A/N: I promised you guys a fanfic over the summer! I plan on working on two, but the other is still a work in progress for now. I really hope you enjoy this one! Please follow/fave and review if you did!

"You are to do what they ask, Regina," Cora says, her eyes boring into her daughter with such an intensity that it makes her knees go weak. "These men are making long journeys just to see you and the winner is spending a fortune to buy your hand in marriage. Make their time worth while or else you'll be punished."

Regina swallows thickly, her heart hammering away in her chest. She's nervous, no, downright afraid, of what this day brings for her. By tonight she will be leaving with a man, a king, perhaps two or three times her age, who's already had a wife and children at one point in his life and seeks nothing but a pretty face and a nice body to use for his own pleasure. Her mother promises her power as a queen, but she knows she will get none of it, and she doesn't want power, but she doesn't want to become a sex slave to a cruel old man either.

But she must obey, or the consequences she will face will be severe. She's already lost Daniel, the man she loved. Her mother had found them, cooped up together in the stables with the horses one night, whispering about running away together, and she had took him, right there before Regina's very eyes, she had plunged her heart into his chest and took his life. And so, all Regina can do is reply with, "Yes, Mother," lest her disobedience earn her the death of her chestnut gelding, or worse, her father.

Cora looks anything but satisfied with her daughter's answer, but by now, she should know Regina wouldn't dare disobey her again. "And remember, you must heed your husband's every word once we have found you one. You must obey him, spread your legs and give him his pleasure, bare him his children."

Regina nods once again, casting her gaze down at her hands. She swallows thickly, watching as her fingers tremble. She clenches her fists, trying to get them to stop shaking. "Yes, Mother," she replies again, barely above a whisper. She's scared, so, so scared because she knows she's inexperienced. Far beyond that, she's a virgin, and she's heard that these men, these kings, will take her rough, the way they like it, a pleasurable experience for them, but not for her sensitive virgin areas that haven't been touched by a man.

Regina wants to ask her mother about the marriage bed, but she knows she will be reprimanded for her questions. The only thing she knows about sex is what she's gleaned from her nursemaid, Joanna, and the other maids in the castle. From what she's gathered, most men prefer to take women like a wild stallion would take a mare, pounding into them from behind, and that they aren't gentle. Once she had been brave enough to ask Joanna if this were true, and the woman's only response to her question had been, "Not if he loves you, my dear Regina."

She knew that not a one of those cruel kings awaiting her would ever love her. They had hearts hardened by power and only lustful desire, and neither of those things came close to love. And anyway, could she ever bring herself to love again? Certainly not, for Daniel was the only chance she would ever get at love.

The maids finally finish with her after what seems like hours. A final pin is put in her hair, holding her dark curls in an elegant bun on top of her head. Regina stares at herself in the mirror when the maids finally move out of the way to let her finally get a glimpse at their handiwork. She doesn't look like Regina, who is only eighteen-years-old, barely a woman. Instead, she looks much older, like a woman, poised, queenly, beautiful. And she hates it.

Her face is powdered to the point where her skin appears white. Her lips have been painted red with dye and her brown eyes pop with whatever sort of makeup the maids have put on her eyelids. Her chest is powdered in the same manner to her face and the crafty work of contouring makes her breasts look much bigger than they actually are. The makeup gives way to the actual dress, and a tight corset furthers the contour work on her breasts, certainly her mother's doing to make her womanly assets to seem more desirable. Her dress is white, white as the snow, and is nearly translucent. She thinks she can see the outlines of her breasts and nipples through the gown and she has to fight her arms to prevent them from covering her chest. She looks seductive and that scares her.

Before she has a chance to do much else, Cora makes her way into the room and the maids scatter to stay out of her way. Regina can feel her mother's eyes on her, criticizing, condescending, cold and sharp, much like a snake's. She looks for flaws, prowling around her daughter like a predator would circle its prey before coming to a stop before her. For a moment, Regina thinks she may actually get a compliment from her mother, but all Cora says is, "They're ready. Let's go."

Regina follows her mother down the familiar hallways of the home she will leave tonight. A part of her is glad that she will leave this place, and another part is terrified. She isn't gaining or losing anything by leaving. She will only depart from one abusive home only to be delivered into another and surely, she can't find another soul quite as cruel as Cora, though she fears that whoever her husband will become tonight will come close.

When Regina and her mother reach a set of double doors, they are pulled open by a couple of guards and give way into a grand room with men milling about. All eyes avert to Regina as soon as she enters the room and the attention makes her skin crawl, because immediately, the rude remarks and leering eyes land on her, taking her in. Regina feels like a brooding mare brought before eager bidders, and Cora was the auctioneer. And really, what was the difference other than the fact that Regina was a human and not a horse?

She might as well have been a horse.

Regina stands before the group of men and stares down at her hands which she has clasped before her, not daring to look at a single one of them. Men shout things at her, comments she would rather forget, and her mother stands there, looking ever so smug, as she waits for things to die down. After a few moments, Cora allows the men to approach, to get a closer look at Regina. They crowd around her and she can only take it as they touch her in places that nearly make her retch to think about being touched. A few of them heft her skirts up, and thank goodness Mother allowed her to be covered there. Thankfully, after several minutes of this, Cora calls them off so the bidding can begin.

Regina can only wait as the numbers rise, as men turn to leave, disappointed and not willing to pay such high prices for a young, inexperienced woman. The number of men dwindle quickly and for a moment, Regina hopes that the cost will chase them all away. That is, until she hears a voice calling an amount that nearly makes her head spin to even fathom. Everyone left turns and walks away, grumbling in disappointment until Regina stands in the room with just her mother and the man who had bought her.

"I suppose she's yours then. Money up front, and you take her with you tonight," Regina hears Cora saying, but her voice is far, far away. Her mind spins dangerously fast and a dull ache settles behind her eyes.

In fact, Regina doesn't realize that the man has spoken to her until she feels a not-so-gentle squeeze on her arm from her mother. Regina's head shoots up until she finds herself face to face with the man who will be her new husband.

He's much younger than she expected, maybe slightly older than her, but he can't be by more than a few years. He's tall and muscular, something not common among kings. He has sandy hair and a bit of scruff on his face, but not enough to qualify as a beard. And to top it off, he has the clearest blue eyes Regina has ever seen, as if the ocean had settled in his gaze.

"Regina," Cora hisses. "This is Robin of Locksley, King of the Sherwood Forest. He's to be your husband."

Regina swallows, eying him with uncertainty. She's heard of the Sherwood kingdom and its people. Apparently, they live a nomadic life, they're hunters and gatherers, and barbaric ones at that. They raid other kingdoms, they slaughter entire villages, they rape women and children. She knows none of this for sure, but the rumors make her wary.

She realizes their leader, their king, has a hand held out to her and she reluctantly places her own in his palm. He lifts her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles, which seems like a very civilized gesture for the king of the barbarians. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he says and smiles, but the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. Regina doesn't trust him. He may not be three times her age like she had expected him to be, but he could still be a horrible man.

"You too, Your Majesty," Regina replies automatically, even though it's a lie. She isn't glad to meet him in the slightest. In fact, she's terrified of him. She lets her hand fall to her side when he releases it from his grasp and uses it to pick up her skirts as she bows to him.

"None of that, milady," Robin states, placing a hand on her shoulder to help her stand straight again. "Where I come from, a queen doesn't bow to her king. They are equals. And you may call me Robin."

"I'm Regina," she says, only hoping that what he's said is true, that she will be treated as his equal and not like a brooding mare.

He wasn't ready to take a wife. His kingdom was still suffering the loss of his father, he still was suffering the loss of his father. He had just had his coronation a week ago, before they had come to him and said he had needed to find a wife. He didn't want any of the women from his kingdom. They'd been vying for his attention since he was a small boy, and they were only interested in him for his power and the status that would be granted to them if they were married, so he vowed to find love outside of his kingdom, because love was what he had wanted to find, and what his parents promised him he would find before he got married. But the universe had other plans, plans that started with King Leopold of the North.

Leopold lived a wealthy life with his wife, Queen Eva and their ten-year-old daughter, Snow White, the heiress to the throne. He had paid Robin an unexpected visit, had said he came to pay his condolences, to congratulate the new king, and propose him with the one thing he needed–a wife. Surely, Robin thought he meant the princess, Snow White, an offer which he was planning to turn down, for he could not make a wife out of a child, but Leopold came to him, saying that his wife's brother, Prince Henry, and his wife, Cora, were planning to give their daughter away to any man who would pay the most gold coin.

The king confessed that his niece, Regina, was barely eight years older than his daughter, barely a woman, and that men his age would be trying to take her as a wife, and that those men had less than good intentions for her. He wanted Robin to take her as his wife, since they were close in age, only four year's difference, and since he knew that he would treat her right. Leopold would pay everything, and he would even give Robin extra, so long as he would deliver Regina from the lion's den.

And so, Robin had agreed because he needed a wife and his kingdom needed money, setting off that day to make it to the manor her family owned, which was a four day's journey away. He was a bit nervous to take a foreign wife, for every queen in the past was of Sherwood blood, but he had already vowed that he wouldn't take a wife from Sherwood and he intended to live by that promise and the one he had made to Leopold.

When he had first laid eyes on the woman he was to marry, his breath was stolen. He hadn't been sure what to expect since Leopold hadn't given him any details, but she was very beautiful, with dark hair, skin kissed by the sun, and eyes the color of whiskey. However, she looked sad, as if already she had endured much pain. Surely, this mean of bidding for her hand in marriage had to be degrading, but Robin was determined not to let any one of these men have her. He planned to outbid them all.

And he had.

Regina is nervous standing before him now. He can tell by the way her hands tremble when she takes his. He can feel her skin quivering beneath his lips when he brushes a kiss to her knuckles. Even her voice shakes and he can't help but feel a pity for her. He wants to assure her that he isn't there to hurt her, that he's come to save her actually, but there will be time for that later. He's done all the soothing he can by sharing a piece of Sherwood's customs with her–the king and the queen are equal in Sherwood.

Cora invites him to dinner while the maids prepare Regina for departure and Robin agrees because the journey is long and he'll need a good meal in him before he sets off. Regina, he notices, does not join him for supper. Instead, he is bored to death by Cora rambling on about Regina, about how she started her womanly bleeding five years ago, how she is strong and does not sicken easily, how she will be fertile and bare him many children, as if she needs to further convince him into marrying her daughter.

It isn't like he has a choice. He's just as forced into this marriage as she is because he needs a wife and his kingdom needs the money.

When dinner is finished, Regina is packed and ready to set out on their journey. Robin helps lead her out to the carriage, his men following behind with her luggage which they strap to horses.

Robin moves to help her inside the carriage and she places her hand in his, ready to be hefted up when she freezes. "Wait, can't I at least tell my horse goodbye?"

"Why leave him?" Robin asks. "He is welcome to come along. You're going to need a horse anyways. If he is trained and well-behaved, bring him."

"But Mother said–"

"Your mother no longer has any say over you," Robin says, and his voice must be firm with his anger at her mother and the way she controls and treats her daughter, for Regina flinches, so he softens his voice to avoid spooking her further. "Come along, lead me to your horse and we'll fetch him together."

Regina throws him a smile then, the most dazzling smile he's ever seen. She has plump lips and pretty teeth. She turns and leads the way, back through the pastures overgrown with heather and other wild flowers, back to an old, rickety looking stable that looks out of place against the grand manor in which she lives. Robin follows her inside, noticing that the old stable holds several fine looking steeds, until she stops in front of a stall containing a beautiful chestnut horse. He's the color of the sunset and Robin doesn't quite recall seeing a horse that red before.

He watches Regina as she clicks her tongue, calling the animal to her. He approaches his stall and sticks his big head out, his nose bumping Regina's shoulder. Her hands press against either side of his cheeks and she lays her forehead against the white patch on his forehead.

"Hey, Rocinante," she breathes, her hands stroking either side of his face. She's got a knack for horses, Robin realizes, and he wonders if she's a good rider, too. "We're going to go to a new home. How does that sound?"

The horse grunts, as if he's trying to reply and Regina smiles.

"Good, then let's go," she says as she grabs the bridle that rests beside the stall. She hooks it up before letting her horse out. She keeps a firm grip on the reigns, because Rocinante seems suddenly wary of his new visitor. The distrust Robin sensed with Regina earlier must be transferring to the horse. They say that the animals can sense what their master is feeling. But Robin will soon show both his soon-to-be wife and her horse that he doesn't mean to harm them.

Regina wordlessly leads the way back through the fields where they meet the caravan that is ready to go. Rocinante is taken by one of the stable boys that traveled here with Robin, and he thinks he sees a flicker of sadness in the depths of Regina's warm brown eyes when the boy comes to take her horse, but he's not sure what to make of it.

This time, he helps Regina up into the carriage and follows her in, shutting the door behind them. The carriage begins to move and they're on their journey back home.

"Did you eat dinner? You'll need your strength. The journey back to Sherwood is four days and it's a rough one," Robin says, studying the woman across from him. She hasn't met his eyes yet, not once, and currently, she's staring at her hands.

"I ate," she replies, but she does not look up. Robin watches her jaw flex. He sees how tense her shoulders are. She's still afraid of him.

"Good," Robin says after a moment passes between them in pure silence, save the sound of the horses' hooves against the dirt road carved through the forest. "If you get hungry, or thirsty, or if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

"I won't," Regina answers, but something tells Robin that he'll have to keep checking up on her.

For now though, he wants to focus on gaining her trust. This may not be the marriage solidified by love that he had dreamed of as a child, but it was a marriage and Regina was his wife, or soon would be. She would be with him for the rest of his days, and he may as well start trying to build a relationship with her. Besides, not all hope was lost. There was a chance that he would fall in love with her someday.

"You're going to love Sherwood Forest," he began, deciding he would try and acquaint her with her new home. "It's nothing but thick trees that are as tall as mountains with leaves so green, they look like something out of a painting. There are rivers and outstanding waterfalls so crystal blue that they seem to reflect the sky. And there are millions upon millions of wild flowers that grow on the forest floor and they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. Sherwood's got to be the most beautiful place in all of the Enchanted Forest."

Robin watches Regina's expression. It looks as if she's trying to imagine what he's described. She looks pleased with what she hears and he hopes that his home will soon begin to feel like hers.

"I must warn you, however. You're the first queen that Sherwood will ever take from outside her kingdom. Every other queen has been born with Sherwood blood coursing through her veins. Our people will be curious and skeptical of you at first, but I'm sure they'll warm up to you quickly," Robin says and then adds, "I know I have."

He thinks he sees a smile ghost across her lips, there one moment, gone the next, but he cannot be sure. But, he hopes to see it again soon. He hopes that his words have planted the seeds of trust within Regina, and that she'll warm up around him soon enough.