A/N: If you want to know how Henry became the Dark One you can read "When Swans Cry" but it's not necessary. There are only three things you need to know before reading this. 1. During Gold and Issac's curse Emma sort of revealed that she was in love with Regina and they kissed in the cave. 2. After the curse broke Emma and Regina talk and admit their feelings, agreeing to break up with their current partners. Emma is successful. But for Regina… 3. Everything changes when it's Henry and not the Savior that throws himself into the Darkness to save her. A note on singing Henry: it's slightly based on the demon from Fallen, but instead of singing "Time is on My Side" by the Rolling Stones, Henry sings it all. And finally, yes, Tigerlily makes an appearance.
Acknowledgements: I would like to thank the lovely lady that beta'ed this for me. And FallingStar134 for giving me the title for this fict. You rock, dude. And I'm all for us being Dark Henry Writing Buddies. It's been insanely fun talking to you about this fict and yours. I'd also like to thank Wolf Stevens for reading it and giving me her thoughts on it. And lastly I'd like to thank anyone on the FB SwanQueen Fanfiction Page that said I should write this. Without them this would just be a fun thought that never became this first chapter.
Songs Used: Slipping from the Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Arsonist's Lullabye, by Hozier
Chapter Rating: M/R (For Dark Tones, Violence, Adult Content, and Adult Language)
Warnings: Dark Henry AU, OutlawQueen is a thing here (at least for now), CaptainSwan BroTP
Full Summary: Six Week Ago, Henry Mills jumped into the Darkness to save both of his mothers from that fate. Now Regina and Emma must figure out a way to work together to save him, while fighting their own inner demons.
Chapter Summary: The New Dark One has risen. And Regina and Emma fall into old habits in the face of their failure.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, or whatever the hell else. They belong to Disney, ABC etc, etc, I claim no rights to copyrighted material, and this story is purely for entertainment purposes.
"Fairy tales do not tell children evil exists. Children already know the evil exists. Fairy tales tell children the evil can be destroyed."
— G. K. Chesterton (Paraphrased)
Henry (Six Weeks Ago)
Blackness.
Living darkness.
Thick, inky, perpetual night. It had no beginning, no ending. Just darkness. As if there nothing else existed. As if there was nothing that would come before or after it.
Only darkness.
Forever darkness.
His heart pounded painfully in his chest. He struggled for air as the Darkness filled his lungs, permeated his skin, burned through his veins, and stained his soul. It felt like drowning, each spec of light within him enveloped by darkness. It scared him but the Darkness devoured his fear.
He called for his mothers and when that didn't work, he cried for anyone to save him. But the Darkness told him that no one was coming. He was alone. He'd always be alone. And as tears rolled down his cheeks, the Darkness ate his despair like it was its favorite meal.
"Do not be frightened, Little Prince," the Darkness whispered to him. "For you are now the thing that shadows fear. You are darkness made flesh. You are the Dark One. The sooner you accept it, the better off you'll be."
"No," he vowed, resolutely. "I'll never accept the Darkness."
"You will," it replied. "No one can resist forever. You'll embrace the Darkness, Little Prince. Just like everyone else. Because eventually they all give in. The temptation of power and dark magic always proves to be too great to resist."
"That's not me. I'm not like the others."
"No, Henry. You aren't. That's why you were chosen."
Regina (Present Day)
"What are you guys doing here?" The dwarf punctuated his question with a loud sneeze.
They were all standing in Granny's dinner, dressed strangely. As Regina looked around at the stunned and confused faces she realized that no one had a clue how or why they were here.
"What happened?" Mary Margaret asked.
Her Prince stated the obvious. "We're back."
"Bloody hell," the pirate breathed.
Regina's brow furrowed in deep thought, trying to work this out. "This doesn't make any sense. We were just walking into Camelot."
"What the hell are we wearing?" Leroy asked, turning to his fellow dwarf. "Sneezy, what happened? How long were we gone?"
"Six weeks," his compatriot replied.
"What?" Regina asked, though she already had an idea what caused this. Having lived through a Dark Curse or two herself, this had Dark Magic written all over it.
"Our memories… they're gone." Again David offered an obvious observation.
"Again?" Mary Margaret asked to no one in particular.
"Where's Henry?" At least Emma knew what was important.
Regina heard something… someone humming. But as she looked around she couldn't find it's source.
"Look at these people – amazing how sheep'll show up for the slaugh-ter;
No one condemning - you lined up like lemmings, you led to the wa-ter."
Others heard it too and soon they were all searching for the singer. They didn't have to search long as the doors to the dinner whooshed open and a cold breeze cut through the rising tension like butter. And there was Henry, dressed in all black; a simple uniform, slacks with a overcoat that had a high collar, and riding boots.
He looked at the sea off terrified faces with a sinister grin. And that's when she noticed his eyes. They weren't a sparkling green anymore but a torrent of orange, yellow, and blood red. As he stepped forward his skin shimmered with little flecks of gold under the moonlight.
He had yet to address them and just continued with his song.
"Why can't they see what I see? Why can't they hear the lies?
Maybe the fee's too pricey for them to realize, your disguise is… slipping
I think you're slipping…"
"Henry?" Emma called to him. "What happened to you?"
"Isn't it obvious?" their son replied with a sneer. "You went to Camelot to get the darkness out of me. And you failed."
Sneezy interrupted Henry with a giant sneeze and the teenager regarded him with a curious tilt of his head, as he just noticed the dwarf was wearing Emma's red leather jacket. "What the hell are you supposed to be?"
He doesn't wait for a response before turning him into stone. Emma surges forward but with another wave of his hand the Savior is rendered immobile.
The action triggered gasps from the room. But Henry seemed unphased. In fact he reveled in their fear, continuing his song as he tormented the others.
"Now that your savior is still as the grave you're beginn-ing to fear me,
Like cavemen fear thunder – I still have to wonder, Can you really hear me?
I bring you pain, the kind you can't suffer quietly.
Fire up your brain, remind you inside you're rioting
Society is… slipping… Everything's slipping… away…"
Regina had seen as much as she could stomach. "Henry, stop. That's enough."
"Or what?" he challenged.
"Or I'll be forced to use the dag-…" Regina reached for the Dark One's dagger at her side, only to find it undeniably absent.
"Looking for this?" Henry inquired, producing the dagger seemingly out of thin air, as thunder clapped in the distance. "Nobody's gonna touch this dagger but me. Now, for what you all did to me…" He unfroze Emma with another flick of his hand. "You're about to be punished."
"Henry," the Savior called to him."Why are you doing this?"
"Because…" Henry explained. "I am the Dark One."
He didn't vanish in a puff of smoke. But instead erupted in blue flames that burned his visage away until he was gone. Leaving behind only a haunting smile that lingered long after he departed but it too faded into the ether.
Henry (Six Weeks Ago)
When the Darkness finally gave way to the light, it hurt his eyes. It burned, seared his retinas like flanks steaks in a salt block fondue. He groaned, covering his face until his vision slowly readjusted to a world of Light and Dark.
Regardless of what the Darkness had whispered to him, Henry Daniel Mills still felt like himself. He was the son of the former Evil Queen and the Savior. He was Snow White and Prince Charming's grandson. And he was the Author. He loved comics. He believed in heroes. He believed in the power of goodness. He still… believed. But as strongly as he felt himself, solid and true, he felt the Darkness scratching at the back of his mind, like it was being held back by a dam, a partition within himself. Just waiting for him to lower the floodgates and let the Darkness flow.
When he finally dared to open his eyes what he saw shocked him. He was standing in a lush forest. The scent of greenery hung in the air. He could hear the rush of running water in the distance, but what shocked him was that he could also feel the earth beneath him. Not just the earth, but this world's energy, it's spirit. It hummed with magic, calling to him.
"I'm in the Enchanted Forest."
"Very astute, Little Prince," a voice sounded from behind him. "Very astute, indeed."
He turned to find a dark haired man with piercing icy blue eyes, ghostly pale skin, and a devilish smirk. He was wearing light armor, colored bronze and green. The only thing that was missing was his horned helm and - no, this wasn't him.
"You're not real. Not even in my world."
"Alas, no," the dark haired man said.
"What are you?" Henry asked.
"I am a great many things, my Little Prince," he replied. "I am something most cannot even begin to conceive. Primordial Darkness. Beyond evil. Beyond sin. You can't see the Darkness, Little Prince. But I am everywhere. In every drop of hate. In every act of evil. No matter how big or how small. In the hearts of every villain. In the hearts of both of your mothers. But for you, I am the voice in your head, the Dark One's powers inside you, inside all the Dark Ones.
"I only thought that this form would be easier for you to take in. Something familiar from your beloved comic books. I could try another. More closer to home. The Imp perhaps?" Black smoke engulfed the man and when he emerged he looked like Henry's paternal grandfather, Rumplestiltskin. "How this, dearie? More to your liking? Or would you prefer someone else? One more aligned with your values?" With snap of his finger the man's form changed and he was dressed in dark blue, white, and red uniform, complete with a his signature shield. "Ah yes. I like this form. The costume is a bit much. But yes, I can feel a surge of goodness. Are you ready to help the helpless, Little Prince? You know for truth, justice, patriotism, and the American Dream? No? Too much? Perhaps I can be another. How about Gorgon the Invincible?" He transforms again. This time into a giant boar that breathed fire. Henry jumped back and the Darkness reverted back. "Yes, probably easier this way. Now, are you ready to begin?"
Henry frowned in confusion. "Begin what?"
The dark haired man smiled. "Why learning to be the Dark One, Little Prince. You think all of the Dark Ones that came before just became the Darkness overnight? Oh, no. Even they had to learn the craft from me. Until you've embraced your darkness, think of me as your guide. Or if you'd prefer, me, the master, and you, my young apprentice."
"No," the young Author replied with a simple shake of his head. "My mothers are heroes. And I'm like them. I'll never embrace the Darkness. So, just leave me alone."
"This isn't something you can walk away from, Henry. You are the Dark One."
He didn't say anything at first and just started off. He didn't know where he was going but he knew that he had to get away from the Darkness. But how does one escape something inside of themselves?
"I just have to find Merlin," he said to himself. "He'll be able to fix this."
"Merlin?" The Darkness appeared in front of him, blocking his path. "You're better off with me. Merlin cannot help you. You cannot fight this no more than an Evil Queen can fight her true nature. You are the Dark One, Henry Mills. For better or worse, this is your true self. There is no way to stop, you can only be stopped. That is your fate as it was the fate of all Dark Ones that came before you."
"I SAID NO!" The blue flames burst out in all directions. Everything burned. And then, the fire was gone. All that remained was blacken char and smoldering ash.
A deep chuckle bubbled up from the Darkness and he applauded Henry's display of power. "Impressive," the Darkness praised. "Most impressive. How did it feel? Your first taste of darkness? Liberating, is it not?"
Henry didn't reply. He couldn't bring himself to say the words. But the Darkness already knew what was in his heart. He already knew his answer. But he couldn't admit out loud that yes, it was liberating. He felt like he was in control. He felt powerful. He felt - for the first time in his life - he felt free.
Emma (Present Day)
"Regina, where the hell are you going?" Emma already knew the answer before even asked the question.
"I'm going to look for my son."
Okay. That was fast. It was funny how quickly he became Regina's son as opposed to theirs. And by funny, Emma of course meant unequivocally frustrating to the point of wanting to harm boxes of puppies in an attempt to make herself feel better.
"He could be anywhere."
"He couldn't have gone far," Regina reasoned. "He can't pass the town line."
"But you don't even know where to start," Emma said. "And look it how you're dressed." With a flourish Regina's clothes were changed in a purple plume of smoke, from a red dress with gold trim to grey slacks, and a black blazer over a dark silk blouse. "There. Happy?"
She didn't wait for the blonde to respond before she started off for the front door. "Good. Glad we had this talk."
Emma sighed and followed the Mayor outside. With a dazzling flash of multi colored light, the Savior looked more like herself in blues jeans and plain button up.
"Seriously?" she called after the stubborn brunette. "You're just going to go out there without a plan and what? Hope for the best?"
The Former Queen scoffed. "I'll leave the hoping to your family."
"Regina…"
"No, save it, Miss Swan. My son is out there and I'm going to find him." She vanished in a smoky cloud of amaranthine before the Sheriff could offer her a rebuttal.
The Savior could have given chase but what was the point? She had learned some years ago that it did her no good to chase Regina if she didn't want to be found. So she elected to trust the Queen formerly known as Evil, trust that she was more than capable of looking for Henry on her own. Dark One or not, that was still Henry, and he'd never hurt Regina. Never.
"Swan!" Killian was at her side before she could even turn around. "Everything alright, love?"
She sighed. "My son is the Dark One and Regina can't even look at me. So I'm gonna go with everything being fucking far from alright."
The Pirate nodded, his cheeks flushing sheepishly. "Right. Dumb question. So what's our next step?"
The Savior arched an eyebrow. "Our?"
"Yes, our next step," Killian replied. "I don't know if you know this Swan, but I pull for the heroes now. Traded in my black cap for a white one. Which is a bloody awful choice. 'Cause I look terrible in white." When she smiled, with a fluttering roll of her eyes, he pulled her in for a hug. "That's the Savior I know. Don't despair, love. We'll save the lad. So the Queen isn't thinking of having a change of heart, is she?… you know again."
Emma shoved him away from her. "No, she's just scared. And confused. It's complicated. But you're right we're going to save Henry. But first we have to figure out what the hell happened in the last six weeks."
"Aye."
Her parents came outside, calling out to her, and surprised the Outlaw wasn't far behind them. Mary Margaret first asked where Regina was. And when Emma told them, all her mother wanted to know was how she was doing with all of this.
"I'm okay, Mom," Emma assured her. "You should take Dad and get Neal settled. I'll ride around with Hook and we'll see what we missed. At least around here."
"Are you sure?" Charming asked, his eyes alit with concern. He even put his hand on her shoulder, hunching over as he held her gaze for a moment just to make sure she wasn't lying. As oblivious as David acted sometimes Emma was certain that her superpower was definitely his genetic influence more than her mother's.
"Yeah, I'm fine – well I'm not fine but I'm the Savior and this is the job, right?"
He nodded in solemn understanding. "We'll figure out a way to save Henry."
"I know," Emma replied. "I'll meet up with you both after I'm done. And then we'll go from there. Maybe Regina will have calmed down enough to help us by then instead of being Classic Regina."
"I peg your pardon, Sheriff…" As soon as Robin started, Emma was already rolling her eyes and half tuning him out. "But she just watched her son turn into a fully awakened Dark One. Maybe you should cut her a bit of slack."
"And maybe, you should go see to your own son, instead of worrying about mine."
"Emma!" her mother admonished her.
The Savior took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry."
The Outlaw nodded. "It's alright. I understand. And perhaps you're half right. If it's been six weeks, I should check on Roland." Then he stepped in close and held her gaze. "But I won't stop caring about your boy. And if you need my help in any way to free him of the Darkness, Sheriff, all you need to do is ask."
See, she couldn't hate this guy. There was literally no conceivable reason she could find to even dislike him. And yet… God, she hated his stupid, perfect face. The brave and just and morally upright Robin Hood. The Outlaw that stole the Evil Queen's heart. He was a good man. He'd make Regina happy. Emma hated him. And she hated herself for hating him. But here they were.
"Thank you, Robin," Emma told him.
"Happy hunting, Sheriff." And then the Outlaw was gone.
The Savior watched him leave, wondering - well, a great many things to be honest. Mainly, how she should be focused on saving her son and getting back their lost memories instead of wasting time hating Robin Hood, whose only crime was that Regina choose him.
"Okay, I guess, we should get going." When Snow's lip straightened into a tight line the Savior frowned and asked, "What?"
"Nothing," her mother said quickly. Which was a lie but honestly Emma was too emotionally exhausted to call her on it. "Emma, just remember that you and Regina are stronger when you're not fighting against each other."
"I know," the Savior replied. "It's just…"
"I know, Emma. If I was in your position…" Her mother took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll save him. We'll bring him back to the light. We have to."
Snow was right. They'd save Henry. Because the alternative wasn't an option.
Henry (Six Weeks Ago)
"Are you going to admit that you need my help yet, Little Prince?" the Darkness, when Henry passed by him as he tromped through the forest with no real clue as to where he was going. "Because that maple tree up ahead, you've passed it three times already. But if you don't want to admit that you need my help, feel free to continue going around in circles."
"I won't use Dark Magic," Henry replied. "My moms-"
"Are not here, Little Prince," the Darkness told him. "And they do not possess even a fraction of the kind of power that you have. If want to find Merlin, you can. All you have to do is ask and I'll show you how."
"Fine," the young Author sighed. "How do I find Merlin?"
"Was that so hard, Little Prince?" The Darkness mocked him. "There's a magical force that will put you on the path. With my assistance, you can find it."
"Ok…" Henry still didn't trust the Darkness. How could he? He wasn't sure that this wasn't some sort of trick. Because Emma was right, the Darkness knew how to only do one thing, snuff out the light. And he didn't know how long he could fight it. Heart of the Truest Believer or not, Henry was 13. He was just a kid. How could he defeat the Darkness by himself?
"Splendid, Little Prince," the Darkness said. "Now, imagine a lake, with placid silvery waters, so clear it's like looking into a mirror. Then, a tall tree with, sweeping, low-hanging branches that loom over it. And above it all, a beautiful, beatific blue sky. Now picture it in your mind. Picture it clearly."
Henry took a breath and closed his eyes, doing as he was instructed. He imagined the scene as it was described to him, felt the calming wind coming from the lake roll across his skin, felt the sun's warmth catch in his hair. And when he opened his eyes, he was there, standing on the banks of the mirrored lake.
"I didn't want to use magic," he exclaimed. "You tricked me."
"Of course, I did," the Darkness said. "It's what I do. Well, what you do. This was your magic after all, Little Prince." Fire raged within him but he kept it at bay. Especially when the Darkness pointed just behind him to what looked like a magical jellyfish that glowed in a brilliant electric blue. "The will-o-wisp. Now if you want to find Merlin, you better catch it."
Henry groaned and gave chase running all around the forest until he caught the will-o-wisp in his hand. "Heh, gotcha. Now, show me how to find Merlin."
A blur of vibrant colors streaked past him, taking the will-o-wisp from his grip. He only had a second to track the feathery blur that stopped just at a clearing in the woods long enough for him to get a clear view.
It was a girl, no older than himself. 13, maybe 14 or 15. She had dark tan skin, and spiky, jet black hair that was shaved on both sides of her head with intricate geometric patterns. Her cheeks were streaked with red and white paint. And she was wearing thin animal skins that were adorn with colorful feathers.
"That's not how it works," was all she said. And then she was gone.
"Lovely girl," the Darkness commented. "She is right, you know. That isn't how it works. Well… Go on. Go after her."
Henry (Present)
The blue flames heralded the Dark One's arrival. There he was, dressed in all black, standing before Gold's Cabin. As he stalked forward, Henry began to hum to himself, snapping to a guitar riff only he heard. He studied the old log cabin with a pensive expression. Whatever he was thinking was for him to know and the rest of the world to worry themselves sick over.
"When I was a child, I heard voices… Some would sing and some would scream.
You soon find you have few choices… I learned the voices died with me."
He produced a ball of blue fire in his open palm, threw it through in open window, and waited.
"When I was a child, I'd sit for hours... Staring into open flame.
Something in it had a power… Could barely tear my eyes away."
And then with the snap of his fingers the cabin exploded, burning bits of wood going everywhere, raining down around Henry. And he walked through the destruction with cool indifference as he continued to sing to himself.
"All you have is your fire… And the place you need to reach.
Don't you ever... tame your demons… But always keep 'em on a leash."
The dark crystals sprouted from the ground, jetting out and crashing into each other as the earth quaked beneath the Dark One.
"When I was 13, my senses fooled me… Thought gasoline was on my clothes.
I knew that something would always rule me… I knew the scent was mine alone."
And then in a flash he transported himself back as the ground cracked up and a dark crystalline structure slowly rose up from the depths of the earth, like a giant submarine surfacing. Only it was a castle. No, a fortress.
"All you have is your fire… And the place you need to reach.
Don't you ever... tame your demons… But always keep 'em on a leash."
Inspecting his handiwork, the Dark One smiled, proudly. This was a fortress fit for a different kind of villain. One that the heroes wouldn't be able to handle. Yes, they had defeated the Evil Queen. And the Queen of Hearts. And Rumplestilskin. Peter Pan. The Wicked Witch. The Snow Queen. But Henry Mills had learned from them. And the Savior wouldn't be able to stop him. None of them would.
"When I was a man I thought it ended.. When I knew love's perfect ache.
But my peace has always depended… On all the ashes in my wake."
With a snap of his fingers an old man appeared in a plume of dark blue smoke. He was bonded by the wrist. His head was covered with a black cloth bag.
The Dark One chuckled. The was going to be fun.
"All you have is your fire… And the place you need to reach.
Don't you ever... tame your demons… But always keep 'em on a leash."
"Hello, Albert," the Dark One said with a smirk when he removed the hood that covered the man's face. "Or is it George? You know with these curses I can't keep things straight. I mean my grandfather's name is David and David. Now that's just lazy storytelling if you ask me. I wouldn't have written it that way. But I broke the Quill so well, I suppose we'll never know for sure."
"Where are we?" the fallen king asked.
"Oh, right… I'm sorry, where are my manners? Don't tell Regina about my lapse in etiquette because she'd just curse me into next year…" Henry snarked. "Parents, amirite? Anyway, great-granddad, or Pop-Pop - you mind if I call you Pop-Pop? I doesn't really matter if you do. Well, Pop-Pop, I was thinking that to myself that no Supervillain lives at home with their mothers. I mean, unless you believe what the Republicans say. But that's a whole other thing.
"Now as the Dark One I needed a place to myself. I figured Gold's cabin would be a fitting place for plotting my forays into general moral turpitude and what have you."
"This is Gold's cabin?"
"I've made a few improvements." The Dark One shrugged. "Well, let's get going, Pop-Pop, there's work to be done."
"What makes you think I'll help you?"
"I'm very sorry." All the Dark One had to do was flicked his wrist and Albert rose from the ground. All he had to was curl his hand and the Old King felt his throat close as if he had choked him. "Did I give you the impression I was asking?"
Well, there's Dark Henry. Lemme know what you think with a review, and if you like my stuff, gimme a follow either here on Tumblr where I am MurderouslyAdorkable.