This will be a short little story - 10 chapters, tops. Just an idea that popped into my head yesterday.
I do not own "Once Upon a Time."
Rumplestiltskin stared at the chipped cup for what seemed like hours after Regina left.
His Belle was dead. And it was his fault. He told her to leave. And now he would never be able to apologize and win her back. Dead is dead.
He realized that he needed to focus all of his energies now on finding his Bae. Belle would want him to find his son, even if she didn't know anything about him. If she did know, she would help him.
He had spent centuries searching for a way; potions, spells, curses – all of them proved to be futile. There was one curse that had potential. A Dark Curse – the darkest of all dark curses. But for this he would need Regina. He didn't like the woman, and had no desire to work with her in any capacity. Unfortunately, this seemed to be the best option. If only he could find another that wouldn't involve Regina at all . . . .
Rumplestiltskin worked tirelessly for the next several months, as he wanted to avoid the Dark Curse at all costs. This curse was to be a last resort; he knew if it were cast he would lose his magic and his memory for decades, and if there were even the slightest chance to avoid that, he would take it.
To his knowledge, the only magic that could create the same type of portal that Bae escaped through was a magic bean. And those were difficult, if not impossible to find. Rumplestiltskin had been searching for all these years, offering rewards of gold beyond anyone's comprehension, and found nothing.
Ask luck would have it, however, he had recently acquired a small amount of fairy dust in one of his recent transactions. This was a difficult item to procure, and of course he didn't trust it at all because it came from the blasted fairies, whom he loathed. But he was desperate, and curious, and still filled with anger, hurt, and self-loathing due to the loss of his beautiful Belle. He wanted to escape this castle and the memory of Belle that it held. He couldn't help but wonder if fairy dust held the same sort of power as a magic bean did. Hesitant and cautious but at the same time curious, Rumplestiltskin began to experiment with this newly acquired treasure. After several weeks of study and trial and error research in his castle laboratory, he was able to create his own magic bean from the fairy dust. Of course, this bean was unlike a magic bean that the giants had farmed, and it was mixed with his own dark magic, so to use this to create a portal would be risky at best, lethal at worst.
But what was the point of living for him? He had lived for centuries. His Belle was lost to him, and his search for Bae was hopeless at this point. The only person in this realm who actually needed him was Regina, and that meant nothing to him.
Rumplestiltskin, as the Dark One, was never one to throw caution to the wind and take a risk. Every choice he made was purposeful and precise. The only time he made a deal on a whim was his deal to acquire Belle as his caretaker. He would like to say that turned out poorly, but it did not. Not until he rejected her. Perhaps taking another risk would prove to be just as beneficial to him. Belle had called him a coward before she left, just as Bae called him a coward before he fell into the portal disappeared. And that he was. Maybe the best way to honor both of them was to be brave and take this chance. If it did lead to his demise, at least he would know that for one moment in time, he had courage. Rumplestiltskin tossed the lab-created bean to the ground and waited to see what would happen. After several minutes the floor beneath him began to swirl and a portal formed. This portal was similar to the one that had taken Bae from him, but it was different in color. This portal was a bright yellow, not green like the one he had seen previously. He had no idea whether this portal would take him closer to Bae or further from him. But it would take him somewhere. And this somewhere may have answers that he had not yet found. Rumplestiltskin thought about Bae and Belle and drew upon every ounce of bravery that he had within him. And he jumped.
Rumplestiltskin found himself rolling and sliding down a steep, rocky hill. He was unable to break his fall as he tumbled downward, repeatedly scraping himself on the jagged rocks and rough brush. He attempted to summon his magic, but every attempt proved to be futile. After what seemed like an endless amount of time, he finally hit level ground with a thud. He lay on the ground for hours, bruised and bleeding and barely conscious. During a brief lucid moment, he saw a gravel-paved road not far from his line of vision. If he could just make it to the edge of that road, perhaps some traveler would come along and help him. He attempted to stand but quickly collapsed before he was even able to move into an upright sitting position. He was going to die here, alone and injured in a strange land. In a way it was fitting, and what he deserved for all he had done. But he still had hope – hope that this land could lead him to Baelfire. Summoning every ounce of strength he had, Rumplestiltskin rolled himself slowly toward the road, until he reached a place where some passer-by could see him.
But the road was empty. And quiet. And no one came. The evening passed and morning arose. And no one came. He was hungry, and tired and badly hurt. His clothes were torn and for the first time in three centuries the pain in his right leg that he lived with after injuring himself was back and he knew that even if he had no other injuries, he would even be able to stand without a crook or a cane for that reason alone.
He was mortal again. He wasn't the Dark One in this land. And he was going to die here. A crippled, mortal, wounded man with no one to help him. Perhaps this was for the best. Rumplestiltskin closed his eyes and allowed the darkness of unconsciousness to take him.
Belle and her father Maurice were traveling to town that morning; Maurice was to attend a meeting with other nobles to strategize about the ogre wars, and Belle insisted on going with him. As she had gotten older, Belle became more and more persistent about learning the ways of government and leadership. Maurice allowed it, even though she was a woman. He had no other heirs and unless she were to marry, which seemed highly unlikely as she rejected every suitor that approached her, she would one day rule Avonlea. As they neared the area known to the villagers as the Dark Hill, Belle looked up from her book and peered out the carriage window. She saw what looked to be a person lying on the side of the road. He was dressed rather oddly, and appeared to be injured. "Papa, look! Someone is hurt!" Belle shouted. "Stop the carriage, please!" Belle said to the driver. The carriage came to a halt, and Belle carefully stepped out and approached the injured man.
"Belle, be careful, he could be dangerous, you know the types that frequent this area!" Maurice warned her, but Belle ignored him as she went to the man's side. The poor man was covered in cuts and scrapes and blood that had dried; he must have been there for at least a day, if not longer. Belle was certain that he was dead, but she lifted his hand and felt a small, steady pulse on his wrist.
"Papa, he's alive! He's badly hurt - we have to take him home!" Belle insisted.
"Belle, we have a meeting to attend, we'll be late." Maurice said.
"Should we let this poor man die on the side of the road then? We haven't gone far, papa – an hour at most. Take me home and I'll tend to him and you can go to the meeting yourself." Belle insisted.
"You want me to leave you with some strange man? I won't hear of it!" Maurice said.
"Papa he's hurt, he's unconscious, he can't harm me. Please – he'll die here if we leave him." Belle said. Maurice sighed; his daughter was so much like her mother – so kind and concerned for others. And she was right – they couldn't leave the man here alone. He could be a thief or murderer for all they knew, but right now he was an injured man who had no one to help him. To their knowledge he had done nothing wrong; it was not right to leave him to die. "Papa, help me get him into the carriage." Belle said.
"As you wish, my child. As you wish." Maurice said, and he got out of the carriage and he and Belle carried Rumplestiltskin inside of it.
Rumplestiltskin felt something cool against his face as he awakened. He was in a great deal of pain and moaned a bit, his eyes still closed.
"It's alright. You're safe." he heard a soft feminine voice whisper. "Can you hear me?" Rumplestiltskin moaned again. He felt a gentle hand run through his hair. "Sir? Please open your eyes if you can hear me." Rumplestiltskin flinched a bit at her touch and slowly allowed his eyes to flutter open. Everything was a blur at first, but he could make out the shape of someone sitting next to him. It was a woman; of that he was certain. "Hello there. Can you tell me your name?"
"My name." he mumbled groggily.
"Yes. I'm Belle. My father and I found you lying on the side of the road nearly a week ago, you were badly hurt. We didn't know who you were or if you had any family to call. What is your name?" Belle asked.
"Rum – Rumplestiltskin." he whispered, his vision coming into better focus. And then he saw her clearly. His eyes widened as he looked up at her. "Belle." he whispered.
"Yes. My name is Belle. Rumplestiltskin, that's your name? May I call you Rumple for short, is that alright?" Belle asked. He nodded. How was this even possible, he thought. Regina said that Belle was dead. He reached out for her hand and grabbed onto it, squeezing it tightly.
"You're real. You're alive." Rumplestiltskin said.
"Of course I am." Belle said. "Here – drink." Belle reached for a pitcher of water that was on the table next to the bed. There was a glass there, and she poured some water into the glass and put it to Rumplestiltskin's mouth. With her other hand she helped to ease his head up so that he could take a drink.
"Where am I?" Rumplestiltskin asked as he lay his head back down on the pillow.
"Avonlea. At the home of my father and I. It's going to be alright, you'll be well soon. We've sent for help; he comes eventually, he helped us defeat the ogres and he has many healing potions." Belle said.
"Who?" Rumplestiltskin asked.
"The Dark One." Belle replied. "Many fear him because he is so powerful, but if you gain his trust he will help you if you prove yourself worthy. He's only a danger to those who threaten him."
"The Dark One?" Rumplestiltskin asked. That wasn't possible. HE was the Dark One. But not in this land. This land had magic – he had traveled to other realms with magic and he never lost his powers before. Why were they gone here? Why was he a normal man again? Then he realized – there can only be ONE Dark One. And somehow – there was another Dark One in this realm. And it wasn't him.
"He's centuries old; you'd never know that upon seeing him. My father didn't want to call him right away, but you weren't getting any better and I insisted, I feared you might die." Belle said. A knock came at the bedroom door.
"My lady – he has arrived." a gentleman said.
"Thank you. Please tell him to enter. You did pay him, yes?" Belle asked.
"Yes ma'am." the servant replied, and then walked away. Rumplestiltskin watched as the cloaked figure entered the room. He wore a hood and was short in stature; this couldn't be possible. Was he to come face to face with a doppelganger of himself? What was this place? This wasn't another realm, this was – it was almost as if it were a parallel realm. A world that matched his own world in many ways but differed in others. That had to be the answer; that's why he had no magic in this land. The role of the Dark One was already taken. Belle was alive in this realm – and she had found him.
"Good day, sir." Belle said. She stood up and curtseyed to the cloaked figure.
"Why have you called?" the voice from behind the cloak asked. It wasn't a deep voice; it wasn't even a man's voice. More like a boy. Not a young child, but perhaps a boy on the precipice of adulthood, near thirteen or fourteen years, Rumplestiltskin thought as he listened.
"This man – my father and I found him wounded. We were hoping you could provide us with some potions to help him get well, it's been a week and he is still seriously injured. We've done all we can. Can you help him, Dark One?" Belle asked.
The cloaked figure moved toward Rumplestiltskin, who trembled a bit. He already knew by the sound of his voice that he wouldn't be coming face to face with his own doppelganger. But that voice – it had a familiar tone to it. The figure lowered his hood and looked at Rumplestiltskin, who gasped in shock at what he saw.
"Bae." Rumplestiltskin whispered as he looked the young man directly in the eye.