I own nothing. If I did Marian would still be alive
Troubles
Marian
I picked my way through the street stalls, broken pipes and playing children on my return from Anne's house with an empty basket. The weather was sunny and bright and there was barely a cloud in the sky. Suddenly as I turned onto a narrow street, and bent, withered old man approached me.
"Any change, sweet lady," he wheezed.
"Oh! I, well, here, I-" I stopped as the figure straitened up and moved out of the shadows, revealing and young, bearded face, creased with amusement.
"Sorry to scare you, milady," he grinned, still speaking in his beggar's growl.
"Robin!" I cried, "You startled me. How do you appear like that out of thin air?"
"Magic," he said. His tone was nonchalant but his face betrayed a smile. It made my heart quiver.
"Someday your magic will wear off and you will be caught," I murmured.
"I doubt that," He kissed me on the cheek and pulled me back into the shadows.
"And," he began, "Marian. I have bone to pick with you," I cringed inwardly. "I hear the Nightwatchman has been making his rounds again recently," He looked at me questioningly.
"The people of Locksley need help!" I protested.
"You promised me!" he held onto my arm, "If I cannot trust you to keep your promises, who can I trust?"
"No one! Me, Much, Will, the gang, none of us. Allan has already betrayed you!"
"I thought I could trust you," he sounded hurt.
"You can trust no one, Robin, no one but yourself,"
"I expected to be able to trust you to keep your promises," said Robin bitterly.
"While you are busy fighting the sheriff the people of Locksley are being used and injured. I cannot just sit back and watch while my village is persecuted!"
"What if you get caught? What if someone discovers your secret?" he lowered his voice, "What if someone finds out about us?"
"I am careful," I said.
"Sometimes careful isn't enough!"
"Ha! Says the man who finds himself caught by the sheriff every other week!"
"I escape, don't I?"
"But one day you might not!"
"Same goes for you. I have the gang, I have backup. You are completely alone in this. You can't expect to keep this up forever can you?"
"Can you?"
"Until the King comes home, yes!"
"Well, so do I. Look, Robin, we're going round in circles here,"
"Exactly!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He sighed and turned his face away. I looked at him with distaste. As he turned back, I was surprised to see him grinning.
"What?" His eyes twinkled sheepishly.
"I love it when you look at me like that," I let out a groan of exasperation. Couldn't I see I was in no mood for his flattery?
"No, really," he bent his head down near mine and added in a whisper, "You're gorgeous when you're angry,"
"Shut up," I snapped, imagining the pleasant sensation of my fist on his teeth, "You're pathetic drivel won't work on me anymore, Robin of Locksley.
He kept his head close to mine and touched my chin with his hand.
"I think you might be smiling, Marian,"
"Get lost," I said, pushing him the chest, "I must go now anyway. Gisborne will be waiting for me,"
Gisborne. The one word which would shut his arrogant mouth right up.
"Gisborne?" he repeated incredulously,"
But I had already pushed pat him and disappeared into the throng of people, leaving him standing behind me like a cat who has just found there is no milk in his saucer
Robin
I was balanced precariously on the half-inch beam outside Marian's window, using my elbows to hook myself onto the window ledge. As I prepared my bow, I had to go down to just one arm on the ledge to keep me from falling backwards, which strained the muscles in my shoulder. The night was cold and cloudy in contrast to the day's good weather, and the window was whipping my face. By morning no one would know I had been here. If I was careful. If I was lucky. An awful lot of it came down to luck. I pulled the bow string backwards and aimed for the wall just above Marian's bed. She was sleeping on her side, he face turned away from me. The arrow pinged into the wall an inch above Marian's head. She turned slowly over and her nose bashed the hilt of the arrow. She raised an eyebrow and looked over to the window. I gave her my best smile.
"Robin," she hissed, "What are you doing here?"
"Didn't want to let the sun go down on her anger," I explained.
Marian rolled out of bed, grabbed a cloak, threw it around her shoulders and made her way over to the window.
"Robin, the sun has already gone down," she pointed out.
"You know what I mean," I said. I hauled myself onto the window ledge and sat down on it.
"I'm sorry. I just don't want you to get hurt,"
"I don't want you to get hurt either. Do you have any idea what it's like being in love with a man who has several hundred pounds on his head?"
I tried to stop the smile flickering on my face when she said "in love with a man".
"Look," I said, "You and I both know what the guards do to woman round here. If you're caught they'll…"I tailed off, shuddering at the thought of that happening to Marian. I touched her arm. "I couldn't live with myself,"
She nodded. "I know you can't leave them to starve," I continued, "But Lady Marian can feed to poor, not the Nightwatchman,"
"The Nightwatchman can do things Lady Marian cannot!"
"I know! But…but I don't want you risking your life,"
She opened her mouth to argue but I cut her off. "Yes, I know I risk my life, but we both know that that's different. Please Marian," I cupped her cheek, "You've already nearly died once. If anything were to happen again I'd kill myself,"
She sighed heavily. "Fine. Fine. I won't go out as the Nightwatchman without telling you first," I tried to protest but she interrupted.
"That is my best compromise, Robin,"
"Alright," I conceded. Damn it why did she have to be so stubborn? Alright, she was only as stubborn as I was, but her situation was completely different. Couldn't she see that?
There was a noise below and I looked out of the window to see a villager heading out to the fields. It must be getting early.
"I must go," I whispered, "Thank you,"
She nodded. I swung my legs back over the sill onto the beam and hung onto the ledge with my elbows again.
"Goodnight, Robin. I'll see you soon,"
"I hope so. Goodnight, my love,"
She kissed me quickly in parting. I grinned at her (I knew it was the grin that both aggravated her and made her heart melt) and climbed down so my feet were on the top of the doorframe. From there, I leapt and landed on my feet on the floor, although the tendons in my ankles complained. I began to walk away, only to wave and blow a kiss at Marian. She caught it and raised her eyebrows at me as if to say "Are we still acting like childhood sweethearts?". I smiled my make-you-hate-me-but-you-can't-resist-me smile at her again, and set off back to the camp. For now, even if only for a few moments, all was well.
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