Chapter Nine

What's True Love Got to Do with It?

By the time Regina had left the others and her office, she wondered how it had ever been a good idea to get out of bed in the first place.

Even though the plan they had concocted involved her getting close to Sauron, she was still trying to overcome the confused feelings Robin had engendered by his oh so obvious jealousy at the possibility he might have competition. Competition? Regina snorted as she opened the front door to her house, there wasn't even a race now that Marian was back. In some sense she was flattered by his ire but at the same time, it saddened her because he still cared for her though not enough to overcome his love for his wife. The whole situation left Regina hollow and exhausted.

Closing the door on more than just the outside world, Regina wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and forget Robin ever existed. Maintaining a tough facade had been harder than she ever believed possible especially when she had to do it in front of him and Emma, the two people responsible for her pain to begin with. She didn't even have the dignity of nursing her pain in private. No, the threat that Sauron demanded her presence and robbed her of any solitude to mend her broken heart.

The house was empty and for once Regina was grateful for it. Only days ago, she'd bemoaned how lonely it was to not have Henry stomping about, running along the corridors or stairs, invading her study and filling the house with the sounds of Saturday morning cartoons. Even though he had been terribly sweet to come over this morning to make her feel better, Regina knew there was no substitute for a few days of good, solitary brooding. The only one way she could deal with this was do it the way she'd endured all the other tragedies in her life, alone and on her own terms.

She hadn't even stepped into the hallway of her house when she noticed the living room was flickering with the ambiance of a lit fireplace. Wondering who had dared invade her home, Regina supposed she shouldn't have been surprised when she found Sauron crouching in front of the fireplace. He was, prodding the cackling flames of the burning logs with the cast iron poker missing from its stand.

"Your castle is small but quite quaint in its own way," Sauron complimented, standing up and running a cursory gaze over the room before his eyes touched hers. He was accustomed to his fortress at Bara-dur and could never quite fathom these small dwellings that felt like hobbit holes. Hobbits, he seethed involuntarily as he stood up and faced her.

"Apparently the locks could use some work," Regina accused as she paused at the doorway, unfastening the buttons of her coat. The boldness of him should have infuriated her but by now, it was just what she was coming to expect from him. She noticed he was still wearing the clothes she'd bought him although it appeared he'd done something with his hair. Had he cut it? Despite herself, she had to admit it suited him well.

"I do apologise for the intrusion," he said contritely even if he wore the smile of a little boy who had been caught carrying out some mischief that had yet to be realised upon his helpless victim. Crossing the floor, he approached her like a lion stalking a zebra, full of predatory intent. "But I wanted to see you alone and have you all to myself. "

Every word he spoke spread across her skin like warm butter, making her attuned to him in a way that felt more intimate than a lover's kiss. Sauron circled her, pausing behind Regina to help her with her coat. His hands slipped the heavy fabric off her body like he was caressing it, palms charting the curve of her shoulders before gliding sleeves down her arms. By the time he hung the coat on the stand behind them, Regina was well and truly flustered.

God, the man should come with a warning label.

"What do want from me really?" Regina asked turning around only to find herself standing chest to chest with him, his breath warming her skin as tantalisingly as his hands had done a short time ago.

"Why is it so difficult to believe that I want you because you are an exciting, alluring woman who intrigues me to no end and with whom I feel a kinship? Do you consider yourself so undeserving of anyone's admiration?" Sauron asked genuinely wishing to know the answer. Had life been so cruel to her that she felt herself so lacking? With all the things she could do? Not waiting for an answer, he took her hand in his and bowed his head to brush the smooth knuckles with a gentle kiss.

Once again, Regina found herself helpless by the irresistible pull of him as she became transfixed by the intensity of his blue eyes. She didn't know if he was exuding was raw magnetism or some kind of glamour that made her throat go dry in his presence while the rest of her quivered with anticipation. Regina swore that when she stared into his eyes, it almost felt as if she could see worlds beyond this one, a glittering canvas of possibility that was only a breath a way. Her cheeks warmed at his touch and she realised much to her annoyance, she was blushing.

What the hell was he doing to her? She thought defiantly, struggling to remind herself that she was the Evil Queen who had once laid waste to the whole of the Enchanted Forest in her quest for revenge. However, even as she was thinking this, his closeness made her breathless.

"I don't need anyone's attention," Regina declared, recouping some measure of dignity even if her protests felt weak and ineffectual. Worse yet, her fingers were still intertwined in his and she found no desire to extricate herself from him.

"I beg to differ my lady," he spoke smoothly in that husky voice, all the while stroking her knuckles with his thumb making her shudder from the contact. "I suspect that you have convinced a good many people that you need no consideration but you do yourself a disservice by that. You are a rose my lady, beautiful to behold but to be handled cautiously nonetheless. All should love and fear you. Sometimes what is most precious makes us to scream with desire while capable of tearing us apart at the same time. That is what you should be and you should never, ever settle for anything less."

"And you?" She stared at him with challenge, recovering her poise somewhat now that she was accustomed to his touch. "What do you want? To love or fear me?"

"I want neither," he said with a smug smile, "I want to release you. I can see the woman you are and the queen you should be. With me, I will help you can be both."

There was such sincerity in his voice and the intent in his eyes seemed so earnest that Regina had to remind herself he was the enemy, that he was here with a hidden purpose and was trying to use her for something but it was hard when he was so overwhelming. "Why? Why me Ste... Sauron."

"You may call me Stephen," he replied, "if that makes you more comfortable and why? Because we are the same. We are creatures of circumstance and we've dared to sacrifice what means most to us to get what we want. We are not easy to love but when we do love, we love hard."

"Are you saying you love me?" She stared at him disbelief.

"I would not bandy about that word my lady," Sauron snorted. "It is too often used as a cheat by any man who wishes to slip into a woman's heart without any real proof of affection. Men use it knowing the power it has over women and its clearly an unfair advantage when any fool can sing songs of love to bed some innocent maid. I would rather tell you I want you at my side, to share my world and my heart than to make some proclamation of love that will never live up to our expectation of what the word should be."

This was too much. She had to look away because if she continued to stare into his eyes, she'd lose all sense of herself. Still, his words were compelling because each one struck home. All her life Regina was forced to watch as true love was flouted in front of her face, dangled like some carrot she had to chase. She'd lost Daniel and Robin...God, she had really believed that she'd found true love with him. Except once again, it was snatched away and her heart was left in pieces. That Sauron didn't try to use true love to win her over was the first real thing he'd said she could rely on.

"This is too fast," she stared at him, feeling herself succumbing to the allure of what he was offering her.

"Then get to know me," he extended his hand towards her before she could pull to far away from him. "Let me show you what is possible between us."

"How?" She asked, arching a brow at him in suspicion.

Sauron could not help but smile at her doubt. She was proving to be a challenge and he had to confess, not since Númenor had he need to work so hard to convince anyone of anything. Still, the chase was giving him a new appreciation of her and now he was doubly determined to have her return with him. All he had to do was convince her to give up this provincial life she was clinging to and unleash the power inside of her. It would make her an even more valuable ally and a more interesting lover.

It would make her a worthy queen of Mordor.

"Come," he took her hand like they were two children about to embark on some mischief.

Regina allowed herself to be led through her house while she tried to regain the composure he had so thoroughly shattered with his passionate speech. They stepped through the kitchen door which emptied into the backyard. In the grass courtyard, Regina's jaw dropped as she saw the winged creature he had created outside of Gold's house, waiting patiently for him to return. It was roosting on the grass as if it were any other bird, occupying itself by snapping at the stray insects that flew in proximity of its mouthful of serrated teeth. At the sight of them, the saurian neck jerked up like an ostrich, the serpentine eyes watching their approach.

"You don't expect me to get on that thing?" She stared at him with wide eyes when she realised what he had planned for them.

"Isildur won't hurt you," he tugged her towards the creature when he saw her hesitate in her approach. "It will be pleasant, I promise you." He tilted her his head towards her and gave her an almost puppy dog look of insistence.

"I must be crazy," Regina muttered to herself as she led him lead her to the beast. As she stood next to the creature's flank, she noted its green scaly hide and marvelled at how its breath rippled across the flesh like an ocean wave. She placed a hand against the body and felt its heart pounding. She was marvelling this when suddenly, Regina noticed Sauron's hands on hips as he came up behind her.

"A little lunacy is good for the soul," he replied and tightened his grip on her hips before lifting her up in one quick movement.

Regina let out a small gasp of surprise when she was placed on the creature's back. She was in a skirt so she was forced to sit side saddle but it didn't matter because Sauron soon joined her and he made sure his arm was securely around her waist. She tried not to be affected by his closeness but with his back pressing against hers, his arms around her waist holding her steady, Regina found it difficult to keep her heart from skipping a beat.

"I'll bet you I'm not the first girl you've taken out on your winged lizard," Regina quipped, trying to hide his effect on her with flippancy.

Sauron laughed and spoke in that odd language of his, "Skoi!"

The creature beneath them stood up from its haunches and extended its wings. The span of them almost covered the length of the backyard and with a graceful flap, they were suddenly airborne. Regina felt her stomach leap as the ground grew distant beneath them and tried not to feel fear. She had magic for God sake, if she fell, she certainly knew how to save herself. Still, she'd never ridden any animal like this, never even thought to try. His arm coiled a little tighter around her until she could feel his chest pressed into her back and for a moment, Regina forgot who she was with, only how he made her. She relaxed into him, feeling the wind her hair, the warmth of his skin against hers in contrast with the cool breeze.

Beneath them, the world seemed small and for the moment at least, as he held her tight, Regina wondered if it would be so bad to let herself fall for him.

After leaving Regina's office, Robin of Loxley didn't immediately go back to the camp where he and Roland and now Marian were staying. Instead, the former prince of thieves found himself sitting at Granny's staring into his mug of coffee, trying to make sense of what had become of his world.

Yesterday, everything had been so simple. The Evil Queen had given her his heart and it was no small thing that she'd entrusted to him. It wasn't just her love but her trust and faith that life could be good and second chances were possible for anyone. He'd been so proud to stand at her side when she fought Zelena, to watch her rise above everything she'd ever been and emerge phoenix-like as a hero that he would have followed to the ends of the earth if she asked it of him.

And in a single moment, he'd destroyed her.

Robin was happy that Marian was back. He really was. They had been through so much together, fought the good fight against the Sherriff of Nottingham, camped under the branches of ancient wood dreaming of a future together and bringing Roland into the world. The moments were too many to count. When he lost her, Robin was convinced he'd never get over her much less move on. However, even before he met Regina, he'd turned on the page on that life with Marian and he had become accustomed to being without her.

Now that she was back and the initial joy of her return had passed, Robin had started to feel something gnawing in the pit of him that wouldn't let go no matter how much he told himself that all was as it should be. After all, in their stories, wasn't it always Robin and Marian? Where did it say that he would end up with the Evil Queen? Nowhere, that's what.

Then why did he feel heartsick that he couldn't be with her? Every time he saw her, saw the anguish she was barely able to conceal in those brown eyes of hers, it broke his heart and it made him resent Marian just a little and hate himself just a bit more.

"You appear to be a man with a problem." He heard a familiar voice and glanced up to see David standing over him.

"Do I?" Robin asked distantly as he regarded the Prince who was holding a Styrofoam cup of piping hot coffee in his hand.

"Yeah," David nodded, though he needed no clairvoyance to know what was on Robin's mind. Since the second curse had brought them back, David had gotten to know Robin who had proven himself to be a stalwart defender of Storybrooke and its citizens. He'd helped them in the fight against Zelena and for that he was a friend as far as David was concerned.

"May I?" He gestured to the empty seat in the booth Robin was occupying.

"Go ahead," Robin replied and finally took a sip from his own mug, the contents of which were now tepid.

"Thanks," David said gratefully. "Both the baby and Snow are finally asleep. I don't want to risk either of them waking up with me stomping about the place so I figured I'd catch up on some television at the Sherriff's office."

Robin nodded politely and David guessed he was still coming to grips with what had been happening in his life the past 24 hours.

"How are you doing Robin?" David asked finally. "With Marian being back."

Robin eased back into the vinyl of the booth and sighed. "I thought I'd be overjoyed to have her back and I am, truly. I am happy she is alive and my son has his mother back but..."

"Regina?" David hazarded a guess after his reactions to Sauron's interest in the queen.

"I can't stop thinking about her, about how I've hurt her. She trusted me David, she opened her heart to me and told me how hard it was to love anyone again after she'd lost Daniel. At least he died, what did I do? I'm almost as bad as Cora."

"No you're not," David stated firmly. "This is a bad situation not just for Regina but for you too, I get that. Before the curse was broken and I had no memories of Snow, I knew that I loved her but I was also married to Abigail. I was trapped between doing the right thing and the honourable thing. Sometimes, the two are mutually exclusive. You have to ask yourself, what do you want? Because if you're still in love with Regina, staying with Marian isn't a kindness."

"She's the mother of my son," Robin pointed out.

"And that won't change no matter who you love," David reminded.

Robin let out of a sigh, "you know we were meant to be, even before I met Marian it seemed."

"How so?" David asked, listening to Robin because that's what the man needed right now, someone to listen to the lament he dared not voice to anyone else because it went against everything he knew about himself.

"The fairy Tinkerbelle showed Regina her soul mate after Daniel had died," Robin explained, rolling up his sleeve. "It seemed that Regina's true love would have this tattoo. I never believed in all that but the way Regina and I seemed to connect..."

David was still listening but he was suddenly very interested in the tattoo Robin was showing him. His brow furrowed at the familiarity of it. "I've seen that tattoo before," he said halting Robin in mid sentence.

"What?" Robin exclaimed. "Where?"

Hell, David cursed inwardly aware of how Robin was going to take his answer. "On Stephen," he admitted reluctantly, "I saw it on Stephen."

"On Stephen?" Robin burst out with alarm. "Did Regina see it?" The implications of what the tattoo's effect on Regina would be suddenly filled Robin with near panic. If she saw it, she might believe that Stephen was the man she'd seen in that tavern all those years ago. After all, hadn't she told him she had never really got a good look at the face beneath the hood? All she had to go on that he was her soul mate was his tattoo and if Stephen was now wearing the same thing, she may well believe it was the sorcerer who was meant for her. Not Robin at all. Especially with Marian's return.

"I couldn't tell you," David replied and then remembered that moment when Regina had gone pale after he'd introduced her to Stephen, when the man had kissed her hand so gallantly. "But I think she might have."

"Then we have to go find her," Robin stated starting to get out of the booth. "There's no telling what kind of influence he might have over her if she believes that tattoo is real!"

Some of the other diners had turned to the two men in curiosity at the archer's raised voice. David smiled awkwardly at them as he tried to convey the message that there was nothing to see here before he turned and faced Robin. "Hold on a second Robin, what if its real?"

"Oh course its not real," Robin retorted dismissing the possibility without hesitation. "He just used the one thing that could sway her to his will. This is a trick Prince," the archer said firmly. "Its a trick to make use of her power for his own ends. That's why he's so insistent on her going back with him."

As much as Robin's words made sense, David had one more point to make. "Robin, you said so yourself, she never saw your face in that tavern. How do you know the one that's meant to be her soul mate?"

"Because I do!" Robin insisted. "If it wasn't true then I wouldn't feel this way."

"What way?" David asked.

"Like I can't live without her," Robin stated and the words escaped him like the last gasp of a drowning man. He sank into the booth again. "I can't let him take her," he met David's eyes. "I just can't."

And there it was, the admission he had been trying to deny himself. Whatever lay between him and Marian had past its time and he knew it. He still loved her but he was past being in love with her when he'd moved on. This was the irrefutable truth he'd been unable to admit since he faced Regina this morning and saw her tears. She'd told him it was over but it was Robin who had more difficulty believing it than Regina. He knew for certain now that she was meant to be with him but knowing that gave him little comfort because he had no idea what was to be done about it.

They were both prisoners in the same cage.

"That's Venus," Regina stated as she stared at the evening sky.

They'd flown across Storybrooke and Regina was treated to a view of the sleepy town she'd never really cared to see in all the time she'd lived there. Even though Storybrooke was located in Maine, it had never really felt apart of the world, just a crucible to hold her enemies as she took her revenge on them all. She'd forgotten how lovely it was, with its quaint New England coastline that was a mixture of gothic cliffs and sweeping pristine beaches that vanished into the Acadian woods of spruce, balsa and red pine. Their leaves creating a canopy above and a carpet of gold beneath.

They didn't speak when they'd flown. The beauty of the town's lights glittering like fairy dust against the dark, the salt air in their lungs as the sea breezed beneath them and the glorious sunset took away the needs for words. They sailed over the world, feeling very much apart from it as his arms remained wrapped around her, his breath warming her neck as she leaned against him, allowing her resistance to bleed into his muscled chest.

When they finally came down to Earth, they'd landed at the cliffs where the lighthouse stood, giving them a breathtaking view of the ocean as it caressed the night air with its rhythmic rush of waves. He'd conjured up a blanket and they were now curled up together, warming each other as they watched the stars while their mount took to the skies. The winged creature flew as if were still a swallow, relishing the freedom of flight, unfettered. It was almost beautiful.

"We call it the Star of Eärendil," Sauron replied, surprised by how pleasant it was to hold her, feeling the strands of her dark hair against his lips as he breathed in the sweet fragrance of her in his lung. The enchantment of a corporeal body, he reminded himself, he had forgotten how delightful the senses could be.

Regina would have been surprised to learn that like Emma Swan, she was similarly enchanted by the names he had for places and things. Wherever this land it was that he had come from, they had a flair for language that made the spoken word of the Enchanted Forest seem clumsy in comparison. "Eärendil?" She glanced over her shoulder at him. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing of consequences," Sauron replied, feeling no desire to explain the legend of the first Peredhil who had worn a Silmaril on his brow when he came to Valinor in search of help against Morgoth. "It simply means Evening Star," he explained, altering the truth somewhat. "A relic of a forgotten language and its forgotten people."

"This world you come from," Regina asked, still clinging to the plan that she was meant to be carrying out by interrogating him, "where is it really? I've been to many worlds in my time, Wonderland, Oz even Camelot and I've never heard of Middle Earth."

Sauron smiled faintly, aware of her agenda and traced a finger along her shoulder, satisfied by the slight shudder he felt running through her spine at his touch."They are all the same, you know?"

She craned her head slightly to meet his gaze. "What do you mean?"

"They were all created by the same song," he replied gazing into the night sky. "In the Timeless Halls, Eru revealed to us the themes of the music he wished to create. Each of us had our own chord to sing and every chord was a strand of creation. When our orchestra was complete, the Great Music reached across the Void and gave form to the emptiness, light to the stars and sowed the seeds of life across them. When the Great Music was done, the universe came into being. The universe and all the worlds that you know. It was apart of Eru's great symphony."

"Were you apart of this symphony?" She asked, trying to take it all in. Rumpelstiltskin had claimed he wasn't human and as she heard him speak and saw the memory in his eyes, she almost believed he was present at the beginning of everything. That he'd really lived it.

There was no harm in admitting this bit of truth and honestly, Sauron had no opportunity to speak with anyone about those days. His relationship with Morgoth had been supplicant to master. By the time Morgoth had been vanquished into the Void by the Valar, he stood alone and there were no others who were his equal. No one to whom he could speak his innermost thoughts. It occurred to him then that he had been alone for a very long time.

"Yes," he nodded, still reflecting on this thought. "I was apart of it. My chord was about industry, about using what had been created to make something better. I had so many dreams about how it was going to be and then Morgoth in his foolishness decided to add chaos to the mix and the universe has never been right since."

"So are you human?" She needed to know and turned around in his embrace to face. "Is this," she touched his face, "real or magic?"

"This is flesh," he said holding her hand still across his cheek. "When we chose to leave the Timeless Halls, to see what it was we had created, we took on a physical form. This is mine."

Well not exactly his but as close as he could manage if he had to wear a human shell. It was not so different from how he had appeared as Tar-Mairon to the people of Númenor. It was the last time he was able to appear at all pleasing to anyone thanks to the actions of the accursed Valar.

"Are you immortal?" She asked, staring at him.

"Yes," he nodded, "but so will you be if you come back with me. We will never be apart."

"Why are you so sure about me?" Regina stared at him in genuine puzzlement. "We just met and all of a sudden you're ready to sweep me of my feet and take me to some far away land where we will spend eternity together? Its insane!"

"Perhaps because yours is the first face that has moved me in a very long time," Sauron admitted without guile or deception. There was no need to. On a very fundamental level, he understood her and perhaps in time, she might have even understand him. He spoke earnestly because to lie to her was a very bad way to begin this thing between them.

"My course was always clear," he said staring into her eyes, "I allowed nothing to get in the way of what I wished to achieve. I have compromised myself in ways that no creature can ever appreciate in order to right the taint of Morgoth upon the world. In all the time, I saw nothing except my purpose and even when I was touched by someone, it was never in my power to surrender to it. On this day, I am myself in a way I have not been in three millennia and I have also found you. This time, I will not sacrifice what I want for the greater good. This time, I mean to have it all"

And he did. Before she had a chance to protest, he leaned forward and caught her lips in hard, demanding kiss of passion. The suddenness of it surprised her and there was a brief instant when she tried to pull away but Sauron did not give her the chance to retreat. As in everything he had ever undertaken, Sauron claimed her lips with all the power at his disposal, until her hesitation gave way to hunger and inflamed desire.

Oh God, Regina thought as he kissed her with such fierce need that it was impossible not to be swept away by it. This was nothing like the tender, sweet exchanges she'd had with Robin. This was fire and passion, driving the sense from her world, filling her with this lustful madness that couldn't be satiated by anyone but this man. Her nails dug into his back and the pain intensified his kisses until she felt her insides liquefying with need.

At that moment, she wanted him more than life itself. At that moment, she would have gone with him anywhere and damn the consequences.