Author's note: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but I work has been in the way of writing lately- not that I'm complaining!
Also, sorry for the formatting earlier. I have no idea how that happened- I updated as usual, and for some reason the site posted it as a solid block of writing. Has the site been 'updated' or something? When I tried to edit it, all I could see was a single line of my chapter at a time- how is this effective?
I'm trying a 'file upload' rather than my usual 'copy and paste'- hopefully this works better.
Sorry for the rant- had to get that out. Here is chapter 3, hope you like it. (Hope you can read it!)
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"Get in there!"
Robin stumbled slightly as the guards shoved him into a spare cell and locked the door.
"Enjoy your stay," one of them sneered as they walked off.
Robin smiled to himself as he glanced around his cell. He had to admit that, as far as cells go, this one was very nice. The floor had been cleaned, there was a fresh pile of straw bedding in one corner, sunlight filtered in from a high barred window and there was even a chamber pot.
King Leopold apparently liked his prisoners to have some level of comfort.
"Shame I won't be staying longer," Robin muttered to himself with a smile.
Tearing a strip of cloth from his cloak, he tied it to one of the bars of his cell, letting it flutter in the wind.
~..~..~..~..
King Leopold paced his throne room. A wanted thief in his own Kingdom, discovered only moments after dismounting his horse! Thankfully now, he was somewhere where he wouldn't steal anyone's hard-earned gold.
"You're in a bit of an awkward position, aren't you, Your Majesty?"
Leopold turned to see a strange man sitting bold as brass on his throne. He was thin, his skin an unusual shade of greyish green. His eyes were of the same hue, and almost seem to glitter. His hair hung loose, just brushing his shoulders and he sat, fingers steepled, with an impish smile on his face.
"Who are you?" Leopold asked warily, eying the closed doors, in the mind to summon his guards.
"That's not the question you should be asking," the impish man replied as he stood up smoothly. He wasn't a very tall man, but still, his very presence seemed to fill the room.
"What you should be asking," he continued, "is what assistance I can offer you."
"Assistance?" Leopold repeated slowly. "With what?"
"Astonishing," the dark imp let out a high giggle, "you are the King, and yet you know very little about what's happening in your very castle."
King Leopold took a breath, suppressing the urge to defend himself. After all, he had only just returned from a journey, there may well have been something that he'd missed. And if this strange man knew something he didn't, then, he would be grateful for any assistance.
"Enlighten me, then, my friend," Leopold invited.
"Friend!" The strange man let out another amused giggle. "You don't get out much, do you?" He slowly stepped forward to meet the king.
"What do you want?" Leopold demanded, not liking being talked down to by some strange imp.
"Again, with the wrong question," the dark man cocked his head curiously. "So I'll ask you one, instead: Other than your daughter," he began slowly, "what is it that you love most?"
"My Kingdom," King Leopold admitted without hesitation. "The only thing I want is for all who live in my Kingdom to be happy."
"Hmmm," the dark man considered this statement. "So this is where your daughter gets it from," he muttered before clearing his throat. "That's a highly utopian desire, Your Majesty," the man granted, "so don't be too disappointed that it's not working."
"How do you mean?" Leopold asked slowly.
"Your new Queen," the strange man stated in a low voice.
Leopold sighed.
"Yes, I have noticed." He admitted. "My Queen is not happy with her new life as a royal."
"It would be a shame if people knew," the strange man continued in a lighter tone. "Good King Leopold, who only wants happiness for his people, is unable to even keep his new Queen happy. I wonder why that is?" He added before the king could retaliate. "You have given her everything she could possibly want. A home, a family, a crown...most would be happy to live everyday of their lives stuck behind these stone walls, surrounded in luxury and never needing to go anywhere or do anything on their own."
King Leopold frowned.
"My wife feels trapped here?" he surmised. "That's why you think she's unhappy?"
"She is feeling as trapped as that thief currently locked up in a cell," the dark man explained surely. "And like him, she desires freedom. As for him," he continued with a grin, "well, based on how he viewed her earlier, he seems to desire her."
King Leopold froze as he remembered the way the thief, Robin, gazed at his Queen earlier that day.
"You think Robin will try to kidnap my Queen?" Leopold asked fearfully.
"A caged bird will always long for freedom, Sire," the imp granted. "And it will use any means of escape it can find."
King Leopold was about to call for his guards before he stopped, looking at the strange man before him.
"Why are you warning me about this?" Leopold asked.
"Because right now, you and I both want the same thing," the dark man answered.
"And what's that?" Leopold asked slowly.
"Why, for your Queen to remain in your Kingdom, of course, Sire," the dark man answered. "And for your daughter to continue to have a stepmother. I'm sure, in time, your Queen will embrace her new role. She just needs to be reminded of what her proper path is."
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Regina ran the brush through Snow's dark hair, trying her best to control her frustration. Johanna was busy unpacking Snow's bags and readying her room, so the task fell to Regina to help her stepdaughter regain some semblance of good grooming. Though the girl's hair was so tangled from her recent ride that it was natural for there to be tangles...
"Ouch!"
"Oh, I'm sorry dear," Regina told Snow quickly, thankful that the girl couldn't see her quirk a smile.
"It's okay," Snow answered. "Thank you for doing this."
"You're welcome," Regina smiled, still playing the part of the loving stepmother. "You and your father are away so often, I hardly ever get to spend time with you."
'Thank goodness,' she added in her mind.
"I'm tired of these long journeys," Snow complained. "I wish I could stay here, with you. Perhaps, next time, I'll ask him."
"But then you'd lose your time with your father," Regina told the girl. "I know how much the two of you love each other. He's so busy with his royal duties when he's here, the only time he truly gets to be with you is on your journeys together."
Snow turned to view her stepmother with inquiring eyes.
"Is that why he takes me on these journeys?" She asked. "I've often wondered why he takes me with him."
"I assumed it was," Regina answered carefully. "On the occasions when your father and I can have dinner alone, all he can talk about is you," it took every ounce of Regina's acting skill to keep the distain from her voice and replace it with fondness.
Snow smiled as she turned, allowing Regina to resume brushing her hair.
"Your father loves you, very much dear," Regina said softly.
Snow smiled.
"I love him more," she stated.
Regina breathed a small sigh of relief. She didn't know what she'd do if she was forced to stay in this castle with Snow.
Once Snow's hair was brushed, Joanna arrived with perfect timing to say that Snow's bath was ready.
Gratefully, Regina let the girl go to wash off the dirt from her ride as she went to stand at her balcony.
Now, finally, Regina had the time to think over what happened earlier at the palace gates.
Robin had appeared to be purposefully trying to be taken prisoner by the king. What possible plan could he have? She was afraid to go visit him, in case her secret be found out. But still, she couldn't allow him to be locked up. He told her he'd rather be free and hunted, and she knew it would be torture for him to remain behind bars.
And if she couldn't be free from her marriage to the King, Regina wanted to make sure that at least one of them was free.
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Little John patrolled the edge of the palace grounds. He had spotted Robin's cell not long ago by Robin's signal, and now the rest of the Merry Men were searching for the location of the Queen's quarters. They were to let Robin know where she was, he would then break out of his cell take the Queen as 'hostage' to allow them to escape, and then they would all meet up near the boarders of Sherwood forest.
However, Little John and the others were having trouble figuring out which rooms belonged to the Queen.
"Need help?"
Little John spun around to see a young woman standing before him. She was petite in stature, her blond hair was piled atop of her head in what had once been an intricate braid. However now, strands were beginning to fall out of place. Her green dress reminded Little John of a pixie, yet she was clearly human.
"Who are you?" He demanded.
"My name's Tinkerbell," the young woman stepped forward hopefully. "You're friends with Robin, right? I saw you at the King's homecoming."
"What's it to you?" John wasn't about to let it be known what his friend was up to. This woman may look innocent, but he knew looks could be deceiving.
Tinkerbell sighed in frustration. "I saw Robin get captured. He's the one with the lion tattoo."
"So?"
"So," Tinkerbell emphasised, "I'm a friend of Regina's," she told him in a quite tone, stepping closer. "I'm the one who led her to the tavern last night, where she and Robin met."
Little John considered this, and figured that she must have been telling the truth, as he doubted the Queen would have told anyone about going to a common tavern.
"I'm known as Little John," he supplied cautiously.
"Well, Little John," Tinkerbell smiled. "If Robin wants to free Regina, I want to help."
"Why?" Little John asked.
"Because saving Regina could save me as well," Tinkerbell answered.
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Regina held her head proudly as she approached Robin's cell. She was just a royal coming to inspect a prisoner, or at least that's what she was hoping she conveyed.
The guards saluted as she approached.
"Your Majesty," one greeted formally.
"I wish to question the prisoner," she told the guards firmly. "King Leopold has always been a fair ruler to those in his kingdom. This man has committed no crime in our kingdom, and yet he has been treated as a criminal. He deserves to at least be given the chance to speak for himself."
The two men shared a glance.
"King Leopold gave orders that no one is to speak to the prisoner until the convoy from Nottingham has arrived to take him away," one reported.
"You would defy your Queen?" Regina questioned the guard, stepping closer. "Not to mention the very standard that the King holds himself to?"
The guard swallowed nervously.
"We have orders, milady."
"And now you have orders from your Queen," Regina drew herself up to her full height, as she stared the men down. "Let me pass."
Hesitantly, the two men allowed her to move past them and down the corridor towards Robin's cell.
Seeing Robin leaning against the wall of his cell as if he were simply waiting for time to pass filled Regina with more relief than she had expected. She had thought he'd be suffering, but he seemed quite at ease.
Mindful of the guards standing within earshot, their backs to her, she cleared her throat to gain attention.
Robin's head shot up and he saw Regina standing before his cell.
"Your Majesty," he greeted warmly. "I'm honoured that you would visit me."
"Robin of Loxley," Regina stated regally, "I apologise for your treatment here. You've committed no crime in our kingdom, and yet you have been treated like a criminal."
"Well, I'm considered a criminal in many kingdoms, Your Majesty," Robin told her good-naturedly, "I do not blame your king for being cautious."
Regina studied the man before her, trying to think of how she can convey her message to him without alerting the guards nearby.
"Why are you here?" She asked him.
"The guards found a wanted picture with my face on it," Robin answered.
"You know that's not what I mean," Regina placed a hand across one of the bars that made up the grid of his cell door. "What are you intentions here?"
Robin stepped closer also, never taking his eyes of Regina.
"Why do you ask, Milady?"
"The King could order you to be killed, if he suspects you're here with the wrong intentions," Regina told him firmly. "I'm giving you a chance to spare yourself before Prince John's men come to collect you."
"Right and wrong mean different things to different people," Robin explained. "For example, I think it's wrong for the people in my homeland to be robbed of their livelihoods, yet Prince John thinks it's wrong of me to give back the money he stole from them."
Robin stepped closer until he and the queen were practically eye to eye.
"And I'm not the type to think only of sparing myself," he added softly. "I prefer to put others before me."
"Even at the risk of your life?" Regina asked him.
Robin smirked slightly.
"What's life without a bit of risk?" He countered. "Makes life interesting."
"Why are you here?" Regina asked again, firmly.
Robin stepped closer still, until the only thing that separated him from the queen were the bars of his cell.
"King Leopold has possession of a treasure so wondrous, I have never seen the like in all my travels," he whispered, his eyes softening as he gazed at the queen. "And he clearly has no appreciation for such a treasure, for he keeps it locked away. And a treasure of such beauty as this," Robin continued sincerely, "should never be kept hidden from the world."
His meaning was clear in the way he stared at her, but still...
"What is this treasure?" She asked. Regina knew she had a role to play, but a part of her wanted the confirmation.
However, with the guards still within earshot, Robin knew better than to make it obvious.
"And have the King double the guards? I don't think so." he smiled cheekily.
"Is that all you'll say?" Regina questioned.
"That's all I'll say, Your Majesty," Robin nodded.
Regina let go of the bars and stepped back.
"I gave you the chance to speak up for yourself, Robin of Loxley," Regina informed him. "You chose not to take that chance. Your fate is of your own making."
Turning, Regina strode away from Robin's cell.
"Tell the king to double the guards around his treasure room," she ordered, and the guards saluted in response.
Smiling, Robin was about to turn back to his spot by the wall to await nightfall, when his eye caught something laying on one of the cross-bars of his cell door.
As he placed his hand over the bar to palm the object, Robin's smile grew wider. He knew he was doing the right thing. Now it would be that much easier to achieve.
For Regina had given him a key.
~..~..~..~..
"That's it."
Little John followed the direction Tinkerbell was pointing to spy a large balcony overlooking the courtyard.
"That's the Queen's room?" Little John confirmed picking up parchment and a charcoal stick to give Robin directions to the location.
"It's a fair distance from Robin's cell," Will observed. "He'll need us to back him up."
"Exactly," Little John said. "We'll go in and make as if we're going to steal something from the King. That will give Robin the chance he needs to get Regina out. Then, if the good Friar and Tinkerbell can arrange some horses for us from the stables, we'll meet up at Sherwood forest."
"The King will've increased the guards with someone like Robin as a guest," Will commented with little enthusiasm.
"So we go for something else," Tinkerbell insisted.
"What?"
"Food?" Piped up Friar Tuck hopefully. "We go rob the kitchens instead. The poor people of this kingdom could have a decent meal by tomorrow night."
'And I could get my wings back,' Tinkerbell thought hopefully.
"Let's do it."
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Author's note: So, what do you think? I know, this is predominantly a 'preparation' chapter, but I really wanted to show how everyone: Robin, the Merry men, Rumple, Regina, Leopold and even Tinkerbell has a plan in place and is hoping the night will end the way they hope. And, I will admit, it will for some, but not for others.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please review!
Also if this file upload doesn't work, I don't know what else to do, as I couldn't find any new information on the 'information' link. Could any of you help me please? I would really appreciate it, as I really don't want you guys to have to struggle to read my work just because the format gets screwed up.
Thank you!
