The Merry Men were packing for their trip through the Ways.

"Packing" might mean something different to someone who didn't live life on the run.

For one: they found some sheet-sized cloths floating in the wind. Snatched them up to use as bags. They hunted these cloths in the way a little kid would hunt butterflies, though they did not use a net. Walking on booted feet, the men and their wives (and Little John's widow as well as Zelena) twirled and snatched, fighting with the wind. Occasionally missing but ultimately catching their quarry.

Robin was a mutt with his ball. Excited in the way a seasoned bandit normally wouldn't be. He was such a laidback man who found joy in simple things, and he wasn't ashamed of the grin on his face when he was chasing his cloth all around the forest. It was part of being a man who was incredibly slow to anger—finding joy in things most grown men would find so dull they'd pay a child to do the task.

Zelena felt warm bunnies hopping in her chest when she watched him, though she'd been the second person to get her cloth. Darn proud of it too.

For two: once they had their cloths, the bandits stole into homes of people they knew were working or otherwise gone. They studied each house with expertise before slyly trespassing. They were never wrong—and they went through these houses in search of necessities for their trip.

A couple of the Merry Men couldn't resist stealing something extra for their trouble. While wrenching open kitchen drawers, one woman found a silver spoon with a tiny emerald at the top of the handle. She "aww"ed and slipped it into her apron without a second thought.

One of the men was going aimlessly through a coat closet (even though nothing on the list should be found in one), pressing a fist to each pocket. When he felt something hard, his ears nearly lifted in the way of a pooch's. Deftly, he slipped the object out, took a quick peek, then slid it inside his own tattered jacket's inside pocket. It was his jacket's best pocket and the only one that didn't have a hole in it. The object he'd found was an expensive engagement ring, sans box. Such a tiny, easy to lose object and the owner had been careless with it.

In another house on the other side of town, a third member of Robin's gang found a dagger under a pillow he'd plucked up (pillows were a necessity, for Robin and Zelena reckoned the ground was hard as rocks). A dagger with sapphires circling its black, gnarled hilt. The Merry Man didn't even consider the option of resisting temptation. Into his boot it shimmied. Though his mouth remained taut, his eyes held a dark light that nearly made him cast a glint like a purple jewel.

After they'd "borrowed" their goods they had no intention of returning, they went to a field and waited as Robin loosed his current herd of stolen horses upon some random places then jauntily collected horses he felt were fit for the Ways.

Most of the horses he collected were from the war horses in Queen Snow's battle stables. He used some Pied Piper magic—playing a flute tune only warrior horses would hear and respond to. They opened their gates with their mouths then traipsed up to him.

Two of them lacked the fancy tack. They had the build and eyes of warrior horses but were plainly not taken care of like the ones in the Queen's castle. One had a rope instead of a bridle; the other was branded but otherwise had no other indication of being owned.

Robin led the horses to his Merry Men with Zelena by his side. "Alright, mount up," he ordered, lurching his boot over the branded stallion.

Will was watching them from his spot lying on a grassy hill. He was on his back with his arms under his head. His right eye was half open, the other shut tight. A new, nasty-looking purple bruise rested on the underside of his jaw.

"You boys have fun," he suggested tonelessly. "I'm not going. Changed my mind at the last minute. See you when you get out."

"Aw, come on, Will," Robin clucked his tongue at him as he made his horse move closer to Will. He was acting—in reality, he was glad Will had decided not to come. But he was sure if he didn't put up a fuss, Will would grow suspicious and change his mind.

Robin did not want that. He'd wasted too many hours trying to lose the man in the first place.

"Are you a coward?" he pressed when Will didn't thrum with motivation.

Lazily, Will replied, "I ain't nothing of the sort. Just because I have no interest in coming nose-to-nose with Machin Shin doesn't make me a coward." Cracking his other eye open, he straightened his face, widened his eyes, and gave himself the appearance of an angel as if he'd stenciled a halo over his head. "It merely makes me a lot saner than you are, mate."

"I told you," Robin uttered gruffly, "I'm traveling the Ways in effort to find a permanent solution to Granny's current problem." This was actually his secondary goal—his first being the hope of licking Will loose of him.

"It's whacky to do all that for one sour broad."

Robin bristled. "Just because she's sour on you doesn't make her a sour person. She might be a bit gruff, but her heart's in the right place."

Will closed both eyes and removed his arms from behind his head, placing them over his chest. "Says you, but I say she deserves everything Queen Snow has given her."

The way he said Queen Snow's name—as if he were caressing it—made Robin instantly suspicious. "That's not what we stand for," he pointed out.

Will's eyes didn't reopen, but his jaw tensed. Robin saw his Adam's apple bob up and down rapidly. With a false note in his tone, he mumbled, "Sometimes, even the most evil people have the right idea…more than fuzzy old ladies. Who smell of wet goat." Suddenly smirking, his features relaxed. He gave Robin a catty smirk with his eyes popping open.

It was a bit freaky, considering how much he resembled a puppy. Robin got the creepy feeling he was staring at a dog mixed with a cat.

"Do you think maybe the reason you want to do this for her so badly is because…you got a whiff of wet goat and you," singsong, he finished, "liked it?" All I know is I ain't trying to help the likes of someone so old who resembles the muffins she cooks. Isn't she supposed to be Red's grandmother? Shouldn't she be a lot younger than her hair suggests? What a shame."

"You wouldn't do it for Red?" Robin asked, trying to unclench his jaw and managing somewhat. But he had to massage his jaw while he spoke. "She is…" His lips twisted downward. He hated the fact he was about to say this. But it had to be done in the manner of removing an arrow from a foot. Will was Will, and there was no pretending he wasn't highly offensive toward women. "Fertile."

"Nah, she's not my type. Especially since I've seen the future, and it is bleak."

Robin was clutching his fist and trying to massage it in effort to keep from boxing Will's ear. He could feel his body leaping in the air, a wolf eager to take on a moose. He could feel himself knocking Will to the ground and pummeling him. He could feel Will rolling on top. Feel the grass, dirt, and leaves under his back.

"Suit yourself," he managed to spit instead of growl. Closing his eyes, he begged whatever force there was out there to give him the strength to fight the nasty dislike he had for Will. He genuinely despised the person he was morphing into after a very short conversation with the bloke. He knew he'd be hard-pressed to handle a long one.

His mind spun. "Are you in correspondence with the Queen?" he asked while folding his arms over his chest.

Will's expression gave him away. With an overlarge grin, he requested Robin repeat himself.

Robin wasn't fooled. "You heard me quite well." It was too late—Robin already knew the answer.

Will knew from Robin's expression that he could not fake his way through this. "I can explain," he said instead of trying to lie.

"Are you a double agent?"

Will pursed his lips. "Noooo…" He licked his lips and murmured, "She's a very nice lady, the Queen, if you give her a real chance. Reminds me of my own grandmother, actually."

"That's a bit funny," remarked Robin, "since your pick of grandmothers are between your mother's mom, who died giving birth, and your dad's mom, who abandoned your father and his four siblings alone in their shack when he was two and his oldest twin siblings were seven. And your grandmother never went looking for them. Marian told me your father and his siblings heard some mentions of her being in various town bars, flirting with shady men, sometimes dining and ditching, and if they didn't believe the rumors, they saw it with their own eyes a few times when they were old enough to go to bars.

"So what 'kind' grandmother does Queen Snow remind you of?"

Will was squirming. "Look, mate, if you want me to come so bad…no, wait, what am I talking about? I'm not doing the deed with Machin Shin. And certainly not for Granny. Look, mate, I like to correspond with the Queen about crossword puzzles."

"Crossword puzzles?" With his tone, Robin indicated his lack of gullibility.

"Don't you think," simpered Will, "if I were a double agent, you'd already be dead, hon?"

Before Robin could fully process Will's words, Marian came strutting her gelding up to Robin. "Boss, I need a word with you before we go in the Ways."

Robin nodded. He left Will on his hill, and the two of them led the Merry Men with Zelena seeming to sense now was not the time to bring her horse close to Robin's.

"You know how we're a family…we have each other's backs…well, not Will. I don't know what he's got, but it sure isn't a back…"

"Yes, Marian, I know exactly what you mean." Adjusting the braided reins into one hand, Robin lifted his other hand to swat at a fly diving at his cheek.

Marian was frowning in concentration, trying to keep her gaze "out and beyond". "And you know we have a tendency to make newcomers feel like outcasts because they aren't one of us."

"Yes, I do know. Are you giving Zelena a hard time?" He couldn't imagine Zelena caving to that or caring.

"That's what I wanted to ask…do you love her?" Marian took her head out of the "out and beyond" state to stare at him. The rest of her body remained in the same position, but she whipped her neck so she was now facing the side of his face. Her eyes poring over his features.

Marian was not great at riding horses. She was the one who constantly forgot to look "out and beyond". She not only didn't like them very much, but until she'd married Little John, she'd never ridden a horse. Being a village woman, she'd grown up walking for transportation.

"It's a funny thing, but yes. I love her already. I haven't known her long, but there's a feeling in my bones. Why?"

Relaxing visibly, Marian let her body loosen some, causing the horse to start off-track. Marian swiftly reined him in and jerked her head up into the "out and beyond" position. "Because last night, after you'd gone to bed, Will tried to pick her up, and she punched him so hard that even though she got his chin, I could tell from how he recoiled and blinked rapidly and wrenched his head back that he was seeing stars." So that's where that bruise came from. "I went and had a chat with her…I think you should marry her!" gushed Marian. "I know it's all of a sudden, but she…she belongs!"

"Don't you gals have an induction?"

Letting go of the reins and steering subconsciously with her knees, Marian reached up and started playing with her twig-matted hair. "I'm sure she'll pass with flying colors…and not run crying and screaming like a toddler with a skinned knee, as Emily did when we induced her."

Robin smirked to himself and clucked his tongue. Not at what she'd said about Emily but the odd way Marian had seemed to take an instant liking to Zelena. Just as he had.

That redhead was a godsend. A miracle worker. It normally took a minimum of two months for the wives to welcome a new wife—and it was then when they did the induction. Two months after marriage.

The strangest part of all was that Robin hadn't even proposed to Zelena yet, and Marian was already talking of giving her the induction. They never did the induction to a woman who hadn't wed a Merry Man.

Though it was obvious she would wed Robin if she stayed, it led Robin to inwardly speculate if he felt no chemistry for the woman, if she would still join his crew as a single woman. He was fairly certain she would, considering she'd basically told him she didn't want to be a princess anymore.

But he had to ask her if she wanted to make her journey with him be a permanent one.