#6: The Thief & the Young (Rating: T)

Dark Palace, Enchanted Forest

11 Months Prior

"Yes!"

Jade threw her fist up in the air in a victorious gesture as she saw the arrow getting stuck in the centre of the target board.

"Again?" Catriona sighed to her right. "How do you do that?"

"You are not that far off, Catriona."

The accented voice caused them both to turn around and blush as their teacher in archery, the legendary Robin Hood, gave them a lopsided grin.

"What you need to do is adjust your aim more accordingly to the wind", Robin continued and walked up to the blonde.

"I am doing that", Catriona protested. "I calculate..."

Robin raised a finger to silence her.

"Jade", he then said and turned, "tell me how you hit the centre of the target? I believe this is your fourth hit today."

"I... er... well, I don't calculate things like Catriona does", Jade replied, "so I'm guessing it's just luck?"

"Quite the opposite", Robin said and grabbed his own bow, notching an arrow to its string. "What you do..."

His arrow soared through the sky and lodged itself in the centre of the target, going in at least three inches.

"Is what I do", he continued. "An archer does not have time for calculations, Catriona, no matter how accurate those calculations would be, because..."

"They take some of my focus away from the archery", Catriona said, catching on. "This is going to be tough; I love math."

Robin smiled in amusement.

"I think you two have had enough practice for today", he then said. "We'll pick it up again tomorrow."

While Catriona nodded and left for the castle, joining another group of friends heading in the same direction, Jade lingered behind.

"Robin?" she asked.

"Yes?" the archer said as he removed the arrows from the targets with little to no difficulty.

"How come I can do that and Catriona can't?" Jade asked. "Hit the centre, I mean. I don't really calculate things; I barely even notice the wind and such things. Shouldn't Cat be able to hit more bull's eyes than me because she does that?"

Robin turned around, the collected arrows in one hand and his bow in the other.

"You have a talent for it", he simply replied as he walked back from the targets.

"And that's all it takes?" Jade asked. "A talent?"

"Talent", Robin said, "and devotion. You seem to enjoy this."

"I do", Jade admitted. "I've never even considered archery before, but this is fun. And having a legend as a teacher isn't that bad."

"I'm not that much of a legend", Robin chuckled. "I'm an outlaw who just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but I don't doubt that the Queen wants to see me gone as soon as possible."

"Really?" Jade said as they walked back to the castle together. "She seems to, I don't know, kind of like you."

Robin raised an eyebrow at her in utter confusion.

"Like me?"

"I don't know, forget I even said that."

Robin shook his head at her.

"You remind me of someone", he admitted.

"Who?"

Robin did not respond; instead he gave her an almost pained glance before turning to look ahead towards the dark castle. Jade decided to ask him about that later.

Storybrooke, Maine

Present Time

Her arrow flew from the bowstring and landed way off target. Jade opened her mouth to blame her failure on the gush of magic that had pulsed through the clearing in the very moment she had released the arrow, but stopped when she saw that Robin was staring at her.

"Oh my God", she managed to say when she realized why he was doing that, only to be enveloped in a tight embraced a moment later.

"Don't you ever do that again", he berated her once he pulled back. Jade frowned in confusion.

"Do what exactly?"

"Something dangerous."

Jade blinked.

"Look, Robin, I can try staying out of danger, but that might work for, what, two seconds?" she said. Robin studied her for a moment before his face broke up in a wide grin.

"I should probably not expect anything else from you, young one", he commented with a slight chuckle. Jade rolled her eyes at him.

"Well", she said, "since you gave me some advice, I think it's my turn to give you some. Why are you still here?"

Robin frowned.

"What?"
"You should be running towards Regina by now and tell her you still love her despite your history", Jade dramatically replied. Robin blinked, before he ran his hand through his hair.

"You think she'd want me to do that?"

"Robin", Jade said and crossed her arms over her chest, "the longer you wait to see her the more frightened she'll be that you'll leave her now that you remember the past year. Are you?"

"No", Robin replied and shook his head. "No, I wouldn't leave her. I love her."

He froze as he uttered those words, causing Jade to grin widely.

"Told you", she said and hit him on the arm.

"Don't tell anyone else", he ordered her as they started to walk back from their practice area towards town.

"Oh, no need", Jade replied. "I think pretty much the whole town already knows."

Robin groaned, causing her to laugh and run ahead towards the docks.