After she had been particularly open with Robin, she tended to avoid him for a while, and Emma's birthday was no exception.

He - to his credit - seemed to understand that she needed to build her walls back up, to protect herself from the pain that would inevitably come from being so weak, and always gave her the space she needed.

But only a few weeks after their last conversation under the apple tree, a knock came at her bedroom door, while she was trying to draft an important letter.

"Come in," she called absently, expecting it to be Ivy, or even Snow.

But no, there was Robin, looking rather sheepish.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "You've learned to knock," she drawled. "Will wonders never cease."

"You didn't invite me this time, milady," Robin said, approaching her. "I was … Is that Sherwood's seal?"

Regina's eyes drifted to the letter she was replying to, still open on her writing desk. "Yes. Yes, it is. I received a letter from Richard this morning."

"May I enquire as to what it pertains?"

Regina glanced up, noting the way his demeanour had stiffened. He was well-spoken at the best of times, a hark back to his upbringing no doubt, but when he was uncomfortable, she had noticed, his speech patters reverted to those of the court. "Oh, the usual. Welcome home, let me know if you need any assistance with the witch, I want those outlaws' heads on a spike. To be expected, really."

Robin gave a stiff nod. "Say no more, Your Majesty. We'll be out of here first thing in the morning."

"You'll do no such thing," Regina said, dipping her quill in the ink pot again. "It's not safe out there for any of you, especially Roland."

Robin faltered. "Forgive me, Your Majesty - you just said that Richard was offering assistance, and that he wanted our heads."

"I did," Regina agreed.

"We're not worth starting a war over," Robin said.

Regina hesitated. "Under current circumstances," she said slowly, "witch and all, I would have to agree. However, it wouldn't be me starting the war."

"I don't understand," Robin admitted.

Regina allowed herself a smile. "No, I shouldn't think you do. Have you ever heard of the Monarch's Clemency law?"

"I've heard of a monarch's clemency," Robin said. "But I didn't know it was a law."

"It's an old one," Regina said. "One of the few that's consistent throughout the Enchanted Forest. If someone saves the life of a reigning monarch, they are automatically pardoned for all crimes they have committed prior to that date. You did save Snow and I from that flying monkey, did you not?"

"Well, yes," Robin said, "but …"

"Now obviously, that was just you," Regina continued, "but he doesn't know that. So I'm writing to him to inform him that Snow and I owe you and your men our lives so I've issued royal pardons."

"What's the difference between a royal pardon and a pardon?" Robin asked faintly.

"A pardon clears you in Misthaven," Regina said. "It doesn't clear you in Sherwood and it doesn't stop him from sending his men in to get you. A royal pardon places you directly under my protection and if he sends his men in to get you, it's considered an act of war. So I," she finished, signing her name with a flourish, "will not be firing the first shot."

"Thank you," Robin said quietly.

"It's not for you," Regina said, not entirely truthfully. "Richard is an odious little toad."

"Still, you didn't have to do that," Robin said.

"And what would I tell Roland if I didn't?" Regina asked with a slight smile.

"Speaking of Roland," Robin said, "it's his birthday tomorrow."

"Well, thank you for the advanced notice," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "What would he like?"

"He'd like you to join us for his birthday picnic," Robin answered. "Every year, Roland and I take a walk through the forest on his birthday and build a campfire and have a picnic. Obviously the forest is out, but I was hoping you would have another idea, and Roland was hoping you would accompany us."

"What about you?" Regina asked. "This is something that's just between you and him, isn't it?"

"Traditionally," Robin admitted. "But there's nothing wrong with traditions changing, wouldn't you say?"

She should say no.

She should try to avoid getting any closer to this man than she already was.

Maybe her mother was wrong about love being a weakness, but with Zelena out to get her, her love certainly was weakness - maybe not for her, but for him.

Every second she spent with him put him in more danger; she had to remember that.

"In that case," she found herself saying, "I'm sure we can come up with something. It might not be a walk in the forest, but there is somewhere we can build a campfire."

Well, at least if she was with them, she could keep them safe.

So the following morning, Regina dressed as if she were going riding and met Robin and Roland outside the dining hall.

Roland was practically vibrating with excitement, which bubbled over when he saw her into a squeal and a hug that nearly knocked her off balance.

"Happy Birthday, Roland," Regina murmured, kissing his forehead. "Are you looking forward to our picnic?"

Roland nodded. "Papa says we can't go out to the forest, cause it's not safe. Not even with you?"

"I'm afraid not, my little knight," Regina said. "But I do have somewhere we can go, okay?"

Roland smiled and took her hand - although she wasn't convinced he was okay, she let it go; the forest was out of the question anyway.

"Well, then," Robin said cheerfully, "lead on, milady."

"Gina," Roland said curiously as they headed out of the castle. "Why can I call you Gina and Papa can't?"

Regina chuckled. "Because you're my favourite."

Roland beamed. "Hear that Papa? I'm Gina's favourite."

"Well, of course you are," Robin said, not offended in the least. "She has excellent taste."

As they neared the stables, Roland's hand tightened around hers. "Are we going riding, Gina?"

The nervousness in his voice made her glance down at him. "No, sweetheart. Not today."

"Oh good," Roland said. "Cause I don't know how."

Regina glanced at Robin, who just shrugged. "Would you like to learn?"

"Really?" Roland asked.

"Well, you are five whole years old now," Regina said. "I'm sure we can figure something out."

One of the horses began whinnying and she stopped. "Sorry, if I don't do this, she'll throw a fit."

"Do what?" Roland asked curiously.

Regina chuckled. "Well, I got in the habit of slipping Goldie here a piece of apple when I came by the stables. So now she expects it."

"I think there's a lesson in there somewhere," Robin commented.

Regina smiled, although it was tinged with sadness. "Someone once warned me about spoiling my horses. I never have a problem getting them to do what I want though."

It was a debate she and Daniel had constantly.

Shaking those thoughts off, she conjured a couple of apple slices from the kitchen. "Would you like to give her one as well, Roland?"

Roland shook his head, shrinking back against his father. "She's kind of big."

"That's because you're little," Robin said, scooping him up. "Why don't we just go and stand next to Her Majesty while she gives Goldie her treat?"

Roland nodded, watching curiously while Regina gave the mare her first apple slice. "Can I stroke her?"

"Of course," Regina said. "Just let her sniff your fingers first so she knows who you are."

Roland giggled at the hot air that blew over his hands. "It tickles." He stroked the horse's neck, mimicking his father.

"She's quite a beauty," Robin said. "Aren't you?"

The horse gave a toss of her head and a snort as if she was agreeing with him.

"And quite a character," Regina said dryly.

"Gina," Roland said, "can I give her the other one?"

Regina smiled. "Of course you can. Hold your hand out flat like this." She wasn't surprised when Robin shifted to cup his son's hand, keeping his little fingers out of the way.

Roland gave another giggle when the horse took the second slice, and Regina couldn't help chuckling along.

"That tickles too, doesn't it?"

Roland wiggled and Robin let him down to the ground. "Where to, milady?"

"Not that much farther," Regina answered, wiping her hands and giving Goldie one last pat. "It's just round that corner."

Roland trotted off, leaving them to follow at a more sedate pace.

"Thank you for that," Robin said, "and for the offer to teach him. He hasn't had a chance to be around that many horses."

"She's a perfect horse to learn on," Regina said, "if he wants to learn."

"Gina," Roland said, when they caught up with him. "There's nothing here. Just a wall."

Regina chuckled. "Are you sure, my little knight?" She brushed her hand through the ivy and grasped the hidden door handle, before pushing it open.

Roland's mouth fell open. "Gina, you said the forest wasn't safe."

Regina laughed. "This isn't the forest, sweetheart. I know it looks like it, but this is part of a walled garden. All of it perfectly covered in my magic."

"Please tell me you didn't do all of this last night?" Robin asked quietly as Roland darted off to explore.

"Don't be ridiculous," Regina said. "It was already here. Clearly one of my predecessors wanted to enjoy strolls through the forest without encountering the peasantry."

"Naturally," Robin said, with no less sarcasm than her. "So it's all … walled in."

"All walled in and protected," Regina said.

"Even so," Robin said, raising his voice so his son would hear him, "not up the trees please, Roland."

Roland pouted, but slithered back down the trunk he had been climbing like a bear cub.

"He's really in his element, isn't he?" Regina asked.

Robin smiled proudly. "That he is. When I left home, I was like a fish out of water. I never wanted him to feel like that."

"Well, you've done that," Regina said. "He's exceptionally well-adjusted, considering everything he's …" she trailed off, realising that Roland was now sitting at the base of the tree he'd been trying to climb, looking like he was about to cry. "That's not …"

Robin frowned. "That's not because I told him he couldn't climb, no. He knows I don't say no for no reason, so he listens when I do."

"As I said," Regina said dryly, "remarkably well-adjusted."

Without a word to each other about it, the two made their way over to where the little boy was curled up, sitting either side of him.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Robin asked.

Roland shrugged. "Nothin'."

"It doesn't look like nothing," Robin said. "It's your birthday and something's making you upset. Is it because we can't go out to the forest?"

"Can she still see me?" Roland asked in a small voice.

For a second, Regina thought he meant the witch, and her heart clenched with terror at the thought that maybe her sister had managed to get close to the child after all.

Judging by the look Robin gave her over his son's head, he was thinking along the same lines.

"Who?" Robin asked, his voice gentle, but with an undertone of steel that Regina was sure only she could hear.

"Mama," Roland whispered.

Just like that, Regina relaxed, her heart beginning to hurt in another way, not helped by the way Robin's heart visibly broke. Seeing that he was apparently lost for words, she scooped Roland up and on to her lap, praying that she wasn't about to make things worse. "What do you mean, sweetheart?"

"Mama's in the trees and in the stars," Roland recited, "and she watches over me. But if I'm in the castle, I can't see the trees and the stars, so can she see me?"

"Yes," Regina said firmly, before he'd even finished speaking. "Yes, she can."

"How?" Roland asked, gazing at her wide-eyed.

"Magic," Regina answered.

Roland frowned. "Mama didn't have magic. Did she?" He asked his father.

"No," Robin said, giving Regina a strange look.

"Not like my magic," Regina said with a smile. "But I'll tell you a secret, Roland. When you become a mama - or a papa - you get a special kind of magic that means that if you have to go and live in the stars, you can always see your babies. So your mama can always see you, Roland, no matter where you are. Right?"

"Right," Robin said, a little faintly. "You're absolutely right."

"So if I tell Mama about my birthday here, she can still hear me?" Roland asked brightly.

Regina swallowed around the lump in her throat. "Of course she can. And I think she'd love to hear it."

Roland scrambled to his feet and darted off into the forest, presumably to find an appropriate tree to stand in for his mother.

Regina stayed sitting, her eyes straying to Robin. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Robin let out a breathless chuckle, rubbing a hand over his face. "I swear, every time I think I've got over it, something … something punches me in the stomach."

"I know," Regina murmured. "I get it."

Robin gave her a shrewd look. "The horses?"

Regina smiled sadly. "Daniel worked in the stables. He used to tease me about spoiling them."

"He was the one that died because the princess told a story?" Robin asked. "Who was he?"

"My fiancé," Regina answered softly. "We never got to the wedding. Snow told my mother that we were planning to run away, and Mother killed him, because she wanted me to marry the king."

"My gods …" Robin breathed.

Regina laughed bitterly. "I really need to figure out how you do that, you know."

"Do what?" Robin asked.

"I find myself telling you things," Regina said. "Not just answering questions, telling you things that I would normally keep private."

"You trust me," Robin said, echoing his words from a few weeks previously.

"Yes, but why?" Regina asked, a little frustrated. "Not that you're not trustworthy, but I don't trust easily."

"If I could answer that question, milady, I feel like I would have the answer to a lot more," Robin said quietly.

There was an odd note in his voice that caught her attention, but before she could think any more of it, Roland's voice floated over to them. "Gina! Come play with me!"

Robin chuckled. "Well, you've got your orders, Your Majesty."

Regina couldn't help laughing. "So I do. I assume you can manage a campfire by yourself."

"Naturally," Robin said. "Although normally I'd hunt for lunch; I'm guessing there's a shortage of game within these walls."

"There is," Regina agreed, "but I thought of that." With a wave of her hand, a picnic basket appeared next to the tree.

"Of course you did," Robin said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Gina!"

"Coming sweetheart," Regina called, jogging over to scoop him up. He went with a giggle, clinging to her. "Now then, my little knight," she said fondly. "What are we playing?"

Regina couldn't move.

Her feet were stuck to the ground, her voice stolen from her by her sister's spell, unable to do anything but watch as her sister's simian army laid waste to her castle, and everyone in it.

Zelena gave her a cold smile. "I told you that I would take everything from you."

With a flick of her hand, Robin was dragged out to stand before them, gasping for breath as blood began to bloom across his shirt. "Regina …"

"Yes, Regina," Zelena said brightly. "Do help him."

Robin staggered, dropping to his knees in front of her. "Regina …"

Something was tapping nearby, but Regina couldn't focus, trying to fight against her invisible bonds.

"Mama?"

Regina bolted up out of bed with a gasp of her own, blinking rapidly to get rid of the vision of Robin's dying body from her mind.

It was just a nightmare.

Robin - and Roland - were safe and sound, tucked up in bed after their day together.

Zelena was still kept away from the castle by her protection spell.

And she had checked - Zelena had left nothing behind with which to spy on them.

There was no reason for her to suspect that Robin was a reasonable target to use against her.

Still didn't make the dream any more pleasant.

"Mama?"

The soft voice on the other side of the door made her realise that the tapping in her dream had not been in her dream at all, but was her stepdaughter, knocking on her bedroom doors.

Collapsing back on to her pillow, Regina stifled a yawn. "Come in."

Snow slipped inside, barely visible in the dim light, still dressed in her nightgown. "Did I wake you?"

"Yes," Regina said. "But I was having a nightmare, so thank you. It's early though, dear; what's wrong?"

"I couldn't sleep," Snow admitted sheepishly.

She hadn't done this for years, since she was a young girl and missing her mother, but Regina shifted over automatically, lifting the edge of the blanket so her stepdaughter could get in beside her.

"Good heavens child," she muttered. "Your feet feel like icicles."

"Sorry," Snow murmured. "Castle's cold. I miss central heating."

Regina sighed. "Me too."

"What was your nightmare about?" Snow asked.

Regina was quiet for a moment. "Zelena."

Snow nodded. "Mine was about Emma."

"Emma?" Regina repeated. "Something happening to her, you mean."

"No," Snow whispered. "Emma here, telling us that we'd let her down. And abandoned her."

"You didn't," Regina said. "You've always done your best with Emma. You know that."

Snow gave a small nod and a sniffle. "I think I'm pregnant."

Regina closed her eyes. "Please tell me that the two of you didn't decide now was the best time."

"No," Snow admitted. "But we didn't exactly decide that Emma was the best time either."

"Obviously not," Regina said. "You weren't married yet."

"Were too," Snow retorted.

"Dear, I was at your wedding, briefly," Regina said. "I could sense her."

"Yes, but that was just a public ceremony," Snow said. "When David's mother was dying, her only regret was that she wouldn't see the wedding. So Lancelot married us, with just her in attendance. He was a knight of Camelot, so he had the power. So we were married when Emma was conceived. But we were in a war, so, no, she wasn't exactly planned. Wanted, but not planned." She sighed. "Just like this one."

"It will be alright," Regina murmured, as her stepdaughter cuddled into her. "This isn't like last time. Zelena's after me, not you. We'll keep them safe."

"Emma told us that she wanted us to live our lives," Snow said. "She said it wasn't replacing her and to tell any new babies that their big sister loves them. I'm not betraying her."

"Of course you're not," Regina said.

Snow was quiet for a while, so long that Regina thought she must have drifted off to sleep. "Then why does it feel like I am?"