A Rainbow in the Store Window
(Okay, a little fluff to aid the good soldiers currently fighting in the Rumbelle war. Godspeed to you all.)
In another time—another lifetime, perhaps—he would have locked himself in his dungeon and downed as many potions as he could until his mind started working properly again. Because, surely, his heart should not have swollen so much, his lips should not have twisted in such a smile, just to see her eyes light up.
A little giggle escaped Belle’s lips, and she shoved her knuckles between her teeth (he’d have to break her of the habit, before she broke her skin), staring so close to the window that her nose made a little smudge.
Belle was a Red Lion
Belle was a lion, showing fangs. A lion who had seen war. Who had returned from battle bloody and victorious. Her prey was gone, devoured, hidden away within the earth—the only flag of her victory was the sweet blood dried into armor over her cheekbones.
Mr. Gold wondered why he had never seen her in this light before.
