The Bear and the Bow
Piper smiled gently as she and Emma sat at the kitchen table of her home, seeing the relieved smile on Emma's own face, the way she held herself, like a weight had been lifted off her. She hadn't known how to tell Henry about what happened in Camelot, with Violet, and had been secretly thrilled when Henry chose not to learn everything that happened there, thinking it would buy her more time to work out how to broach the topic with him. And then it all ended up being blurted out anyway, but Henry was a very clever boy who had learned many lessons from things both heroes and villains had done over the years. He had been angry, upset, hurt, but he had asked for an answer from his mother instead of launching accusations and making assumptions the way heroes did.
He had enough trust and love for them that something told him that none of it would have happened without something else going on. His mother and his Siren Aunt would never EVER cause him harm for no reason.
"If only all heroes were as patient and reasonable," Piper mused to Emma, knowing where her mind had gone.
"Henry is something," Emma had to agree, not needing to ask what Piper meant.
Heroes jumped to conclusions, they never asked WHY in a way that said they would actually listen and accept that part of the why might be their own fault, it felt like they never tried to understand. They saw 'wrong' and reacted with 'justice' and labeling of villains. And while Piper knew her own reasons and actions didn't typically have any rhyme or reason behind it that a hero could even begin to understand, Emma did. Emma had learned to consider another perspective, to wait before attacking, to ask before assuming. And it meant the world to them that Henry had begun to do the same, had taken time to seek them out and hear them out before he jumped to condemning them.
Showing him his own memories, how they had spoken with him about the situation, how they had gotten his permission to go through with the plan first before ever even considering trying it, it had helped him see that it wasn't just to hurt him or get what the Dark wanted. It was to free Merlin, it was to be a hero, and he had done it, he'd agreed to it. Neither he nor Violet had been hurt in any permanent fashion and they were getting their second chance in Storybrooke. They hadn't anticipated Arthur reacting as he had, which meant the knights, like Sir Morgan, were on Arthur's side over Merlin's, and that meant he and Violet couldn't be together in Camelot, but now they could be.
Because while Merlin wasn't there, Arthur was and they could deal with the threat he held easily enough now that he didn't have his power base or control or sword.
Emma glanced over when a flash of light caught her attention on the wall, her mirror was pulsing with a faint light, "They're together," she said, getting up and moving over to the mirror with Piper. The enchantment she'd cast on it was meant to show her whenever the heroes gathered together, especially in Regina's office. If there was ever two or more of them there, the mirror would flash to alert her.
Honestly, it was a wonder to her that more heroic plans weren't thwarted in such a way, because it had never crossed her mind to cast any sort of protection spell to keep others from spying when she'd meet up with her parents to make a strategy. Either heroes were very lucky or some villains were very stupid.
"I don't understand," Mary Margaret was saying, frowning deeply as Regina stood before her and Charming, sitting on a small sofa, "Why would she do that?"
Regina shrugged, "My mother crushed Daniel's heart because she thought it was 'what was best for me,'" she scoffed, "We don't know what Emma did to Violet after she broke Henry's heart."
"You said she…she didn't look like the Dark One though," David spoke, and it was clear to the women that Regina had told them, and Hook as he stood off to the side, about what she'd seen in Violet's dreamcatcher.
"No," Regina agreed.
"Then she was already falling into the Darkness before she embraced it," Hook realized, before biting out a curse, "HOW could we have failed at finding Merlin?"
"I don't think we did," Regina said, moving over to something lying on her desk and picking it up, a mushroom with a very red top, "This came over with the curse. It's used in communication spells. If we were trying to communicate with Merlin in Camelot, then we had to have found him, right?"
"The Crimson Crown," David looked at her, "You figured out how to make the communication spell work?"
"Let's just say seeing Emma rip Violet's heart from her chest gave me all the motivation I need."
Piper nearly scoffed at that. She was a villain, if anyone harmed Henry she would be more than motivated to accomplish things. She wouldn't care if it happened to anyone else outside her family. Regina should, if she was so set to be a hero. Regina should have been this motivated from the start if she truly wanted to be considered one. She shouldn't be suddenly motivated because Henry was involved.
Hook strode over and grabbed the mushroom from her hand, examining it, "How does this thing work? Do we simply speak to it?"
Regina rolled her eyes and snatched it back, "It's not that easy. Not just anyone can summon Merlin. He'll only appear to someone who's been chosen by him."
"Arthur," both Piper and Emma guessed the heroes would say
David did not disappoint, "Arthur. Merlin delivered all the prophecies to him."
"So what do you say, sheriff?" Regina looked at him.
"Already on my way," he headed for the door.
Mary Margaret waited till he was out the door before hunching over, her head in her hands, "I just…" she let out a breath, "This is my fault."
"We don't know that," Regina stated, shrugging when Mary Margaret glared at her, "Without knowing what happened in Camelot, we don't know whose fault it is."
"I meant, I shouldn't have banished Gold," she admitted, "If I hadn't banished him, if I'd just listened to Rose, they could have protected his heart and the Darkness never would have taken him over or escaped or gotten to Emma."
"Still not because it was the wrong thing to do," Piper murmured, "Still not because she should have trusted my love and bond with him."
Emma reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, feeling the same. Her mother only regretted this because of the consequences is was heaping on her and not because it had just been the wrong thing to do and a betrayal to her cousin. It grated her, at times, whenever she saw her mother with Regina, because all she could think of was how many times Snow White had given the Evil Queen a chance, even after the literal destruction and threats and action the Queen had taken against her. But Snow White offered chance after chance and tried for trust.
Gold hadn't attacked her kingdom, he hadn't killed her father, he hadn't tried to destroy her or her true love. He had orchestrated for it in teaching Regina and luring her down a dark path, but SHE had made those choices, she had done those deeds. He may not have stopped her, but he had at least offered the heroes help when they needed it, because of Piper. Gold had, compared to Regina, done little to earn the intense distrust Snow White had shown him, and her cousin, that night. How could Snow White give so many chances to the Evil Queen after all she'd done, trust her, but not trust her own cousin or her true love?
"If you hadn't, who knows what he would have done to the town, being free of the Dagger's control," Regina countered, and this time Emma scoffed at how Regina was defending the action when they had no proof that he would have done anything to the town that had, at that point, been important to his true love's family, "He was banished, and he came back despite it. If he hadn't brought the Darkness back to Storybrooke, we wouldn't even be standing here right now."
"Emma was seduced by the Darkness just like he was," Mary Margaret frowned, as though just realizing something, "What does that mean for Gold? Are they even that different?"
"That is a first," Piper murmured, she had never before heard the woman speak of the Dark One as having been tempted and corrupted by the Darkness first.
"Sorry, love," Hook scoffed, bitter, "Crocodile had more chances than anyone."
"Not as many as Regina," Emma huffed, displeased with Hook and his blind hatred of Rumpelstiltskin...or was it the Dark One? It was hard to keep track in how he viewed it.
Hook looked at the two women, "Right now we need to give Emma her best chance, which means contacting Merlin. What do we need to do to prepare?"
Emma waved her hand, erasing the image back to a mirror, almost smirking as she turned to Piper, a thought striking her that she hoped would cheer her Aunt after having to listen to that last half of the scene, "I almost want to see their faces when this 'fails.'"
"How villainous of you," Piper joked.
~8~
"Hello," Piper greeted as she sat at the bedside she and Gold were using in Emma's guest room, staying with her for the time being, unsure if his home would be safe from the heroes going after it if they found out they were there. She had been running her fingers through his hair as he slept, wanting to wake him and let him know where she and Emma were heading next for the next part of their plan so he wouldn't fret if he woke to find them gone. But not actually wanting to wake him, for he looked so peaceful in his sleep.
Gold stretched on the bed and smiled up at her, taking her hand in his and pressing a kiss to it, before he kissed his fingertips and pressed them to her stomach, "Alright?"
She nodded with a soft smile, "Active," she told him, wishing he would be able to feel the child kick as she could. But the sea was harsh and unforgiving and, as a result, Sirens had very strong skin and abdominal muscles to protect any children they should bear. While her stomach area was softer than a true Siren, it was still too thick and firm for others to truly feel the child there.
"Good," he looked at her.
She tilted her head, observing him, the crease in his forehead that told her his thoughts were elsewhere, "What did you dream of?" she asked, knowing it wasn't often that he slept, given his time as the Dark One, only ever getting close to a meditative state in the Forest though he seemed better able to sleep in Storybrooke with how the land wasn't as imbued with magic as the Forest was. Both of them were more human in Storybrooke than in the Forest.
"You," he said, "Always."
"Liar," she teased him.
"Partly," he admitted, "August," he added, "It was more a memory than a dream," he moved to sit up, his back to the headboard, smirking when her eyes dropped to his bare chest before it flickered to his eyes, "When I was under the preservation spell," he began, "When it began to weaken and I became more aware, there was a point where I couldn't help but wonder if I deserved this chance to survive, after all I'd done, why did I deserve to live?" he shook his head, taking her hand, "But your boy was there, all the time. And he talks when he's bored."
Piper chuckled, "Key does love his stories."
Gold gave a small laugh at that, "He told me stories, of you, of what his life was like with you. How you looked after him, cared for him, supported him. How you protected him. The stories you told him about ME, how you explained what you felt for me, what we were to each other, what we still are. The thought of you, of our child, kept me alive."
"You are trying to deflect," Piper remarked with a soft smile on her face, "That was not an answer to my question."
"Caught that did you?" he chuckled, "I dreamt of you," he repeated, "And August, and Bae, all of us a family. Hearing how you were as a mother to that boy, I dreamed what you would have been like as a mother to Bae, and then what you will be as a mother to our child," he rested his palm to her stomach, "Heaven and hell help those who would dare harm this child."
Piper snorted, "They would need far more than heaven or hell to save them from me," she spoke, a dark promise in her voice that made him smirk.
"Perhaps you would let an old man have a turn once you're finished with them?" he asked.
Her gaze locked on his, "I would consider it," she said, before smirking, "If there was anything left of them."
He let out a breath, shaking his head, "I love you, Pip."
"And I you, Rummy."
He leaned in to press a kiss to her lips, pulling back to rest his forehead to hers before pulling back, his other hand on her cheek, "Sometimes I wonder…the sort of father I would be," he admitted, something he felt he could only do with her in the quiet and privacy of their time together, fears and doubts he would never bring up to anyone else spilled like water from his lips for her.
"This child is not Bae," she traced the side of his face with her fingertips, "There is no conversion from Rumpelstiltskin to the Dark One to endure, there is only Rumpelstiltskin the Dark One who shall be father. I do not think there is any realm in existence one could hide from you if they dared harm our child."
"True," he smiled, though it fell flat a moment later, "I lost my boy, Pip. I failed him."
"You caused harm to yourself so you could return to your son," Piper cut in, reminding him gently of the tales he had told her, "You walked for days on a broken foot to reach him. You gave your life, your freedom, your autonomy, for the power to keep him safe and provide for him. Mistakes were made, and you spent 300 years working to make up for them. You love, Rummy, so deeply it would put a Siren to shame."
He scoffed at the thought of that, "I couldn't bear it if I failed this child too," he admitted.
"You shall not," she assured him, "You have had 300 years to grow, to change, to learn. You are now who you were always meant to be."
"Not quite, not yet," he amended, "But soon," he nodded.
Soon he would be the Dark One once more, he would be able to protect his family in ways he couldn't as a mortal. And once that was restored to him…if they thought he had been ruthless, cruel, and dangerous before…the heroes had better think twice before causing any sort of harm to his mate or child.
~8~
Piper and Emma appeared in a swirl of black smoke in the middle of Zelena's holding cell in the hospital just after the nurse had brought her her latest meal, catching just the tail end of how the woman wanted onion rings but wasn't allowed them. For a brief moment Piper had to wonder if it was normal that she hadn't had any odd cravings the way other women seemed to have. But she shook the thought off quickly, Zelena was not someone to become distracted around.
Truly, if it hadn't been for Emma's own hesitation with dealing with this woman, Piper doubted she would have even allowed her to join her and be anywhere near Zelena. Zelena had created the events that led to Baelfire's death and Gold's captivity, had threatened baby Neal, and nearly destroyed the past. But with the heroes trying to communicate with Merlin, their time to get the sword out of the stone was growing shorter. They had had to face facts that their 'last resort' was now their last chance to get the sword, it would in free very soon and they had to have all the parts in place before that happened. Zelena was one of those parts though neither woman was keen to be around her any longer than necessary. Emma had brought Piper with her because, of anyone in town besides Gold, she wanted Zelena dead the most for the harms she'd caused. If she began to slip too far into the Darkness and try something against Zelena too early, Piper would stop her, if just so she could kill the woman herself later.
"Trust me," Emma spoke as they appeared, "If anyone knows what it's like to be pregnant behind bars, it's me."
To her credit, Zelena didn't appear startled or even alarmed to see them, smirking really, likely knowing that while she was pregnant nothing could happen to her, "The Dark Swan and the Pied Piper. To what do I owe this honor?" she mocked.
"I would be very careful Zelena," Piper warned her, "There are many, many things that can be done to you without affecting the child. Do not tempt me to try some."
Zelena glared at her for that, reminded of the threat Piper had made in New York, how she didn't have to be conscious or even 'technically alive' in order to deliver the child, such was the wonder of modern medicine...even more so here in a town with magic.
"We just wanted to have a little chat," Emma offered.
Zelena scoffed, "Afraid I'm not in the mood."
Emma merely waved her hand and a plate of very special onion rings appeared on the tray with her meal.
"I suppose I could be willing to listen," Zelena shrugged, reaching out to pick one up and munch on it, not noticing the smirk on Emma's face at the action, "So, tell me...what kind of trouble do you want to get into? Despite these greasy treats, I know this isn't a social call. What do you want?"
"Direct," Emma remarked, "I appreciate that. Take a look at this," she magically conjured the Apprentice's wand to her hand, holding it up for Zelena to see but not risking letting the woman touch it.
"The Apprentice's wand," Zelena identified.
"You're the only one around who has wielded Merlin's magic and lived to tell about it."
"Aww. It's nice to be appreciated."
"We may have use for you, Zelena," Piper told her, "Which means, if you prove useful, the torment may not be quite as severe as you deserve."
"Arrangements can be made," Emma cut in, sending Piper a look.
"How exciting," Zelena deadpanned, "I can't wait to hear what you're offering in return."
Emma took a breath, not wanting to even speak the words but knowing she had to, both of them doubted Zelena would keep quiet about WHY they were there not far from now, they had to make sure the wrong information got to the heroes, "Your freedom...and my protection against Regina and anyone else who wants to hurt you."
Zelena eyed her, glancing from her to Piper, "I don't imagine the fish is a fan of this part of your plan."
"I am only here to keep you in line," Piper shrugged, fighting the smirk.
Truly, how many times did people make deals with a Dark One without actually listening to the words. Emma was only offering freedom and protection from those who wanted to hurt her. Tricky, tricky words, with so many loopholes. Free from here? Free from life? Free from Storybrooke but trapped in Oz? And to protect someone who wants to hurt you, doesn't always mean protecting you from someone who wanted you dead and not hurt. Protection could mean, also, banishment, putting them somewhere those who wished you harm couldn't reach you.
It was carefully selected, the offer, by Rumpelstiltskin himself, a master of loopholes. It was both a trick and a trap. Zelena was sure to interpret it one way, given Emma's heroic origins, and she would blurt it to the heroes when she was desperate enough. They both doubted she would accept, but the offer itself had to be made. And, in the rare chance that she DID accept, well, loopholes within loopholes.
And there was nothing in that offer that said the child would be with her through it.
Henry had been taken from Regina, Emma from her parents, it would be no different to remove the child from Zelena who had already proven herself unstable and unsuitable to be a mother given she'd nearly sacrificed another baby and killed someone else's son to get what she wanted. Even Regina had needed to 'lose' her child in order to grow into a true mother.
For another moment, Piper couldn't help but think of her own child. It was the main reason she was going to such lengths to keep the child's existence a secret, wearing a rather baggy tunic shirt and standing only somewhat behind Emma as they faced Zelena. There was no doubt in her mind that the heroes would try to take her child from her. Either because of her creature status and feeling her unfit to be a mother, despite her creature status making her the most protective mother there could be, despite having a soft spot for children. Or because the child was as 'dark' as Emma could have been or Lily was and they needed to 'get rid of the darkness' or protect it from her or…god forbid, destroy it.
It took everything in her not to put a hand to her stomach at the thought.
"So the Dark One's here to make a deal?" Zelena taunted, "How dreadfully unoriginal. You see, believe it or not, that patient with a mop loves to talk, and I hear that you've been very naughty. Tearing out that little girl's heart to break your son's? Kudos. That is next-level darkness. Well done."
Emma scoffed, "You think you're allowed to judge after everything you've done?"
"No," Zelena said simply, "But as someone that's been on the receiving end of a mother's betrayal, I know that those feelings of hurt don't go away. They fester. So have fun with a lifetime of resentment."
Apparently people didn't like to talk nearly as much as Zelena thought, or Henry was just that wonderful of an actor if Regina sill thought he was angry and upset with Emma and not that they had reconciled already. Granted, they had asked him to act the part of betrayed son, to keep the heroes sympathetic to him, to offer him a way to have 'time alone in private' if he wished it, to keep them truly believing Emma had done it and hurt her son to get what she wanted.
Whatever the case, Emma was not about to correct the woman, "He'll forgive me. He just needs time."
"Even with all the time in the world, some things can't be forgiven."
"I don't believe that," Emma spoke, "Even Sirens can forgive."
"Yes, but only after they take revenge," Zelena eyed Piper, "I killed Neal, held your lover prisoner, and nearly murdered your nephew. And then you killed me. Does that make us even? Have you gotten your revenge? Ready to kiss and make up?"
It was clear Zelena was trying to bait her, and Emma honestly was a little surprised Piper was holding out against it. If Zelena had directed all that to HER she'd be snapping at the bits right now. But Piper just tilted her head and smiled. But there was something in that smile, the edge to it, the line of it, that just felt cold and dangerous.
"Try it," Piper said simply.
Something in her voice must have gotten through to Zelena, told her she was on very thin ice right now, for the woman's smug smile fell and she actually took a step back.
"Do we have a deal or not?" Emma asked.
She didn't particularly care what Zelena's answer was, it would be a win-win for her either way on more levels than one. No doubt Regina would find out about the visit from Zelena, the woman loved to gloat like no one's business. She'd let it slip and it would only serve to drive the heroes to more desperate acts, make them truly convinced that she had gone Dark if she was willing to work with the woman who killed her first love.
"I've got my own family problems," Zelena brushed it off, "I don't need yours. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. And with a little one on the way, I wouldn't want to involve myself with someone that might be a bad influence. But thanks for the nosh."
"You will need an ally in this town," Emma warned her as Zelena turned to pick up the last onion ring, "Maybe not now, but soon. You'll be back to take my deal."
"I don't think so, Emma. You see, the difference between you and me is…I don't mind being alone."
"Many thanks," Piper spoke, causing Zelena to frown, "For your permission. It is good to know you prefer being alone," she let her gaze flicker down to Zelena's stomach and back with a dark grin.
"What…" Zelena began, actually seeming startled and frightened at the phrasing, only for Emma and Piper to disappear in a swirl of black smoke, leaving her to fret and worry.
~8~
As Emma guessed, she and Piper stood with Gold before the mirror of her house, watching the heroes as they tried to communicate with Merlin, unaware the man was long gone. They doubted the potion would work, either because of that or because they had decided on Arthur to hear the message, but it was worth it to watch them grow frustrated. And, it was amusing to Piper to see how long it would take before they realized Arthur was not the hero he claimed himself to be, nor the chosen one of Merlin. Truly, sometimes she questioned why heroes were so set in their good vs evil mentality, to the point where one only had to 'act' good for them to think you a hero when you truly weren't. People were not that black and white as the Charmings had proven time and again, as the Dark One himself had proven too.
"What the bloody hell is taking so long?" Hook demanded as he paced around Regina's vault while she worked on the potion.
"Patience, Pirate," Regina muttered, "If these spellbooks are correct, as soon as Arthur adds the Crimson Crown to the cauldron, he should be able to make contact with Merlin," she looked back over at Arthur as he stood between David and Mary Margaret.
"Then we'll be speaking with him before you know it," Arthur smiled, "David told us everything."
"And you're willing to help?" Mary Margaret looked hopeful.
"After everything you've done for us, it's the least I can do."
Regina handed over the mushroom to him, watching as Arthur approached the cauldron and looked down at it, but hesitated to add it, "What are you waiting for?"
He sighed and turned to face them, "Perhaps it's best if I do this alone. Back in Camelot, Merlin delivered his prophecies to me from inside a tree. But I'm afraid he only delivered them when I was alone."
"Should we take bets on whether they believe him?" Gold remarked.
"I think we'd all bet on it," Emma muttered.
And, sure enough, David was nodding along, "This is too important to risk. Come on. Let's leave him to it," he took Mary Margaret's arm, leading her out with Regina and Hook following.
The trio watched on through the mirror as Arthur waited till they had closed the door to Regina's vault, pausing a few moments longer to be sure, before he burned the Crimson Crown on the fire burning beneath the cauldron instead, smirking as he watched it burn. Once it was consumed, sure it was nothing more than ashes, he turned and strode out the door.
"Did it work?" David called out.
"Afraid not," they could hear Arthur speaking, "I thought the spell was gonna make contact, and then it just fizzled out."
Emma turned to look at Piper, "If I ever become that gullible…hit me with something."
Piper snorted and patted her arm, "I like to think you inherited some Siren smarts."
Emma really hoped that was true, or at least that she'd learned enough from her experiences as both hero and villain to give a little more thought to things.
"This won't stop them though," Gold remarked, "Regina especially always hated failing. She can't stand not knowing what she did wrong," he looked at them, "They'll work out what happened and try again with a different chosen one."
"They won't get much," Emma reminded him, "Merlin's dead."
~8~
Sure enough, only an hour later, Regina was still in the vault with the others, going over the pages of the spell, the contents of the cauldron, searching for what hadn't worked.
"You've checked over that spell a dozen times, Regina," Mary Margaret remarked as they watched on.
"Well, I did everything right," Regina defended, "Arthur should have been able to communicate with Merlin."
"Unless he didn't want to," David called, finding something on the floor in the small fireplace, turning to hold up the Crimson Crown, looking very charred.
"The Crimson Crown," Hook gaped.
"Arthur threw it in the fire. He sabotaged the spell. He lied to us."
"I guess he didn't realize magical toadstools don't burn," Regina reached out to take it, brushing off some of the soot to reveal it was mostly intact.
"But why wouldn't he want us to contact Merlin?"
"Gee, dad, I wonder why," Emma muttered rolling her eyes, clearly because he was the bad guy.
"We need to talk to Merlin now more than ever," Mary Margaret fretted.
"Unfortunately, we need someone he's chosen," David sighed.
"The Apprentice is dead," Hook went through their very short list, "We're out of options."
But then a thought occurred to Regina, "Perhaps not. There is one other person in Storybrooke who was chosen by Merlin...the Author."
"I was hoping they wouldn't think about that," Emma sighed, watching as Regina moved to call Henry and ask him to come to her vault. She pulled out her phone as well once the call was over, sending a text to Henry that it was ok, to go along with Regina's plan. She doubted the heroes would believe the spell failed a second time and truly, there wasn't much Merlin could tell them. Even if he'd managed to send a message before he'd passed, it would be just that, a message and not true contact.
If she was being honest, Emma was a little curious if Merlin had left a message in the short time he'd had before everything went to hell in Camelot, and what it would say.
Henry must have been wandering the woods or heading there anyway to check on them all for it was mere minutes before he arrived, entering the vault to the four others waiting for him.
Regina was at his side in an instant, "Are you sure you're up for this?"
"I'm fine, Mom," Henry promised, really putting on the airs of a depressed child, morose and tired.
"It's just I…I know you've been through a lot."
"The person who ripped out Violet's heart isn't my mother. But Emma is still in there somewhere, and I'll do anything it takes to get her back."
"He gets that from you," Piper looked at Gold, who quirked an eyebrow, "The acting," she elaborated, thinking of Henry's family, "Emma and Bae were terrible actors and Snow could never lie to save her life. It had to be you."
Gold chuckled at that, nodding along. Henry did appear to have inherited his ability to keep his cards close to his chest and not reveal his plans or internal thoughts. Piper could do so as well, be stoic and sly, but there was more distance, detachment, and lack of care when she did so. The boy was well aware Merlin was gone and the story behind what happened with Violet, but he was hamming it up to the heroes that he was on their side. He had a future as a spy if he ever chose not to be an Author.
"You can do this, lad," Hook encouraged as Henry stepped up, taking the Crimson Crown from his mother and putting it in the cauldron.
Instantly a puff of smoke rose from it, swirling until it was a large sphere in the middle of which an image of Merlin appeared.
"Merlin?" Henry called.
But the Merlin in the image didn't respond, only spoke, "If you're receiving this message, then things are worse than I feared…"
"I don't believe this," Regina huffed, "We're getting Merlin's voice-mail?"
"There is only one person who can help you defeat the Dark One now. Her name is Nimue."
"Who's Nimue?" David frowned.
"Honestly," Piper huffed, "I specifically tell him that his beloved's favorite stories were of Camelot and he does not even bother to read up on it?"
"I don't think the legends in the Forest identify her as the First Dark One," Emma remarked, "Even here she's the Lady of the Lake."
"If you want to destroy the Darkness," Merlin continued, "Then you must..." he cut himself off, looking over his shoulder, "No…" he breathed, "The Dark One's found me already."
The heroes watched in horror as the image cut off suddenly, the smoke falling back into the cauldron.
"What the hell did Emma do to him?" Hook breathed, stunned.
Emma grit her teeth and waved her hand, banishing the image, not wanting to have to sit through another round of watching her family theorize about it. It was clear in the message, the implication that the heroes would come across and soon believe.
That she had killed Merlin.
Henry, at least, would know enough of the truth, that there was something else going on, that it wasn't just cold-blooded murder the way Merlin made it out to be, at least not on her end.
She really didn't care what the rest of her family thought so long as Henry had enough faith in her.
"It reaffirms the Darkness in you," Piper spoke quietly beside her, "I did warn it would be hard, Emma," she reminded her, "Now they will think the utter worst, without being able to defend it or make excuses."
"Which is what I wanted," Emma nodded, glancing at her Aunt, "I would have done it," she told her, "Killed him, if the threatened you or Henry or Neal or anyone else I cared about," she tilted her head, considering how true that was, how freeing it was to admit that, even if she was unsure if it was the Darkness influencing her or just embracing that part of herself.
"Heroes kill all the time," Gold remarked, "So long as it is someone on the opposite side, someone on the 'dark side' then it is justified and good."
Emma couldn't help but think of her parents, the war they'd gotten into with Regina to take back their kingdoms. How many soldiers had they killed? How many men had her own father killed to get her to the wardrobe as a baby? They killed their enemies, and were hailed heroes.
Merlin could have been her enemy. The heroes didn't remember Camelot, Merlin COULD have been their enemy, maybe she could have killed him to protect them, but they might still see it as a dark act because he was always seen as the paragon of good.
She took a breath, focusing on their current problems, and turned to them, "Which means we're out of time. We need the sword and we need it now."
Piper nodded, "We need Henry."
~8~
Henry took a breath as he stood before the stone, glancing at Emma and Gold, feeling the two would know the most about the sword stuck within it and if he'd really be able to pull it.
"It's ok, Henry," Emma nodded, sure of it.
"You can do it, kid," August added from where he stood beside his mother.
Piper had called him with a request to bring Henry there, unsure if Regina or the others would notice if Henry received a call or message from them. He had been able to find Henry already on his way to Emma's, having told Regina that he wanted to go home, 'devastated' after finding out 'Emma killed Merlin' and so on. He was already heading there to see what he didn't know about Camelot that explained what was happening. Emma and Piper had already told him Merlin had been cut down, and neither said it was Emma who did it, and he was sure they would have said it if it had been, to explain why it happened or that she was protecting herself or something. So he knew it wasn't Emma.
He'd had a theory that they had succeeded in freeing her from the Darkness and it killed Merlin before it ended up back in Emma. He'd made them promise to tell him what happened to Merlin, in its entirety, after he'd pulled the sword.
The fact that he still offered to do it meant the world to Emma, because despite what happened with Violet, what the message from Merlin implied, and the secrets Henry still didn't know, he trusted her enough to know that this was important and had to happen now.
He trusted Emma to use it as she said and not how the heroes were fearing.
He moved behind the stone and took hold of its hilt, looking at the small part of his family gathered there for him, and took a breath before he heaved up…
And the sword slid out of the stone, pulled out by a hero with the truest heart in the lands.
A/N: Hmm so we have Snow sort of kind of almost regretting what she did to Gold, but more for the consequence it brought with Emma and the Darkness than how it devastated her cousin :/ There may be some events coming that might actually make her think about things she's done and perhaps realize how much she took Piper and her loyalty for granted.
I hope you liked the little scene with Gold and Piper :) I felt like that would be something that would come up, and likely more while he's mortal and magicless than any other time. With his magic, he's more confident he can do things and provide for his child, without it he might be more internally worried and think more about all the mistakes he's made that he wouldn't have the ability to try and fix without magic :( Piper wouldn't let him wallow I don't think ;)
Zelena, Zelena, Zelena, she's such a problem lol. I can say Piper and Emma have plans for her, a bit different than in the show, it's been more thought out, their plan, it's been in the works for much longer so it's less Emma making it up as she goes and more them putting the final pieces in place for a grand finale :) Whether it goes the way they plan or not...is something to be seen }:)
But ooooh, the heroes think Emma killed Merlin :/ It just keeps piling on for her doesn't it :( It's almost ironic and also somewhat fitting, when you consider the grand scheme of the plan Emma and Piper and Henry devised. Ironic in that, she's really not doing all that much to be like 'hey I'm a villain, fear me!' but things just keep coming up that push the heroes into seeing her that way. And fitting because, well that's exactly what their plan was, the bare minimum that would give the heroes all the rope they needed to hang themselves with by making their assumptions without proof or clear evidence. It plays right into the point they want to make and the lesson they want to teach one day.
That's not to say we won't see some twists on Zelena's presence and connection to Emma, she IS the Dark One and she has embraced the darkness. We still have an Emma that's been holding in some very angry feelings about things, she has a lot bottled up and maybe the Darkness is just what she needs to vent some of it ;)
Some notes on reviews...
I get frustrated with the parents in OUAT too, especially the heroic ones because you'd think honesty would be high on the list of noble qualities and heroic tendencies, yet they lie the most lol. It's actually sort of ironic that Emma learns to be more honest with Henry from Piper because in the AU, if she had been raised by Piper from the beginning, she'd end up being like brutally, bluntly honest about a lot of things (when she doesn't have to keep things close for important missions or quests or things), to a point where some characters are just like 'I can't know that! Don't SAY things like that! I need to bleach my ears' because there's no point in lying when half your family has the superpower to tell when you're lying so it just ends up being the default :) I'm glad you like that about Piper's personality, she'll definitely do all she can to keep her family safe, but she also will try very hard not to take choices away from them if they really think about it or decide on something. And she also tries to look in the long term for how something would affect them. She was accepting of the Dark Curse despite what it would do to her family, because in the end they would be together and stronger for it (and she probably also thought 'I'll find a way out of it so I can be there for Emma and just sort of failed that part). Henry knowing and choosing to accept the plan meant he wouldn't be as hurt in the end, so she was agreeable to it :)
I'm so sorry the show did that :( It's never fun when something important to you or your culture is taken and changed into something it was never intended for :( Hopefully the writers will be more aware as they go forward in their careers and learn more about things before they use them :)
Lol, I could see Emma trying to be sneaky about boys, and eventually giving up one day because 'mom knows when I'm lying' and then, the ONE time she's NOT being sneaky, and thinking like 'I'm just going to shock her by being completely honest and introduce him on the first date so it won't be as annoying for him to run away later when she disapproves' is the one time her boyfriend completely shocks her by being Bae and someone Piper is thrilled to meet and basically 'adopts' right from the get go lol :) But I could definitely see Emma being rebellious like that and then it goes a bit too far lol. Piper would be very much torn like 'kill him...no, Rummy would be devastated...maybe castrate him a little...no Rummy would be angry...hmm, put the fear of god in him about what will happen if he touches my daughter ever again? That could work' :)
I felt like Merlin would be a little more accepting too, in the sense of 'let's wait and see if she actually DOES anything before calling her evil' :) In terms of heroes, I feel like he really did display a lot of the characteristics the others try to emulate, but he did it from a genuine place :) I'm glad you liked the baby part, there may be more glimpses of the baby and magic as we go ;)