Marian watched as, little by little, the gang all filtered out of the camp, until only Robin and herself were left.
"What duties do seven outlaws have that they all must attend to?" Marian asked Robin, who did not respond, but crouched in the corner of the camp, tugging out an old, discolored chest.
"What is that?" questioned Marian, curious.
"It's yours." Robin smiled as he set the chest on the floor beside her.
Marian looked at him, puzzled, but he only nodded towards it, encouraging her to open it.
Now that she looked closer, Marian recognized it. Shaking her head in disbelief, she slowly traced her hand over where the wood looked slightly burnt.
Marian released the latch and opened the lid. Inside were clothes. Her clothes. She pulled out the first dress, a light blue with green detailing. She investigated further and found two other dresses, shirts, and several pairs of trousers hidden at the bottom.
Marian breathed out a laugh as she looked back at Robin.
"Robin…how did you…I thought all my belongings in Knighton Hall were destroyed when Guy torched the house!"
"Not everything. When you left, I climbed up when the fire was still low." Robin pointed to the burnt chest. "That was what I could salvage."
"Why didn't you show it to me when I was living in the forest before?"
"Your father had just died. It was not the right time." Marian looked down at the wooden box. Robin wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Thank you." She said before she kissed him.
When they pulled away, Robin stood up, grinning. "I think it's time to put that box of dresses to good use."
Robin reached in and pulled out a silver dress. "Close enough." He muttered to himself before speaking louder to Marian, "Here, wear this one." He handed it to her.
"Close enough for what? Robin, what are you up to?"
"You'll see." Robin's smile was infectious and his blue eyes were dancing in excitement.
As Marian took the dress in her hands, Robin noticed something.
"What happened to your ring?"
Marian looked at her bare hand before giving Robin a guilty half smile. "I threw it past the jailer to distract him."
Robin furrowed his brow and looked at the ground for a moment in thought before nodding. He suddenly looked up at Marian again, as if he had just remembered something. He gave her a quick smile.
"You change. I'll be right back." Before Marian could say anything, Robin gave her a peck on the cheek, ran out of the camp, and shut the door behind him. Marian shook her head at his antics.
Marian considered refusing to change until Robin told her his plan, but curiosity got the better of her. She did not want to be left out of the secret that apparently the whole band already knew about any longer, and rebellion would only prolong her being in the dark.
She quickly changed out of her practical dark trousers and into the silver dress that Robin had chosen. A ridiculous choice for an outlaw in the forest, but it was his choice nonetheless.
Marian opened the door and looked out for Robin, but he was still gone. She sighed and sat down on one of the bunks and waited for his return.
After a while, Robin trotted up to the camp door and paused before entering, leaning against the wall. Marian had not seen him, and was watching her foot tap rhythmically on the ground, no doubt in impatience waiting for him.
Marian was stunningly beautiful. Her dark hair cascaded down past her shoulders in waves, contrasting with the lightness of her dress. When she noticed Robin standing there, her bright eyes sparkled and her smile took his breath away.
"You, Marian, are gorgeous."
She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows at him. "Do you remember what happened the last time you said that?"
Robin laughed. "I was hoping your reaction would be different this time since your not tied up in a tree by one of our traps. Is my reasoning correct?"
Marian walked over to Robin and kissed him.
"I take that as a yes."
Marian grinned. "So, what is so special that you made me change into this ridiculous dress?"
"Ridiculous?"
"Yes! A dress is very impractical for running around in a forest!"
"Kate still wears a dress," Robin countered.
"Yes, but in dark colors. I could be sighted from a mile away in this silver! Not to mention how dirty it will look from walking around on forest ground in only five minutes."
"Now that problem I can solve." Before Marian could respond, Robin had swept her off of her feet, cradling her in his arms.
Marian gasped in surprise. "Robin! Put me down!"
"What? And ruin your dress?" Robin chuckled at her expression and started walking, carrying Marian in his arms.
She soon realized no matter what she said, he would stubbornly refuse to put her down. Marian sighed and decided to wait him out. He couldn't carry her forever. But as she wrapped her arms around Robin's neck, Marian couldn't help but feel anything but joy at being back his arms, whether she was being carried like a child or not. She sighed contently and stared up at the sky, which was turning a light purple as the sun began to set.
After a few minutes, Robin stopped and set Marian back down on the ground.
"Now will you tell me what you've been hiding?" Marian asked, trying to get her bearings. She looked to her left and recognized the curtain of thick leafy branches that led into a clearing.
Marian turned back to Robin. He looked at her with a small smile. "You've had quite the adventure with weddings, haven't you? Do you remember when you almost got married to Gisbourne?"
Marian grimaced. "I try not to." Robin laughed quietly as she continued, "The only thing good about that day was punching him. And, of course, my escape route."
"Yes, that was a nice horse, wasn't it?" Robin teased gently. "No, the only wedding I want to remember is ours."
"Even though the memory is painful?"
"I wasn't talking about our first one."
Marian looked at him, surprised. "Our first one?"
Then it all made sense. The whispers, sneaking out of camp, and, Marian looked down at her dress. Silver. The closest thing to white she owned.
Robin grinned as he saw her glance up from her dress, comprehension in her shocked expression.
"Robin…" she whispered, a small smile on her lips.
"We're doing it right this time." Robin took her hand and led her past the branches into the clearing.
Several friends from Locksley, Knighton, and Nottingham stood in the clearing and smiled at her as she and Robin walked forward. No instruments were playing, but there was music in the air around them: cheers and applause coming from the crowd, birds singing from the treetops, and the wind rustling the leaves gently.
Marian looked around and saw friends wiping happy tears from their cheeks. Tuck stood at the front of the gathering, Much to his right, and Djaq to his left.
They reached the front of the clearing and stood before Tuck. The black man smiled at them, then said, "I would ask you to kneel, but under the circumstances, I think we should pass up tradition." He glanced at Marian's dress then to the ground, where spring's rains had moistened the dirt.
Then he began speaking the rites of marriage, his voice inflecting the Latin words so that, even though she could not understand the meaning, her heart felt as though it would burst.
"Do you have the ring?" Tuck asked Robin.
Marian gasped. "Robin, my ring! I told you, I used it to distract the jailer!"
Robin smiled and laughed. "I know, so I thought I'd give you something that I didn't have on hand for our first, rather hasty, wedding."
He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the ring he had buried after his return to England. Tears shone in his eyes as he slid it onto her finger.
Much stepped forward, and handed Robin a small wooden tag. Robin placed it gently in Marian's hands, and she turned it over, examining it. It was one of the tags that distinguished the members of Robin's band.
Marian smiled as she put on the necklace. The tag lay over her heart; the heart that she knew had always belonged with the band, with or without the symbol to show it.
"I pronounce you husband and wife." declared Tuck, his smile wide as he looked at them. "You may kiss the bride."
Robin placed his hand under her hair to the back of her neck as he moved to kiss her. She leaned up, meeting him halfway, closing her eyes in pure bliss. It took a while before the volume of the applauding crowd made them break away.
The rest of the night passed in a happy blur. A stream of hugs and congratulations were followed by cakes and sweets.
Much came up to Robin and Marian, sniffling and smiling shakily.
Robin smiled, patting his friend on the back, "Oh come on now, Much. This is not our first wedding."
Much wiped his sleeve across his cheek. "I know, I know. It's just so...so..." He sniffed again before hurriedly turning away and quickly walking off.
Marian watched Much drag his sleeve across his eyes again and duck his head. "Should we go see if he's alright?"
Robin shook his head and smiled. "He'll be fine. You know how Much is. See? He's already heading for the cakes."
A few minutes later, Robin was pulled away by a Locksley villager, so Marian sneaked off. After a moment of searching, she found Kate.
Kate saw her and gave her a hug. "I'm so happy for you, Marian."
Marian pulled back and looked at Kate's smiling face. "Thank you, Kate. Are you sure you're alright?"
Kate nodded. "I wasn't sure how I'd be when Robin told me his plan, but now," she took a deep breath. "I think I'll be alright."
The guests began to filter out, Little John and Archer pointing the way back to the road and handing each family a bag of food and money to take home.
Soon the outlaws were the only ones left standing in the cool light of the full moon, set against the dark purple sky.
"Thank you." Marian sighed as she leaned against Robin, who circled his arms around her.
The band started back for the camp, Marian walking this time. When they reached it, they all sighed happily, worn from the long day.
Djaq gave Will a nudge and her husband cleared his throat, grabbing Robin and Marian's attention. "Lord and Lady of Sherwood, if you would follow me, I would gladly show you your wedding present."
Marian looked at Robin, but he only shrugged, just as puzzled as she was. They followed Will out of the camp, the rest of the gang trailing behind them. They had walked a little ways away when Will suddenly stopped.
With a smile, he gestured behind him as he stepped out of their view. At first Marian only saw a few closely grown trees, but when she looked closer, she saw it.
Marian was speechless. Robin smiled and shook his head. "Will Scarlet, how do you do it?"
Will smiled. "The camp was getting a little crowded, so I decided to build Djaq and I our own room, but when Marian came back and you told us about the wedding, well, Djaq agreed and we decided to give the place to you as a gift. I can always build another."
"What are you waiting for?" Djaq gave Robin and Marian a slight shove from behind. "Go have a look!"
Marian reached out and opened the hidden door. Robin took Marian's hand as husband and wife stepped inside the room. It was small, but cozy; a bed was in the corner along with a chest to hold their clothes and other belongings. It was perfect.
"Thank you, Will."
Robin and Marian watched the rest of the band walk back to the main camp from the doorway of their new room.
Marian leaned her head against Robin's shoulder and sighed contently, feeling the warmth of his hand in hers. She smiled and looked up. "I love you, my husband."
Marian's eyes sparkled as Robin leaned down, and right before he kissed her, whispered, "I love you, my wife."
Please review and share what you think! A BIG thanks to those who reviewed before, it really kept us going. And now, keep an eye out for Robin Hood series 4, episode 5, coming soon to a computer near you! Take a look at my profile for a sneak peek!