Be with me
By Leah
Summary
This ditty is based on the scene from the episode "Peace? Off!"
I really liked the way the scene originally went but I felt like doing an AU take on it.
Disclaimer
I do not own a sodding thing … Rats! Rated M for violence and sexual content.
Nottingham Castle, Marian's chambers
"Be with me," he breathed in her ear.
"I can't," she thought agitatedly. "Robin … He wouldn't understand. He'll hate me."
"Be with me."
"We-we are not yet married," Marian stammered, trying to remain calm.
"I could be dead before we're married," he replied huskily. "Be with me."
"Don't be foolish," she hissed.
Pushing his arm down, Marian drew away from her betrothed, eyes frosty with antipathy.
"I am not a whore," she declared.
The dark haired man smirked, leaning casually against the wall contradictory of her. "Never said you were."
"But you ask for my body as though I was just a simple slattern you could pick up on a street then throw away as soon as you're down with her. I am better then that."
Gisborne snorted.
"Stop being such a prude, Marian. Who knows when the king will return?"
"Who knows "if" the king will return?" he thought smiling inwardly.
Gisborne left the wall, edging toward his imminent bride.
Marian felt her body grow taut.
"I am not a prude," she told him vehemently, trying to hold her ground.
"Yes you are. You were spat out of your mother a prude. Tell me, where you like this with Hood?"
Marian's cheek twitched ever so slightly.
"Stop it," she whispered.
"Or what?"
"You're acting like a child."
"Well you seem to like children, Marian," Gisborne's smirk turned into a mocking grin. "I know all about you and Robin."
"That was long ago!" she snapped. "I told you, I was only a girl then. I've grown up."
"But you admire him, yes?"
"I must confess that Hood has qualities that I do admire," Marian admitted haughtily. "He helps the poor. He does not kill unless it is necessary."
"And yet you said you despised him," Guy sneered.
"I do!" she shot back. "I did not lie to you! Robin and I could have been happily married a long time ago! But no. He had to go to war! He had to choose war over me!"
The girl bowed her head and balled her fists. Tears of resentment rolled down her hot cheeks.
God she hated men!
Guy's urge to wound her any further stopped right there, his gaze softened and he sighed deeply.
"Do you really think I would leave you?" he asked her quietly.
"I think you would do a great many things," she answered him flatly at last.
"Yes," he agreed. "At your word I would pluck a star from the heavens and put it in a crown for you."
"That is not my wish."
"Then what is?"
"To become a man overnight!" she all but shouted at him.
"Thank god that is not possible. I would have no pleasure in buggering a boy," Guy retorted with a laugh.
"You find my needs humorous?" Marian demanded, pallid hands on shapely hips.
"Yes and no."
Marian snorted her disgust and turned away, glaring at the wall.
"Leave," she told him firmly.
"Please do not send me away."
"I said leave."
"No."
Marian's face fumed.
"How dare you!" she seethed venomously, spinning around to glower at him. "It is good manners to leave when a lady asks!"
"But I lack manners. I'm a brute," Gisborne confessed, expression gradually becoming wolfish. "Perhaps when we are wed you could teach me how to be a good boy?"
Marian's hand flew out to strike him but Guy was faster, easily catching her wrist, and drawing her to him.
"Let me go!" the girl barked.
"I am going to kiss you," he growled, wrapping an arm snugly around her waist. "I am going to kiss you in a way you have never been kissed before and I promise you will enjoy it."
Marian's blue eyes widened in shock. She then quickly compressed her lips into a thin, sour, line.
Gisborne chuckled.
"Now, now. You know that won't work."
The girl's lips relaxed. She sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat.
"No," she admitted wistfully. "You are right."
"Good girl," he praised and moved his head in order to kiss her.
"But this will!" she snarled.
Marian abruptly rammed her knee directly into his groin.
Gisborne stumbled back, gasping in pain.
"You witch!" he accused, hand between his legs. "You sodding witch!"
"I told you to leave, Guy. Now get out!" Marian ordered, pointing a trembling finger at the door.
Gisborne gave his infuriated betrothed a withering look.
"Very well," he growled at her. "My lady."
Breathing heavily, he stumbled his way out of her chamber, cursing her name as he went.
Satisfied, Marian returned to her table, poured herself a goblet of wine and returned to her letter.
Locksley Manor, Guy's chamber
Gisborne was lost in a mood of the foulest kind.
His groin still hurt like buggery, Marian had rejected his advances and Robin Hood had made a fool out of him and Vasey yet again.
Thrusting his head back, the lieutenant bellowed loudly and kicked at his four-poster bed hence injuring his big toe.
This would not do! Why in God's name was she so blind?
He was better looking then that rancid pup!
He even had better hair!
"I'll have you yet, wench!" he snarled, "Just you wait!"
Knighton Hall
"Guy," Marian greeted politely. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"I want you to give a message to Hood from me."
The girl blinked.
"Pardon?"
"I grow weary of your rejections, your rules and so forth. Therefore, it has come to this. You will give Hood this message. I have given your roaring boy a challenge. If he wins. You're his. If I win. You'll marry me long before the king returns."
"Guy, I cannot give a message to someone I do not see or care to be seen with," Marian protested angrily.
Gisborne snorted.
"Give the child the scroll," he told her, handing her the rolled up papyrus. "You have two days to find him."
"And if I cannot?" the girl demanded. "Also, what if I do manage to seek him out and Hood refuses your challenge."
Guy grinned covetously at her.
"I still get you," he told her smugly. "I'm not waiting anymore."
"The agreement was-"
"Promises, agreements, are like pie crusts, Marian. They're meant to be broken."
Feeling spectacularly pleased with himself, Gisborne turned, marching confidently to his horse, leaving a stunned Marian behind.
Locksley training yards, day of the challenge
Robin and his group approached the training yard with trepidation.
"Not being funny … Sword fighting on horse back, you haven't got a chance, mate," Allan said whilst sauntering casually alongside their leader.
"Thank you, Allan," Robin grumbled. "You're so considerate."
"Well, it's tricky, innit? Archery, no worries. Jousting, meh, and …"
"Shut it!" Robin snapped, glaring at the auburn haired man. "I'll think of something,"
In all his black leather glory, Gisborne emerged from the stables leading a tall chestnut mare with a thin stripe and a slender light brown with mare with one white sock.
"Hood," Guy greeted with curiously good humour. "I've brought out the mounts. Are they to your satisfaction, Marian?"
Marian walked over to the horses.
The youthful beauty was dressed in a cream doublet and dark brown callouts, her dark hair tied back with a royal blue silk ribbon.
With ease, the girl studied each equine carefully, speaking softly to them whilst picking up their feet, running her hands over their legs, opening their mouths.
"They're satisfactory," she informed the competitors at last. "You can tack them up now."
"I have my own horse," Robin stated.
"That is not part of the challenge," Guy protested with a scowl.
"I don't trust you, Gisborne," Robin answered coldly. "How can I know that you haven't given me a green horse?"
"He wouldn't do such a stupid thing, Robin," Marian answered calmly. "He knows I will leave directly for Ripley if any one cheats."
"There you go," Guy said smugly.
Robin considered this.
"I still want to ride my own horse," he said after some mental debate. "Gisborne has the advantage of intimacy, I don't."
Marian nodded. "That is true," she agreed. "Guy has worked with almost every horse here," she looked to Gisborne, appealing to his sensible side which she hoped felt like coming out to play. "it is only fair, Guy."
Guy's handsome face darkened with annoyance.
"Fine," he grumbled. "Can we get on with this now? We've only a week till the sheriff returns from London."
"Alrighty then," Robin said.
He turned to Much who was anxiously wringing his little hat.
"Fetch my horse."
The miller's son nodded.
"Of course, master."
Moments later, Much returned with a lanky dark bay screwbald gelding.
"Who did you steal this nag from?" Guy inquired, raising an interested eyebrow. "Never seen the likes of him before."
"The Earl of Sussex has been very agreeable," was Robin's ready response.
He then bid Marian to look over the bay and its tack.
"Since the outlaw is allowed to ride his own horse, I will ride to my own preference," Gisborne declared whilst Hood mounted the stolen bay.
"Guy!" Marian protested.
Ignoring the maiden, the knight strode over to the chestnut's side, removing her saddle and saddlecloth.
"Like you said, it's only fair, Marian," he replied, leaping smoothly onto the mare's broad back, pulling his sword out of its scabbard and taking his shield from his squire.
He grinned wickedly at Robin.
"You ready?" he asked the younger man.
Hood swallowed hard.
"Pretty much," he answered, tightly gripping the shield Much had lent him.
Guy smacked his legs into the coarser's shining sides.
"Get up!" he barked.
The chestnut trumpeted loudly then bounded forward, ears flat against her head.
"Oi, Allan. I wager you ten crowns Gisborne chops your leader into pieces." One of Guy's men whispered.
"You're on," the auburn haired outlaw agreed.
"I wager a hundred crowns that my master walks away from all this without a scratch and Marian in his arms!" Much declared.
"Have you got one hundred crowns?" Allan asked sceptically.
OoO
Meanwhile, Marian was kicking herself for her stupidity. Why hadn't she realised it before? Guy was going to win. Not due to cheating or swordsmanship, but because he was riding the better horse.
'You demented fool, Robin! you should have stuck with the brown!' she thought despairingly.
OoO
Robin's gelding shrieked in protest as Guy's mare sunk her teeth into his rump.
"Fuck!" he yelled, narrowly dodging Guy's blade.
Using his legs, the knight urged his horse to the left and pushed the animals chest into the others side, thrusting his shield into Robin's face.
Desperate to keep his seat, Robin bashed against Guy's shield with his sword, forcing the knight's horse to squeal and stumble backwards.
"This isn't good," Djaq said warily to John.
"This, I do not like," the tall man agreed.
"Shall we call for a respite?" Much asked fretfully.
"Eh, I've got money on Gisborne winning this before nightfall!" a guard complained. "No sodding rests!"
Allan ran a hand through his auburn curls.
"All these bloody bets," he grouched.
OoO
Panting heavily, Guy bellowed for a respite.
"Jeepers Creepers, he's not going to win before night fall!" the guard complained.
"Check the horses," Gisborne barked at a stable hand.
Panting heavily, he tore off his doublet and tunic, exposing a sweat soaked body.
Marian quietly took note of the bruise blossoming over Guy's left side, the blood seeping from his right nostril, the swollen right eye.
She shifted her eyes to Robin. He had stripped down to his waist as well.
The younger man had not been seriously injured. His knuckles were raw and his arm was bleeding from a scrape. there was also a scratch on his chest which Much was anxiously fretting over.
She sighed softly, preparing mentally for round two.
"Your gelding's ailing, Hood," Gisborne remarked whilst pouring himself a second tankard of water. "Want to admit defeat?"
Robin snorted.
"He still has a few more rounds left in him," he retorted.
Guy suddenly became angry.
"I've thought you foolish before now I think you're a fucking idiot! Put that animal through another round and you will not only be killing yourself, you will be killing it!"
"So you care more about a scrawny nag then Marian?" Robin asked, swatting at Much.
Guy said nothing; he glowered furiously at the outlaw.
Marian approached the men.
"We could reconvene tomorrow morning," she said. "Robin can find a more suitable mount and you and your horse can rest. Let's be reasonable about this, shall we?"
Hood shook his head.
"No, we finish this today."
"I agree with Marian," Guy answered in a low voice. "I'm not sending that horse to his death."
Robin looked to his people.
"And?" he demanded angrily.
"Sorry Robin," John said.
"I'm with Giz and Maz on this one," Allan added wearily.
Djaq and Will said nothing; they lowered their heads unable to look their friend in the eye.
Hood stared at them all for a long time, his lips were parted but nothing resembling words came out.
"Then that's how it is then," he murmured at last.
He turned to the girl, eyes stony with anger and frustration.
"You can stay with him," Hood spat. "In fact, you can all stay with him for all I care!"
"Robin we're only trying to keep this fair!" Marian yelled. "You can't just-"
"Leave him," Guy said from his corner of the yard. "If this is how he's going to be, leave him alone."
Marian stared at Gisborne, aghast. She then looked back at the retreating form of Robin.
"No," she whispered. "No."
She started to go after him but before she could set one foot on the fence, she was pulled back.
"Let go!" she yelled. "Robin, you come back here now!"
"Stay in the manor, I'll organise pardons for you all in the morning," Guy instructed the outlaws, hoisting Marian over his shoulder.
"What-Where are you taking me?" Marian shrieked, squirming and pounding at his back.
"Bed," was the only reply she received.
Locksley Manor, Sir Guy's bed chambers
Throwing the girl onto the bed, the knight was quick to follow her descent, pinning her down with his weight.
The smell of dirt, sweat, blood and horse filled her flaring nostrils to the very brim.
Marian roared with anger and tried to shove him off only to be laughed at.
She tried to knee him in the groin again but he was so heavy she could not move her legs.
The more she struggled the tighter the embrace became.
At last the maiden saw defeat and went limp in the lord of Locksley's arms.
"I hate you," she spat, glaring furiously at him.
Gisborne smiled beatifically at her.
"Sometimes, Marian," he said. "The only way is the wrong way."
That being said, he kissed her on the mouth.
She did not try to push him away.
The end.