A scream pierced the silence, startling the buck in Robin's line of sight. The deer scampered away into the brush but Robin did not take the time to lament the lost kill. His focus was on the lady in distress. He left his bow and quiver in the tree as he leapt down and sprinted in the direction of the cry of distress.
Regina was struggling to regain her feet when the young man appeared. She was unaware of the leaves in her hair - she was conscious only of the pain in her ankle and her bottom, where she'd fallen.
"Milady, are you alright?" he asked, his cloak coming to settle around his shoulders. Almost eighteen, he was the picture of youth and health. His clothing, while not made of the finest fabric, fit him well and suited its purpose, which was all he required. She wore riding boots, trousers (which was unusual for a woman) and a light blue riding jacket. He noticed none of that - all he saw was her beautiful face. The sun shone behind her, illuminating her as if she were an angel. An angel with leaves in her hair.
"I think so," she replied, wise enough at sixteen to know that being alone with a strange man had the potential to be fraught with danger. When he stepped toward her she stepped backwards, only to yelp at the pain and stumble.
"I'm afraid I must disagree," Robin said, stopping his forward advance despite his desire to help her. She was scared, like a wild animal one must coax into trusting you. He had experience with that type of situation. "May I ask what happened?"
She studied him for a moment and decided there was no harm in sharing her story. "I was out riding when something startled my horse. She carried me into the forest and a limb knocked me off. I'm afraid she's gone for good." Regina cared more about her mare than her ankle. She loved that horse, had ridden her since she was a pony and Regina barely eight years old. "Did you see her?" she asked.
"I'm afraid not, milady, and I have no horse of my own to offer you. If you will allow me, I could escort you back to your home." She smiled reassuringly and began looking around for a suitable stick she could use as a makeshift cane.
She watched as he dug through the underbrush, considering his offer. Her home, not his. If he wanted to hurt her surely he would have done so by now. He would at least not be so polite. As she watched him crouched she found she appreciated the view, and her cheeks flushed a bright pink. He was very handsome, and kind, and offering to help her. She wanted to say yes, and not just because she knew that her mother would have emphatically said no.
"That would be very kind of you, thank you. I take it you know these woods well?" she asked. She did not know the way back home and would have to rely on his navigation.
"Indeed I do. I hunt here nearly every day. Ah, here we are," he said as he found the perfect fallen branch. Using the knife at his belt he sliced off the side branches, creating a sturdy stick just the right height for her to lean on. He handed it to her with a grin of success. "I hope you'll find this sufficient," he said. She took it from him and took a few cautious steps, using it to bear her weight. He'd judged her height perfectly. She was impressed.
"Poaching in the king's woods? You could lose your head for that," she replied, concerned for his welfare thought she did not even know his name.
"Only if I get caught," he replied, extending his hand to indicate the direction they should go. She began walking, slowly at first, then with more confidence as the pain in her ankle began to ease.
By the time they neared her house, they were laughing heartily, and falling in love. He'd learned that she loved to read and to ride, lived with her parents in a small cottage, loved her father more than anything else in the world, and dreamed of one day having a large family, as her own was so small. She knew that he'd lost his mother as a young boy, and he and his father lived alone in a castle far on the other side of the king's woods. She also saw that he wore his heart upon his sleeve, hunted only to survive and not for sport, and would give the shirt off his back if someone he loved were in need.
Regina stopped him while still a good distance from her home. She had so few things that were just hers and not under her mother's control.
"Thank you for your help. I can make it the rest of the way on my own," she said, making it obvious that she wanted him to go no further. He found it odd but wasn't the type to push the issue. He did, however, finally pluck the leaf from her hair with a chuckle. She gasped and blushed.
"You let me walk all that way and didn't say anything?" she asked, feeling through her hair for any more detritus. She was relieved to find none.
"I just noticed it, milady." In truth, he'd found its presence adorable, as if she were a forest goddess who'd been birthed by a tree. "So this is goodbye, then."
She nodded and leaned onto her walking stick, sadness creeping into her heart. They'd been together for hours but that did not feel long enough. She needed to know him better. She wanted more time.
He bowed gracefully to her. "It has been a pleasure. If I see your horse I will do my utmost to see that she's returned to you unharmed," he said, the same sadness she felt reverberating inside his heart. He had no doubt that he would miss her the moment she was out of his sight. He turned slowly, reluctantly, and began to walk away.
"Wait!" she called. He smiled and turned back to her. "I never got your name," she said. She needed something to whisper in the night when she said her prayers.
"Robin," he said simply. "Robin of Locksley." The sun began to set behind her, and again she was illuminated by its light as if she were an angel from heaven. He held onto the leaf, twirling it by its stem.
Robin. It fit him perfectly. He'd flown into her life and now was flying out. If only there was a way to keep him, but wild creatures should not be caged, and he was a denizen of the forest.
"I'm Regina," she said. "Fare thee well, Robin."
"And you, Regina," he said, her name rolling off his tongue and embedding itself in his mind. Even as he turned again and left, he knew he would return. He would remember the way she had shown him after they'd reached the forest's edge. Somehow and some way, he would find a reason to see her again.
"Who was that?" her mother asked as soon as she set foot inside the door. "Where have you been?" Regina's hope that she'd be able to keep Robin a secret from Cora died as quickly as it had been born.
"I was out riding when something spooked the horse. I lost control and she ran into the woods. I fell and was hurt, but that young man helped me find my way home." Regina exaggerated her limp as she walked across the room to a chair and sat down. She was tired from so much walking, and from so much anxiety now coursing through her. She laid the walking stick across her lap.
"You know you can't hide anything from me," her mother reminded her. When Regina failed to return home on time, she'd used a mirror to check on her. She had seen every moment of their trek – every smile, every laugh, every glance from one to the other. She had not liked what she had seen.
"I'm not hiding anything, mother," Regina said in earnest. Unconsciously her hands gripped the wood in her lap tighter. It was all she had that linked her to Robin, to the boy who had worked his way into her heart.
"Give me that," Cora said and snatched the stick away from her. Using magic to supplement her strength she snapped it in half and threw the pieces into the fire. Regina could only watch. She'd learned long ago that defying her mother never yielded success.
"Now listen to me. You will forget that boy, and you will never see him again. I forbid it." Cora ignored the anguish on her daughter's face. One day, when she was queen, Regina would thank her for everything she had done. Love was a useless emotion. Love was weakness. Once she had a crown on her head she would understand that.
"Yes, mother," Regina replied, bowing her head. She watched the pieces of the walking stick burning in the fire, and vowed to find a way to see Robin again. She'd have to learn magic to shield herself from her mother's power, but she would do it. She would do whatever she had to, and she believed that she would succeed. Because true love was the most powerful magic of all.