The Prince of Darkness

Interlude: The Author

David and Emma were too trusting, leaving the sheriff's office empty for the night. Of course, he doubted they expected their only prisoner would manage to break out.

Or that he would be breaking in.

Robin stood in front of the door, knowing no one was out to see him. Still he wore only dark clothing and kept his hood up, despite the early summer heat still clinging to the night air. He was an expert at this and the door opened, letting him slip inside.

He took a seat by Emma's desk and watched the prison's only occupant. The prisoner was asleep on the small cot in his cell. He had an arm thrown over his eyes though there wasn't much light in the room.

Isaac Heller twitched in his sleep, moving his arm from his eyes. Robin watched as he opened his eyes, frowning before he sat up. Once his eyes had adjusted, he sighed. "I've been expecting you. Seems everyone in this town has had their turn yelling at me. Why not the new Dark One?"

"Do you think you should be so cavalier right now?" Robin let some of the darkness into his voice. It was dangerous—give it an inch and it could swallow him whole.

But it did its job. Isaac tensed up, shrinking back. "No, of course not. So...what do you want to know? I mean, of all the heroes, you fared the best in my story. You still had your claim to fame, your skills, your men and you were getting married."

"To Zelena."

"Does that really matter? You're having a child with her." Isaac's eyes bulged out and he opened his mouth a few times as if trying to say something. Nothing came out. He raised his hands to his neck, as if trying to pull something from it.

Robin realized the man was choking...and he was doing it. The darkness fueling him receded as Isaac dropped to his knees, sucking in noisy gulps of air. Robin knew he should apologize but the darkness stopped him. Don't show him that weakness. Get your answers while he is afraid.

Fear can be quite an effective tool, Regina once told him. The farmhouse seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Can you speak?" he asked. When Isaac nodded, Robin crossed his arms. "Good. Now you can tell me why Zelena."

Isaac shrugged. "I couldn't bring back the dead. So no Marian."

"And no Roland." Robin frowned. "You wrote my son out of existence and separated me from Regina."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"You still haven't really told me why Zelena. Why not some random woman?"

"Because it was her happy ending."

That surprised Robin. "I'm her happy ending?"

"You? Please," Isaac scoffed. "Her happy ending was Regina not getting one. You were just part of that."

He was throwing Regina's words back at Robin. Anger flared up in him and the darkness clawed at him, begging him to release it. Robin swallowed it all down—his anger, the darkness and how sick he felt. "She told me she didn't belong in those woods. You knew her happy ending was belonging. You took that away."

"I told you. No hero would get a happy ending in my story."

Robin stepped closer. "So you consider Regina a hero? Or did Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Despite the fact Regina left him to die, the imp still had a soft spot for Regina. But he had made a promise to Zelena." Isaac clutched the bars, getting closer to Robin. "And I was more than willing to honor that promise."