They made their way down the winding staircase; down, down, it seemed like they were deepest darkness part of hell. Alaek could finally see, what seemed like a random orange light in a sea of darkness, coming out of an opening; they had finally reached the bottom. That's when they heard the screams; screams that were obviously coming from Maurice. Belle grasped Al's arm, he held her back with little effort, as she tried and tried to run to her father; she forgot just how strong he was. He could not let her go, seeing her struggle, all he could think about was his promise to Rumple, the promise to keep Belle safe. He shushed her, and grabbed her shoulders; she looked deep into his aqua green eyes, which were pleading with her to stay put and be patient. She bowed her head, and calmed herself, as he peered around the wall. He could barely make out the silhouettes of two men circling the room, they looked like they were carrying whips, but he could not see Maurice. He watched them raise the whip; Maurice cried out:

"Please don't!"

The crack of the whip thundered through their ears; Belle covered hers tightly, but it did not help. She tightened her grip on Alaek's arm; he could feel her shake with fear and anger. Alaek took a deep breath, and ran around the corner, and into the torture chamber. The guards heard his quickened footsteps, and they quickly turned; one threw a fireball in his direction, Al ducked, and slid across the room, and into the wall. He snapped his fingers, and the two hooded men were incinerated in burst of blue flames; they screamed for instance, then all was quiet. Al gazed at a broken Maurice, horrified by what he saw. Maurice was tied to wooden rack, his back was covered in blood, cuts and bruises covered every inch of his body, his torn shirt hung loosely off his arms, he groaned in pain. Alaek approached him slowly, and lifted his head; he was barely conscious. Maurice slowly came to, his glossy eyes fixated on the elf, but Al was pretty sure he could not see him; this man was obviously blinded by the amount of pain that ran through his body.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

"I'm a friend of yer daughter's."

He waved them in; Belle, Snow, and Ruby entered slowly, upon seeing his horrible condition, she rushed to her father's side.

"Belle," he groaned.

"Father…. I'm so sorry. I should have gotten here sooner," she cried.

Maurice tried to shush her, but all that came out was an inaudible high pitched sigh. She buried her face into his restrained arms. Al circled them, as he examined his wounds, as well as trying to find a way to set him free.

"Belle. These wounds are very severe, love. If we move him….. he will die….. and we're running out of time," said Alaek.

"Is there nothing we can do? Nothing?" she asked urgently.

Alaek paced with his chin resting in his hand, His mind raced like a wild horse, trying desperately to come up with some way, any possibility to save this man's life. He stopped in his tracks, just as a light bulb went off in his head.

"I have an idea, but it's risky."

He placed a head on his forehead, and began to speak rapidly in elvish. Belle and the others watched him curiously; then two tattoos on either of Maurice's arm, glowed green, and turned solid black. The same markings appeared on Alaek's arms, as he stopped chanting.

"What is this?" asked Belle.

"The chain of life….. It is a very old spell, used in the only the most dire of circumstances. It basically connects two souls. If I stay alive so does he, and vice versa… but we must hurry, because if he dies, then I'm screwed."

"You would sacrifice yourself for me? Why?" she asked, astounded.

"I live on yours and Rumple's happiness. You're the only family I have. You're all I care about," he said as he placed two strong hands on her shoulders. She smiled up at him, and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso. He held her there, as she cried into his chest. She was an only child, and had never felt the love of a brotherly figure, and now for the first time, she did. She unwrapped her arms, and wiped her tears on her sleeve. His heart swam in the love he had for Belle, the woman who felt like his little sister from the day they met.

"Come. Time to find your husband," he said.

"What about father?"

"Here."

He opened a pouch on his belt, and took out, what looked like green moss. He stuck it in his mouth, and chewed it like gum. He picked up a wooden pale that was sitting in the corner. He kneeled down, and placed his hand on top.

"Linque" he said in elvish.

The pale filled with water; he spit out the moss into the pale, and swished it around. Al motioned for Belle to stand back, then threw the water onto Maurice's wounded back. He screamed in pain, as the water washed over him like a water fall, then he was still. Belle took his head in her hands, trying to revive him.

"What have you done?" she asked panicking.

"Relax…. He lives. I used a special herb and water to relieve his pain….. and knock him out until this is all over. Now come," he said hastily.

Belle stroked her father's cheek, then left with the others.

Rumple gazed angrily at the white witch; the darkness inside him was screaming like a rabid dog. He wanted nothing more than to tear her lung out. How dare she threaten his wife like that.

"Gold?" Charming groaned.

Rumple looked at him, somewhat relieved; that was one less death on his conscience.

"Charming…. Are you strong enough to fight?"

"I think so…. Where are we?"

"Even now, you plan to resist? You will not win. Just accept your fate," said the witch.

"You're the fool, my lady. As always you underestimate my enemy. You will die by my hand. I swear it," said Rumple in a cold clear voice.

"Is that so? And how will you accomplish that?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Like this," said a voice behind her.

Alaek, Belle, and the others all stood in the doorway. He shot a fireball at the rope holding the large chandelier above. It snapped, and fell straight down, barely missing the witch, as she ducked out of the way. Belle and Snow ran over to their respective husbands, and untied them with only a little difficulty. Charming was still dazed, but Snow hugged him tightly. Belle showered Rumple's face with kisses….

"It thought I had lost you, my love," said Belle breathlessly.

"I'm glad you're safe," he said.

"Brother!" called Alaek.

Rumple gave Alaek a manly hug; tight, and patting each other hard on the back.

"How did you find me?" asked Rumple.

"We're brothers… I will always find you," said Alaek, as he clasped Rumple's shoulder.

"No! I will not be beaten! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" screamed the witch.

"Enough! I Rumplestiltskin, Lord of the Dark Castle, the Dark One, and a Knight of the King's Table, hear by place you under arrest for conspiring to murder the King."

The lady of the Lake laughed at him. She waved her hand; an invisible force knocked him off his feet. He felt like he was flying through pitch black air, the wind rushed through his ears. He blindly reached out, trying to find Belle, Al, anyone, but all he felt was the wind running through his fingers. Suddenly, he hit the ground with a hard thud, and he blacked out.

Alaek awoke in a daze, not knowing how much time had passed. He looked around, they were all lying in a circular stone chamber, the only light came from candles attached to the walls, surrounding them. Rumple began to stir next to him.

"Hey, Rumple….. Are you okay?"

"What happened? Where are we?" he groaned, as he sat up, and rubbed his aching neck.

"I'm not sure. We were teleported somewhere, but I'm pretty sure we're still in the caverns," said Alaek, as he hobbled to his feet.

Rumple suddenly remembered that it wasn't just he and Alaek in the chamber; he quickly turned to Belle, who was face down, and still unconscious.

"Belle… Belle," he called, as he shook her.

Her eyes fluttered open; everything was blurry, then her eyesight fixated on her husband.

"Rumple?" she whispered.

"You're alright," he said, as he smiled warmly at her.

"What just happened? Such an odd feeling," she said, as Rumple sat her up.

"We were teleported. Rumple and I are used to it, but it can be hell for first timers," said Alaek.

The two brothers hoisted Belle to her feet; just then the others began to stir as well.

"Feeling better, your majesty?" asked Rumple with a smirk, as he walked over to the Charmings.

"Yes. Thanks," said Charming.

"Welcome to the game," called a familiar voice.

They all looked around, trying desperately to find the white witch, but if was just then in the chamber. Her voice echoed around them like a siren; Rumple, Alaek, and Belle stood back to back, ready for anything that could be thrown at them.

"I'm glad you're here… You can test our new recruits, they have been aching to kill some more since their last hunt," she taunted.

The walls parted, and a large battalion of hooded soldiers marched in. The amount of men that surrounded them were impossible to count; as if on cue they all drew their swords simultaneously.

"Men….. Kill them all."