"I am the true king," Henry announced, holding the dagger as a sword and waving the blade at the other two boys. "I will rule the kingdom and all will fear me." He took a clumsy step forward, almost nicking Leo.

Roland stretched onto his toes, frowning at the dagger. "What does it say?" he asked, "Look there on it. It's got letters." His own lessons in reading had not ever included a word that large. "Henry?"

"It says I'm the true king." Henry gave his brother an exasperated grunt. "And this is my sword."

Leo narrowed his eyes at the boy. "It's not a sword, Henry, it's a dagger. Why was it locked up in that box?" Ignoring the threat of a sharp weapon in his way, the young Prince brushed past him to return to the box that lay open on the table. "The lock is broken. How did you do that?"

"I'm the true king," Henry insisted, looking to Roland for back up. He found no collaboration there, as Roland was already trailing a finger over the spines of the books and pondering aloud which one had his favorite story. Hardly interested in play where he was not the center, he was ignoring the bickering of his brother and new friend in favor of a more sedate activity.

"Leopold," Johanna called as she entered the cavernous room. "You are not to play all day. You've got your lessons, including archery practice today. You've missed far too much time with all the hullabaloo about the estate. Now where did you get off to with yourself?"

The short woman wore her typical working dress covered in an apron that helped her keep the fabric clean. It was not that unusual a uniform for one of the staff. Her graying hair was wound tightly under a kerchief that Snow and Emma thought must be somehow attached to her head since she was never seen without it. "Leopold?"

The boy's green eyes shone with frustration as he gestured for his younger acquaintances to be quiet. It was useless as her well trained gaze landed right on him and she waved him over feverishly. "The family will be coming back here to work any minute," she scolded lightly. "You don't want to be in the way, now do you?"

The fine act and balance of being a governess for the royal family was one she had done for generations. She had diapered Snow when she was a young lass herself and come to love the Queen and her daughter as if they were her own children. Now in an age where most would be retired, she stayed on with the family to help in the education of the young Prince. Few things surprised her, having spent so much time chasing after Snow and filling in when Ava died and Regina did not want much to do with the future Queen. With Emma it was a monumental task, as Emma was more rambunctious and headstrong than even her mother had been. However, seeing Leo in front of that open box and the young Henry holding the Dark One's dagger, she felt bile rise in her throat.

"Put that down!"

Henry's dark eyes grew frighteningly wide as the wavy edged weapon clattered to the floor. He immediately apologized, not yet knowing what it was that he had done so horribly wrong. Stammering, his eyes brimmed with tears. "I didn't mean any harm."

Shakily she breathed in and stooped to scoop up the dagger. She was not all that aware of the situation with the Dark One, having only heard snippets. Her place was with the young children, but the sight of the dagger had scared her. She had heard tales of it from a young age, as her own parents had threatened her with the dangers of the Dark One if she did not behave. The long blade was just as she had imagined it. She gasped as she ran a finger gingerly over the engraving.

"I didn't know it was someone's," Henry said before wailing in sorrowful agony. He buried his face into the governess's side as she dropped her free hand to soothe his back. "I'm sorry. So sorry."

Leo stood shocked as the woman who had seen as stoic and rock like became emotionally compromised. There was nothing he could do but stare as she gathered Henry and beckoned him to bring Roland along with her. "We need to bring this to your mothers."

***AAA***

It was a hazy image, Emma thought as she stared through something that appeared to be water to see a man standing there with his face obscured by the wavering lines of her sight. He was tall and lanky with distinctive features that she knew at once were those of Baelfire. Hands in that position he always stood, the sight of him made her heart beat faster in her chest as she tried to make sense of the image before her.

"He's in another realm," Rumpelstiltskin said to her, his voice a bit smoother and without the theatrics of earlier. He was looking into the depths too, watching the man he knew as his son. From Baelfire's stories of his childhood, she knew that this was not the only time they had been separated. Years that did not pass in the same way had taken their toll on him as he had spent time in Neverland. Maybe that had been part of the reason that he had looked so haunted when he learned of her magic, so pained when she told him she was born with it. "A land without magic."

That may have been what the Dark One thought, but as she spied things like horseless carriages at fast speeds and lights without fire, she knew that there was no other explanation than magical intervention. "Can he hear us?" she asked, naturally curious about the voyeuristic magic. "If I spoke to him."

"That's the next part." He took a step backwards, smiling almost nostalgically. "You thought he was your true love, didn't you? That would have been the greatest magic of all. The true love of the product of true love. Unstoppable, really."

"It wasn't." With those two words she felt the regret of it all seep over her. It seemed that whatever it was with Baelfire was never enough; she was never enough. She wasn't good enough to win the ribbons and idols that her mother had at dressage. She wasn't good enough to rule the kingdom alone, as the elders on the council wanted to see her married off.

"No, it wasn't."

"Was it for you?" she asked, feeling a bit bolder at the sadness that had seeped across his demonic features. "Did you ever know true love?"

"I know the hope of it. That can be almost as powerful. We are all hopeful creatures deep down. We wait for true love, hope that what we have will become that elusive thing. All the while it can slip through your fingers when you aren't watching." He wiggled his digits in her direction. "It's the most powerful magic in the world; the only one powerful enough to break any curse and transcend realms. And yet we treat it like it is so common that you can find it with anyone."

"But if I didn't have it with Baelfire and you don't have it, then how are we to contact him? Won't we fail?"

He laughed that familiar giggle of manic opulence. "Long ago, dearie, your father helped me protect the magic of the true love that he shares with your mother. Just a few drops really, but it is a treasure. My magic can allow us to see Baelfire, but you, my dear will go to the belly of the beast to release that magic and get us to him."

***AAA***

Johanna's hurried shuffles were overlooked by Snow and Regina from the parlor. Their conversation had become heated since breakfast.

"I don't see why you won't send for her if you think she can help," Snow argued. The two half-sisters barely spoke and even more rarely acknowledged each other. From the little that Snow had gleaned from Cora all those years ago, Zelena was a natural conduit of magic and had not been formally trained by Rumpelstiltskin as Regina and Cora had been. It made her magic dangerous and powerful, but without filter or restraint.

"She will want payment of some kind. And we don't really have anything she would care to have." The lack of sleep was clearly affecting Regina, who wore dark circles under her eyes and did not seem to carry herself in the same regal way that usually seemed so severe. "I don't know that it is worth the risk."

Snow was about to tell her that she was beyond weighing risks in regards to rescuing her daughter when her concentration was broken. Like a shot of lead, she felt Leo throw himself into her, his face buried into her neck as he used to do as a toddler and infant. "What is the matter?"

Johanna half curtsied and bowed her head more in habit than respect at that moment. "The boys were playing and somehow opened the box you and the King were trying to keep secure. Milady there is a dagger…" She pulled it out from behind her apron, holding it unsteadily before the Queen. "I think you best take it."

***AAA***

David paced in between the small space of the windows and the edge of the table as Red again asked Belle if she had any idea where the location of this vault could be at in the forest. The woman had far more patience than he did in that moment, as he was tempted to throw the contents of the table onto the floor to scream at her until she gave in and told all she knew. To her credit, Belle remained remarkably strong as the eyes of a pirate, a King, a Queen, and werewolf bore into her with such pleading hope that it would make most flinch or cry at the pressure.

"I wish I knew," she said, her eyes lowering to her folded hands. "I want to talk to him. I can help him see that this isn't the way. He needs to understand that he…"

"Love, he needs far more than a lecture on decorum," Killian blurted out, his balled fist hitting the table.

A strong hand clasped Killian's shoulder. "Don't frighten her," he said. "She's our best shot right now."

Elsa was pacing on the other end of the table, the tips of her fingers glittering as frost formed around her. "Where is the Dark One's vault, though? Someone must have seen it over the years."

"The only tale I've heard is that one must conquer the infinite forest in order to retrieve it." Red looked in David's direction. "You got through it once, didn't you?"

"With the help, if you can call it that, of Rumpelstiltskin."

***AAA**

Regina had seen it before, but holding it was another thing all together. She ran her fingers over the engraving and thought back to the things he had taught her. Every bit of it felt useless now as she was cuffed from using magic. Even Elsa had not been able to remove his bindings.

"Leo," Snow said, forcing a smile at her young son who was clearly becoming upset at the strange way the adults were reacting. "Would you and Roland please go back to the private quarters? I think that we need a little time." Her voice and hands trembled uncontrollably as she closed her eyes and drew in her breath. Her son said nothing as the two boys retreated.

"Henry," Regina said to the wide eyed boy in front of her. "I want to tell me exactly how you opened the box. Nobody's mad, darling. We just want to know how it happened."

Darting his eyes toward Snow and then Regina, Henry sunk lower into the plush chair. "I just put my hand on it and it opened." There was small lisp to his words, reminding both women of just how young he was. "I didn't mean to…"

Regina blanched under the warm sunshine, her dark hair a strong contrast. She gripped the back of the chair in front of her and tried with silent desperation to steady herself. She licked her red lips, the words to soothe the little boy failing her as she grasped for them.

"You did a good thing," Snow said, using the benefit of her leather trousers to kneel next to him as would have been impossible in her long gown. "Because of you, we can bring my daughter home. You did a wonderful thing, Henry." Her arm rested loosely over his shoulders as he looked up to Regina for confirmation. She could only nod in return. "Why don't you join the others in the nursery?"

Henry scampered away with Johanna, his step lighter in the wake of the praise he had received. Snow watched as the door closed behind them, her demeanor flipping immediately. The Queen dove for the dagger, holding it in her hands and thrusting it outward. "Tell me how to do this."

"Call for the others first," Regina said, her breathing sounding like sniffles. "We need their assistance. Once we summon him, we're going to have to keep control. I would assume you and David have a plan in place for this. You did have him locked up at one point."

"Yes, he was captured back before you and he attempted the curse." Snow recalled, ringing a bell to beckon one of the maids to gather everyone together. "It worked for a while."

"I thought I recalled that. We're going to have to move quickly. This dagger can force him to do our bidding, including telling us where Emma is located. However, you and I both know that if there is a loophole in its power over him, he will find it. We have to get this done before he can do that."

Snow nodded. "And we also will have to discuss Henry."

"I don't have any answers, Snow," Regina said. "I suppose it is possible that Henry is somehow related to Rumpelstiltskin. Probable even, given that he broke through blood magic. The question is how."

***AAA***

Killian read the note from Smee for a second time before casting it aside. The man was an abysmal speller and offered little in the way of hope for finding any trace of the Dark One. While he promised to do his best, his news included that many of the trusted men of the crew had taken up with other ships or retired from pirating all together.

It was Elsa that found him with the news that Snow was summoning them. Her face softened as his became an insincere image of himself. Her hands, still bitterly cold, reached out to snag the note from him. "May I?"

He nodded his consent. "Nothing to hide, your highness."

She skimmed the note briefly and folded it back. "It's hard," she said, placing it back under his fingers. "Ruling requires that you earn the trust and loyalty of your subjects. I would assume that being a captain of a ship is the same."

"Pirates are not known for their commitment."

"Perhaps not, but you earned it, didn't you? Emma mentioned that some of them had been with you for an unnaturally long time."

"Aye, perhaps too long it would seem." Had he not spent so many years in Neverland, he and his crew would have had a much more natural life. There was something odd about out living almost everyone you had ever known. Each trip he took back to the Enchanted Forest or other kingdoms took on news of the passing of former friends and colleagues. Suddenly he had only been left with his crew, who were not exactly family but a close substitute. "I don't know that I can blame them for their desire for other aspects of life."

"Come now," Elsa said with a firm swipe of her hand. "I am sure that Queen Snow has summoned us for a reason."

***AAA***

"You wish me to fight a dragon," Emma said incredulously, the weight of the sword he handed her heavier than expected. "If you had taken Henry, would you have expected the same?"

"Of course not. Henry would have no issue in contacting my son, as there is a tie there that even Baelfire's fear and your magic cannot sever." He watched her, studying the way she processed the information he had given her.

"I think you need to tell me what is going on here. Why would Henry have any tie to Baelfire? Who is Henry?" Her eyes flashed with an angry storm and showed none of the gentleness that most princesses wore like armor. Her golden hair had been clipped and pinned up so nicely now hung long down her back to her waist and the red ball gown was replaced by the heavy material of a work dress and patched cape.

Rumpelstiltskin again allowed the façade of his maniacal confidence to slip as he looked back at the hazy image of Baelfire in what he had called the land without magic. "Henry is my grandson," he commented. The startling truth seemed much more dramatic than his usual riddles and innuendos of dark magic and danger.

"He's Baelfire's son?" she asked, trying to recall anything that he had said about another child. It made no sense to her. The truth of the matter was so far removed from her in that moment that it might have never come to her alone.

"And yours."

***AAA***

His mouth was still forming around the letters when they summoned him, his eyes readying for her reaction that was sure to be one he would not want to miss. She would not understand at first. She would question and doubt, but she deserved to know. He was not all that sure that she would be able to defeat Maleficent and regain the drops of true love that would send him to the other realm and to his own son. While she clearly was powerful enough in terms of magic, he had some doubts about her frame of mind when it came to killing.

He blinked rapidly as thought thrust into the daylight after a long night of silken darkness. No friendly faces looked upon him, but that was no surprise given his lack of personal relationships. His eyes landed first on the King, a shepherd he had helped squire away to become prince after his brother had died. The man, hiding behind what seemed a false sense of bravado was holding the dagger in his hands.

"How did you get that?" he seethed, jumping back when David ordered him to do so. They weren't really offering any explanation and the questions began in earnest.

"Where is Emma?"

"Is she well?"

"Did you harm her?"

He answered them as David repeated the questions, the pull of the dagger requiring his complete obedience. Try as he wished, he could not overcome it even with riddles and half truths. He spoke of the plans to summon his son, his need for the potion that lay in the chest of the dragon where David had left it upon orders.

Regina was the one in the room who remained silent, only speaking long enough to instruct Elsa on how to render the Dark One powerless toward hurting them. She did not make eye contact with the impish man, her breathing coming in labored bits though she tried to hide that. He could use that to his advantage, as she seemed less harried and desperate as the rest of them. Clearly she had summarized the paternity of the boy she was raising, but it seemed she had not shared this insight yet.

"You're going to lock me up again," he said without framing it as a question. "In a cage."

It was Snow who walked closest to him, her eyes seething and barely concealing the worry. "You," she said, as if she could not form the syllables of his name, "are going to get back my daughter. And then we'll deal with you."

***AAA***

On more than one occasion Killian's brother had called him brash and unthinking. It was never meant as a compliment, as the younger brother had always reacted without truly understanding the consequences. He ran on emotion and passion, not strategy. It would, he had assumed, eventually be his downfall. So it was no more a surprise to him than anyone that he and the King were the two sent to Emma.

"Why can't you just bring her here?" Elsa asked the Dark One with a suspicious eye turned toward him. "You know, use your magic."

There was little sense in his explanation. But as others pointed out, he must be telling the truth since the demands of him while holding the dagger gave no results. There was no going against that sort of magic.

David had kissed his wife swiftly before ordering his staff to bring him fresh horses for himself, Red, Graham, and Killian and that they would be riding within the hour. Never mind that rain had begun to fall in sheets or that the way marked for them was not anything to go into unprepared.

"You'll have me stay here?" Robin asked of David, looking out at the darkening sky. "With the women?"

"I assure you that it is not a punishment. I think that you are best equipped to temper Regina. She is likely to want to do something to regain her magic, even if it means going against Rumpelstiltskin. So if you could…"

Killian wasn't sure why he did not have to fight for his own role, but he was not going to second guess it. Even going along as second fiddle to the King was a better option. Granny had eyed him wearily as she provided him a rucksack of provisions and with only her eyes warned him that he must not do anything to jeopardize the King or Emma's safety. That was what mattered, he told himself. He would deal with the rest later when Emma was safely in the circle of her parents' protection. At that point he could begin to win over the royal couple or go on his way, whichever Emma chose as her wish.

"It's not called the Endless Forest for nothing," Red cautioned as she mounted one of the horses, ignoring convention and sitting astride with her eyes flashing at the horrified expression of Johanna. "I'd rather help guide you than sit about and wait."

Snow had reluctantly agreed to stay behind with Regina and Elsa to attempt to find a more permanent solution to Rumpelstiltskin and attempt to speak with Belle about the situation she had found herself in. Killian was again struck with the fierce determination in the woman's demeanor that reminded him so much of Emma. Ignoring the members of court that had gathered, the Queen stood on her toes as her husband bent from his mount to kiss her soundly and assure her that Emma would be home soon.

She waved to her friend and wished Killian well, a moment that did not go unnoticed by Elsa. She touched the Queen's shoulder and guided her back into the protective walls after bidding the foursome good luck and safe travels.

"Do you think it is safe to have him held in the same cage he escaped from before?" Elsa asked the Queen, her hands tugging at each other. "I could use one of your birds to contact my troops in Arrendelle. It would not take much to transport reinforcements here."

"We have learned from our past mistakes. There will be no escaping his prison this time." The Queen breathed in deeply as she watched Johanna patter down the long hallway toward where the children were resting. Her son was down there, a son she had prayed so hard for over the years. But her mind was focusing on the younger boy. Henry was clearly her daughter's son, though she had not considered the idea before. This was something they would have to deal with and consider once Emma was safely home.

"Emma will want to know him, raise him," Elsa said, her voice low and barely audible. It startled Snow that the woman had read her mind. "I don't know that Regina is ready for this."

"My daughter will have to lead us through this maze of a situation," Snow reluctantly admitted. "While he is her son, he has known no other than Regina in that role. Whatever she decides is best for him will be the course we will take."

***AAA***

Across the dark and forbidding forest, Emma was thinking of her son too. He was alive, which seemed remarkable and even unbelievable. For several years she had both mourned and accepted his passing without full knowledge. And now he was there within grasp.

She was not sure what had happened to Rumpelstiltskin or how it had come that he had disappeared into the air. It was not clear if he would come back or not, but she could not sit on her laurels and wait for rescue. Her mother and father had both taught her to stay steadfast with a plan and avoid the possibility of distraction when the world seemed to be conspiring. So with her wits still intact, she had set out to do what she had been tasked to do.

The drops of potion that the Dark One had spoken of would bring her into contact with Baelfire. Though she felt noting but anger and bitterness at the way he had left her, she recognized his rights to be a father. He was ignorant that their son even existed. And while she was unsure of her next steps, she knew that he should at least know.

"Baelfire, I don't know how I'm going to tell you this," she said softly as she looked at the dark and tall castle that Maleficent had called home. Beneath its spires and turrets was a large dungeon that served as the woman's home when she was in dragon form. Corridors and passages served as her refuge and protection from the outside. The Dark One had said she could pass through easily, but killing Maleficent would be required to obtain the egg shaped contraption her father had placed there in exchange for a way to marry his true love. She had learned to fight and defend herself over the years, but murder was beyond her reasoning, even in the eye of a good deed. It would surely darken her heart if she even tried.

"I could use a sign right now," she said to herself as she crossed into the once grand foyer. It was a neglected space that bore char marks that were typical of dragon inhabitants. Not that she had much experience with such things. Brandishing her father's sword at her side and still not sure how the Dark One had obtained it, Emma walked along and listened for any clue as to where Maleficent was hiding. Occasionally a creak or groan would sound, but nothing right for the search.

It would not take long, she told herself. Lay waste to the beast and retrieve the ingredient. What came next was far scarier than any dragon.

***AAA***

Red was in her element, breathing in the scents to tell her the path that they should take. While Graham seemed to have some patience with her, even it was wearing thin as she dismounted from her horse, shushing them all, and then closing her eyes to breathe in deeply three or four times before repeating that part of the process again.

Killian was the least patient of the bunch, grumbling under his breath and threatening to ride off on his own if the woman did not hurry along.

"Your anxiousness is noted," David told him, holding the reins lightly in his leather clad hands. "I would not be doing my fatherly duty if I didn't wonder about your intentions once we rescue her."

Scoffing at the implication of having this conversation again and in such a setting, Killian rested his hook on the horn of the saddle and watched Graham take stock of the broken branches and packed earth. "The Princess knows her own mind, your majesty. I doubt that my interest in her company would be much of an issue if she did not share it."

"Indeed," the King answered. "And your intentions are to…what? Are you hoping to ascend up the throne with her royal blood usurping provenance? Or do you intend to have her sail about with you on that ship and ignore her duty and obligation."

It was not that Killian had not wondered about those very issues. If Emma was truly meant to be his and vice versa, he would love nothing more than to live quietly with her in a cottage that was tucked away from the lives they had both known. He could see them in comfortable and yet humble surroundings with children and love that seemed impossible to fully obtain until he had met her. Those were not the thoughts to share with her father though.

"I intend," Killian said, emphasizing the word that the King so drew out, "to do whatever will make Emma happy. If she wants me in her life, I will be there as she sees appropriate. It is high time that someone made her happiness a priority."

That statement drew the ire of the King who nearly spat his distaste and muttered about pirates having no place in proper society. However, it did end the conversation as the foursome traveled on for a way longer and continued to hope that their journey was not in vain.