S8, E9: Death's Punishment

Hope's Room at a Dark Night...

Finn looked at the many doors at the corridor. He had never visited Hope's room before in the scarce times he had been in the castle. Luckily, there were many adorning stickers on the doors that give clues to the owner of the room, like a swan and a hook that symbolizes Hope's parents, Killian Jones and Emma Swan.

Should I wake them up first?, Finn askes himself. They are the people that have the most experience with this situation, but they would be confused as to why Finnian was around the castle. So, Finn rather looked around for other doors that can have some symbolization for Hope.

At the very end of the corridor was a blank door the color of grey, unlike the other colored doors (then again, Emma could have painted her door red and black for her and Killian...). Why is there a blank door?, Finn thought. To see for himself, Finn opened the door, expecting a closet full of...whatever a closet could have at the end of the corridor (remember that he doesn't have a house).

Instead, he saw a room with a lot of greys, whites, blacks, reds, and greens with a touch of blue and yellow from some stars on the ceiling. Just from the colors, Finn knew exactly who's room it was.

He found the sleeping beauty (ha) in her bed, sleeping with her arm tucked under her head. How should I wake her?, Finn thought, siting on the side of her bed.

But he didn't have to think that.

She woke up already.

Hope suddenly started breathing quickly, her eyes open wide in shock. Then, she got up from her bed, searching to see if the horrors she just experienced were there.

The scared dark brown eyes then locked itself into Finn's own greenish-gray eyes. Realizing who's eyes they were, Hope gave a startled remark, "Finn? Why- why are you here? Did you- !!" Hope gave him a look, clearly saying what she thought.

"No! No. I would never do that." Finnian said, himself regaining from shock, "I was just trying to say..uh...just calm down first."

"That's done. But, according to what you are indicating, it has something to do with Will, right mate?" Hope asked. Just like him, Hope can see what her sea-loving friend was thinking by just the way his face looked and what the current situation happened. She also knew that Finn would infer (knew) that she must have been getting nightmares about Will (Dark Will) because of what she said.

Finn nodded, "Yes. He...accidently...revealed about his plans that has something to do with you? Were you having nightmares about it?"

Hope widened her eyes. She knew he will know. "Um...sure. But some concepts much worse too? I can't explain now or I'll freak out again. Let's wake up Mom and Dad."

Hope quickly got up and took out her Dad's modern pirate jacket and her bow and arrows to wear over her dark red tank top and black sweatpants. As soon as she was done, the two walked over to the swan-and-hook-adorned door.

As soon as she opened the door, Hope rushed over to her parents' bed, waking up Killian first while Finn stayed at the door as a guard.

"Dad," Hope whispered, "Wake up."

Killian opened his blue eyes, "What is it, Hope?" His eyes suddenly looked behind her and saw Finnian. "Asher? What-what's going on?"

"It's Will. He came to Finn and revealed his plans about me." Hope said after she woke up her mother. Emma pushed her messy blond hair out of her face and regarded the situation and Finn closely.

"And more awful things happened afterward." Hope turned around and saw Regina (who spoke), Snow, and David at the door. Regina wore a dark grimace as she said, "You all should see this."

Regina lead the way as the group of heroes descended through the many corridors and out of the castle. It only took a few minutes until Hope saw the disaster that destroyed the sea village.

Everyone is dead. People's remains were on the ground, bloody and full of pain. One person near Hope has his stomach ripped apart, showing his intestines. Houses were destroyed, fire burned all possessions, no lives were spared.

Hope staggered and fell to her knees, crying. She was trying hard not to scream out the horrors she was reliving in her nightmares.

Seeing his love crying at the sight of what Will done, Finn sat down next to Hope and put his arms around her. The devastated girl put her head on his shoulder, trying to look away from all the dead bodies.

"Will did this?!" Snow said. "And we all thought he was a nice friend of Hope's."

"Yes." Emma said, who was looking at her daughter and Finn. She didn't know how to feel about Finn hugging Hope, but she knew it was better than Will doing the same. Emma then looked away and addressed the group, "We need to do something about this."

Hope looked up, wiped her tears, and said, "I might have an idea."

"What is it?"

Hope took a deep breath, "Since the prophesy's reveal, I had a theory that...I can give true love's kiss to Will."

Killian looked bewildered, "Wait, you love Will?!"

Hope widened her eyes. "No!! Definitely not. Since the prophesy has said that we are 'true love' since the beginning, the kiss might work even if one of us likes the other."

Killian registered what she said, "Yes...but when I kiss Emma when she was the Dark One, it didn't work."

Hope smiled, finally in her old spirit and not noticing any destruction, "I knew someone will answer that. The reason why the kiss didn't work for you and Mom was because you guys already kissed before. And to add on to my theory, maybe it also didn't work because you were also the Dark One?"

The adults looked at each other. They didn't know if trying this will effect Hope negatively. What if it didn't work and Hope is the cost?

Seeing these thoughts, Finn stepped up, still holding Hope, "Come on, guys! I'm sure Hope can survive 'defeating' the person who she knows! Hope knows Will more than anyone! She can do this!"

Hope gave Finn a wan smile. She was very grateful for Finn, but she didn't know if she knows the Dark Will anymore.

But she'll do it anyway. For her parents. For Henry. For her family. For Baelfire.

And deep down, even if she is still ignoring it, for Finn especially. Maybe even Will, if she loved him.

Hope gently pushed away from Finnian and stood up, with her bow and arrows in her hands. "I can do this." She then looked over at the destruction. Hope still felt like she will scream. "Will did this out of pain. It must be really bad, and I know that to soothe the pain, I need to be there. This here-" Hope gestured at the destroyed sea village "is Death's punishment for me. I wonder what punishment the Dark has for me." She looked at Finn. "Tell us what it is."

Finn touched her shoulder (Killian is smirking, while Emma is suspicious), "Not here, he can overhear us."

The heroes walked back to the castle. Hope was the last one to leave the scene. She touched the burnt sands of the beach where Finn used to live. Luckily Finn escaped, Hope thought. By thinking of that, Hope was about to cry. Maybe cry later, Hope thought. She straightened herself and caught up with Finn.

She has a Dark One to...Comfort?