VII. Best friends

…

Horses' hooves thundered over the forest path. A few birds startled in the bushes at the morning disturbance. Robin reached the old stone bridge first and parried Scarlet. The chestnut gelding flared his nostrils and wiggled his ears as Regina arrived only seconds later as well. Silver Queen snorted softly.

"I won." Robin grinned triumphantly at her. "You owe me a coffee."

"You cheated," Regina teased, patting her horse's neck.

He shook his head. "You just can't admit that I'm better than you."

"In your dreams, maybe." She deeply inhaled the fresh forest air. "Let's ride back slowly now, so that I'll have enough time to prepare breakfast before Henry is awake. How about you? Are you in the mood for eggs and ham, too? You'll also get your coffee."

"I'd love to, that sounds tempting." His grin grew wide. "I bet Emma would be all too happy, if you cook breakfast for her. Best after spending the night with you, of course. Come on, she's as in love with you as you are with her."

Regina rolled her eyes theatrically. "And you're terrible!"

Of course, as her best friend, he knew they'd been dating for a while and never missed an opportunity to point out how to steal a woman's heart. However, Emma wasn't like most others, she didn't care much for bouquets of flowers and was not to be impressed with romantic movies. A week ago she had chosen a drama to watch, which made both of them crying in each other's arms. Regina couldn't help suspecting that this was exactly what she had intended.

On their way back, they rode along a narrow dirt road that led them behind Birch Hill. It was Sunday and early in the morning, so a deep silence lay over the land as they came into view of the farm. Suddenly one of the windows was pulled open and the owner stared over at them. His gray hair was hanging unkempt and stringy in his face. Regina wanted to greet him with a polite gesture, but was abruptly interrupted by him.

"Get your nags off my land!" he shouted angrily.

Robin's brows drew together. "Take it easy, it's not like we're riding across the field and our horses aren't damaging anything."

As the window was slammed closed again, he shrugged. They often took this way on their rides, but both of them knew Mister West was right. His land extended to the edge of the woods, so of course the path along the large fallow field was part of it.

"What's up with that guy?" Robin finally asked, once they were far enough away. "He probably got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Regina sighed audibly. "I'm afraid we'll have to find another route next time."

"A few days ago, when I was riding down the road, I just ran into the woman who lives on the farm. She had an accident with her bike and twisted her foot, so I took her home on Scarlet. At the driveway I was supposed to let her go on her own, I guess she didn't want us to be seen. Now that I've met that bad-tempered old man, I'm not surprised anymore." He glanced back over his shoulder toward the building slowly fading in the distance behind them. "Is the guy her father?"

She slightly shook her head. "He's her husband."

"Oh," he responded with surprise. "That's weird and also very unfortunate. Unlike him, Zelena is after all nice."

"Believe me, she can be pretty bad-tempered, too. Do you like her?"

At this question Robin blushed. "She's beautiful, don't you think? I mean, the color of her eyes."

"Blue as ice in the winter sun," Regina teased, but then turned serious again, thinking of the strangely dull expression in them. "Normally I'd advise you to try your luck right away, but you really should keep your hands off this woman. It's best not to tangle with her husband."

"You know me. Have I ever made a pass at a taken woman?" He bent down to pat Scarlet's neck.

A grin flitted across Regina's lips. "Well, at least you kissed me."

"We both know you kissed me."

She became serious when she thought back to that evening. It had been at the spring festival, which she had attended alone because Leo had been still busy. Robin had asked her to dance with him, they had enjoyed a good time, and also a few glasses of wine. Afterwards, they had walked a few steps together to cool off. He had taken her hand in his and Regina, who had never experienced anything like security or affection in her marriage, gave in just once. She hadn't been aware that her husband had arrived at the party in the meantime and was looking for her. Leo had watched their kiss. It had been the second time he had lost his composure and slapped her. Then, shortly after, he had decided to adopt a child. Regina knew that his intention had been nothing more than to bind her to him, and of course his plan had worked out. She loved this little boy since the first moment she had held him in her arms and he had looked at her from his baby blue eyes.

…

Angrily, Zelena stared out the window from where she could watch the horses leisurely moving away from the farm. She had been busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen when she heard her father's angry shouting from upstairs. His bedroom faced the same direction as the living room, so she had gone there to see what was upsetting him. She immediately recognized Robin's white-booted chestnut gelding and the mayor's noble gray mare. The two riders were chatting together and obviously had fun. They seemed so familiar with each other that it gave Zelena a pang in the pit of her stomach. Regina Mills was obviously one of those people to whom everything in life just fell into place. Not only did she have influence and wealth, she also had a son who loved her and probably a nice handsome man too. Jealousy ate at her insides like a ravenous animal. Someone like Robin would never be interested in her, that was just ridiculous. Of course he preferred a beautiful, educated and worldly woman. A lady like Regina.

"So you've noticed them," her father's gruff voice rang out abruptly from the landing above her. "Your knight on horseback just has to look at you to know that you're nothing more than a kitchen maid at best! Come here and get your work done."

With a resigned nod of her head, she toddled up the steps. He was already waiting for her in the bathroom. Quickly she fetched the razor and the cheap disgusting smelling gel that she always had to buy for him from the cupboard. His hands were shaking so badly from years of alcohol abuse that he couldn't shave himself without getting hurt. She hated being so close to him that she could feel his breath on her skin. That usually only happened when he wanted things from her that a father should never demand of his daughter. As soon as she was done, he palmed his cheeks in front of the mirror to examine her work.

"Don't forget to brush your messy hair before you go out," he noted with a critical glance at her curly red mane.

"Of course not." She knew this well enough, since he'd drilled it into her when she'd been a child. A decent appearance was like a mask that hid one's insufficiencies and protected from unwelcome questions.

Back in the kitchen, she wolfed down a slice of toast with butter so she wouldn't have to hope he'd let her eat it afterward. He had always kept her short, but at the moment he was constantly sending her out hungry because he couldn't shake the idea that she was secretly snacking too much. Briefly, she imagined packing as much food as she could carry and just getting on her bike. The very next moment, she scolded herself for this silly thought. Storybrooke was in the middle of the vast woods of Maine, she would just get lost before she was far away. Freek made sure she couldn't sneak the pickup, since she wasn't able to get the keys or her driver's license without his permission. He kept her passport and all other documents locked away from her in a heavy metal box. She had tried to run away the first time when she was fourteen, but he had quickly retrieved her. When she was seventeen, patrolmen had picked her up after a few days and taken her home, not aware that she would get beaten up for it. Over the time she got too tired and gave up. He would always find her.

…

Arriving at the stable, Regina and Robin tended to their horses together. It had always been important to her to take care of her horse's welfare herself, not only because her mother had criticized her in the past for getting her hands dirty with such menial work. In return, the animal rewarded her with its friendship. The beautiful Dutch warmblood had caught her attention at first sight when she found the sale ad on the internet a few years ago. Silver Queen was graceful and agile, which made her ideal for cross-country riding. However, the nervous young mare, who had been broken in with force and a crop, had required a lot of patience before she finally gained her trust. After putting away the tack, she slipped her another carrot as a goodbye.

"See you tomorrow, my girl," she said softly, stroking her neck.

The mare looked at her intently with brown eyes. She wiggled her ears and gently nudged her shoulder with her soft nostrils, letting out a contented snort. Horses could see into a person's soul, Regina didn't doubt that. They would not be fooled by a masquerade. Only a few people are allowed to know Regina as she really was. Not even Henry and Emma knew everything about her. Robin, on the other hand, knew the young girl she had been, for they used to play together as young children. Everyone in Storybrooke had been convinced at the time that they were meant to be together and would become a couple one day, but even if they ever had such feelings for each other, Regina's mother would never have approved it. As the forester's son, Robin was not the good match Cora had desired for her only daughter. Instead, she had arranged the union with the mayor, who had been not only an attorney but also an old childhood friend of her husband. On that marriage, Regina's dreams of life had shattered like a carelessly dropped snow globe.

"Ready to go?" asked Robin as she stepped out into the stable aisle and tossed the hoof scraper into the stall with the other horse care equipment.

She lifted her head, abruptly remembering that she wasn't on her own. His stomach gave a low grumble, which made her grin at Robin. "Yeah, before you starve to death."

"Hope Emma won't get jealous if you have breakfast with me."

"She knows you're my best friend."

Amused, Robin raised an eyebrow. "Does she also know we slept together?"

"Twice only, and that was ten years ago, so hardly worth mentioning." She shrugged. "After Leo died, things had to move on somehow. Besides, you afterwards explained to me that it felt like you were having sex with your little sister."

Robin wrinkled her nose. "I didn't put it that directly."

"Well, it's still true. You took my bucket when we were toddlers in the sandbox."

"And you threw the shovel at me in return."

Now she couldn't hold on any longer. He always managed to make her laugh with his teasing, and that was the fundament of their deep friendship. If there was such a thing as soulmates, he was hers. Her love, however, belonged to Emma.