Author's note: Hi everybody! Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! As such, I am bowing to popular demand and turning this into a story. I'm not planning for it to be very long, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Here's chapter 2.
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Tinkerbell was flying back home as quickly as she could. Maybe she could make it back before-
"Green."
Tinkerbell halted her flight as the Blue Fairy came to hover before her as the sky just began to lighten with the coming dawn.
"Blue," Tinkerbell began slowly, "please, let me explain-"
"You stole dust," Blue got right to the point.
Tinkerbell took a breath.
"I thought I could use it to prove to you that I could be a good fairy," she explained.
"You could have proven that by being a good fairy," Blue admonished, "by listening to me."
"I was following my instincts," Tinkerbell tried to explain herself as she approached her teacher.
"Which are so far from being correct," Blue reprimanded, shaking her head with disappointment. "This cannot be forgiven."
"Wait," Tinkerbell began to panic. "It worked. Regina found her love, she met him, she has hope now."
"That woman's heart is too surrounded by Darkness for it to have any effect," Blue's voice was firm with belief. "And you may as well have condemned that poor man to a lifetime of torment, trying to save someone who is already lost."
"Who are you to decide whether she's lost?" Tinkerbell demanded, her anger getting the better of her. "Regina's never had hope her life could be happy until now. I just wanted Regina to have a second chance at her happy ending."
"Tinkerbell," The Blue Fairy's face was serious, "your intentions may have been good, but your actions..." Blue shook her head, "your actions are unforgivable."
"Wait," Tink began to panic, "Everybody deserves a second chance, we always tell people that."
"Tinkerbell," Blue said softly, "this was your second chance."
"Please," Tinkerbell begged as tears began to fill her eyes. "Please, I'm so sorry. I was just trying to help her."
"And you betrayed my trust," Blue shot back.
"I can regain it," Tinkerbell pleaded. "Please, let me prove it. I can help Regina find her happiness, and prove she's not a lost cause. Give me a chance."
"I can't," Blue said firmly. "For one, simple tragic reason: I no longer believe in you."
Gasping, Tinkerbell looked over her shoulders fearfully as her wings, her beautiful wings, disappeared, and she fell from grace.
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Little John looked up as his best friend came wondering back into camp, a faraway look in his eyes.
"Looks like someone enjoyed their walk under the stars," he called out, getting the attention of the rest of the merry men, well, those who hadn't yet fallen into a drunken stupor.
Robin was jolted out of his thoughts as a cheer went up among his still-inebriated friends
"Alright men, settle down," Robin told them, though he was unable to wipe the smile off his face.
"Our Robin!" Little John hugged his friend tightly to show his pride, "winning the heart of such a noble lady!"
"Hey, I am a nobleman by blood," Robin reminded them all good-naturedly. "I am perfectly worthy of her."
"So what's her name?" one of the others asked eagerly.
"Regina," Robin answered, and his brow furrowed in concern at the glances that were passed around the group.
"What is it?" He asked slowly.
"Do you know who she is?" Little John asked slowly.
Robin eyed his friends cautiously.
"She told me she was in an arranged marriage," he informed them. "A loveless marriage."
"Did she say who her husband was?" Will, the youngest of their group, pressed.
"No," Robin admitted slowly. "But he'd be someone of noble birth, obviously."
"Oh, the noblest, mate," Little John announced, the alcohol in his blood making him less tactful than he would normally be. "King Leopold himself!"
Robin grabbed his friend by his large shoulders to steady him as he swayed slightly in his seat by the glowing embers of their campfire.
"What did you just say?"
"Aye," Little John nodded. "We heard folk talking. Regina is the newlywed Queen of the widowed King Leopold. He and his daughter are returning back to the palace this afternoon."
Letting go of Little John's shoulders, Robin allowed his friend to slide down on to the ground, where he began to snore.
"Hard luck, Robin," Will said slowly as he settled against a nearby tree.
"Not necessarily," Robin said softly to himself, his mind racing. Regina had said that her marriage was arranged as her mother had wanted her to keep moving up in life. Well, she couldn't have gone much higher than the king.
Robin frowned. He had promised Regina that he would help her leave her marriage, and this new information showed that, clearly, this was not going to be an easy task.
Robin felt a grin beginning to form at the challenge, and part of him thought it might be the drink, but his heart told him that it was the woman with the raven hair.
Besides, he told himself, it wouldn't be the first time he'd stolen from a king.
He headed to his makeshift bed as the sun rose over the trees, knowing he needed to get some sleep.
The whole kingdom would be out to greet the King on his return to his palace.
And Robin didn't want to miss it.
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Regina was rudely woken up mid morning by the ground rushing up to meet her.
"Owww!" she moaned, figuring she must have somehow fallen out of bed. As she blearily opened her eyes, squinting against a combination of sunlight and a pounding head, she realised she was no longer in her room.
"Rise and shine, Dearie!" Rumplestiltskin called mockingly from his desk as she slowly got to her feet. She was standing in what she'd dubbed 'The Potions room' of the Dark Castle.
"What is the meaning of this?" Regina demanded, putting a hand over her eyes against the harsh sunlight streaming in through the window.
"I told you not to be late," The Dark One reminded her smoothly. "So, when it got to minutes before our lesson, and you still hadn't arrived, well," he flourished his hands towards her as he stood up, "I thought I'd give you a helping hand."
"If you wanted to help me," Regina snarled, "you'd rid me of this pounding headache."
"Rough night?" Rumple asked in mock sympathy as he waved his fingers.
Regina sighed with relief as the throbbing faded almost instantly.
"Thank you," Regina said reluctantly, as she hadn't actually expected her teacher to help.
"Well, you need to be able to focus on the lesson," Rumple brushed off his assistance as he came forward. "Shall we begin? We don't have much time before your husband and his...charming daughter arrive this afternoon."
"Don't remind me," Regina muttered sourly.
"Ah, now that's what I want to see," Rumple said approvingly. "That simmering rage is all you have, and you can use it to your advantage."
Regina paused at the Dark One's words.
"No," she whispered, bringing her fingers up to touch her lips gently. "My anger's not all I have."
She raised her eyes as Rumplestiltskin whirled around.
"And it's not all I can have," she added. "It's not what I want."
"You want freedom, don't you, Dearie?" Rumple asked her slowly.
"Yes,' Regina admitted. "Of course I do, but-"
"Power is freedom, and magic is power," Rumple told her firmly.
"That's what my mother believed," Regina argued. "That's what she tried to tell me, but it's not what I want. And it's not my only option."
Rumplestiltskin studied Regina's face. Something was different. This wasn't supposed to happen. His Sight had shown Regina take to the Darkness willingly, embracing it, leading her to the point of vengeance where she would enact the Dark Curse that would take him to his son.
"Something's changed," he muttered and he strode over to grip Regina's jaw firmly in his hand. "What is it?"
Regina stared back into The Dark One's strange eyes, silent. For unlike others that she could name, Regina could keep a secret.
However, Rumplestiltskin was a difficult man to keep secrets from. He could see the glow in her cheeks, the hope in her eyes.
"Oh no, Dearie," he whispered. "Tell me you didn't."
Regina's silence was enough of an answer for Rumple though, and he shoved her back into his desk, causing papers and quills to fall to the ground.
"You did, didn't you?" He demanded angrily. "You foolish girl!"
Regina stood as proudly as she could, though she still cringed slightly at the Dark One's menacing fury.
"You've only just learned that you can never bring your fiancé back from the dead, and you immediately rush to another man?" Rumple asked her mockingly. "Now that's true love, isn't it, Dearie?"
Regina lowered her eyes. Was she being unfaithful to Daniel, by meeting Robin? She couldn't be, she thought.
"Daniel was my love," she stated, "and I will always love him. But I also know that he wouldn't want me to become...like you." Regina raised her eyes to meet Rumplestiltskin's gaze. "He would want me to love again."
"You sure you can? Because it's worked out so well for you, in the past, hasn't it?" Rumple asked lightly and Regina flinched as if he'd struck her.
"Just how exactly do you think this will work out, Dearie?" Rumple asked her in a gentler tone, almost sympathetic. "You're married to the King. Not exactly a deal that's easily broken."
Regina swallowed.
"I don't know," she admitted shakily.
"Exactly," Rumple emphasised. "You can't control the Law, not until you regain full power over the kingdom. And you're in no position to do that as you are now." Rumple came closer still, holding Regina's gaze. "And in the meantime, your new love will be pining away for you, his heart filled with longing for a woman he can never have. He'll never be able to fully love again, and that heartache," Rumple stopped directly in front of his student, "will lead him to a lifetime of pain and misery."
Regina kept her gaze steady but a single tear escaped her eye at the thought of Robin living with such misery on account of her.
"You've just ruined his life, Dearie," Rumple hissed. "Not to mention yours. For your life will now be equally unbearable. Maybe more!" He added lightly, raising a finger. "For you will have to live with the knowledge that you could have spared both of you this pain."
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"Make way for the King!"
Knights led the procession through the crowds gathered along the street leading to the palace to welcome their King and his daughter home.
King Leopold rode proudly on his white steed, his young daughter and her handmaid behind him.
"So that's him then?" Little John whispered aside to Robin as they followed the procession from the edges of the crowd.
"I'd assume so, my friend, as he's the one wearing the crown," Robin answered drily, not taking his eyes off King Leopold.
This was the man that Regina was married to.
He appeared to at least be a well loved king, as the reception of the townsfolk seemed to be genuinely positive.
However, as they approached the palace, and the group gathered to greet the King and his daughter, Robin finally took his eyes of the king upon spying Regina standing at the castle gates.
She was resplendent in a gown of the palest blue, her long hair tied back from her face, yet tendrils curled gracefully over her shoulders like black silk.
"She truly is the fairest of them all, isn't she, John?" Robin whispered.
The large man sighed at his love-struck friend.
"She is also the Queen, Robin," he reminded him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I need to get the King's attention and get into the castle, my friend," Robin reminded the man. "And where are prisons kept in kingdoms like these, John?" Robin asked lightly.
"In the castle," John answered, "but-"
"And what is the easiest way to get into a prison, John?" Robin continued.
"Get taken prisoner," John answered automatically, "but-"
"So what makes you think that this isn't going to work?" Robin asked. "I am a wanted thief after all."
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Regina held her head proudly, fixing a smile on her face as the King's procession came to a stop before the castle gates.
"Welcome home, Your Majesty," Regina greeted, curtsying low before the King, the servants around her following her lead.
"Thank you, my Queen," Leopold answered automatically as he dismounted, a page coming forward quickly to claim the reins. "It is good to be home."
As Snow was aided from her horse, a commotion broke out in the crowd nearby.
"What is the meaning of this?" The King demanded as his knights ran forward to break up the argument. "I will not have unrest in my kingdom."
The knights brought forward a man from the crowd and Regina froze as she recognised Robin.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness," Robin told the King earnestly, "It was not my intention to cause such an undignified ruckus at your homecoming."
"Kneel before the King," one of the knights holding his arms ordered, and Robin was forced to his knees.
"For knights, you're not very chivalrous, are you?" Robin commented lightly.
"Go easy, men," Leopold told his knights, "for we do not know if this man has even committed a crime, yet."
"Thank you, Sire," Robin bowed as he was allowed to regain his feet.
"What happened?" one of the two knights demanded to know, trying to save face.
"It was an honest mistake, Your Majesty," Robin explained to the King, being very careful not to look at Regina until it was time. "I arrived in your Kingdom just last night. Upon hearing that Your Highness, was returning home this afternoon, I eagerly wished to see the ruler of such a prosperous kingdom as this. But, unfortunately, I was late to see your return, and so hurried to the palace, where I knew you would be. Unfortunately, in my haste, I knocked into a poor lady who was attending your welcome, and her husband, apparently thinking I had the wrong intention, turned and struck me," Robin gestured to his cheek, which was slightly swollen, "quite gallantly, in defence of his Lady, of course," Robin added, "but," he finished, "it was a simple misunderstanding, Sire."
King Leopold chuckled.
"You've had quite the adventure, for someone who has so recently arrived in my Kingdom," he told this stranger. "What is your name, my good man?"
"Robin Hood of Loxley," Robin bowed nobly, his arms wide to reveal the lion tattoo on his arm, "where I loyally serve my King: Richard the Lion-heart."
"My cousin?" King Leopold was interested to find out.
"Robin Hood?" One of the knights repeated slowly, digging through the satchel at his side. "We heard tell of you as we passed through Nottingham, Sire."
Robin tried to keep a straight face as the knight brought out a wanted poster with his name on it. Seriously, could this be going any more smoothly?
A frown marked King Leopold's forehead as he read the wanted poster.
"You are an outlaw and a thief, Robin of Loxley," King Leopold announced.
"Only because Prince John squanders the royal treasury and strips the people of their right to food and their own homes." Robin answered flatly.
King Leopold drew himself up.
"I will not have a thief wander free in my Kingdom, and cause my people to feel unsafe," He announced in a clear voice. "Therefore, you are under arrest while we contact-"
"Your Majesty," Regina stepped forward, unable to restrain herself any longer. "This man may be an outlaw in Nottingham, but he has done no wrong here. Nottingham's laws are not ours." She felt her heart beat faster as the King turned his gaze on her, for she had never spoken up before now. "Would you really lock up a man who has done no wrong in our kingdom, Sire?"
It was now that Robin allowed himself to meet Regina's gaze, smiling.
"It is touching to find that the Queen's heart is as beautiful as her face," Robin bowed gallantly, as if he were meeting her for the first time. "Your Majesty," Robin took Regina's hand in his own, kissing it gently. "Thank you for coming to my defence."
"Well," Regina smiled, trying to keep her composure, despite her heart hammering in her chest, "you have committed no crime here, so why be punished as if you have?"
"Because he has committed crimes elsewhere, which means he can continue here," King Leopold said firmly. He didn't like the way that this outlaw was gazing upon his Queen. "Arrest this man," he ordered his knights, "and send word to Prince John that we have his outlaw."
Regina watched as the King's knights came forward to grab Robin's arm's once more, trying to think of how she could defend him.
However as she caught Robin's eye, he flashed a smile and winked at her as he was escorted into the palace grounds.
Regina was stunned.
Had he planned that?"
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Author's note: What do you think?
I really didn't want Tinkerbel lto lose her wings, but I figured the Blue Fairy was strict enough that even if Regina had gone into the tavern, Tink's desire to help Regina and disobey Blue would still have been enough to cause Blue to take Tink's wings away. She didn't Believe in Regina, and so now she doesn't believe in Tinkerbell either.
Sorry Tink!
Rumple, I can imagine would be seriously angry if anything got in the way of Regina going down the path he wants her to walk down, as only with Regina becoming 'The Evil Queen' will she enact the Dark Curse. But, if she finds love again, she'll have no reason to become the Evil Queen now, will she?
I really hope you like how I'm writing Robin, please let me know if you think he's out of character, but I think I'm doing well. Can you guess what Robin's plan is? I'm sure you can!
As for Leopold, we haven't seen a lot of him, but I remember in season 1x11: 'Fruit from the poisonous tree' that, while he says his only desire is the happiness of everyone in his kingdom, he still became very jealous when he read Regina's diary and believed that she was falling in love with another man. So, while he may have been swayed by Regina saying that Robin had committed no crime in his land, Leopold may still have wanted Robin locked up after seeing his be so charming to his Queen.
Also, with a name like 'Leopold'- leo meaning 'lion' I just had to put in a link between Leopold and King Richard 'The Lion-heart' I figured that's what Robin's tatoo represents, anyway- his rightful King. Also, I figured their kingdoms must be nearby, as in 2x20- 'the Evil Queen' Snow tells a diguised Regina that a friend in a neighbouring forest taught her how to hunt- with a bow! Originally, I thought she had meant Ruby, but now, I figure her teacher must have been Robin Hood. (I'm sure Regina will love that, when she meets him on the show- Snow also learnt how to rob from nobles on the Queen's road as well, remember? (1x3 Snow Falls) Something else Robin taught her to do?)
Please review! If you have any theories, ideas or questions, please let me know, I love feedback!
Celino.
