Aidan waited patiently once he reached the clearing. They each had an understanding to wait a while if they arrived first, as it was not always easy to slip away. Josalyn came out of the trees then, unbelievably quietly. Aidan marveled in the way she walked; ever so softly, making close to no noise. He imagined she would be a good thief. However, he shook these thoughts out of his head, and walked over to her, planting a kiss on her lips. She grinned at this, and then took Aidan's hand, swinging her arm at her side. "So, where shall we go today?"

Aidan opened his mouth, and then closed it again, thinking of how Robin had recognized her. He abruptly changed the subject. "Where did you see Robin Hood? You told me you've seen him twice."

She cocked her head to the side, thinking. Then she nodded. "Well…I haven't told you this yet. You see, my mother and I…and…well Caleb too I suppose…one of the duties the sheriff has us perform is taking care of the horses."

"The horses? What horses? The sheriff's horse? How could the sheriff force you to care for his horses?"

She shook her head. " The sheriff uses many of the families in our villages to do his bidding. This is our task. And no, his horse is in use too often. We take care of the horses of less prominent people than the sheriff…by no means unimportant people, just…horses that can't fit in the stable in the castle."

Aidan nodded. "Whose horses do you have?"

She thought… "Well, we have a few of the sheriff's guards horses. Most of them remain in Nottingham for quick use, but if one is injured, or it needs new horseshoes, or it needs to be groomed, they take it to our stables. And then we have Sir Edward's horse, and Lady Marian's. Hers is my favorite. It's so gentle." She gushed, smiling at the thought of the horse. Aidan was a little taken aback by this. He hadn't quite comprehended that Josalyn didn't know who his mother was, although come to think of it, there wasn't any reason why she would. He thought about telling her, but decided against it. That was THE family secret. There were many secrets in his family, of course, but that was the big one. If he told that, he would basically have to marry her. Which wasn't an altogether unappealing idea. Aidan tried to clear his head again and when he resurfaced, Josalyn was still telling him about the horses. He waited patiently for a pause in her speech.

"So what does that have to do with seeing Robin?"

She smiled. "Well, one time he came to the stable and took Lady Marian's horse. I can see why, I mean, it is the best of the horses…and I saw him riding off with it. Unfortunately, a guard saw him too. And another time, well, I saw him handing out food in Nottingham. He was wearing a hood, of course, but I knew it was him."

Aidan nodded, his attention drifting back to the first point. "Do you ride the horses?," he asked. She stayed silent for a moment.

"Well…we do when they're injured and recovering…but not otherwise". Aidan smiled.

"Can I see them?"

"The horses?"

He nodded, and Josalyn bit her lip.

"I mean, unless your family would find us. Does your father usually go out to the stables?"

Josalyn thought about this. "No…it's usually just my mother and I. The stable's about halfway between Nottingham and the outskirts of our village, so we take turns going out to feed and groom the horses. In fact, I just came from the stables when I met with you."

Aidan nodded. "And Caleb?"

Josalyn laughed. "He's not much for grooming the animals, but when we get a colt or a particularly wild one, he's more than happy to tame and train it. He's thatching roofs with my father today."

That was all the reassurance Aidan needed, and he grabbed her hand anxiously. "Can we go see them?"

Josalyn smiled at the anticipation on his face, and gave in. She pulled him forward, and pretty soon they were running together through the forest. Josalyn turned sharply, dragging Aidan behind her, and stopped when she reached the edge of the forest. Aidan could hear the activity from the village, which was down a sloping hill from them. They were in back of the house that was furthest back from the small town, and right in the middle of the yard stood a giant apple tree. Josalyn put out a hand to stop Aidan inside the forest, and then lightly sprang forward to collect a few apples in her hands. She then ran back quietly, and handed one of the apples to Aidan. She grinned fleetingly, and ran alongside the edge of the forest away from the town, her hair flying out behind her. Aidan couldn't help laughing at how completely graceful, but completely unorthodox she was, sprinting in her long skirts, an apple in each hand. Only she could make running through a forest look completely dignified. Finally she slowed down, and stepped into a large, open field. A rickety gate surrounded it, and in one corner there stood a large wooden stable. Josalyn hopped over the fence and reached over to pat the horse closest to the edge of the field. She gave it an apple, and then continued into the stable. Inside it was open and airy, with dead grass spread along the ground for the horses kept inside. Josalyn instinctively made for the far corner of the stables, and Aidan realized happily that his mother's horse was indeed inside. Josalyn handed another apple to this horse, rubbing her hand along the horse's flank and smiling appreciatively at it. Aidan smiled.

"You want to ride it?" He asked hopefully.

She turned quickly, dropping her hand to her side. "We can't just ride the horses whenever we feel like, Aidan. They don't belong to us. We take care of them, let them out into the field to graze, and then when the time comes, a guard notifies us and we take them to Nottingham." She glanced wistfully at the horse before turning and walking back to Aidan, who frowned skeptically.

"Who's going to know? I thought you said it was just your family who takes care of the horses?"

Josalyn shrugged. "Yes…"

"So then who will know if you ride them?" She bit her lip.

" I guess…I guess it wouldn't be so bad to ride one…just around the field a bit. Besides, it would be good to give them a little exercise…" she reasoned quickly, sounding more and more enchanted with the idea. Aidan looked around and picked out another fine looking horse, which was already saddled. Josalyn followed his gaze.

"Ah, that would be the newest member of the guard's horses. He's a bit feisty, that one. They just brought him here this morning." Aidan smiled. He hadn't ridden a horse for fun in a long time…not since he lived with Lizbeth. Every once in a while, Marian would come to visit him, and she allowed him to practice riding when she came. He had always loved riding- loved the speeds he could achieve, loved the thundering of hooves and most of all the thrill of riding. He had been reacquainted with his love for horses when he caught the man's horse a few weeks ago, and was more than willing to get back on. But Josalyn laughed lightly.

"I think you better take Lady Marian's horse. Trust me- this one will buck you off unless you are familiar with it." So she helped him saddle Marian's horse, and then they led the two out of the stable and into the cool, lovely outdoors. At first they rode slowly, allowing the horses to trot through the field at their own pace. But Aidan soon tired of riding around the fenced in field, and suggested that they take the horses through the forest. Josalyn balked at this idea.

"Aidan, we can't! We aren't supposed to let the horses outside of the fence- if someone saw us, they would think we were stealing them!"

Aidan shrugged. "We can just say we are taking them into town for Marian…and…a guard." He finished, laughing. Josalyn looked worried, but Aidan smiled soothingly at her.

"It will be fine! Don't worry so much! No one will suspect you of thievery- you look too innocent." With a last grin at her, he prodded his horse forward into a fast trot, only slowing enough to unlatch the gate and then continue onward. He didn't bother to look back; he knew that comment would spur her into action. Indeed, he had hardly gotten into the forest when he heard the galloping of hooves behind him as Marian's horse charged ahead of his own. Within an instant they were racing, having the time of their lives as the wind blew their hair backwards, and all they could hear was the air pulsing backwards past them, and their own laughter. Finally they slowed, trotting side by side through a wide trail. They rounded a bend in time to see three Nottingham guards sauntering slowly down the path toward them. Josalyn gasped, obviously frightened, but Aidan gave her a knowing glance and turned, smile on his face, to acknowledge the guards.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." He said cordially, his voice smooth and pleasant. The guards looked up, surprised that a villager would speak to them pleasantly. They nodded, taken aback, and Aidan turned to Josalyn.

"See," he whispered quietly. "They didn't suspect a thing. It's all about how you presen-"

"Oi! You there! Stop that horse! That's Lady Marian's, that is!" One of the guards had stopped in his tracks, and was pointing indignantly at the horse. The other two guards, puzzled, turned around to stare suspiciously up at Aidan.

Aidan cleared his throat. "Aye, that it is. We were just taking it down to her, but we got a little sidetracked. The horse was thirsty. Come to think of it, we were a little thirsty too." He laughed in what appeared to be a lighthearted manner, although his heart was beating loudly and his knuckles were clenched against the reigns of the horse.

One of the guards smiled, satisfied, and turned around, but his comrade stopped him. "Lady Marian is attending a meeting all day with Guy of Gisbourne. She has no use for her horse today! You're stealing those horses!"

Aidan gulped, turned to Josalyn, and called out "Ride!" Josalyn flew out in front of him, and he pushed his horse faster as they rounded another bend, picking up speed. He wished they had actually gotten the horses water; his was clearly getting tired. However, they had almost lost sight of the guards, and just when Aidan thought they could slow down, he heard Josalyn's horse whinny and rear backwards. Astonishingly, Josalyn stayed on the horse, and soothed it expertly once it had returned to the ground. But Josalyn remained wide- eyed and scared out of her wits, for they had practically run into four more of the Sheriff's guards. They turned their horses hopelessly, as the guards from before caught up to them, and explained breathlessly to the other four that they were horse thieves. Before either one of them could explain their actions, Aidan found himself being hauled down roughly off the horse, and they were dragged beyond the gates of Nottingham, into the castle, and up to the dungeons. It happened so quickly that Aidan lost sight of Josalyn, until he was thrown into a jail cell, with his beloved right behind him. She was shaking like mad, and Aidan reached out to calm her down, but she threw him a fierce glare and retreated to the opposite side of the cell without a word. Tears began falling down her face, and she turned away from Aidan bitterly. Aidan felt terrible, so he walked across the cell and tried to brush her hair out of her eyes and apologize, but she turned and slapped him hard across the face.

"Stay…away from me." She choked out through tears. This didn't surprise Aidan, but it still stung as he hesitantly sat down on the other side of the cell. It was his fault they were in this predicament. If they had only stayed in the field like Josalyn had wanted…

His thoughts immediately went into problem-solving mode, as he struggled through the mess he had created, trying to find a viable way out. Each time he thought about it, his thoughts turned to his father, and his stomach churned. Robin would be furious. In fact, that was an understatement. If there was one thing Robin had ground into his son's brain, it was to avoid being arrested at all costs, because there was no telling how or if he could get back out. When he found out that Aidan had gotten thrown in jail for stealing a horse, and then riding it through the trails, as if parading his crime…Aidan closed his eyes, willing himself not to think about his father's reaction. How could he have been so foolish? And to put Josalyn in danger…he urged himself to find a way out, any way out.

Meanwhile, Marian was indeed attending a meeting with Guy. It had just ended, and the two were in a carriage, traveling back to Nottingham from the large estate the council was held in. Guy was trying, and failing, to charm Marian, when three of the castle's guards rode out to meet them. One of them spoke to the carriage driver, who hesitantly swung himself down to the ground, and opened the carriage door. "Begging your pardon, Lady Marian, but we have caught a couple of horse thieves stealing your horse. They are up in the dungeons..." Marian frowned. To the best of her knowledge, only a stable girl and her mother knew where the horses were. She could not imagine either one stealing her horse. With this in mind, she rushed up to the dungeons to see the culprits. She immediately spotted Josalyn, who was sitting in a corner of the jail cell, her eyes red from crying. When Josalyn noticed Marian, she got up and flew to the edge of the cell, grasping the bars and explaining in a jumble,

"Lady Marian please forgive me, I didn't mean for this to happen. It will never happen again, I promise you!"

Marian put up her hand, gently silencing the girl. "Slow down, slow down. It's all right. What happened?"

Josalyn took a deep breath, but before she could speak a new voice joined them. "It was my fault," Aidan said loudly, stepping out of the shadowy cell to face his mother and Guy of Gisbourne.