After months of searching, Emryck finally found the Dark Castle, the place where Rumpelstiltskin lived. Only one problem remained: how was he going to get rid of the Dark One so he could kill Drucilla? If he didn't kill her than she would just grow up to kill him and he wouldn't allow that to happen.

Emryck made sure to stay a good distance away. Of course, he knew it didn't matter how far or close he was, The Dark One probably already knew he was there. But just as long as he didn't try to kill the girl right now he should be safe…hopefully.

There had to be a way to kill the Dark One other than his own dagger. Emryck had spent much of his time learning all that he could about Rumpelstiltskin and what he found was nothing good. And why would someone like the Dark One take in a little girl? Unless…yes, that had to be it. Rumpelstiltskin was raising the girl to kill. He had to get rid of them before any more innocent people were killed. He would not allow that to happen. Not if he could help it.

He should have turned and left right there, but he stayed a few minutes longer. Something had caught his attention. He didn't have to wait long before the girl walked out from behind some trees. The girl held out her hand, palm up and conjured something. He was too far away to see it clearly. She then made it disappear.

She was getting good at magic. She had to be stopped. Without thinking, Emryck made his way to her.

"I see you're getting better at your magic."

Drucilla looked up and, upon seeing Emryck, took a step back.

"You know, last time you tried to kill me it didn't end so well for you." Drucilla said.

"It was only a minor setback." Emryck took out the dagger he kept with him.

"You know, that isn't a good idea."

"What? Trying to kill you?"

"I could call for Rumpelstiltskin and he could easily kill you."

Emryck's eyes flashed with fear for a brief second. He quickly put on a brave face. "Then why don't you?"

"He is away on business right now and I don't want to interrupt him."

Emryck smirked. "So, then, he will not be here to protect you."

"That is true, but when he finds me dead I am pretty sure he will know who did it and he will come after you."

There was something different about this girl. When he had tried to kill her a few months ago she was scared. He could still see fear in her eyes, but now she did not seem as scared as before. Has being with the Dark One made her more confident?

"That's fine. I actually found a way to kill the Dark One." It wasn't true, but she didn't have to know that.

Drucilla stared at him for a moment. She then said, "You can't kill him. He is too powerful."

"That is where you are wrong. I can kill him, and I will. Evil must be stopped."

"I'm not evil."

"You were being raised by a murderer before and now you are still being raised by a murderer and the Dark One at that. You are evil. There is no way you can convince me otherwise."

Emryck raised his dagger and ran toward Drucilla. Drucilla was quick to dodge. She turned toward Emryck and held out her hand. Right as Emryck was about to attack again, the dagger disappeared from his hand and appeared in Drucilla's hand.

Drucilla smiled as she looked at the dagger in her hand. "I did it!" She then looked back at Emryck. "Do you want it back?"

Emryck just stared at her, knowing she was about to kill him. There was nothing he could do to stop her. If he tried she would just use her magic. He closed his eyes, waiting. When he didn't feel anything, he opened his eyes. Drucilla had turned her attention back to the dagger.

"Is this what you used to kill my mom?" She asked.

Emryck was silent for a few seconds before answering yes.

"And you're going to kill me with it." She looked up at him. "Is there a word for if I kill you with this dagger?"

"Ironic." Emryck supplied.

Drucilla raised the dagger. This was not how Emryck thought he would die. Of course, he didn't want to die at all, but what could he do? She was getting good at magic and if he tried to run he knew she would probably use magic to stop him. So, he did the only thing he could; he waited for the end. At least he would be with his parents again.

Drucilla threw the dagger, missing his head by inches as it imbedded in the tree next to him.

Emryck glanced at the dagger, then back at Drucilla. "You missed."

"I meant to do that. I am not a killer."

Emryck took his dagger out of the tree. "Yeah, well, I guess we will see about that." He then turned and began walking away.

"That's it? You aren't going to try to kill me again?"

Emryck did not answer as he continued walking. He had to be better prepared. He had to find a way to get rid of her magic and kill the Dark One and he will not stop until he found a way.

Drucilla watched as Emryck walked away, thankful that this meeting did not end the same way as the last time they had met. She knew, however, that he would not stop coming after her. Of course, he had not managed to kill her last time either, but at least this time she did not hurt him.

Drucilla decided that she was done practicing magic for now and began walking around. She had to admit that sometimes she did get bored when Rumpelstiltskin was away. She did have books to entertain her, but there was just so much reading she could do. One of the things she did enjoy was wandering around and exploring new places. She would never go too far because she didn't want to get lost. She had a horrible sense of direction.

After walking around for a bit, Drucilla sat down to rest. She could still see the castle from where she sat. How Drucilla wished she could get the hang of teleporting. It would be much easier to go places, and also, she would not get lost. All she had to do was picture where she wanted to go and she could be there in an instant.

"Why does nothing ever interesting happen?" Drucilla said as she lied on her stomach.

She had made her decision and she was ok with not having friends…well, sometimes. Rumpelstiltskin was either too busy to play, or they were just having magic lessons. Sometimes her mind would wander to Aya. She still wondered what had really happened to her and the rest of her village, but she knew that she would never truly know the answer to that.

Drucilla sighed as she went to sit up. Before she did, she noticed something by the tree. Moving for a closer look she realized they were eggs, two of them. She glanced up to see if they may have fallen out of a nest, but the branch was too high up for her to see. Turning her attention back to the eggs, she didn't find any cracks. There was a part of her that knew she should probably climb the tree and see if there was a nest up there that the eggs belonged to. But the other half wanted to keep the eggs.

Making up her mind, Drucilla carefully grabbed the eggs and ran back to the castle and up to her room. Once in her room, she opened one of her drawers and made a little nest of her clothes. She then placed the eggs carefully in the drawer.

Drucilla smiled with excitement, wondering what kind of birds they would be. She could hardly wait for them to hatch.

Later that day, Drucilla sat on the floor as she read a book while Rumpelstiltskin was sitting at the table reading over some scrolls. She had asked what he was looking for, but all he said was it was none of her concern so she just shrugged and went to reading her book.

Occasionally, Rumpelstiltskin would mumble something as he went to look for another scroll. Drucilla watched him for a moment as he went back and forth, wondering what he was looking for.

Both their heads turned when the front door opened. As Rumpelstiltskin made his way to the front area he told Drucilla to stay where she was. He wasn't expecting anyone. Of course, there was only one reason someone would come here in the first place.

Drucilla, being the curious one that she was, stood and followed him. She hid just behind the wall so she was not seen. Standing in front of Rumpelstiltskin was a man.

"Our crops are dying. We have tried everything, but nothing is working." The man was saying.

"And how is that my problem?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"There must be something you can do. You're the Dark One. Surly it is in your power to save our crops. If we can't get our crops to grow my village will die."

"Again, not my problem."

"Please?"

The man sounded so desperate. Rumpelstiltskin moved and Drucilla saw the man's eyes; they were pleading. He looked like a man who had lost all hope.

"What would you give me in return?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"I, uh…" The man hesitated as he pulled something from his pocket. Rumpelstiltskin had moved again, blocking the view of what the man took out of his pocket. "It is the only thing of value I have."

"Yes, this will do nicely. All right, you have yourself a deal." Rumpelstiltskin said as he pocketed the item. He then made his way to the room across the way.

Drucilla poked her head further around the corner to look more at the man. His clothes were ragged, and his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in a while.

The man turned, his eyes landing on Drucilla. For a moment Drucilla stared at him. His look turned to confusion, and then something else Drucilla couldn't quite place. It almost seemed like he was thinking hard about something. He took a step toward her and she instantly hid behind the wall.

Don't come over. Don't come over. Don't come over. Drucilla kept repeating as if that would make his stop.

Luckily, the man was stopped by something else. Rumpelstiltskin had returned. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, just admiring your castle."

There was silence. Rumpelstiltskin must have been staring at him, trying to decide if what he said was true.

Eventually, Rumpelstiltskin said, "Pour this potion on your crops and they will grow within a day."

"Thank you so much."

Drucilla soon heard the door open then shut; she quickly went back to her book on the floor as if she had never left.

Rumpelstiltskin came back in the room. As he walked by, he glanced at Drucilla. She gave him an innocent smile. He then went back to looking over his scrolls. Drucilla looked over at him, wondering what the man had traded for the potion.

Outside the castle, the man made his way back toward the forest. When he was a good distance away, someone came out from behind a tree.

"Did you get it?"

The man glared. "Yes, I got it, Amos. I don't know why you agreed to come with me if you were just going to hide out here like a coward."

Amos shrugged his shoulders. "There could have been danger on the way here, Kale."

"Oh yes, save me from the dangers on the road, but I'm on my own to face the Dark One." He rolled his eyes.

"So, then, time to head back." Amos turned and started walking.

"There's something I have to do first."

Amos stopped and turned back. "What else could you possible need to do?"

Kale looked at the dark castle. "There is a little girl in there. I'm going to get her out."

"Are you mad? That girl was probably part of a deal her parents made and you want to take her from the Dark One? We'll get killed for sure."

Kale looked over at him. "Stay here if you want, but I'm getting the child out."

Amos sighed. "Fine, I'll go with you this time. I'm sure I'll regret it though."

Kale smiled. "No, you won't."

Amos just shook his head. "So, when do you want to do this?"

"It will be night soon so we'll wait until tomorrow."

Drucilla was relaxing around the castle after a morning of magic lessons. She was getting better with the small things and slowly progressing to more advanced magic. She had wanted to form a fireball. Rumpelstiltskin warned her that she might not be ready for it; he let her try anyway. At first nothing happened, but then a small fireball formed. She couldn't get it very big but it was a fireball nonetheless. Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help the small smile as he watched how excited she was.

After their magic lesson was over, Drucilla made her way to her room to check on her eggs. She wasn't sure how much longer she had to wait for them to hatch, but she was counting the days.

"Rumpelstiltskin is proud of my progress." Drucilla was telling the eggs. "He says I'm getting better every day. Well, I think it's time for some food." Drucilla stood up and began her way to the kitchen.

Drucilla was almost to the stairs when voices made her stop. Rumpelstiltskin had gone somewhere for business and shouldn't be back so soon. As she listened more she thought she recognized one voice, but another she hadn't heard before.

Slowly, she made her way down the stairs. Was someone trying to steal from Rumpelstiltskin? They must be foolish people if they are trying to steal from him. She followed the voices until she came to a room where Rumpelstiltskin kept the objects he had obtained from his deals. Two young men were looking through the room. A crash made Drucilla stop momentarily. Taking a deep breath, she entered the room.

"Be quiet." One of the men said. "We don't know for sure that he isn't here. Now, you look for the necklace while I go find the girl.

"I can't believe you. You not only want to take the girl away, but you also want to take back the necklace you gave the Dark One for the deal. Do you have a death wish?"

Before the man could reply, Drucilla made herself known. "Who are you?"

The two men turned around. Drucilla recognized one of the men from yesterday.

The man took a few steps toward her. "Hello. I'm Kale and that's my brother Amos. Did one of your parents make a deal with the Dark One and he wanted you?"

Drucilla tilted her head in confusion. "No, my parents did not make a deal."

Amos pulled his brother back. "She probably doesn't know her parents made a deal with him."

"I heard you talking." Drucilla glared. "You're planning to take me away, aren't you?"

"Look, kid-"

"My name is Drucilla."

"Ok, Drucilla, you're too young to understand. You're parents made a deal with the Dark One and for some reason they gave you up."

"There was no deal. Rumpelstiltskin took me in when no one else would."

Kale walked over to his brother. They were whispering about something. Drucilla couldn't hear everything they were saying, but she did hear something about the Dark One and brainwashing. What was brainwashing?

Amos gave an irritated sigh. "I don't know why I let you talk me in to this. Look, just get the girl and let's get out of here. If we take her and the necklace then we'll be dead for sure."

"That necklace is the only thing we have left of mother."

"Yes, and you traded it in a deal for a potion to save our crops. If we take it back then Rumpelstiltskin will probably take the potion back. Or destroy our crops even more. It's too risky."

Kale sighed. "Fine." He then turned back to Drucilla. "Ok, Drucilla, we're going to take you with us."

Drucilla took a step back. "I am not going anywhere with you."

"Drucilla-"

Drucilla didn't hear what he was going to say next because she turned and ran. She was a few steps up the stairs when Kale grabbed her. He didn't have a good hold on her and she fell, hitting her head on one of the steps.

Drucilla was dazed for a bit and by the time her head cleared she was already being picked up and taken toward the front door.

"Let me go." Drucilla struggled to get free.

"We are trying to help you." Kale said. "You'll understand when you're older."

Just as the two brothers were about to head out the door, Rumpelstiltskin appeared in front of them.

"Where do you think you two are going?" He asked.

"We are taking this girl from you and taking her back to her parents." Kale said. "She doesn't belong to you."

"Well, good luck with that. That child has no father and her mother was murdered."

"I'm sure that is a lie you told her for why she's here."

"This is your last chance to release the girl."

"I don't care what you do to me. I am not letting you have this girl." Kale said.

"Very well." Rumpelstiltskin waved his hands and Drucilla disappeared from Kale's arms and reappeared in the arms of Rumpelstiltskin. He looked down at Drucilla to see blood coming down her forehead. He glanced back up at the two brothers. "You hurt her."

"It was an accident. She ran."

Rumpelstiltskin set Drucilla down, pushing her behind him.

"There are consequences for breaking into a home that is not yours." Rumpelstiltskin said.

The two brothers took a step back. "Kale, we should have just left when you go the potion. We shouldn't have come here."

"That is correct. You shouldn't have come here. Now, turn into the worms you are."

Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand again and the brothers turned in to worms. Drucilla stared. He then picked them up and threw them out the door while saying the birds could have them.

He then turned to Drucilla. "Are you all right?"

Drucilla nodded. "My head hurts though."

Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand over her head, healing her wound. "Better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Rumpelstiltskin stood up. He walked over to where the potion Kale had had fallen; he picked it up. "I suppose they won't be needing this anymore."

He then took a step to put the potion away, but was stopped when Drucilla called him.

"What is brainwashing?"

Rumpelstiltskin looked down at her. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard one of the men saying something about brainwashing so I was just wondering what it was."

"It is nothing you need to be concerned about." He then turned and walked away.

That didn't stop her from wondering what it was, but she did not question it further. Maybe one of the books had the answer. Drucilla went to take a step, but stopped and looked toward where Rumpelstiltskin had gone. If the brothers are now worms and can't get the potion to their village, will everyone in that village die since their crops aren't growing?

Drucilla shrugged. It wasn't her problem so she gave it no more thought as she went on her way to find her answer.