Tensions had continued to rise and escalate as Rumple, Jefferson, Victor and Colette buried themselves deep on their thoughts on how to save their darling Belle. The Queen of Avonlea cried for her daughter, Belle had gone through so much and didn't deserve any of it. She'd always known Gaston wasn't right for her daughter but Colette had no idea he'd go to such evil ends; that he'd have the audacity to march into the Underworld. Slowly her waterfall of acidic tears slowed and ran dry leaving her left her sobs muted. Rumple couldn't take his eyes from his beloved Belle, he'd lost so much in his long life; mother murdered, imprisoned father, stripped of his Princehood and cast to the Underworld, but the arrival of Belle had made all of that meaningless.

All his thoughts left him when the Everstone glowed once more, its azure sparkle that faded into black changing to what could only be described as a miniature sun. The thin chain vanished as the Everstone floated up to hover over Belle's heart, Jefferson and Victor dropped to their knees beside their friend with concern coating their faces. The Everstone pulsed as the gold-white glow continued to grow and then suddenly it shot into her body without leaving even a blemish. No one knew what to say, what to think, Colette's eyes grew wide as she forgot how to breathe. Rumple felt his heart soar, he wasn't entirely sure what was happening but that much soothing light couldn't be anything near evil.

Her once bloody blue dress radiated a wave of gold transforming the ruined fabric into the most luxurious ballgown any of them had ever seen, rather than being made of golden fabric it seemed to be pure light; a sparkling star at night. As the eldest living God not imprisoned, Rumple had seen just about everything but he'd not got a single idea what was happening to the woman he loved. Kyra help her.

Softly Belle's baby blue eyes fluttered open and took a moment to remember where she was, Kyra's sun sphere had been so bright that everything around her look so black. Her Mother held her hand tightly with tears drying on her pale cheeks. For a split second everything was peaceful, complete calm, and then suddenly she gasped for air desperately as though her lungs had been deprived for days; her lungs were dry and painful.

"Belle?" Was all Rumple managed to say through his shock, though impossible brown eyes so full of concern.

"I... I'm alright." Belle croaked as she grew used to being inside her body again. "I think."

"What in Kyra's name just happened?" Victor's voice suddenly cut though the worries and shot straight to the point.

Rumple helped his love to sit up as she spoke. "She changed me-"

"What? Who?" Jefferson cut in as he stepped closer.

It was safe to say the Nymph didn't have the first idea as to what was happening, Rumpelstiltskin however, could see the magical power flowing through her, the dress of pure light, the way her skin glowed just a little bit brighter; he'd seen it all as a child with his Mother.

"Belle is the Goddess of Light." The words tumbled from his lips with disbelief, he couldn't deny what he saw though.

"Kyra is dying but light had to carry on." Said Belle as her voice grew less hoarse and guttural. "She wanted me to be her successor, something about it being my reason." Her beautiful blue eyes turned to look at the man she loved who was still helping her to stay upright. "She asked me to tell you 'I still see your light, my Grandson. Now you have her.'"

Rumple paused for a moment, no one but him and Kyra – probably Time as well – had known The Sun refereed to him as Grandson.

"'I still see your light' that's the last thing Kyra ever said to me."

XXXX

Alistair's bold green eyes had grown wide as the story gained a much unexpected twist, his legs ended their swinging and he turned his whole body further to face King Maurice in his throne room. The King of Avonlea had promised him a story of the Gods he'd never before heard and that was exactly what he got. The young boy had to know the end, he just had to.

"... and just like that my daughter became the light Goddess." Said the King.

"I thought Princess Belle was named after the Goddess of Light." Alistair muttered to himself but the aged King heard it.

"No, my boy, Belle is the Goddess."

"I wondered why I could feel my ears burning, Papa."

Suddenly Alistair and Maurice spun around on their thrones to see Belle stood just behind them with Rumpelstiltskin and their two children; Gideon, God of Truth and Fantasy and their young daughter, Thera, Goddess of Beauty and Innocence. Gideon was dressed much like his father only without puffy silk shirt and had a long black cloak around his shoulders, he may have only been fifteen but already the God was on the boarder of being taller than his father. Thera, the nine year old Goddess of beauty was undeniably beautiful, when she grew to maturity she'd be even more beautiful than her Mother. Her eyes were her Mama's dazzling blue but there was a spark in them that was all her father.

"Belle!" Maurice beamed as he rose to his feet and went to his beloved daughter for a hug leaving Alistair to just stare at the four Gods.

Before him was the God of Death, the Goddess of Light and their children, Alistair had expected Thera to be beautiful but she'd far over-shone his expectations. The ten year old had gotten lost in his thoughts about Thera and actually jumped when Rumple spoke.

"Excuse me, I have a reluctant soul to collect." With that the God vanished in a controlled puff of purple smoke.

"Who is this little Angel?" Belle asked her Papa as he turned to cuddle his Granddaughter, she was the only child to stay in the castle since Gideon was little and part of the reason he'd offered to tell Alistair the tale. "Hello."

"A... Alistair, Lady Belle. Princess? Queen?"

What should he call her? Like all the other Goddesses she was a Lady, but also Princess of Avonlea and Queen of the Underworld. Belle just chuckled good-naturedly.

"Belle is fine."

"Are you scared of us, Alistair?" Gideon suddenly asked, as he took a step closer, peering over his Mama's shoulder.

"...No, Lord Gideon."

"Liar." The God smirked. "God of Turth and Fantasy remember? I know when someone lies to me." All the Gods had something to show who they were, his sister had indescribable beauty but no one could lie to Gideon, a talent he rather enjoyed. "You have nothing to fear from me, my sister or parents though." Gideon flashed the blonde a grin before going to his sister and Grandfather.

Belle's face was gentle and kind when she spoke again, Alistair couldn't help but notice the way she glowed ever so slightly.

"My son is correct," She began while leaning down to Alistair's height, her voice like silk. "there is nothing to fear. I understand your worry though, not every day that you find four Gods stood in the same room as you. What was my Papa telling you before we got here? You both seemed rather engrossed."

"... He... The King was telling me about the Gods. About Lord Rumpelstiltskin taking you to the Underworld."

"Oh, and where had he gotten up to?"

"Lady Kyra had asked you to take her place and sent you back to the Underworld."

Belle smiled at the memory. "As you can see I did."

"How? Why?" He asked abruptly, the desperation for a story to not go untold sparkling in his eyes, a look Belle recognise well. "Sorry, Lady... Princess... Queen-"

"It's alright, Alistair. And I said you can call me Belle." She quickly glanced at her son. "Gideon has heard this story several times – it's famous among the Gods – but Thera has never heard it. How about I finish it?" She couldn't leave the ending open, stories had to be finished.

"Please!" The blonde boy's green eyes grew wide. "Please... Belle."

"Mama," Belle stood straight and turned to face her son. "Must I hear this tale again? Can I go to Papa and help him?"

"Very well, Gid. Don't get in your Papa's way though." With a nod and a kiss to his younger sister's forehead Gideon vanished in a cloud of smoke much like his father's.

Belle perched in a regal fashion on her throne and pulled her daughter, Thera up onto her knee while Maurice took his seat again, Alistair was about to sit on the floor when Belle waved her hand and summoned a comfy chair full of pillows for him to sit on.

"Probably best you finish the tale, daughter." Began the King as he got himself comfortable again. "You know what happened better than I." Maurice didn't mention that his headache was threatening to return.

There was a moment of silence as Belle got all the facts straight in her head.

"Alright." She smiled. "Kyra asked me to take her place, become her successor. I didn't say yes for longevity or power. I did it because if I hadn't the realms would have never seen another sunrise, because Rumple and Time would have been alone. I became the Goddess of Light because it's what I was born to do and to save so many lives. When I woke up in the Underworld everyone was staring at me. Rumple was scared though he'll never admit to that. For a long time my Mama just clung to me, sobbing. Jefferson and Victor looked stunned and rightfully so, but they could see the magic within me. That magic was a strange feeling, like my blood was full of fizz but without an ounce of pain, in fact it felt good; gentle and soft. I told them about Kyra and what she'd told me, that I was now a Goddess, I think Rumple couldn't believe it at first even though it was looking him in the face, he'd though he'd lost me, that I was dead only to find the woman he loved had become a Goddess. He would never loose me to old age or illness, his eternity wouldn't be lonely any longer."

Thera hopped down from her Mama's knee and went to sit beside Alistair on the oversized cushion covered chair in favour of looking at her Mother and being with the mortal boy, Thera never saw children her own age because she she and Gideon were the only Gods to be born since Emma and that had been over five centuries ago.

"Before Kyra sent me back to my body in the Underworld she gave me a message for Rumple, something to help him make sense of it all and it really did help him. All his life he'd thought only Msiddi had ever loved him but in that moment he saw the truth, he was loved. I became his wife, we have two beautiful children, he has two best friends in the form of Jefferson and Victor, Kyra had always loved him, so much so that she called him Grandson. He is loved. That is all Kyra had ever wanted for him." She paused for a moment before continuing. "When I was returned I knew that at sunset Kyra would die and I would have to raise the sun, a daunting task but I knew exactly what to do, as though it was written into who I was. Rumple wanted to come with me as aid but it was something I needed to do by myself, at least to begin with. As you can probably guess the other Gods weren't happy, maybe concerned is a better word, and as Princess of Avonlea I wanted to continue taking my kingdom's offerings. They made their thoughts quite clear..."

Belle settled into the tale's ending much as Maurice had started it and even though Alistair wanted to know what happened he couldn't push Thera from his thoughts, how close she was sitting. Normally he hated girls, his sister's, Katherine, Alyssa and Tabitha, bullied him and the other girls in the village acted as though he and the other boys had some kind of plague but Thera was different, he liked her, liked her smile. Her azure eyes alternated between her Mama and Aidan the doll in Alistair's lap. He didn't feel forced, just wanted her to smile again and so passed the straw doll to the Goddess. She beamed at him before cuddling the doll. He'd never liked girls before, they were silly and well, girls but he liked Thera and his ten year old mind didn't understand why.