This will be my last update before Love from OQ, sorry it's been so long! This is unbetaed, so I apologize for any mistakes. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
The day of the Water Festival dawned bright and clear. Regina was nervous- after all, she had never been to Sherwood Forest, not even with her parents on a diplomatic mission for the kingdom, and would be there in the evening, so she would have to make her way home in the dark. She suspected that if she asked, Robin would escort her home, but she knew that she couldn't be completely certain of that. After all, the rumors she had heard about him for years spoke of a Robin Locksley who was far different from the man she had known as Phoenix. She was eager to finally discern which of the two was the real Robin Locksley, and she knew- she hoped- that seeing him among the people of Sherwood would help her see the real Robin.
First, though, she had to get through another day's hard work. She had learned quickly that the life her friends led was no fairy tale: constantly cleaning the palace to ensure that everything was spotless, cooking and scrubbing the pots and pans they had used until their hands were wrinkled from being in the water for so long. She had long been aware that her mother worked the servants too hard and never gave them a vacation, which was why she had always helped Mary and Emma when she could. But even then, because of her role in the kingdom, they had never let her do the more arduous tasks, and while she was grateful for that now, she wanted to find a way to make it better for all of them.
As she worked, she had a lot of time to think, and her thoughts strayed to Tinkerbell and her remaining two wishes. After seeing what the daily life of peasants in her kingdom was like, she wanted to use her remaining wishes for the betterment of their lives.
At the same time though, now that she was aware of Phoenix's real identity, she knew that she needed to return to her former life. The thought of Zelena, her spoiled, selfish sister, marrying someone like Robin and gaining all the power necessary to completely destroy their kingdom was a thought she didn't want to contemplate. Though she hoped that Robin was sensible enough to refuse her sister's whims that would destroy the kingdom even more and had more of an iron will than her father, she knew that Zelena was cunning and persuasive, traits she had inherited from their mother. Even if Robin kept his wits about him, there was no guarantee that Zelena wouldn't find a way to destroy everything Misthaven had.
By the time the hour had arrived for her to get ready for going to the Water Festival with Robin, her resolve had strengthened. She would spend this time getting to know the real Robin Locksley and find out whether or not the rumors she had always heard about him were true. From there, she would decide on her next course of action.
******"*
Regina had never had so much trouble choosing what to wear. She was used to having as many dresses as she could wish, all in her preferred color and style, at her disposal whenever she wanted them.. However, as a member of the working class, she had had to be thankful for the fact that she, Mary, and Emma were all the same size, something that she had taken advantage of when Reina was her alias for frequenting the taverns, and she did again on this occasion. She was borrowing Mary's red dress, which brushed the shorter girl's ankles, but fell to just below Regina's knees. A black ribbon tied tightly in a bow at her back allowed her to draw the dress tightly against her waist. Instead of the shoes whose straps would crisscross, covering her feet, with a high heel that she would always need to be wary of, she was wearing much more sensible boots that nevertheless were a perfect match for her dress.
She stopped by Granny's tavern on her way through the forest, curious to see how the proprietor and her granddaughter would interact with her now that they were members of the same class. Before Tinkerbell had granted her wish, Granny and Ruby were the only ones who knew her secret: that Reina was in fact Princess Regina of Misthaven. That fact had made them both protective of her, especially Granny. The woman was three times Regina's age, but she was feisty, with a no-nonsense attitude that made patrons of her tavern know that they all needed to maintain civilized behavior when they entered her establishment. It was the reason that Regina had always chosen Granny's tavern whenever she needed to get away from her mother's overbearing presence. She trusted them, and she knew that even though their relationship had likely changed, she needed to see the two strong women to give herself a boost of courage before she met Robin on the other side of the forest.
She entered the tavern and went up to the counter. Ruby turned, and before Regina could even say anything, she greeted her with a cheerful, "Hey, Reina. Ready to take a load off after a hard day? Wait one minute, I'll get your usual. Then I'll take a break so you and I can catch up, it's been ages since you were last here. Go sit in one of the booths and I'll be there in a minute."
Regina found a booth in the corner of the room, as far from prying eyes as she could get. Even as the princess of Misthaven who would inherit the throne upon her father's passing, she had never enjoyed the attention from other people that came with her role in the kingdom. As she surveyed the room, she saw Robin's friends Will and Alan sitting at one of the nearby tables. They must not have noticed her, or Robin hadn't told them the information she had entrusted him with, for which she was grateful. She may have told him who she was out of necessity, but she knew that if the information was more widespread, she could end up in a situation that was even more tangled than her present circumstances.
"I thought you were interested in Phoenix?" a voice asked. Turning, Regina found Ruby's green eyes alive with mirth, and just a hint of concern. She supposed that she would be looking at her longtime friend the same way if she had caught her looking at another woman the same way she looked at Belle, who ran the village's library. Her gaze at the moment, however, held nothing that should have raised Ruby's suspicions.
"I am," she rushed to assure her friend. "But as you likely already know, Will and Alan are his friends. I was looking at them and thinking of Phoenix." This conversation was so strange to her. Knowing her true identity, Ruby had never sought her friendship. Even though she and her grandmother knew her, it was possible that Ruby had always considered her companionship out of her reach. Now that she was a peasant, though, it would seem that their relationship was more than that of mere acquaintances, and after a lifetime of only having two real friends, Regina was looking forward to this opportunity to get to know Ruby better.
"Fair enough," her new friend acknowledged. "So how was work at the castle today? Was Zelena as mean as ever?"
Regina groaned. That was one aspect of her life now that she did not enjoy. She had always known that Zelena was rude to the people who waited on them hand and foot, but had never imagined that she treated them with the cruelty that she had shown Regina ever since she made her wish. It was clear that when in private, Zelena was nothing but reprehensible to the servants, and if she ever regained her previous place in their kingdom, Regina would make sure to have a word with her father about Zelena's behavior. She didn't want to say anything negative about her sister, but she was, "Horrible. She doesn't know when to quit. Catering to her every whim is definitely something I don't relish doing."
"What'd she do this time?" Ruby asked sympathetically with a grimace.
Regina chuckled darkly. "What didn't she do? Made us wash her even though she's perfectly capable of doing it herself, had us help her put on the simplest of dresses, put on her makeup, and bring her food all day and run errands for her. It's surprising that she isn't as big as a house with how much she consumes. She doesn't move around the castle either, all she does is sit and order us around all day and whine for her mother." This last grievance was something that had irked Regina even before her wish, but annoyed her to no end now. "And when she isn't doing that, she's talking about Robin Locksley." Hearing her sister talk about the man who had consumed her every thought since they met a few days before was worrisome. Like her mother, what Zelena wanted, Zelena often got, and if Robin was even half the man that Phoenix had been (which, she had to admit, still remained to be seen), Regina didn't even want to think about the two of them spending time together. Zelena would likely ruin what little goodness there still was in Robin, something she didn't want to see come to pass.
"Oh yes, how is the pompous king wannabe?" Ruby asked. "Is he as terrible as everyone always says?"
"I… don't know," Regina confessed, not wanting to share her full story but wanting to be honest with her friend at the same time. "I'm hoping to find out soon though." She was well aware that she wouldn't know Robin after only one night spent in each other's company in addition to the time they had already spent together, but she hoped that it would at least allow her to have a better idea of his character- and, more importantly, whether she could trust him or not.
Robin entered Granny's tavern and while he did notice that Will and Alan were there, his eyes seemed to be immediately drawn not to his friends, but to Regina, who was sitting in a corner booth talking to Ruby.
He chuckled. Apparently they had had the same idea: come to the tavern to get rid of a few jitters before their evening began.
The two women seemed engaged in their conversation and Robin didn't want to interrupt, but soon he remembered that Will and Alan were there and walked over to them, stopping to order a drink along the way. Of course, he didn't want to show up to the Water Festival inebriated, and had no desire for his mental state to change for the entirety of the evening. However, he did want to have just one drink now to get the edge off a little bit. He had no idea what ridiculous rumors said about him in the Enchanted Forest, but if they were anything like what was said about Zelena in Sherwood Forest (and perhaps about Regina too, before her wish had wiped away all traces of her life as princess), what was said was the furthest thing from reality, and he would have to work hard to ensure that she didn't leave him tonight with the wrong impression of him. Anyone else would question why he was trying so hard when she had kept her true identity from him, especially when her story bordered on the realm of unbelievable, but he had done the same to her in keeping his real identity from her, so in his eyes they were even.
"Care to join us, mate?" Will asked, patting the empty space in the booth beside him.
Robin hesitated. He wanted to, but, "If I join you, I'll be here for hours, and I only have a little time before I need to meet Reina." He would have kept her true identity a secret from everyone he knew, but he hadn't wanted to share the burden of their complicated situation alone, so he had told John, but the secret hadn't spread further than that amongst his friends, for he trusted John to keep his secrets. Will, on the other hand, was known among them for having a loose tongue, so he had kept Reina's real name a secret from him.
"Aw, come on, mate," Will complained. "Sit back, have a pint of ale with us."
"You know well that I prefer whiskey," Robin reminded him needlessly, well aware of how many nights he had spent with his friend in this very tavern.
"Ale, whiskey, it doesn't matter," Will responded, waving to Ruby, who rose from where she was still talking with Regina and walked toward them. "Either way, you should have a drink with us."
"Will, I've told you, there's no need," Robin said. Turning to Ruby once she was within earshot, he apologized. "I'm sorry, Ruby, you have been pulled away from your conversation with Reina for no reason. All is well here."
Ignoring Will, who was calling after him, Robin walked toward Regina, who stood. "Are you ready to go?" he asked her.
"Shouldn't I be asking you the same question?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked beyond him to his friends. "It seems like Will wants you to stay."
"He does," Robin acknowledged. "But the purpose of tonight is for us to get to know each other better. Will and I can have a drink together another night."
"All right," Reina said, holding out a hand. "Shall we?"
With that, he put his hand in hers, and Robin couldn't help marveling at how perfectly their hands fit together, their fingers intertwining without any conscious thought behind the action.
With that, they walked out of the tavern, and Robin smiled down at Regina. He couldn't wait to see what this night together would bring.
As she and Robin drew ever nearer to his lands, Regina grew more and more anxious. She knew that she was safe with Robin, but she had no idea what she would find at this Water Festival. People in Misthaven had whispered terrible things about Robin and his people for so long that although she wanted to keep an open mind, that wasn't as easy of a task as it should have been. Murmurings of his conceited nature, how it was said that he believed everyone should agree to his every ridiculous request, had made their way to her ears for so long that she knew that only the words of his people tonight and the way they treated him could begin to convince her otherwise.
It was immediately apparent to her when they had reached the festivities. Booths were set up at intervals around the perimeter of the field that was next to the forest. The booths took up every square inch as well, leaving room in between them for people to walk. As Regina neared the center of the festival grounds, Robin at her side, she saw that the centerpiece of the festival was an enormous spout of water which broke off into several different springs. Children were running under each of the arches formed by the fountain, their happy shrieks of laughter warming Regina's heart.
"So what's the story behind the Water Festival?" she asked, "What does it celebrate?" Their lands had never been very amiable before their betrothal (or so she had thought, she realized bitterly as she recalled Cora's rendezvous with Robin's father), so she had never known much about the beliefs or customs about Sherwood before.
As they ventured even closer to the fountain, Robin began to explain. "In Sherwood, we value nature above all else, because it gives us life. Like this festival, each of our four biggest festivals of the year celebrate one of the four elements: fire, earth, air, and, of course, water. The booths you see around us all incorporate the element in some way, whether that's with a craft for children or a demonstration of what that element can do."
The last part of his explanation piqued Regina's interest. "Something that element can do? Like magic?"
"Sometimes," Robin shrugged. He gestured at the booths that surrounded them. "Let's take a walk around. It'll be easier to show you than to try to tell you."
With that, they began to stop at each booth- though Regina doubted that would last very long, as there were far too many booths at the festival for them to possibly have enough time to stop at each of them. One booth was a game where she and Robin pulled levers, which allowed water to move along a predetermined track. On the tracks were wooden ducks, which with the movement of water were able to race to the end of the track. Regina was frustrated, but couldn't help laughing, when Robin beat her not just once but twice. Another booth had miniature versions of the fountain that resided in the center of the field, with a flower as the source of the water.
Another booth had blankets that were entirely made of water. Regina was skeptical about the concept, but then Robin asked if he could borrow one of them for a moment, and when the woman selling them handed one over with a smile, he wrapped the blanket around Regina's shoulders. She immediately felt the waves envelope her in nothing short of a soothing embrace. Like the ocean that she could never stay away from during their rare trips to the sea, the blanket moved gently over her, its motions reminiscent of the body of water she loved most. She sighed, holding the blanket close and wrapping it more tightly around her. A more comfortable- and comforting- item she had never found in her entire life.
"How did you make this?" she asked the proprietor, a woman with dark skin and long curly hair.
"Magic," she answered simply.
Regina stared down at the blanket in wonder. Remembering where she was and slightly embarrassed at her overreaction to the comfort the blanket could bring, she extracted herself from the blanket, folded it, and handed it back. "It's lovely, thank you so much for letting me try it." She rummaged in the pouch at her waist for the Sherwood currency she had brought with her in anticipation of wanting to buy a souvenir. "How much would you like for it?"
"Oh, didn't Robin explain? It's free, dear," the woman said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"What?" Regina asked, turning to look at him. Why was it free? Was it just because he was the son of a lord?
"He comes to help me at my cottage whenever he can," the woman explained. "Things aren't as easy for me as they used to be, so Robin lends a hand."
"I haven't been able to come as often as I'd like lately," Robin admitted. "You should take the money, Ursula, you need it more than we do."
"Yes, please," Regina insisted, rummaging in her pouch again, but the older woman insisted.
"Nonsense. If Robin is bringing you to see me, you clearly mean a lot to him. Any friend of Robin's is a friend of mine."
She laughed when she saw Robin's cheeks turn red as cherries. His arm wrapped around her and he ushered her away from Ursula's table.
As they walked, she wondered about what she had just witnessed. She didn't know if this theory would hold true for everyone they met that night, but it was clear that Robin had positively affected at least one person's life in his kingdom.
They continued to make their way among the booths, witnessing everything from crafts to food that were all related to the festival's theme. Naturally, Regina wondered if what she had witnessed between Ursula and Robin was an anomaly, if he only selected a few of the townspeople to help in his spare time. However, everyone they met had nothing but positive things to say about the lord's son.
She marveled at each new booth they visited, but the only one that stood out just as much as Ursula's table was manned by a girl with flaming red hair. It was clear in the way she flipped her long hair and batted her eyelashes at Robin that they not only had met before, but that there was some kind of history between them- or at least, the girl wanted his attention in a way that made Regina see red. She watched Robin closely, wondering what he would do, and to her immense satisfaction, he seemed to be completely oblivious to the girl's agenda. His attention was focused on the table before him, and Regina's gaze shifted to below where the redhead, who was around their age, was now talking incessantly, trying to monopolize Robin's attention.
On the table were several beautiful conch shells of various sizes and colors. Only when Regina picked one up to examine it did the woman seem to be brought back to her senses. "Do you like them?" she asked, hope filling her eyes, which were as blue as the summer sky.
"It's lovely," Regina acknowledged easily, holding it up. As the shell got closer to her ear, she thought she heard a sound that was unlike any of the sounds around them, but was near and dear to her. Every time they visited their palace on the coast, Regina had wished that she could bottle that sound and take it with her wherever she went, and to her amazement, that seemed to be exactly what the woman had done. The closer the shell got to her ear, the louder the crash of waves against the shore became and she closed her eyes and listened, the sound taking her miles away to her parents' palace by the sea, where she had spent every moment of each trip they took there jumping in the waves and swimming. She knew that was why she had enjoyed Ursula's gift so much as well: this festival and all of the wares sold reminded her of the happiest times she had ever had in her life.
"This is amazing," she praised the artisan, and the woman beamed.
"Thank you so much. I grew up by the sea, and now living in Sherwood, I had to find a way to keep my home with me, so I made these. They're meant to be soothing, to lull babies and young children to sleep. However, I find that sometimes, the people who need them most are adults. Everyone needs a way to calm down, right! So I found a way to do that for people with the sounds of the ocean that I love."
"It's incredible," Regina praised, unable to resist bringing the shell even closer to her ear, her eyes almost closing as she listened to the calming sound.
The redhead nodded her thanks and continued, "That's not all it does, either. Once you've had the shell for awhile, it will start to get to know you, including the sounds you enjoy the most. It can easily adjust to emit birdsong or even the voice of the person you love the most.
"It can be used as a communication device as well," she said, handing a second shell to Robin. "Go ahead, try it. All you need to do is think of someone and hear that person's voice in your mind, and you'll be able to hear them and communicate with them."
Regina concentrated for a moment, hearing Robin's soothing voice in her mind. "How do we know that the connection has gone through?" she asked, but her question was immediately answered when she heard the sound of Robin's breathing resonate directly in her ear instead of the .
"Robin?" she asked in wonder, and his chuckle resounded both beside her and in the shell that she was holding to her ear.
"Hello, milady," he whispered, and Regina couldn't stop smiling at the sound of his voice coming through the shell and the infinite possibilities this would open up to them. Communication between the two sides of the forest tended to be in exchanging letters only or traveling through Sherwood Forest, and with this woman's wares, they would be able to bypass the time that that method of communication took and be able to talk to each other whenever they wished.
Her eyes met the blue ones of the merchant, hoping that hers conveyed her wonder and amazement. "This is amazing. How did you accomplish this?"
She grinned, her sky-blue eyes filled with mischief. "Now, I won't share tradesman's secrets- but I will say that I have always loved singing and wished to share that gift with those around me. That's how the shellphone came to be."
"Would you like one?" Robin asked, his smile indicating that he knew the answer to his own question.
Instead of answering him, Regina asked the inventor, "How much are they?"
"Oh, there's no cost at all for a friend of Robin's," the proprietor said, reaching out and stroking Robin's arm with a familiarity that made Regina see green and red all at once. Yes, she and Robin were using this time to get to know each other better, but at the same time, how dare this woman use such familiarity with him? If everything turned out the way Regina hoped it would, Robin was hers.
"Ariel, I must insist," Robin said, extracting a pouch similar to Regina's own from a pocket. "You have six sisters and your father to support."
Six sisters? Regina thought that having one sister was bad enough. She couldn't imagine having to keep track of what so many sisters were doing all at once. If Ariel's sisters were anything like Regina's, keeping track of their movements was necessary- and would likely be tricky, considering she had five more sisters to keep track of than Regina did. Despite her earlier jealousy, Regina felt a sympathy for Ariel that she hadn't expected given the girl's overly flirtatious behavior. Curious and trying to begin a friendship with someone who clearly has some role in Robin's life, she asked, "How on earth do you manage to look after that many sisters? I only have one, and I barely know what she's doing from day to day." Realizing something, she held out her hand. "Robin has forgotten his manners, so we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Reina."
At the prospect of giving Ariel her alias instead of giving the girl her real name, Robin glanced at her quickly, then looked away, clearly not wanting to raise suspicion. While it was clear that Robin trusted this girl and that by extension Regina should too, she didn't want the same thing to happen with Ariel that had happened with Robin. The less people who were involved in the complicated mess that was her life at the moment, the better.
"I'm Ariel," the other woman said, holding out her hand for Regina to shake. "It's a struggle, I'll admit," she added with a laugh. "Six sets of friends, six potential suitors…"
"Suitors?" Regina repeated in surprise. "You don't look old enough to have six younger sisters old enough for suitors."
"Appearances can be deceiving," Ariel admitted. "I'm older than I look."
Busy trying to find common ground with someone that Robin clearly considered a friend, Regina almost didn't notice her wrap her arm around Robin's waist. She expected Robin to shrug her off, but he just squeezed her waist in return, and jealousy reared its ugly head again. How she was supposed to see this and not wonder where Robin's heart lay, she didn't know.
She stormed off, her hand falling from Robin's. She glanced around at the nearby booths, walking toward one that had a woman with dark hair whose table was filled with small bottles that were filled with a blue substance that Regina guessed was water of some kind.
"Trying to get away from someone?" the woman asked sympathetically, gesturing for her to come closer.
"Yes," Regina admitted.
"Yeah, Ariel may be nice and mean well sometimes, but she can be nothing but a flirt," the tan woman informed her, tossing her long braid over her shoulder. Holding out her hand, she introduced herself. "I'm Jasmine."
"Reina," Regina responded, holding out her hand to shake the other girl's. Gesturing toward her table with its various bottles, Regina asked, "What's all this?"
"Oh, let me show you!" the woman exclaimed, clearly excited to show off her merchandise. Turning behind her to the empty expanse of grass (Regina belatedly noticed that she was positioned at the edge of the glade), Jasmine opened the bottle and angled it so that the water could spill out onto the expanse beneath them. The droplets seemed to expand once they hit the ground, until what was in front of them wasn't grass, but what seemed to be a small pond.
"Wow," Regina marveled, walking around the pond so she could examine it from every angle. "This is incredible. How did you come up with this idea?"
"I live in another land called Agrabah, a land where it doesn't rain often," Jasmine told her. "People in my kingdom need water to survive, so this is a way for them to have that. It may look like natural water, but unlike some natural water, like oceans, this water is safe to drink."
"Your kingdom?" Regina asked, noticing the way her new friend had phrased the sentence. Was it possible that she had met another princess completely by accident and pure chance?
"Yes," Jasmine confirmed, nodding. "I am Agrabah's princess."
Unsure if she should reveal her own secret just yet, Regina asked, "And you just came to Sherwood on your own, without any guards?" She was envious again, but for an entirely different reason this time. If only her mother had ever let her out of her sight long enough for Regina to have the freedom that Jasmine had!
"It's a long story, but yes," Jasmine said. "I am actually here seeking aid for my kingdom. The man who has overthrown my father, Jafar, is allying himself with the ruler of Underland, and I fear for the future of my country. My father and I were both imprisoned, but I escaped. Now I need to find allies in other kingdoms in the hopes that we can change the fate of my kingdom."
Regina hesitated. Should she tell Jasmine who she really was? She wanted to help her as much as she could, and to do that, she would have to entrust her with her secrets, despite only meeting her ten minutes ago.
Before she could decide one way or the other, though, she saw Robin heading in their direction. To her surprise, Ariel wasn't hanging on his arm, and she wondered what had happened to her. From all appearances, she hadn't wanted to let go of the closest thing Sherwood had to a prince, and Robin, oblivious to her actions, was letting her do whatever she wanted. She wanted to hide from him, but knew that that was the immature course of action. Instead, when he approached and asked if he could talk to her, she silently followed him to a more secluded area of the festival grounds.
"What made you run off?" he asked, clearly unwilling to beat around the bush and getting straight to the point.
She groaned. Typical man. He was completely oblivious to what Ariel had been trying to do. "She seemed to be flirting with you and I thought I'd just make her job easier."
*Flirting?" he repeated in amazement. "No she wasn't. That's just the way Ariel is. She loves hugging everyone and is very touchy in general, and I know this about her, so I- oh," he realized, smirking. "You were jealous."
"I was not," Regina denied, her cheeks red as strawberries.
"You were," Robin stated, his expression growing serious. "But you don't need to be, Regina. This, whatever is between us? I realize we're just getting to know each other, but I'm all in. All right?"
She looked into his eyes, finding nothing but sincerity there. "Okay." Leading him back to Jasmine, she introduced them.
"The princess of Agrabah," Robin said as he shook her hand. "It's an honor to have you here." Regina noticed that he immediately knew the princess's identity, and she cursed her mother for letting her be so ignorant even though she was going to be the one ruling the kingdom someday- if she ever decided to regain her former position, that is.
"The honor is mine," she told him. "This is always such a wonderful festival, I bring my wares to it every year."
"What do you bring? I think I've missed them every year," he admitted, and Regina smiled as Jasmine showed off her portable ponds. It was clear that the princess was proud of her work, and rightfully so. Regina had never seen anything like her invention- or, truthfully, anything at the festival. Each of the inventors had crafted something unique, and Regina was impressed with their craftsmanship. She worried that she was turning into her sister and mother too, because she wanted many of the items on display. Robin's friends had kindly given her the blanket and shellphone, but she knew that she must not get much else, or she would be just as bad as the rest of her family.
She noticed that the others' conversation had changed, that they were now discussing Agrabah and Underland, and she paid attention to the discussion once more. Was it possible that they would all three work together to see the ruin of the unjust rulers? She had yet to decide if she would trust Jasmine with her true identity or not, and in the meantime, she would still, of course, help to bring down Underland and her mother and Robin's father. They weren't certain what exactly was going on, but she knew that something was afoot, and it was up to them to stop it.
As Robin and Jasmine spoke of the two kingdoms and what was transpiring across the lands, Regina contributed what she knew as best she could. She didn't really know the extent of the monarchs'' betrayal and knew that reconnaissance would have to be done so they had more information to aid them in their efforts, but given that she knew at least one of the people involved extremely well (as did both Robin and Jasmine, she reminded herself), she thought that they each might be able to contribute something to the discussion.
Jasmine, of course, wondered how she knew so much about the royal family, thinking that she was one of their subjects. It was then that Robin's hand found hers and she squeezed it. It was time for her new friend to find out her real identity.
"It's a little complicated, but I'm one of the princesses of Misthaven," she told her new friend. "My real name is Regina."
Jasmine raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Why tell me that your name is Reina then? You seemed to want to be my friend."
"It's… complicated," Regina told her, exchanging a look with Robin. "I am the princess who will one day rule the kingdom, but technically I'm not at the moment thanks to a wish. I didn't want anyone else to feel like they had to deal with the complicated mess that is my life at the moment."
"That's brilliant though!" Jasmine exclaimed. "I don't remember Queen Cora and King Henry having two daughters, so I must not remember how things were before your wish, but your current position is advantageous to us. No one will notice you sneaking around, whereas if you were still Princess Regina, everyone would want to know your whereabouts at all times! You're in the perfect position to sneak around."
"You believe me, then?" Regina asked, astounded. How did she manage to meet the two people who would believe her so easily, without any proof to show the validity of her story? She knew that not everyone would- that not everyone should. Genies who granted wishes were supposed to be the stuff of legends, not real beings who were given to her in a magical lamp for free by a peddler. She wondered now who the peddler was. Clearly, he had known that what he was giving Regina was quite valuable, and would bring chaos and unimaginable choices to her life- and he knew a thing or two about magic, something Regina knew was not commonplace among many people in the kingdom. Stories her father had told her when she was a child had taught her that magic was to be approached with great caution. She knew now that she had not heeded his advice when confronted with Tinkerbell, that she should have taken more time to decide what her first wish should be. However, she had been so enamored with the effects of infatuation, what one might call love at first sight, that she had thrown caution to the wind, telling the fairy the first wish that came to her mind when she asked without thinking it through.
"Of course," Jasmine said. "There are tales of genies and magic lamps in my land as well. In fact, I know a man who has used one. So it's not hard to believe that you have encountered a magic lamp."
Regina nodded. Returning to the original topic of conversation, she said, "When do we want to meet again to discuss what I've discovered?"
"Two days?" Agrabah's princess suggested, and Robin and Regina nodded. That would give them just enough time to gather information and hopefully discover what the elder rulers were planning.
Nodding, she started gathering her things, and Robin and Regina helped her, putting the bottles in carpetbags and folding the tablecloth she had used. When they parted ways, Robin and Regina strolled away in silence. It was now the final hour of the festival for the evening, but Regina knew that it was a week-long event, so the same merchants would be back to sell their inventions the next day.
At the edge of the forest, she made Robin pause. "You don't have to walk me all the way back to the palace. It would be the middle of the night before you returned, you'd lose any chance you might have to sleep."
"I appreciate your concern, but I'll be all right, I promise," Robin assured her.
"That may be, but it still may not be wise for you to escort me home. What would Zelena or my mother think if they saw you with me?" she asked him, and he pulled her closer until their foreheads touched.
"I don't care what they think. Now more than ever, I know that I was meant to be with you, as Reina or Regina. That is, if you've forgiven Ariel for her overly enthusiastic display of affection earlier?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Worry lines were etched on his face, and it was clear from his words and his tone that this had been bothering him since it occurred earlier that evening.
She saw the sincerity in his eyes and knew that what he had said earlier was true, that she didn't need to worry about competing with Ariel- or Zelena, for that matter- for his love. "All right," she said. "She's forgiven. But maybe only walk me to Granny's."
"Deal," he agreed. With that settled, they walked back through the forest, talking as they went. Determined to get to know him better (it had been the purpose of their outing tonight, after all), Regina had asked him about his years growing up on the Locksley estate and his friends. It had always been clear to Regina that the men she always saw Robin with were close, which was proven by his stories about them. She wished she had had a group of friends like that growing up, but her mother's strict ways had always prevented that, with the exception of Mary and Emma of course.
At last they reached the doors of Granny's tavern, and turned to face each other. "You're sure you'll be all right on your own?" Robin asked.
She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Suddenly, they seemed much too close, their faces a mere foot apart. Suddenly, she grabbed him by the collar and closed the remaining distance between them, their lips melding together as if made for each other. His arms came around her and lifted her off her feet, spinning her around while the whole time, his tongue delved into her mouth and danced with hers, the intricate steps as old as time itself, yet so unfamiliar to her, given that she had never been kissed by anyone before.
When they finally came up for air, he reached out and stroked her cheek gently, the tenderness of the gesture making her melt for him in a way she had never known before. "I have to go," she reminded him. "And so do you."
"I know, but I-" he broke off, shaking his head. "Two days is too long."
"I know," she agreed. "But think about it: the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner we'll see each other again."
He smiled at that promise and they parted ways, Regina smiling all the way home. She knew that a lot of work still needed to be done, but she knew she could do it with Robin and Jasmine by her side.