Regina rejoined Emma and her parents, and her father at the beginning of the storytelling competition. She told her father that Cora had gone to lay down for a bit and he did not question it or her about what she and her mother had been doing. She wondered what her mother had told her father – a lie most certainly but what kind of lie. Despite the admonishment given to her by her mother, she couldn't help but look at her father in a different light. She had always assumed that it was more her mother than her father that had kept her from knowing about her magic. Now she knew they were in it together.

She took her seat next to Emma who leaned over. "How did it go?" she said quietly.

"Not as well as I would have liked," she said. Emma put her hand on hers and gave it a quick squeeze.

They couldn't talk about it in their current setting so they both remained silent as the competition began.

Those competing told a variety of stories, but it was the next to the last one that got Regina's attention the most. He was an older gentleman who was skilled in the art of conveying a story to an audience. She leaned forward in her seat a little as he told the story of Emma's parents. Most everyone had probably heard the story in one form or another before – Regina was vaguely familiar with it mostly from what Emma had told her – but this man wasn't focusing so much on the romance of it all but of the magic involved in their story.

He told the story of how Snow was put into an everlasting sleep spell by the sorceress Maleficent in an attempt to gain power over the kingdom from Snow's father. Maleficent had the power to transform into a dragon and it was in this dragon form that Charming and she battled.

"The soon-to-be king faced down the dragon showing no fear," the man said. "Perhaps he didn't feel any or perhaps he was emboldened by the blade he held in his hand. For this was no ordinary blade. This blade was imbued with magic. No man can ever question his bravery as even with a blade such as this, it took his strength of will to wield it in the face of a fire-breathing dragon."

"But where did this magic blade come from? And how did our young knight know it would be effective against the sorceress? You see Maleficent had made no secret of her desire for power and in her quest for the ultimate power she made many enemies, not just amongst the kingdoms, but also among her fellow magic wielders," he said. "A group of five of those skilled in the arts – led by the future queen Cora – banded together to make a weapon that would defeat Maleficent."

When he said her mother's name Regina looked first at her father who appeared to be stunned that this had been said out loud.

There were whispers among the crowd of people as if this was a revelation to them all. Next, she looked at Emma who was also looking at her with a questioning face as if she too wondered if Regina knew this. From her expression, Regina guessed it was news to Emma as well.

Regina wasn't even paying attention to the rest of the story at this point as she absorbed this information. Her mother had used magic to help Emma's parents. Her mother had helped to save Snow's life by using her magic. She turned back to the storyteller, oblivious to the looks now being exchanged between her father and Emma's parents.

She listened as he went on to talk about how Charming used the sword to defeat Maleficent.

Once the story was over the crowd erupted into cheers at the telling.

Regina suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. Without saying anything she got up and left. Emma was on her feet a second later.

"Stay," Henry said. "I will check on her. It won't do for the crowd to see both of their queens leave."

Emma wanted to tell him she didn't care what the crowds thought but she knew she couldn't. She nodded at him and took a seat. She turned to her parents who were sitting to her side but a little bit back from her. They were talking in low voices that she couldn't make out. Her mother saw her staring at her though and stopped talking.

"Emma …"

"Why did you never tell me that Regina's mother was involved?"

"Cora and the others didn't want it known," Snow responded quickly. "They had their reasons and we respected their wishes."

"Then how did that storyteller know?"

"We don't know," Charming said. "But we're going to find out."

Emma turned back to where the next storyteller was setting up for his turn. She looked once more at the empty seat beside her and hoped that Regina was alright.

The next storyteller, whom she wasn't even listening to, was partway through his tale when something occurred to Emma. If Cora had helped her parents it would stand to reason that they got along. Indeed she had never witnessed animosity between them although she figured some of it was merely them being pleasant to each other because of their daughters. But now she wondered why the other kingdoms were afraid that her parents' kingdom and Regina's parents' kingdom would ever go to war again if Cora was responsible for helping the kingdom survive by defeating Maleficent. Why were they insistent that she and Regina marry?

She hated that she had even thought it, but their union was supposed to be something to unite the kingdoms yet it would appear they already were in one way at least.

She glanced back at her parents again for a few seconds and wondered what else they hadn't told her.

"Regina!" Henry said catching up to his daughter who had made it out of the building and was walking toward the castle. She spun around to face him.

"Don't try and stop me," she said. "I am going to speak to her and whether she likes it or you like it, I am going to get some real answers for once."

She turned from him and continued her strides and he came up alongside her.

"Regina," he said. "What is it that you think you are going to accomplish by barging in on your mother over a story told by someone who wasn't even there?"

"Are you saying the story isn't true because the way you reacted to it makes me believe otherwise? You were surprised just as I was. Did she not tell you either?"

"Your mother has not kept secrets from me."

Regina laughed at this, knowing just how wrong her father was.

Henry grabbed a hold of her arm and forced her to stop. "Listen to me. Your mother was a different person back then. Yes, I am well aware of her participation in Snow's rescue. It's actually how I first met your mother. All of the kingdoms were concerned about Maleficent succeeding. There was a council called – it was one of my first as king – and it was there that I met Cora as she told us what she could of Maleficent. She never hesitated in agreeing to help us and gathering others she knew who could do magic to help the cause."

"If you knew, why did you look surprised?"

"Because no one was ever to know of the magic wielders' role in all of it. Knowing that would pose a danger to them and anyone they cared about."

Regina cocked her head to the side slightly and she lost a little of her steam. "How so? What difference would it make if people knew?"

"You know Regina I was hoping that with your marriage to Emma you would learn to grow up a little more. You act as if your life has been so hard – no I am not discounting that you have had a rough time coming to terms with your magic – but you have never known real hardship. You've never had to make the kinds of life and death decisions that your mother and I have. Maybe it's our fault. Maybe we sheltered you too much from such things," he sighed. "Come, we will speak to your mother together. Maybe it's time you knew the sacrifices Cora has made to keep you safe."

…

Cora was surprised when Henry entered their chambers with Regina and for a moment she wondered if Regina had told her father what they had been doing that afternoon. When Henry proceeded to tell her about the story that was told she was more than a little shocked.

"Who is this storyteller and where did he come from?" Cora asked Regina.

"Um … I don't know off the top of my head, but I can find out," Regina answered. "Now does someone want to explain why it is a big deal that he told this at all?"

Cora looked at Henry who merely nodded.

"Sit," Cora said and she waited for Regina to do so. Once she did, she began to speak. "My involvement in the defeat of Maleficent was meant to be a secret. All of us were to be kept a secret. We always intended for Charming to have all the credit and honestly, it belongs with him. The man is insanely brave – perhaps to a fault, but the point is it was to be his glory alone. In a lot of ways, it starts before all of that. It started with dark times for all of the kingdoms."

"We had grown complacent over the years," Henry chimed in. "We had not had a war in generations and this time of peace made us blind to the undertones that were happening. There was petty infighting, jealousies, even an assassination attempt on one of the rulers of another kingdom. Everywhere there seemed to be strife of some sort. I had not yet ascended to the throne when I first came to understand that all was not as peaceful and perfect as we believed it to be. You have heard the stories of the blight that attacked our crops a generation ago. Farmers lost their livelihood and many of our people were starving. Some had even resorted to killing wild horses just to have food to put on their tables."

Regina was aware of this. She had heard the stories from tutors who taught her the importance of a kingdom having a strong agricultural base. The wholesale destruction of crops was not something she had experienced in her life, however.

"It wasn't only our kingdom," he continued. "There were harsh winters to the north that decimated entire settlements. It was as if the world itself was finding ways to make us feel our own mortality."

"The hardship was felt most by the poor," Cora said and Regina was reminded of her own mother's background in that respect. "There was discontent that seemed to spread across the land and much of it was laid at the doorsteps of the rulers. The people looked to them to fix these things even though it was laughable that a king or queen could make the snow stop falling."

"My father took it hard," Henry said. "He wanted to help the people but what can you do when disease attacks your crops? The rulers of the kingdoms met and they brokered deals – food in exchange for clothing, horses in exchange for hunters who could rid the lands of the wolves that had come out to hunt in force, even daring to attack men. It was a large-scale trade operation and it worked. The kingdoms no longer treated each other like separate entities that had no reason to come together or work toward a common goal. Still, there were lingering resentments and it wasn't an immediate turnaround – it took years. I do believe it was this time that turned my father into the old man he seemed to be at the end. When he died, I ascended to the throne earlier than I was prepared for and I would be tested as a ruler sooner than I would have liked."

Regina wanted to ask questions as she had yet to see where this connected with the story she had just heard, but she remained silent as her parents continued to speak.

"Snow lost her mother at a young age," Cora said. "After a while, her father felt that he should remarry and give Snow a mother figure. He chose a woman who seemingly came from nowhere. He was enamored by her; some later would say he was enchanted by her. Her name was Maleficent. The wedding was set and Maleficent was due to be Snow's stepmother but Snow didn't like the woman and she convinced her father to call off the wedding. He did so and Maleficent disappeared for several years, only to reappear to put Snow under the sleeping curse. She wanted to force Snow's father into giving her the kingdom, something she thought was due to her and that Snow had taken from her."

"The kingdoms again came together just as they did during those dark times and decided that we must face this threat together because if Maleficent were to win and take control of the White kingdom, what prevented her from going after any of the others?" Henry said. "At this meeting was your mother who had approached us because of …" he trailed off, looking at Cora.

"Because of my familiarity with Maleficent," Cora finished for him. "I knew her and I knew she would not be stopped by mere force alone. I knew her well enough to know that if Charming, who by this time had already fallen in love with the princess, were to confront her that she would try to intimidate him by transforming into her other form – that of a dragon. That was her weakness, her dragon form while powerful can't do magic. I and others enchanted the sword just as the storyteller said. When Charming struck her with it, it froze her in that form and she was helpless. While he went off to share true love's kiss with Snow, we took Maleficent away and hid her. Snow was rescued and she and Charming went on to get married as you know."

"And I met your mother and was impressed by her bravery and I ended up asking her to be my queen after we courted for a while," Henry said, looking at Cora with undeniable love.

"So why keep this a secret?" Regina asked, still not understanding.

"Mal was defeated, she wasn't killed. I drew the line at that," Cora said. "Only five of us know where she is hidden away at. We felt it was important to keep the whole thing secret. If people believed she was destroyed completely, all the better, so no one would go looking for her. Now some people believe she lives – I've heard the story told many ways. Some say Charming killed her, some say he wounded her to the point of death of showed her mercy and let her live. The important detail that was to be left out was that we magic users hid her away. Even the idea that this storyteller knows of my involvement puts me on edge because the only ones who should know that are the five of us who were there, Snow and Charming, and the rulers of kingdoms. This is dangerous knowledge because if someone were to go looking for Maleficent and succeed in breaking her from her prison if she was ever released into the world again, she will have her revenge."

"And that revenge would surely start with your mother," Henry said.

"And I know Maleficent well enough that she wouldn't strike at me directly, she would strike at those I love first. She would save me for last," Cora said. "I turned my back on magic after that. I wanted nothing to do with it because I saw how easily it could be used for ill. Maleficent wasn't just someone I knew. She was my friend and she was my teacher and in the end, I betrayed her because I could not stand by and watch her pervert her magic in a quest for revenge. I have kept this part of me a secret because of the dangers it would pose to you, my daughter."

"But she is locked away. She is safe?" Regina asked.

"Yes. Each year one of us travels to where she is hidden and makes sure of it," Cora said. "Now do you understand why I had no wish for you to use magic?"

"No," Regina said standing. "You said magic is dangerous. You said it's not dangerous in and of itself but in how it is used. Did you think that I would do something like that? Did you think that I would be like her?"

"Of course not," Henry said.

"Then why?"

"Because it doesn't need to be part of your life," Cora said. "Let's say we had let you learn magic, what would you do with it? What use would it have to you as a ruler of a kingdom? Believe me, it has none. When you begin looking down a path that leads to magic, how do you draw the line at what kind of magic you will learn and use? It's not a lesson you can learn without experiencing it. I experienced it. Here is another part of the story that has never been told. The sleeping curse that Snow as put under – I made it. Maleficent used it but the only reason it even existed was because of me. So stand there and judge me if you want, but I know where those paths of magic lead and I will not have my daughter facing the kind of choices I've had to make."

Regina took a step back from her mother. She looked at her father. "Did you know that she …"

"Yes," he said. "She told me. Your mother doesn't keep secrets from me. And yes, before you ask, I knew she was with you this afternoon to help you control your magic. I could tell something was weighing on her mind last night – you begin to know these things about your spouse the longer you are married. I finally got it out of her this morning but she asked me to feign ignorance so that any repercussions of anyone finding out would fall solely on her. Like I said, your mother will make sacrifices for the ones she loves."

Regina backed up again. "I um … I need some time," she said before quickly exiting the room.

Henry came over to his wife and hugged her.

"If it's possible I think she will hate me even more now," Cora said.

"You don't know that," Henry said. "Have faith in our daughter."

"There is so much she doesn't understand," Cora said. "And that is our fault. We shouldn't have let her leave the room. We should have talked to her some more, made her understand."

"And how would we have done that without telling her the truth?"

"I don't know," Cora said. "I don't like this. The storyteller knowing about this, there is something wrong. I have a bad feeling that this isn't some weird coincidence that a storyteller would know of these things and choose this time to tell such a tale."

"We will get through this," Henry said holding onto her a little tighter. "Everything we have done has been to keep our daughter safe and nothing changes that. Nothing will ever change that."