ᴘᴇʀꜱᴇᴘʜᴏɴᴇ | once upon a time [ EDITING ]

- ɴɪᴍᴜᴇ's ɢᴀᴍᴇ.

— ɴɪᴍᴜᴇ'ꜱ ɢᴀᴍᴇ.

Presley was seated on top of a table once more with view to the forest outside. Her head turns to look outside every few moments, anxiously waiting for Emma and Merlin to return from their quest.

There were not many people in the diner, just Henry, Granny and her. The rest were going to Arthur's castle to get his part of Excalibur. Henry was sitting by the bar with Granny, sometimes looking outside and other times at Presley. Every few minutes he could spot a spark of red electricity in her hand, like she set a match on fire.

He wonders if she could control it. Did she mean to let that spark flare up each time or did it slip from her fingers? Was she only in control occasionally? Who knows what she could have learned all that time that they were apart..

When Henry catches sight of Presley moving her head he turns away, afraid of getting caught staring. Instead he focuses on some newspaper that was horribly outdated by now.

That was how Emma found them as she entered the diner, holding a small box in her hands. She hugs Henry and states out loud that they have the spark and is ready to unite the two blades. Emma asks where it is. Henry then reveals no one has returned yet. It was quite worrisome, considering they had to be back hours ago if all went according to plan.

Emma feels deep down they are not safe anymore and asks Granny to close the shop. The elderly woman was already on it and tosses Henry the key to close the front door. However, she suddenly freezes and so does the key.

Merlin reveals himself and explains what Arthur had done: tethering him to the broken Excalibur and forcing his hand in keeping Emma's family prisoner in exchange for the dagger and the flame so he can forge the blades together. Emma refuses to give up so easily, but Merlin warns her not to seek vengeance and make the same mistakes as Nimue.

Presley frowns at Merlin's words. Nimue.. now who is Nimue and what were her mistakes?

She feels the surge of power beneath her skin. Her magic wanted to boil up, coil around her being and wrap around Merlin's neck. It wanted to be malicious and force the answers out of him. Another time she might have actually done it, but not now. Not this version of her, who has much to lose if she ever gave in to her magic's desire for destruction.

After Merlin disappeared Emma went on her way to save her family. Presley wanted to come along, but the Dark One told her that she had to stay with Henry and Granny. She was, after all, the only one with magic. If anyone came to the diner she could protect them.

She reluctantly agreed and stayed put. While Emma was being a hero and saving everyone, she was on babysitting duty and laying around doing nothing. She couldn't take it anymore and went outside to practice her magic (and unleash some anger) on the nearby trees.

°

Presley glances at each and every one with leering eyes. "So you told Emma, who has been an emotional mess dangling at the edge of her sanity for the entire time we've been in Camelot, to give up the one person she loves and expect her to be okay with it? Just so there is no mistaking here, that is the absolute stupidest thing I've ever heard. And I've been to high school, where stupidity basically reigns as a sovereign monarch." She shakes her head and runs a hand through her hair.