A/N: Just a head's up, this chapter is going to be more on the original side. The episode featured more flashbacks and 'what happened in Camelot' than current Storybrooke, so I tried to fill in some parts and set up some other things to come here. It may sound a tiny bit repetitive, as this chapter will feature Henry and some 'revelations' (to him at least), but I'm going to try and do it a different way ;)

~8~

The Broken Kingdom

"I don't feel like myself," Gold spoke quietly as he sat on the couch of Emma's living room, Piper beside him, his arm around her shoulder, allowing her to lean against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

Emma and August had left for a short while, giving them some time and space for Piper to explain to him all that happened the last several weeks. Emma had gone to set a few minor disturbances around town, create a false lead for Regina, to keep the heroes busy while they talked, to distract them enough for Henry to slip away and meet them at the new house. They did not want to keep the boy in the dark about their plans or about what happened in Camelot if they could help it. But it hadn't exactly been easy to get him alone to speak without the heroes or Regina noticing, the town, especially, was on high alert where Henry came in, not wanting Snow White's grandson to fall into the clutches of the Dark One, even though the Dark One was his mother. They had had to plot something to draw the heroes away, something that COULD have been explainable and not related to the Dark One, but enough where the heroes wouldn't want Henry there to face it.

Creating some false animal tracks and destruction to the Merry Men's camp was just the thing. Apparently Camelot had a handful of animals that were native just to that kingdom. So Emma had poofed nearby and used her magic to make it appear that one of those beasts had come along with the curse. It would take the people of Camelot, and Robin Hood and his men, quite some time to 'track' it and the heroes would want to be there to ensure no one was harmed and that it didn't reach THEIR kingdom. But because it was a creature, they wouldn't want to endanger Henry. Emma had been all too willing to just appear in the Merry Men's camp and attack, appearing to want to steal something from Robin Hood, to cause Regina to fear she was plotting some sort of curse or spell on him. To remind her that, while they celebrated defeating the Fury, Robin was still very much vulnerable and no one was safe. But August had talked her out of it. If they didn't want Henry locked up in a tower to keep him safe from her, they needed something that didn't lead back to HER, to the Dark One.

August had gone out to sneak Henry the note. They couldn't be sure what sort of protections Regina might have cast on the boy, whether she'd be alerted of any sort of dark magic used near him or even if she might check his phone for any messages, so they thought it best to do it the most human way. August had thought of a rather creative way to pass along the note. He had gotten a small notebook and a pen for Henry, since the magic pen had been broken and the boy technically couldn't be 'The Author' without it. He'd thought it might help to give Henry a book and a pen of his own to 'practice' with till they could find him a new pen to use. Anyone who saw it would just think it was only that.

The pen wouldn't work though.

And Henry would likely unscrew it to check the ink and find the rolled up paper within it with the note.

It had been something he had picked up in school, how to pass a note without the teachers knowing, roll it up and hide it in a hollow pen. It looked like you were just giving a friend a pen to use but there was a note inside it. Worked every time.

They just had to be patient until Henry could find it and make his way without the others noticing.

Piper was grateful to her son and niece for this time alone. It had been…quite a lengthy story, their time in Camelot. She had tried to shorten it, for she cared little about the mess the heroes got into and wanted Gold to know about their plan for the Darkness first. He asked a number of questions though. Just because he didn't have the Darkness in him or access to the knowledge of all the previous Dark Ones, it didn't mean he didn't have his own knowledge, what HE had learned over 300 years, both on his own and from those Dark Ones. He wanted to know every detail of what happened so he could help them with the rest of their plan going forward, tweaking it, giving alternates should something fail. Their initial plan had taken quite a turn near the end, and working out a backup to it was something of an 'in the works' initiative. They were fairly certain of a majority of it, their intent, what they originally wanted to do hadn't changed much, there was just an added level, an added danger and pressure they had to try and navigate while doing so that was proving tricky.

"I know," Piper spoke, knowing he had only admitted so much to her while they were alone, not wanting the others to see how ill at ease he felt being so…hollow. 300 years being tied to the Darkness didn't mean it all just went away, it had become him, part of his identity, for centuries. To be without it wasn't anything he felt comfortable with, "As soon as we can free the sword and reforge it, it will not be long after that you shall be one once more."

Gold smiled and pressed a kiss to her hair, it never failed to surprise him, how…accepting and supportive Piper was of him. He could still remember the foul kiss Belle had tried to give him once, to break his curse. For a brief moment he had truly thought he might love that woman, until she used the kiss to 'free him' and he realized she would never accept him for who and what he was, not fully. He did not need someone trying to change him, he wanted someone who accepted him, all of him, good AND bad.

He had never before been so grateful for Regina's descent into darkness and vengeance, that it had not only paved the path to get to his son, but had led Piper to him. He replayed their first meeting in his head many times and, when he looked back, he could see the stirrings of something between them, even if it was more intrigue as to who this cold, callous woman was, who appeared so beaten down yet held herself so strong and poised. Seeing her bring Belle to her knees and cause such exquisite torture without batting an eye…he shivered just thinking about it.

And now, to know she had helped orchestrate this entire situation, a way to punish Snow White, while helping her niece, and working to restore his Darkness to him when so many others would be trying to destroy the Darkness itself…it thrilled him how well she knew him, how much she loved him, to go to such lengths to restore him and not keep him in a form he was loathe to be in.

Oh being without magic could be beneficial, at times, at least making others THINK you were without magic more so. He had, once or twice in his life, used the assumption that, without his magic he was nothing, against his opponents. So many thought him weak and vulnerable and cowardly without his magic, that it was the only reason he was as powerful and dangerous as he was. But he was nothing of the sort, not now, not after 300 years of gathering knowledge and items. He might put on a show, utilize his flair for dramatics, to act cowardly, to lure his opponent into underestimating him. Perhaps it would even work to get another to not see him as enough of a challenge or worth provoking and walk away, though he had no care to discover if that was true. No, he rather enjoyed when they thought him pathetic and then he could snag their beating heart from their chest and crush it in front of their shocked eyes. Yes, that was most delightful.

While he could handle himself without magic, without his Darkness, it did not mean he wished to be in such a state permanently. Which was a thing Piper knew very well, given how hard she fought to guarantee the heroes would allow his Darkness to be restored to him when it was first removed.

Hearing August recount, before he had left with Emma, how Piper had to be held back lest she try to claw the Apprentice to death with her bare hands for even suggesting removing his Darkness had been amusing and touching to him.

"Thank you, Pip," he murmured, shifting slightly on the couch so he could look at her more fully.

"There is nothing you need thank me for," she countered.

"You protected my Darkness," he shook his head, "When all others would try to destroy it."

"Well, it IS in my niece…" she teased, but knowing what he meant, "I would not see you changed against your will, Rummy," she reached up to touch his cheek with her hand, "This was not your choice, to have the Darkness pulled from you. If you chose it, I would support you, for I love YOU not just your darkness. This was not such a case."

And that was the greatest difference between her and Belle. Belle wanted him to change, whether HE wished it or not, Piper accepted change in him only when HE wanted it, when it was HIS choice. If he had wanted to give up the Darkness and live as though a mere mortal man, hell if he wanted to be a hero, she would still love him for HIM. She didn't love him solely for his power or magic, she loved all parts of him and how they came together into who he was.

And therein lied the rub, he didn't feel like himself without the Dark One's Darkness in him, it had become HIS darkness over the years and he felt unbalanced without it, out of sorts.

Part of him had feared she would look at him the way Milah once had, as though he were worthless without his magic. That she would see him as nothing more than the coward he had been so many years ago, before he'd become the Dark One. It had only taken one look in her eyes to see nothing had changed, that she saw him, the heart of him.

"You still see me," he continued, just looking at her.

"You are still you," she said easily, "The Darkness is an influence, a means of power, it does not control you, as Emma has proven. You made your choices, YOU made your decisions, you committed your actions. The Darkness only gave you the ability to do as you wished."

He smirked, he loved how she saw that in him, understood it. So many believed the Darkness took you over, that each and every Dark One had to be the same once they embraced the Darkness. It wasn't true, they were all individual people with their own desires and flaws and personality. The Darkness, as she said, gave them the ability to do as they wished, but it was their own choices for how they used it. Emma wasn't acting like him, giggling and prancing about and taunting others. From what he saw, she was quite stoic if a little more outwardly devious. HE had not been a recluse the way Zozo had been, he hadn't hidden away obsessed with nothing else but how to free himself. He had embraced the title, made a name for himself, set up a business of sorts.

HE did that, not the Dark One.

If that was the case, every Dark One would be just as the first Dark One had been.

It was HIS desires and HIS choices that carved the life he had as the most recent in a long line of Dark Ones, that was still in him.

"I have seen you without your magic before, Rummy," Piper added, recalling their time in New York and even in Storybrooke before the curse had broken, "You did not cower then, you would not now. You have learned too much, become too much the man you are, to return to that state."

He let out a breath, nodding along with her reasoning, she was correct in that as well. He HAD been without magic, as good as human, in this world, and he survived. He had lasted years in Storybrooke without magic, he had survived outside the town on two separate occasions, without magic. And he had still been as much a threat as he had always been.

Had this been anything else, anyone else, beside him, he might have feared he could slip into the man he used to be. But Piper was beside him, looking at him as she always had, reminding him of those trying times when he had been powerless but NOT helpless. THAT was what he needed to reinvigorate his sense of self and purpose, that reminder that he had his knowledge of magic and of the dark. HE still had control, even when he'd had no magic, he was in control now. Between Piper, August, and Emma, they had given him back his control in taking him into their plan, in revealing their intentions, in giving him a say and a voice in what should happen.

His current state was only temporary, after all, and nothing would happen to him while his mate and her small family surrounded them.

"I still cannot believe you allowed Emma to become the Dark One just to spite Snow White," Gold chuckled, though there was a dark note to his voice, an amused edge, "Fitting."

"I thought so," Piper smirked, "Once Emma explained her intentions, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Let Snow White lose her child the way we almost lost ours, let her watch her worst fear play out in the Darkness of her firstborn the way I had to watch you fall across that line…"

Gold reached up to take the hand resting on his cheek to lightly tug it off him, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, hearing an almost growl in her voice as she spoke on, the Siren instincts rising to the surface at the memory of what Snow White had done to her, to them, the pain she caused in being the hypocrite she was.

He knew that was why this particular betrayal had hit her harder than others in the past. She expected people not of her family to betray her, to turn on her, to swing from needing her help to casting her out. Regina's attack on her kingdom had devastated her, for up to that point she had seen Regina as Snow's unhappy step-mother, but not thought her capable of such cruelty, and even then she was not her blood-family. Snow White had gone her entire life proclaiming Rose Red her cousin, one whom she loved and cherished, one whom she defended against other heroes and tried to understand, who she wanted to protect…who she TRUSTED.

And then, when the greatest test of that trust came about, she failed to hold true to all her proclamations. She turned her back on her cousin, was ready to condemn her to a life separate from her mate, and had nearly caused the woman to lose her unborn child as a result.

He knew, where Piper had burned hot with rage and vengeance against Regina for her own crimes, this was more a cold fury, which was infinitely more dangerous in his opinion. It wasn't blinding, it wasn't consuming, it was patient, waiting for the best way to cut the deepest.

And now she had that opportunity, in Emma.

If he was being honest, to hear their plan in full, to hear how Emma had CHOSEN this, how Emma had wanted revenge on her parents just as much as Piper had…it had shocked him. He had seen her as a hero, Piper's niece but a hero, one who would forgive her parents for fear of losing them as her abandonment issues and foster system history would have her do. He had not anticipated how close Emma had become with Piper over her time in Storybrooke, he had not seen how much Emma had come to relate to Piper. He cared for Piper's family, in so much as they were her family and important to her, he cared for Henry more, being Bae's boy, but he would not proclaim that he took a deep interest in Piper's family beyond that. It was not quite a surprise, truly, that he hadn't noticed all this, Piper and Bae had been the only two people to mean anything in his life, now Henry and their child had been added to that while Bae had been lost.

It was a nice slice of karma, though, he felt, to have Snow White's daughter be so angry and feel so deserving of revenge against her parents. They still had not suffered any true consequences of what they had done to Maleficent's daughter, so long as it didn't impact them they seemed to not care what they did. How selfish of them, what villainous thinking. Emma though, was bringing that consequence, because this was now directly impacting the Charmings.

He was loving every step of the plan revealed.

He was, however, somewhat disappointed that Piper knew about 'Operation Bluebird' as he had wanted it to be something he could do for her, but that she agreed with it meant much to him.

And now the final person in their 'team' was going to be brought into the fold, Henry.

He truly hoped the boy would take the plan well, given all that had happened and likely what the heroes had been telling him, on top of not remembering Camelot. He was sure they would find out soon enough.

~8~

Henry, it appeared, was quite eager to find out what was going on, for it had only been 2 hours since August slipped him the note before he was knocking on Emma's door, pushing it open without waiting for an answer to enter.

"Mom!" he cheered, rushing over to Emma as she headed for the door, catching her around the middle.

"Hey, kid," Emma greeted in return, hugging him tightly, breathing out a breath of relief to finally be able to just hug her son without everyone freaking out that she was going to kidnap him or something.

"Got the note, I see," August teased from where he was sitting on an armchair near the couch, sipping some hot chocolate with cinnamon, Piper and Gold with their own mugs on the sofa, two more cups resting on the small coffee table for Emma and Henry.

"Yeah," Henry rolled his eyes, "You could have just texted me," he reminded them.

"We didn't know what plan Regina had," Emma defended, "She might have seen or gotten notifications."

"We should have a code word then, or a phrase," Henry decided, moving to sit on the floor and take a cup for himself, sprinkling some more cinnamon on top of the whipped cream, "One that means 'meet up at Emma's ASAP' or something."

Emma had to nod, "Good point."

"Ice cream," August suggested, laughing when they all looked over at him, "What?" he shrugged, "Wasn't that the first time Regina let Henry go off with you or something, to get ice cream?"

"It's just a little hard to fit ice cream into every day conversation," Emma pointed out.

"It could not be anything related to feeling ill or tired," Piper mused, sipping her drink, "Regina would likely confine Henry to bed and not leave the house if he were 'ill.'"

"Yeah," Henry grimaced at the thought, before shrugging, "I'll work on it," he offered, before looking at them and only just noticing Gold sitting there, "Grandpa!" he cheered, putting the cup down and moving to hug Gold, much to the man's shock, nearly causing him to drop his cup had Piper not reached over to take it from him so he could return the hug, "You're awake!"

"I am," Gold chuckled, patting his back so the boy could pull away.

Henry frowned, "What about your heart?"

"Protected," Piper assured him, "August found a very clever spell to protect it."

"That's awesome!" Henry beamed at August, "Thank you!"

August waved it off, "I had a couple weeks to do some digging," he joked, "Not all of us got to go to Camelot."

"Yeah," Henry moved to sit down again, "What happened there, mom?" he looked at his mother, "I mean I got your not so I know it's something to do with…um…" he glanced at Piper.

"I know about Operation Bluebird, Henry," Piper told him, "It is alright."

He frowned a little, "How do you know?"

"The walls of Rummy's cabin are not very thick," she smiled at him, "I have known for a while."

"Right," he nodded, "So…this is part of Operation Bluebird?" he eyed his mother.

"Part of it," she agreed.

"So you did it on purpose, we…we didn't fail you?"

"No, Henry, no," Emma scooted over on the floor where she, too, had sat to hug him, "You didn't do anything wrong, Henry. In fact, you were a really big help in getting this to work."

His face scrunched, "I…HELPED you become the Dark One?"

Emma glanced at the others, unsure.

"Henry," Gold spoke, setting his cup down and leaning forward, "I've spoken with Emma, we've gone over the most recent Dark Curse, and…there IS a way to restore your memories, if you want them."

"Careful," August cut in just a second before Henry could shout that yes, of course, he wanted his memories back, "Think about it, kid, if you remember and you let something slip and the others notice…"

"They'll want to remember too," Henry realized.

"Or they shall want to know what you know," Piper added, "They would never harm you for information, Henry, but…there are other methods. Truth potions and such that I do not think the Dwarves would be above using to find out what our plan is."

"Our plan," Henry repeated, "I was part of it."

"Yes," Emma nodded.

Henry was silent, thinking very hard about what August had said and what Piper had too. A very long time ago he might have said he should remember, because how else would he know if what they said was the truth. Back then he would have seen a room where 3 out of the 4 people before him were 'villains' and, therefore, untrustworthy and likely to lie to him. But he had grown up since then. He trusted them, Piper especially, to be honest with him about events that happened in Camelot if he asked about it. And, he could admit that, with how obsessed his mother, Regina, had become on finding out what happened in Camelot, SHE might go so far as to slip him a truth potion if she found out he remembered. And the heroes? Snow and Charming would certainly try to guilt him into revealing it, too.

He'd be a target if he wasn't careful, if the town found out he knew and wasn't saying…

He didn't really care what the town or other heroes thought about him, he just…he wouldn't be able to help with Operation Bluebird if other people were suspicious of him. There HAD to be more to the operation that just this, he could feel it, maybe him and August had more to do on the outside and it wouldn't happen if people didn't trust him.

The less he knew was probably for the better right now, but there were still some things he really needed to know.

"I don't want to remember it, yet," Henry spoke, looking at the four others, "But I do have questions."

"Anything," Emma spoke, smiling at him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder in thanks and relief, "Anything you want to know, Piper and I will tell you."

"Nothing but the truth," Piper added.

"I know," Henry looked between them, "I trust you."

"Even though I'm the Dark One now?" Emma teased.

"We could make a deal if it makes you feel better," Henry rolled his eyes, making Emma laugh.

"What do you wanna know, kid?"

He paused, considering it, "What does you being the Dark One have to do with Operation Bluebird exactly?" he could guess, it might even be right, but he wanted to KNOW.

"Aunt P nearly lost her baby, because of what Snow White did," Emma said, trying not to look at how Gold took Piper's hand and squeezed it tightly as she said what she did so bluntly, "With me as the Dark One, she's lost her child to the Darkness. And…she tried to banish Gold for being a Dark One free of the Dagger, for not trusting Aunt P's love, their darkness, now she's going to have to deal with ME being dark."

"Revenge," Henry nodded, glancing over at Piper, "To soften your heart."

"More to punish the heroes for once," Piper spoke, sighing, "I do not ever seek revenge for the sole purpose of softening my heart, Henry, that is more a side affect. I seek it because, if you harm me or mine, I…harm…you."

Gold lifted her hand to press a kiss to the back of her hand, knowing she was more likely to say 'kill' than 'harm' in that last moment. She had told him once, of her mother, how the woman had hunted down men who harmed her husband and slaughtered them. SHE had slaughtered others for lesser slights, for holding her captive, for insulting her, for withholding payment. Family, especially, would warrant a far stronger reaction, though it would be instinct and not a conscious choice she had made in the past with her music.

"What about Grandpa though," Henry looked at Emma, "If YOU'RE the Dark One…"

"I will not kill Emma, Henry," Gold assured him, "She did not kill ME to obtain the Darkness."

Henry blinked, catching on, "You're going to transfer the Darkness from her to you," he realized, "But how? The Apprentice…"

"Excalibur," August spoke, knowing he couldn't contribute much to the talk of things that happened in Camelot, but he could at least offer this glimpse into what the sword could do, "Emma was able to bring it with them from Camelot, but it's stuck in the stone again."

"Why is Excalibur important?" Henry asked.

"It's broken," Emma explained, "The tip of it was broken off and became the Dark One's Dagger. If we can reforge the sword, make it whole again, we can use it to cut the Darkness out of me and give it back to Gold."

"King Arthur is in the woods!" Henry realized, "He pulled the sword from the stone before, he can do it again!"

"He is…not going to help," Piper spoke slowly, "He is…not a good man, Henry. Not a hero. He was, once. But he is no longer hero enough to pull the sword a second time."

"So you need a hero to pull the sword from the stone," Henry began, before snorting, "I don't know if you missed it, but the town is full of heroes."

"Who are not likely to help us," Gold reminded him, "Heroes…" he let out a huff, "If THEY needed the sword for something, they would pull it. If WE do, a villain…"

"They'd be more likely to destroy it," August finished, "Or refuse, or use it against us."

"And I do not think ripping their heart out and commanding them to pull the sword would work," Piper added.

Henry sighed, "Yeah, that's probably true,' he frowned, trying to think about a way around that, "What if we trick them into thinking they DO need it and then steal it as soon as its free?"

"It could work," Emma offered, "But we can't be sure we'd be able to get it or steal it back. And they'd know we had the sword all along, it might make them suspicious about why. The longer they don't know the sword is with me, the better."

"What if I try to pull it?" Henry asked, looking at them, "I mean, I'm a hero, right?"

"One of the best,' Piper agreed, putting a mocking hand over her heart, "Which pains my heart more than you can imagine," she lamented, earning a laugh from August and Henry, and a smirk from Emma, "But if you do this, Henry, you will be very firmly standing against the heroes. You will be choosing between one side of your family and another, it is not an easy decision to make."

"Believe me," Emma nodded, "It's really not. I took a stand with Aunt P, and my parents are now convinced I'm evil incarnate who needs to be stopped. I really don't want to put you in that position, Henry."

Henry let out a breath of air, nodding, he had heard how his mother and Snow and Charming talked. Like Emma was a threat but that they had to be careful and couldn't 'attack' her and they kept defending her but still trying to stop her. Judging by what Emma was saying, more happened in Camelot that the Charmings reacted poorly to.

"Last resort?" he offered.

Emma nodded, "Last resort."

"Ok, Camelot," he continued, "DID we ever even find Merlin?"

"Found him, freed him, fought him," Emma huffed, "How much do you want to know?"

"The basics, I guess."

"He was trapped in a tree, only 'the Savior' could release him, so Regina claimed to be the savior, to keep me from using Dark Magic…"

"Until Regina needed something only Dark Magic could accomplish and then it was very agreeable to her for Emma to use such magic," Piper muttered darkly. SHE had no qualms with people being hypocrites, when they were being honest with themselves about being so and not trying to defend it under the guise of heroism.

"Anyway," Emma shot Piper a look, more a roll of her eyes, before turning back to Henry, "We got him out of the tree, thanks to YOU," she offered Henry a small, almost regretful smile, "And he wanted to use the sword and Dagger to destroy the Darkness completely. At first we thought the same thing you suggested, let him do it, make it whole, and then we could steal it and use it instead. But it didn't get that far. Arthur sort of…went off the deep-end and did some pretty dark things. We ended up fighting him and Merlin. It…" she sighed, trying to rein it back in, not wanting to reveal too much, "It just didn't end well."

"Was that when you became the Dark One?"

"A lot more happened than just that," Emma sighed.

"It was an opportune moment Emma chose, for when she embraced the Darkness," Piper spoke, "Part of the plan, but more an amendment. It WAS planned though," she promised Henry, "Emma agreed to becoming the Dark One long before she actually did."

"I chose to become it," Emma corrected, "Took me a week to convince Aunt P to let me," she shot her aunt a more fond smile this time, "Because of Operation Bluebird. We just had to wait till the right time."

"Did someone find out?" Henry asked, his face scrunched, "That it was planned out? Is that why we came back and no one can remember?"

"There's…a danger here, Henry," Emma phrased it carefully, "Something bad was happening in Camelot and I had to get us all out of there. I hoped…if no one could remember what happened, then the bad might not happen again without the lead up to it. That it would give me time to teach the heroes their lesson before getting the Darkness back into Gold and stopping it all."

Henry nodded, it made sense to him in the vague fashion it had been given in, which, to be fair, he had asked for in his own way. He didn't want to know too many specifics incase he let something slip.

So…his aunt and Emma had planned to let her become the Dark One, and he had known about it and helped them plan it. He may have even helped them work out how to punish the heroes after that. So they had been honest with him in the Forest. He'd helped them get Merlin out of the tree, and Merlin had tried to fix Excalibur but hadn't gotten a chance to. Arthur had done something bad and there had been a fight between his mother and Merlin. She'd become the Dark One and something else bad happened and she tried to stop it continuing in Storybrooke by erasing everyone's memories of Camelot.

She was trying to buy herself some time to finish her plan before she got Gold back to full power and stopped the bad thing happening again in this realm.

"I think that's all I really need to know," he spoke, looking at them, "About Camelot at least," he took a breath, "What do you need me to do here, in Storybrooke?"

If they wouldn't let him pull the sword from the stone, unless as a last resort, he'd do all he could to help them in other ways. Because the plan meant just for the heroes seemed to still be in progress, and he was very curious what Emma planned to do as the Dark One to really teach them a lesson or two.

They may have been worried about him picking sides between two halves of his family, but they failed to see he'd already chosen.

He wasn't the naïve boy who believed heroes could do no wrong and villains deserved what they got.

He was the son of the dark and the light, if anyone could see the need for balance, it was him.

A/N: So we got a tiny bit more of a look into their plans with Excalibur and where that comes in, not ALL of it, but a glimpse at why they're so keen to get it out of the stone. If it can cut the Darkness out, and then destroy it, it MUST be able to cut the Darkness out and just transfer it, in their opinion. That's how Emma plans to give Gold back his darkness and magic in the end.

That's not the whole plan though, that's not everything that happened or that led to the current situation. There is something Emma had planned to impact the heroes before this adjustment was needed. The Apprentice being dead threw a wrench into HOW they would transfer the Darkness, but doesn't mean they have NO way to do it. Emma, initially, wanted to keep the sword trapped in the stone, because if it was free then someone might get the bright idea to try and make it whole again and try to destroy the Darkness or the Light. She's been very careful not to reveal too much of the plan when she knows the other Dark Ones are listening or aware. Even if they do learn about it, they can't really stop her, only try to influence her anyway, but she could do without the complaining lol :)

There's still more to learn in terms of the plan for the heroes, what happened in Camelot, and what role Henry and August might play in Storybrooke ;) Henry is being very careful and mature, thinking ahead like a Villain might, to try and see what he should know and what he just feels he NEEDS to know about Camelot and what happened. He feels he's gleamed enough to be sure that, whatever the plan was, he hadn't objected to it in Camelot and so he doesn't really NEED to know what it was right this second. Which may come back to bite him later }:)

For Gold and Piper, I felt like that was a conversation that needed to be had, especially for Gold.

That was something I didn't really get in the show with Emma trying to turn him into a hero, how Gold kept cowering like he was weak and pathetic :/ Part of me wants to go 'it was a ploy!' like he did it in the hopes Emma would think him hopeless and move on to someone else. But another part of me goes, Gold would never reduce himself to that, not after the trouble he went to to be seen as powerful and strong after becoming the Dark One. And I kept thinking about the times he didn't have magic before and was just fine, was the same dangerous and threatening presence he's always been. In New York, twice, in Storybrooke before the Curse broke. He's been 'human' and 'mortal' and 'powerless' before and not acted like that. He still has 300 years worth of knowledge, a shop full of magical artefacts, and he's still incredibly clever.

I felt like that conversation was needed, to show him that Piper knows and expects that of him, that she accepts it too. She has faith he's still the same man he's been for 300 years, just mortal now and without magic, but 300 years isn't just erased by magic disappearing. And she wanted to make it very clear the issue of CHOICE in all of it. If he'd chosen to be mortal and magicless, she would support him, because HE wanted it. THIS was forced on him and it wasn't something he wanted, she understands that, and therefore will help do whatever she can to get him back to how he was :)

I wanted Gold to find that person who wouldn't change him and just accepted him, good and bad, mortal and immortal, magical and powerless, and loved him just the same :)

Some notes on reviews...

The Underworld will happen in this story yup, but with a different push behind it, different reasons for going. There's something both Gold and Piper are curious to look for in the Underworld and now they have that opportunity, but it's also Piper would go if Emma was that determined to go to protect her. Given Gold's bond with Piper, there may be a few more obstacles in Hades's plan though ;) Milah...I really dislike her, we may see that come out }:) I feel like, in the show, the only reason the Underworld happened was because Emma learned it existed and had access to it, and had other stories, like Orpheus, to use as an example of 'it can be done!' and so she went for it, even when other laws and things were in place that said she shouldn't :/ Piper will have some thoughts on that. I can say there may not be blackmail that gets Gold to the Underworld in this story ;) As for Bae, I just like to think that he got to say goodbye to his father and the woman he loved, and, because of that, felt like he'd completed his life and could move on. I would have loved to see more of him though, like a Virgil guiding them through the Underworld, but I also like that he got to go to a better place and be happy and at peace :) We'll have to wait and see about Piper's parents ;) But I can say I have quite a painful series of events planned for Blue ;)

I can say in this story, Blue's attempt on Piper's life as a child will come to light in some manner. Much more will be revealed in the AU I have planned for this story because some characters are going to be much more vocal about their distrust of Blue ;) And more of her actions will be brought up in Lyssa's story though ;) So far only a small number of those very close and very loyal to Snow know about what she did to Maleficent, but if it does come out to more people a few key players might be very angry with how others react to it ;) I would have liked to see Emma with someone other than Hook too. I would have even been down for Walsh being restored to his human form and them trying again if it meant Hook got pushed away a little. But Bae is my top pairing for Emma, if only he'd survived :(

David is someone I feel like he gets too caught up in 'I am the hero' and sort of, eventually, convinces himself that certain things that happened were 'just' and 'right' and 'good' even if, at first, he was a little wary of it and against it. Sort of like he goes on with life and keeps seeing Snow be the hero and subconsciously it just translates to 'if she's still a hero now, then what she did before wasn't wrong or she wouldn't still be a hero' :/ He sort of just convinces himself that heroes do the right thing. And after Gold and Piper returned, and now with Emma being 'dark' he's going to more firmly convince himself that Snow was right to banish him because 'look what they're doing now! they're evil!' :/ I can say there may be a key moment in this series where that mentality really gets shattered and he'll be left reeling }:)

I wish I could unplug at times :( 3 of my family members work in a very sensitive area of New York though and so, for the last few months, and probably for a few more weeks, I feel like I have to be aware of what's going on, because I don't want to be unprepared if something happened in their area and it makes me feel a little more secure if I can reach out to them and just say 'hey, there's some concern about this on the news, please be careful' and so on :( Hopefully things will mellow out and life can eventually have some sense of normalcy again though :) I'm glad you're enjoying the chapters though! I'm definitely going to do my best to explore some characters and assumptions and lessons to be had ;)