A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying the Easter holidays beside all the bad news we currently get. Hopefully you'll get a nice chocolate bunny and some Easter eggs tomorrow! My little Easter gift for you is this update. I hope you'll enjoy it as always and perhaps leave men a chocolate bunny… eh no, all the chocolate isn't good for me… I'll take reviews instead. These make me just as happy as chocolate ;)
Thanks to the amazing waterbaby for betaing! Enjoy
(4)
Shock. Shock, desperation and the dying need to help Regina and Graham but being prevented from it by two strong arms were overflowing Robin's mind and body, his mouth opened in a silent scream. He was held on his seat by David and Killian, each of them telling him to stay where he was, to not interfere, to leave them be. But the man was taking Regina, the other was attacking Graham. Chaos, the whole dining hall was filled with chaos, with people screaming and yelling, with the wolf and the man fighting. And Robin? He had to sit there, watch how the muscular man who looked so much like a bull was hitting Graham in the face, in the stomach, was cracking his bones. He had to watch and hear how Regina screamed, how she struggled, not being able to do anything against the man who'd thrown her over his shoulder and was keeping her there with a tight grip.
"We have to help!" Robin hissed, trying to shake David and Killian off.
"We can't! Listen to me, Robin, we can't do anything - if you don't want them to take you as well, then you have to stay where you are. There is nothing we can do!" Killian explained breathlessly, trying to keep the blonde man down on the bench with him.
"Why are they taking her? What did she do?" He was interrupted by her screams, her pleas to let her go, but Graham was out, he couldn't help her anymore and when he saw Dr. Haggard hammering a gruesome looking injection into her neck, he almost lost it. Her lifeless body was now hanging limp from the man's shoulder. The other one who'd been fighting with Graham got up, wiping off some food from his shirt and followed the doctors out of the dining hall.
Silence. Everyone was silent, just staring at the men who were carrying Regina away, out of the hall, the only noise coming from the young woman at Regina's table who was shaking with silent sobs.
Mother Superior raised herself, cleared her throat and gave instructions to the residents to go back to their rooms immediately. Two nurses along with Dr. Hopper entered the room, heading straight for Graham who was lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding.
"We have to accompany the residents to their rooms, Killian," David mumbled, finally letting go of Robin who'd started to shake.
The man was used to his fair share of flights, fights which even ended with people being beaten to death in prison. Just like today, he'd always been a bystander, not wanting to get involved into the fights between the prison clans. Oh how he wished he would have taken action today. An innocent, disturbed woman being taken away by two scary looking men who were accompanying two doctors? This didn't sound like anything good could come out of it.
"What are they going to do with her, with Regina?" David and Killian exchanged a glance, their facial expression saying more than words ever could.
"You don't want to know," Killian finally said, and with the way his voice trembled Robin was sure he meant it. He really, really didn't want to imagine what they were doing to Regina wherever they took her.
"I'll see if I can help with Graham," Robin mumbled. He got up, but needed a minute to regain himself since his knees felt like they would give in. He should have been there, he should have helped Regina but he hadn't been able to. Now the least thing he could do was to help the only person who'd been brave enough to stand up against the men. Graham.
The silence in the hall was still making him feel uncomfortable and the fact none of the residents seemed surprised with the procedure told him this couldn't be the first time something like this was happening. He watched how David took care of the young woman with the pixie haircut who'd been sitting opposite Regina's seat and who was still crying, her body shaking with sobs, interrupted by apologies and excuses that she "didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."
A deep breath and a moment to collect himself later, Robin was on the other side of the table where Dr. Hopper and two nurses were trying to heave Graham onto the stretcher. The man… wolf… was still unconscious and bleeding. Blood, so much blood everywhere. The smell almost made Robin feel sick but he swallowed the bile rising in his throat back down and knelt down next to the doctor. "How may I help?"
Dr. Hopper looked up, meeting his offer with a thankful smile. "We have to bring him to the hospital wing. He's lost a lot of blood and I'm afraid he might have a few broken ribs next to the broken nose. There is a chance of a concussion, so we have to be careful with transporting him. You take the front of the stretcher and follow me, the two sisters will take the back."
The clearing of a throat made Dr. Hopper flinch around, looking directly into the eyes of Mother Superior whose facial expression was cold as a stone.
"How is he?" She couldn't have asked with less concern, Robin thought angrily but focused on securing Graham on the stretcher with the help of the nurses.
"I can't say anything about the extent of the injuries right now. But once I know more I'll report to your office immediately."
Mother Superior nodded, about to turn around before she addressed the doctor once again with a mysterious tone. "Leti mille repente viae."
Dr. Hopper's lips formed a thin line. "Mors certa, hora incerta. I will let you know as soon as I can." He gave Robin a sign to pick up the stretcher and lead the way out of the dining hall up the familiar way to the hospital wing.
Robin remembered the way; he'd walked it once before today when they brought Henry to the hospital after his attack. The whole castle was quiet, only their soft steps on the stone floor echoed back from the dark walls which were now picked with lit candles in addition to the slight bit of electric light.
After arriving in the hospital wing, Robin helped to put Graham onto one of the metal tables in a separate room where the doctor would deal with the injuries. One of the nurses ushered him out, telling him not to wait for them but to help with leading the residents from the hall back to their rooms before shutting the door in his face.
What was he supposed to do? He couldn't just leave Graham not knowing how bad his injuries were. His Latin was as good as nonexistent but he could swear that the doctor and Mother Superior had spoken about death. Graham was injured but still very much alive if you asked him.
This place was creeping him out more and more by the minute. He walked over to the tray next to one of the beds, reaching for a carafe to fill the glass with clear water. The sudden "Robin?" behind him let him almost choke on the gulp he'd just been taking.
He coughed, once, twice, before he put the glass down and turned around, surprised to see Henry up and all right standing right in front of him, clad in a long white shirt and bare feet.
"Henry," he breathed, not sure whether to hug the boy or scoop him up to carry him right back to his bed. "What are you doing up? You should be resting."
"I saw you come in with the stretcher and Graham. What happened?"
"Henry…"
"I won't go back to bed unless you tell me. Graham is my friend. What happened to him? I have a right to know!" Henry insisted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Robin sighed heavily. The boy was right, he had a right to know what happened to his friend and he couldn't let him walk around here with bare feet.
"Let's make a deal. You'll go back to your bed and I'll tell you what happened, okay?"
Henry seemed to be contemplating his options before he nodded and went back to the end of the hall where he'd drawn his curtains aside to see what was going on. He settled back into bed, drawing the covers up to his hip. "What happened? I just saw Archie and the nurses suddenly head away with the stretcher. They thought I was still asleep, after… you know."
Yeah, he did know. Images of Henry shaking, babbling and lying on the ground floated into his head, overlaying the images of a screaming, helpless Regina for a moment. So, how could he tell the story without scaring Henry to death?
"There… there was an incident this evening at dinner. A man… I think his name was Dr. Haggard…"
"Haggard?!" Henry exclaimed fearfully. "Are you sure it was him? Oh God. Oh please, no. He took her, right? He took Regina."
Robin's eyebrows raised in confusion. The boy knew Regina? He knew why Haggard would take her? He seemed angry as he looked up at Robin, eyes filled with tears. "I told you to protect her! I told you! How could you let this happen?! I told you she knows and… Now they have her. Now they have her and they are gonna hurt her!"
"Henry? Henry, what are you talking about? What did you tell me?" The blond man asked confused and agitated at the same time. He remembered, he remembered Henry's words which he thought had been spoken in delirium.
"Robin. He's Robin Hood. He's gonna save her. He's gonna save all of us from her. I knew you would find him, Tinkerbelle. I knew you would. Robin. You must find her and tell her it's going to be okay - but she cannot go through with her plan. Snow knows. She's seen her and she will betray her. You're her last chance. Please."
"You were talking about Regina," he whispered.
"You're supposed to save her, not throw her into the hands of the Red Bull and the Dark One!" Henry accused him angrily.
"Henry, please tell me what's going on. I just came here this morning. This place is confusing me. There are so many secrets and everyone seems to know something they can't talk about… I don't know who are the good guys and the bad guys here. If you…" Okay, if he really went with this, he had to persuade the boy he believed him. "If you know something… anything that can help me save Regina then please, you need to tell me. I can't do this by myself." Oh and save her he wanted. Whether it was the fact she was an innocent or because he felt something stir deep down when he got a glimpse at her, he wanted to help the disturbed young woman. Whether or not he could give anything for the words of a ten year old he didn't know, but he would listen and perhaps - somehow - this whole thing here would start to make sense to him.
Henry let out a deep sigh, wiping away the tears which had silently escaped his eyes. "Fine. Fine, I'll help you, Robin. But you have to promise me not to tell anyone, okay? Not everyone can be trusted here. Promise me!"
"I promise. Now… what do you know about Regina's situation?" He settled on the side of Henry's bed, a serious expression on his face.
Henry took a deep breath. "I… I don't know much. She never talks really and she's gone so often to some places in her head it takes forever to bring her back to this world. It's because of what they did to her. They made her crazy, Robin and I think it was Graham who brought her back to the living. I don't know how he did it, but since he started to become her friend she became better. I try to be her friend, too but she won't let me in and Snow…"
"Who is Snow?"
"She is… was… my friend. She found out about Regina and Graham. She saw something but she didn't want to tell me what it was, so I tried to warn Regina before Snow would tell them. Did she? Tell them, I mean." Henry's fingers clenched the blanked hard so the white of his knuckles was showing.
Robin took a moment to collect his thoughts. Snow… Snow… who was this Snow person? He could only mean the woman Haggard had addressed and thanked right before he left the dining hall with his bulls and Regina. The woman with the dark hair and pixie cut who'd been crying and trying to help Regina. What was her name again? Blank… Banker… Blanchard? Yes, that was it.
"So… you think this Snow has told Dr. Haggard about Regina getting better through Graham's help?"
"I don't know if she knew Graham was responsible, but Snow is a child! She can't keep a secret."
"She looks very adult to me," Robin muttered but then remembered who he was talking to. He was in a mental hospital for god's sake. Anything could happen around here, even an adult woman thinking she was a child. It's interesting Henry would say something like this, considering he was a child himself who apparently thought every resident of this asylum was actually a fairytale character.
"She may look like it, but she isn't in her head. She's locked inside her body, doomed to never grow up," Henry explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Now tell me about what happened in the dining hall. Why was Graham brought into the hospital wing?"
Robin sighed. The boy would hear the story sooner or later anyway, if not from him, then from someone else. "Graham tried to protect Regina from the men who were taking her. He got into a fight with them, but he couldn't win."
"And what did you do?" Henry wondered, a slight accusative undertone in his voice which made Robin shift uncomfortably.
"I wanted to help her, Henry. I did, but Killian and David held me back. I couldn't do anything even though I wanted to. I… I couldn't help her and it makes me mad something like this happened and no one, no one stood up to help her. There was a room full of people who just sat there like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Regina, she… She screamed for help but I couldn't give it to her." He didn't realize he was shaking until Henry rested his hand on his side, making him look at him. There were hurt and pain for his friend in his eyes, but also determination.
"It's okay, Robin. I know you wanted to help her. You couldn't today, but you will. You're Robin Hood, you fight the evil and help the poor. You will save her, you will save all of us. But now you have to keep a low profile so Operation Unicorn won't blow up in our faces."
"Operation Unicorn?" Robin wondered, not knowing whether to be amused or afraid. This boy was hallucinating. He thought he was Robin Hood for heaven's sake! He couldn't possibly take all of what he said for face value, could he?
Henry however seemed determined. "Yes. It's our code name. Only you and me know of it and once they release Regina and Graham is all better, we can work on the plan."
"Fine," Robin agreed, first reluctantly but then he saw the hope in Henry's eyes and gave the boy a genuine smile. "But if we want to work on that plan, we need you well and healthy. So you should really try and catch some sleep, Henry."
"Will you read me a bedtime story?" he asked, satisfied how well everything turned out tonight. He grabbed a book from his nightstand and handed it over to Robin. It was Alice in Wonderland, a story he'd used to love as a child.
"I'll read you one chapter, okay? The whole book would be too long. You're supposed to rest after your…"
"You can say it, Robin. After my attack. They… sometimes they just happen and I can't do anything. Today I was lucky but on some days it's worse. My parents, they…" Henry stopped, shaking his head as if he remembered something but wanted it to go away. A sudden heaviness paired with sadness filled the room. "I'm at chapter three."
He settled back into the cushion of his bed, pulling his blanket up to his chin. Robin smiled at the picture of the young boy before he opened up the book at the page Henry instructed him to and began to read. The boy was out within minutes from exhaustion.
Silently, Robin placed the book back on Henry's bedside table and drew the curtains back around the bed so Henry was shielded from prying eyes. He realized privacy was something sacred in these halls, with eyes watching everyone's step and move. It would be hard to find out about Regina's whereabouts and what was really going on in this castle. Who was pulling the strings? Who were these doctors and most of all, what was behind Henry's story? Was Regina not as disturbed as everyone let on to be? Apart from Henry's fairy tale babbling he sounded quite… reasonable for a ten-year old boy.
Robin was just about to leave when the door from the operation room opened and the two nurses wheeled out Graham on a bed, clad in a white linen shirt similar to Henry's and bandages around his head. With all the blood gone, the man… wolf… looked much better now.
"Oh, you're still there Mr. Locksley," Dr. Hopper said surprised and Robin was not entirely sure whether it was a pleasant surprise for the doctor.
"Uh… Henry woke up and asked me to read him a bedtime story before he went back to sleep. I couldn't deny the boy."
Dr. Hopper gave him a genuine smile as his eyes trailed over to the drawn curtains behind which Henry was supposed to be sleeping safe and sound. "No, of course you couldn't, Mr. Locksley. We just finished up with our poor patient here. He's got a heavy concussion and several broken ribs as well as a broken nose just like I thought. Graham is strong. He's going to make it just fine. His only problem will be to gain enough rest. We sedated him for now but I'm afraid that when he wakes he will try to leave the hospital wing. There's not well reasoning with a wolf, you know? Instincts and all that."
"But he's going to make it?" Robin wondered in need of reassurance when he remembered the doctor's and Mother Superior's talk about death earlier.
"Medicus curat, natura sanat, Mr. Locksley. Graham is going to be fine once his injuries have healed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take a last look at Henry and see that my nurses will put everything back to where I want it. Goodnight Mr. Locksley."
The two men nodded toward each other and Dr. Hopper vanished behind Henry's curtains. Even though Robin knew he should be gone once the doctor emerged back, he couldn't help but step closer to Graham's hospital bed to get a closer look at the sleeping wolf man. Graham looked badly beaten up, but he was breathing, and that was the most important part.
He'd been the only one to stand up against the men, to fight for Regina and for a moment he felt deep admiration for the actions of the wolf floating through his mind. He'd taken more than a blow for the young woman, he'd fought until he was out cold and if the man he'd attacked hadn't stopped, he could have been dead.
Two against one - the chances had been bad, futile, but he'd still done it, had still tried to prevent them from taking Regina while all the others had been sitting there and done nothing.
The former prisoner was now standing right next to Graham, his tights brushing the bright white sheets he'd been wrapped into. He leaned down to whisper into the sleeping man's ear so Dr. Hopper or the nurses or anyone else wouldn't hear him.
"Thank you for helping her. You did what I couldn't. I promise it won't be like this next time… no, there won't be a next time because I won't let it come to that. Henry, he… he told me bits and pieces of what happened before I arrived, that you helped Regina to get better. I wish… I wish I could help but this place… it's so confusing. Anyways… I hope you'll be back on your feet soon, Graham."
Robin rose, ready to walk away when all of a sudden a strong hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him back down. He was staring right into the dark blue eyes of the wolf, too shocked to say anything. He didn't need to, though, Graham was the one to tell him something. It was just two words but it seemed like these two words carried all the weight of the world.
"Save her." Robin gasped and pulled back, tumbling backwards and hitting the night table with the tray he'd gotten water from earlier. It hit the floor, the carafe and still half filled glass shattering into a thousand pieces on the ground.
The curtains of Henry's bed were pulled away with an upset doctor emerging behind them. The nurses came running out of the operation room as well, both curious to see what was going on.
"Sorry, I'm so sorry," Robin apologized over and over, trying to clean the shards up himself, but was ushered away by the nurses who reassured him they would deal with it. "I'm… I wanted to… I… He…"
"You should really leave now, Mr. Locksley," Dr. Hopper told him, his tone leaving no room for any kind of argument. Robin nodded and fled hastily out of the hospital wing down the stairs, turned right, then left, then right until he didn't know where he was headed. This damned castle with all its hallways and stairways! God damn it, he cursed the day he came here - oh wait, that was today! Every hallway looked the same, Robin didn't even know in which part of the castle he was now. Screw it. Quickly he walked down two steps, pushed open a door and suddenly found himself outside in the gardens who were already fully dipped in the orange vanishing evening light.
The fresh air mixed with the easy smell of spring washed over him like a wave. Up until now he didn't realize how much he needed the fresh air, to wash away the smell of blood and hospital which clouded his mind still.
After closing the doors behind him, he heavily leaned back against the wooden wings, trying to catch his breath. Breathe in… and out. In… and out. Only when he wanted to wipe away the few drops of anxious sweat he felt running down the side of his head, he saw his finger was bleeding. He must have cut himself on the shattered glass which he'd tried to pick up with his bare hands. Damn it! Thankfully there was a cotton handkerchief in his pocket which he wrapped tightly around his wounded finger to stop the bleeding.
The evening was quiet just like everything in this damned castle. The birds had stopped singing and it was too early for the nocturnal animals to show up. It was this time of the day that wrapped the world in complete silence. Even the wind was still, leaving the trees and the leaves to tend to themselves. Uncanny, yes, all of this was uncanny.
After the years in prison he thought nothing else could shock him - oh he'd seen more than a dozen cruel things happening behind the walls of Nottingham Prison every day, rape and torture being one of the lesser evils – but prison was nothing in comparison to this damned place with its crazy residents and even scarier owners. In prison, you figured out who owned the place, who to answer for, what to do and what not to do after a day. Here? Here all he managed to have after half a day was more questions than answers and for some reason he knew he wouldn't get any of the answers any time soon. God how was he supposed to stay nine months in this place?
Henry saw some kind of hero in him, thought he was Robin Hood who protected the helpless, who stole from the rich to give it to the poor, but he wasn't. He was a criminal, a former prisoner who had a lot to answer for. If the kid knew, he would see him with different eyes, he wouldn't think he was a hero but an insatiable coward who was responsible for his wife's death.
How was he supposed to save Regina, a woman he hadn't even talked to, a woman he'd only seen and admired from afar, someone he knew nothing about? It was insane! Even Graham, someone he thought he'd figured out didn't seem to be who he pretended to be. Belle had reassured him he couldn't talk, that he was a wolf in his head and heart, but a few moments ago? He didn't seem like a wolf at all! Graham had talked to him even if it'd been just two words, this he would vouch for. Save her? Save Regina? Save her from what?
"Argh!" Robin's thoughts were running wild. There were too many questions and no answers to be given. Of all the places they could have sent him, they sent him here! Defeated, he slumped down on a bench behind the hedge of the rose garden, burying his face in his hands. The wound on his finger hurt, but right now he didn't care.
The night had almost everything into darkness when Robin finally forced himself to get back up. It'd become rather chilly here and he felt like he could really use some sleep after everything that happened. He was about to make his way back to the castle when something caught his eye on the meadow not far away from him. Just then he remembered the moment he was standing on the window, watching how one of the sisters dragged Regina back to the castle for supper. Her coat! She lost her coat earlier that day and no one felt responsible to retrieve it from the damp grass.
Determination spread through Robin's body when he got up and walked up the hill to pick up the woolen coat. The faint smell of apples, vanilla and something he couldn't quite depict caught in his nose, spread through his senses like a wildfire. It was calming but exciting at the same time and he had to refrain himself from holding the coat close to his face in order to catch more of her mesmerizing scent. He wrapped the coat into a tight ball, surprised when something golden caught his eye.
There wasn't much light left to see, but when a shimmer in the grass caught his eye, he curiously picked up the object which had fallen out of Regina's pocket. It was a ring, gold, shining, looking very new and barely worn. Counting on the size he was sure it was made for a woman's hand. Was it… a wedding ring? Was Regina married?
The ring must mean something to her, otherwise she wouldn't have carried it with her. But why lose it with the coat? A thought entered Robin's mind. Did she already know what would happen in the dining hall? Is that why she accidentally lost her coat, so she could make sure the ring wasn't taken from her?
As far as he knew and from what Tink had told him, the residents weren't allowed any kind of jewelry for safety reasons. If she'd somehow kept the ring it must be something very special to her. Robin held the ring closer to his face in order to read the engravings on the inside of the ring: Amaberis Semper - Daniel.
Once again Robin cursed his little knowledge of Latin but he knew one thing for sure. Regina would get her coat and the ring back, that he would make sure of.
Xxxxx
Robin didn't know exactly how, but somehow he found his way back up to the tower where his room was located. He hid the coat underneath his jacket in case someone would come asking where he got it.
David and Killian were already lying in their beds, the former reading a book while the latter was snoring loudly. David looked up, a small smile on his face.
"There you are. We thought you got lost after the tumult in the dining hall."
"I helped Dr. Hopper and the nurses to bring Graham to the hospital wing." Robin kept his answer short. After all, he didn't know whether he could trust the man who held him back from helping Regina and Graham.
Sighing, David put his book aside and sat up in his bed, a hand ruffling through his hair. "Listen, Robin. I know you wanted to help tonight and I'm sorry we held you back. But there are a lot of things you don't understand yet -"
"Then tell me!" Robin hissed, desperately trying to keep his voice down in order to not wake Killian. "They took that woman. Why? What are they going to do to her? David you can't sit around here while people are getting hurt!"
"I'm not!" David explained firmly. "But you have to remind yourself that all these people here have mental problems. A lot of them are very, very dangerous and our doctors are doing the best they can in order to help them. I don't know what Regina did wrong, Mary Margaret wouldn't tell me…"
"Who is Mary Margaret?" Robin wondered but the second he asked he'd already figured out the answer. "She is Snow, isn't she?"
"You've been talking to Henry?" David asked surprised.
"Yeah, he seems to be the only person who actually talks to me in this godforsaken place!" He kicked the chest in front of his bed with his foot wincing.
"Henry is… special."
Robin raised an eyebrow at the comment, his lips pressed into a thin line. "He warned me this would happen right before his attack. He knew Snow… Mary Margaret was responsible for this."
"She… It wasn't her fault, Robin."
"From what I gather, she is the reason why Regina was taken by these men and Dr. Haggard - and they're doing God only knows what to her somewhere where she can't be helped. She is all by herself, she is alone, she is helpless," he yelled now, not caring whether Killian would wake up or not.
"Why do you care so much about her? You haven't even talked to her," David asked, his gaze wandering over to his work mate's bed.
"Because… I… I don't know. I just can't see an innocent being punished!"
"Yeah well perhaps she is not as innocent as you might think! Just because she's pretty and small doesn't mean she's an innocent! She's an angel of death, Robin!" Robin's eyes widened in shock as David continued. "She's here because she killed her father and her fiancé and because she was lucky they declared her mentally ill in front of the court otherwise she would be rotting in prison for the rest of her life now! If I were you I'd be careful who you declare an innocent just because you apparently have a crush on her. Regina is a coldblooded murderer and if you ask me, she deserves every punishment she can get! So next time get your facts straight before you start assuming things!" Angrily, David turned around in his bed, demonstratively shutting out the light on his bedside table, leaving a stunned Robin almost completely in the dark if it weren't for the lit candle next to the door.
This information was… a surprise, one that made his stomach clench and mouth go dry. She was… she was a murderer? The cold metal of the ring he'd stuffed into his pocket weighed heavily against his hip now. Daniel. Had he been her fiancé?
Robin pulled her cloak out from under his jacket and stuffed it into the chest at the foot of his bed.
Calm down, Robin, calm down. You don't know the circumstances under which this happened. Perhaps it was an accident. You killed your wife. You're a murderer as well. That doesn't make you a bad person, right? Right? Maybe there… maybe there is more to the story. Until you don't know what happened, you don't know… It was his mantra until he'd gotten rid of his clothes and fallen into bed, too exhausted to wash himself and clean himself up for the night. He would ge a shower in the morning, until then, he would try not to get insane.
