A/N: This may be riddled with continuity errors and probably historical errors, too. I didn't have a beta because I was too impatient to wait for one. I subsequently found out that Books of Hours were not really common until the 13th century, but that Marian, she's a forward-thinking girl. ;-) I can only plead that Sir Walter Scott and Karen Cushman have made deep impressions on my medieval writing.
As I said in "Go Loosen Up Her Gowns," Marian's lack of female companions has always struck me. I thought she must have some female relatives, and they were probably more conventional than she was.
It might have been an OOC, but as I continued writing, I kept picturing this Guy as quite unsure of himself, especially before Vaisey shows up, a true "outlandish knight." (This is a [ Roud 21 ; Child 4 ; Ballad Index C004 ; trad.] ballad, also known as "Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight.")
Oh, and why Skipton? Because I was there recently for the first time, and I know it has a medieval castle.
Sources used in writing this were:
"Medicinal and Magical Herbs of Medieval Europe" by Jarkko Kuisma, . . .
"Online Calendar of Saints' Days." .
The Sword and the Scimitar by Ernle Bradford, 2001 [1974]