A/N: for the OQ prompt party 2021, thursday.

prompts used:

161 : Robin and Regina are strangers who have been kidnapped/imprisoned in the cell next to each other
162 : One of them is tortured, the other cares for them after released from torture
170 : A kiss to heal
16 : Bedsharing
258 : A common enemy
34 : OQ + Nottingham
86 : Bandit OQ: Snow takes Robin captive to get revenge on Regina


when I see stars (that's all they are)

As she watches the sunset, she remembers the day they met.

There was a full moon – and she was wary of him, of that man destiny has thrown in her path, and she could never have imagined that one day she'd be here, in this moment, preparing to enter her nemesis' den to rescue him.

And yet, that's exactly what they're going to do tonight. Her heartbeat is traitorous, the sound of her fear thumping in her veins, because this may be the most important heist of her life: there's her heart on the line.

.:.

Regina can see the moon, from her cell.

She adds another line to her wall – it's been three days, now, and there's some hidden part of herself that is glad Snow is still far away, and that the Sheriff's methods are sloppy at their best, because she doesn't think he recognized in her the wanted bandit.

This is what she was aiming for when she decided to trespass the borders and end up in Sherwood forest – here, the posters with her face on them are decidedly more scarce than they are in Misthaven, and she has been able to breathe and get some respite. That is, until she made one tiny mistake and ended up in this filthy cell – she doesn't even remember how, but the man who was harassing her was able to walk away, whereas she's been taken here for questioning.

The Sheriff hasn't done much questioning for now.

He's always drunk, and he's an idiot, and she's actually quite pissed about how well these cells are made, because she hasn't been able to escape yet.

But that night, something shifts in the universe and she hears a noise – and the door of the cell next to hers opens, and a body gets thrown inside.

"I'll deal with you two in the morning," the Sheriff slurs out. He trudges away, and she knows he's going to sleep like the dead for the next eight hours.

Silence falls, and Regina hears a whimpering noise from the other cell. She can spot a figure behind the bars, and wonderful – it's a man, and there's no privacy here, just wonderful.

The man whines lowly.

"Hey?" she dares to ask, because even if he's dangerous, he's locked up, so he can't really do anything, can he? "Are you alright?"

He sputters, and tentatively tries to raise up. He's able to get to a sitting position, and that's good, he drags himself towards the wall, and sits with his back up. She can't see his features, but his eyes glint in the shadows. "I could be better."

"I'm sorry," she says, because as they say, his enemy is her enemy, right? "Who are you?"

"Robin of Locksley," he answers, "but they call me Robin Hood. And tonight, I've been really, really stupid."

"I'm sorry," Regina murmurs – she is sorry, these cells are a horrible place to end up in. "If it makes you feel better, I've been really stupid too."

"It doesn't, but thank you," he says. "And you are?"

She tries to think quickly, because he's a stranger, but he could know about Snow and everything else – but then again, she plans to be out of here very soon, and…

"I'm Regina. Just Regina."

"Well, I'd say it was a pleasure to meet you, Just Regina, but I'd have preferred to do so in other circumstances."

She scoffs at that – settles up against the wall of her cell, and looks longingly at the empty tray that used to hold her dinner. "That would have been better, yes."

"So have you got a plan for escaping?"

She turns towards him, her eyes widening. "What?"

"Oh come on. If you ended up here, you're not a common girl."

"Woman," she says haughtily. "And yes, if you must ask."

"Any chance you could send me a healer if you do escape? I could use one."

Regina's first impulse is to laugh – but she sees how he's crouching against his sternum, and she wonders if the beating he's received is more serious than it looks. "Well if you ended up here, Robin of Locksley, you're not a common boy either. How about we help each other?"

.:.

The Queen is… ruthless.

She has him tortured, at least once a day, and the newly-promoted Sheriff is all too happy to oblige. Sometimes, the Huntsman joins the Sheriff, and then he reports to Queen Snow – and once, the Queen herself has supervised the whole affair.

Robin likes to think of himself as a strong man, but he knows he's nearing his limit.

Everything hurts – his back, most of all, because the Queen likes to have it healed and then whipped again; but also his feet, his hands, his chafed skin. He knows exactly why he's here – as bait, because the Queen wants Regina, and Robin knows he won't get killed until Regina comes, because then…

"Oh, I'll force you to watch her die and then I'll kill you," the Queen has told him. "It's too bad that the Sheriff has learned your thieving patterns, Robin Hood, and it's too bad that you can't resist helping those in need. Capturing you has been so much simpler than capturing that elusive little bitch, and I can't wait for her to come here and fall right into my trap. But there's no reason we shouldn't have some fun while we wait for her, right?"

The Sheriff has been all too happy about his torture – and it is torture, Robin thinks, not only for the pain he constantly is in, but also because he fears for his love, he hopes she won't come here herself but rather send some of the Merry Men to free him, but… it's Regina, after all, and Regina will want a job well done, and Regina would never stay back where she's safe while others do the dirty work for her.

His cell is not unpleasant – the Queen clearly has high standards – but the torture room is way worse, to the point that he's been here since six days and he already dreads the moments when he hears the Sheriff's boots approaching.

Nottingham is always rough with him. He orders him dragged to the whipping station, and proceeds to skin him alive with glee, knowing that he's pleasing the Queen, and basking under the Huntsman's approving gaze.

"Are you close to your breaking point, you scum?" Nottingham asks him, but Robin can't answer, biting into the leather that's been stuffed between his teeth.

He bows his head, doesn't know if he should hope to die or for Regina to hurry and rescue him.

.:.

Her heart is thumping, as she walks the same corridors of her nightmares.

Her bow is ready, her arrow straight towards her target, as she kicks a door open – the Queen flinches, and meets her gaze in the mirror's reflection.

"At last, Regina."

Snow rises from her chair, and a psychotic smile spreads on her lips. Regina takes a step back, but her hands are still as she points the arrow towards the Queen.

"Don't come any closer."

"Don't you want to say hello?" Snow says, faking some sort of sadness at the thought. "So, I guess you've come for your thief."

Regina nods slowly, keeping her gaze trained on her target. "An exchange. I stay, and he leaves. You won't pursue him anymore. You can do whatever you want with me."

She sees the Queen as she pretends to think about it. "I see several weak points in your plan, darling. I mean, you've already turned yourself in. How do you plan to convince me to let him leave?"

"I know you wish to kill me," Regina says lowly. "If you don't release him, I'll kill myself. And you'll never find peace."

She can tell that the Queen is impressed – because Snow stops in her tracks, and raises her hands. "That is… a very interesting offer." She looks at her, just for a moment, a glint of madness in her eyes. Regina sees the fireball before she starts forming it, and her arrows runs towards the Queen, hits the hem of her dress, pins her to the ground –

a blue glow spreads from the tip of her arrow, up towards Snow's hand, and freezes the fireball in her hand –

Regina runs.

She runs back towards the window of the room, snatches open the vial she was carrying around her neck, and jumps.

She hears Snow's scream as she jumps, but the pixie dust makes her fly, and thank the gods she already practiced it, because she can find a direction for her flight and she can dive towards that one familiar carriage – the one that looks suspiciously like the prison van, more shouting from the Queen calling for her guards, and Regina holds her bow tight and –

When she lands, she's far away. They won't be able to trace her, because the arrow she left there has dissolved with the spell-blocking potion (and with a portion of Snow's dress, probably), and the horse Will has readied for her is here, and now she has to run, run towards camp, and –

She has to hope they managed to rescue Robin.

.:.

He wakes to brown eyes, and to the smell of lavender.

"Hi," a voice he knows whispers, and – it's Regina, the hand holding his is hers, her eyes full of tears as he slowly focuses his gaze and looks at her. She's disheveled – has a cut on her cheek, a leaf in her hair, and is still holding her bow. "I came as soon as I could. How… how are you feeling?"

"Thirsty," he says, closing his eyes. His back hurts – the Queen didn't heal him, and the Sheriff had just left him when the Merry Men arrived.

Regina gives him water, makes him sip holding his head up. "Better?"

"Thank you," he murmurs, and lets her guide him back down on the pillow. "We… we're at camp?"

"Yeah," she says, a smile between her tears. "You're safe now."

He nods, slowly, careful not to jostle his back. "…Thank you. For coming for me."

She gives him a pained smile, at that, and he wish he could comfort her – but he feels his head spin, and – again, everything becomes black.

.:.

He watches her as she hits Nottingham – once, then twice, and she raises, satisfied.

"Well thanks for your precious help, Robin of Locksley," Regina says, wiping her hands on her trousers. "Now, I'm afraid we must part ways. I shouldn't stay too long in this part of the country."

Robin lets a beat pass, and asks, "Before you go… would you let me offer you a pint of beer? It's the least I can do," he tells her, "to thank you for… well, all of this."

He gestures down to the fallen Sheriff, and sees Regina ponder his question. "Alright," she says, cautious. "Just one pint, and then I must go."

They walk together towards the tavern – could have stolen a horse, or two, but there's no reason to enrage the Sheriff further, and they'll be long gone before he wakes up.

"After you," he says, opens the door, and Regina goes straight towards the most secluded table – he notices her hood is back on, and he wonders if maybe there's something she isn't telling him, and if she's more than a simple outlaw. He joins her with two pints of beer, and sits in front of her.

"Thanks," she says, takes the glass, but she looks jumpy, nervous. "I really must go, soon."

Robin nods, looks at her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she dismisses his question, looks down at her glass. "Just… worried. I wanted to reach the borders before the snow comes."

"You know, we…" he hesitates, doesn't know if his words will be welcomed, but he tries nonetheless. "My men and I, we usually move camp for winter. It's a secluded spot, difficult to find, and it's perfect for the harshest season. You… you're welcome to stay with us, if you want."

She looks at him then – she stares at him, rather, looks deep into his eyes, and he shrugs. "It's easier to be an outlaw if you have people on your side, it's all I'm saying."

Regina nods, lost in thought for a moment. "I suppose," she says carefully. "I've… I've been on my own for a long time."

"There's still some more time before the winter comes," he takes a sip of beer, and says, "you could stay with us for a bit, see if you like the… atmosphere."

She smiles at that – the tiniest of smiles, but it's there. "Alright, Robin of Locksley," she murmurs. "And… thank you."

He nods at her, and can't help but feel a shadow of happiness in his heart – because there's something about her that he really likes, and he hopes he'll be able to repay his debt by making her spend the winter with the Merry Men. After all, she saved his life…

.:.

When he wakes again, she notices, because he stirs and whines lowly. They've laid him on his back, now, Friar Tuck has applied some kind of healing salve on the cuts on his back, and covered them with clean bandages.

"Shh, it's okay," she whispers, tries to calm him down. "I know it hurts, I'm sorry." She tries to gulp down her emotions, but it's more difficult than she thought, and she feels the tell-tale sting of tears rising up. "I'm so sorry," she sobs, can't help it, and he raises a hand to her cheek.

"Don't cry," he murmurs. "It's not your fault."

She shakes her head, because he's not thinking straight, it is her fault – whose fault would it be, of course it's her fault – but Robin wipes away her tears, and she lifts a hand to meet his own, on her cheek. She can see that this position is taking a toll on him, so she gently shifts his hand down, and squeezes it.

"I should have been quicker, I left you with… her… for too much time," she says, trying to control herself, trying to suppress her tears. "I'm so sorry, we had to retrieve squid ink so I could have a weapon against her magic, and that took three days, and we had to pay the guards and – "

"Regina, stop," she sees him struggling to talk, but he manages to whisper the words nonetheless. "I promise, I'm not upset with you. Stop apologizing, lovely. Things like these happen when you're an outlaw – it wasn't the first time I was tortured and it won't be the last, so…"

"But she hurt you because of me," she murmurs, wetly. "Because you loved me."

"I still do, my darling," he says, shifts just a bit, and lets out a pained sound. "I'll get better," he promises, and somehow it's hard to believe when she sees him like this. "Now, can you please do something for me?"

"Anything," she says, leaning in to brush his cheek. "Do you need more willow tea? Poppy dust to sleep?"

"I was going to ask for a kiss, but I wouldn't say no to those things either," he smiles, and there's that smile she dreamt about, the smile that tells her he's going to be alright.

She nods, and gets closer to press a kiss on his lips, then one on his cheek. She presses her nose against his skin, breathing in that smell of rain and forest she has so dearly missed in the last few days.

"I already feel better," he quips, and she smiles through her tears. "Now come here, sleep with me for a bit, please."

Regina helps him up with his medicine, gives him the mixtures Friar Tuck has left for him, and climbs up on the cot – she curls beside him, not wanting to touch his wounds by mistake. "I'll be here until you fall asleep," she promises, sees him nod, but the effect of the poppy seed is already starting to work. She sees his eyes drop close, and follows his breathing until it becomes deep and regular.

Her tiredness overcomes her before she knows it, and together they sleep, still holding hands – because the world outside the tent may be a harsh place, but right now they're safe, and it's all that matters.