Synopsis: During the first ogre war Lady Belle of Avonlea desperately searches for a way to save her people. A chance encounter sets her on the path to a mystical dagger. Two hundred years later Rumplestiltskin is desperate to provide a better life for his son. If the Dark One can sense anything, it’s a desperate soul…
Note: Written for @a-monthly-rumbelling in January. The prompt was Dark Castle Forbidden Room. Does anyone remember that rumbelle bingocard I made? Well I seem to have taken that as a bit of a self-challenge, not the whole thing obviously, but at least one of each option. This one checks two boxes – Dark One!Belle and spinner!Rumple 🙂 Basically it’s a Desperate Souls/Skin Deep remix. I hope you enjoy!
Rumplestiltskin
stumbled out of the ramshackle cottage he called home. The night air was cold,
not that it was that much warmer inside, and the gusts of wind smarted against
his skin. It was just what he needed to cut through his rising panic. He had
tried to hold it together, but Bae was now sleeping peacefully, and without his
boys alert gaze watching him, his fear was overwhelming. Life could be worse he
supposed. Bae might be fourteen and without prospects, but at least there
wasn’t a war raging right now.The village
well wasn’t far, and to hold onto the shreds of normality, Rumplestiltskin
staggered in that direction. He cranked the handle and drew up the pail,
cupping his hand and drinking what he could. The water froze against his skin
and he shivered, knowing he should get back inside, but fearing the length of
the night. He could always sit and spin, Bae had long since learned to sleep
through the quiet creaking of the wheel. That usually quietened his mind, but
tonight it just reminded him that his beloved boy was out of options.The son of a
coward, who was himself the son of a coward, was never going to be top pick
among the village traders. However, Rumplestiltskin had hoped to secure Bae’s
future. He was good friends with Morraine, the bakers daughter, and on his more
optimistic days Rumplestiltskin had imagined an apprenticeship and a betrothal
but it wasn’t to be. The baker had selected another boy, one who wasn’t saddled
with Bae’s reputation.That was a really interesting role reversal and I always love me some spinner!Rum. It was so heartbreaking for him to lose Bae but it still felt better than in canon because of how they parted. Well done.
Thanks! 🙂 Yeah in this Rumple left to give Bae “his best chance” and he did think that he would never see him again; but with circumstances being what they are, I expect that Rumple and Bae will be reunited at some point. With some gold behind him, Bae could easily become Sir Baelfire, a knight worthy of Princess Emma’s hand, giving Rumple a couple of royal grandchildren.
Obviously Rumple and Belle have the misunderstanding of true loves kiss to work out first. While Belle doesn’t need the power like Rumple did, it’s all she’s known and had for a couple of hundred years. The darkness twists everything, we’re talking major trust issues and self-loathing, especially given that she always wanted to be a hero. The darkness convinced her at first that she was being a hero, perverting something that had once been so important to her.
Add in Rumple’s confidence issues and we’re definitely talking one step forward, ten steps back for this pair. Then there’s the question of what a successful true loves kiss would do to the curse of the dark one. I’m going to explore one theory in my EF AU, whenever I manage to get the time to write it, but there are several possibilities. Heh sorry I’ve gone on a bit *whistles* not that I was thinking about any of this 🙂
I was going to scream ‘how dare you leave this here!’ but am mollified somewhat by this response. Eventual TLK, curse breaking, Sir Baelfire, grandchildren…yes, I’ll take all that. 🙂
Haha well it wouldn’t be a Skin Deep remix if I didn’t leave it there. At least I didn’t end it with Belle throwing Rumple out of the castle, and then somebody telling her that he was dead – that would have been far worse! I’m glad you liked it, thank you 🙂
AAAARRRGGGHHHH!
*flailing and armwaving*
WHAT DID YOU DOOOOOO!!!!!
Ahem. That was an amazing role reversal!
Heh thanks! I’m so glad you liked it, especially seeing as it was kinda your fault. I got the idea for this while I was talking with you 🙂 This was fun, trying to imagine how Belle would be as a Dark One, how she would be different from Rumple but still the same, and then how she and Rumple could still have crossed paths. Another place, another time – same old story, true love means they always cross paths sooner or later 🙂