A/N:

-This is a sequel to Gold Lock, Silver Hook, Scarred Hearts. It will need to be read first. For those of you who have read it, thank you for continuing the journey with our anti-heroic pair.

-This was plotted during OUaT season 3 and OUaTiW season 1 hiatus. It is roughly canon up to that point, and then is very much AU. The setting is post-Neverland & post-defeat of Jafar and is the result of my mind wandering down What-If Lane and ending up at 'What if Hook and Goldilocks ended up in Wonderland for season 2 (that will sadly never happen)?'

-Disclaimer: I need to find a genie so that the following words are not true: This universe and most of its characters are not mine. I only like to pretend that they are.

So yeah, enjoy ; )

Gold Head, Silver Blade, Stolen Hearts

~0~

Prologue

Camelot

"Bedivere? The Sword…did you…?"

"Yes, my king, I returned it to the Lady of the Lake as requested," he hastily assured his wounded king. "And a hand arose from the water, catching it mid-air. Then both hand and sword sunk into the water."

"Good, good. Thank you, my friend," Arthur gasped from his cot on the sandy blood-stained beach.

Bedivere tried not to wince at this, but it was very hard. He did not like to see his king and friend so weak, so near to death.

The Battle of Camlann was over. Mordred and his rebellious followers were dead, but at such a cost. Many of Arthur's loyal knights were dead or wounded. Arthur, though, had received a mortal gut wound, and all of Merlin's magic could not heal him. He was dying.

"Knight, say thy farewells and then get out of my way. I have much to do," the wizard gruffly ordered.

Bedivere did not want to, but nor did he want to bring about his brother-in-arm's actual death. Merlin may not be able to heal Arthur here in this realm, but he knew how to send him to another, where the wizard assured them the king could be restored to his former glory. So he knelt at Arthur's cot and gripped the hand that the Queen was not, saying, "My king, my brother, it has been both an honor and pleasure to serve with you."

His king squeezed his hand with all the strength that he could muster, vowing, "It will be my honor and pleasure to serve with you again, my brother."

Bedivere with tears pouring down his face bent and kissed his liege-lord's head, hopefully not for the last time, nodded in farewell to the Queen, and then backed away.

He watched Merlin bustle about performing his rituals, combining ingredients, and whatever it was that sorcerers do.

He watched his King and the Queen board the little boat that was to take them to the land of miracles.

He watched as Merlin blessed it and called forth the gateway between realms.

He watched as a silver mist rose from the water and swallowed up his king.

He prayed that he would one day see his king return, and not just for himself, but for the kingdom as well. Now that the Table was broken, the barbarians would descend.

He was afraid that without Arthur's leadership, the Isle Kingdom was doomed.

~0~

Enchanted Forest

"Or so that's how the story goes," concluded the Isle refugee, before shouting, "Bar maid! Another round!"

She was already a step ahead of him, passing out drinks to him and his audience, as instructed by the tavern keeper. She was grateful that Maddy had called in sick tonight. Usually, when Isle refugees came in, Theo kept her back in the kitchen, washing dishes. Aside from that being an onerous chore, being back there kept her cut off from any news from home. And tonight, she got to hear for the first time since the barbarians invaded the Isle what had happened to Arthur, the man she had once called 'husband'.

The storyteller raised his mug and toasted loudly, "To Arthur! And his glorious return from the Land of Miracles!"

"To Arthur!" his audience shouted back before chugging down Theo's brew.

After that she was kept on her toes, serving round after round as the refugees made toast after toast. They called for the expulsion of the barbarians, for curses on Morgana for weakening her brother, and on his nephew Mordred and his followers for doing the same.

When they got to cursing Guinevere the False, she attempted to duck out. But it was too late. Somebody noticed her infamous gold hair.

Out lashed an arm, grabbing hers, and dragging her beneath a lantern, so that all could see her face.

"Oi, maid! You look like the spittin' image of our Fair Queen!" he accused for all to hear.

She tried to twist out of his grip, or to at least get away from his face, as the horrid man was actually spitting on the very word.

At this declaration, the bard, whom she recognized as a protégé of Taliesin, walked up to her and grabbed hold of her face to examine it.

It didn't take him long to recognize her, and unlike Taliesin who would have pitied her upon seeing the fear in her eyes, this bard glared at her with wrathful damnation as he announced, "Aye, it's her. This must be the rock the witch crawled back under when our King exiled her."

"Oi! Camelot! Unhand the wench," ordered the voice of her savior. It was Theo's cousin, the burly town sheriff, who had already proven his mettle to the coastal town's rougher refugee residents.

The bard had let go of her face at the sheriff's instruction, but the drunken lout tightened his grip on her arm, protesting belligerently, "And why should I?"

"You will, because you're here by the grace of our king, and he does not take kindly to lynch mobs. Justice is his purview, and therefore, mine."

With this threat to their home of last resort, the previously riled up refugees let her go.

With a nod of thanks to the sheriff, she made her hasty escape.

Knowing that this was only temporary reprieve and that she could not endanger the kind couple who had taken her in, she quickly packed up her few belongings and some rations, bade her goodbyes, and fled into the dark of the night.

She went deeper into the Forest, hoping to leave the past behind her, hoping for a home.

~0~

Wonderland

"We're looking for the portrait of a tall, statuesque, blond, and stunningly beautiful woman entitled Duchess," Will instructed.

"Why?" Alice asked curiously.

'Of course she did.' Will couldn't help but sigh to himself. Alice, Cyrus, and he were running for their lives from the Black Queen's Clubs in the Checkered Hall, and Alice the Curious was taking what little time they had to ask him questions.

Knowing she wouldn't stop, he resigned himself to the inevitable and answered, "Because the Duchess of the Queen of Heart's Court - "

"The ugly one with the pointy chin?"

"Aye," he confirmed impatiently, as he continued to scan the Hall's selection of Who's Who in Wonderland. "Her painter wisely decided not to portray her as she really was, but as she saw herself." Red head. Red head. Brunette. Raven. Male. Male. Brunette. Male. Blond. Blond. Blond, but none The Blond. Brunette. "Anyways, the White Abbess told me that she got her hands on it, when the woman sold it at auction to settle her gambling debts."

"Get on with it, Knave," Cyrus, rudely and anxious interrupted.

"She asked," he defended petulantly, before continuing, "As I was saying, the Abbess acquired the false portrait to place in her collection for the specific purpose of being the cover for an entrance into her network of secret passageways."

"You could have just said that," complained the former genie.

"Have you met Alice?" he retorted irritably.

"Hey!"

"Sorry." But not really.

"No, not that!" she waved dismissively, and then gesturing with her torch, she stated, "This."

When he laid eyes on the painting she was looking at, he saw a heart-shaped face with golden blond hair and brown eyes. He almost dismissed it, as the Duchess was of a woman with an oval face and blue eyes. But then he recognized her.

'What the bloody hell? What is this doing here? She's never been to Wonderland before. I know that for a fact…I think…'

And then his gaze began to take in the whole painting, leaving the face, but quickly becoming fixated on the distinctive infamous black choker, an elaborate, spiky-curlicued welded monstrosity that was the signature jewelry piece for Her.

"No, it's not her," he denied, even as he swallowed down a wave of bitter betrayal. "I left her in Storybrooke."

"But how can she be?" Alice protested, sounding equally sad and betrayed. "Look."

He did. The portrait's neighbor was of an identical woman sans tiara. It was titled: Widow of the Black Knight.

Quickly scanning for the title card of the first to give him some sort of explanation, he read: 'The Black Queen, 'Avenger of Wrongs'

"I'm not sure what this is about. But I'm pretty sure we don't have time for it," Cyrus urged as kindly as he could, gaze flicking back and forth confusedly between them, when not nervously glancing over his shoulder.

"Right," Will agreed. Squaring his shoulders, he tucked away what little emotions he could feel without a heart, but not before he used his knife to carve out the painting from its frame.

They found their entrance to safety four portraits down and on the opposite side of the hall. Just in time too, as once the door swung shut, they could hear their pursuers start their clattering sweep of the corridor that they had just vacated.

~0~

A few days later…

"Rabbit, tell Ms. McKinley that I need her help." Alice instructed their nervous furry friend, while he stood at the edge of his Hole.

"And don't mention my name. Just give her this," he instructed cryptically, handing him a sketched copy of the incriminating portrait.

He hoped Rabbit would find McKinley. It would prove that she was indeed not the Black Queen.

He prayed that the Rabbit's aversion to tardiness would hold true, because he wanted answers and he wanted them now.

Next chapter: Reunions with the Undead