The Dark One's Mistress: Part Ten

A/AN: Well, dearies, here's the conclusion to this story. I'm sad to see it end, but it was loads of fun to write. A big thank you to all of you who've stayed with me throughout this journey. The ending wasn't what I expected, but my musey gets what she wants! I hope you enjoy it!

"Do you think your magic is strong enough to take us back to the summer palace?" Belle gazed questionably at her husband.

His curse had broken two days prior, but he found he still had magic. It was just a bit more elusive, and he was attempting to rein it in, grasping for control without the curse to aid him. Being mortal again meant he weakened easier from exerting too much control of his abilities. The enchanted castle also hadn't been so welcoming of its new master either. It recognized the Dark One who'd made it submit to his will centuries ago, but not the gentle spinner. It would often ignore his requests for a meal or a new set of clothes. It was almost humorous to see her husband become frustrated, often cursing at it for ignoring his commands. The castle seemed to have a personality and agenda of its own in the matter of whom it favored. However, Belle seemed to be in its good graces, and it still delivered whatever she requested on a whim. She'd noted her husband's sore ego over the castle's desire to serve her and not him, and she wondered if the enchanted estate did it to spite him.

"I believe if I concentrate my powers solely on the spell, it'll work, but I'll probably be in need of a decent rest afterward," he explained, grasping her hand delicately in his.

"You can do it, my love. I have faith in you," Belle crooned, caressing his knuckles lightly. Her declaration of love strengthened him. He closed his eyes, focusing on the pleasant warmth radiating from her palm as he transported them back to the summer estates. They reemerged in the gardens where they'd last stood a few days ago. Belle observed the gardens, and they appeared overgrown and unkempt. Before she could comment on this trivial matter, her husband began to lose his balance.

Rumpelstiltskin felt his knees buckle beneath him, the spell draining him of his energies. Belle caught him before he hit the ground, steadying him upright. "Thank you, my Queen," he huffed exhaustively.

"We should get you upstairs for a rest. Can you walk?" she inquired, glancing at him concernedly.

"Yes, I can," he nodded, his strength slowly returning. They made it upstairs without any interferences. The palace was strangely quiet which resonated oddly to Belle. As they entered their former chamber, Belle noted the room was a tad dustier.

"How, peculiar. We've only been gone four days at most, but the room looks as if it hasn't had any proper upkeep in years," she marveled, swiping her finger over the dusty bed frame.

"Oh my...I may have an answer for that," he swallowed hard, resting his weight on the edge of the mattress.

"And, what would your answer be?" she inquired, furrowing a delicate brow inquisitively.

"As the Dark One, I always had a rough estimate of time, especially while being imprisoned. Each second weighed on me eternally, but when you broke my curse, time seemed to be something I was unable to calculate. The Dark Castle isn't simply enchanted, but a time paradox as well. Within its walls, time is of no matter. A minute spent inside could constitute as a month on the outside world," he supplied, the weight of his words crashing down on her.

"Then it means hundreds of years would've passed in Avonlea during my absence. It would be like I disappeared without a trace, which means I'm no longer the queen," she said, melancholy evident in her voice.

"It's my fault, Belle. Breaking my curse had a monumental price it seems. You could have become a great ruler if it wasn't for me. You should have let me rot in your father's dungeon," he sighed regretfully, averting his gaze to the flagstone.

Belle placed a delicate hand on the small of his back, stroking it soothingly. "Rumple, giving up my throne for you was a small price to pay if it broke your curse," she reassured him.

"I'll never understand what I ever did to deserve you or your love," he said, taking her hand and kissing it reverently.

"You've always deserved my love, Rumple. I'm assuming this place is abandoned. There's only one place for us left to go," she said, sitting down beside him.

"What of Avonlea? Wouldn't you like to know how much time has passed since our departure?" he returned, casting her a questioning glance.

"Would it make any difference, Rumple? I can't ever go back, so knowing how long I've spent away from court is futile. Now I'm merely a queen with a few short paragraphs written about her in some old dusty book of chronicles somewhere," she remarked sullenly.

Rumpelstiltskin focused heavily on her declaration, searching within the depths of his magic for a word or a clue about the happenings of her former residence. A faded piece of parchment appeared in his hands.

"What's that?" Belle queried, glancing at the yellowed paper.

"It's a formal account of what happened the day we left, recorded and written by magic," he stated, handing it to her.

Belle scanned its contents, her eyes watering as she read the letter. "It says my cousin Gaston was appointed royal regent during my absence. Shortly after taking the throne, the land was ransacked by ogres. The kingdom went to war, but securing victory was impossible. There were no survivors. I'm the lone survivor of Avonlea. The blood running through my veins is all which remains of my people."

An ugly sob tore from her throat, and he held onto her tentatively. She balled the parchment up in her fist, tossing it precariously to the ground. "Take me back to our castle," she ordered, her voice so fragile, he thought she might break.

"As my lady commands." He compliantly transported them back to their chambers. Belle curled up in a ball and slept the remainder of the day, or years, she wasn't certain how time moved for others outside the castle walls.

Rumpelstiltskin had commanded the castle to prepare them a pheasant marinated in mushroom and wine sauce, roasted potatoes, and gooseberry pie for dessert. Surprisingly it complied to his wishes, though he assumed it was because it picked up on Belle's despondent mood. Rumpelstiltskin tried to feel remorseful for her kingdom's fall, but he couldn't bring himself to feel even slightly guilty over it. They'd unjustly imprisoned and tortured him for decades, and he wasn't in the least bit sorry for the fate it had succumbed to.

However, no matter how he felt, Belle continued to grieve and it disheartened him. The gourmet food he brought her was often left untouched, and her lack of appetite distressed him greatly. He knew he had to do something.

He'd waltzed into her chamber just as he did every morning. "My Queen, I have a surprise for you," he spoke, rousing her from slumber.

"Rumple, how many times have I told you to stop calling me that? I'm not the queen of anything anymore!" she huffed grouchily, rolling over on her side.

"But, I have a surprise for you, and you won't know what it is unless you get out of bed," he said, throwing back the covers, uncharacteristically hoisting her over his shoulder. She gasped startlingly as he toted her down the hall, depositing her on the flagstone in front of two colossal looming doors.

"What is this place?" she asked, glancing at him quizzically.

"Open it and find out," he said, gesturing to the doors. Belle pushed them open hesitantly, her eyes filling with wonder as she drank in the astounding library before her.

"Rumple, this room was never here before. You showed me every room in this castle...You did this, didn't you?" she asked, blinking at him in astonishment.

"I had the castle build it for you. It's taken quite sometime to complete, but I desired for you to have a room in this castle which you felt truly belonged to you," he said, touching her shoulder lightly.

"Rumple, I'm truly sorry for shutting you out, but the loss of my royal lineage was so painful that I couldn't cope with it," she apologized, feeling ashamed for her grief.

"My wife, your lineage hasn't died. We could always rebuild what you've lost with time," he remarked, touching her flat abdomen softly.

"You propose we have a child, then? A royal heir?" she asked.

"I do," he said, brushing his lips ever so gently against hers. She enveloped him in a hungry kiss, thirsting for his touch like an oasis in the desert. The kiss led to her temporarily forgetting about the library as he transported them back to their chambers. Clothing vanished as their hands eagerly sought out each other, longing for a lover's touch. The bed rocked beneath them as they each took their fill, leaving them utterly sated and bone tired as they simultaneously reached their climax.

"That was-" he panted heavily.

"Thrilling," she grinned, turning over to meet his gaze. He kissed her senselessly, leading to them spending all day in bed, leisurely exploring each others' bodies as if it were the first time.

As the weeks passed, Belle found herself spending more time in front of the chamber pot than she'd have liked. Rumpelstiltskin spent his time tending to her needs and consorting with the castle about making an assortment of teas which would remedy her morning sickness.

As the months carried on, her morning sickness subsided. She spent the majority of her days reading aloud to her bairn. Sometimes she curled up on the settee within the castle library or read from her bed. It all depended on her mood.

When it came time for her to give birth, Rumpelstiltskin eased her labor with light magic, delivering the children solely on his own. Belle had given birth to twins, two boys which they dubbed Neal and Gideon.

The babies steadily grew into rambunctious young boys, filling the castle with excessive laughter and their lives with untold joy. As the years ticked by, Neal expressed the desire to become a knight, so Rumpelstiltskin arranged for him to serve in a king named David's court. However, Gideon desired to stay closer to home and train to be a mage like his father.

Belle stayed in touch with Neal through letters. One day he arrived home with a beautiful blonde woman, named Emma. She was the king's daughter, and they were to be wed. For the first time in many years, the trio ventured outside of the Dark Castle to attend their son's wedding. The family sat in places of honor to watch the uniting of two souls.

Belle's hand gravitated to her husband's lap. He clasped her hand tightly in his own as they observed the exchanging of vows. "I guess this is how my royal bloodline will be carried on, since building back a long forgotten kingdom is futile," she whispered to her husband.

Rumpelstiltskin glanced at her. "Don't you recognize your own land, Belle? Nearly a thousand years have passed in the outside world. The castle was rebuilt, but this is the same soil you once trod on. King David and his Queen, Snow White, took this land for themselves. Avonlea may be long forgotten, but your bloodline shall thrive. A descendant of yours will always sit upon the throne," he whispered against the shell of her ear as their son kissed his bride. Cheers erupted throughout the crowd, filling her with happiness.

"You planned this, didn't you?" she asked, glancing at her husband in puzzlement as they clapped for Neal and his new wife.

"No, my dear. Sometimes fate just happens to have a sense of humor," he winked. Belle clasped his hand tightly in her own, stringing together all of the moments which made up their life. He'd been a prisoner in her father's dungeons, and she'd been a curious child, a child who would one day become a woman, destined to love the Dark One. The legacy they left behind, far more fulfilling than what her family would believe if they could see her today, a seasoned woman hopelessly in love with a man she'd chosen to see behind the monster.

The End