"Why is Excalibur here?" Regina inquired.
"I am not sure." Lancelot replied. "Another question would be how it was placed back into the stone. Somehow, I doubt Arthur did this.
"Now that we have found this thing, what do we do with it?" Robin asked.
"Destroy it." Guinevere said instantly. "This damned sword can do nothing except corrupt good men and ruin lives. We have to destroy it. The sooner, the better."
"Hold that thought." Hook said, as he examined Excalibur. "There is something odd about this sword. The pattern on it is the same as the one on the Dark One dagger."
"How is that possible?" Snow asked.
"The Dark One dagger was made from a piece of Excalibur." Guinevere replied. "That's why."
"What?!" David, Regina, Snow and Robin gasped.
"It is true." Lancelot said. "And, perhaps, we can use this sword against Seth."
"Aye," Hook replied. "Maybe it can control him, like the Dark One dagger does."
"It's worth a shot." Regina said.
"No, it really isn't." Seth said, suddenly appearing a few feet away.
The heroes instantly readied themselves for battle. Hook stepped forward, straight to Seth.
"Where is Emma?!" Hook shouted right in his face. "Tell us, you bloody demon."
In response, Seth simply laughed and used magic to send Hook flying into a tree. Then he began walking towards Excalibur. Together, David and Lancelot swung their swords at him. However, Before they made contact, a black smoke surrounded the blades, which turned them into sand. Robin and Snow each shot an arrow at him, but the same thing that happened to the swords happened to the arrows. When Regina was about to give it a go, Seth immediately used magic to render her unconscious before she could throw her first fireball. Guinevere and Robin ran to her side. Seth now stood directly in front of Excalibur. He stared at it for a moment, then pointed a finger at Hook. Suddenly, black chains wrapped around him. Tightly.
"What are you doing?!" David shouted.
"You are about to find out." Seth smirked.
A cloud of swirling black smoke formed beside Seth. When it faded, someone had appeared. Instantly, the heroes recognized who it was and were utterly shocked.
"Emma." Hook managed to say, staring at her.
Or, more specifically, her belly. It was obvious to all of them that she pregnant.
"How?" Snow inquired. "We were only gone for two months. How can she be-"
"So far along in her pregnancy?" Seth finished. "Amazing how a little magic can help a developing child. Oh, don't give me that look, Hook."
Captain Hook was glaring at the Dark One as if he could kill him with his eyes.
"Come on," Seth smirked. "This is probably the closest I've come to doing a good deed since I became the Dark One fifteen-hundred years ago."
"Wait, I thought that-" David started to say.
"You thought I became the Dark One by stealing your daughter's Darkness." Seth interrupted. "True, I did do that. But I am part of a Dark One legacy that dates back much further than the one you are familiar with. I am older than Merlin and far more powerful!"
"Let me guess, you are about to say we should just give up on trying to defeat you?" Lancelot said. "Like most villains do."
"Indeed, I was." Seth replied. "However, I know you won't because you all have that same light in your eyes. The light which makes you all heroes. And I will enjoy snuffing it out."
"Leave them alone!" Emma said.
"I will." Seth replied. "If you pull Excalibur from its stone and give it to me. Other wise, I am going to kill your friends one by one. Starting with the father of your child."
Emma looked to Hook as the chains around him suddenly tightened, causing him to cry out in pain. She screamed at him to stop, then walked over to Excalibur. Slowly, she grabbed the handle. All of the sudden, words echoed through her mind.
Leave the sword alone…
Long ago, someone had warned Emma not to do this. She could not remember who or where, but the words still echoed through her mind. For a moment, she hesitated.
"Get on with it!" Seth hissed, then tightened Hook's chains again.
Knowing what Seth would do if she did not comply, Emma pulled Excalibur from its stone, despite the warning that still echoed through her mind. The sword came out with no resistance. She held the sword and admired it for a moment, before Seth snatched it out of her hands. He made it disappear with his magic.
"I did what you asked," Emma said. "Now, leave Killian alone."
"Happy too." He snapped his fingers and the chains around Hook vanished.
Hook tried to run to Emma, but Seth stopped him. All he did was raise his hand and Hook was sent flying into a tree. Emma screamed, and her friends ran to him.
"You said you wouldn't hurt them." Emma screamed. "Liar!"
"I am not." Seth replied. "I said I wouldn't kill them. Hurting is not the same as killing."
Before Emma could do anything, Seth used his magic to send her back to her prison.
"Why did you take Emma?!" Snow demanded. "And why spend up her pregnancy?! What are you after, Dark One."
"Let's just say, I have plans that require certain 'elements' to work." Seth replied, right before he used his magic to disappear in a cloud of black smoke.
Two months ago, in Camelot…
The heroes were working on a potion to free Merlin from his prison in the tree, when something disturbing reached them. A story of a beast roaming the forests just outside Camelot. It was like a dog with black fur, but the size of a car and with three heads.
"Shouldn't we do something about the beast?" David suggested.
He was holding his infant son, Neal. Regina, Emma, Belle, and Snow were working on how to free Merlin. Arthur had allowed them use of Merlin's study. All around David, the women were researching and mixing ingredients. Right now, David was feeling a bit useless. He wanted to do something, so when Arthur told him of this beast and how he planned to hunt it with his knights, David was fully prepared to join him.
"David, we are busy here." Snow said. "There is a very powerful Dark One on the loose. We need you here. Arthur can handle this beast."
"Snow, I am not really doing anything here." David replied. "I should make myself useful."
"Actually, if you hunt this beast, you could be very useful." Belle said.
She held an open book up to him. There was a drawing on the left page. A drawing of the same beast Arthur had described.
"According to this book, the beast is known as Cerberus, a monster from the Underworld." Belle explained. "It is believed that its teeth can not only crush anything, but also negate magic."
"So, if I get one of those fangs, we might be able to use it to free Merlin." David replied. "All the more reason to go."
Then he kissed his wife and handed her their child. Little did he, or the other heroes know, Arthur was spying on them with a magic caldron in his private chamber. The king stepped out and spoke to his knights that would accompany him on the hunt.
"I want no trace of this beast left when we kill it." Arthur said. "Especially, its fangs."
Back in present day Storybrooke…
Hook was getting drunk on his ship, the Jolly Roger. He had already had quite a bit of rum. No matter how hard he tried,, Hook could not stop thinking about Emma. Especially the fact that she was pregnant with his child. Hook was feeling conflicted. He was going to save his child, of course. However, Hook doubted he could be a father. It was one o'clock in the morning, and he still could not sleep. The former pirate kept remembering the night his father abandoned him and his brother. What if he turned out to be a failure, like his own father?
"Good evening, Hook." A voice spoke from behind him.
Despite being drunk, Hook reflexes were still as sharp as his hook. In a flash, he drew his sword and swung it at the Dark One. However, he was paralyzed by magic before he could land a blow. He struggled for a minute, but it was useless.
"Someone's in a bad mood." Seth mocked.
"Give me my family!" Hook demanded.
"I will." Seth replied. "I will give you your true love, if you do something for me."
"No!" Hook shouted. "I won't make a deal with a Dark One. I know how they all end."
"True, but Emma will soon give birth." Seth replied. "To your child. Are you really willing to leave them at my mercy for the sake of your pride and hatred of Dark One's?"
At that, Hook fell utterly silent. Seth made a bottle of a clear liquid appear in his hand.
"What is that?" Hook asked.
"The same thing I gave your lover to accelerate her pregnancy." Seth answered. "I want you to give this to that crazy, envious witch in the asylum."
"Zelena?" Hook inquired. "Why? Why do you need another infant?"
"I simply need one baby." Seth replied. "And it seems that you heroes used magic to protect Emma's unborn infant. She can not give birth until certain conditions are met."
"And I take it you can't create these conditions?" Hook smirked.
"Yes, and that makes your family useless to me." Seth said, suddenly very serious. "If they are not of use to me, then I can do whatever I want with them. Even kill them."
Again, Hook fell silent. Seth put the bottle in his hand.
"You have two days to decide what to do." Seth said, as he vanished in a cloud of smoke.