He's my roomie's favourite character and he's finally making a proper appearance...
No one had seen him come in, nor felt him pass through the magical barriers they'd protected themselves with. The first tell was that sing song voice that rang out clearly over Killian's pained roar.
"That's mine, deary!"
"The Dark One!" Robin yelled, pulling a useless arrow taught in his bow and aiming it atop the cabinet where the Dark One perched. Both Emma and Milah ran towards Killian, but Emma felt a magical force pulling her back.
That's when she knew they'd been caught in a trap.
Milah reached her husband's side, shaking in fear. Killian was clutching a bloodied mess where his hand used to be.
"No!" Milah cried, "No, Killian!"
She turned to the Dark One to scream.
"What did you d-"
She stopped. Emma's chest tightened as recognition dawned on Milah's face.
"Rumpel?" she said. "No, it can't be! Rumpelstiltskin?"
"Good day, my dear Milah," crooned the Dark One. "It's been – my, my, it's been years."
"How did yo–?"
"Become the Dark One?" he finished. "It's a long story, my dear. But after you left me and abandoned your son, I was forced to act."
He did not jump, but suddenly he was on the ground, his face close to Milah's, the scaly skin of his fingers rough under her chin. She could only stare wide-eyed into the olive-green abyss.
"Now, because of you, our son is dead."
They were all just audience to Milah's grief, to her standoff with this creature who was totally in control. The Dark One sauntered, kicking his foot into Killian's ribs where he lay on the floor. Rolling, Killian groaned like a wounded animal, grasping his arm and cradling it uselessly. Emma reached him, pulling him away from the Dark One.
"Rumpel." Milah's skin was deathly white, her beauty diminishing under his unearthly glare. He still had his finger under her chin, his sharp, black nail digging into the fleshy skin; when he walked, she was dragged along with him. Emma could feel Killian shuddering beneath her where they crouched on the floor.
"Rumpel, I didn't-"
"Didn't do what? Leave him? Betray him?" His voice was raising, no longer a mocking song, but fierce and hateful. "Do you understand what you did to him? Do you know how it drove a dagger into our family?"
"Please-"
Even strong, fearless Milah was petrified, rooted to the spot where Rumpelstiltskin led her. Whether by magic, or just pure horror, she was powerless against him in that moment.
"I've had a long time to think about this, deary," the Dark One said, circling his prey. "If you hadn't abandoned us, he wouldn't have grown to resent his home. He wouldn't have sought his kingdom with the King and Queen and their knighthood, he would have stayed with me. My Baelfire would not have sided with them."
Killian cried out across the room, his voice strangled.
"The ink, Milah!"
She dug her hand into the satchel, but she could not move quickly enough. Before her fingers could clasp around it, it was rising into the air in front of her, dangling tauntingly, hovering, then dropping rapidly between her outstretched hands. The smash ringed in their ears and the Dark One laughed maniacally.
"You think I didn't know you had squid ink?" he yelled. "Of course I knew! I know everything! I knew you were docked here, I knew you were coming!"
Milah raised her hands, as though it would stop him, her face crumpling with dread at the onslaught of his angry words.
"And I knew I'd be able to finally avenge my son!"
"Avenge?" Milah cried. "Rumpel, no-"
The Dark One plunged his hand forwards, and Milah hunched forward with the force. Striking through behind her ribs, he clamped his hand around her heart and pulled. Milah screamed, watching her beating, glowing heart be plundered from her chest and held out in front of her.
The Dark One squeezed, and Milah began to choke.
"You broke his heart!" he seethed, squeezing harder until Milah dropped to the floor, clutching at her chest, eyes rolling. "Now I'll break yours!"
Milah's wild eyes desperately sought Killian's. Before a word was spoken, the Dark One's hand had clamped down, crumbling Milah's heart until it turned to dust, falling from his fingers and scattering atop her stilling form. Her body slumped to the ground with a sickening thump.
Killian's choking yell seemed to break the Dark One from his murderous trance; he turned, as if only just remembering there were more people there than he and Milah. Killian had risen up, straining against Emma's grasp, but weakened by blood loss.
"Get out," the Dark One said, so low that they couldn't be sure they'd heard him. Emma began to pull Killian backwards towards the door, despite his struggling. Hood and Regina backed away as well.
"Get out." The Dark One grew louder and louder, spit flying from his mouth as his wide eyes raved and furrowed, "Get out! GET OUT!"
The group turned and ran in earnest, Emma pulling Killian by his good arm, blood clotting against his clothes as he cradled it to his chest.
"Milah!" he shouted. "My Milah!"
"Robin! Regina!" Emma shouted as they hurried down the corridor, "help me!"
The group ran closer together, nearly tripping as they crowded around the staggering Captain.
"There's something stopping me from transporting us," Regina said. "Some kind of barrier."
"On foot it is," Robin yelled, taking Killian under the arm and hauling him as he continued to writhe, barely supporting his own weight.
Running out of the door through which they came, they kept going, through the bushes that surrounded the castle's grounds and to the wood the lay behind it. They pulled Killian with him as he wept, not stopping until they were well under the cover of the trees.
"Milah!"
They rested him up against the trunk of a tree, and Emma crouched in front of him.
"Hook, stay still, we need to heal you," she said, putting her hands forward.
"Hook?" he said. Confusion was soon followed by shock, and Emma's heart sank as the realisation dawned in his eyes and he looked down at his severed wrist. "Hook? His hand? You knew?"
"No, Captain, I-"
"This happened to your Killian? You took us in there when you knew?"
More trouble afoot - does it ever cease? Of course not! This is OUAT - we live for the drama!
I have the next chapter planned (there will only be one or two more after this) but it's not yet written! I was so pleased with myself that I'd written a huge chunk in one go and wasn't scrambling to post every day - now I've caught up with myself and need to have another good crack at it so that I can post again.
Thanks for all the kind words and support - glad you're enjoying! Please feel free to post links on Tumblr etc if that's your thing :) More soon!
Emily x
