"How?" Regina whispered.
"I spoke to the other alphas again. We came to the conclusion that if you do indeed carry the blood of a Great One, then you need one to help you." Mal answered. "Your problems stem from the fact that you were not properly taught to be a werewolf. Much less a Great One, who seem to be a completely different kind than your grandmother. I doubt she could have taught you anyway but she did you no favors. You were only taught to hate them or fear them and in either case, you were also taught to feel that towards yourself. Now, there are no Great Ones in Oz. Rhea, Phillippa or Luke would have known if there was. The Enchanted Forest is immense compared to Jason's territory so if there was one there, he wouldn't know them either. Ursula can freely travel between worlds and I sent her to find me a Great One willing to come speak to you. She sent me a message and said she did."
"How do we know that it's a real Great One?" Regina asked.
Mal shrugged. "I guess we won't until he gets here."
Ruby was silent as she processed this while Regina tried to stave off her worries.
"In case he is a threat, we should meet somewhere else. We can go to my office."
"What if it turns out I'm not a Great One?" Ruby asked.
"Then we'll just have to keep searching for a way to help you." Zelena answered, putting an arm around her. "We are going to get through this, Wolfy. You're not in this alone."
"Meeting in the office is a good idea." Mal continued, already texting Ursula where to meet them.
"Text Lily as well." Regina said, gathering the files Archie left. They would have to go through it more thoroughly later, as well as visit the orphanage to check on the other boys. As far as she could tell they were adjusting well and behaving themselves, but they had a long way to go.
The women moved to her office. Ruby immediately flopped down on the couch and Mal went to light the fireplace. While Zelena opened up the balcony doors and tied back the curtains, Regina went to put away the files left on her desk. It seemed they had barely arrived before the doors burst open and the widow Lucas stormed inside. She immediately moved to Ruby and began fussing over being left out of the loop. Ruby was so tired that she didn't even try arguing with her.
"Enough, Old Woman." Mal growled, taking a seat near the fire. "Everyone's fine and we didn't have to tell you anything."
"Look, Dragon-"
"You can say nothing I wish to hear. So spare us both the time."
"Mal." Regina sighed. To some extent, she understood the dragon's frustration, but she also was not about to blame Eugenia for anything. She was sure the older woman did the best she could with what she had when she was raising Ruby. No one could fault her for that.
"Who are you to judge anyone?" Eugenia demanded. Regina refocused on the argument and rolled her eyes when Mal stood up. She could almost feel the growl that the dragon was holding back.
"We are in this mess because of you. Ruby spent the majority of her life not knowing what she is because you refused to tell her. Because you refused to teach her."
"It was dangerous enough just to have her." Eugenia hissed. "If the village ever found out-"
"Then why did you stay in that village? You could have gone anywhere else." Mal retorted.
"Even if you couldn't leave," Zelena cut in. "Surely you could've still told Ruby what she was and trained her in secret. Or found someone else to do it. Just leaving her to find things out on her own is ridiculous."
"Stop it, guys." Ruby groaned, rubbing her temples. "You're giving me a headache."
"She's right." Regina walked around the desk and gestured for Eugenia to take a seat and for Mal to return to hers. "It is easy for people to tell you what you should have done after the fact." She said, glancing around the room. "Ruby's wolf said that to Daniel once and it was right. You may not like what happened to Ruby but blaming Eugenia will not change anything." She looked at Mal. "I know what you would have done, my dear, but don't forget that not everyone was born with a hoard that filled a mountain. Eugenia may not have had the money or resources to leave. Also that village might have been the only home she'd ever known." She turned to Zelena. "The Enchanted Forest isn't Oz. Oz has plenty of witches and wizards and magical creatures and schools to teach you about magic. Finding a werewolf in the Forest was like finding a needle in a haystack. I should know. I paid multiple mercenary companies to search for a werewolf for me and they came up with nothing."
"Why were you searching for werewolves?" Ruby asked.
"Because you were getting on my nerves during the war with Snow. Thought I would fight werewolf with werewolf." She shrugged, glancing at Eugenia. "Eugenia, I am sure you did the best you could. Ruby doesn't blame you so I won't either. However, I do agree that you should've told her when she was older. But there's nothing to be done about it now. Can everyone get along for now?" She waited for each of the women to give her a nod before she continued on to explain to Eugenia what had happened the night before and everything that was discussed.
"I've never heard of a Great One." Eugenia said.
"Do you know who Ruby's father is?" Mal asked. Ruby's head popped up at the question but Eugenia's answer only incurred more disappointment.
"I don't. I don't know anything that happened to Anita after she left home."
"Why did she leave home?" The dragon inquired.
"She was tired of living in the village. She was always a wild thing. She discovered her werewolf side when she was fourteen and within a year, she was gone. I only met her again when she showed up with Red."
The dragon huffed as she turned back to the fire, returning to her thoughts. Regina sat down next to Ruby, letting her own thoughts wander to the coming weeks. They were finished preparing and augmenting the town. In a couple of days their guests would begin to arrive. Ideally, the festivities and the banquet would go well and all of the Lost Boys would be adopted or at least have made a decision on their futures by then. She'd already assured them that if they weren't adopted they would be provided for as long as they followed the rules.
It led her to think about adopting again, a topic she hadn't even begun to unpack but with all this talk of adoptions the idea of expanding their family had burrowed itself into her brain. She didn't really know the other Lost Boys well, but she could see herself adopting Flynn or Max. Curly was already working on the Jolly Roger with Killian, who'd arrived in Storybrooke a couple of days ago and Ben had already spoken to Zelena about entering one of the magic schools in Oz. She promised him a full ride after the banquet. Flynn, she was certain, did not really see her and Ruby as mothers, but more like older sisters he enjoyed annoying. However, he could fit into their little fold just fine. He got along well with Daniel and the other children and it wouldn't be hard to change him into a werewolf, or at least teach him shapeshifting which was his dream. Max was quiet but he was a sweetheart and he trusted them implicitly. She didn't know much about him either but she didn't mind spending the time to find out. They could also just have a baby. She may not be able to carry it but Ruby could. She might be able to talk to Zelena and see if there was a way to heal her. Then she could give Ruby lots of little pups.
Of course there was also the problem with their current sons that she didn't want to exacerbate by adopting again. It was already a struggle just to get Henry to spend time with them. It stung. Her heart clenched every time she thought about it. It would probably be another ten years before he was comfortable around them again. Well, her. He didn't have much of a problem with Ruby.
"What are you thinking about?" Ruby asked, squeezing her hand.
"Adopting more kids." Regina answered bluntly. Eugenia and Ruby both looked shocked at her words but she only shrugged. "I was just thinking about it. I know we're still having trouble with Henry and I don't expect that to magically be fixed anytime soon, but if some of the kids aren't adopted, I wouldn't mind making them a part of our family."
Ruby pondered her words for a moment before looking at her. "Which kids? We can't steal Roland, Regina."
"I know." She smirked. "Even though I really want to. I was talking about Max and Flynn. Curly and Ben have decided what they want and we don't know the other Lost Boys well enough."
"I thought Flynn wanted to be a part of a werewolf pack." Ruby frowned.
"You're a werewolf, Ruby." Regina retorted. "We're a pack."
"I get that but I don't want to be the one who changes the little bastard." Regina laughed softly. "As for Max, I could see it. We're going to have to work on getting him out of his shell."
"I don't think there is anything wrong with being quiet. He's fine talking and participating when he wants to. He helps me as much as you do in the kitchen."
"You know I don't mind more kids. But I need to deal with the wolf first. I don't want to ever be put in a situation where I could hurt them or where I won't be able to protect them."
"We'll figure it out." Regina assured her.
A few minutes after that, Ursula finally arrived with their guest. She walked in and right up to Mal and held out her hands. Mal rolled her eyes as she conjured a small chest and handed it to her. The cecaelia opened it and held up a pearl to the light.
"I'm going to count them, you know."
"I do."
Regina rolled her eyes at their antics. She quickly turned back to the door when she heard soft footsteps.
"Ladies, meet Daemon." Ursula said as the wolf stepped into the room. Regina felt her magic stir preemptively. He had to be wearing at least a dozen weapons: two swords on his back, another at his waist, a giant bow, a full quiver and a row of daggers attached to his belt. Other than that, he wore a simple black shirt and dark pants tucked into black boots. He was taller than she was with a lean, muscular build and broad shoulders.
Regina wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't quite this. He was a very handsome wolf with sharp facial features. The darkest pair of green eyes Regina had ever seen landed on her and she felt trapped as the predator approached. He walked right up to her and she fought the urge to light a fireball. Zelena came to her side, igniting green electricity along her right hand.
Daemon smiled. "You are not afraid of me. You're ready to kill me." His voice was unexpectedly very soft and deep.
"Are you a threat?" Regina asked.
"Always." He grinned. "But not today. I don't like humans, but you are different. That is good. Most humans are either cowards, arrogant fools, hunters or little sheep."
"As if werewolves could not be those things." Zelena replied. "Wolves are literally one of the best hunters."
"Humans like to wear their prizes and show them off." Daemon retorted. "Do werewolves walk around wearing the skins of humans they've killed? No?" He gestured for them to sit. "I was called because someone needed my assistance."
"That would be me." Ruby said.
Daemon flicked an eyebrow at her as he removed his weapons. "You are not a werewolf."
"I'm wearing a bracelet that stops my werewolf abilities. I have a problem with my wolf."
"Explain." He carefully laid his weapons on the chair next to him before taking a seat. He glanced uncertainly at Mal, who was watching him closely. "Ursula mentioned her mate was a dragon. I've never seen one in real life before."
"And you still may not if you piss me off." Mal replied.
Daemon only smirked before he turned his attention back to Ruby and she once again explained her problems with her wolf. He was silent throughout her tale, listening to every word intently. "That is a problem. If your wolf is taking over your body and attacking your mate… If I cannot help you-"
"Then I'll give up being a werewolf." Ruby said. "No matter what it takes. I won't hurt the people I love again."
Daemon slowly nodded. "I understand."
"We wish to find a way to help Ruby gain control of her wolf before we resort to something that drastic." Regina said. "Or at least stop it from taking over her body. After meeting with the alphas from Oz we had come to the conclusion that it was a combination of Ruby being raised as a human, taught to fear her wolf, losing her mother and Peter in such a short span and then going to war."
"All horribly traumatic and certainly plausible." Daemon replied.
"Then the alphas suggested that it could be because she was a Great One, but they didn't really know a lot about them so we're not even sure that Ruby is one."
"Great Ones are incredibly rare and there is a chance that you are one, but I have never heard of one being controlled by their wolf. Trauma can have many strange effects on a person, especially if you have not properly worked through it. Luckily, it seems you have a strong pack behind you. Great Ones are solitary."
"Why?" Ruby asked, leaning forward with interest.
"Well," Daemon said, "Many years ago, there were a lot of us. We held vast territories and built castles. There were packs over a thousand strong. Things were well and good for a long time, but something changed. We call it the Great Hunt. We don't know what started it or why it ended, but suddenly, there were enemies everywhere. They hunted Great Ones like deer. Humans, elves, dwarves, all of them. Then other werewolves joined in, started hunting us too. We had to leave our territories and abandon our castles just to survive extinction. Pack numbers dwindled and at one point, most packs barely had five wolves. You know, just immediate family members. Those fell as well. A single wolf is hard to track compared to a group. In the end, Great Ones learned to live a solitary existence. We couldn't even trust other werewolves."
"That sounds awful." Ruby sighed.
Daemon nodded again. "It was, but there was one of us who came up with a way to speak to other Great Ones across vast distances. He was a sorcerer and created a spell that would allow us to speak telepathically. It's not the same as being with a pack but wolves are not meant to be alone and the contact was welcomed. Especially when we were still being hunted. Over the years, the Great Ones moved to other worlds and the spell no longer worked so someone, I don't know who exactly, created a spell that allowed them to talk to their wolf. The wolf was only a mental thing, only in the werewolf's mind. It could talk, think and rationalize separately from the wolf. A sort of, built in companion, if you will. It had its own beliefs and thoughts and if the werewolf wanted, it could allow the wolf to use their body and if the bond is strong enough, it could take over in instances of emergency, such as if you were passed out." He waited a couple of minutes while they processed this new information. "All this to say, it does not negate the fact that you should speak to someone about your past. I am certainly not judging, but wolves are meant to live in a pack. We are meant to be surrounded by all of our family and supported by them. To grow up without that is a painful thing. It was terrible what happened to you, losing your beloved and your mother in such a terrible way. I can't imagine that you were ever properly trained when you went to war."
Ruby shook her head. "The wolf did most of the work when it came to fighting. I literally don't remember most of the battles."
"Losing your memory during shifts means you are disconnected from your wolf. That is not good for someone your age."
"This spell that your ancestor created," Zelena said. "It had to have been complex and powerful for it to be passed on. Is it possible that it was written somewhere?"
"I'm sorry but I don't know. I don't even know where we originated and I haven't seen another Great One in decades. Perhaps there is one older than me who might know, but I doubt it. We tend to live long, but this was hundreds of years ago."
"Damn, I hoped there would be a way to reverse engineer the spell." Zelena sighed.
"Even if you could, it would still be a risk." Mal replied.
"So, in other words," Ruby said. "There's no way to help me because I'm apparently different from even the Great Ones?"
Daemon shrugged. "Every wolf is different, Miss Lucas. We are shaped by what has happened to us. I would imagine the cloak and curse is what screwed things up. You said that your wolf is overprotective and rebellious. That could be just its personality or it could have been fighting with you from the very beginning. You never grew a bond and you used a cloak to hide your beast blood for most of your life. That's probably why it never spoke to you."
"When I found my mother, I could feel it." Ruby said.
Daemon nodded. "Because you were accepting it, accepting yourself. Your mother taught you that the wolf is a natural part of you. Your use of it during your war with your wife was not a good idea. Fighting is all it knows. It's all you let it do."
"As I said." Zelena muttered.
"Then I cast the curse," Regina sighed. "And locked it away for 28 years. It probably thought it was dead or you had been killed."
"That is possible." Daemon shrugged.
"Does yours talk?" Ruby asked. "Your wolf."
Daemon nodded. "He does but Nao is shy." He paused, as if listening to something and smirked.
"Nao?" Regina flicked an eyebrow. "You named him." Daemon nodded. He seemed to wait again before his eyes lit up gold and he tilted his head. His demeanor slightly changed and he glanced around quickly at everyone in the room.
"Hello, I'm Nao." He said softly before his eyes immediately turned back green.
"See? Shy."
"This doesn't really change anything though." Ruby sighed. "Learning about what I am is fine but the problem is my wolf can take over my body whenever it wants to and I can't do anything about it. Last night was the first time I was able to take my body back successfully and I almost died in the process. I don't know what to do and if you can't help me, then I'll give up my beast blood. I don't even care if I won't be the same person afterwards."
Daemon slowly nodded. "Let me speak to your wolf."
Ruby glanced uncertainly at Regina, who gave her an encouraging nod before moving around behind the couch, out of sight. Mal stood up then, prepared to leap in, just in case. Ruby took a deep breath and removed the cuff on her wrist. The switch was instantaneous. Her eyes lit up gold and she sprung away from Mal before the dragon could even move. She looked around wildly before suddenly throwing herself at Daemon. In the blink of an eye, Daemon caught Ruby by the throat.
"Have you lost your fucking mind?" He growled softly, forcing the snarling wolf to be quiet in order to hear him.
"Who are you?" The wolf demanded.
"So before trying to figure that out, before asking, you decide to throw yourself into a fight with someone you know nothing about? Were I any other werewolf and truly wished you harm, you would have gotten Ruby killed just now. I see why she would rather turn herself human than continue to put up with you." The wolf was sufficiently reprimanded. It was so stunned it didn't even move to attack again when Daemon let it go. "You have no idea what you have done to this woman." Daemon continued. "She is ready to give up being a werewolf entirely, no matter the consequences of that decision because of you."
Regina was a bit surprised to see the wolf so submissive. It didn't sit well with her and she didn't think it was wise to tell the wolf how close Ruby was to destroying it. It might never let her go just to prevent that from happening.
Daemon was not concerned with that however. "You have overstepped in every way. You threatened the life of her mate."
"She threatened to rip me away." The wolf growled. "I have always protected Ruby. She should not get to decide-"
"It doesn't matter." Daemon hissed. "Regina is Ruby's mate and you tried to kill her. Ruby will never trust you again. Not to protect her, her children or anyone she cares about. This is her body, not yours. It is her life, not yours. If it is anyone who doesn't have a say in it, it is you." The wolf bared her teeth but said nothing. Daemon moved back to his seat. "But I will make you a deal. For the duration of the banquet, release Ruby and do not try to take over her body."
"Excuse me?" Regina said.
Daemon kept his eyes on the wolf. "This banquet is more than just trying to find children homes, it is a chance for Ruby to spend time amongst other werewolves. It is a chance for her to learn and grow. If you will not try to do that with her, if you continue to be a hindrance and a danger to Ruby and her family, I will show Regina and her friends the perfect way to rip you out of Ruby. Hell, we'll give you your own wolf form and let Regina kill you herself. Try and kill her again. This time, when you're not hiding behind Ruby."
The wolf glared at him for the longest time and he didn't back down. Finally, Ruby's eyes turned blue again and she immediately reached for the cuff to slide it on her wrist. "I want it gone."
"Are you sure-"
"Yes, I do not trust it. I refuse. Whatever I have to do, I will do it."
Daemon slowly nodded. "So be it."
Regina returned to sit next to her wife. "Are you certain, Ruby? The other alphas said that you wouldn't be the same."
"It tried to kill you and I almost couldn't stop it, Regina." Ruby retorted. "I'm tired of this. So yes, I am certain." They both looked to Daemon.
"Alright, I will work with your friends and gather the necessary requirements for the spell. You will have to wait for the full moon though." He seemed to pause before narrowing his eyes at her. "Are you a Child of the Moon?"
"I suppose so. My mother was. Why?"
"Is that another kind of werewolf?" Regina asked.
"Yes, not as rare as a Great One, but still unique. To have both bloodlines…that is rare. Is your wolf stronger during the full moon?"
"Yes and no. Again, it's never tried to take over my body until that mess with Peter Pan. Before that, on full moons I had to take wolf form during the night and my senses were a little stronger, but that was it." Ruby shrugged.
Daemon abruptly got to his feet and gathered his things. "Sea Witch, come with." He called with a smile. "I must speak to someone and I have no idea how to get back here." He looked at Ruby. "I promise to return with a solution to your problem."
"That's a big promise, but thank you." Ruby said.
Daemon bowed before he and Ursula left the room.
"That was interesting." Zelena walked around the room to stand in front of them. "Watch the girls for me? I'll head back to Oz and see if the other alphas know anything about Children of the Moon." She poofed away immediately.
"Alright, let's go." Mal called, walking towards the door.
"Go where?" Ruby, Regina and Eugenia automatically followed the dragon.
"There is nothing more to be done today about your wolf problem until you have more information or fresh insights. There is also nothing to be done about the banquet because Regina worked herself ragged preparing for it. So, we're going to spend the rest of the day with the kids. We're going to wait for the kids to finish their lessons, maybe go to the pool and then cook dinner. Anyone have a problem with that?" None of the women disagreed and the walk to the library was very quiet. Ruby still seemed tired and lost in her own thoughts and Eugenia's attempts to coax her out of her funk were not successful.
"Maybe we should invite Henry too." Regina suggested softly.
"He won't like that. Neither would Daniel."
To some extent, Regina agreed. Henry wouldn't really want to spend time with the other children and Daniel may consider it an afront if he showed up unannounced, but she knew Ruby needed her family right now. She sent a quick text to Emma and when the blonde texted back, she teleported to the idiots' house.
David was the one who opened the door. "Can I help you, Madame Mayor?"
"Don't patronize me, Fake Prince. I need to speak to my son."
"Fake? How about you-"
"Something going on here?" Emma asked, coming to the door. David simply turned and walked away and Regina stepped into the house. "Henry's on the couch."
Regina felt a prick of irritation at seeing her son bundled up on the couch playing video games. It was such a pretty day outside and that video game was definitely too violent for a child. She fought a scowl when she saw his character cut off the head of some monster and blood spewed everywhere. Definitely too violent. She snapped her fingers, pausing the game. His head whipped around and he gave her the tiniest glare he could manage without getting into trouble.
"I know I am interrupting and I do not plan to be here long. I just wanted to know if you would come spend the day with us at the pool."
"So Daniel can just fight with me?" Her son replied.
"Stop commenting on his magic and me and he won't fight with you." Regina retorted. "This isn't about him. It's about Ruby."
"What's wrong with Ruby?" Henry instantly sat up, looking concerned and she stuffed down another prickle of irritation.
"She's just having some trouble with her wolf. I just really think that she could use some cheering up and you always help with that."
"Is everyone else going to be there?"
"If you mean the other children and the dragons, then yes. They're in the middle of lessons. After that, we're going to the pool." There was a pause as he thought over his decision and it irked Regina once again. Usually he would jump at the chance to spend time with Ruby.
"He's going." Emma said. "Go get dressed, Henry."
"But I haven't-"
"Go. Get. Dressed." It was strange to hear such command coming from Emma Swan. Henry seemed more confused than anything, but he ran upstairs to change clothes. Emma looked at Regina. "Sorry."
"If he didn't want to come, you shouldn't force him."
"Well, you tried letting him do what he wants, time to do something different. Look, I know I apologized to you before but I'm gonna do it again. I'm sorry about this."
Regina shrugged. "It's my fault-"
"Your fault?" Emma scoffed. "Are you serious? Evil Queen aside, you did something I wish I could've done for Henry and Daniel. You gave them homes. Happy, healthy homes. I never even had that." Regina was surprised. She glanced at David and Snow, who looked heartbroken at their daughter's words. "Henry may not be the best example right now, but he and Daniel are amazing kids. They're strong, kind, smart, curious, a thousand other things and they're that way because you taught them to be. You and Ruby. I want to work with you two on this, helping mend the rift between the boys, and help raise them."
"And?" Regina asked.
"And I want to see Daniel more." Emma answered. "To do that, I wanted to talk to Maleficent or Zelena."
"You want to learn magic?" Regina scoffed.
"Yes. We both know I don't know what I'm doing with it and whatever I learn, I can use to help protect the kids. Also, while I'm learning, I can spend time with Daniel since he loves magic so much. I want to know him, Regina."
"Um, Emma…" Snow softly called. Her attempts to hold a private conversation were ignored.
Regina flicked an eyebrow. "Well, if Mal and Zelena agree, I certainly can't stop them. As for Daniel, I suppose it's fine as long as you understand when he's done with socialization. Don't push his limits."
"Understood."
Regina teleported back to the library and headed down into the training room. It still depicted an underground forest. Most of the children were laying on the ground, panting and dripping with sweat. Ruby and Lily were sparring with Mal and losing terribly. Regina smiled at seeing her beloved have fun. She walked over to Daniel, who was lying on his back. She conjured a wet towel and dropped it on his face.
"That feels amazing!"
She snorted as she sat down next to him. "What did Lily have you do while we were gone?"
"We did the obstacle course. Did not complete it." Daniel let out a groan as he sat up and wiped his face. "I practiced shapeshifting for an hour. I can change into a wolf pretty easily now, but I've been practicing with a horse and a hawk. I can take the form but moving is still difficult and going from seeing as a horse to a hawk is insane!" Regina smirked as he put down the towel, ignoring the way his hair was sticking straight up. "Once I master those, I want to shapeshift into something that swims. Maybe a mako shark or a dolphin. Ursula promised to help me with that. After the shapeshifting lessons Lily started teaching us hand to hand combat. It was just basic stuff, but I already know how I want to build my style and I was wondering if I could get a tattoo."
"Excuse me?" Regina instantly frowned. "Absolutely not."
"I meant a magic one." He conjured his notebook and flipped through the pages before turning it around to show it to her. She arched an eyebrow as she read through his notes. They were good notes. Very thorough. At the bottom was the beginning of his combat section and it included a list of magic symbols that he could put on his hands or his fists to make his punches stronger. They were similar to the ones she used on Ruby in Neverland. "Magical tattoos have different purposes and you can make them disappear if you want to. Aunt Zelena has some and Persephone has one."
"I'll discuss it with Ruby. I never imagined my child would want to tattoo himself with runes."
Daniel grinned at her as she gave him back the notebook. "Well, Aunt Zelena used some kind of magic pen for Persephone, so it's not a real tattoo.'
"I'll consider it. Anyways, have you spoken to Ruby?"
Daniel looked over at his werewolf mother, who was now lying on the ground next to Lily. Mal was standing over them looking pleased with herself. "She told us she's still having problems with her wolf and that she won't be taking off the cuff anytime soon."
"We met a man this morning who claimed to be the same kind of werewolf she is. Apparently, Ruby is unique, even to him." Regina said. Daniel tilted his head, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "The man we met was a Great One, a rare kind of werewolf. He has a wolf that he can talk to like Ruby's. But, Ruby is also a Child of the Moon, which is apparently something else entirely and a combination of the two is even rarer."
"Strange." He murmured.
"Anyways, the man we met, Daemon, promised to get information for us. I don't know if he will be back before the banquet but he reached some accord with the wolf."
"The wolf agreed to it?"
"Yes, but we don't trust it. That's why Ruby's still wearing the cuff. Either way, I want you to keep an eye on her for me and cheer her up if you see her down. I know this whole thing is more upsetting than she lets on."
"Of course." He saluted her with a fist over his chest. "Whatever you need, Mom."
"Good. We're also going to the pool after this. I invited Henry."
He instantly rolled his eyes. "I get it. It would make Ruby happy. I'll play nice as long as he does."
"I'll take it."
Ruby eventually crawled over to them and laid her head in Regina's lap. "Mal is ridiculous."
"All dragons are." Daniel replied. "They're good at everything and it's so unfair."
Regina smirked as she stroked the top of Ruby's head, gently smoothing her hair out of her face. "Come on. How does a dip in the pool sound?"
"Awesome!" Half the children yelled.
Ruby dragged herself to her feet, threw Daniel across her shoulder and Regina teleported them home. After a quick wash and change and grabbing some towels, they made their way to the pool that Regina had added in. It was placed near the werewolf hotel. It was a simple town pool that was enchanted to keep itself and the water clean, but she had also added in several places around it, such as a shady area with a few trees, a sunny area for sunbathing and a kiddie pool. Mal was already in the sunbathing area, lounging on a chair in a black bikini that was designed to look like dragon scales. Lily and Ruby quickly joined the kids in the pool, throwing them around and getting into splash battles.
Regina joined Mal on a lounge chair. "Where's Cruella?"
"Enjoying an air conditioned mansion. She's not a fan of the outdoors in any setting."
"Gina!" Regina instantly sat up when she heard her name. A curly haired blur came barrelling towards her and she opened her arms to catch Roland as he slammed into her. "Hi, Gina!"
"Hello, my dear." Regina grinned as she returned the bearhug the little boy was giving her. The Merry Men had arrived in Storybrooke a couple of days ago. Rather than living in tents in the forest, which was Robin's suggestion and overloading the B&B, which was Ruby's suggestion, they built a large home out near the lake. It resembled a mountain lodge and included its own archery range and stables. The Merry Men were adjusting to Storybrooke well and were already meeting some of the Lost Boys. She'd have to talk to Robin later to see how that was going. "Run along, Ro. Go have fun." She shooed him off to go play with the other children and watched him run over to Daniel and Hector. Robin arrived a minute later, waving to her but not approaching so he could keep an eye on Roland.
"I had an interesting conversation with Miss Swan." Regina said.
"Oh? How?" Mal asked, conjuring a pair of sunglasses.
"She wanted to see Daniel more of course and actually put her foot down when Henry was hesitant to come see Ruby."
"Good for her. Henry didn't want to see Ruby?"
"He didn't want to hang out with the other children."
"At this point, Regina, I think a little tough love might be in order."
"Ruby's wolf suggested something similar." Regina sighed. "I don't know if I can-"
"Nonsense. You can do anything."
Regina rolled her eyes at the dragon's overwhelming confidence. "Emma also suggested she wanted to take magic lessons to learn, as well as spend more time with Daniel."
"And who will be teaching these magic lessons?" Mal peeked over the glasses, one eyebrow flicking upwards and Regina couldn't help but smile.
"You, I suppose." She heard the dragon let out a soft growl before she pushed the sunglasses back up. "Have fun with that."
"I haven't agreed to anything." Mal replied. "But as long as she doesn't distract my best student, I don't have a problem with it."
"As if anyone can distract Daniel from learning magic." She looked over with a fond smile at her son. He had a talent for magic and had quickly developed a strong love for it, just like Zelena and her nieces. The four of them were dangerous together.
"I agree." Mal said. "But I don't want to take any chances. He's doing well in controlling his magic. I don't want her presence to disrupt that."
"It will." Regina replied. "Especially if Henry tags along."
"Why would he?"
"To be a nuisance probably." She shrugged. "As much as I might wish for all the children to get along, it might be better to keep him separate from the others. Daniel may keep himself in check, but Persephone or Hector will absolutely end up getting into a fight with him."
Mal only hummed and reclined back in her chair, soaking up the sun.
Regina smiled to herself, watching the children have fun and seeing the tension slowly melt away from her wife. It was the perfect way to wash away the worry from their stressful morning and she was pleased to see that Henry and Emma's arrival didn't negatively impact that. She found herself almost waiting for one of them to do or say something to piss Daniel off but it didn't happen. After a nice day at the pool, everyone left to go home and shower and then gathered at Mal's newly purchased house, the mansion just across the street from Regina's own, where the dragon treated them to a barbecue. While Henry declined to attend, Emma did not. She spent most of the time talking to Daniel. Well, listening to him as he talked about learning from Mal, Zelena and Regina.
"I want to go to the university in Oz when I get old enough." He said, accepting the plate Octavia handed him that was filled with grilled chicken. He picked out a piece to add to his plate and passed it on. "Aunt Zelena says it's amazing."
"You are old enough." Zelena said without looking up from examining a bowl of mac and cheese with a suspicious glare.
"He's not old enough to go to college." Emma frowned.
"A university is a school, yes? Does it mean something different in this world?" Zelena looked up. Her daughters wore similar confused expressions.
"No, but here, you go to a university after high school. That's when you're 18." Emma explained.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Zelena replied. "Why would you wait until you're 18 to go to a university?"
"She means for general education." Regina explained with a smile. "Not magic."
"Ah." Zelena's eyebrows rose in understanding. "Well, the university in Oz is called Shiz and it caters to everyone and you can learn almost anything. Especially magic, which one should begin learning as soon as it presents itself. There are students there who are even younger than Daniel. It's practically its own city."
"See?" Daniel said. "It sounds amazing."
"With your mothers' permission, you can visit anytime you want to and if you want to study there one day, consider your spot already reserved." The witch finally tried the mac and cheese and Regina couldn't help but laugh at her bouncing eyebrows that showed she was enjoying it.
"Are you on the board or something, Zelena?" Ruby asked.
"No, I built it."
"What?" Daniel and Hector instantly glared at Persephone. "We talked about Shiz all day yesterday and you never mentioned that your mom built it."
"Oops." Persephone shrugged, biting into her cheeseburger.
"What if we went this summer, Moms?" Daniel asked.
"What happens in the summer?" Eliza looked up from her food to inquire.
"School break. I won't have to go to the boring school for two and half months."
"Ooh, then we can show you all of Oz! Can we, Mom?"
Zelena glanced up. "You will have to ask your auntie."
All of the children instantly looked at Regina, who turned to Ruby. "Sure." The werewolf decided. "If you continue to do well in your lessons, that is. De lo contrario, entonces no." (Otherwise, then no.)
"What does that mean?" Regina asked.
"Oh, you don't know?" Ruby retorted. "You don't speak the beautiful language that I learned for you?"
"Would it make you feel better if I learned Spanish, Ruby?"
"Yes!"
"Qué pasa si ya lo hice?" (What if I already did?)
Ruby instantly shook her head to the gasps of some of the children. Even Zelena chuckled at her reaction. "I changed my mind. Spanish is an alluring language enough, but that coupled with your voice, Regina…is dangerous. Actually, we can talk about it later." Ruby wiggled her eyebrows and Regina rolled her eyes with a smile.
"I think you sound really nice, Regina." Max said softly.
"Thank you, dear."
"Auntie Regina?" Persephone called.
"Yes?"
"Do you think you'd ever become a werewolf?"
"I haven't given it much thought." The idea wasn't unappealing to her but she would rather wait for Ruby to be in a better place before they even entertained such a massive decision.
Ruby glanced at her and Regina could tell her thoughts were on the same subject.
"You would make an exquisite wolf." Her wife said softly, taking her hand under the table.
"Perhaps we can discuss it this summer. After all, since werewolves are visiting Storybrooke, it would be even more beneficial for you to see them in their homelands."
"You mean that?"
"Absolutely. You get to show them your world in a couple of days, then they can show you theirs."
Ruby smiled, pulling Regina close to press their foreheads together. "Thank you. I'm actually really excited for this."
"I would imagine so." Mal cut in. "Humans are good and well, but it will feel different being amongst one's own kind."
"Hey," Ruby said. "My wife happens to be a human."
"And?"
Regina rolled her eyes again. "Dragons."
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