A/N: Well here's chapter 8. Henry finds out where Greg and Tamara have taken him. Ursula has an odd and frightening request for Rumplestlskin and Mr. Gold shares his theory of why Greg and Tamara took Henry.
"Wake the kid up. I think I heard something out there," Tamara motioned to the vast forest around him.
"So?" Greg asked, "It's probably just some animal or something, there aren't actually cannibals here. You know that right?"
"I'm not an idiot, but it could be the lost boys. They can't find out that we have the boy—not yet anyway."
"I thought that's what we were here for," Greg stated nonplussed.
"We have to take him to Ursula first. Remember? We can't risk taking him to Peter and the lost boys if he's not the right kid," Tamara explained.
"What are the odds that he's not the right kid? He's the son of the savior, right? So we're good."
"Yeah, I know the odds are low but we still have to make sure. At any rate we have to meet up with her to let her know we've made it to Neverland so she can set her plan in motion," Tamara said.
"What is her plan exactly?"
"That's not our business. All we have to do is follow orders and those orders were to bring this kid here," she pointed at Henry's sleeping form "and deliver him to Peter-Pan."
"Fine. So where is Ursula then?"
"At the Lagoon. Now wake up the kid…quietly," she added.
Greg walked over to where Henry slept underneath a shabby lean-to. He nudged him with his foot.
"Hey, wake up," he whispered as he nudged him. "Come on, get up."
"Ok, ok, I'm up. Are you going to tell me where we're at yet?" Henry asked. Since they'd come through the portal last night he'd been asking every few minutes where they were. They never answered him and he hadn't been able to glean their whereabouts from their conversations either.
It was infuriating. He needed to know where he was so he could assess if his mom's would be able to find him. He knew they would come looking for him. He just knew it. If there was one thing he knew about both Regina and Emma it was that they would do anything for him. They'd worked together to stop Stroybrooke from being destroyed; he had faith they'd work together to save him as well. He just needed to know where he was.
"Nowhere," was Tamara's curt response.
"We can't be nowhere. We have to be somewhere!" Henry shouted.
"Shh!" Tamara hissed running over to him and placing her hands over his mouth to silence him.
She needn't have bothered covering his mouth. He was so shocked by her swift movements to do so that no words even came to his mouth, though dozens of questions were swimming in his mind. Then he got an idea.
Henry bit down hard on Tamara's hand and she drew it away quickly hissing and shooting a deadly glare at him. Before she could reach out and grab him or say anything else he quickly stepped back as far as the chain around his ankle would allow him. It was secured to a tree to keep him from running away.
"I'll be quite if you tell me where we are," Henry threatened.
The little shit! Tamara thought. "Fine, we're in Neverland. Now shut-up," she responded looking around furtively to make sure nobody had heard them and was coming for them.
"Neverland? Why Neverland?" He didn't understand. He thought these people were against magic and as far as he knew Neverland was full of magic, just as much if not more magic than in the Enchanted Forest. He was confused.
"Now that is none of your business. And that little stunt won't work a second time. I'll figure out a way to keep you quite if you don't feel like cooperating," Tamara answered.
Henry gulped. She looked pretty serious so he decided it was best to keep quiet. Though he couldn't quite help himself, he had to say one more thing.
"My mom will come here and save me. I know it."
"Yeah, we'll just see about that," she responded skeptically.
Rumplestitlskin stood a few yards away from Ursula in an empty clearing. Well it was empty of any living creatures aside from themselves but it was littered with dead livestock, horses, cows, pigs and sheep; all dead. Their hearts had been ripped out.
"Well you didn't have to rip out all of their hearts, dearie" Rumplestilskin said. Then he giggled but it was more forced than it usually was. Truthfully he was a little concerned about how easily she had killed a farm full of creatures. He'd been able to mercilessly kill the Duke and his men but they had wronged him. It had been at least a year before he had been able to kill innocents so easily, even if they were animals.
It was a short month and a half since he had began teaching Ursula to wield magic. He could not deny that she was powerful. He was suddenly glad that he did not live in Neverland. He couldn't begin to imagine what kind of terror she would unleash in that world. But that wasn't his problem. As long as Hook lived in Neverland he didn't care what this woman would do to that place.
"You told me to practice, so I did," Ursula replied simply a sinister grin gracing her full lips.
"Well you've got me there," Rumplestiltskin giggled. "And that, dearie, completes your training. You've got more than enough training to aid your takeover of Neverland. Gods speed," he replied with a bow.
"Wait!" She shouted after him angrily. It sounded like a command and only curiosity made Rumplestiltskin turn around to see what she wanted. He didn't take commands from people.
"What?" He growled back, his eyes darkening to match her own. He wanted her to know he did not take kindly to being ordered around.
For her sake she had the good mind to look ashamed and sacred. She knew she wasn't more powerful than Rumplestilskin yet she still had a long way to go. She just wanted to know one more thing and she had a feeling if anyone would know, it would be him.
"I want to learn how to take a person's shadow."
Rumplestilskin faltered at her words and would've paled had his scaly gold complexion allowed for it.
"And how do you know about such things as that, dearie?" That was dark magic, taking a person's shadow. Even he didn't dare dabble in magic as dark as that. Dark magic had changed him enough as it was, he didn't need to mess with that.
"As I've told you before, I have eyes and ears in many places," she responded.
"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's something you won't be learning from me," he replied and moved to walk away.
She chassed after him. "But you know how?"
"Yes!" He spat back at her. "But I will die before I ever teach that kind of magic to anyone, and if you recall, I'm immortal," he answered, flourishing his arms as he spoke. "I may be the Dark One but I'm no fool. If you want to do that, you'll have to learn it on your own."
"Fine! I don't need you! Good luck finding your pirate without me though!" She hollered at him, almost spitting in his face before she spun around to leave.
She stopped midstride, though not of her own accord. She couldn't move; something was keeping her in place.
Rumplestilskin's hand was outstretched towards her and his eyes were darker than they'd ever been before. He was keeping her in place with magic.
"We had a deal, dearie. I teach you magic and you keep an eye on that blasted pirate and let me know when he returns. Trust me when I tell you that you will not like what happens if you break that deal."
Again Ursula looked scared. He rarely used magic in front of her, only instructing her on how to do things so she often forgot just how powerful he was. She was fighting back with magic of her own and still wasn't able to move a muscle.
"You may find it hard to believe but I'm doing this for your own good. Using magic that dark will change you. It will turn you into a monster." And with those parting words he released her and vanished in an instant.
Ursula was left in the clearing surrounded by the livestock she had so carelessly slaughtered moments ago. She didn't believe what Rumplestilskin said. Well she believed it was dark magic but she didn't believe he wasn't teaching her for her own good. He just didn't want someone out there as powerful as him. Well she didn't give a damn, she'd wash her hands of Rumplestilskin, go to Neverland as soon as she could find a way to get there and learn how to do it on her own. She didn't need him but she would find a way.
"So, let me get this straight, you think Ursula stole Peter-Pan's shadow?" Emma asked, directing her question at Gold after he'd relayed his tale of Ursula asking him how to take a person's shadow.
"I'm certain of it," Hook answered instead. "Peter-Pan's shadow was stolen long ago."
"Ok…so what's the big deal about the shadow thing, why is it so bad to take one?" Emma asked and Mary Margaret, David and Regina looked to Gold curiously waiting for an answer.
They hadn't known any of what Gold had just told them. None of them had ever been to Neverland they had just heard stories about the evil shadow being and that Peter-Pan was evil. They were just as curious to see how the pieces of the story fit together.
"In your world and even in the Enchanted Forest a shadow is not much of anything, just something that shows the passage of time really."
"So…" Emma began again.
"Let me finish, dearie," Gold chastised. "The magic in the Enchanted Forest is different than in Neverland. Many of the same things can be done magically but they're just done differently. Taking a person's shadow isn't even possible in the Enchanted Forest but I took it upon myself to learn all sorts of different magic used in different realms in my many years of life.
"I knew the theory of how to take a person's shadow but had never done it…and not just because I would have to go to Neverland to do it but because I knew what it meant and wouldn't dare. Believe it or not there are lengths to which even I will not go to harm other's or gain power."
"But you've killed people," David accused.
"Too true, Charming, but stealing a shadow is far worse than taking a life or ripping out a person's heart," Gold replied.
"How so?" Regina asked.
"In Neverland, a person's shadow acts as their soul. That's why it doesn't work in the Enchanted Forest, there's already a method of taking someone's soul—"
"A wraith," Emma supplied.
"That's correct," Gold affirmed, a prideful look glossing over his features.
"Ok, so what happens when your soul or shadow or whatever get's stolen," Emma asked.
"It's a terrible thing, losing your soul. You become an empty shell, as dark as can be. You have no conscience, no concern for anything, only an incredible thirst to be reconnected with your soul and you'll go to any lengths to get it."
"But I thought he has his shadow. Isn't that what goes and takes kids from other worlds to Neverland?" Emma asked again.
"Very good, Ms. Swan, you're asking all the right questions. His shadow is here, that's correct but it's not his soul anymore. It has been enchanted by Ursula is my guess. Unless that enchantment is broken, he can never be reunited with that shadow, with his rightful soul."
Everyone, even Hook just looked at him completely confused. None of them were getting it. They couldn't see how this stuff about shadows and souls connected to anything and definitely not what it could have to do with Henry.
"I don't know how it was in the story you read but Peter-Pan was always looking for kids who believed in magic, those were the kids he took from other worlds."
"Ok…" Emma said, still not having a clue what Gold was getting at.
"You see, you can take other people's souls if you know how to rip them off a person's body. I think that Peter-Pan may want Henry's shadow, his soul. He's the truest believer."
"What do you mean, the truest believer?" Regina asked.
"He has always believed in magic despite how many people have told him it's not real, and he still believes despite what he's seen that magic is good and good will always win. He's the grandchild of the Dark One and the grandchild produced from True Love," he pointed at himself, Mary Margaret and David, "he's the son of the savior, the child borne of True Love and was raised by a magic queen," he pointed at Emma and Regina. I don't think a kid has been so surrounded by magic in the entirety of history."
"But why does Peter-Pan need a soul of someone who believes in magic like Henry?" Emma asked.
"Because you're not supposed to have any soul but your own but because Henry's soul is so full of magic and belief, it won't matter that it's not his own soul, he'll still be able to take it for his own without any negative consequences," Gold explained. "I know it's confusing and complicated and might not make sense but there you have it. It's the magic that resides in Henry's soul that he wants, needs, to fill the emptiness having his soul ripped from him has left."
"Ok, so you said that Peter's soul is enchanted." Emma stated.
"Correct," Gold said, giving her a curious look, wondering what she was thinking. He could practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she thought.
"And that only if the enchantment broke could Peter be reunited with his own soul."
"Right again, Ms. Swan."
"So, can we break the enchantment? Can we break it and get his own soul back to him. We've all got magic, too," she pointed a finger at herself, Gold and Regina, "is there a way that could be done. If we can break the enchantment and return his soul to him, he won't need Henry and he'll let him go, right?"
Gold stood across from her a proud smile coming to his lips again. He passed a scrutinizing eye over her as he pondered her words. He supposed that was possible. He hadn't thought of that. He had just assumed they would have to kill Peter-Pan if that's what was really going on. Emma was even more intelligent than he gave her credit for and he gave her a lot of credit as it was. He liked it…a lot.
"Why, Ms. Swan, that's brilliant. I suppose in theory that may work. It would take a lot of magic to do that, all three of us would have to do it together, but it could be possible. There are two problems of course, we don't actually know for sure if that's what's going on here, though my guesses are generally correct, and I have no idea how to find the Shadow."
"I think I might know someone who can help us with that," Hook piped up. "Tinkerbell," he added at everyone's questioning looks.
"Tinkerbell?! Jesus Christ! Does this shit ever end!? I thought Tinkerbell was on Peter-Pan's side…though that was from the story I read so I guess that's doesn't mean jack shit here, does it?" Emma asked exasperated.
Hook chuckled lightly at her. "Don't fret love, that part is true. Or it was anyway. She was on Peter's side until he lost his soul. She didn't like what he turned into without it so she left and has just been hiding in the forest all these years. We just have to find her once we get to shore. She'll help us, especially since our plan involves getting Peter-Pan back to normal."
"Fine, then why don't we hurry up and get to shore," Emma said.
"That's an excellent idea, love," Hook said with a wink. "We'll have to take a dinghy though."
"I don't care as long as it gets me to my son."