I don't own OUAT

"So... you lived in a mill?" Lydia cocked her head, brow furrowed in confusion. From the other end of the table, Cora let out a deep laugh, purposefully quieted, but still strange for the noble girl's status quo.

"No, I lived in a small home beside the mill." The other girl, youngest of the three wives, nodded her head. She hated the ever-present silence that dinner always contained since the arrival of Henry's future bride, and had been attempted to fix it. Cora was open to conversation, but tended not to answer personal questions. Thanks to this, there was another torturous silence, filled only with the sounds of golden forks and knives clinking against the golden plates their meals were served with. Xavier raised his head from his food, sensing the distress of his daughter-in-law.

"Cora." Her head flew up, unaccustomed to her name on such a vile pair of lips. "I sent soldiers to your father's mill this morning. You are aware that he was still listed as our chief supplier?" She nodded silently. "The place was deserted when we arrived. Have you any knowledge of where your father has fled to?" Cora glared at her plate, stabbing a bean viciously.

"He is dead." She looked up at her fiancé's hand on her shoulder, and turned to gaze at the astonished faces surrounding her at the table. Xavier opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. "To me. I want nothing to do with the old fool. I have no idea where he went." The women at the table looked slightly more relieved, though still shocked at the sudden cruelty of the normally quiet woman. Henry's brothers nodded.

"Good thinking. The peasant doesn't deserve a noblewoman's thoughts" This came from Octavian, Adele's husband, and the eldest son. First in line for Xavier's throne. It was strange to her, but Octavian seemed to have accepted her faster than the others, to some degree more than Henry had. "You may have once been on his level, but you are not there anymore. Put away all thoughts of those you knew before. You are soon to be one of us." She smiled, grateful for his words and his faith.

"Thank you." It had been a month since her engagement, and this was the first civil dinner they had had in as much time. "Might I ask a question?" While Henry's hand, which encased hers under the table, squeezed tightly in warning, Xavier waved her on. "When am I to get married? It has been a month."

"I am aware of the time that has passed, Lady Cora. However, a royal wedding takes time to plan. And you must further acquaint yourself with my son." Cora nodded, submissive looking once again. She looked back to her plate, her food hardly touched. She had not felt well in a few days. The Court Physician had found no reason for her illness, however, so she tried to ignore it. However, as she raised a small piece of meat to her lips, its sharp smell made her stomach drop, her face tinted green. Henry noticed instantly.

"Cora, are you alright?" She shook her head quickly before dropping the fork, ripping her hand from his grasp, and tearing out of the room. She closed her eyes, transporting herself across the castle to her room, not noticing the little girl left in the hall she had stood in, coughing at the smoke and wondering where her future sister had gone.

She appeared in perfect placement, her timing exceptional, before a wide basin that had been placed in her room. Kryssi, who had been hanging her gowns when she entered, ran up to her, tying her hair back with a thick leather piece that had been made for that purpose. It was that moment when a shuddering gasp tore through Cora's body as she leaned over the basin, appetite spoiled as her meal returned to her. She waved Kryssi off, sending her out of her rooms.

"Well, dearie. Have you put the Prince in his p-" Rumplestiltskin cut himself off, his words trailing as he caught sight of Cora, still heaving into the bin until she began dry heaving, all substance gone from her stomach. He rushed to her side, rubbing her back delicately. At last, she finished, leaning back against him, weak from the force required. Her pale face had grown paler still, white as a wedding gown, and was soaked in sweat. He carried her to her bed. Her body was now limp, having fainted from exhaustion.

Laid out on the bed, she looked so fragile. It was a trait he did not like seeing in her, nor one he could equate with the feisty little demon he worked with normally. He gazed at her helpless form on the bed for only a second, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, and fleeing the scene. He would not watch her like that.

As he was leaving, her door flew open. Within it stood the tiny form of a child, no more than 7 years old. She had long, flowing chestnut hair and pale skin. She had taken after her mother, King Xavier's second wife, who had died in childbirth with the girl standing in Cora's doorway. She stared at the spot where she had seen a man vanish from thin air, and then turned to Cora, laid out across the bed, her limp body contorted in a terrifying position, her skin almost waxen in appearance. The girl flew to the bed, climbing up on top of it. Her hand touched Cora's skin, cringing at the feeling. Her hand was laid across Cora's forehead, and a pale white glow came from it. As the glow spread across Cora's body, her skin began to fill with color, and her body cooled down. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at the girl in front of her.

"Sophia." Cora felt tired, weared down. Simply acknowledging the girl drained her of energy. "What happened?"

"You were unconscious with a strange man in here. Who was he?" That was hardly what Cora had meant, but she knew of Sophia's hunger for knowledge. Her curiosity would not allow her to speak with Cora without getting her answer.

"A very special man. And our little secret, I hope." The little girl nodded. Once again, she asked the girl what had happened, but this time she was interrupted by Henry. When his eyes caught sight of the scene before him, he rushed to her side, on his knees. He stroked her hair tenderly, and looked to Sophia, as though he received silent orders from her. She nodded.

"Cora... there is something you should know about Sophia's mother." He bit his lip, unsure how to continue. "Are you strong enough to try again?" The little girl nodded once again, and Cora looked into the girl's eyes. The girl's usual golden-olive colored eyes had faded to a dull green, no sign of their usual sparkle. She was concerned for the girl. Henry reached beside her and took a jeweled letter opener from a small drawer beside her bed. She had had art and calligraphy tools added recently. He took the small blade and ran in down his palm, wincing as blood boiled up to the surface of the thin cut. Sophia reached for his hand, holding it tenderly, and began to glow. Her hair floated up in gentle waves around her, a look of complete serenity crossing her face. Soon enough, the illusion ended and her hair dropped back down, the glow gone from her. Her eyes were tired, and she swayed a little.

"My momma was Queen of the Druids. And I can heal people I love, like you and Henry." Cora's eyes widen, frightened for the little girl's sakes. If that got out, everyone would use her until she could not bear it anymore. Not the least of which being her own father. As though guessing what she had been thinking, Henry took her hand gently, tracing her veins with a single finger.

"Very few of us know. And very few of us deserve to. Lydia, Octavian, Adele, and you. Well, and myself, of course." He kissed her hand. "It is a difficult thing to know, knowing you cannot save all who need it. But only Sophia can decide who is worthy." The girl succumbed to her exhaustion, her now-grey eyes fluttering shut as she curled up on Cora's lap, her head propped onto the older woman's chest. Cora brushed back a strand of the girl's hair fondly, stroking her hair as the girl slept.

"I see. I will, of course, keep her secret. She is a special girl." Cora smiled, looking down at the girl again. Henry stood, dropping her hand back onto the bed.

"Would you like to be left alone so you may rest?" Cora shook her head.

"No. I wish to discuss our wedding. It has not even been mentioned since..." She gazed down at her left hand, a large engagement ring on her finger, the stone larger than any she had ever seen before. Henry nodded, pulling over a chair. As his back was turned, the sleeping girl's eyes clicked open, a beautiful golden haze covering her eyes. She sent a knowing glance to Cora's stomach, resting her palm there gently.

"Is the special man the daddy of your baby?" Cora's eyes rolled up in her head, and she fainted once again, not hearing Henry's cries for her, or feeling Sophia return to her position against her chest. Her firstborn child was coming.