A cold wind gusted across the lush greenery, sweeping a heap of dried leaf across Regina's feet. She kicked them away. All she saw were the faces of people that she had once loved. Henry. They spoke to her but she wasn't listening. Their voices were whispers of the wind, their faces, shadows in the light. She shuddered. The leaves seemed to be talking to her and gestured, but she stared blankly. It felt like she was in another world, where the demons were mocking her and the angels are always the good guys. Perhaps they would offer her succour that she would not thread the world alone. Perhaps this was all an illusion because of the loneliness she had felt during her journey. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through her hair, untangling the knots in it and felt the rush of the evening wind into her dark hair. Her brown hair was rather neat, long and wavy in the back and was clipped with a big black hair ties while the sides was pulled forward around her shoulder into long curls, fairly toned skin glistened under the brightness of the setting sun upon the ground, her cheeks and nose however were a rosy red color due to the cold breeze around her.
A chill ran swiftly up her back causing the nape of her neck to tingle. Her eyes once gleaming brown gems had swollen from grief and red patches circled around them, tarnishing features once hailed as the fairest. Sinking her feet into the lush green lawn, she continued to wander around, the peaceful atmosphere cloaked by the resplendence of the sun gave little indication of Regina's inner turmoil. She took three deep breath before shaking her head lightly and hurriedly bury down her emotions. It was never good to be emotional. And so she made the choice to completely switch off her emotions. It wasn't hard really, she was already born from one that completely seemed to lack of any, she could easily seperate her emotions if she wanted to. It was not long before she realised that she had wandered a little further than she meant to when the evening sky was replaced by the black of night, the only source of light now coming from the random scattering of stars.
There wasn't much noise coming from her apart from the soft thuds her hard boots made upon making contact with the ground underneath her and the clanging sounds her weapons made. Ever since they were all transported back to the Enchanted Forest, Regina had taken the initiative to learn the art of combat. She knew that magic was an essence, not really a solid existence - much like love. Easily taken away. A frown appeared on her forehead, wrinkling her usual smooth one as her eyes flickered back and forth trying to guess exactly which part of the Enchanted Forest was she in. Years of spending trying to hunt down Snow White should have triggered her memories but she simply couldn't recall which way was the right one. Perhaps the process of Going Home had altered her memories temporarily but it wasn't enough to completely alter her memories to protect her from the pain she had to endure every single day after being back in Fairytale Land. Lost, Regina decided to settle beside a nearby rock and leaned against it, exhaustion washing over her. Caving in to her fatigue, Regina rested her head against the rock and closed her eyes, letting her body go limp.
Hours passed and Regina was still soundly asleep despite the abnormal position she was making. The moon was unusually large that night and it bathed the earth with its radiant glow. Soft thuddings of footsteps were heard and the Queen's ears perked at the small noise. Groggy, Regina's eyes fluttered open as she slowly lifted her head up from the rock she was leaning against. A hand quickly at her thigh, her fingers were already brushing the hilt of her scabbard when her eyes caught sight of a familiar golden brown-haired male approaching the compound. Her breath hitched in her throat.
"Robin," She breathed out, the sight of him caused her heart to swell and the butterflies in her stomach to awaken.
The golden-haired male merely graced his lady with a gentle smile before stopping a few steps in front of hair and curtsied, "Milady."
Embarrassed by the way she was positioning herself, Regina hurriedly stood up, her dainty hands brushing over her cloak as she took a deep breath and looked at Robin Hood in the eyes, her cheeks tainted pink. It was a fairly quiet night, the only noises coming from the chorus of frogs from the creek and the myriad softer sounds that stir the night.
"I see you still carry around your weapons," Robin's deep voice travelled through the night and ringed Regina's ears. Clenching her jaw, the Queen gave him a tight-lipped smile and looked away, her hands now relaxing by her sides as she took a few steps of her own, adventuring into the night.
"You should also see that it is none of your business as to if I still "carry around" my weapons or not," The harsh words came out of her mouth before she realised it and the brunette mentally slap herself as she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from saying anymore words. It wasn't intentional. That was how she was. She did not see the purpose of the male's intention in asking her any questions regarding herself.
"What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be at home? With Roland?" She attempted to diffuse the tension in the air by asking him questions too, her back now facing him as she stared out into the vast woodland.
"Roland is over at the Charming's. Snow wanted to play with him and so does Charming. Ro seemed comfortable and so I went out here. To find you," The archer replied.
Slowly turning around, Regina arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms, her lips pulled back into a snarl. "And exactly why were you trying to find me? Do I look like I need someone to come running to me and comfort me? No. I am perfectly capable of protecting myself. I don't need you or anyone to find me."
Silence filled the air between them as Regina relentlessly stared at the well-built man in front of her whose physique was the envy of many other men, it was a masterpiece that even Michelangelo could not reproduce. Regina expected him to look away or to even apologise for being nosy, but he stared at her back, ambition like beams of light radiated from his pupils as his jaw clenched.
"Just because you don't think you need any form of protection, doesn't mean I or anyone else that cares about you are not allowed to come find you," Determination was etched onto his features and he took a step forward towards her, his every words lingering in her mind as he continued causing her stare to falter slightly. "You do not have the right to tell those that care about you what's to be done or not when it comes to your wellbeing." Robin Hood took a few more steps closer to her until there was a small gap between them. "If I care about you, I will do so until my last breath. I chose to care about you, Regina."
Shock was evident upon her fair face, the moon light illuminating her high cheek bones and reflected in her pupils making it look like there were two stars in her orbs. Taking a step back, the Queen shook her head, quickly regaining her composure and letting out a hysterical laugh, "You're delusional." She was about to walk away from him when she suddenly felt callused fingers lightly wrapping themselves around her right wrist and then tugging on it gently.
His voice was soft but firm. He seemed to be totally unfazed by Regina's statement making it seem like he was challenging her authority, not at all scared by it. "You know I'm right."
"I don't believe it. Why are you telling me all this? What makes you think I am worthy of anyone's care or love. You don't know me," Regina's voice was incredulous. "I am the Evil Queen. Everyone knows that and if you seem to lose your memories when coming back into this Land then hello, my name is Regina and I am the Evil Queen," She said sarcastically. A smothering blanket of darkness materialised itself from behind the clouds and loomed over the night sky as it threatened to blanket the whole sky.
A moment passed and neither of them backed down from the eye contest they were having. Regina, with chest heaving from her outburst, stared mercilessly into his deep, dark eyes that were baby kitten-grey, and flawlessly shaped with bushy thick brows. And Robin, with his ever gentle eyes gazing into Regina's seemingly dark and soulless ones. Slowly, the well-built archer shook his head causing the baby curls on his forehead to bounce lightly.
"You know what I see? I see someone that cares too much. That loves too much. And then builds all this towers around herself so no one can penetrate through it, so no one could hurt her. She longed for someone to love her as much as she longed to love someone with all her heart again. Without any fears. She deserves the unconditional love that she once upon a time gave. You are the Evil Queen," Robin tightened his grip around her wrist but was still gentle. "But you are also Henry's loving mother. You don't see it Regina. But the fact that you're willing to go through hell just to see your son happy and to raise him well, thats evidence of your unconditional love. You have so much love in your heart that you just had to share with someone. But you were afraid. You were afraid that someone might break your heart once again and so you adopted Henry. You poured out love after love to Henry and even when Henry left you to search for his biological mother, your love towards him never changed. You are capable of love, Regina. You have so much of it inside your heart it scares you. Even Henry knows the amount of love you have inside. You will forever be his mother because he knows how much love you have for him. Your dedication and love towards Henry shines, Regina. That's real beauty." Robin whispered loud enough for Regina's delicate ears to hear.
That speech robbed Regina of her words. Wide-eyed, the Evil Queen felt her knees weakened and a pearl-shaped tear rolled down her cheek. Securing his other arm around her waist, he pulled her closer until their bodies flush against one another with his gentle eyes looking down at her fondly. Unwrapping her fingers from around Regina's slender wrist, Robin lifted his other hand to wipe the tear that escaped and pressed their bodies together.
"I know you need time and I know you might not believe a single word I say. But just remember that while you see yourself as the emotionless Evil Queen that only cares for herself, Henry is the living example of what we all believe you have. Love,"
Tears continued to cascade down her rosy cheeks as she slowly but surely lifted her head up to bury her face in the crevice of Robin's neck, the light breeze surrounding them pulling at the hem of her cloak lightly. The night was very still and the darkness carried a faint perfume of flowers and the scent of dew-rinsed earth. The Evil Queen took a deep breath, breathing in Robin's musky scent before pulling back slightly and tilting her head up to gaze into his soft eyes. And for the first time ever, Regina relaxed in his arms. In someone else's arms. She felt so small, so vulnerable in his arms but at the same time it felt so right. Regina was always the one with the upperhand, the one in charge but with Robin, the roles were reversed. Gazing into Robin Hood's eyes, the Evil Queen realised that Robin was her moral anchor - always reminding her time after time of the good in her even if she, herself didn't see it.
A single shaft of moonlight penetrated the overhanging clouds and seemed to chase away the darkness that was lingering about. Regina tilted her head up causing the light to catch her eyes and made them shine as a smile graced her full lips. "Thank you," She spoke softly. Smiling back, Robin merely dipped in and captured the lips of the woman he was so fond of and and secured his grip on her letting her know how much he wanted her close. Close to him. Close to his heart.
And ironically the Evil Queen, the one that was good with taking people's hearts and then crushing them with her bare hands, was afraid of ever breaking Robin's heart. She knew that he would give her all the time she needed but even then she was already scared of hurting him. Being in his arms made her fearless but scared nevertheless. It was but an unmistakable connection between them. Regina only wished that her dark side would be kept away from ever touching and tainting his pure heart. Away from him. Away from his heart.
But Emma Swan wasn't just born as a product of love, the love she was born with was passed from her parents. The same could be said for Henry. He wasn't just born a believer of magic and love, Regina nurtured him and instilled the existence of love into his heart. To get a product of love, one must be able to find the right mixture and only then will you get the product everyone always secretly craved for. Love.