Work Text:
For nine months, she'd carried this child inside her. She'd suffered the indignity of labor – the pain, the pushing, the sweating, every grimy moment of the process. When the midwife placed the dirty, screaming creature in her arms, Cora stared. A daughter. All of this for a girl. Not the son she wanted, the son who would carry on the family name and learn all of her magic. No, the fruit of her labor was a squalling little girl.
The moment Henry joined her, Cora shoved the child into his arms. "Take her!" Ignoring her husband and her newborn, she rolled onto her side and stared at the wall. She sneered at the soft cooing noises her husband made to the child. Cora tuned out the noise, covering her ears with her hands. Her disappointment knew no bounds. How could this happen? She shifted one hand to brush away the tears of frustration.
"Regina," she overheard Henry say. "Because one day you'll be a beautiful, powerful queen, ruling over the land."
Cora sucked in a sharp breath. A smile slowly spread across her face. Yes, that was it. Her daughter would indeed be a powerful queen. She would see to it. She could still teach her child all the magic she knew. She could still have the legacy of power and magic that she craved.
She rolled over to face her husband and her newborn daughter. Cora extended her arms. "Let me see my beautiful daughter." She took the child from Henry and smirked. "Oh yes, my dear Regina, you will become everything I ever dreamed of."