Title: Gold Ring

Author: Jasmine Shigeru

Pairing: Belle/Rumpelstiltskin

Summary: King Maurice and Queen Collette promise their first born daughter to the Dark One in a deal to save Avonlea from ogres.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time nor do I wish I do. This is just for my entertainment and whoever wishes to read it. I am not making any profit from this and do not care for that matter.

Rating: M (may get a lower or higher rating)

Gold Ring

By: Jasmine Shigeru

Chapter One: The Deal

Queen Collette of Avonlea watched as her husband, King Maurice paced the floor of their sitting room.

"Maurice, my love," Collette said gently. She leaned as far as her swollen belly would allow. "Come sit."

She placed her hand on the arm of the chair beside her.

"How can I sit and wait when the fate of our kingdom depends on this night," Maurice asked but to a seat anyway.

"He will be here," Collette said placing her hand on her husbands.

Their kingdom, Avonlea was smaller than most. It was a lovely land that for years thrived. They traded in textiles and horses. The people were well paid and feed. Even the poorest in the land lived relatively well compared to most other kingdoms. Crime was low, murder was rare. The worst and most common crime was thievery. But the happiness that surrounded Avonlea crashed down into a harsh reality when the ogres came from their dark lands to conquer more land.

Suddenly, Avonlea was at war. For over a year now, the kingdom fought. Men were lost almost as quickly as they were recruited. The ogres crushed through the land quickly. Now they were near the castle town. The king and queen knew that if they did not do something soon, they would have to evacuate and abandon the land for safer grounds. So, they did something drastic. In their desperation, they had asked for the help of the Dark One.

The Dark One was a powerful wizard. He used dark magic to aide anyone but at a huge price if one was willing to pay it. If not, as rumors go, he would punish those who were not willing to pay his price for his magic. Some were transformed into some animal, others were never heard from again, and more often than not, the Dark One would not only punish the person who dared summon him for nothing, but take his price anyway for wasting his time.

The king and queen had requested for the Dark One's help. They were willing to pay any price to save their kingdom. They did not put this in their letter though and now Queen Collette wondered if that was the reason their pleas were being ignored.

"I fear that our kingdom is doomed," Maurice said heavily.

"He will come," Collette said again with, hopefully, an assuring tone.

Maurice turned to look at her and gave her weak smile. He sighed heavily as he ran his free hand over his face.

"He made no promises, he gave no word," Maurice said. "We don't even know if he even received our letter."

"Well, who do we have here?" came a shrill voice before Collette could say anything. "A woeful king and his very round queen."

A giggle followed the voice. Maurice and Collette turned to the one corner that was completely covered in shadow.

"Who are you?" Maurice demanded as he stood. He placed himself in front of his wife. "How did you get in here?"

"Why I'm the man you so desperately have been waiting for," the voice said as its owner slowly stepped from out of the shadow.

Collette gasped and Maurice went to grab where his sword would have been if he had been wearing it. The man they saw hardly looked like a man at all. He was short, shorter than most of the men in their land. His hair was wild and long. He wore all leather from his coat to his boots. But his height, his hair, nor his clothing were the things that stood out about him the most. No, it was his skin, his skin was dark, a greenish color, and it glittered in the firelight. His eyes were sharp and reptilian.

"The Dark One," Maurice choked out.

"Rumpelstiltskin, at your service," the Dark One said with a mocking tone and a slight bow of his head. When he straightened, he stared into Collette's eyes and she cast her own eyes down, unable to hold his stare.

"Now," Rumpelstiltskin said as he began to slowly walk around the room. "You would like to ask me to save your humble little kingdom. And I will…"

He was circling the Royals like he was a predator and they were his prey. Collette guessed they were, in a way.

"For a price," He finished standing in front of the king.

"Yes, we know," Maurice said his voice was surprisingly strong.

The Dark One said nothing. He had a slight smile on his face. To Collette, he was waiting for them to make the first move, to walk further into his web. Then, his sharp eyes fell to her heavy stomach and she placed her hand over it as if to protect her unborn child.

Maurice cleared his throat and moved to block Collette from the Dark One's gaze.

"Your price?" Maurice asked with steel in his voice.

Rumpelstiltskin looked up into the king's eyes. He looked amused.

"Yes, my price," He said as his slight smile turned into a full grin that sent a chill down Collette's back. "I will save your little kingdom for the exchange of your daughter."

"What?" Maurice said and his impressive height lessened when his shoulders slumped.

Both of the queen's hands went to her middle.

"Daughter," she said in a whisper.

"Yes, daughter," the Dark One said. "The child the queen is carrying is a girl."

"How do you know?" Collette asked.

"It's simple, I know her future," the wizard said with a giggle. "And you're daughter will be exactly what I need when she comes of age."

"You will not be using my child for your dark deeds," Maurice boomed.

To his credit, Rumpelstiltskin did not even flinch.

"No daughter, no deal," he said. "Your kingdom will fall and you will be lucky to survive your escape."

He sounded both playful and venomous. His eyes danced dangerously. He looked like a man who knew he was about to win.

"Just the one daughter?" Maurice asked.

"Yes, just the one," Rumpelstiltskin said in a whisper. "I'll even make it easier for you to produce a second child."

Collette stared at both me in shock but neither the king nor the wizard was looking at her.

"Then, you have my word," Maurice said.

The Dark One gave a triumphant half smile as he turned to the king.

"Our word," Collette said. The child, their daughter, inside her kicked.

"Then, you have mine," Rumpelstiltskin said. It was the most honest he has sounded since he first made his presence known and with a wave of his hands, he was gone.

The tension eased in the room and Collette felt the tears well in her eyes. Maurice fell to his knees before her. One of his large hands rested on her knee, the other one both her hands on her round stomach.

"We're already horrible parents," the queen gasped out. "We traded our daughter for our kingdom."

Maurice kissed his wife's arm.

"I know," he said his voice heavy with emotions. "But we could not let down our people. It's a great sacrifice to save so many."

Collette nodded. She knew they had made the right choice. It was the life of one child for the lives of the rest of the kingdom.

"My love," Collette said moving her one of her hands to Maurice's cheek. "We will get through this. He said that our daughter will not be needed until she comes of age. We will have plenty of time with her."

She tried to sound hopeful.

"Maybe he won't want her," she said with a weak smile.

Maurice nodded but Collette could tell he did not share the same hope.

The following day, word came from the front. The ogres were all destroyed. The Dark One had kept his word. The king and queen knew that they were expected to keep theirs. Still, they prayed that he was wrong and the child the queen carried was a son. A son that would be their only child because they would not chance having a daughter taken from them.

Two weeks after the deal was made, Queen Collette went into labor. She struggled all night and when the first rays of dawn fell upon her chamber, Collette gave birth to a tiny baby girl. When everything, including the queen and the baby, was clean, Maurice was allowed into the chamber.

He fell to his knees by the bed and wept tears of joy.

"She's beautiful," Collette said staring into her babe's face.

"Beauty," Maurice said as he kissed his daughter's head. "Her name is Beauty, Belle. Princess Belle."

Collette choked on her tears.

"It's perfect," she whispered. "Belle. Our Belle."

A high pitched giggled interrupted their happiness.

The Dark One stood next to the fireplace as he looked upon the family.

"Yes, your Belle… for now," he said.

"What are you doing here?" Maurice asked.

"I'm here to keep another part of the deal," the Dark One said.

Without a fear or decency, he approached the queen and produced a small glass bottle from thin air. He held it out for the queen to take.

"What is it?" she asked.

"An insurance that you will be able to produce a second child," he said with a friendly smile.

Collette took the bottle. Maurice grabbed her arm.

"No," he said firmly. "He cannot be trusted."

"Cannot be trusted?" the Dark One snapped. "I have been honest with you and fulfilled my part of our deal."

Belle squirmed in her mother's arms at the sharp tone. Rumpelstiltskin glanced at the baby before he cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure.

"I'll even sweeten the deal," he said in an almost normal voice. "I will promise that not only an heir but also, your lands will be under my protection for as long as your family rules this kingdom."

The king and queen shared a look that spoke a thousand words. Maurice gently took the bottle from Collette's hand and uncorked it before handing it back to her. With one more shared look, the Queen downed the potion. The bottle vanished as soon as it was away from her lips.

"There, now that wasn't so bad," Rumpelstiltskin said with a bounce of his shoulders.

"your part is done," Maurice said harshly.

"Not quite," the wizard said raising one finger. He stood at the foot of the bed. "There are some details about our deal that we probably should discuss."

His eyes were dancing again and the queen knew that he was playing with them.

"What details?" Maurice asked. "The deal is made."

"Yes, the deal is made," he sneered. "But I thought I would be kind to my future in-laws."

"In-laws," Collette choked out and pulled baby Belle closer to her bosom.

"You see, when your little Belle comes of age, I intend to marry her," the Dark One said.

"You beast," Maurice sneered and stood quickly. "You would condemn our daughter to be your concubine."

"No, not a concubine," Rumpelstiltskin said with a scoff. "My wife. Belle will be my wife."

"Why?" Collette asked in a small voice.

"Because I know her future and it's with me," he said pointing his thumb at his chest. "No matter what path is taken, one fact remains, Belle is destined to be my wife."

"You're saying it's her destiny to be trapped with you?" Maurice growled.

"That's exactly what I am saying."

A dark veil fell over the wizard's face as he took a moment to as if some thought clouded him. His eyes darkened and an unpleasant look fell upon his face.

"Your Belle is very important to my future," he said in a low voice. "I cannot avoid her."

"Then why the deal," asked the king.

The Dark One snapped out of his dark reverie and smiled.

"Because it's fun," he said then giggled childishly, flaring his arms. "And those nasty ogre's attacked your land far too early."

Then he said under his breath, "The doing of an old lover."

He didn't say more on the matter.

"But never mind that," he said louder. "The deal is made. Belle will be my bride and you will have protection and an heir."

He flicked his wrist and a red rose inside a clear glass bell sat in his palm.

"A gift for the little princess," he said.

He walked over to the fireplace and sat the bell on the mantle.

"This rose represents the years you have with your daughter," he explained. "For every year the girl is with you, a petal will fall. When the last petal falls, I will come to claim my bride."

"We won't need that," Collette said. "We will keep our end of the deal."

"Humor me," Rumpelstiltskin said and Collette could tell the rose was more than a counter. It meant something else, something important and he was not telling them.

"Keep this rose in your daughter's bedchamber," he said seriously.

He went to flourish his hands and paused.

"One more thing," He pointed to the bell. "This is an enchanted rose and it nor the bell can be broken."

He pointed to Maurice when he said the last part.

"If you try something terrible will happen to you," he said darkly.

He then bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Ta-ta," He waved and giggled before vanishing.

Belle began to cry. Her parents' attention was pulled towards her. The rose and the Dark One temporarily forgotten in favor of soothing their child. Because from the moment she was born and until the last petal fell, that was what Belle was, theirs.

A few weeks later, at Belle's Royal introduction, King Maurice and Queen Collette learned why the rose was so important. After Belle was titled Princess Belle of Avonlea and after the feast, gifts were presented from the local nobility. A woman in a startling red gown approached the royal family. At her side was a meek-looking man and a small girl, both of their heads were bowed while the woman's head was held high. The man bowed while the woman and the girl curtsied. The girl was somewhat unsteady when she dipped down.

"Your Majesties," the woman greeted.

"Who are you?" Collette asked knowing she had not invited them to the event.

"My apologies, I am Lady Cora," the woman in red said. "My husband Prince Henry and my daughter Lady Regina. We come from a neighboring kingdom. When we heard of your happy news, we just had to pay our respects."

Cora's words seemed sincere but something in the way she said them sounded the opposite. There was something malicious in her tone.

"A gift for the little princess," Cora said and held up the small doll dressed in a satin red dress.

An attendant took the doll and placed it with the other gifts. Cora stared at Belle sleeping in the bassinet beside Collette before bowing deeply. Her husband and daughter followed suit before they walked away. Collette and Maurice did not see them again.

At night, Belle was asleep in her crib in her own chambers. Her nanny slept on a small cot in the room. All the gifts that were given to the babe were placed in the room, including the doll and the rose.

All was quiet and the king and queen thought their daughter safe when the red doll came to life. It hopped off the shelf it was placed and moved quickly to the baby's bed. It climbed up the side and fell into the crib. The living doll climbed onto the baby's chest and started to breathe out a red mist that caused little Belle to start choking.

Her nanny woke when she heard the strange sound. She looked over to the crib just when a puff of dark red smoke appeared. She screamed when the smoke cleared and she saw the Dark One standing by the crib. With a wave of his hand the nanny's voice was taken.

Rumpelstiltskin reached into the crib and snatched the doll away and watched its porcelain body crumble as he crushed it in his fist. More of the red mist puffed in the air before dissipating.

Two guards rushed into the room, followed by the king.

"Who are you?" demanded one of the guards.

"Never you mind," King Maurice said stepping between the guards. "What happened here?"

He turned to the nanny.

"Clara?" he asked.

The woman held her throat. She moved her mouth in vain.

Rumpelstiltskin glared down at the choking baby before lifting her into his arms. He flicked his wrist and a bottle filled with a green liquid appeared. He uncorked it with his thumb and held the bottle to the girl's lips.

"What is that? What are you doing?" Maurice shouted. "Get away from her."

"It's the cure you, fool," Rumpelstiltskin said between clenched teeth.

He watched as the liquid fell between Belle's lips and she gasped. The liquid forced its way down her throat and she began to cough. Everyone watched as the baby gasped one more time. She ceased breathing for six long seconds before she slowly began to breathe normally. Rumpelstiltskin released the breath he was holding. He gently placed Belle back in her crib.

"The princess will live," he said in an almost normal pitched voice. He stared down at his future bride. "The rose will alert me of any danger to the girl."

"That is why you said it had to be in her room," Maurice said in a frightened whisper.

"It will also block out any magical transportation or spying," the Dark One explained. "All but mine of course."

"Thank you," the King said.

Rumpelstiltskin said nothing. He bowed to show his gratitude. Then, he waved his hand at the nanny, returning her voice.

Maurice looked down to see the crushed doll.

"Lady Cora's gift," he said remembering the uninvited woman.

"Aye, an old friend," the Dark One said with disdain. "She's a crafty one. Power hungry. She will stop at nothing to get her way."

"Why does she want to hurt my daughter?" Maurice asked.

For a moment it looked as if Rumpelstiltskin was not going to answer.

"Tell them to leave," he said after the long pause. "What I say cannot be shared with anyone but your queen."

"Your majesty?" Guard number two said.

"Leave us," Maurice said.

"But my king…" Guard number one began.

"I said leave us," Maurice said more forcefully.

The guards bowed and the nanny curtsied before they obeyed.

When they were alone, Rumpelstiltskin spoke. His eyes never left Belle.

"Cora wants to hurt me," he sneered. "She wants to take something precious from me."

"Why?" Maurice asked. His eyes were focused on the Dark One.

Rumpelstiltskin explained.

Cora had heard of a seer in a far-off land. She went to see this seer.

"I have been expecting you," the seer said. "I know what you want to know."

"Tell me about the Dark One," Cora demanded.

"He was a man once. A man who had a wife and a son," the seer said.

Cora was surprised but did not comment on it.

"The wife ran off," the seer continued. He was eager to tell everything. "She left her son with her husband. For years, the Dark One raised his son alone until one fateful night, he met a man."

"Who was the man?" asked Cora.

The Seer smiled wickedly.

"The man was Zozo, the Dark One before the current Dark One," he said.

"So the Dark One's power can be passed on?" Cora asked.

"Yes, though I do not know how exactly," the seer replied. "All I know is that somehow, the Dark One's powers were transferred from one man to another."

"Continue," Cora said displeased with not learning how to rid Rumpelstiltskin of his power.

"At first, the Dark One used his powers to save his son and the people of his land, but not for long," the seer said. "The dark power corrupts even the purest of hearts. No matter the bearer's intentions, they always end up evil. Well, he was one of the few pure ones. Most people who became the Dark One already had darkness in their hearts."

The seer paused. He took a deep drink from the cup of ale sitting on the table beside him.

"One day, the son became so afraid of his father he begged for help. Help came in the form of the Blue Fairy. She gave the boy a way to leave the Enchanted Forest. I do not know what was used to transport the boy to another land. But I do know that the way was used and the Dark One lost his boy."

"What does this have to do with my child?" Cora asked.

"The Dark One needs your daughter to cast a curse to send the people of the Enchanted Forest to the land his son ended up. He needs her broken. He needs her desperate. He needs her to rely on him."

"Rely on him?" Cora asked.

"Yes, he needs you gone," the seer explained. "He needs you to play the part of the woman who would do anything to make her daughter queen. He needs you to betray her in a most heartbreaking way. All it takes, is you killing a boy your daughter loves deeply to push her into the perfect mindset to cast his curse."

"So, that's why he wanted my first born child?" Cora said more to herself than the seer.

"Yes," the seer said.

"Is there any way to stop this from happening?" Cora asked.

"Yes," the seer answered. He leaned forward in his chair. "Make sure your daughter's heart isn't broken."

"Is that all?" Cora said rolling her eyes.

She paused for a moment.

"Why are you telling me this? Why did you allow me to find you?" she asked.

"The Dark One killed my sister," the seer answered.

"Revenge," Cora said.

"There is more," the seer said. "There is a girl to be born. She will, someday, be very important to the Dark One. I want her dead. I want for him to lose everyone he has or will ever love. The girl is the key to his true happiness."

"Ah…" Cora sighed. "Your payment for the information."

The Seer nodded.

"Kill the girl and make sure the Dark One can never reach his son."

"What else will you give me in return?" Cora asked.

"What you have always wanted," the seer said. "Royal status."

"I already have that," Cora dismissed.

"But you are not queen," the seer said slyly. "You can be the queen of not just one land but two."

"What do I have to do?"

"Kill the girl and I will tell you," the seer challenged.

"How can I find this girl?" Cora asked.

"I see a girl born to a land that will be ravished by war," the seer said. "I see the first-born daughter of a queen fated to die. I see a deal between the princess and the Dark One. I see a kiss of true love."

"Well, that's perfect. One kiss and the Dark One is gone," Cora said.

"One kiss and the Dark One can be gone," the seer pointed out. "But I do not want the Dark One to be a mortal man. I want him to suffer for an eternity. He must remain the Dark One. He must never see his son again. He must never know true love."

Cora smiled at this.

"So, I am to kill the Dark One's true love before she can become his true love and I am to make sure his curse is never to be cast to reunite him with his son?"

"That is correct," the seer said. He leaned back in his chair. "And one more thing, I need you to start a war. Why not crush the girl's kingdom before the deal can ever be mad?"

Rumpelstiltskin finished his tale.

"How did you learn all of this?" Maurice asked.

"It's simple," the Dark One said with a half-smile. "The seer isn't the only one who can see the future."

That wasn't the whole truth. The seer had appeared to him in a mirror while he was away from the Dark Castle making a deal. The seer gloated and told the story of his meeting with Cora. Rumpelstiltskin felt the urge to break the mirror but refrained. When the image of the seer had vanished, the Dark One decided to check upon his future wife. He saw the doll poison the babe and immediately gave up on a promising deal to aid the girl.

For the first time since he placed Belle back in her crib, he looked up at the king.

"I cannot see my own future," he revealed. "But I can see hers."

Rumpelstiltskin glanced down at the girl.

"Why tell me all of this?" Maurice asked. "You seem like a man with secrets."

"Oh, I am," the wizard said. "I am. But I need for you to trust me. I do not want you putting little fears in little Belle's head. I need her willing to give herself to me when the time comes."

"Another deal then?" the king asked.

"That would seem fair," Rumpelstiltskin said.

"I will tell Belle you are a good man," Maurice said. "If you can promise that if she should reject you, you will not force yourself on her."

Rumpelstiltskin wore a look of disgust. His eyes were deadly.

"I have never forced myself on any woman," he said in a dark voice. "Even a monster can live by a code. I have never killed or raped a child and I have never raped a person."

He said 'person' to make it clear that he would include all males and females.

"Though I can assure you, women are what I desire." A playful giggle filled the air.

Maurice nodded his acknowledgment.

"We have a deal," Rumpelstiltskin said holding out his hand for Maurice to shake.

The men shook on it. They stayed in the nursery watching over Belle until dawn.

END OF CH. 1