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1. Caretaker by Strummer_Pinks

   Fandoms: Once Upon a Time (TV)  

   • Not Rated
   • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
   • F/M
   • Work in Progress

   29 May 2026

   Tags

   • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
   • Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
   • Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
   • Belle (Once Upon a Time)
   • Blue Fairy | Mother Superior
   • Mad Hatter | Jefferson
   • The Dark One
   • Seer (Once Upon a Time)
   • Mrs. Potts (Disney)
   • Lumiere (Once Upon a Time)
   • Cogsworth (Disney)
   • Chip Potts
   • The Speaker in Darkness
   • Gaston (Once Upon a Time)
   • The Green Fairy
   • Magic Carpet - Character
   • Offspring of the Magic Carpet
   • Dark One Belle
   • Spinner Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
   • Woobie Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
   • Character Reversal
   • canon character living with a disablity
   • Bad-ass Belle
   • Sassy Jefferson
   • Being a peasant in the middle ages was shit
   • Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold in the Dark Castle
   • Kintsugi Pottery
   • Restoring the monarchy shouldn't be the end game
   • I mean honestly what are we-- in the 18th century restoration period?
   • most nobles were/are over-priviledged entitled shits
   • Homelessness
   • The Dark One (Once Upon a Time)
   • The Dark One is called the Speaker in Darkness and is more gray than anything else
   • Demon Deals
   • Angst
   • Fluff and Angst
   • Angst with a Happy Ending
   • Angst and Hurt/Comfort
   • Gaston is his own warning
   • Gardens & Gardening
   • yay democracy
   • anti-monarchy
   • References to Lovecraft
   • Implied/Referenced Drug Use
   • pro-democracy fantasy-- is that a thing? It should be a thing!
   • Amputation
   • Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold Needs a Hug
   • The Dark One needs a hug

   Summary

   The sorceress La Belle Dame Sans Merci, (or Belle for short), is a collector of magical items. Tipped off by the man in the red woolen hat, she visits a Frontlands village slave market to locate a rare glamor spell. Upon discovering that a sickly slave possesses a magical ability she has never encountered before, Belle takes him back with her to the Dark Castle to study him better. As Rumplestilskin recovers from his ordeal, Belle installs him as caretaker of her large estate, convincing herself it is only to observe him more closely. While Belle and Rumple grow ever closer together, the fairies of the Enchanted Forest conspire to rid themselves of the denizens of the Dark Castle for good.

   Language:

   English

   Words:

   203,866

   Chapters:

   153/?

   Comments:

   461

   Kudos:

   308

   Bookmarks:

   61

   Hits:

   10,189