A Chance at Happiness

Regina is confused. She cannot understand why Daddy made her cancel her riding lessons and travel with him right away. He didn't even leave her time to change from her riding clothes to a dress, he basically pulled her out of her chambers and out of the castle by her hand before she could even understand what was happening.

Although they've been traveling for more than an hour now, Henry didn't bother to explain where they were going, insisted that she'll find that out soon on her own. One part of her is angry – her father knows how important her riding lessons are to her and he's taken it from her, and now he doesn't even explain where they are traveling.

However, the other part of her is generally confused and anxious.

Where are they traveling?

Why doesn't Daddy tell her?

Is something wrong?

She keeps torturing herself with these thoughts until the carriage is stopped. Only then she's snapped out of her thoughts. She blinks a few times, inhales deeply and sees that their servant has already opened the small door of the carriage.

"Where are we, Daddy?" she swallows hard and asks, trying to keep her voice strong as Daddy gets out of a carriage and holds his hand out for her.

Henry ignores her questions, only asks her to please, get out of the carriage and go with him.

Regina hesitates. She's not a shy girl, usually she's brave and ready to face everything but this whole situation confused her a lot. Inhaling she looks at her father, at his stretched out hand, wordlessly asking one more time what is going on. But her father only gives her a tight smile and asks her to go with him.

Sighing, she takes Henry's hand.

The place is unknown to Regina, at least she's never been here before. It looks like they're in a middle of a forest or some kind of a small village.

She turns to her father who looks at her nervously, lips pressed together in a thin line. She can see how he inhales shakily before motioning for her to follow him.

But she can still feel that something is off.

She's the most precious thing to him, Regina reminds herself, he'd said that time and time again, had proved it in more than one way. He wouldn't let her get hurt.

She trusts her father.

With that thought she does as she's told again and follows her father.

Despite that, Regina's heart is in her throat.

Henry leads her into the old building that looks like it's going to tumble down at any moment. It could be a tavern or some other place where only peasants would go. Regina swallows her disgust (and nerves) and follows her father dutifully, not a word said.

The door is closed behind them with a loud bang that makes Regina feel even more uncomfortable. Inhaling deeply, she looks around. Indeed, it's a rather small tavern that smells of alcohol and cigars, sweat and dirt, and Regina frowns in confusion.

She has no idea what people like them could be doing in this kind of place.

Good thing she doesn't have to wait for long to figure it out.

It turns out that a man is waiting for them, a man who looks like he belongs to this place by soul although his appearance tells a different story. He's dressed in some fancy tunic and wears a cape over it which is the color of the forest (that's as much as she can see while he's sitting at the table). He could be a peasant but at the same time and a noble man.

Regina inhales sharply.

"Hello, Mr. Locksley," Daddy greets the man with a small, nervous smile and a court nod. Then he glances at Regina who's standing behind him rather stunned.

It's her father's gaze that brings her back to reality and she remembers her manners and does a skeptical bow in greeting.

"Mr. Mills," the man nods, stands up and shakes hands with Henry. He then turns to look at Regina, and her breath hitches in her throat. His eyes are so deep and beautiful! "And you must be Miss Mills. I'm Robin of Locksley," he introduces himself.

Regina only narrows her eyes at him, still not being able to understand what the hell they are doing here.

"Sit down, please," the man says when Regina looks away and takes his previous place while Henry sits down on the bench in front of him. Regina hesitates for a moment but when her father asks her to please sit down she does as she is told.

She cannot explain why she's so nervous about this whole thing.

It's hilarious. It's not the first business meeting her father brought her to, and all the other times she didn't seem to mind. She would sit quietly while her father discussed business but now… Now she feels something, and her father is acting strange…

"Would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you," Henry replies, and turns to look at Regina nervously. It feels as if he's apologizing to her for some unknown reason. Regina opens her mouth to ask something but he turns back to the man in front of them and starts, "Mr. Locksl-"

"Please, call me Robin."

"Robin," he corrects himself and Regina feels him relaxing a bit, there's a small smile on his face now.

The same, however, couldn't be said about Regina. She's sitting there, her back straight as a board, her whole body tensed as she wonders for the umpteenth time that day what does it all mean.

Henry makes a small conversation with this man, but Regina cannot concentrate on what they're saying. She feels something, something strange and scary, and she hopes, prays to all the Gods above that they come home safe and sound.

She's pulled out of her thoughts when Henry takes her hands in his and gives in a light comforting squeeze. She blinks rapidly for a few times and lifts her gaze to look at him.

"Sweetheart," he starts nervously. He squeezes her hands one more time, inhales deeply and tells her, "I brought you here on purpose." Regina swallows hard but doesn't say anything. She watches as her father struggles to find the right words before he settles on saying, "Robin of Locksley wants to marry you."

"What?"

The word is out of her mouth before she can fully understand what is happening. She stares at her father in shock, not even breathing.

It must be a joke, she's been sad these past few weeks and her father probably decided to cheer her up. Yes, that's the case.

Well, his joke is obviously awful.

She laughs but when Henry doesn't join her, only continues to look at her whilst holding her hands, her laugh dies down in her throat and she realizes that it is not a joke at all. It's true.

It is actually happening.

"What?" she asks again as she pulls her hands out of her father's and tries to stand up. Her legs are shaking badly but she manages to get up and starts walking backwards.

Henry stands up as well and grabs her hand that is shaking now again as he whispers that she has to let him explain, she needs to calm down at listen.

Tears fill her eyes as she shakes her head. There's no explanation for this. Her father wants to marry her off to someone she doesn't even know. And she thought he loved her…

Inhaling deeply she refuses to cry in front of them, she pushes all of her emotions away and holds herself a little straighter, her head held a little higher.

Henry sighs, "Do you remember king Leopold whose daughter you saved a few weeks ago?"

Regina nods her head and takes a deep breath, forces herself to listen.

"Sweetheart, your mother is arranging your marriage with that King."

Regina's whole body becomes covered in goose bumps as the words repeat in her head over and over again, like a broken record. She wants to laugh, wants to cry, wants to scream and hope that it's just a dream, but instead she keeps it all inside and lets her father continue.

"Darling, I'm aware that that man is three times older than you and I would be an awful father if I didn't do anything and just let that bastard marry you." He tells her sincerely and when he takes her hands in his again, she doesn't fight it. "In order to stop this madness, I found my old friend's son. I've heard that he's in need of a wife and I know him, Regina, he's a good man. This is your best chance, to accept this proposal and marry Robin of Locksley. This is the only way to stop your mother and the King."

It feels like her whole world has come crashing down around her.

Yesterday she was riding a horse, laughing with Daniel, talking about the future they'll have together, stealing kisses from one another and innocent touches. She was so careless and happy and now…

Now she finds out that there's a king who wants to marry her and her mother is already basically selling her out to some old man without even asking what Regina wants. And then there is her father, the only person she actually trusted (expect Daniel) who wants her to marry a man she doesn't even know.

She wants to throw up.

"Look, I know it is all very confusing to you please, be open minded and listen to what Mr. Locksley wants to offer," Henry begs her as he wipes away a few tears from her cheeks. She hasn't even realized she was crying. "I know you are smart and will do what's best for you." He then kisses her cheeks, hugs her, "I will leave you two to discuss everything," he tells her and walks out of the tavern.

When the door is closed and her father in out, Regina shifts uncomfortably from one leg to another, takes a few deep breaths to steady herself. She doesn't know how she manages to keep herself upright while her legs are shaking that bad.

This is insanity.

Inhaling deeply, she finally looks up to the man who's still sitting at the table, to the man who may be her husband if she agrees.

Well, at least he's not three times older than her.

Regina shakes her head to herself. How can he be her potential husband when she's in love with Daniel? How can they even consider her becoming his wife when she's promised to spend her whole life with her stable boy?

Mr. Locksley pushes a drink towards her, tells her she should drink. The cup looks dirty, it makes Regina grimace but she's so thirsty, her emotions are all over the place so she pushes down her disgust and takes a sip of it, hopes that it will make her feel a bit better.

"I understand that you are surprised right now," Mr. Locksley starts as she puts the cup down and looks at him again, eyes wide and skeptical. "I may not seem like your best choice but you have to listen to me. I have a very convenient arrangement for the both of us."

"Oh, really?" she asks sarcastically. "I don't see it that way."

"That's because you haven't heard about it yet," he tells her with a smile but when Regina doesn't return the smile, he becomes serious again. "As you already know, I need a wife. You need to escape from the King. There couldn't be a better offer than for us to get married.

Now Regina laughs humorlessly. "Oh, trust me, there is a better offer."

He pretends that he hasn't heard what she just said and continues, "Your father also told me that I wouldn't get your love, because your heart belongs to someone else."

It makes Regina look up at him as she fights to hide her surprise.

They've been so careful, she and Daniel, they would only meet after the midnight when she's made sure that the staff and her parents are asleep, or would kiss only when they're sure they're in the middle of nowhere.

Yet her father knows.

And he told this very confidence information to some unknown man.

For a brief moment she wonders who else knows.

"I see that I got your attention."

Regina swallows hard. "I don't understand why Daddy told you that. Also, I don't understand why you want to marry someone who's in love with someone else."

"My heart belongs to someone else, too," he admits and takes a sip of his drink. She doesn't think he's thirsty, she thinks he needs a moment to collect himself if his glassy eyes are any indication. However, when he puts the drink down and looks back at her he looks as right as rain. "I can't be with her. And my family demands for a grandchild."

"Wow! Stop right here! You want to have a child with me?!" she asks, her voice high-pitched.

She cannot understand why her father thought it was a good offer. It is insanity!

When Mr. Locksley nods, she feels as if she's going to faint.

"I'm not ready to have a child," she exclaims and stands up again, running her hands through her long hair in desperation. "I'm only seventeen, how could you marry me and expect me to give you a child when I'm a child myself?" she asks in disbelief.

However, she knows that age means nothing in their realm. She had a few friends, girls from close kingdoms who got married at the age of fifteen or even younger, and not a word was said about this. It's not that she's not old enough to get married and have children but the thought of it makes her stomach turn.

She cannot have a child. She doesn't want to get married to that man. She wants to live free and wild with Daniel, she wants to create her future with him, not this man she knows nothing about.

"How could Daddy ever think it was a good idea?" she mumbles, disbelieving.

"Your father knows me since I was a child," he answers her rhetorical question. "He knows that I wouldn't put you in harm's way."

Regina doesn't say anything. This is madness! How could she marry him and give him a child when her heart belongs to Daniel? How could she forget her feelings and move on? Only yesterday she's been thinking about her future with Daniel and now-

She's been so foolish to believe that she'd have a happy ending.

"Look, I know you cannot see the bright side right now but let me tell you more about the arrangement I'm offering" He asks and motions for her to sit down. She looks at him, doubts if she wants to know more but sits down nonetheless, thinks that if her mother is really arranging her marriage with that old King she should definitely listen to this man.

Mr. Locksley smiles a bit and then speaks, "I would marry you and as a part of a deal you should travel to live with me. But it wouldn't mean much to you, you'd be a free woman. We would just shut my family up, they would leave me alone and we would save you from what sounds like an awful marriage to a king."

"Oh, really? She asks, shaking her head in disbelief. "You forgot to mention the part where you wanted me to give you an heir."

"Yes, we would also need to have a baby," he nods his head as if it's not a big deal.

"I'm not ready to have a child!" she tries to say but her arguments die down on her tongue as she remembers her friends one more time.

"I am well aware that you're only seventeen and obviously haven't thought about marriage and having children yet. So we could wait. I need your word that you accept my offer, we engage but it doesn't mean I would marry you right away. If you really wanted that, I would wait until you're eighteen, or nineteen even. We would get married whenever you're ready."

He sounds honest and trustworthy and she thinks that perhaps it could work, his proposition is better than the marriage to the King. But she's still not ready for this.

"I'm - I'm not…"

"You don't have to decide right now. Of course, the faster, the better. If you mother is really arranging your marriage with someone else, we need to be quicker than her and announce our engagement sooner." He tells her sincerely, putting his hand on hers. But she moves it away, she doesn't want his touch.

"Okay, how long do I have?"

"Let's say if I don't get your answer by the end of this week, I'll know that you're not interested."

A week is not enough but she supposes it's the best she can get so she nods her head, stands up, turns on her heels and rushes out of the tavern to the carriage without saying a goodbye.

(…)

On the way back to the castle, Regina doesn't say a single word. All she can think about is the proposition that was offered to her just moments ago. She doesn't know what she's supposed to do now, she's never thought she would have to make this choice for she was sure she'll marry Daniel.

Now she's not so sure anymore.

How could her father think it was a good idea, is beyond her.

"Sweetheart," Henry's touch and soft voice snaps her out of her thoughts.

She flinches away from his touch, shaking her head. "Let me think, Daddy," she whispers as a tear runs down her cheek.

"Darling, I know that this doesn't look good for you but trust me, I want only happiness for you. You have to consider Mr. Locksley proposition, even if it looks unacceptable at the moment. I know you love Daniel but, Regina, your mother wouldn't care about that. All she cares about is tittle and trust me we won't be able to turn down the King's offer if he's the first one who proposes. Please, my darling, think about it."

She doesn't say a word to her father. She lets him talk, and he talks all the way back to the castle. She hears only bits and pieces because all she can clearly hear is her rapidly beating heart that's trying to jump out of her chest.

She's screwed.

(…)

As soon as the carriage stops in their estate, Regina gets out of it and rushes to the castle. She can hear Daddy shouting behind her, asking her to stop, to talk to him but she doesn't stop, she just runs into her room, shuts the door behind her, collapses onto the bed and cries.

She needs to think about it. About everything.

Life is so unfair sometimes, damn it!

It takes a few days to think about everything, it takes a few days until Regina finally feels strong enough to face the world again. She'd faked illness these last few days and mother had been furious, telling her that she must be ready when the day comes. She hasn't said what 'the day' meant, but Regina knew now.

Hours spent crying and thinking about the proposition helped her accept the consequences of being her mother's daughter. Cora always wanted her to be a Queen and now it may be actually happening. But these hours made her realize one thing – she will marry the King over her head body.

Mr. Locksley's proposition looks more and more acceptable, if he would only agree to her terms, she could actually agree. If only…

When she makes sure that Mother is busy, she sneaks out of the castle and runs straight to the stables. She's missed Daniel, hasn't seen him all these days. She didn't feel strong enough to talk with him about this proposition, felt like she needed to make her own decision and only then come to him.

Daniel is right there in the stables, doing his work but as soon as he sees Regina, he quits whatever he was doing and rushes to her. She falls into his arms, hugs him and relaxes for the first time since that crazy arrangement was offered to her.

"Regina? Are you alright?" Daniel asks, pulling away from her, making her look at him. "I heard from maids that you were sick, and you skipped your lessons and I thought that something awful happened to you!"

He pulls her into another tight hug and she has to fight to keep her emotions under control. She cannot cry now, she needs to be the strong one and tell him about a new turn in their future.

"I'm fine."

"Where were you?" he asks, still worried.

There's no reason to lie to him, Regina thinks, as she pulls away from him and takes a step back. He looks at her puzzled while she inhales and finally tells him, "I have to get married, Daniel."

A single tear runs down her cheek as her lover stares at her in disbelief. She promised herself not to cry, but now, saying it out loud seems ten times worse than it already was.

"What?"

"I'm getting married," she repeats, her voice shaking.

"Are you- We… You said… I…" he's struggling to speak and she understands, asks him to let her explain.

For a moment he just looks at her, his breathing labored but then he sighs and tells her to speak.

"Mother wants me to marry the King. He can come to propose anytime." She says and Daniel opens his mouth to say something but she shakes her head, "Let me finish. Daddy offered me a solution. There's a man who wants to marry me. He said that he doesn't want a relationship, that he's in love with someone else, just like me. He told me that I'll be free, that means we'll stay together, Daniel. Forever."

It sounds stupid to her own ears and she can already see as Daniel face turns from confused to furious as he stares at her. And she understands, she doesn't think that there's a man out there who would agree to marry someone like Regina and wouldn't expect anything from her.

She thinks that she made a good choice when she left out the part about the child. Daniel is already against the proposition (and who wouldn't?), she can see it written on his face and she doesn't even want to imagine how he would've reacted if she told him that she needs to provide an heir.

Daniel would never agree to accept something like that, but it's their chance at happiness, this marriage may make them free and she's not going to let it go. She doesn't even care if she has to lie now.

"Your parents are out of their minds!" Daniel exclaims as he runs his hands through his hair, panting.

"I know, but this man is much better than the King, trust me."

"Let's run away," he suggests, taking her hand in his and squeezing. "I promise I'll work hard and you'll never lack anything. I promise to make you the happiest woman on this planet, Regina. Just give me a chance!" he begs her and there are tears shinning in her eyes as she shakes her head sadly.

She's already thought about this. She thought about running away, crossing realms, doing whatever it takes to be happy. But she knows her mother, and her mother is a strong witch, she would find them anywhere and would end them. Both of them.

"We can't," she tells him, another tear rolling down her cheek. "She'll find us, you know that. And then I will never see you again. I can't risk that, Daniel. I love you too much."

He pulls her into his arms then and holds her there. She relaxes in his embrace once again, rests her head against his chest and tries to calm down.

"How do you know that that man is not lying? How do you know that he won't change his mind?" Daniel asks, pulling away from her and starting to pace back and forth in the stables.

"I don't think he's lying," she admits. Regina is not one to trust people easily, living with her mother taught her to trust no one, but somehow she trusts this man, thinks that he'll keep his word. At least hopes so.

Daniel looks at her and she knows that he doesn't believe her.

Regina walks to him, rests her hand on his bicep and waits until he looks straight into her eyes.

"Listen to me," she asks, and finally tells him what she's decided during these days when she locked herself away from the world, "I will tell him that I want you to travel with me to his home. If he agrees, then I take his proposition and agree to be his wife. If not, we run away."

"I don't know, Regina." Daniel shakes his head, and Regina realizes she's never seen him so worried before. "It's too risky. He may change his mind after the wedding."

"Please, trust me on this." She begs. "Daniel, if he changes his mind after the wedding, we can run away then. It's going to be fine. But for now we have to think about less drastic way to solve our problems. This marriage may be a good thing," she tries to sound hopeful.

"I don't want to lose you," he tells her and she wraps her arms around his waist, rests her head against his chest, over his rapidly beating heart.

"You won't. I promise."

(…)

The next morning Regina wakes up with the Sun, finds her father and asks him to arrange the meeting with Mr. Locksley. Henry looks overjoyed, pulls her into his arms and kisses her cheeks, tells her that it's her best decision even though she didn't tell him what she decided.

The meeting is arranged the same day after lunch. Henry tells everyone that it's a political meeting between two kingdoms and Mother rolls her eyes, tells that she's uninterested and leaves the castle for the day.

Regina smiles at that, relieved. She really doesn't need her mother breathing against her neck when she discusses such a serious proposition.

Mr. Locksley travels on time. He's smiling as always, his deep blue eyes shining as he shakes hands with Henry and nods at Regina. The older man ushers them into the council room, tells them that he will be back in an hour and leaves them to talk alone.

When the door is closed behind Regina's father, she sighs and closes her eyes for a moment. She's been thinking about this meeting for hours now, has been thinking about the words she was going to say but now everything seems wrong.

Opening her eyes, she starts, "Mr. Lockls-"

"My name is Robin, Regina," the man in front of her reminds needlessly.

Regina shifts uncomfortably, inhales and corrects herself, "Robin. I've made my decision."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"But first I need you to hear and agree to my terms." She tells him. He raises an eyebrow at her but nods, and Regina feels confident enough to continue, "I want our stable boy to live with us in your castle or whatever you live in."

Robin looks at her for a moment and she can see that he's skeptical but then he sighs and smiles a bit, agrees. "Okay."

"Okay? Just like that?" she asks, disbelieving. "No questions? Nothing? I hope you do understand that the stable boy is my… lover." The last word is whispered because even though she knows her mother is away and there's no way she could hear that, it's better to be safe.

Robin nods and walks closer to her, takes her hands in his. She wants to take a step back but his sincere voice makes her stop, "I know that this is not the life you've always dreamt about. But I still want you to be happy. So of course he could live with us, I'll find him some kind of a job so he could be near you at all times but no one would suspect that there's something between the two of you." He then smiles, "We will make it work. I want you to be happy in my castle, Regina."

"I don't understand why you want to marry me," she tells him, shaking her head, finally taking a step back and he releases her hand, gives her space. He seems like a good man, and she's sure he could find a woman who would love him and give him an heir. And he would be much happier then. And yet he chooses her. "You will not get any love from me."

"As I said before, my family demands for a grandchild because they want to keep the throne." He says and she tells him that she already knows that. "I don't want any relationship because my heart belongs to someone else as well, Regina, and I cannot be with her. I will never be able to, so I want to do a good thing and safe you from an awful marriage and, at the same time, shut up my family."

She looks at him, doubting.

"I just need someone who would understand that I don't need love, that I don't expect it. I don't want someone who could fall in love with me because I couldn't return these feelings. Now you should understand why you're perfect for that." He continues, "I will help you to get your happiness while you, in return, give me a child and help to make my family happy."

She thinks that it's an awful idea. There's no way they're going to make this work. This is too good to be truth.

"However, your stable boy won't be able to live with us right away," he adds and Regina's eyes turn wide. "I need to be sure that the baby is mine. There are ways to see whose child it is, trust me. If something happens to me and someone figures out the child is not mine, you'll be killed or thrown out of the castle."

"I-" she stutters. She didn't think about it. But yes, he's right. Though, it doesn't mean that Daniel has to be away. "I promise you that I won't-"

"I trust you, Regina," he tells her and she wants to laugh at the absurdity of it – they both trust each other although it's only a second time they're talking. "It's him I don't trust."

Regina shakes her head to herself. She already knows that Daniel won't be happy with this, it's already hard for them. And now, now Robin is changing the rules.

What is she supposed to do?

"I promise you, you'll be able to see him as much as you'd like." Robin assures her then, taking a step closer. "He'll be staying in one of our castles until you're with a child and as soon as that happens, he's free to come back."

She looks at him skeptically.

"I promise that to you."

Regina shakes her head to herself. It's awful that she has to marry someone who's not Daniel but that someone looks like a really good person and she prays to all the Gods above that he's really good and it's not just an act.

Inhaling shakily, she says, "I accept your proposal." Her head is held high as if not to let him see that the thought of actually marrying him is terrifying her, as if to stop him from seeing that her legs and hands are shaking.

"I'm glad to hear that," Robin smiles and surprises her by pulling her into a hug. She finds that his touch is not as unwelcome as she thought it will be. "There are more things we need to discuss but I think we need to announce our engagement first to make sure you're saved from the King. Then we'll have plenty of time to prepare and talk about everything."

"I suppose you're right," she tells him, voice shaking. She feels a few tears running down her cheeks as she closes her eyes and sighs shakily.

This is really happening.

(…)

Mother is furious. She's smiling at Robin but Regina can see that her smile is fake. But Regina keeps herself neutral, tries to act surprised and sad (not that she needs to pretend to be sad, she already is that), when Robin kneels in front of her and offers a ring, to make sure that mother doesn't understand that this is all an act, that they've already discussed their marital life and things.

Regina's standing there beside Robin as he and Henry announce to the whole kingdom that princess Regina is getting married. She finds Daniel in the crowd of cheering people, his eyes piercing right through her soul but she forces herself to smile because they're going to be together.

A ring and a vow mean nothing when you love someone as much as she loves him.

(...)

Please, let me know what you think. Would you like to read more?