In this chapter, a certain family connection is introduced. The heroes get organized while Belle deals with an awake Rumplestiltskin.

Note: So this chapter is shorter as compared to my usual updates but the discussion between two characters proved to be longer than I expected so I had to move that to the next chapter.

Chapter 12

Blue wasn't up for interacting with everyone else in town. Frankly, she just wanted to head back to the convent and look over her books to find something, anything to get her godson his memories back.

It was more to spite Merlin than anything else but things would go smoother if Rumplestiltskin knew who he was and had the vast knowledge of magic he possessed than having a Spinner who was afraid for his son.

But she had to do this. After all, she has not spoken to Maleficent ever since that day she had told the young girl the truth about her mother. Her mother, a fairy, who had decided to give up who she was and become powerless.

Blue had no idea it would have worked during that time. She had no memories of Vivienne and Merlin was stuck as a tree...so her grasp of human and fairy interaction was minimal.

Hermia's Brown Wand of Nature was created by Blue herself and the senior fairy had hoped that it would be Hermia that would inherit the Blue Wan when the time came but all things changed when Lysander came to the picture.

Lysander was a farmer, a man with a good heart, and Hermia had fallen for the man there and then.

Hermia had asked if it was even possible but Blue said that it was either they turn Lysander into a fairy or Hermia give up her powers...both a thing that has never happened before in magical history.

Blue didn't even think it was going to work but whatever happened, happened. The Brown Wand's magic became dormant and Hermia lost her magic when she and Lysander shared True Love's Kiss.

But of course happy endings weren't meant for their kind and Lysander and Hermia lost their life when the king's men charged the village they were in and Maleficent was left an orphan.

Blue had given the girl her mother's wand and said that everything would make sense in the future. But of course Blue made the wrong decision of not making contact with the young girl after and Maleficent had also gone the same path as Gwenwyfar.

Blue had felt the Brown Wand's power when Maleficent had come back to Storybrooke with Rumple but its power was reserved somehow...maybe because it wasn't being used for its true purpose.

Maleficent and her daughter now lived in a house a few blocks from where Rumple's own home stood. She must have made a deal with her godson when they had arrived in Town or maybe during the days of him not being the Dark One, Rumple had reached out, knowing full well the experience of a single parent and their child not having any place to stay.

It was Belle that gave her the address but her godson's True Love had said she was going to inform Maleficent that she would be dropping by and Blue had no real objections. Maybe it would make things smoother.

True enough, when Blue arrived at the house, Maleficent was already waiting for her on the front porch.

"Reul Ghorm," greeted Maleficent.

"Maleficent," said Blue. "I hope Belle has informed you of what is happening."

"Yes," began the sorcerer. "But I much prefer to hear it from you." She studied the fairy closely. "Belle may be Rumplestiltskin's True Love, but magic is not something she is used to and things feel different since yesterday."

Blue wasn't surprised. The other fairies under her care could also feel something adrift and Maleficent's magical awareness was strong because of her heritage.

"I think it would be best if we sat down," said Blue and she began her tale.

"I don't think giving him a gun would be a great idea," said Killian as they had all but discussed how they were going about with Rumplestiltskin's hero training...well in this case, battle training.

The town hall meeting went rather smoothly in Regina's opinion and to some of the inhabitants of Storybrooke, it looked to be a time of peace and quiet. The people of Camelot were a bit on edge regarding going back home but Regina had given them two weeks to decide whatever it is they wanted to do.

From the looks of it, Merida was thinking of staying to help Rumplestiltskin, especially given the fact that the man had helped get her heart back. Regina did mention that she could use the wand anytime.

Well she had said it to everyone with confidence, but deep down she knew she'd have to ask Zelena to do it for them.

She still wasn't sure if she could use Merlin's wand again to be perfectly honest...but she had to give this people hope that they could return home...the residents of Camelot and the others who have been brought back to Storybrooke.

From what she had heard, the battle wouldn't be taking place just in the Enchanted Forest...it would cross realms and be present here...humanity was at stake here, and the fate of all the realms as they knew it.

"Emma and I could do that," said David. "You don't have to even teach him anything."

"Well, mate," countered Killian. "I'd wager I'll be the only familiar face to Rumplestiltskin-"

"Merlin didn't say that," fired back David. "He said that we'll have to ask Gold once he wakes up."

"Merlin already said that he had erased every memory of magic inside Rumplestiltskin's head...well he met me ages before he had magic." said Killian and Regina was surprised at the change in the pirate's tone. Emma must know something more because she gave Killian a piercing look that pretty much said stop feeling guilty.

"I don't really think firing a gun would even help under these circumstances," said Regina with a sigh. "I mean, he could pretty much counter a sword, an arrow or heck, even a bullet with a wave of his hand."

"Well Merlin said he should learn," pointed out Mary Margaret, then turned to David. "Between Robin, Merida and myself, I think we can handle the bow and arrow or crossbow."

David nodded before turning to Killian. "I'm adding Merida to the swords as well."

"She already did that," whispered Emma with a strong hint of guilt lining her words. "They spent about a couple of days in the woods sword fighting."

At her words, something clicked into place inside Regina's mind and her eyes widened. "Regina? What is it?" asked Mary Margaret.

"I think I understand why Merlin wants us to teach Rumple everything about defending himself," began Regina as she went to the nearby table where Henry's book was. She flipped through the pages and finally settled on the page where Spinner Rumplestiltskin was being tormented by soldiers planning to take away Baelfire.

"This was why he took on the Dark One Curse in the first place," explained Regina. "This is the Rumplestiltskin we are going to face and he should realize that the Dark One Dagger is not his only option."

"Wait, are we not going to tell him that Neal's dead?" asked Emma all of a sudden, giving Regina a surprised look. "We should tell him. You can't just give the man false hope that his son is alive only to have it taken away from him."

"That and when he sees Henry, he'll think the lad is his son," began Killian. "They do look alike."

"I don't think that's our choice to make," began David all of a sudden. "If Gold is already awake, it would Belle's decision whether to tell him or not."

"We're not even sure if he doesn't remember it in the first place," added Robin. "Merlin just said that Rumplestiltskin's memories of having magic were the ones gone. Maybe he does know that he was the Dark One...just not what he did."

"Which is again my point," said Regina. "Rumple always saw that power was the only thing that will help him protect his family...power equates to magic." She paused letting her words sink in. "Merlin wants us to train him in other things besides magic, not because of the skill but the traits that accompany them. Bravery, courage, cooperation...those are the things we learn from skills like sword fighting, shooting and other things."

"And to believe in yourself," added Mary Margaret, but she wasn't looking at any of them. She was looking back at Henry's book.

"Merlin wants us to teach him, not for just for the skill," continued Regina. "But so he will believe in himself that he is more than just the Dark One and a coward."

Where am I?

It was the first thought that popped into his head as the white ceiling came into focus. His head was pounding and his entire body felt like it was being dragged down by an elephant. By his point of view, he could only conclude that he was laying down. On something soft? Must be a bed but certainly not his own.

There was something attached to his right hand but lifting it to his line of sight proved to be a task he could barely do. So he just laid there, blinking, trying to to understand what was happening.

Before he could even gather his own thoughts, someone moved from his peripheral vision and after a moment, the figure came to his side, a hand suddenly on his arm.

"Hey."

The greeting was soft and he tried so very hard to se the figure...no person...He blinked a few more times and finally the person came into focus.

It was a good thing he was already laying down because he would have fallen at the sight in front of him. The person was a young woman. A very beautiful young woman with long brown curly hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to look into his very soul.

Her eyes betrayed the worry she felt but why on earth would they be directed in his direction.

She must have noticed his conflict because her hand was suddenly moving up and down his arm in a reassuring gesture.

"It's alright, just breathe," began the woman, the smile not leaving her face but it had softened a bit. When he had calmed down a bit, the woman pulled up a chair and sat beside his bed. "Do you know where you are?"

He gently turned his head to study the room, it was certainly not a room he has ever seen before. Frankly, he didn't think there was any room like this in the Frontlands at all. Was he transported somewhere? Why did the room have lights when there was no candle in sight? He turned to see a window but could only see the sky outside. How was that possible? The room was elevated, meaning higher ground and a room like that could only be in some sort of castle for dukes and nobility and he was just a spinner.

He shook his head, not trusting his voice. But then a sudden thought rammed through him. "Bae! Where is my son?!"

He all but shouted this and the woman stood again, trying to calm him down. But he was lost in his own memories…

As soon as he had focused on his son, waring images flew by his mind's eye. One very familiar, his boy playing near their battered home, soldiers suddenly arriving and taking another child from their village. But then things transformed differently, he was riding some sort of vehicle….a car his mind screamed at him...Milah was there, no wait her name was Melissa...they were driving down the road when suddenly a car came out of nowhere and pushed down off the road.

They died and he was left crippled. No! He crippled himself, not some sort of accident. He was in the Ogre Wars, he was a spinner. He was Rumplestiltskin.

Gold. No his name was Gold, he was now, currently a pawnbroker after retiring from being a lawyer after the accident. He moved to Storybrooke-

"Ahhh," he gasped as he cradled his head in his hands, conflicting memories battling for dominance inside his head.

He was Rumplestiltskin. He was a spinner. He had a son named Baelfire who was fourteen. He was from the Frontlands of the Enchanted Forest...

No…

He was Mr. Gold. He was a lawyer before but now a pawnbroker and owner of most of the properties in Storybrooke. He originally came from Glasgow, Scotland. His wife and son both died in a car accident that left him crippled...

"Breathe, Rumple," came the woman's voice and the sound of his name somehow calmed him down a little. He felt her hands on his arms again and she was sort of his anchor to his current reality. She instructed him to inhale and exhale, matching his deep breathes.

Finally, he could feel himself calming a little. He raised his head to meet her eyes and she smiled at him again. Who was this remarkable woman?

"I-thank you," managed Rumple, slightly surprised at how hoarse his voice was. He then remembered how she had called him earlier. "I'm sorry but do I know you, my lady?"

She looked to be of nobility and not someone he had come across before. His village was never visited by any knights or dukes because of their proximity to the battlefield.

"I don't think so," began the woman who moved to one side and was then offering him a cup of water. "Here, slowly…"

He took the cup, well it looked to be a cup but it was made out of what seemed to be fragile material, and drank slowly. The water reliving his dry throat. "Thank you." He stopped and studied her for a bit. "How did you know my name?" Well one of my names anyway...

The woman frowned slightly. "I know this might be very overwhelming...I thought you would at least remembers some details. Merlin did-"

The sound of Merlin's name felt like a trigger of some sort because a tidal wave of memories suddenly engulfed him and he was once again lost in the images.

"You won't have your memory of magic, or using magic. You know you did something, things like stopping a war or making a deal but you won't remember how you did it. You won't remember teaching it to Regina or Zelena or even to their mother."

Merlin's voice was then lost as images flashed before his eyes. He was standing in the forest with another man, the dagger raised above his head as he stabbed the other man through the heart.

He remembered having a castle and spinning...and there was even a library. He suddenly remembered making a deal with a man for his cloak...or was he a prince? Why would he even ask for a cloak?

Then there was this other man who would bring him things in exchange for gold...where did he get the gold?

Another person, a woman, and a curse? The curse that would reunite him with his ? Where was his son?

Tell me about your son.

I lost him. There's nothing more to tell, really.

And since then, you've loved no one, and no one has loved you.

Love...a cup with a small chip on its rim.

I'm so sorry but, it's.. it's chipped. You—you can hardly see it.

Oh, it's just a cup.

The mayor...the woman who had asked about the curse, suddenly standing opposite him, opposite the bars of the jail cell.

What's your name?

It's Mr. Gold.

Your real name.

Every moment I've spent on this earth, that's been my name.

But what about moments spent elsewhere?

He was standing at the lobby of Granny's...there was a blonde woman who seemed to be new in town. Maybe he could finally get someone to rent one of the empty apartments he had…

Emma Swan.

He was Mr. Gold yes, under the curse that is.

If you want me to return what's yours, tell me your name.

Rumplestiltskin. Now give me what I want.

Such hostility. Over this? Such a...sentimental little keepsake.

"Rumple!"

The shout of his name manage to pull him out of the onslaught of memories...pieces of a life he could not make whole.

He panted as he turned to look at the room again...a hospital. A place in the Land Without Magic where injured people were treated. The main physician was Doctor Victor Whale...a man he could recall meeting in the Enchanted Forest...but for what purpose, he couldn't remember.

So this was going to be it. He had some selected memories he remembered, and other parts, specific, that he has forgotten.

"Are you alright?" asked the woman, coming to stand by his side, his hand in hers. Rumple's eyes darted from them to her eyes. This women felt familiar...but there was nothing in his current memory that would confirm otherwise.

"I'm…I don't really know," confessed Rumple. 'I have two sets of memories in my head and some things are just pushing forward when I suddenly think of them...or remember...or try to anyway."

"I understand," began the woman offering her a smile. "Why don't we start off slow, what's your name?"

"Rumplestiltskin," he answered. "Well back in the Enchanted Forest anyway. Here in Storybrooke, I'm Mr. Gold."

"Any other identity?" asked the woman and Rumple's mood darkened. She knew, of course she did.

"I'm the Dark One."