Chapter 13: Veiled Affection
A/N: I'm sorry I'm posting later than I said I would, but I'm afraid with all the changes that have recently happened within my life I was lacking the inspiration I needed to finish this chapter.
However, I hope those of you that are still reading this will be able to find it within your hearts to forgive me (especially since I added something which I think you all have been waiting for)
Enjoy! ;)
____________________________________________________________
The pair continued to engage in conversation for the remainder of their journey, Robin's heart fluttering each time he managed to bring a smile to Wilma's lips or draw out her rich laughter that he has quickly become so fond of.
However, as soon as the woman beside him mentioned they were close to the village the blue-eyed man begrudgingly brought his gaze to the trail ahead of them, silently bracing himself for what he is about to witness.
Now they were at the edge of their destination and the brunette dismounts her mare, tying its reins to a nearby tree. The thief does the same before Wilma leads them towards the village centre and he walks closely beside her.
As they move further into the village and pass the abandoned houses and empty pastures, a knot forms in Robin's stomach at the realisation that this village was once full of life where people went about their daily activities. However, those lives had been cut abruptly short, all because one person was willing to go as far as it takes to capture the princess Snow White.
Suddenly Robin is overwhelmed with a putrid stench, causing his nose to wrinkle in disgust. The thief glances over to the woman beside him in an attempt to gage her reaction to the stench only to wonder if she's even smelt it as her face appears completely void of emotion. However, Wilma's expression only confirms what the blue-eyed man has already suspected – he's smelling the rotting corpses of the villagers.
As they continue further into the village, the outlaw remains close to the woman as the stench becomes unbearably stronger. After another minute in silence Wilma comes to a stop causing Robin to stop beside her. Ignoring the pong that continues to invade his nostrils, the blue-eyed man glances over to the brunette's face with a question on the tip of his tongue, however that question dies as soon as he takes in her clouded expression. Instead of asking a form of question, Robin o0simply brings his gaze to scan the landscape in front of them. Upon noticing the edge of what appears to be a ditch, the thief moves closer only to freeze when he sees what lays within it.
Bodies. So many bodies.
"Who could do such a thing?" Robin murmurs to himself before swallowing against the lump that has formed within his throat.
"The Evil Queen." comes Wilma's reply from beside him causing the thief to tear his eyes away from the horror in front of him. Despite the seemingly steady tone of her voice, the blue-eyed notes that her expression resembles that of guilt. However, before he has the chance to question it, the woman rapidly blinks before meeting his gaze and jerking her head back to the direction of the village, "Come on, Snow should be over this way."
Robin merely nods as they both walk in the direction she had previously indicated. The silence hands heavy between them and the thief can't help but wonder if there is something that Wilma isn't telling him.
But before he has the opportunity to dwell on it, he spots a lone figure standing outside a tent not too far ahead. "Is that her?" the thief asks, glancing over at the brunette.
"Yes," she nods, "that's Snow White."
As soon as the name left Wilma's lips the younger woman turns to face their direction, a wary expression forming on her face. However, the moment of doubt is brief as a grin quickly replaces her frown and she makes her way over to them. "Wilma!" Snow exclaims, not hesitating to wrap the other woman a hug. Robin notices how Wilma tenses ever so slightly before letting herself relax as her own hands come up to return the hug. "You came back." the younger woman gushes as she releases the older brunette from her grasp.
"Well, I said I would, didn't I?" the brown-eyed woman replies with a slight smirk dancing on her lips.
"And for that I am forever grateful." Snow smiles before turning to greet him with an outstretched hand, "And you must be the extra pair of hands."
Unable to help it, Robin releases a chuckle as he grips her offered hand in a firm shake. "That I am." he confirms with a nod and unable to resist he adds, "However, I do prefer to go by the name of Robin."
"Of course," she smiles as she releases his hand, "and I must say it's nice to finally meet the man who's face is plastered on almost as many wanted posters as mine."
"That may be the case in this kingdom," the outlaw states, "however, I'm sure if you were to travel to Nottingham, you'll find you're sorely mistaken."
"Touché." Snow replies, a slight chuckle evident in her tone.
As a smirk forms on his own lips, Robin glances over at Wilma only to find her gaze already set on him with a playful glint within her brown orbs and a small smirk of her own. Clearly she's found his quip rather amusing, and for that he's glad.
Unfortunately, the thief knows the brief moment cannot last as the reason as to why they're all here weighs heavy on each of their shoulders. "Where is my help required?" Robin asks gently as he begrudgingly brings his gaze back to Snow's.
The younger woman gives him a sad smile before murmuring, "Follow me."
____________________________________________________________
"We should stop soon," Regina hears Snow call hours after working in reverent silence, "otherwise we'll have very little light to work in." And sure enough when the disguised queen's gaze finds the position of the sun it's only to see that it's dropped well below the canopy of the trees.
"I think you're right," Robin agrees from somewhere nearby, "we've done all we can for today."
Regina nods her own agreement, as she lowers her eyes to the mound of dirt where she had just buried one of the villagers. The villagers that she murdered. A lump forms within the brunette's throat as her gaze involuntarily lifts towards the pit where at least a dozen bodies remain.
Suddenly the brown-eyed woman feels a comforting hand settle on her back and she instantly knows who it is before he breaks the silence. "Are you alright?" Robin asks, the hand on her back moving in soothing circles.
"I'm fine." she replies before cringing at the flatness of her tone, clearly demonstrating that she is anything but fine.
"Are you sure about that?" the thief questions and Regina can hear the clear disbelief within his voice.
Deciding it is pointless to try and lie to this man the brunette sighs, her gaze lowering to the ground in front of her. "I just feel guilty that we can't do more." she murmurs as her fingers play with the loose threads of her shawl.
"Hey," Robin says gently as he moves to stand in front of her and firmly grip her hands within his own, "it may not seem like much, but we're doing what we can."
"Are we though? Is what we're doing really enough?" Regina questions, refusing to meet the blue-eyed man's gaze.
The outlaw responds by releasing his grip on her hands so that his own can move to gently cup her cheeks as he murmurs, "Wilma, look at me." Puffing out a breath, the disguised queen begrudgingly levels her brown eyes with his blue ones. "What you have already done and what we've done here today and is more than enough." Robin declares, his gaze boring into hers, "And come tomorrow morning, we'll put the others to rest."
"Unfortunately, that's not going to be the case." Snow says, moving towards the pair and causing Robin to remove his hands from Regina's face as they give their attention to the princess.
"Why not?" the brown-eyed woman asks, her expression marring into one of confusion.
"I'm afraid it's because we cannot stay here any longer." the younger brunette reveals gently.
Just as Regina opens her mouth to respond, she feels Robin grip her hand within his before he questions, "What do you mean by that exactly?"
"As I was refilling my canister this morning, I overheard some of the Queen's black knights mention the numbers within their patrols increasing." Snow explains. She must notice that her explanation didn't resolve the pair's confusion as she is soon continuing, "It appears that Her Majesty has mysteriously disappeared and there is nothing to give some sort of indication to her whereabouts, hence why the royal guard has decided to increase the number of men they have on the lookout."
Regina feels herself go numb as Snow's words wash over her. How could she have been so stupid? Of course, her knights would start to become suspicious of her disappearance and decide to take matters into their own hands. It had been stupid to believe that she could simply walk out of that castle and that even after a week no one would notice her absence.
She's been fooling herself and Robin this entire time. She should have listened to the reason of her head rather than the desires of her heart when he asked her to stay.
Her heart now breaks as she realises that one way or another she'll have to leave the thief and his Merry Men otherwise the whole kingdom could fall into ruin. But even as that knowledge dawns on her, Regina also knows that she cannot remove Robin and his men from her life – they've come to mean too much. So, the brunette silently vows to herself that she will find some way to keep her promise to the outlaw. No matter what.
"So, you're suggesting we should leave as soon as possible?" Robin asks the princess, effectively breaking the disguised queen from her reverie.
"Yes," Snow replies with a nod of her head, "this area of the woods isn't the safest place to be right now."
Nodding her own head, the brown-eyed woman claims, "Then it appears we don't have much of a choice. We should leave."
The princess nods in confirmation before walking in the direction of her temporary camp. Just as Regina is about to follow the younger woman, she feels Robin give her hand a firm squeeze. "Wilma, I know you want to put the others to rest, so we can stay behind." the thief says once she's facing him.
Immediately Regina shakes her head, "No, Robin we should leave."
He heaves a sigh as his other hand grips her free one, "Look, if this is because you're worried about my Merry Men-"
"It's not them I'm worried about." the brunette admits, cutting the outlaw off. "Robin, if the black knights have increased the number of men within their patrols, I am not willing to take any chances." she continues, tightening her grip on his hands. Just as the blue-eyed man opens his mouth to retort, Regina adds, "If they see us, they won't hesitate to capture you and what good will that do us?"
Robin's only response is to lower his gaze from hers, clearly accepting the truth of her words.
"You might be willing to take the risk but I'm not," the disguised queen murmurs gently as she releases one of his hands so that her hand cups his cheek to level their gaze, "I'm not losing you Robin."
The thief smiles tenderly at her words, his lips kissing the inside of her palm as the hand she released comes up to cover the one on his cheek. "You're not going to lose me, Wilma."
Not trusting her voice, Regina merely nods as her gaze continues to bore into his.
They remain like that for a moment, simply gazing into each other's eyes until the brunette remembers they're pressed for time. So, she begrudgingly tears her brown orbs away from the intensity of his crystal blue ones and grasps the hand that was covering hers, giving it a gentle squeeze as she states, "We need to get moving."
"Yes, I suppose we do." Robin replies, shifting his hand to intertwine their fingers before giving her hand a gentle tug and heading in Snow's direction.
____________________________________________________________
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Regina asks Snow as the three of them stand on the outskirts of the village.
"I'll be just fine," the princess assures, "Trust me, I know how to defend myself."
"I have no doubt." the disguised queen replies with a slight chuckle before pressing in a slightly more serious tone, "You're sure you don't want us to ride with you?"
"No, I'll be fine. Besides I already have a place in mind that's perfectly safe." the green-eyed woman smiles as she grasps Regina's hands within her own.
The brown-eyed woman nods as she returns the smile, "Good. Just make sure you're as far away from those black knights as possible."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Snow replies with a slight chuckle.
Regina gives a slight chuckle of her own and before she can stop herself, she's pulled the princess into a hug – one that the younger woman doesn't hesitate to return. Suddenly, a tumult of emotions that she thought to have buried long ago invade the disguised queen. "Be careful, Snow." she finds herself whispering.
"I will." Snow replies in a tone that's just as soft.
After allowing the moment to linger for a while longer, Regina pulls back and gives the princess a small but genuine smile. Snow returns it before turning to mount her horse.
"I suppose this is goodbye." the younger woman says once she's settled within the saddle.
"Yes, I suppose it is." the brown-eyed woman agrees with a slight nod of her head.
Snow gives a nod of her own as she visibly tightens her hold on the reins. But just before she urges the horse forward, she states, "You know, for a reason I cannot explain you seem very familiar to me."
Slightly taken back by the younger woman's words and fearing that the princess has somehow managed to see through the façade, Regina asks, "What makes you say that?"
"You remind me of a woman who saved my life once." the green-eyed woman replies, "She was very selfless and kind. Like you"
The disguised queen swallows against the lump that has formed within her throat. If her suspicions are correct – and she's almost sure they are – Regina knows exactly who the younger woman is referring to. She's referring to a younger Regina, a Regina that lost herself the day Daniel died.
"I don't know about that," the brown-eyed woman admits, lowering her gaze slightly.
"Well, you are." Snow claims, causing the disguised queen to meet her gaze, "Believe me."
The brown-eyed woman merely smiles as she continues to swallow against the lump in her throat.
"Take care, Wilma." Snow says as she returns the smile.
"You too." Regina replies.
And with that, the princess urges her horse forward into the thick of the forest. The disguised queen watches her go, turning around once the younger woman is no longer in sight. As she's walking towards the spot where Robin is waiting with their own horses, Regina tries to settle the emotions churning within her stomach. Although she no longer hates Snow as much as she once did, the brunette does hate how the younger woman seems to bring forth memories that Regina thought she had buried long ago.
"Everything alright?" she hears Robin ask, causing Regina to bring her attention to him, his face clearly laced with concern.
Not wanting him to worry, the brown-eyed woman forces a smile onto her lips, "I'm fine."
"Milady," he starts as he moves towards her before taking her hands within his own and continuing, "we may not have known each other for more than a week, but I do believe I am starting to recognise when you are lying."
Lowering her gaze from his, Regina puffs out a breath. So much for trying to settle emotions of the past she thinks to herself bitterly.
"What is it, Wilma?" the outlaw questions as she feels his finger hook underneath her chin, once again levelling their gazes. "You can tell me."
His words cause her heart to skip a beat. Yes, he's told her that before, but for a reason Regina cannot explain his words move her – maybe more than they should. However, not wanting to seem like she's avoiding his question she assures, "I was just lost in some memories of the past, but it's nothing to worry about."
Robin doesn't look overly convinced, but he makes no attempt to push the point further.
Feeling the need to break the strained silence between them, the brunette murmurs, "We should get going."
The thief merely nods before shifting his attention to their horses that are situated a few meters away.
Just before the brown-eyed woman follows the blue-eyed man, she turns around to gaze at the village that once held life. She forces herself to take in the seemingly endless rows that hold the bodies of the villagers that were carelessly murdered by her hand. Her gaze then shifts to the location of the pit and her heart becomes heavy with guilt. Tearing her gaze away, the brunette makes her way over to her gelding to double check that everything is tied down correctly before mounting.
Once they've mounted their steeds, the disguised queen motions for Robin to lead the way while she follows closely beside him. At the start, nothing can be heard save for the sound of their horses' hooves against the ground and the soft whistling of the trees.
"I've seen that village before." Robin announces breaking the silence between them and causing Regina to whip her head to face the outlaw.
"You have?" she asks, the shock she feels clearly evident within her voice.
"Yes," the blue-eyed man replies, "in a dream."
Not really sure if she wants to know the answer, the brunette questions, "What was it about?"
For a moment he doesn't respond and Regina wonders if he's debating whether to tell her or not. However, it's only brief as he turns to face her and reveals, "It was about you."
"Me?" the disguised queen asks, surprised by the revelation.
"Yes." the thief nods as he brings his horse to a stop causing the brunette to follow suit. "At first, I was running through darkness but somehow I was running towards you," he explains, his blue orbs intensely gazing into her brown ones, "But once I touched you, you disappeared and suddenly I was in a village. The same village we just left." An uneasy feeling starts to settle within the pit of her stomach, but she pushes it down and forces herself to focus on Robin and what he's saying. "As I ventured further within the village, I discovered the bodies," the thief continues, "Horrified, I backed into something. Once I turned around I discovered it was a woman dressed in really expensive riding clothes. However, when I gazed upon her face, I recognised it was you." The brunette feels her stomach tighten into a heavy knot, but once again she forces the feeling down and keeps her focus on the outlaw. "But once I said your name," he tells her, "your face shifted into the Queen's."
At his words, it takes everything Regina has to not tear her gaze away from Robin's, especially when every bone within her body is telling her to run. But she knows she cannot do that, not unless she wants to risk the outlaw discovering her true identity. And she's not ready for that, not yet.
But you have to tell him soon a voice whispers within her head and she knows it's the truth, but she not ready to reveal her secret yet.
"Wilma?" Robin suddenly asks, pulling the woman out of her reverie. "What do you think it means?"
Not liking the idea of lying to him, but feeling that she has no other choice, Regina murmurs, "I don't know."
The thief simply nods before turning his gaze to the forest ahead. "I think we should stop and make camp here for the night." he states causing the disguised queen to glance at the forest canopy where the sun is clearly starting to set.
"I agree." The brown-eyed woman agrees, carefully dismounting her horse.
Robin follows suit and they both lead the horses to a nearby tree, tying them to the branches before setting up a camp. They both agree on assembling only one tent after the brown-eyed woman insists that it'll make it easier to pack up their gear in the morning. After managing to forge a small fire, the outlaw starts to work on cooking a broth.
Once he's done, he offers Regina a bowl – one she accepts gratefully – before he fills his own bowl and moves to sit next to her on a fallen log, the brunette's heart fluttering as their shoulders brush.
"How long have you had that scar above your lip?" the blue-eyed man asks after eating a few spoonfuls of the broth.
Not too sure if she should share this part of her past, the disguised queen murmurs, "It's a long story."
"I've got the time to hear it." comes the thief's reply.
Chuckling, Regina glances over at the outlaw, his eyes glittering with curiosity. Not seeing a way that she can dodge the question, the brunette sighs. "I used to have a horse named Hwin. She was incredibly gentle and just as patient." she starts, memories of her early childhood flooding to the forefront of her mind. "But one day, she became spooked," the brown-eyed woman continues, "I don't know what it was, but she became so scared that she threw me. Honestly, I was lucky that I managed to walk away with nothing but a few bruises and this scar." Regina finishes with a slight chuckle before pausing as her memory recounts the fuzzier details of the story. Suddenly words she hasn't thought about in years come forward from the deepest recesses of her mind: Promise me you will never forget this moment, when your heart was so pure, I had no choice but to grant your wish.
All of a sudden Regina feels a deep sense of self-loathing, causing her gaze to shift from the blue orbs that are staring at her intensely.
"Wilma?" Robin asks from beside her, "What's wrong?"
Shaking her head and ignoring the pinching behind her eyes, the brunette replies, "It's nothing."
However, Robin clearly doesn't believe her as he's placing his half-empty bowl on the ground before using one hand to grasp hers whilst the other moves to cup her cheek in an attempt to bring her attention to him. "It's not nothing," he insists in a tone that Regina finds annoyingly gentle, "Wilma, talk to me, please."
Continuing to shake her head, the brown-eyed woman moves away from the thief as she snaps, "No, Robin!" He immediately withdraws from her and Regina immediately regrets her tone of voice. "Please, I just...I need to be alone for a little while." she clarifies in a near-whisper.
"Alright," the blue-eyed man replies, "I suppose I'll gather some more firewood.
She simply nods in acknowledgement not trusting her voice to conceal her emotions and refusing to meet his gaze, not wanting him to see the tears pooling within her brown orbs. After a few more seconds, the disguised queen hears his footsteps head off into the forest.
Now truly alone, Regina allows a few traitorous tears to roll down her cheeks as her head falls into her hands. Once upon a time, those words were meant to serve as a reminder of the goodness that the Blue Fairy claimed was once within her heart. Now, they only represent how Regina allowed herself to become so overcome with anger and grief that she failed to find the strength that she needed to refuse the darkness.
Suddenly the brown-eyed woman's self-loathing is replaced with sorrow as she grieves the loss of the young woman she used to be. The young woman who was so determined to become nothing like the woman she called mother that she never realised she become something else entirely.
Never again, Regina silently vows to herself, never will I allow myself to fall into the clutches of darkness.
Time escapes the brunette as she allows herself to finally release the emotions that have continuously been building up over the past few years. After what feels like hours, the brown-eyed woman feels a pair of familiar strong arms tenderly pulling her towards a solid frame. She goes willingly, allowing the thief to wrap her within his embrace as she brings her hands up to clutch at his shirt. They remain like that for a while, Regina continuing to release her quiet sobs in his chest as Robin murmurs soothing words into her ear and places soft kisses into her hair.
Once the brown-eyed woman feels as though a great weight has been lifted from within her heart, she takes some deep breaths to calm her cries. She also relaxes her hold on Robin's shirt, moving her arms to wrap around his waist and bring herself just that little bit closer to the outlaw.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you." the brown-eyed woman whispers as she lifts her head to sit on his shoulder.
"It's alright." Robin replies as he places a kiss to the crown of her head.
"No, it's not." Regina claims with a shake of her head, her brown orbs lock onto his blue ones. "I shouldn't have done that, not when you were just trying to help."
The thief simply hums as his hand comes up to cup her cheek, causing the brunette to lean into his touch. "No, you shouldn't have," he concedes with a small smile, "however, I understand why you did."
Nodding, the disguised queen feels a smile of her own pull at her lips.
"Nevertheless, I feel that I may need to show milady some alternatives to letting off steam." Robin states.
"Is that so?" Regina questions with a slight chuckle to her voice.
"It is." the thief replies simply before intertwining one of her hands within his and standing. He leads her away from their small camp and further into the trees. They haven't walked very far when the brunette notices a pair of lanterns are situated to illuminate the trunk of a nearby tree. Upon further inspection of the tree, she notices a makeshift target is sketched onto it.
"What is this?" the brown-eyed woman asks as she shifts her gaze back to man that's walking slightly ahead of her.
Robin simply glances over his shoulder to wink at her in response before releasing her hand and moving over to another tree to seemingly grab something. "It's an alternative to snapping at people." he quips as reveals the quiver and bow within his hands.
Regina cannot help but arch an eyebrow as her brown eyes scan the weapons before moving back to meet his blue orbs. "You know, I would say that shooting a few arrows at a tree is a tad more violent than verbally biting someone's head off." she sasses.
"You have a point there." the thief admits with a chuckle before adding, "But, at least this way, you'll be sparing a few heads."
Unable to help it, she laughs at his comment. After a moment she hears him join her and in that instant she's grateful that this man has the ability to make her laugh so easily. Once she's managed to control her giggling her brown orbs meet his sparkling blue ones. "In that case," she says as she moves to hold out her hand, "I might as well give it a whirl."
Smiling, Robin hands her the quiver – which the brunette quickly slings over her shoulder – before giving her his bow. After taking a breath, Regina tightens her left hand's grip on the bow as her right reaches into the quiver and pulls out an arrow. Knocking an arrow onto the bow string, the brown-eyed woman brings the bow up as she aims at the tree. Taking another breath, she pulls the bowstring back until her fingers reach the corner of her lips. Regina then steadies the bow as she makes the final adjustments to her aim. Once she feels she has the right angle, she exhales and releases the arrow.
As soon as the arrow hits its mark, Regina grabs another and repeats the process. With each release, she feels how all of her anger and sorrow gradually ebbs away with each arrow that soars from the bowstring to meet its target.
Once the disguised queen feels as though she has managed to release the remaining remnants of her pent-up emotions, she stops.
"How did that feel?" she hears the outlaw softly ask from behind her.
"Amazing." Regina breathes, the bow falls from her grasp as she turns to face him with a smile gracing her lips. "Thank you."
Smiling at her comment, Robin moves forward until he's standing directly in front of her. "There's no need to thank me, milady." he tells her as his hands move to cup both of her cheeks, "Your smile is all the thanks I require."
The sincerity she finds within his voice causes Regina's heart to leap. Why didn't she have the strength to walk into that damned tavern all those years ago? If she didn't feel as though she had to run away she could've been with this man sooner. So, not wanting to waste another moment, Regina leans upward and closes the remaining gap between them.
Her stomach flutters as her lips press firmly against his, however before she can give him a chance to respond, the brunette pulls back and her brown orbs instantly lock onto his blue ones. When he makes no move to reengage their kiss her heart pounds rapidly within her chest as Regina starts to wonder whether she had made the right move. But her worries vanish as Robin crashes his lips back to hers. Regina instantly responds by opening her mouth and allowing his tongue access, her hands moving to wrap around his neck in the process. One of his own hands move to tangle within her hair as the other wraps around her, pulling her closer.
As she continues to kiss the thief, the brown-eyed woman can't help but think how kissing him feels right – because it does, it feels so right. With that thought in mind, Regina tightens her hold on him and shifts her head ever so slightly so she can deepen the angle of the kiss.
Regina only pulls back when her tongue gives one final sweep of his mouth and her lungs are burning with the need for air. Upon pulling back, she rests her forehead against his.
"That was some kiss." Robin pants in the space between them.
"Yes, I suppose it was." the brunette replies with a broad grin on her face.
The outlaw chuckles, his nose gently bumping against hers as he asks, "Can I expect another anytime soon?"
With a chuckle of her own, Regina presses her lips back to his in a kiss that is just as passionate as the last.
Upon pulling back, the brunette presses a small peck to his lips before murmuring, "We should get some sleep."
The blue-eyed man nods his agreement, one of his hands moving to intertwine with hers as he leads her back towards their makeshift camp in a comfortable silence. Once they reach the tent, Regina goes to enter, stopping when Robin makes no move to follow.
Confused, she turns to face him but before she is able to voice her question he tells her, "I'm going to keep watch for a while, but you should get some rest."
"Alright," she replies with a small nod, "just don't go wondering off."
Chuckling, the thief shakes his head, "I won't"
"Good." Regina smirks before leaning towards him to meet his lips in a soft kiss. Once she pulls back, the brunette murmurs, "Goodnight, Robin."
"Goodnight, Wilma." he responds as he releases her hand from his hold.
That night, just before Regina closes her eyes, she seals her decision to find a way to stay with Robin, even if it means that she'll still have to leave for at least a few days so she can ride back to her castle and clear up the confusion that her absence has caused.
But once everything is under control, she'll come back to Robin because Regina knows one thing is for damn sure – she cannot walk away from her soulmate a second time.
____________________________________________________________
A/N: Regina and Robin have finally acted upon their growing feelings towards each other! What's going to happen from here and when will Regina finally reveal the truth to Robin?
Wait until the next update to find out!
Thank you for reading and let me know what you think on the way out! :)
I know there wasn't much of Robin in this chapter, so I will make sure to have more of his POV in the next one. And I promise I will try and get back to my usual Sunday updates in about a fortnights' time.