Robin Hood awoke with a start. His internal clock was telling him he needed to get up, but his conscious mind could not at first grasp where he was.
As realization dawned, his face broke into a brilliant smile, and he stretched and sighed with complete and utter joy. Rolling over on the soft bed, he gazed into the sleeping face of his beloved.
It felt impossible to move away, but his mind was urging him to get up. He needed to sneak out of the castle before dawn, before Day Watch, or it would be too risky. Resigning himself, he climbed from the bed and gathered up his clothing he had carelessly strewn on her floor the night before.
She had asked him to awaken her to tell her 'goodbye,' and so, after he shoved his arms and legs into his dirty, ragged garments, he kneeled by her bedside and woke her with a soft, chaste kiss.
"Good morning, my love," he whispered tenderly.
Marian's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled sweetly at him. "No," she said. "It can't be morning. It's pitch dark, Robin. You mustn't leave me yet." She grabbed him round his neck and pulled him to her. "Stay," she insisted.
At that moment, they both heard the bells toll four. Marian sat up in shock and pushed him from her. "Go!" she urged. "Hurry!"
Robin chuckled as he ran to her door. "That's just what I love about you," he said.
"Go!" she insisted.
He cracked open her door, saw that the coast was clear, and made a mad dash through the corridors of Nottingham Castle, to return to his men in the forest. Robin believed he had escaped undetected, but he was not completely correct.
"Aw no, not again," thought Allan a Dale, who was returning to the castle after a late night at the Trip.
Allan shook his head at the brown clad figure dashing away. They were taking risks they shouldn't be taking, but how to stop them? Allan had already saved Marian from the gallows by risking his own neck in her Nightwatchman disguise...and now, here she was, risking her life again by letting Robin into her room at night! There would be hell to pay if Giz ever found out!
...
Two months before, on the night after the Sheriff had disappeared for an entire day and Prince John's army threatened to burn Nottingham to the ground, Marian had first given herself to Robin. After he had brought Vaisey back from the forest, Robin had found Will and learned how Marian had refused to marry Gisbourne and leave the town in safety. Sending Will back to Sherwood alone, Robin had sought out his love.
She was thrilled when he pushed open the door to her chambers.
"Robin!" she cried softly, and they held each other and kissed for a long time. Other than that morning, in the presence of Guy of Gisbourne, they had not seen each other since they had been trapped together in the tree in Sherwood. Being apart had been hard.
They broke apart to smile into each other's faces. "I knew you would save us today," she said.
"It was pretty close."
"When have you ever been timely?" she teased. He laughed and kissed her again.
He was pleased and surprised when she continued to deepen his kisses. Whenever he kissed her, there always came a point when she would stop and they would recover themselves. But they had crossed that point, and he knew he was going to have to be strong before they reached the point of no return.
He broke away, panting heavily.
"Robin," she uttered, with longing.
He searched her eyes. Was she trying to tell him what he thought she was saying?
"Robin," she said again. "Listen." She began kissing him slowly, deliberately, and he felt his passion begin to consume him. He broke away again.
"We nearly died today," she began. "I...I don't want us to wait any longer."
His eyes lit up. "I'll find a priest...someone to marry us now, and then, when King Richard returns, you can still have your wedding with all the trappings."
"Do you know a priest you can trust?" she asked.
He thought, and realized he did not. Even the many with good intentions and kind hearts would crumble under pressure if questioned about Robin Hood. "I'll find one," he vowed.
She smiled and kissed him again, this time sweetly. "Good. Make an 'honest woman' of me, Robin, as soon as you can. But, as one or the both of us could die before you do, stay with me here tonight."
Completely certain she really wanted to proceed, Robin wasted no time. He quickly peeled every stitch of clothing from his body and stood naked before a surprised Marian, devoid of shame or embarrassment, his eyes glowing with excitement and desire.
Marian was a bit surprised by his haste, and the sight of his fully aroused body. Her gaze shifted toward him and then away. She was curious to look upon him, yet felt shy staring.
"It's alright, my love," Robin said gently, his voice kindled with passion yet containing a hint of amusement as well, "I don't mind if you look."
He was magnificent, but seeing him completely unclothed made her hesitate, and her passion cooled rather than flared. Nervousness set in. Her hands twisted at the fabric of her skirt and she gulped.
"I'll...I'll get dressed," Robin offered, disappointedly reaching for his pants, but Marian stopped him with a definitive "No."
He looked into her brave and beautiful eyes.
"I want this, Robin," she insisted. "I wish it was our wedding night, but who knows when that will be." She surprised herself and him by breaking into a sob. Instantly, she was enfolded in his strong, comforting arms.
He held he tenderly, lovingly in his embrace and let her cry on his bare chest. The stress of the day was pouring out of her, as was the longing for her father who would have given her away at her marriage, and the yearning for the life she could not have with Robin.
He smelled of sweat and smoke and horses, but she felt she had never smelled anything so delectable in her life. Well, maybe they couldn't share the life they had always envisioned, but they could still be together.
"Shh," he whispered, stroking her hair with his sensitive hands. All at once, she wanted those hands to be stroking other parts of her than her hair.
Lifting her tear stained face from his chest, her mouth eagerly sought his. Their kiss was slow and deep and urgent, building in its intensity. She felt her body respond, and tongues of desire awakened all the secret places on her body and shot waves of want through her. She could feel his desire match her own, and she rejoiced.
His hands, hot now, fumbled with the laces on the back of her stomacher, pulling and tugging with little success, but she reached down and undid the three clasps in front. The small garment dropped to the floor.
"Oh, so that's how it's done," Robin said, redfaced. Marian was secretly pleased at his lack of expertise removing women's clothing.
Something else had dropped to the floor as well. She gracefully stooped down and retrieved her emerald engagement ring which she had earlier hidden in her bosom after Will had given it back to her. She showed it to Robin and he slid it joyfully onto her finger.
Both of them were breathing heavily, nervous but overwhelmingly happy. He slipped her shirt off one shoulder and buried his mouth in the warm silky flesh he found there, kissing and nibbling and sucking away at it. Stalling. Marian felt she might swoon, she was growing so dizzy. She let him kiss her neck and shoulder until she could stand it no longer, then she reached down and pulled her shirt and its underlying chemise over her head.
Robin gave a gasp for air, and another, and another. His eyes were locked in wonderment on her breasts.
"My God, Marian, you're lovely."
Without another word, their bodies melted together.
...
He had done his best to curb his ardor and take her as gently as he could, knowing from talk that there would be pain her first time, and a slight bit of blood. There had been blood, and slight pain, but Marian was strong and handled it well. It was more difficult to handle the pleasure than the pain, for there had been scores of it, mostly in the knowledge she had given so much of it to Robin.
Lying naked together in one another's arms, neither one wanted to speak or move ever again. This was heaven, in all its glory. This was love fulfilled and expressed fully. At this moment, before they needed to think again of the hungry and the poor and the suffering, all that mattered was their love for one another. They fell peacefully asleep in each other's arms, completely content, like innocent babes.