It's Christmas week! This is a gift for my pandas over at the K chat. I love you veeery much! This is a small gift and also my first time writing outlaw queen so no doubt it sucks but I did my best! Big hugs and kisses from France!
It takes place at the end of last episode after Regina finds Robin back in the wish world.
Their Tale
Her staring is unnerving him, she can tell.
Yet she can't stop.
Regina is hyper aware of everything around her. Of the hard cold rock she's sitting on, of the starry sky above her head, of the trees that surround them, of Emma's anxious glances that aren't as discreet as the woman wants them to be, of the way the flames of the campfire lick at the air, of the smell of cooking rabbit, of the light breeze that leaves goose bumps on her skin… More than anything, she is aware of every move Robin makes on the other side of the fire, as he goes about settling a perimeter in case someone stumble upon them.
He's keeping busy, pretending to go through the motions when he's doing a lot of unnecessary things just to avoid addressing the problem at hand a little while longer. He's keeping busy because her staring is unnerving him. She knows him too well. But she cannot stop.
And she knows she is not helping the situation in the slightest, she knows it's her fault if they're now trapped in that ridiculous world (perhaps doubly so since it's her evil self that started this in the first place), she knows she needs to get a grip and do what needs to be done because as efficient as Emma Swan can sometimes be, the Savior will never be as good as she is, particularly in this land…
Convincing Robin they need help wasn't difficult. Maidens in distress… Even if one is a princess – is Emma a queen now, though? – and the other a legendary witch. He recognized them both on the spot, of course he did, but, bless his heart, he gave them the benefits of the doubt.
And now he is waiting for their story, for an explanation, and all Regina can do is stare.
And wonder.
And hope.
This is all fake, ofcourse. A fake world with fake people and fake memories…
She wonders if Marian is still alive in this realm or if her evil self murdered her years ago. She wonders where are the Merry Men, if Roland is with them. She wonders if Emma's wish has wrapped itself around her to grant her own.
She wonders – and only madness lies this way but she cannot help herself – if she can bring him back to Storybrooke.
He is not her Robin.
But he is Robin.
Somehow.
"I believe you promised me a story, Milady." Robin says eventually, gathering his courage and turning to them. To her.
She feels Emma's eyes on her, the Savior probably about to take the lead to spare her the pain. When she remains silent too long, Emma opens her mouth. Regina silences her with a wave of her hand.
If anyone is going to tell that story, it will be her.
Because it belongs to them.
She could lie, spin a convoluted explanation, but she finds that when she looks in his eyes, all she can do is tell the truth. Anything else would feel like a betrayal and it hurts too much.
So she tells him a story, a fairytale that starts with a young girl named Regina and her first love Daniel, a fairytale that isn't hers but Snow White's. It doesn't become hers until much, much later. She tells him everything from their two first meetings to his death. She doesn't sugarcoat and she doesn't let herself hesitate. She tells the tale, their tale.
There are tears in her eyes when she concludes in a voice that she fights to keep strong: "So we need a magic bean to go home. Will you help us?"
There are tears in his eyes when he answers, in a matter of fact voice that holds no hesitation or uncertainty: "Of course."
She nods gratefully and she struggles to keep herself together.
She doesn't know how their tale ends.
She just hopes it doesn't end at all.