Regina began to breathe heavily. She felt like her heart was going to pound straight out of her chest as her knees gave out and she slumped to the ground. Daniel quickly scooped her up and lifted her onto her horse, gently climbing onto the beast in front of her.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked tenderly, "To leave everyone and everything?"
Regina was choking back tears; they were not tears of sadness, but of true happiness at the thought of running away from this life to have a new one with Daniel. As she leaned into him, her chin resting on his shoulder, she spoke softly, "With all my heart." A smile crept across Daniel's face as she spoke the words. With that he kicked the horse straight into a gallop, determined to put as much distance between them and Cora before she realized what had happened. Regina wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as the horse began to gain speed, resting her head in the crook of his neck.
"I've just got to grab some things from the stable before we leave," he said to her as he turned his head to her.
Regina immediately sat straight up and tightened her grip around his waist, "No!" she shouted, "We can't go back, Daniel! We have to go now! I've packed a few necessities, but that is all we can take! We can't risk going back! It's too dangerous!" Daniel could hear the pure terror in her shaking voice. He course corrected, directing his horse away from the castle. Feeling her grip on him loosen, he turned his head to look back at her - his heart sinking as he saw her face stained with tears. He wanted so badly to stop the horse and comfort her in his arms, but he knew that was not an option - their only option was to put as much distance between themselves and Cora as possible.
As the sky turned a stony shade of gray, a light mist of rain began to fall as they blitzed through the open fields. Regina tucked her head against Daniel's back as the rain began to thicken, drops of rain stinging their exposed skin. Her grip tightened on him as Daniel kicked the steed, wanted to find some shelter from the rain quickly. As the horse sprinted forward, Daniel spotted a thick forest becoming ever closer and guided the horse in it's direction. As the horse slowed and the rain seemed to cease, Regina lifted her head to see that they had found... "shelter", and slid off the horse once it had come to a stop. Looking out into the storm, she realized that this would most likely be where they would be staying for the night. The rain began to pound down harder, making it practically impossible for one to attempt to see, let alone ride. Daniel slid down after her and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, hugging her tightly. Once he released her, Regina's hands found their way to his neck as she gazed deeply into his eyes.
Daniel noticed a spark of worry in her eyes. "No matter how terrifying your mother is or what she may do to me," he said quietly, then leaned in, whispering in her ear, "There is no place I would rather be than to be with you." With that, he placed a soft, slow kiss on her neck, lingering there for a moment.
Regina's eyes filled with tears as the words escaped from his lips. "I love you." she whispered in reply. Although she was soaked to the bone and shivering from the rain, she felt as though she was going to melt as she felt his breath across the nape of her neck. He pulled away from her, gently smoothing her rain-soaked hair away from her face. He couldn't help but smile when he looked at her, feeling so much happiness that they could finally be together. Cupping her face in his hands, he pulled her closer to him as he softly placed his lips upon hers. What began as a sweet symbol of his affection quickly erupted with passion as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he hoisted her into his arms. Their lips moved together, unable to part from one another. After a few moments, Daniel reluctantly ended their embrace.
"Hold on," he stated quietly as he searched for a place to lay their heads for the night. Regina let herself out of his arms as he searched, returning to the horse to retrieve supplies from the saddlebags. She tied the horse's reign to a low branch and hoisted the bag over her shoulder, then returned to Daniel.
"I have a few blankets," she informed him, "Hopefully they stayed somewhat dry." She had taken the best saddlebags, made out of the finest leather, so the blankets were practically untouched by the storm that had raged upon them. Daniel had found a small cave-type dwelling that had just enough space for the two of them. He spread one of the blankets out on the rocky ground and tossed the other on top.
"It probably won't be very comfortable, but it will have to do," he said nonchalantly, caring nothing of sleeping on rocky ground only because he would be with the woman he loved. He shrugged the soaking cloak off of his shoulders, laying it out over a rock in hopes that the morning would bring sunlight to dry it. Regina followed suit, spreading her cloak out next to his. After laying her cloak down, she looked down to her left hand, feeling unspeakable joy as she looked upon the ring Daniel had given her. She spun it slowly around her finger, feeling as though it had been something missing from her hand her entire life. Regina had always been independent; always self-sufficient, never depending on anyone else. Sure, her father loved her and she loved him, but there was always a distance between them because he would never stand up to her mother; even when she had done unspeakable things. It was difficult for Regina to comprehend that one person could fill the hole that she had always felt; that someone else could make her feel whole. Not only was that baffling, but for it to be the man who had tended to her stables for years was another enigma within itself. As she continued to fondle the piece of jewelry, she felt Daniel's hand snake their way slowly around her waist.
"You know what that means, don't you?" he asked as he nuzzled her neck.
Regina chuckled softly, "What do you mean?" she asked, turning around to meet his gaze.
Daniel reached down and cradled her hand in his bringing his lips to lightly touch the gold band on her finger. "This means that you are my wife." Her eyes lit up as he said the word; she hadn't even realized what the ring truly meant due to being so worried about running away. Her eyes filled with joyous tears as she grasped his hands in her own, feeling the rough callouses against her soft skin. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to clam her nerves, she looked up into his eyes; feeling a sudden uncontrollable desire to be near him. Regina had never had any interest in another man in her entire life, let alone had she been with another man. Although she loved him more than she could have ever imagined, Daniel was such a strange creature to her. He made her feel things she never fathomed she could. Like now; never before had the desire to be with a man ever crossed her mind. But as she bore into his eyes, that was all she could think of; never had she wanted something so badly.
She loosed her hands from his and slowly pulled the bottom of his shirt from his thick riding slacks. Hands shaking, she thumbed around nervously as she began to undo the buttons. Her breath caught in her throat as the shirt fell open, revealing his muscular body. She bit her lip as she gently ran her hands down the length of his abdomen, then glanced up at him. Daniel could barely breathe as he looked at his wife - he still couldn't get over calling her that - but he followed suit. Regina had forgotten about wearing the dress that her mother had forced her into upon meeting the king, not having had time to change before she fled with Daniel.
Daniel had gone behind her to untie the lacings holding the dress to her when she laughed, causing him to stop. "Is something wrong?" he asked, wondering if he had done something wrong.
"Nothing," she said, chuckling again, "I just realized how silly I look, going on a journey of who knows how long in some extravagant gown." She glanced over her shoulder, meeting his eyes, "Nothing is wrong. This is perfect." With that, Daniel continued, untying the knots holding the dress together. As he pulled out the string, the dress slumped to the ground leaving her wearing nothing but her undergarments. Daniel scooped her up in his arms and carried her to their "bed", setting her down gently before laying down next to her. He propped up his elbow and rested his head on his hand, staring longingly into her eyes.
"I love you." he said with complete seriousness, unable to find any other words to say to her.
"I love you too." she replied as his strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her against his warm body, caught up in a tender embrace.
