TITLE — THE PRICE OF MAGIC*

status: available
faceclaim: gratiela brancusi*
fairytale oc: esmeralda
storybrooke oc: izabela cooper*
heights oc: valerie weaver
love interest: rumplestiltskin / mr gold / weaver
first appearance: once upon a time season 1
last appearance: once upon a time season 7

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ONCE UPON A TIME, IN the land known as the Enchanted Forest lived a young woman by the name of Esmeralda. She had fled her home Kingdom after a series of catastrophic events that almost killed her and decided to run to the other side of the realm where she thought she would be safe. Not as much as she thought it turned out because not even a week later, a strange man in leather and what appeared to be crocodile skin appeared on her doorstep. Apparently he sensed how powerful her magic was and wanted to teach her to use it. Esmeralda didn't realise at the time that it was in that very moment that her life changed forever.

Rumplestiltskin truly was a knowledgable man. He spat out magical spells and information faster than she could believe. The spells he had her attempting challenged her to her very limits, to see what she was made of. For Esmeralda it was either swim or drown. And luckily for them all, she swam.

Many saw the Dark One as a monster but Esmeralda had seen enough masks in her lifetime to know when someone was wearing one. And behind the golden skin and flamboyant gestures, she could see the goodness that still remained in his heart. Even if it was hidden from everyone else, maybe including himself.

She tried to get him to see, to look inside and accept there was still light in his dark soul. But he would not. Esmeralda even went as far as to kiss the man (well, maybe he wasn't a man) whose scales started to fade away until he realised what was happening and put a stop to it. But Esmeralda knew there was space for love in his heart, she just had to wait until he realised it.

The failed kiss caused awkwardness and anger between the two until Esmeralda had had enough and left, abandoning Rumplestiltskin and Belle in that damned manor.

And the Queen's curse was not far behind.

Regina Mills, the Evil Queen, cast a dark curse that sent every inhabitant of the Enchanted Forest to a new land where the only happy ending would be hers. And for twenty-eight years that was the case. Everyone walked around in a daze, unaware of who they truly were, miserable in a town created with the darkest of magic.

It was for these twenty-eight years that Esmeralda was stuck as Izabela Cooper, Storybrooke's very own dance instructor. But then a mysterious blonde becomes the first visitor of the town in a really long time and everything starts to change.

Because Rumplestiltskin had been awakened and he would be damned — he already was — if he was going to let Esmeralda slip through his fingers for a second time.

If you don't particularly like this summary, feel free to edit it to your liking.

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epigraph:

"Home isn't where you're from, it's where you find the light when all grows dark."

- pierce brown

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quotes:

"How can you love me?"

"Because beneath all that power and all that darkness is a man who wants the best for those he cares about."

rumplestiltskin and esmeralda

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about:

full name: Esmeralda
age: unknown
family: unknown †

esmeralda and rumple

• Rumple taught her magic and they bonded pretty well. She sees the good in him like Belle but isn't as naive to the darkness that is also there. Regina suggests the kiss to Esmeralda who does what she says but when Rumple shuts her down, she runs and never comes back. Belle tried to go after her which is how she got kidnapped by Regina. Rumple taught Esmeralda everything she knew about magic and practically took her in after she left her own realm.

esmeralda

• Her backstory is much like the movie Hunchback of Notre Dame. There's a little romance between Esmeralda and Phoebus but it does die out. In her kingdom, they outlawed the practice of magic and she advocated and supported her people before almost being burnt at the stake. She then left and made her way to the Enchanted Forest where she was trained in magic by Rumplestiltskin and the rest is history. Esmeralda is smart, strong and can see the good in so many, she's not as naive as Belle and is more understanding of the darkness.

izabela cooper

• Isabella is Storybrooke's dance instructor and many of the residents attend her sessions (like Katheryn Nolan for example). She's so bubbly and happy and is an important part of the town even if she doesn't realise it. Once Gold remembers, he tries to reestablish their relationship and she lets him as she's curious to see this side of him. Isabella mainly keeps out of the main drama because she knows it's known of her business.

valerie weaver

• Valerie Weaver is his ex-wife who kept his name. She's a teacher and is also Lucy's teacher. She's not too involved to begin with but she does drink at Roni's. She's slightly broken after her relationship with Weaver, they didn't end on the best of terms (his fault mainly). And despite that, she still comes when the hospital calls after he was shot because she's still his emergency contact and he tries to make amends. They wake Valerie up and she's Esmeralda once again.

If you want to know any other details about Esmeralda/Isabella/Valerie, please private message me and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions.

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notes:

• Yes, this is Esmeralda from Hunchback of Notre Dame and I think this version of her is an excellent match for Rumple. She's strong, independent, powerful and can see the good in people.

• You can fancast the other Hunchback of Notre Dame characters if you would like, because they could be included in the flashbacks and you can even bring one or two of them into Storybrooke later on if that's what you want to do.

• The title I proposed doesn't have to be used at all. You also don't have to write this in one book and can instead split it into multiple over a series if that's easier for you.

• There's no Rumbelle romance in this book but that doesn't mean Rumple doesn't care for Belle because he really does, just not romantically. Esmeralda really cares for Belle too. She's kind of like their unofficial adopted child. Esmeralda will protect her no matter what.

• Considering the OC is Esmeralda, you may want to fancast her and Rumple's son to better fit with them and the ethnicity change.

• I really want to include Esmeralda in season 7 so basically her and Rumple travelled and raised their son before he decided to give up his power and she wants to help him.

ACT ONE
ouat season 1

• Considering Gold wakes up when he meets Emma, he starts to be nicer to Izabela and tries to get close to her. She's not involved in the main storyline so this act is predominantly her and Gold's new friendship. She does get more and more involved as the season progresses and when the curse breaks she's hesitant about going back to Rumple because of how they left things.

ACT TWO
ouat season 2

• Esmeralda is elated when she finds out Belle is alive but is cautious with Rumple. Esmeralda starts to help Rumple with all the magic he does so their relationship is building back up. But they lose it when she's shot over the town line and returns to being Isabella. Isabella's relationship starts to get rocky with Gold but he works to fix it. She does get to meet Neal when she's back to being cursed, unlike Lacey. At the end, Esmeralda is awakened.

ACT THREE
ouat season 3a

• Esmeralda stays behind with Belle to protect Storybrooke and they really hope Rumple comes back despite him saying he won't. They help him and the town the best they can and when he returns she's so happy but immediately sees something is wrong with Henry and also gets to meet Neal properly and she really likes him. Esmeralda is shocked that Pan is Rumple's father and comforts him and is there for him and totally breaks when he dies.

ACT FOUR
ouat season 3b

• Belle, Esmeralda and Neal brought back Rumple and Esmeralda is so crushed that he's under Zelena's control. No one deserves to be controlled like that. Esmeralda helps the best she can and is so happy to find out Rumple's alive (they were cursed so she forgot). She's there for him when Neal passes. Esmeralda realises it was Neal who sent the potion to Emma. Esmeralda appears when Emma and Hook travel back in time. In Storybrooke, Rumple and Esmeralda get married.

ACT FIVE
ouat season 4a

• Esmeralda has magic, so she can sense something is wrong with the dagger but doesn't know what so she's cautious about it. Esmeralda knows Anna instead of Belle, she's investigating Rock Troll magic, so she replaces Belle in that episode but does not use the dagger on him, she wouldn't dare but does take it just in case. Unlike Belle, Esmeralda loves it when Henry calls her grandma because she's never really had a family before. Stripping people of their magic, hits a little too close to home for Esmeralda which is one of the reasons she's mad at Rumple (the other being the lies etc) which is why she kicks him over the town line.

ACT SIX
ouat season 4b

• Rumple's back. Belle has a boyfriend, Will Scarlett, which doesn't particularly work out and Esmeralda goes into protective mother-mode over it. Esmeralda understands the search for the author and wants to help the best she can, she's intrigued by the thought of knowing who wrote their tale. There is tension and anger between Rumple and Esmeralda, she's still very upset which only gets worse with all the stuff he starts doing once he arrives back. But when she hears he's dying, she doesn't know what to do and is so upset by it. Esmeralda, considering her connection to darkness, is neutral in the Heroes and Villains book and is living happily with Rumple and fighting by his side.

ACT SEVEN
ouat season 5a

• Belle tries to distract Esmeralda from what's happening to Rumple. They do their best to help find Merlin, Esmeralda has magic so she helps out quite a bit. When Rumple vanishes, Esmeralda is so worried and searches the entire town for him. Esmeralda has a good feeling Dark Swan knows where he is and Esmeralda can't help but notice and feel that there is something different about Killian. In the end, Esmeralda decides to go with them to the underworld.

ACT EIGHT
ouat season 5b

• The Underworld. Esmeralda joins Rumple and the gang on their quest to bring back Hook. She doesn't like it there at all and you can decide if she sees any faces from her past or not. Esmeralda meets Milah to make everything even more awkward. The return of Peter Pan is definitely something Esmeralda does not like. Rumple tells her she's pregnant which is such a shock for her, she never expected she would ever have a family in this way. But for her and her child's safety, she does place herself in Pandora's box.

ACT NINE
ouat season 6a

• The Land of untold stories has arrived and there is a lot of tension between Rumple and Esmeralda. They both want what's best for the baby and even though she wants Rumple to be there for their son because she thinks it will help bring out his good side, she doesn't want to risk him hurting the child. Esmeralda still tries her hardest to help the Charming family with her magic and knowledge. It's Belle's turn to be protective as she looks after her mother-figure.

ACT TEN
ouat season 6b

• So Esmeralda has their son and has to give him away and I propose you choose a new name for him considering how special that name was to Belle. Rumple's Mother is the black fairy and is behind everything that's going on and Esmeralda can't believe it. She also can't believe that her son is all grown up and her and Rumple put aside all their past grievances to help him. At the end, they get the new chance they wanted and are happy.

ACT ELEVEN
ouat season 7

• Esmeralda is still alive because she doesn't want Rumple to die alone and wants to help him get rid of the power. When they're cursed, she's his ex-wife and is also a teacher. She drinks at Roni's bar so is sort of in the loop and when Weaver's shot, they call her because she's still his emergency contact. Rumple and Regina wake up Esmeralda. She then helps them the best she can and loves Lucy so much. At the end, she's devastated by Rumple's loss but is so proud how far he's come. When everyone's reunited, she's with their son again and is so proud and happy for Regina at the coronation.

IMPORTANT — anything not mentioned in this timeline is up to you to develop, giving you space for your own ideas. Also, if you have any questions, please private message me, I'm more than happy to answer them.

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password — what is your favourite Rumple moment? And why?