Authors note – Ok sorry for the rambling but i have a few things i think i need to say before you get stuck into this story. Ive read Fanfiction for years but ive never wrote one before ever. There are so many unbelievably talented writers in the fic world and I'm a firm believer in leave it to the professionals. However this story hit me and wouldn't let go so i thought I'd give it a bash lol. I'm in no way a professional, I've not written creatively since school so im not in any way confident in this but a couple of my nearest and dearest on twitter have assured me its good enough to publish to the masses so I'm taking the plunge lol.
This is going to have at least two parts; this is just the first ill post the next one if this is well received. My lovely Beta thinks it could be more than two parts and it could be a possibility ill see how it go's but for now I'll just say it's going to be at least two parts.
I started this before Sundays ep so any inconsistencies to the ep is because of that, it's mainly the ice wall i forgot about so that's just pretend that's not a factor lol. Please review I welcome constructive criticism just bear in mind please it's my first time.
Thank you to my lovely Beta Geli without her this would make even less sense than it does now. Also thank you to Ivana who also took a look and assured me that its good enough to go out to the masses. If its crap than blame these two lol but either way their encouragement has been vital.
Ok ill stop the rambling now hope you enjoy.
Not mine, that pleasure is Adam and Eddy's
Robin held Roland closer to him and watched as the thick cloud of silvery, grey smoke came closer and closer to Storybrooke. A few more seconds, the spell of shattered sight would engulf the entire town, bringing out the worst in everyone it touched, causing everyone to turn against each other.
As he watched from the safety of beyond the town line, his mind, heart and soul screamed one word over and over again.
Regina.
She had insisted to him, no matter how much he insisted back that he needed to stay with her, that he get out of town. He had fought her tooth and nail, refusing to give in, telling her she had lost her mind if she believed for a second he would be anywhere but with her if she was going to be in any sort of danger. However after going back and forth for hours, her telling him over and over that she didn't want him to see her like that, The famous Evil Queen, and him repeatedly telling her he did not care, she had delivered her final and fatal blow.
"What about Roland?"
He looked at her, his forehead creased in confusion.
"What about him? You know I'd make sure he was safe. My men would guard him with their lives."
She let out a heavy sigh and looked to the floor and Robin could tell she was bracing herself for whatever she was about to say. Finally she raised her head and fixed her brown eyes with his blue ones, they shone with unshed tears and he took a step towards her, his automatic impulse to take her into his arms and comfort her setting in, unable to see her distressed, his heart and soul forbid it. However she held up a hand to stop him coming any closer and he stopped in his tracks.
"So you would leave your son without a father, when it's uncertain he will ever get to see his mother again?"
Robin sighed "Regina I'm sure I can handle anything anyone in that town can throw at me, besides it's not like anyone has an axe to grind with me"
"I'm not talking about the town idiots Robin I'm –"Her voice waivered and she drew in another shaky breath as he saw her struggle with whatever she was about to say. "I'm talking about me."
It then dawned on him what she meant and he walked swiftly towards her, cupping her face in the palms of his hands and lifting her face so he could look into her eyes.
"You won't hurt me either," He spoke with conviction, believing in his words one hundred percent and urging her to believe it too.
She stared back at him and spoke, her voice small but even and steady.
"I wouldn't... But she would"
He pondered her words, he had heard stories of "The Evil Queen" at the height of her terror and devastation of course but he had never seen of it firsthand. All his dealings when he was on her most wanted list had been with her Black Knights and as mighty in numbers they may have been, they were all seriously lacking in the wits department. He and his men never had much of a problem giving them the slip. However for all the stories he heard, as frightening as they may have been he could never imagine his Regina being anyone other than the beautiful woman standing in front of him how. The warm, kind, hot-headed, passionate beauty who he would fight for with his last breath.
His love. His soulmate.
And he would not leave her.
"I'll take my chances..."
She moved so quickly she startled Robin, yanking his hands off her face and taking two strides back from him, fixing him with a furious glare.
"No you won't take your chances you fool! You will get the hell over that town line and stay with your son. He does not need to lose another parent, his last parent. I don't want to be the one to take you from him"
"Regina..."
She cut him off again and kept talking like he hadn't even spoken. However, the anger had now left her voice and she spoke in a small broken voice, her tone taking on a slight pleading quality.
"Robin, please. I need you safe. I need to know that when I come through this you will be here, unharmed. I can't run the risk of you getting hurt... of me hurting you, just please get out of town and stay safe with Roland"
"Regina..." He tried again, seeing her increased anxiety, she was now looking frantic and his heart squeezed at the sight of her building hysteria.
"You would be her number one target, she believed love is weakness and she would want to eliminate that weakness... I won't be able to stop her. She's too far gone; you won't be able to reason with her."
He couldn't take anymore; he quickly closed the distance between them and took her into his arms. She struggled at first but he held her tighter, holding her against his chest till he felt her give in and laid her head on his chest, both hands clutching at the cotton if his shirt as she tried to calm her ragged breathing. Right that moment he would have promised her anything if it meant the end of her distress.
"Sssssh Regina, calm down, it's ok, it's ok... I'll stay away, I promise just sweetheart please calm down." As he held her he ran one hand through her hair as the other trailed up and down her back in soothing trails. He rocked her side to side and continued to whisper soft words of comfort as she calmed.
"You promise?" She said lifting her head to gaze into his eyes. "You will stay away?"
He sighed and reluctantly answered her what he knew she needed to hear even though it was the last thing he wanted to say to her at that moment.
"I promise my love, when that curse hits, me, Roland and the rest of the Merry Men will be out of town."
...
So here he was
Him, and his men had set up temporary camp in the forest just outside the town limits and now they stood and watched as the curse came closer and closer to the town. Soon it would and chaos would take over, making everyone it touched give in to their darkest impulses.
"Papa" the small voice of his son pulled him from his thoughts and he focused on him.
"What is it my boy?" he said looking down to the small, brown haired boy in his arms
"Where's Gina?"
"She's in the town Roland"
Roland looked up at him with confusion and fear.
"But the bad cloud will get her. Papa we need to save her!" The small boy began struggling in his arms, trying to get down, the thought of "his Gina" in any danger causing him to spring into action.
"Roland no, Gina will be OK, she has magic and it will keep her safe" Robin heard the words come out of his mouth but did not feel the conviction in them. A tight knot formed in his stomach and he felt a deep, ache in his chest, an ache he was quickly discovering was his soul crying out, recognising the distress of its mate and fighting deep inside him to go to her, to ease any suffering she may be going through.
No. His heart and soul wasn't convinced by his words and it appeared neither was his son.
"But you have to keep her safe papa, it's what you do, it's what you always do. If Gina is sad or hurt you make it better and make her smile again."
His son's words hit him like a punch to the gut. Was that true? It certainly was at one point, he made it his personal goal in life since the moment he met her to make sure that heart-stopping smile never left her face. A task he was failing at since the return of Marian, a fact that weighed heavily on him. He knew he had a lot to make up to her.
So why was he here while she fought alone... likely for her life? Likely confused and scared?
Why? Because of an ill made promise he made to her because she would rather fight alone than put him in danger?
No, he wouldn't let her, she had fought her last fight alone and he would make sure she never had to fight without him again. Mind made up he called out to his friend in a strong convicted voice, knowing he would be met with some resistance from his men for his decision.
"John"
With a last look at his son he placed a kiss to his mop of brown curls.
Little John made his way over to Robin stopping at Robins side a look of question on the larger man's face. He passed Roland over to John who took him without hesitation. And spoke one last time to his boy.
"Roland I need you to be a good boy and stay with John, help him guard the camp OK?"
"But where are you going papa?"
"I'm going to make sure Regina is safe my boy"
Roland beamed at him and reached over to give his father one last hug, clutching at the labels of his jacket. John focused weary eyes on his best friend and leader approaching what he was about to say with caution.
"Robin the Queen said... "
Robin focused steely eyes on John, making the large man stop his words midsentence, making it clear with just one glance to not even try to talk him out of going to find his true love.
"I know what she said John I was there, but I will not let her get harmed or go through this alone because of her misguided attempts to keep me safe. I'm going; I trust you will keep everyone safe here while I'm gone?"
Little John heaved a heavy sigh, shuffling to balance Roland onto one hip so he could free one of his hands to clasp his friend and brother on the shoulder.
"Do what you have to Robin, just please, please be careful."
With nothing more than a grateful glance in the direction of his friend and a ruffle of his son's hair Robin took off in a run towards the town of Storybrooke. Deep inside his chest his soul seemed to howl and fight within him, alerting him further of its mate's distress. Robin quickened his pace, Boots falling heavily on the wet grass as he sprinted through the forest, over the town line heading straight towards the Sheriff station. Robin had no idea why he would head in that direction. Surely he was more likely to find her in her vault or her home; however something told him he was heading the right way.
Towards her.
The knot in his stomach tightened, squeezing uncomfortably.
He had no idea what he was going to find when he got to her.
...
The only way to describe what was happening on the streets of Storybrooke was chaos, total utter chaos. Apparently precautions people had made to keep themselves safe from doing any harm had been in vain. Ropes, chains and locked doors were no match for the rage that the curse had unleashed in the residents of the small town.
People fought in the street; grabbing anything and everything they could to inflict maximum pain on what they perceived to be their enemies. One thing was startlingly clear; this battle would not be without casualties.
Robin paid them little mind has he sprinted towards the sheriff station. Throwing open the glass doors with more force than necessary. His eyes scanned the scene as he entered, his eyes going from Hook, to Emma to Elsa, before coming to settle on the hunched up figure locked behind the metal bars of one of the jail cells.
The figure was dressed in an elaborate outfit befitting a Queen, all black and purple lace and leather, jewels sparkling on the bodice of her corset.
Regina.
Her hair was up in an elaborate style, something he had not seen on her since the year they spent back in the Enchanted Forest, and held in place by two jewelled pins. This was the only clue he had so far that anything about her had changed. Regina had confided in him once in the Enchanted Forest how much she hated her wardrobe as the Queen, spoke of how she found them to be suffocating. That she missed her sophisticated but comfortable and practical clothes from her own land. When he had asked as to why she wore them if that was the case she had laughed and told him it was "armour" that it served to make an impression and announce her presence, instantly striking fear into people's hearts. She confessed this bitterly, gazing at him expecting him to look disgusted or even to mock her, however he just smiled gently at her and told her he believed she would look good in anything she wore. This had brought a small smile to her lips even as she rolled her eyes and told him she hoped he was a better thief than flirt.
As he observed her now he was confused. Of all the scenes he had imagined greeting him as he saw her under the influence of the curse this is the last one he expected. He expected to have to talk her down as she wreaked havoc; he expected to see her shooting fireballs at anyone who dared cross her path. Hell at the very least he expected her to be throwing sarcasm and harsh words at anyone in earshot, but she wasn't.
He moved closer to the cell to take a closer look, barely registering Emma telling him that it wasn't a good idea he was there, and squinted through the low lighting. He frowned at the sight that met him. Despite the elaborate outfit and hair Regina appeared to be unkempt, strands of hair had escaped her fancy undo and clung to her sweaty forehead. Her chest heaved against the harsh pull of her corset as her breath came out in ragged pants and sweat glistened on her heaving chest. She was hunched in the far corner of the cell, head down to the floor so he was unable to see her face, oh how he needed to see her face at that moment.
He turned to the others in the room in confusion about to ask what had happened to her when a glint of something shiny caught his attention from the corner of his eye, his head whipped back towards Regina and his eyes widened in horror. He felt his blood start to boil and a burning hot anger begin to build in his chest as he registered fully what he had spotted.
Wrapped tightly round each of her tiny fragile wrists were metal cuffs which joined in the middle by a thick linked chain.
Restraints, the bastards had restrained her.
If that wasn't enough to make him angry enough to kill whoever was responsible closer inspection made him have to close his eyes briefly as his stomach rolled in distress. She had clearly been fighting against the restraints for some time and judging by the mess they had made of her wrists she had put up one hell of a fight against them. The skin he could see not covered by metal was an angry red where the metal had chaffed at her normally smooth olive skin and the skin was torn in places. Streaks of red ran on either side of the cuffs, trails running down to her fingers and down to her elbows where the sleeves to the long coat she wore over her corset ended.
Blood.
He whipped round to the three others who stood nervously in the middle of the room, his eyes dark and dangerous, and his voice deadly as he barked out.
"What is the meaning of this?! Why is she restrained?"
Elsa jumped back in shock; Emma shuffled her feet and swallowed nervously. Only Hook appeared unaffected by Robin's anger and just stared back at him evenly, one eyebrow raised.
"Easy mate, it's for our protection, as well as hers."
That answer didn't wash with Robin, "She is behind metal bars, why does she need to be cuffed as well?"
"They are spelled cuffs," Emma spoke for the first time. "It's to block her magic."
Hook spoke again, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Yeah mate, you see, it's not that I mind babysitting your girlfriend. However, I'd quite like for her not to barbecue me in the process."
Somewhere far back in Robin's mind the pirate's words registered a small amount of sense, however it was swept away with the raging emotions he felt at seeing his loves skin marred and bloody by the blasted cuffs meant to keep her tamed. He was pulled from his thoughts then by Elsa's soft voice barely above a whisper asking a question that in his focus on Regina he hadn't thought to consider.
"Erm, Robin... Killian, why is the curse not affecting either one of you?"
Robin's mind half ponders the question, his eyes and mind not straying far from has true love who was now slightly rocking back and forth and muttering lowly to herself, too low for him to hear what she was saying.
"I'm not completely sure," Robin answered, his eyes still on Regina, his fingers itched to touch her, comfort her. The burning deep in his chest intensified as his soul resisted the growing distress of its mate in the cell. "My best guess is that I missed the effects because I wasn't in town when the curse initially hit."
Emma looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging "Sounds as sound a theory as any. That doesn't explain why Killian isn't affected though."
Robin glanced over to Hook catching the panicked look that crossed the pirate's face briefly before he quickly settled it into an indifferent look.
"Well I'd love to go into the gory details with you love but I think we have more pressing things to attend to you right now."
Emma frowned and looked for a moment like she wanted to press the subject further however Robin did have a more pressing issue he needed answers to. He spoke before Emma had a chance, his voice restrained and worryingly calm as he gently ran his fingers over the bars to the cell holding his true love.
"What's wrong with her?"
Emma shuffled her feet again looking nervous before answering carefully.
"We already told you, the cuffs are blocking – "
"No" Robin interrupted, turning away from the cell and placing his full attention on the blonde before speaking again.
"You have explained to me why she has no magic, what you haven't explained to me is why she's so weak right now."
Emma and Elsa was looking increasingly uneasy at his question as he fixed his steely gaze on them, making it plainly clear to them that he expected answers. Hook took pity on the two ladies taking it upon him to answer his difficult question.
"She's tired herself out mate that's all, she has spent the last hour before you joined us screaming and kicking and struggling to free herself like a woman possessed."
Robin glared at Hook and spoke his voice darkened further as his fists clenched at his sides.
"You would do well to not try and lie to me, MATE," Robin said, throwing the cocky pirates signature word back at him. "I know that woman in there better than I know myself and I know for a fact that she would not lie down and give up just out of exhaustion. She would keep fighting with her last breath, magic or no magic, whether it be with her fists or her words, she would not be like this. Now I'll ask you again, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?!"
Robin paused in his rant, breath leaving him in harsh pants as he struggled to calm an anger he knew had nothing to with the god forsaken curse plaguing the town. It was an anger that could only be sparked from the knowledge that someone had tried to harm the woman he loved.
The three in the room looked between themselves, all unable to look Robin in the eye, all seemingly at a loss to form the right words. The silence in the room was thick and heavy broken only by Regina's incoherent mumbling, the silence stretched on for an uncomfortable length of time before Emma's uneasy voice quietly broke the silence.
"Blue... she thought it best if...the cuffs..."
Hook taking pity on his girlfriend laid his one hand on Emma's arm silencing her stuttering. Letting her know he would take over. Hook visibly took a deep breath in, bracing himself for what he was about to tell Robin.
"The long and the short of it is mate, those cuffs don't just block her magic, they are designed to weaken her until removed."
Robin shocked them all by not reacting at all, he kept his steely, cold eyes on the three individuals in the room, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, the muscle in his jaw twitching due to his teeth being clenched so hard.
Emma looking increasingly uneasy by Robin's lack of immediate reaction rushed on to try and explain herself.
"Robin, I know this looks bad but Regina would have reverted back to her former self, The Evil Queen. You haven't met her but I have and believe me the results would have been dire. Everyone would have been in danger. All of us, my parents, my brother. Believe me Robin if I thought there was another way I'd have never done this, I had no choi – "
Emma's cut her words off and everyone in the room jumped, startled by the loud, thundering bang that vibrated through the room. The source of the sound coming from Robin as he slammed his fist down on Emma's large oak desk. The only person that did not appear startled by the abrupt loud sound was Regina who carried on mumbling and rocking as if nothing has happened. Robin let out a dark laugh, a scary sound under the circumstances.
"Go on then Emma, try and explain away why you have the woman I love chained, weakened and locked up like nothing more than a wild animal, I'd love to hear any excuse you can give me for this."
Emma had the grace to look ashamed, Hook however seemed to not know when to leave a bad situation alone, whether it was arrogance or stupidity Robin wasn't sure, but Hook tried again to explain away the couple's actions.
"Mate Emma was only trying to do what was best for the whole town."
Robin raised his hand to silence Hook, his voice shaking with anger.
"Hook the only sound I want to hear out of your mouth right now is the gurgling of blood caused by an arrow in your heart, now GET OUT, all of you."
The three looked confused by Robins request appearing torn on what the best course of action to take. Emma tried one last time to reason with the thief.
"Robin I'm not sure it's wise that you be left alone with her right now, that woman in there, she's not the woman you love, it's The Evil Queen and she won't think twice about hurting you if you give her the chance."
Robin laughed again but there was no amusement in the sound.
"You just don't get it do you Emma?" The thief bit out as he walked closer to the blonde looking her dead in the eyes. "Every part of her is the woman I love. The good parts, the parts you have never seen and are never likely to see and the bad, and no matter what she throws at me, Evil Queen or not she is still the woman I love and I love those parts of her too, and I will not stand by and allow her to suffer alone for something that she has no control over, you hear me? As long as I have air left in my lungs she will never suffer alone again, now all of you out and leave me alone with the woman I love"
The tone of his voice and the dangerous glint in his eyes left the trio no room to argue further with him. With one last worried look in Robin's direction the three left the station, the bang of the double doors alerting him to their exit.
Robin let out a deep breath and ran a hand, shaking with anger, through his sandy hair before turning his full attention on the hunched, rocking figure in the cell. After a few seconds he was finally able to focus his full attention on her. From the moment he entered the station his first impulse had been to go straight to her, his body and soul aching with the need to be close to its other half and ease the obvious pain he knew from instinct she was going through. However Robin was a patient man, you had to be in his line of work, and a quick survey of the situation as he entered the room told him if he was to help Regina he would need to know the full gravity of the situation, and now he did, every grim and heartbreaking detail, so now he could focus on helping her, and he would help her.
Robin slowly approached the bars of the cell and gently ran his fingers over the metal; He was as close as he could get to touch her right now. He took a couple of deep breaths, bracing himself, for what he wasn't sure. He looked at the hunched figure and for the first time since he entered the room, his voice took on a sense of tenderness and he started to speak in a soft voice.
"Regina..."
To be continued.