Chapter 4
Trust

Emma heard whispers which led her to a cupboard in Regina's room. Inside was the dagger, an apparition of Rumplestlitskin appeared and said "it's calling to it's true owner, and if Regina is naive enough to leave it where anyone can get it I say finders keepers". Emma reached out to touch it but got blasted back "so she put a protection spell on it, that's nothing to you, break it".
"No" said Emma "I gave it to Regina for a reason and she's protecting it".
Rumplestilskin replied "you're friends cannot protect you, you're the saviour, you've saved them now it's time to save yourself".
Emma cried "get out of my head". She was about to blast the illusion of Rumplestilsikn but almost got Neal.
"You might want to put the safety on that thing" Neal said, "it's just another apparition and all they do is talk, nothing else". He came over and hugged her.
"He's here, he's always here, he's driving me crazy". She went limp and Neal led her over to the bed so she could lie down and gathered everyone.

Mary-Margaret asked "what happened to her"?
Neal said "it's the apparitions, it's getting too much for her".
David came in and when he saw Emma he said "it's getting worse isn't it".
Mary-Margaret asked "David, where have you been"?
David said "With Arthur, it turns out he has a way to get rid of the darkness. All we need to do is give him to dagger so..."
"David we can't trust him".
"Who told you that"?
"Lancelot"
"Lancelot, but he's dead".
"No that's just what he Cora wanted to think but he outwitted her".
Regina interjected "no fighting in front of the patient. In her state anything could set off the darkness. What she needs right now is rest, somewhere quiet and away from prying eyes".
Hook asked "well quiet and away from prying eyes isn't in this castle".
Henry said "I know somewhere"?
Neal nodded "then let's take her there. Hook could you watch Tally for us. If we're not back by the time she wakes up assure her we will be back soon" he helped Emma up and they followed Henry.

David and Mary-Margaret argued and David decided to go see Arthur again. When he went to Arthur he said "I'm afraid we haven't been completely truthful about why we're here but the darkness is threatening my daughter from inside her and I need to save her. So we're uniting Excalibur tonight. Once we do will you help us"?
"Of course" Arthur replied.
"That's a relief" David said "my wife thought it was a bad idea".
Arthur asked "what put her off, the beard".
"Actually it was Lancelot"
"I thought you said he was dead".
"It was what we were led to believe, but Mary-Margaret has seen him and he told her you were not to be trusted, but I believe otherwise".
"As you should, because you can". Arthur asked David to keep it between themselves but Guinevere overheard them. She wanted to find him to make him pay. David thought that wasn't right for it takes two to tango but Guinevere assured him it was only the beginning".
Arthur said "if Lancelot is back that dagger is not safe".
David pulled out a box and replied "good thing I brought it with me".
He opened the box to find it empty, Arthur asked "where is it"?
David said "with my wife. She must have slipped it out of the box when I wasn't looking".
Arthur asked "where would she take it".
David worriedly answered "to Lancelot, we have to stop her".

Henry led his parents to a stable Neal said "quiet, isolated, perfect. However did you find such a place"?
Henry replied "well there's this girl".
Emma had been unresponsive since she said that the apparition was always with her but this got her attention. "A girl"
Neal asked "the one you talked to at the ball".
Henry said "her name is Violet, we're just friends".
They heard a voice ask "who's in there".
Henry asked them to hide and they were able to find a spot just as Violet came in. Henry told her he was wondering if she wanted to go riding together. She took him to introduce him to her horse and told him when they go riding his heart will start racing.

As soon as they were gone Emma and Neal came out of their hiding spot. Neal happily said "there's nothing like your first love".
Emma was less jovial as she commented "he has a crush, he first crush".
Neal noticed her tone replied "well don't sound too excited".
Emma said "he said they were just friends, I'm his mother he should be able to tell me if he has a crush".
"You're also currently the dark one. When my father was the dark one I couldn't have any friends because they were too afraid of him. Morraine had more faith in me and wasn't as afraid of him but still wouldn't want to be around him. The point is maybe he's trying to protect her".
"Are you trying to tell me he doesn't trust me"?
"I'm sure it's just a precaution, for now. He'll tell you eventually when he's good and ready. It's not uncommon to hide the first crush at first. Anyway we're here for you, which apparition have you been seeing Vortigan, Zoso, Gorgon"?
"Your father".
"Makes sense".
"What am I going to do"?
Neal thought and seeing a saddle said "I'll tell you what you're going to do. That girl promised to get Henry's heart racing and you and I are going to do the same".

Lancelot and Mary-Margaret went to the vault of the Dark One and he lead her to where he had found the dagger years ago. He and Guinevere had come but the dagger was protected and they couldn't get it. When they passed through the door Mary-Margaret recognized it. "I've been here before" she said.
Lancelot asked "when"?
"In a vision, years ago when David and I were told Emma would have the greatest potential for evil we found a unicorn to see a glimpse of Emma's future. David saw a harmless baby but what I saw was a teenage Emma and she crushed my heart. Maybe despite her being a teenager it was telling me she would become the Dark One". She took out the dagger "we have to protect the dagger now so Arthur can't get it".
Lancelot told her the alter would protect but they debated who should put it in but then Arthur showed up and held a regular sword out. Mary-Margaret said "so Lancelot is right, you can't be trusted".
Arthur replied "too bad your husband didn't listen when you tried to tell him".
Getting worried she asked "where is he"?
"No need to worry, he's looking for you, but in the wrong place and if you wish to see him again you will hand over that dagger". Mary-Margaret made no move to give him the dagger.

Arthur threatened to run Lancelot through which made her give him the dagger. Arthur said "finally after a lifetime of waiting, now I control your daughter and I can force her to reunite Excalibur and I can free Merlin. Excalibur will be the last thing he sees before I run him through with it. Then I can be the greatest king in all the realms".
Mary-Margret sarcastically remarked "because that's what any great King would do. Use murder and treachery to get what they want".
Arthur replied "I must do what I needs to be done. DARK ONE I SUMMON THEE". Nothing happened so Arthur tried again. "DARK ONE I COMMAND THEE APPEAR".
"She isn't coming" said Mary-Margaret. "That's not even the real dagger".
Lancelot smiling commented "you knew he would follow us".
Coming through the door and pointing a sword to Arthur David said "she wasn't the only one".
Arthur turned to see David. Mary-Margaret walked up to stand with him saying "I was wondering when you were going to show up".
David replied "I had to keep my distance so he wouldn't see me trailing him".
Arthur said "you betrayed me and sacred trust of the round table".
David replied "you tried to trick me with a fancy title and comfy chair".
Arthur said "you earned that chair at the table. Every choice I've made is for the good of Camelot. I told you already I'm trying to destroy the darkness".
David said "you know it's in my daughter and you have no intention of getting the darkness out of her before doing so. The duty of a Knight or a Prince is nothing to the duty of a father. A good fathers duty is to protect his family, and do what's best for them, and that's what I intend to do".
Lancelot said "so this was all a show, are you even fighting"?
Mary-Margaret replied "oh the fight was real but we quickly realised it was pointless and put out daughter first". They took Arthur to Granny's but were surrounded by the other knights and Guinevere. Lancelot was sent to the dungeon but Guinevere blew red sand into David and Mary-Margaret's eyes.

Robin and Regina were waiting for Mary-Margaret in their room. Regina was restless, she had no worries about them claiming they could outlive the sun, but she got antsy when she didn't know who to hate; Arthur or Lancelot. Suddenly David and Mary-Margaret got back, Mary-Margaret said "David was right, we can trust Arthur".
Robin asked "and Lancelot"?
David replied "locked safely in the dungeon. Our best bet now is to give Arthur the real dagger".
Regina said "I spent all day choosing the best place to hide it".
Mary-Margaret said "plans change, reuniting the dagger with Excalibur is the best way to help Emma".

Neal took Emma to a field full of pink Middlemist flowers. "I found this field and thought I'd bring you here as a surprise after Merlin takes the darkness out. But now seems like a better time".
Emma asked "and why is that"?
Picking one of the flowers Neal asked "tell me what you see"?
Emma replied "Middlemist my favourite flower, an entire field full".
He gave Emma the flower and asked "what about my father? Is he anywhere in sight"?
Emma looked around and whispered "no, he's gone"..Neal said "the apparition coaxes you to dark temptations around you. A field full of Middlemist, not many dark temptations to have here".
They kissed and Emma felt truly happy. When they broke he saw something in Neal's bag. "What's that"?
Neal saw what she was looking at took out their dreamcatcher. "To get here we needed something meaningful to you to guide us. I was going to use the dreamcatcher but Regina used your baby blanket".
Emma smiled "when I was little I used to pretend my blanket was magical. That it could protect me from any harm because love was woven in with every stitch".
Just then Emma had a look a realisation and Neal asked worriedly "what are you thinking".
Emma replied "dark one's don't sleep so they have hobbies like how your father spun straw into gold. When the apparition told me he asked if I like knitting, I've never really tried but"... taking hold of the dreamcatcher. "Maybe getting a hobby would help occupy my time, something I can do without magic to keep myself from going crazy".

Who should the other dark one be?

Neal – 4

Anyone Else - 0