Caught by the Dark

Chapter 6

"Rumplestiltskin's cell." Snow said when they came to the edge of the cave. "I haven't been here since before Regina's curse. This is where he told us you were going to be the saviour."

"He knew?" Emma asked.

"It was prophesized. Come on."

They went inside, and they found the cell completely empty.

"The squid ink – it's not here," Aurora said.

"Gold said we would find it," Snow said.

They looked through the crevices of the wall. Rose kept her emotions locked away. She felt strange, looking through her father's cell.

"Well, was there anyone else in here with him?" Mulan asked. "Could they have taken the ink?"

"No, he was kept alone. Visitors were forbidden. He was too dangerous to allow any human contact."

"How'd he keep from going crazy?" Emma asked.

"He didn't," Aurora said. Rose turned around. She held a faded paper.

"What is it?" Snow asked.

"Is that a message?" Emma asked, walking over.

"Yes. And I think it's for you."

"Why would you think..." she started to ask as Aurora handed her the paper. She finished after she saw the paper. "That." Rose came over to look. On the paper, 'Emma' was written over and over again, and nothing else.

"Wow," Rose said.

***

Emma was still looking at the paper. The others were still searching.

"What does this even mean?" Emma wondered.

"He was obsessed with you, Emma. You were the key to breaking the curse."

"We've looked everywhere," Aurora said. "There's no ink in this cell."

"Well, it has to be. He told David," Snow said.

"You were in a Netherworld," Emma suggested. "Maybe something got lost in translation."

"No," Mulan said. "She heard right."

"You found it?" Snow asked, turning to her.

Mulan held up an empty bottle. "In a manner of speaking. There was ink in the cell."

"Son of a bitch..." Emma muttered.

Suddenly, Aurora grabbed a rock and threw it against a lever just outside of the cell. The door to the cell fell down, trapping the five of them inside.

"Aurora, what are you doing?!" Emma cried out.

"Helping me," Cora said as she and Killian made their way down.

"I knew it!" Rose said.

The four in the cell looked at her, but she didn't elaborate. Cora summoned the compass to her.

"No!" Emma cried. She ran at the wall, trying to get through.

"No. Don't waste your energy, dear. Rumplestiltskin himself couldn't escape from this cell. Thank you, Aurora. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Why would you do this?" Emma asked, turning to Aurora.

"How could you?" Snow accused.

"Don't blame her," Rose said. She looked at Cora. "She was only doing what she was told." Once more, Rose got a confused look from the others. "Why don't you show them, 'Queen Cora,'" Rose said, doing an exaggerated bow and using the name Cora had told her to use.