I was wondering what if Regina did not run away during that scene with Tink at the tavern so this fluffy one shot came about. I hope you guys enjoy. (and the title of the fic is from a song I was listening to on an 8tracks playlist called light meets dark. It's made for Outlaw Queen so check it out if you want but the song has nothing to do with the fic really.)
Regina glanced at the man with the lion tattoo through the windows of the tavern with Tinker Bell. "Fairy dust is never wrong; he is your soul mate." The Green Fairy chirped by her side.
Oh Regina truly wanted to believe Tink but it was ridiculous. "I'm leaving. Take me back to the castle." The young queen commanded.
"What? But why?"
"What do you want me to do? I'm still married to the king. The knights will be looking all over the Enchanted Forrest and beyond for me if I run away." Regina sighed.
"We can take care of that somehow. The King might not be the best husband but he is kind maybe he will let you go." Tink tried to reason but knew that it wasn't going to work; Regina had already made up her mind.
"Even so what do you want me to do? I can't just walk up to that man and claim him as my true love, that's ridiculous." Regina let out a frustrated sigh. "I understand your good intentions Tink but this was clearly a mistake-"
Tink was not having any of her excuses. "No Regina it is not a mistake. Can't you see? You are pushing away your own happiness. If you had really wanted this you could do it but no. You are a coward Regina. I risked so much to help you but no one can save you from yourself."
"No Tink-"Before the young Queen could finish her sentence however, Tink flew away leaving behind a trail of green dust in the air.
Regina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked around the small village. She knew she wasn't too far away from the castle. If she glanced into the distance she could make out the shape of the castle even in the dark.
It was going to be a pain to walk all the way to the castle in the middle of the night.
She took a step forward, away from the tavern when a shadow blocked her path. She looked up to see three very drunk men blocking her way. She stepped sideways and they mimicked her movements.
"Move out of my way," She demanded and wanted to add I am your Queen but with her current outfit and their drunken state she knew they wouldn't have believed her.
"What is a pretty lady like you doing out here so late?" One of the men spoke with a slurred speech.
"It really isn't any of your business. Now if you will excuse me-"Regina tried to walk past them but one of them grabbed her arm, pulling her back. This was one of the few moments when she wished she had perfected her magic studies with Rumplestilkstin. Her heart was too naïve to properly channel magic. Rumple had said that she had to use her anger to cast a spell but she was unsuccessful.
Regina glanced down to the man's hand grabbing her arm. She was frightened to say the least but she wasn't going to show it. If she had learned one useful thing from her mother Cora it was to conceal her feelings.
"Let her go." A deep voice commanded from behind.
"It is none of your business young man." One of the men replied clearly annoyed by the disturbance.
"Now now now that is no way to treat a lady." He crossed his arms and walked closer to Regina. "I'm pretty sure I asked you to let her go." When the man didn't comply he continued, "You should have done it when I asked you nicely." He shrugged before punching the man right in the middle of his face, knocking the wind out of him. The other two did not want to share the same fate so they ran off to God knows where.
"Are you fine?" He extended his hand out of courtesy. Regina's eyes widened at the sight of the lion tattoo on her savior's arm.
She did not take his hand as she was too shocked but managed to utter a yes and a thank you.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Robin Hood at your service." He grinned flashing his dimples.
"I'm-"Regina did not know what to tell him. She clearly couldn't let him know that she was the Queen.
"I know who you are. You are the Queen, aren't you?" Robin stared at her for a moment, a bit too long for Regina's taste. "What would your majesty be doing out here?"
"How- how did you know?"
"I was there during your wedding coronation, amongst the crowd." How could he forget the beautiful Queen? She had taken his breath away that day.
"Oh." That was all Regina could mutter. Here he was, her soul mate according to the green fairy, standing in front of her, talking about her wedding.
"I should escort you back to your home. The road is not a safe place for a young woman at this time of the evening."
Regina wouldn't really call the cold castle her home but she did not argue. "Well then lead the way."
Robin started walking and Regina fell in step with him. "So why are you out here alone, your majesty?" Robin Hood questioned.
"It is not any of your business, is it?"
"No, it isn't." Robin answered.
"I snuck out of the castle. I ran away without a thought and realized it's not possible for me to escape." Regina did not know why she was telling him all this.
"Why would you want to run away from a life of wealth and comfort?" Robin Hood was a thief. He was known for stealing from the rich to help the poor. He could not understand why anyone would not want the wealth the Royalties had.
"Gold is not everything. I was forced into a marriage by my mother. The castle is like a prison for me. I have nothing." The young queen let out a troubled sigh. She really did not want to go back to the castle. She had to force her legs to take the steps towards her prison.
The thief did not respond but studied Regina's expressions as she explained her situation. "Then why are you allowing me to take you back?"
"Because I realized that it is impossible for me to run away. I cannot hide from the king's knights. They would find me eventually."
Robin did not know where he got the courage from. He did not know what came over him as he uttered the next words. He just stared at Regina and how vulnerable she looked at that moment and knew that he had to help her. "Would you like to run away… with me?"