#It's been almost a year ffcs

[garrandia]

at this rate there is a possibility that a new half life game will be announced (if not released) b4 I get my case seen

[destinyc1020]

Same way goes to her how do you know she is not asking for a costar that is black. How do you know she is not opening the conversation at the table. Z has power we all know that but she clearly doesn’t have all the power her peers have. Face it she is a interracial woman that have to work harder to achieve things than her peers. She is just starting give her some time.

It would have happened already, is what we're trying to say. We would see her meeting with Black directors for meetings/lunch.... not just FFC. 👀 We would hear rumors of her possibly eyeing a role with a Black director or a film with a predom black cast. If it were really her priority rn, I think she would have worked with a Black director by now, or worked with a predom. Black cast in a major motion picture film by now.

How is it that Laura Harrier got a role in Blackkklansman, and she doesn't even have half the resume or acting talent that Z has? 👀 Oh, and Laura btw is biracial also. Just saying....

And Z is not "just starting out" lol 😆 She's been acting since she was a kid! 😅

She's somewhat new to film, but she's not THAT new. She's almost got 10 years under her belt by now. Being on Euphoria has severely limited the amount of film work she could have been doing (jmho 👀), but hey, she needed that show for her own personal growth and honing of her acting skills. So, I'm not knocking it. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Yes, Z is biracial, but what I'm saying is that fully Black actors are acting in films with Black creatives, and cast members, and they have less privilege, popularity, and fame in the industry than Z has! So, if they can do it....

You see how it's not making sense??

[rachelbethhines]

60 Years of Doctor Who Anniversary Marathon - T. Baker 12th Review

K-9: The Cambridge Spy - Spin Off 

Oh this was cute. 

This was really, really cute. 

So K-9 is a Doctor Who spin-off made for the Disney Chanel by the Australian Film Finance Corporation, or the FFC, staring the Doctor’s lovable pet robot dog K-9. Which means it’s debatable how official a spin-off it is. 

The BBC had no part in the production, but the series was spearheaded by K-9′s creator Bob Baker. It also featured John Leeson returning to the role. However that is where the connections to Who end. 

The premise is that a damaged K-9 falls through a portal built by an eccentric inventor, named Professor Gryffen, and lands on Earth in the year 2050. Gryffen works for a mysterious company called The Department, which is like a future version of Torchwood/UNIT type deal. 

Anyways Gryffen helps to rebuild/repair K-9, giving him a new body, but he no longer remembers his past. He stays with the Professor and helps The Department to stop invading aliens and such. 

But of course this is a kids show, so a bunch of precocious teens have to join in on the adventures. There’s Darius, Professor Gryffen’s assistant. Jorjie, whose mother also works for The Department and is Gryffen’s co-worker/boss. And Starkey, a previously homeless teen on the run from The Department whom Gryffen takes into his home. 

So there’s the basics down. 

The actual episode involves the Professor working on his portal device, which malfunctions and accidently sends Jorjie back in time to 1963. Apparently The Professor’s lab used to be a police station, and Jorjie is arrested for being a spy... coincidentally along with Darius’s great-great grandfather, thereby changing history and erasing Darius from the timeline. 

Therefore it’s up to Starkey and K-9 to rescue Jorjie and fix history, while the Professor and Jorjie’s mom have to work to keep the portal open. 

This is obviously a bottle episode in what is ultimately a cheap kid’s Saturday morning tv show. It’s almost nostalgic in it’s simple plots, corny jokes, hammy acting, and sets that are barely better than what a youtuber could cobble together on a 50 dollar budget. 

But... it’s a clever way to to do a bottle episode. 

It reuses the same sets, but in two different time periods; the past and the near future. There’s only the main cast, plus two extra guest actors, but sometimes the mains are playing doubles. And in the case of the main villain, his ancestor appearing here ties into the what I’m assuming is the overall on going plot.    

There’s of course some leaps in logic, and jokes you can see coming a mile away, but it’s just such a tight, simple plot and told so earnestly, that I can’t help but love it. 

If I had any real criticism is that the two time periods could have been fleshed out more. 2050 doesn’t look any different from then modern day 2010. While the 60s, are clearly referencing late 60s spy movies instead of the early 60s. 

In fact I really believe they only set the episode in 1963 for the obvious Doctor Who reference, but outside of that there’s nothing else here to connect this with An Unearthly Child. Not even a police man going on his patrol to Totters Lane, a real missed opportunity imo. 

Not that it really matter too much as most everyone is just dressed in policeman uniforms or business suits... meaning you could easily mistake this or the 1930s if it weren’t for the intentionally anachronistic flower child costume Jorjie wears.

But hey, it is what it is; a cheap kid’s show, but a fun show nonetheless. Based off this one episode I’m tempted to watch the entire series. Which is high praise indeed. 

[yoongiblunt]

I got to see pierce the veil AND the used on Wednesday!!!

I waited 15 years to see the used after finding them on my dads work music hard drive from the club (that’s how I found mcr and most other shit I ended up being about when I was like, 8) and the fact that I was in the same room as Bert? Feral. Insane. Bonkers. There really aren’t words. The whole time I was thinking back to those YouTube fanfics of him and Gerard— which is hilarious bc I’m nearly 24 now. I held up a little thing on my phone that said “bert made me gay” and the man took one at it and gave me the stupidest smile and tapped his temple before pointing in my direction and laughing. He all but called me a fag then and there lmaooooo. A lot of the crowd wasn’t there for the used, which is real. Most of them were 16ish. But I was close enough to the stage that me absolutely foaming at the mouth and screaming every single word to their songs was definitely noticeable. Bert stayed very close to our end of the stage for most of the show.

And pierce the veil was surreal. I waited 12 years to see them. I remember sh’ing and crying and listening to them when my parents fought, which is wildly depressing, but that was my sense of control then. I remember staying up waiting for king for a day and a love like war to premiere. I remember drawing fanart of myself and Vic meeting at concerts like warped. I was prevalent enough in the quotev ffc that someone actually wrote a fic about Jaime and I having crushes on each other while both our bands played warped tour and there was this cute little scene where Vic and I were chatting while sitting in lawn chairs outside of our busses while drinking coronas??? He told me that Jaime had a crush on me and then in that same setting later in the fic Jaime and I had a smooch. It’s wild that it’s been so many years and these artists still have this impact on me??? I was literally sobbing during hold on til may and all of my friends were trying so hard to get him to pull me up on stage. He didn’t, but this girl Jessica did get pulled up and she was shaking and crying and he was holding her shoulder very carefully while their foreheads were pressed together and he sang to her. Then he gave her his guitar. It was almost made up feeling the way that they were all in front of me. I swooned over Tony hard.

I did take huge issue with the people that were in the crowd though. Without asking, boyfriends were moving their girlfriends in front of me or big groups of people were trying to elbow threw, as if I didn’t want to be there just as badly as I did. I got to the venue at Fuckin 1:15 and the show wasn’t until 5:30. The Fillmore was dogshit at setting up a line though and hadn’t even put out the gates or anything. So we had been waiting out on the steps just for them to fuck the line up so badly that people who got there at 5 were running and surging to the front.

I remember I had a little thing on my phone that was like “Tony toss me a pick” and my friend even caught him throwing them my direction on camera after I yelled his name just for this tiktoker to grab all of them and shove them in her pocket. It was obvious who they were meant for.

I tried rlly hard to not be annoyed by those things though, because it was such an important show for me.

I’m finally making baby key happy. I’m making my inner child happy. I’m experiencing things I never got to as a kid. I didn’t go to concerts or express myself. Now I’m becoming the person I want to be and doing the things I want to do.

Danielle was walking in and out of the venue and I wanted so badly to say hey to her and ask her about the baby but I didn’t want the crowd to notice her and swarm so I just stayed still. Anthony Tran came and took pictures of the people next to me and it was obvious they didn’t realize who he was either. So I stayed quiet. But inside I was losing my Fuckin mind.

We also accidentally parked right next to ptv’s bus??? It wasn’t like, intentional. We managed to find really good venue side parking and we kind of debated on whose bus that would even be because there were 4 of them but we didn’t linger. After the show I noticed a little crowd and I wanted to hang around but I was also trying to figure out where my friend was, so not 10 feet away from me the crowd of like 6 people walks away and I figure security told em to fuck off. Turns out Vic popped out and hung out with them for a sec. Right beside me. And I didn’t notice. But my hair is the absurdly bright red so I’m sure he saw me. I cannot bELIEVE

Anyway, it took everything in me to not buy tickets to see them in Atlanta on Tuesday just bc I am still not over this show. I am thinking about trying to see them in Texas though if money permits

[kmgoogiemin]

Hi Georgia! Thank god all those tkkrs and antis come to your blog, they opened my eyes, I was so wrong about life but they fixed my misconseptions!

1. Turns out, IG is the only proof of life, at least since 02Dec.2021. As I don't post shit there my personal life in particular is a mysery and in general I'm dead, hello from the other side! That's obviously the only reason jm posts sth once in a while too as much as he don't like it, just to let the world know he's still alive.

2. Celebrities get into relationships based on opinions of internet anons who ship them. I bet that's how tomdaya got together, their agents told them they're being shipped. I can totally see that convo bw jk and tae:

jk: hey, tae, many shippers believe we look good together, so lets have sex and get married!

tae: great news, jk, I feel like I already am pssionately in love with u! Wait, what if I'm not gay?

jk: well u are if ppl say so, hurry up and take ur pants off, ppl on twt say IG selcas mean we f*cked!

3. Twitter trends obviously also prove which ships are real. Like, the more ppl want sb to be together, the bigger the chance those 2 will be together cuz 1) see par.2 and 2) the sheer power of thought, if ur wish is strong enough it comes true, especially if you keep repeating it like a prayer. Jikook trending doesn't count though cuz apparently fanservice, duh.

4. Jikook is definitely a fanservice cuz all we know abt them happened ON cameras, that's how we know anything at all and so their relationship is all fake. Tkk is real cuz all their meaningful moments happen OFF cameras and no one has literally zero proof those moments happened which means they definitely happened, thank god there are smart shippers who could figure that out of thin air. In general this should mean everything all ships do on cameras is fake tkk including and I'm confused but that's probably just cuz I'm not smart enough to understand that.

5. Everybody hates jm, how could I not realise that?! Like, I thought I loved him but that big warm feeling I have towards him must be, in fact, hate (thanks to your anons I know now)! So what if he's been trending on Twitter almost daily for years with thousands of 'jm we love u, u'r amazing thank god u exist' posts, it's simply impossible someone could love him for real! I bet it's all his own manipulations, that's why he barely comes online, he's too f*cking busy juggling multiple accounts writing posts abt himself, he overdone it so much he got his own name muted but that cunning little ass still manages to trend daily with half a dozen other names! Thank god Yoongy his bf sleeps all the time he's off work otherwise their relationship wouldn't last cuz jm barely has time for anything else. Srsly, let this poor guy go already, all those men and women all over the world falling for him don't exist, it's all a big fat lie! And that model who screamed 'jm marry me!' was totally paid by jm.

6. South Korea is apparently a gay paradise with fairies and unicorns, just like in those BL webtoons one can find online where every man is hot and gay and women only exist if they're gay too, I mean, Korean artists drew that so they must be telling the truth, right? Homophobia doesn't exist there, that's why BH covers the real gay couple with the fake gay couple, the only reason celebs don't rush to come out is cuz their nasty companies want them to play straight to milk all those naive female fans who dream of marrying them one day or believe celebs are all saints who gave chastity vows. Actually, homophobia doesn't exist anywhere, so taekook (proven couple cuz see par.2-4) will definitely officially come out very soon (again cuz they took a habit of coming out every week since they got IG, ahh the power of that SM!) you just wait and see. And other ships will follow suit cuz BTS is obviously one big gay circus, see utube edits and wattpad/ao3 ffcs for proof, they're obviously all documentaries.

Phew, I'm sure I missed sth, I mean I'm going through fundamental changes in my head u know so it's easy to forget sth but I'm looking fwd to the new revelations, my life will not be the same!

seeing it all written there kinda is just crazy

[megashadowdragon]

This post is a reworked and somewhat expanded tidbit from a massive writing about House Martell I posted last Friday. I think the topic—Doran's gout—is of interest even to those who have no interest in "tinfoil" of any kind. Because I think it deserves a wider airing than the one it likely got buried deep in the comment-continuations of a monster post, I decided to pull out the relevant, not-tinfoil-y stuff, goose it out a little, and post it on its own, separated from the tinfoil context.

TL;DR: Doran has "saturnine gout", caused by chronic lead poisoning from the lead sugar used to sweeten his beloved "sweet heavy strongwine". His gout and elements of his story are a riff on the story of the infamously gout-afflicted real world King Charles I of Spain AKA Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

All About Doran's Gout

Doran has gout. Why might that be, and what is the purpose of giving him gout?

Gout was historically/colloquially believed to be caused by excessive alcohol (onlinelibrary . wiley . com/doi/pdf/10 . 1002/art . 1780080442 ) consumption. We absolutely see Doran drink and indeed show a "love" for "sweet, heavy strongwine":

[Doran] ate a bit of it, and drank a cup of the sweet, heavy strongwine that he loved. When it was empty, he filled it once again. (CotG)

Each of the Martells in general seems to like to drink in their own way, too. Thus we see Selmy tell Dany Quentyn is…

"Drinking with his knights" (DWD Dae VIII)

…and when Quent subsequently appears, his face is "flushed and ruddy". Dany assumes he's drunk on wine (just like Elder Brother):

Too much wine, the queen concluded… (ibid.)

We also see Quentyn really savor a glass of wine in the dark and pour himself another, much as Doran did, above:

Quentyn… poured himself a cup of wine and drank it in the dark. The taste was sweet solace on his tongue, so he lit a candle and poured himself another. (DWD tDT)

Oberyn swills wine like water:

"Is it Dornish wine you're drinking?" [said Oberyn.]

"From the Arbor."

Oberyn made a face. "Red water."

…

"I think I may drink some of Lord Redwyne's grape juice after all."

"As you like." Tyrion served him a cup.

The man took a sip, sloshed it about in his mouth, and swallowed. "It will serve, for the moment. I will send you up some strong Dornish wine on the morrow." He took another sip. (SOS Ty IX)

Tyrion found Prince Oberyn drinking a cup of red wine as he donned his armor. He was attended by four of his younger Dornish lordlings. "Good morrow to you, my lord," the prince said. "Will you take a cup of wine?"

"Should you be drinking before battle?"

"I always drink before battle." (SOS Ty X)

Arianne likewise really enjoys her wine:

When [Arianne] required more wine, Timoth would fetch it. (FFC PitT)

When [Arianne and Tyene] were ten Arianne had stolen a flagon of wine, and the two of them had gotten drunk together. (PitT)

Cedra glanced up shyly at his name and almost spilled the wine that she was pouring [for Arianne]. (PitT)

[Arianne] drank a little wine to settle her stomach. (PitT)

She seems to prefer her wine strong and she makes fun of Arys's low tolerance for alcohol:

[Arys:] "I was drunk when I said that.

[Arianne:] "You'd had three cups of watered wine." (FFC tSK)

She also tacitly informs us that the Dornish as a whole are a drunken bunch when she says the "Drunken Dornishman" Inn was "aptly named". (TWOW Ari II)

Thus we might simply conclude that Doran has gout because he, like a typical Martell and typical Dornishman, drinks too much.

In truth, though, while booze isn't good for gout, clinically fructose is a greater villain.    Thus Doran's orange-eating—

He had decided to break his fast before he went, with a blood orange and a plate of gull's eggs diced with bits of ham and fiery peppers. (CotG)

"We were eating oranges." - Doran Martell (CotG)

—is probably worse for his gout than his alcohol consumption, per se (notwithstanding the fact that vitamin C on its own may slightly lower one's risk of contracting gout in the first place). Besides all the oranges he eats, the purine-rich ham he puts in his eggs is especially bad for him, while the dates Dorne is known for (along with its fruit in general)—

A fortnight past, a trader had been butchered in the shadow city, a harmless man who'd come to Dorne for fruit and found death instead of dates. (FFC tSK)

—are a veritable fructose bomb.

Not Simply Gout, But Saturnine Gout

All that having been said, I strongly suspect that Doran's gout is not about his alcohol consumption, per se, nor even all that fruit. Rather, I suspect his gout is "saturnine gout", which is caused by lead poisoning. Lead sugar AKA "salt of Saturn" AKA lead acetate was often added to wine in and after the Middle Ages to sweeten and/or preserve it. And what kind of wine does Doran love?

sweet, heavy [like lead!] strongwine

Sounds like wine sweetened with lead sugar to me, especially given (a) lead's colloquial reputation as quintessentially "heavy" and (b) GRRM's love of wordplay.

Sure enough, the distinguishing features of saturnine gout perfectly coincide with Doran's symptoms. Unlike normal gout, which tends to afflict one or perhaps two joints only and most frequently the joint at the base of the big toe, bouts of saturnine gout "tend to occur in the knee" and "are frequently polyarticular", meaning they affect many joints at once. (www  .  ncbi . nlm . nih . gov/pubmed/2661030) Indeed, Doran's knees are a huge problem, and his gout is very polyarticular:

The gout had swollen and reddened his joints grotesquely; his left knee was an apple, his right a melon, and his toes had turned to dark red grapes, so ripe it seemed as though a touch would burst them. (FFC CotG)

Doran has other subtle symptoms that are consistent with lead poisoning/saturnine gout as well. Consider these descriptions of Doran:

…they found Doran Martell seated behind a cyvasse table, his gouty legs supported by a cushioned footstool. He was toying with an onyx elephant, turning it in his reddened, swollen hands. The prince looked worse than she had ever seen him. His face was pale and puffy, his joints so inflamed that it hurt her just to look at them. (FFC PitT)

Beneath the coverlet, his legs were pale, soft, ghastly. Both of his knees were red and swollen, and his toes were almost purple, twice the size they should have been. (DWD tW)

[Doran] sounded so sad, so exhausted, so weak. (FFC PitT)

When he raised his head to look at her, his dark eyes were clouded with pain. Is that the gout? Arianne wondered. (PitT)

In the shade of the orange trees, the prince sat in his chair with his gouty legs propped up before him, and heavy bags beneath his eyes . . . though whether it was grief or gout that kept him sleepless, Hotah could not say. (CotG)

The prince leaned back against his pillows and closed his eyes, but Hotah knew he did not sleep. He is in pain. (CotG)

Sometimes in the deep black hours of the morning sleep found him in his chair. (CotG)

The prince sat in his high seat beneath the Martell spear, his face pale with pain. (CotG)

Look, his hand is shaking. The Prince of Dorne is terrified. (tSK)

[Doran's] legs had been useless for three years, but there was still some strength in his hands and shoulders. (DWD tW)

Doran's generalized pain, exhaustion and weakness, his insomnia (complete with more wordplay surrounding lead's weight: he has "heavy bags under his eyes"), his hand tremors (if not feigned for Arys's benefit) and his mostly pallid complexion combined with the lividity (blood pooling/dark color/swelling) in his hands and lower body is likewise consistent with chronic lead poisoning.

Another symptom of lead poisoning is loss of appetite (whereas common gout is associated with overconsumption), and Doran certainly doesn't seem the hungry sort:

A serving man brought him a bowl of purple olives, with flatbread, cheese, and chickpea paste. He ate a bit of it, and drank a cup of the sweet, heavy strongwine that he loved.

Chronic common gout leads to the formation of "tophi"—white, chalky deposits of uric acid crystals which can break through the skin—whereas "tophi rarely develop" in cases of saturnine gout. And lo! There's no hint of tophi in the descriptions of Doran's gout symptoms.

Given the medical evidence, it's safe to say that Doran's beloved strongwine is the primary cause of his troubles. (In a certain unusual sense, then, it can be said that Doran does have a drinking problem of sorts after all. It's just not the alcohol that's causing the problem.)

The "Saturnine" Giveaway

While the medical evidence adds up, for me there's an even better, textually-coded reason to believe that Doran has saturnine gout. Remembering that saturnine gout is caused by lead poisoning, isn't it interesting that Doran's brother Oberyn is (a) a master poisoner and (b) literally called "saturnine" in juxtaposition to a reference to Doran's gout"

"My brother's health requires he remain at Sunspear." The princeling removed his helm. Beneath, his face was lined and saturnine, with thin arched brows above large eyes as black and shiny as pools of coal oil. (SOS Ty V)

Ladies and gentlemen: GRRM.

The Charles I/V Parallel

Doran's gout is clearly riffing on the story of one of real-world history's most infamous gout sufferers: Spain's King Charles I AKA Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Charles didn't marry until he was 25—very late in life for his era and station. Doran likewise married very late for a firstborn highborn man of Westeros: Given that Doran is 52 at the beginning of AFFC, in very early 300 AC—

Though he was but two-and-fifty, Doran Martell seemed much older. (FFC CotG)

—he was likely 25 c. 273, when he did not sail to Casterly Rock with his mother and siblings because…

…Doran was [as yet merely] betrothed to Lady Mellario of Norvos… (SOS Ty X)

Much as King Charles famously fell in love with his wife at first sight, so did Doran and Mellario fall for one another at first sight—

"I saw Volantis once, on my way to Norvos, where I first met Mellario. The bells were ringing, and the bears danced down the steps. Areo will recall the day."

"I remember," echoed Areo Hotah in his deep voice. "The bears danced and the bells rang, and the prince wore red and gold and orange. My lady asked me who it was who shone so bright."

Prince Doran smiled wanly. (FFC PitT)

—such that It Is Known that he "married for love". (DWD tDT)

Perhaps most obviously, Charles was infamously carried from place to place in a sedan chair due to the pain of his gout, just as Doran transported by litter, unable to walk or even ride.

King Charles was famous for something else, too: a famously enlarged lower jaw. And what do you know, Doran's son Quentyn "heavy jaw" that is "too square", which Doran seems to share, as Arianne says Quentyn both "looks like" and "looks too much like" Doran. (DWD Dae VII; tMM; FFC PitT; WOW Ari I)

Two Doran-Charles connections are more playful. First, Charles's love was Isabella of Portugal. Portugal is, of course, famous for the production of Port, which "coincidentally" could be described rather perfectly as a "sweet heavy strongwine" like the one Doran "loved".

Second, while Charles's wife Isabella gave birth to five children in total, two of her sons died as infants, leaving her with three children who grew to adulthood. This just so happen to prefigure what we're told about Doran's mother:

"I was the oldest," the prince said, "and yet I am the last. After Mors and Olyvar died in their cradles, I gave up hope of brothers. I was nine when Elia came, a squire in service at Salt Shore. … And a year later Oberyn arrived, squalling and kicking." (FFC CotG)

All these allusions to King/Emperor Charles are fascinating. To the extent that some people have speculated that Charles suffered from saturnine gout, much like many believe the Romans did, the parallel could even help reinforce the idea that Doran's gout is saturnine, caused by the lead sugar used to sweeten his wine.

The Point

Neat, huh? For many, parallels and references like this are simply "easter eggs", interesting little nuggets that are "cool" and little else.

Personally, I think they're an inherent part of GRRM's greater project, part of a web of references pointing to in-world truths that ASOIAF has yet to even let us know we don't know. (We are all all Jon Snows to GRRM's Ygritte, here.) The much larger writing from pieces of this writing were extracted, reworked and expanded upon here (a reworking which I have subsequently gone back and overlaid into the original) argues that House Nymeros-Martell has two major players in interesting places that readers do not yet realize are Martells. Specifically, that writing argues that Archmaester Marwyn the Mage is a Martell, and that Elder Brother of Quiet Isle, who has no name and who tells Brienne he "died" at the Trident, is in fact none other than the "late" Prince Lewyn of Dorne, who I argue is Marwyn's younger brother.

And wouldn't you know it? Marwyn has a King Charles-esque "slab of jaw", while Elder Brother has a "heavy jaw", also called a "thick square jaw". (FFC Sam V, B VI) What's more, if I'm correct that Elder Brother is a former prince of Dorne who's now retired to the monastic retreat on Quiet Isle, this sets up a huge parallel to history's most famous gout sufferer, Charles V. How so?

Charles famously abdicated all his titles and retired to a monastery, which is exactly what I argue Doran's uncle Lewyn did after the Battle of the Trident. What's more, Charles famously staged his own death and resurrection at the monastery—

…about six months before his death Charles staged his own funeral, complete with shroud and coffin, after which he "rose out of the coffin, and withdrew to his apartment, full of those awful sentiments, which such a singular solemnity was calculated to inspire." (wikipedia: Charles V, quoting a famous 19th century biography of Charles)

—which is in essence what I believe Lewyn Martell did when he was "reborn" as a monk on Quiet Isle:

"When I died in the Battle of the Trident…" - Elder Brother (FFC B VI)

"I woke here, upon the Quiet Isle. The [old] Elder Brother told me I had washed up on the tide, naked as my name day. I can only think that someone found me in the shallows, stripped me of my armor, boots, and breeches, and pushed me back out into the deeper water. The river did the rest. We are all born naked, so I suppose it was only fitting that I come into my second life the same way. I spent the next ten years in silence." - Elder Brother (FFC B VI)

[prorevenge]

How I made the worst employer in the world lose a multimillion dollar account

To be honest, the “I” in the title is not me, but a former colleague who does not have a Reddit account. We worked together in the same ad agency. I will give my personal context first and then write her story exactly as she told me.

We worked together in one of the biggest ad agencies in my country. She was a director and I was a manager in different departments. It was a global group, but it honestly sucked. I quit because I was burned out. It had a game of thrones politics and daily occurrences of both sexual and moral harassment. That place was the worst professional experience and one of the worst personal ones I have ever had. Fuck them.

Now for the story. It is a long one. English not our first langue. Mobile. This happened in 2017.

“I was hired as an account director for a huge ad agency, let’s call it FFC. My account was one of the top 5 accounts in the agency and was worth at least 7 digits.

My boss, the Accounts VP, was one of the worst human beings I have ever met. He was sexist, rude and liked to play favorites. When I got there, as a young and ok looking woman, I instantly became one of his faves. He was married btw.

One day we left a happy hour together and he offered me a ride. I lived nearby him, so not overthinking it I accepted. He made a move on me. A politely refused and left the car.

After that, my life became a living hell. He would not include me in important meetings and then complain I didn’t know things that were discussed. My reviews went from 5 starts to 1. He pretended he didn’t remember a raise he had promised. He would talk with my team and ignore me. The work, which was already hard (I worked 80h a week), became unbearable. I almost quit.

I had a long conversation with the agency HR, which went nowhere, because she was his personal friend. I even escalated it to the president, with whom I had a friendly relationship, and he said I was reading too much into things.

One thing I did right though is that I had a great relationship with my Client, so they were afraid to fire me. I had helped save the account, which was almost lost when I was hired.

So, they played a smart hand. They hired a girl who had worked with my Client on his former company, with whom he had a friendly relationship with, to replace me. They then put me aside on a smaller account, which was on the verge of being lost, so they could justify firing me when that happened.

But then I got lucky. My original Client got promoted and opened a Marketing Manager position under him. When I applied, he even skipped a few hiring steps. This was October and I was to start on January. I asked him not to disclose to the agency he had hired me until I had the chance to tell them myself. The position would not work directly with the ad agency and I no longer managed their account, so there was no conflict of interest and he said ok. Honestly he couldn’t care less.

I was planning on giving them my one month notice (required in my country) on November, so they could have time to find someone else.

I was fired October 31th. It would have been the worst experience in the world if I cared. The VP asked me in his office to fire me. He said no one would believe me, that I would never find another job in the market, that I had ratted him out to HR, that I was incompetent and all the worst things someone could have said. He sent me to HR to sign some papers and told me to leave the building afterwards.

I recorded him.

When I went to HR, the woman in charge sat me down and kept making snark comments about me not appreciating working in one of the biggest ad agencies in the world, that I could have been great. It was surreal.

Being fired in my country grants people a fair amount of money. I would have received around 5 salaries per the law. She wanted me to sign papers accepting that.

I said no. And played her the record from the VP. She went pale because she knew that was a lawsuit - and also that the global team would not like it at all. I left that day and said I would contact them through my lawyer. Never said anything about the job lined up.

The next week I, my lawyer, my recording and a bunch of other documents (emails, text messages), sat down with the agency to negotiate. I ended up with over 15 salaries. Both parts signed a NDA, which included me saying I had quit.

I then took a two month vacation. Told my new boss I had made a deal while quitting, but that I had not disclosed I was going to work for them. He said he would tell them himself, not to worry.

Comes January and I start at my new job. My boss then tells me that, since I was the one with the most experience in advertising agencies, I would be a consultant to the annual deals for all the agencies that managed all their accounts. This included allowing new agencies to pitch for us.

My boss, which didn’t deal with FFC anymore, of course forgot to tell them about me. No feeling in the world was better than entering the agency as a client. It was almost orgasmic sitting in a meeting to see their pitch and watching the VP dumbstruck face when he entered the room. I was nothing but nice, made pertinent questions and smiled all the way through.

I ended up telling my boss in confidence what had happened. He authorized me to advise against the agency, said that if compliance knew about their behavior they would lose the account anyway.

They lost the account. They lost three other accounts in that same year. The whole leadership was fired. The agency closed earlier this year. The VP can’t find a job for his life.

And I just got promoted”.

TLDR; sexually assaulted employee gets fired, strikes a deal using recordings, gets hired by one of the agency’s clients and makes them lose the account.

(source) story by (/u/lthomazini)

[at1nys-blog]

@where-dreamers-go

My Soulmate (Part 2)

They will make fun of me.

Pairing: Your favourite fiction character x reader

Summary: You wake up somewhere different from your bedroom and where surprise when you saw them

Info: none

Counted Words: 866

Part one is: here

You wake up tired. Going to bed late at night just to make sure someone with the same name as your favourite fictional character really existed was not a good idea.

Someone knocked on your door but when you were fully awake you noticed something was different.

You started to walk around the room when reality hit you. This was not your room. The room you were in was completely the opposite of yours.

"Where the f*ck I am?" You whispered trying to find something that will reveal it was all a prank.

Another time the person behind your door knocked.

"Y/S/N what do you want now?" an unexpected voice told you their name was not Y/S/N but Y/FFC/N.

Your mouth dropped on the floor. Was that some kinda of stupid joke or you were still dreaming?

They entered the room and you wanted to cry. What the Hell was going on?

"Everything is fine?" They asked you but you were able only to nod your head yes.

"I brought you this." They handed you some new clothes and you were kinda reluctant to take them.

"I'm sorry but where am I?" They told you you were in (insert place where your favourite fictional character live) and asked you if everything was fine because it was weird that you forgot.

"Yeah, just an headache, nothing more." You lied and when they left you by yourself you decided to make sure it was still a joke. You went to the window and opened it noticing the view was so different from your usual one and it was real.

Meanwhile:

Your family didn't noticed your absence, not after the fourth day you were not coming back home. For them was usual not seeing you for one or two days but four without hearing from you? That was weird.

"I'll try call them back, maybe they will answer this time." But nothing, you didn't pick up the call because for some weird reason you were been thrown into some shitty portal that brought you into your favourite fictional word.

"Maybe she is just relaxing because of the soulmate story" your father said but your sibling said it was impossible since you got your soulmate name.

"WHEN?" asked confused both your parents.

"Before they disappeared?" Your sibling answered.

"And you didn't told us?" Your mother screamed.

"Is not my duty. They had to tell you but they rather wanted to walk away."

Back at you:

Four days with your favourite fictional character was a weird thing but you brushed off the felling. For once you wanted to not think too much about what was happening in your life.

"Do you like it?" You asked them, they only nodded, their mouth full of the food you cooked for them.

"this is so good Y/N" another character said making you laugh.

"I think is only good."

"SHUT UP" they all screamed. They were just like when you saw them on TV, funny; serious and full of surprises.

Once you all finished to eat you told them they were able to go and relax while you were doing the dishes.

You started singing, an hold habit you think will never leave you when Y/FFC/N entered back the kitchen and stayed there hearing you singing.

"You are good at singing."

"You should hear my father. He is better than me" he didn't say anything else. He only stayed with you, staring at you while doing the dishes.

"You look like a creeper. Can you at least talk." They laughed but stayed quite untile a weird light caught their attention.

"Do you see it too?"

"What?" You asked confused keeping doing the dishes.

"The light" he sad pointing at the portal in the kitchen.

"No way."

Time skip:

One year had passed since the first time you meet your lover, they knew about the other dimension to where you were from, they knew about your family but your family didn't know about the dimensional trips you were doing to see your soulmate. They even didn't know who your lover was because every time they asked you, you tried to avoid the topic.

"Is almost Christmas break. Don't you want to introduced your soulmate to the family?" Your mum asked while choosing some cereals to buy.

"And let all the family make fun of me? No thank you." You said still concentrated on your phone.

"We never made fun of you." She added.

"Do you remember when you visited me during rehearsal for the school musical?" She let out a soft 'ops' while you a soft 'yeah'

"Come on. I promise this time will be different."

"I'll talk with them."

"THEY WILL MAKE FUN OF ME IF I TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE. WHY YOU DON'T LISTEN" you screamed at them. They didn't saw it as a problem. It was time for you to introduced them to your family.

"Listen here. You don't have to say I'm from another dimension." They said and you started to calm down.

"Maybe you are right."

"I'm always right babe." You hugged them and spent the night cuddling watching some TV.

☆~~~☆

This is being so long

I didn't expect to have lot of ideas for this prompt.

I hope next part will be the last one because if not I'm going to kill myself

Because I don't have ideas for my own novel lol

As always leave feedback for my own sake.

Part 2

Part 3

Fandom's Masterlist: here

[gaywoso]

Olympic champion Kemme ends her career

Tabea Kemme has to end her active career due to persistent injury issues.  Her club Arsenal announced this today.  The 28-year-old defensive player completed 47 international matches for the German women's national team, with which she was Olympic champion in 2016.  With the U17 selection she won the European Championship in 2008, with the U20 she was world champion in 2010 .

After twelve years with Bundesliga club 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, in which Kemme won the Champions League and four times the German championship, she moved to the English Women's Super League in 2018 to join the future champion Arsenal WFC.  However, due to severe cartilage damage diagnosed in the same year, she only made a few appearances at the top English club. Despite intensive efforts, she finally failed to become completely symptom-free, and now she took the consequences.

Kemme: "I'm looking forward to life after football"

 "It was a difficult decision for me," Tabea Kemme told DFB.de. "Nevertheless, I am also relieved, because now, after almost two years of repeated injuries and intensive rehabilitation, I also have clarity. Now I can prepare for my life after my football career. Not a day has passed I regretted this long way, because I got the most out of myself and my body every day with the help of the medical department. One of the best memories of my active season remains for me, 45 minutes in the Emirates Stadium against FC Bayern This chapter is now over, now I am looking forward to life after football and I look forward to it full of joie de vivre. "

DFB Vice President Hannelore Ratzeburg says: "It is a pity that Tabea has to end her career so early. I have seen her as combative and focused over the years. She was also a free spirit and has the special gift of making things positive She has never let herself down, has always been a role model, and therefore I am very confident that she will find her way even after her active career, for which I wish her all the best and at the same time I would like to thank her for her commitment. "

Tabea Kemme played her last game for the women's national team as part of the SheBelieves Cup 2018 in the USA.  Joti Chatzialexiou, Sports Director National Teams , who was also there at the tournament at the time, said: "I have great respect for Tabea's decision and I can imagine how difficult it was for her. I got to know Tabbi as a 'real character', she is always leading, was always there for her teammates and accepted every task. With her, our team lost a special player and a great person. Now we wish her all the best for the future. "

[the-last-ghost]

Okay everyone, I've been reading the whole "humans are space orks/fae/weird" tags for a while and have been working on my own story to add to it. This is part one and it's really long so stick with it and hopefully you enjoy the read!

------------------------------------

We have all heard their stories growing up; all heard the myths and legends surrounding them. It’s almost impossible to believe that they were real but there is still proof, scattered among the cosmos, almost as impossible itself. I’ve heard them called many things over the years: wanderers, outcasts, lost souls, fae, immortals, demons, destroyers, even death itself. Every name I have heard, if the stories are to be believed, is true and well earned. I haven’t seen one myself, nor has my father, nor his father; rumor is, they haven’t been seen in nearly 3,000 years… Imagine my surprise finding one now…

I realize you may not know anything about the creatures of which I speak; I guess I should say that most people have heard the stories… Well allow me to tell you about them; these, as they call themselves, Terrans.

The story goes that long ago, back in the early years following the foundation of the United Species Federation (USF) (about 8,600 years ago-standard) they sent envoys and scouts out across the stars to find life and if it showed promise, to bring it into the fold of the USF. No one quite remembers how the first contact went, however, it is believed that it went fairly well, what with the Terrans conducting their own search throughout the stars on what they called their, “Third Golden Age of Space.” Apparently they had already gone to space twice before but some form of internal conflict put the exploration to a halt. Records indicate that they melded swiftly and smoothly with the Federation but were always considered to be the more wild and fearless of the 189 species. It wasn’t until the 9th year as a part of the USF that their home world was formally classed as a category 7 deathworld, 3 tiers higher than our previous maximum (supposedly they had to completely re-do the scale to make it work.) The few holo-picts of the world (if you’re lucky enough to find one) showed a world full of beauty and wonder but as we all know, beauty can be deadly in the cosmos.

After joining the Federation, they primarily set their focus on science and exploration; the things they found were astounding and those they made were breathtaking. I remember once going to the USF capitol on Jurhan-3 and seeing a “small-scale” version of one of their Epsilon-Frigate class starships’ power cell; they called it the “Apollo Reactor” and it, still to this day, harnesses the power of a collapsing star held in perpetual stasis. I am unaware of the science behind it but the Apollo Reactor was nearly 8km long, just as wide, and 6km high and the energy the star gives off can, theoretically, power half of the planet indefinitely-to think they put a larger version of this in their starships! They created works of wonder in ways that are now lost to us, for with them went the skill, knowledge, creativity, and much needed insanity to create these wonders. They came up with ideas and solutions for things we never would have even considered and, true to their nature, set out for a solution with an alarming dedication (although the wonders that came from their accidental discoveries are just as marvelous.) Not only were they the creators of the impossible, they were the seekers of the undiscoverable. They would set out on the planets, moons, asteroids, and among the stars in search of all those things our legends said could not be found; and they would find them! They would purposely seek out our own myths and legends and while many were proved wrong, they in turn were becoming legends themselves…

Then one day there was a request for a team to explore one of the many dead-zones the USF had listed and, since they were aptly suited for hazardous work, they volunteered. As it was, they went out with their usual compliment, a Gamma-class frigate at about 13km in length was the command ship for the operation. The Icarus, is well known for what the exploration lead to; and for that, we can’t hold it against them. The Icarus set out with its two Delta-class cruisers, each about 9km long, in tow towards the dead-zone. This is one of the few aspects of their past that we still know actually happened and its easier to view the formal log…

USF Doc. 1193.34-D164Y228

Icarus Expedition Captain’s Log:

--196-- We have successfully completed our jump into system X33-KL09 and are preparing for our initial scan of the system.

--197-- Initial scan shows little promise of habitable locations as expected; will conduct systematic, thorough, cross-examination of each planet for possible mineral harvesting.

--198-- Outer rim planets, X33-9, X33-8, and X33-7, all devoid of any significant deposits of any usable minerals; moving inward towards the system core.

--199-- X33-6 and X33-5 both show heavy iron, copper, sulfur, and other usable mineral deposits. Locations marked and transmitted to the Federation Fleet Command (FFC.) Moving on to innermost planets.

--200-- X33-4 shows sign of former habitation; holo-picts will follow. No sign of current life, no atmosphere to speak of, no signs of water, no signs of vegetation. Will collect samples and transmit them to the FFC. Ground Exploration Team 3 (GET3) sent to surface, base established. GET3 will remain on surface until we leave the system.

--201-- X33-3 appears strange on our scanners. It’s almost as if there is something…wrong…with it. Unsure of how else to describe it. Standby for holo-pict.

--202-- Contact! All ships requested to pull back to X33-4 and form defensive perimeter; lethal force NOT authorized. Standby for further orders.

--203-- Sentient life has been met; sudden fleet emersion from the warp. Non-USF signals. Attempting to hail unknown contacts.

--204-- All attempts at contact have failed. Will attempt other means of ***BREAK—ALL HANDS TO STATIONS—SHOTS FIRED AT CRUISER: RISING SUN—PREPARE TO ENGAGE CONTACTS***

--205-- All ships, unknown contacts are hostile. Open fire on all Non-USF craft. Engage at will.

--206-- Attached is the video footage remaining of the engagement.

--207-- All ships, damage report. *Silence as ships report in* Confirm: Cruiser: Fallen Star destroyed? *Silence while awaiting confirmation* Understood. Enemy fleet as either been destroyed or fled the system. Remaining craft ordered to collect survivors and GET3, then prepare to warp to nearest USF outpost.

------------------------------------

--236-- Final tally of expedition fleet to system X33-KL09: One (1) Delta-class cruiser, Fallen Star, destroyed. 728 of its crew confirmed KIA, 109 of its crew un-accounted for (presumed KIA), 246 of its crew recovered and accounted for with varying injuries. One (1) Delta-class cruiser, Rising Sun, minor hull damage. 17 of its crew confirmed KIA, 0 of its crew missing, 942 of its crew accounted for. One (1) Gamma-class frigate, Icarus, severe hull damage, thrusters at 48%, and near catastrophic Apollo Reactor failure. 593 of its crew confirmed KIA, 197 of its crew un-accounted for (presumed KIA), and 806 of its crew recovered and accounted for with varying injuries. Requesting immediate support to attached coordinates. Sending Delta-class cruiser, Rising Sun, ahead of remaining vessels to prepare for our non-warp arrival.

--237-- Contact re-established with unknown forces. All crew to stations. Enemy ship determined to be on collision course; prepare to repel boarders. *Screams following the sound of impact—Sounds of metal wrenching itself apart—Silence* Shields down. Thrusters now inoperable. Boarding parties attempting to take ship. Will not allow this to happen.

--238—Cruiser, Rising Sun, has exited the system. Life-support systems failing. Authorizing the Manhattan Protocol*. God be with us.

--239—Attached video contains the final moments of the Icarus before the Manhattan Protocol was engaged. All hostile contacts were terminated.

*Manhattan Protocol: If the ship is boarded by hostile forces with no hope/chance of rescue or survival and no friendly forces remain in the system, the detonation of the Apollo Reactor is authorized. Said detonation will result in the immediate atomization of the host craft and nuclear explosion centered on the craft powered by the energy of the dying star. Possible outcomes could leave the system uninhabitable or create a minor black hole (if an Alpha-Class Capitol/Command Frigate is detonated.) This protocol only to be used as an absolute last resort.

----------End Formal Log-----------

As you saw, this no doubt lead the USF to mobilize a task force to secure the dead-zone and establish the identity of the unknown, openly hostile species and determine where they came from. Up until then, we had yet to see these Terrans in open conflict; there had clearly been minor skirmishes but nothing of real note. We were quite unprepared for their way of making war for these simple, bi-pedaled creatures seemed to pose little threat and were believed to have been primarily peaceful; quite at odds with their tier 7 deathworlder status. Apparently this had been the first ship lost in war in over 450years for them, a fact that they were extremely proud of, and so naturally they took it personally and set to it with there trademark dedication. Their sciences switched from focusing on exploration to tracking, from genetic mapping to mapping the weak-points of starships, from creating stronger mining tools to creating near indestructible hull armor; and it was beautiful. That’s when they were rumored to have been called the Fae, after myths from their own past. Beautiful beings capable of untold devastation. And so, the USF went to war against an enemy they knew little to nothing about, with these Terrans on point.

When contact was made again, after nearly 4 years of searching the dead-zone and the surrounding systems, hostilities were immediately established and our foe finally identified. They were called the Xulrata; fierce bi-pedaled creatures that would stand nearly 13ft tall and weigh upwards of 1200lbs. They were covered in a thick, leathery hide that seemed impervious to most of the federations weaponry but somehow the Terrans were able to find ways to pierce it. They had two massive canines that jutted from their lower jaw, deeply set eyes the size of my fist, and hands with the strength to crush a grown Sarlot as if it were nothing. We learned real fast that the only sure way to kill one, was to remove the head; even then, sometimes the body would continue on until its heart failed it, they were nightmare creatures and we lost a good many men and women to them in the following millennia. The Terrans had their own name for them, as they so often did; they called them Orks, after yet more creatures from their myths and legends-although, these myths appeared to be very, very real.

------------End Part One------------

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Please share it around and I'll get to work on part two!

[fallforcs]

Set Fire To The Darkness

Art by: @nicole-nikla

Author: @celestial-fire-writer

Summary: Princess Emma of Misthaven has been the Dark One for ten lonely years, hiding away in her castle from the rest of the world, trying to find a way to destroy the darkness. One day, Prince Killian of Camelot seeks her out, hoping that she can save his dying brother. Emma, knowing Camelot is the best place to defeat the darkness, agrees, and the unlikely duo set off on an adventure together, comprised of trials, battles, family and true love.

Rating and reason for the rating: T, for mild violence.

Triggers: Mentioned death of minor characters, brief description of anxiety/panic attacks.

A/N: I’m so happy to finally be sharing my FFCS story! I loved working on this fic and I hope everyone will enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’d like to thank the mods for creating this lovely event and for helping out so much. Thank you!

Shout out to @snidgetsafan for beta reading some of my story although she was busy, thanks a lot! Thank you, @demisexualemmaswan for beta reading the rest, and at such short notice too! And many thanks to my artist who made such a beautiful banner for my story!! I absolutely love it, it’s amazing!

“Killian, are you out of your mind?”

Killian, the prince of Camelot, winces at the sheer incredulity in Belle’s voice. In all the years he’s known the lovely librarian, he’s never heard her so much as raise her voice or lose her temper or even sound particularly frustrated.

Until now.

“Belle, I know it sounds insane-” he tries, but she cuts him off abruptly.

“Insane is one word for it. Do you honestly think Liam is going to agree to this plan?”

Killian frowns. “He won’t be agreeing to anything, because I won’t be telling him.”

The war between Snow White and the Evil Queen has been going on for nigh three decades now. Camelot has been aligned with Misthaven and they are against the Queen as well, despite all her efforts to lure them over to her side. Liam, Killian’s brother and the king of Camelot, remained firm in his decision to ally themselves with Misthaven.

Five years ago, the Queen staged an uncalled for, unprovoked attack on Killian and his fiancée, Milah. Killian had lost his hand and Milah, her life. Fueled with rage on the behalf of his brother and his dead fiancée, Liam promptly declared war against the Queen.

This led them to the situation they are in right now.

Liam is bedridden, poisoned by the Queen, and only has a few weeks to live.

None of the best healers and sorcerers in the land could do anything to help Liam. When all of their attempts failed, Killian and Belle began their own research, working desperately to find a way to save him.

While searching through the many texts on magical ailments and cures in the library, Killian has come across a legend about of the most powerful being to ever live:

The Dark One, a mighty magician who has the power to alter the laws of magic itself.

Or so the legend told.

Belle is vehemently against this plan.

“Seeking out dark magic is never a good idea, Killian,” she insists, nervously wringing her hands. “And the Dark Ones are known for their penchant for making deals. Trust me, that is one price you do not want to pay.”

“We’ve run out of options, lass,” Killian says forcefully. “Liam only has a few weeks to live and I don’t plan on sitting around and waiting for him to die.”

“And you think I am?” Belle asks shrilly, and the pure hurt in her voice makes Killian flinch. He knows that Belle and Liam have had feelings for each other for quite a while now, although both are too stubborn to admit it. When Liam was poisoned, Belle was beside herself with grief, spending the few hours she wasn’t slaving in the library with Liam, trying to raise his spirits and hiding her worry from him. “I want to save Liam as much as you do! But if we resort to seeking out the Dark One, we’re liable to be killed and we’re not much good to Liam dead, are we?”

Killian nods slowly. “You’re right,” he says, and Belle almost sighs in relief but his next words throw her for a loop, “That’s why I’m going alone.”

“Killian, you could die!”

“If I’m trying to save my brother, then so be it I’m happy to,” Killian says resolutely. “And if I fail, I have faith that you will find a way to save him instead.”

Belle is quiet for a long minute and Killian wonders if he’ll have to try harder to convince her. But then she speaks, her tone resigned,

“You’ll need supplies for your journey.”

“I’ll pack them up myself,” Killian assures her, inwardly sighing in relief that he doesn’t have to resort to drastic measures. “In the meanwhile, could you please scrounge up any information you can get about the Dark One?”

Belle nods. “That I can do. When will you leave?”

“At night. No one must know about this save for you and me. I suspect that there are spies of the Queen among our court members. We cannot risk any of this getting back to her.”

“Agreed,” Belle says grimly before another thought occurs to her. “What shall I tell Liam?”

Killian shrugs. ‘I’m sure you’ll think of something. The castle of the Dark One, according to the maps I referred to, lies between the borders of Misthaven and Camelot. With luck, I should be back within four days.”

“You’re really doing this,” Belle says, exhaling loudly.

“Aye, that I am.”

“Just…just be careful.”

“Always am,” Killian says, but Belle simply narrows her eyes at him. Relenting with a sigh, he nods.

“I promise. Take care of Liam for me.”

Belle only nods. Killian accepts it, knowing that he’s leaving his brother in good hands.

It’s a two day journey to the Dark One’s castle.

Killian travels through most of the night, stopping to rest for only a few hours before he starts again. By the time he reaches the castle, he is immensely exhausted from the journey; yet triumphant that he has finally made it.

Now the next step is actually confronting the Dark One.

Belle had told him that the previous Dark One, Rumplestiltskin, had been killed ten years earlier. Not much is known about the current Dark One.

They only know that the she is a woman, who has kept to herself for the past decade, rarely coming out of the castle. Killian finds this strange, wondering why a being of such great power would choose to lurk in the shadows, instead of using her power to command nations and make the people of the world bow to her.

According to the texts he’s read, whoever kills the Dark One is doomed to take on the darkness next. Killian wonders if killing the Dark One was an accident, if this woman did not want the power at all and so is hiding away from the rest of the world. He can certainly sympathize if that’s the case. Of course, it then begs the question as to whether she will even help him now.

She has to. Killian does not want to think about what would happen if he lost his brother. He knows tragedy quite intimately, having lost his father to illness seven years prior; as well as his love and hand to the Queen’s Black Knights two years later. He cannot lose his brother. Even if it means resorting to dark magic, he will save him.

Killian enters the castle cautiously, his hand on the hilt of his sword and his prosthetic tucked behind his back, out of habit. It’s a huge, formidable fortress; the doors opening into a large, elaborate room which is covered with layers of dust, books and all manner of trinkets strewn about a large table in the center. In a dark corner, there lie the remains of what might have once been a spinning wheel, but the object is now destroyed beyond recognition.

A flash of gold catches his eye. Killian approaches the table and picks up a dream catcher that perches on the pile of books. A shudder wracks through him and he quickly drops it. He might not have too much experience with dark magic, but he can tell that the dream catcher is absolutely soaked in it.

Belle was right, this is a terrible idea.

But it’s too late to turn back now.

The doors at the back of the room swing open with a bang and Killian spins around, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. A woman strides into the room and pauses when she spots him, her eyes narrowing. Killian knows without a doubt, at this moment, that she is the Dark One.

She doesn’t look evil. Her face is hard and her posture stiff but she doesn’t seem menacing, only defensive. Her silvery hair is gathered in a severe bun at the nape of her neck, and she wears a long, sweeping dress of midnight black, a cutlass at her side. Killian takes a hesitant step forward, letting his hand fall from his sword.

“What do you want?” the Dark One asks. She sounds almost bored. Her voice is soft, yet seems to echo in the silence of the castle. Killian stares at her blankly for a moment before he recollects himself.

“My name is Killian. I am the prince of Camelot,” he says, a little surprised at how steady his voice sounds. “I…heard that you are a being of great magical power. I have come to seek your help.”

The Dark One simply watches him, her brow creased. After a long moment, she sighs and turns away.

“Seek help elsewhere. I’m not interested.”

Panic blooms in Killian’s chest.

“No, wait! Please,” She glances back at him, raising a brow at his frantic plea. “It’s my brother, the King. He’s been poisoned. By the Evil Queen,” For some reason, the green of her eyes blackens with anger at the mention of the Queen and her hands curl into fists. “He only has a few weeks to live, and he needs help. None of the sorcerers or healers in my kingdom have been able to help. Please, I’m begging you, help him,” Killian’s voice cracks. “He’s all I have.”

Silence reigns as the Dark One thinks his request over. When she finally speaks, her voice is curiously sympathetic.

“You’re the prince of Camelot, you said?”

Killian nods. “Indeed.”

“Tell me, does a wizard named Merlin reside there?”

He frowns, perturbed by at the strange question. “No, he died many years ago.”

The Dark One lets out a harsh sigh, and then glances to the side, a dark scowl crossing her face. Killian follows her gaze but can see nothing.

“Some of his spell books remain,” he offers. “If that could be of any use to you…”

It’s true that the spell books remain, but they are also treasures of Camelot, treasures that only Liam himself has access to. Killian knows his brother will be furious with him, but it will be worth it.

She looks back at him. “Then let us make…a deal,” She speaks the words almost reluctantly, glancing to her side again. “I���ll come with you to Camelot and help your brother, and you allow me access to Merlin’s spell books.”

“Deal,” Killian says instantly and her lips tug into a slow smirk. She crosses the space between them, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor. Killian swallows and resists the urge to back away. Her very presence radiates power and might, and it dazzles him.

The Dark One snaps her fingers and a large scroll appears, hovering in the air. She hands him a quill, and Killian takes it hesitantly, his fingers brushing against her cool skin.

“Sign on the dotted line,” she says smoothly.

Liam is going to kill me , Killian thinks wryly as he signs. When he draws away, the parchment glows gold and vanishes.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” the Dark One drawls. “Shall we, then?”

“Wait,” Killian stops her. “You haven’t told me your name yet.”

An odd expression flashes across her face and for a moment she looks strangely vulnerable.

“…Emma,” She says at last, slowly, as if she’s not used to saying it. “My name is Emma.”

A beautiful name, Killian thinks and then hastily shakes the thought away. The Dark One, no, Emma strides past him to the entrance and he quickly follows, thinking that she is dangerous; not just for the darkness flowing through her veins but for the strange effect she has on him.

Frankly speaking, Emma thinks this is a terrible idea.

When the Prince of Camelot, Killian, he said his name was, showed up on her doorstep begging for help, Emma’s first instinct was to turn him away. She has no use for random people who come hoping to gain from her powers, nor does she have any desire to use said powers. It’s been ten years since she became the Dark One, and in those ten years, she’d refrained from using her magic as much as possible.

Possible being the keyword.

Dark magic is like a drug. It entices you at every step, luring you in despite your best efforts to stay away. And if you use even a little, even if it’s just a tiny spark to light a candle, that’s it. It’s hopelessly addicting and even the smallest taste leaves you thirsting for more. Even the simple act of conjuring the scroll for Killian to sign had caused an itch under her skin, a terrible urge to use more and more of it.

Emma was born with light magic flowing through her veins, being the product of True Love. The very idea of giving into the darkness she had been cursed with had disgusted her, and she refrained for as long as she could. But in the end it had been too much; the darkness that was always flickering in the corner of her eye tempted her to the point when she eventually gave in, and there was no turning back.

Still, she stubbornly tried to resist. Ignoring the temptations of the darkness as best as she could, she kept from using magic as much as she could. Giving it up altogether was impossible, but resisting and struggling as much as possible… well, that Emma could do.

Once, she was a princess.

Once, she was the beloved of Misthaven, the heiress to the throne, the warrior princess who grew up with a sword in her hand and who joined the fight against the Evil Queen when she was merely eighteen, much to her parents’ protests. The Queen had almost won when she had teamed up with Rumplestilkskin to defeat them, but Emma had had a plan. A rather stupid plan, when she thinks about it now, but a plan, nonetheless.

On the day of the battle, she stole away and to Rumplestiltskin’s castle to find the dagger she knew could control him, thinking that that would be the first step to ending the war.

The dagger could control Rumplestilkskin. That was the extent of her knowledge.

Emma found the dagger, rode back to the battlefield to see Rumplestilkskin standing over the broken, battered body of her little brother, Leo. She had snapped.

Giving into pure rage and hatred, she had driven the dagger through his chest. As she did, Leo’s body vanished in a wisp of smoke, Emma realizing too late that his death was a trick and her vengeance was for nothing. However, her revelation was too late and she was consumed by the darkness.

Now, she is the Dark One.

Even now, she has futile dreams of one day defeating the darkness, of vanquishing it for good and going home. For she cannot return as she is now, cannot face her parents as the Dark One, cannot bear to see the horror and disgust that will surely be there in their faces when they lay their eyes on her. The darkness taunts her, telling her that it is a pipe dream, that what she wants can never be accomplished, that she should simply give up.

But Emma is nothing if not stubborn.

Through the numerous texts and books in the castle, she learned that Camelot is the place where the darkness was born and that the wizard Merlin was the only one who was ever thought to be capable of defeating it.

If Camelot is the place where the darkness was born, then surely it can be the place where it can be defeated.

And having access to Merlin’s spell books will make it all the easier.

Hence her reason for agreeing to Killian’s request.

(And perhaps she sympathizes with him because she knows what it’s like to lose a loved one to the Evil Queen. Emma has suffered much at the Queen’s hands, both directly and indirectly and she has no desire to see another suffer as well.)

It’s still a terrible idea, though.

“We’ll be traveling through the woods,” Killian says, breaking her out of her thoughts. “It’s easier than traveling through the towns. The Queen’s spies are all over the place and I’d rather not have her acquainted with my plans.”

“Fine by me,” Emma says shortly. She definitely prefers the woods to the towns. It’s been almost a decade since she has been in the company of actual, breathing human beings who didn’t approach her for reasons beyond wanting her power, and getting used to being around one person is hard enough, let alone towns and villages of them.

Though she’ll probably have to get used to it pretty quick once they arrive in Camelot.

This is really a terrible idea , Emma thinks with a stifled groan.

She glances at the man walking beside her curiously. Unlike most people who had dared to approach her, he had been quite calm and fearless when he had asked for her help. At first glance, one wouldn’t think that he’s a prince. The clothes he wears are quite plain - although that may be more out of a desire to go unnoticed than anything else and he doesn’t seem to have the stuck-up, snobbish nature that most royals have.

Of course, as a former princess herself (because Emma refuses to think of herself as a princess anymore, not after she practically abandoned her kingdom.) Emma really doesn’t have much room to talk. Her parents had always taught her to be kind and respectful to her subordinates, but the other royals at court didn’t always share their views.

Emma has always been good at reading people, a skill that seems to have been sharpened when she became the Dark One. However, she can’t quite get a read on Killian. He seems perfectly normal at first glance, but there are shadows in his eyes and a quiet tension in his shoulders as if he carries the weight of the world upon them. Again, Emma can’t help but sympathize.

“Why do you want Merlin’s spell books?”

Emma looks up at the question to see Killian studying her curiously as they walk through the woods. “You are the Dark One and you have plenty of magic at your disposal. Why would you need any more?”

“Light and dark magic are quite different,” Emma replies. “This has to do with, let’s say…a personal project of mine.”

“You could easily tear apart Camelot and take the books by force, if you wanted to,” Killian points out. “Why make a deal?”

“I may be the Dark One, but I still have honor,” Emma says sharply and he has the grace to look abashed at her words. “I wouldn’t simply hurt innocents to get what I want.”

“My apologies,” Killian says quietly. “I didn’t mean to assume, I just…haven’t had very good experiences with people of your kind.”

“Welcome to the club,” Emma says wryly. Killian gives her a long look before speaking again.

“Regina…the Evil Queen…what did she do to you?”

Emma stiffens at his question. “What makes you think she did anything?”

“When I mentioned her before, you grew angry,” Killian says and Emma reels, stunned at his perception. “Surely she did something to incur your wrath?”

Emma looks away, unwilling to answer. Killian catches on, thankfully and doesn’t push the issue.

They continue to travel in silence.

Whatever Killian had expected the Dark One to be like, it certainly wasn’t this .

Frankly, his mind had conjured up all sorts of terrifying images of monsters and demons cloaked in darkness with insincere voices and harsh deals. Instead, he has found a guarded, somber woman with haunted eyes and clenched fists. She seems to have a vendetta for some reason against the Evil Queen and Killian finds that he can hardly blame her for that.

The Queen has stolen from him, too.

Of course, Emma doesn’t tell him why she hates the Queen. Which is understandable, of course-she obviously isn’t the type who trusts easily or spills her secrets in the blink of an eye.

They trudge through the woods in silence and Killian stops only at sundown.

“Emma?” He ventures and she whips around to look at him, her eyes widening in shock, and Killian is confused for a moment before he realizes that he used her name for the first time. His heart pangs with sympathy, and he wonders just how long it has been since anyone called her by name.

“What is it?” Emma asks after a beat, a strange, soft note in her voice that sends a shiver down his spine. Trying to ignore the feeling, he continues.

“We should stop for the night and get some rest. We can continue at dawn.”

“Oh…right, of course.”

Killian frowns at the pause; it’s as if she never even considered the fact that they might have to rest at one point. Perhaps she doesn’t tire easily? Or pushes herself too hard? She certainly seems like the type.

Why does he care, anyway?

They find an empty clearing, and Killian offers his satchel to Emma, telling her to pick freely from his stash of food while he starts a fire. Soon enough, they are sitting on opposite sides of the camp, eating some of the meat pasties from Killian’s stash, an awkward silence hanging between them.

After his meal, Killian pulls out his flask and offers it to her, hoping to break the strained quiet. “Rum?”

Emma quirks an eyebrow, but accepts it anyway. “Are you sure you’re a prince and not a pirate?” she asks dryly and Killian chuckles.

“Perhaps I’m a bit of both.” He had never been an orthodox prince anyway, always preferring the taverns and the open seas to his castle. Before Father’s death, he’d been lax in his duties, serving as a great source of frustration for Father and Liam. Killian had sobered up quite a bit after his father’s sudden death, but it wasn’t until after losing Milah that he threw himself into his princely duties; especially duties that pertained to winning the war against the Queen. He’d once thirsted for outright vengeance, but Liam and Belle had talked him down, serving as voices of reason to break through the anger and sorrow that had surrounded him.

“We should get to bed,” Killian says presently. “We need to be well rested if we are to leave at dawn.”

“Sleep,” Emma tells him, her voice quiet. “I’ll keep watch.”

Killian opens his mouth to protest-they are a quite a way from the villages within the domain of the Queen, and it would be ungentlemanly on his part to let her keep watch while he rests - but something in her face makes him stop, and he instead agrees reluctantly.

“If you’re certain.”

She gives him a terse nod and he obeys her wishes, lying down on his side with his back to her before he closes his eyes.

Sleep does not come easily to him that night. Whenever Killian turns, subtly, to glance at Emma, he finds her curled up under a tree, fiddling with an unfinished dream catcher, her movements fevered and hasty as she hurries to complete it. Her eyes are almost black with the shadows that lurk in them and her fingers tremble from time to time, causing the twine she’s weaving to slip out of her hand, eliciting a curse from her before she returns to her task.

The flames have burned down to mere embers by the time Killian slips into a restless slumber, full of dream catchers and Milah’s laughing eyes and darkness swallowed by fire.

The nights are really the worst, Emma reflects, as the sky blushes pink with the early light of dawn. If there’s one thing she misses about being mortal, it is sleep. It has been a decade since she has slept, or even felt that physical need to sleep, for that matter. She has been spending the nights by weaving dream catchers and immersing herself in memories of the past, in hopes of chasing away that darkness that always lurks by her side.

It never works.

With a sigh, Emma tucks the finished dream catcher away into a pocket of her dress and grimaces at the sight of her fingers, rubbed raw from the twine she had been weaving all night. The marks will disappear soon, but Emma hates the thought of Killian noticing and asking her about it; as he undoubtedly will.

Emma absently rubs at the marks on her hands, flinching when the darkness cackles.

Go on, dearie, vanish them away. After all, you don’t want him to see you for what you truly are: a monster.

Shut up, Emma thinks savagely, magic sparking under her skin with the force of her anger.

As if on cue, Killian stirs and Emma draws back her magic, breathing in deeply as she tries to calm herself.

He sits up and rubs the sleep from his eyes and gives her a lopsided smile. “Good morning, love.”

Emma raises a brow at the endearment and says nothing, but warmth builds in her chest.

The darkness hisses in disapproval, and retreats.

Killian takes an apple out of his satchel and offers it to Emma, but she declines, wrinkling her nose. Ten years as an immortal being, and she still isn’t quite comfortable around apples.

Well, given her family history, it’s understandable.

Killian looks puzzled at her aversion, but lets it go, taking a bite out of the apple.

“Why did you not sleep last night?” he asks casually, and Emma sighs, having expected him to ask.

“Dark Ones don’t sleep,” she replies shortly and rises, brushing leaves off her dress. “We should get a move on.”

“As you wish.”

While they continue travelling, Killian keeps up a light stream of conversation, Emma’s replies and comments are few and far in between, but she enjoys listening to him speak. It’s been a long time since she was given the comfort of good company, and even the small talk that the prince makes is welcome.

Killian speaks of his brother often, clear admiration and love in his voice when he does. Through what he tells her of him, Emma finds herself respecting Liam, he sounds like a good and honorable man. Killian does not say why Camelot is at war with the Evil Queen, however, a shadow crossing his face at the very mention of it. Emma doesn’t ask, knowing from experience that some things are just too painful to talk about.

The pleasant time comes to an end soon, as the sound of heavy footsteps clamoring through the forest makes them pause and look at each other in dismay.

“Black Knights,” Killian says grimly and they both draw their swords.

There are about a dozen of them and the leader gives Killian an ugly smirk. “Well, if it isn’t the Prince of Camelot. Far from home, aren’t you? And who is your…companion?”

He leers at Emma and she gives him a smile that is all teeth and no humor. Killian remains defiantly silent, his knuckles turning white as he grips his sword tighter.

The leader nods at the other knights. “Kill them.”

The knights may be well trained, but they are no match for them. Killian is a skilled swordsman, Emma notices, disarming the first who charges at him and running the second through. Emma, on the other hand, steadfastly ignores the darkness that whispers to her, tempting her to use her magic to kill them all and instead wields her cutlass to either disarm or wound them so they are unable to get up. She only kills the ones who arm persistent; shuddering as every drop of blood spilled adds another black patch to her already darkened heart.

Emma has killed before, of course. Not too long after she became the Dark One, Black Knights of the Queen came to her castle, looking for answers about what had happened to Rumplestiltskin. When they found that the new Dark One was actually the Princess of Misthaven, they had laughed cruelly, taunting her even as she tried to ignore them.

“The Crown Princess has gone dark,” One of them taunted. “I wonder how the people of Misthaven would react to this. They would surely turn on Snow White and Prince Charming, and the Queen would win.”

Emma snapped.

Before she knew it, she was striding across the expanse of floor to him and he got little warning before she plunged her hand into his chest and took a hold of his heart. He let out a cry of pain and his fellow knights gasped in fear.

Emma ripped her hand out, clutching the beating organ as the knight gripped at his chest, staring at her with fearful eyes.

‘Go ahead,’ the darkness whispered. ‘Crush it.’

“No,” Emma mumbled blankly, gazing down at the heart, her hand trembling. “I can’t.”

‘Yes, you can,’ the darkness hissed. ‘He deserves it. He deserves to die.’

Emma’s grip around the heart tightened, and the knight let out a pained gasp as he collapsed to the floor, begging for mercy. She ignored him, her gaze focused on the darkness that hovered at her side, encouraging her.

‘If you let him live-let them live, they will tell the kingdom about what happened to you. They will turn on your parents and the Evil Queen will have the opportunity to kill them. Is that what you want?’

“No!” Emma gasped out, her voice tortured. “I can’t let them die!”

‘Then do it. Crush his heart.’

“If I kill him, I will become just like him. Like Regina.”

‘It’s not murder, dearie, it’s an execution,’ the darkness tempted. ‘Think about the many he must have killed while serving the Queen. It’s what he deserves.’

“You deserve to die,” Emma told the knight, mindlessly parroting the darkness’ words as she squeezed the heart tighter. The knight screamed in pain and rasped out broken pleas.

“Mercy, please! I’ll do anything-“

He abruptly cut off as the life faded from him and his body hit the floor. Emma stood still, gazing at the dust seeping from between her fingers.

The other knights made to move, to run away. Emma spun around, her hardened gaze freezing them in place.

‘Don’t show them any mercy,’ the darkness said. ‘Kill them.’

Emma raised her hand and twisted it. Suddenly, the knights were clutching at their necks, struggling for air as an unseen pressure curbed any of their attempts to draw in breath. Emma held it up for a few minutes until they collapsed to the floor, dead.

‘Very good, dearie,’ the darkness said, before promptly vanishing.

The dull crimson haze that had covered Emma’s vision disappeared as well and she gasped, staring at the bodies that lay around her in horror.

“No. No! What have I done?!”

Her knees weakened, and she sank to the ground, drawing in harsh, labored breaths. “No….” She muttered, as darkness engulfed her. When it vanished, the gold of her hair had faded to silver, her skin had become unnaturally pale and the armor and breeches she’d worn before had turned to a leathery costume of stark black.

At that moment, Emma knew (and the darkness never failed to reassure her of it) that there was no going back.

Killian lets out a sharp hiss of pain, rousing Emma from her memories, and she whips around to see him gingerly brushing his prosthetic across his right shoulder, blood seeping through the thin material of his shirt. The knight who injured him raises his sword, preparing to lop off his head and an urgent bolt of panic rushes through Emma. She hastily waves her hand, and the knight flies into a tree and promptly falls unconscious.

The other guards, stunned by Emma’s display of magic, take to their heels and flee.

Killian sinks down onto a log and with a bit of struggle, manages to lift the sleeve of his shirt with his prosthetic, inspecting the wound with a grimace. Emma hovers awkwardly. The wound isn’t too deep, but it looks nasty. And painful.

“I could, uh, heal it. If you want,” Emma says hesitantly. Killian glances up at her, looking rather surprised at the offer, and shakes his head.

“There’s no need, love. I…noticed that you were rather averse to using your magic during the fight. I don’t want you to needlessly use it on my behalf.”

Emma’s heart does a little flip in her chest, so startled and touched is she at his perception. She sits down next to him and offers him a genuine smile.

“It’s no problem. Really.”

Killian’s cheeks tinge crimson and he ducks his head shyly, holding out his arm. Emma takes his hand in hers, pretending not to notice the shiver that wracks through his body at the contact. She pauses momentarily, shutting her eyes. She knows she’s already promised to heal Killian’s brother, but this, somehow, is different. It shouldn’t be, really. But it is, and the thought of messing it up frightens her far more than the thought of failing to heal his brother does.

“It’s alright,” Killian murmurs gently and Emma opens her eyes in shock. He smiles up at her gently. “I trust you.”

Emma’s heart stutters painfully in her chest at his words and without another thought, the magic flows through her body. Killian lets out a gasp as the wound closes smoothly, not even leaving a scar. Emma smiles in triumph, withdrawing her hand.

“Thank you,” Killian says gratefully. Emma gives him a short, jerky nod, her fingers still tingling from where she touched him (and not from the magic) and glances down at his arm, her attention diverted by the crimson tattoo that decorates it.

“Who’s Milah, on the tattoo?”

The warmth in Killian’s eyes vanishes, and he quickly stands, yanking down the sleeve of his shirt to cover the tattoo. “No one,” He says quietly, sheathing his sword and slinging his bag over his shoulder. Emma stands as well, realizing his aversion to discussing the topic.

“We’d better get a move on,” Killian continues, avoiding her gaze. “If we move fast, any knights that are still around won’t be able to catch up.”

“Right, let’s go.”

When night falls, they are only a few hours away from Camelot. They stop and set up camp as they did the night before, and Killian glances at Emma as he lights the fire.

She has not spoken since he dismissed her question about the tattoo. Killian sighs as he thinks of it…the knowledge of what had happened five years ago is so common in Camelot that no one has questioned him about it in a long while. Emma’s question came as a shock, and his first instinct was to shut her down completely, the wound left by Milah’s passing still raw and bleeding; even the loss of his hand not comparing to it.

Killian looks at Emma again. He fears that he might have offended her by his silence on the topic. He’s not sure why he cares about her opinion of him so much. It’s true that she’s the key to saving his brother, but it’s much more than that. She’s not the cold, ruthless demon he had pictured in his mind, but instead a rather complex woman; a witch who avoids using her magic, who remains awake during the night and weaves dream catchers. She healed his wound like it was nothing, and her touch had sent flames shooting up his arm. She carries the weight of the world upon her shoulders and her eyes are full of old pain and buried hopes.

“Emma?” He begins tentatively and she looks over at him, raising her eyebrows in silent question. “I apologize for being short with you earlier, it’s just that-“

“It’s alright,” Emma interjects. “I brought up a painful topic. I apologize for that.”

“How do you know it’s painful?” Killian asks defensively. Emma smiles wryly.

“You’re something of an open book,” She says simply. “And it takes one to know one.”

“You lost someone?”

Emma nods. “A lot of someones, actually,” She says. Killian’s heart pangs in sympathy.

“Milah was my fiancée,” He begins haltingly. “She was killed by the Queen’s black knights,” Killian holds up his prosthetic. “It’s how I got this.”

He expects to see pity in her face, but finds nothing but a quiet understanding. “I’m sorry,” Emma says sincerely.

They remain in companionable silence, after that, the only sounds being the crackling of the fire and the occasional snapping of a twig. It feels like they are closer, somehow, as if at least one of the many walls that stand between them has been broken down. Killian finds himself drifting off soon, and the last thing he hears is Emma’s whispered ‘goodnight’ before he falls into a deep slumber.

Emma does not weave her dream catchers that night.

Instead, she thinks of things she hasn’t allowed herself to ponder for a long time. She thinks of the way her mother’s brow crinkled every time she laughed, of how her father lovingly cradled the back of her head every time he hugged her and of the way she and Leo would run around the castle, staging mock sword fights and driving the staff to near distraction.

She thinks of Killian and the gentleness of his smile when he told her he trusted her.

She thinks of the way using her magic had felt right , for once, when she wielded it to vanish away Killian’s wound.

And for once, the darkness remains silent.

The next day, they reach Camelot by noon.

Emma swallows apprehensively at the large number of guards and courtiers waiting at the gates to greet them, or rather, to greet Killian.

Killian, as if sensing her discomfort, slips his hand into hers and squeezes reassuringly. Emma glances up at him sharply, his touch sending heat through her body.

Killian retracts his hand and gives her a last smile; just as a dark haired woman comes running out of the gates and towards them.

“Killian!” She hugs him tightly, and Emma takes a step back, irrational jealousy flaring in her gut. Is she his lover? Or his wife, perhaps? He’d never mentioned having one, though.

“ Belle ,” Killian grunts. “I can’t breathe, lass.”

The woman, Belle, draws away slightly and sniffs. “I was worried,” she says. “Can you blame me?”

Belle glances past Killian at Emma and her eyes widen. “Is that-“

Killian releases her and nods. “Aye. Emma-” he turns to her. “This is Belle, the castle’s librarian. Belle, Emma.”

“You succeeded,” Belle breathes, a large grin lighting up her face.

“Did you doubt I would?” Killian teases and then his eyes grow serious. “How’s Liam?”

“Not good,” Belle says somberly. “He’s finding it hard to even stand, now. And he’s worried about you.”

Killian rolls his eyes. “Of course he is,” He mutters, but there’s affection in his voice. “Bloody idiot won’t even worry about himself. Well, there’s no time to waste,” he nods to Emma. “Shall we?”

“Of course.”

Belle looks nervous. “Uh, maybe I should talk to him first. He’s not going to be happy that you, uh-” She glances hesitantly at Emma.

“Brought the Dark One into his home?” Emma finishes for her, dryly, and Belle flinches, as if waiting for Emma to blow up in her face. When she does nothing of the sort, Belle looks visibly relieved and leads them into the castle.

“Wait here,” she tells them when they stop outside the king’s chambers and slips into the room, shutting the door behind her.

Emma and Killian wait in awkward silence and she catches him wincing when the sound of raised voices reach their ears. They hear Belle’s voice, soft and pleading; and then a noise of assent before Belle exits the room, looking harried.

“I take it my brother isn’t exactly an ideal patient?” Killian asks with a forced grin. Belle looks unamused.

“He wants to talk to you,” She informs him and Killian nods, glancing back at Emma.

“Go ahead,” Emma tells him. “I’ll be fine.”

Killian smiles and Belle narrows her eyes, looking back and forth between them sharply. Emma ignores her curious gaze, but feels heat creeping up her neck.

Killian casts her one final glance before entering the room.

“Hello, Liam,” Killian greets his brother with forced levity, his heart sinking at the sight of Liam’s condition. His brother is gaunt and pale, black veins from the poison creeping up his arms.

“What the bloody hell is wrong with you?”

Well, at least it seems like Liam still has his temper.

“Liam-” Killian begins, but is abruptly interrupted.

“You brought the Dark One into our castle?”

Liam speaks the words with disgust and Killian feels a sharp jolt of anger rush through him. He forces it down, trying to maintain his calm.

“It’s the only way to save you.”

Liam scoffs and Killian flinches at the harsh sound. “By resorting to dark magic? Aye, sounds like a wonderful plan.”

“I’d rather use dark magic than watch you die,” Killian snaps defiantly and Liam’s eyes flash.

“After all that we’ve suffered-“ He begins lowly. “After all that you’ve suffered because of dark magic-shouldn’t you be disgusted at the very idea of seeking it out for help?”

“Any magic that could be used to save your life could never be dark,” Killian says passionately and Liam seems to soften slightly at that. But the next moment, he’s protesting again.

“And the Dark One , at that, Killian…do you know how dangerous that is? He could have killed you.”

“She, actually.”

“What?”

“The Dark One is a woman.”

Liam raises his eyebrows at that, but continues. “Regardless, how do we know that we can trust her?”

“You can trust me ,” Killian says steadily. “You can trust me that she’s not lying, that she really is ready to help you.”

Liam regards him in silence for a long moment and then sighs in relent. “Very well, you can send her in.”

Killian nods, relieved, but before he can call Emma in, Liam stops him. “Wait. I know that the Dark One makes deals. What did you promise her in return?”

Killian shifts uncomfortably, reaching up to scratch behind his ear. “Ah…about that…”

“Spit it out, Killian.”

“I promised her access to Merlin’s spell books.”

“You did what ?!”

“Alright, I’m calling her in,” Killian says quickly, ignoring Liam’s outraged protests. He hurries to the door to open it and ushers Emma in, smiling weakly when she raises a brow at him.

“Good to see you’re still alive. I heard shouting.”

“Right as rain, love,” Killian promises, and over Emma’s shoulder, sees Belle’s eyebrows disappear into her hairline. “Come on in,” He mumbles hastily, blushing.

Emma notices, and smirks at his embarrassment before sweeping past him into the room.

Liam pushes himself up on his pillows and tries to look as intimidating as possible, but Emma doesn’t look the least bit fazed by the effect.

“Hello,” She says softly. “My name is Emma, I’m-“

“I know who you are, Dark One ,” Liam says tersely and Killian groans, wanting to punch his brother. Emma looks unaffected.

“I was going to say that I’m here to save your sorry ass,” Emma says calmly, and next to Killian, Belle chokes. “But it’s nice to see how grateful you are.”

Liam goes red at the chastisement and Killian struggles not to laugh, reflecting that Emma really doesn’t seem to give a damn about whether they’re royalty or not. Then again, she is the Dark One; she has no reason to be intimidated by them when she could easily snap their necks in the fraction of a second.

For some reason, that really doesn’t bother him at all.

“My apologies,” Liam mutters, and Emma makes a noise of dismissal, moving closer to the bed. She observes his condition in silence, the inky veins travelling up from his arm, disappearing into the sleeve of his shirt. The veins on his chest are obscured by his clothing, but can be seen inching up from the collar of his shirt, dangerously close to reaching his face.

Emma releases a deep breath. “Alright,” she murmurs. She positions her hand over Liam’s chest, slowly rotating it, stretching and motioning her fingers as if to draw something out. Emma’s arm shimmers a bright gold and Killian stares, transfixed, unable to look away.

This may be dark magic, but it also may be hands down the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

Beside Killian, Belle squeezes her eyes shut, clasping her hands together; as if sending up a silent prayer.

Liam’s body glows, and a ripple of magic pulses through the room, nearly knocking Killian and Belle off their feet. Liam gasps in shock as the veins marring his skin vanish, the color returning to his cheeks and the strength to his limbs.

Killian sags in relief and before he can even say or do anything, Belle rushes past him to the bed, practically collapsing on it as she flings her arms around Liam. His eyes widen in pleasure, and he draws her closer, pressing a kiss to her head.

Emma backs away from them, looking visibly exhausted. Killian lays a tentative hand on her shoulder, smiling at her gratefully.

“Thank you, Emma.”

“No problem,” Emma says brusquely, but her pale face flushes, her mouth curving into a pleased smile.

Killian feels the oddest urge to kiss that smile from her lips.

Coughing, he hastily backs away, just in time as Liam and Belle part from their embrace.

Liam stands up and offers Emma a courteous smile. “I owe you my life, milady.”

“There’s the gratitude,” Emma quips and Liam has the grace to look abashed. “It’s no big deal,” She continues. “As long as your brother there follows up on our deal, of course,” She gives Killian a pointed stare.

Belle looks confused. “Wait, what deal?”

“Access to Merlin’s spell books in exchange for the King’s recovery,” Emma says breezily and Killian shifts uncomfortably under Belle’s incredulous stare. “That’s the deal we made.”

“I’ll retrieve the spell books for you,” Liam says briskly. “Belle, would you escort Lady Emma to the library? Killian, you should accompany them.”

Killian sees Emma’s lips twitch into a knowing smile, clearly understanding that Liam wants him to go along for Belle’s safety. Thankfully, Emma doesn’t seem insulted by Liam’s lack of trust in her, only amused.

Before they leave, Liam strides up to Killian and hugs him. “Thank you, little brother,” he murmurs. “I was right to trust your judgment.”

“ Younger brother,” Killian corrects him, but he can’t hold back his delighted smile.

“It’s quite the collection you have here,” Emma remarks when they step into the castle’s expansive library. “Do you manage this all by yourself?”

The question is directed to Belle, who flushes.

“I have help, of course,” She stammers, still clearly intimidated by Emma. “But mostly, yes.”

Emma hums in reply. The library in the castle of the Dark One was possibly as expansive as this one, but that had more of texts concerning dark magic and ancient spells. Most of the books had been dangerous, even; the spells written in them could be blown off the page and towards a target. The library itself had been dark, musty and unorganized; and the airy, bright and neat room in this castle is a stark contrast to it.

Belle goes to arrange something at the counter, and Emma and Killian find a table at the back and settle down.

“So,” Emma begins casually. “How long has Camelot been at war with the Evil Queen?”

“About five years, now,” Killian replies. “Why?”

“Just curious,” Emma mumbles, picking at the sleeve of her dress. Killian clearly doesn’t buy it, and opens his mouth to question her further, but is interrupted as Liam appears with the spell books. Emma’s eyes light up at the sight of them. There are only a couple of them, but they could be the first step to finally defeating the darkness.

The darkness cackles in amusement. Quite naïve of you, dearie , it sneers. Haven’t you learnt by now? The darkness cannot be vanquished; you’re wasting your time with this little endeavor. Your time could be spent in a better way, like taking revenge on the Queen for all that she has done.

Emma firmly ignores the darkness, clenching her fists under the table in an attempt to curb the prickling under her skin.

“These are all of them,” Liam says, setting them down on the table. “But it’s getting quite late. I asked the servants to prepare a room for you, so perhaps you could rest for the night instead.”

“Thank you,” Emma says, deciding against mentioning that she really doesn’t need rest. “That’s very kind of you.”

“You’re welcome,” Liam says and turns to Killian. “There’s a Council Meeting. Your presence is required.”

“I just got back,” Killian protests but Liam just gives him a stern, no-nonsense look and he sighs and acquiesces, rising to his feet.

“I’ll see you later,” He tells Emma with a rueful smile and she nods, ignoring Liam’s suspicious frown.

The room that has been prepared for Emma is large spacious, a huge, four poster bed by the window as well as a desk, a vanity and a wardrobe. It’s not unlike Emma’s own bedroom back when she used to be a princess, and for a minute, she aches with homesickness, wishing for nothing but to go back to those simpler times.

The wardrobe has been furnished with clothes as well, most of them beautiful dresses of bright colors, ranging from cotton to satin. Emma ignores them completely, finding a grey silk nightgown and putting it on. She has no intention of sleeping, of course, but it’s far more comfortable than her black dress.

Emma sits at the desk with one of Merlin’s spell books open, a roll of parchment next to it. This particular book is in a foreign language, but thankfully, during her time as the Dark One, she dedicated a lot of her time to learning new languages. This one is a bit trickier than most, but Emma sets her quill to the parchment determinedly, ready to do whatever it takes to get some answers.

As the hours pass, the light dims and the shadows lengthen. Just as Emma flicks her wrist to light the lamps in her room, there’s a knock on her door. She rolls up the parchment and tucks into the book before going to the door to open it.

It’s Killian.

“Good evening,” he greets. “I just wanted to see if everything’s alright with your room.”

“Its fine,” Emma assures him. “Your brother is very kind,” Killian looks a bit awkward, standing in the doorway, and she steps aside. “Would you like to come in?”

Killian looks startled. “I’m not sure that would be appropriate.”

Emma rolls her eyes. “I’m not inviting you in for anything inappropriate, just so we can talk more comfortably.”

Killian gives her rakish grin, though the effect of it is lessened by his flushed face. “I wouldn’t object to….more pleasurable activities, milady.”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” Emma says dryly although she is rather surprised that he even tried to flirt with her. He’s never made an advance before. Still, it must be easier now that he doesn’t have the threat of his brother’s death hanging over him. “Come on in.”

They sit side by side on the huge bed and talk about many things and Killian asks her how the progress with the book is coming along.

“Slowly,” Emma says. “But I know I’ll get through soon.”

“Why do you want those books?” Killian asks. It’s not the first time he’s asked her this and Emma isn’t surprised, knowing her never bought her lies before. Still, she doesn’t tell him the truth.

The Dark One lies, the Dark One tricks.

“Why every great wizard does,” She says offhandedly. “To gain more power.”

“You don’t even like using your power,” Killian points out.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be using it to level your kingdom,” Emma says acidly, her temper getting the best of her. Killian looks taken aback.

“I know you wouldn’t do that,” He speaks the words which so much certainty that it makes her heart ache. Emma ducks her head, feeling guilty.

“Sorry,” she mumbles. Killian waves it away.

“S’alright, Emma.”

He lingers a bit more than is strictly necessary, talking about such mundane things that Emma wonders if he’s doing it on purpose to spend more time with her. Then she shoots the idea down, not wanting to explore that line of thought now. Or ever.

Killian chuckles, dragging Emma out her musings and she looks at him inquiringly. “What?”

“Nothing,” He says with a grin. “I was just thinking that if Liam knew I were here, he’d certainly kill me.”

Emma frowns. “Why?”

“Well, it’s not very gentlemanly to be in a lady’s quarters at night.”

Emma snorts. “Aren’t you the type of prince who prefers the taverns and towns over the comfort of his own castle?” She’d know. She was the same.

“A rake I may be, but I still believe in good form,” Killian insists. “And as for a lady such as yourself-“

Emma cuts him off. “I’m not a lady,” She says shortly. “I’m the Dark One.”

“You may be the Dark One, but you are still a woman,” Killian murmurs, his eyes sweeping over her form in a manner that leaves her pulse racing. “And a breathtakingly beautiful woman, at that.”

Emma swallows, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. Suddenly the large, spacious room feels far too small, the respectable space they had put between them suddenly not enough. She searches his eyes for the lie, but finds nothing but sincerity.

Her eyes flicker to his mouth, then, and the irrational urge to haul him into a kiss startles her out of her daze.

“I think it’s time you go,” Emma breathes, curling her hands into fists so she doesn’t give into the temptation of touching him. Killian nods slowly, seemingly as dazed as she is.

“Right. Of course.” He rises and holds her gaze for a long moment before giving her a short bow. “Goodnight, milady.”

Killian leaves the room quickly and Emma allows herself to collapse on the bed, drawing in her breaths harshly.

What the hell had just happened?

When Killian is done with his duties the next day, he goes straight to the library to see Emma. Belle barely acknowledges him when he enters, practically buried in a pile of books.

He finds Emma at the back, writing on a parchment while referring the books scattered on the table. Killian sits down from across her, waiting patiently for her to finish.

Finally, Emma sets down her quill and looks at him expectantly. “What?”

“Good morning to you too, Emma,” Killian chuckles, a little relieved to see that she doesn’t seem to be bothered in the least about the moment they had shared the night before.

Looking back on it, Killian honestly doesn’t know what he was thinking. Going into her rooms in the first place had been a bad idea. Calling her beautiful an almost kissing her, for Killian is sure that if she had not asked him to leave he would have definitely kissed her-was an even worse idea.

But Emma had looked so relaxed, the nightgown she wore giving her a younger, girlish appearance, that Killian had let any rational thought fly out of the window.

“Good morning,” Emma replies. “Now then, what did you want?”

“As charming as ever, I see,” Killian teases. Emma actually laughs, as if enjoying an inside joke, and the sound is like music to Killian’s ears. “I simply wanted the pleasure of your company.”

“Don’t you have Council Meetings and princely duties?”

“Done,” Killian gives her a mock pout. “Are you truly that eager to get rid of me?”

Emma huffs, looking amused. “Fine, you can stay. Just don’t disturb me.”

“As you wish, milady.”

Killian busies himself with an administrative text, but ends up not paying much attention to it; constantly distracted by the curve of Emma’s jaw, the way she frowns in frustration upon encountering something particularly trying, the few strands of hair that slip out of her normally immaculate bun when she rakes her fingers through it in frustration.

Bloody hell, Killian thinks, forcing his gaze away from her and back to his book. I’ve got to stop this.

Emma sets down her quill after a while, rubbing at her tired eyes with a groan.

“Alright, love?” Killian asks in concern, the text forgotten.

“Yeah…just…this isn’t exactly easy,” Emma sighs. “I’m getting there, but…..” she rotates her neck, wincing at the tension.

Before Killian can think twice, he gets up and moves to stand behind her. Emma twists in her seat to look at him.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought I’d help you relax,” Killian murmurs. The dress she’s wearing today exposes her back and shoulders and when Killian ghosts his palm over the bare skin, Emma stiffens momentarily at the contact.

“Is this okay?” Killian asks tentatively. Emma hesitates for a moment and nods.

Encouraged by her assent, Killian settles his hand at the base of her neck and begins to gently knead at the muscles, slowly easing out the knots. Emma lets her head fall back with a soft groan of approval. Killian freezes at the sound, heat rushing to his cheeks, but continues with his task, forcing himself not to react to the little sounds she makes.

Killian rubs at her shoulders next, massaging until he feels all the tension seep out. He then moves to gently toy with her hair, twisting and weaving the strands that have escaped her up do.

He should move away. He really should, it’s probably the gentlemanly thing to do, but Killian doesn’t and Emma doesn’t tell him to, either, her eyes closed in content.

She is like a siren, Killian thinks, rousing feelings and desires that he has not felt in a long time, causing his broken heart to beat again.

He wants to kiss her, right at the spot where her pulse flutters in her neck, to map out the freckles dotting her skin with his lips and teeth, to draw out those intoxicating sounds from her again and again.

Killian lets out a barely audible groan at his own thoughts. What is this woman-this beautiful, mysterious woman-doing to him? He hasn’t felt such a swift, powerful attraction to anyone in so long, no, not since Milah-

Milah.

The reminder of his lost love is like a swift punch to the gut. Killian steps back from Emma like he’s been burned, eliciting a small noise of confusion from her as she turns to look at him.

“I-I’m sorry,” Killian gasps out, his mind whirling, the very thought of Milah sending flaming agony and guilt through his veins. “I-I have to go.”

Before Emma can say a word, Killian turns and strides out of the library.

Emma knows that she has been starved of physical affection for a long time, but this is just insane.

As she slowly got to know Killian over the past few days, it quickly became obvious that he was a very physically affectionate person, casual with his touches.

Every touch sets her off, causing an intense buzz in her veins. His touch shouldn’t affect her this much, but it does, heat flaring in her stomach at the slightest brush of skin against skin. And as for Killian’s gentle way of easing the tension from her shoulders, it had left her positively addicted. Every rational part of Emma’s brain screamed at her to get away, but she was helpless to move. Killian might be a mere mortal, but he has still bested her.

But then Killian had sharply pulled away, leaving the library with stammered apologies. Emma sits at her table quietly, her work abandoned as she tries to figure out the reason for his hasty departure.

He probably came to his senses, dearie, the darkness taunts. He must’ve finally realized that it’s the Dark One he’s dallying with, not a normal woman.

“He doesn’t think that,” Emma mutters aloud, digging her nails into her palm until she draws blood. The wounds vanish instantly, but the sting of the act remains. Then Killian’s words from the previous night come rushing back to her.

“You may be the Dark One, but you’re still a woman.”

He wasn’t lying….was he? Emma’s ability to detect lies has always been uncanny, since long before she became the Dark One, but her emotions always tend to cloud her judgment.

They were merely pretty words, the darkness says immediately. Don’t believe a thing of what he says. You know better than that. Everybody lies. Everybody leaves. There’s no use getting attached.

The darkness is probably right, Emma thinks.

Everybody leaves. Everything good vanishes.

Killian is no exception.

Knowing she won’t get any more work done, not now, Emma gathers up her notes and storms out of the library, ignoring all the fascinated courtiers and maidservants who stop to gaze at her as she passes them by. She sighs in relief when she reaches the solitude of her chambers, slamming the door shut.

Emma hates this. She hates caring so much about what Killian thinks, about whether he’s lying to her or not, about him. She hates the burn of rejection in her gut when he left her hastily. And Emma hates the longing she feels for him to return, to make her smile with his small talk and attempts at flirting.

And she absolutely hates the acute pain in her heart at the thought of him just being someone who leaves her in the end.

Killian escapes the castle for a while and rides to his favorite spot to think, a cliff that overlooks the sea. The sight of the waves crashing over the rocks and the ships in the harbor and the sea gulls flitting around the cliffs calms his heart slightly, the pain ebbing to a dull ache.

What was he thinking?

To be harboring such romantic thoughts about a woman is surely a dishonor to Milah’s memory. When she died, he’d sworn to himself to remain faithful to her memory forever, to never love again.

And the worst part is that Killian doesn’t even know if this is love. With Milah, it had been easy. He’d fallen hard and fast and knew without a doubt what his feelings towards her were.

But with Emma, it’s different.

He knows that his heart beats faster whenever she’s around, that a rare laugh or smile from her builds an indescribable warmth in his chest, that he always wants to seek her out and be by her side, that he wants to chase away the shadows in her eyes and the sadness in her heart.

But he doesn’t know if he loves her.

And that’s probably the worst thing out of this whole mess, not knowing .

Light footsteps sound behind him and before Killian can turn, Belle appears by his side suddenly, offering him a kind smile as she sits down.

“Everything okay?”

Perceptive as ever. Killian lies, trying to play it off as nothing. “Of course, lass.”

Belle hums in disbelief, clearly not buying it. “Uh huh. Then why did I see you leave the library as quickly as you did? Not to mention, Emma did the exact same thing not too long after.”

Killian curses inwardly, knowing that he must’ve hurt or offended her with his abrupt departure. He can deal with her hating him, but he can’t stand the thought of her being hurt because of him.

There it is again.

“You’re falling for her, aren’t you?” Belle asks knowingly. Killian stiffens.

“ Belle -” he pleads. “Don’t.”

Belle crosses her arms and looks at him expectantly. “Don’t what?”

“Just don’t,” Killian says shortly. “I can’t fall in love with her.”

“Why in the world not?” Belle demands.

“Milah. I’d be dishonoring her memory-“

“That’s utter crap and you know it,” Belle snaps and Killian blinks in surprise at her curse. “You know Milah would want you to be happy, not wasting away like this.”

“Wasting away?” Killian repeats indignantly.

“ Yes. That’s exactly what you’re doing, shutting the world out, even Liam and I at times and not allowing yourself to fall in love.”

When Killian says nothing, instead staring at the horizon, Belle sighs and reaches over to take his hand.

“You deserve this, Killian. You deserve a second chance at love.”

“I-”

“Just because you’re falling in love again doesn’t mean you’re loving Milah any less,” Belle says patiently. “You’re honoring her memory by moving on.”

Killian simply nods, absently brushing his prosthetic over the tattoo on his arm. Belle sighs, and pulls him into a one armed hug.

“Come on,” She says presently. “We should get back to the castle.”

The next day, Emma is back working in the library again. Belle throws her an odd look when she enters, but quickly covers it with a welcoming smile. A little puzzled by it but deciding to brush it off, Emma returns to the books.

A passage in one of Merlin’s books makes her pause. The word ‘Excalibur’ is mentioned, along with a theory about it being a weapon with the ability to destroy the darkness.

Excitement surges through Emma, her heart racing and she quickly flips through the pages. Sure enough, Merlin has written the details of how the darkness came to be. The first to be tethered to it was a woman named Nimue and Merlin broke the sword Excalibur in half, using one half to create the Dark One dagger, which he tied the darkness to. The other half of Excalibur was set in a stone, not too far away from Camelot, only to be drawn out by its rightful owner.

Emma closes the book and leans back, thinking. If only she could get her hands on this ‘Excalibur’ and translate the rest of Merlin’s works, then maybe, just maybe she could finally destroy the darkness.

Of course, there is the problem of finding Excalibur. And according to what Merlin wrote, only the rightful owner of the sword could draw it out of the stone. Emma isn’t quite sure as to what that means. Does that mean the Dark One, as the dagger that controls her is the other half of Excalibur. Or is the meaning a little more traditional, the rightful owner being someone of great courage and a true heart?

If that is the case, then all is in vain, Emma thinks a little bitterly. After all, she has none of those things.

Still, it’s a start.

Emma rises and hurries to Belle, who is sorting out books at the counter. “Are there any books on magical artifacts here?”

Belle nods. “Yes, anything in particular?”

Emma hesitates before she answers. “Anything that mentions the sword Excalibur.”

Belle looks skeptical. “Excalibur’s only a myth,” she points out. “Are you sure that’s what you’re looking for?”

“ Yes ,” Emma says impatiently. The darkness is hissing in disapproval and she can feel it struggling for dominance, to try and quell her desire to destroy it. Magic threatens to seep from her hands and Emma clenches them into fists, ignoring the burn.

Belle, thankfully, doesn’t seem to notice and is about to agree to her request when the doors to the library slam open.

The young librarian swings around with a scowl, ready to scold whoever it is but falls short when she sees Liam and Killian stride in, looking tense.

Emma carefully averts her gaze from Killian’s, clenching her fists even tighter as the darkness continues to struggle.

“What’s wrong?” Belle asks worriedly, her gaze darting between them. Liam and Killian share a glance before the older brother speaks.

“Bad news,” Liam admits, quiet fury in his voice. “Misthaven has been overtaken by the Evil Queen.”

Liam’s words, while said under a calm façade, absolutely knock the breath out of Emma. She staggers back, suddenly finding it hard to breathe, her vision blurring.

Oh God. Oh God.

“Are you certain?” Next to her, Belle is speaking frantically, but Emma barely hears it.

Then Killian speaks, his voice strained and it’s enough to break Emma out of her daze. “I’m afraid so, lass.”

“The King and Queen,” Emma says suddenly, through gritted teeth and the other three glance up at her in surprise. “Are the King and Queen, the royal family, are they still-“Her voice cracks and a shudder wracks through her. “Are they still alive?”

“We-we don’t know,” Killian answers slowly, his eyes narrowed in confusion. “They are nowhere to be found, apparently, they might have gone into hiding…“

And then the dam breaks.

Suddenly there’s a crash, and then chairs and tables are upturned, decorations hanging from the ceilings are shattered and the shelves shake ominously, books falling to the floor.

Belle lets out a little shriek, Liam stumbles back, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword.

Killian, astonishingly enough (when will he stop surprising her?) takes a step forward. “Emma, what’s wrong?”

Emma clasps her hands together desperately, as if that will stop her magic from going out of control and her gaze darts around, flitting from Belle’s fearful eyes to Liam’s distrustful ones and back to Killian again, to the gentleness in his face and she breaks and for the first time in a decade, she feels like she might break down into sobs then and there.

“I can’t-“ she chokes out because it’s hard to breathe and her family might be dead and-

And then Emma does what she does best, and runs.

When Emma runs out of the room, leaving chaos in her wake, Killian hesitates only for a moment before following, ignoring Liam’s calls, faintly hearing the sounds of him and Belle arguing as he moves further away from the library.

“He can’t, she’s dangerous , she might do something-”

“No, she isn’t. Not to him, at least. Let him go to her, Liam.”

Killian finds Emma soon enough, huddled in a stairwell, her skirt hiked up as she hugs her knees to her chest, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Killian’s heart hurts at the sight.

“Oh, Emma.”

She glances up sharply and then shakes her head fervently as he comes closer. “No, don’t. Don’t. I might hurt you, Killian, you can’t-“

“You won’t hurt me,” Killian insists, kneeling down before her. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“ Damnit Killian-“

“I mean it,” Killian says. “I could never be afraid of you, love.”

Emma actually shrinks away at the endearment and Killian’s heart sinks, but he plows on.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

Emma remains silent for a long time, stubbornly picking at the hem of her skirt before she finally gives in.

“I told you my name was Emma, when we met,” she begins haltingly and Killian frowns, confused, but doesn’t interrupt. “That was the truth, but I also didn’t tell you something else. I’m actuallyPrincess Emma, daughter of Queen Snow White and King David.”

Killian’s jaw drops as he struggles to process the information.

Bloody hell.

“I-everyone thought the princess was dead,” He splutters out. Emma lets out a harsh, humorless laugh that makes him wince.

“As you can see, the truth is far worse,” She mutters and Killian wants to refute it, tell her she’s wrong, but Emma continues.

“Nobody knows the truth. Not even my parents.”

“What happened, love?” Killian asks, almost dreading the answer.

Emma sighs and averts her gaze. “It was Rumplestiltskin,” she murmurs. “The previous Dark One. He tricked me into thinking he killed my little brother Leo.

“There is a powerful dagger that can control the Dark One. It is also the only object capable of killing the Dark One. I knew that at the time…I just didn’t know that whoever kills the Dark One is next in line.”

“And you killed him to get revenge,” Killian guesses. He hurts for her, wants nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her, but knows she will never allow it. He settles for simply reaching for her hand, not taking it in hers, but simply drawing soothing circles over the skin.

Emma gazes at the movement of his fingers, seemingly fascinated before answering. “Yeah. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

“I’m sorry,” Killian whispers. “You shouldn’t have had to go through that. No one should.”

Emma nods. “If my family is dead-” she begins.

“They aren’t,” Killian says firmly. Emma laughs bitterly.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Call it hope. Or optimism. Or something.”

“You sound like my mother.”

“A wise woman, to be sure.”

Emma laughs again, but this time it’s not forced, and it’s like music to Killian’s ears.

“Our army is preparing for battle,” He says presently. “We leave at dawn tomorrow.”

“I’ll fight with you,” Emma says immediately and Killian smiles.

“I’d expect no less, love.”

He almost says my love and holds himself back at the last moment, instead giving her a last smile before he goes back to the library to explain things to Liam and Belle.

And hopes selfishly, for a day when he might be allowed to call her his.

“Rest up well,” Liam tells Killian as they exit the Council Room that evening. “We have a long day tomorrow.”

Killian acquiesces with a nod. Liam had softened a bit after hearing Emma’s story and did not hold the incident in the library against her, much to Killian’s relief. They went to the Council Room to discuss battle plans after that, and two hours later, are finally done.

After wishing his brother good night, Killian heads straight to Emma’s chambers, not even hesitating before he knocks. Emma opens the door, and his heart practically stops at the sight of her. She’s wearing a silvery dress that clings to her figure, the sleeves belling out elegantly and her hair is braided loosely, draped over her shoulder.

 “Eyes up here,” Emma teases when he takes a little too long to recover and Killian coughs, embarrassed.

“Sorry, love.”

“No problem. Was there something you needed?”

“Actually yes,” He extends his hand to her. “If you would come with me, there’s something I’d like to show you.”

Emma raises a brow at this but agrees readily enough.

“You know, if you just told me where we’re going, I could easily poof us there,” Emma says as Killian leads his mare out of her stall. He chuckles.

“Call me old fashioned, but I prefer this method of travel better,” Killian teases and Emma huffs. “Trust me, you’ll enjoy it,” He continues. “Shall we?”

Emma hoists herself up behind him and he can hear the smile in her voice when she speaks. “Lead the way, then.”

They ride away and to a meadow Killian had discovered a few years ago blooming with middlemist roses. Emma lets out an audible gasp when they arrive and dismounts from the horse, looking around in wonder. Killian grins in triumph.

“ Wow . Killian, this is-it’s beautiful ,” she says, awed. “It doesn’t look quite real.”

“There’s still beauty in the world, Emma,” Killian says. He takes her hand in his, interlacing their fingers together as he leads her out into the field. “All you have to do is look for it.”

Emma smiles at him gratefully. “Thank you. For bringing me here, I mean.”

“You’re most welcome,” Killian bends to pluck a flower and moves closer to Emma, tenderly tucking it behind her ear. Her cheeks flush, the same pale pink of the middlemist rose. “ Lovely ,” He murmurs, gently stroking her face; her eyes falling half-shut at the caress.

They remain there in silence for a while, standing far closer than is appropriate and Killian takes Emma’s hand again.

“I’m afraid,” she says suddenly and Killian glances down at her, his brow creasing in confusion.

“Of what?”

“Of facing my parents,” Emma says softly, barely a whisper. “I don’t want them to see what I’ve turned into. A monster .”

Killian flinches at the self loathing in her voice and squeezes her hand tighter. “You’re not a monster, Emma.”

She shakes her head. “You don’t know. The things I’ve done, Killian-“

“I don’t need to know,” he says firmly. “I see you . The woman who saved my brother when he lay at death’s door. Who healed my wound without a second’s thought in the forest. Who saved me from the Black Knight that tried to kill me.”

When Emma says nothing, Killian continues, determined to get her to see what he does. “After all of that, how could you call yourself a monster? You’re not. And your family will see that, too.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because they’re your family and they’ll always love you, no matter what you’ve done.”

Emma meets his gaze, tilting her head to one side. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

Killian nods. “I’ve done a lot of foolish things, Emma. When Milah died, I was consumed by rage and hatred for the Evil Queen. I tried to seek revenge, but it only resulted in endangering Liam and Belle. Yet, after all that, they forgave me.”

“This is different, though.”

“It doesn’t matter. They will forgive you.”

Emma nods shakily. Suddenly, she says,

“Merlin’s spell books. I was lying to you about why I wanted them.”

“Aye, I gathered as much.”

“I’m…hoping to destroy the darkness.”

Killian looks at her in shock and she continues. “I know that the darkness was first born in Camelot, and that Merlin had something to do with it. That’s why I wanted the books.”

“Because you think he might have a way to destroy it,” Killian guesses.

“Yeah. I think I might have had a breakthrough, but there’s still a lot more to be done.”

“You’ll do it,” The conviction in his voice makes her look up at him in surprise.

“You think so?”

“I’ve yet to see you fail.”

Emma says nothing, seemingly at a loss for words. She simply holds his gaze, her green eyes brighter than ever.

Then she pulls him closer, pressing their joined hands to his chest as she kisses him.

Killian stills in shock for a moment, before closing his eyes and responding in kind. The kiss is sweet and tender, tasting like gratitude and affection. Emma sweeps her tongue over his lips and he lets out a soft sigh of pleasure, opening for her.

When they have to part for breath, Killian moves to kiss her cheeks, the curve of her jaw, the hollow of her throat. He can’t get enough of her, Killian thinks, as he presses an open mouthed kiss to her pulse point, teeth scraping over skin. Emma lets out a little, keening moan at his ministrations and drags him up to kiss her again.

“ Emma ,” Killian murmurs against her lips. If there was any doubt before, it has all vanished. He knows what this is. “Emma, I-“

“Shh,” she interrupts, cutting him off with a kiss. Killian groans against her mouth, cradling the back of her head as he pulls her into him.

“ Later ,” Emma promises, pressing a kiss against his jaw. Killian struggles for a moment before giving in.

“Fine. Later, then.”

The next day, they prepare to leave Camelot by the early light of dawn.

Belle is to remain behind, and Emma watches from the sidelines as she says goodbye to Liam and Killian. Belle hugs Killian fiercely, murmuring something in his ear that makes him flush in embarrassment before releasing him. Emma idly wonders what it is. She doesn’t feel jealous, knowing quite well that Belle has eyes only for the older of the brothers and even if she didn’t, from what happened the previous night, Emma has it on pretty good authority that Killian’s feelings for herself go way beyond platonic.

“ Emma, I- ”

There was no doubting as to what he was going to say. It scares Emma, but also leaves her with unspeakable joy, warmth flooding her at the thought that Killian is capable of loving her despite what she is.

But there are more important things to worry about.

Like the war. And the Evil Queen. And her family.

A low murmur ripples through the air and Emma glances up to see that Belle has shocked the entire crowd waiting to see them off, and the army, by pulling Liam into a fervent kiss. Emma can’t help but grin at the sight.

Liam seems just as shocked, but returns it with equal fervor.

Killian is grinning like the Cheshire Cat at the sight.

Then they ride away from Camelot, the mood becoming somber once more at the reminder of the grim battle ahead.

Misthaven is in chaos.

Now that the Evil Queen has taken over the castle, the common people don’t seem to be satisfied with sitting back and waiting for the battle to be over. They have joined it, instead, fighting against the Queen’s knights ruthlessly, wielding pitchforks and axes. Although the Black Knights are well versed in combat as compared to the peasants, they are hopelessly outnumbered.

The army of Camelot waits at the border, awaiting Liam’s orders.

“It’s clear that the Queen has employed most of her army in eliminating the rogue warriors outside the castle,” Killian begins.

“Which means the castle will be left unprotected,” Emma finishes. “We can sneak in, rescue my parents and take the Queen by surprise. The rest of the soldiers can take out her army, so she’ll be left defenseless. ”

“Except for her magic,” Liam points out.

“I think you’re forgetting that you have an extremely powerful sorceress on your side,” Emma says dryly. “Leave Regina to me. I’ll deal with her. She has a lot to answer for.”

Yes, you can finally kill her , the darkness suggests.

No one’s killing anyone, Emma retorts inwardly. Get out of my head.

And much to her astonishment, the darkness retreats.

Emma doesn’t dwell on it, returning to the discussion. “There are underground passages that lead into the dungeons. I can guide you through them. Regina has most likely imprisoned my family there.”

Liam thinks it over for a minute before nodding. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll go give the soldiers their orders.”

He walks away and Emma is about to follow, but is stopped by Killian.

“Wait, love.”

“What is it?”

In response, Killian tugs a chain over his head, one that she hasn’t noticed before, except for the previous night, because it’s always hidden beneath his clothes. There’s a beautiful ring attached to it, silver with a crimson stone set in the metal. Emma’s breath catches.

“You’re not gonna get down on one knee, are you?” she jokes weakly. Killian doesn’t smile, looking solemn.

“This ring belonged to Liam,” He begins. “Given to him by our father. Liam gave it to me when he became King. It’s what’s kept me alive, all these years.”

Emma glances up at him sharply.

Killian presses it into her palm, curling her fingers over it. “I want you to have it, love.”

“I can’t die today, Killian,” Emma says gently. “I’m immortal.”

Killian exhales. “The Dark One is immortal. But the strong, brave lass I know- you aren’t. Keep it, Emma.”

“What will protect you, then?” Emma asks.

Killian grins at her. “I have you by my side, love. What more protection do I need?”

Overcome by emotion, Emma leans into him, pressing her forehead to his, shutting her eyes. In a few minutes, they go into battle, to face possible death.

But for now, they can have this.

I love you , Emma thinks, but doesn’t dare to say it aloud.

The underground passage leading to the dungeons is exactly as Emma remembers and she guides Liam and Killian through the twisting, maze-like pathways with little difficulty. There are a few of the Queen’s guards stationed there, much to their surprise, but Emma makes short work of them, knocking them unconscious with her magic.

Liam looks impressed. “Nice work, milady.”

Emma nods in thanks and hides a grin. Liam’s opinion of her has bettered considerably and she can’t say she’s disliking it too much.

Everything abruptly goes to hell then, as the sound of running reaches their ears and before they can react, or do anything, a dark haired man rounds the corner, catching hold of Killian and holding a knife to his throat.

“Killian!” Liam draws his sword, but the man presses the knife hard enough to draw blood.

“Don’t even think about it,” he warns. Emma snarls wordlessly, raising her hand to dispose of him, when something makes her pause.

The man looks strangely familiar, his defiant glare and the blue of his eyes tugging at a long lost memory.

Then he looks at her and lets out a cry.

“Emma?!”

And that’s when Emma instantly knows.

“Leo?” she croaks out, her eyes watering. Leo promptly lets go of Killian and runs to her, embracing her tightly. Tears flow down Emma’s cheeks as she hugs him back. It’s her little brother, who’s all grown up now.

“Gods, Emma,” he mutters into her hair. “We thought you were dead.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Leo pulls back to take a good look at her. “What happened to you, Emma?”

Terror seizes her, she knows that this is the moment of truth. But there’s no point lying now. She can’t .

“Because they’re your family and they’ll always love you, no matter what you’ve done.”

The memory of Killian’s words gives her a boost of courage and she swallows before answering.

“I turned into the Dark One,” Emma says steadily. “Rumplestiltskin, he tricked me into thinking he murdered you and I-“

“Oh, Emma.”

And then Leo is hugging her once more and Emma cries again, because Killian was right and he doesn’t hate her, and-

“You’re all grown up now,” Emma says with a half laugh, half sob. Leo snorts, drawing away.

“It’s been ten years, sis.” he glances at Killian and Liam and frowns. “But who are they?”

The brothers, who had been watching the reunion in silence (Killian smiling proudly all through it) look at each other before Liam answers.

“I’m King Liam of Camelot. And this is Killian, my brother.”

Leo’s eyes widen and he lets out a sheepish laugh. “Oh, you’re our allies. My apologies, I thought you were part of the Queen’s army.”

“Speaking of,” Emma says anxiously. “Where are Mom and Dad?”

Leo sobers. “Regina captured them. I managed to get away, thankfully, and I’m here looking for them.”

“So are we.”

“There are more Black Knights stationed further in the dungeons, guarding them.”

“Not a problem,” Emma says, her eyes hard. “I can take them out. Are there any more in the castle?”

“Yeah, but not many,” Leo replies.

Emma nods and turns to Killian and Liam. “You two should go take care of the rest of the knights. Leo and I will find my parents and after that, I’ll go face Regina.”

Killian looks upset at the idea. “Emma-”

“ Please ,” Emma says quietly. “This is something I have to do.”

Killian holds her gaze for a long moment before nodding. “Alright.”

“Let’s be off then,” Liam says. “You stay safe, milady.”

Emma grins and nods. But before they go, Killian hastily turns to pull her into a lingering kiss. Forgetting about their audience, Emma clings to him desperately, tears burning at her eyes.

“Come home to me,” she murmurs against his lips when they part.

It’s not quite an I love you , but it will do for now.

“I will.” Killian vows.

And like that, he’s gone.

“What was all of that about?” Leo demands as they run further into the dungeons.

“Shut up,” is all Emma says, but she’s smiling, clutching at the chain around her neck.

The Black Knights guarding the cell Emma’s parents are trapped in barely get a warning before she knocks them unconscious with a blast of her magic. Leo whistles, impressed.

Snow and David come running to the bars and when they see Emma, expressions of pure shock appear on their faces.

“ Emma? ” Snow breathes, as if barely able to believe what she’s seeing.

Emma melts the bars with a wave of her hand and then she’s running into her parents arms, the tears coming back in full force as her mother tackles her into a bear hug and her father cradles the back of her head, kissing her forehead tenderly. Leo joins the embrace, slinging his arm over Emma’s shoulders.

“We thought you were dead,” David whispers brokenly. Emma nods guiltily.

“I’m so sorry,” she says and then recounts her tale again.

When Emma finishes, her parents are crying as they pull her to them again.

“We’re so sorry we weren’t there for you, Emma,” Snow murmurs, clinging to her daughter like she might disappear any moment.

Emma shakes her head. “It was my fault for not seeking you out before. I just-“ her voice breaks. “I was so afraid that you’d despise me,” she confesses.

Snow cups her cheeks in her hands. “Emma, you are our daughter,” she says firmly. “Never think for a moment that we do not love you.”

When their tears have been dried, David finally asks,

“Did you come here by yourself?”

“No, she came with Camelot’s army,” Leo says wryly.

“Camelot?” Snow questions. “I know they’re our allies, but how on earth did you get affiliated with them?”

“It’s a long story,” Emma says quickly. “We really don’t have the time-“

“You could at least tell them that you’re engaged,” Leo butts in. Emma splutters and David’s face turns purple.

“Engaged?!” He demands, outraged. Emma tosses her brother a furious glare.

“We’re not engaged! Where did you even get that idea?”

“What’s the ring around your neck for, then?”

“What it is , is none of your business,” Emma retorts smartly. “Killian-“

Snow gasps loudly. “ Killian ? The Prince of Camelot is courting you?”

“We’re not courting,” Emma says defensively. “And anyway, don’t we have more important things to discuss right now? Like ending this war once and for all?”

Her parents sober up instantly at that. “Right, of course,” David says. “What’s your plan, Emma?”

“I’m going up against Regina,” Before they can protest, Emma holds up a hand. “I’m not taking no for an answer. We all know that I’m the only one capable of facing her right now.”

“We can be back up,” Snow argues, but Emma disagrees.

“Liam and Killian will need help with the rest of the Black Knights. You three can to that. I’m facing Regina alone.”

Snow and David clearly realize that there’s no point arguing with her, and sigh and relent.

“Be careful,” David says softly.

Emma smiles. “Always am.”

“That’s all, I think,” Killian says as he pulls his sword out of the body of the last knight, grimacing at the blood that coats the steel. Next to him, Liam nods, exhausted.

“Aye. What now?”

Before Killian can reply, they hear the sound of footsteps and swing around. A tall woman with steel grey hair, dressed in black, with a wicked smirk on her face strides into the hallway.

The Evil Queen.

“You,” Killian snarls and Liam holds him back, just barely.

“Hello, little prince,” Regina mocks, but her smile disappears when she sees Liam, angry confusion replacing it. “How are you-you should be dead-”

“Unfortunately for you, I’m not,” Liam says with a grim smile. “Perhaps this time you’ll fight fair, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, how naïve of you,” Regina practically purrs. “I never fight fair.”

Before Liam can blink, she snaps her fingers and suddenly he is bound by an invisible force, unable to budge an inch. Regina moves towards Killian swiftly and plunges her hand into his chest. He lets out a cry of pain, his head slumping forward.

“No!” Liam shouts in panic, desperately fighting against his bonds.

But before Regina can rip Killian’s heart out, a shockwave of magic pulses through the room and the Queen is thrown to the floor. Killian gasps in relief, clutching at his chest and then looks upwards.

It’s Emma.

She walks towards Regina, eyes black with anger, the air around her crackling with magic, looking like an avenging angel ready to destroy whatever stands in her path.

Regina looks up at her, eyes narrowing in uncertainty. “Who are-”

“You should’ve done your research first, Regina,” Emma says coldly. “Then maybe you would’ve known better than to touch what is mine .”

The possessiveness of her tone sends a sharp thrill through Killian.

Regina stands up, studying her carefully. “You’re the Dark One, aren’t you? Rumple-”

“I killed him, ten years ago.”

“Who are you?”

Emma bares her teeth. “Guess.”

Recognition dawns over Regina. “You’re Snow’s daughter, aren’t you,” her face twists in a sneer. “Well, well. I do wonder how your mother took the news of her daughter going dark.”

Emma ignores her taunts. “I’m not here to talk, Regina. I’m here to defeat you, so let’s get on with it.”

Regina snorts. “Please. You might be the Dark One but I can tell you never bothered training your magic. You’re no match for me.”

“Well then, let’s test that theory, shall we?”

Without further warning, Emma draws back her hands and emits twin bolts of grey light, sending them straight towards Regina. The older woman stumbles back, but quickly regains her footing, conjuring fireballs to throw at Emma.

Emma dodges them nimbly, the last one singeing her hair, but she barely flinches at it, attacking again.

The fight continues like this for what seem like hours to Killian but in reality are only a few minutes. Regina begins to get visibly tired, her earlier boasts falling flat as the Dark One’s magic proves to be superior to hers. Hope flares brightly in Killian’s chest, thinking that they might win.

But he thought too soon.

“You’re good, Dark One,” Regina sneers between pants. “But you made a mistake.”

Emma raises a brow.

“You revealed your weakness.”

And before Emma can do anything, Regina swings around, and sends a greenish-black bolt of magic towards Killian. It hits him squarely in the chest and he collapses to the ground.

The last sounds he hears are Emma and Liam’s panicked voices calling his name before everything fades to darkness.

“No! What have you done?!”

Emma gazes at Killian’s unmoving body in horror. Her magic threatens to fly out of control again, pure fear coursing through her veins.

Regina chuckles and thrusts her hand out and suddenly, Emma crashes into the wall. She slumps down on the floor, raising her hand gingerly to the blood that flows down her forehead.

“I may not be able to kill you, but I can at least incapacitate you,” Regina says, stalking over to Emma. At that moment, Snow and David enter the scene, but neither women notice them.

Emma pushes herself up with some difficulty. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Regina,” She waves her hand and blasts her back, and before the Queen can stand again, restrains her with magic.

“You can’t run now,” Emma snarls, towering over the woman.

Regina laughs mockingly. “Are you going to kill me?”

Yes, the darkness insists. Make her suffer for all that she has done.

“Your parents will despise you, you know,” Regina continues. “They do so hate the idea of killing. And you’re the exact same. Dark One or not, you won’t do it.”

Do it, the darkness commands, it’s voice rising to a high shriek. Don’t go back to being nothing .

“You’re nothing,” Regina hisses. “You’ll never be able to protect them. Any of them.”

Something in Emma snaps. The weight of the ring against her chest burns and all the memories of being too weak to fight the darkness, of losing control wash over her, and-

“I am not nothing!” Emma growls , her hands clenching into fists until her knuckles turn white. “I was never nothing! I don’t need to kill you to prove a point. I will never turn into what you are. I amstronger than you ever will be!”

Emma reaches into her pocket and pulls out a black leather cuff. Regina glances at it, and her eyes widen in fear.

“I won’t kill you,” Emma says. “But I will make sure you never hurt anyone again.”

And in a swift motion, she clamps the cuff over Regina’s wrist.

Abruptly, the magic holding Liam down vanishes and he stumbles forward. Emma backs away from Regina and into the arms of her parents and Leo.

“You did it, Emma,” Snow praises. “Oh, we’re so proud of you.”

Emma gives her a weak, watery smile and then glances at Killian, her eyes widening. She runs to him, kneeling beside his prone form.

“What’s going on?” Emma looks up frantically at Liam’s stricken face. “All of Regina’s spells were cancelled, he should’ve woken up, too.”

She reaches over to feel his pulse and it’s like a punch to the gut when there’s nothing.

“ No,” Emma whispers. Behind her, her parents are murmuring sympathies, but she ignores it, shaking him desperately.

“Killian, please,” she begs. “Please, come back to me.”

“Can’t you do anything?” Liam demands, his voice shaking. “Your magic-”

“I don’t even know what’s wrong with him.” Emma says brokenly.

There’s a terrible pain eating at her heart, so dreadful, that Emma can barely hold herself up, slumped over Killian’s body; her breaths coming out in heaving pants.

She never told him she loved him .

The thought just sends a fresh wave of agony through her and Emma sobs like she never has before, clutching at the lapels of his coat as she begs him to come back to her.

“I love you,” Emma whispers and as a last, desperate resort, she presses her lips to his.

For a moment, nothing happens.

Then a wave of pure love rushes through her, nearly knocking her over. Emma barely has the time to register to startled gasps of the others before her vision turns a dazzling white, light magic swirling around her.

When she opens her eyes again, the darkness is gone and Killian wakes with a gasp.

It’s a flood of warmth and magic that jerks Killian into wakefulness, his eyes flying open as he gasps for breath. He sees Emma immediately and lets out a low cry of surprise.

The silver of her hair has turned to gold, silky waves that spill down her shoulders and chest. The black dress she’d worn previously has transformed into garments of pure white.

She looks like an angel .

“Emma,” Killian breathes, reaching up to cup her cheek. She lets out a little, relieved cry, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Killian,” Emma says. “I-I thought you were-”

“I’m fine, darling,” He reassures her immediately. “I didn’t mean to make you worry,” Killian sits up, gazing at her in wonder. “Wha-What happened?”

Emma looks down at herself, then, as if not having noticed her transformation before. Her voice shakes when she speaks.

“The darkness,” Emma whispers in awe. “It’s gone .”

“Gone?” Killian repeats. “How?”

“True Love’s kiss,” Emma realizes. “When I kissed you, it broke the curse, and-”

The breath flies out of Killian’s lungs. “True love?” he croaks.

Emma meets his gaze and smiles, gently brushing her knuckles over his cheek. “I love you,” she says simply. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it before, I-”

Killian doesn’t let her finish, pulling her into her arms, burying his face in her hair. “I love you, too,” He says, his voice muffled. “And you have nothing to apologize for, my love.”

Emma wraps her arms around him tightly, holding to him as if she fears he’ll disappear any moment. “I didn’t need Merlin’s help to defeat the darkness, in the end,” she says, sounding awed. “I didn’t even need Excalibur. All I needed to do was open my heart to love.”

Killian chuckles, drawing away. “I told you you’d do it, Emma.”

Emma laughs, a pure, delighted sound before she pulls him into a kiss. And this time, when Killian kisses her, it feels like coming home and the darkness and walls which separated them have finally been vanquished.

When she releases him, Liam embraces him, calling him a ‘bloody idiot’ and ordering him to never nearly get himself killed like that again.

(“I’m the King, you know. You have to obey my orders.” “Whatever you say, brother.”)

Emma is in the arms of her family, all of them laughing and crying at the same time as they cling to each other. Snow then moves to hug Killian and Liam, thanking them profusely for their help. David shakes Killian’s hand, thanking him gruffly for ridding Emma of the darkness. In the background, Leo elbows Emma slyly and she scowls at him in response.

When Camelot’s army comes back, victorious and Regina is locked away in the dungeons, Emma turns to Killian, grinning brightly.

“I’m glad I met you, Killian,” she says, brushing her lips against the corner of his mouth. Killian turns so he can kiss her properly, relishing in the sound of her pleased moan when his tongue slides over hers.

He breaks away, and rests his forehead against hers.

“I’m glad I met you, too, love.”

Fin

[kevinscarfpin-blog]

Fulham Football Club

A tour of Craven Cottage, the longtime home of Fulham Football Club along the Thames River, contradicts much of what is taken for granted in other stadiums around London.  Seating only slightly over 25,000 fans, Craven Cottage has been the home of FFC since it’s opening in 1896.  While this allows for a stronger sense of tradition than teams such as West Ham United FC might feel in newer stadiums, it also breeds many problems for a club attempting to make this stint in the Premier League count.  

The first obvious issue is the capacity of the stadium.  Fielding a top Premier League team requires a significant revenue stream in order to pay top players and staff.  Even selling out every single game, Fulham brings in significantly less in ticket sales than any of the teams around London, putting them at a large disadvantage.  

Another disadvantage is the lack of modern amenities newer stadiums might have.  While diehard Fulham fans will not be bothered by the almost rundown feeling of the stadium, as the years go by Fulham might fall behind in attracting new fans to teams with more recent stadiums, such as Arsenal playing in Emirates Stadium.  

While I previously noted the focus on handicapped seating and accessibility that I had seen around London stadiums, Craven Cottage goes to show this is not the case everywhere.  Off the bat, the vast majority of the entrances are the original turnstiles for the stadium, and are at most 2 feet wide.  Once inside the stadium there was only one noticeable handicapped section, which was merely a section of the seats that was taken out and flattened in order to provide a place for those in wheelchairs to view the game. 

All in all, while Craven Cottage is a novel experience and provides an incredible atmosphere for fans of both Fulham and visiting teams, without making significant upgrades or getting a new stadium Fulham faces an uphill battle to avoid relegation.

[aish-rai]

i know ur a sofia stan and dgaf (or actively dislike?? idk) her dads filmography but what do you think of the godfather series? like outside its significance as some holy scripture for the worst men, do you think it genuinely is a well made series? does it deserve its reputation?

I don’t dislike FFC! I respect him as a filmmaker. I’ve never watched the third part of the Godfather (because..why ruin it lol), but as far as I’m concerned, the first two are some of the greatest films ever made (the first one in particular is one of my favorites).

I grew up in an EXTREMELY Italian-American community, and literally everyone I knew had a poster of The Godfather hanging in their home. So I refused to watch it out of spite. Like, I harbored a major grudge against that movie lol but when I was finally forced to watch it in college, I realized how truly brilliant it was. I’ve seen all the mob movies, and it’s by far my favorite and the most important and formative of the genre (and ~mob stories~ are such an important part of the American immigrant experience, like it’s so much more than JUST being an entertaining genre). I think The Godfather is such a major part of American pop culture that it’s almost become a parody of itself at this point, so I can see how someone watching it for the first time might giggle at some of the iconic moments that have been lifted for both drama and comedy over the last 40 years. Like, I kind of giggled the first time I heard Marlon Brando talking with the cotton balls in his cheeks, or seeing the horse head in the bed, because you know all these references before even watching the film. But it really does stand the test of time, it’s beautifully put together and there are so many scenes that are iconic for a reason. The scene with Don Corleone in the hospital bed while the other mob family has a hit on him? The baptism scene? The shootout in the Italian restaurant? They’re SO artfully put together to create tension that even if I know what’s going to happen, I’m still sweating.

So I’d say The Godfather is one of those iconic American movies that’s actually NOT overrated at all. It’s a cornerstone of modern filmmaking. Yeah, boys with guns attract some of the worst cinephile bros, but that’s not the movie’s fault lol

[williamscontractandsportslaw]

TJ Dillashaw and EPO

Introduction

During our week 4 class, we looked at Anti-Doping in sport including why athletes take drugs, why there are anti-doping laws and the different boards, organisations and courts that deal with doping in sport.  

During this series of portfolio entries, I will be reflecting, summarising and analysing various matters in relation to contract and sports law. 

This week I will be looking at UFC fighter T.J. Dillashaw who was the companies Bantamweight champion before he relinquished his title. Dillashaw would later test positive for EPO in his pre and post-fight drug tests (ESPN, 2019a).

Summary of the case

T.J. Dillashaw is a UFC fighter in the organisations Bantamweight division. At UFC Fight Night 143 on January 19, 2019, T.J. would go down a weight class to the Flyweight division in order to take on the divisions champion Henry Cejudo where he (Dillashaw) would lose the fight by first round knockout (Bleacher Report, 2019).

Pictured Below: The head kick that started the finish for Cejudo

Almost two months later in Mid-March the NYSAC suspended Dillashaw for 1 year and fined him $100,000 due to him using a prohibited substance (ESPN, 2019a). 

On the 9th of April, USADA announced that they would be suspending Dillashaw for two years for his use of EPO (ESPN, 2019b).

Dillashaw became eligible to compete in January 2021 but hasn’t fought since the suspension. 

What areas of law does it apply to and why

This applies to Anti-Doping in sports. Many sports implement rules based off WADA rules and regulations for several main reasons including but not limited to; ensure a level playing field, preserve the spirit and integrity of sport, to ensure the health and safety of sports, to avoid cheating and to promote the public image of sport  (Thorpe et al., 2017). This is also important as fans want to support sporting organisations that are clean and have good ethics (Smith & Stewart, 2015).

Pictured Below: Rules of MMA regarding prohibited substances (Final Fight Championship, 2021)

Analysis

The Matter

The fact that Dillashaw used drugs to dope and to gain a competitive advantage is disgusting, unruly and downright cheating. Given that USADA rarely tests for EPO it bring into question if Dillashaw had ever doped for. In his 3 fights prior to his final fight, Dillashaw participated in two title fights. 

The System

NYSAC and USADA are both interesting systems that are in place. The New York State Athletic Commission essentially monitors and regulates all sorts of combat sports within New York including Boxing and MMA (New York State, 2021).  USADA is the United States Anti-Doping Association and is the head testing organisation in the United States as they act on WADA guidelines (USADA, 2021). The organisation has been operating alongside the UFC since 2015 (UFC USADA, 2021). One problem with USADA it seems is that they rarely test blood when they do their drug tests, only urine tests which allow athletes to have the potential to get away with doping in different methods.

Pictured Below: USADA Logo

The Verdict

The verdict given by NYSAC and USADA was tough but fair. Dillashaw took EPO for no reason other than to cheat and gain a competitive advantage over his opponents. EPO would’ve given T.J. such a major advantage over his opponent as it helps with the production of red blood cells which let Dillashaw compete at a higher level for a longer period of time (Forbes, 2019).

Pictured Below: An explanation of EPO

Conclusion

In conclusion, the decision to suspend T.J Dillashaw was without a doubt the right decision to make. Furthermore, whilst organisations such as WADA, USADA & ASADA will always have good intentions, there will always be loopholes for athletes to expose.

References

Bleacher Report. (2019). UFC Fight Night 143 Results: Henry Cejudo Beats TJ Dillashaw via 1st-Round TKO .https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2816645-ufc-fight-night-143-results-henry-cejudo-beats-tj-dillashaw-via-1st-round-tko.

ESPN. (2019a). Dillashaw gives up belt, suspended by NYSAC. https://www.espn.com.au/mma/story/_/id/26313639/dillashaw-gives-belt-suspended-nysac.

ESPN. (2019b). USADA suspends Dillashaw 2 years for EPO use

https://www.espn.com.au/mma/story/_/id/26479192/usada-suspends-dillashaw-2-years-epo-use.

Final Fight Championship. (2021). Official FFC MMA Rules and Regulations. https://finalfightchampionship.com/official-mma-rules/.

Forbes. (2019). TJ Dillashaw's Suspension: Why EPO Is Such A Disgraceful Banned Substance For An MMA Fighter. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2019/04/09/tj-dillashaws-suspension-why-epo-is-such-a-disgraceful-banned-substance-for-an-mma-fighter/?sh=7c7f34bd2a66.

New York State. (2021). Athletic Commision. https://dos.ny.gov/athletic-commission.

Smith, A., & Stewart, B. (2015). Introduction to sport marketing (2nd ed.). Routledge. 

Thorpe, D., Buti, A., Davies, C., & Johnson, P. (2017). Sports Law (3rd edn.). Oxford University Press.

UFC USADA. (2021). About. https://ufc.usada.org/about/.

USADA. (2021). About. https://www.usada.org/about/.

[jobinterviewghost]

Satisfy the Aussie coach taking a career in Korea|The World Video game

Ross was appointed assistant coach of the Korean females's group in December, leaving his post as head coach of China's Under-15 women' national group to transfer to Seoul.Korea is the latest location in a training profession that has actually taken the mostly unknown 41-year-old to roles in Darwin, Frankfurt, Vittsjo and Beijing.Ross'journey from average footballer in Newcastle, NSW, to Asia is remarkable one. Born and raised in the Hunter area, he worked as teacher and formerly worked as a match authorities in the National Soccer League(NSL). 8 years ago, after a spell training kids in the Northern Territory while mentor, Ross chose to transfer to Europe to chase his dream of becoming a full-time professional coach."I played football as a kid prior to taking up refereeing and had 2 seasons as an assistant referee in the NSL twenty years back,"he told The World Game."It was being on the sidelines throughout those matches that I began paying attention to coaches like Ange Postecoglou, Bernd Stange,

Graham Arnold, John Kosmina and Zorin Matic. At the time I never envisaged that I would follow their profession path, but I still have clear memories of their coaching points and motivational techniques."I only started playing once again at 28 and had a season in the Virgin Islands national league. The next year I started training with the Football Federation Northern Area." After training in Darwin for five years I couldn't actually see a profession course in Australia, so we left for Germany in 2012. I initially wished to go to Europe just to improve

my football understanding and understanding, but ultimately to see if I was good enough to make it over there."My spouse and I stopped our jobs and flew to Germany to begin from scratch. I needed complete immersion in a standard football culture to develop a much deeper understanding of the video game. "I started as an unsettled video analyst, to training in the fourth division, youth group, first string assistant coach, caretaker coach, then head coach at Frankfurt. It was a bit

surreal. It's only when I look back now I realise how rapidly I advanced."Ross spent just over four years working his method up the ranks at Bundesliga clothing 1. FFC Frankfurt. He became part of the backroom personnel when the club won the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2015 and after that took control of as head coach the following season when Englishman Colin Bell left, most likely to be the first time an Australian has ever managed an elite club in Germany."I can keep in mind the sleep deprived nights the year we won the Champions League,"Ross stated."I was the opposition scout/video expert, teaching full-time, training the youth group and completing my UEFA A Licence. I was flying around Europe and extended to the limit physically and mentally." It was not until after we won it that you might

stop and understand the weight of the accomplishment. You're always considering the next game, the next training session, the next difficulty. "To then take over as head coach of the European champions mid-season, you just take it in your stride and get to work. There was no time to process it or enjoy it, you just feel the pressure of winning the next match."During my time in charge we completed 3rd and 5th in the league and made the Champions League semi-final. It was a sharp knowing curve and a terrific experience. "Ross was in charge at Frankfurt for almost two years, leading the club to the last four in the Champions League and then a 5th location surface in his second season. In 2017 he was axed 3 games into the brand-new season and signed up with Vittsjö GIK in Sweden's Damallsvenskan.Along the way Ross has battled bias in Europe since of his citizenship and the absence of a high-profile professional playing background. "I don't think there's been an Australian head coach in Germany or Sweden in the women's video game, "he said."I don't understand why more Australian coaches don't head overseas to challenge themselves and leave their convenience zone. I began by taking the UEFA B license in Ireland.

"When I showed up in Germany, they didn't acknowledge my AFC qualifications. It took me a year of door knocking to get a possibility to prove myself at the bottom of the football pyramid."There was a guaranteed bias-- you're an Australian, what do you learn about football?"Ross invested simply one season in Sweden before

the chance to coach in China developed. He says he loved his time in Europe, developing his skills and being immersed in football cultures." Sweden was a fantastic experience,"Ross discussed.

"I had the plan to remain there long-term, till China can be found in with a deal that I couldn't really decline. It's a

fantastic league and it's not really acknowledged how tough it is." There is absolutely nothing in between first and last in the league. You needed to be at the top of your video game every week.

The football culture was strong, yet really various to Germany, where the head coach leads the way."In Sweden it was far more of a horizontal organisational culture and more of a collective procedure. The players and the board wanted their opinions to

be heard on everything, including if the head coach should remain or go." Now in Korea, Ross has been reunited with Bell who he worked successfully with at Frankfurt. The objective in Seoul is to make the national group into among the finest ladies's sides on the planet and contending with the likes of Brazil, Japan and the Matildas.There is also the small matter of helping South Korea certify for the next Olympic Games, when the Coronavirus-caused shutdown ends."In terms of the group and the Korean Football Association(KFA ), they've been actually inviting and accommodating,"he said. "It was an initiative from the KFA to get European-experienced coaches in for the very first time. The players have actually welcomed our ideas and are the best group I have ever worked with.

"Technically, like the Japanese, the Koreans are really talented. There is tactical work to do, but it's more about the self-belief that we are good enough to compete at the leading level."We were ranked 20th in 2015 and have actually moved up to 18th. We wish to be a leading 10 country.

Part of the tourist attraction of the function was to deal with a senior international group, and with a nation like Korea that have traditionally underachieved but have huge potential."My wife is Korean, so I'm extremely proud to

serve the country and completely comprehend the value of the nationwide group to the country's psyche. We have actually got the Olympic playoff games against China arranged in June, so I'm continuing

to analyse them." We're keeping in routine contact with the squad, monitoring their physical fitness and evaluating other national groups. You keep working and preparing as finest you can. I left China in December and moved here, which turned out to be excellent timing."While Ross has been based overseas given that 2012,

he continues to keep a close eye on Australian football. He believes Asian nations are making fantastic strides in football development, and eagerly anticipates his Korean group taking on the Matildas."It's a hazardous time for Australian football,"Ross confesses." They have actually got to be actually mindful how they prepare and strategise for the next 5-10 years, otherwise Asia is going to be a hard place [for them] I can see what other nations are taking into their football advancement." Playing the Matildas would be terrific. I

flew back to Sydney to watch them play against China." I coached Emily van Egmond in Frankfurt, so I was pleased for her to score such an important goal. We need to be playing games versus the similarity Japan and Australia. That's the fastest method we're going to discover and enhance."Ross has recently been accepted onto the UEFA Pro License course in Ireland alongside the similarity former Manchester United protector John O'Shea, ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini and former Perth Splendor striker Andy Keogh.The 41-year-old admits he has actually taken pleasure in a fair trip in football so far but states he still has a lot to find out.

"I would have never ever anticipated to be in Korea two matches far from an Olympic Games, "he said.

"You simply never ever understand where football is going to take you. It's been a fantastic journey up until now, but I still consider myself a young coach with a lot to find out." It hasn't been a traditional career path. I've had my foot on the gas for 8 years and

I'm constantly chasing the next concept or development to improve my coaching."

[d125]

I'm Gonna make an offer...

Let me tell you a story... I saw the Godfather movie in my teens and almost forgot all of it immediately. But then again in my formative years, I revisited the classic and it has stayed with me till date. Heck, at one point in time every secret questionnaire and password in my life had a relation to the greatest movie ever made..

When I first went to NYC, I recall myself walking the streets with the haunting music blasting in my iPod.. If some one would have said by 37 you would see Sicily and relive some of those Godfather memories - I would have happily taken that life without an iota of doubt.

With such anticipation levels, I had planned the best for the last day we had in Sicily. A full day private chauffeured trip to visit some of the most famous Godfather movie locations. 

We started the day in this chic looking breakfast room in our hotel. It was more an airbnb than a hotel and they had communal style breakfast tables with the spice racked wall to one whole side: 

Our chauffeur and guide were exclusive to us and we had godfather discussions through out the day.. Some stunning coastline that Sicily boasts of : 

Mt. Etna is omni present in this part of the world:

We finally reached the hill top village called Savoca . The famous Bar Vitelli has been preserved well and they proudly cash in on the movie’s legacy by displaying several memorabilia on their walls:

Francis Ford Coppola almost single handedly immortalised Sicily and romanticised the Sicilian Mafia. More than the author Mario Puzo, It is FFC who has god like following in these parts of world:

Everything has a Godfather angle to them:

We had a heavenly cool and fresh lemon drink.. The taste comes from the excellent Sicilian lemons. I had this sipping for an hour or so :

The facade of Bar Vitelli

After that refreshing drink, we hiked up the hill to see the local church where the famous marriage scenes were filmed: 

We then were driven to another hill top village called Forza D’Agro where some more movie scenes were filmed:

We had a lazy lunch in one of the most authentic Sicilian restaurants ..

Our lunch place came with such views:

Post that heavenly lunch, we were driven back on the Sicilian coastline.. All along the drive back , my mind kept playing the haunting and ever green Godfather theme music.. They say that right before we die, our whole life flashes like a movie reel in front of our eyes.. 

The movie buff that I am, am sure when my turn comes I would see snippets of that Bar Vitelli and the dress that S wore that day. The lunch that we had, the lemon drink that I tasted. It was that kind of day. 

Enough Said. Ciao Sicily and thank you for the memories. 

D