Emma glanced down at her phone as she followed Lily, Max and Dianah into Mal's workshop. The place was underground and huge. There were long tables covered in chunks of metal, half made weapons and shields, barrels of different fabrics and materials ans a blacksmith forge. There were other structures that she didn't know the name of. Lily kept going, leading them down a long, dark tunnel until it opened up into a massive cavern filled with heaping mounds of gold coins and jewels.
"Holy shit." Dianah whispered.
"No kidding." Emma slipped her phone into her pocket as Maleficent came towards them, magically gliding across her treasure trove. She stepped onto the solid rock they were standing on and presented Lily with something large and silver.
"What's this, Mom?" Lily frowned as she turned it over. It was a little bigger than her hand and reflected the light of the torches Maleficent had situated around her vault. It was shaped like a teardrop. "It's a scale?"
"Your father's." Mal answered. "One of the few things of his I have left."
"What was he like?" Dianah asked. "Is he like his daughter? All reckless and annoying and stuff?"
"Fuck you." Lily smirked.
"Yes and no. At first he was, but as he matured, grew in power, he learned not to destroy the worlds he lived on. He was the greatest of us all."
"Oh, so he was a badass murderer? Like you?" Lily asked.
"Well...yes." Maleficent smirked. "But dragons adore power above anything else. He was the most desirable male of our species, wanted by every female dragon in our world. He wasn't the largest, but he didn't need to be. Rich beyond your wildest dreams, the best fighter, the most handsome. He was a gentleman who stole my heart." The three women smiled at hearing the Dragon Queen reminisce like a lovestruck teenager. Her eyes were practically shining. "His ancient name was Maedhros, but if he still lives, he's surely changed it."
"A guy like that must've had like a thousand eggs." Dianah commented. Emma elbowed her.
"No." Mal replied. "Out of all the mates he could've chosen, he chose me. Only me."
"Why wasn't he with you when you had Lily?" Emma asked as they followed Mal back up into her workshop.
"Oh, female dragons never reveal the locations of their birthing sites, not even to their mates."
"You didn't see him afterwards?"
"No, the times following Lily's kidnapping were not...very kind." Mal answered. "I sent word to him about what happened." The dragon shrugged. "But he never replied."
"Now I want to go find him and fuck him up." Dianah said softly, making Mal chuckle.
"He doesn't sound that amazing." Max muttered.
"He was." Maleficent smirked. "Unfortunately I never met him in human form or I could tell you more. But he was...superb...in all regards."
"Not as superb as me." He replied. "Let me see that thing. Fucking dragon scale." As soon as Lily placed it in his hand, his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Emma and Lily quickly stepped forward to catch him before he could collapse.
"Mom, what's wrong with him?" Lily asked.
Mal knelt at Max's side. His eyes were moving behind his eyelids, as though he were watching something. Maleficent suddenly let out an inhuman growl and grabbed Max's foot. "If what I think is happening, I swear by every god every conceived that I will murder this son of a bitch right here and now."
"Mom, be careful. What are you talking about?" Lily tried to hold Max's head as Mal dragged him out of her workshop and into the grassy field behind it before dropping him and taking a few steps back, pulling her daughter with her. "Mom, what the hell are you doing?"
"Stay here." She commanded, pushing Lily back against Dianah. She almost stalked back over to Max's prone form and smacked him one good time. Smoke immediately started to cover them both.
"Is that her solution for everything?" Dianah asked. Emma shrugged, not really understanding any of this. Maybe it was a dragon thing. "Holy shit!" She looked at the sound of Dianah's scream and all three took off running as a massive form arose from the cloud of smoke. The earth shook as the great dragon was revealed, even larger than Mal was, who had changed forms to confront him. Max took the shape of a silver dragon, bellowing at the top of his lungs at Mal, who was roaring back just as hard. The three women below had to cover their ears to avoid damage from their screaming.
Max and Mal shifted back down into human form and Mal turned to walk away but Max grabbed her arm. "Listen to me, Woman!" He snapped. She growled and stopped walking but didn't turn around. "I got your message about what happened to Lily and I sent word to you that I was going to go find her. I guess you didn't get it. Clearly, the courier service in the Enchanted Forest is complete shit. In order for a magical creature to get to the land without magic, I had to curse myself, which meant losing everything. My magic, my power, my memories. But I did it! I found our daughter and I raised her for us."
"You sent word to me?" Mal hissed, turning around. "Why didn't you come yourself?"
"I could ask you the same."
"Me? I had just gone through 10 hours of labor and had my child ripped from my arms. That's what happened to me, you asshole."
"Why am I an asshole?"
"Because you are."
"Guys," Lily said. "Will you stop fighting? Just for 2 seconds." She looked at Max. He didn't look any different, but he seemed to project a new aura. He carried himself differently, there was a certain fire in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "You really are my dad?"
"Yes, Lily, as I have always been. I did my best." He looked down, almost shamefully. "Maybe Maleficent could have been a better parent, or we could've done better together but…"
"You did great." Lily smiled, ducking down to meet his eyes. "You're a great dad. I just never thought you could turn into a freakin' dragon."
Max smiled. "Of course. So can you." He glanced at Mal. "She's not really mad, you know. She's happy but she doesn't want to admit it." He looked at Mal. "I love you, Maleficent. Please forgive me for whatever you're mad about. I've waited 30 years to hold you again. I don't want to wait another moment. I will give you half of my treasure trove- shit, time has done nothing but make you sexier. How is that possible? What was I talking about?"
"Apologizing." Lily offered with a smile.
"Right, right. Mal-"
"Technically, I'm still mated to you so half your trove is mine anyway." Maleficent growled, finally facing him. "I missed you." She pouted.
"I missed you more." He grinned and opened his arms. She rolled her eyes and walked into them and he picked her up, crushing her to his chest. "I knew you would awaken me." Mal said nothing, simply purred as she nuzzled his neck, all traces of anger gone.
Mal suddenly moved away. "But I can't do this now. I have a wedding to plan. Emma, your fitting, let's go."
"What?"
Emma followed Mal back into the workshop and into a different room that had fabrics of every color and material hanging from the walls. A tri fold floor mirror was situated at one end of the room with a small raised platform in front of it.
"Shall we get started?" Mal asked.
"You sure you want to do this now?" Emma frowned as she walked across the thick, dark carpet to stand on the platform.
"Quite."
Emma looked around the room as Mal went to get a measuring roll. There was what seemed to be a mannequin of sorts already covered with a tarp. "Is that Regina's dress?"
"Yes, I've been working on it since we got back to Storybrooke."
"Can I-"
"Nope. No peeking." Maleficent returned, the measuring tape moving on its own accord as she brought colorful swatches to press against Emma's arm.
"Do I need to get undressed or anything?" She'd never had a fitting before and had no idea what was expected of her.
"Just stand still. This will only take a second."
Emma nodded, standing perfectly still as the tape moved around her body,pausing whenever Mal looked at it. The dragon held up different swatches to her face. They all seemed to be the same shade of either white or cream but the older blonde seemed to see something different and kept shaking her head.
"Is there anything in particular you wanted?"
"Honestly, I don't know. But probably something simple."
Maleficent paused to roll her eyes. "Fine. You and Regina are no fun."
"I just don't want to go overboard. I know how hard it is for her just to have the wedding at all. She didn't even want a reception until Dianah talked her into it. This wedding is all about her and I don't want to make her uncomfortable."
Maleficent turned around, a look of complete puzzlement on her face. "This isn't just about Regina. This is about the both of you. This is your special day too. Emma, you don't have to give up your own happiness in fear of displeasing Regina. She likes pushing her limits and taking risks. You should've seen her when she was learning magic. Tried to light a bonfire on her second day and blew up half a forest and burned off her eyebrows." Emma smirked at the mere thought of a young Regina learning to make a fireball for the first time. "She's happy, truly happy to have this wedding, whether you believe it or not. But don't be a puppy. If she wanted a puppy following down behind her 24/7, she could've went to the pet store...or stayed with Robin. There wouldn't be much of a difference, besides maybe an actual puppy being much cuter." Emma snorted. All of Regina's friends seemed to bear this dislike towards the former thief and Emma would be lying if she said she didn't share this sentiment. None of them were very enthusiastic about the man being her soulmate. The only good thing about him was Roland. All of them, especially Ruby and Mal considered Robin unworthy of Regina. Their relationship had always seemed forced, just because of the whole soulmate thing. Regina was never happy with him and he bore too many similarities to Leopold. Widowed father, supposed good intentions, looking for a wife/babysitter/mother and never truly appreciating the woman they had captured. On top of that he seemed the most boring man Emma had ever met. He was just bland, nothing compared to the fiery woman that pixie dust claimed was his soulmate. Mal put a hand on her shoulder, drawing her back to the task at hand. "Marriage is about two people, dear. Not just you catering to Regina. Let her do a little work once in a while. We're done here."
Emma stepped down. "Thanks, Mal. And...you can really do what you want with the dress. Just make me look awesome."
"Of course. It'll be done by tomorrow."
"Are you serious?"
Mal snorted. "Emma, I've been making things since before your great-grandparents were thought of. Trust me, it will be done."
Emma smiled. "I'll be back tomorrow then."
"Good."
That seemed to be the end of the conversation, so Emma took her leave. She walked outside to find Lily still sitting with Maedhros, both of them deep in conversation. She gave them their privacy and pulled out her phone to call Regina as she walked home.
"Emma Swan, I am still here." Regina said, sounding a bit frustrated. "No, I haven't died again. Yes, I still like you. Yes, we are still getting married in two days. Meet me at the venue." Regina hung up before she could get a word in.
"Love you too." She said softly with a sigh, teleporting straight to the new site they had chosen for the wedding. It was in a quiet, serene part of the forest. It was a breathtaking scene. The trees provided the perfect backdrop. The grass curled around her shoes when she walked. A walkway made of stone and an altar had already been set up. The edges of said walkway were lined with dragon fire that constantly changed colors. Everything looked perfect, even the soft breeze blowing through the trees. Even the beams of sunlight penetrating the thick canopy above seemed strategically placed and Regina...took Emma's breath away as she was bathed in this light. Even looking a little anxious and wearing a simple pantsuit, hair up in a messy ponytail, she was flawless. Emma walked straight up to her and kissed her, pulling her close. Regina was momentarily stunned, but quickly melted into her arms.
"Hey, save some for the honeymoon." Grace said. Emma frowned, not realizing that both her moms were present.
"The place looks great." She said, looking around.
"Not done yet. Your fathers went to pick up the chairs and Ruby wanted to pick out some lights or something. This is just the bare minimum. I'm only pissed that I don't get to do anything." Grace replied, crossing her arms. "Mal is doing the dresses, Dianah and Ruby are doing hair and makeup, Granny and Mom are handling the catering- do you guys even have a priest?"
"I talked to Archie." Regina answered. "He said he would be honored to perform the ceremony."
"See!" Grace exclaimed. "I don't even get to pay for anything."
"Buy us a wedding present." Regina suggested with a shrug.
A grin started to spread on Grace's face. "Thank you. I have an awesome idea."
"Mom, you don't have to go overboard-"
"Already done!" Grace announced as she walked off.
Emma rolled her eyes and smirked, kissing Regina's forehead. "What's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"You sounded upset earlier."
"Right…" Regina sighed, taking a step away.
Emma looked at Snow. "Give us a minute." She turned back to fiancee and bid her to sit on the stone. She removed Regina's heels and pushed her feet into the grass. She smirked when Regina wiggled her toes and sat next to her. "Talk to me."
"It's not a big deal."
"It clearly is to you. Talk to me, babe. Please?"
Regina sighed, almost trying to curl herself into a ball. "I...I can't- I don't know how to dance."
Emma's eyebrows rose. "But I've seen you dance before."
"No, I meant our first dance. You know, as wife and wife. I never learned to dance like that."
Emma frowned. "Why?" She ventured to ask. Cora managed to beat a bunch of etiquette and queenly nonsense into her daughter's head but she skipped something as simple as ballroom dancing?
"Leopold never danced with me." Regina admitted. "He always danced with Snow. Any time that he would throw a ball I just sat the whole time or talked with my father. I never learned how to dance and I don't want to disappoint you or make a fool of myself. I tried practicing. I've been doing it all morning with Ivar and Jacob, but I suck."
Emma looked around as she stood up. With a snap of her fingers a small dancefloor appeared in front of her. She conjured a radio nearby and it started to play Ed Sheeran's Perfect. Regina swallowed as she stood up. Emma bowed and offered her hand.
"Emma, you don't-"
"Just dance with me, Regina. I keep telling you that you're not normal, why try to have a normal wedding?" Regina accepted her hand and she pulled the older brunette close, simply swaying to the sweet song playing. "See?"
"This isn't the dancing I've seen." Regina had the cutest look of confusion on her face.
"Doesn't matter. We can do what we want, Regina. It's our wedding, our rules. Do you remember our first date?"
Regina giggled. "Yes. You were looking quite delicious in your suit."
Emma smiled. That was both the best and worst night of her life.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Emma looked at herself in the morning, smiling at her choice of attire. She had picked out a suit for the evening and had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She went with light makeup and simple black shoes. Sliding on a fashionable looking watch and a ring, she was ready to go. She grabbed her phone and wallet and made her way downstairs. Her parents were on the couch, apparently having waited up for her.
"Emma, you look nice." Snow said, although she sounded a bit uncertain. Probably because Emma was wearing a suit and they assumed she was going out with Killian again. It was a far cry from that pink monstrosity she wore on her first date with the pirate. "Are you going out with Neal or Killian?"
"Neither one. I have a date with Regina. Don't wait up."
"Regina? Really?" David said, rising to his feet.
"Yes. You really need to get over your little feud with her."
"Little feud? She cursed an entire world."
"Your world. Not mine." Emma called as she walked out the house. She made her way to the car she had rented for the evening since she knew Regina despised her bug. Inside it was her red jacket and a bouquet of roses she had bought. She sped the mansion to make sure she was on time, wanting to impress Regina with her punctuality. Tonight needed to be perfect. It needed to work because at this point Regina was on her mind all the time and she wanted the next thing, to have her in her arms. She was nervous out of her mind, but she swallowed her fear and stepped out of the car with the bouquet and made her way to the door. She knocked and took a deep breath. When the door opened she stopped breathing altogether. Regina stood in the doorway in a black gown, her hair neatly brushed and styled and her makeup flawlessly applied. She was flawless. "Wow." A twinkle of amusement flickered in the queen's eyes.
"I could say the same to you." Regina slowly looked her up and down as a devilish smirk played on her lips. "I like it."
"This is only the first date, Regina. You can't be looking at me like that."
"Well you can't be dressing like that, Miss Swan, and not expect my mind to go to sinful places." She accepted the roses and walked into the house. Emma waited at the door, smiling to herself. Regina returned and Emma waited for her to close and lock the door before offering her arm and leading her down to the car.
"No bug?" Regina asked, arching a sculpted eyebrow.
"No. Tonight is special so I needed a better carriage for my queen." Regina didn't reply as Emma walked her around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. She walked to the driver's side and got in. "Are you hungry?"
"Famished."
"Great." Emma smiled.
/
It was the beginning of a long and incredible night, in which Emma made a complete fool of herself being so nervous and resulting in a series of clumsy accidents, one of which ended with her spilling a glass of water all over Regina. She had taken the former queen to a high end restaurant in hopes of impressing her. She bought the finest wine, told her to get whatever she wanted, had the band play a certain song. And yet...Regina wasn't impressed in the least. She was amused by Emma's fumbling, but mostly ignored the extravagant lengths the blonde had gone through to make the night perfect. Emma felt that she understood Regina a lot more without her really saying a word just because of her reaction to their date.
"None of this fazes you, does it?" Emma asked.
Regina arched her eyebrow curiously. "What do you mean?"
"This restaurant, the $110 snack we just bought, this is pretty common to you, isn't it?"
Regina shrugged. "I suppose, although I appreciate the effort."
The more Emma thought about it, the more that she realized that none of Regina's past lovers were like her. Regina was a woman born into luxury, probably had never known hunger, poverty, struggle, had never wanted for anything. She was breathtaking beautiful, had been since she was a teenager, and could've had her pick of any noble, knight, prince or king that she wanted. But none of them held her interest. She had fallen in love with a simple stable boy above all others, because he wasn't like all the other people vying for her attention every day, because he was different. Even Graham, the Huntsman, had spent his life out in the forest with his only companion being a half tamed wolf. Her supposed soulmate was a thief who didn't really have much of his own. Maleficent was the only outlier she knew of at the time, but Maleficent was not always the Dragon Queen, and she still bore the physical and emotional scars of someone who had been fighting her entire life. She felt like she had gone about this entire thing the wrong way. It didn't help that their waiter was a homophobic asshole and the manager of the restaurant wasn't much help.
"Don't worry." Regina smirked as they rose to leave after Emma paid the bill, both of them hungrier than when they arrived. "Both of them will be experiencing some very painful, explosive diarrhea in about 10 seconds."
"Regina, you evil bitch."
"Oh, you love me for it." Just then, the waiter went sprinting through the dining room like his life depended on it and Emma burst out laughing. Regina smiled as she followed Emma outside. The blonde remembered a burger joint not too far away and they decided to go there for a real dinner. And that was when Emma met the witty, dirty minded, carefree woman that she had never known Regina to be. It was like a mask had been removed and she loved it. She loved to see Regina just being herself and her nervousness just melted away, watching Regina try a milkshake for the first time and struggling to eat a burger. It was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. After dinner they caught a movie at the theater and stopped by a little night club for some dancing.
Her nervousness returned as she walked Regina up the steps of her mansion, folding her arms behind her. "Did you enjoy yourself?"
Regina smiled brightly. "I did. It wasn't quite what I expected."
"Oh?"
"Well, I've seen the movies, read the books. I knew what passed for courting in this world, but I never expected it to be so much fun." Regina said softly. "It was wonderful. Could we do it again?"
Emma's eyebrows rose. "Um...yeah. Sure. Whenever you want."
Regina smiled. "Great. I can't wait."
Emma smiled as well, pleased beyond words that she had done a good job tonight. "Sorry about spilling water on you again. I swear I'm not usually like that. I was just really nervous."
"Nervous? Why?" The woman seemed genuinely confused. As if she didn't know who she was.
"Because you're freakin' Regina Mills maybe? Insanely gorgeous, talented and intelligent? Ringing any bells?"
Regina smirked and beckoned with her finger for Emma to come closer. The blonde didn't hesitate and Regina gently grabbed her tie, pulling her in for a soft kiss. Her lips were incredibly soft and she tasted so sweet, so amazing that Emma wanted more, so much more. "Have a good night, Miss Swan." Came the soft purr as Regina moved away to unlock her door.
"G-good night, Regina." Emma gasped.
/
"That was a wonderful night." Regina said.
"Yeah, it didn't go exactly as I planned and it wasn't really your ordinary date, but it turned out amazing. Our wedding will be the same way. I mean, just look at some of our guests: two dragons and a werewolf. Nothing about this is normal."
Regina laughed softly and laid her head on Emma's shoulder. "All right then. I won't need to worry about dancing." She smiled as Emma gave her a little twirl and pulled her back out into her arms.
"Have you decided who's going to walk you down the aisle and give you away?"
Regina shook her head. "Mal offered, but at this point she's doing everything."
Emma chuckled. "She wants to. She's a big part of who you are today. You know, she told me about you burning off your eyebrows when she was teaching you magic."
Regina groaned. "That was one of the most embarrassing days of my life. She threatened to kick me out of her kingdom permanently for torching a mile of forest. I'm glad she didn't."
"Nah, she loves you too much."
"Ivar offered as well, but I haven't decided yet. Have you?"
She didn't want to hurt either of her parents, but her first thought was to pick Xander to walk her down the aisle. He was the father she really knew anyway. "Xander." She answered.
"Good." Regina replied, making her frown curiously. Regina noticed and smirked. "David and Snow believe that just because they're your parents, they should receive the same rights and respect as Alexander and Grace. However, they weren't the ones who raised you, taught you and provided for you. They love you and care about you, but at the end of the day, they hardly know you." The song ended and Regina stepped out of her arms, but continued to hold her hand. "How do you know how to ballroom dance?"
Emma smiled. "Grace."
"She taught you?"
"No, she forced me, Dianah and Jacob to take a stupid cotillion class after we got into a fight at school."
"Why were you always getting into fights? Protecting your siblings?"
"Sometimes. Other times were just because assholes needed to be dealt with."
Regina laughed. "You sound like such an errant child."
"Mom and Dad would agree."
"So...are you going to invite Tiffany to the ceremony?" Regina smirked playfully. "Or the unfortunate sperm donor and the perverted pirate?"
"Fuck all three of them." Emma scoffed. "You going to invite Robin? Giselle?"
"Robin has to come unfortunately. Roland is my guest of honor. With him comes his father. And yes, Giselle is coming too."
"I don't really care who comes. I just want everyone to know that if anyone dares to stand up at the speak now or forever hold your peace part, I'm going to shoot them."
Both of them shared a grin. "I have to go, Miss Swan. But I will see you tonight. After tomorrow you might not recognize me."
"Me either."
Tomorrow was the day before the wedding and it was the day that they were going to be pampered from head to toe. Regina would be spending most of the day at the spa, per the command of Ruby, and Emma had no idea what Dianah had planned. After tonight Emma wouldn't see Regina again until she was walking down the aisle.
"I'm nervous." Regina admitted. "Will you laugh if I fall?"
Emma shook her head. "Considering that you walk in 5 inch heels on a daily basis with no fear, then I highly doubt you will fall. And no, I won't laugh."
That evening was filled with taste testing food, deciding on the menu, decorating the reception area and finalizing any more plans needed, including those for the honeymoon. They had decided Italy would be their first stop and Emma reserved the honeymoon suite of their finest hotel. When night came, she was thoroughly exhausted. Regina had left earlier to spend the rest of the day with Ivar amd Giselle and Emma wanted to spend some time alone for a little while. She took a long hot shower to wash away the tension of the day and stepped out into the bedroom, still dripping wet from her shower and towel drying her hair. Regina was in her lingerie, on her phone.
"Hey. Have fun?"
"Indeed. We-" Regina looked up and Emma could've sworn that her pupils dilated right then and there. The brunette quickly spun around. "Emma, what are you doing?"
"Getting out of the shower. What are you doing?"
"You're naked!" Regina hissed.
"So? I've seen you naked. What's the problem?"
Regina sighed, peeking over her shoulder. Emma raised an eyebrow as the queen turned around and she turned red feeling the intensity of Regina's stare. She crossed the room and walked around Emma, silently appraising her. "The things I want to do to you, Miss Swan...fuck."
"What?"
Regina stopped in front of her, her eyes black with lust. "I have no restraints when it comes to you, that's what." Emma smiled. Honestly she had always been a bit self conscious about her body. She really wanted Regina to like it and she had never really known if Regina did because the queen was so good at hiding her emotions and keeping her desires in check. But in this moment Emma could see everything in those big brown eyes of hers...and she had never been more turned on in her life. Regina suddenly slammed her against the wall, desperately claiming her lips as her own, her fingertips already exploring.
"Mm, Regina, maybe we should slow down." Emma said, trying to come up with a valid reason why. She could hardly think with her lover's lips on her neck leaving fireworks in her wake. She was hitting just the right spots to make Emma weak in the knees, to make her wet, to make her want to sate the hunger she had been holding off for so long. She wanted Regina so much it hurt, but she promised they would wait. Regina took her hands and lead her to the bed.
"Just a little taste?" She whispered, more to herself than to Emma.
"Regina, I'm trying to be strong here-"
"Why?" Regina crouched down as Emma sat down on the bed. She parted the blonde's legs and licked her lips. The sight was just too much. The very thought of a woman like Regina Mills wanting her so badly, it was driving her insane. She felt Regina's nails on her inner thighs as the queen forced her legs a little farther apart. "Please, Emma? Just a little taste. This is fucking why I never wanted to see you naked until our honeymoon. I can't control myself."
"Really?"
Regina looked up and met her eyes. "You're the most beautiful woman in the world to me, Emma. Everything about you is so gorgeous. Always know that."
Emma nodded quickly. "But just two more nights, baby. You can do it." She smirked.
"But…" Regina looked down, licking her lips as her eyes zeroed in on the apex of the blonde's thighs. "One taste?"
Emma bit her lip. Temptation was a bitch.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Are you telling me," Dianah said. "That you had the queen on her knees, begging to eat you out and you said no? Have I taught you nothing?!"
Emma rolled her eyes. She felt fucking amazing! After a day at the spa in New York, a wedding present from her sister and having had a body treatment, a facial, a deep tissue massage, a full waxing and a mani pedi, she felt like she could do anything. At the moment she was sitting in the passenger side of Dianah's all black Mustang Shelby, rubbing her arms and admiring how smooth they were, while listening to her sister and Lily rant.
"Emma, you're insane." Lily said from the back seat. Evie was present as well, but she just laughed at the rest of their family.
"Look, I don't want to have sex with Regina to satisfy an urge. I want to make love to her on our wedding night."
"You could've done that and still had sex with her last night." Dianah exclaimed. "You could've called me. I would've bit the bullet for you. You know, you have to take care of our queen."
"First off, she's my queen. Not yours." Emma said, glaring at her smirking sister. "And I will take care of her after she's my wife. Trust me on that."
"Still…" Lily snickered. "I have so much new respect for you right now. Was it hard to turn her down?"
"About the hardest decision of my life." Dianah and Lily burst out laughing but Emma was far from joking. She ignored them as they rode back into Storybrooke, heading for Mal's workshop for her dress. Grace and Snow were already present when they entered the workshop, finding Mal half asleep in a swinging hammock she had added. There was now a second mannequin next to the first, both of them covered in a beige tarp.
"Long night?" Lily inquired of her mother after waking her up.
"Very." Maleficent groaned as she sat up. "How long do you have?"
"An hour to spare. Then we have to get to work on Emma's hair and choose the makeup."
The dragon nodded and peeked under one of the tarps. She chose one and motioned to Emma for her to follow. They entered some sort of a dressing room and Emma was instructed to get undressed. She was a bit nervous, but Mal didn't seem to be. After getting undressed, the dragon told her to close her eyes and helped her into her wedding dress. It was a perfect fit. Mal lead her out to the tri fold mirror that was now hidden by a curtain and told her to open her eyes.
"Holy…" A grin took over her face when she saw her dress. It was an off white long sleeved ensemble that hugged all of her curves. The neckline was a little low but she decided to ignore it. What really caught her attention was the mixture of leather and steel. Mal had actually commissioned her an armored wedding dress and it was absolutely beautiful. The leather was expertly sewed into the bodice and the piece of steel that was the crowning adornment was placed perfectly on her abdomen and had the emblem of a swan. It wasn't too much and it wasn't too little. Diamonds had been sewn into the soft fabric until Emma shone and glittered like one herself. "Maleficent, this is amazing!" She did a twirl and looked at the dragon. "How did you-"
"Magic, my dear." The older blonde replied with a bright smile. "Now, I may need to adjust the headpiece depending on your hairstyle." She stepped away to retrieve it and placed it on Emma's head. It was made of diamonds and resembled a crown with a small part of it that reached down to rest on her forehead. "Were you planning on having a veil?"
"Are these real diamonds?" Emma asked.
"Of course. You think a dragon would use fake diamonds?! The very thought of touching of one of them sickens me. Besides, I have plenty more. You humans worry over the littlest things."
"Yeah, because one of these little things is probably worth more than me."
"Maybe."
"Can we see it now?!" Grace yelled impatiently. Mal snapped her fingers and the curtain moved to reveal Emma to her waiting bridal party. Grace's jaw dropped and she almost immediately burst into tears. "You look so beautiful."
"You were the last person I expected to cry." Emma commented as she stepped down and wiped away the tiny tears leaking down her mother's face. She was far too pretty to shed tears. It made her remember how as a child it always upset her when Grace cried, even if such occurrences were rare.
"Me too." Grace said. "I promised I wouldn't but...you look so happy. You look like a princess."
"A warrior princess. Is that a breastplate?" Dianah commented, reaching out to touch it.
"Not a princess." Mal said as she joined them. "She's the White Knight. Do I need to make any adjustments?"
"Nope. It's perfect. Has Regina seen it yet?"
"No. She has no idea what hers looks like, much less yours. She'll be in here later on tonight. Ruby is putting her through the ringer."
"I'll bet."
/
"Ruby, take it easy!" Regina snapped.
"Stop moving!" The wolf hissed, pushing Regina's head back so that all of her hair could reach the water. The queen was currently sitting in a chair tilted dangerously back while Ruby washed and combed her hair using a long rectangular basin. After a day at the spa and more work to make sure everything was ready for tomorrow, this was her evening. "Gods, your hair is beautiful but now I see why you cut it. This is too much." She maneuvered a towel under Regina's head and had her sit up, carefully wrapping the towel around Regina's hair. "No wonder you had so many servants."
"I did offer to make some for you."
"No, I have this perfectly under control. Your hair is all I need to do and then we can go get your dress from Mal." Ruby towel dried her hair for a few minutes before sitting her up and using a blowdryer to try and complete the job. She didn't finish completely and instead brought out a box of hair dye to apply Regina's new highlights.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Regina. Are you seriously asking me that? You'll look great." Regina sighed as she held still while the werewolf did as she pleased. "Are you and Emma good?" She asked as she worked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well last night was probably the first time in your life you were ever turned down. Must be strange for you."
"Everything is fine. In fact, I must commend her for being strong enough to resist me. I wouldn't have been. Or rather, I wasn't." Thinking back on last night she was almost mortified at her actions. Not only had she thrown herself at Emma, begging to have sex, but the blonde had rejected her. Even now she was irritable and horny just thinking about Emma naked. The blonde was so strong and toned. Her workouts certainly helped her out in that department. When they were making out she tried to keep her hands to herself and made sure things didn't get to heated. Emma did as well because she wanted to be different than her other lovers. She wanted to wait until they were married. As sweet and noble as that was, Regina's control was running thin.
"Did she let you have a little taste?" Ruby asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"No." Regina pouted.
The werewolf snickered. "She has no idea what she's missing."
"Don't tell her that."
Ruby laughed. It took another hour of sitting in a chair before her hair was done. She walked into the bathroom and gasped when she saw her new light brown highlights that contrasted nicely with her natural ebony color. Ruby had decided to keep it longer and left in its natural curl. Regina had had a painfully intricate updo for her wedding with Leopold. She wanted the exact opposite for this one. A scowl marred her features remembering having to sit still for almost an hour while her mother and a servant pinned up her hair and the near hour that night it took to take it all down when she barricaded herself in the bathroom to try and skip out on consummating her marriage.
"What do you think?" Ruby peeked in. She noticed the look on Regina's face and frowned in concern. "You okay?"
"Yeah." Regina quickly nodded. "Just...thinking. But I love the hair."
"Hey, you know you can come to me for anything, right?"
"I know, I was just thinking about the first wedding." She admitted. "I'm scared-"
"Regina, Emma is not Leopold." Ruby said. "And everything is set for the wedding. It's going to be great."
"I know, but...every time something good happens to me, it gets taken away before I can even enjoy it." Regina whispered. "What if it happens again?"
"This is your happy ending, Regina. I know it. I would be scared too if I were you, but you just have to trust it. Maybe not fate because fate screwed all of us over big time, but trust in your love for Emma. Trust in yourself. Speaking of whom, have you met Emma Swan? You really think she's not going to try and punch fate in the face to keep you?"
Regina smiled. "You're right."
"Everything is going to be fine. I will make sure of it." She tilted her head for a moment and grinned. "Mal's here with the dress! Come on!" Regina smiled as she followed the wolf downstairs. Mal was setting up her wedding dress in the living room. It was still covered with one of her tarps. "Let's see it, Mal."
"No, Regina has to put it on and we have to wait for Zelena and Tink to get here."
It took a few minutes but her guests arrived and waited in the living room while Mal helped her into the dress in her bedroom. It fit perfectly of course. Mal was excellent at making things.
"Do you think Emma will like it?" Regina with her eyes closed, per Mal's instructions.
"She'll like you in anything." The dragon scoffed.
"I heard about Max. Are you okay?" She asked, knowing that Maedhros was one of the few things that could throw the dragon off her game. From what she'd been told, Maedhros was like Mal's best friend, mate, high school sweetheart and true love all rolled into one. He took Regina's place when she betrayed her friend and stole the curse, but they clearly had known each other for some time. He was Lily's father apparently.
"No, but I will ignore it for now."
"You don't have to do that. You know you still love him."
"Of course I do, but I have too much to do right now. We will talk later, perhaps while you are on your honeymoon, but as for right now I have nothing to say to him."
"One would think that you would be happy that he was back. After all, you were starting to like Max too."
"Max and Maedhros are two different people." Mal replied. "Right now, you are more important than both so open those pretty eyes of yours and look at my wonderful creation."
Regina opened her eyes, her jaw dropping at the sight of her wedding dress. The dragon had given her dress a simplistic beauty that was complemented by a beautiful array of diamonds and tiny sapphire that she was sure entailed a painstaking process to make. The gems were in a stunning pattern around the neckline and down her stomach, as well as part of the open jeweled back, both reminiscent of two of her favorite dresses from her Evil Queen days. It fitted her deliciously and besides all of the jewels, which considering who made the dress did not surprise her in the least, wasn't too over the top. It was perfect. Mal moved around her, brushing her hair into place before placing a diamond circlet on her head.
"I assumed that you would not want a giant crown or anything, but I won't pretend like you are not a queen." The dragon said.
"I love it." Regina smiled as she turned around in front of her bedroom mirror.
"I'm not sure about the veil though."
"It's perfect the way it is, Mal. All of it." She paused when her phone started ringing and bent to pick it up and answer it.
"Hello, Regina, is Mom there?" Lily asked. Her voice sounded urgent and almost scared.
"Yes, one moment." She held out the phone to Mal. "For you." Regina turned back to the mirror and adjusted her crown before she would go downstairs to show the others. She could hear Lily's voice loud and clear as she talked about attacking Dianah or something and Maedhros fainting. Mal handed her back the phone. "Is everything okay?"
"Doesn't seem to be, but I'll go deal with this and be back in half an hour."
"Take your time." Regina replied, tossing her phone back onto the bed. The dragon teleported away and Regina made her way downstairs to Ruby and Tink's excited squeals.
"Oh my gosh, you are glowing!" Tink said, walking around her. "This dress is magnificent."
"It sure is." Ruby added, taking pictures. Regina blushed under their praise. Within moments they transitioned to strategizing Regina's makeup for tomorrow then on to fighting about who would actually get to do it. Meanwhile, Regina removed her crown and and teleported back to her bedroom to take off her dress and got changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, not on the eve of her wedding. Tomorrow was the big day and it amazed her that the task of planning and setting up everything had only taken a few days with everyone involved. Everything was ready, everything was perfect. She pulled out her phone to call Emma.
"Hey." Emma said softly.
"Hey."
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah." Regina sighed contently. "Just a little nervous and-"
"Nervous? You aren't getting cold feet, are you?" Emma asked.
"Of course not. I don't know why I'm nervous, I just am. I'm excited too."
"Oh, good. It's okay to be a little nervous. But everything is going to be okay."
"I know, but I still haven't picked who is going to walk me down the aisle-"
A soft tap on her door made her turn around. Zelena stood in the doorway, nervously holding her hands in front of her. "I could help with that."
"I could ask Jackson or Jacob." Emma was saying.
"One moment, I'll call you back."
"Okay."
Regina hung up as her sister stepped into the room. "What's your idea?"
"First," Zelena said. "I wanted to apologize...for trying to erase your entire existence. I've come to realize that you were right, about many things. I do want a chance to start over. Don't think I care about being a hero or anything because watching you lot run around saving this person and that is painstaking enough." Regina smirked slightly, wondering where this was heading and if she should be worried. "You are my only living family, but we don't really treat each other as such and I would like to change that. My first attempt at doing so would be to give you an early wedding gift."
"Okay." She said, a bit skeptical about where this was going. Zelena motioned for her to follow her. Tink and Ruby were still arguing about makeup when they walked in.
"Watch the front door."
Regina watched the door for several long minutes, feeling a bit like an idiot until she heard Zelena curse.
"Bloody hell, they came in the back." Zelena spun her around and her heart nearly stopped. Standing in her living room...were her parents. Prince Henry had the happiest smile on his face. Cora did as well, but she seemed a bit hesitant and nervous, not sure how she would be welcomed, but her smile was reason enough for Regina to accept her. Her mother had never smiled when she was growing up. Only that day when she put her heart back in and she was lost forever did she genuinely smile for the first time at her youngest daughter. Regina remembered it so well, seeing so much love shining in her mother's eyes.
"Zelena, are they real?" Regina whispered, feeling her own eyes start to burn.
"Yes, I pulled some strings with an old friend, but they're only here for the wedding."
Regina walked forward and reached out to her father, who smiled even wider at her cautious nature before taking her hand. She gasped and raced into his arms. He crushed her to his chest and she couldn't help but let the tears fall. "Daddy, I'm so sorry-"
"None of that now, Princess." He said softly. "Sssh."
Regina looked over her mother before throwing her arms around her too, much to Cora's surprise. "I missed you both so much." Even after everything her mother had done to her, after everything they had done to each other, she still loved her mother. Would always love her. Regina turned to look at her sister. "Thank you, Zelena." Zelena gave a meek nod.
"So," Henry said. "Tell me about your beloved." He smiled. "Must be an amazing man to have you glowing so brightly."
"Um, actually it's a woman." Regina replied. Her father's eyebrows rose before his smile returned.
"Even better."
"You have to meet your grandsons too, before you have to leave." He looked surprised again and she laughed. "The oldest is named Ivar. I actually just met him not too long ago. Do you remember Giselle?" He nodded. "Yeah, she's his other mother. The youngest is named Henry...after you. And I have a nephew named Elias, and there's another boy named Roland who Robin might as well give to me because I'm very close to stealing him, and I met Emma's parents and her siblings and they're amazing. Sorry, am I going too fast?" She asked excitedly.
Her father chuckled deeply as he sat down. "Not at all. We want to hear about everything."
/
Maleficent strode into the small mansion that had been commandeered by the Swan family for the evening and found Grace waiting for her. Max was standing next to them, looking rather pissed off. "What's going on? I thought Lily said Max fainted."
"That's not Max." Grace replied.
"Maedhros?" Mal frowned, looking at him. He nodded. She turned back to the blonde woman, noticing Dianah in the kitchen getting her neck bandaged by Evie. "Where is Max and Lily?"
"In here." Grace lead her upstairs to the small bedroom where Max was laying on a bed. His chest was bare and towels and ice packs had been laid across his torso. Lily was sitting next to him. Mal could see that her daughter was shaking. She stepped into the room and Lily was on her feet in an instant.
"Mom, what the hell is going on?"
"Don't worry, it's nothing big."
"Nothing big?! My dad split himself in two. I thought he was going to die. And I attacked Dianah! I couldn't even control myself-" Mal took her hands in hers and gently rubbed the backs of them with her thumbs as she purred. She knew that it would trigger a calming effect in her daughter, as all mother dragons possessed this ability to soothe their children when the situation called for it. Lily slowly calmed down and eventually stopped shaking.
"I'll deal with your father. You, did not attack Dianah. Otherwise, both of you would be in a lot worse condition. You bit her and marked her. The dragon side of you is tired of lying dormant. That is what you and I are going to work on after this wedding."
"Why then? Why Dianah of all people? Shouldn't I attack Jacob, since he's an ass?" Lily asked.
Maleficent chuckled. "It's because you love her, you fool. Everyone seems to be aware of this except you and her. Tell her or this will only get worse. Would you like to know what's going to happen if you don't claim her?" Lily nodded. "You will become extremely irritable and possessive. The more you fight it, the worse it will get. Eventually you are going to hurt a lot of people or even Dianah herself."
"Because I won't fuck her?" Lily growled.
"No. Because you won't accept your love for her." She sighed when Lily still looked confused. "What you have is rare. To find love so early in life is rare for our kind. I didn't meet Maedhros until I was 400 years old. That was 400 years of loneliness and searching. You love Dianah. Dianah loves you. What's so hard about telling each other that?"
"What if...what if she says no?" Lily asked.
Mal scoffed. "She's already yours. Just as you are hers. Besides, look at you. How could she say no?" Lily smiled softly and Mal swiftly pushed her out of the room before she could change her mind. She turned to Max, who had been watching the exchange with a weak smile. "Now for you...what the hell?"
He smirked. "Well, it wasn't my plan. It was your fucking boyfriend."
"I don't even know what that is. You are the second most problematic man I have ever met." She said, removing the towels to assess the damage. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her on top of him. She growled deeply. "How dare you touch a dragon, human scum." He only laughed. "You're lying in a bed and can't even move and you want to try and be cute?"
"I'm in good hands." He replied.
"Fuck you."
"When? Where? What position?"
She rolled her eyes and got off of him. She muttered a few quick words in elvish before holding her hands over his body, allowing cool green flames to spread from her fingertips. Max let out a deep sigh as she eased his pain and healed whatever affliction had come from Maedhros' spell. She felt incredibly weak afterwards and had to sit down.
"You okay?" Max quickly sat up.
"I'm fine." She answered, pushing him back down. "You however, do not need to get up until you have to. Rest."
"Wait." He gently took her hand and gave it a pull. She rolled her eyes and moved closer so he wouldn't strain himself. "Explain to me what happened. Please?"
She didn't really know what happened if she was being honest. She didn't know what curse Maedhros used, or where he got the damn thing in the first place. There were other ways, plenty of other ways he could have found Lily. In her experiences, curses were never meant to last and rarely did what you wanted them to. Regina found that out the hard way. Maleficent arched an eyebrow at Max playing with her fingers. Humans were such children. "From what I understand," She said. "Maedhros cursed himself in order to cross over to this world, which is usually a very simple task except, this world doesn't have magic, or it isn't supposed to. Dragons are magical creatures, our very blood is laced with it. The curse partially did its job and sent him to Lily, but it didn't create a human form for him. He must've cast the curse the day you adopted Lily and the curse bound him to you. All of your decisions were yours and yours alone. Maedhros was...along for the ride, I guess you could say."
"That son of a bitch lied then. Acted like he raised Lily." Max said softly. "What's going to happen now?"
"Nothing." She shrugged. "Lily is an adult, she can make her own choices-"
"No, I know that, trust me." He smirked, but it was quick to fade. "But I meant with us."
"What would you expect to happen?" She inquired.
"You to go running to the father of your child." He shrugged.
"Then you are going to be pleasantly surprised." She smiled. He looked up at her in surprise. "You look so shocked. Why?"
"I thought you said you knew the guy for like a hundred years. That's a long time to be with someone."
"Indeed it is, and it was bliss. But I am in a new world with new people and new things to do. I have no intention of getting back together with Maedhros, not after all of this bullshit. And I have no intention of allowing you to court me until I have had my fill of this world."
"What? But-"
She raised her hand for silence. She had spent the last 30 years trapped underground, was technically dead for 2 of them and even before then had spent about 5 wallowing in her own self pity after her curses failed and Lily was taken from her. She had no intention of being with anyone anytime too. There was far too much to do, far too much wine to taste, sights to see and women to sleep with. "So...see you later."
"Wait, woman." Max said, sitting up again. She pushed him back down and stood up. "What if I go with you?"
"You have a job and as you have boasted, it is a very important job."
"If you think I'm going to let you go, you're wrong."
"If you think I care, you're wrong." Mal replied with a smirk. "All of that saving people and serving others does not appeal to me unless it's my family. I am a dragon, a villain and rich. Settling down in a simple life will not be happening anytime soon, I'm afraid." She enjoyed the man's company, she truly did, and given time she could see a future with him and their daughter.
"What if-"
"Max."
"Just hear me out." He said. She sighed and crossed her arms. "You don't know this world very well, you've barely been out of Storybrooke. What if I can find someone to help you? To take you wherever you want to go and give you tours, protect you, the whole works. Will you at least let me do that?"
"Fine, if it will get you to drop this discussion. Now, get some rest." She walked out of the room, feeling his smile on her back as she left. Maedhros was still waiting for her. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head, effectively terminating anything he'd been about to say. She walked past the living room and paused at finding her daughter deep in a makeout session with Dianah. Grace walked in from the other door with a some kind of joggly in her hand. Maleficent could smell water in it but she wasn't sure what it was supposed to do. Grace answered by throwing it at their daughters and splashing them and everything near it.
"No sex on the couch we sit on, children, thank you." Grace wiped her hands as she walked back out and Lily glared after her retreating form. The smile that Dianah gave her daughter, ignoring even the water dripping from their hair, warmed her heart. It made her happy to know that her daughter was well and in good hands.
"Maleficent, can we speak?" Maedhros asked, following her outside.
"No, but I would like my half of your hoard." She said, spinning around. "And I would like to break our bonding."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Quite. Transfer it to me tomorrow night please and thank you."
"Maleficent, I haven't seen you in 30 years and you want to end it. Can we just talk? Anything?"
"Maedhros, I have a lot to do tonight before the wedding. None of it involves talking about the past. Tomorrow night. I'll talk then, but not before." She quickly teleported away and reappeared next to Ruby, who was watching Regina and her parents in the living room. "What's this?"
"Zelena brought back Regina's parents for the wedding. She hasn't stopped talking since they got here." Ruby smiled. Regina was indeed talking a mile a minute. Henry was beaming happily listening to his daughter tell him all about Emma. Cora was actually happy it would seem. Maleficent believed that that was the first time she had ever seen the woman smile.
"Everything okay with your guy?" Ruby whispered.
"For now."
Ruby nodded. "Tomorrow is going to be great."
Mal smiled. "It will."
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