Emma sat outside the abandoned cottage making a dreamcatcher, unaware that Hook was watching her through a window. He was worried. Worried that she may be stuck as the Dark One forever. He didn't want to take that chance.
"So you can do it," came David's voice, making Hook join the rest of the group. "Take the Dark One dagger and put it together with Arthur's sword to re-create the original Excalibur?"
"I hope so," Merlin answered.
"And we can use it to save Emma," Mary Margaret stated.
"Perhaps," Merlin replied. "But I need two things. The magical means to unite the two blades. That's my and Emma's quest. From you, I need…."
"The two blades," finished Regina.
"We're pretty much at the open-warfare stage now," Robin added. "Getting the partial sword from Arthur won't be easy."
"As long as you're looking at the future, any hints on how?" Hook asked.
"Well, the future isn't exact. There are many parts…." Merlin began.
"Of course, they are," Hook snapped. "You're willing to send us behind enemy lines, but when it comes to specifics, everything's a little fuzzy, innit?"
The Doctor turned to Hook. "Don't be like that," he told him. "You're acting like you're pudding brain. A black leathered up pudding brain."
"Am I?" Hook asked. "Because Emma is sitting out there right now making things to pull memories out of people's heads because that's what she does now instead of sleeping."
"I understand what you're all going through," Merlin replied. "I know what it is to lose someone you love to the Dark One. So all I can ask of all of you is that you bring me that sword and that you have patience with Emma. Her kind of power, for good or evil, is a weight on the soul. And love is a great help if you can find it."
Merlin exited the cottage and walked over to where Emma was sitting. "Emma," he began, but Emma didn't flinch or look up at him. "Emma," he said again. This time she looked up at him, and Merlin sat down on the log beside her. "Emma, there is a way to make Excalibur whole again. Will you come with me today so we can get what we need? It's not far."
Emma tilted her head as she looked at him. "What is it?"
"A spark from humankind's original fire, the flame of Prometheus. Its heat forged Excalibur, and that's what we'll need to put it back together. So will you come with me to collect the spark? We'll be back by nightfall."
Emma studied Merlin's face. "You look dire. What is it?"
Merlin sighed. "When we get there, we must deal with the first Dark One."
"The one who wore the mask?" Emma asked. "The one who killed the woman you love?"
Merlin nodded. "The very same. This is not a trivial task."
"I was seeing Rumplestiltskin like a voice in my head. I just got rid of him. And now you want me to let another one in?"
"Yes. And not just anyone. This is the first Dark One. The original. The one from whom all the evil that followed was born."
"Will we win?"
Merlin sighed. "I see two paths for our journey, Emma. On one, you resist the darkness, and we succeed. On the other, you succumb to the darkness. And I do not return. I die."
"Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You die? But …"
"Even immortality has exceptions," Merlin interrupted. "A Dark One does have the power to kill me."
"But they won't even be there. Not really," Emma stated but seeing the way Merlin looked made Emma realise what he had meant. "Oh. It would be me. If you died, it would be me."
"If I die, it means you lost your battle, and the darkness stained your soul. Everything and everyone that you know will be at the mercy of the most powerful Dark One ever. Yourself. No pressure."
While Emma and Merlin ventured on their own through the forest, the others were still at the cottage, deciding on how to enter Camelot undetected and grab Excalibur. They looked at the map of Camelot lying on the table in front of them.
Mary Margaret frowned as she looked at the map. "Okay. What's the plan?"
"We take them from surprise and go in through the front gate," David answered.
"After our jailbreak, they'll be on high alert," Hook pointed out, and he pointed to the drawbridge on the map. "Here. We'll create a diversion at the drawbridge. Then, the rest of us can climb the wall on the side."
Regina sighed. "Are you forgetting I have magic?" Regina asked. "I can just poof into Arthur's bedroom."
"And again. They'll still be on high alert," the Doctor stated. "While we were inside Camelot, I was doing a little exploring. And you know what I found out? That Camelot is just like any other castle. It has secret entrances. You will use those to enter the castle and stick to the shadows."
"Where are these secret entrances?" David asked.
The Doctor headed to his TARDIS. "Come. And I'll show you."
They all followed the Doctor inside the TARDIS, and he materialised the TARDIS to the eastern wall of Camelot. Exiting, he looked over at the stone wall. Trees covered it, and ivy grew on the side of it.
The Doctor ran over to the entrance and pointed at it. "This should lead straight to the courtyard," he said, then looked over at Regina. "You just need to remove the metal grating, and all of you can slip inside."
David looked at the Doctor. "You're not coming?"
"No," the Doctor replied with a shake of his head. "You'll meet me back at the cottage with the sword. Besides, it's best if Arthur doesn't see me. Our last meeting was less than ideal." He needed to protect the TARDIS from the king.
Regina approached the entrance. Let's go get this sword," she said, waving her hand over the metal grate, making it vanish in a purple light.
Meanwhile, Emma and Merlin walked through the forest, and Emma began to tell Merlin what had been happening to her. About when she saw a vision of the previous Dark One, Rumplestiltskin. And that the visions of him had stopped a short while ago. It made her think about what he had told her.
"When I saw Rumplestiltskin in my head, he said he would only be with me until I embraced my dark powers. So recently, I've been thinking maybe not seeing him, maybe that's a bad thing," Emma told him.
Merlin looked over at Emma. "Have you embraced your powers?" he asked her.
"I've done … some dark things recently," Emma began, thinking back to just a couple of days ago. "I hurt someone. And if I dig deep down, I think the Darkness is winning." She looked up at Merlin. "But there's hope, right? You wouldn't bother to get this spark if there wasn't still hope."
Merlin stopped. "There is hope. And it's up there," he said, pointing to the top of the steep hill in front of them.
Emma looked to see where Merlin was pointing. "That's a whole lot of up."
"We can make it," Merlin reassured. "The question is, however, will I come down?"
Emma and Merlin climbed the hill and looked around at the ruined stone structure.
"What is this place?" Emma asked.
"This structure marks the end of Prometheus' theft. The stolen flame burned on for a great while. Long enough for Excalibur to be both forged and broken here. This is where the first Dark One killed Nimue, the woman I loved." Merlin explained.
Emma looked over at Merlin. It was still much information to take in. "What happened to the flame," she asked.
"The first Dark one took it and still possesses it in the form of a single ember, with the spark deep inside."
"So that's what I need to get. Okay. Bring him on," Emma said as Merlin handed her the Dark One dagger. Emma looked down at it. "My family let you take this?"
"I didn't ask permission," Merlin said. "You need its power to talk to the first Dark One, to reach back to the origin of dark magic."
"It's buzzing," Emma commented, feeling the vibrations of the dagger in her hand. "It's like ants crawling up my arm. Is it safe?"
"Of course not. Your power is unchecked. And I've just handed you the power to kill me. Now, call on the spirit of the previous Dark Ones."
Emma glanced at Merlin and nodded. She then looked down at the dagger. "Take the right path," she said quietly. "It's just in my head. It's just in my head. It's just in my head."
Emma watched as the name written on the dagger began to scroll back through the past Dark Ones until it reached the first name. Then, she watched as a masked, robed figure appeared before her.
"You did it," Merlin said.
"You can see him, too?" Emma asked.
Merlin nodded. "Yes. Power has its advantages. But it's not a him."
Emma looked at Merlin confusedly, then looked down at the name on the dagger. It now read 'Nimue'. It was the same name as the woman that Merlin had loved. But how could that be? Unless … the woman that Merlin had loved became the Dark One. "Nimue?"
The hooded figure removed the gold mask she was wearing, revealing that of Nimue and her scaled-green skin.
"Yes. I'm Nimue," Nimue said rather calmly, and she approached Emma. "And you are Emma. How pretty. The first Dark One and the newest Dark One – standing as sisters."
"It makes sense," Emma began. "You killed the woman he loved because you killed the woman you used to be." She looked over at Merlin. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I did tell you," Merlin answered. "The creature over there is the first Dark One. But, unfortunately, it's not the woman I loved."
Nimue looked over at Merlin. "It's been a long time, Merlin."
"I've thought of you every day," Merlin replied.
"And now, I'll be your last thought on your last day. How poetic," Nimue said as she used her powers through Emma and knocked the sorcerer back against the ground.
Emma looked down at her extended hand, then over at Nimue. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "You loved him."
"Even when you love someone, you must say, 'No, this is mine. You can't take it away from me'. And if they don't listen or try to stop you from being you, then you have no choice. So you have to kill them. Oh, and you're doing this."
Emma quickly flashed over to Merlin and pushed him against the ground. Her hand moved to his throat and began to choke him.
Nimue watched and moved closer to Emma. "We are the same now—all Dark Ones. And we must destroy the threat to us. We must destroy Merlin."
Merlin looked up at Emma. "Emma … Please…" he choked out.
"It's not me," Emma protested.
"Finish the job," Nimue told Emma.
"Don't listen…." Merlin spat out.
"He wants you to make a sword to destroy me," Nimue stated. "To destroy us."
"You can control this," Merlin said.
"Don't listen to him. He doesn't understand what you and I do. He doesn't understand the power. If you don't kill him now, you'll return to being powerless."
"Killing is the dark path."
"No. It's power," argued Nimue. "To protect yourself and your loved ones."
"Let the light win…." Merlin began.
"Kill him!" Nimue demanded. "Don't go back to being nothing!"
Emma let go of her hold on Merlin and turned to Nimue. "I'm not nothing!" she snapped. "I was never nothing! The power you have I don't need!" She stood up and aimed the dagger at Nimue, watching as her name snapped back on the dagger. She approached the former Dark One. "Now I am going to take that ember from you, and you will let me." She held her other hand, watching as the ember pulled towards her.
Nimue gasped and breathed heavily as she relaxed from Emma's hold. "The spark you need is in there. But the sword you will make has more than one use, and I am not dead yet, girl. You know where to find me when you want me." She leaned closer to Emma. "I'll be right in there," she added, touching Emma's forehead before vanishing.
Merlin got up off the ground and looked at Emma. He noticed she held the ember in her hand. "You did it."
"I did it," Emma repeated.
"How does it feel to take the right path?"
"To be honest, Merlin, it feels damn good."
Merlin and Emma walked back to the abandoned cottage. But Emma had questions for Merlin about what had happened. And about Nimue.
"What happened after she turned into the Dark One?" Emma asked.
"First, my apprentice and I made sure the sword would be safe," Merlin answered. "Then I created the dagger. Finally, I tethered her spirit to it so I could control and prevent her reign of terror. But eventually, she got it away from me."
"She put you in the tree," Emma stated, thinking back to what she had seen earlier. "She wore the mask then."
"Yes. She took that mask from a man who did her great harm. It's easier to live with the Darkness if you can dress it up as vengeance."
Emma placed her hand on Merlin's shoulder. "I realise she broke your heart, but now I know. Nimue loves you still. It's all twisted up, but I felt it."
Merlin nodded and inhaled deeply. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"Is it possible for someone to have the Darkness but use it for good to protect people?"
"Emma," Merlin began. "Don't let those thoughts tempt you."
"But is it true?"
"Someday, perhaps, there will be a person worthy of holding that much power and not letting it burn through to darken their soul. But if we can wipe out the Darkness, we'll never have to ask that much of anyone.
"Sounds like we have to find the other half of Excalibur."
Merlin nodded, but before he could say anything else, he vanished instantly, leaving Emma alone in the woods, wondering what had happened. And where Merlin had gone.
King Arthur was at the Round Table. He stood behind it and faced the door, waiting. He knew who would be coming for him. Well, Excalibur. He held it in his hand, watching as the doors burst open and Regina, Robin, David, Hook, and Mary Margaret entered.
He looked over at Regina. "You foul witch," King Arthur snarled. "You have overpowered my guards. But wait til you see my magic."
"What is he talking about?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Nothing. He's only trying to scare us," Regina said. "Arthur doesn't have magic."
King Arthur smirked, and he held Excalibur out in front of him. "Well, that's true. But I do have all of Merlin's spellbooks and potions. And the great man himself." He took a deep breath. "Merlin!" he shouted. "Merlin! I command you to come here!"
And instantly, Merlin appeared by King Arthur's side, much to his surprise. And the others.
"Ah, Merlin. How kind of you to come when called," King Arthur said.
"How the bloody hell did you do that?" Hook asked.
"One of Merlin's tethering potions. Now I control the greatest sorcerer in all the lands. For your first task, please use your magic to keep these fine people from attacking me."
Merlin waved his hand over Regina, David, Mary Margaret, Hook and Robin and magically froze them in place, making them drop their weapons.
Merlin glared at King Arthur. "It is done, Arthur," he said. "You can put that sword down. We don't have to do this. Emma passed her test."
"Oh, Emma passed a test?" King Arthur asked. "How nice for her."
"I have what we need to unite Excalibur and fulfil your legacy. Give me the sword."
"You mean give you the glory?" King Arthur asked, and then he shook his head. "No."
"Glory?" Merlin asked. "You seek glory? Is that what you've become? I am so sorry I wasn't there to guide you, Arthur. This isn't the man you were supposed to be."
"Oh, I am exactly what you made me. 'Look at the half-man with his half-sword, solving riddles from a tree.' I bet you laughed."
"I was trapped, and I put my faith in you. You were meant to be like a son to me."
"Shut your mouth," King Arthur said, holding Excalibur in front of him. "I was never a son to you. You lied. You told me legend would speak of the great King Arthur, using Excalibur to strike darkness from the realm! Tell me how this was not a lie!"
"Because you will do that," Merlin said. "You're a part of doing it right now."
"A part of it?"
"We have what we need. The future is in your hands, Arthur. Give me the sword. We can repair everything."
King Arthur looked at Merlin for a moment. "No. Not everything. This is my charge and my right. I will be known for more than defeating a stone."
"Arthur, you cannot be …" Merlin began.
"Be quiet," King Arthur interrupted. "We have intruders. Make them leave," he added, pointing Excalibur at them.
Looking over at them for a moment, Merlin reluctantly waved his hand, making Mary Margaret, David, Robin, Regina and Hook disappear from the room.