AN: Yes, I'm supposed to be working on my DA fic (update coming Tuesday/Wednesday :D). But then I started playing Fable III and although I loved the game I was very upset when I found out I couldn't romance Ben Finn :(
Weird title? I guess so; more play on words than anything else I suppose. Stockholm syndrome, if you don't know, if where a captive has positive feelings towards their captor. Oh, and I know this isn't the greatest piece of writing but hey- muse comes and goes. Hope you get some enjoyment from it. (Also, I hate using those giant lines to break up things but NOTHING ELSE WORKED. Argh, the document kept removing my various 'breaks' and now this fic has mad lines everywhere. Cheers, FFnet, love you too! :P)
So here is a quick oneshot for my fellow Ben Finn lovers ;D I own nothing.
Stockholm Syndrome
It was never going to be a good day when your first decision as Queen was whether to let you tyrannical brother live or die- but the choice had been surprisingly easy for the emotionally drained Hero of Brightwall. Thankfully, following her verdict the majority of her allies had quietly dispersed- all apart from one blond haired captain. Whilst making her way towards the gardens, he determinedly dogged her footsteps.
" Did you know," Ben began to say as he walked alongside the Queen, "that it would be really, really easy to execute your brother?" In reply, the monarch came to an abrupt halt and slowly turned to face the soldier.
" And did you know," she answered calmly, "that I've already pardoned him?" Swishing her skirts, she began to hobble off again only to stop a moment later and start to curse. Ben watched in amusement as the oh-so-noble ruler of Albion hopped on one leg and wrenched her heeled shoes from her feet before throwing the wretched items out of a nearby window.
Oh, the perks of being Queen.
" You may have just impaled a poor servant with your footwear, your majesty."
" Ben, please shut up." The reply was weary and the woman moved backwards to lean against the cool wall of the castle corridor, falling silent.
" As my Queen commands." Ben bowed low as the sarcastic drawl left his lips. It appeared that the lady in front of him was in a rather unhappy mood- which, of course, made her all the more adorable. Queen Robin- her mother had had a fondness for birds- was currently sporting an endearing pout and a vicious glower, and her hands were agitatedly clawing at both the fabric of her expensive dress and her brunette hair.
" I hate all this, Ben!" She finally complained. "It's not just the decisions; I can deal with that. But everyone's watching me all the time."
" Well, you are the Queen- you know, the one who will save us all from the darkness, the one who is in charge of everything and the one who eats Hollow Men for breakfast?" The soldier shrugged as he replied- what had Robin thought it would be like? The monarch in question stared blankly at him for a second before rolling her eyes expressively.
" Oh, please excuse me whilst I die laughing."
" I know- I'm a comedic genius aren't I? Am I right? Three cheers for Ben Finn, the new court jester of Albion!" The blond man grinned, expecting Robin to return his smile. Instead, she sighed and slid down the wall, landing on the floor amongst a mass of fabric and cloth with a thoroughly despondent look upon her face.
" Sorry, Ben. I'm not really in the mood for jokes today- the thought of having to raise six million gold in order to save a kingdom is a bit of a downer." Ben's smile faded into a frown and after some hesitation, he sat down next to the Queen.
" You'll be able to get the money, you know. You'll do it somehow." He said gently, although he stared straight ahead as if he was unable to look her in the eye. Robin tilted her face and gazed at him sadly, shaking her head. The motion upset her crown and it slipped from her head, clattering to the ground; neither the Queen nor her soldier made any move to retrieve it.
" Ben?" When Robin finally broke the silence her words were cautious. She looked down, and was fiddling irritably with her gloves when Ben hummed a non-committal reply.
" Mmm?"
" You know how you're a swashbuckling rebel soldier who can kill three Hollow Men with one rifle shot...?" Ben laughed softly at this description, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
" Well yes, I am rather impressive- your point being?" Ignoring his comment, Robin chewed on the inside of her cheek as she considered her reply.
" How do you feel about kidnapping the Queen for a day?" Ben finally cocked his head to look at her, his eyebrows raised and a questioning expression on his face.
" What do you mean?" He asked carefully. The woman beside him suddenly leapt to her feet and waved her arms expressively.
" I mean take me away, Ben! Just for a day, please! We were so focused on finding allies that I never really saw Albion. Show me Bowerstone; take me to the taverns and the market. I want to see the shops, meet the people..." Her voice trailed off and she whirled around to face the man, extending her hand to him. " Get me out of here, Ben." Robin's tone softened and she grinned in delight as her soldier stood up and seized her hand.
" Alas, I cannot disobey a royal command. You'll need different clothes, though," he said, winking at her, " I can keep a eye on you as you get changed...Wouldn't want anyone to harm the Queen when she's getting dressed now would we?" Robin laughed, and shaking her head she dragged Ben down the corridor, kicking the crown as she raced past it towards freedom.
It was a different experience walking through Bowerstone without her noble clothing on. Robin was actually able to blend in and she stretched luxuriously onto her toes, enjoying the feel of her worn, comfy mercenary outfit.
" Perhaps you would like to visit the tavern first? Let's get roaring drunk and sing silly songs for the rest of the day." Ben suggested, already walking in the direction of the building.
" Sounds interesting- and I didn't know you could sing!" Robin commented, eyes widening at this apparent revelation. Her hopes came crashing down mere moments later when Ben glanced back at her in astonishment.
" Who says I can sing?" With an overly grand motion, he swept open the door of the tavern and ushered the Queen inside, leading her to a table near the back corner.
" Ben, don't get me too much ale..." Robin began to speak, but Ben was already moving off towards the bartender. With an irritated sigh at having been left alone, her eyes roamed the area for some form of entertainment. A nearby scrap of paper, alone and forgotten in a corner, caught her attention. The title on top of the page left her a little stunned- 'The Life and Adventures of Ben Finn'. Curiously, she scanned the scrawled paragraphs of writing-learning much about Ben's life in the process- and was so engrossed in her reading material that she did not notice the return of the author.
" What have you got there?" The blond man asked as he sat down, pushing an overflowing tankard of ale in her direction.
" Your autobiography, apparently." Raising her gaze from the paper she waved the parchment is front of him, enjoying the flush of embarrassment that was slowly tinting his face red.
" Ah, I was wondering where that had gotten to." He mumbled. Robin could have punched the air in victory; for once, she had made Ben Finn speechless.
" You didn't mention you brothers. Or your parents." She probed gently, feeling a certain amount of sympathy for the man.
" It wasn't important. The army became my family." Ben's face was grim and he took a long sip of his ale, and suddenly it was Robin who became unable to speak. She had recklessly devoured private information about Ben's life without his permission, and by the way he was acting, he wasn't happy about it.
" Sorry. I shouldn't have read it." Robin's face went scarlet and she stared at her lap. She had had no right to read his work.
" You're the Queen, you can do what you want. Doesn't matter what I think." Ben muttered in reply. The words, whether they were meant as an insult or not, hit her like bullets and she stood up, swaying unsteadily despite the still full mug of ale that stood in front of her. Desperately, she searched for a way out of this, this argument that had appeared from nothing.
" Then I will be returning to the castle and my duties." Robin carefully applied her 'noble' mask -the haughty expression that kept a rein on her emotions- and stormed out of the tavern.
It did not take long for Robin to reach the castle, and thankfully nobody thought to question her absence when they saw her fearsome expression.
" Men!" She growled dramatically as she stomped through the castle on her way to her chambers. The collie dog at her side whined and Robin exhaled heavily, her mouth twisting into a sad frown. " Sorry, boy. You don't count. It's just Benjamin." She drew his full name out, speaking slowly whilst trying to curb her anger. How dare he say such things to her? Did he not care about her feelings? With a frustrated wail she made it to her rooms and after kicking the door shut she collapsed on the bed. She had almost regained control of her temper when she heard a tentative knock and a maid's voice.
" Your majesty? Your majesty, I have some papers for you to look at...Shall I leave them outside?" With a groan, Robin wrapped her duvet around her and resigned herself to the bed. Duties be damned, she wasn't moving until tomorrow morning. The maid knocked once more, and then there was blissful silence. Taking advantage of the quiet, Robin shut her eyes tightly and fell asleep.
" So much for 'I'm not getting up until tomorrow morning'." Grumbling and cursing, Robin blindly fumbled her way around her room. She had awoken, starving, just hours after curling up on the bed and it was now almost pitch black outside. Spotting a candle on her nightstand, she grabbed the object and lit the taper. Now that she could actually see she crept towards the door, opening it slowly and nearly tripping over a package that lay outside. After a moment of hushed swearing, she grabbed the parcel and retreated back to her room, her curiosity overcoming her hunger pangs. She settled down at her desk and slid the pieces of paper out of the packaging, fully expecting to be faced with various, glamorous issues such as sewage and its disposal. Instead, she was greeted at first with a scribbled note:
' Your majesty,
I humbly apologise for my behaviour and have enclosed the rest of my writing for your entertainment. However, it would be simpler it you did not read it.
-Captain Benjamin Finn.'
The formal wording almost made Robin want to cry- until she reached the last sentence. Suddenly fuming, she crumpled the piece of paper up and threw it aside before thumbing through the various sheets of writing. Deciding that starting at the end would be enlightening- after all, she wanted to see his opinion of her- Robin removed the last page from the pile and traced the words with her finger as she read:
'We eventually made it back to Bowerstone and fought for control of the castle. I tore through legions of Logan's men, bringing down at least two hundred on my own. Valiantly, I risked my own life in order to protect my allies and by some miracle- and thanks to my skill with a blade and rifle- we took the castle. Logan was stripped of his status as king and Robin was crowned Queen. Standing there before the battered city, she was an image of perfection and hope for everyone. But the reality of her becoming Queen was something I had not seen; whilst I always knew she would make it, I never truly thought about the consequences. She will be expected to marry into nobility. A soldier cannot be husband to a Queen.'
" Ben, you utter fool." Robin murmured, her cheeks flushing a little as she finished reading. Jumping to her feet, the Queen strode purposefully towards the chambers reserved for guests, clutching the piece of paper tightly. As she approached the door that led to Ben's room she hesitated. What was she doing? However, as she turned to leave she came face to face with the very man she was looking for.
" Your majesty," Ben looked at her in surprise, " why are you here? I'm sorry about earlier...But surely one comment doesn't give you reason to assassinate me during the night?" He smiled crookedly, awaiting a reply. Unsure of what to say, Robin held the piece of paper up in front of him and pointed towards the final sentence.
" What does this mean?" She questioned shakily. " Is it what I think it is?" Ben's grin faltered for a second and he turned away from her.
" It means nothing and everything, I suppose."
" You're not making any sense."
" No, you just don't possess the high intelligence required to understand my answer." Ben glanced at her momentarily and winked, further infuriating her.
" Ben, I swear, if you don't explain it then I will drag you kicking and screaming back to Mourningwood Fort and lock you there with the Hollow Men!" The rather pathetic threat erupted from the monarch and she stomped her foot angrily to emphasise her point.
" What do you want me to say?" Ben folded his arms across his chest and looked at the floor.
" What do you think of me?" Robin threw the question into the open without thinking and almost instantly regretted it when she saw a thoughtful look appear on Ben's face.
" You? I think you're naive, childish and far too innocent to be playing Queen," Robin gasped in horror at his words and made to move away, but she found herself being held fast by Ben's calloused hand, " but I also think you're funny, and brilliant and beautiful and perfect." His grip tightened and he rested his other hand on her hip, twisting her around to face him. Robin's face was crimson and there was a shy, silly smile on her face.
" Oh." She exhaled the word softly, staring at the floor.
" And, now that you have made me look like a lovesick fool, I think it only fair to ask what you think of me." Robin, having regained some semblance of sense, contemplated her answer before grinning impishly.
" I think you're an idiot. Writing down that mad line; 'oh, but a soldier cannot be husband to a Queen'!"She pulled away from Ben and recited the line in a melodramatic way. He shook his head, disliking the interpretation.
" I hate you." He grumbled half-heartedly.
" Noooo, you love me."
" Damn, I suppose I do. How on earth did you manage to work that out? What a masterful detective you are, Robin."
" Aha, you admitted it!"
" But I still hate you."
" I hate you too, idiot."
" Good. I'm glad that's sorted then."
" I'm glad too. But Ben," Robin had returned to his side and was clutching his hand as she spoke, " where's my ring?"
" What ring?" Ben raised an eyebrow in confusion.
" You know...my engagement ring?" The man leapt backwards and stared at Robin as though she had lost her mind.
" I never asked you to..."
" Benjamin Finn, you had better run and buy me a ring right now or I'm going to be very upset with you." Robin placed her hands on her hips and glared at Ben.
" Where am I supposed to buy a ring at this time of night?"
" Find somewhere. You're an adventurer right? So off you trot- go do some adventuring and find me a ring."
" You're insane."
" That's a royal command, soldier!" Robin barked the order and smiled sweetly at the flabbergasted Ben, who mechanically turned around and began to walk, resigned to his fate.
" Yes ma'am. One ring coming up."