Marian POV:
I spent the first morning of summer making my usual rounds through my father's manor village. I smiled and greeted the baker and the miller and the farmers. I ruffled the children's hair and exchanged small gossip with the farmers' wives. I sighed happily, contented in my responsibility of care I had for these people.
All was well until a farmer came running towards me, panting and red.
"My Lady," he huffed, "I must speak to you immediately. In private."
I, of course, understood immediately what he needed. The Sheriff had increased the taxes once again, leaving many of my people with little money to feed their families. I had successfully managed to hide some money away from the greedy hands of the tax collectors, money I handed to the villagers when they needed it. I was the only one who could hide it successfully – the collectors had a talent for sniffing out money hidden by the peasants, though this was probably due to the fact that they had to power to tear down any peasant home in search of money.
I followed the farmer, Hugo, to his hut. The room was hot and stuffy, and I saw that his youngest daughter, a small beautiful angel of only six, was laying on the bed with five blankets over her. I had no doubt that these were all the blankets the family owned.
"Please, she has had a terrible fever for the past three days, and we have no money to send for a doctor or buy the medicine herbs."
I nodded, "Of course, Hugo. I shall go send a message for a doctor immediately." Hugo smiled gratefully, his body relaxing with hope. With my father so ill, the care of my people had fallen to me, and I would do anything to keep them safe and happy.
After sending a message to Nottingham requesting a doctor urgently, I proceeded to saddle my mare, Sophia, and go for a ride.
I found that a ride in the forest did wonders to clear my head. The cool canopy above created a comforting cover from the burning summer sun, and the tranquillity allowed me to think and plan.
I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed I was being followed until a man in green with a bow on his shoulder landed in front of Sophia. I gasped and reined her in before she trampled him. I then saw that six other men surrounded me, some holding swords and others pointing arrows at me.
And then the man in front of me looked straight into my eyes. I gasped again. Those blue eyes... I hadn't seen them in over seven years, when they had beheld the grief of goodbye. I saw those same blue eyes widen as he recognised me.
"Robin." I said, awestruck.
"Marian." It sounded like a sigh, but I saw a smile play on his lips. He had grown, I saw. He was more muscular and tanned, and some of his boyish mischievousness was gone from his eyes. Seven years in the Holy Lands would do that to you.
He raised his voice, "Come on, lads. This lady here carries nothing of value. Let's be on our way." He gazed at me for a second longer, and then followed his men into the forest. I was shaking as I returned home.
I leaned against the window pane of my bedroom, watching the stars at their eternal dance. The pain of separation had long faded from my conscience, but after seeing Robin again, I had not had a steady heartbeat all evening.
I had heard the stories, of course, of how Robin of Locksley had finally returned from the Crusades, only to find his manor burned by the Sheriff and his land taken. When he had defied a direct order from Guy of Gisborne, and killed one of his guards in an attempt to escape certain imprisonment, he had been declared an outlaw. Tales of his ensuing heroics, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, immediately began to spread. But I had not expected to come face to face with him so soon.
Suddenly, I heard a scraping from below the pane. Glancing down, I saw a dark shape hanging from the wall below me. Someone was climbing up the wall! Quickly, I rushed to my bow and faced the window, an arrow poised to be released.
A man climbed over the window pane, right into the path of my arrow. It was too dark to see his face. He was a silhouette in black.
"Who are you?" I growled, "Don't move, for believe me, I will shoot you through the heart if you do."
To my surprise, he laughed, "Believe me, Marian, I do no doubt your ferocity. I was, after all, the one who taught you how to wield a bow."
For a moment I was astounded into silence. "Robin?" I asked. I lowered my bow, my mouth hanging open in surprise. He moved forward a little, and in the candle light, I saw that it was in fact he.
"Are you mad?" I demanded, regaining my composure, "Climbing through my window at night, a wanted man!"
He, infuriatingly, leaned against the window, a picture of haughty confidence and ease. "Relax, Marian. Who will see? The Sheriff? Considering the fact that you still have your land, I would assume that you are thoroughly within his good books." There was a hint of condemnation in his tone.
"That is because I have been fighting with every means I have to keep it!" I snapped, "While you have been gallivanting off fighting your glorious war, things have really changed here."
He was suddenly serious, "Oh, believe me, I know."
I saw the sadness in his eyes, and felt his pain. It softened me, my initial annoyance fading away, "I'm sorry, Robin. Of course you do. I cannot imagine returning from war, only to find my home destroyed." I tried to change the topic, for Robin's face had fallen further at my words, "So how were the Holy lands?" At this, his face closed even more, and he turned away, and I sensed it was not a topic he was quite ready to discuss.
For a moment there was an awkward silence. I could think of little else to say to the man who had once been my closest friend and confidante.
He suddenly spoke up, "I hear that you are a friend to the poor. Not like the other nobles who relish in the increase of taxes that fatten their own purses."
I frowned at him, "Where would you hear that?" If word of this reached the Sherriff's ears, he would become suspicious.
"One of my men's cousins is a farmer of yours. Hugo, I think his name is. You saved his little girl today." His eyes pierced mine.
I met his eyes evenly, "I do what I can to protect my people. I have seen how the poor suffer in some of the other villages." Suddenly I sighed, a great weariness and sadness overcoming me, "What has happened to us, Robin? Where are those carefree days of our childhood?"
He smiled, his eyes far away, and then laughed a little, sadly, "We grew up. The world's problems are our problems now. God, I've missed you, Marian." His eyes pierced mine again, and I was glad it was too dark for him to see my blush.
"I've missed you too, Robin." I laughed a little too, "Do you remember when I was twelve, and it was your fourteenth birthday, and I gave you my best bow? Do you have it still?"
He grinned, "I still use it. That bow is the one you saw today. That bow had saved my life many times, and I've always thought of you when used it. It is a fine bow"
"I'm glad." I smiled, a little flattered. Another short silence.
This time, he offered a memory, "And your fourteenth birthday? When you danced with only me at your party, and we made that sour-faced Guy turn that ugly shade of green." This had me laughing too. I added, "Though the overall effect was diminished when he poured that pitcher of ale over your head." Robin scowled and laughed with me.
"Guy is the Sherriff's right hand man, now, though of course you know that." I sobered again, thinking of the heartless man who carried out some of the Sherriff's most cruel punishments. And to think that we had once dined together as friends.
I turned to Robin, "I want to say, that you have my support if ever you need it. I will help you help those suffering under the Sheriff's rule, no matter how...unorthodox...your methods might be. Of course, this means that you must try not to rob me as much as the others." I grinned and extended my hand. He took it, but did not let go. Such a partnership could overcome anything.
"Marian, thank you. Together, I believe we can set things right." Suddenly, he frowned and looked at the floor, "I want to apologise as well. I'm sorry for the way I left you, with so little warning, and I'm sorry if I broke your heart. I have never regretted anything as the cold way I said goodbye to you that day. I want you to understand that it was my own pain in leaving that made me act so cruel."
My heart throbbed as I again felt that pain of being cast aside by your first love, "It's alright. We were young, just children, and I try to think of all the good times we shared. I hope that we can be friends again, the best of friends we were as children."
Suddenly he grinned again, and I saw a hint of the boy he used to be. "Friends, then." He bent and kissed the hand he was still holding. Then, grinning evilly, he suddenly pulled me towards him, and pressed his lips upon my cheek. Before I could react, he was over the window pane and gone, flashing another roguish grin in my direction.
Resting a hand against my cheek, I couldn't help but smile.
