Outlaw Queen (One-Shots)

Under the Misteltoe.

A/N: This story in no way is mine.

All credits go to adi-dion on fanfiction.net

For those in the Holiday spirit, this is for you! ;) Enjoy. ❤️

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She'd stopped listening a while ago; this council meeting seemed to be the longest one so far. Regina's mind trailed off to the weather outside; the snow must be heavily piled up on the castle's grounds by now.

It was almost Christmas time, the season to be jolly, and all kinds of cheerful clichés. Only, there was everything but joy left in the Queen's heart.

Christmas was family time, theirtime– hers and Henry's. Regina would make sure to lay off the mayoral duties (even though Storybrooke was cursed under her own curse, she still had work to do as the mayor) and get carried away with her son's enthusiasm and excitement over the cheerful season.

This year, however, everything was different.

Henry was now lost to her forever and Regina found herself having to face the 'jolly' holiday without him by her side. She couldn't help thinking about Henry spending their holiday together with Emma, who was now the only mother he knew; he had memories of a lifetime, their lifetime, etched into his mind but he didn't remember anything about her. All memories of her had been replaced with Emma. Regina's heart clenched at that thought.

Even though Christmas was foreign back in the Enchanted Forest, Snow White, not surprisingly, insisted to keep the holiday tradition, decorating the castle with joyful colours of green and red (much to Regina's displease. She still had no clue why she ever agreed to her step-daughter's ridiculous idea, but she knew better than to fight against Snow when it came to celebrations).

"Regina?"

Tearing herself from her own thoughts, Regina turned to face the pregnant woman sitting across the table, who was sending her step-mother a worried glance.

"That will be all for today," the Queen replied too harshly, standing up and heading straight for the door before anyone could come up with another pressing issue, or follow her out.

And by following her out, she thought about one man in particular– Robin Hood. The outlaw started a tradition of his own lately: accompanying her out of council meetings, most days without so much as a single word until they reached her chamber. Even though she hated his company more than anything, Regina had to admit she appreciated he hadn't felt the need to fill the silence between them.

Today was one of her successful days, managing to avoid the man as she headed straight to her bedchamber.

Something caught her eye as she walked passed the great hall and for the first time, she noticed it wasn't empty anymore. It made Regina halt in her steps, taking a moment to look at the sight that revealed itself in front of her eyes.

Not even a moment later, something crashed against her legs, almost causing her to lose her balance. Roland, she realised as she looked down and saw a mop of dark hair, the little boy smiling his adorable, charming dimpled smile.

As insufferable as his father was, Regina found that Robin's son was very charming, to say the least. She was reluctant, at first, to accept the boy's endless affection, for he was a constant reminder of everything she lost; of her son, who Regina would never be able to see again. However, the Queen wouldn't be able to resist little Roland's presence for much longer. He was as stubborn as his father, and she didn't have the heart to disappoint such an innocent young kid, who had done nothing but show her his affection since the day she'd saved him from her sister's flying monkey. The special bond between them grew stronger with each day that passed, and Regina slowly learned to take comfort in his presence.