Tumblr Prompt by il-etait-une-fois-nos-reves

Regina's POV

Chapter 1

Would it have been that hard? She thought to herself. To walk in and have a chance at happiness? A part of her urged her to return to the old tavern, face her fears, and meet her true love, but she only continued down the dirt road, alone, in the depths of the night back toward the castle, hoping no one had noticed her sudden absence. It's not like he would notice. She told herself bitterly. It was unfair of her, however. The king was a good man, and he cared for her, just… not in the way for which she wished to be cared. Snow, on the other hand, would raise the alarm as soon as she and her father returned from their summer palace and realized her step-mother was gone. A flare of anger coursed through her veins at the thought of the child – well young woman, seeing as her sixteenth birthday had just passed not weeks before – who had started this whole mess. The queen didn't feel quite ready to give up that hate and quest for revenge quite yet. Her magical skills were beginning to flourish with Rumplestiltskin's teaching. Although she'd been avoiding his lessons the past couple days and he'd seem pressed about something lately, Regina felt certain the time to enact the curse he'd told her about would be upon them before her first score of life came to a close. She could feel the magic surge powerfully through her blood and cause her to smile widely.

Lost in her thoughts, Regina didn't notice her sense of caution slip away, and a more tangible, dangerous beast crawl behind her in its wake. The crack of a stick sent her whirling around just in time to see an incredibly oversized rodent leap and pin her securely to the forest floor. Her breathing accelerated in panic. Would someone hear her if she screamed? Pain shot through her arm as the rodent snapped his jaws around it. Her magic wasn't responding. She released a yelp. Keep your wits, girl. She could her Rumple in her ear. The beast clawed across her cheek. She used her all her strength. The monster wouldn't budge. She reached out around her. Her hand came into contact with a rock. She rammed it into the rodent's head, sending it no more than couple feet away. But she could now stand. She pulled her knife from the strap of her thigh. She braced herself for another attack, but as she drew her back to strike when the leviathan pounced, a near invisible object flashed past her vision and struck the beast through the eye. She recoiled from the dying rat, fearing another might be coming for her next.

"Milady," A thickly accented voice called from the shadows. "Are you alright?" A handsome stranger emerged from the cover of the trees. His quick breaths giving the impression he'd been running through the foliage.

With the adrenaline moving at rapid speeds through her body, she hadn't given much of a thought to her condition, and while it still remained prominent in her system, whatever pain she would feel was numb to her now.

"I… I think so." She muttered, not looking the stranger in the eye.

"You think so?" He chuckled, his breath coming out in puffs of steam in the cold, night air, but his face quickly changed to concern when he noticed the left side of her face. Despite a slight flinch on her part, the man reached out and gently turned her chin to examine the scratch more closely. "Oh, milady, you won't want to go any longer without having this looked at. If it pleases you, you could come back to my camp with me. We have a man who could have this taken care of in little time, and you could be right on your way in the morning." What? Was a stranger really asking to take her back to his camp just to tend to her wounds? Yeah, right.

"Um… I think I'll just go back –"

"No, please!" He cut her off. "I insist. You'll find no harm among my Merry Men and me." His request sounded genuine, but there was no way to be sure. Regina thought intently for a moment before recalling whom he had referred to.

"Your Merry Men?" She asked in a way that requested for clarification. The man nodded his head. "But that would make you –"

"Robin Hood," He gave a slight bow. "At your service." Her heart began to thrum against her chest in almost a painful manner, but for what reason she was unsure. This outlaw had hung on wanted posters since before she had met the king which meant he couldn't have been more than a teenager when his thieving days started, for his appearance suggested he wasn't much older than she.

Her memory recalled tales of the thief, Robin Hood, who stole from the rich merely to give it back to the poor, told to her by locals when she lived under the iron fist of her mother. The people always talked about his unmatched courage and his unfailing heart. Even Daniel had gone doe-eyed when someone began telling stories of his endeavors. He was a savior not just amongst her people but to people all across the realm who were oppressed by their rulers. Or who were her people. She was a royal now. Shouldn't it be her duty to her husband to bring this outlaw in? Was it her problem that they would be suffering? Yes. Her battle was against Snow. These people didn't deserve her wrath.

"Milady?" He whispered, bringing her back to the present. She jumped slightly as she shook herself from her glazed-state. "Please ease my nerves and stay a night at my camp. You'll find nothing but the finest of treatments." Something about the way he spoke to her made her certain that she could go with him. Not even Leopold used such a kind whisper when he addressed her, his wife.

"Alright, Mr. Hood." She nodded with a smile. Embarrassingly enough, something about him just made her want to smile. "Lead the way." As they began to make way through the maze of the forest, he stopped abruptly and glanced her way.

"May I ask, Milady?" He inquired. "What is your name?" The question gave her a rather large pause. Did she want him to know of her high status? Of her power to through him into prison with a word? Not now. She just wanted to enjoy this outlaw's presence for a short time.

"Regina," She smiled. "My name is Regina."