QUEEN OF DRAGONS ( killian jones )

chapter three.

CHAPTER THREE —
( When you try to come for me, I keep on flourishing )

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Rumplestiltskin had been dealing with Cordelia for a total of two months, and he was sick to death of the seven-year-old child constantly moping around the castle. She refused to do whatever he told her to do to turn herself into the great Dragon Queen she was destined to become. He never remembered his son, Baelfire, being that difficult to raise. Baelfire was always joyous and happy despite their lack of fortune.

"Stop crying!" he found himself yelling in a fit of rage. Cordelia jumped on the spot, her terrified face full of tears as she turned to look at the man to whom her mother had sold her. She was scared of him. He looked like a snake with his scaly skin, and she knew he could do a lot of harm to her if she accidentally pushed him too far. Rumplestiltskin let out a long sigh and sat upright in his chair; his gaze fixated on the small child. "What's wrong? I've given you everything since you've joined me. What else do you want?"

A whimper escaped Cordelia's lips. All she wanted was her mother, but she knew she wouldn't get to her anytime soon. "I want my mommy."

"Your mother sold you," Rumplestiltskin replied in an ominous tone. "For power. She desired power over you. Is that what a real mother would do to her child?" He didn't get it. The same thing happened between his once-wife, Milah, and their son; she left her son for a pirate, and the boy had to grow up without his mother and, soon, father.

Cordelia hung her head and sniffled away her tears. All she ever wanted was for her mother to love her as other mothers in their village loved their children, but it was never to be. As soon as she learnt to walk and talk, Maleficent knew her daughter would never be the daughter she wanted. Although they were related by blood and the constant reminder etched onto their right wrists of a star, the two of them were never meant to be a true family.

Rumplestiltskin noticed the sadness on the girl's face, and he felt something different wash over him. He found himself feeling sorry for her, recalling his past when his mother and wife had left him and his son. His family had experienced the same kind of hardship for generations. He tapped his pointed nails against the armrest of his chair, the noise echoing in the large room. "Come here, dearie," he said. Cordelia's eyes widened instantly, her grey doe eyes meeting Rumplestiltskin's bright amber ones. She knew she had no choice but to make her way to him, so she slowly padded her feet across the floorboards and stopped in front of him. Rumplestiltskin looked down at her and studied her face, the same face that would one day bring terror to the people of the Enchanted Forest. "I would like to tell you a story," he said. This instantly confused the child, and with just a wave of his hand, Cordelia found herself sitting on a pillow in front of him.

Rumplestiltskin stared at the girl, reciting the prophecy by heart. "One day, a girl with a fierce temper and a heart full of fire will learn a rare type of magic that can only be learned from her soul." He waved his hands, and three large, scaly eggs appeared on a table. "As she begins training, an egg will hatch with each new thing she learns, and a baby dragon will appear. The dragons are her children, and there are only three of them. They will only hatch for the Queen of Dragons. Not her mother, who herself could turn into a dragon, not her sister, who could possess the same ability, and not her father, who didn't even know of her existence. This girl is different from others, and one day, she is said to either rule over the people of the Enchanted Forrest and become their Queen or help protect the people with her dragons from dangerous forces. Her destiny is entirely her choice, and her decisions will affect her future."