{ enchanted forest }

10. { the cricket game }

Belle had finished cleaning the silverwear of the Dark Castle, which was always a tedious job. For a castle that never had guests, Rumplestiltskin had an absurd amount of cups and cutlery and that sort of things.

She was balancing the basket with dirty laundry on her hip to go wash outside when she passes the dining hall. The brunette stops and takes a second look inside. Sitting at the dining table was Winter, the girl that Rumplestiltskin had recently brought in.

Belle had heard of the kind hearted princess before. However, she had never expected to meet her like this. One night she had just woken up from her sleep because of the loud noises that Rumplestiltskin made and went upstairs to find him dragging a young teenage girl, dressed in just a nightgown, by her arm.

Since then the princess had not spoken. Rumple tried being angry, yelling at her to force her to say something. He had even tried bribing and being gentle to her, but the girl refused. All she did was sit in silence and stare forward.

Belle's keen eye notices the state that the young girl was in. Her hair was disheveled as it had not been brushed in several days. She was still wearing the same nightgown as the one she arrived in and Belle had not seen her change in between. She had barely eaten anything that Belle put in front of her, nor drunk more than a few sips of water.

But the thing that made her most sad were her eyes. There were bags underneath from not sleeping for days, but they were also red from the constant crying.

Belle could not bear the sight any longer and decides on doing something about it.

She put the laundry basket down in the hallway. Rumple had enough clothes to last him months without washing any, so she didn't think he would even notice if she were to skip a day.

The brunette pushes the slightly ajar door open even further and walks inside with soft steps. The young girl didn't seem to register her presence and if she did she did not react to it. Belle strides towards her.

She stands besides the girl's chair and hesitates for a moment, her hand lingering inches above her shoulder. The girl did not move, but she seemed a bit more stiff than before. She certainly knows Belle was there.

She gently put her hand down on her shoulder. The princess jumps up and becomes fully rigid. "Don't be afraid, I just wish to talk to you," Belle speaks, speaking in a soft and warm tone to the obviously frightened girl.

Belle sits down on the chair besides her. She folds her hands in her lap and leans a bit forward in an attempt to catch her gaze, smiling charmingly. "Can you tell me your name?"

An awkward silence fills between them. Belle didn't want to say anything yet, allowing the girl to get comfortable enough to answer the question on her own.

It took a while, but eventually the girl's lower lip wobbles. Her lips part without saying anything for a moment. Then she speaks, though it sounded more like a croaked whisper.

"Winter."

Belle smiles, feeling a rush of victory through her body. This was the first word the princess had spoken in the days since her arrival. "What a pretty name. My name's Belle."

Before she could ask another question Winter had spoken up. "Did the Dark One capture you too?" 

She didn't truly know how to respond to that without frightening her. "Uh.. he sort of did. I willingly went with him to save my kingdom from the Ogres," she explains. The princess looks down. Her head hangs low.

"The kingdom where I came from was too far away from the land of the Ogres to have them cause any trouble. But my family didn't love me anymore so they sent me to him."