Thank you to everyone who reviewed!!! I really appreciate it. And also, a thank you to my new Beta, I'm sure this chapter is better thanks to you.

Marian had never felt so exhilarated. Every time she hit the tree her heart swelled with pride, and if it got any bigger she was going to float away. When the light began to turn a soft golden color was when she realized how late it was. Still breathing heavily and wanting more, she let go of her last arrow. The sound of it flying through the air sent an exited shiver down her spine, filling her with a need for more. Reluctantly, she told Robin that she did need to start home. He nodded, and told her to be back tomorrow if she could.

All that night she waited impatiently for tomorrow. The sun was still asleep when she leaped up out of bed, it was only just peeking out at the world while she snuck meat pies and a hunk of cheese from the kitchen, fully ready to go, with an apple between her teeth for a breakfast on the way.

"Now, mistress, I wouldn't be leaving today," the old cook warned. "Your father was steaming about yesterday in his sleep, I heard him in the middle of the night from my quarters. I won't tell on you, but I won't be taking your side either when he's all in a rage tonight."

She took out her apple just to say, "I really don't care today, Martha, life is meant to be lived and not wasted. I've got to live it in a way I enjoy. Sitting at home feeling sorry for myself isn't going to do that for me." She took the first juicy bite of the fruit as she ran out the kitchen door, chickens flapping away from her as she went through them. The sun was inches above the horizon as she ran through the field that separated Fitzwater Manor from Sherwood. Never slowing her pace, she raced to the edge of the forest, still not stopping. Finally, out of breath she stopped on the road that cut through the forest. A stream snaked it's way through forest floor a little ways off, she walked there and scooped some of the fresh water.

Hoofbeats.

The sound reached her ear too late. With no time to hide, she stuffed her braid down her back, swung the sack over her shoulder and began walking down the road with her back to the approaching horseman. "Ride past, ride past, ride past," she whispered, as if willing it to be so. It was coming closer, the sound of the horse growing louder. Silently she veered off the road, but kept walking, just as she had seen many peasants and beggars do.

She listened, but didn't turn around, she wouldn't draw attention to herself. The hoofbeats grew louder, closer. While her feet moved beneath her, her ears heard only the pounding of the horses hooves, beating the ground as they drew nearer. She was struck with panic when they began to slow, then stop beside her.

"What's your business here, boy?" the rider asked. A hood, she needed a hood at these times. To make up for it she kept her eyes trained on the ground, never once looking up.

"I'm heading home, sir," she said, trying to deepen her voice.

"Home from what? Poaching? What's in the bag? Part of the king's deer, perhaps? Empty it."

What else could she do? Nothing, of course. If she refused he'd kill her. Besides there was nothing offending in the sack, just meatpies and cheese. Why would he get angry about that? Eyes on the ground, she reached and pulled out what was inside, holding it out for him to see.

"How do I know you aren't hiding something in your sack? Turn it inside out."

The only way to do that was to put her food on the ground. As much as she hated to ruin the cheese and pies, she did, though she was careful not to place them in the mud. She turned the sack inside out, just as he had asked. What else could he demand of her? There couldn't be anything else.

"Where does someone like yourself get food as fine as this? You stole it didn't you?" Had she not been so worried that she was going to get caught she would have scowled at him.

A story flickered to her lips, faster than she had expected. "I'm a stable boy for the Earl of Huntington. I received news early this morning that my mother was dying, so my master sent me home. Being as good as he is he gave some food for the journey." In truth, she had no idea if Robin's father would do something like that. For all she knew, he wouldn't send stable boys home if their mother were dying. Oh well, too late now. She could only hope that this man didn't know the earl.

"I don't like lying boys. I have half a mind to bring you to the authorities. Let them take care of your lying self." Marian concentrated on glaring at her lunch, which still sat in the road, getting soggy from the damp. "In fact, I will. I have no evidence that your story is true, if I did I might reconsider. But under the circumstances you will follow me—"

"What are you doing?" a new, familiar voice asked. This was humiliating. She was being half arrested, and now Robin was going to get himself involved. What was with him lately? He was all here-let-me-help-you when he used to let her do things herself. She would have to yell at him later. He was sitting on his own horse, a white one that always looked dirty no matter how much you groomed it. "I hope you have a good reason for taking our stable boy away from his dying mother." Marian was getting annoyed with it all. First an attempt at rape, and now a half arrest. Both of them leaving her feeling completely helpless. She almost wished Robin hadn't showed up.

"Your stable boy? I didn't know the earl was so young." His tone was mocking.

"I'm his youngest son, and I want a good reason for this interruption of my daily ride."

"So is that why you look like you're out to clean the gutters of London?" That smug tone was still there. Marian hoped Robin would snap at him, do something to make him mad. Anything.

"I am Robert of Locksley, son of the Earl of Huntington. I refuse to leave without my stable boy."

"And I refuse to let this lying, thieving boy go. You can be whoever you want to be, but I will not let this boy go."

"Look, I am going to be more than annoyed if you interrupt my day anymore, so I'll put it straight to you. My father is not going to be happy if you keep our stable boy from his mother. How many times do I have to remind you that he's an earl, and can make your life difficult. Perhaps turn other nobles against you, and make you a hated man. Take my advice and go."

"I won't be put subject to this! You are disrespecting—"

"I'm not disrespecting you or anyone else. You don't have to put up with me either, just leave. That's my only suggestion."

Marian was sick of it. Sick of being taken advantage of, by everyone it seemed. Not Robin really, but he was making her enter that tournament. This man, outlaws, her father, and that fiancé too.

All that made her ready to scream at both Robin and the man. "I'm leaving. Go ahead and try to stop me, but I'm not going to stand around here while my mother's dying." She said it with such contempt that she regretted it. Stable boys didn't talk back to nobles, she was over stepping her line. None the less, however, she gathered her food, put it back in her bag and continued walking. She didn't pay attention to the angry words exchanged behind her, just kept going. A horse began to rapidly gain speed and there was no doubt that it would pass by. She veered to the side and waited for it to do so, hoping that maybe she could swear a few nasty things behind him as he left. Air rushed past her as the noble left, kicking mud everywhere in his haste.

"A dying mother, Marian? No wonder he wouldn't believe you. Couldn't you have thought of something better?"

Marian turned back around, and started walking the way she wanted to; into the forest toward the oak tree. Let Robin catch up on his own.

Marian could hear him behind her, leading his horse. "Did I tell you that my new fiancé is leaving on crusade?" She stopped and looked back, he had a concentrated look on his face, his lips pressed together and his eyes serious. He caught up and she started walking again. "If he dies in battle I have to become a nun." She kicked a rock so it would feel her pain too. "Otherwise I'd wish him dead. Either way I end up being someone I don't want to be." She glanced over at Robin to see what he thought, but he was silent. It confused her, by this time he should have said something. Told her that he agreed, maybe. But he didn't, so she kept going.

"I'm going to have trouble at that stupid dinner I'm having with him and my father. I might be tempted to throw my food at him, or hit him. I'm not sure which yet. He's ruining my life, though, I can tell you that much. My whole future is destroyed now." She waited for him to say something. He didn't. "Say something. I keep waiting for you to interrupt me, but you won't."

The silence was thick for a few seconds. "How do you know he's going to be so bad? He might be a nice person. As for his chances of living through the crusades, I can't say. If I were you I wouldn't wish death for him, though. I think married life would be easier on you than being a nun. You might learn to love him a little bit."

"No, I don't think so. I will never love any man. I don't think I even want to."

------

Every day until the fair she came to the forest and Robin taught her more. Her follow-through was perfected and became natural to her. Marian was never fully confident in any of her shots, always ready for her arrow to fly past the target. Robin had to continually tell her that she was getting better, that she should give herself more credit. By the end of the week, she felt that she would be able to make it past the first few rounds at least.

When the morning of the fair dawned, Marian was laying in bed, telling herself that she had to do it. As a last stand before she met her doom afterwards with that stupid dinner. "You can't back out now," she told herself. "Robin has spent hours of his time teaching you everything he can. If you don't do it, you'll let him down."

She had sewn herself a hood, after the encounter on the road. She planned to wear it for the fair, to avoid being recognized as a girl. No need for that. She got dressed as if it was a normal day going to Sherwood. As she put on the hood she congratulated herself; it fit just as she had wanted it to. She snuck down the stairs and through the hall to the front door. The door through the kitchen wasn't an option this time, since Martha would be against the whole thing, but a cook was not going to stop her from doing what she wanted to.

Marian went over the plan she and Robin had made as she walked down the road to Nottingham. They were supposed to meet at the tournament, which was at noon. She was going early to look around and see it all. There was always something interesting happening. According to plan, she wasn't supposed to enter the tournament until Robin got there for the sake that her voice would give her away, which Marian could understand. Besides, she had no great want to be caught. She would go home almost directly after the tournament, so she would have enough time to get ready for that dinner.

She could have taken a horse, but it would have looked suspicious since she really didn't look rich enough to pass for a lord. The walk would help her nerves anyway. It was full light when she stepped into the fair.

Nothing had started yet, but the stands were up, all the different wares laid out. Things that only came to town every once in a while. Some of the fabrics she could see were in colors too bright for anyone to make in England. The silversmiths were showing off intricate jewelry that would cost a fortune. The wonderful scents of all the different foods was almost assaulting. Pastries, breads, and anything else you could imagine. Fortune telling gypsies, jugglers, puppeteers, and minstrels were ready to entertain anyone who would pass by. This was why she loved the fair. The problem was, she had no idea what to do with herself. She had no clue what boys her age did here. One mistake, and somebody could catch on.

In the end she stood against a wall and watched the people. All of them, those making or spending money. The children hanging on to their mother's skirts, asking if they could do this or that. Old men who wandered around doing nothing but remember what things were like when they were young. She tried to imagine all the different lifestyles of the people, where they might live, what their problems were, who they cared about, and what they wanted out of life. After a while she moved to another spot; a shadowy alley so nobody would see her. Right across from her hiding spot there was a silversmith selling trinkets and baubles. His stand was interesting to watch. Women came and cooed over this or that, and men, to buy for their women without them knowing. Only a few could afford such things though, many hurried past so they wouldn't see what they were missing.

Then something strange happened. Robin was there conversing and bartering with the smith! Marian couldn't help but wonder whom he was buying for. If her father was pushing her to marry, then perhaps Robin was getting that as well at home, after all, he was sixteen, it wasn't a horrible time to get married. If she was being pushed at fourteen, why wouldn't he be at sixteen? But wouldn't he have said something last week when she was complaining about tonight's dinner? It made next to no sense, so she resolved to ask later.

The silversmith gave a bit of a wry grin, and pulled a leather pouch from something behind him, was it pre-ordered then? Robin had sure gone to a lot of trouble for this. The smith pulled something out to show it off, but Marian couldn't see it clearly, except for the glint the sun made on the metal. She looked elsewhere for a moment, and for an instant thought that she had seen a familiar face. She looked again, and recognized her father. Hissing, she dove farther into the darkness of the alley, and took the first turn she could. She would not be caught by her father. He would turn it into a big deal for sure, making it into a scandal, that somehow, was entirely her fault. It was, of course, but it was in that scandal, that she knew herself. She had to be who she was, or she would wilt away.

She stayed in the darkness until she was sure she was safe, or as safe as she could be anyway. Out on the overcrowded street, she stole a glance at the silversmith's table. All his work looked intricate and expensive, some girl was going to be really happy with Robin, she could be sure of that. Glancing at the sky, she sucked in her breath. She was going to be late.

Ok, there it is. But the question of the hour is whether or not you liked it. See the review button? Cool, just hit that, and tell me what you think!