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Regina paced her spacious bedroom, humming softly as she rocked her daughter. Diana was wrapped in a beautiful pink blanket made from the softest material Regina had ever felt. She cradled the girl, watching as the sun began to set over the horizon. Her nerves grew frazzled as a knot formed in her stomach.
Her husband should’ve been home already.
She looked down at Diana, who stared up at her with bright blue eyes. Regina tried to smile for the little girl, even if she was too young to know anything was wrong. “I’m sure your papa will be here soon.”
Diana just yawned, continuing to worm her little hand free from the confines of her pink swaddling. Regina chuckled, though it did little to alleviate her worry. She knew Robin was a hands-on leader and had made her one. It came as no surprise that when a village called on the royals for aid, he had jumped to go help them himself. She would’ve gone with him had she not given birth only a few months earlier and was only just returning to her regular duties. Between them and Diana’s nursing schedule, she couldn’t leave the palace and it made more sense to send her just as capable husband.
Regina glanced at the door, expecting him to open it. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that Robin knew the woods like the back of his hand. It was nearly impossible for him to get lost. The village he had gone to wasn’t that far from the palace anyway, but there had been a lot of debris from the last storm so it may have taken longer than expected to clear. If that was the case, she knew he would easily find a place to stay the night or be able to make camp. After all, a year of life in the palace wasn’t going to undo all the years he spent living in the woods.
Part of her still worried. If she were honest, she had expected for them to find Snow and Charming by now. This time, the people were working with her rather than against her—though now they wanted revenge against Snow while all she wanted was reconciliation. She wanted to sit down with Snow and have a good conversation with her, a difficult one she knew they needed to have. The rumors about Rumpelstiltskin possibly courting Snow as a student concerned her. Her fear was that she had sent her stepdaughter down the same path she had walked so she wanted to stop Snow before she went too far, like Regina had.
However, if Snow was walking that path, would she still do something to hurt Robin? Would she try to take another love from Regina? Or would she just capture him and hold him for ransom?
No, Regina decided. Snow was still a good person at heart, just someone who had been poorly prepared for the overwhelming responsibility. She had been failed first by Leopold, who taught her to fixate on the superficial aspects of ruling and didn’t show her much else as he believed her husband would handle that, not her. Then Regina had failed her, determined that the princess would never sit on the throne and so didn’t see the need to teach her how to govern well. While Snow had then failed her people, she was not an evil person. She would not harm Robin just to get back at Regina.
She then worried that Rumpelstiltskin wasn’t recruiting Snow at all but biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to try to get Regina back as a student. Manipulating a situation to cause the death of the man she loved was definitely something he would do. He knew it was a surefire way to get her back—she had gone dark after the death of her first love, how much darker would she go if her soulmate was taken from her tragically as well?
Rumpelstiltskin wouldn’t be the only one who would not hesitate to hurt Robin to hurt Regina. After the deposition of Snow and Charming, there had been a small faction who wanted the revolution to continue and to see Mist Haven adopt a different type of government rather than continue with the monarchy. While everyone else called for Regina to assume the throne again, they had loudly protested the decision and promised to continue to work against her. If they had encountered her husband, the prince consort, she knew they would harm him to send a message to her.
She also knew that people still roamed Mist Haven’s woods despite both the economy improving and the country’s role in the ogre war ending. Most people returned to rebuild their villages but some felt they had nothing to return to, so they forged their way on the fringes of society. They became bandits and highwaymen, thieves who acted only for themselves—not like the Merry Men at all. She knew Robin had left that morning in his old clothes, the ones he wore as Robin Hood, with no valuables for them to steal—except for him. They would expect Queen Regina to pay a royal ransom for the return of her husband.
Robin has never been caught, she reminded herself. He still had all the skills that had helped him become one of the best thieves in the land, skills that had kept him alive and one step ahead of those who sought to arrest him—both the Sheriff of Nottingham and her own guards. Anyone foolish enough to cross his path would walk away with some new holes in their body courtesy of his arrows. No one should underestimate him—especially not her, not after all the years she spent by his side on missions.
Yet he had only gone out with Little John and Alan for this mission as it had been a simple one. Though all three were formidable warriors, talented thieves and knew the forest well, they could easily have been overpowered by a small group. With Robin being their target, it was likely Little John and Alan would be killed—a thought that sent a chill down her spine. They were like brothers to her and she didn’t want to lose them anymore than she wanted to lose Robin.
She glanced down at her daughter, Diana staring up at her with wide blue eyes that reminded Regina of Robin as she rested her now free hand on her little cheek. A pang went through her heart as her thoughts turned as dark as the night sky, wondering if she would have to raise her daughter without him. She knew she had plenty of support, surrounded by people who would happily help care for Diana. Yet it wouldn’t be the same—there would be a terrible hole in her heart and soul as well as in Diana’s life. Regina would love her for both of them but if anyone deserved to live and to raise his child, it was Robin. Diana would also be the reason Regina wouldn’t turn dark as her love for her daughter, plus the love Robin had given her, would keep her magic light, so Rumple wouldn’t win. She’d go on, living and loving for the both of them.
However, she would rather have her husband with her. A plan formed in Regina’s head and she turned to head toward the door to call for the rest of the Merry Men. She was going to have them put together a search party to go find Robin. She was going to get her husband back and knew they were the best people to get that done.
The door opened just as she reached it and she stopped, her heart speeding up as she stared at the person standing there. He smiled at her, revealing the dimples that still made her weak, and didn’t seem to notice he was dripping water on the marble floor. “Well, if it isn’t my two favorite girls come to greet me!”
“Robin,” she breathed in relief, throwing an arm around him as she continued to cradle Diana. She took a deep breath, taking in his familiar woodsy aroma though it was now mixed with the scent of river water.
Confused, she pulled away before he could soak her gown and get Diana wet. “What happened to you? Why are you all wet?”
“That is quite the story,” he replied, closing the door with a chuckle. He turned around, untying the laces on his vest. “No one checked the river, which had swollen in the storms. So no one realized a lot of the debris was holding back floodwaters until it was too late. The flooding ended up being minor and we were able to dam it up well enough, but most of us got very wet in the process.”
He discarded his wet vest on the floor and she watched as he pulled off his damp shirt, letting it join the vest. She stood there, watching him as her heartrate returned to normal. “Is that why you are here after sunset?”
“It is,” Robin confirmed, pulling off his pants. As he dropped them to the floor, he stood in front of her naked as the day he was born. He reached out to cup her cheek. “I hope I didn’t worry you.”
Regina tried to look nonchalant as she shook her head, trying to ignore how naked he was or the heat rolling off him despite having been in wet clothes. She glanced down at their daughter. “We weren’t worried. Right, Diana?”
The baby girl blinked a few times before scrunching up her face. She mewed as she turned toward Regina’s breast, starting to root through the red dress the queen wore. Regina felt herself start to lactate and she chuckled. “Alright, sweetheart, let’s get you feed.”
She walked over to the rocking chair set up by the doors to the balcony, taking a seat as she bared one of her breasts. Diana latched on easily enough, nursing hungrily as she snuggled against her mother. One of her little hands spread out over Regina’s breast, her eyes starting to close in contentment.
“So,” Robin said, sitting down on the bed to face her. He had changed into a simple linen shirt and brown breeches, though he was still barefoot. Robin studied her before asking: “Care to answer my question truthfully this time? Did I worry you?”
She pressed her lips together, not surprised that he was able to see through her charade. Robin had always been able to see past her mask to her true feelings. It was one of the reasons why she loved him and what made her remain open.
“You didn’t worry me,” she told him. “I worried myself.”
He sighed, leaning forward to rub her leg. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She didn’t really want to expose her paranoia and knew if she said no, he would back off. However, she also knew that she would feel better once she talked about it. Looking down at Diana as the baby continued to nurse, she admitted softly: “I keep waiting for the universe to decide I’ve been happy long enough and do something to take it all away. That’s what always seems to happen.”
“The universe doesn’t take your happiness away,” he insisted. “It keeps trying to send you happiness. Other forces keep taking it away.”
Robin no doubt meant for that to be comforting but it just reinforced her worries from earlier. She looked at him, fighting back tears as she said: “There are forces still out there that could take you from me.”
“Are you thinking of Snow and Charming?” he asked. “Or the Dark One?”
“All of them. As well as any rebels who wish to overthrow the monarchy,” she replied. “Not to mention anyone who still harbors a vendetta against me. I’m not foolish enough to think everything believes I’ve reformed. Or still want to see me punished.”
He nodded, looking down as Diana released her nipple. Robin grabbed a clean rag and placed it on his shoulder, taking the girl from Regina’s arms. He rested the baby against his shoulder, patting her back as he walked toward the middle of the room.
Regina adjusted her dress so her breast was covered again. She leaned back in the rocking chair as she heard Diana let out a strong burp. Though he chuckled and praised his daughter for it, Robin didn’t stop rocking her. He now rubbed her back as he swayed, trying to lull her further into sleep. Regina watched as Diana’s eyes closed again and could see her breathing start to even out. It wouldn’t be long before she was deeply asleep.
She watched her husband rock their daughter to sleep and once again, she found her thoughts turning to her mother as they often did since her magic first detected Diana growing inside her. Regina wondered what her infancy had been like or rather, what her mother had been like when she was a baby. Daddy had told her stories about herself as a baby, how he liked to rock her to sleep or how he often played with her. The only mention of Mother had been when he confirmed that she had nursed Regina rather than hiring a wet nurse like many women of their station did. It made Regina wonder if Mother had once loved her without condition, if she had felt the same bond with her that Regina felt every time she put Diana to her breast. Or had she looked down at Regina suckling at her breast and already plotted how to put her daughter on a throne? Was Regina never anything more than a pawn to her? Was Daddy just the same? Or did Mother love him? Had she once watched him with Regina and felt like her heart would burst, just like Regina did now?
Did Mother even have a heart?
“There we are, sweetheart.” Robin’s soft voice interrupted her musings and she realized he had approached the cradle by the side of their bed. He pressed a kiss to Diana’s head before lying her down inside it.
Regina rose and tucked the pink blanket around her daughter’s tiny form. She kissed Diana’s forehead. “Sweet dreams, my little princess. I love you,” she whispered to her.
Before she could even straighten up, Robin swept her up into his arms. She let out a soft yelp before settling into his hold, resting her head on his shoulder. He didn’t carry her far, only taking her to their bed and placing her next to him once he sat down.
He cupped her cheek with his hand. “I understand your worries, Regina. I have the same ones about you.”
Robin’s hand fell from her cheek and he took her hand, playing with her fingers. “You’re not the only one who has amassed many enemies. There were many I wronged before I became a thief with honor and even then, many who didn’t believe a thief could be honorable.”
“I know this,” she replied, wondering why he was bringing this up. “You told me all the dangers when I became a Merry Man.”
He paused, kissing her fingers before softly saying: “There was one warning I didn’t give you. When I started courting Marian, I warned her that being the woman I loved put an even bigger target on her back, that our enemies would go after her more in an attempt to get to me. She understood and accepted the risk.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?” she asked, even more confused and a bit hurt that he didn’t warn her.
The hurt faded away when he looked up, blue eyes full of anguish locking on hers. “Because I knew you intrinsically understood and accepted the risk just as I understood and happily accepted the risk loving you posed.”
Regina’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t ever really thought about anyone going after her because of Robin and not because she had wronged the person. He was so kind-hearted, so noble, so good, she often forgot that he had enemies too. Even the Sheriff of Nottingham seemed more like a nuisance than an actual threat. This piece of news was eye opening and she felt a bit foolish that she hadn’t been more careful back during their days as bandits.
She had been quiet for some time and something must’ve flashed in her eyes for he tilted his head, frowning. “You didn’t understand the risk, did you?”
“I didn’t realize there was such a risk,” she admitted. “I never considered you a liability. I thought I was the only one.”
His eyebrow went up. “You joined a band of thieves headed by a man whose face was nailed to every tree in the forest and thought you were the only liability?”
“I was the Evil Queen,” she argued. “You were all heroes.”
She knew she didn’t have to explain any further. He understood her. It was one of the many things she loved about him—how much he understood and accepted about her. How she didn’t feel the need to explain things over and over. Robin got it the first time.
“You know even heroes have enemies,” he pointed out. “And so I worried. I worried about my enemies and I worried about your enemies, even before I was willing to admit what you meant to me. I would lay awake on nights before raids as nightmare scenarios would play in my head, where I lost you either to someone who wanted revenge against you or someone who wanted revenge against me. They would make me sick to my stomach and sometimes almost ban you from coming.”
“I don’t think I need to tell you how well that would’ve went,” she said, remembering how she had exploded at Robin early on during her time with him when she was tired of being left behind at camp all the time.
He chuckled as he nodded, no doubt remembering the same. “And I knew that I couldn’t just lock you up to keep you safe. No more cages—that’s what I promised you. I wasn’t going to go back on my word.”
“Because you’re honorable,” she said, smiling as she cupped his cheek. She rubbed her thumb over his scruff, enjoying how it pricked at her palm.
Robin smiled. “Because I love you and didn’t want to do that to you.”
“Do you still worry?” she asked.
“Of course I still worry,” he replied. “I still sometimes lie awake, holding you, as I worry that someone will try to hurt you or take you away from me and I won’t be able to help you. That I will be helpless. And now I worry about Diana too.”
They both glanced over at the cradle where their daughter slept on, her little chest rising and falling evenly. Regina’s heart constricted as she admitted: “I worry about her too. If I wasn’t so exhausted from being a queen and a new mother, I’d probably lie awake as well.”
She turned back to him and took his hands in hers. “You shouldn’t have to worry alone. It’s not healthy.”
“You should take your own advice,” he chided her gently.
“I will,” she promised. Regina held up her pinkie finger. “Let’s promise to discuss our worries so that we don’t bear them alone.”
Robin hooked his pinkie with hers. “I promise.”
He then kissed their hands as their pinkies remained locked. Straightening it up, he said: “Talking about it will help but it won’t stop the worrying.”
“I know,” she replied softly. She knew she would probably worry about him and Diana until the day she died.
“And if you’re worrying when I’m gone, I want you to remember one thing, something that will give you comfort and reassure you,” he told her.
For a moment, she wondered if he was about to tell her that he would always find her. It was a comforting thought—that there was someone out there who would move mountains and search every corner of every land until he could find her. She realized why Snow and Charming often repeated it—to reassure themselves and each other. It was just another way of saying “I love you” to them.
Yet it reminded her of Snow and Charming. It was inherently theirs. She wanted something that would just be between her and Robin, something that wouldn’t make her think of her stepdaughter and her husband. When she thought of whatever comforting word or phrase Robin was about to give her, she wanted to think of him and him alone.
He released her pinkie and rolled down his right sleeve to reveal the lion roaring against a black shield inked on his arm. The tattoo she had first glimpsed in the tavern all those years ago and the one that told her he was her soulmate when she saw it in his tent back in Sherwood Forest. She loved to caress it, to remind herself of the bond they shared. In that moment, she knew what reassuring phrase he was about to give her.
“Pixie dust,” she whispered.
“Pixie dust,” he confirmed, also in a whisper. He pressed his forehead to hers. “No matter what, our love is more powerful than any force that may try to separate us. We will always be connected and will always be with each other, even if it isn’t physically. And we will always be reunited in the end.”
His words made her feel warm inside and she smiled, her fingers brushing his tattoo. “I think I can remember that.”
“Good,” he replied. He then tackled her onto the bed, making her laugh as they landed amongst the soft pillows she kept there.
Regina lay on her back, her arms on either side of her head as Robin held them gently. He hovered over her, smiling. “Now, am I correct in assuming you skipped dinner?”
“I wasn’t hungry,” she replied. She hadn’t been at the time as she had snuck a snack from the kitchens a little too close to dinner, which she had admitted when Marian and Daddy had been pressing her to eat. It convinced them that her nerves weren’t suppressing her appetite but both made her promise to eat later. She had figured she would just eat with Robin, which she told him now.
He nodded, sitting up. “Well, then, I’m going to pop down to the kitchens and see what I can scare up for us. You just relax here and I’ll be back as quickly as possible.”
“You’re the best,” she called after him as he headed for the door. He gave her a cheeky grin before slipping out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
Regina rolled onto her side and watched as Diana continued to sleep. She reached out, gently rubbing her daughter’s stomach. “What Papa said goes for you too, my little princess. No matter what happens, just remember that you were born from a powerful love. We will always be connected by pixie dust and we always come back together.”
She closed her eyes as she curled up on the bed, waiting for Robin to return with their meal. They would eat, perhaps cuddle a bit and then she would fall asleep in his arms. It was the perfect end to the day and she knew there would be no worries plaguing her that night.
It would just have to wait for another time.