(A/N Hi there! Thank you for checking out my fic. I'll be honest, it's been years since I have written and published fanfiction, so I may be a little rusty. However, after recently rewatching the show, I rediscovered my love for our favorite queen and thief and the creative juices just started flowing. Enjoy and let me know what you think!)
Robin Locksley studied himself in the mirror and smoothed out a few wrinkles in his shirt. Nerves jittered up and down his spine and took root in the pit of his stomach. He let go of a shaky breath. Appearances had never been this important to him. Of course, he went above and beyond to make sure he had good hygiene, but he had never been so critical of himself before. Maybe he should've spent more time at the gym, or trimmed up his beard a little more, or better yet, gotten a new haircut?
Why was he so nervous, one might ask? Because it was the twenty-first century and he had bargained for himself an arranged marriage. He would be meeting his bride-to-be for the first time today. The very first time. He had seen pictures, and they'd spent a small amount of time emailing back and forth, but he had not officially met her. He needed to make a good impression on the woman he would be spending the rest of his life with.
Her name was Regina Mills, and if she looked anything like her pictures, she was a beautiful woman with soft features, dark hair and eyes, and a pleasing smile. Robin had carefully selected her with the help of a matchmaker. She was, personality wise, a good match, but also attractive, educated, and suitably healthy—an important trait should children enter their future. She was everything a man of his standing could possibly want in a wife.
So the marriage was a little unconventional in this day and age, more of a business transaction than a real partnership, but Robin did not have time to date. His father had passed a few months ago and in his will, he gave over most of his assets to his son, with one exception: the family business. Robin was the only child of his parents and the sole heir, so he had been preparing to take over Locksley Publishing since high school. He'd worked hard to get good grades and get into a prestigious college, where he had dual majored in Business and English to get the best education necessary to continue the legacy.
It had all come crashing down after reading the will. In one year, on the date of his father's death, Robin will have had to have found a respectable woman to marry in order to inherit the company. He didn't have time to romance a woman on such short notice, so he gave up the hope of falling in love and marrying his one true love—his soulmate—and hired a matchmaker to find him a wife he would be compatible with. His mother was deeply upset that he was giving up his happiness, but seeing as no lawyer had yet been able to find a loophole in the will, he was stuck marrying a woman he barely knew. And his mother would just have to learn to deal with it as he had.
Robin gave himself one more check over in the mirror before looking down at his watch. His appearance now would have to do, he was due to meet Regina in just a few minutes. He grabbed everything he needed—phone, keys, wallet—and slipped out the front door.
His bride-to-be did not live terribly far away in a white mansion surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges, clearly coming from wealth as he had. Robin parked and went up to the house, knocking on the front door, which suddenly felt very ominous. His nerves tumbled sickeningly in the pit of his stomach as the door finally peeled open to reveal the face of an older woman, perhaps in her fifties, with brown hair and sharp features. Not the bride he was expecting.
"You must be Robin," the woman said, flashing him a smile that was supposed to be warm and welcoming but somehow came off as cold instead.
Robin nodded. "I am. And you are?"
"Regina's mother, Cora Mills," the woman responded and threw her hand out for him to shake.
Robin gave her a friendly but firm handshake. Her hands were icy cold. She flashed him a smile and her hand retreated as quickly as she had offered it to him.
"I will go fetch my daughter," Cora said. "Please, come inside. There is tea and cookies in the living room."
For as stern as she appeared, she was very hospitable. Robin went into the living room and sat down on the large gray couch. He poured himself some tea and took a sip, then nibbled on one of the cookies. After what felt like an eternity of sitting in silence, which really couldn't have been more than a few minutes—just enough for him to finish the cookie and the cup of tea—he heard footsteps descending the spiraling staircase.
Robin turned to see three women approaching him. One was the stern older woman, the next was a tall, pretty redhead with blue eyes, and the third was his future wife, slightly darker in complexion than her counterparts and leagues more beautiful.
Robin's mouth parted as he studied her. She had gorgeous raven hair, curled perfectly, and resting just a smidge above her shoulders. Her eyes were soft and brown and expressive. Her skin looked so smooth and soft, without blemish, and was olive in tone, like she had been kissed by the sun. She had plump lips, painted red, and looking deliciously kissable. Her gentle, feminine curves were accentuated by the formal dress she wore. It was rather modest and tasteful considering all it showed off, but still allowed him to see a bit of cleavage. There was no denying the physical spark of attraction he felt when looking at Regina. She was a vision of beauty, a flawless masterpiece, and the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.
The three women stopped in front of him. Cora gestured to Regina. "My youngest daughter, Regina," she said and then gestured to the redhead. "And my oldest, Zelena."
The two women could have not looked more different from one another. Robin would have never guessed they were sisters. But studying them closely, in their own ways, they both resembled their mother.
"It's nice to meet all three of you," Robin said.
"And you," Zelena said with an accent that matched his own, and was far different from the American accent her mother possessed.
He turned to Regina expectantly. "It's nice to meet you," she said robotically. American accent, like her mother.
What an odd pair of sisters indeed!
Robin turned towards Cora and Zelena. "If you don't mind, before we go to supper, I'd like to have a few moments to get to know Regina one on one."
Cora nodded, looking more than pleased that he seemed to fancy her daughter and wanted to spend time with her. "Oh, of course. It's a nice day out, perhaps you could visit the gardens at the back of our estate. We'll send for you when the food is ready."
"I'll show you," Regina said with a solemn nod and guided him through the grand kitchen and out the back door.
Through emails, it had always been hard to tell her tone of voice, of course. Their emails were rather professional to begin with, going over the terms of the marriage and what was expected from one another. But now it almost sounded as though this was the last thing she wanted to do.
Regina led him into the gardens, which was practically a maze of tall hedges and peppered with beautiful flowers near the center. She led him to a white gazebo where they could sit and enjoy the beauty of the gardens. Robin realized once he got comfortable thar she had put quite a bit of distance between them when she sat down and folded her hands in her lip, like she was guarding herself from him.
Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Robin kept the distance but turned his body so that he could face her. She looked out at the flowers, her lips pursed and her eyes unreadable.
"It's very good to see you for the first time, Regina. I must say, the pictures do not do you justice. You are even more lovely in person," he said. He wanted her to know that he was very pleased with her and that he thought she was very beautiful.
She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you," she said, finally turning to look at him. Their eyes met and he felt his heart rate increase. "You are very handsome too."
She had him blushing like a young boy with his first crush, damn it!
"Thank you," he said. Robin glanced down at his hands, trying to hide the blossoming redness in his face. "I hope you didn't mind me asking for a moment alone between the two of us. I just wanted us to get a feel for each other without the eyes of your mother and sister."
"Half-sister," Regina corrected. He could hear the spite in her tone and something told him she did not care for her sibling in the slightest. It also explained how very different they were. "And I don't mind."
"Good," he said. "How are you feeling about all of this? I know we discussed over email a few times, but I just want to make sure you're comfortable."
She looked far from comfortable.
There was a long moment of silence. She looked like she was debating on whether or not she should tell him the truth.
If this marriage was going to be a strong union, they had to trust one another. "You can be honest, Regina. I don't want you to keep anything from me," he said.
He watched as her chest expanded with a large breath that she slowly let go of with a big sigh. "You must promise you won't be upset," she said.
That was not a great lead, but Robin nodded. "I won't be upset," he assured her. At least, he very well would try. He had no idea what she was going to tell him, not even the smallest inkling.
"My mother set this up," Regina said. "She was the one emailing you, not me. She found out I was seeing someone, a man she greatly disapproved of, someone who was not up to her standards and could not elevate my station."
Robin swallowed thickly. He knew this was not a marriage forged by love, but knowing her heart belonged to someone else made him worry that it would be doomed before it even began. "I see. When did you find out we were engaged?"
"A week ago. I had enough time to break things off with Daniel and try my hardest to compose myself," she said.
Robin pursed his lips. Daniel was his name—the man his bride was in love with, the man she had to let go because of him. Surely she hated him for doing this to her. "My apologies, Regina. I thought this was a mutual arrangement between the two of us, not your mother."
This whole time, talking about the future, the house he had bought for her, the discussions about how they'd grow their relationship and intimacy, perhaps one day have a family… that had all been her mother, pretending to be her. Trapping her into a situation she couldn't flee from before spilling the news that she was going to marry someone else.
"I figured as much," Regina said. "It isn't your fault. It's my own for thinking I could find real love and escape the same fate as Zelena. She was forced to marry a few years ago too."
"Does your mother not realize what century we live in?" Robin asked.
Regina stared down at her hands. "She believes our family—our power, our money—is far more important than falling in love. She didn't have any sons to carry on the family name, so ensuring her daughters find men with more money than they know what to do with is her way of protecting her legacy," she said.
"If you don't want to get married to me, then I could—"
Regina abruptly reached out and grabbed his hands, squeezing them tightly. "Do not even finish that thought," she hissed. "My mother won't take no for an answer from anyone. If you refuse to marry me, she'll think I did something wrong. This is how it has to be."
Did she really fear her mother so much? Her eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty, unsure if she could trust Robin not to betray what information she had shared with him. Her nails were biting into his skin in his desperation. She seemed to notice and let go of him.
"Okay, I won't bring it up then. But are you sure this is what you want? An arranged marriage won't be easy, especially if you love someone else," Robin said.
"I know, but it's the only choice I have," Regina said, biting her bottom lip nervously. "You seem like a kind man, Robin. There are certainly worse people I could be married to. Zelena's husband for example… he's a real piece of work and barely spends a second with her or my niece, Margot."
Robin hummed. "I promise it won't be that way with me. I'll give you your space if you want it, of course, but I would like us to have a friendship at the very least," he said. "Try to think of it this way—I get to keep my business by fulfilling the terms of my father's will, and you get to escape the iron fist of your mother. It's a win for us both."
Regina nodded but she didn't look entirely convinced. Robin didn't think he would be either if the tables were turned. He couldn't imagine having to give up the person you loved for a marriage to a stranger.
Silence fell over them again for a short amount of time before Robin spoke up again. "Did your mother discuss with you the things in the email?" He asked.
"No," she said.
"Okay. It was the terms for our marriage. I can let you read our conversation if you'd like and then we can change whatever you want," Robin offered.
"What kind of terms?"
"Mostly what is expected of the both of us towards each other. We also talked about the house I'm buying for us and the plan for children one day," he said, watching her purse her lips at the mention of children. "I was very adamant about taking things slowly and letting intimacy creep in naturally. Again, if that is something you want."
Regina hummed. "I would like to read the emails," she said, not agreeing but not disagreeing either
"Of course. I'll have them sent to you," he said. "And again, I really apologize for the misunderstanding. If I had known I wasn't actually arranging this with you—"
"It isn't your fault. My mother has a horrible habit of sticking her nose in places it doesn't belong," Regina huffed.
Robin smiled a little. "I would have to agree."
From afar, someone called their names, announcing dinner was ready. Regina got up from her seat and Robin with her. They walked into the house together. It seemed as though a heavy burden had been lifted from Regina's shoulders.