I'm afraid I cannot reveal the cause of the wildfire (yet) during the Ogres Wars. You'll have to keep reading to discover.

Thank you: MissiB, Stargate533, juju0268 (POTTY!), The Prince's Phoenix, Grace5231973, Guest, thedoctorsgirl42, Ladii Emelia

I do not own Once Upon a Time

Every day Rumpelstiltskin felt better and a little bit stronger. Half way the second week he was finally walking short distances without fainting of dizziness. He celebrated when he finally managed to walk to the toilet and got rid of the potty with much pleasure, wishing never having to see it again. The Dark One laughed at the situation, glad to see her slave was recovering well and steadily. He insisted in making tea, claiming he should start getting his routine back, but in truth, he had missed making it and was still bored out of his mind.

"Read a book." The Dark One insisted for the tenth time after he brought back the tea set to the kitchen. Every time she suggested him to read, he would inspect the books, opening them and then closing them again, showing no interest in the written stories. "Stop being so fussy. Look, I'm sure you'll like this one." She handed him a small book. He opened it, let the pages slip between the fingers, placed the book back on the table and fell silent, with an annoyed look. He looked ashamed and offended at the same time and only then did the Dark One realize why he only chose books with images. "You can't read!" She almost yelled at her revelation. "Wow. Your life must be really empty." The Dark One, having a special affinity with books, could not imagine a life without them.

"If you spend the whole day working and still have a child to care, I guarantee you there is no time or energy or whatsoever to read!" The Dark One stared surprised at his bitter tone. He looked clearly offended and gave a soft grunt, lying on his back. The Dark One had the slightest feeling this was a man that probably always wished he could read but never had the chance to learn it. She smiled as she got an idea.

"What if I read a bit for you?" She sat next to him on the couch, holding the small book on her lap. He looked suspiciously at her. Since he didn't react, she cleared her voice and started reading. "Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a young orphan boy. He served as squire to the nobleman Sir Keith and every morning he…"

She read the exciting story about a boy named Arthur, who became king with the help of Merlin, the wise but clumsy wizard. Together and with the help of Excalibur and the men of the Round Table they won many challenges and enemies and defended their kingdom Camelot. Rumpelstiltskin listened enthralled to the written words and was fascinated with the tale's characters such as Sir Lancelot and Lady Morgana. The Dark One ceased reading when she noticed his eyes were getting heavy and he couldn't keep them open anymore. She looked at him contented. There was a soft smile plastered on his face.

…

The following days they created the habit of having reading sessions by the warmth of the fireplace. The Dark One still didn't allow her slave to do more than the tea, fearing he would fall back in his illness. He was still weak, still falling asleep too many times and too quickly, not to mention he was still recovering quite some lost pounds. Since she started reading him stories, his restlessness diminished profoundly. His time was finally occupied and the Dark One shared her world of tales with him. One morning, she was out of adventure books and wanted to go to her library to get new ones. But Rumpelstiltskin held her arm and asked her to stay. There was that look in his eyes, she had seen the last couple days already several times. It was like if he wanted to say something, but always restrained himself from doing so. She remained seated next to him, his fingers still around her arm, his thumb forming small circles on it. She stared down at him in wonder, while he seemed to hesitate like he always did.

"What is it?" She finally asked. The hesitation grew. He opened his mouth and closed again. After some moments struggling, he finally seemed to find the courage to ask her the question that he had wanted to ask since the day he arrived in the castle.

"Where you a princess before you became the Dark One?" She stared surprised at him and he could see immediately she wasn't happy with the question. Still he insisted. "Were you the princess of this castle?" The Dark One stared upset at him, the blackness of her iris growing. The silence was becoming frightening. "Please. I told you about the Ogres." Can't you share your story with me? He didn't say it out loud, but it remained implicit. The Dark One pondered a long while. Why would she tell her story to him? He was nothing but a slave. But then, why did it upset her that he wanted to hear her story? That he stared at her with those pleading brown eyes and it made her uncomfortable? "It's not like I'm going to tell it to anybody." He insisted. She chuckled. She knew he could not tell anybody, because he didn't see anybody. But she knew what he truly meant. He meant he would keep her story secret. And for some reason, she trusted him.

"Yes, I was princess of this castle, once upon a time, a very long time ago." She started, her voice low and pleasant. She smiled a bit, feeling his hand softly slip down her arm to her hand, holding it. "My father was king of Avonlea, the land of the mountains and the fertile fields. He was a good king and his people loved him dearly. He had lost his wife too early, but had a daughter he loved and cherished above all things. Even though he knew nothing could replace her sweet mother, he made sure his girl grew up happy, never missing anything in her life.

There was a neighboring kingdom where there lived a prince, just a few years older than her. His name was Gaston. When the princess was ten, she was betrothed to him. She was to get married when she reached the age of fifteen, as the tradition demanded, but the ogres came and brought the wars with them." The Dark One noticed Rumpelstiltskin frown slightly at the mention of the monsters, and she gently moved a lock of grey hair from his face. "The wedding was postponed, because the prince had to go to battle. Three years later, they conquered the ogres, who departed defeated. The triumphant prince returned home with cheers and celebration for his courage and strength. Prince and princess finally wed and she moved to his castle.

Every night they would bed, wishing to have an heir to the throne, but no child came. Prince Gaston was very angry and tormented the princess daily with insults, accusing her for not fulfilling her only task for the kingdom. There were many stares and gossip going around in the court and in the streets. The princess grew unhappy, but she knew it wasn't her fault. The prince had many lovers, but none gave him a bastard. He was as barren as a desert." She said mockingly, Rumpelstiltskin chucking at the metaphor. "When she was twenty-four, the ogres returned. Prince Gaston left to the wars again, like many good and valiant men. But this time the wars were more violent and years stretched themselves. The princess, like many noble women, attended the wounded in the hospital and she grew desperate with the amount of young men condemned to become cripples or die of infections. She wanted to save the people of her future kingdom, but didn't know how.

One day, an old man told her the story of the Dark One. He told her there was a way to defeat him and take his powers. She decided she wanted the powers, so she could put an end to the horrible and never-ending war. She left her husband's kingdom when she was twenty-eight and it took her two years to find the Dark One. And when she did, she succeeded into killing him. It had been easier than she thought. Then she realized, the dying Dark One was the old man who had spoken with her two years before. It had been a trap and it was too late. He laughed, telling her he was free and that it was now her burden to carry. And then he died." She paused and closed her eyes at the memory of her fears and deception lived at that moment. And how those feelings all vanished when something else took their place. Darkness.

"Her mind was overwhelmed with dark powers she could not handle. It was a magnificent feeling, the magic flowing in her veins, making her unstoppable. She killed many ogres with a simple flicker of her fingers and ended the wars. She returned to her husband's castle, proud of her achievements. Prince Gaston returned shortly after and she told him about her new powers and how she pulverized the ogres. He laughed at her not believing in her tale. He ridiculed her fantasies and humiliated her again for being childless. She had enough of his constant taunting, so she stabbed him on the stomach and killed him." The Dark One made a movement, holding an invisible knife in her hand and crushed it on her slave's belly. His muscles only flinched a bit.

"She killed all her husband's lovers. Then she killed all pregnant women. And all women who had children. And then their husbands. Nobody should have what was denied to her. The king ordered her death and she killed all the castle knights and her father-in-law too. She proceeded killing those who gossiped and mocked her during all those years. In the court and in the streets. Then she killed those she suspected were against her. In a few days, there was nobody left to kill. In her rage of accumulated years of unfair submission, she burned down the castle, so in the end there was nothing left but rubble and smoke." The Dark One took a few deep breaths, as she was becoming a bit overwhelmed by her memories. She could feel Rumpelstiltskin's hand still on hers.

"Afterwards, she dwelled for many years without a destination, traveling through the world, bringing disgrace and misery wherever she went. One day, she heard the king of Avonlea was dying of illness and of a broken heart. She returned to her father's kingdom and was received with tears of joy by the king. She tended his illness and managed to stretch his life for some years. During her stay in the castle, the king would always watch over his daughter and protect her from unfriendly rumors. And during those years, little by little, people left the castle and its lands, fearing for a similar fate as her husband's kingdom. When her father finally died, old and ill, the castle was already abandoned and no living soul was to be found in a ray of miles. The rest you already know." She finished her story with a heavy sight. It was the first time she shared it with another living being and a heavy weigh was lifted from her shoulders.

"What was the princess' name?" The Dark One could have cried at the pleading look of his eyes. Her name. Few knew it. Few used it.

"Her name was Belle."

"Belle." He repeated with a smile. Her name never sounded so right on someone's lips. "What a lovely name. It suits you."

"I'm a monster." She bitterly said. He placed his hand on her cheek.

"Yes. You are a monster. And you are Belle." His voice was a comforting whisper. "You are both. The Beauty and the Beast." He said affectionately. She chuckled, holding back tears from her eyes.

"That's quite a unique combination."

"One of a kind."

The Dark One, Belle, couldn't hold it back anymore. She leaned over her slave and crushed her lips on his. He was lying on his back and she laid on top on him, her body fitting perfectly on his. Rumpelstiltskin wrapped his arms around her and they kissed for a long while. They hadn't tasted each other for almost three weeks and were making up for lost time. After a while, Belle's hands started searching for the warmth of his body, making way to his chest and fidgeting with his buttons.

"Mistress…Mistress." He called meekly between his gasps. "Belle!" She looked down at him surprised. "I'm sorry. I'm too weak." He dejectedly said. She sighed in understanding and kissed him on his lips.

"Can't you get better faster?" She whispered disappointed in his ear. He chucked more at the sensation than at her words.

"Believe me. I'm doing my best."

They locked their gazes for a while. Then Belle kissed him again. They kissed until their lips and tongues were exhausted and then they remained lying still. They stayed in silence, in a world words weren't needed anymore, the sound of their breathing, the feeling of their heartbeats against their chests and the warmth of their bodies being just enough.

So, what do you think about Belle/Dark One's backstory?

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