Title: The Wayward One
Rating: T
Summary: Pre-Series. Marian stays behind after Robin abruptly breaks their engagement and goes off to the Holy Land. What happens to those left behind? This is not a romance.
Disclaimer: I do not hold any ownership over the BBC's version of Robin Hood.
Author's Note: One snowy, winter's night, I was driving to work, when the song "Missing You" by John Waite came on the radio. And so, I was inspired. I don't even like that song, but it struck me as so perfect for Marian. The, "don't be ridiculous, of course I didn't miss you, fool! Except, I won't let you die," type thing that's always happening between those two. I hope you enjoy it. Beta'd by musical-penguins. Thank you, darling.

Additionally, in creating the timeline for plotting purposes, I realized that King Richard was crowned King of England in 1189, then he left on his crusade (which ended in 1192, the year Robin returns home). So Robin could not have been gone for five years. *sigh* SO. In light of this, I have decided to make Robin gone for only three years, which is historically accurate, but the story ends when Robin comes home, and canon takes over. This isn't the first time you've ignored a plot hole for the sake of this show, and sadly, it won't be the last.

Read to the end for an additional author's note. You'll like it!

Prologue
Every time I think of you
I always catch my breath
And I'm still standing here
And you're miles away
And I'm wondering why you left
And there's a storm that's raging
Through my frozen heart tonight

o0O0o

Marian had taken to staring out windows.

She would never admit to this, of course, in the same vein that she hated to admit to weaknesses. And she would consider window-gazing a weakness, because she could not tell you who or what or why she was looking in the first place. But people whispered about her, all the time, causing Marian to keep herself cooped up in her house in Knighton, so as not to hear them. (But she could not keep herself from looking).

She was too angry for dreaming at windows, too angry to fantasize about what might have been. And she was furious.

But Marian was also very, very tired (possibly because being furious is exhausting work), and she might as well be wearing black for her soon-to-be-dead ex-fiance. So window watching it must be.

It was 1189, England had a new King, and that new King Richard, with the Heart of a Lion, has led them all to war, and taken his precious Captain of the Guards, young Robin of Locksley, with him. Marian's soon-to-be-dead ex-fiance. Is there a word for that? Possibly in one of the many languages that Robin knew.

And if he did not perish in the endless sands of the Holy Land, Marian might well kill him herself.

o0O0o

Additional Author's note:

This is normally the part where authors beg for a review. Instead, I will say this:

If you leave me a signed review (i.e., I can send you a response), you will get a little bonus. This is not the kind of story that a lot of people are going to read, but those who do will get a little treat. I have annotated every chapter, with my hilarious beta reader, Musical Penguins. If you leave me a signed review, I will send you a pdf of this story plus a lot of nonsense in fun colors. Each time you review, you will get the annotation of the chapter you commented on. The other thing you need (besides a review) is a code word, that I will leave at the end of every chapter. Got it? (And don't cheat and just leave the code word. I'd like to know if you love it/hate it and why.) This chapter's code word is rubber chicken.