Chapter 25

Waters under the Enchanted Forest just over 2 months ago

Blackbeard eyed his "crew" and then wearily shook his head. This was the sorriest group of misfits he'd seen in his life. Ursula was crazy if she thought he could coral this bunch into anything even slightly resembling a useful pirate crew.

After eight months of training he'd gotten nowhere!

Well, technically it was thirty years since the psycho octopus had captured him, but the last twenty-eight years hardly counted. Best Blackbeard could tell, King Triton got wind of the Evil Queen's approaching curse and took precautions. Apparently the trident Ursula was after had sufficient magical properties to create a shield that covered the entirety of the ocean. The shield protected sea-dwellers from the curse, but effectively "froze" them in time for the duration of the Evil Queen's enchantment.

"Captain?" came from an eager young man that Blackbeard had nicknamed "Pup."

"Aye, lad?"

"Now what? Do get to go after the mermaids? Do we? Can we take their treasure?"

Blackbeard sighed. "We have a specific objective in mind. We must retrieve the trident for Ursula. We cannot afford to be sidetracked with other objectives."

"But couldn't we just kind of, you know, ransack a few houses while we're at it? Wouldn't take a moment!"

"Pup," Blackbeard said in an ominous voice, "who devises the plans?"

"The captain."

"And who is the captain?"

"Well, you are, sir."

"Indeed," Blackbeard said drily, "so kindly allow me to do the thinking."

"But…just a teensy tiny bit of pillaging?"

God give me patience! "Pup, if we start pillaging villages, Triton is going to get wind of our presence in his kingdom, and that fiasco when we were first captured is going to look like a walk in the park."

"Yeah," the young man's face fell, "Guess you're right"

It had been a disaster. Blackbeard had led his men on a covert mission to Triton's kingdom. It had been intended to be nothing more than a surveillance mission, but his bloody crew had other ideas. The term "covert" was apparently not in their lexicon.

The fools had run in, guns blazing, swearing a blue streak, brazenly shouting their intentions to everyone within a ten mile radius. The result had been a nasty fight with an entire army of mermen, culminating in Triton himself showing up and chasing him from the kingdom with his trident.

It was humiliating! Humiliating and embarrassing. That evening in the crew's quarters Blackbeard had a very stern, very loud, and very profane conversation with his men about what is and what is not the appropriate behavior of a pirate crew on a secret mission. Whether or not he'd come even close to penetrating their thick skulls was anyone's guess.

Personally, Blackbeard couldn't have cared less whether or not Ursula got her precious trident. That was utterly immaterial to him. What was material to him was his revenge. Until he and his men succeeded in capturing the trident, the damn sea bitch refused to grant him leave to go to shore and pursue his revenge.

And Blackbeard had soon determined that there was no way of swaying the large sea creature's empty, yet tightly closed mind.

A fight erupted at the far end of the crew's barracks. Blackbeard rolled his eyes. No doubt he should put an end to it, throw the two hotheads in the brig, and call it a day, but he just didn't have the energy. Let them beat each other to a bloody pulp if they liked. Blackbeard turned his back and walked out of the room, down the hall, and into his own stateroom.

He lay upon his bunk, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling. What was the point of it all? Ursula owned him; would own him for eternity. There was no escape from this prison.

An uneven tread in the hall told Blackbeard that Roberts was heading his way. Roberts was possibly the best pirate on his crew. Unfortunately, he was as old as the hills, and his peg leg severely limited his usefulness.

The old, grizzled man knocked perfunctorily and then made his way toward Blackbeard's bunk. He leaned down conspiratorially, and then spoke. "Have I got a tale for you, lad!"

Blackbeard ignored the offensive odor of the man's breath, and considered him dispassionately. Roberts's tales were, more often than not, taller than the giants, but at least he was good for a diversion.

"And what might that be, Roberts?" Blackbeard asked, getting to a seated position and swinging his legs around.

"I hear things, Captain," Roberts said in the low tone. "Interesting things. Things people only say around me because they believe I'm senile."

"And just what interesting things have they been saying this time," Blackbeard said, humoring the man.

"Well, Captain," Roberts answered, clearly relishing having an audience, "it seems one of Ursula's mermaid captives escaped."

"Escaped?" Blackbeard asked, sitting up straighter. Perhaps he'd misjudged the old man; this could be useful after all.

"Aye," Roberts said with a snap of his fingers, "just like that. Fiona, I think her name was. Just went and uprooted herself from the garden and went her merry way."

"How did she manage such a feat?"

Roberts leaned in and lowered his voice even farther. "They say Ursula's growing weaker. Needs a fresh infusion of souls. In her weakened state, it just might be possible to escape from her."

Well, that was interesting. Right then and there, Blackbeard made the decision. He would escape—even if it were only for a time, he would escape long enough to gather information on his enemies and begin formulating a plan.

….

Blackbeard sat wreathed in the shadows of the smoky tavern, watching and listening. When one wanted information but didn't wish to appear to be seeking it, this was the perfect place to do so. He took a sip of his ale taking in the conversations around him.

He'd done it; he'd escaped Ursula…well, in a manner of speaking. The witch still held his soul planted in her sadistic garden, but his body had managed to break free of her enchantments. Blackbeard sensed his freedom was only temporary. Soon enough, Ursula would get a fresh infusion of souls, and he would no doubt be dragged back to her lair.

He planned to make every moment count until that time arrived.

A man stumbled into the tavern, looking somewhere between distressed and utterly devastated. He took a seat at the table next to Blackbeard, lifted a hand to catch a barmaid's attention, and then ran a hand through his wheat colored hair. Some instinct urged Blackbeard in the man's direction.

"You look like a man who could use a drink," Blackbeard said, taking the seat across from the man

"Aye," he said tiredly. "It's been a sorely trying day, and I could use a little fortification before I return to my lad."

Blackbeard nodded his head and then extended his hand. "Edward," he said simply.

The man eyed him suspiciously for a moment, and then reached forward to clasp his hand. "Robin," he replied.

"Well, Robin," Blackbeard said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Robin answered formally.

"I find," Blackbeard said, "that troubles tend to be far easier to bear when shared with others. Care to tell me what has the world on your shoulders this fine eve?"

Robin gave him a long speculative look, accepted his mug of ale from the barmaid, and then finally nodded. "Perhaps it would ease my mind."

"By all means," Blackbeard said, spreading his arms in invitation.

"The woman I love left the Enchanted Forest some six months past, and I've been trying desperately to find a way back to her ever since."

"Ah," Blackbeard said sagely. "There's nothing quite so painful as unrequited love."

Robin glared at him. "It's far from unrequited, my man. My Regina loved me as deeply as I did her."

Regina? The proper name of the Evil Queen? Could it be? Could the key to his revenge have just dropped into his lap?

"I meant no offence, of course," Blackbeard said with a repentent frown. "I just thought when you said she left the Enchanted Forest…"

Robin drank deeply, and Blackbeard heard a slight slur in his voice when he spoke again. Good grief! The man must never drink if half a pint of ale was sufficient to slur his speech! "Wasn't by choice," he said. "She had to leave."

"There's quite a tale here; I can tell," Blackbeard said.

"Aye."

"I've all the time in the world, if you'd like to unburden yourself of your sad tale," Blackbeard said sympathetically.

"Many years past," Robin said, "my Regina cast a curse, a terrible curse that banished nearly all in the realm to a far distant land, a land without magic."

Euphoria bubbled up within Blackbeard's chest. The man was speaking of the Evil Queen!

"The curse was broken in due time, but the former residents of the realm were not able to return until nearly two years later when Regina was forced to destroy the curse she had cast so long ago."

"So they're back," Blackbeard said, trying not to sound too eager. "Your Regina and the rest. They're here now?"

Robin shook his head. "Regina had a son she was forced to leave in the Land Without Magic. He, his birth mother and her pirate husband came to the Enchanted Forest many months ago. Together we defeated several formidable enemies, but there was a problem."

"And what was that?"

"My Regina's son was from the Land Without Magic," Robin said sadly, "so he was not permitted to remain within this realm. The only chance the lad had was for Regina to re-cast the curse."

"And send herself back to the Land Without Magic, a land where you could not follow?"

"Aye," Robin said, knocking back the rest of his pint and signaling for another. "My young lad, Roland, is utterly lost without the woman he's come to regard as a mother, and I…Well, every day that goes by without her is a torture."

"You have my sympathies, good sir," Blackbeard said.

"My thanks," Robin said in a defeated voice. "I've tried ceaselessly to get to her, but nothing I've tried has shown the least progress."

Blackbeard continued conversing with the disconsolate lover for several minutes, and then found a way to excuse himself. He felt a tug behind his navel, and he knew his time was short. Ursula was no doubt regaining her powers, and he would be yanked back to his underground prison in no time.

No matter. This venture had been successful beyond his imaginings. A plan was beginning to form. The Evil Queen, it seemed was in love. If Robin could be believed she loved both him and his lad. If he managed to kidnap the young lad, it would be mere child's play to lure the woman back to the Enchanted Forest and into his clutches.

How could that be accomplished? Blackbeard smiled as he walked from the tavern. Perhaps it was time to recruit his sorry "crew" to join him on a little land piracy mission. He'd no doubt he could coral more than a few men who would jump at the chance to escape the octopus's clutches and ply their trade back above the sea.

Enchanted Forest, present day

Emma shot the group an incredulous look and then abruptly got up and stalked from the room. Killian watched her go, trying desperately to tamp down the anguish that had been coursing through him ever since this impromptu "war council" had begun.

Killian sighed and got to his feet. "I'll talk to her," he said tiredly.

"Killian," Charming said, "I know how difficult this is for you, for both of you."

"Aye," Killian agreed.

"Just know," Charming continued, "the ultimate decision will rest with you and my daughter. If you find you cannot bear to go along with this course of action, we will abandon it."

Killian nodded gratefully to his father-in-law. "Thanks, mate. I'll discuss the situation with Emma and let you know our decision."

"Well, don't take your time, dearie," Rumple said. "We've got quite the formidable foe who needs defeating, and every moment we waste is a moment she gets stronger."

Killian let his anger boil over. He rushed to his nemesis's side and pointed toward the door. "Because of that monster in the other room, my wife and I are mourning the death of our child, a child we both loved to distraction. Forgive us, Crocodile if we're reluctant to join forces with him."

The Crocodile opened his mouth, no doubt to utter something utterly heartless and infuriating, but Belle stopped him with a hand to his arm. "Let them be, Rumple," she said gently, placing her free hand on her flat stomach. "Give them the time they need."
The man didn't answer, merely gestured Killian toward the door. Without another look in anyone's direction, Killian rushed from the room, up the stone staircase, down the hall and into his bedroom. There, as he'd expected, he found his lass pacing, looking as though she'd like nothing better than to hit something.

Killian stepped into the room, closed the door, and then took Emma into his arms. She resisted for a moment, her fisted hands stiff at her sides, but eventually, she melted into his embrace.

"How can they even suggest it, Killian?" she asked brokenly. "He killed our baby!"

He rubbed her back, closing his eyes in anguish. "I don't know, love."

"How can they think I could work with that son of a bitch? I want nothing more than to plant my fist into his face until it's beaten to a bloody pulp!"

"I know," Killian said in a choked voice. "My sentiments are the same. In point of fact, I nearly did just that the night we brought you back and found out about…about the baby. I sat by your bedside, watched you lie there broken and still as death and I determined I would get my revenge."

"What stopped you?" she asked against his chest.

"Your father."

She laughed humorlessly. "Figures. How'd he manage to change your mind?"

Killian leaned back and looked into her eyes. "He persuaded me that revenge won't sate my soul, that you needed me by your side far more than you needed me held in Blackbeard's clutches…or worse."

"I did need you," Emma said. "I still do."

"And I need you, love," Killian said, pulling her back into his arms. "I need you to heal, and I speak from experience when I say revenge won't bring you healing; it will merely act as a poison that makes your wound continue to fester, never to heal. We must endeavor to forgive him."

"He doesn't deserve our forgiveness; he doesn't deserve any consideration after what he's done to us!"

"Nay," Killian said in a pained voice, "he doesn't, but I don't urge forgiveness for his sake, but rather for ours. Constant pursuit of revenge does little but foster hatred in the one who pursues it. That hate slowly chokes out every vestige of love and goodness within you. It makes you do terrible things you would never have contemplated doing previously."

"Have you forgiven him?" Emma asked curiously.

"No," Killian said in a hard voice, "I have not, and I struggle with the need to destroy him, but I know what must be done. I must find a way to…exist with him without resorting to vengeance. Besides, there's something about him that…well, that reminds me of myself."

Emma pulled back but remained in the circle of his arms. "You? Killian, you can't be serious! I know you. You would never attack a woman and destroy her unborn baby."

He smiled ruefully. "Perhaps not, at least not intentionally," Killian said, "but it seems I did that very thing, however unintentionally to Blackbeard's very sister."

She gasped. "He told you what his vendetta was with you?"

"Aye," Killian said, turning away and studying the pattern on the bedspread. "Many years ago, just before Regina's curse, I met a young woman in a tavern."

And then the whole sordid tale came out. Through it all, Emma listened silently, inscrutable look in place. Finally she spoke.

"There's nothing you can do about your past, Killian," she said gently. "You were lost, consumed with your hatred then. You weren't the man I see before me now."

"But I destroyed Blackbeard's life."

"So that makes it okay for him to attack your wife and child?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Of course not!" Killian thundered. "It's not my intention to intimate that it is. I just…" he began pacing, looking for a way to explain what was in his mind. "I know what he's suffering and I know why he's pursuing the course he's pursuing. That was me before I met you. Perhaps that knowledge helps me to see that I cannot pursue the deadly feud that threatens to break out between us. I must find a way past that. Not for him, but for me, for you, for our poor babe's memory."

She was silent for several moments, and then she met his eyes, anguish in her own. "So you've decided to go along with the rest of them? You've decided to take that…that demon in as our ally?"

He rushed to her and took her hand in his own. "I've decided nothing, love. Your father assured me they would make no alliance unless we are in agreement. I, for my part, will urge nothing on my wife that will harm her further. If you feel you cannot bring yourself to work with him, we will tell your parents so and send the demon on his way."

"But you would rather we tell them it's okay?" Emma asked in a small voice.

Killian let out his breath in a long sigh. "It's not about what I want, love. It's about what's best for this realm…and all the others. Tell me something, Emma. You watched Blackbeard as he explained the situation with Ursula. Use your superpower. Was he lying to us."

Emma closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Then her face crumbled. "No. No, he wasn't."

"That was my belief as well."

"Why do we need him?" Emma asked in a small voice, taking a seat on the bed. "Between you and me and my dad and Rumple and the Camelot knights and Regina and Robin and the merry men and Philip, we've got plenty of magic, brute force and mental ability on our side. Who's to say we can't defeat her on our own."

Killian sat beside her. "I've a hunch this villain will be more formidable than any we've faced. Even the Crocodile himself wasn't sure of victory against this sea witch."

"You're right, Killian," she said finally in a voice that wavered, "but I just don't know if I can do this, if I can handle it."

"I'll be right at your side, lass, as always," Killian said soothingly. "We'll handle it the way we handle everything. Together."

….

"The witch expects me to provide her with a plan to steal the trident during Ariel and Erik's wedding," Blackbeard said from his seat at the far end of the great hall table. "Naturally, I have no intention of helping her in such a way."

Emma studied her hand, held firmly within her husband's. She studiously avoided looking at the undead pirate. She and Killian had returned to the great hall together twenty minutes ago and told the group that they agreed; Blackbeard should be taken on as an ally. She may have agreed to this plan because it was their best chance of defeating their enemy, but that didn't mean she had to be friendly or even cordial with the man. An agreement not to pursue vengeance was about all anyone could expect from her.

"No," Emma said finally in a hard voice. "No. You give Ursula a plan and you give her a good one."

"Emma…honey…" her mother began. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Yes I'm fine," no thanks to Blackbeard!

"Then, why are you suggesting we give our enemy a way to defeat us?"

"That's not what I'm suggesting!" Emma snapped. She saw the hurt flash across Snow's face, and she sighed. "Sorry; this situation's just got me totally stressed out."

"That's alright, honey," Snow said gently, patting Emma's arm. Emma gave her a tight smile.

"The thing is," Emma went on in a more reasonable tone, "if we send Ursula on a wild goose chase, it'll just drag this whole thing out. We'll be no nearer stopping her than we are now. I think our best bet is to force a confrontation with her. The longer we wait, the more souls she steals and the more undead zombie mermaid minions—who will get in our way—she has."

"Emma's right," Sir Galahad said, "strategically speaking, it's best to attack our enemy when she's at her weakest, not when she's had time to create more allies for herself."

"So," Blackbeard said, drawing out the single syllable. "You wish for me to give her a plan for stealing the trident?"

"Yes," Emma said, still refusing to look at the man. "The best and most effective plan we can come up with. If we're in on the plan, we'll know how to stop it from working."

"Have you got any ideas?" Charming asked.

"Aye," Blackbeard answered. "I'd nearly finalized plans when I decided once and for all that I do not wish to work with Ursula. Simply put, my suggestion would be to take advantage of the young princess's wedding day. Triton will already have his security forces divided between protecting him at the surface and protecting the trident underwater. If we were to create a chaotic diversion at the surface, something of sufficient danger to warrant Triton calling more of his forces to the surface, the trident will be even less protected. With Triton focused on the surface, it will be simple for a band of our own forces to storm Triton's castle and make the way clear for the trident. Once we've secured it, we call Ursula to retrieve it."

"Good plan," Rumple said, simply. "Elegant in its simplicity. Might I suggest you proceed to propose this plan to Ursula?"

"And then, what?" Snow asked.

"When Ursula comes to collect her trident, all of us are there waiting for her. We crush her like the disgusting bug she is," Rumple said.

"Brilliant plan," Regina said sarcastically, "but there's one tiny problem. Aside from the soul-less wonder over there, none of us can survive under water."

Rumple tsked and shook his head. "When are you going to stop underestimating me, dearie? I'm the Dark One. Enchanting a few people so that they can survive underwater can be done without even raising a sweat."

"Okay," Emma said, "so say you enchant us to be able to survive underwater, then what?"

"Excellent question, lass," Killian said with a glare. "The Crocodile himself has been quick to tell us how utterly unbeatable Ursula is."

"For any one of us, yes," Rumple said in obvious frustration, "but for all of us together? United with our true loves? The bitch won't stand a chance."

"True love magic!" Snow breathed. "Of course! It's the strongest magic in the universe."

"Pardon my curiosity," Blackbeard said, "but I have two questions. Once you've cornered Ursula, how do you plan to defeat her?"

"A simple encapsulation spell, I believe," Rumple said. Between Regina, Emma and me, we can cast the spell. Our true loves as well as the Charmings and Philip and Aurora are more than capable of providing all the true love power we need."

"Fair enough," Blackbeard said, "but my time here is limited. Once I've been yanked back to Ursula's realm, I will have no way to contact you. How am I to alert you to conditions on the sea bed? How am I to alert you to any wrinkles that might arise."

"Ariel," Philip said. "There's none more perfect to act as go-between."

It was a good plan. As Rumple said, elegant in its simplicity. Within a few minutes everything was arranged. Blackbeard would deliver a letter to Ariel and arrange periodic meetings with the mermaid. Ariel would be instructed to return to land and meet with the castle contingent as soon as possible.

All that remained was the week's wait until the wedding was to take place. Emma felt a surge of relief and satisfaction. This was almost over. In little over a week, they'd have defeated Ursula, and they could get the hell back to Storybrooke!

Notes:

-So there you have it, the conclusion to the back-in-time section. Everything from here out will take place in the present.

-I wanted to once again showcase Killian's character growth in the present day section. He's come to realize vengeance is not the answer—that hating another person does nothing to hurt that person and everything to hurt you. Though it was difficult, Killian and Emma decided to move past their pain in order to find a way to defeat Ursula. It's rather doubtful they'll end up on anything resembling cordial footing with Blackbeard anytime soon, but at least they can stand to be on the same side as he is. I'm hoping Blackbeard gets a chance to talk to them at some point and apologize and let them know he never wanted to hurt Emma or the baby. It doesn't change what happened, but at least it might give Killian and Emma a little peace knowing they aren't teaming up with someone so evil he purposely beat a pregnant woman to the point she lost her baby.

-Three chapters to go! Up next: As Ariel and Erik's wedding day swiftly approaches, the gang prepares to put their plan into action. Unfortunately, Blackbeard's not the only one present when he meets with Ariel. A couple of sycophantic eels secretly show up and overhear way too much. What will happen if Ursula gets wind of the plan?