Cora and Her Daughters, Chapter One: The Three Guardians
It is finally peaceful in Storybrooke. Cora Mills, the Blue Fairy, and the Sorcerer's Apprentice joined forces to prevent the Darkness from overtaking Rumplestiltskin's heart and put a stop to Isaac Heller's antics before they began. Cora's younger daughter, Mayor Regina Mills, turns her focus to bolstering the town she oversees and deepening her burgeoning relationship with Robin Hood. Cora's elder daughter, Zelena, once known as the Wicked Witch in Oz, languishes in a cell below the Storybrooke Hospital, pregnant and isolated. Sensing that the heroes of Storybrooke may be weary from years of fighting villains and breaking curses, an old ally of Zelena's sees the opportunity to hatch an insidious scheme to free the witch and allow the forces of evil to triumph once and for all.
Author's Note: This is the sixth installment of my Cora Chronicles, and it will span the duration of Season 5 of Once Upon A Time. I have been away from this story for an extended number of years, but with Once having concluded and me having more than enough time to think of a way to continue, I have finally found a way forward. Admittedly, it was getting very frustrating to write about the redemption of Cora and the antics of Regina and Zelena while some of the contrivances that Eddie and Adam conceived in the final three seasons of the show kept upending the narrative arcs I was seeking for them. Now in 2024, the canon story of the Mills family is complete, and I know where my AU (where Cora survived the events of "The Miller's Daughter" and becomes part of the extended family unit) is going. I am not disregarding ALL of the aspects and characters who were added later on, and so it is my hope that you will recognize many familiar faces and situations that I have twisted.
If this is your first experience with the Cora Chronicles, the basics of redeemed Cora are that she (1) has earned the respect and trust of Regina and the Charming family, (2) has developed an unlikely friendship with the Blue Fairy (who, in many ways, is the anti-Cora of canon), and (3) is working with Emma and David as Storybrooke's Chief Investigator (because no one digs up dirt like Cora). She is direct, often humorous, and does not have time for nonsense. If you have paid attention to the naming conventions of my stories, the past two installment titles have been heavily inspired by Tyler Perry's Madea films; sometimes you just need an all-powerful grandmother character to intervene in everyone's mess.
Finally, if you need a recap of what took place in the five, previous installments, read on:
"Cora is Company," the first installment, goes from "In the Name of the Brother" to "The Queen is Dead," and gives a possible look at what the living situation between Cora and Regina could have been.
"Cora is Still Company," the second installment, goes from "The Miller's Daughter" to "And Straight On Till Morning," and it shows Cora adjusting to life with a heart, learning to coexist with Emma Swan, dealing with her feelings for Rumplestiltskin, repenting from her wicked ways, and performing heroic actions in defense of Regina and Henry.
"Cora's Storybrooke," the third installment, goes from "The Heart of the Truest Believer" to "Going Home." In that story, Regina leaves Cora to act as Mayor of Storybrooke while she is in Neverland. She wins the respect of the people, including Belle and Mother Superior (with whom she initially shared a strong, mutual dislike). Peter Pan returns to Storybrooke with the heroes, and Cora and Mother Superior attempt to stop him. This story ended with Emma and Henry going to New York and the Enchanted Forest natives returning home.
"Cora's Family Reunion," the fourth installment, covers the second half of Season 3. It dealt with the short period wherein Cora returns home with the other Enchanted Forest natives. She encounters her first daughter, Zelena, travels with the Blue Fairy, and strikes up an unexpected (but tasteful) flirtation with Geppetto. This installment was left somewhat unfinished, but know that the key events of that arc play out as they did on the show (meaning that Zelena does cause Neal's death, Regina does use light magic to defeat Zelena, and Rumple's attempt on Zelena's life activates her time portal and allows her to impersonate Marian).
"Cora's Big Happy Family," the fifth installment, covers all of Season 4. It shows how Cora interacted with Ingrid, the Snow Queen and weathered the Spell of Shattered Sight. We learn that Cora and Ursula are old friends (and engage in some good, old-fashioned Enchanted Forest flasbacks), and Rumplestiltskin places Cora under a sleeping curse so that she cannot interfere with his plans to free the Author and use him to rewrite everyone's story. At the conclusion of this story, Cora, Mother Superior, and the Sorcerer's Apprentice (who reveals his name to be Mick) find a way to siphon some of the Darkness out of Rumple's heart, thus preventing Isaac Heller's attempt at writing "Heroes and Villains" and preventing the Darkness from breaking loose and attaching itself to a new Dark One (e.g., Emma). Zelena, while imprisoned below the hospital, receives an unexpected visitor from her past.
Storybrooke's central clock tower chimed at 9:00 AM. It had been two months since Mr. Gold had been saved and Isaac Heller's authorial powers had been removed. The citizens of Storybrooke had not had such a peaceful time since Elsa had returned to Arendelle and Belle had sent her husband over the town line.
Mr. Gold had not been around to enjoy Storybrooke at that time, but he was finding it peaceful now. While he still felt the pull of the Darkness (as he had for centuries), he was pleased to find that the whispering of all the old Dark Ones in his head had quieted to a level unheard of since Baelfire had been a small boy.
"Are you sure it doesn't make sense just to magic everything into my house?" came Emma Swan's tired voice as she loaded a box into the moving truck.
"Take it from me, dearie," Rumple said. "You're less likely to misplace things if you inventory them by hand and keep track. Take it from a shopowner who knows. Some things are better to do without magic, believe it or not."
"Could you at least lend a hand?" she asked, panting from repeated trips up and down the staircase of Mary Margaret's apartment.
"You're asking a poor, old man with a cane to carry heavy boxes?" Gold quipped. "Lending a hand didn't go so well for your boyfriend, did it? I'm just here to supervise."
"Same old crocodile," said Kilian Jones, stepping outside with various garment bags hanging off of his hook.
"I'm just glad he's outside getting some fresh air," Belle smiled, carrying a small bag of books to the truck. "How do you feel, Rumple?"
"A few hundred years younger," the Dark One said earnestly. "The voices are quieter."
"You hear voices?" Emma asked. "You might wanna schedule an appointment with Archie, Gold."
"It's a Dark One thing," Gold said. "Just be glad none of you will ever have to find out what that's like."
"Being the Savior doesn't come with voices in my head," Emma said with a hint of playful smugness.
"No, it just means you have to deal with all of the outside voices of people who need you to solve their problems," Gold quipped.
"That's what heroes do," recited David Nolan, who carried a small chest of drawers out of the building and into the truck. "Anyway, I think that's the last of your stuff, Emma."
"Thanks again for helping me buy the house, Gold," Emma said genuinely. "You really showed that real estate agent who's boss."
"She owed me from an old deal," Gold explained. "Besides, I can't have my grandson crammed into your parents' loft. He should have just as much space with his Charming family as he does with his Mills family."
"I can't argue with that," David said. "Snow can, but she's comfortable in a hollowed-out tree, so there's that."
Mary Margaret was teaching regularly once again, and Granny had baby Neal at the diner.
"Alright, crew," Emma said. "Let's drive over to the new place. Regina and Robin are going to meet us there."
Emma, Hook, and David climbed into the moving truck, and Gold and Belle climbed into their Buick to follow them.
"It has a nice front garden," Regina said, inspecting the front of Emma's new house.
"It does," Robin agreed. "But yours is nicer."
"You don't think I'm jealous of Emma's house, do you?" she asked.
"It's a nice place, but you have nothing to be jealous of," Robin reasoned.
"Jealous of Emma? No," Regina said.
Robin frowned. He knew what she was thinking about. It had been the main topic on both of their minds since he had returned to Storybrooke two months ago.
"The baby will change nothing about us," Robin reassured the mayor.
"I hope not," Regina said, "But it will change things. And we'll always have the threat of Zelena hanging over us."
Robin flinched when she said Zelena's name aloud, but he quickly recovered his calm. "Things have been better than ever here lately," Robin said. "I don't think your sister is a threat. She's a complication, but she can't hurt us where she is, and she won't hurt the baby either."
"Mother still thinks there's hope that she can be rehabilitated," Regina said.
"You and Cora were," Robin said. "Rumplestiltskin has even turned over a new leaf-ish."
"There's always an -ish when it comes to Rumple," Regina shook her head. "I want to believe that she can change like we did, but Zelena is just… different."
"Good morning, Cora," said Nurse Ratched as Cora swiped into the lower levels of Storybrooke Hospital.
"Good morning, Nurse Ratched," Cora recited back to her with a small smile. "You know the drill by now."
"Follow me," Ratched said, leading Cora to Zelena's cell, which she unlocked.
"It's my mother," Zelena said dryly, lying on her back and not making eye contact. "Come to preach at me again."
"Can you blame me for trying to make up for lost time?" Cora said with a frown. "Regina has had to listen to my preaching her whole life."
"Yes, yes, Regina gets everything, I know the score," Zelena grumbled, sitting up to face her mother. Cora noticed that her baby belly was far more noticeable than it had been before.
"How are you feeling?" Cora asked.
"Pregnant. Hungry. Nauseous."
"Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable?" Cora asked earnestly.
Zelena angrily held up the arm which held the magic-blocking cuff.
"No," Cora said flatly. "I'm sorry, but no."
"You and Regina didn't go through this when you were earning your place among the good guys. Why do I have to? It isn't fair!"
"Regina and I both proved ourselves with noble deeds. The deeds you have undertaken since you came back from your (admittedly impressive) time spell have not been noble. Your impersonation of Marian was cruel and unusual."
"Says the Queen of Hearts," Zelena spat. "You've impersonated so many people, Mom! Tried to trick Snow White into darkening her heart much?"
"I was wrong for what I did to Snow, even if her mother was the most insufferable woman ever to live," Cora said, still holding a note of malice in her voice whenever she discussed Ava. "But my plan failed, and the harm you have caused to Robin and Regina is so…"
"Wicked?!" Zelena grinned psychopathically.
Cora frowned and stood from the chair on which she had been sitting. "If you're going to be ridiculous and mug for me like I'm a camera, I'm going to go."
Zelena crossed her arms like a petulant child. "Go, then. You weren't there for me when I needed you, and I don't need you now."
"I'm sorry, Zelena," Cora said. "I don't know how many times I will have to tell you, but I will keep telling you until you get the message."
"Maybe instead of telling me, try some action!" Zelena spat. "You say you're sorry for leaving me, but you abandoned me all over again when you let your favorite daughter keep me locked away here."
Cora had nothing more to say and knocked for Nurse Ratched to let her out.
Zelena gave a small, triumphant smile. She knew she had scored a point.
The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow into Henry's new bedroom at Emma's house. He had arrived after school to find the boxes of his belongings from the Blanchard apartment neatly organized by the door. His bed was already put together and made, and someone (probably Belle) had already unpacked Henry's books and organized them by author.
"They told me I'd find you up here," came a gruff, old voice from the doorway. Henry turned to see a bearded old man in a flannel shirt and jeans.
"You're the Sorcerer's Apprentice!" Henry exclaimed.
"Call me Mick," the old man responded. "I just came to check in and see how everyone was handling the big move."
Emma had moved just down the street from Mick's house, and the old man thought he would be neighborly.
"I got here after all the hard work was done," Henry explained.
"Story of my life," said Mick, shaking his head.
"Yeah, Grandma Cora said that it would have been helpful if you had come around a lot sooner, especially because you can travel between worlds."
Mick stammered for a moment before saying, "If I had done everything for all of you, you never would have found the courage and drive to do things for yourself. Ever think of that?"
Henry shrugged. "I guess you have a point there."
"So, your mothers tell me you're the Truest Believer," Mick said casually, sitting down on Henry's bed.
"That's what Peter Pan always said," Henry nodded. "He almost killed me for it, but I do still believe."
"I see," Mick said. "I'm sure that you heard that Isaac is no longer the author."
"He works at the newspaper now," Henry said, nodding. "Are you looking for a new author?"
"I am," Mick said.
"I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of responsibility," Henry said.
Mick looked confused. "Did you think I was going to make you the next Author?"
"Well, I am kind of an expert on the book," Henry shrugged once again.
"I'm sure that you are," Mick said, "But how about we pass some advanced writing classes in school before we talk about you getting a magic quill that can warp the fabric of reality."
"Sounds fair," Henry said. "If you didn't want be to be the next Author, why did you come to talk to me?"
"Because you are the Truest Believer, and I need your help."
Henry pulled up a chair and sat down across from Mick. "I'm all ears."
"When Cora, the Blue Fairy, and I saved Rumplestiltskin's heart, we used three enchanted vessels to compartmentalize some of the Darkness."
"The Sorcerer's Hat, Pandora's Box, and an urn from Arendelle," Henry nodded. "My grandpa explained it to me."
"The three of us who created the ritual have all agreed to serve as guardians of these receptacles. I have the hat, Cora has the box, and Mother Superior has the urn. All of us are creating our own enchantments and magical defenses to keep those objects secure. Cora practices a lighter version of witchcraft, Mother Superior has fairy magic—"
"—And you have light magic," Henry interrupted.
"Smart boy," Mick said. "I have placed the hat in a vault under my house that is heavily enchanted, but there's one more precaution I wish to take. I want to utilize a drop of your blood to seal the final lock on the chest with blood magic."
"Why me?" Henry asked.
"Your heart bears the protection that the mayor placed on you that it can't be removed, except by one of your mothers. No villain could use your heart to control you and make you take the hat. Furthermore, your bloodline has proven to be trustworthy and is not at risk for trying to steal all of that dark power."
"The Dark One is my biological grandfather," Henry said. "Grandpa could get through the lock."
"He could, but he has made a deal with the guardians not to attempt to repossess the Darkness that we siphoned from him. We will keep helping him to maintain his human identity in exchange for him not seeking out the objects we are using."
"Rumplestiltskin doesn't break deals," Henry said, feeling a bit better.
He held out his hand to Mick, who withdrew a large needle from his pocket. He pricked Henry's finger, placing the droplets of blood on the needle in a small, glass vial.
"Thank you, Henry," Mick said, rising from the bed and leaving Henry's room.
The moving process was completed, and Emma was hosting the first of what she hoped would be many cocktail nights in her kitchen.
Mary Margaret was present (with David having taken Neal home and put him to bed) along with Regina, Cora, Belle, and Mother Superior. Hook, Robin, and Gold had gone down to the basement to play a round of billiards. The game was heated and competitive, and Emma could hear them trash-talking each other from the half-open basement door.
"You've done a really lovely job here, Emma," Mother Superior said, sipping a gin and tonic.
"Thanks, Blue!" Emma said, raising her old-fashioned in the air.
"I'm still sad we won't all be together as a family," Mary Margaret pouted into her Shirley Temple (it was a school night, after all).
"Mom, we're still going to see each other all the time!"
Mary Margaret gestured to the Mills women. "Cora and Regina live together, and they're way older than us!"
"Snow, I am literally six years older than you," Regina glowered over her appletini.
"And I happen to look great for my age," Cora insisted, draining her strawberry daquiri.
"I'll give you that, Cora," Emma said, topping up her drink.
"I went to see Zelena today," Cora said, instantly lowering the spirits of everyone in the room.
"How is she?" Belle asked supportively. "It can't be easy to be pregnant behind bars."
"It isn't," Emma said darkly.
"To be completely honest, I don't think that keeping her in the basement is doing any of us a bit of good," Cora said.
"You're joking," Regina glared. "Absolutely not, Mother."
"I'm not saying we let her roam free," Cora said. "But you and I, for all our sins, didn't get locked away like she was. At least not for two months."
"She killed Henry's father," Emma said. "She killed Marian, and as for what she's done to Robin…"
"What Zelena did to Robin was inexcusable," Cora agreed. "But let's be honest; Marian was always going to die, whether or not you intervened. Baelfire willingly sacrificed himself to bring back Rumple. I'm not defending her actions, but Regina and Belle would not have their men if it wasn't for Zelena."
"Okay, you have a bit of a point," Belle said.
"Let's not forget how bad she made my childbirth experience with Neal," Mary Margaret interjected.
"If I'm correct, Regina also ruined your miracle of childbirth with Emma," Cora replied quickly.
"Mother," Regina hissed, not willing to be thrown under the bus.
"Did Emma turn out alright?" Cora asked. "Are you together and happy now? You didn't lose Neal for 28 years either, and Regina helped you get him back."
"That is true," Mary Margaret said, not making eye contact with Cora or Regina.
"People will change, if you let them," Cora insisted. "Regina and I did, and we still are. Let me try to start making amends for what I did to my other daughter. Please."
Emma seemed to be relenting, but Regina stood firm. "I hear everything you're saying, Mother, but ultimately, I am the mayor and Emma is the sheriff. Zelena is under our jurisdiction, not yours."
"What about house arrest?" Mother Superior offered.
"That's brilliant!" Belle exclaimed. "She has that farmhouse on the edge of town! We can put enchantments around it so she can't get out, but she'll be home and comfortable while she waits for the baby!"
"I've heard worse ideas," Mary Margaret said. "I am not over Zelena taking Neal away, or any of the other things she has done to our family, but maybe if we can show her some kindness, we'll see there's hope for her after all."
Cora smiled, having planned to tap into Mary Margaret's favorite four-letter word.
"Hope is something no one should be without," Mother Superior said. "Even Zelena."
"I don't know if I get a vote, but I'm in favor," Belle said, raising her mimosa.
Emma looked at Regina for a response, but the mayor remained stone-faced. "That baby has done nothing wrong, and I hate to see any child born behind bars like Henry was."
Regina glowered as she felt all eyes on her. She looked at her mother, whose face was one of quiet pleading.
"Fine," Regina sighed. "House arrest. But when we all live to regret it, don't forget I told you so."
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this new story and chapter. If so, please follow, favorite, and review!