(A/N-Special thanks to a friend for the art work for this. And to Bekki for beta reading these, thank you so much! Also special thanks to those who read, review, follow and fav this.)
Day 18-The Lion And The Lover
(Set in the missing year)
One night in the dining hall, dinner had just finished and several lingered around the huge fireplace afterwards, enjoying their drink and conversing with others. The group included Regina, Robin, Little John, Mary Margaret, David, and Tink. Regina was off to the right, staring into the fire, she could hear them talking but was not focused on what they were saying. That was until a certain fairy spoke up...
"I tried to help someone I considered a friend, find their soul mate once," Tink's words caused Regina to turn her head quickly at her.
"So what happened?" Mary Margaret asked.
"She was unhappy and I led her to him, but she was too afraid to go in and meet him," Tink said as she cut her eyes to look at Regina.
"Why would she be afraid to meet someone that she was destined to be with?" Robin asked, Regina looked at him through the corner of her eyes. Gods! If he only knew it was them that Tink was talking about.
"Who cares? This is a boring story anyways," Regina murmured, hoping to stop the story from continuing.
"Regina, it's a story about finding hope and love out there," Mary Margaret said,"it's sad that she was afraid of love."
"Just because she didn't walk into the tavern doesn't mean she was afraid of love," Regina argued,"maybe there were more important things to do."
The group rolled their eyes at her, Regina stood up to leave,"Fine, you all have a good time here, telling tales to entertain yourselves as you all have nothing better to do with your lives."
Regina walked out of the dining hall and started towards the courtyard to enjoy the night air. She stood near the center of the courtyard, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. It had been somewhat painful to listen to Tink retell the story of how she had not walked into the tavern to meet her soul mate.
Just the day before, Tink had come to her room early one morning, and bounded on her bed and proceeded to tell her,"Guess who I met today?"
"Considering it's you, probably your cousin the jolly green giant," Regina said sarcastically.
"Regina, I'm serious," Tink had said,"I met the man with the lion tattoo."
Regina had quickly looked at Tink, not believing what she was hearing,"That's impossible, he can't be here."
"I'm happy to say he is, and it all makes sense now," Tink had said, smiling.
"What does?" Regina asked, curious on who her soul mate was. Was he really here at her castle?
"It makes sense for him to be here, now with you back," Tink said,"Maybe it wasn't the best timing before with you married and such."
Regina had rolled her eyes at that statement,"It doesn't matter, I didn't need to meet him then, nor now." she had protested, no matter how much excitement was in her.
"But you have already met him," Tink's words made Regina go over everyone who was in the castle right now. "The man with the lion tattoo, is none other than...Robin Hood."
Regina let those words simmer, before she let out a disbelieving laugh,"You should take that act on the road."
Tink shook her head as she took Regina's hand in her,"I'm serious Regina, it's really him. Look, if you don't believe me, go outside near the stables, he's giving archery lessons and his tattoo is clearly visible."
"I don't have time for your childish games, moth!" Regina had snapped at her.
"You're afraid again," Tink knew her words would find their target, and they did as she watched Regina fling back her covers and change into a pair of leather breeches and a shirt with a long red coat to go over it.
"This is simply to shut you up once and for all," Regina had all but stormed out of the castle, heading towards the stables, Tink following behind her. The two women stood near the stables and peaked around the corner and sure enough Robin was giving lessons to David and others.
"I don't see any tattoo, you were obviously wrong," Regina had said.
"Look again, Regina," Tink said and as Regina turned her head she saw the tattoo that seemed to flaunt at her, it was indeed the man with the lion tattoo. Her soul mate.
Her soul mate was...Robin Hood!
The Prince of Thieves!
An Outlaw!
A Man who smelled like forest!
Regina opened her eyes as she became aware of that scent in her courtyard, she quickly turned to see Robin standing there.
"Don't you have stories to tell as well, thief?" Regina asked.
"I came out here to ask you one question," Robin said as he started to walk towards her.
"Yes, you could use a bath," Regina answered him with a smirk.
Robin laughed at her quick wit, "That might be, but what I have to ask deals with Tink's tale of someone not finding their soul mate."
Regina sobered up quickly at his unique line of words,"Go on."
"My question, is how did you know the lady didn't go into a tavern?" Robin asked,"We all just heard Tink explain how the lady didn't go in, but she never said what building...you did."
Regina knew she was caught in her own words,"This is ridiculous, I'm afraid your thoughts have overwhelmed your brain for the day. Now, if you'll excuse me I am going to bed."
Regina stormed off, not waiting to see if he would say anything else. Luckily he didn't follow and she went straight to her room, and shut the door behind her. Damnit! She had almost given herself away, and to her soul mate to top it all off.
She went to her bath chamber to soak for a little while before going to sleep. She was only in there ten minutes before she made her way back into her bedroom, but what she found, or who she found on her bed, stopped her in her tracks.
"What the hell are you doing in my bed? Much less my room?" Regina asked angrily to Robin who was laid back against the pillows, her pillows.
"I wanted to tell you a theory of mine," Robin said.
"Which is?" Regina asked.
"I wonder why you had such a reaction to Tink's story," Robin said as he sat up to sit on the bed,"I think, you were the one who didn't meet her soul mate that night."
"You should also know, that when you left, Tink spoke more of her tale. How the lady had never seen his face, only his tattoo," Robin pulled back his sleeve to reveal his tattoo.
He stood up to look into her stunned face, her eyes were wide brown pools, easy to read, easy to drown in. She was caught, tempted, fascinated.
Their faces were inches apart now, as were their bodies, close enough for her to sense his intentions. Her eyes widened fractionally, her lids fell as her gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips.
He closed the distance between them, slowly, unthreateningly.
She lifted her face, tipped her head back.
Their lips brushed...touched.
Met.
Fused.
The power flared between them, like a spark set to dry grass, it flamed, then raced, taking them both, drawing them in, sucking them into its inferno. For Robin, it was like nothing he had ever experienced before, it held his attention so completely, so effortlessly, so focused on her, on her lips, on her mouth, on the dark thrill of sliding deep inside of her mouth, caressing her intimately, on the sensual mating of their tongues.
His senses were reveling in her, in the honeyed taste of her, the warm haven of her mouth, the supple softness of her breasts firm against his chest, the flagrant promise in the body aching lightly to meet his.
For Regina, she had had no thoughts since moments before their lips had met. The knowledge that he was about to kiss her, along with him knowing it was them that were destined to be together had focused her mind on one thing and one thing only.
Him.
Her mind, her senses, her very heartbeat seemed to be his to claim. And no matter how much she might lecture herself, when apart from him, she couldn't hold back from this part of his game.
Before either knew it, they were on her bed...naked. Regina spread her hands over his flesh as if she could sense it, as it she sought to conjure it, to feed the fire that he had started. Chest heaving, he watched her face, watched the womanly wonder as she realized how much power she had over him, watched fascination dawn as it occurred to her just how much she could wield it.
Her lips curved, she looked down. Let one hand slide from his chest, slowly down to his groin. He gritted his teeth at the feather light touch, bit back a groan as she stroked, then closed her hand about him.
Saw her smile deepen.
Thought he would die when she brushed her thumb over his throbbing head.
He reached for her, touched her,"I hate that we never met then, as if we were parted," at those words he parted her core and slid his fingers between her lips, as he slowly circled her clit with his thumb as his other finger, first one then two slid into her, and began a slow, agonizing pumping motion.
His head lowered slightly and his lips were on the nipple of one of her breasts. She gasped and tightened her hand about him. He continued to lick over and around the peak of her breast. He laved until his saliva was left on her skin, till he finally, slowly closed his mouth over the aching peak, curled his tongue about the tortured bud, and rasped it.
"We could have shared a kiss," Robin murmured against her breast.
He sucked on one breast before moving to the other finally, giving it the same attention. Till he finally moved his mouth down her stomach, kissing it,"We would have made a babe here, I would have kissed your growing stomach."
He shifted lower still, and nuzzled the hollow between her thighs. She caught her breath on a shattered gasp, clutched his head with both hands, fingers sifting, tense, through his hair. He kissed her core, letting his tongue slide up and down her slick passage. He started to push her thighs wide apart for him.
Wider still. She looked down, watched his face as he looked at her, from the apex of her thighs. He lapped, sucked, probed, her flesh turned swollen, damp, wetter still. She clung, eyes closed, her breathing fractured.
He pressed a finger inside of her while he flicked his tongue against her clit, sucked it into his mouth. Pleasure rushed and rose through her like a tide. It swept her up, caught her, spun her, then flung her high.
She shattered in his hands, felt his mouth hot on her as she melted, felt his finger hard inside her. Felt it work within her while he continued to lick her, then suckled anew. From a distance she heard a muted scream, she was dimly aware it was her own.
His head finally rose, his fingers leaving her till he was now laying between her spread thighs. She felt him rubbing between her slickened passage with his member, till he slowly penetrated her, sinking inch by inch into her softness.
Robin couldn't breathe. His lungs locked tight as he watched their joining, felt her blossom and open for him, felt her body give, her sheath stretch and ease for his passage. When he looked into her eyes he saw something there, something he hadn't seen from a woman in a long time.
He saw a woman start to give her heart to him.
Her nails were digging into his back as he started to thrust into her, not in pain though. Inwardly he smiled, he flexed his hips, withdrew just a little, and thrust deep, to show her how he would make love to her.
Her interest was immediately evident.
Regina was beyond anything at the moment, than gasping him to her, letting her body receive him. Over and over again. The erotic friction built, and she sobbed and let herself open even more deeply, let her body surrender even more, completely to his possession.
And he took. Like a conqueror, he claimed her and prayed that this act of making love would remain a deep imprint on her senses as it was his. He moved one hand to her clit and played with her as he started to thrust harder, deeper.
He could sense the tension starting to boil inside of her, he knew he would have imprints of her nails on his back tomorrow, but damnit if it wasn't worth it.
Regina lasted only a minute more, before she fractured, Robin savored the powerful ripples of her release as they swept through her. Moments later he came deep inside of her, groaning into her throat as he did so.
Robin moved his head back to look down at her,"I guess the tale is true now."
Regina took a few seconds to catch her breath before asking,"What tale?"
"We are now the lion, and the lover," Robin said as he smiled down as he kissed her lips.
In another bedchamber in the castle, a certain fairy looked down at her vial of pixie dust. It was glowing, glowing more brightly than before. Tink smiled as she realized what had happened.
"Well, it's about time," Tink said as she took a drink for the night.