The Gift

Secret Sheriff Gift for ClinicallyBored

Snow fell, flake after flake, none of them the same. England was indeed going to be white this Christmas. The trouble with that is, it made it incredible hard to make the journey from Locksley to Nottingham without his father knowing about it. Footsteps were left in the snow and didn't fall fast enough to cover them for him. It meant he'd have to come up with a viable excuse to leave his home and head for the castle. But what, was another question altogether.

Robin looked out of his bedchamber window, over Locksley, contemplating his predicament. No matter what he tried his father would find out he had left to go somewhere, and following his horse's hoof prints would lead him straight to Nottingham.

In the harsh light of the winter day, Locksley Manor still managed to look as picturesque as it did any other day. The soft look of the home, the way it integrated itself with the village that surrounded it. But none of that mattered to Robin of Locksley. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and he had a gift to deliver.

He quickly made his decision to leave, his 'mission' was far to important to worry about what his father might say, so he decided to leave and ran out of his chamber grabbing his overcoat on his way.

He trotted out of the house towards his thoroughbred horse, tacked and ready he jumped on and went quickly and quietly in the direction of Nottingham. His horse didn't seem to be able to go fast enough, no matter what speed the fille pelted through the forest, he need her to go faster. He didn't want to be away from Marian for long, any amount of time spent without her and he couldn't breathe. The thought of her touch, he kiss, sent his heart racing at a billion miles per hour.

He made his way to Nottingham faster than he ever had before. Once he reached the courtyard he bounded off his horse and even more so up the steps into the castle. Running down corridors turning left and right like he had done many times before. He was heading straight for her room.

Her bed chamber door was open, and she was sat at her window, looking over her father's town. Her home. She turned when she heard movement in her door way, she smiled to herself, dimples in her cheeks as she realized who it was, her stomach clenching ridulously, she didn't have much of a chance before she was taken up in his embrace.

"Robin," Marian laughed as she pushed him away, "If my father sees you-"

"He will not care!" Robin beamed down at her, "We are to be married Marian, he can not stop me from seeing you!" He raised a hand to her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. She leant into it and smiled at him.

"He is my father, and he is the Sheriff, he can stop what he likes," she laughed as he leant down a few inches and caught her lips with his own. His hand moved from her cheek to the nape of her neck, traveling then into her hair.

"When you are mine he can stop me no more," Robin muttered into her hair and he held her tightly to him again.

"I shall never be yours Robin, like I am not my father's. I am my own person," Marian added as she breathed in the scent of him.

"You shall be my wife - that is enough."

"It will have to be enough," she laughed, pulling her head back and adjusting her grip so she could kiss him once again, her fingers playing with the tail of his hair, "I would never dream of being anybody else's wife."

"Well that's good for me then isn't it," Marian leant her head against his chest, and looked over the land as she had been doing before he'd interrupted her thought, "One day, Marian, all this, will never be ours," he laughed.

"We shall have Locksley - that will be enough."

"It will have to be." Sincerity in his voice drew her gaze up to him from the lands; she smiled heartily at him before he moved an arm to reach his hand into his pullover pocket. A small carved wooden box housed the gift, and he placed it in her free hand – the other resided at his belt.

"Robin, what's this for?" She asked running her fingers over the wooden box before opening it.

"An early Christmas present,"

"You didn't have to-"

"I know, I wanted to," he lifted up the lid of the box to reveal a small, gemmed ring. It had been his mother's. His father had given it to him under the pretense that he would one day give it to Marian as her betrothal ring.

"It's beautiful, I can not expect this!"

"You must," I will hear nothing of it! You are to be my wife, people should know that, you are mine and mine alone," he smiled down at her and she thanked him with her kiss.

"It is beautiful thank you," she handed the box back to him and slipped the ring on the correct finger. It fitted perfectly.

"Just as my mother intended," he smiled, placing one final kiss to her lips.

ClinicallyBored requested a RobinMarian preferably pre-series lot of Fluff. I hope that what I delivered for her :)