Focus...

Focus!

She has to concentrate…

The first thing she noticed when her senses seemed to return was the distinctive itchiness that now adorned both her face as well as her exposed shoulders, carved on her smooth skin by the branches that never got out of her way, branches she could have avoided has she been paying attention to her surroundings. Her surroundings…where were they exactly?

Judging from the clear opening they had reached they must have been running for quite a while. The density of the forest, she noted, had subsided greatly, giving place to a somewhat round area, void of trees, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. And yet she seemed to recall none of it. Her mind was still clouded with her previous thoughts, thoughts of a past rendered to remain forever as it was and a future that had yet to be decided.

The second thing she noticed was his hand still holding her own. The heat radiating from his touch where their fingers met. She wouldn't quite admit it -not yet at least - but Robin's hold on her was the only thing anchoring her to their current, shared, reality… Folding her hand with his own he quite unknowingly made her feel less alone, still reminding her that she was there. The he was there with her…

She should protest… And she would have had his touch not felt so natural and so very soothing…No no no no no! What was she thinking?! She was the queen… right? She was! Wasn't she? She sure didn't feel like a queen at the moment, but she was. She had never wanted it though. This was never the life she'd have chosen for herself had she been asked. Had she been a part of the decision that would determine such a great part of who she'd become. A Queen… She could still hear her mother's words. How that was the future she deserved. But it was her future nonetheless. And as such, she should have had a say for, in the end, it was her resolution and no one else's.

Gosh how she despised the reign that was forced upon her and along with it a marriage that made her feel like a silly toy, like a trophy only to be shown around when the occasion required it and cast aside when there wasn't use for it any longer. She never liked this kind of life. Feeling trapped within the small confines of a title she never really wanted for herself. Trapped within a life that seemed to suffocate her as the days passed and turned into years.

She had to concentrate…

The opening…

His hand…

Him…

Robin…

Breathe… Oh God she cannot breathe… she has to stop-

"Milady?" Robin's voice sounded labored and distant- their running having obviously taken its toll on him as well-and the momentum of her abrupt halt having forced him to take a few steps further from where she was standing, before all movement was finally seized.

Bent in two, her hands clutched her skin underneath which her lungs lay, forcing those damned organs to function properly by taking deep, long breaths. Breaths that came out shaky and broken and were inhaled with equal force and difficulty… What was the matter with her? She felt salt water cascading down her flushed cheeks and then two gentle hands…warm fingers cupping her face, thumbs softly wiping the tears that she had no recollection of having allowed to be shed. Leaning into his touch and finding there a tenderness that she had long ceased to think was possible but that came so easily in his company...

"Milady?" Robin tried once more, his worry evident though his warm accent ever resilient, a constant balm for her sore heart.

"I…I can't…" came her answer, constrained and pointed.

"You can't what? What is it?" and when no reply arrived, he needed only to add a soft "Regina…" for her eyes to finally rise from the ground upon which they had found shelter.

That was the moment her eyes landed on his own for the first time since they had stopped running. The moment that her given name fell from his lips like a whisper. Like a promise… Many were the times that she had reprimanded him on his tendency to call her by any other name other than her royal title. "It's Your Majesty " she would say, anger flaring, temper rising. And yet, had she known what feeling would accompany such a liberty she would have allowed it, allow him, long ago.

His thumbs now moving in small, light circles at the area where he still touched her crimson cheeks and she could feel her heart pace slowing down, her feelings of loss subsiding, her hurt fading just a little bit.

God… how on earth she was supposed to voice all those thoughts that seemed to violently attack her mind, ripping her soul apart. She wanted to... For the first time since forever she felt like someone was genuinely interested in her well being, in her being well! And for that she wanted to give him a parcel of her secrets… just a little bit. Show him that she understood his intentions, that she accepted them even. That she trusted him. But now was not the time. There would be a time, she decided; she would make sure of that, but not just yet. Not while they were running for their lives. Not when everything was so very uncertain.

Hands that were, until then, caressing her cheek, slid down her neck, both coming to rest at the junction where her neck and shoulder meet. She could feel her skin buzzing at the touch of his calloused fingers and she could only hope that he wouldn't feel how deeply this contact was affecting her, how accelerated her pulse seemed to be once more, for reasons far more different than of moments ago.

A nod and her soft "Let's go" was all the reassurance he needed, his questioning eyes taking her in, giving her a moment while stealing one for himself (he was a thief after all), and the light squeeze she gave his arm was all that he wanted, a clear enough indication that she was ready to move forward, wherever that forward may lead them.

The sound of the approaching monkeys filled the air, for what seemed like the millionth time that day ("What is this Witch feeding them?" Regina thought) and that was enough for him to grab Regina's hand once again, a token of a shared understanding and a proof of his feelings, and run towards the end of the clearing. They had to reach the main part of the forest where they wouldn't be as easy a target as they were while remaining at this exposed area. The forest would hide them, creating a shield between themselves and the never resting beasts. Just a while longer…

Almost there…

When the shadows of the trees finally fell upon them Robin felt himself relaxing a little, knowing that, for now at least, they could catch their breaths and hopefully come up with a plan. Running forever didn't seem like a plausible thing to do, in all honesty.

His back touched the nearest tree trunk and he leaned on it, allowing his weight to be shared with the solidity that this ancient creature provided, alleviating some of the strain and exhaustion that were progressively taking residence in his body. Regina fared quite similarly, her hilled boots and heavy apparel not the best choice for intense running, nor for simple horseback riding for that matter, for her own heaviness had begun long before their recent activities. She let her cloak fall on the ground, landing with a thud, clear indication of its weight, and using her magic (a little magic wouldn't harm that much, surely) she changed her hilled boots with flat ones. God knows how much running was yet to be forced upon them. When she was finally feeling a little less like "a loaded camel", she allowed her eyes a glimpse at Robin, only to find him watching her in return. What was it with this man and the way he was looking at her? She could feel a blush starting to creep up her neck and it was then she decided to become slightly more active, or to tell the truth, to offer a distraction from the place her mind was taking her, a place involving no one but herself and a very handsome, blue-eyed Merry Man.

"What now?" came her request and that seemed to revive him a little bit as well. It seemed that concentrating on a task was working for both their favors.

"Are you alright?" he replied with a question, wanting to make sure that she was at least in a better state than not that long ago.

"Fine…" and she didn't even have to wait for his eyebrow to lift to know that she didn't sound convincing. This was going to be a long day she thought, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Doesn't matter," she admitted with a sigh that was far more revealing for her liking," let's just figure out how to get away from this God forsaken place" , came her reply for he owed him that bit of honesty at least.

She was sure her words didn't sound really satisfying but after a long moment of him staring at her he gave her a nod and with a push of his lower body and hands he left the tree he was leaning at behind, coming to stand closer and closer –and closer.

"I think we should wait until the night has fallen. The sun is already lowering so it won't take that long. With the darkened sky and the forest I don't think we will be so easily tracked."

"I could transfer us both to the palace then. After they have ceased to follow us that is…" she added, earning an appreciative nod from the man whom, not that long ago, could not stand being near at and yet, now, she couldn't think of a better place for him to be…

"Shall we then?" Robin asked, and this time he didn't have to take her hand.

This time, it was given to him …