Part 6
"Robin," Marian spoke softly sitting herself beside him.
He was sitting on a tuffet staring into nothing and Much had suggested that she if anyone would get any sense out of him. Then John said perhaps the rest of them should leave for a while and so they had. Still he didn't respond, she decided that he had wallowed enough it was time to stir some sort of reaction from him.
He must have anticipated her mood for he suddenly said "Sometimes I wish for this to be over, sometimes I think we will have to live like this forever and sometimes I think perhaps you should not have joined me here. Sometimes I want to kill him…."
"Like now? It will not help you know, killing him."
"It might make me feel better."
"For how long?" she replied, covering his hands with one of hers.
He shut his eyes and answered. "At the time I would not regret it….It is just the man who takes his place might be worse. I still would not have my lands, my people, my name."
"But," she whispered turning his face to hers and waiting until he made eye contact. "You, have me."
He chuckled and said with half a smile. "And that far out weighs what I have lost, but not my people they are still suffering."
"I know and we must help them."
"Boring as it may be we must ascot the next few travellers through Sherwood," he muttered more to himself than to her.
"And that is the plan?" she asked.
"The start of the plan," he answered with a sigh.
"Perhaps I was wrong?" she mused.
"What about Gisborne? I told you, you did not listen."
"Not about Gisborne, although perhaps you were right about him," she paused and allowed the smugness at her confession to wash over his features. "I meant about you. I once accused you of thinking everything that happened was a joke. Now I know that is not so, now I can see that you do feel the pain of the common man more than you usually show and not just for the glory."
"It was never just for the glory."
"I am sorry I did not mean to……." she withdrew her hand and looked away.
"Marian."
"Yes," she answered finding a lone blade of grass most interesting.
"Look at me," he said sounding more his normal self, than his depressed self.
"No," she replied half stubborn half prideful.
"Why?"
She shrugged and changed the subject, "I was thinking about the flux….well about the children, it is not good."
"No," he agreed. "It is not and it is too late to suggest they be moved elsewhere until the outbreak is over."
"I know that, that is why I am concerned."
"There is nothing we can do except hope and pray," he said, wishing she would stop fiddling with the blade of grass, it was now plucked at the root and she was toying it round her fingers.
She sighed heavily, "I wished there was more we could do."
"What else can we do except nurse them ourselves? There is nothing to be done."
"We do not know if they are ill, they might escape the illness. Much was worrying …"
"I heard," she said and he saw a small smile lift one corner of her mouth, a mouth he suddenly wanted to kiss.
"Marian" he said, his voice a husky whisper, she turned then and looked at him seeing his desire reflected in his eyes.
"Robin…the others will return shortly."
"Just a kiss?" he asked. "We can save the rest for later."
"We can, can we?" she teased, but she was smiling properly now.
Before she could move or protest further he cupped her face with his hands and drew her to him. Their lips brushed with a tingling and a tremor ran through their bodies. His beard ticked her soft skin but she relished the touch and shivered as one hand slid from her face to pull her closer to him by her waist. Marian shivered as he rained soft kisses along her jaw before refocusing on her mouth.
"Just a kiss?" she muttered as they paused.
"I did not say whether it would be a short kiss or not," he replied.
They looked at each other, and knew one kiss; or rather that moment which had been a series of kisses had not been enough. Marian initiated the next kiss moving in slowly and teasing him until he felt he couldn't breathe, the powerful chemistry between them lighting and firing a passion that was theirs.
"Ah," said Much grinding to a halt and then turning to the gang. "We perhaps should head to the road, see if we can surprise and unsuspecting travellers."
"Why I'm hungry I thought you were going to cook?" Alan said.
"Now is not that time," Much insisted.
Djaq pushed past him, stopped, turned and said. "Much is right we can eat later."
John peered round the duo and added. "I agree later, come on."
Before Alan and Will had a chance to look for themselves they were heading back to the road, Marian and Robin still lost in the kiss, the embrace, the moment.