Regina and Ingrid spent three days at the hospital to ensure the children were healthy and well. Just about every minute of those three days were spent cooing over their little ones, bonding with them and taking a thousand pictures. Anna and Belle were already making a scrapbook for them. Elsa was upset the day she returned to Storybrooke having missed the births, but the new mothers appeased her by letting her throw a small feast in Arendelle. Anna also convinced them to throw a party in Storybrooke to celebrate as well. That wouldn't be happening just yet however. When they returned to the mayoral villa, they were greeted by a mountain of gifts and cards from their friends, family, the Lost Boys and the other children at the center.
"We have a lot to go through." Ingrid said, lightly bouncing Livia and watching Lily and Ruby bring in their bags and the gifts. Mal followed with the rest of the gifts and Tink came in with a stack of cards.
"We do." Regina had already taken a seat on the couch with Bjorn while Elsa sat next to her with August. Zelena was still outside, marking places around the yard and on the walls for them to go back and place enchantments and wards. After Kilgharrah's attack, she wanted her house to be indestructible. Everyone offered to add their magical strength to the wards so no one would be able to get in and hurt her children.
"Are you going to start unpacking?" Mal asked when she returned, not so subtly hinting that she wanted to take Bjorn.
Regina rolled her eyes and carefully passed him to her before moving to the floor so she could start opening the boxes.
"Geez, Mom." Lily said when she returned. "Why don't you just have kids?"
"With who?" Mal retorted. "There is no one in Storybrooke worthy enough to bed me, much less have children with me."
"So you haven't told them about-"
"Lily, if you say anything I'll kill you!"
"What?" Regina looked over her shoulder. "You're seeing someone and you haven't told me?"
"How long were you and Ingrid dating before you told me? Someone had to invade Arendelle before you did." Mal narrowed her eyes at Lily. "As for you, you can just give me grandchildren." Lily instantly looked away, her cheeks turning bright red before their eyes. "Or I could just tell your crush-"
"Mom, no!" Both dragons playfully glared at one another.
"Are you going to stick around as a babysitter, Lily?" Ingrid called to save her from her mother's teasing.
"If you want me to, sure. My pay rate is still the same." Lily sat down next to Regina to help her unpack the boxes. Both of the dragons were instrumental in helping Regina and Ingrid get through their pregnancies. Lily was very attentive and never complained about helping them. Regina surmised that it was because the young woman had never really been a part of a family before and she was happy to be wanted and needed. She was good company so Regina didn't mind. They also didn't actually have to pay her. Being the daughter of Maleficent, money would never be a problem. All they had to do was feed Lily and she was happy.
"I'll make you a lasagna later." Regina said, receiving a bright grin in return from the young dragon. They went through all of the boxes and read all of the cards, most of which contained toys and baby products, including three new cradles from Kathryn that they tried out. All three were color coded in the same colors that had been chosen for their baby blankets. At not even a week old, all three newborns were constantly looking around, taking in their surroundings. August did this most of all. A few times a day his eyes would light up purple and he would look around with his magic active and only when Regina came into view would he cut it off. She wasn't sure what he was seeing or if his vision changed at all when he did it. Bjorn was still making ice cubes which concerned her because he didn't seem to be controlling it and she knew the dangers of overusing one's magic. They gave him a toy to hold and that seemed to do the trick. Livia hadn't shown any signs of magic yet but Regina was only waiting for it to happen.
On more than one occasion she found herself just staring at them, amazed that they even existed. Moments like that seemed to slip away from her. Her friends were considerate enough not to interrupt her and they faded into the background. Sometimes, Ingrid joined her. Like now. Ingrid's hand slipped into hers and she vaguely heard their friends and family arguing about lunch.
"They probably think we're crazy." Ingrid whispered.
Regina smiled. "Probably. They shouldn't be so amazing." Bjorn had fallen asleep since being put in the cradle and Livia was not far behind. August was awake but he wasn't looking at them. His eyes were following Lily as she moved around the room, picking up the empty boxes and wrapping paper to throw away. Regina glanced at Lily as she left the room. Was he just looking at her because she was moving? "Mal, walk in the kitchen for me, please." Mal flicked an eyebrow at her but rose to obey. August's eyes followed her as well, still purple. "Anna, can you walk into the kitchen for me?"
"Sure thing, Gina." Anna hopped up to do so but August ignored her and instead looked back at Regina and yawned. His eyes turned back to blue and he closed them. Regina tucked his blanket around him.
"What was that about?" Mal asked when she returned.
"I think August can sense magic. Maybe magical creatures." Regina said. "He was watching you and Lily with his magic active but he didn't look at Anna."
"A powerful ability for one to have so young." The dragon replied. "Perhaps we should create a smaller version of Cora's cuff to block their magic. I am loath to do so but constantly using magic with no way of controlling it will only leave them constantly exhausted, not to mention possible vision problems and headaches."
"I disagree." Zelena said.
"Of course you do. I know you were fine with it, but these children are not you, Witch."
"Enough." Ingrid called. "We don't want to have to use the cuff. I grew up trying to hide my magic, trying to force it down. I don't want my children to have to go through the same thing. They seem fine. We will check them every day, every hour, if need be. Magic is a part of them. I don't want to cut it away." Both mothers looked over their shoulders. Zelena and Mal both dipped their heads in respect to their desire. "Thank you." The mothers turned back to the children and Regina noticed Bjorn wrinkling up his nose and swinging his little fist as if to scratch it but he refused to let go of the tiny stuffed animal they gave him and instead kept wiping across his face. Regina gently took it to him just as he sneezed. His entire tiny body spasmed and a wall of snow blasted out of his hand, hitting Regina square in the face and knocking her over. Ingrid, Lily and Elsa burst out laughing as Regina wiped snow off of her face.
"Might've spoken too soon." Regina groaned.
"Are you alright?" Ingrid fell into a fit of giggles as she used magic to get rid of the snow and fix the living room.
"Just fine."
Mal chuckled as she helped Regina back up. "Yeah, let's not use a cuff. This should be funny."
/
The ice blasts did not stop. Even when Bjorn was holding a toy he'd freeze it into a block of ice. On more than one occasion he made it snow in his sleep, similar to Ingrid and Elsa, and they would wake up to the nursery covered in inches of snow. Luckily, all three of the children seemed to be immune to the cold. Even Livia, who after a few weeks, finally showed off some of her powers.
It had only been Regina, Ingrid, Lily and Mal in the living room, enjoying the fire and a quiet night after dinner, when Regina heard giggling. Her children were growing quickly and were already smiling and responding to their surroundings. Livia was the one laughing at Mal who kept blowing smoke through her nose. All three children were always fascinated when they saw someone doing magic. Livia let out a happy shriek when Mal did it again. Mal gently shushed her and covered her mouth before blowing another ball of smoke into the air that turned into a dragon and flew around the room. Livia shrieked again, laughing and kicking her legs. Regina sat up when she started blowing smoke out of her own nose, laughing even harder when it made her sneeze.
"A little dragon!" Mal exclaimed. "I can't wait to give her wings."
"Oh gods." Regina groaned.
Mal conjured a couple of fireballs that she juggled for the giggling child. Then she pressed the fire into a single ball. When she opened her hands, a tiny flame dragon flew around the room.
"Mal, stop it before she starts breathing fire. Bjorn and his snow is bad enough." Regina commanded. Mal only grinned at her but she did stop with the magic. There was a knock at the door and Regina got up to answer it. She found Emma Swan on the other side with Henry. "Evening, Miss Swan. Henry." She said, "How can I help you?"
"We just came by to see how you guys were doing." Emma held up a large bag. "And to give you this. It's just some toys and baby products that I thought you might like. Not need, I know you have the two richest people in the world helping you out."
"You have no idea. We had to turn a guest room into a storage room because Mal and Lily bought so much stuff." Regina smiled, accepting the bag. She paused before looking at Emma. "Would you like to meet them?"
"The princes and princess of Storybrooke? Absolutely." Emma grinned. There was a sudden flash behind them and a rush of heat hit Regina in the back, followed by the scent of fire and smoke. She spun around, prepared to race back into the house for her children, but then she heard Ingrid laughing and she could guess what happened. "What the hell was that?" Emma asked, half crouched in front of Henry.
"Probably my daughter." Regina sighed, going back into the living room. Ingrid was laughing and wheezing while holding August. Mal was laughing so hard she was almost crying while Lily was rubbing her eyebrows. Livia was still giggling and Bjorn was asleep. How he managed to do so, she had no idea. "Mal, what did I say?"
"I stopped!" Mal said.
"Is my face okay?" Lily asked.
"Lily, you're a dragon. Fire's not going to hurt you."
"We're going to have to fireproof the house now. Thanks a lot, Mal." Regina said, bending down to pick up Livia.
"I'll go start drawing the wards." Ingrid moved August to the bouncer seat next to her and carefully stood up. "Hi Emma, Henry." She was gone before they could respond and Regina followed her into the nursery.
"Is it okay if Emma sees the kids?"
Ingrid frowned as she turned around. "Why are you asking? You know I don't mind Emma and Henry. Despite their treatment of you."
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it."
Ingrid scoffed and grabbed her arm, pulling her close. "If I had a problem with it, I'd let you know." She pressed a soft kiss to Regina's lips.
"Don't do this to me, Ingrid. I'm too tired for sex."
"Are you?"
"Absolutely not. I will muster the energy however I can."
Ingrid grinned, pecking her lips again. "Go. Before Livia starts breathing fire-" The fire alarm started ringing. "Never mind."
"We will continue this later on tonight." Regina said before hurrying into the living room. Emma and Henry were both still in the doorway, watching Lily cut off the alarm and Mal bounce Livia. "Did she breathe fire again?"
"Yeah." Lily said. "She tried to get my eyebrows again."
Regina smiled as she motioned the newcomers closer. "That's Livia, the first born. The fire breathing is new." Emma was confident as she came to say hello, despite having seen her breathe fire. Her little girl was already so beautiful. She had heterochromia, one blue eye and one brown eye and her head was already covered in fuzzy dark hair. Regina moved to Bjorn. "This is Bjorn. He came from Ingrid but he's the second born."
"How'd that happen?" Emma asked. "He looks like Ingrid."
"He does. And we went into labor right after another. Also, she only had to push out one baby and August took forever." She motioned to her youngest son, whose eyes flashed purple when Emma came into his line of sight before turning blue. August was the smallest and his hair was black like hers.
"They're adorable, Regina." Emma smiled. Henry said nothing, pretending to be uninterested and Regina didn't say anything to him but she did notice him moving closer to peek at the babies.
"Thank you."
"Three kids at once is gonna be tough."
"We know, but we're not worried." Regina said. "We didn't expect to have the babies but we'll do everything we can for them. Plus we have help. The best help that we only have to pay with food." Lily gave her a thumbs up as she passed by. None of them were concerned when it started snowing in the room. Emma and Henry looked around.
"Is Ingrid okay?" Emma asked.
"Oh that's Bjorn. He sometimes causes it to snow when he's asleep."
"Sounds tough to deal with."
"Not really." Regina shrugged. "It's only one more thing we'll have to teach him how to control. Part of life." She shrugged and tucked a blanket tighter around Bjorn. The snowing didn't stop but they've already snow proofed the home because of Ingrid so she wasn't worried about it and it didn't really bother her.
"Any news on the poison maker?"
"None, but Zelena is with Elsa following up on a new lead. She and Mal are in charge of things."
"If anything changes, you'll let me know, right?" Emma asked.
"If anything changes and it concerns you, I will let you know." Regina replied, walking them to the door. Emma sighed but she didn't press the issue.
"If you need anything, you can call me."
"I know, Miss Swan. Get home safely." She said. Once the pair had made it back to the car, she closed the door and went back to her children.
A month later, they threw the party in Storybrooke and the feast in Arendelle to announce the children to the rest of the world. Luckily, there were no assassination attempts or problems from the idiots or Regina would have really gone on a murderous rampage. Other than that, life was quiet and peaceful and she was able to spend her days with her little ones and Ingrid. Not once did they complain or groan about the sleepless nights, the endless diapers or their firebeathing and snow blasting babies. Regina loved every moment of it. It was something she'd always wanted. To be a mother, a better one than hers was something she'd wanted since she fell in love with Daniel and dreamed of their life together. Now she got to live the dream with Ingrid, who was absolutely perfect. Goodness, such a woman just should not exist. Ingrid was beautiful and kind and attentive and patient and understanding and a thousand other things that made Regina's heart flutter whenever she looked at her. Seeing the beautiful blonde with their children was almost too much to bear.
Ingrid had changed her entire life, given her children, a family, a real home. The entire town had Ingrid to thank. She and Zelena were perfectly fine with ignoring each other, but because of Ingrid's idea to redo Storybrooke, Regina had called her to ask for her help. Now the witch was at the villa constantly, cooking them dinners from Oz, tending to her niece and nephews, singing them to sleep. Mal and Lily were more in her life now. They pretty much lived at the villa at this point. Both had their own rooms. Mal adored her godchildren in every way and Regina dreaded the day when the children could walk and run and begin taking magic lessons. Lily became a necessary presence in her life. The young dragon had been with them every step of their pregnancy and was more than willing to help them with the babies. Regina found herself indulging her, giving in whenever she wanted to watch a movie or tv show or she just wanted to show Regina and Ingrid something she'd found on the internet. She was a refreshing mix of childlike innocence, sassy cynicism, odd wisdom and bouts of hilarious rage whenever she played games. Watching her and Mal play anything was sure to be entertaining. With Zelena came Ruby and Belle, who were once enemies and nuisances during her war with Snow and her rivalry with Gold, but after actually talking to them, she found them to be far more interesting than she'd given them credit for. And Tinker Bell, the friend she'd hurt in the past, but had forgiven her and now spent half her time managing the town for Regina and the rest of the time decorating the nursery with fairy wings and motifs.
In addition to reconnecting her with her friends and giving her children, Ingrid shared her family with her in a time where Regina didn't have one to call her own. Elsa and Anna were practically her own nieces. They visited Storybrooke as often as they could. Anna was a breath of fresh air, the picture of childlike innocence who despite her past loneliness, continued to see nothing but the good in people and was always cheerful. Elsa spent as much time in Arendelle as she did in Storybrooke, sometimes to see the children, other times for training with Mal. Regina also found herself as Elsa's unofficial advisor on queenly matters. She could also tell that Elsa enjoyed being a part of a large family and she enjoyed all of the nonsense she got up to with Lily. Considering that she spent the majority of her life in isolation and was then immediately made queen, Regina imagined that there were few times where she could just relax. With them, often came Kristoff and Sven. Kristoff, despite his rugged exterior, was a compassionate and kind man albeit a bit goofy and they bonded over their love for animals. They also had a barn built just for Sven and Zelena provided them some soil from Oz to grow carrots for him all year round. Last but not least was Olaf. The chatty snowman spent more time at the center than anywhere else in Storybrooke, playing games with the children who adored him to pieces.
Emma kept her distance, only occasionally stopping by for an update or just to see Regina. She never overstayed her welcome and remained respectful to Ingrid. A few of the Lost Boys, including Sam, had decided to try joining the station and she could only imagine how much they were getting on her nerves.
Six months passed without incident. It was another quiet evening. Regina, Ingrid and Mal were in the living room with the kids. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Lily were in the kitchen baking something probably made of chocolate. Mal lay on the couch, holding a sleeping Livia against her chest. Regina and Ingrid were on the floor with the boys, watching them try to crawl across the blankets on the floor. It was a peaceful evening, but peace never lasted too long.
Mal was the first to notice something was up. Regina noticed her sit up and quickly but carefully moved Livia to the seat nearby. There was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Mal called, silenting motioning Lily back, who'd gone to answer it.
"It's me, Zelena."
Regina and Ingrid were instantly on their feet, moving the children to a safe place. Elsa, Anna and Kristoff took them to the nursery and Lily went out the back door. Regina knew for a fact that Zelena was in the Enchanted Forest with Kilgharrah. Apparently they were close to finding the poison maker. Her sister wouldn't have knocked on the door either, she'd have just poofed into the living room. Whoever it was behind that door wasn't Zelena, but she felt a powerful aura about them, strong magic that made her uncomfortable. She conjured her mother's cuff and handed it to Mal just before she hopped out a side window.
Regina approached the door. They had placed dozens of shields around the door so she couldn't use magic to blow it open like she wanted to do. Ingrid stood back, prepared to attack. Regina opened the door, stepping behind it as she did so and barely avoiding the man who rushed in. She spotted the flash of a blade before a blast of icy wind sent him flying bak outside. Ingrid summoned her ice staff and ran forward, smashing it into his chest before he could get up. The staff shattered but she only conjured another.
"Ingrid, get back!" Regina yelled as he rolled over. Knowing he had a blade that could be poisoned, she couldn't let him get close. Just as she suspected, he launched himself up at Ingrid, just as Lily came around the house, catching him in midair and slamming him into the ground. She quickly grabbed his arm and snapped it, making him drop the weapon. Even Regina winced at the crack the move elicited. Regina quickly moved to put the cuff on him and magically tied him up. "Where's Mal?"
"I'll go see." Ingrid volunteered, already trotting around the house.
Regina looked at their captive and ripped off his mask. She didn't know who he was. He was battle scarred with a shaved head and a tattoo of a bird on his neck. "I don't know him. Probably just an assassin." He went into a round of curses and struggled to break free from Lily, but he couldn't. It was then that Regna realized that she still felt the presence of his magic. Lily held him down while she searched his pockets and pulled out another hidden blade, this one being enchanted with dark magic. She conjured a small box to put both weapons in and ripped out his heart. "What's your name?"
"Colin Mane."
"Where are you from?"
"The Southern Isles."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Eogan sent you?"
"No, it was one of the brothers. Lord Runo."
"Which one is this?"
"Number 11, just a year younger than Eogan."
Regina sighed. "Well, Runo just fucked his entire kingdom. How did you get into Storybrooke? We sealed it after Kilgharrah's attack and Elsa and Anna come through one portal."
"I was sent here after the invasion."
"You expect me to believe you've been here for months?" Regina scoffed. "I definitely would've noticed you and what kind of plan was this? You wait until after we give birth and you try to kill us by knocking on our door?"
"Actually, I was just the distraction." Colin jerked his chin behind her and she turned to see Mal and Ingrid approaching. The dragon was dragging a man behind her, wrapped in a block of ice, leaving a long trail in the snow.
"You guys okay?"
"Fine." Mal said. "This one was a bit difficult to take down…without killing him. More poisoned weapons. A lot of them this time."
"They're assassins sent by one of Eogan's brothers." Lily told them.
"Are there any more of you?" Regina asked, looking at Colin.
He glared at her. "Two more. Don't know where they are-" A wall of ice suddenly sprung up around them, arcing over them in a dome to block the blasts of blue magic that seemed to come from nowhere. Mal and Lily collapsed to the ground, covering their ears. The noise was loud but not deafening. Ingrid's ice walls cracked under the blasts and beyond the walls, Regina spotted the other assassins.
"One's on the building across the street, Ingrid. I'll take the one on the ground."
Ingrid nodded, raising another dome over the dragons. "Three…two…one…go!"
The walls around them fell and Regina blasted off towards the assassin on the ground while Ingrid's ice carried her into the air. This assassin was covered head to toe in black and carried a black sword that she assumed to be poisoned. She wouldn't let it touch her and she wouldn't hold back. This one, she would kill. She threw fireball after fireball, each one increasing in heat and size, forcing the assassin to dodge or deflect. The last one was a ball white fire made of light magic so bright that it blinded them both. Luckily, Regina recovered faster and teleported behind the assassin, conjuring a sword of her own in the same instance. Purple magic covered her arms, giving power to her thrust as she rammed the sword through the assassin's back and twisted it. He dropped to his knees before suddenly spinning, diving at her again and she responded with a fireball at nearly point blank range, blasting him away. With that done, she glanced back at the house. Their wards had held up and it was undamaged. The other assassins were still bound and Mal and Lily seemed to be recovering. She looked around for Ingrid.
Huge twisting vines of ice were all over the place and Ingrid slid along them with ease, chasing down the assassin, deftly dodging the shards of ice she threw. Before Regina could join her lover in the fight, the assassin made a mistake, looking back to hit Ingrid with a magic blast as he leaped across a building and completely missed the wall of snow Ingrid had raised behind him. He slammed straight through it and Ingrid unleashed a barrage of ice shards, icy winds and chunks of hardened snow. She conjured her ice staff as she landed on the building, bringing the staff back like it was a bat and swung. There was an explosion of light and the next thing Regina knew she was sent to the ground, crushed beneath a thick layer of snow.
It took several minutes and the help of Mal to pull her free. Half of Storybrooke was drenched in snow up to her knees. She conjured her jacket and looked around for Ingrid. By now, their people had awoken some of the townspeople and they were pouring into the streets. She ignored them and had Mal teleport them up to the roof where Ingrid still stood, surrounded by the shattered remains of her staff. The building roof was free of snow and nothing stopped Regina from running to embrace her lover.
"Are you okay?" She asked, and stepped back to check her for injuries.
"I'm fine." Ingrid said with a disdainful look at the body of the assassin. "He was strong but he couldn't aim."
"He was running for his life from the Snow Queen." Mal bent down to check the man's pulse. "He's dead."
"Good." Ingrid growled. "Did you find out who sent them?"
"One of Eogan's brothers." Regina answered.
"It may be time to raze that whole kingdom."
Regina and Mal both shared a stunned exchange and she would be lying if a pissed off Ingrid wasn't one of the sexiest things she'd ever seen. "Give us a minute, Mal." The dragon took the body of the assassin away as she leaped off the building, leaving them alone.
"Was that too much?" Ingrid asked. "There have only been a couple of people in my life that I've truly hated so this is a bit new for me."
"No, it wasn't." Regina assured her. "Elsa showed the Southern Isles mercy once before by letting Eogan live and not declaring war. Still they send assassins after her and her family, across worlds no less. With us here to protect her? They've decided that they don't want to live."
"Mmm." Ingrid hummed. "That's not why you sent Mal away though."
"Oh, that's because I wanted to tell you that you are the sexiest woman in the world and tonight we must have sex."
"We must?" Ingrid grinned.
"Yes. Were it not for the fact that we have some assassins to deal with, I would rip your clothes off right now."
"Power is quite the turn on for you."
"Of course it is. I also happen to be in love with the most powerful, most beautiful woman in existence." Regina pulled Ingrid back to her and kissed her. She felt Ingrid smile against her lips and it took everything in her not to teleport them straight to the bedroom.
"Hey!" Zelena appeared nearby with her arms crossed. "Yes, I am interrupting. I leave you for two days and you almost get assassinated."
"We were not almost assassinated." Regina retorted. "We handled them just fine."
"Yes, I can see that. Now, instead of making more babies, you should probably go finish the interrogations and stop Elsa from losing her mind."
Ingrid immediately stepped back but Regina kept hold of her hands. "Did you find the poison maker?"
"No, but I found the next best thing. I found Merlin."
Regina released Ingrid and the blonde summoned a ramp of ice that led down to their front yard. They hopped onto it and slid down.
"Regina!" Emma called, stumbling through the snow towards them. "What's going on?"
"Just some assassins." Regina called nonchalantly. Ingrid waved her hand, removing all of the snow.
"What?!"
"Assassins, Miss Swan. Hired killers. Paid murderers. Nothing new." Regina made her way to the front door, knowing the blonde would follow. She and Ingrid checked on the kids before rejoining the others in the living room. Their two remaining assassins were bound to two chairs and Mal was already holding their hearts. Most of the others were squeezed on the couches, mostly to avoid Elsa, who was pacing. Frost clung to her form and her ice armor kept growing and shattering, leaving chunks of ice on the carpet. Ingrid and Anna didn't even bother trying to calm her down. Regina moved to stand next to Mal and Zelena. She caught sight of Emma out of the corner of her eye taking a seat on the chair arm like she did before and their newest guest remained near the fireplace, the hood of his purple robes hiding his face.
"Tell us what you know about the situation in the Southern Isles." Mal commanded.
"They're fightin'." Colin answered. "All of 'em. Half the brothers want war. The older half, the younger ones don't want nothin' to do with you. Look, I just take the money and do what they tell me to do. If I'd known-"
"Who were you hired to kill?" Mal cut in.
"They wanted us to kill you mostly. They said you would either be a blonde woman or a black dragon. As if that narrows it down. Said we could catch you as a human. That you'd be weaker then."
Mal grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air with ease. "Do I look weak?"
"I don't know shit about dragons." He scoffed when she put him down. "They wanted to kill you but there was extra in it if we could kill all of you. The ice witches and the fire witch and the red dragon, all of you. That's why we laid low when we got here."
"For how much?" Mal demanded. "My price better be the highest."
"50,000 gold pieces."
"What the fuck? I might go kill those fools just for that insult."
Regina rolled her eyes, trying to grin at the indignant look on the dragon's face. "Elsa did cripple a lot of their economy, dear. Maybe they don't have the money for a higher bounty."
"Still disrespectful." Mal growled. "I have dresses that cost more than that."
"And him?" Regina gestured to the other assassin. She waved her hand, removing his mask. His face had a few dark bruises on it from fighting Mal and Ingrid. He offered no new information on what was happening in the Southern Isles.
"The poison on your blades, where did you get it?" Zelena asked.
"Runo gave it to us. Said it'd be quick and painful."
With that, they turned to Elsa for her to decide the assassins' fate. The queen was silent for a couple minutes. She stopped pacing and her armor stopped growing. "War is the only logical answer, is it not?" She asked softly. She took a deep breath, sharing a look with Anna before making her decision. "Return to them." Elsa said finally. "I will pay you what they promised and all you have to do is send them a message and never return to my kingdom or Storybrooke again."
"Done." Colin said instantly.
Regina conjured paper and a pen for the queen, who sat down to write. "What have you decided?" She inquired.
"They're fighting. Already at each other's throats. Not all of the brothers may want war and not all of them may agree with Eogan and Runo's plots, which have all failed. Now, I know the truth and I am going to let them know what they're in for because of them."
"When will we go to war?" Mal asked.
"No time soon unfortunately. You'll find that we humans aren't as suited to just running into battle. Not like dragons are." Elsa smiled before furiously writing again. "I'll need to speak to my generals and send word to my allies, gather the army, provisions… That takes time. I need more information too." Elsa paused to think again. "Because of Maleficent's spell, I am in no danger of being poisoned and I have you all to help defend me against assassins. The poison maker can take a back seat for now. Zelena, will you go to the Southern Isles and gather information for me?"
"Absolutely." Zelena immediately looked at Mal with a hopeful grin. "Will I need to bring a travel buddy?" Mal rolled her eyes.
"Maleficent will be going to the Southern Isles too, if she agrees. I want her to give them a show."
Mal grinned. "We should be really clear on what I'm allowed to burn."
"I don't want you to burn the city down but you can destroy the fleet. Try not to get hurt-" Mal only waved away her concerns. "In fact, take Lily and Kilgharrah with you. Make sure they know why you're there. Runo could have acted with his brothers or alone. Make sure they know he pulled the trigger." She paused to look at Lily. "Did I say that correctly?" Lily grinned and nodded. "If Runo did act alone, maybe his brothers will turn their fire towards him. Maybe they'll tear each other apart and save me the trouble. Make sure they know I will not be merciful again. They sent assassins again after I spared them. They could've killed any number of us, made orphans of my precious cousins if they didn't kill them as well."
"Wait a minute." Colin cut in. "I would never k-"
"Shut up!" Regina snapped. The mere thought of losing her children to those idiots from the Southern Isles filled her with a rage she had never felt before. The assassin wisely kept silent because there was very little keeping her from breaking every bone in his body one by one just to kill him slowly. Ingrid took her hand, giving it a hard squeeze, letting her know she felt the same way. It did nothing to calm Regina down. It was easy to fight when it was just her or Ingrid. They could defend themselves. Her children could not. Her little miracles who depended on her, who could've gotten hurt tonight if the assassins had been able to get into the house. She couldn't even imagine what would happen if she had failed tonight. She could not lose her children and they would not lose her. To think the lords of the Southern Isles would endanger the lives of her children over a stupid conquest or their wounded pride. They were lucky she was not the queen of Arendelle or she would go straight to their putrid kingdom, raze it to the ground, and salt the earth so they would never be able to rebuild. Then she would kill every single of those bastard brothers in the slowest, most torturous way she knew how. Maybe Elsa would give her Runo to torment when all was said and done.
In the end, Regina excused herself and made her way to the nursery to sit with her children to calm herself down. All three were sleeping soundly, completely unaware of the past danger. As much as she hated the Southern Isles and wanted to kill its king, a part of her hoped that they wouldn't go to war just yet. Her children needed her and she didn't want to part from them just yet.
"Hey," She looked up when she heard Emma's whisper. "You okay?"
"Of course not, Miss Swan." She whispered in return, walking out into the hallway. "I feel like ripping out hearts and breaking bones right now."
"I get it." Emma said.
"I don't think you do." Regina replied. "No one does. Except maybe Mal or Zelena." Ingrid had never been in darkness like she was and she hoped her lover never would. She'd never been possessed by an all consuming hatred and need to destroy something. At least, not to her knowledge.
"Maybe not exactly." Emma amended. "But I do understand wanting to protect your kids and I know you so I know you're close to going Evil Queen. I'm sure everything is going to be fine. Your kids are well protected and you'll have your vengeance soon."
"Hopefully." Regina all but growled. "Thank you, Miss Swan. I'm fine."
"You're not." They both looked up as Ingrid came down the hall. "Come with me." She said before turning around. Regina shared a perplexed look with Emma before she followed. Ingrid led her to the nearest bedroom where she opened a portal and walked through. Regina continued to follow her and found herself in the Queenswood, right outside their cabin. "The others will watch the children tonight. I know you have some energy to work out so make a decision. Fight or fuck?"
Regina's eyebrows shot up, betraying her surprise. "What?"
"We can either fight or fuck." Ingrid shrugged. "Or both, should you wish to-"
Regina all but tackled her, teleporting them straight to the cabin master bedroom. They landed on the bed and Ingrid pushed her away, conjuring a blade made of ice and sliced through Regina's clothes faster than she could respond. She settled for tearing Ingrid's off with her bare hands. Their lips met in a bruising kiss, more teeth and tongue than anything. One thing she never tried to do was be rough with Ingrid, but the blonde gave her the all clear by meeting her hunger with passion of her own.
Regina pushed Ingrid away and dove between her legs. The blonde's legs suddenly tightened around her head and the next thing she knew she was on her stomach, completely pinned. "Lessons with Mal?"
"Yep." Ingrid giggled, leaning down to trace her ear with her tongue. Regina shuddered, clenching her legs together.
"You said fight or fuck. I clearly chose fuck. What is this?"
"I never said I would make it easy for you."
Regina turned her head just to glare at her out of the corner of her eye. That only made Ingrid giggle again. The blonde grinned, seemingly pleased with herself before that grin turned into a mischievous smirk. She suddenly released Regina and backed away. Regina instantly spun around.
"Stop!" The sudden command did make Regina freeze, but her lover had only uttered it to make her hesitate so she could get the upper hand and her reward was a frozen apple to the forehead. Ingrid burst into laughter at Regina's shriek. She wiped her face and chased Ingrid around the house, destroying much of it in the process. By the time she managed to catch her lover, her anger had dissipated but her hunger had not. They quickly returned to the bedroom to sate it and they did so many times. Then they took a nap which lasted a lot longer than expected.
Dawn was streaking across the sky when the pair finally rose to shower and make their way home to their children. Regina showered first and she was waiting on the bed when Ingrid returned. The blonde was still dripping wet as she dried her hair with a towel. She stopped when she noticed Regina watching her.
"What? If you wish to go again…"
"No." Regina smirked, patting the bed next to her. "I've just been thinking." Ingrid sat down, warily, looking concerned. "It's nothing bad…probably. I just wondered how you felt about marriage."
"Are you serious?" Ingrid asked.
"Yes, I wouldn't joke about something like this." Ingrid's frown had her worried. "I just wanted your thoughts on it, dear. We don't have to decide anything."
"I wanted to ask you to marry me months ago." Ingrid laughed softly. "Of course I would love to be your wife, Regina, but after your first marriage, I would understand if you never wanted to be married again. That's why I never asked."
"But you're not Leopold." Regina replied. "You're you and you're wonderful in every way. You've changed my life in every way. I would love to be your wife."
"Truly?" Her heart ached at the fearful look in Ingrid's eye, the hope buried underneath.
"Truly." Regina said firmly.
"Then we're engaged?"
"Yes-"
"No." Ingrid snapped, getting to her feet. "This is not good enough. There should be flowers and doves and-"
"Ingrid."
"We're just in the cabin bedroom! I can plan something quickly. You deserve a proper proposal-"
"Ingrid!" Regina laughed as she cornered the excited blonde and kissed her, pouring all of her happiness and joy into it. It left them both breathless but Regina hardly minded. "It's okay. I don't need a huge proposal. This right here is enough."
"This is enough? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." Regina got down on one knee and allowed herself to drink in the sight of her naked fiancee. "What could be better than kneeling before you as you are right now? As for this cabin? We built it together. It's perfect. The life we've built together is perfect. Except the assassinations and stuff, but I can deal with that. You know, being a former tyrant and all." She shrugged. "If there is anything you want to do, just let me know. We can always talk about it if you're not sure."
Ingrid suddenly tackled her and planted a soul searing kiss on her lips, igniting another bout. It was another hour before they showered again and returned home.
By then, the house was empty except for Lily and Mal making breakfast in the kitchen. "Finally!" The elder dragon exclaimed when they walked through the portal. "You guys left to have sex twelve hours ago!"
"We fell asleep afterwards." Ingrid said, turning red under the dragon's teasing gaze.
"They do have three kids, Mom." Lily laughed. "They probably needed that sleep."
"We did." Regina admitted. "But-"
"Shit." Ingrid said, looking horrified.
"What?" All three women looked at her in concern.
"We didn't use the birth control spell."
"Well fuck."
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