"I can't understand," Marian was saying as the coach hit another pothole and tossed herself, Robin, and their daughter Ellen out of their seats, "why riding in this is any better for our baby than me riding horseback. I completely agree with Count Friedrick, when he claimed he was scrambled like an egg!"

Robin, holding Ellen on his lap, laughed and told her, "Mama's missing her German beau."

Marian rolled her eyes, amused nonetheless. "He was a good friend to both of us, admit it. He got my ring back."

For a few brief moments, they both gazed happily at the green emerald ring on Marian's left hand, remembering the bittersweet time Robin had first slipped it on her finger, high atop the branches of a tree, in Sherwood.

Robin couldn't resist. Lifting her hand, he pressed a kiss onto the ring's cold, smooth stones. Still holding her hand in his, his eyes met Marian's and held them, conveying all he felt for her better than any words could do.

Another bump in the road broke the spell. Ellen squealed with delight.

"She likes being scrambled! Don't you, Boo?" Robin asked, thrilled by her gurgling laughter.

"It's the new horse," Marian realized. "If you hadn't sold Willy, we wouldn't be half so jostled."

Yet another bump threw Marian's body against Robin's. "I don't know about you," he teased her, not letting her go, "but I like being jostled."

They kissed, not as deeply as they would have liked due to Ellen's watchful eyes, but satisfyingly all the same.

Breaking apart, Marian's eyes sparkled back at him, and she teased, "Time to come clean, Locksley. What happened last night?"

He drew in his breath, then began his confession.

"For one thing," he admitted, "I learned your plan to save the barber worked far better than mine."

"He's safe?"

"For now. That still doesn't get you off the hook. The king's going to want to be paid for his so called mercy."

A dark cloud seemed to settle over the coach, dispelled only when Ellen began to sing.

Robin closed his eyes to listen, breathing in the sweetness of his daughter's scent, trying to banish his fury over the king's desire for his wife. As for Marian, she steeled herself for her likely encounter with King John today, feeling she would be perfectly adept at handling him. After all, she'd handled Gisbourne for years, and he had been far more threatening in her mind than the prancing, mincing king.

"The important thing is," Marian reminded her husband, "an innocent man won't be put to death. Now, you mentioned a plan. What did you do last night, Robin?"

He grinned at her, wickedly. "Nothing I wanted, since you fell asleep."

"Grow up. I'm serious. Tell me."

Her gaze, so intent yet loving, demanded nothing less than the truth. He sighed, growing serious.

"I went to Nottingham," he told her. "I couldn't find the barber, so I snuck into Annora Fitzhugh's bedchamber, to get Maggie's jewels."

Marian, not liking that information one bit, tersely asked him, "And did you?"

Robin shook his head. "She woke up, and thought I'd come to...I think you can guess. I tried to tell her about the jewels, but she flung herself at me, and-"

"She threw herself into your arms?"

"That's not the worst part. Her husband appeared out of nowhere, and accused me of molesting her again."

When Marian could speak again, she asked, "What did you do?"

Robin shrugged. "What else could I do, Marian? I ran."

Robin waited through a few moments of heavy silence, knowing the dam of Marian's emotion was just about to burst.

"Robin!" she cried out at last. "How could you? After everything we agreed upon yesterday, you still went off on your own, keeping secrets from me, when I could have-"

"I've never kept secrets from you! Would I be telling you now, if I did?"

Their raised voices startled their small daughter, filling her bright blue eyes with tears.

"It's alright, Boo," Marian soothed, spying the tears before her husband did. "Daddy and I aren't mad, just bothered. We love you."

"We do," Robin gently assured her. "Shh. It's alright."

Comforted and happy again, Ellen resumed her quiet song, bouncing her toy horse up and down on her daddy's thigh. Robin and Marian resumed their argument, in quieter, more controlled tones.

"The point is, Robin," Marian continued, "our talk yesterday meant nothing to you."

"That's not true."

"Then why did you go off on your own? What if you'd been locked up? I wouldn't even know where you were!"

"I think you'd figure it out, pretty fast."

"I shouldn't have to. And if you'd told me what you were planning, I'd have kept you out of trouble. I would have told you to simply buy Maggie more jewels. There's a booth selling them at the fair, for nothing!"

Robin swallowed, feeling a lot like Much. "There is? For nothing?"

"Pittance," Marian corrected. "Men! Why is it you all think women have no brains, yet need your protection?"

"I did want to protect you, Marian! That's the only reason I didn't tell you. I thought you'd want to come with me."

"If I had, you wouldn't be in danger." She sighed, remembering all the times they'd worked together, side by side, united and successful. The only exception was when she had first joined him in the forest, when she'd not been herself, grieving for her father. Other than that period, when she wouldn't work with him, they moved together as one, sneaking through the castle, running through the forest, defying all odds. Why couldn't he remember?

"I guess we're both facing trouble again today," she said at last. "I've got your back, Robin. I love you."

"And I've got yours. I love you, too."

"Horsies! Horsies!" Ellen cried, bobbing up and down on Robin's lap as she spied the horse fair from the window of the carriage.

"Ready for some fun?" Robin asked, partly grim, partly thrilled by the aspect of adventure.

"Always, with you," Marian assured him.