"C'mon boy," Regina urges. "It's not much further." Rocinante gives a disgruntled huff and Regina pats his broad neck. They'd been surprised earlier in the day when a few of the Queen's guards wandered through a market when Regina was attempting to barter for a dagger from a stall holder. They'd spotted her before she had a chance to slip away unnoticed and it resulted in a long chase on horseback before she was able to lose them. And now it's late and dark and they're both exhausted as they head back home. "Home" is a concealed cave of sorts, with no light and stale air. But it'll do until she can figure out a way to escape this land without detection.
Rocinante snorts again and Regina sighs, glancing up at the sky. At least they're fortunate enough to have the light of a full moon to travel by. "Shhhhhh, boy," she urges. "Just a little while longer. Then we can eat."
They carry on through the sparse forest for a few minutes before the silence is shattered by an otherwordly howl that makes Rocinante rear in fright. "Woah!" Regina soothes, pulling him around in an attempt to stop him bolting. "It's okay. You're okay." She leans forward and rubs his neck to comfort him, mumbling nonsense by his ear as the howling continues. It's an animal in distress, there's no doubt about it. Once Rocinante is more calm, she dismounts and tethers him to a nearby tree, stroking his nose and resting her forehead against it until he's quiet again.
She grabs her bow and quiver from the saddle bags and sets off towards the source of the pained cries. She's never been able to bear the thought of leaving a wounded animal in pain and if she can lessen, or shorten, this one's suffering then so be it. As she draws nearer, it's clear that whatever it is, it's large. She readies an arrow just in case before she catches sight of the animal in question and, when she does, she almost drops the bow altogether.
It's a wolf. And not a regular wolf. She estimates it to be at least three times the size of any wolf she's ever seen. Its grey-black fur shimmers in the moonlight and Regina can't help but think how beautiful it is. Her eyes move to the enormous head and she finds large green eyes looking directly at her, almost pleading, as whimpers continue to come from its throat. Her gaze snaps to the source of the pain; one of the magnificent creature's back legs is cruelly twisted in the jaws of a hunter's trap. Blood is oozing from deep gouges where the trap's teeth cut into furred flesh. Regina's jaw clenches at the thought of someone leaving this contraption here purposefully to cause pain.
She sighs. There aren't many wolves in these parts and certainly not of this size. But there is one very well known shapeshifter. The Red Wolf; the Queen's protector and right hand. Regina swallows, the hand that has drawn back her bow-string shaking slightly. She could kill her right now and land a blow in the heart of the Queen's court. She could send the message that the Queen's fiercest ally was no match for Regina the Bandit. But as her eyes drift back to those doleful green ones, she knows that's not an option. With a sigh, she lowers the bow shaking her head at her own weakness and stupidity.
This move seems to confuse the animal and it lets out a pained yelp that sounds far more like a question than it should.
"Yeah, yeah," Regina says as she lays her weapon on the ground, moving closer to the wolf to weigh up her choices. "I know, I should kill you and be done with it. But you're looking at me with your big puppy eyes and I can't do it, okay?" She kneels down by the beast's injured leg to examine the mechanism of the trap. There's a release catch, but using it is definitely going to cause the animal further pain. She glances up to where curious green eyes are watching her and raises an eyebrow. "If I let you out of this, you don't get to eat me, okay? Do we have a deal?"
The beast gives no indication of any agreement and Regina feels stupid for expecting it to. She realises that this is a huge risk. While she hasn't had any direct run-ins with the Red Wolf, her reputation as a soldier and warrior precedes her and Regina has no doubt that, in wolf form, she's even more fierce. And yet, here Regina is, planning to free her and hoping that it won't result in her own death. She shakes her head again and turns to look at the wolf.
"This is gonna hurt like hell, okay?" she tells her. "And I don't want your doggy brain getting confused about what caused you the pain, okay? I'm helping you here. I'm not hurting you. Just remember that when I-" Without looking away from the wolf's eyes, she presses the release catch and the trap opens, releasing the leg from its jaws. The howl that erupts from the wolf is worse than any sound Regina has ever heard and she instinctively covers her ears, falling onto her backside and scrambling away.
The wolf pulls its leg free and gets to its feet, dragging the injured leg as it stumbles forward for a few steps before collapsing. Regina knows she should run for her life before it gets its bearings, but before she can make a move the wolf shimmers with magic and in its place is the woman Regina has seen many times by Snow's shoulder. Her face is clammy with sweat and she's panting, but her green eyes meet Regina's looking not all that different from those of the wolf.
"Wh-why did you do that?" Ruby asks, almost accusatory. "Why s-save me? You know I h-have orders to kill you."
Regina nods, slowly getting to her feet and approaching the prone woman, who looks an awful lot less scary than she did a few minutes ago. She looks almost fragile like this, like a small frightened thing and Regina's chest tightens at her question as she thinks back to the wolf's pleading gaze. She wonders if she wanted Regina to kill her.
"What can I say?" Regina says with a wink. "I've always been an animal lover."
The girl gives a disbelieving laugh as she gets herself into a seated position. "Really? You're gonna make a joke? I could've killed you the minute I was free. I could still kill you."
Shaking her head at the false bravado, Regina moves to kneel by Ruby's leg, drawing her dagger. When Ruby's eyes flash yellow, Regina holds up both hands in a submissive gesture. "I'm gonna look at your leg! I need to cut your boot and clothes."
"Didn't you hear what I said?" Ruby asks, making no move to stop Regina from going about the task of removing the boot; her dagger easily slicing through the leather. "I said I'm ordered to kill you on sight."
"Yep, I heard you the first time," Regina says, peeling the boot away before cutting the fabric of Ruby's pants, eliciting a hiss from the girl, to reveal a mess of blood and skin and bone. Regina sucks in her breath through her teeth. "But I don't think you're going to kill me." She hopes.
"And why's that, Bandit?" Ruby grinds out through clenched teeth as Regina gently probes her leg.
Regina shrugs and turns her head to catch Ruby's gaze once more. "Just a hunch, I guess."
There's a moment where it looks like Ruby has no idea how to respond but then the younger woman shakes her head and lowers her eyes. "You saved my life," she whispers.
"Don't get all sentimental on me, Fido," Regina says, standing and wiping her bloody hands on her tunic. "I just did what anyone would do."
"Free a bloodthirsty monster from a trap?" Ruby scoffs. "No, I think that's a task only foolish people with a deathwish would undertake."
"You got me pegged," Regina agrees. "Wait here, I'm gonna go grab some ointment from my saddlebag and-" She's really not sure ointment is going to be enough to even start mending the mangled limb, but it's all she can offer right now.
"No," Ruby says, shaking her head. "No, you have to go. They'll come looking for me. She'll send them and if they find you here with me they'll...they'll do what I should have done."
Regina frowns down at the woman, her eyes drifting to her breastplate where Snow's family crest overlaps a large wolf-head. "I can't leave you here," she says, softly. "You'll die. Whether of infection or exposure...or by some less friendly bandit's hand. I might as well have left you in that trap."
But Ruby's shaking her head. "I won't die," she assures Regina. "I heal faster than most people." She nods to her leg and Regina's breath is stolen. The skin is already knitting together, the wound looks less fierce and jagged than it had just a few minutes before.
Biting her lip, Regina considers her next words. "Look, my home is close by. At least come with me and rest for a few hours before you try to walk back to the palace."
"Are you crazy?" Ruby asks. "Now you want to show me where you live? Are you really not getting the whole 'I work for the Queen' thing?"
"I have a feeling that you could've sniffed out my home long ago if you'd wanted to," Regina offers, watching as Ruby quickly averts her eyes. "And now that I saved your life and you didn't eat me, I feel like we're almost buddies, right?"
"Buddies?" Ruby repeats, an elegant eyebrow creeping upwards. "You really are crazy."
"Perhaps," Regina agrees with a smile. "That's what being pursued by a crazed despot will do to a person." At the mention of Snow, Ruby's eyes once again drop to the forest floor and Regina's mind is made up. "Right, I'm gonna go get my horse and you're coming home with me."
She walks away with the sound of Ruby's protests ringing in her ears. Rocinante neighs as she approaches and she calls out to him to reassure him of her presence. Poor guy; she'd promised him he'd be home soon. Untying his reins from the tree she'd tethered him to, she urges him along behind her until she reaches the clearing again. She shakes her head when she sees Ruby up on her feet, leaning heavily against a tree and panting.
"You are a stubborn idiot," Regina murmurs, moving to Ruby's side and placing Ruby's arm over her shoulders. "I told you there's no way you'd make it back to the palace in this condition."
"And I told you that it's not safe for you to be around me," Ruby protests, even as she lets her weight rest against Regina and they manage to hobble to Rocinante.
"I'll take my chances," Regina says, patting the horse when he shifts uncomfortably at this new presence. She looks between Ruby and the saddle. "So, how are we gonna do this?"
Ruby sighs. "If you're insisting on putting yourself in danger, then I guess you could get on first and then pull me up. I can swing my good leg over him if you get me far enough up."
Quickly mounting, Regina leans down, offering her arm for Ruby to use as leverage. She watches the younger woman take a deep breath as she takes the arm before bending her good leg and propelling herself upwards, landing perfectly behind Regina in the saddle. A string of expletives erupts by her ear as Ruby grasps her injured leg, the movement clearly hurting her. Regina's too taken aback by the strength and grace just demonstrated to even ask if she's okay.
"That was..wow," Regina comments.
"Yeah, perks of being a monster," Ruby says, her voice tight with pain.
Regina notes that this is the second time Ruby's referred to herself as a monster. She urges Rocinante into a gentle trot so as not to jostle Ruby too much. "I don't know about monster," she comments. "Big puppy might be a better description."
"Don't," Ruby says. "Don't joke about it. It's not funny."
"Okay." Regina stays silent as they ride. The woman behind her, pressing into her back so hard that she can feel every pained breath she takes, is so very far from a monster. Now, having seen her up close, Regina has no doubt that had this woman been serious about pursuing her, she'd have been dead or captured long ago. But, despite ample opportunity, Regina is still at large, and she's coming to the conclusion that she has the Red Wolf to thank for that on some level.
By the time she tethers Rocinante and helps Ruby up the dark tunnel that leads to her home, they're both breathing heavily with the effort. Regina eases Ruby down onto her sleeping pallet and rolls her shoulders to loosen the muscles. Ruby closes her eyes and lets out a sigh of relief. Regina weighs up her options and decides that trying to remove any clothing will only cause pain and so she collapses beside Ruby, their shoulders touching, and closes her own eyes.
"This is a little forward," Ruby murmurs, words blending together with fatigue. "We just met."
"I'll buy you dinner next time," Regina answers, in the same tone, gratified to feel Ruby laugh a little.
Those are the last words spoken between them as they both quickly drift off to sleep.
She's just about awake when a noise to her right makes her eyes snap open; she's the only one who's ever in here, so the noise is out of place and it makes her stomach drop. Her eyes land on a tall figure and the events of the previous evening come back to her and she lets out a sigh of relief.
"'Morning," she murmurs, covering a yawn and turning on her side to see Ruby better in the dim light. Apart from a very slight limp, there's no sign of the traumatic leg injury Regina witnessed the previous day.
"'Morning," Ruby says in return. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you. I need to get back to the Palace before there's a search party sent out."
Regina nods and pushes herself up on an elbow, rubbing at her eyes. "You weren't kidding about healing fast," she comments, nodding at Ruby's leg.
The tall woman stops and leans her weight on the damaged leg, shrugging. "It's not perfect, but it's getting there. It'll be gone completely by tonight." Ruby shifts, her eyes dropping. "I...I'm not sure I was very grateful yesterday, but I want to thank you for what you did. You had every right to leave me there. Or kill me."
Regina shakes her head. "I couldn't have left you there," she says, the wolf's pained howls still fresh in her memory. "And I have no quarrel with you."
Ruby looks up. "But you know who I serve. You know what my orders are. Add to that the fact that I was a wolf at the time, and I have to conclude you have no regard for your own life."
Regina tilts her head with a smile. "Maybe," she admits. "But let me ask you a question. Why didn't you kill me when I let you go?"
Sighing, Ruby drops into a chair and rubs a hand over her face. She meets Regina's eyes and holds her gaze for a long moment of silence. "I have enough innocent blood on my hands. I don't need to add yours. Especially when I know you spend your time helping people." She gestures to Regina's home. "I mean, it's clear that the gold you steal from Snow doesn't fund an opulent lifestyle."
Regina raises an eyebrow. "I'll try not to be insulted by that comment on my decor." Ruby offers her an apologetic smile. "So, if you don't mind my asking...why the hell do you work for Snow, if that's how you feel?" She swallows, the darker stories of the Queen's terror techniques coming to mind. "Does she...does she have your heart?"
"In a manner of speaking," Ruby says, with a sigh. She shakes her head. "No, my heart is still in my chest. I sometimes think it would be easier if it weren't, but Snow does like to be creative in her tortures."
Frowning, Regina sits up on the bed, leaning closer to Ruby as she speaks. "What do you mean?"
"She has my Grandmother," Ruby says, quietly. "She's enchanted the Palace walls so that Granny can't leave. Which means-"
"That you won't leave either," Regina finishes for her. Ruby nods. "That's one way to inspire loyalty, I suppose."
"So, perhaps you understand why I'm less than diligent in my execution of Snow's orders to kill people who've supposedly crossed her," Ruby says, standing up and rolling her shoulders.
Regina stands too, her admiration for this woman increasing with every word she speaks. She offers her a smile. "Yes, I'm beginning to see why," she says, quietly. "So, does this mean you'll take me up on that offer of dinner next time we meet?"
"There can't be a next time!" Ruby tells her, frowning. "If you've got any sense you'll leave this land. Go to Arendelle or Agrabah. Anywhere but here."
"This land is my home as much as it is the Queen's," Regina protests. "She won't force me to leave. Not when I can do a little to help ease the suffering of the people."
"Then you'll die," Ruby says, her eyes flashing yellow. "Because she's relentless and you won't find all of her knights as friendly as me."
"I'll take my chances," Regina tells her. "Which I think got a whole lot better since I discovered that the fearsome Red Wolf has a soft spot for me."
"I don't know what gave you that impression," Ruby counters, but her lips are turning up at the edges.
"Maybe the fact you didn't eat me last night?" Regina tries, with a wink. "Or was I just not...appetising enough."
Ruby shakes her head. "I was right last night. You're crazy." She picks up her sword belt and slips it on. "And I have to go before you start to make sense."
Regina catches Ruby's arm before she can move very far and turns her back around. "You thanked me for freeing you yesterday, but I haven't thanked you for not capturing me for what sounds like a pretty long time." She smiles. "So thank you."
"It's fine," Ruby says, her voice gruff.
"And I might have someone I can ask for advice about freeing you and your grandmother from Snow's spell," Regina tells her. Her mother is hidden away in a village far from the Palace, but they communicate by letters passed by resistance fighters, and she's sure Cora will know a way to break the enchantment.
"I can't ask you to do that, Regina," Ruby says, though her eyes are bright with hope. "It's too dangerous."
"But you didn't ask," Regina says, with a grin. "I offered."
Ruby sighs, looking towards the entrance of Regina's hideaway. "The sun is coming up. I really need to go."
"When can I see you again?" Regina blurts out.
"I already tol-"
"I owe you dinner," Regina presses. "C'mon. I'll cook! What do you like? A big juicy bone?"
Ruby narrows her eyes, glaring playfully. Her jaw works and Regina holds her breath. "Fine. Next full moon," she says. "I'm out all night during the full moon so it won't arouse suspicion."
"Next full moon," Regina echoes, a strange warmth infusing her chest at the thought of seeing Ruby again.
"Try to lay low until then, huh?" Ruby advises. "Like I said, not all of Snow's knights are as nice as me."
"I'm well aware," Regina says, as they saunter towards the entrance. "I'll stay out of trouble if you stay out of traps."
"I'll try," Ruby says, pausing in the makeshift doorway. "Steak."
Regina frowns. "What?"
"Steak. You can make me steak for dinner," Ruby says, her teeth flashing in a smile. She winks and then she's gone, a blur of red disappearing into the forest.
Shaking her head, Regina grins. "Steak it is, Wolf."