Emma knew something was wrong as soon as she approached the clearing with her kill slung over her shoulder. Everything was too still, too silent and Killian was sat far too rigidly at the fireside. She moved as quietly as she could around the perimeter, her eyes widening when she reached a spot that exposed Killian's restraints to her. His arms were bound in front of him with vine-like dull gold magic and the same colour magic kept him gagged too.
"Admiring my handiwork?" a voice came from behind her and she spun around, her dagger in her hand, "I'm quite proud of my work, no escaping for him!"
"The Dark One." she realized with a gasp, steadying herself, "What do you want?"
"I'm here to offer you a deal." Rumplestiltskin said with an unhinged giggle.
"What kind of deal?" she asked suspiciously.
"I'll take him off your hands and you get to return to your ship." he replied, "His life for yours."
"Why would I ever agree to a deal like that?" she demanded, infuriated by the suggestion.
"If you and lover boy continue on your path, you'll both die. If you take my deal, you'll both live." he explained with a dark grin, "You'll be able to sail away aboard your ship and Prince Killian will be safe with me."
"How do I know you'd keep him alive?" she asked, "His magic is a threat to you, isn't it?"
"He's more useful to me alive." the Dark One sneered, "Do we have a deal?"
She glanced back to where Killian was restrained before she looked back at the Dark One, "No, not with your terms."
"Bad decision-" he began to cackle, his eyebrows raising in surprise when she interrupted him.
"I have a deal for you, Dark One, but it'll be with my terms." she said, "You can take Killian with you today to Regina's palace, but he must not be killed and I must be protected whilst I travel there. You can't tell her that I'm on my way to challenge her."
"That answers my question over whether your throne is more important than your boyfriend." he smirked, "Regina is expecting you, but not so soon. My alliance with her is purely to benefit myself, so you have a deal."
"Excellent." she replied with a smile, her own actions sickening her to her core, "Let's get on with it then."
The Dark One let her lead the way back to the campfire and Killian immediately began fighting his restraints when he saw that Emma was so close to the demon. His magic made his whole body glow as he fought, managing to put cracks in the restraints but nothing further.
"You are a powerful one, aren't you?" Rumplestiltskin grinned as he approached the bound pirate, "What fun we're going to have together!"
Killian glared and growled at the Dark One before he looked over to Emma in confusion.
"We made a deal." she explained, ignoring the look of betrayal and utter devastation that filled Killian's face, "He gets you and I get to live. I'll be sailing away tomorrow."
He roared in fury at her words, hating that she'd cast him aside and sold him to the Dark One after all they'd been through together. His magic burned through the restraints on his arms, powered by his emotions, but Rumple added more restraints immediately.
"We may be true love, but my life is more important than your love." she said, her own heart breaking as she broke his, "You're just a deckhand to me, a slave to play with for my own amusement. The game is over now, I'm done with you."
As though a switch had been flipped, he immediately stopped fighting and slumped a little, the glow of his magic disappearing. Once again, he was trapped and forced to serve others, left behind by someone he loved and who he thought loved him. All emotions within him drained away as he closed himself off, feeling nothing but cold emptiness inside.
"Take him away." she told the Dark One, her eyes fixed on Killian as she desperately tried to convey with looks alone that she had a plan, but he kept his eyes fixed on the ground between his feet.
"Gladly." the Dark One laughed, waving his hand and transporting both himself and his captive to Regina's castle.
Emma barely slept that night, her mind repeating on a loop Killian's devastated expression as though to punish her for what she'd done. Her magic felt coiled up within her, not dancing and singing as it usually did when in the company of its other half.
After transferring the flask of water, food and personal items from Killian's pack into her own, she ran through a couple of training drills with her sword before she mentally ran through her plan. The castle she remembered from her childhood wasn't the one Regina used, but she was confident that she could still find a way in.
She set off walking at first light, unable to attempt sleep any longer when she knew the palace was just a couple of hours walk away. Travelling on foot without Killian at her side felt wrong and she missed his company. He knew exactly what to say to distract her from her self-doubt and she longed to hear his comforting, reassuring words once more. She hoped that he was as safe and as comfortable as he could be in the circumstances.
Whatever protection Rumplestiltskin had put in place for her as part of their deal worked and she wasn't bothered by anyone during her journey. As she got closer and closer to the palace, she passed through multiple checkpoints without being noticed by the Black Knights on guard at each one.
She didn't immediately approach the final checkpoint at the foot of the path leading to the palace, choosing instead to hide in the trees nearby to watch it for a time with her spyglass. Few people made their way up to the checkpoint and those that did seemed to be staff.
Finally, when she was tired of waiting and willing to take a risk, she slowly made her way up to the checkpoint. As before, the guards didn't seem to notice her and she was almost clear when she heard one of them speak.
"Hey, you there! Let me examine your papers, I don't recognize you and we've not been informed of any new employees." the guard practically barked.
She spun on her heel to face them and fully expected to be arrested and marched to the dungeons, but she was amazed to find that she'd slipped under the radar once again as they weren't talking to her, but a young girl. She decided not to wait and see if the Dark One's protection had a time limit, practically jogging her way up the long path to the castle.
Rumplestiltskin was waiting for her at the base of the staircase that led to the entranceway. He was leaning against one of the stone pillars, his ankles crossed casually as though he'd been merely out for a stroll and wasn't the evil Dark One.
"You made it here unscathed and undetected, as promised." he said once she was a few feet away, "But you're on your own now, dearie."
"Thank you." she replied, her hand on the handle of her sword as she moved past him towards the staircase.
"Aren't you going to ask about your true love?" he asked with a sneer, "Don't you want to know what I have planned for him?"
"No." she said as coldly as she could while she climbed the stairs, "He means nothing to me."
"Nothing?" he repeated with a chuckle once she was out of earshot, "We'll see about that."