Chapter 1
Descent into Storybrooke
Morgana was walking in the enchanted forest behind Guinevere and Arthur, her husband Merlin beside her and her toddler, Ravenna was at her hip. She hitched Ravenna up again as the girl began to slip. Then Morgana found herself falling and she clutched Ravenna tightly to herself, she screamed for Merlin and he turned rushing to help her, but he was just out of reach and then everything went black as the portal closed above her and she descended in the dark to the land without magic, whose magic had been restored. Now instead of screaming for Merlin she found herself screaming for someone else and that someone woke with a start in his bed in Storybrooke.
Rumplestiltskin looked over at the sleeping figure of his wife and knew she was not awake and that he had not woken her with his dream. He had heard a voice, a voice from his past he had not heard for years and it had worried him somewhat. He saw this as an omen and that made him panic as to the nature of it. He was breathing heavily and he ran a nervous hand through his hair and was stunned when Belle stirred.
"Rumple?" She asked as she rolled over and looked at him with her big eyes. "Is something the matter?"
"No, not really, sweetheart, just a bad dream. It's nothing, go back to sleep." Rumple smiled weakly at her and was not surprised when she sat up beside him. Her arm around his shoulder.
"Something is wrong, I can tell, Rumple. Talk to me." She pleaded.
"I heard a voice, a voice from my past before I was the Dark One. A voice I haven't heard for centuries. It worried me that's all. Now, go back to sleep, it's nothing. Honest." He smiled and took her hand in his, brushing his thumb over her wedding ring.
"Alright, but if this happens again, we will talk about it and its reasons, promise?" Belle urged.
"Promise. Goodnight, Mrs Gold." He teased.
"Goodnight, Mr Gold." Belle laughed back as she tore herself from her husband and lay back down to sleep. When she was breathing regularly with deep sleep, Rumple managed to get himself out of bed quietly and made his way downstairs to study. Pushing open the door gently, so it didn't creak. He let out a quiet, involuntary gasp as the sword of Excalibur which hung above the fireplace glowed.