A/N: For this chapter we welcome Emmithar not only as my beta, but also as special evil guest writer. Basically, parts of this were written by her, and I give credit where credit is due ;)

Thank you for your comments! I always enjoy reading your thoughts on the story and the characters! :)

Chapter 8: A Fleeting Glance

Marian was upset. She didn't want to admit it, as she certainly had no time to dwell on feelings like that, but the day's happenings had left a lump in her throat that didn't want to go away. She felt like crying, but told herself that she had no reason for crying quite yet. If she kept herself together, she could stop the worst from happening, she knew that.

She had managed to help Will in the morning. At first she had worried that she wouldn't be able to, when she had watched the ongoings on the castle yard early in the day. It had been an unpleasant surprise for her to see the outlaw being led to the gallows, as she hadn't known before that he had even been captured. In the course of minutes he had been prepared to hang and Marian had seen no way to help him in the short period of time she had. Then the sheriff had ridden away and Will had managed to escape into the castle, and Marian had risked her cover, catching him on his flight and hiding him in her chamber.

The search for the outlaw hadn't gone on for long and nobody had even come to look in her room, as the attention of the castle's inhabitants was drawn to the much greater spectacle outside when Gisborne and the sheriff had returned with the new prisoners. As upsetting as that had been, Marian had then hoped that she and Will would have time to plot an escape for the outlaws. This hope had been dashed soon after.

Marian and Will, still clad as a guard, were on their way out of the castle, when the tumult started. The sheriff and guards arrived, people from the town collecting on the yard and Marian watched from one of the galleries as Robin was brought out of the dungeons. She was scared. Scared to be helpless. Will didn't let her watch long, as the archer was brought before the gallows. He took her by the shoulders, pulling her away.

"You don't want to watch this," he said quietly, but urgently.

"We have to do something."

"There are too many guards…"

"Robin saved you when there were just as many guards around!" Marian turned away from him, although she knew he was right, and stepped forward to see the happenings on the yard.

"Robin wouldn't want you to give your life, Marian," Will said quietly behind her, but she could hear the strain in his voice, knowing he wanted to jump in there, too. The sheriff was talking, telling the story that enraged the people. Marian had no ear for it. She was looking at Robin, her mind racing as to what she could do. Her feelings had long decided that she would do something, there was only the question what, and her reason stopped her from rushing down there until she had at least half of a plan, as Robin would call it.

Her heart wanted her to go, fighting every single one of the guards if she had to. Her cover didn't matter anymore. What would matter at all, if they killed Robin? With a last glance at him, Marian turned away, pulled out her dagger, wishing she had more of a weapon on her.

Will followed on her heels along the castle walls, down the stairs and onto the yard. Then she saw it. They were not hanging Robin, at least not quite yet. Marian had made her own experiences with this type of game of the sheriff, although it had been far from as bad as what she was watching now. She stood nailed to the spot, Will next to her, both of them blocked from getting any closer by the mass of people.

When the sheriff had ordered her hair to be cut off in public it had been in order to humiliate her. The same thought was behind what was happening now, only that the sheriff intended to destroy Robin, not just put him in his place. It was obvious he planned to let him stay out there for a while, and Will finally convinced Marian with quiet words that they would have to wait, wait till they had a better chance to save him. They also had to think of the other outlaws who were still in the dungeons, too. A hasty, botched rescue attempt might not only endanger Robin's life but the other's as well.

So they moved on to the market, trying to collect their thoughts and come up with a plan. It was a pleasant surprise to meet Djaq there, and it raised their hopes. A quick plan enabled them to smuggle the Saracen into the castle, and now all three of them were sitting in Marian's chamber.

She was glad that Gisborne had not shown up so far. He had obviously been busy with all that had happened as well, but she guessed that he would not let it take from himself to see her that day anyway.

"We need a plan," Will voiced what everyone of them was thinking. "Do you know a way to get into the dungeons without meeting all the guards?"

She shook her head. "I can visit my father, but he's in another part of the dungeons than the one they have brought them. And that's heavily guarded."

"The sheriff is not taking any chances," Djaq, now clad in a servant's dress, nodded. "We have to wait till the hanging."

Will looked at her, stunned. "We can't do that!"

"Only so can we get to them." She returned his earnest gaze.

"We don't know when the hanging is going to be," Marian pointed out. "It could be tomorrow or it could be next month."

"The sheriff isn't going to wait that long. He was quick trying to hang me," Will grimaced.

"What about Robin? We can't leave him there for days." Marian shook her head, moving to her feet.

"Is he getting any food, water?" Djaq asked in a worried voice.

"I don't think so," Marian said, walking halfway to the window of the room. "The sheriff sometimes punishes people this way, but it is usually for a few hours. It's not like that now, quite the opposite." She stepped to the window and looked outside onto the yard. Robin had been there since the morning and the sheriff would certainly not release him until he was to hang.

"Can you go and talk to Robin?" Will suggested. "You could tell him that Djaq and I are here, that we're trying to come up with a plan..."

Marian shook her head. "Not if I want to keep my alliance with you and Robin secret." She remembered her feelings in the morning when she had been more than ready to blow her cover to save him. She hadn't seen an alternative then, but now she looked at it more realistically and saw that she would have to keep her secret in order to help him and the other outlaws.

She moved away from the window. She knew that she had to keep her cover, but still, she actually wanted to talk to Robin. Nobody else was, at least nobody who didn't want to see him hang. She wanted to tell him that they were all there, trying to help. She wanted to tell him that Will was alright, a fact the man certainly didn't know yet. She wanted to tell him not to give up. She knew he was not one to do that, but she also realized that it all had to bear him down, to not know about the fate of his men, to be blamed and vilified by the people like that, to be alone and helpless. This was the situation the sheriff had wanted, she could see that. The man wanted to break Robin before he would kill him. And she had to do something about it, if she wanted to get things right again.

There was a knock at her door and Marian was startled from her thoughts.

"Hide somewhere," she whispered fiercely to the two outlaws.

"Marian?" she could hear Guy's voice from the door. She ran over to it with quick steps, holding it closed.

"Guy? This is not a good time," she said through the door.

"What is wrong?"

"I'm... feeling unwell." This wasn't even a lie. She closed her eyes, hoping he would leave, would not enter the room.

"Can I get you something? Shall I send for a physician?" Guy urged.

"No, that's not necessary," she said quickly, but she could already feel him pushing the door open, and she had to step back to let him in. She swallowed, hoping Djaq and Will were out of sight or it would end fatally for all of them, including any hopes to help Robin and his men.

"You're pale," Guy said, as if it was a confirmation of what she had said.

"Yes, I'm not feeling well," she repeated her earlier statement. "It's just a headache." She tried for a smile.

Gisborne nodded. "You need rest."

"Yes." She hoped he would be leaving now.

"You've been to the market today?" he asked though, stepping a little further into the room and looking around. Marian turned to him and saw that the room seemed to be empty apart from the two of them. Will and Djaq were nowhere to be seen.

"Yes, a little bit of exercise is doing good." She smiled again, before she added, "A guard was with me."

"Which is advisable in this atmosphere. The people are riled up. You cannot know what deeds they are capable of. It is not safe for a lady." Guy's expression was grave.

"The sheriff riled them up," Marian said, before she could stop herself. She actually didn't want to prolong the conversation with Guy.

Some moments passed before the man answered. "He did."

"You do not approve of it." It wasn't a question.

"I think it is not wise to drive the people to act out their lowest feelings." He paused. "We should just kill Hood and the outlaws and keep the order."

Marian bit on her lip, forcing herself to a silent nod. "I am tired," she said finally, hoping to make him leave at last.

"Good night, then," he said, and she smiled relieved.

"Good night."

He turned and took some moments to walk out of the door, closing it behind himself.

Marian turned back to her room, looking around to see if she could find the outlaws. Her gaze fell on her bed and she bent down to look under it. She was met with two pairs of eyes gazing at her.

"You can come out from under my bed now."

Djaq and Will crawled out and moved to their feet.

"I have to go and see Robin," Marian told them decidedly.

"How are you going to do it?" the Saracen wanted to know, sitting down next to Will on Marian's bed.

"In disguise," she said simply.

"The Nightwatchman?" Will asked surprised.

"The guards would hardly let me get near Robin then," Marian shook her head. "I'm going to take another servant's dress I have. It has worked before."

"I'm coming," Will declared, standing up.

Marian shook her head. "It would only draw attention if a guard comes along." She didn't tell him that she simply wanted to go alone. "You can have Djaq take a look at your leg," she suggested. "And then you can prepare some things because I think I might have half of a plan..."

He wasn't able to sit down, or move in any other way his hurting legs demanded him to do, the rope that bound him keeping him from doing so, no matter how sore he felt. Then there was the tiredness. Robin hadn't slept in a long while now, and he figured that he would soon test the old question as to whether one could sleep while standing on one's feet. The pain at first did not want to let him fall asleep, but by the end of the day his tired body didn't care anymore.

He was in an uncomfortable slumber, when he was rudely awoken. Disoriented he tried to move around, but found he couldn't. His eyes blinked and he then he saw the sheriff standing in front of him in the fading light of the day.

"Welcome back," Vaysey said with a grin, and Robin just wanted to go back to the darkness that kept the pain at the back of his consciousness. "Now how are we feeling?" the sheriff asked with feigned friendliness. "Tired? Pained? Thirsty? Hungry?"

For Robin every one of these things was true, but he did not make a sound, avoiding to look at the man at all.

"Then you know how the poor people are feeling, and just because of you!" Vaysey went on. "They hate you now, you know that? They have shown you, haven't they? I didn't have to lay a finger on you. The people did it all themselves, because they despise you. Now how is that a for a rude awakening?"

Robin was still silent, not even trusting his voice as dry as it was to form coherent words.

"You wonder how all of this could have happened, don't you?" the sheriff mused, strutting around the archer.

"You planted spies," Robin finally croaked with a hoarse voice.

"Ah, I did not plant them all. Some of them you grew yourself."

"Lies."

"Don't believe me? Ask them yourself...," the sheriff mocked. "Oh, you can't. What a shame....not really, if you think about it. If you weren't so trusting of your men, you wouldn't be here..."

Robin didn't believe it. He was here because the sheriff had gone to great lengths to hurt all the people in Nottingham just to get to him. Vaysey was telling lies. Nothing what he said was true.

"Oh well," the man went on. "You know what they all say: Live and learn...except for in this case you won't be living...."

After that the sheriff left with lofty strides, and Robin was glad that he was finally alone again, alone so he could think, sleep, think.

He really had been wondering how all of this could have happened. The outlaws had thought they had detected the last cruelty of the sheriff when they discovered the grain supplies were poisoned. They just hadn't realized that this wasn't the end of it.

Of course, if Will had not been caught, they would have had no reason to go to Nottingham and walk into the trap there. Still, the people would have heard the stories, would have been opposed to him just as much, only then the outlaws would have been able to act, try to convince them of the truth, try to help.

The sheriff claimed he had a spy inside the gang, but Robin did not believe it. He trusted all of his men. But then Vaysey had claimed that he was too trusting. Robin didn't want to believe anything the man said, but as he was the one who was being humiliated, the one who was going to hang, and the sheriff was the one winning, Robin had to wonder if he had made a mistake after all. Maybe he was too trusting...

The thought followed him as the sun went down, leaving the air colder even than before. Robin wondered how long it would go on, wondered if the sheriff would have him hang the next morning. He knew he had to hope that the sheriff would continue his game for longer, more time allowing an opportunity for rescue to come. But then Robin did not know if he could even still believe in such, and the night in front of him seemed so long already. He stubbornly reminded himself that he had seen much worse, so much worse, back in the war. They had been on the battlefield endlessly, fighting and killing and seeing gruesome pictures that would make even Vaysey turn away in horror. It had been so much worse, and still he had lived...

Robin fell in an uneasy sleep again, feelings of hurt, of loss and of betrayal on his mind. He woke to the lightheaded realization that the time of Robin Hood was maybe over. If there was nobody left who believed in that man, he Robin, just Robin, might not be able to fight it any longer.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to more rational thoughts, pushing away the weakness in his mind that only seemed to want to force his body to stop, to sleep, to let it all rest. He had to trust himself.

He thought of the lads then. He trusted them, too. Much was beyond any doubt. The man had been following him loyally for many years, was now awaiting hanging having followed Robin everywhere, even into the forest, into outlawry. John... he had not known the man for a long time, but he did not doubt him for a second either.

Allan was maybe another case. Robin trusted him, but knew of the tendencies the man had in himself. Constant lying and trickery had brought him to the gallows already, before Robin had saved him, and he was sure the man had not left that completely behind himself. But he was down there in the dungeons as well. If he were a traitor, he would have made sure not to be caught himself, having to know that the sheriff would get rid of him, too, once he had Robin killed.

It raised the question about Djaq, but Robin rejected the thought quickly. He could trust Djaq absolutely. There was no way on earth or beyond she would betray him to the sheriff. But then she had disappeared somehow, and Robin began to wonder if she truly had managed to escape before the others had been captured, or if she had simply been let go. It was hard to imagine... Then there was Will...

Will was dead and Robin would never have doubted him. The thought lingered with him, hoping the man had known how much they appreciated him. Will, who by every right should be dead. Should be...but there was no body, as Robin remembered. The sheriff always liked to display his catches and had done so more often than once, but not with Will's body... Robin didn't want Will to be dead, but as the sleep almost overtook him again in his exhaustion, he found himself wondering if he rather wanted him to be a traitor.

Robin questioned in his mind if Will had even been wounded. He had not seen it with his own eyes. It had been Djaq that had said so. The same woman who was now nowhere to be seen. Was it her, or both of them, he could not say. He did not want to believe it. None of his men would betray him, he had to hold onto that hope.

It was the sheriff, the man was playing with his tired mind. This thought made Robin open his eyes, as if he expected Vaysey to be there once again, but he was not.

There were only few people moving on the yard now as the night had fallen. The guards had changed a while ago, but apart from them only few town's people came to look now. They were only watching, leaving him in peace apart from that. Robin wasn't paying much attention to them, still lost in his thoughts, hardly able to even look straight ahead.

When he finally forced himself to lift his head though, he stared into the eyes of someone he had not expected to see. Marian was watching him sternly, covered by a ragged cloth that did not betray the noblewoman. When she saw him looking at her, her expression turned to a smile, though it was not a joyful one, but one that held determination. She wanted to help, planned to do so, it was what her expression told him.

Robin did not know what she could do, alone against all of the sheriff's guards. But her expression showed confidence. Before she turned away, he thought he also detected sadness in her face. Maybe her confidence was not as large as she had tried to make him believe. Maybe she wondered if she saw him for the last time. Robin tried to banish these thoughts, trying to keep the hope she had wanted to give him.

Marian walked away, vanishing from sight as she left the castle yard. It all had happened so quickly, enough so that he had to wonder if he had even really seen her, or simply imagined it because he had wanted it so badly. Robin was now certain that all of it would end soon, one way or another.

TBC