Everything ached. Her head, her throat, her entire body just…ached. That was the first thing Regina became aware of when she awoke. She slowly opened her eyes and silently thanked the gods that the lights weren't on. She looked around and found that she was in a hospital room. "What the hell?" Her voice was so hoarse she could hardly speak, but it was enough to awaken her sister who was sitting in a chair nearby.
"Wait just a second, Regina." Zelena left the room and returned with a cup of water for her. Regina drank the whole thing in one go and Zelena went to get more.
Regina looked at the next bed over and sat up seeing Ingrid laying in it. "What happened?" She demanded of her sister as soon as she'd returned. "Is Ingrid okay?"
"She's fine. Just sleeping." Zelena handed her the water and pulled out her phone to send a quick text. "Mal is in another room with Elsa and Anna. Elsa, the poor thing was about to have a panic attack."
"Why?"
"You two are in the hospital." Zelena gestured to Ingrid. "She thought it was her fault for suggesting we go to Ahtohallan in the first place." Regina glanced down at her stomach and Zelena was quick to assure her that everything was fine. "We just brought you guys here as a precaution."
"We have wards-"
"I know and I checked them. They're weak but still intact. Just relax, Regina."
Regina laid back down, looking back over at Ingrid. She was okay. Everyone was okay. She silently repeated it until she was sure of that fact. Zelena stayed by her side, occasionally sending off a group of texts to the others. "What now? Is Arendelle safe?"
Zelena nodded. "Nothing's changed. But what about you? How do you feel?"
"Exhausted. Achy. Sleepy."
"I would imagine so." The witch gave her a small smile and touched her arm, easing some of her aches with magic. "You should go back to sleep. We'll talk more when you wake up."
She had to agree and once she curled back up under the thin blanket she was out like a light. She slept soundly and deeply with no dreams to make her much needed rest interesting. When she awoke again, she was in her bedroom, half buried under a mountain of blankets. She tilted her head slightly when she heard water running and people talking. Zelena and the others were probably downstairs and Ingrid was most likely in the shower. Regina quickly stretched and jumped out of bed to go into the bathroom.
"Ingrid?"
"I'm in the shower!" Ingrid yelled.
Regina knocked on the wall before stepping into the shower, licking her lips at the sight of her pregnant lover under a cascade of water. Although a part of her was currently sick of water, she would never refuse a shower with her beloved. Ingrid turned around and Regina melted under that radiant smile. So kind and gentle and yet this was the woman who managed to freeze the fucking Dark Sea! Regina slammed her against the wall, attacking her lips in a desperate kiss that swallowed the giggle the blonde released. Ingrid wrapped her arms around her neck and returned the kiss in full force. She wasn't sure how long they stayed there, but Lily banging on the door and yelling about pizza had both women hurrying to finish the shower to go and eat.
"I feel like I haven't eaten in days." Ingrid said as they got dressed in the bedroom. She was putting on black sweatpants and a white t-shirt while Regina slid into a long dark red dress that was made of a soft material and wasn't skin tight.
"Me too. We need to be more mindful of that."
"Agreed." Ingrid moved towards the door but Regina grabbed her and kissed her again. "What was that for?"
"You're fucking amazing, that's what. Ingrid, you froze the Dark Sea."
"Not all of it." Ingrid shrugged, attempting to hide the pink flush on her cheeks. "And I didn't even mean to. I saw you go under and I panicked. Just a little bit."
"Thank you." Regina smiled as Ingrid turned bright red.
"Anytime."
Ingrid took her hand as they walked downstairs, following the smell of pizza. She wasn't surprised to find that the dragons had made themselves at home. Mal tended to do that anywhere she went. Regina spotted her walking in with one of her favorite bottles of wine and she almost growled at it, knowing she couldn't have any of it. Everyone else was in the dining room with a stack of pizzas on the table. Lily and Ruby checked each one before passing them around. Zelena walked out of the kitchen with a tray of brownies and she smacked Belle's hand away when she reached for one. Elsa and Anna almost tackled them in bearhugs when they noticed the queens' arrival.
"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let you guys go to Ahtohallan. You almost died-"
"Technically, you did too." Regina cut in before the young blonde could panic any further. "It's okay, Elsa. Everything turned out fine."
"Besides," Mal added. "There is little you could've done to stop them if they wanted to go. And Regina's almost died at least ten times so far." Regina shrugged when Elsa looked at her in shock.
"Villain, tyrant, people try to kill you. You get used to it."
"She's right." Ingrid ushered her niece to a chair and made her sit down. "Relax and eat. We're fine. Are you?" Elsa swiftly nodded, thanking Ruby when she placed a pizza box on the table in front of her.
"Elsa and Ruby told us everything that happened." Anna said, taking a seat next to Kristoff. "I can't believe you all made it to Ahtohallan and I wasn't allowed to go." She threw a tiny glare at her sister but it turned to a mixture of fascination and excitement when she asked what everyone else saw.
Regina accepted the pizza box Mal pushed in front of her, grinning when she saw that it was a whole deep dish pepperoni pizza just for her. She filled her stomach while listening to Ruby tell them about seeing one of her ancestors, a werewolf by the name of Stormrunner who was as big as a bear, could run all night long during wolf's time and grew to lead a pack of over a hundred werewolves. She spoke fondly of watching him train the young members of his pack and how he doted on his children.
"Guess I need to figure out how to turn myself into a werewolf." Zelena said.
Ruby smiled at the thoughtful gesture. "That's not necessary but it was…nice. Feeling like one of the pack again."
"You're one of our pack." Zelena looked offended as she practically forced her way onto Ruby's lap for a hug. The werewolf rolled her eyes and accepted the hug. "Next Wolf's Time we'll run all night."
"Uh, no, we're not. I'm not Stormrunner."
"What did you see, Zelena?" Ingrid asked. "Did you see your father?"
"I did." Zelena moved back to her seat. "He was a con man who was in trouble with the law for most of his life, worked odd jobs until he found a passion for gardening and convincing hapless young women that he was a prince."
"That's how he got Cora to sleep with him." Mal let out a low growl and rolled her eyes.
"Indeed. However, his siblings were a bit more interesting. One was a baker, made an honest living, family man, etc. He had a sister who was a thief and a skilled botanist. She plundered an entire castle by dumping some herbs in the cooking pots and rode right out the front gate. It was hilarious."
"I'm glad you got to know more of your history." Regina said. Despite the fact that she had grown up with both parents and knew that her father was part of a long line of royals, sometimes it seemed like she and Zelena were the only two members of their family left in the world. She was sure she still had cousins somewhere out there but she didn't know them and it left her feeling…alone. Then she looked up at Ingrid, grinning as she watched her lover bite into a piece of pizza and remembered that she wasn't alone anymore.
"So what about your ancestor, Regina?" Mal asked. "The one who we killed."
"Killed may not be the right word." Regina said, gleefully telling her friends and family about everything Julia had shown her and told her, from the wisdom she imparted to the other ancestors whose lives she'd seen. She might even be able to replicate some of Viola's notes on light magic. In regards to Julia being in Ahtohallan, she explained that Julia had gone there to remember her daughter years after she'd passed. She refused to leave and was frozen there forever. Until now that is. "She didn't say anything, but I knew she wanted to move on. She just didn't want me to endanger myself trying to do it."
Ingrid went next and told them the story of Eira and her family. She was beaming as she described all the spells Eira was able to do and how powerful she was. She could shapeshift and make weapons from ice and could manipulate the weather on a massive scale. It would take some practice but Ingrid was confident she could replicate them. Her enthusiasm ebbed when she got to the ending of Eira's story.
"Eira was a better woman than I would be." Mal smirked, sipping her wine. "I would've burned that city to the ground."
"Of course you would've, Dragon." Regina ate another piece of pizza as Lily started to tell them about her father. Mal never spoke to her about Lily's father beyond the small detail that she had searched for years to find other dragons. She found a few but only one managed to win her affections and the only thing Mal would tell her about him was that he was handsome, had red scales and defeated her other suitors in combat. Lily then went on to tell about seeing Mal when she was young, a fledgling dragon warrior on her way to become the Dragon Queen that everyone knew her as. As they talked, Regina couldn't help but notice Elsa falling almost silent while the rest of the women chatted and ate dinner. It wasn't long before Ingrid and Anna also picked up on this and tried to draw the young queen out of her stupor.
"What's wrong, dear?" Ingrid asked. Everyone else grew quiet and looked at Elsa in concern.
"Eira. She did what I planned to do. Be the fighter for my people. It ended horribly for her."
"Nah, you don't want to do that." Lily cut in. "I'm sure lots of people, especially the ones who call themselves heroes, would love to have the power to protect people the way you can, fight so others don't have to, but that's going to get old one day. Even Eira got sick of it. Most people would love to think of themselves as that selfless, but eventually you'll wonder when you can stop fighting and have a life of your own."
"When that happens," Zelena continued, "Those same people you protected will be calling for your head. Why isn't she doing what she used to do, what she's always done? How can she be so selfish?" The witch said mockingly, pretending to wipe away a few tears. "Then they'll make you feel ashamed for deciding to live your own life. That's the way these things go."
"How do you know?" Elsa asked.
"Books, stories, history. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I read about in Oz's history." Zelena replied, smacking Lily's hand away from the last brownie that Belle and Anna had been steadily devouring. Regina silently agreed with her sister, but she didn't think Elsa would see it that way.
"I don't think Arendelle's people would act like that." Kristoff spoke up for the first time.
Zelena only shrugged. "People are people, Ice Boy. No matter what world you're in. They'll be cheering your name one day and trying to eat you alive the next."
There was a lull in the conversation after that, with those from Arendelle deep in thought and Lily and Ruby beginning to collect the trash and the rest of the pizza to put away. Maleficent finally rose to her feet, her gaze entirely on Elsa, who looked at the dragon with a confused expression. Mal held out her hand and a black dragon scale appeared in her palm. Elsa hesitantly accepted it, still not quite understanding.
"I am a dragon, Queen Elsa. An immortal. I have lived for a very long time and unless I am killed," She paused to glare at Regina. "I plan to be here for a long time to come. If you or Arendelle ever need me, you need only call. I know you have a lot to consider regarding your war, but if you do decide to fight, I only ask that you do not do so without me." She grinned and Elsa couldn't resist a smile, unable to stop it at seeing how excited the dragon got for a battle. "You let the rest of the world know that Arendelle's new champion is the Dragon Queen."
"You don't have to do that."
"I know and I know Arendelle doesn't need me. It has you, so I'm sure it's in good hands. However, I do like a good fight and holy fuck is Storybrooke boring."
Regina instantly stood up. "How many times has Storybrooke been attacked and we could've used your help?"
"As if you would've accepted my help." Mal retorted. "You and this heroic nonsense and running around with those idiots! By the way, I was dead a year ago so anything before that is your fault entirely. You should've killed Pan, your bitch ass mother, Zel-" She paused and shrugged. "Zelena's okay. Even though she did get beaten by light magic."
"I didn't know she had light magic!" Zelena snapped.
"Which makes your defeat even more hilarious. The almighty Wicked Witch of the West who found a way to go back in time also got her ass kicked by her sister who's never used light magic in her life."
"You know what, Dragon." Zelena said, standing up as well. "Why don't we take a step outside. Regina might be your bitch but I'm not convinced you're as powerful as you think you are."
Regina glared at Zelena as Ruby and Lily dissolved into laughter. Belle hid hers behind her hand and Ingrid and Elsa were both grinning.
"Let's go then."
"Don't destroy my house!" Regina yelled after them. She glared at the pair as they left the room and looked across the table as Lily and Ruby exchanged money and handed it off to Belle. "All of you get out."
"Don't be rude, Regina." Ingrid called with a smirk.
"Okay, Ingrid, I know we're still new to this but when I kick people out, you agree with me."
The house suddenly shook and a few of the pictures fell off the walls. Regina rolled her eyes and used magic to fix the pictures before going outside to deal with a pair of idiots.
/
Ingrid watched her lover leave, followed closely by the others, leaving only her and Elsa in the room. She turned to her niece and found her staring at the dragon scale. She stood up, pulling Elsa with her and led her into the living room. "What are you thinking about?" She asked, seating them on the couch.
"Maleficent." Elsa answered. "I could send her to the Southern Isles and have her burn it to the ground. I want to…but it would be wrong."
"As wrong as the Southern Isles attacking Arendelle without provocation?"
"Yes."
Ingrid nodded slowly. She was sure Regina would find Elsa's situation amusing in a way. Angry enough to want revenge but too kind to take it. "Would it be enough if Eogan paid for the attack?" Elsa's head snapped up to face her. "You don't want the people to fight, but declaring war would have many repercussions for Arendelle, the Southern Isles and allies on both sides."
"He declared war."
"Exactly, and because of him, the Southern Isles will suffer the consequences. But war isn't the only way to do that."
Elsa shook her head. "I could alert the other kingdoms and tell them what Eogan did and I'm sure many would side with us, some may even change sides, but issuing trade embargoes is not enough! Ugh!" Ice suddenly began forming across her exposed skin. Ingrid watched it harden and sharp crystals sprouted along her shoulders.
"That's a new spell."
Elsa glanced down at herself and promptly removed the armor. "I saw Eira make it in Ahtohallan."
"You saw Eira too?"
Elsa shook her head. "Partially. I saw King Erik. I saw him take revenge on the people that killed his mother and brother. Eira used the armor in the battle."
"What was he like?"
"For a long time he was sad and angry. Eira too."
"I would imagine so. Marius was a fool that got a lot of people killed for his own greed."
"Like Eogan."
Ingrid silently agreed. If he'd just let Eira go and let her live her life, she wouldn't have killed him. Their whole army would've been spared, not to mention those who died in the attack on the city. It truly did remind her how kings and queens had so much power over the lives of their subjects. Eogan's men fought because they were loyal to their kingdom. Most of them might not have even known the reason for attacking Arendelle, but they did it anyway because he commanded them to. Even when the battle was clearly lost, he kept sending them to fight and they kept charging in. That kind of blind loyalty was unnerving.
Elsa suddenly spun around, an eerie smile on her lips, one Ingrid had never seen before. "Regina cast the Dark Curse, right?"
"Yes…"
"Can she make curses?"
"You want to curse Eogan? And the duke?"
Elsa nodded. "I do."
Ingrid grinned. "Well, I'm sure if Regina doesn't, Mal or Zelena will."
They looked up as they heard the front door open and the bickering women coming back into the house to join them in the living room. Mal's smug grin and Lily counting a stack of money told them who won the impromptu contest. Regina sat next to the pair of blondes and Ingrid giggled seeing that vein pop out in her forehead that showed how annoyed she was by her friends.
"Now that that's done, on to more important business," Mal said, turning to the pregnant women. "Babies. What are your plans? Nursery, baby shower, groceries, gifts, I want to know everything. Fair warning, I plan to spoil my godchildren before they're born."
"Godchildren? You only get to be the godmother of one." Ruby said.
"I disagree."
While Regina let out an exasperated sigh, Ingrid was happy to fill them on their current plans. It wasn't much but they were helping with a war at the moment. She told them that they were still going over names and had discussed finances, although Ingrid had mostly left that to Regina, but their next issue to tackle was the house and the renovations.
"You're staying in Storybrooke?" Zelena asked.
Ingrid exchanged a look with Regina. "We've decided to fix up the house here to be our main home, but also buy one in Arendelle-"
"Are you serious?" Anna cut in. "Don't be ridiculous. If you come to Arendelle, you're staying in the castle. You're family." Elsa and Kristoff both nodded their agreement, looking almost offended that she would suggest something else.
Mal and Zelena started arguing over whether to paint the nursery purple or green. Ruby of course voiced the option of using red and Anna leaped in with a bunch of other oddly specific colors. Then they started in on going shopping. As Regina predicted, Mal was fully ready and willing to buy out a toy store while Zelena started making a grocery list because they needed to eat more frequently. She even added that they needed a bigger refrigerator and Belle added that they needed vitamins and prenatal care. Regina reminded them that they planned to rebuild the house and that brought up the next topic of what it would look like. It amused her how invested they were in the lives of their offspring. Only a few months ago Regina and Zelena barely spoke to each other and now they were fighting over building schematics for the house and nursery colors.
She was a bit surprised when Lily moved to sit next to her. "Are you okay?" The young dragon whispered.
Ingrid smiled and nodded. "I am. Are you?"
"Mmhm. They're not doing too much, are they?"
"No, I'm actually a bit relieved." She admitted. She knew that eventually they would've had to ask for help anyway. It was difficult enough for one woman to go through a pregnancy, but two? She and Regina had only relied on each other for a while and she could only imagine how hard it would be to do anything when both of them were in their later stages of pregnancy. They did need help but she had been concerned about asking for it. She knew Elsa and Anna and Kristoff were going to be there if they needed them, but her nieces and future nephew in law were also the leaders of a kingdom. She was aware of Mal and Regina's past and she wasn't sure if they hated each other and Zelena was pretty much in the same category. Now, she thought it was foolish how worried she'd been.
"I think they want you guys to know you're not alone." Lily said. "Regina had to raise Henry alone and Mom was alone when she gave birth to me. Most of us have spent our lives…alone. I think we can agree that villains have got to stick together, right?"
"Agreed." Ingrid replied. She smiled again and looked at Lily, who skillfully avoided her gaze, something she'd always done, even when she was a child.
"Um, I never got to thank you for what you did…before."
"You never need to thank me for that."
"Thank you for what?" Regina asked. Mal raised her head as well at the question.
"I didn't tell you that I met Lily years ago?"
"No."
When Ingrid still ran her orphanage, she had not only taken care of Emma, but Lily as well, although Lily hadn't stayed nearly as long as Emma. Lily had come to her when she was fourteen. When you worked with children as long as she had, you began to notice the little things that most people would miss. Such as, when a child was definitely going to run away. Lily had only been with her a couple of weeks and hadn't made any attempt to get to know her or any other children. She was always so quiet and aloof and preferred her solitude, thus alienating her from making any real connections, unless it included her fist connecting to someone's face because she got into a fight every other day. Ingrid started to notice food going missing, just a little here and there, snacks and nonperishables, and once she caught a glimpse of Lily looking up the price of bus tickets before she deleted the search history. She knew she couldn't get Lily to stay despite repeated attempts to convince her to do so, so she prepared her for when she decided to leave. The night Lily ran away, Ingrid had left a brand new backpack by the back door. It was large and durable and full of snacks, some sandwiches, a first aid kit, a few spare sets of clothes, toiletries, a pair of running shoes, a pocket knife, a taser and an envelope with $10,000 cash with a note for Lily to call Ingrid if she ever needed help. She never did and Ingrid never saw her again. That is, until they both found their way to Storybrooke.
"You gave a random kid $10,000?" Regina asked.
Ingrid shrugged. "She didn't want to stay and I couldn't make her so I wasn't going to let her leave with nothing. Besides, it's just money. I had plenty more."
"Thank you." Mal said sincerely with a respectful bow of her head.
"It's nothing. Seriously." Ingrid insisted. "She didn't need me. But it is nice to see how well she turned out and to see her reunited with her mother. Fuck the Charmings for that." Regina flicked an eyebrow at her, clearly intending to discuss it more later on.
"Why don't you guys get a live-in nurse?" Belle asked. "I mean later on, when you need it."
"Zelena, you were a fake midwife. You could do it." Ruby grinned at the witch who flipped her off.
"Just because she was able to fool the idiots doesn't make her qualified." Regina added. Zelena flipped her off as well.
"Would you trust anyone in Storybrooke who is qualified?" Mal asked.
Regina's only response was a blink. "Okay, you got me."
They launched into another discussion about babysitters with Ruby wanting the first spot, but Mal was quick to shoot that down.
Ingrid tuned them out as she looped an arm around Lily's. "Would you like to help us when we get too fat?"
Lily frowned. "Why me?"
"Because we have a lot to catch up on, I trust you, Regina trusts your mother and you can temper her when she goes overboard because Regina was right, I did not think it through when I accepted her as godmother."
Lily laughed softly. "She tends to do that, but trust me, you won't regret it. She's the biggest softie you'll ever meet."
"So that's a yes?"
The young dragon shrugged. "I'm not doing much else besides getting my ass handed to me during training."
"Still having trouble making connections?"
"Yeah, but I'm working on one at the moment." Ingrid beamed at the smile Lily sent her mother, who was no doubt listening to their quiet conversation while also overruling everything Ruby suggested. Ingrid was pretty sure she was doing it just to annoy them at this point. She glanced at Regina and she could see her getting tired of it.
"Alright!" She yelled, silencing the room. "Enough baby talk for tonight. Elsa has a question. It may end the war without further bloodshed."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was a week later before they returned to Arendelle. According to one of the generals, Eogan's men had dared one last attack to save their king, but they were easily repelled by the city's defenders. Since then, it had been quiet and the people's return to Arendelle had been smooth and seamless. When Ingrid walked into the throne room, she was surprised to see that Elsa had covered the throne in ice. Frost clung to the windows and walls and many of the people in the room were shivering. She made her way over to stand next to Regina and Anna.
"Where's Elsa?"
"She's on her way." Anna answered.
As if on cue, the side doors opened and Elsa walked in. She looked glorious in a new dark blue gown that was bare of any of her usual sparkles and snowflake designs. Her hair was no longer in its signature braid. It was left free to fall where it chose and instead of her mother's crown, she wore one made of jagged blue ice. She was followed by her generals and advisors, who all took up positions near the throne, although Elsa didn't sit down. She simply called for the prisoners to be brought in. Two guards left the room and returned with King Eogan and the Duke of Weselton, both of whom were shackled and gagged, although that stopped neither from trying to speak. Eogan was no doubt cursing up a storm while the Duke had dissolved into sniveling like the coward he was.
"Bring them forward." Elsa commanded. The guards hoisted the men to their feet and pushed them forward, dropping them about ten feet from the throne. Ingrid could see her niece trying to rein in her emotions but if looks could kill, both men would have spontaneously combusted. There was anger in Elsa's eyes. Anger and hatred, two emotions that had never been there before "My apologies for the wait, gentleman, it's been a hectic few weeks. I'm sure you understand." Elsa stepped away from the throne, choosing to circle the prisoners, slowly and gracefully. They were at her mercy. "I've been agonizing over the decision of retaliation for weeks. I've been counseled by the greatest political and military minds I've ever come across." She paused to nod at Regina and the others around her. "But I have decided that Arendelle will not go to war." There was instant outrage from Elsa's advisors and some members of the court, but they were silenced in an instant with a wave of Elsa's hand that sent ice blasting across the walls and completely sealing up the windows.
"Queen Elsa," A woman dressed in a fine silk gown stepped forward. "Please reconsider. Sometimes war can be beneficial."
"I am well aware of the positive and negative effects of war, my lady." Elsa replied. "And I have made my decision." She waited for the woman to step back before returning her attention to the prisoners. "To go to war would be devastating for all parties. You should know this. We have sustained almost no casualties. Those injured have already been healed. You, on the other hand, have lost dozens of warships and we have yet to tally up the dead and injured littering the harbor. To go to war would see my people hurt and eventually our allies would join the fray, your brothers would join, it would be a mess with no winners. I am not willing to fight that war." She motioned to the gags and the guards nearby removed them. The Duke instantly launched into professions of gratitude while the king only laughed.
"I knew you were weak." He scoffed. "Your city is attacked and you do nothing? No wonder the world thinks Arendelle is a vulnerable little shithole just waiting to be sacked." Elsa's eye twitched at his words and Ingrid wanted to grind him into dust. She wrapped an arm around Anna's to keep herself from sending a spike through his face. Eogan just continued his goading and taunts, even calling Elsa a useless little queen who could barely rule her kingdom.
"Who said I was going to do nothing?" Elsa asked. She nodded again to the guard who gagged the men again before they could interrupt. Elsa crouched in front of Eogan to look him in the eye. "I know that I am inexperienced, your majesty. I know that I have much to learn and perhaps I am too softhearted, perhaps I am too kind to rule and yet, King Eogan, I will." She stood back up and smoothed out her dress. "You, sir, have made me angrier than I have ever been in my life. Which is amazing because your little brother tried to kill me and my sister before. With you however, I wanted to freeze solid and blast into tiny little pieces. Or send my new friends, Maleficent and Lilith, to raze the Southern Isles until there is nothing left." She gestured to the smirking dragons as she moved to sit on her throne. "I didn't want to kill your people because of your idiocy. Arendelle is a city of peace and prosperity and I have recently been informed that one cannot be peaceful without being willing to fight for that peace. That was an instruction from another friend of mine." She motioned to Regina. "You may or may not know the names of the Evil Queen and the Dragon Queen." Regina wiggled her fingers at Eogan and Mal's eyes glowed bright gold.
Eogan glared at them, easily recognizing the ones who helped decimate his forces. He struggled against his bonds, and Mal took a step towards him. Elsa raised a hand towards her, but it was enough for Eogan to flinch.
Elsa cleared her throat, returning the focus of the room back to her. "The Southern Isles will suffer one way or another because of your actions but it need not lead to war. First, I will not kill either one of you. I don't want your lives, I'd prefer you to be able to see what your actions have caused. Starting with the messages I have sent to every kingdom from Misthaven to Agrabah." The Duke's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and he furiously shook his head, but Elsa continued on as if she hadn't noticed. "Now everyone knows the Southern Isles and Weselton are not to be trusted. My allies have already denounced you, some of your allies have denounced you, even a few of your brothers, Eogan. Although, I think they hated you already. Each of us have agreed to a number of trade embargoes with the Southern Isles and Weselton starting immediately. Many, including Arendelle, have decided to cease all trade with your kingdoms. You'll be provided a list when you are sent home on your two ships. I'll take the rest. Regina, is it possible to raise and restore the sunken ships?"
"Yes, it is, your majesty." Regina said. "We attempted it this morning and six are already ready to sail."
"Excellent." Elsa smirked. "The sunken ships will be raised and restored and added to our own fleet, to help our new trade deals or maybe I'll decide to give them away. In addition to this, King Eogan and Duke of Weselton, you both are banished. Any ship bearing your flags and colors, whether warship or merchant, will be met with cannonfire. I don't want to see or hear any mention of you or your kingdoms once you are gone." She glanced at one of her advisors. "Was that everything?"
"Yes, my queen."
"Excellent!" Elsa stood up, a bright smile on her face as she practically skipped back down to the prisoners and removed their gags herself. The Duke did a little more pleading until Elsa asked Regina to take his voice. Eogan just started spouting more bullshit about how little some trade embargoes would affect the Southern Isles and a bunch of other nonsense, which only made her smile wider. Elsa asked Regina to take his voice for the moment as well. "You don't seem to understand the situation you've put your family in, King Eogan." The king's eyes narrowed and she smiled again. "Thirty-two kingdoms have already agreed to completely cut off trade with the Southern Isles and any other kingdom where your brothers rule. Your fourth brother, Halvar, was it? His kingdom is small and relies on being able to trade in silks, mostly in exchange for grain, yes? What do you think will happen now that many other kingdoms won't trade with him? How will he move his silk if he is banned from crossing half the ocean? What will he do without his grain?" Eogan launched into another silent tirade but Elsa ignored it. "Before you begin plotting to gather your brothers and take revenge, all of them have signed an agreement that will prevent further retaliation. Since I know a man like you isn't concerned with a piece of paper, I also included in the agreement that any act of retaliation will be declared an act of war and I will freeze the Southern Isles solid. And you can watch your city get sacked while encased in ice." She paused to glare at Eogan before addressing the rest of the room. "The rest of you may go. See that the rest of Eogan and the Duke's men are on their two ships and ready to leave. Send them food and fresh water as well."
Ingrid knew for a fact that there were too many people for just two ships. It would be a long and uncomfortable journey home because Elsa's mercy seemed to have run out. Ruby, Anna and Belle went to help the others and as soon as the doors closed behind them, more ice began climbing the walls. It was jagged and darker than usual. Ingrid moved to take Regina's hand. Mal stood on her other side so she wasn't too affected by the cold. Zelena joined Elsa. She laid a hand on Eogan's shoulder and her eyes lit up green.
"What is she doing? I thought she was going to rip out his heart."
"She will. She's just searching his memories to see if she can find out who made that poison. This is just an extra precaution. He might have met the person who created the poison but didn't know who they were so using his heart might not give us accurate information." Regina answered.
"What's to be done about this person then? Hunt them down and kill them?"
"Most likely." The answer came from Mal. "A person with that kind of expertise guided by their own agenda or worse, by money, is dangerous. Especially if they're coming after you."
"I wish I knew more about this stuff." Ingrid growled softly. Politics and subterfuge, poisoning and war. As the eldest amongst her siblings, she'd been trained when she was younger to take the throne, but once she abdicated it to Helga her parents simply sent her sister to the tutors instead. What a queen Helga would have made. The thought of her sister made her smile.
"What are you thinking about?" Regina asked.
"Helga. She would've been more useful to Elsa in this situation. In fact, she would've already killed Eogan and declared war."
"She sounds wonderful." Mal muttered.
"She would've loved you."
"Son of a bitch!" Zelena suddenly yelled as she stormed over. "The person he bought the poison from wore a hood and used magic to disguise their voice. Couldn't tell their age or gender."
"So it's a dead end." Regina said.
"A dead end that specifically named you two in the negotiations."
"What?"
Snowflakes started falling around them in response to her mood. She was incensed that someone had specifically targeted her family. Regina's reaction was far more subdued than expected. "You think someone used Eogan to get at us?"
"Eogan would've attacked eventually." Zelena shrugged. "It had been planned for close to two years judging by his memories and he only got the idea because of one of his magic advisors who warned him that Arendelle may have more witches to protect it. They named Elsa and you two."
Regina flicked an eyebrow. "No one knew we were coming to Arendelle. The only people that know we're dating live in Storybrooke." She and Ingrid weren't even together two years ago. "This advisor have a name?"
"Eogan doesn't know it. He barely knows half the people who work in his castle."
"Similar to the Evil Queen. If it's someone with a grudge against me, then it could be anybody." Regina gently rubbed Ingrid's back until the snowflakes stopped falling.
"So we can't do anything about it?" She asked.
"I could take a trip to the Southern Isles." Zelena suggested. "Find out-"
"Alone? No." Ingrid instantly shook her head. "I'm not underestimating you, I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Agreed." Mal cut in. "In my experience, a kingdom with magic advisors usually means coming up with ways to protect themselves from magic. In other words, ways to kill magic users. You would be quite vulnerable."
"They won't know I'm there. Besides, you'll back me up, right?" Zelena patted the dragon on her arm with a smile.
Mal glanced at her arm. "Fine." She sighed. "Let's hope this person didn't run off before the attack."
"Are you finished with him? Is it my turn?" Elsa asked, waiting patiently next to the prisoners.
"Oh?" Mal perked up. "I want a turn."
"No, Dragon. The rest is for Elsa's curse."
Eogan and the Duke's heads snapped up when they heard the word "curse". They looked at the predatory grin on Elsa's face and the Duke actually got up and tried to run. Mal teleported in front of him and grabbed him by the neck.
"You thought some trade embargoes are the only price you'll have to pay for attacking Arendelle? For threatening the lives of my family?" Elsa asked as Mal carried the man back and dropped him at her feet. "You're very wrong. Everything else was to satisfy my people. This is to satisfy me." She held up her hand to Mal who drew a magic symbol in her palm. Elsa crouched down again and touched Eogan's cheek. The man stiffened and struggled, but Mal grabbed his shoulder, holding him still while Elsa activated the curse. It took a minute for anything to happen, but when it did…
Eogan suddenly started struggling, straining to remove Elsa's hand. Mal simply used her other hand to grab the back of his neck, forcing him to stay still. The veins in his necks popped out and steadily began glowing bright blue. Ice began spreading from Elsa's palm, covering half his face and his eyes also turned bright blue. Then he screamed long and loud as the frost began creeping across his skin. Ingrid could hear it, the ice crawling across the room. By now the entire throne room was encased in ice and probably parts outside as well. It would only continue to grow and expand until Elsa calmed down, but that wasn't happening anytime soon and it was several minutes later before Elsa finally released Eogan and he went limp. Mal dropped him and moved to grab the Duke in the same manner. Elsa touched his cheek as well and activated the curse. The Duke started screaming instantly, groveling and pleading for mercy. He found none in the women in the room. Once she was done, Elsa released him and Mal dropped him as well. Both men were shivering, their teeth were chattering and their breath was visible in the frigid air. Their eyes remained an unnatural bright blue and there was a faint frosty handprint on their faces that sparkled like glitter where Elsa had touched them.
"What does it feel like?" Elsa asked. "Like ice in your veins? Like jumping into a frozen lake? As you can imagine, the cold doesn't really bother me so I don't know what it feels like under this curse. Have your fingers gone numb? Don't worry, they won't fall off. I wouldn't want frostbite to take you before you understand my meaning."
"What?" Eogan panted. "What the hell are you talking about? What did you do to me?!"
"I call it Frossen Sjel. It means Frozen Soul. Basically, what this means, is that you will never again feel the sun's warmth. You will never again be able to enjoy the beautiful beaches of your sunny Southern Isles. Maleficent could bathe you in flames and you won't feel a lick of heat. This is my gift to the both of you," She glanced disdainfully at the Duke. Everyone knew he wasn't the brains or brawns of this attack, but he would suffer the consequences all the same. Elsa bent close to Eogan to speak to him. While Ingrid was too far away to hear him, she could see rage flash in Maleficent's eyes. After a few moments, Elsa stood up and brushed off her dress. "Every day, I want you to remember me. I want you to remember the useless little queen that you should have left alone." She nodded to Mal, who hoisted both men to their feet. Elsa turned around to sit back down on her throne. Ingrid felt nothing but pride as the young queen lifted her chin. "If either of you decide to try your hand at attacking Arendelle again…I will show you no mercy." Mal and Lily left with the prisoners. As soon as the doors closed behind them Elsa let out a heavy breath.
Ingrid ran across the room to hug her niece. "You did so well, Elsa. I'm so proud of you."
Elsa let out another sigh. "I should've killed them."
"Too late for that now." Regina smirked.
"Do you think it worked then?" Elsa asked. "Do you think they'll try again?"
"Them? Doubtful. The Duke, from what I've seen, is weak. He probably wouldn't have attacked you at all if he wasn't bolstered by Eogan's men. As for Eogan, I think he will be busy for the time being dealing with all of his brothers." Regina replied with a shrug. "I don't think they'll try anytime soon but after yet another defeat, maybe they'll get the message."
"I hope that is the case." Elsa agreed.
"There will be others." Regina added. "This will not be your last battle."
"I hope it wasn't too much. You know, what if others think of me as cruel?"
Regina shrugged. "People will believe what they will, Queen Elsa. I don't see you ever becoming cruel. You love your people too much to do that. While I know you don't want people to really fear you, it is important that they respect you. Besides, they attacked first. You were well within your right to defend yourself and dispatch whatever punishment you saw fit."
Elsa nodded slowly and removed her crown. "I think I will take the rest of the day off." She looked at Regina. "I plan to host a feast in celebration of our victory and newfound peace. I would like you and your friends to be my guests of honor."
"We would be honored." Regina replied as Elsa rose to her feet.
"Thank you again."
"You don't need to thank me, Elsa." She scoffed. "Other than almost dying a few times, this has been fun." Elsa shook her head with a smile and gave her and Ingrid a hug before retiring to her room. Regina and Ingrid got to work. While Mal and Zelena got ready to make the trip to the Southern Isles, Lily escorted the ships out of Arendelle's territory and Regina and Ingrid spent the day fishing the broken ships out of the harbor and repairing them. Lily assisted when she returned. By that evening Arendelle looked like it had returned to normal. With the addition of a lot of new ships in the shipyard. Most of the damage to the city had been repaired and the people had returned.
Regina, Ingrid and Lily were admiring their handiwork when they were approached by a group of people bearing gifts of food and drink. A bunch of children even crowded around Lily, asking if she could really turn into a dragon. So she showed them. It was nice to see the people back and it gave Regina an idea.
"When we build our new house, what do you say to buying things from Arendelle?" Regina asked as they walked back to the castle, munching on a basket of muffins one of the townspeople had given them.
"What kind of things?"
"Well, we can furnish the house with things from both worlds. I figured that you might want things from your home."
Ingrid nodded. "We have so much to do, Regina."
"I know. We should get started on it when we get back, starting with the house."
"Agreed, but before that, I think we should spend some time alone."
Regina raised an eyebrow. "Alone?"
Ingrid nodded again. "I mean have sex. You know, before we're too big to do it "
Regina scoffed. "Size will not stop me from having sex with you, my love. If I have to do some push ups to drag around this belly, so be it." Ingrid only laughed but she was being completely serious.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It felt like it had been months since Emma had seen Regina. For a while she thought the former queen wouldn't even return to Storybrooke. A part of her couldn't blame her because there was no doubt in her mind that Regina was treated well in Arendelle. After all, she was friends with the royal family and the people there had probably never heard of the Evil Queen. Regina would be free of her past there, and could really start over. The idea of it made her sick. Another part of her blamed herself. Regina might be staying away because she didn't want to deal with her and her unrequited feelings. Yet another part of her was angry for having to wait so long just to see Regina. They were only supposed to be gone for a week and then they were at war and they didn't even let Emma know or ask for help. Regina was pregnant. She should be resting, getting ready to bring life into the world, not fighting a war. To top it all off, Regina didn't inform anyone when she returned.
Emma had been driving Henry and her mother to the diner for lunch when she first realized Regina was back. She was taking the road past the mayoral mansion, a completely unnecessary route but one she'd taken to using, when she saw that Regina's house was completely hidden by a huge wall of ice.
"What the fuck?" She drove around it but the ice was too thick to see through. When they got to the diner she tried to get some information out of Ruby, who'd come back the day before, but the werewolf simply told her that Regina and Ingrid were spending another week away. Emma ended up checking the mansion every day for the next week to see if the ice wall had come down. It was almost two before it did. It was David who told her that he'd seen the new house during his patrol and the first thing she did was drive over to see it. She wasn't the only one. A number of kids, including some Lost Boys, were standing on the sidewalk, looking at the new house in awe. The entire mansion had been demolished and in its place was what could only be described as a huge villa. There must've been a forcefield or some kind of shield spell in place because none of the snow touched the villa and the surrounding gardens that were in full bloom. A few trees lined the new driveway and framed the doorway to the house. Emma pulled out her phone to call Regina. It annoyed her a bit at how long it took Regina to answer.
"Can I help you, Miss Swan?" It was Ingrid.
"Where's Regina?"
"Tending to the construction of the guest bedrooms. Is there something you need?"
"I'd like to come in and see Regina, if that's alright with you."
There was a pause before Ingrid replied. "She's busy. She said if it's important you can see her tomorrow at the office."
Emma sighed. "Fine." She hung up and went back to her patrol, anxiously awaiting the next day, which was luckily a day that she didn't have to work. She decided to go see Regina that afternoon in hopes that she wouldn't seem desperate. She was coming to terms with the fact that she couldn't be with Regina, but that revelation didn't take away the need to see her and know that she was okay. In fact, it made it worse, because she didn't want to be cut out of Regina's life. They'd been through too much together just to erase it now.
She had just finished getting dressed in jeans and white tank top when her mother walked into her room. Snow had been a little weird for a while. She was kinda weird anyway but her behavior became even weirder once Regina started dating Ingrid. Emma didn't know what that was about and she wasn't going to try to figure it out.
"What are your plans for today, Emma?" Snow asked in her usual cheery tone.
Emma shrugged. "I'm going to see Regina in a minute and I don't know after that. Maybe go check out some houses with Henry." She'd decided last night that she needed to start moving on like Regina and the first step to doing that would be getting out of her parents' house. As much as she loved them, she wanted her own space. She sat down on the bed to put on her boots.
"Mind if I tag along?" Snow asked.
"I do." Emma answered, standing up and grabbing her phone. "Regina barely agreed to see me. She might kick me out if she sees you. Especially after you called Elsa."
"All I was trying to do was-"
"I don't care." Emma made her way downstairs and grabbed her jacket and hat. "See you tonight." She called, heading outside. She carefully walked down the icy driveway to the car and climbed in. After letting the car warm up, she started off. It was a bit out of the way but she decided to swing by the mansion, or the villa, again. Nothing had changed besides the forcefield was gone and the villa was blanketed by a thick layer of snow and there was a moving truck parked outside and a bunch of wooden boxes sitting in the yard. She frowned a little as she drove to Regina's office.
When she arrived, she had to wait until Regina was done with a meeting. After a long ten minutes, the office doors opened and a group of Lost Boys, followed by Tink and Belle left the room. She walked into the office, expecting it to be completely different as well, but she was happy to find that it was the same. Regina was talking softly on the phone.
"They're not back yet? How hard is it to find one assassin?"
"Assassin?" Emma said.
Regina glanced up at her and quickly ended her phone call. "Afternoon, Miss Swan. Shall we-"
"No." Emma scowled. "Don't 'Miss Swan' me. We've been through too much together for you to keep calling me that. Now what's this about an assassin? Someone tried to kill you and you didn't tell anyone?"
Regina flicked an eyebrow and gestured for her to sit. "It's not really a concern of yours, Emma-"
"Yes, it is." She could tell that her interruptions were quickly annoying the other woman, but she didn't care. She would take Regina being annoyed over complete radio silence.
"I'm fine, Emma." Regina said.
"Are you? Tell me what's going on. Please. I just…" She sighed. "I just want to know you're okay."
Regina arched an eyebrow. Emma silently cursed how good she looked. The woman was fucking glowing. She looked…free. She barely wore any makeup at all and a growing belly had not changed her luxurious wardrobe. Her dress was a vivid red off the shoulder gown that hugged every inch of her body and showed off the snowflake tattoo wrapping around her shoulder. The only difference was that she was noticeably barefoot. It was odd to see Regina Mills without four inch heels. Hell, she twisted her ankle once and still wore them.
"I'm fine, Emma." Regina reiterated. "In fact, I am better than I've ever been."
Emma couldn't help smiling. "You look like it."
It seemed that Regina couldn't contain her smile either. "Thank you."
"How was your trip?"
"Eventful. The first few weeks were relaxing and wonderful. I met Ingrid's family…again. I saw the city, met the people. It was wonderful. Then Arendelle was besieged by the Southern Isles and Weselton. We were able to repel them and save the city."
"And this assassin?"
Regina shrugged. "It wasn't really an assassin. More like the king of the Southern Isles employed someone to make a poison to use on Elsa. It's deadly to magic users. I protected her and I was hit with it." Emma tried her best to hide the rush of anger at the thought of someone hurting Regina. The brunette seemed to have noticed because she raised her hand in a placating manner and once again reiterated that she was okay. "Zelena and Mal are currently looking for the poison maker."
She hoped they killed him. "I hope they find him then. And Arendelle and Elsa?"
"Safe and well."
She nodded. "So how's the pregnancy going?"
"Well." Regina answered, another smile fighting to surface. "Ingrid and I have decided to take a long vacation from politics and war." Emma arched her own eyebrow. They probably should've done that to start with but she knew better than to say that out loud. "We have a doctor's appointment later today, but everything seems to be going well. The only problems are I've had to buy a whole new wardrobe and the morning sickness is becoming more prevalent. Other than that, everything is going smoothly."
Emma nodded again. "That's really good to hear. What happened to your house?"
"Needed more space and I thought it was time for a change. Which reminds me, I found more of Henry's things. I can have Ingrid teleport them to your parents-"
"Actually, can you keep it for right now?"
Regina's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"
"I'm going to look for a house today. I figured it's time for me to move on to better things. Uh, I don't know if Tink and Zelena told you, but I came by to see you before I realized you were gone."
"They told me." Regina leaned back in her chair, folding her hands and resting them on her stomach.
"Of course they did." She rolled her eyes but she wasn't surprised. They were close to Regina and would tell her anything she wanted to know. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it since you probably already know, but…I'm in love with you." Regina's face remained neutral at her confession, but she did nod to let her know that she was aware of this. "I understand that you're happy with Ingrid and I am upset that I missed my chance, but I am happy for you and I do wish you the best. I just…don't want you to cut me out of your life. I know I don't deserve to be in it, but it kills me to be pushed away."
"So what do you want, Emma?" Regina asked.
Emma shrugged. "To be your friend."
"Is that what you really-"
"No, but it's better than nothing."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Regina pressed. "Would you be able to do such a thing without causing problems or stress? I have enough things to deal with at the moment and I will not tolerate a nuisance or a threat to my lover and unborn children."
"You really think I would-"
"People are capable of anything, Emma." Regina interjected. "Especially when love is involved. I will not make the mistake of underestimating that when it concerns my children."
Emma grit her teeth, gripping the arms of her chair with white knuckles. She was offended and incensed that Regina would ever think she would hurt a child. No matter her feelings for the mother. "I would never harm a child, especially not yours."
"And yet you blew up Ingrid's ice cream shop-"
"That was different!" Emma snapped.
"How?"
Emma sighed, silently trying to formulate a way to prove her intentions. Regina let her, choosing to quietly observe her. After a minute, Emma looked up again, right into Regina's eyes, and just bared her soul. "I love you. It's not just the fact that I'm in love with you, but…I love you. You're my friend, family. Whether you believe it or not and whether you like it or not." Regina's only response was the flick of her eyebrow. "We've traveled across worlds together, battled villains together, raised a son together. I know I came to Storybrooke…wrong. Everything I did was wrong. And I know you hate my family. But they don't change how I feel about you. They don't take away the fact that since we met you've been an important part of my life. I would lay down my life for you and I would do it for your children. Children I know you've been waiting to have for years. I would never… I would never do that to you, Regina. Or Ingrid."
Regina was silent for a while, probably mulling over her words. Emma knew words meant little to the woman before her. She would have to prove it with actions. Not too much of course because that would just annoy her. She also didn't know how to prove her intentions and make Regina truly believe them. What could she do?
Eventually, Regina shook her head. "No."
"No?"
"No. My original statement will stand."
"But Regina-"
"I will remain cordial, but everything I said before, Miss Swan, I meant." Emma couldn't help the wince at the sheer rage radiating off of Regina. One moment there was nothing, the next, she was afraid Regina might snap her neck with a flick of her wrist. "You are right about so many things. I do hate your family. Sometimes I hate you, even Henry and myself. You did come to Storybrooke wrong and despite letting Henry go, I will not forget that. I told you before that you and your family bring nothing but terrible memories, Memories that resurface nearly every time I see you and since I see you every fucking day, that anger is not going to go away. In truth… I don't believe you are a threat to me or my children. However, you are just like your mother in that you don't think things through. You fail to consider the consequences of your actions-"
"If this is about Robin and Marian, I already told you that I made a mistake." Emma hissed. "You're so over Robin but you won't let it go?"
"This isn't about that, but it is a very good example of your idiocy. You say it was a mistake? Lies. Yes, you saved Marian's life but then you brought her to the future without knowing who she was or what she'd done or considering what would happen to anyone else. You think that just because you had good intentions that everything that follows is okay and it's not. As for Robin, I don't give a fuck about him. You said we've been through so much, do you really think that after all that, we can still be friends?"
"Yes." Emma said. "That's my hope anyway. Let me prove myself." She watched Regina lean back in her chair and massage her temples, trying to ignore her own bleeding heart. "Let me start over." She pleaded. "I know I did stupid things, but-"
"You want forgiveness? How does that do anything but make you feel better? How does it help me?" Regina asked. "A more interesting question, why is this so important to you? Let it go. I'm tired of having this conversation or any unnecessary conversation. Miss Swan, as far as I'm concerned, we don't really need to speak to one another unless it involves our duties as mayor and sheriff."
"I don't want that, Regina."
"It doesn't really matter what you want, does it?"
There was a bright flash of light nearby as Ingrid appeared and with her arrival, the temperature in the room dropped so suddenly it was like the oxygen in the room was too heavy to breathe. Ingrid waved her hand and Emma found her chair sliding across the room on a bed of ice.
"Are you alright?" Ingrid asked.
"I'm fine, just got a little worked up." Both women glanced in Emma's direction. "I'm fine."
"Perhaps you should take an early leave from work."
"No. We agreed that I could work full time until I could no longer see my feet."
Whatever they said next was too soft for Emma to hear and she was too busy trying to navigate across the ice to really notice. Ingrid snapped her fingers, melting the ice instantly and she moved the chair back to its original position.
"Hello, Ingrid."
"Emma." Ingrid replied in that soft spoken tone she was known for. She was showing off her growing belly proudly in a soft looking silver gown that was missing the usual sparkles. "Please refrain from angering my pregnant girlfriend." Emma gave a small nod, biting her tongue. Ingrid turned to Regina. "Please refrain from getting riled up."
"I will."
"Anything that bothers you, we can discuss later." Regina nodded as Ingrid kissed her cheek. "Don't forget we have a check up in an hour. Elsa, Anna and Kristoff are already here."
"Sven and Olaf?"
"Eating your apples and making snow angels in the yard as we speak." Regina smiled as Ingrid gave her a quick peck. She turned to look once more at Emma and her expression hardened, as if daring her to anger Regina again. With that, the Snow Queen poofed away and Regina sat back down. Emma sat down as well but chose to remain silent, watching Regina regain her composure. It was like flipping another switch. Regina squared her shoulders, checked her makeup and took a deep breath. Once more she was the Madame Mayor, calm and composed.
"I'm sorry." Emma said softly. "I never meant to upset you."
"I know."
"I suppose I should've thought it through."
"I suppose you should've."
Emma nodded slowly. "I will do my best to be better, Regina. I am willing to try and change those memories and make better ones. At least for me. In time, perhaps with Henry as well." Regina's eyes narrowed slightly at the last bit, but she didn't say anything about it. "So," Emma glanced at her desk. "I'm off today so I'm at your service. Is there anything I can help with?"
"The dwarves are annoying me." She pulled out a piece of paper as Emma chuckled. She took the paper and read it. It was a complaint because of course it was.
"They want upgrades to their homes and businesses too."
"Indeed. Despite my repeated refusals and threats of extreme violence. I may have to kill one of them."
"Uh, let's not. I can stop by Leroy's this evening and talk to him." Emma said, folding up the page. "When are you going on leave? Are you going to work from home or have someone stand in?"
"Haven't decided yet, although I am reluctant to leave the town in the hands of someone unqualified and incompetent. I.e, your mother." Regina replied.
Emma smiled at the thought. "Is Maleficent and Zelena going to help you two? I mean with both of you pregnant, in a few months, you might need-"
"Already taken care of." Regina said. "Zelena is already on us about nutrition and Mal, who is the godmother, has already started shipping in baby products and toys for the nursery."
"Is that what those big boxes are in your yard?" She almost burst out laughing at Regina's double take.
"She sent more?! I don't understand how someone is supposed to be searching for a poison maker and still manage to send truckloads of stuff to my house." Her phone buzzed and she turned to the side to answer it. Another smile graced Regina's lips and the pregnant woman was on her feet in an instant. "I need to go."
"Something wrong?" Emma asked.
"No, I want to get home and check out these new gifts before my appointment." Regina flipped through the documents on her desk and neatly separated them in moments. Emma stood up, folding the complaint and sticking it in her back pocket.
"Need any help?"
"No, Lily's on her way to-"
As if on cue, Lily appeared in the middle of the room in a cloud of red smoke. She hadn't seen the young dragon in some time and she was surprised at the change she saw. Lily used to be so timid and closed off, wary of everyone and everything and her wardrobe only consisted of worn jeans and boots and an old green jacket. It was attire that allowed her to fade into the background and wouldn't draw too much attention, an attitude fashioned from a lifetime of darkness caused by Emma's own parents. However, that was the woman Emma brought back to Storybrooke. The woman before her now was practically glowing. She was wearing a fitted lavender gown with a silver necklace embedded with a hundred tiny diamonds. Even her hair was lush and voluminous. She seemed so much healthier and brighter since being reunited with her mother and the thought left a painful spark of anger at her parents' actions. They sacrificed Lily to choose who Emma would be and it still left a sour taste in her mouth.
Regina burst into a grin. "Is that one of Mal's dresses?"
Lily sighed. "Yes. I lost a bet. Your sister still manages to be a complete bitch without even being in this world.."
"Well aware. You look adorable." Regina snapped a quick picture and Lily rolled her eyes.
Emma felt a pang of jealousy at how comfortable the two were around each other. Before the attack on Arendelle she wasn't sure if they ever really held a conversation. Now, Lily freely moved behind Regina's desk, packed up her things for her and picked up her heels, completely at ease in a space reserved only for Regina Mills herself.
"I could've done that myself." Regina said.
"Of course you could've, Madame Mayor." Lily replied before teleporting away. Regina turned back to Emma and gestured to the door.
"Will you at least text me later after your appointment? To let me know that you're okay?"
Regina paused, as if considering it. "I'll think about it."
Emma hated how relieved she felt as she left the office. Regina closed the door behind her and she made her way outside to her car. How the hell was she going to do this? She hated how badly she wanted to be in Regina's life, how badly she wanted to be in Ingrid's place. It felt almost unfair how swiftly the two had gone from acquaintances who rarely ever spoke to dating to moving in together to having kids. Zelena was right. It was only a matter of time before they moved on to marriage and then probably moving to Arendelle and then Emma would never see Regina again. That thought made her sick to her stomach.
She hoped a day with Henry would help calm her down. First, a quick stop to talk to Leroy. She doubted he would listen. The idiot would probably talk to her parents and expect them to be able to do something. Once he realized they couldn't, he would start a smear campaign against Regina. Not that anyone cared. Besides, Regina actually had supporters now. She wasn't even sure the mayor was aware but there were plenty of people who were quite happy to see their children being given new things and better accommodations. Since Regina and Ingrid didn't seem to have any ulterior motives with their actions, their image was improving amongst the populous. It was good to see actually. Regina worked hard to be better and it was nice to see others appreciating it.
The talk with Leroy went exactly as predicted so Emma drove over to the rec center to pick up Henry. While she waited for him she texted Regina the results of her meeting and gave her a warning about what she was sure he would do next. After that was a nice, quiet evening of looking at houses with Henry. There weren't many open in Storybrooke and in positions to her liking. Thankfully, Regina's design of the town gave her plenty of choices because the former queen clearly didn't know how many houses she would need to house all of the people caught up in her curse. But they did find one that she felt was perfect. It was a simple two story, three bedroom home with a nice yard and a full size kitchen. It also had a basement and an attic. Judging by Henry's smile, she could tell he liked it. Now they just had to make it theirs.
/
To say Regina was shocked when she returned home from the office was an understatement. The mountain of crates and boxes awaiting her gave her a headache almost instantly. Luckily, it was just as quickly alleviated by a certain snowman singing her name. She couldn't resist smiling at the sight of Olaf skipping towards her. He was beaten by a speeding redhead and Regina barely managed to stay on her feet when Anna slammed into her for a hug.
"Anna, be careful." Kristoff said, catching up to her.
"Right! Pregnant." Anna stepped back, bouncing on her toes. "I love your house, Regina. We finished the living room and the bathrooms while you were gone. I think we're done hanging the pictures too."
"You guys really got to work, I see. But you are guests, you didn't have to do all this." Regina said, allowing herself to be pulled into the house. It was a bit jarring, how different it was from her old mansion. She'd wanted something warmer, more homey and inviting. While she wanted a mix of her style and Ingrid's, she didn't want the house to be mismatched. They were still figuring out some things, but she was pleased with what she saw so far. She smiled as she walked the halls that had been decorated with new pictures of their family and random paintings that Ingrid had loved. They'd kept the black and white color scheme with the additions of silver and traces of cream and gold. Regina had even moved in some pieces from her vault and Mal promised to make them some decorations as well. Some rooms they chose not to change at all such as Regina's study, the bedroom and the kitchen. They passed some Lost Boys carrying boxes and hanging pictures under the supervision of Aerrick, who bowed as she approached.
"Everything's in order, Regina."
"Thank you, Aerrick. Where is Ingrid?"
"In the living room."
She dipped her head to him and walked down the hall to the living room. Ingrid and Elsa were sitting on the couch, surrounded by a pile of baby books and nose deep in two more. Lily was looking over Elsa's shoulder.
"Is that a good book?" Regina asked, smirking at Ingrid.
"It's very informative." Ingrid replied. "But it only makes me nervous." She closed the book and put it on the coffee table.
"There is nothing to be nervous about." Anna said, flopping in the chair next to her aunt. "Regina's done this before and you have us."
"Agreed." Elsa looked up to say.
"Well, I only did the raising part, not the birthing part." Regina reminded them. She didn't need to state that she'd only done the raising part for ten years either. "But Anna's right, there is no need to worry."
"Agreed." Lily added. "As Mom likes to say, 'worrying is pointless. It serves no purpose and never helps you accomplish your goal'."
"I'm sure Maleficent says that about a lot of things." Ingrid smirked.
Lily grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah."
Regina barely reacted to the light snow now falling around the room. She pulled Ingrid to her feet and put her arms around her. "Everything will be fine, Ingrid."
"I know. I just worry." Ingrid said, gripping her arms tightly. "Two kids when I haven't raised any? I don't even know what to do, Regina."
"Who said it was just two kids?" Lily asked. "I mean, both of you could be carrying around twins right now. Maybe even triplets." Elsa smacked Lily's shoulder and the young dragon only laughed under the glares from the soon to be mothers.
"It doesn't matter how many kids we have. Even if it is four at once." Regina took Ingrid's face in her hands. "We can do anything, Ingrid. Anything. As long as we're together. Now that we have a bunch of morons and your family helping us, we'll be okay. I know it."
Ingrid took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. We can do this." The snow still falling betrayed her, but again Regina ignored it.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
Ingrid nodded again. "Let's go."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Two hours later saw Emma Swan walk into Granny's diner to pick up dinner for her and Henry. She wasn't surprised to see Lily inside also picking up an order, but she was shocked to see Elsa with her. Not just Elsa, but Elsa in a form fitting white dress that was nothing like the flowing blue gown she wore the last time she was in Storybrooke. She was also wearing flip flops, despite Storybrooke being covered in snow. Ice witches were so lucky.
"Elsa?"
The queen of Arendelle turned around and smiled at her. "Hi, Emma."
"Hi-" She couldn't help smiling when Elsa came to hug her. "Haven't seen you in forever. How's the city?"
"Wonderful, thanks to Aunt Ingrid, Regina, and her friends."
"Yeah, Regina mentioned you guys getting attacked and almost assassinated."
Elsa nodded. "It's been a crazy few weeks."
"I would imagine." Emma also nodded. "So are you here to see Regina and Ingrid? How did their appointments go? Regina said she would text me, but she hasn't."
"Oh, that's because she and Aunt Ingrid fainted at the doctor's office." Elsa replied nonchalantly.
"What?!"
Lily walked by with a giant box of food sitting on her shoulder. "They found out Regina's having twins."
"WHAT?!"
/
"Three kids, huh?" Regina said, looking across the kitchen table at Ingrid.
"Yep." Was all that came from her lover. The pair had been in similar states of mixed excitement and trepidation since receiving the news. Currently, they were alone, having sent the others away for some private time. They still had so much to do.
"We have to double the size of the nursery." Regina said. "Have a separate playroom for all of the toys Mal bought. Maybe two."
"And a separate room as a closet for all the clothes she bought."
"I'm glad we have enough for boys and girls."
"Agreed."
Regina glanced down at the ultrasounds on the table. She was having twins. A boy and a girl. Ingrid was having a baby boy. Three babies. Hell, Henry as a baby was exhausting, but three? She had to admit that she was alone when she was raising Henry and in the middle of the Dark Curse. Maybe this time, it would be easier. She looked over at Ingrid, taking notice of the lack of snow falling. She still seemed nervous, but they both were so Regina couldn't say anything about that. While she was nervous and anxious for the future, she was also ready. She was excited to raise children with the love of her life. She was excited to begin a new chapter of her life.
"Are you okay?" Regina asked.
Ingrid nodded slowly and picked up the ultrasounds. "Truthfully…I don't know if I've ever been this happy." Regina smiled at the heartfelt confession. "I'm nervous and happy and excited and I love you so much. I only hope that I will be a good mother."
"We will be." Regina assured her.
"Well, now we need two boy names and a girl name. What about Juliet for a girl?"
"After Julia?" Regina thought about it for a moment, but eventually shook her head. "It was wonderful to meet Julia and know more of my family, but I don't want to name my firstborn daughter after her."
"You still want to go with a Norwegian theme? Maybe we go Latin for your name."
"How about we each look up some names, make a list and then we'll exchange them and see which ones we both like."
Ingrid swiftly conjured a couple of notepads and pens and passed one of each to Regina. They spent the next few minutes creating their list of names, using ones they'd already found and looking up more online before Lily and Elsa returned with dinner. Kristoff and Anna appeared from wherever they had been hiding and they joined the others at the dining table.
"Is everything okay with you two?" Elsa asked, looking between Regina and Ingrid in concern.
"Of course, why do you ask?" Regina said, cutting into the steak LIly had brought her.
"You guys fainted at the hospital." Lily replied. "And when you woke up you were acting all…subdued. Had us all worried."
"It was just the shock of the news." Ingrid assured them. "We're very happy. Regina did a cartwheel five minutes ago." Lily and Anna looked at Regina with a skeptic eye, as if trying to imagine her actually doing it. "We were making a list of names before you returned." They both slid their lists across the table and Elsa picked them up to read them while Lily looked over her shoulder.
"I don't see any variation of the name Maleficent here." Lily grinned.
Regina flicked an eyebrow. "I'm not naming any of my children after Mal. I know she's going to suggest it. I don't know why. Can't you just give her grandchildren already?" Lily literally froze and her cheeks were flushed with a rosy tint. Regina smirked and turned back to eating her steak.
Lily cleared her throat and took the seat next to Elsa. "Um, I like the name Bjorn. You guys know that's the name of a famous viking?"
"I may have chosen a few names that might be shared with people from history." Regina said. She also liked the name Bjorn. And the name Hakon. However, she also had a list of Latin names that she liked such as Livia, Aurelia, Marcus and Octavian. There were plenty more, but since she didn't want to name her children from another member of her family she found it difficult to choose just one that held meaning to her. Henry had been a natural choice and an easy one. Now she found it difficult to wade through the endless list of names the internet provided for the perfect ones for her future babies.
"I don't know how you will choose just three out of all these." Elsa commented.
"I don't either." Anna said, taking the lists that her sister passed her. "There's so many good ones."
Regina turned back to her food, quietly listening to the younger women discuss more names and add them to the lists. Her appetite was also increasing as the days flew by and she found herself ravenous whenever a plate of food was nearby. Well, she was eating for three now… And with that single thought Regina burst into tears. Ingrid and Anna were at her side instantly trying to find out what was wrong.
"Nothing!" Regina yelled at them. "Nothing's wrong, Ingrid! I'm…I'm pregnant." She hated how absurdly broken she sounded because it didn't match the sheer elation she felt. Never in her life had she imagined having children of her own and now she could. All because of Ingrid.
"I know, we just had a doctor's appointment. I don't understand." Ingrid looked to Elsa and Lily for guidance, but both women were just as confused and Regina was crying too much to articulate her feelings.
A cloud of black smoke appeared behind Regina and Mal and Zelena emerged from within. They looked a bit annoyed before becoming concerned at Regina's sobbing.
"What happened?" Zelena demanded.
"Is it the babies?!" Mal crouched down next to Regina. "Are you okay?"
"Everything was fine a minute ago." Lily answered. "And she's having twins."
"Only twins?" Mal asked.
"Only twins?!" Regina exclaimed incredulously. Mal touched her leg and her hand glowed for a moment.
"Oh, you fools, those are happy tears. I suppose we're at the overly emotional part of human pregnancy already." She conjured a tissue and handed it to Regina.
It was ridiculous to cry so much over something she already knew and had been preparing for for weeks now, but it was like it was finally real. She could have children. As many as she wanted. That awful decision she made was overturned and just thinking about it brought out a new sense of purpose and a fresh wave of tears. Ingrid didn't leave her side until she stopped crying and had somewhat composed herself. By then the rest of the food had gone cold and the others hadn't eaten due to their worry. Ruby invited them all back to the diner, despite it being closed, and prepared a whole banquet for them. After a good meal the group returned to the mayoral villa and lounged in the living room. Regina found herself bundled up with Ingrid on one end of the couch while Zelena and Ruby took the other. Mal relaxed in the recliner near the fireplace, one hand raised to add more flames. Lily was laying on the floor in front of the fireplace while their guests from Arendelle were snuggled up with Ruby on the other couch.
"So you didn't find the poison maker?" Elsa asked.
"Nope." Mal sighed. "Apparently the bastard left as soon as Eogan set sail for Arendelle. Hadn't been in the Southern Isles long either."
"Long enough to gain Eogan's trust." Elsa replied.
"Agreed, but we barely know the man. It might not have been difficult to do that." Mal said.
Zelena also nodded in agreement. "We talked to the nobles, the peasants, the advisors, everyone. Ripped out a few hearts, did some sleuthing and turned up nothing. Either this guy was somehow just that forgettable or he was using magic to make himself that way because no one really knew anything about him."
Elsa let out a sigh. "So we have nothing.'
"For now." Mal said. "But it is unwise to think this is all about you without more information. This person could've just been contacted to make the poison and has no concern as to what or who it was for. Or it could've been a targeted attack. In which case, he may try again since the last one failed."
"But you said they named us." Regina cut in. "They used our names when warning Eogan about attacking us."
"He did." Zelena answered.
Regina rubbed her forehead. This person had to know who they were. They probably knew about their pasts as well. Someone angry perhaps about something they'd done? Someone out for revenge? That could be fucking anybody!
Mal looked down at Lily and nudged her with her foot. "What do you think, Lilith?"
"What? Why ask me?"
"Zelena and I are at a loss, the best Regina and Ingrid can come up with is some conspiracy plot against the Evil Queen and Elsa and Anna had found no motivation for the poisoner's actions. I would also like to hear your thoughts since you like to keep them so close."
Lily squinted at her mother before sighing. "Alright, you said this guy showed up in the Southern Isles, stayed just long enough to convince the king to attack Arendelle and then disappeared?"
"Seems like it."
"Sounds like he just wanted someone to attack Arendelle. Since Eogan's family already hates you guys, it would've been easy to set them up." She looked at Elsa. "The people in Arendelle know about Ingrid, right?" Elsa nodded. "They know about you being transported to Storybrooke, right?"
"They do. It would be understandable for them to believe Ingrid would return to Arendelle if we needed help, but they named Regina as well."
Lily shrugged. "I can't explain that as well. Do the people know about who is in Storybrooke? As in the full extent of your stay here?"
"They should. Anna told the story a million times."
"Maybe the guy made a guess after hearing your story? I mean, really he could've picked or named anyone to make Eogan think that he needed to hurry up and attack Arendelle. Maybe he heard the story of Regina becoming a hero and assumed she would help as well." She shrugged again. "I don't know."
"Or," Ruby cut in, "he used another name as an excuse to sell more of his poison. It could be as simple as that. For a lot of people, war means money. Like blacksmiths, weapons traders, smugglers, etc. If this invasion had the chain reaction that we originally thought it would, half the world would've been at war with at least twelve more armies in Eogan's siblings coming for Arendelle. They need something to protect against the ice witch there."
"That's true." Lily said.
"In any case," Mal conjured a pen in her hand and motioned for Elsa to come closer. "I know a seal to protect against poisons. Even if you were to be struck with a poison arrow or blade the poison shouldn't affect you. If you ingest any poison it'll make you throw up."
"How long will this last?" Elsa asked as Mal drew the symbol on her palm.
"It will have to be redone. At least every six months. Other than that, you should hardly notice its effect."
Mal would give the seal to all of the people in the room. It was true that Regina felt no different after having the seal placed on her and Mal assured her it wouldn't affect the babies.
The next day, while Ingrid entertained their guests for the morning, Regina made trips to the schools. It may have been a little early, but if her children were going to attend them one day, she wanted them to be at their best. She took home surveys and requests from the teachers and students in ways the places could be improved and then went to check on the Lost Boys. She ensured they had plenty of food and money for clothes and other necessities and entertainment. After that was a couple of hours at the office doing paperwork and that afternoon she met the others at the rec center when it opened.
By the time she arrived Elsa and Ingrid had already commandeered the ice rink and most of the children were skating. Kristoff and Sven were giving some sleigh rides while the younger ones were playing with Olaf. Regina did a quick sweep of the center and wasn't surprised to find her sister, Belle, Anna and Ruby in the trampoline room. Mal and Lily were racing a few kids in the go carts. Regina did a quick sweep of the rest of the center, checking on the kids and the magical amenities they'd implemented to make sure everything was working properly. Tink found her in the cafeteria, checking on their magical appliances and instantly made her sit down.
"What are you doing? You're supposed to be resting and spending time with your family. Not working." Tink said.
Regina rolled her eyes. "I haven't worked in over a month-"
"Because you were caught in a war, but continue." The fairy interjected.
"I like working and I want to keep this place running. In a few months, I won't be able to."
"But I can. So relax. If something was wrong, I would've told you."
"Are you going to be the new overseer of the rec center?" Regina smirked.
"While you're too pregnant to do so, yes." Tink said. "And if I need help with anything, I can call Aerrick. He's been instrumental in helping me while you guys were in Arendelle. I know you guys are going back for the banquet anyway."
"I suppose I do need to figure out who will take care of things while I'm on leave. If you're overseeing the center, who will be mayor?"
"Wait, I can be mayor?"
Regina laughed as she got to her feet. "If you would like. Aerrick and the other Lost Boys can manage the center. Come to the office tomorrow and I'll get started on showing you what to do."
"Nonsense. You can do it after you get back from the banquet."
With them in agreement they made their way back to the others. It was a fun day of introducing the children to Elsa, Anna and Kristoff. By that evening she was back in Arendelle. She and Ingrid didn't even make it past eight o' clock before they were sound asleep in bed. Regina was typically a light sleeper. One had to be when you used to be a tyrant who could be assassinated at any moment. As a pregnant woman she found herself sleeping longer and much more deeply. When she awoke the next day, the sun was already high in the sky, and even then she still didn't feel like getting up. It was only a couple minutes later before she felt Ingrid stir next to her. It was still a bit chilly in Arendelle so she waved her hand, lighting the fireplace and pulled the blankets up, tucking them under her chin.
"Good morning." Ingrid said softly.
Regina smiled, watching her stretch, reaching up to touch the headboard with her fingertips while also trying to touch the foot of the bed with her toes. She went limp for a moment before rolling over to face Regina. "Good morning to you too."
"Ugh, what time is it?"
"I would say noon."
"What? We never sleep that long." Ingrid sighed.
"Our little ones must've thought we were tired." Regina said, unconsciously rubbing her growing belly.
"They were probably right."
The two laid in silence, enjoying the peace and quiet. The chilly air, the crackling fireplace, and the arms of her favorite person in the world proved a dangerous combination because Regina found herself drifting off again. They didn't really need to help prepare the banquet and she trusted the others to wake them up when it was time. At the moment, her children wanted her to rest so that's what she would do.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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