Regina had been planning this for months. How had it all gone so wrong?
There he stood, the Evil King, smirking at her with his arms crossed over his chest. He was supposed to be downstairs in the middle of the banquet celebrating his son's birthday. Regina had peeked in, unable to resist. The little prince was adorable, after all, especially all those cute curls! It wasn't his fault his father was so determined to ruin everything in Sherwood Forest.
At that point, his father had been there with him, both of them eating and laughing with that band of men who served as the king’s advisers. What were they called, the Happy Men? No, Merry, but it didn't matter. What mattered that instead of being with them, the king was here.
She was honestly surprised he didn't have a bow pointed at her- after all, he was famous for his archery skills. The fact that she was still standing here unharmed… he was up to something, she was sure of it.
“What do you want?” she asked. Better to get it over with instead of drawing things out.
“Me? I'm in my home, if you recall. The better question is: how much money do you want?”
She stared at him, stunned. He was actually asking her… what was he thinking?
“I'll ask again: how much do you want?”
“Are you actually going to give it to me instead of giving me counterfeit gold?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.
“I am, actually- under one condition.”
“What?” At this point, Regina wanted nothing more than for this conversation to be over with. Anything he asked (well, almost), she would give him.
“Don't use all of what I'll give for yourself. Keep only what you need, and then share the rest with those who need it.”
“Done,” Regina agreed readily. She had been planning on doing exactly that to some extent anyway- there was a boy, Henry, who had wormed his way into her heart despite her best efforts. She took care of him as much as herself on a daily basis, and thought of him as a son.
“Good,” the king smiled, walking over to a safe in a corner. Regina was sure that not all of the king's treasury was there- after all, it was too obvious a place. What she did see, though, gave her hope. If he was truly going to be as generous as he said, maybe she really would be able to help more than just herself and Henry. “How much can you carry?”
“I have my pockets and this rucksack,” Regina told him, lifting it from her shoulders.
When she had as much as she could handle, the king held out his hand. “Thank you, milady. I didn't catch your name.”
“And you haven't told me why you're doing this. How do I know I can trust you?”
He sighed. “I know everyone sees me as the Evil King, but the truth is, Roland’s mother is the one overtaxing the people. I've been trying to show her the error of her ways, but nothing has worked, so I've been doing what I can. The only reason I'm with her now is to provide stability and a good role model for my son.”
“That's horrible,” she whispered. She never thought she'd feel sympathy for the Evil King, and she wouldn't say she did now, but the seeds of it were growing in her chest despite her best efforts to keep them at bay.
“I quite agree. So I propose a partnership. We can arrange for you to visit the castle- my Merry Men can find you to arrange it, or they can bring the gold to you, whichever you prefer. Or I can bring it myself.”
“Having to deal with only one of you is more than enough. Don't you have a son to take care of, though, and a kingdom to run, Your Majesty?”
He winced. “Robin, please. Roland has lessons during the day, and I may have meetings, but not all day. We'll make it work.”
“Good. Now I have to go.”
But before she could, his hand was on her rucksack. Was he going to take it all back? “Your name, milady? Now that we're partners, I think I've earned it.”
“Not yet. Maybe next time.”
She pulled the sack out of his grasp and left, not regretting her actions in the slightest.
She'd see him again, after all. And when she did… well, after the night she'd had, the possibilities were endless.
