*six weeks later*
The next day, Regina asked the heroes to meet at the Sheriff's station. With Emma being the Dark One, she wouldn't go anywhere near there. She knew they'd be safe there.
Regina found a spell book, one they had in Camelot, with a page marked in it. On the page was a magical mushroom. She was the one who marked it.
"I think we were looking at this for answers," she said to Snow, David, Kyla and Rider.
"We've been violated!" Grumpy's voice carried through the Sheriff's station as he and the dwarves stormed in.
"What's the problem?" David asked.
"What do you think it is?" Grumpy asked, angrier than ever. "Your kid!"
"She took my ax," Happy said.
Regina left, wanting to work on decoding the book. Kyla decided to stay.
Grumpy told the Charmings they needed to do something. If they did, the dwarves were going to take action.
"Do not hurt her," Snow said, her voice agitated.
"Even if you wanted to, you can't," Kyla interjected. As Grumpy began to argue, Kyla motioned for him to be silent. "I'm not doubting your abilities as the kingdoms guards. However, this is the Dark One we're talking about. The most powerful one we'll ever deal with. You're only going to get hurt."
"And what are you going to do about it, Princess?" Grumpy asked.
"Leroy!" Snow said, shocked at his demeanor. Kyla remained unfazed.
"As it turns out," she said, lowering herself to whisper into Grumpy's ear, "I'm not just a princess anymore."
She pulled back, staring at him as sparks lit up her eyes.
"Your magic's back," he said, almost breathless. "So, you're going to protect us?"
She could feel the change in his emotion. Hope coursed through him. Kyla sighed.
"I'll do my best," she said, honestly. "If there's one thing we know about Dark Ones, they hate any kind of hope."
"Does she..." Grumpy trailed off.
"I believe she does know about my powers, yes. But, the fact that I'm still here and not being held captive or dead is a good sign," she said with a small smile on her face. She could feel Rider stiffen behind her.
"Do you have a plan?" He asked.
"Yeah, do you?" David asked.
"Not really," she said, turning to Rider.
"We're trying to figure out the best way to get her dagger," he said.
"That'll be impossible," Snow said.
"Maybe," Kyla said, looking at her sister, "but it's better than doing nothing."
"Can't you kill her?" Grumpy said. Kyla took in a deep breath as she slowly turned to face the dwarf. She could feel panic creeping into her sister and David as she released her breath.
"We're not hurting or killing anyone," Kyla said matter-of-factly. "I don't know if we can save Emma at this point, but the plan is to figure out what her plan is. Then we stop her."
Kyla and Rider decided to help Regina find out more about the mushroom, while David went on a quest with Arthur that ended with one of his men in the jail. While they were in Regina's vault, Kyla's phone rang with Hook calling her.
He was upset and wanted to talk.
She met him by the docks, watching him as he was looking up at his ship. His face read sadness, but she could feel the anger bubbling inside him.
"She's beautiful," Kyla called out, announcing her presence. He barely turned his head.
"That she is," Hook said.
She stood next to him, eyeing him from the side. Hook called her, but she didn't know if she should be the one to start the conversation.
He took a steep breath in.
"Emma and I talked today," he said.
"Oh," was all she could say.
"She swears that she's Emma. This is just a newer version of her. She wants me to still love her...but how could I?" He said, his voice growing angrier.
"Are you...asking for dating advice? I don't have a lot of experience-"
"You have magic," he said, turning sharply toward her.
Her eyebrows furrowed. She didn't remember telling him.
"Yes," she answered slowly.
"In Emma's house, there's a door to the basement that she is keeping closed off from me. I need to know what's down there."
"And I'm guessing asking her didn't work?" Kyla asked.
"She's beyond that," Hook said, releasing her from his gaze. "I need you."
"To break into the Dark One's home?" She asked.
"You were never afraid of Rumplestiltskin," he said.
"That's because it was Rumple!" She exclaimed. "I've always had the upper hand with Rumple. He would never hurt me. Emma knows about my magic and Emma will try to kill me."
"Then don't let her," Hook said.
"I promised her parents I wouldn't kill her."
"I need to know what she's hiding from me!" He shouted.
Kyla didn't flinch.
"You can feel it too, can't you?" She asked quietly.
"What?"
"The anger that's inside of you? It's not buried as deep as I thought."
"Of course I'm angry," he said.
"This is different and I know you can feel it," she said, facing him. "Killian, tell me what's going on, please. I want to help you."
"I need Emma," he said quietly. "I need her. I can't explain it. And I've lost her."
"Maybe not forever," Kyla said, trying to be reassuring. "The Savior is still in there somewhere."
"You don't believe that," he said, shaking his head.
"But you do."
He looked at her, his eyes piercing into hers like every secret he was carrying dared to be poured out through that one look.
"I'll help you," she said, feeling the defeat.
Hook didn't answer. He gave her the most thankful look he could before her phone started ringing again. She heard herself groan, picking it up to see her sister calling.
They were all meeting back at the Sheriff's station. Arthur and his wife, Guinevere, were worried about the state of Camelot's people. They were desperate to return home. Snow wanted to help raise spirits, so Henry suggested holding a dance.
"Like a high school dance?" Kyla asked. Henry was too busy on his hone to answer her question.
She felt a hint of excitement surging from him. Her eyes widened as she looked at David, who was standing next to Henry. He looked down and chuckled to himself.
Henry was texting a girl from Camelot.
"Looking for an excuse to ask your girlfriend out on a date?" David asked, crossing his arms.
"Girlfriend? What girlfriend?" Regina asked.
"She's not my girlfriend," Henry countered.
"Who's not your girlfriend?" Regina asked, panic rising in her.
"Regina," Snow said, grabbing her by the arm, "let's start planning. I think it's time Storybrooke had a ball. Kyla?" She asked, turning toward her sister.
"Duty calls," Kyla said reluctantly, turning to give Rider a quick kiss before following Regina and Snow.
They went to Granny's and decided that a town fair would be the easiest to pull off. However, they didn't get very far.
Henry had found a way to distract Emma, leaving an available time for Hook, Regina, Kyla, Rider and Robin to search her house.
Of course, it wasn't as easy as the heroes would have liked. A protection spell was cast around her home. Kyla shook her head.
"She has to know I can break through this," she said.
"Maybe she wasn't thinking about that," Rider offered.
"With Henry running to her for help, she became careless," Regina said, looking up at the house, then to Kyla. "I know a thing or two about letting my guard down when it comes to my son."
Kyla nodded.
"You can really get us through?" Hook asked, doubtful.
"Yeah," she said, stepping up to the door. The dark magic seared from the handle, which made Kyla question everything she had grown to know. How could the Savior wield such dark magic and not see the danger of it? How could she have accepted her new fate and not fought against it. "We need to find out what happened at Camelot," she said under her breath.
She held her hands out, allowing her magic to surround the door. It opened easily.
"I'll have to reverse this once we're done," Kyla said, mostly to Regina.
"I won't let you forget," she promised, suddenly by her side. They walked through the door of Emma's new home together.
And there it was. The door Hook was talking about.
Once again, all eyes turned to Kyla.
She sighed, holding her hand out and watching the door fling open.
"Really careless," Robin muttered.
"Unless she wanted us to find this," Kyla said, taking the first steps down the stairs.
They were in a cave like basement with clay walls surrounding them. There were chains on the floor. Standing right in front of them was a sword in a stone. Stuck.
"Excalibur?" Regina asked, taking a step toward it.
"What is it doing here?" Rider asked, also intrigued.
Kyla began to feel a pain in her head as she looked curiously at Excalibur. She moved forward robotically as Hook stepped in front of them.
"I don't think she wanted anyone to see this and I think I know why," Hook said, pointing at the sword, "take a gander. Excalibur looks quite familiar."
They all took a closer look, noticing the design on the sword, the rigid edges, and the handle with a gem on it.
"The dagger," Regina breathed. "What the hell does she want with this?"
"Well, given our missing memories, I'd wager whatever it is, it's not good," Robin said.
Kyla was standing behind all of them. Her senses were heightened once again.
The sword. It was like she could hear it calling out to her.
"Let's take a better look at the damn thing and find out," Hook said.
Before he could put his hands on it, Regina's voice stopped him.
"Stop!" She exclaimed, pulling Kyla out of her trance. "Can't believe I'm about to say this but it could be booby trapped, you could get killed."
Killed.
Kyla's mind started racing. Rider was the first to notice her, frozen in place.
"Kyla?" He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"What's wrong with her?" Hook asked, agitation in his voice.
She was staring ahead, trying to piece together the whispers in her head.
Why would Excalibur be calling to her?
Unless it wasn't.
It was calling to-
"Merlin," she whispered.
"Again?" Regina said under her breath.
"No," Kyla said, looking at her. "Excalibur is calling to Merlin."
"Just like the dagger calls to the Dark One," Hook said.
Kyla found herself looking at Hook as he looked back at the sword.
The whispers were angry. She could still feel Hook's rage underneath the pain of losing Emma.
"It's angry about something," Kyla said.
"Do you think Merlin...died?" Robin asked.
"It would make sense," Kyla answered.
"Why can you hear it?" Robin asked.
"Her powers came from Merlin," Rider began to explain. "It's how we think she got her magic back."
"And now Merlin might be dead," Regina said, defeated.
"He was our only chance of saving Emma," Hook said.
Emma.
The whispers must have been angry toward Emma, being trapped in her basement. She must have killed Merlin, which is how she kept the dark power and cast the curse.
Even at that revelation, she wasn't convinced.
She questioned Hook.
There was no way he'd let Emma go. Not as easily as he did.
Maybe he knew what she was planning.
And he was hiding it.
Any fear she had, she kept to herself. She wouldn't even tell Rider. She couldn't put anyone in harm's way when it came to the Dark One.
But there was a darkness lurking in Storybrooke. And if Hook knew anything about it, Kyla was going to figure it out.
Kyla decided it was officially time for her to take down the Dark One.
And no one was going to stop her.