Happy birthday Alex! This AU is for you.
There is a tale in Locksley, more of a horror story than anything else, about a young maiden who wished to marry the prince and become the next queen of the kingdom. Somehow or another, she found her path into the castle, only to get lost and go mad in the never ending corridors of the palace, which seems to shift and change all the time.
But it is a tale after all, nothing more than a story that passed by word of mouth for centuries around the kingdom. And though there is a servant or two who swears that their great- great aunt was the one to find the insane lass wandering the halls with the sole purpose of finding the prince, it is usually used by the millers' wives who live in the kingdom as a way to keep stray thoughts of crowns and princes out of their daughters' heads.
However, there is a grain of truth in every story. The Locksley castle is indeed a long web of entwined corridors and secret halls. It is almost impossible for strangers to manage on their own, without guidance or a map at the very least to show them their way in and out of the rooms they have to attend.
The royal family had already had more than a few gusts that were brave enough to roam the palace on their own, only to be found by a maid, who was on her way to serve dinner, hours later, confused and disoriented, yet none of them have lost their minds.
It is a good thing Regina and Robin are no strangers to the Locksley castle, which in fact they call home, each for a different reason, each as an outcome of different circumstances.
Robin is everything. He is the prince. The heir. The king to be, first in the line of succession should anything ever happen to his father. He is the hope of a better future for the kingdom and all its residents, though he doesn't know he carries such a heavy burden on his little shoulders just quite yet.
Regina is no such thing. Her mother is the closest, most loyal advisor the king has, but she doesn't have even a bit of blue blood running in her veins. The maids know her name, bid her "Good morning, Regina" every day as they pet the young girl's hair fondly, but they never bow, never use a formal title such as "Your highness" when they address her, like they do whenever Robin is around.
Yet Robin and Regina are both children after all, the only children in the whole castle. As children do, they don't care about titles or positions. They just run around the halls free and careless, completely oblivious to the outside world.
"I got you!" Regina exclaims as she touches the long brick wall. She is a mess of long black curls jumping around in disorder, and a smile that flushes rows of teeth with a big space in the middle for one that hasn't grown out yet.
"No you didn't, you cheater!" Robin pouts, and Regina sticks her tongue out playfully at that.
They both know she has won, like she always does. Robin insists she tricks her way to victory every single time, and at some point fighting about whether or not she played fair became part of their fun.
She is better shaped than him. At the age of ten, she is training to be the king's guardian when she isn't playing around with Robin, while he is being taught the secrets to ruling a kingdom, with a big lack of interest, if it may be added. She can outrun him in almost every situation, yet he still does his best to beat her every single time.
It is part of the fun, after all.
"Are you in for another round?"
Robin nods his head as he breaths in and out loudly. All Regina does is smiling as she looks at the defeated prince in front of her.
"How does sneaking into the kitchen sound to you? I bet we can get Granny to make us something good for lunch." The boy suggests while trying to catch his breath.
"I am starving." The young girl admits, and in the same breath she adds "Should we race to the kitchen?"
Before Robin has a chance to agree or decline, Regina starts to run.
20 years later
The castle's throne room is a large space floored with marble; a material so expensive and clean one can see one's own reflection in it once they walk into the chamber.
The only objects in the room are two thrones, standing side by side, one for the king, tall and masculine. The other uses his wife. It has more of a feminine touch, decorated with gold made roses, but it transfers a sense of authority nonetheless. The empty space makes the elevated thrones look bigger than they are, while making the royals who sit on them look mighty, like two eagles watching their prey from a high spot in the sky, waiting for the right time to strike.
That could have been him on the throne right now. Regina thinks to herself as she enters through the large mahogany doors before lowering her head as a sign of honor.
After that night of horrors almost twenty years ago, she didn't have any respect for this couple, those parents who in her teenage eyes hadn't done enough to find their kidnapped son.
When Robin was abducted, she quit her training to become a part of the royal guard, much to her mother's dismay, and spent eight years of her life trying to find her long lost best friend and retrieve him home.
She was just a girl, a foolish girl, as her mother called her the night she went on her journey, roaming the land on her own, trying to accomplish the impossible, trying to fulfill a task one thousand soldiers have failed.
One day, after none of her attempts succeeded, she accepted the fact that Robin wasn't coming back. She returned to the palace, the only home she has ever known, defeated and heart broken. When her gaze met his parent's eyes for the first time in almost a decade, she could see in them the same sadness she identifies in herself every time she had to face her own reflection. The same sadness she sees now, while she looks in her own eyes staring at her from the tiles.
"Have you asked to see me?" Regina questions as she finally lifts her head up from the floor.
It isn't the time to dwell on the past. She scolds herself.
"Yes, in fact we have." The queen says.
Eva used to be the fairest woman in all the realms, at least in Regina's eyes. Yet when Robin was taken, something shifted in her, changed. It looked like she had gained 20 years on one single night. And though her eyes are wrinkled now, Regina can still spot the same good-hearted nature she remembers Robin for, even after all those years, even behind the cruel mask she wears now.
"There have been rumors about a few mysterious bandits on the edge of the kingdom. We don't know who they are, but approximately at the same time they appeared, some peasants started to disappear, only to be found out as cold dead bodies a day or two later." The king informs her. Regina can see the way he is grasping at the armrest so tight his knuckles turn white.
"I need you to get your Merry Men, or however you call your little bend of misfit knights you seem to like so much, and eliminate our little problem." The queen cuts into the king's orders, her tone cold and sharp. It seems like she has no feelings at all. "You are leaving at sundown."
"Yes, of course, your highness." Regina mutters as she bows down on her way to exit the room.
"And Regina," The queen adds when Regina is almost out the door. She can see the Eva's blood shot eyes glaring at her. Regina feels like the older woman looks past her outside shell, as if she stares deep into her very soul. "I hope it goes without saying that you are allowed to use any means necessary."
She has been riding for days now.
Her body is sore, their food is running out, and she is in a need of a hot bath and a good night's rest, something she hasn't had for four days, which feels like four years, each and every minute dragging so slowly it feels endless.
Regina and the Marry Men have crossed the country length and width in the search for said outlaws, but they had no success. They have visited beautiful cities, with markets so big and colorful she could have wandered in them aimlessly for hours, taking in the scents of spices from all over the realm and the taste of fresh exotic fruits.
Their band has visited small villages, so tiny and peaceful it was like no one lives there at all. She could have imagined living like that, just her and the nature all around. A life where she would have to hurt no one.
Yet this life wasn't hers. She had duties in the palace, duties for the people who shaped her to be the woman she is today, obligations she can't throw away right now.
The village she rides into now is nothing like the others they have visited. The little huts that the residents refer to as homes look like they are about to crumble and fall in every minute now.
Something in the air smells unholy.
As she thinks to herself they might finally be in the right place, she hears the scream.
It is heartbreaking, a hoarse cry for help using no words at all, which sounds like it comes from the mouth of a man who screamed until his lungs burst and his throat dried.
She can only see the shadow of a man working a field nearby, as he is being whipped by a figure that stands behind him.
Regina cannot tolerate this, and before she has a chance to comprehend, she is riding full force into the corn filled, toward that man, whose cries for help she just can't get out of her head, her Marry Men riding just after their leader.
Regina is down on the ground before her horse even has the chance to stop fully. She wants to speak, to protect and heal the innocent man that bends to the ground just beneath her feet, but when her eyes meet with those of the worker, nothing comes out of her open mouth.
She would have recognized those blue pools of eyes everywhere, anytime, even twenty years after she had last seen them.
Regina is paralyzed, only the soft, almost inaudible murmur of "Robin" slips out of her lips.
He doesn't recognize her, she can detect that from the way his brows curve slightly at the sound of his own name, but she doesn't give it a second thought. When she finally comes to her senses, the first thing she does is punch Robin's abuser, with as much force she is capable to raise.
"This is for hurting the Prince." She spits out.
The man falls to the ground in a scream of pain, but Regina doesn't stop hitting him until John comes and pulls her away from the man, informing her that "This is enough, he is already knocked out. There is no reason to kill him."
Then there is only silence. And in the silence, Regina can actually see Robin for the first time in twenty years, though she doesn't even start to understand what he has been through while she was playing a knight in the palace.
The first thought that comes into her mind is that he is handsome.
She scolds herself for thinking so, but beneath the layers of rags he wears, behind his tired, hungry eyes and the dirty appearance, she can see an attractive man, as opposed to the cute kid she had last seen.
Her stomach flips once, twice, and it feels like she is going to vomit.
"Robin" She whispers his name again, as calmly as possible in this whole madness, before stretching her hand out for him to reach. "My name is Regina. Behind me stand my Merry Men. We serve the Queen and the King, and we are going to take you home now."
"I don't have a home." He states quietly in his oh so familiar Locksley accent, his eyes never meeting hers. He sits on the ground, curled up to a little ball, looking smaller than he really is (he is quite big and muscular, Regina notices, as she thinks of what the hell he had to go through to look so miserable).
"Do you trust me?" Regina asks as she gets closer, her hand still reached out for him to take.
Robin hesitates, not sure of his answer to this question, and how can he be certain when this question comes from a perfect stranger?
Yet something in her seems to him trustworthy, and he puts his hand in Regina's, not before admitting that yes, he does trust her, for some odd reason.
"Men, we are going back to the palace. We are bringing the prince home." Regina orders as Robin stands up. He is weak, his grip on her hand maybe a little bit too hard, but he manages to get up somehow, still a little wobbly on his feet.
"But Regina…" Tuck starts to proclaim, only to be cut short by his leader.
"We are going back." When all of her teammates look at her with confused expression on their faces, she adds "Now!" and this does the job well enough. In a blink of an eye, they are all on their horses' backs again, making their way toward the Locksley castle.
It is only a couple of hours later, while the sun makes its way down the sky to make space to a beautiful full moon that Robin finally inquires, "You keep referring to me as the Prince."
He sits behind her, both on the back of Rocinante, who makes loud noises of dissatisfaction from the extra weight put on her. "Because you are the Prince." Regina states matter of factly.
"I am nothing but a simple slave. You must be mistaken."
"You are the son of the Queen and King of Locksley. I know that because we used to be best friends, used to run around the castles corridors." Regina smiles as the recollection of happier times comes to her mind. "I always outran you."
"I bet you did." He says, but his voice misses that playful note, and her heart clenches in her chest when she can't detect it.
"Then, one day, you were gone. No one knows how people managed to break into the castle at the crack of night and kidnap you without anyone noticing." Regina leaves out the part where she had cried for days, refusing to acknowledge the fact that Robin was really missing, and that her father had to pick her up from the floor of her bedchamber days later, his little girl all red-eyed and devastated. "There is nothing your parents didn't offer in exchange for your return, but as you can tell none of their attempts has succeeded."
"I wish I could remember something, anything, which shows that I am really the prince of this kingdom. But I can't think of anything… What's your name again?"
"Regina." She reminds.
"Right, Regina. The only thing I remember is being sold, over and over again. So many people owned me during my life, their faces and names are all a blur in my mind. I don't know the first thing about being a royal. All I have ever done is serve."
She can finally see the castle in the horizon. They are not close enough, can't hear the trumpets announcing their arrival yet, nor the bells' merry ring, but she can already see the tallest pinnacles of the tower picking out of the purple twilight skies.
"I am going to leave it to your parents to judge. But you are their son, Robin, even if you can't remember any of that."
24 hours later
Regina's shoes make a tap tap tap noise that may drive her crazy, as she climbs up the stairs to Robin's bedchamber. Although she has to make a significant number of turns in order to get to the room, she can almost do her way blindfolded right now.
Regina doesn't pay much attention to the path she walks, the beautiful corridors covered with art from all over the realm and decorated with what feels like a thousand candelas. As she makes her way to Robin's room, she focuses on the feeling that's bubbling inside her, on the way her heart races with no apparent reason.
She makes sure to fix her hair quickly, in a motion that seems like it comes from her subconscious (since when does Regina Mills care if her hair is messy?) before knocking three times on the impressive oak door, just like she used to do when they were only children. It won't make any memories cling into Robin's mind, yet their secret knock means something to her.
Regina releases a breath she didn't know she was holding when Robin opens the door and lets her in.
"I came here to check how you are holding up. I know the castle can be a little…" She stops, choosing her words carefully "overwhelming some times." She finishes. She only voices part of the truth. She did come to see how he is coping, she hasn't had the chance to see him since the moment they arrived to the palace, both being dragged to two different directions, but she also stopped by because there was something deep in her core that pulled her to him. A feeling, a hunch, which just wanted to see him alone, away from people's curios eyes.
"I am fine, thank you. I will need some time to get used to being a prince, I admit."
"Oh, you will get used to it soon enough." Regina promises with a wink. She has a moment or two to quickly look at him from head to toe. He seems uncomfortable in his oh so royal outfit, the way he moves in it is uneasy, but in the same time it looks like he fits perfectly into his clothes, like they were tailored perfectly for his size and shape. "There are quite some perks coming with the title."
"Such as?" He inquires with a teasing arched brow.
"Me as your guard, to begin with. It means we will have plenty of time together, just like those old times you can't seem to recall." She smiles a sad half smile for the good times that have passed and gone, and continues before he has a chance to stomach what she has just said. "And Granny's cookies. Your mother thinks you should eat nutritious food before I start to spoil you with sweets, but luckily for you, I managed to steal some from the kitchen."
Robin doesn't wait for an invitation before taking the bag with the delicious treats out of her hand and plopping one into his mouth, moaning as he chews.
"You can thank me later." Regina teases before taking a cookie out of the bag and biting into it eagerly.
3 months later
Regina's ball gown slips and slides as she makes her way to Robin's room. Her half-run in the fancy dress earns her a glance from a maid here and there, but she doesn't care, doesn't even bother to answer the questions of "Miss, is something wrong?" sent in her way.
Something is indeed wrong.
She climbs the stairs two at a time, almost tripping over her own two feet. When she finally reaches Robin's bedchamber door, she knocks on it frantically.
"Robin? Robin open up!" She pleads to the closed door. There isn't an answer, and for a second, before her heart races, the worst case scenarios start to run around her head.
It can't be happening again. She cannot fail her one job as the prince's protector because she was too invested in drinking and dancing to notice he wasn't at the ball until it was too late.
"Regina? Is everything alright?" Robin peeks out the door, and before she has a chance to think of what she is doing, Regina wraps her arms around Robin's neck and pulls him to a close hug.
"Thank god you are here." She murmurs.
"Of course I am. Where else am I going to be?"
Regina lets him go, only then starts to become aware of the awkwardness in the situation. Robin is only half-dressed. He is naked from the torso up, his hair glistening with water drops. He was obviously bathing when she knocked on his door, and blush starts to crawl up her cheeks when the realization strikes her.
"I… I am sorry. You just weren't at the party, one that was thrown for you, so I assumed the worst had happened…" She trails off while staring at the floor, too embraced to look into Robin's eyes.
"I wasn't in the mood for parties." Robin admits.
"You know what? I am going to go, let you have some alone time, if this is what you want."
She turns to leave, but feels his grip on her wrist. He doesn't hold her tightly, his grasp is nothing of the violent, demanding sort, but it isn't loose either, and holds a little plea for her to stay in it. "I never asked you to leave."
She turns back to him, when he mutters "You look stunning."
Her heart is racing at the compliment.
If she has to admit it, she did put an extra effort in her appearance before going down to the ball. She wanted Robin to see another side of her. She likes to wear her uniform, feels a part of a team, a part of something bigger when she wears them, yet she wanted him to see another side of her, a side more feminine somehow, though there were times even she couldn't believe she would manage to pull off such attire.
He still holds her hand in his, yet his grip has loosened. It is more of a hand holding than anything else now, their fingers are entwined, and they are standing so terribly close to each other.
"When did you get this?" Regina asks, trying to shift the subject of the conversation to anything, really, just to ignore the fact the air starts to thicken up by what seems like pure sexual tension, but the way her thumb trails slow circles above the lion tattooed on his left forearm doesn't help.
"I got it a couple of days ago. I thought the royal crest was fitting. I need to remember who I was, where I came from, and who I am now. It needs to be tattooed both on my body and my mind. I need to be the leader these people deserve to have. I was down once, Regina, at rock bottom, and what I have seen there…" Robin trails off. His voice, which was heavy and low just a second ago, is filled with what sounds like sheer sadness.
"I got mine when I turned twenty one." She answers a question he didn't ask. His fingers are skimming over the warm skin where her own royal crest is, and she lets him, though her tummy is turning again. "When I got here after eight years of searching for you, I needed a reminder. A reminder to who I was, who I am. A reminder for my cause, the thing I have always wanted to do. To guard the kingdom. To protect it. I have done it for you, even though back then I thought I will never see you again."
His fingers find their way to her hair somehow, brush away a stray lock of hair that has fallen on her face.
She wears it down today. She usually keeps her hair tucked up and away from her face, but today, while she was getting ready to the ball, she recalled the time when her hair was down only for a brief moment before she put it in a ponytail again, and the way Robin looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in all the realms (he has a way of making her feel like that from time to time), and she decided to let it loose, only for a night.
"Will you mind terribly if I kissed you right now?" He asks, his voice husky with desire.
"If you don't do it, I will." She teases, but before she even has a chance to take a decent breath, his lips crush into hers.
The kiss is slow yet fast, heated and warm, lustful and caring. It is everything and anything she could have ever imagined it to be. His lips are hot and wanting against hers. While their tongues tangle, his hands roam up and down her body.
It feels right, like all the missing pieces in her heart have finally clicked together somehow.
When they stop in order to catch their breaths, their foreheads still touching, he murmurs "You have no idea how long I have waited to do this."
"Since we were both ten years old and you chased me around this castle?" She teases and smiles at him, the most genuine smile she has probably given anyone ever since she was a ten years old girl.
He only says "Probably" before pulling her into another kiss.
A penny for your thoughts?