Summary: He took one arrow in his hand, rolling it in-between his fingers, weighing it and testing its balance. He approved with a nod. She had outdone herself for this simple thank you gift; it made him think she had other motives. "If I didn't know any better," he started putting back the arrow in its bundle, "I'd say you were trying to bribe me…"

Missing scene from 3x14 The Tower. Robin is summoned to the Queen's chambers and doesn't know what to expect. She offers him a gift.

This story was first uploaded to AO3 a few days ago. I decided to publish it here as well.

Thank you to raktajinos for pointing out my mistakes. And for listening to my eternal rambles about OUAT. You are awesome. :)

OF GOLDEN-TIPPED ARROWS

"That's very generous," Charming would say upon glancing at his arrows, his eyes stopping on the golden tips. "The Queen must like you," he would even add, making Robin uncomfortable. The thief didn't quite believe it. Her Majesty tolerated him around for a reason he could only guess. She was lonely.

Actually, that was exactly it.

When the Queen's guards escorted him to her quarters, Robin was apprehensive. He hadn't seen Regina alone since the day they had taken the castle back, and that encounter had ended in a heated argument about her loneliness and her desire for revenge. Being summoned now, by order of the Queen, made the knot in his stomach tighter.

He wasn't afraid of the Queen. If anything, he understood the pain she was going through. If Roland were ripped away from his life, he wouldn't be much unlike Regina. But at least, he had friends, which couldn't be said of the Queen because she didn't let anyone in her personal sanctuary. Regina was guarded and a loner, but she wasn't evil. Not anymore.

When Robin stepped inside her chambers, she greeted him by indicating a red velvet bundle on the table in front of the fireplace. Cautiously, the prince of thieves made his way to where the queen was standing and reached for the package.

Studying Regina from the corner of his eye, he caught her observing him intently. Her mouth turned up when their eyes met; she looked pleased. Her small smile caught him by surprise, but he returned it amiably. He would never admit out loud that the Queen was an exquisite woman - especially right now, when her face was free of the anger she usually projected. He turned back his head to the package in his hands and unfolded the fabric to reveal a pack of ten arrows.

The arrows contained in the red velvet weren't any ordinary arrows. The tip was made of pure gold. The sight of it made Robin gasped. Balancing the package in one hand, he extended his arm to test the edge of the arrows, hissing when he almost cut himself. He smiled, satisfied, and looked up, finding the queen's eyes still watching his every move.

"Consider it payment for our however brief partnership," she explained. "Not that I ever needed your help to take back the castle."

He took one arrow in his hand, rolling it in-between his fingers, weighing it and testing its balance. He approved with a nod. She had outdone herself for this simple thank you gift; it made him think she had other motives. "If I didn't know any better," he started putting back the arrow in its bundle, "I'd say you were trying to bribe me…" He narrowed his eyes, looking directly at her. "… Your Majesty," he emphasized her title, setting down his present back on the table.

Regina chuckled and dismissed the thought, "Can't a queen simply thank the man who helped her?"

"Aye. A queen certainly can," he started, taking a step towards the mysterious woman, his eyes not leaving hers, "but we both know that's not what you're doing here."

Her lips curved up in an innocent smile. "And what exactly am I doing, thief," she defied him, lifting her chest a notch, standing her ground, "if you know me so well?"

Robin closed the distance between them a little more. "You want to buy my silence," he stated, the air around them suddenly heavier.

"Your silence?" Regina snickered. "Why would you think that?" She tilted her head up, raising an eyebrow.

Robin stared deeply into her dark brown eyes. He took one last step, completely invading her personal space, his body now was completely aware of the proximity of hers. He'd be a liar if he said the Queen wasn't attractive. He could sense and feel all of her; yet they weren't quite touching. She took in a breath, making her chest rise and fall next to his, and he had to do everything in his power not to gawk. Instead, he tried to keep his eyes focused on hers, looking down at her, trying to use the inch or two he had over her height to his advantage. "What would Snow White and the others think if they knew what really transpired when you came to lower the shield surrounding the castle?"

Her solid queen mask faltered for a moment, and she took one step back from the outlaw. Regina opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out.

"It's not often Her Majesty is speechless," Robin pointed out, still testing her.

She swallowed.

He sighed and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, it wasn't the Queen staring at him with despair, but the woman and the mother - the one who had lost everything that mattered. Robin knew a grieving soul when he saw one. Regina was so unhappy she had been willing to put herself under a sleeping curse to escape her own turmoil of emotions. He couldn't imagine any part of that experience was pleasant.

The outlaw stepped back, giving the Queen time and space to recuperate. She immediately wrapped her arms around her chest and bit her lips. Where moments ago she scrutinized and defied him with a simple twitch of her eyes or brows, she now looked like a porcelain doll about to fall to the ground and shatter in a million pieces. She wouldn't meet his eyes and instead found something fascinating to observe at her feet.

In that moment, Robin again reluctantly witnessed the pain that tormented their monarch - how vulnerable she was inside despite her unflappable exterior in the throne room.

An unwilling spectator to the Queen's distress, he realized the polite thing was to get out, even if all his senses told him to stay put and help her through her sorrows.

The thief knew Regina wouldn't want to talk about it, especially not with him. But hopefully he had gotten his point across this time. He knew the gift she had just given him was her way of asking him to keep silent about what had happened when they were alone in the castle. And he would. She had chosen to take her own life instead of living without her son. She thankfully hadn't, but the outlaw knew from experience that hatred got you nowhere. It could be your crutch for a short time, but one day, you needed to let go and learn how to walk free of restraints. But Robin couldn't help her if she wasn't ready to help herself.

Without adding anything, he grabbed his arrows, politely bowed and made his way towards the exit to her chambers.

The doors closed in front of him before he could reach the threshold.

He turned on his heels. Regina was walking towards him, her form-fitting deep blue dress trailing behind her. Robin tried to chase the thoughts of how perfectly her dress hugged her curves out of his mind.

"Why do you care?" she asked, her face free of her usual stoic queen front. She sounded broken and lost, and he could see the shimmering trail of a tear on her cheek.

The outlaw offered her a sad smile and answered truthfully, "Because I know what it's like to lose someone you care about." He made sure his words sunk in before continuing, "Life doesn't just stop because you hurt, Regina. The people you loved, lost and grieved for are a part of you, always. You can't let them go, but you can use the strength they gave you to find what you're looking for." He ended with hope in his voice, willing her to find happiness again.

She let out a puff of air. "You sound so certain of that," she said, resting her hands on her hips, the mask slipping back on. The moment was over; the Queen was back in charge.

Refusing to let this infuriating woman win this round, Robin smirked, "That's because I am." He stared into her eyes, as she seemed to take his words in.

After a breath, she cracked the smallest of smiles too. Robin felt pride seep into his heart. From this point on, he made it his mission to rehabilitate the Queen. It was an audacious prospect. If people asked him why he stayed at the castle, he would say it was the safest place for his boy - which it was. But he would also work towards a bigger goal - making her Majesty realize second chances were possible.

With a flick of her hand, the Queen opened the doors. The thief took this as his invitation to leave and dipped his head slightly. "Thanks for the gift, Your Majesty," he offered, indicating the arrows now in his possession.

She let him leave without halting him this time, but he could sense her eyes on him as he retreated down the corridor.