"A hero, like yourself, Robin, needn't always be so...alone."
His finger caught on the page he was touching, fumbling as he tried to to turn it. He felt the edge slice uncomfortably down his skin, stinging as it cut. Wincing, he glanced up quizzically at the Lady Rose in front of him. She was staring quite earnestly at him, blue eyes solemn and her mouth curled into something of a pout.
"I...don't know what you mean," he muttered awkwardly, glancing back down at her father's records and lifting a hand to run it through his hair. He studied the bold, black writing against the light, cream pages, all in perfectly straight, blockish lines. Rose and her father had agreed to help him and his men with supplies, but in studying the records, he wasn't finding anything they could be particularly helpful with.
It was odd enough that any Normans would volunteer to help them. He didn't like it. He didn't want help from Normans; they were well enough on their own, chopping down their trees, and hunting the king's deer, and going hungry for weeks on end. Oh, alright, perhaps there were some benefits to be had from having Norman friends. But their estate was too close to other Norman estates, which made them too close to other Norman lords, which made them too close to death and tyranny, in his mind.
But Marian said they were good people. He trusted Marian. He only wished she hadn't insisted on coming along and then run off with Will and Alan, to get into who knows what kind of trouble. He didn't want her involved; if they got caught by anyone else, it would be a narrow escape. Anyone that was riding by would be liable to see them. But Marian always did what she pleased, and heaven knew he couldn't stop her.
"Robin," Rose uttered his name again, slowly and delicately, "you must get tired of fighting always. You must wish for some better company than your men."
He looked up again, impatiently. He was about to utter that his men were actually rather good company, and Sherwood was actually a rather comfortable place, as long as it wasn't raining and the wind wasn't blowing too hard, wreaking havoc as it tore down their lodge...but she was looking at him oddly.
She kept fingering her golden hair and smoothing her red, velvety dress. She was unnerving him. Looking him over like...like sizing up a piece of meat. He took an involuntary step backward.
"Robin...I'm always here, you know," she said, casting her eyes downward. She looked up through long lashes, and her lips curved into a slight smile as a pink blush spread from her neck, up to her face. "With Father, I mean. You could visit us, you know. You're always welcome."
Ah, so that was it. Marian had told him that there were some women who practically wanted to marry him and became quite giddy when his name was so much as mentioned. He stepped back toward the table and rested his hand on the book, hearing Marian laughing at him in his head. Well, that was handled well. Just back away like a cornered animal, Robin.
"Do you not find me attractive, Robin?"
He stared. "It's—it's not that," he stuttered. He looked at her more. No, it certainly wasn't that. She was...well, beautiful. She had a good figure, he supposed, and lovely eyes and hair and...it was just that he couldn't stop thinking of someone else's eyes. A dark, soft brown. And someone else's hair. A coppery color, red brought out of the brown by the sunlight. And her bright, teasing smile.
"Is there someone else, someone your loyalty lies with?" Rose asked, looking at him with something close to offense.
He looked up, not realizing that he'd been staring at the floor. He considered the question. Did his loyalty lie with Marian? She was lady; he was an outlaw. She...wasn't his to be loyal to, but he was, he supposed. He never looked at anyone else, not the way he looked at her. He looked at Rose, now. She was beautiful. And he wondered, for a fleeting moment, if there was any use waiting for something he'd never have.
"Robin!" there was a shriek from outside, Marian's voice, echoing through the air.
Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed to the window. Marian was out there, with Will and Alan and even Little John, with men behind each of them, holding them still with daggers pressed tightly against their necks. He considered pulling his bow out then and there and shooting the man behind Marian at least. But if the man heard the arrow, he could kill her as he went down, and the others would be sure to kill the rest of them. No, he had to think rationally.
He practically jumped out the window. It was perhaps not the most rational choice, but it got him where he wanted to be and quickly. He climbed down the wall, partially, but mostly just propelled himself to the ground, and fell to his knees hard at the bottom. He winced but scrambled up quickly, breathing hard.
"Well, if it isn't Robin Hood," came a suave voice from his right.
He turned and saw a large, dark-haired man, dressed like a nobleman with velvety black clothes and leather gloves. The man looked slightly foreign, and he didn't recognize him. Just someone else trying to kill him for the bounty money, probably. That's what they all did, but it was easy to get rid of them in Sherwood. There, he'd have dozens of men waiting from the high branches above, ready to jump down on any intruder, and it was easy enough for him to disappear in the thick tangles of brush. He could find a hiding spot to take out his bow and shoot from there.
Not here, though. They were too much in the open, with nothing but the house and fields all around. They were idiots to come here, especially with Marian. If anyone recognized her and got away, both she and her father were done for, though the old man knew nothing of her escapades.
"Cat got your tongue, Robin?" the man from his left asked, watching him with an amused expression. "Well, it doesn't matter much. All you need to do is come with us into town, for your hanging. Then we'll let them all go. If you try to escape, however..." he trailed off and moved his finger in a sharp line in front of his throat, indicating what the fate of his friends would be if he didn't cooperate.
It wasn't much of a choice. He pondered it for about a moment or two, trying to find a third choice more than actually trying to make up his mind. His mind was already made up, of course. He couldn't sacrifice Marian, or any of his men's lives to save his own. He would do everything he could to save any of them, and if that meant he hung, well, then he hung. Maybe he could find an escape from the jail cell once they got there.
He was about to shrug his arms in defeat, when he noticed Marian was looking at him oddly. He met her eyes, and was surprised by her fierce gaze. She glanced at the man beside him and shook her head, almost indiscernibly. She stared him in the eye again, then looked downward. He followed her eyes, realizing that she and all the rest of them were staring at him oddly, and he was more than readily armed.
He had two different daggers fastened at his belt and two knives besides that, down by his boots. His bow for himself, at his back, and they could all have their own weapons. But it was still a risky situation; to ensure everyone's safety, they'd have to get their weapons almost at the exact same moment, and dispatch of the men at their backs quickly. There wasn't an easy way of doing that. He could only throw two weapons at once, and that meant two of them would have to wait. Waiting could take their lives, and he couldn't have that.
Marian was still watching him. Her dark eyes were fixed strongly on him, watching with intensity. He frowned, and she smiled slightly, though it was more of a twitching. She wiggled around slightly in the arms of her captor, raising her right arm and shifting to the left.
She received a tighter hold around her waist for that and the dagger pressed a more firmly into her throat, but he saw what she wanted him to see. The man holding her had another knife, resting in its shield at his waist, and her hands held tightly to the hilt, ready to pull it out and stab it backwards.
"Well, make your choice, man!"
Robin pursed his lips. Surprise and distraction would have to be their advantage. Marian could take care of her man, while he tossed weapons. One of them would have to wait, probably Alan, in the middle. And he'd have to hit the men holding Will and Little John; there was no way they'd be able to catch, but they could take it from there, as long as he made a good hit. Then he'd pull an arrow and shoot the leader. He glanced around. There were horses, in the field not too far away. They could make a quick getaway into the forest.
It was still so dangerous. One false step, and it was all over. He hated situations like this. He liked being in Sherwood, where he had the advantage. Marian was smiling at him slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching upward. She seemed to almost be enjoying the situation, but she grew serious when she saw him frowning.
"Trust me," she mouthed the words, imploring with her eyes and soft smile. "I trust you." He could almost hear her saying it, with just that hint of reproach.
He sighed and relented with a tiny nod. "I choose..." he began, and put his hands on the daggers at his waist, gripping them tightly. Glancing at Marian one last time, he pulled them out and threw them hard, then reached for another from his boot. Simultaneously, Marian pulled the dagger behind her out of its sheath, and shoved it backward into the stomach of the man behind her. He fell back, groaning.
Marian took the dagger back, to help Allan who was struggling with the man behind him, having received his knife late. Will and Little John seemed to be faring fine, and Robin swiftly pulled out his bow and notched an arrow. "I choose neither," he said to the incredulous man, as he released the string.
He heard the arrow hit, but didn't pay attention to where or how bad the wound would be, instead turning quickly to Marian beside him. "Come on!" he yelled, grabbing hold of her arm. "To the horses!"
Will, Allan, and Little John were already running. They made it to the field quickly and swung up onto the chestnut horses, taking just three. Marian rode with him, and in a few moments, they were galloping wildly into the forest, not caring to even glance behind; they only wanted out of there.
Before long, they were back within the safety of the greenwood. The trees were towering and tall, and the thick greenery would serve to hide them from anyone who might come looking. He jumped off the horse and held out a hand to help Marian down, before handing the reins off to Will. They'd be returned, later.
"You were awfully quick in tumbling out the window after I screamed your name," Marian observed with an amused smile, as they started to walk back towards the lodge.
"Well, you were awfully quick in thinking when I was going to let them hang me," he said with a shrug.
"So we all have something we're quick at, is that what you're saying?" she asked, raising here eyebrows at him.
"Perhaps it is."
She smiled and kept walking, facing forward again. Then she turned towards him again, her smile growing slightly more serious as she stopped walking.
He stopped beside her. "Marian?"
She watched him for a moment, biting her lip, then took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. "Thank you, Robin," she said earnestly, her voice hardly above a whisper. "Thank you for coming to my rescue, and for trusting me." Then, with a complete loss of austerity, "I'm glad they didn't hang you." She laughed merrily and walked forward again, leaving him standing alone.
He smiled to himself, laughed a bit and shook his head. He looked Marian, walking under the green leaves, wind blowing through her hair. And he decided that some things were worth waiting for, even if he never got them.