Title: Destiny Author: Outtie
Original Source: Once Upon a Time Character(s): Rumpelstiltskin & Belle
Rating: K+ Genre(s): General
Chapter(s): 1 Status: Complete
Author’s Synopsis: Maybe Zelena wasn’t the first female to get her hands on Rumple’s dagger and maybe there is more to the events in “Skin Deep” then we know.
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10290488/1/Destiny
Welcome Readers, this is your reviewing host, the Fan Fic Reviewer, reviewing the good, the bad, and those that should never exist in fan fiction. I have to say that I’m a fan of Once Upon a Time and it’s always been less because of the main characters. Nah! I prefer the supporting cast. I think the supporting cast tends to be more interesting and have more fascinating stories that should be told. This story is one of those fascinating stories featuring a young Belle and Rumpelstiltskin (my favorite couple, by the way).
This is a very short one-shot taking place during the time that Rumplestiltskin lives in his castle but years before Belle comes to live with him. Think of this as a re-imagining of their first meeting that is rather cute and fans of the series (and couple) will see some of the hints of the future couple in this meeting.
Rumplestiltskin realizes that someone has found his dagger and goes out in search of the culprit by returning to the spot where he hid the dagger. The culprit turns out to be a young girl who finds the dagger while excavating the area where a castle for The Great Uniter once stood. She finds the dagger along with pottery shards and animal bones and refuses to give the dagger back to Rumplestiltskin because he can’t be old enough (+200 years old) to be the dagger’s owner.
The story continues as Rumplestiltskin tries to coax the child into returning the dagger to him and even plots to snap the child’s neck until he discovers that he can simply trade the child the dagger for a spade since the child has been using the dagger to dig. Making the trade, the child leaves for home and leaves Rumplestiltskin with her name; Belle.
Now, I skimped quite a bit on the interactions between Rumplestiltskin and Belle, but it’s because there’s quite a bit of interaction between the characters. The interaction is interesting and well done with Belle not seeming too brilliant for her age nor lacking understanding. Belle acts her age while being the type of child who enjoys books and going exploring, yet she must have some sort of knowledge that not everyone is to be trusted; she doesn’t believe Rumplestiltskin to be the dagger’s owner and she takes up a defensive stance when Rumplestiltskin first shows up. Personally, I like how Belle is characterized and the flow of exchange between her and Rumplestiltskin. It’s not out of place and it’s nicely paced.
Another thing that I like about this type of story is that I believe this could have happened within the cannon. I mean neither character would necessarily recall the event off-hand because Belle was young and, well, what are the chances that the child Belle and the woman Belle are the same person? Sure there’s a lot to suggest that child and woman are the same person but given how long Rumplestiltskin lives it would be hard for him to recall everyone who has crossed his path. So the story fits within the canon while still being its own stand-alone episode.
Would I recommend the one-shot? Sure. It’s cute and other than watching season one, a person can easily dive into the one-shot and understand what is happening with the dagger. Ultimately, it’s worth a read and doesn’t take much time.
Stars: 7/10
The Fan Fic Reviewer 