Hello guys! Do you still remember this story?
Exactly one year ago I posted the first chapter of this story so I thought it would be nice to add another one on it's 'first anniversary'. I'm so sorry it took me so long to post a new chapter but finally it is here! I really hope you'll like it!
(...)
When Regina emerges from her chambers, the hallways seem empty. Sighing in relief she pulls the sheet tighter around herself and makes her way towards Robin's room. However, when she turns to the right hallway in which end is her destination, she hears voices of maids.
Amazing.
Swallowing hard at the uneasy feeling in her stomach, Regina reminds herself that there's nothing wrong with maids catching her walking to Robin's room. In fact, it would make their situation better – no one would have a reason to think that their marriage is just a lie.
With one last encouraging inhale, Regina continues to walk towards Robin's room. Surprisingly, the maids don't even acknowledge her presence.
When nobody turns to look at her, Regina realizes that they're discussing something. Curiosity wins over and Regina slows her steps, tries to listen to what they're talking about.
"I heard there's a new man working in the winter palace," one of the maids says.
Another adds, "He came from Mr. Locksley wife's castle."
"I heard he's hot."
A bubble of giggles echoes in empty corridors and Regina quickly resumes walking, tugging the sheet even tighter around herself – she really doesn't need maids to know that she heard them gossiping. Though she's glad that they haven't noticed her – who knows how long it would have taken her to find out that Daniel is finally here, somewhere.
When Regina is sure that the maids cannot see her anymore, she slows her steps again and grins to herself, her heart beating fast in her chest from happiness. Robin's finally fulfilled his part of the deal and Daniel is in Sherwood.
It doesn't take a minute until Regina finally walks into Robin's chambers and closes the door behind her, a huge smile on her face.
Robin emerges from the balcony after hearing her walking in and greets her with a small smile, "Good evening, milady."
Regina returns the greeting and walks further into the room. "What are we going to do tonight?" she asks as she takes off the sheet from her shoulders and sits down on the edge of his bed, looking at Robin.
From the day they've been married, they decided to meet at least one time a week so that no one would have a reason to wonder whether or not their marriage is a farce. At first, Regina felt extremely uncomfortable walking from her chamber to his late in the evening, but it doesn't bother her that much anymore.
In the beginning, things have been awkward between the two of them. Regina would come into his chambers and they would sit down and try to make a conversation of some sorts but it would die rather soon and they would just sit in silence for the rest of the time.
However, soon the awkwardness disappeared and they found talking easier. They shared their childhood stories and more interesting parts of their days, asked questions trying to get to know each other – even if their marriage was a farce, they will still stay husband and wife for the rest of their lives, so getting to know each other seemed like a conscious step.
Robin smirks at her before turning around and taking something from the nightstand. Curiously, Regina looks as he turns around. Her jaw drops open in surprise as she sees that Robin's holding a chess board in his hands.
During their last 'date', Regina mentioned to Robin that she used to play chess with her father every Sunday evening, it was their little tradition. It seems like Robin actually listened to her.
"Are you up for a game, milady?" Robin asks, chuckling at Regina's reaction. Regina nods her head instantly, and he sits down on the bed, opening the board and taking the figures out.
(…)
Regina is a brilliant chess player. She's been playing for as long as she can remember, but tonight her mind is wandering, all she can think about is Daniel, and quickly she loses some of her pawns. She tries to push thoughts about her lover away, tries to concentrate on the board in front of her and the game, but then another pawn of her is lost from a very stupid move.
"What's on your mind?" Robin's unexpected question startles her and she finally snaps out of her thoughts and looks up from the board to him. He arches an eyebrow at her and points out, "You make very stupid mistakes. Your father must have been a very terrible player if you'd always won."
Regina sighs, "I am thinking about something else." When Robin encourages her to continue she admits, "On my way here I overheard maids talking that there's a new staff member in Winter palace."
Robin's confused face turns into a small smile as he shakes his head a bit.
"Those maids just ruined my surprise for you," Robin says, making Regina's eyes widen. A surprise? "I planned to tell you that Daniel is finally here as a reward for your winning."
"What?" Regina asks, her voice full of shock. "What, if I didn't win?"
"It is not possible."
"I'm actually losing right now."
"That's because your mind is occupied by other things. I'm sure I would be beaten by now if you actually concentrated on the game."
Regina smiles a bit – that's true. Robin is a terrible player, it would be an easy win.
However, Regina shifts on the bed uneasily and asks, "Could I… see Daniel someday?"
"Of course," Robin's reply is instant and without hesitation, as if it couldn't be otherwise. "We can go there tomorrow morning, if you want."
"Are you serious?" Regina asks, tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. During those few weeks of their marriage, she found out that Robin is a really good man, but she didn't expect him to be so willing and let her see Daniel as soon as she asked – after all, she hasn't fulfilled her part of the deal, she hasn't even tried.
"Yes," Robin nods his head, smiling at her warmly.
Regina doesn't know what comes over her, but she feels so thankful that she stands up from the bed and takes a few steps towards Robin and wraps her arms around him tightly. He lets out a surprised chuckle but hugs her back just as tightly.
When Regina realizes what she's doing, she pulls away from him and embarrassed returns to her previous place. Feeling her cheeks heating, she clears her throat at apologizes, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay," Robin insists, still smiling. "I'm glad I can finally see you happy."
Regina smiles back at him and nods her head – it is the first time when she feels actually happy here. Still smiling, she turns back to the board of chess and focuses.
Half an hour later, she wins the game.
(…)
Regina barely sleeps that night.
She wakes up a few hours before sunrise. Knowing that sleeping is out of options, she just lies in bed for a while, staring at the ceiling, her heart fluttering from excitement with each beat. A smile spreads across her face as she thinks that after only a few hours she'll see Daniel.
Since her wedding day, one part of her, the negative one, tried to convince her that she will never see him again. She tried her best not to believe it, and most of the time she succeeded. However, there were times when these thoughts were just too much and she broke down, losing her faith.
Finally, the torment is over.
She's finally going to see Daniel.
Two months. They haven't seen each other for two long and lonely months that Regina spent staring blankly at the ceiling or out of the window, wondering whether or not she did the right decision when she agreed to marry Robin.
Robin proved to be nothing but a great man but still there were moments when she thought that running away with Daniel might have been a better option than to fall into this crazy agreement. She would then remind herself what her mother is capable of, and she would realize that this marriage might be one of the wisest things Regina's ever done.
She is actually going to see Daniel today!
Spurred on by that thought, Regina gets up from bed and walks into the closet. Looking through her clothes, she chooses one of the most beautiful dresses she has – the blue one (Daniel's favorite color) and makes her way back into the room.
After washing her face, she slowly and carefully puts on the dress. Then she puts on some powder thoroughly and brushes her long dark hair, leaving them down – another thing that Daniel loves.
To be honest, he's never really cared about appearances. She could dress in rags and he would still find her beautiful, but she wanted to actually look beautiful when she sees him again.
Smiling to her reflection in the mirror, she runs her hands down her dress, smoothing the non-existent wrinkles.
Putting herself under control, Regina leaves her chambers and makes her way to the dining room. Robin's mother is very observant, the last thing she needs is the older woman asking what made Regina so happy.
Surprisingly, Robin is the only one sitting there, his gaze concentrated on the piece of paper in his hands. For a brief moment Regina wonders if she's lost the track of time and is now late for breakfast. Shaking her head she pushes that thought away – she will not let being late ruin her day.
"Good morning," Regina says, clearing her throat, as she sits in front of Robin to the table.
He lifts his gaze from the paper and looks at her, surprised by her cheerful tone.
"Good morning to you too," he smiles and then states, "I see someone is uncharacteristically happy this morning."
Regina feels a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "Thanks to you," she tells him sincerely as a smile spreads across her face.
She doesn't remember the last time she's been so happy.
(…)
Regina's excitement is all over the place. She cannot stop smiling, her heart is beating fast from anticipation of the meeting. Her stomach is fluttering with butterflies, and she barely eats during breakfast.
Perhaps it is a good thing that Robin's mother is not at a breakfast table, after all. Otherwise she would suspect that something is off and start asking questions that should be answered with lies.
After finishing their breakfast, Robin and Regina finally make their way to the yard where the carriage is already waiting for them. Robin helps Regina to get in first and then he follows, sits down beside her and their journey begin.
(…)
It turns out that this winter palace is a few hours away which means that a long and tiring journey is awaiting for them. It doesn't kill Regina's enthusiasm, though; nothing could ruin her day right now.
For a long while, they sit in silence. Regina's too busy lost in her own head, thinking about what she should tell Daniel when she sees him. The last time they were together, he objected to her marriage and was in a way angry with her until she shut him up with a kiss that lead to so much more.
"Should I be cautious?"
Robin's voice snaps Regina out of her thoughts. She turns from the window to him, with an eyebrow arched in confusion.
"What?"
"Doesn't your lover hate me?" Robin asks with a chuckle. "In a way, I stole you from him."
"You do know that you saved our relationship," Regina reminds him, feeling grateful. If it weren't for Robin, she could be King Leopold's wife by now and she would have to forget about Daniel forever. Shifting a bit, she makes herself more comfortable and admits, "Daniel doesn't like you but I don't think he's planning a murder."
"Good to know," Robin tells her, chuckling and Regina cannot help but smile too.
A few hours pass, and with each beat of her heart, Regina's excitement only grows. She feels like a little girl on Yule's morning, waiting for the permission to open presents. Her head is full of thoughts, her heart is beating rapidly in her chest, and for a moment she thinks she might lose her mind if she sits there in silence with nothing but Daniel on her mind.
"Tell me about this palace," Regina asks quietly.
Robin smiles and nods his head, begins immediately, "Well, it was supposed to be our home." Regina looks at him curiously, she did not expect that. "My parents were supposed to live where we are living now while my family and I lived in the palace that used to be called 'Winter' long time ago. However, when my father was killed, I felt like I couldn't leave my mother all alone. She was devastated already, and it would make it so much worse if she was left to live alone."
Regina nods her head in understanding. Mrs. Locksley doesn't seem devastated anymore, she smiles and laughs and even attends parties, but sometimes Regina catches her staring blackly at something, the usual smile gone from her face.
"So now this Winter palace will be our child's home."
Regina cannot help but look down at her hands, her eyes wide.
Robin senses the change in her demeanor quickly and apologizes immediately, "Regina, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
She knows that, she really does. And it shouldn't make her uncomfortable anymore – she made up her mind and she thinks that she might be ready to try and fulfill her part of their agreement, but sometimes she still finds herself doubting and … afraid.
"You didn't, it's just-
Just as she's about to finish her sentence, they finally reach the dark metal gates of the palace, and words die in her throat – in a few moments she's going to see Daniel.
(…)
Regina wraps her hand around Robin's elbow as they make their way into the palace. Her heart is threatening to jump out of her chest, her palms are sweaty, her legs shaking underneath her.
After two months of heartache and waiting, she's going to see Daniel again.
First, Robin shows Regina around – they walk through the huge hall, glance at the garden through the window, then he leads her to the kitchen which is empty (as every other place they've entered, it seems like no one is here). Finally they make their way to the staff quarters, and most of them are empty as well.
Robin's told her that this palace is empty, only a few guards are protecting it from bandits, but she has never thought that it would be this empty.
Walking through the dark hallways, Regina wonders whether or not she'll see Daniel. Perhaps he's in the woods with others, perhaps it's his day off and he's not even here…
But then they finally enter one last room in the dark hallway and Regina's heart stops beating.
"Daniel!" she exclaims and rushes further into the small room, tears filling her eyes immediately.
Daniel turns around immediately, his eyes wide, mouth opened in surprise when he sees Regina. He obviously didn't expect to see her, and he blinks his eyes repeatedly as if making sure that all of this is not a dream.
Regina doesn't waste another moment and runs straight to him. He lets out a surprised gasp when she wraps her arms around him tightly, and his own find their way around her back as he buries his face into her neck.
All of a sudden, the excitement bubble breaks and all Regina can feel is just how much she's actually missed him. She tries to hold herself together but her efforts are useless and before she knows it, tears are running down her cheeks.
Daniel's arms only tighten around her as he whispers her name into her hair, his voice shaking. He inhales her scent and she feels herself crying even more.
For a few long moments that's all they do – hold each other as Regina cries and Daniel struggles not to.
Finally, her hold on him loosens and she pulls away a bit, quickly wiping the tears away from her cheeks. She inhales shakily and looks at Daniel's face, and he's actually here, right in front of her, his arms still wrapped around her waist.
A huge smile spreads across her face, and she cannot help herself, she leans over and presses her lips against his. It's only a feather light touch, but full of longing and pure love, that makes butterflies erupt in her stomach again.
"I've missed you so much," Regina whispers when they part.
For a brief moment, they stare at one another, but then Daniel is leaning over and pressing his lips against her again. This time the kiss is different, it's more firm and more passionate, and Regina opens her mouth, deepening it.
All of a sudden, their little bubble explodes when Robin clears his throat from behind them. Unwillingly Regina tears herself away from Daniel, her cheeks turning pink as she turns to look at Robin embarrassed.
She completely forgot that he was in the room.
"Hello, Daniel," Robin says politely when his eyes met Daniel's, stretching his hand out for a shake.
Regina can feel how Daniel's whole body tenses, and she quickly squeezes his hand until he turns to look at her. She smiles at him assuring that it's fine, and he finally swallows hard and turns back to Robin.
"Mr. Locksley," his voice is cold, and Regina watches with wide eyes how he shakes Robin's hand.
"I'm sorry to ruin your moment, but I think you should head somewhere more private, somewhere where another staff member couldn't walk in," Robin offers.
Regina's eyelids sink closed – she was so happy to see Daniel, she hasn't even thought about other staff members walking in on them.
She nods her head and takes Daniel's hand in hers, smiling at him. She quickly pecks his lips one more time before dragging him out of the room and following Robin to wherever it is he's leading them.
(…)
"I'll be right here," Robin says pointing to an old dusty bed, "If someone comes in, I'll drop my book to the floor so you know that it's time to pretend that Daniel was showing you the borders of the palace."
Regina nods her head, whispers a quiet 'thank you, Robin', and then she is dragging Daniel into the balcony where Robin cannot see them anymore. All she can see now is forest, and it makes her sigh – they are safe here.
Suddenly she feels Daniel's arm wrapping around her waist and then he's turning her towards him. When their eyes met, Regina smiles and leans over to press their lips together again. It's such a wonderful feeling to kiss him again after weeks of thinking that she might never see him again.
When their lips part, Daniel pulls away a bit and stares at her face. His gaze is hard and unknown to Regina, and he slowly moves it down her neck and shoulders and then he's taking her hands in his and lifting it a bit so that her hands are not covered by the sleeves of her dress.
"What are you doing?" she asks, confused.
Daniel swallows hard and looks her in the eye, asks in a whisper, "Did he hurt you?"
Regina shakes her head immediately, her eyes wide. "Of course not," she assures him, her voice firm, with no hesitation.
For the first time Regina realizes that for him all this waiting must have been ten times worse. She lived in a castle, pretended to be a good wife in front of people, and behind closed doors they were just two strangers who sat in silence or played chess.
But Daniel didn't know that. He knew about the agreement they've made before their wedding, but he had no idea if Robin was following the rules. Daniel didn't know if Regina was safe, he didn't know if he was going to ever see her again.
It must have been a torture for him.
Feeling a lump forming in her throat, Regina puts her hand on Daniel's cheek and makes him look at her.
"Robin is a perfect gentleman. He didn't break our agreement, I assure you. You have nothing to worry about," she insists, staring directly into his eyes.
"Are you sure, Regina?" Daniel asks, glancing towards the room where Robin is. "If you're afraid of what he might do if you tell me, then I assure you that I'll kill him before he even looks your way again."
"Daniel!" she exclaims, it comes out louder than she intended. When he continues to stare at her, she assures him in a quieter tone, "I'm fine, really. No one has hurt me so far. To be honest, for the first time in my life I don't feel caged." His eyes soften a bit at that, so she quickly adds, "I promise you, if something happens to me, I'll tell you immediately."
"I was so worried," he admits, his arms wrapping around her tightly.
She goes willingly into his arms, rests her head against his shoulder and closes her eyes. She might feel good in Locksley's house but nothing feels as good as being in Daniel's arms.
"Only a few months and we'll be together again," she assures him, and herself, and his arms only tighten around her.
There are so many things that she wants to tell him, and she's sure there are even more things he wants to ask her, but no one says a word.
They stay into each other's arms, holding each other, kissing from time to time, until Robin finally says that they should head back.
Before Regina can help it, a tear rolls down her cheek.
(…)
When they finally return from their trip, it's already late into the evening.
The carriage is stopped in front of the castle and Robin gets out of it first groaning, and then stretches his hand out to help Regina. She groans as well as she finally stands up – all of her muscles are sore from sitting in one (uncomfortable) position for so long.
"Thank you, Robin," Regina says suddenly, grabbing his hand and making him turn around to look at her. Their eyes meet and she doesn't know what comes over her, but she walks closer and hugs him tightly.
Robin seems surprised but only for a moment because he hugs her back, his arms wrapping tightly around her.
"You're welcome, Regina," he tells her, the corners of his mouth lifting up in a small, tired smile.
When they turn to walk into the castle, they find Robin's mother standing on top of the stairs, watching them with a small smile on her face. Regina glances at Robin with wide eyes but his smile only widens, his hand tightening around hers as they make their way towards the stairs.
It seems that Robin thinks that it is a good thing that his mother saw them hugging. Regina realizes that she agrees.
"Mom," Robin greets her as they reach the top of the stairs. He walks over to her and kisses her cheek.
"Where have you been?" the older woman asks, her voice curious. "When Mrs. Lucas told me you two went to the Winter Palace, I couldn't believe it."
"Well, I wanted so show Regina where we were supposed to live," Robin says, for a second glancing at Regina, who manages a smile and a nod in agreement. "And she thinks this place is much better than the Winter Palace, right?"
Again, Regina nods her head.
For a moment, Robin's mother just stares at them, as if trying to decide whether to believe them or not, but then she finally sighs and smiles, "I hope you had a great time."
"We did," Robin assures. "But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready to sleep?"
"I was going to take a walk in the gardens when I heard the carriage arrive," she explains before turning to look at Regina and asking, "Darling, if you are not too tired, perhaps you would like to accompany me?"
Regina's muscles are screaming 'no', she feels so tired she barely stands but she nods her head nonetheless – there's no right way to say no to the Queen.
Robin looks at Regina for a moment and it looks like he's going to protest, say that she's had a long day and she should rest but Regina manages a small smile, assuring him that it is fine. Sighing he wishes them a good walk and a good night and then excuses himself, disappearing in the castle while the two women make their way into the gardens.
Despite the fact that Regina is beyond tired, she walks beside Mrs. Locksley with a smile on her face. Today was an unbelievable day, she has felt so happy and free, seeing Daniel made her feel alive again, it helped her realize that everything that she's doing is worth it because in the end she'll be with him again.
"It's such a wonderful sight to see you smiling," Mrs. Locksley's voice snaps Regina out of her thoughts and she turns to look at her, smiling sheepishly now.
If only Mrs. Locksley knew the actual reason behind Regina's smile…
"How are you feeling here?" the woman asks when Regina doesn't say anything.
For a moment Regina doesn't know what to say. Should she lie or tell the truth?
Robin's mother must have sensed her hesitation because she stops walking and turns to look at Regina. She smiles kindly to the younger woman and takes her hand, leads her to the wooden bench in front of apple trees.
They both sit down and Regina lets her eyes focus on those apple trees. The trees make her relax, and she breathes for a moment, trying to figure out what to say.
Sighing, she settles on saying, "I'm getting used to the life here. Some days are harder than others, but I'll be fine." Deep down, Regina knows that she feels much better here with strangers than in her own home with her controlling mother, but it's too soon to admit that, she's been here for too little to decide whether or not she'll be happy here.
Mrs. Locksley smiles, squeezing Regina's hand in hers, "I'm glad to hear that."
The silence surrounds them and Regina finds herself looking back to those apple trees again. There's something about them that has always calmed them down. Maybe it's the happy memories of her childhood when her father would take her to collect apples in their garden or maybe it's the memory of Daniel offering her an apple on the day they've met.
"I have to admit something," Robin's mother says, making Regina blink her eyes and turn to look to the woman. She shifts a bit and continues, "It wasn't Robin's uncle who suggested that Robin needs to get married and have an heir. It was me. His uncle only supported this idea, and with a little push from him, Robin had to make it happen."
Regina's eyes widen in surprise. Robin's mother always seems such a lovely woman, she's always kind and sweet, and Regina cannot understand how someone as good as her could arrange her son's marriage and force him to marry someone he does not love.
"What?" Regina cannot help but ask. "Why would you do that?"
"Robin's uncle wanted him to get married for selfish reasons – to assure that the kingdom stays ours. I wanted that for him in hopes that my dear son will find happiness again," she admits in what Regina supposes is a sincere voice. She shifts uncomfortably again, and tells her, "Robin was depressed after what had happened with Marian. He loved her more than anyone in this world, and after her death, he was only a shell of a person he used to be."
Regina listens to every word carefully – Robin hasn't shared anything about what happened to his lover, the one he cannot be with anymore, and she never asked, assumed it was similar to her situation – she was a maid or a peasant and his family didn't approve of their relationship. But she has never though that his lover might be dead.
"He was disappearing before my eyes. I couldn't let my son die from heartache and the only way I could think of to cure it was a child," Mrs. Locksley continues her story, "Children have their way of changing lives, and I thought that maybe, if we found a nice girl, he could even fall in love with her and be happy, have a family and a life he deserved."
For a moment, Regina sits there, stunned, not knowing what to say. When she met Robin, he didn't seem depressed to her. On their nightly meetings while they were trying to get to know each other he didn't show any kind of sadness too.
But there were a few times when she caught him staring at nowhere, his gaze blank.
Oh Gods!
"He found you, and Regina, finally, after years of sad, forced smiles, he's finally actually smiling." Robin's mother says, taking Regina's hands in hers and squeezing it lightly, making Regina look up into her eyes. "I don't know what is happening between you two, and I don't think he's falling in love with you just yet but he's smiling, and he's taking you on trips, he's not sitting behind closed doors anymore. He's alive again, thanks to you."
Regina doesn't know what to say, this newly found information has shocked her to the core, so she just stares at Mrs. Locksley in shock.
"Whatever it is that you're doing, please, don't stop," the older woman says.
Regina nods her head, swallowing hard – she's not doing anything. To be honest, she doesn't think she's helping Robin at all – after all, there's no connection between them, only an uncertain friendship of sorts. She realizes that all this sudden happiness around him must be fake. He's faking it for the sake of his mother.
"It's getting dark, so let's head back," Mrs. Locksley says, standing up.
"I'll stay here for a while, if you don't mind," Regina smiles a bit, and the older woman nods her head, wishes Regina a good night and walks back to the castle.
For a while, Regina just stares at these apple trees and thinks. If Robin's mother is saying the truth, then this sudden change in his mood is clearly an act. And Regina cannot even imagine how does it feel to lose the love of your life and then be forced to marry someone else.
She must say that she agrees with her mother-in-law. A child could change everything for them. Having a baby would actually make all of them happy – perhaps Robin would actually feel happier than he is now, Mrs. Locksley would have a grandchild to love and would see her son happy again, and Regina… Regina would finally be happy with Daniel.
With that thought in mind, Regina stands up from the bench and rushes back to the castle before she changed her mind.
(…)
Inhaling shakily, Regina knocks on Robin chamber's doors. Anxiously, she shifts her weight from one leg to another as she wonders whether or not she's making the right decision.
In a moment Robin opens the door. His eyes widen in surprise when he finds her standing there but he recovers quickly and opens the door so Regina can come in.
"What are you doing here?" he asks curiously when he closes the door behind her and turns to look at her.
Staring straight into his eyes, Regina exhales shakily, collects all of her courage and states, "I'm ready. I'm ready to start trying for a baby."
.
.
.
(...)
Please, let me know what you think!
Also, if you are still interested in this story, I can try to update more often, like once in two months or something like that, just let me know that you want to read more! :)