I don't know if anyone's still reading this story, but here's another chapter, I have the next one written so please review or PM me to know if anyone's reading this. And happy Easter to all that are celebrating it this Sunday, have a great holiday.
"Well, this place is not scary at all." Robin commented as they watched the dark hallway that had rooms on every side.
"Just turn the damn light on." And he did as he was told.
"Make yourself useful, search the rooms on the left side and I'll search on the right."
"What is it that we are looking for?"
"Hats, you'll understand when you see." Regina commented and started to go in the rooms. She didn't have to go far the second room she got in was the one she was looking for.
"Robin!" She called him and he was soon by her side.
"Hats, I get it now." He said as he observed the room. "How do you know which one is the right one?"
"I don't. But, it's probably hidden. So if you see black or brown box, that's probably it." They both searched the room and Robin finally found what they were looking for. Regina put the hat on the floor and spun it. They jumped in it when the hat was wide enough. They ended up in Enchanted Forest. They fell on the side of a lake where Regina used to come when she was younger.
"So, where exactly are those plants?" Robin asked her.
"Somewhere deep in the forest, I've had a map back in my castle." She said and the smoke rounded them both. They were in The Dark Castle.
"Then, what are we doing here?"
"Rumplestilstkin has a stash of potions and if we are lucky he probably sealed it with blood. I need to bring back his memory potion so that I don't have to make it for all of the town, it'd take hours." Regina said and got closer to the wall she knew was where Rumplestiltskin held potions.
"Do you have a knife?" Regina asked and he handed her one. "Thank you." And she pricked her finger and put it against the wall, as soon as her blood touched it, it showed bunch of potions and magical stuff.
"What potions do you need?" Robin asked as he observed her look for them.
"Well, these for sure and maybe... that one." She pointed a the little vial of dark black liquid.
"What do you need that one for?"
"Just a... feeling." Regina said as she put all those vials of memory potion in the bag Robin was carrying, and then placed the other one in a box and put it in the back.
"Now, we go in your castle?" Robin asked.
"I just need to... check something. You wait here." She said and went upstairs, she went in the room at the end of the hall where Rumple kept his writings on every person he taught. She looked for hers, Cora's and Zelena's. She found all three of them and went down to Robin.
"What are those?" Robin asked.
"Just some files Rumple wanted me to bring him." Regina lied. "Let's just go, okay?" She said and then they were in her castle. What she didn't expect was two swords going for her throat.
"Oh, Your Majesty, we are so sorry, we didn't expect you back." The same guards that were always in front of her chambers said and bowed down.
"That's fine. I need to find the maps of Enchanted Forest, are there any more guards? If there are then I have to change." She was still wearing her clothes from Storybrooke.
"No, Your Majesty, only us, everyone else was taken with the curse."
"How are you here?" Robin asked them.
"When we found out that the curse was just about to hit, there was this light coming out of The Queen's chambers, we thought something happened to her so we went in, but that light protected us, the smoke went around us, like some kind of force field." The guard explained.
"Can you show us where the light came from?" Regina asked us.
"Right under that floorboard, we didn't want to touch it because we didn't know what was that." Regina took the board and found an old jewellery box.
"Are you sure it's safe to open it?" Robin asked and she glared at him.
"You might want to stand back, gentlemen." They didn't need it to be said twice. Regina carefully opened the box and shielded it so that no one could see what was there.
"That bastard." Regina breathed out.
"What's that?" Robin asked and got closer to see but she closed the box before he could see anything.
"Regina, what was that?" He asked again.
"It can't be used to harm someone if that's what you're asking. Now the map, it's in the Throne room, that's three rooms from here, so you can stay here and catch up, or something..." She left the room and headed to the throne room. When she got there she got the map and Henry's backpack that showed up there just a little after he remembered her. She put the box and the files in it and went back to her chambers.
"I have the map, we should get going." Regina said.
"What's in there?" Robin asked about the backpack.
"Some things for Rumplestilstkin..." She hated lying to him, but he just wouldn't understand.
"We are here." Regina showed them on the map and marked it. "This is the part of the forest where the plants are, now, I can't... 'poof' us there because the plants are rare and Rumple kept them under the force field, so that no one can use magic in that area, which means we need horses, if we leave now we'll be there by the sunset."
"Your majesty, do you need us to come with you?" The guard asked.
"No, but I do need you to do one little thing. Find others who are still here, offer them shelter in the castle, I'll make sure that you never run out of food and drinks, I'll come right here when we find the plants so that I can arrange that and beds and whatever the people need. Can you do that?" Regina asked.
"It would be our pleasure, Your Majesty." The guards said and then Robin and Regina left the room and went to the stables to find the horses they were going to ride, when they got in the stables they passed the place where Rocinate used to be. Robin continued walking, but Regina stood there like she was frozen, when Robin turned to talk to her, he noticed that she wasn't behind him, so he went back, he saw her there and went to her.
"Hey, are you okay?" Robin asked her.
"Yes... No, I'm sorry. It's just, Rocinate was the only one who remembered him. He'd come here and sat next to Rocinate, the horse's head would be in his lap. I'd ask him what was he doing and he'd smile and answered 'I find that horses are much better company then humans.' And then I'd sit next to him and he'd tell me a story."
"You miss them both, don't you?"
"Yes... Just like you miss Marian, we'll never stop missing them, but at least we'll have each other and the boys." She said, and he hugged her, she was right he'll never stop missing Marian.
