Prompt: Roland decides to spend his special day with a family camping trip and Regina is less than thrilled.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
When Regina had offered up a special day just for Roland, she had assumed that the little boy would have chosen the movies or ice cream. She never could have predicted that Roland would request that the family go...camping. “Are you sure, sweetheart?” Regina asked. “You really want to go camping?”
“Yup!” Roland replied instantly, evident enthusiasm in his voice. “And I know it was just supposed to be the three of us but I want the whole family to come. I want us to be together.”
“Well, I think it’s a fine idea, my boy,” Robin told him as he ruffled the curly locks on the boy’s head.
“I don’t know if taking Addy is such a great idea,” Regina said, trying desperately to get out of going. She wasn’t an outdoorsy type of girl. She didn’t sleep on the ground or eat fish out of a dirty river. It simply wasn’t her thing. “No one takes a baby camping,” she added.
“Roland lived at a campsite for the first three years of his life,” Robin retorted with a laugh.
“Well, you know that she’s getting over that little cold that she had.” Regina tried once more. “I’m just not sure that sleeping out in the cold is such a great idea. You three go and have a great time. I’ll stay with Addy.”
“No Mama, you have to come with us,” Roland pouted. “It won’t be the same without you.”
“I’m sure that Grandma would gladly watch her for the night,” Henry offered. “She’s always talking about getting her hands on a smaller baby. If you ask me, I think she’s got a bit of baby fever.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Robin told the boy. “I’ll give her a call,” he added before heading into the kitchen to call Snow. Mentally, Regina was panicking. She did not want to go camping. She loved her boys. She really did...but camping! No, no way. Within a few minutes, Robin returned from the kitchen with a smile on his face.
“Snow said that she would gladly take her for a night,” he announced. “So I guess it’s settled. The Locksley-Mills family is going camping.” Henry and Roland cheered and Regina tried her best to look excited, but deep down she was less than thrilled.
The next two days, they spent getting prepared for their camping trip. Robin had been adamant about just sleeping under the stars, but Regina had put her foot down.
“What if it rains?” She had retorted. “We’ll need tents.”
“The beauty of camping is sleeping under the stairs, letting the wind brush against your face.” Robin told her. “There’s nothing like it.”
“I’m just saying that I’d feel more comfortable if we had tents.” Regina tried once more as she nervously rubbed her hands together. Robin could see that Regina was anxious about this trip. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew that Regina did not share his love of the outdoors, but she was trying and that was what mattered.
“Okay, my love,” Robin finally conceded. “If you want tents, we’ll have tents.” Regina let out a sigh of relief. She was not looking forward to this trip but at least they’d have tents now. The next morning, the family woke up bright and early. They gathered up their camping supplies and packed it up into the car. Regina also made sure to gather everything that Snow would need to take care of Addy for the next two days. When everything was stowed away, they drove over Snow and Charming’s apartment. Once there, Regina got out of the car and moved to grab Addy from the backseat. The little girl had managed to fall asleep on the short drive over so Regina tried her best to extract her from the car seat without waking her up.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Regina replied as she carried the still sleeping baby and diaper bag into the Charming’s apartment building. After climbing up two flights of stairs, she stopped in front of the door and knocked. She waited a moment before Snow opened the door with a ridiculously huge smile on her face.
“Look at that little angel!” Snow cooed softly, looking at Addy’s sleeping form in Regina’s arms.
“Hopefully, she stays a little angel for you,” Regina replied as she handed the baby over to the other woman. Snow instantly cuddled the little girl and rocked her back and forth. “Thank you for watching her.”
“No problem!” Snow replied. “I was a bit surprised when Robin called and said you were going...camping. You’ve never been crazy about the outdoors.”
“I like the outdoors fine enough…” Regina lied.
“Please, I was the one who lived in the forest while you were trying to kill me.” Snow retorted. “You spent three days total in the forest...while you were still trying to kill me and you barely lasted that long.”
“I was practically dying from a very dangerous wound infection. You wouldn’t want to be in the forest either.” Regina countered.
“It was a scratch.” Snow told her. “You were not dying.”
“Whatever,” Regina replied as she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, there are extra outfits in the diaper bag, diapers, formula, toys. If she gets really upset, singing always works.”
“You sing?”
“Don’t start with me,” Regina warned. Suddenly, she heard the car horn and it was clear that the boys were getting impatient. “Okay, I have to get going. Bye sweetie,” Regina added as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Addy’s forehead. She gave her daughter one last look and felt a pang of guilt in her heart.
“She’ll be fine,” Snow reassured her.
“I haven’t left her overnight before.” Regina replied hesitantly, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes.
“She’ll eat, play with Neal and then she’ll go to sleep and you’ll be picking her up before you know it.” Regina sighed, knowing she was right. She gave Snow a small smile and then headed back downstairs to the car.
“Camping, here we come.” Robin replied as Regina got in the passenger seat. Henry and Roland cheered from the back seat while Regina mentally prepared herself for what was to come. The campsite wasn’t that far out of town so they got there in a little under an hour. “Alright boys, let’s set up camp.” Robin announced, getting out of the car. Together, he, Henry and Roland started to unload the car. The three boys then started to put together the tents. Regina stood off to the side just watching. At first, it was nice watching the three boys do this activity together. Henry and Roland hung on Robin’s every word as he showed them how to force the white poles into the orange netting of the tent. They worked together flawlessly and Regina couldn’t help but smile at the family that they had become. However, it was hard to focus on being happy when she was spending every other minute swatting mosquitoes from her face.
“Mama look! The tents are all set up!” Roland exclaimed as he ran over to her.
“I can see that,” Regina told him. “You all did a great job,”
“Well, Roland, my boy, this is your day, so what would you like to do first?” Robin asked, walking over to the smaller boy.
“I wanna go fishing!”
“Then fishing it is,” Robin told him. “I know the best fishing spot around,” he added as he picked up their fishing poles and tackle box. “It’s this way,” They trekked through the forest until they came to a beautiful, freshwater creek. Henry didn’t waste a minute. He had been itching to get back to fishing since his first lesson with Robin. Effortlessly, Henry set up his rod and weaved the worm onto the hook, just as Robin had shown him. Then, Robin moved to help Roland, who was jumping up and down because he was so excited.
“Shhh,” Robin warned. “If you’re not quiet, you’ll scare away all the fish,” Roland instantly quieted and watched Robin intensely as he showed him every part of the fishing rod and how to use it. While she was waiting, Regina picked up the fishing pole. She had never been fishing before and she honestly didn’t see the appeal. Fish were gross. They were slimy and cold. And, the actual sport (if you could even call it that) was just boring. You just stood there and prayed that a fish would be stupid enough to eat a floating worm and get the hook stuck in their mouth. She tried to sneak glances at Robin as he set up Roland’s rod and do the same to her own. “Would you like some help, my love?” Robin asked.
“No, I’ve got it.” She replied and Robin gave her a look.
“You’ve been fishing before?” he asked.
“Well...no but It can’t be that hard.” Regina retorted.
“Suit yourself,” Robin mumbled quietly as he moved closer to Roland to make sure that he was doing alright. Regina fumbled with her line but eventually managed to get it to a point where she could put the hook on. Then...she realized that she needed to bait it. Looking at the white tub of worms and dirt, she grimaced. She really didn’t want to touch that. Her hand hesitated over the bucket. Robin looked over at Regina and couldn’t help but laugh. He could see how much Regina did not want to touch those worms. However, he had learned over time that if Regina wanted to do something by herself, he should let her, no matter what the consequences. Eventually, he watched as she tentatively reached her hand into the bucket and grabbed onto a worm.
“Gross…” Regina groaned. She put the worm on the hook and then let out a sigh of relief. She actually felt a bit proud of herself. This had been a new experience for her and she had done it by herself. Now, all she had to do was cast the line. She threw the line over her shoulder just as she had seen Henry do earlier. When she went to pull the line back, she realized it was stuck. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the line that she had just spent about twenty minutes getting right was stuck in a bush. “Come on,” She groaned, pulling hard on the line. She had worked too hard on this to just give up. Regina gave one last pull and suddenly, she felt the line snap and Regina was sent tumbling into the stream.
Robin and the boys were pulled from their own fishing experience at the sound of Regina’s high pitched scream. They looked over and saw Regina lying in the rushing water. “Regina!” Robin exclaimed, running over to her. He waded into the water and grabbed onto her. She leaned against him and coughed out the water that was currently occupying her lungs. “Are you alright?” Robin asked.
“I’m fine.” Regina replied, her cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment.
“What happened?”
“I-I just slipped.” Regina told him, her arms wrapped self-consciously around her soaking wet body.
“Are you hurt?” Robin asked, his voice full of concern.
“No,” Regina replied. She wasn’t hurt physically, but her pride had definitely just taken a blow. “I’m just cold and wet.” she added as she shivered. Robin instantly took his coat off and placed it around Regina’s shoulders. Then, he pulled the woman into his embrace and rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to get her to feel warmer.
“I think I’m just gonna head back to the campsite and change.” Regina told him.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, stay with the boys. Their fun shouldn’t have to end because I was clumsy.” she replied.
“You promise me that you’re not hurt?” Robin whispered once more. He knew Regina. Even if she was hurt, it would take a lot to get her to show it.
“I promise...I’m okay.” Regina told him. “I just want to be dry.” she broke from his grasp and began walking back to the campsite. She hadn’t wanted to come camping in the first place and now here she was...wet, cold and embarrassed. Luckily for her, she still had her magic. With a flick of her wrist, Regina was wearing a new, dry outfit. She knew she should go back and be with the boys - get back on the horse or the fishing rod so to speak. . However, Regina was still feeling very embarrassed and she honestly just wanted to go home. She decided to sit out by the tent and just take in nature instead. She sat down and looked around her. She was surrounded by green trees. Honestly, everything around her was just green and the whole environment just felt suffocating. Nature was supposed to feel freeing and peaceful, but for Regina, it felt like nothing more than a green prison. Trying to distract herself, she decided to grab her phone and call Snow. She heard the dial tone ring a few times before Snow’s perky voice came over the line.
“Regina? How’s everything going?”
“Oh just great.” Regina lied. “I’m having a great time.”
“I can tell when your lying, Regina.” Snow replied with a laugh. “I’ve known you for too long.”
“Fine. I hate camping. You were right. The outdoors and I are not compatible. I tried to fish and ended up falling into the stupid stream. I-I just wanna come home.” She replied honestly.
“I’m sorry,” Snow replied. “Wanna see something to make you feel better?”
“Sure,” Regina replied.
“Click the facetime button.” Snow told her. Regina did what she was told and in a moment, Addy’s sweet face popped up on the scream. Her little face lit up when she saw Regina and a huge smile formed on her face. “Say hi, Mama!” Snow cooed as she hoisted the baby higher on her lap.
“Hi sweetpea,” Regina cooed. “Are you having fun with Auntie Snow?” she asked. Addy started cooing and babbling back to her. It was funny because she sounded like she was really trying to have a conversation with her mother.
“Addy, tell Mama. Tell her what we did today.” Snow said in a singsong voice. “We played. We took a nap. We ate some peaches and you spit them out all over Auntie Snow.” Regina couldn’t contain her laughter at that point. “Like mother, like daughter.” Snow shot back at her step-mother.
“Hey, I have never spit peaches at you.” Regina replied sarcastically.
“No, you just tried to murder me.” Snow retorted with a smirk.
“Fair enough,” Regina agreed with a smile. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps and figured that it must be Robin and the boys coming back from fishing. “Hey Snow, I have to go. The boys are coming back to the campsite.”
“Alright, we’ll both see you tomorrow.” Snow replied. “Say goodnight, Mama” she cooed to Addy, who smiled at her mother on the screen and reached her hands out towards her.
“Goodnight sweet girl,” Regina cooed back before hitting the red “end call” button. As she turned off the found she heard a little voice calling her name.
“Mama! Mama! Look at all the fish we caught!” Roland exclaimed as he ran over to her with a fish in his hands.
“Wow, I see,” Regina replied, grimacing a little as the little boy stuck the slimy fish in her face.
“Papa caught three and Henry caught two, so we have six all together!” Roland replied enthusiastically. “Now Papa’s gonna fry them up.”
“Oh good,” Regina lied through her teeth. This camping trip could not come to an end sooner. She’d rather starve than eat those fish. Nevertheless, Regina watched as Robin fried up the fish and accepted a plate of it when Robin handed it to her because she didn’t want to cause any problems.
“Eat up everyone.” Robin said a smile on his face. “I hope that my fish frying skills are to your liking.” Roland and Henry started to eat.
“It tastes really good, Robin.” Henry said as he took another big bite of the fish.
“Yeah, Papa! It tastes yummy,” the younger boy agreed as he scarfed down the fish. Regina looked down at the fish and grimaced. She stuck her fork into the piece of fish on her plate and tentatively brought it up to her mouth. Feeling like she was being watched, Regina placed the fish inside of her mouth and began to chew. She hated it instantly. The fishy taste made her want to spit it back out, but she managed to swallow it.
“How is it, love?” Robin asked.
“Oh, it’s very good. You should cook more at home,” Regina replied as she took another forced bite. Swallowing thickly, she set her plate on the log next to her and stood up. “I’ll be right back okay. I’m just gonna go call Snow and check on Addy.” She headed off towards the trail, but instead of pulling out her phone, she used her magic and conjured up a cheeseburger instead. She was not going to leave herself starving tonight. It was great that the boys liked the fish, but she just didn’t. She stood in the brush and scarfed down the cheeseburger
“God, this is good,” She mumbled quietly to herself. When she was finished, she wiped off her fingers and headed back to camp to join the boys.
“How was Addy?” Robin asked, catching Regina off guard.
“Oh good,” Regina replied after a moment. “I guess she spit peaches all over Snow, which is weird because she likes peaches so I’m thinking she did it on purpose, which is actually funnier.”
“Mama, Papa said we can have smores now!” Roland said, cutting her off. Clearly, the idea of having the marshmallow and chocolate treat was very exciting to the young boy.
“Really?” Regina replied. “Those do sound good.” she agreed.
“So we can have them now?” Roland asked.
“You’re still hungry after eating that fish?” she asked. Roland nodded his head rapidly. “And Henry, you’re still hungry too?”
“I’m a teenage boy. I’m always hungry.” Henry replied as he finished off his second piece of fish.
“Well, then, I guess we better start making some smores.” Regina agreed. They grabbed sticks from the campsite and grabbed the packages of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. Regina put a marshmallow on each of their four sticks and they all stood around the fire watching as the white color of the marshmallows turned brown. Regina actually felt herself begin to smile. This was the first moment during the entire trip that she had actually enjoyed. Suddenly, she began to feel a sense of intense itching. She looked down and gasped when she saw a red, scaly rash erupting on her lower legs.
“Regina, what is it?” Robin asked.
“My legs…” She mumbled. He looked down and his eyes grew wide.
“It looks like poison ivy. I’ve had it enough times to know.” he replied. “Where would you have gotten that?”
“I’m not sure,” Regina lied. She was pretty sure she knew exactly where she had come in contact with the poisonous plant. Magic always came with a price, she knew that. However, poison ivy hardly seemed warranted for simply conjuring a cheeseburger. Feeling the overwhelming itch, she leaned down and began to scratch at her legs.
“Love, that’s only going to make it worse.” Robin replied. “We should go and get you some medicine.”
“No, I’ll be fine.” Regina told him. “I’m not going to ruin the trip.”
“Mom, it’s fine,” Henry tried to tell her. “We understand. That can’t be fun,” he added, grimacing as he looked at his mother’s red legs.
“I think I’ll just take my smore to my tent.” She said. She took the treat into her and Robin’s and took a seat on the ground. Instantly, she started scratching at her legs. She had drunk poisons that were less uncomfortable than this poison ivy.
“I thought I’d find you like this.” Robin said as he opened the flap to their tent. “Stop scratching. You’re making it worse.”
“But it itches,” She whined, still scratching at her skin.
“Will you please just let me take you home and get you some medicine?” Robin said, pleading with her.
“No, I am fine.”
“Regina, you can just admit it.” Robin replied.
“Admit what?” She countered.
“You hate this! All of it! The outdoors, fishing, the bugs, and strange plants. You hate it all.” Robin exclaimed.
“I don’t-”
“Regina.” She said sternly.
“Fine! I hate it! I hate everything about this, but I love our son so I’m trying.” Regina retorted. “I tried to eat your fish. I really did, but it was disgusting. Fish is the grossest food I have ever eaten. So I conjured myself a freakin cheeseburger and apparently I was standing in a patch of poison ivy because now my legs are on fire and I think I actually want to rip my skin off!” She looked up at Robin, who had a huge smirk on his face that he was trying to cover with his hands. “You think this is funny? Are you serious?” she yelled.
“I’m sorry, love.” Robin replied, still laughing. “I’ve just never seen you throw a tantrum like this.”
“Tantrum?!?” Regina boomed.
“Relax, I think it’s cute.” the thief replied. “I think you’re cute, even when you’re dangerously angry and covered in a contagious rash.”
“You’re annoying…” Regina groaned as she turned onto her side and scratched at her leg. Robin laid down next to the angry woman and placed his arms around her. “Don’t touch me. You’ll get this stupid rash.”
“I’m practically immune. I’ve dealt with this plant so many times,” Robin told her. He began to rub his hands softly over her body.
“Robin...the boys.” She said. “And I don’t exactly feel very...sexy right now.”
“You’re always sexy to me.” Robin told her. He pulled Regina close to him and cuddled her close. They lay there for a moment before Regina spoke up.
“Robin…”
“Yes, love?” he asked.
“There’s a rock under my ass.” Robin laughed, pressed a kiss to Regina’s temple and then scooched over so Regina could be more comfortable. Then, cuddled in one another’s embrace, they both tried to fall asleep.
Over in Henry and Roland’s tent, the boys were still wide awake. “I think that’s enough chocolate for you.” Henry laughed as he looked at his younger brother with chocolate all over his mouth.
“But smores are so good, Henry!” Roland exclaimed.
“I get it, but if you keep eating them you’re gonna get a stomachache,” Henry told him. “How about we do something else?”
“Just you and me?” Roland asked. Henry nodded his head.
“Would you like to hear a scary story? People always tell scary stories when they go camping.” Henry told him.
“Okay…” Roland said nervously. He wanted to be grown up like Henry, but he didn’t really like scary things.
“Okay, here we go.” Henry said. “It’s said that a scary creature that’s part wolf, bear and part lion lived in these woods long ago. It was called a Wobion. Once, there was a man camping in these very woods...all by himself. Everything was going just fine until the sun went down. When it got dark, the wind started to howl and so did the wolves in the forest.”
“There are wolves in this forest?” Roland asked, now hiding under his blanket.
“Oh, tons of them,” Henry told his younger brother. “Anyway, the man started to get worried about the wolves coming to his campsite, so he decided to just hunker down in his tent for the night and hope for the best. He felt safe for a while, but then he started hearing noises outside his tent that sounded like the paws of a large animal. The man tried not to make a sound so that maybe the “wolves” would leave. However, it wasn’t a wolf. Without warning, the flap to the man’s tent flew open and the head of a strange animal erupted into the tent. The man screamed and the beast roared back at him. It took its giant teeth and tore the man limb from limb, killing him instantly. They say that on full moons, the wobion comes out and looks for his new prey and when he’s finished eating them, he takes all of his victims' bones back to his den and keeps them as his trophies.” Henry looked up at Roland who now looked scared out of his mind.
“B-But Henry - isn’t tonight a full moon?” Roland stuttered. Henry looked out of the flap of the tent and saw the bright full moon staring back at him.
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Henry replied. “But we better go to sleep. It’s getting pretty late.”
“But Henry, what about the Wobian? It’s gonna get us!”
“It’s just a story, Roland. I made it up. It’s just a ghost story.” Henry told him.
“But what about the man? What about his bones? What if we’re the Wobian’s next prey?” Roland exclaimed.
“God...this was a bad idea. The Wobian is not real. I made it up. Just go to sleep.” Henry told him before rolling over and huddling in his sleeping bag. Roland got into his own sleeping back and cuddled his monkey. He couldn’t get himself to go to sleep. He wanted to believe Henry that the Wobian wasn’t real...but what if it was. Around midnight, the wind outside picked up and started to whistle through the tent. Roland woke up and listened. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a wolf howling in the distance and Roland’s heart started to beat fast. It was just like the story.
“Henry! Henry!” Roland said, shaking his older brother.
“Roland, what?” he murmured sleepily.
“I heard a wolf! It could be the Wobion!”
“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s not real. I was stupid to tell you that story.” Henry groaned. Then they both heard another howl.
“It’s getting closer!”
“I’m sure it’s just Ruby. It’s wolf’s time for her.” Henry told him. “She won’t hurt us.”
“No...I don’t believe you. I wanna go home.” Roland said. “I wanna go home now.” He grabbed his monkey and suddenly bolted out of the tent.
“Roland wait!” Henry yelled after him. The little boy bolted to his parent’s tent and dove inside.
“Mama! Papa! We have to go home now!” Roland demanded as he dived between his parents.
“Roland?” Robin muttered sleepily.
“What is it?” Regina mumbled.
“We have to go! The Wobian is gonna get us!” Roland told them.
“The what?” they both asked.
“The Wobian! It’s part wolf, part bear, and part lion! It’s gonna tear us limb from limb and take our bones as trophies.” Roland exclaimed. Robin and Regina looked at one another, completely confused.
“I think I can explain…” Henry said softly as he peeked his head into the tent. “I may have told him a scary story…”
“A scary story?” Regina said sternly. “Henry, he’s six. What were you thinking?”
“I was just trying to give him a good camping experience. Everyone tells ghost stories. I tried to tell him it wasn’t real.” Henry replied, trying to defend himself.
“Roland, did you hear Henry? He made it up okay. You can just go to sleep. It’ll be alright.” Robin told him.
“No Papa, I wanna go home. I don’t wanna stay here anymore. I don’t like camping anymore.” Roland whimpered. Robin sighed and looked to Regina.
“He’s awfully scared, Robin,” Regina said. “Maybe we should just head home.”
“Fine, let’s go,” Robin replied. It was too late to argue with anyone. Without saying anything, they packed up their things and the family piled into the car. Almost instantly, Henry and Roland fell asleep in the backseat. “Don’t pretend you’re not happy,” Robin said with a smirk.
“He was scared Robin.”
“And we could have gotten him back to sleep if we tried. We could have gone home in the morning” Robin replied. “Just admit it. You wanted to go home and sleep in a bed.”
“Fine, Robin. You’re right.” Regina admitted. “I wanted to sleep in a bed because if that stupid rock found it’s way under my ass one more time, I was gonna lose it. Next time someone suggests camping, I will be staying at home. I am not an outdoorsy kind of girl and I am fine with that. I don’t need mosquitos, slimy fish or poison ivy in my life. This will be my first and last camping trip.” And with that, the argument was done. Robin knew that he couldn’t change Regina’s mind, no matter how hard he tried. The first - and last Locksley-Mills family camping trip had definitely been a bust, but at least they’d have the memories to laugh about one day.
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For Those in My Heart - Chapter 10 - “The Runaway”
Prompt: Roland feels left out and forgotten and decides to make a drastic decision
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
Roland loved his sister. He really did…but sometimes, she was loud. Well, actually, she was always loud. Also, she took up a lot of his Mama and Papa’s time. They were always feeding Addy or comforting her as she cried or trying to get her to sleep. Before she was born, Roland used to read a book with his Mama every night before he went to sleep, but now that special moment had become a rather infrequent occasion. On more than one instance, Roland has wandered over to his sister’s nursery, book in hand, to see if his Mama was ready to read with him.
“Will you read with me, Mama?” He had asked.
“I promise, in just a minute, honey,” She replied. “I just have to get your sister to stop crying,” she added, not bothering to look at him. She was more focused on shushing the screaming infant in her arms. Roland frowned and sadly walked into his room. He crawled into his bed and opened up the book. He was only six, so he wasn’t the best at reading but decided to just look at the pictures. He waited and waited but soon realized that his Mama wasn’t coming. Roland could still hear his sister screaming. Frustrated, he rolled onto his side and sighed. He was awfully tired. He decided he’d just rest his eyes for a moment and his Mama would be there soon. Eventually, however, his tiredness overtook him and Roland fell asleep, the storybook still in his hands.
Later on, in the week, Roland woke up on Saturday morning practically bouncing out of bed. Today was the day that his Papa was going to take him out to the forest with the rest of his uncles and teach him to shoot. Roland knew that his Papa was amazing with a Bowen arrow and Roland wanted to be exactly like him. Last Christmas, his Papa had bought him a smaller replica of his own bow. Roland had been so excited when he unwrapped it. He was going to be just like his Papa. After getting dressed, Roland ran down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Papa! I have my bow! I’m ready to go.” he exclaimed.
“Roland! Shh, I just got your sister to sleep.” Robin replied in a hushed tone.
“Sorry Papa, but I have my bow. When can we go meet Little John and Uncle Will?” Roland asked. “You promised to teach me to shoot.” Robin’s face fell. He did make that promise.
“I’m sorry, my boy.” Robin began. “But I have to stay and watch your sister. Mama got called into an important meeting and Henry is with Emma, so I have watch Addy.”
“But-but you promised,” Roland said, his lip quivering.
“We will go,” Robin told him. “It’ll just have to be later after Mama gets home. Is that alright?” Roland nodded sadly, even though it really wasn’t alright. “We can do something together at home though.” Robin offered.
“I think I’m just going to play in my room,” Roland replied sadly before lumbering up the stairs and into his bedroom. Stupid baby. Addy always ruined everything.
Things went on like that for a while. His Mama and Papa seemed to always be busy. If Addy wasn’t upset, Mama had to go to work. Roland also knew that Henry was getting ready to go off to college, so he was always studying for a big test that he was going to have to take, so he didn’t have time to play with him either. His Mama and Henry had also been gone a lot on weekends to see different colleges, leaving Roland once again on his own. However, today was going to be different. Today was his school concert and both Mama and Papa had promised to be there. They had both been so excited when he told them and that made Roland excited as well. He even had a solo in the show that he hadn’t told his parents about. He wanted that to be a surprise. Before the show began, Roland peeked from behind the curtain and looked into the audience. He didn’t see his Mama or Papa or Henry or even Addy. Roland felt himself get more nervous. What if they didn’t make it? What if they didn’t get to see his solo?
“Alright everyone, let’s all get to our places so we can start the show.” The teacher announced. All the kids rushed to their places, climbing onto the bleachers. Roland took his spot on the front bleacher, directly in the middle. The lights in the auditorium turned dark and the spotlight pointed at the stage. The teacher began to conduct and Roland had no choice but to start singing, even though he still didn’t see his parents. After two songs, it came time for Roland’s solo. He walked up to the microphone that was much too tall for him. The teacher had to help him bring it down to his level. He looked out into the audience and swallowed thickly. He didn’t have anyone there to support him. The music began and Roland waited for his cue, however when it came, he tried to sing but nothing came out. His hands were shaking and he was terrified. The teacher tried to help him by giving him the words, but Roland couldn’t move. His eyes began to fill with tears and before he knew it, his little legs were carrying him backstage as fast as he could go. Still crying, Roland ran out of the building and headed home.
“They didn’t come…” he cried to himself. “They don’t care about me.” It was at that moment that Roland realized that he wasn’t just sad and embarrassed. He was angry. Why was everyone else so much more important than him? Then, a thought popped into his mind. Maybe he shouldn’t be in this family anymore. He could run away. Roland didn’t believe that anyone would truly care anyway. He grabbed his little red and blue rolling suitcase and stuffed some clothes and toys into it. Then he grabbed his favorite stuffed monkey and clutched it in his arms. “Come on monkey, we’ll go find our own home…” Roland said sadly as he walked out the front door and started making his way to the forest. He had lived in the forest once before and he could do it again.
At the mayor’s office, Regina was sitting at her desk, buried under a mound of paperwork that she didn’t think she’d ever get to the bottom of. Suddenly, she heard her cell phone ring and smiled when she saw Robin’s picture flash across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hello, my love,” Robin said. “I was just calling to see what you wanted to do for dinner.”
“Maybe Granny’s tonight. I’m so tired. Just the thought of cooking is making me even more exhausted.” she replied, honestly.
“I think that can be arranged,” Robin replied with a laugh. “We’ll have to pick up Addy anyway. Granny was watching her so that I could do some work with the Merry Men.” Suddenly, Regina heard a chime from her computer that she recognized. It happened every time a reminder popped up. She looked at the screen and gasped. It said “Roland School Concert.” Oh God, She had forgotten. Why hadn’t this reminder gone off earlier?
“Robin! Please tell me you went to Roland’s school concert?”
“What do you mean? Isn’t that next week?” Robin asked.
“No! I just got a notification that it was today.” Regina replied, his voice full of panic.
“Oh, God...How did we forget?”
“I don’t know. But he’s probably still waiting for us at the school. All the kids were supposed to stay after to practice before the concert.” Regina told him.
“I’ll go and get him. Goodness, he’s going to be so upset.” Robin replied. “How are we going to make this up to him?”
“I don’t know,” Regina sighed sadly. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this horrible of a mother. He’s gonna hate us.”
“The best that we can do is apologize and try to make it up to him,” Robin replied. “I’ll call you when we’re on our way home, okay love?”
“Okay,” Regina replied. After hanging up the phone, Regina dropped her head into her hands. She felt truly terrible for missing Roland’s concert. With Addy needing so much of her attention and Henry going through the tedious process of applying for college, so much of her time was taken up. Roland had kind of fallen through the cracks. There were only so many hours in a day, but that didn’t excuse her from practically ignoring her middle son. Feeling sick to her stomach, Regina decided to just head home. She wasn’t going to be able to focus enough to get any more work done anyway. She packed up her stuff and headed home. The house was quiet when she got there. Henry was still out with Violet, which was actually good because she didn’t want him to be here when they talked to Roland. She had a feeling this was not going to be an easy conversation. She sat down at the kitchen counter as she racked her mind for what to possibly say to her young son. Suddenly, her phone began to ring again. Regina immediately picked it up. “Robin, did you get him? Are you on your way home?”
“He wasn’t there.”
“What do you mean he wasn’t there?” Regina exclaimed.
“They said he forgot the words during a solo and ran off. They tried to find him but he was too fast.” Robin told her. “Is he home?”
“I don’t know,” Regina replied. “Roland! Roland! Are you home sweetie?” She yelled as she ran up the staircase. She ran to Roland’s room and opened the door. “Roland?” She looked around. He wasn’t there...and neither was his suitcase or his monkey. He didn’t go anywhere without that monkey. It had taken two weeks of convincing to get him to stop bringing it to school.
“Robin, he’s not here! His suitcase is gone and so is his monkey,” Regina said, her eyes welling with tears. “I-I think he ran away.”
“Oh God… I’ll be home soon. Just wait for me and we’ll go out together.” Robin replied.
“I’m going to call Emma and Hook and the Charmings, the more people the better,” Regina replied.
“Okay, that’s a good idea,” Robin told her. “Regina, we will find him.”
“Okay…” She replied through a sob. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Robin answered before hanging up the phone. After hanging up, Regina called everyone and told them that Roland was missing. Instantly, the gang told her that they’d be over in a couple of minutes to look for him. Regina was left in the little boy’s room alone once again. She looked around and smiled when she found his favorite green cloak from the Enchanted Forest lying on the ground. He didn’t use it much anymore because cloaks weren’t something many people wore in this land. However, the little boy liked to use it as a cape when he’d play superheroes, so he had kept it. Regina held it up her face and instantly, Roland’s sweet smell hit her. She had to find him if it was the last thing she did. If something happened to him, Regina didn’t know what she’d do with herself.
She was drawn from her thoughts when she heard the front door open. “Regina?” A voice called. It was Robin. She raced down the stairs and flew into his arms.
“We have to find him.”
“We will,” Robin told her. “Everyone is outside. Get your coat and let’s go.” Regina nodded, pulled on her coat and followed Robin outside. They decided to break up into groups. Emma and Hook would head to the beach. Snow and Charming would look in town and Regina and Robin would head to the forest because Robin knew the forest better than anyone.
“We only have a little time. It’s getting dark.” Robin told everyone.
“And the weather isn’t looking too great…” Emma remarked as she looked at the dark clouds in the sky.
“Let’s just go. Make sure to call if anyone finds him.” David said before everyone headed their separate ways.
“The forest is so big, I don’t know how we’ll ever find him,” Regina said.
“We have to,” Robin told her. “Isn’t there something you can do? Something magical?” Regina thought for a moment.
“A locator potion!” She exclaimed. “It’ll lead us right to him.” It was then that she realized she was still holding Roland’s green cloak in her hands. She quickly conjured up a bit of the locater potion from her vault and poured it over the cloak, which lit up and began to float away, presumably in Roland’s direction. “Now we’ll be able to find him.”
“And not a moment too soon,” Robin replied as he felt raindrops begin to fall and a loud crack of thunder echoed through the sky.
Deeper in the forest, Roland was running as fast as he could. He was terrified. It had gotten darker much faster than he had expected it to and he hadn’t accounted for the rain. He realized that he didn’t have a tent like he normally did when he stayed with his Papa and his Uncles. He also didn’t have any water or food. Roland realized he had made a huge mistake. He had also never been a big fan of thunderstorms. They scared him. They were loud and the lightning was too bright. And, now he was completely soaking wet and cold. Roland started to run to try and find shelter, but he ended up tripping over a tree root. He fell to the ground, his knee taking the majority of the impact. Roland hissed at the pain as he brought his knee up to examine it. There was an angry red brush burn staring back at him. “Ow,” Roland cried, clutching his knee. He just wanted to go home. He wanted his Mama to clean off his knee and kiss it to make it feel better. He just wanted to be in own bed with fresh, dry pajamas. This had been a mistake...a big, big, mistake. Limping on his bad knee, Roland had found his way into hollowed out old tree that had fallen. It was dirty and smelly, but at least it was dry. He shivered in his wet clothes and clutched his monkey tight to his chest. “It’s gonna be okay, monkey,” he whispered. “We’re okay.” Suddenly, another pang of thunder rang out and Roland jumped. “I want to go home,” he whimpered. “I want to go home.”
Luckily for Roland, Regina and Robin had almost found their way to him. They were racing after the cloak, completely drenched. “We have to be almost there,” Robin replied, breathlessly. Regina didn’t reply. She was too focused on following the cloak and finding Roland.
“Roland!” They both yelled. “Roland, where are you?” Then, out of the corner of her eye, Regina caught a glimpse of a tiny red and blue suitcase that she recognized to be Roland’s.
“Roland!” She screamed as she darted over to the fallen tree.
“Mama?” Roland replied, peeking his head out of the tree. “Mama!” he exclaimed, realizing she was in fact truly there. He crawled out from inside the tree and ran straight into Regina’s arms.
“Oh God, you’re okay. You’re okay.” She exclaimed, holding him close to her chest.
“I’m so sorry, I ran away, Mama.” Roland sobbed.
“It’s okay,” She told him. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters.” Robin was by there sides in an instant and took his son into his arms.
“Oh my boy, you’re safe. Thank God.” Robin cried. “Please never scare us like that again.”
“I’m sorry,” The little boy cried out once more.
“We’ll talk more when we get home,” Regina said. “Let’s just get out of this rain.” The three of them wandered out of the forest and back to the mayoral mansion. Robin made sure to call everyone else so they could stop looking and go home and get dry as well. Once inside the house, Regina took Roland upstairs and got him changed. She also bandaged his knee and kissed it, like a mother should, to make it stop hurting. When Roland was situated, Regina got herself changed and Robin did as well. Then, the three of them settled in on the couch for a long overdue talk.
“Roland, honey, we are so sorry that we missed your concert,” Regina told him. “I don’t know what happened. We were just so busy...and we made a mistake.”
“I was supposed to have a solo…” the little boy replied sadly. “But I got too nervous and I forgot all the words and you and Papa weren’t there, so I got scared and I ran.”
“Oh baby, I am so sorry,” Regina said pulling him into her arms.
“Roland, Mama and I are very sorry that that happened,” Robin told him. “We don’t know how we’ll make it up to you, but I have to know. Why did you run away?” Roland shrugged his shoulders.
“You can tell us, honey. We won’t get mad, no matter what.” Regina told him.
“I didn’t think you guys cared about me anymore,” he said in practically a whisper. Regina felt like someone had just shot her in the heart. It killed her that Roland felt that way. She loved that little boy with all her heart.
“Why would you think that?” Robin asked softly.
“Because,” Roland answered. “You never have any time for me anymore. You’re always taking care of Addy or helping Henry with college. Papa, you promised to teach me to shoot a bow just like you and you didn’t. And, Mama, you used to read with me every night and now you never do.” Regina and Robin looked at one another sheepishly. Roland was right. They had been ignoring him, not on purpose, of course, but they had been ignoring him.
“Oh sweetheart, we’re so sorry that we made you feel like that,” Regina told him. “It’s just...Addy is a baby so she needs a lot of attention. And, applying for college is very stressful so we wanted to help Henry as much as we could. But that doesn’t excuse us in any way for making you feel that way. Roland, we both love you so much.”
“You do?” the little boy asked.
“Of course we do,” Robin told him.
“How about we have a Roland day?” Regina suggested. “You get to choose whatever you want to do with just me and Papa.”
“No Addy or Henry?” Roland asked.
“No, it’ll just be the three of us. A special day just for you.” She replied.
“I think that would be fun.” the little boy agreed. “Mama?” he asked.
“Yes, baby,”
“Am I still your little knight?” he asked.
“Always and forever, my love,” Regina replied as she took the little boy into her arms and held onto him as tightly as she could, not wanting to ever let go. Tonight had been scary for sure but it was a wake-up call that they all needed. Regina and Robin would make sure no matter what that Roland felt loved and included in whatever they did...they loved that little boy too much to ever let him feel like that ever again.
Prompt: Regina realizes what gifts her children truly are
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12
Regina felt that she had been pretty blessed when it came to her children. She hadn’t given birth to any of them, but that didn’t make them any less hers. She had found a quote while scrolling through Facebook one day that always stuck with her. It read, “I didn’t give you the gift of life, but life gave me the gift of you.” Regina truly felt that in her heart. Each one of her children were gifts to her. Henry was the gift that she had wished and hoped for for years. Initially, she hadn’t known that a child was something that she desired, rather needed, in her life. However, as soon as the man at the adoption agency placed Henry in her arms, something changed inside of her. Following the enactment of her curse, Henry was the first and only person to love her for a long time. Everytime that Henry looked up at her with those big brown eyes of his, she simply melted. His toothy grin made her heart flutter and when he first uttered the word, “Mama,” Regina could barely breathe because the happiness that she felt was overwhelming. Henry was the one to make her believe in herself, to make her realize that she could have happiness. He had turned the Evil Queen back to who she really was… Regina. He was her ultimate gift, her little prince.
Roland was the gift that fell into her lap, a complete surprise that she never knew she wanted. After sending Henry to New York with Emma, Regina had felt lost. The only person that loved her was gone and Regina didn’t know what to do with herself. It had taken a little boy with brown curly hair, chocolate brown eyes and a heart of gold to help her realize that she still had a reason to live. He was sweet like Henry and so innocent, but Roland was also very different. When Henry was little, he had practically been afraid of his own shadow, but Roland wasn’t like that. Sure, the little boy had fears but he was also the bravest six year old that she had ever met. Roland came into her life when she was broken, when she felt as though at any moment she’d break into a million pieces and simply float away. Roland had kept her grounded during that time. He made her smile and laugh. Roland brought her so much joy during a time when she felt that joy was never a feeling she’d experience again. Above all, that little boy was never afraid to stand up for her. To Roland, she was never the Evil Queen. He didn’t care what she had done in the past. She was his ‘“Gina” and after a while she was his Mama, no matter what others said. He would always protect her. He would always be her little knight.
Addy was the gift that she hadn’t wanted. She hadn’t asked for her and for a while, she didn’t want the little girl in her life. At first, Regina wanted nothing more than to make the little girl disappear, to return her. When Regina looked at Addy, she was reminded of something that she would never be able to give Robin...a child of their own. Regina had never considered her infertility when she met Robin. She didn’t need too. They had their two perfect boys and that was what mattered. It had taken a little girl with Robin’s sandy blonde hair and her sister’s crystal blue eyes to make her realize how much she had given up all those years ago when she drank that potion. Pain was all that Regina saw when she looked at Addy for the longest time...that was until she let herself truly get to know the little stranger living in her house. From the first time Regina held the sweet girl in her arms, she had fallen in love with the baby girl and in that moment, she was just as much hers as Roland and Henry were. As Addy grew before her very eyes, Regina realized how different she was from either of the boys. Addy was independent. She didn’t want people to help her do things. She wanted to figure out how to do it on her. She conquered crawling and walking all on her own and on her own time. Addy also had quite the fiery temper. Regina believed it was in her genetics and that she had inherited it from Zelena. However, whenever, she said that all Robin could do was laugh and say, “Sure, honey, anything you say.” They both knew that Addy’s temper could be from Zelena but it could also be from Regina, a fact that the Queen herself would never admit to. Out of all her children, Addy reminded Regina the most of herself. Yes, she had her temper but she also had her heart. From the time she was a little girl, Regina had felt things with her whole heart and she felt them deeply. As she watched her daughter grow, Regina realized that her Addy was much like her. She had this perceptive ability to know when someone was hurting, especially when it was her mother. Holding Addy in her arms always seemed to be exactly what she needed to forget whatever was troubling her and make smile once more. She provided the same sense of comfort for the boys in her family whenever they needed it. When Addy was little, they had taken to calling her their little ladybug, mostly because of a toy that the little girl simply adored. However, after doing a little research, Regina had found that ladybugs symbolized good luck and fortune. That was what Addy had brought into their life. Regina had come to realize that she was the little blessing, the little bit of luck, that she had always desired in her life. No matter how big Addy grew, she would always be Regina’s little ladybug.
With each child that came into her life, Regina realized that she gained a little piece of herself back from the Evil Queen. Addy had given her back her heart. She had given her back the ability to open herself up to others, to love and be loved in return. Roland had given her back her courage. He had shown her that she didn’t need power to stand up for herself or others. He had shown her that true courage came from within. Henry had given her back her optimism, her belief in hope. In the darkest of times, Henry had been that light at the end of the tunnel for her. He had made her believe in herself and in the person that she could become. Together, they had created the mother that they knew. She was the mother who held them close when they were sad and dried their tears. She was the mother who cheered them on in all that they did. She was the mother who would love them, no matter what. They had been the ones to create her. They had chosen her to be there mother and Regina knew that she would never let her three little gifts down. She’d loved them until the end of time.
