Chapter 17: A Heart's Turmoil
A/N: Here I am again with another long overdue update!
I apologise it's taken me so long, but I blame school and the ridiculous amount of assignments that seems to be neverending.
To try and make up for the amount of time it's taken for me to finish this chapter, I've tried to make this one a little longer than what I normally aim for.
So, to those of you who haven't given up on this story, I hope you will like this update :)
Enjoy!
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Robin can only watch as the woman he loves leaves his arms to mount her stead before riding out of his camp. For a moment the outlaw numbly stands there as he continues to stare out at the waterfall's entrance, his heart shattering within his chest.
I love you, Robin, more than I probably should.
Her words echo within his mind, the same words the brunette had softly admitted to him only moments before. Her beautiful, teary brown orbs that reflected her own heartbreak torment his memory.
Feeling the sudden need to get out of these God-forsaken stalls, Robin inhales a shaky breath and wanders in the direction of the camp's centre.
As he walks, an onslaught of questions are brought to the forefront of the thief's mind; What secret is she keeping from him? Did she not trust him enough to confide in him? What the hell is her name?!
...Did she even love him?
Robin shakes his head at the last thought. He may be uncertain of a lot of things at the moment, but her feelings for him are not one of them.
"Papa!"
The sudden shout from his son brings the outlaw out of his musings. Forcing a smile onto his lips, Robin makes his way over to crouch in front of the boy though the blue-eyed man refuses to acknowledge the two Merry Men who's gazes he feels upon him.
"Is everything okay, Papa?" Roland asks with a slight tilt of his head.
Forcing a chuckle as he ruffles his son's curly locks, Robin replies, "Of course, my boy."
Roland brings up one of his own hands to grasp his father's and moves it from his head. "Then where's Wilma?" the boy asks as he looks up at his father.
Robin crouches down in front of the boy and sighs in an attempt to compose himself. But how was he supposed to say anything when the words would become stuck within the back of his throat?
So, after inhaling a shaky breath and lifting his head to level his gaze with his son's, the thief says, "She's had to go away for a little while."
Clearly confused, Roland tilts his head slightly, "But she'll come back, right Papa?"
The question breaks Robin's heart because he honestly doesn't know, but not wanting to crush his son's hope, the outlaw replies, "I hope so, my boy." Roland merely nods his head with a faint smile, one that Robin has no choice but to return. "Come on," Robin says after a moment as he offers his hand to the boy, "supper should be ready soon."
Once Roland takes the offered hand, the outlaw stands – whilst continuing to ignore Little John and Friar Tuck – and leads him over towards the other men around the fire, all in an attempt to drown out any thoughts of a particular brown-eyed woman.
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Hours later, when the men had had their supper and Robin had put his son to bed, the thief had wandered to the outskirts of the camp where he found a sturdy tree to rest against. Closing his eyes, the archer lets his head fall onto the trunk's rough bark as he inhales a deep breath.
He still couldn't believe it. He had told her that he loves her and Wilma had replied that she returns his feelings. But instead of her words bringing joy to his heart, Robin only feels torment. After all, that love wasn't enough to make her stay.
There has to be a reason, the outlaw muses, why else would she tell him to meet her in the royal gardens in four days' time?
Robin honestly doesn't know; all he can hope for is that Wilma – the name he has decided to stick with until she reveals her real one to him – will provide some sort of explanation.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Broken out of his musings, the outlaw briefly glances over at where Tuck currently stands before shifting his gaze to look out at the forest in front of him. The friar is currently the last person Robin wants to talk to.
"I'll take that as a yes." Tuck states as his sits beside the thief.
"I don't want to talk to you." Robin mutters, his gaze remaining fixed ahead of him. Suddenly, a flask of what the outlaw can only assume is ale is thrust in his face. "What's this for?" Robin asks, hesitantly lifting a hand to grasp the container.
"Well, it's for drinking obviously." the friar replies with a chuckle.
Resisting a smirk, the blue-eyed man lifts the flask to his lips and takes a sip as a heavy silence settles between the pair.
After a moment and inhaling a breath, Tuck breaks the silence, "So, she left, huh?"
"Yeah, she did." Robin murmurs with a small nod, "Without any explanation." Upon hearing a sigh from beside him, the outlaw turns to face the friar and asks in a bitter tone, "Do you know why she left? Or are you going to hide her reasons from me too?"
"I was simply trying to respect her wishes." Tuck replies in a slightly indignant tone.
"Yes," the thief relents, returning his gaze to the trees in front of him. "But in doing so," he adds, "I wouldn't have known she was leaving until it was too late." Once again, the pair fall into silence. Deciding that he isn't in the right mindset to deal with this conversation, Robin lowers the tankard of ale and moves to stand.
"Look," Tuck says as the thief takes a few steps forward, "she left because she didn't want her secret to put any of us in danger."
He already knew that, she'd told him herself, but despite this Robin halts in his tracks, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Did she say anything else?" the outlaw asks, glancing over his shoulder to look at the friar.
"Only that she doesn't want you to get hurt." Tuck replies with a sad smile.
Robin merely nods, swallowing against the lump that's formed within his throat.
"Before she left, did she say anything?" the friar questions.
"She said that she loves me," the thief murmurs, "and then told me to meet her at the royal gardens."
"When?" Tuck asks gently.
Robin's gaze remains unmoving from the forest in front of him as he utters, "Four days' time."
"And you'll go."
It's more of a statement than a question. Of course, he's going to go. How could he not?
Seemingly having taken his silence as an answer, Tuck stands and walks over to Robin. "She'll come back, you know." he says, placing a hand on the outlaw's shoulder.
"I know," Robin nods, giving the friar a sad smile before shaking his head, "but I can't think of that now, not when there's others who need me." And without another word, the blue-eyed man starts to walk back towards the camp.
"Robin!" Tuck calls, causing the thief to halt in his tracks. "She does love you."
Closing his eyes to prevent the onslaught of emotions that desperately wants to break free, Robin admits, "I know." Then, after giving Tuck a faint smile, he continues in the direction of the Merry Men's camp as he forces himself to solely focus on completing the last stage of the plan.
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It's been two days since she left. Two days where all she could think about was a certain thief with bright blue eyes. God, she would give anything to be with him now. But alas, that was not an option for her, and most likely never would be again.
Upon reaching her destination, Regina forces herself to put all thoughts of Robin aside. Once she feels she's managed to compose herself, the brunette dismounts her horse before gazing up at the Dark One's castle.
That Imp is the last person she wants to see, but he's also the only person who can change her back to her true form. So, with that thought in mind, Regina leads her horse to a nearby tree and ties its reins on a low hanging branch. Then after giving the mare a pat on her muzzle, the brunette settles into her queenly persona as she stalks up the stairs that lead to the Dark Castle's main doors.
Regina's gaze falls onto Rumplestiltskin the moment she's pushed the heavy wooden doors open. Annoyance fills her as he simply leans against a table with a smug smirk splayed across his lips. "Alright, enough games," she states, knowing that he won't be game enough to make the first move. Upon receiving no reply, the still-disguised queen continues to glare at the imp and walks towards him whilst snarling, "Change me back."
"Sorry dearie, do I know you?" Rumple replies in a mocking tone, "I already have a maid. Promising girl actually!"
"Cut the crap!" Regina exclaims exasperatedly as she moves to stand in front of the man, "You know who I am."
"No, can't say that I do." Rumple states with his signature giggle.
"I'm the queen you imbecile." the disguised queen sneers before stalking past him towards what she assumes is a covered mirror. She resists the urge to growl as Rumple gives a slight cough and waves a hand in front of his face.
"Do peasants have no soap then?" the brunette hears him ask.
Huffing in pure annoyance, Regina tugs the cloth off of the mirror and discards it to the side as she demands, "Will you just take this damn spell of me? I have a castle to get back to and I've got no time to waste."
"What's the matter?" Rumple tuts, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he stands next to her, "Didn't quite get the outcome you had hoped for?"
Pursing her lips, Regina quips, "The outcome doesn't matter."
"Oh, why not?" he asks in a mockingly sympathetic tone.
"Because it doesn't." she snaps, her head turning to face the man beside her, "And I fail to see how that has anything to do with you changing me back."
"Can't a mentor express his interest in what his student gets up to?" Rumple inquires, feigning any real interest.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say you're attempting to strike another deal." Regina growls disdainfully.
In response, the imp merely gives a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.
"Forget it." the disguised queen states in a firm tone. The deal had been made – when she was finished with her business she could call upon him to change her back. There's no way Regina would be diddled into making another one. With that thought in mind, Regina claims, "If you're not going to hold up your end, I won't hold up mine." And without another word, the brunette turns on her heel, retracing her steps towards the castle's front doors. However, unable to resist, she calls over her shoulder, "Enjoy finding someone else to aid you in running George's economy into the ground."
It takes a few moments, but just as her hand lifts to grasp the one of the doors' handles, the Rumple calls back, "Now, now wait!"
Regina briefly smirks to herself for this small victory before once again turning to face the Dark One, raising an eyebrow in a silent request for him to continue.
"I never said that I wouldn't change you back." the imp is quick to say.
Taking a few steps back in his direction, the disguised queen declares, "Yet, I don't see you doing anything to do so either."
Suddenly, Regina is consumed by a cloud of deep red smoke. Once it clears, the brunette quickly moves closer to the mirror, a smile falling onto her lips as she gazes at the very familiar face that stares back at her. And as she inspects her red velvet riding cloak and black leather riding pants, the Queen cannot help but to murmur, "Much better."
Facing the imp once more, the brunette tells him, "Thank you."
"Yes, yes alright." Rumple replies, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture, "Now go! Like yourself I have other business that I must attend to."
Regina merely nods before striding towards the large wooden doors once again. "Pleasure doing business with you." she smirks as she passes him and without another word, she walks out of the Dark Castle.
Well, that's one problem out of the way, she muses as she approaches her horse.
I just hope the rest of the kingdom isn't in too much disarray.
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It's been two days since he last saw her. Two days where he's put all of his efforts into focusing on his current mission. But no matter how hard Robin would try, his thoughts would always drift back to the brown-eyed beauty that has managed to capture his heart.
He still couldn't understand why Wilma had to leave, not when he thought she was happy. The thief knows the woman's scared that her past will come back to haunt her. But what the thief doesn't understand is how that could possibly put the Merry Men and himself in any potential danger. Robin can only hope that he'll receive some answers in another two days' time.
Despite himself, Robin smiles at the thought of seeing her again, to be able to hold her in his arms once more. After all there's no point in denying it – he misses her. So bloody much.
"You alright there, Robin?"
Effectively broken from his thoughts, the blue-eyed man turns to face Little John's direction, giving him a slight nod and murmuring, "I'm fine."
"You sure?" the bear-like man presses.
"Positive." the thief snaps, not bothering to hide the annoyance from his tone as he digs his heels into his horse's flank to urge the steed forward. After all, he still hasn't completely forgiven his friends and the fact that they were willing to keep such a big secret from him.
It's not that Robin's annoyed with his friend – well, not completely anyway. No, his annoyance is more directed towards himself. After all what kind of leader is he if he's allowing his emotions to cloud his judgment during the middle of a mission?
So, pushing his musings aside and banishing all thoughts of Wilma from his mind, Robin focuses his attention on his destination and the people waiting at the end of the next hundred yards.
Upon entering the town, Robin had only a few seconds to dismount before he hears a shout, "They're here! The Merry Men are here!" And soon after, the thief and his men are swarmed by a crowd of smiling and animated villagers.
As he's greeted with familiar faces, the thief plasters what he hopes is a friendly smile onto his lips before moving over to his saddle pad and removing the heavy sack he had secured there. Then, without another moment to lose, the outlaw starts distributing the various treasures and jewels he had managed to steal.
The people of Nottingham are quick to respond with words of thanks and questions as to how they can repay such generosity. Robin merely tells them that he and his men require nothing in return, and that it is their honour to serve them.
Once they have emptied their sacks, Robin instructs his men to go around town and help the people in any way they can.
Soon after, the thief himself spots an older man sitting beside a wagon. Robin recognises him as old Thomas, the man who lost his wife and child to a tragic accident that had led him into a life of continuous grief and guilt, and it has completely destroyed him. Overcome with a wave of sympathy for the man, the outlaw once again turns to his saddle bag and pulls out a small pouch of coins and some spare food before walking over in Thomas' direction.
"Hello Tom." Robin greets, taking a seat beside the man.
"Oh, good morning, Robin." Thomas replies with a faint smile.
As he returns it, Robin asks, "How are you?"
"As well as I can be I suppose," the man replies, "but I'm getting by."
"Well," Robin states handing over the few things he had gathered for the man, "maybe this will continue to help you get by."
As Thomas' gaze falls to the small pouch and pile of food, a genuine smile forms on his lips. "Bless you, Robin." he says gratefully.
Robin gives a nod in return before giving Thomas a friendly pat on the shoulder and standing.
Walking back in the direction of his horse, Robin cannot help but wonder if the same would've happened to him, had he not been able to procure that magic wand and save Marian and his son. Marian's death was devastating enough, he honestly doesn't know if he could bear it if he were to lose his son.
The thief is brought out of his thoughts when a ball lands near his feet. Looking up, Robin spots a group of children looking up at him expectantly. Chuckling softly to himself, the blue-eyed man gives the ball a soft kick in the directions of the children. They immediately resume play and Robin smiles at the sight.
Silently grateful for the distraction that pulled him from his musings, the outlaw now turns back to where his horse stands, determined to find Tuck to alert the friar that he's leaving.
However, just as he is about to mount the gelding, Robin hears Little John call out to him, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
Refusing to face his friend, the outlaw coldly states, "Misthaven. I've got some business I need to attend to there."
"What kind of business would that be?" John presses.
Turning on his heel, Robin gives the man a cold stare and declares, "Nothing that concerns you." Then, not bothering with John's reply, the outlaw turns back to his horse before mounting in one swift move.
"Robin," John calls, just as the man in question tightens his grip on the reins, "I'm sorry about Wilma."
The blue-eyed man gives a slight nod but refuses to give a verbal acknowledgement.
"You can't keep avoiding us forever." John states after a brief silence.
Levelling his gaze with his friend, Robin replies, "I'm well aware, but this is something I need to do."
And so, without uttering another word and trusting his friend to alert the others of his absence, the outlaw digs his heels into his horse's flank and rides in the direction of Misthaven, silently praying that the questions swimming around his head will finally be put to rest.
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It had taken Regina another two days' ride from the Dark Castle before she finally arrived within the vicinity of her kingdom.
The brunette releases a sigh of relief upon seeing the familiar stables where she had spent most of her early days as queen. She quickly scans the area for any of her black guards, and upon finding none, she quickly dismounts and leads the mare over to the stables before locating an empty stall.
Once the horse is settled with a sack of oats and she has given Rocinante a quick pat, Regina makes her way up to the castle.
She enters through the kitchens, deciding she would rather have as little attention drawn to herself as possible. Thankfully, most of the kitchen staff seem to be otherwise occupied, enabling the brunette to slip through unnoticed.
She continues to make her way through the maze of corridors, being sure to stick to the shadows and remain out of sight. The brown-eyed woman cannot help but notice that she has yet to come across a single member of her staff or a single knight. Furrowing her brow in confusion, Regina makes her way to the Great Hall.
Once outside of the heavy wooden doors, the brunette gives a swift flick of her wrist, causing the doors to magically fly open, but nothing could have prepared her for what greeted her as she set foot into the cavernous chamber.
There stands her father at the base of her throne as he addresses the staff and the royal guard, however every single head in the room is now turned in her direction. For a moment, Regina simply stands there, unsure as to what it is exactly that she has walked into. But the moment of uncertainty is short lived as she quickly composes herself and adorns her queenly façade and looks around at the people that have gathered, demanding, "What the hell is this?"
As she expected, the brunette receives no response besides shifting gazes and a few shocked expressions, leading her to assume that her father had organised some sort of meeting to discuss any potential leads concerning her whereabouts.
"Regina..."
At the sound of her father's voice, Regina softens and allows a small smile to form on her lips. In that moment she doesn't care about what anyone else could be thinking of her, all that matters is her father, the only one who refused to give up on her.
With that thought in mind, Regina walks towards him. it's only when she's standing directly in front of him that the brunette allows a genuine smile to form on her lips as she murmurs a Daddy and throws her arms around him.
Henry doesn't respond at first which is of no surprise to the brunette – after all, she rarely shows affection towards him, let alone outside the privacy of her chambers – but he quickly returns his daughter's embrace, hugging her close.
"I'm so sorry, Daddy." she whispers, feeling the familiar threat of tears burning behind her eyelids.
"Shh sweetheart," Henry murmurs, bringing a hand up to cup the back of her head, "it's okay."
"No, it's not." Regina insists, lifting her head to face her father, "I should have told you what I was doing and where I was going. I caused you so much worry."
Shaking his head, Henry replies, "It no longer matters, my dear. All that matters is that you're safe."
Not being able to help it, the brunette smiles at her father's words. She will never be able to understand how he could be so understanding of her – after all she doesn't deserve it.
"So, where is it exactly that have you been, your majesty?"
The question causes Regina to turn her attention to the captain of the guard, realising that she has yet to dismiss the rest of her staff. "I was following a lead on our precious Snow White," the brunette snaps, putting her mask back in place before adding, "something that you and your men have failed quite miserably in doing, captain."
Much to her satisfaction, the man has the decency to look ashamed. Then, wanting to have some privacy with her father, Regina addresses the remaining people gathered, "Well, now that you all know that I'm alive, don't you have something better to do?"
It's almost comical how they all scramble to move out of the hall, gathering whatever items they had brought with them before running into each other in an attempt to reach the exits as quickly as possible.
Just as the captain of the royal guard moves to make his exit, Regina calls out to him, "A word, captain."
The knight halts in his tracks before turning to face the brunette once again, "Yes, your majesty?"
Turning to her father, the brown-eyed woman quickly tells him, "This should only take a minute, go ahead to my chambers and I'll meet you there."
He offers her a brief smile – one that she returns – before walking past her.
Once he walks through the heavy wooden doors, Regina returns her attention the knight in front of her. As she does so, the brunette notices how the man's face has become incredibly pale and an expression of absolute terror adorns his features. Rolling her eyes, she simply states, "Relax, I'm not going to kill you for your apparent incompetence." The captain visibly exhales in relief and Regina has to bit back a laugh. "I would actually like to request that you schedule regular weapon inspections for you and your men." she admits.
"Of course, your majesty." he replies with a quick bow of his head before his curiosity seems to get the better of him and he asks, "Is there any particular reason, your majesty?"
"Only that someone could gain a serious infection if those swords and other weapons continue to remain as unkept as they are." Regina snarls, the memory of her only recently healed thigh coming to the forefront of her mind.
"Very well, your majesty." the knight replies, once again with a quick bow of his head.
Giving a brisk nod, the brunette tells him, "You are dismissed." Then without another word, she turns on her heel and stalks in the direction of her chambers.
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Immediately upon meeting up with her father, Regina greets him once again with a tight hug and murmurs her apologies to him. He is quick to reassure her, telling her that he was fine and that he's glad she's safe. It isn't long before he asks to know the story of what happened and Regina is more than happy to relay it to him.
She starts with the deal she made with Rumplestiltskin and how he offered a solution to her Snow White problem. She then moves onto how she was mistakenly captured by her black knights before she was ultimately saved by a mysterious, blue-eyed thief. Regina cannot help the smile that forms on her lips as she retells the events of her time with Robin, Roland and the Merry Men. She tells him how they managed to make her feel truly accepted for what feels like the first time in her life. And as she admits to her father that she had slowly but surely found herself falling for the blue-eyed thief, a blush makes its way onto her cheeks.
She then tells her father how she came across one of the many posters that advertised a reward for her return and that as a result she decided it would be safer for Robin and all the members of the Merry Men's camp if she were to disappear from their lives. The brunette quickly continues by telling him how Robin refused to let her go and how he admitted how he felt about her. Her heart aches with longing as she retells her father how she returned the thief's admission. But ultimately she finishes by revealing how she told Robin to meet with her in four days' time – which her father quickly realises is that very same day – before leaving both him and his men behind as she rode to the Dark One's castle.
The brunette only realises she's crying when her father wipes a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb causing her to meet his kind and understanding brown eyes. More tears build up within her eyelids before her gaze falls to the small mud pie Roland had offered as a gift that now rests on her lap as she whispers, "Daddy, I don't know what to do."
At first she is met with silence as her father wraps his arms around her in a comforting embrace and the brown-eyed woman allows her head to rest on his shoulder. "You clearly have a lot to think about," he murmurs after a short silence, "Does he know who you really are?"
Regina merely shakes her head in response, not quite trusting her voice to speak for her at that moment.
Her father hums as he considers this. "Well, my dear," he says gently, "I think there's only one thing you can do."
Lifting her head to face him, Regina asks, "And what would that be?"
"Go to him." her father states simply with a shrug of his shoulders. The brunette goes to respond but stops short when Henry lifts up his hand to stop her. "And if he truly loves you as he says he does," he continues, "who you really are won't matter to him."
Regina considers his words for a moment before she voices a question that's formed within her mind, "But what if he's utterly horrified and takes off running for the hills?"
Her father merely smiles at her and declares, "Then, we'll cross that bridge when it comes."
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The sun is now setting as Regina makes her way to the spot where she had told Robin to meet her. The discussion with her father had managed to calm some of her nerves, but to say that they had completely vanished is an understatement because as much as she wants to deny it, she's absolutely terrified.
What the hell was she thinking? She never should have asked Robin to meet her here – it's a recipe for disaster!
Nevertheless, here she is atop of Rocinante and dressed in one of her more casual tan riding suits and brown boots with her hair in a single braid and a face mostly devoid of makeup – save for a small amount of rouge on her cheeks and lips. She'd also decided that this was probably the best opportunity to return the horse she had borrowed from him and therefore has brought the mare along with her.
Once she has reached her desired destination, Regina dismounts from her horse, tying his reins and the mare's to the low-hanging branches of a tree that she determines is hidden from the bridge's view. The brunette then moves to hide in the shadows as she waits for her thief to arrive.
She doesn't have to wait too long before Robin enters her line of sight. The brown-eyed woman watches as he dismounts his horse upon reaching the small arching bridge and looks around the surrounding area. Regina knows she should make her presence known to him – he's come all this way just for her after all – but she cannot quite bring herself to do it. She's too scared to see his reaction, to see the love within his warm blue orbs replaced by anger and hate.
Suddenly, Robin walks over to the bridge and calls out a Wilma and the brunette closes her eyes at the sound of the name that she pretended was her own. However, Regina doesn't reply, simply choosing to remain within the shadows as she silently reprimands herself for thinking that having the thief meet her here was a good idea.
"Wilma!" Robin calls again and the brown-eyed woman hears the desperation within his tone. He clearly wants to see her – hell, why else would he have come? – and as much as she tries to deny it, she desperately wants to see him, if only to let her eyes roam over his handsome features one more time.
So, it's with a sigh that her resolve crumbles and she finally makes her presence known, "Robin."
Regina watches as the thief's eyes widen as he asks, "Where are you?" However, he doesn't wait for a response before he's crossing the bridge and continuing to scan the darkness that surrounds them.
So, with one last deep inhale, the brunette moves out of the shadows and slowly walks towards the small pool of moonlight where her thief currently stands, silently praying that her fears are not about to come true.
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Robin's heart hammers within his chest upon approaching the outskirts of Misthaven's royal grounds. As he scans his surroundings, the thief cannot help but to feel slightly intimidated by the palace's imposing structure that seems to tower over the forest surrounding it. But he must admit, it is something truly magnificent.
Robin then takes note of the setting sun, which has almost disappeared below the horizon. So, bringing his attention to what appears to be the royal gardens, the outlaw quickly searches for any sign of the bridge that Wilma designated as their meeting point. Of course, it would have been more helpful if she had actually given him a description of the said bridge, however Robin does remember how she mentioned that the bridge crossed a stream.
And sure enough, he soon spies a small stream that flows through the centre of the gardens, and assuming this is the very same stream that the brunette had told him about, the blue-eyed man urges his horse forward to follow it.
It doesn't take him long to find to find a small, white-arched bridge that crosses the small stream. Robin quickly dismounts, his anger and frustration over the events of the last few days fading away as his heart pounds within his chest at the prospect of seeing Wilma again.
So, with that thought in mind, the thief looks around him in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the woman he loves. Unable to determine anything through the surrounding darkness, Robin walks over to the bridge whilst calling out, "Wilma!"
A small sense of dread overcomes him when he receives no reply. Was he in the right spot? Was he too late? What if she's changed her mind?
"Wilma!" he calls once again, almost desperately. She has to be here. Robin knows she wouldn't give him false hope only to strip it all away. That's not who she is. And dammit he knows who she is! Despite the lack of time and what she tried to make him believe four days' ago, the outlaw knows she's the most beautiful, kind and – if a little stubborn – loving woman he has ever met.
"Robin."
The sound of her voice saying his name has his stomach doing flips. "Where are you?" the blue-eyed man asks, quickly crossing the small bridge whilst his gaze searches the surrounding darkness for the woman.
Suddenly, a figure moves out from the shadows. Robin can't quite make out her face, but he knows it's her none the less and cannot help the smile that overcomes his features as he breathes, "Wilma." Not wanting to waste another moment, the thief rushes forward and wraps his arms around the woman and burieshis nose within her hair though he senses her hesitation as he does so. However, it only brief because soon enough, Wilma returns the embrace as she wraps her own arms around his neck.
Robin feels her take in a shuddery breath before she murmurs, "God, I missed you."
Unable to help himself, the outlaw presses a kiss to the side of her head as he replies, "I missed you too."
Then, without waiting for a response, he tilts her chin upward and descends his lips firmly upon hers, muffling the woman's gasp of surprise. Much to his relief, the brunette kisses him back just as hard before gently nibbling on his bottom lip. Opening his mouth, Robin quickly flicks out his tongue to meet hers and engage in what has become a very familiar dance.
The thief hears Wilma moan when he brings her impossibly closer to him, and as one of his hands moves to cup the back of her head, Robin cannot help but to release one of his own as he marvels at how it feels to kiss this woman. It's unlike anything he has ever felt! Having her lips against his makes him feel complete, like she's the part of him that he didn't even know was missing.
He swears he could kiss her forever and never grow tired of it.
However, the outlaw also knows that there's more important matters that need to be discussed at hand. So, with that thought in mind, Robin gives her lips several lingering pecks before pulling back to gaze into the beautiful brown pools he loves so much.
As he does so, the thief cannot help but to appreciate how beautiful she looks in the raw moonlight. Smiling, Robin brings his hands up to cup both of her cheeks, causing the brunette to close her eyes as she leans into his touch.
It's only then that he realises that the features of the woman in front of him are different to the ones he has engrained within his memory.
Confused, the blue-eyed man slowly withdraws his hands from her face causing the eyes of this mysterious woman to snap open and her expression to mar into one of puzzlement and fear.
But as Robin gazes into the pair of familiar brown orbs, he cannot shake the feeling that he knows the woman standing in front of him. Unable to come up with some sort of explanation, the thief murmurs,
"Wilma?"
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A/N: So...what do you think is going to happen next?
Please leave a review! I love to know what you guys think of my story.
I am going to do everything I can to make sure that you guys won't have to wait as long for the next update.
Thank you all for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful week! :)