3 days later, Regina, Robin, Roland, Henry, Emma, Hook and the Charmings were standing outside the mansion, waiting for their ride. "You don't have to come with us." Robin said.
"Nonsense, we're in this together." Snow smiled sweetly in that very annoying way of hers. Regina rolled her eyes. "We could all use a vacation. I've heard Oz is very nice in the spring."
"Wonderful." The former queen muttered. The wind started to pick up and she looked up the street as a powerful green cyclone came swirling up the road. "Looks like that's our ride." Robin took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She made sure to pull Roland and Henry close as the cyclone practically grabbed them. She closed her eyes against the roaring wind, but a second later, everything was eerily calm.
"Welcome to Oz." said a deep voice. The new arrivals opened their eyes and looked around at the grand balcony upon which they now stood. Their greeter was a 7 foot tall black winged baboon wearing a green vest and loincloth.
"Where is Zelena?" Regina demanded.
"She is preparing for the coronation. I am the Captain. Follow me." The monkey turned and lead them through the extravagant palace. It was a breathtaking structure to behold, Regina had to admit it. They passed many servants, carrying trays of food and decorations, hurrying off to their destinations.
"Where are we going?" Robin asked. "Where is my daughter?"
The Captain paused, letting out a deep growl. "You will prepare for the coronation." He said, continuing on his way. He lead them to a large bedroom with several beds and plenty of space for them all. The monkey then left.
"I hope Zelena doesn't think this is some kind of joke. I have no patience for games." Regina hissed as a cloud of smoke covered her momentarily, changing her sensible black pantsuit into a long silk red dress. The others went into the bathrooms to change, leaving her alone with Snow and Emma. "What if she hates us for this?"
"The kid?" Emma asked. "I'm sure she'll understand, depending on how old she is."
"Regina, this child is a part of the family. She should know the family." Snow said. "You're doing the right thing. Besides, Zelena invited you here. There must be a reason."
"I hope you're right." Regina crossed her arms and approached the balcony, looking out over the city. People were pouring in for the coronation and the whole of the Emerald City was lit up brighter and more beautiful than New York. "I suppose this isn't a bad place to raise children."
"Zelena may not be what one would think of when you think of a mother, but give her some credit. She might've done good as a mom." The blonde said.
"She went about it the wrong way." Snow argued.
Regina tuned them out. She truly had no idea whether what they were doing was right or not. Robin's daughter would most definitely have been influenced by Zelena. For all they knew, Zelena would have brainwashed the girl.
"Everything will be alright, Mom." Henry said, coming to her side. He leaned his head on her shoulder. "Just believe it."
"I'll try, my Little Prince."
/
The heroes were lead downstairs into the beautiful ballroom, with its golden floor and emerald green decorations. There was a long table piled high with food and a 20 member band playing soft music. People were talking and mingling, waiting for the festivities to begin.
Regina sipped a goblet of wine, looking up at the five thrones with a confused eye. Each one was green of course, but there were personal touches, like diamonds and sparkles or threads of vines and flowers on certain ones. She still didn't understand who all this was for. There was the sound of a smack and Killian walked past holding the side of his face.
"Whatever you do, love, don't say Wicked Witch."
Regina raised an eyebrow and looked back towards the thrones as Aric stepped out of a side door, garbed in dark royal threads with his hair neatly groomed. He'd trimmed his beard since she last saw him and he received a small applause as he stepped forward. "Galahad." She called as she approached.
"Your Majesty, it's wonderful you could make it." He said with a smile.
"What's going on? What's all this for?" She demanded.
"Relax, it's about to start. Robin wanted to meet Eve, right?"
"Eve? That's her name?"
"Yes. Zelena should be out shortly." He moved on to mingle with his guests and Regina started to feel a little infuriated because no one was giving her any answers. She returned to her place next to Robin and told him the name of his daughter.
"Eve. It's a beautiful name." He commented softly.
Suddenly the wind picked up. Regina scowled. She was sick of cyclones. Out of the green monstrosity, stepped none other than her sister, standing tall and proud in a fitted green dress that had high slit on one side and still managed to trail the ground as she walked. A belt of emeralds was around her waist, flashing in the light. "Welcome all to the Emerald Palace."
"Hail the Witch-Queen!" Someone yelled, inciting a cheer from the crowd.
"Please dearies, you're all lovely. But this day is not about me." Zelena said. "This is not about my children, despite it being their coronation. Today is about Oz, the greatest of worlds, the grandest of places." The people around them cheered. Regina rolled her eyes, not at all believing this new change in her sister. Zelena smiled and raised her finger, silencing them all in an instant. "A long time ago, I nearly destroyed this world in a foolish quest. Since my return, I have truly tried to restore it. My efforts will never be done, I know. Wickedness is a terrible curse to undo. I was always envious of what someone else had, what I felt I deserved. But now I know the truth." Zelena surveyed the crowd. "I am loved and wanted. I possess a family and I lead a nation the likes of which no one has ever seen!" The people started cheering again. "Today will be a day remembered throughout history when the word wicked became something good!" Zelena paused to take a deep breath. "Wicked is no longer maliciousness and darkness. To be wicked is to be who you are, your true authentic self and to hell with anyone who doesn't like it." The witch pointedly met her sister's eyes after that statement. "Oz has become wicked." She smiled as the people nearly lost their minds. She let them go crazy for a moment longer before raising her hands for silence. "And now, I introduce to you my lovely pretties, my dear children. It was not my intention to have quite so many." She gestured to a grinning Aric, causing some of those attending to chuckle and laugh. "They each have chosen their places, their own fates. They each want what is best for Oz and its people. I hereby reinstate the Witches Council, so that they may help with aid throughout Oz. Oz will have an emperor again. But anyways, shall we start with the smallest?" A huge grin took over Zelena's face as she motioned to a trio of munchkins, bringing forth the crowns. "First, my youngest little witch. Terra, the Kind, the future witch of the south." Regina recognized the girl she'd seen in the mirror. Now though, she was wearing a long pretty green dress with her hair draped to one side with golden strands woven in. Aric stepped forward and placed a golden crown on her head. Terra went to stand in front of the throne that was covered in flowers and vines. "Next is Zarina, the future witch of the north." Zarina resembled her mother greatly, all the way from her mass of fiery red hair to her bright blue eyes, and yet she bore green skin. The people still cheered her just as they had Terra.
"She has to be at least 13." Robin whispered to her.
"Zaria, witch of the east." Zaria was apparently Zarina's twin, except her hair was jet black. She stood in front of the elegant emerald throne while her twin stepped in front of the diamond one. "My oldest son, Liir. The future emperor of Oz." Liir was the spitting image of Aric, but possessed a slender build akin to his mother's.
"Yeah right." He chuckled, brushing off his regal veridian robes. "I'm your only son."
"At least you better be." Aric said as he placed a broad jeweled crown on his son's head.
Zelena merely raised an eyebrow at their banter. "Last but not least, my eldest child of them all. My beautiful daughter, Eve, who will one day take my place as the witch of the west." Regina noticed Robin perk up. Eve was his daughter, but she wasn't the little baby he thought her to be. She had to be at least 16, somewhere around the same age as Liir. She walked with her chin held high and her long red hair framing her face to perfection. She wore a long green dress, of course, but hers was accented with gold and silver. Zelena smiled proudly as Eve took her place in front of the last throne. "Ozians, I present to you the next generation of royalty." Her children sat down on their thrones in unison and the Ozians applauded their next rulers. "Of course none of this actually makes a difference until they've been trained and taught, so on and so forth." Zelena amended. "Now, let's have a celebration the wicked way, huh? Let's party!" The band struck up the beat and green confetti suddenly rained from the sky. Zelena was quickly swept up by her son for the dance. Everyone flooded the dance floor but Regina and Robin managed to skirt the happy partygoers and made their way towards the thrones. Eve was standing nearby, leaning on the back of hers while watching her siblings dance.
"Excuse me." Robin stepped forward. Eve turned towards them, raising her eyebrows in wonder.
"You came."
"You know who we are?" Regina asked.
"The Evil Queen and the Outlaw." Eve smirked. "Regina Mills and Robin Hood. My aunt...and my father."
"Zelena told you about me?" Robin asked.
"She told me about the outlaw who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Who lived by an honorable code and was an honorable man. Yes, she told me. You thought she lied and brainwashed me, huh?" Eve chuckled. "Understandable."
"I should probably leave you two to talk." Regina said, starting to back away.
"Oh no." Eve cut her off quickly. "Today is about celebration. I don't want to ruin it by talking about sad things." She shook her head and motioned to the dance floor. "Eat, drink, enjoy yourselves. We can talk in the morning." She smiled and moved off to converse with the guests of the Emerald Palace. She seemed very mature for a 16 year old.
"I'm shocked." Regina murmured. "I would've thought Zelena would've surely turned her against you."
"I expected to come and bring my daughter home, but now...what do I do, Regina?" Robin asked.
"Get to know her a little and perhaps we could still bring her with us." Regina suggested. She wanted to go talk to her sister, but Zelena was too busy dancing with her children and really anyone else who wanted a dance, she obliged them. The Ozians partied until the sun had set and the royal family called it quits. A bell toiled in the distance and everyone filed out the door, as though answering the call of something. "Zelena-"
"Not now." Her sister said. "It's time for the lanterns." Zelena ran down the hallway, racing Terra and Liir. Aric shook his head with a laugh as he motioned for their guests to follow. The twins walked at his side. Eve walked a little ways behind him, singing softly to herself. It was a lovely melody, and Regina felt compelled to ask what it was.
"It's a song mom used to sing to us." Eve answered. "She loves to sing and dance, but I'm sure you already know that."
Regina sighed. "Actually I don't. I don't much about my sister. Other than the 'I hate you' part."
Eve laughed. "True." She started singing softly to herself again.
"Will you sing some for us?" Snow asked. "It sounds beautiful." Eve jumped at having the shorter woman suddenly appear at her side.
"Um, okay. She sings it much better of course, but uh…" Eve cleared her throat and started to sing the soft melody. "At last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted. And at last I see the light, and it's the sky is new. And it's warm and real and bright, and the world had somehow shifted. All at once, everything looks different, now that I see you."
"Zelena sang that to you?" Regina asked, not quite believing it. "Zelena?"
"Yes." Eve said. "Why is it so hard for you to believe the Wicked Witch has a heart? The Evil Queen apparently has one." She raised an eyebrow.
"I am not the Evil Queen anymore. Zelena, however, remains the Wicked Witch. You can't just change the meaning of a word. She's still Wicked. She said so herself."
"Well, wicked is better than evil anyway." Eve shrugged, walking forward after her family.
Regina blew heavily through her nose. Robin put a comforting hand to her back as they arrived at the garden, a beautiful sight to behold. There was a large pond filled with buds like the one that Terra had wrapped around her wrists. The youngest of the royal family was lightly touching each of them, causing them to glow. The light spread to all of them and they blossomed, releasing small golden orbs into the air. A couple servants brought out the lanterns and pens so they could write their names on them. They were small, easily held in one hand and colored white with the green symbol of Oz on the side. Terra excitedly bounced up and down holding hers, waiting for an amused Zelena to give the word. The witch tossed hers into the air where it proceeded to fall before slowly making its way up. The others followed suit and soon, their little group of lanterns were joined by by every lantern in the Emerald City. Thousands of lanterns filling the sky. Regina had to admit...it was quite beautiful.
Eve even looked over at her and Robin and smiled. They both returned it, genuinely. They watched the beautiful sight for a while before it was decided they would retire to their rooms now.
The next morning, it was Eve who came to retrieve her father and Regina for breakfast. She lead them back into the garden, which was even more beautiful in the daylight. A beautiful breakfast was laid out on the table. "So, what do we do first?" Eve asked. "I'm not exactly what to begin with."
"Just tell me about you." Robin suggested. "About your childhood and the things you like." Eve nodded.
Regina listened in silence as the young girl spoke. She was very open with her father, speaking about how she loved to go flying and riding and down to the city to interact with the people and make friends. She even practiced with the bow and was learning from the best archers in Oz. It warmed her heart to see father and daughter laughing and smiling together. Perhaps Zelena hadn't done so bad after all being a mother.
"So what happens now that you all have been named the successors to Oz?" She ventured to ask.
"We continue our training until we come of age to take our seats."
"And people are just okay with the Wicked Witch now?"
Eve arched an eyebrow. "Mom worked hard to reform Oz. People saw that she was trying to right her wrongs."
"And Aric? Why didn't Zelena just make him the king?"
"Oz doesn't have kings or queens, despite Mom being called the 'Witch-Queen'. There can only be one empress or emperor at a time. Besides, she thought it was foolish to try and just sit some guy on the throne and expect people to follow him. She took everything to heart about making things better."
Regina wasn't entirely convinced and returned to eating for a while, listening to Robin tell Eve about Roland, only to find out that Eve had already met Roland.
"When did this happen?" Robin asked.
"Mom started teaching us magic when we were young so I knew a spell to speak with you guys, but she didn't tell me about you until a couple years ago. When I contacted you, Roland was the only one in the room and we've just been talking ever since. It was our little secret."
Robin smiled. "I suppose I can't be too upset. It is good to know that you've been well taken care of. You know, I did want to raise you."
"I know." The change of topic clearly made the redhead uncomfortable.
"Did Zelena tell you what happened?"
"That you planned to take me from her and raise me as your own? Yes." Eve shrugged, but she added a pointed look at Regina.
"That was a...delicate situation." Regina said.
"I suppose it was." Eve replied noncommittally. She was quickly becoming put off by the conversation and Regina knew that she feared they would say something to insult Zelena. Zelena's decision hadn't been the best one, and if she didn't think it would ruin Robin's chances with his daughter, she would perfectly say so. For now though, she held her tongue.
"You think we should've done something differently?" Robin asked.
"I don't know, but I am glad that what happened, happened."
"You would've been taken care of just as well with us, with your father. Me."
"Perhaps that's true, but this is my life. I couldn't imagine it without my mother and my siblings. There is no better life than this one." She said firmly.
"And you don't think Zelena should've at least given me a chance to be a father?" Robin continued to press.
"You were going to take hers away. Why should you deserve one? Because you are an honorable thief, dating the reformed Evil Queen? Because you're heroes now?" Eve tilted her head in almost canine manner. "My mother likes to say that everyone deserves a chance to fly. You both were ready to clip her wings forever and lock her in a cage. Because of that, I am willing to try and get to know you, and in doing so, perhaps learn more about myself. But I will not hesitate to defend my mother and her actions. It lead me to where I am today. So please, if you wish to continue to antagonize her, I will take my leave."
"No." Robin said quickly, reaching across the table to touch her hand. "Please. I'm sorry, I just...haven't forgiven Zelena for stealing you away. Stay, please."
"Your mother is the Wicked Witch, she has done plenty to be antagonized about." Regina said.
"Regina." Robin hissed.
Eve only laughed. "So says the Evil Queen...life ruiner, mass murderer, tyrant. What rights have you to pass judgement on anyone? As though you're any better than anyone else because you 'changed'."
"Do you know why you were born?" Regina asked. "Because your mother tried to ruin my happy ending by sleeping with my soulmate. She only used you to get at me. She tricked Robin."
"I know, but is it that much worse than what you did to the Huntsman? Forcing him to be your sex slave?" Regina couldn't hide the surprise on her face. Eve scoffed. "Your lives are storybooks. Believe me, you hardly have any secrets anymore." She stood up. "I think we're done for today. Wicked Witch's Daughter...out." She teleported away in a cloud of green smoke.
"Robin...I'm sorry." Regina said softly. She hated to let her temper flare up like that, but she also that they were even in this situation because of her sister. None of this should've happened.
"I don't like this any more than you, Regina, but I want to know my daughter. Talking about Zelena in less than a pleasant light is clearly not going to help me with that." He replied, running a hand through his hair. "What am I going to do?"
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