A/N: First story I've published! I don't use a beta, but I do proofread it twice myself, so if there are any errors left after that, they're all on me.

Disclaimer: If I owned them, I'd be Disney. And if I were Disney, I wouldn't be sitting at my computer, I'd be in Disney World, so no, not mine.

I put the long author's note at the bottom, so you can get to reading. Hope you enjoy!

Regina gazed out over the courtyard. So, this was to be her new home. She was completely alone for the first time since setting out for Leopold's castle. Her mother and father, With their servants, had just left. They would return in just a few weeks to see her marry the king. Suddenly, a knock on the door jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she said curiously, wondering who could be at the door.

Robin entered the woman's chambers carefully, taking in the sight of her. She was, undoubtedly, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He had heard, of course, that the young woman was gorgeous, but he hadn't expected her beauty to stun him like this. He had also heard she was young, but she looked even younger than he had expected. This was the king's bride-to-be? Why, she was practically a child. The king was old enough to be her father. Robin was young himself, barely 23, but this girl– he couldn't bring himself to call her a woman, not when he sometimes still thought of himself as a boy– looked younger even than him. If he had to guess, he would say she was barely 20 years of age. Too young to marry, he thought. But, no, he couldn't question the king like that. His job was to service the royal family, not to question the king.

Still, she seemed so small and withdrawn, the complete opposite of her mother who had been demanding and uncompromising— or so he had heard. He hadn't actually met the woman. He wouldn't be surprised if the girl had been very much subject to her mother's demands her entire life. And she just seemed so young, so unready for marriage, that he suspected her mother must've been a significant factor in her accepting Leopold's proposal. But, he chastised himself, that was a lot to infer from just a glance at the girl.

"Princess? Princess Regina?" He addressed her, trying not to jump to conclusions.

Regina opened her mouth to correct him, to say there's no need to call her 'Princess,' but she stopped herself. I'm to be queen. She reminded herself. and he's a servant. Soon it will be 'your majesty,' and mother would say I need to get used to everyone addressing me this way.

"Yes?" she said instead.

"My name is Robin, my lady. I have been asked to see to your needs for the moment. I was told you did not bring any of your own servants to join you here, is that correct?"

"Yes, that's true. My mother was assured the staff here would be more than capable of seeing to my needs."

Cora had decided not to allow Regina to bring with her any of the staff who had cared for her as a child. As if killing Daniel wasn't enough, she wanted Regina to be completely dependent on her new husband and his staff. She didn't want her daughter to have anyone she knew who might be sympathetic enough to attempt to help her escape. Not that it would help. Regina was imprisoned here by a barrier spell until the moment she said 'I do,' and became a prisoner of the marriage she didn't want.

"Very well. We can't really spare many people at the moment, as everyone is very busy preparing for the wedding, but I will speak to the head of the staff about getting you a lady's maid. If it is acceptable, I will be the one to bring you your meals for the time being. They will be served in your sitting room unless you are dining elsewhere with the King. Also, I will be on call should you ever need my assistance. After the wedding–once you are queen, you will be asked to choose a small personal staff."

She nodded. "Thank you, Robin. I believe that will be acceptable."

"Very well, my lady. Is there anything I can do for you at the moment?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you."

"Alright, well, if you need anything, just ring for me." He said, indicating the bell on the table in the center of the room.

He turned to leave, bowing as he left.

He was halfway out of the room when he heard her voice: "Wait!"

"Yes, my lady?" He said, reentering the room.

"My… my tree?" she asked almost shyly, her voice lacking the quiet confidence it had had only a moment ago. "Do you know where it is? Do you know if it's been planted yet?"

"What tree? I'm afraid I haven't heard anything about a tree."

"My… apple tree. I… brought it with me. Mother said… she said, the king gave permission for it to be planted in the courtyard. I've tended to it since I was a little girl. I was hoping that… having it here would… help it… to feel …a little more …like home." Her voice trailed off. Of course he doesn't care! She berated herself, why would I say that?

"Very well, my lady. I will inquire about your apple tree." he responded, and she was surprised when he added: "I'll… ask that it be planted as soon as possible for you."

She gave a small smile as he left the room. He surprised himself by heading immediately to find the head gardener to ask about her tree. Normally, he'd just wait until he ran into the man, but something about the queen-to-be– her sadness, perhaps– made him want to help her. More than that, it made him curious about her, made him eager to see her, to speak to her again, and the sooner he asked about the tree, the sooner he would get the chance.

Unfortunately, he was unable to find the head gardener until late in the evening, though he did get the man to promise that the tree would be planted first thing in the morning in the courtyard.

The next day, he knocked on the door to her chambers around midmorning.

"Just a moment," her voice came from within the room.

Moments later, the door opened to reveal the young princess, still in her nightclothes, with her long hair unstraightened, curled and flowing down her back. His eyes met hers for only a moment before he dropped his gaze to the floor in deference to her attire, but by gods, she was stunning. She was, he thought, even more beautiful than she had been the previous day, dressed in a gown fit for a queen, with her hair done up in an elaborate style. As beautiful as he had thought her yesterday, it seemed that all those trappings served to diminish her natural beauty, rather than enhance it.

"I… uh," he stammered, thrown by the unexpected sight of her in her nightclothes, and further startled by his own reaction to it. "I… apologize, my lady, if I disturbed your rest. I wanted to inform you that your apple tree was planted in the courtyard this morning. You seemed eager to learn of his whereabouts yesterday, so I thought you would want to be told immediately that it had been planted."

"Oh, yes, of course, thank you so much."

She sounded happy, so he chanced a glance up at her face, hoping she wasn't angry at him for disturbing her. What he saw astonished him. She was smiling. Not the small, tired smile he had seen yesterday, but a full, genuine smile that transformed her appearance. It lit up her face, and however beautiful he had thought she was before, that was nothing compared to how she looked at this moment.

"You're very welcome, my lady. I will… leave you be, then."

"Of course," she said, the smile falling from her lips so that he immediately regretted its absence as she shut the door.

He left to return to his duties. A few minutes later, however, he heard the sound of the bell that meant she was summoning him.

"Princess?" He called, knocking on the door.

"Come in," her voice rang out.

"You rang? Was there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, I did." She was dressed now, in a simple, pale purple gown, and she had brushed her hair, though it still fell down her back in a mess of silky curls he longed to touch. "I… don't know the way to the courtyard. I'm… sorry–to, to take you away from your duties for something so silly. I'm sure you're very busy, especially right now."

"It's not silly, my lady." He assured her, mentally chastising himself for the unexpected desire to touch her hair, "You've only just arrived, how could you possibly be expected to know your way around the castle. And, as for my duties, what could possibly be more important than seeing to the needs of the future queen?"

"Come, I'll take you to the courtyard. I'm sure you're eager to see your tree again." She smiled at that, just a little, and nodded.

He let her through the corridors of the castle until they reached the courtyard, Where she saw her apple tree had been planted in the middle. She ran to it immediately, reaching out to touch the trunk. She smiled again, but this was a different smile from the one that had dazzled him earlier. This one seemed… Peaceful, serene. Her whole face relaxed and at that moment, he realized how tense she had been. He caught himself watching her as she reached out to touch her tree, and shook himself out of his thoughts. "My lady," he asked, "is there anything else you require?"

"No, thank you," she said, still looking more peaceful than he'd seen her since she arrived." I think I will be able to find my own way back to my chambers, thank you."

"Very well, my lady. I will have the midday meal waiting for you in your chambers in a few hours."

She nodded in response, but didn't speak, turning back to the tree that made this foreign castle seem a little more like home.

A/N: So, this was just an AU that popped into my head, and I thought 'I wish someone would write that.' And then I thought 'I'm smart, why don't I write it?'

I have the idea pretty fleshed out to ten chapters, but it seems to grow every time I think about it, so we'll see. It probably won't end up being more than twelve chapters, though.

Word of warning, though, I can't promise updates on any kind of schedule, since I'm in college and starting what promises to be a very busy semester. I'll do my best, and this is the thing eating up all my free time right now, but schoolwork comes first.

I apologize if Robin seems completely out of character, but I did the best I could with him being in such a different position from the show. If that's not good enough for you, it is an AU, and I claim it as artistic license. If Regina is out of character, I have no such excuse, as I did my very best to get inside her head at this point in her life.

Please, please review! This is the first fanfiction I've published anywhere, and the first multi-chapter fic I've ever had enough of a plot for to even start, so I'd really appreciate the feedback. Besides, if you don't tell me that you liked it, I'm liable to get shy and rethink posting the rest of it. :)