WARNING! MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!
Author note: You will find in this fic grammar, spelling errors and verb tenses errors. English is not my native language. I ask you to bear with me. This is also my first fic EVER so it'll probably suck. That being said, here's goes nothing.
It felt like hours since the battle begun but Rumplestiltskin knew better. It only felt that way because he was losing. All those years of careful planning, preparing himself and those around him to this very event, and still he was losing. He would have laugh at the irony if it wasn't so damn painful to even draw breath. For almost 30 years he has been the town pawnbroker, he had in his possession the most powerful objects, the most magical objects in this world. All of them, but one. Looking back he realize it was a bit naïve to think , to hope, that that one, the one the Queen was now holding in her hand, was lost between the' journey' to this world.
"What's the matter Rumple? Ready to quit? " Regina asked with a grin.
"Not likely dearie. This will only be over when you are dead." Even to his ears the threat sounded meaningless and hollow.
The Queen only laughed at that:
"Fine by me. Please do take your time. I can see you are only hanging by a thread and I really can't remember the last time I had this kind of fun."
Rumplestiltskin said nothing. There was nothing to say, really. He was going to lose, the Queen will take hold of his dagger and command him to kill all of the others. She will make him kill Belle, just to punish him, just because she knew that that will destroy him. That will be her vengeance.
And to think that, just a few weeks ago, he was the happiest man alive. He was reunited with his True Love who, despite all the odds, still loved him and the two of them, along with the rest of the Fairytale Land people, we're getting ready to the final battle. His plan was bulletproof: he designed a spell to be cast by the Savior (after all she was the very product of True Love, the most powerful magic there is). That spell wouldl not kill the Queen, but only strip her ability to do magic, turning her into an ordinary woman. If he could had his way Regina would suffer for all the pain she had caused Belle, but his True Love as adamant. 'Promise me you´ll not give in to hate' How could he refuse her anything? He would give her the world, the moon and the stars if she asked. And the little prince, Henry, wanted Regina to live as well. For him, she was still, and will always be, his mother. Once the Queen lost her powers he would be able to create a portal to take them back to their world. Those who wanted to go could go, those who preferred to say could stay. As for Belle and himself, they will search for his beloved son Bae, and when they found him he will beg for his forgiveness. If his son found it in his heart enough love to forgive him, then him, Belle and Bae will become a family and will live happily ever after. It was a simple plan, and you know what they say, the simpler the better. Everything was working out according to plan, even Regina launch her assault at the right time. They we're ready, they we're expecting her, but when he saw the wand in her hand, the Elder Wand, he only had time to create a dome imprisoning himself and the Queen on the inside, keeping the others safe on the outside. Emma still tried to cast the spell but is was no good. Not only the dome prevented the spell to enter, the same way it prevented his and Regina´s magic to go out, but also the Queen's defenses were just too powerful. It will be like trying to break down a concrete wall with a butter knife, pointless. He knew that with that wand she was much more powerful than him. He just needed to buy some time, time to think of a plan.
For the first minutes the fight was intense: lightning falling from the sky, fireballs thrown at each other, buildings exploding, showering them with dust and rubble. They seem pretty even matched but, while Regina drawn magic from the wand, Rumplestiltskin was drawing it from his own body. Even his supernatural strength has its limits. And now he was down to his last scrapes of energy. He could only dodge her attacks, all his remain magic used to keep the dome. Blood was flowing from one ugly gash is his scalp, and he was sure that at least a couple of his ribs were broken. He could barely stand. From the corner of his eye he saw his friends, - funny how he now thought of them as friends - gathered around the dome: Snow and James with Emma and Henry beside them, the dwarves, Cinderella and Thomas, Pinocchio and Gepetto , and Belle, between Red and Jiminy. The look on her eyes; proud, trusting, loving, although scared, nearly brought him to his knees. He doesn't deserve her, not a bit, but he will keep her safe, no matter what. No price was too much for him to pay to keep her from harm's way.
"Well, this was fun but I'm growing tired of this game." Regina said. "Give me the dagger and maybe, maybe, I will allow you to kill your girl quickly. But if you waste anymore of my time, I will make you kill her slowly. You will bring her pain like she never knew existed before. You know I can, and will do it. So give me that dagger!"
He was out of time. The Queen's next attack will shatter his defenses and once she was inside, she'll know out to get the dagger from him. There was only one thing left to do, one last move.
He took one last look around, pausing to look at every face, before he lock eyes with his True Love.
"Jiminy, Red, hold on to Belle." He said, without taking his eyes off of her." Don´t let her go until it's over"
"Wait… Until what is over? Rum, what are you talking about? What are you going to do?" Belle asked, her voice wavering.
Without looking away from her, Rumplestiltskin tried to make all his love, passion, desire for her shine in his eyes. All their fond memories; the first chaste kiss they shared in the Dark Castle; the second much more passionate kiss in this world, when she found out their cup; the first time they made love, and the dozens times after that… He realized that tears we're streaming down his face, and down Belle's face as well.
"Please forgive me, love. I will always love you, my Belle". He said quietly, barely above a whisper.
At that moment he was not Rumplestiltskin, the cowardly spinner, nor Rumplestiltskin, the Imp, the Trickster, the Dark One. He was just Rum, a man very much in love.
With a flick of his wrist the dagger, the one with his name etched across the blade, appeared in his hand, and with one smooth move he carved the blade, all the way to the hilt, in his heart.
The pain was excruciating, but it was worth it. Up until this very moment he couldn't possibly know for sure if this was going to work. But now he could feel the dark magic flowing from is soul, the same way he could feel his life blood flowing from his body. The curse of the Dark One was breaking, and this time it will be forever.
Time seemed to slow down, and Rumplestiltskin fell to his knees.
The gasp of dismay from Regina was completely overpowered by Belle´s cry:
"NO! LET ME GO! HE IS IN PAIN! – she yelled at Jiminy, escaping from his grip as she started to run toward the kneeling man. But Red's reflexes we're sharper than Jiminy's and before Belle could take more than a few steps, she grab her around the waist, keeping her in place.
The pain in Belle´s eyes, in Belle's voice, hurt him more than all the cuts, bruises and broken bones. Hurt him more than a dagger carved into his heart. But it was the only way to keep them keep her safe. Gathering the remain of his strength he screamed: "NOW EMMA!", before falling to the ground.
Emma didn't hesitate for a second. She was in full battle mode since Regina appeared, just waiting for her chance. Taking advantage of the fact that the Queen was too stunned to defend herself, Emma cast the spell at her. It was a direct hit. Regina collapsed on the ground, unconscious but alive, an ordinary woman. Just like Rumplestiltskin was now an ordinary, but dying, man.
Everybody froze for a minute, still expecting to see the Queen rise and kill them. Everybody but Belle. She escaped from Red and run to Rumplestiltskin, falling to her knees by his side. The dagger disappeared from his chest, leaving only the gash and the blood. She aimlessly waved her hands across his wound in a gesture so Rumplestiltskin-like, that he felt like laughing and crying at the same time. Instead he tried to cup her face with his hand but he realized he couldn't lift his arm. It was too heavy. He read somewhere that death was lighter than a feather. Guess they we're wrong.
Their friends we're gathering around them. Snow looked at Doc, who gave a tine shake with his head. There was nothing they could do except being there, with them, until the end.
"Tell me what to do. Tell me how to save you, please" Belle pleaded with tears in her eyes.
"Please don't cry, love. It was the only way to save you all." His voice as low, his breathing shallow. "Promise me you'll try to be happy, promise me you won't give up on life."
"I won't let you die. I'll get you some help and you'll be just fine…just hang on"
"Promise me, Belle." Rumplestiltskin begged.
"I promise, I promise. Save your breath, don't tired yourself." Belle said, not wanting to upset him.
"It's a bit too late for that, love." He said, a shadow of a smile on his lips. He was slipping away, but he couldn't go without telling Belle, how much he loved her.
"You saved me, all those years ago. You give me back my life. I´ve never loved anyone like I loved you, and I'm yours, forever…."
He closed his eyes, never to open them again.
"No, no,no… Rum…don't do this to me…. Wake up… please wake up…" Belle whispered, tears running freely down her cheeks, falling into his face.
"YOU SAID IT WAS FOREVER, YOU PROMISED ME FOREVER!" She was grabbing the lapels of his suit jacket, shaking him, willing him to come back to live. To came back to her.
For a moment all was still. The she let go a wordless cry, a sound so heartbroken that seemed almost impossible to exist. Surely that a person could not feel that kind of pain without dying, without running mad.
Belle laid her head across his chest, oblivious to the blood, oblivious to the rain that start falling (as if the very sky was weeping for them), oblivious to those around her. They we're telling her they've won, that his sacrifice was not in vain. But, if this was victory, then why does it tasted like defeat?
Tomorrow, Belle thought, tomorrow I will try and keep his promise. But not now, not today.
Because today, she felt nothing, she was nothing. Nothing but pain.