The September festival was always a grand affair in Nottingham and the Merry Men looked forward to it alongside everyone else. Allen found himself as one of the few who were unable to show excitement. It had been over two months since Leon passed and he still thought of it constantly. Everyone had been sympathetic at first but soon life went on. Everyone knew that death was a realistic obstacle in their chosen lives and knew to push forward. Allen had always been the same but this was worse. Because he was the one who had inducted Leon into his foolish cause. Because of this, Allen left behind all of his clues toward this mysterious Godwinson, finally leaving well enough alone.

No sooner had they arrived at the festival when all of the Merry Men took off in their intended directions. All were well disguised and knew the rules they were follow. From this, they were left to their own devices. Allen was sure that this would prove to be a mistake. Thomas went straight to a mulled wine cart. This was never good.

Michael had joined the Merry Men shortly after they met him. He had well and truly proved himself since his work with Derby. Most approved of him because of kind nature and easy humour. Some had their doubts because of his severe lack of training with a blade. "Honestly," Roger had complained, "It's like having a second Much." True, Michael had minimal skill. But his goodness was exactly what the gang needed.

Robin had no doubt had his own personal benefits from keeping Michael close. And that was because how quickly a strong bond formed between Michael and Marian. They were fast friends and they were often visiting one another. And any reason to have Marian around camp was fine by Robin.

But Allen had noticed a strain between them. It was not often that they spoke without fighting. Robin joked everything away but surely he must be noticing the struggle. Allen had seen them at their best but now he feared that they approached their worst.

This was not intended to be Allen's main concern of the day. Robin was constantly doing something to get himself into trouble and there was an obvious problem that they faced.

"Good luck!" Michael called back as he wandered off. Robin smirked, knowing that he did not need it, unable to tear his eyes away from the signup line of the archery tournament.

"You know, Robin," Allen said, dragging behind his friend, "little known fact; you are probably the best archer in England. There1 Does that help your ego? Can we avoid this obvious trap of an archery tournament?"

Robin stopped, nose scrunched. "Probably? I'm 'probably' the best archer?"

Allen groaned. "Fine! You're the best! The most amazing man to ever walk these lands. Can we go home now?"

Robin snorted. "Probably," he said again with a chuckle, walking forward once more.

Allen knew it was completely useless to argue with Robin in any sense. And this issue was even worse than others. Robin did not care about the prize. He did not care about the fame. He just wanted to win.

Allen wandered around the grounds, losing himself in his thoughts. Occasionally he saw a Merry Man frolicking about. The day had barely started when he saw Thomas drunkenly tripped over his own feet. His trusted drinking pal was right behind him, tripping in the same fashion. Allen struggled to remembered his name but he thought it to be Mark. Either way, the two of the were a picture of elegance and grace as they toppled about.

He also saw John and Amelia, strolling about hand in hand. And Matthew was joining in a game of kickball with some young children.

Perhaps the oddest interaction of the day was when Allen met Benny. For Benny as not alone. He held the smallest puppy that Allen had ever seen. But before he could be met with either sets of puppy dog eyes he spoke a loud and residing, "No!"

"Oh come on!" Benny moaned. Stroking the small black fur. "Valarie's daughter's old dog just had a litter. And this here is the runt. No one wants him!"

"You are not keeping the dog," Allen said, rolling his eyes.

"Please?" Benny begged, extended each syllable of the word in an extremely irritating fashion.

"Robin will never let you. Dogs make noise. And noise is not ideal for secret camps."

Benny had a strong look of determination on his face as he carried the pup off. Allen had a sneaking suspicion that Sherwood Forest was about to gain a pet.

Allen was sure that nothing more could go wrong for him. Robin was going to enter the damn archery tournament and be caught, Benny would cry over the pup but they would all escape and life would continue. But he had not counted upon one final thing. He had wandered a little too far off from the main festival. People ebbed away until he thought he was alone. But turning a corner, he saw Marian and Gisbourne, kissing passionately.

Allen breathed deeply, looking skyward. "Why God?" he uttered. "Why do you hate me?"

Marian leapt away in fright when she saw Allen. She quickly ran toward him. "Allen! Shouldn't you be at the festival?"

"I could ask the same of you," Allen said, giving a sideways glance to Gisbourne.

Marian knew that the game was up and wished to speak freely with Allen. Turning back to Gisbourne, she said, "I think I need to have a quick word here. Shall I meet you in a little bit?"

He looked unsure but walked away. He gave Allen a warm smile before leave that Allen did not return.

"What do you think you're doing?" Allen snapped. "Oh this is bad. This is really bad. This is really really really bad!"

"Okay, Allen calm down," Marian said, rubbing her temple.

"No! This is really bad! How long has this been going on?"

Marian looked very guilty. "It depends, really?"

Allen groaned. "No, it doesn't. It is a very simple question."

"Well, as you know, I met Guy when I was first sent to France to recover."

"Since when is recover a code for… that…?" He trailed off, not wanting to say it.

Marian responded by striking him into silence. "Well he became one of my closest friends. And then … I don't know. I suppose I fell in love with him …"

"No!" Allen yelled, halting her words. "Never love. Shall we not use such words?"

She was clearly not impressed. "I think you are making this sound a lot worse than it is, Allen."

"No! Definitely not! If anything, I am improving things! All right, let me define my question. How long have you been sneaking around Nottingham with him on occasions such as this?"

The guilty face returned. "A few months, maybe?"

Allen grunted. "Naturally."

"But it's not what you think …"

"And what is it that I think Marian?"

"I love him. And I think he intends to propose …" She stopped when she noticed Allen's odd reaction. He stood very still, eyes squeezed shut. "Allen, what are you doing?"

Allen shushed her. "I am wishing it all away. If I wish hard enough, this will all be a dream. I think it's working."

It was her turn to roll her eyes.

"And what of Robin?" Allen asked, as calmly as he could.

She sighed. "You know full well that that can never happen."

"Never stopped you before."

"I will always have a special place in my heart for Robin. But while, I may love him, I certainly don't like him very much. We never get along! And I just …" She broke off, unable to think of the right thing to say.

"This is going to end horribly," Allen muttered. "How could you do this to Robin?"

"This is exactly why I don't tell you things!" she exclaimed, angrily. "You always take his side!" She stormed away from him, striding back to the festival.

Allen clasped his hands atop his head, looking skyward and praying for patience. "If you were here Leon…" he whispered.

Once she was gone, he reflecting upon the other reason for his dismay. Leon had left him something very important. The family tree for the house of Gisbourne. From this, he knew that Gisbourne's grandmother on his Mother's side had been a Godwinson. But due to his overwhelming guilt, Allen had chose to not pursue this.

He ran after Marian. "Look, I'm sorry … " he began but she was not through with her anger.

"You're supposed to be my friend too, Allen! Which is why I knew I was not going to have your approval but I did hope for a small bit of support and trust in my judgment."

It took all that Robin had to not snort with laughter at her judgment.

"I swear, once you get to know him, you will see Gisbourne is a wonderful … "

"You want me to get to know him?" Allen said, suddenly, realising his prime opportunity. "As in, sit down have a good chat about things such as out pasts, family relationships and I don't know, things like that?"

She was concerned with his sudden enthusiasm. "Well, yes."

He faked a large sigh, as if he were relenting. "I suppose I could have a brief talk with this man of yours. Since we are such good friends and all." Before she could question him, he strode away.

He scurried back fast enough. "Although, we probably shouldn't tell Robin about this, yet."

"Do you think me completely mad?"

,

,

,

Allen had lived under many roles throughout his life. Lord, outlaw, son, coward, hero. But he was about to embark upon a new title; big brother.

He followed behind Marian as she searched for Gisbourne, all the while attempting to look at intimidating as possible. He tried his hardest but it did him little good. Outlaw life kept him fit and agile, but sadly did little for his scrawny body. When he finally found himself facing Gisbourne, he felt even smaller when in contrast. Still, he drew himself as tall as he could, puffed out his chest and folded his arms in a sultry fashion.

His efforts were unseen. Gisbourne greeted him warmly. Marian stood between them, anxiously looking from one to the other. "Well, I know you have already met but once again, Guy this is Allen, one of my oldest friends."

Allen knew his strength must lie within his facial features. Somehow, he managed to contort his face to the perfect stone cold glare. And that look remained forever etched there.

Unbeknownst to Allen, it made him look a tad foolish. The other two looked nervously to one another before Gisbourne gestured to a nearby table. "Shall we?"

Small wooden tables had been laid out near the food and beverage stalls of the purpose of the festival. The idea had been genuine but not well thought out. Saxons were the main patrons of such events and they had little money to spare of frivolous purchases. So they group found little trouble in finding a table. Martha had abandoned her tavern for the day, following the money as she knew that rich Normans would also be in attendance. She brought over three tankards of mulled wine, looking to Allen for secret information. He gave the smallest the smallest shake of the head. She smirked, knowing that she would force him to tell her later.

As soon as she was gone, all three missed her presence. For the table was unnaturally silent. Marian and Gisbourne wore their false smiles until Allen was certain their cheeks must ache.

He turned to Marian. "So how am I supposed to get to know him with you breathing down my neck?"

"But- I …"

"Go on. Shoo! Go and find Annie or something. I'm sure she is off making young orphans weep. Just follow the scent of pure evil."

Marian was still hesitant but she slowly rose. "I'll be right back."

Allen reclined in his chair, slowly looking Gisbourne up and down.

"So … How long have you known Marian?"

"A few years," Allen replied with a smug grin. Gisbourne raised the tankard to his mouth and took a deep drink. "… We were to be married," Allen added. Gisbourne almost choked. "… We didn't go through with it of course.. She became betrothed to my best friend."

"Something tells me that that did not happen."

"No. She was betrothed to our other best friend instead."

Gisbourne let out a deep breath. Allen smugness only grew. In his eyes, he had just won a minor battle. "But enough about me. Tell me about you. Let's start with your family."

Gisbourne looked uncomfortable. "Actually, my family is something that I do not care to discuss. I do hope that you will excuse me."

Allen leant forward, creating a bridge with his fingers and leaning his chin upon it. "And why is that?"

Gisbourne looked away. "I do not consider my blood relatives to be my family."

There was sincerity in his words. Allen was unsure how to respond. His entire purpose had been to steer conversation to this unknown Grandmother. But he could sense that Gisbourne would not allow this to happen.

A distant voice boomed out across the crowds. Allen struggled to listen atop the constant sounds of voices but he distinctly heard the word archery. Warning bells rang in his mind and he leapt up from the table, almost knocking it away in his haste. "I have to go," he said quickly, as a means of excusing himself.

The mystery of Godwinson would have to wait. Knowing Robin, he was bound to get himself captured.

But before he could get very far, Marian clutched at his arm. "Where are you going?"

Allen gestured in the general direction. "It's very complicated and not particularly interesting but you see Robin …"

She made a snide sound, stepping away. It as a quiet sound but it was enough to stop him. "Something you wanted to voice?" he said, his voice taking a dangerous tone.

"No, you go," she said, flinging an arm our to show his freedom. "Go back to your little friend. Because apparently I no longer fall into that category."

Allen had learned a lot about Marian that day. And the most surprising was that he found himself furious at her. "You know, this may surprise you to hear, but I have larger things to worry about than your love life. Do you think I enjoy being a watching the spectacle that is you and Robin on your endless journey into forever. Well here is something interesting for you to hear? No one cares. I stopped caring a long time ago. You are only pushing this in the hopes that I create drama because that is what you live off. And, let's be honest here, you don't love this man. You may have convinced yourself that you do but that is only so you can hurt Robin because he hurt you so much by leaving you behind. But guess what, life isn't always about you. You may go through day to day life, worrying about your colossal problems of which incredibly wealthy Lord you will marry. But you know what I main concern is? Getting through the day without dying. And my next concern after that? Ensuring that my friends make it through the day without dying. Are you beginning to see the bigger picture here? There is a whole world, that continues on everyday, regardless of you. So wake up and enjoy it. It shouldn't be hard for you."

And with that, he stormed off, almost trampling a group of passing children in his haste.

He expected her to follow him, to fight him with that fiery spirit. But when he dared to look back, he saw that she had not moved from that same spot. She took a series of deep, shaking breaths, blinking rapidly.

Allen watched as Gisbourne walked up beside her, asking something that he could not hear. She shook her head, smiling. But even from a distance, Allen could see that there was no happiness in the action. It was little more than a distraction. Gisbourne thought the same as he held both her hands in his, speaking kindly but firmly to her. She nodded as a small genuine smile broke through. A few tears also appeared and he gently pulled her to him. He held her close, stroking her hair. As soon as his arms engulfed her, Marian sunk into them. She turned her head into his chest, closing her eyes. Gisbourne rested his chin atop her head, smiling with content.

Allen could not hear one word that was said. He did not need to. For he finally realised, it was not made up. This was not some elaborate ploy. Marian loved him. And he loved her.

A voice from behind him broke Allen's concentration as he turned to see Robin fast approaching him.

Allen furrowed his brow in worry, taking great strides forward to meet his friend. "Why aren't you at the archery? Surely you'll miss your set?" His voice was a tad higher than normal. Allen could hear himself doing it and cursed interanally, knowing that this was an obvious sign of his lies.

But Robin seemed to excited to notice. "My group is a little later in the afternoon. Then I'll be in the finals, obviously. But this wait is great because it is giving me a chance to rethink some things. Now, bear with me but I have a last minute plan. And I know what you are going to say and admittedly yes, it is a bit more dangerous and there is a tad more life threatening risk but just wait until you …"

His voice trailed away and Allen did not need to turn to see what Robin had witnessed. What he could see was the look in Robin's eyes. Allen had never thought it possible to be able to physically witness a heartbreak. But apparently there was a first time for everything.

"Robin, don't –"

He had not expected his words to work and was fully aware that Robin would storm away.

"This is a little familiar, isn't it?" Robin called over.

Marian's eyes snapped open as she hurriedly stepped away from Gisbourne. But she knew that the damage had been done. "Robin … " she said, thinking to defend herself but she found that there were no words.

Robin did not acknowledge her. "Gisbourne! Long time no see! So tell me, how are you? You must be incredibly busy after killing your best friend and then assisting in the killing of mine. But I can see that you obviously had Marian here to help pull you through."

Gisbourne was unreadable. He spoke in a lowered voice. "You are drawing unnecessary attention to yourself and there are guards everywhere."

Robin clapped a hand to his heart. "Such chivalry! So kind of you to worry over me."

Drawing himself to his full height, Gisbourne said, "I'm not worried about you in the slightest. But how do you think it will look for Marian to be caught in your presence. Or do you enjoy ruining her life on multiple occasions?"

Fuming, Robin stepped forward. "And who are you to tell me how to behave around her."

"I'm her fiancé, that's who."

Neither man moved. Eyes were fixed in unmovable death stares. Marian bit her lip nervously. Allen slipped his hand into hers, finally becoming her friend again.

It was inevitable. Swords were pulled from hilts and the clanging of metal filled the area. From the looks of both Robin and Gisbourne's faces, they intended to fight to the death.

A crowd began to gather, growing larger by the second. Allen could see the looks on people's faces. They saw someone employed by the Sheriff fighting their hero and instantaneously, he was to became their enemy by association.

Robin thrived off the people's support, delivering fast paced swings which did well in distracting Gisbourne so Robin could use his fists as additional weapons.

Robin's anger made him distracted and Gisbourne was quick to retaliate with strong parries that forced Robin back, losing him the upper hand.

"You said he intended to propose," Allen muttered through clenched teeth.

"I lied," she mumbled nervously. "I do that on occasion."

"Never would have guessed."

"I thought you would panic to hear all the news at once."

"You would have been right, but I hate to break it to you, this is not drastically better."

Marian laughed through the fear. "I know you think otherwise, but I didn't want this." She squeezed incredibly tight on his hand as she saw a thrust from Robin slice deep into Gisbourne's side.

"Robin doesn't kill," Allen said, trying to assure both Marian and himself. He knew this was a lie.

Gisbourne held out a hand, informing the guards to stay back. It was obvious that this was his fight. He acted with surprising speed, racing forward. Robin had not expected it and was sent sprawling to the ground. He turned onto his back quickly to block what could have been a deadly blow and roll back onto his feet.

The crowd had grown ridiculous in size. Other Merry Men had finally begun to arrive, although there was nothing they could do. Just as Gisbourne had sent off his men, Robin had done the same.

"What in the name of …" Will appeared at Allen's side, watching openmouthed,

"They're going to kill each other!" Much breathed in astonishment.

Both men were already displaying wounds. Blood was prominent upon both of them. In the speed of battle, it was difficult to determine who was the worse off.

Gisbourne turned his sword arm, slamming the hilt straight into Robin's face. The action and pain both stunned and temporarily blinded Robin. It made things all to easy for Gisbourne to small the hilt once more into Robin's ribs. A strong kick rom his boot sent Robin down. That same boot crashed down upon Robin's arm, causing him to release his sword in with a cry of pain. Gisbourne kicked the sword away and placed his own sword beside Robin's neck.

Allen moved forward, ignoring Marian pulling him back. As soon as that blade was pressed to kill, Allen had seen red. This man was now an enemy. But Allen could not move while the blade remained. Other Merry Men ran forward as best they could, bows and swords raised. The guards did the same.

"Enough"

The Sheriff finally made an appearance, swarmed by guards. The people nearest him quickly leapt away, clearing him a path.

His beady eyes flicked about the scene, judging the odds. It was obviously a chaotic mess. "Well, it wouldn't be a festival without a bit of drama now would it? Now, we have all had our fun. Best we call it a day."

"I can kill him for your, My Lord," Gisbourne said coldly.

Allen heard the smallest of gasps from Marian. But there was no other sound.

"Kill him and we kill you!" Allen yelled, turning his bow toward the Sheriff.

The Sheriff only chuckled. "We have been through this outlaws. We all know the rules. The game is a bit more complex than that. So you call off your men and I call off mine."

Allen refused to move. "You first then, My Lord."

The Sheriff smirked as he flicked his wrist. The Guards looked to one another but slowly lowered their weapons. Gisbourne was the last to move. He did not retreat as quickly as he ought to have done. Instead, he stooped down low, whispering to Robin. "I let you win with our little archery game. But I will not let you win this."