The Lost Princess - A Once Upon A Time Fanfic

Freeing Merlin // Camelot

*a few weeks earlier*

Emma, Kyla and Regina went back to the tower to continue their work to free Merlin. Emma grabbed a book off the table and opened up to the ingredients of a potion Regina was working on. 

"First we need to know how the potion you've been working on will react to my dark magic," she said. "Bring me the vial." 

"I'm not doing a damn thing until you tell me everything about that dreamcatcher," Regina said. Kyla nodded. "Emma this is dark magic."

"I know," Emma said, holding out the dreamcatcher. 

"These things catch more than dreams," Kyla said. 

"I know," Emma repeated. 

"And you have to wave it over someone to capture a memory," Regina added. 

"I don't," Emma said. "This dark magic is stronger, more unpredictable than any magic I've ever used. The image just appeared."

"Which means you're becoming more comfortable using it," Kyla said, wanting to take a step away from her. 

"But it proves to be helpful," Emma continued. "It showed me what Arthur did to them. But it's going to be okay. The dreamcatcher also showed me a memory that's going to help us." 

"Whose?" Regina asked, but Kyla already knew the answer. 

"Merlin's," Kyla answered. Emma nodded. 

"I saw him. Merlin wept for the loss of the only woman he ever loved moments before the Dark One trapped him in the tree," Emma explained. 

"How?" Kyla asked. 

"How what?" Emma asked her. 

"Did you see how the Dark One trapped him?" She asked, understanding. 

"The Dark One used one of his tears," Emma said. 

"That's it," Kyla breathed. 

"What? You figured it out?" Regina asked, doubtful. 

"It's so obvious," she said with a shake of her head. "It's how any curse is meant to be broken." 

Emma cocked her head to the side. "True love's kiss?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Light magic," Kyla said. "More specifically, a tear from a lost love."

"No, she's right," Regina said. "Sometimes spells are like snake bites. You can make the anti-venom with the venom."

"If a tear of lost love trapped Merlin, another one might be able to get him out," Kyla said. 

"And how are we supposed to find that?" Emma asked. Kyla looked up at Regina, who was already nodding. 

"Me," Regina said. "I'll give you the tear." 

"Daniel," Kyla said. 

"Your first love," Emma said. 

"I've been thinking about him a lot this trip," Regina said. 

"Why's that?" Kyla asked. 

"Henry," she said with a sigh. "He likes a girl here, Violet, and is wanting to impress her. Take her on a date, if you will. But he was worried that he wouldn't be good enough for her because he's not a knight like most of the men here. I told him that I fell in love with Daniel because he wasn't like everyone else in our realm. He was so different and so special, just like Henry is."

Kyla could feel the melancholic sadness Regina began to feel, but she held up her hand. 

"Save the tears," Kyla said with a smile. Regina nodded.