An Impromptu Rescue

A Fork in the Road

A/N: Hopefully there's still some of you out there who are wanting to read this.

T/W for needles and strong depictions of blood and death.

Enjoy :)

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It's been a week. A week and five days since he last saw Regina, and not once has Robin been able to stop thinking about her.

He misses her, more than he ever thought possible. But in this moment, all the thief can think about is how he's broken the promise he made to her. No more than a week were the exact words he'd said to Regina, wanting to get back to her as quickly as possible. Now, the week is up and Robin has yet to leave the Merry Men's camp.

Why? Because his men decided to blackmail him, claiming they would follow him to wherever he needed to go so long as they completed one more score. Arthur had further stated that the score from their last endeavour would only sustain the people of Nottingham for just over a month. And while it is true with taxes being doubled or even tripled once every few weeks, Robin is not at all happy that his men have devised such a cocky and foolhardy plan.

To an outsider the job appears simple, a quick in and out – but, Robin knows better when the Sherriff of Nottingham is involved.

Yes, rather than keeping the job simple and stealing the jewels from some snobbish rich person, his men decided to plan an attack directed at the very man who's been hunting down the merry band of thieves for years.

When Tuck first informed Robin of the situation, the thief had been sure to inform his men on how he believed this heist to be one big, unnecessary risk. However, his men claimed that in his absence, they had thought through every possible scenario before settling on a simple hit and run.

Though Robin was not convinced, he was still outnumbered – by his own men no less – and now finds himself hiding amongst the forest foliage along with at least twenty of his most trusted merry men, as they all silently wait for Much's signal to attack.

But as he sits, crouching in the cover of the forest, Robin cannot stop his thoughts from drifting back to Regina. Gods she must hate me, is one of the many thoughts to roam the forefront of his mind. He knows Regina could only be assuming the worst, after all the Dark One made it clear that Robin was on the top of his hit list should Regina fail to find an alternative to whatever curse the imp wanted her to cast in his stead.

This train of thought causes another line of questions to flit through his mind; just what exactly is this Dark Curse and what will it do? How long has Regina been associated with the Dark One and how did she become entangled with him in the first place? And why is Regina so adamant about getting revenge against Snow White?

Robin knows the only ways to obtain these answers is to ask Regina herself. And yet, the thief cannot help but wonder if the young princess and the Dark One played a significant role in Regina's path towards the Evil Queen.

Suddenly, a robin's bird call cuts through the silence of the tranquil forest, effectively breaking the thief from his sombre thoughts. The bird call is soon followed by the faint sounds of rustling leaves causing Robin to scan his surroundings, only to notice that the Merry Men have moved into their designated positions. Realising that the bird call was the signal, Robin moves into position, simultaneously knocking an arrow to his bow and drawing the string back.

The outlaw watches as the sheriff's overly-garnished carriage is pulled along by a pair of strapping black stallions. Robin follows the steady movements of the horses as they unknowingly make their way towards their designated position.