Authors Note: So it appears once again it has taken me a while to update. I am sorry about that. It seems flat hunting has taken over my life! Ha! However my boyfriend and I have found a place that we love and will hopefully be moving into it soon so I hopefully will not take too long to post the next chapter for you all. Hope you enjoy this chaper :-)

Another couple of days had passed and Regina had not heard or seen of her mother over those past couple of days. Her sisters had told her that mother would be busy, with the ball she was planning and all but still mother had never gone this long without paying her a visit. Mind you Regina wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing she hadn't had a visit from her mother. She loved her mother, she really did but sometimes she couldn't help but resent her slightly for sticking her in this tower and not letting her out.

She sighed and sat on the seat on the window ledge and stared out onto the meadow that surrounded her. Once again it was a beautiful day. The sky was bright blue and the sun was shining, a beautiful summers day and she couldn't go outside and enjoy it. She made do with sitting at the window, resting back and singing to herself.

Robin Hood was running through the forest as fast as he could. He had just made a steal from a carriage that was passing and had almost got himself caught but once again he was too fast for the old man in the carriage and had managed to make a run for it. However he found himself being chased by the other men who were with the older man and that was why he was running as if his life depended on it (which it kind of did.) He made a sharp left turn, hiding in a blocked off area.

He kept walking backwards, walking slightly slower being careful to not make any noise. As he stepped back a little more thinking he may hit the stone behind him he found himself stumbling backwards. There was no big stone behind him like he had thought there was. He fell through some hanging vines and hit the ground.

"Ow!" He said to himself as he rubbed his lower back. He stood up and then stopped as he heard the men that had been chasing him growing closer. He stepped backwards and hid in the shadows hoping no one would think to look over this way. He waited and could hear the mumblings of the men before they turned and walked off back towards the carriage. He let out a sigh of relief and wiped his brow. He had to admit to himself that had been a close one.

He rested back against the wall and caught his breath and as he was doing that he could hear something in the distance. He looked towards where the sound was coming from and his interest took over him. He pushed himself off the wall and began to walk in the direction of the noise. He tried to walk as quietly as he could wanting to hear more of what the noise was. As he made his way out of the stone tunnel the noise began to get louder and he soon realised it was someone singing.

The voice he could hear was a woman's voice and a beautiful voice it was. The sounds of the voice floated through the air, tuneful and bright. He smiled and followed the voice needing to know whose it was. He looked around him as he came into the daylight and found himself in a beautiful meadow, surrounded by green and lots of colourful flowers. Looking straight ahead he then saw a tall tower and looking up it was then he could see the owner of the most beautiful voice he had ever heard.

A young woman was sat at the window at the top of the tower, her face soft looking and as beautiful as her voice was. He kept walking, not even bothering to look what was beneath him just staring up at the beautiful woman at the top of the tower. Once he had reached the tower he walked around it trying to find a way in. He had to get in. He had to meet this woman. After walking around for the third time he noticed there was a certain part of the tower that was covered in vines. He stepped forward and looked more closely and could see there was a door there and the vines had been cut precisely so that the door could open but could still be concealed from anyone's eyes. He smiled to himself and he pulled on the handle happy to find that the door was open.

He made his way up the tall spiralling stair case still hearing the young woman's voice as he did so. After a while he started taking the steps two at a time and then even three at a time just wanting to get to the top to meet this young woman. Once at the top he came to another door. He placed his hand on the handle of this door but this door would not open for him. He frowned and looked around him. He then saw a key hanging up on the wall to the side of the door and his smile returned. He took the key down, placed it in the lock and turned. The door opened and he walked in.

Regina jumped as she heard someone unlocking the door. She quickly stood up, smoothing her hands over her dress, tucking her hair behind her ears and then quickly looking around her to make sure the place wasn't a mess. If this was mother then she would not be happy if the tower was a mess.

The door opened and in walked a man making Regina gasp. She had never seen this man before, had no idea who he was. A stranger had never walked into her tower. The man looked over at her and gave her a smile which she did not return. "H…How did you get in here?" Regina demanded trying to put on a brave and firm face but she was sure she was failing.

"Why the door obviously." The man replied smartly which made Regina frown.

"Who are you?" She demanded again. "What do you want with me?"

"I want nothing with you milady." He replied. "I am Robin Hood."

"Robin Hood? The thief?" Regina asked her interesting taking over her and making her let her guard down. She had heard about Robin Hood. Her sisters had told her all about him. The handsome thief who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Regina envied his life somewhat. From all the stories he seemed to be so free.

"Well I would not call myself a thief milady…"

"You steal from people there for you are a thief." Regina shrugged. "I have heard the stories of you. You steal from the rich and give to the poor."

Robin shrugged and then nodded his head. "I guess I am a thief of sorts but the poor need the money more than the rich do." He said trying to justify himself which he wasn't sure why he was. He never justified himself to anyone. "And who are you milady?"

"I…My name is Regina…" Regina said quietly.

"And you live here?" He asked and Regina nodded her head. "Why on earth do you live all the way up here?"

"How did you find me?" Regina asked quickly ignoring his question.

"I heard you singing while I was…taking a walk…" Robin said. "You have a beautiful voice."

"Thank you." Regina blushed slightly and hid her face shyly. She wasn't used to compliments of any sorts. She then cleared her throat and tried to pull herself together. "You really should not be up here. Mother would not allow it."

"Why not? Are you not allowed visitors? I would love to stay and get to know you." Robin said as he worked further into the tower. "Get to know the beautiful woman with the beautiful voice."

Regina blushed again and then looked away. She really should not allow him to stay. If mother found out she'd be furious. Who knows what she would do. The punishment would no doubt be severe and Regina really did not want that. But as she looked over at the thief and the stories were true he really was handsome, she really wanted to get to know him too. To have a friend, someone else to talk to. She had always wanted that and with him maybe she could have that. He could maybe stay for a little while. Mother would never know and what she didn't know couldn't hurt her right?

"There's not much to know about me." Regina said with a shrug as she sat back down on the seat by the window. She watched as Robin walked over to her and he sat himself down on the chair that was close by.

"I can't imagine that to be true." He said softly never taking his eyes off of her. She seemed to entrance him. He wanted to know everything about her. He had to know everything about her.

"It is." Regina shrugged her shoulders and she looked to the side slightly, biting her lip. "I have lived in this tower for about fourteen years and that is it."

"Have you never been outside in that time?" Robin asked. Regina shook her head. "And who has looked after you?"

"At first my mother had my nanny look after me. I called her Granny." Regina said with a small smile and Robin could tell just from that that Regina missed the woman she was talking about. "But after a while my mother told me that Granny would be leaving. She told me I was old enough to stay here on my own and that Granny didn't want to stay here with me any longer." Regina sighed.

"So you stay here on your own? That must get lonely." Robin said.

Regina nodded her head. "It does but my mother and sisters come to visit me and sometimes my stepfather." Regina then frowned to herself. She had no idea why she was telling this stranger any of this. But when she looked up into his eyes she felt something. Something she had never felt before and she didn't understand it.

"Who locked you up here?" Robin asked.

"My mother did." Regina replied. "She doesn't think it is safe out there for me. She doesn't think I would be able to cope. She wants' to protect me." Regina said.

"I'm sure you could more than handle things out there. It's not all that bad." Robin smiled.

"My mother doesn't seem to think so." Regina sighed. "I'm forbidden to ever leave this tower unless my mother says so."

"Well what do you think?" Robin asked.

Regina stayed silent for a moment. No one had ever asked her that question. No one had ever considered what she thought. No one had ever thought to ask her whether she thought she could handle life out there. Whether she needed to be stuck in this tower all her life. No one had ever considered her thoughts until this stranger turned up. A stranger that she felt so comfortable with and she didn't know why. A stranger that she felt she had known all her life but in reality had only known for all of half an hour. She had no idea why but she trusted the man sat in front of her.

"I think I could handle anything." She replied.