"It's every kings right to see what they are getting, they have the right to examine the goods"

Her mother had spoken the words carelessly as one of the servants had waxed her. Regina refused to cry, she was to lay bare in front of dozens and dozens of kings with only a flimsy shift on her body, revealing almost all of herself to theses beasts

"of course some mystery must be kept, no man wants what all others have seen, but once the bidders get down to three though, you're at their will" for days now she has been waxed and oiled, massaged and pampered. Her mother had spent hours looking for the perfect dress that would

"tempt the men in the right way".

Her brother in law was hosting the party, if only Daniel was alive; if only he had not been killed, then she would not have to go through this shame.

The night of the party arrived much quicker than she liked. Guests trickled in, she could hear the music and chatter far below and her mother had finally left her after hours of primping and condescending comments. She had kept quiet, not said word nor had she looked at the mirror. She knew what image it would show, a beautiful and scantily clad women with eyes half dead and half filled with fear.

As she was about to be taken to the designated room, her brother in law entered and circled her, she felt instantly dirty and wretched under his gaze. He was three times her age but still took girls years younger than her. She was his latest interest unfortunately.
He circled her once, twice, his eyes devouring her, she would truly be sick

"I can't wait for the later part of the bidding, the last three men can ask to see all," he leered at her and spoke as though she had not been told before, his eyes fell on her breasts that were covered under the transparent shift

"and as your brother under the law I must stay present, to inspect the suitors behavior." Regina hated the man and stepped back when Leopold tried to grab for her; his eyes darkened with fury before a sickening grin took over

"of course, if no one buys you it's only fair for me to take you off your parents hands; after all you must do as they say to show your obedience. Your sister, she spanked her maid before pleasuring the girl thoroughly with her tongue under my command. Did it all with a smile ignoring that mewling quim's protests. She, is divine. I treat her good but you, you need a good thrashing and I will give it to you once you fail tonight, there is no way you'll be able to do what they will ask of you" he backhands her hard and leaves.

Her mother is furious at Regina when she sees the mark and has to magic it away; if it wasn't for the event, she would leave her own mark on her daughter.

The huge room has comfortable chairs strewn about with food and nourishment in each corner. A square stage is in the middle with curtains hanging, the material sheer giving them a clear view inside. She knows that from the inside the material is not sheer but hangs like velvet curtains, she will not be able to see the crowd, they will see everything.

The room is lit with candles, though shadows are everywhere. She can hear the men in the adjoining room as her outer robe is taken from her and she is ushered in, a maid follows her in and closes the curtain. She is to play the harp for the bigger crowd until she is at the mercy of the last three bidders.

She sits there, on display, her only motivation tonight is to get away from Leopold and her mother's clutches. A cruel husband would be much better than a psychotic brother in law and a sociopathic mother, not to mention a deranged sister.

The voices grow now and she can hear them surround her. The maid nods and so she begins to play. She doesn't care who wins her so long as they take her away from here, her life is over either way. She may not be able to see them, but she hears them. They shout crude comments and jeers, someone throws a cup and it sails through the curtains hits her in the back of her head, she shakes and wants to tare them all piece by piece but Daniel is dead, Leopold might get her so she plays. And as she plays she tries to forget all else. Their voices raise and she ignores their horrible words, keeps calm, she plays and plays as the noise level begins to finally dim down.

She is engrossed in her music when her maid suddenly stands.

She stops playing.

Regina swallows not wanting to show fear; the maid comes closer and pushes the harp out of the way before moving to stand behind Regina undoing her hair. Regina doesn't make a move to push her hair out of her face, she knows it's cowardly but she hides behind the curtain of ebony as her maid moves back to the corner and receives a second note and now tells Regina to stand.

They are down to three.

Regina wants to refuse but goes anyway and the maid directs her to face one of the walls, Regina swallows but goes. She hears murmurs and deep laughter when the maid comes to stand behind her and unbuttons her shift beginning to work at her breast bindings. Regina clenches her fists she must, not, react.

Must. Not. React.

But when the binding are about to fall her hand springs up to hold the piece of fabric in place, she must let go, she must or Leopold will win. She tries to keep her face impassive as she wills her hands away allowing the material to fall to her feet. Completely aware that her breasts are on complete display visible through her shift; a second maid enters with a bowl of something as her shift is the next thing to go and she hears laughter and jeers from the other side.

"Lay down" the second maid commands and she has a bowl of molten chocolate and Regina feels terrified of the kind of spectacle they plan to make of her, but she is forbidden to speak and so she turns her back toward the wall and begins to walk toward the chaise. Shame courses through her and as hard as she tries she can't help the tear that escapes her eyes, though she hopes her cascading hair conceals it.

She goes to lay down her form trembling beyond afraid when suddenly shouts begin to rise outside and the maids look at each other with alarm, Leopold's voice booming over the others

"We had a deal!"

He shouts clearly angry but the doors close, a bidder has left there is now only two. The maids look at each other unsure and proceed, Regina lays down, one maid lifts a chocolate covered finger and places it on the hollow if Regina's throat and begins brushing it down, toward the valley between her breasts but the door opens and closes again and Regina's heart stops as do the maids movement for either she was left or someone has won the bid for her hand in marriage.

He is not prepared for what he sees nor what he feels when he walks in that blasted room.

He is here for an old friend;

Longstride had been friends with his father for as long as Robin can remember. The man though, had left Sherwood and came back to the enchanted kingdom when his great niece had married Leopold; the King had been tolerable back then. After the Queens death and his remarriage all had gone to hell and though Robin still somewhat traded with the kingdom he had not visited, he knew the kind of animals they were.

The marriage bid was utterly disgusting in Robin's opinion. He had bared it once; once. Had gritted his teeth and watched as a young girl had been left at the mercy of men older than her father before drawing out, he had married his wife for love. That once, it had been more than enough.

Longstride had called in the favor, the man had saved Roland's life when the boy had been a babe and therefore Robin felt honor bound to do as the man asked.

His Roland who was waiting for him back home.

The letter had come urging Robin to attend, spoke of the missing princess and how Longstride feared it might be her who is to be auctioned for marriage and begged Robin to intervene if it was;

To get the princess out of there, if indeed it was princess Snow, a young girl of 8 when Robin had seen her last, and bring her back to Sherwood where Longstride would then whisk her away to safe place. The man was asking Robin to enter a sham marriage with the girl until she could be rescued and Robin hates the idea of young Snow wedded to him even in pretense, for the girl deserves better. But he hates the idea of leaving her at the Mercy of the wolves more.

It's not Snow.

It's the new Queens younger sister.

Princess Regina

He learns the news not two minutes in and though he feels horrible for the lady, he has no plans to enter matrimony again. His Marian has been long dead and he has made peace with the thought but he has a secret fear of his son forgetting her which keeps the small inklings of remarriage that enters, once in a blue moon, at bay. He is about to leave, even heads for the door when he sees Longstride himself.

It's been years and Robin plans to converse for only a moment but the discrete gratitude that the elder man starts bestowing onto Robin at the beginning of the conversation turns into inquiries about politics and a breakdown of who's present and airing of the guests laundry list.

Robins not one for gossip but in the political sphere secrets are leverage and his kingdom and family are his to protect and he tries to get an edge where ever he can. He is so busy speaking that he doesn't leave in time; the exit doors close and the ones to the 'business' meeting open, he doesn't hide his displeasure well.

"I take it you planed to make a hasty exit when you found that the Lady was not the princess Snow?" Longstride's hair is white and his skin aged but he still carries himself like a true warrior and Robin grunts in assertion

"Pity Regina would have made you a fine Queen, would have made any of these fools a fine Queen but Leopold is trying to rig the auction" and Robin face goes from embarrassment to curiosity and a hint of anger

"What do you mean?" Longstride points toward the King who is conversing with two men who Robin knows are cruel and uncaring oafs

"Lord Hans or king Frollo. I would bet my fortune on one or the other; They have been here for three days now and if neither of them ends up with Regina I can promise you none will, Leopold is cutting a deal with them" now Robin frowns

"Politically?" He asks about the kind of deal at play Hans doesn't have his own land but Frollo does and an alliance between Leopold and him would be dangerous

"Politically and personally" Robin can't help the disgust that his face display

"His wife's younger sister?" He asks and Longstride simply nods. As the doorway to the room is finally empty, the duo being the last to arrive.

His throat goes dry the moment he sees her; the angelic music she is playing doesn't help, neither does the sheer dress she wears. She is the definition of grace and elegance as she plucks the chord, her eyes lowered though they still burn brightly. He can't help his eyes from roaming her, trying to imprint the picture she creates into his 's Longstride who snaps him out of his daze

"If you want to have a chance you can't show your interest this early" the older man pulls Robin by the arm and drags him to sit on one side. While the majority sit by the entrance getting the view of her profile Robin and a few others sit directly in front her, spirits help him.

"You still plan not to marry?" Longstride asks as he forces Robin to sit in the last row and Robin wants to say no, he does not know the lady only knows story and he marries for love, not for beauty.

He neither collects, nor treats women like objects but what is surprising him now, is that though the shock of her beauty has passed, he still feels drawn. He feels an urge unlike one he has never felt before surge through him; he sits back and tries to go for nonchalance, he fails. So he moves to take the focus off of himself,

"Is it true her mother had her fiance assassinated?" Longstride nods

"It's more complicated than that, she didn't deserve that. Never understood how a monster like Cora could have a daughter liked her. You know she is doing this instead of Princess Ella" Robin frowns

"But Princess Ella is getting married to her childhood friend, I have been invited" and Longstride raises and eyebrow and things click

"Regina took Ella's place. So the couple could marry, she knew the young prince would never be able to out bet the older kings" Robins voice has a tint of awe to it and a glance around the room tells Robin that she had been right. Despite their age most of these men, they have no class; one of the older men call out a crude demand, others laugh.

Robin wants to throttle the man, for how dare the stupid old fool but Regina's posture stiffens as another shout goes up and Robin sees her glare at the wall where they sit and he sees fire flicker in those stunning brown eyes.

"She has fire" he doesn't mean to say the words out loud but they slip and he can feel Longstride stiffen and Robin leans back to trying to regain his senses,

"I apologize Sir Longstride, I condemn the other men and am no better than them now, I would ask for the lady's forgiveness" he pauses

"Though I don't think I will have the opportunity" Longstride offers him a drink and though Robin accepts the cup, he only takes a sip, he does not want to lose his inhibition

"you're not wrong she has fire more than almost all the men here can handle and had I not Snow and my own daughters to worry about I would take her under my wings spirits know my younger children adore her"

He doesn't plan to enter the bidding.

Not at all.

Doesn't plan to take a coin with a number when the trays are being sent around by servants.

But the men are getting drunker and he hears suggestions of what they plan to have her do and it makes him sick. Longsrtide rambles on about his children like most parents but his tails include the princess and his children's adoration for her. Which causes him to hear Granny's voice that his boy needs a mother figure, needs it badly and even though Robin fears the boy will forget Marian, he knows it to be true and can't help but picture the princess with his son.

The servant with the tray comes and Longstride slips a gold coin onto the tray instead of taking one and tries to get as much information as he possibly can, the women offers freely what she knows and from the way she freezes when another bout of shouts go up Robin gathers the men behavior is effecting her personally.

"You care for the princess?" and the girl looks at him with distrust and a hint of fear but nods never the less

"she saved me once from one of the kings drunk captains; sent him packing within a weak and hire me to her own staff. She has had many suitors, the king invited none tonight. He plans to take her himself" when the servant leaves Robin feels something foul deep within him toward this mad king

"She sent a captain packing? A princess has such powers?" Longstride gives a grin

"She is, lady Cora's daughter; one does not reach such an age under her mother without learning to fend for oneself, Regina's sharp and skilled and certainly no fool. The captain resigned when certain debts began to surface, he was lucky that an anonymous benefactor bought the debts, the man left the castle then; set up shop as a trader" and Robin can't help but smile at the deviousness.

He's intrigued, spirits he's intrigued; wants an hour to simply sit and speak with her to gauge her but that won't be allowed instead he gets to sit and listen to the enchanting music as men twice the women's age throw insult after insult.

A drunken man throws a goblet at the curtain and it hits the curtain with force and rips through, hitting the princess in the back of the head and Robins about to stand but Longstride keeps him down and the princess keeps playing as though nothing has happened.

The other men laugh.

"Sit Down fool, you won't help her like that, only the medallion you swiped off the tray may help her" Robin is not surprised that the older man caught his steal for the man was the one who taught him the art and when he pulls out the two part medallion he feels his gut assure him that he had made the right decision.

"Robin I can give the mon-" but Robin shakes his head, he's hesitance is a matter of moral. He wants to free her not trap her in a cage of his own making, he will have to improvise and perhaps in the process of helping free her, they may come to get to know each other.

"No. No need I shall win her tonight, and if indeed my competitors are Hans and Frollo I will not need much money to out bid the duo, Leopold doesn't deserve the money either. I will win and I will put the money equivalent amount to the highest bidder in a treasury for her" he pauses and looks at the women

"I will offer it to her as a wedding gift, so if she ever chooses to leave she can" For the first time that night he leans back and takes a sip from his goblet, he is not trapping her nor buying her and if indeed they prove to be incompatible he shall allow her to leave though he doubts the lady can be tied down.

Longstride looks impressed

"you are truly interested? Interested in getting to know her?" He specifies and Robin looks at the lady once more,

"I am" he wants to know the story behind the sad fiery eyes, the story behind the small scar upon her lips, he wants to take whatever she will offer and give as much as she will take. His pull towards her though, is overwhelming.

Leopold has truly planned things tonight, pilled all the other men with so many drinks that many have to be helped or carried out, he also has let loose a series of his courtesans who entice another series of men to leave and so before long there's nine of them left, Longstride stays as Robins second until he is in top three once in, he too will leave.

Politics is a nasty business and most of those in power are twisted by nature, but the speed that Leopold dismisses the other suitors is sick, he wants to get to the next part. He blackmails and bargains 5 suitors out fast and it's between Robin and King Cole, the geezer is 70 years old at least and half asleep but Leopold makes his way toward Robin. But once Robin actually catches the kings eye the older man freezes in his way, he looks away nervously and seeing Longstride at Robins side does not help his complexion, the man goes paler and its Cole who is kicked out.

"Good luck" Longstride offers as he leaves and no sooner are the doors closed that a servant comes and sits by Robin, she will write down his command to be taken to the princess. An action Hans in the first to do and Robin can see the princesses eyes go briefly shut as her maid undoes her hair. It tumbles down in cascading waves and Robin wants to get lost in her beauty, but her fists are clench and though her face is impassive her eyes are swirls of anger, pain and fear all which she stamps down as she slowly rises.

They command her to face the wall which the sick trio sits before, snickering and eager giving Robin her profile view. She holds her head up high and Robin is happy that the lady is not cowering, the maid goes to her upper bindings and Robin clenches his fists as he notices the light tremor in her hanging hand. She remains still until she cannot bare it and her hand suddenly fly up to her bindings, holding it in place. Leopold frowns in displeasure until the petite hands let the garment drop but Robin can't look away from the princess's eyes, her mask is cracking.

Though he tries not to look at her body he can't help himself. One glance and he is flooded with shame and complete desire; He swallows thickly and averts his eyes, feeling like a pig and a hypocrite all the same and fixes his stare at onto her face and tries to concentrate on the other trio, try's to look relaxed and unimpressed.

Longstride had said to not enter too hard, to wait; but when he hears them discuss their next move which is to simply humiliate her, he loses control. Robin can't have that, won't have it. So he turns to the maid and has her write a quick message, to Frollo.

The man's kingdom is on edge and he will be gone in a year if not two unless he receives a miracle and so Robin reminds him silently of the massive debt that the bastard owes Sherwood and gives him a choice. Leave now and the interest owed will be forgiven, or stay and Sherwood will demand payment immediately. The men are too busy watching the maid unbutton the shear dress on the princess but Robin fixes his gaze on the old geezer who looks half confused when the maid hands him the note.

Hans and Leopold are too busy laying out crude plans and therefore miss Frollo turning purple as he glares at Robin. Robin who sits, lounging with a blank look about his face and stares right back. A second maid enters the stage and the dress must be off for Hans and Leopold begin yelling vulgar comments and that's when Frollo crumbles the paper and gives a small nod in Robins direction, one which Robin returns before turning his gaze towards the stage.

His heart stops for the lady who had stood tall and stoic till now has turned her back toward the others and is making her way toward the chaise trembling as a glistening jewel slides down her cheek and she bends her head down in shame trying to hide them, her pride evident even now. A lone wolf cornered in the battle, one who sees defeat about the bend.

Robin won't have that. She's not alone and this has gone on long enough, as Frollo begins to leave and Lepold is thundering shouts of betrayal, Robin writes another note this time to Hans. Robin will report this to the prick of a prince brothers (their kingdom does not allow such practices) and will cut off trade with their country if he does not leave, the young prince will be in trouble for certain then and may risk being cut off. He sends the maid off with the note but then motions for the maid who had served the medallions to approach. He unclasps his cloak and hands to the maid

"when Hans leaves cover the princess take her out of here" he whispers and the maid nods vigorously and is off.

Robin sits back and takes another sip of his drink; he needed to calm his nerves a tad.

The pieces are set and he will need to be calm, utterly calm if he is to save the lady. Hans turns ashen white and is out the door before Leopold has turned away from the door that Frollo exited to. He won't look at the stage too afraid of what he will see and his control is at the tether and he might rip Leopold limb from limb but that would only destroy the lady's chances at freedom.

The King marches over and opens his mouth to yell but Robin won't have that,

"you have already used your two strikes, I am the last suitor remaining and I am willing to offer the same amount of money as Lord Glide, Frollo was going to pay the money to you I will pay half to Lady Cora and half to my bride herself; in return I will release the ban on trade placed on your personal traders to Sherwood."

Leopold is stewing but Robin doesn't care about him anymore, the princess is brought out, wrapped in green velvet and as she is about to exit through the door he catches her eyes were confusion is evident. He tries to give her a comforting look and is rewarded with seeing her eyes light up with relief and he allows hope to enter. Perhaps they will build a life, if he can evade the sick brother in law

She does not have much time to ponder as a maid rushes in, speaking hushed words to the other maid, they bundle her up in soft green cloak. It smells of forest and something entirely masculine, the scent engulfing and soothing her as she is ushered out. Before she exits the room she catches the figure of Leopold looking thunderous as he stands before a man who is seated and looks to be completely at ease.

The stranger catches her eyes and she feels her breath stop, as though those blue orbs are seeing through her, penetrating her soul. She feels completely bare, his eyes show kindness in that moment and he tilts his head forward in a small nod, before the doors are shut and she finally cry's.

Tears escape her eyes in relief.

She was safe.

AN: First let me say that Once Upon A Time is not mine, sadly and second I know I should be updating Nox Aeterna but this was already written and hopefully I will update my other story very soon.

Now this story, I actually have written another story, with very familiar themes but I decided to publish this one, for now at least. Thoughts? liked it? hated it? suggestions? Should I keep a one-shot or update the rest? let me know please and as always thanks for reading :)