They rode sedately back to the camp, each thinking their own thoughts, nobody speaking much.

The camp was quiet, the solemn mood seemed to have swept over them all, a startling contrast to the merriment of the previous evening. Marian sat, staring into the depths of the fire, chewing the Sheriff's words over in her head. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she did not notice Alan sit down gently beside her.

'It is hard,' he said softly, making Marian jump. 'When you are first cast from society.'

'I do not know why.' Marian sighed. 'I have never wanted that society. I have always broken its rules, so I do not understand why I am so sad that I can never return to it.'

'Because you have nothing to return to. Nothing to fall back on.' He told her.

'You are right.' She said, still staring into the fire. 'I rode out to the village most nights, but I knew I could always come back home, go on pretending and be safe. Now I will never be.'

'Every man here knows what it feels like.' Alan said gently.

Marian looked around at the men. Someone had taken up a pipe and was trying to raise spirits, and laughter had broken out.

Robin was among them laughing merrily, striding round the clearing, playing with an arrow that was in his hands.

'What was his crime?' She asked, curiously.

Alan sighed.

'Now he, he is a mystery.' He told her. 'Nobody knows who he is, only that he came from Loxley and his name is Robin. More than that, I cannot say.'

'Do you not ask him?' Marian asked, surprised.

'Oh, we all have asked him at one time or another. He never answers. It must be a tale of great sadness.' He sighed.

Marian murmured in agreement. She wondered why such a cocky youth would conceal something that Marian was sure he would boast about. He boasted about everything else, so why not this?

She stared at him, wondering about his tale. She made her mind up to ask him if he sat down next to her again, as he had done the previous night. She would not go to find him, that was for sure. He seemed to have developed this notion in his head that she seemed to find him irresistible, and this annoyed her greatly.

As she had expected, at supper, Robin took up his place next to her and tried to laugh and joke with her, but Marian was having none of it.

'How was it that you were outlawed?' she asked. 'What was your crime?'

Robin's face turned dark, and he stared into the fire, avoiding her questioning eyes.

'It must be a great tale, if you will not tell anyone.' She said, trying to ebb it out of him, but his face grew stonier and stonier, and he shifted awkwardly. 'I am sorry if it is a sad story, but you see, I am just curious. Now I am made outlaw too.'

At this, he seemed almost embarrassed, and would not look her in the eye, or even turn his head toward her.

'Nobody knows where you came from.' She said. 'So-'

He turned to her, and she was cut off.

'Shh!' he hissed. 'I'll tell you, even though I have told nobody else. Only one other knows this story, and that is because he witnessed it.'

Marian was surprised, but didn't have time to say anything before he continued.

'I am the son of Lord Fitzooth of Loxley.' He said. 'My father one day threw some of his tenants out of their house because they could not pay the rent. They had lived there all their lives and were good and loyal to my father, but he threw it all back in their faces. I hated to see this happening to them, and I told my father so. I stood up for them. I shouted at my father in front of all his villagers and serfs, humiliated him as he was humiliating them. I was cast out, disinherited by my father. I took to the forest with the son of the miller, whom my father had evicted. That boy who accompanied me was Much.

'So you see, I am not an outlaw, just some privileged fool.'

Marian was stunned and amazed by his confession to her.

'Why have you not told anyone?' she asked

'I do not want my men to think less of me!' he said.

'Much clearly doesn't.'

'He is one. The others are all peasants and have been outlawed for petty crimes they could not avoid. They see me as one of them. If I tell them otherwise, they might lose faith in me.'

'Why have you told this to me?' she asked.

Robin shook his head.

'I guess it is because you come from the same background as me.' He said at last.

'Yet I am not ashamed of it, or conceal it.' She told him. 'You mocked me because of my birth, yet I was not ashamed of it. I merely thought less of you.'

He was silent for a while, and then turned to Marian.

'You have proved yourself in front of them.' He said.

'And you have not?' she asked. 'I do not know your business, but if you are the friend Harry spoke of when he showed me the money, I am sure you have.'

At that moment, Much gave another whistle, and Robin jumped up, sharply.

'Come,' he said. 'I'll show you what my men and I can do.'