He did not know what possessed him to follow her - especially after she had dumped him inside the cold river. He felt uneasy about her going out all by herself, even though he knew that she was more than capable to fare for herself. He did not even pretend that he was honoring his post as captain of her personal guard, that title and a pile of horse manure had the very same importance to him.

Riding the whole night, he was able to reach the seaside kingdom just before sunrise and started inquiring about the whereabouts of the castle. It was not that difficult to spot, nor was the Queen, for she was hoisting up a mermaid on the deck situated directly in front of the castle. He chose to hide away amongst the trees just outside the castle. She never needed to know he had been there, he just wanted to make sure nothing-

When he spotted the red haired girl making her way towards the Queen, she held a silvery pointy object in her hand and her aim was quite clear, the Queen's neck, Robin did not think twice. He shot her right in the gut, he did not go for the mercy shot in the neck choosing to make her suffer for trying to harm her, possibly even kill his-

But of course the Queen had acted like an ungrateful bitch the moment she spotted him, their banter was most of the time entertaining, but she clearly was not thinking straight. He had had just about enough of her retorts, screams and insults so he simply walked away, left her alone, he was certain she was more than capable of fairing for herself.

Apparently, she was not, she chased after him; he was confused she did not use magic when she called out for him the first time. She looked different then, uneasy, as if she did not have all the answers in the book and also quite resolute in trying her best not to show that very fact. However, her feelings were always bared to him for some inexplicable reason.

He had seen so many sides of her it made him dizzy and excessively uneasy. He did not know what to make of all the stormy feelings he had seen in her eyes, he had caught a small glimpse of her being vulnerable, stripped of her magic.

He could have run, left her there, retrieved his heart from the castle and simply left forever, never having to listen to her insult him. He could have bargained for his heart in exchange for assisting and protecting her. He could have killed her himself - it would have been ridiculously easy - it would have only taken a snap or one single arrow.

But the mere idea of killing her brought a chilling feeling down his spine, he could never do it, he could never harm her. He did not understand why, but he simply did not have the strength to do it. Nor did he feel he was capable of leaving her to fend for herself, he would never forgive himself if something were to happen to her. Leaving her forever was completely out of the question, he knew he would never be the same after her, he could not imagine himself being parted from her.

He was left with the option of simply helping her. But of course, she was not making it any easier for him, it seemed she grew more and more irritable by the second in their tracking. Their banter seemed to go on forever, her mood shifting so much Robin felt ready to simply knock her over the head and carry her unconscious self back to the castle.

He did not, however, complain to her shedding half her clothes. When they reached the tree's sturdy branch he was resolute that she had never looked more wild and exquisite than she did then. She had let down her hair, it was damp and clung to her skin in a way Robin did not know could be attractive, her brassiere was sin itself and barely left anything to the imagination, plus - after he had taken care of her skirt - quite a nice quantity of leg was at his eyes' disposal.

He could hardly even believe he had confessed to her about the electric feeling he experienced when they touched. He had been thankful she had not laughed at his face or taunted him but had to salvage himself somehow so he made that ridiculous comment about her being tailor made for his cock. He never thought it would have the effect it did upon her; she was on him a second later, all fiery, forgetting about her injured foot and her ruined clothes.

It was a laughable affair that - for once - she had been wearing underwear, but that did not keep him from pumping his eager fingers inside her and seeing her come apart with his touch. Her release over his curved fingers did something to Robin; it flared him up with an indescribable amount of pride and smugness.

It had been a fatal mistake to actually voice his feelings the way he did. When her eyes acquired a new shimmer, they had been wide and almost unblinking, she was more looking through him, his words snapped her out but only for her to get her claws on his neck yet again, not in a good way.

Her clutch was mighty and even though he knew she was not using any magic she was managing to strangle him. However, Robin found himself unable to harm her, he did not have the strength to pull her hands away, the electricity still running where she touched him. Instead he just regarded her with questioning eyes.

Why?

Why would she try to kill him?

When their eyes met it was as if a spell on her own set had been broken. Her clutch became nonexistent and her body fell on his. This was the most unusual part of this whole exchange, the fact that after trying to openly kill him, she would quite simply throw her weight on him and sigh.

Weak

I am not weak

She most definitely was not weak, how could she even think something like that? For all Robin knew, he could guarantee that she was one of the most resilient people he had ever met, strong and incisive. He had told her so, she was not weak, her response, again, was not what he expected.

This woman was indeed one of a kind, for two minutes after she had tried to strangle him, there she was, on top of him, riding his senses away. Their sexes became one and the sensation sent shivers up and down his spine. To have that woman sunk in him was indescribable, it felt like he was whole, like the whole world did not matter as long as they were like this. The zaps had become more and more intense with every sway of her hips and Robin saw black, white and red spots in front of him at the sensation.

All too soon they were falling, it was almost laughable that she had managed to break down such a mighty and sturdy branch but the truth of the matter was that they were probably going to die.

But they did not die, instead Robin found himself lying on the forest floor on his back, not a single trace of impact could be felt. Her magic had come back just in time to save both of their sorry asses.

Then he saw it again, that smile, that laugh, the one he had only heard once before when he had squashed the Sherriff into oblivion. She looked perfect then, on top of him, barely clad, and trying to gulp down her laughter at this ridiculous situation.

Robin did not know what was happening to him, he should not feel anything and yet he felt so strongly he was very tempted to simply ask her if she had set some sort of enchantment on him. An enchantment that enabled him to feel, but it was only for her, only when she was around and he was in her, with her.

One moment they were laughing their heads off, the very next it was as if a strong force had hit him and his surroundings were partially colored with several different tones of yellow. He had witnessed that before, when he had first laid eyes on the Queen he was gifted with the color red back in his life. And now, having her on top of him, laughing and smiling, yellow came back.

He turned his head to the side and saw a small yellow flower, which enchanted him with its loveliness, he picked it up. Her voice broke the flower's spell as he looked up at the true beauty of that garden. He could not help but smile a sincere smile, she smiled back, she had never looked more stunning.

She could not transport them both inside the castle, but before he could have any say in the matter they were being engulfed by purple smoke and were transported just outside the castle.

Why?

Well, he had helped her quite a lot that day, but since when did she think about the comfort of anybody but herself? It was just as odd as the feelings swirling in his chest so Robin chose to ignore it.

Robin had thought things would go back to normal after this episode but apparently not, she was nowhere to be found, but Robin refused to worry or go after her. Maybe she was on some official royal business, maybe she really just wanted to be left alone. Maybe he should not care at all about that.

It had taken her three whole days.

For three whole days, Robin did not see even a glimpse of her shadow. Although the day after the mermaid incident he had woken in the middle of the afternoon – still with his limbs aching from the straining and most senseless adventure he had ever had – he had gone to her chambers as soon as he had put something in his stomach. But she had not been there; she was nowhere to be found in the castle. He had asked around, every guard, every soldier in sight but nobody seemed to know where she was.

He did not know how to feel about this. That day - the day she had almost killed Snow White and they had gotten trapped on that damned tree - had been one of the most insane days of his life.

On the fourth day whilst coming back from her chambers - he had made it a habit of going there to see if she had come back every morning - he came upon the only other person in the whole castle who did not seem to be in the armed forces nor staff beside the Queen. The tired looking bald man he had seen the Queen smile at when she made her "Kill Snow White" speech, Robin halted to regard him.

The man had his head down and a funny walk, small steps and yet weirdly taken. He had just passed him by, just disappeared around the corner of the corridor, passing Robin by without giving him a single glance when he decided to call after him.

"Oi!" he could hear the man's steps stop abruptly; he went in his direction, finding him just around the corner of the corridor. He looked rather petrified thanks to Robin's harshness, but he was far from caring about the man's heart condition. Robin examined him, he still had his gaze fixed on the floor, and finally asked, "Who are you?"

The man finally looked up, he had very expressive eyes, there was something oddly familiar about this man's eyes, they were dark but tired, Robin could see he was very intimidated by him, "I'm-" he started, "-Prince Henry"

Prince?

"Prince?" the man looked more like a butler than a Prince, he must have been jesting Robin, "If you are a Prince then what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to serve the Queen, just like you." he said simply, no trace of royalty in his manner.

"But the Queen banished all the nobility from the castle." Robin told him, looking at the old man suspiciously, "How come she kept you? A Prince nonetheless."

The man opened his mouth to respond but no sound came out as another voice reached both their ears, her voice.

"Daddy!" he heard her distinguished voice call out.

Robin's eyes felt like they were going to pop out of his skull, when the meaning of her words hit him.

Daddy?

He heard her footsteps, the clinking of her excessively high heels against the polished stone, she was getting near and the man turned to face her as Robin felt his body tense at her presence, an uneasy feeling pooling on the pit of his stomach. This was not what he had planned for today.

"Daddy, I'm-" she came into his line of vision - as he was just around the corner and could not be seen by anyone coming up that corridor until they reached said corner - and stopped speaking abruptly, her eyes also widening, a faint blush could be traced on her cheeks.

She sneered when spotting him, "You"

'Daddy', lowered his head ever so slightly and said facing the floor again "Your majesty"

Robin knew he should have followed suit and greeted her as her own father did, but he was too busy sending back the death glare she was giving him. Their eyes locked, for a moment none of them seemed to be breathing. She cut the silence.

"What are you doing here?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"I live here" he retorted, not in the mood for her little games - although most of those games.

He felt like pressing another matter, "This is your father?" he questioned, his voice going a tad higher than he had hoped as he motioned to the old man.

Her gaze became more intense whilst she responded, "I cannot see how it is any of your business."

"I-" but Robin honestly did not know how to get back at that.

How was it any of his business anyway?

And yet-?

She groaned and rolled her eyes at his failed attempt to retort, she waved her hand whilst dismissively saying "Out of my sight" and Robin was transported via her irritating magical smoke out to the forest just outside the castle.

He felt his blood pumping hot in his veins.

Damn her

...

A week went by and things seemingly went back to normal. If anybody could call this absurd arrangement normal. The frantic searches for Snow White continued as the Queen became more and more impatient with the fruitless attempts to find the damned girl.

Only in this past week, she herself had killed three more captains. That accursed mirror had revealed to the Queen that the girl had been hiding in a village they had ridden by without inspecting, afraid of the werewolf that terrorized it. She had also ordered him to kill five more who had had a drunken night near King Midas' kingdom, where she had been spotted by a twitch who sold his information to her. The twitch had sworn he saw the girl in the same village as her men, but they were too drunk to pursue her.

But no, things had definitely not gone back to normal, because ever since their almost death experience, the Queen had not let him near her. She had basked in her right to order him around in front of her men, push him around and insult him as much as she always did when they were alone. And yet she would not let him even think of getting near her. She had contracted an annoying habit of puffing him as further away from her as possible when he so much as gave her a heated glance or made any sort of comment regarding their intimate time together.

And it was getting to Robin's last nerve.

It felt as if they had gone back to square zero. Not even square zero for when he met her she had been rather inviting when it came to physical contact. Now this inexplicable coldness was driving him up a wall and not just because he was deprived of the sex but-

No

It was because of the sex and only because of that, he did not feel anything else toward that woman other than lust and hate. He refused to acknowledge he felt anything other than those two feelings towards that woman. It did not make sense, he did not possess a heart, felt so little about everything, every memory, every action, every regret. How in the world was she able to make a storm of feelings burst inside of him?

But what had pushed his very last button was the engagement ball. Not that Robin really gave a flying fuck about his post and obligations. But he gathered she had failed to inform him of such an event just to spite him.

He had found out about the whole affair whilst he overheard a conversation two soldiers were having. Apparently, she had assembled quite a number of soldiers and knights to escort her to this event in King Midas' kingdom.

Robin was not on the list.

Robin was fucking furious.

He caught her just as she was entering her carriage, he stormed through the men that encircled her trail - they had opened up the space for him to get through upon sight, knowing too well not to anger him, he had, after all, become the Queen's executor. She was just about to fully close the door of the dark carriage when Robin placed his foot in between the door and the frame and grabbed the handle quickly to reopen it.

When he yanked the door open Robin was met with the sight of her, still clutching the handle on her side, body brought slightly out and a face that spoke of pure irritation.

Robin could not help but smirk and quickly slithered himself inside the carriage closing the door behind him. He took a seat right in front of her, she was all clad in black - which Robin found odd given that she was going to an engagement party, but then again, she could have been wearing any other color, he wouldn't be able to tell.

She placed her hands neatly upon her lap, a scorn painted on her red lips, she regarded him with cold dangerous eyes.

"Sorry I'm late your majesty-" he said in the smuggest tone he could manage making himself comfortable, slumping his body a little down the seat, - trying to draw any reaction from her cold eyes, "-but I think my invitation must have gotten lost in between messengers" he completed, disappointed that she had remained immobile and unresponsive to his actions.

He knocked on the window separating the inside of the carriage to the seat of the driver and the vehicle started to move.

After a few more minutes of silence, she inhaled slowly moving as little muscles as she could muster and said in a grave tone "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Robin tried to look surprised. "Why, my job of course!" he gave her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "As captain of your personal guard I must make sure you are safe." he spat the word 'safe'.

"I do not remember summoning you for this particular journey." her tone was still serious and her face gave nothing away.

"And I don't remember telling you I would answer to your every summons." he spat back, eager to draw something from her.

She narrowed her eyes and snapped, "I do not want you here."

He gave her a half grin and brought his torso closer to her static one, her posture was absurdly straight, she inhaled at his closeness "Now, now, we both know that's just, not true."

"Don't try my patience outlaw, or else-" she threatened but he cut her off before she got a chance to complete her sentence.

"Or else what?" his voice came out louder than he had meant to but it did yield some effect upon her for she gave a small jump on her seat, widening her eyes.

"I am done with this conversation-" she said in a final tone and raised her hand in a movement he knew only too well. That movement meant that she was about to transport him as far away from her as possible.

But Robin was not having any of that today. In a purely impulsive move - for he knew nothing he did could actually stop her magic - he grabbed the wrist of her raised hand into one of his own strong ones and said with all the anger and frustration that had he bottled up inside for the past ten days, "But I'm not done your majesty."

She looked absolutely out of sorts, his grip tight on her wrist as nothing whatsoever happened, no cloud of smoke, no sparks of magic, just the zapping sensation rushing through where their fleshes met. For a long moment they regarded each other without so much as a word, his intense stare burned into her widened and surprised dark eyes, her mouth opened and closed twice but she did not manage to utter a single word.

Robin realized after a while that he had come to sit much closer to her due to his abrupt actions. He let go of her hand letting it fall on her lap but did not leave her personal space, their knees now brushed against each other.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he asked in a questioning half whisper.

She inhaled, closing her eyes and responding in a quiet yet distant tone, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Oh, I think you do-" he responded.

She snapped her eyes open and retorted, "Well, not everybody is like you and can hardly keep their desires at bay" her words meant to cut but hollow.

"That is not what I meant-" he tried but she beat him to it.

"Of course it is, what else could it possibly be? You're petty and grumpy because I haven't let you touch me ever since-" but now it was Robin's turn to interrupt her

"Do you think that I-" he raised his voice to cut her but she was already overlapping his remarks herself.

"I do not think of you, outlaw. At all!" her words pure poison, she was almost screaming at him at this point, their faces so near, their noses almost brushed against each other.

"Liar!" he threw her way before even thinking. Deep down he wanted to believe his words were true, that she did think of him, even though she drove him to the breaking point most of the time.

Her reaction was as quick as his remark had been as her right palm came in contact with his left cheek in a stinging and forceful slap. It was a potent hit that created a little distance in between their bodies as Robin's face turned to the other side and the Queen retreated herself to rest her back on the back of her seat promptly after. The sound of her action seemed to reverberate through the carriage and the sensation - pain mixed with electricity - sent piercing needles through his veins.

He looked up at her to find her wide eyed, looking at the hand she had slapped him with, her mouth slightly agape. If the driver had chosen a bumpy round to travel through that day, neither of the occupants of the carriage seemed to notice.

Robin could feel his cheek sting because of the Queen's outburst but all he could do was stare at the hand, it had reddened a little, that he could tell. Their gaze did not shift from the hand as it moved ever so slowly, fingers slightly apart, she brought it closer to her face, examining it, her expression was pure puzzlement.

Robin's features were hard and stern as he continued to regard her. He could hardly contain his own astonishment when she suddenly sat further to the edge of her seat placing both her legs in between his. She brought her hand to rest upon his offended cheek and as soon as the interaction was made Robin was able to feel the tingling sensation, it felt oddly different, soothing somehow but intense at the same time.

Upon the contact, the Queen gasped but did not retreat her hand, and Robin had to wonder if she too felt that inexplicable sensation, she must have.

"But, how-?" she gave a mere whisper, touching his cheek ever so lightly using only the pads of her fingers.

The urge to close his eyes was stronger than his reason and he gave into it even though he could expect the very worst from her at this moment. But the light touch made him drowsy, clouded his judgment, he could feel she had brought both her palms to feel his cheeks, her touch tentative almost as if she was afraid of something.

"How is this possible?" he heard her whisper, he could feel her breath so very close to his face and licked his lips subconsciously.

Robin was honestly expecting everything from her but this, and yet it was the most logical thing for normal people who were in some sort of relationship to do. But she was not ordinary, not by a long shot, and neither was he.

So when her soft lips brushed against his slightly parted ones, Robin - for the very first time - had no reaction to her actions whatsoever. He rather basked in the few moments when her lips closed about his bottom lip, tentatively so, as if kissing him for the very first time, as if they were not familiar with each other's flesh at all. She then proceeded to lay a small kiss on the corner of his mouth, sighing, drawing an involuntary moan from him, her lips lingering close to his own after doing so, her nose brushing lightly against his cheek.

He opened his eyes, she was even closer than he imagined, her knees touched the edge of his seat in between his parted legs, her face a breath away from his, her eyes sparkled.

Their exchange was interrupted by one of the valets who knocked on the door - Robin felt like cutting the man's hand off - to announce they had arrived at King Midas' summer palace. The Queen - as if on cue - retreated from him and dropped her hands from his features, his skin immediately missing the warmth of her own.

She straightened her posture and adjusted the - ridiculous - headpiece she was wearing, taking one deep breath before shooting him one of her glacial looks.

"Do not dare and follow me."

Robin was still a little taken by the odd exchange that had just happened and did not manage to react in time for she quickly opened the door to the carriage and stepped out banging it closed as she did. The vehicle started to move right after her departure and Robin did not think twice - after getting his wits about him again - before he opened the door, and jumped out of it, even though it was still on the move.

He found himself just around the corner of the main entrance to the castle, but Robin was not stupid enough to even attempt to enter the party through that path. Instead, he decided to take his time and have a look around the outsides of the half-golden castle from the outside.

He hated this kingdom; it brought him memories of the very worst times of his life. The gold that seemed to be everywhere felt like a reminder to him how utterly selfish he had been over a year ago, and how much it had cost him. Robin did not think he would ever return to this kingdom again, and truth be told he did not even connect the dots when hearing about the Queen's journey to this particular patch of land, having been too enraged at her childish behavior.

Robin cursed the fact that the night looked so utterly perfect, the moon - almost full - shone brightly upon the garden's golden statues, Robin could also spot there were several golden flowers as well as entire trees. The soft waltz that played in the ballroom could be heard from the garden as well as the laughter of the young couples who twirled to it. The night air was pleasant, a cold pleasant breeze would rush by from time to time, not a cloud in the sky that was filled to the brim with stars.

The whole scene made Robin sick to his stomach.

His head was so filled with thoughts of his latest argument with the Queen and a vast set of bad memories that Robin did not even notice he had come upon a man sitting on one of the golden benches until the man himself spoke

"Enjoying the party?" the man did not sound like he himself was doing so.

He halted as soon as the voice reached his ears to inspect the man. He had blonde hair and light colored eyes, he could not tell which, they were light and sad. He was sitting leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees; he was big, a little bigger than Robin but looked absolutely miserable.

"I'm sure I would be-" Robin replied, "-if I had been invited." Robin did not wear a knight's uniform but rather his own clothes but he was sure the man must have noticed the bow on his back signaled he was no guest in this party.

"Are you crashing then?" the man asked, seeming curious, this man was most definitely a guest, his rich garments betrayed him completely, and yet he looked very out of place.

"No, just doing my job" Robin said simply, nearing the man who looked at him with interest, "I came in with the Queen" there was a hint of irony in the way he uttered 'the' and the man chuckled.

"You mean king Leopold's widow?" he inquired.

"The very same," Robin breathed out; only thinking about her was making him tired, "You know her then?"

The man let out a puff of air widening his eyes a little before answering, "Yes I do" his eyes trailed off as if remembering, "She is quite unforgettable."

"You can say that again," Robin commented, leaning against a golden tree, feeling at ease conversing with this man, for some odd reason he felt he could trust, "Try working for her, you'll never be the same."

The man raised his posture for the first time and gave Robin a soft smile; he brought both his hands to his face and inhaled deeply scrubbing them about his features. He exhaled and hung his head in defeat and asked after a beat.

"Are you married?"

"I was once" Robin replied, missing the pang on his chest at the mention of his married life.

"Did you-" the man's head rose up to look Robin in the eye, "-did you love her?"

This was definitely the very last thing he would expect a noble to ask of him but Robin replied in truth, "More than anything in the world."

"Were you matched?" the man asked, Robin frowned and he tried again, "Was it arranged? Your marriage."

"No, no it was not." Robin replied, "I actually stole her from her arranged marriage."

"Oh, I see-" the man trailed off.

The wheels inside Robin's mind turned as he asked, "Is this your engagement party?"

"Mine alright, to a woman I have known for three whole days and cringes every time I take her arm." he replied, looking out in the direction of the big windows through which the ball could be seen.

"That does not sound very promising." Robin commented, able to draw a small chuckle from the man "Are you afraid of marrying a stranger or is there someone else?" he asked not really knowing why he should ask or care but feeling pity for the man.

"I-" he started but closed his mouth, "There is somebody else but-" he stopped again, "I hardly know her as well, but she is-"

"She's what?" Robin inquired.

"Like no woman I've ever met, she's bold and fearless, add to that her history, it's quite amazing that she-" but the man stopped speaking suddenly as if the air had been stolen from his lungs.

"I take it she's not on the short list of your wedding candidates then?" Robin tried to humor.

"Definitely not" he told Robin with a nervous chuckle, "but I just felt-"

"You felt what?"

"Electricity, an odd electric feeling when we touched, it was not a bad sensation, it was just different. Like nothing I had ever experienced before." the man explained.

To say Robin was gap face shocked was very little for he knew only too well what that 'electricity' felt like. And knowing now that other people had also experienced it set his mind running with a million questions.

But before he could voice any of them the man rose from his seat.

"But I should not bother you with my troubles, it's impossible for me to be with her-" he was already passing Robin by, heading back to his engagement party, back to his sour-faced fiancé and a promise of a loveless life.

Robin placed his hand on the groom- to-be's shoulder before he could take another step.

"Find her-" the man turned back to face him with a puzzled look in his eyes, "Find the woman that makes you feel that way, and when you do, never let go. Believe me, you will regret it for the rest of your life if you don't."

The man frowned at him but said "Thank you, you are the first person I've told about her-" he breathed easy for the very first time ever since their conversation had started "-I will find her."

Robin nodded, released his shoulder and watched as he disappeared about the golden trees.

Robin himself just stood there for a few minutes not quite sure of what had possessed him to say such a thing. He was sure of one thing, even against his better judgment and logic that every single word rang true to him.

He could not let her go, would not let her go, he-

Her dark laugh invaded Robin's senses and for a moment he chose to bask in the rich womanly sound of her laugh. It was not the same as the one she had shown him back in the forest a week ago, this one was more controlled, more calculated.

He realized with a start that the laughter was not only in his head but all around him, it was not a product of his imagination but the pestering woman herself. Robin was grateful for having had a lifetime of experience as a thief and being able to conceal himself quickly in order to spy on her conversation.

Because, quite frankly, Robin was rather curious to know who had been able to draw such a sound from this cold-blooded woman.

"...gina, you look quite fetching tonight." Robin heard a strongly accented male voice say, "I must say black does become you."

Robin heard the Queen hum before responding, "Aren't you full of flattery tonight?"

"I cannot help but speak my mind when I come upon the most beautiful woman in all the realms." Robin listened as their footsteps neared him.

Who the hell was this guy?

Robin had managed to climb one of the golden trees; it was not mighty but had heavy foliage, which assisted in concealing his presence and allowed him to see the pair.

The Queen came into his line of vision followed by a man Robin disliked at first sight. She had that regal annoying way of walking she always did; she had taken off her cape. The dress underneath it did her justice, a long tight black thing, sleeveless and tightly corseted about her waist; she was now wearing a pair black gloves that reached her elbows she did not have on before at the carriage. As for the man on her heels, he was rather tall and broad shouldered, but had a rather young face, Robin could guess he was in his mid-twenties.

The man wore a smirk on his face Robin did not like in the slightest. His last remark about the Queen's beauty had made his blood run faster and hotter in his veins and the way he was eying the Queen was not helping his case.

"Ever the charmer," the Queen chuckled, there was a small smile playing on her red lips, "Don't forget it was me who taught you all those nasty tricks, boy."

Robin was glad to see the man's - boy's - face go sour upon the Queen's words "You know I don't like it when you call me that" Robin could trace the accent as one used by the highlanders, the boy was far from home.

"And since when have I cared about your feelings Jamie?" she lifted one of her perfect eyebrows, "Plus, that's how I will always see you dear."

"I'm not a lad anymore" the man was quite affected by the Queen's words, clearly, still a lad regardless of his words against it.

"Oh really?" she moved from her spot facing him to walk towards a golden pillar. Robin accompanied the sway of her hips with both delight and dread, he knew that walk only too well.

She turned back to face the man – who had his profile turned to Robin – and leaned her back against one large golden pillar, both her palms resting against its surface.

Robin could see the man's gaze ravage the Queen and contemplated upon cutting this little conversation short, - or maybe the lad's ears off - not liking where it might lead. The man kept his hands clenched together on his back though - which came to some relief for Robin - as he approached the Queen.

"A lot has happened since you last saw me." Robin felt uneasy since he could not see the man's face anymore, but only the Queen's smirking at his words.

"Indeed" she purred, "But I bet none of your wee lassies have been able to do justice to your prior experiences in my castle," she was smiling, broadly with that evil malicious glimmer in her eyes.

The man's journey toward her had not halted whilst she spoke, if anything became hastier with her words. When she stopped speaking, he was suddenly half pressed against her frame, one of his hands placed at her hip bone. He brought his lips to the shell of her ear and whispered something Robin was not quite sure he wanted to hear.

When the lad finished speaking, the Queen's smile had somehow broadened, but Robin lost his reason when the sneaky boy bit lightly on the Queen's earlobe, to which she gave a small wince and replied with a slurry voice, "Are you trying to seduce me with my own tricks boy?"

"Is it working?" Jamie, his name was Jamie, Robin was sure to memorize it for he vowed to write it down in this boy's chest with several deadly arrows for touching her like that.

"It will take a lot more than that to seduce me dear," her voice was low and sensual.

Robin's blood had gone from boiling hot to freezing cold seeing that she was encouraging this.

This pathetic excuse of a noble highlander trying to seduce her, she couldn't possibly be considering-?

Could she?

Was that why she had turned the cold shoulder on him?

Was she-?

Did she-?

Robin was unable to finish any of those thoughts; enraging jealousy ran through his veins like venom, making all the hairs in his body stand and his face burn.

These feelings and questions were utterly ridiculous and Robin knew it, he should not care, and yet he did, to the point of madness he cared if that damned woman who had turned his world upside down were to lie with another man.

Robin felt light headed and could hardly make out the boy's response "You know I'm always up for the challenge."

He subconsciously reached for his bow, his vision, however, was blurry, simmering rage prickled his every pore. Robin knew he was heartless, that it was impossible for him to have these feelings but he also knew rather well how it was to feel maddening jealousy.

"Oh that I know dear" she replied turning her head to the side to face the boy, he was significantly taller than her so she tilted her head slightly to meet his eye and brought her teeth to her bottom lip.

Robin's vision was painted in black spots, red and yellow had been torn from his reality, all that had remained were dark tones, his pulse was strong and so quick he could feel it pump through his ears. He found it odd the couple did not discover him.

He did not know when, but suddenly Robin had an arrow on his grip, his fingers stroking the feathers at the end of the deadly weapon. His eyes were unblinking at the couple, wide and wild.

He watched as the boy brought his other hand to her chin and stroked it, running his thumb on the lip she had just bit, the Queen looked eager and Robin could kill her for that.

"Was that a yes?" the boy asked, the bastard sounded eager, he took in a deep inhale of air as Robin observed his other hand squeeze the Queen's hip bone.

The sensation of hate and frustration that had invaded him when he found he had been knocked out by a young princess which had resulted in the mangling of her dead maid's body hit Robin again. Only now it was about a hundred times stronger, Robin felt like there was something fierce clawing at his chest.

"Give me your best shot" she replied with a raised eyebrow.

Shot

Shoot

Shoot Robin!

The arrow made contact with the wood of his bow before his brain could register what his body was doing.

He aimed.

The boy moved his hand - which had been resting on her hip bone - up, feeling up the side of her stomach, her ribcage – Robin could not breathe, how was he breathing? – and finally palmed her breast through the fabric of her dress, she gave a questioning hum in response as he squeezed her sensitive breast.

Robin could hardly see straight at this point, sweat pricked his forehead, his aim indecisive, a battle of wills coming to pass inside his head.

Shoot Robin!

He saw through his clouded eyes the man's hand moved from her breast to rest on the column she was leaning her body against; it rested just beside her head. His other hand, however, was pulling her chin up, bringing her head to his in an act Robin vowed at that moment was only reserved for his lips alone.

Mine or no one else's

The phrase rang in his ears, guided his hands, made his mind up, and decided on his aim.

Shoot Robin!

He groaned in an animalistic voice "Mine" and the Queen's eyes snapped in his direction, wide and filled with surprise, he could see the red on her lips as she gasped.

Shoot Robin!

Robin released the arrow looking her dead in the eye with unshed tears pooling inside his own.