Chapter Ten- Marian

I sat as close to the bars as I could, and I leaned my forehead against the cool mettle. My head was pounding. I wasn't sure if it was still the air, or if my headache was the result of my fury at Gisborne.

He would just abandon us? He taxes these people to pay for his house, and his future, and then he leaves them when their usefulness has run its course? I had thought that he was different. I thought that he was changing. There were hesitations when he followed the Sheriff's orders, weren't there? Or was I just seeing what I wanted to see? Like his belief that Robin and I weren't working together.

Maybe Gisborne wasn't any different. Maybe I just wanted him to be.

"Robin was right." I mumbled to myself.

"I usually am." A voice called from directly in front of me. "What am I right about this time?"

"Robin!" I looked up from my place on the ground. He was standing right in front of me, with only the iron bars separating us. I didn't understand how I hadn't heard him approaching. I must have been too engrossed in my thoughts.

"Hello, my love." He knelt down on the opposite side of the cell and entwined his fingers around mine.

"You're supposed to be finding the Sheriff!" I tried to sound condescending, but I was too excited to see him.

"And you're supposed to be at Kirklees." He countered.

"You should know me better by now." I said. His forehead rested on the bars of the cell, and I leaned in and kissed him. His fingers moved from the bars to my face, and they held me to him. This kiss was too urgent, and it scared me. It had an edge that signified we might not have many left. Our death was approaching. The kiss ended, and his face turned grim. He held my hand through the bars.

"Where is your ring?" He asked, stroking the spot where it should have been.

"Gisborne took it." I admitted. "He knows."

"And where is he now?" His face suggested that he would be entirely willing to take the ring back by force. His hand gripped the sword at his waist.

"He left us." My voice turned hard. "He abandoned Nottingham to Prince John's men." He rolled his eyes.

"Coward." He muttered.

"He didn't think you'd find the Sheriff." I didn't know why I was defending him. Instinct possibly. I cursed myself internally.

"We didn't, Marian." His eyes didn't stray from my face, and I could read the sorrow in them easily. I nodded as I got to my feet. I had known that already. I could handle that. Robin was here.

"Then what are we doing here?" I asked him. "We should be helping the people!"

"We will." He nodded as he spoke. "But there is something that I want to do first." He opened his palm, and two wooden wedding rings were suddenly there. They were simply crafted. The plain surfaces were treated with something, and they reflected the minimal light back slightly. There was no jewel, but they had the symbol of the gang, and in that moment, they were the most beautiful things that I'd ever seen.

"Robin, they're perfect." My eyes were wide as I smiled at him. He frowned.

"I'd wanted to do this differently." He reached through the bars and cupped my cheek with his palm. I put my hand against his.

"Now is as good a time as ever." I reflected.

"I suppose it is." He agreed.

"Robin?" My eyes didn't leave his face.

"Yes, love?"

"I'd rather not marry you while I'm behind bars." I raised my eyebrows. He laughed, and I knew that he was trying not to think about our impending demise. He was going to live in the moment. He produced a lock pick and had me out in just a moment.

I was in his arms immediately, pressing myself against him. I lifted my face and he leaned down to kiss me, but I put my hand on his mouth gently.

"You forgot the vows." I teased. He looked away and rolled his eyes, but then they returned to me. His face became serious.

"I, Robin, take you, Marian, to be my lawful wedded wife." His voice was soft, and sweet, but I did not cry. "To have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health," he paused, and took a breath to steady himself. "to love, and to cherish, till death do us part." I lived in the words. I didn't think about what would happen next. My thoughts were only for us. I couldn't have spoken otherwise.

"I, Marian, take you, Robin, the true Lord of Loxley, to be my lawfully wedded husband." My voice cracked as I said the last word, but I kept smiling. "To have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health." I bit my lip and breathed through my nose before I continued. "I promise to love you, and to cherish you, with all of my heart," My heart was swelling. It grew inside my chest and stopped the flow of air to my lungs. I had to make a conscious effort to breath. "As long as we both shall live."

He stepped back from me and took my hand. He slid the ring on my finger, and I relished the feeling of the smooth wood on my skin. His emblem took its proud place on the top of the ring, replacing the need for garish and gaudy jewels. I was finally one of the gang.

"With this ring, I thee wed." He whispered. He handed me the other, and I placed it onto his finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed." I repeated the words. His face was glorious, and he was all mine.

"I love you, my husband." I couldn't resist saying the words. They felt so wonderful on my tongue.

"I love you, my wife." His voice reflected everything that I felt. He kissed me once, chastely for the validation of the wedding. Then he kissed me again, deeper. My right hand wrapped around his neck, and my left hand moved hungrily to his face. The room spun when we broke apart.

I think he knew that I couldn't speak. He wrapped his arms around me and held me to his chest. I could hear the steady pounding of his heart, and the sound was so beautiful. I didn't realize that I had lost my battle until I saw on his shirt the wet mark of my tears.

Okay, so I have good and bad news for you. The good thing is, I finished this story [Cue Applause]! The bad news is, I'm going to camp for three days, and then directly after, I'm going to the river with my extended family for three days. I don't believe they have internet in either place, so I won't be able to post my completed story for a while. That is one of the reasons I posted two chapters (the second being the one chapter is really short again).

I wanted to thank you guys again for your wonderful reviews. I check my email from my iPod, and I'm signed into FanFiction on my computer, which is why I don't respond personally. I'm too lazy to sign in, but I really do appreciate it. They make my day.