Robin stared at the trees long after Marian was out of sight. Finally, he turned and walked in the opposite direction. He felt furious.

How could she do this? She was his wife, and he her husband. Neither of them could walk away from that. He had made vows and even after losing her, he had never let go.

Well, he had, apparently. Though he had no memories of it, he knew he started a relationship with another woman. But he had left her as soon as Marian came back, John had said so. And since Marian awoke from the freeing curse, he had been by her side. He had been loyal to her.

Marian had questioned him. Although she hadn't questioned his loyalty, she had questioned his love. It was absurd. Of course he loved her; that was why he married her. And yes, it had been many years since he thought he had lost her, but he was still married to her now. And he had broken the freezing curse, so that proved his love.

Although…

He could admit, at least to himself, that he felt differently. He couldn't describe how, exactly. His marriage to Marian, as he remembered it from years ago, brought him happiness. He remembered wanting to be with her whenever they were apart and feeling lucky to be married to her. He remembered feeling that this marriage was the best thing he had ever done, and a choice he would make over and over again.

Since Marian awoke from the sleeping curse, he hadn't felt that way. He had stayed with Marian, of course, because it was the right thing to do. He was her husband. He would continue to choose her, because he had vowed to do so. But he couldn't imagine what he would choose if he was in a position to marry her again. He had told her many times that he loved her. But still, it was strange. He knew, rather than felt, that he loved her.

Before Robin could dwell on those thoughts any longer, he heard a voice all out his name. When he turned toward the voice, Little John was walking up to him.

"Robin," John said again, "I'm glad I found you. We need to talk."

Robin would have preferred to continue walking, but his friend seemed out of breath. John took a seat on a nearby rock and Robin went to lean against a tree facing him.

"Robin, I've just been to the other camp." Robin tilted his head questioningly. "You've kicked out enough men that they've started their own group."

Robin nodded in understanding. "Well, it's good they found a place for themselves. Now perhaps everyone can stop suggesting I take them back."

John shook his head and sighed. "Robin, please don't consider the matter resolved. The men are not happy with what is happening."

"Well then perhaps they should have behaved better," Robin said, unaffected.

John said, "I don't just mean the men you kicked out. The remaining men are also bothered. They think you've overreacted and can't be sure which one of them is next. Not to mention, they are rather disturbed by your aggression towards those who underperformed in archery practice. I understand you yelled at several more men in the afternoon sessions."

Robin pushed himself off the tree and stepped toward John. "Are these men questioning my leadership? Are you?" John narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Robin turned away from him. "I have to say, John, this is not something I can deal with right now. I have other problems."

"What other problems?" John asked.

Robin sighed. "Marian… no longer wishes to be married to me."

There was a long pause before John said, "and how do you feel about that?"

Robin whipped around and took another step toward John. "How do I feel? My wife wants to abandon our marriage! You aren't the least surprised by that?"

Despite Robin's anger, John remained calm. "You know that's actually quite common in this land." Robin felt shocked, and took an involuntary step back. "It's called divorce, and it can be done by signing some papers. Apparently, people here believe that there should be a way to end a marriage besides death," Little John shrugged.

Robin felt dizzy, and he went back to lean against the tree, facing John but not looking at him. "But… I don't understand. A marriage is a pledge to be with someone forever."

"A marriage is a pledge to be with someone you love," John said. "If you and Marian no longer love one another, what kind of marriage is that?"

Robin felt numb. Did Marian not love him anymore? Did he still love her? "And what about Roland? If we are both alive and not married, what happens to him?"

John shrugged, and stood to walk over to his friend. "Well, I'm not sure, but Emma and Regina are both parents to Henry. They are not married, but they manage to work things out. I imagine you and Marian could arrange something similar that would work for Roland."

Robin took a deep breath. "I lost Marian years ago. I thought I got her back." Robin finally looked into his friends eyes. "Apparently I didn't." Robin felt lost, but the sight of calm and compassion in his best friend's face gave him the reassurance he needed.

John said, "Robin, I'm sorry things didn't work out with Marian. I imagine the end of a marriage is difficult no matter how it comes about."

Robin thought back to what Marian had said. "John, I think my marriage ended long ago." John stayed silent, which Robin took to mean he agreed.

"I have to tell Roland," Robin said, pushing himself off the tree and walking toward camp.

John followed him. "What will you say?"

"I don't know," Robin said. He stopped abruptly. "I have no idea. How can a child make sense of this if I barely can?"

John put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Robin, it's almost lunchtime. Why don't you take Roland somewhere, alone, to talk it over?" Robin nodded, but still felt lost. John continued, "You go to Granny's and order some food. I'll go to the camp to get Roland and meet you there. It will give you a few minutes to think over what you want to say."

Robin nodded again. He had to decide exactly what he would say before he saw Roland. Robin thanked John and they parted ways.

…

When Robin entered Granny's, he spotted Emma by the counter. He still hadn't figured out the best way to explain to Roland what was happening between him and Marian. As John had said, Emma knew something about sharing a child with a parent who was not a spouse. Robin walked up to her.

"Good afternoon, Emma."

Emma turned towards him. "Robin, hi."

Robin sat down on the stool next to her. "I was hoping I could pick your brain about something." Emma nodded, but he still hesitated before continuing. "I understand your son Henry only stays with you part of the time, as part of some sort of arrangement?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "I sincerely hope you're not here to tell me why Henry shouldn't be around Regina. Because whatever else you think about her, you can't deny she loves Henry. She is a good mother."

Robin shook his head. "Actually, I wanted your advice." Emma's eyebrows shot up. Robin turned to face ahead and spoke slowly, choosing each word carefully. "My marriage is ending. Marian no longer wishes to be with me. I understand she and I can get a divorce, and I am trying to understand how that would affect Roland."

After several moments, Emma spoke. "First, I'm sorry to hear about your marriage. I won't ask about the personal details, but I trust the two of you will make whatever decision is best for your situation. As for Roland, it's really up to you and Marian. You can try to get full custody of Roland and Marian would only take care of him occasionally. Or you can have shared custody, like Regina and I do. It would mean Roland would move back and forth between wherever Marian is living and your… camp." Emma paused. "Although you might want to reconsider living in the woods. It's not something people really do in this world."

Robin looked at her, ignoring the judgement in her last statement and focusing on the 'custody' issue. "Do you think it would be harmful for Roland, moving back and forth like that?"

Emma's eyes softened at his words. "I don't know Roland, but kids are resilient. I really believe what's best for him would be whatever is best for his parents. You and Marian love him very much. As long as you put him first, and continue to communicate with each other, he will be fine."

Robin nodded, feeling a little but less burdened. "I have one more question. I still need to tell Roland about the divorce. Any suggestions on how to explain to a five-year-old that his parents will not be together anymore?"

Emma smiled self-consciously. "I wish I could help, but I really don't think I could offer any advice. Just be honest with him."

Robin nodded. "I was going to pick up some lunch and take him on a picnic. I figured a one-on-one chat might be best."

Emma nodded, but before she could respond, the sound of bells came from her jacket. She pulled out a small device similar to the one John had been carrying around. Emma looked at the device, apologized to Robin, touched it, and put it near her face. "Hey kid, what's up?"

These devices were strange, but Robin understood from John that they were used for communication. You could use the device to speak with another person who had one, even if they were across the room, or across town, or even in another part of the world. John couldn't explain how it worked, only saying "it's called technology. It's like magic, but it's for everybody."

Robin waited as Emma spoke. It was strange hearing only one side of the conversation, but he could hear mumbles coming from the device indicating that she was getting a response. Meanwhile, Granny came over and took Robin's order.

"Hang on, Henry," Emma said and put a hand on Robin's arm. She faced Robin and said, "a picnic sounds perfect. Do you know where you'll be taking him?"

Robin replied, "actually, no. Is there a nice spot you can recommend?"

Emma closed her eyes, looking frustrated for a moment, before saying, "the lake in the woods. It's a beautiful spot. I'm actually about to head out there. I can show you where it is."

Emma was acting strangely, but a picnic by the lake did sound nice. He nodded and thanked her.

By the time John arrived at the diner with Roland, Granny had their picnic lunch all wrapped in a basket and ready to go. She had even included a red and white checkered blanket for them to sit on. When Roland found out they weren't staying he was disappointed for a minute, but the promise of a special outdoor lunch and one-on-one time with his papa cheered him right back up. Robin took the boy's hand and followed Emma toward the lake.

…

A/N: Again, too long between postings! That's why I wrote a longer chapter this time. The delay is partly due to my difficulty in structuring what's coming next, but it also means that I have the next 2-3 chapters already mapped out. So I can happily tell you they should only take a day or two each to get posted. Yay!

As always, please please review!