Chapter Text
Tank’s POV:
“Robin, NO! What are you-”
What is she doing?! Of all the times she’s been reckless this by far surpasses it. I took in how she pumped her legs harder as she was heading across the other side of the ship, where Hook was.
“We HAVE to save the stories,” she replied.
A cold sweat broke on my forehead. I know that. That's the whole reason why we’re trying to stop Hook and all. I haven’t been able to land a hit on the woman, her movements being a blur to anyone watching. I then noticed what she was wearing. Her white top with a blue overall romper over it and though the front pieces of her hair were still out, a braid replaced the ponytail I’ve gotten so used to seeing. But what really got me was what I saw next.
Red boots.
My breath caught in my throat as memories flooded back on what Lea said to Robin after she completed The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde.
“She has the same power as the witch, what does that mean?”
We’re in Oz and if Robin is dressed as Doro now…
When she saw the realization on my face, a sad smile spread across her lips as she ran. “This is the only way. ”
No it’s NOT!
There HAS to be another way!
But she shook her head ever so slightly, her eyes pleading with me. Like she was begging me to understand her actions. She then turned away from me and continued to bee-line straight for Hook.
Hook’s face growled in fury as she watched Robin sprinting towards her. Her hands balled up into fists. Next thing I know, the battlefield fell silent. The echoes of battle cries fading into a haunting stillness. I stood frozen in horror, my eyes fixed on Hook’s sword piercing through Robin’s abdomen, impaling her. Blood spurting out of her abdomen like ketchup.
“NOOO!” I screamed
I think I heard someone else far from me cry out too, but I’m too focused on Robin to even care whose voice it belonged to.
“Eve..one out! ..tory is go… wiped!”
The world seemed to narrow to a single point, all sounds still sounding muffled and distant. Each breath I took felt like the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Everything within me was screaming to run to her, to get her away from that ruthless woman, and be by her side. Yet my feet wouldn’t move. Like it was rooted to this blasted wooden floor of a ship by some unseen force. This isn’t like the sacrifice she made back in the Light Princess. Though she risked her life even then by the Fates, everything turned out okay. Now, I don’t even know anymore.
Robin. The girl who not only knew fairytales more than anyone I’ve ever known but completed said fairy tales in ways I’ve never even thought of. The one I watched go from selfish to selfless, always giving people the benefit of the doubt. Never once considering that they have ulterior motives. The girl whose sense of humor always had me laughing or smirking in secret. The girl who stole my heart from the moment we completed the Little Seamaid together and I’ve been deeply and irrevocably in love with ever since was gone. My purpose for continuing in life stood lifeless as her body was stilled in front of Hook. The irony of it was that it looked like she was hugging her.
“NO!” I shook my head, as if by doing that the thought would go away. I started to make my way towards her. There HAS to be a part of her still alive. I’m NOT leaving her like this, especially to the likes of that monster with no hook to show anymore. Before I could take another step an arm was holding me back, preventing me from going any further.
“Come on!” Lea's voice rang through my ears, a sense of urgency in her tone. I turned back towards her, brows furrowed as I said in a guttural voice,“ Let. Me. Go ”
Her eyes widened in shock. She’s never seen me like this. But even so, her grip tightened, “She made her choice! We have to go now, Tank! Oz is going to reset!”
I don’t care about that. I can’t imagine living in a world where Robin’s not in it. I was more than willing to be trapped in the in-between world with her again. It wouldn't be the first time. But even as I thought these things, I knew Lea was right deep down. A growl escaped from my mouth, cutting through the air as I took in my surroundings.The fairies opened portals for the people we recruited to go back to their tale. Everything is starting to go black. I tried to push back the tears threatening to come up. But in the end, I could only keep them from falling for a couple seconds .
"I’m sorry, Robin," I thought, as multiple tears spilled across my cheeks. I won’t let her sacrifice be in vain." I then quickly went through the portal that the fairies opened up for us before I could be consumed by the reset, Lea following close behind.
I shot up from my bed, my breath coming up in ragged gasps. I couldn’t get the images out of my head, still hearing the echo of voices that had felt so real. My cheeks were wet with tears, and it was at that moment I realized that I had been crying even before waking. My sobs shook my entire being as I pressed my hands to my face. Trying my best to stay quiet to not wake Ajax. The dream had been so vivid, so painfully vivid. The room around me was mainly dark and silent, the only light being the moonlight shining through the window. I let out another deep breath, doing my best to rationalize with myself.
It’s just a dream. You’re safe.
After what felt like forever, I finally laid back down on my bed facing my plain white ceiling with the thought of a certain long brown-haired girl permeating my mind.
Robin…
Her impalement seared into my mind. Her crazy, but selfless sacrifice to save the world of Forever After. Anyone else watching that moment would’ve said she’s dead. And yet, a stubborn seed of hope refused to die in me. There had to be a part of her, no matter how small, that was fighting to live. There had to be!
I think back to the moment Lea and I had in the enchanted forest. How I told her theories of Robin possibly being from another dimension, a different country, or a different time period and how she said otherwise.
That night, I prayed that she was near my area and that I could see her again…
TIME JUMP:
“Is this the right building?” I asked myself as I looked at the left corner of my acceptance letter. Looking back and forth between said building and my paper, it matched.
Seems like it is.
When morning came, I did my best to go on with my life, as if nothing had happened. No quests to go on to complete fairy tales but a brother to get ready for school. By the time Ajax was in the school building and I wished him a good day at school, I quickly pulled the letter that I stuffed in my front jacket pocket. I originally found it lying on the front step, though it looked a bit crumbled up now, I took it in . It was a white envelope with a purple wax seal on it, the letters FA on it. “FA? Could it be?..” I wondered. As I opened it and read the contents, my eyes may as well have bulged out from their sockets.
I got a scholarship.
HOW?!?!
I don’t even remember applying for this particular one!
But after seeing how much they were giving me, I no longer decided to question it. What really got me was the name of the college. FAFTP. I found it strange how they didn’t have what the acronym stood for. And I couldn’t help but think back again of my dream last night. “FAFTP? As in Forever After Fairy Tale Program FAFTP?” I pondered. It all seemed too good to be true. But at the same time, I knew I would be crazy if I passed this opportunity up. I did always want to pursue Nursing and this scholarship is covering most of my tuition. It also said that they start a week from today(so soon!). But what really motivated me was the thought of seeing Robin there. I didn’t know if I actually would (obviously), but I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t try to look for her.
So now, here I am. Taking in the school that I’d be attending for the next four years. It looked like a castle, the little flags adding more of that castle flare. It was surrounded by a brick wall on all four sides, the entrance having a black wrought iron gate. I still had my usual gold beads on my side swept dreadlocks. “That way if she really is here, she could find me more easily” I thought, though I actually do like this hairstyle. Since the weather was a bit chilly, I had a dark green trench coat over my tan sweater. Brown jeans and dress shoes to really go for that professional but not too professional look. I passed through a group of people, trying to find a brown ponytail. Ten long agonizing minutes pass by and I haven't had any luck so far. “I am outside of the campus” I thought. “Maybe she’s inside? Or maybe she styled her hair differently? I have seen her with her hair partially down before so-”
A shade of dark blue caught my attention. My head quickly turned to where that person was. Once I caught sight of them my breathing stopped.
Her outfit striked as crisp and classic. She wore a pristine white shirt that clung gently to her torso, its fabric soft and slightly sheer. Over the shirt, she had chosen a blue buttoned short sleeve that contrasted sharply with the white, its tailored fit accentuating her perfectly. The blue of the shirt was a dark, rich shade, with buttons that gleamed subtly as they caught the light.
Her blue tie, neatly knotted and hanging on the middle of her shirt collar, added a touch of formality to the ensemble. The tie’s color matched perfectly with the blue of her skirt, which was just above her knees. Her blue shirt was tucked in as well. The skirt’s A-line cut flattered her figure, its hem swaying gently with each step she took. The material was slightly structured, giving the skirt a polished appearance while allowing for comfortable movement.
As she moved, the different elements of her outfit worked in harmony, from the crisp white of the shirt to the coordinating blue hues of the tie and skirt. The outfit spoke of meticulous attention to detail and a classic sense of style, reflecting her poised and composed demeanor. When looking at her brown eyes, my mouth formed the biggest smile. Unable to contain my excitement I shouted from behind, “ROBIN!”
I saw her looking from the right to the left, trying to find the source of the sound. Seeing her reaction boosted my confidence as I shouted again, “ROBIN!”
And when she turned her head, her eyes brightened up. Reciprocating my reaction she shouted back, “TANK!”
All rationale went out the window as I started running to her. I didn’t care that there were people around me. I didn’t care what they thought about me. I just wanted to be near her. Judging how she was running too, she didn't seem to care either. Once I was close enough I pulled her in a tight embrace, lifting her off the ground, “YOU’RE ALIVE!” I joyfully shouted once more as I spun her around.
“WHOA!” she gasped, her hands instinctively gripped onto my shoulders for stability. “I’m happy to see you too Tank”, she replied. She was definitely enjoying this moment given how she was laughing uncontrollably. Once I set her down, she slightly wobbled, trying to gain her balance back. Her face was flushed, her cheeks burning from both the physical exertion and emotions. She looked up at me, her eyes wide with astonishment and a smile spreading across her face. Seeing how cute she looked, I pulled her into another embrace. I couldn’t help it.
“Is it really you?” I asked once I pulled away from her, holding onto her hands as we leaned closely to each other. The tips of our noses touching.
“It’s me. And yeah, turns out the Fates reallyyy oversold that whole dying-in-Forever-After thing”.
My hand tenderly touched her cheek, pushing away a strand of her hair, “I’m just glad you’re okay”. I didn’t miss how she closed her eyes as she leaned into my touch, making my heart soar to unknown heights. “Do you think…we saved them?”
My face turned serious after she asked that. After thinking about it I answered, “ I think you did. Being reckless and impulsive as usual. You really had me worried ya know, I wasn’t sure if you were gonna come back this time”.
Her face turned into one of guilt, “I’m so sorry Tank. I never wanted to make you feel like that. But Hook was practically invincible and I just..well…knowing that I have the ability to change my role at will…it would’ve been irresponsible of me to NOT use it if I could help save Forever after” she replied.
I knew deep down she was right. There was really no other option. Even after everything that's happened, she overall just wanted to save the people from that world. Considerate Robin.
“Hey, it’s alright. Really, I get it. I’m sure I would’ve done something like that. Because of what you did, Hook is either gone or reset. Bastinda and the Fates can work out the rest, I think”.
“…I’m going to rewrite them. The stories that Hook tore out. They may have been erased, but they can exist again. I can write them a little kinder too” She said with a gentle determination. I looked down and saw that she was carrying a letter labeled Creative Writing. I've been with her for some time to know that if Robin sets her mind on something, she’s gonna do it. My chest beated quickly because of her big heart.
“Hey you lovebirds!”
We then both reunited with Lea and Damian too! It’s crazy how it’s only been a day since we last saw each other. I’ll admit, it was nice seeing them again. After giving an apology towards Lea about my behavior back in Oz(to which she was completely understood and forgave me for. She’s really changed from when I first met her) and conversing with Damian for a bit, I found myself gravitating towards Robin again. Lea and Damian looked at each other all smug like and made up an excuse saying that they needed to look over each other's schedule to see if they’re in any classes together. Giving Robin and I a moment alone.
“ I can’t stop thinking about what Lea said. It has really been a day since everything has happened. I’m really grateful to have you in my life” Robin said.
“Me too. And as long as I’m here on this earth, I will go anywhere as long as my path is with you” ❤️