Chapter 4

A/N: Hello everybody! Thank you all so much for your patience, reads, follows, favourites and reviews! This chapter has been sitting half-done for ages and only now have I been able to complete it.

I hope you like it!

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King Leopold had doubled the guard around his treasure room, just as his Queen had advised. However, the guards had also informed him that Robin had described his target as a 'treasure of such beauty he had never seen the like of it,' which seemed to Leopold that Robin was indeed going to attempt to kidnap his Queen.

So, he had posted two guards outside his Queen's chambers the moment she had retired for the night.

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As his cell slowly fell into Darkness, Robin got himself ready.

Earlier, an arrow had shot through the bars of his cell, carrying a map and directions to the Queen's chambers. Little John had even added a note, detailing their plan to help him escape.

Smiling, Robin had memorised the parchment before tearing it into pieces, lest a guard take it from him.

Now, as the moon rose, it was time to put his plan into action.

Taking the key Regina had given him, he reached through the bars of his cell and inserted it in the lock, keeping an eye on the two guards nearby to make sure their backs were still turned.

As silently as possible, Robin opened the door of his cell, but the rusty hinges creaked in protest.

Turning at the sound, one of the guards spotted him and drew his sword, the second following suit.

"Stop!" Was all he had time to get out before he and his companion fell to the ground, unconscious.

Robin felt his jaw drop as he spotted Regina standing before him, having knocked the guards out without touching them.

"How did you do that?" Robin asked warily as Regina closed the book she was holding.

"Magic," she explained shortly. "My mother was a powerful magician."

Robin came forward warily, his eyes on the sleeping guards.

"You seem quite powerful yourself, Milady," he granted slowly.

"I know very little in comparison," Regina stated softly. "And I've seen what magic can do to people. I don't want a future like that." She raised her eyes to meet his gaze. "But I will use it, if it can mean your freedom."

"Our freedom," Robin corrected. "For you can come with me, Regina," he reminded her. "We can both be free of this place and you can start living the life you want by morning."

Regina slowly smiled.

"I'm afraid," she admitted.

"I understand," Robin assured her. "But do you desire freedom?"

"Yes," Regina answered instantly.

"Then come with me," Robin held out his hand. "And I can give you that freedom."

Her fingers trembling slightly, Regina slowly placed her hand in Robin's own.

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Snow tossed restlessly in her bed. Her throat was parched, yet the jug of water by her bed was empty. She didn't want to bother Johanna with something as trivial as a glass of water, so, resigning to the fact that she won't get sleep until her thirst was quenched, the girl lit a candle and made her way towards the kitchen to get some water from the barrels she knew would be stored in the cellar.

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Tinkerbell and the Merry Men made their way silently into the palace courtyard, thanks to Tinkerbell, who used some of the last of the fairy dust she kept in the pouch around her waist to make the guards fall asleep.

"Quite handy to have around, aren't you?" Will commented as the guards dropped, one by one, unconscious.

"I'll be even more handy once I earn my wings back," Tinkerbell stated in determination. "If I can just save Regina, I can prove I am a good fairy."

"Well, it looks like everyone is out to get something from tonight," Little John commented. "So: Tinkerbell, you and Tuck head to the stables and secure us a means of escape, while we head to the kitchens and steal all the food they have. We'll meet you by the gate, once Robin and Regina are out. We try to keep the guards focussed on us, so they have time to get away. If we can all make it to the borders of the Kingdom, Leopold will have no power to enforce his law, and we'll be free to travel to Sherwood Forest."

Tinkerbell nodded.

"Got it," she turned to the jolly man in the humble robes, "let's go liberate some horses, Friar,"

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Snow was making her way back to bed, her slippered feet almost silent on the cool stone floor, when she heard a sound that made her stop in her tracks.

It was a quiet, high pitched squeak, and turning her head, she saw a window open smoothly moments before a man climbed over the sill to land softly on the floor of the corridor.

Quickly, Snow hid herself behind a nearby curtain, hoping the man hadn't seen her.

'There's a stranger in our home,' she thought as she tried to calm her frantic heart.

"Coast is clear," the man whispered and Snow peeked out to see others climbing in through the window.

"The kitchens should be down the stairs over there," the first man pointed as the group began to move off, unravelling large burlap sacks as they walked.

"The poor people in this place are going to have a decent dinner tomorrow," a second man said smugly.

The last man closed the window until it was just fractionally open before following his companions out of sight down the stairs.

Too late, Snow spotted two of the palace guards make their way around the corner.

"Guards," Snow whispered frantically as she rushed from her hiding place.

"Princess," one commented in surprise, "what are you doing here so late?"

"I came down to get a drink," Snow explained quickly, "and I was just heading back to bed when I saw men climb inside through that window!" She pointed. "I hid behind the curtain, so they wouldn't see me."

"How many?" One of the guards asked.

"I don't know," Snow admitted, "about six or seven, I think."

"Where did they go?" The second guard asked.

"To the kitchens, to steal food I think," Snow answered.

"I'll inform the king," The second guard reported. "We may need help, if there are six men or more."

As the guard ran toward the King's chambers, the first guard gripped Snow's shoulders.

"Go back to bed, Princess," he told her, "thank you for informing us, but now it is dangerous for you here."

Nodding, Snow turned and ran towards her room, as the first guard went to the kitchen stairway to block the intruders if they tried to escape out the window.

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Taking Regina's arm, Robin led the way silently down the hallway, his knife in his free hand, ready.

"You know the King could have you killed on sight," Regina whispered to him, fearful of his safety.

"Well, that's why the first rule is: Don't get caught," Robin whispered back. Silently, he made his way to the stairs, only to have Regina pull him to a stop.

"But what if you do get caught?" Regina asked, speaking around the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Well, you are my hostage, Your Majesty," Robin pointed his knife at her lightly, "I'm sure you will ensure our safe passage out of the castle. Now, you need to stay silent, Milady," he told her. "We don't want to wake up the castle, do we?"

Robin watched as Regina's face changed from concern to absolute terror. Turning, Robin spied a young girl standing in an adjacent hallway, staring with wide eyes.

"Stepmother!" Snow's choked whisper echoed along the corridor.

Robin noted that his hand was still gripped around the Queen's arm and his knife was still pointed at the Queen's chest.

Regina swallowed.

"She'll tell the King," Regina said fearfully.

'That's it,' Snow realised, before turning and running towards her father's chamber. 'Don't worry Stepmother, Father will save you.'

Robin broke into a run. His priority was to get the Queen out of the kingdom.

"Things just got more interesting," he muttered as he and Regina raced towards the doors.

"She'll tell the king," Regina repeated.

"She thinks you're being kidnapped," Robin reminded her. "She thinks she's helping you."

"The last time that girl tried to 'help' me, I ended up in this cage" Regina muttered before despair began to fill her heart. It wouldn't work. They'd find her and she'd have to be dragged back to her gilded prison. And for kidnapping a royal, Robin could even be put to death...

'I can't let that happen,' she swore to herself. She would ensure that Robin, at least would be free.

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"How many did my daughter see?" King Leopold questioned the guard.

"The Princess saw about six or seven men enter the castle, sire," The guard reported. "They headed to the kitchens to steal food."

That caused King Leopold to pause.

"My citizens know that we send our spare food out to the villages," he commented in confusion. "Why would they feel the need to steal?"

"Because it's a distraction."

Leopold whirled around to spy the impish man from before.

"A distraction?" Leopold repeated as the guard drew his sword warily, unsure if this man was threat to his king.

"Put your sword away, sonny boy," the impish man told the guard casually. "If I wanted you dead, you would be so by now. I'm here to help."

"I have guards stationed outside both Robin's cell and my Queen's chambers," King Leopold spoke up surely. "There is no way that anyone could get pass them."

"Sure of that, are you?" The impish man smiled. "In a few moments, you'll be proven wrong." And as suddenly as he'd appeared, the man vanished.

"Father!"

The King tried to recover from his shock as he turned to see his daughter rush into the room in a panic.

"Snow," the King commented in concern at the tears staining his daughter's cheeks. "What-"

"I saw Regina being kidnapped," Snow blurted out as tears ran down her face. "The prisoner you arrested today- he was pointing a knife at her chest. He said she'd make sure he'd get out of the kingdom."

"Did they see you?" The King asked, kneeling down to comfort his distraught daughter.

"Yes," Snow sobbed onto his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't stop him, he's taken Regina-"

"Don't apologise, Snow, he could have killed you. You did the right thing coming to tell me." Leopold turned to his guard. "Send for all your men at once. We need to rescue the Queen before that outlaw leaves the kingdom. And someone send for Johana," he added, "my poor daughter's had a terrible fright twice in one night."

Leopold cupped Snow's face lovingly in his hands.

"Have no fear, Snow," the King assured the princess. "We will rescue your stepmother, and bring her kidnapper to justice."

"Is he going to kill her?" Snow asked fearfully, for she did not want her stepmother to die.

"No, child," Leopold was quick to allay her fear. "The only reason he'd be able to leave is if she's with him. He can't afford to hurt her. All the better for us, for it can guarantee that Regina will be safe back home before morning."

As Snow's expression began to fill with relief and hope, Johana arrived at that moment to take the princess back to bed, with a cup of warm milk sweetened with honey to help her young nerves.

"Told you so."

The king turned at the sing-song tone of the impish man as his daughter left the room.

"You were right," King Leopold told the man worriedly.

"I usually am," The man flourished a hand smugly. "Question is: do you know how to get your Queen back?"

King Leopold swallowed as he considered.

"The most direct way out of the kingdom is-"

"Oh don't be obvious," the impish man scoffed. "The thief has made off with the Queen, do you really think he'll just ride out along the main road?"

Leopold gazed at the man before him. 'He knows where they're going,' he realised.

"Then where?" He asked.

The let out a small giggle before a map appeared in his hand.

"This will be the route they'll take," the man said in a flourish. "You need to stop them before they leave the kingdom's borders."

King Leopold took the map in hand, hand, seeing a route marked that lead through the forest bordering the far edges of his kingdom.

"How do you know this?" He asked, not that he was ungrateful for the help.

"I can see the future," the impish man answered airily.

"And why are you helping?" Leopold pressed. "You are not from my kingdom. I am not your king."

"Oh, I answer to no one dearie," the impish man giggled again. "All I want is for your Queen to be where she belongs."

"Well thank you," Leopold told the man, accepting the map and summoning his guards once more.

"Thank me when you capture the thief and return the Queen to her rightful place," the man answered shortly before disappearing. "And make sure you capture the thief before they reach the border."He hissed before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Sire!"

Leopold turned as a guard came running into his throne room.

"Someone is stealing horses from the stables!"

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Tinker bell and Friar Tuck crept through the stable doors as quietly as possible, breathing in the sweet smell of horses and hay.

"What do you think?" Tinkerbell queried the friar. "How many will we need?"

"A fair few, I'd say," Friar Tuck smiled good-naturedly as he headed towards the tackle room. "But let's get a horse for Robin and Regina first."

Tinkerbell hurried over to where she knew Regina's horse was housed and greeted the steed with a smile.

"Hello boy," Tink whispered as she stroked its long muzzle. "Sorry to wake you up, but Regina needs your help."

As Tuck saddled up a horse for Robin, Tink took care of the horse meant for Regina.

As they worked as quietly as possible, Tink couldn't help noticing how calm the friar was.

"I didn't think Friars were allowed to steal," Tink commented as she led Regina's horse over to the stable gate beside Robin's getaway horse.

"Well," Tuck chuckled as he began preparing another horse. "I admit, I may not be a very 'churchly' friar, but I do believe that ensuring that the villagers get decent food in their bellies and warm clothes on their backs is more important than counting gold."

"Sounds a bit like me," Tinkerbell admitted as she worked. "The Blue Fairy always said that I wasn't very good at following rules, and couldn't believe that I would want to help Regina. But I did anyway."

"Because you felt it was the right thing to do," Tuck finished, meeting the former fairy's eyes.

Tink nodded.

"I wanted to help Regina be happy," she admitted. "I just wanted to be a good fairy."

"I may not be a fairy, child," the good friar took up Tinkerbell's hands in his own, "but I can see goodness in others. And I see it in you." He smiled reassuringly as hope filled Tink's eyes. "Rules are put in place to help keep order, but in my experience, rules can often overshadow the true way to discover goodness: your heart. If something feels like the right thing to do, it generally is."

"Halt!"

Friar Tuck and Tinkerbell spun around to stare down the point of a sword.

"Go alert the King," The guard told his companion as he held his two prisoners at bay.

"Well, well," the guard mused as he backed the fairy and the friar into a stall that had just been vacated. "First Robin Hood is captured this afternoon, then men are found raising the kitchens, now two thieves are stealing from the royal stables."

"I suppose that tells you something about the security measures here at the palace," Tuck spoke up, trying to stall for time.

Slowly, so the guard wouldn't see, Tinkerbell reached into the small bag around her waist.

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Robin and Regina raced to the stables as fast as they could. They knew that, with Snow alerting the King of Robin's escape, they had precious little time.

"Please, Tuck pull through on this," Robin prayed as he led Regina into the stables, only to freeze.

A guard stood, pointing a sword towards the good friar, as well as a young woman Robin didn't recognise.

The guard had turned at their footsteps, and his eyes widened.

"You're Majesty!" He gasped at seeing her held captive by the knife wielding thief.

Seizing her moment, Tinkerbell blew the very last of her fairy dust over the guard, knocking him out.

"Tinkerbell!" Regina gaped as she realised that her new friend was no longer a fairy. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you," Tinkerbell insisted, grabbing the reins of the horse Tuck had saddled for Robin. "Quickly, get on, both of you, there's no time."

Robin mounted quickly. "I am in your debt, Milady."

"Tinkerbell," the former fairy supplied. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Hearing shouts outside, Robin offered his hand to Regina, who mounted to share his steed, riding behind him.

"We'll distract them," Tuck insisted, seeing his friend was reluctant to leave them to fend for themselves. "They're after you."

Looking over his shoulder, Robin met Regina's gaze before nodding resolutely.

"We'll meet at the edge of Sherwood Forest," he told his friend and the good Friar nodded.

Outside, the palace guards were racing towards the stables having learned that the Queen was being kidnapped, only as they approached, the large wooden doors blew open and all the horses came racing out in a panic, knocking the guards backward off their feet.

Amongst the melee, Regina and Robin raced their horse along a seldom used trail that led into the forest, while Tuck and Tinkerbell headed back to the palace to retrieve their comrades.

The Dark One watched the scene with distain. The Palace guards were idiots, it had to be said.

His dark eyes focused on the pair racing towards what they hoped would be their 'Happily Ever After'.

"Oh no you don't, Dearie," he whispered. He'd put too much time and effort into Regina to have her stolen from him, let alone by a common thief.

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A/N: So, what do you think?

I couldn't resist having Snow being the one to alert everyone about Regina's 'abduction' as it would just solidify Regina's resentment towards her.

Having Rumple watch was something I added at the last minute. I see him as the continuous chess player, nudging people towards a certain path in this event, but never obviously getting involved. However, as he's spent so long preparing for Regina to cast the curse that will take him to his son, I really can't see him staying completely above it all.

Tuck and Tink, originally, were just going to use the escaped horses as a cover for their escape, but I figured they wouldn't leave, knowing Little John and the others were still inside the palace.

I was originally going to make this a four-chapter story, but I think I'll try to take it to a six chapter story.

Please review, I appreciate feedback.