the tavern

the day they meet. capter 3

(Regina's POV)

"Well what if I don't want to talk to you." I asked him

"Well then that would be a great shame indeed "he said with his smirk still firmly I'm place.

I didn't reply.

"Robin." he said as he extended his hand towards me.

(Robins POV)

I was sitting there while she was looking at me. Not sure of what was going through her brain.

I noticed a golden bangle with a horse pendant sitting delicately on her wrist.

And a ring!

A ring so big that it looks like it would pull her down on to her side with the weight of it. Full to the brim with every sparkling rock you could think of. ....and ... it was on her wedding finger.

No wonder she wasn't flirting back.

I mean.... I was being charming!!

This worked on everyone else and that must be the reason it wasn't working on her. She was married. And was loyal.

"Well there goes my chance of a bit of fun tonight, might as well get this started" I thought to myself.

I extended my hand towards her and said my name aloud. In hopes that she would reply with her own and a hand shake. In witch I could then remove both bracelet and ring.

(Regina's POV)

I looked at him. And then to his hand.

" you should really stop being an ass. All he is trying to do is start up a conversation. After all isn't that partly why you left the palace in the first place?" I thought to myself.

I huffed. Extending my hand towards him and taking a hold of his hand "Regina"

The moment I touched my hand in his I felt my ring move delicately of my finger. So gentility in fact that I wasn't sure if I had imagined it. I was mad at first. I mean what the hell!! He was stealing from me! Then I stopped and thought about it for a second.

The ring that he had stolen and already pocketed meant nothing to me. It was something that the king used to show everyone who I belonged to. As if it was a brand that he had burned in to my skin like a master does to its herd of cattle. It was his way of showing his ownership of me. It meant nothing! It means nothing! It wasn't as though it was Daniels ring he had taken. That would be another thing completely.

So i calmed myself. I no longer cared what happened to it. Sure I was going to regret that when the king found out about the missing ring but at this moment in time I don't care.

Then his other hand came up and enclosed my small hand in between his two large ones.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Regina. Your name is as beautiful as you are" while I was listing to him I felt my bangle on my wrist move.

The bangle was not like the ring, it had sentimental value. My father gave it to me on my 16th birthday. It had a charm hanging on it that I and he all ways would say looked like my horse Rocinante.

This I would not let go so easily. By the time I had finished my thoughts though he had already um clipped the clasp and was letting go of my hand. bringing his free hand to his drink and then taking it to his mouth and the one with the bracelet now concealed in his hand to his side further away from me, and into the same pocket that he at disposed of the ring to. I receded my hand and turns back to the bar. Acting as though I was none the wiser.

Until the coins in a pouch at my side, that I had been using to pay for my drinks had been taken to. That didn't bother me at all. There was plenty more where that came from when you are the wife of the king.

(Robins POV)

I had removed the bracelet and the ring. I wasn't going to even try to get the necklace that I had seen hanging around her neck earlier as that would have meant that I would have had to get closer and I have a feeling that that would in nerve her a little.

I look down and I see the coin pack at her side and take that to. "It's quite heavy so there must be a few coins in there" I thought to myself.

Once I gave her a once over to make sure there was nothing else on her of worth I turned back to the front of the bar, just as she had a few moments earlier.

(Regina's POV)

We sat there for a few minutes still not having said a single word to each other.

I was thinking of what Rumpelstiltskin told me. About the lesson of making an object disappear from one place and then making it re-appear again in another.

I bent my head forwards so my hair would fall and cover my face. My hands went to rest on my lap under the bar top in fists. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing.

Then I felt it. Something was I'm my hand. I opened my fist slightly so I could run my finger over the bangle and then over the horse charm that was attached to it. I let out a quite relived breath and relaxed.

We sat the for a few more seconds still in quite until I looked up to the clock.

Time's up. 11pm

"Well as much fun this has been, I have to be going" I sighed in a sarcastic voice.

Getting up and heading to the door.

(Robins POV)

I watched her getting up to leave. And felt this weird sensation to ask her to stay longer.

While we were sitting there nether-one of us had spoken another word to each other but it was nice.

My eyes follow her to the door.

She stops and turns back towards me.

"OH and you can keep the ring and the coins you took from me.... but" she said. Lifting her hand to show the golden bangle and pendent to him. With a smile on her face and a raised eyebrow "I'm keeping this" and with that she walked out the door.

I sat there stunned!

Did that just happen?

(Bobby's POV)

I sat and watched the master at work.

He manages to get two pieces of jewellery that I see and a coin pack.

And then he just sits there. This is not unusual for robin though. When doing single person pick-pocketing he normally sits and waits for the mark to leave before he will to make his move to regroup with the others. It was clean job, she hadn't noticed a thing.

I watch as the woman gets up to leave and then as she stops and tells robin that he can keep the things that he had taken from her and even goes as far as to show him one of the things that he had taken from her, and which she had somehow gotten back from him.

And then she had left. Just like that.

I look around to the rest of the men. It is obvious that they too had seen and heard what had just gone on two.

OK so I think this is long enough. What do you guys think of it so far?? X