Hey! Here is another chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy it! I have decided, if people would like, to perhaps start taking prompts from people and write some one shots in between writing stories so if anyone has a prompt they would like me to write feel free to ask. I would probably be best at writing Outlaw queen, Evil Charming, Golden Queen (As in father/daughter), maybe a wee bit of Henry and Regina mother and son moments and am happy to give swan queen a go if anyone wants. So feel free to ask if you have any ideas :-)
They had made it to Camelot and the first thing Regina did was place the black leather cuff back on Zelena's arm to trap her magic once more. Zelena may have gotten them to Camelot but it did not mean she trusted her older sister in any way.
"Is this really necessary? I got you to this damn place yet I still need to wear this…" Zelena whined as she held up her wrist.
"Yes it is." Regina hissed. "You may have gotten us here but that does not mean I trust you."
Zelena rolled her eyes but didn't say another word, thinking it wise not to provoke her sister any more. They made their way through the forest and soon found themselves confronted with three men, dressed in armour sitting on horses.
"Visitors…It is not often we have visitors to Camelot these days." One man said as he jumped from his horse and walked towards them.
"We are here to find someone. Someone who can help us." Emma said.
"May I ask who you are here to find? Perhaps I can assist you." The man replied and as he looked from each person he could see the distrustful eyes. "Let me introduce myself. I am King Arthur of Camelot." He said giving a slight bow.
"King Arthur…cool." Henry whispered in awe and Regina smirked a little as Henry's childhood innocence shone through.
"And who may I ask are you?" The King asked.
"Erm…Well…" Emma started but looked to the rest to see if she should answer truthfully or make something up.
"We come from a land far from here. A land that is in some danger." David spoke up, stepping to the front to address the King. "We are looking for Merlin. We have been told he is the only person who may help us against this danger we are facing." David explained deciding to only tell half the truth.
"And what would this danger be that you should require the help of Merlin?" The King asked.
"Our town is facing the dark one." David said holding back on revealing who the dark one was.
"The dark one…" King Arthur said as he glanced back to who could only be presumed as his knights. "We are aware of this demon." Regina flinched at King Arthur's words and Robin placed his arm around her waist holding her close to him. "You are indeed in some danger but I am afraid you will not find what you are looking for here."
Henry frowned and stepped forward. "But Merlin lives in Camelot. It says so right here in my book." He said pulling out the book he had been reading.
"Your book is right, Merlin did once live in Camelot but I am afraid Merlin is no more." King Arthur said. "We lost Merlin many years ago."
"What? But…what are we meant to do?" Regina asked a desperate look on her face. "I need him to face this darkness…" Regina said before she realised what she was saying. "We need him."
"I am sorry to bring you this bad news." King Arthur said. "However there was something left behind that may be of some help to you…"
"What? What was left behind?" Regina asked pulling away from Robin.
"If you would come with me I can show you. I am not entirely sure if it can help you but legend tells me that it could be of some use." The King explained.
Regina turned to look at the group as if asking them what they should do. It was Robin who stepped towards Regina, giving her a comforting smile. "If it will help us then we should go." He said and then turned to King Arthur. "Lead the way."
King Arthur had led them to his castle. Henry had been in awe as soon as they had arrived and was desperate to look around but had a feeling he would not be able to. King Arthur had led them to a tower and as soon as they were all inside he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a key from a drawer.
He unlocked the door and brought out a small wooden box. He placed it on the table and looked up at the group of people in front of him. "This is what I think may help you."
"A box?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow. "You think a small wooden box is going to help us against the dark one?"
"Regina…we should at least hear King Arthur out. He has been kind enough to bring us here." Mary-Margaret said and Regina rolled her eyes and muttered a whatever.
"How will this box help us?" Mary-Margaret asked.
"This is Pandora's box and it is said that once the darkness is free if you open the box it will be dragged into it and trapped for eternity. Well just as long and nobody opens it again." King Arthur explained. "It is said that the box was forged by Merlin's magic himself to stop this dark force."
"But what if this darkness is tethered to someone?" Robin asked as he held onto Regina's hand.
"The only way to trap the darkness into the box is for it to be free from a body. For its possession to be up in the air. It would need to be released from the person." King Arthur said. "Which I understand would mean killing the person it was tethered to."
"Is there no other way?" Mary-Margaret asked the question everyone was thinking.
"Not that I know of." King Arthur replied.
"Is there a price for the box?" Regina asked suddenly.
Arthur looked from Regina and then down to the box sitting on the table. He shook his head and he gently pushed the box across the table towards Regina. "No price. It appears you have better need for it than we do here in Camelot. I do hope you can trap this demon once and for all. Finish Merlin's work finally."
"Thank you." Regina whispered as she picked the box up from the table.
Using Zelena's magic once more they had found themselves travelling back to Storybrooke and once again as soon as they had arrived the black leather cuff found its way back onto Zelena's wrist. David and Robin took Zelena back to the hospital while Mary-Margaret, Emma, Henry and Regina all made their way back to the mansion, Regina carrying the wooden box that could potentially help her.
They walked in silence , none of them really knowing what to say, King Arthurs words echoing in their minds. The only way to trap the darkness into the box is for it to be free from a body. For its possession to be up in the air. It would need to be released from the person… Which I understand would mean killing the person it was tethered to. They all knew what that could mean and they all knew they wanted to figure out a way to deal with this darkness without anyone having to die. What they didn't know was how they could do this…
They soon got to the mansion and Regina opened the door and walked in, leaving the door open for the others to follow. Regina took her coat off and hung it on the coat stand before making her way into the living room, sitting on the sofa and placing Pandora's box down onto the coffee table. Mary-Margaret, Emma and Henry followed Regina, Mary-Margaret and Emma choosing to sit on the two arm chairs while Henry sat on the sofa beside Regina.
"So Pandora's box huh?" Emma said breaking the very long silence. "I thought that was a totally different story and nothing to do with Merlin and all that…"
"It is…well that's how it has been written in this world anyway…" Henry said staring at the box sitting on the coffee table. "But then it all kind of makes sense."
"What do you mean?" Emma asked frowning a little in confusion. It never ceased to amaze her how smart Henry could be. He may have been hers genetically but it did not stop him following in Regina's footsteps in certain aspects and she would say intelligence was one of them.
"Well Pandora's box is said to contain all the evils of the world and leaving only hope once the box is closed. Of course in this world it is told the box belongs to Pandora who was apparently the first woman on earth. But perhaps it wasn't quite the truth. After all that is Greek Mythology. I mean when have any of the stories here worked out the way they thought they should. The fairytales and stories here are completely different from what has actually happened." Henry said.
"Your too smart for your own good kid." Emma smiled. "But what you said does make sense. None of the fairytales I grew up with have turned out the way the stories here do. There is always something different. I guess I should have expected it right?"
"Not much fun if you expect it." Henry smirked.
"So what are we going to do?" Mary-Margaret asked. "I mean from what King Arthur said…" Mary-Margaret trailed off. She didn't want to be the one to say it.
"Go on…you can say it." Regina said looking up at them. "I am going to have to die to get rid of this darkness."
"Regina we are not going to let that happen." Emma said firmly. "There has to be another way…"
"Please don't start with the whole hope crap." Regina sighed and closed her eyes. She rested her head in her hands for a minute. It was all becoming too much and she couldn't see another way to get rid of the darkness inside of her. "Maybe I need to let it just consume me. Maybe I will be able to control it more than I think."
"Do you really believe that Regina?" Mary-Margaret asked. "The couple of times it has taken over you have you felt any control at all?"
Regina sighed and shook her head. "No…"
"Mom we can figure this out. Like Ma said there has to be another way. There always is. I am not about to lose you in any way." Henry said placing his hand on Regina's knee.
Regina gave Henry a watery smile. She so badly wanted to hold all her emotions together but she was really beginning to find it hard. "Thank you…" Regina whispered and Henry leaned over and wrapped his arms around his mother. Regina held onto him tightly and took a deep breath. She wanted to believe there could be another way but she was finding it hard to believe in any kind of hope.
So guys what do you think of my slight twist of getting rid of the dark one? I am sorry if the whole visit to Camelot felt rushed but I really didn't want to dwell on it as I wasn't going to follow the show on the whole Camelot thing. But I have much more planned.