Thank you

Part 38

They rode in and dismounted, there was an eerie feel to the place. The breeze whipped through, as if it remembered the fateful day that Marian was about to force herself to relive in her mind. Robin tethered the horses and then stood beside Marian in the centre of the square by the water fountain.

"Where do you want to start?" he asked softly, taking her hand within his supportively.

"I do not know," she replied with a heavy sigh knowing that this was not going to be easy.

"What do you recall?" he asked, thinking that was the best place to start.

Marian shook her head and said. "I do not know if I recall anything….."

"Think," Robin whispered.

"I am thinking, it hurts…..I can see Vasey tying me up in the desert with my back along side yours and leaving me to die, but that was not here."

"No," Robin agreed. "It was not. Close by but not here. I……"

"What?" she asked looking at him, he was troubled and she squeezed the hand which held hers comfortingly. "What do you regret?"

"I did not say…"

"No but I can see. I know that you do regret something, something's that occurred that day."

"I regret saying that we should finish it now, if I had not we would have not spent more than two years apart."

"And you can not dwell on all the 'if only's'. Do not torture yourself for what had passed or what is to come, let us live for the here and now."

"As soon as you have gotten past this….yes." he agreed and they shared a wistful smile with each other.

Marian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright," she began, her voice wavering, but the man at her side didn't and that was enough to give her the strength she needed to continue. "I can hear……I can see us riding fast across the desert floor towards this place……. Much's horse fell just over there, but Much was alright. We split up, it was then I realised I was unarmed and I went in this direction." And she pointed with her finger.

She pulled from Robin's grasp and his hand fell loosely to his side as she walked away. He stood still and allowed her the freedom she needed to remember all that has passed before. Marian walked to the building in which she had hidden from the fighting. She stayed there for a long time, until she heard a voice and it belonged to her.

"Guy! Stop it's over Guy."

"Get out of the way!" Guy yelled at her,

His face was still blank but she could feel his anger and she trembled at the memory as in the recollection they stood in the open where Robin now was.

"All of this time I have been fighting for England do you think I am going to let you kill England?" She asked challengingly.

"Marian! Get out of the way!" he yelled brandishing his sword in her direction but she sidestepped him.

"You will have to kill me first." She replied walking backwards.

"No. We are going to get out of this. I am going to do this thing and have power beyond measure. And we will be together."

She laughed and replied. "I would rather die than be with you Guy of Gisborne."

Marian shuddered, his name; now she knew his name. It did not spark a memory to his features; she just saw a faceless brooding image of a tall man in black leather still waving his sword in front of her. She looked out of the ruined building; Robin was where she had left him but he was now sitting on the edge of the broken fountain. She walked forward and was aware that this is where her 'demise' had occurred. Robin looked up at her but remained silent, just watching and waiting for the right time to intervene.

"No," he breathed out on a whisper.

But she carried on using the only weapon she had left; her secret relationship with Robin.

"I'm going to marry Robin Hood……I love Robin Hood," she replied. Then with utter conviction added. "I love Robin Hood……Urgh!"

Marian fell to her knees, she could almost feel the sword penetrate her body as her mind retold her the past. Robin stood but did not move to her side, rather watching, waiting and wishing that he could take away her emotional pain.

"MARIAN!"

Robin's voice echoed through both of their heads and as it did so the full image of Sir Guy of Gisborne filtrated through her mind and she saw him clearly, as if he was still there in front of her, right at that moment.

Marian began to shake, she felt Robin's arms encompass her body and she allowed the touch, for the moment but thought she might have to break free from his comfort before this memory was truly complete.