Regina decided to leave on the first day of winter to go after her stepdaughter. She figured she needed to, first and foremost, show her people who their Queen was and who exactly they were dealing with. That they could be on her side and profit much from the alliance, that Snow White was no true leader but a brat, a spoiled girl who deserved to be punished for her crimes.
At first everything went according to plan when Regina and her handpicked men arrived at the village she had been to three weeks ago in disguise. The people had bowed and her speech was strong and certain, even though, deep inside, she felt insecure and quite scared. After all, that moment was crucial, it would set the tone for everything she did from then on, it had to be perfect.
The peasants were marveled by the golden coins that had fallen from the skies, Regina herself had to admit that that had been pretty bewildering magic, she had allowed herself to bask a little in the magical sight of the make believe coins descending slowly from the trees tops, their shimmer almost hypnotizing to her. The moment had been broken when she met his eyes, those blue enquiring orbs she could not face, they made her heart stop cold and reminded her that she was not only there to do tricks and please her people.
Her magic transformed the golden coins into small fireballs, and people despaired, but Regina had to show them she was not there to play and that there would be consequences to aiding Snow White, deadly consequences.
"However-" she met the gaze of the peasants around her, "-if I find out anyone in this village has helped the bandit Snow White-" her voice sounded clear, even the sobs of the children had subsided, "-they will suffer dearly."
Regina had thought long and hard on how she was going to show her people what aiding Snow would get them. She had ultimately decided that the best way to convey that was by making an example out of one of Snow's most outspoken supporters, that old bag Granny. After she had come back from her little undercover adventure Regina made it her business to learn who exactly the old woman was.
Her spies later told her that the old lady herself was a werewolf but was not able to transform anymore but that her granddaughter was quite able and was aiding Snow White.
All of the dark voices inside her head had agreed that Regina should kill the old bag in front of the whole village, and yet, that annoying young woman would not cease to argue that Granny had seen something else in Regina's eyes when she spoke of Robin.
She had to fight with her heart, contradict her gut and go by the book mother had taught her, love is weakness and out of all the things Regina wanted to convey that day, weakness was not one of them.
Chains were wrapped tightly around the old woman's body but Regina took no pleasure in torturing her, she had to school her features and put that short but meaningful conversation she had had with the woman she was going to murder three weeks prior at the back of her mind, in a very forgotten corner so she could not access it.
The Evil Queen did not love, the Evil Queen was not weak.
Regina wrapped her hand around the old woman's throat and began to squeeze, she felt her dark magic run about her fingers as her grip got stronger and stronger, she was almost blinded by her rage, the woman had spat on her feet, the woman had aided that brat, she would pay.
But she didn't, a flash of irritating blue magic blinded Regina for a few seconds and she felt the throat slip from her fingers.
"Beware of the evil one-" Regina almost burst with anger when she recognized the Blue Fairy's voice coming out of the old woman's mouth, "For even if she wears a crown and makes promises of riches, she lies. Snow White is an innocent and the one who points the finger, the real sinner."
But of course! How could Regina have been so stupid not to think that Snow was getting help from that annoying mosquito? It made perfect sense, it explained her fast recovery from Robin's first attack - that had been rather violent, Regina had seen through her mirror how he had slashed the girl's face with Daniel's dagger - and how she had been managing to escape Regina's every attempt to capture her.
"Silence!" Regina had screamed so loud that all manner of noise ceased.
Regina could feel the raging fire of ire burn inside her, how dare that mosquito speak to her like that? How dare she ruin Regina's moment of glory?
"Come to the flame then, moth!" she spoke while she held a fireball in her palm, she knew she was sounding quite unbalanced but at that moment, Regina could not control herself, "Or are you too scared to face me in person? Are you going to keep on hiding behind that wolf's skin?"
"I do not fear you, your majesty," the glue pest dared to defy her, Regina felt like bursting into flame.
"But you should-" Regina shot her way, knowing that that would catch Blue's attention at the very least and erase that look of goodness from the old coot's face, "-because I know of what you did to Rapunzel and I'm going to make it my business to learn why."
It worked, Granny's tired eyes shot open but Blue's voice spoke instead, "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 bug had the nerve to give back to her.
Regina was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, being called a monster by that hypocritical bug was too much, "I-" Regina screamed so hard her throat caught, "I ended her misery!" she did not care if she was looking like a crazy person, that insect had the nerve to defy her, after what she had done to the sodding blind woman, "Which is exactly what I'm going to do with this old werewolf puppy of yours-"
Now she felt no hesitation when she held up the fireball, it's target, the old lady's face, she was going to incinerate that woman, she did not care anymore of what she had said to Regina when she thought she was someone else.
The fireball left her grasp but never reached its destination, Granny disappeared before Regina's deadly magic could reach her and she screamed in rage so loudly she momentarily lost her voice, hot tears of anger pooled inside her reddened eyes.
She took a deep breath and looked around her, people and guards alike looked absolutely terrified and perplexed, she stole a glance at the outlaw who carried a grave expression, serious but not unfeeling. It was then that she went back to her normal senses, she breathed heavily, she had exerted herself in her confrontation and all that it got her was a mighty headache and empty hands.
Even more than that, after that small demonstration of complete lack of control over her emotions, Regina did not manage to get even the given names of the peasants, let alone information about Snow White.
And so, a week dragged on, a week filled with dead ends and unwelcome glances. The story of her outburst had spread like a rash around every corner of her kingdom, Regina was constantly met with looks of suspicion and fear, people would hide in their houses instead of paying the rightful respects to her presence in their village. The little information they got was as good as nothing and Regina was losing her patience, she did not want to take extreme measures, but it seemed as if it was the only way to get what she wanted.
They camped, she preferred the quietness of the woods instead of the comfort of the noble estates offered her, she could not abide to those people, she figured if she lost her temper, given the amount of stress she was under, she would most probably end up murdering her hosts.
...
Regina could not sleep, this whole situation was a disaster and she felt humiliated at the way things had played out, and most of all, she felt so utterly alone she was nearly sobbing.
She had already retired to her tent that night, which appeared to be grand on the outside but was really just large enough to fit her cot and her belongings, the rest of the size was all protection spells. But even though she knew she was safe from any magical and non-magical threat, Regina felt the weight of loneliness on her shoulders, she could not take it anymore.
She needed him.
She would have to look past her pride and all that horrid shame because she needed him.
She placed a disillusionment spell on herself, not wanting for any of her soldiers to see her in such a state nor to have anyone follow her, and went into the woods to find him, she had noted he did not stay with the other men, but chose to seclude himself deeper in the forest.
Old habits die hard, she guessed.
He was asleep when she found him, the buzz between them had guided her to find him, she was still some feet away from him but was sure that he was asleep, with his back resting against a tree trunk and a frown upon his forehead.
Out of the blue, he shot to his feet, dirk in hand and full alert, Regina could feel the waves of caution emanating from him, he was truly a born thief, a man so in sync with his environment that he could surprise or get past anyone.
She approached him nonetheless, she was not afraid of him. She actually wasn't wary of what he might do to her with that blade but most definitely dreaded the way he would meet her eyes. As she got closer, Regina could not help but feel the gooseflesh rise in her arms due to their connection, it was so strong it mocked her. He was very much aware of her presence, she stood right in front of him and his blue eyes seemed to stare daggers back at her, which made it very difficult for her to lift the spell that made her invisible.
She did not know what possessed her to touch his face like that, but before she knew it, her fingers met his cheek and he was closing his eyes and exhaling in a sigh, she lifted the spell then.
When she withdrew her fingers, his eyes opened once more, blue and dark, Regina could not contain herself anymore, "This isn't working" her voice was low and watery, she didn't expect to sound so fragile.
"What isn't?" he asked her, his voice a little more than a whisper.
How could she possibly convey everything that was wrong in one answer? Regina was silent for a moment before she gave him, "Everything" and looked deep inside his blue eyes in search of some guidance, something.
She managed to bask in the blue for a few seconds before she remembered what she had done to him, Regina looked down at her feet, she could not look at him. There was a moment of silence and she knew she had to say something, she had to-
"That insect ruined everything!" her voice came out angry and frustrated, "We almost had them, Robin!" his name felt bittersweet in her tongue, like she did not deserve to say it, she continued "They were mesmerized with the gold."
Regina had been certain that the gold would have made the peasants join her side, she had been so wrong, those were Leopold's people, and just like their King, the people were righteous and daft.
She turned her back on him and started pacing, her heart starting to beat fast as she remembered the episode with the incarnated blue bug. She spun on her heel to face him again, "But that bug just had to be there! She-"
"She's clearly got the girl under her wing." Robin spoke, this time with clarity.
Regina paused for a moment, a little surprised to hear his voice, if that made any sense, she broke the silence, "Oh please, Blue's wings are so small they could not even cover Snow's obnoxiously big head." She could not help but huff out a laugh at what she had just said and saw a smile grow on the outlaw's lips and Regina felt her heart grow warm with the sight.
But as everything good in Regina's life, it lasted but a few seconds, the grin dropped from her lips as she continued, "It was foolish of me to think they would help. The people will never love me as they did that imbecile Leopold."
"Since when do you care about love?" he asked her bluntly.
His words hit her hard, Regina felt her entire body tense up but she was able to reply, "I don't" as she rotated her shoulders and straightened her spine, she was not weak, love would not make her weak, she was not weak, "But, with their love comes their trust, something I could really use right now." she reasoned, "They look at me as if I'm 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."
She felt defeated and awful confessing all this to him, his answer to her words took her by surprise.
"Were you going to kill that woman?" he inquired, his tone having changed to something more serious.
"What woman?"
"The old woman from the first village, the one you wrapped in magical chains, Granny." he explained.
"I-" Regina paused to think, but then quickly added, "Yes! Of course I was, that was the whole point-" she started to reason but he cut her.
"Then next time, get to the point." he spoke in all seriousness pointing a finger at her. "Show them what Snow White is really up against." he started to get closer to her and Regina felt her face grow warm, "Don't hold back, don't hesitate. Show them the lengths you are willing to go to get what you want." They were so close then, Regina felt her heart stammer inside her chest at his words and his proximity, "Do to your subjects as you do to your army, failure means death."
He looked deep inside her eyes and placed his hands on her shoulders before he finished, "If they won't love you, you can make them fear you, Regina."
The silence between them was dense as Regina took in all that his words meant. She would have to go an extra mile, she would have to have to make a show of power that would terrify the people enough to never rebel, never contradict her, just like she did with her army. She placed her hands on his elbows and felt the delightful buzz between them run free and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
But it was no good, her mind soon caught up with the situation and Regina felt a pang in her chest as a voice whispered in her ear, You're not worth this.
She knew she wasn't.
Her hands were working on their own accord as she pulled his own away from her and asked him, "Why are you helping me?" Because why would anybody ever help her? Why would he care? After what she had done to him, what she made him go through. She knew she wasn't worthy of his attention or care, and yet, she needed it, she needed it so much that she was standing in front of him clad in a mere robe pouring her frustrations out. Her voice was a mere whisper when she finally said, "I don't deserve this."
She took a couple of steps back and turned to leave, thinking of how she shouldn't have come, how him helping her was only making her feel even more guilty about hurting him.
"Don't leave." He called her out, his voice stopped her in her tracks, it had never sounded like that before, he had once been gentle, but this time, it was almost like a plead.
"What's wrong, Regina?" he was standing before her and Regina felt her chest burn with guilt, she looked downward and had to ask herself if she could utter the words.
"I did not know it was her," it came out small and simple. She could sense him shift uncomfortably in front of her, she tried to continue, "Robin, I-" but her words failed her, the ache in her heart was making it impossible for her to speak, the voices in her head told her she was weak.
What are you doing Regina? If you do this he will see you are weak! Her mother's voice roared.
Do you really want to go down that path dearie? The impish voice mocked her.
If only the peasants could see you now, the out-of-control Evil Queen is out of words. Pathetic. The evil Queen inside her sneared.
Don't stop now, you can do this. The young woman's voice was stronger than the others for a change.
"Yes?" he asked softly.
"I-" she went for it again, taking a deep breath, shutting the voices down and hoping for the best. She took one of his hands in both hers and spoke, "I am truly-" she swallowed, "-sorry about-" she was so nervous her thumbs started working on their own accord and caressing the back of his hand in a frenzy.
"For putting you through-" there was a huge lump of Regina's throat and she could not put together a single sentence, her cheeks burned with shame and embarrassment, she felt exposed. She squeezed his hands and just let it out, "I'm sorry."
Silence filled the gap between them and Regina looked intently down at her feet, she could not look at him, not after everything she had done, most certainly not after this. She had apologized, which was something she did not do, ever. Oddly enough, she knew she would have felt humiliated if the apology had it been directed towards anyone else, but for him it was different.
"I can't say that it was pleasant." he broke the silence and Regina felt she could breathe again, "It was one of the most daunting things I ever saw in my whole life."
Her entire face was flushed by this point, the harsh truth of her actions hurt, "I could only imagine-" she whispered more to herself thinking of the reverse situation, of Daniel standing before her wearing Robin's grin.
Regina continued to speak, her eyes still cast down, "I regret doing so many things in my life." a traitorous tear fell from her eye on the back of his hand, "But this-" she squeezed his hand once more, trying to convey how she felt, how sorry she truly was, "I still have not been able to forgive myself, I can't look you in the eye."
After letting that out, Regina seemed to be unable to control her tongue and went on, feeling her chest get a little bit lighter as she confessed, "I look at you and I'm reminded of that haunted look you gave me, and how I didn't care," her voice caught in her throat but she continued, "-even though I knew there was something wrong."
"It was not your fault Regina." he told her, his voice laced with compassion.
"Then why do I feel I need your forgiveness?" The question came out unauthorized.
She gasped when his fingers touched lightly at her chin, lifting it so she would look at him. His brow was creased but his eyes were strangely gentle, he stared at her with a different air, something had changed, shifted between them.
"Forgiven." the simple word slipped from his lips and it felt like ambrosia to Regina's soul.
She could hardly believe that he had just said that. She blinked a few times, thinking this an illusion, but he remained there, his eyes shining with something new, the tears she had been holding back slipped down her cheeks.
"Truly? Just like that?" she found herself asking, terrified of his answer.
He opened up a smile that lit up something warm inside her when he mimed her words, "Truly. Just like that."
Those words seemed to trigger something inside Regina, one moment she was staring at him, gap faced at his attitude and the next she was on him, but doing something they rarely did, actually, doing something she rarely did. Her arms found their way around his neck and Regina hugged him feeling the electric current between them increase and, thankfully, his own arms wind around her waist and hold her.
Regina felt warm and safe in his embrace, like the world outside could not harm her, as if something extraordinary watched over her, sheltering her from all that tormented her, even the voices had ceased to whisper in her head. She could not deny it any longer, he had grown on her, managed to snake his way into her heart and even though her shame had kept her from seeking him out, she had missed him, longed for his presence, for his company, for his touch. And now, sunk in his embrace, Regina finally felt right, after all those weeks of obsessing about this journey, she could finally breathe easy and tranquil. He was there and she was home.
That was home
Regina's head was screaming at this reveal, but she did not budge from the embrace. Yes, their relationship was volatile, completely unpredictable - mostly because of her - so she decided that at this moment, the voices telling her that love was weakness did not exist, and pretended, just for a little while, that she was young again, barely 18 and filled with dreams.
He kissed the top of her head and Regina's heart fluttered inside her chest, she moved her head, resting it on the crook of his neck and whispered against his skin, "Thank you."
Their moment of quietness, however, was broken by a strange light that forced them to get back to the here and now and draw their weapons. He had tried to protect her, stepping in front of her in order to shield her, and although Regina found it in herself to see care in his attitude, she was not one to stand idly by in the face of danger.
But when she was able to see the intruder clearly, she paused, unsure of what to do. The silver fox looked back at her and the outlaw without much distress due to the weapons that were drawn against it. She had seen that animal before, it had been the one that had saved Robin from the strange black cloud all those weeks ago, and still, Regina had mixed feelings, could not help but be suspicious.
The fox suddenly leapt, but Regina did not attack it, the animal sprung in between them and disappeared in the darkness of the woods.
"What on earth was that?" Robin broke the silence.
Indeed, Regina wondered. She cursed herself for having been so wrapped on planning this blasted hunt she had not looked into that particular creature. It was most certainly a magical type of animal, she had heard of creatures that could be produced by spells in order to shield an individual, but that was wand magic-
"I'm not quite sure-" she gave him, "It's the second time I see that fox." Her mind was racing with possibilities.
"When was the first time?" he asked.
Wonderful
Just when she thought she was never going to speak of that day again, he asks her that question. The memory of seeing him that day in that horrid state because of her… She gave him simply, "When I found you passed out in the woods that day."
"You found me?" He sounded surprised.
"I did." Regina was not quite sure what she was going to tell him, she couldn't very well disclose to him how desperate she had been to find someone to look after him while she went to Maleficent for a healing potion. She chose her words and continued "You were being attacked by a manner of dark magic I had never seen before, it hovered over your head. 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."
And that was the end of it, she turned her back on him so this subject could be left behind. She wanted to cast this aside as a coincidence, but this was the second time the animal had appeared and she just happened to have been alone with Robin. Her head ached to think of all of the many reasons why this might have happened, she did not need her head hurting after having confessed so much to him.
Regina sighed and looked back at him, praying that her facial expressions did not betray how she felt. There was an awkward gap as well as a strange silence between them now, she did not know quite well what to do, the significance of the hug and the confession started to weigh on her and Regina felt a little out of sorts, not ashamed like she did before, but maybe a little- no… could it be?
A little shy.
If there was one thing Regina was certain of, was that he could not, under any circumstances, know he had managed to make her feel like a shy young woman, so she broke the silence and hoped for the best, "Was that really piss that you drank?"
She was thankful he chuckled at her odd question, Regina herself allowed for a small smile to paint her lips which resulted in a girl-like giggle she was not proud of. He did not answer, instead, his eyes were fixed on her mouth, Regina had an idea of what he was thinking, it had been nearly a month since-
"I shall take your silence as confirmation that you enjoyed it," she spoke again, hoping to ignite the flame of their much missed banter.
"In my defense, I did not know that it was piss." he defended himself, his accent was strong and it did strange things to Regina's insides, "I just thought it was really bad brandy."
He was such a savage, she could not help but laugh, "You're quite the connoisseur."
"Connoisseur?" he had the nerve to imitate her, "What kind of word is that?"
"Animal-" Regina looked at him with interest, thinking of all of the animalistic things they could do, "Whatever am I going to do with you?" she slurred.
"Whatever you want." he gave her and Regina felt her breathing get a tiny bit heavier at his words.
"I'll remember you said that, thief," she couldn't help but step closer and run her hand up from his chest until her fingers reached his lips. Thirty two days it had been, not that she had been counting, but it had been thirty two sodding days since her lips had tasted his. When he closed his teeth on the pad of her thumb, Regina felt a warmth down below rumble, she could not hold back a sharp inhale.
Her fingers quickly wound about his stubble and he spoke in a low tone, "Like that?"
"That depends on how many times you washed your mouth after the day you drank piss" she managed to get ahold of the little that was left of her self-control and brought her hand away from his face.
He did not miss a beat and replied, "Who keeps horse piss inside a brandy bottle anyway?"
"Who drinks anything they've found at the stables?" Regina felt ignited by this exchange, she was not just about to let him win this.
"How is it that you know so much about the comings and goings of stables anyway?" he asked her in all fairness of their unspoken battle.
How could he have known that that question would push her down a cliff she had been climbing up for so long?
How did she know so much about stables?
She had spent the happiest and the very worst moments of her life inside a stable.
"Marry me" she had asked him.
"Regina, what are you doing?" Daniel was so confused at first but then helplessly hopeful, "What's happened? Did you tell your mother?"
"No, I can never tell her, she won't understand." she tried to reason.
The stables had been their secret hideout, where Daniel had seen her cry and laugh, where he had soothed all the bad in her life away with his kisses and loving words. She had given herself to Daniel in the stables, had planned their life together there after, they had been so naive, so inexperienced and yet it had been perfect.
They had gotten engaged inside the stables and, for one night, she had been so happy with him, thinking that she would spend every night cuddled in his embrace after they had made love, she had been in heaven then. But that had also been the place where she had last seen the sweet spark of his blue eyes, she had to bear witness to when they were extinguished, all that remained were lifeless blue eyes staring back at her, tried to kiss him - true love's kiss can break any curse - but it was to no avail, he was gone. She had closed his eyes, sobbed and clutched his lifeless body, all in the confines of a stable-
"I always enjoyed riding, ever since I can remember." the answer came out of her lips but her words held no sentiment, it was the usual excuse she gave. She could not share this with him, not with anyone, she had never spoken of Daniel to anyone except father, she could not bring herself to speak of him, all she did was for him, for his memory, to avenge his death.
The outlaw would have to be a doorknob not to notice her mood swing, he cleaned his throat and caught her attention but before she could say anything, he took her hand, Regina was far too surprised to react.
"If you must know-" he licked his lips, "A real thief never judges what he has stolen," he told her as he swiftly pulled a ruby ring from her finger, "-milady." He had the nerve to bow after this little trick he pulled, Regina was not able to hold back a smile at this.
She waved her hand and the ring was returned to her finger. She did not know how but she did not feel as if falling from that precipice anymore, and asked, smirking, "So it was the thief in you who drank the piss?"
"Well, the thief in me can be quite daft at times-" he gave her and Regina chuckled at this odd, odd man standing before her, "-it is prone to sometimes doing dangerous and stupid things." he then looked down at her lips and his intentions were made oh so very clear.
"How dangerous would you say they were?" she was very much willing to go down that path.
"This thief in me keeps on wanting to steal a particular thing that might get me killed." he confessed dramatically.
It was strange that Regina's mood had shifted so fast but at that moment all she wanted was him, his lips, his touch, she urged him to tell her, while she fisted his shirt in her grip, "What's that?"
He gave a knowing look and said, "I think you know-"
"Enlighten me." she was burning for him.
She thought she had sent the message that she wanted a certain type of action, Regina felt excitement burn on the pit of her stomach for a moment, but he did not act as she expected him to. There was no better way to explain his actions but tender, his gentle touch shocked her and turned the fire into butterflies in her stomach, she was without action as he caressed her cheek and closed his lips to her bottom one.
Regina could not hold back a sigh as she responded to the best of her abilities to the sweet caress of his lips.
Before long he broke the kiss and let their foreheads touch, "Glad to see I'm still alive after that act of thievery." he gave her, and Regina was reluctant to admit his humor and kisses were making her heart flutter.
She responded, however, in a tone filled with promise, "Maybe I'm willing to learn to steal a thing or two after this act of burglary."
"The art of stealing kisses is a very ancient and complex one." Regina felt so strange and yet so relaxed in his arms, as if she could do or say anything she wanted, be who she really was.
"I'm sure I can keep up." she threw his way before crashing her lips against his hard.
Sure, she did like the idea of being able to be herself, but the moment she got her true colors out there, she would be bare, no mask to hide behind, Regina was not quite ready for that. Maybe once Snow White was under the sleeping curse, maybe then, when the monster inside her was properly fed with Snow's misery and Daniel's death avenged, Regina could indulge in truly being herself.
But at that moment she needed him and ached for his fervent touch, she pulled him to her by the waistband of his trousers, feeling him half hard already against her and kissed his lips as if they were the very air that she breathed. Her hands were under his shirt feeling the thrilling buzz on her palms while he was busying himself with her robe when he suddenly stopped, looking strangely at her nightgown and back at her.
It took her a little to understand his silent question. She did not usually wear clothes when seeking him out and he wanted to make sure that she really wanted this. Regina felt her heart skip a beat at this, her breathing caught a little when she took his hand in hers and placed it on her bare collarbone.
"Touch me Robin."
Their lips met in a passionate exchange that only escalated by the minute, his hands worshiped her body whilst her own touched every bit of exposed skin he possessed, that thrilling electricity had been dearly missed. Regina's head was light but her body was on fire, his mouth was on her breasts and she momentarily forgot how to breathe, he blew cold air onto the moist peek and Regina felt a shiver run devilishly up her spine.
All of a sudden, there was a shift, he brought his mouth from her breast to the shell of her ear and Regina expected for many a number of things to come out of his mouth, but not what he actually said, "There's someone out there."
She stiffed at once, her moving pelvis against his leg stopped as the words sank in. Regina felt suddenly very exposed, very vulnerable, even in the presence of a psychotic killer who would not hesitate to defend her.
He started to speak again but Regina was not listening, "It's best if we pretend we don't know anything and you transport-" her survival instincts kicked in and before she knew it, they were being transported away from that spot by her magic.
They had landed inside her carriage which she found odd, couldn't quite comprehend why her magic would bring them there of all places. It did not take long for her to place a protection spell on the carriage, even though they had just been through a slightly stressful moment, there was quite a nice amount of slickness in between her thighs and the thief that had landed on his ass in front of her knew just how to take care of that.
"How did you know there was someone watching us?" she found herself asking him.
"I heard them." He spoke simply.
"Fox ears-" she joked, imagining him sitting on the floor while she sat on the bench, it was quite dark inside the vehicle, "-how fitting." Her tongue clicked and Regina felt the desire pool inside her again, his body called to her and she could not care to find any argument against it, not tonight.
They rocked the carriage; they very nearly destroyed the old thing with some rocking of their own. Their bodies met as one and Regina felt something twist deep within her soul, she had missed him, longed for him and more than one way and then she had him, she felt strange, a happiness and peace she did not think possible for her ever to feel again.
She had exposed herself to him to the point to shame any Queen, and yet she felt no shame, her heart for tonight was filled with many feelings, but guilt was not one of them, not anymore. After they reached their peak, a foolish part of Regina thought that she would be satisfied, that she would have no need for him, that she would be able to simply walk away and sleep blissfully and alone inside her tent.
But when it came to it, Regina could not untangle herself from him, feeling his heated, sweaty skin against her own, his breathing easing out, his hands caressing her naked back, all she wanted to do was melt away in his embrace.
Their sexes were still connected when she commanded her magic to transport the pair of them to her tent, something warm and safe easing her heart and muffing the incessant voices inside her head.
She thought he had fallen asleep for he had not protested to her using magic on him without warning, as he usually did, but as she laid beside him in the comfortable coot she had been spending many sleepless nights on, he stirred and opened his eyes.
Regina turned her head slightly to the side, and took a deep breath. She was trying very hard not to let her rational mind catch up with her actions, all she wanted for that moment was peace, that delicious buzz and him.
The stillness of silence did not last for long, a loud crack broke the barrier of sound and put Regina on alert at once, she rose - only too fast, her head throbbed for a second with pain - and drew the tent's flap with her magic.
Well, they rocked the carriage and managed to break it.
Their laughter filled the tent as soon as the vehicle tumbled dramatically to the side they most probably had been making use of only moments ago. The back of her hand found his stomach and she could feel it move up and down with his chuckling. For that moment she felt young and carefree, as if her traumas did not exist, as if she had not been manipulated into selling her soul to darkness, Leopold, Snow, Cora only a bad memory, a nightmare she had finally woken up from.
She turned her head to the side to find he was looking at her with a shine to his blue eyes she could lose herself in, Regina found herself smiling and also looking at him, seeing him and never wanting for anything else.
She slept with that easy smile on her lips.
…
Regina felt warm, she felt a gentle motion while consciousness reached her after this night of unperturbed sleep. She hummed in agreement to the warmth that seemed to shield her from the bitter winter outside, and snuggled closer to its source. When she popped one eye open all she could see was dirty blonde stubble and lips, Regina drew her head back a little to confirm that yes, that was indeed the thief she had slept shamelessly snuggled with. Her lips were a bit swollen as she licked them tentatively and took in her current situation, she was laying on her side, one of her arms had found its way around his waist while her legs were tangled in his. She took one deep breath not wanting to over analyse the situation even though her heartbeat was starting to pick up its pace.
They were lovers, she argued to herself, lovers sleep together sometimes, especially after such intense activities.
Regina took another inhale and exhaled relaxed, it was exhausting affirming that this was simply a carnal thing, there was something else between them, she could see it in the glint in his eyes when they spoke, when she opened up to him and - to her utter astonishment - apologized.
Maybe, she could lead things a different way, maybe she could lay her guard low a little with him, in the moments when she had done so and needed him the most, he had proved to be truly concerned and touched. She knew, even though his heart was in a box miles and miles away, that he did feel for her, it was strong and dangerous but maybe, just maybe, things could finally be different for her.
Regina felt her heart flutter a little at the thought.
Hope is a dangerous thing, a voice sounded inside her head, but she was not listening. Over the past half hour they tried, all three of them (the young woman was quite content with this arrangement and had kept quiet) tried to convince Regina this was the worst idea she ever had, but she barely heard them as she laid there, with Robin still sleeping soundly next to her. Regina took her time to feel the warmth his naked body provided and inspected every last scar on display (he had put on his shirt in the middle of the night, but left it open).
It was early, probably the first hours of the day and Regina fell asleep once more while she drew lazy patterns with her finger on his bare chest.
She woke up again to him, fully clothed, telling her with a grin that the soldiers were terrified of her wrath because her carriage had been destroyed during the night. She could hear them outside talking about the broken carriage and Regina knew she had to go out there and put on a show, demanding them to fix it. For the first time in a really long time, Regina did not feel like fighting, she did not feel like arguing or ordering, she just wanted to be. But she was a Queen first and foremost, a very much feared Queen at that, certain things came with the title of Evil Queen.
But then he also told her Snow White had been spotted in a nearby village and her brain was turned on completely then.
She magiced her clothes, hair and makeup on and went to do what she had been doing oh so well over the past few months, scream at her servants. Their attempts to fix the broken down thing had been quite amusing but Regina knew they had to get going if they were to reach the next village by noon, so she used her magic to mend what she and the thief's mischievous acts had broken.
…
Regina had been in a wonderfully good mood, had been, as in the past tense, for when she was met once more with coldness, suspicion and silence at the next village, her disposition went from hopeful to hateful in an alarming fast speed. She remembered Robin's words from the night before, if you can't have them love you, you can make them fear you.
She was sick of playing nice with these ungrateful people, sick of seeing the glint of rebellion in their eyes, sick to hear how they praised Snow White as their true leader while hoping that Regina would fall.
"Kill them, kill them all" she told Robin, she was finally going to take action towards those who stood in silent rebellion.
She hardly registered Robin asking, "Even the children?" when a young, tall, skinny man stole everyone's attention. He had dropped on his feet masterfully from a tree and Regina found herself without much of a reaction to his interruption.
To Regina's utter astonishment, instead of a rebel, this one was apparently an ally, or at least an opportunist. He spoke to the people trying to persuade them to tell on Snow and Regina could hardly believe her ears and her luck.
"She don't even remember the bloody names of them daft bodyguard dwarfs of 'ers!" He spoke well, he made sense, and his face was strangely familiar.
"And you are?" Regina inquired, royal as ever.
The man did not get the chance to introduce himself as Robin spoke, his tone bitter, "Will Scarlet is his first name and his second is 'utterly untrustworthy'." He spat.
Regina shouldn't have been surprised that the strange man knew Robin, as they exchanged pleasantries she could not help but wonder what had come to pass between the pair of them. Robin's voice had turned thick and angry, whereas Will was trying to be funny.
"What do you hope to obtain with this intrusion Mr. Scarlet?" She decided to interrupt them.
It was easier than Regina had expected when it came to drawing the information from Will Scarlet, the man seemed quite willing to share it for the sake of those stupid peasants who did not know any better.
Snow was hiding in the Forest of the Dead, which was quite possible since those woods were a mere few hours away from that village. It was also dark and inhabited, filled with creatures that would take the sleep from any man, perfect hiding place, but not for long.
Regina knew that she should have just gathered her men and left, she had what she wanted, a still voice inside her head told her to go, but a dark and malicious one told her to press the young man for more information, things she did not really need to know to capture the young woman but that somehow fed an evil and always famished devil inside of her.
Before she knew it, all she saw was red, the words burned into her core, he spoke fast but Regina understood every last one of his words.
The Queen not 'aving the guts to go look for 'er there since it 'eld too many ghosts of the past, had been Snow's words, mocking Regina, defying her.
Her fingers grasped at his dry and thin neck, her feelings taking over her completely, flames of hatred licked her sanity and burned away all reason, every plan she had drawn, all she saw was red, all she wanted was for someone to suffer for those words, for someone to die.
"Don't" Robin's voice sounded amidst all that hate, "You got what you came for, you have a lead, and a damn good one."
She turned her head to the side so she could face the outlaw, her expression frozen, Regina felt petrified by the warring emotions inside, still, her grip of the man's throat did not falter.
"If you kill him now-" he continued to speak, his words meant just for her ears, "-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 came out almost as if it wasn't really her that was speaking. She knew it was, it was a portion of her anyway, one that longed for blood, destruction and revenge.
"But what if you could have both?" Robin's voice was insistent, "Love and fear."
Could I? She asked herself.
The voices inside her head were quick to give her question an answer as loudly as they possibly could, but Regina was not listening to them, there was one voice inside her head that prevailed, it sounded like Robin, it sounded like a light at the end of the tunnel.
She let go of the man's throat in a certain shove, he would not be dying today, not on her hands.
"You got lucky" she spat at him, holding his face in her grasp. One moment Regina was ready to move forward but then something stopped her. Those eyes, that face. She had seen that man before, "I know you." her words were a mere whisper as she let go of him.
"You do?" Will asked, confused.
"You're the thief that broke into the castle." she spoke as if she saw the scene play out in front of her. He was the thief who had climbed one of the towers of her castle, all those years ago, he had been different back then, his face had been fuller, his eyes had sparkled with love-
One of her hands went to her earlobe remembering the way he had spoken about his beloved, "I gave you my earrings."
His eyes widened then, from the looks of it he managed to recognize her, she could not blame him for not noticing before, after all back then she had only worn whites and pastels, a far cry from what she put on her back now. His mouth fell open but nothing came out.
Regina knew she should just let that be and go after Snow, but her curiosity got the best of her.
"Did your girl enjoy my earrings?" She remembered she had been envious of the young woman, how she had longed for someone to speak of her the way Will had spoken of his beloved. Then she remembered the exchange she overheard him have with his partner in crime and decided to tease him, "Or did your mate steal them from you?" she raised a brow, "I heard you fight over it in my bedroom."
That had been the wrong question to ask him because nothing would have prepared her for his answer.
"Ye should ask my mate yerself," he had found his voice and gestured towards Robin, "He nicked them from me."
For a moment, time stood still as all the puzzle pieces of this not-so-innocent story got together to create a picture Regina was not sure she wanted to look at.
Will had called Robin his mate, he must have been part of Robin's band. And as mates who stole from the rich to give to the poor they broke into the castle to do just that that day.
Will and… Robin.
Will had climbed the tower to the room Regina was in, but now Regina knew that Robin had been the other thief, the one who had climbed the tower to her bedroom.
Regina's heart stopped altogether at the thought of having Will and Robin swap places, what if she had met Robin all those years ago?
Unfortunately for her, all the villagers eyes were on her, she could not lose control. She turned her head ever so slowly to regard Robin. 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 tried to hide her true colors with disdain.
"I-" Robin was a little out of sorts by the revelation, and Regina could trace guilt in his tone when he replied, "I used them to propose to Marian."
Regina did not think she could have felt any worse, she was wrong.
She had never given Robin's dead wife, Marian, much thought before she was actually turned into her that fateful day. But even then she did not feel jealous or envious of what Robin and Marian had shared, which seemed to have been true love, for Regina did not long for true love.
She longed for revenge.
Or so she thought.
At that very moment Regina could feel the flaming hot feeling of envy course through her veins as her cruel brain painted the picture of Robin proposing to Marian using the earrings that had once belonged to her.
Look what love got him. The impish voice spoke. Look at what it's doing to you. It laughed at her.
Regina felt her chest clench and refused to believe she was feeling anything remotely similar to love towards the outlaw. Her love was Daniel's, she could never betray him like that. All she did was for Daniel, she had to avenge his death.
So she pulled herself together and spoke, her voice frigid, "How gallant of you."
She turned her back to him because she had to focus on something else, anything else. She looked at the villagers and all that was necessary was a mere glance for her to know they were still quite submissive, quite afraid, and rightly so.
Regina hardly registered as the outlaw requested for his turn to take care of business with his long lost mate, at that point, she did not want to hear his voice, did not want to see his face, she had to focus on the one thing that would bring her what she wanted.
The forest of the dead.
That was where Snow White was hiding, that was where Snow White thought she was safe from Regina's grasp.
Regina needed to get there as fast as she could, she couldn't be detained by an entourage of guards, the slowness of her carriage or the heavy loads of their supplies. Plus she now wanted to put some distance between herself and the outlaw who apparently had the power to break her heart. She spotted his horse, tall, dark and the fastest beast in the Royal Cavalry, he would do.
She made her way towards the horse with certainty, the beast had vibrant black eyes that matched it's mesmerizing black bluish mane. All she needed to do was touch it's nuzzle, Regina knew her way around horses, she stroked him a couple of times and discreetly produced an apple with her magic which the animal quickly devoured.
After that, she was on the horse and turning west towards where Snow's hiding place lay. She caught a glimpse of the thief, Robin, as he looked at her in surprise, her heart shrunk at the sight of him, but when they eyes locked, she could not hold back a tiny smile, before she could give herself away too much, she rode off.
…
Regina rode so fast she could hardly think straight, Snow's doey eyes going wide with terror seemed to be the only constant inside her mind. How she had longed for that moment, and now, it was a breath away, only a few more yards away. She was getting close, the darkened treetops came to her line of vision and she reminded herself how everything in that particular wood was strangely gray.
She knew had reached the outskirts of the forest when her horse, actually his horse, quite simply stopped on its tracks; it refused to go any further into the shadow of the wood no matter what she did. Regina wasn't at all too surprised with this, she knew animals were much more sensitive than humans when it came to the supernatural, she would not be going inside on horseback.
She dismounted, leaving the large stallion behind, tied to a tree after giving him two apples and some water. She may not give two shits about most people, but horses were different, how they reminded her of better times. As she looked back at the dark stallion, Regina realized she was walking into the eye of the hurricane, an inhospitable place she knew very little of, with no consistent plan, but she was not afraid, the need for vengeance won over every other sentiment.
Although the Sun shone brightly in the sky, the moment she finally entered the wood, her surroundings became dark and gray. She looked up to see the huge treetops that created a gigantic ceiling that covered as far as the eye could see, making everywhere she looked dark and damp. As the gooseflesh rose on her skin after brushing against something slimy and odd, Regina started to think that maybe she should have thought of a plan before she went inside, before she walked this far. She looked back and all she saw were thick tree trunks and greyish vegetation, no trace of where she had come from, no clue of how to turn back, her heart began to race for a different reason.
Regina closed her eyes and took a deep breath, rotating her shoulders back and reminding herself that she was the Queen and had very powerful magic, and that there was no space for weakness and fear in her world, she was not weak.
She took step after step, trying to look everywhere at once for some kind of clue, trying to focus on her mission but the truth of the matter was that the unperturbed silence of the wood brought uneasiness to her chest. The only sound came from her boots squashing damp leaves as she walked, the quietness was almost maddening, for she could also hear the voices inside her head whisper, plot and mock.
When she stopped abruptly and a distinct sound came from behind her, Regina was almost grateful for the distraction. She quickly spun on her heel to face whoever it was that had followed her but she was only able to catch sight of the silhouette running away from her. Forgetting all about the magic she knew, Regina rushed after the intruder with a hunter's thirst for the catch.
It had to be Snow.
It must be Snow, she thought as she got deeper into that maze of a wood, running after the slender figure with newfound fire, she could not wait to get her hands on that girl.
She was being led to an even darker part of the forest, but Regina did not care, she was never scared of the dark, darkness laid within her, it could not touch her, for it had already consumed her. Trees became thinner but the space between them shrunk, Regina had to watch herself not to collide with them, the figure knew that place better than she, obviously, and it got a little farther than before. When Regina was almost losing it from sight, due to the darkness that was almost swallowing her now, she lit a fireball on the palm of her hand and stopped.
Regina had no idea of where she was or how to get back and if that was not enough, she had lost her prey, the unsettling silence reigned once more. She took in a deep breath and gazed at what her fireball made visible at her surroundings, as she spun around, Regina realized she was in the very center of a small circle made by tall trees, the circumference was not big enough to welcome any sunlight, but it was free of vegetation.
She heard a laugh, a masculine laugh, coming from her left and did not hesitate in throwing the fireball it's way. It was all in a split second, all that Regina was able to spot was a pair of wide blue eyes before the figure, the man, managed to duck her attack.
Blue eyes
"Robin!" she cried out, "Stop being an idiot!" he was the very last person she wanted to see at that moment, she grew irritated at him, thinking how he made her run all that way only for the sake of a laugh. Did he think of everything as a game? She lit another fireball and turned a little looking for his hidden figure, "I don't have time for your nonsense, we-"
But her words died on her lips as the fire in her hand illuminated the face of one that was not Robin, he had been standing right behind and she had not even noticed. Regina forgot how to breathe as she took in his image, she felt her chest grow ice cold, her expression shifted from annoyed to stunned, her lips went dry and her eyes watered with tears.
"Daniel." she merely whispered.
He was there, standing before her, his blue eyes, his gentle brow a little wrinkled by time, his blonde hair a little longer, his large nose that she remembered kissing in tenderness, his imposing, tall figure, all there for her to see under the gentle flame of her fireball, a miracle, her Daniel.
When his lips twisted into a wicked grin Daniel had never worn, Regina blinked a few times, a couple of tears ran down her cheeks, and she reminded herself to breathe again. She let out a shaky breath and his grin only widened, all of the sudden, this man, that looked so much like her lost love Daniel, was nothing like him. He continued to have the same physical traits but there was something so wrong about his smile, about the glint in his eyes…
"Daniel?" He spoke and his voice was all wrong, it was too deep, Regina found herself paralyzed on the spot, she could only stare at him gape faced. "Is that who you think I am?" He continued, nearing his face to hers, coming nose to nose, his tone was filled with poison.
Not anymore, she dared only to think. Regina felt strangely weak, her flame was starting to diminish in intensity and she drew her eyes from his for a moment to look down at her feet and registered that she was already a foot deep into some type of quicksand that had strange vines that had started making their way up her legs while she was distracted.
She looked up again to see the man that resembled Daniel so much, he had taken a couple of steps back and his image became more and more faint as her fireball died in her hand.
"You are looking a little beaten, your majesty." The man spoke again, even the dim lighting could not hide away his mocking grin, "Even your impressive flame has almost gone out." He huffed in amusement, "Allow me." He brought up a small lamp and lit it just as Regina's fire finally extinguished.
With this new source of light Regina could really see how much this man resembled Daniel but was not in fact him. Of course, he could not be, Daniel was…
"Who are you?" She found herself asking while she tried to move one of her feet, it did not work, her feet remained stuck, although Regina was thankful that her attempt had not caused her to sink any lower.
The man huffed out a half amused laugh and gave her, "Well, you almost guessed."
His words made absolutely no sense and Regina had now overcome the shock of the whole situation and became painfully aware of the fact that she was stuck on the ground and that those vines attached to her legs were dulling her senses. She looked ahead at the man and lifted her head, trying to conjure a stunning spell but her magic did not obey, it stayed put inside her, bubbling to come out but unable.
"I will have to thank you for that-" the man spoke again, "You stood there looking flabbergasted for quite enough time so I was able to sprinkle some of this at your feet." he showed a small leather bag.
"What have you done?" Regina demanded to know.
"It's quite an interesting herb actually, mandrake, most helpful little thing." He spun the closed satchel on his finger, "When the roots are ground into powder, it can trap the opponent as well as dull their powers."
Regina kicked herself inwardly, mandrakes, she had heard their screech time and time again in Maleficent's castle, but she also knew those creatures were rare, she had only seen them in one place, not even Rumple had access to such creatures.
"Who did you steal that from?" Regina accused the man, not making a very good case for herself being that she was rather helpless.
"And here I thought you were rather fond of thieves." He spoke with malice and Regina wanted to tear his ears off, "I didn't steal this-" he held the satchel up with his finger, "My good friend Will did, I think you met him, hun?"
Regina felt her chest burst with anger.
A trap! She had fallen into a trap! That freakish looking man and this evil twin of Daniel's had tricked her, allies of Snow White no doubt, Regina felt like melting away all their brains…
Regina would not let it show that she was afraid, "What now? You're going to take me to your mighty leader Snow White?" She mocked, trying to win herself some time to get out of this situation.
"Snow White?" The man asked, "You think I brought you here for Snow White?" He circled around her still holding the lamp high so she could see his face, "Snow White was mere bait to get you here."
Regina's defying grin melted from her face at his words, "What do you want?" She asked seriously.
"Isn't it obvious?" He took a few steps towards her, "You."
"You want gold? Riches in exchange-?" Regina tried.
"No, not gold, no money." He got even closer, his eyes were wide when he repeated, "You."
"What do you want from me?" Regina could not help but only whisper.
"I want to kill you, your majesty." The man said simply.
"Why?" She asked, his face was near hers, the flames of the lamp dangerously near her hair.
"Because my brother died because of you!" He screamed as he threw the lamp on the floor next to her body with all the force he could muster. There were some dry leaves there that quickly caught on fire creating quite the dangerous setting for this conversation to take place, especially since Regina was stuck on the floor.
"Your brother?" She squinted and regarded him one more time, the inferno that was building up on the floor gave this scene a completely new light, "Wait, are you-?" She turned her head to the side in order to see him better, "William?" her chest got heavy as she stated, "You're Daniel's brother."
"Yes!" He breathed out, his eyes had gotten a little teary, "Now I'm going to avenge my brother's death!" He drew then a dagger from his belt, the gleaming thing looked quite sharp and Regina found herself holding her breath as well as desperately trying to tap into her magic, any magic would do at this moment.
"I did not kill your brother William!" She tried to reason, tears came to her eyes as well as she remembered, "I loved him more than anything on this earth, I would have never hurt him-"
"But you did!" William fought back, "It's because of you he's rotting six feet under!"
"It was not my fault, it was Snow White!" Regina was almost screaming at this point because the past ten years of her life had been about this, had revolved around this betrayal from Snow's part which had led to tragedy. "She told our secret to my mother and then-"
"Snow White was but a child, she did not understand." William cut Regina, "You are the real villain Regina, you poisoned my brother's heart with promises of true love and happiness." He pointed his finger at Regina's face and she could do nothing but stare back at the man, "He wrote to me often telling me how he was in love with you, how he would marry you, run away from your witch mother-" a tear slipped down his face, "that you had promised-" he choked on a sob and was not able to finish his last words.
Regina took this opportunity to speak, "I did love him!" She protested and noticed how the tone of her voice had grown higher, "I still do love him." She tried to meet William eye but he was looking down, she grabbed his shirt, "When he died-"
She was not able to finish, for William's moves were quick, one moment his head was down, arms limp with sorrow, and the other, one hand grabbed at her arm while he held that dangerously sharp dagger to her throat, "He died-" he mimed her words, "-because of you!"
"I never wanted him to die, believe me-" she tried her best to speak while the coldness of the deadly iron still touched her skin.
"If you really loved my brother, you would not have filled his head with impossible fantasies!" He spun the blade a little against Regina's skin and she shivered, "You both were stupid and naive to believe you could outwit a heartless sorceress." Regina could only swallow by this point, "But your stupidity cost my brother's life!" his voice broke a little, some tears still rolled down his cheeks, "While you went on to become a Queen!"
"A fate worse than death, I can assure you!" Regina found her voice again, her fingers closing into fists, she had to do something, but a wave of emotions overwhelmed her, hate, love, regret, shame.
"My brother's corpse hadn't even chilled and you were engaged to the King." He contorted his red face, throwing the very worst times of her life at her face.
"I did not want to marry the King!" Regina tried, verging on desperate, her heart beat so fast she thought she was going to choke on it, if only her magic would work, "She made me!"
"She made you, now did she?" he mocked in a non believing voice and pressed the blade harder against her neck, "They say she ripped my brother's heart out and crushed it into dust." He slid the knife down ever so slowly as he spoke, his eyes were maniac and accompanied the blade's journey, "Well, I don't have that magic,-" the blade stopped where her beating heart rested, "-but this dagger most certainly can carve out your heart, your majesty."
"Please, don't do this." Regina found herself pleading, "I do not want to hurt you."
He then smiled an evil smile and gave her, "But you can't now, can you?" He twisted the point of the dagger about the velvet of her cape, "You left in such a hurry for the young princess' head that none of your men were able to follow you." He huffed a half laugh and let go of her arm only to grip at her hair tightly and pull it down, Regina felt the dagger cut through the fabric of her clothes ever so slowly, his head hovering above hers while he still spoke. "I will avenge my brother's death-"
Red
It all happened in less than a few seconds but it was as if time had slowed down and Regina was able to see every last detail of what came to pass before her eyes. It was so quick William's face did not shift in expression, but the horrid pressure the knife made on her chest, and the pulling of her hair ceased at once, she felt his body go limp as a rain of red wet her face, warm, iron smelling blood sprinkled from his mouth. It was only a second later that she was able to spot actual iron, an iron triangular tip belonging to an arrow came out of his mouth as he made an awful choking noise.
The dagger dropped to the floor as his body fell on Regina's, limp and dead. She pushed him away from her and he bounced off and fell on the floor like a gigantic puppet. The arrow had been shot on the back of his head but had been projected with so much strength that it traveled through the man's entire head and now it's end stuck out of his mouth.
Regina felt her legs grow weak, her breathing was quick as she looked at Daniel's brother, dead, having been driven mad by revenge, his take on the facts that he had not even witnessed brought him to almost killing her- Her legs were almost giving in but her feet were stuck on the floor, she felt great pain radiate from them as she tried to free herself.
Hurried footsteps averted her attention, and Regina was met with a sight most welcome, Robin was running towards her, bow in hand and a frown the size of that forest on his forehead.
Regardless of what she had been feeling about him, Regina could not be more thankful that he had come after her.
Robin's bow laid forgotten on the floor when he finally reached her, Regina felt so weak she could not help but lean forward into his arms, depositing her weight on him. A skull splitting ache had lodged itself in her head when the tension of her near death had been broken, and now all she wanted to do was rest, she just wanted to sleep.
Her dulled senses caught his voice, "Regina" one of his arms held her firmly against him as his other hand caressed the top of her head, "Come away from here." He urged her gently.
"I can't." her voice was low and a little croaky, it hurt her throat to speak, "My feet-" she managed.
There was a look of puzzlement in his eyes before he looked down, he hissed at what he saw and Regina looked down as well. The villainous vines had ripped through the leather of her pants and drawn blood. Regina was starting to register the pain of the magical herb that had cut through her skin as soon as she could actually see the damage they had done, she did not feel her feet whatsoever, they were still buried down.
"Gods-" Robin whispered in concern as he kneeled in front of her to inspect her feet, Regina braced herself on his shoulders, unable to stand without assistance anymore. She closed her eyes and found herself praying to whatever high force that governed the world that Robin was able to set her free.
Her powers had not yet returned and her physical strength had been completely drained by the encounter with William. She found that she was once again vulnerable, something she had vowed she would never be again.
Vulnerable and depending on him to help her, save her.
He had saved her. Had he not shot that arrow at that precise moment-
"What manner of magic is this?" She heard him ask, she could feel his hands on her injured legs, his touch was careful, "This-" he knocked on the dried mandrages that held her feet, "-thing is hard as rock-"
Regina looked down as he smoothed his hand about the hard surface, she sighed for what it felt like the hundredth time that day in defeat. She did not like feeling this way, but, unlike the time when he helped her in the woods, that day she had almost caught Snow in the mermaid version, his help did not bother her.
He had been gentle when she had broken down because of those two brats, he did not mock her or betray her. He was still by her side regardless of everything that had happened, he had forgiven her. And in retrospect, when he spoke about the pair of earrings he had gifted Marian with, he had looked guilty, he-
I trust him, the young woman whispered confidently.
He is a mighty ally, the queen spoke.
The Heartless Queen and the Imp tried to speak but their voices were muffed and low.
Regina took a long breath thinking 'I do trust him' and leaned herself a little bit more on him.
"Wait!" He exclaimed suddenly, which made Regina's head shoot to the ground once more and what she saw was truly quite impossible. On top of the stony substance that covered her feet there was a glowy green handprint that most definitely was not there before, it began to spark into different tones of green and when it finally grew bright green, the mark began to heat up.
But before Regina could protest, the hand printed part of the stony trap simply crumbled away and turned to sparkly dust. Robin and Regina exchanged quick looks of puzzlement before he turned his gaze up at the tree tops, looking as if he was seeing something different. His eyes roamed quickly through their surroundings, his breathing slightly labored, he blinked several times and Regina could spot a single tear trail down his cheek.
"Robin, are you-" Her voice came out in a whisper but halted as his gaze turned to her.
Before she could say anything else, his gaze lowered and his hands were on the vines trying to free one of her feet. It seemed as if luck was finally on their side, for the rest of the rocky substance gave away and soon rather than later both Regina's feet were freed.
She was able to enjoy three exact seconds of freedom before a massive pain radiated from her legs, which finally gave away and her knees hit the floor hard. She let out a loud cry of pain but Robin was there to catch her and she soon felt his arms around her, bringing her a warmth that had not been there before, he emanated something quite different, Regina was too tired to try and guess what it was, all she knew was that it felt good.
She could trust him.
This is right, whispered the young woman.
He sat on the forest floor and she cradled in his arms, her face turned to his chest, her eyes locked where his heart once was, and not for the first time, Regina wondered how he felt. All those months ago he had practically begged her to take his heart from her chest, but now, after everything they had been through, it was hard for anyone to believe that the outlaw was indeed heartless.
They stayed like that for a while. Regina's heartbeat was beginning to steady, but her head was still aching. She felt more and more like herself as the effects of the powder finally wore off, her magic coursed through her veins freely and strong.
Robin was quiet, he held her in silence as he stroked his thumb up and down her upper arm at a lazy pace. Regina felt a tingly sensation on her legs and sighed, licking her lips and finally breaking the silence, "Robin-"
He turned to face her and Regina immediately noted he had a grave frown on his forehead, his face was hard and the gentle stroke of his thumb had ceased. Suddenly feeling a little stronger, Regina placed her hands on the leafy ground and sat up, her vision blurred for a second but soon she was facing his serious blue eyes.
"What's-" but she never got the chance to finish her question for he cut her off with one of his own, a question that made her heart almost stop altogether.
"Who's Daniel?"