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Chapter Two: Merlin's Curse

Killian gently lifted Lexi into his arms. It worried him at how limp she had become. Was she all right? He placed her on the bed the Apprentice was still standing beside. He looked down into her peaceful face only to realize something was terribly wrong.

"She's barely breathing! Is she all right?"

The Apprentice glanced over his shoulder at the girl and sighed. "I don't know. My powers have yet to return." He stepped away to give the family some room. Even though there wasn't anything he could do he didn't wish any ill will on the child.

"So you can't help her!"

"Hook...Killian, she knew the risk she was taking." David laid his hand on the pirate's shoulder and gently squeezed. He understood the man's anguish. Had he himself not just watched his own daughter sacrifice herself to save Regina and become the Dark One in the process. But he also knew lashing out at people wouldn't help Lexi at that moment. He glanced at Regina only to see her shake her head. "Why?"

"I'm sorry, David. I don't know how to help her. I have to know what she was doing in order to help her. Throwing magic at her could make things worse. I don't want to hurt her and have you Charmings hate me again."

"Regina..." Snow sighed slightly. "That was a very long time ago, and you were a different person."

"Well, we need to bloody do something! I think she's dying!"

Henry walked around Mary Margret and gasped in shock. Lexi's jet black hair now had a streak of solid white running through it. It looked like Marian...Zelina's hair after the Snow Queen cursed her. But that was a freezing Curse. What was happening to his sister? "What's happening to her?"

"She's taking my place."

Belle's head spun around hearing his voice. She'd been watching Hook and the girl never realizing her husband was waking up. "Rumple, your alive."

Ruplestiltskin nodded his head as he slowly sat up. "Yes, thanks to her."

"Can you help her, Crocodile?" Killian glared over his shoulder at his old nemesis. He would always see the man as a crocodile pure heart or not.

Rumple heard the anguish and hatred in the pirate's voice. He couldn't blame the man. He had been a monster...a beast at one time. But now thanks to those he had wronged he had a second chance at happiness with Belle. It was time to be the man Belle always believed he could be.

He stepped up beside the pirate once David backed away and extended his hand over the girl. He starred down at her and concentrated. The power flowed through him, but controlling it was difficult. If he released too much power into her he'd speed up her demise. And if he released too little her condition would be unchanged. He gritted his teeth determined not to let the girl die.

He released a breath he didn't even realize he was holding as a white burst of energy left his hand and entered the girl. Her sudden gasp of air was music to his ears. Her color began returning to her face telling hi he had succeeded. "She'll be fine now, Hook. But she will sleep most likely until morning. She used a lot of her life force and magic saving my life."

"Is that why her hair was turning white?"

"It is indeed, Henry. That white strand of hair will always be white as a reminder of her deeds tonight."

Killian sighed relief flooding through him. He slowly stood up and faced the crocodile. "Thank you for saving her life." He extended his hand wanting to prove he meant what he said.

Rumple smiled and shook Hook's hand. "You're welcome. I'm just glad I could help."

Henry turned his attention to the Apprentice now that he knew his sister was all right. "How do we find Camelot so we can locate Merlin?"

"I don't know, Henry. The Sorcerer was lost to us a long time ago."

"Yeah, I know the story. It's part of the Arthurian Legend. According to the legend, Merlin gets trapped by the Lady of the Lake. She traps him in either a cave or a tree. Sometimes depending on which version of the story you're reading it's Morgaine le Fay disguised as the Lady of the Lake who traps him."

David's shoulders fell hearing Henry mention the Lady of the Lake. "If it's this Lady we must find then there's no hope to find Merlin. I killed her a long time ago to save Fredrick."

"You killed the one in the Enchanted Forest, Grandpa. We need the one in Camelot." Henry still held Lexi's story book tight against his chest. He knew the answer to finding Camelot was inside it's pages. He was simply hoping he wouldn't have to use it. He turned back around to face the Apprentice again. "How do we find a portal to Camelot?"

The Apprentice met Henry's gaze before dropping his eyes to the floor. The Sorcerer fore told all of this, but he left out the detail about the girl. Perhaps he knew about her but chose to keep the vision to himself? Who was he to question his Master? No, he was charged with following his asters orders which was he could offer no assistance. The path was their's and their's alone to walk. "I'm sorry Henry, but I'm forbidden to help you."

"What do you mean you're forbidden to help us?" David took a step toward the Apprentice.

"David..."

"No, the Prince is right. It was the Apprentice who told Emma about Merlin. He told her to find him but left out the bloody details on how to do that." Killian felt helpless while his daughter recuperated beside him, and Emma was God knew where fighting against the Dark One all alone. The Apprentice started this and he was bloody well going to help them finish it.

"I left out the details on purpose, Killian. This is a path you must all take, but it's one I can't help you with. Merlin knew this was going to happen, and he knew he was going to be trapped in a cave as Henry said. What Morgaine le Fay, or Morgana to the people of Camelot, didn't realize was once she trapped Merlin their lives would forever be intertwined. You see Morgana trapped Merlin because of the death of her son Mordred by Arthur's hand."

"She wanted revenge." Regina understood where this Morgana was coming from.

"Yes, she did. She couldn't punish Arthur because he was all ready dying by Mordred's hand. So, she sought to torment Merlin who was Arthur's only hope of survival. By trapping hi he would be forced to watch Arthur die. But the magic she used to trap Merlin also trapped her."

Henry starred at the Apprentice as the lightbulb went off inside his head. "The reason you can' t help us is because whom ever frees Merlin also releases Morgana."

"Yes...you may have faced three Queens of Darkness, but Morgana was the first Queen of Darkness. She had the blackest of hearts, darkest of souls, and that darkness was stripped from her when she followed through with her plan."

Robin looked at Regina as he suddenly caught on to what the Sorcerer was doing. "He wanted Morgana to trap him so he could in turn rid the world of her. He left her powerless."

"And created the Dark One," Killian said shaking his head. "How did he tether all that darkness to a human soul if he was all ready trapped?"

"Because he'd all ready set his trap in the cave Morgana selected for his entrapment." Henry glanced up from the open story book in his hands. "She never knew what hit her. The sad part is Merlin didn't choose who he tethered the darkness to. It was a random stranger in the Enchanted Forest who found the dagger where the Vault of the Dark One is. With a touch of their hand the darkness was transferred to them and the first Dark One was made."

"Is that where the darkness took Emma?" Killian looked from the Apprentice to Henry.

"The book doesn't say, so when I wrote it before I must not have known where Mom ended up in the beginning." Henry closed the book and sighed.

"We're back to square one...again." Regina hated the feeling of defeat. She'd felt it too many times in her life. "Because the only way we're getting to either the Enchanted Forest or Camelot is with a portal, a magic bean, or a curse. And I don't have any of those."

"Regina's right. As much as I hate to adit it for tonight we're stuck in Storybrooke. We all need to rest so we can start fresh in the morning." Snow blinked back her tears. She hated leaving her daughter to this cursed fate, but without a portal they were running themselves ragged for no reason.

"How can you rest while Emma is out there somewhere having her heart blackened?"

David stepped in front of Mary Margret and glared at Hook. "Back off Hook! This isn't easy for any of us! We love her too!"

"Stop...fighting..."

Killian spun around hearing the weak voice. She was awake. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently ran his hand across her cheek. "Lass, you're supposed to be resting."

Lexi smiled and tried to sit up only to be gently pushed back down by her father. "It's hard to rest when my family is at each other's throats. Dad, I'm okay. You can let me up."

"No...I can't. You nearly died saving the crocodile, Alexis Emma Jones. You need your rest. Stay put or I'll tie you down to ensure you're resting."

Lexi laughed softly and smiled up at the man who should have raised her and Liam. "You'll tie me down?"

"Aye, Lass, that I will. While you're here you and Henry are my top priority besides trying to save your mother. I will keep the two of you safe."

"You don't have to worry about Henry. I'll keep him safe."

"My vow still stands, Regina," Killian said looking over his shoulder at the woman. "I might be nothing more than a bloody pirate, but I honor my vows. That's showing good form."

"What about Rumplestiltskin? You didn't keep that vow."

Killian smirked at Regina's comment. "I vowed to kill the Dark One. Once the curse is lifted from Emma and it's finally destroyed my vow will be complete. My hatred towards the crocodile...I'm taking one day at a time."

"You'll get there, Dad. Just...give...it...time."

Killian turned his head back around to find his daughter once again sleeping peacefully. Her hand was firmly holding his. He smiled and gently pushed her black locks out of her face with his hook. "What do we do now?"

"We follow my sister's example. We sleep." Henry stepped up to Killian and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Killian."

Killian glanced at Henry and nodded his head. "You're welcome, Henry. I mean what I said. I will protect both of you with my life."

"I know you will. I'll see you in the morning."

"Aye, I'll see you in the morning." Killian watched Henry walk toward the front door with Regina.

"We'll all meet at the Town Hall in the morning. This is news the entire town needs to know about."

"That's a pretty inconspicuous place, Love. Emma knows this town like the back of her hand."

"I know she does, Killian. That's what I'm counting on. If the darkness did keep Emma here in Storybrooke then she should stay away from town. There's too many magical people here. She...it can't fight us all and expect to win. It'll be safe."

"I hope you're right, Princess."

"Me too," Snow said following behind Henry, Regina, Robin, and David.

"You need your rest as well, Hook." Belle could tell the pirate was on his last leg.

"I'm not leaving her side."

"You don't have to. Lean back and lift your legs." Rumple waited for the pirate to do as he was asked, then with a wave of his hand he created another makeshift bed.

"You're getting the hang of light magic I see." Killian shifted his weight to the second bed. He gently pulled his hand free of his daughter's grip before reaching into the pocket on the inside of the leather jacket. His hand attachment was still there so he pulled it out placing it on his lap. Removing his hook, Killian quickly attached the hand in its place and placed it against Lexi's hand. It wasn't the same as his flesh, but it would have to do for tonight.

"Your daughter has a lot to do with it. She's a very special girl."

"Aye, that she is."

"Good night, Killian."

"Good night, Croc...Rumplestiltskin.