They walked for thirty minutes in total silence, which was just fine with him. Hook's desperation and contempt for this situation were perfectly clear on his face; he didn't need to listen to it any more than he already felt it. Away from the docks, they followed the broom into a suburb and down a street called Fantasia Boulevard. At the stone steps of house number 1940, a massive red and white home with a green door, the broom made a sharp turn and went directly for the door. Looking around, he found himself holding his breath. For someone who had been staying in a gardener's cottage, this place looked anything but manicured. Was it possible that his magic had gotten something wrong? Perhaps the bristles hadn't been enough to convince the broom it belonged to the Apprentice?
"To whom is our bristled guide leading us?" Hook finally questioned, breaching their mutual contract of silence.
Hook didn't need to know the answer to that yet. Hell, as far as he was concerned, he didn't need the answer to that question ever. Who the Sorcerer was and why he needed him didn't concern Hook. All he needed from the pirate was his presence.
"Someone who wronged me long ago," he answered mysteriously.
And he meant that as more of a royal "we" than a singular "me." Truly, the Sorcerer had never done anything to him besides bite him on the hand as a mouse, an action he couldn't even be sure the Apprentice was in control of at the time. But then again, that was the problem. The Apprentice had a gift for foresight, clearly. He'd had the knowledge that he needed to send Ingrid to this realm to wait things out for Emma's arrival, but more damning than that...he'd had the power to send her to this realm in the first place. All his years of toil and heartache and working to get himself to this realm, and the Apprentice couldn't have saved him the trouble of it by sending him here? Add that into what he'd done to the Dark Ones as a whole, and today was a very big bill that had just come due.
"And today, he's going to pay the price."
As the broom approached his door, he withdrew his locater spell so that the broom became nothing more than an inanimate object all over again that came to rest by the door. As it did, he noted that there was absolutely no magic anywhere on the property. No fortifications, no security spells, at least none that he could see. There was a security camera on the main door, something that made him happy as he knew immediately how he could use that to his own advantage. He had a plan, a reason that he wanted Hook here for this, and that only served to make the plan better.
But to have no magic whatsoever! That was surprising.
On the one hand that could just go to support his previous fear that he was at the wrong house. But on the other hand, this was also the man who had managed to elude Dark Ones since Nimue's time. If he wanted to hide from someone as powerful as him, he wasn't sure he would use magic either for fear it might act like a beacon. At least this way, he blended in.
At the knock of the door, he detected movement inside the house, and he prepared himself. He didn't gather his magic but rather muted it and kept it at the ready for his body to use just in case the Apprentice came to the door, felt it, and decided to run. He was ready for anything. He had to be.
The door swung open to reveal a man he'd never met before in person but had met dozens of times in the memories of those who came before. Same beard. Same balding head. Not exactly the same red sorcerer's robe he'd once dawned, it was certainly a garment of this world, but it was close enough that there was no hiding his identity. And the way he felt the old man's heart stop in his chest for just a fraction of a second the moment he saw him…he knew exactly who he was.
He let his magic out, let it sweep over him and steal his own, practically castrating the poor man before he could think to do anything. "Hello, old friend," he whispered with a smile. Then he turned to Hook. "Captain, please see our host to a seat."
Hook moved forward and wrapped his hands around the Apprentice's shoulders, probably a bit too rough for an elderly man who looked to be about his age, but he knew better. He cast the security camera a glance before he grabbed the broom, strolled into the house, and closed the door behind him. In the living room, Hook already had the man seated in a chair it seemed he'd pulled from the kitchen. He hadn't tied him to it but rather rested there with his hands on his shoulders, effectively trapping him. Whether or not Hook wanted to claim the title of Villain at this moment was irrelevant; as much as it pained him to admit it, the man still knew exactly how to act the part. That was what he'd been counting on, and he was pleased to see the pirate didn't disappoint. Or complain.
No one said anything as he walked into the room after them, pulled the box from his pocket, and set it before the Apprentice. He had no words, but his eyes spoke everything for him. First, shock, then doubt, followed quickly by suspicion. All of that faded into fear the second he pulled his dagger, the true dagger, from his jacket.
Hook could have run. The whole reason he was here was because he'd supposedly exchanged the dagger, and he had no more blackmail over him. Seeing it now, he most certainly could take out his phone and call Emma or Belle, but he was counting on that idea of an evil hand to hook him into staying for the time being.
He used his magic to open the cylinder, as he had a dozen times by now. And that look, the one of utter horror and confusion on the Apprentice's face without him having to utter even a single word...he loved it. And he wasn't the only one. Nimue stood in the corner, watching with a grin on her face, her eyes wide and fixed in a hungry stare. Oh no, he was neither of them were feeling any doubt about this plan at this point.
"You have it," the Apprentice exclaimed. So, he had lost track of it at some point.
"Don't tell me you doubted me."
"Every Dark One tries. Every one fails."
He'd heard that before, in no less than seven Dark Ones' memories.
"Might be time to update the motto."
"You may have the hat, but we both know you will never collect enough power to do what you want."
"Oh, I will," he smiled, setting the dagger aside. The warning was a hoax. He had nearly all the power he needed already, and he was positive that Merlin's boy was about to give him a very healthy dose. "But, alas, you won't be there to see it."
With a wave of his hand, he activated the magic within the hat. The moment he felt something stir within it, he turned it on its side and watched. The Apprentice's eyes got wide as he stared into it.
"Yes!" Nimue giggled gleefully.
The room was suddenly filled with an extraordinary light that came forth from the opening.
"Yes!" she shouted beside him, clapping her hands in joy and encouragement.
"No!" the Apprentice shrieked as he felt the floor tremble, and the magic began to seek out the magic within plain sight.
"Yes!"
The old man fought it, but slowly, his hands and feet raised as another cry escaped him. The hat pulled him into the brim, where he disappeared, and the hat could begin the process of absorbing the magic he had to give.
The whole thing had taken only seconds, but it was oddly satisfying. It left Hook staring wide-eyed in horror and Nimue looking as though her birthday had just come early.
"Finally, after all this time…" she choked out…her voice full of emotion before she finally opened her mouth and laughed with happiness.
"Where the hell did he go?" Hook demanded in a low, frightful tone, completely unaware there was a third person in the room practically dancing in delight.
He reached down and retrieved his prize, flipping it over gleefully in his hand as Nimue took several happy gasps beside him. "Exactly where I need him," he answered, looking the hat over. Was it his imagination, or were some of those stars shining a bit brighter already?
He summoned the dagger back into his grasp before Hook could think to make a grab for it himself, then used it to shrink the hat back down into its more subtle container.
"We're done here," he declared with satisfaction. And with a snap of his fingers, the house faded around them, leaving only Nimue's hysterical laughter echoing in his mind.
Short chapter, but let's face it, this scene was also ridiculously short in the show. Still, I hope it does fill in some of the blanks. And I loved putting in a little bit of back story for why Rumple would be really angry with the Apprentice even if they never met.
Thank you Rsbeall12 and Grace5231973 for your consistent reviews! I hope that you'll enjoy the appearance of Nimue in this chapter. I know that Rumple isn't technically swaying in his choice here, but it seemed like if Nimue was ever going to pop out of his mind and witness something herself, this would be it. Peace and Happy Reading!