**** I do not own OUaT nor any of its characters.****

FTL 34 Years Ago

"Regina, I'm sorry. But we have to go."

Regina glared at her sister through a rain of tears. This wasn't right. A Mother shouldn't have to be parted from her daughter. Especially now thanks to her own Mother, the child was now fatherless.

She brought her daughter up to her lips and pressed them to her head. She inhaled her sweet baby smell. "I love you. No matter what. Always and forever. No matter what."

Regina could hear the guards in the hallway fighting. She knew the end was near. She was coming. She handed her baby over to her sister. "Please watch over her."

Zelena bent over her baby sister with her own tears clouding her vision. "With my life, I swear it." The sisters embraced. And then she was gone.

The door flung open and there she stood in all her regal glory.

"Mother," Regina wanted to be strong and stand. But she couldn't. She no longer cared. Her baby was gone. And she was all that had been left of Daniel. She didn't care what was next for her. She was already dead.

Her mother regarded her calmly. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "No dear," she said as if she could hear her thoughts. "Not yet. But soon."

The Queen turned and strode away. The last of Zelena's men tried rallying but she easily flung them away from her.

Regina slumped against the pillows. Her daughter was less than an hour old and had lost both of her parents. But at least Regina knew she was out there. Somewhere just waiting for her.

She knew Zelena would keep her promise and protect her with her life. She'd spent their entire childhood doing her best to protect Regina from their Mother as best she could.

But with Regina falling in love with a stable boy and becoming pregnant soon after, there was nothing more she could do to shield her. So she did the next best thing. She grabbed her sister and ran. And Daniel had fallen under their Mother's cold cruel hands shortly thereafter.

Now Zelena was still running. But it wasn't her sister who was there underneath her arm hoping that she could save her. It was the beautiful new life that her sister had created. The baby had Daniel's blue eyes but their expression that was all Regina.

Zelena ran until she was out of breath. She finally had to stop and rest and feed the baby. She had thankfully secured some provisions from a wet nurse before her Mother's men reached the castle so the baby wouldn't starve.

Zelena looked around her and saw just up ahead there seemed to be smoke going up. If there was smoke then there was hopefully a home and some friendly neighbors who wouldn't mind giving comfort to a young woman with a newborn baby. Zelena stared down at her niece playing with her fingers as the baby suckled hungrily. "Shh there there my pretty. We're going to rescue your Mommy. We'll find a way."

Zelena hadn't wanted to leave her sister there. But there was no way she could get the 3 of them out of there. And Regina would sacrifice herself 100 times over for her child. And Zelena would sacrifice herself for either one of them.

Zelena was the oldest so she knew Cora the best. Once the woman decided upon her path, nothing would dissuade her. Even after murdering Regina's lover, Cora still insisted that she was to marry that repulsive King who stared at her younger sister as if she was a special dish laid out for him. The disgusting old man was old enough to be their Grandfather.

So Cora cloaked Regina's pregnancy from the world. And Zelena had taken the first opportunity she could find, to get them out of there. Then her Mother's men found their hiding place. But Regina was in the midst of labor. She couldn't be moved. Thankfully the baby had come quickly. And Zelena had had to run to get them out of there since there was no telling what their Mother would do if she found the baby.

Zelena made her way into the town with the baby secured in her arms. She asked around and found an inn. The innkeeper showed her upstairs to her room. It was as clean as clean could be. She thanked the woman and sent her on her way. Then she sat down with her niece in her lap. She looked around the room and sighed.

"I think we'll be alright here."