Author's Notes: I do not own Once Upon A Time which is a show on ABC where they like to torture you and call it a happy ending. How was that a happy ending?! Nobody was happy except Emma and Henry and that's because they didn't remember the truth! Okay, that's done... Anyway, thank you for the reads and reviews. I was so busy with work-vacation-half marathon-work that I haven't gotten back to anyone and I am sorry. I really do appreciate them. Please let me know what you think and happy reading!


Belle spun around in front of the mirror, the skirts of her new ball gown flying.

Reinette laughed at her daughter's exuberance. "Well, now, who was it that didn't want a new gown?"

Belle smiled at the deep blue fabric. "It is nice."

"You will look so lovely attending the season."

"The season?," Belle asked. "Papa said I couldn't."

"Belle, you are a young lady from a great family. You must be in society." Reinette sat on the bench and motioned for Belle to join her. "The balls will be abuzz with the talk of you and your beauty."

"Papa says I'm promised to Sir Gaston-"

"Belle, you are not condemned to that life. You will be meeting with the greatest and the best in the kingdoms. Remember what the seer said?"

Belle rolled her eyes. "You actually believe her?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"My tutors-"

Reinette nodded with contempt. Of course the tutors Maurice selected would say such things. "Your tutors don't know what they're talking about." She shook it off. "Never mind that. You are going to have a lovely summer."


"Belle," said Aurora, "your father is here."

"Good. We need someone to sort the periodicals," Belle said absent-mindedly, looking through the paperwork at her desk.

Aurora frowned. "Moe French?"

Belle froze. She couldn't believe she had made that mistake. Without any overt declaration, Merlin had eased his way into their family, joining them for dinners and continuing his work at the library. Rumple hated the man like a father-in-law and his nature with Beatrice was easy, like they had known each other years.

Belle sighed. "I'll be right there."

She made her way from the office back to the Circulation Desk. Moe had a bouquet. She crossed her arms.

"What do you want, Father?," she asked.

"I came to beg you to listen to reason, Belle," said Moe. "I truly don't want to see your soul condemned."

"You should leave before I call Rumplestiltskin."

Moe seethed. "That beast is part of the problem."

"And Beatrice is the other part?"

"Belle, you don't know what she is, what a monster she will become. You have been used to unleash this great darkness-"

"How dare you call my daughter names. She is innocent. You and the other knights are the ones full of darkness."

"I did what was necessary, Belle."

"Oh! Sir Maurice!"

Belle looked to see Merlin coming in with a tray of drinks.

"Are you yet living?," Merlin added.

"Merlin," Moe hissed. He looked at Belle. "Have you been listening to this man?"

"You know," said Merlin, "I was incredibly disappointed when Rumplestiltskin chose to permit you to live. I think he hoped you would die slowly."

"I'm speaking with my daughter."

Merlin eyed him as he put the drink tray down. "Has your head grown fatter?"

Moe turned to Belle. "You have no idea what ideas this man put in your mother's head. What he's done to manipulate her family. They thought he was their friend, all the time trying to create a Dark Princess-"

"Oh, yeah, because you were her friend when you tied her down and forced poison down her throat."

Belle's mind raced as the argument continued. The Dark Princess. The unknown book. All those years ago.

"Belle! Are you going to listen to me?!," demanded Moe.

Merlin looked at her expectantly.

"I think you should leave, Father," said Belle. "Please don't return."

Moe did not look happy.

"Take the flowers," Belle instructed.

Moe grumbled as he took the bouquet and left.

Merlin looked at Belle. "What did he want?"

It was finally enough Belle decided.

"We need to talk."

Merlin nodded. "I believe we do."


King Midas' castle was unlike anything Belle had ever seen. She had spent many of her summers at King Leopold and Queen Eva's summer palace up until Eva's death. The new queen had never really resumed entertaining in the same fashion and for the most part, society was grateful as whispers had always surrounded her and that mother of hers. Midas' palace was laden with gold and beautiful gold-trimmed mosaics.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Belle looked up from her staring at the mosaic to see her grandparents, the Duke and Duchess of Padua.

"Grandfather!," Belle cried, running over.

"Oh, my beautiful girl," said the Duke, all grins. The years may have aged him, dared to slow him down even, but never soured him. He embraced his granddaughter with his usual enthusiasm. "Oh, I missed you, Belle!"

"I missed you, too, Grandfather."

"And what am I exactly?," asked the Duchess with playful scorn.

"Grandmother," Belle smiled and hugged the woman. She looked to Reinette. "Mama didn't mention you'd be here."

"It was a surprise," said Reinette.

"A not unpleasant one, I hope?," asked the Duke.

"Of course not," said Belle.

"Your mother told us of her plan to launch you into society and we thought we might be of help," said Catherine.

"I don't understand," said Belle.

"To remind people that you are the granddaughter of the Duke of Padua, descended from royal blood," said Catherine.

"Grandmother, you know I don't care about such things," said Belle.

"Oh, Belle, come now," said the Duke, taking her by the arm. "Don't be such a snob. Some dukes are perfectly nice people."

The Duchess snorted.

"Oh, do you have some disagreement, my lady?," asked the Duke.

"Yes, quite a virulent one," she replied.

The Duke leaned towards Belle conspiratorially. "She doesn't know what she's talking about. Ignore her. I'll introduce you to King Midas. Whatever you do, don't shake hands."

They walked ahead as Reinette took her mother's arm to follow them at a leisurely pace.

"Who is it we're looking for exactly?," asked Catherine.

"The most powerful man in all the realms," said Reinette.

"All the realms?," asked Catherine. "Curious choice of words."

"It's what she said."

"Well, if he's here, I think Belle will shine."

"It's Princess Abigail's ball."

"Yes, she is lovely, but she only has eyes for one of her father's men. Fred or someone. Belle has the added benefit of novelty."

"I'm determined that she get settled," said Reinette.

"You can't rush these things, darling."

"I have to hasten it somehow. Maurice would hold her in a tower if he could until she marries Sir Gaston. I've done everything I can to stop an official engagement. Last time I had to declare the castle rife with elfin plague."

"Is that an actual disease?," asked Catherine.

Reinette shook her head. "I'm not sure."


Belle put Aurora in charge of the circulation desk and took Merlin upstairs to the caretaker's apartment. There wasn't really anything in it except for atrociously out of date encyclopedias and an old sofa, but it would do for this conversation.

"What do you want to know first?," Merlin asked.

Belle sat down on the sofa. "Who's the Dark Princess?"

"You know, that title is misleading..."

"Is it Beatrice?"

"Do you know what the villagers called you when you came down from the Dark Castle? Not at first, but later, when it became clear you were not a slave."

Belle shook her head. "I didn't know they had a particular name for me."

"The Dark Mistress."

The title surprised Belle. She had been called "Mistress of the Dark Castle" a couple of times, but that moniker sounded detached, like she was just a housekeeper.

"You're the Dark Mistress in the same way that Beatrice is the Dark Princess," Merlin explained. "It took me a long time to understand that title. I had to learn to understand Rumplestiltskin, the way he loves his children. She was always going to be his princess."

"The Dark One's Princess," said Belle.

"Yes."

"I used to think about it," said Belle. Merlin glanced at her curiously. "I didn't have much time to fantasize after I realized I was pregnant, but I had seen him with the infants from his deals and I knew the way he spoke about Bae. I knew he would worship the ground she walked on."

"Why didn't you tell him?," asked Merlin.

She shrugged. "I was trying to think of a way."

Merlin smiled and shook his head. "There's never a good way."

"Then I got word about my father and..." Belle was tearing up. She looked at Merlin. "I knew if I told him he would never let me see my father."

"Indeed not."

Belle tried to hold back tears. "It's my fault, don't you see? Beatrice lived without her father for fifteen years because I didn't tell him. I stole another child from Rumple, all their firsts, maybe the Curse would have never happened-"

"Oh, Belle, no," said Merlin. "There were two people that could have stopped the Dark Curse: Regina and Rumplestiltskin. That's all."

Belle shook her head. "What about you?"

"I came to Rumplestiltskin, not long after you departed," said Merlin. "I didn't realize that. I knew you were pregnant, but that the future of the Curse hadn't changed, so I knew you hadn't told him. I was going to make you."

"Make me?"

"Yes," said Merlin. "I was rather looking forward to it. I imagine he might have fainted or at least turned a very pale shade of green."

Belle tried to picture it and couldn't help but smile. Her standing before the all-powerful Rumplestiltskin and watching as he fell to the floor with the news.

"And what about the Curse?"

Merlin shook his head. "The future is a dangerous thing. It's hard not to beat yourself over what might have been. I was hoping to make a deal with him, to come up with a plan to find Baelfire. At the least, I wanted to secure your place inside the Curse, to make you and Beatrice safe."

Belle nodded. "We would have been together."

"That was my plan. That was always my plan, Belle."

"What happened?"

"The Blue Fairy," said Merlin. "She found me as soon as I found you and she stopped me."

"You looked for me?," asked Belle.

"Of course I looked for you. As soon as I awoke, I looked for you."

"Why?," asked Belle.

Merlin didn't answer.

"What are you really asking, Belle?"

Belle tried to summon the courage to ask the question she had wanted to, the question she already knew the answer to.

"Are you my father?"

"Yes."

Belle shook her head. "I don't understand. Why did Maurice raise me? You didn't even-"

"To keep you safe. To go with the plan, to give you what your mother and I couldn't have, your True Love." Merlin leaned in. "If I had just dropped you off at the Dark Castle on your eighteenth birthday and told Rumplestiltskin here was his True Love and go make a Dark Princess, do you think that would have worked?"

Belle scoffed. "No."

"And you never would have had the thing you love most." He paused. "Your library."

She shook her head. "You're not funny."

"Yes, I am."

"Okay," said Belle. "What is the Dark Princess for?"

"You surprise me, Belle. You seem to have forgotten something that I told you once on the day you were born. Something you remembered your whole life."

Belle tilted her head at him, at a loss.

"No one decides Beatrice's fate but Beatrice."

Belle smiled.

"There's something else I should probably tell you."

"Do you think I could take more?"

"I dare say you can."


Reinette entered her chamber at Midas' palace. The ball had been a success, both for the Princess and Belle. No one had particularly caught Belle's eye, but she had been noticed and she had enjoyed herself. Reinette sat at the dressing table and started removing her jewels.

"Hello, Reinette."

Reinette spun around. "Fairy Godmother."

The Gold Fairy smiled. "It's been a long time."

"Indeed it has." She motioned at the settee. "Please sit."

"I take it you're looking for Belle's True Love," said the Gold Fairy.

"Most desperately. Maurice has her set to marry Sir Gaston."

Goldie nodded in understanding. "He doesn't have her best interests at heart."

"Do you have a suggestion?," asked Reinette.

Goldie held up her wand. "What do you say we give it one last shot?"

"Can you spare the fairy dust?"

"I knew this day would come. I've been saving it up for a while," said Goldie.

"Is there any way to do it without her coming along?," asked Reinette. "Belle is so headstrong if we took her to him-"

Goldie nodded. "Get one of her books."


Belle entered the pawn shop.

"Hey," she said flatly, turning the shop sign to closed.

The action surprised Gold. "Hey."

She walked over.

"Sweetheart, what is it?," Gold asked, thinking there had to be something wrong.

"I just had that chat with Merlin."

Gold dreaded the result. "And?"

Belle nodded.

"No worse than Moe, I suppose." He looked up at Belle. "Is there something else?"

"Do you remember 'The Book of the Dark Princess?'"

Gold searched his memory. "Vaguely. What made you think of that?"

"Our daughter."

"Oh, Belle, don't be ridiculous."

"The book Merlin gave Beatrice for her birthday is the book. He had it all this time because... because she's special."

Gold shook his head. "No. She is not-"

Seeing he needed help, Belle walked over and hugged him. He aqueezed back, despite his worry.

"It's just a book title, Rumple," said Belle. "You can't get a whole book from the title."


Reinette met Goldie in King Midas' statue garden that she strongly suspected was made up of former family members. With a wave of her wand, the Gold Fairy enchanted the book and it flew, they followed.

They flew a long way, to a land that Reinette had never seen, finding themselves in the mountains and ending up at a great castle. They landed in the gardens.

"This is remarkable," said Reinette. "Such a great house. Very far removed from things."

Reinette looked back at Goldie. The fairy wasn't speaking much.

"What's the matter?"

"The matter is the owner of this castle," said Goldie.

"What of him?"

"We should leave."

"Is this indeed the home of Belle's True Love?"

Goldie didn't speak.

"What is so horrible?," Reinette demanded.

"Cat got your tongue, Goldie?"

Reinette spun around to see Merlin standing in the gardens next to them. His appearance was a shock, she hadn't seen him in years.

"Merlin," she gasped, unable to say anything more coherent.

"Did you know this all along?," demanded Goldie.

"Know what?," said Reinette. "Is someone going to tell me what's going on?"

"This is the Dark Castle," said Merlin.

"The Dark Castle?," asked Reinette. "Is that not a bit melodramatic?"

Merlin shrugged. "The owner has a flair for the dramatic."

"And the owner is Belle's True Love?"

"Yes, he is."

"And what sort of man owns a Dark Castle?," asked Reinette.

"You knew this all along," Goldie accused. "What sort of monster are you trying to make?"

"Choose your words carefully, Goldie," said Merlin. "Or risk choking on them."

"You would hand over your own daughter to the Dark One," said Goldie.

"The Dark One?," Reinette asked, remembering her meeting with him years ago and his curious refusal of her deal.

"First off, I'm not handing her over. When Belle goes to him, she goes willingly."

"He is capable of-"

"Not when it comes to Belle," said Merlin. "He could never hurt her. In fact, she'll be safer here than she would most other places."

"Safe?," Goldie snorted.

"This is really a conversation for Reinette and I to have," said Merlin. "Why don't you fly off?"

"If Blue finds out-"

"Then Blue will have me to deal with."

Goldie vanished into a gold dot and flew off. Reinette turned to Merlin.

"You did know."

"I've always known."

"This special girl, our granddaughter, she is to be sired by the Dark One?"

"Rumplestiltskin is more than you know."

"I should hope so."

"Shall I show you?"

Reinette scoffed. "Do you suppose a dinner party would sort us out?"

"That was not what I had in mind, though he is a rather good cook," said Merlin. He snapped his fingers. "We are now invisible."

"And what's the point in that?"

"To show you what he is when he doesn't think anyone's looking."


They went inside the great castle. Reinette observed the first great room, full of eclectic treasures.

"It's filthy," she remarked.

"All in good time," said Merlin. "This way."

They were half up the stairs when Reinette heard a baby cry.

"What is that?," she demanded.

"It's Rumplestiltskin. What do you suppose it is?"

Reinette rushed up to follow the sound. She found a simple nursery, no flourishes, but comfortable. There was a screaming, red-faced newborn.

"This is someone's child he's taken?," demanded Reinette.

"This is someone's child he's dealt for."

"Oh, I feel much better."

"Yes, yes, what?!," came a sing-song voice.

Rumplestiltskin entered the room and Merlin pulled Reinette away from the crib. She watched as Rumplestiltskin picked up the child.

"You're not wet," remarked Rumplestiltskin. "You just ate. What is it?"

The infant continued to cry.

"It's that mother of yours, isn't it?," he asked. "Are you crying over her? You're wasting your tears, little one. She just traded you for two cows. Only two! She sold you under market value."

The baby cried.

"Hush, hush, now," he cooed. "Tomorrow I'll take you to your new family. They took something from a very wicked queen to get you. They won't give you up as easily."

They watched as Rumplestiltskin rocked and soothed the infant, then left it to sleep.

"Have you seen enough?," Merlin asked.

Reinette nodded wordlessly.

Merlin returned Reinette to King Midas' statuary.

"So?," asked Merlin. "Are you still going to lock her in a tower?"

Reinette shook her head as she took a seat on a bench. "I don't know what to think." She looked back up at him. "He's her True Love?"

"Indeed. She'll be able to see the good in him."

"And the child?"

"You don't actually believe what the Gold Fairy said, do you?"

"I have to ask, don't I? I am her mother."

"No child born of True Love can be a monster." Merlin sat next to Reinette. "Belle will have everything she needs to make her happy. She will be able to have a life raising her child with her True Love. Also, there's a rather large library involved."

"And will she be corrupted?"

"She will be changed, as all love changes us," said Merlin. "Belle cannot be corrupted, in fact, quite the opposite. Her goodness will corrupt his darkness."

Reinette nodded. "Then I will be pleased for her."

She stood and walked away.

"Reinette," Merlin called.

She stopped and shrugged. "What more is there to say?"

"Anything."

"What difference would it make?"

"All the difference."

Reinette walked away, leaving Merlin alone.


Belle walked into Beatrice's room. As usual, everything was going. Her textbooks were out on the bed. The TV was on. The iPhone was playing music and Beatrice was painting her toenails as she read.

Belle shook her head. "How can you think?"

Beatrice shrugged. Belle kicked her heels off as she moved the textbooks aside to join Beatrice on the bed.

"You're not sleeping here again, are you?"

"That was once," said Belle. "You had been in another realm and you are my only baby."

Beatrice cringed as Belle squeezed her affectionately. "God, Mom!"

"You are so wonderful," Belle said, giving her a kiss. "Turn these things off. We need to talk."

Beatrice released herself from Belle's grip and turned off the music, then muted the episode of Sherlock she had on. "Yes?," she asked, twisting the nail polish closed.

"I just had a talk with Merlin," said Belle, playing with Beatrice's hair.

"Oh, God, what do I have to do now?," she asked.

"Nothing," said Belle, grateful that she, Rumple and Merlin were the only ones appraised of that knowledge for now, such that it was. "Merlin told me something and I wanted to tell you."

"And that is?"

Belle took a moment. "Merlin is my father."

"Okay..." Beatrice took that in. "Are there any more relatives you guys want to clue me in on? We could get this all done at once. Should we just run downstairs and check with Dad?"

Belle smiled. "I think we're done with surprise relatives."

"So Moe's definitely out of Thanksgiving?"

Belle hugged Beatrice tightly. "He's always been out, whether he was my father or not, he tried to hurt you and you're... you are everything."

Belle caught sight of the book Merlin had given Beatrice sitting under the nail polish bottle.

"Beatrice!," she exclaimed, rescuing it from having something sparkly from the Katy Perry OPI collection drip on the cover.

"Sorry," she shrugged.

"You need to be more careful with this," said Belle, wiping the dripped polish off. "Extremely careful."

"I know, I know, books are..." She shook her head. "You need a catchphrase. For books. You've already got that 'No one decides my fate but me' thing. Work on that."

Belle was dumbstruck. Her beautiful girl, as she always was, not knowing her future was in her hands.

"Can I borrow this?," asked Belle.

"Sure," said Beatrice. "It's a bunch of blank pages and a really weird family tree."

"Thank you," said Belle, getting up. "I'll keep it safe."

"Okay..." said Beatrice, un-muting the Sherlock episode and getting her Pre-Calc book out.