Hi all, here is another story from me to this wonderful fandom and my first Robin/Regina story. I really hope you like this and i hope to update it regularly. I expect this story to be about fifteen chapters long and will cover Season 3 only and will not involve Marian at all.
Disclaimer-Nothing in this chapter is mine. I am mainly just borrowing and playing around with some characters.
Please Read and Review and let me know what you think.
Also as i always say when writing, spelling and grammar are not my strongest suit so please keep that in mind and i apologise way in advance.
Also sometimes when i am writing some of my characters can get a bit out of character. Again if that happens i apologise.
Old Scars, Future Hearts.
An AU of 3x03—Roland is taken to Neverland by the shadow and is found by Regina, creating a bond between the Queen and the youngest Merry Man, until of course, curses, Witches, shadows and a man called Robin Hood show up.
AU Momma Regina: Outlaw Queen, Dimpled Queen, Regular Pairings, Season 3 Only: No Marian.
Chapter 1-Nightmares And Dreamscapes.
In which there is a plan and the plan goes horribly wrong and the life of Robin Hood is left in tatters in the process.
The air was clear, the moon full, the sky the perfect night sky. The land which had been ravaged to hell and back by curses and war and battles galore was at the very least quiet around the castle. Robin of Locksley known now by his more colourful moniker Robin Hood took a breath and looked out the window breathing in the cool air. It was hard to imagine that there was anything out there that would disturb this peaceful night. It was even harder to think that he would be the one disturbing it by summoning a demonic shadow intent on stealing his toddler for his own devices.
He took another steading breath, he felt sick. Despite the fact that he had been telling himself this plan in his head…that he had, had Neal repeating it over and over until he was sure that he could repeat it word perfect he repeated it again and again. The window was open, all Roland had to do was to say the words and then the shadow should appear. Mulan would make sure that the shadow did not attack and then Neal or Baelfire or whatever his name was, was to follow that shadow to a person whose only entertainment on an island where it was near impossible to get too was stealing children.
Personally Robin thought people who committed those kinds of crimes should be hung by the rafters of their home.
Oh he wanted this over with. He wanted to take Roland back to his bed in this big castle and see him marvel at the novelty of a roof over his head, curtains at the window, carpet on the wall. Luxury like that was few and far between when you were an outlaw and a thief (and those were the polite words that were used to describe him sometimes) and he always found anything and everything his son did to be adorable even if it was something as simple as be amazed at the intricacies of the woven wool under his feet.
And then not three days into their peace and their quiet time they had been interrupted by a woman warrior who could have sparked fear into the hearts of most of his men without trying and a man dressed very strangely claiming to be the Dark One's son.
"It's all set" Mulan said finally. She flashed Robin a smile and then moved to go and speak to Neal who was looking as nervous as Robin felt. The door opened and Roland, his little baby boy Roland padded in his hand in Little John's who nodded once at him before retreating from the room. Robin took this moment to take in the details of his son looking adorably sleep rumpled, his dark haired mused and his eyes still half falling shut his eyelashes standing out against the plumpness of his cheek.
Sometimes Robin felt like he had to take stock, calculating the differences in Roland that happened now so fast that he couldn't keep up with them. His baby had turned from a baby to a real child of flesh and blood and every day he seemed to change. Robin felt like he could weep for the loss as some of the changes when the loneliness took hold. It had been nearly six years since Marian had died and some days it still felt like yesterday.
And he was lonely.
He realised that now, the ache and the hurt and the pain had morphed into something else. He had the men and of course he had his son but Robin on this night and on many nights before this had acknowledged that he was lonely despite the company he kept.
And tonight just made it worse. Tonight with the night so perfect around them made the skin on the back of his arms turn to gooseflesh and a sinking feeling in his stomach. It had been a night like this when he had lost Marian.
Roland looked at him expectedly. "Ok" Robin said finally working the words into his throat.
"So" he said bending down and pulling Roland into the centre of the room directly in front of the patch of moonlight that was spilling onto the rug sending shadows into the darkest corners of the place. For the first time since he had taken up residence here Robin could see how it had earnt it's name as The Dark Castle.
"You know what you've got to do?" he asked and Roland nodded. He had been told the story of what he had to do tonight time and time again by Robin over dinner but Robin knew that his boy did not understand the real magnitude of what he had to do tonight.
"Say I believe—"
"No!" Three voices cut across him and Robin took another deep breath feeling like his heart was going to explode out of his chest. He pressed a kiss into Roland's hair his hand wrapping around the back of his head and cupping the delicate shape of his head and neck in his hand like he had done when he had been a baby.
"I'll be right over there" he said pointing at the place where he was going to remain hidden. Roland nodded and flashed him another smile. Robin felt his heart thud again with love for this boy before he forced his legs to move and crouch out of sight and leaving Roland horribly, terribly exposed.
Roland nodded and then turned to face the window.
"I believe" he said finally.
Robin waited, Neal waited, Mulan waited. Everyone seemed to wait for an endless second for the shadow to appear.
"Ok he does it again" Neal said standing up. Had it been anyone else's child in this situation being used as bait then Robin might have felt a twinge of sympathy for the desperation that was etched upon the man's face. But then again…it was his child being used as bait.
"No" He said firmly pushing himself to his feet as Mulan came forwards. "No he's done enough"
Neal opened his mouth to argue but Robin was firm on this point. He was not going to have Roland do this again, the risk was far to great.
And then just like that, it happened.
The window blew open with a blast and an unearthly scream that was not human hit their ears forcing them all to wince. Something dark covered the moonlight that had up until then been pooling in the room and Robin had a second, a split second to see something dark and malevolent with the body of a man half formed before he had swooped down and snatched his son.
He snarled pushing forwards determined to get Roland back but someone else was there and Robin found himself being pushed backwards as Neal Cassidy, or Baelfire or the Dark One's son or whatever the hell he was calling himself in this land lurched forwards instead, not with the intent on saving Roland but intent on getting to his family, regardless of the cost, regardless if the cost was in fact Robin's son.
Robin had in that moment never hated anyone as much as he hated this man in his life.
And that included the Sherriff of Nottingham.
He lunged forwards his knees hitting carpet determined to get Neal away from his son but the shadow was already leaving and he had Roland and Neal clinging to one of his feet and without warning the two of them were gone and Robin in the space of a second had lost his son to the dark forces of Peter Pan.
No.
No.
No.
Roland was gone. Roland his son, his little boy, his baby, was gone.
And oh, Robin had thought he had understood pain before now. He had thought that he had understood what loss was when they had laid Marian to rest, he had lost countless friends to cruelty and death and disease and he had thought that he had been brought down to pain and he had once been tortured by the very man who had owned this castle. But now…now…
Now he realised he was simply just foolish.
There was no pain that compared to the loss of a child.
And then the knowledge that Roland was gone hit him and he was aware dimly that he was on his knees and that someone was making a ghastly noise that sounding like someone dying.
He did not realise that it was him making the noise until he felt Mulan's hand on the small of his back and her hair in his face covering the fact that he was making groaning almost with the loss of the little boy that had been taken from him with no warning by a shadow that up until yesterday he had not known existed.
And then the fury broke past the grief and the pain like a snake rearing it's head and Robin was suddenly furious, furious at Neal for putting his boy in danger and ultimately failing when it came to his promise that Roland would not be harmed. Fury at Mulan for not stopping the man she had brought back to the land of the living but ultimately he was furious with himself for letting this happen. He should have known this was a disaster, he should have taken Roland away…he should have never let this happen…
He pushed back past Mulan who staggered to her feet her face full of genuine concern. Could he feel anything past the warring emotions that were ripping their way through him.
He stood up on legs that were shaky and moved from the room ignoring Mulan, the open window, everything, everything other than his son, everything other than trying to find a way to get him back.
Because one way or another, come hell or high water, no matter how long it took, Robin Hood was getting his son back.
Somewhere along the way Roland had snapped his eyes shut. There was a roaring in his ears and he couldn't shake his hand out of the thing that had grabbed him. He wanted Daddy. He wanted Daddy to come and put him back to bed, surely he must have helped by now?
The thing also had someone else attached to it's leg. Roland his eyes firmly shut struggling to be brave didn't see who it was but he could hear him and there was a lot of bad words being used. Uncle Will had once used those words and Daddy had told Roland to cover his ears. Roland thought about doing that again but he couldn't lift his arms and he was so tired and feeling slightly sick. He kept his eyes shut.
After what felt like ages the thing began to descent. He dropped first the man shouting and then he slowed down. Roland felt the grip on his hand loosening and though no doubt it was a very stupid thing to do he fought his way out of the shadowy things hold and felt himself drop to the ground landing in the middle of a bush with a loud thud and a cry as the brambles pierced his skin.
Of all the rotten luck. He had to fall into a patch of brambles!
He staggered standing up and winced. There was blood on his knees where the bramble bushes had cut and scraped and his hands were scrapped raw. He could feel the tears building up and he shivered trying to beat them back. Papa had always said he was a Merry Men. Merry Men came in all shapes and sizes Papa had said. And though he had not said it Roland knew that Merry Men did not cry.
After all…how many times had he seen Papa cry even after Mamma had left them?
Roland wiped his hands across his face and then started walking.
He was going to get off this island and back to his Papa.
He just didn't know how yet.
But he was going do his best to try.
And there it is. Please let me know what you think and I will update sooner rather than later.
Next Chapter-Roland meets an interesting group of people who help him escape the Lost Boys. Regina meets an endearing little boy who reminds her of the one she is fighting to save.