Regina sat back at the table with another hopeless book after Snow had left, nearly asleep as she searched through it's pages. Robin's footsteps down the library path didn't seem to penetrate her ears, "I've been told my Queen has called." He asked, a grin on his lips. Regina jumped slightly, sitting up straighter. "Robin...? Oh, well, I told Snow to send you back here... Did she tell you what I found about the woman that came here that night?" Robin walked over to the table she sat at, cupping her cheek. The kiss he proceeded to take from her lips seemed to be more important to him than the matter at hand. "Robin..." Regina mumbled, smiling as their lips met. Robin grinned, stealing another long kiss from the Queen as she sat looking up at the archer, "Yes, Snow told me," He finally answered, "She told me a few things actually..." Regina quirks a brow, "Like what?" Robin took a seat beside her, close beside her, but Regina didn't push him away as she would have anyone else.
"You told her?" Robin began, turning his head toward Regina as if she knew what he was referring to, "About us." Regina quickly turned her gaze away from his, her eyes searching the book again, "Well... I didn't exactly tell her, she sort of...asked and already had an idea." Robin nods, his hand reaching for the Queen's under the table as he too looked at the book in front of them, "She seemed rather excited about it..." She laughed softly, flipping the page even though she knew there was no reason to it, "Snow's known me for a long time, Robin... She's just happy about the idea of me finding someone else that I care about." Her voice trailed off into a mumble. Robin parted his lips to comment, but decided otherwise.
Regina had leaned closer to him, her head on his shoulder as she finally closed the book. "Are you going to tell anyone else?" He asked. Regina laughed softly, "If I know Snow, everyone in the castle already knows. But, I don't know, I figured we'd just keep it quiet for now..." She lifts her head, searching his eyes to see his reaction to her words, "I don't want to put you or Roland in danger, Robin." He knew her reasoning, although he thought it was ridiculous, "I understand, Regina, I was just asking." She smiled softly, standing and placing the book back in it's spot on the shelf.
She had paced the small area where her and Robin were for nearly ten minutes, and Robin had finally grown worried enough to ask if she was alright when she turned to him with a small gasp, "The trunk!" Robin stared at her, clueless as her lips turned up into a knowing smile, "The what?" Regina started off in the other direction, "The trunk! Why didn't I think of this sooner? If she claims to be my Mother's child..." Robin jumped up, trying to catch up to her, "Regina, darling, what trunk are you talking about?"
She stopped without another word, just outside of a door that led to a room that branched off from the library. "Where are we going?" Robin questioned, "Regina?" She laughs at his clueless state, gently shushing him as she pushed through what looked to Robin to be random storage. Old chests and trunks, wardrobes. He watched as the Queen stopped, bending down in front of the newest looking trunk in the room. It was a dark brown, a large, red, heart shaped lock on the front. Regina used her magic to break the lock, tossing the now useless metal to the side as she pushed the lid back. Robin sat, still wondering what she was doing, but not daring to interrupt her.
Regina tossed her Mother's blue dress aside, opening the heart shaped locket, which only contained pictures of her and her Mother. "I've gone through this trunk a thousand times," She sighs, "If Zelena had anything to do with my Mother... I would've found something before now." She tossed the locket to the dress on the floor, turning to look up at the thief desperately. Robin stepped closer, kneeling beside her, "This belongs to the Queen of Hearts?" He asks skeptically, getting only a soft nod in response. "Maybe your Mother didn't keep anything related to this 'Wicked Witch'?" He offers as an answer, "What if she had nothing to do with her?" Regina's head tilted, she leaned over the trunk again, "Then how would Zelena know about my Mother?" Robin tried to come up with another possible answer, but Regina reached for the blue dress, beginning to put it back where she'd found it until she felt something in it's pocket. "What is that?" Robin asked as she began to open up the folded piece of paper she'd found. The note, the one she'd read a thousand times. She had always believed it was about her. She was Rumple's student after all... "Robin..." She whispered, tears beginning to blur her vision.
Robin put his hand out, and surprisingly to him, Regina very gently sat the note in his palm.
He began to read,
"Cora, dear. I finally got my hands on your first born. Never thought I'd find her, did you? Now I know why. She's the most powerful sorceress I've ever encountered. Even more powerful than you. Stunning, in every way."
Robin's eyes slowly lifted to meet Regina's gaze, but she had looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. "Let's go find the Charming's, show them out," Her voice broke, even though it was only a whisper. "Regina..." He didn't move. "Robin," She turned to him, her eyes full of disappointment, anger, sadness, he couldn't tell which was more powerful. "I've read that letter a hundred times. In my darkest moments I'd go to it, for comfort, for a boost when I needed it..." He'd reached for her hand, which she had quickly pulled away. She hated looking weak to him, "Because I always thought it was about me."
"It's about Zelena..." His voice trailed off. "Rumplestiltskin thinks she's more powerful than I am," She sighs heavily. "Why care what that imp thinks, Regina?" His voice grew louder. He would not let her stand hear and doubt herself and what he knew she was capable of. "Because, if the man that taught me everything I know about magic thinks she's strong than I am...then there is no way I can win a fight against her."
"Regina? Regina! Regina?" Snow called for the Queen, although she was sitting in plain sight with her thief again. Regina tried to shrug off Robin's arm around her shoulders before Snow caught sight, but that knowing smirk crept onto the princess' lips, "Oh, are we interrupting something?"
"No..." Regina sits up straighter, offering the seats across the table where she and Robin were sitting to the other couple, "We were just discussing what we think should be done." Snow and David took the offer, "About Zelena?" Snow asked, her eyes locked with the Queens. Regina broke the stare between the two, looking to the man beside her for a more comforting gaze, "Yes... Snow, I don't think it's going to be as easy as we'd thought..." Snow's eyebrows furrowed, "Why not? Regina, we know how powerful your magic is..."
Regina shakes her head, taking a long breath, "Snow, you just have to understand... Me fighting this Witch isn't going to help any of us." David gave Robin a strange look as his arm shifted, unable to see that the thief had reached to rest his palm against the Queen's rest. The prince leaned in closer, "What about like a spell?" Regina turned her attention to him, "A spell?" It was clear how inexperienced he was with magic, "A spell. Or a curse. Can't you cast another curse to send us back to Storybrooke? Leave the Witch here?"
"I don't know if you understand what it took for me to cast the first dark curse, Charming," She began to snap, "But I couldn't get everything I needed to cast another curse, and I'd rather not have the people of this Kingdom on my back again for casting another one."
"What if we told them?" Snow butted in her own suggestion.
"What?" Regina's expression slowly began to soften.
"We tell them!" A child-like smile grew on the woman's lips, "We can bring everyone here, explain to them that they'll all be safe, that the issue of the Wicked Witch would be solved with the curse, tell them that we're going back." Like the kingdom announcements Leopold had called a thousand times during her first years as Queen, "You expect me to give the announcement?" She asked, she'd only stood to the side as Leopold had spoken, she'd never said a word. "Well, yes... If you would. Regina, if everyone knew what our plans were, there'd be no disputes when we arrived back in Storybrooke."
"Snow, I told you, I can't cast another curse. I don't have all of the ingredients it requires."
"Can't you find them?" The princess asked with a childish tone, but as she met the Queen's warning glare she understood. Henry Sr. had died as a result of the last curse, "...Can't there be another way to get us home?" Regina shakes her head, "I don't think so. There's no way you can replace something like that in such a powerful spell." Snow leaned her cheek against her hand, gently rubbing her belly with the other, "What if someone else cast the spell?" She looked up at Regina, hoping that might be an answer. "Snow," Regina placed her hand flat on the table closer to her, "Who else do we know to cast the curse?" Snow shook her head, at a loss. The Dark One was gone, Regina couldn't, wouldn't cast the curse, and there was no one else.
Regina glanced at Robin, who seemed to have plenty of questions about this place called Storybrooke, "What if you just spread the word of the kingdom announcement? If you give me a few weeks... I'll try to come up with another way." Snow nods, "We'll take the dwarves, Red, Granny, and Belle, and let everyone know." Regina gives her a soft smile. "If you need us, Regina, you know we will help if we can.."
Regina nods, standing up from her seat. David helped Snow stand with her growing belly. "I'll let you know if I can use your help."