Chapter Text
The war council was tense. Once they had thought that with the banishment of Regina and the imprisonment of the Dark One, a time of peace and prosperity would begin, but Regina had managed to negate that hope. Her dark vow echoed in the mind of the attendants and the Dark Ones prophecy had not made it any better. Worriedly Snow stroked her pregnant belly. She did not wish for her daughter to be born in a world without happiness and she was ready to do anything to protect her. A soft splashing sound interrupted her dark musings and she looked to her left, were the sea-warlock attempted to find some comfort in the far too small water-tank.
It was an odd creature, strange to look at and personally she did not knew him, but Charming had several encounters with him and spoke well of him. She couldn't help but wince in sympathy as he once more tried to rearrange his many limbs in order to gain a bit more comfort, but it couldn't be helped. A tank, big enough for him to be comfortable with, it wouldn't have left any space for the others, lest a table.
"The kingdom of Atlantica is completely evacuated by now. The merfolk used a magical whirlpool to leave this world behind. The leviathan has left her nest, her eggs unguarded and cold as she seeks a way to escape the coming of the end. And the dangerous rapids are no longer guarded for the Taniwha have started the Great Prayer and they will not stop beseeching their gods until they gain answers or until they are dead." The voice of the warlock was soft, deep and with a gentle lit that would make it the perfect voice of a storyteller, if only his news weren't so dire.
Charming's reports weren't any better and she was this close to loosing all hope when the Blue Fairy came with the tree. The last enchanted tree. Their hope.
Slowly the council came to an end and one by one, the others left until only she, Charming and the sea-warlock remained.
"David," the voice of the sea-warlock interrupted her musings, "you promised I could talk to him."
"That I did. And I do keep my promises. I just don't know how to get you down there. Your tank was hard enough to get into this room."
The warlock smiled and then he started to change. When he was finished, the royal couple couldn't help but stare. The warlocks human form was not what they had expected. He was small, barely reaching Charmings shoulder and very wiry build. The clothes he conjured were plain and simple, soft, meant for comfort. He wore no shoes.
For a moment Snow couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't done this before, it would have been so much easier than pulling the heavy glass-tank into the council room. Then he started to move and she had her answer. Moving as a human, it was not natural to him. Actually it was downright painful. Charming gasped and she followed his eyes to find out what had shocked him so much. Footprints. Bright red footprints. The warlocks feet were bleeding with every step he took.
"What? How?" He didn't know what he wanted to say, didn't know how to ask the right questions, but it seemed that the warlock understood without many words.
"I am a creature of the sea. This is the price I have to pay for walking the land. Every step as painful as walking on sharpened glass and swords. Each step I pay with blood."
Charming was shocked by this revelation and he thought about the long way down to the prison of the Dark One. He shuddered as he tried to imagine the pain the warlock would have to endure just to talk with that wretched creature and because he could be a bit impulsive and also because the warlock weighted next to nothing in this form, he simply gathered him into his arms and carried him down.
Snow blinked, she had not expected that, but then she smiled. More proof that he would make an excellent father.
***
Reptilian eyes and scaled skin of green-golden colour, black claws and stained teeth, wild hair and leathers that made him appear more reptile than mammal, he had been prepared for all of this, but not for the madness shining out of golden eyes. It hurt him, for it showed him how much he had failed his promise.
"Well, well, well... looksie what the shepherd dragged in." The Dark One taunted, seemingly dancing along the bars, as if he was unable to remain still for even a second. "If that is not my traitor of a father." He giggled. "Come to see what they achieve with your ink? Or did you want to talk again?" He spat the word 'talk' like it was the foulest thing of the entire world. "Can't run away now, can I?" He laughed again, a shrill manic sound that hurt the ears of all that listened.
"No," his father said and took a last painful step closer to the bars. He was now in reach of the Dark One's claws, but he didn't care about that. "Just please tell me, where did it all go so wrong? Was there anything I could have done to change this?"
The Dark One stopped laughing and it looked like he actually sank into himself, making himself smaller. "There was nothing," he said, sullenly. "Nothing you could have done. This was fated, fated, ever since he took that offering this was fa~ha~hated to happen." For a moment his speech sounded almost normal, but than he leaped back into the darkness and a new series of shrill pitched laughter began.
The father lowered his head, knowing that he would get no other answers now, but it was already enough. Slowly he turned around, ready to start the long painful trek back up into the light. One last look showed a cell, dark, seemingly empty and barren of life. "I am sorry, Bae. So very, very sorry."