Heartless

“You have to stop this!” Snow begged the arrogant king, listening to his daughter cry out in agony in the next room.

“I’m not stopping anything. If you want to blame somebody then blame him.”

“For God’s sake she’s not possessed,” Red tried, her anger almost taking control as the light of the full moon filtered through the open window, turning her blood red cloak black. “You’re her father! How can you bear listening to her scream like that!?”

“That’s not my daughter,” he said stubbornly.

“She gave her life away to save her kingdom,” Red reminded him, but he wasn’t listening. “To save you. And this is how you repay her!?”

“How can you be so heartless!?” Snow accused, a tears rolling down her cheeks as she desperately tried not to hear her friend dying through the guarded doors.

“Heartless?” A new voice sounded, one with very little grip on sanity, one most of the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest would recognise. “Yes he must be mustn’t he?”

Rumpelstilzchen swaggered in with fury in his eyes, a sight of true horror, and all in the room, royal and servant alike, fell to their knees in the hope of mercy. They were unimportant to him. He ignored them and continued to saunter past them as though they weren’t there. The doors at the other side of the hall opened of their own accord and the priests inside turned in shock to look upon evil. Two of them dropped Belle to the floor. Their last sight was of the Dark One’s determination before they became shimmering black dust by the snap of fingers.

The monster walked calmly over to the girl lying on the floor, who was too weak to move. The pretty blue dress she’d always worn was ripped at the back and stained with her blood, new and old, where she’d been flogged. He held back the rage that boiled black inside him, at the sight of the strong young woman he’d once known reduced to a heap on the cold stone floor. The beast lifted beauty into his arms and disappeared into the ether, planning a violent revenge.

~ 1 Month Later ~

Rumpelstilzchen opened the doors to the ballroom without touching them, as Belle held her head high but clutched his arm for support. He wore his best suit, and Belle wore a dress woven from the golden thread he’d spun himself. It was armless and the skirt stopped just above her knees. There was embroidery around the top of the corset and bottom of the skirt, and her legs were covered by dark brown leather boots which laced up all the way to her knees. The only piece of jewellery Belle wore was a golden rose which hung from a single string of flawless gold thread.

Her father had abandoned her. She kept that vividly in her mind as she sauntered with Rumpelstilzchen into the room filled with princes and princesses. She mustn’t forget it. She mustn’t let her traitorous father win her forgiveness with any attempt to excuse his behaviour. That is, if he even tried to win her forgiveness.

Her true love was a monster, there was no denying that, and Belle alone was safe with him. She felt the fear radiating off of everyone in the ballroom, who moved to a side to let them pass with plenty of space. For the first time in her life she felt powerful but, unlike her new husband, she had no intention of using it to terrorise every population he moved through. It was only useful to defend her from the fate which had befallen her the first time she returned.

A happy sight greeted her at the front. Her two friends were the only members of the crowd who didn’t move away from them. Snow and Red stood strong, in dresses of white and crimson, fearful but relieved. They hadn’t seen Belle since that terrible day and couldn’t be sure, until they’d let themselves into the ballroom, that the Dark One’s intentions had been honourable. Now they finally knew for certain that the devil had saved their friend’s life. Now they knew that she alone was immune to the evil that had possessed Rumpelstilzchen for generations and, in that, they knew no villain could or would ever be capable of harming her.

The beauty and the beast reached King Maurice sitting on his throne, who was begging all the fairies of the land to let this not be the day of the devil’s revenge.

“Looks like you’re fitting in nicely Belle,” her father said spitefully, trying to be brave.

Belle’s confidence was knocked by the clear rejection, and the pain was clear to see in her eyes. She instantly turned her head to the floor, but Rumpelstilzchen wasn’t going to ignore the idiot king speaking to her in that manner. He placed a gentle hand on hers, which still clutched his arm, and then turned to Maurice.

“Oh I think that says more about you than it does anyone else hmm? That, given the choice, she’d rather stay with me than her own father?” he challenged. “Could it be that you shunned her? Could it be that you had her locked in a tower and flogged when she’d committed no crime? Or perhaps that you had her exorcised when no evil spirit possessed her? I just don’t know,” he spoke sarcastically, amused at the King’s fear. “Oh well who cares? I’m not here for you anyway,” he said, gesturing that he didn’t matter. “You’re boring. I have a deal to discuss dearie,” he added to Belle and she smiled kindly, thankful he was there to defend her.

“I’ll wait with Snow and Red,” she decided, not feeling remotely threatened, despite her father and all of his guards.

Rumpelstilzchen smiled and flamboyantly spun on his heels to head for the door behind the throne, where a princess who was jealous of her sister’s marriage was waiting for a magical solution to her problems.

Snow and Red both gave her enthusiastic hugs. Belle was glad they were there. She’d wanted to thank them for their efforts to talk some sense into her father on that terrible day. Also, their reproachful eyes, which were firmly directed at her father as he’d spitefully greeted her, made for great moral support. She’d defended herself against many who’d come to the dark castle in hope of solutions and seen her with Rumpelstilzchen, but her father was different. Though she’d intended to rebut him, she had held out some hope that her father regretted his actions against her.

Her new husband wasn’t in the room long, but still long enough for Belle to arrange to meet up with Snow and Red for a drink.

“That was fun,” he whispered in that manic voice as they headed out of the ballroom.

“Making the deal or teasing my father?” Belle checked.

“Errr, both,” Rumpelstilzchen giggled.

“Just don’t hurt him,” she demanded.

“You’re far too forgiving dearie.”

“I have to be, I’m married to you,” she pointed out.

“Fair enough,” he shrugged with a smile as the doors closed behind them, leaving the king completely bewildered.

King Maurice had thought that he was moments from death when Rumpelstilzchen had swaggered into the ballroom with the princess now fully healed, happy and healthy on his arm, but he’d merely teased and left. It seemed his torment would last longer still. It was all part of the punishment, leaving him to wonder when he’d meet his end. The king hoped the monster had merely gotten over it, or that he hadn’t decided how to kill him yet.

But he had. The devil had known his plan from the moment he’d looked over Belle as she lay broken and alone on the stone floor of her prison tower. It would be a few years wait before he could taste vengeance on his lips, but the devil was patient in his plots. One day there would be a war. Similar to the one which had caused him and Belle to meet, but far worse. King Maurice would beg Rumpelstilzchen to take every single one of his children in exchange for an end to that war but he would not take them. He would sit and listen as that stupid king cried out for his help. The help would never come. And he would die in fear and agony, knowing that there was no one else to blame but himself.