Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! May your day be a magical one surrounded by loved ones. I am the proud owner of an Emma Swan Funko Pop doll and she sits on my dresser now, courtesy of my brother. A logistical note about this chapter: Henry has already left Granny's brokenhearted when Hook arrives to it. That will make sense in context. Also, given the mysterious nature of Hook's back story as revealed in 5x11 and the promise we will get some more Original Liam, updates may be a little slower than the usual weekly basis. Just want to keep the quality of the story high and not put too much pressure on myself during the holidays. I have three kids and it's Christmas break. That's not a lot of time to watch and analyze clips. But I digress...


"I need to find Henry."

The ride back had been a quiet one, nothing but the floral scents and Swan's arms around him. Approaching the bridge leading back into the castle grounds, though, she links her arm through his and purses her lips in thought.

"I need to meet this girl he likes," she says, but before he can reply, Robin waves over at them, hurrying to them at such a pace Killian's grateful there aren't any leaves in Swan's hair for them to downplay.

"Thank goodness you're back. Your parents are acting so strange."

"Strange?" Swan asks, paling. Turning away from Robin, she looks back at Killian, silently asking him what the trouble could be. "Strange how?"

"Well, they came and found us and are pretty much insisting Regina fetch the dagger so Arthur can see it," he clarifies, rolling his eyes at the king's name as if he were much put out for even have to say it. Killian knows the feeling. "I don't know what you were able to understand this morning since you were...indisposed, but they were arguing about Arthur's intentions toward the Dark One."

"Which are...?" she wonders.

"I have no idea," Robin answers, folding his arms, licking his lips as he thinks. "All I know is that it doesn't make sense for them to be so dead-set on it now, and Regina trusts them. She's..." Eyeing Emma, he shifts his gaze toward Killian instead. "She's a bit terrified of having this dagger, really, and I'm afraid that could cloud her judgment. Especially if Mary Margaret and David are the ones telling her to hand it over."

"Where are they now?" Killian asks. He didn't see them when they'd returned Violet's horse to her—he'd noted it with a smile, for he and Swan were both due to catch a break—but that didn't leave any obvious hints as to where they'd all gone.

"She's hidden it within the king's forest," Robin says. "I'd shown her a few places she could use as trailmarkers to find her way back to if she needed. Emma, are we all agreed something is very wrong here?"

"Follow me," she finally orders after a beat, letting go of him and hitching up her skirt to climb the staircase up to the corridor where they are all staying. Skin still flushed from the ride and the glorious aftermath, her white silhouette amid the cold gray stone feels even more out of place than before. At least none of them need to sneak around, he thinks. Yet. It is still for all intents and purposes their rooms and they've received Arthur and Guinevere's blessing to roam the castle as much as they wished. Anything to keep from actually doing something...

Crossing into her room, Swan stands on her tiptoes and reaches for one of the dreamcatchers hanging in her window.

"Just what do you plan to do with that?" he asks her, stepping forward to yank it out of her hands.

"They could be in trouble. None of us trust Arthur. This could show us if there's a problem."

"It's dark magic, Swan, and you know it. You just rid yourself of it," he argues.

"This isn't like saving Robin," she counters, touching the man's arm as if to comfort him, a sheepish expression accompanying it at having to remind him of his ordeal. "That was an emergency, a dire one, to use your words. Dreamcatchers don't have to do anything like that. They don't have to change anything. They can just...well, watch. I've done it before. They can show you memories."

"You want to watch your parents' memories?" Robin asks, stretching out his hand and then hesitating as his fingertips come within an inch of the webbing.

"That's kind of the snag." Holding it in front of her like it's the wheel of her car, she frowns at it. "The person has to be nearby."

"And it's far too conspicuous a thing to go bother the king or queen about," Killian concludes, swiping the top of the dreamcatcher with his hook. "It might be slower, but we'll just go into the forest and follow them."

"I know exactly where they're going," Robin offers.

Turning back to Swan, he expects to hear something, although argument or resignation remains to be seen, but the silence floors him. She's veered over to her window, not staring at the dreamcatchers, but out in the courtyard where Merlin the Tree stands with his branches swaying in the breeze. Her fingers swipe back and forth on the glass in time with them, not magic, but too mesmerized an action to keep him from worrying.

"Swan. Emma." She turns back to him.

"What if they're not limited to the person being nearby?" she wonders out loud, her swaying fingers now drumming against the window. "I could use one of these to see Merlin's memories. We could find out how he got trapped in the first place, which could help get him out!"

"Emma," Robin clears his throat. "Your parents?"

"It could work for them, too!" she breathes, the moment's pause giving Killian all manner of concern. Had she really forgotten about them in just a few seconds? The possibility of power seemed to have taken hold of her mind. Clutching the dreamcatcher to her chest, she scurries out of the room without a word.

"Wait!" he calls after her, grabbing her arm. At least she looks like herself, the worry for her parents that had washed over her face when they'd returned back with a vengeance now. "Talk to me. That's what I'm..." Robin's already racing back to them from his own room with his bow and a quiver full of arrows. "That's what we're all here for. Run whatever plan you have by me. Please."

"I need to find out what's going on between Arthur and my parents," she says, breathing in and out, evenly, not too excited. Good. "But that alone isn't going to do any good if we don't know why Arthur's working against us. We have to know what he knows. If I can see Merlin's memories, I can know how he became trapped, what all he's told Arthur, and what Arthur might be capable of doing. It's using magic, but it's a catch-all—we'd learn so much in such a short amount of time, and if something has happened to Mom and Dad, they might not have a lot of time." Shuddering, she adds with a shrug, "The only other thing I can think of is us knocking King Arthur out in his own castle and you two standing watch while I watch his memories."

"I'm fond of the one that doesn't end in all of us being beheaded," he quips, flashing her a quick grin. It's not that he doesn't understand why she wants to use it; it's what the price will be that he doesn't understand.


Arthur, by some stroke of luck, is nowhere to be found, and Robin charms the queen enough for her to show him some tapestries or some such, allowing Killian to only stand watch in the shadowed entrance to the courtyard, Swan walking a wide circle around the tree before she holds out the dreamcatcher and gazes into it. Apart from a pale green light glowing around it, he can't see the magic, ergo the courtiers and servants passing by must not either; at least that's how he hopes it will go. She can't dabble with the memories forever, although he's not sure how it all works, if she has to sort through possibly hundreds, thousands, of years' worth of material before she finds what she needs or if she can pinpoint the exact memories that will help them. He can't see her face as she watches, and her stance has gone rigid, so not even a sign yet that this whole endeavor is succeeding.

Edging out into the light, he scans the place as he approaches her, the magic fading. Lowering her arm, she tilts her head up to watch the tree, as if by knowing it, it will now humor her and come to life, be once again the Sorcerer they need.

"The Dark One trapped him there," she breathes, something pensive and almost meditative taking over her.

"Why?"

"My guess is he was too close to destroying the Darkness," she says, blinking at the tree. For a split second, something fearful ignites in her, but she shakes her head. "It t-took..." She tucks her lips into her mouth as her eyes drop from him to the ground. "It took the woman he loved."

That's what it's best at, he thinks.

"What do we need to do?" he asks.

"We'll have to recreate the spell that put him there."

"Did you see what happened to your parents?"

"Not completely," she says, shaking her head. "But Merlin's seen a lot from this spot over the years. Everything we're seeing is a lie. The castle—it's not really here. Or it is, but it's not this grand." She realizes she's fumbling, he observes with a smile, watching her close her eyes and grunt at herself. Emma being Emma. "It—Camelot-it's just a village, like a little town. Arthur has this magic powder or something that creates the illusion of all the bells and whistles being here. That's why the books are what we want them to be. Our brains are kind of filling in the gaps."

"It's why everything smells and feels like a village inn," he concludes, waiting for her to affirm.

"The people here don't know that. The magic makes them think Arthur's great, so they see what he wants them to see," she continues, eyebrows trying to meet in the middle as she pauses, deep in thought. He knows his eyes widen as quickly as hers are. "If Mom and Dad all of a sudden want Regina to give them the dagger..."

"We need to find them. I'll steal Robin away from Guinevere. You..." Blast it. She'll have to use magic again. "You need to find Regina before they do."

"Wait!" she calls after him, balking when two ladies of the court raise their eyebrows at her and proceed to start commenting about her as she runs by them. "If Arthur has them under some kind of spell, he'll be expecting them to give him what he wants. We need somewhere to go."

"Granny's is the only place to go."

"Arthur knows where it is! He found us there!"

"And he knows the Savior is in our midst and depending on how long he might have enchanted your parents, he might also know the Dark One is as well. It's not as if we're lacking any magical aid on our side. But let's hope Regina's magic is enough to stave anyone off on its own. You've done enough for now."

"It's a dire situation," she argues, stepping back, preparing to vanish and find her parents.

"Not dire enough," he says to the air.


"Just a few more paces," Robin urges him after turning left at a fallen birch tree. He's pointed out a few deer paths to break the silence here and there on their trek in the woods, not that it's helped much. Killian doesn't know who or what they'll find when they reach the dagger's hiding place—a posse of knights, Swan and Regina having to hold Snow and David off, or nothing. At this point, he hopes for nothing.

"Oh bollocks," Robin moans, stopping in his tracks. Killian draws his sword.

"What is it?"

"Zelena. Granny might be able to get her from the castle to the diner with only a crossbow, but how are we supposed to keep her there in the middle of all this?"

If the father of that bloody witch's child wasn't standing right in front of him, he would have blurted out, "That's why dwarves have axes," but he refrains. Choosing to keep things rhetorical, he presses on. One thing at a time, mate. Coming up on a stump wider than the rest, he holds his breath at David and Snow already there, Snow with her hand stretched out, ready to accept something.

Or take it.

"Mary Margaret, wait," Robin calls to them casually. His and Killian's heads reel back a tad as the realization hits them at the same time—they can't answer. Sure enough, they're frozen in place. Maneuvering around until he's in front of them, Killian dips his head and seeks eye contact from both of them. He might as well be doing the same to two statues.

"Bloody hell," he sighs. "She had to stop them."

"Then Regina's with her," Robin says, pacing a figure eight around Snow and David with his chin in his hand. "I think the fun part's going to be getting to decide which one of us is stuck with the lesser of two evils, hmm? David's taller than me, so what say you to carrying him to Granny's while I concentrate on Mary Margaret?"

"That's an asinine idea."

"Well I'm open to suggestions, but it's not like we can just waltz back to the castle and sneak out of there with a horse and cart to haul them out of here."

It's going to be a long day, is Killian's first thought as he cocks his head and wonders how looking into their still faces will help him conjure up some sort of solution. Bloody hell, if she was going to use magic at all, why didn't she just transport them to Granny's and then freeze them in place? By the time they return with a cart, if they've stayed unseen, it will be too close to nightfall.

"There's also the fact we have to round up the others," Robin reminds him. "Speaking of which, where's Henry?"

"Oh. He's actually on a date." Still? Gods above, when the boy has his heart stolen there's really no way of getting it back, is there? He can only hope the girl's heart is just as lost.

"A date? Well then, at least someone is having fun around here."

He wasn't the only one, Killian thinks, pursing his lips and scratching his ear. They should never have left the meadow...

"Wait," he says. "We don't have to go all the way back to the castle for a cart. I know somewhere closer. There's a house off by itself just south of here. They won't miss a cart for a few hours, and it's for a noble cause."


He refuses to refer to them as dead weight and yet...he's not sure if his back could handle lugging them onto and off of a cart again. Coming up from behind David and wrapping his arms around his waist to haul him into Granny's had been as cumbersome as hell, the only silver linings in the ever-growing cloud cover of this operation being only Robin witnessed it and the sun lie on the verge of setting, sunset close at hand.

"What's going on?" Belle asks, carrying a stack of books in both hands and trying to hold the door open with her foot. He hustles over to her and takes the ancient texts that look half her height and unloads them onto the counter. "I showed up to the library today for research and no one else was there!"

"We had to take a personal day," he says with a shrug.

"I understand, but did everyone take a personal day?" From seemingly out of nowhere, she sets the bell jar with the rose from Blue next to the books and jumps at the sight of Snow and David. "What happened to them?"

"Magic," he says, sounding purposefully vague.

"Emma and Regina are in the process of freeing Merlin," Robin announces from the back kitchen area, two brown bottles of what Killian presumes to be beer in his hands. "Here, mate. Thought if anyone deserved one of these today, it's us."

"Wait, wait, wait." Belle holds her hand up, eyes closed. "Are you telling me that you guys figured it all out? What-what are they doing? Why aren't you helping?"

"We had to lift these two up into a cart, haul them out here, unload them, wrangle a few birds to send messages to the rest of you, and have been waiting for Regina, Emma, and Henry. You call that not helping?" Robin scoffs, not nearly as annoyed as his words. Or maybe that's just the man's nature, Killian wonders, still too drained to really form much of an explanation for her. He takes a swig of the beer instead. Not one of the Land Without Magic's better brews, but it beats nothing.

"So what's the plan once they're back?" she asks, sitting next to him on a stool and resting her elbows on the counter.

"That will be up to Merlin," he finally says, muttering to himself, "This had better work."

Belle pats his back. "It will. The Apprentice wouldn't have lied about something so important. He and the Sorcerer want the Darkness gone just as much as anyone. That library back at the mansion might have been filled with blank books, but I'll bet anything they're of the mind that for so many people to be able to write their own stories, dark magic has to be defeated."

Smiling at her, he plays with the neck of the bottle and evens out his breathing. Maybe finding Merlin was the hard part, he reassures himself. Maybe by this time tomorrow, they'll all be going home. He stifles a laugh by biting his lip. Their home.


Two hours after sunset, the door flies open with Emma arm in arm with Henry, both unable to stop smiling. She breaks away from him only to check on her parents, a tentative hand brushing both their cheeks as she regards them with a guilty expression. Turning toward him, she rushes to him and throws her arms around him, shifting so she can let on hand drop down over his heart.

"He's here. We got him out." She cuts herself short, and he gets the overpowering feeling she would tell him more if they were alone. Swallowing, she rushes back to where Regina has just closed the door, next to a young-looking man with quite the stunning array of gold and purple robes. He takes in his new surroundings with a controlled wonder, bordering on amusement. Merlin.

"All the conveniences a hideaway should have," he murmurs to himself, stopping in front of David and Snow.

"I had to," Emma explains. "Now that you're here..."

Merlin stretches his neck out so his eyes are inches from David and Snow's. Nodding to himself, he stands back and lifts his arms, crossing them as if he were blocking out a blinding light. They weave over the frozen couple and leave soft violet vapors in their wake. A few blinks, the standard looks of confusion after a spell has been broken—Merlin grins at them.

"There," he says in a calm voice, sounding not the least bit strained. "That should do it."

Staring at the space in front of her with unfocused eyes, Snow suddenly snaps to attention.

"Emma! We're so sorry!" Nearly attacking her with the strength of her hug, he doesn't watch them touch as he usually does. Instead, he scrutinizes Merlin's take on the whole thing. Killian leans against the counter and narrows his eyebrows at the detached cockiness exuding from the Sorcerer. True, he just freed a couple of people, but Emma or Regina could have done it just as easily. Hell, the former had placed them in that state in the first place.

"If we would have known how bad Arthur was we never would have confronted him on our own," David apologizes.

Well, if anyone should be apologizing, it's Arthur for being a complete and utter failure at all things, he thinks, but he still keeps his eyes on Merlin at the mentioning of his protege...chosen one...employer... Bloody hell... But the wizard seems to have no problem with anyone describing Arthur as "bad," which must be taken as a good sign.

"It's okay. I'm just glad Merlin could help," Swan says, angling her head in the man's direction.

"Merlin?" David searches the diner and stops at Merlin, who gives him a casual wave. "You're Merlin?"

Easy, David, he considers warning. Don't be so disapproving of the man we all came here to see.

"Expecting someone..." Merlin trails off, allowing David to at least finish the thought.

"Older!" David blurts. This family and tact... It's a wonder the Sorcerer doesn't just storm out and conjure up a castle to retreat to until they come to atone for their treatment of him. However, Merlin merely sighs, as if he'd heard it all before, and if he's as ancient as the reputation and reverence implied, perhaps he had.

"Yes, well, let's just say that being a tree? Good for your skin."

Killian's learned his lesson when it comes to dealing with these Camelot types. This time he won't entertain anything less than a full step into action.

"Well, now that the great Sorcerer is among us, maybe he'll tell us—can you do what your Apprentice said? Can you free Emma of the Darkness?" he demands of him, moving closer to her. He hadn't meant to sound intimidating, nor should he to a powerful wizard, but Merlin bristles at his voice, looking him over with a somber expression that Killian can't quite read...hatred? With resignation? It's not fear, although that would be silly. Why should someone so magical fear a lowly pirate he's just met?

"Sure," Merlin answers after a beat in a tone that does not encourage a smile. "But with a caveat."

Looking over at Emma, he finds her giving Merlin her rapt attention. With any luck, she'll find the courage to pay whatever price the magic demands for her to be herself again. Merlin comes closer to her, the spritely, entertained visage gone. The wizard's large brown eyes shimmer with the wisdom Killian hoped he would have.

"Darkness like this takes hold of a person, finds its way deep inside, where nobody else can see. So, if I am to free you from its grasp, I must know one thing: Emma, is your heart truly ready to be free? Because it is as much up to you as me."

She nods in understanding, averting Merlin's intense gaze. She looks down at nothing, too absorbed in her own thoughts, her own spur-of-the-moment self-examination that sounds next to impossible if the Darkness truly works in such a way. That it did, he always knew, but to have it spelled out in such a way could make anyone's blood run cold, let alone the person playing host.

"Yes."


A/N: Coming up? More talk of how this piercing-eyed, smoldering pirate loves Emma.