Robin Hood

"I may be a thief, but I have a code... and I have to live by that code. Otherwise, what kind of life am I living?"

- Robin Hood

Robin of Locksley, better known as Robin Hood and briefly as Thief, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. He débuts in the nineteenth episode of the second season of Once Upon a Time. He is portrayed by guest star Tom Ellis in Season Two, and by starring cast member Sean Maguire since Season Three.

Robin Hood is based on the titular character from the Robin Hood ballad.

Before First Curse
In the Enchanted Forest, during Queen Regina's unhappy marriage to King Leopold, a fairy named Tinker Bell is convinced she can help her obtain a second chance at happiness by attaining true love. Using pixie dust, Tinker Bell leads Regina to a tavern. From the outside looking in, she points out the dust has left a glowing effect on a man with a lion tattoo on his arm, who is Regina's true love. Because the man, Robin of Locksley, has his back turned away from the window Tinker Bell and Regina are peering into, they are unable to see his face. Tinker Bell urges her to go in, but shortly after the fairy leaves, Regina becomes afraid and flees, without meeting her destined love.

As a petty thief, Robin steals a horse from a poor farmer despite already having two horses of his own. While camping for the night, he awakens to find the farmer's daughter, Marian, aiming an arrow at him. She tells him the horse is important her family's livelihood and, without it, they won't survive. Realizing the error of his ways, he later forfeits his two horses to Marian and her family. Mutually, the pair fall in love and marry.

Leaving his thieving days behind, Robin opens a tavern business with Marian. They face trouble from the Sheriff of Nottingham, who demands tax payments in two days or Robin will be jailed and their business closed. The Sheriff further threatens that Marian, left desperate without her husband, will surely come to him for favors. Later, the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin, agrees to give Robin golden tipped arrows if he fetches him an elixir of the wounded heart from Oz. Arriving there by portal, Robin frees Will, who promises not to alert a guard about his plans if he brings him some of the elixir as well. Wearing a guard's uniform, Robin sneaks into the Emerald Palace, where he begins filling two elixir vials. When the Wicked Witch surprises him, he drops the second dose before saluting her, not knowing her guards aren't supposed to speak to her. Even more suspicious now, Zelena demands to know why he is stealing from her. With his cover blown, Robin grabs an enchanted bow to fire at her, but she creates two more illusions of herself to confuse him. As Zelena realizes Rumplestiltskin sent him, she dissipates the illusions and hurls a fireball at him. Robin dodges, letting his arrow go as he does, causing it to fly around the room until it hits a steam engine. With the room fogged up, Robin escapes and returns to Will, lying about not getting the elixir. However, upon learning Will wanted the potion to heal heartbreak over his sister's death, Robin secretly slips him the elixir. On his return home, Robin is backed up by his Merry Men as he defies the Sheriff, stealing his gold, and giving it to the poor. Renaming himself Robin Hood, he shows Marian a six-leaf clover from Oz, which he'll use to glamour himself to keep the Dark One from recognizing him. Robin decides to be a thief again, except to only steal for the needy, as Marian agrees to stay as long as she can be with him.

With his group of Merry Men, Robin Hood pulls off a scheme on the road to stop a wealthy man's coach and steal money and jewels. Will, their newest recruit, procures a chest of goods for them. Robin Hood accepts him into the group with a bit of advice: that Merry Men are not thieves and do not steal for themselves, but for others. Will proposes the next place they should go is Maleficent's castle, which is rumored to contain enough gold to feed the whole kingdom. Robin dislikes the plan since the expedition is incredibly dangerous, but is tempted into accepting by both the amount of gold they will receive to help the poor as well as the fact Maleficent is currently away from the castle. At some point before or after this, he tells Will about Marian and how she changed him into becoming a person who will only steal from the rich to provide for the poor. Inside the castle, Robin Hood warns his group against taking anything that is not necessary. With their mission a success, they return to camp to celebrate. Suddenly, the displeased voice of Maleficent booms all around the camp site stating she cares little if they keep her gold, but demands the other item be returned or there will be consequences. In anger, Robin Hood calls the thief among his men to step forward, but no one does. That night, after catching Will sneaking away, he realizes his comrade had stolen something from Maleficent. When Robin Hood questions if he did it for a woman, Will guiltily looks down. Disappointed, he allows Will to go with the warning that his punishment for stealing will come in the near future.

Humiliated after Robin Hood makes him the laughingstock of Nottingham, the Sheriff begins harboring a grudge against the thief for stealing the woman he loves. As the couple continue to elude the Sheriff, Marian becomes pregnant and falls deathly ill. To keep Rumplestiltskin from recognizing him, Robin Hood uses the six-leaf clover from Oz to glamour himself as another man, and breaks into the Dark One's castle, risking his life to steal a wand to heal Marian. When he is caught red-handed, Robin Hood looses an arrow from his enchanted bow, which eventually hits Rumplestiltskin in the chest. Triumphantly, he prepares to leave the castle, but an unharmed Rumplestiltskin stops him. Imprisoned, Robin Hood endures torture for days on end. Rumplestiltskin's household servant, Belle feels sorry for him, and out of mercy, she sets him free. As Robin Hood escapes, he takes the wand and manages to heal Marian to full health. While the two are rejoicing in a lover's reunion, a stray arrow shot by Rumplestiltskin misses Robin Hood and hits the carriage, startling both of them, which hastens their getaway on horseback.

Some time after this, Robin Hood again meets Belle and they have other adventures together. The latter also finds out about him being disguised while invading the castle.

Later, Marian gives birth to their son, Roland. At some point after this, she dies, with Robin Hood blaming himself for "inadvertently putting her in harm's way during the job". The circumstances of how he comes to believe this are uncertain, especially since Marian's actual death was an execution on the Queen's orders, and it's not known if he knew how she died. When Emma travels to the Enchanted Forest and inadvertently saves Marian from execution, she decides to take her to present day Storybrooke so her presence won't alter anything in the past. However, Zelena secretly interferes by killing Marian and assuming her form. In this timeline, Robin Hood still comes to believe his wife is dead and this leaves things in the past unchanged. Following Marian's death, Robin Hood is directed by one of the Merry Men, Friar Tuck, to ingest a plant called night root that can help him overcome his fears. He decides against following the advice, not wishing to use magic unless absolutely necessary.
 * -|Alternate Timeline=

After First Curse
After the breaking of the Dark Curse, Robin Hood arrives at the abandoned castle of the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin, and takes up residence there until a confrontation with two intruders, Mulan and Neal. Neal introduces himself as Rumplestiltskin's son, Baelfire. Robin Hood decides to trust Neal's words and believes no one would make such a claim unless it were true. Additionally, he mentions being indebted to Rumplestiltskin for sparing his life in the past.

Robin Hood allows Neal to look around as he is searching for a magical item that may help to find his family, Emma and Henry, and picks up his father's old walking stick. He grasps the item and swings it around; prompting a hidden door to appear. Robin Hood expresses astonishment as he once tried to wield the stick before, and nothing ever happened. Through Neal's words, he shares knowledge of his father's enchantment of the walking stick with blood magic that only allows the caster or those of his blood to be able to use it. From within the door, Neal discovers a crystal ball. Reluctantly, he agrees magic is the only thing that can help him now, and attempts to get the ball to activate by touching it, which causes no change. Mulan suggests to think about how he feels about Emma, and it will guide him to see her. Neal follows her instructions, and the crystal ball shows him an image of Emma in Neverland.

While Neal is panicking over finding a way to Neverland so he can be with Emma and Henry, Robin Hood's allies, Little John and three men from their group, the Merry Men, enter to investigate the commotion. Robin Hood assures his friends that Neal and Mulan mean no harm. From underneath Little John's feet, Roland crawls out and runs into Robin Hood's arms. Neal comes up with the idea of how to traverse worlds; suggesting that Robin Hood's son can use a summoning incantation to call the Shadow so he himself can gain a pathway to Neverland. Once Robin Hood learns the Shadow is notorious for snatching young boys and whisking them away, he is extremely resistant to the idea. However, Neal reminds him that his father saved Robin Hood's wife, which allowed her to give birth to Roland, and therefore he is in Rumplestiltskin's debt. Robin Hood finally relents, and in preparation, Roland is told what he must say in order to lure to Shadow to the Enchanted Forest.

At nightfall, Little John brings Roland back to Robin Hood. To make sure, his father asks his son if he remembers what words to speak out loud, so Roland begins to enunciate them, but is hastily stopped by everyone. After Robin Hood, Neal and Mulan assume their readied attack positions, Roland is given the go-ahead. In front of a window, the boy says, "I believe", directed towards the starry night skies. Seconds roll by, and nothing happens, so Robin Hood assumes the chant did not work. Moments later, the Shadow appears as a small speck out of the sky and plunges down to the site of its calling. It makes a grab for Roland, but Mulan slices off one of its arms, as Neal hitches a free ride to Neverland on the Shadow. Afterwards, Robin Hood offers Mulan a place among the Merry Men, but she leaves to take care of an important matter. At nightfall, Mulan reappears at the Merry Men's campsite and accepts Robin Hood's offer to be part of their entourage.

Before Second Curse
Robin Hood and two of his Merry Men, Friar Tuck and Little John, scare off a flying monkey in the woods and save the Queen, Regina, and Snow White from harm. The three men accompany them and many other inhabitants who are making their way on foot to the Queen's old palace. During the journey, Robin Hood has a cheerful reunion with not only Baelfire, but also Belle. Once they arrive, Regina discovers someone is already residing inside as there is a protection spell keeping intruders out. Since safety comes first, Robin Hood suggests Sherwood Forest as a good shelter for the time being.

As they depart for Sherwood Forest, a flying monkey attacks and seemingly goes after his son, Roland, though Regina dispenses with it by turning the beast into a stuffed animal, which she gives to the boy. Relieved, Robin Hood thanks her for protecting Roland. In a group discussion, Belle shares knowledge about the flying monkey's origins in the land of Oz, so Regina determines the person in the palace is the Wicked Witch. A plan is set up to wait for Regina to bring the shield down and then mobilize the whole group into the palace. Regina chooses to carry out the task alone, though Robin Hood insists on accompanying her to repay what she did for his son earlier. They reach the crypt, which surprisingly is open, even though Regina sealed it with blood magic. He learns Regina is a mother herself, but her son, Henry, though alive, is lost to her. Progressing to a bedchamber, she asks him to stand watch, but he grows suspicious upon noticing her brewing something. With an arrow aimed at her, Robin Hood demands answers, but she simply magically chokes him. He warns that his arrow never misses, and eventually Regina lets him go; admitting she is making a sleeping curse to use on herself. When he attempts to stop her, she freezes him. He tries to persuade her to live rather than give up, but she is adamant that life is only worth living if her only true love—Henry—can wake her up from the curse someday. Robin Hood is unfrozen when Regina returns, with a change of heart, after lowering the shield. Instead of using the curse, she opts to live for the sake of destroying a certain someone—the Wicked Witch.

After receiving golden-tipped arrows from Regina for helping to break into the palace, Robin Hood walks in on Prince Charming having a drink at the stables and senses something is amiss. Prince Charming relates his foreboding sense of dread and fear, which he is unable to shake. Robin Hood recalls a plant called night root that, if digested, can help a person overcome fear. Eagerly, Prince Charming wishes to procure some, so he directs him to where it grows under white moss at the edge of Sherwood Forest, but warns of a rumor stating the area is haunted. Later, while gathered inside the palace with Belle, Regina, Snow White, and other residents, Robin Hood witnesses a reunion between a long-lost Princess Rapunzel and her parents.

Shortly after learning from Belle of Neal's sacrifice to resurrect Rumplestiltskin and the Dark One's enslavement by the Wicked Witch Zelena, Aurora and Prince Phillip confess a secret. As soon as they admit Zelena wants Snow White's unborn child, the witch herself pays an ominous visit to the palace to claim the baby will soon be hers. Later, Robin Hood, Belle, Grumpy, Prince Charming, Snow White and Regina discuss counterattacking Zelena. Despite that Regina highly disapproves of Robin Hood's presence on the war council, he curtly remarks that his help is necessary. Deciding Rumplestiltskin would know best how to defeat the Wicked Witch, they break into the Dark One's castle; with Robin Hood stopping Regina from using magic on the sealed door and instead firing an arrow to trigger a trap explosion. Though he saved her, Regina chastises that he nearly killed her. Inside, Rumplestiltskin leads them to the banished Good Witch of the South, Glinda, who provides answers to Snow White and Prince Charming of Zelena's weakness—light magic—a criteria Emma fits. In secret, Snow White casts another curse to reach Emma, but before it takes effect, Zelena drops a potion into the mixture to erase everyone's memories of the last year in the Enchanted Forest.

During Second Curse
After the casting of the new curse, Robin Hood becomes a resident of Storybrooke and remains tight-knit with members of the Merry Men. One day in the woods, Little John is showing off a crossbow he stole from a store and attempts to catch a meal by shooting a wild turkey, but misses. Robin Hood and the rest of their group follow while Little John chases after the animal. When they near the town line, he watches in shock as Little John is kidnapped by a flying monkey. Emma sends Robin Hood and the rest of the Merry Men along with David and Hook to search for Little John. They find him unconscious in the woods with a sustained bite wound and whisk their fallen comrade to the hospital. Once there, Little John begins convulsing erratically. Though Dr. Whale tries to sedate him, Little John's body forms a tail, throwing back everyone in the vicinity, as he transforms into a full-fledged flying monkey and takes off.

As news spreads in town that the Wicked Witch is responsible for the new curse, Robin Hood goes alone to the suspected villain's house to investigate. He accidentally fires an arrow at Regina, mistaking her for the Wicked Witch, and promptly apologizes. Robin Hood recalls her as the former Evil Queen, though she prefers to be called Regina. Since they have similar plans of searching the Wicked Witch's house, he goes along with her. In response to Regina's warning about not getting in her way, Robin Hood says, "I wouldn't dream of it", which is the same words he said a year ago in the Enchanted Forest when they broke into the palace together. Though neither remember this, she suspiciously asks if they have met before. Robin Hood denies it, but is certain if they had, he wouldn't forget someone like her. Inside the house, she searches for signs of the Wicked Witch's magic potions, but can't find anything. He expresses surprise at Regina since she isn't evil like her past title proclaimed her to. She remarks that fear can be a powerful influence of how people see her. They lock eyes, as Robin Hood moves closer to her, but then he reaches behind a shelf to pick up a bottle. When he asks if it's magical, Regina humorously points it out as whiskey. Deciding to take a break, Robin Hood rolls up his sleeves to pour some for them. As he hands her a cup, she is shocked to see a lion tattoo on his arm. Years ago, Regina was offered a second chance at true love, which led to a man with a lion tattoo, but she did not pursue it and never saw his face. Unaware of this, he watches in confusion as she flees the house. Later, Robin Hood spends time with Roland and the Merry Men, unaware that Regina is watching him from a distance.

At the news of Neal's sudden death, Robin Hood attends to pay his respects. Afterwards, at the diner, he meets Tinker Bell for the first time and offers Regina a drink, but she declines. The Wicked Witch, Zelena, storms in; threatening everyone into submission with the Dark One's dagger. She publicly reveals herself as Regina's half-sister and forces her sibling into a showdown on Main Street after sundown. While patrolling the woods, he sees Regina distracted over a letter. Robin Hood steals the note, and with her permission, reads it. The letter exposes sentiments of Rumplestiltskin praising the magical strength of her mother Cora's first-born child. Regina explains how she always assumed those compliments were about her, but they are actually about Zelena. She has doubts about defeating a witch that is even more powerful than herself, but soon forms a plan. Regina takes out her own heart and buries it for Robin Hood to oversee while she is gone. In the aftermath of the witch fight, she entrusts him, much to his surprise, with keeping her heart safe from Zelena.

With Friar Tuck, Robin Hood is ambushed when Mr. Gold, on Zelena's orders, demands Regina's heart. Roland, returning to camp after gathering branches, stumbles onto the confrontation. Despite that Robin Hood tells his son to stay where he is, Mr. Gold magically forces Roland to come forward and then shoves the boy into the ground. In retaliation, Robin Hood fires an arrow at Mr. Gold, who redirects it towards Roland. Not willing to risk his son's life, Robin Hood complies and hands over the heart. Mr. Gold then apologizes for what he has been made to do, before releasing and holds the arrow inches away from piercing the boy's head, until dropping it completely. In the next instant, Mr. Gold is gone, and Robin Hood rushes to comfort Roland, who he relinquishes to Friar Tuck once Regina arrives. Robin Hood apologizes for not being able to protect her heart, but she is more relieved his son isn't hurt. Later that night, Robin Hood is surprised with a reappearance from Regina, who gives him a long-awaited kiss.

The next morning, Robin Hood meets Regina at the inn for a quick kiss session before she leaves. When she asks what he sees in her, Robin Hood states it's the same thing as her—a second chance. Later, the breaking of the second curse occurs when Regina bestows her son, Henry, with a kiss of true love. This act restores the boy's memories as well as everyone else's recollections from the year in the Enchanted Forest. As Henry catches up on lost time with Regina, Robin Hood arrives and is introduced to him.

After Second Curse
Once the second curse is broken, Mary Margaret goes into labor at the hospital as Robin Hood and the remaining Merry Men stand guard inside the building entrance. Leroy and Mr. Clark rush in to alert them of Zelena's incoming presence, and they prepare to aim their arrows, but are no match for her magic. After she succeeds in stealing the newborn infant for a time spell, everyone learns Emma is now stripped of magic. Henry persuades Regina that she is capable of using light magic to fight Zelena; a claim Robin Hood also backs. He joins the others in a confrontation with Zelena, in which Regina defeats her sister with light magic. Robin Hood and David fend off a flying monkey, who reverts to Little John after Regina takes away Zelena's pendant and renders her powerless without magic. Rather than condemn the witch to death, Regina spares Zelena's life by imprisoning her. Unseen by the others, Mr. Gold later kills Zelena, accidentally triggering magic in her pendant, which activates the time spell.

After Regina's heart is restored, Robin Hood spends some time over at her house. She shares how her past love, Daniel, died at the hands of her mother, and he sympathetically talks about having lost his wife, Maid Marian. Robin Hood is surprised to learn Regina saw him in the Enchanted Forest years ago when Tinker Bell used pixie dust to give her another chance at love. Even though she was too scared to approach him then, he regards their romance in the present as something that was destined to happen. In a diner celebration welcoming David and Mary Margaret's newborn son, Robin Hood watches visible tension unfold when Regina discovers Emma wishes to leave town permanently with Henry. Emma, refusing to elaborate, bails from the diner, leaving Hook to talk some sense into her. Suddenly, a stream of light radiates to the sky as Zelena's time spell is mysteriously activated. Robin Hood goes along with Belle, David, Regina and Mr. Gold to check up on an imprisoned Zelena, who is now gone from her jail cell. The security tape is played; showing Zelena, despite not having her pendant, still harnessed magic to turn herself into a statue, which shatters and melts into powder. For the time being, they decide to leave the time portal untouched, but Emma and Hook accidentally travel through it to the past to recreate a meeting between Prince Charming and Snow White and then return to the present. During the evening, Robin Hood and Regina take Roland to the diner. Once there, Emma introduces Regina to someone she brought back from the past. Shockingly, Robin Hood recognizes the woman as his deceased wife, Maid Marian, not knowing it is actually Zelena in disguise. Overcome with emotion, he embraces her while too distracted to notice Regina's heartbreak.

Following the shock of seeing Marian again, Robin Hood quickly regains his footing and takes her outside to meet Regina. He has hopes the three of them can talk about the situation, but a furious Marian is outraged that her husband is involved with the Evil Queen. Marian has no qualms about expressing her opinion of Regina, who she declares is a monster. With both parties unwilling to settle, Regina walks away from the diner as Marian picks up Roland and stalks off in the opposite direction. The next morning, a conflicted Robin Hood arrives at Regina's office. Robin Hood confirms that his feelings for her have always been real, but he is obligated to keep his marriage vows to Marian. He apologizes, hoping she will understand, and then leaves. Later that day, a snow monster rampages through town. Grouped with Little John and Marian in the forest, Robin Hood's party is soon joined by David, Emma and Hook. When the creature approaches, Little John shoots it with an arrow, which has no effect. Hoping magic will do the trick, Emma materializes an energy ball at the monster. Having been provoked twice already, the colossal ogre knocks everyone unconscious. Marian, previously absent from the battle, rushes forward to defend with an aimed arrow, but she too is knocked away. Moments later, Regina magically obliterates the monster as everyone else awakens unharmed from the prior attack.

During a stroll, Robin Hood shows Marian around town. To reassure her that Storybrooke is a good place, he mentions all the places their son likes going to. Roland names the ice cream parlor, too, and asks Marian if they can go there now. Robin Hood believes Marian has seen enough for the day, but Roland pleads with his mother until she agrees. Inside the parlor, Any Given Sundae, Robin Hood and his son have rocky road ice cream. The counter server, a blonde woman, is introduced to Marian and gives her ice cream, free of charge, as a town welcome. Secretly, the woman adds a freezing spell into the ice cream, which Marian unknowingly consumes. At the mayoral office, Robin Hood, Marian and Roland attend Mary Margaret's first town meeting as the new mayor. While Mary Margaret assures the residents that the ice wall blocking the town perimeter, and the creator of it, Elsa, are not dangerous, Marian passes out. In a panic, Robin Hood gains Regina's help, but Elsa states only an act of true love can break the spell. Attempting true love's kiss, Robin Hood fails to awaken Marian, so Emma searches for the one who cast the spell. After bringing Roland to Little John's care, Robin Hood tells Regina that true love's kiss didn't work because he loves her, not Marian. However, they know being together is impossible since he wants to keep his marriage vow to his wife. With Marian almost completely frozen, Regina, with Robin Hood's permission, takes out his wife's heart and places it in a box for safekeeping until they find a cure to revive her.

While a search party is organized to find the Snow Queen's ice cream truck, Robin Hood spots the abandoned vehicle near his campsite and informs Emma. As they approach it, he attempts to talk to Regina, who distractedly rebuffs him. Only after Regina exits the truck, Robin Hood questions if she is upset at him for his prior love declaration. Instead, Regina explains she has no magical means to cure Marian despite having tried everything. As it is the only way to restore his wife, she implores him to forget about her and fall in love with Marian again. As he looks at her with a torn expression, Regina stoically walks away.

With his heart in conflict, Robin Hood approaches the vault and finds Regina inside. He is aghast with indecision, as his heart is swaying towards her even with knowledge of what must be done to save Marian, but she makes it clear they cannot be in each other's lives. Distraught, he finds a stiff drink at the diner and moodily aims darts at a board. When Will walks in and attempts to leave unnoticed, Robin Hood hits a dart at a nearby wall to force him to stay. Robin Hood is still upset at him for once endangering the Merry Men by stealing a looking glass, but they end up talking. He recalls his first meeting with Marian, which Will has already heard many times before. Robin Hood details how she changed him into a thief who understood the plight of poor people and began stealing from the rich to give to the needy. Will recalls a time he asked Marian why she gave up everything to be with Robin Hood. As he remembers, Marian stated she believed in the goodness inside Robin Hood and that true love is something one should always fight for. Robin Hood questions if Will still believes this even after everything he did for love. He agrees, saying that by finding someone to love for his whole life, even by giving up everything for it, is worth the trouble. Coming to a resolution, Robin Hood seeks out Regina again; explaining he's lived his life with a honorable code, but not today. He then sweeps her into a passionate kiss, which she gladly reciprocates.

After spending the night together, Robin Hood regrets nothing, though Regina feels guilty since he's a married man. She suspects, even if things were different and he didn't have a wife, their relationship still wouldn't work. Regina explains the storybook's workings to him, in which it records the lives of villains and heroes from the Enchanted Forest; including herself. Within it, he sees a photo of Regina, in the past, choosing not to meet him when the opportunity arose, and because of this, she believes her fate and their romance has already slipped by. Though she insists they cannot be intimate again, he humorously jokes that if they stay in the vault, it'll still count as the first time. Following another tryst, Robin Hood steals the storybook and consults with Will about finding a way to help Regina. To uncover more information about the book, Will attempts to break into the library. However, Robin Hood casually opens the unlocked door after seeing a store hours sign; proving the library is not yet closed. Inside, they find nothing of use until Robin Hood pulls out a storybook page from his bag that appeared out of nowhere. On the image, it features an illustration of Regina, had she not walked away, meeting him. Stunned at the discovery, he phones Regina and later explains the image is proof her fate could have gone a different way, and nothing in the past is set is stone.

Once Ingrid casts the spell of shattered sight, Robin Hood is warned by Regina of the imminent threat. He, in turn, calls for Will and commands him to let the Merry Men know they are packing up camp. Basking in their last moments together, Regina looks longingly at Robin Hood; explaining that she wants to remember him while he still has love for her, but he reasons they should just think about the present for now. Comfortingly, they share a kiss and hug each other. As the curse nears, both Marian and Roland are hidden elsewhere without Robin Hood's knowledge so when the spell comes into effect, he won't be able to harm them. He finds Regina after she casts a shield to protect Henry in the mayoral office. Regina, headed for her vault, asks him to stay as far away as possible. Though Robin Hood had plans of chaining himself to a tree, he considers going with her until she insists against it. Regina reasons that she must seal herself in the vault to keep from hurting people under the spell's influence, but Robin Hood swears he's not afraid of her. She contends he should be, and then departs to the vault. Returning to the woods, he looks up at the sky as the spell cloud approaches while his fellow Merry Men flee.

Once the curse is broken, Robin Hood gathers with Regina as Marian's heart is restored. While his wife happily hugs him, he reciprocates her embrace while hesitantly looking at Regina. In a private conversation, Marian tells Regina she knows of her and Robin Hood's mutual feelings, and agrees to not interfere if they wish to be together. During a trip to the park, Robin Hood and Regina sit at a bench while Marian plays with Roland beside a lake. To Regina, he asserts his choice to be with her, but she questions how his choice will affect Roland. By following his heart, he believes living truthfully sets a good example to his son. Regina smiles hopefully when he shows her the storybook image of themselves, but suddenly, Roland calls to them after Marian faints. Regina, recognizing Marian is freezing because of remnants of Ingrid's magic, suggests leaving town will save her life. Sacrificing her chance at happiness, she pushes Robin Hood to go with Marian. After saying goodbye to the Merry Men, Robin Hood is given last instructions from Regina, who supplies him with enough money and directions to the nearest diner outside of town. Allowing Marian and their son to cross the town line first, he gives Regina a farewell kiss before joining his family.

In New York City, Robin Hood and his family navigate the streets, hoping to locate Neal's old apartment, which Regina designated as their new home. When a thief on a bicycle steals Marian's purse, he chases him down on a horse and takes back the stolen item. While the trio settle into the apartment, they receive Mr. Gold, who tries to throw them out, before he collapses from a heart attack. After whisking Mr. Gold to the hospital, Robin Hood learns that the heart attack stemmed from the poison of the Dark One's deeds. Mr. Gold then coerces Robin Hood into helping him, knowing he cannot refuse because of his righteous honor, and asks the thief to retrieve the elixir of the wounded heart from Walsh's furniture store. Upon entering the building, the alarm goes off, and just as Robin Hood finds the elixir, he crashes out a back window to elude the police. Marian is displeased to hear about the deal with Mr. Gold, and she questions why he didn't let the man die. He is shocked by her words, as it's not something she would say, but Marian insists change is unavoidable. With her own plan in mind, Zelena continues to pretend to be Marian and secretly switches out the elixir with a fake. Sticking to his honor, Robin Hood delivers the elixir and after he leaves, Marian reveals her true form to Mr. Gold and makes a deal with him involving the Author. That night, Robin Hood gathers Neal's belongings and tries giving them to Mr. Gold, who refuses since they are a reminder of the man his son became after he abandoned him. Having experienced happiness with Baelfire and not appreciating it at the time, Mr. Gold advises Robin Hood to chase after what his heart truly desires and never let it go. When Marian finds Regina's phone number on her husband's mobile, she pushes him to choose between her or his former lover. Recalling the love they had and the sacrifices she made for him in the past, Robin Hood decides to be with Marian and deletes Regina's number.

At some point, Robin Hood discovers his wife is pregnant. When Regina makes an unexpected visit to him, he is happy to see her, but is bewildered when she claims Zelena has been disguised as Marian this whole time after killing his real wife. Before he can process this, Marian walks in and looks to her husband for protection when Regina begins threatening her. He stops Regina from doing anything, however, Marian then turns the tables on him by pulling out a six leaf clover and reverting to Zelena. With the truth revealed, Robin Hood flinches in shock, and Regina urges him to grab Roland so they can leave. However, he stutters in refusal and eventually admits Zelena is pregnant with his child.

Taking some time at the bar, Robin Hood and Regina discuss their current situation, in which she expresses hurt over him moving on without her. Robin insists it's what they agreed on, but she clarifies that understanding and seeing are two different things. Changing the topic, he relates fears about how Roland will be affected when Zelena's Marian disguise comes off for good, so Regina suggests using a forgetting potion. Upset about Zelena's deception, Robin talks about how he sensed something was not right with her, but had no idea of the truth. He believes being with Regina is still possible, despite the complications, but she doubts it since he's now connected to Zelena in a way that won't happen with her. For now, Robin returns to Storybrooke, with Regina locking Zelena away in the town's psychiatric ward. More determined than ever to gain her happy ending, Regina steals blood from Lily, using it for the quill's ink, with intentions of having Isaac write Zelena out of existence. However, just as Regina realizes going through with it is self-destructive, Robin arrives to check up on her. Deciding to accept reality, Regina decides not to harm Zelena, reassuring Robin that all is well, as she vows to stop standing in the way of her own happiness.

In the Sorcerer's library, Robin helps search dozens of other storybooks for clues about defeating Isaac, but it isn't until August presents a drawing of the Apprentice that they finally have a lead. With Mother Superior's help, the Apprentice is freed from the hat, and he rallies everyone to look for the door illustration to trap Isaac. However, Isaac rewrites a new alternate reality in the Heroes and Villains book before they can stop him.

During Alternate Reality
In this new life, Robin is a thief that constantly bests Regina by stealing from the carriages she usually goes after. With plans of leaving this life to marry Zelena, he considers Regina could be the new leader of the Merry Men. After saving Regina from Queen Snow White, Robin takes her to a tavern, where she finally realizes who he is. They share drinks and he offers her leadership over the Merry Men, but Regina declines since she wants to leave the kingdom. He then talks about his reasons for giving up his position, and his bride-to-be Zelena walks in. Zelena invites her to their wedding ceremony, but Regina refuses, believing she has to make haste since the Queen is looking for her. Outside the tavern, Regina confronts Henry, who previously told her that Robin is her true love. Later, as Robin's wedding ceremony begins, Regina, Emma and Henry rush to stop him. Hoping to reverse Isaac's stories, Henry believes a kiss of true love between Regina and Robin will return everything to normal. Upon approaching the church, they are blocked by Rumplestiltskin, who Emma duels, as Regina progresses on. Inside, Zelena has already said her "I do" to the marriage officiant's question, but when Robin is presented with the same inquiry, he hesitates, glancing at Regina in the doorway. Seeing Henry is going to be killed by Rumplestiltskin, Regina abandons her plans and takes the fatal blow for him instead. While she lays dying, Robin marries Zelena and the church bells chime. Walking out with his new bride, he immediately spots an injured Regina and goes to her side. He stays with her in her last moments, while Henry harnesses the quill and returns everyone to Storybrooke.

Before Third Curse
Waking up in town, Robin reunites with Regina. Later that night, they attend a diner party where he asks about Zelena's condition, and she confirms her sister is still pregnant. While taking an evening stroll together, Regina is attacked by a fury of escaped darkness from Mr. Gold's heart. As it takes hold of her, Robin is unable to help. Emma intervenes to save Regina by absorbing the darkness herself, making her the new Dark One.

After Emma has fled to another realm, Robin and his allies learn from the Apprentice that she has gone to the Enchanted Forest, and to reach her, someone with both light and dark essence must wield his wand to cross realms. Regina is unable to activate the wand's power, so they are forced to get help from Zelena. Robin asks her to help for the sake of their child, but Zelena snaps that the child is hers, since he was just an unwilling pawn in the baby's creation. Zelena tells them they need something important of Emma's to direct the portal made from the wand, but since Regina is unwilling to let Zelena off her leash, Hook frees Zelena, who double-crosses him and disappears. In the loft, Robin has just put Roland to bed upstairs, and as he is descending the stairs, Regina bursts in, informing him about Zelena's escape. When he kisses her, however, he immediately recognizes she is Zelena in disguise, prompting her to mock him for not having known when she was pretending to be Marian. Zelena takes him as a hostage, and his safety is secured only after Regina forfeits the wand to her. Zelena creates a cyclone from the wand, but it drains her magic, allowing Regina to render her powerless with the bracelet. Robin takes Roland to seek shelter in the diner, where Regina redirects the cyclone, causing the diner to be whisked away to the Enchanted Forest.

After their arrival in the Enchanted Forest, Robin and his allies stop Emma from crushing Merida's heart. King Arthur and his knights arrive, proclaiming the newcomers have been prophesied to reunite them with Merlin. The Storybrooke natives then head for King Arthur's castle in Camelot.

At the castle, King Arthur introduces the group to his Queen, Guinevere, and he announces there will be a ball held in their honor. While Robin is standing next to Regina, he overhears Zelena pressuring her to remove the bracelet or she’ll tell Arthur that Emma is the Dark One. Regina promptly shuts her sister up with a magical wave of her hand, rendering her incapable of speaking, much to Robin’s amusement. To help them understand where Merlin is, Arthur shows them a tree in the courtyard which the sorcerer is trapped in and then asks which of them is the prophesied savior, a title Regina claims in order to keep Emma’s cover from being blown. Later, as Robin and Regina are observing the Merlin tree, Percival arrives to give Regina a purple necklace, stating it’s a gift from Arthur that he wishes her to wear to the ball. At the ball, after Regina has been formally announced to the guests as the savior, she and Robin have fun dancing, just as Percival cuts in, asking for a turn with the savior. Robin obliges and goes to stand at the sidelines, but a few minutes later, he notices tension between Regina and Percival. Suddenly, Percival tries to kill Regina, but Robin intervenes, getting injured in the process. As Robin tries to fight off Percival, who moves to deliver a final fatal blow at him, David kills Percival. Regina, unable to heal Robin, begs Emma to do it, not wanting to lose another love like she did in the past. Emma magically fixes Robin’s wound, but as the cost of magic, she must extract a price from Regina, but it appears she never does.

In Merlin's tower, as Regina is continuing to research for a magical remedy to free Merlin, Robin offers to get tea for her. Before leaving the room, he kisses her, as a mute Zelena watches from the sidelines with disdain. That night, Robin is present with everyone else at the Round Table room, where Arthur knights David and bestows him the Siege Perilous seat.

While Mary Margaret and David are away fulfilling their plan to capture Arthur, who they believe is untrustworthy, Regina paces the room. Robin mistakes her behavior as worry over Mary Margaret and David, but instead, she affirms her confidence that the two survived, but she is curious about whether their test on Arthur worked. When Mary Margaret and David finally return, they explain that Arthur can be trusted after all, and Lancelot is their actual enemy. They insist that their best bet now for helping Emma is to give the dagger to Arthur.

Once Emma reverts Merlin to human form, she and some of her allies regroup in the diner. As Robin and the others watch, the great sorcerer helps to undo the enchanted sand's effect on David and Mary Margaret. Merlin confirms he can remove Emma's darkness, but the darkness may have taken root inside of her where no one can see it, and for him to remove it, her heart must be ready to be free.

Merlin tells the heroes about the plan to rid Emma's darkness by uniting Excalibur with the dagger. To accomplish this, he and Emma have to go on a quest to obtain a magical item, the flame of Prometheus, needed for combining the two weapons. As for the heroes, Merlin requests that they work to get Excalibur from Arthur. Robin believes that's near impossible since they're basically at war with the king now, and even Hook objects when Merlin admits his foresight into the future shows many paths that can be taken. Nonetheless, they go ahead with the plan, on Merlin's word that they must persevere for Emma. During discussion about infiltrating the castle, the group are interrupted by Zelena, who convinces them their plan to get in from the front won't work, and their best bet is to sneak in without attracting attention. After Zelena shows them an abandoned tunnel leading to the castle courtyard, Robin and the others go in, while Mary Margaret stays behind to keep watch on Zelena. Though they corner Arthur in the Round Table room, the group are blindsided by Zelena, who holds Mary Margaret as her hostage to get them to back down. With Zelena free of her cuff because of Arthur's help, Regina prepares to throw a raging fireball at her sister, but she promptly dissolves it when Robin protests that it might hurt the baby. After Zelena helps Arthur tether Merlin to Excalibur, he summons the sorcerer, ordering him to send the heroes away.

After Arthur and Zelena are forced to retreat once they are defeated, Robin joins David and Regina, combing the woods to make sure the villains are gone, before they return to the diner. Emma, having gotten the flame ember to light up, begins harnessing it to reforge the sword and dagger, as everyone looks on. Suddenly, Hook collapses from a cut he previously sustained from Excalibur, which no magic can heal. A desperate Emma, willing to do anything to save him, including creating more darkness, teleports away with Hook. As she tethers Hook's life to Excalibur, making him a Dark One like herself, Robin and the others remain in the diner, looking on in alarm as black tendrils of darkness evaporate from Merlin's body.

Despite Emma's efforts to turn Hook away from the darkness, he kills Merlin to enact another curse to return everyone to Storybrooke so he can fulfill his centuries old grudge against Mr. Gold. In the hopes of returning him to the man he used to be, Emma absorbs Hook's memories from the last six weeks into a dreamcatcher, and she does the same with Robin and everyone else, to ensure no one remembers Hook becoming a Dark One, before adding the dreamcatcher to the curse brew, creating a full memory wipe. Soon, the curse spreads and sends them all back to Storybrooke.

After Third Curse
Upon arriving in Storybrooke, Robin Hood and the others crash to the floor from the impact of the diner dropping onto the ground, and as they get up, the group realize they are still in Camelot attire, and the last thing anyone recalls is entering King Arthur's castle. Emma, in order to keep Hook's secret under wraps, enters and professes that she will punish them for what they did to her.

The next day, Robin hears from Little John that he ran into some Camelot residents in the town forest. He notifies Regina, King Arthur and the rest of the group in the mayor's office, and then all the men head out to conduct a search for them. After everyone has been found, Robin is helping to distribute supplies to the Camelot visitors when he sees Regina returning after talking to Emma at the dock. Regina is upset over Emma thinking no one believes she can protect the town, but Robin encourages her, pointing out people know how much she's changed. Regina still has doubts because the townspeople may not see her as the Evil Queen anymore, but she wants to prove to them that she is a capable leader. However, she fears people aren't ready to trust her, though they've forgiven her for her past. Robin, knowing that's not true, comforts her with a hug. Later, while collecting branches for the tent campfires, Robin is surprised by a fury, who knocks him out and kidnaps him. As the fury flies off with him, Regina manages to teleport herself in front of the creature and make it drop Robin. Regina is no match for the fury, though, and Robin is quickly taken away by the fury once more. Through the day, Regina discovers the fury is taking Robin as her unpaid price of magic from six weeks ago. She forfeits her life to the fury, who is destroyed by its own power after Mary Margaret, David, Leroy and Arthur all link hands with her. After Robin recovers, he, Regina and Roland head to the diner for an evening out.

After Zelena gets a sonogram of the baby, Regina gives Robin a phone so he can look at the photo. While sitting at the diner counter, Robin studies the sonogram, just as Hook walks in. Noticing that he has a phone, Hook offers to teach him how to use it, but Robin explains he's looking at a photo from inside Zelena, causing much disgust from the pirate, until the latter mentions it's just an image of the baby. Robin expresses mixed emotions about the situation, which is already messed up as it is, yet part of him is happy about the child, despite not wanting Regina to know about it, in fear she will mistake his happiness for something else. Upon the conversation turning to Hook's own complex love life, the pirate mentions a locked door in Emma's new house that she apparently doesn't want him anywhere near. As he begins explaining his plan to get in there, Granny drops a takeout bag on the counter with a note from Emma asking him to meet her on his ship. Later in the day, Robin is having lunch at the diner when Hook returns, having failed to get an answer from Emma about the locked door, and he asks for Robin to help him break in. Robin reasons that he's no longer a thief, but Hook uses himself as an example that the past is never behind either of them. Hook asks for his help again, but before Robin can answer, both are distracted by the jingle of the diner bell as Belle rushes in to pick up a sandwich from Granny.

In the sheriff's station, Robin is present as Grif's disappearance is noted, with Arthur suggesting Grif escaped back to Camelot with a magic bean. Upset about how this news will affect her people, as the bean was their only hope of returning home, Guinevere believes they must do something to raise everyone's spirits, leading Henry to suggesting a town dance as a much needed distraction. As they all leave the sheriff's station together, Belle runs up, reporting that Mr. Gold is missing. While Henry occupies Emma with another Operation Cobra mission, Robin goes with Belle, Regina and Hook to break into Emma's house. After bypassing the door's protection spell with Henry's scarf, they wander into the basement, finding Excalibur in a stone and noting that the sword's markings are the same as the Dark One's dagger. After Belle finds evidence that Mr. Gold was being held prisoner in the basement, Robin suggests searching the rest of the house. Before they can, Regina receives a text from Henry, warning that Emma is on her way back. As the group scramble to leave before she returns, a box catches Hook's eye, and he opens it to reveal a dreamcatcher inside. Regina, having knowledge about magical purposes of dreamcatchers, realizes Emma must have used them to take her and everyone else's memories. That night, Robin joins Regina at her house, where they study the dreamcatcher. Regina, worried over what the memories in the dreamcatcher may reveal, is encouraged by Robin to view them, as it's the only way they'll know the truth. With a magical wave, Regina unlocks the dreamcatcher's memories. In it, they see Violet having her heart stolen by Emma, who pressures her to reject Henry, so she can obtain a fresh tear from a broken heart and free Merlin. As the memory concludes, they turn around upon hearing a loud crash, seeing a stunned Henry has witnessed what they saw in the dreamcatcher.

Once the heroes discover Arthur attempted to sabotage their quest to breach communication with Merlin, Robin and Hook stand guard outside as David goes into Arthur's tent to confront him. Arthur makes a hasty escape into the woods, but he is eventually caught and imprisoned at the sheriff's station. When Zelena's pregnancy accelerates to full term because of Emma's magical influence, Nurse Ratched calls in Robin and Regina for help. As Zelena is prepped for labor at a hospital bed, Belle alerts her and the others about Emma's spell to snuff out the light, which requires a newborn's first cry. With Dr. Whale's help, Zelena gives birth to a healthy baby girl, who Robin happily cradles in his arms. Regina comes in to meet the newest member of the family, while Zelena cannot help but comment on her sister's envy towards her for having Robin's baby. Before Regina can respond to Zelena's snide remark, Emma shows up. Robin points his sword at her in defense of his child, with Regina also refusing to surrender without a fight, but Emma admits she did not come for the baby, and then poofs out of the room, taking Zelena with her.

Soon after the birth, Robin takes his daughter to the loft, where Regina later brings Zelena. Regina, whose maternal love for Henry changed her into a better person, has some hope that the same could happen for Zelena with her child. Although Robin is skeptical the three of them can ever be a family, he consents to allowing Zelena to visit and be part of his daughter's life as her mother, as long as either he or Regina are present. Robin then allows Zelena to hold the baby, and as Zelena coos over her daughter, Robin and Regina exchange uncertain looks with each other.

Learning Hook has unleashed the previous Dark Ones from the Underworld, Robin goes with Regina to search for and take down Hook, while everyone else splits up from them to cover more ground. The pair stop in their tracks when Zelena poofs in front of them, and she casually states she's made a change to the custody agreement, granting herself sole custody. Robin becomes upset upon hearing Zelena assert she will teach her daughter to be wicked like her, and he hastily readies his arrow, prepared to loose it on her. This only makes Zelena laugh and claim there's no point in fighting since both Robin and Regina will be dead soon. The couple quickly learn what she means when two Dark Ones corner them and brand their wrists with the mark of Charon. After regrouping with the others, they determine the Dark Ones cannot exist without living souls taking their places in the Underworld, as everyone with the mark will die once Charon comes for them. With little time left, Robin joins Regina at the mayor's office, where they find Zelena attempting to claim the place as her own, since the pair's demise is imminent. Believing his daughter's best chance in life is definitely not with Zelena, he lets Regina wield the Apprentice's wand to banish Zelena back to Oz. As Charon's arrival draws near, Robin and the rest of the crew are taken by the Dark Ones to the Underworld's portal. In the end, they escape death when Hook absorbs all the darkness and has Emma kill him. After Emma finds out Mr. Gold used Hook's sacrifice to regain his Dark One powers, she forces him to reopen the portal to the Underworld so Hook can be rescued. Robin leaves his children with the nuns before joining the expedition to the Underworld.

After coming to the Underworld, Robin splits up from the others to go with Regina in search of Hook. He notices the town looks the same as Storybrooke, except the top of the clock tower is in ruins on the street. Regina recalls Storybrooke came along with the Dark Curse after she cast it, though she theorizes that whoever made the curse created Storybrooke as a replica to the Underworld's town. Following a reunion with Cora, Regina is indecisive about whether to leave the Underworld or not, because her mother is threatening to harm her father if she doesn't. Robin tries to console her when she imagines how much her father will suffer because of her, but Regina still blames herself for her father being in the Underworld in the first place. Mr. Gold procures magical ale, which Emma uses to summon Hook's spirit and talk to him. Hook materializes, appearing bloody and beaten, causing Robin and Regina to shield Henry and keep him from looking at the gruesome sight. However, Hook seemingly cannot hear or respond to Emma, and he disappears soon after. Once Regina confronts Cora and helps her father move on to a better place, she and Henry rejoin their party and discuss possibly helping other souls in the Underworld move on. Mr. Gold, not interested in being a do-gooder, parts from the team, while Robin and the others continue with Operation Firebird, Henry's name for their mission.

Continuing to look for Hook in the north woods, Regina sends Robin to the mayor's office, suspecting there are maps of the entire town. Robin begins heading off alone, but Regina insists that he bring Henry with him, and it won't be dangerous since Cora won't be there. Discovering the door has a protection spell, Robin pulls aside the hallway sofa and tears off a vent cover, which has a crawl space passageway leading to the office. Henry offers to go in while Robin waits for him. The boy encounters Cruella inside the office, where she strikes a deal with him. After Henry returns to Robin, he states that he found nothing.

To find Hook underground, Robin and the heroes plan to enter the cave Megara had escaped from. The plan falls through after Mr. Gold convinces Emma to join him for a better idea, in which he'll use the aura of a deceased person to get both of them into Hades' lair, where Hook is. Sometime later, upon returning to the apartment, Robin and the others find Hook and Emma already waiting for them. The pair report that Hades destroyed their boat, so now everyone has no way of going home. When Hook mentions they lost a friend as a result of his rescue, Robin gives his condolences, to which Mr. Gold mentions that this person made him who he is. Since Regina's magic is working again, she attempts to do the heart split between Emma and Hook, except a barrier prevents her from taking out Emma's heart. Afterwards, Hook shows everyone the three headstones that Hades engraved with Snow, Regina and Emma's names, to make them stay in the Underworld forever, in place of the three people they already helped move on.

Character Notes

 * Robin Hood is featured in the title card for "Lacey".
 * Robin's tattoo is a shield with a lion rampant (depicted in profile standing erect with forepaws raised) langued (having the tongue visible).
 * The rampant lion is a common motif in real-world heraldry, and also in the Enchanted Forest. King George's coat of arms (later adopted by Prince Charming and Snow White ), and King Leopold's father's coat of arms, also feature this motif.

Props Notes

 * Among the numerous pictures and cut-outs pinned to the wall in Henry's room are:
 * An illustration from the cover of the first edition of Paul Creswick's 1917 novel Robin Hood, illustrated by the American artist and illustrator N. C. Wyeth. Not one, but two copies of this picture is on Henry's wall.
 * "Robin Hood and Little John" (1912), by the English-born American artist, illustrator and author Louis Rhead, from his novel Bold Robin Hood and His Outlaw Band: Their Famous Exploits in Sherwood Forest. It depicts a scene from the ballad "Robin Hood and Little John".
 * Robin Hood and the Lady, artwork by the English artist and book illustrator Walter Crane.
 * An illustration of Maid Marian and Robin Hood in Henry's storybook, is accompanied by a story about how they met:

R obin was back on [image ends] [illegible word]. He and the [image ends] [illegible word] the [illegible word] [image ends] the forest. [illegible word] [image ends] was quick. Rather [image ends] [illegible word] well, as [image ends] [three illegible words] [image ends] the figure, [illegible word] [image ends] to the ground, the figure's [two illegible words] [image ends] the most beautiful woman that Robin had ever [image ends] The woman told Robin Hood that [image ends] Marian. Her parents were so poor [image ends] the evil Sheriff's taxes. Instead, [image ends] they had of any value − her hand in [image ends] begged Robin Hood. If her carriage [image ends] Sheriff's castle by daybreak, her p[image ends] the forfeit. [image ends] "I shall ransom you, said Ro[image ends] "Then the stories are true." [image ends] say there is a thief in Nottingh[image ends] Sheriff himself. Our people [image ends] Sheriff takes from one pocket [image ends] Men steal from the other. [image ends] Robin Hood had never [image ends] manner before, and for the [image ends]