Regina waited until the time she had originally planned to sneak out of the castle to meet Robin and instead made her way toward the dungeons. She had never been to that part of the castle before, but she knew the general vicinity form where she'd seen the guards entering or leaving.

Eventually she found the door to the stairs leading down. It was much colder in this part of the castle and poorly lit, with pockets of darkness occurring between cones of light where torches were hung.

She knew she was getting close when she could hear quiet moans drifting down the hall. A horrible stench also came on the air: a mix of decay, waste, and blood. Eventually, she found the guard standing before a large wooden door.

"I wish to see Robin Hood," she said.

"My-my Lady," the guard stuttered, obviously surprised to see her. "I-I-"

"Show me to the prisoner," Regina ordered. "Immediately."

"I-y-yes. Yes, my Lady." The guard opened the door and Regina followed him through.

It was much worse than she had expected. Prisoners hung by their arms from the ceiling, forcing them to stand. Others were chained to the wall, forced to kneel. Some had straw to lay on and were chained by their ankles. Some of them were locked in cages. None of them looked up as she passed. If they moved at all, they shrunk away from her.

The stench was stronger here. The walls and floor were filthy and covered in grime, the makeup of which she didn't want to know. Torches dotted the walls sporadically, casting some prisoners into perfect light and others into darkness.

Regina would never have noticed Robin if the guard hadn't stopped. "Here he is."

Robin was chained to the wall by his wrists, the chains just high enough to prevent him from being able to sit on his knees. His shirt and trousers were torn and covered in filth. His head was hung as though he was asleep, and he did not look up at her.

"Leave us," said Regina. She had to fight to keep the emotion from her voice.

The guard hesitated.

"Leave us!" she ordered.

She waited until she heard the door at the entrance close. Then Regina dropped to her knees and pressed a hand against Robin's clammy cheek. "Robin. Robin! Wake up! It's me."

His eyelids fluttered and he slowly lifted his head. "Regina?"

"I'm here," she said, cupping his face in her hands. She pulled away when she touched the back of his head and felt something wet on her fingers.

It was blood. "They tortured you?"

"They wanted . . . the location . . . of the camp," he told her. Speaking and keeping his head up seemed to take some effort.

"You didn't give it to them."

Robin shook his head, moving it a fraction of an inch to each side. "To many lives . . ." He closed his eyes, apparently tired.

Regina stood. "I'm going to get you out of here."

Robin made a noise, perhaps to protest, but Regina was already down the hall, heading straight for the door.

The guard stared at her gown when she appeared before him. It was smeared with muck from when she had knelt next to Robin. Regina didn't even bother to wipe at it.

"Are you treated well?" she asked the guard.

The guard blinked, then straightened himself. "Well, y-yes, of course."

"It must be very tiring," said Regina. "Standing in front of a door all day, and the smell is certainly unpleasant."

The guard stood as proud as he could, apparently wanting to look his best in front of the Queen. "Not at all, my Lady," he said, and he spoke quite confidently.

"Surely an upstanding gentleman such as yourself deserves some kind of award for his dedication."

The guard faltered in his stance. "Well, I-" He straightened himself again. "No. No, my Lady. That would not be necessary."

"Have you had supper yet?" Regina asked.

"I have it right here, my Lady," said the guard, pulling a sack lunch out of his pocket.

"You should get some fresh air," said Regina. "There's a lovely courtyard in the West Wing where you can see the stars.

"Uh, yes, my Lady." He hesitated.

"Go now," said Regina.

The guard took a step forward.

"And leave your keys."

The guard turned to look at her, confused.

"How are you supposed to enjoy yourself with those jangling all night?" Regina held out her hand. "Leave them with me. I'll return them to you."

He hesitated again.

"You don't think I'd do anything questionable with them, do you?"

The guard jumped. "No! No, my Lady!" He hurried to remove the keys from his belt. He handed them to her, and then, perhaps to avoid any more awkwardness, hurried up the stairs.

Regina waited until his footsteps faded. Then she opened the door and hurried to Robin where she released the shackles around his raw and bleeding wrists.

Robin collapsed onto her. It took a few minutes of maneuvering, but eventually they were able to stand. Regina draped his arm over her shoulders while he leaned heavily onto her.

"Regina," he said, as they made their way to the door. "I can't run."

"I know," she told him, wondering how she was ever going to get him out of here. "I'll think of something."

Navigating the castle while half carrying Robin was difficult. They had to take several side passages to avoid servants, which meant longer walks and more stairs. They were lucky, though, and didn't run into anyone.

"We're here," said Regina, pausing at a door. She opened it slowly and helped Robin to the floor once they were inside. "Just sit here. I'll only be a moment."

She approached the sleeping form on the bed, gathering her courage for what needed to be done.

"Snow," she said, shaking the girl. "Snow, wake up."

"Wha-?" The young girl rubbed her eyes. "Regina? What is it? What's wrong?"

"I need your help," she said.

Snow sat up. As she did so, she saw the figure sitting against the wall. "Who is that?!"

"Shh!" said Regina quickly. "He's with me." Regina took the girl's hands. "I need your help, Snow. We have to talk to your father."

Snow looked from Regina to the man and back to Regina. "What's this about?"

"That man there has been charged with crimes he didn't commit," Regina explained. "I need your help convincing your father he's innocent."

"How do you know he didn't do it?" asked Snow.

"You know when I went missing?" asked Regina. The very thought made her dread the explanation she would have to give to the King.

Snow nodded.

"Well, I was with him," she explained. "And I know the truth."

"Then tell father."

Regina shook her head. "I'm afraid he won't listen to me. But he always listens to you Snow."

"Well," said Snow. "If he's innocent, then father needs to know." She slid off the bed.

Regina hurried over to Robin and helped him to his feet.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Snow as they left the room.

"He's just very tired," said Regina.

"He smells."

"He's had a long day."

They continued down the hall with Snow in front, leading the way to her father's study. But she was taking all the normal passages.

"Snow," Regina tried to explain. "We shouldn't go this way. We should-"

But at that moment one of the servants rounded the corner. He was surprised to see them out of bed and Regina carrying someone with her.

"We're going to see father," said Snow before the man could say anything. Her voice held all the authority of a young princess. "It's important." She kept on walking, never slowing.

The man continued to stare as they passed.

"Back to work," Regina ordered, and the man dashed off. Regina couldn't help but feel some gratitude toward Snow for her help.

At last they reached the King's study. Snow opened the door to let Regina and Robin inside.

Leopold sat at a desk pouring over some papers. He looked up as they entered and immediately stood from his chair.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, looking directly at Robin.

Regina didn't have time to explain. She was more occupied with helping Robin sit against the wall. It was Snow who spoke first. "He's innocent!"

"Snow?" He looked at his daughter, then Robin, then Regina. "What is going on?"

"She's right," said Regina, standing in front of Robin to shield him from the King's gaze. "He's innocent. I can explain."

Leopold looked again at his daughter, who was smiling up at him expectantly. Regina was certain he would have yelled for the guards had Snow not been there. "Explain," he said to Regina softly.

She took a breath. "The Sheriff of Nottingham has been sending you false reports. He is hurting your people, taxing them till they have nothing and taking away their homes and their family. This man," Regina gestured at Robin. "Has been working to protect the people and taking action to weaken the Sheriff's financial support."

Leopold stared at her. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"I know this is true," said Regina. "Because . . . because I saw all of it, at his camp."

"When he kidnapped you," said Leopold.

"When I . . . when I ran away," corrected Regina.

Leopold's facial expression did change this time to one of confusion and perhaps even anger. "Why would you-?"

"Because I'm miserable here!" she admitted. "I wanted my freedom. I told you I had been kidnapped when I returned because . . . I didn't want you to know the truth."

"You hate it here?" the voice was small and came from behind Regina. She turned to see Snow standing by the door, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Snow," said Regina gently. "I-"

"I thought you wanted to be my mother!" Snow threw open the door. Her little footsteps faded away as she ran down the hall.

Regina turned back to Leopold who looked very unhappy.

"The point is," said Regina quickly. "This man is innocent, and your people are hurting. If you went to his camp you'd see."

"She's right, sire," said Robin, and Regina moved aside so he could be seen. "I'll gladly show you the way as long as you come along. None of your men can be trusted on their own. They may be in the Sheriff's pocket."

Regina was amazed at the strength Robin showed when he'd seem so exhausted earlier. But she imainged he wanted to appear strong in front of the King.

Leopold looked from Robin to Regina, his face hard set.

At last, he said to his wife. "You will see to Snow. Then you will find this man a comfortable place to sleep. He must be well rested for the journey to his camp tomorrow. You and I will speak later."

Regina curtsied quickly, relieved and in a hurry to be out of the King's presence. "Thank you, my Lord."

She grabbed Robin and walked him back to her room where she helped him into her bed, stripped him of his clothes, and washed the filth and blood from his body with a towel and a bowl of hot water. There were gashes and bruises on his body she refused to contemplate the origin of.

"That was very brave you," whispered Robin as she wiped the grime from his forehead.

Regina thought of everything she had wanted to say to the King and everything she'd left out. Tomorrow, the Sheriff's treachery would be revealed and the people would be free. But she would still be a prisoner in the castle. Her freedom had not yet been won, and no one could win it for her but herself.

"Not brave enough," she told him. "Not yet."