Day 1 : Outlaw Bandit AU.
From an early age, Regina was a wild child. She chose to play chase or ride a horse instead of playing a tea party with her dolls like other girls. She liked to run in the fields and be dirty, shoot arrows and do crazy things.
But her Mother had been strict and Regina's wildness were restricted.
However once Cora was away, Regina would change from dresses to pants and a shirt and then she would ride a horse all day, run in the woods and enjoy her freedom.
And even now, when Regina's eighteen year old, she hasn't changed. She still has this wild and crazy side inside her, locked deep down because her Mother has told her enough times that no one is going to love a girl like she is.
But it doesn't matter to Regina. She would rather be unloved but free.
Regina has waited for this day the whole year and now she's staring into the mirror in her huge bedroom, running hands through her tight long dress smiling widely because it's the day when Mother is leaving for two weeks and Regina's father has already agreed that once Cora's away, she can go to the woods and do whatever she wants. And she can't wait for that.
She hears someone calling her name and it means it's time, Mother is leaving. So she rushes out of the chambers and runs to the yard where her father is already standing with her Mother and servants, a huge smile on her face. It's just a few minutes and then she's free.
Regina hides her smile by making a sad expression (she's a good actress if there's a need) and hugs her Mother, says that she will miss her a lot.
Her Mother sits into a carriage and leaves without waving a goodbye like her father would've done. But Cora is not her father, she's far from him and Regina kind of got used to it, to her being cold and heartless but sometimes it still hurts.
Despite the sadness of her Mother's action, she has to fight a smile which appears on her face. She's finally free. Mother is away and she can do whatever she wants.
As soon as the carriage can't be seen anymore, Regina sighs in relief and rushes to her room. She quickly changes to the clothes which she has been hiding for a long time because Mother wouldn't approve but she's not here anymore and won't be for two weeks.
It doesn't take a minute until Regina has collected her things and is standing in fronf of her father who doesn't look so enthusiastic as before about all this but he's already agreed and he can't change his mind now, can he?
"You have to come back after two weeks," Her father reminds as he pulls her into a hug. It's hard for him to let her go, she knows it, it's hard for her to leave him too but it's the only chance and she can't let it slip through her fingers.
"Of course I will, Daddy," She pulls away from her father, "And thank you," She mutters, hugs Henry one more time and then she's running out of the castle, after all, every minute is important.
She runs through the Enchanted Forest, looking over her shoulder every minute or two. She's heard stories about it and it doesn't say anything good and if she really wants to go back after two weeks or at least have a little fun before dying, she has to be careful and fast.
But suddenly something grabs her by a leg and she's up in the air head down. Her first instinct is to stay still (she has learned it through her life with a very strict mother) but then she's screaming and fighting, because it's not the Mother, it's something else and she has to fight for herself.
She squirms and screams and tries to reach the rope which is under her ankle but it's useless and then there are quick steps as if someone is running. She freezes and closes her eyes tightly in fear, that's it, she's going to die.
It's quiet for a moment but then a sharp sound echoes and there's a smashing. She falls on the ground then, she doesn't understand how but she hits the ground heavily and then someone is holding her by her arm and dragging her away. Is she dying or dead already?
It takes a moment until she realizes that her eyes are still closed, so she opens them and looks around but that someone who probably saved her life is dragging her too fast, she can't understand where she is or what she's seeing.
So after a few more minutes of running, when he slows down a bit, she manages to escape his hold. She stops completely and the stranger turns to her quickly. It's a young man, her age or a little bit older with blue eyes and messy hair. His clothes are shabby and he's obviously not the member of a royal family but it doesn't matter at the moment because he's the one who saved her.
But before she can finish checking him out, he grabs her hand again and they're running. And even though everything is happening so fast, she manages to think that perhaps it's not the best choice to let a complete stranger to lead her someway but she's obviously in danger, so she doesn't counter.
She wanted adventure, that's what she's getting.
They run and run until she's breathless, really breathless, and she has to stop. This time the man lets go of her hand himself, and it earns him a little bit of respect, at least he's not robbing her. She rests her hand on her knees and breathes heavily as if has run a marathon – she almost did actually. The man doesn't look as breathless as she is, but his breath is heavy as well.
At first they are quiet, just taking deep breaths, staring at each other but then she decides to speak, her sassiness doesn't let her be quiet, "I had the situation under control," She crosses her arms over her chest (it's something she has learned from the other Queens who visited their castle) as if she wasn't panting breathlessly for air just a few seconds ago.
"A simple thank you would suffice," It's all the man says.
And she smiles a little, he has sassiness as well. But then her smile fades and she lifts her head up and announces, "You ruined my plan."
The man gives her a look which makes clear that he knows she was without a plan there. She gives him a glare and then turns around, takes a few deep breaths, her lungs still in need for more air.
"If you want to live, we should continue running," He says in a quiet voice and she turns around, looks at him inquired. "I mean we can walk, if you're too tired to run," He adds.
She nods her head, although it's not what she was asking with her look. She thought that it was over, that he will go his ways, and she will go hers, but appears that their trip is a little bit longer than she thought.
The man starts walking first and she's walking behind him, and she likes it this way – he knows the forest, he knows the traps, he leads the safe way, she hopes.
They walk in silence for a few hours, just tired sighs are heard. Regina has already lost tracks, she's completely lost now and if this stranger turns out to be a murderer, she's dead, no way to escape this confusing forest.
But then she shakes her head for herself, perhaps he's a good man. She has to hope.
She has to get to know him if they're going to walk for a while together, she thinks. After all, they need to at least know each other's names.
"My name is Regina," She says behind him, her voice small and quiet, shaking just a little bit.
If he heard her, he ignores it because he doesn't say anything, doesn't even stop, he just continues walking through this dark forest.
She sighs to herself, yes, it was a stupid idea to introduce herself, he's not a friend and won't be one, he's just a man who saved her life. She chuckles at that to herself. It's ridiculous. She almost died today and it's the day one. What will happen after a week?
But the man suddenly stops - she almost bumps into his back – turns around and looks at her with a look she can't quite understand. He could be scanning her, he could be getting ready for a murder. Who knows?
"What are you doing here?" He asks as he takes a step closer to her.
She has to fight the instinct to step back, she has to be strong here if she wants to survive.
"I'm running from the King," Her voice is quiet and shaky, it's not what she's expected.
"Why?"
"Because I'm a thief, I got caught," She says it without another thought and is surprised that the story sounds so truthful. But on the other hand, she had learnt to lie a long long time ago because otherwise she wouldn't have a normal life, Mother wouldn't let it.
"Oh,"
"Oh?" She repeats, crossing her arms over her chest just like a few hours ago with a small pout on her lips. She scolds herself for acting like a child – she's in the middle of the Enchanted Forest on her own but she's still acting like a child. It's crazy.
But suddenly things change and Regina is no longer pouting at him because he has a knife pressed to her throat. Her breath hitches as her eyes fill with tears because damn, he's doing to kill her. Perhaps she was wrong about him.
"You're lying," He announces, "Your clothes are expensive and you look too innocence to be a thief. So what are you really doing here?" He asks and presses the knife tighter to her throat and she closes her eyes.
There's no time for lying anymore. Taking a shaking breath in, she tells him, "I'm a princess, Regina Mills. Please, don't hurt me."
After a moment, the knife against her throat is moved away, not much but it doesn't hurt anymore and she takes a deep breath in, her whole body shakes. The man is still standing in front of her, close enough that in one move he could cut her throat.
"What are you doing here?" He asks again, this time his voice isn't as harsh as before.
It takes a moment or two until Regina finds her voice and tells him the truth, tells him about the two-week agreement with father while her abusive Mother is away.
Something changes in the man's eyes and he takes a step back, drops the knife. He looks at her one more time and then a smile strange smile appears on his face, "I can help you to find the best adventures."
"I can tell," She says and there's sarcasm in her voice but damn, she can still feel her legs shaking after his attack.
"You'll die here alone," He points out and she groans because he's right. "So, coming with me?" He asks and she hesitates but does she have other choice? She's lost in this forest.
So she nods her head and he grins and then starts walking. And like before – he's the one leading the way and she's following him.
They walk in silence just like before. And it's good because Regina has time to think about everything what happened in the past few hours and she realizes that this trip is completely different from what she has wanted. She didn't think it would be this dangerous but oh well, she knows it now.
"I'm Robin of Lockley," A voice snaps her out of her thoughts. It's the man who said it, the one who's walking in front of her.
She grins; perhaps they really did make a peace.
After several long hours of walking surrounded only by trees, Regina's eyes catch a smoke and tents. It's probably the camp site, Robin has hinted about it on their way here.
Robin stops walking completely, and Regina stops as well although she has no idea why they did that. But then an arrow flies near them. It almost touches Regina's shoulder making her heart beat faster and her body tense.
But then Robin laughs and walks further to the camp site. He says something but Regina can't understand, she's standing far away, and then men appear from the tents with arrows and bows in their hands.
Regina takes a step back but these men don't seem dangerous because they're laughing now with Robin, all of them. She exhales then and her body relaxes just a bit, they're not dangerous, she thinks.
Suddenly they turn to her and stare while Robin tells something she still can't hear. She feels insecure once again and she looks down at her hand, cursing herself for being such a foolish girl. It was so stupid to think that she would fit in the forest. She should've stayed home, she really should have.
She hears steps and immediately looks up from her hands. She's relieved when she sees that it's Robin. Although she doesn't know him and shouldn't trust him, she thinks that with him she can feel safe. Or perhaps it's just another stupid thing her inner voice tells her to do.
"Merry Men agreed to let you stay with us," Robin says when he's standing right in front of her.
She feels dumbfounded. She thought that he'll get rid of her as soon as he has a chance and now he's offering her to stay with him and his men.
But she can't turn down an offer like that.
So she manages to nod her head, whisper a thank you with a small smile playing on her lips. She's still not sure it's a good thing to agree, to stay in the forest but she's always wanted it, it was her dream from an early age. So she decides to stay.
That night, Robin offers her to sleep in his tent. And at first she says that it's not necessary, she's always dreamt of sleeping under the open sky but it's getting cold already and the idea of sleep in an open air doesn't seem so good anymore, so she gives in.
Regina lies down in the tent, pulling a thin blanket, which doesn't look like a blanket at all, it's dirty and with holes but she doesn't care because it's better than nothing, over her. She curls into a ball and then closes her eyes.
It doesn't even take a minute until she falls asleep.
She hears strange sharp sounds, people laughing and talking loudly and she frowns, pulls a blanket over her head annoyed that someone disturbs her sleep but then she remembers where she is.
Her eyes open widely as she sits up and looks around.
She's in the Forest with unknown people. But she's safe.
She realizes that it's probably the middle of the day, she was so tired, she probably slept a little longer than she's expected. She shakes her head to herself and then gets out of the tent.
The men are sitting around the fire but there are not all of them, but Robin's here. Others are probably hunting, she thinks as she walks closer to the fire.
"Good morning," she says quietly and sits down in the empty space beside Robin.
"Good afternoon to be exact," He teases and she opens her mouth to apologize but he just smiles. She returns a small smile but then frowns as her stomach growls. "Ohh, someone is hungry."
She wants to roll her eyes but stops herself when he hands her something what looks like a chicken wing. She mutters a thank you but then wastes no more time before digging into the food.
Once she's finished the wing, he tells her to go with him. And she says nothing to it, she just stands up and follows him to the woods.
She's surprised when he tells her that it's her first archery lesson but she's more than happy for that. Perhaps this crazy trip to the Forest wasn't that bad…
Since then everything is better and better. Robin teacher her archery, explains her how to avoid traps and how to escape them, he tells her his secrets about successful robbery and other things which a good thief has to know.
And then the fun begins: she starts living a thief's life. She steals and runs and drinks and repeats everything and she realizes that it's the life she's always wanted. Despite the awful start, she doesn't regret coming to the Forest, it's probably the best decision she's ever made.
There are injures, her arms and legs are wounded, covered in blues but it doesn't bother her at all because she finally feels alive, she feels crazy and free. It's indescribable feeling.
And so two weeks pass quickly, too quickly. There's still so much Regina would like to do but time isn't at her side.
It's the day when Mother comes back and if she doesn't want to get caught, she has to rush home. She has to but she doesn't want to, there's a different.
She's laying in a cold tent wide awake although it's still early, the sun hasn't raised yet, thinking about all the possibilities to stay. Yes, she could stay here and risk everyone's lives but be free or she could home and not be a problem for anyone.
She rolls over on her side and smiles a little when she sees a sleeping Robin. He hasn't been sleeping with her from the beginning but a few days ago she's told him that he can join her because now she trusts him, he would never do something what she doesn't want to, and, after all, it's his tent. So he joined her.
She feels a strange feeling which makes her heart warm every time she looks at him. That's another reason why she doesn't want to leave.
But she has to.
So she gets up quietly but quickly, grabs her bag and then gets out of the tent.
The campsite is still quiet, everyone is sleeping, so it wouldn't be hard to escape. She looks around the campsite one more time, smiles to herself because she will never forget this place, and then she starts running.
She gets tired quickly, she's still not fit for the Forest life, so she slows down and starts walking. She still has enough time to go home, she hopes.
But then she hears steps behind her. Her body tenses unwillingly and she starts to go faster again but the steps are getting closer and closer and then someone grabs her by the hand, forcing her to stop. The hold is gentle and she recognizes it without even turning around – it's Robin.
"No goodbye, milady?" He asks when she turns around.
She wants to smile, wants to joke with him but she has to go, there's no time for that.
"I have to go," She says quickly and tries to escape his hold but he doesn't let her.
"I know,"
"Then you have to let me go," Regina looks up until their eyes meet and then somehow he's leaning over until their noses are touching, her breath stuck in her throat. They have never been this close.
Is he going to-
And then he does it.
He presses his lips gently against hers making her eyes close instantly. She has never been kissed before and it's wonderful, it's sweet and soft and her body fills with joy and warmth, her knees go weak. She's thought that her first kiss will be completely different – she thought of a prince charming on a while horse, but it's even better.
She doesn't want a prince when she can have a thief.
"Robin," She whispers against his lips. No matter how good it feels, she's running out of time.
Regina manages to pull from him until she can find his eyes. She's pleading him to let her go with her eyes, it's already hard for her and he's making it even harder by kissing her and letting her know how he feels.
"Stay," He whispers back.
Her eyes widen in shook as she starts shaking her head repeatedly. Hasn't he heard what she's told him about her Mother?
"Are you crazy?" She asks, stepping back. "My Mother would kill me, Robin. She would kill you as well and all your men. No, no, it's impossible, I can't."
But he pulls her close again. Their eyes meet and she sees that he's not scared at all. It annoys her because he doesn't know her Mother, it seems he doesn't understand what her Mother is capable of.
He puts his palms on her cheek, strokes it gently and she wants to cry because it's hard for her, it's really hard, she doesn't want to leave but she has to think about him, about her father, about others.
"I can save you from her."
"No, Robin, no," She shakes her head and then tears starts rolling down her cheeks. Why can't he just let her go? It would be better for everyone.
"Regina, I can protect you and I will, just give me a chance." He says. Despite the tears which are running down her cheeks, she wants to laugh because it's stupid, he's crazy.
She looks into his eyes and one part of her wants to believe him. She thinks that perhaps she should give him a chance because she only lives once and it's better to have a short but happy life than a long one without happiness, always wondering how could've life turned if she chose to take a risk.
She lifts her palm and touches his cheek, his stubble tickles her palm and she smiles at that but then her eyes close as the tears start rolling down her cheeks. It's not supposed to be this hard.
"Okay, she whispers after a moment of silence. She opens her eyes then and finds him staring at her with wide eyes.
"Okay?" Robin asks in disbelief and she chuckles quietly.
"Okay," She repeats and then she's the one leaning over to kiss him.
She doesn't know what is waiting for her now. She doesn't know for how long she'll live or how long it takes her Mother to find her but she does know one thing – at least she took her chance to be happy, she didn't turn her back to the happiness.
Feedback is always appreciated! :)