The Man with the Lion Tattoo

[regina77]

How to be brave?

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall? But watching you stand alone, all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.

The wooden door leading into the inn swung open as Regina stood at the entrance, peeping into the rather crowded building as she remained rooted in her fearful state. This was it. This was the moment she would find her true love... or at least according to a certain Fairy it was. Regina battled with herself for what seemed like minutes, unsure as to whether or not she take a chance and make that leap.

Eventually, she took a single step inside. And then another... and then another. Slowly but surely, Regina gathered her confidence and examined the room, cringing at the typical drunks and the promiscuous women until... there he was. The man with the Lion tattoo. As soon as Regina cast her sight at the ink, her heart began to race at an extraordinary rate. She knew that it was now or never. Allowing a deep sigh to part at her lips, Regina took a few steps forward, approaching the man from behind as he sat at the table.

"Ummm, excuse me?" she whispered, in a hesitant tone.

tag: robin hood

[notoriouspad]

Robin of Locksley is enjoying a rather peaceful night with his Merry Men, sharing drinks and stories as the night falls outside. Oblivious to the fact that someone else has been watching him from a far, Robin keeps drinking with his friends, slowly feeling lightheaded from the alcohol in the ale. Sharing a laugh with one of his Merry Men after listening to today's story, Robin almost misses someone calling for him.

Turning around in his seat, Robin immediately sobers up. In front of him, is not only the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on... but it's the Queen. Despite not being from her Kingdom, and only being here tonight by chance, Robin knows exactly who this lady is and he's rather confused as to why her majesty would be inside of the inn with plebs such as himself. Everyone from around the table seems to have noticed this too, because the noise around him is gone – while the inn itself is still bursting with life.

“M'lady! Where are my manners?” Robin quickly gets up on his feet and bows his head at the Queen. “What brings you here, your Majesty? Not to offend you, but this isn't exactly where I thought I would find a Queen, such as yourself.”

Straightening himself you, Robin waves his arm around the inn. Still, something seems to be different with this Queen. While she does feel very powerful and Robin feels small in her presence, something about her feels strange and Robin just can't wait to find out the source of such new feelings within him.

TAG: regina77

[regina77]

How to be brave?

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall? But watching you stand alone, all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.

Regina couldn't help herself but gawk at the tattoo upon his wrist, almost becoming completely oblivious that the rugged man had even replied. With a quick shake of her head, Regina snapped out of her small trance, trying her best to squash her nerves.

"Oh... yes! I'm sorry, it's just that my..."

Her eyes scurried all over the room, desperately in search for an excuse that would justify her standing in this rather disheveled inn. Soon enough, her attention quickly turned to a lone portrait that hung on the wall, depicting a herd of horses running through the fields of one of many meadows in the Enchanted Forest.

"Horse! Yes! One of the horses escaped the stables not too long ago and the King will be terribly upset... but I was told that you might be able to help out? Oh... and please, call me Regina."

Could this really be him? Could she really be staring into the face of her happy ending right now? Or could this just be a cruel joke being played on her at the hands of that little winged imp? Either way, one thing was for sure; the man that stood before her was incredibly handsome. There was something about him that Regina felt strangely drawn to. Perhaps it was the accent? Or maybe his charm? Whatever it may be, Regina was completely enticed by his presence.

tag: robin hood

[notoriouspad]

Still quite astonished to be in the presence of the Queen herself, Robin pays close attention as to what brought her into this inn. Something about the way she announced it, makes Robin think that perhaps that's not exactly what she's here for, but it would be terrible of him to even think about doubting her majesty. Slowly nodding his head, Robin gestures towards the inn's door.

“I'm not that good of a finder... but perhaps I will be able to help you out. How long ago did your horse run away?” Robin starts to walk towards the door of the inn, but quickly realizes that the Queen is not following. “If you would like to show me where you last saw your horse, we can return it to the King in no time at all.”

Robin smiles at Regina, although something still doesn't feel exactly right. He can also feel several pairs of eyes lodged on him, wondering just what Robin is doing, talking to the Queen. But for some reason he just can't seem to take his eyes off her – judgment be damned. “Your majes-- Regina?”

TAG: regina77

[regina77]

How to be brave?

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall? But watching you stand alone, all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.

Regina smiled as her name parted from the man's lips. After spending what seemed like an eternity plagued with sadness... was this truly what being happy felt like? Perhaps that stupid fairy had scored a home run after all. She followed the man towards the door as the two proceeded outside, escaping the prying eyes that watched over them.

"He ran for the meadows the last time I saw him, but whatever we do, we have to be quick. I can only imagine the type of gossip that will ensue once the people find me riding around with a rogue."

But it was only after those coarse words left her mouth that Regina realized just how harsh she sounded. With a bite of her lip, Regina quickly apologized on her own behalf.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You know how these people like to talk... though I don't think I quite caught your name back there?"

Already she wanted to kick herself. She couldn't quite believe that, within the space of a mere few minutes, Regina's fiery side had already reared its gutsy head. She hoped that her sharp tongue hadn't scared the man off, because in truth, there was something much different about him. He wasn't like the other men in Regina's life in the sense that Regina actually enjoyed his presence.

tag: robin hood

[notoriouspad]

Robin quickly leads the Queen outside of the inn, towards a more peaceful night. Away from the noise, Robin can finally hear himself think and listens closely as the Queen explains where she last saw the horse. Nodding his head, he walks towards his own steeds, tied up to the post outside the inn. “We shouldn't have much trouble finding your horse and returning it to the King.” Then with a smile, Robin thinks about Regina's words – it is true, people tend to talk about something that doesn't concern them.

“M'lady... Regina, don't apologize. It will in fact be in the tip of everyone's tongues should they see your Majesty with a common... man.” Robin almost has to bite his tongue before he reveals to the Queen exactly what he does for a living. He wouldn't want her to find out that the only reason him and his men are in her kingdom was to make sure they got something valuable out of their trip. What sort of hold does she have over him? Snapping out of his own thoughts, Robin speaks again. “Here, take this.” Robin reaches up to his neck and unties the cloak he's carrying. Swiftly, he pulls it around Regina's shoulders and ties it up neatly around her neck, before pulling the hood up and covering her head with it. He would never admit it, but he already misses having her beauty in open view.

“It's not much but it will keep you away from any watchful eye... though everyone inside already knows that the Queen left the inn with me. But we can be even more careful... I have not one, but two horses, you're free to take one of them if you'd prefer, instead of riding with me.” Robin turns to his horses for a second, before looking back at the Queen. “Oh, and it's Robin of Locksley... just Robin.”

TAG: regina77

[regina77]

How to be brave?

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall? But watching you stand alone, all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.

Regina glanced towards the cloak that was now fitted around her, frowning at the slightly worn out fabric. Being the Queen of the enchanted forest, Regina had become somewhat accustomed to the illustrious wardrobe that came with such a status, but nonetheless she smiled at Robin the best she possibly could.

"Why... thank you... Robin."

The Queen thought about Robin's offer for a brief moment. Is it too soon to be riding with a man she met only five minutes ago? What if, god forbid, someone catches them? Regina turned her attention towards the noble steeds, slowly caressing the creature with a gentle smile.

"Well, I'm hardly dressed to go riding by myself... perhaps we could ride together, if that's okay?"

Continuing to stroke her fingers through the horse's mane, it seemed as though Regina had taken a shining to one horse in particular, chuckling lightly as it huffed at the touch of her hand. Getting so lost in the moment, the Queen almost forgotten why she even required Robin's "help" in the first place.

"My, aren't you a handsome young man?"

The horse gave out another calm huff as Regina beamed with joy. It certainly took her back to the good old days of riding her horses through the endless meadows of the Enchanted Forest; a slightly simpler time in Regina's life.

tag: robin hood

[notoriouspad]

A smile appears on Robin’s face as he watches the interaction between the Queen and one of his horses, almost forgetting that she asked if she could ride with him. Walking over, Robin raises his hand – his tattoo now fully exposed from underneath the sleeve of his white shirt and strokes the mane of the horse while standing next to Regina.

“He seems to like you, and he doesn’t like many people.” The memory of his horse almost kicking one of his Merry Men in the chest for petting it still etched in the front of his mind. Still smiling, both at the memory and at the Queen, Robin turns to Regina. “And you seem to like him as well. Do you have any experience riding horses?”

Robin drops his hand to his side and walks around the horse, removing its leash from around the pole. If this is the horse that the Queen was drawn to, then this is the horse that they’ll take for their mission. “And no, I don’t mind if you ride with me, it would make it much faster and you can then return to your castle in no time.” Robin makes sure that the saddle is placed snuggly around the noble steed and makes eye contact with the Queen. “I’m just concerned about your need to keep appearances.”

He would never admit it out loud, but deep down, Robin is glad that the Queen has decided to share a horse ride with him, because it isn’t every day that he’ll share such a moment with a beautiful woman – Queen or not.

TAG: regina77