Enchanted Adventure

XXXVIII. The Miller's Daughter

JOLLY ROGER

The New York group was sailing on Hook's ship towards Storybrooke. Henry, Aubree and Neal were steering the ship, while Emma tended to Mr. Gold below deck.

"You don't look comfortable," Emma said.

"The poison racing towards my heart will have that effect," Mr. Gold answered.

"Tell me about this, uh, knife of yours. Cora and Regina... If they do have it, they can make you do anything?"

"Indeed."

"Like... Kill us all?"

"Yeah. You're hoping I bleed to death now, aren't you?"

"You're Henry and Aubree's grandfather. We're family now. I'm going to save you."

"Oh, I feel so reassured."

STORYBROOKE

David was talking to Mary Margaret on his cell phone. "Hey. I just talked to Emma. It's a bad wound. She says it's poison. They can only cure it back here in Storybrooke. They're taking a ship home."

"Well, let them know that they have the knife, okay? Who knows what that wicked woman would do?" Mary Margaret said.

REGINA'S OFFICE

Cora and Regina were listening in to the phone conversation. Hearing enough, Cora knocked the speaker off of the desk, cutting off the connection.

"Mother," Regina said, getting up to retrieve the speaker.

Cora frowned. "I don't like what that enchanted box was saying. I'm not... I'm not wicked."

"It's not an enchanted box. It's a phone tap."

"I don't care. What matters is, they've been warned. Rumpelstiltskin's smart. And now, he has time to think."

"But he's injured."

Cora looked at the dagger and noticed that Rumpelstiltskin's name is slowly disappearing from the blade. "More than injured, I'd say. He's dying. And when his name disappears, all of that power of his will just... Boil off into the air and... Then there will be no new Dark One."

"Okay. So we have to use him to get Henry and Aubree back before he dies."

"Not in his condition. I don't want to kill him faster. No, there are no other options. I have to stab him with this knife, and take his power as my own. I have to become the Dark One. And with his power, there's nothing I won't be able to do."

"But Henry and Aubree are never going to forgive that. And the whole point of this is... Wait. What is the point of all this?"

"To protect our family."

"Or you gaining your power."

"Whatever power I gain is for us – to protect you, to protect Henry, to protect Aubree. If we lose this battle, we'll spend the rest of our short lives on our knees in front of them. And that, my love? Is something I'll never do."

DOCKS

David, Mary Margaret and Ruby arrived to meet Emma and company. Neal and Ruby helped Mr. Gold off of the ship.

"Are you okay?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, we're all right," Emma replied.

David took over Ruby's position, and he and Neal headed towards the truck with Mr. Gold.

"Uh, Bree and I drove a ship," Henry said.

"Did you two now?" David questioned.

Aubree nodded. "Yeah, our dad showed us how."