Hoof beats were heard, loud and fast they came approaching the morose village of stewarten and a white pony cried outside of a drab little dwelling a certain peasant lived in. "Robin! Robin! Come quick, Robin please!" The door of the dwelling swung open revealing a brown haired kid in tan breeches and tunic. He didn't gape when he saw the girl of obvious noble birth jump from the pony and run to him like his parents did.

"What 'ave ye done this time, Robin?" His mother hissed in his ear as the girl swept Robin up in a tender hug. Robin didn't reply to his mother, instead he gave the girl a glare as he pulled away from her.

"Please, oh robin the castle is dreadfully dull without you there to keep me company. Won't you dismiss that fop's comment, just this once? It isn't as if it were a huge deal." Marian's cheeks were as scarlet as her flaming hair. Now Robin's own cheeks tinted to the color but his was in anger. His hands were in balls by his sides and ire lit his hazel green eyes.

"The man was spouting gibberish, Marian! He was claiming you to be in love with me when we are friends and nothing more. Robin didn't catch the stinging flash of rejection and hurt in her eyes as he stalked past her. Robin's parents stared amazed at the scene that played out before them. Marian hid her face from them and Robin as she wiped a stray tear from her eye. She painted another smile on her face, hoping it would convince him. She ran to stand by his side. He was seething at the mere memory. "Not only did he say that but remarked on how the poor suddenly had the guile to even believe they were within a stones throw of marriage with a noble woman." Marian's smile became less forced as she slipped her hand into his and instead of pulling it away as he normally did he squoze it a bit. "That Knight of yours is nothing but a bumbling troll. He should be protecting you instead of stuffing his fat mouth and coffers." Marian was touched for his worry over her.

"Why not you; surely you could protect me?" Robin smiled tenderly at Marian and her cheeks flashed scarlet yet again.

"My Lady Marian, I can protect you in only the way of slingshot and mediocre Archery perhaps one day when we've grown some more and I were not at the tender age of eleven then I could. But I have yet to pick a broadsword or a cudgel and those I must learn against any odds as impossible as they may seem." He said staring directly at his mother and father as he said so. She clutched both of his hands, euphoric by his willingness to protect her.

"Nonsense, I could have you trained by the finest on my lands, please Robin come back." He eyed his father and then his mother then with a defiant jut of his chin he nodded. His Father came roaring out of his delirium like a bear.

"No I will not 'ave ya' spoutin' lies to me child. 'Ere, Robin will do just fine without yer meddlin'." Robin's father was approaching Marian with her white pony by the reigns. She took her pony but didn't leave immediately. She looked deeply within Robin's eyes then set upon her pony; she rode off back to Huntingdon castle. Robin watched Marian ride off with an indifferent look upon his face, and continued to stare after her long after she had gone from his sight.

Robin's mother thought it should be upon her to escort her daughter back into their shack of a house. She took Robin by the ear and ignored her whimpers of pain.

"You aren't going." Her mother said adamantly plopping her down in a seat before resuming the task of stirring fish stew. Robin gave her mother a slack opened mouth in disbelief.

"I am going, and there is nothing you can do about it less I break my vow and a true man never betrays his own vows." Robin said with steel in her voice as she looked to her father.

"That would be true if you were a man or even a boy! But your me daughter meaning you's be a Girl." Her mother said with equal steel in her voice.

"Fine then, a lady never breaks her promises either, didn't you say so, mother?" Her mother cut her eyes at her child but Robin didn't flinch away as she might have years earlier. "I will go and you will let me or I will go and you will not know." Her mother picked up her wood slab of a cutting board and neared to Robin. Robin's eyes widened in sudden fear, but before her mother could take to whacking her with the piece her father intervened.

"Evelyn it is none but our own fault she grew up like this. Treated like a boy even by us until now. My little girl was brought up like a young lad and now she acts like one believing she may do things as a young lad could. How could we deny her these thoughts when we were the ones to bring her up on them?" He asked his wife with a wan smile. His complexion was waxy from the truth of his revelation. Evelyn went to her knees besides her husband and cried into his shoulder.

"My darling daughter will never marry. I will never have grandchildren. My, the possibilities of her death are endless if we allow her to do this, Tim." His jaw clenched as his green eyes sought his daughters hazel ones. The silence dragged on before her mother suddenly lifted her skirts and stood wiping her eyes. They were red and swollen from the tears she had only just stopped shedding. "Enough we will discuss this later, after dinner and we will be rational about this." Her mother said in a voice brooking no argument for tonight. "Now then, let's eat before supper gets cold."