OQ Happy Ending Week - Day 5 - Shattered Sight
Something washes over him, he's not entirely sure what it is, but it's like a veil has been lifted and he's seeing clearly for the first time in years. It's then, Robin Hood realizes the tree he's leaning against is actually a prison. There are heavy chains around his ankles, small silver shackles around is wrists. It's a cute attempt to keep a skilled thief contained, he smirks to himself as he surveys the empty wood around him. The locks take a bit of work, whomever did this to him has considerable skill. He may ask for pointers before he kills the poor bastard that had the audacity to tie him down.
Memory hits him like a slap in the face as he walks through a camp that has been recently abandoned, so recently that the wood still smokes in the fire. He snuffs it out with a stamp of his boot. It was her. That Evil bitch must have put a curse on him, must have forced him to love her. No. Not love. He brings the heel of his hand to his temple over and over trying to shake loose the jumbled thoughts in his mind. He loves his wife, his Marian. He could never love someone as monstrous as her. Well, that curse is broken now and he knows her for what she is: a sorceress that used magic to trick his heart into thinking it belonged to her. It was never love, just a fake servitude to placate her wishes. Robin is awake now and he'll be damned if he'll subject himself to being the Evil Queen's play thing any longer.
His rage turns quickly to panic when he realizes that Marian and Roland are nowhere to be seen. The queen has them, she must. His boy was under the same spell as he. How cruel could she be to manipulate the mind of a child? He has to find them, has to find the queen and kill her before she destroys them all. He's certain her hands will never be clean of the blood she's spilled, but he will not let her be the one to destroy his happiness, his entire world.
He unearths a bow and arrows from the hollow of a tree. One of the many cache's that were forgotten in his men's hasty retreat. Cowards, all of them. If they won't stand with him against her evil, he will go alone. Nothing will get in the way of his blood lust.
He approaches her vault, silent as a shadow with bow drawn tight. There will be no warning shots today; his aim is true and he aims to end her. He creeps down the steps, boots making no sound on the stone. He knows his only chance is to catch her off guard, take her out before her magic has a chance to manifest.
Magic.
It slams into him like a wall of water and he's drowning in flashes of memories and emotions and a curse that will turn them all into the worst they can be; of "with love in your eyes," and "I'm not afraid of you," and Regina. Regina. "REGINA!" he tosses the bow down, lets it land somewhere behind him as he takes the rest of the stairs two at a time until he's in the heart of her vault, her empty and decimated vault.
'I'm going to seal myself in my vault.' He's sure that's what she said, sure she would have done everything in her power to protect the town from her darkness. But who protects her? Of course he thinks it should have been him. He should have stayed with her; insisted even though she refused; hid himself away so that he would be sealed in with her.
The queen must die. He hears his cursed thoughts repeated over and over, prays that she knows away to rid them from his mind because he never wants to spend another second wishing her harm. He has to find her, to know that she survived this, that she survived that battle she's constantly fighting with herself.
It's a quick trip to Main Street when you make it at a dead run. He's breathless by the time he bursts through the last of the trees and onto the pavement. It seems the whole town has made their way here, all smiling and embracing and planning the celebration for surviving yet another curse. He weaves through them, slowing to squeeze an arm, pat a shoulder, but never stopping. Not until he sees her.
She's walking with Snow, smiling, laughing even with the princess. He'll have to ask her later what she finds so damn funny about a curse that almost had him firing an arrow through her chest. Right now, however, he has other plans as he pushes past the dwarves, side steps the prince and pulls her to him with enough force to have them both rocking in place.
"I'm so sorry," he repeats into her neck as he continues to rock them. She's holding him just as tightly until those words leave his lips.
"What did you do?" she's suddenly frantic. There's bound to be casualties of this curse, those who had succumb to their darkness before the spell was broken, but she never thought it would be Robin. Oh God. Roland? John? He was supposed to chain himself to a tree? What happened? He's not answering, only staring at her like he hasn't seen her in years so she repeats, places her hand against his face to get him to focus. "Robin, what happened?"
"Nothing," he blurts out, shaking his head. "Nothing happened. I was looking for you."
"You found me," the hand on his face moves to the back of his neck, pulling his forehead down to rest against hers.
"You don't understand," he says softly into the space between them. "I was looking for you to kill you. I thought you bewitched me."
Regina shuts her eyes. She knew this would happen, knew he would hate her as much at the rest, had even expected that his love for her would only strengthen that hate, but refused to let herself think about it for too long. He's here now. This is true. The curse is broken and they've survived another day. She takes a breath, filling her lungs with the scent of him and tells him, "Okay," before before placing a quick kiss to his lips.
"Okay?" he looks at her like she's gone mad. Regina, how can you say 'okay'? How can you just accept-"
"Because Snow just threw me through a glass door and I tried to run her through with a sword in the middle of the Sheriff's Station. It was the curse, Robin. It made us all into monsters. It wasn't you." She pulls him aside, away from the crowds and the laughter everyone is forcing to cover the terror of what might have been.
"I have never seen anything but you. Never a monster. I don't want you to think that I fear you, that I blame you, Regina, I don't…" she silences his ramblings with another kiss, this one longer, deeper, giving him the opportunity to kiss her back which he readily takes.
"I love you," she tells him the moment their lips part. She should have said that so much sooner, should have said everything sooner. "You're part of the reason I will never be that monster I was ever again. But I was her and I have to accept what comes along with that baggage. There's parts of my life that shouldn't be forgiven. Not by you, not by anyone. I don't want to be someone that you fear."
"I'm no saint either, Regina. We all have our baggage. You've changed me as well. Roland and I are far better for having you in our lives. For loving you." He's got her back in his arms, not as desperate this time, but she lets herself lean into him, lets him hold her for all the world to see.
"Would you mind if we skipped the party?" she mutters against his chest. "Can we get Henry and Roland and just go home and watch a movie with a happy ending?"
"That, milady, sounds like a wonderful idea." They make their way back into the crowds, Robin finding Henry, draping an arm over his shoulders and telling him of their plan. If the way he quickly says goodbye to Emma is any indication, he's looking forward to a quiet night in as well. Regina rejoins them Roland on her hip, the boy high-fiving his father, but making no move to leave the arms of his majesty. Robin isn't offended in the least, he's known for quite some time where his son's loyalties lie.
"Home?" she asks them all, holding out her hand to Robin, who takes it without hesitation. Her magic lands them on the sofa, popcorn in hand, Roland scrambling off her lap to pick a movie. She looks over to see Robin beaming at her and knows she'll never tire of that look of love in his eyes.