Hey everyone! I started to write this specific fic because I always wonder what the storyline of Once Upon A Time would be like if Rumple never lost Bae and there was never a curse. I plan on this story being about 25-30 chapters long and I plan on updating every chapter ASAP. Disclaimer: I only wish I owned Ouat and all the characters belong to ABC. Fill free to leave reviews to let me know what you think! Happy reading !
The Orges war had destroyed everything. It had caused the kingdom of Avonlea to come crashing down in flames, dragging its royal family along with it. After Lord Maurice's death, his only daughter and heir to the throne, Princess Belle, was left alone with her back against a wall.
Her people were dying, with their castle and legacy dying along with them. Her fiancé, Sir Gaston, had concluded that war was no place for a princess and had sent her away to live out her days in an isolated tower across the sea for her own protection.
Well at least that is what he had told everyone when they asked questions about her sudden disappearance.
Both Gaston and Belle knew the truth regarding the situation and neither of them dared to talk about it, ever. She absolutely never wanted to see that thick chinned brute ever again after what he did to her. He treated her poorly, not as a princess should be treated, but instead, like a girl who held no value at all to him.
Now, she was no longer a princess, nor a Lords daughter, she was nothing. The Beauty hopes and dreams were ripped away from her, only to spend the rest of her days stuck in an isolated tower in the middle of nowhere. It was all Gaston's fault, he sat on the throne, while people continued to adore him, completely ignorant of his true nature.
She was forcefully sent to the tower, to rot and live out her days. Her days had become weeks, her weeks had turned into months, while months faded into years.
Belle's bright blue eyes traced the walls and the various handmade scratch marks on the stone walls marking her days she had spent in the tower.
She took a deep inhale and walked over to the windowsill, releasing her held breath into a long defeated sigh.
Three years it had been. Three whole years since she had been taken away from everything she had ever known, and was locked away until the day when someone would come and rescue her.
Her father had died in battle fighting off the ogres, leaving Belle utterly alone and miserable. He was all she had left of her family, and without him, she was lost. Usually Belle was left with nothing but to reflect and live on past memories of her father, even sometimes of Gaston, the way he had treated her, then cast her out like she was suddenly of no value to him... but Belle didn't like to ponder on those thoughts. They had only ever brought her pain and added on to her current state of misery.
The only joy she had gotten out of her day was when she relaxed cuddling warm blankets on her bed and got hopelessly lost in one of her books. Belle would truly get lost in a story, so lost that when the story was over, the darkness and loneliness of her current life set in.
The Beauty enjoyed spending her nights reading her books, dreaming of the day when she would finally be able to be free of this isolated tower. However, after three years, books began to no longer satisfy her appetite for adventure. She dreamt of heroics and tales of courage, knights in shining armour defeating the ferocious beast.
Her true love was out there somewhere, and she knew it certainly was not Sir Gaston of Avonlea. In fact she would rather prefer to love one of the farmers pigs then to ever go back to that man.
Only time would be able to reveal what fate awaited for this certain princess, but Belle was never a fan of being patient.
She sighed deeply trying to relax herself, her tight golden dress flowed along the tower floor as she stared out into the dark night. She watched the dim glow of the sunset fade and disappear behind the lush mountains.
Belle dragged her feet over to the stone wall and carved another line declaring another day had gone by. While the once bright sun faded, as did her hope of ever getting out her tower.
The children had cheered. They cheered for Rumplestiltskin for they were finally free from the horrid battle field of the ogre wars.
He had led the children back home safely to their parents, knowing they would all be reunited with them, like Baelfire was to him now.
Safe.
His son Bae was safe and that was all that mattered. He had gained power for him, stabbed another being for the curse of being the Dark One all so Bae would be with him always. Rumplestiltskin always protected what was his, and nothing meant more to him then his son.
The ogre war was finally over and the land seemed to be at peace... or so everyone thought. Days after Rumplestiltskin had become the Dark One, he had changed, and everyone in their small village had noticed it, including his fourteen year old son, Baelfire.
At first Rumplestiltskin was recognized as a hero, stopping the ogres war and bringing harmony to the land. However, as time passed, Rumplestiltskin had become so deeply seduced by his own power, he became the most powerful man in the whole realm and he meant to keep it that way. Everyone in the village feared the beast he had become and quivered with even the utterance of his evil name.
Most days Baelfire would just stay at home in their small peasant house, drawing or painting alone. On occasion he would escort his father to town where he saw groups of people whisper together as they walked by, their eyes filled with fear and discomfort.
Bae walked alongside his father, noticing a small group of children playing nearby. He pretended not to notice, hoping his father wouldn't either.
"Bae, why don't you go play with the other children?" Rumple asked his son encouragingly, gesturing towards the group of children around his son's age.
Bae hesitated and looked down at his feet. The other children were too scared of Rumplestiltskin to even interact with Bae nonetheless want to be friends with him.
"I think I will just stay here." He replied softly, reverting his gaze from his father's.
He couldn't imagine what the other kids were thinking about with the look of fear on their faces. They probably recalled past incidents where Rumplestiltskin had publically turned someone into a snail then crushed them underneath his strong boot. It was no surprise that they were afraid to play with such a mans only son.
Rumplestilskin had become a monster, someone everyone feared and was more beast then man now. Due to his constant deal-making and use of dark magic, Rumplestiltskin had soon obtained a large amount of wealth. They would no longer have to stay in that horrid peasant home, haunted by past memories of Milah and resentment, instead they would live somewhere that was suited for an all powerful Dark One.
"I bought you a present, Bae" Rumplestiltskin spoke with pride to his son.
"What kind of present?" He questioned skeptically, recalling all the terrible gifts his father had given him, mostly stolen objects from other innocent helpless peasants.
"Well, it is for the both of us actually." Then without notice, Rumple poofed his son to a large valley where a large stone castle lay.
"This is our new home, Bae. We never ever have to go back to that village again." He smiled proudly looking for a reaction from his son.
"Do we really need all this, Papa?" Baelfire asked, admiring the shining large castle in the distance, surrounded by miles of forest.
"Of course, son. You only deserve the best."
Baelfire smiled to please his father, but still didn't understand why they needed a home this extravagant. He toured the large castle and settled his things upstairs in one of the dozens of rooms. It was an adjustment that would take some getting used to, the castle was gigantic with endless rooms and places to explore, which kept Bae occupied for most of the day.
After months of living in the castle, the only time he had ever left the castle was when he would go out walking while his father was doing "business".
Sometimes, when Rumplestiltskin wasn't dealing he would accompany his son on the stroll and they would talk, but today seemed different. This time Baelfire accompanied his father to a rather small house on the outskirts of their very large property.
Baelfire waited outside patiently, as told by his father. he passed the time by twirling the grass he had picked. Then as his father emerged from the house, Bae became immediately appalled when he aproached him with blood on his boots and stains on the rims of his pants.
"What happened?" Baelfire questioned his father, concerned At the sight of the blood.
"We need to find a new maid." Rumplestiltskin confessed to his son, with a childlike appeal to his murderous confession.
Baelfire's expression grew disgusted at Rumplestiltskin.
"Papa she didn't need to be killed, why would you do that?"
"I was sure she heard us talking about the dagger A couple days ago!" He objected innocently, pretending to be the victim in the situation.
"She was a mute! She couldn't tell anyone!" Baelfire protested.
"Even mutes can draw a picture." A childish grin came across his face with hope of forgiveness.
Bae shook his head with disbelief at his father's ruthless actions. He didn't speak another word to his father for quite sometime, angry because dark magic was taking over him. Rumplestiltskin's dagger was a subject they hardly talked about, yet Bae couldn't help but be curious about the mystery surrounding the dangerous weapon.
On the walk home, questions filled young Bae's mind on his fathers most treasured possession.
"What happens if someone gets a hold of your dagger?" Bae asked confused about the subject his father rarely ever talked about.
Rumple seemed hesitant and reluctant to answer his sons burning question, but the he answered slowly his voice trying to simplify the technicalities of his curse.
"They are able to control me, and all my power along with it. That's why no one must know about it."
"Where have you hidden it?" He asked.
"In a very special place, buried under one of the willow trees in-" Rumple trailed off his sentance, slightly distracted by something then returned to his explanation.
"That's why being the Dark One has its disadvantages.. If anyone were to ever know about it-"
Suddenly they both became aware of a noise, a loud noise coming from a nearby tall tower.
"What's that?" Baelfire questioned, scanning in all directions, then finally settling his gaze upon the tall tower that sat in the middle of the forest.
Rumplestiltskin looked betrayed and above all... Angry. Someone had most likely been listening and hearing the conversation about the dagger. He would have to kill yet another person to keep his secret hidden, but that was something The Dark One could manage without any remorse.
Rumple followed the sound, Bae padding cautiously beside him until they reach the isolated stone tower.
"Wait here." Rumple told Bae sternly and began to walk away from him.
Bae instantly grabbed his fathers arm tight and held him back.
"I won't just stand by and let you kill innocent person. I bet they didn't even hear us talking." He pleaded, attempting to reason with Rumplestiltskin.
"I'll do what I must to keep my secret hidden."
"Papa, I beg you!" Bae called, but he was too late.
A cloud of purple smoke surrounded Rumplestilskin, transporting him up into the top of the tower to enable him to kill the person who may of heard them speaking of the only weapon that was able to kill him, his dagger.