Warning: Mentions of rape

"Assassin"

He waited, hidden in the trees. With his hood up, he blended right in. None of his victims ever saw him until it was too late. That was why he was the best assassin in the Enchanted Forest.

This though was probably his most dangerous assignment. He was to assassinate the queen as she rode through the forest, sent on a fake mission by her husband.

He had been surprised when he was summoned to appear before King Leopold, certain he would finally face the gallows. But the king spoke of a queen who was dabbling in the Dark Arts and who he feared would take his life. "So, I've decided to take hers first," he said.

"And you wish me to do it?"

King Leopold smiled. "They saw you are the best. And given how hard it's been for my guards to catch you, I'm inclined to believe them."

"I come with a steep price. Are you willing to pay?"

"Of course. I've directed my treasurer to give you five thousand gold coins now and five thousand once the job is done." The king studied the assassin. "Does that suit you?"

He rubbed his chin. "It's a fair price, I admit. But I have one demand."

"You do?" King Leopold leaned back, amazed someone was making demands of him. "And it is?"

"I wish the land you took from my family to be returned."

The king looked him up and down before nodding. "Fine. You kill my wife, I shall return Locksley to you. Do we have a deal, Robin Hood?"

Robin nodded. "It shall be done."

He heard the creak of the carriage wheels and thunder of the horses' hooves against the ground. Nocking an arrow, he aimed it high so only to spook the horses and not injure them. They were not his intended target.

The sun glinted off the gold embellishments on the black carriage. It was getting closer. Soon, this would all be finished and he could go home to Locksley again.

Robin released his arrow and it flew over the horses. Like he thought, it spooked them and the driver enough for the carriage to come to a stop. Part one was completed. Now he had to wait for the queen to emerge to complete part two.

"What is going on? Why have we stopped?" A woman's voice snapped from inside the carriage. She sounded like she was a miserable woman.

The driver cowered though she remained inside. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Something has spooked the horses. I need to calm them down before we can move again."

"The horses?" Her voice changed, almost softer. But Robin didn't time to reflect on it. The carriage door was opening and soon his mission would be complete. He nocked his arrow, ready to strike the Evil Queen's heart. It would only take one—he had never missed his mark and it wasn't going to change now.

He hesitated though as the queen emerged from her carriage. She was a tall and lithe woman who carried herself with a regal air. Her dark hair was pinned up in an elaborate braided bun, which only served to enhance her facial features. Dark eyes scanned the woods as she sought out any threats, blood red lips frowning. She wore a skin tight traveling outfit—a ruby red riding jacket over a black leather bodice over black breeches. Black boots completed her look. If Robin wasn't going to kill her, he'd probably have some fun flirting with her.

She approached the horses, running a hand over one. "They seem fine to me. But let's give them a minute to rest before we continue on our way. Got it?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The driver bowed low before her.

Now was his chance. She was heading back to the carriage and was wide open. He let his arrow fly, hurtling toward the beautiful queen.

The queen spun around, catching his arrow. A hard look came to her eyes, like a wolf stalking its prey. She looked up into the trees. "Show yourself now and I might let you live."

Robin knew it was too dangerous to do that. He had to kill her to get his money and his land. So he fired several more arrows at her. With a wave of her hand, she froze them all in midair. King Leopold had mentioned the Dark Arts but not how strong she really was. This was going to be a challenge.

"All right, so you want to do this the hard way. Fine, suit yourself. I like to have some fun." The queen smiled as she approached the woods.

Robin tensed up, bow at the ready. All he had to do was release the arrow and it would all be over. But something kept him for it. Was it her witchcraft?

She smirked as her dark eyes scanned the treetops. "Come out, come out wherever you are."

After some time passed, she raised her hand. Robin felt something pull at him, like a million hands were trying to grab him and take him to the queen. He tried to fight it but the branch he was on cracked, plunging him to the ground. Closing his eyes, he waited for the impact.

It never came. He opened his eyes to see the ground only inches from him. She had caught him with her magic—but why? Robin righted himself and ended up standing in front of the queen.

"You must be the infamous Robin Hood. I've heard it said no one's seen your face." She pulled down his hood. "I guess I'm the first."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." He put as much venom as possible in his voice as he said her title.

Her smirk returned. "If you weren't trying to kill me, I'd think you were handsome."

"If you weren't evil, I wouldn't be trying to kill you," he countered.

"Evil?" She frowned. "So my husband hired you. I'm not surprised."

She walked away and Robin seized his chance. He grabbed a nearby rock and clubbed her on the back of the head. The queen crumpled down to the ground and he checked for a pulse. She still had one, so she was only unconscious. He picked her up and ran with her into the woods, knowing the driver wasn't going to chase after him.

Most people believed the legendary Robin Hood lived in the woods, sleeping in trees. He did live in the woods, but in an abandoned cabin he had found and had fixed up. It wasn't much but he had everything he needed: a bed, a chest, a table and chairs as well as a fireplace to keep him warm and to cook over. The cabin was by a kill he used to wash his clothes and himself.

He had brought the queen here and tied her to his bed. Robin sat in a chair, watching her. He knew he should've killed her already. Slit her throat, suffocated her or even shot her with his arrow. She was out cold and unable to use her magic to thwart him.

But something stopped him. He was embarrassed to admit it was her beauty. People had talked about it but this was the first time he had ever seen her. Nothing said about her did her justice. It wasn't a surprise the king had married her. He wondered why she had married the king. Was it for power?

She moaned and he knew consciousness was returning. He didn't have a plan from this point on but he wasn't going to let her know that.

Her eyes fluttered open before darting around the room in panic. As they settled on him, hard look settled in them. She tried to lunge at him, but his bindings held her down. Letting out a scream, she laid back down. "So you've captured me. Congratulations."

"Thank you. And before you make some grand statement about your magic, you should know I got those bindings from a sorcerer I did a favor for. They are suppressing your magic."

"Well, you're a clever assassin."

"It's why I'm the best at what I do."

"Yet you haven't killed me. Why?"

Robin didn't know how to answer. He couldn't tell her the truth—that she intrigued him too much to land the fatal blow. Instead, he smirked. "I thought we'd have a little fun first."

She sighed and leaned back, spreading apart her legs. "Fine. Just don't ruin the clothing. It's too fine to be ripped to shreds. I'm certain you will fetch a good price for it at the market after you kill me."

"What?" Robin was confused but as he realized what she meant, he frowned. "That wasn't what I meant. I may be an assassin, but I'm not a rapist."

"Oh. I'm just used to…never mind." The Queen looked away. Her lips curled into a cruel, cold smile. "Well, then, you have more honor than men who don't kill people for money."

"Your husband," Robin started. It was sickening to consider and she didn't force him to finish.

"You can't be raped by your husband." It sounded like she was parroting back something she had been told over and over.

He imagined her younger-a lump formed in his throat as he realized she was close in age to him. She had to have been no more than twenty when she married the king, no doubt something she had no say in. Young and inexperienced but beautiful.

She was used. She was broken. She was angry. She was hard. She wasn't evil.

"Oh God, pity," she moaned. "I would rather you kill me than look at me like that."

He undid her bindings and sat back down. She rubbed her wrists as she glared at him. "Why did you do that?"

"Have a seat." He motioned to an empty chair.

She didn't move. "Why?"

"Because I think we can work something out where everyone involved wins."

The Queen was dead.

Her body had been found by guards searching for her when she failed to show up at the palace. It appeared to be the work of the infamous Robin Hood.

The king and his daughter wore black, giving her an elaborate funeral. Princess Snow White looked as grief-stricken as her father. One figure, though, hidden in the back knew it was just an act on His Majesty's part. He wondered how long it would be before the king married another young girl whose innocence he would steal.

After the Queen was laid in the crypt, the hooded figure snuck in. He took a vial from his pouch and tipped the contents into her mouth.

She took in an audible gasp of air as color returned to her skin. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled. "It worked. I'm free."

Robin helped her sit up. "Yes, milady, it did work. But we need to leave before someone hears us."

He handed her his pouch, which contained new clothes for her to wear. Turning around to give her some privacy, he also kept vigil for guards. It would do them little good to be caught now-she would be in danger and he'd lose everything.

She tapped him on the shoulder. They stole away, using the cover of night. Neither paused nor spoke until they were deep in the woods.

They leaned against trees and she looked at him. "What now?"

Robin Hood disappeared after the Queen's death. Gossip said royal guards found him and killed him to avenge the queen. In time, King Leopold married again, a woman not much older than his own beloved daughter. Court gossip said no one in the royal family was happy.

While Robin Hood was never seen again, a new assassin lurked in the Enchanted Forest. This one was a woman, or at least the rumors said so. No one who encountered her ever lived long enough to confirm her gender. The people called her "the Ghost" because one person who claimed to witness one of her kills swore she looked like the late queen. People believed her ghost now haunted the forest, seeking revenge and continuing her reign of evil.

The new lord of Locksley, though, knew the truth. It wasn't the ghost of the former queen, but the queen herself. She had taken up his job as he became a respectable nobleman as his birthright had dictated. The people of Locksley welcomed him and he proved to be a fair lord to those who called his land home.

"The Ghost" visited Locksley, though no one but its lord knew. He would walk in and find her at his table, eating. Or lounging in his bath, dark hair pinned up as she soaked her tired body. But his favorite place to find her was naked in his bed. There, he wasn't Lord Locksley and she wasn't the Ghost. He was just Robin and she was only Regina.

Nothing more.