-1AFTER THE BATTLE
MARIAN AWOKE EARLY IN THE MORNING, SO MUCH SO THAT IT WAS STILL DARK. SHE TURNED AROUND TO FIND THAT ONCE AGAIN ROBIN WAS GONE.
EVERY SINCE THEY HAD SHARED THIS MARITAL BED. SHE HAD ALWAYS AWOKE TO FIND HIM GONE. IT WAS HIS MEMORIES AND NIGHTMARES FORM WAR THAT KEPT HIM FROM HER SIDE AT NIGHT. WHAT WAS WORSE WAS THAT ANYTIME SHE TRIED TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT, IT JUST CAUSED AN ARGUMENT, WHICH JUDT DISTANCED HIM DURING THE DAY. MOST WIVES WOULD SUSPECT FOUL PLAY WHEN THEY AWOKE TO FIND THEIR HUSBANDS GONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. TONIGHT WAS DIFFERENT HOWEVER INSTEAD OF LEAVING HIM TO HIS OWN THOUGHTS SHE GOT DRESSED AND HEADED TO THE ONE PLACE WHERE SHE THOUGHT THAT SHE WAS SURE TO FIND HIM. SHE WALKED OUT TO THE STABLES AND FOUND TO HER CONFORMATION THAT HIS HORSE WAS GONE.SHE STADDLE HER HORSE THEN MOUNTED IT AND HEADED TO THE OLD CAMP IN THE FORREST. THEY HAD BEEN MARRIED JUST OVER A YEAR NOW, AND LIFE COULDN'T BE BETTER, WELL IT COULD IF HE WOULD STOP DISAPPEARING. SHE THOUGHT TO HERSELF SARCASTICLLY. SHE GOT TO THE OPENING OF THE CAMP, BUT ROBIN WAS NO WHERE TO BE SEEN. HOWEVER, HIS HORSE WAS TIED UP SO SHE KNEW THAT HE COULDN'T BE FAR. SHE DISMOUNTED AND HEADED OVER BEHIND THE CAMP TO WHERE A WATERFALL WAS, SHE KNEW THAT ROBIN LIKE TO SIT ON TOP AND GAZE AT THE SKY.
SHE WALKED AROUND THE BACK OF THE CAMP AND SAW THE WATERFALL, BUT COULD NOT SEE ROBIN ANYWHERE. SHE GLANCED AROUND LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY SIGN OR TRACE OF HIM,BUT SHE FOUND NONE.
'LOOKING FOR ME?' SHE HEARD A FAMILIAR VOICE CALL FROM ABOVE HER. SHE LOOKED UP TO SEE ROBIN SITTING ON ONE OF THE TREES ABOVE THE WATER FALL THAT HAD BEEN HALF CUT DOWN AND LOOKED LIKE A LITTLE WARM COZY CHAIR.
'YES AS A MATTER OF FACT I WAS' SHE SAID SMILING HAPPY THAT SHE HAD FOUND HIM.
'COME UP' HE SHOUTED DOWN.
MARIAN SNORTED ' UP THERE!'
ROBIN JUMPED DOWN ONTO THE TOP OF THE WATER FALL AND THEN BENT DOWN AND PUT HIS HAND OUT.
'STAND ON THAT STONE AND THEN I'LL PULL YOU UP."
MARIAN SMILED AND DID AS SHE WAS TOLD, ROBIN GRABBED HER HAND AND THEN GRABBED HER WAIST WHEN SHE WAS CLOSE ENOUGH AND PULLED HER UP AND INTO HIS ARMS. SHE SMILED UP AT HIM AND LEANED IN AND GAVE HIM A KISS. SHE PULLED APART AND HE SMILED AT HER.
'WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT AT THIS TIME AT NIGHT YOU SHOULD BE AT HOME IN BED." HE SAID STANDING THEM BOTH UP.
'I WAS THINKING THE EXACT SAME THING ABOUT YOU."
ROBIN SIGHED ' I NEEDED TIME TO THINK'
'AS YOU DO EVERYNIGHT.' MARIAN POINTED OUT.
ROBIN LOOKED DOWN. HE DID NOT WISH TO START ANOTHER ARGUEMENT OVER THE SAME THING.
'MARIAN...'
'NO.' MARIAN SAID INTERUPTING HIM. 'I KNOW THAT IT IS HARD FOR YOU TO JUST SLIP BACK INTO THIS NORMAL LIFE AFTER SO LONG A TIME OF FIGHTING. I WILL NOT PUSH YOU INTO DOING IT.'
ROBIN SMILED HE LOVED HOW SHE WOULD NEVER PUSH OR MAKE HIM DO ANYHTING, UNLESS HE REALLY NEEDED IT.
'THANKYOU' HE SAID SOFTLY AND KISSED HER LIGHTLY ON THE FOREHEAD. ' AND I PROMISE I WILL STOP SNEAKING AWAY AT NIGHT.'
'GOOD I'M GOING TO NEED YOU'RE HELP SOON.' MARIAN SMILED TO HERSELF THINKING OF HOW CONFUSED ROBIN MUST BE RIGHT NOW.
ROBIN HUGGING HER TIGHTLY FROWNED TO HIMSELF, WHAT DID SHE MEAN BY THAT. HE LOOKED DOWN AT HER SMILING FACE AND FROWNED. ASKING THE UNSPOKEN QUESTION.
'WELL I'LL BE TO BIG TO DO ANTHING SOON ENOUGH.' SHE SMILED SLYLY. WHICH WIDENED EVEN MORE WHEN THE SHOCKED LOOK SPRUNG UPON ROBINS FACE.
'YOU MEAN?' HE WAS SO HAPPY THAT HE COULDN'T EVEN GET THE SENTENCE OUT.
MARIAN NODDED HAPPILY. ROBIN LAUGHED AND PICKED HER UP AND SPUN HER AROUND.
MARIAN LAUGHED. ' ROBIN! PUT ME DOWN BEFORE YOU DROP ME.' SHE SAID AS HE PUT HER DOWN. 'AND WE WOULDN'T WANT THAT HAPPENNG WOULD WE?'
'I LOVE YOU MARIAN. AND NOW I DEFINATELY PROMISE THAT I WILL NO LONGER LEAVE AT NIGHT'
'YOU HAD BETTER NOT. LEAVING ME WITH A CRYING BABY EVERY NIGHT.' SHE LAUGHED ROBIN KISSED HER AND THEY THEN BEGAN HEADING BACK TO LOCKSLEY TOGETHER.
9 MONTHS LATER
'ROBIN I HATE YOU, YOU A NEVER GETTING NEAR ME AGAIN!' MARIAN SCREAMED FROM INSIDE THE BED CHMABER WHERE SHE WAS GIVING BIRTH. ROBIN WHO SAT DOWN STAIRS WITH LITTLE JOHN AND WILL. HAD MORE ON ONE OCCASSION TRIED TO RUN INTO THE BED CHAMBER TO TRY AND BE WITH MARIAN. THANKFULLY LITTLE JOHN HAD BEEN THERE TO RESTRAIN HIM.
'OH GOD SHE HATES ME.' ROBIN SAID PUTTING HIS HEAD IN HIS HANDS. ' I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL NEVER GO NEAR HER AGAIN. JUST LET EVERYTHING BE ALRIGHT.'
WILL AND LITTLE JOHN LAUGHED. WILL HAD A 2 YEAR OLD SON WITH DJAQ SO HAD BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE. JOHN MERELY FOUND IT AMUSING TO WATCH HIS ONCE LEADER WHO WAS SO BOLD AND BRAVE NOW REDUCED TO PREYING TO GOD BY A WOMAN.
'AHHHH!' THE SCREAMING RETURNED THE MEN FROM THEIR SHORT PERIOD OF SILENCE. ROBIN LOOKED UP AND MADE ANOTHER DASH FOR THE STAIRS. ONLY TO BE STOPPED YET AGAIN BY LITTLE JOHN AND WILL.THIS TIME HOWEVER, HE MANAGED TO PUSH WILL AWAY AND GET LITTLE JOHN TO TRIP AND FALL ON TOP OF WILL. ROBIN DASHED UP THE STAIRS AND RUSHED INTO THE BEDROOM. HE LOOKED TO SEE A TIRED MARIAN ON THE BED HE THEN REALISED THAT THE NURSE WAS HOLDING A SMALL BABY IN HER ARMS.
'MARIAN!' ROBIN RAN OVER TO HER AND KISSED HER HARD ON THE MOUTH, THE NURSE BROUGHT THEIR SON OVER TO THEM AND HANDED HIM TO ROBIN. HE LOOKED AT MARIAN AND SMILED. HE WAS FINALLY AT PEACE.
