Emma had long since ceased her pacing of the cell. She had started hearing small whispers in her head. Quiet at first, each voice discernable from the next, until it became a steady rumble at the back of her mind. It wasn't bothering her. Not yet, anyway. She tried to focus on other things. Like where she was, for example, and how she was going to get out of this non-descript cell that was effectively stifling her powers. The dark thoughts she'd previously had about her parents had ebbed and waned as though it had merely been a wave of thoughts that crashed over her before retreating into the darkest recesses of her mind. That was good. Those thoughts were unwelcome. She knew who she was again. The savior. She reminded herself that she needed to keep her love for her family at the forefront of her mind to ground herself. The one thing that surprised her was how her attitude towards Regina had not soured with the darkness that now flowed through her. In fact, she felt a sudden pull towards the Queen that she'd been ashamed to admit to feeling before now. Wait, was it shame? Guilt? No, fear, maybe? She didn't know. Those feelings felt foreign now. How could she feel afraid of something as asinine as attraction when she had so much power? She couldn't imagine anything making her feel weak right now. Except those bars. The bars had to go. She summoned the guard to her when he came close enough to drop off a tray of rotten food. Presumably for her. Not that she would have eaten it anyways.
"What is this?" she sneered through the bars.
"It's dinner… Yours," the guard replied curtly.
"Now, that's no way to address a princess, is it Jason?" the woman's eyes glowed slightly in the dark as she peered at him, accentuation the 's' in his name ever so slightly, coyly dragging out the syllables over her tongue. He leaned forward, trying to see this dark creature better, his curiosity overtaking his fear, as she seemed a disembodied voice blending into the shadows of the cell.
That was his last mistake.
She struck before he could retreat to safety. Her fist disappeared within his chest, only to reappear holding his bright red, glowing ember of a heart.
With a flourish, she snatched the keys to the cell from his belt before he stumbled backwards in shock, clutching his now empty chest, looking through the bars at the two glowing green eyes glaring back at him in stark contrast to his blood red heart.
"Now," Emma said, grinning wickedly, "the Dark Swan will rise."
And she crushed the heart in her hand, letting the ash flow through her fingers like an ominous hourglass.
Regina, Hook and Merida had finally reached the base of the Crone. The hollow mountain, as it was known, was named Ben Cruachan. It was the tallest mountain in the region. Merida explained to her travel companions about the legend of the Cailleach who tired from a long day of herding deer, fell asleep atop the mountain and allowed the well spring she was tending to overflow, flooding the land below the mountain, forming the river and Loch Awe. Just a legend, she explained to the two skeptics who rode beside her, but it meant that there must be a spring that welled up from within the mountain. They just had to find the spring, then according to legend, the Tree of Life feeds from the spring.
Regina looked around at the forest that had seemed to go on forever as they had urged their horses through thick brush and the occasional meadow the past few days. At the start of the third day she became even more travel-weary and anxious. She was trying not to think about how much time had passed since she last saw Emma, but she couldn't help the feeling of dread that was pressing on her chest, tried to ignore the feeling that she was too late, that Emma was already wreaking havoc without anyone there to guide her back to the light. She was the savior, but now Regina knew she'd have to save her from herself.
She knew how easy it could be to lose yourself to the darkness. Regina knew well the sharp tang of her enemy's blood on her lips. She knew the sweetness of power when it bubbled up and out through her fingers, feeling it crackle and pop like rock candy, as satisfying as a fourth of July fireworks display. Her reminiscent thoughts were cut short by an intrusive shiver that made its way up and down her spine. She felt an unseasonably cold breeze at the back of her neck that accompanied the chill like an afterthought. Her horse startled and threw back his head with a whinny like he'd just stumbled through a ghost. As Regina struggled to reign in the wild-eyed creature, Hook and Merida pulled on their reins as well, effectively backing away from the source of whatever had spooked the horse in the lead.
Within a few moments, Regina had regained control of her mount and turned around to face the pirate and the red-haired princess.
"What was that?" Regina demanded of their guide.
Merida searched the area with her brow furrowed. "No idea, lass," she responded slowly, still peering through the branches, her bright eyes penetrating the gradual darkness knowing that whatever it was likely would not be visible.
"There's a lot of magic in these woods. Best to step lightly."
"Right," the Queen said, a sharp edge entering her voice as she extinguished the fireball she didn't realize she'd summoned in her hand before gripping the reins again and urged the steed forward towards the rushing sound of water in the distance.
Hook has been uncharacteristically quiet the past couple of days, Regina thought once her heart rate had slowed to a normal pace. Usually he talked too much for her liking, but maybe knowing Emma was the Dark One had made him less sure of himself somehow. To her surprise, she found herself pitying him. She knew what it was to feel helpless when a loved one was suffering. Despite the unexpected sentimentality, she glanced over her shoulder at his stone-faced expression and decided that it would be better to leave him to his thoughts. Merida must have picked up on the silent exchange, though, because she spoke up.
"Captain," Merida started, formally at first, correctly reading that she should approach him gently. Hook responded wordlessly by looking at her under dark brows. "Are you prepared for what state ye might find her in?" the woman asked, almost callously as she flipped a lock of her bright red curls over her shoulder. "You know she probably won't be like the girl ye knew before. She'll be different. Even if she looks the same, ye can't trust what the darkness touches."
Regina stayed silent as Hook took this in.
"No offense, love, but I'm well aware of what darkness does to a person," Hook growled.
"She's just trying to prepare you, guyliner," Regina counteracted before she could think of a snappier comeback.
"Whoa!" Merida quieted her shaggy mount that had startled briefly as they approached a clearing, the falls roaring loudly ahead of them as they left the muted quiet of the forest. Regina noticed a slight crackle in the air. There was a powerful magic here. They had found the right place.
