Helloooo :-) Quick heads up! the following chapter as well as the one after that (respectively 7 or 7a & 8 or 7b) will be the last POV based 7th will be from Regina's POV and the next Robin's and that's why you'll see the "7a" and the "7b" description , since they are two pieces of the same puzzle and yet separate chapters as ! Like I said,the chapters that'll come after these two will be dialogue based and there Regina and Robin willl FINALLY see each other after their ordeal. I have a somewhat clearer idea as to where this story is going and HOW it's going to proceed but I suffer from what one would call "writer's block" and under much thought I've decided to take a break and come back with chapters that would make both me and my story feel worth said that, I have to tell you that I loved writing this chapter. Horses are very close to my own heart as well and being able to pour some of it in this fic and share it, it was a very nice , I'll leave you to it ;-)

Chapter 7 (or 7a)

There was another meeting planned for later that day and given the fact that Regina had been in no-show for almost a week now she figured it was about time she reemerged from the four walls of her lavish chambers, walls that despite the solace they offered had started to close in on her ever since that fifth day of seclusion had dawned.

She recalled a time when the world wasn't as old as it was today (nor was she) when she hadn't yet been given a crown and a kingdom to rule, when she was -almost- ordinary (the word almost vibrating forcefully in her mind) when she'd be out of her birth home the moment the first signs of a fresh sun would rise in the sky, relishing in the peace that the hills offered, a stillness undisturbed yet of burdens that would weigh her down to the point of utter damage and destruction. In those days she had been happier than …well…just happier. True, Cora's presence cast a heaviness upon her young shoulders, a reminder of duties and opportunities, but still, in those moments, outside, everything seemed lighter, brighter and… possible.

Soon she found herself reminiscing the feel of brown mane underneath her finger tips, soft wet muzzles nudging her elbow for attention while her other hand worked the brush upon a long back and ribs with such certainty as if she was born to do just that. Be there. Amongst creatures with whom she could feel most at home with. A home within a home indeed , for it was this place that would shield her from Cora's fury , when a mother that didn't feel at all like one would release words that stung deeper than Regina was able to comprehend at the time. It was this place when this heartbroken younger version of herself would cry the pain away, would sob till she'd feel as if all water had dried out of her body, when her eyes were too sore, too red rimmed and pained for her to see nothing but blurry lines .

This barn, with its walnut alley doors and the high ceilings, had served as a safe haven when any other place seemed unsuited for the task. She was raised to become more than what she was, of that she was aware. High expectations evading her mind, creating a cage for a soul that would otherwise run free till her legs could carry her no longer, till her lungs would ache and burn from her fair share of carefree moments, moments all too often hard to come by. And, still, that place… That was the only place she could find herself, attempt a glimpse through the holes of her heavy armor -a girl of whom too many things were demanded and who , in return, asked for so few.

The same feeling accompanied her after her relocation to the king's castle and a long time after that, to a foreign realm that gave her more than she could ever ask for. Sure, the exterior would change. In some cases more regal, more deserving of residents of blue blood and gifted birth rights and others more subtle, more cozy, less elaborate but no less soothing.

She needn't consider it any longer. Decisions easily made, hair brushed and left loosely cascading down her lower back , clothes changed and riding boots wore, she made her way through corridors that not many knew the existence of, out in the open air. It was certainly colder than she had expected it would be, her room's roaring fire shielding her from the chilliness of the morning, but the feeling of this coldness entering her lungs, running down her spine, grazing her cheeks softly was a welcome one and as such she embraced it for it made her feel more alive than she had felt for quite some time.

It wasn't a long walk till she reached the lower grounds of the castles' property where the barns could already be seen. Amongst the hillsides, the everlasting green trees, the grass that so softly moved when the breeze would touch it just so. God it felt as if not one day had passed since she first laid eyes upon this large building that combined not one but three different barns and sheltered magnificent horses that could bring tears to her eyes just by their mere sight. Of course not days but years had passed since that girl, with a ring on her right hand marking her as someone else's property and a freshly shattered heart, had cast her eyes upon these stone walls. Years… and yet again this sight made her feel as if time had turned backwards, as if she was unscathed by wrong decisions and malice and now…now she could breathe again.

( why did everything feel so easy out in the open? )

Familiar fragrances filled her nostrils, made the windmills of her mind rotate once again, her eyes closing as she let herself get carried away, for she recognized the smell of hay charging the atmosphere, the leather of the equipment beckoning her to touch and those magnificent creatures that over and over and over again filled her with warmth and joy scratching the wooden doors, feeling that the time was near that they'd gallop once more. And it was…

She had always loved horses. Never once had she feared them, but instead recognized a kindness and a softness in their eyes that she felt deprived of from her human companions. Somehow when that realization hit her she felt neither pain nor remorse. She wouldn't change those moments of tranquility for anything…

Her mind returning to its present she took a closer look at the horses now awaiting to be she had to identify the breeds, though she was well aware that she was no longer a part of the 21st century of the modern world thus such descriptions no longer mattered, she'd say that they looked closer to the Friesian horse, similar to which were amongst the few that the barn back in Storybrooke included. Black mane, nimble and graceful built, powerful muscles distinctive with the slightest of movement, thick mane and tail almost touching the ground.

The one that her eyes had landed upon was a tall one, one of the tallest she had ever seen, its back leveling to her shoulders and my God it was a truly beautiful creature. She had ridden a similar one, she recalled, in a time much too painful for her to remember, when she'd lead her knights in this ever lasting search of her -what used to be-enemy, through mountains and forests, in the dead of the night, only to be ambushed and led to her execution. Good Lord, the times she had come as close to death…. Too many to count and yet each and every one of them carried a very heavy significance in her soul.

She was scarred by her choices and yet, here she was now, living and breathing, given a second chance (although child-less) and so she had to make-do, or at least do something about it….Henry would have wanted that…Henry

She shouldn't let her mind travel down that road that often, she decided. She would find a way, or at least she would die trying, but sulking over situations that were not able to be immediately changed, she knew, were non profitable and too heart wrecking…and a heart can only take too much.

With that last thought she chose her saddle and prepared that very same stag she had been admiring earlier. He was a feisty one, she could tell, hot tempered in all of its glory, neighing in anticipation , its hooves hitting the pebbled floor, but then again she never got along with the mild ones. She had always needed to be amongst equal companions, deserving of her very own similar nature, even when those were animals.

Her muscles' memory awakened, she only needed a little force and then she was taking her place upon the saddle, petting its long neck and she should name it, she thought…Names have this tendency of making things more personal, more familiar. She had loved Rocinante. Her sweet disposition and her lovely name, carefully picked for a loving creature. She could still remember the feeling of responsibility that marked the day her daddy told her that it was up to her to decide a name. Oh how she had dwelled upon several others, trying the feel of them in her tongue and in her heart, but in the end, after hours upon hours of contemplation, that had seemed like the only proper choice. Now, all this time after, she could indeed agree that yes, yes, it was the right choice. But she was not 15 anymore and her needs had changed as well as she had and now she didn't feel that a name as soft as the one previously picked would suit her nor her horse, for it became hers the moment she felt him relax under her touch and she above his warmth and ,anyway, wasn't she the Queen after all? She could have whichever horse she wanted!

Vibrations running through her whole body, taking over all of her senses, coming up her spine from where her body met the saddle, from the point where her body absorbed each and every movement of her horse's, each gallop, each jump, each leap….

She ran like there was no tomorrow –for indeed who's to say there would be! The elements had all subsided by now, the storm nothing but a faint heaviness in the atmosphere, the woods coming alive, breathing in …breathing out…

She could feel everything that was happening as if she were a part of it all. A part of the trees, a part of the flowers and the grass, of the wind, of the sun, of the sky, a sky that was not limited to the blue of the atmosphere but would stretch and expand and involve and hug everything…everything till the point where it met the earth and that was where it ended.

She could feel everything as if she had been born just now. As if she was unscathed by the world, as if she hadn't marked it in return. How can there be moments like this? Moments when you think that no matter what happened in the past, despite the worries, the hurt, despite it all, there can still be moments like this one, rare and unique, that everything seems possible. When you think "I can do it" even if each and every one of the past moments thought you couldn't. When your breaths are deeper, your lungs are fuller and your heart feels as though it could burst at any minute though nothing extravagant, nothing extraordinary really, took place. Maybe that's the secret. The ordinary. The things that we have become so used to, so deeply acquainted with that we have ,at some point, lost our connection to them. And with that we lost a part of ourselves as well...

"Storm…."

She tasted the word in her mouth. Let it slip. Allow it to give itself texture. Become a reality. Storm… Yes… It felt right. It felt like something more than the name it was destined to become. More than the meaning someone else gave it. It held power. Gravity. Strenght. But it also held the promise of a rebirth, the way the soil bathes itself in new life after the downpour is over. A rebirth…And how could that not be the most appropriate name for a creature that brought in the surface ( her surface) her very one renaissance. That would be it… Storm

Time flies they say

For Regina, time had been an elusive entity (if such a thing as time can be objectified ). It always felt like it could slip from her fingers, melt away, a belonging of other people, not hers to behold… She didn't have time to enjoy her childhood cause "you have more important things to do ,dear" Cora would say and so that was taken away from her. Then…Daniel…a first love so unfairly wiped off from her life before it even got the chance to become something, to take on a life of its own and unveil all the possibilities. Then Henry… she couldn't tell if, in his case, she lost the time or if time lost her…Such a childish game to constantly seek something that no one can attain.

And now she was here…and she had time… but now that she had it, what was she supposed to do with it? She longed for it for so long that this endless treasure hunt's finish line seemed like a joke. She should be glad. God she is glad . True, she'd rather lack time in this realm if that meant that she would be taken back to her home…to her son. But now she was here, they were here , and she had time… yes ,she had….she had ? Wait…what time was it? A look at the setting sun verified her suspicions that ,indeed, time flies and she should head back if she'd want to be on time for their meeting…and she should be there on time. God only knows, one person can only take too much of other's care and protection and ,these days, Snow had taken upon her slim shoulders to play the cheerleader of anyone who wasn't in the mood and Regina, for all the appreciation, just had enough.

Did she think that she had time? Ugh… AS! IF!