When Robin returned to the camp, he found Marian tucking Roland into bed. He watched her from just inside the entrance to their tent. Marian gently stroke Roland's hair as she sang him a lullaby, the same one she used to sing over his crib so many years ago. Robin smiled. Roland deserved this - they both did.
When Marian's song ended, she leaned forward to kiss the sleeping boy on his forehead. She stood up and turned, smiling when she spotted Robin. She waited until they both stepped out of the tent to say, "I didn't hear you come in."
"You weren't supposed to. I'm a professional thief." Robin reached for her hand and they walked together over to the center of the camp, where the men were scattered in small groups. Robin sat by the fire and pulled Marian down next to him. As she sat, she spotted his injured knuckles.
"Robin! What happened to your hands?" Marian exclaimed.
Robin let out an embarrassed smile. "It's nothing," he assured her. "I ran into an old acquaintance and let my anger get the better of me."
Marian's eyes widened. "You started a fight?" Robin had been in many altercations in his life, but he usually avoided violence where he could.
Robin shifted. "Like I said, I lost my temper. But it's fine, I'm taking care of it." Robin smiled and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You have nothing to worry about."
Just then, Friar Tuck ran up to them, with several merry men following behind him. "Robin! We heard you were in a fight in town. Who attacked you? Are you hurt?"
Robin stood and addressed the group, raising his voice to draw the attention of all the men nearby. "Rest easy, I am well. The only damage we should worry about was to Granny's diner. We've been in enough tavern scuffles to know the kind of damage it can cause."
The men chuckled, but one called out, "who started the fight?"
Robin said, "I fought a man named Will Scarlet. Many of you will remember him." They did, if the murmuring from the crowd was any indication. "Well, he has returned, but he'll not be welcome among us." The men nodded in agreement.
Robin looked around at his men. They trusted him to be their leader, and he trusted each of them in turn. He was generally reluctant to share his personal life, but since he already had their attention, he figured he would get this bit of business out of the way. "While I have you gathered, you should know that in order to aid Marian's recovery," Robin turned to smile down at his wife. She smiled back, and he returned to face the crowd, "I took a magic potion that has wiped my memories." Their reaction to this news was louder than to Will Scarlet's return. Robin reassured them quickly. "You have no need to worry, I haven't forgotten anyone's birthday. I've only forgotten a few, unimportant things that occurred after our arrival in this world. I just wanted to be honest with all of you."
Robin waited a moment for the men to absorb this news. They seemed reassured, so he continued. "But the damage to Granny's diner is something to worry about. We are men of the people, men of honor, and we never leave a place worse than we found it. So, I ask for a few volunteers to help repair the damage caused by the fight. Who will join me in the morning?"
At first, nobody spoke up. They were good men, but not usually early risers. Robin stared at John, who reluctantly raised his hand. After a few more minutes of staring, three other men had raised their hands, and Robin finally smiled. "Thank you. Sleep up, men, we leave at first light." The men who had raised their hands groaned, and everyone returned to their earlier conversations, Robin say back down next to Marian, turning to her with an easy smile.
Marian looked warily at him. "How much damage did you cause that you need five men to fix it?"
Robin put his hand on her knee and squeezed gently. "It's not that bad. Granny just wants the work done quickly so she can open on time tomorrow. More men mean faster repairs."
Marian didn't seemed reassured. "And what of this memory potion? How did it help me recover?"
Robin's smiled faltered. He didn't know what Marian knew about his alleged relationship with the Evil Queen, and he certainly didn't want to tell her anything that would disturb her. "You were frozen for a few weeks. I don't remember much from that time, but I'm told that I… had some memories that were blocking my love for you." He raised a hand to cup her cheek and looked affectionately into her eyes. "I took the potion to rid my mind of those memories. They weren't important - you are all I need."
Marian placed her hand over Robin's on her cheek. "You mean the queen? That's what you forgot."
Robin startled. "I didn't realize you knew about that."
"Of course I knew," Marian said gently. "You were with her when I returned. Did you think I had forgotten?"
Robin gathered both her hands in his. "No, no of course not. I'm the one who forgot. I have no recollection of this supposed relationship, but it doesn't matter now. I can hardly believe I was ever involved with that woman, but she is out of my life now. We don't ever have to worry about her again."
Marian smiled at him.
Tom sat down suddenly on Robin's other side. "A fight, hey? I didn't think you still had it in you!" Robin laughed along with him, squeezing Marian's hands before turning to face the fire.
"Well, I'm not proud of it, but thank you for volunteering." Tom had been the first, after John, to raise his hand.
Tom nodded. "Of course, anything to help our fearless leader. Especially if he's lost his mind." Tom leaned questioningly toward Robin.
Robin kept a steady gaze on him. "I did not lose my mind. Only a few memories."
Tom looked searchingly at Robin. "What exactly have you forgotten? The flying monkeys? The evil snow monster?"
Robin shook his head. "No, I remember all that."
He continued asking. "So then what did you forget? The delightful tale I've been telling the last few nights about my grandfather's heroics in the ogre wars?"
Robin and Marian both laughed. Tom had told those stories countless times, and each time his grandfather's actions grew more impressive and unbelievable. "No, I don't recall that. How many ogres did he fight off with only a dagger?"
"15," Tom said seriously. "And it wasn't a dagger, it was a kitchen knife. Very well, Robin, I'll just have to tell it again."
"No, please," Robin laughed. "I think I should be heading to bed. It's been a very long day and we both need to be up early."
Robin stood, and pulled Marian up with him. They both wished Tom a good night, and headed towards Robin's tent. When they got there, Marian pulled her hand away. "Robin, if you don't mind, I think I'll go sit by the fire a while longer."
Robin put his hand on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Is something wrong? Are you still cold? I didn't think to ask Emma if there would be any lasting effects from the freezing curse."
Marian put her hands on Robin's chest and shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I've just been asleep for weeks - I'd rather spend some more time awake before going to bed."
Robin pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he said, then watched as she walked back to the campfire. Robin crawled into his tent and was immediately asleep.
...
A/N: I wanted to write Regina's POV for the last scene (probably next chapter), but I'm waiting for the next episode to air. This fic starts after 4x07, and I tried to stick mostly to cannon from 4x08. I'll try to do the same for the next episode, but it will depend on what happens. If it's too far from where this is going, my story is just going to branch off from there.
As always, please review!
