To Have and To Hold
Chapter Four: An Enemy Arrives
Neal absolutely hated lying. It probably stimmed from when he was a child, growing up for those two years with his father being the Dark One. Neal knew his papa had meant well but he was constantly lying and hiding things from his son, all in hopes of protecting him. Neal wasn't one to ordinarily lie about things. He had always believed in telling the truth and trying not to keep secrets. Sometimes it didn't work but he tried to keep that to a minimum.
This was different, though. This time, he was lying because he didn't want anyone to panic, especially Emma, Henry, and his Papa. Why was he lying and what about exactly?
He wasn't as in control as he had first let on. He had told the truth about when he had first woken up and everything being fuzzy up until David fired his gun. He just kind of exaggerated on how in control he was. Which was why he had given his son the dagger that bared his name. He really hoped Henry could be the one to help save him. Either Henry or Emma. Maybe even his Papa.
It was part of the reason he had given his son the dagger that bared his name. He wanted, needed something and someone to anchor him to reality. He really wanted that person to be his son.
Neal sighed as he leaned back in the familiar leather seat of the yellow VW beetle, trying to calm the voices in his head. He felt Emma slip her hand into his and the voices died down a little, just enough for him to regain control.
There was something different about the magic that swirled within him. Before, when he was sharing a body with his papa, he could feel the Dark One's curse, swirling in his papa's soul, like a black, burnt tar that clung to every bad thought and past action. He could feel the payment of magic swirling around him; the price of every bit of magic that his papa had performed. It wasn't a feeling that he could easily forget, due to the dark nature of the Curse.
The magic swirling just under the surface of his skin had no price. And that was what worried him. He had always came to learn that all magic had a price, not matter how small or big the magic being performed was. No matter how far he search into the magic, he couldn't find any inkling of a price or consequence.
Even the magic itself felt different. This magic felt ancient, much older than the magic his papa had used before had felt. It also felt much darker, as if someone had poured an even more potent toxin into his bloodstream. Before, the darkness had felt like an angry, hurt wolf, trying to fight against the light that he had keep in his papa's soul for so long. He had always thought that the darkness outweighed the light in his papa by probably 90% to 10%. In actuality, the darkness only took over about 60% of his souls. It had just festered on all of Rumpelstiltskin's self-doubt and loneliness.
Looking back on it now, Neal wondered how his father would fair if he was in the position his son was in. In Neal's case, the Darkness weighted heavily on his soul, acting like a caged animal on the defensive and a ferocious monster on the offensive. Neal knew that if he didn't have Emma, Henry, and his papa to hold onto, he would have succumbed to the Darkness as soon as he woke up. It weighed on his soul, the dark voices whispering taunts and threats, bringing all of his worst memories to the surface. The thing that continued to play in his mind wasn't a taunt about his father letting him go, nor was it a ridicule for his mother having left him for a pirate.
It was about the night he left Emma and ultimately ended up abandoning the son he didn't know he had. The voice called him a coward, continuously gorging him about how he was exactly like his father and grandfather. Neal bit his lip as one of the voice made a particular nasty jab about how Emma didn't deserve someone as dark and tainted as him.
"Hey," Emma said suddenly, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "Everything alright in there? You look really deep in thought."
Neal opened his eyes, nearly sighing in relief as the voices began to find from the forefront of his mind. "I'm fine," he said. "Just thinking."
Emma frowned. "That's a lie."
Neal snorted, momentarily cursing himself for forgetting about her superpower. "I'll be ok. Eventually," he replied as he pulled her hand into his lap, focusing on the warmth of it in his.
Emma was quiet for a moment. "You're not as in control as you said you were, are you?"
Neal looked out the window, staring at the passing green foliage that made up the forest. "It's getting easier," he replied honestly.
"How so?" she asked as she steered the wheel with on hand, the other lacing her fingers with his.
Neal smiled at her, looking her dead in the eyes. "Because you're here."
Emma blinked, clearly a little thrown by the sheer amount of honestly in his voice. She gave him a soft smile. Neal could tell he accidentally made her uncomfortable. He looked down at their linked hands and bit his lip.
"Hey," she said softly, giving her right hand a shake to get his attention. "I'm sorry if this is a little awkward but just give me some time, ok?" she asked quietly. "There are still some things I have to work out and I don't want to try and commit to something to suddenly. I don't want to get hurt again," she admitted, whispering the last sentence, not quite meeting his eyes.
Neal felt his heart sink a little. Worry began to form in his gut and the Darkness seemed to latch right onto it. It began to show Neal different scenarios of how happy Emma would be if he hadn't come back. It showed him how at peace she was, walking arm-in-arm with Hook, Henry tagging along with a smile on his face, the picture of a happy family. Neal inhaled sharply, closing his eyes to the on slot of images that began to play in his mind's eye.
Emma gave his hand another squeeze, dispelling the images as quickly as they had started. "It's going to be alright," she replied. "You can get through this."
"How are you so sure?" Neal asked, some of his vulnerability bubbled to the surface.
Emma smiled confidently. "Because you have people that are willing to stand behind you. Your father, Belle, my parents, Henry, Hook," she said before trailing of. "And you have me."
The last part was just barely above a whisper, showing how awkward she was feeling for even admitting that. Neal knew that it was an issue of self-confidence. He remembered how she used to get very uncomfortable when they had first been together, always shifting slightly whenever he complimented her or looking away suddenly when he called her beautiful. He knew, if she was really uncomfortable, she would have pulled her hand away. She didn't and Neal couldn't help the genuine smile that spread across his face.
"Who's that?" Emma said suddenly, leaning up in her seat as she slowed the car down.
Neal looked over and noticed a figure walking along the road, heading in the same direction as the pair. Neal frowned. "You've never seen that person before?"
Emma shook her head, pulling her hand out of Neal's as she parked the car on the side of the road. Neal looked back at the figure, a woman, he realized now that they were much closer. Before he even realized it, he was up and out of the car, something in his instincts telling him to go to the woman. He stopped himself as he realized that the instinct was the Darkness pulling at him and his conscious, moving him like a puppet on strings. Neal clenched his teeth, fighting against the pull, ignoring what should have been a natural reaction.
Neal continued to stare at the woman as Emma got out of the car. Something about the woman drew the Darkness forward to the front of his mind, like a siren singing at the top of her lungs. Neal clenched his teeth, trying as hard as he could to push the Darkness back to where he had locked it away. It didn't work, however. Something about this woman was screaming at the Darkness. Something about her was as familiar as it was ancient, wrapping around Neal like an intoxicating smell that he couldn't turn away from, making him dizzy with the desire to be next to her. It was only when Emma slipped her hand in his that he managed to get control of himself enough to push the Darkness back again.
The woman had her back to him, her midnight black hair cascading in knotted waves down her back until it came to rest at her waist. She was wearing a black, tattered dress that fit her in the right places, hugging her curves and accenting the frame of her body. It was only when Neal looked closer that he realized the dress was actually a dark, emerald green with a black overlay.
"Excuse me," Emma called softly.
The woman turned and Neal had to use every ounce of strength in his body to keep himself from walking to her. He clenched his jaw, worried that he might break a tooth with the force he was biting with. He knew he was fighting against an instinct that ran so deep, he could feel it in his blood, in his very soul.
The woman in question was pale, so pale in fact that her skin was almost white. She had a hauntingly beautiful face and Neal couldn't help but compare her to Emma. While Emma had always seemed so alive and energetic, this woman was the opposite. The way she carried herself screamed royalty and a gracious upbringing. Her face was almost like it had been etched out of marble, just as cold and unchanging. The really startling thing about her was her eyes. Piercing green eyes stared into his own brown ones, as if staring directly into his soul. The air around her was electrified with magic, sizzling and cracking against her skin. She was extremely beautiful and just a deadly.
"Are you lost?" Emma asked as she walked forward, pulling Neal with her.
Neal had to keep himself from dragging his feet in the ground. The Darkness inside him was more than happy to get close to this woman. The human part of him screamed that there was something very wrong about her.
"Just a little," she replied. She had an old accent, one Neal hadn't heard for many years. "Could you point me to the nearest village?" she asked, looking at Emma.
"Sure," Emma replied, never once taking her hand from Neal's. "Just keep following the road, heading that way," she said as she pointed in the direction they had just come from. "It will probably be about a thirty minute walk on foot but it's a direct part."
The woman smiled, her whole face lighting up and the Darkness within Neal practically sang. "Thank you," she replied before her gazed shifted to Neal. Another smile quickly took over her features, this one threatening. "Well, this is a surprise," she commented as she walked forward.
Neal took a step back and clenched his teeth tighter. The woman stopped about five feet from him and began to look him up and down. Now that he was seeing her close up, something about her began to pull at his memory, at his human side. He knew that he had meet this woman before. He knew that was well as he knew his own soul. But where he had meet her continued to slip away from him, like water falling through cracks of a broken bowl.
"So the process has restarted, it seems," she commented as she slowly began to circle the pair. "So this is where you disappeared to."
His finger twitched on its own accord, with the desire to reach out and touch the woman. It took everything in his power to fight against the natural instinct. And the only thing that was currently grounding him was Emma's hand in his. Neal clenched Emma's hand tighter, his eyes never once leaving the woman's form. She walked with a calming air, one that quieted the voices in Neal's head. But not the way he wanted it to. Instead of quieting the Darkness, Neal felt his human side quieting, slowly relinquishing control and leaving the Darkness to fester. The woman smiled cunningly as she stopped directly in front of him and Neal felt himself begin to slip under the dark, black water.
Charming sighed as he power walked through the streets of Storybrook. As much as he would have loved to have stayed with his wife and new born son, he knew that he need to be out looking for the source of that earthquake. Emma and Neal had left, saying they'd take the forest part south part of the town that included the forest. Hook had left moments later, heading in the direction of the mines. Regina and Henry had stayed behind, both promising to watch Snow and the baby while Gold and Belle had volunteered to check out the shop to see what they could find to help. Well, Belle had offered. Gold had begrudgingly followed her lead.
"David?!"
Charming turned suddenly to see Ruby heading in his direction, her bright red heels tapping the ground as she practically ran across the street.
"Ruby! What's wrong?" he asked as she finally reached him.
"There are some new people in town," she explained.
Charming swore. Who else had Pan hired before the town had disappeared? He stopped his train of thought as he saw the hesitant look on her face. "Ruby?" he asked, clearly waiting for clarification.
"They aren't from around here. As in, they aren't from this world," she continued.
David stared wide-eyed for a moment before he shook his shock off. "Show me."
The pair quickly took off, heading in the direction of the docks. Charming pulled his phone out and quickly filled Regina in on where he was heading and what Ruby had told him.
"I'll call you when we know more about the situation," he said as he spotted the beach coming into view.
"You had better," Regina replied before hanging up.
Charming rolled his eyes before quickly spotting four figures walking along the beach. "That them?" he asked Ruby.
She quickly nodded.
Charming stared at the four. The first person David saw was an elderly man with silver hair framing his face, ending just above his shoulders. He was wearing a long robe-like outfit of a darker red color with an intricate design down the front. He was shaking his head as two men continued to bicker back and forth.
"I'm saying we should go that way," the blond man said.
"What? And trust your judgment?" the darker haired male countered.
The blond was well built and David could instantly tell he was a soldier, if not a knight. He carried himself with an air of dignity, something David had always seen with Snow. The man was obviously royalty—if the crown on his head was anything to go by—with a handsome face and bright blue eyes. He wore armor that was polished so well, that it almost reflected the sun. Over the armor, he wore a red tunic with the crest of a golden dragon decorating the front. At his hip was a gleaming silver and gold sword that Charming did not want to get on the other end of.
The darker haired man was practically the opposite. While the two were almost the same height, the darker haired man was extremely skinny and seemed a little underweight. He wore a dark blue shirt that had clearly seen better days with a pair of brown trousers and boots. He was wearing a brown leather jacket that was covered in tears and hole with a red scarf around his neck. He had high cheekbones and bright blue eyes that Charming could have sworn were lit up with electricity.
The blond promptly glared at the darker haired man. "I will have you know that my judgment is perfectly fine."
"Oh, yeah?" the darker haired one countered.
"Yes," the royal stated with a note of finality in his voice.
"Then who exactly is to blame for our current predicament?" the other asked, clearly amused.
If looks could kill, the grinning, amused man would be six feet under. "I will have you in the stocks for that."
"You'll have to catch me first."
"I can catch you perfectly fine, thank you."
"Are you sure about that? I know for a fact that, just this morning, I had to put a few extra holes in your belt."
"Are you calling me fat?!"
"If you two are quite finished," the last person of the group said suddenly. "We have company."
David took a moment to look at the only woman of the group. She was extremely pretty, with her darker skin and dark, curly hair pulled up into an elegant hairstyle. She wore a lilac and gold dress that accented her waistline and hugged her body. Atop her head was a very pretty looking crown of gold that seemed to match the blonde's. David knew instantly that, if the blond was a king, the woman was a queen.
"State you name and business," the blond stated suddenly.
"Shouldn't that be his line?" the darker haired male countered, only to receive a glare in response.
"No one asked your opinion," the king retorted hotly.
"Well, if you did, I would advise that we don't anger the only person we have seen since we arrived her. It might not end well for us and I would rather not get attack again, thank you."
"You're such a girl's petticoat, Merlin," the blond replied.
"Clotpole," Merlin replied smartly.
"And what exactly is a clotpole?" the king asked, getting a little wound up.
"In two words?"
"Yes!"
"King Arthur," Merlin replied with a grin.
"Your highness," the elderly man said before Arthur could hit Merlin. "I think now is not the best time to argue with your servant."
"Of course, Gaius," the king agree, trying to scrape up what dignity he had left. He shot Merlin a look, who simple grinned in response. He turned back to David, who smiled and walked forward.
"Welcome to Storybrook," David greeted. "My name's David or Prince Charming. You can call me David. This is my old friend, Ruby or Red."
"Call me Red," she replied
Arthur looked attentive as he realized he was speaking with another royal being, even if his clothes were a little strange. "Hello, David, Red. I am King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot," he greeted with a nod of his head. "This is my wife Guinevere," he said as he took his wife's hand and lead her to the front.
"She keeps his intelligence level up," Merlin supplied with a grin, causing Arthur to glare and Guinevere to laugh.
"Please," the queen replied with a curtsy. "Call me Gwen."
David bowed in response, his years of noble training with Snow coming back to the surface of his mind. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gwen."
She smiled. "The pleasure is mine."
"This," Arthur continued as he gestured to the elderly man, "is Gaius, our court Physician."
Gaius bowed to David. "It's nice to meet you, sir."
David gave him a wave. "You don't have to bow. I'm only a Prince by marriage. My wife is the Queen of our land."
Arthur looked a little shocked and extremely pleased. "I'm glad to see that I am not the only on to marry outside of nobility. My wife was a handmaid before her brother became one of my knights, raising her status. I wouldn't have cared either way, of course," he supplied as he gazed at Gwen, who smiled back just as softly.
Merlin cleared his throat, bring Arthur back to the present. He shifted uncomfortably, as if he was worried about making himself seem soft in front of everyone. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"And this idiot," Arthur supplies as he gestured to Merlin, "is my manservant Merlin. A right bubbling idiot."
It was Merlin's turn to glare at a grinning Arthur.
"You said you're from Camelot," Ruby asked, hoping to distract the arguing pair.
Arthur nodded. "We are not sure how we ended up here."
"Sure we are," Merlin countered. "It was your idea to chase after Morgana when she clearly was holding some type of swirling black orb. If you hadn't, she wouldn't have thrown it down and I am pretty sure we wouldn't have ended up here."
"You are such a nuisance, Merlin," Arthur complained.
"Well, if I'm a nuisance, then you're a dollophead," Merlin countered.
Arthur stuttered for a moment. "What the—? What is a dollophead?"
"Shall we revisit our conversation on Clotpoles?" Merlin asked innocently.
David chuckled, clearly amused by the situation. Gwen rolled her eyes at the pair and turned to David.
"Is your wife in charge of this town? If so, could you please take us to her? We would really love a way to get back home."
David smiled. "My wife isn't the one in charge. Her stepmother is. But I'm pretty sure Regina would be willing to talk to you." His phone suddenly rang, startling the group. David quickly looked at his phone as Emma's name flashed across the screen. He gave them an apologetic look. "Just a moment. It's my daughter."
He quickly swiped the screen and answered the phone.
"Hey Emma," he greeted quickly.
"Dad?"
David felt his blood run cold as he realized his daughter was crying. "Emma? What's wrong?"
"I don't know what happened," he heard her sob. "A woman—she. . . I. . ."
David felt his heart hammering in his chest. His thought automatically jumped to Neal. He really hoped he didn't lose control. He took a calming breath. "Emma. I need you to calm down. Where's Neal?"
David faintly heard someone groaning in the background as his daughter took a few quick breaths.
"He's here. I think he's hurt. I-I don't know what she did."
"Who is 'she', Emma?" David asked, trying to remain calm.
"I don't know. We were driving and saw her walking along the side of the road," Emma explained as she her breath began to quicken. David heard her faintly whispering to someone, trying to calm them down. "We stopped and asked her if she was lost. The next thing I know, she's walking around us like a vulture. I should have noticed earlier but ever since we meet her, Neal had been acting weird. She stopped in front of him and just stood there smirking." Emma stopped for a moment to resume her faint, frantic whispering.
"What happened after that?" David asked, not noticing that the attention was centered on him.
Emma took another shaking breathe. "Neal just stopped moving for a moment. Before, I could feel him shaking a little but I thought it had to do with meeting a new person and just turning into the Dark One. He stopped moving completely. His eyes. . ." she trailed off for a moment. "His eyes were dead, Dad," she sobbed. "I don't want to ever see them like that again. It's like some type of demon took over."
"You're not hurt, are you?" David asked, his voice shaking. Ruby immediately walked closer.
"I'll go ahead of you and find her," she whispered.
David nodded his thanks before she took off.
Emma seemed to be calming down a little. "I'm not hurt. He wouldn't hurt me."
"I need you to tell me what happened next," David said as he motioned for the group to follow him. "Red is on her way. What did Neal do?"
Emma made a chocking noise. "He started screaming. Oh, god, Dad," she cried. "It sounded like he was dying. I don't know what she did but it wasn't want she was planning on. She looked startled when he started screaming."
"Are she still there?" David asked, taking a moment to check for his gun.
"No. Neal teleported us away from her. We're outside the hospital. Wait," David heard Emma pause before there was some shuffling. "KILLIAN!" she yelled suddenly startling David.
David heard feet hitting the ground in quick precession. "Swan?! What are you— What the bloody hell happened?"
"I'll tell you as soon as Dad gets here," Emma replied.
David heard the phone exchange hands.
"David," Red's voice sounded through the phone. "I'm with Emma. Hook and the dwarves are here too. We're going to try and get Neal inside."
"Alright," David replied as he broke into a run. "I'll be there in a moment."
David hung up quickly and looked back down at his phone, flipping through the contacts page. He could hear the newcomers behind them and cringed slightly when he remembered Gwen was wearing a dress. He found the number he was looking for and pressed send, mentally preparing himself for the conversation that was about to take place.
Merlin really didn't know what to think about this new place. As he ran along the surprisingly smooth streets, he pushed his magic out, trying to get a sense of the area. He frowned. The magic in this place—this world, his magic quickly supplied—was screaming for a price, a payment. It was different from the Old Religion magic of their world. It seemed newer, almost dull and lackluster compared to the magic he had been born with. As his magic spread out across the town, he quickly picked up on a magic that caused him to stumble, nearly falling flat on his face as he ran. The magic that had just brushed his was tainted and burned. Something about the magic seemed dead but alive at the same time. Poisonous, death, decay all swirled around the blackness that his magic had brushed against. Merlin felt himself nearly lose his stomach at the feel of it against his own magic. It was as if, by touching it, he was trying to mix crystal clear water with a black sludgy oil that was trying to corrupt the water but couldn't because the two really couldn't mix.
"What did you trip over?" Arthur asked as he ran beside him, the two trying to catch up with Gwen, who was wearing a dress and still running fast then them.
"Oh, that? That was your ego. It's so big, it nearly mad me fall flat on my face," Merlin replied cheekily, gaining speed to get away from Arthur's hit. He quickly caught up with David, who was once again on the strange, small black box.
"Gold," Merlin heard him say. "We need you to get to the hospital. Something's happened."
David paused for a moment. "No, it's not Zelena. We've got another, possibly bigger problem. Neal's in the hospital."
David paused again, this time flinching violently.
"I don't know what's wrong. Emma said the two were patrolling when they suddenly came across a strange woman."
Merlin felt his blood run cold. His thoughts immediately went to Morgana.
"Emma didn't say much. She was a little too hysterical to say anything," David continued, apparently using the small box to contact someone. Merlin bit his lip. It must be some kind of strange magic.
"I don't know what the woman did but it caused Neal to act strange. Emma said the woman stopped in front of him and he just froze. Next thing Emma knew, Neal started screaming before teleporting them away. Red and Hook were helping Emma take him into the hospital."
David paused again, his face turning a little sour. "I know you don't like Hook but he does care what happens to Neal. You didn't see how torn up he was when we all thought Neal died."
He paused again before sighing heavily. "Just get to the hospital. We'll talk more about it as soon as we make sure Neal is alright." David quickly pulled the object away from his ear and pushed something on the front of it.
"It that magic?" Arthur asked, eying the item intensely before sharing a look with Merlin.
David shook his head. "It's called a phone. It's science. No magic involved."
"So magic doesn't exist here?" Gwen asked, carrying her the skirt of her dress in her arms.
David laughed. "I didn't say that." He quickly turned to look at a tall, gray building that the group was heading to. "We're here," he commented as he gained speed.
Merlin sighed and followed the Prince. Something keep telling him things were about to get much worse than being stuck in this new strange world. And that something worse was definitely liked to the magic that nearly sent him to the ground.
I hope you like the appearance of the cast of BBC's Merlin. I wasn't a big fan of the Camelot Arc of OUaT. The writers had one job, and that was to cast Bradley James and Collin Morgan as Arthur and Merlin and they completely failed.
As far as Merlin goes, the characters are all older than they were at the end of the original show. The ending battle actually happened but Arthur and Morgana didn't die. Gwaine and Mordred are both still dead, sadly. I didn't want to stray too far from the show but I had to have Arthur alive just because it's Arthur and Morgana alive to create a center of conflict. As for their ages, the story takes place about six years after the end of Season 5:
Arthur: 36
Merlin: 32
Gwen: 35
Morgana: 37
Gaius: 84
The rest of the Camelot crew will eventually show up, just give it a little time. Everyone is in Storybrook, they're just scattered.