A/N: This was written for the post-athon for Paula545 and Socksycherry's birthday. Happy birthday girls!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the mistakes.
Just a short piece of Robin/Marian fluff. Let me know what you think!
Robin smiled to himself as he looked around. Sir Guy of Gisborne was away on business for two days, so Robin was taking full advantage of the time and was planning on spending it with Marian.
Just the thought of her beautiful face made him happy. She was the only thing that had kept him going when he was in Holy Lands fighting. The thought that one-day he would see her again, that he would be able to hold her again or kiss her again. He was away for a long time; he had thought he'd lost her for sure. But he returned to find her unmarried and still living with her father. He'd never been so happy to see her left finger bare.
Much had just finished cooking the stew. It had been Allan's idea to cook a nice meal for her. Who knew he was such a romantic? Robin, Allan, Will, Djaq and Little John had robbed the castle earlier that morning, taking some bread, cheese and wine.
He's spent the last hour setting everything up. He'd chosen the perfect clearing in the woods. It was the middle of spring; flowers were blooming and there was a soft gentle breeze blowing. He'd set up a small table and two chairs – courtesy of Will and his amazing carpentry skills – in the middle of the space.
He heard the sound of horses hooves get louder as the animal got closer. He'd just left her a note that said, Meet me at the edge of Sherwood Forest at sundown. He watched as she hopped off of the mare, pulling her hair out of the band that it was in as she did so. Her wild dark curls fell below her shoulders and her light blue eyes shone brightly. She was wearing a dress – but it was more elegant that the ones she usually wore. Her eyes locked with his and she smiled.
He knew it was childish, but his heart still fluttered slightly in his chest whenever she looked his way. He was feeling slightly nervous, but pushed the feelings down and embraced her warmly. He kissed the top of her head and felt her smile into his neck.
"Want to tell me what's going on?" she asked, resting her hands on his chest, the steady thump of his heart beating under her palm.
Robin grinned his boyish grin, his blue eyes twinkling. "Dinner," he said, indicating to the table he had set up. "Gisborne is away, which means we don't have to sneak around the castle."
He held out his arm and led her to the table. He pulled out a chair for her and then sat down opposite, dishing up the food. Marian's mouth watered at the sight and smell of the meal in front of her. Somehow she doubted that Robin himself had cooked it.
"It looks wonderful," she praised.
Robin shrugged it off. "Just something I threw together."
He took her hands in his and they said grace, thanking the Lord for the food before them. From the instant the stew touched Marian's tongue she knew it had been cooked my Much. She always found it remarkable – they way he could take the simplest ingredients and turn them into something fit for the castle.
"How was your day?" Marian asked him, making sure to swallow her food before speaking.
He leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Well, Allan got stuck up a tree – he claimed he was 'resting', but in the end Little John had to climb up pull him down. Djaq and Will went to look for some honey in the forest – they didn't find anything of course. Much complained a bit and we terrorised the Sheriff and Gisborne for a while," he said, chuckling slightly. When he said it out loud his life sounded completely crazy.
Robin had quickly become accustomed to living in Sherwood Forest. He quickly realised all of the small things that he had taken for granted, such as a warm bed or a roof over his head at night – but he had also felt the loss of those things in the Hold Land. He gazed at Marian, his blue eyes full of love for the woman sitting opposite him. He could see her shaking in silent laughter.
"What about you?" he asked.
"I went to the market and brought some new dresses and I repaired my Night Watchman's costume. It got ripped when I was running away from the Black Knights the other day," she said. She hated the idea of what Guy would do to her if he ever found out about her alter ego. She still carried the scar on her side from one of their encounters.
The two of them continued to make small talk for the remained of the meal, their knees occasionally brushing against each other's.
Robin reached under the table and produced a small basket filled with various forest berries for dessert. They were a mix of blues and reds and purples and were just ripe enough. Robin picked one up and popped it in Marian's mouth. She smiled and sucked on his finger gently before he withdrew his them. They continued eating the sweet fruit until there were only a few left. Marian tore her eyes away from Robin's long enough to pick up another one when she saw a piece of parchment at the bottom under the remaining berries. Robin felt his nerves tingle but tried to keep a straight face. She curiously picked up the parchment and read it.
Love is when you miss her even before she's gone, when she could talk all night and you'd never get tired of her voice, when hearing her name sends chills down your spine, and when you close your eyes you see her smiling at you. Love is when you feel absolutely safe in her arms and when you can forget all your troubles when she smiles at you. Love is when she can take away your pain with a simple touch. It is when you know what he is thinking before he even does. Love is when you look into her eyes and see that she loves you too.
We both know it's true,
That you and I were meant to be,
Marian, I love you,
Will you marry me?
She gasped as she read the last four words, not quite believing it, but she didn't want to read it again in case she was indeed mistaken. It was the most beautiful, romantic thing anyone had ever done for her.
"Robin," she breathed. She looked up to find him standing on one knee to the side of her, an amazing silver ring with a blue jewel on it in his hand. It matched the shade of her eyes perfectly. "I don't know what to say."
"Do you love me?" he asked seriously.
She looked at him for what felt like hours. His hair was hanging over his crystal blue eyes in golden brown locks. He had a bit of a beard growing and was watching her with the most serious look she had ever seen on his face. She wasn't even sure he could do serious. Marian knew that she loved the man in front of her. She never thought she would forgive him for staying in the Hold Lands for so long without contact, but that was before he and the Sheriff started feuding.
"If you don't know that answer to that then why are you even asking me?" she joked, her eyes getting damp. "The answer is yes."
"Yes you'll marry me? Or yes you love me?" he joked back, his own eyes beginning to fill.
But before she was able to answer, Robin swept her into his strong arms and crushed his lips against hers in a searing kiss.