The Lost Princess - A Once Upon A Time Fanfic

The Price // Storybrooke

*TW // mentions of blood and death*

"Looking for me?" Hook asked, his voice sending a shiver down both their spines. Kyla turned around slowly. 

"Killian," she said, her voice distressed from seeing him. In just the day he'd discovered he was the Dark One, his whole demeanor had changed. His hair fell across his face, shaggy and unkempt. His eyes were as dark as his darkened soul. 

And Excalibur was in his hand.

"Hello, Rapunzel. I see you're trying to stop me," he said. His voice was angry. It didn't sound like the Hook she had known all those years. His gaze then turned to Rider, who she could feel tense up out of aggravation. Kyla put her hand in front of him to stop him from doing anything harmful. 

"Killian, look at me. We just wanted to find you. To talk," she said calmly. 

"To talk? We have nothing to talk about," Hook replied. 

"Oh, I think we have everything to talk about," Kyla disagreed. She attempted to remind him how they knew each other, how they trusted each other. "I knew we'd find you here." 

"I have no reason to hide now," he said flatly.

"You're trying to send us all to the Underworld?" She asked, her voice showing disbelief. His gaze softened to the Killian she had once known. 

"Not you, Rapunzel," he said softly, taking another step toward her. "I could never have anything or anyone take your place." 

"What? Why?" 

"The Dark Ones are taking over Storybrooke, yes, but as you can imagine, there is something very powerful standing n our way," he said, pacing. 

"Emma," she said. 

"No," he said, stopping suddenly. "You." 

Her eyes widened. 

"Kyla," Rider whispered, attempting to move her away from him, but Kyla ignored him. 

"Me," she stated, starting to understand. 

"Why, love, you're the only being powerful enough to kill a Dark One without becoming one yourself." 

It became clear to Kyla. She was in danger. 

"Ridger, go," she said quietly. 

"I'm not leaving you here," Rider said, his voice heavy. 

"I don't want you getting hurt," she whispered to him. 

"Aye, but we're not going to hurt him. We need him," he said, meaning all of the Dark Ones. They needed his body to switch. "See, Kyla, we can't take your place. Your magic is too powerful for us. But, we also know that once you kill, you lose that power forever and, well, since you just got your magic back, I know you won't risk losing it once again." 

"I'm not a killer," Kyla said. "I don't care about my power." 

"You wouldn't kill me? Even as I'm about to send your family to the Underworld for the rest of eternity? You see, this would all end if you'd just use your power and kill me."

Kyla knew what he was doing. He knew his plan was going to work. It was the Darkness inside of him that wanted to see her lose everything. The Darkness hated her power, she could feel it. 

She took a step closer to him, closing in the space between them even tighter. She needed to find Killian behind the Dark One's eyes. 

"I know you, Killian. I know you better than anyone here. And I know you don't want to do this. This is what the Darkness does to a person, but listen to me, you can fight every voice you're hearing right now. This isn't a weakness. And hurting me and your family? It's only going to bring you more pain than you already feel," she said.