Chapter 7: It's Not Easy Being Green
Zelena frowned as she looked at her breakfast. It was the same meal she got every day since she had been thrown in this hellhole all those years ago—a thin gruel, with some powder shit orange juice, and a hard roll. Hardly appetizing, but according to the Massachusetts Prison Board it was adequate enough for her to eat for almost thirty fucking years.
And yet, it still ended up causing her to have a fucking heart attack.
The gruel just sat there as Zelena stared at her hands. Thirty years. She had been arrested at the prime in her life, now she was an old woman.
Ancient in prison years, Zelena thought with a scowl. It had recently been her birthday she was sixty-five. Eligible for medicare, social security, and retirement, Zelena thought. Also old enough to be losing half of her teeth, having to be on so many damn pill. One to support bone density, one for her heart, and others to stop arthritis and things never talked about in the Enchanted Forest or Oz. And now her damn chest had been opened.
She shouldn't be having these problems.
It was all Regina's fault.
She scowled as she thought of her younger sister who had visited her only a few days ago, and who pretty much guaranteed her a trip to the infirmary, which was almost as bad as solitary.
Zelena hated solitary.
At least with the general population, she'd have someone to torment. It wasn't as good as being out in the real world, but it was something.
But to be fair, this world was so dull in general.
Being in jail was just as well as being in the real world, where she had no connections. No nothing. Honestly, she still felt no guilt about the way she had murdered that man almost thirty years ago.
He should've known that that was her turf.
Apparently, that was one of the reasons she hadn't gotten parole. That and the fact that she liked to have fun with the prisoners.
They reminded her of her monkeys back in Oz. Hell, if she had magic here she'd be able to control them like them, might even turn the little shitters into monkeys. At least the ones that were marked. Now that would be hilarious, watching the prison guards deal with her monkeys. Well, the ones that weren't marked themselves. Which sadly wasn't a lot these days.
Her power had waned considerably in the past decade, since that roommate of hers decided to squeal.
Little Emma.
Never ever had she had a pet so disobedient. It really was quite disappointing, especially since she never got to have her way with the pet.
Zelena frowned as she thought of the girl. She looked like perfect prey. Like one of the princesses in the old world with that long blonde hair, legs, and one of those stupid dew drop innocent faces that Zelena found so delectable. In a lot of ways the girl reminded her of Snow White, but of course she wasn't her sister's old nemesis or Zelena's…she didn't know how to describe Snow.
She still remembered going to the Enchanted Forest all those years ago. It had only been the second time in the realm, after Rumple had sent her packing to Oz. She couldn't resist though, and she had heard things about how Regina had finished the old buzzard off.
Yes, her sister was actually claiming she was the new Dark One. Which Zelena thought was ridiculous especially when she encountered Regina.
However, she didn't interact with Regina first she wanted to destroy her sister before she even knew who she was which was how she came upon Snow White who was in despair.
She remembered the first time she came across the princess. Snow White was sitting in a cemetery, by her mother's grave. She had been crying at the time, but was so damn beautiful even there crouching in the dirt at the cemetery getting her dress all dirty.
Obviously, she was not happy about her situation. And why should she be. After all, Regina was intent on destroying her. She was perfectly vulnerable which made Zelena inwardly smile as she got her inner Glenda on.
Yes, inner Glenda. While she might've thought that the witches in Oz should just stuff it, it didn't mean that she could pick up a few things from them. One being how to act like a sugary sweet witch when need be.
Hell, she had snowed the Blue Fairy into believing she could help them.
However, it was probably only because she gained Snow White's trust that Blue trusted her.
"Are you okay," She remembered asking the crying princess as she put her hand on the woman's shoulder inwardly grimacing at how nice it felt—Snow's shoulder that is.
Snow White of course turned around shook her head, "No, no, I'm fine."
"You're not, your highness." Zelena said choking on those words.
She hated royals. She didn't get their superior shit with their titles and what not, but she had been with court with the Oz witches enough to know how to charm royal bitches if need be.
And to be fair, she did find Snow White to be tolerable. More than tolerable. And not just because of the pretty face. She did make Regina's skin crawl and that in itself was something. Plus, over time they had bonded.
She was also so damn gullible it made the entire job easier too, at least until things went to shit and Regina had somehow managed to grab one of those beans and best her.
She still didn't know how she did it, maybe she got lazy. Complacent. All these years she had been trying to figure it out, while trying to plot her revenge. Though honestly, Zelena didn't know if revenge was possible.
For a while there, she thought she could build an army. It was why she had taken so many pets while in jail. Of course, she knew the imprints would do no good unless activated by magic, but she had to plan. And some of them were more than desirable, like Emma.
Until Emma managed to over power her. That was something Zelna hadn't been expecting.
She remembered requesting the girl. Back then the guards were scared of her, let her have whatever she wanted. A far cry from today. She remembered seeing Emma in the prison yard looking all hopeless and pregnant.
They had taken the baby away. She heard the girl was in hysterics over it too that there was no one who gave a shit about her. She would be a perfect solider, and such a pretty little pet, Zelena thought when she first spotted her.
God, she had wanted her. Although, Zelena was not usually one for relationships. She did enjoy sex. Male or female, it didn't matter to her. Though, she did have a penchant for pretty people. She just enjoyed being in control, and with Emma she felt like she could devour her. But she never got the chance. Just after she had gotten somewhat control of the girl, her stupid lawyer had somehow managed to get her out. And Emma squealed, and all of the power that Zelena had built up was gone.
She had spent the better part of a decade locked up by herself, twenty more years tacked on to her already ridiculously long sentence, and all the guards that had helped her had been fired or sentenced to jail themselves. Most of the prisoners she had marked had been released or transferred. And when she got out, she was no longer intimidating. Instead, she was an old woman.
An old timer.
Being in general wasn't like it was before, now she was there just to survive not to torment. She wasn't meat, at least that was something, but she didn't own the prison like she was used too. And she hated the way she was looked at by the guards and some of the prisoners now with pity.
Because she was old.
Because her Goddamn sister caused her to have a heart attack when she took her magic.
Zelena sighed heavily as she thought about the aftermath, she had been so close. Close to getting what she wanted. Her magic. She had planned to ambush Regina that day in her cell, she told herself she could take her. She might've been older now, but she still kept herself relatively fit.
Though, admittedly, her health had taken a bit of a tumble in the past few years. The years in solitary had not been good for her. The lack of human contact seemed to age her more than anything else, and she knew that she had issues with her heart even before that day. But still—she knew, or thought, she could take Regina.
But in the end, she didn't.
Regina had best her and had her bloody pendant and Zelena had gotten so upset about it she had a heart attack and was still locked up in this God forsaken hell hole.
And now the guards and prison nurses were looking at her with God damn pity like they expected her to croak. Her chest had been cracked open. A triple bypass had to be done, and all sorts of other ridiculous notions that didn't make sense to someone from out of the Enchanted Forest.
This was the first day they had given her an actual goddamn meal in a while. She had been on liquids for a while, and you could totally tell they thought she was going to die.
Needless to say, this wasn't how Zelena had ever planned her life being.
"Your vitals are improving," The nurse said to her as this was supposed to provide her some comfort.
"Amazing." Zelena said, "Another day to spend here before I die."
It was hard not being bitter after all these years, especially when escape had been so close. She wanted her life back, she wanted her revenge.
She had been so close.
Always so close, she thought as her mind flashed back to the times she had been bested. First by Rumple. Then by Regina. Then by Emma Swan of all people.
Rage just shook through her and she couldn't do anything, she was powerless and hooked up on tubes.
The nurse sighed as she looked at her, "You need to calm down, Ms. Green. The stress isn't good for your heart."
"It doesn't matter," Zelena said. "I'll still be stuck here."
And Regina would still have her magic.
Why had she been so tempted to putting her magic in a pendant, she should've known better. Rumple had told her the idea was dumb when she mentioned it to him.
"Really, a pendant, dearie."
"Glenda said it would help focus my powers. Clearly, it worked. I am your best student."
He rolled his eyes. She had tried so much to get him to be interested in her. In a way, he would've been her best conquest. Someone so powerful, a Dark One. Sure, is looks weren't what she usually went for. Although, she didn't have a preference in gender, she usually preferred someone who looked softer and prettier. Although, she didn't really have a preference in gender she usually went towards women. Rumple was none of those, but she could imagine wiping out that defiant gaze of his making him beg. And that turned her on more than anything else.
"What," Zelena said. "You said that I was more talented that Regina."
"I never actually said that," He said, "I just said you were a bit more studious."
Zelena frowned as she made a fireball appear in her hand. She knew for a fact it was bigger than one her sister ever made. "I bet Regina never made a fireball this big." She stated the obvious.
Rumple rolled his gold eyes. "If you did amplify your power with a pendant, Zelena, like you're suggesting. You do realize it comes with cost, like all magic does."
She rolled her eyes. She knew the risks. Without the pendant, she was powerless. But she had it on, she always had it on, "There are ways to circumvent the costs."
Rumple laughed as if she said something hilarious. It was too bad that she wouldn't realize why he was laughing until it was too late.
Zelena frowned as she thought about her old tutor and failed conquest. She should've listened closer to the imp, he was right about a lot of things. She had relied on a way to easy power her magic up and look where it got her, in a jail cell because her stupid sister had tricked her.
Though to be fair, Zelena had been glutton for revenge for so long. It was the whole reason she came to this realm in the first place.
Regina had planted clues, made her believe that the potion she was concocting was not being watched that Zelena could somehow get a hold of it. She was so anxious to take over the Enchanted Forest and dispose Regina once and for all. It would get her into Snow White's good graces and would make her take over plans, easier.
"Do you think it will work, Zelena?" Snow had asked.
"Have I ever willed you wrong, Snow?" She asked the princess.
Over the past few months, she had grown incredibly close to the princess. She was actually thinking of sparing her once the take over was complete. She would make a decent figurehead, and God she was easy on the eyes. Even heavily pregnant. Of course, there was Charming to consider, but she knew she was staring to worm her way into Snow's heart. Into her head, eventually she would be hers.
She had, after all, listened to Zelena's advice about the child. When she had stolen Maleficient's egg to spare her child from darkness.
Murdered the child, more like it. Though, Snow would never say those words out loud. Or admit them.
Charming knew none of this, of course. The prince had been out trying to prepare some of the villages for the curse not caring for the agony that Snow was going through. Not that anyone knew but Zelena.
"You saved her," Snow said. "You'll never know how grateful I'll be that you spared our child from darkness."
Zelena smiled. Even though she knew there was nothing to really be thankful for. Light magic had to be balanced with darkness. While a person purely made out of light magic could be powerful, the lack of darkness came at a severe price. Not that Snow would ever know. Zelena had other purposes she planned to use the child for.
Everything went to hell though, because of Regina. She had never gotten what she wanted the kingdom or Snow White.
"You know I'd do anything for you, Snow." She told the princess. "You have offered me so much since I came here. A home. And so much more."
Snow White found herself turning red, "I thought we agreed to—"
"Not to talk about it," Zelena said referring to that one night—well, that one night.
Snow White recited. "I—I'm married Zelena. I'm having his child. I love Charming. We're true loves."
"But can you deny what happened with us?"
Snow White shook her head, as she thought about what had occurred between them, that one night.
They had just destroyed the egg, and Snow was a bit of a mess. Zelena had tried to calm her down and of course one thing lead to another…meaning, they had fallen in bed together. Zelena was surprised. She'd thought she's have to drug Snow to get what she wanted, but Snow White was full of surprises.
Her apparent love for Charming wasn't as much as she made it, "He wouldn't have had the guts to do what we did tonight." She said, "He would've talked me out of it."
"You had no choice," Zelena said.
"I know," She said, "But he wouldn't understand. Most people wouldn't understand. But God, he's supposed to be my other half. You'd think he would understand. Things are different now with the curse and the baby on the way, Zelena."
"Snow," Zelena tried to console her as she put her hand on the princess's shoulder.
"I don't even feel like I know him anymore," Snow White said through tears. "It sounds ridiculous. After all we've been through, and I know he's my true love. It's just that he doesn't want to fight for her. Not like me. And I wonder—no, that's just stupid."
"Snow," Zelena said. "Come on, you know whatever you think isn't stupid."
"This is though," The princess said. "It seems so wrong to say this, but sometimes I wonder if we would've gotten together had Regina not been queen. I mean, I know Charming is my true love and all, but there are so many things that we don't agree with."
"Like protecting your child from darkness?" Zelena asked.
Snow nodded, "He thinks I'm overreacting. He doesn't understand me not like you do."
Her eyes met Zelena's. She had always had beautiful eyes, Zelena thought. It was what first drawn her to the woman those green eyes—besides the fact that she was Regina's arch nemesis. Drawn into the moment, Zelena leaned down and kissed Snow. Surprisingly, rather than pulling away, Snow kissed her back and then they ended up sleeping with each other.
It was probably the one time intercourse had been remotely romantic for Zelena. There was no denying that Snow wanted her and she said as much before pushing Zelena today. And they had acted like those brief few hours had never happened until that day at the castle when Zelena had told Snow that they stood a chance of defeating Regina.
Snow White sighed at the mention of the altercation. "I know we never talked about that night. I think about it a lot, Zelena. You know no matter what, things can't change though. I'm a princess I'm not supposed to—"
"Have feelings for a woman?" Zelena asked.
"It's not that, like I told you I'm having his child." She said though the redness on her face said everything she needed to say.
And Snow had mentioned as much earlier when they were in bed, that her relations with Charming never felt this right.
The old world frowned on same sex relationships, especially when it involved royals. Especially a crowned princess like Snow White. She could only imagine the fall out had the princess actually left Charming.
"That should be our baby," Zelena said putting her hand on Snow's stomach which was now wasn't just a little pooch like it had been all those months ago when she had seen the princess naked, and she could just act like Snow had a little too much to eat. She was clearly having his baby, her body showed that she belonged to another, one that was not Zelena.
She halfway meant it too, she had in a weird way wanted Snow's child. Just like she wanted Snow. It was different than with all her other pets, she was the only pet that she felt…well, she might give a damn about. That maybe Snow could be more than a pet.
Snow said, "That's not even possible."
"Magic," She said.
She could blood adopt the child, though she didn't say that out loud. Not since she had marked the child for its fate. Not that she'd ever tell that to Snow either, she would hate her.
"I could be her other mother in all sense but blood. Magic or not."
Snow White shook her head, "It's not that simple, Zelena. I made vows to Charming and I'm not—"
"A lesbian." Zelena finished for her.
"I don't know what I am," Snow said with a sigh as if even admitting that she might be gay or at the very least have feelings for a woman caused her pain. "But I have duties."
"You'll be coroneted soon enough, a queen can do whatever they want. You could banish Charming. You have an heir, and we could have children. There are ways."
"Zelena," Snow said with a laugh thinking she was kidding. "It's not that simple."
"It's simple enough," The witch said. "Will you at least consider it? When I get back and you can finally say that Regina has been defeated, I can guarantee you can do whatever you want."
Snow frowned.
"I know that you had feelings for me that night, Snow."
"I did," She said in a soft voice, "I do. I just, I just don' t know what to do. I never thought, well, that I would act on these feelings."
Things were never resolved after that. Mostly because Zelena was sent to this hellish existence. She had often wondered what would've happened had she won. Would Snow have dumped Charming's ass.
A part of her had hoped that she would accept her. Even Zelena had to admit that the woman's eyes haunted her all these years. Maybe that's why she tried to find pets that resembled her.
The closest being that Emma girl.
She wasn't Snow though, and God knows she wouldn't love her like Snow.
Her younger self would've smacked her for feeling regret on a relationship that was solely built on revenge. She had after all seduced Snow, it wasn't supposed to go anywhere but she did occasionally have feelings for the woman throughout the years especially times like this.
She had to be out there, in Regina's cursed little world. She probably had no idea about Charming, no idea about her either.
Regina had told her that she had killed the baby. She knew that had to hurt Snow. Even though Zelena had been planning to utilize the child for her own plans, it still stung knowing Snow had to feel so much pain.
You shouldn't care.
She told herself over and over again, but again years of being locked up. Years of regret, made her think of the past and missed opportunities and Snow White was one of them.
And then she would fantasize, like now. What would've happened if she came back could she have been happy with her?
She'd like to think so. It would've been a better existence than this. Building an army that never came to existence and then having one of her little monkeys turn on her.
"Lena," The nurse said breaking her thoughts. "Your lawyer is here, do you think you're up to conversing?"
"Lawyer," Zelena said. "I don't remember talking to a lawyer…not since…"
Not since she was tried for abusing Emma Swan and the rest of the prisoners.
She still couldn't believe this was happening to her. She was queen of that jail. It was her kingdom.
"You really don't have many options," The suit in front of her said—her attorney. "The case is pretty air tight. Ms. Swan's attorney made sure of it."
"I'm pleading not guilty." She hissed, "I did nothing wrong. Brat deserved everything she got. There's a hierarchy here and I'm queen."
The suit rolled his eyes. Obviously, not happy he was defending her. He was a public defender, after all. They didn't get to represent many likable people, come to think of it. "Ms. Green, it doesn't matter if Ms. Swan 'deserved' it or not. You assaulted her. There's clear evidence that you assaulted her, believe me when I say that she has a zealous advocate and he wants you to pay."
"I'm still pleading not guilty." She snapped. "Little monkey is not going to get the best of me."
The suit sighed but did what she requested. He didn't even halfway try in her defense, she ended up getting more years tacked on to an already ridiculously long sentence for killing some random peasant.
Because apparently this world didn't look kindly on killing peasants.
This suit was different than the one in the past. For one thing, it was a woman. And rather than looking at her in disgust, she had a look of pity on her face.
"Ms. Green," She said seeing Zelena shriveled up on that bed. "I'm sorry to hear that you're not feeling well."
"Are you?" She said.
"I am," The woman said.
"I'm going to die here." Zelena said, "And that's all you have to say to me?"
The woman sighed heavily, "I—I know the situation is difficult. I work on commuting sentences, Ms. Green, for prisoners who are in your situation."
"You mean people who are going to die in jail." She snapped.
The woman nodded, "Yes. Yes, and I think…well, I think you might be a good candidate to have your sentence commuted."
Well, finally, some good news.