A/N: There it is, the chapter many of you have been waiting for! I'm so freaked out, I have no idea how you'll welcome it. I spent a lot of time working on it, I truly hope you'll like what I've done. Please share your thoughts about it!

The second she walks into the room, Robin's eyes are immediately drawn to her, his heartbeat quickening, his hands wet and his mouth dry. She's as incredibly beautiful as he remembers, with her long dark hair braided over her shoulder, her full and red lips, her brown eyes holding as much fierce as ever. She's wearing a dress in place of the pair of pants he had bought her at the beginning of their trip together, which half pains him, half reassures him. That must mean she's found a life of her own over the last months, and that was all he had wished for her when he was locked-up.

However, she's tense, on her guard, hugging herself closely, her demeanor screaming defiance and self-protection. Her usual bright and shining eyes are clouded by her heartbreak, the weight of his betrayal hanging in the room between them, even though she's purposely avoiding looking at him for now.

She's protecting herself from him. And that, is the last thing he ever wanted.

Something else emanates from her though, something he can't quite decipher. She's not the young woman who fled a clearing months ago anymore, that much is clear. He wonders for a moment if maybe she's found someone else, if she's found happiness, love, with another man. Although that would probably be a blow he would struggle to come back from, hurting him more deeply than any of the whiplashes or knife-made cuts he's received over the last months, he would accept it. His guideline since he was captured was for her to be happy, and no matter what, he will respect this, will never stand in the way of her happiness. She's had too many people doing that in her life already. He's lucky enough that she came to his rescue, there's no way he'll do anything to hurt her again.

He almost startles at the feeling of his sister's lips against his forehead, watches as Mal gets up and walks to Regina, murmuring words he cannot hear before she leaves them both alone.

Without her presence by his side, without her protective aura, he feels exposed immediately. Anticipation and anguish knot his stomach at the loss of physical contact, and he swallows with difficulty, struggling to keep his face neutral, digging into his little strengths and pushing through dizziness and exhaustion to stay coherent. The talk of his life is about to happen. He cannot mess this up.

The moment Regina's gaze lands on him, is the signal he had been waiting for.

Here goes nothing.

"Hello, Regina."

"Hello, Robin."

She stays rooted on the spot, staring at him, her feet refusing to obey her and walk closer. She doesn't know where to start, what to say, what to do. Anxiety is squeezing her chest, forbidding her to breathe, the lack of oxygen rendering her dizzy, her mind overwhelmed and for a moment, Regina stares at him, unable to form any coherent thought or word.

It's been months since she's last seen him, since she's last crossed his gaze. Months, during which she's been unable to forget about him, about her love for him, but also her resentment and ire. It burns in her throat, these words she didn't get to tell him sooner, that she can finally tell him now, that she's thought about since she's learned that he was alive. But these words won't come out. As she stares at him, with her bleeding heart urging her to scream all the betrayal she feels, and the fluttering in her stomach reminding her of their child lying there, torn by her emotions, she chooses the neutral way, the one that won't hurt. At least, that will hurt less.

"How are you-?"

"You look-"

They stop at the same time, him failing to refrain a smirk, her embarrassedly glancing at the floor, holding her arm to support herself.

"It's good to see you."

She tenses at his words, her mouth opening, then closing when she realizes that she doesn't know what to say, what to answer, to this. It is good to see him, but it is also painful, bringing her anger back to the surface, her heartbreak reflecting in these blue eyes she loves and hates at the same time.

"I..."

"I'm sorry." Robin answers at her unintelligible attempt at a sentence. "I shouldn't have said that. I've lost the right to. I just..." he frowns, wincing as he adjusts himself in his bed, making Regina want to run to him and hold him, but she doesn't. She can't. It's beyond her strength. "I thought I'd never see you again." Robin admits, hopeful shining eyes lifting to meet hers.

"So did I."

She didn't intend for her answer to be so blunt, her guilt flaring at the sight of the hurt on his face at her tone, at the fact that once, the thought of never seeing him again was soothing and appealing. She's already struggling to keep the mask on, she doesn't have the strength to spare his feelings at the same time. Not when he's the reason why they're here today, both wounded to the core.

"I probably deserved that one." he mutters, wincing.

Regina feels a force push her forward, until she's next to his bed, sitting on a chair without really realizing, words slipping from her before she can stop herself, words that she didn't think she'd voice a moment before.

"I'm sorry, Robin. I-"

"No," he cuts her off. "Don't apologize. It's my fault. All of this is my fault. If I hadn't been a coward and if I had told you the truth right away, we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

"You wouldn't have almost died to save my life." she whispers, digging into the calmness that's invaded her since she's walked closer, since she's seen with more attention and detail the strain on his features, the bags under his eyes, the way his chest clenches with each breath, the lingering bruises that haven't disappeared just yet, the wounds hidden under bandages.

There's a feeling settling inside her, an uneasiness at being so near, yet so far, mixed with the relief of seeing him alive, of knowing that his life is out of danger –and that isn't only related to the safety of her child, she's truly never wished for Robin to die. She fights them all, tries to clear out her mind of whatever is clouding her judgement, all the bad, all the good, that she's full of, as she softens her voice, gripping her cloak tightly and tugging it around her, not quite ready to remove it and have Robin find out about the tiny human being that they've created together. The situation is messed up enough already, no need to add more to their plate right now.

"My father told me that you never gave the King what he wanted."

Robin's eyes widen. "You saved him, too? How is he?"

"I did, and he's fine. He's safe." He acknowledges her words, unable to hide his relief, and Regina whispers, grateful. "Thank you, for protecting me." She might still be angry with him, but she can't deny his sacrifice.

Robin seems to relax at her words, although it might be simple fatigue, he looks pretty beaten up. It must be requiring a lot of energy for him to face this conversation in his weakened state.

"It was the least I could do." he replies, a ghost of a smile hovering over his lips. "Are you still mad at me?" he asks, hope lingering in his eyes.

Regina lets out a long, exhausted sigh. There we go... They can't beat around the bush as much as they want, they have to have this conversation at this point. The sooner the better. No matter how anxious it makes her. They need to rip the bandage now, or this will keep haunting them.

"I won't lie, Robin. I am." His face falls, all trace of the hope gone, guilt filling his eyes instead. "You've betrayed my trust. I know you defended me in front of my husband, and don't misunderstand me, I'm incredibly grateful that you did." she admits. "But, when I look at you, it hurts. The pain is still there, Robin. The memory of all the missed opportunities, where you deliberately withheld the truth from me. All those chances you didn't take, that brought us to this moment." Regina casts her gaze down to the floor, breathing in, fighting the anxiety and sorrow boiling within her. "I opened up to you, I entrusted you with my wounds, my demons. I hoped you would do the same, but I was wrong. We both came close to death to save each other's lives, I am aware of the sacrifices you made for me," she reveals as she makes eye-contact again, shuddering at the look of utter despair written on his face. "but I don't know when I will be able to forgive you."

"I understand, but... that means that you will be able to forgive me one day?"

His voice is shy, tentative, unsure, Regina swallowing back a wave of tears as she glances at the ceiling.

"I don't want to make any promise that I'm not sure I'll be able to keep." She locks eyes with him again. "But for forgiveness to happen, I need to know the whole version first. Your version."

Robin adjusts himself in the bed, wincing and groaning painfully, blowing out a long breath when he looks back at her. "Ask me."

"No lie this time?" Regina lifts an eyebrow.

"No lie." he confirms. "I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Why didn't you tell me the truth? Why didn't you trust me the way I trusted you?" She lets out, almost begging, desperate to have an answer to the questions that have been haunting her for months now, questions that are torturing her.

He tears his gaze away from her and up to the ceiling as he leans back in the cushions, wincing at the movement, Regina frowning but stopping herself from reaching out to him. It takes him a moment, seconds, minutes that she gives him so he can gather the courage to face her and be honest, maybe for the first time since they've met.

"I was scared." he admits, his eyes connecting with hers. "I've never... My entire life, I've been alone, never had to rely on anyone but on myself. My parents kicked out my sister when I was but a toddler, and me before I reached the age of twelve. The mercenary group that took me in taught me many things, but also, and mostly, to only count on myself before trusting anyone else. When I found my sister again a few years ago, after years of loneliness," his eyes light up at the mention of Maleficent, and Regina can read how deeply he cares for her, the sincerity of his affection for his sister. "I had already become who I am... a huntsman."

His voice is tainted with some sort of self-loathing, disgust flashing in his eyes, mouth scowling. He hated it, Regina sees it now, hates who he was before he met her.

"Someone people pay to get rid of someone." Robin resumes, unaware of her thoughts. "I had already darkened my soul in the worst ways possible, I was already a monster, but she was my sister, and she accepted me as I was, she knew I'd never hurt her. People might see her as a monster, but trust me, I've done far worse than she ever did. And then you came along."

Robin pauses, clears his low and raspy voice, breathing out deeply, coughing several times and groaning in pain each time. Regina startles at every cough fit, clenching her fists, hurting for him, well aware of the injuries and pain that haven't healed yet.

"I... I've never..." Robin huffs in annoyance at his stuttering, shakes his head. "I've never felt for anyone else what I feel for you." he admits, not daring to look at her. "Since the moment I laid eyes on you, you've haunted me. I didn't immediately understand what was happening to me, for long, I believed it was magic, that you had bewitched me. I refused to accept the truth, what was right in front of my eyes. I convinced myself that once I'd hand you over to your husband, it'd be over and my life would go back to normal."

Regina cringes at his words, eyes shutting tight while she absorbs the news, before facing him again, his apologetic, tired gaze fixed upon the blanket covering him.

"I never could. When I saw you in that forest, unconscious, pale, my heart stopped. I fought my feelings, even then, attempted to convince myself to get rid of you for good, but... Regina, I've never been happier with anyone else than with you." he lets out in a relieved breath, meeting her eyes again. "We weren't even together yet, but that time we spent with Michael and Eleanor opened my eyes on the fact that I couldn't live without you anymore. That you were the person I've always needed, the one who had brightened my days, my life, who gave it a purpose. You are the one who made me want to change for the better, to give up my sad, monotonous lifestyle and seek happiness for the first time. So, when I finally found it, when we've... connected, that day in the cabin, I... I didn't find the strength to destroy what I had finally found. After all, who could want to be with someone like me? I'm a cold-blooded murderer, that's all I've ever known in my life. I don't know how to do –how to be- anything else."

"You were." The veil clouding Robin's eyes with self-hatred is replaced by pure confusion when he frowns at Regina. "With me, you were someone else. Robin, I've never seen the monster you're talking about. You've said it yourself: You were happy. And I was too. For the first time in... years, I was happy, and it was thanks to you!" she reveals in awe and gratefulness, her face falling serious with her next words. "But you blew it up by not trusting me. I opened up to you, told you who I was-"

"You didn't mention that you were the Queen." Robin points out.

Regina startles at his interruption, didn't think he would argue with her after his monologue. But it's good. She loves the real him, the Robin who can stand up to her and for himself, that's the one she fell in love with. She wants to see this fire again in his eyes, this fierce that made her fall for him.

"I didn't." she concedes with a duck of her head. "Unlike what people might think, I'm not proud of being the Queen. I've never wanted to become one, this marriage was forced upon me. After what I've told you about my husband, about the way he treated me, what he did to me, I assume that's something you can understand."

"I do." he nods sadly, remembering her tale of what she's been through, what her sick husband tried to do. "What do we do now?"

Regina places a strand of hair behind her ear with a trembling hand. "We try to move on?" she suggests, shrugging. "To heal and put this all behind us. After all, if nothing can break the bond between us, we better learn to live with it."

Robin frowns at her, eyes fluttering while he blinks his tiredness away the best he can, sitting up abruptly, which has him choking on a wave of pain. "What- What bond?" he manages, pearls of sweat on his forehead, his breath short when he looks at her. Regina's heart sinks.

"You don't know?"

Robin's face pales. "I don't know what? Regina, what are you talking about?"

Of course, he doesn't know. How could he? She exhales. She wasn't prepared to tell him how their lives are connected to the point that they have no other choice but to love each other for as long as they live, no matter how broken they might be.

"I... Apparently, you and I are..." she holds her breath, anticipation and anguish running through her as she digs her teeth deep into her lower lip. "soulmates." she reveals in a breath, shuddering at the confusion on Robin's face. "Destined to be together. Short story, we are the reincarnation of two halves of the same creature that would have been separated hundreds of years ago. Our souls, ancestors, or whatever they really were, would have spent all that time looking for one another, generation after generation. And now that we've found each other, it seems that nothing, not even death, can separate us."

Robin is staring at her, mouth partly open, eyes wide, a frown barring his forehead in astonishment. She understands him too well. The revelation was a shock for her too.

"What do you mean, not even death can separate us?"

"It means that..." Regina brings a hand to her stomach, drawing Robin's lost gaze there. She braces herself for the next part of the revelation. "If one of us die, the other one won't be able to overcome his death. And..." she pauses, takes a deep breath as she removes her cloak slowly, Robin's eyes widening as he finally sees it, the baby bump that's become more than noticeable now, and his eyes flicking to hers in question. "our child won't survive it either."

He straightens immediately, shock-filled eyes glancing between her face and her stomach. "Our child? Regina, is this- are you?- Of course you are, it's obvious..." he rambles, lost, shaken, completely taken aback, and Regina waits, gives him time to process everything. That's a lot to take in after coming so close to death, and waking up to the one you thought you'd never see again...

Robin rubs his face with his hands, exhales deeply, looking up at the ceiling to contain an unexpected wave of tears that he cannot explain, because he does not cry! He doesn't, ever. Yet, his eyes are welling up, sobs bubbling in his throat and forbidding him to breathe. He shuts his eyes tight to center himself, breathes slowly through his nose, pursing his lips as he leans his head back against the wall, trying to relax.

That was unexpected. Learning about the bond between Regina and him was something, but learning that he was going to become a father... That she's been through the first months of her pregnancy alone... That's a lot to swallow, especially when just staying attentive is requiring so much effort a migraine is already pounding relentlessly against his temples.

He's not even sure he can be a father. His only example were unloving parents, he's become a murderer, a monster, a man responsible for the death of so many. He's not good enough for a child. He'd ruin this baby before it would even grow into an adult. Fatherhood definitely isn't for him.

His eyes tentatively move to Regina, to the curve of her stomach, her hand gently brushing over it, and Robin finds himself drawn there, gaze, heart, mind. Suddenly, it's like his entire soul opens and is suddenly invaded by a living being that doesn't even exist yet, overwhelming him with a love so intense that he almost chokes on it.

Another reality lays before his eyes then. After being abandoned by his parents, after betraying the only woman he's ever loved, spending months in a cell being tortured on a daily basis, after almost dying, how could he not want the second chance that resides in this baby that isn't even born, yet has just found a way to his heart, and opened his mind to the possibility of a better life? Besides, what kind of man is he to turn his back on his own flesh and blood?

Robin shakes his head to push away all the self-loathing and doubts. Of course, he'll be here for this –his- child. He's messed up enough, he needs to do different if he doesn't want to go back to his old habits and loneliness.

"Is our child safe?" are the only words he manages to speak through the hurricane that just took place in his mind and heart.

Regina smiles at him reassuringly. "It is. Now that you are too."

Robin breathes in relief, eyes filled with unshed and emotional tears that he manages to contain now that he's put his turmoil on hold. He forces through his tiredness, focusing on the information Regina gave him to try to understand this complicated situation. "So, its life depends on mine?"

"Yes. On both our lives. It has created a bond, a connection with you and I, and between you and I as well. Our dreams are proof of that. Our baby is the reason I realized that you were still alive and in danger."

"Wait!" Robin frowns at her. "The dreams were real? Our child caused them?"

Regina nods.

Robin leans back in the cushions, gaze lost ahead, still overwhelmed. "Wow... I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this at all when we started this conversation."

Regina allows herself to chuckle, relaxing the tense atmosphere, Robin daring join her. "That's a lot to take in for someone who thought he'd die." she admits with compassion. "I didn't believe it at first when I discovered that I was pregnant, even less when your sister revealed the whole soulmates story to me. There were signs, but I never even fathomed the possibility of being with child, even less that it would be controlling my dreams and trying to tell me that you needed help."

"But everything is alright? You are alright, too?"

"Yes, Robin. We're both-" she pauses, corrects. "we're all safe now. Amelia and Friar Tuck still have some work to do with you, but soon, we'll go back on the road, and we'll put this whole story behind us."

"Do you think your husband will let us?"

"There's been no sign of him or his men yet. Only time will tell us if he gave up his hunt for us. Until then, you work on your recovery." She gets up, starts heading for the door before pausing. "My father asked if you'd agree to see him." Robin's eyes light up at the mention of Henry. He's glad the man was freed too, he deserves it, way more than he himself does. "He got attached to you."

"Of course! I'd love to properly meet him. He helped me a lot when I was there."

Regina smiles warmly, beaming at the mention of her father. "You helped him too. He speaks highly of you."

Robin glances down with shame. "I don't deserve his gratitude."

"He'd argue that you do. I'll tell him to come tomorrow. I'll let you rest now. See you later, Robin."

xxx

Her hand is anchored on his bare chest as she presses slightly, deepening the contact and the intensity of her magic coursing through him. It's a strange feeling, as he can locate very precisely every single one of his injuries healing in this instant, which one she's focusing on most, which one is fully healed, which one is still active.

Robin breathes deeply as the warmth spreads out and makes him feel as if his body was on fire, yet, it's the most soothing feeling. He's still weak, sore, but in barely three days, the improvement is more than noticeable. His cough has almost disappeared, the bruises and lacerations on his flesh are gone. Amelia is making miracles on him, and that's no understatement.

"Ouch!"

He startles and opens his eyes, slightly sitting up and holding his ribs where he knows she just healed one of his broken ribs.

Amelia pulls back looking at him apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't have time to heal all of your broken bones while you were still unconscious."

"That's fine." Robin shakes his head. "I was mostly surprised."

She smiles at him, but he can read the tiredness plaguing her that wasn't here before, the sweat pearling at her forehead and at her neck.

"Maybe we should stop." He suggests, concern taking over him. He doesn't want her to exhaust herself because of him. "You need to rest."

But Amelia shakes her head no, forces a wider reassuring smile on Robin and Friar Tuck see right through immediately.

"I still have a lot of work to do. I can handle a bit more."

"Robin is right." The friar insists, a hand covering hers. "It's enough for now."

"But I-"

"Let me do my part while you go get some rest. I'll help him on his feet a little. Do you feel up to it, Robin?" He asks, turning towards him.

Robin meets the man's black orbs. Friar Tuck clearly is on Regina's side since day one, it's pretty obvious in the defiance he's been showing towards him since he woke up. But, he's also a man of faith, a healer, and he's put his feelings aside to help him recover.

Robin straightens, fighting a slight dizziness and a vague soreness, swallowing heavily as he pushes his legs over the bed, planting his palms in the mattress. "I can't wait."

He thought he'd be stronger, but he was wrong. If moving in a bed isn't so difficult, he realizes that walking is actually another pair of hand. That the days he's spent lying on the floor, the starvation, the injuries he's suffered, have weakened his body to the point that even standing is a struggle, despite Amelia's healing. The friar is encouraging him, holding him firmly, but Robin's legs are wobbly, trembling under his weight, forcing him to focus and clench his jaw and fists to handle the pain.

He's barely made the five most difficult steps of his life when someone knocks on the door. He pauses, huffing through his gritted teeth and nodding painfully when Friar Tuck helps him sit on the bed. He blows an exhausted breath out while the friar opens the door.

Robin stills when he faces a man with white hair and beard, wrinkles at the corner of his eyes, tiredness, but also a profound kindness emanating from his old black eyes.

"Henry." he breathes, recognizing his cell companion.

Henry nods at the friar when he walks past him and closes the door behind them, leaving the two alone.

"Hello, Robin." He slowly walks towards him, the corners of his mouth tipping up into a small smile, a comforting one that soothes Robin's wounds. "I'm glad we finally get to be face to face."

Robin bows slightly. "It's an honor."

Henry sits next to him, a hand clasping his back gently enough not to hurt. "How do you feel?"

He could lie. He could hide the truth, tell Henry that he's fine, he's almost recovered, his body doesn't hurt anymore.

But he won't. Not with him. Not with the man who heard every single one of his screams as he was tortured for months. Who heard his deepest thoughts about Regina. Who's seen a side of him no one else witnessed before.

"Like crap." He won't even mind using words Henry probably wouldn't approve. He doesn't need to prove himself to him. They've been through enough together to know he doesn't have to walk with eggs with him. "But better." he admits, because that's also the truth. "I'll live."

"I'm glad. You deserved better than to die in this cell." Henry pauses, Robin staying silent, waiting for him. "Regina told me that the talk between you two went well."

Robin's surprised by his revelation, but it triggers something inside him, has his stomach flutter with butterflies as he thinks of his beautiful Regina again, of his motivation to recover more quickly, of forcing his stomach to swallow food and fighting nausea after months of starvation.

"Did she?" he asks, hopeful.

Henry smirks at him as he nods. "She needs time. But she'll get there. I know she'll forgive you."

"Aren't you mad at me for what I've done? She must have told you the whole story, how I betrayed her-"

"I don't need my daughter's version to understand that you broke her heart, Robin." Henry cuts him off with a calmness that reminds Robin of the comfort he brought him until barely a few days ago, when they were both locked in the King's dungeons. "You told me so yourself. I've also heard your repentance. That's all I need."

Robin looks down, touched by Henry's words, by this man who barely knows him, but fully accepts him, flaws and mistakes included.

"I- hum... Thank you, Henry. For the last weeks. For being here. Your presence, your kindness... It helped me hold on."

"You've endured more than what anyone would have, Robin. Helping you was the least I could do." Henry's voice lowers as he adds, in a murmur spoken on the tone of confidence. "And if I have to be completely honest, your presence broke the loneliness I had been plunged into for months. I won't compare our situations, but you were a support and a great help too."

They share a friendly smile at Henry's revelation, one that speaks the connection that has formed between them, the understanding and knowledge of what the other has gone through, something that no one else but them will be able to comprehend.

Henry stays a little more while they discuss the situation, everything they've both missed about Regina's life, what they fear about the future and the King's reaction to their disappearance. Robin asks Henry about his own recovery, his gaze caught by the bandages around the old man's wrists and the meagerness of his features.

They find in each other an attentive ear, an understanding that is not tinged with horror at the evocation of the months spent in captivity, a mutual respect forged in pain and sorrow, but stronger than any relationship they may have had in the past.

By the time Henry leaves the room to let Robin rest, the two men have grown beyond mere cell mates.

They have become friends.

xxx

It's been a week now. A week, in which Robin's state has greatly improved, and Regina's heart has slowly melted, although not enough to forgive him yet. She went back to see him, talked about his recovery, what they'll do next, the long road ahead of them he needs to be ready for.

She mentioned the episode with Anton that almost had her caught, the meeting with the princess, who somehow sacrificed herself to save her –a dull reminder of Robin's own sacrifice, a bit of the new life she's created without him, Tinkerbell's place in it, to Robin's surprise. He's shared, without going into details, a glimpse of the hell he's been through. The torture, the starvation. Nothing she couldn't guess given the state he was in when she found him, but she needed to hear it, to be more conscious of what he went through for her.

They talked about their child, the connection between them three, the dreams that they've shared for months, how they both thought it was a trick of their minds. Regina didn't miss the sparkle lighting in Robin's eyes whenever he lays them on her stomach, or they mention their baby, the curiosity and impatience he's full of. She can't blame him. Her excitement at the prospect of this child to come is as strong as his. She begins to feel it move, although it feels more like a strange wave and bubbles for now, but she knows it's her baby. She can feel its power, its love for its parents, the depth of the connection it has created with her. It scares her sometimes, but also reassures her, tells her that their child is safe and sound, growing in peace, and really, that's all that matters now.

"Still no trace of the King's men."

Alan enters the woodcutter's' house, hangs his cloak by the door and heads towards the table that's become way too small for the large group of people staying at Eleanor and Michael's home.

It's more than overcrowded, to the point that Maleficent, John and Alan are sleeping in the barn, while Regina is back to sleeping at the same spot in front of the chimney where she used to sleep last time she was here, with her father in place of Robin. While Maleficent spends most of her time at Amelia's to stay close to her brother, Alan and John take turn in checking the surroundings, riding sometimes a perimeter of thirty miles or more to make sure Leopold's army isn't on their tracks, while the other helps Michael in his job.

"Do you think he gave up?" Eleanor asks, looking up from the game she's playing with Hansel.

"I wouldn't bet on that. Considering the lengths he's gone to in order to capture Regina, and the pain he's put Robin through, I think his determination only grew when his dungeons were emptied and Regina ran out from under his nose again."

"I agree." Regina answers. "The only person who could talk him into stopping this madness is the princess, but after what I've seen, I'm not certain that she has any influence left on her father."

"What could play in our favor though," Henry intervenes. "is if the guards rebel. I've heard them talk about what the King does, what he's asked of them. They've began questioning his orders and his sanity."

"But they will probably never fight him without a leader." Eleanor argues.

"And the King won't let his daughter be that leader either." Regina concludes.

xxx

Diablo lands on Maleficent's shoulder with a croak, taking a caress and a treat before he lets her remove the message attached to his paw.

"What does it say?" Robin questions.

Maleficent unrolls the paper and quickly reads it, before putting it in her cloak's pocket.

"The villagers are asking when we'll be back on the road. We were supposed to head back to the village right away."

"I kinda got in the way of that." Robin leans against the wall of Amelia's house as he welcomes the warmth of the sunrays. He still needs rest, but he's allowed to spend some time outside the house every day now, and after months being locked up without seeing the light of day, it feels like heaven.

"They don't blame you. They're just worried. The mission was supposed to go smoothly, and Regina, Diablo and I almost lost our lives to it."

Robin pops his eyes open. "I still can't believe the sacrifice you made for me." He disagrees with her decision, has told her so the minute she admitted what she did.

"You'd have done the same for me."

"Undoubtedly, but you can't compare our situations. I got to have a life. A shitty one, yes, but a life nonetheless. You didn't. You still don't by the way. If it wasn't for me, you'd have never left your castle. And I love Diablo," he says as he scratches the raven's head. "but a raven isn't the same as people."

"People only brought me pain." she answers dryly.

"Not all people. Now, you look me in the eyes and tell me that it's how you feel about Regina." he lifts a challenging eyebrow as he looks at her.

Maleficent shakes her head. "You know the answer to that."

Robin smirks. "You've grown fond of her, haven't you?"

His sister sighs in annoyance, but he knows her better than that, knows that it's a façade, that she's fighting a smile at the thought of Regina.

"Let's say she's the only person I've met who's called me a friend and treated me as one without caring about my appearance in a very long time. That's a nice feeling."

Robin leans back against the wall, facing the sun and closing his eyes again, a satisfied smile on his lips.

"I told you she was different."

She nudges him in the ribs playfully, and Robin laughs, wraps an arm around his sister's shoulders, and leads her towards him so her head rests on his shoulder.

"I've missed you." she admits.

Robin cranes his neck to kiss her forehead. "Not as much as I did."

He pauses then, enjoying the moment, the physical contact with his sister that has become a rare thing since she's locked herself up in her castle and he chose to live on the road. He hates that she feels like she has to stay away from the world, that this malediction is pushing her to retreat and stay alone, forbidding her to live fully, to be happy. He hates that they've had parents unable to love their children despite their differences. That she's been through so much pain.

However, there's this thing she's mentioned to him, a doubt that's been plaguing her since the moment she met the woman, and he hopes, he truly does, that Maleficent will have the nerve to talk to her before they leave, because it could be her chance. He knows she's scared. Scared of the change. But if she's right, if she's really who Maleficent thinks that she is, then this could turn her life upside down, and for the better.

"Are you decided to talk to her?" he questions. He doesn't need to mention her name, they both know who he's referring to.

Mal rolls her eyes. "I certainly didn't miss that pushy side of yours."

Robin chuckles and squeezes her against him. "It could change your life." He argues. "Hers too. Maybe she's spent her entire life wondering about you."

Maleficent straightens, tense, just like every time he brings the subject up.

"Not a chance. I'm sure they filled her head with nonsense and lies about me. It's better if she never learns who I really am."

"I don't think that's true."

"Maybe, but it doesn't change anything."

Robin breathes out, shaking his head. "Why are you still wearing it if you don't care?"

She tenses, as he knows she'd have.

"I never said I didn't care." She snaps.

"But you don't want things to change? You don't want to have a better life?"

"I already have a life, Robin!" She bursts out, her temper flaring with annoyance as she gets up. "You may not like it, but it's my life. I've lived with this malediction since I was fourteen. I'm used to it, I've accepted it." She walks away, angry now as she throws over her shoulder. "And maybe it's time that you do too."

Coming next: After the growing closeness of the King's men forced Regina and her friends to flee while Robin was still convalescing, the young woman finds her bearings in Nottingham, secrets are revealed, and the true path to reconciliation can finally begin.