In the following days after Rumple had reunited with Baelfire, many things had occurred in swift succession. King Artem had assembled a unit of his most trusted knights, led by the honorable Ser Chrysaor Horsefeather, to act as re-enforcements when they quietly stormed Kalecaster Castle and to help prevent the people of St. Claes from panicking. Ser Chrysaor had then promptly proven himself a shameless flirt having tried it on with both Belle and Phria almost in the same breath. Artem had also sent some of his people out to source new information regarding Gaston's and Tvon's plots and plans. Belle had managed to reunite with her dear friend Demelza, which had involved much hugging and reassurances until Demelza had turned her attention to whether or not Rumple was good enough for Belle. Not as good as Richard Kavel – who was Demelza's intended – but acceptable was apparently her final decision; Rumple had just left the princesses to it. The most important thing to have happened though, in Rumple's opinion at least, was his continued conversations with Bae. The pair had a long road ahead of them but at least they were walking it. Bae had always been an understanding lad, always far smarter than others gave him credit for with enough bravery for three other people – oh, Rumple was so proud of his son. However, while Bae could understand that the Darkness had corrupted his doting papa into the Dark One, understanding did nothing to ease the decades – nay, centuries of pain, abandonment and suffering Bae had gone through because of it. Over a great many years he'd come to see just how hard his papa had to fight just to retain some semblance of sanity, and, while he did want to give Rumple the forgiveness he so craved, it would be a long time before the walls around his heart came down enough for Bae to offer it. His papa wasn't the same as the last time he'd seen him; didn't seem to seek out reasons to kill or maim, didn't mutter to himself about the voices in his head in dark corners or wildly change mood.
The teenage boy had been surprised when he'd met his new sisters after Rumple had summoned them from Ranga along with Renner Cassian-Lorne and discovered them to be an elf, lamia and pantherian. Dreymyr's species were still so new to him that he'd just stared at Valdis' wings for a good five minutes. Bae might have been somewhat dubious about meeting the two girls but they hadn't been; Amicia and Valdis had delighted in having an older brother, in meeting the boy their papa had told them about so many times with a loving smile on his golden-green face. Frankly, Bae had taken to the girls in a heartbeat, they were loving, kind and adorable little girls who pulled an innate need to protect out of him. Renner had been unnerving since he just lingered with a gruff expression, but both Amicia and Valdis seemed quite fond of him. In Neverland he'd felt alone and scared, but in Dreymyr he'd not only found a way to move forward with his papa, but gained a family; Bae liked being a big brother.
One morning, shortly after breakfast, his two little sisters had coaxed Bae into playing in the gardens with them; something which was overseen by Renner as always and Phria after Valdis had flashed something only called 'the face' at her. The children played and simply enjoyed being children while the adults prepared for a hushed war. When a quiet moment finally came, Rumple had sequestered himself in the loggia with a good view of the gardens and his joyful children. The sound of Amicia's and Valdis' laughter dancing on the breeze fed his darkened soul.
Suddenly a slender set of arms snaked around his waist from behind and Belle rested her cheek against his back. She smelt faintly of roses, a sweet fragrance Rumple often delighted in.
"You're thinking rather loudly, Rumple."
"Aye, it's a unfortunate side effect of being me." He teased as he pulled Belle to his chest so he could simply hold her. "Bae said something this morning about how different I am here than any other realm." Belle hummed, he'd mentioned being different on occasion before. "I have a theory about it actually, but it'll have to remain a theory as I have no way of testing it without risking becoming a slave to my curse again."
"What is this theory?"
"Well, Dreymyr is a realm essentially cut off from other realms because of how unique its form of magic is; similar to how the Land Without Magic is cut off because it has next to none." Belle nodded against his chest as he spoke. "I've hypothesised that, because magic is so different here, the Curse thought I'd been killed when I was summoned here. Like a candle flickering, still there and lit, but intermittent and threatening to go out. The Darkness thought me dead just long enough to cause a reaction. My dagger is the a conduit for the Darkness, and when it thought me dead it ceased transmitting that corruptive evil to me. That said, the power, the magic, is stored inside the host rather than the dagger since it helps to darken my soul and heart. That's the goal of the Darkness, Belle, to fully corrupt the heart of its host so it can take over entirely." That caused Belle to peer upwards with concern in her cerulean eyes, because she'd never realized just being the Dark One had slowly been killing him from the inside. "The portal closed so fast behind me that instead of my curse ending and killing me, it – it essentially got broken in two. The dagger stopped sending the evil to me, but it didn't have time to suck the power of the Dark One back. That is the best theory I have, anyway. The power, immortality and knowledge remained with me while the evil duplicity remained with the dagger."
"Do you think the same thing happened to the other Dark One who came here?"
"Probably, the Darkness is nothing if not cunning and patient. However, they returned to the Enchanted Forest and no other Dark One made a record of it to my knowledge. I suspect that the connection would re-establish were I to return."
"Then don't return." Belle said with determination. "You told Phria and I that your only reason for leaving this realm was to find your son, but Bae is down in the gardens playing with his sisters. You have no reason to go back now, so don't."
Rumple tilted his head down to kiss her temple, their arms still wrapped around one another as he gazed out from the loggia. Remaining in Dreymyr would mean he'd not grow any better, but he'd certainly not get worse.
"I want to stay with you, Phria and the girls as well, sweetheart. I love you. I just worry about Bae, if he wants to leave, I couldn't let him go alone no matter what it would do to me."
"And you say you're a coward."
"The whisperings inside my head might have been a hell, but they're a familiar one. Regardless, I have to return Jefferson to his daughter. She has a caretaker, but that is no replacement for a father."
"Then you and Jefferson shall find a way to open that portal so he can go home, then you'll close it and stay here with your family."
Rumple hummed out a brief laugh. "You make it sound so easy, Belle."
"It is easy." She squeezed him tight. "You and Bae can be happy here, we can all be a family. Back in your realm, we'd be broken apart and you'd suffer."
"Let us just deal with Tvon and your wanna-be fiancé first, yes?"
Belle nodded, mostly because she knew she'd already won the conversation.
~X~
Each day a little more of his mind returned to Maurice, but with that return came pain; pain for failing his people and his children, pain for failing to see the darkness inside his court mage much sooner or realizing the unabashed greed Gaston may as well have worn as a cloak, would push him to such lengths. Lancaster had been sent away before things had truly gotten bad, he stood a chance of continuing on with his life, but the cruelty Gaston's men put people like his marshal through had reached a point that Maurice wondered if executions would soon begin. All that was emotional pain, the very tip of the iceberg, the physical pain came in the form of Maurice paying heed to a saying his daughter and late wife were fond of: do the brave thing and bravery will follow. That and the silk ribbon around his wrist had spurred Maurice on, had given him the strength to quietly fight the agony long enough to locate a quill and ink, then pen a letter to King Artem. Forming each letter had felt as though liquid fire coursed through his veins while some savage beast assaulted his chest. Only by sheer determination and the fact nobody but Gaston entered the throne room any longer – well, him and a young page by the name of Hugo who brought the King his evening meal – did Maurice manage to finish his letter without discovery.
When he finally finished, Maurice was appalled at the state of his handwriting, it looked as though a newborn colt had written the letter, but it was mostly legible and the King knew he wouldn't be able to muster enough strength to rewrite it. Perhaps one day, were they all extremely lucky, Artem could tease his friend about his lacklustre display of penmanship.
He had to fight the spell with every step he took toward the large window on the left of his throne, his footfalls clacked and echoed around the stone room as the sun neared its zenith, but Maurice soldiered on. When he finally arrived at the window he simply collapsed against it a moment, the spell Tvon had put him under tried to insist he were to remain on the throne staring forward until he was spoken to, but Maurice had to do anything he could to protect Avonlea. After a few attempts he managed to get the window open and glanced up to the dovecote in the distance and let out a unique whistle of two short high-pitched notes followed by a longer lower one which ended in an upward inflection. It wasn't just any bird he summoned down, not a random pigeon but rather a stunning white raven so adored by the du Marchand family that he had been allowed to retire in the dovecote with free reign to come and go as pleased. Albedo was his name, a sweet white raven Colette had found with a broken wing and nursed back to health shortly after Belle's birth. A smart bird was Albedo, a loyal bird who Colette had treated like part of the family.
Maurice smiled when a squawk sounded and the white raven came to perch on the window ledge. Any and all correspondence entering or exiting Kalecaster Castle would have been checked, and anything leaving without permission would have surely been shot down. However, Albedo came and went as he liked, it had always been that way, so nobody would bat an eye were they to see him as long as the note was folded small enough, Albedo would escape unharmed.
"Take this … to Artem at Bruckstone quickly, Albedo. He – he needs to know … the truth."
The white raven secured the letter in his beak without hesitation then launched into the sky without fear. Colette had always said Albedo was smarter than any other bird, and Maurice hadn't once doubted his sweet wife. Blue eyes glanced down to the ribbon around his wrist knowing that, if he couldn't save his kingdom, then Artem would.
The ruby ring, the one he couldn't remember putting on, flickered knocking the King out of his thoughts. It had been flickering more noticeably over the last week or so, and he suspected it had something to do with him managing to take back a small amount of control over his own body. No matter how hard he'd screamed at himself, his body just wouldn't attempt to cast the evil thing off. Whatever Tvon's spell really was, it seemed likely that it would eat Maurice alive, he'd be gone but Artem would surely rescue Avonlea, then Belle, wherever his beautiful daughter was, would rebuild like the strong, intelligent girl she'd always been. Maurice just hoped that Artem arrived soon enough to save little Lorrimer; that boy had suffered enough over his short life, he deserved no more.
~X~
Bae glanced up at the loggia to the garden's south side, he could just spy his papa and Belle as they embraced and suddenly he didn't wish to play any longer. Instead of fleeing back inside though, he just slowly walked over to a stone bench and sat himself down while his new sisters continued to giggle and chase one another. A look he didn't notice passed between Phria and Renner after a few moments, a whole conversation in the space of a single glance, a silent conversation which ended with Phria taking a calming breath before she walked over to the bench beside him.
"Bae?" The boy glanced to the white-haired pantherian. "I know things are strained between you and your father, and that you don't really have any reason to listen to me, but … he's overjoyed to see you again. He knows it won't be easy to fix your relationship and I won't pretend I fully understand your past with Rumple, but please know he truly is overjoyed." Bae's brown eyes – the same eyes as Rumple before the curse had changed them – turned back to the loggia where Belle and Rumple just visible, and Phria's eyes went with them. "Ah, I see now. Rumple said having more than one wife is not done in your realm – in most realms."
"It's not. And when it is, it's just a power display."
"And you think that is what Belle and I are for him? A display of the Dark One's power?" Phria rested a hand atop Bae's slender shoulder to draw his attention to her fully. "That isn't what this is, Bae. Belle and Rumple have been together since the day he was summoned here, they've learned and lived and adventured together, was it any wonder they fell in love? He took care of Belle and protected her when it would have been easier for him to just leave her for dead. He vowed to help her family and home when, again, it would have been easier not to bother. The Dark One didn't do it for some benefit, Rumple did it all because he loves Belle very much." She paused a moment to sigh and stare down at her hands in her lap. "I didn't like him when he arrived at the Arcane University, but I soon realized my mistake and grew quite fond of him. He doesn't see a half-elf and a pantherian or a simple tamer and a Valkyrie who isn't even a noble, he doesn't even see that he doesn't really need us in order to thrive in Dreymyr. No, he just sees Belle and Phria, our likes and what makes us the women we are, and we see that in him. We see the man where everybody else just sees the demon lord. Sometimes Belle and I forget that multiple wives isn't normal to you and Rumple, I'm sorry for that. However, please don't think this is about power when it's about love. We love your father and he loves us."
"You really don't mind … having to share him? You're okay marrying him knowing that?"
"Your father could have a harem of women around him and I would still love him and want to be his wife." Phria smiled tentatively. "The question is: are you all right with Rumple marrying both Belle and I? I suppose it does mean you'd have two stepmothers."
Bae lingered in silence a moment to the point Phria began to worry. Yet, just when she'd started to regret approaching the boy in the first place and hoping she'd not made things between father and son worse, Bae spoke.
"I guess it's fine. It's weird to me, but … lots of things in Dreymyr are weird to me. We don't have pantherians and elves or grasswalkers in the Enchanted Forest. I was scared you two felt forced, but, if you don't, then I'm okay with it."
Phria's heart soared; acceptance from the son of one's future husband was no small thing.
"We've never felt forced, Bae. Both of us marrying him was Belle's idea, Rumple actually refused it at first because he didn't want Belle to feel like his love for her was lacking or that she weren't good enough."
Bae's brow furrowed. "He said no?"
"To be honest, I think we bullied him into it a little."
That actually made Bae laugh and instantly a little tension floated away with the breeze. Phria opened her mouth but it seemed their conversation was to end there as Valdis hurried over and all but demanded her big brother return to playing with them, and, just like Rumple, Bae was powerless to deny her. Alone, Phria sat a time in quiet as she watched the children play and Renner somehow master the art of being alert and taking everything in while appearing totally disinterested. There had been a time when Phria had thought it best for her to keep all her feelings for Rumple inside, to just love him from afar. She'd thought it a noble and moral act but, since meeting Renner and learning of how much agony he felt for his lost love, Phria knew she'd not have had enough strength to live like that. Aidan had died, but Rumple was immortal and had enough love for both the women in his life. Rumple had told them the Curse of the Dark One slowly eroded the host's ability to love, but Rumple had managed to survive three hundred years and still love all five members of his family dearly. Rumple had his flaws like any other, some darker than others, but nobody could have denied that he love his family with everything he had.
The Valkyrie peered down to her emerald ring and smiled sweetly. An emerald for Phria and a sapphire for Belle, both set into ornate gold fashioned by his own hand. There rings weren't displays of wealth or status, they weren't to draw attention or mark ownership, they were purely symbols of Rumple's love for them and showed he valued them as people rather than pretty stands to drape silk and jewels off or fill with heirs. Despite having been save from her live with Uncle Hamish, Phria had always been lonely. Yes, the Ravenscroft sisters, Ashuna, Isadora and a few others had been her friends, but nobody had ever really seen Phria for who she was; only Rumple saw the real Phria, and he'd embraced it.
XXXX
A/N
Just a reminder that all the portraits for characters and locations for this fic can be seen on the A03 version.