So, this is my first Fan Fiction. It isn't perfect, but oh well. I'll only do another chapter if you want me to so please R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a time
Where she was going Regina simply did not know. Why? She did not know that either, but she knew exactly who she was going to. It was him.
The man she swore she hated more than she hated hope speeches and hangovers, the man who constantly disobeyed her and got under her skin, the man she could not seem to get out of her head. Robin of Locksley.
She still remembered the day she had met him as though it were only yesterday. She and Snow had been attacked by her,psychotic, half-sister's flying monkeys when he had arrived. When he met her gaze she felt lighter than air, her heart stopped beating and her breathing hitched. His words broke her out of her trance, though, and she realised what she had been doing. The Evil Queen had been momentarily attracted to someone. How could she forget about Henry so soon? It had been merely hours and she had already found something to distract her from the pain she was feeling. What kind of a mother loses her son and then starts to fall for another straight after?
"Milady, you're injured" His words still rung in her ears, his accent drew her in more than she would care to admit.
"Its your majesty and I'm fine." She retorted, she had to push him as far away from her as she could. She was treading in dangerous waters.
From then on he had tried and tried to be a perfect gentleman, but with every snarcky comment Regina threw his way she could see him getting more and more frustrated and, for some reason, it made the Queen feel more alive than she had in a very long time.
On the walk to the castle she couldn't help but look back at him every so often, admiring him. She saw him hug Belle and wondered if they had a history (she would never admit it, but she momentarily felt like snapping the poor girl's head off). What did Snow think? She wondered. He was a theif after all, would she trust him?
"So, what do you think of our new..." She searched for a word "friend. He is a thief after all, I mean, can we trust him?"
"Think of it this way," Snow offered "How do you think he looks at you?" Regina couldn't argue with that. She hadn't really thought about what the people who still knew her as the Evil Queen would think. They would obviously still see her as a villian. At that Henry's words sprang to mind. "You're not a villian. You're my mom." If Henry believed she could change, then that was all she needed.
"Point taken." She replied.
They carried on walking and after a few seconds Snow said, as though she knew Regina's innermost thoughts, "Kind of cute, huh?" How was she supposed to respond. She was not going to sit around and talk about boys like a teenager with a huge crush, especially not with the princess of hope herself.
"He smells like forest" She replied. It was the only safe thing to say. Although, a voice in the back of Regina's mind said You love that smell.
Then, they'd had to stay at his camp for a night before they could bring the shield, which was guarding the castle, down. The camp was dirty and damp and Regina was certainly not dressed for it. Robin had tried to help her, but the Queen was having none of it. She did not want to look vulnerable infront of anybody and the smirk that adorned his face only aggrivated Regina more. It was a good thing his son was so adorable, otherwise she would've roasted his ass right there.
Roland was, without a doubt, one of the cutest things she had ever seen and he insisted on calling her "Majesty." She had fallen in love with him the moment she saved him from that flying monkey. He clutched the teddy tight, never letting go.
After the shield had been brought down, Regina closed herself off from most people. She had let her guard down to that thief and she hated herself for it. What the hell was she thinking? Telling him almost all of her darkest secrets, just because she thought she might never see him again.
Of course she knew that wasn't the only reason she told him all of that stuff, but she wasn't about to go admitting that to herself.
After a couple of days of blocking out everyone and everything, she finally left the confines of her chambers and went to the great hall for the food her stomache had been craving. The thief was there, of course, watching her; stealing glances every now and then. She would steal glances at him too, and at his son.
They argued over everything, every little detail. She secretly liked it, though, liked getting him all riled up, liked being the one to make him feel that way. Of course, she got him riled up in other ways too; with her tight corsets, which left hardly anything to the imagination and the backless dresses she wore. She liked that part too. Being the only one who seemed to make him filled with anger and lust all at the same time. He was also the only one in the castle, apart from Snow and Charming, not to be afraid of her, which made him a challenge and Regina loved a challenge.
It took Regina a while to realise that she was at her destination, Robin's chambers. She knocked on the door before realising she had no good excuse for being there. What kind of a person shows up at someone's door just to be near them, especially when they have such a complicated relationship. What the hell was she doing?
Just as she was about to turn around and leave, Robin was there. He looked highly confused, his eyebrows knitting together rather adorably. "Regina?" He asked, sounding as confused as his facial expression implied.
"Oh, look! The man's a genious!" Regina exclaimed sarcastically.
Robin just ignored it and asked "What are you doing here?"
Think fast, Regina. The former Evil Queen thought to herself, going through a list of reasons for why she would possibly be in this particular doorway to see this particular man at this particular time. All of these excuses had faults and so she settled with, "There's a royal ball, which we host every year, and I came to invite you to it."
"Oh you did, did you?" He replied, suspiciously. "And why would you want to invite me to a ball?"
"Its out of duty, not because I want you there." Regina lied. "It wouldn't be proper for all the inhabitants of the castle except from you to be invited, would it?"
"I suppose not." Robin seemed highly unaffected and Regina did not know how to feel about that. Then, that annoying smirk was back and so was Regina's scowl. "I'll be there, don't you worry." Then, he winked. Regina had been winked at many a time in her life, but the wink this man gave her made her weak at the knees. Inwardly kicking herself, Regina pulled herself together. Then, she smirked and lowered her voice, saying "See you later, outlaw" In the sexiest voice she could muster. The Queen smirked when she saw Robin bite his lip and close his eyes.
Once he had opened them again, Regina turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction, with her head held high.
Robin chuckled as the sound of the Queen's high heels tapping the stone floor of the castle slowly faded away. He didn't know what it was about her, but she had the strangest effect on him. It was like he could feel all the emotions she was feeling whether it was; frustration, happiness or lust. They seemed to be the three she felt most, though the frustration over shadowed anything else. He knew that she was still mourning over her son and that the Prince and Princess weren't making it any easier on her with their endless hope speeches and heart to hearts about finding happiness again, plus she seemed to have a very low tolerance for stupidity and everyone else seemed to have a stunning capacity for it. He did not know, however, why most of her frustration was aimed at him and it was driving him insane; she drove him insane.
Robin walked over to his bed and sat down with a huff. How was one man supposed to cope with all these mixed up feelings for such a complex woman.
It was then that he remembered what he was in the process of doing before the Queen had knocked on his door. He was about to open a letter from his parents, the parents he hadn't spoken to in years, the parents he had tried so hard to get away from.
Robin opened the letter and read it, anger seeping through his veins at every word he read.
Dear Son,
We are writing to inform you that we will be arriving in Mist Haven in a few days. Your mother and I heard word that you had taken up residence in the home of the Evil Queen.
I do hope you have thought over your actions. This woman is not one you should become involved with. She is even worse than that band of dirty, rotten scoundrals you associate yourself with. You must have heard the whispers of the atrocious deeds she has done.
On a happier note, we will be seeing you soon and will hopefully be bringing you home where you can become Robin of Locksley again. Then you can take your father's place.
Please think upon your actions. We only want the best for you.
Sincerly,
Your Parents.
"Sincerly" Robin scoffed, for there was nothing sincere about his blasted parents.
Who were they to talk about Regina that way? They had never even met her. Robin knew she had changed, despite her tempramental attitudes. She was not The Evil Queen anymore.
Worse yet, his parents were on their way here. In a fit of rage, which was very rare for Robin, he ripped the letter in half and burned the parchment in the fire, which was burning brightly from the fireplace on the opposite side of his room.
For a moment the way the parchment went from white to black mesmerised him. It reminded him of the Queen he was trying so hard not to think of. The way she went from the young, pure teen the king was to wed, to the breath-taking, Evil Queen who had taken the lives of many. It reminded him of the way her heart had gone from red to black.
Robin didn't blame her for becoming who she had become. She had been auctioned off to a King more than twice her age by a mother, who had been almost as bad as she had. He had no idea why she had taken all of that out on Snow, but he supposed it was enough to drive anyone mad.
Well done, Regina! The Queen scolded herself internally You've officially lost your mind!
How could she have been so stupid? Now she had a ball to plan and no time to plan it in. What kind of excuse was that?
Her musings were interrupted when she crashed into something and stumbled backwards. "Watch where you're-" Regina was about to shout, but then she realised who it was and stopped herself. It was none other than Snow White herself. Excellent. Regina thought, a plan already forming.
"I didn't see you." The Queen said apologetically to her step-daughter.
"Its fine. No harm done." Snow replied, kindly.
"Actually," Regina spoke as though the idea had literally just popped into her mind. "You are just the person I wanted to talk to." Snow looked slightly taken aback by her former step-mother's eagerness, but other than her questioning "Oh?" She stayed silent.
"You see, I was thinking about throwing a ball."
"A ball? Regina Mills wants to throw a ball?" When Regina heard it out loud, she suddenly realised how crazy it sounded.
"Why not?" She decided to keep up the charade in the hopes that Snow would do all the planning so that Regina could just make a short appearance and then go back to her chambers so that she could mourn her son again.
"Because every time we've suggested such a thing you have shot the idea down in the blink of an eye..." Snow reasoned, still sounding incredulous; her mouth slightly agape.
"I just think its high time that we did something to lift everyone's spirits. I mean, this whole thing with Zelena has just made everyone so miserable."
"And since when do you care about anyone else's happiness but your own?"
That hurt. It hurt because those were the words she had spoken to her father all those years ago, when he had begged her to rethink the whole Snow situation and find happiness somewhere else. Of course, she had. She had found it with her son, the same son who had no idea who she was right now.
"When I finally started listening to Henry." Regina answered, quietly. So quietly, infact, that Snow almost didn't hear it, but she did and that was all it took for her to agree to throwing a ball.
"And don't worry, leave it all up to me." The Princess asured her step-mother, putting an arm on her shoulder. Normally, Regina would shy away from any sort of affection shown by Snow, but today she was decidedly in a good mood and so she smiled sincerely instead of giving her a hard time.
Regina then walked down the hall to her bed chambers, fully intending to drown herself in sorrow and self-loathing. Something (or someone) stopped her, though. Robin.
Robin was storming down the hallway, wanting to get some fresh air to calm his anger, when he collided with something he could not see due to being too wrapped up in his thoughts.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Regina shouted this time. It must be an unlucky day for her.
Robin sighed, he really couldn't be dealing with this right now. "Sorry." He replied, shortly and firmly. He was pretty sure the scowl was still painted on his face along with a look which clearly said "Not to be messed with today." But the Queen had never been one to care for other people's feelings.
"What? No witty comeback?" Regina asked incredulously. Something was definitely up; she had never seen him like this and the look on his face was angry, an expression she hoped she wouldn't see again any time soon. It did not match his pretty face.
"Excuse me, your majesty." Robin tried. His mixed feelings towards her were driving him insane and after his parents' letter he was not sure if he could cope with much more emotion.
"What is up with you?" A few seconds ago the thief had been absolutely fine. What could have happened in the short time they had been apart?
"Nothing that would interest you, your majesty." Robin said harshly "Haven't you got a servant to shout at or a dwarf to behead?" Now the Queen just looked aghast. Her mouth was slightly agape and eyes wide in shock.
Robin took this time to make his escape. He was on his way to the palace gardens to clear his head. The outdoors had always made him feel so much better about all of his problems.
Regina was still in shock from the harsh jibe the outlaw had thrown at her. She wasn't shocked because he had said it, she was shocked because of how much it seemed to hurt. The stab of pain in her gut when the words had escaped his mouth and the strong urge to cry were alien to Regina in this situation.
His strange mood was also bugging her. What could have got him so riled up? Whatever it was Regina would find out. She would fix whatever it was so that she could have her thief back... wait? Her theif? Since when did he become her's. What the hell was wrong with her?
Robin sat down next to a water fountain in the middle of the gardens. It was absolutely beautiful. Despite Robin hating anything to do with wealth and monarchy, he couldn't deny how amazing and picturesque the gardens were. He released the breath he hadn't realised he was holding and sighed. What had his life become?
A few months ago if someone had come up to him and told him that soon he would be sharing a home and swapping inuendos and banter with the Queen, or that he would get a letter from his parents informing him that they would be arriving in the enchanted forest to see him, he would have thought they were barking mad.
What in the world was he going to do?
He was awoken from his reverie by a hand coming to rest on his shoulder. Robin turned his head to the source and found that it was the exact woman he had been trying to get out of his head.
"Talk to me." She ordered, though her voice was much softer then usual. "I opened myself up to you all those nights ago, so now you have to do the same for me."
For some reason Robin was finding it extremely hard to say no. So, with a huge sigh, he started telling her about the letter and how his parents were condescending snobs, whose sole mission was to make his life hell.
"Wait a second..." Regina stopped him in his thoughts. "You come from a noble family?"
"Believe it or not I do." He confirmed "Whether I like it or not." The last part was said in the form of another large sigh.
"Trust me, I know exactly what you're talking about. You're lucky you never got to meet my mother. She would've hated you." At this Robin chuckled, making Regina chuckle along with him.
"Like mother like daughter." Robin laughed, though Regina could see the question in his eyes, which made her question whether she did hate him or not. He was frustrating and annoying yet extremely hot all at the same time and he smelled like forest. Regina still couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but the answer was clear.
"No, I don't hate you. I don't particularly like you, but I don't hate you."
Robin then changed the subject by saying. "I could've handled her just fine."
"Dream on!" Regina exclaimed "Whoever I used to be, my mother was 10 times worse."
"And I've handled you perfectly" Robin replied, moving slightly closer to her and biting his lip in that adorable way he always did.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Regina's voice was slightly more shaky than she had intended.
"Well, you haven't killed me yet." He offered, making Regina chuckle. Robin thought it was the most amazing sound he had ever heard.
"I have an idea!" Regina said, slyly. Robin hummed, urging her to go on. "Invite them to the ball."
"What?" Robin was not entirely sure he had heard her correctly.
"Show them that you're not going to bow down to them. Show them who you really are."
Robin seemed to mull this over before replying "On one condition." Regina nodded, even before she knew what it was.
"Come to the ball with me." He said bluntly. The Queen's eyes widened in shock and her cheeks blushed furiously. What was she supposed to say? Did she want to go to the ball with him? Of course she did, there was no point trying to deny it, but to have him know that she wanted to.
If she did go, she would be helping him, which would please Henry. If she didn't there was no way that her relationship with the thief could turn into anything more, which she told herself was a good thing. In the end her son won out over everything.
"Alright, fine. I will go with you to the ball."
"Good." Robin replied, biting his lip again. He was so close, if she just leaned forward just a little bit she could kiss him...
No Regina! What are you doing? You don't want to kiss that dirty, forest smelling, handsome, blue-eyed...
"Its getting late we should probably go inside" Robin broke the silence
"We should." Regina agreed, her voice softer than usual.
"Do you want to?" He asked her, already knowing the answer
"No." The Queen admitted in a whisper.
So they didn't. They talked and talked until sleep took them both under its aluring spell.