A/N Hey guys, I hoped you enjoyed the last chapter! I couldn't wait to start the next chapter as I already planned it in advance. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to give feedback and follow!
Regina woke before dawn broke to an empty bed. It was moments like these when she thanked the Gods, even though she didn't believe in them. She needed to leave the room to clear her head. It was before dawn; about an hour would be when the pure white sun would rise from the east, over the enchanted forest. Perhaps if she snuck into the kitchen, grabbed a snack then went to the stables to be alone with Rocinante before Snow arrived she could have time to think clearly. The only way Regina could escape Leopold's grasp was through Snow; even though Regina despised the Princess, she hated her father more. Leopold never let Regina out of the castle's walls alone, unless she was with Snow, and right now Regina needed to breath and leave the castle. She could put up with Snow if it meant a bit of freedom.
Regina donned her riding gear. She believed it to be brown and grey but she truly had no idea; she has her love-struck tailor's word for it and that was all. She accessorised with a belt, a satchel and put her hair up in a braid. Regina knew that the outfit wasn't what a 'proper' Queen would wear to horse riding, but she didn't care. It was comfortable and that's all she wanted.
Making her way out the room to the kitchen, she bumped into Snow's personal handmaiden, Johanna.
"Oops! My apologies, Your Highness, It will not happen again," Johanna mused, quite out of breath.
"Oh nonsense, it was my doing. I saw that you were in a rush yet I did not move out the way in time. No need to apologise. Why are you in such a hurry?" Regina quizzed.
"It's your step-daughter, My Lady," Regina grinded her teeth at the word 'daughter'. "Snow White is having quite a trauma. She insists on wearing her riding pants instead of a dress, alas she got mud all over them the last time she rode and so she can't wear them."
"Tell the girl that I would love to see her riding in a dress, especially in a summer like this. Perhaps the pure white one with the flowers on it would be fitting?" Regina said with a fake smile on her face. It was true; the summer was the best they had in years, and perfect for riding in a dress. But Snow still hadn't mastered getting on and off the horse in a dress; watching her struggle would be amusing.
"I'll let Snow know immediately, My Lady. Snow looks up to you as if you were her real mother, I'm sure she will follow your advice," Johanna said gleefully. Oh how Regina hated this woman. "I'll make sure the Princess is at the stables before dawn breaks, Your Majesty." Johanna bowed to which Regina replied with the courteous head nod. Regina gracefully walked away, a stern look on her face. She could never catch a moment alone outside of her quarters. She made her way down to the kitchen to find it busier than usual. She walked over to the fruit and grabbed an orange.
"Excuse me?" Regina asked one of the men carrying at least eight loaves of bread.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" he replied, putting them down on the nearest table.
"What's all this commotion about? It's not even dawn yet."
"The King is hosting a Royal Ball tonight to say goodbye to King Edgar, King Victor, Lord Henry and their wives. It is to be one of the biggest balls we've held this year, My Lady."
"A Ball?" Regina said, taken aback. She should have known. It's Royal etiquette to send guests off with a ball.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Thank you," Regina said. The man bowed, and before Regina had time to do or say anything else, the man was off out of sight with his bread. Regina grabbed more fruit in case the brat got hungry on the journey to the rose field and left the kitchen for the stables. Regina must have taken her time walking there as Snow was waiting for her, horses ready to go. Just as Regina suggested, Snow was wearing the white dress with flowers on it.
"Regina!" Snow exclaimed! Snow did spend a lot of time with Regina, but they were hardly ever alone, much to both of their disappointment. "Oh I'm so glad you're here! I've been waiting for so long and I'm very hungry but I wanted to get here soon so we could go as soon as possible-"
"Snow. Calm down child," Regina replied, calmly. "I've brought you some fruit that we can eat when we get there. It's about two hours ride away if we take the scenic route in the small forest, shall we do that?"
"Oh that would be wonderful! Can we go now?" Snow said eagerly.
"Absolutely!" Regina replied, getting on her horse so easily she could do it in her sleep. Snow attempted to get on, but as Regina predicted, she struggled immensely. The white dress with grey flowers patterned around the hem came down to her ankles which prevented her from getting on the horse. Regina had to put her hand to her mouth to hide her smiles as the Princess was struggling. "Are you alright dear?" She giggled.
"Yes I'm fine. It's just this dress." The Princess sulked.
"Is the dress bothering you? Can you not mound the horse with the dress on like a proper Princess?" Regina replied, smug.
"No. I can do it. I know I can do it if I just..." the girl trailed off, as she mustered all her effort and made it up on her horse. "See! Now, which way is it Regina?"
"Follow me," Regina said as she raced ahead of the Princess, off into the grey woods which lay before her.
Robin woke just after dawn. Like any morning, he sighed as he rolled over to where Marian would have laid, but there was just the empty grey space. Remembering his conversation with Will the night before, he shot up and smiled. He was to spend the morning with Roland and help a dear friend out too, which should be enough to keep his mind off Marian. Not that he wanted to forget her, but he wanted to forget the pain she left behind. Robin was brought out of his thoughts when he heard that familiar giggle from outside the tent. He knew what his handsome boy was about to do; Robin lay back down on his bed and shut his eyes. A stream of white light entered and then flooded the dark grey tent as Robin heard Roland and who he could only assume to be Little John came in.
"Three..." Little John whispered, "two..."
"Wake up daddy!" Roland exclaimed, jumping on top of his father.
"Roland!" Little John laughed as Robin sat up, hugging his son.
"Well good morning," Robin smiled, placing a kiss on Roland's forehead.
"Ew, don't do that again daddy! Will said that you were going to take me to the field the rose field this morning to get the roses for Little John so he can kiss the Lady," Roland said, bursting with excitement.
"That's the plan," Robin said, "Now why don't you get my bow and arrows so we can go soon?"
"Yes daddy," Roland smiled, running out of the tent.
"Look, Little John, I'm sorry I haven't been the best leader lately but I want to make it up to you all and-" Robin sighed before he was interrupted.
"Robin. We all know it's been tough for you lately. The fact that you're tryin' is enough for us all," Little John smiled.
"So, whose this 'Lady' Roland seems to know all about?" Robin teased.
"Oh shut up! Her name's Nora and she's the barmaid at the pub a few villages away."
"Ah, I know that lass, she's a right lovely one! I'll make sure to pick the prettiest roses for her," Robin smiled as he threw on some clothes. The men laughed but we're interrupted by a high pitched voice.
"Daddy! Come on I want to go!"
"I'll see you later, John," Robin laughed as he ran out the tent. The white sun had risen but was barely high enough for the villagers to start working. Robin knew that bandits would still be out which is why he wanted to take his bow with him. Roland smiled as he handed over his father's weapons, knowing one day he would have a set of his own.
"Are you ready to go?" Robin said and he took his son's hand. Roland nodded as the pair set off for the rose field.
Regina and Snow had been riding non-stop for what she assumed to be a few hours. They finally reached the rose field. Despite there being no colour, Regina still gasped at the beauty of the place; it was in the heart of the small forest, a river ran through the field, twisting and turning, clashing against a few rocks which had somehow got there. The unspoilt nature was breath-taking. Butterflies landed on the roses that surrounded the place, rabbits and deer running away from the pair as they entered the clearing. The sun was beating down in the field; the thick trees which circled around the outside of the field protected the forest floor from the sun. Regina and Snow dismounted their horses and brought them over to the stream for them to drink from.
"This place is truly beautiful Regina," Snow smiled, "almost as pretty as you!" The girl's compliments warmed her heart, until she remembered why she hated the girl.
"Why thank you, dear, but nothing compares to your beauty," Regina said softly. True, the girl was one of the fairest in the land, but she was too innocent. Untouched by the evil and hardships the world offered. Snow and Regina we're binary opposites in terms of beauty; Snow representing the innocent splendour of light while Regina the elegant seduction of darkness.
"Regina," Snow whispered, her voice having a serious tone to it. "Did you hear that noise? Listen." The pair listened for a moment. "There, did you hear it again?" It was the sound of voices. Regina listened some more until she recognised the voices. It was some bandits.
"Snow get down. Hide behind that rock down and go into that small gap. Don't come out until I say so. Do you understand," Regina ordered, to which Snow replied by nodding her head. If something was to happen to Snow then Regina might as well disappear of the face of the earth. Snow rushed to the rock as the men came out of the clearing. Regina counted one, two, three, four, five. Five men. They were armed, but if Regina could conjure a fireball then she'd be fine. Snow couldn't see Regina working her magic and so her secret would be safe. The men were approaching quickly yet nothing appeared from her hand. She tried harder until she realised that her magic was not strong enough to create a fireball under these conditions. Panicking, Regina turned around to run away when she found another bandit stood right behind her. Regina was terrified; the bandits clearly outnumbered her and her magic wasn't working the way the Imp said it would. The man in front of her grabbed hold of her shoulders with a tight grip and spun her around so she was facing the other men who were now directly in front of her.
"Look at this bitch," the toughest man said as he stroked her cheek. Regina glared at the man and kept her composure. "Must be noble, look at her outfit," he smirked as his hand went down to her chest. Before it reached her breast, Regina smacked his hand away with force.
"Don't you dare touch your Queen like that," Regina declared as she tried to free herself, but the man with the grip on her shoulders prevented her from doing so.
"Queen?" Another man chuckled. "You're not the Queen of us freemen."
"I am when you are in my land. Now let go of me or I'll have your heads on a spike," she threatened.
"Wait I know this women. It's Queen Regina, Leopold's young wife," one man explained. Regina's stomach churned at the final three words.
"Hang on," the man behind her said, confused. "There are two horses here. Who are you with?"
"It doesn't matter. I told the person to run when we heard you coming." Regina replied, trying to stay strong.
"Bullshit. Where are they?" Another man chirped in, pulling out a knife.
"There safety and wellbeing is paramount to me. They're gone. Now let me go or so help me when I-" Regina was interrupted when a hand was placed over her mouth. She tried to scream for help but then hand turned them into quiet muffles.
"Forget about the other person. I wonder what it's like to fuck a Queen," The first man smirked. Regina's eyes widened as she realised what they were going to do to her. She tried to kick and punch her way out but the men restrained her. One man brought his hand to her stomach and began to undo her belt. Regina tried one last time to conjure her magic but it once again failed her. She screamed and wriggled, trying to cause a commotion, but the man with a knife put it against her throat. Regina could feel the cold blade pushing against her skin, and she could feel her heart beating extremely fast. She was annoyed at herself for getting into this position; if only her stupid magic would work. She was going to kill the Imp if she ever saw him again. If. If this was the end of Regina, she wouldn't care. She'd be with Daniel again and that's all that mattered to her.
The man began to undo her top. He smirked as he undid each button, getting closer and closer to her breast. Regina closed her eyes, ready for whatever was about to happen when he abruptly stopped. He stopped and fell to the ground to reveal an arrow in his back, black blood pouring out of the wound.
Silence fell as the other five men looked around for what had caused their leader's death. Another arrow came out of seemingly nowhere and shot the man behind Regina, alas the arrow also caught Regina's arm in the process. Regina was bleeding. More arrows flew towards the bandits, all hitting their target, until the men were all dead. Regina stood in shock at the dead bodies that lay around her, the black blood spoiling the beauty of the field.
"Are you alright, Milady?" a voice said, Regina turned around to see a man approaching her, bow and arrow in his hands. Behind the man, a young boy appeared. The thought of the child made Regina remember Snow.
"Snow you can come out now," Regina shouted, ignoring the man. She walked over to the rock but the pain in her arm was increasing, making Regina feel faint. She began to fall over when the man caught her.
"Clearly not. I'm sorry my arrow caught you, Milady," the man said softly, sitting her down as he ripped off a piece of his outfit and began to wrap it around her arm. Regina wasn't concentrating on the man though; she needed to know Snow was safe.
"Snow," she shouted again, getting concerned.
"I'm ok!" Snow replied, coming out from behind the rock. "Oh my goodness, are you ok Regina?" The Princess rushed over to the trio. "Who are you and what did you do to her?" Snow asked the man defensively.
"Snow its ok, he save me," Regina replied, closing her eyes at the pain that was increasing in her arm. She would ask Rumple to use magic to fix it later.
"The name's Robin of Locksley, or Robin Hood to the common folk, but I take it from your clothing that you are not. This is my son, Roland," Robin smiled, looking at Roland who was picking roses.
"I'm Snow, Snow White, and this is my stepmother, Regina," Snow gleamed, holding out her hand, which Robin happily shook. Regina winced at the pain in her arm as she opened her eyes. She looked up and saw the man, well, Robin as she now knew him to be.
"That's Princess Snow White and Queen Regina, if you please," Regina smirked, looking up into his eyes. Robin stared right back at her with a smile. They both got lost in the grey of each other's eyes for a moment; time felt like it had stopped. Robin held his breath as he looked deeper into them, as did Regina. He had the feeling as if he were meant to gaze into them. Regina didn't want to break contact, she somehow felt safe and comfort looking into them, light grey meeting dark grey.
It was only when Snow got up to speak to Roland did they realise where they were and what was happening.
"My apologies, my Queen," Robin whispered. "And as an apology, may I give you this rose as a gift," Robin said, still not tearing his eyes from her. They both sat up ready to look down at the rose he had just grabbed. Breaking eye contact, they stared at the rose in unison and everything again seemed to stop. Their hearts started beating faster as they looked down at the rose.
They saw red.
A red rose on the grey.
A/N, I'll be updating soon! I can't seem to stop writing; it's like I'm fulfilling all my OQ fantasies after the terrible season we've just endured!