The Girl With No Name

by Artemis Ambrose

She has no name, or at least she can't remember it. She meets Guy, and he takes her in, and gives her a name. Follow her as she tries to live in the times of Robin Hood, Sir Guy, the Sherriff, and others, while trying to survive a kidnapping. story is much better than summary.

78

She could feel the sun shining on her face, as she began to wake up. She stretched as she opened her eyes; unfortunately, she was looking up at the sun. she groaned, and rubbed her eyes. She sat up, and when her eyesight returned, she looked around. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion. She had no clue where she was. Nothing looked familiar to her at all. She stood up and slowly turned around to survey her surroundings. It looked like she was in a small village, a very mid-evil village, by the look of it. She saw more of the village as she came around the side of the large house. It looked almost deserted. She could count on one hand the people outside of their homes. It was a beautiful day, where was all of the villagers? Why weren't they outside, enjoying the sunshine?

She turned to look at the house that she'd come from behind. She decided to walk through the village, to see if anything looked familiar. She tried to bring a memory back to her, any memory, but nothing came. Then something dawned on her. She didn't know her name. How could she not know her own name? Why didn't she know her own name? She put her fingers to her temple, and rubbed it, as if she was trying to rub memories back into her brain. Of course, it didn't work. She stopped to speak to the first person that she came to.

"Hello." The British speaking woman said.

"Hi, I think that I'm lost." She said.

"You are in Locksley village. It sounds as if you have traveled far." The woman said.

She had no clue where in the world she was. By the accent, this woman was British, so that would mean that she was in Great Britain, but she sounded American. This was getting more and more confusing, and weird.

How had she gotten to this place?

She smiled at the woman.

"It sounds like it. I have a problem." She muttered.

"What's wrong?" The woman asked.

Before she could say anything, there was the sound of a horse coming up to them. The horse stopped next to them. The man on the horse climbed down, and looked at them. The man was tall and very handsome. She found his eyes and they were a slate blue color, and almost hypnotizing. She smiled at him. She barely noticed the woman take a step backwards.

The guy looked at the woman; he had noticed her take a step backwards.

"Sarah, who is this friend? I have never seen her before." The guy said.

She never took her eyes off of his face.

"I do not know Sir Guy. I have just met her myself." Sarah said.

Sir Guy looked back at her.

"My name is Sir Guy of Gisbourne." He told her.

Sir Guy of Gisbourne? What kind of name is that? What was his last name? Didn't everyone have a last name?

She suddenly realized that he was waiting for a response. She gave a nervous glance towards Sarah, and then returned her gaze to Sir Guy.

"Well, I'm not from around here. I have a problem." She told him.

He raised his eyebrows.

"A problem? Well, why don't you come with me, I'm sure that I can help, or at least try to." Sir Guy said.

She smiled, and nodded.

They started the way that she came from, back to the house.

"What is your trouble my lady?" Sir Guy asked.

She looked up at him.

"I'd like to talk in private, it's kind of embarrassing." She told him.

"Of course." Sir Guy said.

It didn't take very long to get to the big house. He opened the door, and let her go through first. She turned to find him looking at her, expectantly.

"You have a very lovely home." She told him.

He glanced around.

"It serves its purpose. So, you said that you have a problem?" he asked.

She bit her lip, and sighed.

"I don't know where to start." She said.

"How about the beginning? What's your name?" He asked.

She turned away from him, rubbing her temple, trying to remember. She turned to find him close to her.

"Do you not want to tell me your name?" He asked.

"It's not that. It's my problem actually." She told him.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I don't know my name. I don't know anything about my past; I have no memories, of anything. I woke up outside, behind this house, and that is all I remember." She said.

"Nothing? How is that possible?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"I don't know, but I swear, I'm telling the truth." She told him, looking up at him.

He just looked into her eyes for a moment.

"I believe you." He told her.

She gave him a smile.

"Thank you. You are very kind." She said.

He gave a small smile, and she saw that it suited him well.

"Are you hungry? I have more than enough." He said.

"I am." She said.

He put his hand on the small of her back and led her to a table. She sat, and he sat down next to her. They were served by a boy. Sir Guy barely noticed him.

"So, you need a name. Do you have one in mind?" He asked her.

She shook her head. She didn't even know where to start.

His eyes caught hers, and held them. She couldn't seem to look away from him.

"Would you be opposed to me suggesting something?" He asked.

"Not at all." She said breathlessly.

"What do you think about the name…Mary?" He asked.

It kind of sounded as if he was unsure of what he was suggesting. The way he said the name sent shivers down her spine, and it felt good. She liked the way that the name sounded when he said it.

"I like it." She said.

He smiled.

"Now, that is settled. Next thing to figure out is where you shall reside." He said.

"Reside?" She asked.

Her stomach gave a clench, she didn't know where she would go, she had nowhere to go. What was she going to do?

"Live. A young woman, such as you, should not live alone. Where would your protection be? I would be honored if you would stay here. I will protect you, of course." He told her.

Hope slipped through her. He was willing to give her a place to stay.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"You don't have any other place to go, do you?" He asked, his eyes shining.

She smiled.

"No, I don't. It is very kind of you to offer me your home, I thank you. Somehow, someday, I intend to pay you back." She told him.

He gave a quiet laugh.

"That is not necessary." He told her.

"Thank you." She told him.

"Once you are finished eating, a bath will be drawn for you, and a change of clothing will be provided for you." He told her.

She smiled.

X*X*X

Sir Guy was sure that Mary was finished with her bath, or at least, it had been long enough for her to finish. He headed up the stairs, but froze when he got to the top of the stairs. Mary had on a dressing robe, and it wasn't tied, yet. The way the light was hitting it, it looked see-through. Something ran through him, something that hadn't gone through him in a long time, only this time it was much stronger than it had been before.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

She tied the robe securely, and turned around. When she saw him, she gasped and jumped.

"Sir Guy, you scared me. I wasn't expecting you to be standing there." She said.

"I apologize, that wasn't my intention. I was coming to see how everything was doing. Is everything to your satisfaction?" He asked.

"Yes, everything is amazing." She said.

"I'm glad. Would you like to see Nottingham? I'm sure that you would enjoy the castle." He told her.

"That sounds great." She said.

"We shall leave when you finish getting dressed." He told her.

She gave a slight nod, and he turned to head back down to let her get dressed.

X*X*X

She was finally dressed; with some much needed help from one of the servant girls that was hanging around. She walked down the stairs, but didn't see Sir Guy. She was told that he was out at the stables, getting the horses ready. She found the way, it wasn't too hard.

"Do you know how to ride a horse?" He asked.

"I don't know." She said, lowering her eyes to the ground.

She felt like a child, not knowing anything.

She felt his finger at her chin, lifting her head up, so she could look into his eyes.

"It's fine. You'll just ride with me." He told her.

"Thank you Sir Guy." She said.

"Call me Guy." He told her.

She nodded.

He got onto his horse, and then he helped her up onto the horse, behind him. She didn't realize how high up into the air they were. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and held on tightly.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall." He told her.

When they started walking, she held onto him tighter.

They got to Nottingham several hours later. When they reached the gate, Guy stopped the horse. He slipped off of the horse, and helped her down.

"Thank you. I'm not sure if I'm too fond of riding horses." She told him with a smile.

"It's fun once you learn how to ride." He told her.

She laughed.

"I'm sure it is." She said.

Guy nodded to the guards, and the gate opened up for them to enter. The town square had a few people milling around.

"It's market day." He leaned down to tell her.

She nodded.

She looked around taking everything in. She waited for something, anything, to come to her. Nothing came. Her mind was as blank as before. They walked through the town towards the castle. When they came to the square inside of the castle, they stopped.

"Why is everyone gathered here?" She asked Guy quietly.

"A criminal is being executed. He is to be hung for his crimes against the king." He told her.

Wasn't that a little barbaric?

She felt him take her upper arm, gently, and lead her up to the front of the castle. They stopped at the bottom of the stone steps, leading into the castle.

"Stay here, I need to talk with the Sheriff, before everything starts." He told her.

She nodded.

He went up the stairs, and over to king-like chair, with a man sitting on it. Mary looked around the square, to gage what everyone's reaction was. Everyone seemed to be in anticipation about what was going to be happening. Was this normal?

Her eyes skimmed the crowd, until her eyes found another pair of eyes. His eyes were glued to hers. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. He was wearing a Lincoln green hood on his head, but he was letting her see him. There was something in his eyes, mischief, perhaps. Why would there be mischief in his eyes?

Someone in a hooded cloak leaned in, and whispered to the man that was staring at her. The hooded person ducked away, and the man's eyes returned to hers. He gave her a quick wink, lowered his hood over his face, and slipped away. She searched the crowd for him, but he had disappeared suddenly.

She felt a hand on her shoulder suddenly, and she turned to see Guy standing next to her.

"It's about to begin." He told her.

The sheriff stood, and spoke. He announced that the criminal was to be hung in front of everyone, and that the accused was to come out to the platform.

A tall, thin, man was led out in shackles, and up to the platform, with the noose. The man held his head high, and didn't look too frightened. She saw the same thing in his eyes that she had seen in the man with the hood that had disappeared right before her eyes.

Guy's hand slid down to the small of her back, as their attention turned to the man on the platform.

"Proceed." Came the word of the sheriff.

Her heart sped up as she waited for the inevitable.

The noose was slid around his neck, and tightened. The man stood up straighter, as if waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly, something shot through the air, whistling as it flew. An arrow sliced through the rope, and the man was saved. The rope was cut in two, and the man landed on his feet. People were looking around to see where the arrow had come from.

"HOOD!"

Guy withdrew his sword from the sheath.

"Don't let Dale escape. Find Hood and his men. Now!" Guy shouted orders.

She had no clue what was going on. Confusion swept around her. Guy turned to her.

"Mary, I need to go, and find Hood, stay here, out of the way, where you are safe." He told her.

She nodded.

He left her side, and melted into the crowd. The fighting was coming near to her, and she ran up the stairs, to keep a safe distance, and not get hurt. She looked around for a hiding spot, and edged over to a doorway. She was backing toward it, so she couldn't see what was going on behind her.

She didn't see the person coming up behind her, until it was too late. A hand went over her mouth, to keep her from screaming, and dragged her backwards. Once she had been pulled out of sight, and into the shadows, the person pressed her up against the wall. They put a finger to their lips, to tell her to be quiet.

"There's no need to scream, I won't hurt you. I am going to take my hand away, are you going to scream?" The man asked.

She shook her head, saying that she wouldn't scream.

He took his hand away, and pulled his hood down. It was that man that held her gaze, with mischief in his eyes, and who had disappeared into thin air.

"Who are you?" She asked.

He raised his eyebrows, as if surprised.

"New to town?"He asked.

"You could say that, but you still haven't answered my question yet. Who are you?" She asked.

"I am Robin Hood. Who are you, fair lady?" He asked.

She smiled.

"Mary." She told him.

He took her right hand in his left, and brought it to his lips to kiss it. She felt her cheeks flush as she smiled. With his right hand, he caressed her cheek, that is, until two men ran around the corner, and shouted to him.

"Until we meet again." Robin Hood told her.

He gave her back her hand, and then took off running after the two men. She put her hand on her chest and tried to get her breathing back to normal. She smiled, and she kept replaying what had just occurred. She wondered why he was in such a hurry, why couldn't he stay around, to talk. She wanted to get to know him better. He was…interesting, mysterious, and definitely cute.

"Mary!" Guy called out to her.

She walked back out into the light, and saw him searching for her. Her ran up to her, and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Where have you been?" Guy asked, relief washing over him.

"I thought I could find a hiding spot, so I wouldn't get hurt. I think that I got lost. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you worry." She said.

He relaxed and gave her a smile.

"It was very smart to do that. I think that we should head back to Locksley Manor. This has been an exciting day." He said.

She smiled and nodded.

He escorted her out to the stables, and he helped her up on the horse. They started back to the village. When they got to the forest, he started going faster.

"Why are we going faster?" She asked, squeezing him a little tighter.

"The forest is a very dangerous place, the outlaws live in here. I'm hoping that we can get through without incident." He told her.

She laid her head on his back and closed her eyes. Hopefully, it would be over soon. A little while later, she felt him start to slow down. She opened her eyes, and saw that they were exiting the forest. She breathed a sigh of relief, and loosened her grip. A few minutes later, he was helping her off of the horse. Her hands were on his shoulders, and his hands were on her waist. Neither of them moved, their eyes were locked on each other's.

Everything seemed to melt away.

"I'm glad that you weren't hurt." He told her.

She smiled up at him.

"Me too. Why don't we go inside?" She suggested.

He smiled.

"Good idea." He said.

They headed inside; he led her with his hand on the small of her back.

X*X*X

Guy had to be in Nottingham for the next few days, so Mary was all alone, well, except for the servants, she was alone. Guy had told them to treat them her like they would treat him. So, they were around her all of time. It was suffocating. She decided to go for a walk in the village. It took her a while, but she finally convinced them to let her go on her own.

She noticed a small crowd gathering at the other end of the village, and curiosity made her head for the crowd. As she got closer, she recognized a man. It was the man that was supposed to be hanged when she had visited Nottingham. She wondered what he was doing here. Did he live here? Why would he come back when Guy was just at the other end of the village?

The man was standing off by himself, watching the crowd, with a satisfied smile on his face. She wondered if she should go up to say something to him. She felt as if she should, but then again, why would she? She didn't know who he was, Guy had told her that he was a criminal, he was probably dangerous. Guy wouldn't like it if she got hurt.

She decided that she would just stay away from him, why should she take the chance of getting hurt? She looked around, to see if she could find a place to slip away, without being seen. She started edging towards the alley way in between two houses.

When she had gotten to the end of the alley, she was grabbed, and pressed up against the back of the house. A hand was slid over her mouth. It took her moment to realize who was in front of her. She stopped struggling when she saw who it was. He took his hand off of her mouth when she stopped struggling.

"We meet again." She said with a smile.

"How delightful. If I had known that you were in Locksley Village, I would have come by to see you sooner." He told her, smiling.

"I would have liked that, but I didn't have a chance to, you ran off too soon." She said.

He gave a small laugh.

"Yes, that's true, but I had to leave, it was kind of imperative." He told her.

"I see." She said, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not like that, I wanted to stay, but I couldn't. I was on the run." He said, with a wink.

"On the run?"She asked.

He was very close to her now, and she was hyper-aware of his body just inches away from her. She tried to stay focused on their conversation, but it was taking all of her concentration from letting her imagination run rampant on daydreams of her and Robin Hood.

"Yes, oh, wait, I forgot, you don't know who I am." He said, shifting his weight, and getting even closer to her.

"Why don't you tell me who you are then?" She said.

"I am Robin Hood. I'm an outlaw, and the one that saved Allan a Dale in Nottingham the other day. I steal from the rich, and give it to the poor." He whispered in her ear.

She almost forgot to breathe. His breath on her ear was driving her crazy. She struggled to put a sentence together, to keep the conversation going.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't stealing a bad thing?" She asked.

"The rich are taking the money from the poor, we just take it back, and return it." He told her.

"So that makes it okay?" She asked.

"If I don't, then, the people would starve and die. I'm helping people." He told her.

She needed to get some space in between the two of them; it was getting harder and harder to think with him this close to her.

"If that helps you sleep at night, then I guess it's good." She told him, slipping under his arm.

She began walking toward the manor. She didn't get too far though; he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. He was just as close to her, as when he had her pressed up against the house.

"You don't think that I'm doing a good thing?" He asked.

Her eyes trailed down to his lips, and she gave a small smile.

"I didn't say that." She said.

He laughed.

"You are difficult to figure out. I like that. I enjoy challenges, this will be fun." He told her.

She must be a great actor, because she felt like putty in his more than capable hands.

She looked away from him.

"Tell me about it." She muttered.

"What?" He asked.

She looked back up at him, and gave him a smile.

"Nothing. I should probably get going." She told him.

"Wait, you don't have to go yet, why don't I walk with you. I told you about me, tell me something about yourself." He told her.

"I guess a walk with you wouldn't be all that bad." She told him.

He laughed as they headed towards the manor.

"So, where do you live?" He asked her.

"Up at the manor." She told him.

He seemed to be surprised.

"You live at Locksley Manor?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Yes, is that a bad thing or something?" She asked.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Mary." She said.

"Why are you staying with Gisbourne?" He asked.

Gisbourne? Who was that? Did he mean Guy? He had to.

"Do you mean Guy? What's wrong with Guy? He has been nothing but nice to me." She told him.

"Mary, Gisbourne is a mean, evil man. He steals and kills people. You should not be around him." He told her.

She shook her head.

"He gave me a place to stay. I had nothing and nowhere to go, and he let me stay with him. If he was as bad as you say, would he have done that?" She asked.

"You don't know him like I do. If you don't believe me, just promise me that you will be careful when you are around him." He told her.

They were at her door.

"I don't think that it is necessary, but I promise." She told him.

"Thank you." He said.

She gave him a wave, and entered the manor. She climbed up the stairs, and went to the room that she was staying in. She shut the bedroom door behind her, and turned around. She gasped in surprise when she saw Robin leaning up against the wall next to her window.

How did he get up to her room so quickly?

"What are you doing up here?" She asked.

He smiled, and started walking towards her. She backed up, until she bumped into her door. He was very close to her now. Her heart skipped a beat, or two, and she was forgetting to breathe. What was he doing to her? Why did she react to him like this? It confused her.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"No, should I be?" She asked.

"I would never hurt you Mary. I also never want to see you get hurt." He told her.

"So why are you up here?" She asked, quietly.

She was having a hard time finding her voice. It was him; he was making her this way.

"I wanted to see you again. That and, I wanted to give you something." He told her.

She raised her eyebrows.

"What could you want to give me?" She asked.

He smiled, and then leaned in.

She was in shock when his lips touched hers. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she began kissing him back. Her mind went blank, except for thoughts about his lips on hers. All too soon, his lips were gone, but she didn't open her eyes right away. She felt lightheaded and wanted to regain control, before she opened her eyes again.

When she finally did open her eyes, she saw that she was alone. Her knees suddenly buckled, and she slid down the door, to the floor. As far as she knew, she'd never felt like this before, but what did she know? She couldn't remember anything, at all.

She smiled and laughed quietly. She was intoxicated by just the thought of Robin Hood. She almost couldn't wait to see him again.

X*X*X

She had slept late, so her bath was later than usual. Guy was getting back today, and she wanted to welcome him back. When she heard his horse, she went out to the stables to meet him. He was surprised to see her waiting for him.

"Welcome back Guy. How was your trip to Nottingham?" She asked him.

"The Sherriff is insufferable, the outlaws are annoying, and I'd have to say, the best part was getting to come back here." He told her.

She smiled shyly.

"It's nice to have you back here too. I'm sure that the conversations will be much better now." She told him.

He smiled, and took her right hand in his hand, and brought it up to his lips. She felt herself flush.

"I'm sorry if the servants weren't chatty." He said, kissing her hand.

"They were always around. Everywhere that I would turn there one was. I had a break though; I managed to walk through the town alone." She said.

"Mary, you must be careful when walking in the village. Hood has been known to come to this village from time to time. He is a very dangerous man, and you can't trust him, if you ever meet him. He is a thief. If you do see him, please let me know." He told her.

She tipped her head to the side, and looked into his eyes. The eyes that she could stare into forever. She had to fight to keep her concentration on track.

"What is this outlaw's name?" She asked, fearing the answer, that she was sure was coming.

"Robin Hood." He told her.

She nodded.

Should she tell him about her meeting with Robin Hood? She could hear his response right now. Not good. He would probably forbid her to see him again. That would be bad though, she really wanted to see him again.

"Mary?" Guy said.

She was brought out of her thoughts, and back to Guy.

"I saw him at the village when I went for the walk. I saw the man that was supposed to be hung when we went to Nottingham. I almost went up and talked to him, but I knew that you said that he was a criminal, and that he might be dangerous, so, I hid and heard people shouting Robin Hood's name. I slipped away, without anyone seeing me. I knew that you would be mad if I were to get hurt. Was I wrong?" She asked him.

He smiled, but shook his head.

"No, you were not wrong, on any account. It was very smart of you to hide when you saw Allan a Dale, he is very dangerous. Also, I would be very upset if anything were to happen to you. I know that we've only known each other for just a few days, but I feel the need to protect you." He told her.

She smiled sweetly, as she looked up at him.

"Thank you, you are very kind." She whispered to him.

He put his hand on her cheek and caressed it with his thumb. He brought her hand back up to his lips. After a minute, they went into the manor, not seeing the body in the shadows watching them very carefully.

It was getting late. She had sat and talked with Guy for a long time, in front of the fire. He finally made her go up to bed. She got up to her room, and shut the door. When she turned around, she gasped. Robin Hood was in her room, again.

"What are you doing here? If Guy catches you in here, he will kill you!" She hissed.

Robin Hood crossed the room in seconds, and pressed her up against the wall.

"Why did you lie to Gisbourne about our meeting in the village?" He asked her.

"There was no harm done, I'm fine, if I had told him about that, he would have gone on a witch hunt to get you." She told him.

"So you were protecting me?" He asked her.

She rolled her eyes.

"I figured that since there was no harm done, that it would be futile to let him know. I didn't want to give him a reason for bloodshed." She told him.

Robin smiled.

"I'm sure that's what happened." He said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She demanded.

"I think that you were trying to protect me." He said.

"Are you serious? There is no way that would happen. Besides, I have the feeling that you don't need to be protected, especially by me." She told him.

He laughed.

He surprised her by kissing her again. Almost at once, everything disappeared, and it was just the two of them kissing. The world had melted away. He pulled her away from the wall, and they stumbled over to the bed. They fell onto the bed without breaking apart.

When he pulled away from her, she was able to breathe again. Her breathing was ragged, as she looked at him.

"What was that all about?" She gasped as quietly as she could.

"I can't control myself when I am around you. There is something about you that pulls me to you. I haven't felt something like this, since…in a long time. I'm going crazy when I'm not around you. It's never happened like this before, not with someone I just met before. What do you think I should do about that?" He asked.

Before she could answer, there was a knock at her door. Her eyes found Robin's, and he smiled.

"Go, now." She whispered to him.

"I will be back, soon." He told her.

He gave her a quick kiss, then jumped off of the bed, and slid out of the window. She tried to compose herself, before talking to Guy. She took a deep breath, smoothed out her dress, and opened the door.

Guy was looking suspicious.

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

She nodded.

"It's fine." She said.

"I thought that I heard something." He said.

She shook her head.

"It's just me up here. Maybe you've been working too hard. You should get some sleep, it would help." She told him.

He searched her eyes for a minute, then smiled.

"You are right. I will see you in the morning. Good night." He told her.

"Good night Guy." She said.

She shut the door, leaned on it, closing her eyes, and exhaled quietly. She stood up straight, and started to take her dress off. She grabbed her nightgown, and slipped it on.

X*X*X

"Mary?"

She hurried from her room, down the stairs, to where Guy was waiting for her.

"Yes?" She said.

He took her hands in his, and she raised her eyebrows in confusion. He smiled down at her.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

He laughed.

"No, nothing is wrong. Actually, I was hoping that you would join me for the celebrations." He said.

"Celebrations? What celebrations?" She asked.

"I forgot. It's the King's birthday, and there is celebrations going on at Nottingham. I was hoping that you would accompany me." He said.

"Me?" She asked.

"Yes." He told her.

"Why me?"She asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I'm sure that there is someone much better suited to accompany you. Someone who is more of your class, I'm just someone that you took in out of the kindness of your heart. I'm sure a noble woman would be more suited to be at the King's celebrations than I would. I would be out of place." She told him.

He seemed surprised.

"You could not be more wrong. I do not want to bring a noble woman; I would like to bring you. You will not be out of place with me there at your side. Please join me at Nottingham." He asked her.

She looked into his eyes and smiled.

"If you are sure that you want me there, then I will accompany you." She said.

He smiled, and brought her hands up to his lips and kissed them.

"I have something for you then." He told her.

"A surprise?"She said.

He nodded.

He raised his hand at the door, and his servants entered the room. Each had something in their hands. They stood in a line, and held up different colored dresses. She looked at Guy, raising her eyebrows, waiting for him to explain what was going on.

"A dress for you to wear. Pick any one that you like." He told her.

"So you just figured that I would just accept your invitation?" She asked.

"I was prepared, if you were to accept." He said.

"What if I had declined your invitation?" She asked.

That seemed to take him by surprise.

"I would still have given you the dresses, but if you do not want to go, then that will be fine." He told her.

She laughed.

"No, I will go with you; I was just picking on you. When will we be leaving?" She asked.

"I am glad that you will be coming with me, and we will leave as soon as you choose your dress, and dress." He told her.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her stomach clenched.

"Today?"she said.

Guy nodded.

"Yes, so why don't you choose your dress, and go and get it on." He told her.

She looked at all of the dresses before her, but she couldn't choose. She had no clue which one would be the best choice for the celebration. She looked back at Guy.

"Which one do you think that I should wear? I can't decide." She told him.

He held her right hand in his left as they walked up to the dresses. He studied them for a minute, and then chose the amethyst colored one.

"This will look magnificent on you. Now hurry and get it on." He told her.

"Thank you, you have been so kind to me." She said, then took the dress, and headed up to her room.

It didn't take her long to dress. She was brushing her hair, when she felt someone staring at her. She spun around, and came face to face with Robin Hood.

"What are you doing in here? Guy is right downstairs, if he finds you in here, he will be upset." She told him.

"He will be more than just upset; he will try to kill me. So, why did you accept his invitation?" He asked her.

She shrugged.

"I had nothing else to do, and he seemed like he wanted me to go with him." She said, biting her lip.

"What's wrong, wishing that you had said no?" He asked.

"No, it's just that I am going to be so out of place, as far as I know, I'm not a noble, and I'm sure that there are going to be all nobles at Nottingham Castle. Everyone will be staring, and laughing at me." She said, with a sigh.

She turned away from Robin and started brushing her hair again. She felt his hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look at him.

"No one will be laughing at you, and the only reason that they will be staring at you is because you look amazing. I'm sure that no one will be able to take their eyes off of you, they will all be jealous of you." He told her with a smile.

She smiled.

"I'm still going to be nervous." She said.

"As you should. I'll be there. With all of those nobles in one room, there will be quite the haul." He told her.

She rolled her eyes.

"Just be careful, you might get hurt." She told him.

His smile became wider.

"Are you worried for me?" He asked her.

"Is it so wrong that I worry that someone might get hurt?" She asked.

"Guy would say yes." He said.

"What do you say?" She asked.

"I am glad that you care." He said.

"Mary? Are you ready?" Guy called up the stairs.

They heard footsteps getting closer.

"I must go, but I will see you later." He told her.

Before he slipped out of the window, he stole her breath away with a kiss. Robin slipped out of the window just as Guy knocked. She took a deep breath, smoothed her dress, fixed her hair, and opened the door.

"I think that I am ready." She said.

"What's wrong? You look flushed." He said.

"I'm just a little nervous." She said.

"There is nothing to be nervous about, I will be right there with you, the whole time." He told her.

She nodded.

They didn't go to the stables, to get a horse, like she thought that they would. They went out to the front of the house, and waited.

"What are we doing? Where is the horse?" She asked.

"We are not riding on a horse, we are taking a carriage. I figured that it would be better for you." He said.

"Thank you so much. I was dreading the ride there." She said, with a smile.

A few minutes later their ride showed up. Once they were in, they headed for Nottingham Castle.

X*X*X

Guy got out of the carriage first, and then held his hand out for Mary to take. She took it, and he helped her out of the carriage. She took his arm, and they headed inside of the castle.

"Have I told you how stunning you look?" He asked her.

She laughed.

"Once or twice, since we left the manor, but thank you." She said.

She knew that if she was to be alone, trying to find her way, she would get lost. However, Guy knew exactly where he was going, and led her through a door. There were so many people there already. She took a deep breath.

"Breathe; you will be fine, I'm right here." He told her.

She smiled up at him, and nodded.

They started down the stairs, and headed for the front of the room. They stopped in front of a man that was sitting in a chair that looked like it was for a king.

"Sherriff, may I present Mary. She is accompanying me today. Mary, this is the Sherriff of Nottingham." Guy said.

Mary smiled, and bowed her head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She said.

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear. How do you like Nottingham?" The Sherriff asked.

"It is beautiful." She said.

"Well, Gisbourne, I think that your choices have gotten better since the last time that you brought someone." The Sherriff said.

Mary looked away from the Sherriff, to Guy. Guy looked uncomfortable.

"Thank you Sherriff." Guy said.

Guy led Mary away from the Sherriff, out of his hearing range.

"What did he mean?" Mary asked Guy.

"The last time that I brought someone to a celebration, the woman turned out to be against me and the Sherriff." Guy told her.

"You liked her." She said.

"She made me feel for her, but was just using me for information for Robin Hood." He said.

"And the Sherriff likes me?" She asked, looking at the Sherriff.

The Sherriff was watching her and Guy.

"It seems like it." He said.

She turned her attention back to Guy. She smiled up at him.

"She hurt you. I'm so sorry." She said, placing her hand on the side of his face.

He wrapped his hand around her wrist, but didn't remove her hand.

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault." He told her.

"I know, but that doesn't mean that I'm not sorry for what happened to you." She said.

He nodded.

"You're right, and thank you." He said.

She smiled up at him, into his eyes. Everything else seemed to disappear, until the Sherriff declared that the feast for King Richard was beginning. They toasted King Richard, and then began eating.

The feast went by fast. When it was over, everyone began milling around, socializing with each other. However, it was cut short by a disruption. An arrow flew through the air, extremely close to the Sherriff's head. It missed by inches, if that.

"HOOD!"The Sherriff yelled.

Mary heard a laugh.

"Sherriff, I'm hurt that you would throw a party, and not invite me." Robin said.

"Guards!" The Sherriff yelled.

"They're a little tied up right now Sherriff. Now, if everyone will please give this man all of your gold, and jewelry, we will be right on our way." Robin told everyone.

Guy looked as if he was going to do something. She put her hand on his arm, to keep him put. Mary had caught sight of five people with bows and arrows aimed at them. It was a little scary, even if she knew that Robin wouldn't hurt her, but seeing people with arrows pointed her way was unnerving.

Robin made his way over to her and Guy. Guy slid his arm around her waist.

"Gisbourne, how nice to see you again. I see that you found someone new. My lady, you must be new to town, my name is Robin Hood, now, if you would please hand over all of your valuables." Robin said.

"I'm sorry, but I have nothing to give you. I brought nothing with me." She told him.

"You are very smart; there are some very unsavory people out there." Robin said.

She noticed that Robin had glanced at Guy, and then looked back at her.

"Just get a move on it Hood." Guy sneered at Robin.

Robin smiled, took a step back, and bowed to them.

"Until we meet again." Robin said, with a wink at Mary.

With that, Robin and his men took their leave.

"Gisbourne, get the soldiers, and go after him, now!"The Sherriff yelled.

"Mary, I have to go, but I will send you back to the manor." Guy told her.

"Do you have to go?" She asked him quietly.

"I have to, the Sherriff needs me to." He told her.

"Now Gisbourne!"the Sherriff said.

"I have to go. I'm sorry, come with me." He told her.

He led her out to the carriage, and turned to her.

"I will be back as soon as I can." He told her.

"Be careful." She told him.

He nodded.

She bit her lip, then leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hurry back." She told him.

"I will." He said.

She nodded, and then he helped her into the carriage. He shut the door, and she heard him talking to the driver. Guy told him that they were not to stop, for any reason. If anything were to happen to Mary, then the driver was in for big trouble. The driver said that he understood. Soon after, she was off.

She sighed, and sat back, to relax as they entered the forest.

She started nodding off a little while later, when the carriage stopped. She woke up almost immediately, knowing that there was no way that they could be at Locksley Manor so soon. Why were they stopping? Was something wrong?

"Why have we stopped?" Mary called out to the driver.

She didn't get an answer. She was starting to get worried. What was going on?

The door to the carriage was suddenly opened, and she gasped from the surprise. She didn't see anyone, just a hand for her to take. She wondered if she should.

"You might as well get out." A voice said.

She bit her lip, and took a deep breath. She took the hand and was helped out of the carriage. When she was out in the open, she realized that Robin Hood was holding her hand.

"You?! Guy is after you, why are you here?" She asked him.

He laughed.

"Guy wouldn't be able to catch me with this much distance in between us, besides, it's a big forest, we are fine." He told her.

"What do you want? You already know that I have nothing to give to you, I came with nothing." She said.

"Does there have to be a reason for me to see you?" He asked.

"Yes, when it stops me from getting back to my house." She said.

"You're mad?" He asked.

"I should be. What do you know about the woman Guy used to see?" She asked.

Robin's face darkened, and he frowned.

"He didn't seeher; she never gave him any reason to think that she was into him." He told her.

"He told me that she made him have feelings for her, and then she betrayed him. She hurt him." She said.

What she had said seemed to get to him. The playful, mischievous look that she'd always seen in his eyes was gone for the first time, and it was replaced with something else. Something a little more dangerous.

"She hurt him?! Him?! No! Maybe she hurt his feelings, but he did something to her that was much worse than she ever did to him!" Robin told her.

Anger. That's what she had seen in his eyes. Anger was a bad sign, he might do something.

"It doesn't matter anymore, it's done and over with, she's not around anymore, why don't I just get going, I will see you later." She said, as calmly as she could, and timidly started walking to the carriage.

Robin roughly grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"He killed her! He stabbed her when we were in the Holy Land, and she died! I bet he didn't tell you that!" Robin yelled at her.

Things were getting out of control.

"Robin!" Someone yelled.

"Stop it, you're hurting me! Let me go, please!" She told him.

"Robin stop, you're hurting her, and if Gisbourne thinks that anything happened to her, he will tear this forest up trying to find you." Someone told him.

Robin didn't seem to hear the person that was talking to him.

"He didn't tell you because he didn't want to make himself look bad!" Robin yelled at her.

Robin was squeezing her arm tightly, and it hurt. That, coupled with being frightened from his anger, tears slid down her cheeks.

"Please, stop." She told him.

Someone came up behind Robin, and grabbed him. His hand slipped off of Mary's arm, and the sudden loss of his hand, made her stumble and fall. When she landed, she landed on her wrist, and it twisted. Pain shot up her arm, and she wrapped her other hand around the wrist.

"Bugger, she's hurt. That's just great, Gisbourne will never let off now." A voice said.

It was too close to her. She flinched and scooted away from the voice.

"This is just great." Someone else said.

She had to get out of there, before Robin did something to her. She stumbled to her feet, and began slowly walking backwards away from Robin and his men. They all seemed to be talking to Robin about the situation, and not paying much attention to her. She got a few feet away, then turned and ran. She ran as fast as she could, straight ahead, not knowing, or caring where it was taking her. She heard a shout from behind her, but she kept running. Trees flew past, and soon she was finding it hard to breathe. She had to stop, to catch her breath. She hid behind a big tree. She was gasping for breath, but trying to be as quiet as she could, so no one could find her location.

Why would he turn on her like that? What had she do, or say that had gotten him so angry?

She put her head in her hands, and tried to calm down to think straight. She needed to figure out what she was going to do; she couldn't stay where she was. She looked around, but all she could see was trees. She had no clue where she was, or which way to go. Lost would be an understatement.

She took a deep breath, and looked around again. Nothing and no one. Suddenly, something touched her shoulder. She screamed, and spun around. It was Robin. What was he going to do to her? She backed away from him.

"Mary." He said, coming closer to her.

"Do not come any closer to me." She told him, pointing a finger at him.

"Mary, please, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." He told her.

"What did happen, Robin?! What did I do, or say, to make you act like that?" She demanded.

He took a couple more steps towards her. She stepped backwards.

"It wasn't you, it was Gisbourne. He told you just what he wanted you to know; he didn't give you all of the facts. She liked me, and Gisbourne couldn't stand it, when she told him that she didn't have any feelings for him, and that she liked me, he couldn't handle it. He killed her with his sword." He told her.

She looked at him, and wiped away a tear.

"You loved her." She said quietly.

"She was my wife, and just minutes after we were married by King Richard, she died." He said.

She saw a tear slide down his cheek. Her heart hurt for his loss. She forgot about everything for a minute, and closed the space between them. She put her right hand on his cheek, and looked into his eyes.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

She took her hand off of his face, and wrapped her arms around his neck, in a hug. His arms went around her waist.

"It's not your fault; you didn't know the whole story. I should be the one apologizing. I hurt you, and I'm so sorry." He told her.

She stood up straight, and her hands slid down off of his shoulders, and onto his chest. She looked up, into his eyes.

"I forgive you. It's understandable why it happened." She whispered to him.

Neither said anything, they just stood there looking into each other's eyes, as if they were the only two people in the forest.

"How long ago did it happen?" She asked quietly.

"A while." He said.

"Robin…" She said.

He put a finger to her lips.

He gently moved in and removed his finger from her lips. He pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes slipped closed, and she got lost in the moment. Her fingers entwined in his hair, and he pulled her closer to him.

After a few minutes, she finally pulled away from the kiss, and both of them were breathing heavily.

"Robin, I need to get to Locksley Manor. Guy is looking for you, and no one knows how long he will keep that up for. If I'm not at the manor by the time he gets there, he will burn the forest down searching for me, and you. I need to go." She told him.

He smiled, but nodded.

"I know. Let's get you to your carriage." Robin told her.

She nodded, and he slid his arm around her waist, as they headed back to the carriage. A little while later they made it back.

"Mary, this is Much and Allan a Dale. Guys, this is Mary." Robin said.

"It's nice to meet you." She said.

"You didn't have to run like that." Much told her.

"Much, leave her alone." Robin told him.

"Sorry." Much said.

She nodded.

"Where is the driver?" Mary asked.

"He's safe. Much is going to ride with you, just to make sure you get there safe." Robin told her.

She nodded again.

Robin helped her into the carriage, and stuck his head in.

"I will see you later." He told her.

"I'll believe it when I see it." She said.

He laughed, and then tugged her closer. They kissed once more, and then he closed the door. He spoke quietly with Much, then they headed for Locksley.

It felt like a few minutes, when they finally got to Locksley Manor. She had fallen asleep, and now Much was trying to get her to wake up.

"Mary, it's time to wake up, we are here." Much told her.

He helped her out of the carriage.

"Thank you for bringing me home." She said.

"Robin told me that you wouldn't tell Gisbourne about what happened, but I wanted to ask you if you would not tell him about anything." Much said.

She smiled.

"I promise that I will not tell Guy what happened. No one got hurt, so there is no reason to let him know." She told him.

"Thank you Lady Mary." Much said.

She laughed.

"I'm not a noble Much, you don't need to call me Lady. I'm sure that I will see you soon." She told him.

He nodded.

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you again Much." She told him.

She went inside, and shut the door behind her. She ran a hand through her hair, and exhaled loudly. She didn't know how to process everything that she had found out today. What was she supposed to do with what she knew? Should she ask Guy about the woman that had both Guy and Robin tied up in knots? Did she want to know? Would it change how she perceived him? She wasn't sure that she really wanted answers from him. She like him how she saw him, he was caring and sweet. She liked Robin too, and wanted to keep seeing him too, but from what she gathered; neither of them liked each other. What was she going to do?

She took a deep breath, and then headed up to her bedroom. She paced back and forth until she heard a knock at her door.

"Miss, is there anything else that you need?" One of the servants asked.

"Yes, would you draw me a bath, please?" Mary asked.

"Right away Miss." The servant said.

"Thank you." She said.

After her bath, she went downstairs, and decided to wait for Guy to get home. She sat on the couch, and thought about everything that she had learned. She tried to process everything, but there was just too much.

Guy got home late, later than what he had thought. He walked in, and John, one of his servants, came up to him.

"Sir Guy, Miss Mary came back from Nottingham, and asked for a bath. She wanted to wait for you to get home, but she fell asleep on the couch." John said.

Guy nodded.

"You may retire now." Guy said.

John nodded, and left.

Guy walked over to the couch, and watched Mary sleeping. She looked so peaceful. He knelt down next to her, and traced her face with his fingertips. She sighed at his touch. He stood, and scooped her up into his arms. He carried her up to her room, and laid her underneath the covers on her bed. He turned and started walking out, and then she mumbled something.

He walked back over to her, and sat down on the bed, next to her. He moved her honey blonde hair off of her face.

"Mary?" Guy said quietly.

"What happened?" She muttered.

He was confused, was she awake, or asleep?

"What do you mean?" Guy asked quietly.

No answer. He rubbed the side of her face with a thumb.

"Mary?" Guy said.

"The girl. He said that you killed her." Mary mumbled.

Guy felt his heart skip a beat.

"What?" Guy asked.

"She didn't like you the same way, and you killed her." Mary sighed.

"Who?" Guy asked.

"I don't know her name." She told him sleepily.

"Who told you this?" Guy asked.

No answer.

"Mary? Can you hear me? Who told you this?" Guy asked.

Mary's head jerked back and forth.

"No. I can't. I promised. I can't say." She mumbled.

"Was it Robin Hood?" Guy asked.

Mary shook her head, and her face looked as if it was in pain.

"I can't tell." She said.

"What happened after you left?" Guy asked.

Mary became still and got a serene look on her face.

"Went through the a a bath." She muttered.

"Why did you stop in the forest?" Guy asked.

"Had to, was stopped."

"By who?"

Mary shook her head again.

"Did he take anything from you? Did he hurt you?"

"No. Everything is fine, not hurt. He was upset and hurt. He loved her."

Guy took her hand in his, and rubbed the palm of her hand with his thumb.

"I did too." Guy said quietly, a tear rolling down his cheek.

He felt her squeeze his hand.

"Guy." She mumbled.

"I'm right here." He told her.

"What was her name?"

He cupped her face with his hands, and kissed her lightly on the lips. Then, he put his lips by her ear, and whispered.

"Marion."

"I'm sorry."

He could barely hear her.

"Why?"

"You loved her too. I'm all alone now." She mumbled, turning over onto her side, facing him.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, and traced her jawline.

"No, you are not alone. Never again." He whispered in her ear.

He kissed her on her cheek. She sighed, and she smiled in her sleep. He heard her mutter something that sounded like thank you.

He kissed her on the forehead, and got off the bed to leave.

"Guy."

He turned around to look at her. She was still sleeping. He went back over to the bed.

"Mary." He said.

"Guy." She repeated.

"I'm here Mary." He told her.

"Please." She said.

"What Mary? What do you need?" He asked her.

"You, stay. Please." She said.

He debated whether or not to stay.

"Please. Guy." She mumbled.

The way she said his name, drove him crazy, he wanted her to never stop saying it. He sighed.

"Yes, Mary, I'll stay." He told her.

He heard another muffled thank you from her as she sighed.

He took off his shirt, shoes, and socks. He peeled back the blankets and slid in next to her. She must have sensed him next to her, because she curled up, with her head on his shoulder, her right hand across his chest, and her right leg intertwined between his. She sighed contentedly. He smiled, and kissed the top of her head.

"You'll never have to be alone again. I swear." He told her.

He wrapped his arms around her, and held her.

X*X*X

She couldn't recall when she had ever slept so well. The next morning, before she opened her eyes, she felt so rested. She took a deep breath, and she smelled something that she usually didn't smell when she woke in the mornings. It was strong and masculine smelling; it kind of smelled like how Guy smelled. She smiled, and breathed deeply.

She began waking up more, and realized something. She was laying on something soft, like a body, and arms were wrapped around her. When she realized this, she jumped away, gasping in surprise. Unfortunately, she jumped too far, and fell off of the bed, and onto the floor. She groaned in pain as she landed on the hardwood floor with a thud.

She had landed on her back, and she put her hands on her face. She groaned in embarrassment.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked.

She yelped in surprise. She quickly pulled her hands away from her face, and saw Guy next to her on the floor.

"What are you doing in here?" She demanded.

"You asked me to." He told her.

Her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"What? I never asked you to stay last night; I don't even remember you getting back last night." She told him.

"You talk in your sleep. You asked me to stay with you. I promise you that all we did was sleep, that's all." He said.

She ran a hand through her hair, as she tried to think. If she had asked him to stay with her, what else had she told him?

"Okay, let's say that I did ask you to stay, did I say anything…else last night?" She asked hesitantly, not looking at him fully.

He didn't say anything for a minute, and then he sighed. He put a finger under her chin, to make her look at him. She wasn't sure of how much she might have said, or how he was going to act.

"It doesn't matter, and I don't care about anything that you said last night." He told her.

She was extremely confused. Did she give away anything last night, or not? If she had, why didn't he flip out? He only had animosity towards Robin, and the other way around. Then again, if she hadn't said anything, what did he mean?

She shook her head in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

He smiled.

"Mary, you said a lot of things while you were sleeping. You look like you're ready for me to flip out on you for something that you said, but I'm not. You do not have to worry about it." He told her.

She smiled.

"I have no clue what I told you while I was sleeping, but if I told you anything that was less than desirable, I thought that you would be angry." She said.

"I would never hurt you." He told her.

"I know that you'd never hurt me, it's others that I'm worried about." She said quietly.

He stared at her for a minute, and she could tell that he was struggling with something. He knew who she was talking about. He was trying not to yell at her about him.

"You're mad, I'm sorry. After everything that you've done for me, now I've made you mad. Maybe I should just stay here all the time, around the servants, then you'd be able to keep an eye on me, and I wouldn't make you angry." She muttered, getting to her feet.

She started to walk over to her clothes, but Guy stopped her. He turned her to face him.

"I'm not angry at you. I'm upset. If you are caught associating in any way with Robin Hood, you will be considered an outlaw, and hanged for treason. I just don't want to see that happen to you, and I know the Sheriff wouldn't hesitate to condemn you to death in an instant, without a second thought. I can't have that happen to you, ever. I don't know what would happen if anything ever happened to you." He told her quietly.

Her breath caught in her throat, as he looked into her eyes. She was speechless. She did not know what to say. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, trying to say something, anything, in response to what he had just told her.

"You don't have to say anything, if you don't want to." He told her gently.

"It's not that, I just don't know what to say. You caught me off guard." She said.

He shook his head.

"I know, I sprung it on you, I don't expect a reply from you, I just need you to be careful of whom you are seen with, especially when around the Sheriff." He told her.

She nodded.

He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and stared into her eyes. He leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back. She could feel herself being swept over, and soon she realized that they were at the bed. They fell onto the bed without breaking their kiss.

"So, what exactly did I tell you last night?" She asked him, when they had gotten dressed, and sat down for breakfast.

He shook his head.

"I told you, it doesn't matter what you said last night." He told her.

She shook her head.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" She asked, with a smile.

"No, because it doesn't matter." He told her.

She set her fork down, stood up, went over to him, and straddled him in his seat.

"What do you think that you are doing?" He asked, with laughter in his voice.

"Well, since you won't tell me on your own, I figured that I would get it out of you in other, more interesting ways." She said, leaning down to kiss him.

He pulled away after a minute.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this, but why does it matter to you so much what you said?" He asked.

She sighed.

"I have a feeling that I said something that upset you, and I don't want to do that." She said.

He cupped her face in his hands.

"I'm not upset with you, about anything, I promise you. Please just relax, and stop worrying." He told her.

She sighed.

"I'll try, for you." She told him.

He smiled.

"Thank you." He told her.

She leaned down and kissed him again.

"You do know that I'm not going to stop until you tell me what I said, right?" She asked.

He laughed.

"I figured as much, but I'm sure that I won't say, no matter how much you manipulate me." He told her.

"I'm going to take that as a challenge." She said, and then kissed him again.

After a few minutes, he pulled away from her.

"I think that we finish this at a later time, the servants are getting quite the show." He told her.

She smiled.

"If you want, but I will keep trying." She told him.

"If it's this fun, I welcome you to try." He told her.

She laughed.

"Fine." She said.

X*X*X

"You should go for a walk, you have been in this manor for days straight now, and if I don't go to see the Sheriff, he will come here." Guy told her.

"Would that be so bad? If he came here, then you wouldn't have to leave. Plus, I don't need to go for a walk; I'm fine in the manor." She told him.

He shook his head.

"I don't want the Sheriff to come here; I don't want to give him any reason to think that anyone is consorting with any less than favorable people." He told her.

"Why would he suspect anything like that? Do I give off the vibe that I'm consorting with less than favorable people?" She asked him.

He smiled, as she came up to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I don't think so, but I'm blind to your charms, so I'm not the right person to ask." He told her.

She smiled and shook her head.

"You are amazing." She told him.

She was on her tippy toes to kiss him. He pressed her up against the door in his room. His left hand reached down to her right thigh, and dragged the skirt of her dress up, and picked her up with his right arm. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her over to the bed and they fell onto the bed. She was on her back, and he was on top of her, with her legs still wrapped around his waist. She moaned as his left hand found her bare thigh and slid up her thigh under her dress skirt.

Suddenly, something flew right above Guy's head. The arrow lodged itself in Guy's headboard. She gasped as she looked up at it. Guy's reflexes were much more attuned, than what hers were. He rolled them off of the bed, and she landed on top of him, so that he didn't crush her when they landed.

"I actually think that I like this position a little better." She said, with a smile.

"This isn't the time Mary that is Hood's arrow." He told her.

That surprised her. He had to be wrong; Robin wouldn't have done anything like that, would he? He wouldn't shoot an arrow at her, would he? Her heart was beating frantically.

"What? No, he wouldn't do that, it can't be his." She said.

"It is, I'd know his arrows anywhere." He told her.

She was having trouble breathing, if Guy was right, not only did Robin shoot at Guy, but he shot at her too. She didn't want to believe that he would do something like that. She needed to talk to him, and find out what was going on.

She looked up at the arrow, and it became even harder to breathe. It was coming out as shallow gasps. Guy pulled her off of him, and laid her down on the floor, next to him.

"Mary, are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked her.

She put her hands on her head, and tried taking deep, calming breaths.

"Nothing, I'm fine. You know what? Maybe I should take that walk that you suggested, and we wouldn't want the Sheriff to stop by, so why don't you head to Nottingham, to take care of what you need to take care of." She told him.

She got up, and he followed suit.

"What are you planning on doing?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"It would be better if you didn't know, then you wouldn't have to lie to the Sheriff, and get in trouble too, if anything were to possibly be seen. I wouldn't want you to take the fall if I were to go and I am pretty sure that on your way to Nottingham you won't be disturbed, when I go on my walk." She told him.

He pulled her close to him.

"You do know that if I had my way, I wouldn't be leaving at all." He told her.

She nodded.

"I know. This way, this will give you something to take your mind of my walk, and my safety. I hope you do know that I will be safe; even you do not trust the path I'm going to be taking. Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise, if anything, the beaten path is going to get beaten, if the walk actually shot at me." She said, frowning.

He sighed.

"Stop frowning and you know that I'm going to be worried, outlaws cannot be trusted. I will not stop worrying about you until I get back from Nottingham, and see that you are safe." He told her.

She smiled.

"I know. It's kind of like how you knew that I wouldn't give up until you told me what I said while I was asleep the other night." She said.

He laughed.

He leaned in and kissed her.

"Will you hurry back?" She asked shyly.

He laughed once more, and gently put his thumb and pointer finger on her chin, and lifted her face to look at him.

"I will do my best." He told her.

She smiled.

"I will see you when you return then." She said.

"Definitely." He whispered, then leaned in and kissed her softly once more.

She watched him ride away on his horse. She quickly headed for the forest. She didn't know whether she was more angry or shaken up, or scared. She tried just to think about how she was going to find Robin.

She was getting deeper and deeper into the forest, and still hadn't found Robin, or any of his men. If she didn't find him soon, she was going to have to turn around, and try to find her way back out. She was going to have a hard time just finding her way out, the forest was huge.

She leaned up against a tree, and closed her eyes. She was a fool to think that she could possibly find someone like Robin, in a forest this size. She ran a hand through her hair, and exhaled loudly. She finally decided to start walking again. She opened her eyes, took a step, and then stopped. She looked around, but couldn't tell which way she'd come from. She stomped her foot in frustration, and huffed. What was she going to do? She rolled her eyes, closed her eyes, pointed her finger, and spun around. She slowly counted to ten, and then stopped spinning. She kept her eyes closed for a minute longer, until she was sure that she had gotten her balance, and then opened her eyes.

The way that her finger was pointing, was the way she headed. She just hoped that this way led her somewhere near the edge of the forest, the closer to Locksley, the better. Maybe she should have asked Guy to drop her somewhere in the forest as he headed to next time. Right now she had to concentrate on finding either Robin, or the edge of the forest.

After a few minutes, she was beginning to get frustrated. She took a few more steps, and then she got surprised.

She felt something tighten around her right ankle. Suddenly, she was swept off of her feet, and was strung up by her ankle. She shrieked as she quickly tried to keep her dress skirt from falling the wrong way, over her head. She finally tucked the skirt between her legs, and waited for something, anything to happen. For someone to find her, and she prayed that it would be soon.

She didn't have to wait too long. She suddenly heard a laugh. A second one soon joined in. She swung around to see Robin and Much laughing at her situation.

"Robin Hood, you get me down right now! I need to speak to you right now!" She yelled at him.

"I don't know, what do you think Much? Should we let her down?" Robin asked.

"I'm not sure Master." Much said.

"Let me down now!" She ordered.

"You never said please." Robin told her.

She exhaled loudly, rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Let me down now, please." She said.

"Thank you, now, Much, would you please cut Lady Mary down." Robin told him.

She lost sight of both of them as she was spinning. Suddenly, she was falling, and she screamed in surprise. She closed her eyes, and waited for her to hit the ground, and for the pain to come. It didn't come though.

She cautiously opened her eyes, and realized that Robin had caught her, and he was smiling at her. She slapped his shoulder, and burst out laughing.

"That was not funny, not funny at all. You scared me today! How could you do that to me?!"she demanded.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"The arrow that you just had to shoot in the Manor today!"She told him.

"Why did that scare you? I was only trying to scare Gisbourne, not you." Robin told her.

She shook her head.

"Well, you did! I was in the room when you shot that arrow in the room! It almost hit us!" She told him.

She felt his body stiffen, and she realized that he was still holding her in his arms. She cleared her throat.

"Why were you in his room today?" Robin asked.

"Will you please put me down now?" She asked him.

"Answer the question Mary." He told her.

"Put me down first." She told him.

He didn't move.

"Now Robin." She said.

He huffed, and then set her on her feet.

"Thank you." She told him, gracefully slipping the rope off of her ankle.

"Answer the question." He told her.

She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter why I was in his room, I just was. We were…talking. It's none of your concern Robin, I am not in a relationship with you, and I can go anywhere that I want! Besides, it's not like you really care." She told him, poking him with her pointer finger.

"You have no right to say that! You do not know how I feel! Why do you even care? You're hanging all over Gisbourne!" He spat at her.

She shook her head.

"It's not like you came around much, so why do you care about what I do with Guy? Wait a minute, it can't be!" She said, a smile spreading across her lips.

She giggled.

"What? What can't it be?" Robin asked.

"Not Robin Hood! Not him!" She said, giggling harder.

"I think she's gone bonkers Master." Much said.

Mary shook her head.

"What are you going on about Mary?" Robin demanded.

Mary stopped giggling, but she couldn't stop her smile.

"You, Robin Hood, are jealous." She told him.

He was silent for a minute, then both him and Much burst out laughing. She raised her eyebrows and waited for them to calm their laughing down.

"Jealous? Of Gisbourne? You are completely insane!" Robin told her.

She rolled her eyes.

"Really? I don't think so. If you weren't jealous, then why do act that way, just because I was in Guy's room?" She asked, closing the gap between them.

"I know who Gisbourne is, and you don't, and you shouldn't get into bed with someone evil, like him." Robin told her.

She placed her hands on his chest.

"How would you know if I've gotten into bed with Guy, or not? Have you been spying on me Robin Hood?" She asked.

She could see anger in his eyes, but there was something else, just under the anger. It was mischief.

"How dare you accuse me of something like that? I'm wounded." He told her.

She slid her hands up, and snaked them around his neck.

"Even though it is none of your business, I have not slept with Guy, so now, if you would be so kind, would you please show me the way back to Locksley Village?" She asked him, stepping away from him.

She heard him groan quietly.

"Much, go back to camp, and let everyone know where I'm going." Robin said.

"Master, what about Gisbourne? If he sees you…" Much said.

Mary shook her head.

"Guy isn't there; he's gone to Nottingham, to meet with the Sheriff." She said.

"I'll be fine Much. Go on." Robin told him.

Without another word, Much was heading away from them.

"Okay, lead the way." Mary told Robin.

He started walking, but stopped suddenly, and grabbed her, pulling her closely to him.

"Robin, you are supposed to be taking me back to Locksley Village, not trying to seduce me." She told him.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You wouldn't know if I was trying to seduce you or not, you would just fall for me." He told her.

She laughed.

"Oh, I don't think so;I'm a lot tougher to break than that. You will have to work for my attentions." She told him.

"I see, so does this means that I working right now?" He asked, pulling her in for a kiss.

She returned his kiss, but pulled away.

"Not really, I'm letting you slide. If I wanted you to work, you would work. I would drive you crazy from how hard you had to work. However, right now, I would like it if you would bring me back to the village." She told him.

He pulled her in for another quick kiss, and then they were on their way.

"I never want you to shoot an arrow into the manor again, am I understood? You never know where I might be at any given time, so don't send any more arrows into the manor again." She ordered him.

He didn't say anything; he just slipped his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to him.

"I'm being serious Robin! You cannot goad Guy like that, or he will come after you! Do you know why he hasn't been after you lately? I have been keeping his mind off of you. I don't want to see either of you hurt, but if you two keep it up, both of you are going to end up hurt, or worse, dead. If that were to happen, I would be devastated. So please, for me, lay off Guy." She told him.

"Fine, but the best that you're getting from me is that I will try." He told her.

"That's all I ask for. Oh, and I will not have you spying on me anymore, Robin. It's kind of creepy thinking that someone is outside watching me." She said.

He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine." He said.

"Thank you." She said.

They made good time. It didn't take as long as she thought it would have, which she didn't mind. When she got back to Locksley Manor, she could relax until Guy returned.

She had been in the forest longer than she had realized, and the sun was beginning to set. It was gorgeous. Since Guy wasn't there, Robin walked her right up to her front door.

"Thank you Robin, if you hadn't brought me back, I would have been lost in the forest all night." She told him.

He bowed.

She laughed.

"I will see you soon Lady Mary." Robin said.

"I hope so." She whispered to him.

He took her hand and kissed it, and then he started walking away. She went inside. She shut the door, and then turned to one of the servants.

"I am going to be in my room, and I don't want to be disturbed, at all. That is, except, if Sir Guy returns home, then I would like to be woken up, if I am asleep. Good night." She said, and then headed for her room.

She shut the door, and went to find her night gown. She was about to strip out of her dress, but she stopped when she saw Robin standing in her room.

"What are you doing here? I thought that we said good night already." She said.

He smiled, and it seemed like her heart was melting around the edges.

"I wasn't ready to say good night I guess." He said with a shrug of his shoulder.

She rolled her eyes.

"What do you want Robin? I was planning on relaxing for the rest of the evening." She told him.

"Well, I was hoping that I could help with any boredom that you might have." He said, with a wink.

She laughed.

"Do any of your lines ever work on any of the girls?" She asked him.

"You would be amazed." He told her.

She laid her night gown on the bed, and then sat down, with her feet curled underneath her. She stretched and laid back. He got on the bed too, and lay next to her. They didn't say anything for a minute. Then, he decided to roll on top of her.

"What do you think you are doing?" She asked.

"So are you usually on top, or on bottom?" He asked, looking down at her.

She flipped him onto his back, and straddled him.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She said.

"Yes, I would. Why don't we find out right now?" He said, flipping her back onto her back.

"I don't think so." She told him, flipping him over, and getting off of him altogether.

She sat on the bed, next to him. He sat up, and moved her hair off of her shoulder. He leaned in and began pressing kisses along her neck. It was driving her crazy. It was getting harder and harder to keep control of herself. She finally took a deep breath, pushed him back some, and stood.

"I think that you should go. I would like to change into my night gown, and get a little sleep." She told him.

He rolled his eyes.

"If that is what you want, then I will go." He told her.

She nodded.

She walked him over to the window. He pressed her up against the wall, and kissed her. They kissed for a while, but when she felt him start untying the back of her dress, she finally pushed him away.

"That's not nice Robin, go now, who knows when Guy will be back?" She said.

He gave her a quick kiss, then slid out of the window, and disappeared. She rolled her eyes, then stripped, got into her night gown, and slid into bed, under the covers. Maybe sleeping would pass the time until he returned. It took her forever to finally fall asleep.

X*X*X

Guy was on edge as he got off of his horse at Locksley Manor. One stable boy took his horse, and another took his sword.

"Sir Guy, Miss Mary wanted us to alert her when you arrived." The boy told him.

"You do not need to alert her, I shall do that myself." Guy told him.

"Yes Sir Guy." The boy said.

Guy walked into the Manor, and up the stairs, and into Mary's room. He went over, and lay next to her on the bed. He moved her hair off of her shoulder, and kissed her neck. She moaned quietly.

"Mary." He said.

No response. He began rubbing her arm.

"Mary." He said a little louder.

She moaned.

"Mary, it's me." He said.

"Hmm?"She mumbled.

"I'm back; I've been told that you wanted to be woken when I returned." He told her.

She opened one eye, and smiled. Her other eye popped open.

"Hey." She said.

"Hi." He said.

"How did it go?" She asked.

He frowned.

"Not so well?" she asked.

He cleared his throat.

"Not exactly. The Sheriff needs me to stay at Nottingham for a while for business." He told her.

"What? How long will you be gone?" She asked quietly.

He put his hand on her cheek and smiled.

"The Sheriff has asked me to bring you with me." He told her.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Why would he want me there?" She asked.

"He knows how much you mean to me, and he might want to get to know you." He told her.

"Is it true?" she asked.

"Is what true?" he asked.

"I mean a lot to you?" She asked.

He lay down, so he could look into her eyes better.

"Do you not know of my feelings for you?" He asked her.

Her breath caught in her throat. She broke out into a smile.

"You mean a lot to me too Guy." She told him.

He smiled.

He leaned in and kissed her. He rolled her on top of him, and she gasped in surprise. They laughed, and started kissing again. His right hand slid her night gown higher up her thigh. She moaned at the sensation. He suddenly flipped her onto her back.

She laughed, and he gave her a quick kiss.

"When do we have to be at Nottingham?" She asked.

"We have to leave soon." He said.

"We will not be disturbed by arrows anymore. They're backing off." She whispered to him.

He seemed surprised.

"How did you manage that?" He asked.

She smiled.

"I can be very persuasive when I want to be I guess." She told him.

He laughed.

"I am going to have to watch you little one, don't I?" He asked.

"Maybe that's my plan, getting you to spend more time with me." She said, smiling at him.

"You are sly." He said, leaning down and kissing her.

After a moment, he pulled away.

"We should be getting to Nottingham. I'll have the servants send some things. We will be taking the carriage. You should get dressed. Do you need any help?" He asked, helping her up to her feet.

She smiled.

"Naughty, naughty Sir Guy, I'm just a tad harder to get than that. Nice try though." She told him.

He smiled, and pulled her close.

"It doesn't hurt to ask. Maybe next time you will accept the offer." He said.

"We'll see." She said.

He leaned down and kissed her. After a moment, she pulled away from him.

"I need to get dressed; I will meet you in the stables." She told him, turned away from him to pick a dress out.

He left, and she stripped.

She brushed her hair one last time, and then headed for the stables. The carriage was all ready to transport them. Guy was petting one of the horses and speaking to the driver. She walked up to him, and began petting the horse.

"Are you ready?" Guy asked.

"I am." She said.

He took her hand and led her to the door. He opened the door, and helped her into the carriage. She sat, and he got in, and sat next to her. A moment later, they began their travel. When they entered the forest, she smiled, and moved to straddle him in his seat.

"What do you think you are doing?" He asked.

"Making the trip a little more…fun." She said.

"And you called me naughty? I think that you are mistaken." He told her.

She laughed.

"I could stop, if you wanted." She said.

"I never said that." He said.

She leaned down and kissed him. His hands slid under her skirt, touching her thighs. She moaned, and deepened the kiss.

As they reached the castle, Mary was fixing her hair. Guy had driven her wild with his touching. They didn't do anything, but touch and kiss, she wasn't about to do something in a carriage. When the carriage finally came to a stop, both of them were presentable.

Guy got out first, and then she took his hand as he helped her out of the carriage. She looked into his eyes, and smiled. Someone cleared their throat, and she pulled her eyes away to look at who had made the noise.

It was the Sheriff. She smiled, and bowed her head.

"Gisbourne, it is great to see that Miss Mary could come. Welcome Mary." The Sheriff said.

"Thank you Sheriff, it was very kind of you to invite me too." She said.

"I had to get to know the woman that has stolen Sir Guy of Gisbourne's heart. You must be very special to have done that so quickly." The Sheriff said.

She blushed.

"Why don't go get Mary settled in her room, I'm sure that she is tired from the ride." Guy said.

She looked up at Guy.

"Yes, I am quite tired." Mary said.

The Sheriff nodded.

"I will see you Mary, in the morning." The Sheriff said.

"Good night Sheriff." She said.

The Sheriff turned and left.

She took Guy's arm and he led her to her room.

"I made sure that your room was very close to mine." He told her.

"Where is your room?" She asked.

"Right next to yours." He said, with a smile.

She laughed.

"Genius." She whispered.

"There should be a clean night gown waiting in there for you." He told her.

"Thank you and I will see you…later." She said, with a smile.

"I look forward to it." He said.

"As do I."She said.

She entered her room, and looked around. It was huge. She sighed, and found the night gown on the foot of the bed. She stripped, and slipped into the new night gown. She stretched, and went over to the window, to look out. She had a clear line of sight of the forest. She smiled and shook her head.

She suddenly felt her hair being moved from her left shoulder, and then she felt the lips on her neck. She smiled, closed her eyes, and gave Guy more access to her neck. He put his hands on her hips, and pulled her closer. She moaned as he kissed her behind the ear.

She smiled, and turned around to face him. Her arms slipped around his neck, and she kissed him.

"I guess it was sooner rather than later. I wanted to see you again." He said.

"I'm not complaining." She said, kissing him again.

He picked her up, and carried her over to the bed. He pulled out of the kiss, and smiled at her. He threw her onto the bed, gently. She laughed, as she moved to the center of the bed. Guy peeled off the black shirt that he had on. She noticed that he had changed his pants to a pair of light weight black fabric. He got on the bed, and began kissing her.

After a few minutes, she pulled away, and traced his lips with her finger.

"Will you stay with me tonight? It's a new place, and I would like the company." She said quietly.

"I'll stay." He said.

She smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

"Why don't we get under the covers?" He said.

They got out of bed, and pulled back the covers, then slid back in.

She laid her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest, and her leg wove between his. He took her hand in his, and kissed the top of her head.

"This is nice." She said.

"I agree." He said.

She drifted off to sleep, with a smile on her lips.

Mary woke the next morning, to find Guy getting into his shirt.

"The Sheriff is expecting us in the hall." He told her, climbing on the bed, and giving her a kiss.

"I will be dressed soon." She said.

"Meet me in my room, and I will take you." He told her.

He got off the bed, and left her room. She sighed, then sat up, and stretched. She slid out of the bed, and found a dress. It was midnight blue, with a white satin ribbon circling the waist. She dressed quickly, and brushed her hair. She knocked on Guy's door, and entered. He was just finishing getting dressed.

"You look amazing." He said, walking over to her, and putting his hands on her hips.

"Thank you." She said, blushing.

He leaned down and kissed her.

"The Sheriff is waiting." He told her.

She sighed.

"We should go." She said.

She took his arm, and he led her to the hall, to meet the Sheriff for breakfast.

The Sheriff stood when they entered the hall. The Sheriff had Guy sit on his right, but he had Mary sit on his left. She was feeling a little uncomfortable not sitting next to Guy. She kept quiet, as the Sheriff discussed business with Guy. She let her mind wander as she looked around the huge room. She remembered this room. It was the room that she had been in for the King's birthday celebration. It looked different without all the nobles there, and the decorations gone.

"Mary, I heard that you do not know how to ride horses, how about after you are finished eating, you have some lessons? It will keep you entertained while I and Sir Guy continue our business." The Sheriff said.

She smiled.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you Sheriff." She said.

"It was my pleasure." The Sheriff said.

When she had finished, the Sheriff left, and instructed Guy to take Mary to the stables, and have one of the stable hands teach her how to ride. She took Guy's arm, and he brought her to the stables. When he had instructed the stable boy, he gave her a quick kiss, and then headed to find the Sheriff.

The stable boy brought one of the horses out of the stables, and she followed along. He helped her up onto the horse, and then led her around. She bit her lip, trying to calm herself down. It would be bad to flip out. After a while, she was starting to get used to being up on the horse, and felt much more comfortable. Once she became comfortable, she learned quickly, and by the time that Guy and the Sheriff came to find her, she was riding as if she used to do it daily.

"You learn quite fast my dear." The Sheriff said.

"It was easy, once I relaxed." She said.

"You did very well." Guy told her.

"Thank you." She said with a blush.

"We should be going." The Sheriff said.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"We have a hanging scheduled." The Sheriff said.

"Oh." She said.

The Sheriff turned on his heel, and started walking away. She took Guy's arm, and they followed. There was a crowd gathered around, waiting for the hanging to begin. Guy took the seat to the right of the Sheriff, and Mary took the one to Guy's right. They were right in front.

"Bring the prisoner out." The Sheriff said.

A moment later two guards brought out a man, and led him to the noose. They put the noose around the prisoner's neck, and waited. The Sheriff made a speech, but she wasn't paying attention to the Sheriff, she was watching the prisoner. He looked frightened. She held her breath when the Sheriff got to the end of his speech. When he gave the go ahead, she grabbed Guy's hand, and squeezed it. He squeezed her hand back, gently.

Before the man was hanged, something whistled through the air. An arrow cut through the noose, and the prisoner fell to the ground. He scrambled into the crowd, as fighting broke out. The Sheriff was yelling out. Guy took her hand, and led her into the castle.

"Mary, go to your room, when this is over, I will be there to see you. Go, now." He told her.

She nodded.

"Be careful." She told him, then turned and hurried to find her room.

It took her awhile, but she finally found her room. She began pacing, waiting for Guy to come and get her. Her door opened, and she spun around to find Robin shutting the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, walking over to him.

"I was told that you were staying in the castle, so I wanted to see how you liked it." He said.

"Once Guy realizes that you are gone, he will be coming to find me, and who is he going to find, but the outlaw, Robin Hood. Once you saved the prisoner, you should have left, and not come to see me. I do not want to be the reason why you got caught." She told him.

He laughed.

"I will be fine." He told her.

He pulled her to him, and kissed her.

"You need to go before Guy gets here." She told him.

There was a knock on her door. Robin quickly hid behind the door, and Mary took a deep breath before she opened it.

"I see that you found your way back to your room." Guy said.

She smiled.

"Yeah. Were you able to catch him?" She asked.

"No." He said.

Guy started to walk in, but she stopped him.

"Why don't we go for a walk? I would like to see more of the castle. It would help me not get lost." She said.

He smiled.

"That sounds like a good idea." He said.

He held his arm out, and she took it. She shut the door behind her, and they started on their walk around the castle.

It took all day, but they finally finished. The library was her favorite room, there were so many books. She learned that she enjoyed reading.

Guy led her to the hall, for dinner. Once again Guy sat on the Sheriff's right, while Mary sat on the Sheriff's left. The Sheriff and Guy discussed business for a while, and then the Sheriff turned his attention to Mary.

"So, how was your day, my dear?" The Sheriff asked.

"It was nice. Guy gave me a tour of the castle. I enjoyed the library the most." She said.

"I'm glad." The Sheriff said.

The Sheriff told her that she would be having riding lessons all day the next day, to help her on a horse. She thanked him. When dinner was over, Guy walked her back to the library. Guy had some more business to discuss with the Sheriff, so she was going to be reading until he was done. He gave her a quick kiss, and then left her to read.

X*X*X

They had stayed at the castle for a month. By the time that they were returning to Locksley Manor, she was more than ready to leave. The Sheriff had started giving more and more tasks to Guy, then took his place at Mary's side. He would get Mary after her riding lessons, and escort her through the castle, and would hang around her at the library. She didn't like it. The Sheriff gave her the creeps.

She talked to Guy about it one night while they were in bed together. He kissed her fingertips as he told her not to worry about it, that he was just making sure that she was safe. She tried to ignore it, but something about the Sheriff didn't sit right with her.

She was happy now though, they were on their way back to Locksley Manor. She couldn't keep her hands off him, and it was the same with him. It felt like they hadn't seen each other in days, because of the Sheriff.

Mary was straddling his hips, her hands were tangled in his hair, and his hands were caressing her thighs, under her dress. She was praying that they would get back to the manor soon, so they could finish somewhere more comfortable.

Guy went to switch their position, but they ended up falling to the floor of the carriage. They both burst out laughing.

"Maybe we should finish this, later." He said.

"I think so." She said.

He helped her back up to the seat.

"It won't be too long; we are coming to the edge of the forest now." He told her.

"Good, it feels like I haven't seen this place in forever." She said, with a sigh.

He laughed.

"You sound as if you had a terrible time." He said.

She frowned.

"I just felt very uncomfortable around the Sheriff." She said.

"You do not have to worry about him now; we will be at the Manor momentarily." He told her.

She nodded.

Mary had a song stuck in her head. She didn't know where it had come from, or where she'd heard it before. She couldn't remember ever listening to it, but somehow it was repeating over and over in her head. It started getting annoying, not being able to get it out of her head. She began humming the song as she cleaned her room.

"What song are you humming?" Guy asked her.

She spun around; she hadn't heard him come up the stairs.

"I don't know, it's stuck in my head, but I don't know where I heard it before." She said.

"May I hear it?" He asked.

"You want me to sing?" She asked.

He laughed.

"Yes." He said.

She sighed.

"Fine." She said.

He took a seat on her bed, as she cleared her throat to start the first line of the song.

"You got someone here wants to make it alright
Someone who loves you more than life right here
You got willing arms that'll hold you tight
A hand to lead you on through the night right here
I know your heart can get all tangled up inside
But don't you keep it to yourself

When your long day is over
And you can barely drag your feet
The weight of the world is on your shoulders
I know what you need
Bring it on home to me

You know I know you like the back of my hand
But did you know I'm gonna do all that I can right here
I'm gonna lie with you till you fall asleep
When the morning comes I'm still gonna be right here (yes I am)
So take your worries and just drop them at the door
Baby leave it all behind

Baby let me be your safe harbor
Don't let the water come and carry you away

When your long day is over
And you can barely drag your feet
The weight of the world is on your shoulders
I know what you need
Bring it on home to me

You know I know you like the back of my hand
But did you know I'm gonna do all that I can right here
I'm gonna lie with you till you fall asleep
When the morning comes I'm still gonna be right here (yes I am)
So take your worries and just drop them at the door
Baby leave it all behind

You got someone here wants to make it alright
Someone who loves you more than life right here"

She stopped singing, and waited for him to say something. He didn't speak for a minute. He stood and walked over to her.

"That was amazing, you have a wonderful voice." He told her.

"Thank you." She said.

"You'll have to sing it again for me sometime." He said.

She laughed.

"Anytime. Just let me know." She said.

He leaned in, and kissed her.

"I think that the food is ready, are you hungry?" He asked her.

"Starving." She said, with a smile.

They left her room, and headed for the table to eat.

X*X*X

A week had passed since she had sung for him, and he hadn't said anything about it since. Guy was acting a little preoccupied lately though. She would be talking to him, and ask him a question, and he wouldn't answer her. It was as if he hadn't heard her at all. It was frustrating, to say the least. Did she do something wrong? Was he angry with her for some reason? She didn't know, and she was too chicken to ask him herself.

One night she was sitting on the couch, reading a book, when he sat down next to her. She glanced over the book at him. He took her left hand in his, and she set the book down on her lap. She looked at him, and waited for him to speak.

"I know that I've been a little…well, my mind has been wandering lately, and I wanted to let you know that you did nothing wrong. I've had something on my mind lately." He told her.

"What is it?" She asked.

He smiled.

"I don't want you to worry about it. It's nothing bad, I promise." He told her.

"Okay." She said quietly.

Her eyes locked on his, and somewhere in the back of her mind words floated around. They were exactly what she wanted to say to him, about him. The words grew and grew. They grew into a full song.

She smiled.

"What?" He asked.

"I just thought of another song." She said.

"Really? Well, let me hear it." He told her.

"Right now?"she asked.

He nodded.

"Sure, there's no time like the present." He told her.

She laughed.

"Fine." She sighed.

She cleared her throat, then began the song.

"if there were no words
no way to speak
i would still hear you
if there were no tears
no way to feel inside
i'd still feel for you

and even if the sun refused to shine
even if romance ran out of rhyme
you would still have my heart until the end of time
you're all i need, my love, my Valentine.

all of my life
i have been waiting for
all you give to me
you've opened my eyes
and shown me how to love unselfishly

i've dreamed of this a thousand times before
in my dreams i couldn't love you more
i will give you my heart
until the end of time
you're all i need, my love, my Valentine

and even if the sun refused to shine
even if romance ran out of rhyme
you would still have my heart until the end of time
'cause all i need is you, my Valentine
you're all i need, my love, my Valentine"

She waited for him to say something, anything, about the song, but he didn't. He didn't say anything for a while. She couldn't take it anymore.

"What do you think?" She asked cautiously.

She cupped her face with his hands, and smiled. That was reassuring.

"I loved it." He whispered.

She smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

He leaned in and kissed her.

"I do have a question, though." He said.

"What?" She asked.

"Did you sing that just because you thought of it, or because it was for me?" He asked, taking her hand in his.

She blushed, because of the answer.

"The words just came to me, but I feel that way about you." She told him.

He searched her eyes for a minute, and then broke out into a smile.

"You do?" He asked.

She nodded.

He pulled her in for another kiss. When he pulled out of the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers, and spoke.

"I'm never letting you go." He whispered.

His words made her heart swell, and she smiled.

"I never wanted you to." She told him, and she realized just how true the words were.

His arms slid around her, and he picked her up, and spun her around, happily. She laughed. After a minute he set her on her feet, and kissed her again.

"I'm assuming that you feel the same way." She said.

"Yes, of course I do." He said.

They were inseparable for the rest of the week. That is, until he had to go back to Nottingham for business with the Sheriff. She had decided not to go with him this time around; she was still uncomfortable around him. Guy said that he understood, but she could still tell that he didn't like the idea of her staying at the manor without him. He even had the servants follow her around, someone was with her almost every second of the day, thankfully, he was returning that evening, if everything went as planned.

X*X*X

Mary and Guy became even closer as the days flew by. She couldn't imagine her life without him in it. That, however, did not make Robin happy at all. Every time that Robin would come around, he would try to talk her out of her feelings for Guy. She just shook her head and let him talk himself hoarse. She wasn't going to change her mind because Robin Hood told her to.

Besides Robin, the Sheriff was hanging around a lot more. He stopped by unannounced, and he had them stay at the castle every other day or so. Her opinion of the Sheriff didn't change at all, even with all the time that she was spending around him.

The night before they were going to be heading out for the castle, Guy asked her to go for a walk with him. Instead of heading towards the town, they went the opposite way. They walked hand in hand for a while, and then came to a clearing with a pond, and a blanket lay out on the ground. She looked up at him.

"I wanted to surprise you." He told her, as they sat down on the blanket.

"This is nice." She said.

He took her hands in his, and looked into her eyes.

"I have a question to ask you." He said.

"What is it?" She asked, giving him a smile.

He smiled back, and took a deep breath. He looked nervous, which in turn, made her nervous.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

He smiled.

"Yes, everything is fine. Mary, will you stand up for a minute?" He asked.

Than confused her.

"What?" She asked.

"Please, just stand up. You will see soon enough." He told her.

She bit her lip, but did as he asked. She stood, and waited for him to tell her what was going on. He repositioned himself so that he was kneeling on one knee. Her heart sped up. She knew something was coming.

He held her left hand in his left.

"Mary, will you marry me?" He asked.

She forgot to breathe, as her heart pounded in her ears. She was speechless as her mind went blank. All she could do was look at him.

"Would you say something, anything, please?" He said.

It sounded like he was rethinking asking her the question. She blinked several times, as her mind kicked in again. She smiled.

"Yes." She whispered.

"Yes?" He said.

She nodded.

"Yes, I would love to marry you Sir Guy of Gisbourne." She said.

He laughed as he got to his feet, wrapped his arms around her, and spun her around. She laughed, as he set her back onto her feet.

"You have made me the happiest man in the world." He told her.

He leaned in and kissed her.

They had cut their trip to the pond short, and they headed to bed when they got back to the manor. This time they ended up in his bed, but it really didn't matter which bed they ended up in, they were too…preoccupied with other things.

It was all they could do to get to the bed, they had their hands all over each other, not to mention their clothes flying all over the place as they got each piece off.

They got to the castle early afternoon, and the Sheriff was waiting for them.

"Mary, you look like you are glowing, has something happened, my dear?" The Sheriff asked.

"Mary has agreed to marry me." Guy told the Sheriff.

"Congratulations." The Sheriff said.

The Sheriff didn't look too happy about it, but he tried to hide it.

"Why don't we go inside?" The Sheriff said.

She took Guy's arm and they followed the Sheriff into the castle. The Sheriff had some bad news for them though.

"Mary, there has been a problem with your room. One of the servants decided to be naughty, and the room is wrecked." The Sheriff said.

"Wrecked? What do you mean wrecked?" Guy asked.

"Where am I going to stay then?" She asked.

"There's a room open, and you will be stay in that room." The Sheriff said.

The Sheriff had Guy running all over the place, and it was getting late. She wanted to wait up for him, but she was getting tired. He would find her when he returned. She headed to her room, which she found out that it was right next to the Sheriff's quarters.

When she got to her room, she took her dress off, and slid into her nightgown. She brushed her hair, and then got into bed. She slowly started drifting off to sleep.

Two men stepped out of the shadows in Mary's room. When they spoke, they talked in hushed tones; they didn't want to wake Mary up.

"There is a passage way in my chambers. I want you to take her somewhere no one will find her. Tie her up, so when she wakes up, she can't get away. When she is secure, find me and let me know where she is."

The second man nodded. He gently lifted her off of the bed, and quietly carried her out of the room, and into the passage way. The other man left and shut the door behind him. He quickly walked away.

Guy was worn out. The Sheriff had him running around the village of Nottingham since he and Mary had gotten to the castle. Apparently, the tax collector was unable to do his job. All he wanted to do was get to Mary and relax. He hadn't seen her all day, and he missed her. He contemplated going to right to Mary's room, but decided to stop at his room first. He would change real quickly, and then go to her room; he had all night to see her, what would ten minutes matter?

He got to his room, and changed quickly. He made his way to Mary's room. He knocked quietly, then opened the door, and walked in. The moonlight shone through the window, lighting up the room. The room was empty. Where could she be? He searched her room, making quite a lot of noise.

"Gisbourne, what are you doing?" The Sheriff demanded, walking in Mary's room.

"Where is Mary?" Guy asked.

The Sheriff looked around the room.

"How would I know, I haven't seen her all night." The Sheriff said.

"She's not here! We need to find her now!" Guy said.

"Calm down Gisbourne. We will find her. She's probably just wandering around somewhere." The Sheriff said.

They searched the castle. They checked everywhere that Mary could possibly have gone. They finally tried the stables. There was a stable boy still around. They asked him if Mary had come this way. The boy shook his head, and said that he hadn't seen her since she had left her lesson. Guy was upset and angry. Where could she be?

X*X*X

Mary couldn't see, so she had no idea where she was, or what time of day it was. The next thing that she realized was that she was tied up. The ropes around her wrists and ankles were tied tight, and it hurt to move. She tried yelling for help, but there was a gag in her mouth, to keep her quiet. She quieted down and tried listening for something, anything that would give her a clue as to where she was. She heard nothing. This was frustrating to say the least. Where the hell was she, and how did she get there?

Guy would notice that she was missing, and come looking for her. Hopefully it would be soon. Suddenly, she heard a door open, then close a moment later. Was it her savior? She prayed that it was. She screamed as she started getting whipped. What was going on? Why was this happening to her? The gag was covering most of her screams, but she was loud enough through it. Tears started flowing from her eyes, and the whipping started getting worse.

By the time it was done, her throat was raw from the screaming, and her whole body hurt, even without moving. The pain had gotten so bad that soon after, it had made her pass out. She fitfully slept, and had nightmares.

X*X*X

Mary had been gone a week, and that's when Guy had decided to have some…unsavory help. He travelled into the forest, and waited for Robin Hood to show up. He wasn't disappointed.

"Gisbourne, what a pleasant surprise." Robin said.

"Mary is missing." Guy said.

"What does that have to do with me, I don't have her." Robin said.

"I know that. Someone took her from her chambers at the castle." Guy said.

"Where were you?" Robin asked.

"I had thing for the Sherriff that needed to be done, I went to my chambers to change, and then I went to hers, to say good night. When I got there, she was gone." Guy said.

"You don't sleep together, how…surprising." Robin said.

Guy frowned.

"That is none of your business Hood, what I want to know is if you will help me find her?" Guy asked.

"You're asking me for help?! This has turned out to be such a surprising day." Robin said.

"Enough Hood, will you help find Mary, or not?" Guy demanded.

Robin studied him for a moment, then gave a nod.

"I will let you know if I hear or see anything." Robin told him.

Guy nodded and headed to Locksley Manor.

His servants prayed that Mary would return soon. He was much nicer when she was around, with her gone, he was unbearable. He would yell at them for the smallest things done wrong.

He had definitely become angrier since she'd been taken. He blamed himself. He should have been there for her. Why hadn't he given her a ring when he had proposed? He might never see her again. No, he couldn't think like that. He had to think positively. She would be fine. She had to be. He didn't know what he would do if she wasn't.

X*X*X

Mary groaned as she woke up. Last night had been the worst beating ever. She suddenly realized that her bonds had been untied, and her heart sped up. She whimpered as she moved her arms to the blindfold. Very slowly, she slid it off of her head, and opened her eyes. As soon as she had, she shut them again. The light blinded her, and hurt like hell. Next, she struggled to get the gag off of her. She took a deep breath of air, and started coughing.

She cracked an eye open, and tried looking at her surroundings. Her eyes hurt, but she managed to keep the eye open for longer. She took a deep breath, and tried getting up to her feet. She stumbled and fell to the floor again. She cried out in pain, but got to her feet again. This time she made it to the door, biting her tongue to keep from screaming from the pain in her body. She opened the door, and headed outside. She didn't look back, she just headed forward. Tears started falling from the pain. She wasn't going to let that stop her, or anything for that matter. She needed to make it to the nearest house, so she could find someone that would help her.

Since it was getting dark out, she was to open her eyes more, but it was still slow going for her. She walked until she couldn't go any farther, then she stopped to rest. She didn't know how long she'd been walking for, but she was certain that she wasn't going to quit. She needed to make it back to Guy. That's what was keeping her going. She needed to see him again, and she wouldn't feel safe until she was back in his arms.

A little while later, she decided that she needed to get back to walking, and her muscles protested her every movement. She couldn't worry about that now, she had to worry about finding help. She soon came to a forest. Was she ever going to make it?

When she had gotten in the forest quite a ways, she took another break. She wiped away the tears, and took a deep breath. She couldn't give up, she would see Guy again. When she decided to start walking again, her muscles protested even more than last time. She whimpered, but slowly walked on. She soon stumbled on a dirt road, she smiled, and hoped that she was heading the right way.

Mary was pushing herself to go as far as she could. She even tried picking up speed, but it still felt like she was going nowhere and fast. She finally couldn't walk anymore, and collapsed on the ground. She was going between conscious, and unconsciousness. She was starting to wake, when she heard a horse coming towards her, from behind. She couldn't turn to see who it was, her body hurt so much. She heard the horse slow down, until it stopped altogether. She heard the person get off of the horse, and walk closer to her. After a moment she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched away from it. She whimpered in pain, and heard a gasp. She cried out in more pain, as she was turned over, onto her back.

"Oh my god!"

Mary opened her eyes at the voice. The face that she saw brought fresh tears to her eyes, and smiled. Was it really him, or was she seeing things?

"Is it really you?" She whispered.

"Mary?!"

"Guy, am I hallucinating, or are you real?" She asked.

"It's me, where have you been? How did you get here?" He asked.

"I don't know. I was taken, and I just got away. I walked so far. I needed to see you again." She whispered.

"We need to get you home." Guy said.

"To Locksley Manor, not the castle." She told him.

"Of course." He said.

He carefully picked her up, but it wasn't gentle enough, because she cried out. He apologized and managed to make it back onto his horse. He took off for the Manor as quickly as possible. It hurt so bad that she passed out shortly after they started.

Mary hadn't realized how long she'd been out for, but when she woke up she was feeling much better. She opened her eyes, and saw Guy sitting in the chair, next to the bed, sleeping. She smiled, and watched him sleep for a moment. She was so happy to be home, to be back with Guy. Tears started falling. She sniffled, and he started stirring. He suddenly looked up at her.

"You're awake." He said.

She nodded.

"Why are you crying?" He asked.

"I'm just so happy to be home. I've missed you so much." She whispered.

He smiled.

"I'm happy too. Mary, who took you?" He asked her.

She shook her head.

"I don't know, I never saw the person." She said.

He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"It's okay, if you remember anything, let me know, the person will not get away with this." He told her.

She nodded.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

Her smile returned.

"Much better. How long have I been sleeping?" She asked.

"Three days." He said.

That surprised her.

"Are you hungry? I could have something prepared for you." He said.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you so much Guy." She said.

"I would do anything for you my dear." He told her.

She smiled and blushed.

He leaned over and gently kissed her, and then went to get her something to eat. She wiped away her tears, and exhaled loudly. She pulled the covers up closer to her face, and got comfortable. She never wanted to leave this room again. She was safe in this room.

About fifteen minutes later, a servant boy knocked on her door. He came in, and she sat up. He set a tray of fresh fruit across her lap. She thanked the boy, and he left, shutting the door behind him. She ate the fruit, and finished fairly quickly. Moments later, the boy was back, to retrieve the tray. He told her that Guy would be back in a few moments. She thanked him, and he left, once more shutting the door on his way out.

About ten minutes later, Guy returned to her. He had his hands behind his back. He walked over to her, and sat next to her on the bed. He smiled as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Do you know how much I love you?" He asked her.

She smiled and nodded.

"Of course I do, and I love you Guy." She told him.

He leaned in and kissed her.

"I know that I've already asked you to marry me, and you've already consented. I should have given you something. I want to do it right this time." He told her.

He brought his left hand out from behind his back, and held up a ring. It was gold with a heart shaped diamond. She gasped when she saw it.

"Will you marry me?" He asked.

"Yes! Oh Guy, it's beautiful!" She told him, as he slid the ring on her finger.

She hugged him, and then kissed him.

"I want to do it as soon as possible, I don't want to lose you again." He told her, holding her close.

"You have me, forever. I'm not going anywhere. I need a dress! I don't have anything!" she said.

"Don't worry about anything, I will take care of everything." He told her.

She smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

He leaned down, and kissed her.

"The tailor should be here soon." He said.

She nodded, and he helped her out of the bed. He helped her into the bath, and helped her dress when she was finished with her bath. By the time she was finished, she had just gotten down the stairs, when there was a knock at the door. The tailor had arrived. The tailor took her measurements, and then did a quick design of a dress, for her to approve. Even though it had been a rough draft, it was beautiful to her. When the tailor had everything that he needed, he left to create the dress. She hugged Guy, and thanked him again.

X*X*X

When her bruises, and marks were gone, and she had her second fitting of the dress, she was ready to marry Guy. However, she had to wait until the weekend, when it was supposed to be the best weather of the month.

The day of the wedding dawned bright. Guy had slept in one of the houses in the village, and she had stayed at the Manor. She sat up, and stretched. She smiled when she heard a knock at her door. One of the servant girls walked in, carrying her dress, and another carrying her shoes. Mary got out of bed, and got into the bath. When she got out the girls helped her into her dress. They tied her satin ribbon, and she slid into the shoes. Next, they went to work on her hair, and face. She had them put the necklace Guy had gotten her on.

They finished her hair, and attached the veil. One of the girls handed her a bouquet of flowers. She stood, and looked at her reflection. She looked beautiful. One of the girls carried her train, and the other escorted her down the stairs. It was almost time. They headed to the church, to where Guy was waiting for her. The whole town had turned out, and even the Sherriff. She took a deep breath, and entered the church.

She walked down the aisle to Guy, and their eyes never broke contact. They smiled at each other when she reached him and the preacher. He took her hands in his and kissed them. The preacher started the ceremony. The preacher told her to repeat some words, then had Guy repeat them. Then they exchanged rings. Then they were told that they could kiss. Guy took her head in his hands, leaned in, and gently kissed her. Everyone started clapping. Mary smiled, when they turned to the crowd, and the preacher introduced them. It was official, they were married.

They had their reception at the Manor. They ate and danced until late in the night. The Sherriff was the last to leave, and Guy had to firmly ask him to leave. When everyone had left, Guy carried her up to his room. He gently laid her down on the bed, and shut the door. When he got back to her, he started helping her out of her dress. She helped him out of his clothes too.

X*X*X

He had given her a new night gown for one of his many wedding gifts. He had begun spoiling her. She had slipped it on, and cuddled up to Guy. She soon dozed off to sleep.

A man quietly opened the bedroom door, and slipped into the room. He silently made his way over to the sleeping couple. He watched them sleep for a moment, then walked over to Mary's side. He gently picked her up. She stirred slightly. After a moment, he went to leave the room. He went down the stairs, and headed for the door. That's when she woke up. When she realized that it wasn't Guy, she screamed out for him, and started struggling to get away. He managed to get her out the Manor door, but he was losing his grip. He tried putting his hand over her mouth to quiet her down, but he wasn't doing a very good job at it. She bit his hand, and he dropped her to the ground. She stumbled to her feet, and turned to see her kidnapper. She gasped in shock when she saw the Sherriff. She screamed for Guy, and the Sherriff ran for her. He tried running, but he was gaining on her. She got to the edge of the town, when she heard commotion from behind her. She turned, and saw Guy wrestling the Sherriff. Guy suddenly had a dagger in his hand, and stabbed the Sherriff a couple of times. The Sherriff fell to the ground, bleeding out. Guy kicked him, until the Sherriff didn't move anymore. The Sherriff was dead.

Mary was gasping for air, and had her hands covering her mouth. Guy looked over at her, and she ran to him. He held her in his arms for a while. She never wanted to let him go ever again. All too soon, he pulled away, and made her look him in the eyes.

"You go back to the Manor, let me take care of this." He told her.

She nodded. She kissed him again, and then ran back up to the Manor. She ran up to his room, and got back into bed. She curled up under the blankets, and waited for Guy to return. She soon fell asleep.

X*X*X

The news of the Sherriff's death travelled very quickly. The prince came to Nottingham, and decreed that Gisbourne would be the new Sherriff. Guy and Mary were to move into the castle, and live there for as long as Guy was Sherriff.

It took Mary to adjust to her new life, as a wife, and Guy as the new Sherriff. The first year was hard, but she smiled through it all, because all she cared about was being with Guy. That's all that she wanted.

The End.

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