An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Maleficent, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills, Maleficent & Henry Mills
Characters: Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Maleficent (Once Upon a Time), Henry Mills (Once Upon a Time)
Additional Tags: Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, Magical Pregnancy, Game of Thrones References
Inspired by this post: https://wapwani.tumblr.com/post/167182128919/sabrina-phynn-misssophie0-o-whats-your
It had started when they were 3, and as much as she hated to admit it. Regina was right. They were still just as much dragons as if she had hatched them from their own eggs.
For Hestia it was spoons. She got around every baby lock and security measure her mothers put up and stole them one at a time. She had patience and could wait. She picked only the prettiest ones. She had talked ruby into letting her see the kitchen at Granny’s and took 3 there. Granny had let her. The jingling in her jacket had been noticeable. It drove Regina up a wall. Every time she asked Henry to set the table she needed to count to 10 to calm herself. All in all, she had thought she was a very patient parent. That's because Henry's issues had started later. He had been a true prince at this age.
For Adriana it was books. The twins hadn’t even learned how to read yet but one day she just freed them both of them from their playpen, went into the study and started stacking books into her crib. She could only really carry one by one but she must have made several trips and her sisters help because by the time Henry awoke from his nap, she had about 12 books piled up and the lowest rows of Regina’s bookshelves were beginning to look empty. She was taking coloring books from Neal and even a soft chewable book from Gideon. There was no selection process for her. The more the better. She didn’t care if they were old first auditions or brand new.
At four it was CDs and records for Adriana and stuffed animals for Hestia.This is when Regina noticed that no matter how much she desired them, Hestia would never take a plushie from her sister of the little bear Henry had won Lily at the fair that year.
“It’s bad taste to take from what might be another hoard.” Mal explained to them. Over dinner. Bit by bit they were learning about dragon culture.
Regina learned to feel their temperature by hand because the thermometer was not suited for dragons. Henry learned that their ability to sleep on anything meant his job as a big brother included picking them up from ottomans and from under desks when they missed naptime. Lily learned that they were not up for fun when it came to food. Although Regina tried to blame the biting on teething...
At five Hestia had moved on to toads and frogs while Adriana was snatching blankets all over the house. Henry had brought up the idea of a family pet, now that the girls were getting older. And Lily had bought a terrarium on a whim (and Regina was convinced, to punish her for something). By the time summer came along, they had to graduate to a little pond outside in the garden as to avoid animal cruelty.
That fall, Henry complained of nearly freezing to death one night only to find Adriana crawled up in a fort under a mountain of blankets. Regina made him a hot cocoa and promised to go out and by new ones the next day. She under no circumstances wanted to inhibit their budding dragon behavior. After they had a talk to both of them explain that their hero of a big brother did not have an internal furnace like they did, Henry had to sleep with a fan on. His baby sister got up early every morning to top him off with the fluffiest warmest blankets in her hoard.
At six the twins started magic lessons. For supervised hours at a time, the matching bracelets were removed so they could learn their craft and take little flying lessons with either Lily or Mal. In an open field. Far away from town. And with a strict no solo flying rule.
They loved it. And they were learning so fast. Magic lessons in the vault, sometimes with Regina’s star student the savior. Lily showing them to breathe fire. It made Mal’s heart fill with pride. She had never raised dragon’s before but she was sure they were ahead of schedule and above average with everything they did.
When they started school it was with a whole new batch of Storybrooke babies, born from happy endings, that were really happy beginnings.