Camelot
Many Years Ago
"JUNO!" Merlin's heart broken voice echoed through the forest as he tried to summon the deity that took his love from him carry both parts of the Sword in his hands "JUNO!" he screamed out looking for the god that rather see humans tear each other apart. She shouldn't have let the Dark One break the damn sword.
Sat on the bank of a small lake the weakened deity looked over the moonlit water as she waited for Merlin to finally catch up to her. It would only be a matter of time. She could feel her power dwindling by the minute, it wasn't all gone though, there was still some there.
She almost felt...human. It was disgusting. To be associated to those beings that crawled throughout the worlds she and her colleagues had made after their own was destroyed.
"Juno" he huffed out as he finally caught up to deity that had torn his love from him. Her Dark One had destroyed her and he wouldn't rest until she would be trapped for a millennia. He couldn't kill the immortal in front of him, even with half her power missing, but keeping her away from the humans he sought to protect would be justice enough
"You really think I won't come back?" she questioned the man as she stood up from the sandy bank to face him "Once you destroy this body, I only need wait for my next vessel to be born. And she will come. She will come and I will have my final vengeance on these pathetic creatures you call humans, the ones you try to protect. You won't be able to protect them forever Merlin. I'll make sure of it".
"You're right. I may not be able to stop you, but the Savior will. She will end your vicious cycle of darkness once and for all".
"I'll look forward to that day Merlin. Have fun with my Dark One's in the mean time, because I only need one to bring me back" the sorcerer didn't hesitate as he plunged the broken sword into her abdomen making her double over the sword impaled into her immortal body.
With the Dark One's dagger he pulled the one that came before's life out of her dying body guiding the golden essence of life into colorlessness jewel that was set into the hilt of the pommel, shining a bright gold before fading into a yellow jewel as the body turned to ash on the end of the broken sword.
"You will never see the light of day again Juno" the sorcerer vowed to himself. He would have to find somewhere to hide the sword of Eden until a hero could be found.
Camelot
Years Later
Going along with Mary Margaret and David's plan for the time being, the former Queen and the assassin led the couple through the woods they had only just walked through earlier that day to hide the dagger from their daughter. Agreeing to keep the piece of information about the Sword of Eden to themselves, it felt they were being escorted through the forest then them guiding the Charming couple towards the tree stump they couple had hidden the dagger.
"You really think giving the dagger to Arthur is the best way to help Emma?" Regina inquired with the couple behind she and Amelia as they led them to the hiding spot.
"We trust him" the Princess tells them.
"Implicitly" David adds, backing up his wife's claim.
"Did you learn those big words at shepherd school?" The Assassin questioned the Prince looking back at him "How do you know you can trust him?" the redhead continued to question the pair as she followed the marks she had made in the trees.
"Because we're good judges of character" David retorted to the Assassin "And we would never act against Emma's best interest".
"Really?" Amelia queried at the Prince "Good judges of character? Because I may have some evidence that says you don't" she tells them couple as Regina led them to the hollow tree stump the couple had hidden the blade in after Emma slept walked to their first hiding spot.
"Is the dagger in there?" Mary Margaret questioned the former Queen a little too eagerly for the assassins liking as she practicality jumped in closer to the tree stump as Amelia reached into the hollowed stump to pull it out as the couple watched every move, like a pair of dogs watching their meals being made in front of them, before the redhead handed the cloth covered blade to her Queen.
Taking the dagger from her assassin the former Queen unwrapped the hilt to hand it over to the couple on to pull it back "Are you sure handing the one thing that can control your daughter over to Arthur is the right thing to do?".
"Have you lost the power of comprehension?" Mary Margaret snapped at the Queen taking her and Amelia jump at her sudden burst of anger "Hand over the da..." the angry woman was cut off as a golden hue of magic encased the royal couple freezing them in place.
Looking to the left the unfrozen couple saw Emma there answering the question they had of being the one to freeze her parents in their place.
"What are you doing?" Regina asked the new Dark One "When did you get so liberal with dark magic?" she continued as she and Amelia rounded the tree stump with the dagger in hand to approach the blonde.
"No choice" the blonde tells them "Arthur has them under some kind of spell. He wants them to bring him the dagger. He wants to reunite it with Excalibur".
"Unite it?" Amelia questioned the blonde "So Excalibur is broken then?" she questioned the woman.
"It is" Emma confirms the redheads suspicions of why he needed the dagger "Then you know it was once one blade. It was broken in half a long, long time ago" she adds giving the assassin knowing look.
She knew it was a Piece of Eden. The assassin didn't know whether to feel comforted by that or she should be more worried about the knowledge Emma held about the Sword of Eden. Dark One's were never forthcoming with what they did or did not know, and Emma wouldn't be any different.
"Yes, into something no-one, not even the Dark One can ever fathom how dangerous it is in the wrong hands" Amelia tells her friend "If I figured that out, then we must assume King Arthur has as well. Question is what he wants to do with that much power in his hands".
"He wants to kill Merlin with it" Emma tells the Assassin and the former Queen "I don't have to tell you how bad that would be for all of us".
"How do you know this?" Regina speaks up in suspicion"How do I know this isn't the darkness in you rearing its head?".
"It's true. We don't have a lot of time. Arthur's expecting them soon" Emma went to walk ahead only for the Assassin to pull her back.
"If you hadn't noticed already, he's the king" the assassin reminded the blonde "So you want to take on all of Camelot? Do you have an army hiding in that cloak of yours or I'm I expected to train Grumpy how to use a sword?" she says as Regina agreed with her.
"I want to free Merlin first" Emma clarifies with the pair "Then I can help my parents and stop Arthur".
"That's a great plan, but we have no idea how to get him out of the tree" Regina argued.
"You already said it... Dark magic".
"No" Regina sternly tells the blonde "You can't keep using it".
"It's a risk I'm willing to take".
"Careful, Emma" she voiced the warning to the blonde "I've been on that slippery slope. You know where it got me" the former Evil Queen warned the new Dark One.
"All due respect... I'm not you".
Storybrooke
Present
It was business as usual back in Storybrooke the next morning, only they weren't back to normal just yet as the group of hero's and former villains had been called to the sheriff's stations where a prisoner David and Anastasia had arrested from the Camelot camp had disappeared from his cell overnight. No trace of the King Arthur's own squire could be found behind the locked cell. Along side the King and his Queen, Anastasia and David tried to find anything on the locked cell door that would tell them how he escaped.
The clueless pregnant assassin sat on the edge of the desk next to Mary Margaret, while Henry and Tom sat behind them focused fully on the screen's on their phones.
"So, he just... vanished?" Hook quires with the King and his Queen, turning around to face them, after they once again went through what had happened.
"Could it be magic?" Robin asked out-load looking at Arthur for the answer as he and John look a look at the locked cell themselves "Your squire... did he wield such power?".
Amelia had asked them both along knowing they had experience in getting in and out of places during their day's as small time thieves.
"Not that I ever saw" the king answered the thief as both assassins in the room had been left stumped to how the man could have escaped.
"Well, there's no sign of tampering" David told them as Anastasia carefully looked over the lock to see any sign that would tell them otherwise.
"Doesn't need to be" John spoke up from experience "If you know what you're doing, you don't leave anything behind to be found" he tells the other's as Robin nod's along with his old friend.
The group had been surprised to hear that the Captain had once been a thief. But that never deterred Amelia from loving her husband any less. She had known thieves her whole life. They were more honest than the most people she knew.
"Then he must have lied about having the bean" Arthur hypothesized to the group "Must've hidden it on his person somewhere and used it to escape".
"How could he be so selfish?" The Queen voiced from next to the former sea Captain "We could all be home right now".
"Desperate times" the King added.
"Our people want so badly to return" Queen Guinevere went on "We must do something to raise their spirits. The despair of being away... that's what caused all this. Who knows what else it can lead to?".
"Well, you're right. People need hope" Mary Margaret chimed in deep thought "And as your hosts and leaders of this town, it is up to us to provide it" she says as her husband nods along.
"What do you have in mind?" the Mayor asked the teacher as Henry and Tom's phone chime in almost unison catching Davids attention as he joined the boys getting a glimpse of their screen's. While David was texting the girl that had hitchhiked their trip to Camelot, MJ. Henry was actively texting a girl called Violet a girl from the Camelot campsite her had been talking to.
"How about a dance?" Henry suggested to the adults, looking up from his phone.
"A dance, huh?" David questioned his grandson taking a seat between Henry and Tom on the desk "Looking for an excuse to ask your girlfriends out on a date?" he asked pair catching the attention of everyone int he room.
"Girlfriend?" Regina questioned her own son as John whirled around to look at his son at the new piece of information "What girlfriend?".
"She's not my girlfriend" Henry quickly tells his mother like a deer caught in headlights.
"Who's not your girlfriend?" Regina continued to press her son, as Amelia failed to suppress the smirk on her face seeing the surprise on her soulmates face. Oh how the tables had turned on her partner, she was going to enjoy this as much as she could.
"I think a dance is exactly what we need" Mary Margaret tried to change the subject, trying to save her grandson from further embarrassment.
"Henry, who's this girlfriend?".
Hearing the turn of conversation Hook confidently stepped forward to offer his 'expertise' to the boy "Well, if it's dating tips you need, lads, I know my way around women" he offers the young teenagers.
"Over your dead body" Regina snapped at the pirate making the her partner chuckle in amusement, which earn't her a un-amused glare from the soulmate. Catching the serious look, her laughter caught in her throat as fear took over.
"I'll be using his dead body as a shield" she tells her partner as Mary Margaret quickly changes the subject.
"Regina!" Mary Margaret got the former Queen's attention as she slipped her hand through Amelia's arm dragging her off the table swinging around to take Regina's in her other arm dragging her away from Henry and out of the station "Let's start planning. I think it is time Storybrooke had a ball".
Venturing down the street the assassin had manged to free herself from the former Princess hold on her as she fell into step with her first love, rounding the corner she saw Cruella's Panther still parked into it's spot with a 'For Sale' sign in it's window.
She could hear Regina still pestering her son about his 'girlfriend' from where she walked next to her ex.
"Girlfriend huh?" the Captain question his ex-wife as they walked down the sidewalk.
"I know" she grumbled out as she heard her soulmate continuing to pester her son into a solid answer at the front of the group "It's been going on for a while" she tells her ex-husband "Before Camelot anyway. I have no idea how serious it is".
"Well if he's anything like us when we first started out, then it must be" he mused to the redhead.
The redhead cringed to herself knowing what he was talking about "We're screwed then, aren't we?".
"Yeah" he laughed out with a smile "We are. Don't worry I'll talk to him" he tried to reassure her, but it didn't.
"Really? Or do think I'll be a bit hypocritical at the moment" she placing both of her hands on her visible pregnant bump. The Captain went to reply only for a frantic Belle to run out in front of them holding the glass jar frantically trying to get them to stop.
"Belle. What is it?" Mary Margaret asked the woman as Amelia gently pushed her way through to the front seeing her Aunt like this.
"It's, uh, it's Rumple" the librarian stated to the group.
"What happened?" the redhead asked in concern.
"He's missing".
Camelot
Returning to Merlin's tower, Emma set out to start figuring a way of freeing Merlin from the tree.
"First, we need to know how the potion you've been working on will react to my dark magic" she tells the pair "Bring me the vial" she instructs them, only to look at the pair to see they hadn't moved since entering the tower.
While Regina held a hand on her hip, the assassin had crossed her arms across her chest in clear defiance to what the blonde wanted. They needed to know how Emma knew her parents had been spelled, or more importantly, what did know about the Sword of Eden.
The assassin was more annoyed at herself than anything more that she was going to let Regina hand the dagger over to the pair without knowing what Arthur wanted with her, and why she was so important. But on thing she did know was that there was no way in hell she was going to allow anyone to compete that sword, especially Swan.
She could see she was slipping deeper into the darkness that came from The Dark One, it was only a matter of time until she went completely under. And the more she went under the less she trusted the woman in front of her.
"We're not doing a damn thing until you tell us how you knew David and Mary Margaret were under a spell" Regina put her foot down for herself and the Assassin.
"We don't have time for this" Emma tells them.
"Make time" the redhead tells the blonde.
"Fine. I saw it in this..." she relents snatching up one of the dream catchers she had been making since arriving in Camelot "A dream catcher".
The assassin didn't need to be told twice what it was since she fell victim to what it could really do given the right power. It made her re-live some of the best and worse moments of her life. All to entertain The Duchess when she was under her capture a few week's ago.
Sensing the way her love tensed up seeing the torture devise, the former Queen quickly crossed the room to take it out of the Dark One's hands.
"Emma, this is dark magic" Regina warns her, glancing back to the assassin to see her visibly relax seeing the dream catcher in her safe hands.
"I know" Emma tells her.
"These things catch more than dreams".
"I know" the blonde repeats herself.
"And you have to wave it over someone to capture a memory".
"I don't" Emma tells the pair "This dark magic is stronger, more unpredictable than any magic I've ever used. The image just appeared. It showed me what Arthur did to them. Look, it's gonna be okay. The dream catcher also showed me a memory that's going to help us. Merlin's. I saw him. Merlin wept for the loss of the only woman he ever loved moments before the Dark One trapped him in the tree... using one of his tears".
"Emma, that's it" Regina suddenly says "Sometimes, spells are like snakebites. You can make the antivenom with the venom. If a tear of lost love trapped Merlin... Then another one might be able to get him out. So, what do you say? Let's go get ourselves a tear".
After words with Violet's Father, Sir Morgan. Henry had managed to convince Tom into giving him some lessons with a real sword before he was called away by Anastasia for his own training, leaving him to practice on his own in the woods by himself.If he had any chance of getting close to Violet he needed to be more than a writer, he needed to be a knight, and there was only one way he knew how to be one.
He couldn't help but think that his older cousin was the kind of boy Sir Morgan would want his daughter to end up with. He picked up a sword like it weighted nothing at all and had the skill to outmatch any of the knight's of the round table, even his own grandfather. But he would have to do this without his older cousin, and he could.
The weapon was heavy in his hands has he swung it through the air just like he had seen Grandpa do before, catching some overhanging leaf from the branch above him.
Swinging the sword again the weight made him swing around until he felt his sword hit something metal and a hand grab his shoulder stopping him from moving any further, his head catching up with the rest of his body to see the person who had stopped him hurting himself, seeing a pair of familiar green eye's looking straight at him.
"Good swing honey" Amelia tells her little cousin as she holds his sword arm in place "Need's some work though".
"Mom!" he exclaimed in shock seeing his third mother. He could see that she had stopped the sword with one of the hidden blades as blade quickly slips back into her gauntlet allowing the live steel to drop to the ground between their feet as Emma and Regina approached the scene.
"Henry! Careful" Regina lightly scolds him as he picks the sword back up to face all three of his mothers as Amelia stood back to stand with her love.
"Hey Mom's" he greeted his adopted and birth mother "I was, uh... getting in the Camelot spirit. You know... trying to understand this world".
"By sword fighting?" Emma questioned him as Amelia narrowed her eyes at the thirteen year old.
"W-well, Sir Morgan, Violet's father, had a little advice for me to fit in" he stuttered nervously not sure how all three of them would react to him using a real sword "That's all. Trouble is, I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna be good at this knight stuff" he admits to them.
"Well, if you're not, you're not" his blonde mother tells him "but... changing so someone likes you never works" she tells him "I mean, I- I liked your dad because he was always himself".
"But maybe if I try, I could be something better than I am." Henry replied looking to his adopted mother "If you didn't change for the better, you wouldn't be with Amelia" hearing this come from the young teen an amused smile grew on the Assassin's face.
"True" Regina admitted knowing the redhead would appreciate her words "But do you really think a girl from Camelot would be interested in someone who's just like every other boy around here? Remember when I told you about Daniel?".
"Yeah" Henry nodded "Your first love".
"Mm-hmm" Regina hummed "And it wasn't because he tried to impress me by being like the others. It was because he was so different... So unique".
Turning to his third mother , Henry sort out to validate his argument using the assassin's first love as an example "What about you and John? You two broke up because you were so different to each other".
"True, but wouldn't that be an argument to show this girl the real you?" she rebutted his argument to the assassin as he meekly nodded at her.
"Henry. I didn't break up with him because I didn't love him anymore, it was the opposite reason actually" she says looking between her soulmate and Emma. All three of them had lost their first love in one way or another. Either by someone they saw as family, or by sacrificing themselves to save their family.
"John was the first genuine person I had ever met at that point of my life. He didn't care who I was, what I was, or what I could do for him. Before, I didn't even know I could even love someone like that. I took a leap of faith with him, and I've never regretted the years we had together. If I could talk to my younger self. The one too scared to let herself be loved. I'd tell her to jump".
Her words seemed to resonate with the boy she loved like a son as he thought deeply at her words. But it seemed like she needed to use a different tactic with him.
Stepping forward the redhead placed her arm around his shoulder's making him look at her "Henry, in Camelot, you're a mysterious stranger from an exotic land" she started "That's a good thing. Take it from someone who used the very same tactic to get a Queen to fall for her" Amelia grinned at her son, giving him a confident wink of her eye that matched her knowing tight lipped smirk.
A smile grew on his face getting on the woman's wavelength "It did?" he questioned her, looking towards his adopted mother who was rolling her eyes to herself at the redhead's words as a wry smile tugged on the corner of her lips at her soulmate's words, as Amelia's greens eye met hers.
"I mean, who wouldn't fall for the mysterious stranger in a white hood that saved them from a pack dangerous mercenaries?" Amelia added sending a wink towards the former Queen.
Seeing the way his Mom reacted to the assassin, he couldn't help by agree with the redhead's words of advise.
"I think I can work with that. Thanks" he tells the redhead as he stepped out of her half embrace "I have to go make a few arrangements".
The three watched with smiles on their faces seeing the boy that had united them run off with the newfound feeling of hope carrying him towards getting the girl he liked as an idea came to the former Queen's mind of how to get the ingredient they needed to free Merlin.
"Emma" Regina called out to the blonde, making the assassin turn on her heel to look at her love "I think I might know where to get our missing ingredient to free Merlin" she told her "From me".
Retreating back to the castle, the three of them found themselves in the assassin's and former Queen's room, preparing to put the latter through hell to get the ingredient they needed to free Merlin from the tree, a tear of a lost first love.
She would have to relive the moment she lost Daniel, and if it was anything like she had told her, then this was going to be brutal for them both. The assassin wasn't even sure she would be able to let Regina re-living it again.
The assassin was the one wearing out the masonry this time as she paced in front of the fireplace, the soles of her heeled boot's skillfully turning as she went back and forth in the short space. as her nerves got the better of her.
The former Queen could only watch form her seat as the assassins' fist clenched and relaxed by her sides, something she picked up on quickly while they started working together, it was the only physical tell the woman would give off, whenever she was angry, nervous or just aggravated at something. Like she was looking for something to hit or stab. She never had a facial tell, but all she had to do is look at her hands to see how she was feeling at that moment.
But she couldn't' stand the woman's nervousness at the moment, not now.
"Will you quit that!" she snaps at the redhead making her stop misstep to turn and face the former Queen "At least tell me what's on your mind" she prompts her love to speak.
"You don't need to do this" Amelia spoke her mind to the Queen, taking the free chair in front her, the assassin sat on the edge to reach over to take her love's hand into her's to give them something to do while they waited for Emma to return with a dream catcher they needed to re-live the memory "We can find someone else, there are plenty of people in Camelot we can use to get the tear".
"Who do you suggest then?".
Amelia paused thinking of her answer, unaware that Emma had rejoined them as she stood outside of the room listening in on the couple's conversation "I seem to recall losing my first love as well" she tells the brunette "Quite vividly in fact".
A sympathetic smile grew on her Queen's lips as seeing the pain that still remained of that fateful night.
"It won't work" Regina tells her love giving her hands a comforting squeeze "John is still alive; and you have Tom back. For a spell like this, we need fresh ingredients for it".
"You don't need to remind me about fresh ingredients" she grumbles to the dark brunette. She learnt that quickly when she was tasked on finding the ingredients the woman needed to for whatever potion or spell they needed to use against Snow or one of her allies. They had to just right for the former Queen to include in the spell. "It still doesn't mean that I like the method we're using to get it".
"I know. But it's our only shot of freeing Merlin. We need him Melia. You need him" her love reminds her making the redheads green eyes look anywhere but hers as the former Queen kept a hold of her hands "I know how worried you are about what David said and if Emma said was true that King Arthur wants to kill Merlin, whats stopping him from using it on you to get what he wants".
Hearing this the assassin snapped her head to look at her soulmate "Regina I don't care what he does to me. What I care about is how far Swan is willing to push us to get what she wants, the further she goes, the less I trust her. I don't know how much longer I can blindly follow her. Everything a Dark One does always hurts someone".
"Melia, I promised you I would be right by your side to whatever fight Romeo was passing onto you. I need you to do the same for me now" she pleaded to her assassin. She didn't want to do this as much as the redhead wanted her to. But she had to. She needed her to be strong for her as she relived one of the worst moments of her life.
"Always" Amelia promised her Queen sealing it with a sweet kiss on the former Queen's lips, before resting their forehead together as the Queen tried to give as much comfort to the woman she loved as she could. The pair pulled away as Emma reentered the room with a dream catcher in her hand.
"All right, Regina" the blonde started as Amelia vacated the seat opposite the Queen to stand behind her the older woman "This is going to be intense. Last chance to back out".
"I can take it" Regina tells her.
"Lia?" Emma inquired with the redhead who looked uncomfortable at the thought of her partner reliving the memory, she looked sick to her stomach as she held onto the back of Regina's chair as the mix of emotions blended into the woman's secret pregnancy. The one she still hadn't told the woman she loved about.
"Just get it over with Swan" she curtly order's the blonde as she leaves her Queen's side to sit on the edge of the four poster bed.
Taking the seat the assassin had left, the blonde offer the piece of decoration to the former Queen who takes is. Closing her eye's Regina let out a deep breath as she focused on the memory that had stayed with her since before she became the Evil Queen. The memory that drove her to seek her vengeance against Snow White for the next decade that
"Look into the circle" the blonde instructed as she waved her hand in front of the dream catcher making a picture from inside the piece of innocent decoration, allowing all three of them to watch the memory repeat itself to the former Queen as the assassin suddenly saw the image of Cora appear in the catcher.
"So, this is your decision?" Cora asked her young daughter with the stable boy standing close behind her "This will make you happy?".
"It already has" Regina tells her Mother.
"Then who am I to stop you?" the Mills matriarch told her daughter seeming to have accepted Regina's decision to marry her love.
Regina stepped forward taking her mother into loving embrace which was returned by her mother before they separated "Thank you, Mother" Regina breathed before Cora looked over her daughter's shoulder to meet Daniel's eye.
"Daniel.." she addressed the young man stepping around her daughter to take the man to one side to speak to him
"If you want to have a life together, a family, then there's one important lesson I can impart on you. It's what it means to be a parent. You always have to do what's best for your children" she tells him before thrusting her hand into his chest to take his heart making him groan in pain as she rushes his heart in front of her daughter
"Mother! No! No!"
Her love's plea's echoed through her ears as she had seen the brutality of Cora's actions. Her friend had no hope of fighting her, she was just too powerful.
She never wanted to throw up as much as she wanted to at that moment as the tears freely fell from her eye's after seeing how her childhood friend had met his end. Her heart thumped against her chest like something was squeezing the hell out of it. Her head swam as she tried to fight of the oncoming panic attack for as long as she could to be strong for the woman in the red dress for as long as she could.
But she couldn't fight it for long. She knew it's triggers too well to know she could push it to one side like she usually did as became harder and harder to breath in the heavy room.
"I'm sorry" Emma tells the older woman, having witnessed the memory along with Amelia.
"It was like it was happening all over again" her soulmate wept out before Emma quickly caught the tear that ran down the former Queen's cheek in a clear vial.
"Got it" Emma tells them, with the ingredient in their hand's the assassin didn't need to stay any longer than she had to as the walls around her started to close in around her. With a mind of their own, her feet took her out of the room slamming the door behind her making the Queen jump in her seat, leaving Emma and Regina to themselves.
"Thank you" Emma breathes out before looking at the distraught former Queen "I didn't know how things were for you. I... didn't know..." the blonde trailed off.
Regina looked up at the blonde in surprise at news that she could see the memory as well "You could see it, too?" she asked as she realised that Amelia had just seen the same, no wonder she stormed out. She had just seen her friend die, and she could do nothing to stop it.
"I'm so sorry. I don't understand how a mother could do something like that".
"She thought it was for the best" Regina sighed out to the blonde as she calmed herself down from the onslaught of emotions she hadn't give a second thought about in so long.
Storybrooke
With Emma busy with Henry. Regina, Amelia, Hook, Robin and Belle took the opportunity present to them to break into the Dark One's new home. They needed to know what was Emma hiding from them. Luckily for them, Hook had some intel for the them in the form of a padlocked basement door that caught the pirate's attention from the one and only time he was let into the house. Whatever it was Emma was hiding was in that basement.
"Showtime" Regina announced as they walked across the front lawn of the property heading to the front porch "Henry says he's got Emma occupied"
With Belle's news of her Uncle disappearance from the back of the pawn shop they needed to find where he was and their first guess was Little Miss Dark One herself.
"You told Henry what we're doing?" Hook asked the former Queen as they climbed the wooden steps up to the front door.
"No, but he'll let us know when she's headed back. Let's do this"
"How exactly do you wanna do this? Quickly or Boring?" Amelia asked the former Queen as she stood in front of the door with an upturned smirk on her lips.
"No" Regina firmly told the assassin, holding up a stern finger towards her partner "I've seen what the quick way is, you are not kicking down the door in your condition".
"Boring way it is" Amelia scoffed out in disappointment to herself as she stepped aside for her partner to grasp the front door handle to let herself in only for a burst of magic to repel the Queen back into Robin's quick arms who, caught the woman as Hook did the same when the Assassin jumped back in surprise not expecting the magic.
The former pirate easily caught the pregnant Assassin in his arms, wrapping his arms around her waist as his hook came close to her growing bump.
"Easy matey" she said clearing her throat "Watch the bump" she winced out trying to push the sharp hook away from her baby, the pirate quickly took notice of how close he came to coming into contact her bump with the sharp point of his hook, hastily taking the sharp object away from the growing babe as both women regained their footing on the porch.
"Protection spell" Regina winced out shaking her hand out in discomfort as her face scrunched up in annoyance at being stopped by the simple spell.
"It would appear she doesn't want you trespassing" Hook noted to the Queen as Amelia smoothed out her shirt over her bump.
"You want to try, Pirate?" the mayor snapped at the man.
"Well, I know she doesn't want me to" he tells her.
"Henry" Belle suddenly states to the group, gaining their attention "She'd let Henry in. Do you have anything of his on you?".
Waving her hand the former Queen, summoned Henry's scarf into her hand "I do now" she gloats as she uses the scarf to cover her hand as she tried to open the door, this time it clicks open.
Letting out a chuckle a wide smirk grows on the former Queen's lips seeing that the plan had worked "Thank you, Henry. You're our hero".
Leading the group inside, the door closed behind them as the assassin took in the home Emma had picked out for herself. Despite it being slightly worn appearance, in need of some paint and new wallpaper, it was nice, cozy even. A spacious living room room to the right and the kitchen to the left with a staircase to the first floor.
"There" Hook pointed out to the group looking at a basement door underneath the stairs with a padlock on it "That's the door".
"And now I become your hero" the redhead tells them. Looking over to her old friend a devilish smile grew on her lips and a raised eyebrow as a wide smile grew on the seasoned thief's face at the assassin's proposition "Shall we?".
"We shall" he replied as the pair approached the door and within second's, the padlock dropped onto the wooden floor as the thief opened it wide open for the group to enter.
"I know what all of you are thinking.." the redhead started, addressing the other's in front of the front door "How can I be this perfect and not let it go to your head? Well I'll tell you, It's hard. Very hard in fact, like I've been bestowed with..glorious purpose to be able to break into anything, including the Dark One's very own basement-".
"How about we leave 'glorious purpose' here while the rest of us find out what Swan's been hiding" Regina suggested to the other's interrupting the redhead's monologue knowing they didn't have all the time in the world for the assassin to gloat, making the assassin's face drop in hurt.
"Suka" the assassin drawled out in offence as Regina approached the open basement door with Hook and Belle on her heels "You ruined my monologue".
"You did that all yourself dear" the former Queen tells her with a knowing smirk knowing it would annoy the hell out of her before letting herself into the basement as she heard Robin trying to contain his laughter from being told off.
"Stai zitto"(Shut up) she snipes at her friend, knowing he would understand her, before Robin waves her forward, inviting to enter before him.
With careful steps and Robins watchful eye over the pregnant Assassin, Amelia had to bend her knee's slightly not to her head on the low, cave looking basement as she made her way down behind her aunt.
Once they reached the bottom, they discovered what Emma had been keeping down there under lock and key.
Excalibur was sheathed into stone in the middle of the cellar, or for Amelia a wave on uneasiness washed over the Assassin of being so close to a Piece of Eden, let alone the Sword she heard stories about it that would even make Rumpelstiltskin's skin to crawl.
"Now we know why she didn't want you down here" Regina said as she saw the sword glancing back at Amelia who looked visibly uneasy after they discovered what it truly is.
"Indeed" Hook agreed as they all approached the sword in the stone "I don't think she wants anyone to see this, and I think I know the reason why. Take a gander. Excalibur looks quite familiar" he points out to them.
Crouched forward, Belle and the former Queen took a closer look at the engravings that marked it's steel blade "The dagger. It's the... the same design, the same edges" she observed out load seeing the similarities between the blades straight away.
"What the hell does she want with this?" Regina added "And with Gold. What is she up to?".
"Well, given our missing memories, I'd wager whatever it is, it's not good" Robin spoke up.
"It's never good" Amelia sighed as she rubbed her firm bump. She could feel her baby flutter in her stomach that made her want to leave the basement and not look back. Something wasn't right down here. The energy was off. It didn't feel like any other Piece of Eden she had come into close proximity with.
"Let's take a better look at the damn thing and find out" Hook say's reaches for the sword's hilt only for a hand to reach over from behind him and grasp his wrist tightly, the pirate looked back in annoyance to see the Assassin herself keeping him from touching the sword hilt.
"Stop" the redhead glowered at him forcing his hand away from the hilt of the Sword of Eden "You have no idea what you're dealing with".
"She's right" Regina added making Hook look over to the former Queen in surprise to see her concern "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but it could be booby-trapped. You could get killed".
"Oh. I didn't know you both cared" he retorted as Amelia let go of his wrist to take a step back from the sword.
"I don't. But right now, you're useful-ish" Regina replies as Belle walks over to the gate behind the sword, picking up a piece of rope from the ground.
"Loosely translated, it means don't touch" Amelia griped at the pirate.
"He was here" Belle tell them, making them all look at her "Rumple was here".
"And now he's gone" Robin trails off "Let's try searching the rest of the house" he suggests to the group as Regina's phone chimed signalling a text.
"No time" she tells them reading the text from Henry "It's Henry. She's on her way back" at that the group hurried out of the cellar, but the assassin's feet didn't seem to want to leave as she was left alone with the sword.
Ignoring her own warnings the redhead reached out to take the sword herself, in a trance like state, her finger's barely brushing silver metal work, before her hand and arm were pulled away from the sword.
"Luv" Hook's gruff voice seemed to bring her out of the trance as she tore her eye's away from the sword to look at him "Like you said, you don't know what you're dealing with" he said as the other's made it to the top of the stairs.
Forcing her feet to move, both she and Hook headed straight for the stairs giving the sword one last look each before they caught up with the others.
Once back in the main house, she saw Regina open the front door to make their quick escape only to stop as they noticed Hook and Amelia stopping in the middle of the foyer as she felt a sudden shift of energy in the house. Like her mind was pulling her somewhere, looking to her right she saw a small box on a table that had gone noticed by the pirate.
"Hey. What are you doing?" Regina questions the man as he approached the box that hadn't been there the last time he was there. Quickly joining the man, the other's followed the pregnant assassin to see him holding up a dream catcher in his hand.
"What the hell is that?" Robin asked them once the other three had joined the pair at the table.
"It's a dream catcher." Killian tells them "Baelfire gave her one similar to this a long time ago" he explained to the thief "But this, it's different".
"Wait a minute. Why would she have it?" Belle asked out loud.
"Because they can be more than just objects of folklore" Regina spoke up holding the delicate object in her hand "When imbued with magic, they can be quite powerful. I think I know how Emma took our memories".
Camelot
Night had fallen by the time Amelia had rejoined the other's from the beginnings of a panic attack from seeing what happened to her childhood friend. With the ingredient in hand, the three women stood in the courtyard where Merlin's tree was located, putting together the spell they needed to free him.
With a hand on the hilt of her sword strapped to her hip, her golden irises flicked back and forth in the dark courtyard waiting for any sign for King Arthur and his knights.
With Tom nearby, she had sent Anastasia search the entire castle for the King to keep a close eye on him to give them as much of a head start as they could before they could be stopped.
"Go on, Emma" Regina encouraged the blonde to hurry "Do it. Arthur could be here any second" the spell began to sizzle in the cup as Emma started mixing ingredients "And now for the final ingredient... the tear" Amelia heard Regina say before she turned back to the pair turning her sixth sense off .
Regina and her partner watched as Emma added the former's heartbroken tear into the potion only for an underwhelming poof of smoke to emerge from the goblet, barely reaching the Dark One's full height before dispersing back into the pot
"No offence, but I was expecting something flashier" Amelia comment from behind the pair overlooking the disappointing result.
"It should've worked" Regina said to herself in disbelief as it quickly turned to anger "It should have worked!" she exclaimed in frustration.
"Regina, it's simple" Emma trailed off "Your heartbreak wasn't strong enough".
"What?!" Amelia and Regina scoffed at the blonde in unison.
"No, no, I know it was real. But there's Amelia now. You've moved on. You've healed" the couple went silent as their happiness had cost them not being able to free Merlin from his prison therefore failing to help Emma once again.
"Hey. Sorry I'm late"" Henry's voice interuppted them as he made his way to his mother's
took them out their thought as his mother's look back to see him approaching them, looking away from their failure, they turned to face their son to see something was right with him as Amelia could see the tear stained cheek without her sixth sense, he'd been crying.
"Henry, are you okay?" Emma asked her son in concern as they approached the young teenager as Amelia slid next to him gently taking his arm into her gentle hands as she felt him lean slightly into her seeking some physical comfort from the redhead.
"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine" he replied as the redhead hear the slight quiver in his voice.
"No, you're not" Regina told him, seeing through his brave face "What happened?".
"I don't want to talk about it" he continued to insist to the three.
"Henry, you can tell us anything" Amelia gently prodded her stepson with a gentle tone she could only use when she spoke to any of the younger one's.
"I tried doing what you said" he started, looking to each of his mothers as he forced himself to continue "I tried acting like myself. But she didn't want anything to do with me" fresh tears fell from this eye's that made the assassin's darkened heart ache for him as she hears his voice break.
"Henry" Emma gently grasped her son's farm in comfort as, the assassin did her best to sooth out his heart break.
"Violet's right" he went on "In this world, I'll never be a hero" he told them as they saw a fresh tears of heartbreak leave his eyes as Amelia's brow's furrow at what the girl had said to him. No one deserved hearing that from someone they cared about, let alone one of her own children.
"Just say the word Henry, and I'll gladly speak to this girl" the assassin quickly offered to her son.
"Amelia" Emma lightly scolded the assassin, who just shrugged at the blonde.
"It's okay" Henry sniffed out to the protective redhead holding his hand "You don't have to. Thanks though" he gulped leaning his head towards his third mother as Regina saw the ingredient they needed to free Merlin right in front of her. A tear of lost love.
"You may not be a hero in her world" Regina tells her son dabbing his cheek with a white handkerchief collecting the tear that escaped from his eye as he took his head away from the redhead to look at his adopted mother "But you will be in ours" Regina goes on looking to her partner and Emma as they caught on to her plan "This'll work. This tear. Your tear, Henry".
"It can free Merlin?" he asks his Mom.
"You can save me, kid" Emma corrected him.
A sad smile grew on Amelia's face as she heard him sniffle as the Master Assassin felt the air shift around them, the hairs on the back of her neck warning her of an incoming danger as her softened look turned hard
"We've got company" she warns the other's encouraging Henry towards his other mother's as her hand slipped out of his to face the oncoming fight "Showtime Tom!" she yelled out into the courtyard as her son made himself known as he jumped out of tree to join his mother, the pair of assassins unsheathing their swords in unison as King Arthur angrily approach them with four of his knight's behind him, fully armored ready to fight the upcoming battle.
One of the knights held a tied up and beaten Anastasia in his hand, struggling to free herself from his tight grasp. Seeing this Tom gripped the pommel of his sword tighter in both hands as he bend his knee's ready to save his aunt from King Arthur's men.
"Stop!" the King's voice boomed in the graveled courtyard as Regina joins her soulmate and step-son, stood protectively ahead of their family as both Emma and Henry joined behind them
"Stay away from the tree" the King order's them as one of his knights throw's Anastasia towards her sister, hoping she was lose her footing and fall onto the ground, only to easily finding her feet after stumbling forwards to join her sister "I won't ask twice" he warns them as he looks toward the woman that called herself the saviour.
"You and your people have done nothing but lie to me ever since you got here" he accuses them "You're no savior. You're a fraud" he glowered at the redhead's soulmate making he first mistake of the night.
The King flinched back as a throwing knife sailed past his head, before it clattered to the ground behind the knights, serving as the one and only warning shot he would get that night if he continued to insult her love.
"Go ahead" the redhead growls at the King through gritted teeth as she breathed through her rising temper "Call her a fraud again. I dare you" Amelia warns him lowly as they took dangerous step's towards the knight as the King focuses on the assassin's with a look of hurt and betrayal etched onto his face as
"You" he growled "We welcomed you. Celebrated you. Your Creed was meant to destroy the Dark One not defend it" he spat at her eyeing Emma behind her "And in return, you bring the Dark One into the heart of my kingdom, endangering all who live here. But what could I expect from a, low life. Half-breed. Bastard!" he yelled the last word as the former Queen flinched through each insult the King sent her soulmate.
"Vaffanculo verme!" Tom yelled at the man that insulted his mother as he stepped forward to attack the King only to stop seeing his mother holding out a hand to him, silently telling him to stop.
"Your Creed never existed" the redhead calmly tell the man taking the insult she had heard hundreds of times before "A few centuries ago maybe, but it became corrupt and twisted just like you and your damn kingdom" Amelia retorted as the malice grew with each word spoken "And call her 'it' again you'll find your fucking sword so far up your culo. You'll be choking on the taste of steel for the next month".
Hearing this coming from her friend, the blonde couldn't help the corner of her lips twitch up, glad to hear that the woman still trusted her and wanted to fight for her despite the concerns she voiced to her partner earlier that day.
"Give me the dagger!" he exclaimed at the pair.
"You want it?" Regina asked summoned a fireball in her hand "Come and get it. Now Emma" in a blink of an eye Emma snatched the handkerchief with Henry's tear from the woman's hand as, before running towards to where they were they had set up the spell dropping the final ingredient into the goblet as magic swirled up into air.
Amelia and Tom could feel the magic coming from the cup as the the redheaded assassin cut her sister free from the constraints around her wrists, throwing her sword for the blonde assassin to catch as the younger woman eyed one of the knights behind Arthur with bruised and cut knuckles, she was going to have fun with him.
While Anastasia eyed her target the redhead pulled a long silver dagger from her belt as Emma announced that the spell was working "It's working!".
"Charge!" Arthur ordered his knights as war cry left Anastasia's mouth as she and Amelia charged towards the knights with Tom on his mother's and aunts heels as the former Queen's fireballs fired towards the knights.
Using a poised knights knee to her advantage, the blonde assassin used it as leverage to jump high in the air to attack from the air, using her speed Amelia dropped to the ground to slid across the ground, and slip through King Arthur's wide legs to attack from below as ash turned on her back to send a firm boot into the the King's backside to make him stumble forward as her son ran into the fight.
The three assassins using their numbers to their advantage as metals clashed, as fireball continued to be thrown into the fray as Tom helped his mother off the ground before separating as the Master Assassin headed straight for the King himself as her dagger met Excalibur, before they were separated by a ball of fire coming between them to hit a knight that wanted to defend his King, narrowly missing her step-son's head and face as the fire met it's mark on the man's armored chest.
Jerking his head away, one of the former Queen's fireballs, narrowly missed his face as it met it's mark on a knights chest behind him.
"Watch the face Mom!" the sixteen year old yelled back to Regina, taking her by surprise before continuing to hold the knights a bay with his mother and aunt as Emma threw the mix of light and dark tendrils of magic towards the tree. The wind picked up around them picking up the disturbed dirt from the ground as the knights and assassins stopped fighting to cover their eyes as Regina and Tom had to do the same.
"Fallback!" Amelia yelled over the wind as she grabbed Tom's sleeve to drag him back to where Regina and Henry were as Anastasia used the distraction to send a heavy closed fist into the face of the knight that had hurt her, sending him onto the ground before following her sister and nephew.
Reaching her partner and Henry, Emma continued to push he magic around the tree as the winds got stronger before after one last strong gust sent everyone onto the ground except from Emma as a cloaked figure replaced the tree that once stood in the middle of the courtyard.
Sitting up on the ground the assassin's, Regina and Henry watched in wonder to see that the spell had worked. They had freed Merlin.
Quickly getting to her feet alongside hr sister and son, she felt her partner's hand slip into hers as the cloaked figure stood on his feet as King Arthur and his knights bar one regained their footing.
Slowly the figure removed his hood from his head to reveal a dark-skinned man with light stubble looking straight at Emma.
"I've been waiting for you... Emma". Merlin greeted the savior with a fond smile, before looking over her shoulder to find Juno's vessel behind the savior to look at her with the same fond smile.
"Amelia Montague" he sighed seeing the woman that shared Juno's face but no the darkness that surrounded her. The only darkness remained in her heart where day by day the light was quickly turning into more "It's good to finally meet you".
"Ditto" she replied to the man that inspired Altair to create the Brotherhood she was raised in. The assassin didn't know what else to do as she stood in stunned silence to hear Merlin personally address her as a hand meekly waved at him from her side.
Merlin face grimaced in displeasure as he looked upon the boy that had been promised the world "And you... The boy who would be king. My great hope. How you've disappointed me".
"I disappointed you?" Arthur fumed at Merlin in disbelief "You gave me false prophecies. Sent me on an impossible quest! You ruined my life!" in his anger Arthur pulled out Excalibur out of its scabbard.
"Put it away, Arthur" Merlin told the King unperturbed by the man's threat "We both know that broken sword can't hurt me" he tells the man as the King's eye's flutter to the redheaded assassin as paused thinking of thing he wanted to do, to level the playing field, there and then just to show the man he wasn't to be trifled with a Merlin seemed to dare him to harm Amelia.
But he could wait a little while longer, as long as Excalibur remained in his hands he would give Juno her vessel and then he would show Merlin what he was capable of for ruining his life.
Throwing the sword back in it scabbard the King relented tearing his eye's off the assassin to face the sorcerer "This is not finished" he vowed the sorcerer as he and the remaining knights retreated seeing one of their brother's still on the ground "Someone pick him up" he ordered his men as between them they dragged their comrade out of the courtyard, leaving the newly freed Merlin with his saviors.
With the street party in fell swing that night, Anastasia couldn't help but feel a little out of place as she tried to enjoy the jovial atmosphere as she wondered down the block party, snacking on the fresh popcorn that had been available.
Her sister had found and the other's had found Excalibur int he Dark One's basement earlier, but she could she was holding something close to her chest as she made her excuses not to attend the party with her Queen. Something about the smell not mixing well with her stomach She never liked it when she kept things to herself, it usually mean't she would end up hurt.
Surveying her surrounding she found the Charming couple with Hook and Belle sat at a table with the King and Queen of Camelot. She found Tom winning a multitude of prizes for him and MJ at the small carnival shooting range that the sixteen year old easily beat again and again, much to the chagrin to the resident that ran the booth before they were waved away for 'cheating'.
With MJ carrying a large stuffed toy bear in her arms, the girl took hold of her nephews hand, dumping her prize on a bale of hay to drag her 'boyfriend' into the dance-floor that had been cordoned off with the hay bales. The smile on Tom's face didn't seem to fade as he let the girl he had been crushing on guide him through the dance.
A distance away she found the Captain, doing his best to enjoy the party as much as he could as he sat on a bench speaking to one of women from Camelot, seeming to try his best to talk to her before she was taken away by a man and onto the dance floor, leaving the man deflated yet again as he was calling quits on the night as a whole.
Standing up the Captain started to head down the street with his hands stuffed in his jean pockets to head back to the apartment hoping the others were having a better night than he was.
Quickly making her decision the blonde assassin left her popcorn with a random resident to catch up to crestfallen Captain to reach out and grab his elbow making him stop and turn to see her as she pulled his hand out of is jean pocket to take it into hers.
"You're dancing with me, Captain" she tells the man dragging in towards the other dancers in the street as he made him place a hand on her waist to take her hand into his to make him lead a gentle sway.
"I can't stand watching you striking out with all the women here all night. So you're gonna dance with me until either a monster crawls out of the sewers or you start enjoying the first evening of peace this towns' had in months".
Rolling his eye's at the blonde assassin the Captain relented as he led the danced to the music that didn't fit the way they slow danced hold her close as they created their own little bubble.
"I'm surprised to see you without anyone" he comments to the beautiful woman in his arms.
"Well, your not the only one suffering from a little heartbreak" she tells the man
"Really?" he replied in surprise, she didn't seem young enough.
"Widowed" she admits to the man seeing a flicker of sympathy in his face, he knew how it felt to lose his wife, or to at least think he lost her. It was the worst feeling in the world "It's fine, it was a long time ago".
"Can I ask how?" he asked knowing part of her story already. He knew that she had left the Brotherhood after finding love during a mission with his ex-wife. He remembered how sad she sounded when she spoke about her sister.
"Long ago, I received a letter saying that Amelia was in trouble. I wanted to ignore it, thinking whatever trouble my sister had found herself in, she could find a way out, but Dimitri could always tell when I was unsettled. So we got our hands on a magic bean and traveled back home" she told the man as her head shook to herself "Thinking back, I should've known, we should've left straight away, but I needed to find her. So we stayed. Made a home together again, until it wasn't".
"Our mentor had manged to glamour himself into the man that once killed my family, when I saw him again, I froze thinking it was something my mind had made it up to scare me, but then he hurt me" she could still feel the tip of his sword cut through her dress to leave the scar that ran across her stomach.
"It was a trap made for my sister. Claudius didn't want to chance the Black Widow calling for my help in her fight against the Brotherhood. So he made sure we would never be allies. And I fell for it".
"You missed her" he noted out load as a shy smile grew on his lips "Believe me, I know how it feels to miss her".
"I did" she shared with the man, as her green eye's met his hooded blue as he looked down at the woman his first love had talked so fondly off as the blonde assassin finds herself entrapped in the pair of eye her sister had once loved. But in that moment she saw the man behind the title of Captain. the one desperate to move on from his first love, he was alone in a world he didn't want to be in. He was a good man underneath, hurting for doing the right thing.
"I'm sorry you lost him" he tells her as his eye's glued onto her's as she heard the sincerity behind the words as they slowly danced together, the tension thickening to a point they knew one of them had to make the next move.
The sound of laughter coming from the Captain's son and his date for the night made the bubble, making them blink out of the daze as it felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over them. Looking to the source they saw Tom and MJ playfully dancing together as the Captain's son picked up his date from the ground with one arm around her waist to swing around as she shrieked at his actions, demand that he should put back on to the concrete, all while he laughed without a care in the world, just enjoying the night.
"I shouldn't' have left" John mused to himself seeing how much had changed in the short few months he had left his son behind.
"No you shouldn't have" she tells him straight "You don't need to worry about him and girl. I think I've scared him for life from my stories of childbirth".
This made the Captain genuinely laugh for the first time since coming back "Thanks I guess, saves me a job" he chuckled out as he heard his son's raised voice over the music. With furrowed brows the pair look over to see the of happiness now turned into one of regret and apologies pleading with his date in the middle of the dance floor, who stood there dumbfounded and hurt that he needed to leave with no word of warning.
"I gotta go! I promise I'll make it up you MJ" they heard Tom tell his date over the music "I'm sorry!" was all he said before the teenager stormed away with his phone in his hand before he started to run towards the suburbs towards his home.
"What was that about?" the Captain voiced to the blonde assassin.
"No idea" she gulped. She never seen the boy move like that unless it was his mother or his orders. Something was wrong, she just knew it.
Elsewhere in the block party, after finding out what Emma has been hiding in the basement of her home, it was agreed that Amelia and Regina would stay home for the evening to find out what was in the dream catcher Hook had found, while the other's plus the Charming couple spoke about the resent development with King Arthur and his Queen.
Sat at a blue and white checkered table with the royal couple, Mary Margaret peered to the dancers to see Tom happily dancing with his date, the young MJ and more surprisingly to see Anastasia dancing with John, and from the way they danced so close it seemed like the Captains was finally moving on from his first love. He looked at her like she was the only person in the world. Maybe there was a chance after everything he had been put through.
"She has Excalibur?" Arthur repeated Hook's words to him making the former Princess to refocus her attention to the current conversation.
"Trapped in a stone in her basement" the pirate confirmed to the King opposite him.
"Well, then we need to get it back at once" the King insisted "It would be disastrous if the Dark One took possession of it".
"That have anything to do with its striking resemblance to the Dark One dagger?"
"How do you know about the dagger?" Arthur asked him.
"I've spent a lifetime trying to end the Dark One's existence" Hook informed the King "I know much about the dagger. What I don't know about is your blade. Care to enlighten us?".
"Yes" the man slowly answered "There's a reason they resemble each other. They were forged as one weapon and then broken in two. I've spent years trying to reunite them, as have the Brotherhood of Assassin's before".
"You mean Amelia's Brotherhood?" David questioned the King as Mary Margret glanced over to Anastasia, wondering if she knew more "The Assassin's?".
"The very same, they've been searching for Pieces of Eden for centuries" he informs the man as Belle'a eye's furrow hearing the man's words,not sure if she heard him right, that seemed to be missed by the others as they didn't even flinch.
"That's why you were so interested in the dagger when you arrived" Mary Margaret realized out-load, turning back to the table to face the King.
"I apologize for not telling you sooner, but I had to make sure I could trust you. The restored weapon has great power. It can eradicate all dark magic forever" he explains to the group of heroes and villains.
"That's a good thing" David added.
"Of course. But in the wrong hands, it can also destroy all light magic".
"That's her plan" Hook summarized to the group "To snuff out the Light forever"
"What happened in Camelot?" Mary Margaret asked out load "How did Emma fall so far?"
"Wait. I-I'm sorry" Belle spoke up with knotted brows "Did you just say Piece Eden?" she questioned the royals making David and Mary Margaret shift uncomfortably in their seats.
"The Sword of Eden and Excalibur are one of the same" Queen Guinevere tells them "It's a Piece of Eden. Surely your Assassin must've told you of its significance" she asks looking between all of them to see that they hadn't.
"She hasn't" Hook deadpanned the Queen "Not a word" silently glancing over to David and Mary Margaret who held worried face's.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that my friends" Arthur speaks up "The sword has been sought after for some time by Assassin's and those that call themselves Templar's".
"Why have they been searching for it?" Mary Margaret asked the King.
"It is rumored that the Brotherhood sought it out to free someone that's been imprisoned within a jewel since it's creation, while the Templar's sought to protect it".
"That doesn't sound like them at all" Mary Margret is quick to defend her godfather and friend's Creed. She knew the creed of killer only sought to seek peace and defend people from magic. And despite her friend's fall from grace, Amelia always held people's best interest at heart.
"It is what they want us all to think" Guinevere tells the Princess "They wish to destroy dark magic just as much as we all do, perhaps they wish to balance the scales and destroy light magic as well. We are likely to never know their true intentions".
"Free who?" Belle ask the man.
"She's call's herself Juno" King Arthur tells them looking all of them in the eye as he continued "She may be the only person that can truly help your daughter now. Only she can stop the Dark One".
With Tom and Henry at the party in main street, Regina and Amelia were left home alone with the dream catcher they took from breaking into Emma's new home.
Popcorn and carnival game's didn't exactly sound very appealing to the pregnant assassin at the moment as she and her soulmate contemplated over what to do with the dream catcher. But it certainly beat having Snow force her to get up and dance when all she wanted to do is find somewhere to lay down and think about how her life had become complicated within six weeks she had no recollection of what so ever.
With a glass of amber liquid in one hand and another with water and a wedge of lemon, the redhead found Regina in the living room stood at the at the piano with the dream catcher they found in the Dark One's home.
"If Emma used this to rip our memories, maybe it can tell us what happened in Camelot" Regina hypnotized to the Assassin as she set the drinks down on coasters in front of the former Queen as she took a long sip of her own drink, pretending it was the amber liquid her Queen would be enjoying for her.
"Well, what are we waiting for" Amelia replied setting aside her glass, only to see the reluctance in the Queen's eye's as she stared at the dream catcher "You're afraid of what you might see, aren't you?".
Regina let out a sigh knowing her partner was right "Emma clearly thought she had good reason for what she did. Who knows what happened to us there?" she add looking over to her love knowing something did happen to her and the baby.
"Emma does though" Amelia retorted "Not that I'd rather find out why the Fury was after me. Clearly something did otherwise it wouldn't be taking me to the Underworld" she told the dark brunette as her hand curved her bump as Regina added her own hand on top of hers to give the woman some comfort at that moment.
"You know there's only one way to find out Queenie" the redhead gently tells her soulmate with a knowing look. with a nod Regina took her hand off the bump and waved her hand over the catcher making it glow as a memory played out inside it.
Taking the assassin's hand into her's the pair watched an image appear in the piece of decoration of Henry in a set of formal clothes from back home with a dark a haired young girl about his age. She couldn't help but think how handsome he looked in them, like he'd been wearing them his whole life.
"I'm Violet" she introduced herself to him.
"Henry" he replied before clinking their glasses together.
"Are these Henry's memories?" Amelia asks her partner.
"No. No, I think it's that girl he has a crush on" the former Queen informs her partner unaware that Henry had come home early from the party staying quiet seeing what his mother's held in front of them.
In the stable's as she put away her saddle Violet find's a note nailed to a wooden post reading: "Dear Violet, Meet me this evening at Granny's Diner. I have a surprise for you. Henry".
Letting out a girlish chuckle at the note the girl jumped hearing a voice behind her. whirling around to see Emma one of the guest's King Arthur had welcomed into Camelot.
"Violet" she greets the girl "Can you keep a secret?".
"Of course".
"Good" Emma says taking the thirteen year old girls hand into hers "Because Henry can never know about this" at this the Dark One thrusted her hand into the girls chest taking ot her heart in one smooth motion as Violet gasped in pain "Violet, listen. You will get this back. I just need your help first".
"W-w-what do you need?" Violet stammered ready to do whatever the woman that currently held her heart told her to do.
"I need the tear of a lost first love. A fresh tear" Emma tells her "I need you to break Henry's heart".
"Wha..." Regina almost spluttered in shock seeing the scene unfold in front of them as the assassin felt the blood boil in her viens at waht she had just witnessed seeing her friend use an innocent girl like that, and to hurt Henry.
"She's dead" Amelia simply stated to her partner as she spun on her heel ready to face the Dark One herself. Regina was barely able to protest the woman's suicide mission as they both say Henry in the hallway as the box of popcorn he was holding fell out of his hands as her anger quickly depleted in less than a second.
They saw by the way he looked. He saw the whole thing.
"Henry" Regina called out to her son, only for the teen to turn and run up the stairs.
The morning after freeing Merlin from the tree the Storybrooke residents gathered in Granny's knowing they were no longer welcome in the castle after defying the King's wishes as the legendary sorcerer set out to free David and Mary Margaret from King Arthur's influence.
The redheaded assassin wanted to protest, enjoying the silence that came with the couple frozen, but it would be made in poor taste with the circumstances around them.
Stood next to her soulmate they watched Merlin use his magic on the frozen couple. After a wave of his arms the couple glowed a light blue as both spells were lifted from the couple as they unfroze coming out of their spelled daze.
"There" Merlin announced to the others "That should do it" the sorcerer smiled to himself as he looked towards the redhead with a smug smile that was mirrored by the woman. Okay. She ad to admit, he was good.
The couple were left dazed as they remembered the last few moments before their daughter stopped them from getting their hands on the dagger for the King as Mary Margaret looked towards her daughter in relief and regret.
"Emma. We're so sorry" the mother quickly embraced her daughter as Merlin stepped back.
"If we would have known how bad Arthur was,we never would have confronted him on our own" David adds to their apology.
"It's okay" the blonde told her parents "I'm just glad Merlin could help" she pointed to the sorcerer who gave them a small wave in greeting.
"Merlin?" David questioned the young man in front of him "You're Merlin?".
"Expecting someone... " the sorcerer trailed off seeing the man's shock at his appearance.
"Older" David finished.
"Yes" Merlin sighed "Well, let's just say that being a tree... good for your skin" he replied.
"Well, now that the Great Sorcerer is among us, maybe he'll tell us" Hook changed the subject stepping forwards gaining Merlin's attention "Can you do what your apprentice said? Can you free Emma from the darkness?".
Merlin paused thinking of his answer, looking at the newest Dark One and the image of Juno stood next to her. With Excalibur far away from her, there was no threat that the deity would hinder his work with Emma. He would have to be careful, Arthur would go to great lengths to get what he wanted in the end. But Amelia was stronger than them both.
"Sure" Merlin answered "But with a caveat" he told Emma taking a step towards the blonde "Darkness like this takes a hold of a person, find its way deep inside, where nobody else can see. So if I am to free you from its grasp, I must know one thing. Emma, is your heart truly ready to be free? Because it is as much up to you as me".
Neither of them could rouse Henry from his bedroom after he shut himself in seeing that his birth mother had done. Not that she could blame him, she would be doing the same thing.
Not even Tom could after mother called him home cutting short his 'date' with MJ at the street party. Annoyed that he had to leave the girl he liked behind at the party because of yet more family drama, his anger simmered after apologies from both his mother and step-mother, they explained what had happened.
With all hopes pinned on the sixteen year old, he came down after trying to talk to his best friend only to find out he had failed. But he wouldn't give up as he set up camp outside his best friends door waiting for however long it took to get Henry open the door to him. About thirty minutes later, his perseverance paid off as the thirteen year old finally let him in ready to take his mind off his pain.
Stood at the bottom of the stairs, the former Queen was glad to hear that her step-son had been successful as the assassin in front of her suddenly stiffens, her breathe catching in her throat as she felt the dark presence outside the front door.
"It's her" Amelia stated to the Queen as a hand protectively found her growing bump as she head turned to the door.
Emma's mere presence sent her sixth sense on edge, like it was reading her to fight the Dark One right there and then as the hair on her arms stood up on end. It was new. Unfamiliar. Unpredictable.
This was the first time she had been near the woman since they had woken up in the diner. It turned her stomach more than Rumple ever did, the first time she had met him. But she was more vulnerable this time and as they had seen. Emma was capable of anything, even hurting her own son to get what she needed.
"Stay here. Don't do anything" Regina told her partner before leaving the pregnant assassin to answer the door. Hiding the dream catcher behind her back she opened the door to see thier 'visitor'.
"Emma" Regina greeted the Dark One who was casually leaning against one of the white pillars on the porch.
"Hello" Emma replied as she saw Amelia with her arms stood rigidly in the foyer over Regina's shoulder knowing she would've sensed her presence. She had managed to hide herself from the woman knowing she would able to feel her a mile away. But she didn't need to hide this time.
"Amelia" the Dark One greeted the Assassin who stayed silent simply staring her back at her as her fist clenched at her side.
"What the hell is going on?" Regina brought the Dark One back to her "What are you doing?".
"I'm here to see Henry" she bleach blonde answered.
"You know that's not what I mean. You took our memories, and now Gold. What are you trying to do" only silence came from the blonde as she looked at former Queen "Emma, there is nothing you can't come back from if you just tell us" Regina pleaded to the woman as Amelia stayed silent behind her.
"What I'm doing is my business, but it's for the best. Trust me" Emma stated to the couple her eyes flickering to the redhead.
"We were starting to" the former Queen retorted "And, like Henry, I was seeing the good in you. But I was wrong. I thought you could be different. I thought you could escape the darkness. But then you had to go and rip a 13-year-old girl's heart out".
"What?" Emma straighten up as Regina shows Emma the dream catcher "Now you're breaking and entering?" she accused the pair as Amelia slowly descended the steps down to the front door.
"Oh, no. You don't get to be self-righteous with me" the former Queen argued with a stern finger pointed at the woman "Not after what you've done. Henry saw what you did. He's devastated".
"I was trying to make it up to him".
"Make it up to him?" Amelia scoffed from her place next to her Queen "By reuniting a girl and her horse? Let me guess, You let the damn thing out in the first place. You forget" the assassin paused knowing she was right "Your forget, I have some experience with Dark One's, even related to one. Everything's a manipulation".
"It all would've been fine if you could've just helped yourself and stayed out of it" Emma retorted to the Assassin "Maybe you're the one causing pain" she said turned her back on the pair.
"Wow" Regina mockingly exclaimed to herself making the woman turn back "Listen to you trying to justify everything. If I'm the one on the moral high ground, you've fallen quite a ways, Ms. Swan".
"Don't 'Ms. Swan' me" the blonde glowers at the former Queen stepping into the Queen's space "We've been through too much. You know I never would have done that to Henry if I didn't have good reason".
"Good reason?" Regina quoted "You know, that's exactly what my mother said to justify what she did to Daniel".
"What I did in Camelot, I did to protect Henry" Emma told them
"She thought she was protecting me, too".
"I didn't have a choice".
"There's always a choice, Emma. You've said that to me a thousand times".
"We were running out of time. It was the only way to free Merlin" Emma accidentally blurted to the pair.
"Merlin?" Amelia spoke up from her spot as Emma saw her mistake "Wait... we freed Merlin in Camelot? But if that's true, why are you still the Dark One?".
Emma simply just stared at the woman in front of her, knowing she was one of the reason's why Emma was still the Dark One, but she couldn't tell her just yet. She had to have no other option to do that.
"This is a waste of time. I want to see my son" she demands out of the pair.
"Well, I don't think he wants to see you. Goodbye, Ms. Swan" at that Regina and Amelia retreated back inside and closed the door in Emma's face.
Turning to walk off the porch onto the path leading up to the house, looked back to find Henry looking down at her from his window with Tom in the other, looking straight at her before he turned away to close the curtain on her. Following his actions Henry did the same as an angry squawk came from the tree above her.
Looking up, she saw Senu in the branches looking straight at her with her wings held out in warning as she continued to loudly protest the Dark One's presence at their home, showing her talons that scratched the bark.
Grimacing at the eagles warning, the Dark One turned to leave as the eagle leapt down from the branch to land onto the black metal railing that sat above the door on the first floor of the house, as her cries came to a quiet stop. Turning her head side to side gold light filled her eyes as she began her watch over the house her family resided in. Her watch had begun for the night and it would not end until she saw the sunlight in the horizon.
AN: Hello!
Big chapter today!. Hope you enjoyed it, it was one of my favorites to write.
I am hoping to get a special chapter out for the 1 year anniversary of The Evil Queen's Black Widow. May 10th!
A whole year, WOW! That went by quickly...
Anyway,
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