Red

by Isah Underhill

What if Robin Hood hadn't been able to save his wife when she caught a deadly disease whilst carrying his child? What if the newly widowed Evil Queen had summoned him instead of the Huntsman to hunt down and kill Snow White? Set in the Enchanted Forest AU, dark! Regina, dark! Robin, dark! Story

32. Chapter 31 - Forgiven

The company left the castle on a chilly, grey day. The time for autumn was coming to an end, and the Queen could not have picked a better season to hunt down her prey. Winters were merciless in the Enchanted Forest, lakes would freeze down, preventing the girl from getting easy access to water, and wild animals would occupy every vacant cave, making it impossible for her to hide in the woods. And the snowstorms – how funny that her name should be Snow – were infamous for taking no prisoners.

With the weather on their side, it would be easy to track the damned girl down, provided they had a lead, which they did not. Their very last piece of useful information had been given by the mirror on that fateful day when everything went wrong. Ever since then, the thing had been of very little help and the scouts had been nearly useless.

How did that blasted girl hide so well? Robin could not help but wonder, he figured someone was aiding her, someone powerful.

But who?

They had very little choice but to start from the village the Queen had visited in disguise, even though they knew Snow White most likely was nowhere near that old woman's house anymore. But the Queen had insisted they start there, stating she wanted to set out a message to her people, and that village was the perfect place to do it. She was confident that after she spoke to the inhabitants herself, some of them might be more forthcoming with information.

She had not brought her horse along with her – which Robin found odd – but instead, chose to ride isolated inside her dark carriage. Robin was once more riding the steed Angus, but now he was able to see the amazing effect the animal's dark hair had under the Sun, turning dark blue for a few seconds when the light hit him a certain way.

They arrived in town after a couple of hours, thirty men in light armor – aside from Robin obviously, he had never agreed to wearing anything of the sort, he wore simple, easy-to-move-in clothes – armed to their teeth on horseback, plus a luxurious black carriage.

The people around the city center made way for the entourage but seemed more curious about the whole thing than actually scared, as Robin would have thought they would be. If he was being completely honest, the scene itself looked strangely familiar now that the soldiers told the villagers loudly to line up for the Queen. The peasants who happened to be about the street – quite many people actually – were smart enough to do as they were told, whilst murmuring and whispering to each other. People watched from their balconies and windows, children grabbed their mother's skirts, all of them looking at the carriage with expectation.

The air got heavier the moment the carriage's door finally opened.

When she placed her feet onto the muddy ground, all manner of sound ceased, all eyes were on her, wide and questioning as she climbed off her carriage and looked about. She was regal as always, wore tight, black leather pants and boots, a flaming red, velvet coat, and an oval shaped hat with a silly feather on top of it – Robin was no big fan of her hats. She looked determined and stern as she perused the people with an air of superiority, each of them bowing their heads respectfully as she turned their way.

But Robin could also sense small things that went by unnoticed by the rest of the audience that told a completely different story. Her gloved hands were clenching and unclenching again, and there was a small evidence of perspiration on her temple, which was odd since those were the very first days of winter, plus the vein on her forehead was popping out a little. She was nervous but was adamant in not showing it.

That was when Robin realized this was probably the very first time she spoke openly to her people after her husband's death. She was not in his shadow anymore; she was the one who held the power. Robin's eyes found hers for a split second and he suddenly felt the importance of this moment weight down on his shoulders. It was crucial, she would show those people what kind of ruler she was, what kind of Queen they had, and given her explosive behavior at most times, Robin feared this might end in disaster.

"Listen to me very carefully-" she finally spoke loudly, addressing the crowd. The guards stood straight while some of the villagers looked in awe at her and others hid in fear at her tone.

"Your benevolent King, my beloved husband was murdered." There was a general gasp. Robin could tell now how she uttered the word 'King' with a hint of contempt, "His killer is out there, hidden behind an innocent smile of a Princess." There was a slight murmur amongst the people, Robin could see the smallest of smiles on the corner of her lips.

"Yes!" she confirmed whilst widening her eyes, "Snow White was the one to kill my husband, and now that she has been found out, she has disappeared." She let the information sink in, Robin found she was actually doing rather well, she had kept her cool but was firm and incisive.

"That is why I need you." She pointed at a baffled looking young man, "And you-" she pointed at an older woman standing just behind him, "All of you-" she turned around so she could face the other side, "-to find her and avenge the death of your King." She spoke with grandness.

"There will be a prize in gold for any valuable information given to the crown about the whereabouts of Snow White." She gestured with her hand and everyone looked up, soldiers and peasants alike. What they saw stole gasps from all.

"Gold! It's gold!" a woman standing nearby Robin whispered to her little boy as she pointed towards the sky.

Indeed, the Queen had conjured some manner of spell that made golden coins shower from the treetops.

People seemed to forget for a little while what had been happening and who was standing in front of them, and started to jump in order to try and catch the gold midair. But it was nothing but magic, and the illusion disappeared before it reached the tops of their heads.

Nevertheless, the sight was rather dazzling and for a moment, even Robin was lost in the strange look of the shimmery golden coins spinning in the air, falling from the sky. The air got lighter, the people seemed to have relaxed a little in the Queen's presence as they looked up, mesmerized at what they saw.

Robin took a deep breath, feeling a strange sensation of peace. His eyes landed on the sight of her amidst all the shimmering magic and he felt his chest tug.

Her dark orbs sparkled as she looked up at her own creation, a small smile played on her lips, her face relaxed, a little life had returned to her features, her cheeks were a little bit more tainted, her hands were not in fists anymore, and the vein on her forehead was nowhere to be seen.

He did miss her, that woman right there, the one with wonder in her eyes, not the ice cold Queen with revenge as her goal. The moment, however, was broken when their eyes met and she gasped.

Suddenly, the golden coins gained another color, a strange type of red and orange that made the shower of coins illusion look more like a shower of wee fireballs. The people gasped in horror, some even screamed, parents lifting their children from the ground in order to shield them, but the fiery coins, just like the golden ones, did not touch them.

She was no longer looking at him, but at the people, her face had shifted, her expression was hard and her words merciless. "However-" with that one word she was able to quiet all the noise, "-if I find out anyone in this village, has helped the bandit Snow White-" she looked about the now terrified looking people, "-they will suffer dearly."

The words rang in his ears and Robin felt sick. The memory of the horrid dream kicked in, she had said those exact same words, had worn that same red coat, in that very same place. Now that everything went back to him, he could barely watch the scene unfolding before his eyes. He could almost see Marian tied up again, screaming for help and he did not-

"This is what helping Snow White looks like." She said simply, a perfect copy of his dream.

Instead of going to a prisoner he knew they did not possess, she extended both her arms forward and two magical chains flew out of the palms of her hands towards the now terrified looking crowd. They made a terrible noise whilst zipping by the peasants until they found their target, who was out of his eyeshot. Robin heard the sound of the merciless things encircling someone as the people went quiet.

The peasants around the victim quickly put as much distance in between them and her as possible, in fear that the magical chains might scorch them.

Now that a large circle had been created around the chain's prey, Robin could see who it was.

The old woman, Granny, the chains had encircled about her torso, trapping her arms at her side. He had to admit she was either bat shit crazy or very brave to have lingered in the village after the Queen's undercover visit, but more so for lingering now. The old bag did not fight her chains but stared daggers back at the Queen, who simply raised one eyebrow and closed her fist in front of her, levitating the old woman's body only a little – her feet still dragging on the earthy ground – until she was a couple of feet away from her.

"Ye won't win" the woman had the audacity to spit at the Queen's face.

The Queen brought one hand to the woman's neck and squeezed whilst she said, "Wanna bet?"

Robin understood why she had insisted upon coming to this particular village then. She was going to make an example out of that old woman, for the old woman was an ally of Snow White's and what better way to show her people what would happen to anyone who helped the girl then by a small demonstration? She was choking the air out of the old bag whilst her audience watched in horror, the Queen's murderous eyes fixed on the fierce blue ones belonging to her victim.

All of a sudden, a strong flash of blue light took everyone by surprise, blinding all of them for a few seconds. When the light was gone, the fireball-like rain had stopped mid-air, now frozen and no longer red, but a tone of turquoise. The Queen did not have her grip on the old woman's throat anymore, her intended victim was now standing a few feet away from her and her chains were gone.

"Beware of the evil one-" a voice came out of the old woman's mouth but Robin was sure it was not her own, it was loud, young and imposing, it took most by surprise, but apparently not the Queen, "For even if she wears a crown and makes promise of riches, she lies." The word 'lies' was dragged out by the sweet female voice that seemed to be coming out from the woman's mouth and every other direction, "Snow White is an innocent and the one who points the finger, the real sinner." The people around started to murmur amongst each other, their eyes held something new in their depths, suspicion.

"Silence!" the Queen bellowed and the place went quiet again.

Her eyes held pure ire as she looked at the old woman who stood tall before her with a placid expression. Robin was afraid the Queen was going to burst into flames. Instead, she put her palm up and conjured a ball of fire that drew a general gasp from her audience, "Come to the flame then moth!" She held the fire out, stretching her hand out to the woman in front of her, "Or are you too scared to face me in person? Are you going to keep on hiding behind that wolf's skin?" Her tone had changed completely, there, before his eyes, Robin saw the old Queen he was used to, with a touch of insanity and a lot of rage, the Queen moved by blood red feelings was back.

"I do not fear you, your majesty," the voice spoke again in a defying tone, still using the old woman's body, which only helped to fuel more of that mad glint that shone inside the Queen's darkened eyes.

"But you should-" the Queen opened up an evil smile and continued, "-because I know what you did to Rapunzel and I'm going to make it my business to learn why."

At that moment, the calm expression on the older woman's face dropped and she looked downright shocked, "What have you done?"

"What have I done?" she spat back, "What have you done to her? You manipulated her, told her the most atrocious lies and made her into a monster."

"The only monster here is you!" the strange voice bit back.

"I-" the Queen screamed at her, looking quite insane. Robin knew she was furious, from her outburst and because he could feel her ire burn inside him, it almost made him want to scream as well, "I ended her misery!" she yelled, losing most of her royal composure. She took in a deep breath and straightening up her spine, "Which is exactly what I'm going to do with this old werewolf puppy of yours-"

She waved the hand that held the fire around until a small twister of flames was created. With a swift movement of her working arm, the Queen set the flaming thing towards the woman, who stood immobile. Everything happened in a matter of seconds, there was a high-pitched shriek that seemed to come from all around them, but before the fire reached the old woman, she simply disappeared, leaving only blue dust behind.

The blue coins that had hung midair were gone the moment the older woman disappeared, and the Queen was furious.

Robin was pretty sure half of the peasants had already wet their pants only from watching this dispute, some of them might have fainted. If he was completely honest, he was not sure if even the breeches worn by his soldiers had not come out of this completely undamaged.

The point was, people had cowered again, in fear of the flames, the chains, the destructive magic, but even more, of the Queen's wicked smile and unstable disposition. Robin knew that after that, it was going to take a lot more than gold to make those people talk.

…

A week had passed and not much in their search had changed. Robin learned later that the blue magic had been created by the Blue Fairy, and she had been the one facing the Queen through the old woman's body. That blue intervention had been very bad for business indeed, for word of what had happened in that village quickly spread out about the kingdom. There were very few people who had stepped forward with information – that most of the time would prove to be completely useless – most peasants were too scared to leave their houses to even try, fearing the Queen's wrath.

During this week, Robin had seen the Queen's patience wear thin, with every 'no' she heard, with every quiet but defying look she got, with the feeling of mistrust she received from all her subjects, she had gone from generous to demanding. She had not gone to him, they had spoken only a few times about very technical things but still, she would barely look him in the eye, would not dare to touch him, and Robin could not swallow it any longer. But he did not want to force his presence upon her, for some strange reason, he knew that if he did, it would only make things worse, widen even more the abyss in between them.

So he did his job, and nothing else.

They always camped, although most men would choose to sleep in the nearest village, the Queen always insisted on making camp, building up a spacious tent with her magic and secluding herself inside it, only to emerge in the morning.

Robin did not like the idea of camping not even one bit, it reminded him far too much of his time with his Merry Men and those memories needed to stay locked away. He always chose to find a place to rest from a certain distance from the camp, he could still see the lights, but could not hear the animated chatter, it was better off that way. He needed very little – although that goose feather pillow had spoiled him a bit – only the sky as his roof and the earth as his bed, and his dirk in reach just in case.

This night, Robin woke up with a start, feeling a sharp pain in his chest so intense it made him cry out. He placed a hand on the aching area, where his heart should have been, and felt the throbbing diminish little by little, it did not, however, disappear completely. When he was able to take a breath without feeling needles perforating his chest, Robin realized it was still the middle of the night, the fire by the camp was extinguished and he could not hear any movement coming from it, all dead asleep most probably.

The night was quiet and he should probably just get back to sleep, but something was amiss. His senses picked up the noise of shuffling leaves, his head told him it was probably some stray animal, but Robin knew there was something else lurking about. His hand went ever so slowly to the hilt of his dirk as the noise continued, he was laying down but his eyes were perusing everything they could reach, and yet he saw nothing out of ordinary.

His blood was cold as he waited for something to happen, for this stranger to strike, the scuffling noise continued, he could tell something was getting closer by the second. He took a deep breath, tightening his hold on the dirk's handle and-

Robin-

He knew who was out there, he could have sworn he heard her say his name, he could feel her, if he tried hard enough, even smell her bittersweet perfume. The undeniable buzz made him shiver and get up from his coot, he stood there, dirk in hand, looking about and seeing nothing, beginning to fear this was a very well designed trap.

That was until the intensity of the buzz started to grow, he looked about and all he could see were darkened trees and bushes and yet, he knew she was there. The night air was cold and Robin exhaled through his mouth, creating a cloud of smoke. She got closer and closer, there came a point when he actually knew where she stood, even if she was invisible, her presence was sizzling about his veins, and when Robin finally looked ahead, he knew her dark orbs were looking right back at him.

She was so close he could feel her breath touch his heated skin, could even hear her heart hammering inside her chest, pulsating with nerves and expectation, but he did not move, only waited.

It was when the feel of what could only have been the very pads of her fingers touched lightly at his cheek that Robin succumbed and closed his eyes, delighting in the small but precious touch she gave him. He heard her exhale and felt her fingers slide down his cheek ever so softly.

Robin only opened his eyes when her touch was gone and right in front of him stood the now visible Queen. She looked very little like the Queen at that precise moment; he did not think he had ever seen her face completely deprived of paint until now, the scar on her upper lip was much more visible without the constant red that took residence upon her lips. All of her hair was down, and she wore a warm looking black robe that reached her ankles. Her eyes were glassy and she looked frail but not defeated.

"This isn't working" she broke the silence; her voice was watery and soft.

"What isn't?" Robin's voice was just above a whisper, he could hardly believe she was there.

She contorted her face as if trying to hold back something but then gave in, "Everything" she looked deeply into his eyes and he felt his chest clench. She had not looked him in the eye like that in weeks.

She took a deep breath, wet her lips with the tip of her tongue uneasily, as if she was about to say something, but at the very last minute only looked down at her feet.

There was a moment of silence in which Robin did not know what the best course of action was. She was finally there, standing in front of him, and yet, he felt there was still a chasm in between them. He opened up his mouth to ask what 'everything' was when her head shot back up and she began to speak again.

"That insect ruined everything!" her tone held frustrated determination, "We almost had them, Robin!" her eyes went wide for a second and Robin felt a lump grow on his throat at the sound of his given name, she continued "They were-" she gesticulated with her arms, "-mesmerized with the gold."

She sighed and turned her back on him, and started to pace, too exasperated in her own frustration to stand still. Robin felt a little sick at her last words, even though it had been a while since he had not stolen from the rich to give to the poor, hearing her say how she wanted to manipulate her own people with riches left his stomach in knots.

She turned back to face him and kept going, "But that bug just had to be there! She-"

"She's clearly got the girl under her wing." Robin interrupted her.

For a moment, she simply stared at him, surprised that he had said anything at all, but then she was scoffing and telling him, "Oh please, Blue's wings are so small they could not even cover Snow's obnoxiously big head." Her tone held pure disdain but the feeling was lost when a laugh left her lips, Robin could not help but let out a small laugh at her remark.

There she was.

But the laugh quickly died out as she exhaled, seemingly a little defeated when she spoke again, "It was foolish of me to think they would help-" she shook her head and before Robin could say anything, she went on, "The people will never love me as they did that imbecile Leopold."

"Since when do you care about love?" he found himself asking, truly intrigued by the route this conversation was taking.

She tensed up, looked him right in the eye and squinted a little when she told him, "I don't" she straightened her posture a little bit more. "But, with their love comes their trust, something I could really use right now." She clicked her tongue, "They look at me as if I'm an abomination, a monster they want absolutely nothing to do with. I can see the rebellion in their eyes, they are on her side, I know it."

Robin felt his chest clench upon seeing her like that, hanging her head and hopeless, having her own people turn against her in favor of a runaway adolescent. He knew she had come to him because she needed something, needed someone to believe in her, to extend a hand and help her get to her feet again.

"Were you going to kill that woman?" he asked her matter of factly.

"What woman?" she asked, puzzled.

"The old woman from the first village, the one you wrapped in magical chains, Granny." he gave her, his voice was not so smooth anymore.

"I-" she hesitated, and he knew that there laid the problem, "Yes!" she replied quickly, "Of course I was, that was the whole point-"

He interrupted her again, "Then next time, get to the point." He pointed a finger at her, he knew his tone had grown harsh but this was the only way he knew this was going to work. "Show them what Snow White is really up against." He took a few steps in her direction, "Don't hold back, don't hesitate." He spoke with a strange passion, his chest burning in anticipation with the idea of death, "Show them the lengths you are willing to go to get what you want." Her face was so close, she was starting to get a little flushed, but Robin kept going, "Do to your subjects as you do to your army, failure means death."

He had almost closed the distance between them completely, standing a foot away from her. Robin placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her dead in the eye, "If they won't love you, you can make them fear you, Regina."

Silence, the air between them was thick and tense as she took in his words, he could feel her heart racing, see her eyes widening and he squeezed her shoulders in reassurance. He could see the tears start to fill up her eyes and for a moment, she brought both her hands to his elbows and stayed like that, the energy between their skins running free.

The next moment, however, she was forcing his hands from her shoulders by pulling on his elbows and shaking her head, "Why are you helping me?" She asked him as if she was questioning even her own existence. "I don't deserve this." She took a couple of steps back, looking at him strangely.

Robin did not know what to say to that. He was half-frozen on the spot as she looked at him with watery eyes and disbelief painted on her features. When she turned around to leave, Robin found his voice, "Don't leave" and it was like his words were laced with magic for she stopped dead in her tracks and remained still.

After a beat, he was the one to move, he went to stand in front of her, but she kept her gaze downward, her face expressionless but for the taint of red on her cheeks. Robin was conflicted, on one side he was furious at her volatile personality, for never knowing what he would be up against every time he went to her. He was also mad for the ice cold treatment she had had been giving him over the past three weeks, emotionless, without a single drop of humanity.

That was not the woman he knew, was not the woman he-

But he also felt deep empathy for her, he knew she had her ghosts, her traumas, as he had his, and that those probably tormented her on a daily basis, just like his did before his heart was ripped from his chest – now the only thing that haunted him was her.

So he stood before her, but did not touch her, not wanting to test his luck, his voice came out low and soft, "What's wrong, Regina?"

Her head was inclined downward as was her gaze. She did not move for a moment, her dark hair served as a curtain to hide her features. It took her a while, she lifted her head but her eyes still cast down. When she finally spoke, her voice was small, "I did not know it was her," she gave him simply.

Robin felt his chest - where she had marked him - sting at what she had just said, and although her words had come out of nowhere, and were completely out of context, Robin knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Robin, I-" she tried weakly but the words failed her and she pressed her lips against each other forming a thin line.

"Yes?" his voice was just above a whisper.

"I-" she could not find her words, she took one of his hands into both of her own in a hastened move and exhaled in a stutter, "I am truly-" she swallowed, "-sorry about-" her thumbs started to caress the back of his hand with haste, more to relieve a bit of her nerves than to soothe him.

She was so damn nervous he could feel it pouring out of her pores, "For putting you through-" She stopped again, she really had no idea what she is doing, Robin almost took pity on her, but in the greater scheme, the very least that he felt that he deserved was an apology, so he was going to let her finish.

She squeezed his hand in her own and finally said it, loud and clear, but her eyes remained cast down, "I'm sorry."

The silence that followed the apology was so dense Robin could have sliced it with his dirk. He was rather surprised the conversation had turned towards that particular event, which, if Robin was being completely honest, he had not yet gotten over completely. He knew that for her to utter those three words of apology she had bent most of her internal, utterly demented rules.

"I can't say that it was pleasant." he found himself confessing, if she was being honest with him and truly apologizing, he felt it would only do her a disservice if he lied and told her that it was nothing. "It was one of the most daunting things I ever saw in my whole life."

She tightened her grip on his hand, but still did not look up, "I could only imagine-" her voice was above a whisper, as if they weren't meant to be heard.

Robin stiffened at her last remark. He felt his ears suddenly grow hot with anger.

How would she know what he went through that day?

How could she possibly know how he felt?

She had had no love for her husband, practically danced on his grave – given, the twat deserved it – but how could she know how he had felt? She had been wed at 18, how could she-

It was never my ambition to be anything other than myself, he could hear her words from all those weeks ago ringing in his ears.

Maybe she had known love, a long, long time ago. Robin knew that love, true love, left its mark, it branded you for life, just as death did.

For I have lost love once too, the words of the make believe Queen his drunken mind had conjured rang in his ears.

Could they be true?

"I regret doing so many things in my life." She continued to speak, Robin was brought back to the here and now, his anger at her had dissipated. He felt a single tear fall on the back of his hand, the one she kept gripping like a lifeline. "But what happened that day-" it was killing him that she could not say those things to his face, "I still have not been able to forgive myself, I can't look you in the eye."

This time the tear that moistened the back of his hand was his own, "I look at you and I'm reminded of that haunted look you gave me, and how I didn't care," her voice broke a little, "-even though I knew there was something wrong." She spoke quickly, her voice more watery than ever.

"It was not your fault Regina." he finally spoke, his words tender and understanding.

"Then why do I feel I need your forgiveness?" She asked him a little exasperated.

He brought his free hand to her chin, stealing from her a gasp, and ever so slowly lifted her face so she would look at him. Her eyes were filled with tears, her cheeks and nose red, she looked bared and exposed, just like the woman he had seen when he learned her name, Regina.

The word was simple but effective, "Forgiven." It escaped his lips almost automatically, and Robin instantly felt better about the whole situation, like his arms were not tied by bitterness anymore, a soothing breeze seemed to have freshened up his soul.

Regina – yes, that was Regina standing in front of him, not the Queen – looked completely baffled, as if she could hardly believe what he had just said, her mouth was slightly agape, she blinked a couple of times making the tears inside her eyes trail down her lovely cheeks.

"Truly? Just like that?" She sounded so hopeful and yet terrified.

He gave her a soft smile and captured a tear with the pad of his thumb, "Truly. Just like that." He mimed her words, reassuring her.

She was quick, one moment, his words were sinking in, the next, she was on him, but unlike the many times she had attacked him, this time she had not gone for his throat in order to strangle him, nor did her lips meet his own in order for more heated things to happen. Instead, her arms snaked their way around his neck and she pressed herself against him in a tight hug that took him by surprise more than the various times she had tried to murder him. He immediately held her back, hugging her frame onto his own, slipping his arms around her middle and burying his face on her hair, taking in her scent, her essence, and that maddening electricity they shared.

That was home.

The realization took him completely by surprise, sure, he had known he felt strongly for her, but could she, could this, be home? This crazy, inconsistent mess that could hardly be called a relationship?

The more he rationalized it, the more absurd it sounded, but at the same time, the more he sank into her embrace, the more he felt that it was where he belonged, for some strange reason, he had found something in her that made him want to live again. He had found her.

He placed a tender kiss on the top of her head, thinking of how he had never done that to her, a milestone for them that would be considered by anyone else something mundane, but not for them. The strange scar she had created on his chest began to heat up, but this time the feeling was not hurtful but soothing.

Robin did not want to overthink any of this; he did not know how long this would last. So he focused instead on her and this singular moment they shared, the simple act of holding each other, so ordinary for some, but such a huge step for them.

They remained like that for a few minutes until she rested her head on the crook of his neck, her eyes closed, and sighed as if relieving a houseful of worries, whispering ever so softly, "Thank you."

That moment was one of the most peaceful ones he had had in the longest time, it seemed so silly to believe that a mere hug would carry such great importance, but this one did. They held each other in ease, as if they had the rest of eternity to live out this moment, Robin could feel her vibrate with thankfulness and peace, all her previous dispositions erased from her aura. Robin himself felt so light and serene he shut his eyes, all the heartache and guilt having been put on wait for a while, he found himself wishing this moment would never end.

But there was no such luck for them, Robin had to wonder if there would ever be a moment of peace for the pair of them.

A strange light disrupted their moment. It all happened rather quickly, one moment, they held each other in ease, the next, as the light hit them, Robin's senses were turned back on. His eyes shot open at once and the silver light invaded his retina, but the clarity was not blinding like the one created by the blue-mosquito-fairy. Nevertheless, his arms left her in instinct so he could position himself in front of her in order to shield her from whatever it was that emanated said light. It was a strange thing for the light was warm and did not seem harmful, even so, his dirk was in his grasp.

It had been foolish of him to think that she would stay back, the moment he distracted himself to get ahold of his dirk, the woman he was trying to protect left his shadow to stand beside him, a fireball already floating on top of her palm.

Both of them faced the light as it diminished in intensity, their weapons of choice ready to 'fire'. His brow knitted in confusion as Robin found himself facing a silver fox, which had apparently been the source of all that light, sitting on one of the lower branches of the tree where he had made his nest for the night. He squinted a little in order to see the glowy animal better, or to reassure himself that the beast was indeed silver and the sight of it was quite strange, he felt as if he'd seen that animal before.

The fox did not seem too worried about the two weapons that were drawn against it, but instead simply crooked its tiny neck to the side to stare at the pair a little bit better. Robin found himself turning his head a little to the side to meet the Queen's gaze, she had had the same thought and they exchanged looks of alertness and confusion.

Many quite unbelievable things had been happening over the course of the last hour, but Robin was pretty sure that that was no ordinary fox and that it was familiar somehow.

Suddenly, the animal was on the move, leaping from the tree with unnatural grace and speeding through the small gap in between them so fast Robin did not have the chance to react in time. The Queen's fireball did not leave her palm as they both turned around to watch the strange animal rush by the trees and disappear in the darkness of the woods, leaving them both standing there startled and in silence.

"What on earth was that?" Robin could not help but ask since he was quite sure that was the second time he had seen that strange silver animal.

She did not respond right away, her gaze fixed on the spot where the animal had disappeared. The flame was extinguished from her palm when she took a deep breath and shifted her weight from one leg to another, blinking a few times.

"I'm not quite sure" she licked her lips, "It's the second time I see that fox."

"When was the first time?" he could not help but ask.

Her face was hard as she answered, "When I found you passed out in the woods that day."

"You found me?" He was too stunned.

"I did." her answer was short as she turned her back to him. There was a moment of silence and Robin had a million questions running through his mind about that day, but before he could voice any of them, she continued "You were being attacked by a manner of dark magic I had never seen before, it hovered over your head." he heard her swallow, "I tried to fight it, but couldn't. Then out of the blue, the fox appeared and was able to dissipate the dark cloud over your head."

She sighed as she turned back and brought her eyes back to him, they were full of sentiment, guilt being the main one. For a moment there was an awkward silence. After everything that had happened between them over the past hour, Robin really did not know what to do or say.

He wanted to ask her more about that day, have her confirm that she had indeed been in his room, he remembered so little, but he remembered her being there, making him swallow a strange liquid, calling him a drunk baboon. But he knew her, she had already apologized and pressing her for more answers could end up in her giving him the cold shoulder for God knows how long.

He wanted the bliss of a few minutes ago, wanted to bring her back in his embrace. Holding her felt right, and he had not had that feeling in the longest time.

But now she looked a little out of sorts, it would have been quite funny if they were in any other situation, he could have teased her endlessly about being out of words. But given what had just happened, the expression on her face, the uneasiness with which was biting her lower lip, the way she was shifting her weight from one leg to another, plus the fact that she was looking everywhere but in his direction, were no fuel for mockery.

Robin was just about to try and save the situation by commenting on the weather when she surprised him for the billionth time that evening. She cleaned her throat and brought her hands to the lapels of her robe in order to cover herself a little bit more – it was a rather cold night after all – and spoke again, her voice laced with mockery, "Was that really piss that you drank?"

Robin had to let out a chuckle as she chose to play such a humiliating card in order to break that odd silence. He had gotten over it – not feeling his stomach spin at the mention of that particular incident anymore – if Robin was being completely honest, he was actually starting to see a little bit of humor in the fact that he had drowned himself with such a substance.

Regina herself let out a controlled giggle, and looked down for a moment with a sly smile on her lips, Robin found himself momentarily drawn to them, so for a few seconds, he forgot everything about her remark.

"I shall take your silence as confirmation that you enjoyed it," her supple lips moved again and broke the spell, he looked up to meet her eyes that sparkled with mischief.

"In my defense, I did not know that it was piss." Robin tried to defend himself, his accent coming out stronger than usual due to the amusement in his tone, "I just thought it was really bad brandy."

She released a delicious laugh and threw her head back as she gave him, "You're quite the connoisseur."

"Connoisseur?" He imitated her voice, and made a posh movement with his hand, "What kind of word is that?" He scrunched his face.

"Animal-" she murmured as she arched one perfect brow, her disposition had changed a lot, she was more at ease now, amused.

The banter had become their official comfort zone, where they could tell each other truths in disguise of jest, insult each other but not really mean it, laugh and smile without fear. Almost like child's play, it was their safe place.

"Whatever am I going to do with you?" she slurred.

"Whatever you want." Robin found himself saying. If he was taking the expression on her face as anything, he might not spend this night alone in the woods after all.

"I'll remember you said that, thief" she got closer and placed her hand upon his chest running it up, past his neck until the tips of her fingers touched his lips. Robin did not miss a beat and bit down softly at the pad of her index finger earning from her a sharp inhale in between her teeth.

By this point he did not know if this was a competition in banter or in seduction, or even if this was a competition at all, he only knew it felt nice and exciting, his blood pumped fast in his veins. He did not want to miss a beat with her, so he quickly replied, "Like that?" he gestured towards her wandering fingers that were toying with his stubble.

"That depends on how many times you washed your mouth after the day you drank piss" she shot back at him smiling but bringing her hand from his face and holding it up.

Robin scrunched his face at the loss of contact but did not let the ball drop, "Who keeps horse piss inside a brandy bottle anyway?" he asked her.

"Who drinks anything they've found at the stables?" She threw at him without blinking an eye, even if he had had his eyes closed he could still have heard the smile in her voice.

"How is it that you know so much about the comings and goings of stables?" he questioned her with a smile, already anticipating her snarky reply.

But it never came, not as quickly as Robin had assumed it would anyway. Her smile vanished completely in a matter of seconds, her expression was one of controlled shock. Robin was not sure if she was breathing until she took a sharp inhale through her nose whilst closing her eyes. The whole thing was making Robin utterly confused and even a little dizzy, it seemed as if they could not catch a break.

Her response came eventually, after she slowly opened her eyes and spoke to him in a tone that did not carry a single drop of humor but did not sting as well, it was controlled but not poised, the words bore weight, importance, Robin just did not know why, "I've always enjoyed riding, ever since I can remember."

She looked down and frowned, and he knew there was something there, something about stables and horses that got to her in a way that made her vulnerable, and although his curiosity was screaming at him to press the matter and find out more about this whole thing, he did no such thing. She had already been through enough for one night, and Robin also found himself longing for the ease of thirty seconds ago.

So he tried the best he could to bring it back.

"If you must know-" he took her hand, relieved that she did not flinch away, "A real thief-" he felt the ring on her forefinger, "never judges what he has stolen," he pulled the ring swiftly from her finger and she gasped in surprise as he held up the jewel, it had a pretty red stone, ruby perhaps, "-milady." He finished with a brief bow and could see that his attempt had been victorious for a soft smile was again painted on her lips.

She smirked and waved her hand in the air, making the ring disappear from his and return to her finger. She spoke after she performed her spell, "So it was the thief in you who drank the piss?"

"Well, the thief in me can be quite daft at times-" Robin confessed, drawing another chuckle from her, "-it is prone to sometimes doing dangerous and stupid things." He looked down quickly at her lips then back up again to meet her dark eyes.

The woman was no fool, she had gotten the message, "How dangerous would you say they were?" She asked and bit her lower lip after she finished, the damned minx knew only too well what she was doing.

He did not want to miss a beat with her, "This thief in me keeps on wanting to steal a particular thing that might get me killed."

They were getting closer again, all of a sudden they were close enough that she was able to fist his shirt and pull at it a little whilst she spoke, "What's that?" Her voice was low, she knew what he wanted, she wanted it as well.

He gave her a sly smirk and grunted, "I think you know-"

"Enlighten me," she whispered, widening her eyes, setting out a challenge.

That had been the perfect cue for Robin to crash his lips to hers and kiss her breathless. And yet, when it came to it, he found himself placing a soft hand to her cheek and stroking the soft skin there with the pad of his thumb. She did not anticipate his actions, and let out an involuntary ragged breath through her mouth. He blinked slowly as he took the image of her in, face deprived of paint, lips slightly red from the constant biting, eyes wide like a lost animal, that was Regina. He could even see a little bit of that younger Regina that had appeared in his dream in the depths of her eyes.

She was there. She was real.

He got closer to her until their lips were a mere breath away, she parted her own when his other hand found rest on her lower back and brought her gently towards him, their bodies now glued to one another. He closed his eyes and extinguished the final distance between them, shutting his opened lips on hers. That alone drew a sigh from her and Robin placed a kiss to the very corner of her mouth before he kissed her full on the lips. His approach had never been like this, he was soft, he wanted to taste her. That very little but intense contact had made shivers run up his spine and back down, their electric connection jumped in between their lips like fireworks.

She sighed and responded to the kiss with the same intensity, letting him guide her towards this new strange path. The kisses were simple but felt like nothing he had ever experienced, Robin was reluctant to admit he had a few butterflies in his stomach, the tenderness of the moment was somehow alien to him, he had not kissed anyone like that since…

He broke the kiss, feeling his chest tighten and his scar burn, and touched his forehead to hers, the words slipped from his lips, "Glad to see I'm still alive after that act of thievery."

Her arms were on his shoulders, resting there as she hummed in agreement, her eyes closed.

"Maybe I'm willing to learn to steal a thing or two after this act of burglary." Her velvety voice sounded very relaxed, she leaned back a little in order to look at him, her eyes were brilliant, in that moonlit darkness he could see her vibrate with anticipation.

He could not help but smile at that, not a smirk, but a real actual smile. "The art of stealing kisses is a very ancient and complex one."

"I'm sure I can keep up," She gave him and before he could even think of a reply, her lips crashed against his own in a hungry kiss.

It was instantly explosive, she was making very little use of the tenderness of a moment ago but the kiss held true feeling, he could sense it. The feeling of desperation for one, but also something new, care. She was no longer violent in her kisses, no longer demanding to the point of being a bitch, only fierce and passionate in a whole different way.

He bit at her lower lip and pulled just a little before breaking the kiss. Her complexion had gained color, she took a few seconds to open her eyes again as he stood there trying to guess what emotion she was going to throw at him this time.

When his eyes met hers, he could see that her eyes had gained a darker shade, they were predatorily hungry.

Robin was only too happy to be the meal.

She tore her eyes from his to look at his hand for a moment – which had remained resting on her cheek – but her gaze was quickly drawn elsewhere, down. Her eyes were inspecting the lower part of his body and soon her hands joined in, her sneaky fingers quickly untucked his sleeping shirt from inside his trousers and he could feel her sharp nails sliding up, then down, the electric contact made shivers run up his spine.

His hand left her cheek just as her fingers reached the waistline of his pants and pulled him towards her by it, crashing their bodies together, making Robin's cock twitch inside the confines of his trousers. His hand found its way down her neck and pulled a little of the thick fabric of the robe aside, exposing her bare shoulder. She was wearing a black nightgown underneath it, something Robin found wasn't very much like her. She usually wore nothing at all underneath her robes, which made Robin wonder if she had or had not expected things to end this way when she had sought him out that night.

His eyes went back to hers, in a questioning gaze, seeking some sort of reassurance that that was what she wanted.

She regarded the thin strap for a moment and looked back at him, one of her hands pulling them even closer together as the other one moved to slide the black strap down her shoulder. She then took his hand and placed it on her collarbone, just above where her heart beat strongly, his hand almost went numb with the amount of energy that emanated from the spot his palm touched.

Her voice came out breathy, "Touch me Robin."

Before he could say or do anything, or even assimilate the true meaning of those words, she crashed her lips against his and Robin found himself being a little breathless by her enthusiasm. Her tongue traced the line of his mouth and he opened up to her, feeling her hot tongue move with his own in an almost desperate dance.

Her heated kisses awakened something else in him, his slumbered lust coursed through his veins like venom, and Robin felt eager to elaborate on the theme of heated kisses and beyond.

Robin understood now why she had drawn away from him in such a dramatic way, she had been ashamed, felt guilty, not mad as she usually was, but ashamed of what she had caused him that day. Her shame only fueled Robin's theory that she had indeed known love, the kind of love that made one do crazy things and kiss passionately just about anywhere. Robin had given her his forgiveness with an open heart – which was ridiculous since she had his heart stocked somewhere in that vault – and had felt like a strange weight had been lifted from his back.

Her shame was all gone by now. Her hands felt up his sides from under his shirt, grabbing with gusto and strength, whilst they continued to kiss, their heads moving sometimes in synchrony but sometimes not so much. Robin did not care much for perfection, even the clatter of teeth, the accidental weird noise their joined mouths produced, were music to his ears.

His lips left hers only to start to trail hot kisses down her throat, Robin made sure to linger on that spot he had marked her on their first time together, a sensitive point that made her tighten her grip on his waist and let out a breathy moan. His lips reached her shoulder and Robin bit down on it as well, making her release another musical sound of pleasure and grind herself against his half-hard erection.

Heat and electricity jumped between their skins even though they were fully clothed, but not for long if Robin had any say in the matter. His lips traveled down again, and he brought the heavy fabric further away from her flushed skin enough for his mouth to have access to the swells of her breasts.

The silky black nightgown still covered half of her breast and Robin licked her already erect nipple and started to nip at it through the fabric in order to tease her. His techniques worked wonders for she was arching her back in one moment and the next her quick fingers were pulling the rest of the light fabric aside to expose her breast to him.

His head immediately dove in, his mouth at work on her recently exposed skin, he gave her nipple one nice lick and then blew a cold breath on it, making her shiver. She moved a little against him, riding his leg, the next thing he knew, she was grinding herself against him in slow but strong moments, as if trying to relieve her tension with every new stroke.

She threw her head back when he continued his ministrations on her bare breast, licking softly, and gently drawing on her nipple, feeling it peak. When Robin took the nipple in his mouth and sucked with gusto, her hands left the insides of his shirt so she could wind her fingers through his hair.

A small squeal of pleasure left her lips when he bit ever so lightly at the tip of her well-sucked nipple and Robin had to fight to hold back the grin, she was turning to mush with his ministrations and he could not help but feel smug about it. Although he knew that one of her electrifying touches on his privates would probably bring him to his knees at once.

But at this moment her hands remained in his hair – she had pulled her arm from the long sleeve of her robe in order to give him more access – pulling, tugging and guiding him to the right spot as she continued to practically ride his leg and make inarticulate noises. Robin's other hand was working on freeing the other breast, fiddling with the fabric on the other side as he licked around the circle of the nipple.

But before he was able to feast on the other soft breast, a strange noise reached his ears. His other hand stopped trying to divest her immediately as his mouth slowed down the pace on her breast. The sound happened again and Robin could swear it was a footstep.

He was actually quite surprised that he heard the noise at all since he was so concentrated on listening to all the pleasured hums he was drawing from her while he feasted on her breasts. But the distinct sound of shuffling leaves and footsteps was quite clear and for the second time that day, he knew that whatever it was out there, was no animal.

Robin cursed himself for not thinking through this situation before he ripped half of her clothes off in the middle of the forest. There were all the soldiers camping not that far away from them, and Robin was also painfully aware of the fact that many people lived in the woods, and those people happened to detest royals. For all he knew, there could be anyone out there aiming arrows at him, or worse, at her.

He knew if he gave any sign of knowing there was someone out there, things would probably end badly, so instead, he started to make his way up, trailing wet but quick kisses up her collarbone and neck until his mouth was against the shell of her ear and he was able to whisper, "There's someone out there."

It took her a few seconds for the words to truly sink in, but when they did, her moving pelvis stopped and he felt her tense up at once. He left a kiss just behind her ear and placed a hand over her breast, a stupid attempt at covering her up without raising the suspicion of whoever was out there, as he continued to speak, "It's best if we pretend we don't know anything and you transport-"

But before he could actually finish his sentence, he was engulfed by heavy dark smoke and for a few seconds, all he could see was a haze of forest. When the smoke was gone, however, he found himself in a dark place and before he could try and recognize where she had taken them, his hands had lost their hold of her body and he fell on his butt on a hard wooden surface.

Robin cursed under his breath and tried to adapt his vision to the darkness of the place – after all, they had had plenty of moonlight to illuminate their meeting outside – he looked for the Queen and found that she had landed right in front of him and was sitting in some manner of bench. It took Robin a little while to recognize the red velvet seats, and the dark curtains that decorated the insides of the Queen's carriage.

The confirmation of his location came when she held both her hands up, and a blue light emanated from them for a few seconds. Robin was able to see her, she wore a concentrated frown, as well as the beautiful carvings on the dark wood and the silver handles of the doors.

The light faded and she quickly broke the silence, both of them back in the darkness, "How did you know there was someone watching us?" Since the light of the spell had spoiled his eyes for a little, he was not able to see anything at all too well, the curtains were drawn, it was weirdly obscure inside that carriage.

"I heard them." Robin gave her simply.

"Fox ears-" he heard her release a small chuckle, "-how fitting." He felt her bare foot come up and rest on his chest. She started toying with the fabric with her toes, clenching them in between them, trying to bring him closer to her.

"Was that blue light-?" he could not help but ask.

She did not let him finish as she placed her entire foot on his chest and cut him off, "- a protection spell, yes, it was."

Robin brought one of his hands to feel at the leg belonging to the foot located on his chest, and ran it up and down a few times before he asked, "Why did you bring us here?"

He heard her hum and could see her smile, "Well…" She spoke, shifting her weight and bringing her foot from his chest, placing both of her feet on either side of him; she spoke those last words whilst she lowered herself down so she could straddle him, their sexes again, only separated by silly layers of cloth, "I've always wanted to rock this carriage with you."

He chuckled, he could not help it, "I really cannot argue with that, milady." And before she even had the chance to take a breath to retort, his lips were on hers once more.

His tongue quickly dances with hers, tangoing, tripping over it, his hands were suddenly everywhere, he wanted to feel her bare against him as swiftly as possible. She resumed her much appreciated grinding against him, only this time her place of choice was his actual groin. Robin was definitely not complaining about that, but her moving pelvis made it a little difficult for him to get ahold of the stripe of fabric that held her robe together.

It was when she broke the kiss and started nipping her way down, licking the patch of skin near the middle of his throat, that he was finally able to locate and undo the treacherous thing. She gasped against the flushed skin of his collarbone when his hands slithered inside her robe, tracing barriers to her skin.

When she brought her head from his neck, Robin aimed for a kiss on her lips but ended up kissing her cheek, he kissed it anyway, his mouth ghosting about her neck and then back to hover above her lips. The feel of her was insane, his blood was pumping fast inside his veins, he felt alive, like he had finally woken up from a sleep she had put him in the last time they had been together. He kept on going, kissing her face whilst she fisted his shirt, seeming to want to disintegrate the fabric with her fingers.

She lifted her weight a little from his groin and was able to pull the fabric from his shirt that was trapped between them whilst Robin grazed his teeth at her neck. He had to bring his lips from her when she pulled his shirt up, taking it off without warning, pulling it over his head.

No sooner had the warmth of his sleeping shirt left him, it was being substituted by another, hers. She placed both her palms onto his chest, his skin burning with her heated touch, and placed a little weight on them, silently telling him to lean back. Robin did as her treacherous hands commanded and lowered himself, twisting and turning around until his whole back was to the cold wooden floor, since there was very little room his legs were bent.

"Better?" He asked her half amused, half aroused, his voice had gone down an octave.

She leaned down only for a moment to reply in a whisper, "Much"

She straightened her posture and started moving against him once more, her sex grinding against his hardened one. She moved like a feline, her silhouette danced above him whilst she made the most agreeing of noises, Robin was in heaven.

He reached for the fabric of her robe that hung and pulled her towards him, her half naked torso coming in contact with his bare one, he could feel his lingering spit on her. His hand went to the back of her head and he kissed her mouth with languor, tasting her. She pulled a little at his lower lip and gave him soft nips on the corner of his mouth.

It did not take long for her lips to start traveling south, he moved his body up so her own could accommodate better below. Her expert tongue seemed to want to catalogue every single sensitive spot on his torso, she traced it about his hip bone and seeing that he took a sharp intake of breath at that, started to explore the area further. When she finally found the damned spot right beside his hip bone that made him see stars, she sucked it with ardor and Robin's hand traveled up and fisted her hair, whilst he released a loud and embarrassing cry of pleasure.

She brought her head from that torturous yet delightful spot to look up at him, his sight had adjusted again, he could see her devious dark eyes and the smirk her well-kissed lips carried. She traced her tongue about the line of his pants, nipping at some points and bringing it down a little bit further with every new contact, but never further enough.

When some of his thicker body hair were starting to make an appearance at her slow, yet delectable torture, she spoke against his skin, "Better?" She mocked at his half-melted state, his hand had long lost its grip on her tresses due to her torture.

She did not wait for an answer, and promptly snaked her fingers about the seams of his trousers and yanked it down, freeing his erection from those awful cotton confines. She took it all off, and there he was, stark naked inside that carriage at her absolute mercy. And even though there was a submissive feel to their exchange, Robin was not bothered by it at all.

All he could manage, was a reply, "Much"

He should have known she would surprise him like that, after months of being with her, he really should have guessed. Her mouth went straight to the most aching part of his anatomy, taking him into her mouth and sucking it with gusto, and Robin was no longer in control of his body or the strange sounds it produced. She only sucked for a few seconds whilst Robin was sure he was seeing stars and then drew her tongue up his member, starting at his balls and going her torturous way up until she reached his head and gave it a peck.

She gave him a wicked smile and lifted herself from the floor, leaving him there with an aching situation in between his legs. She stood up, she was only just able to stand straight inside the carriage, the top of her head touched the ceiling, even though the Queen could make herself look like a titan when she wanted with her poise and ridiculously high heels, she was quite short when stripped from those.

Robin brought his elbows to the floor in order to lift himself a little so he could watch her as she finally took off the heavy robe, leaving it pooling at her feet. The nightgown underneath it was sin itself, it looked quite innocent on the upper part, with thin straps to hold it together, but as his eyes travelled down, he was able to see the creamy white of the sides of her legs. The long thing did not have one but two slits that went from the hem up to her mid-thigh on the sides.

She looked at him from above and her lips twitched again in a devious smile. She then turned her head to the side and blew at the strap that still held onto her shoulder. Her magic worked in making the slim thing disintegrate completely amidst red sparks.

Robin pushed himself off the floor and was on his knees in a manner of seconds, his hands ran up the naked sides of her legs and thighs until they found the silky fabric. He pulled it down slowly, revealing her bare beauty inch by inch to his hungry eyes.

Robin did not wait for her to step out of the slip and had his hands kneading her behind, his lips found the inside of her thigh, searching to pull a little bit of those musical moans from her. Her hands were on his head at once, her fingers winding in his hair, as she lifted one of her legs so her foot rested on the seat, making her most intimate parts much more accessible.

At first he brought his lips from her skin so his fingers could graze at her sex, she was so wet Robin could not help but groan with desire. She shuddered when he put one finger inside, pumping it in and out slowly, testing her. She clenched her walls around his lone finger and bucked her hips forward, needing more of the friction Robin wanted to take his time to give. He pulled out his finger to work two up and down her opening until he reached her bud, making her move in concert with them and release a few breathy exhales. He watched her with lust and admiration, she was just so enticing, he could not help it, so mysterious and yet so raw, almost like a true work of art, Robin had to wonder if she was indeed real and if all this was truly happening to him.

His mouth found her bundle of nerves, and she yelped at the first contact, her nails digging into his scalp. He sucked and nipped her good, tasting her bittersweet juices, loving the way she rotated her hips against his mouth and cried out in pleasure.

His tendons pressed against her flushed skin, sucking her harder and then bringing his lips from her bud only to give her a nice lick before getting back to making her writhe in ecstasy when he quickly flickered his tongue to and fro.

When she was just about to reach her peak, her hands had left his head and carved half-crescent marks on his shoulder, a series of "Yes, yes, yes" kept pouring from her mouth, Robin stopped sucking and drew his head back. Her reaction was almost immediate; her single frustrated "No" would have been comical if it hadn't been followed by a rather strong slap on his head.

He looked up and her eyes were crazy on him, she looked quite dangerous with her hair messed up and her cheeks burning, she was breathing heavily but managed to speak, her voice croaky from all the screaming, "You-" she breathed in deeply, "You have some sort of death wish?"

He chuckled at her words and looked down thinking that a few months ago he did have a wish to die but had been too weak to complete the task, but not anymore. Now he had this, he had her and-

He earned himself a disdainful huff from her, but wasn't discouraged by it, getting to his feet as best he could, he had to hunch to stand, his hands travelled up her hips.

"Why did you stop?" her voice came out more disappointed than angry.

He arched one brow and replied whilst snaking his arms around her middle, "Well-" he pulled her naked body towards his and started moving backwards, "I thought you said you wanted to rock the carriage." He spoke in all earnest as he sat down on the bench leaving her to stand in front of him with a look of puzzlement still painted on her features, "I think-" he continued stroking the side of her thigh, feeling the gooseflesh rise there, "-riding me will do the trick, no?"

The chuckle she gave was low and sexy as she regarded him for a beat, biting her lower lip, a new glint of lust filling her already darkened brown eyes. "Well," her voice came out slurry as she placed her hands on his shoulders and climbed him, bringing each knee to either one of his sides. One of her fingers traveled its way up his neck ever so softly, it reached his chin making him look up in order to see her, since her knees were not bent yet, so she stood a head taller than him. She held his chin with two fingers and spoke, "Aren't you amusing?"

She decided her question had been rhetorical when both her hands cradled his face and she crashed her lips against his before Robin even had the time to think of a reply. The kiss was hungry and full of promises, she sighed against his lips and their tongues met, Robin tasted the bitter-sweetness of her kiss, his hands worshiped the delicious sway of her lower back and her too-good-to-be-true arse.

As they kissed, she lowered herself onto his lap slowly, melting into their kiss until her weight was on him and their sexes met without any layer of fabric in the way. The flames that flickered between them were enough to set her entire castle on fire, she ground herself against him and broke the kiss, choosing to tread her lips down his neck and back up again, electing an ever so sensitive spot to suck with fervor.

Robin groaned, his hands feasting on her behind, as she moved above him, teasing him with her slick core against his stiff erection and her smart mouth on his neck.

When she brought her lips from the now thoroughly sucked spot, some of her hair covered her face, and Robin's fingers went to remove a strand and tuck it behind her ear. She had a wicked smile on her well-kissed lips as she straightened herself up on his lap, putting a slight distance between them so she could get ahold of his cock. Robin bit his lower lip at the feel of her warm hand around his aching member and her smile only widened.

She positioned herself just right and began her heavenly descent. They were nose to nose, Regina let out a stuttered breath on his face that made his chest ache with something wild. His tendons pressed hard on her flesh when he could feel all of his manhood enwrapped by her warmth. Robin had the decency to control his urges to start moving in order for her to adjust to him, but she had other plans altogether, as she started rotating her hips and biting his shoulder.

Robin groaned as she lifted her head from his shoulder, she had bit hard, and started moving in earnest above him, mewling in pleasure. He took his chance to bring the rest of her hair from her face in order to look at her, she had her eyes closed and her mouth hanging open, Robin bit his lower lip at the sight of her, lifting one of his hands and running the pads of his calloused fingers on her cheekbones, as he tried to move in concert with her.

She was mesmerizing, a sight Robin now wondered how he had gone without throughout his entire life. Her eyes opened and when their eyes met inside that darkened little space, Robin felt his chest clench, she took his breath away. The electricity between them was insane, she smiled at him and this time it made her look so young, like a young woman who was up to no good.

Robin felt himself buzzing, he could not help but moan loudly when she picked up the pace, making good on her promise to rock the carriage. He held her hips and moved with her, pumping himself in and out of her, hearing the unapologetic, wet noise of their act, the friction between their sexes was almost maddening.

She was practically jumping above him, she held on tight to the velvet seat behind him and guided herself on top of him masterfully, her hair a messy curtain on her face again, their moans getting louder by the second. The carriage was rocking all right, Robin was faintly able to register the creaky sounds of wood as they moved towards ecstasy, completely unpreoccupied with the state the vehicle would the in the next day.

Her lips were suddenly on his as she hummed something he did not understand and picked up the pace, choosing to forego the strong and deeper pace that she had in favor of a faster and shorter one.

Robin's hands were all over her, keeping up with her, euphoric at the feel of being inside her after so long and specially after he had finally acknowledged that this was so much more than physical chemistry, it went beyond the human need for warmth and sex. What they had was something else, something so unbelievable that felt almost like magic.

He took her hums against his mouth as a sign and quickly slid one hand downward, in order to bring her to the edge. At the first contact, she hissed and brought her lips from his as if to say something, but the words died on her lips as he started to use his calloused finger on her, her mouth was only able to release a loud "Oh" after that.

After a few more thrusts he could feel her tighten around him, Robin was sure he was going to reach his peak as well but she arrived first, shoving her hips against his hard as she could.

He could feel her relax a little on top of him but still, as Robin continued to pump inside her with everything that he had, her mouth teasing his neck, lips tracing the red marks she had created.

When she whispered in his ear "Come for me." He knew that he was done for. His head felt like it was going to explode when he reached his climax, and if Robin spoke quite frankly, he did not even know which one. He only knew that mindblowing did not even begin to cover what had just transpired between the two of them.

He closed his eyes for a moment, her warm skin against his own prolonging the ecstatic feeling of his orgasm, he got lost in the sensation.

He was so dizzy that his mind took a few moments to realize that his back was not brushing against velvet anymore but fur. When Robin opened his eyes he was in another place, had been transported there by magic, he was sure, a comfortable cot on the floor, warm furs caressed his sweaty skin.

Was that her tent?

The lighting there was very dim, but when he looked to the side, she was there, laying on her back, one arm up her head whilst the other was over her middle, she was looking forward naked as the day she had been born. She looked like a romantic painting, poised and stunning in every way. His lazy eyes perused her body, her thighs carried the evidence of their heated activities and Robin felt something even stronger about all this he could not quite understand what it was.

There was a noise from outside that drew their attention immediately. She was quicker than him - she had that infuriating habit - and drew the tent's opening with her magic so they could see what was outside and the sight was, in one word, ridiculous.

The carriage was in full view of their eyes as it gave away to one of it's wheels, the round thing was crushed by the weight, and the large vehicle tumbled dramatically to it's direction.

He could not help but chuckle at their doing, her laughter followed his for a little while but they had been both so tired, they could barely keep up with laughing at the now destroyed carriage.

He felt her hand on his chest as she commanded for her magic to draw the opening back down and a red light was visible on it for a moment before it disappeared and left them again in semi darkness.

Their eyes met and for a while they remained like that, only staring at each other, too tired to be suspicious or to think of another round.

Robin could not say who fell asleep first.

…

The next morning started off rather wonderfully, with the sight of her naked body next to his as she slept looking more peaceful than ever. He did not want to wake her, but had a very solid plan of making her writhe under his touch once more before they left the tent. For a moment he just took the time to admire her, catalogue every last inch of bare skin his eyes could see. She was a vision, the physical connection had always been there, ever since the first time he saw her. But now, there was something more, it was not just physical. She had snaked her way into his heart, which was a ridiculous notion since she had his heart-

His thoughts and plans were interrupted by a messenger who stood just outside the tent asking to speak to the Queen. Not wanting to disrupt her sleep, he pulled on his pants and headed out to meet the messenger. The young man's eyes went wide when he saw him and he swallowed nervously before giving the message to Robin.

Snow White had been spotted in a nearby village.

Before he knew it, they were all ready to set off, unfortunately, when they got to the village, things did not go as well as he had hoped.

"I am going to give you one last chance" the Queen told the crowd before her, they had been there, trying to extract some information from the peasants for over half an hour but no one seemed to know anything about Snow White.

Robin could see the Queen was getting to the limit of her patience, she had offered gold, animals, food, and yet, the people – who knew something, they all knew something, one of the few good information they had gotten was that Snow White had spent a fortnight in that village for she was traveling to meet someone around those parts – refused to speak, refused to betray their precious princess.

"Tell me what you know of Snow White's whereabouts and this village will never face a hungry winter again" she gave them.

The silence that followed was one in many humiliating. Robin knew she felt diminished by this situation, and grew angrier by the second. However, the Queen faced the silence with defiance, staring at the shrunk looking peasants even though none of them dared to meet her eye.

After a solid minute of very uncomfortable silence, the Queen spun on her heel and stomped her way to Robin's direction, she stopped beside him, so they were shoulder to shoulder, turned her head to the side, and whispered, her words meant for his ears alone, "Kill them, kill them all"

Robin knew that that was what he had encouraged her to do the night before, but he had to ask regardless, "Even the children, your majesty?"

She took a moment to take a breath and open her mouth but before anything left her lips, a loud noise drew everyone's attention so it's source.

Damn, not him

He had jumped off a damned tree.

How he had not been able to spot that fucking twat will remain a mystery. Robin had always prided himself in having eyes even on the back of his head, so how could that idiot have gone by unnoticed? All of the peasants seemed a bit restless because of his grand entrance and all of the guards had drawn their weapons.

"Are ye all really that thick?" He addressed the crowd and Robin had to hold his cool not to knock that idiot unconscious, "You're all there, thinking you are something else because you're keeping yar trouts shut for the sake of a ruddy royal who by next week won't even remember you ever existed?" He asked the people around, turning his tall and thin body to face the other side. Time had done very little for him, he still had the same boogy eyes but his cheeks were hollower and he looked a little gray, "She don't even remember the bloody names of them daft dwarf bodyguards of 'ers!" Robin did not know what he was playing at, but whatever it was, he knew he should be on his toes.

"And you are?" The Queen's voice asked, her tone was unimpressed but carried curiosity

"Will Scarlet is his first name-" Robin volunteered, stepping forward and heading to face his old mate, "-and his second is 'utterly untrustworthy'." He spat.

"Now look 'ho's 'ere!" Will beamed and Robin felt like punching him in the face, "John told me ye might be 'ere, mate!" He remained where he was, Will was not dumb enough to try and go for a hug.

"You bloody well know that it's been a long time since we were mates," Robin practically spat at him, his anger growing by the second, it only did not overcome him at the mention of his once best friend John, the thought of the big fellow made his chest clench, but he continued to address Will with despise. "You made sure of that." He noted that his accent had grown thicker with irritation, seeing someone from his past would always bring the old man from Nottingham back.

"Aye-'' Will studied him for a bit and that desire to punch the sordid bastard in the face was beginning to turn into a need, "Ya 'aven't been nobody's mate for a while now, 'un?" He had the nerve to lift both his eyebrows in challenge.

Robin's right fist was already ready, and it was quite prepared to find home on Will Scarlet's already-three-times-broken nose, but the Queen's voice interrupted Robin's plans, "What do you hope to obtain with this intrusion Mr. Scarlet?" her voice was simple, all business Queen was back.

The sordid bastard had the nerve to smirk at her and replied, "For one, not getting meself or any of these thick headed peasants killed would be fantastic."

The Queen hummed and Robin felt himself grow hot with anger. Robin knew Will, that backstabbing arsewipe that had betrayed him all those years ago, stolen what he was told strictly not to and then run off to God knows where, and left him and the merry men with a huge problem and a very angry dragon lady. Bottom line, Will Scarlet was not to be trusted and it infuriated Robin more than he cared to admit that the Queen would want any help from that mosquito looking idiot.

"That will solemnly depend on what you are willing to share with me regarding the whereabouts of a certain 'ruddy royal' the people of this village insist in protecting." She spoke with clarity and poise, there was very little sentiment in her speech, although Robin knew she must have been bursting on the inside with anticipation.

Will licked his lips and gave the Queen a look from head to toe that would have earned him a fireball in the privates had he not been the owner of precious information. The look did not go unnoticed by the Queen but she simply pursed her lips in disapproval as she waited for the man before her to speak.

"Ye were right-" he pointed his finger at the Queen and Robin took one step ahead, he was getting tired of this stupid game and wanted to knock that twat unconscious more than anything, maybe even permanently unconscious. "Snow White was 'ere, right in this village." He spoke out so all could hear him, the peasants looked quite terrified, no wonder, "I know for a fact that she went to 'ide in the forest of the dead."

Her eyes widened at the sound of the information, she quickly asked, "And how would you know that?"

"She was quite loud about it the other night actually-" Will started to scratch the back of his head and Robin knew there was something off about this whole tale.

When Will did not elaborate, the Queen gave him a small incentive by creating a fireball that hung midair right in front of her, "Loud about-?" She repeated herself, her voice was grave, Robin knew she was quite ready to set Will on fire if she had to.

"Is that fireball coming anywhere near me if you dislike me answer?" Will asked, obviously worried about his own well-being first and foremost.

"It all depends on your answer-" she arched a perfect brow, "You'd better tell me the truth or I will set this entire village on fire and all the 'thick headed' peasants that come with it."

There was some agitation amongst the villagers, they had been obviously frightened of the Queen's powers, but having her say with all the words that she would set them on fire depending on Will-the-idiot-Scarlet's answer, had put them a little on the edge.

"Well-" Will started, still looking a little uneasy at the fire hanging in the air and this situation he had put himself into, "She was on about why she had chosen to make camp in that particular wood." He cleaned his throat and lowered his voice, the Queen promptly leaned her head in his direction to catch every word, "Something about-" he stopped again, "Well-" he bit his lower lip.

"About what?" The Queen nearly screamed, the flame before her grew twice in size.

"About-" Will closed his eyes and spoke fast, "-the Queen not 'aving the guts to go look for 'er there since it 'eld too many ghosts of the past." He held his breath and waited for her reply with his eyes closed.

"What did she say?" The Queen whispered dangerously, she was about to burst, Robin could feel her explosive energy emanating from her body, it affected him strangely, making him oddly angry as well, he could feel it in his veins. He only knew one thing for sure, it did not matter what Will said anymore, a simple 'a' would make her burst.

Will swallowed as he looked back at the Queen, his expression no longer smug but quite afraid, he had turned practically white, Robin wondered if his former mate would have the balls to repeat what he had just disclosed.

"I-" was the only thing that came out of his mouth, he closed it again.

Coward.

The Queen pounced, her patience long gone, she was magically quick, her feet did not move, but before Will could take another breath they were nose to nose and her hand closed around his throat. Robin wondered why was it that she liked to strangle people so much. Maybe it was because she had been suffocated most of her life, from what little he knew of her, it seemed like she had been quite repressed before her husband finally died, and payback, especially when it came to her, was always a bitch.

Although there was nothing he would like most than to have Will fucking Scarlet dead, something inside him told him to intervene, this wasn't the way it was supposed to go.

Before Robin knew it he was standing right beside her, his voice was calm and low, meant for her ears alone, "Don't" Robin urged her, "You got what you came for, you have a lead, and a damn good one."

He could see Will's eyes going even wider at Robin's words. But his attention was not focused on that scum but at the Queen, she turned her head to look at him ever so slowly. The unhurried movement made her look rather frightening, her expression was one a marble fury, frozen and yet irate.

She did not say anything, only stared at him with eyes that told a million different stories. Robin was not going to back down now, even though they found themselves in a very public situation, he was not going to play the humble servant. He knew he had to reason with her, "If you kill him now, you'll give all these people real reason to hate you and to side with her."

"And also real reason to fear me" her voice was soft and cold, and she gripped Will's throat a little tighter with her magical grasp. The man let out a suffocated cry, it wouldn't take long now.

"But what if you could have both?" Robin argued in hushed tones, "Love and fear." He did not know what came over him for those alien words to leave his lips. After all, he had just the night before, advised her to do exactly the opposite, to have no mercy, to go to the extreme and show those peasants what Snow White was up against. But something inside him was sure that she still could have their respect without giving up having them fear her as well. He hoped she would understand, she had said that they could not love her like they did the King before her, but if she showed mercy with this rotten being, maybe she still had a chance.

For a moment, she simply looked at him, a million thoughts seemed to rush through her mind, her darkened eyes squinted but then she was opening them up again, they cleared, returning to their normal shade again.

She let go.

Will was immediately gasping for air, placing both his hands to his throat, but before he could run away, the Queen grasped him with one hand by the cheeks and squeezed, making him look cartoonish with his boogy eyes and fish-like lips.

"You got lucky" she whispered dangerously, and then her eyes widened, as if remembering something. Her hand dropped from his face as she looked at him, her voice was low, so none of the others could hear her, "I know you."

"You do?" Will was beyond confused.

"You're the thief that broke into the castle." she spoke as if the memory was playing out in front of her. One of her hands went to her earlobe as she looked at Will in a whole different way, "I gave you my earrings."

Will's already big eyes widened even more at her words, as if he was recognizing someone from the past. His mouth fell open but nothing came out. The wheels inside Robin's head started to turn, trying to understand what situation was being addressed. Broke into the castle? Her earrings?

Her voice broke the silence, "Did your girl enjoy my earrings?" Her voice was laced with contempt. "Or did your mate steal them from you?" she raised a brow, "I heard you fight over it in my bedroom."

Her castle.

Her earrings.

Her bedroom.

The memory hit Robin like a speeding carriage. It had been so many years ago Robin felt as if it had happened in another lifetime. He and Will had heard the King was going away, taking as many soldiers as he could, they had decided it would have been the perfect opportunity to break into the castle and take as much as they could carry.

Robin had climbed the highest tower in the castle that led to a bedroom - her bedroom, the same bedroom where he had found her that day when the children had turned her down, when she had told him her name and the color blue had come back into his life - and Will had turned up there through a secret passage, aided by a mystery woman who had given him a priceless pair of earrings.

A pair of earrings he had-

"Ye should ask my mate yerself," Will had found his voice and gestured towards Robin, "He nicked them from me." His words were bitter.

She turned her head ever so slowly to regard Robin with a suspicious expression on her face. There was a beat and she moved her hand in Will's direction making him fly away from her, landing on his backside. With another swift movement of her hand, a fat satchel appeared out of thin air and flew in Will's direction hitting him square in the chest. Her eyes never left Robin.

"Well?" she asked him.

"I-" Robin found it hard to speak, for he had to access a rather painful memory in order to answer her question. "I used them to propose to Marian."

There was a sharp pain in his chest when he spoke, her face was an expressionless mask, but he knew she was feeling much more than she was letting it show.

She squinted and spoke, her voice cold as ice, "How gallant of you."

Her eyes left him to finally look at the people who had done nothing more than stare in awe at everything that had been happening. As her gaze swept across the people, their heads turned downward in a sign of respect, she was still commanding fear, they would eventually succumb.

Will was making his drowsy way out of the circle the crowd had created, opening the satchel as he did, when Robin grabbed him by the back of the neck and told him, "Not so fast" bringing a little attention to themselves when Will cried out in pain for Robin was not really bothering to be delicate with the man's recently harmed neck.

The Queen immediately turned around to look at the pair and Robin spoke again, this time his tone was loud and clear, "Are you quite done with him, your majesty?"

She squinted only a little whilst she looked at him with a regal and replied a simple, "Yes"

"Good." Robin felt himself smile at her response, a great violent rush started pulsating in his veins.

He did not think twice before he acted, one moment he was holding Will by the neck and the next he was letting it go so his closed fist could make contact with Will's obnoxiously big nose. Robin felt a crack of bone, heard the pain in Will's cry, and smelled the tang of iron blood carried, and suddenly everything seemed to have fallen back in place.

Will's hands were swift to let go of the satchel and go to his now four times broken nose as he stumbled backwards, this time falling on his sorry arse, again. Robin was surprised to hear a few shy chuckles from their peasant filled audience, and which were substituted by gasps of surprise. The satchel was on the floor and had opened to reveal it's contents, several shiny golden coins, the Queen did keep her word after all.

His eyes went back to Will, sitting there, whining about his aching nose, what a long way the pair of them had come. And to think that once they had robbed together the castle in which Robin now lives. Robin had punched Will for tricking him all those years ago but also because he felt that disclosing to the Queen he had given her earrings - which had been meant for Anna - to Marian as a marriage proposal had hurt her. And he decided that that was all Will Scarlet's fault.

"I deserved that." Will was speaking again, he had fallen relatively near to where Robin stood, so his words were only heard by him. His tone had changed, he sounded defeated, as if for the first time, he was actually speaking the truth.

"Finally something we can agree on" Robin gave back to him feeling an odd relief inside his chest.

The neighing of a horse broke their moment and Robin spun on his heel only to find the Queen already mounted on his horse, Angus, the strange blueish steed, whilst soldiers opened up the way for her to pass. Her eyes found him and she stroked the side of Angus' head before giving him a look that was a mix of sadness and determination. She took a deep breath and gave him a small smirk and arched her brow, which he took as a challenge since the next moment the steed was neighing again whilst she rode off.

Robin acted upon impulse only going to the nearest horse, even though he knew none of those beasts was ever going to be able to keep up with Angus, and started unloading baskets of food and provisions it carried, at least that would make it go faster.

He felt a presence beside him but chose to ignore Will as he spoke, "I can tell from experience that pursuing a woman like that can never end well. Royal, angry and with magic. Never ends well."

Robin huffed in response to Will's words, not really looking at him as he continued to unload the horse. He wondered for the first time what had happened to Anna. He got on the horse and finally looked down at his former brother.

Will spoke again, his words carried that strange truthfulness again, "I don't think you need to go after her," he scrunched his face and was reminded of the broken part of it, but continued, "I think she can 'andle 'erself on 'er own, mate."

Robin disregarded Will's commentary with a huff, but something inside him felt warmer and strange, the thought of her brought on strange sensations he had deemed impossible for him to feel again, "I know that," he finally replied, "But now she doesn't have to anymore."