Robin, Leopold, and the King's men mounted horses the next morning. Robin seemed a little worse for wear, but a good night's rest had done a lot for him. He still had difficulty with most of his movements, but at least he didn't seem so tired. Leopold had even provided a cushion for Robin to use in his saddle that helped support him and would make the ride more comfortable.

Before the men left, Regina walked up to Leopold as he sat on his horse. "Be careful with the man you ride with," she said. "Because I love him."

She turned and walked away before she could register any change in his facial expression.

It was late in the evening when the men returned. Regina had been waiting anxiously all day, and she came running out of the castle to help Robin off his horse. He looked worn, but happy. She took it as a good sign.

"You two will follow me," said Leopold after he had dismounted.

Regina looked uncertainly at Robin, but he nodded that they should follow.

The King led them silently through the castle and back to his study where he sat at his desk and wrote diligently on a piece of parchment. Not once did he look up at Robin or Regina. Anyone who didn't understand the habits of the King would have thought he had forgotten all about them. But Regina understood; business had to be taken care of first. All other matters could wait.

She shot a questioning glance at Robin who smiled at her and nodded. She wanted to ask what had happened, but it was improper to disturb the King, so she waited impatiently.

At last, Leopold finished the document. He pulled a sting by his desk that rang a bell somewhere in the distance that called for a servant. Leopold rolled the parchment carefully and sealed it with his signet ring. When the servant arrived, he handed the scroll over. "You will deliver this immediately."

"Yes, my Lord." The messenger boy nodded and hurried off.

Leopold finally turned toward Robin and Regina. "I have just issued a decreed stripping the Sheriff of Nottingham of all personal assets, the money from which will be divided equally among the people he has wronged."

He looked at Robin. "Once you have time, you will supply me with a list of those who supported the Sheriff's actions, and they too shall be dealt with."

"I have time now, sire," said Robin, looking quite wonderstruck at the King's generosity.

Leopold shook his head. "You do not have time, not now. I imagine you shall be quite busy getting your new office in order."

"Sire?" asked Robin.

Leopold paced. "With the Sheriff of Nottingham relieved of his duty, I am need in someone to fill it. I can think of no better person than the man who risked his very life to protect the people."

Robin stared, his mouth open. After a moment, he composed himself. "Th-thank you, sire," he said, breathless.

Regina beamed at him. She was quite happy for him.

Leopold turn to her and, to her surprise, dropped to his knees as he clasped her hands. "You have brought me to shame," he said. "Can you forgive a self-absorbed man for failing to notice your unhappiness?"

"Perhaps," said Regina honestly. Leopold had surprised her with his apparent sincerity, but she didn't know if she could ever truly be happy if she stayed at the castle.

"What would you have me do for you?" Leopold asked her. "Name it, and it shall be done."

Regina looked at Robin, who nodded at her encouragingly. She looked back Leopold, who appeared to be eagerly awaiting her answer. Could she ask for the one thing she was almost certain he would not grant her?

"I want my freedom," she admitted.

Leopold blinked, confirming her suspicions this was not what he had expected.

"I don't love you," she told him. "And we both know you don't love me."

Leopold stood, releasing her hands. He paced the room, rubbing his temple. "What of Snow?" he said at last. "She needs a mother."

Regina felt her heart drop. There was nothing she could think of to say. Her freedom had been too much to hope for. She had known Snow's happiness would be placed before her own.

"If I may," said Robin tentatively. Regina and Leopold turned to him. "Would not young Snow be better with a mother who is happy in her life than one who is resentful of her position?"

Regina turned eagerly to Leopold. Surely he could see the wisdom in that statement?

The King paced again. It was nerve-racking for Regina whose very livelihood hung in the balance.

At last the King faced her. "Would you visit?"

"Yes," said Regina, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She wasn't keen on the idea of continued visits with Snow, but if it meant her freedom, she would take it.

"Once a week?" asked the King.

Regina hesitated. That was far more frequent than she would have liked.

"Of course," the King amended. "If your intentions lie where you've said they do," he glanced at Robin. "I imagine you will also be busy for a time. Perhaps we can amend visits for the first months to a frequency more suitable to your schedule."

Regina sighed with relief and nodded her assent to the King. She looked at Robin and smiled her thanks.

"Then it is settled," said Leopold, ceasing his pacing. He looked directly at Regina. "As the law of this land, I hereby release you of your vows as Queen and as my wife."

Regina beamed. Tears of joy and relief came to her eyes, and it took her a moment to find her voice. "Th-thank you."

"You will explain the situation to Snow," said the King. Then he gave a wave of his hand. "You are dismissed."

Regina practically tripped over herself in her excitement as she and Robin exited the room. She was finally free!

As soon as they were down the hall far enough for her to consider it safe, she pushed Robin against a wall and kissed him fiercely, full of excitement and eagerness for the life they were about to spend together.

Robin struggled against her. "Ow! Regina!" He clutched his side where he was apparently still sore from two nights before.

"Sorry!" She released him, then approached a second time more gently.

He received her into his arms, and they stayed like that against the wall for a time, basking in the happiness of the moment and oblivious to any servants who may have passed by.

Eventually, Regina removed her lips from his and rested her head contentedly against his shoulder. He lovingly stroked her hair.

"Will you speak to the girl?" he said after a while.

Regina let out a heavy sigh, the mood ruined. She really didn't want to talk with Snow, but she knew it had to be done.

She had not spoken with Snow as the King had ordered the night before. She'd had plenty of time to do so while the men had been away, but she had avoided the situation.

The truth was she was rather conflicted in her feelings toward Snow. The pain of losing Daniel still lingered with her, but Robin's love seemed to have lessened much of her anger and resentment. She found that she could no longer hate the girl for what had happened.

But Snow was still tied up in her unfortunate experiences within the castle, and she could not be more eager to rid herself of the place and everything related to it. Perhaps, once she'd had time away from it all, she could come to look on the castle more gently, and she and Snow's relationship could return to what it had once had the potential be.

But for now, Regina felt very conflicted. Still, she knew what had to be done. She walked to the girl's room and opened the door slowly. The girl was sitting on her bed facing the window, her back to Regina.

"Snow?" said Regina softly.

The girl turned around, and on seeing Regina her face scrunched up with grief. She turned back to her window. "If you hate it here, just go."

Regina hesitated by the door. She didn't know what to say. "Snow. . ."

"You're supposed to be my mother!" The girl threw herself onto her bed pillows where she cried.

Regina slowly walked over to her and caressed her hair as Robin had done for her. "Snow," she said gently. "I have to go."

"Why?" asked Snow, her voiced muffled through the tears and pillows.

"Because I can't stand it here," Regina explained.

"Why?" asked Snow again, removing herself from her pillows to reveal her tear streaked face. "Why is the castle so horrible?"

Regina struggled with an answer. Nothing that crossed her mind seemed like anything Snow would understand. "Because I don't want to be queen," she said at last, though it was far from the complicated truth.

"Then be something else," pleaded Snow. "You don't have to leave."

"I do," said Regina. "Your father decreed it just now." Snow's lip trembled. "I'm leaving today."

"Fine!" The girl threw himself again into her pillows as a new wave of tears took over. "Go away and never come back!"

Frustration washed over Regina. Part of her wanted to grab the girl and shake her. Thoughts ran through her head of what a spoiled brat she was being, and how Regina would be more than happy to storm out of the room and never see her again.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. This wasn't Snow's fault. The girl had every reason to be upset, but try as she might Regina could not completely quench the anger she felt boiling inside her.

Then she remembered Robin's words to the King.

"Snow," she said gently. "I have to go. It's the only way I can be your mother."

Snow lifted her head from the pillows. "What?"

"I'm not happy here," Regina told her. "And that's nothing you or your father or anyone else can change. If I stay, I'm afraid I'll become mean and angry all the time. And that's not the kind of mother you want, is it?"

Snow didn't answer. She only stared, a single tear falling down her cheek.

"But if I go," Regina continued. "I can be happy, and when I come to visit you every week, as your father asked, I can be the loving mother you should have. Isn't that what you want?"

Snow again didn't answer. After a moment, she threw herself at Regina and buried her face in her dress, sobbing. Regina slowly put her arms around the girl.

"I'll miss you," said Snow into Regina's dress once the sobs had subsided.

"I'll miss you too," said Regina. The statement wasn't true, not yet. But it was what Snow needed to hear, so she said it.

Snow removed herself from Regina's arms, her eyes even more red and puffy than they had been before. "You'll visit?"

"Of course," said Regina. And she surprised herself by leaning forward and dropping a kiss into the girl's hair.

Snow embraced her and didn't move from that position for a while. Eventually, she fell asleep. Regina gently removed the girl from her lap and laid her on her pillows. Then she quietly left the room.

"Regina!" came a voice as she closed the door to Snow's bedroom.

She turned to see a small ball of green light shooting toward her. "Tink!"

The fairy stopped in her flight, floating in front of her. "I wanted to tell you," she said. "I've been declared an official fairy of the Order!"

"You mean, you weren't before?" said Regina.

"Well," said Tink, her wings drooping slightly. "No. I was in training. But now that everything's worked out with you, all has been forgiven."

Regina smiled. "That's great news, Tinker Bell. Will I ever see you again?"

"Of course," said Tink. "I never forget a friend."

In spite of herself, Regina was quite sure she liked that little fairy.

"Well, I've got to go," said Tink. "Things to do, people to help! I just wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you," said Regina.

Tinker Bell smiled and flew off down the hall, her light fading away.

Regina met up with Robin, and the two continued on their way through the castle. Regina was growing rather happy about the prospect of the future when they were hindered in the courtyard just before the castle gates. All the guards became suddenly frozen in their movements, and Rumpelstlitskin appeared.

Robin drew an arrow into his bow quicker than Regina would have thought possible with the abuse his body had recently taken. He trained his sights on Rumple, but Regina raised a hand and tilted his bow downward. "That won't work against him."

"She's right, dearie," said Rumple. "I'd do as she says."

Robin looked from Regina to Rumple and reluctantly put the bow away.

"What do you want?" Regina asked, turning toward her mentor.

"To see if you'd be interested in coming back to learn magic," he said simply.

Regina shook her head. She had no desire to train with Rumpelstiltskin, and she didn't need magic to get what she wanted anymore.

Rumple walked up to her. Robin moved instinctively to protect her, but Regina grabbed his arm, warning him to stay back.

Rumple looked into her face, considering. "Mmmm. . ." Eventually, he turned and walked away from her. "You're free to go," he said, with a wave of his hand.

"That's it?" asked Regina, surprised.

"Well, I can't make you want to learn magic, dearie," said Rumple, spinning back around.

"You have in the past," she said.

"No," said Rumple. "I taunted you." He gave a twirl of his hand and pointed at her. "You were the one who decided what those taunts meant."

"You can see the future," Regina said. "You knew those taunts would work."

"Yes," he admitted. "And now I can see they won't." He looked pointedly at Robin. "Of course, I could kill your love-" He stepped toward Robin, and Regina moved to stand protectively in front of him. "But that would only make you bitter and hating me more than you already do, and that won't make you want to learn magic, now, will it?"

Rumple spun back around on his heel and walked away. "I shall just have to find another."

"Another what?" asked Regina.

"An apprentice, of course." He gave an impish laugh, and in a flash he had vanished. The guards resumed their motions as though nothing had happened.

Regina looked at Robin and embraced him. This time, she truly was free. There was nothing left to hold her back.

"What do we do now?" she asked as they walked arm and arm through the castle gates and headed for the forest.

"Now?" he said. "We clean up the Sheriff's office, build ourselves a nice place in the woods, buy ourselves a couple horses." He smiled at her. "Whatever you want."

Whatever she wanted. She liked the sound of that.

She reached for him to kiss him, and he gladly obliged. Finally, Regina thought, things were coming together.

Finally, she was getting her happy ending.

EVER AFTER

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I know this story didn't start out as lovey as some of you were wanting. I hope I was able to make up for that in later chapters. While I would have loved to have written a more romantic and less dramatic story for Regina, I don't see her opening herself up to love easily. She has a lot of anger, doubt, and hate, and I felt those were emotions she was going to have to work through before she found her happy ending.

Ultimately, when it comes to a partner for Regina, I think she needs someone who understands her and will stick by her. Not in the "You are perfect and can do no wrong" obsessive kind of way, but the "You have issues, but I'm not going anywhere" kind of way. And that was who I tried to make Robin to be, someone who cares about her, who understands where her hurt and anger comes from, and wants to help her heal if she'll let him. I think that's the only kind of person who would catch her off guard enough to not immediately cast aside, and the only one who could break down her walls and get her to let in.

I got a lot more traffic from this fic than I usually do, probably from starting the story directly after the episode. Looks like I wasn't the only one wanting some Outlaw Queen. I hope I was able to deliver the kind of story you were hoping to find.

Thank you for reviewing!

ADDENDUM:

I have decided to turn this story in a trilogy. The next installment is titled "Rumpelstiltskin's Apprentice," which you can find on my profile.