So, this is based on the idea that the Author/Sorcerer is a bad guy who's manipulating things and trying to keep the 'villains' from being happy. The 'villains' as well as the 'heroes' want to take back control of their own destinies.
Once Upon a Time belongs to Adam, Eddy, and ABC.
My Choice…is Her
Rumplestiltskin watched warily as the Sorcerer walked down the middle of the room between the two groups of people positioned on either side.
The man most of the people around him knew as the Author had used magic to summon them to his home, and they were prevented from leaving or performing magic by a spell sealing the room. Only the Author could perform magic, unless he allowed another to.
Rumplestiltskin suspected what was coming and dreaded it. The Sorcerer had his dagger: he'd taken it by magic the moment he arrived, and Rumplestiltskin knew that the man would use it, as he'd used everyone in this room for some purpose or another.
On Rumplestiltskin's side of the room stood Regina, Ursula, Cruella, Maleficent, the former Red Queen of Wonderland: Anastasia, and Hook, and on the other side of the room stood the Charmings, Emma Swan, Regina's lover: Robin Hood, Will Scarlet, whom Rumplestiltskin had learned was married to Anastasia, and his own wife: his Belle.
Oh, he knew what this was about. The Author was angry about their meddling and planned to stop them. Rumplestiltskin didn't know how yet, but he suspected it was going to be horrible.
He looked over at Belle and she met his eye. After an initial misunderstanding on his part about her relationship with Will Scarlet on his return to Storybrooke, they'd had a massive fight. It had actually been good, because it had gotten them talking. There was a lot to work out: there was still a lot of hurt there, but they both wanted to fix it. They'd been working together to find the Author and were starting to mend things. As angry and betrayed as they'd both felt – her because of his lies and him because of her use of the dagger, they loved each other too much to let go. In spite of everything, the love was still there, and they were both sorry, so they were working to fix it.
She looked frightened, and he so wanted to go over there and take her into his arms, but the Sorcerer wouldn't let him: he was holding the dagger. That accursed thing! Oh, how he wished to be free of it, to give it all up: if only True Love's Kiss would work!
Belle looked over at her husband. Her heart went out to him. She'd give anything for him not to be in this position, for him not to be controlled by that thing any more. She hated it: hated that dagger and what it did, what she'd done with it.
No, she was not blameless, and she felt sick every time she thought about it. Yes, she'd been angry, but to do that to him just made her want to tear herself apart.
He'd admitted to feeling hurt and betrayed by it, but he'd known it wasn't just vindictive: she wasn't just thinking of herself. He'd told her she was trying to do what she always tried to do: the right thing.
Still, she shouldn't have done it: she shouldn't have betrayed him like that. The more proper thing would have been to make him tell her the truth, but her anger had blinded her and she hadn't wanted to hear a word he had to say. She should have listened, and he should have talked to her. They were working on that now, on talking to each other, on being honest. She knew that wasn't easy for him, but she knew he was trying, and she loved him for it.
She was terrified of what was about to happen. They were all here, heroes and villains, or so-called heroes and villains, on either side of the room, separated because the Author, or, as Rumple called him, the Sorcerer, wanted it so.
This was wrong. Not one of them in this room hadn't made a mistake: not one of them hadn't done some kind of heroic deed. Why talk of 'heroes' and 'villains', then? It wasn't right: they were all just people trying to figure out how to live every day. Sometimes they made wrong choices and sometimes they made right ones.
'You've upset my plans,' the Author said, finally speaking: 'you've been meddling in things that don't concern you.'
'How our stories go is of every concern to us!' Regina cried.
'Regina,' Rumplestiltskin said quietly, even gently: 'leave this to me.'
The queen looked at him for a long moment, and they seemed to have a silent conversation. Then she nodded.
'Why are you trying to control our fate?' he asked the Author.
'You wouldn't understand.'
'Try me.'
'A balance must be maintained between light and dark.'
'And you've taken it upon yourself to do that?'
'I do what I must.'
'And what is it you must do: keep us all on the paths you decide for us?'
'Yes.'
'Why do you get to decide?' Belle asked: 'why not we ourselves?'
'Because you lack the necessary perspective,' the Sorcerer said condescendingly.
'So all of our lives, everything we do is decided by you?' Emma asked.
'Yes.'
'I refuse to believe that!' Belle stated vehemently.
'Nevertheless, that's how it is,' he insisted.
'But that's really not true, is it, dearie?' Rumplestiltskin asked, taking charge of the questioning again. The Sorcerer looked at him. 'You didn't dictate that Belle would fall in love with me or I with her: that happened on its own.'
'And why do you think that?'
'Because of what I feel in my heart. You can't create love, Sorcerer: you can bottle it, but you can't create it.'
'Listen to you talk about love when you've thrown it away every time you've had a chance at it.'
Rumplestiltskin nodded and looked over at Belle. 'I've been a fool, too frightened to accept that the gift I was given was true and real: I won't make that mistake again.'
Belle smiled at him.
'Oh no?' the Sorcerer asked. 'You still think you're free to choose, but all of you have a destiny, a place in the plan.'
'And what if we don't want that?' Belle asked: 'what if we want to make our own choices?'
'You can try, but you won't succeed.'
'Because if we come close to being free to decide our own fate, you engineer a reset, a course correction, yes?' Rumplestiltskin asked.
'Correct.'
'But don't you see? If you have to reset the board, it means that you're not in control, not really.'
'What's this reset you're talking about, Rumple?' Cruella asked impatiently.
'Yeah, Gold: can you explain yourself?' Emma asked, looking between Gold and the Sorcerer. She trusted neither of them, but she figured better the devil you know, so if it came down to it, she supposed she'd pick Gold to trust.
'Very well. Regina, what happened the moment Robin Hood told you that he was choosing you over his wife?'
Regina and Robin looked at each other.
'Marian got sick again,' Robin said. He looked at Rumplestiltskin. 'Are you saying that he did that because I was choosing Regina and that wasn't part of his plan?'
'That's exactly what I'm saying.'
'So I wouldn't have a happy ending?' Regina asked: 'so Robin and I couldn't have a happy ending together?'
'Yes.'
'But if he did that to us, he must have done something to the other villains too: right?'
'Is he the reason my kingdom turned against me?' Ursula asked.
'And the reason I was banished from the fairy realm for falling in love with a mortal?' Maleficent asked.
'And why people saw me as a monster?' Cruella asked.
'And why Will and I were separated again?' Anastasia asked.
'Yes,' Rumplestiltskin said: 'he needed you all to be villains, so he interfered in your stories and turned them against you.'
'And you, Rumple: what did he do to you?' Maleficent asked.
'He orchestrated it so that my son died to bring me back,' he revealed quietly: 'the Sorcerer needed the Dark One to return and Bae was the means to accomplish that.'
There was complete silence for a long moment. Belle watched Rumplestiltskin close his eyes and battle with himself to keep his composure. She too tried to stay strong, but she felt his grief and she couldn't hold back the quiet sob that came out. Will and Emma, standing on either side of her, reached out for her, and she buried her face against Emma's shoulder, feeling the other woman trembling. She held her tighter, wanting to comfort her, and she felt Will's comforting hand on her own shoulder.
'So you're saying that Zelena…' Emma began.
'Was merely his instrument,' Rumplestiltskin finished. 'He manipulated her into bringing me back, knowing that Bae was desperate to get back to you and Henry. He knew that Zelena wouldn't tell Bae the price for bringing me back. Belle tried to talk him out of it, but he didn't listen and the Sorcerer got what he wanted.'
'I'm so sorry, Rumple,' Belle called.
'It wasn't your fault, Belle,' he soothed.
He watched Emma hug her. If he couldn't hold her, he was glad someone was there to give her what she needed.
'Rumplestiltskin, you gave your life to save everyone and then you were resurrected into what must have felt like hell,' Snow White said, watching him, a look of sympathy on her face: 'I see now why you would want to be free of the dagger.'
'We should have been more understanding,' Charming added.
'Thank you for saying that,' Rumplestiltskin said, 'but all of that business with the hat was me giving in to my weakness. I should have been stronger, but power is something I've always been tempted by.'
'You found that hat here,' Belle said, frowning: 'you said it was on a table when we came here together.'
'Yes.'
'But it wasn't here when I came here: I would have recognised it from seeing Anna with it. He left it for you to find, didn't he? He wanted you to give into your weakness.'
'Yes.'
'Why did you do that to him?' Belle asked the Sorcerer: 'after everything he went through, why couldn't you let him be happy?'
'Because he needed him to stay the Dark One,' Regina reminded her.
'Yes,' Rumplestiltskin agreed: 'he couldn't take the chance that I would one day break this wretched curse, so he put something be knew I couldn't resist in my way.'
'And why couldn't you resist?' the Sorcerer asked. 'Is it, perhaps, because your power is your greatest love?'
'That's not true!' Belle cried. 'I thought that, but I was wrong. The gauntlet leads to a person's weakness, whatever that may be. For most people, it's what they love most, but for Rumple it's that blasted dagger: that's his weakness, not love. I see that now and I was wrong to ever doubt him.'
Rumplestiltskin smiled. That had been one of the things she'd expressed the most remorse for: doubting his love. He hadn't given her much cause to believe in it for a while, so that was mostly his fault, and they understood each other better now anyway: no more doubts.
'He'd lost so much, been hurt so badly,' Belle continued: 'anyone would have done what he did if they'd had the chance.'
'But your love wasn't enough to help him resist that temptation,' the Sorcerer taunted her.
'Everyone makes mistakes,' Belle defended: 'everyone makes wrong choices. I know he loves me: I know he only did what he did so he wouldn't have to lose me too. He made a wrong choice: that doesn't mean he's irredeemable.'
Rumplestiltskin stood in awe of his wife and her capacity for forgiveness and understanding. In all his long life he'd never met anyone like her. He was a lucky, lucky man to still have her love.
'I won't let you do this to him,' Belle stated determinedly, raising her chin and staring the Sorcerer down: 'I won't let you hurt him any more.'
'You don't have a choice,' the Sorcerer sneered.
'No one decides my fate but me!' she retorted. 'No one has the right to decide anyone's fate but them. I should never have taken Rumple's choice from him. Everyone in this room has made a mistake and everyone in this room has done something heroic: why must you separate us into categories that don't show who we truly are? Can't you see how wrong that is?'
'Belle's right,' Charming agreed: 'I know I've done things I'm not proud of, things you couldn't call heroic.'
'As have I,' Robin agreed: 'as have we all.' Everyone nodded.
'I've done terrible things,' Regina said, 'countless terrible things, but I'm trying to be better. It's not fair for you to decide that I can never be forgiven, to decide that I'm a villain and can never be anything else.'
'She's right,' Anastasia agreed: 'who are you to tell us what we must be?'
'Your book ignores when the so-called villains do something good and the so-called heroes do something bad,' Belle pointed out: 'and you say we lack the necessary perspective? This isn't about maintaining balance: you're just playing games with us to amuse yourself, and we won't let you any more.'
'I have heard quite enough from you,' the Sorcerer said impatiently. 'You want the story to change? How about I make you a villain and you can join them?' And he pointed to where Rumplestiltskin and the other so-called villains were standing.
'No!' Rumplestiltskin called.
'I would rather be called a villain and be with the man I love than be apart from him any longer,' Belle stated.
'No, Belle, don't,' Rumplestiltskin pleaded. 'He'll do it and I don't want that for you. Please, Belle, stay where you are.'
'But I don't care about any of that. I don't want to be a hero, Rumple: I just want you.'
'Oh, Belle, I know, and–'
'Silence!' the Sorcerer shouted, waving the dagger, and Rumplestiltskin's words died on his tongue. He glared at the man, wishing he could kill him.
'You want a demonstration of my power?' the Sorcerer asked, looking around the room. 'Very well: I will show you the control I wield. I will show you that your destiny is in my hands, that your paths are not your own to decide.'
Rumplestiltskin knew what was coming: he felt it in the magic running through his blood, and never before had he wished to be free of this curse so fervently.
Oh, gods, please, no, he thought as the Sorcerer turned to him and held up the dagger.
'Rumplestiltskin, I command you to kill your wife.'
There were shouts of 'no!' from both sides of the room: from Emma, Snow and Charming, Robin, Will, and he even heard Regina, to his surprise.
Charming, Will, and Robin stepped in front of Belle, and Emma and Snow put their arms around her.
'You think that will stop him?' the Sorcerer asked derisively.
Belle knew that nothing could stop him but her. She had managed to talk him down before: perhaps she could do so again. Perhaps she could prove that True Love was stronger than the dagger.
Rumplestiltskin stepped forward slowly. The magic of the dagger was compelling him, but he was trying to resist, just as he had back in the Enchanted Forest. He could not kill Belle: he would not, but every time he tried to stop himself from moving forward, the magic compelled him.
Belle knew that if she were any other person, except Neal, she would already be dead, but Rumple was fighting the command with everything in him, and she loved him all the more for it.
'It's alright,' she said to Emma and Snow, pulling free of their embrace.
'What are you doing?' Emma asked, her eyes widening.
'Belle?' Robin asked, as she put her hand on his arm to move past him.
'I know what I'm doing,' she said.
'But Belle–'
'Trust me,' she insisted: 'I know what I'm doing.'
Putting her faith in the strength of their love, she took a step towards Rumplestiltskin, and then another, and then another. She saw the panic in his eyes and smiled reassuringly. She stepped into the middle of the room and she and Rumplestiltskin met on the invisible line separating the supposed heroes and villains.
'Is this you making a choice?' the Sorcerer asked derisively: 'only a fool would choose to walk towards their doom.'
Belle ignored him, keeping her eyes on the man she loved. He was still fighting the command, fighting to keep from killing her, and Belle could see the battle raging in his eyes as she reached out with one hand and touched his cheek.
'Hey,' she whispered, and smiled at him.
'Belle,' he choked out, 'sweetheart.'
'I'm here,' she whispered, 'and I believe in you. I know you're stronger than this: I know our love is stronger than this, and you know it too. If we could come through everything we've been through and still come back to each other, we can make it through anything: I know it. I know it, Rumple. Listen to your heart: I know you feel it too. I love you: I never stopped.'
She raised her other hand and cupped his face tenderly. 'Listen to your heart, my love. I know our love is stronger than the dagger, and your heart knows it too. I love you, Rumplestiltskin: always have, always will.'
Rumplestiltskin stared into her eyes, shining with love and faith. She was so certain of the strength of their love and he was so sure of her, of them. She made him stronger: her love made him stronger, and his love for her was better than any magic.
'What are you waiting for?' the Sorcerer demanded angrily: 'kill her now!'
But he wouldn't, because he could feel the hold of the dagger weakening as his will asserted itself. The bond to the dagger was still there: he still felt the magic, and he knew it wasn't broken completely, but he knew he would never kill Belle.
'No,' he said, not looking at the Sorcerer: looking instead at Belle, who was beaming at him. He pulled her into his arms, his heart beating hard and his breath coming in pants. Oh, the relief. And all Belle did was hold him close, smiling against his shoulder, as if she always knew this would be the outcome.
'What are you doing?' the Sorcerer demanded.
'Deciding my own fate,' Rumplestiltskin said, looking over at him: 'making my own choice.' He looked down at Belle. 'My choice is her.'
Belle caught her breath and gazed up at him, awed.
'I love you,' she whispered.
'Yes, and I love you too.' He hugged her close.
'This is not possible!' the Sorcerer cried.
Rumplestiltskin and Belle turned to find him staring at them. The dagger was still in his hand and he raised it again. On impulse, Belle clutched her husband tighter.
'Rumple, can he still use that on you?' Regina asked.
'I'm still connected to it,' he said, 'but right now the power of True Love seems to be allowing me to exert my own will.' He looked down at Belle. 'Hold onto me,' he whispered: 'I'm stronger with you in my arms.'
'I will,' she promised: 'I'm never letting go again.'
He smiled.
'True Love is the most powerful magic in all the realms,' Emma said.
'Yes,' Belle agreed, 'and if it can work for Rumple, the Dark One, enslaved by a dagger, it can work for all of you. Decide your own fate!' she entreated, looking around the room: 'make your own choices!'
'She's right,' Will said: 'Ana, she's right.' And he stepped forward, smiling at her.
Anastasia smiled back. 'Will!' she cried, and rushed into his arms.
'I just want to be free to love who I choose,' Maleficent said.
'And I want to have my rightful place in my kingdom back,' Ursula added.
'And I want to be understood and not seen as a monster,' Cruella added.
'We'll help you,' Snow promised.
'Yes,' David agreed: 'we'll help you get your happy endings.'
The three women stepped into the middle of the room and clasped hands with David, Snow, and Emma, who stood beside her parents.
'What about us, Swan?' Hook asked, approaching her.
She looked over at him. 'Am I your choice?'
'Yes.'
She smiled, but she knew it wasn't that easy for her.
'I haven't made my choice yet, Killian,' she said quietly. 'You know I care about you, but Neal still has a big part of my heart. I don't know if that will change, but for now, can you be patient?'
He nodded. She knew it wasn't what he wanted, but he would give her time.
'Thank you.' She took his hand, squeezing gently. He smiled.
Seeing all of the other connections being made, Regina looked across at Robin, who was looking back at her, smiling. He reached out a hand.
She took a cautious step. 'Can we?' she asked.
'Regina, you have to believe that you can have happiness,' Rumplestiltskin told her: 'you have to believe you're worthy of that.'
She looked at him. 'Do you believe you are?'
He smiled. 'I'm starting to.'
'He loves you, Regina,' Belle told her: 'you both have the right to be happy.'
Regina smiled and looked over at Robin. She took a confident step forward, and then another, and then he met her and they embraced.
That seemed to be the final piece of the puzzle. As Robin and Regina embraced, everything shook.
'What's happening?' Emma cried.
'It's working,' Rumplestiltskin called back: 'the Sorcerer's control is collapsing.'
'What do we do?' Snow asked.
'Nothing: don't move, and don't let go of each other.' Rumplestiltskin clung more tightly to Belle.
The Sorcerer, who had watched the pieces on his chessboard make their own moves, was astounded. How could this be happening?
Everything around them started to fade: the house and everything in it.
'Are we doing this?' Ursula asked.
'By choosing our own paths, we make him obsolete,' Rumplestiltskin explained. 'Soon, it will be as if he was never here.'
'Good riddance,' Will called, keeping hold of Anastasia.
The ground shook harder and things were fading more quickly. The Sorcerer looked around in horror.
'No!' he cried: 'no!'
But it was too late: his power was fading and then he too was fading in a pulse of light. Now everyone except the Sorcerer was standing in a field where the house once was.
'Is it over?' Snow asked, lifting her head from where she had hidden against her husband's chest.
'I think so,' he said. 'Everyone ok?'
There were noises of affirmation from all quarters as everyone checked themselves over.
As she looked around, Belle spotted the dagger in the grass, glinting in the light.
'Rumple,' she said, pointing.
He saw it, but didn't move to pick it up.
'I don't want that any more,' he said, in answer to her questioning look.
'But you're still connected to it: couldn't you still be controlled by it?'
'Not for much longer,' he said, raising his hand to her cheek.
'I don't understand.'
'My choice is you, Belle. If you kiss me, my curse will break and I will no longer be the Dark One.'
She stared at him, her eyes widening. 'You don't have to do that to prove you love me,' she told him: 'I don't need that to know I'm your True Love.'
'It's not about proving I love you, Belle: I can see in your eyes that you know my love is true. It's just time to let go of all of this power: it's caused nothing but pain.'
'Are you sure?' she asked: 'I want it to be what you want.'
'I want it more than anything, Belle. You said all you wanted was me: I see that now, and all I want is you.'
'Rumple,' she breathed, staring at him.
He leaned in and she watched his lips. He smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to hers.
It was enough: the magic shivered over them and pulsed out over everyone around them.
'Whoa,' Emma said. She hadn't been paying attention to Gold and Belle: no one had, so the magic came as a shock to her and everyone else.
'What just happened?' Robin asked.
'True Love's Kiss,' Snow filled in, looking over at the couple kissing unnoticed a short distance away. Everyone followed her gaze.
Belle felt it the moment her husband's curse broke. With his lips still on hers, she felt him stumble and she reached around him to support his weight.
'I've got you,' she whispered at his gasp.
Rumplestiltskin felt the old pain in his ankle, but he welcomed it. The curse was broken: at long last he was truly free.
He raised his head and looked down at Belle. She bit her lip and he saw the flash of worry in her eyes, but there was no need for that.
'It worked,' he said, and kissed her again.
She laughed almost in disbelief. 'Oh, Rumple!' She stroked his cheek. 'You gave it all up: you're so brave!'
'What I lost is nothing to what I gained.'
She smiled tenderly and kissed him quickly.
'Wait: so, the Dark One is gone?' Emma asked.
Rumplestiltskin looked down at the dagger and saw that the blade was blank: there was no longer any writing on it.
'Gone forever,' he affirmed, smiling.
'And you're…ok?' Regina asked nervously.
'My ankle hurts a bit, but I feel better than I have in centuries. The curse was a burden that I'm happy to finally be free of.'
'You look a little different,' Snow pointed out, tilting her head and frowning.
'He's the man he's always been,' Belle said: 'the man I've always seen.'
He smiled down at her as she hugged him.
'So, I guess we should get back to town,' David suggested.
'And then what?' Hook asked: 'we all live happily ever after?'
'Well, that's up to each of us to decide for ourselves,' Rumplestiltskin pointed out.
'We've got a chance at a happy ending, at least,' Emma said: 'sure, we may have a long road ahead of us, but at least no one is interfering now, and if anything else gets in our way, we'll deal with it together.'
'Well said, Emma,' Snow said, beaming at her daughter.
'Dinner at Granny's to celebrate?' Regina suggested.
'Sounds like an excellent idea,' Robin agreed, putting his arm around her.
They drifted off, Rumplestiltskin and Belle bringing up the rear because of his bad ankle.
It was Will who noticed them lagging behind.
'Need a hand?' he called, coming back to them.
'A cane would be helpful, but unfortunately I don't have one to hand. You all go on: we'll catch you up.'
'Here,' Emma said, and, closing her eyes, she conjured a gold-handled cane in her hands. 'Will this do?' she asked.
'Perfect,' he said: 'much appreciated Miss Swan.'
Emma was coming to give it to him, but Hook held his hand out.
'Let me, Swan,' he murmured.
She looked at him for a moment, knowing there was no love lost between him and Gold, but he looked like he actually wanted to help the man, so she handed the cane over.
Rumplestiltskin watched Hook warily, wondering what this was about. He was surprised when the man simply handed the cane over without any comment.
'Thank you,' he said quietly, taking it from him.
'You're welcome,' Hook said: 'can't have you missing out on the celebration.'
'Thank you, Killian,' Belle said quietly.
'Well, shall we go?' Maleficent asked.
'Let's,' Cruella agreed: 'I'm starving.'
There was some laughter as the group made its way back to town.
Belle looked up at her husband as they walked a little slower behind everyone else.
'I missed you.'
'I missed you too,' he returned, squeezing her hand. 'So, here we are. I wonder what will happen next.'
She smiled. 'Whatever it is, at least we know it will be completely our own choice. Isn't that wonderful?'
He laughed a little. 'Yes.' He stopped and tugged on her hand, smiling when she came willingly into his arms. 'I know it's been hard, Belle: I know I'm a difficult man to love, and I can't promise that there won't be any obstacles ahead, but I love you, and I'll spend all the rest of my life showing you that.'
'And me you,' she returned. 'I'm just so happy that we have another chance. What I said was true: I have spent my life finding you, and every time I do, I fall more in love with you. We neither of us is perfect, but we fit together: you're the missing part of me and I love you so very much.'
He dropped his forehead against hers and just breathed her in. She was everything he'd ever wanted: she was wonderful, and he would get to spend the rest of his life with her. There was no magic greater than that.
'Fancy a hamburger?' Belle asked.
He smiled. 'I would love one.'
'Come on, then: we'd better catch up to the others.'
Before she could move away, he kissed her deeply, leaving her a little stunned.
'Now, we can go,' he said, smiling.
She laughed and took his hand, and they walked on, side-by-side, and hand-in-hand.
Thanks for reading! :)
