His movements were jerky and dazed, as if he was sleep walking, passing through doorways and corridors without seeming to have a destination or even a sense of his surroundings. Passing through one final door to the outside world, the sunlight almost blinded them both. He didn't stop, just put one foot in front of the other until his legs gave under him. He collapsed on the ground, his body heaving, throwing up again and again, rejecting his memories, his actions, rejecting himself.

Her hands went to his shaking shoulders, but another hand got there first, clasping tightly. He turned to see the owner of that hand, his face ghostly, his eyes swimming in pools of loathing and despair. It was hard to believe he was the same cocky 17 year old she had seen in the meadow in the last vision.

"It needs to stop Robin."

"How?" he asked, laughing mirthlessly. "I helped him Anna." his voice broke on the admission. "Ravandale wouldn't shut up." He was in shock, his eyes round, his voice disbelieving, horror curving his body in on itself, trying to escape the memories. "I kept seeing his face from that night...when he kept screaming for our heads..." he was sobbing, great heaving sobs that shook his whole body. "I just wanted to make it stop...make him go away."

"I know" Anna's voice was a soothing whisper meant to calm. She tried to draw him in her arms, but he pulled away savagely. "But I didn't stop!." he shouted at her. "I killed all of them. Fifty people! I..."

"Robin, listen to me," she said getting on her knees so they were eye to eye. "He is going too far." her hands hovered above his arms, not daring to touch for fear of setting him off. "We have to stop it before it's too late." her voice was earnest, her beseeching hands finally landing on his arms. Robin stared at her vacantly, too dazed to give any reaction. "Before the darkness swallows him like it did your mother."

Anger made a crack appear on his shell-shock. "You know nothing of my mother!"

"I know enough. And I am not letting the same fate befall William!" her voice was hard as iron, her resolve harder still. "I love him too much."

"What can we do? He won't listen! Says this is the only way we are going to take back our 'happy ending'." There was so much venom in the way he said that term. "I don't want it! We were happy before. This is not happiness!"

Anna rose up, gazing down at him inscrutably, a slight line puckering her brow. "There is a man. I've heard tales of him—"

Robin gave a derisive chuckle. "Where? In the taverns? From the bards? Like they ever get anything right." from the bitterness in his tone Regina guessed he must be talking from experience.

"Well it's the only chance we have." Anna replied, her own anger showing. "You prefer to just give up? Are you going to just sit back as it takes your only remaining family as well?"

He looked at her, breathing hard, a million thoughts and emotion passing through his eyes. "Fine!" he growled after a moment, his narrowed eyes and stiff posture indicating anything but.

Anna relented, her lips curling into a smile, her cat eyes glinting devilishly in the low light. "Cheer up Goodfellow. If you go on like this much longer we'll have to call you Sourfellow from now on." The answer to her jab was only an annoyed roll of his eyes.

"What's he supposed to do anyway?"

"They say he beats the devils and vanquishes evils from hearts and lands." She answered, the effect of the mysterious tone she'd put on diminished by the twinkle in her eyes.

"And how is that of any use to us?!" Robin asked archly, still not taking the bait.

She became serious, her eyes somber and her tone earnest. "The darkness is burrowing into his soul, his heart, his mind. That man is going to get rid of it."

Before he could come up with a sarcastic enough rejoinder, a noise drew both their heads to the castle entry, and Regina turned with them to see William exiting. His cloths and body were a mass of dried and clinging blood and his face was clammy and white like a ghost's, his lips two pale narrow lines, his eyes two blazing cobalt orbs, feverish, intense, scent of madness wafting through the air around him.

"We have not yet found all of the guilty 12 brother." He said, his manic eyes landing on Robin and Anna. "We will not rest until they all are burning in fires of unending agony. For their sin."

Robin stood up shakily. "They have fled far William. Some even to the neighboring kingdoms."

"Then we will hunt them to the ends of the earth if needs be."

"How? We don't even have full control of our own kingdom yet!"

"Do not worry little brother, for I have made us the mightiest army." he said in grand tones, his lips twitching but not really turning into a smile. At his words, the shadows clinging to the entry dislodged, moving slowly towards the light. They glinted bloody crimson before the scarce light of dusk shone enough on them to make the shapes discernible. The headless corpses filed into the courtyard with the predatory grace of panthers readying for a pounce, naked blades ready at hand or bows drawn, awaiting the naming of the prey to commence a bath of blood.

"I give you brother," he declared, his voice filling the quiet with ominous foreboding, his hands indicating the newcomers with theatrical flourish, "The Red Army."

Regina stared, along with slack jawed Robin and Anna at the army of headless corpses.

"You will be their Captain." William said, his hands gripping Robin's shoulders. "They will not eat drink rest or die. And with each new kill you bring me we will gain a soldier more." he turned back to the demonic hoard, gazing at his Red Army with a maniacal gleam in his eyes, savage relish oozing off of him.

"We will be unbeatable. The happy ending is ours brother. We must rejoice!" he laughed, the sound grating on Regina's nerves, making Anna flinch and Robin pale even more.

"We must rest love. Now that we have what we came here for." Anna said, softening her tone and putting on a cajoling air she sauntered toward William, putting her body between him and Robin in the process.

"But I want to show the people our new army!" he told her petulantly, his tone reminiscent of a child's.

She caressed his cheek soothingly. "Maybe later after we are rested-"

"No! You two rest" he shouted, jerking away from her but she was unflinching in the face of his vitriolic outburst. "I want them to see now!" he was becoming unhinged, his voice revealing the madness underneath the rage and fear. "To know they can never rise against me. They need to be taught a lesson."

"William...It was the nobles-" Robin stammered, panicked.

"They were but twelve men. They could have done nothing without the people." William spat back at him.

"Brother, listen to me," Robin began, his hands going to his brother's arms imploringly. William jerked himself away from him, fury leaping out of him in flames, making Robin stumble.

"No you listen to me Robin!" he yelled, shoving him hard, turning his stumble into a fall, "I'm not letting you or anyone else jeopardize our chance at happiness. And if you are too weak to take it for yourself I will force it upon you if I must!"

"William!" Anna snapped. "We have been at war for two months straight." She forced him back, fisted her hands in his leather vest to bring his head close to hers, her eyes shooting green fury at him, "And no one has worked harder for this victory than Robin. Not even you." she pushed him away, too furious to even want to look at him. "We are tired. All of us. You go ahead if you are too daft to get it through thick scull that we have bloody won!"

William's nostrils flared dangerously. "We have not won until that hall is lined with all their heads!" he barked at her.

Anna's forceful push to his shoulder drove him back a step. "And you think to find it by terrorizing the village with your new toys do you? Go ahead. Go get your bloody heads!" her face was almost the same red as her hair she was so mad, fury etched in every line of her body.

"Don't mind if I do." William snapped, rage contorting his face, making it almost unrecognizable. He turned sharply on his heel, going for the gates, the headless army following him as one.

It took them a moment to move after the last of them had disappeared from sight. Robin broke free first.

"It has him. It has him Anna."

She whirled on him "No. No!" the vehemence of her cry seemed to deliver an almost physical blow to Robin.

"That is not William! We shouldn't have let him use it. We shouldn't have. "He said, drowning under the weight of despair.

"It doesn't have you!"

"Doesn't it? I murdered 50 men and women in cold blood!" Regina could see his eyes glistening and tremors wracking his body.

"It doesn't!" she said. "And it isn't going to have Will!" it was a solemn promise driven by unshakable determination, blinded by love. "We will find that man and he is going to fix it. We just have to control him till then.

Something drew Regina's eyes to Robin, who stood immobile as a stone statue, staring fixedly at Anna's stubbornly determined face, like he was seeing a ghost. But it was worse than that for him she realized. He was seeing her, he was seeing Anna; it was evident in the bottomless pain reflected in his eyes. His face was so pale she was afraid there was no drop of blood left in his body. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the vision dissipate slowly. He closed his eyes, concentrating on breathing in and out.

"Enough" Robin barked on a harsh exhale, his voice wrought with emotion.

"You're seeing it too." she said, knowing it to be true. But it didn't make any sense. "Why are you seeing it? I thought Jack only gave me the fruit of sight—"

"How the hell should I know?" he exploded, opening his eyes to star at her furiously. "Why don't you enlighten me why the hell the land keeps thinking we're bloody connected?"

She couldn't tell him she just couldn't. "You mean it's not the first time?" She asked, not needing to feign puzzlement.

"Not so forthcoming when you are on the receiving end of hard questions are you?"

"It's your land!" she said defensively. "How should I know what's wrong with it?" She hoped he was too emotionally off balanced to pay close attention to her act.

He looked at her suspiciously for a few beats before giving his head a harsh shake as if to clear it. "You've seen what you wanted. We're going back to the camp now. "

"Not yet. I need to know how you stopped him before."

"Weren't you listening? I didn't."

"You did something didn't you? It got you out. You just don't want me to find out so I can get you out again." her anger made it difficult to keep accusation out of her voice and she didn't try, which only made his eyes burn hotter still.

"The only thing you are doing is getting back to camp so I can find a way out of here for you!"

"Like hell I am." she was tired of him treating her like an imbecile. "This story is just beginning."

"This story is my bloody life! And I'm tired of walking through this nightmare for you!"

Her indignation and rage evaporated. She didn't know what to say; she had to know, but she hated seeing that look on his face and knowing she was the one who put it there by dredging up all these memories. "Don't you understand?" he asked, her hesitation lessening the harshness of his tone, "I'm not someone you can save to redeem yourself from your darkness. I'm as tainted by it as he is."

How could he think that? "No Robin you're not." she was gripping is arms, willing him to believe her. "Why can't you see that? And I'm not trying to redeem myself. I'm just trying to—"

"What? What is it you seek? Haven't you seen enough? Haven't I bared enough wounds for you to throw salt in?"

Oh Robin. Did he really think her that cruel? "Don't you want to see your son?" She asked him softly, her heart almost breaking at the thought of him never seeing his little boy again. "Don't you want to get back to him?"

He turned his head away, hiding his thoughts, his emotions. "My feelings on the matter are irrelevant." his hand on her shoulder tightened, betraying his inner turmoil. "I must atone for my sins here. Set to right the wrongs I did so long ago. "

"Then let me help. Please." She couldn't remember the last time she had pleaded like this with anyone. She didn't think she ever had.

His head snapped back to hers, his intense eyes boring into her soul. "Why? Why do you care so much? Tell me!"

The entreaty in his voice made a part of her want to just come out and tell him, but she knew she couldn't. She wasn't sure if she really knew why herself. Before she had a chance to come up with a convincing lie, her eyes fell to the castle doorway, the sight chilling the blood in her veins. He whirled, immediately trying to shield her with his body, alarmed by what he saw in her face, the sound of his sword coming out of its scabbard wringing in the quiet around them.

William stood there in the doorway, gazing at them with the same expressionlessness he had that first day. The sound of hooves drew her head back sharply towards the great gates. She heard Robin sheathe his sword, but she didn't need to turn to see why.

He was older now. Physically, it seemed only a couple of years had passed, but from his eyes an old man looked out, drained of life and joy and all emotion. His face was a mask of complete blankness, not like that of his brother, but like his soul was simply too exhausted to dredge up any emotion anymore.

The past William passed between Robin and her as he went to greet his younger brother, his face gaining motion and emotion with the same jarring suddenness of the first time she'd seen it. It was like his face had forgotten how to show emotion, or that his soul had forgotten what they were altogether, and it was a mask he put on consciously to play his game of pretense to its fullest.

"Brother you have returned. Victorious I trust?"

"Amazonia is ours." Robin replied mounted on Mios, his voice without any inflection.

The smile William gave in return had sharp edges, it seemed he hadn't yet become as adept at feigning emotion as he was now. His gaze went to the two headless corpses flanking Robin on horseback. He raised an inquiring eyebrow at him.

"The Red await you in the citadel. Once I secured it I thought it prudent to leave it be. So you can choose the ones you like to keep to play with."

"Very prudent indeed brother. I must be away at once." He motioned for a horse to be brought to him. "Where is Anna?"

"Her deviousness won us the war. Got us in and left to do reconnaissance on the next target." Robin answered, dismounting. "You plan to take Urien do you not? I think it might prove challenging. "

"Surely you do not suggest anything could be as challenging as the Amazonians? I'm sure with their warriors added to our Red nothing can stand in our way. We get Urien and the borderlands are all ours."

"Just like you said they would."

He gave him his not quite right smile again. "Rest Robin. We need our Red captain to be sharp and alert if he's to win us the war."

"Yes brother." Robin replied tonelessly.

He stood watching as William mounted the horse brought him and took off, the two Red following close behind. She looked to see the real Robin gazing not at himself or his brother but instead gazing with a heartbreaking smile at something behind. She was momentarily transfixed by the oceans of sorrow and guilt that were his eyes, before she tore hers away. The young Robin turned as well to see a figure, having detached from the shadows, come towards them.

"Do you have it?" he asked.

Anna gave him a look, affronted he'd even asked.

"Let us be off then."

"He's not here Robin, you can stop now."

He sighed. "I'm too tired Anna. This is who I am. Let's go find this man that's to be our hope. "

"You needn't sound so optimistic about it." she said sarcastically.

"Hope is dangerous." he replied in the same flat monotone, waiting as she mounted Mios before doing the same behind her. "If it is killed now then at least some good will come of this fool's errand we go to."

Anna only shook her head sadly in response. "Where did the Goodfellow go?" she murmured softly.

"Dead. I'm Robin Redcap now. Haven't you heard?" and with that last comment, Mios reared up and then they were off, a flash of light against the backdrop of the inky sky.

Regina turned, calling for Aran, wanting go after them before the trail got cold. Strong hands closed on her arms before she had had time to do more than utter the name in her mind.

"You're not following them." he stated.

"And who's going to stop me?" she gritted out through the rage clouding her vision. "You?"

"Reality is." he answered simply. "We went out of the borderlands that day, because back then your mate Jack could not enter Heliamara. But I gave him the means to get free roam of the place through my stupidity."

If his bitterness was any indication it must have been a spectacular stupidity indeed. And damn, she couldn't get out because of that shield. "Now you see." he said and turned for the castle entrance.

"So then...you have to tell me what happened."

He stopped his forward motion but did not turn. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"This is the most important part! What was it you tried to do? "

He swiveled back towards her, anger making his movements sharp and edgy. "What I did was to fail miserably at what I set out to do."

"Why did you fail? Can we do it again? Maybe—"

"We are certainly not doing anything." he said pointing a finger at her. "Whereas I am going to find a way to deal with my brother on my own and it certainly won't be a repeat of that fiasco."

"It won't kill you to listen to him every once in a while my girl." Jack's voice was like a bucket of ice cold water, and she didn't know why it made her so uneasy this time. "But it might kill you if you don't." He warned in a cheery tone.

Whatever she might be feeling, it was nothing compared to the wrath apparent in Robin's face. His head snapped toward the direction his voice had come from. Seeing the nonchalant figure, he marched forward with murderous rage. "How the hell did you get in?" he had unsheathed his sword, and was brandishing it menacingly in front of him. "I swore Jack, I swore I would never let you get an inch more of this land." His voice was beyond savage; it was the most feral she had ever seen him.

"Do not be worryin' yourself boyo. You didn't give me anythin'." Jack had his hands up in a gesture both in surrender and placation "Our lady here on the other hand," she didn't need the indication of is hands to feel the weight of accusation landing squarely on her chest. "She accepted my gift now didn't she? And then well, you and her bein' what you are, you accepted it through her, you did." he exhaled cheerfully. "And so this bloody curse is null at last." he wiggled his eyebrows waggishly at him. "I can even enter the castle now I reckon."

Robin's sword came to lie on his throat. "If you take just one step, just one I swear—"

"What is it you think I'd be doin' lad?" Jack asked his eyebrows almost disappearing under his dark locks. "What could I possibly want with your land and your castle?"

Faced with Robin mulishly silent accusation, his eyes turned blue, his faced losing its jovial playfulness and becoming serious, "Any quarrel I could have had with your family was with Maev and no one else."

"You expect me to believe you are helping me out of the goodness of your heart?" Robin chuckled derisively. "Like last time?"

"Not the goodness of my heart no." the green was back in his eyes. "I'm just seeing that the terms of our bargain are met. You didn't think our game was done now did you?"

He disappeared from under Robin's blade and with him so did the scenery around them, getting replaced by the view of the green meadows of the forest.

It took her a few moments to find her bearing in the confusing overlay of sounds and images. "And I hear you are in need of encouragement to want to return to..." he seemed to flail around for words, "wherever it was you've been off to."

"Want to get rid of me already? Don't you want to wait till I've served some purpose of yours again?" Robin asked, his voice laden with sarcasm.

"How many times must I tell you I didn't know the land would send you away?"

"It gave you access to Heliamara and that's all you cared about anyway." was the mordant reply.

Jack just waved his hands in annoyance at him. "Be that way. Don't see reason for all I care. But know this Maine." He said poking him in the chest, his voice suitably ominous. "The Marsh in the heart of the forest is ill." he announced in dire tones, his outstretched arm pointing in the direction of the border and the Enchanted Forest that lay beyond it.

"The Marsh?" Robin asked baffled. "Is that supposed to mean anything to me?"

Jack gave an exasperated huff. "The Marsh? My Marsh?" seeing his confused look Jack sighed dramatically. "The one you call The Green? Where all your friends are hiding? Ring any bells?"

Robin's face paled to a sickly shade. "The Green is your Marsh?" Robin asked huskily.

"Do you know where our people are?" Regina interjected. "And what do you mean it's sick?" she went on worriedly. "Is that where they are Robin?"

"I don't know." He rasped in answer.

"Then we need to find out!" she snapped. "This idiotic game has gone on long enough. We need to get the hell out of here!"

"Yeah you do need to do that." Jack chimed in, making her want to claw his dancing eyes out.

Robin whirled on him irately, "What is it you're really after Jack? Why aren't you back in Alfheim where you belong?" he stalked toward him, anger and worry filling his every move, the sword held in front of him an explicit menace. "Afraid your mother will be displeased you didn't return with Maev's head? Thinking to bring her a Maine's instead?" his tone might be mocking and oozing derision, but the words left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You know nothing of these matters Robin my boy." if the darkening clouds of Jack's eyes were any indication, he didn't like them much either. "Don't you think if I wanted your heads I couldn't have taken it anytime I wanted?"

"Oh I know. Not only did you fail miserably at everything you were sent out to do, you let a Maine steal away your sister." She had heard anger in his voice, but she was unaccustomed to the sharp edge of bitterness that carried through. "I hear your dear mother is not very forgiving. Afraid she's going to blight you on sight?"

Their words circulating in her mind, she looked at the interplay of light reflecting off the naked blade he kept turning in his hands, the open threat at odds with the mocking tone he used. "Wait a damn minute!" Regina exclaimed.

But Robin wasn't paying her any attention; the sword stilled, his anger losing its external outlet and focusing all its fury in his demand, "Just go back to your bloody queen Alfhild and tell her you killed her errant elves. And stay in Alfheim this time. All of you!" he yelled at him.

"Elves? Alfheim? What the hell?" her cries went unheeded by the two of them, too engrossed in their argument to pay her any attention. Feeling her face get hot again she stomped toward them, shoving the two forcibly apart.

They both turned to look at her with identical annoyed expressions on their faces.

"You're elves? Elves?" Her voice was so shrill she would have been embarrassed if her thoughts weren't a jumbled mess. "How can you be Elves? You don't look very Elvish."

"Expectin' us to be like your fairies did you my girl? I assure you we're nothin' alike." Jack said with laughter dancing in his eyes. She didn't know what she had expected, but not this. "Elves?" She said again, half whispering it to herself in wonder.

A deep frown was creasing Robin's brow. "Well, he is." he said, indicating Jack. "I'm half, if that."

Just like that. As if he was stating the blueness of the sky.

"You're more than that my lad." Jack told him.

Her outburst had somehow diffused the tension between them. What she wouldn't give to know the thoughts that turned behind those blue eyes of Robin's gazing inscrutably back at Jack. "Not anymore." he said. "You saw to that didn't you?"

"And I'd wager you've thanked me for that every day since my lad." Jack said it without any trace of cheek, his eyes never losing their solemn grey.

"Don't be so sure of that."

Jack gave an annoyed huff, not able to keep the same stoic demeanor as Robin. "You'd prefer you'd ended up like your brother?"

Robin sighed. "What do you want?" he asked resignedly, a frown tugging at his lips as he finally sheathed his sword.

His grey eyes gazing at Robin's cold profile began to shine with iridescent specks of gold and green "Nothin' you wouldn't want. You set me to cleanse the land of darkness. And so I shall."

"I don't need your help anymore." Robin said, turning all the way from him.

He tsked. "Don't need or don't want it boyo?"

"I can do it on my own." maybe that had been a tad too defensive to be believed completely, but she was beginning to wish it was true; the less they had to deal with any of them the better it would be.

"Can you now?" the Cheshire cat grin was back; he was tasting weakness. "I wouldn't be so sure of that..."

"You're awful quite my lady." Jack said, materializing behind her, making her swivel in alarm and almost fall down before his hand steadied her. "No witty remarks to interject? Feelin' out of your depth?" He quipped.

"Leave her out of this!" Robin warned, stalking toward them.

"It's not me! She is the one who won't let herself be left out. Nothin' you or I could do about it."

Glaring daggers at him with all her might she jerked her arm out of his grip, too incensed to bother coming up with a cutting enough remark. "William is lookin' for you you know." he informed her conspiratorially. "No tellin' what he'll do if he finds you in Anna's garbs."

Regina looked down. She had completely forgotten the state of her dress. Before her eyes the ugly coarse dress transformed into a beautiful green gown. "Much better." Jack proclaimed.

She raised her narrowed eyes to him, letting her frustration out in a loud growl. "That's the thanks I get!" he said in affronted tones.

She gave him a razor sharp smile and changed the dress to one of her own simple outfits. This one in blue; she was getting tired of the mandatory green. So much better than the cumbersome, antiquated cloths they kept forcing on her. Jack only grinned in response.

"What did you mean me and her being what we are?" Robin asked out of nowhere.

Jack's grin widened. Without taking her eyes off her he asked innocently, "I said that did I?" he turned to him. "well...the land keeps thinkin' you're connected doesn't she? Maybe you should ask her." he let it hang which she he meant. "Our little Will is gettin' close now. Must be off."

He turned back to her. "Before I go," he took her hand. She stared at him with a slight frown pulling at her brow, wanting to see what other shenanigans he was up to now, and well, if she was honest with herself, afraid any resistance on her part might lead to him revealing information she was not ready for Robin to know yet. He winked at her and drew her hand toward his lips. "Accept this gift of me my lady, for I swear on all that I am it is given with no mischief in mind." in the hand he held parallel to his throat a sword had appeared, its long and narrow blade a crystalline sapphire blue, adorned with runes that went all the way to the silvery hilt. Its sharp edge left no doubt in her mind that it could cut, making the fact that he had arranged their position in a simile of the one he and Robin had been in a few minutes before all the more baffling. "The sword of Rhioannon." he said, his voice solemn, the color of his eyes indecipherable. "So the path of truth will always be open to you."

She slowly brought it down and away from him. It was beautifully deadly, weighing nothing in her hand but dragging her down with the force of its pitilessness.

Swords weren't really her forte. "Not to seem ungrateful but don't you think—" his eyes twinkled with their green mischief, breaking the otherworldly air that had gathered around him. The sword disappeared, and in its place a sapphire ring, beautiful but inconspicuous sat on her ring finger. "It is the sword of truth. And truth takes many forms, often not the one that is immediately apparent to the eye." He had lost the accent a little, his voice becoming uncanny and seemed to grow more than the space around him had the capacity to hold him. He smiled again, and the feeling dissipated. "William's not goin' to know a thing."

His eyes shifted to Robin who had come to stand silently by her side. "Sorry lad. It's for the hands of a woman to wield. Won't work on us men folk." he slapped a comradely hand on Robin's shoulder. "Too bullheaded your mother always said for seein' the truth right in front of our noses," he added with an aside look to her, but maybe that was her imagination. "much less the hidden ones. Or I'd given it to you my lad." he was all smiles and sincerity incarnate. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Well she, you. It's all the same now isn't it?" he added with a careless shrug which made Robin's eyebrows shoot up in answer.

"Right." he clapped his hands, rubbing them together as if in anticipation. That couldn't be good. "Just remember to give him a good showin' my girl." and on that cryptic remark, he disappeared from sight.

As Robin took her hand to examine the ring more closely, she looked at their surrounding with unease growing in the pit of her stomach. She could feel something coming closer, drawing a noose tighter. Behind the wall of the dense trees she thought she could see a red glint in the shadowed depths.

Without letting herself think, she fisted her hand in Robin's hair and drew his unresisting head to hers. His lips were warm, his mouth slack in surprise, and she took advantage. Give him a good showin' and so she would. The sound of a throat clearing made her draw back. The moonlight that had come with the sudden night reflected in his blue eyes wide in surprise and something else. "William." he said, turning towards the source of the noise. "You caught us unawares."

"I did not mean to surprise you brother. I simply grew anxious when I could not find you at camp. "

"Brother," he said with an easy chuckle, "I'm not the errant youth you had to track to keep out of trouble anymore." he pushed her hand with its ring to his heart. "My lady has accepted my proposal at last."

That would be her queue. Fool in love. "I've seen the land he grew up. No reason to hold back any longer. "She said, burrowing herself in his arms and winding her free arm around him. "I've seen all I needed to."

"We had come to celebrate brother. The hunting air of the camp was not very suitable to our festive mood."

"Indeed. My bad , dear brother. Had I known you two were so eager I would have hurried the preparations along."

"No need William. We will leave that to the land herself. We are to take the Heart's journey."

Alarm flitted through William's features. He gave a disbelieving laugh. "Pardon?"

"We are to undergo the journey." Robin replied helpfully.

"The Heart?" he asked, absolutely stunned. "The journey of the Heart?" if it was anyone else she might have found the flustered demeanor funny. "Are you mad?" His eyes vacillated between Robin and her, not quite sure who to blame for the idiotic notion. "You can't possibly think—"

"It is our way is it not brother? Our father broke the trend and look where it got him. "

"No one has returned from that journey in hundreds of years!" William's voice was the loudest she'd heard from his older self; he was worried, angry, and not believing what he was hearing.

"An oversight on our part. After all, if the Maines would not undertake it who else would dare? Maybe you and Lady Adelina should join us as well."

"You can't think yourself or your connection to...to—" words failing him William settled for pointing an accusatory finger in her direction, "her strong enough to withstand the ordeal of the Heart!"

"But I do. And after all it is for the Heart to decide is it not?" Robin replied calmly, his thumb running over her palm still held close to his chest.

What are you getting us into Robin?

"Do you think to keep us from it?" he asked his brother.

The few beats that passed with William glaring silently at them seemed like hours. "I would not presume to do so." he finally said. "And you are in agreement with him?" he asked her, turning the full force of his coldly burning eyes on her. "Are you going to follow him to certain death and destruction?"

She gave him a slight smile. "And beyond." she told him simply.

"We'll be sure to bring back a fistful of soil so you can restock father's pouch brother." Robin said with a magnanimous smile at his brother.

The frustrated air escaped from William's flaring nostrils. "We shall await your return. See to it that you do so in one piece." he said, directing his silently fuming gaze at her, threat underlying his every word, implying he would hold her personally responsible if he did not.

What did I do? He's the one insisting on it. But William was gone, and it was only her and Robin in the eerie meadow and the prospect of certain death and destruction. And beyond; mustn't forget that.