"Hey, be careful!" Regina said to a maid when she pricked her with a needle.

"I'm sorry, your majesty." The woman answered and continued working on the dress. The king was expecting a visit from the lord of Sherwood and his oldest son and he wanted everything to be perfect. The visit was important to the king, because Sherwood had many natural riches and he wanted to be able to use that. For many centuries Sherwood was independent and wouldn't cooperate with other kingdoms, for the king, that visit was an opportunity to change that.

There was a knock on the door and the door opened revealing a very excited Snow.

"Mother!" The girl called and ran in the room.

"Yes, Snow?" Regina asked, trying not to sound bitter.

"Father send me to get you, our guests have arrived."

"I think the guests are going to have to wait a couple more minutes until my dress is done." Regina answered shortly, unlike the king she wasn't eager to meet the lord, she knew that Sherwood lords only exited their borders when they wanted something.

"I'll wait with you." Snow said and sat on the bed, after a few moments of silence she spoke again. "Do you think father will make me marry the lord's son?"

"No, the lord's son is 19." Just like me, she thought. "And you are only 13, your father loves you, he would never force you into a marriage you do not desire and certainly not this young." Regina explained to the girl.

After a few minutes the dress was ready and Snow and Regina walked to the Throne Room together. There they found king Leopold sitting in a seat at table instead of his usually position on the throne.

"And this is my wife and you already met my daughter." The king presented them when he noticed them.

"Pleasure of meeting you, Your Majesty." The lord said as he was about to shake her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." Regina said back respectfully.

"And this is my oldest son, Robin." The lord said and motioned to his son who was standing next to him. Regina took a good look of him, he had light brown hair, blue eyes, he was dressed in silk and satin like a true royal, but Regina could see some kind of spark in his eyes that suggested that he enjoyed the visit as much as she did, which was close to hating it.

Robin also observed the queen, she looked young, perhaps somewhere around his age, she had chocolate brown eyes and curly, raven hair that stopped on the middle of her back. He suddenly remembered his manners and he took her hand into his and kissed it gently. "Your Majesty."

"Oh, please, it's Regina." He still held her hand in his, which was too long for the king's liking, so he loudly cleared his throat and added: "We should all sit back down."

Robin let her hand go and Regina couldn't help herself but miss the warmth of his touch. The king sat at the head of the table, the lord and his son on his right and Regina and Snow on his left.

"The cooks really outdid themselves today." Snow whispered to Regina. Regina faked a smile and nodded. Snow was right, the feast was one of the best ones Regina has ever been to, so many meals were put in front of them and they were all so beautifully decorated that Regina couldn't eat some of them because she'd be sorry to ruin them.

"Excuse us, but Snow has to go to sleep and rest for tomorrow." Regina said once the king and the lord started to discuss knights and tournaments.

"Yes, of course, and why don't you take Robin with you? When you escort Snow to her room, show him around the castle, the gardens, whatever he wants to see."

"Alright. Lord, have a wonderful night, Robin, if you could come with us, please." Regina said and soon the three of them were headed to Snow's chambers.

"Why did you come here?" Snow asked Robin when they were halfway to her chambers.

"Snow!" Regina scolded.

"No, it's okay. My father answered to one of the many invites of your father, the king, and I'm here to observe and learn." Robin explained.

"You're learning because you're going to become the lord after your father?"

"Yes, that's right, princess."

They were in front of Snow's chambers when they spoke again.

"Goodnight, Robin." Snow said, Robin responded with a nod, than she hugged Regina and said "Goodnight, mother."

"Goodnight." Regina said and quickly let go of the girl.

"So, where do you want to go?" Regina asked once she and Robin were left alone.

"Where ever you lead me, milady."

"I told you to call me Regina." Regina said and lead him on the balcony that looked over the Royal gardens.

"What a view." Robin said, looking at the rows and circles of flowers and one particular tree caught his eye, there were no flowers around it, it stood on the middle of the garden, the center of it all.

"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?"

"Absolutely stunning." He wasn't looking at the gardens, he was looking at her when he said it.

"Yes." She said not turning to look at him. "You see that tree in the middle? That's my apple tree, I've had it since I was a little girl, it was one of my requests when I married the king. He and his daughter don't go to it often, they both know that that's where I come to think and enjoy the quietness of it." She didn't know why she was telling him that, she found it refreshingly easy to talk to him.

"Do you have a place in this castle where you can practice archery?" He asked her after a few minutes of silence.

"There is one outside, but there's one indoors that you can practice when it's cold or when there is no light. Follow me." Regina said and lead him down the many stairs and many turns.

"Leave us." Regina ordered to the guards when she and Robin entered. The guards immediately listened and left the room. "So, what do you think?" Regina asked as Robin looked around.

"This place is amazing." He said and picked one bow and an arrow, he went in front of the targets and placed the arrow in it's place. He took a deep breath and released it, the arrow hit the center of the target.

"That was impressive." Regina commented.

"Thank you, Your… Regina. Do you know archery?"

"No. I don't really like pointy sticks."

"Robin, it's getting late, we have to get going." Regina said after a while. Robin put the bow and the arrows back where they were in the first place.

"Will you escort me to my bedchambers, now?" Robin asked and Regina nodded in response. They walked in silence and only stopped when they were in front of his chambers.

"You are in this one, your father is in the room next to you. The room at the end of the hall is the king's, the one right to it is Snow's and the one left to the king's chambers is mine." Regina explained.

"You and the king don't sleep in the same room?"

"No, it was also one of my requests. Our marriage is not one born out of love, you could even say that I was forced into it." She said, remembering her mother.

"What else did you request? If I may ask."

"My father and my horse from back home." Regina replied shortly. "I found you refreshing, Robin of Locksey."

"How so?"

"You are the only person in this castle, besides my father, that I can have a normal conversation with, you are so easy to talk to. I didn't have to fake anything while I was with you."

"The feeling is mutual." Robin said when she finished. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen."

Regina blushed and smiled shyly. "You are not so bad yourself."

"Will you be at the breakfast tomorrow morning?" Robin asked, wanting to see her again.

"No, I have a private breakfast with my father every morning. But you will definitely see me tomorrow, just not in the morning."

"Well, then." He took her hand and kissed it again. "Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Robin."

I'm back with a new story! Yes! I've had this idea for a while now, I'm excited to have finally wrote it. Tell me what you think and if I should continue….