Day 2 (Tuesday) :169. Regina is the dark one and Robin has the dagger.
Inhaling sharply, Robin pushes the key into the door, unlocking it slowly and quietly, hoping that quietness will soothe his worry and give him time to collect himself; hoping that at it will soothe a lost soul locked up in there.
He takes another moment to breathe and then pushes the door of Regina's vault open and steps inside, unsure of what is waiting for him (last time he came here, she met him with a knife in her hands, threatening to end his miserable life if he doesn't let her go).
Thankfully, he'd had the dagger, the Dark One's dagger with himself, Regina's name now imprinted on the gold metal. He would be dead, Robin thinks, if he hadn't had that damned dagger.
From the moment Regina was surrounded by darkness, she's been gone. One moment she was looking at him with tearful eyes, probably realizing what fate was awaiting for her, and the other the Evil Queen was standing in front of them, darkness radiating off of her soul.
It's Robin fault, in a way, that she didn't fight, that she gave into the darkness so easily. If he hadn't screwed up, if Zelena wasn't carrying his child, Regina could have fought back, she would have fought back. He knows.
But she's been angry and hurt, her heart broken again, even though she'd smiled and took his hand, walked in the moonlight, pretending that she was fine. She's been so conflicted that there was no fight. She just blinked her eyes and was consumed by darkness.
And then the fun began.
The first person she tried to kill was Zelena, of course. Then it was Snow White and David. Emma and Captain Hook also made it into the list. Then it was Robin's time. And he knew she would come for him, she had made it clear that she'll end everyone who has ever hurt her and to be honest, Robin was pretty sure he was on top of that list.
And she came for him. She's shouted into his face that he's never ever going to hurt her again, and then her hand was in his chest, and his heart was pulled out. She's grinned at him wickedly, squeezing the organ as her eyes burned from madness.
He was saved by Henry who had accidentally walked in on the scene (he and Roland were the only people Regina hasn't tried to kill). Whenever she saw her son, she would disappear, vanish in a bubble of purple leaving her victim breathless but still alive.
After this incident, Henry had admitted that he had Regina's dagger. She'd given it to him and asked him to protect it, not to let anyone know about it (Regina loves her son, she really does, but that one time she manipulated him), but the teenager was so worried about his mother, he couldn't keep it a secret anymore.
Since then Regina's been locked in her own vault, her magic bound by a handcuff on her wrist. It pains Robin to see her like this: powerless, angry and vulnerable, but he has to remind himself that it is for her own good, that they're doing this to protect her from herself.
Once they know how to bring her back, they'll do. Until then, though she'll stay where she is.
Swallowing hard, Robin walks down the stairs and opens another door of the cell where they've left Regina the last time. Surprisingly, she's still there, sleeping peacefully on the bed Emma created with her magic.
She's dressed in black, his Regina, the same black dress he's seen her in the last time. Her long hair has fallen out of her bun, and now some of them are sprawled over the pillow, her eyes black all around from the heavy make-up she's put the last time she's had her magic.
She looks regal, scary even in her sleep.
But he knows Regina is in there, somewhere under this mask, he knows that she can fight the darkness and return to herself.
She shifts a bit in her sleep, curling into a ball, and Robin swallows hard, wishes he could just walk up to her and kiss her, hug her and assure her that it will be fine, that they'll be fine; that they'll find a way to fix this.
Yet he knows once she's awake, she'll threaten to kill him or someone else again, she'll make a show until he'll be forced to use her dagger, to control her against her own will.
And he doesn't want to do that. He really doesn't want to.
He will, though. If he has to protect her from herself, he will use it.
He'll not let her kill any more people.
He'll not let her hurt herself even more than she already has.
"Get out," a sleepy and rather calm voice snaps him out of his mind.
Robin turns his head down to look to bed immediately and finds Regina awake, her dark chocolate eyes opened now, no trace of sleep, as she stares directly at him with so much hatred, it makes his heart clench.
"Regina-"
"I said get out!" she repeats, her voice still calm but she's getting angry. "You are the reason why I am here! You're the reason why I'm powerless now!" She spats out as she sits up, her eyes burning holes in his soul.
Robin is certain if she had her magic, she would be throwing fireballs at him by now.
"You know it's for the best," Robin says, stretching his hand out to touch her but she moves back, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.
"I hate you!" She exclaims, and Robin has to remind himself that it is not Regina, it's not the Evil Queen but the darkness. But, to be honest, he hates himself too, for hurting her, for breaking her heart the way he did. "I wish I have never met you! I wish Henry had never walked into that room and saved you!" She hisses, narrowing her eyes. "I still dream about your weak heart in my palm, thief. Every time I close my eyes, I think about ending your miserable life. And I will. Trust me. Once I'm free, you'll be the first," she states, and Robin should be afraid, he really should, but he's not.
Swallowing hard, Robin tells her, "I'll save you, Regina. We'll find a way."
She laughs at him, disbelieving and he doesn't argue with her. He just looks at her one more time, before he turns around and walks out of the cell before she's said something more, before she's hurt him or herself even more.
She's shouting something after him, something about how much she hates him, but Robin doesn't listen, instead he keeps repeating to himself that he'll save her.
He'll save her and bring her home.
And she'll be herself again.
He will bring her back even if it will be the last thing he does.
With that thought, Robin walks out of the vault and goes to meet with Emma hoping that the Savior has figured out how to save his soulmate.
