Chapter 6: Freedom and Loneliness

I'm right. My cider is the best ever made. Emma's right. This cider definitely packs a strong punch.

Regina reclined in her bed with a tall glass of cider. She wasn't drinking because she was in a self-pitying and wallowing mode of depression. No, she was simply indulging in a drink, while she contemplated her non-existent love life and the wretched state of her pining heart.

Gulp. She threw back another large swallow. The bitter cider burned the back of her throat. She had endured such a long day. She deserved this.

You love him. You love him. He is your soul mate. You were destined to be with him. Then why is he married? Why does him being married make it such an obstacle for you? There is divorce, people! But Robin…the honorable man that he is would NEVER even consider for a second divorcing sweet, precious Marian and leaving her out in the cold. Why am I always alone? I must get rid of Marian! That's it! Buck up, Regina! Where did you put your sleeping curses? Cursed apples? Portal mirrors? Why can't I just kidnap the naïve Maid Marian in the dead of night and throw her back into the Enchanted Forest? Or maybe push her through another time portal to the past? But oh! Robin would never forgive you!

Love is such weakness! Happiness is within my grasp but so far away! The distance is completely made up of one ugly wife! I must be strong. I must be smart. How can I get rid of Marian and get what I want? But I love Robin! And he would be miserable if Marian suddenly died again! And what about poor Roland? Let's not forget the fact that those stubborn Locksley men would never forgive me if they knew I had a hand in Marian's disappearance.

I must be strong and courageous. Those are part of what makes a GOOD person – not an Evil Queen who plots and murders. The reason why I truly cannot be with Robin is because I love him, and he does not love me. I love him with all my heart, yet I have never told him how I feel. What is wrong with me?!

Well, it's not like anything will be solved at this late hour…

As she continued to knock back the tangy apple beverage, a light buzz started to overtake her. The spiked cider had a particular gift for inundating the morose woman in her emotions, but it also allowed Regina to easily swing from overwhelming sadness toward happiness – if only temporary. Regina hopped out of her chair. She was no longer okay with wallowing in her defeat. She would not be a victim of life anymore!

I make my own happiness!

A curious teenage boy squatted in the pitch-black hallway and peered into a dimly lit bedroom. Cloaked in shadows, he sat silently and watched the wondrous sight before him.

What is Mom doing?

The view was astounding. For once in her life, Regina Mills was thoroughly uninhibited.

Henry Mills watched her dance. What a sight! Of course, he had seen Ruby swing her hips occasionally to a tune she'd be stuck humming while serving in the diner. Emma would bop her head in the car and even break out some rusty moves from the nineties if an old jam came on the radio. They just weren't Regina. No one could replace his mother.

Henry hadn't witnessed his mom let loose and dance since before the Curse had broken. From time to time, she had been known to initiate a karaoke and dancing party with her son. They had paraded around the house screaming lyrics and flailing to their horrendous harmonies, later to be floored by their shared infectious laughter that came with the natural flow, launched by their happy high. That had all stopped when Henry had unearthed the truth of his adoption, tracked down Emma Swan, and started distancing himself from the gloomy Madame Mayor. Moments like this reminded Henry just how much he had screwed up. With such vitriol and scorn he had denied the woman who had raised him! Eventually, she had withdrawn from him – like a wounded animal – and had hidden the uninhibited, free parts of her nature. Those lighter elements of Regina Mills, however, were the truth behind the stone walls. Oh, how Henry missed his mom!

So that's why he contented himself with peeking around the corner and acting as a silent spectator in his own home. By all rights, he should have been able to join in the dance session. He should have been the one to cheer up his mother. Those flashes of speculation, however, belonged to days in the past. A time before he had revoked his son-ship and refused his love.

The guilt tore at him. On the outside, he tried to pretend everything was back to normal, especially when he spent time at the mansion. He did everything in his power to show appreciation and love for his brunette mother. Operation Great Lie consumed his every waking thought. He wanted happiness and love and some peace for his mom. On the inside, however, he did penance for his crimes. The regret he felt for inflicting so much hurt on his already damaged mother caused him to feel vastly unworthy of spending even a moment of fun with his mom. He would fight for his mother – but at a distance. He paid the Piper but still desperately longed to dance to the music. As it was, young Henry bided his time as a student of life – an onlooker – trying with each new day to better himself and bring equilibrium back to his relationship with his mother.

While Henry's emotional and psychological upheaval twisted his guts, the object of his contemplations saw not him, heard not a sound, and tried not to think about Robin or care.

Cher's "I Walk Alone" blasted from the speakers in the corner of the room. Ever since the song was first released, Regina had valued the anthem and its promotion of independence. Regina desperately clung onto her independence, self-reliance, strength, and freedom, for they were the assurances that she was no longer the victim to the whims of others – her mother, Leopold, Rumpelstiltskin, or anyone else. The irony! Now Regina hated that independence – or rather, she hated the loneliness.

The eventful happenings of the night culminated in a monstrous headache. The depressing silence of the massive mansion was suffocating. Not to mention the cider, which was wreaking havoc on her insides. All she wanted at that moment was for Robin's comforting arms to be wrapped around her. His body heat reminding her of his protection and caring. His whispered words to reassure her. But he was not there. He would never be there.

So I dance.

She just wanted to be free from all the cares of the day. All the worries were shaken off.

The bass behind the beat thrummed and throbbed and matched her heartbeat. She spun faster and faster and faster and faster and faster…

Until every bit of the present blurred into the past.

"Come along, Your Majesty. We must celebrate the Wicked Witch's defeat!" Robin exclaimed.

"Isn't that what we're already doing?" asked Regina. Her slight confusion was overshadowed by her sly, cat-like smirk. She laughed with such ease.

"This is most certainly NOT what I call a celebration." Robin gave a cursory glance at the busy diner. There were streamers, balloons, cake, ice cream, and plenty of townspeople to join the party, but it was not the makings of a special celebration – one that befit a queen.

"What do you have in mind?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

Robin outstretched a hand to the beautiful woman before him. She accepted, and he led her out of the diner and into the cool of the dark night.

"Where are you taking me?" Regina asked breathlessly. They had been walking for fifteen minutes, and now they were trekking through the woods on the outskirts of Storybrooke.

"Hush, Milady. Stop trying to spoil your surprise! It's just a bit further," Robin informed her. He momentarily turned his attention to Regina and took her hand in his. Then he proceeded onward.

Although Regina followed his lead and continued on the long march, her insides had come to a standstill. What Robin may have detected to be fatigue in her voice was not the result of a hard day, battling the Wicked Witch, or even the strenuous hike to this mystery celebration. It was Robin himself who had forcefully stolen the air from her lungs, robbed her of her senses, and catapulted her heart to beat in a frenzy.

That awe and wonder never left her that entire night. In a picturesque scene out of the movies, Robin had brought Regina to a picnic in the clearing. Strings of lights dimly lit that special spot in the woods. Tinkerbell's doing, no doubt! A full spread of food reminiscent of their homeland was laid out to be savored. There was even a gargantuan bouquet of wildflowers, which Roland had helped procure.

"I cannot believe you did this for me, Robin! I can't think of a moment in my life that was so wonderful!" Barring Henry's adoption, Regina had never been made to feel this special by another human being.

The effort that must've gone into this private celebration was enough to knock even a queen off her feet, but then the outlaw spoke.

"I think this a moment we will always remember, Milady. I may not believe much in magic, but perhaps Fate brought both of us to here and now. I believe I have waited a lifetime to share this moment with you."

Regina jerked upward in her bed. She had gotten so peaceful, if only bodily, while she had been in her trance-like state of reminiscence. Then her phone rang.

"Regina-"

"Stop right there, Miss Swan! What are you thinking calling me at this time of night? Especially after you have already forced your way into my home, announced my private life to every human, creature, and animal in the vicinity, and declared yourself my dinner guest - all in one evening, no less!"

Emma held her breath. Now is not the moment to defend myself. I must remain calm. There are more important things to deal with than Regina's bark.

"Listen, Regina. I get that we are not on good terms, but that'll just have to wait. This isn't a personal call. It's an emergency!"

The word 'emergency' sent the ever calm and collected mayor into a panic.

"Henry! Is my baby all right?! What am I saying? He is here in his own bed. He's fine. He is here, right? Right?! Miss Swan, do you know something? Did he sneak out? Is he hurt?! Did he-"

"Woah! Just here me out! I said it is not a personal matter - meaning it isn't about Henry."

The tensed brunette mother sunk back into her couch with a sigh of relief. She replaced her warrior mama bear lens with one of an attentive leader and listened intently. "Proceed."

"Okay. Get ready. So there's a stranger in town."

Regina's mind booted into overdrive. Stranger in town? Who could it be? Villain, hero, long-lost relative... A newcomer to Storybrooke could only be trouble. The suspicious woman thought of all the past visitors to the town. August rode into town and meddled with her Curse. Emma broke the Curse and tried to keep her away from Henry. Regina's mother had destroyed Regina's fragile efforts at redemption. Greg and Tamara were an abomination of the past she simply refused to think or speak about. Regina concluded that she must temporarily suspend her speculation and get some concrete information.

"Just whom are we dealing with?" Regina demanded. Her patience was worn thin, and this stranger business was no laughing matter.

"That's why I called. I honestly have no idea. I think what little of this situation there is to understand would be better explained in person. Could you please come to the Sheriff Station ASAP?!"

Quite frankly, Emma had no idea what to do with this mystery person who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Sure, she had dealt with plenty of creeps and felons in her days as a bail bondsperson. The problem was that this stranger had done nothing wrong. She didn't know if her charge was a danger or not because of their unconscious state. She didn't know if this person was evil or if they had magic. The uncertainty prevented her from making an arrest.

"What you're saying is that the beloved and all-powerful Savior needs me, the former Evil Queen, to help her save the day? Is that it?" Regina's annoyance was being delivered loud and clear over the sound waves, and the blonde Sheriff could visualize the belittling eyebrow raise that she was sure accompanied the sarcastic words.

"Yes, Madame Mayor. Now drag your butt out of bed, and get over here!"

Click.

Emma Swan had hung up on her! The nerve of that woman!

As miffed as Regina was, she dragged herself from her comfortable lounging position and stood. She sprinted as quietly as a cat down the hallway toward Henry's room. She eased the door open slowly to avoid any loud creaks. Checking in on her son, she found him to be slumbering peacefully. Regina looked on lovingly at her son with adoration. Bending down, she kissed her Little Prince on the forehead and brushed a hand through his mop of brown, unruly hair. Finally making sure to pull the fallen comforter up around his shoulders, she exited the room.

Regina made her way stealthily down the stairs. She grabbed a jacket from the coat closet and her purse from the couch. After quickly shooting off a text to Tink asking her to come over so that Henry would not be alone in the mansion, Regina finally headed outside.

Once inside of her Mercedes, she placed the keys in the ignition. The soft purr of the engine gave her pause. Just one moment of peace was all she needed to ground her once again in the moment with quiet steadfastness.

Emma and David sat waiting at their desks. A tedious silence engulfed the room. Until Regina arrived, they would do nothing but wait and unproductively wonder. The two Charmings peered into the open jail cell. Instead of a drunk Leroy or one of the hooligan Lost Boys, there lie the stranger.

The blonde Sheriff was still trying to process this epic evening. Only an hour ago, she had been meandering down the town's roads, driving in her bug on night patrol. The oldies station on the radio had been tuned up to play melancholy love songs for the past hour, and Emma was bogged down by extreme drowsiness. With her wandering mind and the soothing effects of the sob songs, she almost missed the disturbing sight ahead of her. Caught in the bright beams of her car, there lay a man with an arrow stabbed through his stomach!

Any attempts at recollection were jarringly brought to a halt by the clattering sounds of Regina's stilettos, sounding off a warning for her approach. Appearing in the doorway in a sharp-looking grey overcoat and her lethal heels, the Mayor cast a menacing shadow. Emma was not threatened. Having been on the receiving end of the brunette's threats and punches, Emma read only concern and preparation. The narrowed eyes and deep lines that pitted her face indicated something troublesome and reassuring – Regina Mills was gearing up for a battle. If the Queen was readying herself, the Sheriff felt confident to stand alongside such a seasoned warrior. On the other hand, if the former Evil Queen was worried, then no one was safe.

Regina strode with her usual haughty gait but at a much brisker pace, propelled by the urgency of the hour. The Charmings stood. Instead of approaching them, she completely brushed past them, made her way toward the cells, and walked in.

She peered down at the stranger. She swept over his body from top to bottom with her usual critical eye, not allowing a single detail to go unnoticed. The stranger was a handsome man. Maybe that wasn't the right word. He could be considered tall, dark, and handsome, but he certainly wasn't David – not the pretty-boy type. He was more Robin – but still, he wasn't. The stranger did possess a similar build to Robin's. His muscles were greatly apparent, as his form strained against the thin tunic under his cloak. He was a brutish-looking man with blackish-brown hair, sharp facial features, and a chiseled jaw. Lastly, the stranger's face was marred by a nasty scar that cut across his face from his right eyebrow to the bottom of his cheek.

Every feature Regina read spoke to her: this man is danger. The most peculiar thing was that she had the overwhelming urge to ignore the sense of foreboding. This man, even asleep, called to her. She wanted to run her hands through his dark hair. Trace his jagged scar. Look into the inevitable stormy eyes he would have when awake. What stopped her was the arrow that skewered his middle. Back to the issue at hand! What was going on with her?!

Not even bothering turning around, she assessed, "Does one of you two idiots want to tell me what happened?"

"Regina," David reprimanded her in a stern but low tone.

"Sorry. That was aimed at your daughter," muttered Regina under her breath. She extended her apology to David with softened eyed but then shot a glare to Emma. "Who is this man? I don't recognize him."

"The stranger." After receiving an intensified look of hate, Emma amended, "Seriously, that's all we know."

"You really can't do anything correct. Have you taken any measures to identify him?" Since the Sheriff didn't provide any substantial answers, Regina turned to face Deputy Nolan.

"Unfortunately not. As you might've guessed from his clothing, our John Doe seems to be from the Enchanted Forest – or at least still living in that manner. He had no form of identification when we picked him up. In fact, he had no personal belongings on his person."

"Great!" The exasperated mayor shook tired head and rubbed at her temples. She was still feeling the effects of the cider on the brain, and the makings of a hangover and headache were forming quickly. "Can someone tell me what happened?"

"I guess I'll just start from the beginning." Emma cleared her throat. "I was patrolling the town limits – you know, out by the forest and the old farmhouse. That's when I saw this man. He was lying facedown on the side of the road with that arrow shot right through him. I rushed over to him and tried to talk to him. He didn't respond to me, but he was coherent and awake at the time."

"Why didn't you take him to the hospital immediately?" Regina snapped.

"I thought you'd want the first crack at him, Your Majesty. After all, I'm sure you've removed an arrow or two in your time. I know you can heal the damage of the wound if it's not too serious. Most importantly, if he's a true threat to the town, I knew you'd want to have control over the situation and not allow Whale to go near him."

I have to give Miss Swan some credit – minimal though it may be. She does know how to do some things correctly.

"Anything else to add to the story?"

After a beat of silence and two negative shakes of the head, Regina received a 'No'.

"Okay. Let's get to work."

Once again entering the small jail cell, the imperious woman stood over the stranger. Taking one deep breath to ground herself, she grasped the arrow and yanked it firmly. The offending stick came cleanly out of the man's stomach. The remaining sight was a bloody mess. One flick of magic cleaned the wound and sealed it up.

Whirling around to face the Charmings, Regina smirked triumphantly. "I replaced Victor Whale's services and clotted and fixed an injury in less than a minute. It looks my job is done here. Call me when he wakes up."

"You might've spoken too soon." Emma stopped the mayor just as she was anticipating her ride home and her comfortable, plush bed.

Behind her, the stranger was rising slowly from the bed. While Emma and David gasped and stood in frozen wonder, Regina rushed to the man's side.

Looking up at her, his gaze found her hers. His stormy gray eyes pierced her soul, as he muttered, "I've been waiting a lifetime to see you." Then he collapsed. He was once again ushered to the infinitely black abyss of unconsciousness.