She felt nothing but pain, her entire body was riddled with it, white hot scorching pain. Thankfully though pain meant she wasn't dead, a small relief in her throbbing head. She groaned, feeling the mattress underneath her, at least it was soft and comforting. A warmth beside her curled in closer, a small grip on her hand made her eyes crack open in confusion. It was dark in the room, her room she figured, a dying fire in the corner flickered, it's last remnants of heat coating the room.
Looking down, her heart clenched. A mop of unruly brown curls was tucked into her side, breathing deeply, the dimples residing in his peaceful sleep. He was okay, he survived. A tear escaped her eyes as she felt his hand grip onto her thumb tugging her palm into his chest. When the beasts attacked it was a blur. She remembered landed on the ground, curling over Roland as the monkeys tore at her back. She wasn't even certain if her magic worked, her mind screaming at her to fight back, but if she turned, they surely would have gone after the boy. The feeling of their claws tearing into her skin scorched her, their teeth burying into the her shoulders.
It was getting hazy, as the blood spilled from her body, black dots invading her vision as she covered the terrified child. She didn't hear Robin screaming for her, but the sudden weight on top was relinquished but she couldn't find the energy to move, the agony was to much to even think of moving a muscle. She could feel herself fading, she was dying. She felt his hands grip her shoulders, turning her over, his voice was a haze as her heart began to fail. The last thing she can remember was the flickering of blue light beside her…maybe her magic had worked, at least she could die knowing that Roland may have survived.
She felt Roland stir, nuzzling closer into her body, he was here and he was safe. A groan pulled her eyes up and her heart stalled. He was laying on his back, forehead frowning as bead of sweat beading along the tousled sandy brown hair. His breaths were shaky, barely there. They made it…how she wasn't sure, but for now that didn't matter. His chest was bare as her eyes moved down, thick and toned, she couldn't help but notice the white scars that contrasted against his golden tanned skin. He grimaced again, his hand moving up to his lower abdomen in subconsciousness. Her lungs froze as she saw the large bandage, reaching from his lower hip up to the middle of his stomach. She could see the red underneath, the wound had to be deep for it to still be bleeding.
He was in pain, every breath he took must be sending agony through his veins, she could see it from the etching in his face. She winced as her palm moved towards him, the sharp stabs of pain in her back firing through her. Black spots invaded her vision as the pain began to take over, but she had to heal him, even just a little, something to ease his agony. Her fingertips buzzed with that old electric feeling from so long ago when her made contact with his ribs. He was hot, a furnace under her hand, and the fear of infection suddenly plagued her. This wasn't storybrooke where they could simply take antibiotics and be alright, infection in the Enchanted Forest was deadly. She focused on him, letting her magic tingle and glow from her palm. It was exhausting already, and her mind was losing consciousness. She could feel her magic working through, the blood was evaporating, his muscle stitching back together slowly. He groaned beneath her, his lungs filling with a much needed deep breath as his skin pulled back together. She fell into sleep before it was finished, her body relinquishing once more into a restless pain riddled sleep. But at least it was something.
..
...
...
Hours later his eyes opened, the sun beaming into the room. Surprisingly he felt nearly no pain, surely his wound wouldn't have healed that quickly. His lowered his gaze, lifting his palm from the bandage, slowly he pulled it back, shocked to see the hot pink skin underneath, not gaping and oozing as it was yesterday but stitched back together, only a scar remaining. He was sore that was still true, but it was a tenth of the pain he had been enduring over the past few days. He could feel a warm tingle on his other side, below his ribs, a faint warming buzz and instinctively he knew the source. Turning slightly, he found her fingers, barely brushing his skin but there none the less. She must have healed him, how she managed to he wasn't sure, and he was certain she shouldn't have used her energy to heal him, she needed to save it all for herself. He frowned at her stubborn nature, but at least it meant she had woken up at some point, though he was loathed it wasn't when he was awake to see her eyes.
His heart warmed as his eyes drifted over Roland's sleeping body, tucked gently into her side, his tiny fingers gripping a long tendril of her hair as he snored lightly. He gazed over her face, and his heart clenched. She looked worse than yesterday, the parlor of her skin an ash gray, her lips forgone their usual ruby color. He could see the sweat on the clung to her skin, the shaky slight inhales that wracked her small torso. Sitting up slightly, he looked over her body, the bandages soaked in red and yellow pus, needing desperately to be changed. He was torn between fearing for her and relief that she was at least breathing beside him.
The door cracked open, revealing a tired looking Granny. Her frown lines were deep as she moved to the side of the bed beside the Queen, shaking her head at the bandages that covered her body. Robin sat up, murmuring a good morning to the older woman, who reciprocated quietly, not wanting to disturb either of the two sleeping parties.
He sat like a statue, fixated on the movements of Granny's hands as they peeled back the gauze, his stomach rolling as the torn flesh came into view. God she must be in so much pain right now, his mind tormented him as he heard a pain filled whimper escape her lips. With her entire back exposed, Granny settled to work, wiping away the dried cracked blood around the wounds, slowly clearing the gouges, leaving small trailing blood lines to run down her skin.
Robin moved to grip her hand as another groan parted, Granny tutting to herself over the Queen's state. He couldn't read her eyes, the gray was steel, fighting between was almost what looked like fear and anger. There was a strange relationship she and Regina had, and he had one with the older woman himself. She was the one who lead her to Regina in the beginning, had been his confidant throughout the five years he had snuck into the castle. Why she was helping him he did not know, and he never had the chance to really say thank you for everything she had done for them, and in the end for him. The last memory he has of Granny was when she urged him to flee, the day he was forced to run away from the woman he had fallen so deeply in love with.
They never spoke of their history, but she would always smile at him, give him a knowing look whenever they passed by the other.
"Unwrap her legs for me" Granny uttered out, motion down. Robin moved gently, ghosting over the bandages on her calves, slowly unrolling, revealing smaller wounds, thankfully these seemed to be healing much better than those on her back. He undid the wrapping on her thigh, grimacing at the long gash down her olive cream skin.
A bowl of green gel was passed to him… "Here this will help". He coated his fingers in the mixture, gently blobbing it onto the wounds. Her hiss pulled his eyes back to her clenched expression, his other hand moved to rub small circles on her free skin, hoping to soothe. It seemed to work as the tension in her body released, her head sinking back down into the pillow further. Clean bandaged were given to him and he slowly re-wrapped the injuries, covering them once more, hoping desperately that this would provide her some sort of relief.
"She healed me" He whispered out. "Last night, I don't remember her doing it, but…" he lifted his shirt, revealing the healed skin and pink thick scar underneath.
Granny frowned heavy "She's always been stubborn in taking care of herself"
Robin nodded with a groaning chuckle. A moment of silence passed as Granny tucked back the fallen hair behind her ears, pressing a cold cloth to her forehead, wiping away some of the sweat from her forehead. "She needs rest"
He sighed, subconsciously trailing his fingers along the smoothness of her cheek, feeling that warming electricity under his hand. For so long he wished to have that sensation again, years he wondered where she was, what she was doing, if she ever thought of him.
Roland stirred beside him, mumbling as he rubbed out his tired eyes. "Papa?"
"Hi my boy" he smiled, pushing the curls from Roland's eyes.
The toddler's tummy growled.
"We should get you some breakfast son"
Roland turned to his Majesty, cupping her cheek gently "His Majesty okay?'
Robin sighed heavily, "She will be. She just needs some rest"
He tugged the little boy away, but not before his heart swelled as Roland pressed a wet kiss to her forehead with a tiny whisper "Get better Majesty".
They left the Queen in peace.
..
...
...
Hours later, Robin couldn't let go of this feeling in his heart, it was confusing, plaguing him with every moment. He couldn't shake it, there was still residual anger that bubbled inside him, but now there was something else, something he hadn't let free for years.
He walked through the courtyard, trying to clear his mind of things he couldn't exactly figure out.
"Well, you look exhausted" a voice floated through his silence.
He turned, smiling as Rosette came into view, her red glow emitting around her. Robin sighed "It's been quite the week" he chuckled sadly.
'So I've heard. How are you feeling?" Rosetta sat down on the bench, patting the space beside her. He sat down heavily, a pain ridding sigh escaping him.
The fairy studied his face for a moment, his eyes looking far into the distance as he grimaced.
"You are thinking about the Queen aren't you?"
"I am always thinking about her" the words fell before he could reel them in. A flush broke out across his skin.
The fairy smiled, bumping his shoulder "It's okay you know"
"Is it? There is so much I can't explain when I look at her…"
A silence fell between them as Robin stared off into the setting sun. His heart beat every moment for her, torn between his anger and a deep rooted long lost ache for her.
"Tell me what's on your mind" Rosetta grasped his forearm, squeezing gently as she waited for him to speak.
He exhaled heavily "I just…. She cursed me to a life alone"
"Did she?'
"Yes!" he glowered "She made me a wanted criminal, forced me to be on the run for my entire life, forced me to live without her"
Rosetta hummed, "Were you truly alone though?"
Robin snorted "Of course I was"
"How so? You found your men, your wife, you have a son….how is that alone?"
He frowned at her statement, not really knowing how to reply.
"I suppose you are right…. But it's just ….."
"It wasn't the same without her"
His heart faltered, as his eyes closed heavy "No, it wasn't"
"Do you wish to forgive her?"
"Yes" He was shocked at his own words, the truth behind them.
"Can I ask you something?" The fairy questioned, to which Robin nodded.
She nuzzled into the man a touch closer, "You feel like she cursed you to be alone right?"
He nodded.
"How do you think she felt?"
Robin frowned, turning his eyes to the fairy in confusion.
"She may have sent you away, but why would she do that? She gave you a chance, a life to have a family, to love again…did she get the same thing?"
He didn't know what to say…she got to live a life as a Queen, wanted for nothing, everything given to her on a silver plate.
"Didn't she?" he scoffed.
"Think about it…" she prodded him "Regina sent you away for your safety, she saved your life And while heartbreak may be hard to get over, at least you had a life to live with, what did she gain from letting you go?"
"She was a Queen"
"Yes a Queen, trapped in her own castle. You know that" Rosette bumped his shoulder
"Better a Queen than an Outlaw" he retorted.
"Is that so? Like I said, at least you got a chance at having a family and people who love you. Regina was stuck here, in a prison, forced to obey the wishes of a man who didn't love her, to play mother to a girl who ruined her life. She had no one Robin. How alone she must have felt. A Queen of nothing but loneliness. If you think you are the only one who lived with heartbreak you are seriously idiotic"
Clarity ripped through his mind at the red fairies words. After everything that had happened could it have possible been so easy? Regina had said those words to him not a month prior, her heartbreak…heartbreak meant that she loved him…but if she did then why send him away?
His thoughts seemed to be read all too easy by the fairy who chuckled "People always do crazy things when they are in love….she wanted to give you a chance Robin, a chance the two of you couldn't have had…Freedom to love"
Was he ever truly free of her though? He loved Marian, that was not a doubt, but then again, he knew that with every morning his heart cracked a little further without Regina beside him. No matter the love he had for Marian….there was still a hole in his heart, one that could only be filled by a certain brunette.
"I need you to do something for me" He stammered out.
"Anything to help heal a broken heart" She smiled.
They walked slowly to Regina's room, Robin cracking the door open quietly, hoping that the woman beyond the oak door was still sleeping. It was quiet inside as they stepped through, and for that he was thankful.
He moved to the side of the bed where she slept, gently parting back the sheets, his heart clenching at Rosetta's gasp.
"Can you heal her?" He whispered out, tugging lightly back a strand of hair that had fallen into Regina face. She looked beautiful, even know as she battled.
Rosetta moved to the side, her eyes coasting over the wounds on the Queen.
"I can ease her pain, possibly take away some of the scars, but I can't heal everything, she will still live with a few scars…" She whispered out heavily
Robin nodded, sitting down beside Regina, linking his hand into hers, reveling in that warm tingle that immediately graced his skin. "Whatever you can do will be something. More than I can at least"
"I'm not so sure about that…."
He frowned at the fairy.
"Scars on the body are easier to heal than those of the heart" She commented with a knowing look.
He didn't know what to say, his eyes simple faltered from the fairies gaze, finding Regina's sleeping expression again. They needed to talk, and he hoped they would find the moment for it.
Rosetta's magic glowed from her palm, a light gold with red sparkles as her hand moved across the Queen's body. He could see it, the tension in her relax with each passing motion. The red blood of the bandages slowly vanishing. He waited till she was finished, before his fingers pried back the gauze, revealing thankfully smooth clear skin, void of any damaging wounds, save for one long deep gash that curled from her shoulder blade down across her ribs.
"Can you not heal that?" He stuttered.
Rosette shook her head sadly "Unfortunately, this is all I can do for her. Some scars are destined to live on the skin"
He frowned down at the pink skin, another memory that she would have to live with.
"Thank you" He smiled, one that not quite reached his eyes
Rosette patted his arm before smiling "I'll see you soon okay" and with that her red light glowed around her, vanishing her form beside him in a moment. He sat quietly for a few minutes, letting the fairies' words echo in his head. Was it really that simple? That Regina loved him enough to let him go. The evidence seemed to play in that favor he had to admit. She had saved him from being executed by the King, saved him at the whipping post, saved Marian from the black guards….why do all of that if she didn't love him?
If what Rosette said was true there was one other person he needed to talk to. Someone who could cement everything that had been said.
..
...
...
He stormed through the castle, his heart in a frying to figure out what was already known in his soul. Pushing the doors open to the council room he found her, sitting beside her husband, chatting animatedly as she rubbed her stomach.
"Princess, may I speak with you?" he stammered out.
Snow's eyes went wide at his panicked state. "Of course" she nodded, standing to move with him into another room. Robin walked back and forth, trying to figure out his thoughts, to make a coherent statement, desperate to not come out as a jumbled mess.
"Robin what's wrong? Is it Regina, is she alright?" She questioned.
If she only knew….
He turned, eyes finding the green hazel of the princess, "I need to ask you something, and I need you to promise me to tell the truth"
Snow recoiled a step, the heaviness in Robin's voice freezing her heart as she nodded.
"Can you tell me about Regina….I mean what she was like before your father died…."
He knew the first 5 years but it was the last 15 he didn't understand and desperately needed to know. He watched as Snow's face fell, a sadness in her eyes as she sighed.
"In the beginning I thought she was happy, at least in moments she seemed that way. But there was always this aura of depression around her, like she didn't want to be here"
Robin scoffed internally, if this damn princess only knew….
"But something changed, maybe 4 or 5 years in…."
His heart stammered.
"I don't know what happened, but something shifted inside her. Whether it was the pain of losing Daniel that came full front, I don't know. But Regina became reclusive, she barely spoke, never smiled, rarely showed her face in public…"
Robin ached, deep and painful for her….that was the point he had left…
"I tried, but then my father died and everything changed" Snow continued sadly "She has gone through so much pain and loss, I can't deny I didn't contribute to it, but a part of me always hoped she would have been the mother I had lost…but after the King died, well you know the rest"
He swallowed heavily…she had crumbled after he left, the princess's' words rang true to what the fairy had just said…she was alone, without love, without a family, without him…
"You know, I feel as though I remember you…when I was younger, your face seems oddly familiar to me" Snow arched a high eyebrow.
He couldn't tell her the truth, Regina had asked him to keep their relationship a secret. So Robin simply shook his head "I can't recall us ever meeting your highness".
Snow looked at him with a wondering expression, trying to place him in her mind, a sentiment to which Robin hoped she wouldn't succeed.
"Look, I know you and Regina have some sort of relationship, and while I may not understand it, she has become my family, and I need to know that you will keep her safe. She doesn't deserve anymore heartbreak in her life…she has endured enough" The princess dead panned, sending a heavy stare into Robin's eyes.
He nodded his head, stammering out "I promise that I have no intention of hurting her"
The woman frowned, trying to figure out his angle with the Queen, but something in his eyes spoke to her, a look that she knew all too well….love. Snow smiled, reaching out to squeeze Robin's hands in a simple gesture "Then I wish you luck. Is she doing alright?"
He sighed, "I think after a few days she will be well enough to heal herself"
"She healed you….didn't she?"
He stalled before smiling shyly "Yes, the Queen is quite stubborn. She wishes to take care of others before herself"
"She always has.." Snow commented ominously. A sentiment to which Robin decided he would look into later, but for now he needed to get back to her, there was something he had to do, something long overdue between the both of them.
He bid the princess good night and darted through the corridors, his heart set on one goal. He turned the corner, facing the thick oak door he'd seen so many times before, all that he needed was to open it and show her what had been hidden in his heart for too long.
..
...
...
Regina grimaced, whimpering slightly as she shuffled on the bed. The pain seemingly to have floated away, save for the soreness, the hot white pain was gone. Groaning, she lifted herself up, letting her magic float in her veins, trying to find the wounds that had plagued her for days. She was shocked to find the skin healed, the muscles stitched back together. Who had the magic to do that, to heal her? Frowning she pushed herself up gently, through her wounds may be gone, she still felt the low residing bruising in her body.
"You're awake, Good. You need to eat something" Granny's voice echoed around her as she moved to sit against the bed.
"How?"
"Don't ask me. When I left you this morning you were looking like road kill" The older woman scoffed in astonishment.
Regina coughed, her voice dry like a desert as she sat gingerly against the soft pillows. Someone had healed her, but who?
"I'm glad to see you awake and moving Regina. There was a few days where I didn't know if I would see your eyes open again" the older woman sighed. Regina said nothing, not truly knowing what to say to the pain in Granny's eyes. They had history, lord knows they did, but after the curse was cast, their relationship had become somewhat strained. While they were never out right rude to the other, Regina knew that Granny wasn't pleased being cursed in storybrooke.
She watched silently as Granny got up, moving to the bathroom, with a mumble of getting her some water. Her bed seemed cold without Roland and Robin beside her. The warmth they gave was palpable in its absence.
Her mind floated back to them, the feeling of Roland cuddled into her body, Robin sleeping while restlessly, at least he was safe beside her. The fact he was gone, meant she had healed him, enough that he was well to move, and for that she was thankful. But now what? Her heart stumbled as his blue eyes invaded her mind. They had so much to deal with, and so much unsaid, so much she needed to say but didn't know how.
Where they were she didn't know, there were moments when she could feel something long forgotten, a look in his eyes that melted her heart, his crooked smile that never ceased to freeze her breath. After everything they had been through, could he still feel the way she was feeling now? That confusing, frightening sensation in her heart.
She fumbled with the hem of her black nightgown, pulling at the lace on her thighs. The door pushed open and her eyes found ocean blue. She froze at the emotions running through them. He smiled at her, moving silently towards the bed, his gaze never faltering once with each step. Her heart fluttered as he closed the distance, time seemingly to stand still as she drowned in his eyes. She knew in her heart what she felt, it was true, and from the look in his eyes, there was reciprocation. She inhaled sharply as he sat down on the bed, lacing her fingers into his own, the tingling warmth spreading through her body.
He said nothing, just looking at her. She was beautiful, that was the end all be all. He could see the curiosity in her eyes, the hesitating wondering that swirled within the whiskey brown that he knew he could gaze into for the rest of his life. His heart knew, his soul knew, and now his mind knew.
Without words, he leaned into her, a hand carding through her hair as he gently tugged her forward. She was his home, she always had been, always will be, and when his lips melded against hers, every doubt that every prodded him melted away.
He felt her sigh in the kiss, her hand carefully moving to his face, her palm settling against his cheek. He kissed her with everything he knew to be true, his heart, and soul loved her, since the moment he saw her.
He parted from her lips, resting his forehead to hers, breathing in her honey warm aroma.
"Thank You" he mumbled against her mouth.
Her eyebrows creased at his sentiment as her hands lightly carded through his hair.
"For saving me, the first time"
Her heart glowed as he smiled at her, they were here, after everything at it was true.
"I'd save you a thousand times again"
Robin smiled, beaming down at the woman who had stolen his heart, though it was gladly given. He leaned in, once more to capture the lips he had dreamed about, the reality so much better than he remembered.
They may have a tortured past, but what mattered was their future, and while unspoken between languid kisses, in their hearts and more deeply, in their souls they both knew, this is what they were meant to find.
Each other, again.