Chapter 25

Past

It had been over three hundred years since Illario had seen Odette. He was well aware that her father was The Dark One after hearing many tales. It almost made him wonder if her father or even her were still alive since The Dark One couldn't be killed and that Rumplestiltskin would have found a way to ensure Odette's youth. With Illario, it was different since his species takes at least five hundred years before they die unless they no longer had their nine lives. Illario already lost six of them, and he does not intend to lose more.

Illario typically wandered in his cat form and hopped from village to village so that he could go to the local tavern and get new jobs so that he could spend his earnings on liquor, food, and a room to spend for the night. Tonight was no different. The bartender wench handed him a small glass as he tipped her with a few gold coins before helping himself to his drink. However, when he looked into his pouch, he realized that he only had a couple of gold coins left.

He soon turned his furry head to ask one of the bar wenches, "Excuse me, Miss. You wouldn't happen to know if anyone is looking for someone to work?"

"I'm sorry, but everyone here just enjoys a good time whether they're drinking or gambling."

Illario nodded his head in acknowledgment and thanked her for the information before she left him alone with his drink. He sighed after gulping it all down in one go. He wished that he could have another, but he didn't want to waste all of his money. That was why he desperately need a job to continue to travel.

"I see you're in need of work." Illario turned to see a woman approaching him wearing a hood, but he could see her wearing a dark blue dress and locks of her red hair brushing against her rosy cheeks. "I may have a way for us both to get what we want."

"How much are you willing to pay?"

"Whatever you wish."

His eyes narrowed slightly since no one was willing to ask him how much he wanted. She must have desperately wanted him for a job, but he wasn't sure what sort of job it was. There was also something about her that he didn't trust as her eyes didn't extend to the smile she had.

"Who are you?"

"Cora."

"And what do you want from me?"

She smirked and stood from the stool before gesturing to the door. "I think it's best if we discuss this much more privately."

Illario didn't particularly care about his clients. They typically were just a way to make money for him. Some he could tell were innocent while others were disgusting vermin that used Illario to do their bidding. That was why Illario had a feeling that this woman was no better. Still, he needed the money, which was why he hopped off his stool and followed her out the door.

For some reason, she led him out of the village and into the woods. Illario couldn't help but look back as he wondered where she was taking him and why. It wasn't until when they reached a clearing that Illario's eyes slowly widened when he saw a man standing there, but it wasn't just any man. He was the one who Odette believed killed her mother.

Illario still did not understand what was going on, and he was ready to say something, but the pirate cut him off, "So, now acatis going to help us?"

He certainly didn't like his attitude as Illario told him off by gesturing to the hook that replaced his left hand. "At least I'm completely intact unlike you."

Cora held a hand out when she saw Hook taking a daunting steps towards him. Her smile still remained despite the fact that both Illario and the pirate were glaring at each other.

"I've brought him here, Hook, to discuss his role in a civilized manner, and it'd be best if you do the same. That seemed to have worked as the pirate, who Illario just learned was named Hook, backed off before Cora turned to Illario. "We need you to steal something for us, and someone of your stature would surely have no difficulty to be discreet."

Illario crossed his furry arms as he questioned, "So, just what is thisitemI am meant to steal?"

"Merlin's staff. Unfortunately, it is hidden away in a camp nearly a mile away from here." Cora then held her hand out as an array of blue smoke surrounded her hand before dissipated and revealed a pouch full of gold coins. "This pouch may seem empty, but it has been enchanted to carry an endless amount of gold coins. If you successfully complete your mission, then you can have it. Do we have a deal?"

Illario really needed the money, and he was willing to do it. Despite his opinions about these people, he knew he was never going to see them again. As long as all they wanted was the staff, then Illario didn't particularly care, so he agreed.

Illario set forth to where Cora directed him to go to. He went through the woods until he reached a clearing. Beyond there was a sandy path that led Illario to an island. He ventured further down and found the camp that Cora told him about.

It was already dead of night, which was going to make the mission even easier for Illario as he infiltrated the site. There were quite a few guards, but Illario quickly snuck past them by doing a few leaps and bounds. Stealth was key for this mission, but Illario also had no idea where the staff was. He needed to search for it.

Illario went through the shelters and found many families huddled together as the children were shivering. Their blankets hardly covered them. It almost made him wonder why they were in here. He thought perhaps that they had no other home to go to. After all, many families lost their homes especially with the second Ogre wars brewing.

When Illario moved past the tents and shelters, he made sure to look through them to find the staff. Eventually, he found it when he went into one of the shelters. He smirked as he made his way over it. There was no one in sight, so it gave Illario an opportunity to steal it, or so he thought.

As soon as he reached for the staff and grabbed it, he heard a snap. Illario quickly looked up to see a net spiraling down, so he quickly dodged out of the way by flipping backwards. With the staff in his hand, he smiled until he turned around when he saw a young man dressed in a princely gear with shaggy, brown hair and hazel eyes. The man drew his sword, forcing Illario to draw his so quick as he flipped out of the way to avoid the man's strike before charging at him so that Illario could attack him, only for him to block him.

Illario knew that he needed to get out of there soon before the other guards came his way as the man shouted that there was an intruder when they broke apart. That was when Illario ran towards him only to dive between his legs and went through them so that he could run outside. As soon as he did, the man chased after him, and he could hear the man shouting that Illario had the staff.

A woman soon came out wielding a sword, and she was dressed as a soldier, but Illario didn't care as he only looked at her as another obstacle, so he ran to the right when there was no one there. "Philip, go that way! We'll cut him off!" the woman shouted.

Illario was nearly home free, but unfortunately, arrows stopped his path as two guardsman posted on the towers fired and landed just a few inches away from his feet. That was when more guards showed up in every corner and soon surrounded Illario. He needed a way to get out of there, so he looked at the staff in his paws before slamming it down, causing a force of magic to blast the soldiers to the ground. However, it didn't work for all of them as one of them grabbed the staff from behind and kicked Illario away from it.

Illario looked up to see a man dressed in armor and with skin that reminded Illario of charcoal. The man then pointed his sword at Illario's furry neck before he even had a chance to draw his sword. Illario had no choice but to surrender as he lifted his paws in the air, allowing the soldiers to give them a chance to go forth to tie Illario's hands.

Right at the moment when the female soldier took out a small dagger and pressed it against his neck with the intent to kill, the man who bested Illario stopped her, "Mulan, no!"

"The refugees would've been left defenseless if he successfully stole the staff. We shouldn't offer him another chance."

Philip soon stepped forward as he agreed with Mulan, "She's right, Lancelot. We'll be defenseless if he steals it."

The man, who Illario now knew as Lancelot, proclaimed, "We are not killers! We have to be better than that for all of our sakes." Lancelot then looked down at Illario's level to ask, "Did anyone send you here?"

Illario only kept a straight face since he could not reveal that Cora sent him, so he lied, "No. No one did."

Lancelot continued staring at him, almost as if he was thinking long and hard about something before turning back to his soldiers and ordered them, "Throw him in the pit."

The guards wasted no time grabbing Illario to take him to his prison.

Present

Nora still couldn't believe that her old friend, Illario, was in the cell with them. She couldn't believe that he lived for so long. At least she was relieved to see a familiar face. Emma asked him if Mary Margaret was going to be okay since she was still unconscious, and he assured her that she was going to be fine.

"You two know each other?" Emma asked Nora and Illario.

Nora smiled as she reminisced her time when she met him. "I was fifteen when we met. He taught me how to fight."

When Emma asked Illario where they were, he told them that it was an island that the people here liked to think of as a haven. Nora got a bit concerned when she heard that as she asked what they were getting away from him. He only told her that the world's a dangerous place- what was left of it anyway.

Mary Margaret stirred and eventually opened her eyes to see them, so Emma helped her while Mary Margaret rubbed her head. "You okay?" Nora asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Mary Margaret finally noticed Illario as she questioned, "Who's this?"

Illario took his hat off and bowed in a gentlemanly manner while introducing himself, "Illario Vollan, my lady."

Nora took in their surroundings and commented, "They can't keep us in here forever. We didn't do anything wrong."

"Neither did I."

Emma looked at Illario skeptically as she questioned, "Then why are you here?"

"For a crime I didn't commit." The three women stared at Illario as if they were asking him to elaborate, so he sighed as he continued, "The people here believed I took something of theirs, but I didn't. They wouldn't even give me a chance to let me explain myself. If it weren't for that witch, Cora, I wouldn't be in this mess."

Mary Margaret's eyes widened at the mention of her name, "Cora?"

"You know her?" Emma asked.

"She's Regina's mother, and she's much worse."

Nora wasn't aware about Regina's mother at all, but if she was worse than Regina, then they were going to have problems, which was why Nora asked, "Is she here, Illario?"

For a brief moment, Illario seemed conflicted about something. He looked away when he made eye contact, and his words stuttered when he tried to get a sentence out. At that moment, they realized that he was hiding something, but what they couldn't understand was why he wouldn't tell them where Cora was.

"Enough!" They all looked up to see one of the soldiers throw down a rope to them as it hung on the side. "Our leader requests an audience."

Before they had a chance to climb up the rope, Illario stopped them, "Just...don't trust anyone up there. They might not have your best interest."

They stared at him in wonder and were going to ask what he meant, but they didn't have time since the guard kept rushing them by telling them to hurry up. As they climbed the rope, all Nora thought about was Illario and how he got into this mess. She wanted to help him, because if he committed a crime that he didn't commit, then someone needed to help him. After all that he did for her when she was a teenager, she owed him that much.

Meanwhile in Storybrooke, Graham went over to David when he saw Henry getting on the school bus. "Droppin' Henry off?"

"Yeah," David replied back. "Still going to track down Amir?"

"I already did. He's locked away in the cell, and he's going to help me find Jefferson."

David was a bit taken aback as he warned him, "You do realize Amir won't do it for free."

"I know. That's why I'm providing him protection from Gold." Graham then looked at his watch before turning back to David. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know is all. We'll get them back."

"Maybe I should go with you."

Graham shook his head, refusing his offer. "No. You need to help the dwarves to see if they can find any fairy dust in the mines in case we need another way."

"You don't think Amir's going to betray you?"

"I didn't say that, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to bring our loved ones back."

With that, Graham walked away and headed to the sheriff station, while David was hoping that Graham would have everything under control.

Past

Illario had been in the pit for two days, and he was not going to waste anymore time. He needed to steal the staff and give it to Cora so that he could collect his reward. He surely didn't want to stay here anytime soon. That was why he was going to escape this place, but he just needed the opportunity, and he certainly was going to get one when he heard the door knock.

Illario wasted no time using his claws to climb up the wall and waited for the door to open so that the soldier came in with a tray of food. "Come out, prisoner!"

Now was the right time as Illario plunged down and screeched at the guard, alerting him as he was caught off guard and fell when Illario attacked him before Illario bolted to the door and shut it on him. Illario then wasted no time leaving as he made it to the camp. However, it was swimming with guards stationed in every corner, and he couldn't possibly leave without completing his mission.

It proved to be quite difficult to get the staff though, and Illario made sure that he hid himself when the soldier he trapped inside the pit made his way and ran over to Lancelot, Mulan, and Philip to tell them that the prisoner escaped. Mulan wasted no time alerting the soldiers before Illario moved with great stealth to avoid being seen.

When he nearly reached the tent to get Merlin's staff, he heard a ferocious growl along with a soldier shouting, "Troll!"

The people scattered, while the soldiers readied their weapons when a beast, reaching to at least twelve feet and carried the strength that could move mountains, brought down its club, knocking one of the posts with a guard falling to the ground. Illario was a bit conflicted to see the innocent taking cover while the soldiers fought valiantly against the troll. All Illario needed to do was to steal the staff and leave as the troll provided a good distraction. However, it didn't feel right to let these people suffer. He wasn't so sure if they could fend off a fully-grown mountain troll.

When the troll charged at a family after Philip warned them to hurry, Illario shook his head and rushed back. He got down on four legs to dash over to the troll before using his claws to climb up to it. The troll staggered and tried to shake Illario off, but it was no use. Illario knew how to climb well, and there was nothing that the troll could do when Illario reached up at its face to claw at it, forcing the troll to screech.

Illaio then flipped backwards to avoid the troll's hand when it came at him. He stuck his landing on the ground, surprising the other soldiers, including Mulan and Philip, but Illario didn't care. He was not going to allow this troll to hurt anyone. Illario may be a thief, but he lived by a code of honor. He always did what he could to protect the innocent.

However, it didn't seem like he needed to do much though when the troll glowed and disappeared after a powerful force surged through the area. Everyone looked to see what happened. That was when they noticed Lancelot with Merlin's staff.

Illario nearly forgot about his mission as he couldn't stop staring at Lancelot until Mulan ordered, "Capture him!"

Illario was ready to fight every soldier, but they quickly stopped when Lancelot shouted, "Stop!" Philip and Mulan were confused when Lancelot went over to Illario. "Why did you not run away with the staff?"

"I live by a code of honor: No innocent gets hurt."

"If you ran away with Merlin's staff, then we wouldn't have been able to banish it," Mulan argued.

Lancelot, however, defended Illario. "True, but he didn't." He then turned to Illario to say, "We will give you food and some money, but you must leave after that."

Illario was conflicted since he needed to steal the staff for Cora to collect his reward. However, if he could leave, it would provide him an opportunity to come back so that he could steal the staff. He couldn't afford to go back to the pit. That was why Illario agreed to Lancelot's condition despite Mulan and Philip's objections.

Present

In Storybrooke, Graham entered the sheriff's station where he found Amir in his cell. He was laying in his cell bed and brought his head up to see Graham's face. Amir couldn't help but smirk at him since he knew that Graham didn't have it in him to kill him. After all, he would want to do good for his precious wife.

When Graham made his way over to him, he took his keys out and asked, "Are you ready to help me out or not?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

Graham showed off his key, proving his point that he could let him out as he pressed, "Do you want to go or not?"

It took a minute for Amir to finally agree as Graham let him out. However, Graham made sure to put an ankle bracelet on him so that in case if Amir tried anything funny, then Graham would track him down and shove him back behind bars. Graham was willing to do whatever it took to bring his wife and his friends back. Since Amir and Jefferson were friends, it made sense for Graham to have Amir help him, and Amir didn't have much of a choice considering that if he didn't comply, then Graham wouldn't protect him from Gold, so he willingly let Graham put the ankle bracelet on him before Graham grabbed Amir and practically dragged him out of the station to look for Jefferson.

Meanwhile, back at the Safe Haven in The Enchanted Forest, as Nora, Emma, and Mary Margaret walked through the camp with their guide taking them to the leader, Emma asked Nora and Margaret what they think about what Illario said. Nora argued that her old friend wouldn't have any reason to lie if he was in there. Mary Margaret agreed with Nora by saying that she knew Cora, and she was a much worse than Regina as Mary Margaret admitted that Cora was Regina's mother, shocking both Nora and Emma.

When the man told them to wait, they did, but Nora couldn't help but think back to what Illario said while making a connection to what Mary Margaret told them. "If what you and Illario are saying is true, then do you think maybe she's here at camp?"

"Let's hope not," Mary Margaret said before noticing a familiar face heading their way as she smiled. "Lancelot?"

The soldier in front of them stood still as if he was shocked but soon had a smile on his face. "Snow?"

Mary Margaret was clearly happy to see Lancelot again. Emma raised a skeptic brow and couldn't really believe that she was meeting a legendary figure from the King Arthur stories. Nora of course knew who he was. Although she hadn't met him personally, her husband met Lancelot a long time ago when he was helping Mary Margaret and David back in their past when Mary Margaret was poisoned.

"He's an old friend. We can trust him," Mary Margaret said to Emma before her and Nora and Lancelot. "This is Emma, and that's Nora."

When Nora shook his hand, she gave him a pleasant smile as she told him, "It's nice to finally meet you. My husband, Gra-Grim, talked about you."

For some reason, Lancelot gave her an awkward smile and seemed quite stiff as if he was unsure about something for a split second before saying, "Grim. Of course. I'm glad to have finally met his wife."

Lancelot then prepared a feast for them as he apologized once again that if he had known they were in there, then he would've let them out sooner. Even though Nora was back home, there was a question that was ringing through her mind as she couldn't help but ask how they all escaped the curse since The Enchanted Forest wasn't supposed to exist anymore. Lancelot admitted that it was a mystery to them too. When the smoke cleared, most of them had been torn from the land, but for some reason, some of them in this region were left behind.

When Lancelot assured them that they were safe here, Mary Margaret told him that they can't stay since her and Nora's husband were back in their world along with Emma's son. Mary Margaret even asked if he could help them find a portal, but Lancelot warned them that it was unwise to leave the safe haven since the ogres returned.

He then urged for Mary Margaret to stay especially since there were no portals left, but that she knew of one. When Emma asked her where, Mary Margaret told her that she couldn't say it out in the open, because if Cora was near, then she needed to keep it a secret for now and wait until there weren't anyone listening in to their conversation. There was another problem that Nora wanted to solve as she turned to Lancelot.

"Lancelot, if you don't mind me asking, why is Illario down there?" Nora asked.

"He stole the staff of Merlin. He invaded our camp to and just took it, but when we caught him, he no longer had the staff. We suspect that he's hidden it, but he refuses to cooperate with us. Without the staff, we were left defenseless against any creatures that came our way."

Nora was going to tell him what Illario said to them, but Emma beat her to it, "He told us that someone else stole it but no one would listen to him. He said it was a witch named Cora."

"Cora? How would he know that she stole it?"

Nora furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she replied, "You sound like you know her."

Lancelot shook his head, admitting, "Only rumors. She's said to be a powerful witch. Fortunately, none of us at camp have crossed her path."

"So, she never tried to steal the staff?" Emma asked.

"No. We would've known if she did."

"Then how would Illario know?" Nora questioned.

Lancelot stared at Nora for a minute before he realized something, "I take it that you're familiar with him?"

"He's a friend."

"You can never trust a thief."

"Illario wouldn't steal, not unless he had reason to."

Nora really wanted to help her old friend, but Lancelot wasn't willing to forgive Illario so easily. There had to be a way to get him out of there. If Cora really framed him, then they needed to prove his innocence. The problem was that Nora just had no idea how.

"What if he made himself useful?" Lancelot looked back at Nora, almost challenging her to continue, so she did, "He can come with us to help us get to the portal, and you can be there to keep an eye on him."

Nora knew it was a gamble, but it may be Illario's only chance to get out of his prison. Lancelot even seemed interested. She was so relieved when she heard Lancelot's agreement on the condition that Mulan also had to travel with them since he needed one of his own by his side in case Illario tried something.

Past

Illario thought really hard about leaving. He knew he eventually that he had to because he had a duty to Cora by stealing the staff and bringing it to her. However, Illario couldn't do it when the innocents here were in need of help. If Illario hadn't stepped in when he did, they would've gotten hurt or killed. Even though he was a thief, he always maintained his honor.

Lancelot made his way over to him with a warm smile and offered him a bowl of porridge. "Thought you might be hungry." Illario graciously accepted it, and instead of using the spoon, he brought the bowl to his lips and sipped from it, not caring that it tickled his furry chin or got on his whiskers. "I'm surprised you stayed instead of taking off with the staff."

"I may be a great many things, but who would I be to let a troll kill women and children here? Though, you seemed to have taken care of the beast after."

Lancelot agreed as he replied, "That's the power of Merlin's staff. It banished the troll away from the camp. It can even negate or repel back magic from attacking."

After hearing Lancelot, Illario looked around at the giddy children, the soldiers, and the women as he realized something. "So that's why you need the staff-to make sure you're all protected."

"It's the only weapon that can keep unwanted magic away from threatening us."

Illario then took the opportunity to look around the camp and found serenity in the environment. It was clear to him that Lancelot truly cared about the people and how he was going to do whatever it took to ensure that they were looked after. Illario respected Lancelot for that. He almost reminded him of himself since they were both honorable and protected the innocent.

"I have to admire you for how you looked after these people. They clearly admire and respect you. The soldiers follow your every lead. You're a leader to them. I wish I could say the same for myself." Lancelot turned to Illario when he heard his upsetting tone as Illario continued, "Not many have the same adoration when it came to me, except perhaps one. She was young, but I taught her how to fight because she wanted to learn how to fend for herself. That child was the only one who believed in me and never asked for anything in return unlike everyone else. The world would be a far better place if people treated others with kindness and weren't so greedy all the time, but in the end, we all are."

Lancelot stared at him with skepticism as he reminded him, "If that were true, you wouldn't have taken off with the staff of Merlin."

"It was tempting. Believe me, it was, but I could never throw away my moral code for gold. There's no honor in that."

"Then perhaps you're not so greedy as you like to think," Lancelot told him with a small smile.

As Lancelot and Illario walked around the camp, Illario couldn't help but pity them. It was rather unfortunate to see them in such a state. At least they all had their loved ones as opposed to Illario. For a couple of centuries, Illario never really had anyone. He was left on someone's doorstep to be adopted by a family until he started speaking and was kicked out. No one really showed Illario any kindness. They only used him to do his bidding by making deals with him, but it was the only way he got by to get a proper place to sleep, so Illario was willing to take it.

When Illario noticed a young girl taking care of her ill mother, he went over to her with Lancelot following behind him. The girl was a bit startled when she laid eyes on Illario, but Illario wanted to show her that he meant no harm to her. He then took out his last remaining gold coins and held out his paw to her. The girl stared at it in marvel as Lancelot watched the scene.

Illario thought about it, and he thought it would be best to give it to her since they deserved it more than him, and the girl took them with hesitation. She then looked back at Illario, who shyly looked away but soon found comfort in the girl when she pet his head and scratched behind ears. Illario soon found himself purring at her touch while the girl giggled. Illario even thought about entertaining the girl since he believed she suffered much with her family, so he flipped backwards and continued flipping until he landed on one paw.

The other children smiled and rushed over to see Illario's performance as he continued by doing many acrobatic tricks. Arguably, the most impressive scene was when he used his sword to balance on it by his little paw. For the first time, in a long time, Illario felt at peace as the surrounding children gawked on with Lancelot supporting him by watching the scene take place.

Meanwhile, Hook observed the whole display through his telescope before he closed it and turned to Cora. "It seems yourpethas a change of heart."

Instead of turning to Hook to acknowledge him, she stared straight ahead at the island as her gaze hardened, understanding Illario's intention. "No need to worry. He will bring me the staff. I will see to that."

Present

After Mary Margaret explained to Nora and Emma that the wardrobe which sent Emma to Maine could possibly take them back to Storybrooke, they didn't waste the opportunity to leave, taking Lancelot, Mulan, and Illario. Unfortunately, Nora was disappointed to see a rope tied around Illario's neck as Mulan pulled him. Even his paws were tied up as if they didn't trust him enough. Nora wanted to say something to Lancelot, but she didn't want to upset him.

When they reached a clearing up ahead, they stopped before Lancelot announced, "We should rest here. We'll make camp for the night." Mulan agreed by saying that she would collect water, and Mary Margaret would go collect the firewood while Lancelot would scout ahead before warning Nora and Emma as he pointed to Illario, who brought his head down to avoid some sort of confrontation, "Be careful of that one. Don't believe a word he says."

All Nora did was glare up at Lancelot, who noticed as they stared at each other before Lancelot went on ahead with Mary Margaret and Mulan following behind him, giving Nora a chance to speak to Illario, "I'm sorry they're treating you like this, Illario."

"Don't be. This was the only way I could escape from my prison."

Emma then stared at Illario with a puzzled as she questioned, "I still don't understand why you didn't tell them that Cora stole the staff. Maybe they would've understood that you've been framed."

For some reason, Illario seemed conflicted to say, "No. They wouldn't. Not because of...Lancelot, and my history has proven otherwise." Both women were confused, and Illario took notice, so he went on to explain, "I am a thief but only when hired, and that's exactly what Cora did with me."

"She wanted you to steal the staff, didn't she?" Emma asked.

"Yes." Illario looked away from them and shamefully admitted, "When she saw how much I took pity on the refugees in the camp, she took drastic measures to ensure that I would give the staff to her, and she succeeded."

Both Nora and Emma still didn't understand why he would still be the Safe Haven's prisoner as Emma brought up, "And, that leads me to my question again. Why wouldn't you tell them that you were framed?"

Nora noticed a flicker of conflict in his eyes as he replied, "It's much more complicated than you know. You don't even know of the dangers you're in."

"What are you talking about?" Nora asked.

Before Illario had a chance to say anything, they heard rustling in the bushes, so they looked to see Lancelot approaching them. He stood still and watched the scene before narrowing his eyes at Illario, who quickly turned away. Lancelot then turned to Emma and Nora and briefly explained that the area was secured. There was no sign of ogres anywhere.

"Did that thief say anything to you?"

Nora and Emma quickly turned to Lancelot as Emma assured him that he didn't to cover Illario, but Nora was not going to let this go. "He warned us that we may be in danger from Cora."

Lancelot turned to Illario before looking back at Nora as he warned her, "I've told you. You shouldn't trust whatever comes out of his mouth. Do you understand?"

Nora then realized that no matter what she said, his mind was made up about Illario. There was no way she could change it. It even led her questioning how he could just make an accusation without hearing Illario's side. He clearly didn't understand that anyone who was accused of a crime was innocent until proven guilty. For now, she just had to do what she was told and hope that eventually, Illario would prove his innocence, so she agreed with Lancelot and told him that she would be more careful, earning a satisfied smile from him. However, his smile soon vanished in an instant when they heard Mary Margaret, and Mulan arguing with each other.

Even though he advised Nora and Emma to stay where they were, they needed to see what was going on, so they followed Lancelot, leaving Illario behind as he begged them not to go. They soon saw Aurora on the ground with a dagger in Mulan's hand. Lancelot tried calming both of them down, but it was no use. That was when Emma pulled out her gun that she received back at the Safe Haven and shot it in the air, startling the group.

Mary Margaret asked what she was doing, to which Emma told her that she was protecting her, but Lancelot narrowed his eyes at her as he approached her. "You foolish girl. Do you have any idea what you have done?"

They all heard a growl coming from behind, and Emma questioned if it was an ogre, causing Mary Margaret to panic and alerting the group to run. Mulan helped Aurora up while the rest of the group ran off, but Nora stopped for a moment when she remembered Illario as she looked back. Lancelot, however, grabbed her and advised her that they needed to leave despite her plea that her friend was back there.

They then split up into different directions until Emma tripped and fell to the ground before an ogre revealed itself and approached her. Emma was clearly afraid, and she had a right to be. Not many faced an ogre and lived to tell the tale. Lancelot saw Emma's distress and rushed to her aide by drawing out his sword to attack the creature, but the ogre swung its arm, sending him back and hitting a tree. He held onto his shoulder and looked ahead as he yelled out for Emma.

At the moment when the ogre went to grab Emma, her eyes widened when she saw a cat jumping on its back and clawing at its head, but it wasn't just any cat. It was Illario. He fought the beast ferociously as it stood back up and tried reaching for Illario. Illario was too quick for him though by dodging its slo movements. Emma quickly rolled out of the ogre's way so that it wouldn't step on her.

Mary Margaret then used the opportunity to shoot at the ogre when it turned around to her as it shot right between its eyes, causing it to screech before falling to the ground. Illario jumped down just in time before the ogre fell. Nora then helped Emma up who thanked her right at the moment when Mulan and Aurora came back and saw the display before Illario went over to Emma.

"Are you alright?" Illario asked.

Emma seemed hesitant to respond, "Yeah, thanks."

"My pleasure."

Instead of acknowledging that Illario was free from the rope, Mulan and Aurora rushed over to Lancelot who slowly got up as he held onto his right shoulder. "Lancelot, are you alright?" Mulan asked.

"I will be," he grunted. "I've dealt with much worse injuries than this."

"Still, you should go back to the Safe Haven with Aurora. I can guide them to the castle."

As Aurora objected, Mulan advised her that it was too dangerous, but Lancelot sided with Aurora. "No. It's best if we all stay together. Besides, we are nearly there."

Even though Snow insisted that he should go back, Lancelot refused again. He said that he wanted to ensure their safety to reach the castle before heading back to camp. Despite that, Nora still wanted Illario to go with them not as a prisoner but as their guide as she argued that he proved himself by saving Emma, earning a critical eye from Lancelot.

Lancelot then turned to Illario, who grew stiff and rigid by his stare, before looking back at Nora. "It's still too much of a risk."

"But-"

"He may have saved your friend this time, but what of the next encounter? How do you know he won't run off?"

Emma then looked over at Illario who was clearly uncomfortable over this whole ordeal, and she stuck up for him, surprising everyone by saying, "I think he would've taken that chance if he wanted to."

Lancelot was still skeptical, but he eventually agreed before turning to Emma and Nora as he said, "He's your responsibility then."

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Graham and Amir walked through town to look for Jefferson. Amir wasn't much help though since he stood idly by and watched Graham ask people questions. It didn't bother Amir too much when the people looked at him. Then again, he expected that would happen since everyone knew what he did.

When Graham didn't have much luck finding Jefferson, Amir leaned against one of the poles and asked, "Got a smoke?"

Graham turned to him with an annoyed look. "I don't smoke."

"Ah, I could use one right now."

Graham had enough of Amir, so he told him off, "Well, you're not doing a good job helping now, are you?"

Amir couldn't help but roll his eyes, and when he looked around town, his eyes caught wind of a poster on one of the poles. He went over to it, alerting Graham. By the time Amir ripped the poster off to get a good look at the childish drawing of his friend, Graham was by his side and noticed it. It was a childish drawing of a man with a question of, "Have you seen my Papa?" in bold capital letters.

"Should've known she'd be looking for him too," Amir stated.

"Who?"

"His daughter." Graham gave him a quizzical look, so Amir explained briefly, "Grace. Here it's Paige. She actually takes the bus with Swan's son. It should be here later"

"He'll be looking for her."

Amir shook his head admitting, "Wouldn't be so sure about that. That's why I'm suggesting you stay here for her while I go looking for him."

"He's her daughter."

"Doesn't mean he'll go and find her." Graham was confused, but Amir shook his head since he didn't have time to explain the whole story to Graham. "I know him more than you, and he won't come on his own. That's why you have to let me go find him."

"Yeah, right. You expect me to trust you?"

Amir smirked and replied, "I guess you don't, do you? Then again, Jefferson would be more lenient if a friend of his came alone. I'll even leave my ankle bracelet on so that you know where I am."

Graham was hesitant, but eventually he agreed since he wanted to find Jefferson as soon as possible, and he knew that Amir would be a lot more beneficial to find him on his own. "Fine."

"Oh, and another thing. After I bring him to you. I want my bar back."

"Why, so that you can blackmail more people and do horrible things to them?"

Amir scoffed as he said, "Fine. I'll be more honest with my work. You can check in on me every once in a while."

Graham was running out of time. He needed to find Jefferson quickly to bring his wife and friends back. Amir was just one obstacle in his way, but he knew he needed him for Jefferson to cooperate, so he agreed. Amir smirked and told Graham to wait for Grace at the school bus stop as he walked off to find his old friend.

Past

It had been a few days since Illario had been with the refugees. Mulan and Philip kept a critical eye on him since they still didn't trust him. Understandably considering they must be thinking that Illario stayed to find an opportunity to steal Merlin's staff. However, the more he was at camp and spoke with Lancelot, the more he found himself at peace. Perhaps it was better to break his deal with Cora the more he thought about it.

Cora was certainly not going to like that he failed, but Illario truly believed that these poor, innocent people needed the staff to survive as Lancelot explained why they needed it. Without it, they would be completely vulnerable against the ogres. It was better for them to have it than for Illario to steal it for his own selfish deeds by receiving his reward. These people deserved better, which was why Illario needed to make it right.

He went around camp to search for Lancelot, but he couldn't find him, so he went over to Philip and Mulan even if they still didn't hold any high opinion of him. "Have either of you seen Lancelot?"

"He went on an exertion. He should be back," Philip explained.

Before Illario had a chance to walk away, Mulan stopped him. "Why do you need Lancelot?"

"No reason. I only wish to discuss something with him, but I'll have to wait until he comes back."

Without another word, Illario left the camp to look for Cora. He needed to tell her that the deal was off. He owed Lancelot and the rest of the refugees that much. After all, they all were taking cover from the ruthless ogres. If Illario stole it, then there was no stopping the beasts from killing them. That was why Illario had to make things right.

When he saw Hook about a mile away from the camp, Illario approached him, alerting Hook as he didn't see him, forcing him to grab his sword but didn't pull it out yet. "So, you're finally back."

"Yes."

Hook stared at him with hardened eyes, not fazing Illario as he questioned, "I don't see the staff with you. Where is it?"

"That's why I came here. I need to speak to Cora."

Hook couldn't take his eyes off of Illario. It seemed as if he had an idea as to what was going on, but he couldn't allow Hook to know just yet. He may not take him to see Cora if he knew. That was why he withheld information.

"Follow me then."

Illario willingly followed Hook to a clearing where Cora waited patiently. A smile slowly crept her face when she noticed him. However, it soon grew tight when her eyes lingered on him. At that moment, Illario knew that she wasn't happy because he didn't have the staff with him.

"And here I was beginning to wonder what was taking you so long, Illario. Although, I have to admit I find it surprising that you have yet to steal the staff of Merlin."

Illario looked away, almost afraid to admit. "That's what I came here to tell you. I'm not going to steal it. In fact, I wanted to tell you that I quit. Those people need the staff to protect themselves."

"It seems you've grown quite fond of them," Cora told him in a dismissive tone before breaking into a cold, smirk, "You see, Illario, you must understand that the more people you care about, the weaker you are."

Her hand twirled in the air, summing a puff of purple smoke by her side and stretched up just a little past her height before it dissipated and revealed Lancelot. Illario panicked when he saw him since he had no clue why he what Cora was doing until she delved her hand deep within Lancelot's chest and pulled out a glowing, beating red object. Illario quickly realized that it was Lancelot's heart as Cora began crushing it, causing Lancelot to be in extreme pain.

"Stop. Stop!" When Cora finally listened to Illario, he looked at Hook and saw his gaze hardening at the feline, almost testing him to see what his next move will be, but Illario knew he didn't have much of a choice when he turned back to Cora. "Please. I'll do whatever you want. Just tell me what it is."

"You know what, Illario, and if you do not bring me Merlin's staff, then I will crush your friend's heart."

"No. Illario, don't-" Lancelot pleaded but was quickly cut off from the pain when Cora squeezed his heart again.

"Alright, I'll do it!" Illario shouted to prove that he desperately wanted to do it to save his friend. "Now, stop!"

When Cora stopped, her smirk remained cold yet satisfied by his answer as if she was enjoying this. "I trust you won't disappoint me again...for your friend's sake."

Illario wished he could find a way to stop this, but there was no possible way. He had no choice but to steal Merlin's staff to save Lancelot, so he agreed to steal it if she promised that she would let him go. He even made sure he glared at both Cora and Hook as he left them and swore that he would come back with the staff

When Illario made it back to camp, he made sure not to enter. He decided the best course of action was to stake out the camp and wait until nearly everyone was asleep so that it was easier to sneak inside without being detected or for anyone to not know what he was doing.

Illario made sure that it was dead at night when everyone went to sleep before he snuck through the shadows and scoured through the shelters and tents to find the staff. Some of the soldiers gossiped about Lancelot not returning yet, but Mulan assured them that he would return. Illario couldn't even help but overhear Mulan and Phillip discussing about Illario as Phillip questioned if she believed that he would come back, but Mulan admitted that she hoped he wouldn't since she didn't want anymore trouble.

Brushing her comments aside, Illario snuck past them and went into one of the shelters where he found Merlin's staff. Illario quickly stole the staff and hurried out of there when he heard footsteps climbing up the steps. As soon as Illario snuck out the window with the staff, he heard a soldier alerting the others by shouting out that the staff had been stolen. Mulan immediately ordered the soldiers to find the thief. The last thing Illario heard before he left was Phillip asking Mulan if she believed that Illario came back to steal the staff, to which that she acknowledged that she wouldn't be surprised if he did.

Present

The group reached Mary Margaret's old castle, and all Nora did was stare at it. She could never forget the last place she was in before the curse swept her and her husband away. Even when Graham warned Nora to hide away, she refused as she surprised him by helping him and Derek fend off Regina's soldiers. Graham was frustrated of course, but Nora didn't care. She wanted her last moments to be in his arms before the curse took them away since she knew it would be a long time until they were in each other's embrace again.

When they made it down the front doors, Mary Margaret took the lead as she beckoned them to follow her. Mulan asked Lancelot how he was holding up, to which he responded that he was alright even though he was still carrying his shoulder from time to time. Nora, however, noticed Illario's hesitancy as he was left behind. She didn't understand what was going on, and for some reason, he couldn't stop staring at Lancelot. It was almost as if he was nervous to be around him, which was unusual. Illario was practically fearless and Lancelot was simply fulfilling his duties for honor as a knight should to aide his friends.

As soon as she noticed the group was far enough, she went back to Illario to ask, "What is it?"

"I just...I don't think it's right to go in there."

"Why not?"

"Well, do you even trust anyone in there?"

It was a strange question to Nora, but she answered anyway, "Mary Margaret and Emma are my friends, Illario, and even though we got off on the wrong foot with Mulan, Aurora, and Lancelot, they're willing to help us."

"Listen to me. We are all ingreatdanger." Nora's eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he added, "How do you know that Cora hasn't been watching you and your friends?"

As she processed his words carefully, she soon realized something. "Wait. Are you saying she's been watching us?" When Illario, didn't say anything, Nora pressed, "Then, we need to get her to clear your name. Why didn't you say anything, and how do you even know that?"

"It doesn't matter how, but we all need to leave here. Think about it. Why do you think Cora hasn't done anything yet? She wants to know how to gain more magic."

At that moment, it clicked into place. "The wardrobe."

Illario then grabbed Nora's hand and said, "We need to leave now."

"My friends are in there, Illario. I can't just leave them."

"You won't have any friends by the time Cora's through with them."

Nora and Illario were completely taken aback when they heard a familiar voice behind them, "Cora?" They looked to see Lancelot standing behind them with a quizzical expression, and Nora quickly noticed how Illario's whole demeanor changed before Lancelot turned to Nora. "The witch again?"

Nora didn't want her friend to be in anymore trouble, so she calmly explained that Cora may be nearby, causing Lancelot to exchange a quick glance at Illario who turned away. She didn't understand why he was so uneasy around him. It was very unlike Illario to behave this way.

"If you and your friends want to reach the wardrobe in time before Cora gets there first, then I suggest we keep moving."

Nora was suspicious as she questioned, ""I thought you told me never to trust a thief. So are you saying you believe Illario? You think Cora's nearby?"

Lancelot hesitated for some reason, forcing Nora to be even more wary of him. "I don't know, but if she is, then only fools would stand by and let a witch come to plan and attack. Let's make haste now. We don't want anyone else to worry."

As Lancelot extended his hand out, gesturing for them to go first, Illario did, but Nora just stared at him skeptically. It was a hunch, but Nora thought she may have an idea as to why Illario was afraid of Lancelot. She couldn't quite explain it, but something about their interaction wasn't right. However, her mind raced to a million thoughts when she saw the mistake Lancelot made. For now, she was going to keep quiet until the time was right, but she made sure to steal his coin purse with great discretion as an idea came to be before being led inside with Lancelot trailing behind as his eyes shifted between Nora and Illario.

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Amir needed to hurry if he was going to find Jefferson, so he sent him a text to meet him at the docks. By the time Amir made it, he saw his old friend, Jefferson, sitting on one of the benches and staring at the poster that his daughter made to search for him. No doubt he was upset about it. The only person who Jefferson loved was searching for him.

When Amir approached him, Jefferson put the poster away when he heard him say, "You going to look for her?"

"Why'd you want to meet with me, Amir?" Amir then sat on the bench beside him and pulled out a pack of cigarettes that he stole from one of the stores before sticking one in his mouth and lighting it up with his lighter as he puffed out smoke instead of answering him, annoying Jefferson. "If you made a deal with that deputy, then forget it. I already told the prince that the hat's destroyed."

"I know, but there has to be something you can do."

Jefferson then looked at him skeptically as he questioned, "And why do you care?"

"To be honest, I don't," Amir told him, puffing out more smoke. "But to make sure that Humbert's giving me protection from Gold, then I need you to work with me."

"Yeah, and you did that to yourself. I warned you what would happen if you got Gold's daughter involved in your hobby, and now look what you did."

As soon as Jefferson got up, Amir stood too and got in Jefferson's way to ensure that he wouldn't leave just yet. "You're right. I may have screwed up by getting her involved, and now I'm a wanted man, but that doesn't mean that I can't try to fix that mistake, and I suggest you do the same."

Jefferson's eyes softened as he tried to argue, "Amir, I can't-"

"Yes, you can. You have to. For your daughter." Amir knew it wasn't going to be enough to convince him, so he continued further to prove his point. "You know if I had someone I love, I would desperately go back to them, but I don't anymore. You, on the other hand, have someone, and she's trying so hard to look for you. She needs you. Don't make the same mistake I did."

Jefferson continued staring at him and hesitated but eventually agreed, causing Amir to smirk before throwing his cigarette to the ground and crushed it with his shoe. He then led Amir to Main Street, where they were at a safe distance away from Graham and David as they waited for the school bus to stop.

One by one, many students came out, including Henry Mills as he went over to his grandfather. He even exchanged a few words with Graham. However, when one of the last students came out, Jefferson grew still. There was his daughter, Grace, yet instead of making himself known, Jefferson just stared at her. He then turned to his friend, who gave him a small smile and nodded his head, encouraging him to go forth and be with his daughter again.

"Grace." She froze and slowly turned around to see her father standing a few feet away from the bus, catching David, Henry, and Graham's attention as they also noticed Amir standing a couple of paces away from Jefferson.

Grace then ran over to her father and cried in glee before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Papa! You found me. I knew you would."

Amir looked over to see Graham staring at him, so Amir smirked to prove his point that he didn't need him to get Jefferson. Graham then took the opportunity to head over to Jefferson, but Amir didn't want Graham to ruin this moment, so he made his way over and put his hand on his chest, stopping Graham as he warned him to wait. Graham, however, was getting irritated as he reminded him of their deal.

"Amir, it's okay." Jefferson stopped his friend before kneeling back down to Grace's level to take her shoulders as he told her softly, "Grace, sweetie, you stay here. I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

He then went over to Graham who questioned, "How do I get my them back?"

"Look. The only way to get to other worlds is through my hat, and it's destroyed. There's nothing you can do."

"No. I don't believe that. There has to be a way."

"Not in Storybrooke, where there's no magic."Jefferson sighed as he let him down easy when he noticed Graham's expression. "It might be easier for them to return back since there's magic there, but it'll be difficult. They're going to have to look really hard, but they'd have better luck over there than you finding a portal here."

"So, what am I supposed to do then?"

"Waiting is all you can do." Before Jefferson walked away, he added, "Just hope it doesn't take another twenty-eight years."

As Jefferson went back to his daughter, Graham turned over to Amir, who didn't look amused. He even turned to David and Henry who seemed just as concerned as Graham, but if there was nothing they could do, then there was no choice. They just had to wait and hope that Mary Margaret, Emma, and Nora would return back home soon.

Past

When Illario made it back to the clearing, Cora and Hook waited for him. She still held onto Lancelot's heart, and he was sitting on a tree stump. Lancelot's eyes widened when he caught sight of Illario, and he pleaded for Illario to flee, causing Cora to squeeze his heart. He was in more pain again as he slumped and groaned until she let him go when Illario showed off the staff, earning a satisfied smirk from the witch.

"Well done, Illario, and here I was beginning to question your skills."

Before Illario handed it to her, he asked, "Answer me this first. Why do you want the staff?"

It took a minute for Cora to admit, "There is a curse coming, and it will send us all to a nonmagical land and make us forget who we are."

"So, you intend to use it to shield yourself from it."

Hook then drew his sword and pointed it at Illario, challenging him, "That's quite enough of that. Hand over the staff, cat, unless you preferred to be skewered through."

Illario wished he could fight them, but he couldn't without risking Lancelot's safety, so he set the staff on the ground. Cora then waved her hand up, causing the staff to jerk and fly towards her as she caught it. Illario then reminded Cora to release Lancelot. She did as she was promised by plunging his heart back into his chest. Lancelot slumped to the ground and heaved in heavy breaths, relieving Illario until he remembered that Cora and Hook were there as Cora smiled coldly at Illario.

Just when Illario thought it was over, Lancelot drew his sword out and quickly swung it at Cora who vanished in an instant and reappeared a few feet away from the knight. She then laughed and raised her hand to summon a fireball. Hook then cautiously approached Lancelot with his sword in his hand, but Illario was not going to allow Hook to sneak up on his friend, so he used his agility by going on all fours and ran to him as he jumped on his back, causing him to stumble.

Lancelot quickly dodged out of the way when Cora threw her fireball at him, and it flew over to Hook. Illario jumped out of the way, and Hook's eyes widened when he saw Cora's magic heading straight to him, so he brought his sword up to protect himself, knocking him off his feet.

Illario then drew his sword out and pointed it at Hook. Hook then got up and had a sword fight with him while Lancelot tried to attack Cora. Both of their opponents were formidable, but they were not going to give up so easily. However, everything took a turn when Cora vanished again and appeared behind Lancelot as she dug her hand inside his chest to pull out his heart.

Illario couldn't help but look to see his friend groaning in pain, so he backflipped away from Hook and rushed over to his friend in need, only for Cora to use her magic to knock him into a tree. Illario felt the force and felt so numb. His head was even hurting as he slowly slumped and laid on the ground with his eyes growing weary. The last thing he saw was Cora crushing Lancelot's heart before passing out.

By the time he woke up, Illario found himself in the pit. He couldn't believe that Lancelot was killed. He had no one but to blame himself for it. Now Cora and Hook could use the staff for their own purpose to escape the curse that was coming. He knew they had no reason to lie, but the way they went about it was wrong. It showed how desperate they were to work their way past the curse.

When the door knocked, Illario looked to see it open and saw Mulan with another soldier. "I see you've finally woken up."

"Please let me explain-"

"You mean how you stole the staff of Merlin, threatening our safety?"

"Please, I had no choice. The witch I made a deal with took Lancelot and told me that she would release him if I delivered the staff to her, but she...killed him."

Mulan's stare hardened. "More lies?"

"It's not a lie. I'll help you in anyway I can to avenge him."

"Stop pretending to be innocent when you are in the wrong. Lancelot told us everything-how you wanted the staff for your own selfish needs to earn money."

Illario had to process her words carefully as he questioned, "What do you mean? Lancelot's alive?"

"Clearly to your disappointment after you tried to kill him." Illario quickly realized what was going on when Mulan added, "When we met him at the clearing where you were unconscious, he told us that you tried to kill him when he asked you where you've hidden the staff."

A sickening wave of terror swelled up as Illario pleaded, "No. No, Mulan, listen to me. Don't listen to him. I'm telling you the truth."

Mulan turned to the guard as she ordered, "Make sure he doesn't escape this time."

Illario pleaded with Mulan to hear him out, but she drifted further away from him. He couldn't believe this. Not only was his friend dead and the staff was gone, but Cora was pretending to be Lancelot. She was manipulating these poor innocent people, and there was nothing Illario could do since no one in camp believed him.

Present

When they went inside the nursery, Emma was amazed as she instantly recognized it from Henry's book. Mary Margaret expressed that she wanted to teach Emma how to walk in here, how to talk, how to put on her dress for her first ball. It was the life she wanted her to have. Emma then questioned how it worked, but Mary Margaret told her that it was much more complicated than that.

Lancelot then stepped forward and observed the wardrobe and seemed almost fascinated by it as he couldn't stop staring at it. "Surely someone with magical capabilities can access it. We'll take it back with us to the island. Hopefully, we'll find out how to use it to send you all home."

As Illario stood by Nora's side, she looked down at him and saw the same nervous behavior he had towards Lancelot. This was it. It was time to prove Nora's theory. She really hoped she was right. If she wasn't, it would make the situation awkward.

Nora discreetly took out Lancelot's crest from her pocket when the rest of the group was distracted by coming up with a plan on how they were going to take the wardrobe back to The Safe Haven. She then let it fall to the floor, letting it clink, and alerting the group.

Aurora questioned what it was, but Nora was the first to speak up. "Oh, it's your crest, Lancelot. It must've fallen over here."

Lancelot stared at her for a moment, and Nora saw how his smile didn't extend to his eyes as he extended his hand out and thanked her. Nora smiled and tossed the crest at him. He caught it with his right hand in ease, and before anyone knew it, Nora drew her sword out and pointed it at Lancelot.

"You're not Lancelot, are you?" Nora interrogated.

"What are you-"

"His shoulder was hurt when the ogre attacked him," Nora reminded Mary Margaret, causing the group to look over at Lancelot. Even though Mulan was quick to defend him, Nora wasn't buying it, especially when Lancelot assured her that his shoulder didn't hurt as much anymore. "I kept wondering why Illario was so nervous around you, and then when we spoke outside, you believed him by saying that Cora may be watching us. How would you both even know if she was...unless if she was with us the whole time? Maybe it's about time you told them the truth,...Cora."

Lancelot gave Nora a wicked smirk, and the rest of the group was shocked except for Illario when a puff of purple smoke surrounded him and dissipated to reveal Cora. "Clever girl."

When Mary Margaret questioned where Lancelot was, Cora admitted that he was dead and that she killed a long time ago, causing Mulan to turn to Illario, realizing that he was telling the truth and that she felt guilty for not believing him. "And you've been posing as him ever since," Mulan drew her sword out and pointed it at Cora as she accused her of it.

"Well, you'd never listen tome. And, besides, every kingdomneedsa hero, don't you think?"

As soon as Mulan and Nora tried attacking her, she used her magic to push them back before sending Mary Margaret against the wall and keeping her there with her magic. Emma, Aurora, and Illario were sent knocked back while Cora made her way over to Mary Margaret. She then addressed Mary Margaret as Snow before thanking her since she had been looking for a way back for so long. When Mary Margaret questioned why she was doing this, Cora admitted that she wanted to see her daughter. She even stated that she would love to meet her adopted grandson, Henry.

"No, you won't!" Emma said.

They looked to see Emma igniting a fire on the wardrobe using the gunpowder from her bullets and from her dagger. She then threw a fireball towards Emma. Illario, however, got there in time by using his sword to cut it in half before taking a protective stance over Emma. Everyone else got up and surrounded Cora.

Cora then looked over at Mary Margaret and warned her, "We're not done," before disappearing into a cloud of purple smoke.

Mary Margaret thanked Emma for saving her before the group went outside. Nora couldn't believe that Cora disguised herself as Lancelot for so long and kept Illario prisoner because she was worried that he would reveal the truth. Mulan even apologized to Illario, and Illario accepted it graciously as he told them that it wasn't their fault since he didn't give really give Mulan a good first impression by stealing the staff.

"Well, I best be off now that I have my freedom, but I will forever be grateful for this, especially to you, Nora."

Nora smiled at him and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Illario?"

"No. My place is out there, but I do hope to see you all again soon." Before Illario left, he turned to Nora again. "Oh, and Nora, it was great to see you again."

"You too, Illario."

For some reason, he seemed hesitant to say something, but instead, he went on his own way. Now that the wardrobe was destroyed, Mary Margaret, Emma, and Nora needed to find another solution on how to get home. They only hoped that it didn't take them too long.

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait. I had a lot of stuff going, and on top of that, I was actually writing two chapters at a time, so you'll actually get the next chapter really soon, which is most likely tomorrow. There also seems to be a lot of confusion on whether Hook killed Milah as I have received a lot of messages as to if I changed anything or not. I thought I made it obvious in the last chapter, so I'll say it here: I did not change the way how Milah died from the show. Rumple/Gold tricked his own daughter by using a fake mirror so that she would believe that Hook killed her mother, and there is a specific reason why I did that as the story progresses. Hope you enjoyed Illario's storyline in this chapter, leave me a review, send me any questions you have, and stay tuned for more chapters heading your way real soon!