Part 21

Marian and Allan were relived from their watch at the house in the slum by Little John and Much. It was dark and the temperature was dropping rapidly.

"Anything?" asked Much hopefully, but Allan shook his head.

"We need something and soon," commented Little John, while Marian just looked pensive.

"You alright?" Much suddenly asked her, she looked up at him and nodded.

"She's been quiet all day," Allan said filling them in.

"I am perfectly capable of talking for myself Allan," she bluntly replied. The men raised their eyebrows and she added. "What?"

"Nothing, you were always like that before, spoke your mind." Allan informed her.

"And I have a feeling you are going to speak your mind now," Much added, taking a step back in anticipation.

"No," she uttered with a sigh. "What I want to do is sleep. I have a headache."

"Oh!" Much replied. "Well you better go then."

John touched her gently on the arm however and said sensitively. "You have been having more flashbacks?"

She nodded and admitted. "Sometimes they make my head hurt. They come to me when I least expect it. It is confusing; the pieces do not seem to fit together."

"Well," said Much kindly. "We will help you to put it altogether. What we know of course. I have known you for many years, not as long as…."

"Robin," she filled in for him.

"Yes Robin." He agreed sadly. Wondering if they would ever find him and if they did, would he still be alive.

"Tell me then," she asked, looking to each man. "My father. I have visions of him in a position of power and yet I have images of him in a cell. I can not imagine what crime he committed to be incarcerated in that way. Is he still in jail?"

The men shared a look and Allan said. "Djaq said not to tell you too much."

"Yes but if it helps her remember it might help us find Robin." Much replied.

"I'm not being funny but I don't see your train of thought on that at all. But…." he waved his hand and added after a moments thought. "Perhaps now Marian is remembering things it wouldn't hurt to edge it along a bit."

"He was the Sheriff of Nottingham." John told her. "He was a good Sheriff, not like the one you saw recently."

"And how did he become a prisoner?" she enquired.

"Well I am not sure, but I think you did something as he was put in there to punish the pair of you." Allan explained.

"Oh what did I do?" Marian said to herself and frowned, she rubbed her temple, thinking too hard made everything worse.

"He is a peace now," John added, thinking she needed reassurance he was not rotting away in a dungeon.

"He is dead then," she said, her face falling sadly. "I felt that he was."

"He, Edward, you father died a hero, not in the dungeon." Much assured her.

"I hope you are not saying that just to make me feel better, for when I can remember I will recall also what you have just told me." She replied, with half a smile, eyen though her eyes brimmed with moisture.

"Much is right; he died a hero, to help save England from Vasey." John said.

"The man I saw?" Marian queried and John nodded.

John looked to Allan and said. "Take her back, a good night sleep is just what she needs. And Marian one day you will remember and you will not like everything that occurred to you, your father, to Robin, to Nottingham or to England."

John was right sleep had been the answer until the memories began sometime near dawn. Dreams of Vasey and of Robin with her father intermingled between. There were images of the man in black for which she had no name for or a face, just that he was dressed in black leather. She tossed and turned as she heard voices, they seemed to echo over one another and she could see herself, hear herself.

They were in the middle of what looked to be a village. A place her mind told her was Locksley. The man in black was dressed in some sort or armoured suit and was trying his best to kill Robin. It seemed Vasey was encouraging the unknown man to be done with the deed. She saw Much, Allan, Will, Djaq and Little John with their bows poised at the men of the Sheriff. She herself held a boy close to her and watched feeling helpless but trying frantically to think of a plan.

Marian relived the moment when she held the Smith at knife point to save Robin's life. She didn't understand the look Robin gave her as he walked away free and she found herself talking to the faceless man in black who claimed she had been trying to save the life of Robin Hood, which she denied. As she walked away the Sheriff stopped her and told her she would be punished, and then she remembered what he had done to her father.

On waking, the revelations had brought up more questions than it had answered. She realised she remembered just what Vasey was capable of and knew in an instant that Robin was not safe if he was in the same place as this man. She vowed then that whatever it took they would find him so that he could take her home to be together, where she knew, not only in her heart but in her mind and soul she belonged.