Merida takes the bow and Belle takes her books. It’s a battle of loyalty in Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 6. Is it enough to save the ones they love?

The clans are uprising, the Dark One is leaving behind shadows of men, and only two fighters can take a stand. Merida and Belle banded together in one world to remind a young queen of her duty to herself and the ones she loves. The Storybrooke world told a different tale, where the only way to save someone you love is to make them remember what they have inside of them all along. Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 6, “The Bear and the Bow,” called upon the imagery of Brave to help tell its tale.

The bow…

David and Hook have been working on their fighting choreography in their down time and it shows. They join Merlin and Belle in Arthur’s dungeon to rescue Lancelot, but the group winds up taking away an added bonus, Merida, whose number one concern is finding the clans of Dunbroch who have her brothers.

Merida is not one for doing something she doesn’t want to do. Leave it to her to not only ditch the rescue party, but knock out Belle as added insurance for her own fight. She could have taken David, an honorary knight, or Hook, the ruthless pirate with a built in weapon, but she took the person whose brains she valued more than brawn. Don’t let Belle fool you, though. She is tougher than Merida expected and that is exactly the type of lass she needs to push her mission forward.

Merida’s father, King Fergus, gave her some sage advice growing up– “If you remember what you are fighting for, you will never miss.” That advice is not enough to summon the courage to rely on her bow and wit in the face of the clans. But Belle believes it is more powerful than Merida thinks and brews a slightly watered down Mor’du potion. Without turning into a bear, Merida is forced to fight with her own skills and bravery guiding her shot. A shot that would put Robin Hood to shame, slicing through three arrows heading for her brothers’ chests and earning the respect of the clans.

…and the bear

Belle’s deeper understanding of magic not only helps Merida in DunBroch, but it saves her life in Storybrooke. Emma’s ruthless quest to make Gold her hero takes a wicked turn when she enlists Merida’s archery skills to take out Belle’s heart and challenge Rumple to save her. Gold break his chipped cup in order to facilitate his escape, but his sites are set further than getting to his shop. Belle tries to understand Gold’s warning and wants to help him, but fleeing the town forever? No way.

Belle tries to convince Gold that somewhere deep down inside of him is a wealth of untapped courage that he needs to face. A change of heart drives him back to Belle in time to save her from Merida’s ferocious bear state and prove once and for all that there is something inside everyone worth fighting to bring to the light.

But can he pull Excalibur out of the stone? Gold makes a confession over a different sword this season, but the sentiments are the same as when he apologized to Neal at the start of season 4– if he could go back and change it all he would. Can we believe him this time?

(and Merlin, too!)

If fate can be changed by the bravery and determination of one hero, than Merlin’s prophecy can be altered as well, right? Emma and Merlin have a chat in the Enchanted Forest where he reveals himself to be a minor character from her life many years ago. Merlin’s prophecies are not known for their clarity, but it seems rather clear that if Emma removes Excalibur with the Darkness inside her, something really bad will happen.

Not only does the Dark Swan move full steam ahead in Storybrooke with her plan to remove the sword from the stone, but she consults a wicked foe for some help. But even the baddest witch in town does not want a piece of the Dark One’s action. Zelena serves as a reminder of what is coming Emma’s way — a lifetime of resentment from Henry for one unforgivable action. Zelena is the master of holding a grudge against her mother. Emma cannot rely on the little boy she met five years ago to give her a second chance she doesn’t deserve.

For the present moment, however, Emma is getting everything she wants with a few minor exceptions. Gold pulls the sword from the stone and tosses it at the Dark One’s feet pointing out that making him a hero was the worst mistake she could have made. Emma is confident that Gold still has a long way to go before he teams up with the rest of the town to take her down.

In Regina’s vault, the heroes finally realize that Arthur is not the king they were hoping for. After he attempts to destroy the Crimson Crown and their only contact with Merlin, Regina summons another person chosen by Merlin to complete the task–Henry. Though Henry is not giving the Dark One a second chance, he is ready to get his mom out of its clutches. But instead of taking to Merlin, they get a prerecorded message, voicemail Camelot style.

Merlin informs them that they must find Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, ruler of Avalon, forger of Excalibur and the person who gave Merlin his powers. Her resume checks out, we think she’ll be able to help!

But this all leaves one big question that Hook closes the episode with, “What the hell did Emma do to Merlin?”

Watch Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 7, “Nimue,” Sunday, November 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.