Chapter sixteen:

Marian's POV:

Life was much darker, sadder without my best friends. Even though Katy had been there for me over the past four years, I still missed Robin and Much with all of my heart. Sunlight didn't seem to shine as bright as it did when Robin smiled, quiet was a defining silence without Much's laugh and my smile didn't reach my eyes anymore.

My bedroom was quite simple, it had a bed much like Katy's (but with less pink), a large window which overlooked the courtyard, a dressing table sitting next to the window, a wardrobe and a big chest at the foot of my bed.

What was so urgent that I had to be kept from my ride, and why was the courtyard littered with guards?

Even though I hated to be kept from my ride, I was a little excited at the new turn of events! Nothing entertaining even goes on around here, all we do is sit around and wait for the King to return back from the Crusades. Guards were only in this number at special ceremonies and such, so why was the castle on full lockdown? Barging back into Katherine's bedroom I intended to ask her if Guy had told her anything, but instead, found her standing by her window, crying.

"Katy, what's wrong?" At the sound of my voice, she turned and threw her arms around me.

She muffled something into my shoulder, but I couldn't understand a single word.

"I'm sorry?"

Katy pulled back and gestured to the guards outside, "What is something bad has happened? What if there is an intruder in the castle?"

Pulling a handkerchief out of my dress pocket, I wiped her wet face, "Don't worry, there won't be. As long as we stay in here, we'll be f-"

She suddenly let out a high-pitched gasp.

"Marian! Do you know what this means?!" She looked very worried now, "Guy's party will be cancelled!"

There I thought she was thinking about something other than dresses and parties for once. Not that there was anything wrong with those things, of course, I just preferred to focus on the more pressing matters at hand. Something so dangerous that it required dozens of guards, for instance.

"Oh Marian," she had taken a seat on her bed now, "I had this gorgeous dress all laid out! One for you too, or course."

"Not to worry Katy, I'm sure you can talk to Guy and arrange something. You always get your way with him!" I tried to get her mind off of her worries, and it was true, she did always get her way.

"Yes, you're right!" my friend stood up and began pacing. "I'll talk to Guy at once…" she paused, an idea forming in her head, "maybe you could come with m-"

"No!" I cut her off before she could even finish the thought. She knew of Guy's unrequited affections for me and intended to use them to get her way! I simply would not let Katherine use me like that, even if she was my best friend.

Her face slumped in disappointment as she knew that even though she could win over Guy and the Sheriff, I was not so easily persuaded.

"What are we going to do now, if we can't leave the castle?" Katy asked, helplessly.

"Technically, the orchards are still on castle grounds," my mouth morphed into a smirk.

"Oh Marian, you have the best ideas!"

Another great idea popped into my head, "Why don't we go and collect the children around the castle and take them to the orchards?"

Katy rolled her eyes at this and began to protest, "Ugh, but they're always so dirty and annoying!"

"Come one, they wont like being cooped up in here anymore than us. Besides, we can give their parents a break."

After coaxing Katy out of her room, we went down to the kitchens first, to get the servant's children. While I knocked on the door, Katy stayed behind to make sure the coast was clear. Even though we weren't really breaking any rules, Guy wouldn't like us leaving the castle.

My maid, Sarah, opened the door, "Oh, Lady Marian, what can I do for you?"

The "Lady" part of her question still shocked me, I wasn't really a Lady, but my Father was still a knight, and therefore a Sir. No one formally recognised me as part of the aristocracy, but I never minded, I didn't see myself as above the servants. After all, I was still a glorified prisoner.

Technically, Sarah was Katherine's maid, but she already had four! Every time Katy got lonely, before she met me, she wrote to her father and asked for another maid, for someone to talk to. Katy's father resided in London, with Prince John who was running the country while his brother Richard fought in the war. My friend rarely saw her father, but they did write frequently.

Katy insisted that Sarah was now my maid, instead of hers, which I didn't totally agree with. Maids and servants were still people, and not objects to be traded around.

Sarah was a little younger than my father, and her body was tough from endless years of constant work. I insisted that she called me Marian, but she only did when we were alone, instead calling me "Lady" when we were around other people. Sarah had looked after me when I first came to the castle, without either of my parents with me, she was the closest I had to a mother.

"Hello Sarah, Lady Katherine and I just came by to see if any children wanted to come and play with us in the orchard?"

"Oh, how very kind of you both! Excuse me for a moment while I go and get them," she closed the door gently in my face and I heard urgent talking and excited squeals from the other side.

Poking my head around the corner, I saw Katy pacing back and forth, muttering to herself as she did. She was scared to get caught, even slightly doing the wrong thing. About to open my mouth to reassure her that we were doing nothing wrong, I was stopped by a subtle clearing of a throat coming from behind me.

Six little children were standing behind me, looking very giddy. They were ranging in height and age, some very small, aged around five and some taller, roughly nine. They were all the children of servants, who worked around the castle. All servant children helped around in the kitchen, but most of the time they are just in the way down there, so I took them out as often as I could.

"Hello everyone," I crouched down, so that I was at their level. "I thought you guys might want to come and play with us, while your parents work."

Katy had come round the corner now too, "What do you think?"

They all nodded, grinning and the little one jumped up and down.

"Okay then, everyone stick together and let's go!" Katy always warmed up to the kids eventually, and even sometimes carried the little ones.

The orchards were filled with fruit at this time of year, and they were the perfect place for a game of hide-and-seek. The children appointed Katy to be the counter, and we all ran off while she was counting to one hundred.

Two six-year-old twins, Ben and Penny, grabbed my hands and insisted that they knew a place where we could hide. We ran as fast as we could, which wasn't very swiftly due to their tiny legs and my long dress. Before I knew it, they were tugging me into a cluster of apple trees, which hid anything from within.

"How did you know about here?" Asking, I was truly curious.

Penny giggled at the question, while her brother answered. "We hide here when we are running from the gorilla!" Ben burst into a fit of infectious laughter, which I had to join in with.

"The gorilla?" I asked, still laughing.

Where had I heard that before?

"You know," Penny morphed her face into a scowl and stomped around in a circle, puffing out her chest.

"I'm afraid I still don't know who you're talking about!" Even though I had an inkling, I wanted to see how far they'd go.

"Okay, how about this?" Ben kneeled in front of me, "Oh, Lady Marian, please love me!" He begged me, grabbing my hand and kissing it.

Uncontrollable laughter took over me, and finally got out, "You mean Guy?"

It dawned on me then, where I'd heard someone call Guy a gorilla before. It was Robin's nickname for him.

"Why do you run from Guy?" My laughter faded away.

"He doesn't like it when we laugh at him," Ben was still clutching his stomach.

Penny was regaining her breath, "He always shouts, "You need to respect me!" but we just run away!"

Katy, along with the other children burst into out hiding spot, "FOUND YOU!" they all screamed, followed by much giggling.

We all continued to play for a few more hours, until it was time for Katy to find and convince Guy and the Sheriff to let the party go on. The children went back to their parents, after thanking us for a fun day.

Because Katy was so sure that she should get her way, she sent me straight to my room, where she said my dress would be waiting for me. She told me to meet her in her room when I was ready. Entering my room, I curiously looked around and found a gorgeous dress laid out neatly on my bed.

It was a dark blue outercoat, lined with gold, with a white dress underneath. The outercoat was tightened across the white dress with dark blue, corseted strings which synched the waist. The sleeves were long and graceful, were also lined in gold fabric.

It was the most stunning dress I'd ever seen. No doubt, it would be the second most stunning after I saw Katy's.

After I had put it on, Sarah came to style my hair. She brushed it out, so it was easily to work with and then plaited two pieces at the front so that they joined behind my head. She left the rest down; it was wavy after being outside all day.

"You look beautiful, Marian." Sarah told me as she left.

Giving myself a once over in the mirror on my dressing table, I could see she wasn't wrong.

I didn't look in the mirror much, that was Katy's territory. My hair fell down to just above my elbows, my skin was smattered in delicate freckles, my lips were tinted red, from the stuff Sarah put on them, and my eyes sparkled.

I gave myself a little wink, and turned to go and find Katherine. Katy was still getting dressed when I arrived, and told me to help myself to her expensive jewellery collection. I was about to reach for a delicate necklace in her box, but something caught my eye, in the mirror.

Robin's ring.

I hadn't taken it off since the very day he gave it to me. Maybe it was the reason I could never seem to forget the boy who left me four years ago.

It was time to move on with my life, I couldn't go on like this forever. Waiting for a boy who would never return.

Taking a deep breath, I twisted it, because of the years it had been on my finger, it was tightly secured. It was as if this part of my life didn't want to leave me, I kept twisting, and twisting, until it finally slipped off.

Examining it, the ring was just the same as the day I got it, if a little dirtier. Carefully, I opened the jewellery box and placed it inside. Katy finished changing and we headed to the party.

Tonight, was the night that I would leave the memories of Robin of Locksley behind.

Forever.