AN: This is my first Outlaw Queen fic, hope you enjoy it! You don't need to have seen "The Illusionist" to understand it, but it might help. However, this is only loosely based on it, so for those of you who have seen it, it's not exactly the same!

Prologue

He'd been sitting in the dark cell for three days now. The guards never spoke to him when they brought him bread and water. No one would tell him whether or not he was to be executed, and his one request for a quill and parchment was denied. He wanted write to his wife and let her know what had happened, but the Queen obviously didn't want him communicating with anyone outside the dungeon. Although perhaps that was a blessing in disguise, as he didn't want his wife to risk coming to rescue him. Their children needed her.

He heard the doors leading to the castle dungeon open and heard footsteps and voices coming closer. He recognized one. It was the Queen, with her soft voice that all of her kingdom seemed to love. He guessed that the man's voice was either a guard or her husband, the Prince Consort. They were whispering to each other as their footsteps approached his cell.

After a moment, their voices stopped and shadows invaded his cell. He knew they had stopped in front of him, but he refused to look their way.

"Robin of Locksley," the man said when he reached the cell. "We're here to give you another chance to talk."

Robin refused to look at him or the Queen. She spoke next.

"All I'm asking is for the truth," the Queen's voice said from behind her, trying to sound firm, but failing. "This is your chance for clemency."

Robin said nothing in return. He had made a promise to keep a secret. And unlike the young woman in front of him, he would keep it.

"It's no use, Snow," the man said. It must have been the Prince. A guard would have said 'Your Majesty.' "He doesn't want to talk."

"I don't want to execute you," the Queen said softly. "But you committed treason simply by being involved in the Queen's assassination. I'm offering you a chance to take your life back. I just want the truth."

He refused to be brought in by her speech. She could cry on his shoulder if she wanted, but he would never betray the woman he loved.

"Just tell me why," she continued, clearly upset. "Why did you kill her? What could she have possibly done?"

"Snow," the Prince cautioned softly. "He's become a thief and an outlaw since her murder. I'm not sure we can trust what he says."

He heard the Queen suck in a breath, and then she spoke again.

"David this is the closest I've ever come to learning why she was murdered," she said softly, but audibly. "Please, let me try."

"Okay, but we still need to do what the Kingdom needs. And we already know he is a traitor, we don't need this to sentence him."

The Queen ignored her Prince and started speaking more forcefully.

"Maybe you didn't kill her, but you must know how someone else did. That so called magic trick caused my step-mother's death and I want to know why. No war started after her death. There were no demands or threats. So why is she dead, what purpose did it serve?"

Robin didn't respond, but he did finally turn to look at her. He was surprised by what he saw in her eyes. Pain, and sadness. She truly missed the woman she was accusing him of murdering. As his eyes met hers, she got a hopeful look on her face, but he simply shook his head. If he told her the truth, his family would be in danger.

"You really won't tell me? Nothing?"

"I can't," he said simply. "You can threaten me all you want. I can't tell you anything. I'm sorry you lost someone you cared for, but I can't help you."

The Queen's eyes narrowed.

"Well, you have two days to change your mind," she said, upset. She turned and began walking back toward the entrance. The Prince stayed behind.

"Look, you don't have to go down for this alone. We know you weren't the only one involved. Give her some peace with an explanation and tell us who else was involved."

"I told you, I can't," Robin said.

"Then there's nothing else we can do."

The Prince shrugged and walked back to the entrance. Robin leaned back against the damp wall and sighed.

'Regina,' he prayed, hoping some deity would get her the message. 'Stay safe. Don't come for me. Stay where they won't find you.'

If Queen Snow White found out her step-mother hadn't died, but had left, Robin didn't want to know what might happen to her.