This doesn't have NEAR as much action as the last two, but it's still important. So once again: read, enjoy, and review!!

Chapter 3

A month passed, fall arrived, changing the colors on every tree. The pure beauty of it was amazing. It was a crisp morning that Marian's father called her into his solar. He barely left it, which was what gave her the secret freedom to go to Sherwood. He had never left since his wife and Marian's mother, Aelfleda had died. She had taught Marian to read and write, which was rare gift for any woman. Her father had loved Aelfleda, even though he was Norman ans she was Saxon, and somehow he had died on that day with her, retreating into the privacy of his solar only leaving when he had to. It was a rare occasion Marian was asked in, so she knew that it was on strict business. She sat before the fireplace in a chair across from her father's, trying her best not to fidget. "As you know, I'm leaving on crusade in under two months. This left the task of finding someone willing to marry you." He made it sound like he had had to move a mountain. "I have found a man willing, although he also is leaving on crusade. It was decided that you will marry when he returns. But in the meantime you will be under instruction by a friend of mine, actually his wife. She will teach what your mother would have. You will learn to run a household and everything that goes with it." His face had not changed throughout his small speech.

Only one question came to mind. "What if this man I'm to marry dies in battle?"

"You will go to a convent. The woman you will be learning from will arrange that for you." Marian fought the urge to laugh. She couldn't imagine herself as a nun, even though the image of herself in a nun's habit popped into her head. There wasn't a chance that would happen. She wouldn't stand for it.

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"Have I ever met him?" If she was getting married she would know to whom.

"I don't believe so, but you will. He's going to be here in two weeks, after the fair. I intend to have the two of you get acquainted. At least that way you can mourn him truly, should he die. Young thing like him, I wouldn't doubt it." Marian caught the tidbit that he had dropped.

"He's young then?" That was a good thing, he wasn't three times her age. But her father didn't answer, he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. She left unwillingly, feeling as though she had just lost an important battle.

--*--

Robin tried again, "Please Marian? I know you want to. Just think of it—"

"I have been. I can't enter that archery tournament at the fair. If I get caught they'll execute me, maybe burn me at the stake. You know they'd do that." Robin could tell she wasn't telling him something. Last year she had complained about not being able to and now she refused. It wasn't like her. They were sitting at the top of their tree arguing it out, neither having any success at winning.

"Then let me teach you. They'll have bows and arrows that you can use there, and you'll be at the fair anyway." He couldn't understand why she didn't want to. Had he done something? Was she just against taking the risk? He was so confused. Marian was sitting with her arms crossed looking angry. "Look, you won't get caught. I'd speak on your behalf if you did. Besides, you'll enjoy it. I know you will." She glared at him, her eyes simply screaming how much she wished she could, but knew she couldn't. It was a reassuring thing to see, and Robin had hope.

"If I give a good reason why I shouldn't, what would you do?"

"Knock it down, so that's it's not a good reason anymore. But since you insist, go ahead and try." He smiled to himself. This was going to be extremely easy. There was no good reason not to; he couldn't lose.

Marian leaned back against the trunk, and looked off into the distance, her face depressed. "My father is going to introduce me to my fiancé afterwards. If I get caught, he's going to know. Everything will be destroyed, my father will be furious, and he'll have to find some one else. He's already hinted it was hard enough to find 'stranger-man'." Robin felt sorry for Marian, not knowing. Traditions were so against her, at some point she was going to snap, and do something she'd regret later. But at the same time he felt a twinge of guilt, since he knew something that she didn't.

"I could say something in response to that, but you'd never speak to me again..."

"Then don't say it,"she snapped. "I hate to say it, but if I decided never to talk to you, I'd be miserable." That was a good thing, because as soon as she found out, she would decide never to speak to him again. He wanted to tell her, he really did, but he didn't want to give her up yet; that would come soon enough on it's own. If he could have his way about it he would stay right here for the rest of his life. It wasn't his choice, though, that decision had been made for him already. "Okay," Marian said suddenly.

Robin wasn't sure what that meant. "'Okay' what? Okay, I'll do it, or okay, tell me?"

"I'll do it. But don't think I'm looking forward to it."

"Then let's get started, we only have a one week. We should start right away, unless you have a natural knack for archery, you will have to practice until you drop from exhaustion."

"Seriously, that doesn't help. If I drop from exaustion I'll quit. You won't have to ask about it, I'll just quit." She meant it, he could tell. It was her way out if she wanted it at the last minute, that, however,was fine with him, as long as she would try it. That was all he wanted.

He began to climb down feeling light. She grumpily followed, looking ready to kill the next thing that tried to convince her to do anything else, so he decided not to push it. With both feet on the ground, he ran for his bow and arrows, happier than he had been in a long time. Marian sprang after him, her eagerness showing in her eyes if nothing else. "All right," he said, his voice cheerful. "First we need to know if you're right- or left-eye dominant. I'm going to test you for this, and let's hope you're right-eye, cause that's what I am. We can't have you shooting with a right-eye bow if you're left-eye dominant." He stepped back a few steps, and put his hands in front of him, leaving only a triangle of space. "Do this with your hands." He waited half a minute for her to adjust and then dropped his own hands. "Now hold then straight out in front of you, palms facing outward. Good. Center my nose in the space."

"This is weird, I can't believe I have to do this."

"Just trust me. Got it centered?" She nodded. "Then bring your hands slowly back to your face, keeping my nose centered at all times." He watched her do it, a half smile on her face. Her hands came back to her right eye and Robin sighed in relief. "Great, you're a right-eye. That makes things easier."

"I just hope the rest is going to be as easy as that was." Though, she had said the words it was obvious, that she hadn't meant them, she wanted the challenge. And he was more than willing to give it to her. In fact, for the next hour she learned. How to string the bow took a while, what was habit to him wasn't to her, but she caught on fast enough. He taught her to knock an arrow, showed her each of the different steps to shooting, made her go over them again and again until she knew each of them and what it did. All this before he let her try it. It annoyed her, even if it was necessary.

"I can't get this, Robin." Marian hadn't yet hit the stupid tree. She had been trying to for ten minutes and had become obsessed with getting it right, determined not to give up. She tried it agian and another arrow buried itself in the dirt beyond the birch they had designated. There was a knoll that she was supposed to use as a center, he had said that it was just the tree she should try for but even something that simple seemed to be failing. Then he realized what was wrong.

"It's your follow through. As soon as the arrow's gone you bring the bow down, what you need to do is keep where it is till your arrow strikes home. When you bring it down that early your arrow is going to hit the dust." She scowled at him, irritated that she couldn't get it right. "Here, let me try something." He walked over and stood directly behind her. "Now get ready to shoot again." Marian obeyed, but right as she was about to draw it back, Robin put his hands over hers.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going to show you how your follow-through should go. You do all the work but I keep your hands where they need to be. Now continue the shot." She didn't talk, as she concentrated, she drew back steadily with no help from him. His heart was racing at how close she was to him, even though it was wrong for him to think like that, he couldn't help it. Her hand remained steady under his as she took her aim. As soon as she let go, she tried to put down her bow, but Robin kept her hands where they were: One hand holding the bow up, and the other behind her, as if still pulling it back. Watching the arrow sing towards the tree was one of the most fulfilling moments he had had all week long. The next one came when it thudded into the tree, a hand's length above the knoll. Releasing Marian's hands, he stepped back, "See? The follow-through is important, remember that. Now let's see how you do on your own."