Board Thread:Show-Related Questions and Answers/@comment-24304025-20141219181020/@comment-24674051-20141219213900

FrancisPaul wrote: Lady, everyone already knew by 317 who she was and what she wanted.

For Zelena, Emma is completely irrelevant. I choose to believe that she didn't want to kill Emma )she probably never killed anyone), so perhaps there was a chance of redemption for her. I think you may be on to something there.

Also, nowhere in her past or present did Zelena actually kill anyone. Stole hearts, yes. Transformed to winged monkeys, yes. but not kill. Even with Regina and Neal, She did not kill them, and it honestly did not appear that the items in the Time Portal spell were consumed, though that is speculation. She only came close to killing twice. Once with Belle at the vault, and the other with Henry at the boathouse.

Admittedly, Zelena's goal would have most likely removed Regina, Snow, Emma, and Henry from the timeline altogether. But she doesn't have to live with the guilt of having killed someone, because you can't kill that which does not exist.

There were only 2 people that could stop Zelena. Rumple, simply because he is more powerful, and Emma, because she was the strongest light magic wielder. So She took steps to neutralize Rumple (getting complete control of him via the dagger), and Emma (cursing Killian so that his kiss stripped Emma). And as far as Villian plans go, hers was almost foolproof. She just forgot to factor in a redeemed Regina into the equation.