The one she thought was lost

Chapter 1: The Merry Men

*A/N: Here's the first chapter!! It's not really long, but I hope you enjoy it!! Feel free to leave comments and I'm sorry if I made any mistakes (English is not my first language😅).
Anyways this chapter happens about 12 years after Regina gave birth to Daniella (see previous chapter). Enjoy!!

Daniella's pov:
Daniella kept running. She was sick of it. She was sich of always being told what to do, always being pushed around from one 'home' to another. The people she had lived with over the past 12 years weren't always the 'nicest' people in the world. Most of them thought their own children were a lot more important than she was. How many times was she told that she was worthless, that her parents didn't want her? She lost count over the years. Eventually she got used to it. Well, she'd had enough. When her foster parents weren't watching she sneaked out of the house and ran. When she was still a child, she hoped that the next family would love her. She stopped hoping pretty fast. She knew she was on her own and she would take care of herself. She had always done it and she would keep doing it.
She ran until it was sundown. She stole some food from a village and looked for shelter. She found a cave and the edge of the forest. She looked inside. So far nothing. "Okay, Daniella, you can do this", she whispered to herself. She hoped that there wouldn't be some sort of animal in the cave, because she had no idea how to defend herself. She found it was empty and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "This will have to do", she thought. She looked for some dry wood. When she found some, she started to make a fire (somthing she had mastered over the years) and sat down. She put her hands in front of it. The temperature started to drop now that the sun was under and it was pretty cold in the cave. Daniella wrapped her cloak more tightly around her and laid down, put her hand under her head. She closed her eyes and drifted of to sleep.

1,5 years later:
Daniella sighed as it started to rain. " Not again", she thought irrationally. It had been raining non stop for the past few days. She hated the rain, it was to wet and cold. She had to get back to camp, she decided. She kicked Reina in her side and made her way back.
When she arrived, she quickly mounted the horse and put her with the others. She went to her tent and changed into some dry clothes. After that she brushed her hair and put it in a braid. Then she went to look for her favorite person.
She grinned as she heared him yell: "Danny! You're back!"
She couldn't help but smile at the nickname. He called her that ever since he decided that her name was too difficult to pronounce. He kept calling her that even thought he learned how to say her name properly. It kind of stuck and she didn't mind one bit. The boy had her wrapped around his fingers from the moment she met him.
She turned around with a bright smile on her face.
"Roland", she yelled as she picked him up," of course I came back! I promised, didn't I?"
He nodded as he tightened his grip on her.
"I missed you", he mumbled against her skin with a small voice.
"I missed you too, Roland", she responded, cradling his head while she kissed his curls.
She looked around to find Roland's father. She grinned as she found him standing with his back to her.
"Roland," she whispered,"let's go scare your father." Roland let out a little giggle when he heard that, she told Roland to be quite as she started to sneak up on Robin. When they were close enough, Daniella counted to three and she and Roland yelled at the same time:" Booooooo!!!"
She swore she saw Robin jumping out of his skin as he turned around. She couldn't stop herself and started laughing, barely having the strength to hold Roland who was giggling himself.
"Papa, did we scare you?"
"Indeed you did, Roland. I almost had a heart attack", Robin said to Roland wile winking at her," and welcome back Daniella. How was the hunt?"
"It was good, we caught some rabbits and some deer."
"Ah, then were're going to have a good meal tonight", he said.
"Indeed, we are", Daniella responded. She had joined the Merry Men almost a year ago, after she met the band's infamous leader Robin Of Lockley or as the people knew him 'Robin Hood'. He had found her while she was sleeping under a tree. Back then she slept alsmost everywhere. In caves, in trees and beneath them. They talked for a while and she had told him a little bit of her life. She wasn't one to trust easily so she didn't tell him much, but it was enough for him to take her in. She was twelve at the time. Now almost a year later, she had gotten used to living with a group of thieves. She helped them cook and looked after Roland when Robin was on a heist with his men. In return he taught her how to use a bow and arrow and she was given shelter and something she never thought she'd have; a family. She loved Roland like he was her little brother and she loved Robin like a father. The Merry Men were like her uncles. They are fun to be around, but they are a little overprotective sometimes. Most of all she loved her horse Reina. Robin had given it to her as a present. She named the horse Reina because of the way she acted sometimes. She was very elegant, strong and fast. Like a queen. Daniella had loved horses ever since she was little, but never had the chance to learn how to ride so Robin taught her. She picked it up rather easily and she was still getting better every day. She loved the feeling. It was like she was free, the wind in her hair, nothing else but her and Reina and it was amazing.
"Daniella?"
"Hmmm", Daniella mumbled, snapping out of her thoughts,"what were you saying, Roland?"
"I made you something!"
"You did?" Daniella chuckled at his enthusiasm, it was contagious.
"Yeah! It's horse! See? That's the head and those are the legs..." Roland kept talking about the toy and Daniella listened. She loved it when he made her things like these. She treasured them, they meant the world to her. Roland may not be her biological brother, but he was her brother in every that mattered. Moment like these made jer think about her birth parents. Who they were, what their story was but mostly she wondered why they had given her up. Where they not able to take care of her, did they have no other choice then to give her away? Or did they just not want her. Daniella tried not to think of the latter option, but it still bothered her sometimes. Before she meat the Merry Men she had thought about looking for them, but then doubt would creep in. "What if they really didn't want her? Then they certainly wouldn't want to see her know."
These thoughts were always the ones that stopped her from actually doing it. Now that she lived with the Merry Men, she thought about is less as she used to. She still wanted to know, but not as desperately as she used to.

Daniella looked down and saw that Roland had fallen asleep on her lap. It was a good thing she had already brought him inside her tent. It happened more then once that Roland slept in her tent with her. She was used to it so she laid down, put a blanket around him and tightened her grip on him. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her away.

Robin's pov:
That's how he found them later. Roland laid half on top of Daniella, softly snoring. Daniella was lying on her back, her arms wrapped tightly around Roland's little body. Robin smiled. He was glad he found Daniella that day in the woods. He always wanted a sibling for Roland, but Marian died before they had the chance. Daniella filled that spot in their little family. Robin loved her like his own and wouldn't chance this for the world. Roland needed that, he needed a person to play with, to listen to him telling stories, to watch him when he couldn't. She thanked the gods every day for bringing Daniella into his and Roland's life. She didn't realize it but they needed her in some way.
Robin sighed and got out of the tent as quitely as he could. He bit goodnight to his men and retired to his own tent. After he changed, he laid down and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

*A/N: I hope you loved this chapter!! The next's going to be about Regina. I thought it would be nice to see how she is coping with the loss of her daughter and the drama in Storybrooke. This is still before Henry is kidnapped so around the time that Storybrooke was almost destroyed and Regina saved everyone's ass 😂😁 And then I'm going to get the whole bunch to the Enchanted Forest so Regina and Daniella can finally meet after al these years 😊 Please leave comments! I love feedback and thank you for reading this!!