What if when Cora gave up her baby, she was not taken to Oz or found by the Woodcutter and his wife, but by a lonely Dragon Queen who doesn't mind a little wickedness?

Usual disclaimers. ..

It had been years since another soul graced her halls of stone, and many more since she ventured out of them to the lands she claimed below. Maleficent looked up at the tall trees around her, listening to the multitude of sounds surrounding her. She removed her horned helmet and let it fall to the ground. The wind in her hair felt good. The sun on her skin tickled. But it reminded her of one small thing. She was alone. It'd been so long since she heard another voice, felt another's touch. It had been at least a couple decades since the Dragon Queen had even seen another's face. Yes indeed, she was very alone. Behind her halls of stone, no one had dared to venture. Still, they could not compare to those built around her heart, cracked and broken by the betrayal of a man she believed had loved her. Stefan had broken her heart, made her believe that he actually cared about her and still had chosen to be with Briar Rose the moment she showed up and tossed the dragon aside, pretending that their love had never existed. Ever since, Maleficent had tried to forget, to protect herself from such heartache and misery. She never wanted to feel that pain again.

Maleficent walked far more than her grounds, simply enjoying the feel of the soft grass beneath her feet and sweet breeze in the air. Moments like these served to remind her why she had remained of this world for so long. The people, the humans made her sick. She hated them with a passion. Stefan's greed had tainted their existence for her. But the plants, the animals, they were beautiful. They were not greedy and they didn't break hearts.

Maleficent paused as she heard the sound of crying. A baby's cry. An infant alone in the woods made no sense to her. She walked forward, picking up the hem of her dress to cross the distance more easily. She found a woman bent over a little basket, talking quietly to the babe. But a moment later, she turned and ran off.

The dragon hissed at the blatant disregard for a child's life and stepped out into the open, looking down at the baby girl. She looked in the direction of the mother and saw that she'd stopped and looked back, but she paled at the sight of the Dragon Queen and took off running. The wind was picking up and Mal lifted her head at the sight of the cyclone closing in.

"That's a bit of a dilemma, isn't it, Little One?" Mal said.

The baby laughed. She was wrapped in a green blanket and was terribly cute. Mal picked up the basket and poofed back to her castle to place her on the table. It was a human child, but a child nonetheless, the symbol of innocence, and yet it was already touched by the cruel and heartless hand of man.

"I'm sorry for your mother. She seems fairly stupid." Mal said. The baby made a cooing noise and reached for her. "I am no mother. Perhaps I can find you someone in my kingdom to care for you." The dragon tilted her head, feeling something powerful start to change within her. "First you'll need a name. Green is your color. What do you think of Zelena?" It was the name for green in an old language. The little girl smiled and she smiled as well. "Zelena it is."

Maleficent alone had seen kingdoms rise from nothing and crumble back into dust. She'd seen lives being born and saw the last moments of their deaths. For many years, she was alone. Truly the last of her kind. A child of her own was something she was very unlikely to have. But this little one...needed her.

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5 years later…

"Zelena, dear, where are you?" Mal called into her study. There was no reply. "Zelena?" Momentary panic set in and Mal ran into the study, expecting to find her little jade, her little jewel, sitting and trying to read a book like she usually was. She could read well, but certainly not the complicated novels that Mal had stored in her study. She let out a whimper of fear and raced into her bedroom, sighing with relief when she heard Zelena's little voice. She peeked in and smiled brightly at seeing Zelena in front of the mirror with Mal's horned helmet on her head. She was holding the dragon's staff, awkwardly since it was so heavy but she was so beautiful, Mal could only watch and smile as she pretended to fight off some imaginary foe.

"The Dragon Queen shall win with one final shot." Zelena pointed the staff at the mirror. There was an explosion of light and she felt backwards, the mirror shattering around her. "Mommy!" Mal quickly stepped into the room and helped the girl to her feet. "I didn't mean to do it."

"I know. You have magic, dear. It's not your fault."

"Like you?"

"Sort of."

Zelena let out a relieved sigh and she went to go pick up Mal's helmet and staff to give back to her. "I'm sorry for playing with your stuff."

Mal waved her hand, fixing the mirror and took the helmet to place back on the red headed little girl's head. "You make a fine Dragon Queen." She picked up her staff. "How would you like for me to teach you all sorts of magic?"

"Really?" Zelena looked from under the helmet that was far too big for her. "You will? You promise?"

"I promise. Why don't we go now?"

"Yes! I'm gonna learn magic!" Zelena ran out of the room, screaming happily.

Mal shook her head with a smile.

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"Mommy, why aren't there any more people in the kingdom?" Zelena asked as Mal gently brushed her hair after a bath.

"There are, down below."

"Can I go meet them?"

Mal faltered. She wanted to say no, but she didn't want Zelena to know the pain of loneliness as she had. That was a fate she would not wish upon anyone. "There are people in this world, but there are wolves too. Bad people. I don't want you to meet those people."

"Did you meet a wolf, Mommy?"

"Yes. All I've seen are wolves."

"Well if that's all you've seen so far, then that's all you'll want to see. All people aren't wolves. You're not a wolf. I'm not a wolf."

"We are dragons. Wolves and humans are beneath us." Mal said firmly, but she saw the fall of Zelena's shoulders and it stung her. She just wanted her little girl to be happy and it made her sick when she wasn't. "You should get into bed." Zelena hopped down to obey and snuggled up beneath the sheets. "Goodnight, my little flame."

"Goodnight, Mommy." Zelena smiled as Mal kissed her forehead and left the room. She sighed. Zelena deserved more than being locked in a castle all her life, despite how much she wanted to. She growled as she paced back and forth, debating whether to give in to her daughter's whim or just ignore it. "Zelena!" The door flew open a moment later to reveal her child in her green night dress.

"Yeah, Mommy."

"Are you really sure about this?"

"Yes. I want some friends. Please?"

Mal sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Fine, but it will take time to open the kingdom."

"I'm 5. I have plenty of time."

"Then we should get to work." Mal jerked her head. "Come on."

"Can we redecorate the castle too?" Zelena asked, excitedly bounding behind her.

"Don't push it. What is wrong with my decorating style?"

"Nothing, you know you're the greatest mom in the world but we could add in some more green."

Maleficent smiled. She was supposed to be a villain, but to someone she was the greatest mom in the world. It made her heart ache just from the sound of it. "I'll think about it." She and Zelena spent the entire night, changing the color and furnishings of her castle so that it was twice as grand and extravagant. When morning came, her new throne room, no longer empty and desolate with a single throne, but was flooded with light through new, bright windows and reflected off her new chandeliers. There were new rugs, new sculptures and tapestries. She'd sent word to her guards to open the roads and sent her valets to collect fine silks and glass and many other things from across the land. She didn't even remember falling asleep on a new couch, curled up with her little one. Sleep for Zelena never lasted long and she was soon up again, bouncing excitedly as she followed Mal down into the villages for the first time.

It was a dreary sight. The small homes were primitive and the gardens half dead. The people trudged about with bent backs and weary faces. The Forbidden kingdom was a dark place, in the shadow of a mountain with an even greater shadow hanging over it. Mal walked forward, Zelena walking behind her, holding on to her dress. The people noticed her presence and froze. The dragon spoke no words as she raised her hands and unleashed her magic, healing her kingdom, restoring the rich farmlands and making them flourish with more fruits and vegetables than could be eaten, the houses became bigger and made with better materials, gold was left on nightstands and tables, horses were conjured, small puppies and kittens for children. The people received new clothes, new furniture...a better life. When all was said and done, Mal had to take a seat or risk falling down.

"You did it, Mommy." Zelena smiled, watching the people laugh and hug one another as their fortunes were lifted.

"No, my dear." Maleficent whispered, looking fondly at her child. "This is all you. All of this is because of you and your beautiful little heart." She smiled as Zelena looked around. "It is but a start." Only a start. Mal took her daughter on a walk through the kingdom, proudly showing off her vast domain. Zelena held onto her dress, taking in everything with wide eyes. When they came upon a group of small children around her age she let go of Mal's dress and nervously approached them. Mal leaned on her staff, watching from a good distance in case her little one wanted her assistance. Suddenly one of the children picked up a hunk of mud and flung it at Zelena, ruining her pretty green dress. Maleficent scowled and started to shift in order to make sure these kids knew whose daughter they were dealing with. To her surprise, Zelena waved her hand, showering the other children in mud. Mal's eyebrows rose, almost reaching her hairline as she watched them fling mud back and forth like...children. A smile touched her lips and she glanced up, noticing the time of day. Something wet landed on her cheek and she jumped slightly, a scowl replacing her smile as she looked down at the children, every single one cowering, even Zelena. Maleficent wiped the mud off her cheek and struck the ground with her staff causing the earth to rumble. Mud at the children's feet shot upwards, hitting each one in the face. She smirked when they started laughing and resumed their game. After a while Mal called Zelena back to her and the laughing little girl came back to her side.

"I had so much fun, Mommy." Zelena said.

"Well we must cut your tour short for the day so you can go home and scrub away all that mud."

"Okay. Can we come back tomorrow?"

"Yes, my little one. And every day afterwards if you so desired." She smiled when Zelena let out a yell of happiness. It would take almost 2 hours to get her cleaned up. It took an hour alone to wash her hair and Mal had changed the bathwater twice. "Never again are you going to be having mud fights." Maleficent said, using a wet cloth to wipe her face. A squeaky clean redhead was sitting in front of her vanity, frizzy red hair everywhere and a smile on her face. She was talking a mile a minute about her new friends. Mal let out a content sigh and used one of her brushes to gently comb away the tangles in Zelena's hair. Her little jade was happy and that was all she wanted.

The next morning Maleficent took Zelena to show her the rest of the kingdom. Her little girl was fascinated by any and everything. They were exploring the western woods when Zelena found a tiny animal lying in the dirt. It was a little monkey with wings. The dragon had assumed the breed had become extinct. She didn't tell Zelena that she was the one who hunted them to that point. Besides, Zelena's attention had been completely consumed. The little monkey became her new pet. She named him Chistery, and even though Maleficent would've liked nothing better than to roast him over an open fire, she wouldn't dare. Zelena was happy, so she was happy. For Zelena's birthday that year Maleficent decided to have a coronation. She threw a kingdom wide party and announced Zelena as her new heir, also giving her little one the gift of a little black unicorn.

While Zelena was happy, Maleficent couldn't help but wonder just who Zelena's birth parents were. If she had not seen Zelena's mother with her own eyes she would've been confused as to if Zelena was even human. Her magic was incredibly powerful for one so young and she spent at least 2 hours every day with Mal practicing her talent. It was one day that Mal decided her child needed to learn a crucial lesson. She ordered one of her valets to bring some rabbits into her study. When a 6 year old Zelena walked in she was instantly curious. "What's this, Mommy?"

"Do you like rabbits, Zelena?" Maleficent asked, picking one up by its scruff and holding it in the air.

"Not really. Why?"

Mal reached into the rabbit's chest and pulled out its tiny heart. "Do you see this, Zelena?" Her daughter nodded. "This is a heart, imbued with magic. See how the rabbit remains unharmed?" She nodded again. "You have the power to rip any heart out of any chest. Human or animal. Having this heart gives you control over the owner. You can command them, speak through them, bind them...kill them. Try it." she instructed. Zelena was nervous as she obeyed her command. "I wanted to show you this because there are those in this world who would love to possess a heart such as yours. And if you should ever find yourself in a situation that is so dire that you feel you must, do not hesitate to rip out the heart of your enemy and crush it." She crushed the heart and the rabbit went still. "Do you understand?"

Zelena nodded. "Yes Mommy." She crushed the rabbit's heart and watched in fascination as it turned to ash in the palm of her hand. "It's just a rabbit."

"It won't always be just a rabbit." Mal cautioned her.

"But we're dragons. Anything else is beneath us."

Maleficent smirked. "You are powerful, Zelena. I won't lie. I didn't want to teach you magic because of the fear of what you could do. But then I thought about what would happen if you weren't taught and your magic grew stronger as you grew older." Zelena listened to her words carefully. "I know that you will do great things one day, my love. But you must be wary of your power until I can teach you to hone it."

Zelena looked down at her own hands, as though they were dirty. "I don't want to hurt people."

Mal picked her up and carried her out of the vault. "Perhaps you won't." She said. "But my dear, you are not a normal little girl."

"I'm a dragon." Zelena said.

"You're absolutely right. You are powerful and smart and beautiful." She carried Zelena to a nearby balcony and gestured to the vast kingdom below. "All of this belongs to you, Zelena. All of it. Every inch, every tree, every blade of grass. You are my daughter. And you will always be." A wide grin burst onto Zelena's face and she kissed Mal's cheek.

"You're the best mommy ever, Mommy."

"And you're best daughter."

/

Cora watched through the mirror with curious eyes. The dragon had taken up her lost child after all. Zelena, was her name. She watched as the dragon gave the little girl a ride on her back and played hide and seek in the massive castle with her. She frowned. That child was a secret that was meant to die years ago. Only through getting rid of her did Cora receive her new nobility. She could destroy everything if she really knew she was.

"Mommy- um, Mother." Little Regina said as she walked into her mother's bedroom. She held up a little picture she had drawn, but Cora hardly cared about a little picture. Her thoughts were on her lost daughter who was the new heir of a kingdom that dwarfed any other in the Enchanted Forest. When Zelena got older, she could become a threat to not just Cora but Regina as well. Cora rose to her feet, sweeping past her daughter and made her way into her vault. She found an old tome and opened it to a list. A very specific list of people she could call upon to get rid of her little problem. She'd worked too hard to get to where she was to let some wannabe dragon destroy everything. Even if she was her own daughter… Now, let's see, what kind of assassin should she hire?

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Read and Review please.

This'll probably be a short and sweet fic. It's an idea that just wouldn't leave until I wrote some of it down. Let me know what you guys think.