Once Upon a Time Stranger at the Masquerade

**A/N: I know this is a bit late, and I hope it qualifies as fluff. I received an anon prompt about Rumbelle going to a masquerade and decided to use it as my fluffapalooza fic. **

**Rating: T ( for sexual tension)**

**So what if Rumple and Belle had met three years before the events of Skin Deep at a masquerade ball? Slight AU going on here. **

Belle held the thin piece of paper between her hands, her eyes roaming over the elegantly scripted words saying she had been invited to a masquerade ball held in a nearby kingdom. Fisting her hands tightly around the parchment, nearly tearing it in two from her excitement, she rushed to her wardrobe closet.

Upon opening the wardrobe, she found the perfect ball gown for such an occasion. A low cut, cornflower blue dress to match her eyes, which flared out a bit at her hips and stopped just shy of her ankles. Silver sequins were sewn at the top and the gown also came with a pair of matching gloves.

Now all she needed was a mask and her silver slippers.

After scrounging through her room she found a blue mask with silver and white feathers starting from one top corner and flaring out to the side. The mask only covered her eyes, but it would do since it was all she had under short notice.

At eighteen years old, she had never been invited to a ball and normally she detested social gatherings, but illustrations of masquerade balls in her books had always fascinated her and she longed to attend one. Flinging herself back on her bed, she observed the small ceiling cracks while her thoughts raced about the upcoming ball, and her face flushed with more excitement. The only obstacle in her way was to persuade her overbearing father to allow her the freedom to attend the dance. She planned out her persuasion in her head until her eyes closed and she fell asleep, dreaming of dances and ball gowns.

* * *

><p>Though her father had been apprehensive at first, he eventually gave in to his daughter's wishes. The day of the ball she was sent off in the carriage with Lumiere as her chaperone. The ride from her castle to the one that housed the ball was torture, her nervousness increasing as they passed through various towns erected across the land. Lumiere managed to ease her nerves with some form of conversation, though it revolved around wars and other mundane matters that did not interest her.<p>

As the castle came upon their view, Belle had even more trouble sitting still, eager to pass the last hill and stop in front of the castle grounds. As soon as they stopped, the door opened and a servant helped her out of the carriage with Lumiere trailing behind her.

She refrained from rushing to the door in her slippers, her noble etiquette rising to the surface to calm her down. As she descended upon the castle doors, which were covered in gold with intricate markings, her lips turned up at the corners at the sight of the golden ballroom. A crowd had gathered and a myriad of bright colored dresses stood out against the golden hue of the walls lined with white columns. On top of the columns stood gold encased statues, and green garlands snaked around the cylindrical posts.

Belle walked past the few people standing at the door and entered the circular ballroom, her grin plastered on her face. In a matter of minutes, a tall gentleman with an immaculate taste in clothing asked her to dance. After completing a dance she found out he was not a gentleman at all as he discreetly attempted to paw at her backside, making a disgruntled Lumiere move from his place in the ballroom, ready to defend her if necessary. Feigning a headache she departed from him before things had the potential to get ugly, but a few more men vied for her attention, determined to dance with the girl whose bright blue eyes were evident even under the mask.

Belle faked illness again to keep the overwhelming amount of men away. Lumiere shooed them off while she sat down on a marble bench a few feet away from him. Watching the crowd dance in unison she leaned her cheek against her raised palm, and wondered why she came here with only her head filled with fantasies that for once she might enjoy a spectacular social event.

Huffing out a breath of frustration and disappointment she got up, straightened her skirts, and turned to leave until a gentle hand stilled her. Looking over her shoulder she found a short man, with brown wild curls stopping at his shoulders, wearing a dragon mask equipped with long, straight brown horns that covered most of his face though she could make out a greenish-gray color with a golden shimmer on the sides of his jaw. Odd, she thought to herself. Perhaps it was face paint to match the green and gold scales of the dragon mask. He was clothed in a gold brocade jacket and a white vest, tight leather pants covered his legs and he wore the most peculiar knee high boots that were laced at the front. The sight of him intrigued her.

"I saw the other men bothering you, miss. You seem troubled and about to leave, a beautiful young girl like you should be treated with respect and a good dance," he uttered with a strange, almost inhuman high pitch in his voice. He bowed at the waist, taking her hand in his gloved one, but did not lift his mask to kiss it. This stranger fascinated her, pulled her in. A power sizzled off of him like lightning, and the mystery surrounding him captivated her. He did not force her to dance with him, or attempt to feel her curves through the fabric of her dress, and even seemed shy about kissing her hand.

Grinning as much as she had when she first arrived, she stepped toward him. "I'd love to dance with you," she said, giving him a small curtsy and giggled, her smile bright enough to light the entire room.

"As you wish, dear." He led her out to the center of the ballroom and drew her in close, her hand in his right, and his left around her waist as they circled around the room, passing by the other couples. A curious warmth rose in her body at the feeling of a man, one she could call a true gentleman, pressed so close to her. Not even Gaston or the other boys who wished to court her made her feel this way. Perhaps that was the problem? They were boys, this was a man even though an ancient and dark aura emanated from him.

"So, mysterious stranger, you're not from here, are you?" Belle inquired, and she swore he smiled beneath the mask.

"Smart girl," he tittered and twirled her away from him, then brought her back, crushing her against him. She gasped at being so near him again, and her heart fluttered in her chest. "I am from a far away land and I live in a castle residing in a mountainous region covered in snow. My lair as I like to call it." There was that high pitched giggle again that drew out her own laughter, and he spun her around again.

"You make it sound like you're as beastly as the dragon mask you wear," she said with a bit of teasing in her voice.

"Oh, I am. Perhaps even more beastly than any dragon living in this world." His hot breath rushed against her ear, and before she could stop herself her arms wound around his neck, and she leaned her head back to see if she could get a glimpse of his eyes beneath the mask. She barely made out the strange amber colored irises that reminded her of a crocodile's eyes. Maybe he wasn't human after all, but more shocking than this thought was the fact that this didn't scare her. Far worse creatures and even humans lurked in the shadows, ready to strike out at the innocent. But with this stranger she felt safe, though she couldn't say why. The thought should have been absurd, but she had always been an odd girl, her father and other superiors reminded her of that most of the time.

"I doubt that. You're dancing with me and treating me like a lady, like a proper gentleman should. There are men and creatures who I'm sure wear the beast label better than you."

Her words seem to stun him and for a moment he was rendered speechless. She suspected no one had told him that before, or even cared for him. That possibility pulled at her heart strings and she reached up to run her elegant fingers through his wild curls, while avoiding the horns of the mask. His hair did not feel as coarse as it looked, but soft, and she relished such texture. Their eyes met and fixated in a stare, blue and amber filled with a swirling mix of mystery and desire. The roaming fingers in his hair seemed to eventually pull him out of his daze, and he began to speak again.

"Why don't we go out on the balcony? The air would be less stifling and it will be easier to talk without such a cacophony in the background." His hands fluttered in the air, waving to the other occupants of the castle.

Belle nodded, agreeing that the noise was increasing since more people had arrived. As they opened the doors to the balcony a blast of cool, but comfortable air hit them, allowing Belle to breathe more and relax. She hadn't realized she'd been so tense, and the blush that was apparent on her cheeks began to dissipate with the small bite of chill.

A bench with a few pillows thrown about on top stood near the corner. Taking her hand he led her to it, and he sat down with Belle following behind him.

"So, tell me, where does a beautiful woman such as yourself hail from?" He asked, a gloved finger reaching out to stroke her cheek. The gesture did not make her flinch or make her feel uncomfortable, instead her blush reappeared despite the cool air and she leaned a bit into his touch.

"I'm from Avonlea. I was given an invitation to attend this ball, and decided to go since I've never been to one. Balls don't happen often in Avonlea." She bit her lower lip as she remembered her girlish excitement and the butterflies in her stomach.

A small giggle rose in his throat. "I wasn't invited, I just showed up here. I'm not welcome amongst most people."

She frowned. "Why?"

The man shrugged. "I'm a beast, and people are afraid of beasts."

"You're not a beast, and you don't scare me. You fascinate me."

"Oh?" Once again she knew he grinned beneath that mask. "Is that so, sweetheart?"

"Yes, and I'll prove it," she responded, raising her hand to push the mask up so she could see his face, and know the man beneath the mask, but his hands stopped her.

"Careful, dear, curiosity has the potential to kill further interest. You don't want to see me, I'm a hideous creature," he warned, then placed her hands in her lap.

"Let me decide that for myself," Belle countered, her eyes full of determination.

"Let's make a deal then, shall we?" He offered. Belle leaned in close, curious.

"What kind of deal?" She asked, her fingers playing with the fabric of her skirt, not sure where this was heading.

"You pull off your mask, and let me see your face in full. And in the future you will see me again, but without the mask."

Her brow furrowed with a hint of confusion. "But how do you know we'll see each other again after tonight?"

"Oh, you will, dear. One day you will need my help." He saw the incredulity on her features. "I wouldn't make this kind of deal with you just to trick you, trust me on this."

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth then finally answered with an "okay," and gave him a cheerful smile.

His fingers drifted underneath the line of her mask, lifted it up, and pulled it off to reveal the rest of her face. She thought she heard a sharp intake of his breath upon seeing her. Silence permeated through the air as he took her in.

"You're beautiful," he simply said while appreciating her blue eyes, which were more startling without the mask.

The blush that had formed on her cheeks surely had spread to her neck and ears at this point. "You're too kind."

"But I mean it, dear. I've never laid my eyes upon such a beauty as yours." His fingers brushed against her cheek again, then glided down her neck, yet went no further. That same warmth she felt earlier shot down her spine to fill her body and pool at her core, a sensation that no other had awakened in her.

As the minutes passed by she had rested her back against his chest as he leaned back against the thick pillows that stood up behind him, her body fitting between his legs as they observed the constellations in the firmament. Her companion even taught her a few she hadn't known about, his knowledge captivating her.

She closed her eyes as his nimble fingers found her auburn curls and caressed them gently, soothing her and keeping her mind off the fact that she would have to leave soon. The minute that thought crossed her mind she heard Lumiere clear his throat from the balcony doorway.

Oh great, she thought to herself, hoping he wouldn't open his mouth about finding her leaning back against a man's chest in a near intimate embrace.

"It's getting rather late, mademoiselle. There's a chance your father could worry," Lumiere explained.

"Yes, that is true. I'll be ready in a minute," Belle replied with a huff of frustration.

Lumiere took that as a cue to leave and wait for her. As soon as he was out of sight, Belle turned back to her kind stranger, though he no longer felt like a stranger. "May I ask something of you?"

"Anything, sweetheart," he replied.

"May I kiss you?" She asked, averting her eyes to look at the bench under her hands. Her bravery even shocked her at times.

He seemed to ponder this for a minute, which made Belle fidget a bit more waiting on his answer. "Yes, but remember don't take the mask completely off."

"Yes, right, I remember." Touching just the bottom of the mask she lifted the dragon's snout slightly to reveal his mouth. With only the moonlight to illuminate his skin, it took on a more grayish color. Unfazed by such a coloration she leaned in, tilting her head slightly and pressed her lips against his. They were soft and welcoming as he kissed her back, his tongue sliding between her lips. As if on cue she parted her lips, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth.

The rest of the world seemed to disappear, and they were the only people left with their tongues entwined and chests heaving with pants as they pulled apart, breaking the heated kiss.

Sadness rose within her as she realized she would have to leave him, but he said they would see each other again, and he seemed so sincere and confident about it. "And you are sure we'll see each other again?" She held his hands, rubbing her thumbs against the rough texture of his gloves.

"I've never been more sure of anything. In three years time, you will need me." His tone filled with reassurance and it eased her fears of never seeing him again, and brightened up the departure a bit more, despite the three years of separation ahead of them.

"Three years it is then." Reluctantly, she released his hands and pulled herself from his side. Belle looked over her shoulder one last time, sadness conveyed in her eyes. She pulled herself together enough to give him one last proper farewell.

* * *

><p>The ride home was silent with a touch of despondency in the atmosphere. Lumiere tried to drag her into a conversation, but it proved futile when she continued to stare out of the carriage window, her thoughts elsewhere. Lumiere chuckled softly, knowing the girl had been lovestruck by whatever stranger had snared her with his charm, which wasn't easy to do with a girl like Belle.<p>

As soon as she got home, she made her way to her room. Her body soon laid snug under the covers and sheets. A small grin played on her face as she thought of the night with her mysterious man, or creature. It didn't matter, to her he was angel sent to snatch her away from her not-so-exciting life. Tonight had been like the stories she had read in her books, but without the handsome prince. Instead, someone so much better had taken the place of a prince charming. Belle soon drifted into a peaceful sleep, her dreams filled with the man wearing a dragon mask.

* * *

><p>Three years later…<p>

As Rumplestiltskin spun a piece of straw into gold a puff of purple smoke appeared in front of him to reveal a scroll with gold writing. "Another deal," he mumbled to himself as he read the first few sentences.

As he read further, he stopped. His eyes widened as he saw the name, Avonlea. The lord who ruled there requested his help to defeat the ogres who were attempting to demolish their town. Rumple had deduced that the enrapturing girl he met three years ago at a masquerade was a noble based on her clothing and the presence of a servant as a chaperone. This had to be her father's request, he felt it in his heart.

Grasping the paper in his claws, he drew it close. His mood had lightened significantly, and with a snap of his fingers he dressed himself in his dragon hide coat, giggling to himself as he hoped the girl would notice the correlation between the coat and the mask.

With a bit of a skip in his walk he made other preparations before he left. He only hoped she would put two and two together. She was a smart girl after all, and some part of him desired her to go with him as part of a deal.

Oh yes, he would acquire her somehow, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. With those last thoughts he was enveloped in a puff of purple, disappearing in thin air and leaving behind a quiet castle that would soon be filled with the laughter of a beautiful maiden.


End file.
