The Girl With a Rose on Her Forehead -Once Upon a Time Fanfiction-

Season 5: Episode 11: Swan Song

"Emma, slow down! We need to talk about this and figure out a plan." David said as everyone followed Emma down the main street of Storybrooke. "The plan is to find Hook before he resurrects all of the Dark One's. If you think one is bad then you have no idea what's coming." Emma said, determination flowing from her as she led the group. Azelea ran up to the group followed by the dwarfs. She had been instructed to find them, and any other help that she could. "There is more than one Dark One?!" Leroy asked with dread in his voice. "It's a long story." David said, shrugging off the questions from the Dwarfs. "Well, no matter. There's seven of us." Leroy said. "Six, Dopey is still a tree." Doc reminded the group. "Dopey is a tree? Why?" Azelea asked. "We may be down a Dwarf, but we're ready for a fight." Leroy said, ignoring Azelea's question. "We wont have to. I'm going to take care of this." said Emma. "Do you think we can talk him out of this?" Azelea asked. "We have been talking for the past few weeks while you've been taking a nap in a tree. We're past that point. We're going to have to hit Hook with everything we have." Regina said. Azelea rolled her eyes at the nap comment and folded her arms. "But this isn't his fault....he didn't want to become the Dark One." Azelea said, her gaze landing on Emma. She didn't want to blame Emma for what she did to Hook, she was only trying to save her one true love. "But now he is the Dark One because of me." Emma said, turning around and stopped the group in the middle of the road. Emma gave her sister a reassuring smile. "None of that matters anymore. Regina is right. We have to hit him with everything we have." Emma said, looking upset. "But Emma, this is a man you loved." Mary said stepping up to stand in front of her daughter. "That man died in Camelot. Now all that remains is the Dark One. So no matter how hard this might be - we need to split up, find him...and stop him. No matter what it takes."

-Emma Pov-

"You wait out here and be lookout Henry. It will only take us a second to check inside." I said as Azelea used her magic to break the lock to Mr.Gold's Pawn shop. The two stepped inside and started looking around. It was quite, and it seemed pretty clear that no one was in the shop. "Emma...are you sure about taking down Hook?" Azelea asked cutting through the quiet like a knife. 'I have to be...this is all my fault. I need to take responsibility for what I've done to him." I said, keeping my back to the teenager. "I need to take responsibility for what I've done to everyone...Henry, our parents, - and you." Moments passed and Azelea didn't say anything, but I heard the wooden floors creek as she walked over to stand behind me. "Look at me...please." She said, feeling her hand rest on my shoulder with a tenderness I didn't deserve from her. I turned around, and the teen sighed. "Look me in the eyes. You haven't at all sense I woke up. You have looked at me, not not straight into my eyes...what's stopping you?" She asked. I struggled to think of the words and feeling that were stirring around in my head. "You - I don't deserve your forgiveness...I blamed you for it all. When we first got back, and it wasn't your fault at all. You were trying to do what was best, and I thanked you by trapping you in a tree...I said it was to protect you - but that was a lie. I was angry. At you, but more so at myself." I felt a tug on my arm and finally looked up into Azelea's eyes, expecting anger, or confusion....not tears in her own eyes. She was crying, for me. "Your whole life...you've had people give up on you over and over again. That's not going to happen with me. Because we're sisters. No matter how many times we fail we will always be there for each other. Because we love each other...right?" She asked. I nodded my head, a sob escaped me as she pulled me into a hug. "Hook never gave up on you...you can't give up on him. We can save him. I know it." She whispered as I cried in her arms. A few moments passed and I used them to calm myself down. "I will not let anyone ever hurt our family. If it comes down to Hook or our family...I'm choosing you all. You, Henry, mom and dad...Hell even Regina and Robin." I said chuckling at the end. "Well hopefully it wont come to that." Azelea said straightening her flowercrown in her hair. I let my fingers run over the flowers that once rested on my own head in Camelot. The weight of guilt that had been holding me down was finally gone. "Mom! Help me!" Henry shouted from outside the store. We both ran out of the front door to see none other than Nimue standing between Henry and us. "Henry! Don't move!" I shouted, my hand filling with magic, ready to attack as Nimue phased herself through Henry. "Too late for that." She said with a smirk before going away in a cloud of magic.
"Henry!" Azelea called out as we both ran to him. "Are you okay?" I asked in a panic. "I-I think so." Henry stuttered as other peopel from our group started appearing around us. "What just happened to us?!" Regina asked with a demanding voice. "Did the same thing happen to you as us?" Mary asked as she ran up with David. The dwarfs said the same thing happened to them. "I think I may have the answer to that." Mr.Gold said, walking up to the panicking group with a calm posture. "Check your wrists." He said. I grabbed Henry's wrist and pulled up his sleeve revealing a mark glowing with magic. "Oh no." Azelea said as she looked at Mary and David's wrist. "What is it?" Mary asked, fear in her voice. "That's...the mark of Charon." The teen said, dread in her voice. "Charon...he was the ferryman. In the old myths. He navigated a boat to the underworld." Henry said. "Smart lad," Mr.Gold said. "You see the Dark One's only have a - temporary pass into this world. Like a travel visa." He explained. "The only way for them to stay is if they trade places with living souls...." Azelea said with a frown. Everyone seemed to understand what that meant and I pulled Henry into my side, as if I could protect him just by simply having him as close to me as possible. "And when the moos peeks the ferry from the underworld will arrive, and drag everyone with a mark down down there." Mr.Gold said leaning on his cane. "So, how do we stop it?" Regina asked. "We can't. The underworld is worse than you could ever possibly imagine...this is a fight that can't be won." He said. "No," I said, my voice shaking. "I'm not marked. I'm not going to give up." I said. "There has to be something we can do." Azelea said, her gaze was lost as she seemed deep in thought. "There is something you can do...use this time wisely. To say goodbye." Mr.Gold said before walking back into his shop and leaving us all standing in the middle of the road. Feeling hopeless.