As the silent battle for dominance over the minds of the common people continued, Belle encouraged Rumple to put in some extra effort when it came to how the people saw him. That was what had resulted in he, Belle, Bae and Azzy taking a trip to a plot of land not far from the shore where a warehouse had burnt down long ago. The citizens watched on with equal parts fear and curiosity as Rumple used earth magic to strip down the remains and construct a new building of two stories. Maurice had tried insisting that guards accompany them but Belle had refused; she was at her safest when by Rumple's side.

For several years that ruined warehouse had simply sat their as an eyesore but, with Belle unsure of how many demi-humans had been refused medical care since Gaston had taken over, she'd wanted to get a clinic built quickly. It was just an extra boon that making a show of Rumple building it would further encourage people to pay no heed to the Church's lies. As for Bae, he'd just wanted to be out of a castle and stretch his legs. His papa had promised no more indiscriminate killing and he seemed to be keeping to that promise; Bae was proud of him.

With the building up and the arrival of people to outfit and man the new clinic, as well as an uplifting speech from Belle about how there would be no exuberant costs and nobody would be turned away, the bravest citizens did slowly head inside to speak with physicians.

"Happy now, sweetheart?" Asked Rumple as they'd departed the clinic.

"Very. My mother actually suggested building a clinic there long ago. It's nice to see it a reality." She smiled up at him. "And then there's you. Did you see how people hid from you a little less?"

"Maybe for all of five minutes."

As they walked through the market people stared frightfully and created an almost comical bubble around Rumple, as though his powers didn't work beyond a certain circumference. Then again, Rumple supposed he should have been grateful there hadn't been any terrified screams followed by a mass exodus of the city. To be perfectly honest, he cared very little if the public opted to cease fearing he'd kidnap their children, but his public image was more about removing arrows from the Church's quiver.

"Papa, look!" Bae caught his father's sleeve and pointed to a little stall selling small apple hand pies. "Can I have one? We could take some back for my sisters as well."

Sweet boy. Bae had always been very loving and thoughtful, it was one of Rumple's favorite things about his son. There were plenty of sweet treats back at the castle now the servants were all in working order again, but he supposed buying from the market would be another way to show the Church was wrong.

As they approached the vendor people cleared away but kept watch over them all. They had given the citizens a lot to take in after all; the Dark One wandering about without a care in the world, Princess Belle walking the city instead of riding in a carriage and being escorted by numerous guards, and a giant waheela most had probably never seen before.

Belle put the nervous vendor at ease when she greeted him brightly and requested enough hand pies to ensure they, the girls, Phria and even Lorrimer got one when they returned. Belle could ease anybody's worries. The gold coin Rumple tossed to him was far too much money for some simple sweet treats, but that had been the idea. Generous wasn't a word normally associated with the Dark One, but he could again make gold and had no qualms aiding the royals in easing tensions.

Bae happily tucked the bag underneath his arm while he ate one of the hand pies and slowly they returned to the castle. These public outings wouldn't become a common occurrence, but they would re-enforce Maurice's speech.

~X~

After about a month, the silent battle with the Church reached a stalemate – which ultimately was what Demeer, Gordana and the three royal families had been hoping for. The Church would eventually think of some new angle, but they'd been forced to halt their attempts to indoctrinate the public.

In that month, Rumple had learned Aquan as best he could and Professor Mezgebu had begun teaching Semiramis Common. Things progressed slowly but she had picked up a remarkable amount. Then there was the way she'd ceased flinching every time someone entered the room. With a bath not being sustainable, Rumple had used his earth magic to construct a small building with a shallow but spacious pool for her to inhabit. Both Amicia and Valdis had been excited to meet a real mermaid so Phria had found herself taking the girls to play with Semiramis between her lessons. Of course leaving Semiramis alone in a pool all day except for when the girls or Professor Mezgebu visited wasn't exactly sustainable, so Rumple had begun working on a talisman for her much as he had with Valdis. He'd been working on it in the Court Mage Tower when Belle found him.

"At it again?" She asked as she hurried over to him. Belle hated the tower as much as Rumple did, but Maurice had allowed him to use it for the time being as it had all the tools he'd required. "Valdis keeps telling Semiramis about the talisman, she's very excited for her to have one as well."

"They're not candy, sweetheart."

"Maybe not, but Valdis is unlike anybody else and the talisman makes her feel like she has more in common with Semiramis."

Rumple sighed. "She shouldn't grow so attached, the girl will return to the sea soon enough."

There was a small issue with that plan though. Semiramis had spoken of a sea serpent attacking her and her mother before she'd been captured. She'd seen that monster tear many merfolk apart then the sailors had finished her mother off. All of it had left Semiramis terrified of the ocean and each time they'd spoken of returning her to her home, she'd become almost hysterical and refused to put one fin in the ocean. A mermaid scared of the water.

Belle perched on the workbench and took his hands into hers. "Rumple, don't you think it's time we just accept Semiramis is staying with us?"

Rumple took a breath. "Belle, I know what we did for Amicia and Valdis, but we can't collect children. Especially children who still have family in the ocean."

"An ocean she's terrified of entering and we have no idea which sea she was pulled out of. I understand what you're saying and I agree it is wrong to just take in every waif and stray we find, but this one needs us just as Amicia and Valdis did. You, Phria and I already have three children, what is one more? And, one day, if she decides she wants to find the family she has left, then we can help her."

"Belle, you turned nineteen yesterday." Yes, that had been a surprisingly quiet affair what with everything that had been happening. "And you wish to be mother to four?"

"My age has no part in this, Rumple. Had you still been planning to return to your realm to look for Bae, then I'd not suggest it. You're remaining now though and we are a family. Besides," she began with a smile. "I think the girls have already installed her as the middle sister."

Rumple sighed deeply and spared a glance to the black pearl he'd been working on. Had his spinster aunts not taken him in as a child, Rumple had no idea what would have happened to him. Those women had been his mothers, so he understood what Belle had been trying to get across to him, but Amicia hadn't had anyone to return to, and all of Valdis' family had been slaughtered centuries before her hatching; Semiramis still had family though and surely they longed for her return. They weren't an orphanage and Rumple's innate instinct to protect children only stretched so far.

"Belle-"

"Just think about it, Rumple." She cut him off and leaned to kiss his cheek as she dropped his hands. "You said yourself that something is wrong with Dreymyr and how children are treated. If Mira is with us then we know she's safe, loved and protected. The Dark One for a papa and Renner takes his job very seriously."

King Maurice and Rumple agreed on few things, but that Belle's ability to make everything sound so totally reasonable being annoying was one of them.

"Mira?" Questioned Rumple with a slight tilt of his head.

"Uh-huh. I mean, saying Semiramis every time is a bit of a mouthful." The beautiful princess stood. "Just think about it. Oh, and Papa has formally announced that I am to wed you. I felt enough time had passed for the Kingdom to get over the initial shock of you existing and, though Papa still isn't entirely happy with me wanting to marry you, he knows it's that or spinsterhood for me. My Great-Granduncle Gasper contacted him via a communication crystal and insisted on sending the Vita Tree's High Priestess herself to conduct the ceremony."

"I honestly don't care who officiates as long as we are married. I'd hate for you to be forced to live on Spinster Island with a cat and complementary bar of chocolate."

His quip had her chuckle and bend to kiss him once more. "There is one thing. The High Priestess is in Elvasitz and it will take her a long time to arrive. I wish for us to be married as quickly as possible, so-"

"Will I use my magic to speed things along?" He finished for her only to nod. "Of course, sweetheart, anything for you."

Pleased and with strict instructions for him to remember to join them all for dinner rather than working his fingers to the bone on the talisman, Belle departed leaving a soft waft of roses behind her.

Rumple's head fell backward. Everything had come to such an abrupt end after the deaths of Tvon and Gaston, all that chaos and then nothing like a story had finished. He didn't like it, felt as though it were too quiet, a calm before some worse storm. Still, life wasn't a fairy tale and Rumple may never have wanted to enter this bizarre realm, but it had brought Bae back to him and given him a family. Whatever storm came, Rumple would weather it for them if nothing else. For his family was the only time Rumple managed to squeeze some bravery out of himself.

Then there was Semiramis and her fear of the ocean. Part of him had known she'd not want to go back to the depths, part of him had long accepted he, Belle and Phria would become her guardians, but he'd hoped to salvage at least one child's family. Belle had been right, forcing her into the water would be cruel and make things worse, the best thing for Semiramis was to protect her until the day she was ready to enter the ocean again. Rumple glanced to the talisman he'd been working on, if he'd truly intended to shove her back in the sea against her will, he'd not have bothered crafting it in the first place.

Lastly was this High Priestess. Belle had mentioned her great-granduncle several times since they'd met and he knew that King Gasper was important to Belle, so refusing his generous offer was probably not a wise course of action. He couldn't teleport directly to Elvasitz though, he'd need to go to Bichelberger then use Jefferson's hat to continue to the forest city – and finally get his horse back. While returning to the Enchanted Forest had become significantly less important to him, it was still very much a priority for Jefferson and why he'd spent so long in Elvasitz learning all he could. For the sake of Grace, Rumple would aid Jefferson in returning regardless of a deal.

The next day, Rumple decided, the next day he'd make the trip and return with this High Priestess apparently willing to conduct the wedding of a beloved princess and a demon lord. For the rest of that one, he'd continue to delicately craft the sigil onto the black pearl and attach it to the two silver bands he'd chosen as a necklace. So that was what he did, he etched the tiny marks precisely and mindfully while avoiding thinking about how three young women and a child had been left to die in the storage room behind him. Demeer insisted a new court mage was on their way, Rumple just hoped this one was better than the last.

Later that evening, after he'd actually joined his family and Belle's papa for dinner, the three children had insisted on going with Rumple to test Semiramis' new talisman: Belle hadn't been wrong, Valdis was certainly excited about the whole thing. That was how he, the children, his fiancées, Renner and even Azzy had ended up in the small building Rumple had constructed to house the merfolk girl. While she'd been tolerating the pool due to it being so shallow and the only thing allowing her to breathe, it was rather evident she couldn't wait to escape it.

"Legs?" The blue-haired girl had questioned with her limited vocabulary after Rumple had produced the necklace and explained as simply as he was able. "Legs? Mine?"

Rumple nodded. "Yes, little one. Legs."

He crouched down and pushed her long blue hair out of the way. Out of all the things he'd encountered in Dreymyr, blue hair was certainly one of the less alarming, but it had caught his attention. As far as he'd ever known, mermaids in his realm had possessed the same hair colors as those who lived on land, but Belle and Phria had made it clear that blue, lilac and even pink hair was perfectly normal for merfolk and had been surprised he'd asked about it.

With little more thought, Rumple fastened the necklace from which hung the small black pearl he'd worked so hard on. As with Valdis, nothing happened for a few moments, and then the magic took hold and turned her turquoise tail into a set of tanned legs. Overjoyed, Semiramis forced herself out of the shallow pool and made to run about only to instantly collapse exposing herself to the room. Renner swiftly covered the eyes of Amicia and Valdis while he and Bae averted their gaze politely. Phria stifled a giggle before she and Belle helped the girl to her feet and Rumple summoned a dress of white detailed with blue and gold from his vault in Ranga for her. Semiramis didn't seem deterred in the slightest, just delighted to be free of the water and clothed in a pretty dress like Amicia and Valdis.

"Real legs! Real legs. All mine!"

"All yours, Mira." Belle confirmed as she stroked a hand through her damp locks. "How would you like to sleep in a bed tonight?"

Semiramis glanced up at her with puzzlement. "Bed?"

That little question had Amicia duck out of Renner's grasp and grab the girl by her hand with a big grin.

"Vee and I share, you can sleep in our room. You'll love it!"

There was another thing Belle hadn't been wrong about, the girls really had installed Semiramis as the middle sister. Rumple really had no choice, the only option was guardianship until she decided for herself to seek out her blood family.

While the girls, Belle and Phria encouraged Semiramis in taking her first steps and Bae spoke of how much she'd like the castle and city, Rumple and Renner gravitated towards one another with Azzy in the middle.

"My Lord, am I to understand you've taken Lady Semiramis as a daughter?" The pantherian queried while Demiurge snoozed around his neck – frankly the tree cat bordered on too big for such a thing any longer and Belle would likely aid them forming a contract soon enough. "If I'm to be bodyguard to the First Demon Lord's children, then I should probably know how many of them there are."

Rumple had been smart when he'd insisted that Renner protect all his children rather than specifying them by name, gender, quantity or blood. Ensuring their deal had no specifics on the children themselves had automatically made certain that were he and Belle or he and Phria to have a child or adopt one, they'd be protected as well. Semiramis wasn't who he'd expected the deal to extend to, but extend to her it did.

"Aye, Renner, I have and you will guard her like you do the others."

The shaggy-haired former assassin nodded curtly. "Understood, My Lord, Demiurge and I will watch over her."

Some days Rumple wasn't entirely sure how he'd gone from a lonely and evil sorcerer to a demon lord with a loving, and steadily growing, family. He'd never fully believe he deserved Belle nor Phria no matter what he did, and having Bae back in his life seemed more like a miracle than anything else. As a selfish man, he'd keep them all for himself.

~X~

Rumple had woken with the sun and slipped out of bed beside Belle to dress quickly. It was the day he fetched the High Priestess so that he could finally marry his beautiful girl with the sapphire eyes, and leaving early would keep everything on track. Once dressed he'd bent to kiss Belle's forehead as she'd continued to slumber then left the bedchamber for the room his – now three – daughters shared. The moment he'd pushed the door open a knife had embedded itself in the door frame beside him having missed by hardly an inch. Renner truly did take his job seriously and had long ago trained himself to be a light sleeper. While irritated by the blade, Rumple had thought little about it and ignored Renner's quiet apology. Instead he'd simply checked on his daughters, left a selection of new clothes for Semiramis when she woke and instructed Renner to pass on information of where he'd gone for the day.

As he'd headed back down the hallway and been about to teleport, Phria's silken voice called out to him. Rumple spun on his heel just in time to see his fiancée hurry over to him. Her cobalt armor had been freshly polished and her ponytail seemed slightly higher than usual.

"Good morning, darling."

She smiled and let him hug her close; his body was so warm.

"Morning." Phria stretched up to kiss him. While she may have been taller than Belle, Phria was still a few inches shorter than Rumple. "You're returning to Bichelberger, yes?" He confirmed he was. "I want to come with you. I need to speak with the Grand Mage and in person would be best."

Rumple's brow furrowed deeply. "Is everything all right, Phria?"

"Yes." She contended. "All fine. I wanted to visit a shop there as well. I thought I could get Belle the something new all brides need. Belle's dress is stunning and has these gold leaves on the skirt. Apparently the dress was her mother's."

Though her tone remained light, Rumple couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong underneath, not when a tragic dullness had settled in her emerald eyes.

"Phria, tell me what's wrong." He insisted. "Do you not want Belle and I to get married?"

"What?! No, it's not that – it's -" The pantherian sighed deeply and pushed herself lightly out of his grip, her eyes downcast. "It's just – I guess I feel like I keep expecting you to decide you don't want to marry me. You love Belle and -"

"Phria, stop. You're right, I love Belle and I'll always love her, but I love you as well." Silence lingered between them for a few moments as birds chattered outside the windows and a few maids set about their daily chores. "Do you know what True Love's Kiss is?"

"Something from fairy tales?"

"Partly. True Love does exist, it's just so rare few realize it. There's nothing to tell us who True Loves are, no map or hint. They can be born in a different realm or a hundred years after us, so finding your True Love is next to impossible. It's the most powerful magic there is, it can break curses that nothing else can. When you kiss a wave of magic bursts out and tingles on your lips. I felt that the first time I kissed Belle. I love her and nothing will ever stop me loving her." Phria's face fell. "But I felt it the first time I kissed you as well. I've lived more than three centuries and I've never known a person to have more than one True Love, a romantic love anyway. True Love can be the love a parent has for their child. I don't know if I did something noble and selfless in a passed life or made a deal with some deity, but I have two True Loves and being the greedy monster I am, I won't let either of you go." Rumple pulled the white-haired pantherian back into a loving embrace. "Please don't think I'll throw you away, I won't. I love you and you will be my wife."

"But you were so against it in the beginning," she whispered.

"Because having more than one wife just isn't done where I come from, not because I didn't love you. Promise me you believe me when I say you won't be cast aside."

Phria smiled up at him sweetly, her heart had been put at ease and worries banished to whence they came.

"Of course I believe you. I know you don't acknowledge the hierarchy of wives, but I just couldn't shake it."

Rumple petted her soft ears as he often did, though it was mostly to sooth himself.

"I'm the Dark One, I don't do what everyone else does."

That had Phria breathe out a cute laugh before she took his hand and insisted they head to Bichelberger instead of wasting daylight. Thankful for a clean way to duck out of such an emotional conversation without being rude, Rumple obeyed and in the blink of an eye they were in the vast city on the other side of the continent. Rumple went to hunt down Leotomas so he could pilfer the communication crystal they'd been using to contact Jefferson, while Phria had gotten a report from Vice-Captain Ravenscroft before she spoke with Demeer.

Finding Leotomas in the mass of hallways, classrooms and research labs hadn't actually been as difficult as anticipated for Rumple, not when Professor Ainsworth had easily directed him to the tall werewolf with a smile. Mad was Ainsworth, but helpful at least; with the rabbit ears he'd have fit in wonderfully in Wonderland. Getting the communication crystal off of Leotomas had been somewhat more of a hassle and the words 'authorized personnel' had left the man's lips more than once before Rumple had finally gotten his hands on it. Jefferson had been positively overjoyed to hear from Rumple but, when he paused to think about it, he had sort of left Jefferson grasping at straws while he'd gone off to rescue a kingdom like the white knight he truly wasn't. With hardly any encouragement Jefferson had popped back to Bichelberger to pick up Rumple before throwing them both back into his hat and escorting them to Elvasitz inside the Great Forest.

The city wasn't quite what Rumple had expected, he'd assumed the city to be a tiny thing darkened by a thick canopy and sparsely populated. In reality, Elvasitz was a stunning blend of rural and urban with trees and thick grassy areas wrapped around buildings all lit by warming sun. Towers poked out among the trees and lined a large hill which led up to the city's centre.

"I've made progress," Jefferson suddenly announced excitedly as they made their way along a cobbled lane. "The priests seem to think that magic is trying to balance itself by blocking off access to our realms. It was hard to understand at first, but they tell me it's like a scale: Wonderland, the Enchanted Forest, Oz, they're all on one side of the scale with their own version of magic, while Dreymyr is on the other scale. Magic is preventing the scales tipping by denying us a way home."

Yes, that was much the assumption Rumple had reached as well unfortunately. Balance seemed to be fundamentally important to Dreymyr and was clearly part of the reason the Cardinal Dragons existed. Viren and the others acted as anchors keeping those scales in place while dragons like Shiryu added further support and stability. Bypassing that anchor was the problem.

"That seemed evident." Rumple replied as they passed by three young elven women who giggled and eyed Jefferson; apparently rugged good looks and a scoundrel smile worked on women of any species. "Do these priests have any idea how to punch through?"

"Thank the gods, yes." Jefferson nodded. "Dark magic. I don't get it, but they say dark magic is different from other magic, like it's a unique thing both scales share. I told you, I don't get it. One of the priestesses, Síofra, she says that a big enough surge of dark magic should sustain a portal long enough for us to return."

Rumple lifted an eyebrow as he came to a halt not far from the Vita Tree Temple. "And precisely where are we meant to get a 'big enough surge' I wonder? It won't be me, that's for damn sure."

He'd felt the power of the summoning spell when he'd been forced into Dreymyr and, while he was immortal and certainly wouldn't somehow run out of magic, it would be painful and probably leave him unconscious. This wasn't tossing a bean on the ground and jumping, whoever cast the spell needed to be hyper focused, and Rumple doubted he'd be able to while in torturous agony. Tvon had surely used whatever else he'd managed to scrounge up from Halinox other than his ring, but this time they needed something more reliable. Mana stones likely wouldn't make a good substitute as they were an amalgamation of all the elemental magics. Where the hell were they supposed to find a big enough pool of dark magic that wasn't him?

"I don't know, but at least we know what we're looking for now." Jefferson sighed deeply and fidgeted with his cuff agitatedly. "Your kid came to you in a roundabout way, my Grace can't."

Yes, Rumple knew he'd been incredibly fortunate in that sense. He'd never met young Grace though had heard Jefferson prattle on about her enough times to know he'd do just about anything to be with her; Rumple admired him for that.

"We'll consult Demeer," he decided. "That University vault of his has to have items belonging to the other demon lords in there."

Thankfully pacified, Jefferson guided Rumple the rest of the way to the temple building, then trailed after him when one of the priests took Rumple to meet with the High Priestess. While desperate to return home to Grace, Jefferson still wanted to know everything about the Dark One's wedding – who wouldn't wish to get all the gossip on that topic?

As soon as the wooden doors carved with vines opened and the two men admitted inside, they were struck by the fragrance of lilies and patchouli; if that scent came from the High Priestess herself or the numerous floral arranges designed to further bring nature indoors, neither could quite tell. Vera Lilyfay's office wasn't large or grand, but there was an elegant beauty to the décor and a fairly large open balcony where she stood staring out at the majestic forest. Silvery-lilac hair hung straight and long down her back. She wore a green cloak adorned with two dramatic points at each shoulder and an unusual headdress which left two wing-like points above each ear. Vera's ears were much more noticeably pointed than Belle's half-elf ones and, while beautiful, she gave off an air of being much older than she appeared.

"King Gasper made me aware of your arrival," she said slowly as she turned to face them. "Welcome, Dark One. I am High Priestess Vera Lilyfay. I must admit, my King instructing me to officiate the Dark One's wedding to his great-grandniece was something I worried deeply over, but I am pleased those worries were unnecessary."

Rumple cocked an eyebrow. "And why is that, dearie?"

"Drazvans would have us believe you evil and nothing more, but nobody is just one thing. You have darkness inside you, but you are not dark. I feel you were born to be something quite different from what you are. It was taken from you – no, cut from you."

If this woman had sipped too many cups of nightspore cap tea or was just an odd one, Rumple neither cared nor had the time to ponder. Belle had told him she wished for them to be married as soon as possible and he'd not deny her.

"That's all very interesting, dearie, but my bride has a schedule."

Vera chuckled. "More than evil indeed." She slowly made her way across the room to a small tea set and began to pour cups for the three of them. "While I apologize for disturbing Princess Belle's schedule, I was commanded to wait for King Gasper's arrival before departing. He will be joining us as it is much more agreeable to simply use your spacial magic rather than fatiguing so many good horses."

"Dearie, I'm not a damn carriage."

Jefferson simply smirked and accepted one of the teacups from Vera; these amusing little interludes really did restore much of his willpower.

"Belle will just send you back for her uncle or whatever he is and you know it." He pointed out as he flopped into a chair. "At least this way she won't frown at you."

Damn, the Hatter had a point – wasn't exactly a good point, but a point nonetheless. That was how he ended up taking tea with the head of a major religion. Something about the elf reminded him a little of the seer girl he'd known, as though Vera were looking through, around and into him all at the same time. Weirdly, it didn't leave him uncomfortable, not when Vera gave off a sense of acceptance for all.

The trio spoke at length about what Jefferson had learned during his extended time in the city and got a more accurate description of this scale Jefferson had spoken of while they waited for King Gasper. Vera had gone so far as to offer possible places Tvon would have found Halinox's magic tools. The woman was a font of knowledge that Rumple could have done with speaking to months ago. She knew the story of the Intercardinal Dragons and that dragons hadn't gone extinct but rather chosen to remove themselves from the affairs of men. Vera Lilyfay, he decided, had been more insightful than even Demeer.

Eventually the conversation came to an end though when King Gasper arrived accompanied by only a small entourage of knights. Their greetings were short, to the point and soon Rumple was able to return to Avonlea with a king, a priestess and a madman like some bad joke. At least he'd remembered to send Svad to Kalecaster's stables before they'd departed.