Allan's shoulders and backside pressed hard against the cold stone of the castle walls. He smiled fleetingly at the contrast in temperature, but was more easily distracted by the heat being generated between his body and hers. Their faces were so close together he could feel her breath on his cheek. She smelled of spring mornings in the forest; all dew and apples and blossoming flowers. Her arms were tight around his neck and, looking into her glassy blue eyes, the impish thought returned; he swivelled their entangled bodies round and grinned as he placed her smooth skin against the harsh wall. As her mouth opened in a shocked gasp, Allan quickly pressed his lips over hers once again.

Despite the pleasurable experience of being kissed by Allan, Marian refused to let that one go. She sucked his bottom lip, feigning forgiveness, and then bit down hard. He recoiled instantly with a hurt look on his face, whilst she burst into giggles against the wall. Marian was not a person with whom Allan could stay angry for long, however; mainly because a flash of her smile was all it took to make him want her, but also because they didn't have the time. Guy was always sending Allan off to do his dirty work; one day he would be in the forest spying on the gang, the next day making the Sheriff's evil plans a reality. Marian was supposed to keep a low profile at the castle and stay in her quarters, but there was only so much sewing a girl could do. It was dangerous to be seen together and wherever the two met for a liaison, there was a very high chance of discovery. They snatched these spontaneous moments when they could and made the most of them.

*

Today she had been to see her father, who was locked up in the dungeons of the castle. Guy usually busied himself terrorising villagers and grovelling to the Sheriff, staying far away whenever Marian visited Edward - he feared her blame and anger and didn't want to antagonise her any further. Allan, however, was not ashamed to use the mixed emotions that Marian felt after visiting her father for his own purposes. It was selfish, but he did want to comfort her too and convinced himself that this made up for the self-interest.

As he sat waiting for her, he thought about their odd situation. Watching the pretty serving girls go past with their uncomplicated lives and simple smiles – always a smile for Allan - he wondered how all this had happened. He was the lowest of the low. He had been a thief and a conman, tricking people out of their hard-earned money. She had been born into a big house, with money and privileges, and possessed the beauty of an image of the Virgin Mary. What did she see in him? These thoughts frequently troubled Allan, but never for very long. He had an overwhelming cocky streak that bullied all other emotions and his insecurities were always quickly forgotten.

Allan positioned himself somewhere that he knew she would find him: on the steps of the courtyard, knowing she would need to feel the light and breathe the fresh air after the dark, dank dungeons. She would sit down near him – far enough away so as not to cause suspicion, but close enough so that he could feel her presence - reposition the layers of her skirt and glance sideways at him.

When she arrived back into the relative normality of above-ground castle life, Marian knew there were more important issues in the world, and most certainly in England, than her dangerous affair with Guy's boy. Robin hadn't told her much about war in the Holy Land, but the things he hadn't said spoke volumes. She knew that her worries should be with her father, the King and the poor of England - who were all in danger in the current climate - and she did worry about these things, but when she sat down beside Allan on the courtyard steps it was like he allowed her to forget. He gave her permission not to worry about the Sheriff's next villainous plan or where the people of Locksley and Clun were getting their bread from tomorrow. It wasn't like these worries didn't matter, it was just that they could wait for a bit. Allan knew that it was sometimes fine to be selfish and that they were better people for it.

After exchanging quick glances and wry smiles, they walked through the castle courtyard, keeping an appropriate distance between them, and out into Nottingham on market day. Despite the Sheriff's oppression, the maze of stalls still buzzed with excitement. Allan led the way, rushing through the throng of bodies, as the earthy smell of turnips and chickens mixed with the stink of human waste. Children followed at their mothers' skirt hems, tired and hungry, but ever curious. Stallholders shouted, trying to sell their wares for the highest price and refusing to submit to the inevitable price reductions – no-one in Nottingham and the nearby villages could afford much these days. Marian had once watched a father try to exchange the services of his son – fetching, carrying, simple carpentry – for a piece of pork. The memory lingered as she followed Allan through the crowds until they came to The Trip Inn. One of the few businesses not to be affected by the poverty of the county's inhabitants; the door oozed bleary-eyed men and grinning, voluptuous women. Cut into the hill on which the castle stood, the tavern made for a formidable sight. Marian had been before, had even been inside on a few occasions, but in this company her finely sewed clothes and subtle jewellery weighed heavily on her body.

Allan led Marian to the passage at the side of the building and stood grinning.

"Why have you brought us here?" she asked, faintly unimpressed.

"Come on, Marian, don't you remember?" He spread his arms out as if trying to sell her the grotty passage as a home.

"Remember what, exactly?"

"We used to..." he stumbled over an appropriate word to use in her company, "m-meet here, when I was still with Robin!" He walked closer to her, his grin a little dirtier, "You'd lean up against that wall and I'd look at how pretty you were."

"Were?" Marian exclaimed with faux-shock and a broad smile.

"Are!"

His quick words and charming ways amused her and she smiled to let him know that she was being light-hearted. His wide smile conveyed his pleasure at their shared memories.

"Of course I remember," she put him out of his misery, "but we have no need to come back here. There are better, more comfortable places to go now. It's a bit...alfresco."

Allan laughed heartily and put on a mockingly posh voice, "Oh, madame, I am sorry, would your ladyship prefer to view my lordship's bedchamber?" He paused for a few seconds to study Marian's reaction to his teasing. She seemed to be pouting in an effort to hold back laughter, so he continued, "I do hope you will find it to your satisfaction. We uphold the highest standards here at Chez Nottingham Castle, only the best for our most respected clients. Would madame like to take my arm?" he held out his arm for her and she took it without reserve, "If you would like to come this way."

Allan started to lead them out of the passageway, but quickly about-turned them in an unceremonious swing motion.

"Allan, what -"

"Shh, get back against the wall!"

He couldn't let them be seen, for Marian's sake as much as his own. All his ties with the gang were now cut - Will had made that clear - but he still hoped, somewhere small inside him, that he might one day be allowed back. If anyone found out about he and Marian though, it would, without a doubt, be completely over for him – and for Marian. Her dangerous games with Robin and Gisbourne were one thing, they could both be used for information, but her affair with Allan? It was purely selfish and would hurt Robin far greater than any weapon.

The transformation in Allan's eyes shocked Marian into unquestioning submission. Before, they had been sparkling blue and laughing, now they were a deeply worrying, serious grey-blue. She pressed herself against the wall in alarm while Allan cautiously peeked around the side. After what seemed like half an hour, but was more like 2 minutes, Allan breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed against the tavern's wall. His eyes were closed, which deprived Marian of the chance to read them, so she had to speak instead.

"What...what is it, Allan?" her voice was barely above a whisper and for a moment she thought he had not heard.

"It was Robin." His eyes were closed as he said it, but upon finishing his sentence he opened them and looked at her. What Marian saw in them was all the guilt Allan had ever felt towards Robin. They were sad eyes, guilty eyes, worried eyes. Eyes that knew exactly the betrayal they had committed just by looking at Marian the way he did.

"Well...um, has he gone?" She bit her lip and nervously played with her hands. She went to peer around the wall of the tavern, but Allan blocked her way.

"Yeah, he's gone I think."

"Should we not check?" Marian started towards the busy street before being pushed back by Allan.

"Look, Marian, you being stubborn is very attractive, but for once could you just do as I say and stay here for a minute?" Marian narrowed her eyes, breathed deeply and decided that no, she would not do as Allan said for once.

"If you just let me look then I can see if he's gone and we can continue..." She pushed past him with determination and Allan, knowing better than to stand in her way twice, let her. She peered cautiously around the corner for a few moments before turning back around.

"I can't see Robin, or Will, or Much or anyone."

"Doesn't mean they're not there, though, does it? What with them magic hoods of invisibility they've got. Could be hiding round a corner," Marian giggled and seeing her, Allan smiled too and the tension between them lifted. "Right, I'll go on ahead, you stay here for a bit and follow me on. We can meet in Sarah's bedchamber, she's out in the village today, i'nt she?"

Marian nodded in answer to the question and in agreement with the plan. She had actually been thinking the same thing, but liked to let Allan think he was rescuing her sometimes, knowing it made him feel good. She watched as he gave her a wink and then turned to go.

Allan strode out from the alleyway, dodging a drunk, bereft looking man whose sorrowful eyes struck Allan for the half a second their gaze met. His guilt all but forgotten, Allan had his eyes on the prize: Sarah's bedchamber and Marian in his arms.

Marian waited for what she thought was a few minutes, but her eagerness led her to leave the alleyway after just a few moments; she had never really mastered the art of patience. Instead of rushing back through the market with her mind on one thing, like Allan, Marian wandered through the stalls and crowds thinking about what might have happened had they been caught by Robin, or one of the gang. What on earth would she have said? That it was a secret meeting to exchange information? That was probably the only thing she could have said, and she made a mental note to remember it in case they were ever caught in the future. Capture by Guy, on the other hand, would be a different matter and Marian pushed that particular thought to the back of mind, refusing to think about it. She smiled and said hello to villagers she knew, bought an apple to make herself smell nicer and made her way back into the castle courtyard. Checking quickly for signs of the Sheriff or Guy, Marian climbed the steps, nodded curtly to a faceless guard, hidden behind helmet, shield and armour, and quickly weaved her way through the maze of corridors that made up the castle interior.

Inside her maid Sarah's bedchamber, Marian saw Allan spread out on Sarah's small bed chewing an apple that she suspected he hadn't paid for. He grinned, "Tasty apples, eh?"

"Even sweeter when you give the farmer what they're worth." Marian retorted, giving him a look that Allan had seen her give both Robin and Guy when she was mildly displeased with their actions.

"You tryin' to say that I stole it?!" Allan decided denial was the best form of defence.

The game was a familiar one, their teasing banter a precursor to any physical contact; both parties waiting for the other to make the first move. Marian had thought about this ritual, maybe it was to do with blame; each wanted the opportunity to say it was the other who had initiated the affair if they got caught. This time, Marian was the one to give in, but she would make Allan think it was him. She sat herself down on the bed and stared long and hard into his eyes, making him slightly uncomfortable and knowing he would act to remove the intensity.

"What we waiting for, eh your ladyship?" He started pulling off his top with a smile and the sight of his chest made Marian's heart jump to her throat. She leaned forward and made the first move.

Allan had her where he wanted her and with a joy he just never felt anywhere else but the castle, he grabbed her waist and lifted her slender frame onto to him as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"You're perfect, Marian, you know that?" Marian paused for half a second before bursting into laughter. "What?!" cried Allan. "Women love to hear that, don't they?"

The mixture of very faint hurt and shock that found its way into Allan's voice managed to tone down Marian's giggles, but she still couldn't believe what he had just proclaimed to her.

"I'm not a tavern serving girl, Allan," she informed him tenderly, "I don't need you to charm and sweet-talk me." Her smile was still amused, but Allan could see that she wasn't mocking him. Even so, she had to pay for laughing at his efforts. He eyed the walls as Marian nuzzled his neck; they looked cold and Allan grinned.