Chapter Two: A baby-Marian
Just for clarification, I rated this "T" because I'm not quite sure where this is going, but I promise I won't be including anything really graphic or sexual, probably just a bit of violence with the fight scenes. I also wasn't sure how you rate things so it's probably better to rate higher than lower. Hope you're enjoying
Xx
Chapter Two: A baby-Marian
Emma-Clarine slept until early the next morning. She sat up in her bed and looked around. Everyone else was sound asleep, but Robin was nowhere to be seen. She swept the blanket off her small body and rose to her feet, brushing her hair over her shoulder.
At around that time the day before, Robin and his gang had been chasing her through Sherwood. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or sigh, to smile or cry. She had re-found Robin and Much, two people who had made huge impacts on her life. Two people, she loved more than any others in the world. Two people she had been separated from for years. Two people she had never forgotten. Two people she had cried for every night. So why was she crying now? She had them back in her life. They weren't all tears of happiness, so what were the other ones?
Emma walked over to the last feeble remaining coals of the fire and stood beside it. Subconsciously she began to rebuild it with stocks left near by. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, it was crackling nicely.
She looked up. It was Much.
They both smiled at each other like the old friends they were. Without saying anything Much sat down beside her. He picked up a stick and began to whittle it with a knife. Emma, not knowing what else to do played with the fire.
Much couldn't keep his mind at rest. Although Robin had told him her story, he wanted to hear it from her. He wanted to see the way her eyes fell when she described how she didn't want to leave; her tears fell when she thought of the past and her smile return when she spoke hopefully of the future. They had been closer than friends; more like close siblings and it was pure cruelty on Sir Edward's part to separate them.
But the real tragedy of this he thought is that now we can barely even speak to each other.
Emma looked up at Much. He was putting far too much concentrated energy into whittling his stick. Obviously he was as confused and distressed as she was, but how could she break the silence without more tears?
"Sleep well?" she asked a little timidly.
Much sighed almost visibly relieved. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he said brightly.
"Probably," she nodded with a smile "But all the same…"
"I slept well," he replied. "Well, as well as you can under the circumstances..."
"Oh yes," she said quietly, her gaze falling from his eyes to the unemotional safety of the ground.
They were silent.
"Emma?" Much asked, his voice trailing off.
She looked up.
Much took her hand and squeezed it, smiling reassuringly.
The tears started again.
"Much I …" she paused "I missed you so much…"
Much pulled her into him and they embraced each other quietly for a minute or two before pulling away.
"I missed you too," he whispered. "But now you're back."
"I'm back," Emma repeated as if to assure herself.
"Have you seen Robin?" he asked.
She shook her head. "There's so much I need to talk about with you two. But I do have to return to Knighton Hall before its over-run with greedy soldiers."
"About that Emma… um… Knighton Hall is no more…"
"I cannot conceive you."
"It was burnt down some months back. Your family were living in the castle up until they…died." He almost didn't say the last word.
Emma nodded solemnly.
"All the same I must request any belongings of Marian's and my Father's from the castle."
"I'm not sure that Robin would be entirely happy about that," he replied. "But I agree that you must do it for yourself and for them…"
"For them," she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks.
"Shh," Much said, taking her hand again. "Now that you're in Sherwood there'll be no more crying. That was our rule as children and I think it was a very good one then and an even better one now."
"I agree, but now it's even harder to follow."
John cleared his throat.
The pair looked up.
"I'm sorry if I scared you yesterday," he said to Emma.
"No harm done. I'm just sorry about Djaq."
"She's a tough one our Djaq," John replied. "She's alright."
Emma was visibly relieved.
"Can I cook some breakfast?" she asked.
"If you want," Much said. "I'll help you."
Emma smiled at him appreciatively.
Slowly but surely, over the cooking of breakfast, Emma and Much began to make their way back to where they were when they left off as children. They were eating the fruits of their labour when they heard footsteps coming towards them. Emma looked up, willing it to be Robin. But when the figure appeared it wasn't him.
He was around the same height with rich ginger-brown hair and blue eyes that could be described as cute. His eyes immediately locked onto Emma and his strides quickened in order to join them.
"Well hello. Who is this?"
"'This' is Emma-Clarine remember? The one I told you about last night." Much replied indignantly.
"Oh, the 'beautiful one'?"
Emma blushed slightly, Much looked embarrassed.
"I'm Allan," he said. "Nice to meet you Emma-Clarine."
"Just call me Emma," she insisted with a smile that left Allan dizzy.
"For the record; I wasn't one of them chasing you. I was in Locksley at the time. When I got back you were asleep."
"How rude of me," she joked.
Allan tapped Much on the shoulder as he made a bee-line for Little John.
"She is 'beautiful'," he whispered to Much.
"You say that like you're surprised," he retorted. "We all know who she's the spitting image of…"
Both of them sobered.
When Much's gaze returned to Emma she was looking nostalgically around her.
"It's coming back to me you know?" she said as if in a trance. "We used to be here so often."
Much nodded sombrely. "Well Robin and I are here a lot more now than we ever used to be," he said with a rueful but accepting laugh.
"Why?" she asked sympathetically. "What's brought you here?"
Much went to explain but then Robin appeared from the trees shaking his head adamantly. Emma followed Much's gaze to see Robin doing this.
"Why won't you tell me? I told you my story, now you tell me your's."
"Not yet," Robin replied quietly. "There's no shortage of time in the universe. I've arranged for a trusted noble to take you into Nottingham."
"Can't I just go home?"
"Knighton Hall is no more," Robin answered. "An accident," he lied.
"Much told me," Emma said quietly.
"The Sheriff however will wish to pay respects to you and you will be able to collect some of your sister's belongings from the castle."
Emma nodded solemnly.
No shortage of time Robin thought How horribly incorrect.
The trusted noble was an old gentleman with a silvery-beard and white thinning hair. He was rotund and had a love of laughter that betrayed his serious side. He sent a guard into fetch the Sheriff and Gisborne and waited with Emma in the carriage.
Emma switched off slightly as he reeled off joke after joke, smiling and laughing automatically at appropriate times.
"Never tell the Sheriff the whole truth and definitely don't tell him about knowing me," Robin had told her.
She had to ponder why he said it. When she asked he simply told her that he didn't entirely trust him.
Emma was formulating a story in her head when the carriage door was opened by a footman and a leather-gloved hand offered her assistance out of the carriage.
The Sheriff and Gisborne had walked down the steps of the castle together, the Sheriff trying to get a look inside the carriage as inconspicuously as possible. The story they had received had been more than a little convoluted and they were more than a little curious to find out the truth.
The Sheriff's eyes widened as he saw who was sitting opposite the Lord of Crumley. "Look Gisborne it's Marian," he teased.
Gisborne answered with a glare.
"Let me re-phrase my statement: Look Gisborne it's a baby-Marian! Can't you tell that she's younger?"
Guy's eyes had widened and his heart beat a little faster as he looked inside the carriage for the first time.
"My God," he had said.
"Blasphemy Gisborne," the Sheriff had mock-scolded.
Guy hadn't been listening, he ran like lightning down to help the mysterious Marian-look-alike out. Now he was standing there, waiting for her to take his hand and emerge from the carriage. When she did it nearly took his breath away.
Up-close her resemblance to Marian was even more undeniable than from a distance and he knew that she couldn't be very old. Her smile was sweeter and more sincere than Marian's had been and she even blushed when he kissed her hand.
The Sheriff was ambling down the stairs at a leisurely pace chuckling to himself.
"Good-day lady," he said, putting on his best charms. "I am the Sheriff of Nottingham and this is my right-hand-man Sir Guy of Gisborne."
"I'm delighted to make your acquaintance," she replied truthfully, unsure of how such charming men were not trusted by Robin.
"And if you don't mind me enquiring; who are you?" he didn't sound insolent or rude in the least; Emma was almost liking him straight-away. Despite her trust of him she did as Robin asked and not tell about her knowing him.
"My name is Lady Emma-Clarine, son of the late Sir Edward of Knighton."
She had to have been Edward's daughter, but it still did not prevent their surprise at her actually saying it.
"I'm sure there must be a lot more to your story so please do come inside and tell us," the Sheriff said, taking Emma from Gisborne's clutch and leading her up the stairs. "Thankyou so much for delivering her my Lord of Crumley; have a safe trip home."
Emma's escort nodded respectfully and ambled back into his carriage.
Over a cup of tea Emma told her hosts her story, replacing Robin's name with "a noble who was deeply in love with me."
"Tell me," Gisborne said finally, he was looking as confused as Robin had been. "Why are you dressed in men's clothing?"
"Oh," she said with a laugh "I thought it would keep me safe from out-law attack, but unfortunately it did not. A kind peasant from Crumley was good enough to help me before taking me to his master."
"Did you lose anything of great value?" Gisborne asked with genuine concern.
"Only my family-crest I threw it at them in the hope that they wouldn't pursue me further; it seemed to work."
"Oh, how unfortunate," Gisborne shook his head and the Sheriff rolled his eyes at Gisborne.
"It's okay. Lord Crumley said that Marian and my father were living in the castle so I might find one amongst her possessions."
"Oh yes! Her possessions," the Sheriff said before Gisborne had another chance to fawn over her. "I will personally show you to her room so that you may go over her possessions in private. And when you're done you can change into one of her dresses and join us for lunch."
"How kind of you," Emma replied.
"Gisborne please stay here, I will return momentarily." He instructed.
Reluctantly Gisborne stayed and watched Emma, his last connection to Marian disappear.
A sister? Gisborne thought with a confused shake of his head. My only chance for redemption…
His thoughts were interrupted by the Sheriff's return.
"I told you it was a baby-Marian," he teased.
Gisborne didn't respond.
"Don't let the memories bring you down Gisborne. Be happy that you've got a second chance. Same woman; just a younger version. Even prettier I would say."
Gisborne allowed himself a disillusioned nod.
"Just don't kill this one. Come on; if you want to impress her you'd better put your best cow on."