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I do not own Robin Hood. More's the pity.

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'It is no good, master. We are surrounded.'

Robin stared at the floor, chewing his thumb thoughtfully.

'Master? Do you have a plan?'

Robin shook his head, not looking up.

'Half a plan?'

Robin shook his head again.

'Locksley…' called a voice from outside.

The boy looked up, shaking the hair out of his eyes.

'We have you surrounded, Locksley. You have nowhere to go.'

'Master!' Much said, his voice rising with panic.

'Shut up, Much!' Robin hissed.

'We are about to… about to lose and you sit there! Biting your thumb!'

'I am thinking.'

'Thinking!' Much muttered derisively. 'Your father is right! You are sixteen today and still playing childish games.'

Robin looked up, his mouth open in disbelief. 'This was your idea!'

A voice floated down from the hayloft. 'I am sure it was, but you went along with it.'

Robin grinned. He looked up at Much to see his friend wore the same grin. Outside, the village boys began chanting and drumming against the side of the barn.

'Show yourself!' Robin called out.

Marian dropped to the ground in front of the boys. Her eyebrows were raised disapprovingly. 'You left me in the manor!' she hissed indignantly. 'You left me in the manor to come and play children's games with the village boys!'

'We are sorry,' Robin said, stepping towards her, 'We would perhaps be more sorry if you had not disappeared from the party half an hour before us.'

'And if you did not have straw in your hair.' Much added.

Robin grinned all the wider, and Marian dropped the disapproving look. Robin raised a hand to her hair and pulled out some of the hay.

'Locksley!'

Robin regarded Marian thoughtfully. 'How long have you been here?'

She smiled up at him. 'I got here five minutes after you did.'

Much was looking between the two of them, confused.

'And yet we did not see you,' Robin said.

Realisation finally dawned for Much. 'And neither did they.'

Marian shook her head, her features graced with a smirk, not unlike the one Robin was wearing. Then she turned and climbed back up the ladder into the loft, Much followed her, knowing Robin would rather find his own way up.

Robin stretched and caught hold of a crossbeam, easily pulling himself up into the loft. He grinned in response to the long suffering looks aimed at him by Much and Marian.

Marian moved to the side of the loft and pushed a plank. Robin joined her and peered through.

'They are all on the other side, expecting you to come out through the door,' Marian said.

Robin nodded. 'I will go out first, you two follow me.'

They climbed out of the barn, Robin catching Marian as she reached the ground and setting her on the floor, his hands lingering at her waist.

Much cleared his throat, feeling no small measure of satisfaction when Robin snatched his hands away guiltily. Marian felt a strange disquiet spread through her and stepped away from Robin, her eyes looking anywhere but his face.

'Shall we?' Robin asked, his tone slightly more acidic than was strictly necessary.

'Master,' Much protested, 'surely we should go back to the house? They will be wondering where you are.'

Robin grinned at his servant and shook his head.

'Master!' Much said, as Robin turned away and began to head around the back of the houses. 'Master! Surely not!' He looked at Marian, who shrugged and followed Robin. 'And you are as bad as he is,' he muttered, following them.

Robin, Marian and Much crept around behind the row of houses level with the barn. Reaching the back of the Scarlett's house, he began to climb.

'Robin!' Marian hissed indignantly.

He glanced over his shoulder at her and grinned. 'Much, bring the horses around, quietly.' Much nodded and sped away. ''My Lady,' Robin said, smirking his insincerity at her, 'wait here until I return.'

'Robin!'

His eyes sparkled dangerously as he dropped to the ground in front of her. She looked up at him, suddenly very conscious of how much taller he was than she. Swift as an arrow, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then turned and scrambled up the side of the house.

On the roof, Robin crouched down, watching the village boys. As he heard Much bring their horses to the back of the house, he stood and fitted a blunt arrow to his bow. He released the arrow and it found its target, bouncing off the shoulder of one of the larger boys. The boy turned, looking at the people behind him, but it was Will, the carpenter's boy, who looked up at found Robin.

'There!'

Robin laughed and spun, climbing down the back of the house, jumping the last few yards to the ground.

Much was already in the saddle of his own horse, holding Robin's by the reins. Robin swung himself into the saddle, leaning down and grasping Marian's arm, pulling her up behind him.

Marian, at first shocked at his bold actions, soon recovered and put her arms around Robin's waist, doing her utmost to ignore the odd tingling sensation that spread through her limbs.

When Robin did not move, Much hissed. 'Master! We must make good our escape!'

As the village boys rounded the corner, led by little Will Scarlett, Robin laughed and urged his horse on, toward the forest.

--

It was hours later and afternoon had turned into night in that sudden way it does in October. Much had lit a fire and the three of them were sitting around it, listening to Much telling a story.

Apparently listening, at any rate. Much indeed was wrapped up in his tale. Marian, however, was having trouble keeping her attention on him. Rather, her attention was occupied by the boy sitting close by. Too close by, if she was honest. Robin was looking into the fire, his fingers absently twirling an arrow. She was somehow aware that every now and then, Robin's attention, though not his gaze, flicked to her.

'Much,' the object of her attention said suddenly, startling both Marian and Much. 'I am hungry.'

Marian stifled a smirk, wondering if he knew how much the spoilt nobleman he sounded.

'We left a perfectly good feast in Locksley,' Much said pointedly.

'Sherwood will give us our feast!' Robin said, his tone telling them that this was fun. Somehow, Marian mused, it seemed to work.

'Robin, if you can find something edible, I will cook it!' Much challenged.

Robin disappeared into the trees.

After a moment's silence, Much said, 'You like him, don't you? Robin, I mean.'

Marian looked at the fire, feeling herself begin to blush.

Much nodded, apparently satisfied. 'I am glad. He needs good friends at a time like this.' He turned his attention to the fire, began throwing twigs into it. They crackled satisfyingly. 'Robin's mother is… well she's dying, if you want to know the truth. It's why we ran away from the feast. Its driving my master mad that no one will speak of what is obvious to everyone. That they would feast and pretend nothing is wrong.'

'It is his birthday,' Marian said.

'And she is his mother.'

Marian looked at Much. Robin's friend. His brother in more ways than one. Since she'd met them six months ago she'd been jealous of the easy friendship they possessed. Master and servant, but brothers too. She had no one like that, in Nottingham or Knighton.

She had become their friend. Robin hadn't seemed to mind. Quite the opposite, in fact. The boy delighted in teasing her. Challenging her to prove she could keep up with them. That she could misbehave as they did. The difference was she was better at not getting caught. Though, rather than applaud this cleverness, Robin laughed at her.

'We probably will not be allowed to do this for much longer,' Much said, his tone almost despondent. 'Lord Locksley says it is time Robin stopped behaving like a child. And if Robin cannot, I cannot.' He sighed. 'I think Robin's father is worried about what sort of Lord he will become.' He pause and sighed. 'I think Robin is worried, too.'

Suddenly, Much looked up, panicked, as though he had only just realised she was there.

'Lady Marian, please do not tell him what I have said to you!'

Marian schooled her expression to one of seriousness and said, 'Do you think he will be angry?'

Now it was Much's turn to be wryly amused. 'No. I think he will laugh at me.'

Marian smiled, then looked around. 'Where is Robin, anyway? We should be getting back to Locksley.'

'He is hunting in the dark,' Much pointed out, 'who knows how long he will be?' Marian rose and headed off in the direction Robin had gone. 'My lady, you should not go after him!'

'Stay here, Much, I will not be long.'

She headed into the trees, grateful when Much did not follow her. About five yards into the darkness of the forest, she began to feel uneasy. Watched. Much had been right, she should never have come into the trees alone; there were outlaws in Sherwood, after all. She stood still, debating with herself about whether to go back.

Suddenly, something large dropped out of the trees, landing in front of her. She began to scream, then found a hand pressed against her mouth. She kicked out, hitting her attacker in the shins.

'Ouch!' A very familiar voice exclaimed. 'Marian! It is me!'

Recognising Robin's voice, Marian felt slightly abashed. Then angry. 'You should not have jumped out at me.'

'I can see that!' Robin's voice seemed to be coming from lower down than normal and Marian heard the rustle of leaves as he sat on the forest floor. Carefully, she sat beside him.

'I heard you talking to Much.' Robin said presently.

'Yes.'

There was silence for a moment, then: 'It is true about my mother. She is dying.'

Marian looked over at Robin, realised she really couldn't see him, and settled for looking straight ahead into the darkness of Sherwood. Robin would never usually speak about anything serious. She'd seen Much – and Robin's father – try to discuss important matters with him, but he always made light of the situation and avoided anything… painful. 'Perhaps it is the darkness,' she thought.

'I am afraid my father will not long outlive her,' Robin went on.

Marian realised she was hearing something in his voice that hadn't been there before. A deep, almost painful love, tinged with worry.

'And I will be Lord Locksley, Earl of Huntingdon.'

'You will be good at it,' Marian said, somehow knowing as she said it that it was true.

'I do not think so.'

'I think so.'

They sat in silence for some moments. Then she heard Robin sigh and rise swiftly. 'We should get back before they send out a search party.'

Marian felt him stoop and take her hands in his, pulling her to her feet. He pulled a little too fast, and she stumbled as she rose, falling against him. She felt Robin tense, but found herself strangely unable to move.

The tingling feeling she had felt this afternoon when he pulled her onto his horse came back with a vengeance. Marian instinctively looked up at him, though she could not see him, and was shocked as she felt him press his lips to hers.

She froze momentarily, then found her mouth responding of its own volition, her hands cautiously sliding up over his shoulders and into his hair.

'Master!'

Marian and Robin backed away from each other at the sound of Much's voice. Marian felt a distinct sense of loss, until Robin's hand found her own. Silently they walked back towards the fire.

--

'Marian! Where on earth have you been?'

Marian looked up guiltily as she dismounted Robin's horse. Robin himself had elected to stay unmounted, seemingly aware that they should probably not be close again.

'With Robin, father,' Marian said, managing to keep her voice steady. Beside her, she saw Robin's mouth quirk upwards in the tiniest of smiles.

She fully expected her father to berate both of them for their impropriety, and, hoping to forestall him, said, 'Much was with us!' This caused Robin's smile to grow wider and Marian wished they were not in full sight of her father, so she could stamp on his foot.

'Never mind that,' Sir Edward said, he looked at Robin, a strange expression on his face. 'Robin, your mother…'

Robin dropped the reins he had been attempting to tie off and ran into the house.

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