Abigail Arcane was born in Transylvania, Romania, legendary land of medieval superstitions and legends such as Dracula. Called "Abby" for short, her father Count Gregori Arcane raised her after her mother, Anise Arcane, was murdered. Superstitious villagers accused Anise of witchcraft, and had her burned at the stake, despite her being married to a nobleman. From that point on, Abigail was raised by her father and his brother, the wicked occult expert Anton Arcane.
From an early age, Abigail showed psychic tendencies; she could empathically feel the emotions of others, and could even read their minds and project her own thoughts, and even exhibited signs of telekinetic power. As a teenager, Abby became interested in learning medicine and helping others, but her uncle Anton wanted to train her in the use of black magic. When her father refused to allow any such instruction, he was suddenly killed by a land mine explosion arranged by his brother Anton. Anton then used his skills in the Dark Arts to bring his brother back as a supernatural being called the Patchwork Man, who obeyed his commands.
Shortly after this Abby crossed paths with the government agent known as Matt Cable, who had come to Eastern Europe hunting Swamp Thing, falsely believing he was responsible for the deaths of Cable’s friends, Alec and Linda Holland. Abby and Cable formed an instant bond, one that would soon blossom into full blown romance. When Swamp Thing and the Patchwork Man battled it out in Abby's ancestral home of Castle Arcane, the entire estate wound up being destroyed. Abby believed her uncle and resurrected father were killed in the incident, so she decided to leave her birthplace behind, and accompanied Matt Cable to the United States.
Eventually, Matt Cable and Abby discovered that Swamp Thing didn't kill Alec Holland, but that he is in fact Alec Holland (This discovery later proved to be untrue, as Swamp Thing had Holland's memories, but was instead an entirely new being). However, now knowing that Swamp Thing didn't murder his friend, Matt Cable and Abby become his allies. As Abby's relationship with Cable became more serious, the two got married, and moved to Louisiana. But their marriage was replete with problems from the get-go. Matt developed a drinking problem, and Abby found herself romantically drawn more and more to Swamp Thing. Their problems reached their pinnacle when Matt became gravely injured in a drunk driving incident. Her villainous uncle Anton attempted to possess Matt's body, which resulted in his falling into a long coma from which he never recovered.
After Cable’s death, Abby grew even closer to the Swamp Thing. The unlikeliest of couples, the two were married and lived together in his swamp. Wanting to start a family, but not knowing exactly how, an incredible plan was concocted. The occult expert John Constantine, a frequent ally of the Hollands, allowed Swamp Thing the use of his body to conceive a child with Abby, in effect acting as a surrogate for Swamp Thing's essence. Abby then named their daughter Tefé. As a half-human, half-plant hybrid, Tefé had access to the powers of The Green, which controlled plant life, and the Red, which controlled animal life.
In the post-Flashpoint reality, Abby's history is quite different than it was previously. Instead of Transylvania, Abby was now from the Eastern European country of Blestemat. While still a baby, Abby accidentally killed her mother with her emerging powers, and was then raised by her uncle Anton. Anton manipulated his niece, hoping to establish a connection between her and the elemental force called The Black, also known as The Rot, an elemental force of death and decay, and something the entire Arcane bloodline shares a connection with. Abby has a half-brother in this reality named William, who also has this connection. Their uncle Anton became the Avatar of the Rot, much as Swamp Thing is the Avatar of the Green. Eventually, Abigail herself became the new Avatar after Anton’s abuse of power, and takes the name the Black Queen. Although she has a strong connection still to the Swamp Thing, in this reality the two are not yet married. Nevertheless, it seems no matter what changes in the Multiverse there are, Abby Arcane will always have a deep and long lasting connection with the Swamp Thing.