One morning, about two months after the celebratory feasts for her first anniversary with the king, she summoned him at an early hour. For a moment, he thought he was surely imagining it, for he neversaw her before noon. But the sound repeated, and he went to her chambers. She bade him enter, and took in the expression on his face.
"You look confused,"
"I confess, I am. I don't know that I've ever seen you before noon."
"You have, once before," she recalls. "The day after we met. You came in the morning to tell me where my apple tree had been planted."
"Ah, yes, of course, how could I forget?" Indeed, howcould he forget. He had tried, certainly, but the sight of her that morning, in her nightclothes, hair mussed from sleep, was burned into his memory. He had, in fact, made a point not to try to see her before noon in order to avoid seeing her like that again, if at all possible. Besides the fact that it was incredibly inappropriate for him to have seen her in such a state, that memory affected him more than he cared to admit. The woman was gorgeous. But, he reminded himself constantly, she was also the queen.
"What… what did you want, my lady?" He asks after a moment, distracted by the memory.
"We've such fine weather today, and it'll be getting cold soon. I wanted to take advantage of it, and pick some of my apples. If you'd care to help me?" She says with a smile.
"Of course, my lady. I'd be happy to." He responds, and they head to the courtyard.
They pick apples in silence for a while, enjoying the nice weather. She wobbles a bit on her toes when she reaches for a ripe apple just out of her reach, and he puts out a hand to steady her.
"How touching," comes an unfamiliar voice from behind him. "And who is this, dearie?"
Robin whirls around, startled, and there's a strange man standing there. How did he get there? Robin wonders.
"Moved on already?" The man addresses Regina, ignoring Robin. "Wasn't it just… two, three months ago? You were begging me–"
"He's a friend." The queen interrupts, surprisingly unafraid, stepping towards the stranger. Clearly, she knows him. "What are you doing in my home?"
"You've been neglecting your lessons, dearie. It's been… what? Three days now you haven't come? I thought you were sick. Clearly, I was wrong. Do we need to have another talk about your commitment, dearie?"
"Oh, what's the point?" she snaps. "As you said, it's been a month, and if the one thing… the only thing I want isn't even possible, then…" she trailed off.
"What's… what's going on?" Robin begins, trying to make sense of what's happening. Regina jumps, startled. She had forgotten he was there. "Regina… who is this?" he asks.
"I am Rumplestiltskin," the man introduces himself with a flourish. "Come, Regina. Let us finish this discussion somewhere a little more… private."
With that, both the strange imp and the young queen disappear in a cloud of smoke, leaving Robin all alone with the apple tree.
He doesn't see her at all the rest of that day. When he brings her the evening meal, there is no one in her room, and he doesn't find her with her apple tree or in the library or anywhere else he's accustomed to finding her. He grows worried, and decides he will have to report her absence if she has not returned by tomorrow.
To his great relief, his knock on her door with the at noon the following day is met with a soft "Come in," from the queen.
"Robin," she greets him. She looks unsure of herself, standing in the middle of the room, wringing her hands.
