This chapter has been re-written so much that you will want to read it again even if you already have. :-) Hopefully Robin stayed in character a little more in this version.

Merry Christmas everyone! :-)

. . . .

"I don't know why she agreed when it was too late to do any real good," Will summed up, shrugging helplessly and wishing that Robin had chosen someone else to keep Marian safe earlier that day, "I'm sorry, Robin."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Robin said seriously, putting his hand on the other man's shoulder, "Marian is alive; that is what matters." he dropped his hand and glanced around at the others, a grin coming over his face, "Come on, lads; let's stop a marriage."

Much watched him skeptically, he had a look in his eyes... one that had not been obvious since the day he discovered that Guy had been one of the 'Saracens' who had attacked the King at Acre. It hinted at the frustration that smoldered under the surface against the man who held and abused the lands, position - and now the woman - that was rightfully his.

. . .

Allan yawned as he climbed the stairs; Guy had just arrived back and had ordered him to inform Marian of that fact. Shaking his head, he wondered why Guy never sent the castle guards to do any of the unpleasant things.
Nearing her room, he came to an abrupt stop as all sleep fled his eyes - the door to her chamber was open and the guards on duty were laying unconscious on the ground.

"Oh no! You've got to be jokin'!" his face fell and he shook his head, wondering if it would be safe to investigate further. He never got to decide; at that moment there was the sound of wood against bone and he fell - leaving John standing behind him, staff in hand.

. . .

"Marian," a soft voice called her name while a hand smoothed her hair gently, "Wake up, my love."

"Robin?" she blinked and raised her head from her arms, tilting her head as she felt the stiffness in her neck - the result of sleeping in the unusual position.

"Come on; I'm getting you out of here." Robin grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"What is so urgent?" obligingly standing up, Marian looked at him questioningly.

"Are we..." the color fled his face, but his voice was gentle and tentative, "Are we too late?"

Realization suddenly sank in as her eyes flitted to Much and Will's horrified faces and she could feel her face growing warm under their gaze. "Guy has not yet returned from searching for you," she turned back to Robin, attempting to answer the real question he wanted to ask, "I have not seen him since the Sheriff returned."

Inexpressible relief welled up in his eyes at her words, but he simply nodded and turned away - grabbing a dress that lay nearby.

"What are you doing?" Marian watched him curiously as he stuffed it into a small cloth bag.

Putting his hand on her arm for a brief moment, Robin looked at her seriously as he spoke quickly, "Gisborne will think that you changed your mind. He won't wish to risk embarrassment by chasing you down; the Sheriff would never permit it."

"Robin..." her voice trailed off and her throat felt distressingly tight as she caught a glimpse of the determination - and insecurity - that darted out of his eyes as he once again busied himself packing for her. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she tried again, "I married him, Robin. I promised before God. My father... my father would not want me to break my word."

"What about your promise to me?" he dropped the bag and crossed the room, taking her by both shoulders this time, "You gave me your word - not once, but twice - to be my wife!"

"And there is nothing that would stop me from keeping that promise if I could!" the words came fast - with more emotion than she would have chosen. She was silent for a moment and then spoke again, more calmly this time, "I'm sorry, Robin."

"Sorry that you chose to become the wife of a traitor and are now anticipating your wedding night?" he dropped his hands and turned away bitterly, "Or sorry that I'm here?"

"Please don't make this more difficult," she forced herself to keep her gaze steady in spite of the cold pain that grew in her heart, "I cannot go with you."

"And I cannot let you consummate this marriage," he met her eyes as he almost whispered the words, "You will regret it and it cannot be undone."

"I have made my choice." turning her head, she willed herself not to give in to his pleading.

"You will come to your senses," Robin pressed his lips together, "And you will feel trapped. Days will be hardly bearable, and nights will be a living h..."

"Robin!" annoyance flooded her; there was nothing she could do about it.

A sigh escaped him, but it gave more of an impression of indecision rather than depression. A moment later he nodded slightly and stepped closer to her, speaking insistently, "I'm bringing you back to the camp."

"Robin..."

"You don't have your father to worry about," he spoke quickly, then his tone turned to one of pleading, "Come with me."

She shook her head and his shoulders finally sagged in defeat.
"Very well," he sighed and walked quickly towards the door, a hint of bitterness in his tone, "Good evening, Lady Gisborne."

The name sent a cold wave over her heart and suddenly the walls of the castle seemed to crowd in around her as the thought flashed through her mind that if she stayed, she would be spending the night... in Guy's bed.

"Robin!" it was as though she had abruptly realized that deep water was closing over her head - and her lifeline was walking out the door.

Barely outside the room, he turned and looked back at her questioningly.

She licked her lips, shaking her head slightly with a desperate look on her face, "I can't..."

Tears blurred her eyes and suddenly his arms were around her and his chin rested on the top of her head.

"You're coming with me." his voice was quiet and tender as his hand stroked her head.

Silently - unable to face the reality of being a wife - Marian found herself nodding against his chest as she gave a shuddering sigh.

Much sighed and shook his head as the two separated and lead the way out of the room; this was not a good idea.

. . .

Guy paused at his window for a moment, looking unseeingly out on the town beneath him, and then resumed his pacing. He had been gone for longer than he had anticipated, had no luck in finding Hood, and when he had returned the Sheriff had wanted to... speak... to him about his failure that day; though Guy failed to see how the results of the Sheriff's sleepwalking adventures were his fault (a fact that he did not mention to the older man).

Now that he was finally alone, waiting for Allan to return with his bride - or else a message from her - his mind was working overtime.
The fact that the woman who had scorned his love for so long had finally agreed to marry him was difficult to believe. She had definitely softened towards him since their fall out at the alter so many months earlier, but he couldn't help but feel that - even after he rescued of her from Hood not so long ago - there was something that had kept them apart.
If only the woman would talk to him - and honestly! Though he prided himself on being able to spot treachery in those around him, he suspected himself to be utterly incapable of reading the contradictory face of Lady Marian.

It often seemed to him as though her body language begged him to come closer, then changed when he did and recoiled from any contact as her mind kicked in. It had occurred to him more than once that perhaps she was hiding something that was keeping them apart.

What in the world was taking Allan so long? He could only stand so much. Making up his mind, Guy walked purposefully towards the door and turned towards the staircase that lead the way to Marian's bedchamber.

. . .

"Allan!"

Allan groaned as a rough hand shook him back to consciousness; why would Guy never let him sleep?

"Allan! Wake up!" Guy ordered, fury overriding the panic in his voice, "What happened?"

Blinking and sitting up, Allan glanced around at the guards and their scattered weapons and then back to Guy.

"You're not gonna like this," he informed his superior warningly, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Robin appeared to have kidnapped Marian, "I think Robin was here."

"Of course he was, you fool!" Guy growled, storming into her room as cold fear gripped his heart at Allan's affirmation of his suspicions, "Go saddle our horses!"

"Now?" there was a touch of a whine in Allan's voice as he rubbed the back of his head gingerly.

"NOW!" Guy flinched even as he spoke; he was sounding more like the Sheriff than he liked to admit, but that knowledge made little difference in his ferocity at the moment, "We have to get Marian back before the Sheriff forbids it! Who knows what Hood will do to her!"

"Well, I'm not being funny," Allan got slowly to his feet, "But do you really think that you have that much to worry about? They used to be betrothed you know; surely Robin wouldn't hurt her."

"The fact they were engaged only means that she may be the type of woman that is attractive to him; that in and of itself should be enough cause for alarm." Guy was getting increasingly agitated, "And now that she's my wife he has a lot to gain from hurting her. Now GO!"

"Right!" Allan shook his head and sighed as he hurried down the stairs; why couldn't things ever be easy?

. . .

Marian felt cold and clammy as she floated back to consciousness; her exhaustion added to the headache that pounded against her temples. Groaning slightly she opened her eyes to see Djaq's face, barely lit by the fire and the moon.

"Marian?" the other woman asked, bending over her, "How do you feel?"

"Terrible," Marian sighed, blinking up at her, "What happened?"

"Robin and the boys went to rescue you before you... consummated your marriage to Gisborne," Djaq's voice had a tinge of disapproval to it, "And he got a little over zealous."

"We were almost here and you changed your mind," Robin's concerned face loomed into the foreground, "Your horse threw you and you hit your head. I'm sorry, Marian."

. . .

As her horse maneuvered it's way through the woods, Marian could not stop thinking about her father. He had always loved her and protected her to the best of his abilities - he was the most honorable man she had known. He always kept his promises; regardless of how uncomfortable they were - she knew that he would be disappointed in the way she was running away from fulfilling her vows.

Her eyes refused to focus in the darkness - she felt tormented by the unavoidable choice that she had to make. She was facing the first step in one of two directions - either she continued running away, or she faced the reality of being 'Lady Gisborne'... with everything it entailed.

It was almost as if she was watching from a distance as she swung her horse's head around, knowing what she had to do.

"Marian?" Robin voice was questioning, concerned, "What are you doing?"

"I have to go back..." even to her own ears her voice had plenty of conviction but lacked strength.

"Wait," he reached out for her horse's bridle, "Let's talk about this!"

Whether the horse was wary of Robin's hand or something else didn't matter - it reared and she felt rather than saw the ground coming up to meet her...

. . .

Coming back to the present, she remembered Robin's apology.

"No," she put a hand to her head and winced, "It was my fault - I should not have agreed to come back; my father..."

"Your father is safe in heaven," Robin took her hand, speaking earnestly in a gentle voice, "And you should not live your life around his ideas or beliefs anymore."

A smile played at her lips; she had always loved it when he spoke in that manner - it made her long to feel his lips on hers, to feel safe - to feel loved. "I lo..." the whispered words stuck in her throat and she suddenly leaned back, shaking herself into reality, "Robin; this was a mistake. Take me back."

"I can't bring you back to him," the way he shook his head was almost more of a shiver, "I won't."

"I am a married woman, Robin!" intensity pulled at her voice, a pang shot through her heart as he turned his head to the side; avoiding her eyes, "Look at me! I am Lady Gisborne now. I'm sorry."

"I'm not bringing you back." his jaw was set in a firm line as he forced himself to look in her eyes again.

"Then I'm going back myself," she raised her eyebrows, leaving no room for argument - she knew her weakness, "I will not stay here and tempt myself with a man who is not my husband."

The way he sat and watched her as she got to her feet - grabbing a nearby tree for support as her injured head swirled - made her wonder what was going through his mind.

"Do you remember the first village attack we investigated after you joined us in the forest?" the reflective statement surprised her.

"What of it?" she frowned slightly, failing to see the relevance of the question.

"You ran down ahead of us, putting yourself - and us - in danger."

"So?" she blushed slightly in embarrassment at the memory of the way she had taken out her grief that day.

"I had to restrain you to keep you safe," Robin raised his eyes from the ground to her face, the strength of conviction in them, "If you will not agree to stay..."

"The situations are entirely different," Marian insisted, apprehension slowly growing behind her eyes, "I was not thinking rationally. I am in complete control of my reasoning at the moment, and I know that it was a mistake to come; I am... not strong enough... for this."

He did not answer, simply regarded her as she gestured - unable to find the proper words.

It wasn't until she turned and began to walk purposefully into the darkness of the woods that he jumped up and grabbed her hand.

"No!" he said hoarsely, "You may think you're not strong enough, but I am the one who is weak; I cannot lose you again, Marian! Please, stay here until I think of a plan."

"I can't," she turned to face him, unspoken torment showing in her features, "Don't you understand? I love you, Robin. And I married Guy. I promised to stay with him until death did us part - and don't," seeing him about to speak, "Don't say that you can arrange that; I will not allow you to kill him."

"Look," Robin bit his bottom lip thoughtfully, "If I was able to come up with a way to get you out of this, would you accept?"

"There is no way out, Robin!" she almost snapped the words out, betraying her frayed nerves, "Please do not mention it! Now, let go of my hand; I'm going back to the castle. I don't want to have to think of an explanation for my prolonged absence."

His eyebrows rose slightly and a twinkle appeared in his eye as his mouth formed an amused smile, "Yes... what they must think of you. Perhaps you have a secret lover, perhaps you ran away from your new husband or just maybe that scoundrel Robin Hood captured you and is holding you at his camp against your will. I think I'd choose the last one; what about you?"

Marian looked at him curiously as he dropped her hand and went over to their makeshift storage hut. A moment later he returned with a length of rope that he looped around a tree and tied a knot with meticulous care.

"Robin," her voice rose questioningly as she eyed him skeptically, "What are you doing? You aren't going to..."

He just grinned at her with raised eyebrows as he reached out and tied her hands. The only thing that she could think of - as she stood staring at her bound wrists - was that the blow to her head must have seriously damaged her if she had not seen that coming.

"I told you not to ever tie me up," she raised her eyes slowly, as though in disbelief, "Now let me go!"

Robin shook his head, "Don't you see? If Gisborne were to ask where you were, you could simply say that you were... tied up."

"Robin!"

"I'm getting tired of this, Marian," his face became suddenly serious, "I will get you out of this, but you must stay here until I come up with a way to do it."

A lock of hair tickled Marian's neck, and a wave of panic rose in her throat as she tugged at the rope and it sank in that she was truly stuck. There were few things in this life that frightened Marian Fitzwalter - Gisborne, that is - but one of the few was vulnerability. Helplessness.

"Robin..." her voice had gone from protesting to pleading.

"Robin is trying to save you from a life of misery," the outlaw's voice cut in quietly as he turned away from her, an edge to it that she had not heard in a long time, "And since you make a habit of getting into trouble, you're going to stay in one place until I come up with a plan of how to get you out of this mess."

"Robin! Robin, please!" the fact that he kept walking - ignoring her voice - pained her more than anything else so far, "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere quiet where I can actually think!" he turned around, speaking with a hint of the aggression that stemmed from his severe disappointment, "I will get you out of this."

"You know what's the matter with him," Much spoke up after Robin had disappeared into the darkness of the woods, nodding significantly from where he knelt as he fed the fire, "He's too competitive. He hates to lose. And losing you in marriage - especially to Gisborne - after spending all day looking for the Sheriff..."

"The Sheriff!" Marian interrupted, suddenly remembering the results of her snooping earlier in the day, "Djaq! The Sheriff has orders from Prince John to assassinate the king! Because he was unable to discover the port where the king would land, the Sheriff is in disgrace and is being sent to Acre to do the job there. Go get Robin! I have to tell him now - the Sheriff is leaving in less than a week!"

"Leave him alone," Will's voice was gentle and his eyes stayed on the wood he was carving, "He's in no condition to listen. An hour won't make much difference."

Marian sighed - having no choice but to agree - and sat down heavily on the ground where she began to quietly work at her bonds.

The silence was broken only by the snapping of the fire and the occasional snip of Will's knife. John sat simply looking into the fire, keeping his thoughts to himself as usual.

"Why didn't you come with Robin to the castle?" Marian asked Djaq quietly after a while, more to disperse the heavy silence than anything else.

"One of us has to stay and guard the camp," she answered, "Until we are sure that the Sheriff is unable to find it again."

"Was it because I told you to?" Will asked suddenly, still not raising his eyes from his work.

"What?" drawing her eyebrows together, Marian glanced over at him - the question seemed to be directed at her.

"Gisborne. Did you marry him because I told you to?" he finally met her eyes, showing the tormented guilt that had been plaguing him since she had left the hall with the Sheriff's lieutenant.

"No." comprehension came over her face and she shook her head, "I can't explain why I agreed to become his wife, but it wasn't because of anything that you said."

The relief that flowed over his face spoke volumes, but he simply turned his attention back to the wood in his hands - wood that was now completely ruined from the intense, aimless cuts it had undergone as a result of the carpenter's unrevealed anxiety.

. . .

Robin was gone for a long time, and Marian began to get tired.

Leaning back against the tree, her mind drifted back to a time when the four of them - Guy, Guy's sister Isabella, Robin, and Marian - had all lived within a mile of each other as children.
Robin had always been the leader of their games, expecting - and sometimes compelling - her (as the youngest of the group) to play along in whatever role he chose for her. Most often she played the part of a monster or an evil knight who had kidnapped Isabella - the closest in age to Robin - and had to be fought before Robin could rescue the damsel in distress.
In fact; when she was older and Robin first asked to court her, she had sometimes wondered if she would have been his first choice had Isabella remained around until they had become full grown.

As she looked into the fire, watching the flames dancing around the logs, the memory of her first real clash of wills with Robin crept into her mind. She had been about 8, he a small 13 - only just starting the first of his adolescent growth spurts.
It had been one of the last times they played, as they were all getting older and not long afterwards events would take place to effectively banish the Gisborne children from the area.

. . .

They had been playing their usual game and had reached the part where Robin and Marian - the evil knight - battled for the custody of Isabella who stood off to the side with a crown of flowers in her hair, cheering for Robin. A moment later Robin knocked the wooden sword out of Marian's hand and raised his own in victory, laughing proudly. Annoyed by her loss and his gloating, she had taken advantage of the fact that his sword was no longer a threat and had tackled him; throwing him to the ground with the force of her weight and speed.

"Not yet," she said in her best evil knight voice, her good nature returning with the gratifying sight of him staring up at her in surprise, "The lady is still mine!"

As Isabella giggled a flood of humiliation and aggression rushed through Robin, giving him new strength - no girl was going to best him! With something akin to a growl, he had rocked back and forth twice and then flipped Marian onto her back. The fact that she was now grinning up at him had only angered him more, and he had scowled at her, using his role of the avenging knight as an excuse for taking out his aggression on her. Pinning her hands above her head he pinched her. Hard.

The smile disappeared from her face, replaced with a flash of uncertainty. "Ouch," her brow furrowed, "That hurt."

"It was meant to," he clenched his jaw and pinched her again, "Surrender! I have bested you."

"No!" his words - along with the thinly disguised ferocity that shone through his eyes - had not only roused her alarm, but also her stubbornness. There was no way that Robin of Locksley was beating her at this game!

"Fine." he was angered but also inexplicably pleased by her refusal, and he gritted his teeth as he pinched her again.

"Robin, stop," Isabella had said tentatively, sensing that something had changed as Marian clamped her mouth shut and refused to acknowledge the pain as she fought to regain control of the situation, "Let her go."

"Not until... I rescue... you," he had gritted out, holding Marian tightly and wishing that she wasn't quite so strong, "And she... surrenders."

"Please surrender, Marian," Isabella had knelt by her head and pleaded with her, starting to be genuinely afraid, "I don't want to play anymore anyways; let's go pick some blackberries down by the stream."

"No." her answer was short, and there was more pain in her tone that she liked to admit to feeling as she redoubled her efforts, "Never."

Robin felt a small stab of worry as he lost his grip on one of her hands; Marian wasn't stupid - she had obviously realized that this was no longer a game - what if she decided to get him back for the bruises that she would probably have the next day?
Gathering up all of the strength in her body, Marian grunted involuntarily as she pushed at him and twisted to get away.

Finally out from under him, Marian restrained herself from biting his arm as it knocked against her teeth; being too well trained to cheat in that manner. Fighting free, she jumped to her feet and faced him as he got up and began to circle her warily. Neither one noticed Isabella hurrying away towards the Gisborne estate as fast as she could.

"Stop it!" she snapped, dodging as he faked a punch, "This is silly, Robin!"

"Do you surrender?" he asked, looking at her with a calculating eye.

"Never," she raised her head proudly, "I will never surrender to you, Robin of Locksley!"

"We'll see." he dove forwards, catching her elbow with his eye but throwing her to the ground once more.

Marian was beginning to wish that she had simply let him gloat over his apparent victory in disarming her earlier; she was surprised how much stronger he had grown and was seriously doubting that she could live up to her proud words.
Struggling furiously, there was only one purpose in her mind; to stop him from pinning her again. His forehead was so close that she bumped it with her own as she struggled.

Then - a moment later - his fist met her nose and sent her head snapping backwards. Time stood still as she found herself staring up into his face which was frozen in disbelief as he realized that he had just punched her. Hot anger and cold shock simultaneously flooded her system, and a moment later she took advantage of his disbelief by throwing him off of her and getting to her feet once again, wiping at her nose as she did so.

Robin stepped backwards, staring at the two scarlet lines that ran down from her nose across the white skin of her face. How many times had his father drilled into him that he was never to hit a girl under any circumstances? How disappointed he would be if he ever found out.

"I... does it hurt?" he gulped, looking away and hoping that she would take the question as an apology.

Marian sent a cold glare his way; her father would not be happy that she had ruined her dress, and would doubtless be even less happy that she had done so during a wrestling match with Robin - something she knew that he would not like.

"It's not all my fault!" Robin exclaimed defensively, trying to convince himself that he was telling the truth, "You started it!"

"Coward." she spat out, tasting blood in her mouth as the result of her teeth meeting her lip when he had punched her.

"Am not!" he growled, growing angry once more as his conscious agreed with her, "Take that back!"

Marian disdained to answer as she held her head high and turned back the way they had come.

"I said, take it back!" his lips curled as he ran after her retreating back.

Thoroughly determined not to answer him, Marian continued walking; adjusting her weight and refusing to look at him, even when he pushed her shoulder in an effort to get some kind of reaction.

As they reached the field between the woods and the house, Robin felt something akin to fear as he spotted the slim figure of Isabella leading her older brother towards the forest.

"Hurry up!" Isabella's voice carried across the field, "Please!"

"Don't tell him anything!" Robin turned towards Marian, "Just say that you fell and hit your nose."

Turning her head even further away from him, Marian huffed slightly.

"I'll say I'm sorry," his words turned to begging as the other pair drew nearer, and he glanced from them back to her with the hopes of a compromise, "You don't tell anyone about this, and I'll apologize."

"Forget it, Robin." she looked at him finally, cool anger still reflecting in her eyes, "I hate you!"

He looked shocked and wounded, but did not have time to respond as the Gisborne children came up.

"What have you done to her?" Guy's voice - midway between a boy's and a man's - demanded, taking in Marian's bloodied face and clothes, "Get out of here, Robin of Locksley! And don't come back until you've learned some manners!"

The tone of his voice brought Robin's attention to Marian's appearance, and overwhelming regret - mixed with resentment at Guy's words - showed in his eyes as he stepped backwards and then turned and ran.

"Are you alright?" Guy's voice was calm and unemotional, but there was apprehension behind his eyes as he looked at her.

"Yes," she accepted his hand to get to her feet, feeling sick that she had told the boy that she admired so much that she hated him for something that she had instigated, "I'm fine."

"Good." he nodded shortly, turning away from her to lead the way back to the house, "Come on; you can get cleaned up before you go home."

Isabella took Marian's hand and squeezed it sympathetically as they went back to the house, knowing that if she had wrecked her dress by wrestling with Robin, her mother would have had more than just a few choice words for her. But perhaps they could get Marian to look somewhat presentable so that she wouldn't get in much trouble with her father.

. . .

Marian sighed as the memory was interrupted by Much throwing some more wood on the fire shook her head; she had not gotten in much trouble - her father had never asked for the whole story and had simply seemed grateful that she was not actually injured.

Robin had showed up on her doorstep with a face full of shame the next day and had apologized more eloquently than she had expected - she, of course, had forgiven him on the spot and had shyly admitted that she didn't really hate him. They had both been glad to leave the subject behind them and had never spoken about it again; every time it had entered her mind she had pushed it away with a feeling of shame for her unruly temper.

But the damage had been done; she had never been able to look at Robin with the same feeling of awe - bordering on hero-worship - as before. And there was always a little bit of apprehension - not fear exactly, but concern - in her heart whenever he was really angry. She did not regret the experience though; it had been because of wanting to impress - and best - him that she had become so skilled with weapons and self defense.

The sound of crackling footsteps informed her that the man in question had returned. The rope went slack around her wrists as he untied it from the tree, and Marian glanced over at him as he knelt down next to her - obviously more calm, having spent a lot of time thinking.

"You still wish to return to the castle?" he asked, looking into the fire.

Silence reigned for a moment, and then Marian nodded slightly, "I must."

"Do you intend to inform him that you are the nightwatchman before or after he discovers the scar he gave you?"

Marian sucked in a quick breath - why that thought had not occurred to her before was a mystery. She was reminded of the fateful day every time she disrobed. The scar had been at least part of the reason she had left Guy so violently at the alter during their first wedding. In the excitement of the day, however, it had completely slipped her memory.

The first thought that crossed her mind was what excuse she could give - what story to tell. Then she recoiled in disgust; she was sick of lies and deceit. And besides, if she told Guy the truth perhaps he would no longer want her. To her surprise, that realization did not bring the relief she expected.
Shaking herself of the thought, she remembered the letter from Prince John and proceeded to broach the topic with Robin.

. . . .

I hope that you enjoyed the new version; more to come later. :-) (Oh, and this is officially the longest chapter I have EVER posted). :-)