Chapter 15: Her Final Decision
A/N: Okay, it hasn't been 2 months but I know it's still been a while.
Hopefully this update will somewhat make up for it.
Enjoy!
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Yet again, Regina is the first to wake, her stomach rumbling in a request for food. Deciding to once again surprise the currently snoring Robin with breakfast, the brunette moves quietly from her cot so as not to wake him. Then after quickly grabbing her shawl and wrapping it around her shoulders, she sneaks out through the tent's flaps.
Upon exiting, the brown-eyed woman shivers at the slight chill within the fresh morning air which quickly draws her attention to the burnt-out fire that sits towards the centre of their makeshift camp. Noticing that they'll need some more firewood, Regina makes her way over to the horses to check what others supplies she may need to gather up that morning.
Upon reaching the fine steeds, the brunette greets each one with a gentle pat on their muzzle and soft words of affirmation. When Regina peers into the satchels beside the horses' gear, she quickly determines that they don't have enough fruit to last them through the last leg of their journey. Deciding that she'll collect an assortment of berries along with some wood for a small fire, the brunette slings a satchel over her shoulder before reaching into it and pulling out two apples to feed to the resting horses. Then petting each horse goodbye, the disguised queen goes off in search for wood and berries.
As she walks amongst the trees, Regina recalls how she would often go to the kitchens during the free time in which she could escape her mother's grasp. Whilst there, she would watch the maids as they worked and on the odd occasion Rainy would even let her cook when they were preparing for a small meal. Rainy was always very kind to Regina. They would even spend afternoons together wandering the woods around her family' estate, searching for edible herbs and mushrooms to restock the kitchen's supplies. And now because of the knowledge that Rainy passed onto her, the disguised queen knows exactly what kind of berries she should be looking out for.
Suddenly, Regina hears the murmuring of approaching voices from somewhere further ahead causing her to quickly duck behind the cover of a nearby bush.
"You know, I don't know why we're even bothering to put up these posters for the missing Queen." claims the first voice, "No matter how much gold we offer as a reward, the entire kingdom thinks of her disappearance as a blessing."
"That may be true, however Prince Henry gave us strict instructions to do so." comes the reply of the second voice.
Upon hearing the mention of what she assumes is her father, the brown-eyed woman discovers that the sources of the voices are none other than two of her black knights. Wanting to learn what happenings have occurred during her absence, the brunette shifts her position behind the bush whilst remaining as quiet as possible.
"That is true," the first knight agrees, pinning up one of the posters in his grasp, "but he's probably the only person within this entire realm that would care about the Evil Queen's whereabouts."
Regina clenches her jaw at the mention of the 'E' word but continues to remain silent.
"I can't argue with you on that one." says the second knight as he also pins up a poster on a nearby tree, "After all, the commoners seem overjoyed that they no longer have to worry about a random visit from Her majesty."
"Yes, they are." the first knight agrees with a nod. "Though I must admit that they're also growing unsettled by the fact that they don't currently have a ruler."
"Yeah," the second knight chuckles, "it's like they can't make up their minds."
As the knights walk further down the road whilst continuing their conversation, Regina sneaks out from behind her hiding spot and moves over to the tree that displays the order that has supposedly been issued by her father.
500 GOLD REWARD FOR
Information on The Queen's Whereabouts
BY ORDER OF PRINCE HENRY
As soon as she reads the words on the poster, a wave of guilt washes over her at the realisation that her father has sent her guards to look for her. Her beloved father, the only person in the entire realm that continued to stand by her side no matter what. Had she really been so selfish as to leave him alone for so long without a word as to where she was going or what she was doing?
Feeling the familiar burn behind her eyelids, the brunette quickly turns to head back in the direction of the camp, her decision to return to her castle now solidifying.
As she continues to gather various berries and pieces of wood for a fire, the disguised queen considers how she should break the news to Robin. She has no doubt that he'll be confused, after all she has already told him that she isn't going to be leaving him or the Merry Men. But as unfortunate as it is, she will have to – though she swears to herself that she will return as quickly as she possibly can.
However, telling the thief that she has to leave isn't the thought that is currently making Regina's stomach flip – it's the realisation that she has to tell him the complete and utter truth. It's not like I haven't tried already, the brown-eyed woman thinks bitterly, the outlaw simply doesn't know how to listen.
After briefly closing her eyes to simmer her growing frustration at the new situation she has now found herself in, Regina takes a moment to scan what she has already managed to collect. Determining that she has gathered enough berries and firewood, the brunette continues to head in the direction of camp.
Upon re-entering the makeshift camp, the brunette makes a beeline for the pile of ashen wood as she shrugs off the satchel. She then clears the wood from last night's fire before replacing the used fuel with the sticks she has just gathered. After placing some kindling amongst the new pile, Regina grabs the nearby dagger before using the weapon to strike some flint. As soon as she spots a small plume of smoke, the brown-eyed woman gently blows onto it and before long the kindling catches flame. She then quickly moves the kindling into a better position so that the surrounding wood catches on.
As soon as it does, Regina stands and moves over to where there is some bread and meat leftover from the previous night. She also gathers some plates and other utensils before heading back over to the newly lit fire and proceeding to prepare some breakfast for herself and Robin.
Whilst doing so, Regina ponders all the ways in which she could express the truth to the thick-headed thief. Clearly she couldn't beat around the bush and break it to him gently seeing as each time she tried, he would misinterpret her meaning and cut her off with some sentiment that was really very sweet. I suppose I could try blurting it out instead the brown-eyed woman muses before quickly deciding that idea could quickly turn into a giant disaster.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Regina begins to plate up the leftover bread, re-heated meat and freshly picked berries as she continues her brainstorming session. Her ideas currently ranging from getting Robin drunk to winning a challenge where her prize is getting him to promise that he won't become angry with her confession. As a last resort, the brunette even considers summoning the Dark One himself just so that he could reverse the spell but determines that doing so would just be stupid. Becoming incredibly irritated at her lack of rational ideas, the brown-eyed woman smacks her hand against her forehead as she stands abruptly.
Suddenly a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, catching the disguised queen slightly off guard, however she soon relaxes and allows the comfort of his arms to ease some of her inner turmoil. Robin then proceeds to press his lips against the side of her head, causing Regina to lean further into his touch.
"Good morning, milady." he murmurs against her ear.
"Good morning indeed." the brunette hums with a contended smile on her lips and shifting her hands to rest over her thief's.
Letting out his own hum of what she assumes is agreement, the blue-eyed man starts to slowly rock her from side to side. "Mmm, what is that delicious smell?" he asks, his head nuzzling into the crook of her neck as his arms give her a gentle squeeze.
Regina continues to sway with him as she smoothly turns within his arms so that she can wrap her own around his neck before replying with, "Breakfast."
"Well, I believe some thanks are in order." he smirks as he leans down to softly press his lips to hers. Letting herself fall into the moment, the brunette smiles as she kisses him back just as tenderly. "You know, I think a certain brunette also has a rather tantalising smell of her own." Robin murmurs against her lips upon pulling away.
"Is that so?" the disguised queen chuckles, her brown orbs locking with his blue ones.
The outlaw merely hums in response as he brings up a hand to cup her cheek before once again leaning down to capture her lips with his.
After the exchange of a few languid kisses, Regina becomes aware of their rapidly cooling breakfast. So, pressing one last peck to his lips, the brown-eyed woman forces herself to pull away and turns to pick up the two plates that have been left on the ground by her feet. Then whilst motioning for Robin to follow her, the brunette makes her way over to the log they had sat upon last night.
"You didn't have to prepare breakfast you know." the thief says and the disguised queen notices how his lips pull into a slight frown as he sits down beside her.
"I know, but I wanted to." Regina admits, turning to face the blue-eyed man. "After all, you did mention that you were looking forward to it." she adds with a slight smirk on her lips.
"I did, didn't I?" the thief replies as his frown morphs into his dimpled smile and the brown-eyed woman bites into her lower lips as she merely nods in response. "Well, thank you, milady." he chuckles with a slight nod.
At his words, Regina's stomach flips and her heart soars at the genuine look of gratitude that is plastered on his face. "You're very welcome."
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After they had finished their breakfast, Wilma and Robin once again packed up their temporary camp before mounting the horses and continuing their journey to the Merry Men's camp.
Now, the sun is currently positioned at its midday point, informing the outlaw that they had been on the road for a few hours now. With that in mind, Robin takes a quick glance at their surroundings and takes note of a lake that's only a few yards ahead of them. So, deciding that its more than the perfect place to stop and have a small break, the thief glances over to the brunette riding beside him and claims, "We should stop at the lake just up ahead and give the horses and ourselves a break."
Wilma smiles at him and gives a nod in response and before long the pair reach the lake's bank and dismount their respective steeds. The blue-eyed man then notices how the brunette rummages within her sack for what he assumes to be food suitable for a midday meal. Smirking at her obvious hunger, Robin moves to grab the blanket thrown over the back of his horse before placing it on the ground nearby and settling upon it.
The brunette joins him only a few seconds later, sitting down beside him and handing him a couple of bread slices and some berries. For a while they simply sit in silence and exchange glances with one another as they eat their small lunch.
As soon as he's finished, Robin wraps an arm around Wilma's waist and she doesn't hesitate to shift closer to him. Once she's resettled against his side, the brown-eyed woman offers up one of her berries causing a smirk to spread across the thief's lips before opening them to accept the small fruit and chuckling as she places the berry within his mouth. Upon finishing the rest of her meal, Wilma snuggles up against Robin and places her head within the crook of his neck.
"We're only a few hours away now." the outlaw murmurs softly as he places a tender kiss to the side of the brunette's head and rests his cheek against the top of her head.
"Good." she replies with a sigh. Then, turning her head to look up at him she asks, "Apart from the very likely chance that your son is going to steal you away from me, is there anything else I should be aware of?"
Shaking his head, Robin chuckles, "Not that I'm aware of. I mean you're already acquainted with the majority of my men."
"True." the brown-eyed woman agrees.
"But come to think of it, we do usually blindfold those that enter our camp." the outlaw admits.
"Oh really?" Wilma smirks with a raised eyebrow.
Suddenly feeling the full intensity of her brown orbs gaze into his blue ones, Robin nods, "It's true, however for this situation I believe I can make an exception."
"And why is that?" the woman asks as she leans forward ever so slightly.
"Because I know you." the thief replies as he lifts a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "And I know that you would never do anything to betray myself or my men."
Wilma smiles, leaning into his touch but Robin can't help but notice how the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. However, before he is able to ask what's on her mind, she quickly jumps up and makes her way over to the horses. "How about a little archery contest?" the brunette calls back to him over her shoulder as she takes a hold of his bow and quiver.
Taking note of the way she's quickly changed the subject; the blue-eyed man makes his way over to her. "Hey," he murmurs, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently forcing her to face him, "is everything alright?"
"Of course," the brown-eyed woman replies with a shrug of her shoulders as she gazes into his blue orbs, "why wouldn't it be?"
Not entirely convinced that she's alright, Robin hums. But instead of pushing the topic any further the thief says with a small smile, "Well, in that case, I suppose a small archery contest won't hurt." So, taking her hand in his, the outlaw leads Wilma over to a nearby tree that is enough distance away so as to not spook the horses. The blue-eyed man then proceeds to make a line in the dirt for the both of them to stand behind when taking their turns. "Alright, ladies first." he declares, gesturing for the woman to take her place in front of the tree.
"Well, if you insist." Wilma replies with a smirk before stepping up to the line.
As the brunette takes an arrow from his quiver and knocks it to the bowstring Robin can't help but to remember how the last time he saw the woman take aim at a tree, it had been after she had told him the story as to how she came to have the scar above her lip. Now, the thief cannot say that he knows exactly what had been running through her mind at the time, but he is more than convinced that it had to do with a memory from her past.
In fact, he is almost certain of it, after all the woman had told him herself before retelling her events of her story that her mind was lost in memories of the past. At the time she had said it was nothing, but now Robin was starting to wonder otherwise.
Then there was the way the brunette became even quieter still once he had mentioned his dream to her. Honestly, Robin hadn't thought much of her response at the time just as he doesn't think much of it now. However, he is more than certain that his dream somehow managed to relate to the events of her past. In what way he's not exactly sure, but the outlaw likes to think that he knows Wilma well enough to know that if it's anything important, she'll tell him when she's ready.
Suddenly the thief is brought out of his thoughts by a loud thwack!
"Beat that!" the brown-eyed woman exclaims as she turns to face him with one of the brightest smiles he has ever seen.
Feeling a smile of his own tug at the corners of his lips, Robin banishes his previous thoughts from his mind as his eyes move over to the arrow that has firmly struck the very centre of the tree's trunk.
"That's going to be tough to beat," he admits, taking the bow and quiver that are being offered to him before taking his place behind the line in front of the target, "but I think I'll manage."
Wilma simply laughs in response, the sound absolute music to his ears.
Now in a similar fashion to the woman that is now behind him, the bowman knocks an arrow from his quiver before raising the bow to aim. His target: her arrow. As he inhales a breath, Robin draws back the bowstring and like always, uses his cheek as an anchor. Then upon his exhale, he releases the arrow to let it fly. It soars through the air, sailing directly towards its target until it meets its mark with a loud crack.
Upon turning to face his opponent with a proud grin, the archer is met with a very stunned brunette with a dropped jaw and eyes as wide as a newborn's. The thief can't help but to chuckle at Wilma's priceless reaction as he slings the bow and discarded quiver over his shoulder, "Told you it would be tough to beat."
Shaking her head and narrowing her eyes slightly, Wilma quips, "Show off."
Unable to help himself, Robin laughs at her response and moves closer to the brunette, "Well, at least I didn't cheat to win."
"This again?" she groans in annoyance as her wide brown eyes bore into his, "I didn't cheat! If anything, it simply proves that I can control a horse better than you."
"Ah, I see," the outlaw replies, placing his hands on her hips to pull her closer to him. "Then in that case, I'm not a show off," he quips with a smirk, "I just happen to have skills in archery that are superior to yours."
Wilma merely rolls her eyes in response.
Robin chuckles once again before leaning forward so that his lips are only a few inches from hers. "I am still convinced that you cheated though." he murmurs in the space between them.
The brown-eye woman opens her mouth to protest but the thief is quick to silence her, closing the remaining gap between them by pressing his lips to hers. She firmly kisses him back, one of her hands moving to tangle within his hair as the other clutches his shoulder. In turn, he wraps his arms tightly around her, pulling her impossibly closer as his lips continue to mould against hers.
They continue to kiss until the need for air becomes too much and forces them to pull away from one another.
"I didn't...cheat." Wilma mumbles breathlessly and resting her forehead against his.
Smiling in an attempt to prevent the laugh that wants to escape him, the outlaw replies, "Keep telling yourself that." Hearing the brunette puff out a breath, Robin allows himself a small chuckle before he gently rubs his nose against hers. Then, placing a tender kiss to her forehead, the blue-eyed man murmurs, "We should get moving."
"Do we have to?" the brunette replies, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and resting her head against his shoulder.
"Unfortunately, yes." he admits with a sigh.
Wilma merely groans in protest as she tightens her hold on the outlaw. "Come on now, don't you want that date?" Robin asks, pressing a soft kiss into her hair.
Suddenly her head snaps up and her eyes grow wide. "Of course, I do!" she exclaims, immediately pulling away and grabbing the thief's hand to pull him back in the direction of their discarded belongings, "Stop lagging behind, would you?"
"Oh, I'm the one who's lagging behind huh?" he replies with a chuckle as he allows the woman to lead him to their picnic spot before moving to quickly pack up their things.
Once they had secured the sacks and blanket to the horses, the pair resumed their journey to the Merry Men's camp. And as the sun continued to go down, the woman and the outlaw continued talking back and forth as they exchanged subtle glances and joyful smiles.
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Now as the sun casts its final rays of sunlight, Robin starts to feel the heaviness of his eyelids and the tiredness of his muscles as a result of their long hours of travel start to set in. Glancing over to the woman riding beside him, the outlaw can't help but to notice how the journey has similarly impacted her as her head has begun to stoop forward and her usually bright brown orbs are starting to droop.
Wanting to make sure that the brunette doesn't fall asleep whilst atop her horse, the blue-eyed man reaches over to gently grasp her right hand, "You hanging in there, love?"
"I'm alright," Wilma replies before turning her head to give him a tired smile, "I'll just be glad when we get there."
Chuckling, Robin gives her hand a squeeze, "I promise we're almost there, sweetheart."
Humming, the brown-eyed woman lifts their intertwined hands to her lips to place a soft kiss against his knuckles. When she lowers them to rest on top of her thigh, the thief doesn't remove his hand from her hold. As he turns his gaze to the trail ahead as they fall into a comfortable silence.
"Robin?" the brunette murmurs after a while.
"Hmm?" the outlaw replies as he turns his head to face the woman so that she knows she has his undivided attention.
For a moment she says nothing, her whiskey brown gaze simply boring into his. Once she seems to gather her thoughts, Wilma breaks eye contact and lowers her head as she declares, "There's something I need to tell you."
Concerned at the sudden hesitance within her tone, Robin tenderly squeezes her hand and asks, "What is it?"
After visibly taking a breath, the brunette once again levels her gaze with his, "Robin, I-"
"Papa!"
The sudden shout causes Robin to whip his head around to face the source of the voice. Upon doing so, his eyes immediately fix on the little boy that is currently sprinting in their direction. The sight causes a giant grin forms on the outlaw's lips and a quick dismount from his horse.
"Roland!" he exclaims, taking a few steps forward before crouching down and opening his arms for his son.
Roland doesn't stop until he crashes into Robin's chest, his arms immediately clinging to him as the blue-eyed man wraps his own tightly around the boy and brings him close against his chest.
"I missed you." his son murmurs in a near-whisper.
"And I you." Robin replies, taking the opportunity to press his lips against the boy's forehead.
After a moment, the thief remembers the woman behind him and wanting to introduce her to his son, the blue-eyed man stands and lifts the boy so that he rests on his hip. "Now Roland, there is someone I would like you to meet." the outlaw declares as he turns to face the dismounting brunette. The blue-eyed man smiles at the woman, stretching out his free hand for her to take and she almost instantly accepts the offer. "This is Wilma," he says, once again turning his attention to the boy, "and she's going to be staying with us for a while."
"It's very nice to finally meet you Roland," she smiles brightly as her eyes settle on his son, "I've heard a lot about you."
In response, Roland gives a shy smile before burrowing his head within Robin's neck. Chuckling, the outlaw brings his gaze level with the brunette's and gives his head a slight shake. Then, giving his son a gentle nudge with his shoulder, he murmurs, "What do you say, Roland?"
"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Wilma." the boy mutters, turning his head in the woman's direction as she continues to smile at him warmly. Suddenly, his shyness seems to disappear as his head snaps up and he asks, "If you're staying with us, will you play with me?"
"Of course." the brunette replies with a slight chuckle as she moves closer so that she can give Roland a little tickle. The boy immediately starts to squirm as his giggling resonates through the trees around them. "I would love to play with you," she tells him gently once her tickling has ceased.
A broad grin plasters itself on Roland's face and the excitement Robin finds within his son's eyes is enough to make Robin even more grateful for the brown-eyed beauty in front of him.
But quickly remembering that the said woman was about to tell him something that was seemingly important, the thief places the boy on the ground before instructing him to go and find Little John. "And let him know that he's about to be in big trouble for letting you out of his sight." Robin adds as Roland runs off in the direction that he had come.
The thief watches his son with a smile on his lips before turning to face Wilma and taking her hands within his, "What is that you wanted to tell me?"
Shaking her head, she replies, "I'll tell you later."
Sensing that something's off, the thief lifts a hand to cup her cheek, "You sure?"
"I'm sure." the brunette states with a nod and a small smile, "Now go spend some time with your son."
Still feeling that there's something troubling her, but knowing better than to press, Robin gives a smile of his own and leans in to softly press his lips against hers before grabbing a set of reins and following after his son.
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As she watches Robin walk after Roland, the dream that the disguised queen had a few days ago resurfaces to the forefront of her mind. As she replays its events, Regina comes to the realisation that despite the promises that she has made to both the thief and herself, she can no longer stay anywhere near him or his boy and still tell him the truth, not unless she is willing to put the both of them in danger.
So, as she leads her own horse into the Merry Men's camp it with a heavy heart and the knowledge that within just a few hours, she will have to disappear from the thief's life and never look back.
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A/N: It seems like Regina cannot escape the past that haunts her. Will she follow through with her decision? And if so, will Robin be able to stop her in time?
Stay tuned to find out!
And no matter what it takes, I will find a way to post chapter 16 in a fortnight's time.
Please leave a review on your way out and let me know what you think.
Suggestions are always welcome.
Thanks for reading! :)