Royal Blood

Chapter Eight: Follow Along

"Good morning." Regina whispered, squatting down to the small boy's height. "I see you slept well." She reached out to smooth his hair, only to find that the curls atop his head wouldn't be tamed. Roland rubbed his eyes and nodded, still seeming to be tired. "Did you just wake?" Roland nodded silently again, leaning into Regina's chest. She stiffened at the affectionate gesture, looking up to see Robin carefully watching them both. Her arms slowly wrapped around the young boy as her eyes evaded Robin's. "Are you still tired?" She asked softly, rubbing his back. Roland nodded yet again, making her giggle. "Then why have you gotten out of bed?"

"Because," Roland's voice was muffled by Regina's own shoulder, "I saw you."

"Yes but you wouldn't have seen me if you hadn't gotten up." Regina reasoned, pulling back from the embrace. "Why don't we get you back into bed, Hmm? Maybe you could sleep a bit longer?" Roland yawned and nodded, staying in place. "Is your bed in that tent?" Regina pondered, getting little response from the young boy.

She felt out of place. Regina had never taken care of someone, let alone put a child to bed. Would Robin be upset that she went into his tent? Would she tuck Roland in right? Was it even her place to be doing this? But she couldn't just stand there as Roland leaned on her shoulder.

So, without thinking, Regina scooped the little boy up into her arms and quickly ducked into the cream colored tent. Inside was a small pile of toys, two small palates, a bow and quiver and a small bag. The two palates were pushed together to make a big one but two separate blankets rested on either side. A stuffed teddy bear and a quilt sat on the side she imagined was Roland's and a forest green blanket was balled up on the other side.

Regina's chest tightened as realization struck her: Robin slept in this bed. She closed her eyes, unable to shake the thought out of her mind. Focus on Roland. Put him to bed, Regina. She thought, laying roland down on his side. He snuggled under his quilt and look expectantly up at her.

"What is it?" Regina asked, tucking him in the way Katherine used to for her as a child. She let her fingers run gently into his hair. Roland mumbled something, his eyes fluttering. "Sleep well, sweet boy." She whispered, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"Stay?" Roland mumbled again, so soft Regina barely heard it. Regina smiled softly, tilting her head just a bit.

"Until you fall asleep?" She asked, getting only a soft nod from the young boy. Regina smiled and let her thumb rub his chubby cheek. They sat like this, Roland well into sleep and Regina silently watching him, for a while. She let her thoughts roam to questions she hadn't really thought about. Did Roland have a mother? Did she love him unlike Regina's own mother? Did her mother even care she was missing? Had Leo taken over her Kingdom? Did Graham know she was gone? Did anyone care? But then, her thoughts shifted to lighter things. Roland. Such a sweet sweet young boy. Raised by such a handsome father. They surely had to be close. She wondered what it was like to have a father who deeply cared for their child. Sure, her father loved both Zelena and herself, but he would never ever put his love for them first.

"Pardon me." She jumped at the sound of Robins low voice. "I assume you'd like to go with Granny back to the tavern?"

Regina turned to see the man standing over her, looking down with amusement in his eyes. "Oh..." Regina frowned, slowly standing from her spot on the ground. "I guess so, yes. Is she leaving?"

Robin nodded, offering her his hand to help her stand. She hesitantly took it, nodding her head in thanks. Without another word, Regina ducked from the tent and rushed to Granny's side, too afraid of what might be said if she spoke again.

***

All day long it was him. What was he doing? Where was he going? How old was he? Where had he come from? Regina had dropped two plates, spilled a bucket of water and burnt the bread Granny had put in the oven. She just couldn't get her mind off of Robin. Curiosity filled her veins until she hardly could stand it.

"Excuse me m'lady?" A voice snapped Regina out of her thoughts, making her eyes flick up from the floor. There he stood with a dark green shirt stretched across his chest. A soft smirk twisted his lips, those bright eyes of his twinkling with joy. "Do you think you could do me a favor?"

"What can I help you with?" She asked, looking down at the mug in one hand. "Refill?" She guessed, reaching for the tin cup. Robin chuckled and shook his head.

"Not quite yet." He said, holding Regina's gaze as he spoke. "We were never formally introduced. I saw you last night and this morning, but I never did quite catch your name."

Regina blushed, her fingers slipping to the tie of her cloak as she spoke. "Regina." She said softly.

Robin grinned, leaning on the bar top. "Ah, Queen."

Regina froze in fear, the possibility of being recognized as royalty taking over her body. If he knew, would he report her or take her in to use for ransom? But reassurance took back over once she realized he was talking about the meaning of her name. Her mother had wanted to make sure Regina knew her place in society and wanted to make sure others knew as well. So, Cora decided to name her second daughter after the title she would someday inherit. Queen.

"Right." Regina nodded, blood rushing to her cheeks from her embarrassment. "And you?"

"Robin of Locksley." He offered.

"Bright fame." Regina replied, toying with the rag in her hand. "So, what are you famous for, Robin of Locksley?" She quipped, tilting her head.

Robin chuckled and shook his head. "Nothing of value. Just a father and a friend. Nothing more."

Regina frowned, surprised at his humble response. "Well you've got to be an exceptional father. Roland adores you. And, at least from what I've seen, you're pretty well known here at the tavern."

Robin smiled, surprised with her openness and eagerness to be in conversation. But it wasn't just him. Regina was shocked at her responses to Robin, not exactly sure where this wave of confidence was coming from.

"I guess you could say that about me. But not you." Robin paused, taking a sip from his drink. "How did a young woman like you end up here?" And just like that, the confidence Regina had possessed was gone.

"Oh." She whispered, shaking her head. "That's a terribly long story. You wouldn't be interested." She said, avoiding eye contact.

"Yet I'm still intrigued." Robin pushed, raising an eyebrow.

Regina sighed, shaking her head. "I'm from another... Town. One much bigger." She paused, chewing on her lip. "I was... Misplaced... And I ended up here."

Robin nodded and cleared his throat, licking his lips before he spoke. "Well, my men and I are making another trip. We start packing tomorrow if you'd like to join us. We're going up near the Royal palace." He stated, making Regina perk up a bit.

Everything she'd ever been taught went against what Robin was offering. Regina never would have thought she would be speak to a stranger, never would have dared to think about the offer he had spoken of. But how long was she planning on staying stuck here? Her life at the tavern shouldn't last forever. Regina was meant to be queen. Not a bar tender. She was getting tired of waiting for someone to rescue her.

"I'll think about it."

Hey guys! So I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! I wanted to make it a little longer but I decided to group that part with the next chapter. Thank you all for your support! I can't believe this has gotten so many views! Thank you all so much for reading this and tolerating my mediocre stories haha! Until next Friday...