Regina wistfully gazed out at the far-off lights of the village in the distance. Most of the lights ceased at the forest's edge, but there were a few hidden places between the trees, their presence indicated by blinking lights, fireflies twinkling among the leaves of the trees.
The village was separated from her palace by fortified castle walls, but to Regina, it may as well have been an ocean away. The lives of people in the village were very different from her own. Not only did they have the freedom to go wherever they wanted, but they had the freedom to choose every other aspect of their lives as well, a luxury she was never afforded.
She was envious of them, always had been. She had been raised surrounded by stone palace walls that were as dark as night, her every minute part of a meticulously coordinated itinerary that her mother, Queen Cora, oversaw with an iron fist. Each detail of Regina's life- how she dressed, even acted and spoke- Cora used as what she liked to call lessons for when Regina would become queen.
However, these "lessons" were really an excuse for Cora to berate Regina about every minute detail. Should she step out of line- eat the wrong dish, use an inappropriate facial expression, wear the wrong hairstyle- she would hear about it, always phrased in a way that made Regina feel that she was incapable of doing anything right. So much so that she was starting to wonder if her mother had faith that she would make a good queen when she assumed the throne within the next year.
Her father, however, was a different story. King Henry had always doted on his youngest daughter, even choosing to place her first in line to his throne once he passed over her older sister Zelena, a fact that had not endeared him to neighboring kingdoms and had made Zelena jealous for as long as Regina could remember.
She was shaken out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. She opened the door to find her mother's maid, Eva, standing before her.
Regina sighed. "What does my mother want?"
"Only to see you, Your Highness," Eva informed her. "I apologize, I know you like to know the state of your mother's mind and her intentions before you come face to face with her, but I'm afraid this time I'm at a loss as to why your presence is requested."
Regina nodded and followed her to her mother's chambers. She found her mother seated at her vanity, applying yet more makeup. She was always telling Regina that appearances were everything, but she had never believed her, and therefore had never applied that concept to her own life. She would much rather spend her time outdoors riding horses.
King Henry was sitting on the bed, but as Regina entered, he rose and walked toward her, taking her hands in his.
"What's going on, Father?" Regina asked.
The king took her hands in his, not meeting her gaze as he told her, "Your mother and I have news for you."
"News?" Regina inquired, turning her gaze toward her mother.
"Yes," the queen confirmed, turning and standing to join her husband and daughter. Her smile was jubilant as she informed her, "We have found you a husband! You will be wed within the month!"
"What?" Regina seethed, her voice quiet but deadly. "Who?" She turned toward her father, the man who tried to protect her from her mother. "How could you do this to me?"
"It was the best thing for the kingdom," her father informed her. "Lord Locksley assured us that your marriage to his son Robin will afford his kingdom and ours the resources it needs to flourish. And as you should know, we need all the alliances we can get. Our coffers could use the extra income that Lord Locksley will provide, and I want to see you happy. The lord has assured us that his son is nothing short of a gentleman."
Regina scoffed. Robin Locksley? That's who her parents were marrying her off to? She had heard stories about the family who lived on the other side of Sherwood Forest from the servants' gossip as she walked the secret passageways of the castle. The lord's son was said to be consumed by his noble birth, ordering servants to wait on him hand and foot, never giving them a fraction of the thanks- or collateral- they deserved, keeping all of the wealth of the kingdom for himself and his parents.
"Absolutely not!" Regina refused. She looked beseechingly into her father's eyes. "Father, I want to have the chance to meet someone and fall in love, not have my life decided for me." Her anger grew to a wild fury as she realized, "You basically sold me to them! How could you do that?!"
Her mother grabbed her forearm roughly, yanking her to stand before her. "Regina, you will be the next reigning monarch. As such, you have the responsibility to do whatever is best for this kingdom, no matter what it takes. And if that means marrying Robin Locksley, then so be it. You should be proud to serve our kingdom this way, do you hear me? I don't want another word of this after tonight.
"Now, go get changed," she continued, changing the subject. "Dinner with those pesky nobility starts in less than an hour, and as the future face of our country, you need to look your best."
Fighting tears, Regina nodded and fled, running back to her room and collapsing facedown on her four-poster bed. Once the urge to cry had subsided, she stood and gazed out at the view beyond her balcony. She knew she'd never get away before dinner, but afterwards, she needed an escape.
Robin Locksley stood at the edge of Sherwood Forest, pondering whether he should venture into its depths for the rest of the afternoon or see if he could assist with anything at his family's manor. Like many people who lived on the eastern side of Sherwood Forest, Robin spent a lot of time in the wood, often finding hidden treasures that he had never noticed before.
A tap on the shoulder alerted him to his mother's presence. Like him, Lady Belle Locksley loved time spent in Sherwood Forest. However, her time there was often spent reading books, while Robin preferred to explore, practice with bow and arrow, or visit one of the forest's many small taverns.
"Come with me," she told him. "Your father and I have something we need to discuss with you." Her face was serious, alerting Robin to the nature of the conversation he was about to take part in.
He nodded and followed her into the house, walking through doors flung wide open to let in the warm summer breeze. The house surrounded an inner courtyard, which was more like a garden than anything else. Flowers of every color and size surrounded a fountain, and beside the pathways sat benches so that the manor's residents and guests could enjoy their surroundings and find peace and quiet when necessary.
His mother led him to one of those benches, where his father was waiting for him. Robin never understood how his mother and father had fallen in love. They were complete opposites: he was cruel and calculating, while she was kind and generous. All he knew was that opposites must attract, because he had rarely met a couple who were as happy as his parents.
He glanced at his mother apprehensively, then cleared his throat. "Hello Father. You wanted to see me?"
"Indeed," his father confirmed. "You know of King Henry and Queen Cora, from the western end of Sherwood Forest, I presume?"
"Of course, Father," Robin responded. "Why do you ask?" He knew now he was right to be nervous. According to rumors he had heard from servants and people who lived in Sherwood Forest, the queen had squandered much of the kingdom's wealth, spending much of it on jewels for herself and the rest on trinkets and fine gowns for her daughters, Zelena and Regina. According to the rumors, her daughters were cut from the same cloth, seeking nothing but the best of everything they bought.
"They have offered you their daughter Regina's hand in marriage. You will be wed in a month, which will give you both time to acclimate yourselves to your future spouse's culture. After that, you will be wed in the most lavish celebration this kingdom has ever seen."
Robin was appalled, but he knew he shouldn't be. It was just like his father to arrange his marriage to the privileged princess without his consent. One glance at his mother showed him that while she, like him, disapproved of his father's plan, she wasn't going to fight him on it. If he was going to accomplish avoiding marriage to the princess, he would have to seek outside help.
In the meantime, though, he would attempt to use his wits to sway his father's decision.
"Father, what can we possibly gain from an alliance with their kingdom? They're practically bankrupt thanks to their lavish tastes, they can't increase our assets."
"Ah, but they can contribute to the kingdom in other ways. Or have you forgotten that you are my only son? The kingdom needs another heir, or, should catastrophe strike, there will be no one to inherit except my brother Peter. And you know well how I want to avoid that at all costs."
Robin nodded. The brothers had been at odds ever since Robert had been given the title that Peter felt he deserved.
"That doesn't change the fact that you can't decide my life for me," he reminded the lord. "I have the right to decide who I marry, and I want the chance to fall in love. And you can't deny the fact that love exists, as much as I know you want to. After all, you found it with Mother, despite your differences."
"You are marrying the princess, even if I have to drag you to the ceremony myself!" his father shouted. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Nothing you say will change my mind," Robin told him.
Robert stood, pointing in the direction of Robin's room. "Out of my sight! I don't want to see you again until you will agree to marry Princess Regina!"
Without another word, Robin walked toward his room to change. He needed an escape, and he needed it as soon as possible.
Regina looked cautiously around the corner of the hallway to ensure that she wasn't followed. She had used her knowledge of the dark and drafty secret passageways laced through the palace walls to sneak through to the castle's back entrance. She glanced around, once again making sure she wasn't followed, before she snuck across the hall and opened the back door.
Once at the stables, she picked up an apple for her horse, Rocinante. While two of the servants were her close friends and she trusted them, he had been her closest confidante since childhood.
"Ready to ride, Rocinante?" she asked, stroking the horse's mane before she jumped onto his bare back. He neighed, and with that, they set off for Sherwood Forest.
While she always craved freedom from her mother, Regina rarely snuck out. She always worried that one of the servants would secretly spy on her and report back to her mother, which would make the few times she did go beyond the palace gates even more difficult.
Emma and Mary, who attended to Regina and Zelena's needs, however, had frequently ventured into Sherwood Forest, unlike many of Misthaven's other inhabitants. They had told Regina how to find the best taverns to escape to, their directions clear enough that Regina soon went from traveling with one of them to visiting the taverns on her own.
Her favorite was Granny's Tavern, which was a small establishment nestled deep in the forest. As she approached the tavern, the clouded windowpanes showed just enough of the tavern within for Regina to know that Granny and Ruby, the proprietor's granddaughter, were busy tonight.
She entered to boisterous laughter coming from a group of men sitting at the center table. As she walked to the bar to order herself something to drink, one of them caught her eye. He had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed as deep as the river that flowed through the forest. One quick glance at his friends told her that he was the most handsome of the lot, as one was skinny and had much darker hair than his companion, one had red hair and freckles that, while adorable, didn't set her heart aflame, and the other was a bearded man who was as wide as he was tall.
As she sat at a table, her wandering eyes returned to watch as the man who had caught her eye from the moment she entered the tavern stood and walked toward her, mug in hand. His callused palm came to rest on the back of her chair. "Mind if I join you, milady?" he asked, his accented voice so soft that the tiniest fragment of her heart broke off and was lost to him with just five words exchanged between them.
"That depends," she told him. "This seat comes with a price. Are you planning on telling me your name, or should I save the seat for someone who has better manners?"
"Milady, need I remind you that you haven't given me your name either, and yet I'm perfectly willing to sit with you. If you'd visited this tavern often enough, you would know that Granny and Ruby don't allow just anyone to eat here. So, you should know that my intentions are honorable."
"You first- you did initiate our interaction, after all," she countered, not willing to relent.
"All right," he agreed, his arms now crossed over his chest. "It's Phoenix. And you are?"
"Phoenix, unusual name," she commented, not willing to relent just yet.
"My parents enjoy watching birds," he replied. "You're avoiding the question, milady."
"It's- Reina," she responded, remembering just in time to use the alias that she always fell back on when she visited the tavern. She didn't want to reveal her real name just in case one of her mother's spies was there. She wore a cloak and one of Emma's dresses to further disguise herself as well.
He smiled. "You have an unusual name too, milady- strange, but just as beautiful as you are."
Her heart fluttered at the compliment. The suitors that Cora had brought to the castle had tried to woo her with unwanted affection, choking her with flattery until she felt sick from the insincerity of their words. Somehow, Phoenix's compliment, instead of making her never want to see him again, warmed her heart. Maybe it was the sincerity in his eyes, the bright smile he was giving her, or his soft voice. Or perhaps it was just Phoenix. Whatever it was, she found herself smiling and gesturing for him to sit down.
He did so, with such a smug expression that she wanted to wipe it off his face with either a kiss or a slap- she couldn't decide which.
"So tell me, Phoenix, what's your story?" Regina asked.
"Tyrannical father, kind mother. We work with the people around us to ensure that the Locksleys have everything they need, and they repay us with kindness, and their help, whenever they can give it. What about you, milady?"
She paused. How much should she tell him? She decided to echo his vague answers. "I have the reverse, actually. Heartless mother- sometimes I think I mean that literally. Father who I love, but who often doesn't protect me from her. Sister who follows Mother's lead in everything."
"And what of where you live?" he asked. "Do you live on my side of the forest, in the forest itself, or do you live under the rule of King Henry and Queen Cora?"
"The latter, I'm afraid," she lamented, ducking her head, hating that he lived somewhere where she would never be able to visit him easily. She had never been to the other side of the forest or visited the Locksleys' lands.
But wait. Soon, she would be one of those dreaded Locksleys. She felt his hand cover hers as her eyes filled with angry tears.
His finger lifted her chin, and she saw nothing but concern in those fathomless eyes. "Milady, what's troubling you?"
She choked back another sob before informing him, "My mother has promised me to someone who lives on the Locksleys' lands who I've never met before. We'll be living on my side of the forest- but I still have no desire to marry except for love."
The fingers of both hands entwined with hers on the table before he spoke, his voice just as dejected. "I know how you feel. My father just informed me today that I'm to wed someone who lives in Queen Cora and King Henry's kingdom. I was dreading it, but after discovering you live there, I wasn't…"
"Until you found out that I'll be marrying someone else," Regina sighed. She felt connected to this man in a way that she had never experienced before. They both had similar relationships with their parents, both betrothed against their will. It was almost as if they were two halves of a whole.
A comforting squeeze of her hands drew her attention back to focus on him instead of their circumstances. He wrapped his arms around her, and her head coming to rest on his chest. "Have faith," he told her, his velvet voice reassuring her in a way that she thought she couldn't be soothed about this, of all things. "We'll find a way to make it work. How often do you come to this tavern?"
"Not often enough," she groaned. "And like my mother, I doubt my future husband will allow me to come here. Having a place to relax is something that's more befitting of a man than a woman."
"It shouldn't be," he stated adamantly enough that to her surprise, despite the topic, she believed him. "Women need somewhere to find refuge as much as men. If that happens to be at a tavern in the middle of Sherwood Forest, who is he to tell her not to go?"
"Her husband. The man who owns her," Regina grumbled.
"When I marry, my wife will never be my property," Phoenix vowed. "She will be free to go wherever she wishes whenever she likes. I don't want her to feel that she is a prisoner in her own home."
Now she's the one gripping his hands as she pulled him toward her to kiss his cheek. "On behalf of every woman in my kingdom, thank you," she said softly but adamantly. "You have no idea what it's like, whoever you are about to marry is so lucky to have you as her future husband."
He flushed, a deep crimson that put a satisfied smirk on her lips. "As is your future husband. Not every woman is as strong or as passionate as you."
She brought his hands up to her lips to kiss his knuckles. "How are we going to make this work? With both of us betrothed…"
"I don't know, but I do know that we will," Phoenix said emphatically. "I feel such a strong connection between us that you must feel it too. With that, anything is possible."
She nodded in agreement, then glanced through the windows at the brightening sky. "Oh! I need to go! I'm so sorry- but how will I see you again?" she asked as she cast a longing look in his direction.
"Meet me here at the same time tomorrow night?" he suggested. "And I don't plan on parting ways just yet, please allow me to walk you home, milady."
She considered his offer. "Only as far as the edge of the forest," she compromised. "You have your own home to get to."
He readily agreed, and they set out. Once they had reached the forest's boundary, Regina pulled Phoenix to her, kissing his cheek. "This has been the best night, I can never thank you enough," she whispered fervently.
He kissed the top of her head. "My thanks will be seeing you tomorrow night. Or did you change your mind?" he asked, a teasing note to his voice.
"Never," she responded adamantly. "You won't be able to get rid of me that easily."
"Good," he whispered, and with a last kiss to her forehead, Phoenix was gone.
When she got to her room at last, collapsing on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling in despair. She knew it was practically impossible, and Emma at least would laugh at her for this later, but she knew that she was already starting to fall head-over-heels in love with Phoenix, thoughts of their night together coaxing her into the most peaceful sleep she had had in years.
Robin returned in a daze to the manor, thoughts of Reina filling his mind. Despite his kingdom's belief in equality between men and women and the freedoms that allowed them, he had never met a woman with as much fiery passion as Reina. The light in her eyes, her spirit, and her wit filled him with a yearning he had never known before.
But what would they do about the fact that they were both supposed to marry other people? He didn't know yet, but he was determined to see that beautiful smile that he saw when he closed his eyes every day for the rest of his life.
A/N This chapter contains prompts 162 and 189 for OQ Prompt Party 2019. Hope you enjoyed this, and as always, let me know what you think!