There was something funny about the change of seasons in the Enchanted Forest. Seasons had a large control on people. They arranged their lives to suit the weather, not the other way around. They sowed seeds and planted veggies at the start of the year, they nurtured and harvested their yield before they prepared for a less active time when the winter would keep them inside. With the fall the start of change came, stripping the trees of its green and soaking the lands in heavy downpours.

One of those seemed to built right now, in form of gray clouds above the increasingly thinning crowns of trees, as Robin was on her way from Queen Tiana's palace to Alice.

It was time for yet another letter delivery and chess lesson.

It would be a long walk till she arrived at Alice's hut but it would also be a while for the rain to start. That did not keep the merchants and couriers from hurrying up and down the main road on their feet, their horses or their carriages already. One of the latter had almost run over Robin a few moments earlier. Robin was reminded of a movie she had seen as a kid, a three dimensional animation of ants and bugs racing in streams to get their work done.

Though rain could be a dangerous and at times even lethal type of weather.

Unlike the concreted streets with the whole package of gutter and drain in Storybrooke, paths inevitably turned into mud lanes here. People did not use umbrellas but were shielded by the leather of their coats and the treetops holding smaller raindrops at bay; or they waited beneath trees in hope for the stronger shower of rain to settle down. Sometimes it did not work. Sometimes they got wet, sometimes they got ill and sometimes they died.

Life was harder in the Enchanted Forest than it had been in Storybrooke.

Life was more sincere and yet Robin couldn't complain.

When her coat got heavy from the rain and her clothes filthy, stained by the mushy paste of the ground, she did not bat an eyelid. When her boots sank in the mud on her travels she did not curse – unless she was stuck for sure. She hated it when the mud threatened to pull off said boots.

However, there was hardly any condition which would bum her out for good.

She loved the smell of rain and the soft and musky scent of the woods. She loved the sight of the leaves falling, covering the forest floor with warm, citrus colors.

She felt at peace here, more than she ever felt at home, when she would wait for the rain to stop, chatting with her alleged friends, slash followers, about some nonsense on the phone or trying to avoid her mother's ideas of quality bonding time.

One time or another Robin had sneaked out while it rained, heading towards the forest at the outer rim of Storybrooke to savor the atmosphere.

It had felt like true magic to her. Unlike the weird sensation she would sometimes get thanks to the magic she had possessed back then.

She was never meant to be a witch.

By now she knew that, even if she had never known her father, never had been able to be with him, this side of her was his heritage. Her strive for adventure, her talent for archery and her love for nature brought them closer. Even if they weren't and could never truly be. It was similar to what Alice said about having a part of her father with her by doing stuff they had used to do together.

A tingling sensation crawled over her skin as her thoughts drifted to the petite blonde.

They often did.

It had become second nature to Robin by now.

She didn't even mind the momentary falter in her steps as she walked down the road, ignoring fellow travelers for the sake of day dreaming about the pretty blue eyed girl with sun kissed hair.

Alice resembled a summer day. Eyes as blue as a sunny sky and hair as bright as the sun.

No matter the weather outside, she was the reminder of warmth and light and... And all the other things that made a summer beautiful.

As if the weather could read her thoughts a cold breeze mocked Robin, almost pushing off her hood. Pulling it over her head again, she clicked her tongue annoyed at the disturbance.

The wind was picking up slowly and Robin figured she'd better pick up her pace in kind, if she wanted to reach Alice's without looking like a wet dog.

Though, the wind had a point: While Alice resembled a summer day, her personality was the same and more. Like thunder and lightening crossing a bright sunny sky.

Back home, there had been nothing more mesmerizing to her than the atmosphere after a downpour in the forest. There had been nothing more exciting and exhilarating than to suck in the crisp and potent rain washed air.

That was until Robin met Alice.

Nothing was as vivid to Robin as Alice.

She was like the thunderous drum of rain and the mythical tranquility after a rainy day at the same time.

She was the brightness of summer and the magic of fall.

Every experience with Alice was a moment to live for.

Even learning and playing chess had not been as awful and boring as Robin had feared. Listening to the blonde talk about chess with passion and glee, watching her grin while moving a knight or nibble on her lower lip in concentration and seeing her bouncing back and forth in her seat while she waited for Robin to make her move, was definitely the best thing about this game.

And the sweetest reward of loosing was Alice's reaction after she'd won. Which she always did.

While Alice had not been a bad teacher, she was a very distracting one and Robin was a not so good pupil, usually forgetting to scan the board before making a move, more interested in Alice than the actual match.

And Alice's winning reaction was pure gold: It was either a pout or a content, almost cunning, smile, depending on how much effort Robin had been able to put into a game to make it last. Either of both made Robin the secret winner of each match. The first one because it made Robin's heart leap in her chest due to its sheer cuteness and the other because it gave Robin ideas to see this smile in another context, sending waves of heat from her center to her core.

She got it bad. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy this.

Weeks had gone by since the day Robin entered Alice's hut for the first time. She'd dropped the "asking out" question after her embarrassing clash with Alice's table. And besides some smoldering glances from her side, their last few meetings stayed rather platonic, forcing Robin to admit to the crushing possibility that her feelings were, in fact, one-sided.

It wasn't that Robin wouldn't love to just pop out the question to be sure once and for all but she was afraid she would ruin what they had. Alice needed a friend first and foremost and that was what Robin was going to be for the time being.

So what if she enjoyed watching Alice's energetic nature bloom or her sweet innocence unfold until she had irrefutable proof that they could be more than friends? So what if she had spontaneous fantasies of Alice sending her this particular, cunning smile, eyes glinting temptingly while she undressed – maybe opening the ties of her ruched blouse tormentingly slow before she nudged the silky material off her shoulders, porcelain skin lied bare to the sight, and –

"HEEEEELP!"

Robin flinched, startled at the dark and used voice screaming for help, punching her ruthlessly out of her daydream. Her muscles froze as if an ice bucket hit her and she released a puff of air. Her heart raced. Now in shock.

What the – ?

Fighting off her disorientation she blinked her eyes and looked up.

It was just in time as she became aware of the black horse galloping towards her at high speed.

She yelped and jumped to the side, barely preventing being trampled to death as the animal rushed by.

THE HELL?!

This had to be the worst turn off!

Ever!

Closely followed by the "knee knocking on table's claw" incident from a few weeks ago, of course.

"Help! He stole my pouch!" The old and male voice screamed again from the direction the horse had emerged from.

Shaking her head and taking a deep breath she tried to get rid of her annoyance.

She was Robin Hood.

Robin Hood did not sulk because of a suffocated arousal.

Robin Hood helped those who needed it.

In an instant she raised her bow and whipped around to the run away horse and its rider. Swiftly she pulled an arrow from her quiver and aimed.

The horse was fast. A few hundred feet away. Adrenaline flushed through her veins, as she greeted the challenge.

Licking her lips, Robin waited for the right moment to shoot.

She held her breath.

Everything blurred around her as she calculated the strength of the wind and observed the motions of the horse, the rider on top and his brown cape flapping in the blast of air. Up and down. Up and down. She watched until she found the perfect angle.

Then she released the arrow.

It went off with a swoosh. Within a second it drilled through the air, flew across the road, past bushes and trees and hit its mark. A harsh knock echoed through the forest as the tip pierced into wood.

Robin smirked, pleased with her accuracy.

'Check and mate,' she praised herself cockily, unable to keep the arrogance out of her inner voice. She knew she was good, after all.

Plunged deep into the trunk of a tree, the arrow trapped the thief's coat up high while his horse continued to run. The unfortunate, unseated rider dangled from the coat above the ground. His face was contorted in shock.

Lowering her bow, she jogged over to him. When he reached for his belt, she retrieved another arrow and quickly aimed at his head, yelling, "Stop! If you don't want your head to suffer the same fate as your coat you keep your hands where I can see them."

In response the thief retrieved his hands from his belt with widened eyes, rising them in front of him to show his surrender.

With long strides she closed in on the thief. Behind her she heard someone else approach, panting harshly. She looked over her shoulder and saw a simply dressed, old man. His dirt smeared face, a poorly shaved beard and a gaping hole between the teeth led her to the conclusion that he might be a farmer having sold his goods to Queen Tiana before heading back home. She knew she could trust her instincts but stayed cautious, nevertheless. Her experiences from former encounters similar to this taught her to question first.

"Thank you, mate," the elderly man uttered breathlessly while passing.

Robin observed him as he bounced on his legs towards the culprit, who was still nailed to the tree, and searched him until he found a pouch. Looking inside he released a relieved sigh.

Slowly, she lowered the bow.

The supposed farmer turned around, his pouch clutched tightly in his earth crusted hands, and smiled at her gratefully. "How can I repay you?" he asked.

"Don't worry," Robin replied with a little shrug and curl of her lips. "I don't charge good deeds."

"Could you at least tell me your name?" He said waving his hands towards her, head bowed slightly.

Folding back the hood of her coat, Robin rose her chin and proudly announced, "I'm Robin Hood."

"Wasn't Robin Hood a guy?" He uttered in disbelief.

She bit back a groan.

Seriously, she was growing tired of how often she had to explain that she is in fact Robin Hood.

Seemed like every realm had its misogynistic assholes. And it wasn't only men. She couldn't count how often she'd been at the receiving end of this doubtful gaze from men and women alike. She wondered how emancipation could ever be a real thing if women preferred their gender to swing brooms instead of swords.

Rolling her eyes she muttered unnerved, "I'm his daughter. The new Robin Hood."

Surprised he blinked and then he barked out a laugh.. "Strewth, I thought Robin Hood vanished for good! Glad to have someone like you around again!"

Okay, maybe he wasn't that misogynistic.

Robin's irritation deflated and she watched him with furrowed eyebrows while he tried to retie the pouch to his belt with the cut through strap.

"Anyhow, thank you, Robin Hood, and stay cautious," he said with a big smile, showcasing the gap between his teeth. "A storm is brewing."

Not buying his forecast Robin frowned. "No, it's not. It will be just another rain shower."

"Trust me, lass, I've walked beneath this sky for more than fifty years and that," he emphasized with a finger pointed to the sky, "won't be a simple rain shower."

Robin raised her gaze towards the sky. Her eyes widened at the sight. Through the tree tops she could see the clouds drifting by at a higher pace than before, visibly darkened as they had joined forces.

...

Okay, maybe there was a slight chance she had underestimated the change of weather.

'I better get going, I guess,' she thought, refusing to feel foolish, before she glanced once more at the man and nodded at him, "Thanks for the advice. And you might wanna keep away from cloaked figures in the future. That's usually a tell-tale sign for shady business."

With that Robin turned on her heels and hurried to Alice, hoping she'd get there before the storm did.

A/N: A last filler before the grand finale of this one starts!^^ Hope it was enjoyable, nonetheless. I wanted some archer action for Robin because we did not get enough of it in the show. Okay, we did not get enough of Alice and Robin in general. Honestly, I would have watched them for the rest of my life growing old together. Damn, I am soooo obsessed... -.-

Also Robin being the more thirsty one is my favorite personal headcanon. *wiggles eyebrows* 

Like always, if you liked the chapter leave a comment or vote behind. I'd be much oblidged! ;)