It had been two days since Maleficent flew off to find the dragon mountains and in her absence, Zelena assumed control of the freed dragons. She always felt something missing when she wasn't with Mal and it picked at her mood. Mal needed no protection of course and she had Lily with her, but Zelena worried nonetheless. The children were happy to help her with everything and she was glad of it, but she often sent them off to play instead. Regina helped as well but when she wasn't busy, Oziana dragged her off for some attempt at courting probably. Eric was still here and was completely smitten with the largest orange female dragon named Pharaoh. It was rare to see them apart for any length of time.
Within a day, Zelena had moved many of the dragons to Kiamo Ko with a portal linking the city to the tunnels. Many of the dragons were far too big and in the city they would have to remain in human form. If they wanted to take dragon form, they could just come back to the area Regina created around the tunnels. With this system in place, everything seemed to run smoothly.
For the time being, Zelena could take a break and spend the day with the kids. She stepped out of the tent she shared with her family and once again found her son playing in the mud with a bunch of other dragonlings. A large male was watching over them and he too was coated in layers of mud while slathering more onto his flank with his tail. Zelena scowled at the thought of having to clean Erec up. Then she noticed that another older dragon was helping a little dragonling put mud on its back. The dragonling seemed tired and hot and perked up when the mud hit his scales. Perhaps that was why Erec liked playing in it. Maybe it felt good. Now that she thought about it, many animals liked to wallow in mud to protect themselves from the heat, to remove parasites or regulate their body temperature. As far as she knew, Mal would rather pull out a scale than take a mud bath, but then again, Mal hadn't been raised with dragons, only Eric, and even he spent a lot of time around humans. Zelena looked around for Cynara and Adrienne and smiled when she found them sitting together beneath a tree with a few more dragonlings in human form. Cynara had a scowl on her face while Adrienne placed a crown of flowers on her head. They were so adorable. She hated to interrupt them but she knew they would jump at the chance for a magic lesson. She was about to make her way over when she noticed a little boy run by with horns on his head. She flicked an eyebrow when she realized that the horns were part of a headband and were very familiar. More children followed with similar looking headpieces and two were carrying a staff like Mal's.
Zelena turned her head as Regina approached her. "Having fun?"
"I've been telling stories all day for the kids. I'm running out of material." Regina said.
"I bet Oziana hasn't." Zelena muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing. I'm guessing you had something to do with this." She gestured to the children. "Selling Maleficent merchandise to the babies?"
Regina shook her head. "They wanted an exciting story about a dragon and my first thought was Mal."
"You must really know how to tell a story."
"I try. What are you up to? Anything that needs to be done?"
"For now, no. I was actually about to collect the children for a magic lesson. Would you like to join us? You know, unless you and Oziana have plans for another horse ride through the golden fields of the Vinkus."
Regina narrowed her eyes at her. "What's that supposed to mean? It was just a tour."
Zelena only smiled. "Right." They both looked over at her young son when they heard a squeal of laughter. He was chasing some more dragonlings across the grass, leaving a muddy trail in their wake. She was glad of it, happy to see her children happy and fitting in, being amongst their own kind. She felt the same way about Mal. She knew Mal was happy with her place in her life and everything they'd gained and built, but there would always be a piece of her that longed for her own kind and Zelena knew that. She wished that she had thought of bringing Mal to Oz before now. Perhaps she could've saved more of the dragons and less of them would be orphans.
"Zelena?" Regina said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"
"Yes, just thinking about how much this means to Mal. To know that she's not alone anymore."
"She was never really alone though and she certainly isn't now. This is another adventure and she gets to enjoy it with her family."
"Thank you."
Regina shrugged her shoulders. "It's the truth."
They walked towards their tents and caught sight of Sona and Sanah arguing not so quietly away from the others. Zelena glanced at Regina and led the way over to them.
"We should be moving out. Why do you linger, Sanah?"
Sanah had Guinivere sitting between her front paws and the little dragon was purring as her mother groomed her. "This is a discussion for all of our leaders, all of our people."
"Our leaders are dead." Sona hissed. "We are the only ones capable of-"
"Helena is still alive. She is one of the oldest of us now. She should have a say."
"Helena might as well be dead." Sanah's head whipped up to glare at the other dragon and Zelena noticed the frills bristling along her back. "She is not a queen anyway. Her claim to fame was her flying ability, which she no longer has."
"She doesn't have it because she damn near died trying to protect people. How would you like it if I ripped off your wings and told you that you no longer mattered? She lost her wings, her mate who she was with for over a hundred years, and her home...She is entitled to her grief, Sona. I know you haven't lost as much as the rest of us, but you do not command all of us. You never have and you never will."
Sona growled sharply. "Then rouse Helena."
"How can we have a discussion without all of the queens?"
"There are no more queens and we only have one king. Tirius is the only king that matters and he will just agree with us."
"I mean Maleficent, Glorya, Furia, not to mention the others that will have to step up and fill in roles we need to function."
"Regina!" Guinivere called. "Zelena!" She ran towards them but stopped suddenly, her wings drooping. "Beth isn't back yet?"
"Not yet." Regina said. "I'm sorry." Guinivere sighed and walked back to Sanah. "She'll be back in a few days."
"What are we discussing?" Zelena asked, looking up at Sona, who was a large blue dragon when in dragon form.
"Returning home of course." Sona replied stiffly. She glared at Sanah again. "I am grateful for Maleficent and everything she and her family have done, but she is not-"
"Cynder was an honorary queen and as her daughter, Maleficent inherits her title and all the respect that accompanies it. We will wait until she and the others get back before we make any decisions."
"How did you know Cynder was Mal's mother?" Zelena asked.
"Am I wrong?"
"No."
Sanah looked at Sona. "You may go. This discussion is over." Sona glared at her again but she turned around and strode away to be embraced by her human followers rather than continue arguing.
"Is there a problem?" Zelena asked.
"No, she just wants to return to her throne."
"Who is Helena?" Regina asked.
"Ashara's mother." Zelena flicked an eyebrow when she noticed Regina stiffen.
"What happened to her?"
"She paid a heavy price. She used to be beautiful." Sanah said softly. "One of the most beautiful dragons in the world. Her beauty was one thing, but she was the best flyer. The greatest. On the day Windscar attacked, she was among those who flew out to stop the raiding party from burning the Emerald City to the ground. She was a better flyer so she reached them first. It was a mistake. She slowed them down, long enough for us to reach her and stop them from causing too much damage, but she paid for it."
"They tore her wings off?" Zelena said.
"Yes. Our best healers only just managed to keep her alive." Sanah looked away. "She used to be so vibrant, so full of life, so...annoying. She lost her mate in the battle and she never recovered."
"Where is she?"
"Down the tunnels. She came out once, but she went back under. She's very scarred and she was always vain when it came to her looks. She doesn't want to be seen or pitied. Ashara is the only one she will allow to come near her."
"Can you use the Grimmerie?" Regina asked, looking at her sister.
"I could, but I haven't had enough practice with it." Zelena replied. "If I used one of its spells without proper knowledge I might regrow her wings without the bones or something. It's terribly specific and in another language that I've yet to fully master. I know a healing spell like that in the Grimmerie, but it would entail reopening her wounds before healing them. I don't think we should put her through that."
"What are you going to do?" Sanah asked.
"I'm going to give her her wings back." Regina assured her.
"Using your healing spell on wounds that big and old is going to kill you." Zelena frowned.
"I know something that can help."
Zelena seemed to come to the same solution as her and shook her head. "If you're thinking about making a deal with the Dark One…"
"Of course not. I'm going to make a deal with his wife. I'll see if I can appeal to her compassionate nature."
Zelena shook her head again. "Exhaust your other options before you make a decision please. Let the Dark One be your last resort."
Regina nodded. "Agreed. I have to go home then and look in my vault."
"Let me know if you don't find something. I can check my vaults too."
"Wait!" Guinivere called. "Can I go see Elizabeth? Mommy?" She looked up at Sanah with puppy dog eyes.
"I do not know that world." Sanah replied. "And I cannot let you go alone, my love."
"You could come with her." Regina shrugged. "Storybrooke's had its fair share of dragons."
"It won't cause trouble?" Sanah asked. "They will not attack?"
"Someone might be upset, but you'll be with me. I'm the mayor, the...queen. They wouldn't dare."
Sanah looked down at Guinivere, who purred happily, her tail quivering rapidly with excitement at seeing her friend again. "So be it."
/
"I see them!" Ashara's cry brought Mal to attention. She'd been mindlessly flying behind Lily for hours now, seeing nothing but miles of forest broken by the occasional body of water or field. Mal looked down and found that they were coming to a broad river that cut through the landscape and split the mountains ahead down the middle. She picked up speed to keep up with Ashara. "Maleficent, look!" On either side of the river pass, great dragon statues had been carved from different material. Some were marble or ivory. Others were granite and onyx and a few had been painted, but the colors were faded. There were sixteen in all and each one was vastly different, each one a different breed.
"Who are they?" Lily asked.
"Some of our most famous. Great warriors, great sorcerers, great flyers, teachers, leaders." Ashara paused to hover in front of the statue of a dragon with large wings. The wings had been painted but the colors had long since faded. Mal could see some gold and blue but she wasn't sure. The statue was very detailed, down to every scale and purple gems had been placed into the eye sockets. "This is my mother, Helena. The greatest flyer the world had ever seen."
"What happened to her?" Mal asked. "Was she lost to the tunnels?"
"No, she's back with the others." Ashara said.
"Is she not a queen?"
"No. She would never be ensnared by such a responsibility. I'm not surprised you haven't met yet. She lost her wings in the battle with Windrunner and...she was never the same. My father was killed too. She refuses to leave the tunnels because she thinks she's ugly and useless." Ashara sighed, gently caressing the statue with a claw.
"We'll see about getting her wings back." Mal assured her. "Regina's spell didn't work?"
"No, the wounds had healed closed."
"I'll tell Zelena then. She might have a solution-" Mal froze when she spotted the last statue on the right. This one wasn't as degraded as the others. Perhaps because it was made of a different material. It looked like marble. It had turned gray since no one was around to maintain it but the diamonds that had been embedded around the neck hadn't lost their shine.
"You know who Cynder is?" Ashara asked.
"She's my mother." Tirius and Ashara both whipped their heads to face her. "What?"
"You're the daughter of Cynder?" Tirius whispered.
"Yes. Did you know her?"
"Cynder was the best!" Ashara did a backflip. "When she visited, it was always a celebration."
"She lived here?"
"No, only visited. Cynder was the most powerful dragon I've ever seen. We assumed she went to many worlds with dragons."
"Is she alive?" Tirius asked.
"No, but I'll tell you that story later. I can't believe she came here. Why didn't she tell me?"
"She probably didn't know this was a part of Oz." Hialti murmured. "Oz doesn't even know we're a part of Oz."
"I have to agree."
"Come on." Ashara called, already taking off again. "That means we're almost there. Almost home."
Mal fell into place behind her and before long the river gave way to a massive waterfall that fell into a lake of deep blue water that fed into dozens of rivers and streams snaking their way through the lush landscape below. Ashara took them higher so they could see more of her world. Even at this height, Mal could see that the place was teeming with life. As they flew she spotted deer and elk and other hooved creatures. There were orchards of trees overflowing with fruit, some she didn't even recognize. Mud plains and river plains were abundant. Ashara pointed out the fertile fields they used for herbs and vegetables. Strange spiraling structures rose out of the trees, connected to what looked like buildings. Some of them arched over the rivers and others had fallen. They looked like platforms and Lily called out to ask what they were. Ashara responded by diving at one of them. Once she was in range, she threw out her wings and landed on the platform. Mal hovered to watch her and to her surprise Ashara changed forms. She realized that it was a slide. Ashara let out a wild yell as she slid down the spiral to the ground. Her cry sent dozens of colorful birds into the sky, each one screeching their heads off.
Ashara soon joined them in the sky again. "There used to be a lot more of those. Some of them were huge for the bigger dragons."
"Some of them were like tree houses." Hialti added. "They had full baths and working hunters to keep them supplied with food and some had servants for quick touch ups for one's scales or claws."
"Like pit stops." Lily said.
"Yes...whatever that is. Anyways, I'm sure those have fallen. They were much bigger and heavier."
"We'll have to repair those too then." Mal said. As much as she would've liked to keep going, Tirius suggested they make camp to rest. While he and Hialti got the camp set up, Mal and Ashara flew back to take pictures and recordings for Zelena. When they returned, they found Hialti cooking some rather large blue fish over a fire pit. Lily was conjuring a small shelter to sleep in while Tirius carried a basin of water from the river.
"Got what you needed?" He asked.
"We did. Zelena is going to be happy." Mal sat down near the fire and looked at the fish. "What kind of fish are these?"
"The best fish!" Hialti exclaimed with a bright grin. "This is Kagru. It's the best fish a water dragon can eat. You'll love it. The river was bursting with them."
Lily flopped down next to her and leaned her head on her shoulder. She rubbed Lily's arm and smiled. "Tired?" Lily's only answer was a nod.
"Have you really never lived among other dragons?" Ashara asked, sitting on her other side.
"No. I was born in the Enchanted Forest. There were never a lot of dragons there and those that were were often hated and hunted by the humans and lived in isolation."
"One thing to hate about humans." Hialti commented. "Too damn many of them."
"I wonder why Cynder chose to give birth there then. Or who her mate was. Everyone here wanted Cynder for a mate but she turned everyone down." Ashara murmured before perking up. "That matters not though. You'll love it here. Once we fix everything up anyway. Have you ever had a hot oil bath?"
"Oil bath?"
"Yes. In the city, there are pools big enough for our dragon forms. You can have hot water baths, ice baths, mud baths and hot oil baths."
"What I wouldn't give for an oil bath right now." Tirius murmured with dreamy eyes.
"I've never had one." Mal said. She felt like a child just seeing the world for the first time. For all that she knew, all the knowledge she'd spent a lifetime gathering, there was so much she didn't know, had never learned or experienced. She wondered what her life would've been like had she been raised here when dragons filled the sky and roamed these mountains. If she and her mother were here, would Windrunner have attacked? Would the dragons have been forced underground in the first place? The thought soon turned her stomach at losing all she'd gained. She would rather learn about it now than change anything.
"I'll show you." Ashara gave her a bright smile. "Everything you've missed out on. However, I have a question about your uh, friend. Regina."
"She doesn't have a mate and has no preference for gender. Go for it."
Ashara burst into a grin and her cheeks turned a little red. "Oh. Well, thank you."
"Be careful." Lily chuckled. "You might have some competition."
"A woman like that?" Ashara scoffed. "Doesn't surprise me."
"Fish is ready!" Hialti announced. Mal conjured plates and forks for him. Ashara pushed some fruit in front of her. There were apples, mangos and berries, as well as a large red and purple fruit she'd never seen before. She picked it up with both hands and after some prodding from Ashara, she bit into it. Sweet juices flooded her mouth and she heard laughter at the look of shock on her face.
"This is amazing!" She exclaimed. Lily glanced at her before biting into one of her own. She let out a moan and bit into it again.
Tirius chuckled at their reactions while Hialti urged them to try the fish. Mal picked up a fork and ate some of it, humming with delight. Lily must've conjured some spices because it was seasoned perfectly and better than any seafood she'd ever had.
"This is delicious, Hialti."
"Thank you." He grinned, picking up his piece of fish with both hands and biting right into it without a care. "There are hundreds of fish in the rivers and lakes. Kagru has fifty different kinds alone."
"Is there something special about the water in the lake?" Mal asked.
"Not really besides being the largest lake. Water dragons need water. The lake near the city is the only one deep enough and large enough to house all of us comfortably. We can't spend too much time away from the water. The mud in the tunnels helped, but we had to be cocooned to stay alive." He smiled to himself. "I can't wait to swim again."
"You will tomorrow."
By the time the sun had set the dragons were comfortably curled up in the shelter, but Mal remained out near the fire. Her excitement prevented her from sleeping and so she remained out beneath the stars. Foreign stars that filled the night sky in a way she'd never seen in the Enchanted Forest or Storybrooke. There were so many and they were so close she could've reached out and touched them. All around her were new smells and new sounds. The forest was so alive. How could one sleep at a time like this? Tomorrow she would see a real dragon city. A city her mother had visited, halls she'd walked. She was beloved here. They'd built her a statue and everything. She wondered how often Cynder came here then. She had so many questions and no one to answer them!
Maleficent didn't sleep at all that night. She stayed up all night, listening to the sounds of the night. At one point a group of lemurs had passed overhead, leaping from tree branch to tree branch with ease and when she felt the earth shake, she was ready to fight. Ashara woke up at the sound but only smiled and motioned for Mal to check the river, so she did. To her surprise, she saw a family of elephants heading down to the water. She'd only seen elephants when she was flying and from that vantage point they looked like ants, although she knew that they were large. These elephants seemed even larger than the others and sported four tusks instead of two. She smiled at the sight of the little ones playing between their mothers' legs and soon returned to her own child to keep watch over through the night.
The next morning she was the first to take flight and fell in behind the others again. Hialti chose to swim. His dragon form wasn't very big, but he was long, at least 50 feet or so from nose to tail tip. A true water serpent. Lily rode on her back so she could film and take pictures for Zelena. She didn't have to ride for long. Within the hour Mal noticed that the rivers began to merge, forging a single waterway. Another hour passed and Ashara let out a roar. Just ahead were the mountains. Just as Zelena had shown her. It looked like a sleeping dragon, forming high mountain walls that sheltered the valley and lake into which the river fed from a powerful waterfall. The water in the lake looked nasty, bearing a brownish-green color with huge patches of algae, but it was filled with fish of every color, some leaping out of the water. The carcass of the once vast dragon city ran along the top of the mountain and through it and around it, stretching from the peaks all the way down to the water. Most of it remained intact but there were huge holes where walls and floors should've been and she could only just imagine a huge battle taking place here. There were more landing platforms and broken towers among the rubble peeking out the water and through the trees.
"Down there." Tirius called. "See that shiny gold circle?" Mal looked down. At the water's edge was a giant square block of stone painted with a golden circle. "You can land there." She pulled her wings in close and dove towards the platform, landing swiftly and changing forms so Ashara and Tirius could land as well. Around this platform were the gutted ruins of a small town. Most of the buildings were wooden, which was a bit odd. A path of white stone led up the mountain, further into the city.
"You okay, Mom?" Lily asked.
Mal nodded. "I've never known something like this to exist." A roar from nearby made her turn and she grinned as Hialti leaped out of the water and landed with a thunderous splash, tossing fish onto the dirt. He climbed onto the platform with them in human form.
"Nice swim?"
"The best!" He grinned, shaking his head like a dog. "I can't wait to bring the others here. We have to clean the lake. The tunnels are probably blocked."
"Tunnels?" Mal said.
"Yes. The water dragons have underwater tunnels that run through the mountains that connect to our dens. There are waterfalls." Hialti gestured around but she didn't see any of what he was pointing out. "The waterfalls are connected to our currents. Magical currents to control the flow of water. We use them to keep the lake clean. New water flows in and anything bad flows out. It looks like everything collapsed." He sighed. "Damn."
"Why would you build houses of wood in a dragon city?" Lily asked, snapping a few pictures.
"This part of the city was mostly inhabited by water dragons. We can't breathe fire and wood was simple to build with. There were houses made of coral and sea rock but I know they've already eroded by now or been destroyed."
Tirius came to her side. "Shall we start off?"
"We shall."
Hialti chose to stay to continue inspecting the damage around the lake and the others began the trek through the city. The streets were wide, large enough for those in dragon form to walk comfortably. They passed the remnants of houses and shops, all of which were damaged in some kind of way. Dragon bones and cracked scales littered the area. By now much of the place was overgrown, with trees and and shrubs and moss reclaiming the mountain, just as Elizabeth had foreseen in her dream. Despite knowing its history, Mal saw beauty in what remained and could only envision the majesty of this place in its prime, when people walked these same streets and the sky was filled with dragons.
"We will collect the bones tomorrow." Tirius said. "Give the fallen their proper burial rights."
Mal nodded in reply. "We will have to do the same for those who died in the tunnels."
"Agreed."
The journey up the mountain took most of the day. Some of the roads had been destroyed and fallen away down the mountain. Those that had been built over ravines and or served as bridges threatened to do the same when they walked across them. Most of the city seemed quite open anyways. The halls and streets were huge, big enough for the larger dragons to use.
"The halls were always open." Ashara explained, gesturing to how the rock face was on one side and on the other was the occasional pillar to support the roof, but there wasn't a wall to obstruct the gorgeous view...or to keep a wayward child from falling off. Lily seemed to have the same thought as she did.
"You weren't scared of a dragonling falling off?"
"They often jumped off." Ashara smirked. "There were vine nets at the bottom in case the fall was unintentional." She trailed off quietly. "I wonder if my room is still intact. And my hoard." She suddenly took off running and disappeared around the corner.
The others followed at a more reasonable pace, admiring the craftsmanship that persisted hundreds of years without maintenance. The entire city was like a work of art. The pillars were hand sculpted, small dragon designs ran along the bottom of the walls, dragon statues had been carved into the mountainside, and much more. They reached a large room that had an entire wall missing but Mal could tell it was by design. Tirius explained that this was a common theme for nearly every room, private and public. Most of them were missing walls or had giant doors so dragons could fly right in. This room connected to the path and continued on on the other side. It was big enough to house many dragons and there was another doorway with a large entrance.
"This is just a room to relax in." Tirius said. "Through this doorway is a dining hall." He confidently led the way inside but it was far too dark to see much. "Can you see the gold panel on the wall to your left?"
"Yes." She said, noticing the faint sparkle of gold.
"Touch it."
Mal arched an eyebrow and reached out towards her left. Her hand hit the wall and the panel lit up. Golden light spread across the wall, lighting up the room, stretching up to the broken chandeliers in the ceiling. Only one remained though and it was missing half of its crystals. The walls were veined with molten gold and these veins began to glow as well. Fire sprang into existence in the large fire pits around the room and the massive stone lined hearth that dominated an entire wall became lit. There were a lot of tables and chairs and broken dishes scattered everywhere, as well as a thick layer of dust. "Your lights are amazing."
"Thank you." Tirius smiled. "This is only one dining hall. There are others. The kitchen is over there." He gestured to another doorway. "Though I would imagine it's in a similar state."
"We're going to have to do a lot of cleaning." Lily said.
"We'll need to do a lot more than that." They turned around as Ashara walked into the room carrying a large black chest. "The upper levels are atrocious. Half of my old room is gone, but luckily, some of my hoard was still there." She placed the chest on the ground and excitedly opened it. Inside were thousands of diamonds.
"She's like you with silver, Mom." Lily commented.
"Dragons love treasure but we always have our favorites." Ashara grinned.
While Ashara went to hide her hoard again and Lily went to take some more pictures, Tirius showed Mal various other places in the city. She saw the pools that Ashara spoke of. A vast, magnificent hall covered in mosaics and carvings with huge empty pools that needed a good cleaning. She saw what looked like some sort of playground for children that was overrun with flowers and vines, a sunbathing area covered in wet sand and the nursery, a cavern within the mountain with many alcoves for nests and fire pits to house many mothers and their eggs. Most of these places needed some cleaning and touching up, but fortunately any rooms within the mountain were mostly intact. They ended their tour and met up with the others in the portal room. It was a large room deep in the mountain that was bare of anything else except for portal markings on the walls that showed the places where portals had been made over and over again. Mal looked around and noticed that a single portal marker on the wall also had one on the floor in front of it.
"The marker on the wall leads to other parts of Oz. That was for trade and getting to places quicker. The one on the floor is only opened in case of emergencies and I have no idea where they lead."
"So if an enemy, especially many enemies were to pour through one of your portals, you'd open the one on the floor and they'd fall through." She smirked. "A neat idea. I'm assuming there's a failsafe in case that doesn't work."
"Of course. The door is imbued with a dozen protection wards and secured with steel braces. So," He said. "What do you think of your first dragon city?"
"I think it's wonderful and I think we have a lot of work to do." She answered. "But I am excited to begin."
"You sound like your mother. Look like her too."
"Did you know her well?" Mal asked, conjuring a chair to sit in.
"No. Not quite as much as I wanted to." He admitted.
"You wanted to be her mate." She surmised.
"As did half the city. She never chose any of us though." Tirius glanced around before looking at her again. "What happened?"
Mal flicked an eyebrow. "She was imprisoned in the Underworld. Zelena's mother set her free and she helped me defeat Hades, god of the Underworld to rescue Zelena. She'd been stuck there a long time and after that, she crossed over."
"Was she happy?" Tirius asked.
"Not happy about leaving of course, but she seemed...at peace."
"That's good then. She will be missed."
Soft footsteps drew their attention to the arrival of Hialti. He had a big grin on his face and left a trail of wet stone behind him. Mal dried him off with a wave of her hand.
"Did you get into the underwater tunnels?"
"Yes, up until I got attacked by a giant octopus."
"A what? You have those?"
"Some water dragonling probably tried to keep it as a pet. It escaped and fed until it grew to a massive size. I killed it." Hialti shrugged. "The lake is full of fish. Too much fish, as a matter of fact."
"A lot of the prey has overpopulated the land. I'm sure you all will bring down their numbers to a reasonable size in no time."
Hialti nodded. "Most of the underwater caves and tunnels have collapsed though, as expected. Fixing that'll require more work than the city."
"We'll bring the water dragons here as soon as possible. We should also take back some of the fish and fruit." Tirius suggested. "For the others."
"MOM!" Lily yelled, bursting into the room. She nearly slid down but managed to stay upright.
"Calm down, dear. What is it?" Mal asked, searching her for wounds.
"A dragon. Heading this way. Big and gray." Tirius took off before she'd even finished.
"Are you okay?" Mal asked.
Lily took a deep breath. "I saw him flying in and I ran for it. I don't think he saw me." She continued panting and Mal commanded her to stay with Hialti until she'd recovered. She followed Tirius' trail out onto the terrace near the dining hall. Ashara was already waiting, crouched on the edge of the platform. The shadow of a dragon passed overhead, far larger than Mal would've thought. It was a titan of a beast. She peeked out from under the overhang and her jaw dropped.
"It's him." Tirius growled.
"What do you mean him? Wind? You're telling me that you never killed that son of a bitch?"
"He was not the only dragon we had to fight and Glinda stepped in before we could finish him off."
"How are we going to kill him? Surprise attack?" Ashara asked.
"He is too big." Mal said. "He's bigger than Eric."
"Bigger than Pharaoh and she's the biggest one I've ever seen."
They tracked Wind to the upper city levels that were crumbling and in ruin. The upper floors were missing and left them exposed but their quarry wasn't looking around, just ahead. He probably thought he was the only dragon here. They slipped into an empty room when he landed.
"What's down that way?" Mal asked.
"Just chambers." Tirius answered. "Some use it for vaults or sleeping or...anything really. They're usually sealed with magic."
"Is there another entrance?"
"Yes, but it will require some climbing."
"Alright," Mal said. "I have a plan. Tirius, come with me. Ashara, Lily, follow behind Wind. Hialti, go up to the level above him." She conjured an earpiece to give them. "Lily, show them how to put these in. I need to see the chamber for this to work. Tirius, take me to the other entrance. We need to move quickly." The group split up and Mal hurried after Tirius through the maze of broken halls to where they had to climb down through a hole in the floor to get to the one below. Tirius climbed anyway, Mal simply teleported.
"Through here. This is the chamber that hall leads to. This is where he's headed."
Mal took a look around the room. It was large and cylindrical in shape with red and pink mosaics on the walls depicting dragons breathing fire and fighting. They were quite beautiful and it was a shame they might be destroyed in the next few minutes. It was a big room but Wind was abnormally large and while it might be a comfortable chamber for sleeping, he wouldn't be able to move effectively. They could trap him. She relayed her plan to the others.
"We're not killing that son of a bitch?" Lily asked through her earpiece.
"Everyone else should get a shot on him before we kill him." Mal replied.
"He's still in the hall. Why don't we use that?" Ashara suggested.
"Good idea. New plan..."
/
Returning to Storybrooke always felt like waking up from a dream. Here, everything was so dull, so monotonous. Regina found herself looking at her beloved town with disdain. Perhaps they could spruce the place up a bit. Some fountains, some color, a mayoral statue to tie it all together. Yes, it would be nice. She heard shouts of surprise from below her and rolled her eyes when the citizens of Storybrooke screamed or ducked as Sanah's form passed overhead. They really should've been used to it by now. Mal and Lily flew by like airplanes every day. "Over there. The big white house in the middle of town with the apple tree." She directed Sanah to her house and had her land in the backyard. The dragon had to sit upright and curl her tail around her paws to keep from blocking the street. Regina and Guinivere dismounted and she pulled out her phone to call Robin. "He'll be here soon with Elizabeth."
"Why does Elizabeth not live with you?" Sanah asked, leaning down to sniff at her tree.
"She does. Just every other week she goes to stay with her father so we can have equal time with her."
Sanah let out a soft growl. "Sounds awful."
"Well, that's co-parenting."
"A week without my Guinivere…" Sanah growled again. "I would hate every moment." They both looked at Guinivere as she rolled an apple between her front paws.
"What is this thing?" She asked. "Is it a ball? Cynara was playing with something that looked like this."
"No, a ball is a toy. What you have now is an apple." Sanah answered. "You eat it."
"A fruit, right?" Guinivere asked, trying to fit the entire thing into her mouth.
Regina smirked and bent down to take it from her. "Yes, it's a fruit. Not just any fruit either. This apple came from my tree and it's a magical tree."
"Really? What's magical about it?" Guinivere asked.
Regina raised her hand and the tree let out a creak as the wood began to respond. Guinivere took a step back as the trunk of the tree bent over, lowering one of its branches to place an apple in Regina's hand. She picked it off and the tree returned to its original position. She magically sliced the apple and placed it in front of the dragonling, who snapped up a piece and started crunching on it.
"It's good!"
"Would you like one, Sanah?" She held up the apple and used magic to make it expand. Sanah gently took it from her hand and tossed it into the air. She caught it and snapped her jaws shut, crushing the fruit with a loud crunch.
"It is delicious. We should plant some in our conservatory if it has not caved in. I believe Ghara may have crashed into it during the battle."
"Conservatory?"
"Where we planted our fruits and vegetables. We had fresh produce year round."
"That should be one of the first things we repair then. I can start buying seeds and saplings now. I'm not much of a gardener though."
"Ashara was very good at it. Perhaps she could show you. If you manage to succeed in helping Helena, I'm sure she would show you whatever you wanted." Sanah said. "Although, she might do that anyway."
"Excuse me?" Regina frowned. They were interrupted by the back door flying open and Elizabeth flying out. She ran straight into Regina's arms.
"Mommy, I missed you! How are the dragons-" She looked up at Sanah and then turned to be tackled by Guinivere. "Guinivere!" Beth crushed the small dragonling against her chest and jumped around. "What are you guys doing here? You came all this way to see me?"
"Of course I did!" Guinivere purred. "You didn't come back and I missed you."
"I'm so happy to see you!" She looked at Regina. "Has Mal come back yet? Did I miss anything?!"
"No, it's been quiet." Regina smirked. "We actually can't stay. Guinivere wanted to see you and I needed to go to my vault. There's a dragon who was heavily injured in the battle and I'm trying to help her."
"Oh, well, I know you'll get it done. I'll stay with Guin and Queen Sanah until you get back."
Regina nodded and turned to go into the house. Robin looked up as she passed through the kitchen. "Sorry for cutting into your week, but Guinivere really wanted to see her."
"I understand. She hasn't stopped talking about her friends since she got here."
"Well, she has friends now. I would imagine she wanted to share that information with her father." She shrugged.
"Is our every conversation going to be so stilted?" Robin asked.
"Robin, I don't have time for this." She made her way down to the basement and she wasn't surprised when Robin followed her.
"Is it wise to leave our daughter with the dragons?"
"As long as no one threatens Guinivere, she'll be fine. They're not all monsters, you know."
"Well, the last one I knew threatened to burn me alive."
"Stop trying to infiltrate Mal's vault and she'll stop threatening you." Regina said, pulling out a looking glass. The glass gave no reflection and instead showed a room in her vault. She was able to step right through and into the room. She instantly began searching her stock of potions, herbs and tomes for any and everything related to healing. She needed a powerful spell, something to regrow Helena's wings. It would have to be specific as well to regrow the wings to the right proportions. She would probably have to look at Sanah's memories to make sure, but restoring them would- "Restore." She whispered, rushing to the rack of potions and pulling on a blue one. It opened a secret compartment in the wall.
"What is that?" Robin asked from somewhere behind her.
"Just water." Regina answered, pulling out one of two orbs. Each was filled with water she'd taken from Lake Nostos. It was water that had the capability to restore something to its former glory. She'd had to pay someone a small fortune to secure these treasures, but it was worth it. She glanced back at the other before grabbing that one too. The secret compartment slid closed and she stowed the orbs away in a chest for safekeeping. If this worked as it was said to, she wouldn't need any other spell or herb. She packed up everything just in case.
"Is there any way I can be of service?" Robin asked, following her back through the looking glass.
"Keep hunting. All we can do for now is keep the dragons fed until Mal and the others get back. They have to make a decision after that on what to do next."
"Beyond food, how can there be problems? Beth made it seem like they were adjusting well."
Regina stopped walking and let out a sigh. "There is no adjusting well to this. The dragonlings outnumber adult dragons five to one. A quarter of them are orphans because their parents either starved to death in the tunnels or succumbed to their wounds from battles. That doesn't even include the unhatched dragonlings. There are at least fifty, maybe sixty more of them and I'm sure many of them are orphans as well. Most of the dragon leaders are dead. The ones that aren't can't do it all. Some of them, like the dragon I'm attempting to heal, have just given up. They've lost family and mates and children and...there is nothing we can do to change that. Zelena even talked to Zeus, asking to make a deal to bring them back. He said he can't. Mal even called Ursula to see if her father could do something. He couldn't either."
"It sounds like you need help."
Regina shrugged. "Repairing a bunch of buildings won't be easy but it'll be easier than trying to care for a bunch of baby dragons. They're the ones I'm worried about."
"Let us know what we can do. Perhaps you should come home, get some rest. Recover and then head back."
"After Mal gets back, I think I will. Until then, I have work to do." She led the way into the backyard where they found Elizabeth feeding Guinivere a piece of chocolate. Regina could hear the dragonling's purr all the way from the back door.
"You have to try pizza next. No, lasagna. Mommy makes the best lasagna."
Regina smiled as she approached. "Time to go."
"So soon?" Guinivere asked, her wings drooping again. "But we've only been here a few minutes, Regina."
"I know, but-"
"Elizabeth will be going with you." Robin cut in. "And she will bring as many treats as we can buy. That is, if she wants to."
Regina looked at Robin with both eyebrows raised while the girls ran into the house to pack Beth's bag. "What are you doing?"
"She wants to be there." Robin shrugged. "I suppose I can't blame her. Storybrooke must seem so small in comparison."
"Thank you." Regina said. Robin dipped his head in reply. He did the same to Sanah.
"He seems like a kind man." The dragon commented after Robin had gone into the house to help the girls.
"He is." Regina agreed.
"He is Elizabeth's father, yes?"
"He is."
"Hmm."
Regina flicked an eyebrow at the elder dragon, who softly purred and tapped the tip of her tail against the ground. A few minutes passed before Elizabeth and Guin came sprinting out the back door with a large bag. Robin followed at a slower pace to give her a hug.
"Listen to your mother and be careful. Call me if you need anything."
"I will."
Regina smiled when Elizabeth looked up at her. "Let's go, Mommy. We have dragons to help."
"Yes ma'am." She said. They spent the next two hours shopping for the abundance of snacks and treats Elizabeth wanted to bring back to the dragons and then they headed back to Oz. When they arrived, Regina was surprised to find the dragonlings sitting in front of multiple floating screens watching movies. One was playing the Lion King, another was playing Oliver and Company, another played Frozen, another played Scooby Doo and the last one was playing Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Regina frowned at the last one.
"Don't make that face, Regina." Zelena said as she approached. "It's just to keep them occupied."
"You had to play that movie?"
"You mean your movie?"
Regina glared at her sister, who only smirked in reply. "I hate you."
"No, you don't. Did you find something for Helena?"
"I believe so."
Sanah lowered her head over them. "If you will watch my Guinivere, I will retrieve Helena for you." Regina and Zelena both dipped their heads to the elder dragoness as she made her way down into the tunnels. Elizabeth and Guin were already passing out their treats. It took half an hour to coax Helena from the tunnels. Zelena raised a shield around them to hide them from any prying eyes and curious children. Regina only expected a wingless dragon to exit the tunnels after Sanah, but Helena was in worse shape than she thought. Her wounds had healed and scarred over but they were very...disfiguring. Claw marks cut through dull, dirty scales as far as they could see. Regina found herself scowling when she spotted the scarred bumps on her back where her wings should've been. Her tail must've been quite long but part of it was missing. Beyond that, she walked with her head held low and with a noticeable limp. Even from this distance Regina could tell that one of her paws had healed incorrectly. Part of her upper lip had been torn off, her horns were cracked and one of her eyes looked damaged. She was probably half blind. She was like the other dragons when they first exited the tunnels, weary and weak, just tired of her existence. She'd lost much.
Regina slowly approached Helena and dipped her head respectfully. "I am-"
"Sanah said that you could heal me. Is that true?" Helena said in a voice much softer than expected.
"I might. I will try if you will."
Helena looked at Sanah, who nodded. "You are sure about them?"
"They are not like Glinda or the other witches. They came here on their own to help us and that's all they've done since they arrived. I trust them."
"I suppose I will too then. But if this doesn't work...I will burn you alive for giving me this hope."
Regina simply bowed again. She pulled out one of the orbs of water and placed her bag on the ground next to Zelena. "Open your mouth, please." Helena laid her head on the ground and opened her mouth. Regina stepped forward and held one of the orbs over Helena's tongue. She squeezed it, letting a few drops fall. For a moment, nothing happened, so Regina gave her a few more drops of the water. When nothing happened again she scowled and dropped the whole thing into Helena's mouth. An explosion of magic blasted Regina off her feet. It sent her sliding backwards across the ground and she crashed into Zelena. She looked at Helena and found the dragon engulfed in a ball of light.
"Were you supposed to use that whole thing?" Zelena asked.
"I have no idea."
The ball of light imploded with a thunderous clap that blasted away Zelena's shield spell and caused many of the dragons to cry out in pain. For a moment, Regina was blinded and everything burned bright white. A hand touched her shoulder and her vision became clear.
"You did it." Zelena said.
As the waters of Lake Nostos were rumored to be able to do, they restored Helena to her former glory. In fact, it did more than that. The scars were gone, new scales having grown in. Her eye was healed, as pretty and purple as Ashara's. Her tail had regrown and her jaw was restored. Just as Regina's healing spell had done for Ashara, the waters of Lake Nostos erased all traces of an extensive hibernation and lack of food. The greatest of these changes were the large leathery wings that unfurled from Helena's back. She was a golden dragon with iridescent scales and before Regina could even open her mouth, she took off, blasting those in attendance with a gust of wind. She'd never seen a dragon fly like Helena before. The she-dragon spun and dipped and did loop de loops and barrel rolls, all at breakneck speed. She shifted in mid air between human and dragon form and spiralled low over the gathered dragons before turning upside down.
"She's amazing!" One of the dragonlings yelled.
Helena came in to land and just like Ashara, she misjudged it entirely. Her front paws landed well but her momentum carried her tail forward and she was sent rolling head over heels...which was a bit hilarious to see a dragon do. When she stood up, she was greeted with cheers from all of the dragons. She accepted them with the giddiness of a child, a stark contrast from the angry, sorrowful dragon she'd been before. She shifted into a human and made her way over to Regina.
Regina's eyebrows went up to her hairline. She thought Ashara was beautiful, but she clearly got her looks from her mother. The two could've passed for sisters. Helena touched her forehead to Regina's, as her daughter had done.
"I never thought I would ever reach the sky again. Because of you, I can. I am forever indebted to you."
"No, you're not. I'm just doing my best to help everyone."
"Even so," Helena leaned back and held out her hand. Regina clasped her forearm and shook it. Golden magic encircled their hands and Regina felt a spot on her forearm burning. She rolled up her sleeve to see the circular mark left there, sparkling as if she'd gotten a tattoo of molten gold. "This is my mark. It will mark you as a friend of the Ozian dragons forever. In case some of these idiots forget. If you ever need me. Just ask." Regina dipped her head. "We will speak again when my daughter returns. I am back now." She grinned. "We have much to do and you will soon learn that I don't like waiting around." She shifted into a dragon again to furiously nuzzle Sanah.
"Oh hell." Sanah growled.
Helena chuckled softly. "I feel alive again. Ever since I lost Ashur, I've thought of nothing but death."
"As did I when Vidar died."
"Was killed." Helena corrected her.
"But we have children. Ashara may be fully grown, but she still needs her mother and we need you to help us rebuild. Regina gave you your wings. Will you use them to help us? Will you finally take your place as a queen?"
"If I must." Helena rolled her eyes.
"Good, you can give the flying lessons."
Helena's response was to shift forms. Unlike Mal's transformation that involved disappearing into a cloud of smoke, one that Regina knew so well, Helena seemed to explode into her dragon form, as if it were bursting out of her. She took to the skies again, screeching and roaring with sheer joy.
Regina smiled and was surprised when she was bombarded with hugs from the children. Elizabeth almost climbed into her arms. "You're the best, Mommy."
"Thank you, dear." She shrugged, looking up at Zelena. "What's next?" She asked, picking up her bag.
"I suppose we wait for Mal to get back." Zelena replied. "I wonder what they're up to…"
/
As soon as Wind's head entered the room, Mal struck the nearest pillar as hard as she could, sending the entire thing tumbling down on the dragon's giant head. "Hialti, now!" A thunderous crash came from above as the upper floor came crashing down, caving in the entire hallway at once. She conjured a pair of handcuffs, similar to the ones used to restrain Mombi and her followers. In order to use it they needed to force Wind into human form. "Lily, Ashara, now!" Wind let out a roar of pain and the tower shook as he attempted to get away from them. They grabbed onto his tail and held it down while Tirius shifted into dragon form. He grabbed a piece of rubble and slammed it on the crown of Wind's head. A blow like that should've knocked him out but it only stunned him. The fallen rubble covering him began to solidify as Mal cast a spell to trap him further and as expected, he changed into human form to avoid being crushed and smashed himself a way out. Mal and Tirius swiftly gave chase. He ran straight into Ashara and slammed her against the wall, cracking the stone. Lily launched a burst of magic at him and he sidestepped, throwing Ashara into the line of fire.
"Sorry!" Lily called. She turned as Wind launched a piece of rock at her, raising her arms to block it. In doing so, she missed the fist aimed right at her chin.
"You son of a bitch!" Mal tackled Wind to the ground and landed a trio of furious punches to his face for laying his hands on her daughter. Her hand was stinging as she flipped Wind onto his stomach to handcuff him and he threw his elbow back, cracking her in the jaw. He took off running and dove off the edge of the platform. Mal summoned her staff and fired a bolt of magic as he shifted into dragon form. It hit him square in the back and Mal launched herself over the edge of the platform. "You're not getting away this time!" She charged up a spell in her staff and swung, firing a blade of magic that blasted Wind out of the sky with brute force. The large dragon slammed into the lake with a thunderous splash. Mal teleported down to the landing platform and used magic to pull Wind out of the water. He reverted to his human form, too weak to sustain his dragon one. She handcuffed him, grabbed him by the shoulder and stood him up to take him back to the others. "Lily? Ashara? You guys okay?"
"Yeah." Lily said, rubbing her jaw.
"Just peachy." Ashara groaned. Tirius crouched next to her and began to heal her and Mal looked over at Lily.
"I'm fine, Mom."
Mal dragged Wind over to a spot near the wall and forced him to sit down. He was huge in dragon form, but as a human he was lean and slender and dressed in brown pants and a black shirt with a gold trim. He looked up at Mal with venom in his dark gaze. She smacked him and stood up, rubbing her throbbing hand. She checked on Lily again and helped Tirius finish healing Ashara. Ashara immediately got up and kicked Wind in the face.
"You ripped off my mother's wings! Your little buddies killed my father!" She brought her leg back again for another kick but Mal grabbed it.
"Do not kill him, Ashara. If anyone deserves that right, it should be your mother. Don't you think so?"
Ashara suddenly grinned. "Oh absolutely."
"Helena's alive?" Wind whispered.
"Yes, not that you didn't try your hardest to kill her. Sanah's alive too. And Sona and Pharoah-" Wind suddenly rolled onto his stomach, struggling to get up and run. "Really?" Hialti dropped down from the floor above and socked Wind right in the stomach, dropping him again.
"Let's finish our business here and get you back to the others. I really want to see what they'll do when they see your face again." Mal smirked devilishly.
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