This chapter includes scenes from Snapegirlkmf's Gold Standard and our co-authored stories A Second Little Mishap from the Mishap Series and This Doesn't Have To Be Love from the Unexpected Series where you will see some things you haven't before so pay close attention!
with Snapegirlkmf
I don't know where I'm going
In search for answers
I don't know who I'm fighting
I stand with empty eyes
You're like a ghost within me
Who's draining my life
It's like my soul is see through
Right through my empty eyes
Within Temptation – Empty Eyes
When the suns Nero and Necros are bound behind the moon Neru the battle to restore the balance must begin.
To the darkness West and North will be drawn
To the light South and East will be shown
The East guardian shall hold the staff that summons the winds of change and take the light throne
The South guardian will hold the chalice of the waters of rebirth and take the dark throne
With perfect balance between darkness and light will come a time of peace and prosperity to the OZ.
Shadowlands (Alemedia's Palace)
The Ozian Hell Realm
Four days earlier
The moment she heard Lurline's dying scream and the beginning of the destruction of the realm her despised parents had created, Alemedia knew the time had come to neutralize one of the threats to her existence, the Heart of the South. She'd coveted both his body and his soul for centuries, wanting for the moment when she could claim them.
She heard laughing in the seeing globe she was using to watch the destruction unfold and glared at the image of her father staring back at her.
"You always did have poor taste in men, daughter. Your sisters' leftovers. First Lurline's Aramon, now you covet Ozmalita and Dorothia's Tin Man. He'll never be your consort no matter how much darkness you infected his soul with through your machinations. He'll choose the right path this time and together he and Dorothia will destroy you and take your throne. Just as Aramon predicted."
"You underestimate me, father. You always did. Ephesis is mine as it always will be. Those Guardians will never be strong enough to defeat me."
Hades smirked. "They will be if ALL your Dark One daggers are neutralized."
"They'll never find them all."
"Don't count on it, dear. They already know your mother and I created six parallel words and you've hidden your daggers in all of them. You're losing all your Dark Ones."
And Mother is going to resurrect one of them herself. Alemedia thought gleefully.
If all went according to plan, she would have three Dark Ones in Storybrooke Two. Resurrecting Rumplestiltskin would not be easy in that realm but her mother's cursed self was up to the task.
She waved her hand and Hades' image vanished. Seconds later her mobat demons Zorin and Zelda flew into the throne room carrying the unconscious body of Wyatt Cain.
"Take him to my chamber," she instructed.
"Yes, Mistress."
She followed them into her chamber and watched as they placed him on the bed. She heard him groan and smiled softly when he opened his eyes.
"I've come home," he said in a demonic voice.
She reached out and stroked his cheek tenderly. "At last."
Ephesis
The Realm of the Forgotten
Three days earlier
"Although it fills my heart with sorrow
I must now go down a path you cannot follow
Those I love I will always defend
Even if this time it will mean my end…"
"Not this time Wyatt. Not this time," DG shook her head violently, clutching her sword tightly. It had been a clever, yet terribly risky plan to allow Alemedia to take control of her long enough to threaten Henry and force him to trap her in Pandora's Box but she knew it was the only way she could enter Ephesis to try to free Wyatt.
It wasn't Az the darkness wanted. It was me. It was always meant to be me, she thought as the doors to the goddess's dark castle opened. She heard snarling in the rafters above her and saw three mobat demons flying toward her.
"The dragon's spirit I call to thee
Form of a dragon let me be!" she chanted.
The demons shrieked in terror at the large, red scaled dragon that lashed out with its tail and sent one of them crashing to the floor.
"You demons are immune to almost anything…except me!" she laughed. "Funny how your goddess omitted that small detail when she created you."
"Because she didn't know it," she heard a voice say from behind her. Her eyes blinked several times.
"Aren't you that lawyer from Ally McBeal?"
"Why does everyone always ask me that?" The Richard Fish avatar rolled his eyes. "No, but it is one of my favorite avatars. I can shift into another if you'd like."
"You're fine. But who are you? Oh, excuse me a moment." She snarled and blew a blast of fire at a mobat demon hovering above her head. "I'm sorry. I think I was asking who you were."
"Your forefeather, Dorothia."
"Aramon?"
"Try again."
"H…Hades?" she gasped. "Oh, will you guys go sleep in a hole somewhere," she snapped at the demons. "You can't kill me so you might as well save yourselves the trouble." Her eyes now glowed red. "Or you can join me."
"That's it Dorothia," Hades coached. "Unlock the powers within. Seize your destiny."
The demons froze. Several flew to the ground and tucked in their wings.
"What is your will, Mistress?" one inquired.
She shifted back into her human form. "Did…did that actually work or am I imagining it?"
"You know the emerald was Lurline's weakness. The sword you hold in your hand is one of my daughter's. The more you neutralize, the weaker she becomes, and you will take her place on the dark throne."
"It's your throne, not mine."
"I am no better than my daughter without Persephone to anchor me. No, the Dark Throne must be held by one who is neither dark nor light yet capable of wielding both. You will restore the balance Dorothia but first you must conquer your past."
"Easier said than done when doing so requires me to consummate my bond with a man I've screwed over in both our lives. Alemedia wants him so she's going to use that to turn him against me."
"So, fight for him. You've got it in you." Hades vanished.
"Thanks for the advice…I think," she muttered and started walking down the hall. As she was about to enter the throne room a portal opened in the floor.
"No, no NO!" she screamed when she felt herself being pulled in.
"Go home little girl," she heard Alemedia taunting when she appeared before her. "You've lost him again…FOR GOOD THIS TIME!"
"I'll be back and I'm gonna send you where you belong, you bitch!" DG howled, shaking her fist at the goddess before she reappeared in the middle of Storybrooke's Main Street, Emma slamming on the brakes of her Bug and coming to a stop mere inches from DG's face.
"DG! Oh crap I almost ran you over!" she cried and jumped out of the car.
"Too bad you didn't! She's a Dark One!" Leroy barked from the other side of the street.
"Watch it!" Archie snapped, glaring at him. "She happens to be my sister-in-law." He hurried over to DG's side and helped her to her feet. "DG, are you alright? Where's Wyatt?"
"Az….Rumple…I need to see them," she croaked. Archie gestured and the pair vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Still getting used to him being able to do that," Emma muttered.
"You said it, sister!" Leroy exclaimed.
Rumple's Mansion
Four Days after the Final Eclipse
"What you face isn't just her darkness...but your own as well," Rumple said as Wyatt stood in his living room, having escaped through a second portal while Alemedia had been occupied with DG. "The doubts you have about each other and the mistakes you've made in your past are what is giving the curse its power and it will force you to destroy each other and everything around you unless you can overcome them. This is the moment you've been preparing for...are you ready to face it now?"
"I am," Wyatt answered firmly.
Rumple waved his hand and the katana sword appeared in it. "There is one last thing you will need to do. Remove your heart."
"I...I've never done it before."
"But you know how."
Wyatt reached into his chest and pulled out his heart. Most of it was glowing red while there was a portion of it that was black. Rumple pointed to the black portion. "This is what is left of the darkness in you and it has to be destroyed as does the darkness inside her. Now divide it." he instructed. "You should remember how to do this as well."
Wyatt closed his eyes and waved his hand over his heart to cast the division spell. It divided into three pieces, two of them hovering in the air and glowing red while the dark portion stayed in his palm.
"Now open your eyes and look."
"What...?"
"One of the original pieces has been returned to you...as it should have, however it has merged with the dark portion and is now being used as a weapon against you. That piece belonged to your late wife. The other two must be protected since they are bound to others." The two heart pieces merged to form the other half of the former Tin Man's heart. Rumple waved his hand and a box similar to the one he sent to Henry earlier appeared in it. "Send it to someone you know will keep it safe."
"The only person I can trust with it is my son."
Wyatt waved his hand over the box and it vanished.
"The blades must be neutralized before the clock strikes midnight or Alemedia will be free to walk the mortal realm."
"Even if she still has other blades out there?"
"Yes. But first we need to see how many."
"Eye of Aramon, I invoke thee
Show me what I need to see!" Rumple chanted and closed his eyes.
Storybrooke Four
Unexpected Verse
Four days after the Final Eclipse
He found himself standing before an alternate version of the wishing well, bearing witness as his fourth counterpart confronted Alemedia using one of her many vessels as her avatar. Only a few of them were given a glimpse of her in her true from.
You'll never be free of me.
I shall, demon! One day I shall send you away for good! You want to be free of me too, admit it!
You are a weak, cowardly fool. You are not strong enough to survive without me.
Once that was true . . . once but no more. Now I have my strength, my light . . .I have my FAMILY back, Dark One . . .and I am no longer alone.
They will leave you. Everyone you love leaves you. But I am always here. I am that one who MADE you what you are. Without me you are NOTHING!
If I am NOTHING, Dark One . .. why do you want me so badly?
As a trial lawyer you learned how to play with words . . .to seek the weakness in another's premise. . . and he did this now, seeking out the loopholes in the demon's words.
You want me because you have no choice! I am the bearer of the curse . . . and as such you cannot do anything but deal with me!
Ahh but that is where you are wrong fool...I CHOSE you!
Did you? Or did Zoso choose . . .because he was as desperate to escape you as I was to find a way to save my son . . .and he never told me the price . . . I made a deal I didn't understand . . .
Your light is the strongest I have ever encountered and now it is mine to corrupt... to destroy...
But you shall not destroy it, demon! You have not managed it through all these centuries . . . and now I am stronger than ever . . .
Are you?
YES!
Do you want to be bound to me now? DO YOU?
He felt Alemedia respond with a memory curse, severing many of this Rumple's ties. A weaker man would falter but this fourth version of him held fast.
Submit and you will know no more pain...refuse and I will leave you with no memory at all!
Ah, but true love is the strongest magic in all the realms, dearie. He will not falter. Belle will anchor him as she's anchored me. You've lost him. You WILL lose him.
You don't want a vegetable for a host . . .you need a person . . .and more you want someone you can be a partner to . . . who revels in the darkness . . . like I never have unless forced to . . .so why not make one last deal with me, Dark One . . .a deal that will be mutually beneficial to both of us?
"Oh dearie, you are a bold one!" Rumple chuckled while still deep in his trance. "But you've certainly got her by the balls now."
You...wish to deal with ME? And what could YOU offer me that I cannot simply take?
This. Your freedom. All these centuries you have been bound to inferior pathetic Rumplestiltskin . . .but once I break the curse over me . . and I WILL do it . . .you'll be free again . .. free to seek another with whom to bond . . .or not. Is that not worth something to you?
Indeed it is, fool. But you will fail and as much as I long to be rid of you I fear I am as they say in this miserable excuse for a realm...stuck with you!
Then, Dark One, it is in YOUR best interest to see that I do NOT fail, Rumple countered. So . . . we work together to free us both . . .do we have a deal?
We do. You surprise me fool. No other has dared to challenge me before.
No one else had a reason to. I do.
There is a price to pay for your freedom fool? Will you pay it?
What price?
Your heart... A spot of darkness will remain and your leg will return to the state it was before we merged. You will no longer be immortal.
No longer immortal as YOU define it, no. As for the rest . . .I shall gladly pay it in order for me to be free of this cursed existence.
To live forever is that not the ultimate desire of your kind?
Who wants to live forever, Dark One? When forever means living in misery and all that you love has died?
One who lives only for himself and not others.
Yes. But I am not that one. And I never was . . .not even when I was the desperate spinner. And we both know that well.
Indeed.
I shall return from whence we came and seek out the soul I need. This realm has no need of me...you mortals create enough darkness yourselves.
You shall . . .once I marry my True Love and through that break the binding the dagger created. Until then . . .go back to sleep, Dark One. This realm's magic is different from ours . . . but I can work with it. It just takes time.
The memories of those who are not as close to you I have taken...they will return in time. Call it a parting gift. Be aware however that the other curse you have been given is still active. Only when its final victim is bound by heart and soul to the one he has chosen will it be broken.
And until then?
Your memories and those of your son...you may still lose them at times...and of those closest to you.
I'll forget about them . . .about Belle and Bae?
It is possible however more difficult with a magician.
They'll forget me then? And there's no way to . . .prevent this?
Only your son is at risk
Why?
Because of his blood bond to you. He is the one you love most.
Then I'll have to make sure all the victims . . .get back together, right?
Yes. Only two remain unbound but by removing part of your memory... I have complicated things a bit.
Blasted imp! I suppose it's because . . .like a certain playwright said . . .the course of true love never did run smooth . . .or you're just twisting the knife aren't you, dearie?
Had I KNOWN it would extend my imprisonment, I would not have! I may have overreacted at bit.
Well, maybe next time you'll think before you act!
Says the man who took a burden he didn't understand.
Oh hush! Now that the magic is able to be accessed once more . . .I'll need to set up wards around the town . .. so no unexpected guests come calling . . .and then we shall see what this curse has made of us.
Do not take too long spinner! This world bores me... not enough belief in magic.
Then go to sleep! What is time to an immortal?
Do your duty quickly spinner or in will not sleep often!"
Yes, yes, I shall, now go to bed, you're cranky!
Spinner you have not seen cranky yet, but you will if you tarry!
I won't . . .but things take time . . .despite all my magic. So be patient . . .and before you know it, you shall be free.
I'd better be spinner or you will not sleep for eternity!
Okay, now go to sleep! Or must I sing you a lullaby first?
Stprybrooke One
Four days after the Final Eclipse
"He got the better of you, didn't he Alemedia?" Rumple taunted, feeling the balance shifting as the fourth Rumple's curse was broken. "Ah, you needn't worry. He can't hear us."
"He's useless to me anyway. You may have won this battle, but I am going to win the war."
"Don't count on it!"
"There must be ONE among you weak enough to remain my vessel!"
"I feel the balance shifting again dearie. Let's go see where, shall we?"
"The balance, it's shifting more toward the light….I can feel it!" Az whispered, her hand pressed against her chest. "Archie, can you?"
"Yes."
They watched with a mix of delight and horror as DG's body began to glow with a red light.
"Another blade his been neutralized…and more of her power is passing to me," she murmured.
"DG…"
"Just a few more…..and then we'll be ready for her!' she growled.
Enchanted Forest Six
Mishap Verse
"They call it the Vault of the Dark One but that's not what it is dearie," Rumple murmured as he stood beside his sixth counterpart once again an adult when his youth spell had been reversed. "Welcome to Hell….and you're not going to enjoy your stay."
So...our wayward child has come home…
Join us again...and crush those who oppose you!
I'm no child of yours, demon! Go and plague me no more!
"In your realm Cynric was the first Dark One. A pitiful one at that. My aunt could've crushed him with a blink."
As before, Rumple could only observe, not interfere.
"To save yourself you must confront your past dearie."
The sixth Rumplestiltskin was now confronted with avatars from his past and present. The first was Milah. Rumple snorted at her shade.
"Once a whore, always a whore."
You KILLED me!
Yes, I killed you . . .for being a faithless whore who cared more for yourself than the son you left behind. Perhaps I shouldn't have done so . . .but what's done is done and I can't say I regret it. Who did you really love, dearie? I know who. YOURSELF! And that makes you a far more selfish person than I am.
You could've let me go...let me have my son...
I never held you back . . .you could have left any time you wished . . .and you didn't want Bae . . .so don't lie and say you did . . .all you wanted was your handsome buccaneer and your life of adventure! Be careful what you wish for, dearie! You just might get it!
"Oh, and you did get exactly what you deserved, Milah." He conjured a seeing globe and gazed into it, seeing several versions of his faithless wife, including the one he'd married imprisoned in one of Ephesis' worst prisons, The Realm of Retribution.
"What you've done has been done to you tenfold bitch!" he hissed at them. Then he heard another voice that brought him to tears. "Oh please, tell me we didn't ALL make that mistake!"
He saw another version of his son standing before his counterpart.
"You left me ALONE! I NEEDED you and all you cared about was your POWER!"
He could feel this Rumple's spirit breaking, confronted with the worst mistake of his life.
"I took this curse to save you . . .and without it how could I protect you? How?" he heard himself saying along with his counterpart.
Hold fast Rumplestiltskin! You must not surrender. Shift the Balance!
We're here darling...all of us...can you feel it?
"Belle," Rumple murmured and smiled. "You are the Heart of the West here as you are there. And Regina….at the North you stand, Emma the South and Henry the East. Help him become the blade forged from the fires of his past conquered!"
"Noooo!" Alemedia screamed as her avatar was being consumed by the ball of light conjured by the sixth Rumplestiltskin, light made from the love of his fellow guardians and friends.
"Oh yes dearie. You've lost another one!" he singsonged.
"The Balance has shifted again but I fear this may be a hollow victory." Merlin cautioned after the sixth Rumple went through the portal to return to his family. He then clenched his hand into a fist and pressed it against his shoulder.
"Don't you dare kneel Merlin!" he ordered the man who stood at the West Gate in the Sixth realm, his life force fading quickly as his powers passed to his successor.
"You are my superior, my lord."
"Not to me, you're not. Now what do you mean this may be a hollow victory?"
"She's already chosen her vessel in this realm."
"Whom?"
"You possess the Eye of Aramon. Look for yourself."
His hands clenched into fists while he looked. "Of course it would have to be that blue gnat," he growled. "Who else? She seems to like having a go at me in every realm…except we've made peace in mine."
"And now it is Rumple and Maleficent's task to bring the child back to the light."
"That won't be easy."
"Ozmalita will be coming to claim my soul soon."
"But you've chosen a worthy successor," Rumple praised. "This realm will be safe with him at its West Gate."
"Indeed, I have. The Balance is shifting again. You must go."
"Until we meet again, Merlin."
The elder wizard smiled before he vanished. It would be a very long time before Rumple would return to Paradise but he now knew his time had come for before him stood Ozmalita Diosa, the Keeper of Souls.
"You have done well Merlin. The circle is now complete, and the Balance restored in this realm."
"Is it time?"
"Not yet old friend. Rumple still has much to learn but when the time comes, she will be waiting for you in the Mists of Avalon."
He prayed that day would come soon.
Storybrooke Five
Gold Standard Verse
For the beating of five heartbeats, I must hold death in my hands. I must flirt with darkness, and challenge the beast within my own soul. And then I must strike.
Rumple now found himself standing beside his fifth counterpart, the other man's horror his own as he saw the dagger buried in his sister's chest. He reached out to take his counterpart's hand, forgetting that it would pass through him.
"Rhea Laufeyson Gold-Sparrow, a brave soul you are," Rumple praised. "And though you were trained by my family's mortal enemy, she did train you well. Now use Irina's power and free your brother!"
For Rhea was unaware that Baba Yaga had managed to escape her imprisonment and returned to Mother Russia where she once again fed on human souls to replenish the power that had been stolen from her by her former apprentice until she was defeated by one of Aramon's descendants, Zelena Strogoff Sabitini.
"Papa, stop! You can't break the circle!"
"Let me go, damn you! It's killing her don't you see that? Rhea! Baelfire, let me go!"
"You keep him there even if you have to break his arms to do it Baelfire. I know MY son would!"
"Bae! Let go! It's killing her, damn it! I'm killing her!"
"Draw its power in as Irina showed you Rhea then cast it out!"
"She's not strong enough," Alemedia laughed.
"Don't underestimate her. She was trained by one of the darkest mages in all the realms. Irina Fedorova was no novice. Why do you think Aramon needed to create his talisman? It was meant for her because he knew he couldn't defeat her without it."
He could feel the darkness taunting Rhea, tempting her to become its new vessel, her life force being drawn from her body as the darkness pierced through the light in her soul.
One, two, three….four….
"Dark One, I See you true! Dark One, I reject you! Dark One, I banish you! By earth, air, water, fire, and all the elements, I break the power of your binding!"
"By the power of true love, I shatter this curse!"
She slumped to the floor, her life force depleted.
"Bound by name are we
I surrender my power to thee!" Rumple chanted.
"What ARE you doing?" the goddess demanded. "Her soul is MNE!"
"Breaking the rules, dearie and her soul doesn't belong to you now, it belongs to Ozmalita but she won't be claiming it yet!"
"Rhea! Don't leave me! Come back! Rhea! Come back!" he heard his counterpart pleading desperately.
"Part of yourself you must give
Now by your will, let her live," Rumple recited.
. "Rhea! I . . . won't . . . lose you again!"
Rumple Five pressed his lips to his sister's forehead and kissed her softly as part of his life forced flowed from his body into hers.
"You bastard!" Alemedia raged. "What have you done?"
"Oh, didn't you know? I'm not the only Rumple who's a demigod, dearie."
"WHAT?"
"He's the great grandson of Loki himself, bitch so unless you want the Trickster on your ass, I suggest you tuck tail and go back to Shadowlands."
"You unlocked his demigod powers!"
"Only the most important ones...for now. He'll unlock the others as he goes along."
"This isn't over. I still have blades out there. You won't find them all."
"Oh I think we will...with a little help. One day the realms will be united and when we turn our combined powers on you, you're gonna wish you were never born."
"Bring it on. Bring it on," she challenged.
"Challenge accepted."
He knew he couldn't remain in the astral plane for long but this cursebreaking had been more difficult than the others and came at a much higher price but Rhea Laufeyson Gold-Sparrow had been up to the task.
"Your great grandfather would be proud dearies."
Suddenly he felt hands shaking him and he was back in his own shop.
"The ball's in our court now," he murmured.
"Where the hell were you?"
"Didn't you feel the shift in the Balance, Wyatt?"
"I did. And now I'm ready."
He gestured and vanished in a puff of silver smoke.
"Rumple...what's h...happening..." Belle's teeth were chattering so much that she could barely get the words out. She grabbed the afghan that was draped over the sofa and wrapped it around her body but it provided little comfort and to his horror Rumple could see her breath in the air. He glanced over at the thermostat on the wall. It was below zero in the house and it was summertime! At first he assumed it was a malfunction with the central air unit until he felt the presence of dark Ozian magic and it wasn't coming from him since he no longer used dark magic. He closed his eyes and concentrated until he found the source of the darkness. He could see DG crouched on the floor of her bedroom in Archie's house crying, her tears turning to ice as they fell to the floor, causing everything around her to turn to ice as well.
"You've taken my love and torn it apart
Now let this town be as cold as my heart
Forever encased in ice shall be its fate
Until I am at last one with my true mate!" she chanted bitterly.
"Dammit!" Rumple cursed and closed his eyes again, attempting to connect with Henry through their bond. Henry...the cold...can you feel it?
Grandpa, what's happening? We're freezing over here. It's freezing everywhere...everything in town that isn't alive is turning into solid ice outside!
It's DG...and Bastinda's curse...corrupting her magic, luring her into darkness like it did me...and Az!
We have to stop her!
We can't. There's only one person who can stop her and he's the reason why she's like this now! He's done something to set her off! The only thing we can do is protect everyone in town from freezing to death. We need to get all the other mages together right away!
"R...Rumple...M'...s...so...cold," Belle shivered. He opened his eyes and conjured a fireball, throwing it at the fireplace to heat the logs inside it then waved his hand over his wife and himself dressing them in several layers of warm winter clothing. He summoned every blanket he could find in the house and sat down on the sofa holding Belle to him while they huddled under them. "W...W...What's happening?"
"Wyatt's done something to upset DG or the curse has made her see something that is making her believe he doesn't want her and now she's cast a cold spell on the town."
"Can you break her spell?" she asked hopefully.
"No."
"Why not? You're the most powerful mage in all the realms!"
"I may be but this curse isn't on me anymore...it's on her...them. They're the only ones who can break it and she has absorbed more of Alemedia's dark power."
"Rumple...could this have happened to us...?"
"No."
Rumple closed his eyes again, sending out a mental distress call to anyone else with magic to appear in his home right away. The first to teleport in were Az and Archie. They were bundled in winter clothing and Az was in tears.
"Dellia, you go on and huddle under those blankets with Belle and get warm, okay? Rumple, is there anything you can do about this?"
"No. This is between DG and Wyatt and unless they deal with the issues they've had in their past, they'll never be able to break their curse and neutralize their blades. We'll have to evacuate the town."
Regina appeared in the room with Robin, Henry and Roland. "What the hell, Gold! Did you do this?"
"No, it was DG...and Wyatt..."
"Dammit! Can you break it?"
"No, Mom. They have to. It's their curse," Henry explained.
Seconds later Emma appeared.
"Whoever pissed off the White Witch needs to apologize right now!"
"This isn't Jadis, dearie, it's DG."
"Wait….the White Witch is real? Never mind. I already know fairy tale characters are real since I'm the kid of one. But you're telling me DG did this? Why?"
"She's seen something that's disturbed her, something to do with Wyatt. I'm trying to find out what, but something is blocking my sight. Namely someone."
"Alemedia," Henry muttered. "She knows she's weaker now that she's lost three more Dark Ones and her power is passing to DG. She's turning DG against Wyatt so she'll kill him and he'll kill her."
"And the Balance will never be restored if they do so in hate," Rumple finished.
"Well that's just great but right now we gotta make sure everyone in the town doesn't freeze to death first!" Emma snapped.
"It's too dangerous to drive out. We'll have to attempt a mass teleportation."
The mages joined hands, praying that the two Dark Ones in their midst wouldn't try to stop them. Moments later everyone except DG and Wyatt appeared outside the town line and began bombarding them with questions.
"Silence!" Rumple roared and began to explain the situation to the terrified residents.
"So, what you're saying is DG and Wyatt have to fight each other?" David asked.
"It's the only way they can break both curses," Archie answered gravely. "And if they fail this time…"
"Evil will rule the realms," Rumple finished.
Moments later a box appeared in Az's hands. She opened it slowly and found a heart inside, her sister's heart.
"You've waited half a century for this Deege. You can't fail this time," she murmured.
Through their bond DG could feel Wyatt's darkness at its full strength, powered by his doubts and memories of every fault and mistake they'd ever made in their lives and as was hers powered by her own doubts and fears.
Confront your past and slam the door on it, DG, she could hear Archie saying.
She is a goddess, she can give him everything he could possibly want, change herself into everything he wants her to be.
So can you. Remember DG, love is strength, but it can also be a weakness. Use your love for him to strengthen his light and weaken her, Az advised.
Her lips curved into a sly smile as she picked up her sword. She'd waited five hundred years for this day, and nothing was going to stop her from achieving her victory.
They stood face to face on the frozen street, she wearing robes of red satin with the symbol of a chalice on the back, he in robes of black satin with the image of an axe on the back. Each carried a sword, his forged from the remains of his previous life, hers from the remains of the prison she'd freed him from in this life. He sneered at her.
"So, you wish to face the dragon's wrath to earn the right to call yourself a master," he said bitterly.
"I demand the right to claim him as my mate!" she declared.
"Then earn it!" he snarled as he raised his sword, their blades clashing in the air. Keeping the memories of watching his duels with Glitch in her mind, she studied every move he made looking for a weakness, but he closed every opening he made, forcing her to retreat each time.
"Still think you have what it takes, kid?" he asked sarcastically.
"I am not a kid!" she yelled.
"You can't avoid acting like one when it counts," he retorted. "Or have you forgotten that?" He kicked out at her and knocked her to the ground, her sword flying out of her hands. As he approached to deliver the death blow, she tripped him. They both jumped to their feet and their swords clashed again. "Looks like you need a few reminders. I bared my goddam heart and soul to you that night at your palace and what did you do...throw them right back in my face because you were too afraid to believe you could actually break my curse and make me human again!"
"And I have never forgiven myself for it!" DG cried.
"Maybe not but you still shared Nicolai's bed."
"And while I did, I wanted it to be you there with me not him!"
"Who ran crying to her mother when she got scared by an old woman? Who disobeyed her parents and went into the woods? Whose little adventures always got her sister in trouble? Yours. Always your mistakes hurt someone else more than they hurt you!"
DG backed away from him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I was just a kid..." she croaked, repeating the very same words he said to her months ago when she first realized the truth behind Azkadellia's betrayal of the family and the OZ.
"One who should have known better since you were warned often enough!"
"You broke our bond when you were warned not to and you ditched me every chance you got! You're a coward, Wyatt Cain!"
"I lost my wife, my friends and missed seeing my son grow into a man and for what? To protect the very person who caused this whole mess in the first place."
"You go to hell!"
"You first!"
Their blades clashed again. Suddenly she found herself being shoved against the side of Geppetto's shop, the blade of Wyatt's sword pressed against her throat, nothing but hatred in his blue eyes. "I've waited five hundred years for this, bitch," he hissed. "Had you been a woman the first time I never would have needed to come back and live a life far worse than the one I had then."
"It wasn't all bad Wyatt," she said softy. "You had Jeb, you had Adora...and you have me..."
"I had a son who was spawned on me by a dog taking orders from her master and a sniveling little girl who doesn't know how to listen to people who are older and wiser than her."
"If I could go back and change everything, I would but it's too late. What we can do is learn from our mistakes. We won't fail this time. We can't."
"You're the one who made the OZ the hellhole it was with your stupidity and you expect me to forgive you...or even want you?"
"You do want me. You love me. You've always loved me just as I've always loved you. Dammit, I am not going to lose you again!"
"You mean nothing to me!" he yelled back. "Go back to your grave where you belong!"
Oh, you're wrong about that," DG said as she pushed out at Wyatt and forced him to drop his sword "I mean everything to you," she added firmly as she pressed her hand over his heart.
In our hearts heart lies the truth we seek
Heed not the cruel words we hear each other speak
"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed. She focused harder and her hand began to glow as she drew out the light he'd taken from her and merged it with her own dark magic. She took his other hand and pressed it against her own heart, sending some of her light back into him. "Let go of me, you bitch!"
"I'm never letting you go again!" DG vowed.
"Kill her and take your place as my consort!" Almedea demanded. Wyatt's hands were trembling as he raised his sword.
"I'll kill you and he'll take his place as mine as he should have the first time had I not been so foolish!" DG sneered, holding out her own sword.
"There's only one woman I'll ever love and it sure as hell isn't either of you!" He shoved DG and summoned a sarcophagus, trapping her inside it. "Little hard to breathe in there, Princess?"
"NOT AGAIN!" she cried and blasted the marble tomb apart. "Wyatt, dammit, FIGHT HER!"
He threw back his head and screamed in rage, hearing the goddess's voice in his mind, taunting him, tempting him.
She'll just desert you again as she always has. She's always going to be a child in a woman's body.
Not this time.
"Dottie, you know what you have to do." He moved forward, the blade of her sword mere inches from his chest. There wasn't much time. He could feel the darkness taking control again.
"No," she sobbed, backing away.
"She'll never let me go, we both know it. You have to save yourself, save the others. Form the circle without me." He moved closer.
"I can't let you go again…I can't!"
"Our bond was never consummated. You'll be free to bond with someone else. Just…don't give him a rough time, okay?" He smiled faintly.
"There'll never be anyone else for me but you Wyatt Cain." She leaned in.
Kill her and become my consort.
"I've already chosen my consort...and it sure as hell isn't you Alemedia!" Wyatt yelled, impaling himself on DG's sword.
"I love you, Tin Man. In this life…and the next," DG whispered, impaling herself on his sword.
"Deege!" Az buried her face in Archie's shoulder, sobbing brokenly.
"Father!" Jeb moaned into Xenia's shoulder.
"T…The…darkest of curses we've taken…and with our sacrifice in the name…of our love…let…let this curse at last be broken…" the couple recited as they kissed for the last time and fell to the ground in each other's arms, their swords crumbling to dust.