exchange their homes for a while (The Holiday AU).

83. What You Know by Bad_Faery

Non-magical AU, 7058 words, E

Fantasising about Belle, a local librarian, inspired Mr. Gold to start writing erotica.

84. Where is My Mind? by ThatRavenclawBitch

Non-magical AU, 22343 words, E

Belle wants to seduce her boss, Mr. Gold, and pretends to be her twin sister.

85. Who Favor Fire by marchionessofblackadder

Dark Castle, 14141 words, G

Rumple brings home a dragon’s egg.

ANYELLE/ANYEM

1. "and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” - LotR by wandering_gypsy_feet

California Solo, 30552 words, M

Lachlan meets Arianwen’s therapist, Belle.

2. Cell Block Tango by smartgirlsaremean

Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School, 2955 words, M

Frank is arrested, being mistaken for Lachlan. In jail, he meets Lacey, who mistakes him for Lachlan too.

3. Contact by Bad_Faery

SGU, 4863 words, E

Aliens did something that made Belle and Rush constantly crave physical contact.

4. Inner Steel by WorryinglyInnocent

Brick, Trainspotting, 2236 words, M, Major Character Death

Begbie gets out of jail and wants to know what happened to Emily, a prostitute he used to know.

5. My Favourite Mistake by HistoireEternelle

SGU, 6864 words, E

Gold/Belle/Rush threesome.

6. One Small Step at a Time by WorryinglyInnocent

Remember Me

Ally’s new case as a social worker is Mr. Gold.

7. Splash by ddagent

Hamish MacBeth, High Noon, Monroe: Class of '76, 3982 words, E

Hamish, Phoebe, and Tom are having fun.

8. Strengths and Weaknesses by DeliriumsDelight7

28 Weeks Later, 4656 words, T

Belle and Don are hiding from the infected together.

9. Student-Teacher Conference by WorryinglyInnocent

SGU, 1466 words, E

Rush and Lacey talk about their fantasies.

10. The Barber and the Librarian by TheScholarlyStrumpet (equipoise)

The Legend of Barney Thomson, 1615 words, G

Barney moves to a new town and is very interested in a local librarian.

11. The Offering by TheStraggletag

Hamish MacBeth, 4661 words, E

Something strange is happening in Lochdubh. Also there’s a new librarian.

12. These Still Waters by Lady_Therion

Summer, 2342 words, E

Belle and Shaun meet when she is swimming in the lake.

13. Turn! Turn! Turn! by sfiddy

Summer, 25299 words (12/? chapters), M

Shaun, lonely and lost after Daz’s death, meets Belle, the new town librarian.

14. Whispers by WorryinglyInnocent

SGU, 5133 words, E

Belle is pregnant, and for some reason everyone on the ship is too polite to ask who the father is.

15. Wide Awake by WorryinglyInnocent

Remember me, 2484 words, E

Ally accidentally hears her roommate Lacey having sex with her boyfriend, professor Gold. They invite her to join them.

#rumbelle #anyem #anyelle #rumbelle fic rec

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beeeinyourbonnet · 7 months ago

Note

🔮What's your favorite plot twist you've ever written?

🦉Is there another author that helped inspire you to write?

🌠What are your top three most commonly used tags on AO3?

📈Which are your top three most popular fics by bookmarks?

🔮What's your favorite plot twist you've ever written? Oof ummm. I don't know. At the beginning of one of my fics, I think everyone thought belle was gonna be in a coma but actually she was a ghost? xD

🦉Is there another author that helped inspire you to write? Fic authors? Tbh I can't remember a lot of names but I know thestraggletag was one of the first fic authors in the rumbelle fandom I ever read <3 and @suchadearie inspires me EVERY DAY <3

🌠What are your top three most commonly used tags on AO3? I'm not good at tagging xDDD So uh. After a brief glance, it looks like they're "Belle/Rumpelstiltskin," "Belle & Rumpelstiltskin," and "AU"

📈Which are your top three most popular fics by bookmarks? Wow okay so I just checked and the results have surprised me xD The first one is Intentional Fallacy, which I was expecting, but then it was a one-shot I wrote of Mr. Gold and Emma being friends???? Not even a little bit rumbelle??? And then a one-shot rumbelle AU, Treatment.

#ty <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

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phoenixwrites · 2 years ago

Text

Be warned, Phoenix is about to get super emotional.

Once upon a time - in 2011, when I was in college studying for finals, my best friend Uni suggested I watch Once Upon A Time, as she knew I was a fairytale freak. I said 'nah, looks like a ripoff of 10th Kingdom, shan't.' But she kept bugging me. And I watched it. And I loved it. And in the episode where Graham died, I said FUCK THIS SHOW and told Uni I was never going to watch it again.

Uni said, "Just watch until the Beauty and the Beast episode and then stop."

She is an evil genius.

I remember seeing Belle, recognizing Emilie (OG Lost fanfic writer!), and being confused on who was going to be the Beast, since different characters were playing different fairytale roles.

And then when it was revealed to be Rumplestiltskin, I went "HIM?! HIM IS THE BEAST?! THAT WEIRD FUCKIN LIZARD DUDE?!"

Little did I know, that this episode would be the fucking springboard to...

A THIRTEEN YEAR friendship with @thestraggletag who remains one of my best and oldest friends.

My fascination with Swanfire. (I still love you, Graham, I just loved Neal a wee bit more and you and him would've totally been friends, there would've been no stupid fucking love triangle, they both would've been like "whoever Emma chooses her happiness is most important".

A certain Swanfire fanfic.

A Swanfire fanfic that became my novel.

That after seven long years, finally is coming out next year!

So I'll be crying a lot out of nostalgia and happiness because of what this singular episode and how it changed my life forever.

#phoenix watches OUAT #Rumbelle #Swanfire #I will always be a Rumbeller at heart #they taught me how to write romance #I'm forever grateful to that ship and fandom even with all of my anger towards the show #this episode was always a masterpiece #in both acting and storytelling

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kelyon · 11 months ago

Note

Do you know of any Rumbelle ageplay or Mommy/Daddy fics you could recommend please?

In my opinion, the quintessential Rumbelle daddy fic is Nabokov by @nothingeverlost. We also have our fair share of incest or faux incest fics. @thestraggletag has a verse where they're a bother and sister who are just too close. @deliriumsdelight7 has Cursed Ties where (they're cursed to believe) they're father and daughter, but the romantic attraction from the EF hasn't gone anywhere.

Most of the ageplay we've got involves Belle being a teenager. And those aren't really ageplay as much as a teenager AU. Great for teacher/student fics, if you want that.

The closest I can think of for a mommy kink is our proud tradition of Rumbelle lactation porn. Those don't usually have Gold acting infantile, just horny and guilty.

Do any of my fellow perverts have recommendations?

#tmi tuesday #rumbelle #rumbelle fic

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ryik-the-writer · 1 year ago

Text

WIP ask game

tagged by @martianbugsbunny --- omg thanks

Rules: In a new post, list the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Audacious 4 (chapter 4 of a rumbelle fic I'm working on (The Audacious Storybrooke Mirror Advice Columnist (Wednesday Paper Edition)

PS 34 (A darling pan fic - Papers and Sluethers ch. 34)

Periscope 3 (part of a Scrutinized fic I'm probably never going to finish.

God I've been out of the loop lately

tagging: @emospritelet, @kelyon and @thestraggletag

#fanfiction #rumbelle #darling pan #scrutinized

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depressedstressedlemonzest · 2 years ago

Text

And we've reaches the finale of Skin Deep posts.

Welcome everyone whose been along for the ride as I stumble on rumbelle for the first time.

Big thank yous to @lunarmultishine for letting me go feral about rumbelle and giving me a little nudge into watching the show for the first time.

And to

@thestraggletag @chippedcupwrites and @atone-with-a-lone-prayer for welcoming me to the fandom so nicely!

...

That's fucking depressing and sad. I hate having residents that never have visitors.

What are you planning? Who are you looking at?

YOU ABSOLUTELY EVIL HAG!

God even in solitary confinement she's gorgeous.

But what the fuck???

Rumple is gonna kill you when he finds out.

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deliriumsdelight7 · 2 years ago

Text

Nothing to help break me out of FFA writer’s block like reading a ton of @thestraggletag ‘s smut to remind myself of the vibe I’m going for.

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thestraggletag · 6 months ago

Text

Kin, Part 3 of 3

Prompt: Dragon, Transform, Capture, Marriage, Nest

Giftee: @minnl70

Rating: M

Something changed after the incident with the arrow, something he couldn't quite put into words. There was a newfound… ease between him and his little maid. An almost enjoyment of her presence. Before he had never had someone to presume his collections to. Now he found himself introducing bits of his treasures to her, delighting in every gasp and sound of awe his maid produced. But it wasn’t until he showed her his library that she had the best reaction, her eyes glazing over, greed shining through them in a way that made them look bluer. Something rippled down his spine, beneath his scales, as Belle slowly spun around, reverently taking in the thousands of books around her.

“It’s beautiful.”

He shrugged, feigning a detached humility he did not feel.

“I suppose. You may use it, if you wish. It could do with some dusting and I’m tired of seeing you walk around carrying those tatty old things you brought with you.”

It was odd how easily and willingly he gave up his library to her. It was not in his nature to share, but rather to hoard and covet. But seeing Belle rifling through his precious books, treating each one with care and a soft touch he was now familiar with. He told himself it made sense to give her a library, if only to have her help him find a solution to whatever the Blue Fairy had done to her.

He began to find himself often in the library. For completely necessary reasons, of course. It was just that, with the drapes pulled back and the windows clean, the light was much better to read by than in his own personal library, where he kept the tricky, dangerous magical tomes that needed almost complete darkness. And it smelled good too, like old books and ink and that burnt caramel smell that clung to his little maid everywhere she went, including the room atop the library, where she now slept, the fireplace continuously lit so that it would be warm and cosy. Clearly the castle was set on cosseting and fretting over his little human, given how it now maintained both the fireplace in her room and the hearth in the kitchen and how it cleaned itself now, driving dust away before it could settle in spots that she had cleaned before. It had never been this accommodating with him, which he resented the slightest bit.

Spending more time together eventually translated to talking, the silence slowly filling up with little questions and answers. Often Belle would prepare tea, taking a full tray to the library and offering him a cup. He found the blends she picked were pleasant, and it was a nice little pause in the day, to sit down and have tea with her and talk. She asked after his life, genuine curiosity in her tone, and he found himself telling her, bit by bit, what it was like being the last dragon, his life wholly his own, no expectations or constraints.

“So much freedom sounds wonderful. But it also sounds lonely.”

Her tone, soft and gentle and painfully sincere, made him squirm the slightest bit. Funny how he had never felt this exposed with knights charging at him with their sharp lances pointed at him. He shrugged, as if he could physically dislodge her words from his shoulders.

“It’s fine. I’m used to it. Don’t know anything else.”

“What about when you were young? Did no one look after you?”

“A couple of kind spinners found me as a hatchling, couldn’t have been more than a few days old. They raised me the best they could, since they could not have children of their own. Didn’t mind that I scared their sheep and almost burned down the house a couple of times.”

Her smile washed over him like warm sunlight.

“They sound lovely.”

“They were very nice. Very patient. But, eventually, they were run out of town by angry villagers. When they were able to settle again I ran away, so they would be able to stay. It’s just been me since then, for the last few hundreds of years.”

He had tried, at first, to look for more of his kind. He had never been able to find anything other than bones and empty, looted lairs. He had buried the bones of the first dragons he found, before it became too much of a hassle to do so.

“And since then, you've loved no one, and no one has loved you?”

She said it so softly, so carefully, but the phrase settled around his midsection like a punch in the gut, prompting him to find an excuse to leave the room. But loneliness wasn’t as enjoyable as it had been before, and so he found that he couldn’t keep himself from his little maid for long, finding excuse after excuse to come across her. It was nice, he supposed, to just talk to someone. And, to her credit, Belle knew exactly what to say and how to say it to get him to open up and spill all of his dark secrets. He found himself opening up against his will, unable to refuse her gentle prodding.

“Is there any way you could have children, if you wanted?” His little maid blushed a bit, pointedly focusing on pouring them tea as he watched her, enthralled by the way the red on her cheeks made her eyes bluer. “I mean, you… you can look human. I- is there a way that-?”

“I may look human, dearie, but I’m not. This that you see in front of you is a facade. A trick of the light. I’m not compatible with humans so no, there is no saving dragonkind. I’m the last the world will see of it.”

He didn’t expect her to look happy, but neither did he expect her to find the idea of complete dragon extinction unpalatable. Dragons were, after all, monsters. Antagonists in children’s stories, evil creatures out there stealing princesses and burning down villages. If there were more dragons around, there would be less humans.

And yet, she looked troubled, her brow furrowed as she glanced at the small creamer she had brought for her own use, since he liked his tea black- but full of sugar, even if he’d deny it.

“If you don’t stop looking at the milk like that it’ll curdle, dearie. Has it done something to offend you? Do you want me to dispose of the entire tea set? I have nicer ones, you know.”

“Don’t you dare, I like this one. It’s lovely.” She moved the entire tray closer to her, with a possessiveness that he found enticing. “It’s not about the tea set. I just thought… I thought it was a pity that dragons are all but gone.”

“You might be the only human to feel that way.”

“All life is worth protecting. It’s worth existing. All creatures have their place, no matter what the Blue Fairy seems to think.”

It wasn’t the first time she spoke of the little gnat with derision, but it still sent a frisson of delight down his spine. She was lovely in her anger, lips pursed and eyes sparkling. He tilted his head as a new thought crossed his mind.

“Who was supposed to be your knight in shining armour, little maid?”

She paused just as she was about to take a sip of tea, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the Blue Fairy must have had someone in mind to try and rescue you from my clutches, killing me in the process. Your father, perhaps, but I doubt it. He might have been dragonslayer material in his youth, but he’s past it now.”

He flinched dramatically when she threw a sugar cube in his direction, pretending to be hurt when it bounced off his shoulder.

“Don’t be mean. But no, it wasn’t my father. At least I don’t think it was. I think the Blue Fairy meant to use Gaston.”

“A fiance, I presume?”

“An arranged marriage that thankfully never took place.”

She told him then of Gaston Legume, the strapping young heir to a neighbouring duchy, with dreams of not just inheriting his title but also making a name for himself. A natural-born hunter and fighter eager to prove himself to the world.

“He sounds dreamy.”

“He sounds insufferable. He tried to be charming at first, but the facade didn’t last long. It took me little time to discover he wasn’t just a pompous ass, he was truly an awful person. He had no respect for anyone he perceived as weak and was greedy for power and recognition. For adoration.”

She shifted, and he could smell the unease in her. He didn’t like it one bit.

“There was something unsettling about Gaston, something that only I could see. I never quite felt comfortable with him.”

”Like you do with me, mmh?”

He waited for her to laugh at his quip, but she nodded instead, her gaze going soft as she looked at him from beneath her lashes. There was something about that look that drew him in, made him feel like something was burning in the pit of his stomach. It was an altogether unpleasant, but not unwelcome, feeling.

She didn’t deny it.

“Is that so bad, that I like your company?”

“Not bad. Mad? Certainly. Then again, I’ve known you’re not entirely in possession of your senses for a while now. You talk to that little wisp, for one.”

“Leave Flicker alone. He’s good company.”

She began to pick up their tea things, and he contained a sigh of disappointment that their afternoon was at an end.

“You’re better, though.”

It used to be that he could spend hours in his laboratories, obsessed with whatever experiment occupied his mind at the time, but now he found himself seldomly spending more than a couple of hours a day there, and more often than not his mind was not fully engaged with whatever he was doing there. Other things occupied his time now. Recently he had taken a liking to roam the orchards in his true form. The sun there was lovely and often Belle would go out with a book and a basket and collect fruits before sitting in the shade of a tree to read. He would bask in the sun next to her, belly up like a cat some days, others curled up around the tree, tail playing with the hem of his maid’s dress, snout lying comfortably across her lap as she stroked the scales from the tip of his nose to the top of his head. She never shied away from his true form, often telling him how beautiful his scales looked under the light of the sun or how soft and smooth they were to the touch, making him preen.

He found himself aching to go outside on that particular day, which was likely why he did not realise he was mixing sulphur with fulminating silver without wetting it first, which explained why the whole thing blew up in his face, knocking him to the ground. Stunned, he lay on the floor for what felt like forever, ears ringing and clothing singed. He shook his head, trying to dispel the haze clouding his vision.

“What happened here? Are you okay?”

The dragon tried to stamp down the immediate relief he felt when his little maid burst into the laboratory, still smelling of sunshine and peaches from outside, and burnt caramel beneath that. He tried shooing her away when she knelt down and began to prod and poke him, asking him whether something hurt or felt broken.

“I’m fine, don’t be a nag.”

“Your hair’s on fire.”

It wasn’t, just badly singed, some chunks missing in some places and crispy in others. And there was gunk stuck on it, and everywhere else. Thankfully he was mostly fireproof, other than his hair.

“You need a bath. And potentially a haircut.”

He protested, telling her a dip in the lake would be more than sufficient. Sure, it was frozen, but it was nothing he hadn’t done before.

“Whatever’s stuck to you won’t come out with just cold water and, besides, baths are supposed to be enjoyable. And I’ve been meaning to drag you to one for a while now. There’s no telling me no, so you might as well go with it.”

Impertinent little chit, forgetting her place. And forgetting what he was, feeling comfortable manhandling the world’s last dragon, a being of boundless power, down the stairs like a misbehaving boy, telling him in a firm tone to strip and get into the tub once she had prepared the bath. He thought about disobeying her, of course, but he had to admit the bath she had prepared did feel and smell rather lovely. She had put in some healing herbs and some of her bath salts and lotions into the water, making the water a murky, silvery white, and the temperature was hot, steam curling pleasantly around him. If he didn’t get into the bath she would likely scold him, which was not an attractive prospect. Mouthy little thing, his maid.

In the end he decided it was okay to get into the bath if he did it because he wanted to, not because she had told him. He shed his clothing, noting with some distaste that some of the fabric of his shirt stuck to his shoulder and spine, making it difficult to peel off, and got into the tub, biting back a sigh of pleasure on principle alone. He sank deep into the water, enjoying the way the hearth and a few braziers, placed strategically around the tub, kept it toasty warm. It was pleasant enough to make him drowsy, lulling him into a state of near-sleep that was very relaxing.

“How is it?”

The dragon pursed his lips, unwilling to concede completely in their little fight.

“Passable, I suppose. But completely unnecessary.”

“I see. Tilt your head back so I can get to your hair.”

He did as he was told, more curious about what she had in mind than invested in the notion of imposing his authority in the situation. She poured a pitcher of fresh water down his back, wetting his matter hair, and proceeded to methodically slather some sort of cream into it. It smelt like jojoba oil and hibiscus, the slimy texture almost unpleasant at first, before she began to massage it diligently into his hair. That felt absolutely heavenly, the way her fingers sunk into his hair, her nails scratching his scalp, sending little tingles up and down his spine.

Touch in general was a rather foreign feeling to him. No one had touched him properly since his aunties, when he was a wee boy, and before he hadn’t thought he had missed it. He had never felt the need to touch or be touched, in his hundreds of years of existence, but it was like his little maid had pried something open deep inside him and all this need was pouring out, all this emptiness that he hadn’t noticed before. But it didn’t make him feel exposed, or vulnerable. Belle felt… safe. Felt like-

Like kin.

He allowed his eyes to slip shut as she cooed at him, praising him for his surprising docility and talking idly about this and that. Her voice was soothing, so much so that he barely flinched when he felt her begin cutting his hair. It was getting in the way of his experiments anyway, a trim might do him good.

…

Something new began to grow after that day. Something he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Rumplestiltskin began to feel new urges, all centered around his little maid. The urge to get her finer things, nicer gowns and sparkly jewellery. After all, he reasoned, she was no longer a maid. She didn’t clean the castle anymore. She was simply his treasure, so it made sense that he wanted her to look good, to polish her a bit, so to speak.

He also found himself seeking out her presence even more, not just sharing tea in the library but also having dinner each night. She insisted on cooking, and more often than not in sharing what she cooked. Reluctantly, he tried on a couple of her scones, slathered with strawberry jam, finding that, surprisingly, he liked sweet things. In turn she grew used to his more meat-heavy dinners, slowly shifting away from more elaborate dishes towards enjoying his charred meats. He delighted in this and soon meal times were a moment spent together, intimate and meaningful.

He decided, during one of those meals, that he would keep her once the Blue Fairy’s spell was broken. This was her home now, and it was unlikely that she would be safe from the little gnat anywhere else. He’d let her stay and, if she wanted adventure, she could accompany him around when he went out to make his deals. He would show her the world, if she would choose to stay. He wanted her to choose to stay. It was difficult now to imagine the castle without her, and the idea of going back to endless years of solitude no longer appealed to him.

It was around the time he had that revelation that he began to feel… uncomfortable. Hot, in a way. And itchy, like he felt when he was shedding his scales, only it wasn’t time yet for that. He found himself wiggling a lot, trying to dislodge some phantom discomfort, and alternating between moodiness and almost suspicious elation. Going outside his castle was usually what turned him surly, especially the longer he remained out, and his mood improved significantly the moment he was back.

He wasn’t the only one who seemed to be coming down with something, though. Belle, he had noticed, was beginning to fidget too, complaining of an itch in her back that seemed to travel all the way down to her toes, never quite localising anywhere that she could scratch satisfyingly. She was also running hot, but did not seem to be under the weather. Quite the contrary, she seemed to have more energy and look healthier than she ever had before.

He was contemplating pausing in his efforts to figure out the Blue Fairy’s spell. He had to admit his research as of late had been half-hearted at best, his heart no longer in it. As long as Belle was protected he would be safe, and keeping Belle protected had long become a priority for its own sake too. He was doing a once-over in his library, trying to look for books with a medical bent to them, when he heard Belle yell, the castle amplifying the sound till it reached his ears. Instinctually he teleported, appearing in the kitchens to see his little maid curled up next to the stove, a pot of water turned over, steam and water still dripping out. It didn’t take long to connect two and two together.

“You senseless girl!”

He was surprised that the first thing he felt was anger at her carelessness. Didn’t she know how fragile she was as a human? Why wasn’t she more careful? But, as swift as anger was to come, so it was to be replaced with worry.

“Come on, let me see. I’ll make it better in no time, don’t worry.”

He knelt beside his maid, itching to gather her in his arms and fix her up, right the hurt. Slowly she unfurled enough to let him take her right arm, which was the one she was cradling close to her chest. The skin there was red, but some careful probing showed no signs of emerging blisters or further damage. He slid the pads of his fingers against the skin there, noticing it felt a bit too slick to be human skin.

“Does it hurt at all?”

She shook her head, still visibly shaken from the incident, even if there was no pain. But there should be pain. He was sure of that. The steam still coming off the upturned pot gave him a clear idea of how hot the water had been when she had accidentally spilled it over her arm. She should’ve been seriously burned, he was sure of it.

“I’m fine. But I shouldn’t be fine, should I?”

He could hear a faint note of hysteria in her voice, and he ached to soothe her, to tell her everything was alright. Except something clearly wasn’t. He turned her arm to one side and then the other, only then noticing the very faint shine the skin had one held to the light. He ushered her to his topmost laboratory, where natural light was the best, and studied her arm carefully. There was something there, more noticeable as the arm went from pink back to a healthy colour. He dragged his mounted magnifying glass so he could study the skin better, turning the arm one way and then the other to be sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing.

Scales.

Invisible to the naked eye, if not for their opalescent shift. Very much like his, and yet different, more delicate. The entire arm wasn’t covered with them, only the part where the water had spilled, as if the heat had burned away her skin to reveal the scales underneath.

What. The. Fuck.

“Are those-?”

“Yes.” He paused, an idea forming inside his head. “Where did you say your itch originated?”

“On my back, near my right shoulder. Why?”

“Let me see.”

She turned around obediently, biting back a gasp when he sliced the stays of her corset to shreds so he could pull the gown low enough to see. There, clear as day, was a patch of scales. Older than the one in her arm, the scales more noticeable to the naked eye, though still easily overlooked unless someone was looking for them. He touched them, noticing how they mostly mimicked the texture of human skin, except they were more slippery.

“You see anything? More scales?”

“Yes. Older ones. Is there anything different about this bit of skin? Did you spill anything on it, do anything to it at all?”

She tried to think, body shaking as she processed what was going on. He pulled her closer, nosing the side of her head, trying to reassure her. The smell of her, burnt caramel, hit him like a trainwreck then. It had been growing stronger over time, unnoticeably at first, but obvious now. Leaning down he sniffed her shoulder, where the patch of scales was, noticing the smell seemed to be concentrated there.

What the fuck did it all mean?

“I think- I think that’s where the Blue Fairy’s wand touched me, when she did that spell on me. But it wasn’t meant to do that, was it?”

No, it wasn’t. Then again, none of the maidens that the fairies had used to kill dragons had ever survived more than a week after the enchantment had been placed. Who was to know what the long-term effects of the spell were?

“You go change, little maid, and bring us some tea to my library, yes? There are some books there that I might need your help with. We’ll get to the bottom of it in no time, you’ll see.”

They didn’t, of course. At least not right away. Days turned into weeks, and even with both of them dedicating as much time as possible to figuring out what the Blue Fairy had done to Belle, there were no easy answers. Little had been written about the subject at all, and most of it by fairies, whose flowery language did not lend itself to easy interpretation, even after Belle carefully translated it. Meanwhile, they both kept track of any symptoms of anomalies they could spot. It was Rumple who pointed out that Belle’s core temperature had increased, and it was Belle who noticed that he tended to lean into their casual touches, often without conscious thought or awareness he was doing it at all. Belle wrote everything down and tried to cross-reference the list with the fairy texts, to no avail.

The snippets they found about the spell did not seem to be very helpful either, at first. The fairies were vague about it in their books, as if afraid to commit the knowledge to paper, determined to keep their secrets. They mentioned what they already knew, that the spell would bind a mortal to an immortal dragon, linking the creature to immortality. By making it kin with the maiden the dragon would become vulnerable upon the demise of the human woman, making it possible for a sword or a lance to fell the beast.

He read and re-read those passages over and over, something rattling inside his brain. Something about the wording, about the implications. He picked up the list of symptoms Belle had written, focusing on her side and trying to think back on the first time he had noticed some of them. Slowly, a picture began to form in his mind. He had studied magic and spells for centuries, including the boring theoretical bits most magical creatures didn’t bother with. Given the general purpose of the spell and where it had gone awry he began to theorise how the spell could have adapted and changed, given the time it had had to macerate and grow. A simple check of a sample of Belle’s scales- taken with utmost care, and replaced the next day by a coat of fresh, healthy scales on her inner arm- seemed to prove his theory, as far-fetched as it seemed.

He needed to tell her. She needed to go. Perhaps putting some distance would slow down the process, giving him time to try and reverse it. Surely there was a way, it couldn’t be permanent yet. He went to his treasury, heaping gold from it into a bag. Jewels would be easier to carry but harder to exchange, so gold it was. Once she was settled somewhere else he would see that she got more money if she needed it.

“What is this?”

Belle looked up from the rather hefty bag of gold he dropped in front of her with a frown. He frowned as well. Was it too heavy? Had he overestimated her human strength? Was it perhaps not enough?

“You have to go. This will help you get settled somewhere else.”

“What? I’m not going anywhere.”

He snorted, smoke coming out of his nose in heavy plumes. He had known Belle would want a thorough explanation, but he feared that would take too long and time was working against them.

“You have to. This will keep on progressing if you stay.”

“What will keep on progressing?”

“The change. Your change.”

She lunged forward, her hand curling around his arm as she looked up to him, hope shining in her eyes. He fought the urge to flinch back, terrified of tainting him further, and the secondary, more base urge to pull her close.

“You know what’s going on? Tell me.”

“We don’t have time.”

“Make some.”

She crossed her arms, planting herself as firmly as she could so he had no choice but to have to drag her out if he wanted her to leave the castle. Anger built up inside him. He was trying to do a good thing for her. A thing that went against what he wanted. She was his treasure, letting her go was against his nature, yet he was willing to do that. For her.

“It’s your change. It’ll keep happening as long as you’re here. Eventually it’ll be too late to reverse it, if possible at all. So you have to leave, and leave now.” He paused, struggling to condense the jumble of thoughts in his head into something that he could say. “The spell was designed to change my nature. To make me mortal in the way you’re mortal, which is why it was meant to be triggered by your succumbing to your own mortality. Except you never did. And, over time, in the absence of any trigger for change, the spell began to work on its own. But not to make me more human, but rather to make you more like me. My nature superseeds yours, so it’s the one the spell eventually latched onto.”

He watched her digest his words, bracing himself for a look of disgust that never arrived. Instead Belle went to the mirror in the far corner, studying herself attentively, no doubt seeing a myriad of other tiny things that were not entirely human. There was a subtle shine in her eyes, an almost bluish tint to her hair that wasn’t there before. He wondered if any of those traits would coincide with certain subspecies of dragons.

“Wait, that only explains my symptoms. Not yours.”

He had not allowed himself to go there, to contemplate what his own strange behaviour and feelings meant. But he knew, or at least he suspected something, something he was afraid to voice out loud. But Belle was stubborn, looking at him hovering behind her through the mirror, daring him to answer the question.

“It’s- it’s possible that something in me recognised the change in you before either of us became aware of it. I can’t be sure, I know nothing about the mating practices of dragons, having never met another one of my kind, but it’s possible that-”

He realised a second or two too late what he had just said, or at least heavily implied. One glance at the mirror let him know Belle had understood, her eyes wide and mouth partly opened as she took in what he had said. He waited again for the disgust to show, or some maidenly anger, but she simply frowned.

“So you’ll have me go and leave you? You’ll give up this- whatever this is?” Her voice softened then, eyes going liquid as they stared at him from the mirror. “For me? Because you think I wouldn’t want this?”

“Of course you wouldn’t want this. Nobody would.”

He stuttered, biting his lip when she leaned back into him, trusting that he would catch her. He did, even though he knew it was a mistake, the smell of her, burnt caramel, making him heady, making him have desires, urges, that he’d never had before. It was no wonder he hadn’t realised what was happening, having never before encountered a female of his species. Someone that provoked what Belle did to him.

“Why not?”

“I’m a difficult creature to love.”

Mateless, without kin or family. No living creature was ever supposed to love him. The idea that someone did, that through sheer luck or the whims of magic, seemed inconceivable. But even as he thought that he wrapped his claws around her corseted waist, unable to deny the yearning for what he couldn’t have, the urge to snatch a bit of it for himself, even as he knew it wasn’t possible, that those things weren’t for him. That Belle wasn’t for him.

“That’s not true.”

She went soft against him, leaning back fully, letting herself sag against him. The trust, the sheer valor of it all, took him aback. He made a soft, wondrous sort of sound, his claws sinking into her waist, barely able to contain himself as he nuzzled behind her ear, where he discovered a fresh patch of scales neither hand noticed before. Her smell was the most potent there and he took lungfuls of it, half-afraid she would pull back and he’d be denied that scent forever. He told himself that it would be enough, to enjoy the smell and the feel of her against him, that he could be content with that alone, if only the gods would let him keep her.

Belle, however, seemed not to have any appreciation for his iron will and staunch determination not to sully her, taking one of his claws and placing it over one of her soft, perfect breasts. Even through the material of her dress he could feel the heat of her, so similar to his own, and unlike anyone else he’d ever come into contact with.

“Please, Rumple.”

He was lost after that. The hunger that had been steadily building for the past few months, unbeknownst to him, that he had pushed pushed down, shoved away and ultimately tried to keep contained, took a hold of him. He sunk into her, clutching her tightly, his claws ripping the soft jacquard of her dress as if it was tissue paper. The laces of her stays dissolved under his hands, reduced to tatters, allowing him to shove the unyielding whalebone and stiff cotton away, rewarding him with a proper feel of her soft curves, even through the shift she wore under. The notion that the skin beneath small rows of pearlescent scales thrilled him.

She was everything the world had ever denied him, and so when she turned around he could do nothing but submit to her kiss. They were both inexperienced and frenzied, all teeth and bite and eagerness. He was hungry for her, wanting nothing more than to sink into her and stay there forever. After a few tense minutes, he felt her gentling the kiss, arms wrapping around his shoulders, fingers carding through his hair, calming him down. Patiently, she taught him a new rhythm, slow and deep. It made things more intense somehow, more thrilling, and it was only because he was clutching her close that he noticed how she trembled, how hesitant but bold she was. Brave Belle. Beautiful Belle.

When she began to tug at his clothing, the loose banyan in shades of ochre and gold that his little maid had complimented him on so, he shrugged it off, eager to have the least amount of barriers between them. He tugged on her shift then, hands sliding beneath it, feeling her soft human skin break into goosebumps as he exposed her to the room. It took no more than a thought to transport them both to his lair, to lay her down amongst his furs and pelts. The room was dark, but constantly kept warm with a roaring fire that provided a little light. His favourite things were there, his most prized jewels, his oldest books and rarest antiques. As he set her down he noticed, mixed amongst the moss and the expensive silk, one of Belle’s hair ribbons. And one of the throws she liked to use when she read by the roaring fire. He glanced around, noticing small glimpses of his little maid everywhere, silent evidence of what his body had been trying hard to tell him. He tossed her shift to add to his collection, all but purring as he studied the contrast between Belle’s pinkish skin and the dark mess of fabrics and furs that was his nest. In contrast to her now absolute nudity he was still wearing too much clothing, and though his linen shirt was easy to discard his leather pants proved more frustrating, to the point that he scratched himself as he tore himself free of them.

“Easy now. I like you in one piece.”

He let her pet him, soothing his frazzled nerves with soft, cooing nonsense that had him purring, melting into her touch. They stayed that way for the longest time, alternating between gentle explorations and soft, languid kisses, but eventually the urgency began to build up, making him uncomfortable. He wanted to ask for something but didn’t know what, his inexperience making him unable to tell what he wanted.

“What? What’s the matter?”

“It’s… too soft.”

There was no better way to explain it. His body felt poised for violence, for aggression, though the instinct was unlike anything he had ever felt before. But humans were fragile, and Belle was raised to be a lady. Ladies were supposed to be treated with care, with softness. Surely he could curtail these base urges and find pleasure enough in-

His train of thought came to an abrupt, screeching halt when he felt her teeth close around his throat in a playful nip, followed by bolder and bolder bites as she struggled to get on top. This, he thought, was something that he understood. Roughhousing, the give and take of a fight. It was something his body naturally reacted too, what it had been made to do. Though it certainly wasn't the way the dragon had seen humans copulate it felt natural to roll around the furs and fight for dominance. In spite of his claws and his fangs he didn't seem to have much of an advantage. Belle was wily and clever, giving as good as she got.

Naturally, almost without them noticing, a rhythm began to grow between them. The moment he pinned her down, hands holding her wrists above her head and pressing against the furs, the Dark One knew what would happen, what had been waiting to happen since the first time she'd set foot in the castle. She hesitated again then, eyes briefly clouding over with worry, and he remembered she was a maiden, and even a brave one would hesitate in the face of such a step. He gentled their foreplay the slightest bit, letting bites turn into slow, deep kisses and scratches into long caresses. She grew pliant against him once more, her scent spiking and an unfamiliar but very welcome wetness beginning to coat her upper thighs.

Thrusting into her felt natural, like coming home, and he stilled, wishing to take it all in. She felt scorching hot, in a way he knew no human woman would feel, and it felt like heaven, so good it was almost indistinguishable from pain. He dug his claws into Belle’s back instinctually, but she did not seem to notice or care, trying to pull him close instead of pushing him away.

After basking in the utter delight of being buried balls-deep inside such purity the imp forced himself to pull out, eagerly thrusting back inside a moment later. It was a deliciously messy process, full of blood and sweat, grunts of exertion and impatience and the occasional struggle for dominance. It became impossible to differentiate pain from pleasure, and by the looks of the woman beneath her he wasn't alone in such lovely confusion. Belle was devastatingly beautiful as she writhed beneath him, sweat-slicked hair hallowing her face and cheeks flushed from pleasure.

Though usually a selfish creature by nature the dragon was beyond pleased when he felt the flutter of Belle's inner muscles against his aching cock and watched avidly as she arched beneath him, tight as a bowstring. His own orgasm a few minutes later felt less important than the one he'd torn out of the woman beneath him. A woman who'd willingly and knowingly bedded a monster. With a gleeful sense of triumph the Dark One started to kiss his way down the beauty's body, eager to see in how many ways and how many more times dragons could mate in a single night. Later, he knew, there would be time for other realisations. Time to consider the deeper implications of having a mate, of not being the last of his kind, of the staggering possibility of having little hatchlings running around the castle in the future. But right then and there none of it mattered, his senses full of Belle.

#rumbelle fic #minnl70 #rumbelle secret santa #rumbelle #thestraggletag fanfiction

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