Prompt Party Day 1
Prompt 166: Regina enchants Roland's birthday cake so that whatever he wishes for comes true.
Regina is very appreciative of her magic. Always has been. Even when she was the Evil Queen full time, she took a special kind of pride whenever she could enact any kind of revenge through her special powers. Fireballs, potions, and the like. It is all part of her, even now, all channeled through her emotions, all fed by the experiences and memories that have shaped her.
Except those experiences and memories are no longer all bad.
She has happiness now, in the form of her son, and Robin, and the dimple-cheeked little boy now happily showing his Uncle John the delicious chocolate cake Regina has made for him.
It's his fifth birthday, finally, now that they are no longer frozen in time, and she's arranged a wonderful party for him. The house is decked to the nines in streamers and all other manner of decorations depicting woodland creatures; little foxes peer from behind trees in the many decals she's placed on the walls, while owls loom above and squirrels roam the grass in search for acorns. And because she can, Regina has enchanted it all, so that these fake animals move along the walls and interact harmlessly with the children.
She's also added a bit of magic to the balloons so they don't pop, and to the plastic cups so that they never run out of juice... and if she's cast a little spell to make the confetti clean itself up so that she doesn't have to, well, she figures no one could blame her.
Her favorite magical enhancement of the day, though, is the spell she's put on the cake.
Roland is thrilled by the idea of making a wish as he blows the candle, a custom he's learned in this world. I'd wish for a big bowl of Rocky Road ice cream! he'd told her, Or a giant tree house in the forest! Or a horse, or chocolate...
It had been quite an adorable moment, that one, and Regina, well, she hadn't had the heart to tell him that birthday wishes don't necessarily come true. Instead, she'd set to work on finding a way to make that wish happen, whatever it was.
Night after night, she'd been going through the books in her vault (often with the distraction of the boy's father engaging her in far less studious activities), until she'd found the spell she needed. It had been complicated, and required a lot of rare ingredients and failed attempts, but finally, she'd been able to channel enough magic to make it work, and the candle atop his cake now sets off little blue and green sparks as they light it, ready to sing Happy Birthday.
The song seems to take forever. Long enough, at least, to have Robin finding her in the crowd, wrapping an arm around her waist as he slides up right next to her, and turning to land a quick kiss on her temple. He stays there, his forehead against that temple, the tip of his nose caressing her cheek as his lips whisper a thank-you for making today so special.
"It was my pleasure," she says sincerely, turning her head to meet his lips gently, a kiss that falls apart at the seams of their mirrored smiles.
And then the song ends, and silence falls as everyone waits for Roland to act.
"Alright, sweetheart, make your wish," Regina guides him, "and then blow on the candle."
He nods, then breathes in a big puff of air, his chest heaving noticeably. His nose is scrunched up, bottom lip sticking out as he stares pensively at the tiny blue flame.
It takes him a few seconds, but then he nods, and blows heavily on the candle, its light flickering off in an instant, making the whole room erupt into applause and cheerful conversation.
It doesn't last long, though.
The sounds of the party are suddenly drowned by a very loud, very strong gust of wind that enters through the open windows and doors and sweeps away plates and cups and decorations from every surface in its path. Regina's entire body tenses as she tries not to stumble and fall, her hand conjuring a fireball instantly, awaiting their enemy.
She hears the flap of wings then, carrying throughout the mansion, and then this screechy growl breaks through the confused muttering coming from her guests.
A shadow passes over the house, blocking the sun for a few seconds as those wings get closer and closer, that growl louder and louder, and then a sound like the clap of thunder startles them, and the echoing rumble makes the floor tremble under their feet.
Regina knows that rumble. She knows that growl.
"Roland no!" she yells as he runs out of the house and right in the direction that the commotion is coming from. She and Robin follow, and she can hear Henry and the Charmings running just behind.
It's roughly the size of the mansion. White with golden scales that glisten in the sun as it lands in the middle of the forest just off Main Street, trees collapsing in its wake.
"What in the world?!" Regina hears Granny huff behind them, followed by a loud gasp from Snow, and a Whoa from David. She can feel everyone tense, can see them from her periphery, all poised for a fight just as she is, her fireball still burning bright in her hand.
Except fire cannot kill a dragon.
Robin is by her side, holding her protectively and instinctively moving to stand in front of her. She stops him, though, tells him not to move, that they shouldn't frighten the creature and cause mayhem.
But Roland...
Roland just cheers.
"She's here! She's here!" he says, and the beast turns at the sound of his voice, making its— her clumsy way across the cobbled streets, claws sinking into the concrete and tearing it apart as she moves.
She doesn't seem to be poised for attack, though. Instead she seems to be... smiling.
No one moves except Roland, who takes off to meet the dragon as she moves closer. Robin reacts first, running after him, and Regina follows, her eyes still studying the creature before them.
"Roland?" she asks the boy when she reaches him. Robin has stopped him from advancing further, standing back far enough that they're still out of reach of the beast, who is now staring at them curiously.
"Look, Regina, it came true!" her little boy informs excitedly, and at his words, it all clicks.
"Roland... you... you wished for a dragon?"
"Her name is Tallulah!" he tells her, "She's exactly how I imagined! She's gonna take me flying, Regina! Wanna come with us?"
He's ecstatic, and the creature seems to share his enthusiasm, lowering her head to bring it closer to Roland, who finally breaks free of Robin's hold and runs to her, one hand already outstretched.
"Roland!" Robin yells, but the boy has reached the dragon before any of the adults can get to him.
Regina is mesmerized.
Tallulah bends her head, and Roland's hand is a tiny speck against the large scales, but she closes her eyes anyway, emitting a sound much like purring as he laughs and talks to her.
Regina looks at Robin then, and finds that his wide, scared eyes have now softened.
"Was this your birthday wish, then?" he asks his boy, "A pet dragon?"
"Isn't she pretty, Papa?! And she's a good dragon, see? She won't hurt us, I wished for a good dragon who eats apples and can live with us and now she's heeeeeeeeeere!" Roland exclaims, petting Tallulah all the while, and Robin finally turns to look at Regina.
"I... I didn't think he would... I'm... I'm sorry," she says at last, deflated. He walks to her, a small smile on his lips as his hands cradle her face.
"You've made him the happiest child in all the realms, Regina, I'd never be angry about that," he whispers, then presses his lips to hers.
She chuckles as the kiss ends, her hands catching his wrists where he still holds her face, and she looks down for a moment, shaking her head.
"I just thought he'd wish for a giant bowl of ice cream, not this," she admits, breathing out another laugh. Because of course he wished for a pet dragon. Of course.
"It'll be alright. You heard Roland. She won't hurt us. He wished it that way, and I trust your magic, we'll be safe."
She nods, still smiling at the absurdity of it all. Robin moves his hands away from her face, wrapping one arm around her waist and using his other hand to hook a finger under her chin, lifting her head and searching her eyes with his.
"Now," he starts, bussing her lips gently, amusement shining in his voice as he asks, "What on Earth are we going to do with a dragon?"
And well, that's the question, isn't it?