Over the last few days Rumple had spoken with Gordana about sending Martha and Chip Potts to him, and made it quite clear he had no wish to become a charity despite Bae's hopes for their new home to become a refuge for those with nowhere else to go. In the end the most Rumple had gotten was Gordana's word that she'd discuss things with him before tasking Nalene with another journey through such a perilous stretch of ocean. Sure, sea beasts didn't lurk in quite such copiousness numbers in the Sea of Harrow as they did in the Sea of Beasts, but that didn't mean a voyage was easy or without significant risk.
He'd thought the conversation with Gordana in his communication crystal room – which he'd modelled after King Maurice's – would be the most annoying part of his day, but Phria and Belle proved him wrong when they cornered him on his way to his tower where he'd planned on spinning and tinkering with a few projects. The children should have been in their magic lesson with Kyveli by that point and Jefferson had taken Grace to see Bichelberger after numerous days of asking. When he paused to think of it later, Rumple would be certain his wives had planned everything.
"Why must the pair of you insist on wearing the same expression when you want me to do something you know I'll not want to do?"
"We find it's best to put on a united front." Phria teased as she leaned against the wall, her white hair held in its usual thick ponytail. "You can't say no to us."
"Maybe not, but I can grumble about it for a while first." Rumple giggled as he gestured for his wives to get to the point.
Belle managed to refrain from rolling her eyes, he had a reputation of being an uncooperative, cantankerous and crotchety devil. Belle supposed she'd let him play fiend despite knowing him to be more of a scoundrel.
"At least grumble quietly. With us having this new alliance with the Cardinal Dragons, it's become clear that you're lacking a few things. Heraldry, you need heraldry and your domain needs a flag. I know you probably think that's the most useless thing in the world, but all noble houses have a coat of arms. If the House of the Dark One doesn't then it suggests you aren't fit to rule."
"I didn't want this land."
Belle shook her head. "I said to grumble quietly. A coat of arms is a symbol of your family. Think of it as a symbol binding your family together. The children are all adopted but this will be something they share, something that is theirs in equal parts. I'm a du Marchand, our coat of arms is a golden dragon on an azure field, but it was only crowned when Avonlea's first king was. It acts as a visual record of our accomplishments. The flag will show this land is the Demon Lord's Domain; it is protected, it is not free to take and there will be consequences for those who try."
"Belle's right, Rumple. The Church can still act like this land has been usurped from Drazva, but a flag provides a visual, something they'd have to rip down."
Rumple sighed. "So it's a flamboyant display of ownership."
"But you do flamboyant displays so well." That had Rumple breathe out a laugh as Belle cuddled into his right side. "Say you'll agree."
"All right, fine. I was born a commoner though so I've no idea what any of this is meant to look like. You're my scholarly wife, Belle, you design it." He beckoned Phria to him and she quickly filled the space on his left. "My warrior wife will ensure it all shows strength, I presume?"
"I can do that."
He nodded and kissed their temples in turn. Never would that silent fear that they'd one day come to their senses and abandon him leave his mind, but it was just a fear for neither of his queens would ever stop loving him.
"If that was everything you wanted to bully me into, I had a lovely day of potions and spinning planned."
The women flashed one another a glance before they stepped back from him. 'They're wearing that expression again' said his mind with mild irritation as he mentally braced for whatever came next.
Belle confessed: "There was something else. The castle is getting a little more lively now and you were speaking with Gordana about those who need help. Bae is very enthusiastic about the idea-"
"The point, sweetheart?"
"We want you to build a village. Just a small one beyond the lake. Bae wanted a haven for people and this village can be it. I'm not suggesting some grand city like St. Claes or Bichelberger, not even something as big as Ranga. A quiet little village where people can be allowed to live their lives without fearing persecution for the accident of their birth. There could even be a new Teapot Inn should Missus Potts like."
He hated the idea of yet more people bothering him and his peace, but Belle spoke the truth, Bae had wanted a haven and it was one of the main reasons he'd relented in taking on his new kingdom. There had been a town down the mountain from the original Dark Castle, so the idea wasn't totally alien to him even if that town had been filled with terrified peasants pretending he wasn't there. This was probably the main reason Belle had insisted on heraldry; a village needed to be governed and protected by someone, looked like that someone would be him whether he liked it or not. For Bae he supposed he'd suffer a little village beyond the lake.
"Very well, do as you please. Pick a spot and I'll clear it for you. Just don't give it some long name that sounds ridiculous. And no church. Not a single one."
Phria kissed his cheek. "We wouldn't dream of it."
He supposed Missus Potts and her son could stay in the castle if they wished, they'd made themselves useful as housekeeper and stablehand, but there wasn't any tolerance for more squatters showing up to demand a fluffy pillow upon which they could rest their heads.
"A steward would be best first. Someone hired to manage these projects and handle payment for them. Staffing has become something rather pressing. I have an idea on what to do about it though."
"Then I trust you do handle things. You were born a princess, I assume you know exactly how to procure who you need."
That was all the permission Belle needed – not that she'd actually needed his permission. Letters were sent, delivered by Albedo personally to ensure they arrived promptly, offers were made with the hopes of enticing the man Belle hoped to poach from the Merchants Guild. Arkadius Deem had been the Merchant Council representative for Avonlea since long before Belle's birth, but it was his nephew Belle had her eye on. A man who truly had the blood of a merchant and had gotten her some very generous deals on rare books over the years; he'd make the perfect steward. A marshal could wait, they had no army after all. A butler and maids though, they were needed and, with the assistance of her great-granduncle Gasper, those positions didn't stay vacant for long. By the month's end a butler and four maids had been sent from Vell with King Gasper's complements; the role of steward remained in the wind, but half the battle had been won.
The day the two queens greeted them with Ariadne and Proserpina was a surprisingly warm one as well as the day Rumple had finally gotten around to clearing the plot of land beyond the lake that Belle had decided was perfect for their village. Noe Youngblood, Igraine Caulember and Annli Stormborn – a half-demon, elf and grasswalker respectively – all of whom were soon assigned to the princesses. Meanwhile, the pretty demon with pointed horns poking out from her wavy hair, Zilpha Swift, would take on the role of Belle's Lady's maid. Phria spent all her time dressed in leather armor even after she'd left the Valkyries and had insisted she could 'dress herself – thank you very much.' So Zilpha would likely only ever be called on to assist Phria in dressing for a formal occasion and it didn't look like those would come along too often. Ravavena might have gotten herself a maid outfit but she'd got no real idea what she was doing and couldn't handle more than carrying tea trays around; she'd done her best though. Rumple had taken her to assist in clearing the area for the village.
The new staff had stopped in a line before their new masters with heads lowered respectively. The sight of two clearly heavily trained women and a waheela quickly taught them all that, though very few in number, those in the demon lord's service were startlingly powerful.
"Thank you for welcoming us into your home, my Queens. I am Tariel Kurowood and it shall be my honor to serve as this castle's butler."
The dark-haired elf gave a low bow before Phria and Belle. King Gasper had spoken very highly of Tariel to the point Belle had no doubts in his capabilities whatsoever. While not rude, King Gasper hadn't ever been one to overinflated averageness.
"It's a pleasure to have you, Tariel. I'm sorry our husband is away at the moment, but Queen Phria and I welcome you."
Tariel straightened. "You are too kind. I shall ensure everything runs smoothly and to your liking from now on, you have my word, your Majesties."
And with that, Missus Potts no longer felt overwhelmed in her new role as housekeeper and the children were provided an extra later of service all royals had. Similar to Phria's and Rumple's wishes, Bae had no want for a valet, but the girls often needed help with their hair and donning all the pretty dresses Rumple showered them with. The horns he'd made specifically for Amicia only ever left her head when she slept and Semiramis had become rather fond of intricate braiding as of late, so trained maids would surely make the girls happy. It may have sounded entitled to want maids, but Belle saw it another way. Having a proper staff proved to other kingdoms and the Church that they weren't just playing royalty, that they were very much of the same station and not to be looked down on. Also, the three girls having their own lady's maids gave them more people to trust and talk to, it would help them express themselves and hopefully help Valdis and Semiramis come to terms with the fact their talismans weren't something to be ashamed of.
~X~
Inside another month they not only had their steward, but construction had begun on a few houses to be used by those too at risk to reside in other kingdoms. Rumple still wasn't exactly delighted, but Bae certainly was and that was enough for Rumple. Belle would likely insist more buildings and necessities were added as time went on, but for the moment a handful of houses would do. Unfortunately, Belle had mentioned a new inn to Martha and Chip Potts which had been met with positive nods until they'd realized an inn in a place nobody travelled to was likely a poor business choice; a tavern might have been smarter once there were more than just the Pleiades, Renner and dwarven steward to guzzle mead down.
The little village of theirs had been a labor of love for Belle and Phria, they'd put so much thought into making it not only a safe space but a self sufficient one as well. Workers had been paid a little too handsomely to come build proper homes, irrigation and even a basic sewage system. Then again, working in the Demon Lord's Domain hadn't sounded entirely safe to some and Rumple literally made gold so price wasn't a problem. Yes, the two women had put heart and soul into making the village liveable. Dulac was the name Belle eventually gave to the little village in the making and Rumple left Ravavena to watch over it for the time being. Although, if Dulac would eventually become a home, Rumple had a great idea on how to deploy the project he'd been tinkering with on and off for months.
Things didn't remain quiet for long though. The Church had displaced so many for various crimes they'd imagined and soon Gordana had insisted on sending over thirteen people made up of demi-humans and half-breeds who'd stood up to the Church and paid the price. These people ranged in age with the youngest being four and the eldest maybe forty-five. It was safe to say a former demon lord teleporting them from the Dagger to Dulac hadn't been what the newcomers had expected upon their arrival, but Nalene hadn't seemed keen on the idea of sailing all the way around to Bertha's Bay despite its name, and it hadn't taken Ravavena two seconds to make the jump. So, with the village of Dulac ready and waiting for them, they'd done their best to make new lives for themselves in the shadow of the Dark Castle. Fortunately three of them were farmers while another had been a carpenter back in Kupfergrad, so they'd quickly gotten to work keeping the village self-sufficient.
It became clear very quickly though that Ravavena had no idea how to deal with people and wasn't the best long-term manager of Dulac's daily running. Apparently being unsociable was a prerequisite for all demon lords. So Rumple finally broke out the so-called project he'd been working on up in his tower. That was how his wives, Jefferson and Ravavena found themselves littered around the tower's work room staring at an unconscious redhead on a table.
"Rumple," Belle began with a spattering of concern. "Who is this woman and why is she unconscious and half naked in your laboratory?"
"I know I teased you about Vena being a third wife, but this is ridiculous." The elf blushed at Phria's comment. "Wait, she's not breathing."
Jefferson surged forward to check the redhead's pulse, but there wasn't one. "She's dead. Rumple, what the hell is this? This looks like something Victor would do."
"Precisely, Jefferson." Rumple smirked. "I've been inspired by our dear Doctor Frankenstein. However, she isn't dead because she's never been alive." When that comment was met only with blinks, he elaborated. "Magic cannot bring someone back to life, that is its limit regardless of which realm one finds themself in. Yet Dreymyr has magical tools unlike any other and I wanted to see just what these mana stones were capable of."
"She's a golem." Ravavena suddenly announced with an amazed smile. "That's truly impressive, my Lord."
"Right you are, dearie." He reached into a drawer to pull out a pink mana stone carved to resemble a human heart. "This is a great mana stone I found in a cave in the Ogre Mountains when I was checking on the ogres' movements." Apparently they were just brushing over the likely fact they'd stumbled across a mana stone mine. "I thought to myself, if this can power complex magical tools like Phria's wing gear, could it power a golem? It was Avarathda's tweaking of Valdis' talisman that finally got this all working."
Belle peered closer to see that the mana stone heart had been etched entirely with complex symbols and glyphs.
"Wouldn't this just be an automaton though?" Jefferson asked. "Victor wants to bring people back to life – their personalities and souls, not just bodies. That thing might get this girl moving, but would she be alive?"
Rumple shrugged. "Bit of a gray area, dearie. I put some necromancy into this as well. She'll walk, talk, be able to follow commands like those controlled by a necromancer, but the sigils I learned from Avarathda are what allow her to think."
"You've actually made life. You really are the True Demon Lord!"
The others weren't quite as enthusiastic as Ravavena. Phria's brow furrowed deeper than it ever had before while Jefferson tried to work out if Victor would be pleased with all this or outraged.
"It isn't thought exactly, more like I've introduced spells and carvings allowing her to assess information in a specific way I've previously determined and she'll act accordingly. She won't eat, drink, sleep or feel, but she will make quite the lovely little caretaker for the village."
Jefferson brushed some of the red hair out of the golem's face, it felt slightly straw-like and close up he could see her skin had a sheen to it almost like a wet stone. Rumple seemed excited though, always was when he had something new to keep his mind busy.
"All right, so what happens next? Poor girl can't lay on this table forever."
Rumple seemed to drop a little of the theatrics at Belle's words. Instead of any smart comments, he simply placed the mana stone heart down, pulled down the sheet exposing the golem's naked torso and cut a small hole into her chest between her breasts. Then while they watched on with a mix of curiosity and caution, Rumple implanted the faintly glowing heart into her chest and used magic to seal the wound. There hadn't been any blood, no bruising or anything else similar to a mortal body. She may have been pretty, but she certainly wasn't flesh and blood.
It took several moments of staring at the golem, so many moments that Jefferson had almost wanted to parrot Victor Frankenstein with one of his science not magic lines. Yet, just when the group had begun to grow impatient, hazel eyes snapped open and the golem sat bolt upright so swiftly that Belle had jumped back into Phria.
Rumple giggled in delight. He might not have brought someone back to life but he'd done a pretty convincing job of creating it.
"Morning, dearie." The red-haired golem looked to him with a tilt of her head. "Do you know who I am?"
"My creator, the Dark One known as Rumpelstiltskin." She responded in a gentle voice.
"Excellent! And what is your reason for existing?"
"To safeguard Dulac and manage its daily needs unless my creator instructs me otherwise."
He'd done it! He'd actually done it! Rumple had built an autonomous magical tool capable of basic logical reasoning. She might not have been alive, but it was as close as magic would allow.
"How do you feel?" Belle asked compassionately as she pulled another sheet off of a table and threw it around the golem's shoulders to return some modesty to her. "You're not in pain?"
The golem shook her head. "I can't feel pain, Queen Belle. Thank you for your concern though."
Emotions were a tricky thing felt differently by everyone and everything. Lacking them likely wouldn't help her, but they'd not hinder her either. Besides, if it ended up doing so then Belle would do all in her power to help Dulac's new bürgermeister.
"What's your name?" Asked Phria only for the golem to glance at Rumple with question; clearly he'd not bothered with something as simple as a name. "Rumple, you can't create her and not name her."
"Fine. Em, her name can be … Talos." Unique eyes fell to the red-haired golem. "You're name is Talos."
She nodded having no opinions on her new name at all. Talos, a golem created by a demon lord to protect a village of rejects, sounded too good to be true.
Inside an hour Belle and Zilpha had seen to proper clothing for Talos – leather breeches and white shirt under leather gauntlets, cuirass and pauldrons – and had combed her hair through to make Talos a little more presentable. Belle had half expected her to just sit there in a blank silence but, to her pleasure, Talos had asked questions and seemed happy to make conversation. She wouldn't ever fully understand how Rumple had created Talos, but she was pleased the woman had her own personality to some extent. Golems weren't alive, didn't have souls, but that wouldn't stop Belle treating Talos as though she were.
Once dressed, Belle and Rumple took her over the lake to Dulac to see if she could actually achieve what she'd been designed to do. The villagers had been hesitant to start with, it was the first time they'd seen the Dark One after all and it wasn't every day his queens wandered the streets. Talos though, she'd gotten straight to work asking if there was anything they needed or thought should be improved. Honestly, she'd shocked Belle and dramatically exceeded Rumple's expectations so it wasn't much surprise that the villagers didn't take long to warm up to Talos.
Husband and wife watched as she wandered through the village street checking on this and that as though it had been her job for a decade or more. There might have been no emotion on her face, and her voice sounded rather monotone, but she'd clearly be perfect as bürgermeister. Of course, nobody needed to know he'd turned his project into a civil servant to further reduce the time Rumple would need to spend in Dulac around people.