"Previously on "Once Upon a Time"..." "I dub thee Sir David of the Round Table." "Rumplestiltskin:" "I'm the voice in your head, the Dark One's powers inside you." " She has to die." " She has to die." "Hook:" "Don't." "We can find another way together." "It is said one of you is the Savior." "I am the Savior." " _ - [Indistinct conversations]" "Look around." "Someday, this village will be the Great Kingdom of Camelot, and I will be king." "[Chuckles]" "You have some very strange dreams." "But they're not just dreams." " Come on!" " [Laughs]" "Can I trust you with a secret?" "This tree... a man is trapped inside it..." "A great sorcerer known as Merlin." "He spoke to me one night." "He gave me a prophecy." "Told me I would pull a sword from a stone and become King of Camelot." " King..." "Arthur?" " Yes." "And you will be Queen Guinevere." "And on all your birthdays," "I'll fill the kingdom with flowers." "A middlemist?" "I love it." "There's more where that came from." "I'll show you." "Arthur, is that the sword in the stone?" "It's not." "We should leave." "Go on, King Arthur." "Pull the sword." "Leave him alone, Kay!" "His mother must have dropped him on his head before she took off, and now he thinks he's the orphan king." "They call Camelot the Broken Kingdom because we have no king and we never will." "And nobody in Camelot is ever gonna kneel to the boy who cleans the stables." "Maybe he's right." "No, he's not, and you will find that sword." "All you have to do now is follow your heart." "Where's the rest of it?" "Percival:" "How will you take the throne with half the sword?" "What will you tell the people?" "[Horse whinnies]" "All hail King Arthur!" "Camelot is no longer the broken kingdom!" "I give you Excalibur, the sword pulled from the stone!" "[Cheers and applause]" "I see you followed your heart, King Arthur." "And it led me back to you..." "Queen Guinevere." "[Chuckles]" "Something's wrong." "Tell me." "Our journey wasn't all I hoped for." "Merlin speaks in half-truths." "And now my quest has only just begun." "_" "You wanted to see me." "Yes." "Yes, we have something serious to discuss." "Please, join me." "Now that you're a member of the Round Table, it's time to share Camelot's greatest secret." "The sword that made me king is broken." "For years, I've hunted its missing piece..." "Something known as the dagger of the dark one." "I've heard tales of it." "Well, I think you're the man to help me find it." "After all, you're the only one who needs it as bad as I." "You're desperate to destroy the power of the Dark One." "Only Merlin can do that." "Perhaps." "Perhaps not." "No one knows what Merlin really wants, but with that dagger, we wouldn't need Merlin." "I could reforge Excalibur into the sword it once was with the power to destroy the darkness once and for all." "Can you help me in this quest?" "[Voices whispering]" "Do you hear it?" "A sweet sound." "A strange sound." "Let's go have a look, shall we?" "[Whispering continue]" "Rumplestiltskin:" "So that's where it's coming from..." "Your dagger." "Since Regina left it in her room," "I say, uh, finders keepers." "So she put a spell on it." "That's nothing for you." "Shatter it." "I can't." "It's calling to its other half." "Leave me alone." " Your friends cannot protect you." " Stop." "You're the Savior." "Save yourself before it's too late." "Get out of my head!" "[Laughs]" "Calm down." "There's no one here." "It's just us." "You and me." "He's inside my head." "I can't get him out." "[Voices whispering]" "He's here." "He's always here." "What happened to her?" "I have no idea." "She hasn't said a word." "It's getting worse, isn't it?" "David, where have you been?" "I was looking all over the castle for you." "With Arthur." "It turns out he might have a way to help Emma." " We can't." " If we give him the dagger..." "David, listen to me." "We can't trust Arthur." "What are you talking about?" "Who told you that?" "[Inhales deeply] Lancelot." "Lancelot?" " Lancelot is dead." " Mnh-mnh." "That's what he wanted Cora to think, but he outwitted her." "Regina:" "Hey, not in front of the patient, given the state that she's in, anything could set her off." "She needs rest..." "Somewhere quiet and away from prying eyes." "I know the perfect place." "Perhaps me and the boy should take her there." "Come on, love." "Let's sail away." "[Door closes]" "Whatever's happening to her," "I think she was here for the dagger, so I should probably move it somewhere safer." "Now, hold on a second." "Arthur has a way to use that to help Emma." "What did I just tell you?" "We are not giving it to Arthur." "Lancelot said he can't be trusted." "And Cora said Lancelot was dead." "You can't believe everything you hear." "You really don't trust Lancelot, do you?" "He married us." "He's our friend." "That was a long time ago, and where's he been all these years?" " He didn't say." " Well, where is he now?" "Hiding." "It's not like he's welcome in Camelot." "Because he went after Arthur's wife." "And he's back." "Why?" "Why's he back?" "I don't know, David!" "I don't have all the answers!" "Regina, would you mind please giving us a minute?" "Listen, Arthur is already looking for the dagger." "If we come clean now, he can still help us." "So that's what this is about." "You haven't met a king in a while," " and you're star-struck." " That's not what this is about." "Our daughter is sick." "We have to help her." "So why become a Knight of the Round Table?" "How does that help her?" "Or is it that you need to feel like a hero again?" "Maybe the Round Table's exactly where I should be." "We aren't telling Arthur anything until we know he can be trusted." "_" "[Lock disengages]" "[Door opens]" " [Festive music plays in distance]" " Don't worry." "It's only me." "My Queen." "I'm so glad to see you." "I've almost translated the Carmarthen Scroll." "I had to pull language fragments from a dozen different books." "But can you believe how close we are to the other half?" "This time I'm right." "Directions to the Dark One dagger as clear as day." "It's just these symbols I can't figure out..." "Star, eye, and sun." "What do you think it means?" "It means... come to the party, dance with your wife." "No, no, no, I can't." "I can't." "Not until I finish this translation." "Don't you understand?" "This is Merlin's test." "Why else would he lead me to this?" "The broken sword to rule the broken kingdom." "It's a cruel joke." "The world's most maddening riddle." "I know." "But this one night, your wife needs you." "You're right." "Give me five minutes, and we shall dance until dawn." "[Rhythmic clapping]" "[Upbeat music plays]" "[Indistinct conversations]" "I'm sure he'll be out shortly." "I'm sure he will." "Happy birthday, my Queen." "Thank you." "In the meantime..." "Perhaps you'll allow this knight a dance." "[Applause]" "He's getting worse, locked up in that room all day instead of actually building the kingdom we dreamed of." "Arthur may have much on his mind, but look around." "He did manage to throw you quite a party." "A birthday gift from King Arthur to his Queen Guinevere!" "[Cheers and applause]" "[Laughs]" "Middlemist flowers." "What's wrong?" "You don't like them?" "I'm not a fool." "I know he didn't plan any of this." "The fact that you won't deny it tells me all." "Thank you." "Arthur:" "Where's my queen?" "You made it!" "Look!" "I completed the translation." "The dagger is only a day's ride from here." "By this time tomorrow, I will hold it in my hand." "Let me fetch my horse." "No." "No, not this time, old friend." "I need my best knight to stay here and protect the queen." "After all, she is the most precious thing I have." "_" "David?" "We need to talk." "Ever since we came to Camelot, we've been lying to you about why we're here." "That stops right now." "It's not easy for me to be here, and people I care about told me not to, but the darkness is threatening someone I love, and I will do anything to destroy it." "So..." "We're gonna restore Excalibur tonight." "I'm glad you told me about your daughter." "Of course I will help you defeat the darkness inside her." "[Sighs] That... is a relief." "My wife thought this was a bad idea." "What put her off me?" "It's the beard, isn't it?" "Something a bit more serious." "Lancelot." "He's back." "_" "You must not think much of me." "And what would I tell Arthur if his queen ran off on my watch?" "Tell him I'm going to find the dagger myself." "I broke into Merlin's tower and took this... a magic gauntlet..." "And it has shown me the true location of the dagger." "Arthur has it all wrong." "And how did Arthur not find this remarkable magic object in all his years of looking?" "He would never think to use it because he believes the dagger will be his strength, and this gauntlet..." "It leads you to a person's greatest weakness." "So I'm going to finish this damned quest and get back the man I love." "And you cannot stop me." "Stop you?" "I'm joining you." "Guinevere: [Sighs] I told you it would work." "This is it." "The vault of the Dark One." "These symbols... they are the same ones" "Arthur showed me on that damn scroll of his." "Star... [hums]" "Eye... [hums]" "Sun." "Shall we?" "Hm." "This way." "[Whoosh]" "Lancelot!" "No!" "You cannot have him!" "Aah!" "Lancelot." "[Breathing heavily]" "I thought you were dead." "I was sure I'd lost you." "I'm sorry." "That... will never happen again." "No." "Never." "We need to remember why we're here..." "For our King..." "For Arthur." " _" " Lancelot's alive." "And here in Camelot." "Serious news, indeed." " Can we keep this between ourselves?" " Of course." "Sometimes a husband has to go on the defensive." "I wouldn't want my wife to learn that he's here." "She already has." "Where is Lancelot?" "He doesn't know, my love." "So tell me how to find him so I can make him pay for what he did." "From what I heard, you both had some culpability in that." "[Chuckles] So you heard the old story?" "Believe me, the legend is only the beginning." "Lancelot coveted far more than a kiss from a queen." "I'm afraid my wife is right." "I didn't want to speak ill of a former knight, a former friend, but if Lancelot is in Camelot, that dagger isn't safe anywhere." "Then it's a good thing..." "I brought it with me." "Where is it?" "[Insects chirping]" "You can come out." "It's me." "It turns out I need your help." "There's something we must hide." "Come on, Mom." "Keep going." "We're almost there." "It's nice here, right?" "A good place to rest." "You'll feel better in no time." "It's a quiet and isolated little nook." "How did you turn up such a refuge, lad?" "Well... there's this girl." "Is there, indeed?" "Well, I like this tale already." "I-it's not like that." "Her name's Violet." "She brought me here." "The stable belongs to her family." "So you two are getting close?" "N-not at all." "We're just hanging out." "Violet:" "Hello?" "Who's in there?" "That's her." "Hide." "Hide." "Go on." "Go on." "[Chuckles] Henry." "What are you doing here?" "I was wondering if you'd be interested in taking me riding." "Yeah." "I'd love to." "Come on." "I'll introduce you to Nicodemus." "That your dad?" "[Chuckling] No." "It's my horse." "I hope you're ready to get your heart racing." "[Laughs] Come on." "[Door closes]" "Well..." "You can hide buried treasure or a winning poker hand, but you can't hide the bloom of first love." "Yes, he has a crush." "And he straight-up lied to my face." " And I'm the Dark One." " You're his mother." " Which is scarier?" " To him?" "That's up for debate." "Speaking of your dark one-ness, don't you think it's time you tell me the truth of what happened?" "It's Rumplestiltskin." "Or at least something that looks like him." "I've been seeing him in my head ever since we got here." "He was there when we first found you, with the flame-haired Scot." "I almost crushed her heart because of his voice." "I've spent many years battling demons in my head, and I was able to purge them on the prow of the Jolly Roger, riding the ocean's waves." "Too bad you can't have it shrunk in your pocket right now." "Well, we may not need it." "That girl promised to get Henry's heart racing astride a horse." "You and I are gonna do the same." "[Birds chirping]" "You never told me what happened between you and Guinevere." "It's complicated." "But what's happened is in the past." "It doesn't matter anymore." "It does if you still love her." "Do you?" "Yes." "I'll forever love Guinevere." "The dagger lies beyond this door." "Stand back." "We have no idea what trap remains." "[Door closes]" "There it is." "Excalibur will finally be complete." "[Grunts, groans]" "Not exactly a sword in the stone... but it still does the trick." "[Laughs]" "So, that's how you found this place..." "Merlin's gauntlet." "That's quite a powerful object, at least for a wizard stuck in a tree." "That dagger is Arthur's birthright, and you will surrender it to us." "So, that's King Arthur's weakness, is it?" "So that must make you Guinevere." "Sadly, I can't give you what you want, though I might be willing to part with the next best thing, assuming, of course, you're willing to make a deal for that gauntlet." "What's the next best thing to completing a magical sword?" "Making it appear like it's been completed... with this." "Enchanted sand from the mystical Isle of Avalon." "One pinch of this can "fix" anything." "Even Excalibur?" "Your husband need never know." "After all, what's one little secret if it means getting your husband back?" "Assuming, of course, that's, uh, still what you want." "And why should I trust you?" "Because I know what happens when a woman's heart is torn between duty and desire." "And believe me... it never ends well." "Please, Guinevere, don't listen to this demon." "I will accept your deal." "[Laughs] Good girl!" "But be careful." "Love is a weapon, dearie..." "The most dangerous weapon of all, which means the pain you should worry about isn't the kind inflicted by a broken sword, but the kind that comes... from a broken heart." "We're here." "Mary Margaret:" "The vault of the Dark One." "[Humming]" "This place." "I've been here before." "I had a vision." "I thought I understood what it meant, but maybe I was wrong." "Maybe it was always about Emma becoming the Dark One." "What did you see?" "[Grunting]" "Emma crushed my heart." "We have no time to waste." "We have to make sure that Arthur can't get this dagger." "This altar is the place to secure it, but it's shielded by a nasty protection spell." "[Sighs]" "Well, if it's meant to keep the dagger safe, then maybe a person holding it can be allowed past?" "Wait." "It should be me." "You've done enough." "You need to let me do this, Snow." "What is it?" "Don't you trust me?" "Arthur:" "Apparently not." "And that's a decision she's gonna regret." " Arthur!" " I wouldn't." "Excalibur's blade is broken." "This one works just fine." "You followed us." "So I was right." "Pity your husband didn't listen when you tried to warn him." "Where is he?" "Searching for you... in the wrong place." "Which means if you ever want to see him again... you're gonna hand over that dagger." "Arthur:" "Hello, Guinevere." "Where were you?" "Lancelot and I..." "Went to find the dagger of the Dark One." "And tell me, were you able to find it?" "Yes." "It was where you said it would be..." "In the Dark One vault." "You mean to say you truly found it?" "Well, where is it, then?" "Give me the dagger!" "I'll finally prove Merlin wrong." "That I'm not his fool!" "That I'm meant to be king of this god-forsaken place!" "It's not here!" "Where are you hiding the dagger from me?" "!" "The only thing I'm hiding is this." "I couldn't get the dagger, so I got this instead." "Enchanted sand that can make something broken appear whole again." "Well, that's why you came back..." "To use magic to trick me!" "Yes!" "I wanted you back!" "To be the man I loved!" "My King." "And now I realize I don't want any of it." "Not unless it's real." "It can be." "You can have me back." "You can have it all." "I just need the dagger." "Tell me where the vault is!" "Don't you understand?" "!" "You have to make a choice!" "Stop trying to mend that sword, or your marriage and your kingdom will be broken forever." "And what if I can't?" "Then I'll follow my heart to where it belongs." "With Lancelot?" "I saw you." "It's not what you think." "He was saying goodbye." "He's leaving Camelot." "You expect me to believe that?" "I can't lose you to him, Guinevere." "I won't." "I'll do whatever it takes to fix things." "Arthur, what are you doing?" "I'm sorry, Guinevere, but my heart tells me I have to finish my quest." "And with this magic," "I can keep you by my side to do it." "No!" "So, my Queen, how are you now?" "Better..." "I think." "Middlemist flowers." "So beautiful." "Do you remember the first time I gave one to you?" "Of course." "It was the day you told me about Merlin's prophecy..." "A prophecy you have yet to complete, and I... have not been supportive enough." "I know how much getting that dagger means to you, so you can prove yourself to Merlin." "Yes, my Queen." "But until then," "I don't see why you can't live in the kingdom you deserve." "And I think it's time to fix this broken kingdom, don't you?" "Give me the dagger, or I will put this sword through my oldest friend, like I should have done years ago." "No." "First you try and steal my wife, and now you want to deny me the dagger" " after all I've done for you!" " Please don't hurt him!" "Here." "I have waited a lifetime for this." "Now I control your daughter." "I can command her to reunite the sword and free Merlin." "Excalibur's blade will be the last thing he sees before I use it to run him through." "Then I will use the blade to snuff out the darkness once and for all." "I can become what no one thought I could..." "The greatest king in all the realms." "Dark One," "I command you to appear!" "I said I command you!" "She's not coming." "Why?" "What have you done to the dagger?" "The dagger's not real." "How?" "You knew he would follow us." "She wasn't the only one." "Well, I was wondering when you were gonna show up." "I had to keep my distance so Arthur wouldn't see me trailing him." "You betrayed me." "You broke the sacred trust of the Round Table." "You tried to trick me with a catchy title and a comfy chair." "David, you deserved a seat at my table." "Every choice I've made is for the good of Camelot!" "I'm trying to destroy the darkness!" "The darkness is in my daughter, so every choice I make is for the good of my family." "So this was all a show?" "Are you even really fighting?" " Oh, the fight was real." " Oh, very real." "But we quickly realized that fighting wasn't going to solve any problems, so we put aside our differences and thought of Emma's well-being first." "[Birds chirping]" "Beautiful animal, isn't she?" "The finest horse in all of Camelot." "Or at least the finest I could borrow without anyone noticing." "I thought the plan was to ride the horse." "This feels a lot like walking." "This isn't like driving that yellow contraption of yours." "You can't just turn a key." "The horse has to trust you." "So, go on." "Introduce yourself." "[Horse snorts]" "[Whinnying]" "[Rumplestiltskin laughs]" "Well, I guess the pony's smarter than the pirate." "She knows what you are, dearie." "Go away." "Swan, stop talking to the demon in your head." "Get on the horse." "This is pointless." "I'm the Dark One." "What's this going to do?" "This isn't about the bloody horse, Emma." "This is about you putting your faith in me, in our future." "You still think we can get back there, to Storybrooke and some white-picket-fence life?" "Yes." "I'll never stop fighting for us." "All you have to do is trust me." "This'll work." "Finally a blade that can stand up to Granny's meatloaf." "So, now what do we do with it?" "Well, Arthur wanted to reunite it with the dagger and use it for evil." "But that doesn't mean that it couldn't also be used for good." "Like helping Emma." "We can talk more about it as soon as we get back to Camelot and put someone worthy in charge." "I spent a lifetime putting my faith in a false king." "Camelot's true leader... is its queen, Guinevere." "Is it me, or is he unusually quiet?" "[Horse whinnies in distance]" "Because he knows something." "[Indistinct shouting]" "[Banging]" "Gwen." "What's going on?" "Why are you doing this?" "I love him." "No." "It's not real." "He must have used the sands of Avalon on you." "Guinevere, we can break this spell." "Not interested." "Take this traitor to the dungeon where he belongs." "You're not the only couple with hearts that beat as one." "The second you lock us up, our friends will know something's wrong, and your secret's out." "Who said we're locking you up?" "We're hoping you can help." "Never." "Oh, actually, I'm quite optimistic." "Guinevere." "Fix this, my love." "[Blows]" "[Grunts]" "Prisoner:" "Someone doesn't like you." "That's the cell the rats take a fancy to." "I had a disagreement with the king." "Didn't make me a lot of friends." "It might have made you one." "Because an enemy of King Arthur is probably a friend of mine." "I'm Merida." "Lancelot." "You're going to wear out the masonry if you keep pacing." "I'm sure David and Mary Margaret are fine." "[Scoffs] You think I'm worried about them?" "Those two can outlive a cockroach." "I want to know how their test went." "I get antsy when I don't know who I should hate." "I think we can help with that." "[Sighs] What took so long?" "Turns out David was right." "We can trust Arthur." "And Lancelot?" "Locked safely in the dungeon." "He was lying." "Our best move now is to give Arthur the real dagger." "I just spent all day hiding it, like we agreed upon." "Plans change." "Making Excalibur whole is our best chance to help Emma." "Yah!" "[Sighs]" "That was amazing." "Thank you." "Well, I had a feeling you would like it." "Tell me." "What do you see?" "Lots of flowers." "Very good." "Now..." "What don't you see?" "Rumplestiltskin." "He's gone." "I hoped he might be." "By trusting me with your burden, you've left no room for him in that head of yours." "Well, now that we're alone..." "_" "I remember how the darkness feels." "But you don't have to give in to it." "You just..." "You could just set me free." "The only one who can get me that sword is you." "I can't be the hero you want." "Of course you can." "You're like a dull knife sitting in a drawer." "But don't worry." "I have just the thing to sharpen you up." "What?" "We'll call it my secret weapon." "[Woman breathing heavily]" "I should have trusted my gut when I first met you." "You are a witch." "I should have trusted my gut, kept that heart of yours." "Ohh!" "[Heart beating] Now you're gonna kill me?" "You coward!" "No more talking." "Go pick up the bow." "You see, there's a guy I know." "You wouldn't like him." "He's a real coward." "But for me to get what I want, that needs to change." "I need you to make him just like you." "I need you to make him brave."