Neal was shaking as he paced back and forth in the dark cavern. He was a monster. Everything he hated was staring right back at him and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He'd ruined Hook's reputation (and of course, while Neal had wanted the truth to come out, he hadn't wanted it to happen like this) and he was destroying God only knew how many more with the introduction of these people from another world.
He was a puppet on a string, nothing more, nothing less. Just like his father had been… only at least his father had been in control of his own dagger for the most part. Neal had to deal with not one, but two psychopaths who were using him for a game not even the Dark One understood.
"See Bae? Didn't I tell you that the power was better than anything you could dream of?"
Then, of course, there was the image of his father that was stuck in his head along with the memories of every other Dark One to exist. But his father's image was the one that bothered him the most out of them all.
"Be quiet," he whispered at the wall of key chains that hung in front of him, ignoring the phantom at his side. "Just be quiet."
"Is that any way to talk to your father?"
"You're not my father!" he shouted, throwing the key chain in his hand at the… whatever it was. But of course, the key chain harmlessly sailed right through it and clattered to the ground as he turned to face the phantom. "You are not my father and you never will be!"
"Oh dearie, dearie, dearie… I am your father. I'm who he has always been. And who he would still be had your grandfather not been an issue."
"I SAID BE QUIET!" Neal shouted, a burst of magic escaping his hands and shooting directly through the phantom, blowing a hole in the wall opposite him.
"Now now Dark One, there's no need to be so violent…" the deep, smooth voice of the man controlling him hummed as his footsteps came closer to the room he was in.
God, it was the darker one. Although, Neal wasn't sure he could say the other one was a light one considering he too was getting some sort of sick thrill out of controlling Neal the way he was. Neal desperately wanted to know why the hell they had an issue with his father.
Regardless, both of them were obnoxious, and more clever than any of the villains they'd dealt with before (Neal knew even someone like Cora would be filled with envy over how clever these men were).
"What the hell do you want now?" Neal asked. "I did what you said. Your people are here. Now let me go."
"That is not how this works, Dark One… I'm not leader of this town yet, and I need your help to get me there."
God, what was it with villains and wanting to take control of Storybrooke? It was just a small town in America. Yes it was filled with magical beings but still, Neal didn't understand why they all needed to take it over.
"Why should I help you?" Neal asked.
A dark chuckle escaped the man as he held out the dagger. "Because you don't have a choice. Now Dark One, come along. I have much to prepare before the morning."
And, like a dog on a leash, Neal followed, the swan key chain laying on the ground, forgotten.
"The Land of Untold Stories?" Rumplestiltskin asked, frowning at Emma as she stood in his shop that night after managing to herd the people in the airship to the town hall. "Are you certain that's where he said?"
Emma nodded, leaning against the counter. "I've never heard of anything like that before. I mean… Wonderland, Oz, yes. The Enchanted Forest, yes, but that…"
"No, I don't expect you would have…" the man replied, pulling out a key from one of the glass cases. "Only people that have a key like this one know of such a realm. It is a place where time stands still – not unlike Storybrooke had been during the curse. All the stories pause. It's like a safe haven for people who are going through a rough time."
"So if you're dying and you go into that world…"
"Your death would cease. You would be fine until you went back into a world where time moved… like crash-landing here. And then, the thing that had stopped killing you would start back up," Rumplestiltskin explained. "Which is what I expect happened to the girl that was critically injured when they arrived. Where are the rest of our visitors?"
"Regina set them up with cots at the town hall. We figured we'll let them rest for the night and then we'll go from there tomorrow."
He didn't seemed impressed. "And do you have any guards set up?"
"Ruby, Mulan and the dwarfs."
Again, the shopkeeper's face remained unimpressed. "I suppose I'll go set up some barriers to provide further protection for them. Would you like to join me? The more hands the better, and I feel like it's not safe for Regina to be out at night."
Emma blinked in surprise. She'd never done anything like that before. Hell, she didn't even know if she could. "What? You want my help is setting up a magical barrier?"
"Well… yes. You are magical, are you not? And you're powerful. Remember what you did in Neverland?"
How could she forget working with Neal and Regina to save their son? It seemed like a lifetime ago that she and Regina had literally moved heaven and earth in order to get into Skull Island. A barely-repressed shiver went through her as she nodded slowly in agreement. If it meant protecting the people that had crash-landed in Storybrooke, she would do it.
"Okay. Let's do it."
They drove in silence down the dark Storybrooke streets, Emma at the wheel of the cruiser. She wondered where Neal was now, or what the man controlling him was planning.
"Do you have any idea who could be holding him hostage?" Emma asked quietly, having a feeling that he did. He knew about this Land of Untold Stories, so he must have had some sort of idea of who would be involved in that and want to control the Dark One.
"I do," he replied. "But I am not comfortable saying such thing out loud until we're somewhere where ears can't pry."
She nodded slowly in understanding. She wasn't sure what exactly was happening in Storybrooke, but she did know that whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
Especially if Rumplestiltskin was worried. Emma knew from experience that if Rumplestiltskin was worried about something – it was bad.
"I probably should have started with this but… why did Maleficent and Anastasia not stay and put up a barrier?" Rumplestiltskin asked.
Emma shrugged. "Well, Maleficent's powers still haven't fully come back to where they were and she was exhausted after going into her dragon form and Anastasia sort of… disappeared after we'd huddled everyone back to town. It was weird."
Rumplestiltskin didn't seem to find it odd though. "Perhaps the people from the Land of Untold Stories aren't the only ones that don't want their stories told…" Rumplestiltskin mused. "Everyone has secrets, Miss Swan. And sometimes those secrets aren't let out until you don't have a say in the situation."
"Believe me," Emma said as they arrived in front of the town hall. "I know."
The only light visible was the occasional bob of a flashlight held by one of the guards that had been posted at the building. It was quiet, and Emma was unnerved. If Neal was being controlled by someone, there was no telling what time of day he could strike.
"Are you ready, Miss Swan?" Rumplestiltskin asked, holding his hands toward the building, magic slowly wrapping around it like mist around a tree.
She took a deep breath as she nodded. "Yes. I'm ready."
"Okay. Now this might be a bit difficult but I want you to focus on that feeling you get when someone you care about is in danger – that urge to protect and defend them. The same urge you had in Neverland when it came to Henry."
She closed her eyes, holding out both hands and let herself feel. She let herself feel the urge to protect Henry, to protect Neal when she'd found out what happened to him. To protect her parents and brother from whatever it was Neal's controller was planning.
And then slowly, she let those emotions overflow, the magic shooting out of her fingertips and racing toward the building, joining Rumplestiltskin's in surrounding the building. Emma opened her eyes, letting the emotions stay strong as she watched it with amazement. She was doing this. She was really doing it.
No one would harm her family. Not today, or any other day. Not while she was still alive.
"Very good Miss Swan," Rumplestiltskin said, dropping his hand. "I think that should be sufficient. Now… I suggest we both go home and get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow will be… quite eventful."
He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving a bewildered Emma to drive home by herself.
"Emma… how did everything go with Gold?" her mother asked as she laid little Leo down in his cot.
She could only shrug as she sat down on the couch. "Cryptic as always. But we did manage to put the town hall under protection spells so it wasn't a complete loss. I'm just nervous for what tomorrow is going to hold," she sighed.
"Well," her mother said. "That's something we're going to find out, won't we?"
That's exactly what I'm afraid of Emma thought, getting up off the couch and going upstairs to her bedroom.
"Don't be nervous," her mother said the next morning as the group stood outside the town hall doors. "You'll be great Regina. Just pretend they're us."
Regina didn't look so convinced, but managed a small nod as they pushed the doors open and strode to the front of the room. To be honest, Emma wasn't so convinced either. The previous night had come and gone without any of them getting a phone call or text that something was going wrong. It seemed too easy.
In the light, Emma could see the people bewildered and frightened, many of them looking like caged animals that were caught by animal control, and she was nervous as she stood with her parents, Ruby and Mulan in front of the stage.
"Good morning, everyone," Regina called, standing on the stage and trying to get everyone's attention. "I know that this is all a lot to take in so I'm going to start with myself. I'm Regina. I am the town's mayor, and I am delighted to welcome you to Storybrooke."
That's when Emma noticed a man beginning to make his way to the stage.
"IT'S THE EVIL QUEEN! EVERYONE OUT OF THE WAY!" he shouted, drawing a sword out of the hilt on his side.
Mulan leapt into action, drawing her own sword as Emma held out a hand to stop him from going any further.
When Emma looked over to look at Regina, the woman had vanished in a cloud of purple smoke.
"Regina…" she murmured as the last remnants of the purple smoke disappeared. Oh boy. This must have been what Rumplestiltskin had been talking about when he mentioned the past coming back to haunt them.
"Edmond!" her father exclaimed as he walked up to the man being restrained by Mulan. "What are you doing?"
The man was seemingly calmed by Regina's disappearance. "The Evil Queen. She lied to me. She promised me the names of the people who killed my fiancée if I did what she wanted. And I did. And she abandoned that promise and poisoned Charlotte, your handmaiden! The girl I fell in love with! It was fine when we went to the Land of Untold Stories but now she's dying in the hospital right now!" he shouted. "Your majesties… how can you be okay with her here? After everything she did to you…"
Her mother took a deep breath as she made her way over to the man. "Edmond, please, if you'll just hear us out we can explain everything," she said. "I promise you. Just please… calm down."
Edmond nodded, relenting as he looked at her parents. "Fine. I'll give you a chance."
Emma frowned as she followed her parents up to the stage. "Who was that guy?" she whispered to her father.
"Edmond. He's also known as the Count of Monte Cristo. He worked for us in our castle, but apparently there's more to the story than we were originally told… Charlotte was your mother's handmaiden. She and Edmond both left suddenly. We had no idea why," he replied.
"Um…" her mother called out to the crowd. "Good morning. I am Snow White, and this is my husband Prince David and my daughter Emma. She is the sheriff of Storybrooke. I know it is frightening to be here right now, but please, you are safe here. We promise not to let any harm come to you while you are here."
Emma looked out into the crowd, seeing the worried faces of the people looking at her mother for guidance.
"We have already spoken to the restaurant owners in town. They will all be collaborating together to provide you with food, which is being set up outside right now actually. And the bed and breakfast will be providing rooms for you all. I know this is not what you all wanted, but I promise, Storybrooke can be a fresh start for you as it has been for many of its citizens."
That seemed to perk some of the people up, and a few of them began murmuring in excitement, smiles crossing their faces, and Emma mentally let out a sigh of relief.
"I will take it upon myself to go to the hospital and get updates on those that were injured. If you have a family member at the hospital, please speak to me so I can get their names," Emma called out. "But I promise, Storybrooke's medical professionals are excellent at their jobs and will work their hardest to heal those that have been hurt."
Emma knew she didn't have much time to waste here – she had promised Maleficent that she would go looking for her daughter today, so she'd have to be quick about this hospital thing.
When no one had any questions, Emma stood next to a table on the stage, taking the name of the injured down on a piece of paper and quickly followed the crowd outside, hurrying to the hospital.
"Hey Aurora," she said, going up to the front desk and smiling at the princess on the other side. "Do you have any information on these patients yet?" She slid the list of names over to the woman, nervously tapping her fingers against the desk.
"Oh, let me see…" Aurora's fingers glided across the keyboard like she'd been working on a computer her entire life. "Mary Lydgate is out of surgery and is doing well. Charlotte No Last Name is still unconscious, but Dr. Whale said that he thinks she'll make a full recovery. It's just a waiting game. And Captain Nemo's still in surgery to repair something in his leg," she told Emma. "Raoul de Chagny is getting ready to be discharged now. Do you think you could get him back to the Town Hall?"
"Yeah, of course. His wife is very worried about him anyway so no problem," Emma said with a smile. "Thanks Aurora. I'm sure everyone'll be happy to know the updates."
She wasn't super thrilled about having to wait for someone, but it was better than just having them wander around the town without any knowledge of where they were going. She'd be a terrible sheriff if she did that.
"Thank you for helping me get back to my wife," the man said as Emma pulled out of the hospital parking lot. "That hospital was much nicer than the ones at home. And these carriages are so fast!"
"Thank you. Do you have any idea why anyone would want to bring you here?" Emma asked curiously.
"Oh… one can never know what goes on in the mind of Mr. Hyde," the man said with a sigh. "We tried to avoid him whenever we could. He was dangerous. Very dangerous. And now we're here…" the man shivered, continuing on but Emma had stopped paying attention at the word Hyde.
Raoul de Chagny practically flew out of the car as Emma put it in park, running for his wife, which made Emma smile. At least some good was coming out of this, she thought as the family and friends of the injured came up to her to get the details of their loved one.
"Excuse me, Sheriff?" a voice asked as she'd turned back to her car to start heading out to find Lily. Emma turned to find a shorter man with round glasses standing behind her. "I'm sorry to intrude, but I was hoping to inquire about an injured person."
Emma nodded. "Oh, sure. I'm sorry, I didn't see you with the others."
The man winced. "Yes well… her father isn't exactly a fan of us being together so I thought it best to wait until he was out of my line of sight to come up to you," he explained, fidgeting with his hands nervously.
She was on guard immediately, giving the man a slight nod. "Sure. What was her name?"
"Lydgate. Mary Lydgate."
"Oh," Emma smiled. "She's going to be just fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to get out of here. I'm late for a meeting. I'm glad I could help you Mr…"
"Henry. Call me Henry please. Thank you for telling me about Mary. It means a lot to me Sheriff Swan," the man replied.
Emma nodded as she got into her car. "Nice to meet you Henry."
As the man turned to walk away, she pulled out her phone and found Ruby's number.
There's a short guy in glasses named Henry that I want you to keep an eye on. I don't know why, but I just got a bad feeling about him when I met him.
Then, she found Rumplestiltskin's.
I think Mr. Hyde is the one controlling Neal.
With that done, Emma exhaled slowly as she drove toward the Town Line. With her parents, Rumplestiltskin, Regina, Anastasia, and so many other strong fighters in the town, she had faith that the town would at least still be standing when she got back.
But still, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with the man she'd met just before she left.
In her rearview mirror, she saw Neal standing by a tree just as she crossed the border into the world outside Storybrooke.