A/N: Hey guys! I tried to fix some inconsistencies and plot holes. Hope you enjoy!

I know you (I walked with you once upon a dream)

"How much do you know? About what happened, I mean."

Maleficent was always the one to break their self—established silence.

"Everything. I've known for a while now."

Especially because she saw it brought great relief to her daughter, and because the hope shining in her eyes also made the sorceress feel hope.

"How?"

Lily was grateful for her kindness.

"A man...Merlin's apprentice, he told me about you."

Maleficent seemed to lose herself in the midst of deep thoughts, "I thought the Saviour was the one to tell you."

"No." Lily frowned for a moment, measuring her words, "But I would've believed if it had been her anyway. Emma wouldn't just...go find me in the middle of nowhere if it things weren't serious. If she says my Mom is in the top 50 of the Best Animation Movie Characters, then it must be true."

There was a pause.

"Best character? How's that?"

Lily arched an eyebrow.

So, she's vain...

"Uh...Yeah, I mean, you are the Mistress of All Evil."

Not a title she didn't carry with pride anyway. Maleficent was never portrayed as someone who feared anyone or anything. She was anything but modest—except for that crap of a movie where she was a lovely fairy that was betrayed by some stupid king, but Lily never took that story seriously. For although the Apprentice hadn't told her about her mother's past, he did tell her that her hatred for Briar Rose wasn't unmotivated, neither her curse was unjustified. Lily honestly didn't care about what the world thought of her mother. Maleficent was a queen of darkness, but Lily was as sure as the sky was blue that she wasn't futile. Everything she ever did had a damn good reason. She was very patient. But one day, such patience was gone and she was forced to act.

Lily wouldn't judge her for it. She wasn't there for that.

"Is that how people call me in this world?" The real Maleficent asked then, curious to know more of what this strange world thought of her.

"It's how you call yourself. Or how you were shown to call yourself. You kinda screamed that."

Maleficent was amused, "A dragon bitch, wasn't I?"

Lily chuckled, "People like you for that, y'know?"

"They do?" Maleficent frowned. She wasn't used of having her doings appreciated. "But why?"

Lily's answer was based on her own opinions, "Cause you were always honest about who you were, of how powerful you can be. You just...did what you damned pleased and to hell with the rest. People respect that."

I respect that.

Maleficent wasn't as convinced, "If you put it that way then the people in this world see me as a role model. Which villains are definitely not."

"And that's why they like you." Lily then quoted a phrase she once read on a nerdy site, "Cause you are evil for evil's sake."

"Oh." Maleficent's eyes widened slightly and it wasn't a second before a disappointed look took over her face.

Lily wanted to curse herself a million times. The darkness, in turn, laughed inside her head. Her mother's reaction had been so unusually painful that she couldn't tell if it was because she was sad at what the world thought of her or angry at herself. Maybe both.

"I'm not saying you are that evil, I mean—" She tried to disperse it, but failed miserably. She looked down, feeling like an idiot for even having started this conversation.

"Darkness and happiness never walk together, Lily." Shyly, Lily looked up at her mother, and felt her heart ache to notice that her sadness hadn't faded yet. "Being a villain was merely a part of my life and although my evil doings did build who I am, if I'm happy today, it is because I have you with me, not because of any foolish revenge."

Lily couldn't help admitting, "I wouldn't mind if you were still evil."

And I would never ask you to change.

"You don't want to see me as I was before, Lily. Trust me on that." The young dragon was about to protest, but Maleficent gently interrupted her, "I'm aware you wish to. Which only reinforces what I just said—you don't wish to meet...the old me. Not because I'm ashamed of what I did, because I'm not. Neither do I regret anything. But the Maleficent who created the Sleeping Curse wasn't patient nor good intentioned—she only knew pain and was lost on a world of unyielding darkness that consumed her whole. She wouldn't knew how to love you. There was no room for love in her life; no place for a child in her heart. This Maleficent, however, is willing to try, if given the chance. But for that to happen, she must leave her villainy days behind. She must start anew. I must."

Lily merely stared at her mother.

What would the world think of one of Disney's greatest villains if they heard her now? She was so eager to change for the better. For good. For something greater than revenge—as if it was the only way to erase the guilt out of her heart. And her almost desperate eyes gave her away.

She wanted to be good for her daughter and for herself.

"You sure?"

Maleficent sighed. Her child clearly was not the kind of person that gave up easily. She wouldn't stop until she had a final argument—good or not.

"Villains don't have happy endings, Lily. We don't deserved it."

Realizing what she had just said, Maleficent instinctively diverted her eyes down to her own hands. Suddenly, she felt stupid for talking about her old days. Why would she do that? She didn't have any fond memories of it—it had been a very dark time of her life. Too sad to remember.

"Was it—" Lily watched intently as tears bathed her mother's eyes. Consequently, her own began to burn. "—that bad?"

Maleficent sighed quietly, and her half smile bespoke a knowledge that seemed to transcend the pain of her eyes. She reached out, and touched Lily's face in a soft caress—a contrast to what had happened in the last few minutes, when Lily only needed a little of warmth to surrender, for now Maleficent needed something to assure herself that her daughter was there in her arms, that her past was gone and that now, if allowed, she would have her happy ending. Lily touched her hand, pressing it gently against her face, enjoying the contact, getting used to it. Her mother let out a long sigh, smiling, disregarding the sadness in her eyes. Lily wanted to smile, but she was as moved as her mother. She felt like crying again. Maleficent tried to speak, but a short laugh prevented her. Feeling foolish, she planted a kiss on her daughter's cheek and whispered in her ear, "I love you so very much."

Lily simply nodded, not trusting her own voice to form a plausible answer. She closed her eyes, snuggling into the warmth emanating from her mother, and rested her head on her shoulder. Her mother did the same, wrapping her arms around the girl and they stayed like this for a long time.

Outside, the moon reached the centre of the sky, and its light entered the room, illuminating every corner. Lily always sought answers in the moon and stars, a path to her future. When she looked out the window and saw the moon, she knew she had found what she had always wanted.

A place to call home.

"Can I show you something?"

Maleficent smiled brightly, "Anything."

Lily then pulled out her crescent moon necklace.

"When I got banished here, someone left me in an orphanage." She held her necklace against the moonlight so her mother could see it clearly, "This was with me. They thought it had fallen from your neck when you...abandoned me." And she was never so relieved to know that such suppositions were far away from the truth. "I was about ten when I found out I was adopted. I heard...James and Priscilla arguing about my adoption."

"And who are those?" Maleficent asked.

"The couple that adopted me." Lily answered.

Oh.

"I don't mind if you address them as Father and Mother." Maleficent told Lily then, not wishing her to think that she would feel uncomfortable for her having, well, another family. She would always be grateful that they loved her daughter when she was not there to do it. If Lily loved them, if she saw them as her parents, as Mom and Dad, it was something Maleficent would have to learn to deal with, despise the little jealous of her heart. Because she wished it had been her to see little Lily smiling for the first time, talking for the first time, walking for the first time, and so many things she missed. She had no idea what James and Priscilla Page would think of her if they were to meet one day. She hoped, however, that they could at least be civil to each other.

'Better think of a good human name.' Said a little voice inside her mind. 'Maleficent is not endearing.'

"They're not my parents."

A frown graced Maleficent's face.

"No?"

Lily looked down at her own hands, sighing, "They raised me, but that's it."

Maleficent narrowed her eyes. Something was out of place.

"Were they...unkind to you?"

Lily shrugged, diverting her eyes away to the window, "I wasn't the best daughter in the world, so I guess we're even." Because they lied that she was their biological daughter, and as soon as she learned the truth, she was really pissed off. But she wouldn't abandon them without money. She did break into their vault using three lock-pics and a small hammer, but no one needed to know that.

"I'm sorry."

Lily wished her mother would stop saying that.

"Ain't much to talk about, really. I found out I was adopted, so I left."

"And where did you go?"

"Back to the orphanage I came from. A woman—the cook—recognized me right away. 'Was returning home when she found me at the orphanage's door...again. Said my case was the strangest thing she'd ever seen, but was glad I found a family." Which was a lie. She had never been happy with the Pages. She was never happy with anyone. Maybe in her short time with Emma, but their friendship was lost and Lily had no hope of restoring it. Throughout her life, very few people were kind to her, and to them, she would always keep a special place in her heart. For others, she barked her anger, "I told her I wanted to find you, so she gave me the necklace."

Maleficent seemed confused, "I can't understand why she would keep it." She confessed.

Lily chuckled at her mother's sincerity. She liked that. "Got myself wondering the same thing. But Mrs Johnson always saw good in people, no matter what they did. She thought that something really bad had happened for you to...give up on me. That maybe you just wanted to give me a best chance and an orphanage was the only way. But James and Priscilla didn't want me to find you, so they didn't want to keep anything that could link us. Mrs Johnson keep it, cause it wasn't uncommon for orphans to return there wanting for information about their biological parents, and so she thought it was only fair to do the same for me. If I ever wanted to find you, maybe the necklace could help."

Maleficent sounded really surprised and touched, "That was...very insightful of her. Very generous."

"Yes, it was." Lily sounded so unconvincing when she said that anyone would think she was lying.

"You didn't like her, did you?"

Her laugh was harsh this time, and it had the ring of truth that not even such a kind woman was spared from the dry darkness of her heart. "Everyone did. Great cook, great food. More like—" She didn't know how to continue, so she bit her lower lip, "Like an old aunt I've never had." The Pages were orphans like herself, so she didn't have any family beside them. "She also never lied. It was her who told me that my birthday was not on July 9, but on—"

"August 14, yes."

All the attention devoted to history has turned to that date.

She knows?

"How do you—"

"I found out by accident." Maleficent revealed. "I was packing down your things when I came across a...identification card? I think that's the name. I...I didn't know what it was. But it had your...photo, yes? And so I guessed it was yours, although your name was different. The Saviour explained why."

"Of course she did." Lily scoffed. She was clearly annoyed now. Emma had nothing to do with her life anymore. She wasn't her right to tell anyone whatever Lily did or not.

"You don't have to explain me anything, Lily. Not if you are not ready to it."

Lily frowned. Why does she has to be so...good? "I...got involved with some bad people and needed a fresh start." She felt compelled to explain herself, because her mother was kind and her interest was genuine—it held no venom, no evil intentions. She just wanted her child to feel good around her and that was more than Lily could ever had asked for.

"Sometimes we do need a fresh start." Maleficent smiled in reassurance, and Lily felt she was actually talking about herself. "But please, keep telling me about your necklace, I fear I interrupted you."

Lily had to fight a smile, "The Apprentice confirmed it belonged to you." She continued with her story, "Said it matched the mark on my wrist."

"Mark?" In response to the woman's confusion, Lily folded one of her sleeves and there it was: a scar that looked like a star. Maleficent brushed the scar with her fingertips, "Did he explain the meaning of it?"

"Yeah. It's...kinda a reference to Merlin's hat."

Maleficent pondered the information for a second, "I remember Regina mentioned it. An item capable of absorbing and accumulating magic."

Lily nodded, "And each time that happens, it gets a new star. I'm...full of darkness. Emma's darkness. And this—" She stroked her birthmark. "—It's just a sign of what they did to me. Stars are a sign to dark magic. And my pendant—"

"A piece of your eggshell." A slight movement of her fingers and suddenly the pendant began to emanate a strong blue light. Lily had never seen such a beautiful light. "I would hardly not recognized it. Any self—respectful sorceress knows a bit about potion—making. In my case, a lot more. A dragon's eggshell can be used as an ingredient for a wide variety of potions. There is powerful magic in them. As for this—" She touched the pendant. "—it contains your magic, and it can be used to locate you, if necessary, or even me. Your eggshell contains your blood, which is also mine. You're my daughter, after all."

An idea flashed inside Lily's head and she wondered if she should ask her mother about a little something she's been trying to figure out for years, as not even Apprentice himself could answer her.

Maybe this was the perfect time.

"Can I use it to find my father, too?"

There was a second of silence until Maleficent visibly tensed. Lily swallowed as blasphemies screamed inside her head. Maybe it was too soon to ask about the other half of the equation. Her mother's reaction didn't help either, opening up the possibility for something really bad. It raised doubts. Did she really want to know who her father was and what he did? Or maybe what he failed to do. No love? Probably. Lily knew she was the opposite of Emma, the Anti—Saviour, the fruit of a love that probably hadn't been true. It was very likely her father didn't even know of her existence, and if he did, he didn't want anything to do with her. After all, her mother was alone in the cave when she was attacked by the royal duo of idiots.

Lily's mind was holding in its own reasoning. Her heart ached and her pride condemned her.

What happened to her father that make him leave? Not to choose protecting his family? Not to want knowing about his own blood?

"Your father..." This was certainly not a conversation that Maleficent wanted to have so soon, but it was understandable that her daughter wanted to know about her origins. And as her mother, Maleficent knew she owed her this truth. "Yes, I suppose so. You have his blood as well."

Lily watched as her mother lowered her head, hands tightening and loosening. She was nervous and clearly uncomfortable.

"Look, we don't need—"

"No, no, no, Lily." The sorceress touched her child's arm and smiled softly, "You can ask me anything. You have the right to ask me anything. We are a family and I don't want to waste time worrying whenever is appropriate making questions or not. If you want to know about your father, I'll answer. I just—"

"Don't know where to start?"

Maleficent shook her head, and Lily sighed, not knowing whether to insist. She stared at her crescent moon pendant for a long time before removing it from her neck. "What about a name?" She suggested. Maleficent noticed the expectant gaze she was giving her and found herself defeated.

Well, that was going to be awkward.

"I don't know his name."

Time stopped. Then...

"What?"

"I don't know his name." Maleficent repeated and waited for a reaction.

But Lily was still. Or at least, her body was. Her mind was like mad.

What the hell?

It wasn't possible. Her mother was a dragon, which was pretty crazy. But Lily knew she shouldn't expect any coherence in her life.

"Damn." She thought aloud, but now it was too late to turn back. Anger, fuelled by immense fear, found a narrow path into her heart, and her blood boiled in the frustration of the unknown.

The darkness took advantage of that, of course, and it took little time for her eyes to start glowing many shades of gold.

"Did he...force you?"

In contrast, her voice sounded frightened.

"No!" Maleficent exclaimed, causing Lily to jump. Soon her eyes regained their original colour and she blinked a few times to relieve the burning sensation in her irises. That was when she felt a hand touching her shoulder, as if to emphasize the truth. "I can assure you...that it was consensual."

Lily felt as if a huge weight left her shoulders, though the anger was yet to disappear. To be the result of violence would be the worst of all nightmares. However, in order to understand what her mother meant, she knew she needed more courage than fear.

God, did she really want to talk about that sort of thing?

"What the hell happened then?" The darkness was talking now and she couldn't control it. "What, you were in such a hurry that you didn't even bother to ask or—"

"Lilith."

The moment that Maleficent's face changed, all kindness and loving glances were replaced by a cold, censoring glare, almost daring the girl to continue. Lily closed her mouth immediately.

There stood before her, the Mistress of All Evil people feared so much.

"Don't."

Inside her mind, Lily called herself a hypocrite. She was no one to judge anyone's decisions. God, she had just told her mother could do whatever she wanted with her life—even if it meant sleeping with men she had just met in a tavern. Still, it seemed so unlikely that a woman of her class and pride would choose a random man to be the father of her baby. The oldest form of independent reproduction, probably.

In any case, it was almost unbearable to be subject to such a cold look.

"I didn't—" She felt like she was choking and almost panicking. She felt like a child being rebuked after mocking someone, and this was certainly the worst feeling in her life. "I didn't mean you—"

"You better." Her mother used her authority for the first time, though she didn't seem comfortable with herself. Neither was Lily. But Maleficent knew that no cruelty lived within her child's heart, but foreign darkness. She couldn't be blamed for this, but she had to learn how to control her anger. That's why Maleficent scolded her. So that she would learn thinking before speaking, even if in her situation it was something so challenging. But she had to confess: she felt guilty and knew it would not take a minute to forgive and forget what her daughter had just said.

Oh bloody hell, she thought to herself. I've forgiven her before she said anything.

"I suppose it's not easy to understand," she said then, trying to soften the tension around them.

Lily swallowed, "No, but I—"

"Listen to me, only."

Lily nodded and continued to look down, embarrassed.

Maleficent sighed heavily. Being a mother was not easy.

"I'm not a dragon by nature." She began after a pause: "Which means I was not born with my abilities. However, I am a dragon as much as you are and the way of the dragon, which are our traditions, applies to me as well. And in order to...reproduce, I had to find myself a mate. My twin flame."

And no, she had not tried aimlessly. She knew enough of magic and her own nature to understand that the searching among men would not result in a baby, but diseases—even if she said to be immune to most of them.

"Twin flame?"

The first time Lily heard the term was on a religious service she was forced to attend with her...with the Page family. But were dragons religious? Did fairy-tale characters even know what this was? Lily was raised in a religious family, but she never followed such faith with her heart. She later tried to knows others, different in name and rules, but when none of them could fill the void in her chest, the girl gave up.

She simply didn't expect her mother to follow such beliefs.

"Like in Spiritism?"

Maleficent hesitated, "I...I'm afraid I don't know what that means."

Lily pursed her lips, "Right. So, uh...your twin flame?"

Maleficent nodded, "Yes. A twin flame is a piece of a happy ending. Dragons are born destined to find their own—which needn't necessarily to be another dragon. Your father was a remarkable one."

Was? Lily felt a cold shiver run through the edges of her body, "So he...he is not—"

"I cannot tell. We..." Words didn't come to her easily this time, and her voice trailed off as the sight of flaming, piercing eyes flashed before her memories in a distant thought. A lonely sigh left her lips in the middle of a confession: "We parted ways before you were born."

"Just like that?" The darkness was asking, taking the sadness that threatened to turn into tears and sobs.

So her twin flame—the father of her child—had left her?

" Why?"

Had they fought over something? Or she sent him away, anything was possible. Dragons were passionate—Lily knew it herself; a cut in her hand was enough to awaken the rage of the dragon speaking in her head. Her mother would not be any different, even though she was centuries ahead of her. She clearly loved her mate still, so his departure hadn't been on good terms—she wished he hadn't left.

Why did he then?

"Dragons have isolated lives." Maleficent, however, did not fail to notice her child's confused thoughts, and so she explained how things worked for their kind. "Apart from that, there is mating. A female must find a mate, which will father all the children she shall bear throughout her life, and then, after the nuptial flight, they take different paths, but the male is always allowed to visit his female as many times as necessary."

"But he didn't." Lily concluded rather too quickly.

Maleficent shook her head, "Yes, he did. Almost too many times, I'm afraid. He was so...so worried. He didn't want me to be alone. Dragon's eggshells are quite valuable, for its magic can stop people from ageing. Which makes a female dragon an easy target for hunters and—" Her voice failed her as her worst memory flash back behind her eyes, which she instantly closed. "I'm so sorry I—"

"It wasn't your fault." Lily said, gathering some courage to grab her hand. Maleficent's eyes opened in a shot at the sudden contact and as she lowered her gaze, surprised at the sight of their joined hands, a grin grace her lips. She looked like a child on a Christmas morning. Her happiness was so pure, so innocent, her enthusiasm was so contagious that Lily found herself smiling as well.

And then, she was chuckling.

"...what?" Maleficent eyed her child with a fond smile.

Lily simply shook her head, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"So, uh..." She cleaned her throat, "Dad wasn't with you."

Maleficent tilted her head to the new word, but mentioned nothing about it.

"He wasn't." She answered then. "But he could visit me. We kept in touch through letters, and he...used to send me gifts through his men, from perfumes to dresses, even jewellery. Sometimes food and the finest mead. For you, it was the same thing. Your baby rattle was also a gift."

Oh?

Lily glanced at the little silver thing wrapped in her hand. Her lips became startlingly dry and any walls preventing her from reasoning, from giving in, were put down to waste. It seemed that her heart was crushed by her ribs and the air was missing in her chest.

Damn it.

So he cared.

In a crazy, draconian way, lonely but loving at the same time, living miles away in another realm, without even knowing the name of the mother of his daughter.

Why?

Due ancient traditions that Lily couldn't understand.

Lily didn't know why she awaited for a simpler tale. Life itself was complex. The extravagance of her origins was fascinating and she felt like laughing before such fantasy and surrealism, and yet, so much sense.

For there was no other explanation for what happened.

It was a dragon thing.

Period.

"There was also a foal—" Maleficent paused as she began to laugh at what appeared to be a distant and good memory. "A black unicorn." She corrected herself. "It was a gift for your birth, and it was so small—it didn't reach up to my waist, like those smaller breeds, but your father assured me that it would grow to become the black stallion it was born to be. It was a lovely being. It was a male, so I named it Diablo."

Of course.

The information settled in her brain and Lily opened her mouth many times, but nothing was said because she found herself unable to even breathe.

How could he know? How could he have predicted that she would grow to love horses too? That for her, horses were the most beautiful creatures in the world? At Halloween, she always dressed like a cowgirl. If not, she would dress like some villain to scare the other kids and steal their candy. When she got older, she practically begged her father to pay for riding lessons. She proved to be so good that she even won racing competitions! She would have become a horse tamer if had she finished her studies without so many red flags in her school record. It was the dream of a girl who was forgotten behind many others as her life grew more obscure and lonely. It was not something she liked to remember, though her life had not been filled with fond memories.

It was also no good noticing the extent of what was taken from her. Because, in the end, she could not help but wonder how wonderful her life should have been, how peaceful and lively her childhood could have been—with her mother teaching her everything she knew and how her father cared for nothing bad to happen to them. She did not want to think about what would have been riding the most beautiful stallion of all. It was too painful. The more she knew her origins, the more she realized how fate had been unfair to her. Because she would've been so happy had her parents raised her. Because she would've been educated and trained to be the best dragon in all realms. Because she would've been a hero, who knows? With her powers, she could have helped many people.

She wanted to have the chance to do it.

But luck was never on her side.

Which was bad enough already.

"You think it could be here? In Storybrooke?" There was a small flame of hope, faint and almost to fade, but perhaps not all was lost.

Maleficent, however, had to be realistic.

"I don't know if it survived the Dark Curse, or if even was sent here with us, but we can search if you want."

"Yes, please." Her sudden enthusiasm was passionate, and Maleficent looked at her suspiciously, not understanding why her daughter was so eager to find her unicorn. Children certainly loved pets, but Lily was no longer a child.

"I like horses," Lily explained at the curious look of her mother.

Maleficent smiled then, pleased to learn more about her daughter. "Is that so?"

The young dragon seemed ashamed to admit it out loud, so she nodded in silence.

"Your father also did," said Maleficent suddenly. "He's always been keen to make that clear."

"But why would a dragon need a horse?" She understood that a unicorn was a pet to a child, not a dragon.

Maleficent laughed lightly, "Dragons have their possessions, taking our nature, and we take great care of everything we fancy. I owned a fortress and extensive gardens. Your father owned his lands, his men and his horses. According to his culture, horses could be more valuable than gold. Owning a good breed was synonymous of great respect among the people. Your father followed these traditions because it made easier for the people to trust him."

"And...he told you all this, but not his name?" Lily couldn't understand.

Maleficent wouldn't blame her, "I know all this because it's what dragons do, Lily. We're aware of our nature—that it scares people. Some dragons prefer them to fear us, others choose to fight for their respect."

"So he wasn't a villain?" That would shorten her list by half, at least.

Maleficent made a face. How to make her understand?

"I don't know. I never saw him in human form."

Lily's eyes widened.

Oh, damn, all this time her mother was talking about her mate's dragon form?! She probably saw no difference between one form or another. She had been a dragon for most of her life, so it was all the same to her.

"Seriously?"

Maleficent shrugged, "That's the way of the dragon, Lily. One day you will understand, when you fall in love."

Lily scoffed at the mere thought, and her cheeks burned bright red.

To Maleficent, it was rather amusing. She saw her younger self in her child—so insecure, so full of pride and anger, so willing to fight for what she wanted. But Maleficent could only find true happiness when she allowed herself to love.

And she loved her mate. She missed him—everything about him. His presence, the warmth of his eyes, his strength, his magic. He was her beloved one, the flame inside her heart. A creature of rather intimidating appearance, with several central horns sitting atop its head, just above its large, warped ears while large teeth poking out from the side of its mouth—a preview of the terror hiding inside. He carried himself with pride and stood illustrious and mighty against his enemies. But what she loved the most was his giant obsidian wings enveloping her much smaller body at night.

She missed his passion as well. She missed it all. She wanted him back, to be with her, to meet their child, to rebuild their broken family.

Describing how he made her feel wasn't difficult. However, no word could encompass such a persistent and tenacious emotion. It had been as intense as it had been simple. One may called it mate connection. In short, they understood each other. She fell in love with his pride and sense of honour. He fought bravely against an army to gain her favour. She had been wary of him at first, not out of fear, but doubt—was he worthy of her, of being the father of her young? Would they be as strong as him and as cunning as herself?

Lily definitely was. She was the living proof of the powerful bond between her parents, though she would never understand the depth of what they felt for each other.

She didn't have to, nor did she want to.

It would be a trauma for a life time.

"You think..." Lily frowned as many possibilities unfolded in her mind. "Do you think Dad could be here, too?"

Maleficent felt her heart warm at Lily's acknowledgement of her family bonds. Perhaps, in a time not too far away, she would also be Mom.

Hopefully.

"Dragons have a strong connection with their family. But the wall around the city blocks any magic from outside. If the wall didn't exist, I would've know you were alive and well. The same can be said about your father—when a dragon's mate dies, the other will feel their bond break immediately. If he was here, then I would've felt it."

"So he it not." Lily concluded dryly.

How great.

"The curse probably didn't reach him in time. He can literally be anywhere in the Enchanted Forest. He may not even—"

She didn't finish it. Wasn't brave to. She didn't even want to think about it.

Lily felt a sense of dread run down her spine.

Damn it.

"So my necklace is useless?"

"I wouldn't call it that way. Perhaps there is a way to track him down. Just...not using common methods. When it comes to dragons, magic is never so simple."

Right.

"We need to find him." I mean, really. If her father was an innocent, if he cared for his family as much as it looked like, then Lily wanted to meet him. She had to meet him. She had to find him, so then her family would be complete, so then her mother would have her mate by her side and so her happy ending would be finally more than an impossible dream.

But first, she needed help.

"You...you want to find him?"

Her mother's surprise made Lily confused, "You don't?"

Wasn't he her mate?

"I do, but...that might take not only a few days...perhaps weeks. Months! Are you...are you willing to stay for so long?"

"He's my father." Lily stated simply. To her, it was obvious. "And you miss him."

Maleficent felt a light blush colour her usual pale cheeks, "We don't know what might had become of him, Lily. The truth might...not be kind. It never is. I've ready myself to upcoming...bad news but you—"

"I'm not made of porcelain. I won't break."

Maleficent let out a sigh, "I envy you on that."

The way Lily's eyes widened in realization reminded Maleficent of her childhood, when reading fairy tales while singing and dancing in circles; a time where she had found the white unicorn whose magic would give her a glimpse of her mate, the father of her child. Lily was their hatchling and Maleficent was so sure her mate would've been very proud of her. Her eyes, like his, even under the mere light of a lamp, gleamed shades of hazel, an eternal reminder of any forbidden feelings the dragon of dark scales had placed upon her heart. He had left her the greatest gift she could have ever asked of him—to expect them to live happily ever after, however, it would be to hope too much for a woman at her age. The way of the dragon was harsh and unkind and one cannot expect much more than one single night of magic.

Walking away from him was the hardest thing she ever did. She had felt so linked to his magic that she was ready and willing to take on any feat of life, so long as she had her mate by her side. With him, she felt secure and protected. Regardless of anything, he always made her her feel save—as she had a guardian by her side. Later, when sleeping under his wings at the feel of his low purring against her ear, she couldn't imagine her life without him.

Yet, there were the traditions. One day they parted ways, and he promised her to return, to help her raising their young. And although her mind didn't want to believe him, her heart did and it pained her that her mate hadn't been able to reach her in time, before the Dark Curse, before the loss of their baby.

As the Evil Queen had her trapped in her dungeons—a punishment for whatever she did against her—ending her own life became an option. Easier would be if she had actually done it, and it was cowardly of her to have even considered it, Regina would've said. The Mistress of All Evil would never give into the pain of loss and suffering and suicide became an unthinkable word in her vocabulary, and at the same time, Maleficent saw such desperate attitude as the most likely of possibilities. For without her family, she was nothing.

And Maleficent hated being useless.

As she did now.

"Do you—" Lily's voice was trembling and her eyes were down, trying not to break, to recollect any useful questions, "Do you know where he...came from? It might help on tracking him down. Everyone knows everyone here."

But she didn't, as he had been the one to find her in the Enchanted Forest, not otherwise, and she made it clear by letting her child know this through one uncomfortable silent response and sad eyes.

Lily pursed her lips, annoyed at herself. "Right." Frowning, she put her necklace around her neck. Her mind worked miraculous plans. It was the least she could do for her mother and for herself.

For my family.

"I'll have to talk to Emma. She can help. That's what she does."

"But—"

The young woman didn't let her mother finish as she pulled away and raised from the bed, walking to the door and out to room.

Maleficent was by her side in a second and grabbed her arm gently, "Wait, please."

Lily turned and frowned at her mother. Maleficent felt all complacency and hope from their previous hours together turn into worry and anxiousness. Shame and regret enveloped her mind and soul and she could only cast her eyes always, unable to face her child any longer.

"I'm sorry."

But Lily wasn't mad at her. She was just anxious. Also, she was tired of being defeated by fate. If her mission was to find her father, then so it be.

"Don't wait up."

Maleficent didn't have time to protest as Lily had already took off down the corridor in firm steps. She was on a mission and nothing would prevent her from accomplishing her destiny.

And, of course, not even her mother would stop her from asking her father to kill the Evil Queen and the un—Charmings for messing up with their lives.

He owned her this one.

He sure did.

A/N: There is more about this dragon thing than Maleficent let it show. More answers in the next chapters. Anyway, thanks for reading!