Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Once Upon a Time. This is story is not intended for profit, just as a tribute to the amazing writing, characters, and intricate plots therein.
Additional Disclaimer: Any dialogue you recognize comes directly from the show, along with a shout-out to Labyrinth. Brownie points to anyone who spots it!
Once again, a huge thanks to Willofthewisp for betaing this fic for me.
Chapter 5 – Dark and Dangerous Things
After a good night's sleep, complete with a roof over their heads and full bellies, the party of three set out at first light. They added some potatoes, carrots, and onions from David's stores, along with the last of the bread loaf and some salted meat to their provisions. They refilled their canteens from the well, and then they were off after a brief stop at the neighboring croft to have someone come look after the sheep.
"So…" David opened as they stepped into the shadows beneath the giant evergreens. "Besides 'north,' did you have a destination in mind for the next leg of the journey?"
Henry sighed. "Well, we tried to contact the Blue Fairy, but we couldn't reach her. Nova, the fairy who is taking Blue's calls, said that she was injured when the Dark One escaped. So we're going to see him for information about the location of the Princess."
David stopped, forcing Killian and Henry to stop as well. He stood statue-still and stared at Henry. He opened his mouth…closed it, and repeated. Then David shook his head, as if he might shake water from his ears.
"I'm sorry, you were on your way to see the Dark One?"
"Yep."
David looked at Killian for confirmation, and the pirate could only nod and share a commiserating look of trepidation.
"I'm not sure that's the best idea," David said with a great deal of hesitation.
"If you can talk him out of it, be my guest," Killian said, gesturing to the boy.
Henry huffed and slumped his shoulders. "Not you, too." He sighed and shook his head. "Look, we need help, and the fairies are out of the loop with their leader down. Rumpelstiltskin is our best chance."
"Remember, I tried to see him once," David tried to reason with him. "He has a barrier around his castle. We won't be able to get through."
"Maybe it's down now," Henry suggested with a shrug. "Besides, doesn't he come when you call him?"
"He can hear his name spoken throughout the Enchanted Forest, but he's not obligated to come," David corrected. "No one has seen him since his escape. He even stopped making deals. He just lurks up there in the Dark Castle, and occasionally we little folk get word of some bloody confrontation between him and the Evil Queen's forces."
"Then we'll just have to find a way to get to him, then," Henry said, starting off again and forcing the men to follow. "You guys worry too much. You have to have faith. We will succeed."
David flinched, pulling in a sudden deep breath. Killian turned his head to watch as some memory returned to the shepherd. David smiled and shook his head.
"Kid, I think we're going to be good friends," he said. "And thank you. My wife always said the same thing; that we needed to have faith. And when she lost her way, it was my job to remind her. But I suppose I've been without it for too long, and it doesn't come naturally anymore."
Killian, politely as he could, kept his scoffing to a minimum. "Faith is all well and good, but I would prefer a plan."
"We have days before we reach his castle yet," David said. "I know of a portion of the forest that has a shortcut. Well, it used to. Hopefully it hasn't moved."
As they journeyed onward, Henry revived the story game, this time including David. They swapped stories of knights and battles, dragons and chimaera, daring exploits and dangerous quests—all with happy endings, of course. The two of them were peas in a pod, and though Killian would never admit it, he was a tad jealous. On the other hand, no pun intended, he had exhausted his store of child-friendly tales days ago. So when they invited him to add his own story, he had to decline.
"I could tell you the tale of 'Long Molly and the Garden Rake,' but the lad's a bit young to appreciate the nuance." He winked at David who smothered a laugh. Henry just begged a retelling of the tale of Back-Back the Hunchback. Killian obliged, and found that he enjoyed the companionship. And he wasn't even drunk, more the surprise.
Twice, they had to stop and hide from the Evil Queen's Black Knights. The first time, David pointed them toward a hollow in the roots of a tree that had been washed out by rain and runoff, creating a miniature cave. The second time, Killian pointed out another pine with draping boughs, like the one he and Henry had sheltered beneath their first night out. It served to hide them until the search party passed by.
Once the sun set, Killian found a clearing, and checked their progress by the stars. While the politics of the land had changed, and kingdoms had risen and fallen while he had been in Neverland, the stars had remained the same. He had learned to read them as a cabin boy when he was Henry's age. He had learned not only the stars but all the myriad wanderers, constellations, and comets in the naval academy. He could find his way anywhere in this realm with only a glance to the sky on a clear night. And now, he could see that they were indeed headed northward, and the summer constellations were descending to allow the autumnal stars to take their place. The moon was a faint crescent in the eastern sky, and would wax in the days to come.
As they made camp that night, discussion turned again to how they would approach the Dark One.
"I actually think it might be better if Henry did the talking," David said as he lit the fire inside the small hollow they had dug in the forest floor. "The Dark One isn't really known for his charity and good deeds. It goes against the job title. Besides, I don't think he would willingly help if he saw me."
"Run afoul of the Dark One, did you?" Killian asked.
"That I did."
"Join the club, mate."
David laughed and returned a crooked smile. "We can have a secret handshake."
"Perhaps even planned escape routes and a vow of secrecy between members," he rejoined.
"Good thinking," David said.
"You guys are weird," Henry said, laughing.
The men shared a grin at the boy's obvious bemusement.
"Gallows humor, lad," Killian explained.
"I know you guys are worried about my plan, but if Rumpelstiltskin knows where the Princess is, we have to go and see him to find out," Henry insisted. "I'll go in alone if I have to."
"No," David said. "Not alone."
Killian, however, could see the merit in sending the lad in as their emissary—though, as David said, certainly not alone.
"I don't think he's changed so much that he'd hurt a child, unless I'm much mistaken. I admit, I haven't been in these parts for a while. Has he taken to skinning the local brats?"
"Not that I know of," David said. Then he frowned, thinking. "Actually, now that you mention it, in all the stories I've ever heard about the Dark One, he never does any harm to a child. Protects them, more often than not. For a price, but still."
Killian shrugged. "So you see? The lad will be fine."
"I'm kind of looking forward to it, actually!" Henry announced with a happy, innocent, eager smile upon his young face.
As had become a habit the last day, the two adult shared a look of equal parts despair and amusement. Oh, youth. Killian did not truly think either of them would trade their wisdom for it any day.
The journey took half the time it should have. They set out the next morning after a quick breakfast, and the shortcut David mentioned was right were he said it was. They started their day climbing the first of the foothills, and by midday, they were on a mountain plateau beside a broad, thundering waterfall of snowmelt from the high peak behind them when they stopped for lunch. Even with a late start after their break, they found themselves deep in the mountains by nightfall.
"See?" Henry said. "The Forest wants us to succeed. We could never have come this far so quickly otherwise."
Henry jogged ahead of the men, his exuberance fueling him forward.
David looked at the forest around them, and nodded. "I don't know if the Infinite Forest is sentient to the point where it could do such a thing, but this shortcut is certainly more helpful than I remember."
"Perhaps we ran into a second wandering magical loop," Killian suggested.
"Perhaps," David said.
At dusk, they stopped for the night, and Killian and David divided turns on watch. The night passed quietly. The animals of the forest left them alone, and the temperature remained steady. When they started out the next morning, their luck held. The three found themselves once again many miles away from their campsite in only a few hours. Despite Henry's enthusiasm, both Killian and David felt the itchy weight of foreboding. Killian was not the only one looking behind them every few steps or scanning the trees for threats that never appeared.
Afternoon found them trudging up a steep hill shaded by towering evergreens. Killian and David kept wary eyes out for anything that might lurk in the shadows. Wild animals were as much a danger this deep in the mountains as the threat of Black Knights was. Henry played scout, bounding on ahead of them, but David insisted the boy not go beyond their sight, which, in the dense forest, was not terribly far.
"Do you think he's doing this?" David asked Killian, his voice pitched low to keep Henry from overhearing.
"No idea, mate. Can't see what advantage he would get from it."
"And he always wants the advantage," David conceded.
"That doesn't mean he isn't interfering with the magic of the forest, though," Killian pointed out.
"To get us to him or to keep us away from him?"
"Guys!" Henry shouted.
The men looked ahead and found Henry at the top of the hill. The lad was smiling and looking down into the wide valley Killian could just see through the trees. To the left and right there were jagged mountain peaks covered in snow. As Killian and David crested the hill to stand beside him, Killian looked down on a plateau that housed a single winding road that passed through the only gate of a huge castle. On the other side of the plateau was a steep drop into another valley. The castle itself was made of grey stone and capped with dark slate on the turrets and main keep. The polygonal sides of the curtain wall surrounded a wide, green space in front of the central building with its tall tower.
"Let me guess," Killian muttered.
"The Dark Castle," David confirmed. "This is far closer than I got the last time I attempted this journey."
"I knew it!" Henry crowed. "There is something that wants us to succeed. Let's go!"
He started to rush off, but Killian snagged the strap of Henry's knapsack with his hook. "Slowly, lad. We need a better plan than to trust in fate to get you in and out in once piece."
Henry shrugged. "I just go up to the door and tell him I want to find the cursed Princess, and he tells me what the price is. Seems simple."
"But you never know what his price will be until he has you cornered," David explained. "Hook is right. We need to have a clear plan to get you in, know exactly what you are willing to agree to, and how to get you out safely."
Killian nodded. "We need to proceed with caution. Even if he doesn't harm children, there are still reasons he's called the Dark One."
"Right you are, dearie!"
Almost before he had spun around to look at the source of the high-pitched giggle, Killian felt an invisible noose around his neck tighten and squeeze. The Crocodile was much as he was the last time he had seen him: reptilian eyes glaring at his captive, gold-flecked skin, an animalistic snarl, and dressed finely in a loose, gold silk shirt, tightly cuffed around the hand that held the magical vice around Killian's neck. A red leather jerkin and black leather trousers helped to complete the reptilian façade. It was a far cry from the haggard spinner he had first met, he mused as Rumpelstiltskin magically tightened his hold on Killian's neck and black spots swarmed in his vision like a cloud of angry gnats.
He heard the whisper of a sword being released and the shuffle of feet in the leaf-litter underfoot before Rumpelstiltskin's other hand shot out with a bolt of purple lightening.
"Look who it is!" the imp cackled. "The pirate. Not enough I took your hand, you've come back so that I can take off a few other bits and bobbles? Before killing you, of course."
Henry darted between them, his hands raised in surrender. "Stop! Please, you have to let him go!"
"Mmm, no I don't!" Rumpelstiltskin said.
Typical bloody Crocodile with no pity for anyone accept himself. He wondered where David was and if he had been hurt by whatever spell Rumpelstiltskin had thrown at him. Killian fought to see what had happened to the shepherd as his periphery was darkening as he struggled for air.
"Please!" Henry begged, stepping closer.
Killian tried to gurgle out a warning for the boy to run, but nothing coherent came out. He clawed at his throat out of instinct, but there was nothing there to grasp.
"I need his help," Henry explained. "We have to save the Princess, the one who's supposed to bring back the happy endings—even yours! You have to let Hook go!"
"Hook?" he asked, giggling. Without seeming to move, he was suddenly right in front of Killian. "Is that what you're going by now?" He glanced down at the hand he had cut off, and grinned when he saw the prosthetic in its place. "I see. Is that the one you tried to kill me with? I bet it is. No help to you then. No help to you now."
He twirled to look down at Henry. Or Killian assumed he did. His vision was dark around the edges now, and sound came from farther and farther away.
"What would you know about happy endings, anyway, sonny?"
"I know about Belle," Henry said. "If you let Hook go, I can get you to her!"
"Belle?" Rumpelstiltskin said in a new tone of voice, one Killian had never heard. "Belle is dead. What do you know about her?"
"She's not dead," Henry corrected. "She's a prisoner."
"Lies," Rumpelstiltskin accused, pointing his finger at the boy.
"Truth," Henry argued, shaking his head.
For a moment, the Crocodile froze. Then the grip on his throat disappeared, and Killian dropped to his knees gasping for breath. Sparks and spots danced over his vision. His throat and lungs burned as the cool mountain air poured in freely. He coughed and gasped. He could hear his heart pounding, his blood throbbing in his veins and almost drowning out the voices around him.
"How do you know?" the Crocodile asked.
Henry took a deep breath. "My mother is the Evil Queen. I'm allowed to go anywhere in the Winter Palace I want. Belle is kept in the tower. She's been there for ages—longer than I've been alive. She told me stories about how you bargained for her when ogres attacked her kingdom, and how she slept in a cell for weeks dressed in the same ball gown before you gave her a real room and new clothes. She told me about being your housekeeper, and watching you spin straw into gold, and how you had nailed down the curtains on the windows before she pulled them out and let the light in. She told me how she fell in love with you, and you fell in love with her, and how she found your son's clothes, and that you light a candle for him every year—"
"Enough!"
He grabbed Henry by the shoulders and shook him. Killian wished he could see the Crocodile's face at this moment, bested by a boy's tale. Henry's sincerity was clearly the undoing of the villain's skepticism.
Isn't that exactly what happened to you, too, mate? he asked himself.
"How?" the Dark One demanded. "How did Regina get her?"
"Belle said that you pushed her away, so she left and went on an adventure of her own to prove she could be a hero."
"Yes," Rumpelstiltskin murmured so softly Killian almost missed it. "She would have."
"She defeated a Yaogui," Henry reported. "She made an ally in a warrior-woman named Mulan and a prince named Phillip who was searching for his True Love who had been placed under a sleeping curse."
Rumpelstiltskin, face contorted in impatience, demanded, "Yes, yes, get on with what happed to Belle!"
"My mother found her on the road. Belle said that she was headed back here, back to you, but Regina captured her and locked her away." Henry shrugged. "I bring her books sometimes. She tells the best stories."
Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand, and David was released from whatever spell had held him. The shepherd immediately came to Killian's side and helped him to his feet. He swallowed, feeling the muscles of his throat rub, and winced. He was actually a bit glad David held onto his arm until he was steady on his feet.
"Belle is alive," the Dark One murmured. His eyes darted back and forth, not really seeing his audience, as if he were re-reading a text he had thought he memorized to find the place he must have skipped over.
"I can get you to her," Henry said, "but it won't mean anything if the Enchanted Forest is still in Darkness. The Savior has to be freed from the curse so she can bring back the happy endings, including yours with Belle and your son."
An ugly look twisted Rumpelstiltskin's face as he mocked, "The Savior? The 'Savior' was supposed to save us from a curse! A very specific curse, in fact. My curse. The Dark Curse that Regina was supposed to enact, taking us all to a land without magic so I could find! My! Son!" he spat. "But that didn't happen, did it? Now the Savior needs saving, so what good is she? Nothing, nothing tra-la-la."
"Last I saw Baelfire, he was in Neverland, trapped by Peter Pan," Killian said, his voice rough from the attempted strangulation.
At the mention of the demon-boy of Neverland, the Dark One's persona cracked momentarily, and Killian could see the poor spinner beneath. There was shock and fear there. Clearly the man recognized the name.
"Peter Pan?"
"You've heard of him?"
"You have no idea," Rumpelstiltskin murmured.
It was almost fascinating to watch the wheels of old Rumple's mental cart turn and turn as he thought. He patched the mental crack to cover the coward beneath quickly, and was back to his dangerous, reptilian self within the space of a breath. Then a thought apparently occurred to him. He took a step back toward Killian, his shoulders hunched, his finger pointed and accusing.
"Wait…How did he get to Neverland? And when did you see my son?"
"How do you think I'm still alive, and as devilishly handsome as ever, after three centuries?" Killian asked. He heard David's sharp inhale and ignored it. "I've been in Neverland almost since the day you killed her. I figured it would buy me some time to figure out how to kill you."
The Dark One began to lift his hand, and Killian braced himself for the magical blow or the invisible rope tightening around his neck. But David stepped between them, holding his hands out.
"That's enough. We're here for aide, not to antagonize you," the shepherd said, shooting Killian a quelling look.
Rumpelstiltskin finally took a good look at the third member of their party, and grinned whimsically. "Ah! The shepherd! So nice to see you again."
David took a deep breath and slowly lowered his arms to his sides. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're not trying to kill me on sight, as well."
"Silly, stupid, self-important fool," the Dark One sang. "You think you could actually harm me if I didn't wish to be harmed? Or captured? I was precisely where I wanted to be, when I wanted to be there. And when your little cell no longer had use to me, I left it."
David lost a beat staring at the imp before he shook his head.
"Look, we don't have time for this," David said. "The Black Knights are everywhere looking for Henry. The longer we delay, the more likely they will find us."
"Nonsense," Rumpelstiltskin scoffed. "Regina knows better than to send her goons here, and they're smart enough not to come on their own accord. My lands are perfectly safe from the so-called 'Evil Queen.' We have all the time in the world. Now!" He snarled at Killian. "Give me one good reason why I should let you live."
"Because he's a strong fighter, a skilled navigator, and we need him to rescue the Princess," David responded without missing a beat. "Unless you plan on accompanying us on this quest to lend a hand?"
"I think not," Rumpelstiltskin answered crisply.
David nodded. "Then the fact remains, we need him, and so do you, if you want your Belle back."
"I could just break into Regina's castle and kill her for you, freeing Belle myself," the Dark One said.
"If you could have, you'd have done it by now," Killian pointed out.
"Believing Belle was dead, I lacked the proper motivation before."
"Bollocks," Killian said. "Even if you didn't know this Belle lass was alive, the Dark One I remember would have challenged the Queen in her own castle, just as he would challenge a pirate on his own ship, if he believed that there was something there he wanted." Killian smirked at the imp. "I've always been fond of a wager. I bet the Queen has some sort of protection around her castle that prevents you from entering."
"It would explain why there have been no stories of you launching a full assault on her," David said. "There aren't even any stories of you attempting to kill her in her sleep, and if you could enter her castle at will, I have no doubt you would have assassinated her by now."
"There are ways around that," Rumpelstiltskin said. "Now that I know what she's hiding, nothing Regina can do would keep me out."
"Your son," Henry piped up.
The Dark One looked down at the boy. Henry took a step forward to stand directly in front of Rumpelstiltskin. "You said you want to find your son. Even if you did rescue Belle, you still wouldn't have a way to get to your son. He's part of your happy ending. The Savior can find him. Reunite you with him. I know she can. It's what she was born for, but only if we can rescue her first."
"And you wouldn't have to lift a finger," David added. "After all, why do the work yourself when you can get a bunch of dupes to do it for you?"
"Hmm," Rumplestiltskin mused. "You do have a point. I hate getting my hands dirty. And you've always been a tool."
He bent to look Henry in the eye, and for the first time since hearing the insane giggle before the Dark One's magical noose started to squeeze, Killian breathed deeply in relief. This was the Rumpelstiltskin that would not hurt a child. This was the man beneath the monster leaning over to talk to the boy.
"You're quite right," Rumpelstiltskin said. "I want my son, and in Neverland, Pan reigns supreme. And as for Regina... I'll not risk her killing Belle by forcing my hand just yet."
It was disturbing, for Killian knew how destructive the Crocodile's affections could be to those upon which he bestowed them. He hoped that Henry's ploy to gain his help would not be met. For the Crocodile to get his happy ending, Killian's own would be forfeit.
But if he wanted to live through this encounter, it was best not to point any of that out aloud.
Killian glanced to his right, where David stood. The shepherd looked back, and raised his brows slightly at the Dark One's speech. The Crocodile was becoming more and more human as he spoke. Killian wondered how much of the Dark One was showmanship to hide the coward lurking underneath, and how much was the man's true personality revealed. He had seen many a man who was even tempered and affable sober, but became a hot-headed, violent drunk. Did magic work the same way, releasing inhibitions and damning consequences to the last and final hell, sobriety a distant and not very pleasant dream? Did the magic create the monster or simply release it from its cage? Which personality was more real, the coward or the Crocodile?
Rumpelstiltskin straightened slowly. His eyes fogged over slightly, as if he was looking deep into his own mind. Killian wondered if he could kill him now, while he was distracted. He turned the wrist encased in the black leather brace so the sharp point of his hook was facing inward.
David shifted.
Killian looked at him and found the shepherd, frowning at him. David glanced once at the hook then back up to meet his eyes. The message was clear. Killian gritted his teeth, and turned the hook's point to face the ground.
"I cannot go with you on this quest," Rumpelstiltskin announced, his voice almost as far away as his gaze.
"You mean you won't help us?" Henry asked, disappointment in every syllable.
Rumpelstiltskin waved his hands, face contorting in exaggerated irritation. "It's not that simple. There are paths we must follow in order to get the story back on track. Regina's initial deviation has thrown every subsequent action out of sequence. Naughty!" He giggled. "So unfortunately, this is something you must do alone. I am bound by the rules of this new game."
"Deviation?" David asked.
Rumpelstiltskin snarled, "Regina changed it! She should have left it alone and done as she was supposed to!" He took a deep breath and shook himself slightly. "But no matter, no matter. We must play the hand that we hold.
"I cannot help you directly, shepherd, as I did before. No glowing rings or seek-and-find spells. So while I would like to just be able to poof you to your Princess, I am constrained by the path we are now on. Any overt action against Regina would be cause for all-out hostilities between us, and let me assure you—it would not go well for the Enchanted Forest to be caught in the middle of a dark magician's duel. But I will attempt to nudge from behind the scenes."
He looked again at Henry. "And you, little Prince, remember: once this quest is at an end, you will lead me to Belle, and the Savior will find my son."
"Agreed," Henry said, nodding. "But you have to leave Hook alone." He held out his hand to Rumpelstiltskin.
The Dark One hesitated, glancing at Killian.
He tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. No, he would not hesitate to attack the monster if he had the opportunity, and he most certainly would have the concentrated Dreamshade poison with him next time, but for now, this merry band needed the Dark One's help. That was more important that his vendetta. He could always kill the Crocodile later. And if this Princess was a powerful as the boy, the shepherd, and the Dark One seemed to think, she must be powerful enough to defeat even the Dark One himself. If Rumpelstiltskin needed her to achieve his own happiness, Killian would just have to find her first and make sure she chose his happy ending instead.
Rumpelstiltskin took Henry's hand and shook, not taking his eyes off of Killian. "Agreed, for now. But don't expect me to go out of my way to save him should he come to harm."
"I'll watch his back," David said.
By the gods, it actually sounded as if the shepherd meant it. Killian couldn't have kept the surprise off of his face even if he had gotten advanced warning. Having an ally was a rarity. And David appeared to be a staunch one.
"Good luck with that," Rumpelstiltskin sneered. "Go west. There's a magical little pinch down in that valley that connects to another part of the Infinite Forest in the east. It's supposed to keep unwanted guests from reaching me. Once you're in the eastern forests, you can continue two more days north, toward a waterfall fed by a stream that in turn is the fed by the runoff of a mountain lake. I believe your Princess will be able to make herself known to you as you get close. I cannot be more specific."
"Of course not," Killian muttered.
"Thank you," David jumped in almost on top of Killian's statement, shooting him an annoyed look. "For all of your help. Will we need to contact you once we've found the Princess?"
"No," Rumpelstiltskin said. "You'll still have some work to do after you find her. Trust me, when the time is right, I'll see you again."
A swirl of purple smoke engulfed them, and when it cleared, the travelers found themselves in the wooded valley below the Dark Castle, the Dark One nowhere in sight.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, what do you think? Was the meeting with the Dark One what you expected? Drop me a review and let me know!
