Merry Christmas Lena! As requested, here's an update of Of Princesses and Paupers. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

When he and Roland got home from rehearsals, while Roland went up to his room, likely to change so he could go out and practice archery (a hobby that yes, Robin had passed on to his nephew/godson), Robin went into the den to check on his brother.

"How'd it go?" John asked, not quite able to hide the grin on his face.

That jerk. "You knew," Robin accused, pointing a finger at his brother. "Why did you let me walk into that blind? I looked like an ignorant idiot."

John signed. "I realize it wasn't the ideal scenario, but Robin, you need something to do while you're here other than taking care of me and chauffeuring Roland. You can't just spend all your free time wishing you were still married to Marian. She left you for Keith, now you need to move on with your life. Not in a romantic sense," he added hurriedly when he saw the daggers that were shooting from Robin's eyes. "But you do need to find a job, make new friends here, and I thought helping with Renn Fest might be a good first step."

Robin was quiet for a minute. His brother did have a point, but still, "You didn't think it was a good idea to ask me before you planned this?"

John sighed. "You would've immediately not wanted to do it, insisted you were fine-"

"I am fine!" Robin protested. "I can't believe you're doing this! Did Roland know about all this manipulation?"

"No, of course not!" John answered indignantly. "I didn't want to ruin this for him. We've gone to Renn Fest every year for as long as he can remember, and he's wanted to be one of the people helping out for that entire time, but they're not allowed to join in until they're in middle school. Therefore, this is the first year he's been able to do it, so I wasn't going to ruin it for him in any way. I'd appreciate it if you could do the same."

"Of- of course," Robin stammered. Yes, he would likely hate every second of it, but if it truly meant this much to Roland, he could put up with weekly practices and a summer of running around in a forest, couldn't he? He would just have to make things interesting for himself, and the role Regina had given him was starting to give him some ideas...

(********)

To Robin's relief, Roland was only required to attend practices for Renn Fest once a week. Though it seemed that he had laid the groundwork for new friendships during the first rehearsal, he still didn't know how he felt about the queen running the show. She seemed more austere than anything, and while yes, the others had assured him that there was more to her story than he knew, he still didn't want to get on her bad side… or maybe he did, just a little. After all, she had told him to be a thief with Will. She clearly had no idea of his past, or she would have never given him the role- and he was going to have a lot of fun making sure she regretted her decision every day of rehearsals, as well as during Renn Fest itself.

They drove to the auditorium where practices were held and entered the building with Roland babbling excitedly about rehearsals that day. Robin remained quiet the entire time, not wanting to discourage his nephew, but not wanting to lie to him about his lack of enthusiasm for the event either.

When they arrived at the auditorium, they were greeted by a shouted instruction from Regina to sign in and find a seat with their groups.

"Groups?" Robin repeated as he and Roland each grabbed a pen to sign in.

"Yeah!" Roland said eagerly as they each looked for their names on a long list of people. Robin was surprised just how many citizens had been roped into being participants in this- although then he remembered the rule that each teen involved in the festival had to have a participating parent as well. How many other people were here only because they were persuaded to do it by their kids? Maybe they could form a support group of sorts. "Everyone has a role at Renn Fest, so you sit with the people who have the same role as you."

He looked down at the sheet. Just as he had suspected, Regina had assigned him the role of thief- or outlaw, as the sheet dubbed him. He couldn't help grinning. He would have fun with this, he was sure of it. He was going to make Regina's life a living nightmare, and he couldn't wait.

He glanced at the sheet to see who else was in his group. To his relief, Will, one of the men he had met the week before, would be working with him. It looked like they and a man named Matt Much would be the only three outlaws. He was already plotting ways the three of them could cause mischief during the festival and make it entertaining enough for their visitors that Regina wouldn't be able to say a word against it. Now he just needed to get the others in on his plan.

However, the second he sat down next to the two men he'd be working so closely with, Regina drew everyone's attention to the front of the room. Apparently this woman was serious about wasting no time. He would have to watch his step around her for now, so that when the festival began, she wouldn't be suspecting his antics- and then he'd be able to get away with them.

After an hour of hearing her drone on about the historical context of the world they would be creating, she said, "I'll be coming around to give you your specific assignments. From there, work with your group to come up with ways to play your parts."

It took everything Robin had not to groan out loud. So much for his grand plan. They were supposed to be okay with this woman telling them how they were supposed to act all summer? Fat chance. He would go head-to-head with her if he had to, but there was no way he was doing that. No one bossed Robin Locksley around, not even his brother when he had made him come here. He had done it for Roland, and no one else.

When Regina arrived next to the row in the auditorium where he and the rest of the outlaws were sitting, she handed them each a packet. "I've put costume ideas, mannerisms, simple phrases, and a background for each of your characters. Remember, we all have a part to play here, so don't deviate from what's written here. If you have any questions or concerns, I'll be up at the front in a minute, come and see me and I'd be happy to help."

When he was sure she was out of earshot, Robin turned to the others and asked, "Is she always so…"

""Set in her ways?" the stranger supplied. He held out his hand. "Matt Much, but most people just call me Much. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah," Robin answered as he shook the other man's hand. "Robin Locksley."

"Regina's been in charge of this for a long time," Will told them sagely. "Yes, she's a right pain in the neck, but you have to give her some credit. She does manage to make sure we all pull everything together by the time the festival starts and manages to make sure everything runs smoothly all summer. Not everyone can do that."

"Still though, don't you ever wish you could deviate from your character?" Robin asked.

Much shook his head. "We get costumes that aren't too hot, and she works with you to come up with a character you can both agree on. It all ends up working out in the end, trust me."

Will nodded. "There may be no love lost between Regina and me, but I do always respect her choices for me- partly because she lets me mess with her all summer long."

Then Much seemed to notice that Robin's packet of information was still unopened on his lap. "Why don't you see what Regina decided your character should be like? If you have any suggestions to make it better, you can go talk to her afterwards."

Seeing that the other man had a point whether Robin liked it or not, he turned his attention to the stack of papers Regina had handed him. It was clear that he wouldn't have an ally in Much this summer, but Will could possibly be swayed so that he helped Robin sabotage Regina's perfect festival.

Flipping through the pages, he saw that Regina had taken advantage of his name. It seemed to him that he was literally going to be playing Robin Hood in the flesh. While this suited his purposes of ruining her plans all summer, he did have a few adjustments in mind. He wasn't going to talk to her though. He didn't need her approval, he just needed Much and Will to work with him to make his plan a success.

When Regina called them all to order again, he turned to face her, surprised when a grin started spreading on his face. It was going to be an interesting summer, that was for sure.