Cruel Princess (No 20)

by DeadGirlEtarnal

Zelena isn't the only sister to the Evil Queen Regina, she has a younger sister, Octavia, and she's nothing like her older sister, though known for her fake alias, the Cruel Princess. Once in Storybrooke, things change maybe for the better for the two sisters, though the trouble seems to worsen once the Saviour steps into their town. Only Ocs.

20. Chapter Nineteen - A Small Light of Hope

Chapter Nineteen - The Heart of the Truest Believer

Season 3, Episode 1

In Neverland,

A place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, and the Lost Boys live.

Although this place isn't like in the fairy tales,

It is quite magical

Emma was giving birth in a prison hospital room in Phoenix, Arizona, where the Doctor and the Nurses were attending to her. The clock struck eight-fifteen. "Big breath. Breathe away, breathe away," the Doctor told her.

"Okay, here we go," the Nurse said, looking at the young blond woman.

"You're doing great. Hang on, hang on," he encouraged the soon-to-be mother.

"You're almost there," she told Emma.

"You're doing fine," the Doctor said.

"Keep breathing," the Nurse instructed the young woman.

"You're doing fantastic. That's it. Breaths, breaths, breaths!" He told her. "Doing great. You're doing great. Here you go. Keep going. Yep. Breathe, breathe. Take a deep breath. Okay big push, big push." Emma screamed. "Push, push, push!" The lights began to flicker and go out as Henry was born. Emma signed in exhaustion and relief. The Doctor held the baby. "Great. Here we go. That's good. That's beautiful." He said to the baby. "How you doing?" He asked Emma. "It's a boy, Emma." The young blond woman looked away. "Emma?" Emma shook her head. The Nurse whispered in the Doctor's ear. "Oh. Emma, just so you know, you can change your mind."

"No, I can't be a mother," Emma cried as the Doctor took the baby away.

Inside the magic bean's portal, Emma, David, Mary Margaret, Mr Gold, Octavia, and Regina hold tight to ropes on the Jolly Roger with Killian at the helm as the ship crosses through the swirling portal. They finally land in the calm waters of Neverland. The group looks around in confusion at the strange new place. "Is that it?!" Emma asks, looking at the island before them.

"Aye, Neverland," Killian confirms, and Emma gazes at the island with determination.

Henry lands on the shore after falling through the portal and attempts to get up and run from Greg and Tamara. "No, uh-uh uh-uh-uh," Greg tuts, grabbing Henry by his coat and shocking him. "Slow down, pal. You got nowhere to go."

"We made it," Tamara sighs, looking around. "Mission accomplished."

"Are you sure about that? 'Cuz my mum is coming to get me. Both of them. And my aunt," Henry argues, looking at them.

"You might wanna take a look around, kid. Do you see any clock towers? You're a long way from Storybrooke," Greg retorts, glaring at the boy.

"It doesn't matter! My family's been to the Enchanted Forest before, and they can get here again," he snaps. Tamara hears a weird howling noise from inside the trees and looks around.

"Well, we're not in the Enchanted Forest. This is Neverland," Tamara announces, making Henry look around in disbelief.

"Neverland? You're here to destroy Neverland?" The Mills boy exclaims, looking at the adults.

"It's the mother lode of magic," she replies, looking at Greg. "Where's the communicator? We need to signal the Home Office." Greg takes the communicator outside his backpack.

"Here you go, T," Greg says.

"An office in the jungle? Huh. Who works there?" Henry wonders, frowning, and Greg gets up and walks towards the boy.

"Who we work for is not your concern, kid. Just know that they take care of us," Owen snaps.

"Do they? Can they tell you how to get back home after you destroy magic?" He asks.

"We don't ask questions. We just believe in our cause," Greg replies, and Tamara tries operating the communicator.

"Greg?" Tamara calls, making him look at her.

"Yeah?" He questions.

"I'm not getting a status light on this thing," she informs him, handing the communicator to Greg.

"Did you check the batteries?" Owen asks her, opening the battery compartment, and sand falls out.

"What the hell is this? A toy?" The woman exclaims.

"It's a good thing you guys don't ask any questions," Henry remarks, making the adults look at him.

"Let's go," Greg says to Tamara. "Walk!" He snaps at the boy.

Killian mans the helm on the Jolly Roger, slowing the ship as they near the island, which Regina notices. "Why are you slowing down?" Regina demands. "In case you didn't know, my son's life is in danger."

"Oh, I know, my hot-headed Queen. The plan is to bring us to the far side of the island, link up with the widest part of the river, and...then we sail right through, take him by surprise. The irony..." Killian replies, smiling wistfully.

"What irony?" She snaps.

"Oh, I spent more time than I care to remember trying to leave this place to kill Rumplestiltskin. And here I am, sailing right back into its heart with him as my guest of honour. It's not quite the happy ending I was hoping for," he remarks, glancing at the Dark One.

"Greg Mendell said something funny to me. He said I'm a villain, and that villains don't get happy endings. You believe that?" The Evil Queen wonders, moving towards him.

"I hope not, or we've wasted our lives," Hook retorts, gazing at Octavia, who moves around the ship with a frown as she looks at the island. He can't quite help himself as he smiles at the way her brow furrows.

"She'll never fall for you," Regina warns him, making the pirate Captain look at her. "There's a reason she became the Cruel Princess."

"And why is that?" Killian can't help but ask, frowning. Emma stands along the ship's railing, looking out at the sea. Mary Margaret and David approach their daughter, wanting to talk.

"Hey. What happened to Neal and Henry - it's not your fault. You can't blame yourself," Mary Margaret assures her.

"I don't. I blame you. All this happened because I listened to you," Emma snaps, glaring at her parents. "You say good always wins. It doesn't. I didn't grow up in some fairy tale land. My experience is different. That's all I can go on."

"And all we have to go on is ours, so if you would just let us share our wisdom-," she argues.

"I appreciate you trying to be parents, but we're the same age. We have equal amounts of wisdom. And all I want is Henry back. I should never have broken the curse. I should've just taken Henry and-," the blond woman growls, wishing she could take back everything for more time with her son.

"You're right. Th-Then you'd be together. We missed you growing up Emma, and it haunts us every day," Snow replies, trying to get Emma to understand.

"And that's why we're here now. We don't want you to have to go through the same thing, too, and you won't. We are gonna get our family back," David assures Emma.

"How can you two be so infuriatingly optimistic?!" Emma roars, making the Charmings look at her in disbelief.

"It's who we are," he replies calmly.

"Why? Ever since you got your memories back, ever since you remembered that you're Snow White and Prince Charming, your lives have... they've... Well, they've sucked!" She argues, looking between them.

"No. No, we found you," Charming tells her, smiling.

"And lost Henry and Neal, and countless other people!" The Saviour snaps angrily.

"Emma, the minute I let go of the belief that things will get better is the minute that I know they won't. We'll find Henry," Mary Margaret argues, trying to get her to understand.

"No, you won't," Mr Gold says, making everyone turn to see him standing at the helm garbed in his old Rumpelstiltskin outfit.

"Oh, that's a great use of our time—a wardrobe change," Killian remarks sarcastically.

"I'm gonna get Henry," he states.

"We agreed to do this together," Regina argues, glaring at her old mentor.

"Actually, we made no such agreement," the Dark One retorts, shaking his head.

"Why are you doing this?" Emma asks him.

"Because I wanna succeed," Mr Gold argues, looking at the others.

"What makes you think I'm gonna fail?" She questions.

"Well, how could you not? You don't believe in your parents, or in magic, or even yourself," he replies, glancing at the Saviour.

"I slayed a dragon. I think I believe," the blond woman argues, shrugging.

"Only what was shown to you. When have you ever taken a real leap of faith? You know, the kind where there's absolutely no proof? I've known you for some time, Miss Swan. And, sadly, despite everything you've been through, you're still just that...bail bonds-person, looking for evidence. Well, dearie, that's not gonna work in Neverland," the Dark One explains.

"I'll do whatever it takes," Emma assures him, not wanting to be left behind.

"Well, you just need someone to tell you what that is. Sorry, dearie, our foe is too fearsome for hand-holding. Neverland is a place where imagination runs wild. And, sadly, yours doesn't. Octavia, I would let her out again. She will be needed. You know this. You need to unleash your darker side," Rumpelstiltskin replies, looking at Octavia and Emma before spinning his cane, which falls to the deck. In the next second, Mr Gold disappears from the ship, and only his cane remains. Octavia sighs deeply before looking at her hands, remembering the overwhelming darkness as the Cruel Princess.

"Don't listen to him, Octavia," David warns her, and Octavia looks at him.

"He's right. Pan is a dangerous foe; we need her," Octavia argues, waving her hands over her head as teal smoke surrounds her; once it disappears, she's dressed in a crimson red coat and black trousers.

Greg starts a fire once they camp in a jungle clearing. "We making s'mores?" Henry asks, looking at his captures.

"No," Greg snaps, patting his palms. "Building a signal. Help me gather some dry leaves. We need to let the Home Office know that we're here," he asks Tamara.

"And what if that's not enough? What if the empty communicator wasn't an accident?" Tamara wonders.

"Don't let the kid get in your head," he warns her, and they hear a rustle behind them, turning their head. Teenagers come from within the trees and surround Greg, Tamara, and Henry. "Who are you?"

"We're the Home Office. Welcome to Neverland," Felix announces, smirking.

"The Home Office is a bunch of teenagers?" Tamara questions, frowning.

"They're not teenagers. They're the Lost Boys," Henry argues, looking at them.

"Look at that," Felix muses.

"Why do the Lost Boys want to destroy magic?" He wonders, frowning.

"Who said we wanna destroy magic," the older Lost Boy retorts.

"That was our mission," Greg argues, feeling betrayed.

"So you were told. Yes. Now the boy. Hand him over," Felix orders.

"Not unless you tell us the plan—for magic, for getting home," Tamara snaps.

"You're not getting home," he informs them.

"Then you're not getting the boy," Greg argues, glaring at the Lost Ones.

"Of course we are," the blond teen chuckles, and they hear a roar from above. Greg looks up as something comes flying from the sky, which is Pan's Shadow. Greg screams as the Shadow rips his shadow, making him collapse to the ground, dead. The Shadow takes the man's shadow away into the sky.

"Run!" Tamara shouts, running off into the jungle with Henry not far behind.

"Get the boy," Felix demands, and the Lost Boys chase them through the trees. A Lost Boy fires an arrow and hits Tamara in the back, making her collapse to the ground with a gasp for air.

Henry keeps running, and the Lost Boys continue chasing him through the thick jungle. Henry runs past two trees, tripping over and falling. A mysterious boy picks him up and pulls him out of the way. "Come on," the boy mutters, and the Lost Boys run past Henry and his new companion. They continue to pant, and the boy pulls down the hood from his robe.

"Thanks," Henry replies, looking at him.

"Pan and his forces are in tune with every grain of sand on the island. We must be careful," he informs him, playing a part in the game.

"Are—Are you a Lost Boy?" The Mills boy wonders.

"I was," the boy says, removing the zip tie on Henry's hands. "But I escaped. And now they're after me, too."

"How? What happened?" Henry wonders, frowning.

"No time for questions. We must keep moving. Come on," he suggests, pulling Henry back on his feet, and they run off into the distance.

While Emma is below on the Jolly Roger in the Captain's quarters doing pull-ups on a bar above. Octavia stands at the ship's bow, looking out at the ocean before closing her eyes. She tries to meditate when Killian walks over, wanting to talk to her. "Oh. Don't stop on my account," Killan remarks, stepping towards her as she peeks at him.

"Wouldn't think of it," Octavia replies, closing her eyes again as he walks closer, looking out at the ocean.

"What are you doing?" He asks her, admiring her in her new clothes; though he likes this new style, it doesn't seem like her.

"Getting myself ready for this new fight," she tells him, waving her hand through the air, conjuring a blood-red bottle.

"Well, I've never known you to need to get ready for a fight. I thought it was a natural state. Don't let Rumpelstiltskin get you down, love," Hook assures her, looking at the bottle in her hands. "Why would you need Dragon's blood?"

"Because if we're to go against Pan, we need it more than anything. I need it more than anything," the Cruel Princess explains, dropping a small portion into her hand. "Blessed be." A sword forms from the blood, creating a red-bladed sword with a black hilt.

"What is that?" Killian asks, frowning as he can feel the sword humming with magic.

"A sword forged from a thousand dead Dragons," Octavia tells him, smiling. "I remember having used this against Maleficent. She feared it, because it can kill almost anything."

"Even the Dark One?" He can't help but ask, looking at her.

"No. Only the Dark One Dagger can kill Rumpelstiltskin. Though, I'm afraid it will only work for the one who conjured it," she explains, placing the sword inside her coat and keeping it tucked away.

"I'm sure you'll make good use of it," the pirate Captain muses, smiling.

"I will. I'll get Henry back and, even if I have to become the Cruel Princess again to do so. I will protect my family," the young Mills sister tells him, and Killian removes his rum bottle from his coat.

"To Henry," Killian offers, and she takes it, sipping at the strong alcohol.

"To Henry," Octavia repeats, giving him the bottle back, which he drinks from.

Meanwhile, at Aurora's Palace, Neal lies on a bed after being treated and wakes up, realising he's alive. "Who are you?" Mulan asks, looking at the strange man.

"Neal," he replies, frowning as Aurora and Phillip approach Mulan and Neal.

"Is he well?" Aurora asks her trusted friend.

"Well enough to be questioned," Mulan informs the Princess, and Aurora comes to his side, pouring a glass of water for Neal.

"Here. Drink. Drink," she offers the glass. "You must be thirsty." She gives him the glass to sip.

"Where am I?" Neal wonders.

"You're in our kingdom," the Princess replies.

"Where's your—where's your kingdom?" He asks, frowning.

"The Enchanted Forest," Phillip informs him.

"I'm back," Baelfire mutters.

"Back? You mean you're from here?" Aurora questions, looking at him.

"He's lying. Look at his clothes. He's from the same world Emma and Snow are from," Mulan argues, gaining his attention.

"Emma? Emma Swan? You know her?" Neal asks, looking at them.

"How do you know her?" She wonders.

"She's... She's my... I-I don't know. But she's in danger. I have to get back to her. I have to help her," he informs her, trying to get up, and Aurora helps him sit up.

"You have to rest. You were gravely injured when we found you. Were you hit by some kind of arrow?" Aurora questions.

".45 Caliber Arrow. Look, I-I need your help. I need to know that Emma and Henry are alright," Cassidy explains, grunting.

"You're...You're Henry's father?" She realises, and Neal nods. "I was once under a sleeping curse. Snow taught me how to control the nightmare. And with practice, I'm able to walk the dream world, find others who have passed though. It's possible I can make contact with them." Neal stands up on the ground with help. "If I can, what would you like me to tell them?"

"Tell Emma I'm alive, and I love her," Neal pleads.

Octavia and Killian stand at the bow of the ship together. "How long was he with you?" Octavia wonders, looking at him.

"Long enough for me to know that I miss him," Killian replies when the Jolly Roger creaks and bangs.

"What was that?" She asks, and they quickly head upstairs to find Mary Margaret and David struggling to control the ship. They fall towards the left, then the right with the rocky waves, and Regina urgently approaches them.

"What the hell are you two doing?!" Regina snaps at the Charmings.

"Trying to keep it steady!" Mary Margaret snaps.

"Hold on!" David shouts, and Killian comes running towards the Charmings and Regina, helping them control the steering wheel.

"Prepare for attack!" Killian orders them.

"Be more specific," Regina snaps at the Captain.

"If you've got a weapon, then grab it," he tells them before getting thrown against the wall as screeching can be heard from the ocean.

"What's out there? A shark? A whale?" Emma questions.

"A kraken?" David wonders.

"Worse," Killian replies as the screeching underwater becomes louder. "Mermaids." A group of mermaids swim towards the Jolly Roger.

David, Mary Margaret, Emma, Regina, Octavia, and Killian try to keep the Jolly Roger steady against the mermaids. "Mermaids?!" Emma shouts as they get closer to the ship and continue screeching.

"Yes, and they're quite unpleasant," Killian remarks, having crossed them before.

"You think?" Regina snaps as a mermaid submerges from the water and hits the boat.

"I'll try and outrun them," he suggests.

"How many of them are there?!" Emma yells as several mermaids bash into the Jolly Roger with their tails.

"I will not be capsized by fish!" David shouts, grabbing a spear, a chain and gunpowder. He puts it into a cannon and aims it at the mermaids.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret calls, signalling Emma to come to the back of the ship.

"What are you doing?!" Emma yells back at her mother.

"Fishing!" She replies, and David lights and fires the cannon while Emma and Mary Margaret throw a fishing net into the ocean. "We caught one!"

"One? There are dozens of them," Regina argues, and David fires the cannon another time. "Enough of this. Octavia!" The young Mills sister joins her sister's side, and they create several fireballs and throw them at the mermaids, scattering them away. "There. They're gone."

"Not all of them. What about that one?" Snow questions and Regina teleports the mermaid to the ship, who screams.

Henry and the mysterious boy run through the forest as the Lost Boys run past them, making the two boys stop. "I think we lost the,." the boy announces.

"Okay. Can we rest for a minute?" Henry asks, and the boy nods.

"You're new. Did the Shadow take you, too?" He wonders.

"No, I was kidnapped by some people that work for Pan," the Mills boy explains.

"I'm sorry. If he sent for you, he wants you. And if Pan wants you, he will get you," the boy warns him.

"Why does Pan want you?" Henry asks, frowning.

"Pixie Dust," he replies, pulling out a vial of Pixie Dust. "I stole it from him because I thought I could use it to fly away and go home. But it doesn't work. It's useless."

"Don't worry. My family is coming to rescue me, and you could come with us," the Mills boy assures them.

"You really think you're the first boy to believe their family's actually coming for them?" The boy argues.

"My family's different. We always find each other," Henry tells him.

"You better hope they don't, or else Pan will rip their shadows into oblivion," he warns, and Henry stands up and puts him on the shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay. I promise. Don't lose hope. All we need is time. Is there a place we can hide from the Lost Boys?" The Mills boy asks, looking around.

"There's a place they can't track us. The Echo Caves. But it's far," the boy replies.

"Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way," Henry says, and they begin running again into the distance.

In the Enchanted Forest at Aurora's Palace, the Princess sleeps on the bed as she tries trekking through the Dream World. "Feeling better?" Mulan asks, looking at Neal.

"Yeah," Neal replies.

"How did you get here?" She wonders.

"I fell through a portal. I thought—I thought I was gonna die, and—and I thought about this place. I thought about growing up here. That's how portals work. They take you to wherever you think of," he explains.

"Well, what's to like, the other world?" The Warrior asks him, curious.

"Uh, well, for starters, they think this place is just a fairy tale. Like—like a legend. Like we're all just characters in a story," Baelfire tells her, trying to explain.

"I'm in a story?" Mulan questions.

"Yeah. They made a movie about you. It's actually pretty good," Neal comments, confusing her.

"What's a movie?" She asks him.

"Uh..." Lost for words, he replies when Aurora awakes, and Phillip helps her off the bed.

"It's worse than I feared. I couldn't make contact. I wish I could be more helpful. I-I fear no one can," Aurora informs them.

"My father can. He always had a plan. Uh, he would've left something behind if he ever found himself back here. Something that can be used to contact Emma, to get to her. I know it. I just need to get to his castle," Neal suggests.

"Who's your father?" Phillip asks him.

"Rumplestiltskin," he announces, earning looks from the others.

Mr Gold appears on the island and comes across Greg and Tamara, the woman crawling across the ground. "So, where is he?" The Dark One demands. "Henry. There, there. I can help you speak." He waves his hand and makes the arrow disappear from her back.

"Thank you," Tamara groans.

"Where's Henry? They killed him?" Mr Gold asks her.

"I don't think so. I told him to run, and he did," she explains.

"Where?" He questions.

"The jungle. Pan wants him. He's behind all of this," the woman tells him. "Look, Mr Gold, I didn't know who I was working for. I'm sorry about Neal. I'm so sorry." Mr Gold kneels on the ground before the woman.

"I know. You were merely a pawn," the Dark One muses.

"Can...Can you forgive me?" Tamara asks him.

"No," Rumpelstiltskin replies before ripping out her heart and crushing it, causing her death.

The mermaid flops on the deck of the Jolly Roger. "Get that thing off my ship!" Killian orders the others.

"No. Now we have a hostage," Regina argues, glaring at the mermaid.

"I hate to say it, but I'm with Hook. Those things just tried to kill us," David replies.

"And perhaps we should find out why," she muses, crouching beside the mermaid.

"How? By torturing her?" Mary Margaret questions.

"Well, if need be. Sure," the Evil Queen retorts and the mermaid picks up a seashell and blows into it, causing the others to cover their ears.

"What the hell was that?!" Octavia shouts.

"A warning," the mermaid informs them before a loud clap of thunder. "Let me go...or die."

Neal and Mulan walk across the desert in the Enchanted Forest. "Can I ask you a question?" Mulan wonders, looking at him.

"Yeah, I don't know how to explain what a movie is," Neal replies awkwardly.

"You say you're fighting for Emma, but she never mentioned you when she was here. Why is that?" She asks him.

"Because I broke her heart. I let her go so she could break the curse and fulfill her destiny. And when it was broken I could've gone after her. I could've told her I loved her. But... I was afraid she would never forgive me, so I wound up taking the easy way out, which is not trying." He explains.

"Your belief in love wasn't strong enough to overcome your fear of rejection," the Warrior retorts.

"Yeah. Greatest regret of my life, not one I wish upon anyone," Baelfire mutters, thinking of the blond woman.

Henry and his new companion run through the woods while the Lost Boys follow them. Suddenly, Henry falls, tripping, but gets back up. "They're close. I can see them," Henry announces.

"We're almost to the caves. Come on. Follow me," the boy tells him when an arrow fires at the tree beside them. Henry and the boy take a step back.

"They cut us off. They know about the caves, so we have to go this way," he tells him, heading the other way with the boy.

David snatches the seashell from the mermaid. "What is this? What did you do?!" David demands, glaring at her.

"Let me go," the mermaid demands.

"Not until you tell us. Or we make you tell us," Regina orders her,

"Threatening her isn't the way to motivate her," Mary Margaret argues.

"Well, I'm all out of fish food," she retorts angrily.

"Doesn't matter if you get her to talk. You can't trust her. Mermaids are liars," Killian warns them.

"Of course they are," Emma mutters, shaking her head.

"Maybe they're just scared of Pan. If we let her go, maybe they'll be on our side," Mary Margaret reasons.

"Or maybe she and her friends will come right back to kill us," Octavia argues, glaring at the mermaid.

"Oh, I don't need my friends to kill you. You'll kill yourselves. Now let me go," the mermaid orders as the storm surrounds the ship with lightning and thunder flashes through the sky.

"What the hell?!" David shouts, looking up at the sky.

"It's a storm. She called it. Don't let her go. She'll swim off and leave us all to die. At least with her, we've got leverage," Killian warns them, and David grabs a sword and holds it to the mermaid's neck.

"Stop the storm, then we let you go," David demands, coming behind the mermaid and holding it lower down her neck.

"That's more like it, Charming. Filet the bitch," Regina sneers.

"No," he replies, taking the sword away from her neck. "We are not barbarians."

"What we're going to be is dead," she argues.

"Hold on. I'm gonna turn around," Killian informs them, turning the ship around. "I've outrun many a storm."

"Make it stop or die," Regina demands, glaring at the mermaid.

"We are not killers!" Mary Margaret argues.

"Yes, you are. And you brought this death upon yourselves," the mermaid tells the humans.

"This is why we should free her!" She shouts at the others.

"That feel-good nonsense, Snow, might play in the Enchanted Forest, but this...this is Neverland." Regina argues, and the ship loses balance, catching everyone off guard.

"Keep your grip, pirate," David warns him.

"It wasn't me, mate! It was the ship! We're taking on water!" Killian shouts back.

"Now may I resume killing her!" Regina asks the others.

"No!" The Charmings shout.

"You kill her, and her kind will have a personal vendetta on us," Mary Margaret argues.

"The Queen is right. They've already tried killing us," Killian snaps.

"Stop! That's enough! We need to think this through!" Emma shouts.

"I already have!" Regina argues, turning the mermaid into wood. "There. That should stop the storm."

"Regina! What did you do?!" She yells.

"No!" Octavia screams as they turn around; a massive wave forms in the distance, heading towards them.

"What have you done?!" The blond woman snaps, and the ship ascends the wave. Everyone grabs a rope, water soaking the vessel and making everyone wet.

Neal and Mulan arrive at the Dark Castle, entering carefully, unsure of what they'll find upon entering. "It appears abandoned," Mulan states, and Neal spots a cup, tasting the drink.

"No, someone's here," Neal tells her when an arrow barely misses his head. "Whoa!"

"The first was a warning, m'lady. Chivalry and all that," Robin Hood remarks, making the others look at her.

"Who are you?" Mulan demands.

"The name's Robin," he introduces himself.

"No way. Robin Hood?" Neal questions, surprised.

"I'd bow, but this quiver's rather tight. Now, what are you doing trespassing in my castle?" The man demands.

"This castle belongs to The Dark One. It is you who trespasses," Mulan argues.

"He hasn't been seen since the Queen's curse. If he ever shows up, I'll be happy to vacate," Robin retorts.

"No need. In fact, you can have it. I just-I need to look around for a bit," Neal informs him.

"And who would you be to grant such a title?" He questions.

"In this land I'm known as Baelfire. I'm his son," Cassidy replies.

"My apologies. Go ahead," the thief agrees.

"You don't wanna see ID?" Neal questions, frowning.

"Who would claim to be that who wasn't?" Robin argues, looking at the man.

"Yeah, good point," he mutters.

"Your father would not stand for imposters. He had quite a temper," the thief remarks.

"You knew my father?" Baelfire questions.

"We crossed paths once, yes," Robin replies.

"Most crossings with my father don't end well," Neal remarks, looking at the thief.

"It was touch and go. He spared my life. I owe him a debt," he tells him.

"I'm happy to collect. I'm looking for something he left here. Magical item," Cassidy explains.

"Well, I'm very sorry to disappoint, but I arrived shortly after the curse, the place was cleaned out. Nothing of any value remains," the thief informs him.

"No. Thieves and looters would only take what they could see," Neal argues, looking around and finding the old cane Rumpelstiltskin once used before becoming the Dark One.

"What's magical of a knotted old cane? Probably belonged to one of the looters," Mulan suggests.

"No. It belonged to him. See these markings? He's keeping track of me growing," he informs her, showing the carvings on the side before twirling the cane around like a staff, and a painting in the corner of the room disappears, revealing a large cupboard.

"I've handled that walking stick a dozen times. It never released a cloaking spell before," Robin comments, watching in astonishment.

"My father enchanted objects so that what might be a useless piece of wood in the hands of a looter would become magical in his." Baelfire explains.

"Or in the hands of his only son," Mulan replies.

"Yeah, he called it blood magic. Might not always seem like it, but family was important to dear old dad," Neal remarks, thinking of his dad.

"So...what's in there?" Robin wonders.

"Let's find out," he replies, stepping inside.

Killian and Octavia struggle at the ship's helm to control it through the storm. "I thought you said you could outrun a storm," Octavia groans.

"This isn't a storm. It's bloody damnation," Killian argues.

"Why would you do this?" Mary Margaret snaps at the Evil Queen.

"You're going to blame me?" Regina shouts.

"You turned the mermaid into wood," she argues.

"I did something about it, which is more than you can say," the Evil Queen snaps.

"Undo your spell! Bring back the mermaid!" Snow shouts at her.

"And what, you'll win her over with your rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers?" Regina argues angrily.

"Considering that your plan failed, at least we could try," Mary Margaret yells.

"You're such a naive princess!" She snaps.

"And you are such a..." the raven-haired woman growls before punching Regina across the face.

"That your best?" The Mayor questions.

"Not even close. I'm so tired of you ruining my life," Mary Margaret snaps.

"I ruined your life?" Regina shrieks.

"Hey!" David shouts as the two women start fighting and yelling.

"Hey," Killian snaps, stopping David. "Let the slags go. I need you at the mast."

"Don't call my wife a slag," he yells, and the two men start fighting.

"Stop it!" Emma shouts at them, looking at the lightning and thunder above while the others keep fighting. "It's not the mermaid. It's us. If you don't stop fighting, we're all gonna die. Don't you see, we're causing the storm." She looks at the lightning and thunder while the others keep fighting. "Hey! Stop! You need to listen to me." Emma looks around and jumps off the side of the ship.

"Emma!" The Charmings shout.

"Oh!" Mary Margaret exclaims, and a pulley strikes Emma in the back, knocking her unconscious.

Henry and his companion run through the woods and find themselves at the edge of a cliff. "Watch out!" Henry shouts, pulling the boy back.

"They're over here!" A Lost Boy

"What do we do? Is there any other way to the Echo Caves?" He wonders.

" No. We're done for. I'll give them the pixie dust. Maybe they'll let us live," the boy suggests.

"You want to give up?" The Mills boy questions, frowning.

"We don't have a choice. They got us. This is the end," he argues.

"No, it's our way out," Henry tells him.

"What are you doing?" The boy asks.

"Getting a running start," he replies.

"For what?" The boy wonders.

"Everyone knows pixie dust is for flying," the Mayor's son argues.

"Don't you remember? The dust doesn't work," he reminds him.

"That's because you have to believe," Henry replies.

"I definitely do not believe!" The boy shouts.

"That's okay, because I do," he assures him, opening the pixie dust bottle with a running start, using it to fly himself and the other boy off the cliff moments before the Lost Boys arrive.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret shouts for her daughter.

"Idiot," Regina mutters.

"Regina! Get her up here!" She yells at the Evil Queen.

"I can't. Not in this storm. I can't even see her," the dark-haired woman argues. "I'll just bring up water and half her leg."

"I can't either," Octavia replies, and David tries to jump into the water after his daughter.

"Wait!" Killian shouts.

"She'll drown," David argues.

"And so will you. Let me help," he offers, grabbing a rope. "Here, tie him." David jumps in the water and rescues Emma. "He has her! Pull!" They pull, lifting Emma and David. "I've got it."

"Oh!" Mary Margaret exclaims.

"Emma..." David mutters, keeping the blond woman close to him as they approach the ship's side onto the deck.

"No. No," she whispers, checking on Emma when she coughs as the storm clears.

"I told you," Emma groans.

Mr Gold invites Felix to chat about what is going on in Neverland. "Come out and say hello, dearie," Mr Gold coos, and Felix emerges from the forest.

"Hello, Rumplestiltskin. Pan welcomes you to the island. He wanted me to tell you he is excited to see you again," Felix informs him.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure he is," he retorts.

"He wanted me to let you know you're welcome in Neverland, for as long as you wish to stay...with one caveat." The older Lost Boy tells him.

"There's always something with him," the Dark One remarks.

"If you're here for the boy...well...that makes you Pan's enemy," Felix replies.

"Then nothing's changed," Mr Gold snaps.

"If you go against him, you will not survive," he warns the Dark One.

"Well, the question isn't will I survive," Rumpelstiltskin replies, standing up, "because we both know I won't. No, no. The real question is..." he grabs Felix. "...how many of you I take with me."

"So, is that your answer?" The loyalist Lost Boy asks.

"That's my answer," Mr Gold tells him.

"Well then, I suppose that means I'll see you again, in less friendly circumstances." Felix warns him.

"Count on it," he snaps, walking away.

"One last thing," the older Lost Boy says, and Mr Gold stops and turns around. "There's something he wanted you to have." Felix throws the Straw Doll on the ground. Mr Gold slowly kneels and picks it up. "Isn't it funny, the things we haven't thought about in years still have the ability to make us cry?" Felix laughs while Rumpelstiltskin begins crying. "See you around, Dark One." He leaves.

Neal opens the secret cabinet, looking at all the magical artefacts. "I spent my entire life running from magic," Neal comments. "Now it's the only thing that can help me." Neal grabs the magic glass globe, trying to get it to work. "It's not working. Why isn't it working?" Neal puts the globe down.

"Don't think of a place. Think of her," Mulan suggests. "Of Emma. And more than that how you feel about her." Neal grabs the magic glass globe again, and it glows, showing Emma in Neverland.

"Oh, no. It can't be," he mutters.

"What's wrong? Isn't she there?" Robin asks him.

"Yes, but that's not Storybrooke. Emma's in Neverland," Baelfire announces.

Emma and the others get onto the shore after the storm clears, having no other way to get onto the island. "We don't have to do it this way. I can fix the Jolly Roger," Regina offers. "My magic is powerful enough. We can execute the pirate's plan."

"Sneak attack? Let's not be naive," Emma argues, looking at the Evil Queen. "Save your magic. We'll need it later, because Pan already knows we're here. It's time we stop running. Gold was right. This land is run on belief. All of us have been too busy being at each other's throat to be believers. I was as wrong as anyone else. It's time for all of us to believe. Not in magic, but in each other."

"You want to be friends? After everything that's happened between all of us?" She asks her.

"I don't want or expect that. I know there's a lot of history here, a lot of hate," the blond woman assures her.

"Actually, I quite fancy you from time to time, when you're not yelling at me," Killian comments.

"We don't need to be friends. What we need to do now is the only way to get Henry back is cooperation," Emma tells them.

"With her? With him? No, Emma. We have to do this the right way," David argues.

"No, we don't. We just need to succeed," she retorts. "And the way we do that is by just being who we are—a hero, a villain, a pirate. It doesn't matter which, because we're going to need all those skills, whether we can stomach them or not."

"And what's your skill, Saviour?" Regina snaps, glaring at her.

"I'm a mother. And now I'm also your leader," the blond woman snaps. "So either help me get my son back or get out of the way." Emma pulls out her sword, and everyone follows her into the woods.

The boy and Henry fly through the air, but soon, the pixie dust runs out, and the boy points to the ground, suggesting they should land. They begin tumbling towards the ground before getting up. "See? If you believe, anything is possible," Henry tells him.

"You couldn't be more right, Henry," the boy replies.

"How... How'd you know my name? I never told you," he gasps, shocked.

"Let's make it a game. A puzzle to solve," the boy muses, smirking.

"You lied to me. You are a Lost Boy. You work for Pan," the Mills boy snaps.

"Not exactly. I am Peter Pan," he reveals himself.

"But you told Greg and Tamara that magic was bad, that you'd help them destroy it. Why?" Henry asks him.

"Because I needed their help. And it's so much easier to get people to hate something then to believe," Peter explains.

"Why did you bring me here?" He questions, frowning.

"For quite some time, I've sought something extremely important. Something more elusive than the greatest of all mysteries," Pan tells him.

"What?" The Mayor exclaims.

"The heart of the truest believer. And when you took that pixie dust, Henry, and jumped off that cliff," Peter replies, knocking on a tree, "you proved yourself. You are the lucky owner of that very special heart. And now? You, and it, are mine." He pulls out a knife. "Come on, boys!" The Lost Boys surround Henry, coming out from the trees. "Let's play!"

Chapter Nineteen - Lost Girl

Season 3, Episode 2

In Neverland,

A place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, and the Lost Boys live.

Although this place isn't like in the fairy tales,

It is quite magical

Mr Gold conjures a fireball, starting a campfire and faces a rock, letting his shadow draw from the light. He freezes his shadow on the large surface and takes out his dagger, cutting his shadow across his feet using the sharp blade painfully. He stands up and looks at the shadow, holding his dagger out to it. "You know what to do. Hide it where no one can find it, not even me," the Dark One orders it and watches the shadow fly away.

David, Emma, Killian, Mary Margaret, Octavia, and Regina trek through the dense jungle searching for Henry. "The ridge is just a few hundred paces up ahead," Killian informs them, leading the group.

"You really think we're gonna be able to see Pan's hideout?" Emma asks him.

"From there, we should be able to see everything, including where he's keeping your son." He assures them.

"You know, I could have just poofed us up here in an instant," Regina argues, glaring at the pirate Captain.

"Where? Have you any idea what's up here or anywhere? There are dangers all about. Only I can guide us past them," Hook snaps.

"He's right. Hook's lived here before. If he says hiking up is the best way, then we listen," Octavia says, siding with the pirate Captain.

"Here. You need to stay hydrated," Mary Margaret offers, giving Emma some water from the canteen.

"Thanks, Mary Margaret," she replies, taking a few sips.

"You know, 'Mary Margaret' is a bit formal. You could call me 'mum' if you want. You've done it before," Snow muses, looking at her daughter.

"That was...back when we-," the blond woman argues nervously.

"...we were about to die. Oh, no, I get it," Mary Margaret mutters, disheartened, and the two women catch up with the rest of the group. In the lead, David cuts down branches that block their pathway. He sees a patch of thorns and moves to slash them, but Killian stops him.

"No. No!" Killan shouts, pulling the Prince away.

"I can handle a couple of thorns," David argues, pulling away.

"That's dreamshade. It's not the thorns you have to worry about. It's the poison they inject you with. This plant is the source of the toxins I used on the Dark One," he informs the newcomers to Neverland.

"The poison that almost killed Gold?" Emma questions, looking at the strange-looking vines with thorns dripping the deadly Dreamshade poison.

"Indeed. I used a concentrated dose. In its natural form, death would be much slower and far more painful. I suggest we go this way," Hook tells them, pointing away from the Dreamshade vines.

"We'll go this way," David snaps, going off as Mary Margaret and Regina follow behind the Prince.

"Your father's a distrustful fellow," Killian remarks, looking at Emma.

"He's just not used to working with the bad guys," Emma replies, walking away, and Octavia steps beside him.

"I can assure you, on this island, I am not the bad guy," he tells her.

"Yeah, well, Pan's not supposed to be one either," Octavia argues.

"What possibly gave you that idea?" The Captain questions, frowning as they walk through the foliage behind the others.

"Every story I ever read, though I know differently," she replies sarcastically.

"Well, they got it all wrong. Pan is the most treacherous villain I've ever faced. Tell me something, luv. In these stories...what was I like? Other than a villain. Handsome, I gather," Killian wonders, smirking.

"If waxed mustaches and perms are your thing," the Cruel Princess retorts, smiling.

"I take it by your tone, perms are bad?" He questions.

"Oh, they are awful, they wouldn't suit you," Octavia laughs.

"Up here! We made it," David calls to the others.

"Pan's lair should be just...right..." Hook says, stopping when he sees the overgrown jungle.

"Where? All I see is jungle," Regina remarks, annoyed.

"Aye. The Dark Jungle," Killian replies, taking out his telescope to survey the land. "It's, uh, grown so much since I last stepped foot in Neverland."

"So this nature hike was for nothing," she sighs.

"Hook may have led us astray, but at least we're in a good position to start combing the jungle." David assures the other.s

"Not exactly. The Dark Jungle's the last place you wanna set foot," Killian warns them, having the most experience in Neverland. "We'll have to go around it. In order to do that, we're gonna need our strength. I suggest we make camp."

"You wanna sleep while my son is out there suffering?" Regina snaps angrily at the pirate.

"If we want to live long enough to save the boy...Yes," he replies, walking off with the others.

"You okay?" Mary Margaret asks, looking at Emma, who stares at the Dark Jungle.

"Regina's right. Henry's out there somewhere," Emma mutters, wanting to find her son.

"And Hook is right. We have to survive if we're going to get him," she assures her, comforting her daughter.

"I know. I just hope we're not too late," she replies.

"After everything your father and I have been through, there's one thing we've learned. It is never too late," Snow tells her.

Prince Charming rode through the land on his steed, coming upon the forest and Snow White resting inside a glass coffin, supposedly dead, surrounded by Seven Dwarves. "No. No!" Charming cries. "Open it." The Dwarves removed the coffin lid, letting Prince Charming kiss Snow White, and a burst of magic erupted through the kingdom.

A guard rushed through the Evil Queen's palace, carrying a mirror channelling the Magic Mirror. "Careful! If you drop me I'll make sure you have fourteen years bad luck!" The Mirror snapped at the guard before entering the garden with Regina admiring her apple tree. "Your Majesty?"

"I told you never to disturb me out here," Regina growled, turning around to see the guard and Magic Mirror.

"Trust me. I haven't disturbed you yet. Just wait until you see this," he replied nervously, showing the scene between Charming and Snow as they walked away happily.

"He woke her?" She roared.

"Indeed. True love's kiss apparently can break any curse," the Mirror remarked.

"Will you marry me?" Charming asked Snow, who smiled happily at her Prince.

"What do you think?" Snow replied.

"That will be one hell of a wedding. There won't be a dry eye in the entire realm," he commented.

"Quiet!" Regina snapped.

"Let's take back the kingdom," Snow suggested.

"We'll see about that," she sneered, storming away.

At a local village, Snow White, Prince Charming, and the Dwarves attempted to rally a group of commoners with a rousing speech. "The Evil Queen murdered my father, put me under a Sleeping Curse, but I am not the only one she has made to suffer." Snow proclaimed.

"Yeah," the crowd cheered.

"She's terrorised us for far too long," she shouted.

"Yeah!" They cheered.

"This kingdom doesn't belong to her. It belongs to us!" The rogue Princess shouted.

"Yeah!" The commoners cheered.

"So who is ready to stand beside me and fight for what's rightfully ours?!" Snow yelled, but no one responded as the Evil Queen materialised behind the crowd with Octavia standing behind her.

"Quite the courageous army you're building," Regina mused, and the townspeople fled in fright while Snow and her companions wouldn't move.

"They may be afraid of you, but we are not," she snapped at her stepmother.

"Why? Because you and the shepherd broke my sleeping curse?" The Evil Queen questioned, and Snow and Charming drew their swords at the dark-haired woman, who magically bound the Prince with a rope on the cart behind him. "Lucky for you, I didn't come here to fight. I came to offer you a deal. Consider it an engagement present."

"Snow, don't listen to a single word!" Charming shouted at his bride.

"Are you really gonna marry that?" Regina asked, pointing at the Prince.

"What do you want?" Snow demanded, glaring at the Queen.

"I want you to give up your claim to the throne. If you declare me the rightful ruler of this land, I'll let you, the dwarves, and your so-called Prince escape back to the sheep farm he once called home," she offered.

"Exile?" The bandit Princess questioned in disbelief.

"Well, I've tried to kill you. I've tried to curse you, and none of its worked. But then I realised I was going about it all wrong. You need to be alive. You need to be awake. So you can spend all your days knowing that I have taken everything that was supposed to be yours. Now get down on your knees and swear on your father's grave that this kingdom belongs to me," the Evil Queen demanded, glaring at her stepdaughter.

"And if I don't?" Snow asked, weighing her options.

"Well, then someone will pay the price," Regina warned her before using her magic to lift one of the women watching and choking her.

"Stop!" She cried, charging at the Evil Queen with her sword, who disappeared in a cloud of smoke at the last moment, dropping the village girl, and the Prince broke out of his binds, aiding the villager. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Charming assured her.

"Next time she won't be. You have until sundown tomorrow to give up the throne. And for every day that you defy me, I will kill one of your loyal subjects. Stop denying who you are, Snow White. You may have been a Princess, but you will never be a Queen," Regina snapped before heading to her carriage and getting inside with Octavia.

"Are you sure about this, Regina?" Octavia asked her older sister.

"It needs to be done, Octavia," she argued, and Octavia looked out the window, thinking about things.

The Charmings, Killian, Regina, Octavia, and Emma rest before heading back out to search for Henry when the sound of crying children wakes the young Mills woman and blond-haired woman from their slumber. "Guys, wake up!" Emma shouts, trying to wake David and Mary Margaret, but they don't stir.

"They can't hear it," Octavia tells her, trekking into the jungle with Emma behind her, following the sound when Peter Pan appears behind them.

"You hear that, too?" Peter questions, making the Saviour turn around. "You're Emma, right? I wonder why they can't hear the crying."

"Who are you?" Emma demands, glaring at the boy clad in green.

"Oh, did I forget to introduce myself?" He muses, and Octavia turns around, looking at him with anger and regret.

"He's Peter. Peter Pan," Octavia introduces him, and the blond woman quickly pins him against a tree, holding the cutlass at his throat, a gift from Killian.

"Where's Henry?" Emma snaps, glaring at Peter.

"You've got fire. I like fire," Pan muses, smirking. "But not enough fire as Tavie."

"Where's my son?" She demands.

"Henry's still alive, if that's what you're worried about," Peter assures her.

"Why the hell did you take him?" Octavia asks him.

"He's a very special boy, Emma," he replies, hiding his true reason.

"I know. That doesn't answer my question. What do you want with him?" Emma questions.

"I came here to see who I was up against. The 'Saviour'. Gotta say, I'm not disappointed," Pan muses.

"What do you say now? You're gonna tell me how I'm never gonna see Henry again?" She wonders, frowning.

"No. I'm going to help you find him. I'll give you a map. A map that will lead you straight to your son," Peter corrects her, surprising the birth mother.

"If this is some kind of trap..." Octavia warns him.

"I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises, Tavie. The path to finding Henry is on this parchment," he tells them, showing Emma the blank parchment.

"Why are you giving it to me?" Emma questions, not trusting the boy.

"See, it's not about finding Henry. It's about how you find him. And, Emma, you are the only one who can," Pan informs her, and she opens the parchment, revealing it to be blank.

"It's blank," she states, frowning as she turns it around as if something will appear.

"You'll only be able to read that map when you stop denying who you really are," Peter assures her before disappearing and leaving Emma and Octavia alone.

"Tavie?" The blond woman questions, looking at Octavia.

"It was a long time ago," Octavia replies. "I've been here before."

"Wait, you've been here before?" Emma asks, and Octavia walks back to the camp.

"I wish to forget, Emma," she snaps, lying down.

Emma, Killian, Octavia, and Regina talk at the camp the following day. "He so likes his games," Killian grumbles, looking over the blank parchment.

"What game? There's nothing there," Regina snaps, wanting to find Henry.

"If he said there's a map on this parchment, then there is," Octavia argues, shaking her head.

"Great. So if I just stop denying who I really am, whatever that means, then we'll be able to read this thing." Emma comments.

"But how do we know Pan won't use it to lead us straight into a trap?" Regina questions.

"Because he doesn't need to. This whole island's his bloody trap," Killian tells them, and David and Mary Margaret return from their search in the jungle.

"There's no sign of him anywhere," David informs the others.

"Any luck with the map?" Mary Margaret asks.

"Don't hold your breath," Regina mutters bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asks, looking at the Evil Queen.

"Don't you see what he's doing? Every second we spend talking about this is another second we're not looking for my son," she snaps.

"You got a better idea?" The blond woman retorts angrily.

"Magic. If there's a lock on there, I'll find a way around it," the dark-haired woman assures them.

"Pan said it had to be me," Emma argues.

"I'd listen to Emma, love. Breaking Pan's rules would be unwise," Killian warns the Queen, and Octavia glances at the pirate Captain, who glances back at her, making a mental note to never call anyone else 'love' again but her.

"Sadly, I agree with the pirate," David comments.

"I'm winning you over. I can feel it," he muses, looking at Charming.

"And your magic doesn't exactly have a gentle touch, Regina," Mary Margaret remarks.

"Use it on the map, it might blow up in all our faces," David argues.

"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take," Regina snaps.

"Well, I'm not. If I'm the one who's supposed to figure out this thing, I need to do what Pan said," Emma retorts.

"Great," she mutters, disheartened.

"She'll get there. Hey. Don't give up. He's playing a game. You can win," Mary Margaret assures her.

Snow White, Prince Charming, and the Dwarves discuss their options after encountering the Evil Queen. "We can't win. We have to leave the kingdom," Snow argued, looking at the others, losing hope.

"How can you even consider giving it to that Witch?" Charming questioned. "When you're gone, do you think she's suddenly gonna stop menacing this land? And who will protect the people then?"

"Did I protect them today?" She retorted, looking at her future husband. "I couldn't even help that poor girl. And don't kid yourself. She isn't gonna stop with the peasants. She's going to come after the people who are closest to me."

"I will stand by your side no matter what," Grumpy assured her.

"Even if it means our death," Happy told her.

"Which it probably will," Sleepy commented, and everyone looked at him in bewilderment.

"You can't let her get into your head," Charming warned Snow.

"She has a point. I'm no Queen. I'm no leader. I'm just a girl who lost her parents, ran away into the woods, and became a bandit," Snow argued.

"You're Snow White," he reminded her.

"Yes, And the truth is, I don't even know who that is. But I know what I don't wanna be, and that's alone," she snapped.

"That's never gonna happen," the Prince assured her.

"You're right. If we take her offer, we can all live together in exile, but at least we'll be alive. We should leave tomorrow," the rogue Princess told them, getting up and walking away.

"Snow!" Charming shouted.

"Let her go," Grumpy said, watching Snow disappear.

"This is her kingdom. We can't just let her walk away from it," he argued.

"Why do you suddenly care so much about saving Snow's kingdom?" The angry Dwarf wondered.

"What do you mean?" The Prince asked.

"Well, if you have true love, what difference does it make whether you live in a castle or on a farm?" Grumpy questioned, frowning.

"Wait. You think I'm in this for her crown?" Charming snapped, realising what Grumpy was getting at.

"You said it, not me," he replied.

"Okay. Okay, I get it. I'm new. But trust me. I want what's best for Snow," the Prince assured him.

"Look, handsome, she may love you, but that chiseled chin ain't foolin' us. We got our eyes on you," the angry Dwarf warned him.

"Are you Dwarves with me or against me?" Charming asked them.

"I think Grumpy was pretty clear," Sneezy replied.

"Sorry brother. Snow's already made up her mind, so if you're looking to change it, you gotta do it without our help." Grumpy told him.

"Then I'll find another way," Charming said.

When Prince Charming arrived, Rumpelstiltskin spun at his spinning wheel in the Dark Castle. "You again?" The Dark One groaned, looking at the man. "Didn't I just help you wake your Princess?"

"Now I need your help once more. Long ago you made Snow remember who she was when a spell blinded her. I need you to do it again," Charming pleaded with the Crocodile.

Mr Gold gazes at the doll given to him by Felix when he hears a rustling in the jungle; he puts the doll down and gets up to investigate. "Who's there? Show yourself," Gold demands when a cloaked figure grabs the doll and flees. "That doesn't belong to you, dearie." he chases the culprit, catching them and removing the hood; to his surprise, it's Belle, who should still be in Storybrooke. "Belle?"

"Belle. I don't understand. How did you get here?" Gold asks her, sitting beside her in the jungle.

"I thought you didn't dress like that anymore. I thought that was your past," Belle wonders, looking at his darker clothes from his time in the Enchanted Forest.

"Well, this is now my future. Becoming this again, The Dark One, that's the only way I'll save my grandson," he argues, looking at his beloved.

"But you haven't completely become him, have you? There's still hope," she reasons, leaning in to kiss him, but he breaks it off suddenly.

"You're not really here, are you?" The Dark One realises.

"No, of course not. I'm still in Storybrooke, right where you left me," the bookworm reminds him.

"Are you okay? Did the protection spell work?" Mr Gold asks her, worried about her.

"It-It did. We're all fine. Storybrooke's safe. We all are," Belle assures him.

"How do I know these aren't just lies meant to lead me astray? How do I know Pan didn't conjure up a vision of you?" He wonders, frowning.

"He didn't. You did," she informs him.

"What?" Rumpelstiltskin gasps.

"The question is why," the beauty replies.

"You must have something that can change Snow's mind," Charming argued amidst their conversation.

"If she doesn't wanna fight the Queen, there's nothing I can do to change that," Rumpelstiltskin snapped.

"I just need a way to make her believe in something that I already know. That she can face Regina and win," he told the Dark One.

"Magic, can't make someone believe, dearie. It works the other way around. Belief must come from within. You know, the Queen's offer was a fair one. Do yourself a favour and take it," the Dark One argued. "Ruling a kingdom ain't all it's cracked up to be. Just ask your dear old brother. Oh, wait. He died. You see my point." Rumpelstiltskin giggled.

"No. I didn't come here to take 'no' for an answer," the Prince snapped. "Now you must have something. You always do. Just name your price."

Snow White practised her archery as Prince Charming returned and failed to hit the target. "Save those arrows for the Queen," Charming commented.

"I told you. I've already made up my mind. We're leaving," Snow argued.

"Not when you hear what Rumpelstiltskin had to say," he retorted, smiling.

"You more than anyone know that his deals always come with a price," she reminded him.

"And sometimes that price is worth paying," the Prince assured her. "Without his help, you'd still be in that glass coffin."

"What did he say this time?" The bandit Princess asked him.

"He told me a legend, a magical weapon, one that can't help you reclaim your kingdom," Charming informed her.

"Unless he can guarantee more lives won't be lost, I'm not interested," Snow snapped.

"Weapon's only a half day's ride from here," he told her. "We can be there before sundown."

"This weapon, you say it will help me defeat Regina. How?" She wondered, looking at her betrothed.

"By showing her who you really are," the Prince replied, letting the rogue Princess arrow fly, and it hit the centre of the target.

Emma holds the blank map, sitting on a fallen trunk and trying to stop denying who she really is on Pan's instructions. "My name is Emma Swan," she says, looking at the parchment.

"I'd wager the solution to Pan's riddle is a bit more complicated than that," Killian argues, leaning against a tree.

"Don't hold anything back," Mary Margaret tells her.

"I'm Henry's mother. I used to live in Boston, and I was a bail bondsperson. I'm now the Sheriff of Storybrooke," Emma sighs, hoping something she says will work.

"That election was a sham. Are we really doing this?" Regina questions, annoyed and impatient.

"Don't you think maybe you're leaving some things out?" Mary Margaret wonders.

"I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, which apparently makes me the product of true love. I was born in the Enchanted Forest and I was sent through a portal in a tree so that I could break a curse," Emma confesses.

"And you were able to break the curse because you're the..." David offers, looking at the blond woman.

"Come on. You don't need to be embarrassed to say it," Mary Margaret assures her.

"Say what?" Killian asks, frowning.

"The 's' word," Octavia says, rolling her eyes.

"I'm the Saviour," Emma groans, but the parchment remains blank. "I don't get it. I said I'm the Saviour. There's nothing I've denied more than that."

"No, it's okay. We'll figure it out," Mary Margaret assures her.

"No, you won't," Regina snaps, snatching the parchment.

"Regina!" Emma yelps.

"But I can. I'm beginning to think there isn't a map on here. That doesn't mean it can't lead us to Henry," she argues.

"I thought we decided that using magic was a bad idea," David retorts.

"For once I agree with the Prince," Killian voices, and David looks at him. "Well, I told you we're getting along." Regina uses her magic on the map.

"What the hell are you doing?" Emma asks, watching Regina.

"The locator spell. This parchment belonged to Pan. It'll lead us to him," Regina explains, waving her hand over the blank map which rises from her palm, heading towards the Dark Jungle.

"So it appears we will be venturing into the Dark Jungle after all," Killian mutters, not wanting to step inside.

"You mean the place you told us never to set foot?" Emma questions, frowning.

"That's the one," Octavia replies, earning a look from the pirate Captain.

"Well, Emma, you said you wanted to be the leader. Lead," Regina snaps, looking at Emma.

Mr Gold and Belle walk over to a cliff nearby. "So do you know why you brought me to this island?" Belle asks him.

"I thought you were gonna show me the answer," Mr Gold argues, looking at her.

"Only you know that," she replies.

"I've already told you," he snaps.

"No, you haven't," the bookworm argues.

"I have no idea," the Dark One replies, shaking his head.

"Yes, you do," Belle assures him.

"No," Gold snaps.

"You're holding back," she remarks.

"I'm not," he argues,

"You are," the beauty replies.

"Belle," Rumpelstiltskin mutters, looking at her.

"What is it you're not saying?" Belle questions.

"I'm a coward. I'm just like my father," Gold replies.

"You feel better now, don't you? You know why I'm here," she muses.

"You always saw the good in me," he remarks.

"I still do. And as much as you deny it, I think you see it too," the bookworm replies. "So why am I here? What are you wrestling with?"

"Pan offered me a deal. I let him keep Henry, and he allows me to live. The boy needn't be my undoing," the Dark One explains.

"And you're afraid you'll make a selfish choice," Belle comments.

"I generally do," Gold replies sadly.

"You abandoned your son, Baelfie, and regretted it your whole life. You don't need to do the same to Henry. Letting go of the past...it's the first step," she assures him.

"You know, this was the last thing my father gave me," he tells her, showing the doll.

"And what happened to him?" The bookworm asks.

"He left me," Rumpelstiltskin replies.

"If you don't want to repeat the mistakes he made, you need to let go," Belle tells him before departing from the cliff and leaving Mr Gold with the ragdoll. He makes the decision to drop the doll off the cliff.

Emma, David, Killian, Mary Margaret, Octavia, and Regina trek through the Dark Jungle, following the floating map. "Ready to thank me?" Regina asks, looking at the blond woman.

"Actually, yeah," Emma replies.

"If you'd let me do it sooner, maybe we'd have found him by now," she remarks, stopping for a second. "Wait. He's there. Pan. I can feel his smugness." David unsheathes his sword, ready for a fight.

"Shall we? While we still have the element of surprise on our side?" David suggests.

"Careful. He may look like a boy, but he's a bloody demon," Killian warns them, having experience with Peter Pan. Octavia sighs, feeling a sense of dread at the thought of seeing Peter Pan again.

"Hey. We can do this. You can do this," Mary Margaret assures the others.

Prince Charming and Snow White travelled through the forest on horseback. "We're nearly there," he announced. "We should take the rest of the way on foot." They dismounted their horses, and Snow gazed at the Prince.

"You know, this is the first time we've been alone since you proposed?" Snow commented.

"Well, privacy is a hard thing to come by when you have seven big brothers keeping an eye on you." Charming retorted.

"They're protective," she argued, making the Prince chuckle.

"That's one word for it," he mused.

"The Dwarfs have been giving you a hard time?" The bandit Princess questioned.

"Apart from accusing me of being a gold-digging, social-climbing shepherd...nah," the Prince joked.

"I have faith that you'll charm them, just as you charmed me...eventually," Snow replied teasingly, making the Prince chuckle as they walked further into the woods until they reached a clearing.

"According to Rumplestiltskin, the weapon that will defeat Regina lies at the top of this hill." Charming told her.

"This weapon...what does Rumple say of its power? Was it made with dark magic?" She muttered, exhaling deeply.

"No, it was forged by a benevolent mage. His name is Merlin, from a realm called Camelot. There it is," he explained, and they found a sword stuck in a stone. "Excalibur."

"It's beautiful," the rogue Princess marvelled, and Charming couldn't help but laugh before attempting to pull the sword out but was unable.

"It's stuck," the Prince grunted. "You wanna try."

"If you couldn't do it, you really think I can?" Snow argued.

"Well, the legend states only the kingdom's true ruler possesses the strength to free the blade." Charming explained.

"I've never ruled anything," she reminded him, stepping towards her betrothed.

"Not yet," he told her as he moved towards her. "Go on," the Prince whispered in her ear as Snow approached the sword. She pulled at it slowly and released, making her gasp with amazement. "You see? You are this kingdom's true leader.

The group hear ominous sounds as they continue trekking through the jungle. "No one's here. Maybe your spell was wrong, Regina," Mary Margaret questions.

"Yes. Blame me...again," Regina huffs and Emma sees a familiar-looking figure in the distance.

"Guys...Hold on. Is that...Henry!" Emma shouts, running towards him when he turns around, revealing himself as Peter Pan dressed as Henry.

"Hi, Emma," Peter greets her.

"Where the hell is Henry?" She demands, glaring at him.

"You broke the rules. That's not fair. Bad form. I expect more from you, Captain," he comments, glancing at Killian.

"Aye, and you'll get it," Killian assures him.

"Give Henry to me," Emma orders the boy.

"Sorry. Can't. Don't you know? Cheaters never win," Peter retorts and Lost Boys appear behind Peter, shooting and whooping. They surround the group with bows and arrows as Peter watches on, and the group prepare themselves for a fight.

"Watch out for their arrows. They're laced with Dreamshade," Killian warns the others as the fight begins. The Lost Boys shoot their arrows at the heroes. Arrows ricochet as David blocks them with his sword while Mary Margaret shoots arrows at them. A boy shoots an arrow at Mary Margaret, and David notices his wife is in danger.

"Got it!" Octavia exclaims, holding her hands up and interlocking her pinkie fingers, flexing her fingers outward to block a flurry of arrows heading her way. "Take your own advice, Captain!" She waves her hand, sending an arrow.

"Thank you, love," he replies, smirking.

"Mary Margaret!" David shouts, pushing her out of the way and getting nipped.

"David!" Maty Margaret screams.

"I'm good," he assures her, checking his leather jacket. The rip is going through to his top, and he can feel the cut on his side. A boy takes aim at Mary Margaret again. "Behind you!" She shoots an arrow and pins the boy to a tree while Regina electrocutes some boys with a blast of magic.

"It's been a while, Captain," Felix remarks, facing off against Killian.

"Not long enough," Killian replies as they clash swords. "You remember what I did to Rufio? Well, it's a far worse fate for you." Emma races towards Peter, pushing and charging the boys to the side. One finally tackles her to the ground, and they roll down the hill, but she manages to pin the boy down.

"Where's Henry?! Where is he?!" Emma roars, staring at the boy and then stops, realising something.

"Emma, are you alright?" Mary Margaret asks, looking at her daughter, and Peter whistles, making the Lost Boys assemble.

"Remember what I told you. That map will show you where Henry is...only when you stop denying who you really are. I'll make sure to send Henry your regards," Peter comments before retreating with the Lost Boys whooping as they disappear into the Dark Jungle.

"The Queen! She's coming!" A man screamed in a small village as the Evil Queen's carriage approached the village, and the commoners ran to hide.

"Ready?" Charming asked Snow, who grabbed the sword off him.

"What exactly were you two up to today?" Grumpy wondered, looking at the couple.

"You'll see. I hope," Snow replied, and the carriage stopped, allowing Regina to step out with Octavia following behind her older sister.

"Well, dear, have you packed your bags," Regina questioned, and Snow glanced at the sword and stepped forward without fear.

"I thought about your offer. And everything you said was true. I could go off with Charming and the Dwarfs, and we could find some lovely corner of the world to live out our days, and it would be a wonderful life. But I can't leave my people, not...with...you." She told her confidentially.

"Well, in that case..." The Evil Queen mused, magically picking up Grumpy and beginning to choke him. The other Dwarfs try to help their brother without success. The Dwarfs were all magically thrown back.

"Charming!" The rogue Princess shouted.

"You can do this. You. You pulled that sword out of the stone," Charming assured her.

"Let him go!" Snow ordered, swinging, but Regina magically disappeared; she swung around and struck the Evil Queen. Grumpy fell out of the Queen's grasp. Prince Charming helped him up, and Regina touched her face, finding a drop of blood on her fingertip. "You told me to stop denying who I really am. Well, that's exactly what I'm doing. This is my kingdom, and I will fight for it!"

"Then I'll see you on the battlefield," Regina sneered, storming away.

"Regina, are you okay?" Octavia asked her, looking at the small cut on her cheek.

"We'll be ready," Snow promised, and Regina disappeared in a cloud of smoke, making the crowd cheer.

"You okay?" Charming asked Snow, who looked at him, smiling. Octavia sighed before stepping into the carriage that drove away with the Cruel Princess inside.

Emma, David, Killian, Mary Margaret, Octavia, and Regina return to camp after fighting with Pan and the Lost Boys. "You sure you don't want me to take a look at that?" Mary Margaret asks David.

"I was lucky. My jacket wasn't," David assures her. "Don't worry about it. I think we have bigger issues." They approach their daughter.

"Don't let him shake your confidence," she tells Emma. "We've all had moments where we thought we couldn't prevail."

"She's right," he agrees with his wife.

"Guys, not now. Please," Emma groans, walking away.

"Emma, wait," Charming calls after her, but Mary Margaret holds him back, and he nods in agreement, not wanting to push Emma further away. Mary Margaret approaches Emma, wanting to talk and taking a seat beside her.

"A daughter sometimes needs a mother's comfort," Octavia comments, making David look at her. "Not that I would know anything about that."

"I've met your mother, I doubt she ever gave anyone comfort," David retorts, making Octavia chuckle while walking away.

"Please talk to me," Mary Margaret begs.

"There's nothing to talk about," Emma argues. "We had our chance and we lost - I lost."

"Then you have to keep fighting," she tells her.

"You heard what Hook said. Pan is a demon," the blond woman snaps.

"And you are a-," Snow replies.

"What? A Saviour? Because if that were true, this map would have shown us the way already!" Emma argues, and Mary Margaret comes to a revelation.

"Maybe who you think you are isn't who you really are," Mary Margaret muses, looking at her daughter.

"What do you mean?" She asks, frowning.

"Sometimes we think we know ourselves, but we need a push to show us the reality. That boy with the knife—you stopped fighting him. Why?" the raven-haired woman questions.

"'Cause he was...just a boy," the Saviour replies.

"No. There was something else. I saw it in your eyes. Why did you stop?" Mary Margaret asks again. "Why?" She whispers.

"Because when I looked at his face, I saw me," Emma tells her.

"Go on," she encourages her daughter.

"That look in his eyes..." The blond woman mutters, inhaling sharply. "...the despair. I had it back when I was in the foster system. Just a lost little girl who didn't matter and didn't think she ever would. A little girl who cried herself to sleep at night 'cause..." Emma's voice breaks, "she wanted her parents so bad. And could never understand...why they gave her up."

"And then you found us. It was too late," Snow says sadly.

"It's just, on this island...I-I don't feel like..." Emma sniffles, "a hero or a Saviour. I just feel like what I've always been. An orphan."

"Emma," Mary Margaret mutters, gaining the blond's attention.

"What?" She asks.

"Look," the raven-haired woman whispers, making Emma gasp as the map appears.

"What happened?" The Saviour wonders.

"You accepted who you are," Mary Margaret tells her.

"...I'm sorry," Emma replies, exhaling sharply and looking at her mother.

"It's okay. It's the truth. You were an orphan. It's my job to change that," she assures, smiling hopefully.

After encountering the Evil Queen, Snow White found a secluded place in the woods. "Rumpelstiltskin! Rumpelstiltskin!" She shouted, calling for the Dark One.

"What do you want?" Rumpelstiltskin asked her, appearing behind her.

"We need to discuss the deal you made with Charming," Snow demanded.

"Have to be a bit more specific, dearie," he remarked.

"He came to you searching for something powerful enough to vanquish the Queen. You told him of Excalibur. Now whatever it is that he promised you in return, I am prepared to pay it. But I won't allow him to remain in your debt," she ordered him.

"How nauseatingly romantic," the Dark One mused.

"What did he promise you?" The rogue Princess asked him, and he stared back at her blankly. "With you, everything comes with a cost."

"It's true. Your Prince came to ask for aid fighting the Queen. I told him I had nothing to give, and I didn't," Rumpelstiltskin informed her.

"Then how did he know where to find Excalibur?" Snow wondered.

"Everyone knows it's in Camelot," he replied.

"But it's not. I possess it now," she argued.

"If that were Excalibur, I wouldn't be able to do...this!" The Dark One exclaimed, pointing his finger at the sword, disintegrating it. "Sword's a fake, dearie. Shoddy craftsmanship, too. But then again, what can you expect from a shepherd? Luckily, it wasn't made out of wool."

"I struck Regina! I drew blood!" The bandit Princess shouted.

"Enough of your ramblings!" Rumpelstiltskin snapped, tearing Snow White's necklace from her neck.

"Please. That belonged to my mother," Snow begged.

"And now it belongs to me. You're right about one thing, dearie. Everything comes with a cost, including wasting my time," he informed her before disappearing, and Snow was left alone in silence, holding only the sword's hilt.

Charming sat by the river contemplating and waiting for Snow to return. "Mind if we join you?" Grumpy asked the Prince.

"Please," Charming replied, offering up a seat beside him.

"We may owe you a slight apology," he remarked.

"Slight?" The Prince questioned.

"Don't get greedy. Take it," the angry Dwarf snapped, though there wasn't any hostility in his voice.

"Okay," Charming accepted.

"We should have never have doubted your intentions," Grumpy replied, taking out a cup and pouring Charming a drink.

"You were only looking out for her best interests," he reasoned, knowing the Dwarves had Snow's well-being in check. Charming raised his cup. "Here's to starting over." They clinked their glasses when Snow arrived.

"We need to talk," Snow announced, walking past angrily, and Charming followed behind as she handed him the sword's hilt. "I saw Rumpelstiltskin.

"Snow, I can explain," the Prince muttered guiltily.

"So it's true. You planted the sword in that stone," she snapped.

"I did," Charming confessed.

"So you took me on an adventure to find a magical sword because...?" The rogue Princess wondered angrily.

"You needed to believe in something I already knew," he told her.

"So when I stood up to Regina-," Snow replied, looking at him.

"You did that on your own," the Prince assured her. "You had it inside you that entire time. You just...needed some help to realise that."

"But you didn't," she sighed, and Charming looked at her, shaking his head, and Snow kissed him sweetly.

"The map is working. We know where Henry is," Emma announces, racing over to the others.

"Where?" Regina asks her.

"Uh... We're here at the southern tip of the isle, in the middle of the Dark Jungle, and Pan's camp lies due north." Killian informs them, taking a look at the map as he's familiar with the geography of Neverland.

"That's where he's keeping Henry," Emma mutters, feeling a little bit of hope of finding Henry.

"What are we waiting for?" Regina questions, stepping away.

"Well, the terrains not easy," Killian warns them. "There will undoubtedly be some nasty impediments along the way."

"We should prepare," David suggests. "We only made it out of our last encounter because Pan let us. We need a new plan."

"Agreed. It's time we stop playing his game and he starts playing ours," Emma agrees.

"And if I disagree?" Regina questions, looking at the heroes.

"Go ahead, but I think you know our best chance is together," she argues.

"Agreed, but this seems almost too easy," Octavia retorts, looking at the others, knowing how Pan likes to play games.

"Excellent shot of optimism, love. And that's what defeats a nasty little boy," Killian muses, glancing at Octavia.

"I hope so," Emma mutters, and Killian takes out a bottle of rum from his coat.

"Is rum your solution to everything?" Octavia questions, watching the others walking away.

"It certainly doesn't hurt," Killian retorts, taking a drink. "Mmm. Hmm?" He gestures the rum to Octavia, who grabs it and takes a drink. "So just how do you think Emma unlocked the map?"

"She did what Pan asked," she replies.

"And just who are you, Octavia?" Hook wonders,

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The Cruel Princess teases, handing back the bottle.

"Perhaps I would," Killian mutters, watching Octavia walk away.

Meanwhile, Mr Gold treks through the Neverland jungle when he hears a twig snap behind him and rustling. He continues walking warily, knowing he's being spied on and there's a clank in the distance. The Dark One looks to the sky, and the doll drops from it and lands before him. He picks it up before dropping it again and burning it with fire he conjures. He continues further, and it falls before him again, so he keeps it and tucks it under his jacket.

Further away, Emma is picking some berries when Pan appears behind her. "Don't eat the blue ones, You should have Tavie do this, she was always good at it," Pan comments, making the blond woman turn to look at him. "Congratulations. You did it...orphan. You don't mind if I call you a Lost Girl, do you?"

"Call me what you like, it won't stop me from finding Henry," Emma warns him.

"Oh, I'm counting on that," he chuckles. "There's a reason I tested you."

"Really?" She questions, frowning.

"You haven't forgiven your parents for abandoning you. Don't deny it. You haven't. That's good. Really good. 'Cause when you find Henry, you'll understand," the immortal teen retorts, smirking.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The blond woman snaps.

"He hasn't forgiven you either. By the time you get to him, he'll never want to leave this island," Pan informs her.

"We'll see," Emma argues, picking up the berries she collected and walking away.

"And as for you, Emma...when we're finished, you won't just feel like an orphan. You'll be one," he warns her, watching her leave. "Say hello to Tavie for me."

David quickly finds a secluded place in the jungle and checks the damage the arrow caused earlier. He's been affected by the Dreamshade on the tip of the arrow and becomes deathly worried, seeing the black veins spreading slowly from the cut.