Henry's Adventures in Fairytale Land

The Quest Begins

Chapter 4: The Quest Begins

They returned to Regina's mill in silence. Henry felt the tension radiating off Little John and Will while Regina had a determined look in her eyes. She was going to rescue Robin, he knew. But had she still made a pricey agreement?

Regina pulled in front and they all climbed out. Will caught her hand. "Little John and I will put the horses away. You and Henry head on inside."

"I can help with the horses," Henry said. But at Will's look, he shrank back. "But I think I'll help Regina with supper instead."

Little John nodded, clapping his shoulder. "Good lad. We'll see you inside."

Henry and Regina walked inside and she slumped into a seat. Taking the one next to her, Henry patted her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"No," she admitted softly. "I don't know how I'll manage without Robin. He was my rock."

"You're strong, just like my mom. You'll save him," Henry said, smiling.

Regina returned the smile, taking his hand. "Thank you, Henry. You are a wonderful boy."

She wiped her eyes. "Okay, we need to eat. We have a journey to plan for. So, what do you want?"

"I think the better question is—what do you have?"

Regina nodded, looking around. "I think that's a very good question. Let's take a look."

They found a few more vegetables in Regina's gardens and she started to make another soup. "Hopefully we'll have more to eat soon," she said, sad. "Hopefully I'll definitely get this old mill up and running. Flour can make a lot of things."

"I imagine," Henry said, getting an education in finding food when there weren't any grocery stores. He glanced outside. "Should I get Little John and Will?"

Regina shook her head. "They'll come in when they're ready."

"Are they mad at you?"

"Probably," she admitted with a sigh. "But they'll get over it. They always do."

Henry tilted his head. "What's so bad about Gold?"

"Honestly? A lot," Regina replied. "But nothing for you to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

She took his hand. "Trust me, Henry. We're going to get Robin back and reunite you with your mothers."

"But what if we don't?"

"Don't think like that," she told him. "Always have hope. Robin taught me that."

Henry smiled as they turned back to their meal, eating it in silence. After a little while, Little John and Will slipped in and served themselves. They sat at the table but didn't break the quiet. Instead, all four just kept eating.

*****

Henry spent the night on the floor. Regina had offered to let him sleep on the bed but he felt bad. She had already lost Robin and it seemed unfair to kick her out of it. He had argued that he was younger and didn't mind the hard floor.

And he didn't. He was so tired, he hardly noticed it as he fell asleep right away. It was such a deep sleep, he didn't even dream.

Will shook him awake in the morning. "Come on, kid. You need to change and get ready for a journey."