A Thief and a Queen

True Love

July 20 - Outlaw Bandit AU; your take on Bandit!Regina and Outlaw!Robin.

True Love

He had heard about Regina Mills. Anyone who lived in Misthaven knew about her. How she had been abandoned as a baby by an unwed mother and taken in by Queen Eva. She was raised alongside Princess Snow White, becoming her confidant. But as the princess began a secret relationship with Prince James, Regina had told Queen Eva and King Leopold about it. The royals confronted the prince and in the ensuing fight, Eva and James ended up dying. Leopold went mad with grief and Snow vowed revenge on the person she had once considered her friend.

Since then, Regina had been on the run and hiding out in the woods. She had turned to banditry...or at least tried to. Robin was a competitive man and he wasn't going to let her muscle in on his territory. It took a lot of work (she was very good, he hated to admit) but he managed to stay one step ahead of her at all times.

Robin first saw her after he thwarted one of her many attempts to relieve some noble or another of their gold. He had seen drawings of her for their shared wanted posters. She was shorter than he expected, with long wavy black hair she kept tied back and out of her face. That was all he had been able to see but it was enough that he was able to recognize her whenever he saw her around the forest.

That was how he spotted her squaring off against the queen. One of his men had informed him that the royal had gotten in the tax carriage instead. He realized she must've known Regina was going to raid it and wanted to seize the chance to capture her once and for all. Robin mounted his horse and raced toward the most logical place for her to intercept the carriage, praying he wasn't too late.

When he got there, the Queen had her hand in Regina's chest. No doubt her hand was squeezing the woman's heart. Robin froze, unsure what to do. If he rode out now, he might make things worse for Regina. But if he stayed put, she could have her heart crushed.

Relief coursed through him when the Queen pulled her hand out of Regina's chest. It was short lived once he saw the fireball in her gloved hand. But he could handle those. So pulling out his bow, he fired an arrow. It flew into the carriage door, knocking out the Queen. Regina handled the stooge as he raced his horse toward her. She jumped on, latching onto him—safe for now.

"I had the situation under control," she yelled at him.

Safe and exasperating. "A simple thank you would suffice," he shot back.

Regina didn't respond and he urged the horse faster. He wanted to get her back to the relative safety of Sherwood Forest. To where his men lurked around every corner and would lay down their lives for him. And whoever had his protection.

*****

She led the way into the tavern, pulling off her gloves with her teeth. It gave him pause—he did the same. But he shook it off as Regina kept aggravating him. "Believe me, I'm already doubting my decision to help the competition."