I own no one but my own people
"Don't slouch, make eye contact, use a good firm handshake, don't look so smug but also make sure to look smug enough that you know you're better than most, don't- for god sakes, John, are you even listening to me?!"
Twenty year old Robin of Locksley glared at the large bored man who sat opposite him in the cramped carriage.
Robin had managed to steal two invites to the royal wedding and the outlaw had chooses his second in command John Little, or 'Little John' as he was affectionately and ironically known as to the growing group of bandits in Sherwood Forest to come along with him.
But, Robin realized as they rode together, that might not have been the best idea...
"It's a wedding, Robin," John argued as the wheel hit a small pothole and made them bounce uncomfortably in the carriage they had hijacked. "We drink, we wish the bride and groom good luck, steal a few wedding gifts and call it a day."
"It's a ROYAL wedding, John. You have to act a certain way, they're going to know if you don't belong. These people have a sixth sense for sniffing out the poor," he muttered, remembering his own family's disdain for the poor peasants that lived on their land. "If you blow this for us-."
"Will you relax. I can act as stuck up as any of those rich royal twats," John told him with a smug grin.
Robin rolled his eyes but decided not to argue anymore. He had told his best friend everything new knew about the high life society the archer had come from and how best to imitate it. Actually putting it into practice would be totally up to the large man himself.
The rest of the trip went easier than the first half. Robin told his friend about their soon to be Queen. Some little no name princess from some small little kingdom the king had met just three weeks ago.
Robin strongly disliked the king for many reasons but this topped most of them. He had JUST lost his wife not even three months prior and he was already getting married? What kind of man does that?
They arrived at the castle precisely at 5:30 in the evening. The King and his fiancée was throwing a small party for the lords, ladies and leaders and other royalty who had traveled a-ways to be at the Royal Wedding. It was Friday evening. The wedding would take place Saturday morning. Those who didn't live close enough to travel the day of was offered a room at the castle the night before for a ball, hosted by their soon to be Queen.
'Robin, Lord of Bedford' and his companion 'Sir Jonathan, the Duke Of Chutney' had, of course, lived so far away that they needed to stay the extra night. Granted they planned to use the extra time in the castle to stake out the palace for future heists as well as to take advantage of the fact that most of the guards and staff would be too busy with wedding duties to keep an eye on the castles vast amounts of treasures but the king didn't need to know that.
They were stuck in a line of carriages, all of the men and women inside waiting for their turn to meet the new Queen and have a chance for a moment with the King, even if it was just a sentence or two.
It took nearly thirty minutes for their carriage to come to the walkway. John had never seen the usually calm and collected Robin so nervous.
This was their first time not only pulling an actual heist, not just stealing from those unfortunate enough to cross through Sherwood Forest. Not only that but they were planning to rob the royal family.
Everything had to go perfectly or else it would cost Robin and John their heads.
"The King is referred to as 'Your Majesty', his fiancée and the princess are 'Your Highness'," Robin muttered as their coachman stopped their coach. "Then on Saturday the Queen becomes 'Your Majesty' as well. Do NOT mess that up…"
John told Robin something akin to telling his friend to suck on his lower appendage but at that moment the coachman opened the carriage door and that's when Robin saw her.
And nothing and no one else mattered.
She was young, a year or so younger than Robin. She wore a beautiful baby blue dress that, tried as it might, couldn't fully hide the beautiful figure beneath it but her curves were the last thing Robin was interested in. She had long silky dark brown almost black hair that cascaded down her back in soft waves and the warmest brown eyes the archer had ever seen.
But they also held more pain and heartache than one person should ever bare. She was smiling at the guests but behind the mask she was screaming out for help.
"Robin… Robin, get out of the carriage," John muttered, giving his friend a not so gentle nudge drawing Robin's attention away from… the King's fiancée?
No. No that wasn't right. This had to be a mistake. She was far too young, far too beautiful to be saddled with a man older than Robin's father, may the good man Rest In Peace. This beautiful woman standing by the Kings side has to be a maid or the future queen's handmaiden or the princesses nanny. No parent would make their daughter marry a man three times her age.
Robin climbed out of the carriage and waited patiently for his friend but his attention kept being diverted towards the young woman waiting to greet his and a whole host of others family. He couldn't help himself.
He caught her eye and smiled at her.
A light rouge crept into her cheeks but she returned the gesture nonetheless. A soft humble smile that Robin knew he would see every time he closed his eyes.
John, dressed in a light purple, almost pink outfit made of velvet and silk complete with matching shoes which came to a pointed tip, the only thing that not only fit the large bandit but appeared remotely royal looking, followed him out of the carriage. Robin himself had been fortunate enough to still have a few outfits leftover from his days as a Lord's son and he choose to a green leather metal studded tunic with white peasant sleeves, bottoms made of brown leather, knee high leather boots, and a green woolen cape with a thick black and brown leather belt.
The two men walked up the long walk and while John was focused on making sure his walk was 'twatty' enough as he called it, all Robin could see was the brown haired woman.
She was beautiful. Stunning, really…
Robin and John handed the invitations to the guards before they turned to face the king and the woman.
"Your Majesty," John greeted the aged king with a bow. "My name is Sir Jonathan, Duke Of Chutney. This is my associate Robin, Lord of Bedford."
He waited for Robin to bow, to do what Robin had drilled into the curly haired man over and over but it was as if the usually boastful smug thief had forgotten everything they had gone over in the days leading up their great heist and instead froze in the presence of the King.
Only it wasn't the king who had rendered him speechless. It was the woman, girl truthfully, standing obediently beside the King, that caused his mind to go blank. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, couldn't keep from wondering how her lips would feel pressed against his.
Robin wanted to free this angel. He NEEDED to free her from this trap someone else had set. There was no way she wanted to be with the king, he refused to believe that. He could see it in the way her polite smile didn't quite reach her sad eyes.
John gently nudged his best friend who blinked, his mind racing to catch up with the current situation.
"Sorry, what happened?" he asked as he looked between the king and his friend, trying to remember what had just transpired.
"As I was saying…" Robin ignored John's look that screamed for him to get it together. "This is my associate Robin."
This time Robin did what he had practiced. He bowed low to the king.
"Your Grace. We are so incredibly honored to meet you and may we offer you our congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. I apologize for my absent mindedness, it's been quite the long journey."
The king grinned at the two men. "No no, it's quite alright. May I say what an honor it is to meet the two of you. I've never heard of Chutney but I have heard of the Bedford family, up near Nottingham, yes?"
Robin and John decided that at least one of them needed to have a real name of nobility. Since Robin knew the names and histories of the noble houses up near Sherwood far greater than John, he would be the one to take on the added burden of making their lie more passable.
"Yes, Sire. Just at the edge of Sherwood Forest."
"Been having quite the trouble with bandits up there or so I've heard."
Both Robin and John held back a smirk.
"They rob from royalty, nobility, those with wealth and power… totally disgraceful," said the king with disgust. "Bunch of dirty hoodlums if you ask me. Not to mention the Locksley family up there, his only son just up and left, completely abandoned his home and responsibilities..."
Robin kept an even face and voice.
"Did he now?"
"Yes. Quite the scandal, actually. But I'm so sorry, where are my manners, this is my beautiful daughter Snow White."
The king motioned to a small girl no older than the age of ten with long hair black as ebony and lips red as the rose that Robin had truthfully overlooked when they stepped out of the carriage. She gave a well rehearsed curtsy to the two men.
"Thank you for coming to my father's wedding." The practiced line grated against Robin's ears. It was almost cloyingly sweet and artificial. "I hope you and your friend have a marvelous time."
"I'm sure we will, your highness," Robin said as he gave a polite inclination of his head.
The King chuckled, clapping his daughter in the shoulder. "Isn't she truly the fairest in all the land?"
Robin's eyes furrowed slightly. Why was he talking up his child like this? Wasn't this whole charade so that the nobility and other royals in the land could meet their future Queen?
It was as if the King could hear Robin's thoughts because he finally motioned to the young woman standing on the opposite side of him. "And this is my fiancée, Regina Mills.
There was hardly any warmth in his voice, certainly no measurable amount love or tenderness that one would expect from a man speaking about his future bride. He spoke about her like she was a stain on an otherwise beautiful rug.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Regina's voice was soft and sweet and innocent and humble.
Robin had never heard anything so beautiful in his life.
She bowed low, very low, to the two men and he in turn gave her the same respect as did John, who, Robin suspected, simply wanted to see how much cleavage of hers he could see before he straightened back up.
The blue eyed archer couldn't help himself. He reached out and grabbed hold of her soft delicate hand.
"The honor is all mine, M'lady."
Robin knew more about proper titles and what and when to call someone more than anyone, having had it drilled into his head a thousand times by his father and his tutors but he couldn't help himself. She wasn't a 'Highness'. In every artificial sense of the word, she was, Robin could tell she had been groomed to be a Queen, but that wasn't her.
Robin brought her hand to his lips, inhaling her curious scent. She smelled like apples and cinnamon and spices...Far different than the expensive perfumes and oils the King doused himself in.
He knew he should quit while he was ahead but he couldn't help himself. He had a sickening feeling that she didn't hear many compliments, if at all, from the man who was soon to be her husband.
"The realm is lucky to be blessed with a Queen as beautiful as you."
Her cheeks turned a soft shade of red as she glanced down at her feet, a rather nervous sheepish smile on her lovely face.
"Thank you, Lord Bedford."
"If it pleases M'lady, you may call me Robin."
Regina lifted her head up until brown eyes met blue. Another smile but it wasn't the sweet almost childlike smile of before. There was something else behind it. Something else that Robin very much liked.
"Okay… Robin."
The two of them didn't turn from the other until John clapped Robin painfully hard on the shoulder, dragging him out of whatever spell that had been cast on the two of them.
"If you don't mind,Your Majesty, we're both rather tired from the long trip and could benefit from a quick rest before the ball," said John, his fingers digging into his friends shoulder.
If Leopold was upset over the gentle kiss Robin had offered the soon to be Queen he didn't show it. In fact, Robin was pretty sure the king wouldn't have even noticed if Regina disappeared from his side completely.
"Of course. The footman will show you to your rooms."
John and Robin followed the well dressed manservant up two flights of stairs to one of the rooms.
"Yours is right through there," he told Robin. He pointed to the door adjacent to Robins. "And yours is right through there. Your bags will be brought up shortly, my lord's."
With a low bow the footman headed back down the stairs to assist with the King's other guests. The second after he was out of earshot, John grabbed hold of Robins ear and dragged him into the bedroom that had been dubbed his.
"You MORON!" the large man hissed, tossing Robin into the empty chair that sat in front of the desk.
"Easy!" Robin snapped as he grabbed hold of the desk to assist him in not falling to the floor.
" 'Oy, Mate, you better not bloody well draw attention to ya self!'," said John in a piss-poor imitation of his friends accent as he slammed the door shut so prying ears wouldn't be able to hear. " 'It'd be a right bad day if they caught onto us, tea time, pip pip Cheerio bangers and mash sod off, old bean, jolly good'!"
"I do NOT sound like that!"
"You flirted with the Queen!" hissed John in his own voice. "Right in front of the King! And the princess! And the royal guards!"
"That was not flirting! That was... showing her some common decency. It's not like that that bald headed rubbage bin ever would."
"We're supposed to blend in," John reminded his friend. "That way we don't draw attention to ourselves when we, ya know, steal the Royal treasure."
"She needs help, John."
"You spoke to her for ten seconds!"
"Which was more than enough time to know that she needs our help. Wasn't that the whole point of this, to help people?"
"Yeah by stealing gold and giving it to the poor, not kidnapping the Queen."
"Who said anything about kidnapping the Queen?"
"You did. With that smug little 'I'm about to do something that's probably gonna lose my head but I'm gonna look impressive doing it so it doesn't matter' look you always get right before you go and do something stupid
Robin just rolled his eyes but offered no argument because it didn't matter what he wanted to happen. Living in the forest on the run from the guards was no place for a Queen. She may not want this life but he was sure she wouldn't want the life he had to offer her either.
Taking his silence for agreement John gave him a curt nod.
"I'm going to get some rest. Everyone will be in their rooms getting ready for the ball right now, so later on tonight when everyone's busy we stake out the castle then-."
"Steal the gold and the jewels during the wedding tomorrow," Robin finished for John, having gone over the plan half a hundred times both in his mind and outloud. Robin had also been the one to come up with it.
"It's a good plan," John told him. "It's a solid plan. We just can't have any distractions."
What exactly John meant by 'distraction' Robin was pretty sure he knew but not wanting to get into another argument he just nodded and sent his friend on his way.
Hours later Robin, dressed in a handsome brown leather doublet over a white silk shirt with matching leather pants and boots was biting his lip so much he tasted blood trying not to laugh at his friends ensemble.
"You cannot tell me," John grumbled as he laced up the bright yellow breeches that made his legs look as thick as tree trunks, "you couldn't have found a hefty rich man to steal clothes from who didn't dress like a clown."
"You look fine, John, women will be tripping themselves just to," a cough to hide his laugh, "pardon me, but they'll be fighting one another for a chance to get close to you."
"I don't even see why we have to go to the ball in the first place."
"Because they'll notice our absence and when they wake up and realize their treasures are missing, they'll know exactly who to blame. Now come. Let us gift the world with your bright yellow tunic."
The ball was fairly crowded. Lords and ladies and royalty from all over had come for a chance to see the new Queen before the wedding tomorrow. John and Robin milled about, engaging in idle chit-chat with the guests, making their presence known both to the guards and the nobility.
As hard as Robin tried to keep his mind focused on the task ahead of him, his thoughts kept drifting towards the brown eyed woman who was doing her best to keep up the facade that she was enjoying herself.
The king was far too busy with his daughter, who the hell brings your ten year old child to a ball meant for your soon to be Queen, to pay attention to Regina. She tried her best to engage in conversation with the man who she would vow to be with forever tomorrow but eventually she gave up and sat back down, lonely and dejected.
Robin couldn't help but overhear the snippets of conversation from the men and women around him.
All of them, everyone of them, talked about King's first wife. Queen Ava had come from REAL royalty, apparently Regina's mother had been the daughter of a miller and had the good fortune to marry a prince, Queen Ava had been the kindest and fairest in all the land, Queen Ava had given the king a child as pure as snow…
Regina cleary was just marrying Leopold to get her hand on the throne, to usurp Snow's rightful place in the royal line with herself and then whatever child she and Leopold had together.
The thief wanted to argue with the guests, wanted to yell at them to leave the poor girl alone, that she was only a mere eight years older than the ten year old princess they adored.
But he didn't. That would cause a scene and while he wanted to defend the Queen, he also came here with a job to do.
Robin watched as the king danced with his daughter, both of them happy and laughing and having a grand ol' time. He waited through one waltz, two, three, four, five, but never once did Leopold even have an inclination of wanting to dance with his bride.
Robin was about to head out of the main ballroom when he noticed that the Queen wasn't at her chair. He looked outside the courtyard and saw Regina gazing up at, what appeared to be, an apple tree.
Keeping in mind that the time he and John agreed upon to leave the ball was fast approaching, Robin grabbed a glass of wine and headed out to the courtyard.
"M'lady looks thirsty."
Regina turned her attention to the thief and his face fell. Her eyes were a harah shade of red like she had just been crying. She noticed the wine glass in his hand and she forced a smile that fooled no one.
"Thank you. Robin, right?"
He nodded as he handed her the wine and clasped his hands in front of him. "Not in the festive mood?"
Another smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"No one seems to notice my absence."
"I noticed. And any man who didn't doesn't deserve the honor of your presence anyway."
Another humble smile and a soft blush.
"Thank you." She sipped the wine slowly, the sweet red nectar, of which she already had two glasses, loosening her tongue.
"The Queen isn't allowed to dance with anyone other than the King," she said suddenly as she turned her attention towards the ballroom just inside, her eyes landing in the balding King and his wide eyed daughter. "Some rule one of his ancestors made up a hundred years ago. Of course whoever made that up probably didn't think about the fact that we would one day have a king who's more interested in dancing with the princess rather than the Queen." Her voice took on a tremble as she held back her tears. "I'll probably never dance again…"
Robin followed her sight to the man who was to be her husband, his dislike for the King growing with every passing moment he spent with this woman. How could anyone, royalty or peasant, want to hurt her?
As the music from the band swirled around them, audible even from the courtyard, his eyes gleamed in the pale moonlight.
"Have the vows been moved up then?"
"I'm sorry?"
Robin took the glass he had given her and set it down beside on the concrete base surrounding the tree.
"The law says the Queen isn't allowed to dance with anyone but the King. However for the next twelve hours or so, you are simply Regina Mills…" Robin offered her his hand. "With that in mind, would M'lady care to dance?"
A light shone in her eyes that he had a feeling hadn't been seen by anyone in a very long time. A true, genuine smile graced her lips as she nodded, taking his rough hands in hers. Robin wrapped his arm around her and rested his hand on the small of her back while she gently grabbed hold of his shoulder.
The two began to twirl slowly around the courtyard, the sounds of the party all but muffled apart from the sounds of the musicians made.
Neither one of them said a word as their bodies moved in tune to the music. Their movements weren't lavish or complicated, truth be told they weren't even sure if it was the right dance but neither of them cared. All they cared about was the person whose eyes they were gazing into.
Regina clung to him ever tighter the longer the music played, not daring to blink, not even daring to breathe for fear that he might not be here if she did anything other than move her feet. Robin twirled her gracefully, pulling her even closer to him when she turned round to face him again. As she pressed herself tighter against him and his lips oh so gently found hers, he realized he never wanted to let her go again. He couldn't. Not now, not ever…
And he didn't. He didn't let her go when he begged her not to marry the king, to run away with him instead. He didn't when they fought his way through Leopold's guards when they realized what was happening, nor months later when their sealed their wedding vows made in front of Robins men with a kiss.
Not when she gave birth to their sons named for each of their grandfathers, Henry and Roland, as well as their daughter that Regina had named after the man she loved. Not once during their long happy life did he ever wave in his promise to hold onto her, to protect her, to love and honor her…
Time had worked its magic on both of them but neither of them cared. Regina's long black hair was gray now, Robins hearing was nearly gone, their grandchildren had children of their own. But her eyes still shine with that same light when he asked her if she would care for a dance, the same as it had the first time a lifetime ago...